this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the world health organisation welcomes the news that a widely—available steroid can be lifesaving for patients critically ill with coronavirus. the health secretary pays tribute to the uk team who led the research. it is the single biggest scientific breakthrough the world has yet made and i pay tribute to the researchers at oxford university and all those who they work with. manchester united and england star marcus rashford welcomes a government u—turn on free school meals over the summer — but says he wants the policy changed permanently. some people literally aren't sleeping and they can't do the

normal things they do day to day. probably because they are thinking about where the next meal is going to come from for their kids. china cancels more than 1,000 flights into and out of beijing as a spike in virus cases continues. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, puts the military in charge of quarantine facilities after two british women who were allowed out early later tested positive. it's the day football fans have been waiting for — the premier league is back after a 100—day absence because of the pandemic. and having fun at a social distance — how leisure and cultural attractions are working to be covid secure for when they re—open.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — and stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. hello and welcome to bbc news. the world health organisation has hailed the discovery of a potential treatment for coronavirus as a lifesaving scientific breakthrough. a cheap and widely available steroid called dexamethasone is the first drug shown to be able to save the lives of seriously ill covid—19 patients. scientists say that it could have saved thousands of lives in the uk alone if it had been used from the outset of the pandemic. the uk's health secretary, matt hancock, says the drug isn't a cure but significantly increases the chances of survival. it the chances of survival. is just a wonderful breakth it is just a wonderful breakthrough in british science and you know, this is the first drug that has been

clinically proven to save lives from covid—19. so it is a testament to british science and the way that we do science properly in this country. it will make a massive difference in terms of the likelihood of surviving once you are already in hospital and once you are already in hospital and on oxygen. it works for those who are the worst affected and if you are the worst affected and if you are on a ventilator it decreases the chance of mortality, of dying by 35%. it is a very significant improvements. now, it is not a cure and there still work ongoing on the whole series of other treatments that we hope will be able used alongside dexamethasone, both earlier in the disease to stop people ending up on oxygen and on ventilators, and hopefully to increase the chance of surviving yet further. it really is the single

biggest scientific breakthrough that the world has yet made. in other searches for treatments — scientists at imperial college london are appealing for volunteers for their first human trials of a coronavirus vaccine which begin tomorrow. they hope that a viable vaccine could be ready by spring next year. professor robin shattock from the department of infectious disease at imperial is leading the research. the first part of the clinical development is to check that it is really safe, because it is going to be used in the general population and check it induces the right kind of immune response we would predict would be protected. but we will move into large—scale efficacy trials in october and then it is a numbers game. it depends on how many infections are ongoing in the community. if we see a lot of infections we may get a result fairly quickly.

if there are very few infections, obviously it will take a lot longer to get enough data to be able to prove that the vaccine works or not. so in a way it is ironic that you need a certain number of cases to be sure of the efficacy? yes, absolutely. it is good news for the uk if there aren't many infections going on, but itjust means it will take longer to get the data to prove the vaccine works. let's talk to the bbc‘s medical correspondent correspondent fergus walsh. good morning to you. let's begin with dexamethasone, it has been around since the 1960s, one of our guests around since the 1960s, one of our gu ests told around since the 1960s, one of our guests told us earlier. but it is pa rt guests told us earlier. but it is part of the study, i believe, looking how to re—purpose existing drugs so an exciting development?m is exciting. and surprising that the first drug proven to cut the risk of dying from covid—i9 and cutting it bya dying from covid—i9 and cutting it by a third in ventilated patients is not some expensive, high—tech medicine which will only be

available in rich countries at a high price. but a drug which has been around a —— for decades, costs pennies and is used all over the world. so this could have an immediate impact, an immediate impact in brazil, in any country we are seeing a surge in cases. so really brilliant news, and also tribute to the 175 hospitals in the uk and all the patients, 6000 of them, who took part in this trial. tell us more about the importance, the significance for poorer countries. we have talked throughout this pandemic for the search for a vaccine and what happens if one country produces a viable vaccine, there might be delays in getting it rolled out to other parts of the world. but here you have this

existing drug, a cheat drug, to how quickly will the data from this trial be sent around the world and translate into practical action?m can happen today. the world health 0rganization has welcomed the preliminary findings. we are waiting for the final results, but the data only came in last week and the team at oxford university were so astonished by the very clear and very strong signal that came from the study, that they rushed out the top line findings that it cuts the risk of death by a third in ventilated patients and by a fifth in patients who are receiving oxygen. but for the sake of patients, not just in oxygen. but for the sake of patients, notjust in the uk, but in places like brazil and all over the world where this drug is widely available, they rushed out the data so available, they rushed out the data so that hospitals everywhere can

start using this appropriately for patients who are on ventilators or on oxygen. this does not work for mildly ill patients, it does not work in the early stages of the disease, in fact it would be very harmful in the early stages because it dampens the immune response. it works when the immune system starts to go haywire, which often happens about a week after the infection ta kes about a week after the infection takes hold. let's return them to talk of vaccines. 0bviously many teams of scientists around the world chasing that holy grail, viable vaccine. where are we with that? there are nearly a dozen vaccines that are in human trials. the uk has two vaccines, one already, the 0xford vaccine we have heard a lot about that is now widely being used

in clinical trials and is also being tested in brazil. because they need to test the vaccines in places where there is quite a lot of virus going about, because they need to have the volu nteers about, because they need to have the volunteers exposed to coronavirus at some point in order to know whether it works. there is a second uk vaccine by imperial college london that they hope to start clinical trials this week. so the vaccines are being developed, but we have to wait and see whether they work and we have to have them manufactured once they know they are safe and effective, so that potentially 7 billion people on the planet can be protected. 0k, fergus, thank you very much for that. a medical correspondent, fergus walsh. the footballer marcus rashford has vowed to continue speaking up for disadvantaged families, after he successfully campaigned for children in england to continue receiving free school meals over the summer. the manchester united and england star said he was "shocked

and grateful" that his campaign — which he talked about exclusively on breakfast — prompted a government u—turn. john mcmanus reports. the premier league's about to resume, but marcus rashford has already scored a major goal that's got more than just football fans sitting up and taking notice. his open letter calling for free school meal vouchers in england to be continued over the summer holidays was a skilful piece of footwork that forced the government to concede. more than 1 million children will benefit. but the man united player was characteristically modest as he spoke exclusively to bbc breakfast. that must make you feel like you've achieved an incredible thing? yeah, it's a nice feeling. but i'm just more happy that, you know, people's lives and people's summers, especially, will be changed for the better. that was the important thing that i tried to change going into it. last week, the prime minister

was still insisting he wouldn't change his mind over the meal vouchers. but by yesterday boris johnson appeared to have thought again. i talked to marcus rashford today and congratulated him on his campaign which, to be honest, i only became aware of very recently, today. and i thank him for what he's done. i do think it's right that we should be looking after families of the most vulnerable, the neediest, right now. labour's welcomed the change of heart. it was obvious that there was a need for these free school meals. they should never have put that in jeopardy. we had to push them all the way. and marcus rashford played a really important part in that. so far, marcus rashford seems to have any all the usual criticism that sports stars should stay out politics, mainly by insisting that this wasn't about politics. among those lending in the support, gary lineker, who said:

rival city congratulated rashford. and 0lympic gold—medallist denise lewis told him: this doesn't appear to be the end of his campaign though. you've achieved this incredible thing in such a short space of time. you have a platform. what's next? i think it, obviously, this is only going to be successful throughout the summer period and then, you know, we've bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time there to sort of plan and figure out what's next and how we keep taking steps forward, because i don't want it to be, i don't want this to be the end of it, you know, because there are definitely more steps that need to be taken and so we just need to analyse the response. john mcmanus, bbc news. let's get more from our assistant political

editor norman smith. norman, he have a 22—year—old footballer who absolutely got what most people were saying, that children, through no fault of their own, through these circumstances, should not be going hungry over the summer should not be going hungry over the summer holidays. yet, the prime minister borisjohnson was slow to move on this. how difficult is that for the prime minister? it is embarrassing, it doesn't look good if you are having to perform a u—turn and let's be honest, it is about the full u—turn boris johnson has had to perform in as many weeks. —— fourth u—turn. as a government trying to demonstrate leadership on top of the covid crisis, it's not great. that said, it borisjohnson had not executed a u—turn, it would

have been worse. because marcus rashford had captured the public mood and sympathy overwhelmingly in the way that he presented his case, but on the tory benches there was mounting disquiet, unhappiness at the government's stance. 0nly mounting disquiet, unhappiness at the government's stance. only a couple of tory mps have put their heads above the parapet, there were more privately who were anxious. when it was announced there was to bea when it was announced there was to be a u—turn on the common scat there was a clutch of tory mps in northern constituencies who got up to yes, applaud the u—turn, but also to say these free school meals are very, very important for our constituents in more deprived communities in the middle of a covid crisis. i don't think it would have forced mr johnson to backtrack, but it would have made life extraordinarily difficult for him. what we are seeing now, ministers also trying to co—opt marcus rashford, almost as if

they were also on the same page, praising him, thanking him for his contribution and hailing him as a role model. listen to matt hancock, the health secretary. i think what matters is the substance and also the way that marcus rashford has made his case, using his personal story but telling it in such a dignified and compelling way. so i congratulate him, i know he spoke to the prime minister yesterday and we are really grateful to be able to make this change. norman, the criticism of the prime minister on this is coming, notjust from his political opponents, but from his political opponents, but from within the conservative party itself, who say this is really obvious from days and days ago from how the public generally were feeling about this. yet, we are told borisjohnson only feeling about this. yet, we are told boris johnson only had feeling about this. yet, we are told borisjohnson only had about marcus rashford's involvement yesterday?

slightly curious, because the day before downing street said the prime minister would be responding to marcus rashford. i think what they are referring to and what the prime minister is referring to is the first time he saw the original bbc interview with marcus rashford was yesterday. he apparently found that pretty persuasive and influential. broadly, he realised just what resonance that interview and marcus rashford, his demeanour and the way he approached it, he decided there was no point the government banging its head against a brick wall and taking a beating. they needed to get out of this hole and get out of it pretty quickly. which they did, because we understand that cabinets, by video link, borisjohnson told cabinet colleagues they were going to make the money available. i think that it was a lot of the difficulty,

a reluctance in the treasury to roll over and again hand out yet more money. that was part of the government's initial reluctance on the green to extend free school meals over the summer. 0k, numb, thank you very much. norman smith. the chinese capital, beijing, is again being locked down with fears a second wave of coronavirus could take hold. more than 1000 flights into and out of the city have been cancelled as part of efforts to control the fresh outbreak. 31 new cases of the virus have reported today. schools, which had begun to re—open, have been ordered to close again and residents have been urged not to leave beijing. the outbreak is linked to a wholesale food market. the bbc‘s stephen mcdonnell explains what its like going back into lockdown. there we were with more than 50 days not having a single coronavirus infection, to the whole city being dragged back into what we might call

a coronavirus controlled bubble. it is now very difficult to leave this city. you need to have done a coronavirus test within the last seven days. but, the testing capacity is limiting and naturally, the priority is going to people who have been close to this giant xinfadi, the wholesale market, all those who have worked there visited there. but those in the high—risk group, they are not allowed to leave beijing under circumstances. so the airlines have noticed what has gone here, nobody is going to be leaving beijing. 70% of flights leaving beijing, cancelled straightaway. that is more than 1000 flights. schools closed, but we are not back into where we were in february, that is businesses still open, shops,

offices, government departments. it is giving people some sort of hope that the authorities will be able to control this. what they are trying to do is isolate the problem within zones, parts of the city, cities within the city, hoping they can lock it down in that way thus avoiding a full—blown second wave in the chinese capital. after three weeks with no new cases new zealand has also seen a return of the virus after two women who flew in from the uk tested positive. they had been allowed to leave quarantine early, on compassionate grounds. the prime minister, jacinda ardern, said it was an "unacceptable failiure" and has now put the military in charge of the country's quarantine system. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil has more from sydney. it was a very different tone and mood from jacinda ardern than when we heard from her more than three weeks ago

when she announced there were no more new cases in new zealand. she didn't seem at all impressed with what happened with those two women who came back from the uk and were given compassionate exemption. as you mentioned, she said it was an unacceptable failure of the system, that she wouldn't allow the gains achieved by new zealand to be squandered because processes were not being followed and there was no room for error, even human error. these two women were supposed to be tested on the third day of their arrival, that hasn't happened and, crucially, they were supposed to be tested before they left their isolation facility in the city of wellington and that hasn't happened. so, while the prime minister acknowledged they didn't do anything wrong, they wore face masks, they didn't come into contact with anyone, the system itself has failed. as you say, she has appointed the military, the assistant chief of defence, to be in charge of all quarantine and isolation facilities. he is going to audit the system in place and make sure

they are implemented and she said he is going to have access to military personnel and resources if needed. she added that the rigour and the discipline of the military is what is needed right now to give confidence, not just to the government and ministers, but also to new zealanders. this case represents an unacceptable failure of the system. it should never have happened and it cannot be repeated. i am the first to acknowledge that the decision we have made here to suspend compassionate leave will not be a popular one for many, but i have to prioritise the health, safety and well— being of new zealanders, that is myjob, and so my view is until we can have complete confidence in the system, that is the best course of action on behalf of new zealand. jacinda ardern there speaking about compassionate exemptions after that incident with the two women coming from the uk. the health minister has suspended all exemptions and the prime minister has said

that will continue. controversial as this may be and unpopular with those coming from abroad to see dying relatives and loved ones, but she said it was just a risk that she could not take, especially with new zealand being in a much better place than many other countries and of course acknowledging that there are a number of cases expected at the borders. that is why all of these measures are now being put in place. these exemptions have now been suspended until they reach a position when they know all procedures are being followed. there's more evidence this morning of the effect the covid—19 lockdown has had on the uk economy. prices have risen at their slowest rate for four years. falling petrol prices, and cheaper clothes and footwear saw the official inflation rate drop to 0.5%. food prices have gone up though, as supermarkets were among the few

shops allowed to stay open and high demand saw some shortages. 0ur economics correspondent, andy verity is here. give us more background on how we have got to this figure of 0.5%?m isa have got to this figure of 0.5%?m is a lot to do with the price of fuel. prices are all about supply and demand. if you increase the supply of something and there is the same number of buyers, their suppliers most keen to get their business will cut their prices. if you suddenly reduce the demand for something and there are far fewer buyers, consumers will compete by cutting their prices. four years ago, the last time we had inflation to slow it was an excess of supply. we had the shale oil coming in from the united states. push the oil price down to at the time, were decades lows. we have had a similar effect recently where the prices have gone down and that is a

different reason, for reduced demand. the lockdown means fewer ca rs demand. the lockdown means fewer cars travelling, fewer aeroplanes in the sky and less fuel being consumed. the fuel is still being produced are those crude oil suppliers who want to get rid of their crude oil, cut the prices. in april, to the point where they are paying people to take it off them. the fuel price drags down all of the costs so we saw the cost of raw materials fall by 10% in the year to may. that has fed through only a little bit to prices, so we have seen little bit to prices, so we have seen the cost of living rise by 0.5%, but not as much as it might be. in that, services like your music lessons, legal services going up music lessons, legal services going up in price, they are still being done. the prices of goods have been falling by 0.9% so there is downward pressure on prices now which may result in negative inflation. the bank of england will be talking about this tomorrow, i believe. what do you think it will be saying about the wider impact of all of this on

the wider impact of all of this on the economy and how the bank might be making its decisions going forward ? be making its decisions going forward? i think they will be more concerned about deflation, prices flor de falling rather than inflation, as they have been throughout this crisis. the scope to cut interest rates is very limited. they are at a record low of 0.1% but they can go below zero and negative rates. most economists don't think it will happen. it is more likely the bank will seek to stimulate the economy by pumping money into in a way we have known since the global crisis. that is what is most likely tomorrow. 0k, thank you very much, andy verity, our economics correspondent. after a 100 day absence due to the coronavirus pandemic — premier league football returns this evening. sheffield united and aston villa will kick off the restart to the season with manchester city hosting arsenal in the late game. 92 top—flight matches will be crammed into the next a0 days with the season

concluding on 26thjuly. it won't sound or look the same, but this is football's silver lining. tonight the premier league restarts in empty grounds. at aston villa some fans will be projected on a screen. for those watching at home it is not football's full experience, but for sport in a pandemic it's the only way. for those of us who do regularly go to matches it does feel strange because it is such a social thing. you go to the match, you meet up with your mates. there's people i know who haven't missed games in, like, 30 years, so i think for the likes of them it is going to be really strange. it's100 days since england's last top—flight match. the season shut down at speed as covid took hold. it took clubs more than two months to agree how to finish it, but now teams will travel for home and away games and the sport remains cautious.

the guys are not fully, fully fit, but we have to start, we have to finish the season. you asked me how is the team? i don't know, we will see how is the level of the team. of course we know it's not enough but it's the least. but after the waiting things could happen quickly. if city lose tonight liverpool could win the league on sunday. whether it's winning the title or fighting relegation, the premier league still has much to resolve in this much quieter, new world. pippa monique is a presenter on aftv, the arsenal fa ns' youtube channel. she joins us from east london. very good to have you with us. how will you be watching the game later? iam will you be watching the game later? i am watching it with the guys in the office, we have a social bubble. we will try to make an atmosphere out of it. that is what it is all about, about creating the

atmosphere, given that obviously fa ns atmosphere, given that obviously fans cannot be in the stadium. what is it going to be like from both the perspective of a fan and the players? it is going to be weird. sometimes there is moments in games when you wish you could hear what the players are saying to each other. now, we will be able to hear them. they will be shouting across them. they will be shouting across the bridge. it is going to be read, but for the fans, look at the positives, we will be saving money on away days, tickets and trains and stuff and petrol. but it will be really weird to watch the game like this. silver lines, i think is really weird to watch the game like this. silver lines, ithink is what you are saying. as you say, it is something people have got to get used to. once you get over the weirdness factor of watching it in this way, do you think fans will quickly adapt and the players will adapt and just accept it for what it is, something that has to be done to keep people safe? we will have no

choice but to adapt. it might ease the pressure of the players, not having the fans booing and ease the pressure on the referee because us fa ns pressure on the referee because us fans will pressure the referee into making the right decision. so it will take time to adapt, but we have got no choice, to be honest. other countries have started their football systems, germany for example. have you seen any of that and do you have an opinion on how any of that is why? i have watched a couple of games and it has taken me by surprise. i thought the home teams had the advantage, but i guess it doesn't matter now because there isn't any fans to get the 12 man momentum. it is anyone's game. it is really anyone's game because the change of atmosphere can change the style of play for teams, depends on the mental state. it is the first game back so we don't know what will happen. i was chatting earlier to a

writer for manchester city fans, and she said what won't be different is the banter on social media afterwards. how important is that, do you think, for everyone to feel something of a sense of normality? everyone is going to be taking to social media now because that is pa rt social media now because that is part of the match day experience. it is also before the match, two days before, the night before, you have to have the banter with your mates and fans of opposition teams. now we cannot do that in a match day environment so we will be going to social media to get our opinions out there because we cannot meet our mates in the pub any more. hope you enjoy it anyway and enjoy the game later. thank you very much. a leading uk surgeon has warned mps that nhs staff must be routinely tested for coronavirus up to twice a week. the president of the royal college of surgeons for england, professor derek alderson, said it was vital to reassure

patients that nhs staff were not unwittingly carrying the virus. hospital trust bosses say they are still waiting for clarity on plans for regular testing. the department of health and social care says it's focusing on routine testing in care homes. let's talk to professor alderson. thank you very much for your time today, joining us here on bbc news. you said it is just not acceptable for the nhs to continue as a covid-19 for the nhs to continue as a covid—19 only service. how much is coronavirus holding back the nhs now in terms of other treatments, surgeries, that would normally be offered? of course things are improving, but we still have the virus in our community, as we can see from the weekly statistics. so it is absolutely critical that we create hospital facilities that are as free from covid—19 as we can make it, so that we can restore plans and

surgical services in this country with minimal risk to the patients who need reassurance at the moment that coming to hospital to have a major operation is a safe thing to do. this means that we have to have a group of patients who we can test appropriately and be sure that they are free and equally the staff who are free and equally the staff who are going to look after them have to be tested. i think that demands some degree of regular testing. pragmatically it seems to me that twice a week might be where we could start with this. just explain a little bit more you're thinking behind that twice a week routine. it is something we have discussed over the past weeks and months, because clearly a negative test one day does not mean that someone does not pick up the virus the next day. of course thatis up the virus the next day. of course that is quite the case and there is obviously a degree to which people are going to wish to have a throat

swa b are going to wish to have a throat swab down on a regular basis and how quickly we can get those results. if we can't obtain same—day results, which is possible in some centres, then this will affect the frequency with which you want to test patients. if it takes three or four days to get a result back we have a slightly different scenario. do you think it is in any way, shape or form acceptable that, as we mentioned in the introduction, hospital trust bosses say they are still waiting for clarity on plans for regular testing and that the department of health is saying that the focus is on routine testing in ca re the focus is on routine testing in care homes? as we try and get surgery started again it is absolutely essential that we have some clarity about testing regimes that are perceived to be acceptable. there probably is no single regime

that works for every context for every hospital in our nhs, so there will have to be a little bit of flexibility. but at least the minimum criteria for testing should be established. do you think it means that the government has not got its testing regime properly in place? would you go as far as saying that? i don't think that is entirely fair. it is a very complex business. there are, of course, a variety of different scenarios where you would wa nt different scenarios where you would want slightly different testing approaches. people who live in very rural communities who have difficult access to a hospital might well prefer access to a hospital might well p refer to access to a hospital might well prefer to be tested using a home test and obviously there is a time delay in doing that. if i may interrupt, it seems like the pendulum has swung because the government was criticised earlier in this panic for not enough focus on ca re this panic for not enough focus on care homes are now the department of health is saying it is focusing on ca re health is saying it is focusing on care homes, but a lot of people

would argue that this number of weeks and months in there should be the capacity and ability to test across the board, whether it is in ca re across the board, whether it is in care homes or in nhs hospital settings. yes, i mean we are told there is adequate testing capacity so we need to see that capacity used and used in an effective way that allows hospital staff who are trying to help surgical patients to be tested in an appropriate passion. i have no doubt about that. —— in an appropriate fashion. professor derek alderson, the president for the royal college of surgeons for england. the importance of health workers has been brought into sharp focus as a result of the current pandemic. but the un special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief says multi—faith hospital chaplains, who pray with the sick and dying, also have a key role. speaking exclusively to the bbc, dr ahmed shaheed said there's been a failure to recognise

the contribution of those serving spiritual needs at this time. our global religion reporter lebo diseko has been speaking with three chaplains, about the impact of covid—19 on their lives. three chaplains, one jewish, one muslim and one buddhist, all have had to change the way they help the sick. i'm now moving down what they call hospital street. it's quite a long road. as you can observe, the hospital is pretty empty. this is the new normal at one of cape town's best—known hospitals. protective clothing for this muslim chaplain as he gives his pastoral care. one of the major challenges is of course we have to put on the ppe and speak through a mask and that is very difficult because it impacts the message that we always try to give over to the patient. social distancing guidelines have meant mohammed has

had to find new ways of connecting with patients. the intimacy that we have with the patient, that is now completely removed. but then again you need to be working in a different way, maybe a softer tone of voice or the person can't see your expressions and you can't see her or his expressions also, but that is just the challenges that we need to deal with as counsellors. sometimes they can't speak at all, butjust by nodding their heads we can understand that you have made a difference in their lives. this is my box of prayers that i have in my car as ready, kind of portable ritual items. across the world in the us state of oregon this buddhist chaplain gives prayers at home for patients she is unable to go and see. i never realised before this how

important touch really is. simply being present with someone at their bedside while they are dying and being able to look into their eyes and hold their hand. in one case someone was actively dying and he told me he didn't want to be alone and because i wasn't allowed to be there in person to go to the facility, i parked my car outside his window and ijust played one of his favourite childhood songs and even though i didn't think that was adequate ijust felt i had to do it. he sings. in sao paulo a rabbi find new ways to practice ancient rituals. we even sing and pray on the telephone and we feel

that it helps people a lot. it is part of this big challenge we all are facing, so whenever the person becomes really, really sick and leaving his or her last moment, chanting with them, singing with them, being with them somehow and telling them that everything is going to be all right, reassuring them that they can close their eyes and say goodbye. we can speak now to the president of the association of hospice and palliative care chaplains, karen murphy. karen, thanks very much forjoining us. first of all, do you agree with doctor shahid there has been a failure to recognise the contribution of chaplains like yourself during this pandemic?

perhaps not necessarily a failure, i think often chaplaincy is not perhaps seen as clearly or as visibly as part of a health—care contribution. but certainly chaplains of all faiths and no faiths have been very busy supporting patients as best as we are able and under very different circumstances. use a part of the problem is that people sometimes view chaplains as having a religious agenda as opposed to being there to provide spiritual support. tell me why you think that is an issue in all of this? it is difficult. traditionally chaplains have been people with a specific religious background and so people assume that our role is purely religious one, whereas in reality what we are doing is addressing all sorts of spiritual need, whatever that may be for that individual. it is not necessarily a

religious care, that is perhaps a small part of our contribution, but it is very much sitting alongside people with the questions that they have when suddenly things are very different and very difficult. how difficult has it been during this pandemic? 0f difficult has it been during this pandemic? of course you will not have been able, your colleagues will not have been able, to interact with patients in the way they would have been with other conditions because of the health concerns around covid-19. yes, there has been a huge variety of responses to how chaplains have been used in nhs hospitals, or in independent hospices like the one i am connected with. so there has been a lot of creativity. we are used to that, chaplains are creative people, we are used to adapting to what needs to happen. how have you adapted? has there been a situation where you have been given ppe so you can get

close to a patient? indeed. the practice at the hospital where i work is that i am able to go and sit with people in the inpatient unit, but at a distance and wearing ppe, which is a bit strange for us. but it is what we need to do. likewise, going to see people at home where it is absolutely essential, we have been provided with ppe. people appreciate the fact we are taking all necessary precautions, but also value the fact that we are going in to do what we do, and that is offer spiritual support. of course you ta ke spiritual support. of course you take all these emotions on board, the sadness, distress, the grief. what is the release valve for you and what advice would you offer to other chaplains about looking after themselves and their own well—being and mental health? that is a really good question and i think as an association we have tried to provide good regional networking support

groups. there are various online facilities for people to talk to each other. but also i think you need to have something outside of your work and for me it is the allotment. i go and take and plan things. but there is a really good network of support around for chaplains. we are good at finding out the people we can talk to and getting more supervision or more spiritual direction, whatever it is that helps you sustain your contribution. it must be nice to hear that recognition from the un special rapporteur as well for the work that you do. it is excellent, it really is very encouraging. 0ften chaplaincy is seen as an additional, optional contribution, whereas actually we are very much threaded into the whole clinical team. i need to be because people's care is not just about the physical, it is about

the emotional and spiritual. when suddenly people are faced with mortality the big questions come up and chaplains are good at sitting with those questions. not having all the answers, but sitting with them and supporting and hopefully helping people settle with what is happening, whatever that means for them. karen, thank you very much for your time today. karen murphy, president of the association of hospice and palliative care chaplains. hospice and palliative care chaplains. brazil has reported a record number of new coronavirus cases over the past 2a hours — nearly 35,000. the country — second only to the us in the number of infections and deaths — is on course to register one—million cases by the end of the week. more than 115,000 people in brazil have died with the disease. as you might have seen, manchester united footballer marcus rashford is all over the news this morning following his campaign to extend the free school meals

programme in england during the summer holidays. yesterday the government made a u—turn and agreed to provide them for vulnerable schoolchildren. the football star has been speaking to sally nugent about the decision. when you heard the news how surprised were you? yeah, i was obviously shocked, it's a big decision for someone to make and i'm just grateful that the prime minister did change his decision and he understood. you know, i spoke to him earlier on today and thanked him for that and, yeah, it was a nice conversation to have with him and just that we understood each other. how did that chat go? did he phone up and say, "hi, marcus, it's boris."? yeah, no, he was just saying thank you for using what i've built into a positive manner. in a positive manner.

it was just thanking each other really because he didn't have to do what he did and neither did i. he was just grateful that someone had just had an opinion and shared it with people and had just been that voice for people that didn't really have the platform to speak out as much as they would like to. are you aware that the way borisjohnson was informed about yourcampaign was he was actually played the interview that we did the other night? yeah, he mentioned that on the phone and he just said that is what sort of moved him really because he probably understood it a little bit more, like hearing it from someone rather than just reading it or hearing about it. yeah, i think that was obviously a key factor in him changing his decision. that must make you feel like you've achieved an incredible thing. yeah, it's a nice feeling but i'm just more happy that people's lives and people's summers especially

will be maybe changed for the better. that was the important thing that i tried to change, going into it and coming out of the end of it now it's something i'm proud of, a proud moment. of the end of it now it's something your mum obviously, we talked at length about your mum the other night. what has she said to you about the decision? she's rang me about ten times today. no, she's just very happy and when she was going through it if somebody would have spoken out then, maybe the situation would have been different. i think she's just happy that now people that are going through it, people are aware of that now and they are trying to help them as much as they can. she is just happy that we are taking steps in the right direction. and when you started this campaign, i think it was only five days ago, who were you thinking of? were you thinking of your family or were you just thinking

of the families of fans? who was it in your mind? just obviously the areas that i grew up in i know a lot of different people and a lot of families that would have still been going through it now. it's not so much about my family any more because obviously the situation has changed and ijust don't want people to go through the same thing. it's just important to understand the place that i come from and my background and it's quite simple really, the reason why i want to help people in that situation. you now have a really powerful voice, you've achieved this incredible thing in such a short space of time, you have a platform, a lot of attention focused on you. what is your next focus? now you've done this, what's next? i think obviously this is only going to be successful throughout the summer period and then we've

bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time now to talk and to figure out what is next and how we keep taking steps forward because i don't want it to be the end of it because there are definitely more steps that need to be taken. we just need to analyse the response and things like data in these type of topics are very important. like i said before, it's something i wasn't aware of beforehand and now that i am aware of that i will be watching it closely and seeing the response and how people cope with the situation, how it changes their lives for the better, the problems that they might face with the system, so there are a lot of things that could change in the future and beyond this campaign. but we'll have to just see how it goes.

marcus rashford talking to sally nugent. i bet he has got an extremely proud mother. i bet he has got an extremely proud mother. facebook says it's taking action to prevent interference in the us presidential election in november. the company's vice—president, sir nick clegg, says that foreign state media will be banned from advertising on the platform during the election period. the trump administration is suing the president's former national security advisor, john bolton, in an attempt to block the release of a tell—all book. the justice department said the memoir of the veteran republican state official, contained classified information. 0ur north american correspondent peter bowes has more. a member of donald trump's inner circle, john bolton's17—month stint as national security adviser included some of the most turbulent days for the trump presidency. they worked closely on foreign policy but drifted apart over mr trump's style of diplomacy. it all came to an abrupt end with a tweet and a public falling out. "i disagree strongly

with many of the suggestions," said the president. at the time, john bolton said that he had decided to quit and that he'd have his say in due course. that time has come. his memoir has been billed as the book donald trump doesn't want you to read, a damning insider portrait of life inside the white house and the president's inconsistent scattershot decision—making. bolton alleges that the president committed a host of impeachable offences and should have faced more charges during the senate trial that saw him acquitted on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. the room where it happened: a white house memoir is due to go on sale next week. the trump administration says it is suing john bolton because the book has not been properly vetted and could compromise national security. if he wrote a book, i can't imagine that he can because that's highly classified information. even conversations with me, they are highly classified. i told that to the attorney general before. i will consider every

conversation with me as president highly classified. the books publisher has hit back at the lawsuit saying... once again, donald trump finds himself embroiled in a high—profile battle to stop the one—time ally from telling his story. theme parks and museums in the uk have been working on social distancing guidelines for the day they will once again be open to the public. with an estimated 400,000 jobs under threat, many of the uk's leisure and cultural attractions are preparing for re—opening and ensuring they will be ready. 0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito reports. blackpool, the pleasure beach, a place that should be, at this time of year,

a cacophony of shouts and screams. it is a very strange atmosphere here because the only thing you can hear is birdsong and this should be a place that is, at this time of year, teeming with people. they are hoping they will soon get the chance to open the gates but the question is, how do you do socially—distanced fun? this is the first time since 1896 that this park has ever closed. we were open throughout the wars, both wars, so this is just an extraordinary time for us and, being a family business, it is particularly difficult because you have got to look after so many families as well that work here for you. and to make it work, they are even socially distancing the roller—coaster. are you going to be able to fill the train? we are not, to enable distance between people, as we'll see with your measuring tape, here. the one seat back there, that is only a metre

so you have to go... pull that back a bit further. that is exactly two metres. so we'd leave this row empty and then we would load these seats maintaining a safe distance. it is a very different experience, you see, you have to wear a face mask on here, there's no—one behind me, there have to be two sets behind, because if social distancing, everything is going to be, well, a lot slower, that is, apart from the ride itself. and if you do not want to be terrified alone, bring someone from your own household. britain's visitor attractions and cultural venues have seen income plummet and even when things do reopen, it will be gradual. london zoo for instance is outdoor only with strict viewing points and one—way systems. research released today says our creative industries are losing more than £1 billion a week in revenue.

here at the design museum, i was shown how they are adapting theirforthcoming exhibition on the music industry. there is a one—way flow into the main exhibition. time—limited, an hour and a half. of course one—way systems work for museums but not other cultural venues. it is interesting that the exhibition deals with an aspect of music and live performance in club culture because that part of the cultural landscape is really severely hit at the moment, even more than museums. the opening trajectory for live venues and for music performances and so on is a lot further down the line. even the museums are going to be quieter than normal. we need to start carefully. it is small steps. small steps, keep moving, no dawdling. hundreds of thousands ofjobs depend on places like this

but it is going to be tough for businesses that rely on mingling, crowds and people feeling comfortable being close to one another. david sillito, bbc news, blackpool. you are watching bbc news. joanna gosling is here to take you through from 11 to one, but before that look at the weather forecast. hello again. what we had yesterday is almost what we're going to see again today. we've got low cloud clinging, in part, to the north sea coastline, we also have a fair bit of sunshine, feeling humid and we're also going to have some heavy, thundery downpours. so what we have at the moment is a fair bit of cloud, it's coming from the sea overnight and pushed back towards the coastline. but, if you're stuck under it it will hold the temperature back as we go through the course of the day. we've also got a clutch of showers out towards the west.

if anything more of those will develop as we go through the day and some of those will be heavy and thundery, slow—moving downpours and you can see how they develop across the midlands, southern england, into the south—east and also kent. but they are showers so not all of us will catch one. temperatures, 1a in the north to 22 in glasgow and also london. through this evening and overnight, eventually that showers will ease, the low cloud, mist and fog will roll back in from the north sea and we've got a weather front coming in introducing rain across east anglia, the midlands and also into lincolnshire. quite a muggy night, overnight lows of nine to about 1k degrees. tomorrow then, we pick up this weather front as it continues to slowly move northwards. we still have all this low cloud which will burn back towards the north sea coastline and then you can see all these thunderstorms developing. now, some of those will be torrential downpours, the met office has a yellow weather warning out for this. we could have as much as two inches — 50 millimetres in the space of three hours. again, not all of us

will see a thunderstorm but they will be slow—moving. as we move through thursday, a weather front continues to push northwards. we've got some weather fronts trying to come in from the atlantic during the course of friday, but not making a huge amount of progress yet. so on friday we still will have some cloud around, we'll still have some showers and a rain band pushing northwards across scotland but in between there will be some sunshine around with temperatures getting up to 1a in lerwick, 19 in liverpool and again 22 in london and also norwich. by the time we get to the weekend, things start to change. so on saturday, dry and fine for many, it will start to feel a little bit fresher and less humid, but we do have a weather front coming in from the west with strengthening winds initially into northern ireland later in the day and by then, highs of 21.

this is bbc news withjoanna gosling with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. the world health organization welcomes the news that a widely—available steroid can be life—saving for patients critically ill with covid—19. the uk's health secretary pays tribute to the team which led the research. it really is the single biggest scientific breakthrough the world has yet made and i pay tribute to the researchers at oxford university and all those who they work with. manchester united and england star marcus rashford welcomes a government u—turn on free school meals over the summer — he says his campaign doesn't stop there. this is only going to be successful

throughout the summer period. and then, you know, we've bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time now to sort of plan and figure out what's next and how we keep taking steps forward. beijing starts to go back into lockdown as covid—19 cases increase again — more than 1,000 flights in and out of the city are cancelled. it's the day many football fans have been waiting for — the uk's premier league is back without a live crowd — after a 100—day absence because of the pandemic. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, puts the military in charge of quarantine facilities after two british women who were allowed out early, later tested positive. and, fun at a social distance, how leisure and cultural attractions in the uk are working to be covid—secure for when they re—open.

hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world — do stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the world health organization has hailed the discovery of a potential treatment for covid—19 as a life—saving scientific breakthrough. a cheap and widely available steroid called dexamethasone, is the first drug shown to be able to save the lives of seriously ill covid—19 patients. scientists say it could have saved thousands of lives in the uk alone if it had been used from the outset of the pandemic. the uk's health secretary, matt hancock, says the drug is not a cure, but it significantly increases the chances of survival. it is just a wonderful breakthrough in british science and, you know, this is the first drug that has been clinically proven to save lives from covid—19.

so it is a testament to british science and the way that we do science properly in this country. it will make a massive difference in terms of the likelihood of surviving once you are already in hospital and on oxygen. it works for those who are the worst affected and if you are on a ventilator it decreases the chance of mortality, of dying by 35%. it is a very significant improvement. now, it is not a cure and there's still work ongoing on a whole series of other treatments that we hope we'll be able used alongside dexamethasone, both earlier in the disease to stop people ending up on oxygen and on ventilators, and hopefully to increase the chance of surviving yet further.

it really is the single biggest scientific breakthrough that the world has yet made. the bbc‘s medical correspondent, fergus walsh, says the use of the steroid drug, dexamethasone, could also be very significant for poor and developing countries, and in a very short timescale. it can happen today. the world health organization has welcomed the preliminary findings. we are waiting for the final results, but the data only came in last week and the team at oxford university were so astonished by the very clear and very strong signal that came from the study, that they rushed out the top line findings that it cuts the risk of death by a third in ventilated patients and by a fifth in patients who are receiving oxygen. but for the sake of patients, notjust in the uk, but in places like brazil and all over the world where this drug is widely available,

they rushed out the data so that hospitals everywhere can start using this appropriately for patients who are on ventilators or on oxygen. this does not work for mildly ill patients, it does not work in the early stages of the disease, in fact it would be very harmful in the early stages because it dampens the immune response. it works when the immune system starts to go haywire, which often happens about a week after the infection takes hold. scientists at imperial college in london are appealing for volunteers for their first human trials of a coronavirus vaccine which begin tomorrow. they hope that a viable vaccine could be ready by spring next year. the first part of the clinical development is to check that it is really safe, because it is going to be used in the general population and check

it induces the right kind of immune response that we would predict would be protective. but we will move into large—scale efficacy trials in october and then it is a numbers game. it depends on how many infections are ongoing in the community. if we see a lot of infections we may get a result fairly quickly. if there are very few infections, obviously it will take a lot longer to get enough data to be able to prove that the vaccine works or not. so in a way, it is ironic that you need a certain number of cases to be able to be sure of the efficacy? yes, absolutely. it is good news for the uk if there aren't many infections going on, but itjust means it will take longer to get the data to prove the vaccine works. asi as i mentioned adopt scientists at imperial college london, are appealing for volunteers

for their first human trials for a covid—19 vaccine. they hope that a viable vaccine could be ready by spring next year. meanwhile, the world health 0rganization says 11 versions are currently being tested on humans. so, where are we in terms of progress? here in the uk, the first phase of the university of oxford trial began in april, involving 1,000 healthy adults. astrazeneca say if its successful, they're aiming to supply around two billion doses across the world. in the united states, several vaccines are under development as part of the trump administration's fast—track programme, which aims to produce 300 million doses of a potential vaccine by january. a drug being tested by the firm moderna is showing promising early results, reportedly producing protective antibodies in a small group of volunteers. five human trials are currently under way in china. 0ne vaccine being developed by the firm sinovac claims to have developed an immune response in 90% of test subjects. and in germany, one human trial began in april — and regulators there havejust

announced that another biotech firm can begin clinical trials. uk ministers have been congratulating the footballer, marcus rashford, for his campaign which persuaded the government to change its mind over extending free school meal vouchers for disadvantaged children. the england striker says he won't stop now and wants to do more to help those in need. i think it, obviously, this is only going to be successful throughout the summer period and then, you know, we've bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time there to sort of plan and figure out what's next and how we keep taking steps forward, because i don't want it to be, i don't want this to be the end of it, you know, because there are definitely more steps that need to be taken. let's get more from our assistant political editor norman smith. norman, quite a moment for marcus rashford. a u—turn for the government, not the first throughout this period. what is the impact of

what has happened here, do you think, on the government?” what has happened here, do you think, on the government? i think it will compound a general unease amongst tory mps that there is a lack of grip during this crisis, and that there have been a series of u nforced that there have been a series of unforced errors, u—turns. i counted four u—turns in as many weeks. but i think the disquiet is less about this particular u—turn, and that many tory mps, i think, were also deeply anxious about this idea of not extending free school meals over the summer. and more about some of the summer. and more about some of the bigger strategic policy decisions relating to covid—19, particularly around this question of two metres social distancing, which has been going to and fro now for weeks really with the government seeming to blow hot and cold of whether there is going to be a decision in days, or whether it is going to be in weeks. many tory mps ta ke going to be in weeks. many tory mps take the view, look, there is never

going to be clear, unequivocal scientific proof that it is safe to do this or it is not safe to do that, it will always be a balance of risk and at the end of the dave mr johnson has simply got to make a decision. it is a question of judgment and he needs to make the call sooner rather than later because of the potential impact on the economy and particularly on the hospitality sector. —— at the end of the day. there is disquiet at the lack of umph and clear planning in terms of getting schools back. we seem to be in the slight limbo where nothing is really changing. individual schools are being encouraged to get pupils back but we know that they need more classroom space and unless the government is going to provide more classroom space they are simply not going to be able to get children back. there isa be able to get children back. there is a slight sense that this, as an issue, has not been gripped, and the fear is that you limp towards september and you're really not much further forward. so i

september and you're really not much furtherforward. so i think there is a general sense of nervousness that borisjohnson a general sense of nervousness that boris johnson hasn't a general sense of nervousness that borisjohnson hasn't gripped some of these big strategic issues around covid—19. i think what matters is the substance and also the way that marcus rashford has made his case, using his personal story, but telling it in such a dignified and compelling way. so i congratulate him, i know that he spoke to the prime minister yesterday and it was great to be able to make this change. that was the health secretary matt hancock talking about marcus rashford who brought about the u—turn on school meals. interesting how ministers are now sort of praising him, almost co—opting him, as thinking on the same lines as government, whereas in fact he had to force the government into a u—turn on the whole issue. actually, matt hancock got into a bit of a

ke rfuffle matt hancock got into a bit of a kerfuffle this morning after he referred to marcus rashford as daniel rashford. i think he was perhaps thinking of daniel radcliffe, the actor. but rather awkward. i tried to work that out as well and i think that was the conclusion i came to as well. thank you, norman. we will see you later. it is prime minister's questions at mid—day, more from norman late and full coverage on bbc news. a uk government watchdog has suggested the home office has no idea how many people are in the uk illegally. the national audit office says the department responsible for tracking cases hasn't seen an up—to—date estimate in 15 years. the home office says it's working "tirelessly" to tackle illegal migration and remove those with no right to remain. facebook says it is taking action to prevent interference in the us presidential election in november. the compa ny‘s vice presidential election in november. the company's vice president, the former uk deputy prime minister nick

clegg, says foreign state media will be banned from advertising on the platform during the election period. facebook has been criticised for its recent decision to allow controversial posts by president trump to remain on the platform unedited. the chinese capital beijing is again being locked down with fears that a second wave of covid—19 could take hold. more than 1000 flights into and out of the city have been cancelled as part of effo rts city have been cancelled as part of efforts to control the fresh outbreak. 31 new cases of the virus have been reported today. schools which had begun to reopen have been ordered to close again. and residents have been urged not to leave beijing. the outbreak is linked to a wholesale food market. and as i mentioned, prime minister's questions is coming up in the uk at

midday, in the next 45 minutes. if you are watching on bbc two we are going to say goodbye to you right now. you can have coverage of that here and on bbc two later. we will continue broadcasting around the world and on the bbc news channel. north korea says it will send soldiers back into border areas that were disarmed under a previous peace agreement with the south. the warning comes a day after pyongyang blew up a joint liaison office set up to facilitate talks. the bbc‘s laura bicker is in seoul. it basically rows back all the peace accords, all the progress made between north and south korea in 2018. the south korean military said that this rows back 20 years of inter—korean agreements. what north korea is threatening to do is move into these border regions, re—establish and rebuild the guard posts and start military exercises once again.

now, all the communication hotlines between the two countries have been cut off. they have been severed. i think one of the fears here is a misunderstanding about what is a military exercise and what other kind of mishap might happen, which has happened in the past. it's the reason why these communication networks were set up in the first place. it was the reason that this inter—korean liaison office was set up and yesterday, it was blown to bits by north korea. seoul is hitting back with a number of strong statements and have said that if there is any military action by the north, it is the north that will pay the price. the headlines on bbc news. the world health organisation welcomes the news that a widely—available steroid can be lifesaving for patients critically ill with coronavirus. the footballer, marcus rashford, says he wants to do

more to help those in need, following his successful campaign to persuade the government to extend the free school meals scheme in england to cover the summer holidays. more than 1,000 flights into and out of beijing are cancelled and schools are closed as authorities try to contain a new coronavirus outbreak. there's more evidence this morning of the effect the coronavirus lockdown has had on the uk economy. prices have risen at their slowest rate for four years. falling petrol prices, and cheaper clothes and footwear saw the official inflation rate drop to 0.5%. food prices have gone up, though, as supermarkets were among the few shops allowed to stay open and increased demand saw some shortages of supplies. 0ur economics correspondent andy verity said falling oil prices will continue to keep inflation low in the coming months. if you increase the supply of something and there is the same number of buyers, then those

suppliers who are most keen to get their business will cut their prices. similarly, if you suddenly reduce the demand for something in there is far fewer buyers, the suppliers who are in the market will similarly compete by cutting prices. four years ago the last time we had inflation this low it was an excess of supply, we had all the shale oil coming in from the united states and that pushed the oil price down to what at the time were decade lows and we have had a similar effect recently where the prices have gone down, and that is for the different reason of reduced demand. 0bviously the lockdown means fewer cars travelling, fewer aeroplanes in the sky, and that means less fuel being consumed. the fuel is still being produced. so those crude oil supplies who want to get rid of their crude oil cut the prices. in fa ct, their crude oil cut the prices. in fact, in april, to the point where they are actually paying people to ta ke they are actually paying people to take it off them. and then of course the fuel price drags down all other costs. we saw the costs of raw materials fall by 10% in the year to

may and that has fed through only a little too prices so the cost of living is still rising by 0.5% but not by half as much as it might do. within that, you can see that although services like music lessons, legal services are still going up in price, they are still being done, the goods, the prices of goods have been falling by 0.9%. so there is downward pressure on prices now which may yet result in negative inflation. thousands of uk workers who have been shielding, have been left without pay through the lockdown — with many not getting sick pay and being denied access to the furlough scheme, according to citizens advice. it says 27% of shielders have lost more than half their income. and in some cases, people have told the bbc, they believe their employers are using shielding as a way to try to get rid of them. in a separate development, the health secretary said this morning that people who've been advised to shield from covid—19 will soon be contacted to hear when their confinement can end. rachel stonehouse reports.

as life begins to return to normal, one group still faces barriers as they are told to stay at home. but for many of them, it's not an easy decision. leanne is a dental therapist and single mum. she's been without any pay for three months. i'm currently shielding because i suffer with a rare condition called behcet‘s disease, for which i take lots of different medications. but they obviously affect my immune system quite severely. i've fallen through the cracks with the furlough scheme because i'm self—employed, but because i'm seen as employed with hmrc i don't actually get the self—employed grant either. where are you with your work situation at the moment? i desperately want to go back to work, but i'm abviously quite to work, but i'm obviously quite nervous because of the risks. it's a bit of a vicious circle to know what to do for the best.

i'm lucky i've been able to extend my mortgage payment holiday and that the three months. but my loan repayments, they won't extend it again and it's worrying. hundreds of thousands of people shielding are employed and research by citizens advice shows almost 70% of them haven't been offered furlough, despite being eligible, and 27% have lost more than half their income. i've spoken to other people who have fallen through the cracks and haven't received any sick pay or been furloughed and in some extreme cases, believe their employers are trying to get rid of them. ellie is a nurse in a private care home and shielding because she has severe asthma and ulcerative colitis. she's agreed to talk to me but didn't want to be identified. ellie is not her real name. she's received no sick pay so requested to be furloughed, but it came with conditions from her employer. they sent me a contract. it basically said that once my shielding period was over they reserved the right to either drop my hours or to lay

me off without pay. it's very upsetting. according to the union we shouldn't even need to be furloughed, we should be receiving full pay. i have heard of situations where people are using this as an opportunity to, you know, get somebody out and that's obviously not the way to do things. marsha says she is also hearing from people who are being forced to return to work by their employer. you know, we have heard of stories where they are being threatened with dismissal action and being told they have to return regardless of the fact they are shielding. now, employers cannot do that. employers need to tread carefully around this issue and ensure they are treating their employees reasonably. the government says it has support in place for shield those who cannot work from home through various schemes. but for people who don't qualify, they face the tough dilemma

between returning to work or protecting their health. rachel stonehouse, bbc news. the former snooker player and bbc commentator willie thorne has died at the age of 66. he went into septic shock earlier this morning after being placed into an induced coma in hospital in spain last week following respiratory failure. he had been treated for leukaemia since march. willie thorne was a household name during snooker‘s height in popularity in the 1980s, and was twice a quarter—finalist in the world championships. after a 100—day absence because of the lockdown, premier league football returns this evening. sheffield united and aston villa will kick off the restart to the season, with manchester city hosting arsenal later. 92 top—flight matches will be crammed into the next 40 days with the season concluding on 26thjuly. we can speak tojohn murray, 5live's chief football correspondent who will be at the etihad stadium commentating on the manchester city—arsenal game.

thank you forjoining us. how do you feel about it? well, i'm looking forward to it, looking forward to seeing a live sport again and looking forward to commentating. but while it is coming back, obviously it is not quite how we are used to it. and if you look back to the last time premier league matches were played in early march, the ten matches that were played, almost 400,000 spectators were inside the grounds. but now for the first time and for the foreseeable future in league football in the top in this country, it is going to be behind closed doors and there are going to be only around about 300 people inside each stadium. it is going to be weird for the players, isn't it? what impact do you think it will have on the match? it has had quite a dramatic impact in the early weeks since the bundesliga resumed in germany. they have been playing for about a month and there have been many more away wins than there have been home wins. but i know the premier league have encouraged the home clubs to dress up the lower

tier of their grounds. and while crowd noise will not be piped into the stadium, what the premier league are allowing the clubs to do when there is a stoppage in play is to play music, or even to play sound effects of fans singing the home club's songs, and also on the big screens where they are available, there are going to be live feeds of 16 supporters of that team that will appear inside the ground. and for fa ns appear inside the ground. and for fans listening and watching at home, there are going to be sound effects, aren't there, that they can choose whether or not to have as part of the experience or not. yes, these 92 remaining premier league matches, all of them are going to be broadcast live, either on television or on radio, national or local, and from a tv point of view, 33 of them are going to be free to air. and yes, the tv broadcasters are making itan

yes, the tv broadcasters are making it an option to have the artificial soundtrack, the artificial crowd noise, should they wish to do that. 0n the radio tonight we have decided that the way we want to start it is to do it without the artificial sound and to actually make it sound like how it will be inside the ground so that listeners have a clear idea of what is happening inside the stadium. real life. we can't escape a real life, can we? when might fans actually be allowed back? well, the premier league, richard masters, the chief executive yesterday, was suggesting that moves might be made in that way. i think it's probably unlikely by the end of this current season but i think by the time next season begins, probably in september, maybe we will have moves to letting some supporters back in the stadiums. you know, i'm not even a football fan andi know, i'm not even a football fan and i feel know, i'm not even a football fan and ifeel quite know, i'm not even a football fan and i feel quite excited about this. it isa and i feel quite excited about this. it is a glimpse of things coming

back, isn't it? it is. give very much. john will be commentating on the manchester city — arsenal match. you're watching bbc news. you may remember this next story from a couple of weeks ago — the bbc weather presenter and drummer, 0wain wynjones became a viral sensation with his rendition of the bbc news theme tune. we'll, he's done it again with the help of our moscow correspondent, steve rosenberg, who is known for his piano renditions of every past eurovision winner. ididn't i didn't know that before but it is a great fact, isn't it? ahead of tonight's premier league return, they've teamed up with their version of the iconic match of the day theme tune. here it is. they play match of the day theme

i hope that has filled you with a bit ofjoy like it has me. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. hello. another day of warm and sunny spells, feeling humid as well but that's leading to more thunderstorms, reports of lightning across the lake district and this afternoon thunderstorms could give localised flooding, large hail, gusty winds and rain will fall in a short period of time, so there are met office warnings because of the slow—moving showers over parts of northern ireland, southern and western scotland and many parts of england and wales. i wouldn't like to rule them outjust about anywhere

except perhaps right on the east coast where we have warmth with misty, low cloud and it feels a bit cooler here. but for most of us the warm feel and mugging us continues this evening and overnight. the shower is still rumbling away until the latter part of the evening before easing through the night. —— mcguinness. tomorrow there is a band of more persistent rain coming in across england and where is and working northwards and westwards. there is more on the website.

hello, this is bbc news with joanna gosling. the headlines: the world health organisation welcomes the news that a widely—available steroid can be lifesaving for patients critically ill with covid—19. the uk's health secretary pays tribute to the team which led the research. it is the single biggest scientific breakthrough the world has yet made

and i pay tribute to the researchers at oxford university and all those who they work with. manchester united and england star marcus rashford says he wants to do more to help those in need, following his successful campaign to persuade the government to extend the free school meals scheme in england over the summer holidays. beijing starts to go back into lockdown as covid—19 cases increase again — more than 1000 flights in and out of the city are cancelled. it's the day many football fans have been waiting for — the uk's premier league is back, without a live crowd, after a 100—day absence because of the pandemic. new zealand's prime minister, jacinda ardern, puts the military in charge of quarantine facilities after two british women who were allowed out early later tested positive. the husband of a nurse, who caught coronavirus days before she died,

has accused luton and dunstable hospital of behaving irresponsibly by allowing her to continue working at the start of the pandemic when she was heavily pregnant. mary agyapong, who was 28, died shortly after her daughter was delivered by emergency c—section. in his first interview, mary's husband ernest has been paying tribute to her. he's been speaking to our reporter, sima kotecha. take your time, come over, come on over... a year ago, mary encouraging her son, aj, to walk. hey! sometimes he will wake you up in the middle of the night and tell you, i want mummy, and at that point in time there is nothing i can say to him. she was just 28 and leaves behind a son and a daughter who was delivered by emergency caesarean section just days before she died. she was very kind. her heart was pure...

and she was very genuine. we know, men are not perfect, everybody is not perfect, but mary was. in the morning, going to work, without this one. hi, bubs, look... mary was a nurse at the luton and dunstable university —— de luton and dunstable hospital in bedfordshire. she was diagnosed with coronavirus in early april and died a week later. her husband says she should not have been working at the hospital because she was heavily pregnant. this was before the government had issued guidance for expecting mums. when mary passed, i had a call from one of the union reps and confidently told me, you know what, i actually met mary on the ward and i told her, mary, it is not safe for you, you need to get out of here, but she said she could not help it, she was helpless.

the nhs trust responsible for the hospital says the first patient to have tested positive for coronavirus was not admitted onto her ward until after mary had gone on sick leave with pregnancy—related problems. while holding his newborn, ernest says he does not believe that was the case. we find it a bit difficult to comprehend because, even at the time mary was off sick, some of her colleagues were even self— isolating. in a statement the trust says... it also says...

do you think that your anger that you are feeling at the moment, that you are perhaps taking that out on the trust? for me, i think mary was not treated fairly. her family has not been treated fairly and, for that matter, i believe my voice is what i have now. mary at her son's second birthday last year, dancing with her father who died from suspected coronavirus five days before she did. painful memories for ernest as he tries to contemplate a life without what he calls "his first true love". there's no amount of ways that really can explain how i am feeling within. sometimes, you know, ijust laugh and smile about the precious moments we had together for the past three and a half years.

at times too i could just be walking andjust crying and... so there are a lot of emotions just in between. 0wners paying tribute to his wife mary. —— ernest. after three weeks with no new cases, new zealand has also seen a return of the virus, after two women who flew in from the uk tested positive. they had been allowed to leave quarantine early on compassionate grounds. the prime ministerjacinda ardern said it was an "unacceptable failiure" and has now put the military in charge of the country's quarantine system. this case represents an unacceptable failure of the system. it should never have happened and it cannot be repeated. i am the first to acknowledge that the decision we have made here to suspend compassionate leave will not be a popular one for many,

but i have to prioritise the health, safety and well—being of new zealanders, that is myjob, and so my view is that until we can have complete confidence in the system, that is the best course of action on behalf of new zealand. jacinda ardern. the trump administration is suing the president's former national security advisor, john bolton, in an attempt to block the release of a tell—all book later this month. the justice department said the memoir of the veteran republican state official, contained classified information that would compromise national security. 0ur north american correspondent peter bowes has more. a member of donald trump's inner circle, john bolton's17—month stint as national security adviser included some of the most turbulent days for the trump presidency. they worked closely on foreign policy but drifted apart over mr trump's style of diplomacy. it all came to an abrupt end with

a tweet and a public falling out. "i disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions," said the president. at the time, john bolton said that he had decided to quit and that he'd have his say in due course. that time has come. his memoir has been billed as the book donald trump doesn't want you to read, a damning insider portrait of life inside the white house and the president's inconsistent scattershot decision—making. mr bolton alleges that the president committed a host of impeachable offences and should have faced more charges during the senate trial that saw him acquitted on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of congress. the room where it happened: a white house memoir is due to go on sale next week. the trump administration says it is suing john bolton because the book has not been properly vetted and could compromise national security. if he wrote a book, i can't imagine that he can because that's highly classified information. even conversations with me, they are highly classified.

i told that to the attorney general before. i will consider every conversation with me as president highly classified. the books publisher has hit back at the lawsuit saying... once again, donald trump finds himself embroiled in a high—profile battle to stop the one—time ally from telling his story. battle to stop a one—time ally from telling his story. peter bos, bbc news. —— peter bowes. the importance of health workers has been brought into sharp focus as a result of the current pandemic. but the united nations special rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief says multi—faith hospital chaplains, who pray with the sick and dying, also have a key role. lebo diseko has been speaking with 3 chaplains, about the impact of covid—19 on their lives.

three chaplains, one jewish, one muslim and one buddhist, all have had to change the way they help the sick. i'm now moving down what they call hospital street. it's quite a long road. as you can observe, the hospital is pretty empty. this is the new normal at one of cape town's best—known hospitals. protective clothing for this muslim chaplain as he gives his pastoral care. one of the major challenges is of course we have to put on the ppe and speak through a mask and that is very difficult because it impacts the message that we always try to give over to the patient. social distancing guidelines have meant mohammed has had to find new ways of connecting with patients. the intimacy that we have with the patient, that is now completely removed. but then again, you need to deal with it in a different way, maybe a softer tone of voice or the person can't see your expressions and you can't see her or his expressions also,

but that is just the challenges that we need to deal with as counsellors. sometimes they can't speak at all, butjust by nodding their heads we can understand that you have made a difference in their lives. this is my box of prayers that i have in my car as ready, kind of portable ritual items. across the world in the us state of oregon, this buddhist chaplain gives prayers at home for patients she is unable to go and see. i never realised before this how important touch really is. simply being present with someone at their bedside while they are dying and being able to look into their eyes and hold their hand. in one case someone was actively dying and he told me he didn't want to be alone and because i wasn't allowed to be

there in person due to facility protocols, i parked my car outside his window and ijust played one of his favourite childhood songs and even though i didn't think that was adequate, ijust felt it was a way to honour him. in sao paulo a rabbi find new ways to practice ancient rituals. we even sing and pray on the telephone and we feel that it helps people a lot. it is part of this big challenge we all are facing, so whenever the person becomes really, really sick and leaving her or her last moment, chanting with them, singing

with them, being with them somehow and telling them that everything is going to be all right, reassuring them that they can close their eyes and say goodbye. the british public misses going to the gym or a fitness centre, considerably more than any other sporting or leisure activity — that's according to a new a survey. that's according to a new survey. research from sport england has found that 87% of gym members were likely to resume their membership once facilities had re—opened after the lockdown. jairojunior is an international fitness instructor and industry trainer based in sicilyjairo's company, cross cardio, trainer based in sicily. jairo's company, cross cardio, currently trains fitness instructors to operate over the web. before lockdown he would travel around the world to teach. he also works at a honourable gentleman and it is back open. so let's talk about people's habits —— he also works at a gym. so let's

talk about how it is actually operating there at all. thank you very much for being patient. i'm very much for being patient. i'm very glad to be here with you. now in italy we are back, the lockdown is over. we have started phase two and we started very slowly back to activities and what they have just said is right, many of the people, most of the people coming back to the gym, they are still a little bit afraid to get back to activities. during the covid, we had thousands of people that had been working and training with us on the web and that was a really good thing because it really wa kes u p was a really good thing because it really wakes up people for their needs of training themselves to keep their health. now when the covid is over, people want to go back to the gym, but most of them still want to train at home because they feel safe. yeah, i was wondering about that because of this they habits

have changed and actually working out at home with a trainer on the screen has been a really effective for so many people, so how many people are actually coming back through the doors of the gym?” people are actually coming back through the doors of the gym? i work in one of the most important clubs in italy, i worked for the company called virgin active, which i'm sure you know them because they are very famous in the fitness industry in england. this company here in italy, they have less than 50% of the clients getting back to the club. even because we are working definitely like now, we reduce the capacity to have —— we are working very different right now. that was one of the actions that we had to help people to come and train safely, but i seek this kind of measures and at the same time, we will do it for healthy people, it creates more... people get more afraid because they still see that

you cannot be close to the other people and so people do not feel really comfortable about these things so most of the people at this moment in italy prefer to go outside, to go running or training are working out in outdoor trainings. it is very, in this moment, training is very different. even socially distance inside a gym, it is an environment where obviously people get sweaty, breathing heavily, how much distance does there have to be for people to feel safe ? there have to be for people to feel safe? the measures he says about two metres from each person so in four metres from each person so in four metres squared, that is the area you have for yourself. so you imagine a room where you have the capacity of 80 metres which means you have to have at maximum 20 people. so a big room will have a maximum 20 people. and you're right because people are

sweaty, and these things really get people afraid about that. and so, most of the clients don't really wa nt to most of the clients don't really want to go to the fitness clubs at this moment. for example, most of my personal clients, 90% of them, do not want to go to the club right now. they prefer to go outside or they prefer, if one is the login is over, if i can, to go in their house and train them in their house. they feel safe like this —— once the lockdown is over. what has lockdown done generally to people's fitness? there are people who would regularly have been keeping fit, but may not have been keeping fit, but may not have been keeping fit, but may not have been doing so during lockdown but are there other people have been taking up fitness anyway they have not done before because there has been so much online that has been very accessible? the tbi says that

we had 300% more people training during the covid—19. that was an amazing result, for example our company was doing classes online. you have a lot of people and most of the upper companies were also training people online. —— other companies. and people who did not go to the fitness club, they discovered at the trainings online. so it was a very good thing and i think that people really realise that they can also train anytime they want, it is just a kind of mindset, you know. many of the time, people do not want to go to the club to train or they feel like they do not have time or they get to lazy to go and drive back and arrive and change the close after one day working, but once the covid comes up and everybody has to be locked down, people realise that they can even train at home so you wa ke they can even train at home so you wake up in the morning, you take 30 or 40 minutes for yourself and you really start an amazing day. that is our advice and that is what we

discovered in this moment, that really it can help a lot of people andi really it can help a lot of people and i see in this moment we have more people that have been practising workouts at home than before when we were... when people we re before when we were... when people were just before when we were... when people werejust going to before when we were... when people were just going to the fitness clu bs. were just going to the fitness clubs. yes, it gets your day off to a good start. thank you very much. thank you. let's get more on the return of the premier league now. it's notjust the crowds that will be missing from tonight's premier league games. the players' names will also be absent from their shirts. for the first 12 matches, all players' names will be replaced by the slogan "black lives matter" — in a show of support for the global protests sparked by the death in police custody of george floyd. graham satchell has been talking to three players about their experiences of racism, both on and off the pitch. even in the area i live in,

a white dominant area, you do get looked at differently. my team—mate was upset, i was upset, the whole team was upset. you do feel it every day and it's not the greatest, but you learn to deal with it and at times you don't even notice it. three watford players, one in the first team, one in the ladies' team and one in the academy and their experience of racism in this country today. as a young black boy, i've grown up to adapt. it's not having bananas thrown at me and people shouting racial slurs down the street that happens every day, it's the racial bias that happens. things like getting pulled over by the police for no reason, from being followed around the shop and those sorts of things that happen on a day—to—day basis. it's not acceptable that i've just learned to adapt in someone else's world. i was born here, i'm from england and i feeljust as much a part

of this country as anyone else, but i get treated differently because if they see my name on a cv that i give in to go and get a job, automatically i am profiled because it's not an english name. that doesn't mean i'm not english myself, but because i've got an african name it's like "put that to the side and see someone else's cv first". it started on the pitch and one of them must have called my team—mate the n—word and we told the ref straightaway but he just seemed to like dismiss it and we felt vulnerable. to be honest, i still felt frustrated and quite upset and shocked that someone could go out of their way to be that spiteful. the struggle against racism has been a long one. andre gray has used his body as a canvas to pay tribute to past heroes, mandela, malcolm x, marcus garvey, rosa parks.

from top to bottom, things need to change. i feel like finally we might actually have something to push for and push for change. the push for change has seen protests around the world and when the premier league stars again tonight, players will wear shirts with black lives matter on the back. they will also take the knee. it is a solemn protest against all forms of racism. as marcus rashford has shown in recent days, football has a unique power in this country to influence and effect change. what marcus and people like andre and troy are doing, i think it's amazing, having black lives matter on the back of football shirts. the more you see something,

the more you pay attention to it and the more you kind of spark and interest and i think that's an interest and i think that's what needs to be done here, to spark an interest. it is notjust in america, that this probably happens, that this problem happens, it's here as well in this country and we can't be blind to it any more. here at watford they have worked hard to be inclusive and break down barriers. they are planning changes to the curriculum taught to children in their academy. if this is a moment of change, then football is playing its part. wear a mask, don't fill the carriage and sit at least two metres away from other passengers. those might sound like the new rules for catching a commuter train — but you'll face the same guidelines if you fancy a go on the rollercoaster at blackpool pleasure beach this summer. with an estimated 400,000 jobs under threat, the uk's leisure and cultural attractions are working hard to be "covid secure" for when they re—open.

0ur media and arts correspondent david sillito reports. blackpool, the pleasure beach, a place that should be, at this time of year, a cacophony of shouts and screams. it is a very strange atmosphere here because the only thing you can hear is birdsong and this should be a place that is, at this time of year, teeming with people. they are hoping they will soon get the chance to open the gates but the question is, how do you do socially—distanced fun? this is the first time since 1896 that this park has ever closed. we were open throughout the wars, both wars, so this is just an extraordinary time for us and, being a family business, it is particularly difficult because you have got to look after so many families as well that work here for you. and to make it work, they are even socially distancing the roller—coaster. are you going to be able to fill the train? we are not, to enable

distance between people, as we'll see with your measuring tape, here. the one seat back there, that is only a metre so you have to go... pull that back a bit further. that is exactly two metres. so we'd leave this row empty and then we would load these seats, maintaining a safe distance. it is a very different experience, you see, you have to wear a face mask on here, there's no—one behind me, there have to be two sets behind, because of social distancing, everything is going to be, well, a lot slower, that is, apart from the ride itself. and if you do not want to be terrified alone, bring someone from your own household. britain's visitor attractions and cultural venues have seen income plummet and, even when things do reopen, it will be gradual. london zoo, for instance, is outdoor—only, with

strict viewing points and one—way systems. research released today says our creative industries are losing more than £1 billion a week in revenue. here at the design museum, i was shown how they are adapting theirforthcoming exhibition on the music industry. there is a one—way flow into the main exhibition. time—limited, an hour and a half. of course, one—way systems work for museums, but not other cultural venues. it is interesting that the exhibition deals with an aspect of music and live performance in club culture because that part of the cultural landscape is really severely hit at the moment, even more than museums. the opening trajectory for live venues and for music performances and so on is a lot further down the line. and even the museums are going to be quieter than normal. we need to start carefully. it is small steps. small steps, keep moving, no dawdling.

hundreds of thousands ofjobs depend on places like this depend on places like this, but it is going to be tough businesses that rely on mingling, crowds and people feeling comfortable being close to one another. david sillito, bbc news, blackpool. the duchess of cambridge has been leading an online assembly where she speaks about the importance of mental wellbeing among children. it's for the oak national academy, which is an online classroom providing video lessons and free resources to parents and teachers. the theme of the duchess' assembly was to "spread a little kindness" and was developed with children's mental health charity place2be. here's a short clip. today i wanted to talk to you about the importance of being kind and looking after one another.” the importance of being kind and looking after one another. i am now going to go and join a zoom coal from some pupils from waterloo primary academy in blackpool to find out what kind this means them. who

wa nts to out what kind this means them. who wants to tell me what kindness means? treat people how you want to be treated. in a few minutes, borisjohnson will be facing mps in prime minister's questions. let's cross to westminster and talk to our assistant political editor norman smith. there has been a lot going on over the past few days, a lot for keir starmer to pick on over. surely there will be a reference, even passing to free school meals and marcus rashford. it may not be the guts of sir keir starmer‘s questions today, but it is kind of done and dusted, that battle is over. i mean, they have kind of settled into a bit ofa they have kind of settled into a bit of a pattern, these pm cues, and it tends to be that keir starmer alights on some aspect of coronavirus, whether it is care homes or a ppe or schools and then

tackle the prime minister over what he claims is a lack of planning, lack of consultation and that tends to be the narrative of these and the prime minister tends to say that you're just prime minister tends to say that you'rejust being prime minister tends to say that you're just being negative, prime minister tends to say that you'rejust being negative, you're out of touch with public opinion, what people want to see is politicians rallying around and it seems to have fallen into that regular format. what is developing isa regular format. what is developing is a bit of needle between the two men because they are pretty much like chalk and cheese. borisjohnson isa like chalk and cheese. borisjohnson is a big show man, with the big phrases and keir starmer is entirely different kettle of fish going, going for the detail, the specifics. i sense a little bit of age creeping m, i sense a little bit of age creeping in, actually, to their weeklyjazz. borisjohnson is clearly irked by some of the questioning and, to be fairto sir keir some of the questioning and, to be fair to sir keir starmer, he has actually chalked up a number of wins in the sense that last week he did

press over free school meals and although, the u—turn was not in the end, primarily overwhelmingly the result of the information of marcus rashford, nevertheless he did raise it at the la pmqs and a couple of pmqs before that, he also raised the issue of nhs health surcharge, which the prime minister rebuffed in the commons and then subsequently did an about turn as public pressure built up. so the very detailed particular sort of questioning from sir keir starmer has actually turned up a couple of successes for him so we will see what he alights on today. whether he picks on another specific area of coronavirus management. what is the mood in each party about the respective leadership during this time? i think that is genuinely a little bit of grumbling, mumbling, it is quite on the tory backbenches over kind of a lack of leadership, if we can put it that way. that's

not just the u—turns, if we can put it that way. that's notjust the u—turns, but on big issues, which tory mps want dealt with, like the two metre rule because they say, look, the science is never going to be black and white, you just need to make a decision and you need to make it soon saw restaurant and cafe is can prepare. there is a sense, just do it. and there is a bit of a scene peeling on schools where there is a slight sense of drift and a feeling that mrjohnson needs to come forward with specific proposals, either to get more portakabins into a playground to create more classroom space or to requisition other buildings, but here we go. let's see what gallatin and could have a go at today. numberone, mrspeaker. number one, mr speaker. speaker: prime minister. thank you, mr speaker. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others, and i shall have further such meetings later today. from the

pages of the revolutionary communist party into the heart of no 10 has not gone unnoticed in the prime minister appointed them to lead the government's commission for racial inequality and it was greeted with some disbelief given their well—known views on the matter so i wonder can the prime minister tell us today does he believe with manure is that previous inquiries have fostered a culture of grievance within minority communities? —— munira mirza. mr speaker, i am a huge admirer of doctor munira mirza, who is a brilliant thinker about these issues, and we are certainly going to proceed with a cross governmental commission to look at racism and discrimination, and it will be a very thorough piece of work looking at discrimination in health, education and in the criminal justice system. health, education and in the criminaljustice system. i know that

the house will say we have already had plenty of commissions and plenty of work. but it is clear from the black lives matter march and all the representations that we have had that more work needs to be done. and this government is going to do it. speaker: we are heading up to yorkshire to visit andrea jenkyns. thank you, mr speaker. following the disgraceful events of the last week with folks defacing national monuments including churchill and queen victoria and defending the memory of hero pc keith palmer, what will the prime minister do to uphold british values and carry out the rule of law? i'm grateful to my honourable friend. and i can tell her and the house, any incident or vandalism or attack on public property will be met with the full force of the law and perpetrators will be prosecuted. i can also confirm that we are looking at new ways in which we may legislate

against vandalism of war memorials. speaker: we now come to the leader of the opposition sir keir starmer. thank you, mr speaker. can i start by welcoming the announcement of a major breakthrough in the treatment of coronavirus by uk scientists. that's really fantastic news and we are all behind it and i want to pay tribute to all those involved. can i also welcomed the prime minister's latest u—turn, this time on free school meals? that was the right thing to do and is vital for the 1.3 million children who will benefit. it's just one step in the fight against child poverty. a report last week from the government social mobility commission concluded that there are now 600,000 more children living in relative poverty than in 2012. the report went on to say child poverty rates are projected to increase to 5.2 million by 2022. what does the prime minister think

caused that? well, i'm grateful to the right honourable gentleman for what he said about dexamethasone and i'm glad he's finally paying tributes to the efforts of this country in tackling coronavirus. but ican country in tackling coronavirus. but i can tell him that on free school meals this government is very proud. we set up universal free school meals and i'm very pleased that we are going to be able to deliver a covid summer food package to some of the poorest families in this country and that's exactly the right thing to do. but i must say that i think he is completely wrong in what he says about poverty. absolute poverty and relative poverty have both declined under this government. there are hundreds of thousands, i think 400,000 fewer families living in poverty now than there were in 2010. keir starmer. mr speaker, the prime minister says poverty has not increased. i've just prime minister says poverty has not increased. i'vejust read prime minister says poverty has not

increased. i've just read a direct quote from a government report from a government commission produced last week which says it has gone up by 600,000. the social mobility commission has a clear answer to my question. this anticipated rise in child poverty is not driven by forces beyond our control. i gave the prime minister the number, 600,000, he didn't reply. the report goes on to say, this is a real cause for concern, the prime minister is chuntering, he might want to listen... real cause for concern because the commission goes on, i'm sure the prime minister has read the report, that it is even... they are really concerned that these projections were made, 5.2 million, before the impact of covid—19. they go on to say, which we expect to push more families into poverty. this is a serious issue. i'm sure the prime minister would agree that an even higher child poverty rate would be an intolerable outcome from this pandemic. so, what is he going

to do to prevent it? mr speaker, i misunderstood what the right honourable gentleman is talking about, he talks about an anticipated rise rather than a rise that has actually taken place. a new concept is being introduced into our deliberations. what we are talking about is what has actually happened, mr speaker, which is a reduction in poverty. and i can tell him that of course we are concerned and the whole house will understand that of course this government is deeply concerned about the impact of coronavirus in the uk economy. i think everybody with any furnace would acknowledge that this government has invested massively in protecting the workforce of this country. 11 million jobs protecting the workforce of this country. 11 millionjobs protected by the coronavirus job retention scheme, unlike anything done anywhere else in the world. £30 billion worth of business loans. and we intend to make sure that we

minimise the impact of coronavirus on the poorest kids in this country. one of the best ways in which we could do that, mr speaker, is to encourage all kids who can go back to school to go back to school now because their schools are safe. last week i asked him whether he would say publicly that schools are safe to go back to, he hummed and hawed, now is his time to say clearly schools are safe to go back to. mr speaker, your witness. mr speaker, the prime minister poverty has got the prime minister poverty has got the first idea what the social mobility report said last week, a government body. he talks to me about consistency and u—turns. the government has had three u—turns in the last month, first immigration health charges, then we had mps voting and then we have had free school meals. the owner question now is whether you u—turn at the dispatch box before after. three u—turns in three weeks. this is the

only area where the government is falling short, during the pandemic the local authorities have been working flat out on social care, on homelessness, obtaining protective equipment for the front line, delivering food and essential supplies. on the 26th of march the communities secretary told council leaders directly and in terms, this was a letter to council leaders and a speech, the government stands ready to do whatever is necessary to support councils in their response to coronavirus. does the prime minister believe that the government has kept that promise? mr speaker, we have put £3.2 billion extra into local government in tackling coronavirus. i must say we didn't hearan coronavirus. i must say we didn't hear an answer, did we, mr speaker? how can he talk about tackling the effect of coronavirus on the most disadvantaged? effect of coronavirus on the most disadvantaged ? there effect of coronavirus on the most disadvantaged? there is the most disadvantaged? there is the most disadvantaged kids who need to go back to school and it is those groups which unfortunately at the moment i'm not going back to school.

let's hear it from him one more time, will he say that schools are safe to go back to? come on! mr speaker, this is turning into opposition questions. if the prime minister wants to swap places, i'm very happy to do it. we could do it now! mr speaker, the prime minister, the only bit of an answer he gave was about £3.2 billion to the question i asked. well, it's a lot of money. the conservative led... the conservative led local government authority said that they are going to have a shortfall of £10 million this year. the health secretary heckles. the conservative leader of lancashire county council wrote a letter to communities secretary a month ago on the 7th of may. and he said this, the overall

financial impact on councils nationally and locally will be far in excess of the 3.2 billion provided to date. he went on to say we would like some assurance from you that all councils will be fully reimbursed for the costs of covid—19. these are the prime minister's own council leaders. he must‘ve known about this for months. why has he been so slow to act? we haven't because in addition to the 3.2 billion, we have already put another 1.6 billion to support councils delivering front line services can plus another 600 million from my memory to go into social care. the reality is, i'd like to return to the point about poverty, we want to tackle deprivation in this country. i want kids to go back to school. the unions won't let him say the truth, which is that schools, great ochs has stood upon his tongue, mr

speaker. let him now say that schools are safe to go back to. —— a great ox. mr speaker, the prime minister just great ox. mr speaker, the prime ministerjust doesn't get how critical this is. i spoke with council leaders across the country this week. they face a choice. the prime minister must know this, between cutting core services, or facing bankruptcy under section 114 notices. either outcome will harm local communities and meet local services cannot reopen. that will drive up poverty, something the prime minister said he doesn't intend to do. local councils have done everything asked of them in this crisis. the government has not. will the prime minister take responsibility and actually do something? mr speaker, with great respect to the right honourable gentleman, i have outlined what we are doing to support local government and i think this country

can be very proud of the investments we have made. and i think, by the way, they can be very proud of the incredible work local officials have done across this country. but i must say there are some councils, and particularly labour councils, alas, that are not opening their schools now when they could be opening their schools. and i say to him now, for i hope the last time, now is the moment when he can say to those labour councillors that it is safe for kids to go back to reception, two year one, year six, early years, as they can. will he now say it? mr speaker, every week the prime minister seems to complain that i ask him questions at prime minister's questions. if he wants to swa p minister's questions. if he wants to swap places, so be it. finally, mr speaker, i want to return to the prime minister's other recent u—turn. the immigration health surcharge for nhs and care workers. following prime minister's questions on the 20th of may, the government

announced that it would drop this deeply unfair charge. that's nearly a month ago. nothing has happened. the bma, the royal college of nursing, the royal college of physicians and unison have all written to the prime minister, so he must know about this. one doctor was quoted on monday as saying my collea g u es quoted on monday as saying my colleagues had replied, even yesterday, and one said he had to pay for himself, his wife and his four kids, that's £6,000. he says the home office is saying nothing has been incremented. these are people on the front line. the prime minister said he would act. when is he going to do so? i'm genuinely grateful for he going to do so? i'm genuinely gratefulfor an he going to do so? i'm genuinely grateful for an important question because it is vital that people who are working on the front line and nhs workers in particular get the support they need. that's why i said what i said a few weeks ago. and what i said a few weeks ago. and what i said a few weeks ago. and what i can tell him is that nhs or

ca re what i can tell him is that nhs or care workers who have paid the surcharge since the 21st of may will be refunded and we are getting on with instituting the new arrangements as fast as we possibly can. mr speaker, i welcome the prime minister's rejection of the extension to the brexit transition period. can i ask him if he agrees with me that taking back control of our fishing waters with me that taking back control of ourfishing waters in with me that taking back control of our fishing waters in january 2021 will benefit the fishing communities within the great grimsby constituency? i can tell my honourable friend that it certainly will, we are going to become once again an independent coastal state. and i know how brilliantly she campaigns for fisheries in grimsby andi campaigns for fisheries in grimsby and i would urge her to engage with effort to ensure the people of grimsby can exploit the recapture of our spectacular natural marine wealth. —— defra.

our spectacular natural marine wealth. -- defra. heading to scotland to the leader of the snp, ian blackford. thank you, mr speaker. marcus rashford has shown more moral leadership in tackling poverty in a matter of days than this tory government has in the past decade of cuts. but as he says, people are struggling all year round and more needs to be done. this morning thejoseph rowntree foundation and save the children have published research following the ongoing health crisis is causing six in ten families to borrow money, seven in ten to cut back on essentials, and over five seven in ten to cut back on essentials, and overfive intend falling behind on rent and other essential bills. mr speaker, an extra £20 a week in social security support would prevent millions of families from having to make the choice of paying their bills or feeding their children. will the prime minister now immediately uplift the child element of universal credit and child tax

credit by £20 per week? mr speaker, this is a government that has done everything we possibly can so far to help families in need, to make sure that nobody is penalised for doing the right thing during the crisis, because i know how difficult it has been. that's why we operated the universal credit by £1044, benefiting 4 million families in this country. but i say in all sincerity to the right honourable gentleman, that we are fully aware that there will be tough times ahead and we do stand by to do more where we can. ian blackford. thank you, mr speaker. £20 a week. £20 a week to help families with children. that's what we are asking for. we are talking about an extra £20 a week to stop families having to make the choice between paying their bills or

feeding their children. that's the harsh reality, prime minister. this isa harsh reality, prime minister. this is a question of helping people survive. this tory government has seen a decade of austerity that has driven people into poverty, that has scrapped child poverty targets. rather than reversing the damaging policies, they have pushed millions into poverty, the prime minister is more interested in finding money to spend on his own vanity project, a luxury vip plane. is he seriously saying that he won't find £20 a week to help families who are struggling to help families who are struggling to survive? no, of course not, mr speaker. and that's why we are investing massively in universal credit, in employment support allowance, in benefits across the board, to say nothing of the novel that we have introduced such as coronavirus job retention which is a model that i think the whole world is admiring.

there is no other country that has put its arms around 11 million workers in the way that this government has, supported jobs, supported incomes across the whole of the uk. we are going to get this country through it and i hope he supports our measures. thank you, mr speaker. this morning i published my report entitled unlike britain, which sets out ten reforms the government could put in place to help our economy recover once the health crisis is behind us. with the prime minister work with me in considering some of these ideas come in particular my idea of a recovery fund for british small and medium—sized businesses. indeed, small and medium—sized businesses from the entire united kingdom, to help reduce their debt burden and give them equity so that we can power the recovery forward through them. i have studied my honourable friend's proposals with interest and he is an expert in what he speaks of and we will certainly look at all kinds of ways, imaginative ways in which we can stimulate a strong

rebound, a strong economic recovery, and he should stand by for what the chancellor is going to be announcing in the next few weeks. mr speaker, due to the covid crisis, tens of thousands of british businesses face bankruptcy. millions of british people face redundancy. so in britain's hour of need, will the prime minister put the practical imperative of saving jobs before his brexit ideology? rather than risking a bad deal or no deal due to the deadline set before coronavirus. why doesn't the prime minister showed some good old—fashioned british common sense, give our economy the chance to breathe and accept the eu's offer of a delay? i would just put it to the right honourable gentleman that there is another way of looking at it. the first point, i think the people of this country are

wholeheartedly sick of us going on about brexit and... we got it done. the other point is, when we come to the end of the transition period, we will be able to do things differently, mr speaker, and respond to our economic needs in a creative and constructive way, looking at regulation, looking at ways in which we support industries in a way that we support industries in a way that we hadn't been able to do before. that will be very productive for this country. let's not delay that moment and let's get on with it. mr speaker, i'm sure everybody will be delighted my right honourable friend is back in this house in such a robust form. he will be pleased to know that almost 50% of the children in gloucestershire who qualify are back at school is now. but their education has suffered over the last few months. would he consider, therefore, doing two things? firstly, to ask all teachers to set all the children and pupils catch up plan before the summer. and

secondly, would he ask all head teachers to get a recovery plan so that everybody can go back in september? yes indeed, mr speaker, and that's absolutely crucial we do that, there is a big catch up plan that, there is a big catch up plan that my right honourable friend the education secretary is going to be announcing very education secretary is going to be announcing very shortly. it is vital that kids get the catch up on education they have lost. but even more vital, and i think i may have mentioned it to the house already this morning, that the kids who can go to school should go to school. wouldn't it be a fine thing, mr speaker, if we heard from all sides of the house that schools are safe to go to rather than the wibble wobble we have heard from the opposition this morning? heading to south wales withjessica opposition this morning? heading to south wales with jessica morden. thank you, mr speaker. a strong uk steel industry is essential for the uk's economic recovery. plans like the steelworks in newport, the only electrical steel plant in the uk, will play a key part in that recovery. but three months into this crisis and still companies are still

waiting for the government liquidity support. it is critical. will the prime minister commit to address this now? i'm very grateful to be honourable lady because we take this issue in the uk steel industry very seriously. we are doing everything we can to maintain uk steel production. though clearly it was a lwa ys production. though clearly it was always facing difficulties, even before corona struck. i will make sure i look at the particular needs of the concern that she raises in newport east. and we will ensure that we do everything we can. ijust remind her that we have supported 9200 workers in a constituency through the furlough scheme. thank you, mr speaker. coronavirus has underlined the importance of improving broadband infrastructure. does the prime minister agreed with me that extending the existing relief on business rates for new full fibre infrastructure could see the release of the investment we need to level up in rural areas like

north devon? and will he think telecommunication workers for their effo rts telecommunication workers for their efforts during the pandemic? absolutely right, mr speaker. that's why we have provided 100% business rate relief for all new fibre investment, and i'm very happy to join my honourable friend in thanking the amazing work of the teller communications workers who have kept going, many of them throughout the pandemic, to put in that broadband infrastructure —— telecommunications workers. i thank them with her. the prime minister previously stated to the house he had no correspondence or discussions with the secretary of state for housing and communities about the westbu ry housing and communities about the westbury print works application. will he now also confirm that none of his officials and advisers also had no such correspondence or discussions with the secretary of state for housing and communities, or his officials and advisers? and will the prime minister undertake to publish all correspondence relating to this matter when the cabinet secretary reports? i'm grateful to

the honourable gentleman and i certainly had no correspondence about this matter myself, nor as far asi about this matter myself, nor as far as i know i did any of my officials, but if there is anything to be said i know that the right honourable gentleman has written to the cabinet secretary and he will write back. thank you, mr speaker. the reopening of nonessential shops in aylesbury on monday has been a welcome boost to restart the local retail sector. can my right honourable friend i xiaomi he will do everything necessary to assimilate the rest of the buckinghamshire economy in the coming weeks and months to come, for example easing restrictions on outdoor tables and chairs, cutting unnecessary regulation and perhaps most importantly providing a dedicated stimulus for our small businesses, the business for which the county is rightly renowned?” thank him and i thank him for the way he campaigns for business in aylesbu ry way he campaigns for business in aylesbury in his constituency, what we will be doing is obviously doing what we can to flex the social distancing rules. but only as we

make progress in driving the incidence of the virus down. i think everybody understands the tension that the whole country is operating, the trade—off that we have to operate. we must continue to defeat that virus. but we are sticking to our plan. we will stick ruthlessly to our plan to continue with the opening of hospitality sectors on july the 4th at the earliest, and proceed on that basis. tulip siddiq. thank you, mr speaker. last week in response to a question from the memberfor response to a question from the member for lewisham and deptford, the prime minister said" shielded people will be asking themselves whether they are entitled to furlough funds. i have been made of the —— aware of the issue recently and we will address it forthwith. but since then the deadline for applying for the furlough skin has been and gone and there has been no announcement about the support for shielding workers. so could i ask the prime minister, is this yet another u—turn, or has the prime

minister forgotten what he said in the chamber last week? no, mr speaker. the furlough scheme should be available for everybody. the gallant gentleman bob stewart. thank you, mr speaker, it is good to see the prime minister looking fighting fit. can i ask my right honourable friend where we are in the process of trying to stop repeated vexatious claims against service men and servicewomen who have been involved in fatality shootings in the northern ireland campaign? yes, i thank my right honourable friend. he is absolutely right. we are going to be bringing forward legislation that focuses on protecting people who have been involved, whether they are the victims or veterans alike, ensuring equal treatment in northern ireland for our veterans, and also for those who have served overseas.

thank you, mr speaker. 1 million people with no recourse to public funds can't access the universal credit safety net. i agree with the prime minister's point at the liaison committee that hard—working families in that position should have help of one kind or another. so, will he deliver help, suspend the no recourse to public funds restriction for the duration of this crisis, and do it before the school summer holidays so that destitute families can at least claim the free school meal vouchers he announced yesterday? well, mr speaker, of course they should be eligible for those. but already, those who have no recourse to public funds do have access, as i have said to him repeatedly, in this chamber that dummett a coronavirus job repeatedly, in this chamber that dummett a coronavirusjob retention scheme, income support scheme, the measures introduced to protect renters, the mortgage holiday for those who need it, and when an individual has been working for long enoughin individual has been working for long enough in the uk and enough national

insurance contributions have been made, they may also be entitled to employment and support allowance. although no recourse to public funds sounds as though it means just that, it isa sounds as though it means just that, it is a term of art, there are many ways in which we support the poorest and neediest in this country, we are proud to do so and will continue to do so. thank you, mr speaker. can i welcome efforts by companies like facebook to make the internet a safer and less misleading place? but i know my right honourable friend will agree that we cannot leave online platforms to regulate themselves? so can i urge him to allow no further delay in the bringing forward of the government's response to the online home white paper consultation and legislation which will enable this country to play the global leadership role on this it can and should play. i'm grateful to my right honourable friend and i know he has campaigned

on this issue and i know the interest he has taken in online harm is. they are an evil. there is this real risk during the lockdown that terrible things have been going on behind closed doors, closed curtains, in this country, on the internet. we had a summit on the matter in no 10 recently and we are working at pace as he knows on new legislation against online harms. thank you, mr speaker. as if behaviour hasn't been bad enough, an agency in the supply chain did not pay staff during covid and awaiting clarification from hmrc about furlough. workers then couldn't access benefits and have been made redundant after ten weeks of zero income. will hmrc clarify matters and consider an extension to the fellow deadline but also if short—term are found to be bluffing? what will he do to stop companies treating workers as numbers on a

spreadsheet? well, mr speaker, i'm concerned about the behaviour of some companies and i think many collea g u es some companies and i think many colleagues around the house will have received similar representations from their own constituents. i don't want to single any out it is very important that companies recognise the government, the taxpayer, is not a huge length to put our arms around uk business. they should do what they can as well to look after their workers in very difficult times because those workers will stand them in good stead when the economy turns up again. mr speaker, in stoke-on-trent i have the incredible co—leader, once the beating heart of the community, it is now sadly at risk of being lost. will you support me, historic angling and the friends of chatterley whitfield to protect this historic landmark and create new gene greenjobs, historic landmark and create new gene green jobs, and historic landmark and create new gene greenjobs, and memorialise the history from the pits to the pots.

mr speaker, i congratulate my boyfriend and the friends of chatterley whitfield colliery for the ambition that he has just outlined for a heritage park. i think it is a proposal that he needs to work up in more detail and bring to work up in more detail and bring to the government and we will look at it with interest. 25 has been drawn up by any callard. i am sure all of the house pass on our best wishes for a speedy return to the house —— amy callaghan. wishes for a speedy return to the house -- amy callaghan. does the payments to agree with me that as this country emerges we have an opportunity to put innovation at the centre of a response and put sectors like green energy and then take and use innovative financial solutions such as social impact bonds as a tool in delivering a levelling up agenda? she may not believe it, yes, but when i was mayor of london we

pioneered social impact bonds to tackle the most entrenched rough sleepers, to give value to companies for their success in dealing with this terrible problem and to charities and i'm proud to say that there was a social impact bond schemes are now being used in several products across the country to tackle rough sleeping. —— projects across the country. we have made huge progress in dealing with rough sleeping. the number of rough sleepers has been a scar on our consciences. it has got much, much better over the crisis, but we must make sure it does not recur. forgive me, mr make sure it does not recur. forgive me, merspeaker. make sure it does not recur. forgive me, mr mr speaker. no problem. the firm is constituency produce the high—quality product in which consumers can have confidence because our farmers can demonstrate lifelong traceability of their cattle. their efforts, however, are undermined by labelling legislation in this country. which allows beef

from anywhere in the world to be labelled as british beef as long as it is packaged in this country. if the prime minister is serious about maintaining food standards, especially in light of any future trade arrangements, will he do something to close that loophole? yes, mr speaker, if what the right honourable gentleman says it is indeed the case, and i am sure that he knows exactly where he speaks, but i can only say it must be one of those things that is currently governed by the laws of the eu, to which he is bound to return an independent scotland, should that catastrophe ever arise. we are of the house intend to take advantage of the freedoms that we have one and the feeling that the british people have decided to take back to make sure that scottish beef farmers do have the protections that they need.

in orderto have the protections that they need. in order to allow the safety of all honourable members partaking in this business, i will suspend the husband three minutes... that is the end of prime minister's questions. we are expecting to hear in three minutes' time from the health secretary, matt answering an urgent question on coronavirus. whilst we wait for that, i just want to run through some of what was said there, in particular, the statistics raised by sir keir starmer because he the prime minister why it might be that child poverty has increased in this country by 600,000 according to the latest social mobility commission report. but as johnson answered latest social mobility commission report. but asjohnson answered that i think, actually, report. but asjohnson answered that ithink, actually, 400,000 report. but asjohnson answered that i think, actually, 400,000 fewer families are living in absolute poverty, he said absolute or relative poverty, now than in 2010.

soi relative poverty, now than in 2010. so i looked at the statistics, because they are of assessing both very different things and any figure 400,000 has been fact checked before because it was actually bought up by the prime minister in an interview with andrew marr last december during the election campaign so i will read to you from the conversation dot—com website which looked at the statistic and it said, although boris johnson did looked at the statistic and it said, although borisjohnson did not explain then how he reached the figure of 400,000, it is likely he was referring to the absolute low income measure of child poverty, which did fall from 3.9 million in 2012 to 2013 to a drop of 400,000. but only in that time period. the claim after that would be out of date because the number increased by 200,000 ina date because the number increased by 200,000 in a single year from 2016

to— 200,000 in a single year from 2016 to — two than 17 to 2017—2018 and looks to be some disparity here and the pinus's figure is out of date. we are checking the figures and where the prime minister got that statistic. —— the prime minister's figure is out of date. keir starmer responded that i think that the prime minister does not have the first idea of what was any social mobility report. we will also try to work out exactly what has happened there. some of the news to bring you. we are heeding that the conservative mp —— heeding that the conservative mp —— heeding that the conservative mp —— heeding that the conservative mp ben bradley is stepping down from his position after spinning ten months as a parliamentary private secretary to spend more time with his family. he has been working to step back from the government role for almost a month now and this process was finished this week. he also volunteered that the decision was absolutely in no way connected to anything related to government or

policy. he was elected as mp for mansfield in 2017 and he has been pps since last august, so he has been working as a pps in the department of business enterprise and industrial strategy and he is now leaving that position. what we're expecting next is a statement from the health secretary matt hancock. he is going to be answering an urgent question from the shadow health secretary, jon ashworth. on coronavirus. we're expecting at some stage and update on what to those who are currently shielding need to do in terms of how much longer they need to shield the. matt hancock has said this morning in his interviews that there would be news of forthcoming on that at some stage, whether it comes up now we obviously just

some stage, whether it comes up now we obviouslyjust do not know whether it is just going to be a genetic update on the latest on covid—19. but we are expecting shortly, as i say, jon ashworth to ask the urgent question and we will hear what he has to say. it looks like they're settling in for this so will listen and... jonathan ashworth. to ask the secretary of state to update the house on covid—19. state to update the house on covid-19. i am grateful to state to update the house on covid-19. i am gratefulto update the house on the urgent matter of coronavirus. yesterday's treatment breakthrough shows british signs is amongst the best in the world, mr speaker. —— british science. as a nation, we can be incredibly proud of our scientists. the uk is home to the best clinical trials, they must advance immunology research, the most promising vaccine development work of any country. we had back to the science from the start and i'm

sure the whole house will welcome the life—saving breakthrough that was announced yesterday. today, if i can, mr speaker, was announced yesterday. today, if i can, mrspeaker, i was announced yesterday. today, if i can, mr speaker, iwill was announced yesterday. today, if i can, mr speaker, i will briefly update to the house on all the aspects of that scientific national effort. first in clinical trials, our recovery programme, which looks at the effect of existing treatments ina at the effect of existing treatments in a real—world hospital settings is at the largest of its kind. as of yesterday, 11,547 nhs patients had been recruited to the programme, which is operating across 176 sites in allfour which is operating across 176 sites in all four nations. in oxford university's dexamethasone trial, over 2000 nhs covered patients were given a course of this drug, a a commonly steroid, over ten days. for patients who are ill enough to require oxygen, the risk of dying fell by one fifth. and for the most seriously ill patients on mechanical ventilators, the risk of dying fell by over one third. this is an important moment in the fight

against the deciders. it is the first time that anyone in the world has clinically proven that a drug can improve at the survival chances for the most seriously ill or on a bed of patients —— against this virus. in february, we began the trial supported by £25 million of carbon funding and in march we began recruiting the patient had started the process —— of government funding. ican the process —— of government funding. i can let the house that as today, we have a 240,000 doses now in stock and on order. this means that the treatment is immediately available and already in use on the nhs. iam available and already in use on the nhs. i am incredibly proud that this discovery has happened right here in britain through a collaboration between government, the nhs and some of our top scientists. it is not by any means a cure, mr speaker, but it is the best news we have had.

throughout this crisis, our actions have been guided by the science. this is what good science looks like. a randomised control trials, rigorous painstaking research, moving at a pace, yet getting it right. and the result is that we now have an objective proof, not anecdote, but proof, that this drug saves lives. and that knowledge will benefit many thousands of people all around the world. seven other drugs are currently being trialled as part of the recovery trial. and a further nine drugs are in line for clinical trials as part of the accord programme, which is looking at early—stage treatments. we look forward to seeing the results of all of these trials too. and i want to thank everyone involved and put on the record my thanks to our deputy chief medical officer professor jonathan van tam who has allegedly working government and the nhs clinicians, scientific teams and the participants in the trial who took the drug to they knew that it

worked. mr speaker, r immunology research again is world leading. last month, i announced a new antibody testing to understand the immunological response to the disease. whether you get a resista nce disease. whether you get a resistance to coronavirus once you have had it, and are recovered. i myself am part of that programme and as of yesterday, 592,204 people have now had an nhs antibody test. the nature of immunity research is that it takes time. you have to wait to see if someone with antibodies gets reinfected. but with every test, we improve our picture of where the virus has been and we grow the evidence to find out if people have had the disease and have antibodies are at lower risk of getting or transmitting the virus again. crucially, this work will help inform how we deploy a vaccine. my final point, mr speaker, that work is moving at pace. earlier this

week, imperial college began their first phase of human clinical trials. 300 participants will receive dosages of the vaccine and they should they do penelope promising response, imperial will move to a larger face the trial later this year —— should imperial find a promising response. astrazeneca sadie deal for the manufacturing of one of the vaccines, the most advance in development and is very promising. none of this happened by accident, the british covenant, scientist and the british covenant, scientist and the nhs have put in place a large scale, well funded, regular science led system of research and innovation. —— british government. we have been working on it since the first moment we heard of coronavirus and there is more to do in this national effort, but this is how we win the battle. we will leave no stone unturned as we search for the

tools to hunt down, control and ultimately defeat this dreadful disease. can ijust say ultimately defeat this dreadful disease. can i just say to the secretary of state, he has gone away over the allocated time. what i would have preferred... bear with us, it would have been easier to have made the statement than to have a question, if we could come forward with the statement if you need the extra time, i will certainly grant and support you in doing so. some extra time to jonathan ashwood as well, and philippa whitford. —— ashford. can i welcome the news from the secretary of state about dexamethasone. this is, as he said, an important moment and good news. i wa nt to an important moment and good news. i want to congratulate all involved and it is a reminder that we can be immensely proud of our science base in this country. i know what he says about vaccinations, a vaccine is absolutely crucial and i hope he willjoin with me, as i'm sure he will, in saying that when he vaccine is available, we must have no truck with those who spread poison is anti—vax propaganda on social media because vaccination saves lives and

will be the exit strategy from this horrific disease. the good news is tempered, of course, by the high death rate. the prime minister likes to boast of flattening the sombrero and it is true that they are coming down, but we have still had 50,000 excess deaths across england and 13,000 in care homes, 300,000 health and care staff have sadly lost their lives. but all are nhs staff deserve great plays, do they not, mr speaker, because can ijust ask him ona speaker, because can ijust ask him on a specific point that has emerged in the last couple of days, why are student nurses, who havejoined in the last couple of days, why are student nurses, who have joined at the front line six months ago, as pa rt the front line six months ago, as part of the coronavirus effort, now seeing their paid placement skins terminated early, leaving them with no income question actually this is no income question actually this is no way to treat student nursing staff? the world health organization has this week warned that the uk remains ina has this week warned that the uk remains in a very active phase of the pandemic and he will accept that

ifa the pandemic and he will accept that if a second wave comes, especially if a second wave comes, especially if it coincides with the flu season, that would be completely disastrous. can he reassure the house that the decisions and here that he and the payments are making a rent is in lockdown measures such as the mooted relaxation of the two metre rule, —— the decisions he and the pennants are making regarding lockdown measures. will not... could he update us on the thinking on that front? he has said any pass he is prepared to introduce look a lot dense, but local resources have said they do not have the resources. yesterday, the health service general said that there in the shielding group, there shielding will come to an end at the end of july. we were promised a full update on it shielding on the 15th ofjune, two days ago, can he update that house now on what is happening and what is the future for the shielding group in terms of them getting their

medicines and supplies and whether they will be able to leave their homes by the end ofjuly are not? we have always said that testing, tracing and isolating is crucial to save easing from this lockdown, so in testing, local authorities say they are still not getting the specific test data that they need and the contract, it was confirmed ina and the contract, it was confirmed in a written answer from the minister for in a written answer from the ministerfor mental in a written answer from the minister for mental health, that the contract never specified that they would need to report the test results to gps and local directors of public health. surely we need to fix that? why is he not publish the numbers of people tested and can he explain something puzzling a lot of us, on the tracing figures he revealed, which we are grateful for, it suggested that 8000 people went into the contact tracing system in england, yet during that week, the government testing figure said that there were around 12,500 positive cases in the uk. if we make the assumption of how many of those cases are in england, that still suggest that around 2000 or three dozen cases are not being traced. ——

3000 cases are not being traced and contacted, can explain why and what is good to go to that questioning we have seen public health england recommendations on the impact of covered 19 —— covid—19 on bame communities. regarding the death certificate, should have been done yea rs certificate, should have been done years ago, but when will these recommendations actually be implemented? when we know, for example that black people are nearly four times as likely to die from covid than white people and when the majority of doctors have died from this during the pandemic are from a black and asian ethnic minorities. we need to submit it straightaway. thank you, mr speaker. i will try to a nswer thank you, mr speaker. i will try to answer as many of the questions as i can. i concur entirely that we should have no truck with any anti—vaccination campaigners. the reason we are working so hard with full blown clinical trials on these

vaccines is to ensure that they are safe and if they are declared scientifically safe, then anybody recommended to have won should have one. he makes a case on student nurses and it is wrong to suggest that student nurses and midwives are being made redundant. all student nurses and midwives are required to com plete nurses and midwives are required to complete placements during their training, as part of the response to covid—19, these errors have been paid and will be until the end of the summer and paid and will be until the end of the summerand nhs paid and will be until the end of the summer and nhs england has been provided with the funding of student salaries as part of our response to covid—19. —— these hours have been paid. he makes the point of local authorities getting data. we have provided more data to local authorities and we will continue to do more. he asks about the steps that will be taken in future and i would say to him, in terms of lifting the lockdown, all i would say is as ever, we will move carefully a nd say is as ever, we will move carefully and cautiously and thankfully, all of the main indexes, all of the main ways that we measure this disease are all moving in the right direction. we are winning the

battle against this disease, but we will be careful and cautious in the next step that we take. we're working very closely with local authorities on local lockdowns and he specifically at this point out powers which has as before. i had the powers under the coronavirus act, passed by this parliament, mr speaker, and if those powers are needed by local authorities, then they need to... they will and there isa they need to... they will and there is a process to raise that requirement up to a command chain that leads to a gold command, which ichair, and that leads to a gold command, which i chair, and then those powers can be executed on behalf of the local authorities if they are needed. he has about shielding and we will bring forward the proposals for the next steps on shielding very shortly. finally, mr speaker, he asked about the positive cases that do not go into the nhs test an tracing dose of this is largely because they are in patients in hospital and therefore testing and tracing any normal sense does not apply because we know exactly where the person is and who has been in

contact with them because they have beenin contact with them because they have been in hospital any controlled environment. that is the case by the large majority of that gap. on that last point, 20% of the people with coronavirus in hospital are estimated to have caught the virus whilst in hospital. millie health secretary tell us when he plans introduce weekly testing of all front line nhs testing and care staff —— nhs and care staff. there is still a gap between the number of people we test on trays and the number of people getting an infection every week. thank you, mr speaker. the chair of the select committee makes incredibly important point. the approach we're taking is a targeted one of testing which has started already, but needs to spread much further. the reason is that some people in hospital settings are at higher risk and it is better to

focus their resources for repeat testing on those in higher risk. for instance, somebody in fairness might be in lower risk than those in another setting —— in finance. the house has the strategy on this and i will write him with villa details on how that will work. we are now heading to the snp spokesperson doctor philip whitford with some extra time. thank you very much, mr speaker. —— philippa. iwelcome the result of the trial showing dexamethasone, a drug which is cheap and available across the world. despite claiming to be well prepared for this epidemic, they have struggled to provide ppe to nhs staff in england. he has now awarded £250 million of ppe contracts, but can he explain my 108 million of that was awarded without being advertised to crisp websites

limited, which trades as pest fix, a small pest extermination company? why would such a large contract awarded to a company with no expertise in trading or supplying any ppe, let alone highly specialised equipment for nhs staff? and how does the government think such a small company, with only £18,000 of registered assets, can manage the cash flow required to procure £108 million of ppe? is this not just a repeat procure £108 million of ppe? is this notjust a repeat of procure £108 million of ppe? is this not just a repeat of the procure £108 million of ppe? is this notjust a repeat of the seaburn freight scandal, the ferry company with no ships? no, mr speaker. we have enhanced, under the leadership of the died in, the of the ppe across the whole the united kingdom. —— lord died in. and we have made sure that ppe is available in large pa rt across sure that ppe is available in large part across the whole nhs and social

ca re part across the whole nhs and social care and all those others who need it. a demand for ppe rose exponentially in this crisis across the world. it was difficult, free time, mr speaker, there's no point denying that, but we have made huge strides in ensuring that we now have long—term contracts in place and i'm really glad that the supply, distribution of ppe is much wider. cani distribution of ppe is much wider. can i congratulate the secretary of state on his signs led a strategy that we now reaping the dividends, and it is genuinely saving lives —— science lead. the signs also tells us that as you're just the propensity the bodies of the population, you can also bejustly social distancing that you applied. —— the propensity of the virus in the population. and the people of my constituency are genuine and the appetite to move to the distance of one metre as carefully as possible. the answer is that we keep all of

our non—pharmaceutical interventions, social distancing measures, we keep them all under review and the two metre rule is another social distancing measure in the same way that other parts of the lockdown have been. it is the sort of thing that, of course, we want to left and we need to do that in a way thatis left and we need to do that in a way that is careful and safe —— we want to lift. scientists are reviewing it, along with economists and we will take forward further measures on this when it is possible and safe to do so. mr speaker, i declare that just as the vice chair of the appg on cancer and my colleague, the best and the honourable lady braced about and the honourable lady braced about a chair, i'm glad to report that, after discussions, she is showing some improvement very clearly, in a nswer to some improvement very clearly, in answer to prayer. the secretary of state that the leading cancer charity that 2.4 million people are

needing cancer screening due to delays because of lockdown. can he outline his intention to implement the 12 point plan of recovery backed by 24 cancer charities including pancreatic cancer? yes, mr speaker. iam in pancreatic cancer? yes, mr speaker. i am in forgetful to the cancer charities for the —— i am incredibly grateful. for the work that they are doing. and to make sure that we get the screening programmes back up and running in at the full sense as quickly as possible. the health secretary matt hancock with the latest on covid—19 in the comments. jane hill will be here any moment with the news that one. first, a weather update. goodbye from me. hello again. what we had yesterday is almost what we are going to see again today. low cloud clinging in part to the north sea coastline, we also have a fair bit of sunshine, feeling humid and we're also

going to have some heavy, thundery downpours. what we have at the moment is a fair bit of cloud coming from the sea overnight and pushed back towards the coastline. but, if you are stuck under it it will hold the temperature back as we go through the course of the day. we've also got a clutch of showers out towards the west. if anything more of those will develop as we go through the day and some of those will be heavy and thundery, slow—moving downpours and you can see how they develop across the midlands, southern england, into the south—east and also kent. but they are showers so not all of us will catch on. temperatures, 14 in the north to 22 in glasgow and also london. through in glasgow and also london. this evening and over eventually through this evening and overnight, eventually the showers will ease, the low cloud, mist and fog will roll back in from the north sea and we had a weather front coming roll back in from the north sea and we had a weatherfront coming in, introducing the rain in east anglia, the midlands and into lincolnshire. quite a muggy night, overnight lows of nine to about 14 degrees. tomorrow, we pick up this weather front as it continues to slowly move northwards, we still have all of

this low cloud which will buy it back towards the north sea coastline. and you can see all these understands developing and some of those will be torrential downpours, the met office has a yellow weather running out for this. we could have as much as a two inches, 59 metres, in the space of three hours. not all of us will see a thunderstorm —— 50 millimetres. we have some other fans trying to come in from the atlantic during the course of friday, but not —— weather fronts. not making a judgment of progress yet. we will still have some cloud rain, rain band pushing north across scotland but in between, there will be some sunshine around. temperatures getting up to 14 in lerwick, 19 in liverpool and 22 in london and also norwich. by the time we get to the weekend, things start to change. on saturday, dry and fine for many, it will start to feel a little bit of pressure and less humid, but we do have a weather front coming in from the west with strengthening winds

initially into northern ireland and later in the day highs of 21.

after 100 days without football — premier league matches kick off in a few hours' time. but the games will be played behind closed doors with fans urged to watch on television at home. i shall be sitting in the lounge with the television on and a bottle of wine ready. we'll find out what games will now be like, forfans and players. the other stories this lunchtime: after his successful campaign about free school meals, england striker marcus rashford tells us there's more he wants to do, to help people in need: this is only going to be successful throughout the summer period, and then, we've bought ourselves an extra six weeks of time now, to talk on and figure out what's

next, and how we keep taking steps forward.