Five things we learnt from this week's Sophy Ridge On Sunday
The government encourages people to get back to work and the UK's relationship with China is put under the microscope.
Sunday 12 July 2020 14:56, UK
As Beijing's hostilities towards Hong Kong grow, do we need to "reset" our relationship with China? And should political figures be setting an example by wearing masks when they're out and about?
Here are five things we learnt from this week's Sophy Ridge On Sunday:
1. Brexit, borders and 'bestest friends'
Asked by Sophy Ridge if he could guarantee UK borders will be ready by 1 January 2021, cabinet office minister Michael Gove simply said: "Yes."
The government is spending £705m on infrastructure, staff and technology for the UK's borders, pledging they'll be ready before the UK leaves the Brexit transition at the end of the year.
The announcement came after a leaked letter from international trade secretary Liz Truss revealed fears inside government about the readiness of ports and tariff systems in time for UK's departure.
Asked if he'd replied to the letter, Mr Gove said: "I love Liz… we don't comment on leaked documents, but Liz and I talk all the time, she is one of my bestest friends in cabinet."
2. Fire up the engines, we're back in business
As city centre businesses starved of custom start creaking and jobs are lost in worker-dependent outlets like Pret, the government has redoubled its back to work push.
In comments echoing the prime minister's on Friday, Michael Gove said the government wanted people "back at work, on the shop floor, in the office, wherever they can be".
Saying "we want to make sure the economic engines of this country are fired up again", Mr Gove also elaborated on plans to move civil service jobs out of London.
After repeated reports that York might see an influx of government staff (and potentially the entire House of Lords), he said the city was "not the only place" where civil servants might be "re-deployed" and confirmed that the government was looking at multiple sites in the UK.
3. A reset with China
The UK needs "a reset of the whole of our relationship" with China, according to Sir Richard Dearlove.
The former head of MI6 told Sophy that the Chinese government "are important trading partners but at the same time they are clearly becoming more aggressive internationally" and were now direct rivals in many areas.
The role played in the UK's 5G infrastructure by Chinese firm Huawei has also come under scrutiny after growing criticism of China.
Sir Richard said the company was "not a sort of ordinary international telecommunications company, it's an intimate part of the Chinese state" and that reducing its involvement in the 5G network was "good security sense", for all that it will prove a large technical task.
Huawei has denied all claims that it is linked to or controlled by the Chinese state, though it has been suggested new US sanctions could make it impossible for the company to continue its work on 5G.
4. A coronavirus vaccine by early next year
A coronavirus vaccine could be rolled out across the UK in the first half of next year, according to the man leading Imperial College's vaccine programme.
Professor Robin Shattock told Sophy Ridge On Sunday: "We anticipate that if everything goes really well that we'll get an answer as to whether it works by early next year and we have put in place the infrastructure to make enough vaccine for the whole of the UK." He added that with adequate funding the vaccine could be rolled out across the UK "in the first half of next year".
After hopes were stoked by the government of a vaccine by September, the professor said it was a "very optimistic" timetable, though he added that the sheer number of programmes meant there was a "very low risk" of no vaccine being found.
Just finding a working vaccine may not be the end of our problems either, with Professor Shattock warning "the world is going to have to look out" for fraudsters trying to profit from fake versions of any treatment.
5. Labour support mandatory face masks
Labour will "absolutely support" the mandatory wearing of face masks in shops if it improves public confidence, Lucy Powell has said.
Challenged on Sophy Ridge On Sunday why she and Labour leader Keir Starmer didn't wear face coverings when visiting a bar this week, the shadow business minister insisted "we followed the guidance" but said: "We do need to get a lot more confidence back in the system and if mandatory wearing of face masks in shops will help to do that, then we absolutely support it."
UK politicians including the prime minister, chancellor and Labour leader have all been pictured in indoor public spaces without masks, despite repeated government encouragement to wear masks in settings such as shops.
A new rule may be further off than expected though after Michael Gove refused to confirm the UK government would follow Scotland's decision to make masks mandatory in shops.