No 10 claims Covid-19 crisis strengthens need for UK to be free of EU regulation after 2020

The House of Commons authorities have agreed proposals that would see MPs quiz ministers via Zoom for the first time in the institution’s 700-year history.

Approval has been given to allow up to 120 MPs at any one time take part in proceedings virtually, while only up to around 50 could remain in the chamber under strict social distancing rules.

All MPs would be encouraged to work virtually and any MP sitting in the chamber would be treated the same as one appearing remotely, and would only be called to speak if listed.

The measures still need the approval of MPs when they return from their extended Easter recess at 14.30 on 21 April.

The plan was drawn up at great speed by the House of Commons Commission – on which the Speaker, leader and shadow leader of the house and an SNP spokesperson sit – and is designed to be “an achievable first step towards a virtual Parliament”.

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle said:

By initiating a hybrid solution, with steps towards an entirely virtual Parliament, we are enabling Members to stay close to their communities, while continuing their important work scrutinising the Government.

I do not want Members and House staff putting themselves at risk. By working virtually, this is our contribution to the guidance of stay home, protect the NHS and save lives.

A number of screens will be placed around the chamber to allow the Speaker and MPs present in the chamber to see their ‘virtual’ colleagues.

The commission decided that if an MP was called “but cannot be heard or seen for technological reasons, it should be possible for them to be called later in the proceedings and that there can be no opportunity for interventions and no points of order should be raised when hybrid proceedings are underway”.

Once the working of the “hybrid proceedings” are judged satisfactory and sustainable, the House Service will work to extend the model to debates on motions and legislation as quickly as possible. They will also decide on any change to a system of remote voting.

The National Cyber Security Centre has advised that, for public parliamentary proceedings, the use of Zoom is appropriate, if the installation and the use of the service is carefully managed.

And here is a full summary of what was said at the Downing Street lobby briefing.

Downing Street claimed that the coronavirus crisis strengthened the need for the UK to be free of EU regulation after 2020. The prime minister’s spokesman made that argument as he said the UK would refuse to extend the post-Brexit transition – even if the EU requested an extension. (See 1.12pm.)

The spokesman strongly hinted that some social distancing measures could remain in force for potentially months – or even longer. (See 12.57pm.)

The spokesman claimed Britain now has the capacity to carry out more than 35,000 coronavirus tests a day. NHS laboratories could do about 20,000 a day, and the rest could be carried out in commercial laboratories, the spokesman said. But he said the most recent figure for the number of tests carried out was 15,994 in the 24-hour period up to 9am yesterday. Asked why the government was testing less than half the number of people it could test, the spokesman said capacity was being build all the time, and the reasons testing had been flat was because of a lack of demand, not a lack of capacity. He said the long bank holiday weekend was a factor.

The spokesman said the pledge to carry out 100,000 tests a day by the end of the month applied to tests that would be carried out, not test capacity.

The spokesman said a review would take place into why people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds appear to be disproportionately affected by coronavirus.

The spokesman said the government would want to find some way of saying thank you to NHS staff after the crisis is over. Responding to a question about whether the PM backed Lord Ashcroft’s call for the NHS to be awarded a collective George Cross, the spokesman said:

The prime minister has been clear about the debt of gratitude that we all owe the NHS workforce. Our thoughts are with anyone who has lost a loved one to coronavirus, including NHS staff who have died protecting others from this disease.

The NHS is doing a fantastic job and the nation will want to find a way to say thank you once we have defeated this virus.

The spokesman said that Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, will lead this afternoon’s press conference, alongside Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical adviser, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser. It is due to start at 5pm.

The spokesman said that Boris Johnson is still not working and still continuing his recovery at Chequers. The spokesman said he had nothing to add to previous updates. Asked if the PM would be taking part in the Clap for Carers moment this evening, the spokesman said the PM would be expressing his thanks, but that he would not be appearing for the media.