Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: Face coverings made mandatory on public transport, but doctors say it’s not enough

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A huge herd of seahorses has been spotted in British waters – the latest members of the animal kingdom to take back the natural world during the pandemic. Fewer boats mean more seagrass, giving seahorses a greater sense of protection to venture back to the surface. As more human beings in England venture back onto public transport, it is hoped compulsory face masks will give everyone a greater sense of protection. Boris Johnson, meanwhile, should feel a bit safer venturing into cabinet meetings after his business secretary Alok Sharma tested negative for Covid-19. I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

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

Brexit is back on the agenda today, with the close of the latest round of negotiations. Michel Barnier is due to give a press conference at midday, and if past experiences are anything to go by his counterpart David Frost will make his views known too. Fishing topped the agenda this week, taking up most of negotiators’ time, so expect to hear about that. Later this month both sides are due to do a ‘stock take’ of progress so far – unless there’s been a lot in the last few days it won’t be pretty.

Daily briefing

LET’S FACE IT: Face coverings will be mandatory on all public transport in England from 15 June. Making the announcement at the latest Downing Street briefing, transport secretary Grant Shapps said and passengers who don’t comply will either be fined or refused travel. The London mayor Sadiq Khan welcomed the move and said ministers have “finally seen sense”. But the British Medical Association said masks should be compulsory everywhere social distancing isn’t possible. With summer holiday chat in the air, Shapps reminded everyone lockdown rules mean we still can’t spend the night away from home within the UK. But culture secretary Oliver Dowden revealed the government was targeting 4 July to reopen the domestic tourist sector – promising ministers would “vigorously champion” the staycation.

FROM CLUNKY TO WORLD CLASS: Business minister Nadhim Zahawi claimed on last night’s Question Time that the NHS test and trace app should be ready by the end of June. Remember when the PM promised a “world-beating” system by June? According to The Guardian, a senior NHS boss has said the app would be “clunky” at first – but “world-class” by the autumn. Tony Prestedge, chief operating officer of test and trace, said it wouldn’t be working fully until September or October. Hmmm. Elsewhere, Keir Starmer has written to the PM asking for reassurance UK exports aren’t being used in “the suppression of democratic rights” in the US. Johnson is also facing a backlash for ditching a pledge to keep US chlorinated chicken out of British supermarkets. A group of Tory backbenchers warned they would rebel on the issue.

HOT UNDER THE COLLAR: Despite his bout of profuse sweating in parliament, it turns out Alok Sharma tested negative for the coronavirus. The people at No 10 and No 11 will be wiping their brows with relief. The PM’s spokesman revealed that Sharma met both Boris Johnson and chancellor Rishi Sunak shortly before falling ill. Even the possibility Sharma had contracted Covid-19 sparked another round of outrage over MPs return to in-person voting. Lib Dem MP Alistair Carmichael – who has forced an emergency debate on the matter for next Monday – compared Tuesday’s lengthy voting queue to “exercise hour in a category C prison for white collar criminals”. Labour’s Angela Eagle said Commons leader Jacob Rees-Mogg was “building a strong claim to the title of the worst holder of the job in living memory.”

JOINT BEEFS: Donald Trump’s one-way love affair with military generals appears to be souring. The ex-Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Martin Dempsey, has joined ex-defence secretary James Mattis in condemning the president’s threat to use the military on protesters. Dempsey told NPR that Trump’s response to the unrest had been “very troubling” and “dangerous”. One “moderate” Republican (apparently there are some) Senator Lisa Murkowski has also criticised Trump, saying she wasn’t sure she could support his re-election bid. Trump responded on Twitter by saying he would campaign to throw her out of office.

DON’T FENCE ME IN: One of the EU Commission’s most senior figures has said that all EU members should aim to reopen their borders by end of June. Ylva Johansson, commissioner for home affairs, said “it’s time to open up” ahead of a meeting of national ministers today. It comes the Czech Republic ends restrictions on travel to and from Germany, Austria and Hungary today. Spain has said it will reopen its land borders with Portugal and France from 22 June. And Sweden has announced it is easing internal travel restrictions from 13 June.

RETRACTS OF MY TEARS: Researchers have retracted a study that prompted the WHO to temporarily suspend a trial of Trump’s favourite drug hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for Covid-19. The paper, published in the Lancet last month, claimed the anti-malarial drug was linked to an increased risk of death and heart arrhythmias among people severely ill with coronavirus. But in an apology and retraction published in the Lancet, the authors said a failure to complete an independent review of the research meant they “could no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources”.

On the record

“This is one of the best countries in the world to be a black person.”

Equalities minister Kemi Badenoch rejects opposition MPs claims of systemic racism.

From the Twitterati

“You’re not fit to light Churchill’s cigar, Mr President – so listen to Meghan Markle (yes, really!) stop dividing & start uniting a country crying out in pain.”

Piers Morgan thinks Meghan is right on the George Floyd protests…

“Yes, it’s time to play Things-You-Thought-Piers-Would-Never-Say Bingo!”

…leaving comedian David Baddiel amazed.

Essential reading

Tom Peck, The Independent: Boris Johnson is driving the country to Barnard Castle – we all know he can’t see a thing

Mark Steel, The Independent: Trump seems to think it’s essential to be violent against people

Ailbhe Rea, New Statesman: Forcing MPs to work from Westminster harms us all

Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker: How the protests have changed the pandemic

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