Inside Politics: Boris Johnson told to ‘step up’ and show leadership on Northern Ireland

Keir Starmer has warned the PM this is no time to be ‘absent’, writes Adam Forrest

(PA)

“The past is never dead, it’s not even past.” William Faulkner’s great line about history seems pretty apt about the political situation in Northern Ireland and the return of sectarian violence there. Perhaps James Joyce’s great line is even more fitting: “History is a nightmare from which I am trying to awake.” Boris Johnson has been urged to face up to the nightmare, after a seventh night of rioting on the streets of the province. Labour leader Keir Starmer says it’s time for the prime minister to “step up” and show some leadership.

Inside the bubble

Political editor Andrew Woodock on what to look out for today:

Transport secretary Grant Shapps will be doing the media round for the government this morning, explaining plans to restart foreign holidays as his department publishes the global travel task force review. Keir Starmer will campaign for the local elections in Bedfordshire today, pushing Labour’s line on the economic costs of crime.

Daily briefing

PANIC ON THE STREETS OF BELFAST: Another night of violence in Northern Ireland saw petrol bombs and fireworks thrown at police, as youths rioted again on both sides of the divide in west Belfast. Boris Johnson and the taoiseach Micheal Martin “called for calm” after speaking over the phone. The White House also called for an end to violence – with Joe Biden’s press secretary pointing out that the US president believes the protocol “helped protect the gains” of the Good Friday Agreement. Can political leaders now make a difference? NI secretary Brandon Lewis flew into Belfast to meet the Stormont parties on Thursday. The minister called on the Loyalist Communities Council (LCC) – the representative body for remaining paramilitary groups – to come out against the violence. Lewis also admitted Brexit has created a “real issue” in the province. Keir Starmer said it was time for Johnson to “step up” and take the crisis more seriously. “This is about leadership and the prime minister can’t be absent. He needs to convene talks urgently.”

JABBA DABBA DO (WITH THE OTHER TWO): Matt Hancock insist there will be “more than enough” of the other vaccines by Pfizer and Moderna to cover adults under 30, after the big decision to seek alternatives to the AstraZeneca jab for young adults. The health secretary said he was looking forward to getting his jab “as a healthy 42-year-old”, adding: “I will take whatever vaccine I am offered.” The NHS is cancelling all booked first dose jab for under 30s from today after the big change in advice (the cohort will be told to book with their GP to discuss their jab preference). It comes as Philippines and Australia become the latest countries to limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine in younger adults. The latest YouGov poll shows 75 per cent of Britons think the AstraZeneca vaccine is safe – down 2 per cent from March. Prof Stephen Reicher, a member of the government’s behavioural group, said the change in advice could dent confidence in vaccination, admitting we are “not being as good in the rollout of information as we’ve been at the rollout of the vaccine itself”.

WHEN PUSH COMES TO GOV: Test messages show Rishi Sunak “pushed” his staff to see what they could do for David Cameron. The Treasury has released two text messages sent by the chancellor to the former Tory prime minister. After Cameron asked Sunak for help for the finance firm Greensill Capital, Sunak told Cameron his suggestion was not possible. But the second of two texts revealed a friendly willingness to “push” his team to explore other options for Cameron. “I have pushed the team to explore an alternative with the Bank [of England] that might work.” Labour shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said the texts suggested Greensill received “accelerated treatment and access to officials” – and again called for an investigation. SNP MP Stewart Hosie said the texts showed the government “stumbling from one scandal to the next”. He added: “Tory ministers and former prime ministers casually texting each other over government access utterly reeks.”

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS? The government has finally revealed its plans to reopen international travel – although it could not confirm whether foreign trips will definitely resume as planned on 17 May. The industry is furious that travellers will need to pay for costly Covid tests when returning to the UK. Even with countries on the safety “green” list, passengers will need to take a pre-departure test, and pay for their own PCR test on return to the UK. EasyJet accused ministers of sending us back to the age when only wealthy people could afford to travel – arguing that £100 PCR tests “make no sense”. Given the extra £400 cost for a family of four, the industry body Airlines UK said the tests would make holidays “unviable and unaffordable for many people”. The row comes at the UK’s biggest sports bodies backed Covid certification as a way of filling stadiums from June. In a letter to Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer, ten leading sports organisations backed the idea of treating negative tests and antibodies as equivalent to a dose of the vaccine.

RED AND BLUE ALL OVER: Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has suggested Tory supporters should vote for Labour candidates if they have the best chance of stopping the SNP in a particular constituency. The most extreme form of tactical voting we’ve ever seen in Britain? Pressed on whether he was really advocating that Tories vote Labour in some parts of Scotland, Ross replied: “I’ve just said, vote for the strongest party to stop the SNP.” Meanwhile, Alex Salmond has risked upsetting Nicola Sturgeon all over again by attacking the “total lack of progress” in her push for Scottish independence in the past seven years. He also criticised the lack of action from the co-leader of the pro-independence Scottish Greens (referring rather impolitely to Lorna Slater as the “Green lady”). It comes as Boris Johnson has appointed the “sleaze-buster” of Whitehall to lead the team trying to thwart any and all threats to the Union. Sue Gray – the Cabinet Office’s former ethics tsar – said that she was “chuffed” to be appointed.

A VERY BRITISH COUP: Myanmar’s military coup has reached the streets of London, the country’s ousted ambassador claimed, after he was removed from his post and officials barred him from the embassy. Foreign secretary Dominic Raab condemned the “bullying” Myanmar regime for their response to Kyaw Zwar Minn after he criticised the recent military coup and called for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. He also paid tribute to the “courage” of the diplomat who had been forced to spent the night in his car. Speaking to reporters, the ousted ambassador said: “This kind of coup is happening in the middle of the UK, in the middle of London – this shouldn’t be happening.” It comes as one of Hong Kong’s leading pro-democracy activists, Nathan Law, has been granted asylum by the UK. Communities secretary Robert Jenrick said hundreds of thousands of Hong Kongers expected to move to the UK under a new visa scheme would get help access housing, schools and jobs. “If they struggle, then we’re here to support them.”

On the record

“We would all like to see a situation where we do not have criminal gangs and adults encouraging children and young people to throw away their opportunities.”

NI secretary Brandon Lewis on violence in the province.

From the Twitterati

“The protocol has destabilised Northern Ireland. Placing a border between GB and NI without the consent of the pro-union community has been the trigger for this unacceptable violence.”

Brexiteer Kate Hoey blames the protocol…

“Let’s get something clear ... when Brexiteers like Kate Hoey try to blame the protocol for the violence, they’re LITERALLY blaming Brexit.”

…but Femi Oluwole thinks Brexiteers are blaming themselves.

Essential reading

Tom Peck, The Independent: Johnson tends to lie until a problem goes away – but Northern Ireland isn’t going away

John Rentoul, The Independent: Electoral reform is never going to be a ‘priority’ for Labour

Katy Balls, The Spectator: The latest Scotland poll spells trouble for the Tories

Graeme Wood, The Atlantic: I’m afraid the next decade could be even worse

Sign up here to receive this free daily briefing in your email inbox every morning