Inside Politics: No need to panic over second vaccine doses, says No 10

The government has dismissed French claims of supply fears over follow-up jabs, writes Adam Forrest

(Getty Images)

You know what they say about politics: showbiz for ugly people. Looks like Boris Johnson’s team will be shown in a good light, superficially speaking, in the Sky Atlantic series about the pandemic. Rishi Sunak will be made even dishier by Shri Patel (from Batman series Pennyworth). Matt Hancock will be played by Andrew Buchan from Broadchurch (touted as the next Bond). Ministers are very keen that the vaccine roll-out is seen in a good light – brushing aside slow-down concerns by talking up the Moderna jabs on the way. Ministers are also said to be hoping that sending millions of jabs to Ireland will show the UK in a better light with Europe.

Inside the bubble

Deputy political editor Rob Merrick on what to look out for today:

Boris Johnson’s government finally ditches its ‘stay at home’ message today, as lockdown curbs on outdoor gatherings are eased in England. Meanwhile, the Conservatives will kick off their Hartlepool by-election campaign. With the Tories neck-and-neck with Labour in local polls, party chair Amanda Milling will unveil candidate Jill Mortimer.

Daily briefing

WHO WANTS SECONDS? The government remains “confident” everyone will get their second dose of the Covid vaccine within 12 weeks of their first. Culture secretary Oliver Dowden rejected the idea (mooted by the French government last week) that Downing Street was panicking about a slow down. “We are very clear that we have those vaccines for the second dose,” the cabinet minister said – confirming that the first Moderna jabs will arrive in the UK by late April. More than 500,000 doses of the jab will arrive soon and the first jabs administered within three weeks, weekend reports suggest. It comes as NortherIreland’s first minister Arlene Foster said the prospect of the UK offering vaccines to the Republic of Ireland could be “a runner”. The DUP leader said she had recommended it to Boris Johnson earlier this month and would discuss again with him soon. No 10 has played down the idea of any “surplus” of vaccines, but The Sunday Times claimed the government was ready to offer 3.7million doses to the Republic.

SOMETHING IN THE (FRESH) AIR: Looks like the weather is improving, just in time for some significant lockdown easing in England today. Two households or groups of up to six can meet outside, and outdoors sport resumes, as the government unveils an updated slogan: “Hands, face, space ... and fresh air.” The prospect of vaccine passports is getting closer. Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford said there were “prizes to be won” through certification – and revealed that Michael Gove had discussed passport plans on a “four-nation basis” with all the devolved leaders. Keen to ease Tory fears about Britain turning into East Germany, Oliver Dowden said passports could be a “tool in the short term” to reopen venues – but emphasised they would be a temporary thing. The minister also admitted easing dates “could be delayed if the situation deteriorates” but ministers were still confident in the current timetable. Government adviser Mark Woolhouse admitted on Marr he was “a little bit nervous about a full relaxation in June”.

ECKSIT STRATEGY: Alex Salmond won two big defections over the weekend, after MPs Kenny MacAskill and Neale Hanvey quit the SNP to join the Alba Party. There is speculation more MPs are ready, this week, to declare their loyalty to Alba(dubbed the “Ecksit Party” after Salmond’s “Eck” nickname). Salmond, ever humble, said he would be quite willing to share a stage with Sturgeon in the push for independence – but it did not mean he would forgive her for her perceived betrayal. “No. I’m not saying forgive. The word forgiveness is yours, not mine. Some things are bigger than personalities though,” he told Times Radio. Is he deluding himself about his political future? The country’s top polling guru Sir John Curtice said that if less than 5 per cent of Scots are minded to vote for Salmond’s party “then he is running the risk of emerging from the election empty handed”. Prof Curtice claimed Alba would need to get to 7 per cent or 8 per cent of the vote to picking up a regional list seat – which could, in theory, see Salmond getting elected in the north-east of Scotland.

SOUNDS LIKE SCANDAL: David Cameron – corrupt? No way, never, says Oliver Dowden. The culture secretary defended the former Tory PM as “a man of the utmost integrity” following fresh details about Cameron’s dealings with a financier. The Sunday Times claimed Lex Greensill – of Greensill Capital – benefited from “privileged access” to government departments and a government-backed loan scheme during Cameron’s time at No 10. Cameron told his friends he stood to make $60m from the firm, according to The Times this morning. Labour thinks the new details merit a full investigation. “The Conservatives should agree to an urgent inquiry so we can get to the bottom of this latest scandal,” said shadow cabinet minister Rachel Reeves. Sir Alistair Graham, former chair of the standards committee, said: “There clearly should be a full inquiry, because it sounds like a genuine scandal.” It come as up to 5,000 jobs at Liberty Steel have been put at risk after the collapse Greensill Capital, its main financial backer.

SOFA, SO GOOD: You will be delighted to know we have fresh (alleged) details of Boris Johnson’s sex life this morning (I know, I know – you’ll have to try to hold down your porridge). Jennifer Arcuri tells The Mirror she slept with Johnson at his family home, where they were apparently “almost rumbled” – and claims they would read Macbeth as foreplay before having sex on the sofa. It follows Sunday’s “revelations” of a claimed four-year affair with Johnson between 2012 and 2016. The lurid tales have again raised questions over Arcuri’s company winning £126,000 in public funds. Don’t forget Johnson still faces a GLA inquiry, paused during the pandemic, over whether he behaved with “honesty and integrity”. Unite boss Len McCluskey is more concerned about the performance of Keir Starmer at the moment. The Labour leader is suffering from a “lack of authenticity” and direction, the union boss told The Independent – saying he was very worried by “plummeting” personal ratings.

LEST WE FORGET THE MESS: Time to dig out cherished mementos from the age of Brexit, if you have any. The group behind plans for a museum dedicated to Brexit have been given approval from the Charity Commission to begin raising funds for it. The Brexit Museum’s trustees are reportedly hope to raise £400,000 to buy a property, possibly in Dudley or Boston. “There is a tremendous story behind this that deserves to be preserved,” said Alex Deane, a museum trustee, told The Telegraph. “Our objective is to plug that gap … right now, while memories are fresh, attics are still filled with treasures, and before items and stories get lost.” It comes as new post-Brexit regulations means Britons who wishes to forego legal registration must leave Spain by 31 March – or they will be deemed an illegal immigrant, with the potential risk of deportation. Spanish police reportedly expect to begin deportation action for up to 500 British citizens within the first week. Perhaps all the horrid deportation paperwork could go in the Brexit museum?

On the record

“I loved him – and with good cause. But the man I thought I knew doesn’t exist anymore.”

Jennifer Arcuri on loving the Boris she thought she knew.

From the Twitterati

“I really don’t want to have to think about Boris Johnson having sex, and some of the details of the Arcuri interview are stomach-churning. But they do confirm a PM who is disloyal, untrustworthy, self-obsessed, uncaring … weak, vain and a liar.”

Alastair Campbell says the Arcuri story goes to the PM’s character...

“Predictably –depressingly – this won’t even scratch him politically. Johnson has set everyone’s expectations for him so low that what would be a major scandal for anyone else gets a shrug when it’s him.”

…but Labour activist Matt Dean says it won’t matter.

Essential reading

John Rentoul, The Independent: Alex Salmond’s new party is too clever by half

Jess Phillips, The Independent: Priti Patel doesn’t like my tone – or do the facts bother her?

Moya Lothian-McLean, The Guardian: What’s the point of Starmer? One year on, we still don’t know

Mira Kamdar, The Atlantic: Why America is now beating Europe on vaccination

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