Inside Politics: Keir Starmer wants all arrivals placed in quarantine hotels

The government will announce new curbs for high-risk countries – but Labour is calling for something ‘stronger’, writes Adam Forrest

(REUTERS)

All those influencers in Dubai may wish to get home quick sharpish – if they want to avoid the prospect of “working” inside a hotel room on the outskirts of Heathrow for 10 days. Boris Johnson’s government has decided to bring in hotel quarantine for arrivals from high-risk countries – and it’s possible the new rules will apply to the United Arab Emirates. The new system won’t be up and running for at least two weeks, however. So I suppose the social media Z-listers could nip back from the Gulf now without too much fuss.

Inside the bubble

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

Home secretary Priti Patel will make a Commons statement on setting up quarantine hotels. Health secretary Matt Hancock will update MPs on the latest Covid response plans, after Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer trade blows at PMQs. And a Foreign Office minister will answer an urgent question on whether the UK will impose sanctions on Russia following the arrest of Alexei Navalny.

Daily briefing

APART-BREAK HOTEL: Priti Patel is all set to announce a hotel quarantine plan for arrivals from the highest-risk parts of the world. It is expected to be limited to the 30 countries currently covered by the strictest travel restrictions – but Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the United Arab Emirates could also be added because of the risk from the new variant, according to The Telegraph. Labour said hotel quarantines should apply to all arrivals. “We need much stronger defences at our borders,” said Keir Starmer. Patel is thought to share the same view – but didn’t get her way at last night’s Covid-O meeting. It comes as Boris Johnson took “full responsibility” for the government’s handling of the Covid crisis after the death toll surpassed 100,000. “We truly did everything we could,” he said. “I’m deeply sorry for every life lost.” Labour leader Keir Starmer said 100,000 deaths was a “national tragedy” – and claimed the government “has been behind the curve at every stage”.

CRUSHED SPIRITS: More Brexit problems. Sigh. It’s enough to make you turn to the bottle. But some folk won’t be able to reach for their favourite tipple any longer. Amazon has stopped selling spirits, wines and beers to customers in Northern Ireland, since excise duty may have to be paid twice on each shipment. Industry sources told ITV that Amazon is considering delisting a large number of other products to Northern Irish customers – including some medicines – before the end of March. The worrying development comes as the top financial analysts at Moody’s said the UK economy will become “significantly smaller” over the long term because of Brexit – pointing to “significant negative consequences” ahead because of all the new barriers to trade. Meanwhile, logistics companies in the Netherlands have reported a huge surge in requests from British businesses looking to rent warehouse space. A Brexit boom – but not one enjoyed by Leave voters.

CRY ON OUR OWN SUPPLY: The EU has told Covid vaccine producers they “must” deliver agreed supplies, as the anguished row over who-gets-what threatens to turn nasty. European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed to tighten rules over exports to the UK. “They must honour their obligations,” she said of AstraZeneca and others. Germany is now pressing the European Commission to give member states new powers to block exports of vaccines, according to the FT. Some in Brussels believe that batches of AstraZeneca vaccines earmarked for the EU have “ended up in Britain”, according to unnamed EU diplomats. Paranoia? AstraZeneca says there’s simply no basis to these claims – insisting a slowdown in supply is simply due to factory problems. Boris Johnson urged Brussels to show “common sense”, while vaccine minister Nadhim Zawahi warned against “the dead end of vaccine nationalism”.

FIDDLING WHILE ROME BURNS: The government has decided to postpone the Environment Bill for six months, sparking fury from green groups. The delay will make it harder to hit targets aiming at improving water, reducing waste and protecting wildlife, campaigners say. The Wildlife Trusts said it was “deeply troubling”, while the RSPB urged the government to “get our house in order” soon. Friends of the Earth campaigner Kierra Box added: “Boris Johnson’s flagship environment bill was already riddled with loopholes and omissions, and it now appears to be listing badly.” Elsewhere, Gavin Williamson managed to bunk off from answering an urgent question on school closures. Anne Longfield, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said there was a “real danger” schools could now be closed until summer. She said ministers must “make something happen” to get pupils back soon.

DATA DISGRACE: The Conservative Party acted illegally by collecting ethnicity data on millions of people, the Information Commissioner has told MPs. Before the 2019 general election the Tories purchased data which estimated a person’s country of origin, ethnic origin and religion based on first and last names. Elizabeth Denham said it was “illegal to collect” this data, and revealed it had been deleted after her office intervened. “The ethnic and religious profiling of voters by the Tories was always morally and ethically abhorrent,” said the SNP’s John Nicholson. “We now know from the Information Commissioner that it was illegal.” Rishi Sunak is more worried about big demands than big data. The chancellor has warned Tory MPs the cost of extra Covid funds they are asking for – including extensions to the self-employment scheme and universal credit uplift – could reach £30bn. “I have always said that we cannot protect or save every job or every business.”

COLD CALLING: Joe Biden isn’t messing around. The US president pressed Vladimir Putin on the arrest of opposition leader Alexei Navalny during an icy first call with his Russian counterpart. He is also said to have brought up last year’s alleged cyberattack which compromised the files of multiple US federal agencies – and the Russian military’s alleged bounty scheme against US troops in Afghanistan. I’m sure it was a pleasant conversation. Biden clearly isn’t interested in another attempted “reset” of relations with Putin. Meanwhile, the big impeachment trial seems a busted flush already. Mitch McConnell was among Republican senators who sought to declare Trump’s trial unconstitutional, signalling the US Senate does not have enough votes to convict the former president.

On the record

“That number is twice the number we lost in the Blitz – and is the size of small towns across the United Kingdom. It’s a national tragedy.”

Keir Starmer on the terrible milestone of 100,000 deaths.

From the Twitterati

“If you search on Twitter for ‘my business’ and ‘Brexit’, the stories are just heart-breaking. The recurrent story: it’s now just too expensive to ship outside Great Britain. Literally not one positive story yet, but – who knows! Fingers crossed! Everything to play for!”

Caitlin Moran on the losses for UK firms…

“Dutch warehouse boom as UK firms forced to invest abroad. Turns out Brexit meant a boom – for the EU. Genius level success.”

…and Edwin Hayward on the wins for Dutch firms.

Essential reading

John Rentoul, The Independent: Starmer take note – calling on the government to do what it’s planning to do is pointless

Sarah Wollaston, The Independent: There was nothing inevitable about 100,000 deaths

Hugo Rifkind, The Times: Stop whining Remainers, and help save the UK

Conor Friedersdorf, The Atlantic: How early Trump supporters feel now

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