Coronavirus news - live: UK at Covid ‘tipping point’ warns Hancock as Londoners could be told to work from home again

Sir Keir Starmer has called on Boris Johnson to take “swift, decisive action” to tackle the rise in coronavirus cases.

Asked on Times Radio whether he would back a second lockdown, the Labour leader said: “Everybody is deeply concerned by rise in infection rates and near collapse of testing.”

He says he backs the government on opening schools and getting people back to work but adds: “We were promised world beating, we have got a system that is barely serviceable.”

“The prime minister needs to take swift decisive action - we can’t be slow again - a Cobra meeting is desperately needed - we haven’t had a cobra meeting since May,” he said.

“This is the time to get a grip, not to pretend the problem isn’t there. We have supported them on lockdown, we have supported them on local restrictions.”

He also said the government was “looking increasingly incompetent” but admitted that didn’t mean everybody should vote Labour. "Every vote has to be earned."

‘The aftercare was shocking’: How Covid-19 is affecting childbirth

Nine in ten women say their maternity choices were changed due to the coronavirus crisis, a troubling new study has found.

Make Birth Better, a campaign group which polled 458 pregnant women, say mothers-to-be have been forced to given birth without partners and have had less access to pain relief in the wake of the public health emergency.

Public fear local lockdowns amid return of students

More than half of people living in university towns and cities fear the return of students will lead to coronavirus spikes and restrictions in their area, according to a survey.

Tens of thousands of students are due back on campus over the next few weeks and government scientific advisers have already warned it is "highly likely" there will be significant coronavirus outbreaks.

The Survation poll, carried out for the University and College Union (UCU), found 57% of people fear local restrictions will result, with nearly half (48%) indicating they will blame the government.

It also found half of respondents believe universities should cancel all face-to-face teaching, with 57% expressing a lack of confidence in local Test and Trace systems to control outbreaks.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said online learning needs to be the default position and the Government and universities must "stop selling the lie to students that they can have a full university experience in the current crisis".

She added: "Vice-chancellors are in denial and creating hygiene theatre to pretend institutions are safe. It cannot be business as normal at the moment and they need to stop pretending that is a credible option. People do not want to see local outbreaks on their doorstep.

"With the Test and Trace system in England at breaking point it is no wonder that the public do not have confidence in the system or this Government. Without a nationally co-ordinated, comprehensive testing system in place, universities and colleges simply will not be able to cope with outbreaks or potential outbreaks.”

'Wear Masks": Red Cross repeats message from 1918 flu pandemic

Case surge among refugees in Middle East

The number of coronavirus cases among refugees and the displaced is surging across the Middle East, humanitarian agencies and the UN have warned, as the first infections were reported among Syrians living in camps in Jordan.    

The true rate of infection among the 18 million people displaced in the region is unknown because of a chronic lack of  testing. But UN data shows there well over a thousand confirmed to have Covid-19 in Jordan, Syria, Iraq, the Palestinian Territories and Lebanon. 

Stag hunt makes mockery of coronavirus rules

About 130 people met for a stag hunt, almost all not wearing masks, in scenes critics said “made a mockery of the social sacrifices” of others to limit the spread of coronavirus.

The Devon and Somerset Staghounds, who recently received a £10,000 grant and a £50,000 loan from taxpayer-backed coronavirus schemes, attracted dozens of followers when they hunted on Thursday.

Up to 55,000 households face eviction, say campaigners

Tens of thousands of private renters could be at risk of losing their homes when the ban on evictions ends on Monday, campaign groups say.

Renters in England and Wales have been protected from eviction during the Covid-19 outbreak by a ban announced in March which was then extended, meaning anyone served with an eviction notice since August 29 has been given a six-month notice period.

But up to around 55,000 households in England who were served notices between March and August do not enjoy this protection and need further help, said campaign group Generation Rent.

The National Residential Landlord Association (NRLA) said it has encouraged landlords to "work with their tenants to sustain tenancies wherever possible".

But the NRLA added it is important to begin tackling the "most serious cases" including tenants committing anti-social behaviour and domestic abuse, or with rent arrears which "have nothing to do with Covid-19".

Tourists flock to Blackpool

Visitors to Blackpool this weekend have reported crowds of people on the promenade, long queues and a failure to follow social distancing rules.

Blackpool is not included in the new restrictions being imposed across Lancashire on Tuesday but police have warned tourists not to visit in “mass numbers”.

The town's famous Illuminations are on display until January, with the normal run extended for two months to boost tourism, and on Saturday those visiting the seaside also enjoyed sunny weather.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Deputy Chief Constable of Lancashire Constabulary Terry Woods said: "Going to Blackpool, if you're not from Blackpool, this weekend and mingling in any large crowds, that is not looking after my family and it wouldn't be looking after your family.

"What we need to do is focus in on protecting yourself and your family. Make sensible decisions to protect yourselves, going to Blackpool in mass numbers is quite the opposite of protecting yourselves."

Czech government to discuss declaring state of emergency

The Czech government could declare a state of emergency if a recent spike in coronavirus cases continues in the coming days, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said.

"Should we need to have some deeper measures (against the epidemic), then the emergency state will be necessary," Vojtech said in a televised debate on Sunday.

The government should debate this step on Monday, Vojtech said, after new coronavirus cases reached record highs over the past week. The  country of 10.7 million had reported a total of 48,306 cases as of Saturday, health ministry data showed..

"The 'R' (reproduction) number is around 1.6. We will have to assess it based on weekdays when more tests are done," he said.

UK faces lockdown because of PM’s incompetence, says Labour

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner has said the UK is facing the prospect of another national lockdown because of Boris Johnson's "failure and incompetence".

In  speech at Labour’s ‘virtual’ conference, Ms Rayner also accused the prime minister of blaming others for his government's mistakes.

She said: “It is always somebody else's fault - civil servants, the public health body they voted to create in the first place, or even the public for doing the right thing and trying to get a Covid test."