tonight at ten, borisjohnson repeatedly says no to an official inquiry into the conduct of his top adviser, dominic cummings. borisjohnson was giving evidence to a committee of senior mps, defending his government's handling of the pandemic. but the mps questioned his approach and whether he understood public anger about the conduct of his closest adviser. i think it's been a very frustrating episode, and i understand why people have been so concerned, because this country is going through a horrendously difficult time. we'll have details of what was at times a challenging session for the prime minister. also tonight... the new test and trace schemes will be rolled out in england and scotland from tomorrow ministers say it's everyone's civic duty, to cooperate.

our second special report — clive myrie on the impact of the pandemic on one community in east london. violence between police and protestors in minneapolis following the death of a black man being forcefully detained by officers. and no luck with the weather for the launch of the first privately—owned spacecraft to the international space station. and coming up in the sport on bbc news... as the clubs vote return to contact training, there are four more positive tests for covid—19 recorded in the premier league. good evening. borisjohnson has repeatedly dismissed calls for an official inquiry into the conduct of his top adviser dominic cummings. the prime minister was put on the spot by a committee of senior

mps, and asked to authorise a formal imvestigation into why mrcummings drove his family hundreds of miles during the lockdown. mrjohnson said he understood public indignation, but said the outcry was just a "political ding—dong". more conservative mps have come forward today to demand mr cummings's resignation, despite the prime minister's appeals for everyone to "move on", and focus on the new contact tracing system to fight the pandemic being launched tomorrow in england and in scotland, where they have their own system. the latest official figures show the total number of deaths across the uk is now 37,460. there were 412 deaths recorded in the last 24—hour period. mrjohnson's appearance before the committee was hardly plain sailing, as our political editor laura kuenssberg reports. do you think the public will believe you? he is the prime minister's top adviser. it's been the prime minister's choice to keep him on. the prime minister, who's had

dominic cummings by his side. so today, it was for the prime minister to defend their decisions to mp5. have you had a look at your inbox? my inbox, like mps across the uk, is filled with people listing their sacrifices. he won't say sorry. will you say sorry on his behalf? i am sorry for the pain, as i've said, the anguish and heartbreak of so many people in this country. what about mr cummings' journey confusing other parents? the reason you're not giving people a straight answer is because you are trying to protect dominic cummings. 40,000 people are dead. we need you to get this right now. so can you tell us, you have a choice between protecting dominic cummings and putting the national interest first, which will it be, prime minister? well, i think my choice is the choice of the british people, they want us all to make, yvette, that is, as far as we possibly can, to lay aside party political point scoring and put the national interest first.

this is now a distraction. people are very annoyed, prime minister. is that on your radar? i do understand why people feel such indignation about the whole business, the pain of the whole business, of the lockdown. but i really also think that what they want now is for us to focus on them. the prime minister was also pressed on the country's halting start to testing for the virus, and plans for a huge tracing system starting tomorrow. why it took until april to introduce the 100,000 tests target, even though our first confirmed case was in january? the brutal reality, jeremy, is that this country did not learn the lessons of sars or mers, and we didn't have a test operation ready to go on the scale that we needed. but from tomorrow, thousands of people in england could be asked to stay at home if they've been in contact with anyone with the virus. is it compulsory, or is it advisory?

we intend to make it absolutely clear to people that they must stay at home. is it a law or is it advice? we will be asking people to stay at home. that captivity for a tiny minority for a short time will allow us, gradually, to release 66 million people from the current situation. why, he was asked, quarantine people flying into the uk soon, when at the start of the virus, the government allowed planes to keep going to and fro? why now, when we are easing the lockdown and other countries are ending quarantine, and why not when we entered into lockdown? because the scientific advice was very clear that it would make no difference to the arrival of the epidemic. what we don't want to see is reinfection from abroad, and we think a sensible quarantine scheme can help. and then an awkward question about who holds the prime minister's attention.

you made the distinction between there being a lot of women and enough women. how many is enough? oh, boy! this is a deeply... no, that's a question on which i'm not competent to pronounce... is it not 50%? it's not a joking matter, though, is it? it's not, and all i say, caroline, is that it's incredibly important to us, incredibly important to us as conservatives. but this afternoon was dominated by questions about the prime minister's adviser. again and again, borisjohnson said he wanted to move on, but even as he was speaking, there were more calls from tory mps for mr cummings to say sorry or quit, so even in the prime minister's and political party, upset hasn't faded, not yet. clearing things up is not straightforward, but number ten believes toughing it out will see them through.

the health secretary matt hancock says the rollout of the test and trace scheme in england tomorrow is an ‘important milestone', and declared it was everyone's civic duty to cooperate. he said those who've been in contact with people showing symptoms of covid—i9 will be told to self—isolate, even if they themselves do not have symptoms. northern ireland has its own version up and running, scotland has announced its own system will also start tomorrow, and wales' system is due to start in earlyjune, as our health editor hugh pym reports. it's billed as a new phase in the battle to contain the virus, targeting people at risk and the areas where they live so restrictions for others can be progressively eased. it'll be a big ask for some. those who have recently met up with someone who tested positive will be told to self—isolate for two weeks. nhs test and trace means we can start to replace the national lockdown with individual isolation for those who been in contact with the virus, and local action,

where it's necessary, to respond to a flare—up. a local tracing system's already been tried out in sheffield. volunteers got in touch with individuals who'd recently been in contact with people who had the virus. and it wasn't always easy. all you're saying to people is, isolate. don't go to work, maybe don't earn. they are difficult things to say. and you're making people anxious they might get the illness. so, that piece is hard. so, will people self—isolate if they're asked to? i guess there's a risk that some of your civil liberties are being infringed. but, in the immediate instance, you've got to stay safe for the benefit of you and everyone around you. i'd probably initially be a bit scared. but i would be happy to isolate for 14 days. here's how it works. if you have coronavirus symptoms, you self—isolate

and book yourself a test. if it's positive, an official will call and discuss your recent contacts. anyone you've been two metres or less from for more than 15 minutes, or closer than one metre face—to—face, so that could be colleagues in the office or friends you may have seen, the tracers then call these people and tell them to self—isolate for up to 14 days. though, ultimately, it's voluntary. a smartphone app to help the process has been tried out, but has not yet ready to be officially launched. so, will the scheme work? some are cautious about how it might turn out in practice. it is a big undertaking, and the huge challenges to link up the testing and tracing people with your carers, the local gps and the local public health system. but if we get it right, then it provides us with a fantastic community shield. test results need to come back quickly. but pauline, who was tested on tuesday last week

at a drive—in centre like this, still hasn't heard. eight days later, i have still not received a result. and i'm feeling very anxious. i'm just wondering when i'm going to get the text message to tell me. the scottish government's test and protect strategy will also be launched tomorrow, a scheme in wales is set to start on monday. northern ireland's got under way last week. the aim is always the same. search out those who might be infected, get them to self—isolate and hopefully contain the virus. 0ur health editor hugh pym is here. let's talk about this track and trace regime, as explained by matt hancock today. it is asking quite a lot of people, isn't it? yes, people will expect quite big changes, potentially. first, if you develop symptoms, you are expected to book a test online. if you test positive, you will be told to go into a

government website and put in details of recent contacts, people you have met up with, phone numbers and e—mail addresses. that might raise some concerns. nhs leaders have gone out of their way to say data confidentiality will be crucial. that is what happens in the nhs, and it will be observed. then there is another group of people who may be perfectly fit and well, without any symptoms, who get a call and e—mail saying they have been in contact with somebody that tested positive. they will have to self—isolate for 14 days, they will be expected to do that. ministers have not ruled out, potentially, if this is the last resort, financial penalties. that is quite a lot for people to get used to. is it going to work? the infrastructure seems to be there. but it really depends on test results coming back quickly. as we heard, some people have been waiting several days. the app, the contact tracing app that was talked about, it is not in a position where it is being rolled out nationally. there has been a broad welcome for

this. it is seen as a crucial way forward to try to chart a way through raising lockdown restrictions. but a lot of questions still over whether it really can be delivered. thanks very much, hugh pym. this week, we're reporting on the impact of the pandemic in one of the most densely—populated parts of the uk, the borough of tower hamlets in east london. in the vanguard of the fight to deal with covid—i9 are the staff of the royal london hospital, which serves a large south asian community in the area. in tonight's special report, clive myrie looks at what happens when the doctors and nurses have done their very best for those in their care. his report contains some distressing detail. it's hard to comprehend how historic these times are when you're living them. it's distance that will aid clarity. the lives and jobs lost because of coronavirus are destined to become chapter headings,

not footnotes, in the public record. and in one corner of the east end, the work of a tiny morgue will become part of london's narrative. all the communities here have been hit by the coronavirus. but this place, up and running in a matter of days, serves the desperate burial needs of the muslim asian community hit hardest by the disease. some of the victims come from the nearby royal london hospital, having prayed much of their lives in the east london mosque. at the height, we were dealing with around 25 bodies daily coming to the morgue, because the cemeteries and other funeral services weren't able to cope. the leadership of the east london mosque felt it had a duty

to intervene when muslim dead began to pile up. it's beyond, really, comprehension. you know, people would have this guilt inside the family and the community that we couldn't do the right thing for our deceased. especially the ones that suddenly passed away. you know? so it would have been a guilt that would have been felt throughout our lives. this lady phoned us up, at the east london mosque and said, look, i've got my dad that died, passed away in hospital. my mum is quarantining in my home. i can't see her, because i've got to be away from her. and i can't see my dad before he's buried. this is the kind of situation we had. and it brings tears to my eyes even now, talking about it. this is how it was. you know, people felt so helpless. it's often when we feel helpless that some turn to faith.

while the royal london may be one of the leading teaching hospitals in the world, there's always a little corner for what's important. the muslim chaplain here is imam faruq siddiqi. and he's proud of the royal london's links to one of the biggest muslim communities in britain. he is about to see a patient whose underlying health conditions were complicated by covid—i9. we were given permission to film. she's clinging on to life, but has refused any final medical intervention to save her, when eventually the time comes. a balm for the dying. faruq's had to recite these words so many times in this pandemic. faruq, just how important

is it for that kind of prayer to take place? it's really important, for notjust the patient, but her children, and the kind of extended family. it's a kind of source of comfort for them, to know that they've had a chaplain, a religious figure, come say some prayers for comfort. and this might be the last time they are able to speak, and say the most important words in ourfaith, which is "la ilaha illa allah" — that there is no god but god. meanwhile, death appears two floors above, on the coronavirus wards. it's been a difficult night for the team here. they lost four patients. every one, a tragedy. and at the height of the pandemic, on one night, 11 people died. now this is one of the vacant,

empty beds left behind. we'd seen how medics battled to save the life of one man... go, go, go. ready, steady, go. ..revaged by covid—i9. and sister becky smith told as a heartbreaking verdict loomed. obviously we'll make a decision about whether it's appropriate to continue with what we're doing at the moment, or whether we give him a bit of dignity. the patient‘s name was krishnapillai yogan, the decision was made to stop his life—saving drugs. a white partition was placed around his bed, and becky's face was the last one he saw. take us into the cubicle at that moment. just sat on a chair and just held his hand, to be with him in that time. it was a very quick experience, in that way.

we give the patient a full wash together, so two nurses will always give them a warm wash. put them in some new clothes, so they can be sent away with a lot of dignity and respect for their body and for their life. do you take any of this home? i think, in these current times, with covid, it's a lot harder to separate things. because you feel like it could be your dad, it could be your mum, because it's so close to home for everybody in the world at the moment. it's difficult, because it's happening every day. so, you do definitely take it home. we'd all like to leave behind more than an empty bed. for the shadow we cast to be benign. but those who chronicle this time of coronavirus will record that this hospital and the community it served tried to work together, to leave a legacy of

which both could be proud. 0n tomorrow night's programme... race and class in the time of covid—i9. all of us cannot be doctors. somebody has to be a doctor, somebody has to be a nurse. and somebody has to be a domestic. so i'm proud of what i am. and those hoping for burial in the soil of their birth, but stranded in the uk. clive myrie, bbc news. the latest in our special reports this week on the impact of the pandemic in one part of east london, as witnessed by clive myrie, producer sam piranty and cameraman david mcilveen. the chancellor says the number of workers being paid under the wage—subsidy scheme rose from 8 million to 8.4 million last week. the cost of the furlough scheme so far is £15 billion. a similar scheme for self—employed

workers has received 2.3 million applications, totalling nearly £7 billion. research suggests women are more likely than men to have lost theirjobs or to have been furloughed during the pandemic. the institute for fiscal studies questioned more than 3,500 families in england, and found that working mothers were also doing more homeschooling and childcare than fathers. the department for education in england will fund a national voucher scheme for free school meals over the half—term following pressure from parents, pupils and school leaders. the schools standards minister nick gibb told mps that the cost of the scheme would be met by the government over the break, rather than just in term—time. premier league clubs have voted unanimously to resume contact training. once the new measures come into force tomorrow, england's top teams will be allowed to tackle during play. a further four premier league players and staff have tested

positive for coronavirus. discussions continue on plans to resume the season "when conditions allow". in the us, there's been violence between police and protestors in minneapolis following the death of george floyd, a black man who was filmed lying in the street, struggling to breathe, with a police officer's knee on his neck. four police officers have been sacked and there is an fbi investigation into the death. 0ur north america correspondent nick bryant has the latest, and a warning — from the start, his report contains distressing images of the incident. this is the scourge of police brutality, a disease america has never been able to cure. i cannot breathe. you a tough guy? an unarmed african—american pleading for air as a white officer pressed his knee on the back of his neck. check his pulse, check his pulse! 0nlookers tried to help. but after being taken to hospital,

george floyd was pronounced dead. the 46—year—old was being arrested following reports of the use of counterfeit money. what unfolded next, we've seen many times before. protesters filling the streets carrying placards asserting that black lives matter and another kerb—side shrine, this time at the spot where george floyd was pinned down. demonstrators wore masks, but spoke with a clarion voice. i just want to say, we are sick and tired of being sick and tired. too many lives have been taken. yesterday what we saw was a black man who was lynched. right? they didn't use rope, he used his knee. this has become another american ritual, a bereaved black family going on television to express anguish and dismay. they treated my brother like a scumbag. they left him there to die.

they acted like he was a piece of trash and just wanted to leave him there. 0n the streets of minneapolis, fury broke loose, protesters targeting a police station in minneapolis, wrecking a patrol car and pelting the building. officers responded with a volley of tear gas. and their own version of events. he physically resisted officers. officers were able to get the suspect into handcuffs, and officers noticed that the male was going into medical distress. but this security camera footage from the scene did not show george floyd resisting arrest, and the mayor of minneapolis announced the firing of four of the police officers involved. being black in america should not be a death sentence. this man's life matters. he matters. he was someone's son.

even as a nation finds itself at the epicentre of the coded pandemic, its racial faultline has erupted yet again. nick bryant, bbc news, new york. hong kong no longer merits special treatment under us law, according to the secretary of state mike pompeo, who claimed that hong kong no longer maintained a high degree of autonomy from china. the declaration could have far—reaching implications for trade between america and hong kong. beijing is expected to impose a controversial new security law on hong kong within hours. 0ur china correspondent robin brant is in shanghai. this is a further escalation in the already fractious relationship between the united states and china, the world's two leading economies.

take a quick step back. we already have that ongoing trade war that continues. it was partly resolved, but it goes on. and of course, we have increasing hostility in washington, dc and other capitals about the outbreak and the impact of coronavirus. but now hong kong is front and centre. a week ago, beijing announced new plans to impose, and imposes the key word there, a new national security law on hong kong after a year of protest there. it said it would deal with things like subversion and terrorism. the united states, through mike pompeo, the secretary of state, in evidence to congress in the last few hours, says that is evidence that china has shared any pretence, frankly, of hong kong maintain its high degree of autonomy. the people there since 1997 have pretty much the right to rule themselves. different police, different courts, different money. so the us will move possibly to end the special treatment it gives hong

kong, the special trading relationship. it is less expensive to export from hong kong to the united states, a different legal relationship as well. president trump may even decide to take action against certain chinese leaders who may enforce this new national security law in the future. so i think people are waking up in hong kong this morning and also here on the mainland will wonder about hong kong's ability to maintain its reputation and existence as a crucial financial hub in this reputation and existence as a crucialfinancial hub in this part of the world. the us is banking on beijing not wanting to jeopardise that. i have to say, and it's likely this new law will be rubber—stamped in beijing later today, there is no sign that beijing will grow back. in fa ct, sign that beijing will grow back. in fact, it looks like it's going further in terms of bringing hong kong under the auspices of communist party control from beijing. kong under the auspices of communist party controlfrom beijing. robin brant, with the latest in shanghai. the world health organisation has warned that south america has now become the epicentre of the coronavirus pandemic, with brazil being the worst hit by far.

but health experts there say that the real number of confirmed infections may be far higher than the official records, due to a lack of testing. since the end of february, the official number of covid—19 cases in brazil has risen to 391,222. and the reported death toll over the same period has gone up to 24,512. 0ur south america correspondent katy watson is in sao paulo. katy, what do you think are the main factors that have led to this crisis for brazil? well, huw, a loss of the region was looking at what was happening in europe in mid march and many countries decided to lock down early. you saw quarantined in sum, we saw a closure of airspace. but here in brazil, the response has been chaotic. we are talking state governors who have implemented tough isolation measures and they have been fighting every step of the way

with a president who has wanted to be obstructive. that has led to a lot of confusion and pressure to reopen the economy. just today, sao paulo was talking about getting back to normality, but this is a time when we are seeing the death toll rise ever faster. but even in countries that locked down quickly like peru, the second worst hit country in the region, its president was widely praised for its swift action. but over there, the cases are rising. it comes down to several factors. we are talking deep inequality in this region, so the inability to socially distance and in some parts the unwillingness to socially distance too. that is coupled with health care systems which are overburdened and underfunded, and that means what we have seen in europe and the us is coming here. but it is far less able to cope. katy watson, with the latest for us in sao paulo. president trump has threatened to close down the social media platform twitter after the company,

for the first time, alerted users to fact—check some of the president's posts. the links provided by the company said the president's claims were "unsubsta ntiated". in may, twitter announced a new policy on tackling misinformation as social media companies try to respond to claims that they're being used as vehicles for fake news, a problem that's worsened during the pandemic, as marianna spring reports. just like coronavirus, misinformation has spread everywhere. and as it has spread, it has caused harm. people have died from poisonings in the us, vietnam, nigeria and iran. misinformation has fuelled racist attacks on muslims in india. false claims that 5g is spreading covid—19 sparked arson attacks on telecommunications masts in belgium, russia, canada and the uk, where workers were targeted, too. all i could hear them saying was, 5g is killing us all, we should be ashamed of ourselves

as engineers and that i don't have any morals. i'd heard rumours, not from any news sources but people talking about, oh, well, it could cause... it could have effects, people getting sick over the 5g towers being too close. brian's wife is still fighting for her life in hospital. as the human harm caused by misinformation rises, so doctors are speaking out. tales of patients trying to self—diagnose by holding their breath, not seeking help soon enough or taking poisonous substances they think will help. the problem with misinformation in this setting is, it does two things. firstly, it obscures the truth, and then the second thing is that it might mean people start to do things that are going to be bad for them, and may be dangerous, and they start to use treatments that don't work.