Inside Politics: ERG Tory MPs want Boris Johnson to scrap the protocol

Brexiteer backbenchers think it’s time for No 10 to give up on current arrangements for Northern Ireland, writes Adam Forrest

(Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

It’s just possible Stormzy – the man who once led the Glastonbury crowd to chant “f*** Boris” in unison – is feeling a touch of gratitude towards the PM. The Reading and Leeds Festivals, which Stormzy is headlining, are set to go ahead this summer. “The government have done it – the government are vaccinating everybody,” said the festival boss. It’s just possible the EU is feeling grateful towards Boris Johnson too. It looks like Brussels is set to poach some major financial business from Britain. But there’s no gratitude at all from the Brexiteers in the ERG. They’re demanding the PM ditches the dreaded protocol.

Inside the bubble

Policy correspondent Jon Stone on what to look out for today:

Education Gavin Williamson is setting out exactly how teachers will determine grades for cancelled GCSEs and A-levels when he makes an announcement in the Commons later this morning. The government will launch a new TV ad campaign this evening to warn people to “keep going and stay at home” amid concerns over Covid rule compliance.

Daily briefing

THE BIG STEAL: Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey has accused the EU of trying to poach major business from the City of London in the wake of Brexit – labelling the bloc’s recent activity a “very serious escalation”. The EU appears keen to take euro-denominated derivatives clearing business out of London, the governor told the Treasury select committee. “Frankly, it would be a serious escalation of the issue,” said Bailey – who suggested it would also be of “dubious legality”. Meanwhile, the European Research Group (ERG) have gone full DUP – calling for the Northern Ireland protocol to be abolished. The buccaneering Brexiteer MPs, for whom no Brexit will ever be hard enough, will publish a report today recommending No 10 gives up on it, according to The Telegraph. It come as Sylvie Bermann, former French ambassador to the UK, accused Boris Johnson of being an “unrepentant and inveterate liar”. She said the PM will use the Covid crisis to hide the costs of Brexit. “He knows he is a liar.”

COMPUTER SAYS … NOTHING: No more evil “mutant” algorithms. Teachers will decide the grades for cancelled GCSEs and A-levels, Ofqual has confirmed. Gavin Williamson will today set out in more detail how exactly schools are supposed to determine grades. The education secretary said promised there would be “no algorithms whatsoever” and the government would “trust in teachers” after last year’s debacle. But experts have already warned that it could mean inconsistency and considerable grade inflation across England in 2021. Results are to be brought forward amid fears of appeals chaos. Labour said the £400m announced by Williamson for catch-up learning wasn’t enough. Deputy leader Angela Rayner suggested the minister may need extra lessons himself. “Gavin Williamson says that schools should spend £6,000 on hiring teachers .... Not only is he clueless when it comes to schools, he can’t even do basic maths.”

AIN’T THAT A SHAME: Labour leader Keir Starmer has attacked the “shameful” Tory government for failing to back leaseholders struggling with cladding removal costs. The vast majority of Conservatives voted down an amendment to the Fire Safety Bill which would have stopped leaseholders being forced to pay for remedial work (MPs voted 340-225 against it). Tory MP Royston Smith – one of the rebels who backed the amendment – warned: “[Constituents] will not forget and they will not forgive.” Meanwhile, Starmer said Labour will oppose any hikes in corporation tax on big business – a fairly extraordinary reversal of party policy ahead of the Budget. Are both parties deluding themselves on public finances? Former chancellor Lord Hammond has warned it was time to face “some difficult home truths” about the state of the economy. He told the BBC that giving money away would be much easier than collecting it for the “populist government” run by Boris Johnson.

TAKING THE LOW ROAD: Alex Salmond’s big appearance at the Alex Salmond inquiry is back on! Despite his anger over redacted evidence, he is expected to appear on Friday. Honestly. Well, maybe. Possibly. Let’s wait and see. There’s a lot of time between now and Friday for more shenanigans. Scotland’s Lord Advocate was summoned to the Scottish parliament on Thursday to deny any political motivation behind the Crown Office’s decision to censor some of Salmond’s evidence. The Scottish Tories are really sticking the boot in over the redactions. Party leader Douglas Ross said the Scottish parliament was facing a crisis of credibility, while Liam Fox warned the saga threatened to “bring politics in the whole of the UK into international disrepute”. Even some SNPs have become critical. Salmond ally Joanna Cherry tweeted: “All democracies ... should have proper separation of powers.” And Angus MacNeil said the redaction business “looks crooked”.

NEXT TIME EVER I SAW YOUR FACE: Some surprising and encouraging news on summer “freedoms” ahead. We may not have to wear face masks this summer, according to the deputy chief medical officer. Jenny Harries told a Downing Street briefing that the warmer summer months are a “generally much safer period … with less need for interventions”. But she said the return of masks could not be ruled out as we head back into winter later in the year. Meanwhile, speculation over the role of vaccine passports continues to grow. Gavin Williamson seemed to embrace the idea yesterday, saying he that would happily use immunity certification if it meant he could get into restaurants and the theatre. “I think I would probably do pretty much sort of anything to be able to enjoy all those lovely things,” he told LBC. One option thought to be under serious consideration by the government is changing the NHS app so that people can hold up their phones to prove they’ve been vaccinated.

GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER? Mitt Romney has predicted that Donald Trumpwould win the 2024 presidential nomination for the Republicans, if he chose to run again. “I don’t know if he’ll run in 2024 or not, but if he does, I’m pretty sure he will win the nomination,” the Utah senator told The New York Times. If he does run, Trump may get just the old band back together. GOP congressman Jim Banks says a group of conservative lawmakers met with Mike Pence to discuss a political action group to defend the Trump-Pence record. “He spoke very favourably about his relationship with President Trump,” Banks told CNN. “I got the sense they speak often.” Ted Cruz will no doubt fancy taking Trump on. But his ratings have plummeted since his controversial family holiday to Mexico. Around 53 per cent of Republicans approved of the way Cruz is handling his job, a 23-point decline from his ratings in January.

On the record

“If even a part of what Alex Salmond says is true, it represents an ethical collapse in Nicola Sturgeon’s Scottish government.”

Tory MP Liam Fox sticks the boot in over Salmond’s censored evidence.

From the Twitterati

“Gavin Williamson reading a script is like someone for whom English is a second language.”

The Guardian’s John Crace suggests minister didn’t do too well leading the Downing Street press briefing.

“I’d love Gavin Williamson to finish that press conference and be told by an aide that #SomeMothersDoAveThem is trending.”

…while Alex Andreou suggests Williamson will struggle to get away from his nickname.

Essential reading

Sadiq Khan, The Independent: Flat owners should not bear the extra costs of the cladding scandal

Tom Peck, The Independent: Britain’s climate crisis efforts will fail with Boris Johnson around

Chris Deerin, New Statesman: The Alex Salmond saga has shown Scotland at its worst

Robin Wright, The New Yorker: Will Biden’s Iran plan become a Shakespearean tragedy?

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