Tag: Dominic Raab

UK Bill of Rights condemned

‘Freedom of speech and the views of elected lawmakers will be given greater weight in law’ under a Bill of Rights introduced to the Westminster Parliament yesterday. The Bill has been condemned by the Scottish Government, who say the proposals are ‘shocking and unnecessary’.

  • Freedom of speech to be given greater weight in law
  • New permission stage in court to prevent trivial legal claims wasting taxpayers’ money
  • Allows future laws to make it harder for foreign criminals to frustrate deportation process

The Bill will ensure courts cannot interpret laws in ways that were never intended by Parliament and will empower people to express their views freely.

At the same time, it will help prevent trivial human rights claims from wasting judges’ time and taxpayer money. A permission stage in court will be introduced requiring people to show they have suffered a significant disadvantage before their claim can go ahead.

The Bill will also reinforce in law the principle that responsibilities to society are as important as personal rights. It will do this by ensuring courts consider a claimant’s relevant conduct, like a prisoner’s violent or criminal behaviour, when awarding damages.

The Bill will make clear that the UK Supreme Court is the ultimate judicial decision-maker on human rights issues and that the case law of the European Court of Human Rights does not always need to be followed by UK courts.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab said: “The Bill of Rights will strengthen our UK tradition of freedom whilst injecting a healthy dose of common sense into the system.

“These reforms will reinforce freedom of speech, enable us to deport more foreign offenders and better protect the public from dangerous criminals.”

The Bill of Rights will make it easier to deport foreign criminals by allowing future laws to restrict the circumstances in which their right to family life would trump public safety and the need to remove them.

It will mean that under future immigration laws, to evade removal a foreign criminal would have to prove that a child or dependent would come to overwhelming, unavoidable harm if they were deported.

As a result, any new laws will curb the abuse of the system that has seen those convicted of hurting their own partners and children evade removal by claiming it would breach their right to family life in the UK.

The Bill of Rights will also:

  • Boost freedom of the press and freedom of expression by introducing a stronger test for courts to consider before they can order journalists to disclose their sources.
  • Prevent courts from placing new costly obligations on public authorities to actively protect someone’s human rights and limit the circumstances in which current obligations apply, for example, police forces having to notify gang members of threats towards them from other gangs.
  • Insulate the Government’s plans to increase the use of prison Separation Centres against legal challenge from extremist offenders claiming ‘a right to socialise’.
  • Recognise that trial by jury is a fundamental component of fair trials in the UK.
  • Prevent human rights from being used as a way to bring claims on overseas military operations once alternative options are provided by upcoming legislation.
  • Confirm that interim measures from the European Court of Human Rights under Rule 39, such as the one issued last week which prevented the removal flight to Rwanda, are not binding on UK courts.

This will be achieved while retaining the UK’s fundamental commitment to the European Convention on Human Rights.

UK BILL OF RIGHTS CONDEMNED

Call for Scottish Parliament to be consulted

Proposals to repeal the Human Rights Act are a “shocking and unnecessary” attempt to remove safeguards afforded to every member of society, Equalities Minister Christina McKelvie has said.

Putting on record the Scottish Government’s unequivocal opposition to the UK Government’s Bill of Rights, published today, Ms McKelvie stressed that the Scottish Parliament would have to agree to any changes affecting the devolution settlement.

Ms McKelvie said: “This shocking and unnecessary legislation seeks to put UK Ministers above some of the most fundamental checks and balances that underpin our democracy.

“The fact remains that we do not need a new Bill of Rights. The Human Rights Act is one of the most important laws passed by the UK Parliament. For more than 20 years it has delivered fairness and justice – protecting our rights to privacy and liberty, freedom of expression and peaceful protest. It has prevented discrimination, inhumanity and the abuse of power.

“The UK Government’s Rwanda policy has been challenged in the European Court of Human Rights. This legislation appears to be part of its response – an attempt to remove safeguards protecting every member of our society.

“As a founding signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, the UK Government should be championing international human rights standards and the rule of law. Instead its Ministers appear intent on damaging the UK’s global reputation.

“I would urge them to stop this act of vandalism which will have an impact on public bodies that must adhere to it. The UK Government must also remain fully committed to the European Convention on Human Rights and to membership of the Council of Europe.

“The Human Rights Act is built into the heart of the devolution settlement, and any legislation that breaches the Act has no force in law. Let me make clear that it would therefore be wholly unacceptable to make changes affecting Scotland without the explicit agreement of the Scottish Parliament.

“I am proud that the Scottish Government is treading a different path, showing human rights leadership by protecting and enhancing our rights and freedoms, with plans for future Scottish legislation to extend devolved human rights safeguards even further.”

In March the Scottish and Welsh Governments issued a joint statement on Human Rights Act reform.

Last year’s Independent Human Rights Act Review, set up by the UK Government, concluded that there was no case for radical changes to the Act.

Boris Johnson shuffles his pack

Aces, Knaves or Jokers?

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reshuffling his Cabinet.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has been sacked and former Foreign Secretary Domic Raab has paid the price for his role in the Afghanistan withdrawal debacle. Raab is replaced by Liz Truss, while Nadhim Zahawi is also promoted – he takes over at Education.

Robert Jenrick (Housing and Communities) and Robert Buckland (Lord Advocate and Secretary of State for Justice) have left the government.

Further junior ministerial appointments will be announced today, but changes so far (marked with an asterisk) are as follows:

Prime Minister, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union

  • Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP

HM Treasury

  • Chancellor of the Exchequer – Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
  • Chief Secretary to the Treasury – Simon Clarke MP

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Offic8e

  • Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, and Minister for Women and Equalities – Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP *
  • Minister of State in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office – Rt Hon Amanda Milling MP
  • Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Minister for Equalities) – Kemi Badenoch MP

Home Office

  • Secretary of State for the Home Department – Rt Hon Priti Patel MP
  • Minister of State – Kit Malthouse MP (jointly with the Ministry of Justice)

Cabinet Office

  • Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office – Rt Hon Stephen Barclay MP
  • Minister of State – The Rt Hon Lord Frost CMG
  • COP26 President – Rt Hon Alok Sharma MP
  • Minister without Portfolio – Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP *
  • Minister of State – Nigel Adams MP

Ministry of Justice

  • Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice – Rt Hon Dominic Raab MP *
  • Minister of State – Kit Malthouse MP (jointly with the Home Office)

Ministry of Defence

  • Secretary of State for Defence – Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP

Department for International Trade

  • Secretary of State for International Trade, and President of the Board of Trade – Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP

Department of Health and Social Care

  • Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – The Rt Hon Sajid Javid

Department for Work and Pensions

  • Secretary of State for Work and Pensions – Rt Hon Dr Thérèse Coffey MP

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

  • Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Rt Hon Kwasi Kwarteng MP
  • Minister of State at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy – Rt Hon Greg Hands MP

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

  • Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government – Rt Hon Michael Gove MP *
  • Minister of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, jointly with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (Minister for Equalities) – Kemi Badenoch MP

Department for Education

  • Secretary of State for Education – Nadhim Zahawi MP *
  • Minister of State – Michelle Donelan MP

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

  • Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – Nadine Dorries MP *
  • Minister of State at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport – Julia Lopez MP

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

  • Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Rt Hon George Eustice MP
  • Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – Victoria Prentis MP

Department for Transport

  • Secretary of State for Transport – Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP

Northern Ireland Office

  • Secretary of State for Northern Ireland – Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE MP

Scotland Office

  • Secretary of State for Scotland – Rt Hon Alister Jack MP

Wales Office

  • Secretary of State for Wales – Rt Hon Simon Hart MP

Office of the Leader of the House of Lords

  • Lord Privy Seal, and Leader of the House of Lords – Rt Hon Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Office of the Leader of the House of Commons

  • Lord President of the Council, and Leader of the House of Commons – Rt Hon Jacob Rees-Mogg MP

Whips – House of Commons

  • Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury (Chief Whip) – Rt Hon Mark Spencer MP

Law Officers

  • Attorney General – Rt Hon Suella Braverman MP

The following have left the government:

  • Rt Hon Gavin Williamson CBE MP – previously Secretary of State for Education
  • Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP – previously Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government
  • Rt Hon Robert Buckland QC MP – previously Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice

Yesterday’s announcements coincidentally (?) overshadowed an important Westminster debate on social security and the cut to Universal Credit.

Peter Matejic, Deputy Director of Evidence & Impact at the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “No Government committed to levelling up can credibly defend the biggest ever overnight cut to social security.

“As bills are going up, cost of essential items are rising and National Insurance is set to be increased, ministers are ploughing ahead with a damaging cut to Universal Credit which is fiercely opposed across the political spectrum.

“The Government is reportedly planning to ignore its own analysis which shows how catastrophic this cut would be. No good will come of cutting Universal Credit by £20-a-week. All it would do is impose unnecessary hardship on millions of low-income families and hurt the very communities the Government wants to level up.

“Ministers have nothing to say to the many families who are unable to work or are not expected to work due to sickness, disability or caring responsibilities who are facing this massive income shock.

We all need an adequate social security system and, for those who are already in work or looking for a job, a bold Plan for Jobs, if we are to improve living standards. The Prime Minister knows this and it’s not too late for him to keep this vital lifeline strong.”

Helen Barnard, Deputy Director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said: “Today’s debate makes clear that the Prime Minister and Chancellor are increasingly isolated in supporting the cut to Universal Credit.

“There is widespread concern amongst MPs about the devastating impact this will have on huge numbers of their constituents and new ministers are certain to face intense pressure from families anxious about how they will make ends meet from next month.

“The £20-a-week increase to Universal Credit is vital to protect families from poverty and provide the stability they need to improve their prospects.

“As energy bills go up, prices on the shelves rise and National Insurance is set to increase, the Prime Minister must urgently keep this support in place, or his premiership risks being defined by plunging people into poverty rather than levelling up.”

Raab: ‘Be under no illusions: the next stage won’t be easy’

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave the 5 May 2020 daily press briefing on the UK government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Welcome to today’s Downing Street press conference. I’m joined by Professor Angela McLean, Chief Scientific Advisor at the MOD.

First, let me give an update on the latest data that we have on coronavirus. I can report through the government’s ongoing monitoring and testing programme that as of today:

  • there have now been 1,383,842 tests for coronavirus across the UK, including 84,806 tests yesterday
  • we know that 194,990 people have tested positive, that’s an increase of 4,406 cases since yesterday
  • and of those who have tested positive, 29,427 have very sadly died, and our hearts go out to everyone who has lost a loved one throughout the coronavirus challenge

We continue to see evidence of a flattening of the peak of this virus. But, as the figures that I have just read out show, it’s is not over yet. So, in the coming days, SAGE will be updating ministers with the latest scientific advice.

As ever, we will make sure that we continue to be guided by their advice as we take the decisions on next steps in fighting the virus. Alongside the advice from SAGE, our 5 tests remain absolutely key.

  • first, we must continue to boost NHS capacity, so that the NHS cannot be overwhelmed
  • second, we need to see a sustained and consistent fall in the number of deaths
  • thirdly, we must see further reductions in the rate of infection to manageable levels, across all different areas and settings
  • fourth, we must be confident that the NHS will be able to cope with future demands, including as a result of any changes that we make to existing measures or indeed any new measures we might wish to take
  • fifth, and above all, we need to be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that could then overwhelm the NHS

Later on this week, the Prime Minister will update the country on the measures and decisions we will need to take to protect the NHS, to safeguard the economy and avoid the risk of a second peak that would be damaging both for public health, but also for jobs and the wider economy.

As we consider the decisions we will take next, to protect life, but also to protect our way of life, it’s now clear that the second phase will be different. We will need to adjust to a new normal where we as a society adapt to safe new ways to work, to travel, to interact and to go about our daily lives,

We’ve never experienced anything like this first stage of COVID-19, in terms of the scale of the lives lost but also the lockdown that it has required. As we go forward, we want to make sure that the next phase is more comfortable, is more sustainable and prevents lasting damage to jobs and livelihoods.

But we need to be under no illusions, the next stage won’t be easy. And if we’re going to protect life and preserve our way of life we must continue to be guided by the scientific advice we receive, and make sure the next steps we take are sure-footed and sustainable.

Before I hand over to Angela to run through the data slides, I want to provide an update on one further feature that coronavirus as a challenge has thrown up for this country, and indeed, for the whole world.

Whilst the vast majority of people, and countries have come together and rallied to this international mission to defeat coronavirus, there will always be some who seek to exploit a crisis for their own criminal and hostile ends.

We know that cyber criminals, and other malicious groups are targeting individuals, businesses, and other organisations by deploying COVID-19 related scams and phishing emails.

That includes groups that in the cyber security world are known as ‘advanced persistent threat’ groups – sophisticated networks of hackers who try to breach computer systems. We have clear evidence now that these criminal gangs are actively targeting national and international organisations, which are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, which I have to say makes them particularly venal and dangerous at this time.

We are working with the targets of those attacks, with the potential targets, and with others, to make sure that they are aware of the cyber threat, and that they can take the steps necessary to protect themselves or, at the very least, mitigate the harm that could be brought against them.

With that in mind, today, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre and the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency have published a joint warning about these groups.

And we’ve offered some advice on the cyber criminals and other actors who are seeking to exploit the COVID-19 pandemic through malicious cyber activity. Our teams have identified campaigns targeting healthcare bodies, pharmaceutical companies, research organisations, and also various different arms of local government.

There are various objectives and motivations that lie behind these attacks, from fraud on the one hand to espionage. But they tend to be designed to steal bulk personal data, intellectual property and wider information that supports those aims, and they are often linked with other state actors.

We expect this kind of predatory criminal behaviour to continue and evolve over the coming weeks and months ahead, and we are taking a range of measures to tackle the threat. So, as we have done today, we will share advice on the nature of those threats to enable business, citizens and our international partners to better defend themselves against the full range of cyber-attack – from hostile states to criminal gangs.

Preventive action is often the very best way to deny attackers the opportunities they are looking for. The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) offers a range of practical advice to safeguard against cyber-attacks. From things like the use of online passwords, to guidance on trusted sources of online information relating to COVID-19 like the GOV.UK sites or Public Health England.

As well as providing practical advice, the UK will continue to counter those who conduct cyber-attacks. And we’re working very closely with our international partners both to respond to the threats, but also to deter the gangs and the arms of state who lie behind them.

We’re absolutely determined to defeat coronavirus, and also to defeat those trying to exploit the situation for their own nefarious ends.

Raab: “Making progress, but we’re not out of the woods yet”

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave the 22 April 2020 daily press briefing on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Welcome to today’s Downing Street Press Conference. I’m pleased to be joined by Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and also our Chief of the Defence Staff, Sir Nicholas Carter.

Before CDS talks through the fantastic work that our brilliant armed forces have been doing during this crisis, let me give you an update you on the latest data from the COBR coronavirus data file.

I can report that through the Government’s ongoing monitoring and testing programme, as of today:

559,935 people have now been tested for the virus.

133,495 have tested positive.

Of those who have contracted the virus, 18,100 have very sadly died.

We express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of these victims and my heart goes out to every single one of those who have lost a loved one throughout this crisis.

As a Government, we continue to take the steps necessary to slow the spread of this virus.

The social distancing measures that people have overwhelmingly adhered to have meant that fewer people have needed hospital treatment.

That has protected our NHS capacity as we continue through the peak of this virus and it has undoubtedly helped to save lives.

At every point in this crisis, we have considered the scientific and the medical evidence that we have received very carefully.

And we have been deliberate in our actions so that we take the right steps at the right time.

Now I know it has been tough going for businesses, for families and for vulnerable members of our communities up and down the country.

It’s been a physical strain as we adapt to living and working at home while not seeing our family and our friends in the usual way we’d like to.

It’s been an economic strain as businesses have had to furlough staff which is why the Chancellor launched the various business support measures to help see businesses and workers through these difficult times.

But it has also been an immense mental strain on everyone: people stuck at home, families worried about their finances and the elderly more isolated than we’d ever want them to be.

We’re making progress through the peak of this virus, but we’re not out of the woods yet as SAGE advised last week.

That’s why the measures we introduced must remain in place for the time being.

The greatest risk for us now, if we eased up on our social distancing rules too soon, is that we would risk a second spike in the virus with all the threats to life that would bring, and then the risk of a second lockdown which would prolong the economic pain that we’re going through.

That was a point that Andrew Bailey, the Governor of the Bank of England, also made earlier on today.

So with that in mind, last Thursday, I set out the five principles that will guide our approach going forward to the next phase, and which must be satisfied before we are willing and in a position to make any changes, which will of course be based on the advice that we receive form SAGE.

That way we will ensure that our path out of this crisis is sure-footed, protecting both the public’s health but also our economy.

If we stick to our plan, if take the right steps at the right time, we can get through this crisis, and I know we will.

There’s no hiding the scale of this tragedy.

But even in our darkest moments, the crisis has also shone a light on the best amongst us.

The nation has come together to applaud our heroic NHS staff, our carers every week, and we pay tribute to their dedication and their professionalism and care with which they look after those who have fallen sick.

With General Carter here, today, I think it is only fitting to pay tribute to the amazing work of our fantastic armed forces and the whole MoD led by Defence Secretary Ben Wallace.

They have been there every step of the way, helping us to build the new NHS Nightingale hospitals to reinforce our critical care capacity. Supporting our Local Resilience Forums in delivering Personal Protective Equipment where it’s needed most.

And helping also deliver the mobile labs which are critical to ramping up of testing capacity right across the country.

As a result of those efforts and that team work, hospitals have been able to treat more patients, as result they save more lives and we have ensured that the peak of this virus has not overwhelmed the NHS.

And, today, our armed forces are again part of that team as we announce two new deployments to the NHS Nightingale facilities in Harrogate and Bristol.

Across the UK, this extra hospital capacity which itself comes on top of the 33,000 additional beds we’ve managed to free up across the NHS.

That is the equivalent of building an extra 50 district general hospitals. And as I said, that has safeguarded the capacity in our hospitals to care both for coronavirus patients but also make sure other people get the urgent care or the emergency treatment they need.

People used to joke in this country that you could never build a hospital that quickly.

Well, we didn’t just build one, we built seven and we thank our armed forces for helping to make that happen.

And, you know, for many countries around the world, including modern democracies, the sight of their military on the streets in a national emergency could be a cause for concern or even trepidation.

But for the British people, the sight of our armed forces working side by side with our brilliant NHS staff offers a calm reassurance that the task is at hand, that we will come through this crisis.

Now I make no bones about it. There have been challenges, there still are challenges.

We’re not there yet. We continue to ramp up the testing capacity, which will play a really important role in the next phase of the crisis.

Amidst a global shortage in Personal Protective Equipment, we’ve distributed over a billion items to the front line, where its needed most.

We’ve just brought in Lord Deighton who helped organise the London Olympics to boost our domestic supply even further.

And I am on the phone every day pursuing the next batch of deliveries from abroad with the support of our tireless diplomatic service. The first of several new deliveries landed from Turkey in the early hours of this morning.

We will only come through this global pandemic, if we come together as a nation, and if we bring other countries around the world together so that we can rise to this international challenge.

As we work with our partners abroad to get the PPE we need, to get the ventilators we need to pursue a vaccine for this terrible virus, we’re also working night and day to return stranded British nationals from all four corners of the world.

We’ve kept airports open and airlines running to bring over a million Brits home on commercial flights. A massive endeavour.

On top of that, at the FCO, we set up a £75 million special charter arrangement with the airlines and that’s already brought home over thirteen thousand people back on 63 flights from more than a dozen countries.

And, we’re organising more charter flights in the days ahead from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

So at home and abroad, we’re meeting the whole range of challenges that coronavirus presents.

And if we stick together, and if we stay the course, we will defeat this virus for good.

Lockdown: Three More Weeks

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave the 16 April 2020 daily press briefing on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic yesterday. He confirmed that the lockdown will continue for at least three more weeks:

Good afternoon,

Welcome to the daily coronavirus press conference from Downing Street.

I’m joined by Sir Patrick Valance, the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor, and Professor Chris Whitty, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer.

Sir Patrick will provide an update on the latest data on coronavirus.

But, first, let me update you on the steps we are taking to defeat the coronavirus, and the decisions we have taken today.

Step-by-step, our action plan aims to slow the spread of the virus.

So that fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time, and that is the way we can protect the NHS from being overwhelmed.

At every step along this way, we have followed, very carefully and deliberately, the scientific and medical advice that we have received.

So that we take the right steps at the right moment in time.

At the same time, we are dramatically expanding NHS capacity, in terms of the numbers of beds, key staff and life-saving equipment on the front-line, so people get the care they need, at the point in time that they need it most.

And that’s also why we have directed people to stay at home. To deny coronavirus the opportunity to spread, to protect the NHS and save lives.

Now, today’s data shows that:

327, 608 people in the UK have now been tested for the coronavirus;

103,093 people have tested positive;

And sadly, of those with the virus, 13,729 have now died.

These are heart-breaking losses for every family affected.

And it remind us exactly why we need to follow the social distancing guidance.

Earlier today, I chaired meetings of the Cabinet and COBR to consider the advice from SAGE on the impact of the existing social distancing measures.

There are indications that the measures we have put in place have been successful in slowing down the spread of the virus.

But, SAGE also say that it is a mixed and inconsistent picture and, in some settings, infections are still likely to be increasing.

SAGE assess that the rate of infection, or the R value, is almost certainly below 1 in the community.

That means that on average each infected person is, in turn, infecting less than one other person. But, overall, we still don’t have the infection rate down as far as we need to.

As in other countries, we have issues with the virus spreading in some hospitals and care homes.

In sum, the very clear advice we have received is that any change to our social distancing measures now would risk a significant increase in the spread of the virus. That would threaten a second peak of the virus, and substantially increase the number of deaths.

It would undo the progress made to date, and as a result, would require an even longer period of the more restrictive social distancing measures. So early relaxation would do more damage to the economy over a longer period.

I want to be clear about this. The advice from SAGE is that relaxing any of the measures currently in place would risk damage to both public health and our economy.

Patrick and Chris will be able to go into further detail on all of this shortly.

But based on this advice, the Government has determined that current measures must remain in place for at least the next 3 weeks.

Now, in terms of the decisions that lie ahead, we want to be as up front with the British people as we possibly can.

So, let me set out 5 specific things which the Government will need to be satisfied of before we will consider it safe to adjust any of the current measures.

First, we must protect the NHS’s ability to cope.

We must be confident that we are able to provide sufficient critical care and specialist treatment right across the UK.

The NHS staff have been incredible.

We must continue to support them as much as we can.

Second, we need to see a sustained and consistent fall in the daily death rates from coronavirus so we are confident that we have moved beyond the peak.

Third, we need to have reliable data from SAGE showing that the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels across the board.

Fourth, we need to be confident that the range of operational challenges, including testing capacity and PPE, are in hand, with supply able to meet future demand.

Fifth, and this is really crucial, we need to be confident that any adjustments to the current measures will not risk a second peak of infections that overwhelm the NHS.

The worst thing we could do now is ease up too soon and allow a second peak of the virus to hit the NHS and hit the British people.

It would be the worst outcome, not just for public health, but for the economy and for our country as a whole.

So, the current restrictions will remain in place.

The Government will continue to monitor the data on the impact of the virus.

We will soon be able to test 100,000 people every day.

That will give us greater understanding of the scope of infection across the country.

It will also help us plan how to change the measures when we are ready to.

When we are confident on these five points.

Guided by science and data, we will look to adjust the measures to make them as effective as possible in protecting public health, while allowing some economic and social activity to resume.

We will only do it, when the evidence demonstrates that is safe to do it.

It could involve relaxing measures in some areas, while strengthening measures in other areas.

But in formulating the right balance we will be at all times guided by the scientific advice and the evidence.

I should add at this point that we recognise all the economic and social impact the current measures are having.

That is why we put in place an unprecedented package of support for jobs and businesses, as well as for hospices and charities who are doing so much to support the most vulnerable in our society.

And, I know that many people would like to hear more detail, some people are calling for exact dates, on what will happen next, and when.

We are as being as open as we responsibly can at this stage.

And it would not be responsible to pre-judge the evidence that SAGE will have and review in just a few weeks’ time.

I know some people will look at other countries, and ask why the UK isn’t doing what they’re doing.

I can reassure people that we carefully follow what is happening in other countries.

We will always look to learn any lessons in how they are approaching their response.

And I’m talking to Foreign Ministers on a daily basis, I know Chris and Patrick are doing the same with their opposite numbers around the world. Ultimately, we have to do what is right for the British people, based on the advice of our experts, Grounded in the conditions here in the UK, and we will make those decisions at the right time for this country.

That’s what we have done so far.

That’s what we will continue to do.

I appreciate the impact of these measures is considerable on people and businesses across the country. The costs being shouldered.

The sacrifices people are making.

Being isolated from friends and family.

Whole Households, cooped up inside, all week long.

Parents having difficult conversations with their young children, who just don’t understand why they can’t visit grandparents or go outside and meet up with friends as they normally do.

Families struggling managing home-schooling, and balancing that with working from home.

I know there are people very concerned about their household finances.

Uncertain about their jobs.

Worried for their small businesses that remain closed. We get it.

We know it’s rough going at this time

Every time I come to this lectern, and I read out the grim toll of people who have so sadly passed away.

I walk away from here, and I think about what their sons and their daughters must be going through right now.

Their brothers and sisters.

Their grandchildren.

All the loved ones left with their unbearable, long-term, grief.

It makes me and it makes this government focus even harder on what we must do.

And, I know that, together, united, we must keep up this national effort for a while longer.

We’ve just come too far, we’ve lost too many loved ones, we’ve already sacrificed far too much to ease up now, especially when we’re beginning to see the evidence that our efforts are starting to pay off.

And your efforts are paying off.

There is light at the end of the tunnel.

But, we’re now at both a delicate and dangerous stage of this pandemic.

If we rush to relax the measures in place, we would risk wasting all the sacrifices and all the progress we have made. And that would risk a quick return to another lockdown.

With all the threat to life a second peak of the virus would bring, and all the economic damage a second lockdown would carry.

So we need to be patient a while longer.

So please please stay home, save lives and protect the NHS.

So we can safely return to life as close to normal as possible, as soon as possible.

It’s been an incredible national team effort.

Now is not the moment to give the coronavirus a second chance. Let’s stick together, let’s see this through. And let’s defeat the coronavirus for good.

Dominic Raab: Stranded travellers are coming home

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab gave the 30 March 2020 daily press briefing on the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

Good afternoon, welcome to Downing Street for today’s coronavirus press briefing. I’m joined by our Chief Scientific Adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance and Dr Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director at Public Health England.

Before Sir Patrick provides an update on the latest data from our COBR coronavirus dashboard, I just want to give you an update on the steps that we as a government are taking to defeat coronavirus.

Our step-by-step action plan is aiming to slow the spread of the virus, so fewer people need hospital treatment at any one time, thereby protecting the NHS’ capacity. At each point we have been following the scientific and medical advice and we’ve been very deliberate in our actions – taking the right steps at the right moment.

We are also taking unprecedented action to increase NHS capacity by dramatically expanding the numbers of beds, key staff, life-saving equipment on the frontline so that we give people the care they need when they need it most.

That’s why we are instructing people to stay at home, so we can protect our NHS and save lives.

I can report that through the government’s ongoing monitoring and testing programme, as of today:

  • 134,946 people have now been tested for the virus
  • 112,805 have tested negative
  • 22,141 have tested positive

Of those who have contracted the virus, 1,408 have, very sadly, died. We express our deepest condolences to the families and friends of those who have passed away and I think those figures are a powerful reminder to us all of the importance of following the government’s guidelines.

We must stay at home to protect our NHS and save lives.

I would like to thank all those involved on the frontline and in particular all of those in the NHS for their battle against the virus, the amazing doctors, the amazing nurses and all the support staff working day and night.

The thousands of other key workers – from our teachers to supermarket workers to our fantastic diplomatic network – who are all as a team working around the clock to get us through this unprecedented coronavirus challenge.

This is a united national effort and the spirit of selflessness shown by so many is an inspiration.

I now want to turn to what we’ve been doing to support British people travelling around the world.

Coronavirus hasn’t just challenged us at home, it is the greatest global challenge in a generation. And as countries work to secure their borders and stop the further spread of this deadly virus, we appreciate that an unprecedented number of UK travellers are trying to get home, and we’re not talking a few hundred or even a few thousand. We’re talking about hundreds of thousands of people travelling around the world.

So with that in mind, on 17 March, we advised people against all non-essential travel around the world.

And since 23 March, we have advised that all UK residents who were currently travelling abroad should return home. Hundreds of thousands have already done so.

But many travellers haven’t yet managed to get home. From young back-packers to retired couples on cruises. We appreciate the difficult predicament that they find themselves in.

We also recognise the anxiety of families here in the UK, who are concerned to get their loved ones home. It is a worrying time for all those who have been affected.

And I want to reassure them that this government, their government is working around the clock to support, advise and help British travellers get home.

I have spoken to more than 20 foreign ministers around the world in the last week or so to support this effort, to keep airports and ports open, and to facilitate access to them by British travellers.

Over the weekend, I spoke to foreign ministers from Australia, New Zealand, India and Brazil and Pakistan, and I also spoke to the Ethiopian Prime Minister, and in all of those cases urged them to work with us and keep commercial routes flying.

Given the scale and the complexity of this challenge, it inevitably requires a team effort. So the Foreign Office is working with other governments, and there is a particular focus on transit hubs, and we’re also working with the airlines to keep as many flights running as possible.

We have a lot more to do, but we have already helped hundreds of thousands of Britons get home.

The first priority has been to keep as many commercial flights running as we can, and that’s based on just purely the scale and the number of people who want to come home.

As a result of those efforts, and the cooperation we received from the Spanish government, we’ve enabled an estimated 150,000 UK nationals to get back from Spain. On other commercial routes that have come under pressure, we’ve worked with partner governments and airlines to get back 8,500 UK travellers back from Morocco and around 5,000 UK nationals from Cyprus.

That gives you a sense of the scale of the challenge and the numbers of British travellers abroad.

Now in circumstances where commercial flights can’t operate, we have already chartered flights, which proved necessary to return 1,400 UK nationals on flights, for example, from China at the outset of this crisis and more recently from Peru.

We’ve not faced challenges in getting people home from abroad, on this scale, in recent memory. Airports are closing down or preventing airlines from operating on a commercial basis. Local authorities have placed restrictions on movement that prevent people from getting to the airport. And the critical transit hubs that we rely on for long-haul flights are also shutting down, or in some cases, limiting their flights.

Some of these restrictions have been done with very little notice, some with no notice at all which makes it very difficult to respond. So, international collaboration is absolutely vital.

As I said, it is a team effort, in it involves government working with other governments and also with the airlines.

So with that in mind, I can today announce a new arrangement between the government and airlines to fly home tens of thousands of stranded British travellers, where commercial flights are no longer possible. Partner airlines include British Airways, Virgin, Easyjet, Jet2 and Titan, and this list can be expanded.

Under the arrangements that we are putting in place, we will target flights from a range of priority countries, starting this week.

Let me explain a little bit about how this will work in practise.

Where commercial routes remain an option, airlines will be responsible for getting passengers home. That means offering alternative flights at little to no cost where routes have been cancelled. And it means allowing passengers to change tickets, including between carriers.

So for those still in those in countries where commercial options are still available, don’t wait. Don’t run the risk of getting stranded. The airlines are standing by to help you. Please book your tickets as soon as possible.

Where commercial flights are no longer running, the government will provide the necessary financial support for special charter flights to bring UK nationals back home. Once special charter flights have been arranged, we will promote flights them through the government’s travel advice and by the British Embassy or High Commission in the relevant country.

British travellers who want a seat on those flight will book and pay directly through a dedicated travel management company.

We designated £75 million to support those flights and airlines to keep costs down and affordable for those seeking to return to the UK.

In arranging these flights, our priority will be the most vulnerable, including the elderly or those with particularly pressing medical needs, and also looking in particular at countries where large numbers of UK tourists struggling to get home.

UK travellers, if they haven’t already done so, should check Foreign Office Travel Advice and that advice is under constant review, and it can help travellers to find out more details of how to access the flights under this arrangement.

They should also follow the social media of the UK embassy or high commission in the country where they find themselves, so that they can be directed to accurate real time information, including from the local authorities.

For any questions that can’t be answered in that travel advice, or by the UK Embassies or High Commission, we also have our call centre working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

I know that it has been difficult for some travellers to get through. Just to give you a sense of volume: on average, we normally receive 1,000 calls a day to that call centre. Last Tuesday, we had nearly 15,000 – the highest on record.

So we’ve boosted our resources, we’ve redeployed people to assist in the call centre and we’ve tripled our capacity.

Yesterday, the call centre answered 99% of calls, and helped thousands of British travellers to get the answers they need.

So, for those stranded, or for families nervously waiting news and wanting to see their loved ones return home, we are doing everything we can. We have improved our advice and boosted the call centre, so travellers get better and swifter information.

We have put in place this arrangement with the airlines so that we can reach British citizens in vulnerable circumstances abroad where commercial flights aren’t running. And we’re working intensively round the clock with all of our partner countries and governments around the world to keep open the airports, the ports and the flights to bring people home.

We’ve not faced an international challenge quite like this before, but together we are going to rise to it.

And, of course here at home, we can all support our NHS by continuing to follow the guidance to:

  • stay at home
  • protect our NHS
  • and save lives