Deputy Labour leader, Angela Rayner, lead the questions directed at the Prime Minister in the House of Commons today (Sept 16), with a particular focus on Coronavirus testing across the country.
Keir Starmer was notably absent due to Covid-19 symptoms in his household. Despite Government promises, Starmer’s test results took longer than 24 hours to be come back as negative – something that the deputy leader joked about in her opening remarks.
Mrs Rayner expressed doubt about the Government’s claims of 500,000 tests per day by stating that the current average for tests stands at just 60,000 per day, falling short of even the current target of 300,000 tests per day.
Mr Johnson retorted that the opposition are again in danger of undermining the incredible efforts of NHS Test and Trace and also reminded members of new testing stations being built across the country as well as the fact that average distance travelled has gone down from 7 miles to 5.
With the furlough scheme due to end later in the year, calls were made from the opposition back bench to extend the furlough scheme to prevent further job loss. The Prime Minister stood firm in his position as the furlough scheme keeping people out of work and in “suspended animation”.
