Boris Johnson news – live: Tory MPs self-isolate after minister struck down with coronavirus, as recession warnings issued after Budget
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Junior health minister Edward Argar and Tory backbencher Sir Charles Walker are among several MPs self-isolating over concerns about contact with Nadine Dorries, who tested positive for the coronavirus this week.
It comes as Boris Johnson is set to move the UK into the “delay” phase. Criticising the government’s staggered response, former regional director of Public Health England John Ashton accused the “superficial” prime minister of having “no grasp of public health”.
Rishi Sunak has defended his Budget amid warnings of a recession, and questioned the usefulness Donald Trump’s move to shut down travel from Europe. The chancellor said the UK would not impose a similar ban, saying there was “no evidence” such measures work.
Keeping parliament open to public ‘irresponsible’, says Labour MP
Bell Ribeiro-Addy has claimed the decision to keep parliament open to members of the public is “simply irresponsible”.
The Labour MP stated: “As we continue to meet hundreds of people weekly, I am concerned that we are potentially spreading the virus. My biomedical training tells me that a number of members in this House probably already have the virus.
“I am genuinely concerned about older members, older constituents and those with underlying health conditions.”
Ribeiro-Addy called for electronic voting or automatic pairing for any member who may wish to self-isolate at home.
It comes as video footage emerged of health minister Edward Argar, currently in self-isolation after contact with Nadine Dorries, coughing and touching his face at the despatch box on Tuesday this week.
Emily Thornberry declares herself in ‘good health’
The Labour MP (and former party leadership contender) has announced she is in “good health” after receiving “concern and well wishes”.
The shadow foreign secretary has posted a tweet saying she is “following all official advice” for coronavirus – but is “not currently experiencing any symptoms that would require me to self-isolate”.
Green groups slate ‘truly awful’ Budget
Academics and environmentalists have warned the spending splurge unveiled by the government makes it more difficult for the UK to meet its net-zero carbon target to combat climate change.
The chancellor froze fuel duty yet again – making it even cheaper to drive compared with public transport fares, and announced a £27bn, 4,000-mile road-building programme compared with just £1bn for green transport.
Friends of the Earth’s head of policy, Mike Childs, said it “destroys any pretence of UK government leadership ahead of this year’s crucial climate summit … a truly awful Budget.”
Our own editorial today condemns the “abject failure to face up to the climate change emergency”.
EU chiefs condemn Trump travel ban
The heads of the EU Commission and EU Council have criticised Donald Trump’s ban on travel from Europe to the US – claiming the decision was made without any consultation.
In a joint statement Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel suggested it could be counterproductive. “The coronavirus is a global crisis, not limited to any continent and it requires cooperation rather than unilateral action,” they said.
“The European Union disapproves of the fact that the US decision to improve a travel ban was taken unilaterally and without consultation.”
Plaid Cymru scraps spring conference
The Welsh party has cancelled its upcoming conference, set to take place 20 and 21 March, citing concerns over the coronavirus and “the health and wellbeing of our members”.
It follows a decision by the Lib Dems to cancel their spring conference. Elsewhere, the Association of Electoral Administrators (AEA) has urged the government to consider the legal grounds for postponing May’s local elections.
In a letter to the cabinet office, the AEA said sickness could force polling station closures and raised concerns about whether there would be enough staff to organise the ballot.
‘We’ve wasted a month’
There is growing anger among scientists and experts that the government has acted too slowly to combat the coronavirus.
John Ashton, a former regional director of Public Health England, raged at what he labelled a “wooden” and “complacent” response to Covid-19. He warned: “We’ve wasted a month, when we should have been engaging with the public”.
“If this now spreads the way it looks as though it’s likely to spread, there will not be enough hospital beds and people will have to be nursed at home.”
Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet medical journal accused ministers of “playing roulette” with people’s lives.
Johnson did not talk to Trump about travel ban
Boris Johnson did not discuss the US flight ban with Donald Trump before it was announced on Wednesday night, Downing Street has said.
The PM’s official spokesman said there was no plan for the UK to impose its own travel ban.
“It is not the current position of the UK, based on medical and scientific advice, that we should halt flights,” said the spokesman.
“We have been following the advice of the chief medical officer and chief scientific adviser in relation to all parts of our response to this virus. The advice we have been given is that that is not a step that they recommend in the UK.”
The spokesman added: “In terms of the US measure itself, it is for individual countries to detail their own responses.”
‘Incredibly grim and yet still unbelievably optimistic’
Our economics editor Ben Chu has more on the latest Budget analysis showing that weaker UK economic growth head will hit average household earnings by almost £600 a year.
The Resolution Foundation think tank noted that the latest pay growth projections from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) show a weakening in every year of the forecast, stemming from its downgrade for the UK productivity growth outlook.
And this is even before accounting for the potential for the coronavirus crisis to send the UK into recession, which was not factored into the OBR’s numbers.
The Resolution Foundation also described the GDP markdown from the official financial watchdog as both “incredibly grim and yet still unbelievably optimistic”.
All the details here:
Johnson chairs emergency Cobra meeting
Boris Johnson is due to chair an emergency Cobra meeting in the next hour during which he is expected to approve moving to the “delay phase” of the coronavirus response, after the outbreak was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Moving from the containment to the delay stage could mean social distancing measures may be enacted, including restricting public gatherings and issuing more widespread advice to stay at home.
It comes after eight people with Covid-19 were confirmed to have died in the UK, as the total number of positive cases rose to 460.
Sturgeon says she is minded to cancel events with 500+ people
The Scottish first minister Nicola Sturgeon has suggested she expects a "sharp rise in cases" ahead of today's announcement at 2pm on the most up to date number of contractions in Scotland.
She also said she is minded to cancel events involving crowds of over 500 people in response to the outbreak, but would await further details of today's Cobra meeting at Westminster.
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