Inside Politics: Tory MPs demand life ‘gets back to normal’

What’s the story? Morning fury. Liam Gallagher has lambasted Rishi Sunak for suggesting Britain’s musicians may have to retrain along with everyone else out of work. The singer called the government “cheeky toffs” and a “shower of c-words” (except he didn’t use c-word). Plenty of Tory MPs actually share Liam’s frustration. A growing number of lairy backbenchers are looking back in anger at all the Covid rules – and demanding life “return to normal”. But Boris Johnson has told the nation there’s no going back to normal, saying restrictions will cast a shadow well into 2021.

Inside the bubble

Our political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

Keir Starmer will likely press Boris Johnson on the latest problems with the test and trace operation at PMQs, and what Labour claims is the absence of a road map out of coronavirus. Health secretary Matt Hancock will ask MPs to rubber-stamp the latest restrictions in the north of England. Elsewhere David Frost, No 10’s EU negotiator, and Michael Gove will be quizzed, first by a Lords and then by a Commons select committee, about Brexit trade deal talks.  

Daily briefing

STOP THE TRAFFIC: A new, three-tier “traffic light” system for local coronavirus curbs may be delayed, with  Rishi Sunak reportedly unhappy. The chancellor is “insisting” only he, Boris Johnson and Matt Hancock decide which towns are placed in “red” zone lockdowns, according to The Telegraph. Meanwhile, the backbench rebellion gathers force. Leading rebel Steve Baker is urging fellow Tory MPs to join a new campaign demanding a return to “life as normal”. Baker told The Independent he backed something called “The Great Barrington Declaration” – a plan by US academics calling for protection for high-risk people while the rest are granted full freedom. Realistic? Not according to the government’s scientific advisers, now calling for more “urgent and drastic action”. The PM didn’t really keep anyone happy during his conference speech – warning that the UK could not return to the “old normal” after the pandemic, and suggesting social distancing would be gone by October 2021.

SHORT CIRCUIT FOR SCOTS? Johnson asked us to look at the big picture, but most are focused on the tough days ahead. The latest figures show the number of people admitted to hospital with coronavirus in England jumped by a quarter to 478 in a single day. Case numbers rose to 14,542 positive tests in 24 hours. One of No 10’s own Sage advisers, Professor John Edmunds, said it is now just a matter of time before more “stringent measures” are enforced. Speaking of which, Nicola Sturgeon will set out more stringent measures for Scotland today. The first minister has been considering some sort of “circuit breaker”, with speculation she could shut down pubs and restaurants for a short period. Sturgeon insisted it would not amount to “another lockdown”. Elsewhere, the elected leaders of Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle have called for more funding to avert economic collapse in their cities.

MONEY FOR NOTHING: Naughty Keir Starmer has not been left-wing enough for Unite. So the union is cutting the affiliation pocket money it gives to Labour by 10 per cent. The executive, run by Corbyn ally Len McCluskey, is angry about the party’s new direction – despite recent poll results which suggest people actually like the air of competency. Starmer and his team were “just not listening”, a union source told the BBC. McCluskey is still bitter about Labour’s decision to pay whistle-blowers who spoke to Panorama about antisemitism, describing it as “an absolute mistake”. The Labour leader was forced to check his deputy Angela Rayner after she called on Matt Hancock to resign. Starmer said the health secretary should “get on with the job” and explained Rayner had only been “expressing a frustration”. Earlier in the day she fumed: “If I was [Hancock] I would be completely embarrassed by the failures I have overseen.”

I FOUGHT THE LAW: Leading legal figures have complained about Boris Johnson’s conference speech after the PM claimed that the criminal justice system was being “hamstrung” by “lefty human rights lawyers”. The Bar Council called the comments “shocking”, while Labour’s shadow justice secretary David Lammy, himself a barrister, said it was “utterly shameful”. It came on the same day the Law Society warned that the government’s anti-lawyer rhetoric was putting lawyers at risk of physical attacks. Musicians don’t like the government very much either right now. A 400-strong group of freelance musicians played outside parliament to remind ministers of the industry’s struggles. Rishi Sunak, asked about the plight of musicians, suggested they might have to retrain and find other work. Which sparked angry comments by Liam from Oasis, Dave from Blur and … Right Said Fred.

EXTREMELY QUIET AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE: The ever-changing Brexit mood music is hushed but upbeat at the moment. The UK and the EU are getting “closer and closer” to a trade deal, two diplomatic sources told Reuters – with one describing talks last week as “one of the most positive so far”. EU diplomats are now said to be gearing up to negotiate until as late as mid-November. Both sides are thought be close to agreeing on reciprocal social security rights for people moving between EU member states and the UK. However, one source told The Independent progress on social security issues was “hardly a key topic”, and “big gulfs on the big issues” remained. Meanwhile Dominic Raab revealed the government had not ruled out boycotting the Beijing Winter Olympic Games over the treatment of Uighur Muslims. The foreign secretary said he wanted to “separate sport from diplomacy and politics” but added: “There comes a point where that might not be possible.”

FAKE NEWS SUPER-SPREADER: As more of his inner circle come down with coronavirus, Donald Trump appears determined to keep spreading disinformation. Facebook deleted a post in which the president claimed Covid was “less lethal” than the flu, while Twitter hid the same message. The White House has been described as a “ghost town” as a growing number of staff work from home. Trump’s adviser Stephen Miller and a top military official Admiral Charles Ray are the latest to have tested positive. Joe Biden, meanwhile, delivered a Gettysburg-style address on the site of the Civil War battlefield in Pennsylvania – calling on the American people to “turn division into unity.” The Democrat has extended his poll lead over Trump by 16 points, according to one CNN survey. And Michelle Obama released a blistering attack against Trump – accusing the president of promoting “racist” policies.

On the record

“Your government is working night and day to repel this virus, and we will succeed, just as this country has seen off every alien invader for the last 1000 years.”

Boris Johnson compares coronavirus to foreign ‘invaders’.

From the Twitterati

“Boris Johnson just attacked people for owning million-pound houses in North London. He just sold his five-storey, Grade II listed Islington home for £3.75 million .... Not just a hypocrite, a complete charlatan.”

David Lammy hated what the PM said about Labour MPs’ ‘million-pound houses’...

“I agree with Boris Johnson – the criminal justice system is hamstrung. But not by us. Not by the people turning up every … in the face of impossible odds. By you, Boris Johnson and your colleagues. Take some f***ing responsibility.”

…while the Secret Barrister hated what he said about ‘lefty lawyers’.

Essential reading

Tom Peck, The Independent: Boris Johnson laughed off his past stupidity – but we’re stuck with it

Jess Phillips, The Independent: Priti Patel is living in a whole different reality over immigration

Kate Andrews, The Spectator: Are politicians around the world abandoning the ‘circuit breaker’?

Gabriel Debenedetti, New York Magazine: Biden’s strategy? Hang back and act like a normal person

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