Inside Politics: Johnson warns of new Covid ‘horrors’ ahead, Tory MPs accused of stoking culture wars

PM plays down lifting travel restrictions this summer, but ministers are said to be considering plans for double-jabbed holidaymakers to avoid quarantine from amber list destinations, writes Matt Mathers

(PA)

Forced to quarantine, England’s Mason Mount and Ben Chilwell are both in doubt for tonight’s clash with the Czech Republic. Another man in self-isolation but desperate for a victory is Dominic Cummings. He was at it again yesterday, unleashing a volley of shots at Boris Johnson’s spending pledges and management of the Covid pandemic, on which there is more news today. After a spell managing the side at No 10 Downing Street, Cummings appears to be exploring a new career as a pundit. He’s even started charging subscribers to his Substack for live Q&A sessions.

Inside the bubble

Political commentator John Rentoul on what to look out for today:

Public borrowing figures will be published at 9.30am. There will be a cabinet meeting in the morning, but no ministerial meeting on social care that had originally been scheduled for today. No doubt Rishi Sunak will be asked about this at Treasury questions in the Commons from 11.30am. David Frost, the Brexit minister, appears in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee of MPs.

What to watch out for

• Education committee chair Robert Halfon on Times Radio at 8.05am
• Health secretary Matt Hancock on GMB at 8.30am
• Labour MP Siobhain McDonagh on BBC Politics Live after 12.15pm

Daily Briefing

WINTER IS COMING: And “new horrors” cannot be ruled out, Johnson said yesterday on the prospect of a further Covid surge. He warned of a “rough winter”, with more pressure on the NHS, and played down the prospect of lifting travel restrictions this summer. “There will be hassle, there will be delays, I am afraid, because the priority has got to be to keep the country safe and stop the virus coming back in,” he said. But reports in theThe Times this morning say ministers are drawing up plans to allow double-vaccinated Britons to avoid quarantine when returning from amber list destinations from August. Clear as mud then, prime minister. After his testimony to the commons science and health committee earlier this year, there was a strand of thought suggesting that Cummings had left Rishi Sunak off his damning charge sheet because he wanted to leave open a potential route back to government in the future. That bridge, if it ever existed, must now have been burned. During his Q&A session, Cummings alleged that the chancellor shared concerns last autumn that Boris Johnson had “no plan” to deal with coronavirus and was wrongly delaying a second lockdown.

CULTURE WARS LATEST: Another culture war looms large. A report by MPs has concluded poorer white children have been failed by the education system for decades. But a furious row has broken out over some of the report’s contents. Tory chair Robert Halfon said terms like ‘white privilege’ are “divisive” and pit one group against another, which he said may be hindering the progress of white working-class students, an issue touched upon by academics who gave evidence to the committee last year. “I come from a Jewish background; my father was an immigrant and I know about antisemitism and racism and I despise them,” Mr Halfon toldThe Independent. “However, the term ‘white privilege’ is wrong-headed because it implies collective guilt over individual responsibility.” But London Labour MP Apsana Begum, elected in 2019, said: “I think there is a specific agenda here which borders into aligning itself with legitimising narratives which are quite dangerous around white supremacy.” A headteachers’ union, meanwhile, said the row risked distracting from more significant elements of the report, which warned that white working-class pupils have been “forgotten” and “let down” by decades of neglect.

BREXIT WARS: After the “sausage war” comes the culture clash – the European Union is preparing to cut the “disproportionate” amount of British film and television shown on the continent after Brexit. The move would be a blow to the UK’s lucrative entertainment industry. It also risks increasing tensions between the UK and the bloc, alongside rows over the sale of sausages in Northern Ireland and the licensing dispute that led French fishermen to try to block a Jersey port earlier this year. Despite Brexit, UK programmes and films are still classed as “European works”. Elsewhere, Australia will enjoy an exports boost six times greater than the UK from the controversial trade deal agreed between the two countries, experts say. UK sales will grow by just 0.35 per cent from the agreement, the UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO) forecasts – compared with a 2.2 per cent jump for Australia’s businesses. Its analysis also predicts a puny output increase for the UK of 0.07 per cent, less than half the 0.16 per cent stimulus it predicts for Australia. “These are very small numbers,” said Professor Michael Gasiorek, director of the observatory at the University of Sussex, adding: “We see a bigger positive effect for Australia than for the UK.”

DONALDSON TO THE RESCUE: Ding, ding. Lagan Valley MP Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has thrown his hat into the ring to replace Edwin Poots as DUP leader, confirming his candidacy last night. Sir Jeffrey is seen as a more moderate figure. His leadership campaign will follow the same path as his predecessor: opposition to Brexit’s Northern Ireland protocol. “Now, more than ever, we need to unite in the face of the threats posed to Northern Ireland by the protocol. Make no mistake, this is the number one issue facing our country, our people and our place in the United Kingdom,” he said in a statement after announcing his run. There was no mention whatsoever of Irish language laws, which ultimately floored Poots. The deadline for candidates to enter the fight is today, although this is expected to be little more than a spot of shadowboxing for Sir Jeffrey, who is likely to go unchallenged. If that remains the case then his coronation could take place over the weekend. As a Westminster MP, Sir Jeffrey would need to resign his seat and become a member of the Northern Ireland assembly if he wanted to take on the first minister role shunned by Poots. He has previously said he’s willing to leave the Commons to do so. The DUP is haemorrhaging votes on all sides and Sir Jeffrey has a proverbial mountain to climb ahead of next year’s assembly elections.

BATTLE OF THE NORTH: A row between the ‘King of the North’ and the ‘Queen of Scotland’ isn’t going away just yet. Andy Burnham has ramped up his war of words with Nicola Sturgeon, calling on the first minister to justify travel restrictions that prevent people from the North West of England from crossing the border, while Scots are allowed to go in the opposite direction. On Sunday, the Manchester mayor called for compensation. Now he is calling on Sturgeon to justify the “totally disproportionate” travel ban. The FM has accused Burnham of stoking a row for political gain.

On the record

“I want to stress that this is going to be – whatever happens – a difficult year for travel”.

Boris Johnson on the prospect of foreign travel this year

From the Twitterati

“Beautiful sunset on this the longest day #Home #ProudofNI.”

Former DUP leader and first minister Arlene Foster enjoys the view

“Sir Jeffrey will struggle to lose this one #DUPleadership.”

Liverpool University Professor of Irish politics Jon Tonge on DUP leadership contest

Essential reading

• Tom Peck, The Independent: In case you’d forgotten, Cummings doesn’t care what the media thinks
• Victoria Richards, The Independent: Bringing back primary school ‘weigh-ins’ is a terrible idea
• Martin Fletcher, The New Statesman: Even the Brexiteers know that leaving the EU has had no benefits
• William Hague, The Times: Planning reform could be Boris Johnson’s poll tax