Summary

  • The PM answered questions from senior MPs at the Liaison Committee

  • He was challenged in issues including Afghanistan, COP26 and the government's green policies and the Northern Ireland protocol

  • It comes as the government announces that from 16 August, fully-vaccinated adults in England will not have to self-isolate if they are a close contact of a positive case

  • At PMQs, Sir Keir Starmer challenged the PM over the lifting of restrictions and asks how many people will be forced to self isolate if England reaches 100,000 infections a day in the summer

  • Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey announced the £20 a week top up for Universal Credit claimants would be phased out

  1. Thanks for joining uspublished at 18:03 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    That's where we leave our coverage of today's events, dominated by Boris Johnson's appearance at the Liaison Committee, and earlier at Prime Minister's Questions.

    Thanks for following with us...

  2. Recap: What did the PM in response to MPs' questions?published at 17:56 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    After just under two hours of questioning from senior MPs at the Liaison Committee, Boris Johnson's session has finished. During the session, the prime minister:

    • revealed he has asked the government's national security adviser to review the sale of a Welsh semiconductor firm to a Chinese company
    • said extending the school day was the "right thing to do" to help pupils in England catch up after Covid disruption and ministers were reviewing the options
    • defended plans to phase out the £20-a-week increase to universal credit in the autumn, saying ministers wanted to focus on a "jobs-led" recovery
    • said recent agreement with the EU to delay a ban importing chilled meats into Northern Ireland from Great Britain was just a "stay of execution" and a long-term solution is still needed.

  3. Social housing, school days and climate change...published at 17:44 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Political journalists have been adding their commentary to the events in the committee room today on Twitter.

    Sky's Kate McCann remarks on a fiery exchange between Meg Hillier and Boris Johnson on housing.

    The Sun's deputy political editor Kate Ferguson asks if the government will really put up the money required to extend school days to catch up children with education.

    And LBC's Ben Kentish posted a video of an exchange over climate change policies...

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  4. Analysis

    Boris Johnson brings up the buspublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Chris Morris
    BBC Reality Check

    Boris Johnson has often said he wants to put the debate about Brexit in the past, but when challenged by a committee of MPs about the importance of telling the truth in politics he waded straight back into an old debate.

    “It is commonly asserted,” he said, “that when we put the figure of £350m on the side of a bus that that was erroneous.”

    It was erroneous, as we explained at the time.

    The slogan on the bus said “we send the EU £350m a week” but this gross figure didn’t account for the fact that UK’s budget rebate was deducted before any money was sent to Brussels.

    In 2017, the chair of the UK Statistics Authority Sir David Norgrove wrote to Mr Johnson. He said suggesting an extra £350m would be available for public spending outside the EU was "a clear misuse of official statistics".

  5. Chilled meat ban extension 'a stay of execution' - PMpublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Boris Johnson says the recent agreement to delay a ban on imports of chilled meats from Great Britain into Northern Ireland has only given the UK a "stay of execution", and a long-term solution is needed.

    In response to questioning from Conservative MP Sir Bill Cash, the PM blames the EU's application of the protocol for creating "anomalies" at the border.

  6. Can the PM's question session compete with the football?published at 17:23 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Before the questions move to veteran Tory MP Sir Bill Cash on Brexit, Boris Johnson says "I'm sure our viewers may be switching over to football."

    "I'm not sure we'll be able to compete much longer," he states.

    Kick off is at 8pm and you can follow all the action on the BBC Sport live page here.

  7. What is the Northern Ireland Protocol?published at 17:22 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Protocol protestsImage source, Reuters
    Image caption,

    The Protocol has faced mounting opposition from unionists in Northern Ireland

    Boris Johnson was asked about the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol - the bit of the UK's Brexit divorce deal he agreed to prevent border posts between the UK and the Irish Republic.

    In order to do this, since January this year border checks have instead been imposed on goods arriving into Northern Ireland from Great Britain (England, Wales and Scotland).

    In a bid to stem the disruption caused by the checks, the UK government has pushed back the agreed date for some checks which are yet to come in - leading to legal action from the EU.

    Recently, the two sides agreed to postpone a ban on chilled meat products going from GB to NI that was due to come into effect at the end of June - but a long-term solution is yet to be found.

    Read more.

  8. Johnson: 'Imagination' needed on NI Protocolpublished at 17:21 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Mr Hoare says the Protocol is best applied when there is political trust between both parties, and businesses will always work within the rules applied to them.

    Johnson says "what is needed now is good will and imagination, but there are some very serious problems". He says it is a "very difficult situation" to see drugs, including cancer drugs, not being able to get to Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

    Hoare asks what movement the UK government should make to ensure the Protocol can be applied easily.

    Boris Johnson says the "UK is a faithful, obedient servant of the law," and that officials are "obeying the EU jurisdiction".

    He says the way the EU is implementing the Protocol is "grossly disproportionate and unnecessary".

  9. PM challenged on Northern Ireland Protocolpublished at 17:20 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Conservative Chair of the Northern Ireland Committee, Simon Hoare, says there is "nothing in the Northern Ireland Protocol" which negatively affects the constitutional "integrity of the United Kingdom".

    He says there are some in Northern Ireland who believe the Protocol is a "stepping stone" in steps to reunification of Ireland.

    "I'm a passionate unionist," Boris Johnson replies, he says the government wants to "strengthen" the union. "There is absolutely no threat to Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom."

    He says the protocol is "being applied, currently, in a way which causes the anxieties to which you have referred".

  10. PM: Hopes access for musicians to EU will be 'speedily resolved'published at 17:18 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Sir Elton JohnImage source, PA Media
    Image caption,

    Sir Elton John has described the government as "philistines" over its handling of the music industry post-Brexit

    Conservative Sir Bernard Jenkin says we used to export musicians and talent across the EU but that has been severely affected since Brexit.

    Did the PM raise the issue of a visa waiver scheme with Angela Merkel when she visited London recently? he asks.

    Germany is one of the better countries on this, the prime minister says.

    "About 17 EU members are quite good and seven are not so good," he adds but "we are working on it to sort it out".

    The proposal for a total visa waiver scheme, however is a complicated one, he says.

    And "we don't want a gradual erosion of out freedom" by giving up rights won as a result of Brexit, he says.

    Johnson says he appreciates "how frustrating it is" and says he hopes it will be "speedily resolved".

    Sir Elton John recently warned MPs that the UK music industry could lose "a generation of talent" because of post-Brexit restrictions on touring the EU.

    The musician accused ministers of being unwilling to fix a "gaping hole" in the current Brexit deal which means artists need costly visas to play in the bloc.

  11. More than 30,000 new Covid cases recorded in UKpublished at 17:01 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    There have been a further 32,548 cases of coronavirus reported in the UK today, according to the latest government figures, external. It's the first time since 24 January that the daily figure has been more than 30,000.

    For context, there was an eight-week period in April and May when the daily figure never went above 4,000.

    And there have been another 33 deaths, of people who had tested positive for the virus within the previous 28 days.

  12. PM quizzed over stance on devolution by SNP MPpublished at 16:59 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    The questioning now moves on to the impact of Brexit.

    Scottish committee chair and SNP MP Pete Wishart uses the opportunity to ask Boris Johnson what he "really feels" about devolution.

    Last year, the prime minister was criticised after reports that he told a virtual meeting of Tory MPs that devolution had been a "disaster" in Scotland.

    In reply, Mr Johnson says there have been "disastrous aspects" of the SNP's performance in government but praises the role of the UK government during the pandemic.

  13. How many Covid contacts might have to self-isolate?published at 16:57 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Covid testingImage source, Reuters

    The government plans for ending quarantine for fully vaccinated contacts of people with Covid have dominated the agenda today at Westminster.

    Ministers have confirmed double-jabbed close contacts will not have to isolate after 16 August in England, nearly a month after restrictions are due to ease 19 July.

    BBC analysis shows increasing infection rates mean more than 4.5 million people could be asked to self-isolate between now and then.

    That's led to warning from industry bodies about the impact on businesses, with Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer warning it could lead to "carnage" for the economy.

    Read more.

  14. Analysis

    It's all about the numbers...published at 16:56 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Helen Catt
    Political correspondent

    Boris Johnson has been asked for a second time today for an estimate of the numbers of how many people may end up having to self-isolate because of rising cases.

    Again, he doesn't put a figure on it.

    Expect him to be asked this several more times in the near future.

    How many people get 'pinged' could be crucial for all sorts of areas in the coming weeks.

  15. MP challenges Johnson over gender neutral policiespublished at 16:55 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Conservative MP and Women and Equalities Chair Caroline Nokes asks what specific initiatives ministers are doing to "build back in a more feminine and more gender neutral way". She is quoting a previous remark by Boris Johnson while hosting the G7 on 11 June - take a look at the tweet below.

    Boris Johnson says furlough has "generally attracted more female recipients than male, so far, which I think is positive".

    Caroline Nokes says this shows that women were more likely to be working in areas which were shut down.

    "We want to make sure that we have female employment rising across the board," Johnson states.

    "The gender pay gap is at a record low," he says, and there are "1.19m more women in work than there were in 2010," he adds.

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  16. PM: More education catch up spending to comepublished at 16:48 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Labour's Catherine McKinnell asks about education catch up funding per pupil and why is it only 19% of that which is spent in the US?

    The PM says he doesn't recognise that.

    We started with "massive investment", he says and there will "be more to come".

  17. Longer school day 'right thing to do', says Johnsonpublished at 16:43 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Halfon asks the prime minister whether he backs the idea of a longer school day to help schoolchildren catch up.

    Boris Johnson says he thinks this is the "right thing to do" - but there remains a question mark over how this should be done, and the mix of classes and activities that could be used.

    He says the government is having a "proper review" of this area.

  18. Children have lost 'unconscionable' amount of school time - PMpublished at 16:42 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Classroom in JanuaryImage source, Reuters

    Tory MP Robert Halfon, who chairs the education committee, asks Boris Johnson what he intends to do to get children into a position to take exams next year.

    The prime minister acknowledges children have lost an "unconscionable" amount of teaching time because of disruption caused, but the government's "catch-up" plan will help.

    He says plans to axe Covid bubble self-isolation rules will also help lower disruption.

  19. PM questioned on keeping £20 uplift to Universal Creditpublished at 16:33 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Labour MP and Chair of the Work and Pensions Committee Stephen Timms says it's been recommended the £20 top up to Universal Credit should be made permanent.

    Boris Johnson says the government is working to increase the national living wage for the lowest paid. The government is focusing on a "jobs-led" recovery from the pandemic, he adds.

    Mr Timms says the Joseph Rowntree Foundation has warned 500,000 people could be pushed below the poverty line if the UC increase - which is £20 per week - is stopped.

    Boris Johnson says the answer is to "get people into work," and adds that job vacancies are back to pre-pandemic levels.

  20. Millions could end up self-isolating this summerpublished at 16:31 British Summer Time 7 July 2021

    Man isolatingImage source, Justin Paget / Getty

    BBC analysis shows more than 4.5 million people could be asked to self-isolate before 16 August.

    Read more about the analysis here.