at the week in parliament. hello, and welcome to the week in parliament. coming up: mps demand the government allow them to continue voting by video link. and say the new giant queuing system isn't working. it all looked more like exercise in a category c prison for white—collar criminals rather than the mother of parliament. labour hardens its attack the government over its handling of coronavirus, but borisjohnson reckons the country wants to see a united front. i really do not see the purpose of the endless attacks on public trust and confidence. i have supported the government openly and taken criticism for it but boy does he make it difficult to support this government. and an mp defends changes to the abortion laws in northern ireland. one reason why this house stood up for the rights of all women in the united kingdom was because it was too difficult does not mean that their rights should be denied. mps returned to westminster after their whitsun break with a government rebellion brewing. members were being asked to back plans demanding they be in the parliament to take part in votes. ministers argue that working via video link which they've been doing during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic had made it harder to pass new laws, creating a backlog of important legislation. but in order to keep with social distancing rules the old way of crowding through division lobbies had to be replaced instead a winding queue was marked out, through the lobby and down into westminster hall. many mps argued taking part and voting remotely had worked fine and it was too risky for many of them to return a suggestion rejected by the leader of the commons. the stopgaps of a hybrid parliament with a necessary compromise during the peak of the virus but by not being here the house has not worked effectively on behalf of constituents. for ten weeks there has been no detailed line by line consideration of bills that will affect peoples lives. the new queuing system had already been dubbed the "mogg conga" by opposition mps, one wondered if the leader of the commons had got the idea from a theme park queue. the honourable gentleman asks if i have ever been to alton towers, and yes i have, i took my sister annunziata there many years ago. with the leader of the house is proposing is discriminatory. the equalities and human rights commission have said so. if you are able bodied you can come in, you have to ignore government advice about shielding, r factor, but you have to come in. if you are following government guidelines and cannot be here you are effectively losing your vote. could he confirm for me that those constituents of mps who have to shield are therefore it worth less and it is expected they will be less well represented by this place? the chair of the commons procedure committee said she wasn't a natural rebel and it was an "uncomfortable" day for her. she highlighted the plight of her fellow tory mp, robert halfon. he wanted to be here today but his doctor has advised him that he must stop for his own health. the idea that we decide today to different franchise him completely seems absurd. we can and should work from home because that is the right thing to do not just for parliament but it is the right thing to do for our families, our colleagues and for our constituents. covid—19 has too often been described as a great leveller and that anyone could catch it, we sought from our right honourable friend the prime minister but the unequal impact is well older people, men, those from bame backgrounds, those with underlying health conditions now have a very stark choice, stay at home and play no part in proceedings, losing your right to cast your vote on legislation or can here and expose yourself and your family to a greater risk. well, at the end of all that it was time to test out the new socially distanced voting system. the queue started outside the building in the sunshine of parliament's courtyard then snaked through the new chicanes in westminster hall with mps winding round and round, and having the chance to chat supposedly two metres apart as they waited to get back into the chamber where they eventually arrived at the despatch box and moved to the right or left to register their vote with the odd bit of confusion along the way. it tookjust over a0 minutes for all the mps to vote as opposed to the normal 15. the government won by a majority of 57 but with more than thirty rebels. the result meant that while some mps would be allowed to continue contributing from home they wouldn't be able to vote if they weren't in westminster. at pmqs next day the labour leader asked borisjohnson to think again. the scenes yesterday of mps queuing to vote and members being unable to vote where frankly shameful. members on all sides know this is completely unnecessary and unacceptable so can i urge the prime minister to stop this and to continue to allow online voting and hybrid parliament to resume. i apologise to colleagues for the inconvenience and to all those with particular difficulties with it because they are shielded or elderly and it is vital that they should be able to vote by proxy. a concession there by borisjohnson, so that mps who can't turn up in person will be able to get a colleague to vote for them. meanwhile, the business secretary, alok sharma announced he'd be self isolating after becoming ill in the commons, repeatedly wiping his nose and mopping his brow. he said he'd stay away while awaiting the result of a covid test. next day there were more calls for the hybrid parliament to continue. and a lib dem, who'd made an 18 hour journey to get back to westminster asked for an emergency debate. of course we debated this matter on tuesday, the site of members queuing for that division was a truly memorable one. as we shuffled around the lawn in the palace yard waiting to join the queue in westminster hall, i can't help but feel that it was like exercise hour in a category c prison for white—collar criminals rather than the mother of all parliaments. he said anyone with any doubts about being present and queuing to vote should have had them dispelled by the sight of alok sharma struggling at the despatch box. he illustrated perfectly the way in which we are all subject to pressures to carry on when we should not. one of the first rules of politics is that when you are in a hole, you should stop digging. a debate understanding order 2a will allow the government and the leader of the house in particular to explain to the world why they refuse to put down the shovel. the number of mps allowed into the chamber is currently limited, due to social distancing, but the majority of those that were there stood to show their support for alistair carmichael‘s request and that emergency debate will be held on monday afternoon. as a curtain raiser for prime minister's questions, the labour leader had said that borisjohnson needed to "get a grip" on the coronavirus pandemic. it's more full blooded political criticism that sir keir starmer has made so far during the crisis. and he continued his attack in the commons. the telegraph this morning is reporting that the prime minister has decided to take direct control of the government's response to the virus so an obvious question for the prime minister, who has been in direct control until now? i take full responsibility for everything this government has been doing in tackling coronavirus and i am very proud of our record and if you look at what we have achieved so far, it is very considerable. we have protected the nhs, we have driven down the death rate, we have now seen far fewer hospital admissions. and what the country would like to hear from him is more signs of cooperation in that endeavour. the prime minister is confusing scrutiny for attacks. i have supported the government openly and taking criticism for it but boy does he make it difficult to supply the government over the last two weeks. —— support this government. keir starmer moved on to the government's test and trace programme for england. two weeks ago today at the despatch box the prime minister promised that we will have a test, track and trace operation that will be world beating and yes it will be in place by the 1st ofjune. but it is not. and a critical element, a critical element, the ability of local authorities to respond to local spikes is missing. as one council leader put it to us, we are weeks away from having this fully up and running. i really do not see the purpose of these endless attacks on public trust and confidence when what we are trying to do, and what the public want to hear from politicians across all parties is a clear messages about how to defeat this virus. test and trace is a vital tool in the armoury. contrary to what he said, by the end of may we did get up to 100,000 tests a day and we got up to 200,000 by the beginning of this month. the snp's westminster leader, turned to the protests in the usa over the death of an unarmed african american george floyd, who died after being knelt on by a white police officer. it would be nothing short of hypocrisy if we turn a blind eye to the events unfolding in the us. however, actions speak louder than words and the prime minister can shake his head but the uk exports millions of pounds worth of riot control equipment to the us including tear gas and rubber bullets. the prime minister must have seen how these weapons are used on american streets. with the government's own guidance warning against equipment being used in such a way, will the prime minister urgently review such exports? all exports are conducted with the consolidated guidance and the uk is possibly the most scrupulous country in that respect in the world. borisjohnson. the foreign secretary has said china's proposed national security law for hong kong would be a "clear violation" of its international obligations. china is seeking to pass a law that would ban "treason, secession, sedition and subversion" in hong kong, sparking fresh protests. in a statement, dominic raab said the uk was talking to international allies about how to handle a mass exodus of hong kong citizens if beijing pressed ahead. the uk stands firm with our international partners in our expectation china live up to its obligations under the sino—british joint declaration. he urged china to step back but warned that if beijing pressed ahead the uk would extend visa rights for hong kong's 350,000 british national overseas passport holders or bnos. we will put in place new arrangements to allow bnos to come to the uk without the six—month limit so they can live and work for extendable periods of 12 months and providing a pathway to citizenship. even at this stage i hope china will reconsider its approach. but if not, uk will notjust look the other way when it comes to the people of hong kong. it is increasingly clear we need an alliance of democracies to ensure that we can maintain as he says a constructive dialogue with china on shared challenges not the least climate change while standing up to aggressive behaviour in clear breaches of international law. he referenced statements by the uk, australia and canada and the us which was welcome, and additional statements from new zealand, japan and the european union. it is time for an international democratic alliance to come together and speak with one voice. at what point does he envision taking further steps? no one is calling for sanctionsjust yet but surely work must be going on to put together something that constitutes a price for beijing's heavy hand here. in the lords the last british governor of hong kong made his views clear. the government should put together an international contact group which can keep in touch with developments there and continue to press china not to breach its international treaty obligations and commitments it's made for a high degree of autonomy in hong kong. you're watching the week in parliament with me, alicia mccarthy. don't forget, you can follow me on twitter at @bbcalicia, and you can find any of our programmes by searching for parliament on the bbc iplayer. the right move at the wrong time. that was the verdict of mps on all sides on new quarantine rules for travellers. from monday, most people entering the uk will have to self—isolate for 14 days. the home secretary said with coronavirus past its peak, the changes were necessary to protect the british public. these measures are backed by science and supported by the public and are essential to save lives. we know they will present difficulties for the tourism industry, but that is why we have an unprecedented package of support. the most comprehensive in the world for employees and for business. there has to be reassurance that quarantine has a genuine public health benefit now that, according to the government, it did not have in past months. there has been widespread concern that the uk has been out of step with most other countries who introduced public health measures at their borders far earlier in the pandemic. the idea that this was wrong when europe was at the centre of a pandemic and right now, it does not add up to me but maybe that isjust me. i'm afraid that i cannot get around the mental gymnastics of this policy. if such a barrier was required, why was it not introduced earlier? and there was more criticism when the aviation minister answered questions. this is necessary for trade. without it, there is no global britain. so instead of bringing in measures to all from the rest of the world, why is the government not taking a lead in developing an international aviation health screening standard to save jobs and ensure britain is open for business? we're working incredibly hard in order to gain a consumer confidence but also trying to get the aviation sector up and running as quickly as we possibly can. the government has been urged to take action on the disproportionate effect covid—i9 has on those from black, asian and minority ethnic backgrounds. labour asked an urgent question about a report by public health england that suggested those from bame backgrounds were more than twice as likely to die from the virus as white people, with health workers at particular risk from infection. coronavirus thrives on inequality and there is no more important time to tackle racial injustice to save lives during this crisis. it is up to the government to take action and show that black lives matter. all: hear, hear. it's absolutely imperative that we showed the key drivers of these disparities, the relationship between the different risk factors and what we can do to close the gap, that way we will ensure that we will take action in relation to the evidence. the head of the newly—launched nhs ‘test and trace' programme in england faced questions from the health committee on just how well and how quickly the new system was working. test and trace aims to alert people who've been in contact with someone who's had a positive coronavirus test. they're then required to stay at home for 14 days. the chair of the health committee wanted to know how it was going. what no—one wants to tell us is the overall proportion of tests. you must know the results. this cannot be right. you're telling you that you do not actually know how many come back within 2a hours, and you are in charge of nhs test and trace? no, i have not had the data validated. so you have data, but it has not being validated ? i have not had the data validated by the person who has expressed concerns over previous testing data not being validated. will you write to us within a week with the validated data as to what proportion of tests are coming within 2a hours. i'm sorry to be boring. if the quality of the data is not enough. but i don't want to do is give you data that may be... scotland's first minister was told that care homes were being "let down all over again" when it comes to testing for covid—i9. the tories said it had already emerged that more than a thousand people had been sent from hospital to care homes before testing was mandatory. the tragedy is this — scotland has the capacity to test. indeed, if you had used that capacity effectively since the end of april, you could've tested all the residents and staff at care homes, twice. instead, capacity is being squandered and care home workers and residents who have already endured the horror of this crisis are being let down all over again. we will continue to take a careful and considerate steps that we are taking and will not shy away from the challenges that we face in the unprecedented situation that we're dealing with. the scottish government will continue to take that careful, cautious approach, making sure that we, as we have done, build up our testing capacity, but also, crucially, use testing in a way that clinically—driven. the education minister in wales has announced that schoolchildren are to return to their desks at the end of the month, june the 29th, to be exact. but that news came after first minister's questions, where the first minister was accused of causing confusion when he announced a relaxation of lockdown. under the change, people in wales can visit loved ones within a five mile radius while socially distancing. we have spoken before on that confusion engendered by your insistance on making welsh rules just a little bit different than the uk government rules applicable in england. further confusion is surely engendered by your constantly chopping and changing welsh rules. there is a very easy distinction between regulations and guidance and the government has never confused people. and it is a rule of thumb, it is guidance for the local geographies, as to what local might mean forthem. the northern ireland assembly voted on tuesday to reject recent changes to abortion laws in northern ireland. the new regulations came into force in march after a vote in westminster in 2019, when stormont was not functioning due to a row between the main power—sharing parties. the motion, brought by the dup on tuesday passed by 46 votes to a0. it highlighted that the regulations permit terminations up to birth in cases of serious non—fatal disabilities. disability rights activist heidi crowter, who has down syndrome claims such laws are discriminatory. the dup took up the case in the commons at the end of the week. it makes me feel like i shouldn't exist. the words of heidi crowter born with down syndrome. it is discriminatory for people who have non—fatal disabilities and it is going far beyond its legal requirement and has implemented the most liberal abortion laws in the whole of europe. it has. will the minister of state recognise the severe offence these regulations pose to people with disabilities but also the devolved institutions is that these regulations are not wanted in northern ireland. the government should withdraw these regulations, respect the fact that devolution has been restored and by the things which seek to undermine devolution and the northern ireland assembly its rightful place to legislate on its own abortion law. while i respect the right for the assembly on this, it does not have any bearing on the legal obligations of the department. there was no proposed solution. it is under a clear statutory duty to allow access to abortions for both severe foetal impairment or fatal foetal abnormalities. this is what we have delivered. labourmp this is what we have delivered. labour mp who had been instrumental in bringing about the changes in northern ireland's abortion laws was in the chamber, with her own newborn baby. we all recognise that this is a difficult issue for many and there are strong views on all sides of this debate, but one other reason why this house stood up for the rights of all women in the uk, just because it was too difficult doesn't mean their rights should be denied. and devolution does not absolve us of our responsibilities to uphold the human rights of every uk citizen. stella creasy. three former chancellors have been telling the commons treasury committee what they'd do to tackle the economic hangover left by the pandemic. alistair darling, george osborne and philip hammond, who between them ran the treasury between 2008 and 2019, gave their prescriptions for future taxes, creating jobs and supporting businesses with little real disagreement between them. when we get to the happy day when we're recovering and we're on the path to recovery, my view is quite clear that, yes, we're going to have very high debts, like we had to the end of the second world war, but one of the things that a government like ours can do, because we're a large economy, and no—one doubts our credit worthiness, you can actually carry that for some period. but what i would be very concerned about is if we got ourselves in the situation where, if you like, in the recovery stage, you start bringing down things prematurely, you stop the growth and you drive the country back into a recession. if you want to stimulate the economy, the most obvious this isa a time—limited vat reduction. we did it ten years ago and it did have some effect. i'm not sure about cutting income taxes. i don't think that is really what would make a difference from people going out to work longer or doing second jobs or anything like that. my guess is in any scenario, because the decline in output has been so dramatic over the last few months, the first part of the recovery will look quite quite v—shaped but the real question is what was the last part of the recovery looking like? if you want the protection of the state, you need to pay your taxes, either as an individual, or as a company. you can talk as much as you like about taxing businesses and companies and billionaires, and it all adds up and helps, but the big money—raisers, the income taxes, national insurance, those big central taxes that the government relies on, tnd that's are why there is speculation on national insurance. to say that we're just going to get billionaires to pay for it is a cop—out from the real question that people and the opposition have to confront. finally, to an issue close to the heart of the discussion — just when will hairdressers reopen? when can the house to expect an update so that hairdressers, hotels and other hospitality businesses can adequately prepare to reopen with social distancing measures in place? mr deputy speaker, when i was a child, i remember there being a song, "i'll be your long—haired lover from liverpool'. i have never in my whole career to ended up looking like the long—haired lover from liverpool, but i fear i am heading that direction. i have never had longer hair. and i'm beginning to wonder whether i ought to ask nannie if she can find a pudding bowl and put it on and see if something can be done as an emergency measure. jacob rees—mogg, who, after a tough week in the commons, might want to think carefully about who he lets loose with the scissors! and that's it from me for now. but dojoin me on bbc parliament on monday night at 11pm as we begin a new westminster week. but for now, from me, alicia mccarthy, goodbye. well, it's certainly not going to feel like a day injune out there on saturday. and certainly not compared to what we had last week, when temperatures were in the mid to high—20s. saturday is going to be a blustery one with further showers. and low pressure is firmly in charge of our weather. you can see the clouds circling around the area of low pressure very close to scotland, and actually through the early hours, we're seeing a band of cloud and rain slipping southwards across the uk, accompanied by some pretty strong winds. it's the weather front that's linked to this low pressure, and this low pressure will hang around through most of saturday and then by sunday, it looks as though it's going to clear away. but through the early hours, we've got a band of more persistent rain stretching from the north, moving due south. it does look as though the south of the country is actually going to wake up to some sunshine, but look how that cloud, that rain—bearing cloud slips southwards through the course of the day, so i think most of us will catch at least a little bit of rain. but the chances are that during the afternoon the skies will clear across more northern parts of the country and the sun will come out. but it's across the south, middle of the afternoon, where we'll probably have most of the cloud and the outbreaks of rain. now, the wind arrows you can see here, those are the gusts of wind, and in places they are in excess of a0 mph, perhaps even up to 50. 50 mph in gusts isjust about gale—force, and that's a strong wind for the time of the year. certainly whipping those trees around. now, the temperatures in the sunshine in the north will probably peak at around 19 degrees, for example in the lowlands of scotland. but further south, we are talking more like the low or the mid—teens, and it is going to feel nippy in those gusty winds. and the showers will continue into saturday night and the early hours of sunday, but there is an indication that that low pressure and its weather front will drift a little bit further towards the east during the course of sunday. so, yes, sunday on the north sea coast blustery with showers, but even here, they will eventually fade a little bit later on in the day. and i think for most of us, overall, sunday is looking better, particularly the further west and the north you are. so, again, another fine day in glasgow. and the outlook actually shows that the weather will be stabilising itself as we go through next week. perhaps not all that sunny and not all that warm, but at least those winds will die down. that's it from me. bye— bye. welcome to bbc news, i'm lewis vaughan jones. our top stories: a u—turn from the bosses of american football, admitting they were wrong to ban players from protesting against police brutality. we, the national football league, admit we were wrong for not listening to nfl players earlier and encourage all to speak out and peacefully protest. the official coronavirus death toll in britain passes 40,000. only the us has more. a surprise two and a half million jobs return to the us economy, but economists say there's still a long way to go. and france says its forces have killed a key islamist militant leader in mali.