Hello and welcome to westminster and revealed, look at the Parliament Role in the corona crisis. Boris johnson finally got the job he always wanted but the Job Description had changed. I must level with the British Public, more families and many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time. The Prime Minister was almost one of them as a Global Pandemic landed too close to home, and left him with questions to answer. 65000 people have lost their lives because of covid19, the Prime Minister challenged that could save lives, rather than complain about it. It was a crisis to over ten centuries of tradition to change the way westminster works with unexpected results. We are also embracing this, why apologize, why are you not doing on wednesday afternoon in late january the house minister was summoned to the house of lords to enter an urgent question on what was described as the wuhan coronavirus threat to citizens. It was the third reference of parliament to what was to become a Global Pandemic that has cost tens of thousands of lives here in the uk, hundreds of thousands worldwide, the minister, Lady Blackbird tried to reassure peers. We are monitoring the development of this virus, advice from Public Health and the chief medical officer in the risk the uk is currently low in the uk as well prepared for the emergence of the noble viruses. The following day her boss the house secretary came to response the comments before social distancing restricted numbers to tell mps that englands chief medical officer had advised the risk to the uk population from very low to low. Why there is an increased likelihood the cases may rise in this country, we are well prepared and wellequipped to deal with them, the uk is one of the first countries to have developed the world leading test from the new coronavirus. The World Health Organization has warned the countries are not ready for upon havoc. There has been significant spread of the virus across italy in particular in other cases that have been identified and austria croatia and switzerland its clearly very, very serious. Updates the future of commons life as a virus spreads, the Prime Minister delivered his own Public Health message. Happy birthday to you. Six days later the backdrop became increasingly familiar and the tone had changed. I must level with you and the British Public and more families and many more families are going to lose loved ones before their time. Lockdown arrived ten days later. Our instruction is simple, stayathome, madam Deputy Speaker we are engaged in an effort to be the virus, everybody now has it in their power to save lives and protect the nhs, home is now the frontline. Mps and peers soon got a taste of working from home themselves as Parliament Brought forward and extended, but not before russian what is now the coronavirus act giving sweeping emergency power to the local counsel in the nations of the uk. Coronavirus is the most serious Public Health emergency to face the world in the century. Where all targets had the weakest and the most fungible. To defeat it we are proposing extraordinary measures of the kind never seen before in peace talks. Today this house is being asked to make decisions of a magnitude that i simply never wouldve jumped up only a few weeks ago. I know no member came into this place to put powers like this on to the statues. There were some on skeptical voices. Nobody denies it is necessary but given that this bill gives unprecedented power to the states to enforce isolation on people who have committed no crime, the first of our history they reassure the house that this house will be fully involved in renewing this once a crisis is over and there will be any threats to this matter and the nhs might be overwhelmed by visitors. Where one or two hospitals, some of the destinations are more than three hours, we have been absolutely inundated with people that show no concern for the local population. You covered everything from the management of dead bodies to the closure of schools in the postponement of parliamentary elections, it was passed in four city days with acceptance and the comments in the lords fundamentally, this bill is about buying time. You may not think it looking at the alarming graphs charting the growth of the disease, but time can help us, with each day that passes, the science is getting better. The loyal opposition support, normal times it would be unacceptable, these are not normal times, these are result, we have to face with this bill but we must consider how we as the parliament operate in the weeks and months ahead the parliament disappeared for an extended easter break when it returned are you entering and the socially distant comments, others can contribute via videoconferencing. The lord speaker vacated the fact and was self isolating. Today all of our proceedings will be conducted virtually and will be available in the matter of the interest i am having savings. And by crowding into two corridor alongside the chamber. It takes about 15 minutes for the result to be declared, and to attend a new remote system where the chandler voted his own government, later a new form led to an mp around westminster and a division that took 44 minutes improved a challenge for some. Stephen wasnt the later computing chamber voting and would replace with proxy votes available for them unable to attend. Parliaments extended break had seen its own drama the Prime Minister almost died from coronavirus and Boris Johnson had south isolated after developing what he said were mild symptoms. I want to bring you up to speed with something that is happening today, ive developed miles with the coronavirus, thats to say a temperature in a persistent cough. A few days later he was rushed to hospital in Central London before being moved to intensive care where he spent three nights, when he returned from the recess dominic was taking the Prime Ministers question. On behalf of the Prime Minister i am pleased to tell the house that he is making a good recovery and is in good spirits. By the time Boris Johnson returned he had a new opponent, a Senior Lawyer in a past life and an elected leader of the opposition. If question time each week, he challenged the Prime Minister over his handling of the pandemic, here if they can trace those with a virus. The Prime Minister make a mistake at the beginning of the pandemic, rushing aside challenge, dashing forward, not estimating properly the risk, if two thirds of those with covid19 had not been contacted, that is a big problem. Yesterday to say the we supported and i remember them saying that loud and clear, today as i say, i understand his profession to work i know how it works, yesterday its been yoyoing back of opposition, is he supporting what were doing o i do support the next age but the Prime Minister is wrong to reject chung 65000 people lost their lives because of covid19. The Prime Minister challenged that can save lives for complaining about it. 65000 refers to access deaths overall and after the lockdown ease and the hairdressers reopen the Prime Minister must recognize that two months ago i highlighted the weakness of early guidance, the Prime Minister simply said it is not true, there were repeated warnings, repeated delays of providing elective equipment. Day in and day out, weekend and week out, was a hindsight, was real time for the frontline. And in charge 25000 people without test, is clearly a mistake. Understanding the disease changed dramatically in the months that we have had it and when you look and help us with our healthcare workers, i think he would appreciate the vast amount of work that they have done in the ppe that they have been supplied with in the protection they have been supplied with, that helps them to get the incidence of the disease down to record lows. Boris johnson was qualified that defense of his record in the Health Crisis quickly became an economic one with the bank of england predicting the deepest recession of 300 years, which could be chancellor for a month before he delivered his first budget in march, once dominated by the pandemic. At the time jeremy was still the Opposition Leader and it needs to cope with coronavirus it will get. Whether its research for a vaccine, recruiting thousands of returning or supporting our brilliant doctors and nurses, whether its millions of pounds or billions of pounds, whatever it needs, whatever it cost, we stand behind our nhs. Opposition leaders wanted more. Regarding this crisis with our Public Services on our economy which is now flatlining with 0 growth even before the impact of the coronavirus income over the winter, it is not just an issue that we will see a reduction in business, some are going to be desperately short of cash coming in through the door. Before the increase on his budget, the chancellor reflected more checks spending hundreds of billions of pounds including a furlough scheme that sold the government pay the wages of workers laid off due to the crisis. He was back in the common in the early july with what the government insisted a statement rather than amending budget in eyecatching scheme to get the economy going again. In the month of august we will give everyone in the country and eat out to help out discount. Meals eaten at any participating business monday through wednesday will be 50 off with a maximum discount of 10 pounds per head for everyone. Labor were underwhelmed with overall package. Today britain shouldve had a back to work budget but instead we got this statement with many. With the chancellors menu. The hospitality in the majors, all agree that they are tingling in ones with the mayors. [laughter] sammy, on a scheme that some have labeled of Government Housing policies has helped. Boris johnson was not the only one to contract coronavirus, it also struck the cabinet secretary to mark federal in the Prime Minister controversial aid dominic cummings. Mr. Cummings was breaking the rules by driving to northeast england mid lockdown, he refused to resign but told an unusual press conference in the street garden, his wife had been worried about the return journey. She said and i think it was perfectly reasonable, they few days ago you could barely stand up, you said that your eyesight was weird and seemed to be weird, we shouldnt just embarked 271mile journey and end up finding halfway through that you actually cannot drive that far. Scotlands chief medical officer catherine did resign after making two trips to her second home. Northern island Michelle Oneill faced after attending the large funeral of the former leading ira figure. And Neil Ferguson designed as professor lockdown can some newspapers did resigned as a government advisor that he had been visited by his girlfriend during the lockdown. Professor ferguson was one of several scientists became household names as advice and analysis was seized on. The uk government check medical and scientific advisors prepared a balance were often seen plinking the Prime Minister. They were in demand from parliamentary committees to the early days of the pandemic. Every year in seasonal flu, the number of deaths is thought to be about 8000 excess today. So if we can get this down to numbers, 20000 and below, thats a good outcome in terms of where we hope to get to with this outbreak. It is still horrible, that is still an enormous amount of deaths and enormous pressure on the health service. That was midmarch, week before lockdown and by the end of april more than 20000 people had died from coronavirus. Politicians and scientists began asking if we had locked down too late. [inaudiblwe knew about the virun the policies. Had we interviewed earlier that was the Science Committee and on the healt the d social committee were asking similar questions. When it comes to the timing of the lockdown, are you content that the government followed your advice in terms of the staging of different elements of lockdown . I am content that what were trying to do is run a very concentrated. As a question about the administrative answer to that, im not trained to be a yes, sir no answer to that is not an unreasonable presence, the government says they were following the signs and so im just asking you on the crucial question of the timing of the lockdown, were they following your advice. I am confident that the minister at the time who put in a incredibly difficult decision followed the advice given to the minute of sage with the delay that was no more than you would reason expect on difficult things. By july having balance admitted things could have gone better. The uks response to the pandemic is not the best in the world, if i can put it that way. In your role have you begun to think about what might be the reason. We think about that a lot and clearly there are things that we keep learning from what is going on and we come back with Many International partners. I think its very difficult to know exactly where we stand at the moment, it is clear that the outcome has not been good in the uk and its absolutely clear about that. England and scotland and Northern Ireland into lockdown together in march, there was much talk about for nations approach but the different parties in charge of the lockdown rules in the four different nations, the uk begin to look like a federal state. Some of the issues were famili familiar, wherever you live in scotland, more people died from the virus and care homes than in hospitals. Mistakes are made at the start and they have led to the excess death that we see today. Westminster in light of the tragedy and others, do you agree when it comes to testing and care homes that by any standards, this is a failure . I dont, im not a mean speaking to the first minister, im speaking as a human being, i regret any single death of the virus, and i said the very first time i stood in the chamber and talked about what we were dealing with, i say the mistakes will be made, i said i would make mistakes, government would make mistakes, we are dealing with the situation and write what i do i question myself and agonize over the decisions we have taken to make sure we are learning as we go to get these decisions and i suspect everybody in our leadership position is going through that same process. And nicholas turned the questioning approach to her counterpart in downing street. As i speak we cannot allow ourselves to allow another week of government to be quite frank about it shambolic decisionmaking process. They agreed to lift the lockdown and Northern Ireland assessed in the sheen paying gave a rare joint statement. As of today we remain subject to restrictions which no one wants to last a day longer than is absolutely necessary. These are measures we would not contemplate in normal times, we know they are having a significant effect on peoples ability to live their life the way they and we want. We are pleading with the public, we understand that you want your family life back into visit and socialize with their friends and family, to give your grandchildren hope. The differences between the four countries were most apparent as the lockdown was lifted with scotland and wales were cautious in the uk government in england. Why is wales lagging behind with so many other countries have acted so decisively . I reject the language of that. We are doing the things that are right for whales. That does not mean following anybody else just because they have done is something that we have decided not to do. Mark, westminster and the uks other parliaments continue to adjust to their new normal. Select committees carried on largely virtually with some unusual cameos. We are also now and why apologize for [inaudible] and why are you not doing this . [laughter] the hybrid parliament is still allowed mps and peers to contribute from their home, their office or wherever they happened to be. I wonder if might ask my noble friend what engagement she has had with the devolved administration involving any participation in any future scheme . Im dying to know what the other passengers on the train are thinking . You will be surprised because hes wearing a seatbelt. He is coming back from an important family engagement. Do you think first that a change would make life more difficult and having great passions . They are more likely we are working with base were publicans and democrats in the United States to make sure there is bipartisan support with the u. S. Trade deal. Thank you members. By the way, i can recommend [inaudible] lord [inaudible] returning from a restaurant, good one, and a taxi. After the first confirmed case in the uk the Prime Minister stated briefly about a return to normality before christmas. The scientists were skeptical. Things will not be done by christmas. This infection is not going away. It is now a human endemic infection and even if we have a vaccine or very good treatment humanity will still be living with this virus with many years to come. The key objective remains to develop a vaccine. Initial trials were encouraging and up to a point. Will be have a vaccine by christmas . Well, im not im an optimist in life captain. On the best Case Scenario the answer is yes. My job is not to secondguess whether we will or not and vaccines are an uncertain science and we need to be cautious and we need to be careful but were working very hard on this and i cant promise to play by december. The natural optimism is struggling to overcome the reality of the calendar. This was a crisis that began with ministers and advisors confident the risk to the uk was low but six months later Boris Johnson admits his government had not really understood the virus in its early days. The Prime Minister now says there are very open questions about whether lives could be saved by entering lockdown cerner. The death toll is approaching 50000. The families of those who died from coronavirus would be looking for answers in the independent inquiry that will follow. To continue watching the last Prime Ministers questions for the season, the house of commons on summer break with the next question time scheduled for early september. We have there returned live on cspan2 with replays on sunday night here on cspan. You can also go to cspan. Org and find video of past Prime Ministers questions and other furnished Public Affairs programs. Cspan2 is live at an event with acting u. S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner mark morgan on protests in portland. Doctor George Benjamin is back with us this morning. The executive director of the mark in Public Health association. Good morning to you,