UK politics live: adviser on ministerial code resigns after Boris Johnson backs Priti Patel over bullying report
Priti Patel #PritiPatel
8.18am EST 08:18
The prime minister’s press secretary, Allegra Stratton, has insisted that he takes issues of bullying “extremely seriously”.
“I think it is clear to the home secretary and to her team, and I hope it is clear to the country, that he does take this issue incredibly seriously,” she said.
“He recognises that it is extremely difficult for individuals to come forward and raise these concerns with their bosses. He does understand that. He is grateful to those civil servants who have done so.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson has refused to ask the home secretary to resign over the findings of an inquiry into bullying claims. Photograph: Benjamin Wareing/Alamy Stock Photo
Stratton said that Sir Alex Allan, who has resigned as the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial standards, had made the point that Patel’s conduct needed to be seen in context and that Johnson was pleased that there was now a “more positive” relationship with civil servants.
“It is Sir Alex Allan who is saying to the prime minister that there are mitigating factors and the home secretary’s behaviour needs to be seen in context,” she said.
“The prime minister has to look at this case in the round and for these reasons – as the ultimate arbiter of the ministerial code – he has made these decisions today.”
Updated at 8.40am EST
8.05am EST 08:05
The temporary closure of youth courts due to Covid-19 has almost doubled the backlog of cases in some areas of England and Wales, increasing anguish for traumatised victims and creating more uncertainty for accused children, inspectors have found.
The closures have meant that some children have spent longer on remand than usual, with the proportion held in youth custody pre-conviction increasing from about a quarter to 38%, according to a report by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation (HMIP).
“As we face new local and regional restrictions, the ability to have remand cases heard and bail packages offered to courts will need to be carefully managed to avoid children spending time in custody unnecessarily,” the report warns.
This week the chair of the Criminal Bar Association in England and Wales told the Guardian the criminal justice system was “on its knees” as Covid exacerbated delays caused by a decade of cuts.
You can read the full report from our North of England editor, Helen Pidd, here:
8.03am EST 08:03
An incident management team (IMT) has been set up to investigate 15 deaths at a care home in Llangollen, north Wales. Over the past three weeks there have been 56 cases and 33 staff members have tested positive at the Llangollen Fechan Care Home.
Co-chair of the IMT, Nicola Stubbins, said: “We would like to assure all concerned that control measures have been put in place working jointly with the care home, including limiting the movement of staff and residents to reduce transmission.”
Asked about the outbreak at the Welsh government’s press conference, first minister Mark Drakeford raised the possibility of lateral flow tests being used in care homes.
7.56am EST 07:56
Registered home carers can access weekly Covid tests from Monday
Registered carers looking after people at home will be able to access weekly coronavirus tests from Monday, the Government has announced.
Carers working for providers registered with the Care Quality Commission will receive weekly tests to administer at home, the Department of Health and Social Care said.
Providers will be able to book PCR tests for their staff through an online portal from Monday.
It is hoped this roll-out will help protect vulnerable people receiving care at home and give workers “peace of mind” by picking up on any asymptomatic transmission.
Registered home carers will be given access to weekly Covid tests from Monday. Photograph: Gary John Norman/Getty Images/Cultura RF
Minister for care, Helen Whately, said: “Homecare workers have been doing an incredible job throughout the pandemic, caring day in and day out and going the extra mile to keep people they care for safe from Covid.
“As our testing capacity continues to expand, I’m glad we’re able to take this next step and make regular testing available to homecare workers. Now, as well as having Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), homecare workers will be able to take a weekly test to check they don’t have coronavirus.
“We now have the largest testing capacity in Europe, so we’re using this to protect those who are at greater risk if they catch Covid.”
7.45am EST 07:45
Police reacted with fury and said a pay freeze would be a “betrayal” for their sacrifices during the pandemic and “morally bankrupt”.
John Apter, chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales, John Apter, said any new freeze would come on top of a 18% cut in pay over the last decade.
Apter said:“During the pandemic, Government ministers have thanked and celebrated key workers in the public sector, even clapping on doorsteps to show their support. To freeze their pay and penalise these same workers would be complete hypocrisy.
“In real terms over the past decade, police officers have suffered an 18% cut in pay – so speculation that there are more real term cuts to come will not be well received by rank and file police officers, who bravely stepped up and helped to keep the country moving.
“I am not naïve – I know the country is facing a difficult financial future. But cutting the pay of key workers is not the solution.
“I appreciate this is just speculation at this stage, but also know how these stories often come out to test public reaction. Well, let me be clear – a pay freeze is not acceptable, and would be seen as a complete betrayal by this Government.
“Next week, I want to see the Chancellor show his support and thank public sector workers by making clear the speculative reports this week were just that – speculation and not reality.”
The Conservative government fell out with police over years of cuts after 2010, which saw police numbers fall and crime rise.Boris Johnson’s administration has been keen to have the police on side and the vehemence of Apter’s response shows a pay freeze could substantially damage relations between the government and rank and file officers.
7.44am EST 07:44
Civil servants’ union Prospect has said the prime minister’s decision not to take action against Priti Patel for breaching the ministerial code was “frankly unbelievable”.
General secretary Mark Clancy said: “This decision by the Prime Minister is a kick in the teeth for those civil servants who have been bullied by the Home Secretary, and indeed for anyone who has experienced unacceptable behaviour from their boss. For the person in charge of law and order in this country to be found to have bullied people, and get away with a slap on the wrist, is frankly unbelievable and she should consider her position.
“What this really illustrates is that we have a prime minister who is either too weak, or lacks the appropriate moral fibre to do the right thing. In no other organisation would the person in charge be the ultimate arbiter of whether a breach such as this has taken place. A truly independent process is essential now.”
7.40am EST 07:40
An upbeat Welsh first minister has said there is “good evidence” the country’s firebreak has had its “intended impact.”
Ten days after the firebreak ended, Mark Drakeford said there had been a “consistent” reduction in the rate of coronavirus.
Drakeford said according to the seven day incidence rate there were 160 cases per 100,000 people in Wales. In Anglesey, north Wales, the rate is at around 20 while in Blaenau Gwent in the south – the highest rate – it is at more than 350. The first minister said there had been a “huge drop” in cases in Merthyr Tydfil in south Wales – down from 770 to 250 per 100,000.
Drakeford said the number of people being admitted to hospital had stabilised but there was still the equivalent of 50 wards full of people seriously ill with Covid.
However, he said there was a “selfish minority” who were breaking the rules. He told a press conference in Cardiff the police had responded to more than 1,000 Covid-related incidents since the end of the firebeak.
He warned that if people stopped following the rules Covid would “flood back” but if people did act responsibly, there would be a “path through” to Christmas.
Drakeford said: “We have created a platform, We can build on it or fritter it away.”
7.36am EST 07:36
Speaking at the coronavirus briefing in Edinburgh, Nicola Sturgeon said that any plans to allow household mixing over the festive period would still carry risks, but she hopes that strict measures in the coming weeks can drive down the virus.
She said:
The fact is, the fewer people who are in the population who have Covid by the time we get to Christmas, the lower the risk of people being infected with it during that period.
It’s very important for me to be clear that the risks would not be zero – which is why we must be very careful about any relaxation over Christmas, and people will have to think carefully themselves even with any relaxation, about what they want to do or not.
The first minister was speaking in the hours before 11 council areas in west and central Scotland were put into Level 4 – the toughest level of restrictions.
7.28am EST 07:28
Scotland records 32 further coronavirus deaths
Scotland has recorded 32 deaths from coronavirus and 1,018 positive tests in the past 24 hours, Nicola Sturgeon has said.
Speaking during the Scottish Government’s daily briefing, the First Minister said the death toll under this measure – of people who first tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days – has risen to 3,459.
Ms Sturgeon said the daily test positivity rate is 4.8%, up from 4.6% on the previous day.
A total of 86,630 people have now tested positive in Scotland, up from 85,612.
Of the new cases, 391 are in Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 162 in Lanarkshire, and 123 in Lothian.
There are 1,234 people in hospital confirmed to have the virus, up by 22 in 24 hours.
Of these patients, 88 are in intensive care, up by three.
Updated at 7.28am EST
7.22am EST 07:22
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has just released the findings of its weekly coronavirus infection survey.
It estimated that there were an average of 38,900 new cases per day of Covid-19 in private households in England between November 8 to 14.
This is down from an estimated 47,700 new cases per day for the period October 31 to November 6.
The ONS said the rate of new infections “appears to have levelled off in the most recent week”.
The figures do not include people staying in hospitals, care homes or other institutional settings.
Between 8 and 14 November, it estimated that around 1 in 80 people in the community population in England had coronavirus.
Updated at 7.27am EST
7.11am EST 07:11
Labour MP Jess Phillips has branded the handling of the findings on Priti Patel as “an utter disgrace”.
“While the Government asks the entire country to stick to the rules it also cannot in good faith say that rules don’t apply to them.
“Any tory seeking to defend this is utterly without reason or comprehension,” she added.
The shadow justice secretary, David Lammy, said Boris Johnson was “condoning bullying” by keeping Patel in her post.
Updated at 7.24am EST
7.08am EST 07:08
More now on the findings of the inquiry into allegations that home secretary Priti Patel had bullied and harassed Home Office staff.
The prime minister’s independent adviser Sir Alex Allan, who has resigned, said Patel’s frustrations had seen her shout and swear in some instances.
In his published advice, he said:
She is action orientated and can be direct. The Home Secretary has also become – justifiably in many instances – frustrated by the Home Office leadership’s lack of responsiveness and the lack of support she felt in DfID three years ago.
The evidence is that this has manifested itself in forceful expression, including some occasions of shouting and swearing. This may not be done intentionally to cause upset, but that has been the effect on some individuals.
Sir Alex announced his resignation as Boris Johnson released a statement on the report’s findings.
He said: “I recognise that it is for the prime minister to make a judgement on whether actions by a minister amount to a breach of the ministerial code.
“But I feel that it is right that I should now resign from my position as the prime minister’s independent adviser on the code.”
6.58am EST 06:58
An expected public sector pay freeze will be the “final straw” for many teachers and it could lead to an “exodus” from the profession, education unions have warned.
One head teachers’ union leader described the reports of a possible pay cap as a “huge kick in the teeth” for school staff, adding that it was “an insult” in light of the profession’s efforts during the coronavirus crisis.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is reportedly preparing to announce a wage freeze for millions of teachers, police, council staff, civil servants and other public servants when he unveils his spending review next week.
Education unions have said it would be a “slap in the face” for the profession if the Government imposes a cap on the pay of public sector workers.
Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “For many experienced teachers and leaders the prospect of a pay freeze will be the final straw and we are extremely concerned that it will lead to an exodus from the profession.”
He added: “There is only so much that people can take. If the Government goes down the road of imposing a pay freeze on top of everything else, it is in danger of precipitating a crisis in which many teachers and leaders decide enough is enough.”
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said the reports “will be seen as a huge kick in the teeth for millions of school staff.”
He added: “The civic response to Covid has been characterised by the willingness of public sector workers, school staff included, to go the extra mile. Public sector workers have been critical to the national effort. They have also endured personal losses and tragedies.”
6.46am EST 06:46
PM’s ministerial standards adviser quits over Priti Patel decision
Sir Alex Allan, the prime minister’s adviser on ministerial standards, has quit following Johnson’s refusal to sack Priti Patel.
A Cabinet Office inquiry into allegations of bullying and harassment by the home secretary found that she had broken the ministerial code.
But Boris Johnson has judged that Patel did not breach the code.
In the report, Allan advised that Patel had not consistently met “the high standards required by the ministerial code of treating her civil servants with consideration and respect”.
It added that her approach on occasions had amounted to behaviour “that can be described as bullying in terms of the impact felt by individuals”.
“To that extent her behaviour has been in breach of the ministerial code, even if unintentionally.”
Patel has apologised for upset caused by her behaviour in a statement. She said:
I am sorry that my behaviour in the past has upset people. It has never been my intention to cause upset to anyone.
I am very grateful for the hard work of thousands of civil servants who help to deliver the government’s agenda.
I care deeply about delivering on the commitments we have made to the people of this country and I acknowledge that I am direct and have at times got frustrated.
I would like to thank the prime minister for his support.
Updated at 6.57am EST
6.29am EST 06:29
Mass asymptomatic testing for Covid-19 should be carried out in schools, the Welsh government’s expert advisory panel has recommended.
Such a programme should take into account background infection rates and the “full spectrum” of available testing technologies, according to the the Technical Advisory Group (TAG)
The group’s recommendation – following a review of Covid-19 and children under the age of 18 echoes what at least one major teachers union across the UK has been calling on the Westminster government to implement for some time.
Education and childcare are “key testing priorities,” according to the government in Wales, where the nation’s first mass testing pilot for the virus will launch in the South Wales town on Saturday with more sites due to open through Merthyr Tydfil County Borough throughout November.
Wales’ 17-day firebreak lockdown has brought coronavirus rates down across the nation, the Welsh First Minister, Mark Drakeford, said this morning.
The decision to impose the lockdown, which started on October 23 and ended on November 9, was criticised by UK Government ministers before Boris Johnson announced England’s own month-long lockdown, which is due to end on December 2.
6.18am EST 06:18
In case you missed it this morning, the NHS is preparing to open dozens of mass vaccination centres across England to vaccinate people against Covid-19.
There will be at least 42 centres, based in places such as conference centres, and the NHS is planning to hire tens of thousands of staff to run them, the Health Service Journal reported.
The fresh details of how people will get the vaccine come as NHS England prepares to publish its “deployment plan” for how it will store, distribute and administer the vaccine.
Around 1,560 GP-led “designated sites” will likely be the first places to issue the vaccine, before mass vaccination centres are opened. Photograph: David Cheskin/PA
Sir Simon Stevens, its chief executive, and Boris Johnson are expected to promote the plan during a press conference on Friday. The prime minister is currently self-isolating after close contact with a Conservative MP who tested positive for coronavirus.
There will be at least one mass vaccination centre in each of the NHS’s 42 sustainability and partnership areas and the centres will be sited in cities and larger towns.
The Guardian reported last week that each mass vaccination centre will vaccinate between 2,000 and 5,000 people a day.
You can read the full report from our health policy editor, Denis Campbell, here: