Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: Boris Johnson challenged over unexplained care home deaths

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Thursday 14 May 2020 07:42 BST

Johnson wrongly claims advice did not dismiss care home risk

It looks like some of our friends in the EU will get a holiday this year. The European Commission, making plans to restart flights, has declared: “We will have a summer tourist season.” In England, even staycations appear precarious during the bumpy journey out of lockdown. Blackpool’s tourist agency has rebranded itself ‘Do Not Visit Blackpool’ so crowds can be kept at bay. It’s unlikely Boris Johnson will get a break anytime soon. The PM is under pressure to come up with some answers over unexplained care home deaths, and stands accused of misleading MPs. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

Our political correspondent Lizzy Buchan on what to look out for today:

Boris Johnson will hold talks with his cabinet, with ministers braced for a tranche of statistics on the NHS. Waiting times figures for A&E and other hospital admissions in April will be published, offering a look at how the health service is holding up. The Office for National Statistics is also expected to publish the first regular results of its survey of current Covid-19 infection rates in English households. Elsewhere, Keir Starmer will face voters in Wales as part of his “Call Keir” town hall meetings over Zoom.

Daily briefing

PEN PALS: Labour leader Keir Starmer has challenged Boris Johnson to account for official figures showing 10,000 “unexplained” deaths in care homes last month. The PM announced a £600m package to fight infections in care homes – but it wasn’t enough to prevent a squabble over previous claims. Starmer wrote to Johnson after PMQs, asking him to return to the Commons to set the record straight, after the PM had denied government advice had been that “it remains very unlikely that people receiving care in a care home will become infected”. In his reply letter, Johnson accused Starmer of “selectively and misleadingly” quoting the guidance. Elsewhere, ministers admitted that tests would not be rolled out to all care facilities until 6 June – despite Matt Hancock announcing at the end of April that a mass expansion would cover care homes. The Lib Dems said staff and resident faced “an unbearable and unacceptable three week wait”.

PERSONAL HISTORY: Some potential good news on antibody testing. One of the tests to check whether a person has had the coronavirus in the past has been praised by Public Health England after it was found to carry a 100 per cent rate of success in ruling out false positives. The tests have already been given the green light in the US, and UK officials are in talks to roll it out here, according to The Times. Less encouraging news on the government’s Covid-19 infection survey. Participants told The Independent some testing staff lacked PPE and appeared to be poorly trained in taking samples. Another worrying development: up to 100 children in the UK have been affected by a new disease thought to be linked to infection with coronavirus. At least one teenager, a 14-year-old boy, has died after suffering a stroke caused by complications of treatment for the new syndrome, which is similar to the existing Kawasaki disease.

CLOSE TO THE MADDING CROWD: The sharing of crowded tube carriage photos was the among the most predictable events of Wednesday, after lockdown restrictions were eased. New research has warned that the return of commuters to work is likely to trigger a fresh outbreak of coronavirus. The University of Sussex study calculates the sharp drop in travel was the main reason the virus was brought under control – and, therefore, more transport use carries a large risk of a second spike. Elsewhere, house hunters resumed viewings. Communities secretary Robert Jenrick acknowledged allowing house viewings “may seem confusing at first glance, especially when people have been separated from their loved ones for so long”. He promised the government is planning a “first homes programme” for later in 2020 which would see a 30 per cent discount to key workers.

COMPLEX EQUATION: Well, it had to happen at some point. Donald Trump has said he “totally” disagrees with his administration’s top infectious diseases advisor Dr Anthony Fauci. The expert had cautioned against reopening schools and the economy too soon, warning of “needless suffering and death” if the lifting of restrictions was rushed. “It’s not an acceptable answer, especially when it comes to schools,” said the president – accusing Dr Fauci of wanting “to play all sides of the equation”. Meanwhile, the FBI and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued a warning to all US groups researching the coronavirus that they could be targeted by China.

TRILLIONS WIPED: The pandemic will shrink the world economy by 3.2 per cent this year, the UN has forecast – the sharpest contraction since the Great Depression in the 1930s. The coronavirus is expected to slash global economic output by around £7 trillion over the next two years, wiping out nearly all gains of the last four years. Esther Duflo, awarded the Nobel prize in economics in 2019, has called for rich countries to create a new “Marshall Plan” of massive financial support aid for the global south. Elsewhere, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen warned leaders that they “must not rebuild an economy of yesterday” – urging them to use stimulus packages to tackle climate change.

PRECIPICE WALKER: Brazil’s president Jair Bolsanaro continues to insist the economy must open up – despite the country recorded its deadliest day in the crisis yet, with 881 confirmed deaths in 24 hours from Covid-19 (also the highest daily rise). The right-wing president ratcheted up his dispute with governors, issuing a decree classifying gyms and hair salons as “essential” services and exempt from regional lockdowns. “Governors who do not agree with the decree can file lawsuits in court,” Bolsonaro wrote on social media. “Bolsonaro is walking towards the precipice and wants to take all of us with him,” responded Rio de Janeiro governor Wilson Witzel.

On the record

“It is important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and this virus may never go away.”

The World Health Organisation’s Dr Mike Ryan says there may never be an effective vaccine.

From the Twitterati

“The lawyer beating the showman hands down this week.”

Laura Kuenssberg salutes Starmer’s performance at PMQs...

“It’s possible to hold two thoughts in your head at the same time: 1) Jeremy Corbyn was treated appallingly by the media and never received the credit he deserved. 2) It’s good that our new leader is getting positive reviews.”

…while pop critic Simon Price has a message for Corbynistas grumpy about praise for Starmer.