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As it happenedended

Boris Johnson news – live: PM given fresh no-deal Brexit warnings, as No 10 puts ‘full confidence’ in under-pressure minister

Follow all the latest developments as they happened

Adam Forrest,Conrad Duncan,Vincent Wood
Monday 22 June 2020 10:00 EDT
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Priti Patel on 'tragic' Reading terror attack which left three dead

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Boris Johnson’s government has been warned that UK drug exports to the EU would slump by more than a fifth if the Brexit transition period ends without a deal. Experts have also warned that a no-deal scenario may have a more severe impact on food supplies than the coronavirus.

It comes as home secretary Priti Patel is set to update MPs on the Reading stabbing attack after visiting the scene of the suspected terror incident. She said the attack was believed to have been “the actions of one lone individual”.

Elsewhere, No 10 said Mr Johnson still has “full confidence” in his communities secretary Robert Jenrick after Tory donor Richard Desmond revealed he showed Mr Jenrick a promo video of his property development before the minister approved the application.

Here are the day's events as they happened:

Pubs welcome prospective reduction in two-metre social distancing rule as ‘phenomenal move’

Pubs and restaurants have welcomed a prospective reduction in the two-metre social distancing rule in England, but many concerns remain about the future of the industry as a result of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Boris Johnson is expected to announce plans for pubs, restaurants, hotels and hairdressers reopen from 4 July, along with a likely loosening of the two-metre rule to one metre.

An easing of the social distancing guideline would be “a phenomenal move” towards reopening the pub sector said Emma McClarkin, chair of the British Beer and Pub Association.

More below:

Vincent Wood22 June 2020 19:04

Government urged to end deadlock over medical cannabis prescriptions for severely epileptic children

The government is being urged to break the deadlock preventing severely epileptic children from accessing medical cannabis on the NHS.

Doctors have been legally allowed to prescribe cannabis-derived medicines to some patients since 2018, following a campaign by families, including the parents of Alfie Dingley, who had up to 150 seizures per week prior to receiving the treatment.

But 18 months on, the 8-year-old remains one of just two children prescribed medical cannabis oil on the NHS, with other families forced to resort to fundraising to pay for the medicine privately.

More below:

Vincent Wood22 June 2020 19:28

BBC urged to stop cuts to regional programming

The BBC must stop proposed cuts to English regional television programming in order to justify the licence fee, MPs have said.

Labour's Toby Perkins said he is "a great believer in the BBC", but if the corporation wants to continue to justify the licence fee it must "protect the things that are precious", including regional programming.

Meanwhile Tory MP and former BBC Radio journalist Steve Brine noted that there are presenters on the BBC's flagship current affairs show Newsnight "who earn more than the entire BBC South politics team put together".

It comes after the corporation launched a review into regional programming with reports of planned cuts to Inside Out and Sunday Politics programmes.

Vincent Wood22 June 2020 19:45

That's all from us, thanks for following.

Vincent Wood22 June 2020 19:59

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