Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: Alok Sharma awaits test results after falling ill

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After weeks of telling people not to gather together in the sunshine, the government now has to worry about too many meeting up indoors because of all the rain. If you’re missing friends and family there’s always new stuff Netflix. One of the government’s contact tracers has revealed she’s getting paid to stay in and watch Netflix all day since there’s been no-one for her to trace. Alok Sharma and his close contacts in cabinet may soon be giving the NHS test and trace team some work to do. Unfortunately the business secretary has fallen ill with coronavirus symptoms. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock on what to look out for today:

Boris Johnson is hosting a virtual international conference to raise money to help developing countries deal with coronavirus. Representatives of over 50 countries will take part in the summit, which aims to raise at least £6bn to immunise a further 300 million children in developing countries. Meanwhile, in the Commons today, representatives of Facebook, Twitter and Google will answer MPs’ questions about online harms and disinformation during the crisis.

Daily briefing

COME RAIN OR COME SHINE: Boris Johnson has urged people not to move their up-to-six-people gatherings inside during the wet weather since the risk of passing on the coronavirus remains significantly higher indoors. “Don’t do that,” said the PM, who warned breaking lockdown rules could “undermine and reverse all the progress”. As Black Lives Matter protesters gathered at Hyde Park and outside Downing Street, Johnson said he was “appalled and sickened” by the death of George Floyd, but also said demonstrations should be done peacefully. Meanwhile, business secretary Alok Sharma is now self-isolating and waiting on coronavirus test results after falling unwell in parliament. He was seen repeatedly mopping his brow while speaking in the Commons, and his opposite number Ed Miliband had to pass him a glass of water. Worth noting that Sharma attended Tuesday’s cabinet in person.

NEED FOR SPEED: The dogged health committee chair Jeremy Hunt said speed is the “missing link in the chain” when it comes to the test and trace system. The Tory MP claimed its effectiveness depends on “how quickly you can take people out of circulation”. Hunt challenged on Baroness Dido Harding – head of the new scheme – how many tests are turned around within 24 hours, but Harding said she could not share data until it had been “validated” by the statistics watchdog. Hunt later told the BBC: “They’ve got all this data at their fingerprints. I suspect the reason is because the testing is still taking too long.” Johnson earlier pledged that all tests would be processed within 24 hours by the end of June. One contact tracer revealed she’s not been asked to speak to a single person since she started work. The clinician told the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire she had worked 38 hours but had spent the time watching nearly three series of The Good Place on Netflix.

PERMISSIVE SOCIETY: Speaking of TV, BBC executives are interested in making a drama series out of Dominic Cummings’ lockdown car trip scandal. It looks like the saga hasn’t entirely played out yet. Durham council bosses are now investigating claims the cottage at his parents’ farm – where Cummings and his family stayed – doesn’t have planning permission. Elsewhere, there is a mounting backlash over the 14-day quarantine as the government forced through its plan for arrivals to the UK. Sir Patrick Vallance made it very clear the timing of the measure was decided by ministers alone, while a string of Tory MPs raised concerns about job losses in tourism. The backlash over schools isn’t going away either. While the Welsh government said schools will re-open to all year groups for limited periods from 29 June, The Guardian reported that not one primary school opened to pupils in “large parts” of north-east England on Monday.

BUNKER BOY: Donald Trump has claimed he went down to the White House bunker during recent protests nearby only to take a look around – not because he was scared of any possible threat. Former defence secretary James Mattis has launched a rare attack on his old boss, saying he was “angry and appalled” by Trump handling the protests. He accused the president of trying to “divide” the American people. Trump accused Mattis of being an “overrated general”. The current secretary of defence Mark Esper, meanwhile, said he was opposed to Trump’s idea of sending the military into US cities to quell the unrest.

REGRETS, HE HAS A FEW: Sweden’s chief epidemiologist Anders Tegnell, the expert behind the country’s decision not to impose a lockdown, has admitted to regrets over the radical policy. Tegnell told Swedish radio: “Should we encounter the same disease, with exactly what we know about it today, I think we would land in doing midway between what Sweden did and what the rest of the world did.” Tegnell had previously described lockdowns imposed by others as “ridiculous”. Sweden’s per capita death rate is now four times higher than that of its Nordic neighbours.

SECOND SPIKE: Iran is experiencing another spike in coronavirus cases after health authorities recorded 70 new deaths and more than 3,000 infections for a second consecutive day. President Hassan Rouhani warned lockdown restrictions would have to be re-imposed “if in any part of the country these warnings aren’t taken seriously and God forbid the outbreak of illness peaks again”. Elsewhere, Brazil has seen 1,349 coronavirus fatalities in the past 24 hours – the second day in a row the country has posted a record daily death toll. Brazil is still without a permanent health minister after president Jair Bolsonaro fell out with the last one.

On the record

“The Telegraph is reporting that the prime minister has decided to take direct control of the government’s response to the virus … who’s been in direct control up until now?”

Keir Starmer challenges Boris Johnson at PMQs.

From the Twitterati

“Bit galling to see MPs who voted down a virtual parliament yesterday use social distancing as a stick to beat the Black Lives Matter protest. Criticise both, or criticise neither – you can’t cherry pick.”

The Telegraph’s Ben Gartside connects the Mogg Conga farce with the protests in London…

“I hope Alok Sharma makes a full and swift recovery. I hope Jacob Rees-Mogg makes a full and swift apology.”

…while Labour MP Peter Kyle connects it with Sharma’s illness.

Essential reading

Michael Bankole, The Independent: The government is intent on ignoring the root causes of BAME coronavirus deaths

Kuba Shand-Baptiste, The Independent: Blackout Tuesday is over – now be prepared for the real hard work

James Forsyth, The Spectator: How the government is already preparing for the coronavirus inquiry

James Fallows, The Atlantic: Is this the worst year in modern American history?

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