Afternoon summary Boris Johnson has been challenged by his predecessor, Theresa May, as to whether the newly signed Aukus defence pact between the UK, US and Australia could lead to Britain being dragged into a war with China over Taiwan. Johnson has also denied claims that the deal has damaged relations with France. (See 12.23pm.) The new international trade secretary, Anne-Marie Trevelyan, has been accused of rejecting the science behind the climate emergency after a series of tweets came to light showing her dismissing those who believe in global heating as “fanatics”. Johnson is still working on his government reshuffle, with some junior ministers due to be moved, although nothing has been announced by No 10 since early this morning. (See 9.26am.) Labour and senior legal figures have raised concerns that Dominic Raab was appointed as justice secretary in order to enact wholesale changes to the Human Rights Act. Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith launched a new wave of backbench pressure on the government to solve the building safety crisis leading a rally of affected leaseholders into a chant outside parliament of: “Michael Gove: we want justice!” Rules on genetically modified farming, medical devices and vehicle standards will be top of a bonfire of laws inherited from the EU as the government seeks to change legislation automatically transferred to the UK after Brexit. Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has said the government should be reducing inequality, in a speech saying “we can’t tackle health disparities without tackling wider disparities too”. (See 2.51pm and 5.24pm.) Care homes may be forced to close and thousands of staff risk losing their jobs if they decline to receive their first Covid-19 vaccine by the end of Thursday, ministers have been warned. That’s all from me for today. But our Covid coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here. The full text of Sajid Javid’s speech on health inequalities (see 2.51pm) is now on the Department of Health and Social Care’s website and it is worth a read. Levelling up is normally described by ministers as being about extending opportunity, not about extending equality. But Javid goes further and makes the case for addressing inequality (although, perhaps wary of sounding too leftwing, he talks about “disparity”, not inequality). Here is an extract. Passing the peak of the pandemic has been like a receding tide, revealing the underlying health of our nation. It’s revealed some fractures within. And in many cases, the pandemic has deepened those fractures. Covid-19 admission rates for the most deprived in England were 2.9 times higher than the least deprived – and the mortality rate was 2.4 times higher. Despite making up less than 14% of the UK population, Black, Asian and minority ethnic groups made up more than a third of critical care admissions from Covid. 95% of White British people over 50 have accepted the offer of 2 doses of the Covid-19 jab, while only 67% of Black Caribbean people have accepted that same offer. When you look at Black Caribbean people over the age of 18, that number goes down further – to a little over half. These are symptoms of a different disease: the disease of disparity. As we recover, we face a choice: do we create a more level playing field in our society? Or do we simply return to what was there before? It’s this government’s mission to unite and level up across the whole of the UK, to build back better and to build back fairer. So our recovery from Covid-19 can’t be limited to supporting the economy. After all, we can only level up economically if we level up in terms of health too. The government has updated its UK Covid dashboard. There have been 26,911 new cases, and new cases over the past seven days are 22.4% down on the previous week. There have been 158 further deaths, and weekly deaths are up 4.7%. The figures for cases do not include numbers from Scotland because of a technical issue. And hospital admissions are up 2.5% week on week, but those figures only go up to Saturday, when 836 Covid patients were admitted to a UK hospital. Review calls for lobbying rules to be strengthened following Cameron/Greensill affair A review ordered by Boris Johnson in response to concerns over David Cameron’s lobbying attempts has called for a strengthening of the rules, PA Media reports. PA says: The second part of the long-awaited report by Nigel Boardman was published today and called for a variety of reforms in the wake of the Greensill scandal. Boardman noted that if his recommendations were in force at the time, then, the Conservative former prime minister would have been required to register as a lobbyist. The review was launched in April after it emerged Cameron privately lobbied ministers to attempt to try to secure access to an emergency coronavirus loan scheme for Greensill Capital. Boardman recommended that the “transparency of lobbyists be strengthened” by requiring them to disclose the ultimate person paying for, or benefiting from, their work. Lobbyists should also meet a statutory code of conduct setting minimums standards, he advised. Boardman added that former ministers had “a privileged position” derived from their work in government and called for the register of consultant lobbyists to include any former minister or senior civil servant who undertakes any lobbying activity. “I note that, were these recommendations in force at the relevant time, Mr Cameron would have been required to register as a lobbyist,” Boardman added. Digital driving licences will be introduced as part of post-Brexit measures to make transport “fairer, greener and more efficient”, Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, has announced. This is from Jack Pannell from the Institute for Government showing how the reshuffle has changed which constituencies are represented in cabinet. Javid says NHS vaccine booster programme started today And this is from Sajid Javid on the start of the NHS vaccine booster programme. Javid says reducing health inequalities must involve tackling "wider disparities" too Sajid Javid, the health secretary, has said the UK faces “two backlogs” after the Covid pandemic. Speaking at an event organised by the Centre for Social Justice thinktank, Javid said the country would have to deal with a “social backlog in mental health and public health” as well as ballooning NHS waiting lists following the pandemic. Passing the peak of the pandemic has been a bit like a receding tide, revealing the underlying health of our nation. It’s revealed some fractures within and in many cases the pandemic has deepened those fractures. As PA Media reports, Javid pointed to disparities in Covid admissions between the most and least deprived parts of the country, and the difference in mortality rates between white people and people from black, Asian and ethnic minority groups. “These are symptoms of a different disease, the disease of disparity,” he said. Javid said the the new Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) would have a “relentless focus” on health inequalities as part of the government’s “levelling up” agenda. But he said this would involve tackling other inequalities too. While I said we can’t level up economically without levelling up in health, it’s equally true that we can’t tackle health disparities without tackling wider disparities too. Javid also said he valued mental health as much as physical health. I value mental health as much as physical health. I believe in the parity of esteem, because when you’re healthier you’re happier, and when you’re happier you’re healthier. It’s my job to ensure that virtuous circle is right at the heart of health policy. As Nathan Gamester from the CSJ reports, Javid also said that the NHS’s vaccine booster programme has started. Lord Frost invites public to suggest legacy EU regulations that could be scrapped Lord Frost has announced a review of all EU laws that have been retained after Brexit to see if any more of them can be abolished. The Brexit minister announced the review as he gave details of how the government had already drawn up plans to abandon a series of regulations that date from Britain’s membership of the EU. When Britain left the EU, in order to provide continuity, a vast amount of EU law was effectively incorporated into UK domestic law. It is known as retained EU law, and the government always intended to amend or repeal some of it over time. Announcing the new move, the Cabinet Office said: Thousands of individual EU regulations automatically kept on the statute book after Brexit - known as retained EU law – will be scrutinised by the government to ensure they are helping the UK to thrive as a modern, dynamic, independent country and foster innovation across the British economy. The review will aim to remove the ‘special status’ that EU retained law still enjoys in our legal framework and will determine how best to ensure that UK courts can no longer give undue precedence to EU-derived laws in future. This will be done while providing businesses and citizens with legal certainty and will continue the process of restoring the UK parliament to its proper constitutional position. Frost has also said the government would set up a commission to allow people to suggest EU rules suitable for repeal. The Cabinet Office said: The government also plans to establish a new commission through which the public will be able to identify additional opportunities for cutting or reforming red tape and bureaucracy. Any individual will be able to submit proposals. The commission will then consider these ideas and make recommendations for change to the government - but only if they go in the direction of reducing or eliminating regulation. During the 2016 referendum Brexiters sometimes struggled to identify EU regulations they felt were unnecessary. David Cameron’s coalition government ordered a full-scale assessment of EU law, the balance of competences review, but was accused of burying the findings when it concluded that EU “red tape” was not as damaging as the Eurosceptics claimed. Today the government has also published a four-page document (pdf) giving details of EU rules it is already planning to amend or abolish. Many of the proposals will be uncontentious, but the Cabinet Office also says it wants to “reform the regulations around gene-edited organisms”, which may prove more contentious. No 10 says Dominic Raab made deputy prime minister to "formalise" his seniority Here are the main points from the Downing Street lobby briefing. No 10 said Dominic Raab was made deputy prime minister yesterday to “formalise” his seniority. Raab was moved from foreign secretary to justice secretary, which would normally be seen as a demotion, but he was also upgraded from first secretary of state to deputy PM, which could be seen as a promotion. Asked if Raab had been promoted, the spokesman at first said that he was in a “vital position” because dealing with criminal justice was a key function of government because he went to say that Boris Johnson did see the move to deputy PM as a promotion. The spokesman said: This formalises Dominic Raab’s position as the prime minister’s deputy – he will stand in for him at PMQs, it demonstrates his seniority within government and the trust the prime minister places with him. Asked what the difference was between being first secretary and deputy PM, the spokesman added: You can expect him to be involved in cross-governmental work when that is necessitated. I’m not going to be prescriptive while we are still in the midst of this process. It is clear he will play an important senior role in government. Asked if Johnson only gave Raab the title of deputy prime minister in response to Raab complaining about the move to justice, the spokesman said he would not comment on private conversations. The spokesman dismissed claims the Aukus deal had damaged relations with France. (See 12.23pm.) The spokesman suggested the Aukus deal could be seen as a benefit of Brexit. He said: I wouldn’t dispute the fact that we’re able to move in this way now we’re not a part of the European Union and that is to the benefit of the British people. The spokesman would not say whether Johnson agreed with claims from M&S that Brexit is to blame for its decision to close 11 stores in France. But he said: More broadly, we believe the approach we’ve taken is the correct one, it is something the public voted for and it is already bringing benefits to the public. The spokesman said Johnson did not accept the claim from Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, in his resignation letter last night that the legal system is underfunded. The spokesman said Johnson would meet Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the US House of Representatives, later today. She is in the UK for a G7 speakers’ conference being hosted by Sir Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, in his constituency at the weekend. Sturgeon says military may be asked to help ambulance service cope with demand in Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has revealed the Scottish government is considering seeking “targeted military assistance” to ease pressure on the Scottish ambulance service, as Douglas Ross pressed her on crisis-level delays. At first minister’s questions in the Scottish parliament, Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader, highlighted a horrific case reported by the Herald’s health correspondent Helen McArdle, where a frail pensioner found collapsed at his home in Glasgow died following a 40-hour wait for an ambulance. An investigation is now under way, as the family of 65-year-old Gerard Brown said they have been told that the delay cost the their father his life, with the man’s GP - who repeatedly warned 999 call handlers that his status was critical - branding the service as “third world medicine”. Sturgeon apologised unreservedly for “unacceptable” delays in answering 999 calls and told MSPs that almost 300 additional paramedics and technicians were being recruited. She said the service was currently operating at level 4, its highest level of escalation. The Scottish Labour leader, Anas Sarwar, referred to another incident where 86-year-old Lillian Briggs lay in agony on a hard floor for almost eight hours as she waited for an ambulance after fracturing her hip. The exchanges came as the health secretary, Humza Yousaf, faced continued criticisms for remarks yesterday, where he said that people should “think twice” before calling an ambulance and only do so if it was “absolutely critical”, as he warned that the NHS was in for ”an extraordinarily difficult winter”. His remarks were condemned as reckless by opposition parties. Sturgeon defended him this lunchtime, saying that she had seen similar comments from ambulance services across the country in recent days. Johnson claims UK"s relationship with France "rock solid" This is what Boris Johnson said in the Commons earlier about the relationship with France. Our relationship with France, our military relationship with France ... is rock solid. And we stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the French, whether in the Sahel, where we are running a joint operation against terrorists in Mali, or whether in Estonia, where we currently we have the largest Nato operation. UK did not set out to poach Australian submarine deal from France, defence secretary says Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, has said that he understands why the French are angry about the Aukus deal. (See 12.03pm.) But he said that Britain did not “go fishing” to snatch the contract away from France. He said: I understand France’s disappointment. They had a contract with the Australians for diesel-electrics from 2016 and the Australians have taken this decision that they want to make a change. We didn’t go fishing for that, but as a close ally when the Australians approached us of course we would consider it. I understand France’s frustration about it. Earlier in the Commons Boris Johnson said the UK’s military relationship with France was “rock solid”. No 10 dismisses claims Aukus deal has damaged relations with France At the Downing Street lobby briefing the prime minister’s spokesman dismissed suggestions that the Aukus pact may have damaged the UK’s relationship with France. Asked about the French government’s response to the deal (see 12.03pm), he said: As the prime minister set out in the house, we have and continue to have a very close relationship with France. We have longstanding security and defence relationships, as exemplified by the Lancaster House treaties and as exemplified by our combined joint expeditionary force. The spokesman said any dispute about the submarine contract was a matter for France and Australia. I will post more from the briefing soon. For an alternative view on the Aukus submarine decision to that of the French government (see 12.03pm), do read this analysis published by the Lowy Institute, an Australian foreign policy thinktank. “The single best piece of news to come out of this announcement is that Australia will cancel the Attack-class submarine program with France’s Naval Group,” Sam Roggeveen writes. “This is unquestionably a good thing. The project was going to deliver submarines too late and at eye-watering cost.” French foreign minister says he"s "angry and bitter" about new Aukus partnership agreed by Johnson The Aukus partnership announced last night has infuriated the French government. France had a deal to supply Australia with submarines, but that has now been superseded by the arrangement with the UK and the US. As Reuters reports, Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French foreign minister, has described this apparent betrayal as “brutal” and the sort of thing you would expect from Donald Trump. He said: This brutal, unilateral and unpredictable decision reminds me a lot of what Mr Trump used to do. I am angry and bitter. This isn’t done between allies. The French reconfirmed their deal with Australia only two weeks ago and Le Drian was particularly bitter about their role. He said: It’s a stab in the back. We created a relationship of trust with Australia and that trust has been broken. While Gavin Williamson’s sacking took the limelight, a more seismic shift came last night when the schools minister Nick Gibb announced that his tenure was ending, to the surprise of many. Gibb was first appointed to the role under Michael Gove in 2010 until he was replaced by David Laws in the coalition government in 2012 - but less than two years later Gibb was back at the DfE and remained there until now. While five education secretaries have come and gone in that period Gibb has been the fixed point in England’s school system, pushing for the use of phonics to teach literacy in primary schools and driving the Gove-era emphasis on testing and exams as well as a focus on more academic subjects in secondary schools. Gibb had become a polarising figure, seen by some in the schools sector as an éminence grise with an outsized influence, especially under Williamson, but narrow-minded in ideological and pedagogical matters. But among those who favoured more traditional teaching Gibb was seen as a champion of issues such as a “knowledge-rich curriculum”. Most recently he was behind the ongoing attempts to reform initial teaching training, which has been opposed by universities because they stand to lose autonomy in how they train their student teachers. Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and a former school head, said of Gibb: His views on education divide opinion, but there is no doubt about his deep sense of commitment to improving the life chances of children or his sense of certainty in terms of policy. He has perhaps been a little too certain about some of the government’s reforms, however, which do need revisiting.