number of deaths from the coronavirus. 3,405 people have now died. for the second day running, more than 400 people died in a single day. the us has warned against all international travel and has urged its citizens who are abroad to return immediately. the state department said people who didn't come back must be prepared to stay overseas for an indefinite period. it's reported more than 12,500 cases of the infection. australia has announced it will ban the entry of all non—residents in an attempt to limit the spread of the coronavirus. so far, it's recorded more than 600 confirmed cases of the virus, with a sharp rise in infections this week.

it's about 1:30am. you're up—to—date on the headlines. now on bbc news, thursday in parliament. hello there, and welcome to thursday in parliament. on this programme, mps on all sides attacked the government for not getting financial help fast enough to workers who risked losing theirjobs. this is urgent. and we've really, really must have action now, why is it taking so long? mps urge the government to do more to make sure the elderly and former beau can get food supplies as panic buying continues. two chickens doesn't go a long way if you have 136 residents to feed. and a report into the windrush scandal says the home office showed ignorance and thoughtlessness. what i can do is say that on behalf of this and successive governments, i am truly sorry.

but first mps on all sides rounded on a treasury minister demanding fast and more radical action to help people who have been laid off and losing their incomes because of the coronavirus restrictions. there were repeated and increasingly irate calls for more to be done either via the benefit system, specifically through universal credit, or through employers by using hmrc. ministerjohn glen reminded mps that the government had made available £330 billion worth of loans available on attractive terms to businesses which needed cash but there were groans and heckles even when he said more would be done. the chancellor has said he will look at further steps to help protectjobs and incomes, and he will announce further details in due course. but a former business secretary said firms watching their revenues collapse had no choice but to lay off workers. he offered a solution. if the government does not act immediately,

large numbers of people will be unemployed. registering them will put huge pressure on the welfare system, vital skills will be lost, and good businesses will cease trading who themselves will be the customers and suppliers of other businesses. all employers have an account with hmrc to pay tax for employees through pay as you earn. the monthly wage bill is known to hmrc. instead of firms paying paye to the government, that flow should now be reversed with the nation paying the wages of people for the next few weeks if and only if they continue to employ their staff. separate arrangements would need to be made for the self—employed but at a stroke this would save people pots byjobs, save businesses and put an immediate and to the risk of contagion and help save the economy. the urgency of the government's deliberations on this is absolutely... it's at the top of everything we're doing. ministers are working flat out 24/7 to look at all the options.

but he said that all options were being looked at. labour said it was more than six weeks since the first cases of coronavirus were reported in the uk. for over a month, we have known about the substantial risk that coronavirus poses to the economy and to workers and yet the government has announced no plan to protect jobs and wages. no full plan for employment support. we are all, all of us, inundated with so many questions. the mp behind the universal credit benefits system said there were levers that could be pulled to make it more easily available more quickly. they can be done today, they can be delivered within days by a department that already has the ability to do that whilst he gets on with his other facility. during the financial crisis of 2008, no expense was spared to bailout the banks. so today with the coronavirus

outbreak and crisis, we must similarly be prepared to bail out household budgets to avert an economic crisis which calls for us all to rise to the occasion. i was here on thursday night when the chancellor made his statement and there can be no doubt what the attitude of the house was at the time, that the package of loans and other measures announced by the chancellor on that occasion would not be sufficient here on tuesday night. it wouldn't be sufficient for those who are relying on benefits, it wouldn't be sufficient for those who were already finding themselves out of work. it wouldn't be sufficient for the self—employed. and here we are two days later and the minister is telling us that there simply hasn't been time to consider these things. this is urgent. and we've really, really must have action now, why is it taking so long? it is a question of making sure that when these are announced they are going to be effective to deal and can be delivered efficiently. my constituent works in a residential home for adults with learning disabilities. her son's school will be closed from monday. she doesn't know whether she is considered a key worker and even if she is as it seems obvious her son has respiratory problems so she is uncertain whether she wants to send him to school. her employees say she won't be paid

and is not even entitled to such statutory sick pay if she cannot come into work due to child care. what should she do and where is the clear advice and guidance and where is the helpline for thousands of other constituents of mine and every single member in this house? where can they get answers because they are so worried? what is hard to understand is how after six and a half weeks when we knew we might reach this stage that the government has got no idea what it is going to do to pay the wages of those people who are being laid off. there is a whole charge of people who are going to be laid off now. there will be more industries that will lay people off next week and the week after. if the government does not act now, it won't be able to retrieve the situation. how have we got to this point where the government hasn't got a clue?! i accept the frustration of the honourable gentleman

but i have to say that to characterise the government's situation "as not having the clue" i think does misrepresent it considerably. mr speaker the greatest difficulty for the government in this fast—deteriorating situation of no—one's making is the speed of response. and my worry is that the business interruption loans package will be too clunky for most small and medium—size businesses and the cash grants will take to long to get to them before decisions are made about jobs. those of us were not in the engine room of government are being told by our constituents that welcome us was tuesday's package was simply not going to be enough. can i urge the government to say something today to give people assurance that the help will come? i think my right honourable friend for his observations. he's absolutely right — there's no sense that the government is saying that what we have announced is the last announcement we're going to make, it's just a question of actually

making sure that when we announce it, it will be effective in meeting the needs that we know exists. we know across the house will be inundated with e—mails from concerned individuals and businesses. and we are taking that on board and acting as swiftly we can. john glenn. the foreign secretary has said that the government doesn't want to extend the brexit transition period beyond the 31st of december deadline and that a deal can still be done in time. on thursday morning it was revealed that the eu's chief negotiator michel barnier has tested positive for coronavirus. appearing before mps on the foreign affairs committee, dominic raab said he wasn't aware of that. the negotiating texts have been exchanged. i would have thought in the 21st century, there is plenty of scope for this to be done through teleconferencing and remotely and at least for

the period of which it is required, and i won't go any further than the pm has said at this point. we don't want to extend, we want to get this done. we don't want any more uncertainty than we already have with this process. and i think we also feel with the political declaration there is enough of sets of guidelines that are now followed up by the negotiating texts to enable this to be done in time. you are not just asking to achieve this amongst your servants and officials one of whom, a senior of whom is on the european side, now has got coronavirus. you are also asking for businesses to adapt while they've got quite a lot of other things going on. when would you make the call on whether or not you need more time? i am afraid i am not going to feed the beast on this. the prime minister has been very clear and i fully support that approach. inevitably, questioning moved onto the coronavirus. would you like to outline

what the government's response is both globally and nationally and how that ties in with what we know from past pandemics? well, we are constantly learning from past pandemics. we work quite closely with the who. i think it is not perfect but it's the key international multilateral organisation that we work through, and whether it is on the research that we are doing for vaccines, whether it is on the capacity building that we are doing for vulnerable countries, and more broadly outside the who, i think we are learning all the time about things like repatriation and the the consular effort that is going on. 0bviously within the foreign office more generally, there is a huge amount of bilateral and multilateral work going on, on everything from the issues i mentioned to the question of consular support in repatriations and that actually doesn't just take place between governments and international organisations. this involves things like the airlines, and indeedin different aspects of voluntary sectors and voluntary

groups on the ground. thousands of british tourists are stranded abroad. what are we doing to make sure that all british citizens are protected and supported and if necessary brought back by the uk government from where they are back to the united kingdom? there is a perfectly reasonable challenge. let's also start with the scale of the challenge that we face which is that we have — i'm not talking about permanent residents — anywhere between three or 400,000 british nationals travelling abroad to closer toi million. we don't know for sure, we don't have... there is not a register of brits travelling abroad but that is a massive, massive scale. getting people home was a challenge but dominic raab said the government was doing all it could.

what about the eu's closure of its internal borders? is there any consideration for the uk to do the same because otherwise we will find ourselves in the rather odd position where people can come from around the world through the uk into france, say, but they could not fly direct to france? when we asked the question, the scientific advice comes back that this is, at least at this stage, this is not the advice that they've given us to do it. so are the europeans shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted? the foreign secretary was being diplomatic. what we are very clear on is at least at this point, taking those measures is not in the uk interest. it won't affect the spread of the disease. and also you then have got to look at if we did that, what impact that would have on supply chains and the airlines? dominic raab there. meanwhile, the environment secretary has told mps that despite the empty

shelves in some supermarkets, there's no shortage of food. major stores have started to impose limits on how many of each item people can buy in their shops and online. in a bid to stop panic buying. the government could also relax competition rules to enable greater coordination between supermarkets. george eustis told mps that the government had relaxed the rules, so more food could be delivered more frequently. he also faced questions about how to feed people who are self isolating. mr speaker, we have, all of us, found the images of empty supermarket shelves disturbing, but for those of us of a vulnerable age, unwell, isolated, or dependent on food banks, it's causing real fear as to where the next meal is coming from. now, in the northeast, we have excellent local producers, but much of our food is dependent on supply chains. i'm afraid the secretary of state's response will not have given them the reassurance required. what specifically is he doing to ensure the supply of food to the supermarket shelves and from the supermarket shelves to people's homes? well, mr speaker, it's very

important to note that we have significant resilience in our food supply chain, in that food manufacturers are used to coping with increases in demand, not the least every year during christmas. there isn't a shortage of food. the challenge that we've had is getting food to shelves in time when people have been purchasing more. that is why we have taken steps, including setting aside delivery curfews so that lorries can run around the clock, relaxing driver hours, to ensure the deliveries can take place more frequently, and we are in discussion with other governments colleagues in mhclg around other support that we will deliver locally to get food to those who are self isolating. wa nt want a rival people are worried about food and how they will feed their families, especially if they are self isolating or have had their income slashed on statutory sick pay or losing theirjob, but there are millions already in a food poverty. this is now an immediate family emergency for many of those. with food banks running low on food, and many volunteers of food banks

over the age of 70 and soon needing to self isolates, what steps is he taking to assist those in genuine hunger today? well, mr speaker, as i have said, we have taken a number of steps to ensure that we can get food to supermarkets. i've been in regular daily calls with the food supply sector. that included discussions around food banks and we are in dialogue with supermarkets to ensure that we can make sure they get access to the supplies that they need. i welcome the constructive approach that he's taking. we are also in government working on specific proposals to help the most vulnerable, those with clinical problems, to ensure we can get food to them, should they be self isolated. homes and other residential settings who've been let down by their wholesale food suppliers are now being told by supermarkets that they are being treated as like any other consumer. two chickens doesn't go along way if you have 136 residents to feed. can the secretary of state urgently

look into this issue for all residential please? i'm happy to look at the specific issue he raised, however, it is also worth noting that while there's been an increase in demand retail shops, notably in supermarkets, there has been a sharp fall in demand in the service trade, that's restaurants and pubs and so forth, finding that demand for their services has plummeted. 0ur supermarket workers have shown themselves to be the heroes of retail, making sure that people get fed and get the food that they need. but there are real concerns about whether they can maintain that service if they are not included in the list of key workers. of course, many will have children that will need care, if the school cannot accommodate. can we have an assurance today that our retail workers will be on the list of key workers? well, mr speaker, the prime minister made reference yesterday to the importance of those working in the food retail sector in particular. later today, the government will be announcing those jobs defined as key workers,

but i can assure him that we fully recognise that over 25% of staff generally working in the food supply chain have children of school age. that's recognised and something that we will be reflected when that list is published. george eustis. you're watching thursday in parliament with me, alysia mccarthy. the home secretary was in the house of commons to make a statement on the publication of wendy williams‘ independent review into the lessons learned from the windrush scandal. the long—awaited review comes after some of those who came to the uk from commonwealth countries were wrongly told they were in britain illegally. the report says britons who came from caribbean countries in the 50s and 60s suffered from a culture of ignorance and thoughtlessness

in matters of race. and it says some ministers still do not accept the full extent of the injustice. as this review makes clear, some members of this generation suffered terrible injustices, spurred by institutional failings, spanning successive governments over several decades. including ignorance and thoughtlessness towards the race and the history of the windrush generation. today's publication is part of an ongoing mission to put this right, and ensure events like this can never happen again, as there were far too many victims of windrush. the home secretary again apologised for the scandal. in her report, wendy williams is clear that the lessons must be learned at all levels and by all political parties. she describes a set of measures that evolved under labour, coalition and conservative governments. these measures cover decades. she states that ministers did not sufficiently question unintended consequences, and that officials should and could have done more. but we must all look to ourselves. we must all do better at walking in other peoples shoes. we must all take responsibility

for the failings that led to the unimaginable suffering of this generation. and let me be clear, mr speaker, there is nothing that i can say today which will undo the pain, the suffering and the misery inflicted upon the windrush generation. what i can do, is say that on behalf of this and successive governments, i am truly sorry. but we must all look to ourselves. we must all do better at walking in other peoples shoes. we must all take responsibility for the failings that led to the unimaginable suffering of this generation. and let me be clear, mr speaker, there is nothing that i can say today which will undo the pain, the suffering and the misery inflicted upon the windrush generation. what i can do, is say that on behalf of this and successive governments, i am truly sorry. her opposite number was unimpressed. my mother was a member of the windrush generation. so i know one of the aspects of the windrush generation was they really believed they were british. they had no reason not to believe

they were british when they came here with their passports, uk and colonies. and for the windrush generation, let me assure the home secretary of this, it isn't necessarily the money or the loss or the inconvenience, or even the tragedy of being deported, it's the insults to people who always believed they were british, who came here to rebuild this country, but because of the insensitivity and the structural issues in the home office, were treated in an utterly disgraceful and humiliating way. the home secretary should be assured that we will return to these issues until the windrush generation gets the justice to which it is entitled. 0ther mps echoed those sentiments. it's a welcome statement,

and it's a welcome start, but it's only a start, because the old maxim i think applies that legislate in haste, and repent at leisure. the tragedy is that the price being paid by some is significant, and the actions of government have been shameful, so an apology is both right and overdue. as justice secretary of scotland, i recall meeting a gentleman who was in his late 405 or 505. he had left scotland as a babe in arms and gone to australia. all his family and friends were in australia. he had fallen from grace, developed an alcohol problem, committed a crime and had been deported. i said then that the actions of the government in australia were shameful, and i repeat now that i believe the behaviour and actions of the uk government are equally shameful when they replicate that. and there were calls for the review to be expanded to cover issues such as the government's policy on deportation of foreign—born criminals and immigrants from other countries. the old party parliamentary group for africa, which i chair, reported on the disgraceful treatment of african visa applicants, and as a constituency mp, every day i see delay, neglect, discrimination and stereotyping in home office processes, so will the secretary of state say today that our immigration system must not only be fair and fast,

it must also be welcoming? and that is the standard to which she will hold herself. priti patel said she would look at the reviews recommendations, and that action to improve the culture at the home 0ffice already begun. earlier in the lords, the day began with an announcement from the speaker relating to the government's advice for the over 70s to avoid unnecessary contact. some of us are not just over 70, but over 80. so, my lords, reluctantly, i will be withdrawing from the house for the time being. but, thanks to modern technology, i will still be in close contact with my office, deciding private notice questions, and continuing my duties as lord speaker.

he said he'd been doing what thousands of other people were doing, working from home. well, questions a few minutes later also focused on the coronavirus. there is a severe shortage on the front line of equipment that is apparently in warehouses and it really needs to get to the front line. in terms of the warehouses for ppe equipment, it is incredibly important that there is load allocation according to the need for the ppe, not necessarily for the demands of local authorities. therefore, there is an active allocation of ppe equipment to those areas that have the highest incidence of the virus. and that is being managed centrally in a thoughtful and professional manner. can i ask the minister if those working in the nhs,111, or any other advice lines, can also take epidemiological data on length of time, type of symptoms, and particularly geographic spread, and feed that back to research institutes in and outside the nhs, so that we can get the best handle possible as soon as possible on how

this virus operates. the minister said one of the features of the virus was the diversity of symptoms, with some people knocked out by it and others feeling only the latest of effects. a huge investment is being put into understanding the virus better. i'm pleased to report to the chamber that international cooperation on that is extensive and positive. and british researchers are at the leading edge of pulling together that data. the digital exclusion of the elderly and the vulnerable is a really serious problem here. because suggesting to people that they should go on the internet ——is entirely inappropriate for people who absolutely can manage a phone, but that's about it, of which many of us have probably related to two people in that position. lord bethel said the government had moved incredibly quickly while the virus had moved faster

than had been predicted. and he paid tribute to the nhs and public health england. now, lord fowler, who we saw the start of that item, says he's taking the government's advice and staying at home, but what about mps? when the leader of the commons came to give the weekly update on what they'd be doing next week, there was no sign they'd be taking an early easter break. it is very important that parliament continues to sit, the position of her majesties government is that parliament will continue to sit. i think this is of significance, but we need to be held to account, but we also need to be able to be able to legislate. but not everyone agreed. at this point in time, i do think it's... it seems rather surreal and fanciful to be planning to meet, not just next week in full, but the week after. should we not now be taking steps in order to wind down our formal processes and go to the easter recess at the end of next week,

would that not be the sensible course of action and indicate leadership to everyone else in the country at this time? the house voted for the recess states, but the host can obviously vote for new recessed dates. i would say that we want to maintain flexibility, because i can't make an absolute guarantee that all the emergency legislation that could possibly have been thought of is in the bill coming before the house today. there may be other things we need to legislate on, and there is also a demand for scrutiny. so we have to get this balance right and nothing will be done without consulting the opposition parties, and i emphasise plural. jacob rees—mogg there, and that's it for me for now. join me on bbc parliament on friday night at 11pm for our round up of the week in the week in parliament. but for now, for me, alysia mccarthy, goodbye.

hello there. we had a mix of weather across the uk on thursday. gartner was northern areas that had the best for the day's sunshine. this is how things worked out in the highlands of scotla nd things worked out in the highlands of scotland further south again, we had this pesky slow—moving weather front across england and wales, bringing different weather conditions. low cloud, drizzle, mist and in the south of wales, only temperatures of five degrees, quite chilly for some of us as well. 0ver the next few hours, that front going nowhere fast. again it's going to be cloudy, some mist untilfog patches and drizzle forming quite widely. it's the cloud that keeps temperatures up, five or six degrees and the south was further north with various guys, the frost is going to be more extensive, the lowest temperatures in scotland could get all the way down to —64 minus seven celsius. it will be a cold start the day. for friday, this area of high

pressure strengthens, this area of low pressure gets deeper. the result is, the winds are going to strengthen, particularly across england and wales and especially around the headlands of south—west england i think we will see gusts of around 40 miles per hour or so, noticeably blowy conditions around the coasts and hills of wales and a chill in the other east anglia in the midlands. the odd light shower blowing into north—east england, damp and drizzly across parts of the south but the best of the day's sunshine, generally the further north you happen to live. what about the weekend prospects? 0ur area of high pressure is going nowhere fast which means it will stay largely fine but the wind coming from scandinavia doing a lap across northern europe will not be the warm wind we had during the weekend. the wind we had during the weekend. the wind at its chile is a crossed eastern areas of england, the eastern areas of england, the eastern coast of scotland and it is a day whether cloud will vary quite a day whether cloud will vary quite a bit from place to place. my tone cloudy for a time in northern ireland and we might see patches of cloud form across the north sea to

affect some of these eastern areas of england and scotland as well. temperatures 8— ii of england and scotland as well. temperatures 8— 11 degrees, a little on the cool side for the time of year but at least it's a fine, dry weekend coming up for most of us. we have more dry weather to come on sunday. again, the cloud varying from place to place, perhaps thickening for a time across the scottish islands to threaten the odd spot of rain but the most it's dry, temperatures again in the range of around 8— ii temperatures again in the range of around 8— 11 degrees. that's your latest weather.

a warm welcome to bbc news. my name's mike embley. our top stories: italy's death toll overtakes china's. almost 3 and a half thousand have now died — we report from inside one of italy's hospitals — battling to keep patients alive. the us urges anyone outside of the country to return home. as japan comes under increasing pressure to postpone the olympics the flame arrives from greece applauding the health workers — solidarity across france for the medics on the frontline of the coronavirus outbreak.