Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: Boris Johnson faces Tory interrogation over Dominic Cummings

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Wednesday 27 May 2020 07:57 BST

Coronavirus: Matt Hancock 'That's a good question.. I'll answer it later' on reviewing fines for travel for childcare

JK Rowling is publishing a brand new children’s book in daily instalments as a lockdown treat for young fans. Describing it as a “political fairytale”, the story features the nice-but-dim “ruler of Cornucopia” who comes from a long line of fair-haired patriarchs. It may just remind you of someone. Boris Johnson believes Dominic Cummings was behind his own twisted fairytale triumph last year. But will the PM stay loyal to his strategist-schemer? As his approval ratings plummet and the Tory backbench rebellion grows, the PM faces a lengthy interrogation from MPs today. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s Inside Politics newsletter during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

Boris Johnson will be relieved to avoid a grilling at PMQs, not happening as the Commons is in recess. But the Dominic Cummings affair is bound to come up when he faces 90 minutes of searching questions on the crisis during his first appointment with the liaison committee of senior MPs. His 15 questioners will include former Tory health secretary Jeremy Hunt and Labour’s Yvette Cooper. Elsewhere, the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost and Michael Gove will be quizzed on progress by the Brexit select committee.

Daily briefing

NOT SO FINE FETTLE: Health secretary Matt Hancock promised he would “look at” reviewing any fines given to families who breached lockdown to get childcare (Dominic Cummings has avoided any punishment, after all). But it seems to have been a rather artificial promise – made in response to a question from a vicar during the Downing Street press conference – since No 10 officials later made clear there would be no formal review of the fines. Asked why Cummings didn’t stay in London like he and his wife did when self-isolating during illness, Hancock replied: “We had childcare readily available at home and Mr Cummings didn’t.” The health secretary tried to refocus attention on the government’s response to the crisis – hailing the introduction of anti-viral drug remdesivir for coronavirus patients in the NHS, and the signing of contracts that will see two billion PPE items manufactured in the UK.

UNPOPULAR POPULISTS: A YouGov poll shows 71 per cent of the public believed the advisor broke the lockdown rules. More worrying for Johnson, a separate YouGov survey shows the Tory lead over Labour has been cut by nine points in a week, while the PM’s own approval rating has plunged by 20 points in four days. Ahead of the PM’s grilling at the liaison committee, at least 35 Tory MPs have now called on Cummings to go. Junior Scotland Office minister Douglas Ross resigned over the issue, while ex-health secretary Jeremy Hunt claimed lockdown rules were “clearly” breached in three separate ways: coming back into work while ill, driving to Durham, and visiting Barnard Castle. Will the rebellion grow? It may depend on the emails. Influential backbencher Steve Baker – who wants Cummings gone – expressed his frustration about receiving 400 angry messages in his inbox. “We’d rather be doing some case work.”

TALES OF THE UNEXPLAINED: Another 134 coronavirus deaths in the UK were reported on Wednesday, with Hancock delivering the encouraging news that hospital admissions in England are now at their lowest level since the experts began collecting data. However, the latest ONS figures show the number of excess deaths registered during the outbreak has now reached almost 60,000. Leading statistician Professor Sir David Spiegelhalter said he was concerned about the rise in people dying at home – pointing to 1,700 deaths that remain “unexplained”. How significant is the introduction of remdesivir for patients with the virus? Peer-reviewed data shows the drug can cut recovery time by four days, and Hancock claimed it was “probably the biggest step forward’’ in treatment since the crisis began.

FACT ATTACK: Have we just witnessed a big step forward for social media? For the first time ever, Twitter has fact-checked one of Donald Trump’s tweets, concluding it contained false information. The platform added a fact-check warning after the president claimed mail-in ballots at the upcoming US election would be “substantially fraudulent”. He complained the company was “completely stifling free speech”. We’ll have to wait and see whether Twitter now challenges Trump when he floats wild conspiracy theories about MSNBC host Joe Scarborough committing murder. Meanwhile, the White House said the G7 would still happen “towards the end of June” in Washington DC despite the pandemic.

MINK IN THE ARMOUR: The Dutch government has said it was “highly likely” that two mink farm workers have been infected with the coronavirus from minks. “This is the first time we’ve found, at least we’ve shown that it’s likely, that in two cases the infection has gone from animal to human,” said the head of the Netherlands’ health institute, Jaap van Dissel. The outbreaks on mink farms – where the animals are bred for fur – were first reported back in April, but authorities assumed humans had passed the virus to the animals. The Dutch government has promised all mink farms will close by 2024.

HEADING SOUTH: Latin America is now “the epicentre of the Covid-19 pandemic”, the head of the Pan American Health Organisation has warned. The region now has more daily cases of the coronavirus than Europe or the US. Meanwhile, the president of El Salvador Nayib Bukele has claimed most world leaders are taking hydroxychloroquine – the anti-malarial drug Trump has raved about using to “ward off” the virus, despite risk warnings from health authorities. “I use it as a prophylaxis [prevention], president Trump uses it as a prophylaxis, most of the world’s leaders use it as a prophylaxis.”

On the record

“This is apparently Cummings and his Brexit friends’ rule: that they leave when they should stay.”

Former European Council Donald Tusk mocks his old nemesis.

From the Twitterati

“Now Gove is claiming that he too has gone driving, more than once, to check his eyesight?! This is just becoming weird. If you’re going to lie for your mate, Gove, I suggest you try to make it even vaguely plausible.”

Actor Stephen Managan is amazed by Gove’s attempt to defend Cummings...

“So many cabinet ministers are destroying their own reputations at the altar of saving a lying, hypocrite adviser. Quite extraordinary.”

…and Piers Morgan is amazed ministers are bothering to even attempt a defence.