The prime minister failed to answer questions from the deputy Labour leader about how much care home workers earn per hour in the UK, and was accused of pushing the blame on the public for chaos in the coronavirus testing system.
Meanwhile, Mr Johnson has been warned by US congress members that the UK government’s “disturbing” plan to breach the terms of the Brexit deal puts at risk any future trade deal between the two countries.
UK does not have enough testing capacity, Boris Johnson admits
Boris Johnson has admitted the UK does not currently have enough testing capacity to meet the demands of the pandemic.
Speaking to the Liaison Committee today, he insisted that the government was working towards a goal of 500,000 tests a day by the end of October.
Kate Ng16 September 2020 15:51
Boris Johnson to face Liaison Committee in person
The prime minister is due to face the Liaison Committee in person today and is expected to defend the coronavirus testing system.
The last time Mr Johnson faced the committee, it was in the middle of the coronavirus lockdown. He spoke to them via video link at the time.
He will face the committee at 15:30.
Kate Ng16 September 2020 15:26
Business eviction ban extended until end of year
The Government has announced it is extending support to stop business evictions until the end of 2020.
Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick has confirmed the eviction ban, which was put in place at the start of the pandemic to protect struggling firms, will now continue until the end of the year.
The ban was initially due to expire at the end of September. The Government hopes the move will stave off potential job losses.
Kate Ng16 September 2020 15:19
Lord Keen confirms offer of resignation in protest of Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans
Kate Ng16 September 2020 14:49
Minister seeks ‘new approach’ to sentencing in plans for changes to court powers
The Justice Secretary has called for a “new approach” to sentencing as he outlined plans for a change in court powers, promising longer jail terms for serious offenders.
Robert Buckland said the Government’s Sentencing White Paper would result in a “fairer system” that better protects the public.
The document proposes 20-hour daily curfews for up to two years, community punishments and GPS tracking for burglars, robbers and thieves when they are released from prison.
The announcement comes just days after a parliamentary report warned prisons could run out of space within the next three years, with some higher-risk inmates already having to be held in low-security jails.
Courts in England and Wales are also struggling with a backlog of more than half a million cases, with further delays due to the pandemic.
Kate Ng16 September 2020 14:22
Conservative MP refuses to sit through ‘deeply undemocratic’ unconscious bias training
Ben Bradley,the Tory MP for Mansfield, has announced he intends to skip unconscious bias training offered in parliament as he believes it is undemocratic and unproven.
It comes as the Commons is reportedly about to begin piloting a course aimed at countering entrenched racism and sexism, reports my colleague Jon Sharman.
Mr Bradley said he and his colleagues “should be unabashed in our cultural conservatism” and resist the imposition of “woke” values.
Kate Ng16 September 2020 13:58
Law officer for Scotland offers resignation
The UK’s government law officer for Scotland, Lord Keen, has offered his resignation over the government’s plans to change the Brexit withdrawal agreement with the law.
BBC Scotland reports that his offer has not been accepted by the government and there are efforts to persuade Lord Keen to stay.
Kate Ng16 September 2020 13:37
Boris Johnson accused of blaming British public for chaos in testing system
The prime minister has been accused of “once again” blaming the British public for chaos in the coronavirus testing system, after he said a “colossal spike” in demand was causing delays.
Boris Johnson sought to defend the testing system and urged families to comply with guidance about when to get a test to help the system deal with a “huge, huge surge” in requests.
Angela Rayner responded: “Once again, we see that the prime minister says it’s somebody else’s fault, that it’s the public that are using up the tests.”
Our Political Editor Andrew Woodcock reports:
Kate Ng16 September 2020 13:26
Angela Rayner takes dig at Dominic Cummings
The Labour deputy leader took a swipe at the PM’s top adviser Dominic Cummings as she raised cases of people being told to travel hundreds of miles to get a coronavirus test.
Grilling Boris Johnson on the chaos in the coronavirus testing system, she added: “The next time a man with Covid symptoms drives from London to Durham, it’ll probably be for the nearest Covid test.”
Kate Ng16 September 2020 13:19
Boris Johnson unable to say how much care home workers earn per hour
The prime minister was unable to answer a question on how much care workers in the UK earn per hour during today’s questioning from MPs.
Our Policy Correspondent, Jon Stone, has the report:
Kate Ng16 September 2020 12:36
