Robert Jenrick says migrants with diphtheria symptoms will no longer be dispersed around country – as it happened

An entrance at the Manston processing centre for asylum seekers. Photograph: Andy Aitchison/The Guardian

5.40pm GMT

Afternoon summary

• Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, has told MPs that the Home Office will no longer disperse asylum seekers with diphtheria symptoms around the country. (See 4.46m.) He was speaking at the UK Health Security Agency published a report saying said that between 1 January and 25 November 2022 there were 50 cases of diphtheria involving migrants who had recently arrived in England. There were two cases of “severe respiratory diphtheria requiring hospitalisation and treatment with diphtheria anti-toxin and antibiotics” and one fatality where a PCR test had confirmed the disease but the post-mortem examination will confirm the cause of death.

• Downing Street appears likely to allow new onshore wind projects in England after years of an effective ban, Grant Shapps has indicated, with ministers giving way in the face of a growing backbench Conservative rebellion.

• Several candidates have turned down the role of Rishi Sunak’s ethics adviser, to which the prime minister had pledged to appoint someone when he entered No 10, the Guardian understands.

• The cabinet minister Oliver Dowden received more than £8,000 in fees for “policy advice” to the company of a hedge fund manager who hosted a champagne reception for the former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng on the day of the disastrous mini-budget.

• The government will not be able to achieve its nature targets by 2030, even though they are “embarrassingly poor”, the shadow environment minister, Alex Sobel, and leading wildlife groups have said.

Rishi Sunak switching on the Downing Street Christmas tree lights. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

5.00pm GMT

Review to consider whether civil servants can work on independence policy for Scottish government, MPs told

In evidence to the Commons Scottish affairs committee, Alister Jack, the Scottish secretary, said that a review is underway following last week’s supreme court judgment as to what work civil servants in Scotland will be allowed to do on independence matters. He said that Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, and the Cabinet Office’s proprietary and ethics team were looking at this, with John-Paul Marks, permanent secretary to the Scottish government.

Now that the supreme court has ruled that the Scottish government cannot lawfully hold an independence referendum without permission from Westminster, which it does not have, Tories argue civil servants should not be working on this. (See 3.54pm.)

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader and a member of the committee, told Jack that people in Scotland would be concerned if civil servants were allowed to work on what was now a party political issue.

Alexander Brown has more details in a report for the Scotsman.

Indyref2: Alister Jack reveals role of civil servants in Scotland being looked at after Supreme Court verdict, via @AlexofBrown https://t.co/BRjUiKzw7A

— The Scotsman (@TheScotsman) November 28, 2022

Updated at 5.25pm GMT