Sunak unveils 'kickstart jobs scheme' for 16-24s
Hospital shuts to emergencies after virus outbreak
Pub bans under 25s for flouting virus measures
'Home-schooling has been hell', parents say
Robust plan for PPE 'must be in place for winter'
Updates on Wednesday 8 July
Rob England
BBC News
Our coronavirus live page is finished for the day, but we'll be back tomorrow from 09:00 with all the latest updates from across England.
In the meantime, if you spot a story in your area you want us to follow up on, drop us an email.
Stay safe.
An equine charity says it has lost about £300,000 in revenue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Bransby Horses, based near Lincoln, closed to the public in March, but reopened earlier after lockdown restrictions were eased.
Image source, Bransby HorsesChief executive Jo Snell said it had been a tough time for everyone involved with the charity.
"We rely heavily on public support, and don't receive any government funding, so it has hit us hard," she said.
The charity said it had already suffered losses of about £200,000 after its Bransby site, which is home to about 450 animals, was hit by flooding in November.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Soho residents have mixed feelings about the events of Saturday night after images of packed streets and drunken antics filled the news.
Parts of the West End were pedestrianised over the weekend to allow restaurants and bars to put tables and chairs in the streets from 17:00 to 23:00, with inspiration taken from continental outdoor-dining culture.
Image source, Getty ImagesTim Lord, chair of the Soho Society residents group, said we “can’t have the chaos again that we saw on Saturday.
“There was not enough marshalling... There needs to be a way of making it street dining rather than a street party. If they can’t, the whole thing might have to be pulled.”
Meanwhile, 84-year-old Debbie Smith, of Old Compton Street, said jokingly: “I’ve lived here 50 years, it was much worse in the 1960s. Yes it was very busy, and noisy to live next to. But heavens, what do you expect?”
Nicholas, from Frith Street, said he felt "sorry for the restaurants because I think it would make more sense to pedestrianise the streets through the whole day”.
The council was approached for comment on whether it will deploy more marshalls next weekend to disperse crowds, but it did not respond to that point.
A spokesperson said: "We are working with businesses in the area to ensure that they are operating responsibly and implementing the social distancing guidance that the council has provided."
Rob England
BBC News
The number of deaths in hospitals where patients had coronavirus is currently 28,971 in England
Figures were released by NHS England earlier today.
Patients were aged between 22 and 100 and six people aged between 60 and 94 had no known underlying health conditions.
Image source, .A man who has spent more than a decade nurturing trees with truffle spores in the roots has finally had a bumper crop of the highly valuable food.
But Mike Collison from Stapleton, Shropshire, can't sell his truffles because restaurants are only just getting back on their feet during the coronavirus pandemic.
As a result, a yield which would usually sell for £30,000 isn't making a penny.
Mr Collison has been giving away truffles for free, to people in the village, so they don't go to waste.
Image source, Getty ImagesOur teams have been working on some guides to help make sense of today's announcements.
Here's a round-up of our analysis:
Sailors from Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales are helping to run Covid-19 testing stations.
Image source, PA MediaThe teams from the Portsmouth-based warship are currently manning seven mobile testing unit sites across Hampshire including Eastleigh, Fawley and Brockenhurst with further assistance planned for Farnborough and Alton.
The crew members are carrying out the work while the Prince of Wales is undergoing maintenance ahead of sea trials including embarking F-35 Lightning jets for the first time.
Nearly 3,000 military personnel are involved in assisting with the national response to the pandemic, with Royal Marines also running testing centres in the South West.
Rob England
BBC News
Waste crews hailed as "lockdown heroes" a short while ago are being subjected to "increasing levels of abuse" a council has said.
On social media, external, Exeter City Council said a number of its teams had been "physically threatened" over the past few weeks while performing "day-to-day duties".
Image source, Getty Images"Just a short while ago, our crews were held up as lockdown heroes for working so hard during very difficult circumstances to ensure the city’s bins were emptied and people’s lives could carry on with a semblance of normality," the council said.
"They should not be subjected to insults and aggression for carrying on with their already tough job now that restrictions have eased and the roads are busier," it added.
"We will not tolerate any abuse or threatening behaviour towards our staff."
The council said social distancing measures and road layout changes had "made some routes busier" around the city, but appealed for patience from those driving behind its vehicles.
Free hospital parking for NHS staff will end in all but "certain circumstances" once the coronavirus pandemic begins to ease, the government has said.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock announced on March 25 the government would cover the costs of car parking for NHS staff who he said were "going above and beyond every day" at hospitals in England.
Image source, Getty ImagesBut the Department of Health has said the free parking will continue only for "key patient groups and NHS staff in certain circumstances" as the pandemic eases, although no further timeline has been given.
The British Medical Association (BMA) has said to reintroduce charges while the virus was still being fought would be "a rebuff to the immense efforts of staff across the country and the sacrifices they have made to keep others safe".
A spokeswoman for the department said further updates on free parking would be provided "in due course".
Image source, Getty ImagesValue added tax (VAT) is to be cut on hospitality and tourism for the next six months, according to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak.
The cut, from 20% to 5% applies to food and non-alcoholic drinks as well as accommodation and admission to attractions across the UK.
It's a tax many of us don't notice directly - as it's usually already added to everyday items.
BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme
Nurseries have not been able to offer as many spaces during the coronavirus pandemic, although fewer children have needed places.
Social distancing means fewer infants can be accommodated on site, but with parents shielding or losing jobs, there is less demand for places.
The BBC spoke to people who run nurseries and the parents who use them, many of whom now face huge difficulties due to the crisis.
BBC Politics Live
BBC2's lunchtime political programme
Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies Paul Johnson says: "The one thing the chancellor skipped over - right at the beginning - he said he was allocating £50bn to public services.
"Last time we looked that number was about £18bn - suddenly an extra £30bn has appeared in his numbers.
If you look at the Treasury document - an astonishing £15m of that is to buy PPE for staff.
There is another £10bn allocated to testing and tracing.
"It is quite surprising that very big amount of money was skated over so quickly."
Rob England
BBC News
England's deputy chief medical officer has said she is "very, very concerned" about a second wave of Covid-19.
Image source, PA MediaDr Jenny Harries said there was "still quite a long haul" to go with coronavirus, adding people must not become complacent and must keep up hand-washing, social distancing and limiting social interactions.
"The virus is still out there, it's looking for more people to infect and we need to stop it getting a grip," she said.
Asked about the possibility of a second wave, she said: "I think myself and colleagues are very, very concerned about looking out for a potential second peak as we move into the autumn, and of course that's the same time that we start having people presenting with other symptoms which could confuse people - so flu symptoms vary, obviously, and also when our hospitals get busier."
On the question of vaccines, she said she believed one would be found, but not this year.
Image source, Getty ImagesDiners will get a 50% discount off their restaurant bill during August under government plans to bolster the embattled hospitality sector.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak unveiled the "eat out to help out" discount as part of a series of measures to restart the economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The deal means people can get up to £10 off per head if they eat out between Monday and Wednesday.
Mr Sunak also said VAT on hospitality and tourism would drop to 5%.
The reduction, from 20%, will be in place for the next six months.
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BBC Sport
Image source, Rex FeaturesThe latest round of coronavirus testing in the English Football League has again returned no positive results.
A total of 3,498 players and club staff from the Championship and League One were tested over the past week.
No League Two tests were carried out as the 2019-20 season concluded following Northampton's win against Exeter in the play-off final on 29 June.
It is now two weeks since three individuals from two Championship clubs tested positive for coronavirus.
Carlisle's MP says a cluster of coronavirus cases along Cumbria's border with Scotland has been dealt with efficiently by health officials on both sides, in spite of differences in Covid-19 policies.
The remaining extra lockdown restrictions just over the Cumbrian border in Dumfries and Galloway have now been lifted by the Scottish government.
Image source, GoogleThey were imposed after a cluster of Covid-19 cases were found in the area, thought to have been linked to another outbreak at the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.
Conservative MP John Stevenson says it showed devolution and the border could be a problem.
Quote MessageWe are a region and Carlisle's very much at the centre of that, and there's a lot of interaction between people over on the Scottish side and on the English side. I think it's very difficult to to isolate either side of the border and I think that's been one of the slight problems in Scottish government and UK government taking a slightly different approach to this crisis."
John Stevenson
Reality Check
Stamp duty, the tax on buying land or properties, is being temporarily cut in England and Northern Ireland.
From now until 31 March it will only be charged on properties costing £500,000 or more.
Previously it was charged on properties costing £125,000 or more, except for first-time buyers, who paid nothing up to £300,000 and then a reduced rate up to £500,000.
Image source, Getty ImagesSo this will be a tax cut for first-time buyers looking for property over £300,000 and other buyers going for anything over £125,000 (there are different rules for people buying second homes).
The Halifax says the average price paid by a first-time buyer was £231,455 - so the average first-time buyer would not benefit.
Figures from Zoopla suggest that at the moment 16% of sales in England were exempt from stamp duty last year – they reckon that would have been 89% if anything up to £500,000 had been exempt.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a temporary stamp duty holiday to stimulate the property market.
The tax is normally paid by people buying properties over £125,000, although it varies slightly across the UK.
It will now apply to the first £500,000 of all property sales in England and Northern Ireland.
Raising the level until next March could boost the property market and help buyers struggling because of the coronavirus crisis.
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Boohoo has launched a review of its UK supply chain after a series of allegations over the conditions at factories where its clothes are made.
The board said it was "shocked and appalled" by a Sunday Times report which claimed workers at a Leicester factory were paid £3.50 an hour and offered no protection from coronavirus.
Image source, BoohooThe company has appointed Alison Levitt QC to look into the supply chain in the UK and promised to "rebuild the reputation of the textile manufacturing industry in Leicester".
In a statement, Boohoo management said: "We take extremely seriously all allegations of malpractice, poor working conditions, and underpayment of workers.
"The group will not tolerate any incidence of non-compliance with its code of conduct or any mistreatment of workers, and will not hesitate to terminate relationships with any supplier who does not comply."
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has unveiled a plan to keep furloughed workers in their jobs when the scheme ends in October.
If employers keep workers in their jobs until January 2021 they will get a £1,000 bonus per employee.
The scheme could cost as much as £9bn if every furloughed worker is covered, the chancellor told MPs.
It is part of a package to prevent mass unemployment as the coronavirus crisis hits the economy.
