UK coronavirus live: 17,540 new cases as pubs and restaurants linked with 30% of infections in under-30s

Latest updates: UK records 17,540 new cases, 77 deaths and 609 new hospital admissions; Chris Whitty presents data on pubs and restaurants

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5.26pm BST

The public appointments commissioner, Peter Riddell, has labelled authoritatively inspired" reports floating former newspaper editors Charles Moore and Paul Dacre for top jobs at the BBC and Ofcom extremely unhelpful", warning they risk prejudicing the recruitment process.

It emerged last month that ex-Telegraph editor, Moore, was Downing Street's choice to be the next BBC chairman although he has since ruled himself out. Former Daily Mail editor, Dacre, was also said to have been approached by Boris Johnson to become chairman of communications watchdog, Ofcom.

I think the word lined up' is the key one in your question ... Under the code, ministers are perfectly entitled to make suggestions to an appointing panel of candidates they like, who they would like to be interviewed and so on. And it's up to the assessor panel, the interview panel, to decide whether to interview them and if they don't want to, they have got to explain to the minister why not.

However, I think it extremely unhelpful to have apparently authoritatively inspired stories about the names you say. I make no comment on the individuals, that's a matter for ministers ... By allowing the stories, however accurate or otherwise, to float I think there are dangers of prejudicing a fair and open competition.

5.23pm BST

Five more Nightingale courts, with 16 additional courtrooms, are due to open by the end of the month to boost capacity to hear cases during the pandemic. (See 2.52pm.)

Confirming the scheduled expansion of emergency sites, a spokesperson for HM Courts and Tribunal Service said:

There are positive early signs stemming from our efforts to keep the justice system moving during the pandemic. The number of outstanding magistrates' cases are falling and more hearings are being listed in the crown courts.

To support this recovery we are investing 80m in courts, recruiting 1,600 new staff, opening more Nightingale courts, and will shortly have even more rooms available for jury trials.