As England braced for the removal of remaining lockdown restrictions on Monday, Boris Johnson was accused of undermining his own pleas for caution from the public by attempting to dodge an instruction to self-isolate.
The prime minister and chancellor Rishi Sunak were forced into a humiliating U-turn after a wave of fury greeted their announcement that they would sidestep 10 days’ quarantine as contacts of Covid-positive Sajid Javid by joining a pilot scheme trialling daily testing as an alternative to isolation.
Among those voicing anger were small businesses who said the government was treating them “like mugs” in a case of “do as I say, not as I do”.
The climbdown came as business leaders issued an appeal for the government to exempt double-jabbed adults from self-isolation, while unions warned that the freedom day promised for 19 July risked turning into “chaos day” as thousands of workers were “pinged” with instructions to stay home.
After a week in which more than 500,000 people were told to isolate, forcing the closure of businesses, cancellation of trains and the suspension of a London Underground line, CBI president Lord Bilimoria called for the exemption to be brought forward immediately from the planned date of 16 August, warning: “Against the backdrop of crippling staff shortages, speed is of the essence.”
Recommended Make daily testing scheme available to all to end ‘pingdemic’, says Tony Blair The Latest: Virus cases surging in Italy; Euro 2020 link Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak say they will self-isolate after exemption sparks outrage
UK news in pictures Show all 50
1/50UK news in pictures
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
PA
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
Getty
UK news in pictures 16 July 2021 The sun rises behind the Sefton Park Palm House, in Sefton Park, Liverpool
PA
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
PA
UK news in pictures 14 July 2021 Heidi Street, playing a gothic character, looks at a brain suspended in glass at the world’s first attraction dedicated to the author of Frankenstein inside the ‘Mary Shelley’s House of Frankenstein’ experience, located in a Georgian terraced house in Bath, as it prepares to open to the public on 19 July
PA
UK news in pictures 13 July 2021 Rehearsals are held in a car park in Glasgow for a parade scene ahead of filming for what is thought to be the new Indiana Jones 5 movie starring Harrison Ford
PA
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
Getty Images
UK news in pictures 11 July 2021 England's Bukayo Saka with manager Gareth Southgate after the match
Pool via Reuters
UK news in pictures 10 July 2021 Australia’s Ashleigh Barty holds the trophy after winning her final Wimbledon match against Czech Republic’s Karolina Pliskova
Reuters
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
PA
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
AP
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
PA
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
PA
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
PA
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
Getty for UK Black Pride
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
AP
UK news in pictures 2 July 2021 Dan Evans serves against Sebastian Korda during their men’s singles third round match at Wimbledon
Getty
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
AP
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
PA
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
AP
UK news in pictures 28 June 2021 Emergency services attend a fire nearby the Elephant & Castle Rail Station in London
Getty
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
PA
UK news in pictures 26 June 2021 A pair of marchers in a Trans Pride rally share a smile in Soho
Angela Christofilou/The Independent
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
PA
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
EPA
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
Bank of England via Reuters
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
AP
UK news in pictures 21 June 2021 Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon receives her second dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine
AFP/Getty
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
PA
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
PA
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
Getty
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
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 16 June 2021 A woman and child examine life-size sculptures of a herd of Asian elephants set up by the Elephant Family and The Real Elephant Collective to help educate the public on the elephants and the ways in which humans can better protect the planets biodiversity, in Green Park, central London
AFP/Getty
UK news in pictures 15 June 2021 Hydrotherapists with Dixie, a seven-year-old Dachshund who is being treated for back problems common with the breed, in the hydrotherapy pool during a facility at Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's in Battersea, London, to view their new hydrotherapy centre
PA
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
Reuters
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
Reuters
UK news in pictures 12 June 2021 Oxfam campaigners wearing costumes depicting G7 leaders pose for photographers on Swanpool Beach near Falmouth, Cornwall
EPA
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
PA
UK news in pictures 10 June 2021 A woman walks her dogs as the incoming tide begins to wash away the heads of G7 leaders drawn in the sand by activists on the beach at Newquay, Cornwall
AP
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
Tom Maddick / SWNS
UK news in pictures 8 June 2021
REUTERS
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
AFP/Getty
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
PA
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
Nick Lucas/SWNS
UK news in pictures 4 June 2021 Balloonists take flight during the opening of the Midlands Air Festival in Alcester, Warwickshire
PA
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
PA
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
Reuters
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
AP
UK news in pictures 31 May 2021 People enjoy the hot weather at Brighton beach
Reuters
UK news in pictures 30 May 2021 People venture into the sea as they enjoy themselves during a hot day on Brighton Beach
AP
Former PM Tony Blair said daily testing to avoid quarantine should be offered to all vaccinated people, as part of a plan also including jabs for teenagers, mandatory Covid passports for major events and masks in crowded public spaces, which he said would allow the UK to live with a disease which he predicted would continue causing disruption for several years.
And government scientific adviser Neil Ferguson said daily infection rates would “almost inevitably” reach 100,000 within weeks and could top 200,000, with the peak followed by a slow decline in numbers stretching into the autumn. Around half a million people can be expected to contract the debilitating long Covid condition during this wave, he said.
Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick was sent out onto the airwaves to defend the decision for the PM and chancellor to join the daily testing scheme, previously used by Michael Gove to dodge quarantine. Although official guidance states that participants are chosen randomly, he said around 20 public bodies – including the Cabinet Office and 10 Downing Street – were also signed up.
But within minutes of him completing a round of awkward interviews – and just two hours and 38 minutes after the initial announcement – Downing Street issued a statement to say that Johnson and Sunak would after all self-isolate until 26 July.
Johnson was accused of adding insult to injury with a remarkable video message in which he showed no contrition for his attempt to duck quarantine, saying only that he had “looked briefly” at the option and adding that it was vital for everybody to “stick to the same rules”.
The message was described as “beyond parody” by one SNP MP, while Labour frontbencher Bridget Phillipson asked: “Does he take us all for fools?”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said Johnson and Sunak had been “busted” in an attempt to escape the consequences of the rules they had imposed on others.
“Yet again the Conservatives fixed the rules to benefit themselves, and only backtracked when they were found out,” he said. “They robbed the bank, got caught and have now offered to give the money back.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey described the initial decision as “Barnard Castle on steroids”, in reference to Dominic Cummings’ lockdown-breaching trip to Durham.
“I’m glad Johnson U-turned, right decision,” said Davey.
“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.”
As the long-awaited date for completion of Mr Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdown arrived, ministers were steering clear of the previous “freedom day” messaging linked to the end of mandatory masks and social-distancing, reopening of nightclubs and removal of restrictions on attendance at mass events in England.
A mooted victory speech by the PM at a venue linked with wartime leader Sir Winston Churchill was reportedly dumped even before Mr Johnson was forced into seclusion at Chequers, as unease grew about the fast-rising numbers of infections.
And in an eve-of-relaxations message, Mr Johnson said that vaccinations were proving successful in weakening the link between infection and serious illness or death, but added: “Please, please, please be cautious. Go forward tomorrow into the next step with all the right prudence and respect for other people and the risks that the disease continues to present.
“And, above all, please, please, please when you’re asked to get that second jab, please come forward and do it.”
Johnson will be forced to conduct the final session of prime minister’s questions before summer recess on Wednesday by video link, just days after telling MPs it was safe to return to the Commons. And he will miss a crucial week in which the government is set to unveil its new approach to the Northern Ireland Protocol and may finalise proposals for social care reform.
Mr Jenrick indicated that new advice on jabs for teenagers was expected on Monday from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), with only those approaching their 18th birthday and those vulnerable because of medical conditions – or living with someone vulnerable – likely to be invited to be inoculated.
With daily infection rates at 48,161 on Sunday, after topping 50,000 several times last week, scientists warned that Mr Johnson was taking a “completely reckless and unethical” gamble in pushing ahead with the removal of restrictions.
Epidemiologist Deepti Gurdasani of Queen Mary University London – a leading light behind the Lancet letter backed by 1,200 medics and scientists denouncing the move – told The Independent: “I think it is likely that this will lead to another lockdown.
“The root cause of what is happening right now is unmitigated pandemic spread, which the government seems really reluctant to control. Rather, what it seems to be doing is taking away the very few protections we have in the hope of diminishing the impact on the economy. I think that is badly backfiring already.”
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union said Saturday’s “pingdemic” closure of London Underground’s Metropolitan Line showed that transport services were “on a knife edge”.
General secretary Mick Lynch said: “Many rail, bus and Tube services are already seriously understaffed which leaves them dangerously exposed.
“The government’s botched handling of this latest phase of the pandemic, and the rank hypocrisy of the prime minister and his chancellor who don’t think the isolation rules apply to them, means that their freedom day could very easily collapse into chaos day.”
And TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The government cannot watch from the sidelines as Covid runs riot.
“Ministers must urgently make wearing a mask a legal requirement on public transport and in shops, and they must toughen their vague and inadequate back-to-work guidance so workers have confidence their workplaces are safe.”