The UK's 'R' rate of coronavirus infections is increasing, “driven by the epidemic in care homes”, the country's chief statistician said at today's Downing Street briefing.
At the same briefing Dominic Raab warned that if Boris Johnson did announce any of his much-trailed lockdown easing measures on Sunday, they would be “modest, small, incremental and very carefully monitored”.
Meanwhile, opposition leaders have demanded an explanation for the decline in coronavirus testing after the government missed its 100,000-a-day target for the fourth day in a row. It came after the PM set a target for creating the capacity for 200,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month.
Boris Johnson to chair Cabinet meeting about restoring freedoms
Boris Johnson will chair a Cabinet meeting today which is likely to focus on what freedoms can be restored weeks after the "draconian" measures were put in place on society to halt the spread of the virus.
The prime minister hinted he will announce a limited return to pre-pandemic life in an address to the nation on Sunday, with new measures set to come in as early as Monday.
Reports suggest changes could include unlimited exercise, the return of some sports, park picnics, and the opening of pub and cafe gardens - but people would still be required to remain two metres apart.
The move could also see the government scrap its "stay home" slogan, and encourage people to wear face coverings on public transport and in crowded places as some return to work, according to the Daily Telegraph.
In an indication of the changed approach, Public Health England said it was "reviewing all communications materials in anticipation of moving to the next phase of the government campaign".
First patients given plasma in coronavirus treatment trial
Government misses 100,000-a-day testing target for fourth day in a row
Opposition leaders have demanded an explanation for the decline in coronavirus testing, after the government missed its 100,000-a-day target for the fourth day in a row.
Labour said that the news "does not inspire confidence" in the plans to ease lockdown measures.
It came after the Boris Johnson set a target for creating the capacity for 200,000 coronavirus tests a day by the end of the month.
Downing Street made clear the new target, unlike the previous goal, was related only to capacity rather than the number performed every day.
The government signalled it believed the route out of lockdown would rely on increased capacity as part of a test, track and trace programme, to quickly identify new cases of coronavirus and prevent the further spread of the infection.
Gordon Brown says government's target for testing needs to increase
Gordon Brown, the former Labour prime minister, has said that the government's target for tests needed to be increased.
Mr Brown told ITV's Peston: "You have got to do more than 200,000."
He said the government needed to reassure "the one and a half million health service workers, the one and a half million in the care sector, the 1.7 million in construction, three million in retail, one million that have got contact with the public - police, fire, teachers and everything else" that it was safe to return to normal duties.
He added: "You have got to say to them we can reassure you that you go back to work because we are going to offer you the testing that will find out whether you've got it, or whether other people that you are working with have got it, so that we can actually isolate those people if they had it."
Mr Brown also warned about the economic impact of the situation.
He said: "In the next few months the banks will bring down large numbers of companies because they will not be able to keep them in finance.
"The Inland Revenue may do it, but the banks will probably do it.
"Unless we have some other group of people advising on how, sector by sector, we can keep viable businesses... then I'm afraid that the Treasury will enforce upon the banks rules that say you have got to recover all the money that's been loaned."
Bank of England warns of deepest recession on record with economy to shrink 14% in 2020
The Bank of England has warned the UK economy could contract by close to 30 per cent this summer in its first official outlook since the coronavirus pandemic began, Ben Chapman reports.
The BoE cautioned over a “very sharp” fall in GDP over the first half and a “substantial” rise in unemployment as it left interest rates at a record low of 0.1 per cent.
The Bank said it expects economic output to fall by around 3 per cent in the first three months of 2020 and a further 25 per cent in the second quarter.
Its "illustrative scenario" suggests GDP could fall 14 per cent for 2020 as a whole but it said the sharp fall in activity should be temporary and that activity should “pick up relatively rapidly” once lockdown measures are eased.
Bank of England could lend money to help economic situation, Lib Dem leader says
Acting leader of the Liberal Democrats Sir Ed Davey has said it is possible for the Bank of England to lend money to the government to help the economic situation.
Sir Ed told BBC Breakfast earlier this morning: "I think if we're going to ask people to do some more exercise, if we're going to open things like garden centres, that message certainly has to be relaxed.
"But the real question is we don't want to give a false impression that things have changed dramatically and that life can go back to normal. It's essential the government gets the balance right."
Sir Ed added: "I want to see a plan that does really ensure that the health of the nation really is sorted out with a proper testing, tracing and isolating strategy and the economy really can be sustained, ensuring that employers have confidence and they don't have to start consulting on redundancy."
He said: "It is quite possible for the Bank of England to lend money to the government.
"We saw that after the 2008 financial crisis but now even more so, this is an unprecedented crisis and I think the Bank of England needs to be clear that it is prepared to lend the Government that money and in a country like ours that is quite possible and with interest rates at record lows, that could be sustained for some time to come and we could focus on growth and not cuts."
'Wrong to get too carried away' on lifting lockdown measures, communities secretary says
Speaking on Sky News on the review of lockdown measures, Brandon Lewis, the communities secretary, said: "I think it would be wrong to get too carried away. We will be discussing some of the options and the advice that is being put to us in Cabinet later on today, the review is today, the prime minister will then outline if there are going to be any changes.
"But I think we've got to understand that this is a pandemic and a virus that spreads so easily that we have to be very cautious as we look at how we come out of the current lockdown."
He added that "the way in which we do it, I think we've got to be very cautious".
"Because the worst thing that could happen would be to have a very fast, quick and dangerous second peak to this virus."
Public urged to treat media reports of lockdown measures being lifted with caution
Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has urged the public to treat media reports of possible lockdown measures being released with caution.
Mr Lewis told BBC Breakfast: "Well we haven't made any final decisions on these issues yet."
He added: "I would just say to viewers and people watching and listening, I would just urge some caution around... although we believe we are through the peak of this virus we are very cautious to ensure that we don't get a second peak."
Mr Lewis continued: "I would say to people that the current government position is very clear that where you can work from home you should, we should stay home wherever we can."
He added: "I would just say to people to not get too carried away with what we may be reading and just wait until the government guidelines and the prime minister's statement."
Mr Lewis said: "I would really urge caution. The safest thing to do at the moment with this virus and the way it spreads is wherever you can stay home."
Coronavirus news you may have missed overnight
More than 3.76 million people have been infected with coronavirus worldwide and over 262,000 deaths have been reported.
In the UK, 30,076 people have died from coronavirus. This figure includes those who died in hospitals, care homes, and the wider community. However, the number of deaths involving Covid-19 that have been registered across the UK currently stands at 32,898.
Here is your morning briefing of the coronavirus news you might have missed overnight, from Chiara Giordano.
International comparisons 'very difficult to do', minister claims
Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has said it is "a bit early" to be drawing international comparisons on different countries' efforts to combat the coronavirus.
Mr Lewis told LBC: "There will be a point when we get to the other side of this virus where we will all be looking back and assessing what has happened.
"We'll have more information of course as everybody gets to the other side of the virus about how it has been dealt with and reactions around the world.
"But those international comparisons are very, very difficult to do, not just because we're at different stages of cycles but also there are different epidemiological issues in different countries and the way that different parts of the world are able to interact with each other and how they work.
"So I'm always very cautious of those direct comparisons but there will be a time for that when we get to the other side of this virus, which in due course, we will do."
Lockdown should continue, Labour leader says
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told BBC Good Morning Scotland he thinks lockdown should continue.
He told the programme: "Of course we want the number of infected cases to go down, we want the death toll to go down but we've got to also plan for the future and I'm convinced that testing, tracing and isolating is going to have to be part of any strategy for the future. But if that's going to happen the planning needs to go in now because we need many many more tests than we've got already."
Asked whether we should continue with lockdown measures he said: "I think we should. I'm sure that that is going to be the UK government's decision and we will support it. Lockdown needs to stay in place until we are sure the infection rate has gone down.
"I will be very surprised if the government doesn't reimpose the lockdown when it comes up for review later on and we will support them in that. This is not about lifting the lockdown now, it's about planning for the future."
Labour MP speaks out about being fired from temporary role for speaking out about PPE shortages
Nadia Whittome, a Labour MP who said she was fired from her temporary role as a carer for speaking out about PPE shortages, has responded to her former employer after it said it had sufficient equipment.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Ms Whittome said: "I've never in any of my media appearances blamed my employer for the lack of PPE, I've always been clear that this is a national crisis and the responsibility for that lies with government.
"Of course I'm delighted that there is now sufficient PPE, of course that wasn't the case when I spoke out, I've always told the truth and that's corroborated by the fact that ExtraCare had themselves put out a plea for PPE donations."
When asked if speaking to the media about PPE shortages may have been unsettling for the residents in her care, Ms Whittome said: "That's not the experience that I have on the front line with residents and it's not the experience of my colleagues."
She added: "It's an anxiety-inducing time for residents and for staff as well but it's not the headlines that are causing anxiety, it's the reality."
The Nottingham East MP also said she has received emails from other care workers who have been threatened with disciplinary action for highlighting a lack of PPE.
Black Britons almost twice as likely to die from coronavirus than white counterparts
Black men and women are almost twice as likely to die from coronavirus when compared to white people, a new analysis by the Office for National Statistics has found.
The study, published today, shows that after accounting for age, wealth and factors such as disability, the risk of death for black men and women who contract Covid-19 was 1.9 times more likely than white men and women.
The ONS study shows similar results for men from Bangladeshi and Pakistani ethnic groups who were were 1.8 times more likely die than white males. For women from the same ethnic backgrounds, the risk of death was 1.6 times more likely.
Unemployment could reach scale of 1980s, former chancellor warns
Former chancellor Alistair Darling has warned that unemployment could reach the scale of the 1980s if the government does not continue to pay the wages of millions of workers.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Lord Darling said: "I think the government has to be flexible about the furlough plan because if you're going to get people to go back to work I think it is highly unlikely they are all going to go back to work on day one.
"We need to have flexibility so people can go onto short-time work and be gradually reintroduced to their jobs.
"But can I also make another point which I think is important - I hope like everybody else that many jobs come back and people go back to work, but I think we must plan on the basis that some jobs will not come back, at least they won't come back at anything like an acceptable rate.
"And that means the government has also got to announce a plan for jobs."
He added: "I think we have to factor in the very strong possibility that there will be people who will not be able to go back to their own jobs and we do not want to find that they go from furlough to redundancy."
NHS boss blasts government for 'making promises it can't keep'
The chief executive of the NHS Confederation has said the issue of the 400,000 unusable gowns from Turkey has shown "the absolute danger of making promises when you can't be sure you can keep them".
Niall Dickson told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Well in one sense it is not a sizeable shipment, only a few days' supply and the government is busy sourcing gowns elsewhere.
"But it does show the absolute danger of making promises when you can't be sure you can keep them, especially in this area.
"We know the number of gowns or masks or aprons or the type or the quality of equipment is not always what it says in the box and we have warned that setting targets that are not met or saying it is all going fine, when on the front line it manifestly in places is not going fine, undermines confidence.
"And it undermines confidence not just in our members and local leaders but among frontline staff.
"So I think the message is it is better to under promise and over deliver than the other way around."
British Airways will have no ‘meaningful’ return to service before July
With its parent company burning through £4,000 per minute, British Airways will not fly ‘meaningfully’ before July, Simon Calder reports.
IAG, which also includes Aer Lingus of Ireland and the two Spanish airlines, Iberia and Vueling, has published its financial results for the first three months of 2020.
In January and February, the company traded reasonably normally despite mounting concern over coronavirus. But traffic collapsed almost completely by the end of March.
As a result IAG reported an operating loss of €535m (£467m) for the first quarter, compared with an operating profit of €135m (£118m) in the same months last year.
Banks lend £1.4bn to businesses
The amount lent to small businesses under a government support programme accelerated in the last week, according to new data.
Banks provided nearly £1.4bn to small and medium-sized companies as part of the coronavirus business interruption loan scheme (CBILS).
It brings the total to more than £5.5bn since the scheme opened, trade body UK Finance said.
Quarter of UK firms halt trading due to lockdown
Almost a quarter of UK firms have halted trading due to the coronavirus lockdown, according to official figures.
The Office for National Statistics revealed 23 per cent of businesses said they have temporarily closed or paused trading, according to its latest business impact of coronavirus survey for the two weeks to 19 April.
It said that the accommodation and food service sector was the worst hit, with 81 per cent of firms halting operations, while the arts and entertainment sector saw 80 per cent of companies cease trading.
Blood transfusion trial begins for coronavirus patients in UK
Trials have begun in the UK to test the effectiveness of blood plasma transfusions in treating patients suffering from Covid-19, Samuel Lovett reports.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) have started delivering the first units of convalescent plasma, which contains the antibodies of people who have recovered from coronavirus, to hospitals in England.
In total, 14 units have been supplied to Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust.
The first transfusions have been administered, NHSBT confirmed on Wednesday, though the efficacy of the treatment will not be known until the trial ends.
