the world health organisation has reported the biggest global rise in new coronavirus infections in a single day — 106,000. there are at least 5 million confirmed cases worldwide. the head of the un agency says he is particularly concerned about the rising number of cases in lower— and middle—income countries. at least 15 people have died as cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms for decades, ripped across parts of bangladesh and eastern india. dramatic pictures showed high winds and heavy rain lashing coastal areas. nearly three million people have been evacuated and there's been widespread damage. floodwaters have continued to rise in the us state of michigan where two dams were breached on tuesday after record rainfall. officials say water levels in the city of midland could reach an historic high. one of the dams was rated unsatisfactory by the state two years ago.

now it's time for a look back at the day in parliament. hello there and welcome to wednesday in parliament. on this programme, labour says there's been no tracking and tracing of coronavirus in the uk for months. for ten weeks, there's been no tracing, unlike germany and south korea. and tracing is critical. but the prime minister promises the uk will have a world—class track and trace system. and, yes, it will be in place, it will be in place byjune 1. the government confirms there will be new checks on some goods entering northern ireland from the rest of the uk as part of the brexit deal. and there's an angry reaction to the end of the hybrid parliament, which has seen mps taking part by videolink. it is widely reported that the motivation for this over— hasty return is to get

a support pack behind the prime minister on wednesday afternoons. the labour leader has challenged the prime minister over the number of routine coronavirus tests in care homes. official figures suggest more than 11,600 people have died from the infection in care homes across the uk since the start of the pandemic. on tuesday, the head of care england — which represents independent providers — told mps that while ministers had announced routine testing, he didn't know when it would start. at prime minister's question time, sir keir starmer wanted a straight answer. what's causing the continued delay in routine testing in ourcare homes? mr speaker, i'm afraid he's simply in ignorance of the facts, because the reality is that already, 125,000 care home staff have been tested, 118,000... perhaps he didn't know that, mr speaker! 118,000 care home workers have been tested. and we are absolutely confident that we will be able

to increase our testing notjust in care homes but across the whole of the community. and he wanted that to get up to 200,000 tests by the end of the month, more than virtually any other country in europe. again, the question was when routine testing would start, and the chief executive... the chief executive of care england, who knows what he's talking about, gave evidence yesterday that it hasn't. if the prime minister is disputing the evidence of the select committee, that's his own business. order, order! secretary of state for health, please, i don't mind you advising the prime minister but you don't need to advise the opposition during this. sorry, do you want to leave the chamber? we're on maximum numbers. if you want to give way to somebody else, i'm more than happy. keir starmer. mr speaker, to assure the prime minister, i'm not expressing my own view. i'm putting to him the evidence of experts to committees yesterday. keir starmer said what was needed

was to test, trace and isolate. borisjohnson said he was confident progress on testing and tracing could be made. already, we've recruited 2a,000 trackers. and by the 1st ofjune, we will have 25,000. they will be capable of tracking the contacts of 10,000 new cases a day. and to understand the importance of that statistic, i should just remind him that, today, the new cases stand at 2,a00. and i hope therefore that he will abandon his slightly negative tone and support it. keir starmer. 34,000 deaths is negative. of course i'm going to ask about that. and quite right, too. the prime minister knows. he says feigned ignorance. for ten weeks, there's been no tracing, unlike germany and south korea. and tracing is critical.

there's no getting away from that. we have growing confidence that we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world—beating. and, yes, it will be in place, it will be in place byjune 1. keir starmer moved on to ask the prime minister to exempt more key workers from abroad from having to pay a surcharge to use the health service. the charge has already been suspended for some nhs workers. many of them are risking their lives for the sakes of all of us. does the prime minister think that it is right that care workers coming from abroad and working on our front line should have to pay a surcharge of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds to use the nhs themselves? like him, i've been the personal beneficiary of people, carers who've come from abroad and, frankly, saved my life, so i know exactly the importance of what he's talking about. on the other hand, we must

look at the realities. this is a great national service, it's a national institution. it needs funding, and those contributions actually help us to raise about £900 million. and it's very difficult in the current circumstances to find alternative sources, so, with great respect to the point that he makes, i do think that that is the right way forward. but there was more pressure from the snp's westminster leader. people migrating to these nations and choosing to work in our nhs and our care sector must have this government's cruel nhs surcharge removed and removed immediately. will the prime minister make that pledge today or will he clap on thursday, hoping that no—one really notices that he's giving with one hand and raking it in with the other? well, borisjohnson didn't answer that directly but reminded ian blackford his party had introduced the living wage and was investing £34 billion in the nhs. now, scotland's first minister, nicola sturgeon, has been challenged

over whether details of future clusters of covid—19 will be made public after she was accused of keeping an early outbreak "secret". the scottish conservative leader said people should have been told about the spread of the disease linked to a nike conference in edinburgh. a delegate from abroad is understood to have passed on the coronavirus to 25 people at the event, held on the 26th and 27th of february — days before scotland's first case of the virus was confirmed. but the incident was not made public until it was revealed in a bbc documentary. the confirmation of the number of those who have lost their lives to covid reminds us again of the enormity of this tragedy and i wonder, in the light of that, whether the first minister now accepts that keeping the nike conference outbreak a public secret was not the right course to take. first minister. i really do challenge that terminology, and i think... and i say this with deep regret — because i don't believe any aspect of our handling of this crisis

should be political — but i do believe terminology like that is seeking to make it political. she said at the time there were few cases, so those infected risked being identified. apart from asking why anybody would have wanted to cover this up, i would say, if that is the accusation, it doesn'tjust impugn my integrity — opposition politicians are entitled to do that — but it actually starts to impugn the integrity of the experts who managed this outbreak, including, i have to say, public health england, who were part of the incident management team. so let's talk about these things seriously, let's look at where there are legitimate issues and questions, but let's not engage in ridiculous language of secrecy or cover—up. labour's leader called for financial help for care workers. we still have no details yet of how, for example, death in service payments that nhs workers are rightly entitled to will be extended to those working

in social care services. and we know that many care workers are on insecure contracts, that many are low—paid, and we know that many care workers who are ill or need to self—isolate will only receive statutory sick pay. that's £95.85 a week. we are not the employers of social care staff, and therefore... without pointing the finger at anybody or trying to pass the buck, i do think it's really important we work with employers to make sure employers are doing the right thing. as to death in service benefits... scottish care have confirmed that they are putting a proposal together, and i think the health secretary is discussing that proposal — we haven't seen it yet — with them on friday of this week. and if there is a role that the scottish government can play to facilitate that, we will play that. nicola sturgeon. now, the government has confirmed there will be new checks on some goods entering northern ireland from the rest of the uk

as part of the brexit deal. the cabinet office minister, michael gove, told mps northern ireland's ports would be developed to carry out checks on animals and food products. the province will continue to follow some eu rules after the brexit transition period ends on december 31, but michael gove said there would be no "new" customs infrastructure. we acknowledge, however, as we've always done, that on agri—food and live animal movements, it makes sense to protect supply chains and the disease—free status of the island of ireland, as has been the case since the 19th century. that will mean some expansion of existing infrastructure to provide for some additional new processes for the agriculture and food sector, but these processes will build on what already happens at ports like larne and belfast. we welcome the statement today, but it does expose the broken promises made by the prime minister. today, there has been an admission, for the first time, that there will be additional

checks, that there will be tariffs on goods at risk of entering the single market. even now, many fear that the government are not willing to admit the full extent of those. we have seven months to get this right and we must. those checks already exist for live animals. it is the case already in the port of larne and the port of belfast that checks are carried out. so we will, of course, exercise any new checks on agri—food products in a proportionate way, but by doing so, we imagine that the proportion of goods that will need to be checked will be very minimal. will my right honourable friend confirm that, as from the 1st ofjanuary 2021, northern ireland, ie a part of the united kingdom, will be required to abide by eu regulations on certain goods until at least 2024 and potentially indefinitely? it is the case that there will be eu regulations, aspects of the acquis, that will apply in northern ireland to 2024. but, of course, she draws attention to a very important point, which is that if the workings

of the protocol are viewed by the people and the parties of northern ireland as onerous, too much, intrusive and unacceptable, then they have the opportunity to vote them down in 2024. uk ministers have repeatedly said there would be no border or any checks down the irish sea. we now know that's not exactly the case, as we heard in the last response there. from the very beginning, the possibility of this was crystal—clear given what's in the withdrawal agreement and the need for a level playing field between the eu and northern ireland. we all know that there will be customs checks between the rest of the uk and northern ireland. why doesn't the uk government just acknowledge that fact? michael gove said there was a misunderstanding of the position. the plan got a mixed response from northern ireland's politicians. the secretary of state will be aware that we voted against the withdrawal agreement because of the northern ireland protocol, but we welcome the clarity that this statement brings today. the member has finally confirmed that there will be a large increase in the amount of red tape, and therefore the cost, to consumers and businesses in northern ireland. michael gove said he didn't accept that and the government was proposing a light touch approach.

coronavirus has created an unprecedented crisis in britain's labour market and an emergency response is needed to prevent damaging long—term consequences, mps have been told. the work and pensions committee was questioning employment experts about the impact on jobs now and in the future and what needed to be done about it. everything is unprecedented in this crisis, but the data that was released yesterday showed that we've seen the largest increase in claimant unemployment, the fastest increase in claimant unemployment since 1947, since the winter of 1947. and the increase month—on—month was five times greater then we saw in the 2008—9 recession. it's now 2 million people now claiming unemployed... i say "now". it was 2 million claiming unemployed on the 9th of april. there's been a million universal credit claims since then. jobcentre, as was and is, is set up for record

levels of employment, not record levels of unemployment. this isn'tjust a dwp/ jobcentre plus problem, and it shouldn't be seen as such. so, in amongst this sort of thinking around what happens with jobcentre, what's happening with the other departments and the other levers that can be pulled for, for example, supporting those young people who are unemployed? this is a much wider government issue than just jobcentre. it's quite a list, isn't it? it's people living with disabilities, people who are shielding, older people, younger people, women and people with caring responsibilities more broadly — so that's children but also people who are carers — people who are currently in the furlough scheme and people who are employed in sectors which may be slow to pick up again as a result of this — the obvious one being retail. we've called for a cobra forjobs, unlike the sort of cobra forjobs of government ministers coming together and talking, trying to make decisions, trying to open that out and involve and engage much more with wider partners. spending is about £200 million a year.

going into the last recession, it was over £1 billion a year. and in 2010, at the height of the recession, the government was spending £2.4 billion in today's money on contracted employment support. so we're at one—sixth of the level going into the recession than we were last time and we probably need to scale up to a similar amount of money — you know, literally a couple of billion pounds a year — if we want to make sure that those who are coming onto unemployment are getting access to the right support. we have seen much greater adoption of flexible working, of working from home, and they're some of the things that actually have previously been barriers to some disadvantaged groups being able to access work. so, if there are opportunities to try and learn the lessons of what we found possible to do in a moment of crisis that hasn't happened as readily previously, then that might give us an opportunity to try and have a better chance of building back better than if we just go back to operating business as usual. the government had actually promised a £600 million investment in skills. that is not replacing what we've lost over the last decade,

but that was due to come in in 2021, and obviously now should be brought forward. and just because i haven't mentioned it yet, one of our key proposals in this kind of scenario is for a jobs guarantee and government to fund paid jobs for people who are at risk of long—term unemployment. all the witnesses argued that, with the right policies, the uk could emerge from the crisis with a more skilled workforce than before. you're watching wednesday in parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. in the welsh parliament, the plaid cymru leader renewed calls for an inquiry into the handling of the covid crisis. adam price said setting up an inquiry should begin now, because it could take up to six months. and he wanted it to start work before the end of the year. could you make some general commitments today to the principle of setting up an independent public inquiry in due course to ensure that in the meantime all relevant documentation, minutes, e—mails, even zoom recordings first minister

are being safely kept? no doubt that an independent inquiry will be required at the right point in the process. and the documents that are kept by the welsh government are kept meticulously, and i'm sure that they will be available for that inquiry when the time for it comes. the first minister has offered a so—called road map out of lockdown but with no dates attached. and crucially, it offered no real leadership to the people of wales. first minister, is this road map the best hope that the welsh government can actually offer the people of wales and when can we expect to see some timescales alongside your exit strategy? i completely reject the member's suggestion there is no leadership on the matter. the road map was very widely welcomed in wales and beyond wales indeed as a clear statement of a direction of travel that

the welsh government has set out. on timescales, let me say as i have said before when i have been asked, there is a genuine debate to be had as to whether timescales are a helpful way of setting out the future. in the end, we thought that it was more of a distraction than a concentration on the matters that really deserve our attention. why should people in wales be subject to the most extraordinary, intrusive, and prescriptive restrictions on their freedom if they are not necessary? many who had not before understood the scope of devolved powers don't now like the answer. it's because of devolution. mark dra keford accepted extraordinary powers were being used. i agree with what mr reckless has said about devolution being brought home to people in this crisis in a way that it hasn't been over the last 20 years.

i doubt that it is true that in wales people aren't aware of devolution, it is certainly true people outside of wales and in london appear to have woken up from a 20—year sleep. mark drakeford. measures to create a trade policy independent from the eu came a step closer when the trade bill passed its second reading in the commons. the legislation replaces trade agreements the uk had as an eu member state and paves the way for embedding new trade deals into uk law. as we recover from the economic shock of the coronavirus crisis providing certainty and predictability in our trading arrangements will be vital to securing the interests of businesses and consumers. we will unleash the potential and level up every region and nation of our united kingdom. now is the time for this house to speak out against protectionism. it is time for us to embrace

the opportunities that free trade and an export—led recovery will bring. but labour said the bill was a missed opportunity. for the last five decades, our trade policies have been set at european level. indeed there isn't a single member of this house who was in parliament the last time the uk set its own trade policies. so, like it or not, this bill has historic significance. and that's what i want to address today. is this bill in its current form fit to rise to its historic challenge? because after five decades, years in which we have seen tremendous upheaval in our global economy, does this bill provide the legislative framework and the bold far—reaching vision we need to underpin britain's trade policies for several years to come? the answer, she said, was no. nevertheless, the bill was approved by mps without amendment and it now goes on for more detailed scrutiny. will primary schools in england

be reopening for some pupils from june 1? schools are looking at ways to enforce social distancing and make sure it's safe for youngsters and teachers. but at least 11 councils have expressed concerns about the plan, and the teaching union, the nasuwt, said it remained "unconvinced" reopening schools was "appropriate or practicable". peers were told that certain year groups would be expected to go back in england, providing the government's five tests on easing lockdown restrictions were met. labour focused on the spread — or r value — of the virus. minister, you have said today that various local authorities across england are now advising schools not to open in their areas. with public health england having said r values vary across different regions, it's difficult to understand the government's decision the school should reopen nationwide onjune1. so will the noble baroness the minister reveal to noble lords what the government's scientific evidence says about reopening schools in communities

which have an r value which is closer to one than the average? the r rate is not actually broken down regionally. it is not published in that form, it's a uk—wide estimate range that's published each week. the individual modelling groups include epidemiological information on the intensive care unit rate of admissions, the death rates and the rate of hospital admissions. so, it is an average value that can vary across communities, but it is not published on a regional basis. germany closed their schools within three weeks of their first case being identified. this and their very early test and trace and isolate strategy appears to account for their remarkable success in controlling deaths from covid. does the minister agree that schools should only reopen in those areas where they have a capacity to test, trace, and isolate absolutely fully

across the community so that then of course if a child is identified as having covid within a school, school can close for 14 days, then reopen and press on with their wonderful work? the minister said the government was looking to learn from other countries, but any measures had to be specific to the uk. i was in a meeting yesterday and i met the un secretary general‘s special envoy on covid—19. he emphasised that the seriousness of this virus cannot be underestimated and nor can its uncertainty. he said that we should have and i quote "a comprehensive defence everywhere." can the government guarantee that every school which opens will have a full operational defence plan which protects both staff and children? lady berridge said the government had published detailed guidance for schools to be able to reopen. finally, the commons is about to take a break for whitsun. when it returns onjune 2, the current arrangements whereby

some mps speak in the chamber and others speak via video link is expected to stop. the leader of the commons believes this so—called "hybrid" system can't scrutinise ministers properly. and he's worried that the 36 bills promised by the government after the election are virtually stalled. we have to recognise that if we persist with the present arrangement, it will become harder to make progress in a timely fashion. that is why in line with government advice for those who cannot do theirjobs from home, i'm asking members to return to their place of work after whitsun. we will not be returning to the crowded bustling chamber of old. we will be observing social distancing. it is widely reported that the motivation for this over— hasty return is to get support back behind the prime minister on wednesday afternoons. it's even reported today that the leader yesterday suggested to a commons commission that to get

more mps in, perspex screens should be installed between the benches, between members. someone has obviously told him how things have been done at tesco these days. mr speaker, we have demonstrated in recent weeks that the business of this house can be done from behind the screen as we do right now from behind a computer screen. this is not, mr speaker, a battle of government good and everyone else bad, of shirkers versus workers as some ministers have said. this is about parliament being a good model employer. we need a phased return, not to overpower the nhs or overpower house staff where everyone can be safe. whilst we have had to improvise due to the unprecedented situation we find ourselves in, we cannot effectively do ourjobs from home. we should lead by example when asking the country to return to work. this will not affect everyone equally. those who are older and suffer ill health will be disproportionately affected as will those who live furthest away. so, can i ask has he undertaken under qualities assessment of this

proposal and does he think that removing the existing arrangements is compatible with the laws on equality of treatment of persons in the united kingdom? i would like to reassure those members with underlying health conditions who have been told to shield or are receiving specific government advice about their health that we are working with the house authorities to see how they can continue to contribute to proceedings within the house, and we recognise the importance of that, but we also recognise the need for business to continue. i understand that the parliament in holyrood is still meeting, though with a third of members turning up, moving all over scotland to get there. so i slightly think what is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. jacob rees—mogg. and that's it from me for now, but do join me next time for our round—up of the week here at westminster. but for now from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye.

hello there. some overnight rain for parts of northern ireland in western britain will continue eastwards through the day. in fact we could see a few sharp showers developing more than persistent rain as it comes into the south—east, potentially thundery downpours here, torrential downpours before it clears away. righteous quys before it clears away. righteous guys follow where we could get damp and foggy weather for much of the day. because we have changed the air across the uk, it won't be as warm. still warm enough strong may sunshine. there is more change of foot as we go through thursday night into friday, you can see this deep area of low pressure and seasonably area of low pressure and seasonably area of low pressure and seasonably area of low pressure will wind itself up the windy weather is due on friday and some rain, to the north—west highlands will see most of the rain but we will notice a

much cooler feel, of the rain but we will notice a much coolerfeel, particularly of the rain but we will notice a much cooler feel, particularly with those gale—force winds in the north—west.

welcome to bbc news, i'm mike embley. our top stories: the biggest one—day increase in worldwide covid—19 cases, says the who. protests in peru, health workers tackling covid—19 demonstrate over a lack of personal protective equipment. cyclone amphan, one of the most powerful south asian storms for decades, kills at least 15 people in bangladesh. a state of emergency in parts of michigan, where heavy rain has caused two dams to collapse. european countries puzzle over re—opening tourism, we meet the hoteliers hoping to salvage the season. the balance between welcoming visitors back here and the risk ofa visitors back here and the risk of a second wave is what italy and every other country is now

trying to