Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: Crackdown coming if advice ignored, says Boris Johnson

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Monday 23 March 2020 08:52 GMT

Coronavirus: Boris Johnson says 'tougher measures' may be imposed to tighten social distancing rules

The Queen is thought to be preparing a special address on the coronavirus crisis for the moment the nation most needs the morale boost. For now, we’ll have to make do with Liam Gallagher. The former Oasis star released an EP-worth of Twitter clips over the weekend, washing his hands to re-worked classics – including Wonderwash and Champagne Soapernova. Boris Johnson has responsibility for so much more than hand-washing advice, of course. The PM hopes new measures can protect the 1.5 million most vulnerable people – and is mulling over steps taking us closer to lockdown. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing.

Inside the bubble

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

Boris Johnson is facing a potential revolt as he seeks to fast track emergency legislation through the Commons. Ministers hope to pass the bill, which would give sweeping powers to the government to curb the spread of the outbreak, without a vote. But cross-party MPs have tabled an amendment which would see the legislation expire after a year – rather than two – signed by several senior Tories. And all eyes will be on Downing Street for the PM’s latest press conference at around 5pm.

Daily briefing

THE WAY AHEAD: All the photos of people mingling at parks, beaches and markets over the weekend may have a big bearing on what happens next. Boris Johnson warned those going to open spaces to stay 2m away from others, saying it was “absolutely crucial” social distancing guidance was followed. The PM said he would take “further measures” if the advice is not respected. A senior government source told The Times a full lockdown in London was now inevitable. One Tory MP said: “People are ready for full lockdown. Let’s do it now.” Letters are being sent to 1.5 million people most at risk – including those with specific cancers, transplants and other underlying health conditions – advising them not to go outdoors at all for 12 weeks. The PM said the new shielding measure would do “more than any other single measure”. It creates a huge logistical challenge, of course. The military will work with councils via a network of community hubs to help organise food deliveries for those told to stay at home. Communities secretary Robert Jenrick promised it would become more “sophisticated” over time.

PLUGGING THE GAPS: The chancellor has been urged to come back with more financial support to cover more of the workforce. Tory MPs are among those lobby Rishi Sunak to extend the government’s pledge to cover 80 per cent of salaries of up to £2,500 a month to the self-employed, with some pointing to Norway – where the self-employed will be given grants amounting to 80 percent of their average income over the past three years. Elsewhere, environment secretary George Eustice told shoppers to “calm down” and stop panic buying – and refused to rule out a comprehensive system of rationing. British households are thought to have stored around £1bn worth of goods in their homes during the outbreak, and food bank bosses told The Independent the shortage of basics to make up emergency packages was causing the kind of “real hunger” not seen for decades. Time to offer the nation some degree of security and extend the transition period? A YouGov survey found that 55 per cent of people now support an extension to the 31 December deadline, with less than a quarter (24 per cent) opposed.

HEALTH OVER WEALTH: The military is being drafted in to help distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) to frontline NHS staff. Mercifully, the NHS has also forged an unprecedented agreement with private hospitals which will add 8,000 private hospital beds and nearly 1,200 more ventilators into the system across England. As latest figures show 281 people with the virus have died in the UK, Downing Street appears well aware of the need to avoid ugly political squabbles. A source close to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove yesterday denied there were tensions over seniority with the health secretary Matt Hancock, while No 10 has strongly rejected a story in The Sunday Times. The report claimed the PM’s closest adviser Dominic Cummings outlined then government’s then-strategy at an end-of-February meeting as “herd immunity, protect the economy, and if that means some pensioners die, too bad.” A Downing Street spokesman called it a “highly defamatory fabrication”.

OUR CLOSEST NEIGHBOURS: We’ll have to learn to look for the silver linings wherever we can in the days ahead. In Italy, 651 new deaths over a 24 hour period were announced on Sunday. Horrific, but lower than the 793 deaths reported the day before. The 10 per cent daily increase in cases was also the lowest rise in percentage terms since the epidemic began in Italy in late February, according to Reuters. The country’s worst-affected region Lombardy has now banned all physical activity outside. Elsewhere in Europe, Germany is set to ban public meetings of more than two people, will Spain will extend its lockdown by 15 days. The authorities in France have been discussing a possible new symptom of Covid-19 – a temporary loss of a sense of smell (anosmia). The head of the French health service said a loss of taste was rarer, but both appear to be more prevalent in young people with the disease.

BOWING TO THE INEVITABLE? It now seems only a matter of time before the year’s biggest sporting event is pushed back, after Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe said on Monday that postponing July’s Olympic Games in Tokyo may be necessary. Canada announced it won’t be sending athletes. In India, the capital Delhi has been put in lockdown for the rest of March, while the rest of the country observed a 14-hour “people’s curfew” on Sunday as a test for further measures. Millions came out onto their balconies to bang pots and pans at the end of the curfew in a show of support for doctors and nurses. The latest international statistics compiled by John Hopkins University show 328,000 have tested positive for coronavirus worldwide, with more than 14,400 deaths. At least 96,000 people have recovered.

STATE OF FRUSTRATION: The authorities in New York state – home to more than 10,000 confirmed cases, almost half the US total – are exasperated as their citizens continue to socialise in large groups. “It’s insensitive, it’s arrogant, it’s self-destructive,” said governor Andrew Cuomo. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio said the city was only 10 days away from shortages in ventilators. Donald Trump has again referred to the coronavirus as the “Chinese virus” in a tweet to Rand Paul, the first senator to test positive for Covid-19. Meanwhile, Iran’s supreme leader has rejected an offer of US aid. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei suggested that the Americans may have created “a special version” of the virus, hinting at an unfounded conspiracy theory previously voiced by some Chinese officials. The Iranian leader said: “I do not know how true this accusation is. But as long as this accusation stands, which sane mind will trust you?”

On the record

“Life should not feel normal right now. So if your life still feels entirely normal, ask yourself if you are doing the right things.”

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon provides clear messages on what she calls social distancing ‘rules’.

From the Twitterati

“Unfortunate that the guy who drove a JCB with Get Brexit Done written on it through a polystyrene wall has decided that a life or death pandemic is the time for nuanced messaging.”

Frankie Boyle is among those who think the PM hasn’t been clear enough…

“If people are going to *keep* comparing this to the Second World War, do remember that not long after it started, they got rid of the prime minister because he was hopelessly out of his depth and very clearly not up to the job.”

…while The Independent’s Tom Peck thinks the war analogies don’t bode well.