Covid ‘freedom day’ arrives as Johnson and Sunak self-isolate

As legal restrictions lifted, PM and chancellor perform U-turn to quarantine after trying to get out of it, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

So here it is. After 16 months of restrictions the brakes are being removed and we hurtle into ‘freedom day’ full steam ahead. As the clock struck midnight, clubbers filled dancefloors from London to Liverpool to celebrate their new-found liberties. But with Covid cases surging and hospitalisations rising, how long is the party going to last? Following a furious backlash and a U-turn, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak follow Covid-positive colleague Sajid Javid by spending day one of the new dawn in quarantine. You couldn’t make it up. Away from freedom day, Keir Starmer is said to be backing a purge of Labour’s far-left factions.

Inside the bubble

European scrutiny committee hears from cabinet minister David Frost on the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the bloc at 2.45pm

Coming up shortly:

-Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth on Sky News at 8.05am

-Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi on BBC Radio 4 Today at 8.10am

Daily Briefing

THE GAMBLER: Boris Johnson today takes his biggest gamble yet as prime minister by lifting lockdown restrictions – despite warnings from some scientists that the move poses a threat to the world. Most legal restrictions on social contact are lifted in England, meaning the rule of six no longer applies, large venues such as nightclubs and theatres can re-open, table service is no longer necessary in pubs (how did people ever survive having to queue at the bar?), and mask-wearing is now a matter of personal choice. Here’s a quick guide to most of the changes coming in. Freedom day goes ahead despite surging cases and this morning’s Times picks up on comments by Professor Neil Ferguson, who says new cases could hit 200,000 per day by August. The paper also has some polling by YouGov, which says most of the public (55 per cent) think it is wrong to go ahead as planned.

FREEDOM DAY FARCE: As you might expect, lockdown dominates this morning’s front pages. But the headlines are very different to what the PM might have envisaged when drawing up his roadmap out of lockdown. “Freedom day farce as PM urged to end pingdemic,” says the Daily Telegraph as the fallout over the NHS Covid app rumbles on. The paper says Johnson is under increasing pressure to end the “mad” system of self-isolation. Meanwhile, Metro goes with “Chequers mate!” using a pun to poke fun at the PM, who is self-isolating at his grace and favour home after being pinged by the app.

ONE RULE FOR THEM: Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, is also entering a period of quarantine after getting pinged. But he and the PM are only doing so after a furious backlash. In an incredibly tone-deaf bit of decision-making by Downing Street, both had initially announced that they would sidestep 10 days’ quarantine as contacts of Covid-positive Sajid Javid by joining a pilot scheme trialling daily testing as an alternative to isolation. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Robert Jenrick’s face told the whole story as he was wheeled out into the broadcast studios to defend the indefensible, telling the BBC and Sky News it was perfectly reasonable for the pair to avoid quarantine – a matter of days after it emerged that some 500,000 people had been pinged the app. 

VIP TEST AND RELEASE: The outrage was instantaneous and Labour pounced, with Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, accusing the Tories of implementing a VIP system for those at the top of government. Leader Keir Starmer was equally scathing. “Yet again the Conservatives fixed the rules to benefit themselves, and only backtracked when they were found out,” he said. “They robbed the bank, got caught and have now offered to give the money back.” If the backlash was immediate then the U-turn was just as fast. Within minutes of Jenrick completing the broadcast round– and just two hours and 38 minutes after the initial announcement – Downing Street issued a statement to say that Johnson and Sunak would after all self-isolate until 26 July. In a move that wouldn’t have looked out of place on The Thick of It, the PM then put out a video on his Twitter telling people to be cautious post-freedom day as he urged everyone to “follow the programme”. Unbelievable stuff. Former Labour PM Tony Blair has called for the daily testing regime to be made available to all Britons.

CLEAR OUT: According to the Daily Mirror, Keir Starmer is preparing to purge far left Labour members from the party. The paper describes the move as a “bold confrontation” with operators loyal to his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn. Groups to be banned under new rules include Labour Against the Witchhunt, which the claim anti-Semitism allegations were politically motivated, and Labour In Exile, which the Mirror says expressly welcomes expelled or suspended members. The openly communist Socialist Appeal will also become a forbidden group, the paper adds.

On the record

“The scheme is a well-known and longstanding one. It’s not just available for politicians if you like. It’s being used by 20 organisations in the public sector, including large ones like TfL, that runs the transport network in London, and Border Force.”

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick defends Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak’s plan to skip self-isolation after being pinged by the NHS app.

Twitterati

“‘We did look briefly’” at not self-isolating under pilot scheme. But not so briefly that they didn’t have time to send out a press release announcing that was their plan.”

Daily Mirror political editor Pippa Crerar on PM’s self-isolation u-turn following backlash.

“The talisman of freedom is locked up in Chequers for freedom day.”

Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates on PM’s isolation.

Essential reading

• Sean O’Grady, The Independent: Poor Boris Johnson, having to spend ‘freedom day’ in isolation – the heart bleeds
• Nick Thomas-Symonds, The Independent: Just when you thought this government couldn’t go any lower, along comes the Nationality and Borders Bill
• Sridhar Venkatapuram, The Observer: The choice is ours – how opening up will turn us into moralists of daily life
• Katy Balls, The Spectator: Why No 10 U-turned on Boris and Rishi’s self-isolation