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.
PM says 'everybody's lives matter' as he urges socially distanced anti-racism protests
"We mourn George Floyd and I was appalled and sickened to see what happened to him," Boris Johnson has said. "My message to President Trump, to everybody in the United States from the UK is I don't think racism ... racist violence has no place in our society.
Asked about protests in the UK, he says: "I do think people have a right to protest, to make their feelings known about injustices such as what happened to George Floyd.
"I would urge people to protest peacefully and in accordance with the rules on social distancing. Everybody's lives matter. Black lives matter but we must fight this virus as well."
Protesters and police clash in central London
The Guardian's Matta Busby reports that scuffles have broken out between police and protesters.
He reports that it came after several officers refused demonstrator's requests to "take the knee" in solidarity, adding that the situation had calmed significantly shortly afterwards, but that tensions were growing.
Vallance indicates mandatory quarantine is political, not scientific, decision
Boris Johnson has been discussing the new mandatory 14-day quarantine for arrivals to the UK after it was approved by Priti Patel.
But asked if Sage had advised whether the introduction of the policy on 8 June would make a difference in preventing the spread of the virus, Sir Patrick Vallance replied that Sage had said border measures are most effective when incidents of coronavirus are very low in this country, and when they are applied to countries which have higher incidents.
"The judgement of that time of course is not something for us, it's something for politicians to make, and they make the policy and they make the timing decisions, but that's the advice that we gave them in terms of the science of this," Sir Patrick said.
Boris Johnson says there will be "many, many job losses" as a result of the coronavirus outbreak but promised the government would take an "activist" approach to reviving the economy.
"I am afraid tragically there will be many, many job losses. That is just inevitable," he says, adding that ministers would be as interventionist in the aftermath of the pandemic has they had been previously in protecting jobs.
"We will be just as interventionist in the next phase, investing in the UK economy, investing in infrastructure, taking our country forward so that we bounce back as sharply and decisively as we can," he says.
"Young people in particular I believe should be guaranteed an apprenticeship."
Chris Whitty says it was the "unanimous view" of the UK's four chief medical officers that the coronavirus alert level should remain at four.
"We're trending downwards. The alert level is a clear four but with a direction of travel down - that was the unanimous view of the four chief medical officers on the advice, the independent advice, of the Joint Biosecurity Centre."
The government had previously said there would be no easing of restrictions until the alert level was lowered to three, but insists it has met its five key tests for easing lockdown.
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