UK coronavirus live: non-essential shops reopen in England for first time in three months

Sir John Bell, regius professor of medicine at the University of Oxford, told the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee he would be surprised if the UK avoided a second coronavirus wave. The PA news agency has his comments:

I think it is possible that we might not have a second wave. But I think given the fact that the lockdown has now been largely released, we’re now back in action, and we have still – pretty rapidly declining – but a pretty reasonable level of infections in the community, I would be very surprised if we avoided the second wave.

I think the real question is, are we going to have a number of single outbursts around the country and then a second wave, or are we going to just get a second wave and when will that be?

This is from David Henig, the British trade specialist and former civil servant who heads the UK trade policy project at the European Centre for International Political Economy, on Boris Johnson suggesting July could be a deadline in the talks process. (See 4.32pm.)

And here is the quote from the clip Boris Johnson recorded for broadcasters after his talks with the EU where he said he would like to set the end of July as a deadline for getting a breakthrough in the post-Brexit trade talks. (See 3.53pm.) He said:

What we already said today is the faster we can do this the better, we see no reason why you shouldn’t get that done in July.

The issue is very clear, we fought an election based on these ideas, the manifesto was very clear.

I certainly don’t want to see it going on to the autumn/winter as I think perhaps in Brussels they would like.

Earlier this year Downing Street effectively set June as its deadline for a breakthrough, saying that if the broad outline of a deal was not clear by then, it could walk away and prepare to trade with the EU on WTO terms (ie, opt for a “no-deal” Brexit) from the end of the transition in December. The coronavirus crisis made that deadline unrealistic. Johnson now seems to be reviving it for the end of July, although from his words it is not clear how firm an ultimatum this actually is.

Care homes have been ordered to destroy a batch of faulty Covid-19 test kits after the Department of Health and Social Care discovered the swabs could break off while being used to gather samples from residents’ tonsils and noses.

Care home managers were told on Sunday not to use the tests because they had “brittle stems at risk of snapping”. The kits were manufactured by Citotest, a company based in China, and were distributed by the government’s Covid-19 care home testing programme. It is tasked with providing tests for all staff and residents in care settings, not just people displaying symptoms.

The affected batch should be destroyed or kept in a safe area clearly marked that they should not be used, officials said, adding the problem emerged on Saturday and they were working as quickly as possible to resolve it.

You can read the full story from the Guardian’s social affairs correspondent Robert Booth here –

In the Commons Labour’s Richard Burgon says the push from Tory MPs to replace the 2-metre rule with a 1-metre one is an example of the party putting profits ahead of public safety.

Edward Argar, the health minister, says the government is holding a review so it can decide what policy is best.

Boris Johnson has said that “a bit of oomph” is needed to conclude the UK-EU talks on a post-Brexit trade talks. Speaking from Downing Street, he said:

It’s very clear what the UK needs … We can’t have the involvement of the European court of justice in this country; we can’t have a system whereby we continue to have to obey EU law even when we’re out of the EU and we’ve got to get a great deal for our fish …

It’s very clear what we need to achieve, I don’t think we’re actually that far apart, but what we need now is to see a bit of oomph in the negotiations.

And in the Commons Tobias Ellwood, a Conservative, says 1 metre is the right distance, and now is the right time to announce it.

Argar says Ellwood is making a powerful case. But he says Ellwood must await the outcome of the review.

More than 1,000 prisoners were released into homelessness at the height of the coronavirus pandemic in England and Wales, figures show, prompting the government to increase funding for accommodation for prison leavers.

Figures released to the Labour MP Lyn Brown – the shadow minister for prisons and probation – show 840 men, 89 women and 85 young adults aged 18 to 24 were released into rough sleeping or other forms of homelessness between 23 March, when the lockdown was imposed, and 30 April.

A further 1,209 men, women and young adults were released with unknown circumstances for accommodation in the same period.

You can read the full story from the Guardian’s home affairs correspondent Jamie Grierson here –

In the Commons John Redwood, a Conservative, says the government should announce the reduction of the 2-metre rule to a 1-metre rule today. That would help business, he says.

Argar says he hears what Redwood is saying, but that it is important to carry out a proper review.

In the Commons the Conservative MP Bob Stewart asks, if the reproduction number is falling, why any social distancing is needed at all.

Argar says R is still close to 1. He says as it falls, the government will be able to relax lockdown measures.

From ITV’s Paul Brand

In the Commons Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, says it could be six weeks (from the liaison committee) before we get the results of this review on the 2-metre rule, even though the facts have not changed. He says the advisers are divided. Government must take a decision, he says. He says livelihoods depend on this.

(Duncan Smith favours a relaxation of the rule.)

This is intriguing. Boris Johnson is planning to make a Commons statement on “global Britain” tomorrow.