Coronavirus news – live: England and Wales death toll passes 40,000 as WHO warns countries lifting lockdowns risk ‘immediate second peak’

All the latest developments on coronavirus pandemic as they happened.

Coronavirus in numbers

The number of deaths linked to coronavirus in England and Wales has passed 40,000, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The death toll was announced after the World Health Organisation warned countries which lift their coronavirus lockdowns too early risk facing an “immediate second peak” of infections. Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO’s emergencies head, said the virus could “jump up at any time” even in countries where infections have been falling.

Meanwhile, the a clinical trial into a malaria drug touted by Donald Trump as a Covid-19 preventative has been halted over safety fears. The WHO said testings involving hydroxychloroquine had been suspended while “data is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board”.

Key Points

• Global Covid-19 cases pass 5.5 million
• Deaths in England and Wales pass 40,000
• Minister resigns in protest over Dominic Cummings lockdown breach
• Malaria drug trial halted over safety concerns
• Countries lifting lockdowns could face 'immediate second peak' in infections

[26 May 2020 21:47 · Vincent Wood]

Tenants face eviction without legal representation amid pandemic

Tenants could face being evicted without access to legal representation when home repossession hearings resume next month, according to letters from county courts.

Eviction proceedings were temporarily frozen by the government in March as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, to ensure vulnerable people were not left homeless during the crisis.

Hearings are expected to resume at the end of June, but documents seen by the Law Gazette suggest that some courts are considering running hearings remotely until the autumn, leaving vulnerable people without access to a duty solicitor.

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[26 May 2020 22:14 · Vincent Wood]

County Durham MPs issue joint statement on Cummings

County Durham's three Conservative MPs have issued a joint statement over the controversy surrounding Dominic Cummings.

Richard Holden, who represents North West Durham, Bishop Auckland MP Dehenna Davison, whose constituency includes Barnard Castle, and Paul Howell, who represents Sedgefield, said Mr Cummings' public statement had addressed "a number of concerns".

"Overall, we believe his actions to be motivated out of his desire as a parent to do what he thought was necessary in protecting his family," they said.

"However, in the same circumstances, none of us would have made the decisions he made - particularly over the visit to Barnard Castle. We also closely followed the statements from Durham Constabulary as they clarified what had happened.

"It is our collective view that, above all else, this continuing situation is creating a major distraction from the vital work of the Government as it leads our country in combating the global coronavirus pandemic.

"More locally, it has meant the three of us have had to devote substantial time and energy away from our most important tasks of being there for our constituents, promoting County Durham, and getting the investment and opportunities for our county that are long overdue."

[26 May 2020 22:34 · Vincent Wood]

Conservative MPs to challenge Boris Johnson face to face over his refusal to sack Dominic Cummings

Conservative MPs will challenge Boris Johnson face to face over his refusal to sack Dominic Cummings, as public anger about the No 10 adviser’s apparent lockdown breaches threaten to engulf the government.

More than 30 Tories – including prominent former ministers – swelled the revolt against the chief aide, some warning his failure to quit undermined support for continuing restrictions on people’s freedoms.

One said the “moral authority” to demand the public’s consent for the fight against coronavirus was being lost, while a second highlighted the impression given of “one rule for them and another for senior government advisers”.

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[26 May 2020 23:33 · Vincent Wood]

Twitter adds fact-check warning to Trump's tweets for first time

Twitter, for the first time, has fact-checked one of Donald Trump tweets that it concluded contained false information. The move came as the president continued to suggest in tweets that former GOP Congressman Joe Scarborough was responsible for the murder of a staff member in 2001 as her widower pleaded for Twitter to delete those posts.

The social media giant chose a Tuesday morning tweet by the president in which he claimed mail-in ballots are automatically "substantially fraudulent."

"Mail boxes will be robbed, ballots will be forged & even illegally printed out & fraudulently signed," Mr Trump wrote.

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[26 May 2020 23:50 · Vincent Wood]

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