Brexit news – live: EU talks to resume, as Boris Johnson warned food firms could quit Northern Ireland

Job Support Scheme ‘more generous’, says director of Institute for Fiscal Studies

Paul Johnson, director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “The chancellor has made the Job Support Scheme much more generous.

“In many respects, it has much in common with the current version of the furlough scheme which comes to an end this month.”

The extra grant funding “gives significant discretion to councils on how much different businesses will get”.

“This is a welcome recognition of the role of local decision-makers in supporting their local economies rather than relying on central allocations,” he said.

But Mr Johnson said the Treasury had “remarkably” failed to put a formal cost estimate on “a substantial package of announcements”.

Stoke-on-Trent councillor asks for city to be moved into tier 2 restrictions

Abi Brown, Stoke-on-Trent city council leader, said she had written, with the support of the city’s three MPs, to the health secretary yesterday asking for the city to be moved up to Tier 2 restrictions.

She said the “dominant reason” for rising infections was community transmission and “people not being careful enough” in homes, and smaller indoor spaces.

Addressing city councillors today, as Matt Hancock announced Stoke’s move to high risk in the Commons, Ms Brown acknowledged the move meant “more sacrifice” for residents.

But she said: “Let me be clear, without decisive action, tier 3 is where we are heading and that would mean bars and other facilities closing, as well as other very tough measures we do not want to see in the city.”

How Andy Burnham became UK’s latest political crush

This week’s politics news has forced lots of people to face up to another reality: 2020 is the year Andy Burnham became hot, Louis Staples writes.

We’re not sure how this happened, but this shift occurred sometime over the last week when Burnham found himself in a face off with Boris Johnson.

Read more:

Labour accepts it is too late for October half-term circuit breaker

Jonathan Ashworth told MPs he accepts that it is now too late for a circuit-breaker to be held over October half-term.

The shadow health secretary said: “Now, I accept we’ve probably missed the window of opportunity now with… unless the Secretary of State or the minister of state is going to get up at the end of this debate and say actually, we’re going to do a circuit-breaker over half-term next week – I accept the Government have probably missed that window of opportunity now.

“But at some point, they will have to take further action.”

On Test and Trace, Mr Ashworth added that “the statistics have been bad every week”.

Intervening to defend the system, Matt Hancock said: “I just want to leap to the defence of Test and Trace because in the last fortnight, the number of contacts and cases that have been reached has doubled, the distance travelled over the last just over a month to get a test has halved and the turnaround time for tests that are sent to care homes, which are critical to saving lives, that has come down.”

MPs to be consulted about further lockdowns ‘preferably in advance of any announcement,’ health secretary says

Mr Hancock said MPs will be consulted about further lockdowns in their constituencies “preferably in advance of any announcement” while Parliament is on recess.

Labour’s shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth asked if MPs in areas that might see tougher restrictions during the parliamentary recess will be kept informed by the government.

He added: “He didn’t mention anything about Nottinghamshire and West Yorkshire, and he will know that they are candidates that are widely speculated as the next to go into the tier 3 lockdown restrictions. I just wonder, given the localised infection rates… he must be considering the future of West Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire?”

Mr Hancock replied: “As previously announced, discussions are under way, we want to proceed in consultation and working with the local areas and of course with parliamentary recess next week, we will find a way to ensure that colleagues are appraised of the situation, preferably in advance of any announcement.”

Councils given powers to use closure notices to shut premises on public health grounds

Mr Hancock said the government will give councils powers to use closure notices to shut premises on public health grounds without delay.

He told MPs: “As part of local discussions, local authorities including the LGA (Local Government Association) have asked for stronger enforcement powers, and I agree.

“To support businesses who are doing the right thing, it is fair that we take action against those businesses who are doing the wrong thing – so firm enforcement helps make these restrictions fairer for all.

“So we want to put in place stronger regulations to give local authorities firmer powers to take further action in their area.

“The proposals that we’ll bring forward will mean councils will be able to act without delay and use closure notices to shut premises on public health grounds to help suppress the virus.

“We’ll work with local authorities in the coming days on the details of these proposals so we can act in a firm and fast way against the minority who are breaching these lifesaving rules.”

Mr Hancock added that Warrington may be moved into Tier 3.

He told MPs: “We are also formally beginning discussions with Warrington about moving into the very high alert level due to a continuing rise in cases there.”

Mr Hancock added: “I hope that with everybody supporting these measures and taking the actions that are necessary, we can keep these restrictions in place for as little time as possible.

“But I am absolutely convinced that we do need to make progress and what I have announced today is that we will formally start the talks and I hope that we can reach an agreement and a resolution soon.”

Stoke, Coventry and Slough move to ‘high’ lockdown restrictions

Stoke-on-Trent, Coventry and Slough will move into the tier 2 “high” coronavirus level at one minute past midnight on Saturday, Matt Hancock has announced. 

Coronavirus fight ‘not over,’ health secretary says

Matt Hancock, the health secretary, opening a general debate on Covid-19, told the Commons: “The fight is not over and the virus continues to spread, and cases and hospitalisations and tragically deaths are all rising.

“Yesterday we learned Liverpool hospital trust is now treating more Covid patients than at the peak in April.

“And across the UK, the number of deaths has doubled in under the fortnight.

“And yet, just as the situation we face is grave, so too is hope of a solution growing.

“And with every day my confidence in the ingenuity of science to bring resolution grows, but until that moment we must have resolve.”

Sunak’s measures ‘sticking plaster’ rather than solution, mayor of London says

Sadiq Khan said the measures announced by Rishi Sunak were a “sticking plaster” rather than a solution to the problems faced by the economy.

The mayor of London said: “The changes announced today are a welcome improvement to the flawed and narrow Job Support Scheme announced last month.

“These should have been in place from the start – instead, businesses and workers have been put through weeks of uncertainty.

“This latest announcement is just a sticking-plaster solution that still fails to match the true scale of the problem.

“The collapse of tourism into London has impacted heavily on footfall and left many hospitality, retail and leisure businesses without any prospect of returning to normal levels of business for many months to come.

“The government needs to get its act together and provide a functioning test and trace system so the economy can be further reopened, safely.”