Boris Johnson news – live: Keir Starmer condemns top civil servant's exit as PM dismisses claims replacement must be Brexiteer

No direct flights from UK to Greece until 15 July

After growing confusion over travel to Greece for British holidaymakers, the prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has confirmed that no flights from the UK will be allowed until 15 July.

The country opens to other European nationalities, except Sweden, on 1 July.

This five-minute interview with Labour MP Claudia Webbe manages to confuse not only the MP herself but also the interviewer Emma Barnett and probably everybody who listens to it.

Ms Coffey told MPs: “Looking forward, we are now working with local managers to start fully reopening job centres in July to help get Britain back into work.”

She confirmed the move after being asked whether the suspension on Universal Credit sanctions would be extended – as it is currently due to run out tomorrow.

Ms Coffey replied: “Well actually it is important that as the job centres fully reopen this week that we do reinstate the need for having the claimant commitment and it is an essential part of the contract to help people start to reconsider what vacancies there may be.”

Top civil servant at Ministry of Justice ‘can’t quite say’ if staying on

Sir Richard Heaton, the permanent secretary at the Ministry of Justice, confirmed that his five-year term is due to expire in August.

The Times reported that he would not be kept on but Sir Richard said: “I can’t quite say that.”

He told the Commons’ public accounts committee: “It’s always an honour to get a front page mention in The Times, which reported that I won’t be staying on.

“I can’t quite say that, what I can say is my tenure is for five years – like every other permanent secretary. That comes to an end in August.

“Whether or not I will continue beyond that will be the subject of an announcement, I dare say, in due course. But there hasn’t been one to date so I think we had better regard the newspaper reports as, at the moment, speculation.”

UK coronavirus deaths rise by 25

There have now been 43,575 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus in the UK – up 25 from the previous day, according to the Department of Health’s latest figures.

What is a local lockdown?

Leicester could be kept under the current lockdown measures beyond 4 July, two weeks longer than the rest of the country, the mayor of the east Midlands city revealed earlier.

But it might not be the first time local restrictions have been in place. Examples of “micro” lockdowns have already effectively been seen in Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, and Anglesey, north Wales, which have both experienced outbreaks within factories.

Mobile testing tents were set up near the sites and factory workers put through test and contact-tracing exercise.

Chiara Giordano has taken a closer look.

Parents face fines for non-attendance of pupils

Parents in England risk being fined if they do not send their children back to school when they reopen in September, the education secretary has warned.

Gavin Williamson said it will be “compulsory” for pupils to return to classes and unless parents have a “good reason” keeping children at home they may face financial penalties.

The education secretary promised a detailed plan on how the government will ensure all children in England are back in classrooms in the autumn will be set out by the end of this week.

Kate Ng has the latest details on the ongoing row over school re-openings.

No new coronavirus deaths in Scotland

Nicola Sturgeon says there have been no confirmed Covid-19 deaths in Scotland for the fourth consecutive day.

“Now, of course, two of these days have been weekends and we know that registration can be artificially low at weekends, and we may see more deaths registered later this week.

“But there’s no doubt that these recent figures demonstrate beyond any doubt how much progress Scotland has made in tackling Covid and that is down to the efforts and sacrifices of everyone across the country. I want again to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you for that.”

Customers queued outside shops in Scotland as non-essential shops opened their doors for the first time in three months. Shops with on-street entrances were allowed to return to business from Monday, while indoor retailers in shopping centres will have to wait until 13 July to open.

In other developments, Sturgeon obviously didn’t think much of Keir Starmer (jokingly) challenging Boris Johnson to a push-up contest.

No 10 can’t say how many test results are coming back within 24 hours

Downing Street cannot say how many coronavirus test results are coming back within 24 hours – one day before Boris Johnson’s deadline for all to be returned that quickly.

The prime minister vowed that all tests in hospitals and drive-through centres would be processed within a day by the end of June, after criticism that delays are undermining the test-and-trace system.

Asked if the target would be met, his spokesman said only: “That is what we are working to do” – suggesting no figures on the progress made so far were available.

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more details:

The Prime Minister has faced criticism for appointing a political special adviser to a position previously filled by permanent civil servants.

However the PM’s official spokesman said that such appointments were not unusual in other countries.

“The appointment of the NSA is always a decision for the Prime Minister,” the spokesman said.

“It is not unusual in other countries for ambassadors to serve as national security advisers and ambassadors can be political appointees. David Frost has the status of an ambassador.

“The First Civil Service Commissioner has agreed the appointment. That is consistent with the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act.”

As the UK emerges from a three-month lockdown, Mr Johnson has lined up big-money pledges on schools, housing and infrastructure, in an attempt to move on from an outbreak that has left more than 43,000 Britons dead — the worst confirmed death toll in Europe.

“This has been a disaster,” Mr Johnson acknowledged on Monday. “Let’s not mince our words. I mean, this has been an absolute nightmare for the country and the country’s gone through a profound shock.

“But in those moments, you have the opportunity to change and to do things better,” he told Times Radio. “This is a moment now to give our country the skills, the infrastructure, the long-term investment that we need.”

Today in the Commons

There will be two urgent questions in the House of Commons this afternoon – on support for asylum seekers and China’s treatment of Uyghurs, which will be followed by a statement from health secretary Matt Hancock.

New coronavirus data dashboard

Now that the daily Downing Street press briefings are a thing of the past, this is supposed to replace the slides shown at the conferences at the end of each afternoon.

‘Intensified’ trade deal talks back under way

Negotiators from the UK and EU have begun face to face talks in an effort to intensify negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal.

European Commission spokesman Daniel Ferrie said: “Our overall message this week, but also for the coming weeks and coming months, is to intensify our negotiations in order to make progress in order to get a deal.”

Ferrie said he had “no particular comments to make” about Frost being given a second job (as national security adviser) while the negotiations continued.

He added: “From our side at least we are fully concentrated on the negotiations.”

Ahead of the latest round of talks, Frost said the EU’s “unrealistic positions” would need to change if there is to be any progress.

 

Johnson claims Sedwill ‘wanted to move on’

Speaking at his visit to a construction site in Ealing, Boris Johnson insisted that his top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill “wanted to move on” amid claims that the senior mandarin was forced out as part of an effort to shake up Whitehall.

Johnson insisted it was a “very logical” time for Sir Mark to move on despite the ongoing coronavirus crisis and economic fallout.

And he dismissed claims he was planning to install a Brexiteer as head of the civil service following tensions between former Vote Leave officials in Downing Street and the more cautious Whitehall machine.

“I think we have a wonderful civil service. They are impartial, they are the best in the world, and who knows what his or her views will be.”

Who would make the best PM? Public says Starmer

 

PM plays down reports of ‘Brexiteer’ replacement for Sedwill on school site visit

Keir Starmer may have jokingly challenged Boris Johnson to a push-up battle, but it’s a day for the high-vis vests and hard hats rather than gym equipment.

The PM has paid a visit the construction site of Ealing Fields High School in west London as he outlines his 10-year, £1bn school building plan.

Johnson played down the prospect that he would insist on a Brexiteer replacing Sir Mark Sedwill at the top of the civil service.

“The great thing about the civil service is that nobody should know, least of all me. We have a wonderful civil service, they are impartial, they are the best in the world. Who knows what his or her views will be?”

Johnson also said the government was “concerned about Leicester” where there has been a flare-up of coronavirus.

He said the local “whack-a-mole” strategy had worked in Weston-super-Mare and where there had been outbreaks around GP surgeries in London. “That’s the same approach that we will bring to bear in Leicester as well.”

 

First to 50 push-up battle at PMQs?

Keir Starmer was asked about the prime minister’s push-up stunt (he did some during his Mail on Sunday interview) when he appeared on Good Morning Britain earlier. Host Piers Morgan asked: “Can you do more than one push-up?”

The Labour leader replied: “I can. I was thinking of PMQs this week … Maybe question one should be, ‘First to 50?’”

Morgan said: “You know what I would actually pay good money to watch that.”

One more serious issues, he said: “We lost that December election really badly and I don’t want anyone in Labour party and Labour movement to ever forget that … It’s for me to win the trust of the British people back in the Labour party as force for good and force for change.”