We’re going to be closing down this live blog now. Thank you to all those who’ve read along or sent in tips and pointers, it’s much appreciated. I hope you’re all able to stay safe and well, wherever you’re reading from. If you’d like to continue with our live coronavirus coverage, you can head over to the global blog which will carry on bringing you breaking news on the pandemic from the UK, and around the world.
Before I go, here’s a quick summary of the key developments in the UK today: The UK’s daily death toll is at its lowest since lockdown began, with 36 recorded deaths recorded yesterday. However, it is important to note that Sunday figures are often lower due to delays in reporting over the weekend. Chancellor Rishi Sunak suggested the government was keen to lower the 2m social distancing rules, and said it was a decision for ministers rather than scientists. Boris Johnson said that the lowering number of coronavirus cases gave a “margin for manoeuvre” on the regulations, and said the government was constantly reassessing the 2m regulations. However, after Sunak’s interview made the headlines, he slightly changed the emphasis, insisting that any changes would be based on science, and saying he saw the “benefits” of keeping the 2m rule in place. PM Boris Johnson and Labour leader Keir Starmer joined people across the UK marking the third anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire, in which 72 people died when the cladding on their building caught fire. Landmarks across London have been lit up in commemoration, and Johnson released a video message saying he was committed to discovering the cause of the fire and preventing it from happening again. Scuffles have broken out in Glasgow after demonstrators calling for the statue of Robert Peel, founder of the Metropolitan police, to remain in place, became violent with police. The protest came after plans were laid for a demonstration calling for the removal of the statue, but this was cancelled. However, skirmishes also broke out between the pro-Peel statue protesters and an unknown group, thought to oppose the statue. Schools in Scotland are likely to continue with a ‘blended learning’ approach from August until the end of the next academic year, with a mixture of at-home and in-school learning, the Scottish education secretary has said. 23 police officers were injured and 113 protesters arrested at a violent far-right gathering in London yesterday, Metropolitan police have said. The force also said they have arrested a man in connection to the photograph appearing to depict someone urinating on or next to the memorial to PC Keith Palmer, who was killed during a terrorist attack at Westminster. More than 6,000 people attended two illegal raves in Greater Manchester last night, in what the deputy mayor described as a “flagrant breach of the coronavirus legislation”.