Politics latest news: Boris Johnson warns Britons not to 'delude' themselves that pandemic is over

Boris Johnson has urged Britons not to "delude" themselves that the pandemic is over amid growing fears about a second wave in Europe.

The Prime Minister said it was "absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline," adding: "Don't delude ourselves that we are out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over."

He said: "We've got it at the moment under some measure of control. The numbers of deaths are well, well down.

"But I have to tell you that we're looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other European countries. You can see what's been happening in the United States."

Mr Johnson added: "So that's why I make this point that I do - we've done a huge amount. Together we've really reduced the incidence of the virus and we've got the number of deaths down.

"But it can come up again, and we've seen what is happening in other European countries, so what I'm saying to people is don't lose focus, don't lose discipline, continue to observe those guidelines and if you have symptoms, get a test."

Follow the latest updates below.


03:01 PM

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02:58 PM

Ben Habib: The only way out of our Covid debt is growth, not more austerity

Because of the way the Government responded to the 2008, the country never truly recovered.  

Debt levels cannot be reduced through austerity. The only way out of a debt problem is via economic growth. George Osborne, together with the Bank of England’s assistance, should have borrowed more than he did and implemented policies for growth, not austerity. 

Unfortunately, argues Ben Habib, Rishi Sunak is making exactly the same mistake.


02:43 PM

Have your say on: The new 10-day isolation period

The Government has this morning extended the amount of time for which people who have tested positive for coronavirus must self-isolate. 

Until now, Covid-19 patients were told to isolate for seven days, but from now on that is 10 days, after new research suggested transmission could continue for seven-to-nine days after symptoms appear. 

Is this a well-overdue move that could protect us from a second wave? Or further proof that the Government is becoming increasingly over-cautious? 

Have your say in the poll below.


02:32 PM

David Collins: Our post-Brexit state aid regime is none of Brussels' business

It has never been clear why the EU insists on tying the UK to its state aid regime as a condition for a conventional Free Trade Agreement (FTA), nor why it is not satisfied by the existing international regime to control distortions resulting from government support for the private sector.

As David Collins writes, the UK plan for a light touch subsidies regime, governed by an independent regulator without full enforcement powers, shouldn’t be resisted by the EU.

It is really none of their business.  


02:22 PM

Planet Normal: Claire Fox on why the BBC is now the "woke" channel

For the next two weeks former Labour MP Kate Hoey steps into Allison Pearson's space-boots to join Liam Halligan as co-pilot to Planet Normal.

Their guest this week is former MEP and director of the Institute of Ideas, Claire Fox, who says why she believes there is a war on history led from the top, that the BBC is the now the "woke" channel and how she bruises after social media showdowns.

Plus, Kate and Liam discuss the Government's quarantine for people returning from Spain, identity politics and racism within football, and of course, Nando's.


02:12 PM

Sherelle Jacobs: Covid has doomed the shell-shocked millennials to be a lost generation

Before the pandemic, milliennials were already the generation that feared the future and therefore obsessed over the past, smashing statues in our retro trainers. 

But here is the irony: if we millennials are living through history, we are also fated to be a forgotten tribe. The flimsy millennial dream – three years wafting around a university, then chasing the mirage of city careers and glamorous socialising – has been eviscerated by the second recession in 10 years. 

Defeated by economics, millennials are also being cancelled by politics. The next young cohort, Gen Z, is now the trendy focus of think tanks. The Chancellor’s youth job scheme is aimed at the 16-24s; older millennials are a lost cause in Whitehall.

As Sherelle Jacobs sets out, Covid has doomed shell-shocked millennials to be a lost generation.


02:01 PM

Foreign Secretary attacks Hong Kong for disqualifying pro-democracy activists from elections

The Foreign Secretary has condemned the decision to block at least 12 pro-democracy activists from standing in Hong Kong's forthcoming legislative elections.

Dominic Raab said the move to disqualify the individuals, including prominent free speech activist Joshua Wong, was clearly "because of their political views, undermining the integrity of 'One Country, Two Systems' and the rights and freedoms guaranteed in the joint declaration and Hong Kong's basic law."

He added: "The Hong Kong authorities must uphold their commitments to the people of Hong Kong."

Hong Kong's government said "expressing an objection in principle" to the new national security law or pressing for self-determination were behaviours that "could not genuinely" uphold the city's mini-constitution, the Basic Law.

Joshua Wong is among the pro-democracy activists to be barred from Hong Kong's elections - Reuters

01:53 PM

Further 12 people die with coronavirus in England

A further 12 people who tested positive for coronavirus have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 29,329.

There were no deaths recorded in the South West or the North East & Yorkshire, with one recorded in both East of England and London and three in the Midlands and North West. The South East was the worst affected region, with four deaths recorded.  

Patients were aged between 40 and 96 years old. All had known underlying health conditions.


01:49 PM

Wales records a further two coronavirus deaths

Public Health Wales said a further two people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, taking its total number of deaths to 1,556.

The number of cases in Wales increased by nine, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 17,232.


01:33 PM

Donald Trump calls for presidential election to be delayed

Donald Trump has suggested the looming presidential election should be delayed "until people can properly, securely and safely vote". 

For some weeks now the US President has claimed that November's election is at risk of being "rigged", causing some concern that he may seek to undermine the result if he loses. 

But in a series of tweets this afternoon, shortly after the US announced a historic slump in GDP, the controversial commander-in-chief said the vote should be pushed back, claiming it would otherwise "be the most INACCURATE & FRAUDULENT Election in history".

However this claim has been proven wrong by FactCheck.org


01:29 PM

Madeline Grant: Western liberals' Covid myopia is condemning the world’s poorest

Lockdown has polarised British society; widening the gulf between the haves and have-nots, in a culture war yielding familiar tropes and characters. “Just stay at home, it’s not hard,” says the lawyer to the electrician. “Don’t sunbathe in the park!” cries Pandora from her Notting Hill townhouse.

There is some truth in the caricature. But few have noted how the Pandora effect is also playing out on a monstrous global scale, inflicting unimaginable suffering. 

Read Madeline Grant's latest column here.


01:16 PM

Have your say on: The new 10-day isolation period

The Government has this morning extended the amount of time for which people who have tested positive for coronavirus must self-isolate. 

Until now, Covid-19 patients were told to isolate for seven days, but from now on that is 10 days, after new research suggested transmission could continue for seven-to-nine days after symptoms appear. 

Is this a well-overdue move that could protect us from a second wave? Or further proof that the Government is becoming increasingly over-cautious? 

Have your say in the poll below.


01:07 PM

Nasa defies earthquake as Mars mission takes off

Could we be seeing a new space race between two of the world's biggest superpowers?  

Nasa's Perseverance rover successfully blasted off from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Thursday at 12.50pm UK time aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket - despite a 4.2-magnitude earthquake that shook southern California just 20 minutes before departure.

It is the third mission heading to the Red Planet this month, after China launched its Tianwen1 probe, prompting speculation about whether we are in a 21st century space race. 

Beijing, which is currently embroiled in a bruising trade war with the US, has bold ambitions for space, including hoping to set up a science research post on the south pole of the moon. 

The third entrant in this new space race is the UEA, marking a further significant change in the global space field, which was once dominated by the US and Russia.


12:50 PM

Charlie Elphicke's conviction has ended 25-year marriage, wife Natalie says

The wife of former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke has said his sexual assault conviction has ended their marriage.

Natalie Elphicke, who succeeded him as Dover MP in December's election posted on Twitter: "Today's verdict is one that brings profound sorrow. It ends my 25-year marriage to the only man I have ever loved.

"I would ask for some personal space and time to come to terms with the shocking events of the last three years.

"I will not be commenting further."

She made no comment as she left Southwark Crown Court without her husband, who she had accompanied throughout the case.


12:34 PM

Watch: Coronavirus 'as close as you can get to fighting a war', says Matt Hancock

The pandemic has been "as close as you can get to fighting a war without actually fighting a war", Matt Hancock has said. 

It has been "a moment of stark clarity" he adds, "which has suddenly and dramatically revealed our healthcare landscape".

Watch his speech to the Royal College of Physicians below:


12:29 PM

Jess Phillips' tweet raised during Elphicke trial

Labour MP Jess Phillips almost found herself in hot water after she commented about evidence in the Charlie Elphicke trial on social media.

The shadow minister appeared to doubt former Dover MP Elphicke's suggestion that one of his victims - a young parliamentary worker - had encouraged him, posting on Twitter: "This account does nothing to diminish his behaviour.

"Rule of thumb for me is always look where the power lies, was he ever 'naughty' with women more senior than him. People tend never to grope someone who can sack them."

The contents of the tweet were raised by lawyers in Elphicke's sex assault trial on July 10, in the absence of the jury at Southwark Crown Court.

Presiding judge Mrs Justice Whipple said she would "take action" if she saw anything in the post which concerned her.

The tweet was subsequently deleted.


12:24 PM

'Quite likely' that more countries will join quarantine list, says Matt Hancock

It is "quite likely" that further countries will be added to the quarantine list, Matt Hancock has said.

The Health Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme scientists were looking into ways to reduce the quarantine period, but asked if that would involve one test or two, he said: "We don't know - that is one of the things we are looking at. But for the time being quarantine is 14 days."

He noted that ministers were constantly reviewing which countries were on the exemption list, which benefit from travel corridors. When asked if an imminent change was quite likely, he said: "Yes, yes." 

It comes amid growing fears that the UK could face a second wave, as cases spike in other countries. 

"I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and we've got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it," Mr Hancock told Sky News.

"Absolutely, on a second wave it is something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it happening."


12:23 PM

Former Tory MP facing 'very real possibility' of jail for sexual assault conviction

Former Conservative MP Charlie Elphicke is facing the "very real possibility" of jail after being convicted of sexually assaulting two women in near-identical circumstances,  the younger of whom was two decades his junior.

Elphicke, a former lawyer who admitted lying to police, his wife and party bosses when the allegations were first put to him, sighed and looked at his lawyer as the jury foreman recorded guilty verdicts in each of the three sexual assault allegations.

Judge Mrs Justice Whipple released Elphicke on bail to be sentenced in September but warned: "All (sentencing) options remain open. There is a very real possibility he faces immediate custody."

The Southwark Crown Court jury of 11, comprising eight women and three men, took over two days to reach their verdicts.

Elphicke was Dover MP between 2010 and 2019 when he was succeeded by his wife Natalie Elphicke, who was not present in the courtroom as the verdicts were returned.

Charlie Elphicke and his wife Natalie - Paul Grover for the Telegraph

 


12:20 PM

Britons should have a staycation amid second wave fears, Boris Johnson says

Boris Johnson has said Britons should make the most of the UK's "wonderful attractions" amid concerns that continental Europe is in the midst of a second wave. 

The Prime Minister said he was "very, very keen to support the fantastic tourism industry here in Yorkshire and the rest of the country", not the Government was "backing it up" with financial support for firms.

He added: "I am not going to discourage anybody from having a staycation. This is a totally beautiful country."


12:10 PM

People must not 'delude ourselves' that pandemic is over, Boris Johnson warns

People must not "delude ourselves" that the pandemic is over, Boris Johnson has said, as he repeats his warning about a second wave. 

The Prime Minister said it was "absolutely vital as a country that we continue to keep our focus and our discipline," adding: "Don't delude ourselves that we are out of the woods or that this is all over, because it isn't all over."

He urged people to stick with social distancing measures and hand-washing, but said "the most important thing you can do is get a test if you have symptoms". 

Mr Johnson added: "The only way to control coronavirus is if everybody collectively obeys the social distancing rules and works together to drive the virus down.

"So that's why I make this point that I do - we've done a huge amount. Together we've really reduced the incidence of the virus and we've got the number of deaths down.

"But it can come up again, and we've seen what is happening in other European countries, so what I'm saying to people is don't lose focus, don't lose discipline, continue to observe those guidelines and if you have symptoms, get a test."


12:05 PM

Boris Johnson hails 'massive success' when asked about highest death rate in Europe

Boris Johnson has said that the nation "has had a massive success" in reducing the number of deaths, when asked about figures showing England had the highest excess death rate in Europe (9:55am).

Asked if he was ashamed over the Office for National Statistics analysis during a visit to North Yorkshire, the Prime Minister said: "We mourn every loss of life that we've had throughout the coronavirus epidemic.

"What I would say to the [families of the deceased] is that we really owe it to them to continue our work in driving the virus down.

"Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths. We've got it at the moment under some measure of control. The numbers of deaths are well, well down.

"But I have to tell you that we're looking at a resurgence of the virus in some other European countries. You can see what's been happening in the United States."


11:44 AM

Have your say on: The new 10-day isolation period

The Government has this morning extended the amount of time for which people who have tested positive for coronavirus must self-isolate. 

Until now, Covid-19 patients were told to isolate for seven days, but from now on that is 10 days, after new research suggested transmission could continue for seven-to-nine days after symptoms appear. 

Is this a well-overdue move that could protect us from a second wave? Or further proof that the Government is becoming increasingly over-cautious? 

Have your say in the poll below.


11:38 AM

Scotland could be like Spain in a fortnight, Nicola Sturgeon warns

Nicola Sturgeon has warned that Scotland could face "the very difficult situation" seen in other countries in a fortnight, if the country is not "very careful here".  

The First Minister said the Scottish government is still assessing what impact the opening of tourism and indoor hospitality will have on the nation's R-rate, as well as the impact of opening schools, which won't be known for some time. 

As a result only some further "small" changes were announced:

  • routine eye care services can be carried out in some settings
  • counselling services such as drug and alcohol support can restart
  • sports coaches can meet with more than four households in a single day 
  • and from August 17 a wider range of dental services can restart if necessary 

11:30 AM

Scottish schools to reopen from August 11

Schools in Scotland will return from August 11, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

All students should be in school full time from August 18, she added, giving time for a phased return. 

She apologised for not giving parents and teachers more notice but said the announcement was being made as soon as possible. 

It is a "moral and educational imperative to get children back to school as soon as possible", the First Minister said.

The guidance makes clear that in general physical distancing will not be required between students on the estate, although it should be attempted by secondary students where possible, she said. 


11:28 AM

Scotland remains in phase three, despite two-weeks without Covid-deaths

Scotland is not moving into phase four, despite the nation recording no coronavirus-caused deaths for two weeks, Nicola Sturgeon has said. 

It is possible phase three will continue even beyond the next review period in three weeks' time, she confirmed. 

Changes will be minimum, the First Minister told Holyrood. However she confirmed that from August 1, people will no longer have to shield and can start following the guidance for the general population. 

Children who have been shielding can return to school and adults can go to work, if they are unable to work from home. 


11:21 AM

UK's poor health partly explains Britain's high coronavirus death rates, Matt Hancock says

Matt Hancock has claimed the country's overall higher rate of poor health is one of the factors  explaining Britain’s “relatively high mortality rates”. 

The Health Secretary is giving a speech to the Royal College of Physicians just hours after official figures showed that England had the highest excess deaths out of 21 countries in Europe in the first half of 2020. 

And he warned that despite today being "a hot summers’ day, we know for sure, winter is coming."

"Unusually cold weather or a more virulent strain of flu would put real stress on the system," he added, stressing there is "still a lot we don’t know about Covid-19".

Mr Hancock said: "Although we work in hope that a vaccine will appear, we may have to live with Covid for some to come."


11:14 AM

Virtual GP appointments should be the norm, Matt Hancock says

Matt Hancock has said virtual GP appointments should become the norm "unless there is a compelling clinical reason not to", after the pandemic prompted a huge rise in consultations over the phone or online.

The Health Secretary said: "We shouldn’t patronise older people by saying they don’t do tech. The feedback from this transformation has been hugely positive, and especially valued by doctors in rural areas, who saw how it could save long travel times for doctors and patients.

"So from now on, all consultations should be teleconsultations unless there’s a compelling clinical reason not to... That way, care is easier to manage and the NHS can deliver a much better service. 

If there is an emergency, the NHS will be "ready and waiting to see you in person - just as it always has been", he adds.


10:56 AM

NHS staff should feel 'empowered' to act on initiative, says Matt Hancock

The NHS must become a workplace of "distributed authority", Matt Hancock says, where decisions are made "as close as possible to where the information is".

The Health Secretary tells the Royal College of Physicians he wants "people to feel empowered and encouraged to crack on". 

Mr Hancock says bureaucracy is too burdensome, noting that while "clear standards are necessary [they should be] mission-based standards". 

"We need a framework that encourages local initiative," he adds, praising shifts towards a data-led approach that occurred during the pandemic.

"Rest assured this bureaucracy will not be coming back," says Mr Hancock. 

He then starts singing the virtues of data and technology - a similar tune to the one we heard from Steve Barclay earlier this week.


10:48 AM

Some 'hard-edged changes' must take place in NHS

The NHS must be prepared to make some "hard-edged changes that need to happen" to keep these benefits. 

People are the most important asset, from care workers and porters to clinicians and leaders, Matt Hancock says. 

"It shouldn't take a pandemic... that we listen to people and look after them, not just in an emergency, in response to a crisis, but all the time," he says. 

The Health Secretary tells the Royal College of Physicians that good leadership enables people to act on initiative. 

He says the NHS should be "full of leaders... everyone at all levels, thinking like a leader and being encouraged to use their initiative."


10:44 AM

UK health teams must not 'fall back into old bad habits'

The UK's healthcare system is best led "not by dictat but by mission", Matt Hancock says, urging people not to "fall back into old bad habits".

During the pandemic we saw collaboration like "never before", he says. 

The Health Secretary says he has lost count of the times people have said "what used to take months took minutes" during the crisis.

Collaboration, speed and innovation should be the future priorities, he says to "capture a culture that lets our carers care and scythes away at red tape".


10:40 AM

Coronavirus 'as close as you can get to fighting a war', says Matt Hancock

The pandemic has been "as close as you can get to fighting a war without actually fighting a war", Matt Hancock has said. 

He highlights some successes such as building the Nightingale Hospitals in nine days and doubling ICU capacity, as well as treating the NHS as a system rather than "atomised" components. 

Just like a war it has forced innovation "some of which will become permanent, because they are better ways of doing things," he says. 

It has meant we no longer need to rely on theory because we have learned about what people do and what works in those pressured situations. 


10:37 AM

Coronavirus 'suddenly and dramatically revealed healthcare landscape', says Matt Hancock

Matt Hancock pays tribute to the "great achievement" during the outbreak, but notes that "we all know we haven't got everything right". 

There will be lessons learned, he says. 

"We can see a second wave emerging in Europe and we will do everything in our ower to stop it reaching our shores," he adds.

But today he wants to talk about what he has learned from the crisis. 

It has been "a moment of stark clarity" he adds, "which has suddenly and dramatically revealed our healthcare landscape".


10:34 AM

Health Secretary compares coronavirus to plague and Great Fire of 1666

I'm going to turn now to the Royal College of Physicians, where the Health Secretary is giving a speech - in person - starting with a comparison to the plague and the Great Fire of 1666.

He says that "shock" can help people find a better way of doing things, noting the London Fire Brigade and other services, and St Paul's Cathedral "have their origins in the Great Fire". 

Matt Hancock adds: "Once again we have been hit by a terrible shock." 


10:27 AM

Security law has 'nothing to do with freedom of speech', Chinese ambassador claims

The new security law imposed by Beijing on Hong Kong has "nothing to do with freedom of speech, freedom of expression", the ambassador has said. 

Liu Xioming claimed the law was "only targeted on very few criminals" and would make the one country, two systems "more sustainable".  It criminalises subversion, secession and collusion with foreign forces.

He added: "Hong Kong will continue to enjoy an independent judicial system including final appeal of court."

It comes as four students were arrested for "inciting secession" on social media after the new law began on 1 July, police said. 

A pro-independence group said those arrested included its former leader, Tony Chung. Previous arrests under the new law have been made for slogans and banners at protests.

Mr Xioming declined to respond to a question about the recent drone footage of Uighur Muslims in Xinjiang. 


10:22 AM

UK Government has 'poisoned' relationship with China, ambassador claims

The UK Government has “seriously poisoned the atmosphere of China-UK relationships”, Beijing's ambassador to the UK has said. 

Giving a press conference on Twitter today, Liu Xiaoming claimed the UK had “violated” an agreement between the UK and China not to interfere in each other’s internal affairs.

“These are the fundamental principles that are enshrined in the UN charter,” he added.

He once again criticised the UK's offer to grant many residents of Hong Kong British national overseas (BNO) passports, saying: "We have to take our measures not to recognise the BNO passport as a valid travel document."


10:17 AM

Government launches new drive to get people tested early on

The Government is launching a new campaign to encourage everyone to get a free test as soon as they get symptoms, alongside a new business plan to expand testing capacity and prepare the nation for winter.

The campaign is designed to "help build public understanding about the integral role NHS Test and Trace plays" in preventing a second wave. 

The campaign is underpinned by a new business plan for NHS Test and Trace which outlines how the service will expand ahead of the winter.

The number of tests given to people without symptoms will increase to 150,000 per day by September, with testing capacity to double to 500,000 with more than 500 testing sites by October.

Chair of NHS Test and Trace, Dido Harding said the system would become "ever more important as we approach winter".

She added: “I urge everybody to get a free test as soon as you experience coronavirus symptoms and to follow the advice you’re given if you are contacted by the service. If we all continue to play our part, then together we can stop the spread of this virus.”


10:13 AM

Proportion of contacts reached through Test and Trace drops to 75 per cent

The proportion of people being contacted through Track and Trace has fallen week-on-week, official figures show. 

In the eighth week  since the system began, (16 to 22 July) some 81.4 per cent (3,455) of people who were put into the system, having tested positive for coronavirus, were reached by NHS contact tracers and asked to share details of their close contacts.  That was an increase on 80.5 per cent in the previous week.

However, the number of contacts reached dropped to 75.1 per cent (13,974), down from 78.4 per cent in the previous week.


10:04 AM

Boris Johnson must 'take responsibility' for highest excess death rate in Europe

Boris Johnson must "take responsibility" for the fact that England has had the highest excess deaths in Europe in the first half of this year, a Labour frontbencher has said. 

Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said ONS figures published today (9:55am) were a "devastating moment" for the country.

"Every life lost is a tragedy and leaves behind grieving families," he added. "We can no longer hide from the fact the Government has not handled this crisis well and needs to urgently learn lessons from its mistakes.

"Boris Johnson must now take responsibility for why we were so badly prepared. As we start to see a resurgence in other parts of the world, ministers need to urgently outline the steps they are taking to better protect people and save lives in the months ahead."


09:58 AM

Airport testing: Could it cut quarantine and save our summer holidays?

The UK's travel quarantine policy is coming under increasing scrutiny following the Government's decision to reimpose quarantine restrictions on Spain.

This morning Matt Hancock said his team were looking into solutions but stressed there would be no change for the next few days. 

We take a look at what testing could do to the blanket approach in the video below.


09:47 AM

Have your say on: The new 10-day isolation period

The Government has this morning extended the amount of time for which people who have tested positive for coronavirus must self-isolate. 

Until now, Covid-19 patients were told to isolate for seven days, but from now on that is 10 days, after new research suggested transmission could continue for seven-to-nine days after symptoms appear. 

Is this a well-overdue move that could protect us from a second wave? Or further proof that the Government is becoming increasingly over-cautious? 

Have your say in the poll below.


09:36 AM

Government has hired 4,000 additional police officers since recruitment drive began

Police forces hired more than 4,000 extra officers in the first eight months of the Government's recruitment drive to sign up 20,000 more over the next three years.

The overall provisional headcount of officers in England and Wales is now 133,131, according to Home Office figures to the end of June.

This includes 4,336 hired as part of the 20,000 pledge, the quarterly report on the progress of the scheme said.

The campaign is 72 per cent towards meeting its first year target of 6,000 by March 2021, the Home Office said.

So far, 89,950 applications to become a police officer have been received since the campaign launched in October.

Overall, 9,327 officers have joined forces since November, with the new recruits from the campaign being on top of those hired to fill existing vacancies or as part of other job adverts.

Boris Johnson vowed to swell the police service to more than 140,000 officers by mid-2022 if he was elected Prime Minister.


09:34 AM

Paul Goodman: Boris Johnson’s majority may not survive the tough decisions ahead

Rishi Sunak has been Chancellor for less than a year. But a recent poll found that he is already the most popular holder of the office for 15 years.

On paper, the news ought to have sent Mr Sunak’s spirits soaring. In practice, however, it should have made his heart sink to his boots – and probably did.

For the Chancellor knows that what goes up in politics must come down. It is easy for a politician’s reputation to soar when it is propelled skywards by a balloon of public money – one way of describing the Government’s response to Covid-19.

But sooner or later, the gas of printing or borrowing runs out. Then, like gravity, reality kicks in.


09:24 AM

Self-isolation increase 'come four months too late', says Labour MP

A senior Labour MP has welcomed the decision to extend self-isolation for those with symptoms of coronavirus from seven to 10 days - but warned it may have come too late.

Rosena Allin-Khan, a medical doctor and the shadow minister for mental health, has been an outspoken critic of the Government's failure to grapple with the virus at an early stage. 

Today she said: "[The] Government announcement today is welcomed but I believe it has come four months too late."


09:06 AM

Government raises self-isolation to 10 days across the UK

The length of time people with coronavirus symptoms in the UK will have to self-isolate for is to be increased from seven to 10 days, the UK's four chief medical officers have confirmed.

In a joint statement, England's CMO Chris Whitty and his three counterparts said that while Covid-19 is most infectious "just before, and for the first few days after symptoms begin" evidence had "strengthened" showing that there was a "real possibility of infectiousness between seven and nine days after illness onset".

The statement says: "We have considered how best to target interventions to reduce risk to the general population and consider that at this point in the epidemic, with widespread and rapid testing available and considering the relaxation of other measures, it is now the correct balance of risk to extend the self-isolation period from 7 to 10 days for those in the community who have symptoms or a positive test result.

"This will help provide additional protection to others in the community. This is particularly important to protect those who have been shielding and in advance of the autumn and winter when we may see increased community transmission."


08:55 AM

England has had highest excess deaths in Europe so far this year

England had the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe across the first half of 2020, according to analysis by the Office for National Statistics.

Between February 21 and June 12, England was second only to Spain out of 21 European countries. At the equivalent of local authority level, areas of Central Spain and Northern Italy saw the highest peaks of excess mortality and exceeded any parts of the UK.

While England did not have the highest peak mortality, it did have the longest continuous period of excess mortality of any country compared, resulting in England having the highest levels of excess mortality in Europe for the period as a whole.


08:52 AM

Coronavirus improved community spirit - but divisions are 'starting to fray'

The pandemic increased our sense of community, but divisions are re-emerging as the lockdown eases, a new survey has suggested. 

An ICM poll of more than 2,000 people, carried out for the think tank British Future,  found that people liked the greater connection and community spirit that developed during the crisis.  

There was a 15 percentage-point drop between March and June among those saying the UK has "never felt so divided in my lifetime", with a 10-point drop in the proportion of people who say society dwells on the differences rather than what we have in common, for example.  

Jill Rutter, author of the new report and director of strategy for British Future, said: “There’s a risk that past divides are re-emerging as society starts to re-open. The shared experience of lockdown made many people feel more connected to their neighbours and local community. Now that sense of togetherness is starting to fray. The good news is that people would rather we kept hold of it – and talk/together aims to find out how can do that.”


08:42 AM

New law guarantees furloughed workers will receive redundancy pay based salary

Furloughed workers who lose their jobs will receive redundancy pay based on their normal wage under new laws introduced today. 

The changes will mean those furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme are not short-changed if they are made redundant, the Government said.

Ministers said the changes will also apply to statutory notice pay and other entitlements, providing some reassurance "during this difficult time".

Alok Sharma, the Business Secretary, said: "We urge employers to do everything they can to avoid making redundancies, but where this is unavoidable it is important that employees receive the payments they are rightly entitled to.

"New laws will ensure furloughed employees are not short-changed and are paid their full redundancy pay entitlement - providing some reassurance in an undeniably testing time."


08:30 AM

Covid, what have you done to us in just six months?

Eerie, apocalyptic. It was like being in a film.

People said that a lot in the first few weeks. As if the more outlandish imaginings of Hollywood had come to pass – the empty streets,  the dire warnings, the grim, nightly follies of official briefings. We were all scared.

How sudden it all seemed. One minute we were watching events in a city in China that few had ever heard of thinking, how terrible. And there it was, the virus, sneaking in like a thief in the night, stealing away everything we took for granted; our security, our habits, our pleasures, our humdrum lives – and leaving in their place chaos, uncertainty and fear. 

Mick Brown reflects on the seismic changes that have happened to our lives and how we might navigate what is coming next.

London was like a ghost town

08:18 AM

Ramping up testing could cut second wave risks to 'close to zero', says Nervtag adviser

Quarantine could be cut from a fortnight to 10 days and the risk of reintroducing the virus would be close to zero if testing is ramped up, a Government adviser has said. 

While people self-isolating can expect to be told to stay indoors for an extra three days, the quarantine period for people returning from abroad is likely to be slashed by three days. 

Professor Peter Openshaw, who sits on the the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (Nervtag), a Sage sub-group, told the BBC's Radio 4 Today programme: "If there were a lot of testing associated with the quarantine period then the risk of re-introducing infection could be - not zero - but certainly could be brought close to zero."

He also said that he expects the Government's stance on masks will be "under review" in "time to come", and added that we must not become complacent. 

Prof Openshaw added: "As testing is becoming so much more routine and widely available, we need to drive the testing up...and reinforce handwashing and the use of effective masks and I think the use of more effective masks needs to be widespread."


08:13 AM

Increase in coronavirus isolation a 'precautionary' measure amid second wave, says Health Secretary

The Government is poised to increase the self-isolation period for people who have tested positive for coronavirus, with the Health Secretary warning it is a "precautionary" measure to protect the UK from a second wave. 

As revealed by The Telegraph this morning, Professor Jonathan Van Tam will today confirm an increase in the isolation period from seven to 10 days. 

Matt Hancock told Sky News: "This is a decision that's clinically led. The chief medical officer will be setting out details later today.

"I can't steal his thunder but what I will say is we will always do what is necessary to protect people and we're guided by the clinical judgment, by the science in this."


08:02 AM

Government's voter ID policy could disenfranchise minorities, Labour warns

Evidence that the Government has based its arguments for introducing voter ID does not exist, Labour has claimed.

Ministers have repeatedly claimed that evidence shows mandatory voter ID has no impact on any particular demographic group. But an FoI request by Labour reveals that the Government does not hold data on possession of ID by ethnicity.

Ministers are also accused of defending their plans with evidence from the Electoral Commission which the Commission has also said does not exist.   

Cat Smith, shadow minister for voter engagement, said the Government was "turning a blind eye how this could disenfranchise Black Asian and minority ethnic people". 

She added: “The Government have stated repeatedly on record that evidence concludes Voter ID has no impact on any particular demographic group. This is simply not true, the evidence does not exist...

“If these US-style voter suppression plans go ahead, we could see Black, Asian and minority ethnic people locked out of democracy. The Government must correct the record and recognise the damaging impact that mandatory Voter ID will have upon Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities.”


07:50 AM

Remote GP appointments among measures to be 'bottled' for future, says Matt Hancock

Matt Hancock has praised the rise of remote GP consultations, after a survey found that just one in every seven appointments is being held face-to-face. 

The Health Secretary noted that pre-pandemic, only three per cent of doctors offered a video consultation but that had now risen to 98 per cent. 

He said: "Many, many people preferred doing it over the phone or video consultations... the majority of people prefer having that access.

"Of course you still need to be able to access face-to-face appointments."

Mr Hancock is giving a speech to the Royal College of Physicians today, in which he will raise this as an example of the type of measure that should continue after the coronavirus crisis has abated. 

He told the Today programme it was important that we "bottle those and learn from this crisis", not just in terms of the emergency response but more generally "how we run the NHS and how we support the people who work on the frontline".


07:43 AM

Matt Hancock refuses to apologise for care homes 'phrase'

Matt Hancock has refused to apologise for saying he had “thrown a protective ring around care homes”, after a damning report claimed the care sector was actually "thrown to the wolves". 

The Public Accounts Committee published a report yesterday, claiming the pandemic exposed the tragic impact of years of inattention, funding cuts and delayed reforms.

Committee chair Meg Hillier said: "Our care homes were effectively thrown to the wolves, and the virus has ravaged some of them."

But this morning, the Health Secretary said: "You ask about the phrase - what I care more about is the policy."

"One of the things we have learned about this virus is that it transmits asymptomatically and that is an area where the scientific advice has changed as the science improved, and we learned more about the virus.

"That is not in any ways a criticism of the scientists - you will never hear me criticise the scientists. 

"But we have a different policy in place now because we have learned."


07:34 AM

'Quite likely' that further countries will be added to quarantine list, says Matt Hancock

Matt Hancock has said it is "quite likely" that further countries will be added to the red list, meaning travellers will have to quarantine on their return to the UK.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme scientists were looking into ways to reduce the quarantine period, but asked if that would involve one test or two, he said: "We don't know, that is one of the things we are looking at.

"But for the time being quarantine is 14 days."

Asked about additional countries losing their travel corridor status, he said: "We are looking at that all of the time." When asked if a change was quite likely, he said: "Yes, yes." 

Mr Hancock added: "I wold love for people to go abroad but in the middle of pandemic just have to be realistic that these things change

"That is why we had to ask so fast on Spain, and why I have absolutely no regrets... It is not trivial, of course I understand the frustration... But the reason I have no regret is because the data have since continued to go up in Spain." 


07:27 AM

UK coronavirus cases 'flat at best', says Health Secretary

Matt Hancock has said the number of cases in the UK is "flat at best", as he warns that "vigilance is increasingly important" with cases rising in other parts of the world. 

The Health Secretary told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Of course there is a danger of an increase. We have all seen what this virus as can do and how fast it can move, and we are seeing it around the world right now, hence our vigilance.

"Vigilance is increasingly important," he added. 

"What we look at all the time is what is happening with virus. For several months it was receding in most of Europe, including here. It appears that it has slowed down here. 

"In other parts of Europe it is going up again, in some cases quite sharply."


07:20 AM

Health Secretary rejects claims that second wave talk 'risks hysteria'

The Health Secretary has rejected claims that that he is exaggerating the risks of a second wave, after being challenged during an interview. 

Matt Hancock told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he could "see a second wave rolling across Europe", with sharp increases in Spain and other countries. 

But asked by Nick Robinson if his language "risks hysteria", Mr Hancock said: "No it's not. We have been extremely measured in our response. But we will move fast if that is what is needed."

He added: "I am the Health Secretary in the middle of a global pandemic so you will excuse me for being concerned about the health of the British public.

"You can see increases in cases, including sharp increases in Spain, hence we took rapid action when we did... my job is to protect this country."


07:11 AM

'Significant concerns' about second wave, says Health Secretary

Matt Hancock has said there are "significant concerns" that a second wave of coronavirus "starting to roll across Europe".

The Health Secretary told Sky News: "I am worried about a second wave. I think you can see a second wave starting to roll across Europe and we've got to do everything we can to prevent it from reaching these shores and to tackle it.

"The measures that the chief medical officer will set out later are part of that but so too are the measures we're taking, for instance to ensure that we don't directly bring cases back to this country where there's a big spike in cases.

"So absolutely on a second wave it is something I worry about and I worry about it because we can see it happening."


07:08 AM

No change to 14-day quarantine period for 'next few days', says Health Secretary

A cut in the time people are asked to quarantine on their return from Spain and other red list countries will not be announced "in the next few days", the Health Secretary has confirmed. 

Matt Hancock told BBC Breakfast scientists were currently investigating whether a new regime of testing passengers could safely cut the amount of time people have to isolate for. Yesterday The Telegraph revealed a two-test plan could cut quarantine from 14 days to 10. 

He said: "This is a really important, essentially scientific question, but we are not imminently making an announcement on it. Until it is absolutely safe to make that change we won't do so. 

"There are some countries in the world who do that but you have got to be absolutely certain you can track people who come in, make sure they can get the test and crucially that the likelihood of having incubated it for longer than you doing the second test is very low.

"We have asked the scientists to do that work," he added. "They are doing that work but we are not ready to change that policy

"We won't be making changes on that in the next few days."


06:54 AM

Boris Johnson faces Tory demand for airport testing to replace quarantine

Boris Johnson is facing a rebellion from up to 40 Tory MPs who are urging him to bring in airport testing to replace 14-day quarantine.  

The MPs are set to write to the Prime Minister this week calling on him to bring in testing of holidaymakers and business travellers returning from “high risk” countries so they could reduce their 14 days in self-isolation by at least five or six days.  

They are also urging the Government to introduce regional “air bridges” that could open holiday routes to the Spanish Balearic and Canary Islands and Portugal’s islands of Madeira and the Azores which are currently subject to UK quarantine under travel bans to the mainland.  

The demands to unlock the economy by opening up travel and trade routes are being led by Henry Smith, Tory chair of the all-party Future of Aviation Group, and have been backed by ex-Cabinet ministers, former leader Iain Duncan Smith and Sir Graham Brady, chair of the powerful Tory 1922 backbench committee.