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Boris Johnson’s economic investment response to the coronavirus crisis has been heavily criticised by Tory former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine, who
told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:

“What we have is a twin crisis, which is the crisis of the corona epidemic … and it is over with the crisis of Brexit.

“It is a crisis of unprecedented scale and it is going to get worse.

“So, the question really is how is the government responding, how should it respond?

And I have to say I was deeply disappointed in the speech the prime minister made in Dudley.

It was simply the sort of speech with a lot of proposals which were remarkably similar to what all governments have done faced with rising unemployment.

They announce packets of money in housing and transport and repairs for the health service … but they lack the one thing that is essential, and that is the local enthusiasm, energy and enterprise.

Here’s a lovely video piece from Birmingham that we’ve done on what its like going back to school. Well worth a quick look:

News just in from Severin Carrell, our Scotland editor, that the Scottish National party is to hold a deputy leadership election at Westminster after its current deputy, Kirsty Blackman, stood down citing the pressures of lockdown on her mental health.

Blackman, the MP for Aberdeen North who was reprimanded by Commons officials for bringing her baby into a committee meeting in 2016, and criticised the lack of child-friendly working at Westminster, said she wanted to focus on her family and constituency work.

“Like many others, I’ve struggled with the impact that lockdown has had on my mental health,” she said.

There has been some speculation Blackman was considering running for Holyrood in the 2021 elections.

Hopes of a Covid-19 vaccine breakthrough have given the stock markets a lift this morning. For more on this and all the latest business news, join Graeme Wearden on the business live blog:

So. Putting glitz and glamour firmly put back in its box, let’s look at what’s happening in Westminster today.

The under-fire housing secretary (he’s facing accusations of making an unlawful decision to help a Conservative donor dodge a multimillion-pound tax bill), Robert Jenrick, will address the Local Government Association conference this afternoon at an online event.

He’ll be grilled by councillors at a Q&A – expect questions about the upcoming changes to planning laws (as well as why Jenrick failed to listen to the objections of councillors over the controversial Westferry development.)

Perhaps worth noting is that an announcement on local government funding is expected today. Jenrick has a written statement listed on the Commons order paper.

Meanwhile, Jenrick is also facing a demand to appear before a parliamentary committee to respond to unanswered questions about his relationship with Tory donor Richard Desmond.

My colleague Rajeev Syal has the full details here:

I’m struggling to get some cheery glitz and glamour into today’s live blog – we all like a bit of glamour – but my best effort is a letter penned by Paul McCartney, who has joined 1,500 other artists, including the Rolling Stones and Iron Maiden, to urge Oliver Dowden to step in and help support a music business battered by the pandemic, after festival season was cancelled. The BBC has a write-up. Dowden tweeted a response last night. Penpals in the making, perhaps? One of the perks of being culture secretary.

Oliver Dowden
(@OliverDowden)

I understand the deep anxiety of those working in music & the desire to see fixed dates for reopening

I am pushing hard for these dates & to give you a clear roadmap back

These involve v difficult decisions about the future of social distancing, which we know has saved lives

July 1, 2020

Something else that isn’t happening – at least any more – is a tweet from the Treasury that invited Brits to “grab a drink and raise a glass” when pubs open on Saturday. Forced to delete it last night, a screenshot has ensured the department can be still be roundly criticised for the tweet amid fears of alcohol-fuelled carnage at the weekend. TV arguments man Piers Morgan was among those expressing outrage.

If you missed it, here’s the tweet:

Graeme Demianyk
(@GraemeDemianyk)

The UK Treasury now seems to have deleted its “let’s get on it, lads” tweet to mark pubs reopening on Saturday pic.twitter.com/2F18LQA6XN

July 1, 2020

And here is our full report:

Now. Before we turn to else is happening today, let’s look at what isn’t happening.

The government has yet again delayed its announcement on which countries Britons can travel to and from without having to quarantine for 14 days on their return.

My colleague Kate Proctor has this report on growing pressure on the government to release the list of countries and end the confusion among holidaymakers:

The British government should prioritise spending on green projects to create jobs and kickstart the economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis, the International Monetary Fund’s chief economist has said.

Gita Gopinath, the IMF’s economic counsellor, said that mounting unemployment triggered by the Covid-19 crisis would require swift action to prevent lasting damage, and that spending on low-carbon projects could be used in response.

Speaking to MPs on the commons Treasury committee, she said countries such as the UK had an opportunity to “do public investment that also addresses the need for a greener planet, and at the same time as a jobs-rich recovery”.