Politics latest news: Boris Johnson ‘looking at relaxing rules’, but no change before mid-February

Boris Johnson has been visiting the new vaccination centres this morning – Stefan Rousseau
Boris Johnson has revealed the Government will be “looking at the potential of relaxing some measures”, however No 10 has cautioned that there will be no changes before mid-February.
The Prime Minister said that the Government was “looking at the data as it comes in” and said that while February 15 has been set as the target date for vulnerable groups to be vaccinated, “before then we’ll be looking at the potential of relaxing some measures”.
A No 10 source added that the 15th “remains the earliest point at which we could change any of the rules”.
Mr Johnson said rolling out the vaccination programme had been a “massive achievement”, and as such he was confident “people want to see us making sure we don’t throw that away by having a premature relaxation and then another big surge of infection”.
He said: “Believe me there’s nothing I want to do more than reopen schools, I’ve fought to keep schools open for as long as I possibly could.
“We want to see schools back as fast as possible, we want to do that in a way that is consistent with fighting the epidemic and keeping the infection rate down.”
Follow the latest updates below.
11:38 AM
School closures will ‘go on a little bit more’
The PM has told reporters this morning Government will be deciding before 15 February “whether we can be getting schools back”.
He said: “But I can tell you daily we are looking at the data, trying to work out when were going to be able to lift restrictions.
“Schools obviously will be a priority, but I dont think anybody would want to see the restrictions lifted so quickly whilst the rate of infection is still very high, so as to lead to another spread of infection.”
Asked if schools will reopen before Easter, he added: You mustnt assume that.
11:03 AM
No 10 source looks to clarify PM’s comments
The Downing Street source has said Boris Johnson’s earlier comments were regarding that the “looking at” will happen before mid-February, not the prospect of “relaxing”.
They said that the 15th “remains the earliest point at which we could change any of the rules”.
10:48 AM
Labour leader starts to self-isolate following track and trace
Sir Keir Starmer tweeted that he has no symptoms, but will be working from home until next Monday:
This morning I was notified that I must self isolate after coming into contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
I have no symptoms and will be working from home until next Monday.
Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) January 25, 2021
10:33 AM
Boris Johnson says some rules could be relaxed before middle of next month
The Prime Minister added the Government will be “looking at the potential of relaxing some measures” before mid-February.
But he could not give a guarantee schools would be back before Easter.
He went on: “I do think now this massive achievement has been made of rolling out this vaccination programme, I think people want to see us making sure we don’t throw that away by having a premature relaxation and then another big surge of infection.
10:11 AM
PM visits Barnet FC’s ground at The Hive, north London
The Prime Minister has been out and about this morning visiting some of the new vaccination centres.
Johnson holds a vial of the Oxford/Astrazeneca coronavirus vaccine during a visit to a vaccination centre – Stefan Rousseau
09:55 AM
Vaccination Centres
Boris Johnson has welcomed the new 32 centres and reminded the public that when they get a vaccination they are protecting those around them, as well as themselves:
The opening of 32 new large-scale Vaccination Centres this week is another step in our fight against COVID.
When you are invited to get vaccinated, please do so. Youll be protecting yourself and helping us defeat the virus.
Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 25, 2021
09:22 AM
Have your say: Should lockdown get tighter to open schools?
Education has been held up as the top priority, with Boris Johnson and co repeatedly saying that schools will reopen first.
But, having pledged to get students back in the classroom from after February half-term, ministers are now not even guaranteeing this will happen before – or after – Easter.
That has seen calls for lockdown to get tighter in other parts of the economy, in order to allow schools to reopen, while others have urged that teachers be prioritised for the vaccination.
What should happen next? Have your say in the poll below.
09:05 AM
BMA warned off ‘making public pronouncements’ on UK’s vaccine strategy
Professor Adam Finn, a member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, dismissed criticism of the delayed dosing strategy being used in the UK.
The British Medical Association has written to the chief medical officer for England, Professor Chris Whitty, urging a rethink, saying that in the case of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine a maximum gap of six weeks had been mandated by the World Heath Organisation (WHO) rather than the 12 being used in the UK.
But Prof Finn told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I must be careful what I say about the BMA, but I would say that it would be a good idea to really understand the issues before you make public pronouncements.
“Other countries are looking at what the UK is doing with enormous interest and this may well turn out to be another example of a long tradition in us being innovative, creative with our resources and producing a much better way of using the vaccine.”
He warned that people could be “misled” by critics complaining there is a lack of evidence for the Government’s approach, insisting there is “absolutely rock-solid evidence that if you give a dose of the vaccine to more people you give them protection and save lives”.
08:57 AM
Delaying second vaccine can create ‘much better protection’, claims JCVI member
A member of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has defended the UK’s decision to delay the second dose of Covid vaccines, suggesting it could even lead to better protection.
Speaking in a personal capacity, Professor Adam Finn told Radio 4’s Today programme he expected the immune response to increase in the weeks following a jab, rather than start to decline before a booster shot after 12 weeks.
“What we are expecting to see first of all is that the impact is as was shown in the studies done by Pfizer – that by around two weeks we see protection,” he said. “Actually, I would anticipate that we will see that protection continue to rise over subsequent weeks rather than fall.”
That is because “what we know from other vaccines and from the human immune responses is that they don’t plateau and fall in that kind of time period”.
“Perhaps most important of all, we expect to see much better protection after the second dose when it’s delayed,” he added.
08:50 AM
Vaccines may only give ‘partial protection’ against new variants, says Government scientist
The vaccines may have reduced immunity from the Brazil and South Africa variants, but the UK “will not be back to square one”, a Government scientist has said.
Andrew Hayward, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at University College London and a member of Nervtag, told Sky News that scientists are “pretty confident” the vaccines work against the variant that emerged in Kent, adding: “We know less about the variants in Brazil and South Africa and there’s some laboratory data that suggests that immunity to them may be reduced but really very too early to say for sure.”
He added: “It’s very unlikely that if there is a reduction in immunity that it would be complete, and so people may still have partial protection from the vaccine and in particular they may well have protection against the severe types of disease which is obviously what we’re most worried about.”
Prof Hayward suggested that scientists would from now on be “monitoring the strains of Covid around the world and each year formulating a new vaccine that’s going to have the highest level of protection.”
08:44 AM
Universal Credit uplift ‘under very active consideration’, says DWP Secretary
A decision over whether to extend the uplift to Universal Credit is “under very active consideraton”, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said.
Therese Coffey told Radio 4’s Today programme she was in “active discussions with the Chancellor”, Rishi Sunak, “and of course the Prime Minister about how we make sure we support families at this difficult time”.
She said she would not get into timing, but said a decision would be made soon, adding: “I can assure you this is under very active consideration.”
Challenged over the need for clarity for those who need support, she said: “That is why we ware working intensively with Treasury on the best way and the options we can help people in this pandemic… we are already putting people into a variety of training courses, or getting them job interviews, and through the KickStart programme… we are trying to get young people ready to get that first foot on the jobs ladder.”
08:39 AM
Gavin Williamson facing ‘the juggernaut’ of Dept of Health, Tory MP says
Gavin Williamson has come under renewed pressure, with growing calls for him to resign as Education Secretary, as it seems increasingly likely schools will not reopen before Easter – or possibly after.
But with the Conservative party there is still “a fair whack of support”, one MP tells me.
The Department for Education “has the juggernaut of the Health Department” to deal with, and “they want to shut down everything”, the Tory adds..
“[Williamson] is very clever in a funny sort of way – he has managed to get a lot of support, that is his art, he is Machiavellian. Every one knows it has been a bit of shambles, but he has a fair whack of support and sympathy.”
08:33 AM
Chancellor blames lockdown for slow start to pandemic jobs scheme
One of the Government’s flagship pandemic recovery schemes, designed to get young people back into work, is struggling to gain traction because of lockdown, the Chancellor has admitted.
Fewer than 2,000 young people have so far started new roles under the Government’s £2bn Kickstart jobs scheme, which launched in September. However the Treasury says it has created 120,000 temporary jobs to date.
Rishi Sunak told the BBC: “Obviously because of the lockdowns and restrictions, that hampers businesses’ ability to bring people into work.
“What we can look forward to, as the restrictions ease, is more of these young people starting those placements.
“But taking a step back, we announced this scheme first week of July, it went live the first week of September and here we are, just a few months later, with 120,000 jobs having being vetted, funded and created.”
08:26 AM
UK could become a ‘failed state’ without nationwide reforms, says Gordon Brown
The UK risks becoming a “failed state” unless it makes reforms to the Union, former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned.
Mr Brown urged Prime Minister Boris Johnson to consider ideas like replacing the House of Lords with a “senate of the regions” and to review the way the UK is governed.
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Brown said “the choice is now between a reformed state and a failed state”.
He added: “It is indeed Scotland where dissatisfaction is so deep that it threatens the end of the United Kingdom… [but] while the crisis is deepest in Scotland, it is far from alone.
“Regional metro mayors – from Newcastle, Manchester and Liverpool to Sheffield, Bristol and London – are demanding more powers from what they see as an insensitive, out-of-touch and overcentralised centre.”
He suggested that “perhaps for too long we have left unstated the shared purpose and values that bind the UK together, and we have said too little about what we have in common”.
Read the full article here.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown – PA
08:21 AM
Government support for deprived children ‘half-hearted’, says Greater Manchester mayor
Around 20,000 young people in Greater Manchester do not have access to online learning, mayor Andy Burnham has claimed.
The Labour politician told Sky News that the Government must ensure that children have the equipment to get online while schools are closed due to coronavirus.
He said: “If we can’t give schools a start date, they have to put in place the equipment to get kids online. And it’s just not good enough to do this sort of half-hearted job they have done so far.
“The longer kids are out of school, the greater the damage and we need to see every young person supported in their learning.
“I understand why you can’t set a date, but for goodness sake, you have to put in place an arrangement that allows every child to learn.
“We estimate that in Greater Manchester there are around 20,000 young people who are out of school and do not have online access and that simply isn’t good enough.”
Andy Burnham: “It’s just not good enough to do this sort of half-hearted job they have done so far.” – Reuters
08:19 AM
Government must ‘bring clarity’ on schools, says former chief whip
The Government should “bring some clarity” to parents and teachers by setting out a timeline for when schools will reopen, a former chief whip has said.
Mark Harper, the MP for Forest of Dean and chairman of the Covid Recovery Group, told Radio 4’s Today programme: “Once you have vaccinated the first four priority groups, which the Government is aiming to have done by mid-February, you have reduced the risk of people dying from Covid by nearly 90 per cent, hospitalisations by 50 per cent, you need to start bringing the economy back to life and the first thing that needs to reopen is our schools.
“What we are asking for now is for Government to set out that plan and bring some clarity… the school leaders would very much like that clarity now.” If no plan was published then others would occupy “the vacuum”, he warned.
He stressed it was “not an arbitrary timetable – it is linked to key milestones with the vaccine… tied to first four groups being vaccinated and their protection kicking in”.
Mr Harper said he was not in favour of teachers “jumping the queue” for the vaccine before the most vulnerable people have received the jab, but added: “I certainly welcome vaccinating teachers once we have vaccinated the first nine priority groups.”
If no plan was published then others would occupy “the vacuum”, Mark Harper warned. – AFP
08:10 AM
Government should place equal emphasis on schools and NHS, says senior Tory
The chairman of the education select committee said he was “hugely worried” about the “impact on mental health, on educational attainment, on safeguarding” as schools are shut.
Robert Halfon told Times Radio: I’m not a lockdown sceptic – I voted for all of the Government measures – but I am a permanent school-down sceptic.”
He called on the Government to “place as much importance on schools and colleges as they do on the economy and the National Health Service”, adding: “Education is perhaps the most important thing we can do as a society because it is about our coming generation.
“I want the engine of Government to be directed towards opening our schools again.”
08:09 AM
Universal Credit announcement coming ‘shortly’, says minister
An announcement will be made “shortly” on whether to keep the £20-a-week Universal Credit uplift, the Work and Pensions Secretary has said.
Therese Coffe told BBC Breakfast: “We are hand in glove with the Treasury, working through to make sure we provide the best support to people throughout this pandemic…
“I can assure you that we are in active consideration of the options on how to best support people during this time and I hope we will be able to come to a decision soon.”
Ms Coffey added: “We are working very closely with the Treasury so that we can make sure that we have the best decision which I hope the Prime Minister will be able to announce shortly.”
08:08 AM
Covid rates must come down before schools can reopen, says minister
The Covid infection rate must come down further before schools can reopen, a Cabinet minister has said.
Therese Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, echoed comments made by her colleague Matt Hancock’s at the weekend, with the Health Secretary refusing to rule out classrooms being shut beyond Easter.
Ms Coffey told Sky News: “I am conscious of the pressure this brings on families… we know this is challenging for the children, the parents and teachers.
“The Prime Minister is as keen as possible to try and get back to face-to-face learning as soon as possible.”
“The best way to make sure we tackle this virus is to avoid contracting it in the first place,” she said.
“We have been clear with the British public about the impact of the virus,” she said, adding that it was important people recognise that it is affecting quite “a wide range of ages”, especially during the winter when the NHS is under pressure.
07:57 AM
Tory MPs warn PM – schools must fully reopen by Easter
Schoolchildren have become the pandemics forgotten victims, Tory MPs have warned Boris Johnson, amid a growing backlash against plans that could keep classrooms closed until Easter.
A dozen Conservative MPs, including the former Cabinet minister Esther McVey and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, have backed a campaign by the parents pressure group UsforThem to fully reopen schools.
They argue that the schools shutdown means education has become an optional extra, with the gulf between the most disadvantaged children and their wealthier peers growing by the day.
At the same time, the pressure on parents who are trying to hold down full-time jobs while also acting as teachers is simply becoming too much, they say, meaning schools should reopen now.
Gavin Williamson, the Education Secretary, is expected to announce as soon as this week that schools will remain shut to all but the most vulnerable and children of key workers beyond the February half-term break.
Read the full article here.
Gavin Williamson is under pressure – Paul Groverread more