Hancock says government remains determined to develop app despite major U-turn

Matt Hancock has said the government remains determined to develop a contact-tracing app which meets the “technical, security and user needs of the public” following a major U-turn on its design.

The health secretary added that countries across the world had “faced challenges” in developing apps.

“Our approach to the virus, whether that’s on vaccines, testing, treatments or cures, has been that we are willing to back innovative solutions and to be ambitious,” Mr Hancock said.

“We knew from the start that we would need to test and learn as we developed this new technology. 

“The NHS Covid-19 app has undergone some of the most rigorous testing in the world – utilising a real-world trial on the Isle of Wight pilot and in a series of field tests – and I want to thank all of those involved.”

He continued: “As we enter this next phase of research and development we remain determined to continue in our ambition to develop an app which meets the technical, security and user needs of the public and which can complement the NHS Test and Trace service.

“Countries across the globe have faced challenges in developing an app which gets all of these elements right, but through ongoing international collaboration we hope to learn, improve and find a solution which will strengthen our global response to this virus.”

Earlier today, London mayor Sadiq Khan called for Boris Johnson to make the wearing of face coverings compulsory in shops to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Government confirms U-turn over contact-tracing app design

The government has confirmed reports of a U-turn over the design of its coronavirus contact-tracing app, which is set to shift to a system set up by tech giants Apple and Google.

In a joint statement setting out the change, NHS Test and Trace chief Baroness Harding and NHSX boss Matthew Gould said there had been “specific technical challenges” with the app.

“Our response to this virus has and will continue to be as part of an international effort,” they said.

“That is why as part of a collaborative approach we have agreed to share our own innovative work on estimating distance between app users with Google and Apple, work that we hope will benefit others, while using their solution to address some of the specific technical challenges identified through our rigorous testing.

“We will also draw on the invaluable insight from all of those who trialled the app on the Isle of Wight – and the brilliant teams who have worked on it to date – to build an app that can form part of the end-to-end NHS Test and Trace service and this insight will be integral to the next phase of development.”

A further 135 people have died after testing positive for coronavirus, bringing the UK’s death toll to 42,288, according to the latest government figures.

Trade agreement with EU needs to be done by October to avoid no-deal, Gove suggests

A trade agreement with the EU would need to be done by October to avoid a no-deal exit from the Brexit transition period, Michael Gove has suggested.

When asked about a potential cut-off point for negotiations, Mr Gove told the Commons Northern Ireland Committee: “We don’t have a date per se, pencilled in, but it is the case that if we haven’t secured significant progress by October, then it will be difficult.”

He added: “I would hope that we would have clarity beforehand, but it becomes increasingly difficult if we are not on a trajectory towards an agreement, increasingly difficult to ensure that that free trade agreement could be concluded if we haven’t secured agreement, as I say, by October.”

Asian MP speaks of family members who have died from coronavirus

Labour’s Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi has spoken about family members who have died of Covid-19 after calling for an independent inquiry into the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis.

Mr Dhesi said such an inquiry would need a specific focus on the effects of Covid-19 on black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people.

“Why have ministers ignored the evidence, dragged their feet and almost certainly contributed to a situation where people from BAME communities have been disproportionately ravaged by this terrible disease?” the Labour MP told the Commons.

“For me, this is personal. I have lost loved ones to Covid.”

He said he was not able to carry his grandmother’s coffin, he had to “endure the indignity of watching [his uncle’s] funeral online via Zoom”, and his brother-in-law’s father died after contracting the virus in a Slough care home.

“Inexcusably, none of us were there to hold his hand when he breathed his last. May they all rest in peace and may we be forgiven for not being there,” Mr Dhesi added.

He also highlighted figures showing a decrease in the number of ethnic minority chairs and executive directors of NHS trusts in England, telling MPs: “If BAME doctors and nurses are good enough to die on the front line, surely they are good enough to lead.”

Labour MP tells government to stop trying to ‘erase injustices’ from reports

Labour’s Dawn Butler has told the government to stop trying to “erase the injustices” towards members of the BAME community from reports following the announcement of a new commission on racial inequalities.

Ministers have faced criticism in recent days for failing to implement recommendations and reforms suggested by previous reports on racism and inequality.

In a Commons debate on BAME people and coronavirus, Ms Butler said the government had “form on whitewashing reports”.

“Baroness McGregor’s review has had very little progress, the Lammy review has not had any recommendations implemented, the Race Disparity Audit 2018 not acted upon,” she told parliament.

“Windrush Lessons Learned review, it was edited, it was delayed for a year, it was published and then sections deleted and it was still not acted upon.

“Stop trying to erase the injustices towards black and brown people and working class people from government reports, it’s a disgrace.”

The MP added: “The government announces reviews and consultations to get itself out of trouble and then thinks that everybody will just forget as we stumble into the next crisis.

“We see what [you’re] doing and we’re calling you out on it.”
 

‘Months of precious time wasted’ over contact-tracing app, Caroline Lucas says

Caroline Lucas, the Green Party’s only MP, has criticised the government following reports saying the NHS Test and Trace programme would be abandoning its “centralised” contact-tracing app.

She said ministers had wasted “months of precious time” by insisting on running their own system.

“A huge waste of public money, handed over in a secretive process for a system which didn’t work,” Ms Lucas wrote on Twitter.

Raab was giving ‘personal opinion’ with taking the knee comments, Downing Street says

Downing Street has said Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, was giving a “personal opinion” when he suggested taking a knee was a symbol of subjugation.

Mr Raab has faced criticism for his comments on the popular symbol of support for the Black Lives Matter movement.

“The foreign secretary was very clear that he was expressing a personal opinion,” the prime minister’s spokesperson said.

“Secondly, he has tweeted about it.”

When asked whether anyone in No 10 had spoken to Mr Raab about tweeting to clarify his remarks, the spokesperson said: “I am certainly not aware of the prime minister speaking with the foreign secretary this morning.”

They added that they did not know whether anyone else in Downing Street had spoken to Mr Raab.

Johnson to give Macron framed Second World War montage, Downing Street says

Boris Johnson will give French president Emmanuel Macron a framed montage showing messages between Charles de Gaulle and Sir Winston Churchill to welcome him to London, Downing Street has said.

The montage will include a telegram sent by de Gaulle to Churchill on VE Day, Churchill’s reply and a photograph of the wartime leaders in Paris shortly after the liberation.

The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Mr Johnson would also give Mr Macron a “miniature replica of Churchill’s open-topped Land Rover Defender to go with the president’s model of Charles de Gaulle’s car, which currently sits in President Macron’s office”.

The French president arrived at Clarence House earlier today to start his visit to London to commemorate the 80th anniversary of de Gaulle’s famous Second World War address.

‘Absolutely critical’ for PM to engage with Tory MPs

Boris Johnson has been urged to pull down the “iron curtain” at Downing Street and pay greater attention to the concerns of Tory MPs following a series of major U-turns.

The warning to the prime minister came during a “cordial” meeting between the PM and members of the 1922 Committee of backbench Conservative MPs on Wednesday evening.

Sir Geoffrey Clinton Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 Committee, also said it was “absolutely critical” for the prime minister to engage with backbench MPs.

“Boris needs to get the message his liaison with parliamentary colleagues needs to get better and better quickly,” another Conservative MP told The Telegraph. “There seems to be an iron curtain around Downing Street.”

More details here:

Government ‘abandons centralised contact-tracing app’

The NHS Test and Trace programme is abandoning its own “centralised” contact-tracing app and moving to a “decentralised model” using other company’s technology, according to the BBC’s technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones.

On Wednesday the broadcaster revealed that former Apple executive Simon Thompson was to take charge of the contact-tracing app project.

Sturgeon sets out new rules – but shops in Scotland won’t re-open until 29 June

More from Nicola Sturgeon’s lunchtime prime press conference, as she sets out some significant changes to lockdown in Scotland.

From Friday, people will be able to meet two other households at the same time while outside, with no more than eight people gathered at a time.

Scots are urged to stay within a roughly five-mile radius of their home for recreational purposes. People will also be able to go inside to use the toilet when meeting in someone else’s garden.

From Monday 22 June dentists will be able to open, professional sport can resume and places of worship will be able to reopen – although only for individual prayer and not services.

Also from Monday the wearing of face coverings will be mandatory on all public transport and private hire taxis.

Non-essential shops won’t reopen until 29 June, when outdoor markets, playgrounds and sports facilities will reopen in Scotland, along with attractions such as zoos.

Boris Johnson ‘patronising’, says acting legend

The great Sam Neill (of Jurassic Park, The Piano and Peaky Blinders fame) has tweeted his thoughts about Boris Johnson’s video remarks called for a trade deal between the UK and Australia based on the country’s close historical links.

The actor said he found the British PM’s tone “patronising”.

Dominic Raab should issue ‘fulsome apology’ for remarks on taking a knee, says acting Lib Dem boss

The acting Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has called on the foreign secretary to apologise properly for his remarks about the Black Lives Matter movement.

“He didn’t seem to understand the origins of this, that this was about an American footballer Colin Kaepernick, who started in 2016 this act of defiance and protest over police in the US brutalising black people. He seems to think it came from Game of Thrones.”

He added: “I’m glad there’s been a sort of apology but I think he’s going to have to go further … he doesn’t seem to understand the depth of feeling about racism in our society.”

“Maybe should say he will take the knee.”

Sharp fall in social distancing, new figures indicate

New figures from the Department of Health suggest a sharp fall in observation of social distancing rules during the first full week of relaxed lockdown restrictions earlier this month.

Details from the NHS Test and Trace scheme show that the number of close contacts outside their own households reported by people testing positive for virus leapt from an average of 5.9 to 10.3 (in the week 4-10 June).

Figures for the second week of operation of the scheme showed that the number of people infected with coronavirus providing details identified almost twice as many people with whom they had spent time outside their home.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has more details:

The SNP leader also said a total of 2,464 patients have died in Scotland after testing positive for coronavirus – up by two on the previous day.