UK government death toll surpasses 100,000 after 1,631 new fatalities reportedThe UK reported 20,089 new coronavirus infections on Tuesday, compared to Monday’s 22,195. A further 1,631 deaths were reported, up from Monday’s 592. The government’s overall death toll now stands at 100,162. Boris Johnson has insisted his government “did everything we could” to limit coronavirus deaths and expressed sorrow after the total UK death toll exceeded 100,000 on nearly every metric, but refused to discuss the reasons why it might be so high. Downing Street sought to play down any potential row over the EU’s threat to potentially restrict vaccine exports to the UK, saying ministers do not foresee likely disruption to UK vaccine supplies. Health minister Matt Hancock said protectionism was not the right approach after an EU proposal to restrict the exports of shots. Teachers, police and people with learning disabilities will need to be considered for the next round of Covid-19 vaccinations, said NHS chief Sir Simon Stevens. The government’s proposed mandatory hotel quarantine measures for travellers arriving from high-risk countries could wipe out nearly £548m a day from the UK economy in lost travel, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC). The Scottish government continues to come under fire for its slow pace of vaccine rollout, as UK government sources confirm that Scotland has been supplied with nearly one million doses, yet under half a million Scots have so far received their first dose. Home secretary Priti Patel claimed in the Commons that the UK Border Force is now conducting “100% compliance checks” on whether people arriving in the country are following quarantine orders. The chancellor, Rishi Sunak, rebuffed calls from MPs for more details on future coronavirus support packages, but said further economic help was coming The NHS England boss, Sir Simon Stevens, told the the health and social care committee that the government’s pledge to “level up” across the country should include efforts to eliminate health inequalities. There are now more than 6 million people in the UK who have had at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as efforts to speed up the inoculations process continue to intensify. But as more of those in the highest risk age groups get their jabs, there are growing concerns in government about the rates of vaccine hesitancy in some black and minority ethnic communities. The number of children of key workers attending school in England last week has declined slightly, according to official government statistics, after head teachers expressed safety concerns about high numbers of pupils attending during the current lockdown. More than 23,000 UK workers at supermarket Lidl are to get a £200 bonus in recognition of their hard work during the pandemic. Health officials are concerned the West Midlands could soon overtake London to become the region with the highest Covid-19 case rate in the country. National infection rates have fallen by 24% in the past seven days, while the West Midlands has recorded a much slower decline of just 8%. The German government has challenged reports of a lower-than-expected efficacy rate of the AstraZeneca vaccine for older people, while reiterating concerns about the British-Swedish pharmaceutical giant’s data reporting. The UK’s unemployment rate hit its highest in nearly five years in the three months to November.The Office for National Statistics said the unemployment rate rose to 5% in the three months to the end of November – representing more than 1.7 million people – from 4.9% in the three months to the end of October, reaching the highest level since April 2016. Unemployment was 4% in February before the pandemic struck. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the second week of January had highest Covid deaths in England and Wales since April. This live blog will be closing shortly – for further coronavirus updates, please follow the global live blog