Inside Politics: Michael Gove hosts emergency meeting with top EU official

The Cabinet Office minister will try to smooth over the withdrawal agreement row with his Brussels counterpart in London today, writes Adam Forrest

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove (Getty)

Well, at least we have something to look forward before Christmas. The trailer for the epic, dystopian sci-fi Dune looks stunningly beautiful – a world of monster worms roaming the desert, warring houses and strange creeds. Back in our epic, dystopian year of 2020, Boris Johnson is downbeat about the near future. He is threatening to unleash “Covid marshals” to roam the streets looking for anyone not following a strange creed called the “rule of six”. Meanwhile, the warring houses of the UK and the EU are set to hold an emergency meeting, as Brexit chaos looms ever larger. What a time to be alive!

Inside the bubble

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick on what to look out for on Thursday:

Michael Gove will hold an emergency meeting with his EU counterpart in London. The Cabinet Office minister is also in the hotseat when a committee of MPs quizzes him on “plans for reforms to the constitution and civil service”. So far, this has involved the cull of the six senior Whitehall figures, and the threat to curb judicial review of government decisions. Before that, business secretary Alok Sharma will face questions about troubled efforts to achieve net zero carbon emissions.

Daily briefing

BAD MOON RISING: Boris Johnson has talked up his “moonshot” plan to control the virus through mass testing, possibly by next spring. The PM said the government would invest in swab or saliva tests that could, possibly, maybe, hopefully, be turned around in 90 or even 20 minutes. But experts have already put a dampener on the whole thing by pointing out the technology for super-fast rapid tests “does not, as yet, exist”. The BMJ reports it has seen leaked government memos that the investment plan could cost up to £100bn. At his downbeat No 10 press conference, Johnson suggested restrictions on social gatherings to a maximum of six may last until the spring, and “Covid-secure marshals” will be hired to enforce social distancing on the streets. When asked directly if “Christmas was cancelled” for big family get-togethers, the PM said “it breaks my heart to insist on these restrictions”.

STATE OF EMERGENCY: The uproar over No 10’s plan to rip up parts of the withdrawal agreement continues. Top Brussels official Maros Sefcovic flies into London today for an “emergency” meeting with Michael Gove, hoping to get some “clarifications”. I’m sure Gove is just the fellow to set him straight. The European Commission has called for its own “extraordinary” meeting to discuss the big move. According to Bloomberg, a lawsuit is in the air. A draft EU paper states that the UK’s Internal Market Bill will “open the way to legal remedies”. One EU official told The Times the happy chappies at No 10 have already made their minds up. “They’re laughing at us … My gut feeling is that the British government has opted for no-deal.” Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said there was “absolutely no chance” of a US-UK trade deal if the Northern Ireland peace process was jeopardised.

BOTCHED JOB: A furious reaction too in London, Edinburgh and Dublin. Lord Heseltine said Johnson’s plan to override the withdrawal agreement would be defeated in Lords. “No Conservative government that I can think of would ever have done anything like this,” said the former deputy PM. “They are saying now, ‘Oh well, the withdrawal agreement was negotiated in a rush and there were mistakes’.” Heseltine was referring to a statement by No 10 saying the withdrawal agreement was “agreed at pace” (i.e. we didn’t mean to agree to it). Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon threatened legal action to stop the override bill becoming law. And Ireland’s premier Micheál Martin said he had spoken to Johnson “in forthright terms” about “the breach of an international treaty … and the serious implications for Northern Ireland”.

ONCE IN A LIFELINE: The Treasury has that businesses in England required to close because of any coronavirus restrictions will be able to get £1,500 per property every three weeks. Chief secretary to the Treasury Stephen Barclay described it as a “lifeline” – but the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) isn’t particularly impressed. “This will not be enough to offset the resulting cash crunch,” said the organisation. Separately, the BCC said the lack of preparedness among firms for the big changes to the UK’s trading rules at the end of the year is “concerning”. Petrifying, more like it. The government has promised a big public information drive to make it all better. There’s also going to be a new publicity campaign to remind us of the coronavirus “basics” – washing our hands, covering our face and giving others space.

EYES TO THE FRONT: The PM is thought to have his eye on the chancellor’s head of communications to front the government’s new White House-style TV press briefings. According to The Times, Johnson is “impressed” with Allegra Stratton – the former BBC and ITV presenter who has helped boost Rishi Sunak’s reputation. But Stratton hasn’t actually applied for job, so we’ll have to wait and see whether her arm can be twisted. Johnson could do with someone new to help him with his PMQs appearances. Keir Starmer sparked a new meme on Wednesday when he shut his eyes in frustration at the PM. The Labour leader screwed up his faced when Johnson demanded he withdraw his criticism of the coronavirus testing regime. Once he’d opened his eyes, Starmer said: “Why can’t we just hear from the prime minister an honest answer?”

DON’T PANIC: Donald Trump has been forced to admit that he did deliberately downplay the coronavirus in the early days of the outbreak – but only in an attempt “to reduce panic.” Bob Woodward, the legendary Watergate journalist, interviewed Trump 18 times for his new book – which contains the claim that Trump told him he wanted to “play it down” to avoid causing panic. The president called the book “fake” – but essentially confirmed what Woodward had written. “If you said in order to reduce panic, maybe that’s so,” Trump said when asked about his comments. Joe Biden said it showed Trump “failed to do his job on purpose” and “lied to the American people”. Woodward’s book also cites dozens of letters Trump has exchanged with Kim Jong-un. The North Korean dictator reportedly said the pair’s “special friendship” would “work as a magical force”. Cosmic stuff.

On the record

“If we lose our reputation for honouring the promises we make, we will have lost something beyond price that may never be regained.”

Sir John Major is dismayed by the plan to renege on the withdrawal agreement.

From the Twitterati

“No 10 seems to have a brand new excuse for Boris Johnson backing out of the Brexit deal he signed up to: it was written too *quickly* for all the details to be sorted.”

The Huff Post’s Paul Waugh says No 10 didn’t do its homework on the deal last year…

“Downing Street: “The deal was agreed at pace.” Translation: “It wasn’t actually oven-ready. It wasn’t even in the baking tin. And now we’ve realised that it’s unworkable, so we’re ripping it up.””

…and writer Philip West says the homework, and everything else, is now being ripped up.

Essential reading

Diane Abbott, The Independent: The UK can’t stave off a second wave without a zero-Covid strategy

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent: Trump is planning an October surprise

Martin Kettle, The Guardian: This new Brexit bill finally buries the Tories as the party of law and order

Ed Yong, The Atlantic: America is trapped in a pandemic spiral