Inside Politics: Boris Johnson in ‘panic mode’ as he heads to Scotland

The more things change, the more they stay the same. We have the first-ever picture of a solar system like our own after astronomers captured a very familiar-looking set of planets located 300 light years away. Coronavirus may have appeared to send our politics into a different dimension, but suddenly it’s full of familiar-looking patterns. The possibility of a no-deal Brexit looms again after No 10 hinted an agreement may be off. A Tory prime minister is desperately hailing the strength of the union. And Corbynistas are quarrelling with Labour’s centre-lefties. The subject? Antisemitism, of course.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone on what to look out for today:

The first day of the summer recess, and Boris Johnson is making a trip to Scotland to meet members of the armed forces and talk up a £50m funding package for Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Unsurprisingly, he won’t be meeting first minister Nicola Sturgeon. Meanwhile in London, three days of formal talks over an UK-EU trade deal finish up today, so we should get a sense of whether there’s been any breakthrough – or yet more “divergences”.

STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND: Boris Johnson is boasting about the “sheer might” of the union ahead of his big trip to Scotland. The PM will claim the Treasury’s recent actions have saved 900,000 jobs north of the border and “kept the wolves at bay” for tens of thousands of Scottish firms. The SNP – who said the trip showed “panic” over rising support for independence – might well query his calculations. What can we expect when UK-EU trade talks break up later? Downing Street has hinted that a full deal may no longer be possible this year. The PM’s spokesperson lowered ambitions by conceding that the current goal was to find the “outlines” of an agreement. British officials also appear downbeat on the chances of a UK-US trade deal. One told the Financial Times: “Is it going to happen this year? Basically, no.”

DAMAGES DONE: Jeremy Corbyn is back in the headlines. He’s facing legal action after Labour agreed to pay “substantial” damages to seven ex-employees who sued the party. The party apologised for previous “defamatory” comments about seven whistleblowers who spoke on Panorama (and alleged senior figures had interfered in the antisemitism complaint process). A legal firm has now been “instructed to pursue cases” on behalf of the programme’s presenter John Ware and some of the whistleblowers. Corbyn and Keir Starmer had an odd sparring match in the Commons about it. The old boss complained that paying damages was “political decision, not a legal one”, while the new boss declared the party “under new management”. Starmer also said Russia Today (on which Corbyn has appeared) should have its UK licence reviewed.

FOLLOW THE MONEY: Speaking of Russia, it doesn’t look like the political inference story is going away. Two Tory MPs on the Intelligence and Security Committee (ISC) and 14 Tory ministers have accepted donations linked to Russia, according to The Times. The newspaper cites Electoral Commission records showing six cabinet members and eight junior ministers received “tens of thousands of pounds” from people or businesses with ties to Russia. The spotlight falls on Theresa Villiers and Mark Pritchard, who accepted donations before they were appointed to the ISC. The SNP’s defence spokesman Stewart McDonald said they should return the money or resign from the committee. Starmer accused the government of leaving a “serious gap in our defence” at PMQs, while Johnson claimed all this Russia hysteria was merely the “rage and fury” of “Islingtonian Remainers”.

JUSTICE FOR THE RICH: Housing secretary Robert Jenrick has admitted he deliberately helped wealthy Tory donor Richard Desmond avoid paying a new tax on his property development – and had the brass neck to claim it was the right thing to do. The minister told MPs he was acting in accordance with “natural justice” by getting the scheme through before the community infrastructure levy came in to force – potentially saving Desmond £45m in levies. Desmond, if you recall, gave the Tories £12,000. Regrets? Jenrick does have a few, saying it would have been better not to sit next to Desmond at fundraising dinner. Or exchange texts with him. “The stench of this grubby affair won’t go away,” said Labour.

SCHOOL’S OUT FOR SUMMER: Britain’s global aid budget will be slashed by £2.9bn this year. Labour MP Sarah Champion, chair of the international development committee, said it was “poor practice” to sneak the announcement on the final day before recess. There were a few other significant last-day-of-term announcements. The UK and US agreed to amend an “anomaly” that allowed Harry Dunn death suspect Anne Sacoolas to claim immunity (there will no longer be special protections for family members of diplomats). Hong Kongers will be able to start on a path to British citizenship via a special visa from January 2021, Priti Patel revealed. And Matt Hancock said visits to some care home in England can restart. “I hope this step helps people come back together.”

IF IN DOUBT, BLAME MEXICO: Donald Trump is supposed to be on his best, stick-to-the-script behaviour at his daily coronavirus press conferences. But it’s no use. On Wednesday evening he pinned the huge rise in cases in America’s “sun belt” states on protesters, young bar hoppers and his old favourite – Mexico. He attributed the outbreak to the US “sharing a 2000-mile border with Mexico, and cases are surging in Mexico”. Keen to polish up his law and order credentials ahead of the election, the president also vowed to send “a surge” of federal officers to US cities (including Chicago, Kansas City and Albuquerque) as part of what the White House is calling “Operation Legend”.

“The Labour party is under new management.”

Keir Starmer distances himself from his predecessor.

“If it looks like corruption, sounds like corruption and smells like corruption. It's very probably corruption.”

Anti-Brexit campaigner Pete Timmins thinks he knows what went down with Robert Jenrick and Richard Desmond…

“It’s naivety, not corruption,” said another senior Tory. “If you’re going to take a bung to approve a planning decision, then do it for 12 million not 12 grand.”

…but according to The Times’ Tom Newton-Dunn, Tory insiders think differently.

Tom Peck, The Independent: Robert Jenrick can’t have done anything wrong or he’d surely resign

Ben Chu, The Independent: What happens if Britain leaves the EU with no new trade deals?

Emily Thornberry, The Guardian: The Tories’ new trade bill means the NHS is now up for sale

Thomas B. Edsall, The New York Times: Liberal democracy is in grave danger at this moment