UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson tells MPs inquiry into Cummings would be waste of officials’ time | World news

Labour’s Meg Hillier, who chairs the public accounts committee, asked if the prime minister saw any evidence to prove the allegations against Cummings was false.

Yes or no, prime minister?

Johnson says yes, if it please you.

Hillier then asks if it might be a good idea for the cabinet secretary to also see it.

Johnson says he would not be doing his job if he were to “shuffle” this into the hands of officials dealing with the coronavirus.

He “totally understands” public indignation, he says.

He reiterates it’s time to move on.

Conservative MP Simon Hoare told the PM that, if his inbox is anything to go by, the nation will be “far less energetic” about obeying future restrictions as “a direct result of the activities of your senior adviser” if the R starts to creep up.

Hoare asked what MPs should tell constituents who ask “if other people don’t abide by it why on earth should we” because “we know what your views are, frankly prime minister, I don’t think anybody understands why you hold those views”.

Johnson replied:

I don’t think that’s true about how the British people will respond to the next phases, to how to work the test and trace system, I don’t think that’s how they responded at all throughout the crisis.

If, just suppose for a second that you were right, which I don’t accept, all the more reason now for us to be consistent and clear in our message driving those key messages.

But anger is growing and reaching fever-pitch, Wishart says.

You know that eventually you’ll have to let him go, why not just get on with it?

Johnson says he considers the government needs to focus on getting its message across.

Wishart says his inbox, and that of so many MPs, is full of messages from constituents who haven’t seen loved ones in so long.

To them, this looks like one rule for him [Cummings] and one rule for them, he adds.

He wouldn’t say sorry, will you say sorry on his behalf, Wishart asks the PM.

Johnson says he is sorry for the pain, the anguish and the heartbreak people have felt.

He says we need to set aside this row – and a lot of allegations turned out to be wrong, he adds.

It’s a distraction, the prime minister says, and it’s time to move on.

You’ve managed to unite the nation in condemnation and indignation over your handling of Cummings, the SNP’s Pete Wishart says.

80% of the British public feel he broke the rules, 63% think you should sack him, but most worryingly, 65% say his conduct make it less likely the public will now follow lockdown rules, he adds.

Surely no man is more important than keeping this nation safe, Wishart asks.

Johnson says a lot of what was said on Friday and Saturday was “false” and his adviser has “cleared that up”.

He says Wishart is making “party political points”.

He respectfully disagrees that the message is unclear.

He says the best thing would be is for us to move on.

It’s unprecedented for an adviser to have their own press conference, how was the cabinet consulted before agreeing to this, Jenkin asks.

Johnson said he thought it would be good for people to understand what took place.

It’s been a very frustrating episode, the prime minister adds.

We need to move on and get onto how we deal with coronavirus, he adds.

Jenkin asks what advice he has sought from the cabinet secretary on compliance with the code and the matter of integrity in the code.

Johnson says he has no reason to believe there is any descent from what was said a few days ago.

Jenkin then asks if the cabinet secretary has had the opportunity to ask Cummings questions himself.

Johnson says he won’t go into the discussions that have happened.

The committee is “extremely concerned” about his senior adviser, Jenkin says.

Polls suggest the vast majority of the public believe he did break the lockdown rules, how much do you think this undermines the authority of the government at a time when public confidence in the government is so important?

Johnson says he’s deeply sorry for the anxiety and hurt people have been through in this period.

He says there has been a lot of “autobiography” on this and he doesn’t propose to add to this.

Jenkin asks why the cabinet secretary hasn’t been invited to conduct an independent inquiry in order to give independent advice on this.

Johnson says it’s a reasonable question but there has been lengthy discussion on this and he isn’t certain that an inquiry into this right now is a very good use of official time.

The last time a prime minister appeared before the committee was 12 months ago, Sir Bernard Jenkin, the committee chairman, said.

Can you, prime minister, commit to attending regularly this and again before summer recess?

Boris Johnson asks if he can get back to him on that as “there is a lot on at the moment” and his time is scarce.

The prime minister is in for a grilling from senior MPs at the powerful liaison committee, due to begin shortly.

Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) nurses are more likely to have problems accessing protective equipment, according to a new poll.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) identified a “stark and deeply worrying” contrast over PPE provision for staff from different backgrounds. The union said it is “unacceptable” that BAME nurses “are less protected than other nursing staff”.

Data has emerged suggesting that people from BAME backgrounds are being disproportionately adversely affected by Covid-19, and a significant proportion of NHS workers who have died after being diagnosed with Covid-19 have BAME heritage.

The RCN conducted a poll on more than 5,000 nurses about the provision of PPE, including more than 700 from BAME backgrounds.

The union said that although there were some improvements from April, “there are still shortages of essential PPE in all settings, and health and care staff are still reliant on PPE items being donated or home-made in some cases”.

Its report states that it is “unacceptable for health and care staff to be exposed to avoidable risk to their own safety”.

“Our findings also highlighted a stark and deeply worrying contrast in the experience and safety of BAME respondents,” the report adds.

The findings include:

• 29% of white British nurses who responded to the poll felt pressure to care for confirmed or possible Covid-19 patients without adequate PPE. This rose to 56% for BAME nurses.
• Less than half (43%) of BAME nurses said they had enough eye protection compared with 66% of white British nurses.
• 37% of BAME nurses who took part in the survey said they did not have enough fluid-repellent gowns to use during their shift, with only 19% white British staff reporting the same concerns.
• More than half of BAME respondents (53%) also said they had been asked to re-use single-use PPE in a “high risk environment”, compared with 42% of white British respondents to the survey, which was conducted between 7-11 May.

RCN chief executive and general secretary Dame Donna Kinnair said:

It is simply unacceptable that we are in a situation where BAME nursing staff are less protected than other nursing staff.

These results reinforce our call for BAME nursing staff to have specific risk assessments to reflect the risks they face as a result of Covid-19.

All of our nursing staff must have the protection they need, and action must be taken urgently to ensure they are all kept safe. We look forward to getting more answers from Public Health England’s investigation into the disproportionate effect of Covid-19 on BAME groups.

More than 770,000 people have signed a petition calling for Dominic Cummings to be sacked.

The change.org petition was set up on Saturday and has racked up thousands of signatures over the last few days. All the while a growing number of Tory MPs continue to join calls for the prime minister’s key aide to either resign or be dismissed.

Further evidence that the Dominic Cummings has ruffled feathers all over the place. Here is an exceptionally sassy Dublin airport, winning the internet.

Durham county council has advised schools that 15 June “is a more realistic date for the phased reopening to begin”.

In a statement, councillor Olwyn Gunn, cabinet member for children and young people’s services, said the priority was staff and pupil safety, adding:

We have at no point stated schools should return on 1 June.

And in the light of the new scientific advice, high infection rates and the unacceptable delays in implementing contact tracing, we believe 15 June is a more realistic timeline for all schools to work towards, subject to government scientific advice and individual school risk assessments.

Ultimately it remains a decision for schools to open when they feel it is safe to do so and I would like to place on record our sincere thanks to all headteachers and staff for the tremendous work they are doing to this end.

It comes after Downing Street reiterated that, ahead of the official legal review of the lockdown on Thursday, the government remains “hopeful” that schools could begin reopening on 1 June (see 1.07pm.).