Inside Politics: Boris Johnson has full plate as parliament returns

Lady Gaga says a cultural “renaissance” is coming – promising a new wave of art will inspire change through “rage” and “love”. What will the political renaissance at Westminster bring about? As MPs return to parliament today, there’s plenty of potential for rage and very little love in the air. Boris Johnson has to get children back to school, then push more of us office droids back to work. There’s a new quarantine to consider, a new government department to set up, a new cabinet secretary to welcome – and the small matter of Brexit trade talks to unblock.

Chief political commentator John Rentoul on what to look out for today:

Parliament returns this afternoon with questions to health secretary Matt Hancock in in the Commons. Before that there are some important select committee sessions: the Treasury Committee hears from think tanks about possible tax rises; Tony Abbott, the former PM of Australia who is expected to be appointed a UK trade envoy, is in front of the Foreign Affairs Committee; and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee is taking evidence on flood defences.

MIND THE GAP: As MPs get back to work, one senior Tory said the summer months had proved a “mega-disaster”. Can Boris Johnson ensure the reopening of schools is disaster-free? As four in 10 schools in England return today, a new teacher survey indicates children are three months behind in their studies following lockdown. More worryingly, it also suggests the learning gap between rich and poor pupils has widened by almost 50 per cent. Education secretary Gavin Williamson said he was considering a “short delay” in next year’s GCSE and A-level to give students more time to catch up. Meanwhile the government is backing away from suggestions of a big push on a mass return of office workers. Cabinet minister George Eustice said a back-to-work publicity drive would focus instead on gentle reassurance that workplaces are safe – rather than exhorting employees to return to their desks.

A LITTLE CHAOS: More travel woes ahead. Portugal appears almost certain to be added to the list of quarantine countries later this week – with the country recording 21.1 virus cases per 100,000 people over the past week (the government considers anything over 20 too risky). Willie Walsh, the head of British Airways’ parent firm, warned of “chaos and hardship” for travellers – and complained that the ever-changing safety list meant the UK had “officially hung up the closed sign”. As cabinet meets again this morning, taxes may cause more dissension than travel restrictions. One leading thinktank has predicted Rishi Sunak will have to delay tax hikes for as long as two years to avoid choking off recovery. The Institute for Fiscal Studies said “pretty substantial” rises were inevitable – but more time was needed to get the economy back on its feet.

DAY OF THE DIFDS: Could Sunak find some money from foreign aid? The chancellor is keen to axe the government’s legal commitment to spend 0.7 per cent of its GDP on foreign aid projects, according to The Times this morning – though controversial legislation would be required to make the change. Aid charities are warning that the demise of the Department for International Development (DFID) – today marks its last day as an independent department – could cost lives in the world’s poorest countries. Elsewhere, Labour is urging Johnson to deliver on promised funding for a national support service for victims of terrorism, at risk of closing within weeks. The shadow secretary of state for Northern Ireland Louise Haigh condemned the months-long delay getting funding to the charity running counselling services across Britain as “an insult”.

ROYAL PEDIGREE: Prince William’s former private secretary is expected to be named the new cabinet secretary later today. Simon Case spent almost two years as the Duke of Cambridge’s closest advisor before making the jump to No 10 earlier his year to help out with the coronavirus response. The PM is set to tell cabinet about Case heading up the civil service before the official announcement. In other news, Labour is calling on the government to ensure that every young person turning 18 gets access to the Child Trust Fund set up for them by former chancellor Gordon Brown. The consumer group Which? has estimated that as many as 3 million children and young people may be unaware of or unable to trace accounts containing as much as £2.5bn.

THESE ARE MY PEOPLE: More ugly scenes in the US election. Donald Trump appeared to defend the white teenager, 17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse, accused of shooting two people dead in Kenosha, Wisconsin. “That was an interesting situation,” said the president. “He was trying to get away from them, I guess, it looks like. And he fell, and then they very violently attacked him.” Quizzed about his own supporters’ use of paint guns and pepper spray in Portland, Trump added: “That was a peaceful protest … paint is not bullets.” The president also accused Joe Biden of appeasing the Antifa – but Biden said he had been clear in his condemnation of violence. “Does anyone believe there will be less violence in America if Donald Trump is re-elected?” asked the Democrat.

TESTING TIMES: Hong Kong has begun a mass coronavirus testing drive. But the Chinese-led initiative faces scepticism from both the territory’s medical community and the wider public – with some pro-democracy activists urging a boycott. The first direct help from China has become a politically-charged issue, with Hong Kong’s chief executive Carrie Lam urging all health workers to treat the testing process “objectively and professionally”. Some activists have suggested that people’s DNA will be collected and abused – a claim dismissed by government, saying no samples would be taken out of the city. Nearly 600,000 people have signed up for the free testing so far, with people lining up at the 141 test centres across the city early on Tuesday.

“I feel a greater sense of anxiety today than I have done any time probably for the last couple of months.”

Nicola Sturgeon admits she’s worried by the recent rise in Covid cases.

“I hope this isn’t true. The people helped by UK aid are poorer, hungrier, sicker and more vulnerable than any Briton.”

Former No 10 advisor Tim Montgomerie is worried by reports the aid spending commitment is to be axed…

“Remember when Johnson said abolishing overseas development dept was not a precursor to cutting aid to the world’s poorest? The PM’s word is worth nothing.”

…while the Green Party’s Molly Scott Cato recalls a recent promise by the PM.

Sean O’Grady, The Independent: We’re in denial about the level of damage our economy is facing

Hamish McRae, The Independent: How Rishi Sunak’s coming tax hike will affect the wealthy

Nesrine Malik, The Guardian: The right’s culture war is no longer a sideshow – it’s our politics

George Packer, The Atlantic: This is how Joe Biden loses