Boris Johnson news – live: Government to offer votes on ‘significant coronavirus measures’ after PM accused of ‘confusion’

The government is set to offer a vote to MPs on any “significant national measures” introduced to stem the spread of the coronavirus in a bid to see off a Commons rebellion from backbench Tories.

It follows a rebuke from Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who said the way No 10 had imposed Covid measures showed “total disregard” for the Commons. However, the Speaker said he could not select a Tory amendment aimed at giving MPs a bigger say on shaping the rules.

Meanwhile Boris Johnson has been accused of creating mass confusion over coronavirus restrictions by Sir Keir Starmer. The Labour leader said at PMQs: “If the prime minister doesn’t understand the rules … How does [he] expect the rest of the country to follow?

And there has been a furious response to reports Priti Patel considering building a centre for asylum seekers on Ascension Island – a volcanic outcrop in the Atlantic Ocean. Labour said the idea was “inhumane”, while a UN official called it “extremely inappropriate”.