Inside Politics: Coronavirus special: Boris Johnson promises ‘road map’ out of lockdown

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Friday 01 May 2020 08:01 BST

Boris Johnson says UK past coronavirus peak and ‘on downward slope’

ITV execs plan on bringing back big live shows like Britain’s Got Talent and The Masked Singer – even if they happen without a studio audience. Telly bosses think people are sick of programmes made via video conferencing. Boris Johnson returned to the Downing Street stage to inform his audience he can see the “sunlight” ahead. The PM promised the country he would set out plans next week for easing lockdown restrictions, hoping he can move us beyond a life lived on Zoom and FaceTime. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics breifing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone on what to look out for today:

Health secretary Matt Hancock is set to report on how successful (or not) he has been at meeting a target of 100,000 tests a day by the end of April at today’s Downing Street press conference. That issue of “capacity” as well as how many tests the government is actually carrying out will be in the spotlight. Elsewhere, MPs on the health select committee will grill NHS bosses on their efforts to resume operations despite ongoing coronavirus pressures.

Daily briefing

LUCKY MAN: Boris Johnson used his first press conference in a month to declare that “we are past the peak” of the outbreak – and promised a plan for next week on how his government might get the nation moving again. “What you’re going to get next week is really a road map, a menu of options.” The PM also shifted the government position on the public wearing of face masks, saying they will be “useful” after lockdown and would at least help give people “confidence” about returning to work. “I was very, very lucky,” Johnson said on his own survival. The latest figures show just over 81,000 tests were carried out in 24 hours. Transport secretary Grant Shapps told Question Time the UK is “quite likely” to meet the 100,000-a-day target for the end of April, or at least get “very close”.

RETURN OF THE REPRESSED: The PM may have declared the peak of the outbreak over, but a senior NHS England director has warned that care homes will be the route through which Covid-19 spreads back into the community. In a private online briefing for hundreds of NHS chiefs – shared with The Independent – Professor Keith Willett said the proportion of residents dying had increased from a quarter to 30 per cent. He added: “The expectation is that for the next few weeks … those care homes will be the epicentres of transmission back into society.” Prof Willett also said parts of the health service could run out of basic surgical masks in the next few weeks. Elsewhere, chief government scientist Sir Patrick Vallance said the drug remdesivir was not a “magic bullet” for Covid-19 – but may prove useful in treating the disease.

LEAVING THE LIGHT OFF: Nicola Sturgeon suggested it would be unwise to expect much to change at the next review of lockdown rules on 7 May. Scotland’s first minister said it may be too early to lift restrictions next week in “any meaningful way”, adding: “The margins we have for ensuring the virus doesn’t take off again are really, really tight.” Sturgeon warned that it “is not going to be a flick of the switch moment”. Labour leader Keir Starmer welcomed the fact Johnson had at least committed to setting out some possibilities next week. “I think the whole country will be really pleased to hear that.” Elsewhere, research by Ipsos Mori found an overwhelming majority (66 per cent) of the public now believe lockdown measures came “too late”, up nine points from 57 per cent the week before.

INSULTING OUR INTELLIGENCE: US intelligence has debunked the most extreme conspiracy theory about the pandemic’s origins (that China created the coronavirus as a bioweapon), concluding it was “not man-made or genetically modified”. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence did state, however, the possibility of “an accident” at a Chinese lab remained. Donald Trump said he hadn’t seen the report. And yet, when asked if he had seen anything “that gives you a high degree of confidence that the Wuhan Institute of Virology was the origin of this virus,” Trump responded: “Yes I have. Yes I have.” Asked again if he has seen evidence the virus originated at a Wuhan clinic, the president replied: “I can’t tell you that. I’m not allowed to tell you that.”

INFORMING YOUR LINE MANAGER: Russian prime minister Mikhail Mishustin has been diagnosed with Covid-19, telling president Vladimir Putin during a televised video conference on Thursday he would have to temporarily step down to recover. “Esteemed Mr Putin, it has just become known that my tests for coronavirus came back positive,” said Mishustin. Putin responded to the news with a sigh, before wishing him a swift recovery. “What’s happening to you can happen to anyone, and I’ve always been saying this.” Russia’s nationwide tally of confirmed cases surged past the 100,000 mark earlier on Thursday, with 1,073 coronavirus-related deaths reported so far.

CULTURE VULTURES: German authorities have re-opened playgrounds, churches and cultural institutions like museums and zoos, but they postponed a decision on whether to relax the rules for restaurants and hotels. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s talks with regional leaders did not result in any easing of restrictions for schools or Bundesliga football matches (still suspended). Meanwhile, the latest figures show the eurozone economy is estimated to have shrunk by 3.8 per cent in the first quarter, the fastest rate on rate – surpassing even the financial crash of 2008. A cheerier figure: more than 1 million people known to have had the coronavirus around the world have recovered, according to Johns Hopkins University.

On the record

“I’m afraid this is much, much worse because we’re not yet in control of events.”

Former chancellor Alastair Darling says the economic impact of the pandemic will be worse than the 2008 financial crash.

From the Twitterati

“Congratulations on your brilliant baby news, and thank you for all yours and @BorisJohnson lovely messages of support.”

Captain Tom Moore offers Carrie Symonds and the PM his best wishes...

“Breathless bulls****er Boris can boast about his ‘successful’ coronavirus war all he wants, but Britain’s horrendous death toll tells the real shameful story.”

…while Piers Morgan offers the PM his contempt.