The death of George Floyd took place thousands of miles away – in another country, under another jurisdiction – and yet we simply cannot ignore the depth of emotion that has been triggered by that spectacle, of a black man losing his life at the hands of the police.

In this country and around the world his dying words – I can’t breathe – have awakened an anger and a widespread and incontrovertible, undeniable feeling of injustice, a feeling that people from black and minority ethnic groups do face discrimination: in education, in employment, in the application of the criminal law.

And we who lead and who govern simply can’t ignore those feelings because in too many cases, I am afraid, they will be founded on a cold reality.

Yes, I am proud to lead the most ethnically diverse government in the history of this country, with two of the four great offices of state held by a man and a woman of Indian origin; and yes, I am proud of the work I began to lead more than ten years ago to recruit and promote more young black people, in the police and other walks of life.

This country has made huge strides. I remember the 1970s, and the horror of the National Front. I truly believe that we are a much, much less racist society than we were, in many ways far happier and better.

But we must also frankly acknowledge that there is so much more to do – in eradicating prejudice, and creating opportunity, and the government I lead is committed to that effort.

And so I say yes, you are right, we are all right, to say Black Lives Matter; and to all those who have chosen to protest peacefully and who have insisted on social distancing – I say, yes of course I hear you, and I understand.

But I must also say that we are in a time of national trial, when for months this whole country has come together to fight a deadly plague.

After such sacrifice, we cannot now let it get out of control.

It is BAME communities who have been at the forefront of the struggle against coronavirus – whether in health care or transport or social care or any of the other essential services that have kept our country going.

And it is BAME communities, tragically, that have paid a disproportionate price.

So no, I will not support those who flout the rules on social distancing, for the obvious reason that we risk a new infection at a critical time and just as we have made huge progress.

And no, I will not support or indulge those who break the law, or attack the police, or desecrate public monuments.

We have a democracy in this country. If you want to change the urban landscape, you can stand for election, or vote for someone who will.

And so I must say clearly that those who attack public property or the police –who injure the police officers who are trying to keep us all safe – those people will face the full force of the law; not just because of the hurt and damage they are causing, but because of the damage they are doing to the cause they claim to represent.

They are hijacking a peaceful protest and undermining it in the eyes of many who might otherwise be sympathetic.

And as a society, we can and must do better.

This month, on the 22nd of June, we celebrate the arrival of the Empire Windrush in 1948, and we remember the contribution of the Afro-Caribbean workers – in the NHS and across all public services – who helped to rebuild this country after the war.

And today, once again, we face a great task: to relaunch this country after Coronavirus. So let’s work peacefully, lawfully, to defeat racism and discrimination wherever we find it, and let us continue to work together across all the communities of this country, as we put Britain back on its feet.

Councils in England can now access extra advice to help protect public money from fraud during the procurement of goods and services.

Today (8 June 2020), the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the Review into risks of fraud and corruption in local government procurement.

Produced in collaboration with the local government partners and the Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Champion John Penrose MP, the Review sets out practical examples and case studies showcasing how councils can strengthen their processes and implement prevention measures.

Councils in England spend around £55 billion a year on goods, work and services. A survey conducted as part of the review showed 23% of respondents reported fraud and/or corruption in the procurement lifecycle during the 2017 to 2018 financial year.

Local Government Minister Simon Clarke MP said: 

Everyone in public life shares a common duty to protect the interest of taxpayers.

Acknowledging and mitigating the risk of fraud and corruption is critical for sound financial management and to ensuring that every pound spent by councils is used to support the communities they serve. This is true especially at a time when councils continue to work hard in the national effort against the coronavirus pandemic.

There is no silver bullet, but I would urge all councils across the country to learn lessons from this report and harness the tools it provides to tackle fraud and corruption.

The Prime Minister’s Anti-Corruption Champion John Penrose MP said:

Fraud and corruption in local government affects every one of us. It is imperative that the money spent on our vital public services gets to those who need it most, yet the COVID-19 pandemic has increased opportunities for criminals to defraud taxpayers everywhere. 

I’m glad to be able to present this report, which succinctly highlights the challenges we face in fighting an enemy we can’t always see, and shows the excellent work our councils are doing up and down the country to protect our public services. It’s an essential and helpful first step, and now we’ve got to get on with implementing its findings.’

Councillor Peter Fleming, Chairman of the Local Government Association’s Improvement and Innovation Board, said:

This timely report highlights good practice by councils and provides helpful recommendations as they strive to ensure that taxpayers’ money is protected from fraud and spent on vital public services.

This is increasingly important during the pandemic and after – none more so than in areas such as PPE and electronics where demand is outstretching supply.

This report complements the LGA’s Counter Fraud Hub and we will aim to adapt and implement its recommendations through our sector-led improvement workstreams.

CIPFA CEO Rob Whiteman said:

Public sector supply chains facilitate services from major infrastructure projects to social care, and everything in between. These supply chains are vulnerable to the risk of fraud, bribery and corruption, which can be exacerbated by states of emergency.

Counter fraud measures must be sufficiently robust to ensure that taxpayers’ money is used as intended and achieves maximum impact. This review will support local authorities to ensure they have the skills and methods in place to continue the fight against fraud even under difficult circumstances.

This report delivers on a commitment by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in the UK anti-corruption strategy 2017 to 2022 and is an important part of the wider agenda to strengthen the UK’s response to the risks posed by corruption. 

The Local Government Minister made a written statement in Parliament.

See the full review.

Excellencies, colleagues,

I am glad to see so many of us here today discussing this important issue on World Ocean Day – and I’m delighted that the UK is a founding member of such an important Group of Friends on Combatting Marine Plastic Pollution.

We are here today because marine pollution is a truly international problem. Research estimates that up to 12 million tonnes of plastic enter the ocean globally each year. Stopping it at the source is key.

Marine pollution is a transboundary issue. We need to work together through Groups like this one to forge the way forward. This is why, in 2018, we launched the Commonwealth Clean Ocean Alliance together with Vanuatu, which now has 34 members – over half the Commonwealth – who have pledged to take action on plastic pollution.

I’d like to pay tribute to the founders of this group on their work on these issues – and particularly (if I may) the world leading role of Antigua and Barbuda. I hope this group is an opportunity for us all to share lessons learned and best practice, so we can collectively demonstrate both what is achievable but, importantly, why urgent action is so critical.

This is an issue that really matters to the UK government. For our part, we have published a Resources and Waste Strategy that sets out how we will preserve our stock of material resources by minimising waste, promoting resource efficiency and moving towards a less wasteful, more circular economy – where we reuse, repair and recycle.

We have also banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, placed a levy on plastic bags on the high street and will introduce a ban on the supply of plastic straws, drink stirrers, and other single-use plastics in October.

The UK is committed to leading on marine conservation.

As custodians of the fifth largest marine estate globally, we are on track to have more than half of all UK waters protected through our Blue Belt programme.

We know we cannot go it alone, which is why we are calling others to join the Global Ocean Alliance for a global target to protect at least 30% of our ocean by 2030 and are currently building a new fund – the Blue Planet Fund – to help restore and protect ocean ecosystems around the world.

Thank you and we look forward to working with you all.

• Adult care homes for under-65s, including those with learning disabilities or mental health problems will be offered testing, regardless of whether residents have symptoms
• New social care sector COVID-19 support taskforce set up to continue supporting the care sector and prevent further transmission
• New taskforce to be headed up by newly appointed Chair, David Pearson CBE

The government is extending whole care home testing to all adult care homes after meeting the target of offering a test to every care home for over-65s and those with dementia in England by 6 June.

Since the launch of whole care home testing, the government has provided 1,071,103 test kits to 8,984 care homes, and we are now able to send out over 50,000 test kits a day.

To continue providing support for the sector and to tackle the further spread of the virus in social care the government has set up a new taskforce, with representatives from across government and the care sector.

The new taskforce will help oversee the implementation of the government’s social care action plan and care home support package to help end transmission in the community and advise on a plan to support the sector through the next year.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Matt Hancock said:

From today all remaining adult care homes in England will be able to order the whole care home testing service for residents and staff. This service will benefit residents and staff in over 6,000 more care homes.

It will mean that right across the care home sector everyone will have the certainty and confidence of a high quality coronavirus test, whether symptomatic or not, certainty about whether or not they’re carrying the virus and confidence that they are doing the right thing both to protect themselves and others.

During the first phase care homes for the over-65s and those caring for people with dementia were prioritised for whole care home testing to target those with the greatest need. The government is now able to offer testing to every adult care home in England, including specialist learning disability and mental health care homes.

Minister for Care, Helen Whately said:

Care homes are on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19 and we are determined that staff have everything they need to keep themselves and their residents safe.

Opening up whole care home testing to the whole social care sector, regardless of symptoms, means we can prevent and control outbreaks and protect the most vulnerable.

Former president of ADASS and Director of Adult Social Care of DHSC, David Pearson has been appointed independent Chair of the Social Care Sector COVID-19 support taskforce which will oversee delivery of infection control measures as set out by the care home support package, backed by £600 million from the government, delivery of testing programmes and effective deployment of the workforce.

David Pearson CBE, Chair of the Social Care Sector COVID-19 Support Taskforce said:

The social care sector is on the frontline of our coronavirus response. This taskforce will support the service by overseeing the delivery of the Social Care Action Plan and the Care Homes Intensive Support Package.

This will play an important part in ensuring we are doing everything we can to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19 in the sector, both for those who rely on care and support and the social care workforce.

David Pearson CBE is the former President of ADASS and the social care COVID-19 lead for the NHS.

It is made up of representatives from PHE, CQC, Care Providers Alliance LGA, ADASS, Healthwatch England, MHCLG, Cabinet Office and DHSC.

Vic Rayner, Executive Director, National Care Forum:

Testing of all those receiving care and the staff delivering it has been recognised as an absolute priority. It is very positive the government is today moving forward with plans to extend the testing across all care homes, and it is vital that we set out a timeline to ensure that everyone who receives care gets access to regular and repeat testing as it is proving to be an absolutely essential tool in the fight against COVID-19.

I welcome the announcement of a Social Care Taskforce that will bring together the multiple strands of work that have been developed to address the impact of COVID-19 on those receiving social care. This taskforce will provide a real opportunity for all partners to work together to ensure a coordinated focus on the core essential of managing this virus, and bring energy and attention to the way in which Covid is impacting social care now – and critically in planning and preparation for the future.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive, Care England:

Care England welcomes the announcement of whole home testing which will help care provides to identify who is COVID-19 positive and we will be able to support people appropriately.

Care home providers are now able to access our online portal to order tests for their residents or staff regardless of symptoms. In addition, DHSC is contacting all care homes to highlight this service and encourage tests to be ordered.

Testing asymptomatic workers helps prevent and control outbreaks. It means those who test positive can be isolated, reducing the number of people who can spread the virus and protecting the most vulnerable. It also helps to build up a strategic understanding of the prevalence of the virus in local areas and the sector as a whole.  

Test results for residents will be communicated to the care home managers. This is in addition to the new Test and Trace service which has an important role in limiting the spread of the virus, and thousands of those who have tested positive have already been contacted and their close contacts traced.

• All adult care home providers can access our online portal to register to receive test kits to care out whole care home testing
• Approximately 6,250 care homes are now able to access whole care home testing thanks to this extension
• Care worker staff who are self-isolating, either because they or a member of their household has symptoms, should continue to use the self-referral website to book a home test or an appointment at a test site
• Domiciliary care staff who need a test should also continue to use the self-referral website to request a home test or book an appointment at a test site
• This programme is for England only and supplements the local systems already in place. We are working with the devolved administrations to support their needs around adult social care testing.