Now on bbc news, a review of how parliament has tackled the coronavirus crisis, presented by david cornock. Hello and welcome to westminster in review, look at parliaments role westminster in review, look at pa rliaments role in westminster in review, look at parliaments role in the corona crisis. Borisjohnson parliaments role in the corona crisis. Boris johnson finally got thejob he had always wanted, but the Job Description had changed. I must level with you, level with the british public. More families, many more families, are going to lose loved ones before their time. The Prime Minister was almost one of them, as the Global Pandemic landed too close to home. It left him with questions to answer. 65,000 people have lost their lives because of covid i9. The Prime Ministershould welcome challenge that can save lives rather than complaining about it. It was a crisis that overturned centuries of tradition to change the way westminster works, with unexpected results. And the bbc are also now embracing this. Why. I are also now embracing this. Why i apologise for my cats tail. Why are you not doing this by default . On wednesday afternoon in late january Health Minister was summoned to the house of lords to a nswer summoned to the house of lords to answer an urgent question on what was described as the wuhan Novel Coronavirus a threat to uk citizens. It was the first reference in 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 blackwood, tried to reassure peers. We are monitoring closely the development of this virus. Advice from Public Health england and the chief medical officer is that the risk to the uk is currently low. The uk is well prepared for the emergence of novel viruses. The following day her boss, the health secretary, came toa boss, the health secretary, came to a sparsely attended commons, before social distancing restrict numbers, to tell mps that englands chief medical officer had revised the risk to the uk population from very low to low. While there is an increased likelihood that cases may arise in this country, we are well prepared and well equipped to deal with them. The uk is one of the first countries to have developed a world leading test for the new coronavirus. The World Health Organization has warned that countries are, quote, simply not ready for a pandemic, and there has now been significant spread of the virus across the european continent, italy in particular, but other cases have been identified in austria, croatia, and switzerland. This is clearly now a very, very serious. Matt hancock updates became a regular feature of commons life is the virus spread. The Prime Minister delivered his own Public Health message. You have got to do two verses. Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you. Happy birthday, dear. Six days later, against the downing street backdrop that became increasingly familiar, the tone had changed. I must level with you, level with the british public. More families, many more families, are going to lose loved ones before their time. Lockdown arrived ten days later. Our instruction is simple. Stay at home. Madame deputy speaker, we are engaged ina great deputy speaker, we are engaged in a Great National effort. 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 its easter break, but not before rushing through what is now the coronavirus act, having sweeping Emergency Powers to the police, local councils, and the police, local councils, and the nations of the uk. Coronavirus is the most serious Public Health emergency that has faced the world in a century. We are all targets, but the disease reserves its full cruelty for the weakest and the most vulnerable, and to defeat it, we are proposing extraordinary measures of the kind never seen before in peacetime. Today, this house is being asked to make decisions ofa being asked to make decisions of a magnitude i simply would never have dreamt of only a few weeks ago. And i know no member came into this place to put powers like this on the statute book. There were some voices. Nobody denies this bill is necessary, but given that this bill gives unprecedented powers to the state to enforce isolation on people who have committed no crime, for the first time in our history, will the secretary of state reassure the secretary of state reassure the house that this house will be fully involved in renewing this once this crisis is over, and there wont be any drift in this matter . There were fears the nhs might be overwhelmed by visitors. We have one acute hospital in inverness. Some of these tourist destinations are more than three hours from inverness. We have been absolutely inundated with people that showed no concern for the local population. The act covers everything from the management of dead bodies to the closure of schools in the postponement of parliamentary by elections. It was passed in just four sitting days, with an airof just four sitting days, with an air of resigned acceptance, in both commons and the lords. Fundamentally, this bill is about buying time. You may not think it, looking at those alarming graphs charting the growth of the disease, but time can help us. With each day that passes, the science is getting better. Her majestys loyal opposition supports this bill. In normal times it would be utterly unacceptable. These are not normal times. And as a result, we are notjust faced with this bill, but we must consider how we as a parliament operate in the weeks and months ahead. Parliament then disappeared for an extended easter break. When it returned, it was very different. Only 50 mps were allowed in the socially distanced house of commons. Others could contribute via videoconferencing. In the lords, the lord speaker vacated and was self isolating. Lords, the lord speaker vacated and was selfisolating. Today, all of our proceedings will be conducted virtually and will be available for broadcasters. As available for broadcasters. As a matter of interest, i am chairing proceedings from my home in the isle of wight. Mps usually vote by crowding into either of two corridors alongside the chamber. It takes about 50 minutes for the result to be declared. A first attempt ata to be declared. A first attempt at a new remote system or the chancellor accidentally vote against his own government. Later, a new form of chamber voting lead to an mps conger around the palace of westminster in a division that took a0 minutes and proved a challenge for some. Stephen crabb, no. Aye Stephen Crabb wasnt alone. That confusing Chamber Voting System was soon replaced by swipe cards, with proxy votes available for mps unable to attend. Parliaments extended break had seen its own drama. The Prime Minister almost died from coronavirus. Initially, borisjohnson almost died from coronavirus. Initially, Boris Johnson had self isolated in downing street after developing what he said we re after developing what he said were mild symptoms. Hi, folks. I want to bring you up to speed on something that is happening today, which is that i have developed mild symptoms of the coronavirus. Thats to say a temperature and a persistent cough. And a few days later he was rushed to hospital in central london, before being moved to intensive care, where he spent three nights. When mps returned from their recess, dominic raab was taking Prime Ministers questions. Thank you very much, mr speaker. Ive been asked to respond on behalf of my right honourable friend the Prime Minister, and i am pleased to tell the house that he is making a good recovery and is in good spirits. At the time borisjohnson returned to work, he had a new opponent. Sir keir starmer, a Senior Lawyer in a past life, had been elected leader of the opposition. At question time each week you challenge the Prime Minister over his handling of the pandemic, here over plans to track and trace those with the virus. The Prime Minister wrist making mistakes he made at the beginning of the pandemic, brushing aside challenge, dashing forward, not estimating properly the risks. If two thirds of those with covid i9 are not being contacted, that is a big problem. Yesterday the right honourable gentleman was kind enough, actually, to say that he supported our policy and supported our programme. I seem to remember him saying that loud and clear, yesterday. Today, as i say, i understand the constraints of the profession in which he used to work, i know how it works, today he appears to be your going back into a position of opposition. Which is it . Is he supporting what were doing or is he against it . I do support the next stage of the operation, but the Prime Minister is wrong to reject challenge. 65,000 people have lost their lives because of covid i9. The Prime Minister should welcome challenge that could save lives rather than complaining about it. Back that figure of 65,000 refers to access deaths overall. Keir starmer pursued his argument at later question time s after the lockdown eased and the hairdressers reopened. The Prime Minister must recognise that huge mistakes have been made. Two months ago at pmqs, i highlighted the weaknesses of early guidance on care homes. The Prime Minister, typically flippant, simply said it is not true. There were repeated warnings from the care sector, repeated delays in providing protective equipment. This wasnt hindsight. They were raised here day in, day out, week in, week out. It wasnt hindsight. It was real time for the frontline. Same on testing, and the decision to discharge 20,000 people to care homes without test was clearly a mistake. Our understanding of the disease changed dramatically in the months that we had it, and when he looks at the action plan that we brought in to help our care workers, i think he would appreciate the vast amount of work that they have done, the ppe that they have done, the ppe that they have been supplied with, the testing that they have been supplied with, that has helped them to get the incidence of them to get the incidence of the disease down to record lows. Boris johnson was later to qualify that defence of his record. The Health Crisis swiftly became an economic one, with the bank of england predicting the deepest recession for 300 years. Sunak had been chancellor for barely a month before he delivered his first budget in march, one dominated by the pandemic. At the time, Jeremy Corbyn was still the opposition leader. Whatever extra resources our nhs needs to cope with coronavirus it will get. So, whether its coronavirus it will get. So, whether its research for a vaccine, recruiting thousands of returning staff, or supporting our brilliant doctors and nurses, whether its millions of pounds or billions of pounds, whatever it needs, whatever it costs, we stand behind our nhs. But opposition leaders wanted more. We are going into this crisis with our Public Services on their knees. And, as todays figures confirm, with a fundamentally weak economy, which is now flatlining, with zero growth, even before the impact of coronavirus. Many of the businesses on my part of the businesses on my part of the world, in the highlands of scotland, come through a fallow period over the winter, and it is notjust period over the winter, and it is not just an period over the winter, and it is notjust an issue that period over the winter, and it is not just an issue that they are going to see a reduction in business. In some cases they are going to be desperately short of cash coming in through the door. Before the ink was dry on his budget, the chancellor was writing more checks, spending hundreds of billions of pounds, including a furlough scheme that saw the government pay the wages of workers laid off due to the crisis. He was back in the commons in earlyjuly, with what the government insisted was a summer what the government insisted was a summer statement rather than a was a summer statement rather thana mini was a summer statement rather than a mini budget, and an eye catching scheme to get the economy going again. For the month of august, we will give eve ryo ne month of august, we will give everyone in the country and eat out to help out discount. Meals eaten at any participating business monday to wednesday will be 50 off up to a maximum discount of £10 per head for everyone. Labour were a underwhelmed with the overall package. Today, britons should have had a back to work budget. But instead we got this summer statement, with many of the Big Decisions put off until later. What others liked the chancellors menu. Im sure that the Hospitality Industry will welcome the measures that he has announced today, albeit that they are quite time limited. I think the clothes shops were like them as well, because once we have made our way through a months half price meals, we may well be visiting them. Sammy wilson, on a scheme some have labelled, in an echo of housing policies, as help to pyre. Borisjohnson was not the only cabinet member to contract coronavirus. It also hit matt hancock and the Prime Ministers controversial aide, dominic cummings. Mr cummings was accused of breaking the rules by driving to north east england lockdown. He refused to resign, but told an unusual press co nfe re nce resign, but told an unusual press conference in the downing street garden his wife had been worried about their return journey. She said and i think it was perfectly reasonable, three days ago you could barely stand up, you said your eyesight was weird. We shouldntjust embark ona weird. We shouldntjust embark on a 270 whatever it is mile journey and then end up finding halfway through that you actually cant drive that far. Good afternoon. Scotlands chief medical officer Catherine Calderwood did resign after making two trips to her second home. Northern irelands deputy first minister sinn feins Michelle Oneill based calls to quit after attending the large funeral of a former ira figure. And niall ferguson, the scientist known as perfect professor lockdown in some newspapers, did resign as a government advisor after it emerged he had been visited by his girlfriend during the lockdown. Professor ferguson was one of several scientists who became household names as there are let advice and analysis were seized on. The uk government chief medical and scientific a offices were often seen scientific a offices were often seen flanking the Prime Minister at downing street press co nfe re nces. Minister at downing street press conferences. They were in demand from parliamentary committees, too. If every year in seasonal flu, the committees, too. If every year in seasonalflu, the number of deaths is thought to be about eight thousand excess deaths. So if we can get this down to numbers 20000 and below, thats a good outcome in terms of but it is still horrible. It is still an enormous number of deaths. By the end of april, more than 20,000 people had died from coronavirus. Politicians and scientists began asking if we had locked down too late. Had we introduced lockdown measures earlier, we would have reduced our final death toll by at least a half. The measures, given what we know about this new, what we knew about the virus and then, in terms of its transmission, where warranted. Certainly had we introduced it earlier, we would have seen many fewer deaths. That was the science committee. Mps on the health and social Care Committee were asking similar questions. So when it comes to the timing of the lock down, are you content that the government followed your advice in terms of the staging of different elements of the lockdown . I am content and so what you are trying to do is runa what you are trying to do is run a very what you are trying to do is run a very comp period. As a veryjumped run a very comp period. As a very jumped on question. Run a very comp period. As a veryjumped on question. There is no straight answer to that andi is no straight answer to that and i am not trying to give you and i am not trying to give you a yes or no answer to that. The common constantly and said they we re common constantly and said they were following a the government constantly said they we re government constantly said they were following the side so on the crucial question of the lockdown, where they following your science . I am confident, the ministers at the time, in my view, followed the advice, given, by sage, which were clearly signposted through the minutes, with a delay that was no more than you would reasonably expect for what are really difficult things to operationalised. By july, Patrick Vallance admitted things could have gone better. The uks response to the pandemic is not the most in the world, back and put it that way. In your role, have you begun to think about what might begun to think about what might be the reasons for that. Yes, we think about that a lot and clearly there are things that we do as we go along to learn what is going on and we are in regular contact with many rag Many International partners. I think it is very difficult to know exactly where we stand at the moment. It is clear that the moment. It is clear that the outcome has not been good in the uk. Being absolutely clear about that. So Patrick Vallance. England, wales, scotla nd vallance. England, wales, scotland and Northern Ireland, all ended lockdown together in march. There was much talk about a four nations approach but with different parties in charge of the lockdown rules in the four different nations, the uk began to look like a federal state. Some of the issues were familiar, wherever you live. In scotland, more people died from the virus in care homes that in hospitals. Mistakes were made at the start and they have led to the excess deaths that we see today. First minister, in light of the tragedy, you agree that when it comes to testing in care homes that by any standards, this is a failure . First minister. No, i dont. Let me say, i am not even speaking as first minister here, i speaking as first minister here, lam speaking as first minister here, i am speaking as a human being. Ideeply here, i am speaking as a human being. I deeply regret every single death from this virus andl single death from this virus and i think all of us are in that position, but i also know andl that position, but i also know and i said i think the very first time i stood in this chamberand first time i stood in this chamber and talked about what we we re chamber and talked about what we were dealing with, i said that mistakes would be made. I saidl that mistakes would be made. I said i would make mistakes, the government would make mistakes, we are dealing with an unprecedented situation and i am sure that this is the case was there is not a day, probably not an ally goes by right now, where i dont question myself, i dont agonise over the decisions we are taking to make sure that we are taking to make sure that we are learning as we go and we are learning as we go and we are getting these decisions as right as possible and i suspect everybody, i hope everybody in our leadership position, the world over right now, is going through that same process. And Nicola Sturgeon turned that questioning approach to her counterpart in downing street. When so much is at stake as it is right now, we cannot allow ourselves to be dragged down in a week of the governments to be quite frank, shambolic Decision Making process was up as the pressure grew to lift the lockdown, in Northern Ireland, democratic unions first minister and the Sinn Fein Deputy first minister gave a rare joint statement at stormont. 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 that they are having a significant effect on peoples ability to live their lives the way they and we want. We are appealing to the public to please be patient. We understand that you want your family life back. To be able to visit and socialise with your friends and your families, to give your grandchildren a hug. The differences between the four countries were most apparent as the lockdown was lifted. With scotland and wales more cautious than the uk government in england. Your careful approach in terms of easing of restrictions has served well in many ways but you know, ithink, risk treading the line between being too cautious and too slow on this issue. Why is wales lagging behind and so many countries have acted so decisively . I just countries have acted so decisively . Ijust reject the language of lagging behind. We are doing the things that are right for wales. But does not mean following anybody else just because they have done something that we have decided not to do. Mark drake fit. Westminster and the uks other parliaments continue to adjust to their new normal. Select committees carried on largely virtually with some unusual cameos. And the bbc are also now embracing this, i apologise for my cat s tail. Why are you not doing this by default . Rocco, put your tail down. The hybrid parliament are still allowed mps and peers to contribute from their home, the office or wherever they happened to be. I wonder if might ask my noble friend what engagement she has had with the devolved administration regarding any participation and any future scheme . My lord, i am dying to know what the other passengers on the noble lords train ourthinking. Passengers on the noble lords train our thinking. Were going to go to the lord a moment and you will be surprised because he is when a seatbelt and that is because he is coming back from an important family engagement. He hoped to get home in time. Do you think first that a change of present would make life more difficult for you or do you think it is having repercussions and joe biden is currently looking more likely to win over my trump. We are working with both republicans and democrats in the United States to make sure there is bipartisan support for aus there is bipartisan support for a us trade deal. I was going to say that was a very good answer . Safe journey home is all i can say. Lloyd webberfan. Lloyd webber fan. In a taxi. Returning from a restaurant. A good one, apparently. Byjuly, almost six months after the first confirmed case in the uk, the Prime Minister spoke briefly about a return to normality by christmas. The scientists were sceptical. Things will not be done by christmas. This infection is not going away. It is now a human endemic infection and even actually if we have a vaccine a very good treatments, humanity will still be living with this virus for very many yea rs with this virus for very many years to come. The key objective remains to develop a vaccine. Initial trials were encouraging, up to a point. Are we going to have a vaccine before christmas . Well, i am an optimist in life, catherine, and on the best case scenario, the answer is yes and myjob is not to second guess whether we will not and vaccines are an uncertain science and we need to be cautious and we need to be careful. We are working very ha rd be careful. We are working very hard on this that i cant, i cant promise to play centre. Matt hancocks natural optimism struggling to overcome the reality of the calendar. This was a crisis that began with ministers and their advisers confident the risks to the uk was low but, six months later, saw borisjohnson was low but, six months later, saw Boris Johnson admitted was low but, six months later, saw borisjohnson admitted his government hadnt really understood the virus in its early days. The Prime Minister now says there are very open questions about whether lives could have been saved i entering lockdown sooner. With the death toll approaching 50,000, the families of those who have died from coronavirus will be looking for answers in the independent enquiry that will follow. Hello there. The heat on friday was certainly extreme. It arrived quickly and it is going away quickly. But the heat was far and wide. We had temperatures of 37 degrees in london, 29 in edinburgh. But a significant drop on the way for saturday. For liverpool and sheffield, a drop of 11 degrees or more. The heat has been coming to an end with a bang. Weve had this band of cloud coming in from the west bringing some thundery rain and we scooped up some thunderstorms from continental europe, its been heading eastwards, out into the north sea, and behind that band of cloud, we are seeing atlantic air spilling our way and thats the reason why the temperatures will be dropping. Things will feel different as we head into monday. Still going to be very warm for eastern parts of england, mind you. By the time we get to the morning we have rain affecting shetland and may be a few showers coming into some other western parts of the uk. Throughout the day on saturday, its going to be a mixture of sunshine and a scattering of showers, mainly across western areas, a few will push their way eastwards gradually through the day. Much of the day may well be dry with sunshine at times and it stays dry right across the southeast and east anglia until the evening. And well find temperatures at 25, 26 degrees, warm but it is a cooler day everywhere in the temperatures 18 in the central belt. Im sure the footballers for the fa cup final will appreciate the change in the weather it looks like it should be dry at wembley. More showers to come into Northern Ireland on saturday evening. Those will push their way into scotland, we keep the cool air coming in on the westerly breeze. So temperatures overnight, saturday night into sunday morning, a little bit lower, probably a more comfortable night for sleeping 11 to 1a degrees. Again on saturday, a day of sunshine, and showers. Probably more showers around on sunday. Especially across the northern half of the uk and some of those could be on the heavy side as well. Its continuing to cool off, temperatures continuing to drop away a little bit, our high on sunday in the southeast is 23 celsius. More of the same on monday. Same sort of temperatures, sunshine and showers, perhaps heavier showers in the afternoon for the eastern side of england. Its getting a long way away but i think around tuesday and wednesday we could be in for some wetter and windier weather. But by end of next week, probably turning quite a bit warmer once again. Goodbye. Hello and welcome to bbc news. Mexico has become the country with the third highest number of deaths from coronavirus. More than a6,600 people have died from covid 19 there. Only brazil and the United States have a worse record. It comes as the head of the World Health Organization warns that the effects of the global coronavirus outbreak will be felt for decades to come. Alanna petroff has the latest