The Northern Ireland Protocol may become an ongoing irritant unless a compromise is found urgently, peers warned. There continues to be disagreement between the EU and the United Kingdom about controls and processes for goods shipped to Northern Ireland. The peers expressed concern that the UK and EU’s approach to the protocol has failed to find solutions and have led to a severe deterioration in relations between London, Belfast, Dublin and Brussels. To avoid a “permanent casualty” of the Brexit process, the UK and the EU need to work together urgently to find solutions to the Brexit problem ..read more

From Monday, people who have been fully vaccinated with a jab approved by the EU or US will not need to isolate when coming to England and Scotland from an amber list country. Travellers will still be required to take a test before departure, and again after return to the UK, depending on their age. An additional 91 people died in the 28 days following a positive test. Tighter rules will still be in place for French travellers to the EU and the US. After taking a pre-departure test, travellers will not need to self-isolate when arriving in England and Scotland from an amber List country. Airli ..read more

Boris Johnson says the remaining restrictions on the coronavirus in England will be lifted on 16 August for completely vaccinated people. Recent data have shown a decrease in the number of daily cases. However, Mr. Johnson indicated that it was premature to draw general conclusions. The daily number of cases declined but rose significantly on Wednesday, with 27,734 reported cases. In England, the next date to remove the current self-isolation requirement is 16 August. If Test and Trace contacts you, the NHS will ask you to isolate yourselves, but you may not be legally obligated to do so. Whil ..read more

After a year of recovering from the flu pandemic, the UK economy is expected to grow by 7% this year, says Boris Johnson, adding that it is still early to predict the effects of the pandemic. The UK’s GDP fell by 9.9% in 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions, and unemployment will rise to about 5.5% in the fall. The government borrowed £299 billion to back up the economy, but less than expected. Mr Johnson said that the roll-out of vaccines had helped to increase job numbers and that the rest of the year would see steady economic recovery. The Prime Minister referred to an IMF report saying tha ..read more

Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove said that people who turn down Covid vaccination are “selfish” and put others’ lives at risk. The government has already said it plans mandatory vaccination for nightclubs in England from September. By Monday, 88.1% of adults in the United Kingdom had received their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 70.5% had been completely vaccinated. The government plans to make full vaccination for those who are not covered by an exemption a condition of entry for nightclubs in England starting in September. Speaking also on Tuesday, the Scottish First&nbs ..read more

Questioned by Keir Starmer (Leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition, Leader of the Labour Party) Over the past few months, we have supported many of the economic measures announced by the Government, but the decision last week not to provide sector-specific support to those most at risk could end up costing thousands of jobs. One of the sectors, aviation, has already seen huge redundancies: BA has announced 12,000 redundancies; Virgin 3,000; and easyJet 1,900. If the Government’s priority really is to protect jobs, why did the Chancellor not bring forward sector-specific deals that could h ..read more

Economic Update (8 Jul 2020) Rishi Sunak The Chancellor of the Exchequer I stood here in March saying I knew people were worried, and I know they are worried still. We have taken decisive action to protect our economy, but people are anxious about losing their job and about unemployment rising. We are not just going to accept that. People need to know that we will do all we can to give everyone 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 for jobs. Our plan has a clear goal: to pro ..read more

Prime Minister’s Questions: 8 July 2020 Questioned By Ian Blackford SNP Westminster Leader Just this week, we have seen Spain look to extend its furlough scheme into 2021. Research has shown that prematurely ending the job retention scheme risks higher unemployment and weaker productivity, with a potential loss of up to £50 billion to GDP. The Resolution Foundation is calling for £3 billion to £5 billion to be spent on extending furlough payments for the hardest-hit sectors, and the TUC is warning of the effect that ending the furlough scheme early will have on people who are shielding and in ..read more

Prime Minister’s Questions: 8 July 2020 Sir Keir Starmer Leader of Her Majesty’s Official Opposition (Leader of the Labour Party) On Monday, when asked why care home deaths had been so high, the Prime Minister said that “too many care homes didn’t really follow the procedures in the way that they could have.” That has caused huge offence to frontline care workers. It has now been 48 hours. Will the Prime Minister apologise to care workers? Boris Johnson The Prime Minister (Leader of the Conservative Party) The last thing I wanted to do was to blame careworkers for what has happened, or for a ..read more

Prime Minister’s Questions: 8 July 2020 Questioned By Anna McMorrin Shadow Minister (International Development) I am shocked and angered at workers in UK clothing factories such as Boohoo being paid a mere £3.50 an hour and being forced to work in totally unacceptable conditions. In the 21st century, there must be no room for exploitation and modern slavery. We must call time on fast fashion for the sake of people and our planet, so my question is simple: what will the Prime Minister do about it? Answered By Boris Johnson The Prime Minister (Leader of the Conservative Party) First, it is this ..read more