Labour MP tells BBC Breakfast COVID financial support should be extended

Shadow Minister for Business and Consumers, Lucy Powell MP, tells BBC Breakfast that coronavirus financial support should be extended.

Credit: @BBCBreakfast via Twitter

Latest stories

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  • Lockdown roadmap: Everything you can do from 8 March

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  • Piers Morgan torn apart for ‘hateful’ takedown of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry on Good Morning Britain

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  • ‘We never sulk’: Brussels shrugs off Frost claim of ill-will in Brexit row

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  • Scottish Tories condemn Nicola Sturgeon’s power over ministerial code, despite loophole clearing Priti Patel

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  • Caroline Flack’s mother calls out Lorraine Kelly and Graham Norton for laughing about daughter’s career woes

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  • Grandparents allowed to see young grandchildren as PM hails 'joy and relief' of lockdown easing

    Boris Johnson has hailed the “joy and relief” that Monday's easing of lockdown will bring families as he confirmed a grandparent will be able to see young grandchildren under the new rules. Before Monday, the Government's Covid-19 guidance said two people were only allowed to meet outdoors if they were doing exercise, such as walking or jogging. Those restrictions have been loosened, with people now allowed to meet one-on-one outside for recreational activities such as having a coffee on a park bench or a picnic. The Telegraph can confirm that children aged under five are exempt from such rules, however, meaning a parent meeting a grandparent can bring along young children. Mr Johnson told this newspaper: “Today marks the first step in our cautious easing of lockdown restrictions, with pupils returning to schools and outdoor socialising with one other person allowed. “While this is only a small relaxation of the rules, I know this increased social contact will provide joy and relief for families with grandparents being able to see young grandchildren again after months of tough restrictions. "But we must remain vigilant as we move through our plan to reopen society and return towards normality.” The rule tweak is one of three key changes happening today, which is the first date in Mr Johnson’s “roadmap” out of lockdown. The other two are the reopening of all English schools and the ability for care home residents to be visited by a single named individual, with hand-holding allowed. The changes reflect that fact that the Prime Minister and his inner team have prioritised getting children into the classroom again and reuniting families. Many of the existing restrictions remain, however. No more than two adults from different households can meet outdoors to chat. Full family reunions outside will have to wait until March 29 at the earliest. Such one-on-one meetings also have to take place in public outdoor settings rather than private gardens. Social distancing rules also remain in place, which means people are advised to remain six feet apart and wear face masks if close to others. But the change does end the need to be moving when catching up with someone – a rule difficult to abide by for those with limited mobility and which was being broken by some. Mr Johnson has made “cautious but irreversible” the central theme of his reopening plan, which takes place in four stages. By the end of March groups of six or two different households will be able to meet outside. By April 12, pubs and restaurants should be allowed to serve outside. May 17 is the earliest indoor dining and indoor meet-ups will be allowed, with June 21 provisionally named as the date almost all restrictions will be lifted. However, the Prime Minister has repeatedly stressed that these dates are simply “earliest” ones, with delays possible if the data tracking the fight against Covid-19 worsens. Four metrics are being watched: the speed of the vaccine roll-out; the efficacy of the vaccines on deaths and hospitalisations; whether case rises threaten to overwhelm the NHS; and whether new variants emerge that increase risk. Reviews are ongoing to determine when social distancing rules could be eased and whether overseas holidays could be allowed again in time for summer.

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  • UK must prepare for 'hard winter' with threat of Covid and flu surge, health expert warns

    Britain should prepare itself for a "hard winter" with the threat of Covid-19 and a flu surge still a possibility, a Public Health England official has said. The NHS will have to be ready for a potential rise in respiratory viruses as people wait to discover if there is a strong level of immunity in the population, according to Dr Susan Hopkins, who advises the Government on its Covid policy. Dr Hopkins, who is Covid-19 strategic response director to Public Health England, told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I think we have to prepare for a hard winter, not only with coronavirus but we've had a year of almost no respiratory viruses of any other type, and that means potentially the population immunity to that is less, and so we could see surges in flu. "We could surges in other respiratory viruses and other respiratory pathogens." Dr Hopkins added: "So it's really important that we're prepared from the NHS point of view, from public health and contact tracing, that we have everything ready to prepare for a difficult autumn, and we hope that it won't occur and there will be a normal winter for all of us." Dr Hopkins said she believed "we will all have our summer holidays" but her job is to advise the Government and to prepare for "worst-case scenarios". She told the programme: "We have to make sure that we're prepared, and that we're better prepared for this autumn than we have been previously." Despite her warnings for next year, Dr Hopkins said the emergence of new variants of the coronavirus should not derail a plan to start easing a nationwide lockdown in England over the coming weeks. "I think it won't change it for the next three to five weeks, that would be highly unlikely," Dr Hopkins, PHE’s strategic response director, told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. "We will need to watch it carefully as new strains come into the country from around the world and we will need to be very ready for autumn."

  • Prince Harry and William to reunite at unveiling of Diana statue as they move past rift

    The Duke of Sussex is determined to stand shoulder to shoulder with his brother at the unveiling of a statue of their mother Diana, Princess of Wales, whatever the fallout from his interview with Oprah Winfrey. Prince Harry hopes that the brothers can present a united front at Kensington Palace on July 1, which would have been the Princess’s 60th birthday, in an attempt to move past their rift. A source close to Prince Harry insisted that whatever had been said and done, he desperately hoped to attend the event and considered it a priority. There is more uncertainty about whether the Duke might make it back to the UK for earlier events, such as Trooping the Colour on June 12 or the Duke of Edinburgh’s 100th birthday on June 10, partly due to the impending birth of his second child, thought to be due around that time. Despite the explosive nature of the revelations made to Ms Winfrey, the Sussexes consider the interview their last word on the subject and want to move on. They felt they needed to have their say and explain to the public why they turned their backs on royal life, but now consider the matter closed, sources said. One friend said: “It was something they felt they wanted and needed to do but now they have done it, they feel a line has been drawn under that chapter of their lives and they want to move on.”

  • Private equity giant TPG in pole position to snap up £180m McLaren HQ

    The private equity group TPG has moved into pole position to acquire the headquarters of McLaren Group, the British supercar manufacturer and Formula One team-owner. The transaction, which could be finalised as soon as this month, will be structured as a sale-and-leaseback of the McLaren Technology Centre along with the rest of the group's base. It will enable McLaren to continue occupying its home while raising money to strengthen a balance sheet which has been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

  • Thousands of Rangers fans flout lockdown to celebrate title win despite Nicola Sturgeon plea

    Thousands of Rangers fans have flouted lockdown rules to celebrate their team's first title win in a decade despite Nicola Sturgeon's pleas for them to go home. They gathered in droves outside Ibrox stadium in Glasgow after Celtic were held to a draw by Dundee United, a result that meant Rangers were crowned champions. Thousands of fans then marched to the city centre, where hundreds more had already gathered in George Square. They let off fireworks and smoke bombs as they chanted and wildly celebrated their club's first league win in ten years. Under current guidance, public gatherings are banned and a maximum of two people from two households are allowed to meet outdoors.

  • Maskless Spring Break Revelers Fill Bar Patio in Fort Lauderdale

    Partygoers were spotted filling a bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on March 3, as spring break was underway for many college students across the United States despite the COVID-19 pandemic.Footage taken by Chad McCoury shows Fort Lauderdale’s Cafe Ibiza packed with revelers, many of whom were seen without facial coverings.As March 7, the state of Florida had reported 1,944,995 total cases of COVID-19 and 31,683 deaths. Bars and restaurants are allowed to operate at 50% capacity indoors and at 100% capacity outdoors, according to the Florida Department of Health. Credit: @ChadMcCoury via Storyful