Boris Johnson news – live: Gavin Williamson accused of ‘repeated incompetence’ after day of GCSE results chaos, as government ‘risks major misstep’ with PHE closure
Follow live updates below
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Gavin Williamson was accused of “repeated incompetence” after a day in which both he and the Department for Education apparently contradicted themselves on when GCSE students official results would be released. The exam board later clarified that students would have them by Thursday.
The education secretary also refused to say whether he had offered his resignation to Boris Johnson, after the government was forced into a painful U-turn on Monday in allowing students to use teachers’ suggested grades, rather than those awarded by a government algorithm based on schools’ performance history.
While reports suggested that Mr Williamson’s offer to resign had been refused by the prime minister, his public comments appeared to lay blame at the feet of civil servants, telling LBC that Ofqual “didn’t deliver the system that we had been reassured and believed that would be in place”.
It came as headteachers union ASCL called for an urgent independent review of the exams grading fiasco, with general secretary Geoff Barton claiming it was necessary because ”public confidence has been badly shaken”.
Meanwhile, the government faced further criticism for its decision to replace Public Health England (PHE) during a pandemic, with independent health think-tank, the Nuffield Trust, warning of a “major misstep”.
Health secretary Matt Hancock raised further eyebrows as he unveiled its replacement body, the National Institute for Health Protection, by insisting that “one of the big learnings” of the coronavirus crisis has been the need for private intervention in the health sector.
Citing the partnership between the government, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University in creating a vaccine candidate, he claimed the idea of a “divide” between the public and private sectors was now “for the birds”, adding: ”So my message to everyone in the private sector is – join us in the mission.”
Read below to see how we reported on the day's events as they unfolded:
Labour says government plan to break up PHE during pandemic is 'irresponsible'
Shadow health minister Jonathan Ashworth has strongly condemned the government’s decision to replace Public Health England (PHE) during the pandemic, labelling it as “risky” and “irresponsible”.
Mr Ashworth’s comments, which were made in a series of scathing tweets, came as Matt Hancock is set to announce Conservative peer Baroness Dido Harding as the head of the agency replacing PHE.
In one of his Twitter posts, Mr Ashworth accused Boris Johnson’s government of trying to “shift the blame”.
"A structural reorganisation mid-pandemic is time consuming, energy sapping. It's risky indeed irresponsible,” he added.
The shadow health minister also asked who will be responsible for priorities including sexual health, obesity and anti smoking, now that PHE was being replaced.
Christina Marriott, chief executive of the Royal Society for Public Health, said: "We question the timing of an announcement to scrap our national public health agency in the midst of a global pandemic and before any public inquiry has started, let alone reported."
Exam results volte face is latest in series of government U-turns during pandemic
The government’s decision to change its exam grades policy is just the latest in a string of reversals it has been forced to make during the pandemic, writes Kate Devlin.
On Monday, the government said that students would receive their predicted grades instead of the grades they were awarded last week, which had been moderated by an algorithm.
Boris Johnson’s government has been forced to make other U-turns since the start of lockdown, including its policies on free school meals during the summer holidays and on a bereavement scheme for the relatives of key workers who have died of Covid-19.
Read more here:
Hancock confirms Public Health England to be scrapped
Health secretary Matt Hancock has confirmed that the government will replace Public Health England, amid warnings that the move is “irresponsible” during a pandemic.
Speaking at the Policy Exchange think-tank, Mr Hancock said that Baroness Dido Harding, a Conservative peer who is in change of the test and trace system, will become the new institute’s interim head.
The National Institution for Health Protection, which is set to start operating in spring 2021, wil protect the the country from external threats such as infectious diseases, according to the health secretary.
His comments came after Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, condemned the decision in a serious of tweets on Tuesday morning.
In one of the messages, Mr Ashworth wrote: “Today we’ll get a structural reorganisation, an attempt at blame shifting, more corrosive privatisation.”
Hancock explains new health organisation's mission
Matt Hancock has said that the government is replacing Public Health England with a new organisation called the National Institution for Health Protection.
In a speech given at the Policy Exchange think-tank, the health secretary claimed the decision would "give ourselves the best chance of beating this virus" and would enable the country to deal with future external "health threats".
He said: "To give ourselves the best chance of beating this virus and spotting and tackling other external health threats now and in the future, we need to bring together the science and the skill into one coherent whole.
"So, today, I am announcing that we are forming a new organisation, the National Institute for Health Protection," he added.
Mr Hancock did not specify how much funding the public health sector would receive.
Kent County Council to stop taking in new unaccompanied migrant children
Asylum-seeking children who arrive in Dover without other family members will no longer be looked after by Kent County Council.
Instead, the children will remain with the UK Border Force at Dover until another UK local authority has space to safely care for them, according to the council.
This comes one day after Roger Gough, the council leader, said that the council had reached its capacity to provide care for migrant children.
PM did not lose temper over A-levels U-turn, Williamson says
The education secretary Gavin Williamson has said that Boris Johnson did not get angry with him over the exam grades fiasco.
Mr Williamson told LBC: "The prime minister is a very, very even-tempered person and certainly didn't lose his temper with me.
He added that he hade “very good” discussions with the prime minister, who agreed with the decision to give students their predicted grades.
Mr Williamson said it was not a conversation that "you ever want to have".
"But my belief is if something's wrong, if something isn't working, the key thing to do is to fix it. That's what I did and that's what I'd always do,” he added.
'The Government risks making a major misstep'
The chief executive of the Nuffield Trust, an independent health think tank, has warned that the government is risking a “major misstep” by dismantling Public Health England.
Responding to Matt Hancock’s speech on the future of public health, Nigel Edwards said: "There is no doubt that Public Health England is far from perfect: serious questions should be asked about the agency’s role in some of the failures around testing, contract tracing and PPE in the early stages of the pandemic.
“But the correct way to respond to these questions is a proper and evidence-led investigation of what went wrong across government. Without this, we risk a disproportionate response to problems that could be dealt with through straightforward managerial action.
“The government risks making a major misstep by dismantling its own Public Health agency at such a crucial time, creating a huge distraction for staff who should be dedicating themselves to the next stage of the pandemic.
“There is no clear argument as to why this rebranding and reshuffling will solve some of the problems highlighted by the secretary of state today.”
Richard Murray, chief executive of health think tank The King's Fund, was equally critical of Mr Hancock's decision to break up PHE.
"Undoubtedly, there are questions to be answered about England's handling of the Covid-19 crisis, but the middle of a pandemic is not the time to dismantle England's public health agency," Mr Murray said.
EU warns of October deadline for post-Brexit trade deal
The EU has said that a post-Brexit trade agreement with the UK must be reached by “October at the latest”.
A spokesperson for the EU Commission expressed hopes for an “ambitious and fair partnership with the UK”, adding that a deal must be struck by late October for it to be ratified in time.
"This week and over the coming weeks we will remain constructive, we will remain engaged and respectful with the UK negotiating team in order to reach a deal,” the spokesperson added.
This comes a day after a Downing Street spokesperson said that the government remains confident that a deal can be achieved in September.
Millions take advantage of eating out scheme
Restaurants have served more than 35 million half-priced meals as part of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme, according to the Treasury.
The offer allows customers to take advantage of the discount on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout August in a bid to boost the economy.
This comes after the economy shrank by a record 20.4 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.
Under the eating out initiative, restaurants take 50 per cent off a customer’s bill, up to a total of £10, before claiming the money back from the government.
Stephen Wall, the co-founder of restaurant chain Pho, said: "It's so nice to see our restaurants full of happy staff and customers again.”
Scottish schools need 3,500 more teachers for social distancing to work, union claims
An additional 3,500 teachers are required in Scottish schools to allow for social distancing, Scotland’s largest teaching union has said.
Writing to first minister Nicola Sturgeon, Larry Flanagan, the general secretary of EIS, also said that there needed to be stronger advice on face masks, referring to the fact that pupils and staff are not currently obliged to wear face coverings.
Mr Flanagan said: "We need the Scottish Government to fund the hiring of the 3,500 teachers identified by the GTCS (General Teaching Council for Scotland) as willing to aid education recovery so that we can reduce class sizes and make possible physical distancing.”
"We also need stronger advice on face coverings, where physical distancing is not possible," he added.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments