Boris Johnson news - live: UK facing lockdown due to PM's 'failure,' says Rayner as Starmer says he must apologise
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The UK is facing the possibility of a second national lockdown due to Boris Johnson’s “failure and incompetence” on coronavirus, Labour’s deputy leader has warned.
Angela Rayner told her party’s virtual conference that there had never been a prime minister “more out of his depth and ill-equipped to the task” than Mr Johnson.
Her comments came after Labour’s leader Sir Keir Starmer said the PM should apologise over the chaotic testing system in the UK in recent weeks.
Our Whitehall editor, Kate Devlin, has more details below on Matt Hancock’s warning over the recent spike in coronavirus cases:
Matt Hancock warns UK is at 'tipping point' in the fight against coronavirus
Sir Keir Starmer warns testing problems making national lockdown more likely
There has been a bit of confusion this week over whether the government is encouraging people to “snitch” on their neighbourhoods if they see them breaking coronavirus rules.
Earlier this week, Boris Johnson suggested people should not report their neighbours for violating the “rule of six” unless they were having huge parties.
However, Matt Hancock told the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday that ministers had been “extremely clear” on the need for people to follow the rules.
He added that he would call the police on his neighbours if he saw them breaking the coronavirus restrictions.
UK risks becoming ‘wasteland’ if furlough ends too soon, Unite leader says
The UK is at risk of becoming a “wasteland” if the furlough scheme is ended for some sectors too quickly, the head of the union Unite has said.
Len McCluskey was asked by Sky News’ Sophy Ridge how long the government’s Job Retention Scheme could continue for - he replied: “As long as it takes.”
“Would we sooner those workers were costing the taxpayer £35bn by drawing benefits on the dole?” Mr McCluskey said.
“If Germany and the rest of Europe can do it, why can’t our government?”
He added: “Germany, France, they won’t be looking at wastelands in their economy but we’re in danger of becoming ‘wasteland UK’.
“We have to protect jobs because without it then the devastation that we’ve seen so far will increase incredibly.”
Labour peer says she was sexually harassed by junior minister early in career
A Labour peer has said she was sexually harassed early in her career by a junior government minister and described the sexism she experienced while working for the BBC in a new interview.
Baroness Joan Bakewell told Times Radio that she was the “victim of unwelcome attention” during the 1950s and 1960s.
In the interview, which will be broadcast in full later today, the 87-year-old said a junior minister, who has since died, had to be “fended off” after he made a grab for her.
“I was assaulted by a member of the government in a taxi when I went to fetch him from the House of Commons to come on the programme,” she said.
“You know, this kind of thing happened, it happened all the time.”
When asked whether she reported the minister to police, she said there would have been no point.
“They would've said, well, that's just to do with your private life, you're alright, he's not done anything that breaks the law,” Baroness Bakewell said.
She added that there was no point in discussing harassment with senior figures at the BBC when she worked there “because they would be doing the same thing”.
Baroness Bakewell fronted factual programmes such as Late Night Line-Up and Heart Of The Matter during her time at the organisation.
Sadiq Khan wants return to home working and pubs curfew in London, sources say
London’s mayor Sadiq Khan has called for a return to home working in the capital and a 10pm curfew for bars and restaurants to slow rising coronavirus infection rates.
Earlier this week, Mr Khan suggested London was only two weeks behind other areas which have seen local restrictions but mayoral sources now worry the city could be days away from new measures.
He is now urging ministers to extend regional restrictions to cover the capital.
“It's clear that cases in London are only moving in one direction, we are now just days behind hotspots in the North West and North East. We can't afford more delay,” a mayoral source told the PA news agency.
“Introducing new measures now will help slow the spread of the virus and potentially prevent the need for a fuller lockdown like we saw in March, which could seriously damage the economy once again.”
Londoners could be told to work from home this week, Matt Hancock warns
Londoners could be told to return to working from home this week as coronavirus cases surge across the country, the health secretary has warned.
Matt Hancock told Times Radio he “wouldn’t rule out” workers in the capital being told to go back to home working after suggesting earlier this morning that further restrictions in London could be introduced soon.
Our reporter, Emily Goddard, has the full story below:
Londoners could be told to work from home this week, Matt Hancock warns
Modelling suggests capital only days behind coronavirus hotspots
Angela Rayner opens Labour’s virtual conference by attacking government ‘incompetence’
Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said the government’s “serial incompetence” is holding the UK back as she opened her party’s virtual conference.
“Over the next three days, we will show what we can achieve with a new leadership for our party and for our country,” Ms Rayner said in her speech.
“At this time of national crisis, we are offering the country the leadership it needs.
“We will act in the best interests of the British people and in our shared mission to defeat this terrible virus.
“We will call this failing government out for its serial incompetence that is holding Britain back.”
Rayner: ‘My first step in politics wasn't in the Oxford Union, it was in my trade union’
Angela Rayner has said Labour’s priority under Sir Keir Starmer will be campaigning on “jobs, jobs, jobs” in the months ahead.
“My first step in politics wasn't in the Oxford Union, it was in my trade union. Not debating for bragging rights at the bar, but negotiating because our livelihoods depended on it,” she told party members.
“I know which union I'd rather be in because I was born in Stockport but I was made in our movement.
“I never went to university, but I joined my union and I found an education and a vocation.”
She added: “Together we are strong and in the months ahead our movement will need all of our collective strength as we fight to save jobs and protect our communities.
“We will be campaigning on three economic priorities - jobs, jobs, jobs.”
Johnson always tries to blame others for government failings, Rayner says
Angela Rayner has accused Boris Johnson of always trying to blame others for the government’s failings during the coronavirus crisis.
“Never has there been a prime minister more out of his depth and ill-equipped to the task than this Bullingdon Club blagger,” she said.
“He lights up Downing Street green for Grenfell and then whips Tory MPs to block the Grenfell inquiry recommendations.
“He claps for our carers when it suits him for a photo opportunity but he doesn't even know what they earn and won't pay them what they deserve.
“He calls a Covid war cabinet to allow grouse shooting when the frontline staff can't get the tests they need and people can't say goodbye to their loved ones.”
Ms Rayner added: “Yet it's always somebody else's fault - civil servants, the public health body they voted to create in the first place, or even the public for doing the right thing and trying to get a Covid test.”
Greater Manchester’s mayor Andy Burnham has called for all regions in England to be represented at an emergency Cobra meeting on coronavirus.
“There are clear regional differences when it comes to testing & lockdown policy,” Mr Burnham said.
“To build national unity, all English regions MUST be represented on COBRA.”
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