Inside Politics: Boris Johnson expected to ditch two-metre rule

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Donald Trump never did care much for social distancing. The US president didn’t like seeing so many empty spaces at his reckless weekend rally in Tulsa – blaming protesters for the half-empty indoor arena. Boris Johnson wants Britons to return to indoor spaces as soon as possible, but the PM hopes he can safely manage the re-opening of pubs and restaurants with social distancing still very much in place. Johnson appears all set to replace two-metre rule with something called “one metre plus”. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter.

Inside the bubble

Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn on what to look out for today:

Boris Johnson will meet with senior cabinet ministers from the Covid-19 strategy committee this morning alongside expert advisers to hear recommendations on the next phase of relaxing the lockdown – and a critical review into the two-metre guidelines. Elsewhere, an intriguing session of the Commons’ public accounts committee will see NHS chief executive Simon Stevens and the permanent secretary of the department of health Chris Wormald grilled on the coronavirus response.

Daily briefing

WHEN TWO BECOMES ONE: Boris Johnson and his health secretary Matt Hancock both dropped strong hints the government is ready to ditch the two-metre rule. In a move first reported by The Telegraph, the replacement is expected to be branded “one metre plus”. It means encouraging various “mitigation” measures such as Perspex screens and table service to help the hospitality industry reopen safely from 4 July. Hancock told Sophie Ridge on Sunday it was possible pubs and restaurants might have to create a register of customers. According to The Times this morning, the PM is ready to use 4 July as an opportunity to allow staycation travel again and an expansion of household “bubbles” allowing millions more grandparents to reunite with the grandkids. He is expected to make an announcement to parliament on Tuesday.

AFTERMATH OF THE ATTACK: Leading almost all of today’s front pages, the man being held on suspicion of the stabbing attack in Reading that left three dead is thought to have been known to MI5. Khairi Saadallah, the 25-year-old Libyan accused of launching a terror attack, may have considered travelling abroad to wage jihad, security sources told The Independent. Tributes have been paid to “kind and gentle” teacher James Furlong, the only victim named so far, and a minute’s silence is planned for all three victims at 10am today. Elsewhere, attention will turn to National Windrush Day – commemorating the migrants disembarked from HMT Empire Windrush 72 years ago. Wendy Williams, author of the report into the Windrush scandal, has warned there is a “grave risk” of similar scandals if the Home Office did not “make good on its commitment to learn the lessons”.

THE SPECIAL ONE: Nigel Farage somehow avoided the US travel ban after the American government waived travel restrictions for the Brexit Party leader after he was initially denied boarding on 19 June. The US Department for Homeland Security told The Independent his visit to the country had been “in the national interest” after “a thorough review of the relevant facts and circumstances”. With Farage set to face 14 days self-isolation upon his return, the former Tory minister David Gauke joked: “Suddenly, the UK’s quarantine policy makes some sense”. Meanwhile, the government is expected to introduced new measures to protect British businesses deemed essential for public health during any pandemic from foreign takeovers. “The UK is open for investment, but not for exploitation,” said business secretary Alok Sharma.

QUESTIONABLE BEHAVIOUR: MPs are to set to grill top health officials today on whether they have overpaid for personal protective equipment. Questions may be asked about a small pest control company winning a contract to supply £100m-worth of PPE. Labour will be itching to ask more questions about housing secretary Robert Jenrick (but will have to wait to an opposition day debate this Wednesday). It follows the revelation in The Sunday Times that Tory donor Richard Desmond showed Jenrick a promo video clip of his property development. The minister was said to have watched for “three or four minutes” before going on to approve the scheme. Meanwhile Rishi Sunak is said to be considering slashing VAT. Reports suggest the chancellor has ordered Treasury and HMRC officials to prepare options for reducing the sales tax.

ROCKED AND ROLLED: The fall-out from Donald Trump’s weekend rally in Tulsa has seen disagreement about the cause of so many empty seats. While his campaign manager blamed protesters outside, Political strategist Steve Schmidt claimed his daughter was among the many TikTok users registering for rally tickets as a prank. “You have been rolled by America’s teens,” he tweeted at the president, while Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said “you just got ROCKED by teens on TikTok”. Elsewhere, Trump’s former national security adviser John Bolton North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “gets a huge laugh" out of Trump’s notion that the two are friends.

HOLIDAYS IN THE SUN: British tourists can now head off to Spain after the Spanish government lifting travel restrictions from midnight. In a move to revive the tourist industry, visitors from EU and Schengen zone countries can now enter without having to undergo any quarantine. Spain’s foreign affairs minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said the decision to include to UK had been made “out of respect” for the 400,000 Britons who have second homes there. But UK tourists will have to undergo a temperature check and provide contact details for their stay. The changes mark the ending of Spain’s national state of emergency after three long months of lockdown.

On the record

“There are days when I’m not providing proper leadership. I definitely ... I felt fragile.”

London mayor Sadiq Khan opens up about his mental health struggles during lockdown.

From the Twitterati

“Some people think we should stick with 2m. Others 1m. What should we do?”. “How about 1mPlus?”. “Brilliant!”.

The Mail on Sunday’s Dan Hodges suggests the new rule is an odd compromise…

“Personally I would like to keep the 2m rule, maybe extend it to 6m. Or miles. I dunno people bug me.”

…while author Dr Benjamin Janaway suggests something new.

Essential reading

John Rentoul, The Independent: Demography is not destiny – Keir Starmer can win if he gets the politics right

Khalia Ismain, The Independent: Shopping from black-owned businesses is a vote for equality with our wallets

Kenan Malik, The Guardian: Culture wars risk blinding us to just how liberal we’ve become

Jennifer Senior, The New York Times: America’s autocrat is in the home stretch. How worried should we be?

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