this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines... the prime minister appeals to the british public to contain their impatience, as he returns to work. borisjohnson says the uk is now at the moment of maximum risk. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people, and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. criticism of the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests. the bma says they shouldn't beissued on a first come, first served basis. new zealand's prime minister says her country has stopped community transmission of covid—19 — effectively eliminating the virus. premier league clubs have begun returning to training grounds. arsenal is allowing players to complete individual sessions, as talks continue in an attempt

to finish the season. and... a stamp of approval for captain tom, as he prepares to celebrate his 100th birthday. the royal mail's special tribute to the nhs super—fundraiser. the prime minister has urged the british public to remain patient over lockdown — saying the uk is now at the "moment of maximum risk" from the coronavirus outbreak. he was speaking outside number ten as he returned to work after recovering from the virus. he acknowledged life has been tough over the past month, but said, "i refuse to throw away the sacrifice of the british people "and risk a second peak". mrjohnson has been under pressure to map out an exit strategy from the

lockdown restrictions. ahead of the daily government coronavirus briefing, downing street has asked members of the public to submit questions. one question will be chosen each day by the polling company, yougov, and will be put to the minister leading the briefing. the british medical association has criticised the online system for more than ten million essential workers to book coronavirus tests — insisting there aren't enough to meet the increasing demand. and, after seven weeks of restrictions in italy, officials there have outlined plans to ease the lockdown. parks, factories and building sites will re—open, and people are allowed to visit relatives in small numbers. let's get the latest from westminster, and our political correspondentjonathan blake. back to the office, back to work. the prime minister arrived at downing street last night, having recovered from his own brush with coronavirus. marking his return this morning, borisjohnson thanked colleagues who'd stood in for him, and the public. good morning. i'm sorry i've been away from my desk for much longer

than i would have liked, and i want to thank everybody who has stepped up. once again, i want to thank you, the people of this country, for the sheer grit and guts you have shown and are continuing to show. the uk was starting to turn the tide against coronavirus, he said, and he used his own experience to characterise the struggle in a particularly vivid way. if this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger — which i can tell you, from personal experience, it is — then this is the moment when we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor. and so it follows that this is the moment of opportunity, this is the moment when we can press home our advantage. it is also the moment of maximum risk. after weeks of us all wondering

how long the lockdown would last, the prime minister said he knew how hard it was but there was simply too much to lose to ease the restrictions now. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. and i ask you to contain your impatience because i believe we are coming now to the end of the first phase of this conflict, and, in spite of all the suffering, we have so nearly succeeded. the prime minister said he'd stick to the government's five tests to judge when it was safe to open things up, including there being no risk of a second wave of cases. but to those who've been calling for clarity in his absence, he promised more detail within days. all of us want to see a clear path

ahead, because if we don't have that clear path ahead, my fear is that the lockdown will begin to wither at the edges, as we've seen over the last few days. the vast majority of britons have been abiding by the guidelines, have been staying at home and protecting lives, but if we don't have that clear sense on where the direction of the country is, i fear that others will choose to just make an exception for themselves. the freeze and fix, which is stay in the lockdown, that is going to be economically ruinous. it can't happen. but nor can we just surrender to the virus, because that would not only cost — our latest estimate — 500,000 lives, but it would also be ruinously expensive economically, and it would be a breakdown of our health system. the prime minister's return may bring renewed focus to the government's response, but also new emphasis on the most difficult decisions ahead. jonathan blake reporting there and we can cross live tojonathan in westminster now. a very strong message from the prime

minister, he has a lot on his to do trade. yes, he has, starting back at downing street this morning in earnest, no doubt he will have chaired the emergency meeting of the covid—i9 meeting, made up of senior cabinet ministers, he hasn't done that for a while and will be looking to get a grip on the government's response. it was striking to hear borisjohnson talking about his own experience personally with coronavirus in that speech outside number ten coronavirus in that speech outside numberten and, coronavirus in that speech outside number ten and, also, defiantly saying that the government was not about to shift position and it was sticking to those five tests that it set out, which include a steady decrease in the number of deaths and infections of coronavirus before any decision can be taken to lift, ease oi’ decision can be taken to lift, ease or somehow adapted the social distancing measures that have been put in place across the uk to slow the spread of the virus. but whilst it seems the prime minister is sticking to his guns on that front and saying now is not the time to let up, there is simply too much at

sta ke, let up, there is simply too much at stake, there was, i think, let up, there is simply too much at stake, there was, ithink, an acknowledgement that the government does need to open up a bit and to talk more about how and when the uk mightfind talk more about how and when the uk might find its way out of the situation that it is currently in, because there is an agreement on all sides that this can't go on forever but also the agreement that nothing should be done too soon to risk escalating the situation and a further wave under further peak of cases further down the line. so we we re cases further down the line. so we were told by the prime minister to expect more in the coming days and we we re expect more in the coming days and we were told by his spokesman at a briefing a little while after the prime minister's speech this morning that we will hear more details this week on how exactly the government willjudge when the uk is ready to move forward, as he put it. but the tone of that speech just after nine o'clock this morning outside downing street, it was an address to the british public and his personal experience clearly being used as well. yes, he used that a striking phrase of the virus being like an

armed assailant coming at you and talked personally about his own experience of having the virus. and it is striking to see him back inside number ten and speaking outside this morning. the last time we saw the prime minister there was taking part in the clap for carers when he was in isolation before going into hospital. apart from that brief video message he gave when he returned to chequers for his recovery, he has been notable by his absence, of course, and there is no doubt that this has been a very difficult period for the government, is the first secretary of state, dominic raab, who has been standing infor dominic raab, who has been standing in for boris johnson dominic raab, who has been standing in for borisjohnson in his absence, acknowledged over the weekend, so i think the prime minister's return does provide the government perhaps with an opportunity to not quite reset, but reinvigorate its approach, but that is not to underestimate and not to minimise at all the challenges facing boris johnson on his return. and now that he is back, the expectations will only go up in terms of the

government's setting out what he plans to do next and how it plans to ta ke plans to do next and how it plans to take the uk through this crisis. jonathan blake in westminster. the british medical association has criticised the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests, saying they shouldn't be issued on a first come, first served basis. there's been heavy demand since the new booking site went live last week. more than ten million workers and their households are now eligible if they have symptoms. here's our health correspondent anna collinson. we have now had more than a month of lockdown and self—isolation. to get people back to work on britain back on its feet, it said testing is going to be key. last friday, the government launched a website allowing essential workers to order home testing kits for covid—i9, only for the website to close just hours later due to demand. over the weekend, tens of thousands of workers have been unsuccessful. this morning, this was the message at 9:10. we spoke to a key worker who struggled to buy a kit online so had to go to a testing site. there was no time slot available near where i live, which is leeds,

so i had to go to doncaster airport. it took five to six hours to go to the process of being tested. where the bottleneck was happening was you have to self administer the test. the government's deadline of securing 100,000 daily tests is just three days away. to boost efforts, the military has set up nearly 100 pop—up facilities across the country and drive—through test sites are still available, but the british medical association says tests should not be allocated on a first—come, first—served basis. the online system, in theory, is good, it allows health care workers to book a test themselves, including a home kit, but if you find after an hour all the slots have been taken and all the kits have run out, then it isn't providing a service to all of those who can't access it. on his first day back at work, borisjohnson has hinted the uk is approaching phase two of the coronavirus.

widespread testing and a tracking strategy is said to be essential in avoiding a second peak of deaths in the future. ministers insist they are on track to meet that target, and there are many ways for nhs staff to access tests. there are two routes into this, so, yes, people can self refer through the new online system, but, actually, front line nhs staff and health care workers, there is a testing programme for them, they can get straight into the system through their work places and through being tested there. testing in care homes are still a serious concern. more than 150 care providers have told the bbc none of their workers have been screened. whatever happens with testing in the future, there are many in the sector who will argue it was needed far earlier. doctors in north london have been alerted to an apparent rise in the number of children being admitted to hospital with an inflammatory condition that may be linked to coronavirus. little is known about the "multisystem inflammatory syndrome" which requires intensive care. although the number of children

affected is likely to be small, health officials have asked gps to refer those presenting with it as a matter of urgency. the symptoms include stomach pain, vomiting and inflammation of the heart. in the next half an hour, we'll be speaking to two experts who will be aiming to answer your questions on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus. please get in touch with your questions. you can contact us on twitter using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions and you can email them to yourquestions@bbc.co.uk as the government wrestles with how and when to lift restrictions, ministers will be looking at countries around the world who are already making tentative steps out of lockdown. restrictions in italy will be partially lifted on may the 4th, and new zealand will start to open up from tomorrow — after stopping all community transmissions, effectively eliminating the virus. caroline hawley reports. for weeks now, about half of humanity has been urged to stay indoors.

never before has the world shut down quite like this. but in countries that have controlled their coronavirus outbreaks, there is light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. this is venice, the ancient city usually alive to the sound of admiring tourists and venetians alike. but a week today, europe's longest lockdown will start to ease. italian parks, factories and building sites will re—open, as will bars and restaurants — for takeaway only for now. funerals will be allowed, with limited numbers, and people can visit family, as long as they live in the same area and they are wearing face masks. in spain, a small taste of freedom. spanish children have been cooped up indoors for six long weeks, but yesterday they were allowed out for the first time, for an hour a day. spain has the second—highest death toll

after italy and one of europe's strictest lockdowns. translation: we have been holed up for a month and a half. it has been really hard, especially for him. i've been able to go to work. he has been really excited since early this morning. in china, where the outbreak began, it is a big day for these children, returning to school in beijing. life is slowly returning to a semblance of normality in big chinese cities. but face masks are part of the uniform now, and against their natural instincts, children must try to keep apart. there is hope to know in new york, ha rd est there is hope to know in new york, hardest hit of anywhere in the us. infection rates are falling, and that means an easing of the lockdown is in sight. phase one of reopening will involve construction and manufacturing activities. phase two would then be more a business by

business analysis, using the matrix that we've discussed. how essential a service has that business provided? that question depends where you are. in new zealand, burgers are back on the menu, at least if they are taken away. yesterday the country had just one new case of the prime minister new case of the virus. the prime minister said the virus was, for the moment, eliminated. we all want to reach the position where we can bring back the social contact that we all miss, but to do it confidently, we must move slowly and cautiously. we must make sure that we do not let the virus run away on us again and cause a new wave of cases and deaths. across countries and continents, there is very little yet normal about daily life. lockdowns are likely to be eased with the utmost caution, as governments grapple with the dilemma of what the new normal should be.

the headlines on bbc news... borisjohnson warns the uk is at the moment of maximum risk, and urges the public not to lose patience with the coronavirus lockdown. criticism of the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests. the bma says they shouldn't be issued on a first—come, first—served basis. the prime minister of new zealand says coronavirus has been eliminated in the country — for now. many businesses have been forced to close, and those that have stayed are struggling to adapt to social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. it's not been all bad news, though — a few are booming — as phil mackie reports. there's fresh leeks, butternut squash, sweet potato... this farm shop's never been busier — the phone hardly ever stops ringing. it looks idyllic, but normally churchfields farm in worcestershire would be heaving.

it would be pretty busy on a sunny day like this. and, as you can see there, all the tables and chairs are stacked up. there'd be young children playing on the furniture there and on the old tractor at the back. and it would normally have a really nice buzz about the place here, but sadly, at the moment, we're not a cafe, we are a click—and—collect farm shop. staff have been furloughed, and the future of the business was under threat, but they've adapted to the lockdown to keep going. it's given people an alternative to supermarket shopping. they can order online or phone up and place an order, pay online, and then we take it out to the car park, which, you know, really does mean its contactless shopping. lockdown has had unexpected consequences for other businesses. with council sites shut, this private waste—collection firm is booming. flat out, we're doing 12 to 14—hour days quite easily. normally we'd do ten—hour days, we're quite busy anyway, but it'sjust really, really pushed it on. we are fully booked pretty much

for a week in advance now. but for many businesses, the outlook is bleak. retailers have really struggled — clothes shops in particular have seen sales fall by 30%, even though online shopping has got busier. the sad thing is that when lockdown does eventually end, a lot of familiar names on the high street won't be there any more. these are plants which had been destined for garden centres. so long as they stay shut, many of these flowers will be given or thrown away. it's cost this nursery millions of pounds. we'd like to see garden centres get the green light to open their plant areas and start selling some plants. diy stores are doing that at the moment, and we can't see the difference. as long as garden centres practise social distancing, everything should be ok. back at churchfields farm, the orders keep coming. i have an orderfor alistair bird? it's best known for its ice cream, but with most of its customers shut, these cows will remain furloughed

for a bit longer. well, let's talk to one business owner about what they want to hear from the government regarding a possible end to the lockdown. gerard toplass is the chairman of two construction businesses and has launched the business bounce back campaign this morning. thank you forjoining us. from what you heard from the prime minister this morning, i mean, the message clearly is it is too early for things to return to anything like normal. good afternoon, simon. yes, he made a very good speech this morning, i think it was something the business community was probably looking for. he did it in his usual way and i think you put some positivity in there but also reminded us what we can't give up, which is the journey we have done so far. i'm not so sure for me it is a binary choice of trying to remove all of the lockdown provisions. i

think it's about looking at what you can do and i would see there really being two plates being spun. there is the economy and your work life and then there is your leisure, you're after work life and we need to think a little bit about coming backin to think a little bit about coming back in that work environment safely, orderly and responsibly and observing the public health england guidance, so we can actually continue to observe the social distancing but try and bring the economy back, because we are going to need that to pay for this crisis next year. and the better we do that, the more quickly we do that, the lower the tax bill will be. the bottom line, though, is you need a date. business operates very much on confidence and planning. now, if the prime minister and his team sort of tell us it is going to be a longer period then, at least if we know that, we can actually make plans for that. not having the date, having this sort of indecision about when we might start to come out of what he calls phase one and into what i

would call a recovery is very difficult, because businesses do like to plan. so having that date or an understanding of how we are going to plot our way out of it is extremely important for the business community. we are seeing evidence in some parts of the country that this lockdown is beginning to creak. people are seemingly going back on the roads and doing things. but if you are at home with your family, you are at home with your family, you are at home with your family, you are not earning any money, you are falling between the cracks in terms of government support, i mean, who is to criticise anybody who feels they have no option but to go and earn some money. feels they have no option but to go and earn some moneylj feels they have no option but to go and earn some money. | mean, we are seeing that. we are seeing a lot more responsible businesses come back as well, simon. we have seen the construction industry, which made a very swift decision to actually stop a lot of sites, they looked back at what they were doing and the construction industry itself has been very good over the years that adopting new health and safety practices and we are now seeing that, the return to work in that

sector and a lot of people are employed in that sector, a lot of small businesses. now, you can, if you actually do it right, follow the public health england guidance and you can observe social distancing in the same way as when we go to the supermarket. we have all got used to that sort of approach now, the queueing and observing and doing things in an orderly and responsible fashion. if we adopt those practices, and a lot of businesses can do this, if we adopt them in the workplace, we can actually return to workplace, we can actually return to work safely, orderly and responsibly and those businesses you just referred to, those people you refer to, can start to do that and generate the money for taxes and household bills. what would you say to one of your employees who, if you saidi to one of your employees who, if you said i want everyone to start work on monday, who said i am not co mforta ble on monday, who said i am not comfortable with that and i want to stay at home question mark what would you do with them? the advice to them is if you can —— the advice todayis to them is if you can —— the advice today is if you can work at home, you should do so and it still applies to all businesses. if it was one of our employees, we will try

and understand why they felt uncomfortable, we would ensure we are communicating with them around the rules and regulations in terms of the public health guidance and we will try and formulate a plan. not every business can operate in the same way. in the two businesses i'm involved in, one of those is a softwa re involved in, one of those is a software business, so it is very easy for us to work from home. in our other business, it is slightly more difficult, so what we have to do is ensure that whatever we adopt in the workplace meets that guidance. and i think it's about a discussion between yourself and employees and any responsible employer will see that as the way forward. hindsight is, my words, a wonderful thing, i am just wondering how things might have been more helpful if there had been a better testing system already in operation. yes, look... i am testing system already in operation. yes, look... iam nota medical expert, myjob is to think about business and that is what we are doing with our campaign and what i doing with our campaign and what i do every day, but, clearly, testing is going to be, as the prime

minister said, something that could unlock this for us, it could be a game changer. interesting enough, an idea i had that was when testing became available, cheap and reliable test, antibody or antigen, the government could encourage businesses to take on that testing and i'm sure they would do and they could use a tax incentive system to really ra m p could use a tax incentive system to really ramp that up when it's available. it goes without saying, this is a terrible time for so many people. are you confident that the country can bounce back, but accepting that many, many businesses have gone out of business as a result of this? look, clearly, the deeper you get into a recession, the more difficult it is to come out of it. the furlough scheme has been quite useful, particularly for industries which have seen a drop from any sort of revenue to zero, that has been very useful for them, and the loan system, i think we might hearfrom and the loan system, i think we might hear from the chancellor tonight about increasing the

guarantee from 80 to 100%, which again is quite useful, but in terms of bouncing back, a lot of it depends on how we start acting now and if the government allow us to be pa rt and if the government allow us to be part of the plot to get ourselves out of this particular problem, then that will put us into a better position to survive, whatever a recession may bring. it is so good to talk to you, thank you so much for your time this afternoon. thank you, simon. doctors at the uk's leading heart hospital are warning patients not to risk their lives by avoiding treatment for non—coronavirus conditions. the number of people arriving at the royal papworth in cambridge after having a heart attack has fallen by 70% since the start of the pandemic. a government campaign to encourage people to ring the emergency services if they have an urgent health issue is being launched this week. nikki fox reports. an angiogram, or x—ray of the heart muscles, being performed vessels, being performed

at the royal papworth, the uk's leading heart and lung hospital. doctors are looking for blockages that could cause a heart attack. this is what they excel at — diagnosing and treating urgent conditions. but since the coronavirus pandemic, patients have been avoiding hospital. so roughly speaking we've seen about a 70% reduction in the number of patients coming into hospital as an emergency with heart attack. it's clear to us that people are scared to come to hospital, and they're scared to come to hospital because of the concern that they might contract covid—19. and also it's clear to us that some people are trying to avoid putting pressure on the health care system, so for altruistic reasons, they aren't coming hospital. robin macpherson had a clot removed from his artery. my wife said to me, during the discussion about the numbness, "oh, just sit down, just be "quiet, just take a rest, it'll probably go away." and then it didn't go away, and i thought, if it's not going to go away in five minutes, i need to do something about it. do you think that your wife told

you to sit down and be quiet because she was worried the hospitals might be busy because of coronavirus? coronavirus is one thing, i'm sure, that was in her mind. to be honest, i hadn't thought about it. i thought, this is something that needs professional care. sitting down isn't going to put it away. and i'm glad i did now, you know, because otherwise i probably wouldn't be here talking to you. this area of the hospital before coronavirus used to be really busy. now, as you can see, it's practically empty. and although a lot of elective procedures have been cancelled, doctors are worried if people with serious heart and lung problems continue to put things off, it could lead to a tidal wave of patients who suddenly need treatment and a backlog that theyjust can't deal with. the number of urgent referrals by gps of people with suspected cancer has also dropped by 75%. so this is a ct scan of sarah's lungs, and here you can see there is a small shadow

is what we suspect is a lung cancer. the growth‘s now been removed, sarah is hoping the operation will save her life. the covid virus is so terrifying to everyone that even i thought, what would i do? but then it was a no—brainer, i would rather this out of my body and not growing any more. and get better and fitter for my children. survival rates increase the earlier treatment is given. with serious heart and lung symptoms, the message — ignoring problems can have serious consequences. more now on the prime minister speaking for the first time since his recovery from coronavirus. borisjohnson said the uk was beginning to turn the tide against covid—19, but insisted it was too soon to relax lockdown measures in order to avoid a second wave of the virus.

speaking to our political editor, former cabinet minister and gp dr liam fox said it was important the government continued to follow the scientific advice. well, we won't know how well we have done for some time because we would have to look at what is called the excess death rate, which is, you know, the number of deaths above what would be predicted over a period and that will take some time, because the covid outbreak is not going to come to an end. probably, it might, we can't tell, but it mightjust roll on to a lower level for a time until we get a vaccine. these viral outbreaks are unpredictable. viruses sometimes mutate and become more deadly, sometimes they mutate to become less deadly, so we don't know what the natural causes, so we will have to wait. and people who want to rush to insta nt wait. and people who want to rush to instantjudgment wait. and people who want to rush to instant judgment without being wait. and people who want to rush to instantjudgment without being able to unravel all of these different complicated factors, i don't think it's going to reflect well on them in the end about theirjudgment. you

are watching bbc news, all the headlines and just a moment but first the weather with tomasz schafernaker. it is all change on the weather front this week, it certainly won't be anywhere near as warm or us only to what we have been used to for some time. the heaviest of the rain is expected across southern parts of the uk tomorrow and by the end of the uk tomorrow and by the end of the week, we could have as much as around an inch of rain, 25 millimetres, around the southern areas. the focus for this evening, you can see the rain looming across the south. a few showers in the north and the air is actually coming in from the north across scotland, northern ireland and northern england, so this is where the temperatures will be lowest, early on tuesday, around a couple of degrees in newcastle, but milder in the south. tomorrow, a cloudy, wet, very chilly day across the south, you can see where the heaviest of the rain is, central southern england, london, the midlands, just about nudging into east anglia and lincolnshire. temperatures really will struggle across the south. the

best of the weather will actually be across scotland and northern england. the headlines... back to work — borisjohnson says the uk is at the moment of maximum risk, as he urges the public not to lose patience with the lockdown. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people, and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. criticism of the online

system for key workers to book coronavirus tests — the bma says they shouldn't be issued on a first come, first served basis. new zealand's prime minister says her country has stopped community transmission of covid—19 — effectively eliminating the virus. premier league clubs begin returning to training grounds — arsenal is allowing players to complete individual sessions as talks continue in an attempt to finish the season. and a stamp of approval for captain tom — as he prepares to celebrate his 100th birthday — the royal mail's special tribute to the nhs super—fundraiser. sport now, for a full round up from the bbc sport centre. it's one of the highlights of the sporting year but there'll be no fans at silverstone for the british grand prix this summer. organisers said it was clear that

in the current conditions, staging a race as normal just wasn't possible. and there's a chance there may not be a race at all, even behind closed doors, if they can't protect the health and safety of everyone involved. here's our chief f1 reporter. if they're working in the moment to create a situation where they can hold that they safely without putting anyone's health at risk and that means minimising the amount of staff involved. the competitors in formula 1 are inherently insulated from each other or isolated from each other if you like because they are obviously in their cars and there is an awful lot of isolation that formula 1 teams can do within themselves in terms of low limiting themselves in terms of low limiting the number of staff, making people work for mobley away from the so things are heading in that direction andi things are heading in that direction and i don't think they would have done that they didn't have some degree of certainty in a relatively

uncertain situation. now, the firstjoint committee meeting on the implementation of the eu withdrawal agreement is taking place — virtually. michael gove mp, chancellor of the duchy of lancaster, is being questioned by members in this evidence session. let's go live to the brexit committee session now ...the the government has talked about limited progress and significant differences... and as we know every government in europe and every family is thinking about one thing only, which is trying to deal with the coronavirus tragedy which has already claimed 100,000 lives across europe and left many families in shock and grief and we would like to express our condolences to everyone

of those families. given this, is the government's timetable for these negotiations still realistic? first i would like to emphasise that i completely agree with you that in the forefront of all our minds is the forefront of all our minds is the suffering that has been caused by the covid—19 virus and we know that the countries of europe have been particularly badly hit, that this is a global pandemic. the health services and the front line workers not just of the health services and the front line workers notjust of the nhs but of other european countries have shown conspicuous bravery and courage and your question gives me an opportunity to say thank you to them and also thank you to the british people for the forbearance and stoicism that they have shown is a difficult time. limited progress was made in the talks but we believe that it made in the talks but we believe thatitis made in the talks but we believe that it is still entirely possible to conclude negotiations on the

timetable has been outlined. 0k, then let us look at some of the details. you told us last time that you're not doing an economic assessment of a future partnership deal but you would be inviting a range of organisations to give their views on what an impact of a free—trade agreement with the eu might be. is that actually happening? we intended to crowd source views to have the widest possible range of views. i think that most economists and most who we re that most economists and most who were engaged in economic modelling at the moment and actually is your first question implied looking at the specific challenges that the coronavirus has created and looking at how we can make sure that we make the right decisions with respect to public health and also take into account the impact of restoring the economy to a greater degree of activity than its current at the moment. to consider the interactions

between the steps required to bring about that then you'd economic activity with the public health concerns activity with the public health concerns that we all have so that is the focus i am sure of most economic... but we will be inviting economic... but we will be inviting economic organisations to give us their economic projections and analyses so that we can be as open as possible with the widest possible range of views so that people can make their own judgments about some of the policy decisions in front of us. of the policy decisions in front of us. 0k, well if you're going to ask people to make projections than their prior question will be ok, on what basis am i meant to make them? you have submitted draft tax on some of the areas to the eu but you haven't published, is that correct? we haven't published it yet but i'm confident that in due course will be able to publish everything. -- you have submitted draft text. things

will change so that neither the uk is text nor nor the eu is text will be the full story about the future, ...but be the full story about the future, butthe be the full story about the future, but the eu has published its text of the uk has not publish what you have submitted. when you hope to make that available at some point, any timetable? a matter of weeks. the reason i ask that is because if you are being asked to issue projections they don't know what it is that they are commenting on because they don't know what the british government is asking for so it isa british government is asking for so it is a little difficult to see how they can make any assessment at all. i think most people who have engaged have a very clear understanding of what the british government's overall position is which will be

outside the single market and outside the single market and outside the single market and outside the customs union which means there will be new customs requirements on both uk and also eu businesses, so the broad shape of what we seek is i think is there, and whether or not we get a canada style of an australia style outcome at the end of this process then businesses will know that outside the customs union that similar customs processes will be required was ever one of those scenarios will eventually land on. ok, well since you mentioned customs arrangements let's turn our assessments to that. you said in february that about 50,000 new customs agents would be needed by january of next year. do you know how many of these have been recruited to date? i know we have been talking to the industry about both creating a customs agent academy and also working with them

to ensure that they have the capacity required. the uptake in the additional number of people and who have undergone training us and thenl who have undergone training us and then i hope to report back to the committee. but you don't know how many people have been recruited to donate. in northern ireland, what kind of customs... we are going to pull away from that select committee, there was michael gove saying there was progress in those talks. and yes, i heard it too, it was a cat, and i'm pretty sure it was a cat, and i'm pretty sure it was michael gove skat, more on that later. —— michael gove's cat. you're watching bbc news. now on bbc news, it's time for your questions answered. with me to answer some of your questions is oksana pyzik, senior teaching fellow

at ucl‘s school of pharmacy. and i'm alsojoined by dr christian hasford, from university college hospital. thank you both for your time. the first question is about whether bronchial pneumonia is associated with deaths from coronavirus. my mother and grandmother died in february from this. firstly i'm very sorry to hear that you had an to close losses, that is awful. now coronavirus principally focuses on the long and in that way it is definitely related to a medical condition called bronchial pneumonia which essentially falls into two halves, it folds into the bronchial and to the pneumonia and that really means that the airway is affected, that's the way how we breathe air into our lungs and through that the virus can enter your long and then

it spreads from the airway into the lung tissue proper and leaves you potentially with the bronchial pneumonia. now a loss of bronchial pneumonia. now a loss of bronchial pneumonia is our... the sort of pneumonic illnesses that we are well familiar with it are very treatable with antibiotics. viral pneumonia are not treatable through antibiotics and often they are not... acquired through breathing things in. they can come through the blood stream and with covert it may well be both. can a vaccine be made from people who have immunity against coronavirus or have had it before and recovered ? — brian, bridgewater. in this instance, there are many different clinical trials that are going on and there is also research

going on and there is also research going on and there is also research going on about how people are developing antibodies and whether there is a case for reinfection or not. so one of the other treatments thatis not. so one of the other treatments that is also being... but there is research on going around is the use of plasma from people who have re cove red of plasma from people who have recovered and this is actually a really old method of treating patients before a vaccine is available and it was used to treat measles historically but we're still investigating the safety of this. the who and other groups have also said that many of the antibody tests are axed still unreliable because we are axed still unreliable because we are still trying to understand whether immunity is achievable following infection or with many coronavirus infections if there is a chance to be reinfected so based just on the antibodies this is an ongoing question of research and many of the current vaccines are

actually looking to induce an immune response, to induce antibodies rather than the other way around.|j have no doubt you are asked this every day but how long do you think before we are looking at a vaccine for this? so this is... it takes a long time but so far we have been able to go from the online sequence to the first human clinical trials within three months, that is a world record. 12 to 18 months has been a time frame that is quite difficult to achieve, however there is a team from oxford that is claiming they have a good chance of... in september having a product that is ready. so a lot of conflicting information out of their book probably 12 to 18 months is more realistic than the claims that it will be ready by september. doctor christian, we will turn back to you. this is from philip in shipley.

"i received an nhs letter saying i am extremely vulnerable. i am 67, with none of the at risk conditions. how do i get this revoked?" so philip, the easiest way is possibly just getting in so philip, the easiest way is possiblyjust getting in contact with the personal with the institution who sent you this letter. i think you are quite right in saying that this does not sound right. we have, or the nhs has, broadly speaking made to risk categories, one at higher risk of a high risk, and one at very high risk. you don't seem to fit into either of the two categories. the one has an age range from above and you are one has an age range from above and you a re clearly one has an age range from above and you are clearly at 67 in an area of understanding certainly do not fulfil this so the easiest way forward for you may be simply to get in contact with the person who wrote this letter to you. it may simply

have been a misunderstanding but with 67... chronic conditions or particular medications you may or may not be on you certainly do not fall into either of the two groups which are generally speaking written to, the high risk in a very high risk group. perhaps we should make clear, the reason he might want to the vote is that those who have received a letter saying that they are considerably at risks are staying in lockdown perhaps a considerably longer than others. that is absolutely correct that certainly at the very high risk and it is suggested to you that certainly people need to understand that these are people who have had an organ transplant, who do not have cancer but are having cancer or an on treatment which modulates or alters or changes the immunity so that you can become considerably

vulnerable to the virus, so these very high risk groups we talk about shielding and that indeed requires a quite a degree of effort on the side of the patient as well as on the side of the people who are looking after that particular patient. in the high risk group it is a slightly different matter but i fully understand that i would not want to be called high risk if i clearly do not fulfil the definition of high risk so you are quite right, i would try to revoke that statement.. thank you for that. this one from martha, full should people stop having sex during lockdown? so the primary mode of transmission is through the spirit of the droplets in the secondary mode of transmission is through contaminated services so if you are living with a partner and you are both not presenting with symptoms that should

be perfectly fine. however, given the current government advice you would not be encouraged, outside of your own household because we shouldn't really be meeting anyone outside of the house that you live in. based on that government advice it would be wise to if possible not engage at this point until if you are at home alone. thank you, we will move on. in what way is diabetes an additional cause of vulnerability to covid—19? john, guildford. again, diabetes is one of those reasons that put you at a higher risk, is that might? that is correct. so diabetes is one of the conditions which puts you at what is defined at high risk, not at the very high risk but a high risk, and that has to do with the nature of

diabetes. so principally as physicians in as patients we talk about two different kinds of diabetes. so there are the one group of patients which require insulin because the pancreatic land, the gland that produces insulin doesn't function at all so those patients because generally the type one diabetic and then there is a far mild common population affected by diabetes, that type of diabetes —— far more common. that type of diabetes is acquired later in life in the 40s and 50s and that is type two diabetes principally controlled by medication buy tablets. so why did people who appear to have diabetes appear to earn the more affected by covered? it simply has to do with the fact that glucose ie sugar is simply the main supply of

energy inside out body and obviously the supply of energy is particularly affected during periods of intense stress and a significant illness such as covid—19 can be is a period of intense stress and when you have a condition which affects each and every cell in your body... if that supply chain is not normal, not sound, then it is not too surprising that people who get very ill indeed have a disadvantage in having a system which isn't100% robust. now, saying that, i also need to stress that for the overwhelming majority of patients who do have diabetes type one or type two covered is a mile transitory illness and presumably will not cause any more problems than any of the conditions

they generally have easily sailed through. so light gastrin intestinal u psets through. so light gastrin intestinal upsets or —— so like gastrointestinal upsets or a feverish illness, so it is not necessarily that they will take harm but if you are one of the patients who does get very ill from cover it and may even need to go to an icy then the condition of diabetes does then the condition of diabetes does the common disadvantage. at what temperatures does coronavirus actually die outside the human body? it depends a lot on what sort of surfaces on presumably? absolutely so we know that on harder surfaces that this virus can last for 72 hours or more in temperatures up to 23 celsius and humidity of around 40% but it definitely does depend on

the surface that it is currently contaminated as well as other factors as well and that research is still ongoing to better understand all of the elements that this virus. .. all of the elements that this virus... what conditions are ideal for it, however there is the expectation that in higher or more humid temperatures that this virus will have more difficulty to replicate as opposed to cooler temperatures. what we have seen in previous viruses like sars is that they last up to a longer period of time and higher temperatures but currently the reputation is about 23 degrees but that is not again to say that once the weather gets warmer in the summertime that we are going to be all clear. this is still being investigated to get a better understanding of how this virus

reacts but currently that is the sort of best guess that we have at the moment and still the government advice and going out on those nice sunny day stays. this is from someone who i think should have rung 111 rather than waiting to hear your a nswer 111 rather than waiting to hear your answer on this. he said he has had a sudden episode of loss and balance. his feet and hands are heaving and it is difficult to move. it is this a symptom of covid—19?” it is difficult to move. it is this a symptom of covid-19? i think you have given a better answer than i would have given, then 111. the difficulty is that this is a fairly nonspecific set of symptoms and i find it really difficult to associate it with covid—19 so my first answer would be no but that comes with the big great caveat that i haven't seen the patient, i haven't got an idea of the medication. they are pretty worrying

symptoms, he really should get on the phone shouldn't he? that is potentially absolutely correct but we cannot say whether from the set of symptoms whether it is covered or not. you're absolutely right, i would also take advice and if in doubt go to your local a&e department and see your local doctor because these up predominantly neurological signs and they are relatively rare in the potential of carpet and i think it is important to stress that whenever you are concerned about something you haven't had before and it is clearly not right please go and see your local doctor going to your local a&e department. we have set it up in a way that we hopefully can guarantee to you the obvious give of acquiring golf it is very very low indeed and it is much better getting a safe a nswer it is much better getting a safe answer “— it is much better getting a safe answer —— acquiring covered. getting answer —— acquiring covered. getting a safe answer and knowing what these symptoms are based on the simply waiting for them to disappear. ——

acquiring covid—19. waiting for them to disappear. —— acquiring covid-19. if you know this manse even in winter it might be better to advise him to call one woman. “— better to advise him to call one woman. —— call 111. "i have bicuspid aortic valve disease, "suffer from shortness of breath and if i get a cold orflu i have "to have antibiotics. "am i safe to go into work" — beth, sheffield. because she has cardiovascular complication she is on a high risk group and she should also contact her doctor if she has not received a letter about being in a her doctor if she has not received a letterabout being in a high her doctor if she has not received a letter about being in a high risk to follow u p letter about being in a high risk to follow up on this because they should clarify the information with her employer although at this point the government is encouraging everyone the government is encouraging everyone to work from home if they

can other roles will be possible that if you are in a higher risk group then you certainly do have the right to be protected. if you do not have this letter then certainly contact your medical team contacted your doctor to get that so that you can stay at home especially with the secondary what sounds like frequent respiratory complications, and in covid—19 is a respiratory disease, if you already have susceptibility, if you already have susceptibility, if your breathing is compromised this can make it more dangerous for you. just to clarify that, for the common cold and for most of the flu the survival you wouldn't be needing antibiotics for that but if you did have a bacterial infection that would be causing respiratory infection that is when a antibiotic would be used sojust to ensure that for the common cold we certainly wouldn't want to be using antibiotics but we have certainly two problems here, first to ensure

that she gets the help that she needs from her doctor. that is a doctor from ucl‘s and needs from her doctor. that is a doctorfrom ucl‘s and school of pharmacy and a doctor from university lit hospital. we are —— university college hospital. we are out of time thank you very much for your contribution. now it is time for a weather forecast. well, the weather this week is going to be very different compared to last week. it's been extraordinarily warm, sunny and dry for the time of the year. this week, rain on the way — heavy rain — and in fact it's england and wales that gets most of the rain. and on the satellite picture we're seeing the signs of these weather systems — rain clouds gathering to the south of us and rain clouds gathering to the west of us, and from all these directions we'll see bouts of rain heading our way, and i think by the end of the week some spots in the south could see in excess of an inch of rain —

that's 25 millimetres or more. even close to double that across perhaps the higher ground — dartmoor, exmoor, maybe the hills of wales. one thing that the rain is going to do, it'll continue to lower the pollen levels. they're still pretty high across some southern parts of the uk on monday, but after that they will be lower. now we have one weather front across the country right now. to the north of it it's quite sunny — northern england, scotland, parts of northern ireland — but this is where the cool air is, so temperatures in belfast of 12 degrees at 5pm, 13 in hull, whereas we still have some of that warmth left in the far south of the country. now this evening you can see the first signs of the rain coming out of france, moving across the channel into southern england, so i think by six o'clock in the morning, raining anywhere from plymouth to london and further inland, as well. still relatively mild first thing — around 10 degrees there in the south with the cloud and the rain, but in the north, having a clear night, temperatures will have dipped down to close to freezing. so tomorrow, across some southern parts of the uk, a cloudy, chilly, wet day.

the breeze is also coming out of the north or the north—east. it really will struggle — the temperatures really will struggle. look at that — nine degrees potentially in the midlands. but for northern england, scotland and northern ireland tomorrow, it's actually a mixture of sunshine and showers and it's going to feel that little bit less cold. and then tuesday, wednesday, it really for the rest of the week, we'll see these low pressures heading our way. this is the next weather front expected on wednesday. the difference with this one is it'll move a little bit more swiftly, so i think we're talking about an hour or two worth of rain, but many of us will get it across into northern england, northern ireland and southern parts of scotland, too. but the north of scotland staying dry and sunny most of the time. that's it. bye— bye.

this is bbc news, i'm simon mccoy. the headlines at 3pm... back to work — borisjohnson says the uk is at the moment of maximum risk, as he urges the public not to lose patience with the lockdown. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people, and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. criticism of the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests. the bma says they shouldn't be issued on a first—come, first—served basis. new zealand's prime minister says her country has stopped community transmission of covid—19 — effectively eliminating the virus. premier league clubs have begun returning to training grounds. arsenal is allowing players to complete individual sessions, as talks continue in an attempt

to finish the season. and a stamp of approval for captain tom — as he prepares to celebrate his 100th birthday, the royal mail's special tribute to the nhs super—fundraiser. the prime minister has urged the british public to remain patient over lockdown — saying the uk is now at the "moment of maximum risk" from the coronavirus outbreak. he was speaking outside number ten as he returned to work after recovering from the virus. he acknowledged life has been tough over the past month, but said, "i refuse to throw away the sacrifice of the british people and risk a second peak". mrjohnson has been under pressure to map out an exit strategy from the lockdown restrictions.

a total of 18,749, patients have now died in hospitals in england after testing positive for coronavirus — up 329, according to nhs england. and in scotland, 1,262 patients have now died in hospital after testing positive — a rise of 13, according to the scottish government. those figures don't include people who've died in care homes or in the community. ahead of the daily government coronavirus briefing, downing street has asked members of the public to submit questions. one question will be chosen each day by the polling company, yougov, and will be put to the minister leading the briefing. the british medical association has criticised the online system for more than ten million essential workers to book coronavirus tests — insisting there aren't enough to meet the increasing demand. and, after seven weeks of restrictions in italy, officials there have outlined plans to ease the lockdown. parks, factories and building sites will re—open, and people are allowed to visit relatives in small numbers.

let's get the latest from westminster, and our political correspondentjonathan blake. back to the office, back to work. the prime minister arrived at downing street last night, having recovered from his own brush with coronavirus. marking his return this morning, borisjohnson thanked colleagues who'd stood in for him, and the public. good morning. i'm sorry i've been away from my desk for much longer than i would have liked, and i want to thank everybody who has stepped up. once again, i want to thank you, the people of this country, for the sheer grit and guts you have shown and are continuing to show. the uk was starting to turn the tide against coronavirus, he said, and he used his own experience to characterise the struggle in a particularly vivid way. if this virus were a physical assailant, an unexpected and invisible mugger — which i can tell you,

from personal experience, it is — then this is the moment when we have begun together to wrestle it to the floor. and so it follows that this is the moment of opportunity, this is the moment when we can press home our advantage. it is also the moment of maximum risk. after weeks of us all wondering how long the lockdown would last, the prime minister said he knew how hard it was but there was simply too much to lose to ease the restrictions now. i refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the british people and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the nhs. and i ask you to contain your impatience because i believe we are coming now to the end of the first phase

of this conflict, and, in spite of all the suffering, we have so nearly succeeded. the prime minister said he'd stick to the government's five tests to judge when it was safe to open things up, including there being no risk of a second wave of cases. but to those who've been calling for clarity in his absence, he promised more detail within days. all of us want to see a clear path ahead, because if we don't have that clear path ahead, my fear is that the lockdown will begin to wither at the edges, as we've seen over the last few days. the vast majority of britons have been abiding by the guidelines, have been staying at home and protecting lives, but if we don't have that clear sense on where the direction of the country is, i fear that others will choose to just make an exception for themselves. the freeze and fix, which is stay in the lockdown, that is going to be economically ruinous. it can't happen. but nor can we just surrender to the virus, because that would not only cost — our latest estimate —

500,000 lives, but it would also be ruinously expensive economically, and it would be a breakdown of our health system. the prime minister's return may bring renewed focus to the government's response, but also new emphasis on the most difficult decisions ahead. the former cabinet minister and gp dr liam fox said it was important the government continued to follow the scientific advice. well, we won't know how well we have done for some time because we will have to look at what is called the excess death rate, which is, you know, the number of deaths above what would be predicted over a period and that will take some time, because the covid outbreak is not going to come to an end, probably — it might, we can't tell, but it mightjust roll on at a lower level for a time until we get a vaccine. these viral outbreaks are unpredictable. viruses sometimes mutate and become more deadly, sometimes they mutate to become less

deadly, so we don't know really know what the natural course is, so we will have to wait. and people who want to rush to instantjudgment without being able to unravel all of these different complicated factors, i don't think it's going to reflect well on them in the end about their judgment. let's get more from our political correspondent chris mason. who would be prime minister with this sort of pressure and so much in his in tray? good afternoon. there isa his in tray? good afternoon. there is a colossal wait for the prime minister to resume the burdens of office as he returns to downing street today because, in many senses, the imposition of that lockdown all those weeks ago was a massive moment in our national history, given the restriction of the liberties it placed upon us, but it was relatively clear, it was relatively blanket. the whole business of starting to unpick it potentially in the coming weeks and, yes, there was caution from the prime minister, is so, so difficult because there are competing instincts as we heard in the report

there. but also competing words of advice being dropped into his ear in terms of what the modelling might suggest, about what the implications are for increased cases, if you open primary schools or particular shops that have been closed for the last month. so that is a massive weight of responsibility. we often talk, don't we, about there being no graver moment for a british prime minister than the decision to send british troops into war or not and that clearly is a massive, massive decision, but in modern times, it's only involved a relatively small proportion of the population, whereas these decisions affect all of us in very small changes in the rules could lead to pretty significant changes in behaviour overall. so a massive, massive few weeks ahead. and there is no binary a nswer to weeks ahead. and there is no binary answer to this and the balance is, on the one hand, saving lives, which obviously is a priority, but an economy that's on the brink of a very serious recession as a result of all of this. exactly and there are plenty who will make the case,

as we've been hearing, that the two are not entirely binary because the longer you are in lockdown, the bigger the consequences are in terms of the indirect health effects of the coronavirus. we've heard in the last week, haven't we, the real concern from clinicians about people not going to the gp when they may have suspected cancer, for instance. there is also the economic effects and the concerns of the many disproportionate effects on the least well off the longer the lockdown carries on. but a real awareness from government that they cannot take their foot off the pedal too quickly, forfear cannot take their foot off the pedal too quickly, for fear there cannot take their foot off the pedal too quickly, forfear there is a second spike, with the obvious potential consequence of the nhs being overwhelmed but also the economic consequence of having to slam the brakes on again and having to go back into a second lockdown. so it's very, very tricky. well done for dealing with that, was it a helicopter? it was mightily loud whatever it was. it's disappeared now, it's whatever it was. it's disappeared now ' whatever it was. it's disappeared now, it's gone! that is the loudest

thing in westminsterfor now, it's gone! that is the loudest thing in westminster for some time. apart from norman smith. stop it! let's talk a bit about the brexit select committee. there is other stuff going on of course, but the coronavirus crisis is overshadowing everything at the moment. coronavirus crisis is overshadowing everything at the momentm coronavirus crisis is overshadowing everything at the moment. it drowns everything at the moment. it drowns everything out. it felt rather surreal, hint of nostalgia, the brexit select committee re—gathering, people like me buttering that weather tumbled out of our lives every second last year and barely mentioned since december 31. there was a very early appearance from a cat, michael gove's cat, the cabinet minister addressing the committee. he has put it on twitter, we have put it on twitter, it was his cat. i am glad we have bottomed out that key fact, there is public service broadcasting for you! there is public service broadcasting foryou! in there is public service broadcasting for you! in terms of what we've learnt in the committee, a repetition of what we discovered repeatedly from government spokespeople over the last couple of

weeks, they are pressing ahead with the current deadline around brexit. the transition period will end at the end of this calendar year and the end of this calendar year and the uk will either have a deal with the uk will either have a deal with the european union for our long—term relationship with it or we won't. in other words, they are not entertaining any idea of a postponement, despite the clamour from some that that is necessary because the bandwidth of both the eu and the uk has been taken up by the coronavirus. so as things stand, they are absolutely pressing ahead and michael gove said he remained confident that there would be ideal, although he did point out that, in 1995, he was the author of a book called michael portillo, the future of the right and michael portillo has spent much of the year since 1995 fooling around on trains in pink trousers. he has got others! just going back to borisjohnson this morning, it is impossible that his own personal experience

colouring any decision—making from now on. of course, that is inevitable, of course he will listen to advice on the sage committee and the scientific advisory group that advises ministers, and think about the impact on the economy and all the impact on the economy and all the rest of it, but when you have had, as he had, such a grave experience, a period in intensive care... plenty of people are saying that anybody who has spent time in intensive care in any circumstance, their life is changed, their outlook is changed as a result, i think it inevitable that will weigh on his mind, a man who, as faras we know, outwardly is in good health, doesn't have any underlying health conditions as far as we know, in his mid—50s so not demographically in an age group particularly at risk, yet found himself in intensive care, requiring oxygen and, as far as work was concerned, wiped out for several weeks. i think that is bound to be a factor weighing on his mind as he

looks at the spreadsheets, looks at the graphs. as a prime minister, he knows there is a human story behind every number but he also knows that now from personal experience. always good to hear from you. the cut of michael gove has taken on a life of its own. someone has tweeted give him a saucer of milk and some catnip, that will perk him up, but i don't know if they are talking about the cat! chris, thanks very much. you are watching bbc news. the british medical association has criticised the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests, saying they shouldn't be issued on a first—come, first—served basis. there's been heavy demand since the new booking site went live last week. more than ten million workers and their households are now eligible if they have symptoms. here's our health correspondent anna collinson. we have now had more than a month of lockdown and self—isolation. to get people back to work on britain back on its feet, it said testing is going to be key. last friday, the government launched a website allowing essential workers

to order home testing kits for covid—19, only for the website to close just hours later due to demand. over the weekend, tens of thousands of workers have been unsuccessful. this morning, this was the message at 9:10. we spoke to a key worker who struggled to buy a kit online so had to go to a testing site. there was no time slot available near where i live, which is leeds, so i had to go to doncaster airport. it took five to six hours to go to the process of being tested. through the process of being tested. where the bottleneck was happening was you have to self administer the test. the government's deadline of securing 100,000 daily tests is just three days away. to boost efforts, the military has set up nearly 100 pop—up facilities across the country and drive—through test sites are still available, but the british medical association says tests should not be allocated on a first—come, first—served basis. the online system, in theory, is good, it allows health care workers to book a test themselves, including a home kit, but if you find after an hour all the slots have been taken

and all the kits have run out, then it isn't providing a service to all of those who can't access it. on his first day back at work, borisjohnson has hinted the uk is approaching phase two of the coronavirus. widespread testing and a tracking strategy is said to be essential in avoiding a second peak of deaths in the future. ministers insist they are on track to meet that target, and they are opening a site near twickenham stadium. they say there are many ways to do it. so, yes, people can self refer through the new online system, but, actually, front line nhs staff and health care workers, there is a testing programme for them, they can get straight into the system through their work places and through being tested there. testing in care homes is still a serious concern. more than 150 care providers have told the bbc none of their workers have been screened. whatever happens with testing

in the future, there are many in the sector who will argue it was needed far earlier. a lot of talk about testing and contact tracing. this comes as the nhs prepares to launch a contact tracing app, it isjust nhs prepares to launch a contact tracing app, it is just weeks away, the government hiring 18,000 people to get involved in contact tracing. professorjim mcmanus is the director of public health at hertfordshire county council and the vice president of the association of directors of public health. thank you very much for your time this afternoon. we, of course, are looking normally at a national figures and data. how is it differing in terms of what you need to deal with this on a more local level? well, i think the first thing to say is there are multiple sources for people to get tested and there isa for people to get tested and there is a need tojoin for people to get tested and there is a need to join as for people to get tested and there is a need tojoin as up at for people to get tested and there is a need to join as up at local level, which is what we are trying to do. so, on the report we'vejust heard, some people are being tested through their nhs route, there are other people who are tested by being

offered slots for key workers or offered slots for key workers or offered slots for key workers or offered slots online. over the weekend, we have had a military mobile testing unit in, which has been testing people and is still testing people today, so there is a need to coordinate those, where national and local organisations work together to best effect. and we are also working to stand up more testing in our care homes, but that all ta kes testing in our care homes, but that all takes partnership between local nhs, local care homes and county council and others. this is not somewhere where we are going to get a perfect solution overnight, but, actually, if you have national and local working together, we will get the best possible solution we can, given the current circumstances. because there is expertise on a local level that perhaps isn't available... looking at contact tracing, environment officers and people like that are used to the sort of investigations that that is going to require, aren't they? there

area number of going to require, aren't they? there are a number of local forces that do contact tracing. environmental health officers are a very, very important part of that but, actually, trading standards officers do that, services like a mission like sexual health services also do that. most of us trained in public health and as specialist have done contact tracing is part of our training and you have a number of others who can be trained up. public health england also have a significant scientific and practical expertise in this. the point about contact tracing is there isn't enough capacity in any single bit of the system to do a joined up approach. we have to all work together to make this happen because, if we don't, it will take longer and cost more than it could if we have local and national working together effectively. how do we do that? they need is now, the expertise is there, you have a government that needs that sort of help and information. is there evidence that someone is trying to introduce a joined up approach?”

think we have some agencies wanting to work together. i think what i would call on is a concerted effort to workjointly from all national players. what you have with this pandemic is a situation where people have to work as a team of teams, we all have to bring our best abilities and our best competencies to this. no single agency really can be in charge. what i've seen personally from public health england is that they are very aware of this and they are trying to make sure that local directors of public health get plugged into the department of health and to nhs england to make sure that that happens. and if that does happen, we will have a much better system because the worst of all possible worlds would be 152 local areas doing their own thing by themselves and the worst of all possible worlds would be a national system doing it all by themselves, andi system doing it all by themselves, and i think people are beginning to realise that. we have seen with the issue of ppe, which is clearly an

issue of ppe, which is clearly an issue and, without blaming, because we are in a crisis, but the left hand and the right hand, is it your sense that the two are beginning to know what the other is up to?” think it is certainly getting better and people are getting better at working together. you will have heard this morning on the select committee that some of our sister organisations and local government we re organisations and local government were saying that we need coordination and we need people to bejoined up. coordination and we need people to be joined up. this coordination and we need people to bejoined up. this is the point where the starting point is for every agency to say what can somebody else to do with me and what cani somebody else to do with me and what can i legitimately do, rather than i will run ahead and run all of this by myself. that's not the kind of approach we need in this, we need everybody to work together. i think we are getting there.” everybody to work together. i think we are getting there. i would like to see a bit more of it. professor jim mcmanus, thank you very much for your time. as the government wrestles with how and when to lift restrictions, ministers will be looking at countries around the world who are already making tentative steps out of lockdown. restrictions in italy will be partially lifted on may the 4th,

and new zealand will start to open up from tomorrow — after stopping all community transmissions effectively eliminating the virus. caroline hawley reports. for weeks now, about half of humanity has been urged to stay indoors. never before has the world shut down quite like this. but in countries that have controlled their coronavirus outbreaks, there is light at the end of the lockdown tunnel. this is venice, the ancient city usually alive to the sound of admiring tourists and venetians alike. but a week today, europe's longest lockdown will start to ease. italian parks, factories and building sites will re—open, as will bars and restaurants — for takeaway only for now. funerals will be allowed, with limited numbers, and people can visit family, as long as they live in the same area and they are wearing face masks. in spain, a small taste of freedom. spanish children have been cooped up indoors for six long weeks,

but yesterday they were allowed out for the first time, for an hour a day. spain has the second—highest death toll after italy and one of europe's strictest lockdowns. translation: we have been holed up for a month and a half. it has been really hard, especially for him. i've been able to go to work. he has been really excited since early this morning. in china, where the outbreak began, it is a big day for these children, returning to school in beijing. life is slowly returning to a semblance of normality in big chinese cities. but face masks are part of the uniform now, and against their natural instincts, children must try to keep apart. there is hope, too, now in new york, hardest hit of anywhere in the us. but infection rates are now falling and that means an easing of the lockdown is in sight. phase one of re—opening

will involve construction and manufacturing activities. phase two would then be more a business by business analysis, using the matrix we have discussed. how essential a service does that business provide? that question depends on where you are. in new zealand, burgers are back on the menu, at least if they are take away. yesterday, the country had just one new case of the virus. the prime minister said coronavirus was, for the moment, eliminated. of course, the ambition we all have is to confidently reach the position where we can bring back the social contact we all miss, but to do it confidently we need to move slowly and cautiously. we must make sure that we do not let the virus run away on us again, and cause a new wave of cases and deaths. across countries and continents,

there is very little yet normal about daily life. lockdowns are likely to be eased with the utmost caution, as governments grapple with the dilemma of what the new normal should be. doctors at the uk's leading heart hospital are warning patients not to risk their lives by avoiding treatment for non—coronavirus conditions. the number of people arriving at the royal papworth in cambridge after having a heart attack has fallen by 70% since the start of the pandemic. a government campaign to encourage people to ring the emergency services if they have an urgent health issue is being launched this week. an angiogram, or x—ray of the heart vessels, being performed at the royal papworth, the uk's leading heart and lung hospital. doctors are looking for blockages

that could cause a heart attack. this is what they excel at — diagnosing and treating urgent conditions. but since the coronavirus pandemic, patients have been avoiding hospital. so roughly speaking, we've seen about a 70% reduction in the number of patients coming into hospital as an emergency with heart attack. it's clear to us that people are scared to come to hospital, and they're scared to come to hospital because of the concern that they might contract covid—19. and also its clear to us that some people are trying to avoid putting pressure on the health care system, so for altruistic reasons, they aren't coming hospital. robin macpherson had a clot removed from his artery. my wife said to me, during the discussion about the numbness, "0h, just sit down, just be quiet, "just take a rest, it'll probably go away." and then it didn't go away, and i thought, if it's not going to go away in five minutes, i need to do something about it. do you think that your wife told you to sit down and be quiet because she was worried the hospitals might be busy because of coronavirus? coronavirus is one thing, i'm sure,

that was in her mind. to be honest, i hadn't thought about it. i thought, this is something that needs professional care. sitting down isn't going to put it away. and i'm glad i did now, you know, because otherwise i probably wouldn't be here talking to you. this area of the hospital before coronavirus used to be really busy. now, as you can see, it's practically empty. and although a lot of elective procedures have been cancelled, doctors are worried if people with serious heart and lung problems continue to put things off, it could lead to a tidal wave of patients who suddenly need treatment and a backlog that theyjust can't deal with. the number of urgent referrals by gps of people with suspected cancer has also dropped by 75%. so this is a ct scan of sarah's lungs, and here you can see this small shadow is what we suspect is a lung cancer. the growth‘s now been removed, sarah is hoping the operation

will save her life. the covid virus is so terrifying to everyone that even i thought, what would i do? but then it was a no—brainer, i would rather this out of my body and not growing any more. and get better and fitter for my children. survival rate increase the earlier treatment is given. survival rates increase the earlier treatment is given. with serious heart and lung symptoms, the message — ignoring problems can have serious consequences. doctors in north london have been alerted to an apparent rise in the number of children being admitted to hospital with an inflammatory condition that may be linked to coronavirus. little is known about the "multi—system inflammatory syndrome", which requires intensive care. although the number of children affected is likely to be small, health officials have asked gps to refer those presenting with it as a matter of urgency. the symptoms include

stomach pain, vomiting and inflammation of the heart. the aircraft manufacturer, airbus, says the pandemic has threatened its existence, with a third of business disappearing almost overnight. its chief executive has called it one of the largest economic shocks in history and said airbus — which has already made sharp cuts in production — must now consider all options. we can talk to our international business correspondent theo leggett. theo, what options can they be looking at? quite simply, deepjob cuts. they have done it before during downturns, they could do it again. i have the letter here that the chief executive of airbus sent to his staff. it is really, really very clear in what it says. the survival of airbus is in question. the company is bleeding cash at an unprecedented speed, which may threaten its very existence. he says

they are already doing what they can, they have put staff on leave, they are starting to tap into national schemes which will allow them to lay off workers temporarily. for example, today, in the uk, they have said 3200 employees will be put on the government because myjob retention scheme, where the government meets 80% of the costs of keeping those people in a job even though they are not working but they say in the future, they will have to ta ke say in the future, they will have to take possibly even more stringent measures, which is likely to mean, i'm afraid, cuts in the workforce. we are expecting to hear from rishi sunak in the house of commons in the next half an hour or so. he may well extend the retention scheme and the remit of it and that would help, wouldn't it? it certainly would and particularly the level at the airlines. airbus is an aerospace manufacturer, it sells planes to the airlines. a year ago, manufacturer, it sells planes to the airlines. a yearago, it manufacturer, it sells planes to the airlines. a year ago, it was doing very well because demand was very high but now the problem for airbus

is it is building aircraft at a slower rate than normal, but still building them but the airlines don't wa nt building them but the airlines don't want them because the airlines themselves are saying we are struggling to survive, we have no income, we have high costs because air aircraft income, we have high costs because airaircraftare income, we have high costs because air aircraft are grounded and we are not carrying passages, so we are furloughing our staff. the airlines themselves need help, and the last thing they need at the moment as a whole load of new aircraft delivering, so airbus is likely to see demand for the aircraft it is producing suppressed even after we come out of this for some time to come. the problem is the company itself doesn't know how long for. so an extension of the job retention scheme will help the airlines and also, given what airbus has announced today, it will help airbus as well. but they are not alone because with much publicity around virgin, saying they are in trouble. yes, virgin has seen its business

very badly hit by the coronavirus epidemic. don't forget, it focuses toa epidemic. don't forget, it focuses to a large extent on long haul traffic. long haul traffic, intercontinental traffic, has pretty much been stopped as a result of the coronavirus epidemic so, virgin, like other airlines, is struggling with the cash it has, it is running out and it has been very clear it would like to see some largesse from the government. failing that, it is also looking at commercial opportunities, ways of raising money privately in order to keep it going, because what the airlines are saying as well is that this is an unprecedented crisis. at some point, they will come out of it but they don't know what state the industry is going to be in when they come out of it, how quickly flights are going to resume, where they will be able to resume, where they will be able to fly to, where they will be allowed to fly to, so that is a really big issue for all of the airlines, particularly the ones that don't have, for example, a government sponsor able to bail them out. theo, i think you are at home andi out. theo, i think you are at home and i was told there was a slight delay on the same but not what your

clock suggest! i think you need to put that right. perhaps i should, thank you for pointing that out. well, it's all change on the weather front this week. the heaviest of the rain is expected tomorrow and in fa ct by rain is expected tomorrow and in fact by the end of the week we could have as much as around 18 inch of rain, 25 millimetres across some of the southern areas. you can see the rain already looming across the south. a few showers in the north and the air is actually coming in from the north across scotland, northern ireland, northern england, so this is where the temperatures will be lowest on tuesday, around a couple of degrees, saying newcastle. but tomorrow a cloudy wet very chilly day across the south.

apologies to thomas i'm pulling away straight to the house of commons where the chancellor which each tuna has just taken the podium. —— chancellor rishi sunak. more than a million claims have been made to universal credit,... more than a quarter of a million businesses have already stopped trading. these are already tough times and there will be more to come and while our interventions have saved millions ofjobs and businesses we can't save everyjob and every business. i understand and i share people's anxiety. but right

now, the most important thing we can do to protect our economy is to protect the health of our people. as our right honourable friend the prime minister said this morning we are making progress. we are beginning to turn the time. but if we lose control of the virus again we lose control of the virus again we risk seeing a second spike which we risk seeing a second spike which we all want to avoid. so the goal of our economics strategy will be to provide a bridge over what will be a sharp crisis by keeping as many people as possible in their existing jobs, supporting viable businesses to stay afloat and protecting the incomes of the most vulnerable. in other words, to maintain the productive capacity of the british economy so that once we are able to refine the public health restrictions we can, as quickly as

possible, get people back to work, business reopening, the self—employed trading again. the ob r have been clear that if we had not taken the actions we have the situation would be much worse. the imf has said our approach has been aggressive and right and taken together i believe that our response has been one of the most comprehensive of any country anywhere in the world. working closely with the bank of england, business groups trade unions, banks, charities and many others around the country we have developed a plan to protect public services, people and businesses. let me address each of those areas in turn. mix to speaker, public services like the nhs are on the front line of the fight against

coronavirus, and i repeat again that whatever resources our nhs gets, needs, it will get. as the budget in march i announced a coronavirus emergency response fund initially allocating £5 billion. we have now provided more than three times that initial amount with the nhs and public services receiving more than £16 billion so far. we are also providing extensive support for people's jobs and incomes. providing extensive support for people'sjobs and incomes. i will most in colston and is far reaching policy as a coronavirus jobs retention scheme, to keep people in employment. the scheme launched on schedule last week and i am pleased to report that the first grants have just been paid. around half a million employers have already applied for help to pay the wages of over 4 million fellowjobs. —— 4

million furloughed jobs, jobs that might otherwise have been lost. they are also on track to deliver the self—employed income support scheme. alongside these interventions, we have strengthened our existing safety net with increases to universal credit, the local housing allowa nce universal credit, the local housing allowance and statutory sick pay and we have reinforced our socialfabric too, with £750 million for the charity sector. of course, the best way to support people is to protect theirjobs and that means supporting theirjobs and that means supporting the businesses that employ them. our plan to help businesses means the following. almost half of all business properties in england will pay no business rates this year almost a million businesses per premises can now receive cash grants of up to £10,000 or £25,000. over 2

million businesses have been offered a vat referral saving them an average of £25,000. another 7 million businesses will be able to defer their self—assessment processes . defer their self—assessment processes. . . . defer their self—assessment processes. up to 2 million employers will be able to access the statutory sick pay rebate, up to £40,000 perfirm. over £14 billion of lending has been issued through the bank of england's... and of course, all of this is on top of our fellow scheme with payments now arriving. taken together, our plans are protecting millions of people and businesses across our country through a set of interventions in the economy on a scale which we have

never attempted before. and they are working. but mr speaker, i know that some small businesses are still struggling to access credit. they are in many ways the most exposed businesses to the coronavirus and often find it harder to access credit in the first place. if we wa nt to credit in the first place. if we want to benefit from their dynamism and spirit as we recover our economy they will need extra support to get through this crisis. some businesses will not want to take on more debt which is why our focus has been on cash grants, tax cuts and cash deferrals but for others loans will be part of the answer so today we are announcing a new micro—loan scheme providing a simple, quick, easy solution for those in need of smaller loans. businesses will be able to apply for these new bounce

back loans for 25% of their turnover up back loans for 25% of their turnover up to back loans for 25% of their turnover uptoa back loans for 25% of their turnover up to a maximum of £50,000 with the government paying the interest for the first 12 months. my right honourable friend the economic secretary and i have been in close talks with the banks and i am pleased to say that these loans will be available from 9am next monday. there will be no forward—looking text of business viability, no complex eligibility criteria, just a simple quick standard form for businesses to fill in. for most firms, loans should arrive within 204i firms, loans should arrive within 204! was of approval. and i have decided for the specific scheme that the government will... to the lender 100% of the line. —— loan should arrive within 24 hours of approval.

i remain unconvinced by the case are doing that universally. we should not ask for the ordinary taxpayers are today and tomorrow to bear the entire risk for laying down lending almost unlimited sums to businesses that may have very little prospect of paying those loans that are not necessarily because of the impact of the coronavirus. so i don't think it is appropriate to provide 100% of guarantees on all of our loans. instead these new bounce back loans carefully target the scheme at those who need it most and the 50,000 cat balances the risk to the 50,000 cat balances the risk to the taxpayer with the need to supports our smallest businesses. —— £50,000 cap. we are making progress in ourfight against £50,000 cap. we are making progress in our fight against the virus but we are not there yet. so our

strategy is to protect people and businesses through this crisis by backing our public services and nhs with increased funding, strengthening our safety net to support those most in need, and supporting people to stay in work and keep their businesses going. our response is comprehensive, coherent and coordinated. it is, i believe the right approach. and i hope i can continue to rely on the support and advice of all honourable and right honourable members as i commend this statement to the house. can i now welcome the new shadow chancellor annalise dobbs with five minutes to respond. i'm gratefulto annalise dobbs with five minutes to respond. i'm grateful to the chancellor for his statement and i am also very grateful to all the treasury civil servants and those working in hmrc and dwp have been

working in hmrc and dwp have been working incredibly hard to get the scheme is running. i fully appreciate that the chancellor's job has not been an easy one. none the lower, it is ourjob as a constructive opposition to point to problems that we have been hearing from the front line and to indicate solutions and it appears that at least some of those problems are more acute in our country than in many others. a purchasing manager's index figures that came out last week indicated a sharp fall in business confidence, and that sadly wasn't a surprise. it has been clear for some time that the economic slowdown we are currently experiencing a sharp and deep. it was, however, unsettling that those figures suggested that business confidence has taken a stronger hit in the uk than across the eurozone. i have heard from small business owners who put their life and soul into their firms out but have less than two weeks of cash flow left and iare than two weeks of cash flow left and i are devastated. we all need to work together to get the different support schemes working for our

country. we must fix this. now, i support schemes working for our country. we must fix this. now, lam well aware that many of the conditions for shifting out of lockdown and not within the chancellor's blast. however there are matters where his government needs to be open about blocks in progress and where it will approve them. that applies to the test, track, and trace regime which must be in place before us key sectors can open again. it also applies to the creation of a national system to ensure workers and employers have confidence that they can return to work safe relief when the time comes. the chancellor is directly responsible for the economic package, and he knows that we supported him in creating the fellow scheme, and in fact we called for it, but the evidence is that some key elements of the economic package are failing, so in a constructive spirit i want to ask the chancellor if you would canton and solutions in three key areas. it is a relief to

the counsellor that we have heard... we need a full guarantee for at least full some loans, he stated those of up to £50,000. but we need to be clear that the uk has an enormous mountain to climb in this area. switzerland has a population of under9 area. switzerland has a population of under 9 million getting approved four times as many loans within its first week than the uk has done in the month. we are running out of time so can 5 the chancellor how he will ask that the bounce back loans get to those businesses that need it, how will they get out of the door, and what plans does he has to ensure that the capacity will be there in banks to provide those loans? secondly, recent figures suggest that one in ten of our work fails to be employed as a result of this crisis with all that —— one in ten of our workforce. we have indicated many of the gaps within existing schemes to protect incomes and will continue to push for these to be filled but however we must be

clear. the reason why those gaps are such an income push or crushing insecurity producing prices for so many is because the only alternative cove rage by many is because the only alternative coverage by the scheme for many is in most cases universal credit, universal credit which forces people write down to an average of 10% of the income of the rest of the workforce. the dwp has made some welcome changes but failure to change the initial loan into a grant threatens to create even more of a debt crisis among households. apparently the government is sympathetic to changing the loan into a sympathetic to changing the loan intoa grand sympathetic to changing the loan into a grand but we are told the computer system just won't it so mice second question is will he knock heads together and get the computers to say yes to switching you see loans into banks. finally, before this crisis we had an economy which the so many did not work. around a quarter of all families did not have even £100 in savings even

before the crisis began. uk is the most unequal country in europe and we just had a longer squeeze on living standards not just we just had a longer squeeze on living standards notjust in a generation but generations. the recovery from this crisis must be faster and wider to ensure as many people as possible have a job to come back to we need a flexible fellow scheme. the chancellor told me previously it can't currently be made more flexible but other countries have done this. when he worked to amend the fellow scheme to allow workers to come back on a part—time basis? —— will he work to. talk about how those hardest hit by the crisis can be supported notjust dab in the future as well with employment boosting redeployment and retraining schemes. the aftermath of the pit closures shows us that an approach where the government shrugs its shoulders will scan our country for generations to come. will he work together with trade unions businesses and citizens to develop a

plan to help those that have already come unemployed and get our country moving again? thank you mr speaker and can! moving again? thank you mr speaker and can i meant welcome the shadow chancellor to her place and thank her for the constructive dialogue that i have had with her in the past two or so weeks and let me address her questions directly and swiftly. firstly, with regard to the loan guarantee programme about the banks operational capacity, obviously this is something that both the economic secretary and i have spent a lot of time on over the last few weeks working through the banks. i am grateful to them for re—engineering theirentire grateful to them for re—engineering their entire system to offer this brand—new their entire system to offer this brand— new bounce back their entire system to offer this brand—new bounce back alone. i am assured it will be available from next monday morning. it will have a very simple application process and the banks will not have to conduct more than customary fraud and anti—money—laundering cheques which of course will be reduced and existing customers that they have if

you have an existing business account it should prove incredibly rapid and within a day or two you should have passion your bank account. they are readying their systems for the launch date as we speak. with regard to switzerland, andl speak. with regard to switzerland, and i hear this a lot from many people and many of the commentators that we should copy what they did in switzerland mr speaker. it is worth bearing in mind that switzerland do have 100% guaranteed loans, i absolutely agree that do. it is worth bearing in mind that switzerland also don't do very much else in the way of direct fiscal support for their businesses and indeed after extensive dialogue with the swiss government it is very clear that for then the loan guarantee scheme is the primacy of theirdirect guarantee scheme is the primacy of their direct fiscal support to businesses and in this country we have done tens of billions of pounds indirect cash support through tax cuts, through reducing business rates, through reducing cash grants of ten or —— through cash grants...

these are more generous... this is why believe the switzerland comparison is not an allergist and furthermore the switzerland fellow scheme requires employers to contribute a fit of the payment to the scheme and in this country than their fellow scheme is that very considerable cash burden from businesses so as i always say when i am at this dispatch box or answering questions from elsewhere mr speaker it is important to look at the totality of all our economic interventions. when measured as a percentage of gdp it is very clear to me as has been empirically shown by others that the sum total of our fiscal intervention to support businesses and people through this crisis is one of the most comprehensive and generous in terms of scope and scale anywhere in the world. turning to the next question around universal credit and support for the most vulnerable. i firmly agree mr speaker that during this crisis we must of course look after

the most vulnerable in our society and from the budget onwards i have strived to do exactly that. we have invested extra funds into tax credits come into universal credit, improved eligibility to statutory sick pay, include employment support allowa nce sick pay, include employment support allowance comment employed how the schemes work the self—employed, improve the local housing allowance it and created a hardship fund is to help people with their council tax bills. all of these have over £7 billion of investment by the government to strengthen the safety net, to help the most vulnerable in our society through this difficult period. lastly, with regard to the future, i wholeheartedly believe that the best way out of this is to ensure that as many people as possible can return to the job that they had. that is the best way to

protect people to protect their livelihoods to protect their families and their household incomes which is why all of our support has been conducted with that aim in mind. how can we help support businesses? how can we help them to keep their employees attach to that business? i believe that our fellow scheme stands at the centre of that and all the other interventions will start help to support that aim —— our thurlow scheme. so as we emerge from this crisis we can bounce back as quickly as possible to the life that we once knew. the government's support package for jobs and wages providing a lifeline to millions of families for every day at the full lockdown continues further damage continues to the economy so can i further damage continues to the economy so can i as further damage continues to the economy so can i as the government to publish a volley to release the

lock down so that businesses couldn't start to prepare for a phased modification and a safe exit from the common emergency measures? thank you mr speaker. i agree with the honourable member but of course the honourable member but of course the economic damage that is happening at the moment is to which is why we have taken the measures we have to try to mitigate that. and of course i share with her and indeed the prime minister as he said this morning shares with her a sense of urgency to want to restart the economy, not least so we can get people back into work and enjoy and start creating the tax revenues that we need to pay for our public services but we are not there yet and that is why we must remain disciplined and united around our names and meet the test that we have set to emerge from this phase of the crisis. but the prime minister also said this morning that we are making considerable preparations and have been for a while for phase two. and

in phase two as the prime minister said we will be able to gradually refind our economic and social restrictions and one by one fire up the engines of our vast uk economy soi the engines of our vast uk economy so i can share my right honourable friend that that work is ongoing, i remain committed to it, and as the prime minister said, the government will be saying much more about this in the coming days. we now go across to the snp spokesperson with two minutes. thank you mr speaker. i think the chancellor for advancing the space statement. we ask that assistance in a number of areas, firstly assistance for those waiting for the confirmation of universal credit, ending at the five—week wait, additional support of their ca re rs wait, additional support of their carers who may have been forced to stop work, support for those caught

in the new starter fellow gap, support that the scottish government have already put in place for those who are newly self—employed,... helping asylum seekers who support networks may have fallen apart. ensuring that pregnant women wrongly sent home on statutory sick pay and match get access to the furlough scheme. the chancellor talk... the banks are making decisions on tight criteria so ask what he does to help businesses in that situation. the situation he announces is good and if irving can be useful but many small businesses feel that this just owes a debt for the future and it is understandable that they may not wa nt to ta ke understandable that they may not want to take on more debt so i ask him will he look at more grants, at overd rafts and him will he look at more grants, at overdrafts and revolving credit to help those businesses through the common difficulties. we also look at

assistance for food wholesalers who are keeping care homes and small shops applied at the moment and are suffering due to the decline in hospitality. he makes no mention... insurers... business interruption claims. businesses just insurers... business interruption claims. businessesjust do not insurers... business interruption claims. businesses just do not have the money and time to go through the courts to dispute this, will the government step in? thank you mr speaker. again, ithank government step in? thank you mr speaker. again, i thank the honourable member for her constructive engagement with both me and others as i we go through this difficult time. to return to her specific questions i mean firstly with regard to, again, i think helping the most moral bowl, there have been several —— helping the most vulnerable. there have been several different measures, not least strengthening universal credit as we have done by over £1000 this

year and associated changes in tax cuts and providing discretionary funds to local authorities to help those in local communities... hill about most in need and support. with regard to the banks and viability tests what i can tell her is this new scheme the bounce back loan scheme will not ask for any forward—looking information from companies, it will be a very simple form for companies to fill in, it will be self certification, and the banks will be doing customary fraud and money—laundering and identity checks rather than any credit checks given our 100% guarantee so that problem should be self. i have also spent time talking to the banks as is the economic secretary tirelessly ona is the economic secretary tirelessly on a daily basis about the other forms of credit that they extending to small businesses and she is right to small businesses and she is right to point out that some businesses would prefer to have things like overd rafts and would prefer to have things like overdrafts and in that name i am

pleased to tell her that the last numbers i had a word that about 20,000 new overdrafts had been extended along with about 60,000 capital repayment holidays and of course there is general s n e lending that happens outside —— sme lending that happens outside —— sme lending happened outside this and of course i knew bounce back scheme. ...to course i knew bounce back scheme. to ensure that the credit flows to where it needs to get too but today i am happy to put on record my thanks to them and their teams will help those work at pace to get the bounce back loan scheme up and running for next monday morning. lastly, she asked about insurance companies and i think she is right to highlight this. i would point both insurance companies and their policyholders to the very strong guidance but... set out in a letter by the fca which urged insurance

companies to behave responsibly and flexibly with regard to the interpretation of their policies. we have made it very clear previously that where a policy... where there was a question about whether it should be paid out depending on whether they have closed a business or not as a result of government action that that was cleared up. of course many few people have policies that would cover them for this but where it is clear that they should have a reasonable expectation of coverage it is right that the insurance companies pay that out and we will keep a close eye on that situation. andrea leadsom. thank you mrspeakerand cani situation. andrea leadsom. thank you mr speaker and can i say i congratulate my right honourable friend very sincerely for the bounce back lines and i think that is going to make a huge difference to small businesses and can i also say how great it was to see the prime minister back in good form today. of course we need to keep the lockdown in place until such time as it can be safely lifted but will the

chancellor today give in players and entrepreneurs the who are the lifeblood of our economy the reassurance that when restrictions can be get lifted they will be given some notice and some very clear guidelines so that they will be able to restart their supply chains with confidence? put that right. perhaps i should, thank you for pointing that out. i thank my right honourable friend for her comments. she knows better than most, having held the positions she has had in government, the importance of business to our economy and driving our economy. she's absolutely right, businesses will need time to prepare. as i alluded to, work is under way in government engaging with businesses and unions and others to make sure that, when we are in a position to get to phase two, to refine those economic restrictions. work has already taken place to prepare everybody for that and give them a suitable amount of notice so they can kick start the engines of our economy. we go over to sir edward davey. can i welcome the micro-loan

scheme, but can i press the chancellor to do more for the self—employed, in particular the self—employed, in particular the self employed not in the scheme, many of whom have modest incomes, like cleaners, builders, taxi drivers and musicians. self—employed people of that work through limited companies employing a delete relying on dividends and are getting little or no help with devastating consequences. i wrote to the chancellor on the 8th of april with a lib dem proposal to help these self—employed people and protect the taxpayer, so will he please no help these self—employed people dependent on dividends before it is too late? thank you, mr speaker. the right honourable member mentioned groups who actually are engaged with the specifically in the design of the self—employed scheme and i am certain on the day that when it was released received reasonably positive comments, notably the taxi drivers association and one of the musicians' federation three is

well—nigh spoke to them both personally as we develop the scheme and they were very supportive at the time. we have designed these schemes to get help and support to people, as many as we can in a time available and complicated changes to those schemes would mean we are able to delay getting supported millions of people who are either already in receipt of it all very shortly about to receive it. the package of help for those self employed is welcome and it does help the vast majority of these workers. however, there are those in that group, not the super rich, left out because they either are over the 50 k cut—off, they are new to self—employment or they are company directors, so appreciating that this could involve some element of pain now, claw back later, can he

give some indication that, as scotland have done in the last few days, he is still open to new ideas question mark i hope i have demonstrated over the past six to eight weeks that i am always open to new ideas, whether at home or abroad. i have constantly sought to refine, improve, iterate and respond to circumstances on the ground to make sure our economic responses is comprehensive and effective as it can be and i can give my honourable friend the assurance i will continue to dojust friend the assurance i will continue to do just that. businesses in warwick and leamington, much as across the country, have been burning through cash in recent weeks and have been desperate for a cash injection. i welcome today's announcement by the chancellor but does he not accept the view from neil kashkari, who ran the us federal bailout programme in 2008-2009 that what is federal bailout programme in 2008—2009 that what is critical is getting the money out as quickly as possible and as simply as possible, as the french have done, lending seven times more than the uk, or the germans, three times more. does he not accept we have been too slow and

too deliberative? different countries have done things in very different ways. he talked about the us there, the us has no equivalent of our fellow scheme, which is probably the most significant economic intervention we have put in place. it was up and running four weeks after we announced it and is already getting money to businesses as we speak to pay wages. he talked about other european countries. we have now issued more sea bills, loa ns, have now issued more sea bills, loans, than the equivalent scheme in germany. as we look ahead to a gradual lifting of restrictions on business in the coming weeks, will my right honourable friend look for common—sense opportunities, such as allowing open air markets to trade in the same way as supermarkets question mark and will he also look at changes to the furlough scheme to help it to accommodate a gradual return to work? i thank my right honourable friend for his thoughts and comments and i know he has put a lot of personal time and energy into

thinking about these things and welcome his engagement. he makes very interesting suggestions. as the prime minister said this morning, there will be gradual refinements to there will be gradual refinements to the social and economic restrictions and he is right to highlight that thatis and he is right to highlight that that is exactly how the process will work, whether on restrictions or indeed how we remove some of the economic interventions we have put in place. we now go over to angela riegel. thank you, mr speaker. i think all the house will welcome the announcement on the bounce back loans he has made in his statement. but will he also admit that the c—bills he announced are still proving slow and bureaucratic and will he look again to see what he can do to simplify that scheme so more of the £230 billion of potential loans he set out in his first announcements can actually get to where they need to be to save huge swathes of our economy. the

honourable member is absolutely right, iam honourable member is absolutely right, i am striving to make the process as seamless as possible and as quick as possible. we made some improvements a couple of weeks ago, removing guarantees and changes on the backend, which has already made a dearfriend the backend, which has already made a dear friend and the backend, which has already made a dearfriend and there the backend, which has already made a dear friend and there are the backend, which has already made a dearfriend and there are no more than 20,000 cbils, the acceptance rate remains over 80% but there are further tweaks we have put in place over the last week and that will be outlined later. it is largely technical and administrative and regulatory but i believe those changes will continue to accelerate the pace of cbil loans and i appreciate that is an aspiration we all share. i want to congratulate my right honourable friend on the wisdom and skill which he is adopting policies i am confident are not naturally his territory, so really well done to the government. i want to ask him, will he reassure

me that he is conscious that we need to take early, safe opportunities to open up this economy if we are to get back to a path to sustainable prosperity and can he reassure me that he knows how to unwind this major set of intervention so we can get back to sound economic principles? mr speaker, as ever, my honourable friend makes excellent and informed points on economic policy and i thank him for his support. he's absolutely right, i share with him, as does the prime minister, a sense of urgency about wanting to reopen our economy so that we can start driving growth, providing people with employment and paying for public services. he is right to acknowledge that must be done safely and although we have made progress, we are not there yet but i can reassure him that extensive work is under way to plan for phase two of this crisis, so we can get back to the economy that he andi can get back to the economy that he and i want to see. in the last ten years, there's been a very active debate about those relatively few

companies who have so aggressively avoided paying tax in this country. many of those same companies are now relying on the largest and generosity of taxpayers in order to remain solvent in these difficult times. as the chancellor and his department start to plan for the recovery economy, will he take this opportunity to have conversations with those companies to make sure that, when we do recover, they play a much fuller part in our economy going forward. let's aim for not business as normal when we get back after this crisis, led same for business as better. —— let's aim.” thank the honourable memberfor that comment and i like the phrase at the end, we will see if it shows up in a future speech or not! he is absolutely right, we are all in this together, we have gone through this asa together, we have gone through this as a collective endeavour as a country, whether business, government, individuals, and it is right that, during this process, people act responsibly and it is something i have urged all businesses to do and i hope they continue to do that and he is right

that, as we emerge from this, it is right to look at things in the round. as we went through this together, we must repair the economy altogether. i would like to congratulate my right honourable friend on the bounce back loans, which i'm confident we'll provide a lot of relief to a lot of small businesses in my constituency. i'd also like to congratulate him on the strong support measures across the range, which i know has helped a lot of people in south cambridgeshire. can he confirm he will keep the package of measures under review, both to identify any other groups we can help but also to make sure that, as we transition out of lockdown, that we do so successfully. in particular, the job retention scheme, which employs 4 million people, has been very successful in protecting jobs. we need to make sure that when it does come to an end, it does so in a way that minimises redundancies. my honourable friend is well—informed on these issues and i know he has put a lot of specific thought into this topic and i welcome further with him. he is right, we must

provide maximum support to the labour market, to businesses, to make sure we don't inadvertently distort things and actually hamper our recovery by stopping people from going to work for businesses, for re—employing people, which is the outcome we want to see. thank you, mr speaker. outcome we want to see. thank you, mrspeaker. on outcome we want to see. thank you, mr speaker. on friday, the government announced support for ferry services between northern ireland, scotland and england. the holyhead dublin route was ignored. a great deal of the holyhead dublin traffic is in fact between northern ireland and great britain, including the transport of time sensitive goods like food and medicine and it is also vital to the economy of north wales. it is the chancellor just standing back and waiting for holyhead, the uk's second busiest ferry port to fail before stepping in? as we've demonstrated, we are

prepared to support critical transportation services in this country, with huge economic intervention in rail, inverses and indeed, as he acknowledged, in ferries. i know my honourable friend the transport secretary is well on top of this and he will bring to me anyissues top of this and he will bring to me any issues that he thinks need my consideration. can i thank the chancellor and his teams for the speed with which they have managed to get so much money to help so many of my constituents. as he thinks about how he is going to balance the black hole that is his budget at the end of this, can i suggest that he consider not only ending the fair fuel stabiliser now that oil prices have fallen so much, but also looking at a windfall tax on those hedge fund managers who are currently selling short the very businesses that he is trying to

support. i thank my right honourable friend for her support and, although i can't comment on future budgets, i will certainly hear what she has to say and i echo what i said to be honourable member opposite earlier, we are all in this together as we look to repair public finances and get our economy going after we exit this crisis and it is important that everybody from every part of society plays their part in that. who would have thought, a virtualjim shannon! thank you very much. virtually, here ata thank you very much. virtually, here at a distance. can i thank the chancellor for he is doing. those in the hospitality sector and in particular private bus companies who don't have premises forjust outside the present small business support scheme, with the chancellor agreed to extend the scheme and similarly, the coronavirus bank loan scheme has had 36,000 applications and only

16,000 have been approved. again, with the chancellor ramp up the underwriting cover from 80% to 100%, as other companies have been doing? well, mr speaker, whati as other companies have been doing? well, mr speaker, what i would say to the honourable member is the new bounce back scheme today does come back with a 100% guarantee for loans of 25% of turnover up to £50,000, particularly given the structure of the northern irish economy that he knows so well, full of micro businesses, i believe this will be a very significant intervention that will help the northern ireland economy. i'd like to congratulate my right honourable friend on the scale and breadth and speed of the various packages, thank you for that. would you agree with me that what is important at the moment is getting cash and liquidity to businesses and to individuals and, hence why the micro loan scheme is important. also

agree with me that, over time, a lot of these companies are taking on additional debt, so we may have to think of equity recapitalisation.” think of equity recapitalisation.” think my honourable friend is absolutely right and i know she spent a lot of time with businesses in her constituency understanding what is on their mind. caching liquidity is king, which is why the vat deferral in particular that we put in place, worth over £30 billion, 1.5% of gdp, which took effect some time ago, is so vital in providing that breathing room. these new bounce back loans will be available to businesses hopefully within a day or two of applying, which will also speed up cash and the furlough scheme is now up and running and people are getting that cash in their bank accounts as we speak. thank you, mr speaker. many workers on low basic pay rely on commission to make up their wages but after furloughed, they will only

get 80% of their basic pay, which causes real hardship. in response my committee question, the business secretary says he is considering that matter, so will the chancellor join to gain a solution for these workers only getting access to 80% of their typical earnings? mr speaker, at this point, it is very difficult to make changes to the operation of the schemes, that will just delay further payment. for those workers who have fluctuating wages, those on zero—hours contracts, we have provided employers and employers the ability to ta ke employers and employers the ability to take over most recent time period, or the year before if they are seasonal, or to take an average of their earnings over a period to make sure they are not inadvertently penalised by a shorter period of lower earnings. i think that provides flexibility and generosity to those who do not have fixed hours of work. over to stephen metcalf.

cani of work. over to stephen metcalf. can i thank the chancellor for all he is doing to protectjobs and income in this really difficult time, especially the introduction of the jobs retention scheme. however, he will be aware that many companies don't initiate a payroll run until the end of the month. this means that new starters in early march, who have been paid for the work they have done in march but have been laid off and are an unable to access the furlough scheme, will he review this and consider other evidence of employment? mr speaker, when we announced the job retention scheme, isaid it announced the job retention scheme, i said it would apply to those who are known to have hmrc on the 28th of february, that is how the scheme was designed and set up. what we are able to do over the last few weeks was moved out date to the 19th of march, which brings in an extra few hundred thousand people into it and

means overall that just shy hundred thousand people into it and means overall thatjust shy of hundred thousand people into it and means overall that just shy of 30 million people in employment are able to benefit from the furlough scheme, which i think is an extraordinary achievement for the tea m extraordinary achievement for the team at hmrc to have conceived in this short space of time. over to daisy cooper. thank you, mr speaker. pubs and restaurants have been hit particularly badly during covid—19. those with a notable value of more than 51,000 don't qualify for the retail, hospitality and leisure grant fund. six of the big pub companies are still charging rent and pubs have been told they will be one of the last to open up the restrictions are lifted, so will the government commit to extend the retail, hospitality and legible delete leisure loans to properties with the value of over 51,000, will extend the rent and the furlough scheme for as long as pubs and restaurants have to remain closed or income is affected by social

distancing measures? the honourable member is absolutely right that companies in the retail, leisure and hospitality sector are the hardest hit during this crisis. of course, they can avail themselves of all the various interventions we have put in place more generally but the one specific benefit they have, for most of these businesses, rent is a significant part of their cost structure, which is why we have given them a complete business rates holiday for this entire year. julie marston. thank you, mr speaker. the economic package that my right honourable friend has put in place is historic in its scope and ambition and has been an absolute lifeline to so many people in businesses in hertford and sto rtfo rd , businesses in hertford and stortford, and the bounce back loans will help still more. but would he agree with me that there are some, mainly larger businesses, which are entitled to taxpayer support, but which do not need it and so have not taken it, and we should applaud the lead they have taken and encourage

others who do not need it to do the same, in the national interest.” thank my honourable friend for her kind comments and i agree with her, they should be applauded. as i said earlier, as we go through this crisis, everyone has their own role to play and they should play that role responsibly. i'm glad to see, whether it is individuals, government, businesses, everybody taking that advice to heart and she is right that those businesses that have done that do deserve our praise, but, more generally, as i would say, we are trying to support workers remaining attached to their jobs and i would try and do that in as broad and comprehensive way that ican, but as broad and comprehensive way that i can, but those businesses do deserve our praise. stephen ferry. thank you mr speaker. like others, i am sceptical of a recession followed bya am sceptical of a recession followed by a sharp recovery, with some

region struggling more than others, so does the need for some form of future economic stimulus to restart the economy? surely it is notjust a case of restarting the engine is on the economy, the economy may need a bit of a push. thank you, mr speaker. i think the most important economic policy at the moment is to maintain productive capacity of the uk economy during a period of shutdown. our interventions are designed to preserve as many businesses, as many jobs designed to preserve as many businesses, as manyjobs and as many connections as possible. that is the best way to ensure the recovery can best way to ensure the recovery can be as strong as we would all like it to be and that for the moment will focus our attention. i am very grateful to the treasury for the amount of work it has done to try and keep the economy going. however, ido and keep the economy going. however, i do have a tourism business and a leisure business which have been

turned down by their banks, even though they are both viable, and they will need more than the bounce back scheme announced by the chancellor today. these are excellent businesses which we mustn't lose, so will the chancellor continue to look further at cases like this and consider possibly some grants where there are very difficult situations. without knowing the particular details of those businesses, for many businesses in retail, leisure and hospitality, they will be eligible for cash grants of £25,000. also, all businesses can use the furlough scheme, which is significant, there will be business rates holiday is for those businesses and the statutory sick pay rebate scheme i announced earlier will be up and running next month, which will allow businesses to apply for a rebate on their statutory sick pay bill for up to 14 days per employee. that could benefit businesses up to £48,000. i

call those —— hope all those packages together will provide some relief to those businesses and many others. studio: this is the scene the house of commons. the chancellor rishi sunak has been obviously fielding questions there, but about the approach he is taking to support the economy at such a difficult time. and, indeed, coming up with some new measures to try and help businesses at this point. listening to it is and verity, our economics correspondent. let's think about this approach and what he has added today, the chancellor. viewersjust joining us may not be aware of all of it. what is he trying to address here? well, the background here is that these measures are all designed to try and prevent mass unemployment. that is the prospect we are looking at without huge scale government intervention, the like of which we have not seen in decades. this economic crisis is now the worst of this country has faced in more than 100 years, perhaps 300 yea rs. more than 100 years, perhaps 300 years. worse than the great

depression. and there are businesses right now that are facing choices to shut down and lay people off or keep going. we know hundreds of thousands of them are going to run out of cash within weeks. originally, the scheme set up before the full lockdown was in place on march 23 was in the budget to do these business interruption loans. i have spoken to people over the last month who are saying it is just not working for them. today, 16,500 loans worth a £2.8 billion, but we were hearing about 330 billion and 16,000 loans is less than 1% of the businesses out there. so either people aren't applying or they are told they are not eligible. he addressed a lot of those concerns today. there was another concern that lenders were approaching these loans as if they we re approaching these loans as if they were normal commercial loans but no businesses worried for a normal commercial reason right now. this is an emergency bridging loan and a lot of these businesses wouldn't want to borrow at all from a bank if they can avoid it and they are finding, when they did what the government asked, they were met with computer

says no, you don't fit the criteria. so by imposing a 100% guarantee, the government has removed all of the risk from the banks of the loans go bad in the future and met some of those criticisms, as we heard from rishi sunak earlier. my right honourable friend the economics secretary and i have been in close talks with the banks and i am pleased to say that these loans will be available from 9am next monday. there will be no forward—looking test of business viability, no complex eligibility criteria, just a simple, quick, standard form for businesses to fill in. for most firms, loans should arrive within 24 hours of approval. and i have decided, for this specific scheme, that the government will support lending by guaranteeing to the lender 100% of the loan. the chancellor speaking a short while ago, with this new initiative. let's think about what this is going to

deliver four people and how effective you think this might be? if it is as effective as the chancellor has advertised, then very effective. he is saying there will bea effective. he is saying there will be a short online form and it will be a short online form and it will be turned around, most of the loans turned in 24 hours. that will be a lifeline if it works. here, we are seeing a system rather like the swiss or the german system where, up toa swiss or the german system where, up to a certain limit, the government is saying we will underwrite all of the risk, take on all of the risk and they did succeed in getting the money owed more effectively than we have so far. initially, the government said we don't want to do what they are doing, we have our reasons why not, so this is a bit of a u—turn, certainly for the loans between 25 and 50 grand which were being turned down. the big test will being turned down. the big test will be can our viewers get the money? in the small business owners out there, sat at home trying to save their businesses, actually access the funds? i'm sure they will let us know we go on. i'm sure they will. the timescale will be a surprise to many because, as you say, some of the process so far has been

characterised by slowness and a very slow response, so he is promising speed, promising help where it is needed. if we look at other areas of economic inactivity at the moment and the other measures he is taking, not just to support and the other measures he is taking, notjust to support businesses, too, as you say, stave off mass unemployment but also in terms of the things he is trying to do to keep some kind of framework in place so that when we relax some of these restrictions, people will be able to trade in, you know, a half decent way. what else is he offering? we know about the furlough scheme and we got updated numbers, this game that enables employers to say, ok, we can't afford to pay you because we can't afford to pay you because we have no income but the government has promised it will pay 80% of your wages instead. that works to keep people connected to their employer even when they are not actually working for their employer and the idea is you will bounce back when the shutdown ends and you can go back and wait for the same company. that only works if that company is there and that company has other

costs a pa rt there and that company has other costs apart from wages to cover, including invoices that are often going unpaid at the moment, so it is crucial that the other support, for example, putting vat, national insurance, business rates, gives those companies the cash flow they need to survive. if it does, then thatis need to survive. if it does, then that is a great relief and hopefully we avoid the sort of mass and employment they have seen in the united states. andy, good to talk to you as ever, thank you for giving us your analysis of the chancellor's statement in the house of commons just a short while ago. ina house of commons just a short while ago. in a moment, we will bejoined by viewers on bbc one, but, before that, let's take a look at the weather with tomasz. it is all change on the weather front this week, it certainly won't be anywhere near as warm or as sunny as what we have been used to for quite some time. the heaviest of the rain is expected across southern parts of the uk tomorrow and, in fa ct, parts of the uk tomorrow and, in fact, by the end of the week, we could have as much as an inch of rain, 25 millimetres across some of the southern areas.

this is the focus this evening, you can see the rain looming across the south, if few showers in the north and the air is coming in from the north, across scotland, northern ireland and england and this is where temperatures will be lowest on tuesday, a couple of degrees in newcastle but still mild in the south. tomorrow, a cloudy, wet, very chilly day across the south, you can see where the heaviest of the rain is, central southern england, london, the midlands, just about nudging into east anglia and lincolnshire, temperatures really will struggle across the south. the best of the weather will actually be across scotland and northern england.

borisjohnson is back at boris johnson is back at work. there's criticism of the online system for key workers to book coronavirus tests — the bma says it shouldn't be on a first come, first served basis. new zealand's prime minister says her country has stopped community transmission of covid—19 — effectively