Boris Johnson news – live: PM lays out new restrictions in Commons, as Starmer attacks ‘incompetent’ government

Senior Tory urges PM to avoid second national lockdown for sake of economy 

Mel Stride, a Conservative MP and chairman of the Commons Treasury Select Committee, has urged the prime minister to prevent another national lockdown, warning that it would “destroy jobs”. 

The senior Tory MP’s comments came in the Commons on Tuesday afternoon in a session in which the prime minister answered questions for more than an hour, following his statement announcing new Covid-19 policies. 

Mr Stride said in his remarks that the government must listen to businesses. 

“Yes, we should listen very carefully to the epidemiologists but we must also listen very carefully to the Treasury, to businesses and to economists too,” he said. 

In response, Boris Johnson said: “My right honourable friend is spot on. That’s why we have to take action now to avoid the risk of having to take more drastic action later on that would do greater economic damage, and that is the key point of what we’re doing today.”

Sturgeon does not rule out more changes 

Scotland’s first minister has not ruled out the possibility that further national or local restrictions could be introduced over the coming weeks. 

She made the comment during a speech in Holyrood in which she set out new coronavirus guidelines for the country in an attempt to reduce the virus’ reproduction (R) number below 1. 

Ms Sturgeon said the the current reproduction number was over 1 and could be as high as 1.4. 

Sturgeon urges Scots to follow new restrictions 

Nicola Sturgeon has encouraged people to follow the new coronavirus guidelines in Scotland, while acknowledging that the rules are “tough”. 

“Keeping to all these rules isn’t easy – but they remain the best way for all of us to protect ourselves, each other, the NHS and ultimately save lives,” Scotland’s first minister said. 

She added: “All of this is incredibly tough – and six months on it only gets tougher.

“Though it doesn’t feel like this now, this pandemic will pass.

“It won’t last forever and one day, hopefully soon, we will be looking back on it, not living through it.”

As well as banning private indoor gatherings between different households and introducing a 10 pm curfew for hospitality venues, Ms Sturgeon advised against car-sharing, saying it carried a “significant risk of transmission”. 

The new restrictions will be reviewed every three weeks, according to the first minister.  

Scotland bans households mixing indoors  

Different households will not be able to meet together indoors from Wednesday, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said as part of a series of new restrictions to reduce the spread of Covid-19.

The rule change only applies to gatherings in people’s homes, with the regulations for outdoor and public indoor meetings remaining unchanged.

Ms Sturgeon said that couples not living together and tradespeople were among those who would be exempt from the new measure. 

The first minister also outlined other changes, including the fact that hospitality venues will be made to close at 10pm in Scotland, a policy which will also be introduced in England. 

However, the first minister went further than Boris Johnson by insisting that restricting hospitality hours will not “on its own be sufficient to bring the R number down” and that a ban on gatherings of different households was also necessary.

Although she acknowledged that the measures will be “tough”, the first minister stressed that they do not constitute a second lockdown. 

At the start of her statement, Ms Sturgeon said that another 383 Covid-19 infections had been reported in Scotland on Tuesday, along with one death from the virus. 

Sturgeon warns against ‘complacency’ over virus 

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said that people “cannot and must not be complacent” during the pandemic, as she gave a statement outlining new restrictions to combat the rise of coronavirus infections. 

Speaking of the dangers of the virus, Ms Sturgeon said: “It kills too many old and vulnerable people. And for younger, healthier people, while the risks of dying from it are much lower – though not non-existent – it can still result in long-term, serious health problems.

“That’s why action to bring it back under control is necessary – and to bring the R number down again, the action we take now must go beyond the step we announced almost two weeks ago to restrict indoor and outdoor gatherings to six people from two households.”

Dover still lacks funding for post-Brexit infrastructure work, MPs told

A parliamentary committee has been told that the port of Dover is still awaiting funding for vital infrastructure work that needs to be completed before the Brexit transition period finishes at the end of the year.

According to Tim Reardon, head of EU exit at the port of Dover, the schedule for the work is “cutting it quite tight”.

Mr Reardon told the Commons Treasury Committee that although some construction had started, other projects have not got off the ground because funding was not yet available.

“Government has a funding scheme which is due to open for application later this month, clearly that’s cutting it quite tight for stuff to be actually delivered and in place when significant civil works are involved by early next year,” he said.

Maximum number of wedding guests reduced to 15 in England

As part of a general tightening of lockdown restrictions, the prime minister has announced that weddings will be limited to 15 people, writes Ashley Cowburn. 

Before the stricter rules were announced in a bid to halt the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the maximum number of guests allowed at weddings had been 30. 

Mr Johnson said, however, that the 30-person limit for funeral ceremonies would remain unchanged. 

In a statement given in the Commons, the prime minister also revealed other new restrictions, including the closure of pubs, restaurants and bars at 10pm. 

Johnson refuses to apologise for government’s ‘gross incompetence’

The prime minister has refused to apologise for his government’s handling of the pandemic, after being asked to do by the leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Edward Davey cited the government’s test and trace system and its unclear communication as examples of Downing Street’s failures. 

Requesting an apology, the Liberal Democratic leader said: “So will the government now apologise for gross incompetence over testing, over tracing, over clear communications that have led to these latest restrictions on people’s daily lives?”

Instead of directly addressing his question, Boris Johnson spoke about plans to keep the economy afloat while attempting to reduce the rate of coronavirus infections.  

My colleague Samuel Osborne has more on the story here:

Face coverings to be mandatory for retail workers and taxi passengers 

Boris Johnson has told the House of Commons that face coverings must be worn in cabs from Thursday and by pub and shop workers from Monday as part of a new raft of measures to tackle the resurgence of Covid-19 infections. 

Customers in hospitality venues including pubs and restaurants will also have to wear masks when they move around the premises.

However, this will not be a requirement while people are seated. 

The new restrictions in England will remain for “perhaps six months” unless significant progress is made, Boris Johnson said. 

It is expected that Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales will follow suit by introducing new measures to stem the spread of Covid-19. 

Boris Johnson has resorted to a tone often seen in PMQs, attacking the Labour leader for offering the government infrequent support, asking him to “pay tribute” to efforts within the testing system.

He says the government “will continue to put our arms around the people of this country”, in response to a question about additional financial support and the continuation of furlough.

“This is a package to drive down the R, but also allow education and jobs and growth to continue, and that is absolutely vital,” the prime minister adds.