Markus Andrews

New health secretary Sajid Javid has pledged to look again at coronavirus measures in schools, after thousands of pupils were told to self-isolate.Working parents across the country are struggling as entire class ‘bubbles’ are sent home, often for up to 10 days, after a contact tests positive for the virus.Mr Javid made the pledge as he came under pressure from Tory MPs who urged him to recognise that children had “suffered enough” during the pandemic. Mr Javid, who only took the job on Saturday night after his predecessor Matt Hancock resigned following an admission he broke lockdown restrictions to carry out an affair, said he hoped to make an announcement on schools “as soon as possible”. He is understood to be studying a trial currently being carried out in some schools, which attempts to use regular Covid tests, instead of sending young people home to self-isolate, to limit the spread of the disease.Mr Javid also promised MPs that he would consider whether or not the government could go “further” in a bid to keep kids in school, amid a surge in cases of the Delta variant.He was pressed on the issue by the Tory MP and former health minister Steve Brine, who asked him: “Have our young people not suffered enough?”Mr Javid told him: “This is a very important issue and something I have focused on in day one in the job. “Hopefully I will be able to say more on this as soon as possible”.Mr Javid also suggested he would look again at the use of masks in schools, as cases continue to rise. Secondary schools were allowed to drop the use of masks weeks ago, before the Delta variant took hold across the UK. But some unions have called for them to be reinstated, to help contain the spread of the virus within schools.The row erupted as another 22,868 Covid-19 cases were confirmed in the UK, the highest daily rise since January 30.Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth warned Mr Javid that his plans to lift further lockdown restrictions next month could affect schools.“Today we’ve seen the highest case rate since January,” he said.”If these trends continue, we could hit 35,000 to 40,000 cases a day by 19 July.”That will mean more long Covid… that will mean more disruption to schooling, for some it will mean hospitalisation.” More

An investigation into secret government documents found at a bus stop in Kent could examine whether espionage played a role in their disappearance.Answering questions about the mislaid MoD files in the Commons on Monday, defence minister Jeremy Quin confirmed the ministry’s dedicated police force had opened an investigation into the incident.Mr Quin attributed the files’ loss to a senior official, who he said had self-reported the episode after the papers went missing.Asked by Labour shadow defence secretary John Healey whether espionage had been ruled out as an option, Mr Quin said: “This is a matter for the investigation but I would emphasise to the House that the individual did self-report when he became aware that the documents had been mislaid.”Mr Quin told the Commons: “The documents lost included a paper that was secret – UK eyes only. The documents were found by a member of the public at a bus stop in Kent, the member of the public then handed the papers to the BBC.“The Ministry of Defence has launched a full investigation. The papers have now been recovered from the BBC and are being assessed as I speak to check that all documents missing have been recovered and what mitigation actions might be necessary.“The investigation will look at the actions of individuals, including the printing of the papers through to the management of the reported incident, and at the underlying processes for printing and carriage of papers in defence.”Mr Quin said the investigation is expected to be completed “shortly”, adding: “While the investigation is being conducted, the individual’s access to sensitive material has been suspended.”Some Conservative MPs criticised the BBC for reporting the documents and said they should have been handed back to the government. Dr Julian Lewis, chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee, accused the BBC of having “selectively” quoted from the papers and said the government should check whether the BBC had “paid any money for the acquisition of these documents from someone who ought to have handed then to the police straight away”.MP Bob Stewart said he was “rather saddened that the BBC saw fit to publish information that was secret rather than actually pass it straight to the police or refer it to the Ministry of Defence”, and claimed that this “shows poorly on the BBC”.Responding, Mr Quin said that “the original fault” lay with the documents being lost in the first place. “I have to say that although I would have preferred the BBC to have handed them over immediately and not made reference to them, they have a job to do, and I also recognise that they have behaved responsibly and they have handed the documents back into the department,” he added. More

Teachers have been put under enormous pressure by parents hoping to improve their children’s grades, the shadow education secretary has said.In a keynote speech at the Festival of Education, Kate Green told the audience how she had heard “too many” reports from school leaders around the pressure that parents were exerting on teachers to boost grades.“Young people and their parents are worrying about whether they will get the grades they need for the next stage of their life, whether that’s in university, college, an apprenticeship or the workplace,” she said.“Students have spent years working towards this point, but they fear that all of their hard work will be thrown into disarray in another summer of exams chaos that everyone, except it seems the government, could see coming months ago.”She added teachers from across the country were “desperate to do the right thing” for their students under these “incredibly challenging” circumstances.She said the government’s lack of a credible plan was responsible for placing a significant share of this pressure on the teachers, and creating an environment rife for animosity between teachers, students and parents.“While the government have said that they’re backing teachers and supporting them throughout the process, the reality is they’ve (the teachers) been left to carry the can for a system that I am hugely worried cannot deliver fairness,” she said.“I’ve heard too many reports from teachers and school leaders concerned about the enormous pressure coming from parents to change grades if they’re not satisfied with the grade their child is awarded.”Ms Green she had heard complaints from students about the different ways in which they had been assessed – both across and within schools.“I’ve heard students comparing notes about the different ways in which they’ve been assessed.“The lack of consistency, not just from region to region or school to school, but even within individual schools, is really striking, and it’s concerning.“It compounds the uneven learning experience that students have had over the past 15 months, as some parts of the country were hit again and again by Covid restrictions, as some students were sent home again and again to isolate, and as some lacked the resources for effective at home learning.”The shadow secretary’s comments come as teachers across England finalised students GCSE and A-level grades as the summer’s exams were cancelled for the second year in a row, because of disruptions caused by the pandemic.The final grades are now based on a range of evidence including mock exams, coursework and in-class assessments using material from exam boards.Last week, education secretary Gavin Williamson warned that it was unlikely that exams would return to normal by next year.He said that “adjustments and mitigations” would likely be necessary to ensure fairness, as those currently in year 10 and 12, who would be writing exams next summer, have also “suffered disruption as a result of the pandemic”. More

Boris Johnson is prime minister of the poorest country in north west Europe based on wealth per head of population, research shows.Analysis by the House of Commons research library – based on International Monetary Fund (IMF) data – shows the UK lags behind all 13 of its closest neighbours when it comes to per capita wealth.The 2021 figures show that the UK has a gross domestic product (GDP) income per head of the population of just £31,038 – behind other poor performers France on £32,622 and Finland on £34,187.Luxembourg was found to have the highest GDP per capita in north west Europe, with more than £80,000 per person – followed by Ireland (£65,411) and Switzerland (£50,015).Nicola Sturgeon’s party seized on the figures and claimed they demonstrated why Scotland would be better off breaking from “the poor man of northwest Europe”.The SNP’s deputy leader at Westminster Kirsten Oswald MP said the evidence shows that independent countries of Scotland’s size or smaller “do better” than the UK.“It’s increasingly clear that independence is the only way to unlock Scotland’s full economic potential – so we can be as wealthy and successful as our European neighbours,” said Ms Oswald.“The UK is the poor man of northwest Europe – with the lowest wealth per head of any country for the whole of the 21st century, and a wealth gap with our European neighbours that has grown worse over the past two decades.”The IMF figures also suggest the wealth gap between the UK and its closest European neighbours has widened over the past 20 years.The UK’s GDP per capita was below the average for northwest Europe by around £5,000 in 2000 (7.6 per cent below the average). The gap had increased to around £10,000 in 2021 (16.3 per cent below the average). More

Matt Hancock resigned as Health Secretary at the weekend, but there are still questions swirling around the scandal. Here are the main ones that need answering.Did Matt Hancock break email rules?One of the claims against Hancock was that he had been using a private email account to conduct government business. This is bad for two reasons: firstly, it makes it harder to enforce freedom of information and data protection rules, which are vital for scrutinising whether the government has been acting appropriately. Secondly, it is a potential security risk and potentially leaves the door open to hackers and foreign intelligence services monitoring government communications. Labour is calling for a “full-scale investigation” into the allegations.Have other ministers potentially been avoiding scrutiny by using private emails? The opposition also wants to know how widespread this alleged practice is. Boris Johnson himself was asked whether he had used his personal email on Monday: he refused to comment. The issue could potentially be wider than just Hancock.Was Gina Coladangelo’s appointment above board?Hancock’s aide Gina Coladangelo, a former lobbyist, has been friends with the former health secretary since Oxford University. In September she was appointed as a non-executive director at the Department of Health and Social Care, where her job was to hold Hancock to account. It is not yet when the the pair’s relationship began; Justice Secretary Robert Buckland has said that “if there was any connection or conflict” when she was appointed then “it should have been declared”. A government spokesman has said the appointment was “made in the usual way” and “followed correct procedure”.Why did Coladangelo get a parliamentary pass?The aide was given a parliamentary security pass, which was sponsored last year by junior health minister Lord Bethell, according to a report in The Times newspaper. The aide has reportedly never worked for the peer. The House of Lords Commission says that “The rules on the use of facilities state that passes for secretaries and research assistants may be issued only to people who ‘genuinely and personally provide Parliamentary secretarial or research assistance’ to the sponsoring Member, and Members must sign a declaration to this effect when applying for such a pass. A breach of this rule is a breach of the Code of Conduct and can be investigated by the Commissioner for Standards.”How was the CCTV footage of the pair leaked? It is not clear how the footage, believed to be from a CCTV camera in Hancock’s office was leaked to The Sun newspaper. Theories that the camera was not meant to be there and had been planted or of another origin appear not to have been borne out: Hancock’s replacement Sajid David said on Monday it has since been “disabled by the department”. More

Former No 10 adviser Dominic Cummings has claimed Boris Johnson only let Matt Hancock resign as health secretary following 89 texts an hour from his wife Carrie.It comes as the prime minister suggested he sacked Mr Hancock for breaking Covid rules, despite initially refusing to dismiss him and declaring the matter “closed”.A Downing Street spokesperson said the prime minister continued to have “full confidence” in Mr Hancock, adding: “The prime minister has accepted the health secretary’s apology and considers the matter closed.”Mr Hancock resigned on Saturday after it emerged he had breached his own Covid lockdown restrictions by kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo, in his office. He made the move after backlash from the public and some Conservative MPs, having initially refused to stand down on Friday. But during a campaign visit to the Batley by-election, Mr Johnson claimed the departure had happened at “about the right pace” during a pandemic.“I read the story on Friday and we’ve got a new health secretary in post on Saturday and I think that’s about the right pace to proceed in a pandemic,” he said.In reference to the prime minister’s statement, Mr Cummings tweeted: “Trolley Fri: Argh, accept apology I consider the matter closed.“Media/MP babble, 89 Carrie texts p/hour.“Trolley Sat, SMASH: Arghhh Matt go now you’ll be back better stronger shortly matey forward to victory!“Trolley Mon, CRASH: when I saw the story on Fri we had a new SoS on Sat.”Asked about Mr Cummings’ suggestion that Mr Hancock was only sacked after pressure from Carrie Johnson, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Obviously, as you would expect, I completely refute that.To find out how to sign up to our full range of free newsletters click here”You can see the actions the prime minister has taken and I’ve talked you through the discussions he had with the former health secretary after receiving his resignation.” More

Boris Johnson has suggested he sacked Matt Hancock for breaking Covid rules – despite initially refusing to dismiss him and declaring the matter “closed”.He made the extraordinary claim despite the disgraced health secretary making clear he had resigned on Saturday – 24 hours after the prime minister kept him in post.Mr Hancock only walked the plank after the angry backlash from the public and some Conservative MPs convinced him he lacked all credibility in the pandemic-fighting role.On Friday – when it emerged he had breached restrictions by kissing his aide, Gina Coladangelo, in his office – Downing Street accepted his apology and insisted there was no reason to sack him.But, during a campaign visit to the Batley by-election, the prime minister claimed the departure had happened at “about the right pace” during a pandemic.“I read the story on Friday and we’ve got a new health secretary in post on Saturday and I think that’s about the right pace to proceed in a pandemic,” he argued.The prime minister also stoked further controversy by failing to deny he has ever used his personal email address to conduct official business – another allegation levelled at Mr Hancock.“I don’t comment on how I conduct government business,” he said, adding: “But I can tell you that we in this government are getting on with focusing on the people’s priorities.”Labour seized on Mr Johnson’s comments about the health secretary’s departure as an attempt “to rewrite history because he didn’t have the guts to sack Matt Hancock”.“On Friday, he said the matter was closed. It is far from closed, there are serious unanswered questions,” said Angela Rayner MP, the party’s deputy leader.“A fish rots from the head down and, by failing to sack the former health secretary, Johnson proved he doesn’t have the leadership qualities or judgement required to be prime minister.”But Downing Street then caused further confusion, the prime minister’s official spokesman insisting Mr Hancock was not sacked, saying: “No, the former health secretary resigned.“They discussed it further on Saturday and the prime minister agreed with the former health secretary that he was right to tender his resignation.”The spokesman also:* Insisted Mr Hancock had not used a personal email account for government business, as alleged – while suggesting that use had included “diary acceptances”.* Said the former health secretary is not under any investigation – despite Labour calls for one.* Confirmed Mr Hancock personally appointed Ms Coladangelo to the post of non-executive director – while insisting “Her appointment followed correct procedure.”* Said no Cabinet reshuffle is planned imminently – although one is widely expected by September at the latest. More

Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice president, has suggested a deal to address the Brexit ‘sausage wars’ could be struck in the next 48 hours.Mr Sefcovic hinted that an announcement that the EU would agree to the UK’s request to extend the current ‘grace period’ on checks on chilled meats coming into Northern Ireland from the rest of Britain was imminent. He told Northern Irish politicians that he was in discussions with members states about an extension.While he could make no announcement today, he said: “I remain confident we can find a solution in the next 48 hours that can address both sides’ concerns”. That would give negotiators an extra three months to find a more long-term solution, he suggested. The UK had warned that time was running out to reach a deal on the issue, part of the controversial Northern Irish protocol, which local politicians have claimed is jeopardising peace in Northern Ireland.Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is deeply unpopular with many unionists in Northern Ireland. They warn that in a bod to avoid a border on the island of Ireland, the protocol has created a border within the UK instead.The end of a ‘grace period’ for trade in products including mince from the rest of the UK into Northern Ireland at the end of this month had led to suggestions of a “sausage war” with the EU.Giving evidence virtually to a special sitting of the Northern Ireland Assembly’s Executive Office committee, Mr Sefcovic said the EU was prepared to accommodate flexibilities to reduce the number of checks in the Irish Sea to the “absolute minimum possible”.However, the UK had to reciprocate by demonstrating a commitment to the “full and faithful” implementation of the Protocol, he said.“We are willing to consider taking bold steps if the UK Government demonstrates a clear and concrete commitment to implementing the protocol in full,” he said.He added: “To mention one measure that would address some concerns and could be negotiated very quickly – a so-called Swiss style veterinarian agreement with the UK continuing to apply EU SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) rules will do away with the vast majority of the checks in the Irish Sea and would not require checks elsewhere, say in Northern Ireland, including for travels with pets, for example.”He told the members of the committee that the protocol had emerged from the Brexit negotiations as the “only possible solution” to prevent an Irish land border. “Nobody has yet suggested a better workable alternative,” he said.He also rejected claims from UK politicians that the EU had not been flexible enough on the issue. “Our approach has been, and still is, solution-oriented, constructive and flexible, “ he said.“The Protocol is a unique solution that the EU has never offered before. We are outsourcing the control of part of our border to a third country.“The EU has demonstrated the pragmatism we are occasionally and wrongly accused of lacking. We have spared no efforts in trying to mitigate problems that have arisen in the implementation of the protocol and have explored and put on the table practical and permanent solutions.” More