'We have to act': Biden says government has 'moral obligation' to provide economic relief – live

• New president says: ‘We cannot, will not let the people go hungry’
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• Lloyd Austin confirmed as Biden’s defense secretary
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10.23pm GMT

Hello there, it’s Maanvi Singh – I’ll be bringing you live updates through the next few hours.

First up, here’s the US Embassy in London’s response to tabloid controversy over Biden’s Oval Office makeover – which included the removal of a Winston Churchill busy.

We’ve seen some discussion about the Churchill Bust, so we just wanted to remind everyone what the Special Relationship is truly about pic.twitter.com/XOdff8hbcd

10.02pm GMT

Between 100 and 200 National Guard deployed to Washington, DC, to provide security for Joe Biden’s presidential inauguration have tested positive for the coronavirus, a US official said on Friday.

The National Guard has struggled to implement a plan to test troops flowing into and out of Washington, DC, for Covid-19, with some Guard members being forced to find their own tests and others pressured to leave their quarantine early to report to duty.

Already, hundreds of Guard members who poured into Washington after the January 6 assault on the US Capitol have tested positive for Covid-19 or are quarantining in nearby hotels, three Guard sources said.

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