Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak have been accused of undermining the UK’s battle against Covid-19 by trying to dodge the test-and-trace rules which have seen hundreds of thousands of workers, parents and children self-isolate to try to stop the spread of the virus.
The prime minister and chancellor were forced into a humiliating U-turn amid waves of fury over their attempt to avoid a 10-day quarantine by joining an experimental daily testing scheme.
Johnson and Sunak were “pinged” by NHS Test and Trace as contacts of Covid-positive health secretary Sajid Javid, but Downing Street initially declared they would carry on working as normal through the “get out of jail free” scheme previously used by Michael Gove.
The decision - denounced as “Barnard Castle on steroids” by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey in reference to Dominic Cummings’ lockdown-busting trip to Durham - was denounced far beyond Westminster, with one business leader accusing the government of treating Britons “like mugs” and another saying it was a case of “do as I say, not as I do”.
Following warnings that they risked undermining public willingness to comply with “pingdemic” instructions to isolate, the PM and chancellor caved in to pressure and announced that they would observe quarantine after all - just two hours and 38 minutes after saying they would not.
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The second statement said that Mr Johnson had been contacted by NHS Test and Trace while at Chequers and would remain at his Buckinghamshire country residence, contradicting the earlier suggestion that he would “continue working at Downing Street” while taking part in the daily testing regime.
The U-turn came just minutes after housing secretary Robert Jenrick completed a round of broadcast interviews in which he defended his cabinet colleagues’ use of the pilot scheme, which allows participants to avoid self-isolation by having daily lateral flow tests.
Mr Johnson’s retreat over the testing pilot means that he will be forced to conduct the final session of prime minister’s questions before the summer recess, on Wednesday, via video link - just days after telling MPs it was safe to return to Westminster.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said the government was “in chaos” over its coronavirus strategy, just a day ahead of the removal of most remaining restrictions in England on Monday.
The so-called “Freedom Day” comes with daily infection rates above 50,000, with government scientific adviser Neil Ferguson warning they would “almost inevitably” reach a record 100,000 and could top 200,000.
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UK news in pictures 18 July 2021 A view of spectators by the 2nd green during day four of The Open at The Royal St George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent
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UK news in pictures 17 July 2021 Cyclists ride over the Hammersmith Bridge in London. The bridge was closed last year after cracks in it worsened during a heatwave
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UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool
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UK news in pictures 15 July 2021 Sir Nicholas Serota watches a short film about sea monsters as he opens a ￡7.6 million, 360 immersive dome at Devonport's Market Hall in Plymouth, which is the first of its type to be built in Europe
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UK news in pictures 12 July 2021 A local resident puts love hearts and slogans on the plastic that covers offensive graffiti on the vandalised mural of Manchester United striker and England player Marcus Rashford on the wall of a cafe on Copson Street, Withington in Manchester
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UK news in pictures 11 July 2021 England's Bukayo Saka with manager Gareth Southgate after the match
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UK news in pictures 9 July 2021 England 1966 World Cup winner Sir Geoff Hurst stands on top of a pod on the lastminute.com London Eye wearing a replica 1966 World Cup final kit and looking out towards Wembley Stadium in the north of the capital, where the England football team will play Italy in the Euro 2020 final on Sunday
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UK news in pictures 8 July 2021 Karolina Pliskova celebrates after defeating Aryna Sabalenka during the women's singles semifinals match on day ten of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London
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UK news in pictures 7 July 2021 The residents of Towfield Court in Feltham have transformed their estate with England flags for the Euro 2020 tournament
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UK news in pictures 6 July 2021 A couple are hit by a wave as they walk along the promenade in Dover, Kent, during strong winds
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UK news in pictures 5 July 2021 Alexander Zverev playing against Felix Auger-Aliassime in the fourth round of the Gentlemen's Singles on Court 1 on day seven of Wimbledon at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club
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UK news in pictures 4 July 2021 Aaron Carty and the Beyoncé Experience perform on stage during UK Black Pride at The Roundhouse in London
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UK news in pictures 3 July 2021 England’s Jordan Henderson celebrates after scoring his first international goal, his side’s fourth against Ukraine during the Euro 2020 quarter final match at the Olympic stadium in Rome
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UK news in pictures 2 July 2021 Dan Evans serves against Sebastian Korda during their men’s singles third round match at Wimbledon
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UK news in pictures 1 July 2021 Prince William, left and Prince Harry unveil a statue they commissioned of their mother Princess Diana, on what would have been her 60th birthday, in the Sunken Garden at Kensington Palace, London
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UK news in pictures 30 June 2021 Dancers from the Billingham Festival and Balbir Singh Dance Company, during a preview for the The Two Fridas, UK Summer tour, presented by Billingham International Folklore Festival of World Dance in collaboration with Balbir Singh Dance Company, inspired by the life and times of female artists Frida Kahlo and Amrita Sher-Gil , which opens on July 10 at Ushaw Historic House, Chapel and Gardens in Durham
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UK news in pictures 29 June 2021 A boy kicks a soccer ball in front of the balconies and landings adorned with predominantly England flags at the Kirby housing estate in London
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UK news in pictures 28 June 2021 Emergency services attend a fire nearby the Elephant & Castle Rail Station in London
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UK news in pictures 27 June 2021 People walk along Regent Street in central London during a #FreedomToDance march organised by Save Our Scene, in protest against the government’s perceived disregard for the live music industry throughout the coronavirus pandemic
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UK news in pictures 26 June 2021 A pair of marchers in a Trans Pride rally share a smile in Soho
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UK news in pictures 25 June 2021 Tim Duckworth during the Long Jump in the decathlon during day one of the Muller British Athletics Championships at Manchester Regional Arena
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UK news in pictures 24 June 2021 A member of staff poses with the work 'The Death of Cash' by XCopy at the 'CryptOGs: The Pioneers of NFT Art' auction at Bonhams auction house in London
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UK news in pictures 23 June 2021 Bank of England Chief Cashier Sarah John displays the new 50-pound banknote at Daunt Books in London
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UK news in pictures 22 June 2021 Actor Isaac Hampstead Wright sits on the newly unveiled Game of Throne's "Iron Throne" statue, in Leicester Square, in London, Tuesday, June 22, 2021. The statue is the tenth to join the trail and commemorates 10 years since the TV show first aired, as well as in anticipation for HBO's release of House of the Dragon set to be released in 2022
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UK news in pictures 21 June 2021 Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
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UK news in pictures 20 June 2021 Joyce Paton, from Peterhead, on one of the remaining snow patches on Meall a’Bhuiridh in Glencoe during the Midsummer Ski. The event, organised by the Glencoe Mountain Resort, is held every year on the weekend closest to the Summer Solstice
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UK news in pictures 19 June 2021 England appeal LBW during day four of their Women’s International Test match against India at the Bristol County Ground
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UK news in pictures 18 June 2021 Scotland fans let off flares in Leicester Square after Scotland's Euro 2020 match against England ended in a 0-0 draw
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UK news in pictures 17 June 2021 Members of the Tootsie Rollers jazz band pose on the third day of the Royal Ascot horse racing meet
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UK news in pictures 14 June 2021 Scotland's David Marshall in the net after Czech Republic's Patrik Schick scored their second goal at Hampden Park
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UK news in pictures 13 June 2021 Raheem Sterling celebrates with Harry Kane after scoring England’s first goal of the Euro 2021 tournament in a match against Croatia at Wembley
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UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall
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UK news in pictures 11 June 2021 Members of the Vaxinol team, who are commercial, industrial and residential cleaners specialising in disinfection and decontamination, use electrostatic spray systems to deep clean the Only Fools Bar in Liverpool
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UK news in pictures 9 June 2021 Adam Chamberlain, 45, general manager of Big Tree pub in Sheffield, has put up over 500 flags, taking 36 hours, in preparation for Euro 2020, which kicks off this weekend
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UK news in pictures 8 June 2021
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UK news in pictures 7 June 2021 A pedestrian wearing a face covering walks over Westminster Bridge near the Houses of Parliament in central London
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UK news in pictures 6 June 2021 Isobel Salamon, founder of the Edinburgh Cinema Club, poses alongside the Leith Trainspotting murals in Quality Yard, Leith, Edinburgh, for the programme launch of the Cinescapes Festival which starts on July 4 with a Trainspotting 1 and 2 double bill
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UK news in pictures 5 June 2021 A long exposure photograph captures the rotation of the earth as the stars blur into circles over Knowlton church ruins in Dorset
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UK news in pictures 3 June 2021 Members of the Household Cavalry during the Major General's annual inspection of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in Hyde Park, London
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UK news in pictures 2 June 2021 Hannah Vitos of the Blenheim Art Foundation, poses for a photograph next to artist Ai Weiwei's Gilded Cage (2017) sculpture in the grounds of Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, Britain
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UK news in pictures 1 June 2021 People swim in the Sky Pool, a transparent swimming pool bridge across two exclusive residential blocks standing next to the US Embassy in Nine Elms, in London, Tuesday, June 1, 2021
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UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach
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UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach
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“Success” under the government’s no-restrictions regime would see the current Delta variant wave peak at little over 1,000 hospitalisations and 100,000 positive tests a day and then slowly decline, said Prof Ferguson, as Mr Jenrick warned the wave could stretch into September.
Sir Keir said Johnson and Sunak had been “busted” in an attempt to dodge the rules, adding: “At a time when we need to maintain confidence in self isolation, parents, workers and businesses will be wondering what on earth is going on in Downing Street.
“Yet again the Conservatives fixed the rules to benefit themselves, and only backtracked when they were found out. They robbed the bank, got caught and have now offered to give the money back.”
Official guidance for the daily testing scheme states that participants are chosen at random as part of a trial of new ways of dealing with contact-tracing, but Mr Jenrick said that around 20 public bodies - including the Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street - had been signed up to take part.
Ms Rayner said that the decision to withdraw made clear that ministers and officials were participating for their own convenience and not as part of a scientific exercise as claimed.
“So it isn’t a pilot scheme?” asked the Labour deputy leader. “It’s just something they made up because they didn’t want to isolate like the plebs?
“If people now delete the app and don’t self-isolate when pinged then every additional Covid case will be the direct responsibility of the PM and chancellor.”
Sir Ed Davey said: “I’m glad Johnson U-turned, right decision.
“But the fact he thought he could get away with it in the first place shows the utter contempt he has for the British people.”
And Green Party co-leader Jonathan Bartley said: “The damage is already done. This government has no principles and no judgement. And every mistake it makes destroys even more lives.”
Fury at the PM’s initial attempt to get round the rules extended far beyond Westminster, with businesses complaining that politicians were trying to dodge the consequences of the “pingdemic” they have unleashed on workers.
Richard Walker, managing director of Iceland supermarkets, tweeted: “Shame the hundreds of Iceland staff who’ve been pinged can’t avoid self-isolation. “
The managing director of CKB Recruitment, Kieran Boyle, said: “Yet again the ruling class are treating us all like mugs. They have decimated so many small businesses already, and stuck two fingers up at limited company directors, and this just adds even more fuel to the fire. “
The founder of Derby-based Loates HR Consultancy, Sarah Loates, said: “The sheer chutzpah of this government is breathtaking.
“As businesses, parents and others struggle on with their self-isolation sacrifice, once again it’s a case of do as I say, not as I do.”
And Helen Williams, owner of Middlewich-based Willow Bridal Boutique, said: “If we have to self-isolate, then so should those who apparently represent us.
“As a small, independent close-contact business, I’m paranoid about getting pinged. Having just one of my customers test positive will close my entire business for two weeks with no financial support.”
An initial statement released by Downing Street at 8am confirmed that Mr Johnson and Mr Sunak had been contacted by NHS Test and Trace overnight. The contact came after a PCR test confirmed a positive Covid diagnosis for Mr Javid, who became “groggy” on Friday evening shortly after a meeting with the PM.
Under the pilot scheme, the pair were able to continue working so long as they recorded negative results on daily tests conducted at an asymptomatic testing site in Downing Street, but would have to self-isolate outside work.
“They will be participating in the daily contact testing pilot to allow them to continue to work from Downing Street,” said the statement. “They will be conducting only essential government business during this period.”
At 10.38am, this was followed by a hastily-revised statement from a Downing Street spokesperson: “The prime minister has been contacted by NHS Test and Trace to say he is a contact of someone with Covid.
“He was at Chequers when contacted by Test and Trace and will remain there to isolate. He will not be taking part in the testing pilot.
“He will continue to conduct meetings with ministers remotely. The chancellor has also been contacted and will also isolate as required and will not be taking part in the pilot.”
The public learnt of Mr Sunak’s backtrack slightly ahead of the PM’s, as the chancellor tweeted his decision while Downing Street briefed media behind the scenes.
“Whilst the test and trace pilot is fairly restrictive, allowing only essential government business, I recognise that even the sense that the rules aren’t the same for everyone is wrong,” said the chancellor.
“To that end I’ll be self isolating as normal and not taking part in the pilot.”