Johnson said nothing in the current data suggested that the government would not be able to carry on lifting restrictions as planned, with the next major relaxation of rules due on 17 May. But he also stressed that a third wave of coronavirus cases was expected.
- He said 60% of 45- to 49-year-olds have now been vaccinated.
- He hinted that if the government does introduce Covid-status certificates, as expected, their use will be relatively limited. In response to a question, he stressed that people would not need them from 17 May. And he went on:
- He rejected claims that the government should have put India on the red list earlier, saying that it has only now been put on the red list as a precaution. He said:
- He said football clubs should not be treated as mere “international brands” with no links to communities. Speaking about the proposed European super league, he said:
Johnson confirmed that he was willing to use legislation to block the super league plan. (See 5.21pm.) But he would not elaborate on what this legislation might involve.
- He claimed that he had acted with honesty and integrity in his affair with Jennifer Arcuri. HuffPost’s Paul Waugh asked a lengthy question about this, as well as a question about Heathrow. In response, Johnson focused on Heathrow before responding with a simple “yes” to the Arcuri question, after which the press conference ended. (See 5.35pm.) Johnson’s answer did not amount to a serious attempt to defend his conduct on this matter but, as the Mirror’s Pippa Crerar says, it may be the first time he has actually acknowledged the affair.
That’s all from me for today. But our coronavirus coverage continues on our global live blog. It’s here.
Coronavirus live news: blood clot warning should be added to Johnson & Johnson vaccine label, says EMA
Here is the text of Boris Johnson’s opening statement at the press conference.
Q: Will the new carbon emissions targets affect the plan to build a third runway at Heathrow?
Johnson says that is a matter for Heathrow. It is a private company. He says his views on this are well known. But the fact that he is opposed to the runway does not mean he is opposed to aviation. He says there all sorts of ways emissions can be reduced from aviation. He says humanity will need to fly.
Q: Do you agree with the Independent Office for Police Conduct who said you should have declared your relationship with Jennifer Arcuri? They said that could be a breach of Nolan principles. They include honesty and integrity. Do you think you acted with honest and integrity in your relationship with Arcuir, who said you conducted your affair with her in the marital home?
The two questions (both from HuffPost’s Paul Waugh) come together (I separate them out when writing them up for the sake of clarity) and Johnson devotes most of his time to answer the first question, about Heathrow.
At the end, he says his answer to the second question is yes.
And that’s it. The press conference is over.
Q: What are the plans for using the Janssen vaccine in the UK, in the light of the concerns expressed about it?
Johnson says the UK is confident in the security of its supply. He says the government is still confident of meeting its vaccine targets.
Kanani says the Janssen vacicne is not being used in the UK yet, and it has not been approved by the MHRA yet.
Q: What is your view of the German model giving supporters a controlling share of clubs?
Johnson says this is something for the Tracey Crouch to consider.
Q: Will Sun readers be able to go abroad on holiday this summer?
Johnson says he cannot say yet which countries will be on the green, amber or red lists for travel. The government will do this in early May, he says. To do so now would be “premature”.
Q: Your promised a legislative “bomb” to stop the European super league. What do you mean?
Johnson says he does not want to say any more now. First of all he wants to back the Football Association and the Premier League in trying to thwart this plan.
Johnson says it is not right for football club owners to turn clubs into international brands without any reference to the fans who have loved them all their lives.
Johnson says Covid-status certificates will not be needed from 17 May.
But he says they could be used to open up some of the services that were very hard to open up last year.
The government will announced more in due course “if indeed we find it useful”. It probably would be useful, he says.
- Johnson hints that any use of Covid-status certificates might be limited.
Q: Can you really stop the European Super League?
Johnson says the government’s first step is to support the football authorities in their opposition to this. But how can it be right? He says fans do not support this. It would be a cartel, and go against the principle of fair competition. He says if necessary he will seek “a legislative solution”.
Boris Johnson threatens to use ‘legislative bomb’ to stop European Super League
Q: Do you have two potential antivirals available? You want to roll out two by the autumn. That is very ambitious.
Johnson says there are some. He says some have names like “Aztec divinities”. He names one.
Kanani says NHS England welcomes this initiative. She says over 22,000 lives have already been saved by dexamethasone. So treatments are available, she says.
Q: Why did it take so long to put India on the red list? Tens of thousands of people have travelled between the two countries recently? And why did it take you so long to cancel your India trip?
Johnson says the decision was taken by the JBC, the Joint Biosecurity Centre. The Indian variant is still just a variant under investigation, not a variant of concern. The JBC was acting on a precautionary basis, he says.
But he says there were strict controls on people arriving from people in India anyway.
He says they are looking carefully to see if there is any sign the Indian variant can escape vaccines.
Q: Will you be able to take the tough decisions needed to meet your new, tougher climate change targets?
Johnson says since 1990 emissions have been cut by 42 or 44%, while the economy have grown by 73%. So there is no conflict between tackling climate change and creating jobs, he claims.
Q: Will the data on deaths be amended to show if people who died have had the vaccine?
Johnson says he does not know if that is feasible. He says he suspects the number of people dying after a vaccine is “very small”, if there are any.
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