UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson clashes with Keir Starmer at PMQs over track and test system

The government has just published a document setting out how it intends to implement the Northern Ireland protocol, the part of the withdrawal agreement that will allow Northern Ireland to stay in the EU’s single market. There is a Cabinet Office summary here and the full report is here (pdf).

In the Commons, in response to an urgent question, Jacob Rees-Mogg, the leader of the Commons, confirmed that MPs will abandon their mostly-virtual proceedings when they return on Tuesday 2 June after the half-term recess. He told MPs:

Under the hybrid proceedings the time this house is able to spend debating legislation faces being cut by around two-thirds – I am sure all members will agree that each and every one of the 36 bills put forward by the government in the Queen’s speech deserves the proper level of scrutiny.

We have to recognise that if we persist with the present arrangement it will become harder to make progress in a timely fashion. That is why, in line with government advice for those who cannot do their jobs from home, I am asking members to return to their place of work after Whitsun.

He said that the Speaker had tested a new voting system that would allow MPs to vote while remaining six feet apart. He also said that arrangements would be made to protect MPs who need to shield because they are extremely vulnerable. He said:

I would finally like to reassure those members with underlying health conditions who have been told to shield or are receiving specific government advice about their health – we are working with the house authorities to see how they can continue to contribute to proceedings within the house.

Rees-Mogg also said that, when MPs return after the recess, they will start sitting again regularly on Thursdays too. During the lockdown the Commons has only been sitting on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

After two weeks when Sir Keir Starmer broadly had the field to himself, this felt much more like a return to normal parliamentary service – a contested exchange, with no obvious victor, and both principals scoring points.

Boris Johnson seemed to have put more preparation in than he did ahead of last week’s PMQs and on the first four questions, on care homes, he got through reasonably comfortably. At first he resorted to bluster, accusing Starmer of ignorance and quoting broad-brush testing statistics to avoid the more specific question about why care homes are still not routinely able to access the level of testing that is supposed to be available. Challenging Starmer on fact is normally a grievous error, but instead of pressing him repeatedly on this, the Labour leader moved on to contact tracing. Johnson had a moderately effective retort when he claimed that Starmer was asking about matters which he had already been briefed on privately (which may well be true, although there is merit in Starmer forcing the PM to put these matters on the record), but what worked best for Johnson was that he was able actually announce something: that contact tracing will be up and running on 1 June, and able to trace 10,000 contacts a day.

Starmer did not seem to have anticipated this, allowing Johnson to accuse him of not listening. For the final two questions, on the NHS surcharge, Starmer was on stronger ground, and his point about a care worker on the minimum wage having to work 70 hours to pay for this was a powerful one. Johnson’s defence was glib, but it did not feel like a decisive exchange.

So Johnson got through this without the humbling he endured last week. But to do so, he had to make quite a specific promise. When he first said that a contact tracing scheme capable of tracking 10,000 contacts a day would be up and running by 1 June, he made a firm commitment. (See 12.38pm.) Later in the exchanges he was a bit more conditional, telling Starmer:

What he heard is that we have growing confidence that we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world-beating and yes, it will be in place, it will be in place by June 1.

This morning Robert Buckland, the justice secretary, gave what may turn out to be a more realistic assessment (see 7.48am), saying that although he hoped to see a contact tracing system in place by 1 June, “it won’t necessarily be as developed and full blown as we’d like”. At the next PMQs, in a fortnight, Starmer may well be asking Johnson why the promise made today has not been delivered.

The Welsh education minister, Kirsty Williams, has said she will not set an “arbitrary” date for when more children will return to school.

She said more evidence – and more confidence – in the evidence around Covid-19 was needed before schools would open to more children. Having a “robust” test and trace regime up and running was an important factor in the return of more pupils.

“I will not set an arbitrary date for when more children will go back to Welsh schools,” she said.

Williams said thousands of teachers in Wales were already going to school to look after the children of critical workers and vulnerable children.

She added that teachers across Wales had been coming forward with ideas for the next steps and said the Labour-led government’s relationship with the teaching unions was positive.

Asked about the safety of teachers, she said: “At the forefront of my mind is the health and emotional wellbeing of staff and children.”

She said it was impossible to give 100% guarantees about safety but said:

What is incumbent on me is that we manage these risks as much as possible and create an environment that is as safe as it can possibly be.

Williams has published a resilience plan for post-16 learning, setting out how the Welsh government will work with colleges, universities and training providers.

This is what Boris Johnson said to Sir Keir Starmer at PMQs when he committed to having a contact tracking system in place by 1 June. Johnson said:

I can tell him also that by June 1, already we have recruited 24,000 trackers and by June 1 we will have 25,000. They will be capable of tracking the contacts of 10,000 new cases a day.

The union representing the majority of workers in the meat and poultry processing industries in Northern Ireland has warned of a “growing number of clusters” of Covid-19 around factories in County Tyrone.

Unite claimed that the localised spikes in workers infected were in areas close to Foyle Meats in Omagh and Linden Foods in Dungannon.

Political leaders at the devolved assembly at Stormont were challenged to have the factories closed temporarily while coronavirus checks are carried out on all workers there.

Davy Kettyles, lead Unite organiser in the region said there should be no repeat in the meat processing/packaging industry of what was happening in the care home sector. He said:

In the USA more than 10,000 meatpackers have caught Covid-19, with at last 45 deaths. We are determined to avoid a similar crisis.

We need to see sites where clusters are being identified shut down immediately but temporarily while tests are completed for all workers. Those workers need to be fully paid for the duration of the testing period.

Lucy Allan, a Conservative, asks if young people will be prioritised in the recovery.

Johnson says a new national skills fund worth £2.5bn will prioritise the interests of the young.

The rise in the number of deaths from Covid-19 in Scotland has slowed for the third successive week, with 332 fatalities recorded last week, although care homes are again the source of a majority of deaths.

The latest weekly data from National Records of Scotland shows that the number of Covid-19 deaths in all settings, such as hospitals, care homes or in the wider community, has continued to decline.

The total number of people in Scotland now recorded to have died from Covid-19 stands at 3,546, compared to 3,214 the week ending 10 May. NRS said that to date, 46% of all registered Covid-19 deaths occurred in care homes, compared to 47% in hospitals, with 76% aged 75 or over.

Overall, Covid-19 accounted for just 23% of all deaths recorded in Scotland last week, compared to a peak of 36% in one week in late April. The number of Covid-19 deaths in care homes fell by 54 compared to the previous week, to 184 but those accounted for 55% of the total last week.

NRS said 1,415 deaths were registered in Scotland in the week from 11 May, 33% more than the average in that week in the previous five years. Of the 351 excess deaths recorded last week, Covid-19 was given as the underlying cause of death.

The SNP’s Marion Fellows asks about reports that the furlough scheme will be ended even if the lockdown continues in Scotland.

Johnson says he is happy with the level of cooperation between Scotland and the UK government.

The SNP’s Allan Dorans asks Johnson to condemn Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary, for making a 700-mile round trip today just to be in the chamber for PMQs. He could have contributed virtually.

Johnson says he won’t. He says Jack does an admirable job.

Labour’s Rosie Duffield says there should be more women at the top of government and on Sage. Only one woman has led the daily press conferences in the last few weeks, he says.

Johnson says he agrees with this. Dido Harding is now in charge of testing, he says. And he says Kate Bingham has been put in charge of the vaccine taskforce.

The SDLP’s Colum Eastwood says the government is pressing ahead with a no-deal Brexit that will damage Northern Ireland.

Johnson does not accept this. Implying a trade deal is possible, he says he spoke to the Irish PM recently and they agreed on much.

Richard Drax, a Conservative, says the UK should follow France, and buy up technology companies at risk of being bought up by China.

Johnson says the government is bringing forward measures to protect its technological base. It will say more on this in the coming weeks.

Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, says MPs will be thinking about the cyclone hitting India and Bangladesh. He turns to the NHS, and praises the contribution of migrant workers. Acknowledging Starmer has raised this already, he asks whether Johnson is embarrassed about the fact that this government does not value low-paid workers.

Johnson says the reason for the bill is not to keep out people who help the NHS. People want an immigration system under the government’s control.

Blackford says the harsh reality is that NHS and care staff are not even paid the real living wage. He says the cruel NHS surcharge should be removed immediately. Will the PM promise that? Or will he clap on Thursday hoping no one will notice he is clapping with one hand, and raking it in with another.

Johnson says the value of the living wage has gone up under this government. And the SNP would put a border at Berwick, he says.

Johnson says funding for town centres will continue. He quotes what is available for Hyndburn.

Starmer asks about the NHS surcharge that foreign migrants have to pay.

Johnson says this raises £900m for the NHS. He does think it is the right way forward.

Starmer says the fee is £400 a year. It will go up to £625 a year. He says a care worker on the minimum wage would have to work 70 hours to pay this off.

Labour will table an amendment to the immigration bill to exempt NHS and care workers, he says. Will the government support it?

Johnson says he has addressed this. But he does want to see frontline workers paid properly. He is putting record amounts into the NHS, he says.

Read the original article at The Guardian

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