Boris Johnson news – live: Keir Starmer challenges PM over handling of coronavirus crisis as Priti Patel confirms 14-day quarantine for UK arrivals
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Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has challenged Boris Johnson over his handling of the coronavirus crisis at PMQs, asking the prime minister: “Who’s been in direct control up until now?”
Mr Johnson was challenged on why he had promised a “world-beating” test and trace programme when it wasn’t yet fully operational. It follows leaked figures suggesting only four in 10 coronavirus patients identified by the scheme have provided information about their recent contacts.
The scheme’s chief executive Baroness Dido Harding was asked by MPs at the health and social care committee to send “reams of letters” with data on how the programme is working to account her lack of answers, citing concerns the testing and tracing figures were not yet “validated”.
Home secretary Priti Patel confirmed to MPs the government is going ahead with a 14-day quarantine plan for arrivals to the UK from 8 June. Elsewhere, transport minister Kelly Tolhurst confirmed the government is still considering establishing “air bridges” with other countries.
Speaking at the Downing Street, Mr Johnson urged the public not to meet indoors in light of the rain, as he warned “there could be a second wave, a kind of kinetic pulse of disease sweeping across the world”, in a view echoed by Professor Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance.
It came as new Office for National Statistics figures showed there have been more than 50,000 fatalities in the UK with Covid-19 on the death certificate – at least 10,000 more than the government’s official toll, which only includes those who had been tested.
No meeting with PM in over a month, says Starmer spokesman
Keir Starmer’s spokesman said the Labour leader had not held a one-on-one conversation with the prime minister for more than a month.
His spokesman said the telephone talks referred to by Boris Johnson during PMQs were with all opposition leaders, with the last one-on-one conversation occurring on 29 April.
Starmer has since written a letter requesting a meeting with the PM and the education secretary Gavin Williamson to discuss schools reopening but Labour says there has been no reply.
Asked whether Starmer was adopting a more aggressive approach following his line of questioning at PMQs, the spokesman added: “We are committed to acting as a constructive opposition and that means putting forward proposals for how we think we can support the national effort to stop the virus.
“However, constructive oppositions also has to mean that the government is willing to act constructively, and the frustration is that we offered a meeting with the government to talk about reopening schools safely and we didn't get a response.
“So it is right, in the national interest, that we raise concerns when we believe the government isn’t doing the right thing and we work with government to put forward proposals for how they can do something different.”
Welsh schools to reopen in late June
All schools in Wales will begin to reopen on 29 June with teachers given priority access to Covid-19 antibody tests, the country’s education minister has announced.
Kirsty Williams said on Wednesday a phased approach will be used to allow for staggered starts, lessons and breaks, with a third of pupils in school at most in attendance at any time.
A four-week term ending on 27 July would give pupils, staff and parents time to prepare for a “new normal” when the next academic year begins in September, she added.
Labour claims government has U-turned on remote voting
Labour has branded it a U-turn after Boris Johnson confirmed during PMQs that MPs shielding from coronavirus will be allowed to vote by proxy now that the House of Commons has ended remote sittings.
A spokesman for party leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “We still believe that the government shouldn’t have dropped the virtual sittings and we still think there are concerns for how the government has gone about this.
“The fact the government has U-turned in the middle of the PMQs shows how chaotic this entire situation has been.
“Parliament should be setting the example to the rest of the country for how we should be acting during the pandemic and I don’t think anyone can look at what happened yesterday and say the government is setting a good example.”
The spokesman said the party leadership would look in more detail at the motion put forward by the government on proxy voting before choosing how to whip on the vote.
Priti Patel confirms 14-day quarantine
Home secretary Priti Patel has confirmed to MPs that the quarantine scheme will go ahead as intended.
Starting on 8 June, most travellers travelling to the UK by air, sea or rail will be required to self-isolate for 14 days. The obligation applies to returning holidaymakers as well as foreign visitors to the UK.
She said: “The scientific advice has been consistent and clear. Travellers from overseas could become a high proportion of infection cases. Public health will always come first.”
Patel said that the measures would be reviewed in the week beginning 28 June.
When quarantine comes up for review, “air-bridge” arrangements are likely used to justify lifting the obligation for arrivals from the most popular holiday destinations.
Starmer says PM ignored his offer to work together on reopening schools
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has more on the row between Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer over school re-openings.
In heated clashes at PMQs earlier, the Labour leader said he had privately written to the PM two weeks ago offering to help him build a consensus that would allow teachers and parents to feel more confident about sending their children back to school, but had received no reply.
Johnson responded that Sir Keir had not offered “any dissent” during a private phone call about the government’s approach to schools, a charge Labour denies.
But Labour has said the Labour leader had not held a one-on-one conversation with the prime minister for more than a month.
All the details here:
‘Government will ignore root cause of BAME coronavirus deaths’
The King’s College London academic Michael Bankole is sceptical at the idea the government will “get to the bottom” (in Matt Hancock’s words) of the terrible health inequalities set out by the latest Public Health England report.
In his Voices piece for The Independent, he argues that the government’s track record does not inspire much confidence. “No policy plan has been provided indicating what the government will do to reduce the threat posed by Covid-19 to ethnic minorities.”
Starmer shares letter sent to PM
As Keir Starmer promised earlier, Labour has published the letter the leader of the opposition sent to Boris Johnson two weeks’ ago suggested they work together over the reopening of schools.
‘PM’s cabinet shake-up proves its’s too late for him to get a grip’
Downing Street earlier outlined the membership of the government’s new coronavirus strategy and operations committees.
The PM’s spokesman said Boris Johnson, Rishi Sunak, Dominic Raab, Priti Patel, Michael Gove, Matt Hancock and Alok Sharma would attend the C-19 strategy committee. And Gove, Sunak and Hancock will attend the C-19 operations committee.
Other cabinet ministers will attend the committee meetings “according to the agenda”, and they will meet “as often as is required”.
Our political commentator Andrew Grice says it vindicates Keir Starmer’s attacks on government policy.
New testing centre opens at Prestwick airport
The drive-through coronavirus testing centre at Prestwick Airport is now fully open, the sixth site to open in Scotland.
The new centre, operated with facilities management firm Sodexo, opened on a pilot basis on Saturday and is now fully operational, offering both assisted and self-administered tests.
The UK government said test results from the site will be received “within a few days”.
Scottish secretary Alister Jack said: “This new UK government-funded testing site at Prestwick Airport will help key workers in the area continue their vital work, helping to look after those who need it most.”
Primary schools will struggle to safely accommodate all eligible pupils if demand grows, school leaders warn
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned some schools already do not have enough capacity to admit all pupils in nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6.
The head teachers' union leader calls on the government to reconsider its ambition to bring back all primary school pupils to school for a month before the summer break, which he says is unrealistic.
School leaders have warned that they do not have enough space if they adhere to government guidance to limit class sizes to 15, stagger break and lunch times, and encourage fewer interactions.
Emily Proffitt, head of Cooper Perry Primary School near Stafford, told the PA news agency she has some parents on a waiting list this week while she works out how many children she can admit.
Ms Proffitt has opened her doors to around 45 pupils - including students from all four cohorts and key workers' children - but there are more than 100 eligible for a place.
She told PA she would struggle to accommodate all these children if families wanted them to return.
"The offer to parents at the moment is that they contact us and request a place, but it's not guaranteed. It depends on health and safety. It doesn't sit easily with me because I'd like them all back," she said.
Asked of the government's aim to see all primary school pupils back before the holidays, Ms Proffitt added: "If the government was still insisting on all the safeguarding measures then we cannot accommodate full school. It would be absolutely impossible."
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