Tag: UK Government

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

Coronavirus: crackdown on fake news

Specialist units across the UK Government are working at pace to combat false and misleading narratives about coronavirus, ensuring the public has the right information to protect themselves and save lives.

The Rapid Response Unit, operating from within the Cabinet Office and No10, is tackling a range of harmful narratives online – from purported ‘experts’ issuing dangerous misinformation to criminal fraudsters running phishing scams.

Up to 70 incidents a week, often false narratives containing multiple misleading claims, are being identified and resolved. The successful ‘Don’t Feed the Beast’ public information campaign will also relaunch, to empower people to question what they read online.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “We need people to follow expert medical advice and stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives. It is vital that this message hits home and that misinformation and disinformation which undermines it is knocked down quickly.

“We’re working with social media companies, and I’ll be pressing them this week for further action to stem the spread of falsehoods and rumours which could cost lives.”

When false narratives are identified, the government’s Rapid Response Unit coordinates with departments across Whitehall to deploy the appropriate response. This can include a direct rebuttal on social media, working with platforms to remove harmful content and ensuring public health campaigns are promoted through reliable sources.

The unit is one of the teams feeding into the wider Counter Disinformation Cell led by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, made up of experts from across government and in the tech sector.

The Cell is engaging with social media platforms and with disinformation specialists from civil society and academia, to establish a comprehensive overview of the extent, scope and impact of disinformation related to coronavirus.

The Culture Secretary will be contacting social media companies this week to thank them for their good efforts to date, assess the progress made and discuss what other potential measures can be put in place to ensure accurate, honest information consistently reaches users of their platforms.

Penny Mordaunt, Paymaster General, said: “Holding your breath for ten seconds is not a test for coronavirus and gargling water for 15 seconds is not a cure – this is the kind of false advice we have seen coming from sources claiming to be medical experts.

“That is why government communicators are working in tandem with health bodies to promote official medical advice, rebut false narratives and clamp down on criminals seeking to exploit public concern during this pandemic.

“But the public can also help with this effort, so today we implore them to take some simple steps before sharing information online, such as always reading beyond the headline and scrutinising the source.”

The public can help stop the spread of potentially dangerous or false stories circulating online by following official government guidance – the ‘SHARE’ checklist (see below).

This includes basic but essential advice such as checking the source of a story and analysing the facts before sharing.

Certain states routinely use disinformation as a policy tool, so the government is also stepping up its efforts to share its assessments on coronavirus disinformation with international partners.

Working collaboratively has already helped make the UK safer, providing ourselves and our allies with a better understanding of how different techniques are used as part of malicious information operations – and how to protect against those techniques more effectively.

These measures follow recent advice from the National Cyber Security Centre, which revealed a range of attacks being perpetrated online by cyber criminals seeking to exploit coronavirus earlier this month.

This included guidance on how to spot and deal with suspicious emails related to coronavirus, as well as mitigate and defend against malware and ransomware.

To help the public spot false information, the UK Government is running the SHARE checklist and Don’t Feed The Beast campaign.

This gives the public five easy steps to follow to identify whether information may be misleading:

  • Source – make sure information comes from a trusted source
  • Headline – always read beyond the headline
  • Analyse – check the facts
  • Retouched – does the image or video look as though it has been doctored?
  • Error – look out for bad grammar and spelling.

England: first food parcels delivered to clinically vulnerable people

  • UK Government confirms first boxes have been delivered to those at highest risk from coronavirus as biggest effort to deliver supplies to those in need since World War Two begins.
  • 1.5m clinically vulnerable people have been advised by the NHS to stay at home for 12 weeks and be shielded from coronavirus. 900,000 vulnerable people have received letters from the NHS giving them guidance this week
  • First of 50,000 free food boxes containing essential supplies and household items such as pasta and tinned goods will be delivered this weekend

The first food boxes have been delivered to those vulnerable people being shielded from coronavirus as the Government moved to support those most in need, Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick announced today.

The first 2,000 food parcels have already been delivered this weekend to those who cannot leave their homes because severe health conditions leave them most vulnerable to the virus.

More parcels are expected to go out next week from wholesalers across the country, bringing the first set of deliveries to more than 50,000. Depending on demand, hundreds of thousands of boxes could be delivered each week.

The packages contain essential food and household items such as pasta, fruit, tinned goods and biscuits, for those who need to self-isolate at home for 12 weeks but have no support network of family or friends to help them.

Since Monday, 900,000 extremely vulnerable people received letters from the NHS giving them guidance on how to shield from coronavirus. In total up to 1.5m will be asked to be shielded in this way. Others who did not receive letters but think they are part of this clinically vulnerable group should contact their GP.

It is part of a support network the Government is working around the clock to establish across the country, spearheaded by the Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick.

Communities Secretary, Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP (above) said: “This weekend sees the start of extraordinary steps to support the most clinically vulnerable, while they shield from coronavirus.

“We will support these people at this difficult time, and the scale of an operation like that has not been seen since the Second World War.

“This is an unprecedented package of support and I want to thank the food suppliers, local councils and everyone who has come together to create this essential service in just a matter of days.”

Andrew Selley, CEO of Bidfood, and Hugo Mahoney, CEO of Brakes, said: ”At a time of national crisis the foodservice industry’s two largest distributors are coming together to work with the Government to create packages of food and essential supplies that will be delivered to vulnerable people as part of the Local Support System.

“In these difficult times, we’re proud to join forces and play such a vital role in supporting people in need during their period of isolation. Together we are experts in food service and our distribution networks reach into every corner of the country. Our highly professional drivers and warehouse teams will be keeping the wheels turning in this vital national endeavour.”

The government is working with a partnership of the food industry, local government, local resilience and emergency partners, and voluntary groups, to ensure that essential items can be delivered to those who need it.

Medicines will be delivered by community pharmacies and groceries and essential household items by food distributers, working with supermarkets, to ensure they do not worry about getting the food that they need.

The parcels, which will be left on the doorstep, will include pasta, cornflakes, tea bags, tinned fruit, apples, rolls of loo roll and biscuits.

  • Food deliveries are currently part of a national service, as part of a wide range of support for extremely vulnerable people and are being organised by government in partnership with the grocery industry, local government and local resilience forums.
  • Local authorities are working across the country with local partners and voluntary groups to meet their communities’ needs.
  • Those who request it will receive ongoing communications to reassure them that their ongoing medical needs will be met by the NHS.
  • Community pharmacies are continuing to supply medicines.
  • Those in need of social contact will have their details passed to local authority hubs, who will make contact and offer support.

Mr Jenrick also handled the daily press conference this afternoon …

Good afternoon,

I would like to update you on our response to COVID-19.

I’m joined today by Dr Jenny Harries, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer.

As of 9am today:

127,737 people have now been tested for the virus.

108,215 have tested negative.

19,522 have tested positive.

Of those who have contracted the virus, 1,228 have, sadly, died.

The virus is indiscriminate

It doesn’t matter who you are, where you are or how old you are.

We each have a part to play by staying at home, protecting the NHS and helping to save lives.

We all have a duty to one another to keep everyone safe.

So today I would like to give you two updates, before answering questions.

The first on the plans I have put in place to ensure that every corner of the country can confront the coronavirus epidemic.

The second on what the government is doing to shield the most vulnerable people in society.

On the first question, I have put in place in all parts of the country procedures to ensure that everywhere can be ready to move forward together. All parts of the country are now on an emergency footing.

This is an unprecedented step in peace time.

We haven’t done anything like this since the Second World War.

This means that we’re establishing strategic co-ordination centres across the whole country.

Each centre is led by gold commanders.

We are bringing together senior members of the emergency services

  • the police, the fire service, the ambulance service
  • with local authorities and the NHS, to lead communities through this challenging period.

From Cornwall to Cumbria.

And we have embedded within each of these groups members of the armed forces – including some of the finest military planners in the world.

These groups are planning the local response to the virus.

Using their expertise, their judgement and their leadership to ensure a comprehensive, a coordinated, and consistent response across the country.

One issue that they have been helping us to coordinate and about which I know there is a lot of concern is the provision of personal protect equipment.

We simply cannot and should not ask people to be on the frontline without the right protective equipment.

We have a clear plan to ensure that those serving this country at this time have the right equipment.

We have established the National Supply Distribution Response Team and they are supported now by the armed forces and other emergency services who are working round the clock to deliver the equipment to the people who need it most:

  • 170 million masks
  • 42.8 million gloves
  • 13.7 million aprons
  • 182,000 gowns
  • Almost 10 million items of cleaning equipment
  • and 2.3 million pairs of eye protectors

all delivered to 58,000 NHS Trusts and healthcare settings including GP surgeries, pharmacies and community providers.

Every single GP practice, dental practice and community pharmacy has had a PPE delivery. All care homes, hospices and home care providers have or will shortly receive a delivery.

To NHS and social care workers, all those who rely on this equipment and to their families and loved ones watching this afternoon – we understand.

And we will not stop until we have got you the equipment that you need.

Last weekend, at this press conference, the Prime Minister and I explained why 1.5million people who are extremely vulnerable to the virus, due to their underlying health conditions, needed to stay at home for a period of 12 weeks and avoid face to face contact.

Since then, the NHS have written to almost a million of these people and outlined the steps that they need to take to protect themselves.

We have also established a dedicated web page on gov.uk which those in receipt of a letter should go to, to let us know whether or not they need further assistance over the course of the next 12 weeks. There is also a new phone number, which is on the letter they have or will receive shortly.

If this applies to you, I know that you will find this a very worrying time.

You will be thinking about how you can continue to access the medicine that you need, how you can get the food and other essential supplies that you rely on.

If you don’t have family or friends or neighbours nearby who you can rely on then the NHS will deliver your medicines through the community pharmacy network.

And if you register online or using the phone service that we have set up, letting us know you need support, then we will deliver food and supplies to your doorstep.

And this weekend I saw for myself first-hand the first deliveries being made.

The packages included cereal, fruit, tinned goods, teabags, biscuits, toiletries and other essentials.

The first 50,000 will have been sent out by the end of this week and we are ramping up production to send out as many as are required for as long as it takes.

If this applies to you, while you will now have to be at home for a prolonged period of time and that will be difficult, I want you to know that you are not alone. We are here to support you for as long as you need us.

We have all been hugely impressed by the commitment and the dedication of those working in social care, in local councils delivering essential public services like ensuring that the bins continue to get collected. None more so than me, as the Secretary of State for Local Government.

We all respect the 12,000 heroic former doctors and nurses and paramedics who have come back to work and been deployed this weekend.

And I think we have all been moved by the number of people who have signed up to be one of the NHS Voluntary Responders – today we can announce an extraordinary, three quarters of a million people have signed up to do that.

In every city, in every town, in every village, there is going to be work to be done and in each of us there is the power to do it.

And so please take part, please play your part, please consider your friends, your family, your neighbours when you are shopping, please call the elderly and support them.

When this is done, and it will be done, we all want to be proud of the part that we’ve played together.

Thank you very much.

Rock Star … or Rock Bottom?

“We have to take a win-at-all-costs attitude to ensure British businesses survive. This is no time for unworkable criteria and red tape – the Government needs to realise this now before it’s too late.”

CHANCELLOR Rishi Sunak was hailed a ‘rock star’ when he announced a range of measures to support British businesses facing a financial crisis due to the coronavirus outbreak.

But one entrepreneur says unless the Chancellor cuts the red tape and changes the criteria preventing firms from accessing vital funding – bosses will soon brand him ‘rock bottom’.

“The Chancellor has made it clear that his intention is to support the British economy and protect British business. The only way to do that in the current COVID-19 situation is to make sure the money is ready and easy to access,” said entrepreneur Eddie Black.

“The headlines about the Government’s announcement about helping businesses via the Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme (CBILS) are fantastic and the Chancellor looks like a rock star. The reality is very different to the headlines.”

Eddie (above), managing director of ECO, says that having read the terms of the loan, and having had in-depth conversations with a range of lenders on the panel, there’s some serious failings in the arrangements which could send businesses to the wall.

The loans are:

  • facilitated via the Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG) scheme and only protects the banks up to 80 per cent
  • subject to the usual credit and due diligence (this is estimated to be a four to six-week process)
  • subject to the ability to service the loan – businesses need to provide evidence of future forecasts and business performance predictions

Eddie says this has knock-on effects for the banks: “Originally the banks were going to get 100 per cent guarantees and now it’s only 80 per cent. 

“If there are defaults it will be down to the banks to pursue the debtor and take assets.

“The EFG Scheme might not be a favoured route for them because it means the British Business Bank can say that any inability to pay was down to the lender’s poor due diligence.”

In terms of eligibility criteria for the British Business Bank scheme, an SME must:

  • be UK-based in its business activity, with annual turnover of no more than £45m
  • have a borrowing proposal which, were it not for the current pandemic, would be considered viable by the lender, and for which the lender believes the provision of finance will enable the business to trade out of any short-to-medium term difficulty.

It’s this reliance on future forecasts and business performance projections which Eddie says is such a contradiction.

He went on:  “The British Business Bank criteria states that a company needs to be viable now. Businesses have had all future, or current, opportunities or contracts suspended, and/or, in worst case scenarios, cancelled, without knowing what comes next. 

“Businesses don’t know if that opportunity or contract will be there in the future. Will the client even exist?

“The serviceability and criteria elements are a complete contradiction in terms. No-one knows what the future holds. In many ways, it’s the survival of the fittest.

“There is a risk that businesses will default – that is why it has been described as a war chest.

“The best of British businesses will topple like dominoes if the Government don’t protect the banks. The banks should not be held accountable for lending money that they would not have been asked to lend if it were not for COVID-19.

“If the Chancellor really wants to back British business he needs to back the banks and put the liability on them to ensure that it gets this help into the economy.

“This is a sink or swim scenario and millions of jobs – and the livelihoods of families – are on the line.

“There may be a concern from the Government that businesses will flaunt the rules if these serviceability factors and criteria are not in place, and that might be holding them back on ensuring that this help is available immediately and is easily accessible.

“But businesses which flaunt the rules can be pursued at a later date. Most businesses are not geared up for failure and are in it for the long haul.

“The help is needed now. The money has been pledged and, even if there is a risk of some of it going down the drain, it is better than not getting it into the economy at all.

“We have to take a win-at-all-costs attitude to ensure British businesses survive. This is no time for unworkable criteria and red tape – the Government needs to realise this now before it’s too late.”

ECO has bases at Annan and Creca in Dumfries and Galloway, and in the North-West of England and works all over the UK. It employs 55 people which is due to increase to 80 when it opens its new HQ in the summer.

 

Environment Secretary thanks the food and drink industry

To those working hard to feed the nation,

In the face of what is perhaps the greatest health challenge this country has faced in our lifetime, I want to pay tribute to all those who are working around the clock to keep the nation fed – in our fields, processing plants, factories, wholesalers, stores and takeaways and all of those moving goods around the country and to our homes.

The last three weeks have been stressful and difficult for everyone working to feed the country and provide them with other essential items. Food retailers have faced an unprecedented increase in demand and those working in food production and distribution have had to work harder than ever to ensure that food and drink are kept on the shelves.

The Government has recently taken some unprecedented steps to close cinemas, leisure centres and other public venues and to instruct people to stay at home, protect our NHS and save lives.

However, there are many key workers that are crucial to the resilience of our country. Our NHS staff will be working harder than ever in the weeks ahead. Those of you working to provide the nation with food and other essentials are also delivering an absolutely vital service.

I am in regular dialogue with the food and drink industry and the Government has offered guidance to employers to ensure that when you do your job, you can do so safely. The advice of Public Health England is that there is very little risk of the virus being spread on food or packaging.

Everyone working in the food and drink industry has rallied in an extraordinary way to respond to this unprecedented challenge. Having worked in the food industry myself, I am personally enormously proud and thankful for all the work that you have done in recent weeks, and will be asked to do in the weeks ahead. In many cases you are the hidden heroes, and the country is grateful for all that you have done.

Yours sincerely,

George Eustice

Government launches Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp

The UK Government has launched a GOV.UK Coronavirus Information service on WhatsApp.

The new free to use service aims to provide official, trustworthy and timely information and advice about coronavirus (COVID-19), and will further reduce the burden on NHS services.

This will help combat the spread of coronavirus misinformation in the UK, as well as helping ensure people stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

The GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service is an automated ‘chatbot’ service which will allow the British public to get answers to the most common questions about coronavirus direct from government.

The service will provide information on topics such as coronavirus prevention and symptoms, the latest number of cases in the UK, advice on staying at home, travel advice and myth busting.

The service will also allow the government to send messages to all opted-in users if required.

To use the free GOV.UK Coronavirus Information Service on WhatsApp, simply add 07860 064422 in your phone contacts and then message the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to get started.

A set of menu options is then presented which the user can choose from and then be sent relevant guidance from GOV.UK pages as well as links to GOV.UK for further information.

Matt Idema, Chief Operating Officer, WhatsApp, said: “At difficult times like these, people are using WhatsApp more than ever to connect with and support their friends, family and communities.

“We are pleased to be able to provide the UK Government with the communications tools to help them answer the public’s questions about the virus with reliable, timely health advice, in order to keep people safe.”

Prof Yvonne Doyle, Medical Director, Public Health England, said: “This service will help us ensure the public has a trusted source for the right information about coronavirus, updated with the latest public health guidance and providing assurance that they are not misled by any of the false information circulating.

Other recent Government communications include:

Earlier this week the government texted people across the UK to inform them of the new rules announced by the Prime Minister on 23 March 2020. Details here – https://www.gov.uk/government/news/coronavirus-sms-messages

The Government has also sent text messages to the vulnerable as part of the shielding package announced by the Prime Minister on 22 March 2020.

Details here – https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

Chancellor to announce support for self-employed

The TUC has called on the government to provide urgent aid to Britain’s five million self-employed workers. The government has been accused of dithering, but Chancellor Rishi Sunak is now expected to make an announcement later today.

A report from the union body published on 23 March warns the current measures in place for self-employed workers are “inadequate” with many facing severe hardship over the coming months.

Hundreds of thousands of self-employed workers have tried to apply for Universal Credit but have experienced huge problems when trying to accessing the system, leaving them with no income.

The TUC report calls on ministers to extend the wage subsidy scheme announced on 20 March to the self-employed. The TUC said this could be done through providing the self-employed with a guarantee of at least 80 per cent of their incomes based on their last three years of self-assessment tax returns.

It says this could be paid directly to the self-employed as a tax rebate. The call was repeated by a succession of unions representing gig workers, musicians, actors, journalists and others in insecure employment.

The TUC report highlights the example of Norway where the government is providing grants covering 80 per cent of self-employed workers’ earnings. In Belgium an income replacement scheme has been set up for the self-employed.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government took a big and important step last week with wage subsidies for employed workers. But millions of self-employed workers – from the creative industries to construction – are still facing a collapse in their earnings.

“Many won’t be able to meet their basic living costs without further support. Ministers must urgently beef up support for the self-employed.”

She added: “Large-scale wage subsidies are the best way to boost household finances, keep businesses running and help our economy bounce back after this crisis. All workers – both employed and self-employed – should have their wages protected.”

On 23 March, the prime minister announced people may only leave home to exercise once a day, should travel to and from work only when it is “absolutely necessary”, and should shop for just essential items and to fulfil any medical or care needs.

The Chancellor is expected to make an announcement on support for the UK’s five million self-employed workers later today.

MSPs support UK Coronavirus Bill

The Scottish Parliament has backed measures contained in UK emergency legislation that will help strengthen Scotland’s response to coronavirus (COVID-19).

The UK Coronavirus Bill, which was introduced to the House of Commons on 19 March, includes new reserved and devolved laws that will help to slow the spread of the virus.

New measures include:

• bringing more health professionals and social workers into the workforce
• relaxing regulations to ease the burden on frontline staff
• enhanced public health measures designed to contain the virus or slow its spread
• collecting necessary information to enable monitoring of disruption to food supply chains

The bill includes new powers that will enable authorities to cancel events and close premises, and to allow the police to compel potentially infectious people to undergo COVID-19 screening and assessment.

These new emergency powers cover a two-year period that can be extended if necessary and will only be used if required.

The Scottish Government has confirmed that it will use powers within the Bill to ensure that action to implement social distancing and impose restrictions on gatherings, events and operation of business activity can be enforced.

Constitution Secretary Michael Russell said: “This new emergency legislation will help to save lives as we face this unprecedented crisis.

“It is only because of the extraordinary public health challenge confronting us, as a result of the global pandemic, that these measures have had to be considered.

“These are emergency powers that will be in force temporarily and only used if required.

“I am grateful that the Scottish Parliament supported the bill and we are committed to reporting on how and when the emergency powers included in the Bill have been used.”

In addition to the UK ‘four nations’ Bill, the Scottish Government will also bring forward emergency Coronavirus legislation to the Scottish Parliament soon.

The Coronavirus Bill can be viewed on the UK Parliament website.

Foreign Secretary: Come Home NOW

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised all British travellers to return to the UK NOW.

Read our latest coronavirus travel advice.

  • all British travellers abroad who are usually based in the UK advised to return now
  • international travel is becoming highly limited with the further closure of air routes, land borders and domestic restrictions introduced daily
  • British travellers should contact their tour operator or airline now. Commercial flight options are still available at present.

All British tourists and short-stay travellers currently abroad should return to the UK where and while commercial flight options are still available, the Foreign Secretary announced yesterday.

Last week, the FCO announced an unprecedented change in travel advice to advise against all but essential international travel, initially for a period of 30 days.

Monday’s update reflects the pace at which international travel is becoming more difficult with the closure of borders, airlines suspending flights, airports closing, exit bans and further restrictions being introduced daily. Further closures to air routes may come in the next 48 hours, possibly without notice.

Some British tourists abroad are already finding difficulties returning to the UK because of international travel restrictions and domestic policies around the world. The FCO is working around the clock to support all British travelers in this situation come back to the UK.

The UK government is working with airlines to keep routes open and is calling for international action to keep air routes open for a sufficient period of time to enable international travellers to return on commercial flights.

Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, said: “We are strongly urging UK travellers overseas to return home now where and while there are still commercial routes to do so. Around the world, more airlines are suspending flights and more airports are closing, some without any notice.

“Where commercial routes don’t exist, our staff are working round the clock to give advice and support to UK nationals. If you are on holiday abroad the time to come home is now while you still can.”

Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “This is a very difficult time for British citizens travelling overseas, or those with families and loved ones abroad.

“We’re in close contact with airlines, who are working tirelessly to ensure British citizens travelling overseas can safely return to the UK. We are also working closely with other government departments, including the FCO to ensure airlines are able to operate to bring people back home.”

British travellers should contact their tour operator or airline now to arrange a commercial flight if they want to leave. There is an unprecedented demand on the FCO’s consular services so all British tourists abroad should go online for the latest in-country advice.

This advice is aimed at British people travelling abroad, rather than those who are permanent resident overseas who are urged to follow the advice of the local authorities in their host country.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: “While it’s right British travellers are being urged to return to the UK, the reality is that there are now thousands of UK residents stranded in dozens of different destinations with no means to get back.

“The government must improve its communication and provide British citizens fearful of being stranded abroad with useful advice. Where scheduled services have been withdrawn, it should leave no stone unturned to get these people on flights home.”

Government must urgently support the self-employed, says TUC

The TUC has called on the government to provide urgent aid to Britain’s five million self-employed workers.

A new report published today says the current measures in place for self-employed workers are “inadequate” with many facing severe hardship over the coming months.

The report calls on ministers to extend the wage subsidy scheme announced on Friday to the self-employed.

The TUC says this could be done through providing the self-employed with a guarantee of at least 80% of their incomes based on their last three years of self-assessment tax returns.

This could be paid directly to the self-employed as a tax rebate.

The report highlights the example of Norway where the government is providing grants covering 80% of self-employed workers’ earnings. And Belgium where an income replacement scheme has been set up for the self-employed.

Commenting on the report TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government took a big and important step last week with wage subsidies for employed workers.

“But millions of self-employed workers – from the creative industries to construction – are still facing a collapse in their earnings. Many won’t be able to meet their basic living costs without further support. Ministers must urgently beef up support for the self-employed.

“Large-scale wage subsidies are the best way to boost household finances, keep businesses running and help our economy bounce back after this crisis. All workers – both employed and self-employed – should have their wages protected.”

The full TUC report can be found here:  https://www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/fixing-safety-net-what-next-supporting-working-peoples-incomes.