this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm victoria derbyshire. a £2 billion fund to help unemployed under 25s get a work placement in the uk, and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers. the latest measures aimed at boosting the british economy. the world health organization says there's evidence that covid—19 may be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air. a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because of an arrogant culture that dismissed serious concerns as ‘women‘s problems‘. mesh has robbed me of the person i used to be. my life is completely different.

i want to issue a full apology to those who have suffered and their families. angry crowds in serbia storm the parliament building in protest at the re—introduction of lockdown measures. and johnny depp faces a second day of questioning in his libel claim against the sun newspaper at the high court in london. hello. the uk chancellor rishi sunak is set to announce a range of measures later aimed at boosting the british economy in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. among the steps includes a £2 billion scheme to create more jobs for young people.

the fund will subsidise six—month work placements for those on universal credit aged between 16 and 2a, who are at risk of long—term unemployment. the chancellor is also expected to announce a temporary stamp duty holiday for home—buyers in england and northern ireland. there's speculation mr sunak may also introduce a temporary vat cut to help the hospitality sector, which has been hit hard in the pandemic. and the chancellor could give every adult in the uk a retail voucher worth £500 to spend in the worst—hit sectors of the economy. this report from our political correspondent, helen catt. the economy has started to open up again, but things are very different to how they were before. there are warnings that unemployment could run into the millions. so when the chancellor delivers his update in the commons later, his focus will be on jobs. there are particular worries about young people. in hard—hit industries like retail and hospitality, they make up one third of the workforce. as of may, almost 500,000 under—25s were claiming universal credit.

so the chancellor wants companies to create job placements for 16—24—year—olds who are receiving the benefit. the treasury will pay their wages for 25 hours a week at the national minimum wage for six months. it has set aside £2 billion for the scheme, which it's thought could create more than 300,000 placements. the policy has been welcomed by business groups as a step in the right direction. labour, too, says the scheme should help — but says the government will need to do more for hard—hit areas and older people who lose theirjobs. we know that many businesses are finding it really tough to get through this climate. we have seen the shutters come down on too many good, viable businesses. and we think the government should change approach to make it support more flexible so that good businesses can come through this crisis, that we stop people losing theirjobs, that we keep people in work and also that we keep people in work and also that we see a much greater focus on creating jobs, too.

the chancellor is expected to make other changes, including to stamp duty to boost house sales, and there is speculation there could also be cuts to vat. ministers have previously said they cannot protect everyjob, but the pressure is now on the chancellor to save as many as possible. helen catt, bbc news. let's talk to norman. the stakes are really high, because the last in the government wants is a return to mass unemployment like the mid—19 eighties. a return to mass unemployment like the mid—19 eightiesi a return to mass unemployment like the mid-19 eighties. i think that is the mid-19 eighties. i think that is the overarching objective of this statement, to try and do something to prevent a wave of youth unemployment, because we know many youngsters work in those sectors which are most at risk, retail, hospitality. you have a new tranche of school leavers about to enter a frankly terrifying jobs market this summer. frankly terrifying jobs market this summer. and the realfear is frankly terrifying jobs market this summer. and the real fear is that if youngsters can't move into work, then the risk is of long—term unemployment, because they get discouraged, demotivated, they can't build upa discouraged, demotivated, they can't build up a cv, and if they get into

long—term unemployment, that really can long—term unemployment, that really ca n stretch long—term unemployment, that really can stretch on for years, which of course is disastrous for the youngsters in terms of their ambitions, their hopes, but it is also disastrous for the economy in terms of paying benefits for a protracted period and also losing out on that raw potential and can do which youngsters have. so that is the overarching aim of today's summer the overarching aim of today's summer statement, and is why rishi sunak is meeting this idea, ambitious idea, of creating 300,000 temporaryjobs. there ambitious idea, of creating 300,000 temporary jobs. there is ambitious idea, of creating 300,000 temporaryjobs. there is a huge number ofjobs temporaryjobs. there is a huge number of jobs to creating temporaryjobs. there is a huge number ofjobs to creating a very short space of time. he is talking about creating that in three months. so this is a massive, massive undertaking, and a large part of the judgment on this policy will be whether he can deliver it. it is fine to announce it, great to set aside the money, but can he actually deliver it? can he get companies, who are shedding labour, to voluntarily take on youngsters even

if their wages are being paid for by the state? thank you, norman. sharmadean reid is founder of wah nails and chief executive of beautystack. i wonder if you, as an employer, would be enticed by this scheme? the treasury paying the wages of an under 25 unemployed person to have a work placement in one of your beauty bars? i think the scheme is incredibly generous and interesting, andi incredibly generous and interesting, and i would be interested in hiring people into the workplace under this scheme, but for us it is not really about a scheme to get new people into work, it is about how can we keep existing self beauty practitioners, because that is one of the issues that hasn't been considered by the government, that many of them are self—employed. they haven't had access to furlough, they haven't had access to furlough, they haven't had access to furlough, they haven't had access to grants, because they haven't been working

for three years. there are three elements of this in terms of supporting jobs and creating jobs. i really wa nt supporting jobs and creating jobs. i really want to see more support for people who have actively already have businesses, want to work and just don't have support for them. so thatis just don't have support for them. so that is what you want to hear specifically from the chancellor today. what i wanted to say, what i wa nt to today. what i wanted to say, what i want to hear specifically is that beauty professionals get lost in the cracks because they are not part of the creative industries federation, they tend to be self—employed but with less than three years of tax earnings, and actually the only way that many of them would have been able to survive insurance pay—outs. in all of the insurers are holding their hands up and saying no. so these announcements are amazing, i'm sure that the country is incredibly grateful for all of the support, but there are people being left out and

not been considered at all. and why do you think they do fall down the cracks, as you put it? it is a funny one. there has been so much talk about how the high street needs to be reinvigorated, and beauty salons, tattoo parlours, personal trainers, they are the people who have been growing the high street, so on the one hand it is like, let's use all of these people to grow the high street. they are incredibly entrepreneurial young industry, because many of them have been operating for less than three years. they weren't eligible. so i think they are falling through the cracks because they don't fall into the buckets that have been preconceived by the government. companies that have been working for longer than three years or self—employed people who have been working for longer than three years, they are not part ofan than three years, they are not part of an official body. they are not medical, they are not health, they are not fashion, they are not art. so all of these different industries

that have received different funding policies, they don't fall in there. beauty needs to be part of the creative industries, and then things will change. and you need to know when you can reopen the nail bars. you need that, don't you? that is a huge, huge concern for the beauty industry of course, which is when are we allowed to go back to work? but you also need to consider that they have been out of work for four months, they have four months of debt, rent, rates to pay. they have had to invest heavily in ppe, so their costs have gone up. and then when they are allowed to be open, whenever the government decides that may be, they will be working at 30-40% may be, they will be working at 30—40% capacity. so it is all good and well offering grants and training and apprenticeships for new people, but what about the existing people, but what about the existing people that actually need support

today? thank you very much for talking to us. cheers for your time, thank you very much. the world health organization has acknowledged there is emerging evidence which suggests covid—i9 is being spread through tiny particles breathed out by infected people. they say it's passed on when someone exhales micro—droplets that are so small they remain suspended in the air, which others breathe in and potentially become infected. if confirmed, it could change the way we have to behave to protect ourselves against the virus. up until now, the who has played down the risk of this airborne transmission, instead focusing on the dangers caused by larger droplets that fall on to surfaces. but the who's infection and prevention department has updated its position.

we acknowledge that there is emerging evidence in this field, as in all otherfields, regarding the covid—i9 virus and pandemic, and therefore we believe that we have to be open to this evidence and understand its implications regarding the modes of transmission and, also, regarding the precautions that need to be taken. the who was responding to an open letter signed by more than 200 scientists calling for the medical community to take the risk of airborne transmission more seriously. they say micro—droplets can put people at risk of exposure, even if they are more than one—to—two metres away from an infected person. the scientists say studies have demonstrated this "beyond any reasonable doubt". professor lidia morawska is the lead author of the letter and she explained what it means

if the virus is in the air, because that's where it gets from our mouth or nose, it has to be removed from the air. how do we remove it from the air? improved ventilation, efficient and effective ventilation. sometimes as simple opening a window. sometimes it's more complicated, in mechanically ventilated buildings, but, in any case, ventilation is the principle which we understand and if we know that this is to be done, we can manage this. we've known, the scientists have known, for a long time that aerosols from human expiration, when we breathe, when we talk, when we speak, in the air, it can be inhaled by others and cause infections, so, in a way, this is nothing new. it is, however, extremely important that this was accepted, that this was acknowledged, because now we can move on and we can control this to minimise the infections. paul hunter is professor of medicine at the university of east anglia,. he says more research needs to be done

about the role of aerosols in the spread of coronavirus. i have always believed that there is always some transmission associated with aerosols, but that does not mean that i believe that they are an important transmission pathway. i think the evidence is quite... certainly leads towards aerosol is not playing a significant role in the transmission of the disease. and this is important for a number of reasons. one is when you are trying to control a disease like covid—19, what you are trying to do primarily is interrupt the main transition pathways. and the focus has to be on that. and the evidence that if we move to try and block all aerosol transmission, that is actually substantially more difficult. the

headlines on bbc news. a two—billion fund to help unemployed under 25s get a work placement in the uk and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers. the latest measures aimed at boosting the british economy. the world health organization says there's evidence that covid—i9 may be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air. a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because of an arrogant culture that dismissed serious concerns as ‘women's problems' lets talk more about that. this report out today from baroness you cumberlege suggested there were many failings when it came to one particular medical device, mesh, and two types of drugs, and that officials didn't listen to the concerns of those women. there are a

number of recommendations. we can speak to a woman who had mesh fitted, kate langley joins us from pevensey bay near eastbourne. good morning. you are one of the first women i interviewed when our programme started to report several yea rs programme started to report several years ago on these implants. how do you feel now that you have read this report? i'm obviously really happy, i'm so pleased. i think after all the campaigning that all of us women have done for so many years, it has finally paid off, and it is amazing that we have been heard, basically, our voices have been heard. and to receive an apology earlier this morning from matt hancock, that was such an emotional moment for me to hear that, it was amazing. remind us what impact having mesh fitted a new backin what impact having mesh fitted a new back in 2012 has had on you.|j

what impact having mesh fitted a new back in 2012 has had on you. i don't know where to start. a massive impact into my life. it caused me to have multiple admissions, over 50 admissions to hospital. many were agonising admissions where i would receive childbirth like contraction pain, iwould receive childbirth like contraction pain, i would collapse on the floor and need an ambulance, morphine, gas and need an ambulance, morphine, gas and air, and then to go into hospital and for them to not know what is wrong with you, to be dismissed, and for the pain to a lwa ys dismissed, and for the pain to always be blamed on something else other than the mesh. it was so hard to deal with. and then trying to get the treatment that you need, years of going from one doctor to another, but i have had a four removal surgeries now, and thank goodness my last removal surgery, i hope that they actually finally removed the last piece. but each surgery is a

major operation, and it takes an awful lot of recovery, and you are never quite the same afterwards, because you are left with lots and lots of pain. i now suffer with fibromyalgia, so i have good and bad days, but bad days are really not good, so it has a lasting effect on your life. and before you got to the point of trying to get the mesh out of you, i think medics thought it might be gallstones, acu had those removed. then you had a full hysterectomy because they thought it might be that. and it wasn't that. know, every time it was almost like they were clutching at straws to try and find what was wrong with me, and each time they said, they are not entirely convinced that this was the cause of my pain, but they would try these operations to see if the pain would stop. but i think the problem was that the mesh doesn't show up on lots of scans, mri scans,

ultrasounds, so you can't tell that it is cutting into your tissues, you can't tell that it is slicing through organs. it is not until you actually do a surgical procedure that you can tell that it is the mesh that is causing all these problems. so in the meantime, i had those operations because i was desperate, and i just those operations because i was desperate, and ijust went along with what the medics were recommending. because i just with what the medics were recommending. because ijust was so desperate to be well again. of course. and whenever we have talked about this subject, whether it is pelvic mesh, vagina mesh or hernia mesh, we have started to get m essa g es mesh, we have started to get messages particularly from men who have had messages for hernias, and i get so many messages. alison says on your programme this morning you have covered a feature on vagina mesh. i had this fitted many years ago, and i have subsequently suffered with extreme pain. i am now going to contact my gp to investigate what i should do. but i will be grateful for any information as to who i can

contact for any information as to who i can co nta ct for for any information as to who i can contact for further advice. for any information as to who i can contact forfurther advice. i for any information as to who i can contact for further advice. i look forward to hearing from you. for a start, alison could go to the sling the mesh facebook page, would you recommend that? i totally would, so many other women are suffering, like we all have done and we have all been through this journey so we can offer support as to where they should go to try and get the help and in which order and how to go about obtaining that help. i would highly recommend sling the mesh. cath sampson was brilliant setting it up in the first place, and we have gone from 30 people right up to over 8000 women now, and as much as it is totally heartbreaking to know that there is that many women that are also suffering, and men, it is also kind of good to know you are not alone, and it is not in your head, and there are people out there for you. and that is a good point about not feeling alone, because julie e—mailed to say, my mum were

subjected to a mesh repair to her abdomen following bowel cancer surgery. it would not heal, and she noticed a small protrusion from the wound. the nurse investigated with tweezers and found it was the corner of the mesh sticking out from the wound. she pulled the mesh com pletely wound. she pulled the mesh completely out with the tweezers. the pain was excruciating, and to date she still complains of pain in her abdomen almost ten years later. i had been unaware of this problem until seeing your show this morning, so thank you for bringing it to our attention. so it is still happening. that is amazing. it is so good to know that women are finding out because of your show, the victoria derbyshire show over the years, i think we have reached thousands of women, so it is an amazing thing. i'm so grateful to you as well for all of the work that you've done for us to highlight this awful situation that we have all found ourselves in. we can't thank you enough, victoria, that you have been amazing. and that

is really kind of you, and that is why we are here. can i talk to you about the recommendations from baroness cumberlege? because she hasn't recommended that mesh be banned, but she has put in so many conditions for the pause can be lifted, kath samson said to us early it is effectively a ban by the back door. somebody like a patient safety commissioner, independent of the government and all the recommending bodies, specialist centres to help with the removal of it, redress and support for all those affected. they are all brilliant things, and i don't think we ever imagined that it would be completely banned, but i think now it is almost going to be very ha rd think now it is almost going to be very hard for women to go and have it without being fully cancelled and fully knowing all of the problems and then having these things in place, it will help them should things go wrong in the future. and

for all medical devices, which is, you know, another amazing thing too. well, kate, listen, thank you so much for talking to us again. you have had a lot of challenges, and i know there are more ahead, so i want to wish you all the best. thank you, i appreciate that and thank you so much for everything, victoria, we appreciate it. take care. the investigation headed by baroness cumberlege focused on two other scandals as well as pelvic mesh. the hormone pregnancy test primodos and an anti—epilepsy drug called sodium valproate. anna collinson reports. daniel mason has to work far harder to do the simplest of tasks. he was born without hands, and other life—changing injuries. like many women between the 19505 and 19705, daniel's mother used the hormone pregnancy test primodos. the drug was removed from the market in 1978, but its manufacturer denies there is a link between primodos and babies being born with birth defects. hundreds of families disagreed and have campaigned

for recognition for decades. the more we found out about this, the more it has made us actually really quite angry. notjust for ourselves, as a family, butjust thinking of the trauma that so many people have gone through. as well as primodos, the long—awaited baroness cumberlege review also looked into the anti—epileptic drug sodium valproate, which increases the chance of birth defects if taken during pregnancy, and pelvic mesh repairs, where thousands of women have experienced chronic pain likened to splintered glass. it takes 270 pages to detail the failings, the missed opportunities and the pain inflicted on tens of thousands of people. the review has also made several recommendations to prevent future harm.

i want to issue a full apology to the, to those who have suffered, and theirfamilies, for the frustration, for the time that it has taken, that they have taken, to get their voices heard. and now their voices have been heard, it's very important that we learn from this report. in the case of primodos, baroness cumberlege says it should have been stopped three years before daniel was born, in 1967. anna collinson, bbc news. here in the uk, a 52—year—old man has been charged with wounding two paramedics who were stabbed during a emergency welfare call—out to his home. martyn smith is accused of attacking the paramedics after they gained entry to his maisonette in wolverhampton on monday. the two were taken to hospital for further treatment and surgery. to eastern europe now, where there have been angry protests in serbia against the reintroduction of lockdown measures. there were clashes with riot police as thousands gathered outside the country's parliament. that's despite serbia recording its highest single day

of covid—related deaths. paul hawkins reports. chanting. anger outside the serbian parliament in the capital, belgrade. thousands stormed the building, chanting for the president to resign after announcing the reintroduction of lockdown measures this weekend. translation: the situation in belgrade is critical, therefore we will take the following measures. after consulting with dr kon and the whole team, we decided to ban all gatherings of more than five people in public places and to impose a long curfew from friday to monday. then we'll see what to do next. pet owners, mothers with children, and pensioners will be allowed out of their homes at certain times. on tuesday night, serbia announced 13 covid—related deaths in the past 2a hours. its highest daily death toll,

bringing the total number of deaths to 330 with over 16,000 cases. it went from having one of europe's strictest lockdowns at the start of the pandemic in easter to a near complete reopening at the beginning of may. no phased reopenings here, with shops, restaurants, bars, and hairdressers opening up simultaneously. thousands of serbian football fans packed out stadiums while the rest of europe played in front of empty stands. there was even a parliamentary election, won by the president's party, who campaigned on the way it's handled the pandemic. now, however, the president feels the lockdown measures were relaxed too much. many serbians disagree. paul hawkins, bbc news. five million people living in the australian city of melbourne have been told to stay at home for six weeks, after a surge

in coronavirus cases. they can only leave home for work, food or exercise. the state borders between victoria and new south wales have also been closed and are being patrolled by the army. 0ur correspondent shaimaa khalil is at the border between the states. up until last night, this was an open road. now, it's a checkpoint. police and military personnel have been manning it for hours now, stopping cars and checking their permits before allowing people to cross from victoria into the new south wales border. this has been a big logistical challenge. there are many other checkpoints along the border. they're also using drones and surveillance aeroplanes. now, i say the word "border". for the tens of thousands of people who make that cross every day in both directions, it essentially means driving from one side of a highway or bridge to another to visit family, to go to school, to go to work every day. and it's a very different picture now.

there is a great deal of uncertainty and confusion. we saw long lines of cars, big delays as people get used to what that means for them, crossing in and out of the states with this closure. we have also spoken to local business owners who said, for example, that their staff live in victoria and couldn't cross the border into new south wales today to go into work, so they are concerned about what that will mean for them and their businesses. this is also a step backwards for australia, which until very recently has had a good handle on controlling the spread of covid—19. all of this, of course, is happening because of the spike of coronavirus cases in victoria's capital city melbourne. 134 cases in the last 2a hours. the city itself is getting ready to go back into lockdown in a few hours. police in the netherlands say the discovery of seven sea containers converted into makeshift cells and a torture room has led to the arrest of six men.

raids were carried out after the authorities in france passed on intelligence they'd gathered from cracking an encrypted phone network used by criminals. anna holligan reports from the hague. a fiery entry led police to this chilling discovery. hidden inside a warehouse, an improvised prison. soundproofed and furnished with a dentist's chair, customised with restraints will stop translation: in the soundproofed container we found objects used for torturing people. we also found firearms in vehicles and a number of police uniforms. this disturbing discovery offers an insight into the increasingly brutal and sophisticated dutch criminal underworld. another six shipping containers were converted into cells, with cameras mounted on the wall and a space for guards outside.

police carried out surveillance for months, after getting it to puff from detectives in france who had cracked an encrypted chat service. as well as intelligence on a makeshift torture chambers, there was a list of potential victims who are now in police protection. six men are being held on suspicion of preparation for kidnapping, hostage taking, extortion and participation in a criminal organisation. their alleged crimes are brought to light through a secretive system designed to keep them in the dark. anna holligan, bbc news, in the hague. hello, this is bbc news. the headlines... a £2 billion fund to help unemployed under 25s get a work placement in the uk and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers —

the latest measures aimed at boosting the british economy. the world health organization says there's evidence that covid—19 may be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air. a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because of an arrogant culture that dismissed serious concerns as "women's problems". angry crowds in serbia storm the parliament building in protest at the re—introduction of lockdown measures. and johnny depp is questioned over his relationship with ex—wife amber heard on the second day of his libel claim against the sun newspaper. china has officially opened a new national security office in hong kong — allowing its intelligence agents to operate openly in the territory for the first time. a chinese flag was raised outside the building and a plaque

of the chinese national emblem placed on the wall, with police closing the roads around the office while the ceremony took place. hong kong's chief executive, carrie lam, attended the inauguration ceremony, describing it as "an historic moment". translation: today's unveiling ceremony is an historic moment, because we are witnessing another milestone in the establishment of a sound legal system and enforcement mechanism for maintaining national security in hong kong. having a law to follow is the starting point of safeguarding national security. we must ensure that the law will be enforced strictly. our correspondent, stephen mcdonell gave us the latest from beijing. the new state security headquarters has opened in hong kong, or, at least, a temporary headquarters. it's a former hotel overlooking victoria park, 33 storeys, quite a big facility.

at least 266 rooms, it even has a pool and jacuzzi on the roof. i'm not sure if the mainland intelligence officers will have that to them. that available to them. but, from this new headquarters, they will be able to operate completely free of any oversight by the local courts, local police or other agencies are not allowed to stop them. mainland security officers can apprehend people accused of secession or subversion, they can take them back to the mainland to face courts controlled by the communist party, and, so, for this reason, this portion of the security law has been criticised quite heavily. i mean, for the first time, the state security agents can wander around that city, i mean, they can probably shoot somebody in the street, and there's nothing anybody could do to challenge this. certainly, there'd be nojudicial oversight.

now, the unveiling of the plaque, raising the flag, was all done in secret. they sealed off the streets around this building. and even the camera that was allowed into film it, they weren't allowed to reveal that footage until hong kong's leader and other dignitaries, people's liberation army, the new head of that facility from the mainland, until they had all left, it gives you an indication of how sensitive it is and how worried they might have been that maybe protesters would come and disrupt it or something. but it is a very visual part of the city, right in the middle of, sort of, quite a popular area of hong kong and this huge state security headquarters looks straight down onto victoria park, where protests have been held in the past. for example, that's where the tiananmen square anniversary vigil is held every year. now, if that's allowed

to go ahead next year, who knows if this will be the case under the new security law, it will be a great position for the mainland security officers to watch it from, because they will have a full view over the park, they'll be able to see who turns up and, yes, we should add, though, of course, as was mentioned before, hong kong's local leader carrie lam says this has been a great historic day, one that will guarantee the city's future and stop violent protests into the future. we have been ringing you reaction this morning to some of the things the chancellor will announce this afternoon. it's expected that many of the policies will be aimed at helping young people — including a £2 billion scheme that will subsidise six—month work placements for people on universal credit who are aged

between 16 and 2a and at risk of long—term unemployment. before lockdown, eva was working in a coffee shop. now, she's sewing face masks. a temp job at a manchester clothing company. i lost myjob in hospitality pretty much straightaway, because i fell through the gap with the furlough scheme where i'd just changed jobs. so i wasn't eligible for any money whatsoever, any help from government. so how long were you out of work? two and a half months and i had to move back in with my parents but i still had rent to pay here, so i wasjust frantically looking around for a way to pay rent. history shows young people are often the group whose incomes and prospects are hardest hit during recessions. ijust don't feel like i can make any long—term plans, i've no idea what's happening, ijust feel really lost, to be honest. olivia and lily have just graduated from manchester university and are entering into one of the bleakestjob markets for decades.

i've just literally been applying for everything, like, ijust can't afford to be fussy. i have gone on indeed every day and just applied for every single job i can find, i've been going around my local area with cvs, handing them out, just really desperate and have not heard anything back, nowhere's hiring. it's just quite worrying, really. like, i'mjust scared nothing will come up and i won't be able to pay my rent and i'm just scared this will be a long—term thing. what could the government do to help graduates like yourselves? we need real investment in graduate schemes. we need notjust an investment financially but a commitment from the government that young people are going to start being a priority, and we need a government that starts putting young people first and sees us as a long—term investment for the economy of this country and we haven't seen that in a very long time. there'll be more detail later on the government's kick—start scheme, the £2 billion fund designed to create newjobs for unemployed young people.

youth unemployment is predicted to soar to over1 million by the end of the year and the hospitality sector, the workforce of the young, has already shed tens of thousands ofjobs and the challenge for the government is reassuring businesses that they can hang on to staff. john runs a small chain of brunch restaurants in manchester. if it wasn't for the furlough scheme, there's not a chance we'd still be here, our business would be closed. the big challenge for the furlough scheme is, is it a job retention scheme or is it simply delaying the inevitable job losses that are coming? the government is promising a young jobs revolution but the fear is, this pandemic could scar the long—term prospects of those whose careers are only just getting started. sarah corker, bbc news, in manchester. let's talk now to james reed, he's chief executive

of reed recruitment. also 21—year—old kevon mcpherson from hertfordshire and teneeka walsh. kevin, you are receiving universal credit, what kind of work would you like to do? something to do with and saving people's lives. so in terms of scheme the government is going to announce this lunchtime where employers will be paid by the government to take someone like yourself on for six months on a work placement, with that interest you? yes, of course, i would think that there would help notjust working, but working with experience in getting the kind of work you're interested in and you would be able to see if that is for you or not. let me ask you, taneeka, i mean, as

a 27—year—old, sadly, you arejust outside this particular work placement scheme the chancellor is going to announce, tell us what kind of work you would like to do. as for me,| of work you would like to do. as for me, i would like to do something along the lines of counselling, mentoring, and this is something i was really passionate about. being an ambassador for the prince's trust, i was able to share my story and uplift and motivate other people and uplift and motivate other people and before covid, i was in school is helping and supporting young people, trying to get through a hard time by sharing my story with them, hoping they would learn something and know covid is here, it's got to start all over again. and how do you feel about that, tenika? i feel really worried and i have an underlying health condition, so that on top of it is making me more anxious and nervous. 0k. yes, aged 20, you are diagnosed with ms, you live at home with your mum, your grandma and your

cousins. in terms of the shielding, how is that going to affect your prospects of trying to look for work? i think, for me, prospects of trying to look for work? ithink, for me, it's prospects of trying to look for work? i think, for me, it's about finding something that is going to suit my needs. so may be starting a business of my own will be a future for me, rather than trying to fit into a scheme or an organisation that doesn't understand what my health needs are. that is interesting. i have just health needs are. that is interesting. i havejust had health needs are. that is interesting. i have just had an e—mail, actually, saying 18—24 —year—olds are britain's most entrepreneurial creatives post lockdown. it is new research, basically, which is interesting. kevon, is that something that would interest you ? kevon, is that something that would interest you? you talked about joining the fire service, which would be a superb career but do you have an entrepreneurial streak as well? yes, i believe a lot of young people don't realise the potential they have and they don't pursue their dreams and they have and they don't pursue theirdreams andi they have and they don't pursue their dreams and i believe that stems back from not being given

enough opportunities in school. i believe if you were to grab the young children at around year ten or year 11 and ask them what they see themselves doing in the future, then you would give them more of an opportunity and a wider range and they would know what they are doing before they leave school and become unaware of what the next thing to do is. let's bring in james, ceo of reed recruitment. the treasury will fund eachjob, reed recruitment. the treasury will fund each job, covering reed recruitment. the treasury will fund eachjob, covering the minimum wage for the first 25 hours of work each week, what you think of the idea? i think it is a good idea, i would agree that young people should be the focus, they are the future and they deserve support and i think it will help companies considering hiring more trainees and apprenticeships in an important moment. and it is important that people have hope. the report that preceded our discussion was quite gloomy and there are still a lot of

jobs around and the number ofjobs is increasing, so when i hear kevon saying he wants to work in the fire service and tenika saying she wants to be an entrepreneur, my advice would be pursue your dreams and go out and do that, because the future isa out and do that, because the future is a wide—open and we shouldn't cover it totally with a dark cloud. that's true, although we spoke to a woman about half an hour or so ago who has founded various nail bars and she says that she has actually got to focus on keeping her current employees in work, rather than thinking she can take on some unemployed 24—year—olds. thinking she can take on some unemployed 24-year-olds. well, that is right, so many people are furloughed. i can understand why nail bar —— i cannot understand why nail bar —— i cannot understand why nail bars are not allowed to open when barbers are. i had a shave yesterday evening around the corner but i couldn't have had my nails done and i don't understand that.

but you are right, a lot of people are furloughed and a lot of employees will be thinking first, how did those people come back before they hire new people? that is particularly impactful on the young who are coming into the labour market, leaving school, leaving couege market, leaving school, leaving college and whatever we can do to support young people into work now is really important and this is the time we must do it. 700,000 young people are leaving education and going into an extremely difficult jobs market. i mean, asjamie going into an extremely difficult jobs market. i mean, as jamie says, kevon, we could feel down about this but you have got energy, you have got dynamism, you have got to go for it anyway, haven't you? yes. also, i believe programmes like the prince's trust to tackle unemployment in youth and i went down to the job centre and i was actually shown about the princes trust and they did help me a lot when it comes to

looking for work, with my cv planning, how to write a proper cv, so there are all kinds of things you can use to help you when it comes to finding work. tenika, tell kevon a bit more about the princes trust and your experience. my experience has been great with the princes trust. i did some experience where i worked in the hospital services and that was for a more administrative role. i found was for a more administrative role. ifound admin was for a more administrative role. i found admin wasn't my forte but i did get to shadow the discharge team andl did get to shadow the discharge team and i was able to see how my degree could work hand—in—hand with that in the hospital. so i think it is a really good opportunity, by going through the prince's trust and other organisations like youth employment uk, and they can help equip you with the necessary tools you need to have underyour the necessary tools you need to have under your belt when it comes to getting into the workforce. thank you. james, what else do you want to hear from the chancellor today? well, i would like to hear more about how they are going to

implement these big infrastructure investments and how quickly that is going to happen, because new railways, new roads, new hospitals, that will create a lot ofjobs. i would like them to look at the national insurance arrangements, because that is a tax on jobs and it is 13.8% for employers, 12% for workers, i think that whole area should be reviewed to make it more attractive to hire people and i think they should be looking at smarter employment law, as well. this is an almost once in a generation moment where we can greatly improve things, to improve everybody's prospects in the labour market, particularly those of young people so i really hope they grasp that nettle. thank you very much, james reid, kevon and tenika, we wish you all the best, kevon and tenika when it comes to looking for work. we'll be answering your questions on the chancellor's economic plan at a:30pm today with personal finance experts paul lewis and iona bain.

get in touch with us with your questions using twitter or using the hashtag #bbcyourquestions and you can email us on yourquestions@bbc. co. uk. the headlines on bbc news... a £2 billion fund to help unemployed under 25s get a work placement in the uk and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers. the latest measures aimed at boosting the british economy. the world health organisation says there's evidence that covid—19 may be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air. a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because of an arrogant culture that dismissed serious concerns as "women's problems". johnny depp faces further questioning on the second day of his libel case against britain's sun newspaper. mr depp is suing the paper and the tabloids executive editor, dan wootton, after he labelled

the actor a "wife beater" and said he attacked his ex—partner amber heard. yesterday, mr depp was asked about his drinking and drug abuse, his alleged violent outbursts and his attitudes towards women. he denies abusing his estranged wife and described her in court as having a "borderline toxic narcissistic personality disorder". our correspondent sean dilley is at the royal courts ofjustice in central london, where the trial is taking place. tell us a little bit more about what you heard yesterday before telling us what we might expect today. yes, rather extraordinary scenes yesterday, it has to be said, particularly if you are a lay person not used to civil proceedings. there was an awful lot of attention paid to drug use, celebrity friendships and generallyjohnny depp's character. if the court were looking

at whether he had done anything illegal, they need look no further because he said he has taken drugs but that is not the court is rolling on. they are looking at the toxic term wife—beater used by the executive editor of the sun dan wootton used in april 2018, and that is something johnny depp totally denies. it centres around allegations made by amber heard, his wife until 2017 and in particular a visit to australia a month after they got married, so we are looking at march 2015. speaking of that time, amber heard alleges it was like a three—day hostage experience, something thatjohnny depp has described as "sick and untrue". today, his cross—examination continues and already they have asked him a little bit more about his use of drugs and alcohol. he admitted at the time in question that he had fallen off the wagon after a 160 day period of sobriety,

but, either way that you cut that one, he is being very frank about his use of alcohol and drugs historically but still denies those toxic allegations that he was a wife—beater. toxic allegations that he was a wife-beater. and who else is due to speak at this trial? well, obviously for the rest of today and tomorrow, we will hear more from johnny depp himself but we can expect his ex—wife to speak via video link from los angeles, winona ryder, and va nessa los angeles, winona ryder, and vanessa parody, the french dancer, both of whom say they are surprised by the allegations —— vanessa paradis. they both described him as a kind man. we will hearfrom his entourage and we will hear next week from amber heard. there is a lot at sta ke for from amber heard. there is a lot at stake for amber heard, they are the source that the sun is relying on as their defence of this claim but she is liable to a separate proceedings in the united states, along similar lines but propecia wrote in december

2018 for the washington post, not mentioning johnny depp by name but the hollywood actor argues that it was implied. thank you very much. cricket returns later as england take on the west indies. and there'll be a special celebration of those who've gone above and beyond during the pandemic. before the game, england's players will wear training shirts featuring the names of some of our key workers. one of those to feature will be nurse tom field — and sally nugent has been catching up with him, and got the chance to introduce him to an england legend. music. congratulations on your name being picked for this fantastic honour, to be on the back of one of the cricketers' shirts. yeah, it's amazing, thank you very much. now, you've been working really hard

during the pandemic. what have you been doing? so, i'm a nurse practitioner at st george's hospital in tooting. i work for a team of nurses that work purely overnight for the hospital night service, we review the sickest patients in the hospital. during the pandemic, a lot of those patients have unfortunately been covid—19 patients. it's been difficult. i think the most difficult thing about it is it's been something completely brand—new, whereas, when we're dealing with acutely unwell patients normally, we're quite used to the presentations, whereas this is something that's completely brand new, so we've had to deal with it head—on and the ever—changing things, so literally daily we would have new advice from the experts about what we'd have to do and that was the most difficult thing, but, actually, i think everyone pulled together brilliantly and we were surprised at how positive everyone was that was working in the hospital. sorry to interrupt you, tom, i don't know if there's a technical problem here, just hang on a sec, i've just got a message on my screen.

just one sec. oh, hello, jimmy anderson! laughs. how's the body? not too bad, thanks, yeah, i've been going well. so fingers crossed i'll be all right to get through this week and then hopefully the next few weeks. we're all hoping you can because we're all hoping for a 3—0 win. yeah, same here, same here. tom's one of thousands of people who've put their own health on the line to help other people. all that sort of added up and allowed us to be able to get to where we are now and that is to actually play some live cricket, which we're all really excited about. do you know, jimmy, that cricket is being held up now as an example of potentially the way forward for many different sports. in your experience so far in the last two weeks, how well do you feel it's going and how do you think people will cope with this type of lockdown, in a sense, going into this bubble? we still have distancing as much as possible in the hotel, wearing ppe when we go to dinner.

a few of the guys are doing their own, you know, changing their own bed sheets, and similarly in the dressing room, we've got to keep that distance, not putting saliva on the ball, no big celebrations, no hugging or anything like that, so, yeah, just a bit different. what emergency rations did you bring with you into the bubble? not a lot, really. sparkling water was the big one for me. sparkling water and green tea, which makes me sound a bit of a health freak but i'm not. we're lucky that there's a golf course out the back so a lot of the lads, pretty much all the lads, have brought their golf clubs to try and also exercise and keep fit, so that's been the main things for me. some breaking news to bring you, britain's most senior police officer has apologised to team gb athlete bianca williams for the distress caused to her during a stop and

search. a video of the incident, which saw her and her partner pulled from their car in a london street, was posted online by former olympic medallist linford christie. williams has said in interviews this week with the bbc that she believes officers racially profiled her and her partner because they were driving a mercedes with tinted windows, effectively. they were handcuffed, separated from their three—month—old son who was sitting ina carseat three—month—old son who was sitting in a car seat in the back. the metropolitan police has voluntarily referred itself to the police watchdog and dame cressida dick, the metropolitan police commissioner, has told a parliamentary committee here in the uk, "we apologised yesterday to ms williams and i apologise again for the distress that this stop clearly caused her." dame cressida said she has asked a senior police officer to review the met‘s handcuffing practices to make sure it hasn't become a default and

she has set up an oversight group looking at the use of force. more on that with joanna gosling, looking at the use of force. more on that withjoanna gosling, who is here in the next few minutes. you are watching bbc news. now, the weather with carol. hello, again. we've got a real difference in the weather north to south today. in the north, we are looking at brighter, sunny skies with a few showers whereas further south, it's going to be fairly cloudy and wet for much of the day. that rain on and off. not great news, of course, for the cricket. it's because we've got various weather fronts moving across our shores and, then, later on, as the second weather front comes in, it will pep up the rain, especially so across wales. so, this afternoon, a lot of cloud around. england and wales, still the rain here across southern areas and then we've got the second boost of rain coming in across wales later on. for scotland, though, and for much of northern ireland for a lot of the day, we are looking at sunnier skies,

bright skies with just a few showers and temperatures ranging from 12 in the north to 19 in the south. through this evening and overnight, you can see how the rain clips southern parts of northern ireland, goes through northern england, wales and the midlands, down towards the south—east. a lot of cloud associated with this and, as it clears, it will leave spots of rain and some drizzle, but, in the north of the country, we will see clearer skies and that will allow the temperature to tumble, especially so in rural areas. for thursday, we still do have some of those fronts moving across parts of england and wales, so, on, thursday, we are looking at a fair bit of cloud once again. the main band of rain moves away but we will see some spots of rain and generally dank conditions. northern ireland, you will have a fairly decent day in terms of sunshine, quite a bit of it, with an isolated shower and, in scotland, they will also be some bright spells or some sunny skies, but some sharp showers that could be thundery. you could catch some of those across north—west england as well. then, thursday into friday,

this low pressure pulls away. we open the gates to more of a northwesterly, which will feel cooler but we will also have high pressure building in from the west. so, all that translated, means sunnier skies coming in from the west. there will still be some showers, some of those quite heavy and, so, all that translated means sunnier skies coming in from the west. despite the amount of sunshine, it won't feel that much different than it's going to in the next couple of days because of the north—westerly wind. temperature wise, we're looking at 12 in the north to about 20 as we push further south. into the weekend, high pressure will be with us, though, so things settle down. there will be a fair amount of sunshine, it will be a little bit warmer but we could see a bit more cloud and maybe some rain in the north—west.

this is bbc news with the latest headlines for viewers in the uk and around the world. i'm joanna gosling. a £2 billion fund to help unemployed under—25s get a work placement in the uk and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers. the latest measures aimed at boosting the british economy. the world health organization says there's evidence that covid—19 may be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air. a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because concerns were dismissed as ‘women's problems' mesh has robbed me of the person i used to be. my life is completely different. i want to issue a full apology to those who have suffered

and their families. angry crowds in serbia storm the parliament building in protest at the re—introduction of lockdown measures. and johnny depp is questioned over his relationship with ex—wife amber heard on the second day of his libel claim against the sun newspaper. hello and welcome if you're watching in the uk or around the world. stay with us for the latest news and analysis from here and across the globe. the uk chancellor rishi sunak is set to announce a range of measures later aimed at boosting the british economy in the wake of the covid—19 pandemic. among the steps is a £2 billion scheme to create more jobs for young people.

the fund will subsidise six—month work placements for those on universal credit aged between 16 and 2a, who are at risk of long—term unemployment. in an attempt to boost the property market, the chancellor is expected to announce a stamp duty holiday for home—buyers in england and northern ireland. the bbc understands mr sunak may also introduce a temporary vat cut to help the hospitality sector, which has been hit hard in the pandemic. the think tank, the resolution foundation, is recommending the chancellor launch a retail voucher scheme worth £30 billion, to support britain's ailing high streets. this report from our political correspondent, helen catt. the economy has started to open up again, but things are very different to how they were before. there are warnings that unemployment could run into the millions. so when the chancellor delivers his update in the commons later, his focus will be on jobs.

there are particular worries about young people. in hard—hit industries like retail and hospitality, they make up one third of the workforce. as of may, almost 500,000 under—25s were claiming universal credit. so the chancellor wants companies to create job placements for 16—24—year—olds who are receiving the benefit. the treasury will pay their wages for 25 hours a week at the national minimum wage for six months. it has set aside £2 billion for the scheme, which it's thought could create more than 300,000 placements. the policy has been welcomed by business groups as a step in the right direction. labour, too, says the scheme should help — but says the government will need to do more for hard—hit areas and older people who lose theirjobs. we know that many businesses are finding it really tough to get through this climate. we have seen the shutters come down on too many good, viable businesses. and we think the government should change approach to make it support more flexible so that good businesses can come through this crisis, that we stop people losing theirjobs,

that we keep people in work and also that we see a much greater focus on creating jobs, too. the chancellor is expected to make other changes, including to stamp duty to boost house sales, and there is speculation there could also be cuts to vat. ministers have previously said they cannot protect everyjob, but the pressure is now on the chancellor to save as many as possible. helen catt, bbc news. let's get more on this from our assistant political editor norman smith. so, norman, as the government surveys the task of trying to get its economy back on its feet obviously there are so many areas that money could be spent on. tell us what they have tried to focus on it today. well, it is pretty clear that the main objective is to try to avert a looming wave of youth unemployment with really huge speakers that when the furlough scheme finally ends in october there will be a rush of employers getting

rid of staff, never mind the difficulties school leavers will be facing in an incredibly difficult jobs market. put that together with the fact, you know, youngsters often tend to be in those sectors most vulnerable like retail and hospitality and you have a huge risk of very, very large numbers of youngsters being out of work and so to avert that the chancellor has set up to avert that the chancellor has set up thisjob to avert that the chancellor has set up this job scheme which, by and large, has been welcomed by think across the political divide, a similar scheme was tried by labour after the financial crash in 2008, and there is broad support for it. the difficult part i think is actually making it happy. it is comparatively easy to make the announcement, this offer of the government subsidising the wages of unemployed youngsters, that is easy to say, but actually getting them intojobs and to say, but actually getting them into jobs and getting to say, but actually getting them intojobs and getting companies to say, but actually getting them into jobs and getting companies to ta ke into jobs and getting companies to take the money is much, much harder ina take the money is much, much harder in a climate when many many companies will just be in a climate when many many companies willjust be cut

struggling to keep going and keep on their existing staff. and white, the youngsters will be paid for by this date for six months, nevertheless you will be placing an obligation on companies to take on the staff, i did to which the government is envisaging a hugejob did to which the government is envisaging a huge job creation scheme, they are talking about creating around 300,000 jobs in a three—month period, i mean that as a massive, massive ask and so seems to me that the big question is less about the announcement which has broadly been welcomed it is about delivering and can you make it happen. you mention there is broad agreement with labour on this. it does... it is hard to see that there would be much of the distinction between labour economic policies right now and what the tories are doing which is more akin, actually, to what labour was suggesting before all of this even happened anyway, in very different circumstances. all of this even happened anyway, in very different circumstancesm all of this even happened anyway, in very different circumstances. it is striking how far politicians who in normal times are sharply divided

over the economy now broadly seem to be coalescing around this idea of, you know, the only way out of this is for the state to intervene and to intervene with bucket loads of cash. the disagreements tend to be over degree, so while there was a welcome for rishi sunak‘s announcement at the start of the week about green jobs, the criticism was, well, could he have done more? similarly, with the announcements today, it is a question of cash rather than a principle involved. i think the other thing worth saying is that for all that rishi sunak might do today, i think the sort of rather hard—headed view of treasury officials is that at the end of the day it is going to depend a lot more on us as individuals and in particular as consumers but it is on treasury initiatives. other words, if we don't go out and spend then companies, shops, are just if we don't go out and spend then companies, shops, arejust not going to be able to generate business, never mind take on additional staff,

so, ina never mind take on additional staff, so, in a way, it comes down to those questions which we have been talking about for months and months, namely, is there an effective test and trace system is there an effective test and trace syste m u p is there an effective test and trace system up and running? have we managed to avoid further lockdowns? have really coming down? in other words, do we feel confident enough to go and spend our money, and if we don't, then all the schemes that rishi sunak announces today are probably not going to be sufficient to avert potentially very frightening levels of unemployment. thank you, norman. the world health organization has acknowledged there is emerging evidence which suggests covid—19 is being spread through tiny particles breathed out by infected people. they say it's passed on when someone exhales micro—droplets that are so small they remain suspended in the air, which others breath in and potentially become infected. if confirmed, it could change the way we have to behave to protect ourselves against the virus. up until now, the who has played down the risk of this airborne transmission,

instead focusing on the dangers caused by larger droplets that fall on to surfaces. but the who's infection and prevention department has updated its position. we acknowledge that there is emerging evidence in this field, as in all otherfields, regarding the covid—19 virus and pandemic, and therefore we believe that we have to be open to this evidence and understand its implications regarding the modes of transmission and, also, regarding the precautions that need to be taken. the who was responding to an open letter signed by more than 200 scientists which called on the medical community to take the risk of airborne transmission more seriously. they say micro—droplets can put people at risk of exposure, even if they are more than one—to—two metres away

from an infected person. the scientists say studies have demonstrated this "beyond any reasonable doubt". professor lidia morawska is the lead author of the letter and she explained what it means. if the virus is in the air, because that's where it gets from our mouth or nose, it has to be removed from the air. how do we remove it from the air? improved ventilation, efficient and effective ventilation. sometimes as simple opening a window. sometimes it's more complicated, in mechanically ventilated buildings, but, in any case, ventilation is the principle which we understand and if we know that this is to be done, we can manage this. we've known, the scientists have known, for a long time that aerosols from human expiration, when we breathe, when we talk, when we speak, in the air, it can be inhaled by others and cause infections, so, in a way, this is nothing new.

it is, however, extremely important that this was accepted, that this was acknowledged, because now we can move on and we can control this to minimise the infections. paul hunter is professor of medicine at the university of east anglia — he says more research needs to be done about the role of aerosols in the spread of coronavirus. i have always believed that there will be some transmission associated with aerosols, but that does not mean that i believe that they are an important transmission pathway. i think the evidence is quite... it certainly leads towards aerosols not playing a significant role in the transmission of the disease. and this is important for a number of reasons. one is when you are trying to control a disease like covid—19, what you are trying to do primarily is interrupt the main transition pathways.

and the focus has to be on that. and the evidence that if we move to try and block all aerosol transmission, that is actually substantially more difficult. there have been angry protests in serbia against the re—introduction of coronavirus lockdown measures. riot police clashed with protesters outside the country's parliament. paul hawkins reports. chanting. anger outside the serbian parliament in the capital, belgrade. thousands stormed the building, chanting for the president to resign after announcing the reintroduction of lockdown measures this weekend. translation: the situation in belgrade is critical, therefore we will take the following measures. after consulting with dr kon and the whole team, we decided to ban all gatherings of more than five people in public places and to impose a long curfew

from friday to monday. then we'll see what to do next. pet owners, mothers with children, and pensioners will be allowed out of their homes at certain times. on tuesday night, serbia announced 13 covid—related deaths in the past 2a hours. its highest daily death toll, bringing the total number of deaths to 330 with over 16,000 cases. it went from having one of europe's strictest lockdowns at the start of the pandemic in easter to a near complete reopening at the beginning of may. no phased reopenings here, with shops, restaurants, bars, and hairdressers opening up simultaneously. thousands of serbian football fans packed out stadiums while the rest of europe played in front of empty stands. there was even a parliamentary election, won by the president's party, who campaigned on the way

it's handled the pandemic. now, however, the president feels the lockdown measures were relaxed too much. many serbians disagree. paul hawkins, bbc news. in the uk, a 52—year—old man has been charged with wounding two paramedics who were stabbed during a emergency welfare call—out to his home. martyn smith is accused of attacking the paramedics after they gained entry to his maisonette in wolverhampton on monday. the two were taken to hospital for further treatment and surgery. the headlines on bbc news: a £2 billion fund to help unemployed under 25s get a work placement in the uk and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers. the latest measures aimed at boosting the british economy. the world health organisation says there's evidence that covid—19 may be spread by tiny particles suspended in the air.

a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because of an arrogant culture that dismissed serious concerns as "women's problems". some breaking news to bring you. we're just having that an outbreak of covid—19 at hillingdon hospital in uxbridge has meant that the hospital has close to emergencies. 70 members of staff went into isolation yesterday, including a number who did test positive for covid—19. the trust says as a result it has now taken the precautionary measure to close the hospital to emergency ambulances and admissions. they an outbreak was declared on friday 3rd ofjuly and as of tuesday seventh july 70 members friday 3rd ofjuly and as of tuesday seventhjuly 70 members of friday 3rd ofjuly and as of tuesday

seventh july 70 members of staff are now isolating, a number of whom have tested positive for covid—19 and the trust is managing the outbreak in line with public health england guidance. so no emergency hospital treatment at hillingdon hospital in oxford as a result of that covid—19 outbreak. —— in uxbridge. many lives have been ruined because health officials did not listen to the concerns of women — just one of the findings of a scathing review here in england which has spoken to more than 700 patients over two years the investigation, headed by baronessjulia cumberlege, focused on pelvic mesh, the hormone pregnancy test primodos and an anti—epilepsy drug called sodium valproate. victims have told us of the chronic and debilitating pain mesh has caused them while the medicines seriously harmed their unborn babies. anna collinson reports. daniel mason has to work far harder to do the simplest of tasks. he was born without hands, and other life—changing injuries. like many women between the 19505 and 19705, daniel's mother used the hormone pregnancy test primodos. the drug was removed

from the market in 1978, but its manufacturer denies there is a link between primodos and babies being born with birth defects. hundreds of families disagreed and have campaigned for recognition for decades. the more we found out about this, the more it has made us actually really quite angry. notjust for ourselves, as a family, butjust thinking of the trauma that so many people have gone through. as well as primodos, the long—awaited baroness cumberlege review also looked into the anti—epileptic drug sodium valproate, which increases the chance of birth defects if taken during pregnancy, and pelvic me5h repair5, where thousands of women have experienced chronic pain likened to splintered glass. it takes 270 pages to detail the failings, the missed opportunities and the pain inflicted on tens of thousands of people. the review has also made 5everal recommendations to prevent future harm.

i want to issue a full apology to the...to those who have suffered, and theirfamilies, for the frustration, for the time that it has taken, that they have taken, to get their voices heard. and now their voices have been heard, it's very important that we learn from this report. in the case of primodos, baroness cumberlege says it should have been stopped three years before daniel was born, in 1967. anna collinson, bbc news. we can speak to our health correspondent anna collinson. shejoin5 me now.

it has been a long time coming. it i5a it has been a long time coming. it is a two year the view... and well i5a is a two year the view... and well is a different health scandals there are similarities that are striking. all these medications and devices we re all these medications and devices were taken by women, they were never warned about the risks are told about less invasive operations are less risky medicines, when they reported problems they weren't believed in the main reason these three health scandals have come to light is because they had been led by patient led campaign groups, often with the victim at the front often with the victim at the front of it is not only going through the difficulties and complications but is also researching and leading a campaign of other victims. one of those, one of the anti—mesh organisations, has said the report makes it very clear our medical establishment is deeply entrenched in institutional denial and misogyny. that is her view and the view of many of these women who have not been listened to. but it makes

you wonder what else is going on? well, yes, this review is focusing on three particular health scandals but there are other areas the review also could have looked into such as types of contraception, breast implants, but it has focused on these particular scandals and has taken these particular scandals and has ta ke n two these particular scandals and has ta ken two years to these particular scandals and has taken two years to do this. baroness, lidge described an arrogance in the system with concerns often dismissed as women's problems and with mesh in particular campaigners were calling for a com plete campaigners were calling for a complete mesh ban. that has not been called for in this review but what baroness cumberledge has done is set out certain conditions which must be met before the current moratorium on mesh is listed and some of those restrictions include specialist centres, a data base restrictions include specialist centres, a database that is going to ta ke centres, a database that is going to take a lot of work, a lot of time,

and campaigners feel that this might effectively be a bactroban, that this might be the end of pelvic mesh at least. —— back door ban. let's get more now on rishi sunak‘s plans to boost the ecomomy in the wake of the pandemic. we can speak now torsten bell, the chief executive one of the things this foundation was a sea as vouchers one of the things this foundation was a sea as vouchers for people to use on the high street to boost spending. so far you will have seen all of the announcements on jobs for young people and extra money for house insulation but these are all fairly standard responses to recessions and i think the things we need today are things which focus on what is very unusual about this crisis which is that it unusual about this crisis which is thatitis unusual about this crisis which is that it is hitting some sectors much

than others, so places where social distancing is mad, knowing that this crisis is at its peak and policy needs to be focused on those rather than just treating this like of one of the main session. and you get any sense that that is going to be something that is going to come through in this? my impression is that people have now understood how big the difference between different sectors is, they understand where the risks to unemployment and underemployment is coming to which is particularly to young people because they are so represented in hospitality end with retail, it is also why low... have been so hard hit by this crisis. what we're seeing and talking about is massive state intervention. what about stimulating entrepreneurship and other ways of getting the economy going? in the end, if people are nervous and they are not going to spend money, we could be in a

prolonged period of stasis. that is the really important underlying point which is, again, the unique feature of this crisis would is that it is caused by a virus, by a pandemic, not by an economic policy and, not by the banks going bust or by the exchange rate with the panels so in the end economic policy can't solve this, what we need is their confidence of evil to get back so that economic activity, but once that economic activity, but once that has happened we can't machine that has happened we can't machine that that economic activity will continue particularly because the treasury is now baring all of the work which has previously been done by the bank of england in previous sessions, that had happened to the pressure is now on the chancellor to deliver the stimulus the economy needs once the virus is under control. let's go back to the issue with the three medical issues that have been

looked at about those drugs which have been given to women and their children which cause them or children which cause them or children considerable harm. we are nowjoined in the studio by emma murphy, who says five of her children have been affected by sodium valproate and says she was never properly informed of the risks. thank you very much forjoining us, emma. before we come to the impact on your kids, tell us when you were first prescribed it and what you we re first prescribed it and what you were told about the risks. so, i was prescribed sodium found through a to when i was 12. i was on that for yea rs. when i was 12. i was on that for years. i became pregnant, it was never informed of the risks, i question to the gp, i question health care professionals, and the a nswer health care professionals, and the answer was always to continue to ta ke answer was always to continue to take sodium valproate and everything will be fine, there will be no impact on the baby, and, obviously,

as health care professionals we listen to their advice and that is what i did. and you had five children who have all been diagnosed with fatal valproate spectrum disorder. —— fully till —— foetus valproate spectrum disorder. yes, and i'm just one of thousands of ladies who have been diagnosed with this. what are the symptoms? huge array of symptoms from autism, deafness, epilepsy, neurodevelopmental this delays, . .. the spectrum is huge and it doesn't just affect the children it affects the family as a whole. the fact that you are asking the questions every day step of the way and you are

being told that you shouldn't worry, how does that make you feel now?m is devastating and it shows the true injustice of this topic that women up injustice of this topic that women up and down the quote country asks the question is, they wanted to be told, they wanted these answers, and for yea rs told, they wanted these answers, and for years they have just been lied to. health care professionals knew of the risk, regulatory bodies knew of the risk, regulatory bodies knew of the risk, regulatory bodies knew of the race, the government knew was the risk yet we as patients were not warned of the risk and that is the true scandal in this. does it make you doubt yourself as you are going through a process where you are being told that what you believe to being told that what you believe to be true is not true? absolutely, and, you know, women up and down the country... it is a woman's issue and the fact that we were lined so, women, it is a human tragedy, it is really is, —— the fact that we were lied to. the faults does lie with

the government because they knew of the government because they knew of the risk and the manufacturer did one of the biscuit licensing and the fa ct one of the biscuit licensing and the fact that the government made a purposeful disc surgeon to not one the patient at the risks. despite the patient at the risks. despite the manufacturer it did warn of the risk at licensing and the fact that the government made a purposeful decision to not one the patient at the risk needs to be addressed with. the children affected with this will live with this for the rest of their lives, as their parents will, but moving forward government need to issue an apology and they need to rectify, as baroness cumberledge has rightly said in her report, that compensation should be given to the families, to the children affected. it isa families, to the children affected. it is a man—made tragedy. families, to the children affected. it is a man-made tragedy. what would constitute an apology that you would welcome? this morning the health secretary matt hancock has said that he was sorry. there are now at the minute there was a just words, and until action has been sanctioned by

the government, we will take apology when it is issued. action needs to be taken. emma murphy, thank you very much forjoining us. wish you all the best, thank you. the british sprinter bianca williams has received an apology from the met police after she and her partner were pulled over in their car and handcuffed in a stop—and—search. ms williams's three—month—old son was also in the car on saturday when they were stopped in maida vale. speaking to mp5, the met commander, dame cressida dick said if there are lessons to be learned from it, we will learn them. she also said they were looking at handcuffing as a specific issue. every time we see a video that is of concern to members of the public we review them, we consider lessons learned, my senior officer has identified this and said i am sorry to ms williams for the distress it has clearly caused her and i say

that too, so if there are lessons to be learned from it we will learn them and i am looking at handcuffing asa them and i am looking at handcuffing as a specific issue. let's speak to our sports correspondent laura scott. so, dame cressida dick has now apologised to ms williams who was obviously very distressed by what has happened. yes, i spoke to ms williams and her partner and it was still shaken by what's happened, but for her partner he said that he had been shopped or stopped 15 times to end 2017 when he bought himself a bmw and bianca and mercedes and he said it had become a sort of normal for him. they were very scared about it and they said they were considering legal action but it is a significant development today that there has been a formal apology from there has been a formal apology from the metropolitan police and, as dame

cressida dick mentioned, a review into handcuffing procedures. she also said that they will set of an oversight group on the use of force because that was one of bianca williams main criticisms of what happened to her and herfamily was that she felt she was handcuffed for 1:5 that she felt she was handcuffed for 45 minutes as she was, but her three—month—old baby was in the car and she didn't like the fact that she was separated from home, and dame cressida dick said that she and others had a loss of empathy with the feelings that a young mother must have. —— a lot of empathy, especially given that nothing was found in their car. this is a specific and development today and also the met police has a referred itself to the independent office for policing conduct so we will await the outcome of that review. leaveit leave it was that she posted online

by linford christie, the fact that these high—profile athletes are getting involved has their own attention to this issue in the way that daily sorties that are reported do not necessarily draw the same level of attention? i asked bianca and ricardo if they had given permission to linford christie to post about the incident, and they said that it would gain more traction if it came from him. this video has gone viral. it is worth noting that the director of professional standards has reviewed the bodycam footage and is that the anchor williams took of the incident and they and they say there was no misconduct from the officers. clearly there was a huge amount about what happened and a lot of concerns raised, this has led to the apology today and e referral imation. we will now go to baroness

cumberlege for her damning review into the heart if this government and the health care system ignores our review to the extent that we have witnessed. they will and should not be forgiving. we called our report, first do no harm. why? because those working in the health ca re system because those working in the health care system recognise the statement — it's a starting point, e principle, for good quality care, not only for doctors but for all those working in health care. too often we believe that it has not. the first of our three interventions

is sodium valproate. sodium valproate is an effective medication to control epilepsy, but even today this medication causes harm to unborn children, and pregnant mothers continue to be unaware of that fact and of the risks involved. the second is pelvic mesh. pelvic mesh is used for organ prolapse and also urinary incontinence, and when many, also urinary incontinence, and when any also urinary incontinence, and when many, many women have undergone mesh surgery they have suffered terrible complications. the food is primodos, a hormone pregnancy test taken by women between the 19505 and the late 705. that is associated with damage to children and those now who have grown up, who are adults, are needing care and support. at the

very start of our reviewer, i have to say that it has been a long journey, but at the very beginning, we knew that we had to meet and talk with women and their families. we need to know the impact that these medications and devices had had on them. we travelled around the uk and we met over 700 women and their families. i have to say, it made such a lasting impression on us, and some of those stories i will certainly take to my grave. their experiences were harrowing. we learned about damage families under immense strain, the relationships that had been destroyed and korea's broken. and as a result, financial ruin. -- broken. and as a result, financial ruin. —— careers broken. with no

income, home were lost and parents we re income, home were lost and parents were facing the proposition that perhaps what might happen is that children will be taken into care, and we have heard that. these women spoke of intimate details, not only about their lives but about their bodies. they spoke with such dignity and courage, and we the review team wa nt to and courage, and we the review team want to thank them for doing so. with intel does that when they were pregnant and controlling that epilepsy pay rate, they were never told that the unborn baby could be seriously damaged. —— sodium valproate. they didn't know that the chances are one into. one in two damaged babies, what a tragedy. we met women who told us they were

given interpol is called primodos to confirm whether they were pregnant or not. we learn that because of these medications, these pills they we re these medications, these pills they were given, that some of them lost their babies and the others gave birth to babies who were seriously disabled. in the 705, these parents agonise who is going to care for the disabled offspring when they no longer can. women told us that their lives have been turned upside down by mesh. healthy and very active, they were offered a quick fix for incontinence or prolapse. as a result of the surgery, they lost their independence, their careers, their independence, their careers, their life partners, their sex lives, and even the ability to go for a walk so they were confined to

a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. they suffered hugely, and they told us about experiencing splintered glass inside them, razors inside them, in their bodies. that gave them permanent, unremitting pain. some had suicidal thoughts, and he told " i can't go on." i conduct many reviews, and we agree individually and together we have never encountered anything like this. the intensity of the suffering, the fact that these conditions lasted for decades, and the sheer scale that these interventions have done to women and theirfamilies. what

interventions have done to women and their families. what is truly shocking is that no one knows the exact number is affected by these three interventions, but it is in their tens of thousands. lee's families had to fight, to be listened to and to be taken seriously. —— these families. they organise themselves into groups, they form an all—party parliamentary groups, they battled for years. so we wa nt groups, they battled for years. so we want to thank those patient groups for their expertise, their research, their courage, their tenacity. i have to say, through them, we have learnt so much and they have have helped us with this review. i want to stress that the review. i want to stress that the review was set up because these people refuse to give up. in our research, we were astonished to find how the health system is disjointed,

silent, unresponsive. it doesn't recognise that the patients are the very purpose of the health care system, and it fails to listen to their concerns. over the past two yea rs, their concerns. over the past two yea rs , we their concerns. over the past two yea rs, we have their concerns. over the past two years, we have actually encouraged and urgently system to take action, action that should have been taking action that should have been taking a very long time ago. of course innovation in medical care has done some wonderful things, saved many lives, but innovation without premarket testing, post—market surveillance and long—term monitoring is quite simply dangerous. we were astounded when we realise that the health care system doesn't know the scale of the problems we were asked to investigate and stop it flying

blind. —— its flying blind. it fails to acknowledge when things go wrong, it fails to take action for fear of blame and litigation. of course we know that mistakes are made, every organisation makes mistakes, but they have to be acknowledge, they have to be put right as soon as possible, and they have to enhance the learning so that those mistakes are not repeated again. manufacturers also fail. they fail to acknowledge when their product causes harm. they fail to recognise their obligation to contribute towards help for patients. patients who have suffered so grievously due to their products. briefly i want to explain our conclusions on each of the three interventions. first of

all, prima dos— a test for pregnancy given to women years longer than it should have been. in 1967, serious concerns were growing the regulators could and should have acted but didn't. so even more women were exposed to unnecessary risks. whilst of course there is disagreement among experts whether primodos cause birth defects, the fact remains that thousands of women and unborn children were exposed to this risk and that was not acknowledge at that time. it should not have happened. the system failed. sodium valproate, it has been licensed since 1972, it was known from the very beginning that it was harmful to unborn children. there has been no dispute

about that. yet even today, hundreds of women are taking valproate when they are pregnant are not housed about the risks. health professionals simply do not inform them. regulators have not done enough when they should have done. no one is tracing those that have been affected. as a consequence, the woeful lack of support and help is culpable. pelvic mesh— women have suffered terribly. we were so appalled by what women and their families told us. injuly 2018, we said the treatment for stress urinary incontinence should be halted immediately. we said conditions had to be met before the operations continued. today, two yea rs operations continued. today, two years later, they have not been met.

20 years after mesh started to be used in the pelvis, we still don't know the long—term risks, we still don't know the complication rates, we still don't know the way to remove mesh. because there is no consensus. we said if these conditions for lifting our ever met, mesh should only be considered after all surgical and nonsurgical options have been considered. it women must be fully informed to make her decision, knowing of the risks involved. on this basis, we expect a number of procedures to be absolutely tiny. gone are the days when women in their tens of thousands had mesh implanted, and we re thousands had mesh implanted, and were then told it was the gold

standard. turning to the nine recommendations that we are making. these recommendations are very wide ranging and they are radical. the system's response, or the lack of it, has added to so much suffering and pain. it needs to be acknowledge what has gone so badly wrong. our first recommendation is that the government must immediately issue a fulsome apology on behalf of the health care system to the families that have been so affected by primodos, sodium valproate and surgical mesh. our next recommendation is about the patient safety commissioner. we think it's really important that this voice is establish, because patients must not

be ignored in the future. we need this new voice, a voice that will have statutory powers, and it will encourage the system to do what needs to be done. a person of standing outside the health care system, accou nta ble to standing outside the health care system, accountable to parliament through the social care select committee. our second recommendation is just that — a patient safety commissioner, and that person should be appointed. the person will be the patients' port of call, the listener, the advocate, the person who holds the system to account and monitors trends, and above all, it demands action. he or she will be the golden thread tying the system together in the interest of those who matter most— the patients. moving on to other third

recommendation. the state and you manufacturers have a moral responsibility to provide extracts your payments to those who have experienced this avoidable damage from the three interventions that we have reviewed. so we are recommending three separate schemes. they should be set up, one for hormone pregnancy test, one for valproate and one for pelvic mesh. these systems should provide additional care for those who have experience harm and are eligible to claim. patients have waited far too long for redress, and these schemes will be set up at speed. we really urge that. don't let's hang about, let's set them up at speed. looking to the future, we need a new way to resolve disputes between patients

and the health care system. at the moment, the only option up patients haveis moment, the only option up patients have is to go to court. that is not good enough. of course, they will a lwa ys good enough. of course, they will always have the right to go to court, but we know it is an adversarial process and many patients have said that it is really an unpleasant experience. of course we recognise that they still have that right to go to court, but we are trying to resolve some of that conflict. our fourth recommendation is to establish a recess agency. —— redress agency. rather than blaming individuals, its decisions based on whether it was a avoidable harm and that this agency should give support to those who have been so badly

damaged. we are thinking both of non—monetary and financial support. the cost of running the agency should be met by contributions from manufacturers and the state. the agency must be independent and outside current organisations. we thought long and hard about how to ensure better care and support to those who have been so damaged, so we are recommending establishing two types of specialist centres. 140 mesh and the other four taken during pregnancy,. originally based, this will meet some of the clinical needs that the centres will provide. —— one for mesh. we are thinking they will be a one—stop shop, able to signpost and refer patients to other

services. our next recommendation concerns the regulator, the nhra, the regulator for medicines and devices. we believe a regulator must work for patients and with them, and this hasn't been the case in the past so we are recommending that the mhra is overhauled. it needs to change and radically improve the way that things aren't detected and acted upon. it needs to engage more with patience and track how medications and devices improve, or fail to improve, their health and your quality of life. it is to raise awareness of its public role, and it needs to ensure that patients are centred, absolutely central, to their work. earlier on, i

centred, absolutely central, to theirwork. earlier on, idescribe theirwork. earlier on, idescribe the system as flying blind. every successful organisation knows that good data is essential. detecting concerns over medical devices, tracking patient outcomes, acting swiftly to prevent harm. that is impossible without good data. it is shocking, really shocking that they wa nt shocking, really shocking that they want now is the number of patients implanted with pelvic mesh. their surgeon, the mesh product use, or the outcomes. so we are recommending that a central database should collect these key details. we have asked the secretary of state to make the collection of mandatory, and he agreed. the data base the collection of mandatory, and he agreed. the database initially for mesh is now being established. the database will be linked to registries to audit outcomes, both for safety a nd registries to audit outcomes, both for safety and the patient outcomes,

and of course the experience as well. we are very concerned there is no central registry of clinicians, financial and non—financial, interest. so our eighth recommendation is that the registered of the general medical council should be expanded to include a list of financial and non—pecuniary interest for the doctors, because the public has a right to know. in addition, you manufacturers should report payments major teaching hospitals, research institutions and individual clinicians. that leads me to our final recommendation. we hope this government and the health care system will really take heed of what we have to say, and that our recommendations will be implemented

with determination and urgency. our final recommendation is about implementation. we want the government to immediately set up a task force to implement our recommendations. the first task is for them to set up a timeline for implementation. finally, innovation and technology we believe will bring some exciting change. there is potential to do so much good, but we must ensure the risks of increasingly complex health care are understood. while the system is not short of the risk, it must say so. had it done so in our three interventions, a huge amount of suffering would have been avoided.

so, finally, ijust want so, finally, i just want to say that we worked very hard with this research, this report that we have produced, and we do believe that our recommendations will improve the lives of people when they have been harmed and make the system much safer in the future. implementation needs to be approached with a new urgency and determination, founded on the guiding principle that our health care system must not do no harm and then do some good. thank you very much indeed. now, we are into questions from all of you. i do have a running order, and there are a lot of people who want to ask

questions. so i'm going to start, i hope they will be fairly brief because we would like to go through them all. first of all, sophie hutchinson. thank you for your report so far, they have been very well researched and informative. sophie, would you like to put a question? sophie, ishould sophie, would you like to put a question? sophie, i should say, sophie, would you like to put a question? sophie, ishould say, is from the bbc. you have made nine recommendations that address some exceptionally serious problems in the health care system, but have you had any commitment from government that these will actually be implemented? we know that they will bea implemented? we know that they will be a statement in parliament

tomorrow. we will be examining that very, very carefully, because this whole thing will be a total waste of time, we don't want our report to sit on the shelf, we think it really, really important that it should be implemented. of course, we will bring together all sorts of people who also to happen. our term of office finishes at the end of july. studio: baroness cumberlege. we will leave the news conference there but an incredibly powerful delivery of her report looking at the issues — mesh, sodium valproate, premadasa pregnancy test. she paid tribute to the tens of thousands of families who have had to fight over many, many years to be listened to, to be taken seriously. she said at her review only happened because they

refused to give up. she has got a series of very powerful recommendations, and she says she doesn't want that report to sit on the shelf. you're bbc news. —— you're watching bbc news. let's go to the commons, boris johnson will be taking prime minister's questions, followed by the chancellor. let's go now to our assistant political editor, norman smith, at parliament. norman, that wasn't an incredible pal thing to listen to from baroness cumberlege, and it will be more of that in at the commons for very busy day already today? huge eyes on the chancellor after prime minister's questions. i suspect that means that keir starmer today probably will not go on any economic issues around

further weighing, he did last week, asking the premise to extend the furlough scheme. he didn't get an answer, although we did get an advantage from the prime minister there was a likelihood of very significantjob there was a likelihood of very significant job losses, which actually have come to pass if you look at what you have seen at airbus and easyjet and other major companies laying off staff. my guess that the labour leader will probably go back to covid. each week, he has tended to focus on an aspect of the government's handling of coronavirus and then press on detail on the government was michael response. last week, it was over the leicester lock down and whether the government had failed to provide sufficient details the week before that. i wonder if he might pick up on the hullabaloo we had yesterday over the ca re hullabaloo we had yesterday over the care sector after borisjohnson appeared to seek to blame care homes for not following procedures. my

best guess is he may choose to challenge mrjohnson over the government's handling of kettles during this crisis. thank you very much, norman. we'll bring you prime is the question is when it starts at midday. right now, let's catch up with the weather. hello, again. for southern parts of the uk today, it's going to be fairly cloudy and also wet. move further north, we've got sunnier skies in scotland, part of northern england and northern ireland, but there will be one or two showers around. temperatures 12 in the north and 19 in the south. through this evening and overnight, the band of rain clips northern ireland, moves across parts of england and wales. clearer skies across scotland, and it will be quite a cold night, especially in sheltered glens. the temperatures you see on this chart indicate what you can expect in towns and cities. tomorrow we say goodbye to that band of heavy rain, but for england and wales, we have got a lot of cloud,

some drizzle and spots of rain, northern ireland dryer with one or two showers, and scotland seeing sunshine and showers, but some of those showers could be heavy and thundery.

facility this is bbc news. facility the headlines... this is bbc news. the headlines... the chancellor rishi sunak will this hour unveil a series of measures aimed at boosting the british economy. they're expected to include a £2 billion fund to help unemployed under—255 get a work placement in the uk, and a stamp duty holiday for home buyers. this is the scene live in the house of commons where prime minister's questions is about to begin. the chancellor will speak directly afterwards. a damning review into three medical treatments for women in england says that many lives have been ruined because concerns were dismissed as "women's problems". the metropolitan police commissioner apologises to athlete bianca williams for the "distress" caused by a stop and search and says the force will review its handcuffing practices. and johnny depp is questioned over his relationship with ex—wife amber heard on the second day of his libel claim

in a moment, we'll be taking you live to the house of commons, where borisjohnson will be taking prime minister's questions. live to the house of commons for prime minister's questions... questions for the prime minister. we start with question one. this morning i had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others in addition to my duties in this house and bill have further such meetings later today. i am shocked and angered at workers in uk clothing factories being paid a mere £3.5 per hour and forced to work and totally

unacceptable conditions. in the 21st—ce ntu ry unacceptable conditions. in the 21st—century the must be no room for exploitation and modern slavery, we must call time on fast fashion for the sick of people on our planet so my question is simple, what will the prime minister do about it? my question is simple, what will the prime minister do about mm my question is simple, what will the prime minister do about it? it is this conservative government that set up laws against modern slavery, that massively increased the living wage and we would hope it would be the labour mayor of leicester who would stand up for the interest of the workforce in his community. would stand up for the interest of the workforce in his communitym is not just the workforce in his communitym is notjust the 800—year—old lichfield cathedral that we have in leicester, we also have a beautiful leafy la nes leicester, we also have a beautiful leafy lanes and wonderful restau ra nts a nd bars leafy lanes and wonderful restaurants and bars but we also

have the lichfield gaelic which is a major theatre and the iraq, and what i would like to know is i welcome the £1.7 billion grant given to support theatres and performing artists but will any of it outside the west end and he had in lichfield? thank you, i can tell him lichfield? thank you, i can tell him lichfield has been at the centre of our cultural life since doctor johnson and david garrick made their famous walk on the 18th century and will continue to be so and we were working closely with the arts council to support and develop the projects i know are sportier to his heart. —— so dear to his heart. projects i know are sportier to his heart. -- so dear to his heart. on monday when asked why care from deaths had been so high the prime minister said and i quote too many

ca re minister said and i quote too many care homes didn't really follow the procedures and the way they could have. that has caused huge offence to front line care workers and has been 48—hour is, well the prime minister apologised to care workers? iam minister apologised to care workers? i am grateful to him and the thing i wa nted i am grateful to him and the thing i wanted to do is blame care workers for what has happened or any of them to think i was blaming them because they have what incredibly hard throughout this crisis looking after some of the most vulnerable people in our country and doing an outstanding job and as he knows tragically to and 57 of them have lost their lives and when it comes to taking blame i take full responsibility for what has happened but the one thing nobody early on new was that the virus was being passed a symptomatically from person—to—person in the way that it is and that is why the guidance and

procedures changed and it is thanks to the hard work of care workers that we have now got incidence down into ca re that we have now got incidence down into care homes, outbreaks down to the lowest level since the crisis began thanks to care workers and i pay tribute to them. that is not an apology and it just will not wash. the prime minister said his what to many ca re the prime minister said his what to many care homes did not relate follow the procedures and the way they could have, it was clear what he was saying at the prime minister must understand just how raw this is for many people on the front line and those who have lost loved ones. i quote mark adams who runs a social ca re i quote mark adams who runs a social care charity, he said you have 1.6 million social care workers coming into work to protect our parents and grandparents and children, putting their own health and lives at risk and then to get perhaps the most senior man in the country turning

around and blaming them on what has been an absolute travesty of leadership from the government, i think it is appalling, they are his words. i asked the prime minister again, will he apologise to care workers, yes or no? he keeps saying i blamed or tried to blame care workers and that is simply not the case. the reality is we now know things about the way coronaviruses is passed from person—to—person without symptoms that we did not know, that is why we instituted the ca re know, that is why we instituted the care home action plan on april 15, thatis care home action plan on april 15, that is why we changed the procedures and perhaps he did know it was been transmitted a somatic eye, perhaps captain hindsight would like to tell us whether he knew it was being transmitted. of course it was being transmitted. of course it was necessary to change procedures

and this government will continue to invest massively in care homes and ca re invest massively in care homes and care workers and it is this government that put up the living wage by a record amount and that is something we can do directly to help every ca re worker something we can do directly to help every care worker and the country. by every care worker and the country. by refusing to apologise the prime minister rubs salt into the winds of the people he stood at his front door and clapped. the prime minister and health secretary must be the only people left in the country who think they put a protective ring around care homes. those on the front line know that was not the case. i caught a care home manager yesterday, she said i am absolutely livid at the fact we did not follow the procedures because the care systems and the nurses and everyone has what so hard and he has the audacity to blame us, her once. what with the prime minister like to say to that care home manager? what i

would like to say to the lady in question and every care home working is that this government appreciates the incredible work they have done, we thank them for it and let me say further we will invest in care homes and reform the care home sector and i hope we will do it on the basis of cross— party i hope we will do it on the basis of cross—party consensus and get a lasting solution to the problems and are ca re lasting solution to the problems and are care homes and difficulties many people face funding the cost of their old age. that is what this government intends to do after 30 yea rs of government intends to do after 30 years of inaction and i hope he will join us and doing it. i am glad to hear that, i gently point out that his government has been in powerfor ten yea rs his government has been in powerfor ten years with no plan and no white paper. of course ten years with no plan and no white paper. of course we ten years with no plan and no white paper. of course we would join in plans for reforming social care but ten yea rs plans for reforming social care but ten years wasted, the reality is this, more than 19,000 care home

residents have died from covid—19, a far higher number when you include excess deaths. overall around one in 20 care home residents and estimated to have died from the virus, it is chilling. these are extraordinary numbers and yet the play minister has consistently ducked responsibility for this. will he accept it is not care workers who are to blame, it is his government? he has the old vice of reading out the preprepared question without listening to the answer i have just given, i made it absolutely clear that this government takes responsibility for everything that we have done throughout this crisis and of course i pick tribute once again to the work of every care worker in the country and i thank them. we have also put forward a ca re them. we have also put forward a care home action plan that has helped our care workers and industry to get the incidence of coronavirus

write—down on every care home and the country to the lowest level and we are now putting in monthly testing for every resident in our ca re testing for every resident in our care home and weekly testing for every ca re care home and weekly testing for every care home worker and that is thanks to the fantastic efforts of everybody involved an nhs testing and tracing and he should pay tribute to them as well. the prime minister continues to insult those on the front line by not taking theseissues on the front line by not taking these issues seriously, he must recognise that huge mistakes have been made. two months ago at pmqs i highlighted the weakness of early guidance on care homes and the prime minister typically flippant simply said it is not true. there were repeated warnings from the care sector, repeated delays and providing protective equipment. this was not hindsight, they were raised to your day was not hindsight, they were raised to yourday in, was not hindsight, they were raised to your day in, day out and we can weigh out, it was real—time for the front line. same on routine testing

at the decision to discharge 25,000 people to it was without tess was clearly a mistake. the prime minister simply accept was just too slow to act on care homes? he knows very well audi should that the understanding of the disease changed dramatically and the months we have had it and when he looks at the action plan we brought in to help ca re action plan we brought in to help care workers i think he would appreciate the vast amount of work they have done, the ppe they have been supplied with, the testing they have been supplied with, that has helped them to get the incidence of the disease down to record lows and it has enabled us to get on with our work as the government in getting this country through this epidemic, back on its feet, that is what the

country once to see. we have stuck to our plan to open our economy gradually and cautiously. one week he is in favour of it, the next is against it. what this country wants to see is a steady and stable approach to getting our country back on its feet, that's what we are delivering. find a way to add further insult to injury there are reports this morning that the government is to remove the hospital parking —— free hospital parking for nhs workers which could cost is a pounds a month for doctors and caterers. we all them so much, we should be rewarding them not making it more expensive to go to work. the prime ministers must know this is wrong, will he reconsider? the hospital car parks are free for nhs staff for this pandemic and we are

going to get on with our manifesto commitment to make them three four patients who need them as well. the house will know that was never the case under the labour government neither for staff 04 patients. may i suggest he takes his latest bandwagon and parks at free somewhere else. one week he is backing us, the next he is not, one week he is in favour of a tax on wealth and homes, the next it tries to tiptoe away from it. we know how it works, he takes one brief one week, one of the next, he is consistent only in his opportunism with as we get on with our agenda. build, build, build fourjobs, jobs, jobs and the house will hear more shortly. my well-known and much loved constituent alan young died of cancer last year having been care

for at a hospice and warwick and i am sure the play minister will remember the moving letter he received from alan's brave nine—year—old son tommy which tommy read out on radio facing the hospice for looking after his dad. the government is providing 200 million per quarter for government is providing 200 million per quarterfor hospices government is providing 200 million per quarter for hospices during the emergency so it is very clearly that appreciates their work and wealthy join me, tommy, his brother and his mum and thanking the hospice and all across the country for the invaluable care they provide to people like alan. i do indeed remember that and i know the thoughts and sympathies of the whole house will be with alan and his family. i would like tojoin tommy and the family and my honourable friend and thanking all hospices for the incredible work that they do.|j

the incredible work that they do.” am sure the prime minister and the whole house will want to join me am sure the prime minister and the whole house will want tojoin me in marking the memorial day which takes place this saturday for the first time happening online, we should never forget the terrible genocide that took place 25 years ago and can i associate myself with the concerns about body hospital parking charges. the snp government abolished them in scotla nd the snp government abolished them in scotland 12 years ago and i would dodge the tory government to do the same so nhs workers and patients will not be penalised. 3.8 million people across the united kingdom could face unemployment when the furlough scheme ends, the job retention scheme has been a lifeline to millions yet we could see progress unravel as the scheme ends. millions of people could potentially find themselves out of work, struggling to pay bills and put food

on the table. will the prime minister committed today to extending the fallout scheme? people must not lose theirjobs because the tories refused to act. mr speaker, i think most people looking at what has happened in the uk over the last four months across the world have been overwhelmingly impressed by the way that we as a government have put our arms around people, billions invested injobs, incomes, supporting people, it has been a massive effort. i know a lot of people in this house would agree with me, you cannot go on forever with me, you cannot go on forever with a furlough scheme that keeps employees in suspended animation in the way that it does. we need to get our economy moving. that's what the people of this country want to see ina people of this country want to see in a sustainable and cautious way, andi in a sustainable and cautious way, and i would like to remind him that

the reason the job and i would like to remind him that the reason thejob retention and i would like to remind him that the reason the job retention scheme has worked is because of the power and efficiency of the uk treasury, it's the uk government that has funded the furlough scheme and 4.8 billion in barnet consequential is to scotland alone and i'm sure he doesn't hesitate to remind his collea g u es doesn't hesitate to remind his colleagues of that. of course, it's about the future and making sure that people can be protected. just this week, we saw spain look to extend their furlough scheme into 2021. research is showing that prematurely entering the job retention scheme risks higher unemployment and weak productivity, with a potential loss of up to £50 billion to gdp. resolution foundation ptersen are calling for up foundation ptersen are calling for up to £5 billion to be spent on

extending a furlough payments for the hardest hit sectors. the tuc are warning of the effect of entering the furlough scheme early for people who are shielding and in difficulty, this is about not throwing away the benefits we have accrued. the prime minister seems intent on sinking the lifeboat that has been keeping so many people float. if the prime minister will not extend the furlough scheme, when he gave scott at the power we can do it ourselves? —— when he gave scotland the power? i think —— when he gave scotland the power? ithinki —— when he gave scotland the power? i think i have answered the question already, but as i believe it is essential that we not only invest in our people and protect them from the effects of this epidemic as we have done at huge, huge expenditure, quite rightly, it is also essential we get the economy moving, including in scotland and i hope he supports that as well. it does the prime

minister agree with me and my constituents that calls from some in this house for a rate on homes, pensions and savings would have hard—working pensions and savings would have ha rd—working families pensions and savings would have hard—working families and under rhine economic recovery? —— a raid on homes. —— undermined the economic recovery. i have been amazed that labour are proposing to bring forward a wealth tax on homes, new leader, same old labour policies, exactly what this country doesn't needs, we need investment in people, investment in wages, an increase in the living wage, taking this countries forward, they want to tax. given the devastating impact of brexit on my constituency and the decades of underinvestment and neglect by successive british governments, with the prime minister agreed to work with the northern

ireland executive firm to ensure a free port area is developed in derry to try to address that long—term economic imbalance, and will he agreed to meet with me and a delegation from the city to progress this project? i noted the paradox, mr speaker, that the honourable gentleman wants a freeport in londonderry/derry, which is something that can only be achieved by brexit, by the way, but i will be more than happy to study the plans that he proposes and we'll see what we can do to take it forward. the coronavirus has hit young people in work and those about to enter the jobs market particularly hard to. with my right honourable friend therefore continue to build on his excellent package of announcements so far so that our young people have hope and encouragement for the very best prospects for the start of their working life? absolutely. we

wa nt their working life? absolutely. we want young people look to have the self—confidence and experience of work to keep learning on the job and to get thejobs work to keep learning on the job and to get the jobs they need. and if you will wait a few minutes, he will be hearing rather more from my honourable friends, the chancellor about that very matter. hundreds of my constituents have been excluded from the furlough scheme due to gaps in legislation. there is a 50% cap on non—trading income. the solution to these constituents from the government is to ta ke constituents from the government is to take out loans which, for many, is untenable and will lead to unemployment and bankruptcy. for the prime minister commits widening access to these schemes for the many people left behind act succeed” would tell the honourable later

there are 12,000 people are taking advantage of the furlough scheme in her constituency, getting 80% of their income up to £2500 a month, it's a fantastic scheme. in addition to those that she rightly identifies who may have had difficulties accessing the furlough, we have also massively increased universal credit by £1040 for families across the country, in addition to a panoply of other loans and grants that we have made. i'm sure the prime minister willjoin me in thanking richard parker, the ceo of the doncaster hospitalfor parker, the ceo of the doncaster hospital for their work. does the prime minister grew agree with me that doncaster needs a new hospital? darcy also believe that by building a new hospital in town, the government will send a message to the people of don valley that it is

committed to levelling up the north? this is an appetite question, because the health secretary has committed to not just because the health secretary has committed to notjust belting up 40 new hospitals but to visiting doncaster very shortly to discuss investment in health care in the doncaster. luton airport provides direct funding to luton council and to many local charities in my constituency, but covid—19 is usually impacted this commercial and charitable income. without urgent government action, luton council will be forced to make £22 million of cuts next week. i have raised this issue repeatedly in parliament, where the prime minister meets with me to discuss how emergency funding for luton council will save crucial local services and hundreds of key workers multi mcjobs? that this is an important issue, because the aviation industry has been hit very

ha rd aviation industry has been hit very hard and we are supporting the sector and all sorts of ways by supporting not just employee sector and all sorts of ways by supporting notjust employee but the way to pay scheme and loans from the bank of england. we are supporting local councils as well with the billions of pounds, £3.2 billion. the most important thing is to get a medium and long—term solution that enables those airlines to start flying again so that luton council can get the revenues it needs. i perfectly understand and support the point she makes. it has been said, i hope not uncharitably, that my right honourable friend has never met a bridge he didn't want to build. off the cumbrian coast we have an opportunity to steal a march with the tidal barrage that will leave a legacy of jobs the tidal barrage that will leave a legacy ofjobs in the local area at

least 7000 jobs. it will allow us to connect local communities with a shiny new bridge and allow us to build our way into a green revolution. with the prime minister agreed to meet with me and my cumbrian colleagues to explore this dealfurther? cumbrian colleagues to explore this deal further? i'm grateful to cumbrian colleagues to explore this dealfurther? i'm gratefulto my honourable friend for bringing that attractive idea to my attention, i know several projects are being considered along the cumbrian coast andi considered along the cumbrian coast and i will advise him first to get in touch with the secretary of state for business, energy and industrial strategy to see what he can do to ta ke strategy to see what he can do to take it forward and i will give what support i can. yesterday, after a delay of over a year, the government published their response to a call for evidence on violence against shop workers. to have been thousands of incidents since then, it is unacceptable. there are a lot of good things in the government's response but it is disappointing to stop short of a change of the law. with a prime minister make a commitment that if his plans don't

reduce to 400 plus incidents every day within six months, he will support legislative change? we should have zero tolerance for violence towards people who work in shops, just as we have zero tolerance for people who are aggressive towards those who work in our public services and we will do everything we can do to ensure that is the case. there was an welcome relaxation of lockdown on saturday, but other sectors are still unable to open. could i ask my right honourable friend if you will publish a timetable so there could be some hope and certainty for these industries? this is an important point and as he knows, on may the 10th, we set out our plan for cautiously getting our economy open again and we will be saying more later this week about the next steps and the timetable we hope to follow.

a care home owner in my constituency was told, if they refuse to accept the return from hospital of a covid—positive patients, . .. the procedure he was obliged to follow was this government's. is rather than point the finger at care workers for his failure with the prime minister do the right thing, apologise and pay tribute to the professionalism of the care home owners, managers and staff infected who went above and beyond the government guidelines to save lives? i renew the points i made earlier on, the tributes i paid to care home workers. the particular case he raises is important and troubling, so if he would be kind enough to write to me with detail setting out exactly what happened, i would be

very happy to reply. we've see the most amazing upsurge in community spirit in this country, with millions of people coming together to support their neighbours. does my right honourable friend agree that we need to sustain this community spirit into the future, and that means supporting the social infrastructure of local places, like libraries, youth clubs and community businesses and also means white or giving away power so finely local communities can take back control? —— whitehall that giving away power. i think my honourable friend for everything he's done to champion the volu nta ry everything he's done to champion the voluntary sector and community spirit over many years and i followed to his campaigns with interest and support. i do think there is now an opportunity to build on the way of the nation came together during the covid crisis and together during the covid crisis and to deliver even more of the kind of project that he wants and we will certainly be putting our support behind those types of community

initiatives. 230,000 renters are going to be at risk of homelessness or eviction as we emerge from lockdown. with the prime minister urgently, today, they legislation it so that, cross—party, we can support those people at risk of homelessness before we break up for the summer recess ? before we break up for the summer recess? i'm grateful to the honourable lady and he's right to draw attention to one of the most remarkable features of the covid crisis, which is the way the country and the government were able to help thousands and thousands of homeless people to find accommodation they cooked it we saw in other countries where they were less fortunate, there were, i'm afraid, serious epidemics amongst the homeless. thankfully, we have so far avoided that and we are taking forward plans with my right honourable friend, the secretary of state for communities and local governments. we taking

forward plans to ensure that the 15,000 do notjust come back onto the streets that we do everything we can to stamp out homelessness in this country. at the queens hospital in kings lynn it serves 30,000 people across northern lincolnshire. on the 40th anniversary of the hospital built only to last 30 yea rs, hospital built only to last 30 years, is of my right honourable friend agree that the dedication of staff and responding to a device to soak to be recognised by including the queen elizabeth in our new hospital rebuilding programme? of course this government said we will build 40 new hospitals and that is what people do. the secretary of state for health will sit out the list but i can also see the queen was but hospital was awarded £9 million in octoberfor was but hospital was awarded £9 million in october for urgent upgrades to protect vital front line ca re upgrades to protect vital front line care andi upgrades to protect vital front line care and i am sure he will understand that further long—term solutions are now under active

consideration. thank you prime minister for getting things moving on the disclosure scheme. it was good to hear him belatedly adopting the policy of jobs, good to hear him belatedly adopting the policy ofjobs, jobs, jobs. does he meanjobs the policy ofjobs, jobs, jobs. does he mean jobs in the policy ofjobs, jobs, jobs. does he meanjobs in the uk or in france, poland, germany, korea and china? it is all very well having blue passports but the ammo been produced bya passports but the ammo been produced by a french company and a polish factory so well you know take back control and give instructions to the treasury and the cabinet office and whitehall and town halls to actually buy british and protect british jobs, jobs, jobs? my honourable friend behind you says what has he got against poland? we are creating hundreds of thousands ofjobs in

this country, we will actively buy british, ensure contracts go to great british companies but what we will not do is turn our faces against the notion of international free trade and the market that has brought colossal wealth to the people of this country. those are the economics of the madhouse. to avoid drama later we need to com plete avoid drama later we need to complete the process of getting a plexus done in the next few months so will he therefore please confirm for the benefit of everyone listening that had nothing in the northern ireland protocol will be allowed to stop the united kingdom charging our own tariffs, from the 1st of january 2021 ? charging our own tariffs, from the 1st ofjanuary 2021? not a charging our own tariffs, from the 1st of january 2021? not a sausage ora 1st of january 2021? not a sausage or a jot of the northern irish protocol will provide any such impediment to the unfettered access of goods and services between all parts of the uk. i am totally

on—board with the prime minister's rhetoric that for too long money has piled into the south—east of this island and investment is needed now to boost universal confidence. he explain why the welsh secretary took to twitter to argue that wales is to pour with too few businesses and taxpayers to be successful. surely he cannot condone the secretary of state for wales of message pessimism? i have since seldom met anyone who would boost more the future of wales and the secretary of state and that is because this government is absolutely committed to levelling up through the whole of the uk and wales and everywhere with infrastructure and investment in education and in technology and we will do the things that the welsh government has failed to do, the welsh labour government i might say, such as unlocking the tunnels and a

loving improper bypass which has long been needed, we will provide the fix inhaler to the nostrils of the fix inhaler to the nostrils of the welsh dragon. in order to allow the welsh dragon. in order to allow the safe exit of honourable members possess admitting on this item of business and the stiff arrival of those attending the next i am suspending the house for three minutes. itis nota it is not a budget but it does sound a little bit like it. we are expecting some important measures nevertheless but in time we will go through some of them but i would like to welcome the bbc‘s political editor and our business editor.

rishi sunak will be outlining measures in order to mitigate the economic impacts of coronavirus. analyst odds will be responding thought labour. jobs will be at the heart of this. let me just read some of the things that we are expecting. tojobs package for of the things that we are expecting. to jobs package for young of the things that we are expecting. tojobs package for young people. a cut in the rate of vat and changes to stamp duty. they are the sort of headlines, we don't know the precise detail, it may differ through the devolved nations of the uk. we will find out more in a few minutes' time. first of all, rishi sunak has been shot, if you like, to the top during this coronavirus pandemic. he said we will do whatever it takes to get this country freely pandemic, but the pressure is on now that things that the further scheme are being wound down. pressure on a

still relatively new chancellor. he said that this is no time for ideology, which was an interesting thing for a conservative chancellor to say. what was seen on this first phase was huge levels of intervention, enormous amounts of cash borrowing to support people through the shutdown of the economy. now we are at the beginning of the next age, barely a day goes by without a familiar name announcing morejob cuts, so without a familiar name announcing more job cuts, so the without a familiar name announcing morejob cuts, so the real without a familiar name announcing more job cuts, so the real pressure is on him about the level of action he is going to take in order to stop a huge spike of unemployment. those are all the quite familiar things that we might expect the treasury to put forward, it doesn't mean they aren't significant but they are orthodox types of steps to take, many of which we were taken by the labour government from devising a

nine. that is rather interesting from a political point of view, because they are doing things instinctively. it seems, for now, intervention is here to stay in terms of the tory party. there could still be at the rabbit out of the hat because that is the way of things. job- that will be at the heart of the statement, isn't it? that is the centrepiece. you have the biggest interventions since the second world war with this incredibly expensive furloughs scheme. there is nojob scheme is supposed to be a counterweight to try to mitigate the impact. but it doesn't weigh the same. the further scheme is fit tb in pounds and counting, we are talking about £2 million here. this has been done before by a labour government, talking to senior civil servants that were there at the time say that

it wasn't a game changer, there are worse ways to throw money around to stop most of the jobs were relatively low— paid and in stop most of the jobs were relatively low—paid and in the public sector. this is bigger, they are hoping the private sector what ta ke are hoping the private sector what take this on board. lets go into the chamberfor take this on board. lets go into the chamber for rishi sunak‘s statement. i38 in march saying that i know people are worried, and i know they are worried still. we have taken decisive action to protect our economy. people are anxious about losing theirjobs, economy. people are anxious about losing their jobs, about unemployment rising. we will not just accept it. people all know that we will do all we can to give the opportunity of good and secure work. people need to know that although hardship lies ahead, no one will be left without hope. so today we act

with a plan forjobs. our plan has a clear goal— to protect, support and create jobs. it will give clear goal— to protect, support and createjobs. it will give businesses the confidence to retain and hire, to create jobs in every part of our country, to give young people a better start, to give people everywhere at the opportunity of a fresh start. where problems emerge, we will confront them. where support is justified, we will provide it. where challenges arise, we will ove rco m e where challenges arise, we will overcome them. we entered this crisis unencumbered by dogma, and we continue in the spirit— driven a lwa ys continue in the spirit— driven always by the simple desire to do what is right. mr speaker, before i turn to other plan forjobs, let me first outline the nature of the challenge. our economic response to coronavirus is moving through three phases. in the first phase,

beginning in march, the government announced social distancing measures and ordered businesses to close, halting the spread of the disease. we put in place one of the largest and most comprehensive economic responses in the world. our £160 billion plan protects peoplesjobs, incomes and businesses. we supported more than 11,000 through the job retention and self employment schemes. we supported over a million businesses to protectjobs through tax cuts, tax deferral is, cash grants, and over1 million government backed loans. and we supported public services, with new funding for the supported public services, with new funding forthe nhs, supported public services, with new funding for the nhs, schools, public transport and local authorities. in total, we have now provide a £49

billion to support public services since this crisis began. now provided £49 billion to support public businesses since this crisis began. analysis i am publishing today shows our interventions significantly protected people's incomes, with the least well off in society supported the most. and this crisis has highlighted the special bond which holds our country together. millions of people in scotland, wales and northern ireland have been protected by the uk government's economic interventions, and they will be supported by today's plan for jobs. and they will be supported by today's plan forjobs. no nationalist can ignore the undeniable truth. this help has only been possible because we are a united kingdom. mr speaker, for months on, as we carefully reopen our economy, we are entering the second phase of our economic

response. despite the extraordinary support we have already provided, we face profound economic challenges. world economic activity has slowed, with the imf expecting the deepest global recession since began. businesses have stopped trading, and stopped hiring. taken together in just two months, our economy contracted by 25%, the same amount it grew in the previous 18 years. and the independent office for budget responsibility and bank of england i both projecting significantjob england i both projecting significant job losses, the england i both projecting significantjob losses, the most urgent challenge we now face. i want every person in this house and in the country to know that i will never accept unemployment as an unavoidable outcome. we haven't done

everything we have so farjust to step back now and sayjob done. in truth, the job has step back now and sayjob done. in truth, thejob has onlyjust begun. mr speaker, if the first phase of our economic response was about protection and the second phase the phase we are addressing today is aboutjobs, there will come a third phase where we will rebuild. my right honourable friend, the prime minister, has set out our vision to level up, unite the country, spread opportunity and repair and heal the wounds exposed through this crisis. ican wounds exposed through this crisis. i can tell the house we will produce a budget and spending review in the autumn. and we will deal as well with the challenges facing our public finance. over the medium—term, we must and we will put our public finances back on a sustainable footing. in other words, our plan forjobs will not be the

last action. it is merely being next in ourfight to last action. it is merely being next in our fight to recover and last action. it is merely being next in ourfight to recover and rebuild after coronavirus. mr speaker, let me now turn to the detail of our plan forjobs. me now turn to the detail of our plan for jobs. central to me now turn to the detail of our plan forjobs. central to our economic response has been the jobs retention scheme. furlough has been a lifeline for millions, supporting people to protect jobs. a lifeline for millions, supporting people to protectjobs. but it cannot and should not go on forever. i know that when furlough ends, it will be a difficult moment. i am also sure that if i say the scheme must end in october, critics will say it should end in november. if i say it should end in november. if i say it should end in november, critics will just say say it should end in november, critics willjust say december. but the truth is, calling for endless extensions to the furlough is just as irresponsible as it would have been back in june

as irresponsible as it would have been back injune to end the scheme overnight. we have two be honest. leaving the furlough scheme open forever gives people false hope that it will always be possible to return to thejobs it will always be possible to return to the jobs that they had before, and the longer people are on furlough, the more likely it is their skills could fade and they will find it harder to get new opportunities. it is in no one's long—term interest for in the scheme to continue forever, least of all those who are trapped in a job that only exists because of a government subsidy. the furlough will wind down flexibly and gradually, supporting people and businesses through till october. while we can't protect everyjob, one of the most important things we can do to prevent unemployment is to get as many people as possible from furlough back to theirjobs. today, we are

introducing a new policy to reward and incentivise employers who successfully bring furloughed staff back, a newjobs retention bonus. if you are an employer and you bring someone back who was furloughed and you continuously employ them through to january, we will pay you a £1000 bonus per employee. it is vital that people are not returning just for the sake of it. they need to be doing decent work. for businesses to get this bonus, the employee must be paid at least £520 on average from each month from november to january, the equivalent of the lower earnings limit ina the equivalent of the lower earnings limit in a national insurance. the house should understand the significance of this policy. we will pay the bonus for all furloughed employees. so if employers bring back all 9 million people who have been furloughed, this will be a £9 billion policy to retain people in

work. our message to business is clear. if you stand by your workers, we will stand by you. mr speaker, the furlough was the right policy to support people through the first phase of the crisis. but in this new phase of the crisis. but in this new phase we need to evolve our approach. i want to set out to be has a new three point plan forjobs. we need to first support people to find jobs. second, we need to first support people to findjobs. second, createjobs. and third, createjobs. findjobs. second, createjobs. and third, create jobs. let findjobs. second, createjobs. and third, createjobs. let me start with supporting jobs and, in particular, the help we want to provide for those who will be ha rd est provide for those who will be hardest hit by this crisis, younger people. over 700,000 people are leaving education this year. many more arejust starting leaving education this year. many more are just starting out in their careers. coronavirus has hit them

hard. under 20 fives are 2.5 times more likely to work in a sector that has been closed. we cannot lose this generation, so today i am announcing the kick—start scheme. a new programme to give hundreds of thousands of young people in every region and nation of britain be best possible chance of getting on and getting a job. the kick—start scheme will directly pay employers to create new jobs will directly pay employers to create newjobs for will directly pay employers to create new jobs for any 16 will directly pay employers to create newjobs for any 16 to 24—year—olds at risk of unemployment. these will be jobs with the funding conditional on the firm proving these jobs are additional, and these will be decent jobs with a minimum of 25 hours per week paid at least the national minimum wage and they will be good qualityjobs, minimum wage and they will be good quality jobs, with employers providing kick starters with training and support to find a permanentjob. if training and support to find a permanent job. if employers training and support to find a permanentjob. if employers meet these conditions, we will pay young

people's wages for six months, plus an amount to cover overheads. that means for a 24—year—olds, the grant will be around six point £5,000. employers can apply to be part of the scheme next month, with the first kick starters in their new jobs this autumn. and i urge every employer, big or small, jobs this autumn. and i urge every employer, big orsmall, national or local, to hire as many kick starters as possible. today, i am making available an initial £2 million, enough to fund hundreds of thousands ofjobs. and i commit today, there will be no cap on the number of places available. we can do more for young people. traineeships are a proven scheme to get young people ready for work. we know they work, so for the first time ever, we will pay employers £1000 to take on new employees, with triple the number of places, to support 18 to

19—year—olds leaving school or college, to find work in sectors like construction, social care. and the evidence says careers advice works, so we will fund it, with enough new careers advisers to to support over 25 —— quarter of a million people. provides training, work placements and guaranteed job interview in high demand sectors. the evidence shows they work, so we will expand them, tripling the number of places. and we know apprenticeships work as well. 91% of apprenticeships work as well. 91% of apprentices stay in work or do further training afterwards. for the next six months, we are going to pay employers to create new apprenticeships. we will pay businesses to hire young apprentices

with a new payment of £2000 per apprentice, and we will introduce a brand—new bonus for businesses to hire apprentices aged 25 and over with a payment of £1500. and let me thank my right honourable friend, the education secretary that his support and commitment in developing these measures. mr speaker, we note these measures. mr speaker, we note the longer someone is out of work, the longer someone is out of work, the harder it is to return. millions of people are moving on to universal credit. they need urgent support to get back to work. so, we are doubling the number of... injob centres. extending the rapid response service, expanding the work and health programme and developing and health programme and developing a new scheme to support the long—term unemployed. the academic and economic evidence tells us these

are among the most effective things we can do. so, i'm investing an extra billion pounds in dwp, to support millions of people back to work. and i'm right for everything my right honourable friend, the work and pensions secretary, and her incredible team have done. but billion pounds of support for the unemployed, more money for skills, traineeships and apprenticeships and a new, good qualityjob for hundreds of thousands of new kickstarter is. the first part of our plan forjobs. the first part of our plan forjobs. the second part of our plan is to supportjob creation. the second part of our plan is to support job creation. that the second part of our plan is to supportjob creation. that begins with historic investments in infrastructure, creating jobs in every region and nation of the uk. at budget, i announced 88 billions of pounds of capital funding and

last week, the prime minister announced our plans to accelerate £5 billion of additional projects. we are doubling down on our ambition to level up, with better roads, schools, hospitals, high streets, creating jobs in awful corners of our country. as well as investing in infrastructure, we want to create greenjobs. this is going to be a greenjobs. this is going to be a green recovery, with concern for our environment at its heart. as part of that, i'm announcing today a new £2 billion green home grant. from september, homeowners and landlords will be able to apply for vouchers to make their homes more energy—efficient and create local jobs. the grants will cover at least two thirds of the cost, up to £5,000 per household and for low income

households, we will go even further with vouchers covering the full costs, up to £10,000. on top of the £2 billion voucher scheme, i'm releasing £1 billion of funding to help the energy efficiency of public sector buildings, and a £50 billion fund to help decent carbon housing. we are introducing these measures to make homes more efficient. safe household, up to £300 on their bills, cut carbon by half a megatons per year, equivalent to taking 270,000 cars off the road and most importantly, right now, support around 140,000 green jobs. importantly, right now, support around 140,000 greenjobs. £3 billion greenjobs around 140,000 greenjobs. £3 billion green jobs plan to save money, cut carbon and create jobs.

here, here! one of the most important sectors for job creation is housing. the construction sector adds £39 billion a year to the uk economy. house—building alone supports three quarters of a million jobs with millions more relying on the availability of housing to find work. but property transactions fell by 50% in may. house prices have fallen for the first time in eight yea rs fallen for the first time in eight years and uncertainty abounds in the market. a market we need to be thriving. we need people feeling confident to buy, sell, renovate, move and improve. that will drive growth and create jobs. move and improve. that will drive growth and createjobs. so, to capitalise on this market and boost confidence, i decided today to cut stamp duty. today, i'm increasing

the threshold to half £1 million. this will be a temporary cut running until the 31st of march next year. and, as is always the case, these changes will take effect immediately. the average stamp duty bill will fall by four and a half thousand pounds. and nearly nine out of ten people buying a main home this year will pay no stamp duty at all. stamp duty cuts, a £5,000 green homes grant and tens of billions of pounds of new capital projects. we are creating jobs. the second part of our plan forjobs. mr speaker, the final part of our plan will protect jobs that already exist the final part of our plan will protectjobs that already exist by helping some of our highest

employing that hardest hit sectors. hospitality and tourism. we rely on consumption, especially social consumption. the pubs, cafe is, restau ra nts a nd consumption. the pubs, cafe is, restaurants and b and bees that bring life to our villages, towns, cities. taken together, these sectors employ over 2 million people, disproportionately younger, women and people from black, asian and minority ethnic communities and many rural and coastal communities, they rely on these industries. 80% of hospitality firms temporarily stop trading in april and 1.4 million workers have been furloughed, the highest proportion of any sector. so the bestjobs programme we can do is to restart these sectors and get our pubs, restau ra nts, these sectors and get our pubs, restaurants, cafe is and bed and

brea kfasts restaurants, cafe is and bed and breakfasts bustling again. i know people are cautious about going out, but we wouldn't have lifted the restrictions if we didn't think we could do so safely. and i've seen in the last weeks how hard businesses are working to make their premises say. if we follow the guidance and respect what they ask us to do, we can all enjoy it safely. in turn, we need to give these businesses the confidence to know that if they open up, invest in making a premises safe and protectjobs, up, invest in making a premises safe and protect jobs, demand up, invest in making a premises safe and protectjobs, demand will be there and be there quickly. so, today i'm announcing two new measures to get the sectors moving and protectjobs. measures to get the sectors moving and protect jobs. first, measures to get the sectors moving and protectjobs. first, vat on hospitality and tourism is charged at 20%, so i've decided the next six months to cut that on food,

accommodation and attractions, ta keaways, accommodation and attractions, takeaways, accommodation in hotels, bed and breakfasts and campsites and ca rava n bed and breakfasts and campsites and caravan sites, attractions like cinemas, theme parks and zoos, all these and more will see vat reduced untiljanuary these and more will see vat reduced until january to 12 from these and more will see vat reduced untiljanuary to 12 from 20% to buy percent. this is a £4 billion ca ta lyst percent. this is a £4 billion catalyst for the hospitality and tourism sector, benefiting many businesses and consumers everywhere, all helping to protect 2.4 million jobs. but, mr speaker, we will go further. the final measure i'm announcing today has never been tried in the uk before. this moment is unique. we need to be creative.

so, to get customers back into restau ra nts, so, to get customers back into restaurants, cafe is in pubs and protect the 1.8 million people who work in them, i can announce today that for the month of august, we will give everyone in the country and eat outs to help out discount. monday to wednesday will be 50% of up monday to wednesday will be 50% of up to monday to wednesday will be 50% of uptoa monday to wednesday will be 50% of up to a maximum discount of £10 per head for everyone, including children. businesses will need to register and can do so through a simple website open next monday. each week in august, businesses can then claim back with the funds and about account within five working days. 1.8 million people work in this industry. they need our support. with this measure,