Inside Politics: Michel Barnier issues stark warning, as billions spent on Brexit revealed

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Prince William loves Europe – he’s spent the past few days trying to sample one of its finest products properly. The Duke of Cambridge complained that he’s only managed a few sips of Guinness during his trip to Ireland before officials remove his pint glass. Boris Johnson will know the feeling. Just when he things he can taste an ambitious free trade deal, those pesky bureaucrats whisk it away again. Whatever he’s been drinking, Michel Barnier appears in quarrelsome mood. The EU’s chief negotiator has warned the PM there are “serious” differences blocking a post-Brexit agreement. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing.

Inside the bubble

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick on what to look out for today:

The focus will remain on government efforts to slow down the spread of coronavirus but, elsewhere, education secretary Gavin Williamson will announce funding for new science curriculum projects. Meanwhile, over in New York, Boris Johnson’s new president of the COP26 autumn climate change summit – Alok Sharma – has his first high-profile event, discussing “plans and priorities” for Glasgow with the UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres.

Daily briefing

WASTE NOT, WANT NOT: Money can’t buy you love, but it can buy you a deep sense of uncertainty. We still don’t know what our relationship with the EU will be next year. But we do know how much it’s cost getting us into this mess. The National Audit Office says £4.4bn has been spent on the Brexit process since 2016. Government departments have shelled out the staggering sum on extra staff, external advice and advertising. The Lib Dems claimed billions had been simply “thrown away”. Michel Barnier has warned about the real economic pain ahead if a trade agreement cannot be done this year, saying the consequences of a no-deal scenario were still “underestimated”. Brussels’ chief negotiator concluded the first round of talks by telling reporters about the “very, very difficult” differences between the two sides – pointing to big disputes over fishing rights, “level playing field” issues and Britain’s refusal to stay part of the European Convention on Human Rights. Still – blue passports! Totally worth it, right?

DON’T WORRY, BE NAPPY: Is Boris Johnson the man for a crisis? Don’t laugh. We may be about to find out how the prime minister copes with one as the coronavirus moves into the more serious “delay” phase and becomes far more widespread. The PM offered his sympathies to the family of a woman in Berkshire, understood to be in her 70s, to become the first in the UK to die from COVID-19. Asking Johnson about panic buying and the possibility of food shortages on ITV’s This Morning, host Phillip Schofield got right to the point. “Can you … feed us?” The PM replied: “Yes.” Pip and Holly gave the Tory leader a hard time over his no-show act during recent flooding and bullying allegations against his home secretary Priti Patel. “My instinct is to stick with Prit,” he scoffed. But Johnson struggled most of all when asked whether he would change his new baby’s nappies when his partner Carrie Symonds gives birth. Flustered, stumbling, the PM eventually gave the enthusiastic response: “I expect so.” I would start looking for a full-time nanny, Carrie.

CLUNKING FISTS: Gordon Brown is probably relieved he doesn’t get asked embarrassing questions anymore. But the former PM still likes to make public outings when he thinks it matters. Brown endorsed Keir Starmer to be the next Labour leader, saying the ex-barrister had all the right values and necessary “qualifications” to be a future prime minister. He did, however, offer crumbs of praise for Rebecca Long-Bailey’s green new deal plan and saluted Lisa Nandy for her desire to “empower communities”. Elsewhere, John McDonnell, the man who thought he could follow in the footsteps of great Labour chancellors, has accused the government of presiding over “absolute chaos”. The national infrastructure strategy has been delayed, according to the BBC. The grand 30-year plan was supposed to be unveiled alongside Rishi Sunak’s budget next week. No word on when it will finally get constructed.

HUAWEI TO HELL: More trouble ahead for the government next week: a Tory rebellion over Huawei’s involvement in the 5G roll-out. Disputatious former party leader Iain Duncan Smith has tabled an amendment to the Telecoms Infrastructure (Leasehold Property) Bill when a vote comes before the Commons on Tuesday. It would – if passed – prevent “high risk vendors” (i.e. Huawei) building anything for mobile operators in the UK after 2022. Both the ERG and Damian Green, head of the moderate “one nation” group, are on board with the IDS amendment, according to The Times. It’s not the only matter of national pride troubling backbench Tories. MP Robert Courts told the Commons that the Union Jack outside parliament had been flying upside down for some time. He asked Jacob Rees-Mogg whether it was a sign of “distress”. The leader of the Commons apologised, said that it was a “deeply troubling matter” and gave the nod to the Commons clerk to go and get it fixed.

MISS LIZZY LEFT DIZZY: Elizabeth Warren has officially dropped out of the 2020 Democratic presidential race, leaving us with a two-horse race between Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden. Reeling from disappointing Super Tuesday primary results, she said she needed “some space” before deciding which of the two old men to endorse. “One of the hardest parts of this is all those little girls who are going to have to wait four more years,” Warren said. “That is going to be hard.” The smart money is on Warren backing Sanders, given her recent attacks on the former vice president. “No matter how many Washington insiders tell you to support him, nominating their fellow Washington insider will not meet this moment,” she said earlier in the week.

On the record

“It’s not a bridge that I’m keen on, it’s a tunnel. The bridge for me is a euphemism for a link, which is a tunnel.”

Scottish secretary Alister Jack says he and the PM are ‘on the same page’ on a tunnel link to Northern Ireland.

From the Twitterati

“Boris describes a question on @thismorning about whether he will change nappies as a ‘tricky one, coming in on middle stump’. Surely for most dads that’s one you smash back over the bowler’s head for six?”

The Daily Mail’s David Wilcock finds the PM’s response very odd...

“Johnson always gets jumpy when asked if he changes nappies ... Suggests he’s never touched a pamper wing in his life.”

...while writer Otto English thinks he know why Johnson got so flustered.

Essential reading

Mary Dejevsky, The Independent: Bernie Sanders and Jeremy Corbyn are both down, but that doesn’t mean the movements they started are out

Robert Fisk, The Independent: Don’t expect a Democratic president to roll back Trump’s disastrous Middle East policies – particularly if it’s Biden

Tom McTague, The Atlantic: Boris Johnson vs British officialdom

Ailbhe Rea, New Statesman: The Priti Patel allegations highlight Westminster’s serious bullying problem

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