Richard Murray, the chief executive of the think The King’s Fund, said PHE “appears to have been found guilty without a trial” and said it was unclear what problem ministers were hoping to solve by redistributing the body’s responsibilities.

“Undoubtedly, there are questions to be answered about England’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, but the middle of a pandemic is not the time to dismantle England’s public health agency,” he said.

“History is littered with reorganisations of the health system that are costly, time consuming and demoralising for staff.

“It is risky to undertake such a shakeup whilst the nation is still grappling with Covid-19, ahead of an anticipated winter spike in demand for health services and with the looming threat of a second wave of the virus.”

Kirsty Williams apologised “directly and unreservedly” for the effect the country’s controversial A-level grading system had on students, saying anxieties over the decision to use statistical models to award results had worsened the “anguish” students were already experiencing due to the pandemic.

Appearing via video before the Welsh Parliament’s recalled Children, Young People and Education Committee, Ms Williams said: “For our young people, just like everyone else, the last few months have been and continue to be a stressful time.

“Many of us will know people who’ve been ill or have lost someone. I certainly do. And it’s been a time of anguish for people right across the country.

“And I am sorry that for some of our young people, the results process has made that worse. That was not the intention of anyone. Not me, not Qualifications Wales, not teachers, not (exam board) WJEC.

“But it is right that I apologise directly and unreservedly to our young people.”

GCSE students will receive their final grades on Thursday, exam boards have pledged, despite a last-minute government U-turn on grading.

Gavin Williamson and the Department for Education both sowed further confusion by offering apparent contradictions on whether students would receive their official results on Thursday or the following week.

Hour before they were due to be sent off, the Joint Council for Qualifications clarified that all schools and colleges will receive their pupils’ GCSE grades from the exam boards on Wednesday.

Exam boards said they have been “working hard” to provide schools and colleges with students’ centre assessment grades, which are based on teachers’ estimates, or the moderated grades if they are higher.

The health secretary has said that “one of the big learnings” of the coronavirus crisis has been the need for private intervention in the health sector, claiming that the idea of a “divide” between the public and private sectors is “for the birds”.

Unveiling the government’s new National Institute for Health Protection – which is to replace the scrapped Public Health England – Mr Hancock cited the partnership between the government, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University in creating a coronavirus vaccine candidate.

“There is that holy trinity of academia, government and business working closely together on a public policy mission,” he said, responding to a question from drugs firm Pfizer. “So my message to everyone in the private sector is – join us in the mission.”

He added: “We couldn’t have come up with the treatment – the one treatment that worked, that wasn’t developed by a government, it was developed by a private company working within a government framework.

“The best work I’ve seen brings the contribution of the private sector, of government, and of government institutions like the NHS. So I think that’s been one of the big learnings. This idea that there’s a divide is for the birds, and partnership is the best way through.

The Conservatives vehemently denied accusations from Labour during the 2019 general election that they planned to underfund and sell off the NHS to private firms. 

Sajid Javid, the sitting MP for Bromsgrove, has accepted a role with US banking giant JP Morgan.

Having quit as chancellor earlier this year, he has been appointed senior adviser on the bank’s advisory council for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The bank would not disclose Mr Javid’s salary or hours, but confirmed it would be a paid position. 

A spokesman for JP Morgan said: “We are delighted to welcome Sajid back to JP Morgan as a senior adviser, and we look forward to drawing upon his in-depth understanding of the business and economic environment to help shape our client strategy across Europe.”

Mr Javid’s new job has already been approved by the UK’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which regulates new jobs for former ministers and senior civil servants.

With the opposition party having previously committed to a royal commission on how to overhaul drug policy, a campaign group within the party has instead spent more than a year holding public meetings attended by over 700 experts and members of the public, which have shaped a full plan to be published in autumn.

“For decades, this country’s drug laws have contributed to massive health inequalities, intensified racial discrimination and failed our communities,” said Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform co-founder, Jeff Smith MP.

“Drugs policy is an important issue for Labour – and the people we seek to represent. I’ve been really encouraged by the conversations that have taken place since we started the campaign two years ago, with members and supporters engaging constructively, and prominent figures in Labour coming out and acknowledging that the war on drugs has failed and that we need a new approach.

“The launch of our recommendations will be a landmark moment in the campaign, setting out what we think should be in the next manifesto. I would encourage Labour supporters, members and parliamentarians to give them their full consideration.”

The government has sowed fresh confusion about when GCSE students will get their final grades after apparently contradicting itself on when official results will be released, our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports.

Labour accused Education Secretary Gavin Williamson of “repeated incompetence” and demanded the department provide “immediate clarity” on when marks would be released – warning that pupils would be worried about losing college and apprenticeship places.

The Department for Education said on Monday night that schools and college students will receive their teacher-predicted grades on Thursday, but also that “official results will be released to students next week”.

The situation was further confused by Mr Williamson, who on Tuesday morning said students would receive their highest grade on Thursday and then official certification next week.

The Independent contacted the Department for Education press office to clarify the situation on Tuesday morning but did not receive a response at the time of publication.
 

Stormont education minister criticised for ‘following’ Westminster’s grading policy 

A Northern Irish politician has criticised the education minister in Stormont for “following the approach of London”, before performing a U-turn on A-level grades on Monday. 

In a special meeting of the Northern Ireland Assembly, SDLP politician Daniel McCrossan said the downgrading of results was “unforgivable”, adding that students had been failed “incredibly”. 

Around 11,000 grades were thought to have been lowered from teachers’ predictions under the controversial system. 

Mr McCrossan welcomed Monday’s policy reversal by Peter Weir but suggested it had still caused “huge damage”. 

“There’s really serious questions about what has happened here, and, yes, we’re in a better position today than yesterday, but there’s still huge damage that has been caused to the mental health of young people, and teachers have been offended and annoyed,” he said.

The SDLP politician also questioned whether Mr Weir was following Westminster. 

“Are we here as representatives for the people of Northern Ireland or are we here to take our lead from London?” he asked.

Universities demand clarity of A-level results U-turn

Universities are seeking urgent clarity from the government after it said that A-level students would now receive predicted grades rather than those moderated by an algorithm. 

While students who now have higher grades are trying to secure places at their first-choice universities, there are concerns that some courses no longer have enough spaces. 

A statement from Newcastle University said that it was working to accommodate all students who meet their offer. However, it noted that some places may have to be given for the following academic year because of externally-determined caps on courses including medicine. 

“We are therefore seeking clarity from the Government and relevant agencies about ensuring as many students as possible can be accepted to their first-choice university. Where this is not possible, we will guarantee a deferred place for next year,” the statement added. 

Similarly, Queen’s University Belfast said it is asking the government for “clarity as a matter of urgency” on a range of issues, including whether course quotas can now be adjusted.

Hancock defends appointment of Baroness Harding as head of new public health organisation

Health secretary Matt Hancock has defended the appointment of the Tory peer Baroness Dido Harding as head of the new public health agency, saying “her leadership will be vital”. 

After announcing the axing of Public Health England and Baroness Harding’s position at the helm of its replacement, Mr Hancock told reporters that she had the “combination of experience externally and experience in the NHS”. 

Baroness Harding previously served as the chief executive of TalkTalk and is currently in charge of the government’s track and trace programme. 

Her new appointment comes as critics have called into question the success and cost of the contact tracing scheme she leads.

Health experts criticise government’s decision to dismantle PHE

Health experts have condemned the government’s move to scrap Public Health England (PHE), after health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that it would be replaced. 

Richard Murray, chief executive of health think tank The King’s Fund, said that now was not the right time to dismantle the public health agency.

Mr Murray said: “Public Health England appears to have been found guilty without a trial.

“It is unclear what problem government are hoping to solve by carving up PHE and redistributing its responsibilities.

“Undoubtedly, there are questions to be answered about England’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis, but the middle of a pandemic is not the time to dismantle England’s public health agency.”

Scottish schools need 3,500 more teachers for social distancing to work, union claims 

An additional 3,500 teachers are required in Scottish schools to allow for social distancing, Scotland’s largest teaching union has said.

Writing to first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Larry Flanagan, the general secretary of EIS, also said that there needed to be stronger advice on face masks, referring to the fact that pupils and staff are not currently obliged to wear face coverings.

Mr Flanagan said: “We need the Scottish Government to fund the hiring of the 3,500 teachers identified by the GTCS (General Teaching Council for Scotland) as willing to aid education recovery so that we can reduce class sizes and make possible physical distancing.”

“We also need stronger advice on face coverings, where physical distancing is not possible,” he added. 

Millions take advantage of eating out scheme 

Restaurants have served more than 35 million half-priced meals as part of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, according to the Treasury. 

The offer allows customers to take advantage of the discount on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August in a bid to boost the economy. 

This comes after the economy shrank by a record 20.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2020. 

Under the eating out initiative, restaurants take 50 per cent off a customer’s bill, up to a total of £10, before claiming the money back from the government. 

Stephen Wall, the co-founder of restaurant chain Pho, said: “It’s so nice to see our restaurants full of happy staff and customers again.”

EU warns of October deadline for post-Brexit trade deal 

The EU has said that a post-Brexit trade agreement with the UK must be reached by “October at the latest”. 

A spokesperson for the EU Commission expressed hopes for an “ambitious and fair partnership with the UK”, adding that a deal must be struck by late October for it to be ratified in time. 

“This week and over the coming weeks we will remain constructive, we will remain engaged and respectful with the UK negotiating team in order to reach a deal,” the spokesperson added. 

This comes a day after a Downing Street spokesperson said that the government remains confident that a deal can be achieved in September.

Responding to Matt Hancock’s speech on the future of public health, Nigel Edwards said: “There is no doubt that Public Health England is far from perfect: serious questions should be asked about the agency’s role in some of the failures around testing, contract tracing and PPE in the early stages of the pandemic. 
 

“But the correct way to respond to these questions is a proper and evidence-led investigation of what went wrong across government. Without this, we risk a disproportionate response to problems that could be dealt with through straightforward managerial action.  
 

“The government risks making a major misstep by dismantling its own Public Health agency at such a crucial time, creating a huge distraction for staff who should be dedicating themselves to the next stage of the pandemic. 
 

PM did not lose temper over A-levels U-turn, Williamson says 

The education secretary Gavin Williamson has said that Boris Johnson did not get angry with him over the exam grades fiasco. 

Mr Williamson told LBC: “The prime minister is a very, very even-tempered person and certainly didn’t lose his temper with me.

He added that he hade “very good” discussions with the prime minister, who agreed with the decision to give students their predicted grades. 

Mr Williamson said it was not a conversation that “you ever want to have”. 

“But my belief is if something’s wrong, if something isn’t working, the key thing to do is to fix it. That’s what I did and that’s what I’d always do,” he added.

Kent County Council to stop taking in new unaccompanied migrant children

Asylum-seeking children who arrive in Dover without other family members will no longer be looked after by Kent County Council. 

Instead, the children will remain with the UK Border Force at Dover until another UK local authority has space to safely care for them, according to the council. 

This comes one day after Roger Gough, the council leader, said that the council had reached its capacity to provide care for migrant children. 

Hancock explains new health organisation’s mission 

Matt Hancock has said that the government is replacing Public Health England with a new organisation called the National Institution for Health Protection.

In a speech given at the Policy Exchange think-tank, the health secretary claimed the decision would “give ourselves the best chance of beating this virus” and would enable the country to deal with future external “health threats”. 

He said: “To give ourselves the best chance of beating this virus and spotting and tackling other external health threats now and in the future, we need to bring together the science and the skill into one coherent whole.

“So, today, I am announcing that we are forming a new organisation, the National Institute for Health Protection,” he added. 

Mr Hancock did not specify how much funding the public health sector would receive. 

Hancock confirms Public Health England to be scrapped 

Health secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that the government will replace Public Health England, amid warnings that the move is “irresponsible” during a pandemic.

Speaking at the Policy Exchange think-tank, Mr Hancock said that Baroness Dido Harding, a Conservative peer who is in change of the test and trace system, will become the new institute’s interim head.

The National Institution for Health Protection, which is set to start operating in spring 2021, wil protect the the country from external threats such as infectious diseases, according to the health secretary. 

His comments came after Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, condemned the decision in a serious of tweets on Tuesday morning.

In one of the messages, Mr Ashworth wrote: “Today we’ll get a structural reorganisation, an attempt at blame shifting, more corrosive privatisation.”