A Labour MP was dramatically barred from the Commons chamber this afternoon after repeatedly branding Boris Johnson a 'liar'.

Dawn Butler was told to leave by the chair after delivering an extraordinary rant about how 'poor people have paid with their lives' because of the PM 'misleading the House'.

She accused Mr Johnson of lying over his claim that the UK has 'severed the link between [Covid] infection and serious disease and death'.

Scientists say that vaccines have weakened the link between severe illness and coronavirus infections, but not completely severed it.

Hospitalisations are growing at a much slower rate than in previous coronavirus waves.

On July 1, Johnson told Britain that it was 'ever clearer' that the UK's vaccination drive had 'broken the link' between infections and deaths as he insisted the nation is now in the 'final furlong' of lockdown.

The Department of Health said 39,906 people tested positive across the UK in the past 24 hours, marking a 17.8 per cent drop on the number last Thursday. It is the first time there has been a week-on-week fall since May 18.

Meanwhile, Covid deaths — which lag behind infection numbers by several weeks — were up by 33.3 per cent with another 84 victims recorded today. The average number of people dying from the virus each day now stands at 55, which is double the figure earlier this month but still 20 times fewer than at the peak of the second wave.

Latest data shows there were 788 Covid hospital admissions on July 18, a rise of 35 per cent on the previous week. Hospitalisations appear to be doubling roughly every three weeks.

The former frontbencher Ms Butler was asked to withdraw her remarks - which flouted parliamentary etiquette rules - by fellow Labour MP Judith Cummins, who was presiding over the session.

But she flatly refused to do so, insisting she had thought about it and still felt the same way. It forced the temporary Deputy Speaker to eject her - and she will also lose a day's pay.

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