Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: UK remains in lockstep over lockdown, No 10 insists

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Friday 24 April 2020 08:02 BST

Essential workers and families can book coronavirus tests from tomorrow, government announces

Millions of people tuned in for the BBC’s special Comic Relief and Children In Need fundraiser last night. Others – who didn’t much fancy the company of Lenny Henry, Paddy McGuinness and Davina McCall – turned off the telly and curled up with a good read for World Book Night. To each their own. Downing Street insists some things must be done together, however. The government is adamant the four nations are not going their separate ways on the lockdown, after Nicola Sturgeon set out her blueprint for how the easing of restrictions might work in Scotland. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

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

With the government standing by its election promise to complete a post-Brexit trade deal by the end of 2020 (for now), talks are still ongoing with the EU in the midst of the pandemic. The UK’s chief negotiator David Frost and his opposite number Michel Barnier are set to conclude another round today, with Barnier providing an update at a press conference. In Westminster, the science and technology committee will also hear from all four of the UK’s chief medical officers, ahead of the daily No 10 briefing at 5pm.

Daily briefing

TESTS OF FAITH: Matt Hancock has promised it will soon be “easier, faster and simpler” for essential workers to get coronavirus tests. The under-pressure health secretary said all key workers would be apply online for a test from today. Sounding bullish on meeting his 100,000 daily tests target by the end of the month, he said capacity now stood at 51,000 a day (although the actual number done was 23,000). Hancock also pledged to deliver a huge contact tracing drive – hiring 18,000 people to begin tracking who might have had the virus. Will it help ease the lockdown more quickly? The cabinet minister gave away little on a potential exit strategy. First minister Nicola Sturgeon offered us more details – saying schools and certain businesses in Scotland would be allowed to reopen if they can guarantee social distancing measures. But No 10 and Hancock both insisted the Scottish government’s approach was based on the UK government’s five tests.

BACK AT YOUR DOOR: Boris Johnson is said to consider himself to be “fit for duty” again – and could be back at work at No 10 as soon as Monday. Ministers have been told to prepare for the PM’s return next week, The Daily Telegraph reports. One source told the newspaper: “In truth he has been working pretty much full time for the past week.” Donald Trump said Johnson sounded “sharp and energetic” at his latest press conference. “I was actually surprised. I thought he’d be like, ‘Oh Donald, how are you?’,” he added, doing an impersonation of a sick person. However glad they may be to get the boss back, backbench Tory MPs will keep pushing for a clear route out of the lockdown. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, the treasurer of the 1922 committee, said businesses “a bit of hope” measures would be eased soon. Employers have applied to furlough 3.2 million workers in just three days under the coronavirus job retention scheme.

RUNNING SHORT: Some worrying news Johnson will need to catch up with it: hospitals are now running out of vital kidney dialysis blood filtering kits needed to keep up to a third of Covid-19 patients alive. Doctors told The Independent the shortage increased the pressure to use equipment conservatively, with grim choices to be made over which patients should receive the treatment. The struggle to get enough gowns remains active. According to the Health Service Journal, the delayed shipment of PPE from Turkey contained just 32,000 gowns (rather than the 400,000 promised), amounting to only several hours’ worth of supplies. More encouraging news from the University of Oxford, where the first human coronavirus vaccine trial in Europe is now under way. Two volunteers, the first of more than 800 people, were injected on Thursday.

UNDER THE RADAR: The UK is not the only country where official tallies are likely to be underestimating the scale the toll is taking on care homes. The World Health Organisation has revealed a “deeply concerning” estimate that up to half of all coronavirus deaths in Europe may have occurred in care homes. “This is an unimaginable human tragedy,” said Dr Hans Kluge, the WHO’s regional director for Europe. Dr Kluge said the testing of suspected cases in such facilities should be “prioritised” and more PPE should be given to staff. He also suggested countries should start paying care workers more, since they’re “often overstretched, underpaid and unprotected”.

SUN KING: Donald Trump’s latest press conference is a strong contender for the weirdest yet. The president suggested disinfectant could be injected into the human body to help cure Covid-19 patients, while also floating the idea sunlight kills the deadly virus. “You see it gets in the lungs and it does a tremendous number [on the] lungs, so it would be interesting to check that,” he said on disinfectant idea. A senior government health official said federal labs were not considering injections. They were merely testing how sunlight and disinfectants might be of use in killing the coronavirus on surfaces. Elsewhere, New York governor Andrew Cuomo hit out at Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell after the Republican suggested states declare bankruptcy. “This is one of the really dumb ideas of all time,” said Cuomo, a Democrat.

RULES RELAXED FOR RAMADAN: The United Arab Emirates has announced an easing of its lockdown for Ramadan, shortening a nationwide curfew by two hours so it runs from 10 pm to 6 am during the month of fasting. In Dubai shopping malls are to be partially reopened during the day – but with a maximum capacity of 30 per cent. In Pakistan, meanwhile, prime minister Imran Khan has bowed to pressure from the country’s religious clerics, refusing to close the mosques. Group prayers will be allowed during Ramadan, but worshippers must observe social distancing and wear face masks.

On the record

“There is no fast track to the new normal.”

Dr Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe.

From the Twitterati

“Sturgeon’s approach is right: an open discussion about the hard tradeoffs we face living with the virus ... UK Ministers refusing to discuss the lockdown in public while briefing ideas to ease it in private can’t last. Time to treat the public like adults.”

George Osborne thinks No 10 should follow the first minister’s lead...

“Funny how certain folk are raging at Sturgeon “undermining” Westminster by suggesting an exit strategy, rather than being raging at the Tories for not even thinking about it.”

…while Arab Strap singer Aidan Moffat thinks any anger towards Sturgeon is misplaced.