U.K. Takes Heart on Slowing Death Toll With Parliament Returning

(Bloomberg) --

U.K. finance minister Rishi Sunak hit back at critics and said there are “encouraging signs” the coronavirus outbreak is slowing as members of parliament prepared to scrutinize the response of Boris Johnson’s government to the pandemic.

Data released on Monday showed the number of people hospitalized in London is falling and the increase in the country’s daily recorded deaths was at its lowest in two weeks the day before MPs return to a stripped-down House of Commons after a lay-off since March 25.

Sunak’s cautiously positive comments followed a weekend of criticism over the U.K.’s response to the crisis and allegations that Johnson didn’t take it seriously in its early stages. Sunak, the chancellor of the exchequer, defended the government’s strategy and insisted at “every stage” it had been based on scientific advice. The data showed it is having a positive effect on slowing the spread of the virus, he said.

“There are encouraging signs that we are making progress,” Sunak said at the daily televised briefing in London on Monday. “There is light at the end of the tunnel, but we’re not there yet.”

He spoke as U.K. hospitals reported a further 449 deaths from coronavirus, the lowest daily increase since April 6.

Angela McLean, chief scientific adviser to the U.K.’s Ministry of Defence, said test data showed the number of infections “has stopped rising and is now pretty much stable and flat” and the number of patients being treated for the virus in the capital’s hospitals had fallen for the seventh straight day. “We’re looking forward to seeing that pattern replicated across other regions of the country,” she said.

Second Wave Concerns

But the prime minister, who is recovering from the disease and facing mounting anger over a shortage of protective equipment for medics, is reluctant to countenance any relaxation of the nationwide lockdown for fear of a second wave of the virus that would heap additional pressure on the National Health Service.

The potential cost to the U.K. economy of an extended ban on movement was laid bare as Sunak said more than 140,000 companies had applied for support on the first day of a government program to keep people in their jobs. As a result of Monday’s applications, the Treasury will help pay the wages of more than a million workers, Sunak said.

Yvonne Doyle, medical director for Public Health England, acknowledged there are difficulties providing adequate safety equipment to doctors, nurses and other health care workers -- but denied guidance has been watered down to keep them working.

Last week, the government advised medics to reuse gowns, a move the Royal College of Physicians warned would “cause consternation” among health care workers.

A delayed consignment of protective equipment from Turkey will be sorted out “as soon as possible,” Sunak said, adding that a shipment of 140,000 gowns had arrived from Myanmar.

Later, a Ministry of Defence spokeswoman said a Royal Air Force plane had left the U.K. for Turkey on Monday afternoon to pick up gowns and other protective gear, but it was unclear how quickly it would return.

Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, an umbrella group for health service trusts, also warned it would be harder to keep medical staff safe if ministers recommend members of the public should wear face masks -- creating competition for “key” but scarce pieces of protective equipment.

“Securing the supply of masks, when there is huge global demand, is crucial. This must be a key consideration for Government,” Hopson said in a statement posted on Twitter. “There needs to be clear evidence that wearing masks, along with other measures, will deliver significant enough benefits to take us out of lockdown to potentially jeopardize NHS mask supply.”

When Parliament reopens on Tuesday, the first order of business will be to agree a plan for a new virtual House of Commons that complies with social distancing rules. No more than 50 of the 650 MPs will be allowed into the chamber at any time -- a huge change from the usual situation, where members are squeezed in and it’s often standing room only.

Instead, MPs will be able to question ministers using Zoom and, while Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle will run the session from his usual seat, many of the traditional practices of interventions and points of order will be suspended. Officials are still working on plans for virtual voting, rather than MPs squeezing together through lobbies on either side of the chamber. Until those are agreed, Parliament won’t be able to debate or pass laws.

©2020 Bloomberg L.P.