Matthew Taylor

Sunday shows round-up: Zahawi denies plans to withdraw free lateral flow tests

The Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi was in the hotseat this morning as the Sunday interview shows make their return. He spoke to Trevor Phillips and immediately scotched reports in the Sunday Times from Whitehall sources suggesting that the current policy of providing free lateral flow tests could soon be on its way out:

NZ: I don’t recognise [this] at all…

TP: There are no plans at the moment to stop lateral flow tests being free?

NZ: Absolutely not.

Cutting isolation to 5 days ‘would certainly help’

Zahawi also spoke to Sophie Raworth, who is now filling the role vacated by Andrew Marr. Raworth asked Zahawi about proposals which could see the mandatory period for self-isolation reduced from seven days to five, dependent on the results of two negative lateral flow tests on consecutive days.

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