John Bald: We need vaccination for teachers if schools are to reopen safely

The Education Secretary gave an effective performance in Parliament yesterday. But there remains considerable anger, which is justified.

Whatever happened to the Covid marshalls?

Local councils in England received £30 million in funding to help them put together teams of compliance officers. So how has it been used?

WATCH: ‘We will need more scrutiny of the vaccination programme’, says Fox, if MPs are to be confident in it

He urges Ministers to “be mindful of the balance between the authority of Government and the responsibility of citizens.”

WATCH: Murrison – ‘What constitutes the criteria for coming out of this lockdown?’

Another backbench Conservative presses the Government to clarify the exit plan from the latest restrictions and how it will get there.

WATCH: Halfon presses Williamson on the Government’s pandemic support for teachers and pupils

The Chair of the Education Select Committee presses the Secretary of State on access to technology, assessment, and vaccination for school staff.

WATCH: ‘Many of us are concerned at being asked to approve a lockdown that could continue until March 31’, says Brady

The Prime Minister replies: “I can’t believe it will be until the end of March that the House has to wait before having a new vote and a new discussion.”

WATCH: Wright presses the Prime Minister to be clear on what circumstances will allow lockdown to ease

“If our understanding of the virus doesn’t change dramatically again”, says Johnson, there will be “substantial opportunities” once key goals are hit.

WATCH: Starmer attacks the Government for delaying action on lockdown

The Opposition support the Government’s measures, but say that a vaccine is now ‘the only way out’.

WATCH: Johnson – ‘Our emergence from the lockdown cocoon will not be a big bang, but a gradual unwrapping’

The Prime Minister says the new measures are on the statute book until March to allow for a phased and orderly easing of restrictions later.

Ryan Bourne: Ministers must speed up the pace of vaccination. Here are some ways of doing so.

Government sometimes treats the constraints fatalistically, rather than seeing them as a problem that prices, incentives, and regulations could affect. 

Daniel Hannan: Britain is skint – so we should use our post-EU freedom to grow ourselves out of this mess.

It may sound obvious, even trite, but it’s the only way out. The primary purpose of economic policy for the next five years should be to generate revenue.

WATCH: If there’s a shutdown announcement on day one, there must be a Sunak bailout one on day two

The Chancellor says that an additional £4.6 billion will be provided to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses forced to close.

Johnson’s position is stronger than it looks

The sense that he hates the whole business is helping to carry him through it – for all the mistakes that have been made.

A timetable for vaccinating the most vulnerable by mid-February. The Prime Minister’s statement – full text.

But vaccination doesn’t give instant protection; pressure on the NHS won’t lift immediately – and delivery may run late. So restrictions will take longer to lift.

WATCH: Back to the future. Johnson announces Lockdown Three.

“I really do believe that we are entering the last phase of the struggle…For now, I am afraid, you must once again stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.”