Politics latest news: Boris Johnson must set out lockdown exit strategy or people will 'rise up', warns senior Tory
Boris Johnson must set out an exit strategy from lockdown or risk people starting to "rise up and bring it down", a senior Tory has warned.
Sir Desmond Swayne, the MP for New Forest West, told Talk Radio that the "goalposts keep moving" as to when restrictions will be lifted.
He said: "We have to focus on hospital admissions and keep that focus rigorous...[or] at some stage people have got to rise up and bring it down."
Yesterday the Covid Recovery Group called for an exit strategy, after the Prime Minister refused to say whether restrictions would be lifted by the summer, having originally ear-marked mid-February. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, also dampened hopes of foreign summer holidays.
This morning George Eustice, the Environment Secretary, told Sky News that he was hopeful by "late spring/early summer it will be possible to return to life much closer to normal", adding that "it won't be normal, but we will start to come out of lockdown and return to life as we once knew it."
Follow the latest updates below.
08:42 AM
Cash for Covid considered as part of lockdown exit strategy, says minister
The 'cash for Covid' one-off payment is being considered to boost compliance once the country leaves full lockdown and returns to a tiered system, George Eustice has said.
The Environment Secretary told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We are currently in a full lockdown. Everybody should be staying at home and generally they are. And we are starting to see the prevalence of the virus going down as you would expect."
The £500 policy was being considered as "as we emerge from lockdown and go into new phase, how do you ensure people who need to isolate do so," he added.
"There were problems in the previous tier systems with a lack of compliance here, people being reluctant to self-isolate."
08:30 AM
Nissan decision 'great vote of confidence' in the UK, says Boris Johnson
Boris Johnson has hailed the decision by by car manufacturer Nissan to continue investing in the UK as "a great vote of confidence".
The Japanese car maker has committed to keeping its Sunderland plant open as a result of the trade deal reached between the UK and the EU.
It said it will move additional battery production close to the plant where it has 6,000 direct employees and supports nearly 70,000 jobs in the supply chain.
The Prime Minister tweeted that it was "fantastic news for the brilliant @Nissan workforce in Sunderland and electric vehicle manufacturing in this country."
This is a great vote of confidence in the UK and fantastic news for the brilliant @Nissan workforce in Sunderland and electric vehicle manufacturing in this country.https://t.co/W6nN1ki3Lq
— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) January 22, 2021
08:22 AM
Post-Brexit trade disruption caused by 'structural problem' with deal, says Arlene Foster
Disruption in trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain is a "structural problem" caused by the protocol, Stormont First Minister Arlene Foster said.
Hauliers have faced problems transporting stock to Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK and pet owners face unnecessary veterinary procedures if they want to bring their animals across the Irish Sea.
Ministers including Michael Gove have insisted this is down to teething problems, which will be resolved as businesses and officials get used to the new way of working.
But the DUP leader told the BBC's Radio 4: "It is most definitely a structural problem in the Northern Ireland protocol. We warned about that last year when people voted to bring in the protocol, that there would be difficulties moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland."
08:13 AM
Chancellor reiterates pledge to tackle public finances as borrowing reaches record high
The Chancellor has reiterated his commitment to return public finances to "a more sustainable footing" after borrowing reached an all-time high of £2.13 trillion.
Government borrowing hit £34.1 billion in December, from £31.6 billion a month earlier, the Office for National Statistics said this morning.
Since April, public bodies have borrowed £270.8 billion, pushing the UK's debt to 99.4 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP), the highest level since 1962.
Rishi Sunak said: “Since the start of the pandemic we’ve invested over £280bn to protect jobs and livelihoods across the UK, and support our economy and public services.
“This has clearly been the fiscally responsible thing to do. But, as I’ve said before, once our economy begins to recover, we should look to return the public finances to a more sustainable footing.”
08:10 AM
Cash for Covid payment is being considered, minister confirms
A new £500 payment for people quarantining after testing positive for coronavirus is under review, a Cabinet minister has said.
Health officials are drawing up the proposals amid concern that just one in six people with symptoms are coming forward for tests because some fear a positive result and self-isolation would cost them too much, the Telegraph reported this morning.
Environment Secretary George Eustice told Sky News: "We do need people, if they are asked to self-isolate because they have been contacted through our Test and Trace, we do need them to self-isolate.
"And, obviously, we always review the reasons why they might not."
On the suggested payment, Mr Eustice added: "No decisions have been made on this but this is a dynamic, fast-moving situation with the pandemic.
"We are always keeping multiple policies under review.
"We have had a targeted £500 payment already for those who are on benefits to help them with the costs of staying at home when they are unable to work."
08:08 AM
Minister resists lockdown timeline amid backbench demands for exit strategy
The Environment Secretary has refused to give any clear indication of when lockdown will end, amid renewed calls from backbenchers for an exit strategy.
Yesterday Boris Johnson refused to say if summer was the new deadline, having originally ear-marked mid-February as the point at which restrictions could be lifted.
George Eustice said his Cabinet colleague Matt Hancock had reviewed and extended restrictions for at least two weeks, but gave no indication of any timeframe for them being lifted.
"This will go on for as long as it needs to," he told Sky News. "We are not going to come out of it until it is safe to do so, but it will require further progress in the vaccine."
Asked about the prospect of foreign summer holidays, he said: "No one can quite see where we will be by the summer [but] there is light at the end of the tunnel."
07:54 AM
Ministers consider £500 payment for positive Covid test
Ministers are considering paying £500 to everyone who tests positive for Covid under plans that would cost the state almost £2 billion a month.
Health officials are understood to have drawn up the proposals amid concern that just one in six people with symptoms are coming forward for tests because some fear a positive result and self-isolation would cost them too much.
Under the current system, only those on a low income who cannot work from home and are eligible for benefits are entitled to a "support payment" of £500.
But ministers are considering replacing that system with a universal payment, meaning anyone who had a positive test could claim the funds. The move has been costed at up to £453 million a week if there were 60,000 cases a day – 12 times the cost of the current approach.
