Inside Politics: Matt Hancock hits north with ban on indoor gatherings

A new variety of Scotch whisky has been named after Speaker Lindsay Hoyle. Described as having “fruity freshness”, the single malt known as Speaker Hoyle’s Select will be available in all good parliamentary gift shops. Boris Johnson is big fan of a wee dram – and would no doubt love to tour the distilleries of the Western Isles for the rest summer. But there are problems galore demanding his attention south of the border. Leaders in the north of England want to know why the PM has decided to place four million people in the area under new restrictions – following a surprise late-night announcement banning indoor gatherings.

Our political editor Andrew Woodcock on what to look out for today:

Keir Starmer will head to Peterborough today to launch his party’s “Jobs, Jobs, Jobs” campaign – warning that chancellor Rishi Sunak’s plans to wind down furlough threaten a massive wave of redundancies. Ministers will be dealing with the fall-out from the last-minute decision to ban indoors gatherings across much of the north of England. And the Court of Appeal will hear the government's pleas to overturn a ruling that Shamima Begum should be allowed to return to the UK.

NORTHERN EXPOSURE: Separate households have been banned from meeting up indoors in Greater Manchester, parts of east Lancashire and West Yorkshire following spikes in coronavirus cases. At least four million people are affected by the new rules, which came in at midnight. “We take this action with a heavy heart,” said health secretary Matt Hancock. Keir Starmer agreed the move was necessary – but criticised the strange, late-night surprise element, calling it “a new low for the government’s communications”. The meet-up restrictions also apply to Leicester, stuck in lockdown for the last month. But pubs and restaurants will finally be allowed to reopen in the city from Monday. Leicester mayor Sir Peter Soulsby vented after a day of failing to get clear answers: “We’ve been messed about all day … What a way to run a country.”

SECRET OF HIS SUCCESS: Boris Johnson was ridiculed for claiming “massive success” in reducing the number of coronavirus deaths over recent weeks. The claim came – unfortunately for him – as the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said England had suffered the highest number of excess deaths of any country in Europe. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner said the PM was becoming “increasingly delusional” about his “appalling” record, while shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said ONS confirmation was a “devastating moment”. Meanwhile, a 14-day quarantine on people arriving from Luxembourg was imposed from midnight – the second European state (after Spain) to be removed from the exemption list. Hancock said he was “worried” about a second wave “rolling across Europe”.

WARRIORS, COME OUT TO PLAY: China’s ambassador to the UK has criticised Britain’s new “Cold War warriors” – accusing them of trying to wreck relations between the nations. In an online press conference for British media, Liu Xiaoming said recent disagreements had “seriously poisoned the atmosphere”, adding: “Some British politicians cling to the Cold War mentality … and even clamour for a new cold war against China.” There’s too much going on for bad blood with Beijing to dominate the agenda this summer. A new report by peers warns Universal Credit needs an £8bn overhaul to help people through the growing economic crisis – claiming the system was currently “failing millions of people”. And Labour is arguing the furlough scheme should be extended to support the worst-hit industries. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds said its removal would see “a python-like squeeze on jobs”.

RUTH TO THE RESCUE? Jackson Carlaw has quit as leader of the Scottish Conservatives – throwing the party into a tizzy north of the border. JC said he reached the “simple if painful conclusion” he wasn’t the best person for the job. Ouch. It means a partial comeback for Ruth Davidson, expected to stand in at FMQs in Edinburgh until the Scottish parliament election in May, when she’s standing down as an MSP. Party bosses in London are planning a complicated coronation for MP Douglas Ross (the ex-Scotland Office minister who quit over Dom Cumming’s lockdown adventures in Durham). But he will have to win a seat as MSP in May. Elsewhere – in a shocking new development – it turns out Nicola Sturgeon does not walk on water. The first minister has been scolded by the UK statistics watchdog over her claim Covid-19 rates in England are five times higher than Scotland.

LET’S CALL THE WHOLE THING OFF: Donald Trump would very much like to postpone November’s presidential election. He suggested the idea on Twitter (where else?), claiming without evidence that greater postal voting would make the vote the “most inaccurate and fraudulent election in history” and a “great embarrassment to the USA”. The Republicans are having none of it. Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell and House of Representatives’ minority leader Kevin McCarthy dismissed the proposal. “Not a good idea,” said his ally senator Lindsay Graham. Dr Anthony Fauci, meanwhile, defied Trump and repeated his warnings that hydroxychloroquine is not effective against Covid-19. “We’ve got to follow the science.”

DEMOCRACY ON HOLD: Trump isn’t the only one thinking of postponing elections. Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam is today expected to announce a delay to the legislative election due to the coronavirus – dealing a huge blow to the hopes of the pro-democracy opposition. The city had been set to vote on 6 September, with the opposition hoping to win a historic majority following widespread resentment over China’s new security law. Hong Kong’s Cable TV news channel said Lam would announce the delay in a news conference at 6pm local time. Twelve opposition candidates, including young activist Joshua Wong, have been disqualified from contesting the election. More candidates are expected to be barred in the coming days.

“Clearly this country has had a massive success now in reducing the numbers of those tragic deaths.”

Boris Johnson claims the UK has fared well in death reduction.

“England has had the highest level of excess deaths in Europe … Boris Johnson and his government have got to own up to their failures – and urgently learn from them.”

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy wants the PM to face up to the lessons…

“Johnson has hailed the nation’s “massive success” in reducing the number of coronavirus deaths … Boris Johnson, this is Trumpian! Look at the numbers compared to our neighbours!”

…while data expert Nicholas Pope asks him to at least face the numbers.

Layla Moran, The Independent: What it will take to restore UK’s life force after 10 years of the Tories

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent: Trump’s tweet about delaying the election is just the beginning

Timothy Garton Ash, The Guardian: Can Germany now hold the European team together?

Masha Gessen, The New Yorker: Why America feels like a post-Soviet state