Inside Politics: Boris Johnson ‘agrees Australia trade deal over dinner’

It’s the hope that kills you. Scottish football fans know a few things about crushing disappointment – forced to relive that painfully-familiar feeling of great expectations and utter deflation after their 2-0 defeat to the Czechs at the Euros. There is crushing, painfully-familiar disappointment for the hospitality industry, after Boris Johnson once again delayed lockdown easing. Meanwhile, the PM is all set to build up nation’s hopes about a trade deal with Australia. Let’s hope crushing disappointment isn’t in store for British farmers.

Inside the bubble

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

Boris Johnson will have an official bilateral meeting with Australian PM Scott Morrison at No 10 this morning, with a trade deal expected to be confirmed. It’s opposition day in the Commons, so Keir Starmer gets to decide what MPs talk about. And Lords Birt and Hall, former BBC directors general, will be grilled about that Panorama interview by MPs on the committee corridor.

Daily briefing

DEFINITELY, MAYBE: So the final stage of lockdown easing in England will to be delayed for four weeks until 19 July. Boris Johnson told the nation he is “confident” this will be the last delay. But the lockdown sceptics on the Tory backbenches aren’t buying it. Mark Harper, chair of the Covid Recovery Group, grilled Matt Hancock in the Commons – asking him to confirm 19 July was a “terminus date”. The health secretary could not say the date was definitely set in stone, adding: “Our goal is to make sure we get as much vaccination done between now and then.” Johnson said reopening on 21 June would mean “the real possibility that the virus will outrun the vaccines”. The 30-person limit on wedding guest numbers will be removed next week (although no dancing will be allowed) and the big sporting pilots will continue. But the Night Time Industries Association called the delay a “devastating blow”, while the UK Hospitality demanded extra financial support. Johnson confirmed there will be no extension to furlough payments beyond September.

COMING FROM A LAND DOWN UNDER: The government is expected to announce a free trade deal with Australia today – the first hammered out from scratch since Brexit. Boris Johnson and his counterpart Scott Morrison shook hands on the “broad terms” of the deal over dinner at No 10, according to the BBC. British farmers will be waiting nervously for the details, after raising their concerns that there will be nothing to stop the domestic industry being undercut by cheap, lower-standard imports. Speaking of nerves, Nato leaders shared their fears of the military threat posed by China, describing Beijing’s behaviour as a “systemic challenge”. China is worryingly “opaque” about its military modernisation and is co-operating militarily with Russia, according to their concluding statement. But the group watched their tone. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted China was “not our enemy.” Boris Johnson added: “I don’t think anybody around the table wants to descend into a new Cold War with China.”

SIGNED ON THE DOTTED LINE: The UK’s “reputation” is in danger if it breaks its word on protocol arrangements, the EU’s former chief negotiator has warned. Michel Barnier urged Boris Johnson to “respect his signature”. He told French radio: “Mr Johnson negotiated, through his team, this entire treaty – word by word, comma by comma, sentence by sentence.” Labour does not want to be see siding with the EU, as the row over the UK threat to unilaterally suspend the protocol continues. Keir Starmer said the checks on goods coming into Northern Ireland are “not the way forward”. He told LBC: “There’s probably going to have to be flexibility on both sides, as ever.” But Starmer was scathing in his criticism of Johnson. “He didn’t read [the Brexit deal], didn’t understand it, or he didn’t tell us the truth about it when he said what it had in it.” David Frost and Maros Sefcovic are set to meet virtually later this week. A good sign that an agreement to ease some checks is still possible? “There is still time,” a Brussels diplomat told The Guardian.

YA BOO SUCKS: Priti Patel thinks England fans are perfectly entitled to boo the national side for taking the knee. The home secretary said the protest against racism amounted to “gesture politics”. Asked by Andrew Neil’s fledging channel GB News whether supporters had a right to boo, she said: “That’s a choice for them.” It’s a very different line to No 10 – still doing its best to stay supportive of Gareth Southgate’s squad. Labour’s Jo Stevens, shadow culture secretary, said it “beggars belief” that senior ministers are “still trying to provoke a fight with the England football team”. Something which also beggars belief … A Tory MP claimed his own height was partially to blame to for his temper tantrum with parliamentary staff attempting to fix IT problems. Daniel Kawczynski was forced to apologise after a formal probe found he acted in a “threatening and intimidating manner”. Kawczynski said he’d been under pressure at the time of the incident, having been abused by own constituents – who were hard to avoid because of his “very conspicuous” 6ft 9 stature.

SPEAKING HIS MIND: Sir Lindsay Hoyle fumed and fulminated at Boris Johnson in the Commons on Monday – raging at the PM and his team for announcing the big reopening delay at the televised press conference rather than in the Commons. In the angriest outburst we’ve ever seen from the Speaker, he claimed it was “totally unacceptable” for Downing Street to “run roughshod” over MPs. Sir Lindsay added: “It’s time for me to have a meeting with the prime minister to actually put on the record ... that this house matters.” Oooh. Would love to be a fly on the wall for that one. Meanwhile, the government’s advisory ethics body has recommended that former ministers should face bans on lobbying government for up to five years. Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner backed the Committee on Standards in Public Life’s call for a five-year ban – calling the current system “completely unfit for purpose”. The Cabinet Office has promised to “carefully” consider the recommendations.

On the record

“On the basis of what we can currently see I’m confident 19 July will be a terminal date – not a ‘not before’ date.”

Boris Johnson says the next big unlocking date is set in stone.

From the Twitterati

“To everyone who works at a nightclub, concert venue or wedding company ... Boris Johnson chose to sacrifice you in the hopes of a post-Brexit deal with India.”

Femi Oluwole thinks the delay in travel curbs is to blame…

“The doors of the country were thrown open to it so that Johnson could keep alive his hopes of a trip to see Modi.”

…and Alastair Campbell agrees.

Essential reading

Sean O’Grady, The Independent: I’m glad the absurdly named ‘Freedom Day’ is being postponed

Tanya Steele, The Independent: A UK-Australia trade deal would be catastrophic for the environment

Martin Fletcher, New Statesman: Boris Johnson is treating the public like fools over Northern Ireland

Tom McTague, The Atlantic: The G7 showed the wreckage Donald Trump left behind

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