The UK’s Covid alert level has been downgraded from “critical” to “severe”, as cases and deaths continue to fall and the threat of the NHS being overwhelmed recedes. Nicola Sturgeon has come under intense pressure to explain what action she took over allegations that a complainer against Alex Salmond was named to one of his former aides. Serco is to pay a dividend for the first time in seven years after the outsourcing company, which is contracted to run the heavily criticised NHS Covid-19 test-and-trace programme, reported that its profits almost doubled in 2020. The number of furloughed workers in the UK rose by 700,000 to 4.7 million in January, during the third Covid lockdown, according to official figures showing employees in hospitality, women and young adults were most likely to be away from their jobs. Gavin Williamson has promised that a system for teachers to decide exam grades in England this year will be “fair to every student”, but faced challenges from Labour over delays in announcing the plan and how assessments could be made consistent. Boris Johnson has set up a cabinet committee to maintain his grip on keeping the UK union together, after two former heads of the No 10 unit devoted to the issue left the post within weeks of one another other. Ian Lavery, who was Labour party chair when Jeremy Corbyn was leader, has used an article for HuffPost to say it would be “grotesque” and “mind-blowing” for Labour to vote against an increase in corporation tax. Yesterday Sir Keir Starmer said now was not the time for tax rises for families or businesses. Anneliese Dodds, the shadow chancellor, has said Labour would give councils new powers to take over empty shops. In a speech she said: Where there are persistently empty shops, blighting local areas and not being filled, we should give local councils the power to step in – just as they can with persistently empty homes already. 40% of small businesses say that making vacant units available for rent is one of the biggest changes that should be made to help their high street. Where these are not coming back into use via the market, we would create an ‘Empty Shop Order’, giving local councils the power to take them over, bring them back into use and offer them to local businesses or other enterprises. Once this is successful, and council has recouped its costs, the landlord should begin receiving rent again from the property. The government should look to use the newly expanded dormant assets fund to provide loans to councils for this purpose. In a Q&A after the speech, Dodds restated the party’s opposition to corporation tax rising now. This is from the Times’ Eleni Courea.
That’s all from me for today. But our coverage continues on our global coronavirus live blog. It’s here.