that is what the cabinet office is doing and that is what sir alex would be doing.ns the home secretary, that she is keeping this country safe by putting record numbers of police officers, she believes in stopping the early release of offenders and she is bringing in a system to tackle our migration crisis with an australian style point based system. a government cannot be judge and jury over its own conduct. there has to be an independent element of that investigation. overnight, mr speaker, further allegations of emerge that the home secretary repeatedly harassed and humiliated the private secretary while she ran the department for international development. if this is true, this suggests a shocking and unacceptable pattern of behaviour across three government departments. on each occasions, tens of thousands of pounds of hard earned taxpayers money has been spaffed up the wall to buy their silence. was the prime minister aware of these allegations, and if he was, why did he appoint her? mr speaker, i repeat the point that i made. the home secretary is doing an ou

right there should be an investigation into any allegations of bullying and that is what the cabinet officeat sir alex will be doing but ijust want to remind him, since he mentions the home secretary, that she is keeping this country safe by putting record numbers of police officers... she believes in stopping the early release of offenders and is bringing ina release of offenders and is bringing in a system to tackle our migration crisis with an australian style points based system. a government cannot be the judge and jury over its own conduct. there has to be an independent elements of that investigation. overnight, further allegations have emerged that the home secretary repeatedly harassed and humiliated her private secretary while she ran at the department for international development. if this is true, this suggests a shocking and unacceptable pattern of behaviour across three covenant two government departments. on each occasion, tens of thousands of pounds of hard earned taxpayers money has been photographed and altered by their silence. was the prime minister unaware of these alle

the government is carrying out an internal cabinet office inquiry — but that didn't satisfy the labournvestigation into the home secretary's conduct led by an external lawyer and commit to a date when its findings will be made public? mr speaker, of course it is right that there should be an investigation into any allegations of bullying, and that is what the cabinet office is doing it that is with sir alex allen would be doing. but since he mentions the home secretary, that she is keeping this country safe by putting record numbers of police officers, she believes in stopping the early release of offenders and she is bringing in a system to tackle our migration crisis with an australian—style points—based system. a government cannot be judge and jury over its own conduct, there has to be an independent element to that investigation. overnight, mr speaker, further allegations have emerged that the home secretary repeatedly harassed and humiliated her private secretary while she ran the department for international development. if this is true, this suggests a shocking and unacceptable

the cabinet office minister, michael gove, told mps that the prime minister has asked his department blish the facts". on saturday, the senior civil servant at the home office, sir philip rutman, resigned, citing a "vicious and orchestrated campaign" against him. he said he had received allegations that priti patel‘s conduct towards employees included: "swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands". sir philip may sue for unfair dismissal. answering an urgent question from the labour leader, jeremy corbyn, michael gove said she rejected the claims. allegations have been made that the home secretary has breached the ministerial code. the home secretary absolutely rejects these allegations. the prime minister has expressed his full confidence in her and having worked closely with the home secretary over a number of years, i have the highest regard for her. she is a superb minister doing a greatjob. mr speaker, this government takes all complaints regarding the ministerial code seriously and set out in the ministerial code, the prime minister has asked the cabine

that inquiry is being carried out by the cabinet office.hat the cabinet office are going to investigate this as a sort of government approach to what's happened, and then in the house of commons you have michael gove standing up and saying what a wonderful person in the home secretary is. how much confidence with that give you as a civil servant, sitting there watching? you've already told us what the outcome is. it's not helpful for either side because you don't want to think that somebody is stacking things in your favour if you're innocent and want to be proven innocent. i don't think it's helpful either way. i would say it's good the government does plan to carry out some investigations. previous accusations of bullying did not get the same kind of system put in place for them. but it shouldn't take the most senior civil servant in the department to resign and come out in such an unprecedented and what —— unprecedented way.|j such an unprecedented and what —— unprecedented way. i think if we learn anything from all of the special advise

the cabinet office is to investigate allegations of bullying by the home secretary — following claimsrmer senior civil servant. the rain may have eased but dozens of homes in east yorkshire are still underwater and likely to be so for days yet. the bargaining begins — trade talks get underway in brussels — between the uk and the european union. the prime minister has warned "there could be a very significant expansion" in cases of coronavirus — and has pledged to give the nhs all it needs to handle the outbreak. another three cases have been confirmed in the uk — all of whom had recently travelled to italy. the patients from hertfordshire, devon and kent, bring the total number of people across the country known to have contracted to virus to 39. across the world nearly 90,000 people have been infected by the virus. the majority of the cases are in china, 3000 have died across 62 countries. in a moment we'll look at the nhs response, and how businesses and workers are being affected, but first, here's our political editor laura kuenssberg. the gates are locked at a school in south—wes

this afternoon, the minister for cabinet office, michael gove, announced an investigation into claimsde. this government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously and in line with the process set out in the ministerial code, the prime minister has asked the cabinet office establish the facts. now bbc news has seen documents from when priti patel was employment minister, showing that a junior employee brought a formal complaint alleging bullying and harassment against the department for work and pensions. the grievance letter says the staff member had tried to take her own life at work the previous year, before ms patel worked in the department, at the reporting allegations are being bullied. by october 2015, the employee, a member of her private office, was told they we re of her private office, was told they were to be dismissed. a letter told her it wasn't because of her performance but because ms patel "doesn't like your face". a formal complaint tells a woman had told her line manager she was feeling fragile because of a medical condition. the next day

matthew pennycook: for the purpose of clarity, if the cabinet office inquiry into allegations that theme secretary breached the ministerial code establishes that her conduct fell below the standard expected of a minister in any way and on any occasion, can the prime minister confirm that she will be expected to resign or be removed from office? p.m. johnson: i return to the point i made earlier on, which is that the home secretary is doing an outstanding job -- delivering change, putting police out on the streets, cutting crime and delivering a new immigration system -- and i am sticking by her. theo clarke: having knocked on doors across stafford in my constituency, it is clear that the a&e at county hospital is a vital local service, so does the prime minister agree with me that a&e units at medium-sized hospitals such as county are essential for the future delivery of care in our nhs? p.m. johnson: my right honorable friend has just told me passing , the ball swiftly down the line , that yes, my honorable friend's a&e is certainly staying open, and i thank her for the point that she

. >> there should be an investigation into any allegations and that is what the cabinet office is doing and i remind him since he mentioned the home secretary, keeping this country by putting -- he believes in stopping the early release, bringing in a system to tackle our migration crisis with an australian style base system and he would scrap stop and search. getting rid of security services and wouldn't tackle the immigration system. >> released the findings of investigation into home secretary's behavior. a government cannot be judge and jury, there has to be an independent element of the investigation. overnight, further allegations have emerged that the home secretary repeatedly harassed and humiliated a public secretary while she ran the department for international development. if this is true, this suggests shocking and done except double pattern of behavior across three government department with hard-earned taxpayers. was the prime minister aware of these allegations, why did he appoint her? >> the home secretary did and outstanding job and it is right that they should be inve

the cabinet office will investigate the home secretary, priti patel, following the resignation of her top official amid allegations of bullying. the bargaining begins. trade talks get under way in brussels between the uk and the european union. the greek coastguard uses force to stop migrants from trying to enter the country by sea from turkey. and it's the literary event of the year. hilary mantel‘s long—awaited final book in the wolf hall trilogy is finally published. his chief duty, it seems just now, is to get the king new wives and dispose of the old. his gaze are long and arduous. it's 5 o'clock. our main story is the worsening situation surrounding the global outbreak of coronavirus, including here in the uk, where the total number of cases has now increased to a0. the a patients diagnosed today are all in england and all had recently travelled to italy. the prime minister chaired an emergency meeting of the cobra committee earlier and said the government was doing all it could to be prepared and he warned the virus would probably become a much more significant for the uk in th

the government says it's ordered a so—called war room to be convened in the cabinet office to roll out new public information campaign. it also says it's considering bringing retired health professionals back into the nhs. longer term, home working may be encouraged and unnecessary travel discouraged. the total number of confirmed cases here in the uk is now 23. italy is the worst hit country in europe, with over 1,000 people infected and 29 deaths. in the us, one person has died in the state of washington, on the west coast, and there are fears of an outbreak among 50 people who are ill at a nursing home. it's been confirmed that one carer has the virus and an elderly woman is seriously ill. additional cases in the united states are likely. but healthy individuals should be able to fully recover. and we think that will be a statement that we can make with great surety now that we've gotten familiar with this problem. outside of china, south korea is suffering one of the worst outbreaks. the army has swapped camouflage for white suits to disinfect this train station. the country record

s cabinet office minister michael gove is speaking right now at devices to support affected patients and a team from oxford university are also developing related to technology and an odd combination to prevent as many patients as possible seeing their condition worsen we are conducting rapid clinical trials on those drugs including anti-malarials which may be able to reduce the impact of covered 19 on those affected but even as we seek to explore every avenue just slow the spread of the disease to reduce its impact and to save lives i'm conscious of the sacrifices that so many are making that's why the chancellor's economic package is in place to support people through a difficult time it's also why we are working so closely with our colleagues in the devolved administrations to coordinate our response across the united kingdom and i'm grateful to them as i am to the found use of dedicated public sector workers cleaners and social workers prison police officers those in the royal mail and in our schools i want to thank them and also the leaders of the trade unions who represent in t

this afternoon, the minister for the cabinet office, michael gove, announced an investigation into claimscode. mr speaker, this government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously and in line with the process set out in the ministerial code, the prime minister has asked the cabinet office establish the facts. but we can now reveal details of a further claim, this time from priti patel‘s period as employment minister in the department for work and pensions. 0ur documents allege that a junior staff member had already felt bullied in the department and taken an overdose. a year later, when ms patel was a minister, the staff member had told her line manager about a medical problem she was struggling with. her grievance letter claims the next day priti patel shouted at her to get lost and get out of herface. she was then dismissed. shortly after, the staff member took an overdose of prescription medication in the office. the letter said she was taken home where she took another overdose in what is described as an attempt to kill herself, and was rushed to hospital

this afternoon, the minister for the cabinet office, michael gove, announced an investigation into claims, this government always takes any complaints relating to the ministerial code seriously and in line with the process set out in the ministerial code, the prime minister has asked the cabinet office establish the facts. but we can now reveal details of a further claim, this time from priti patel‘s period as employment minister in the department for work and pensions. 0ur documents allege that a junior staff member had already felt bullied in the department and taken an overdose. a year later, when ms patel was a minister, the staff member had told her line manager about a medical problem she was struggling with. her grievance letter claims the next day priti patel shouted at her to get lost and get out of herface. she was then dismissed. shortly after, the staff member took an overdose of prescription medication in the office. the letter said she was taken home where she took another overdose in what is described as an attempt to kill herself, and was rushed to hospital. the documents

the home secretary categorically denied any involvement in this campaign to the cabinet office.t believe her. she has not made the effort i would expect to dissociate herself from the comments. priti patel has made no effort to engage with me to discuss this. priti patel is known as a straight talker, but denied doing anything wrong when whispers about her behaviour made their way to the press in recent days. are you a workplace bully, home secretary? but there are now demands for an enquiry, with herformer top official taking the government to court and listing the accusations against her in public. i have received allegations that her conduct has included shouting and swearing, belittling people, making unreasonable and repeated demands, behaviour that created fear and needed some bravery to call out. sir philip's time in charge was not without problems. the home office, a notoriously tricky part of government. you've probably already read a great deal more about permanent secretaries in the last few days than you ever expected to... but an exit like this is serious and highly

now, i want to ask stephen to run through the latest data from our cabinet office coronavirus fact file the expected surge in patients with covid—19. i saw that myself at the nhs nightingale hospital in east london this morning and was completely bowled over by the work being done there. from a standing start a week ago to a new hospital that will be ready to take patients later this week. but as we've repeatedly said and as you've just heard, nhs staff cannot do this on their own. yes, we can increase but we also need everybody in the country, every one of you, to help by reducing the transmission of the virus because it is by doing that that we will reduce number of deaths and we will take the pressure off our hospitals and health system. and the chart i'm about to show you will show you why that is so important. so, all the interventions and instructions the government have given based on the best possible scientific advice, and similar to the approach being taken around the world, are designed to reduce social contact. in other words to reduce the chance of the virus passing from on

what did you make of the statement given it is the cabinet office that will be investigating her? rally such strongly behind priti patel, who of course as a friend and colleague of michael gove. but these are very serious accusations, it is supposed to be an independent —ish inquiry. so to come out so strongly in support of her when you don't know the facts, i was surprised, and lots of tory mps in the commons doing exactly the same thing even though they don't know what has happened. none of us know what has happened. none of us know what is happening, maybe she's not innocent. so to effectively prejudge it that way, i was surprised to see him do it so strongly. although people want to stick up for their mates, i guess. the other thing to say is it is notjust coronavirus this country is dealing with. there isa this country is dealing with. there is a massive seismic change happening when we leave the brexit transition period at the end of the year. nowhere more than the whole office will that be felt keep more keenly because we need an entirely new immigration system that needs t

the cabinet office is to investigate allegations of bullying by the home secretary following claims by a former senior civil servant. the rain may have eased but dozens of homes in east yorkshire are still under water and are likely to be so for days. the bargaining begins. trade talks get under way in brussels between the uk and the eu. in a moment it will be time for sportsday but first a look at what else is coming up this evening on bbc news. at 7pm on beyond 100 days on the eve of the biggest day in the us election calendar so far, super tuesday, we'll be live at the white house. will mayor pete's withdrawal from the race help the weekend's big winnerjoe biden? at 8:30pm questions will be answered ina at 8:30pm questions will be answered in a special programme about coronavirus. and at 10.40 and 11.30 we'll be taking a look at tomorrow's front pages, my guests this evening will be jack blanchard from the politico website and the spectator‘s economics correspondent, kate andrews. hello and welcome to sportsday — i'm jane dougall. will we start seeing this at stadia around the world

patel is under investigation for accusations against her of bullying which she denies by the cabinet offices taking legal action against the government for constructive dismissal. and that comes around we could be in the situation for a lot of accusations made through anonymous sources in the media could well be made in detail and in public. as that legal process plays out. but for now, as i say, some backing for the home secretary at the end of what has been a very difficult few days for her. that quotes that you mentioned said thatis that quotes that you mentioned said that is vital for democracy that good ministers cannot be brought down by smears and gossip. but also vital for democracy, many would argue, that these claims are investigated and give detailed there, jonathan, about the investigation that is going on. is that going to satisfy people though, do you think? well, there has been accusations by the labour party and others that this investigation by the cabinet office cannot be properly independent. because it is overseen by michael gove who is the cabinet minister in charge of

the cabinet office will later publish a definitive list of people doing key roles, but the education it's not business as usual for schools. it's going to be a safe place for those children to be, it's not going to be an educational setting, they are not going to be teaching the national curriculum, but it's going to be a safe place for people who are key to combating this virus and keeping the country moving forward. the hard question for many students who have been revising for exams — what happens now? the scottish parliament will announce later whether nqs and highers will go ahead. in england and wales, all exams have been scrapped. the government says all students will be given grades, but hasn't set out how that will be done. a number of qualifications already have online examinations, that's something we could consider for a broader range of subjects. they could be done remotely via social distance. we can use predicted grades, absolutely, but one of the things we are considering is perhaps running some students through some more papers. and how to protect vulnerable children

the cabinet office minister to go further faster to carrys out more tests but says thousands more ventilatorsill be available in the coming weeks. the duke and duche of sussex formallytepped down as senior royalrs of britain' family from now on, prince harry and his wife meghan will no longer titles.rm royal in their the pair say they look forward to reconnecting with their followers soon. officials across india are searching for hun of people who attended a religious event linked to thousands of coronavirus cases. officials are now clearing the building where more than 1000 people are stranded since the government imposed a lockdown. >> pple at a religious gathering are being evacuated and sent to isolation centers. dozens have tested positive for the coronavirus. me have died. the days after, a large number of people remained at the mosque. many are showing symptoms of the disease. india is grappling with the spread of corona. there is also anger about its treatment. a group of people sprayed with chemicals in what appears to have been an attempt to sanitize them as they tried to return to

the cabinet office says the gdp shrank an analyzed 7.1% in real term.ure announced in february was contracture of 6.3%. the period coincided with the consumption tax hike. the revision puts the number close to the minus 7.4 figure that followed the previous tax increase in 2014. lower capital expenditure was changed from minus 3.7 to minus 6%. personal consumption was minus 2.8%. businesses in japan are planning to forge ahead with march shareholder meetings despite coronavirus worries. but firms will be taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of participants. food makers kagome will decline entry to anyone with a reading of 37.5 degree celsius or more. skylark holdings plans to live stream its meeting. the company is asking elderly members and those with pre-existing health conditions to cast their votes online. executives say it's hard to tell how the operation will unfold. they're also worried that changing the schedule would affect shareholders rights to receive dividends. >>> now let's get a check on the markets. ♪ ♪ ♪ >>> and that's ♪ >>>> f

the cabinet office report says private consumption is showing weakness. it's the first time that assessment has been lowered in more than three years. sales at convenience stores turned negative from the middle of last month. the report says exports are weak and imports are decreasing as parts supplies from china have stalalled. it says employment has been improvining but is also affecte by the pandemic. the report says attention needs to be paid to further downside risks to the economy both in japan and abroad from the influence of the coronavirus. >>> and the tokyo governor's request for residents to stay at home has retail and restaurant chains eyeing a r range of responses. major department stores are considering reducing business hours. some may shut their doors over the weekend. several outlets in tokyo already close earlier than usual. super markets are studying measures in response to the governor's request. some plan to open over the weekend as usual, since they sell food and daily necessities. convenience store operators also plan to keep open t

because it is overseen by michael gove who is the cabinet minister in charge. of that office.s who have defended staunchly priti patel in public in recent days. nevertheless, it will be carried out by officials in that office and will come at the government insists, be a thorough investigation which will establish whether the ministerial code has been broken. we'll have to wait and see what the results of that will be, we don't have a time frame for it from the government. but depending on what it comes up with and what the report that is handed to the prime minister says, that will, to a large extent, determine the fate of priti patel. but in the meantime, we will have this ongoing debate with claim and counterclaim from those who believe they have genuine grievances and accusations to make against the home secretary and painting a picture of a pattern of behaviour, countered by others, supporters of hers who claim that there are forces at work here and a concerted campaign to brief against her. because they don't agree with her. because they don't agree with her politically.

. >> michael gove minister of the uk cabinet office led the government cabinet briefing in london following the announcement that prime minister boris johnson and health secretary matt hancock tested positive for coronavirus. mister god said the prime minister was self orienting still continuing his duties through videophone. >> welcome everyone to the governments daily briefing. i'm joined today by the chief executive of the nhs simon stephen and deputy chief medical officer jenny harris area i'd like to update you all on the facts of the spread of covid-19 and the steps that we are taking in the battle against the coronavirus. 130,777 people have now been tested for the virus. of those, 14,543 have tested positive. increase in the last day of 2885. that scientific analysis now is at the rate of infection has been doubling every 3 to 4 days. of those who have contracted the virus , 759 have sadly died. our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who have passed away. these figures are a powerful reminder of the need for all of us to. we need to slow the spread of the virus and

there is a proper cabinet office investigation, but my instinct is very much to stick with priti patelual advertising slogan for sticky glue? isn't that an actual advertising slogan for sticky glue ?|j isn't that an actual advertising slogan for sticky glue? i don't know but whoever owns said glue maybe manages the tory party in any pop my possible way. it's interesting, no one knows how it will go. one person said... ithink one knows how it will go. one person said... i think she will have to do in the next person said absolutely not. the respect of the elevations, we just don't know what happened here. this is part of wider attention. the government really wants to rattle the cage. it has taken on therefore something of that kind of power struggle between a government and a majority and people who who think that can happen. with the potential for all sorts of stuff coming out, we don't know, but if there could be something that would make it politically impossible. absolutely, and of before that that might happen. there was an inquiry looking at this. it's the same official who inves

ahead of today's conference there will be a meeting of the cabinet officers of the government's emergencysteps for shielding the vulnerable and elderly from the virus and whether mass gathering should be banned. also a phone call involving leaders of the g7 nations in which borisjohnson will urge them to put more money and expertise into speeding up the development of the vaccine. among those to have lost their lives is regard police officer nick matthews, 59. he previously suffered a heart attack. his wife described him asa attack. his wife described him as a soulmate. and jess martinez‘s grandmother —— grandfather had died. he had tested positive. it was very shocking. 0bviously tested positive. it was very shocking. obviously we are grieving. there is a lot going on. but now the warriors for the rest of my family and everybody else that may go through this. to his demand in the emergency services, the scottish government says gatherings of more than 500 people should be cancelled from today and head teachers, feeling the pressure, will meet the education secretary to discuss their conc

the cabinet office minister michael gove told the bbc there wasn't "a date in the calendar" for when the measures would be lifted — but the peak of cases would depend on how people behaved. the prime minister has written to all 30 million uk households, saying the crisis "will get worse before it gets better". borisjohnson‘s letter also warned that stricter restrictions could be put in place if necessary. our correspondent angus crawford reports. empty streets, empty parks. what a difference seven days can make. last sunday, social distancing meant little to some — then came the lockdown, an urgent attempt to stop the spread and protect the nhs. despite that, more than 17,000 people have tested positive, including borisjohnson, now chairing cabinet meetings from self—isolation. he's also writing a letter to 30 million homes across the uk, in which he says... i can't make an accurate prediction but everyone does have to prepare for a significant period when these measures are still in place, and the response so far from the british people has been fantastic, as i say. i wish i could p

job with if there allegations of course it's right that should be properly investigated by the cabinet office if that is what is happened. but i take no lessons about bullying mr. speaker female employees were bullied so badly they left the party and the chancellor still not apologized for a member of our party to be lynched. [background noises] >> mr. speaker the prime minister said if there are allegations. is he completely unaware of all of the allegations we made over the last few days? is he completely unaware of the resignation of a permanent secretary because of his treatment by the homee secretary? mr. speaker,e we have a part-time prime minister who barely turns up, but is determined to cover up the bullies in his government. there can be one rule for workers across his country and another one for him and his ministers. when he i home secretary has been a krewes of repeated bullying and harassment, leading to hard-working staff attempting suicide by overdose, he gave her his full support. how can the people of this country have faith in a prime minister who can't be bothered to turn

patel is under investigation for accusations against her of bullying which she denies — by the cabinet office also the prospect of an employment tribunal in a few months. as the former top official at the home office sir philip rutten is taking legal action against the government for constructive dismissal. when that comes around we could be in the situation where a lot of accusations made through anonymous sources in the media could well be made in detail and in public. as that legal process plays out. but for now, as i say, some backing for the home secretary at the end of what has been a very difficult few days for her. jonathan blake, our political correspondent. the headlines on bbc news: borisjohnson says the government will spend another £46 million to help fight coronavirus — including research on a new vaccine against the disease. coronavirus testing kits are airlifted onto a cruise ship off the california coast — where 140 britons are among those in quarantine. the best friend of dubai's princess latifa says she's pleased a high court ruling has revealed the country's ruler abducted

government appointed a minister for a v veterans and a veteranseteranoct for social unit in the cabinet office and he will be hearing a little bit more in just a few minutes about what further steps we intend to take to protect and promote the rights of veterans. setting -- just jives with the scottish people? [shouting] >> mr.e >> thank you, mr. speaker. with my right honorable friend agree with me that this budget it is a historic moment to level our economy, interest what has the opportunity to succeed, especially in -- >> mr. speaker, it's the crucible in which the future of this country is going to be forged and has been in the past and could not have a more valid advocate and i agree entirely with what he says. >> it's vital the funds announced this morning tushman to the sump of people affected by coronavirus. but the banks must fulfill the responsibilitiesdt as well. meas this is our tell me some e shoring up to theense expense of their business b customers and their workforce. so will the prime minister make sure that banks which were bailed out by the taxpayer now played theirow part

that is what the cabinet office is doing. systems to tackle the... he would scrap stop and search. he believes in getting rid of our security services and he certainly would not tackle our immigration system, mr speaker. it is about whether he will release the findings ofan whether he will release the findings of an investigation into the home secretary's behaviour. i repeat to him, a government cannot bejudge andjury him, a government cannot bejudge and jury over its own conduct. there has to be an independent element to that investigation. overnight, mr speaker, further allegations have emerged that the home secretary repeatedly harassed and humiliated her private secretary well she ran the department for international development. if this is true, this suggests a shocking and unacceptable pattern of behaviour across three government departments. on each occasion, tens of thousands of pounds of heart and taxpayers money has men put out the wall to buy their silence. was the prime minister aware of these allegations and if h

the cabinet office cut its forecast, saying the nation faces a severe situation.e abandoned their view the economy is moving toward a quick recovery. this follows the postponement of the tokyo olympics. ♪ hong kong exports cap to their worst two-months in a decade as the coronavirus upends global trade. its the weakest performance since 2009, despite an unexpected rise last month due largely to the timing of the lunar new year holiday. ♪ shery: singapore has delivered a second stimulus package, worth about 33 billion u.s. dollars, to fight the corona package, drawing on national reserves for the first time since the financial crisis a decade ago. the extra spending will raise the government's release program to almost 11% of gdp and will widen the budget deficit. the government says the situation calls for extorting our measures. ♪ global news, 24 hours a day, on air and on quicktake by bloomberg, powered by more than 2700 journalists and analysts in more than 120 countries. you are watching bloomberg. nancy pelosi says the house will move swiftly on final congres

cabinet minister from one of the great offices of state ?of us are managers of staff and our public servant that we are proper and robust and making sure that we can do everything we can to live or for those who put a tear. all the ministers know that their first responsibility is to the british people and to deliver on the ma nifesto. people and to deliver on the manifesto. she also tries attention that any investigation is thorough, rapid and authoritative and it will be the case of the cabinet secretary leading the work with access to the independent adviser. they will ensure that there is a fair and proper inquiry. the presence of the prime minister, as i mentioned, is determined to make sure that we fulfil our manifesto pledges. and it is quite right that he is leading that work and it is appropriate that iasa that work and it is appropriate that i as a minister responsible is here answering her questions. what does my right honourable friends think about how margaret thatcher would get on if the same smears would have been thrown at he

the cabinet office minister michael gove blamed a global shortage of chemicals needed for the test.hat a 13—year—old boy from brixton in south london has died from the virus — britain's youngest victim so far. today's figures show that a total of 1,789 people have died in the uk with coronavirus. that's an increase of 381 since yesterday and the biggest rise so far. almost all of them had underlying health conditions. 0ur health editor hugh pym reports. drive—through coronavirus testing for some nhs staff has begun in england. but this is a very limited trial, it's not clear how quickly it can be expanded. elsewhere, tests on patients are analysed in hospital and public health laboratories like this. they're based on swab samples. nhs staff are frustrated they can't be tested, which means they can't find out whether it's safe to return to work. hospitals in england have now been told to test key workers if they can. doctors like chinedu, who's a consultant, say a lack of testing keeps staff away from work just when they're most needed. in a week or two's time, as we've seen in italy

for exiting the european union resigned, and there had been a secret policy developed in the cabinet officend everything we had been told. now, why should i now believe anything you're saying today when that happened in the past? you can say, "well, i'm not convinced yet." it will be the patient work of the government over the course of the next few months to seek to reassure you and others that we're putting our words into action. and with that, he poured another glass of water, but there were no spillages this time. now, back to the coronavirus, which the world health organization has now declared a pandemic. we're all being told to wash our hands more thoroughly more often. and there's intensive cleaning in places where anyone with the virus may have been. scientists still don't know exactly how the new virus is spread, but it does seem to be very infectious. in the lords, a peer reckoned more could be done to keep public places clean. this virus can remain infectious on surfaces for up to 96 hours. my question stems from my observation that many public and private buildings, facilities

the cabinet office minister michael gove told the bbc there wasn't "a date in the calendar" for whenrime minister has written to all 30 million uk households, saying the crisis "will get worse before it gets better". borisjohnson's letter also warned that stricter restrictions could be put in place if necessary.

the cabinet office will be releasing the full list of the key workers later on today.l those occupations, but if i can give you a few examples, all those people who are working within the nhs, and we often talk about the doctors and nurses, but there are so many more people who make sure that a hospital is able to run and to properly function. so all those people who are involved in that endeavour will be included. there will also be the need for those who work within schools, those who are providing the support in order for doctors, nurses and those nhs staff in order to be able to get to the hospitals. but then more widely, there is the fact that we still need to have our critical national infrastructure that continues to work and function right around the country. we also need to be ensuring that we have delivery drivers, delivering the food and the resources that we need to our shops right across the united kingdom. gavin williamson. earlier my colleague annita mcveigh spoke to alina grant — who's one of the many students across the country who have had exams cance