Coronavirus in Scotland RECAP: First Minister gives Covid update at Holyrood | Nicola Sturgeon hails reduction in hospital cases | FM says Scottish Government wants to get Glasgow back on track ‘as quickly as possible’ | Scottish Greens leaders apologise after Covid breach | Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock respond to Dominic Cummings’ attacks on them

Boris Johnson said what happened in care homes during the pandemic was “tragic” but said one of the issues was asymptomatic transmission of coronavirus.

“Of course what happened in care homes was tragic,” he said. “We did everything we could to protect the NHS, to minimise transmission with the knowledge that we had.

“One thing that we did not know at the beginning of the pandemic – don’t forget, we did not know at the beginning of the pandemic quite the way in which the virus could be transmitted asymptomatically and that was one of the reasons that we had some of the problems that we saw in care homes.”

UK ministers are determined to “shut out” the Scottish Government over a new trade deal with Australia, Nicola Sturgeon has said.

A proposed deal with Canberra will offer tariff and quota-free trade between the two countries, UK International Trade Secretary Liz Truss has said, but opponents have claimed this could have a detrimental effect on British farming.

Speaking at First Minister’s Questions on Thursday, Ms Sturgeon said the deal represents a “betrayal” of Scottish farmers.

She said her ministers have expressed their concerns to their UK counterparts about the “devastating impact the UK Government-proposed deal could have on our farming communities”.

In response a question from new SNP MSP Jim Fairlie, Ms Sturgeon added: “That followed an earlier letter from the Rural Affairs Secretary to the UK Trade Secretary on May 19, but the UK Government seems determined to shut the Scottish Government out of this decision-making process, just as it has ignored our interests throughout the Brexit process.

“We are extremely concerned that yet again a crucial decision affecting Scotland’s future is being taken by this Tory Government – not just against the wishes of people who live here, but fundamentally against the interests of people who live here.”

The First Minister claimed the UK Government has already “betrayed” the fishing industry in Scotland through Brexit and is about to do the same on farming.

Food imports, she said, must meet the same standards as Scottish produce and be controlled by tariff rate quotas.

“Anything short of that, short of what the Tories promised, will be a betrayal of our farmers and will be deeply damaging to the Scottish economy,” she said.

“We hear a lot of rhetoric from the Conservatives about standing up for Scottish business – we’ve heard it again today – perhaps it’s about time they actually stood up for our farming community and told their bosses in the UK Government that what is proposed is simply not acceptable.”