Boris Johnson news – live: Gavin Williamson accused of ‘repeated incompetence’ after day of GCSE results chaos, as government ‘risks major misstep’ with PHE closure

Health experts criticise government’s decision to dismantle PHE

Health experts have condemned the government’s move to scrap Public Health England (PHE), after health secretary Matt Hancock announced on Tuesday that it would be replaced. 

Richard Murray, chief executive of health think tank The King's Fund, said that now was not the right time to dismantle the public health agency.

Mr Murray said: "Public Health England appears to have been found guilty without a trial.

"It is unclear what problem government are hoping to solve by carving up PHE and redistributing its responsibilities.

"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."

Hancock defends appointment of Baroness Harding as head of new public health organisation

Health secretary Matt Hancock has defended the appointment of the Tory peer Baroness Dido Harding as head of the new public health agency, saying “her leadership will be vital”. 

After announcing the axing of Public Health England and Baroness Harding’s position at the helm of its replacement, Mr Hancock told reporters that she had the “combination of experience externally and experience in the NHS”. 

Baroness Harding previously served as the chief executive of TalkTalk and is currently in charge of the government’s track and trace programme. 

Her new appointment comes as critics have called into question the success and cost of the contact tracing scheme she leads.

Universities demand clarity of A-level results U-turn

Universities are seeking urgent clarity from the government after it said that A-level students would now receive predicted grades rather than those moderated by an algorithm. 

While students who now have higher grades are trying to secure places at their first-choice universities, there are concerns that some courses no longer have enough spaces. 

A statement from Newcastle University said that it was working to accommodate all students who meet their offer. However, it noted that some places may have to be given for the following academic year because of externally-determined caps on courses including medicine. 

"We are therefore seeking clarity from the Government and relevant agencies about ensuring as many students as possible can be accepted to their first-choice university. Where this is not possible, we will guarantee a deferred place for next year," the statement added. 

Similarly, Queen's University Belfast said it is asking the government for "clarity as a matter of urgency" on a range of issues, including whether course quotas can now be adjusted.

Stormont education minister criticised for ‘following’ Westminster’s grading policy 

A Northern Irish politician has criticised the education minister in Stormont for “following the approach of London”, before performing a U-turn on A-level grades on Monday. 

In a special meeting of the Northern Ireland Assembly, SDLP politician Daniel McCrossan said the downgrading of results was “unforgivable”, adding that students had been failed “incredibly”. 

Around 11,000 grades were thought to have been lowered from teachers' predictions under the controversial system. 

Mr McCrossan welcomed Monday’s policy reversal by Peter Weir but suggested it had still caused “huge damage”. 

"There's really serious questions about what has happened here, and, yes, we're in a better position today than yesterday, but there's still huge damage that has been caused to the mental health of young people, and teachers have been offended and annoyed," he said.

The SDLP politician also questioned whether Mr Weir was following Westminster. 

"Are we here as representatives for the people of Northern Ireland or are we here to take our lead from London?" he asked.

Government sows fresh confusion about when GCSE students will get final grades

The government has sowed fresh confusion about when GCSE students will get their final grades after apparently contradicting itself on when official results will be released, our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports.

Labour accused Education Secretary Gavin Williamson of "repeated incompetence" and demanded the department provide "immediate clarity" on when marks would be released – warning that pupils would be worried about losing college and apprenticeship places.

The Department for Education said on Monday night that schools and college students will receive their teacher-predicted grades on Thursday, but also that "official results will be released to students next week".

The situation was further confused by Mr Williamson, who on Tuesday morning said students would receive their highest grade on Thursday and then official certification next week.

The Independent contacted the Department for Education press office to clarify the situation on Tuesday morning but did not receive a response at the time of publication.

Home Office rejects facilities set to house unaccompanied migrant children are 'prison-like'

The Home Office has rejected accusations that unaccompanied migrant children will be placed in "prison-like" facilities after Kent County Council announced it had reached capacity, running out of resources such as social workers and suitable accommodation.

Now any new migrant children arriving unaccompanied in Kent will remain in the care of Border Force's Intake Unit in Dover until they can be transferred into the care of another local authority - which the Home Office insisted was a "processing unit" rather than a "detention centre".

"This is a political failure, pure and simple," said Bella Sankey, director of Detention Action. "The government must urgently U-turn and ensure that vulnerable children are immediately taken into care rather than detained in prison-like facilities.

"Instead of ensuring that unaccompanied child refugees are provided with essential support when they arrive in the UK, the Home Secretary has spent the last few weeks trashing the UK's proud record of helping the world's most vulnerable and trying to turn this situation into a Trumpian culture war.

"Priti Patel needs to show some moral leadership and quit the playground politics."

A Home Office spokesperson said: "This is an unprecedented situation and we continue to work closely with the Department for Education and local government on provision for unaccompanied minors.

"Unaccompanied children arriving in Dover are being cared for in the Kent Intake Unit before being placed in appropriate social services care."

The spokesperson added that it does not foresee any children remaining in Border Force care for very long.

Labour group prepares to launch plan for 'comprehensive' drugs policy overhaul

With the opposition party having previously committed to a royal commission on how to overhaul drug policy, a campaign group within the party has instead spent more than a year holding public meetings attended by over 700 experts and members of the public, which have shaped a full plan to be published in autumn.

“For decades, this country’s drug laws have contributed to massive health inequalities, intensified racial discrimination and failed our communities," said Labour Campaign for Drug Policy Reform co-founder, Jeff Smith MP.

"Drugs policy is an important issue for Labour – and the people we seek to represent. I’ve been really encouraged by the conversations that have taken place since we started the campaign two years ago, with members and supporters engaging constructively, and prominent figures in Labour coming out and acknowledging that the war on drugs has failed and that we need a new approach.

"The launch of our recommendations will be a landmark moment in the campaign, setting out what we think should be in the next manifesto. I would encourage Labour supporters, members and parliamentarians to give them their full consideration.”

Former chancellor Sajid Javid takes job at JP Morgan

Sajid Javid, the sitting MP for Bromsgrove, has accepted a role with US banking giant JP Morgan.

Having quit as chancellor earlier this year, he has been appointed senior adviser on the bank's advisory council for Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The bank would not disclose Mr Javid's salary or hours, but confirmed it would be a paid position. 

A spokesman for JP Morgan said: "We are delighted to welcome Sajid back to JP Morgan as a senior adviser, and we look forward to drawing upon his in-depth understanding of the business and economic environment to help shape our client strategy across Europe."

Mr Javid's new job has already been approved by the UK's Advisory Committee on Business Appointments, which regulates new jobs for former ministers and senior civil servants.

Matt Hancock tells private sector to 'join us' as he unveils new public health body

The health secretary has said that "one of the big learnings" of the coronavirus crisis has been the need for private intervention in the health sector, claiming that the idea of a "divide" between the public and private sectors is "for the birds".

Unveiling the government's new National Institute for Health Protection - which is to replace the scrapped Public Health England - Mr Hancock cited the partnership between the government, pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca and Oxford University in creating a coronavirus vaccine candidate.

"There is that holy trinity of academia, government and business working closely together on a public policy mission," he said, responding to a question from drugs firm Pfizer. "So my message to everyone in the private sector is - join us in the mission."

He added: "We couldn’t have come up with the treatment - the one treatment that worked, that wasn’t developed by a government, it was developed by a private company working within a government framework.

"The best work I’ve seen brings the contribution of the private sector, of government, and of government institutions like the NHS. So I think that’s been one of the big learnings. This idea that there’s a divide is for the birds, and partnership is the best way through.

The Conservatives vehemently denied accusations from Labour during the 2019 general election that they planned to underfund and sell off the NHS to private firms. 

Students will receive GCSE results on Thursday, exam board clarifies after day of government confusion

GCSE students will receive their final grades on Thursday, exam boards have pledged, despite a last-minute government U-turn on grading.

Gavin Williamson and the Department for Education both sowed further confusion by offering apparent contradictions on whether students would receive their official results on Thursday or the following week.

Hour before they were due to be sent off, the Joint Council for Qualifications clarified that all schools and colleges will receive their pupils' GCSE grades from the exam boards on Wednesday.

Exam boards said they have been "working hard" to provide schools and colleges with students' centre assessment grades, which are based on teachers' estimates, or the moderated grades if they are higher.