UK politics news – live: Government did not hold minute silence for George Floyd as Sadiq Khan 'hopes' some London statues can be removed

After a National Education Union poll indicated that 44 per cent of primary school leaders had chosen to ignore the government’s plans to admit more children in nursery, Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 last week, official figures now confirm this to have been very close to the money.

Department for Education (DfE) figures show that 52 per cent of education settings which normally admit children in those year groups were open to at least one of these year groups on 4 June.

Some 659,000 children attended an education setting on Thursday, representing 6.9 per cent of all pupils who normally attend – up from around 244,000 (2.6 per cent) who attended school on 21 May.

Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance (EYA), said the “sobering” figures showed “the scale of the challenge” facing nurseries, pre-schools and childminders due to the Covid-19 outbreak.

“The demand for places is nowhere near what it would have been in normal circumstances,” he said. “This means that settings across the country, which were often already struggling financially as the result of years of government underfunding, are facing a sharp drop in income, with many unsure if they will be able to remain sustainable in the long term.”

NEU chief Kevin Courtney said: “The figures released show what a very long way the Government has to go to convince the nation’s parents and teachers that a wider opening of schools is safe.”

“Christmas for theatres is absolutely essential … pantomimes, Christmas musicals, Christmas shows… It’s where they can make profits that they use later in the year for other productions,” Society Of London Theatre and UK Theatre chief executive Julian Bird said.

“It’s vital… Do I think it’s cancelled yet? I very, very much hope not … The sector needs understanding around the support that might be available to it. We need that in a timely fashion because most theatres have to make a decision around their Christmas production by early August.”

He warned that 70 per cent of theatres, which are at the “heart of our communities”, could run out of cash by the end of the year and said: “I don’t think we should underestimate, if they go away, what that means for the future of our country.”

Following Avon and Somerset Police’s decision to stand back and allow protesters to tear down the monument to slave trader Edward Colston, Downing Street has said it is an operational decision for forces to make on whether or not to intervene in similar future incidents.

Despite this, home secretary Priti Patel was reported to have had a “firm” discussion with chief constable, Andy Marsh, over the decision in Bristol.

Furthermore, Boris Johnson has told his Cabinet today that protesters who break social distancing or attack public property or police “will face the full force of the law”.

Speaking in light of a demonstration today at Oxford University over the statue of Cecil Rhodes, the PM’s spokesperson said: “Police will have to make their own operational decisions based on individual circumstances but I think the PM is very clear that people should not be desecrating public monuments and where they do so they should face the full force of the law.” 

Government working on ‘priority lists’ to help parents go back to work

Gavin Williamson has suggested the government will create “priority list” so parents in urgent need of childcare to go back to work can send their child back to school as soon as possible.

“We are working to devise a priority list so that schools are able to, where they do have extra capacity, to welcome more children back into those schools so that they are able to support their learning.”

Asked about whether children will need to wear face masks when using school transport provided by a local authority, Williamson told the Commons: “People will be required to follow the same regulations on both home-to-school transport and general public transport.”

‘Now is the time to unite together’

Labour’s shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has posted a photo of himself taking a knee during the minute’s silence in memory of George Floyd at 11am this morning.

“People in our communities with lived experiences and family legacies of the prejudice that black people in the UK face have bravely stepped forward,” said the MP. “Now is the time to unite together to demand change.”

Government will shut ‘clusters’ of schools if new coronavirus cases develop

A bit more now from Gavin Williamson the Commons. Current public health advice recommends that “all schools can open” but the government is prepared to shut “clusters” of schools if new Covid-19 cases develop, the education secretary told MPs.

Williamson added: “We have published guidance for secondary schools and ensured schools have the flexibility to decide how they want to use face-to-face support in the best interests of their pupils.”

He went on: “Crucially we have provided detailed guidance on the protective measures that schools and other settings need to take to reduce the risk of transmission. This includes restricting class sizes, limiting mixing between groups and encouraging regular hand washing and frequent cleaning. This advice was developed in close consultation with PHE.”

“Where we’d like to see schools who have the capacity to bring back more children in those smaller class sizes, to do so if they are able to do before the summer holidays. We will be working to bring all children back to school in September.”

No school vouchers over summer ‘deeply callous’, says Labour

Labour’s shadow education secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said she is glad the government has listened to the opposition and teaching unions on getting primary pupils back before the ned of the school term.

Long-Bailey called for the creation of a national task-force to avoid a crisis in education.

She also said the government’s decision to end of free school meal vouchers over the summer was “deeply callous” – and called on Williamson to think again on the emergency scheme.

 

Seven more coronavirus deaths in Scotland

A total of 2,422 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus, up by seven from 2,415 on Monday, Nicola Sturgeon said.

This is the first rise in deaths in Scotland since Saturday – but the first minister pointed out that there is always a “weekend lag” in reported deaths.

Speaking at the Scottish government’s coronavirus briefing, Sturgeon said 15,653 people have tested positive for the virus in Scotland, up by 14 from 15,639 the day before.

NHS chief says ‘faster action needed on reality of the racism’

NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said the Black Lives Matter movement and the coronavirus pandemic “are not disconnected”. The issues will be discussed for the first time at a fortnightly all-staff briefing, Stevens said.

Pointing to a 30 per cent increase in the number of “very senior” black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) managers in NHS organisations over the past four years, Stevens said “no-one thinks this is yet good enough or fast enough”.

Stevens has shared a personal message with NHS England and NHS Improvement staff saying faster action is needed to tackle racism experienced in the NHS.

In the letter to staff he said: “Looking out over the next few months we have some big decisions to make on redesigned services, with an inequalities lens. Because if we’re honest with ourselves, the NHS as an embedded part of society is both part of the problem and part of the solution.

“More systematic action is needed to tackle the underlying causes of health inequality. More intentional action is needed to deliver on the moral basis of the NHS – the pursuit of high quality care for all.

“And faster action is needed on the reality of the racism and discrimination experienced by many colleagues across the NHS.”

Health minister appears to blame scientists for care home crisis

More now on the testy exchange between Kay Burley and the government’s care minister Helen Whately – who was forced to backtrack after saying she could level the blame for Westminster’s record on protecting care homes on scientists.

Whately defended the decision to discharge elderly people from hospitals, usually without coronavirus testing, in a bid to free up beds and said the government had followed the “guidance” of scientists.

The Sky News host said: “You can’t stick this on the scientists.”

Whately said: “But I can,” – before backtracking and saying it was “not what I meant to say”.

She added: “What I mean to say is that we have taken the scientific advice at every stage of this process — we have taken the scientific advice and then judgment is made about what is the right decision to take.

“We have been trying to do everything we can for those in care homes because we know that they are at greater risk.”

PM discusses further lockdown easing with cabinet

Boris Johnson is expected to discuss further lockdown easing with his cabinet, so we may hear from his spokesman this lunchtime about the latest plans.

The prime minister is expected to confirm this week the reopening of non-essential shops in England from 15 June. Will he bring forward the reopening of pubs and restaurants to 22 June, as reported on Monday?

No 10 gave little way yesterday, with Johnson’s spokesman saying only that “we continue to follow the road map” for July re-openings in the hospitality sector.

What are the latest lockdown rules? Here’s everything you need to know about what you can and cannot do.

UK will not recover economically unless ‘radical new approach’ taken, warn scientists

The government’s test, track and trace system is “not fit for purpose” and the UK will not recover economically unless a radical new approach is taken to it, an independent group of scientists has warned.

The group led by the government’s former chief scientific adviser David King said it would be “impossible” to recover using the centralised system introduced by Matt Hancock.

An effective test and trace programme is “essential if we are to recover our economy, protect livelihoods and secure longer‐term well-being and health provision for all”, said the group’s report – concluding that this “is clearly not happening”.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more details:

‘Nigel Farage is an expert on his own backside’

The lawyer and activist Dr Shola Mos-Shogbamimu has shared a clip of her appearance on Good Morning Britain this morning – in which she clashed with the former Brexit Party leader ( who claimed Black Lives Matter was a “far-left Marxist” organisation).

She said: “The only thing Nigel Farage is an expert on is his backside because every word out of his mouth stinks.”

PM must apologise for his ‘racist’ remarks, says campaigner

Boris Johnson has been told he must apologise for his past “racist” comments before his support for Black Lives Matter will be taken seriously.

The PM issued a video message last night saying the death of George Floyd had awakened “a widespread and incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice” among black people.

Playwright and campaigner Bonnie Greer said the support would carry more weight if Johnson acknowledged the hurt caused by his notorious articles – including his description of African people having “watermelon smiles” and women in burqas resembling “bank robbers”.

Greer said: “He should begin any speech he gives on this subject with an apology for his past mistakes and a personal vow to do better.”

“He is the leader. It just takes one address and it heals – and he needs to do that.”

‘No sense of loss’ if Dundas statue removed, says Edinburgh council boss

The leader of Edinburgh City Council has said he would feel “no sense of loss” if a statue of a politician who delayed the abolition of slavery was removed.

Henry Dundas, 1st Viscount Melville, worked to frustrate efforts to end the trade by using his influence as home secretary – setting the move back 15 years.

A 150ft column with a statue of the politician – known as the Melville Monument – stands in St Andrews Square and was vandalised during the Black Lives Matter protest in the Scottish capital on Sunday.

Council leader Adam McVey told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “I would have absolutely no sense of loss if the Dundas statue was removed and replaced with something else or left as a plinth.

“I think it’s important to tell our story as a city, I think it’s important that that’s reflective, that’s representative of what actually happened – not what we might have wanted to happen – and I think we take that conversation from there.”

‘He must not become just another name’

A minute’s silence was held in parliament at 11am on Tuesday in memory George Floyd, the 46-year-old African-American man whose death at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked anti-racism protests around the world.

A socially-distanced commemoration to Floyd is planned at the Nelson Mandela statue in Parliament Square at 5pm today to mark his funeral in his hometown of Houston, Texas.

Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “He must not become just another name. His death must be a catalyst for change.”

Khan: I should be involved in Cobra meetings

As well as discussing his new commission on London landmarks, mayor Sadiq Khan has been talking about his relationship with Boris Johnson.

Asked why he had not been able to attended any of the government’s emergency Cobra meetings on the coronavirus crisis for the past several weeks, Khan said: “It’s not for the want of trying. We’ve been regularly saying to the government surely I should be involved the conversations.

“It’s not vanity – I’m the mayor of the biggest city in the country.”

On the new Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, Khan suggested he did not consider statues of Sir Winston Churchill likely to be included in the review, after the monument in Parliament Square had “as a racist” scribbled onto it by protesters.

He said pupils needed to be educated about famous figures “warts and all” and that “nobody was perfect”, including the likes of Churchill, Gandhi and Malcolm X.