Inside Politics: Dominic Cummings threatens to reveal Covid crisis secrets

Attacking government secrecy, the former No 10 strategist is ready to spill the beans, writes Adam Forrest

(REUTERS)

Good to get stuff off your chest. Fox News’ most outspoken host Sean Hannity has slammed Prince Harry for calling the first amendment – the one that protects freedom of speech and the press – “bonkers”. Hannity said the prince was a “royal pain in the a**”. Which is his first amendment right, I suppose. Dominic Cummings seems to be speaking very freely at the moment. The former top adviser thinks the government has been far too secretive during the Covid crisis – making clear he intends to be a right pain in the a** for Boris Johnson at next week’s parliamentary inquiry.

Inside the bubble

Political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

The Indian variant and foreign travel will likely loom large at PMQs. Labour will urge the government to publish its internal review of the handling of the pandemic, and ministers will answer urgent questions on the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Elsewhere, the Loyalist Community Council will be quizzed by the Northern Ireland select committee about the protocol.

Daily briefing

AMBER ANGER: Boris Johnson’s government has been accused of sowing confusion over the meaning of “amber”. The PM had to step in and publicly contradict one of his own ministers over the new travel rules, after environment secretary George Eustice said people could go to amber list countries like Italy, France and Spain if they wanted to “visit” family and friends. But Johnson said an amber list country “is not somewhere where you should be going on holiday, let me be very clear about that”. Health minister Lord Bethell added to the muddle by advising people not to take any kind of foreign holiday this year – describing trips abroad as “dangerous”. Labour’s Yvette Cooper said the traffic light system was “very messy” and “clearly isn’t working”. It looks like millions of people are set to simply defy government orders. The Independent calculates that 5 million UK holidaymakers are booked to go to amber destinations. A summer of travel chaos ahead?

WHAT’S THE BEEF? Boris Johnson is said to support a free trade deal with Australia giving Australian farmers tariff-free access to British markets – despite fears it could put many UK farmers out of business. The prime minister has backed international trade secretary Liz Truss to get it done after a “ferocious” row in cabinet, says The Times. Under the proposed agreement, tariffs on beef would be phased out over 15 years. Michael Gove and environment secretary George Eustice are dead against the idea. The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) said British farmers will “struggle to compete” if zero-tariff trade on beef goes ahead. And Labour accused the government of a “sell-out”, saying Truss had gone back on her word to protect domestic markets. “If Liz Truss cannot negotiate a trade deal with Australia on the terms she herself proposed last year, the fault lies squarely at her door,” said shadow trade secretary Emily Thornberry.

HISTORY SHAKER: Dominic Cummings is now revelling in his self-appointed role of maverick outsider with an axe to grind. The former No 10 adviser has threatened to shake things up by revealing a “crucial historical document” on “Covid-decision making”. In a long and complicated Twitter threat (does he do any other kind?), Cummings blamed government’s secrecy for the “catastrophe” in spring 2020 – saying the plan for the pandemic turned out to be “part disaster, part non-existent”. Tweeting ahead of his appearance at a parliamentary committee next week, he also questioned why MPs were accepting the “lack of a public plan now” for the response to new variants. Asked about what Cummings might reveal next week, a No 10 spokesman said he would “not speculate about what individuals ... may or may not decide to present”. Boris Johnson doesn’t appear to have to decided what to do about the rise of the Indian variant. He said he’ll know more “in a few days” about whether local curbs might be needed.

RESIGN AND MALIGN: A nurse who looked after Boris Johnson while he was in intensive care with Covid last year has quit the NHS and attacked the government over pay. Jenny McGee’s damning words make it onto a few front pages this morning. “We’re not getting the respect and now pay that we deserve – I’m just sick of it,” she said. “Lots of nurses felt that the government hadn’t led very effectively,” she added – revealing that No 10 staff tried to co-opt her into a clap for carers photo op alongside the PM. In other news, Edwin Poots is already maligning the government over Brexit trade arrangements, having only just started his new job as DUP leader. After holding talks with Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis, Poots said getting rid of the protocol was his top priority – vowing to “take every reasonable exercise” to see the back of it. Poots also defended the removal of Arlene Foster as the “rough and tumble” of politics, adding: “At some stage it may well happen to me.” Prescient.

BREEZING OVER SLEAZE: Labour punches don’t seem to be landing right now. Deputy leader Angela Rayner – stepping up in the Commons in her new role shadowing Michael Gove – accused ministers of pushing forward pals for PPE contracts. “When ministers … use the public purse for personal cash point, the public has a right to know,” said Rayner. But Cabinet Office minister Penny Mordaunt, stepping in for Gove, said Labour’s attack on “sleaze” wasn’t getting any traction with the public because it’s “not plausible”. Shadow justice secretary David Lammy waded into culture wars stuff in the Commons – claiming the government was more interested “in defending statues than women and girls”. Justice secretary Robert Buckland responded: “That was a soundbite which bears no reality.” Labour’s shadow energy secretary Ed Miliband stuck with policy. He claimed the government was way “off track” in trying to meet net zero targets. Calling for a “comprehensive green new deal,” Miliband said the £12bn promised by ministers was “still way short”.

EMPIRE UNDER SIEGE: Big news from the US this morning. The New York Attorney General’s office has said it is now investigating the Trump Organisation in a “criminal capacity” – expanding its civil probe into Donald Trump’s business empire. For two years, the civil investigation has been probing whether the organisation manipulated property values to secure loans and obtain economic and tax benefits. Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen reacted to the news by sharing a photoshopped picture of Trump behind bars, adding: “The troubles for Donald Trump will keep on coming.” Meanwhile, the Donald’s old comrade Nigel Farage has lashed out at “hoaxers” attempting to derail his US speaking tour. The former Brexit Party boss tweeted that it’s “no surprise” that the “cancel culture mob” are trying to damage his six-week tour. “The hoaxers who have booked fake tickets to my events in America have overplayed their hand,” he wrote.

On the record

“We will take every reasonable exercise that we can to ensure that we can inflict damage to the protocol.”

The new DUP leader Edwin Poots makes a promise.

From the Twitterati

“Penny Mordaunt says Labour are trying to “smear” ministers over allegations of conflicts of interest. Mordaunt says it implies the MPs solely entered politics to help mates/contacts. I’m fairly sure that’s not the accusation Labour are making.”

The Guardian’s Peter Walker was not impressed with Mordaunt’s dismissal of ‘sleaze’ claims…

“This was Angela Rayner’s first big outing in her new brief. Penny Mordaunt utterly destroyed her. When a politician gets found out like this in the chamber, it’s brutal.”

…but the Mail on Sunday’s Dan Hodges was not impressed with Rayner.

Essential reading

Marie Le Conte, The Independent: Labour are acting like teenagers with a crush on voters

Vince Cable, The Independent: Starmer should look to Biden for how to build a progressive alliance

Marina Hyde, The Guardian: If lockdown easing goes awry, it’s nothing to do with Johnson’s Modi operandi, OK?

Spencer Bokat-Lindell, The New York Times: Why can’t the Republican Party quit Trump?

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