Inside Politics: No 10 denies Boris Johnson said ‘let the bodies pile high’

Welcome, in the words of King Lear, to our “great stage of fools”. Events have taken a decidedly Shakespearian turn at Westminster, where Boris Johnson has been compared to the bard’s tragic, demented king. The PM is said to have been driven “half mad” by Dominic Cummings’ betrayal – stomping through the corridors of power in a paranoid frenzy. Over the top? Perhaps. But if one person knows where the bodies are buried, it’s Cummings. Insiders are now whispering about Johnson’s reign coming to an end, should his former ally’s “treasure trove” of secrets prove damaging enough.

Inside the bubble

Policy editor John Stone on what to look out for today:

All eyes are on cabinet secretary Simon Case. He will be grilled about sleaze, Dominic Cummings and how the PM paid for Downing Street refurbishments at the public administration and constitutional affairs committee at 2.15pm. For the Brexit-watchers, the UK’s ambassador to the EU Lindsay Croisdale-Appleby will appear at a CBI event at 3pm.

Daily briefing

TREASURE HUNT: We don’t yet have a good ‘gate’ suffix for the 2021 sleaze scandal, but it’s all turning a bit Watergate-y. No 10 officials are said to be “s****** themselves” at the “treasure trove” of revelations to come from Dominic Cummings after he offered to disclose emails and texts. There is speculation he may even have audio recordings (how very Richard Nixon). This morning sees some pretty damaging dirt appear in the Daily Mail. Boris Johnson said last October he would rather see “bodies pile high in their thousands” than order another lockdown, the paper claims. No 10 denies the PM made the comment, calling it “just another lie” (suggesting that it’s more poison from Cummings). Labour will keep the pressure on over source of the money for renovations to Johnson’s Downing Street flat, demanding an Electoral Commission probe. The PM paid for the work “from his own pocket”, trade secretary Liz Truss insisted on Marr. But the HMRC will now seek clarification on where the £58,000 came from, according to the i paper.

PARANOID ANDROIDS: So what else is going on with Cummings? Boris Johnson is said to have been badly rattled by both the Dyson leaks and details of the flat refurb coming out. “He has become known in some circles as the King Lear prime minister,” one No 10 insider told the Sunday Times. Some at Downing Street believe Cummings has more embarrassing details of the PM’s handling of the pandemic and his links to Mohammed bin Salman. Johnson is not the only one who is paranoid: Cummings is said to be “haunted” by the fear he could end up in prison. Are there any calm and collected grown-ups around? Step forward cabinet secretary Simon Case, who will be questioned by MPs today. The top civil servant is expected to be asked about Cummings’ allegation that the PM considered scrapping an inquiry into leaks about a second lockdown in case it implicated one of Carrie Symonds’ friends. Whitehall officials have made clear that Cummings has not been exonerated in the “chatty rat” probe. Weekend reports claimed that MI5 had concluded that second lockdown leaks came from Cummings’ sim card.

KEEP ‘EM VACCINES ROLLING: With No 10 in turmoil, the NHS continues to go about its business. Thank God. The vaccine rollout rolls on down to the 44-year-olds today. The health service said it would set out when 40 to 43-year-olds can book their jabs “in the coming days”. A group of 22 “leading” anti-lockdown scientists and academics have called for the end of face masks and social distancing in June. But the terrible news from India is likely to halt any support and momentum the anti-lockdown lot might have gotten in parliament. The government will send India emergency supplies, including oxygen and ventilators, as the country’s hospitals struggle to deal with an overwhelming surge. Trade secretary Liz Truss told Marr the situation there was “terrible”, adding: “We are looking at what we can do in areas like oxygen.” Labour, meanwhile, will attempt to keep up the pressure by demanding ministers publish all the details of contacts with firms getting Covid contracts.

BORDER DISORDER: Nicola Sturgeon has given us a wee glimpse of the outraged rhetoric she’ll use in the weeks after the Holyrood election. The SNP leader claimed Boris Johnson would be showing the same contempt for democracy as Donald Trump if he were to block a second independence referendum. Sturgeon said any attempt by the UK government to go to court to block Scottish government attempts to stage indyref2 “would be asking a court to effectively overturn the result of a free and fair democratic election”. She fumed: “That would be an appalling look for any prime minister.” She may have her post-election game-plan ready. But super-smooth Sturgeon got herself in a bit of trouble on Marr on Sunday. She admitted independence would create a physical border with England and raise “all sorts of issues” and “practical difficulties” when it comes to trade. Only in Friday, Sturgeon had claimed no-one in SNP wanted to see a border with England.

NEIN, NON, NEE, NO THANKS: Leading EU countries have made very clear they will not strike any bilateral agreements with the UK to facilitate the deportation of asylum seekers to Europe – a major blow to Priti Patel’s immigration plans. The Independent has learnt that France, Belgium and Germany do not intend to make deals with Britain to get around existing rules. “We cannot be expected simply to agree on the return of these migrants,” said Belgian migration minister Sammy Mahdi. It comes as we reach another impasse in talks aimed at easing protocol problems in Northern Ireland. The EU is ready to drop its demand for checks on food imports coming into Northern Ireland – so long as the UK aligns itself with Brussels’ plant, animal health and food safety rules. But Brexit minister David Frost and his team have rejected the so-called “dynamic alignment” offer, according to The Times. Is Frost playing hardball again? Or are we back at square one when it comes to the protocol?

YET MORE BILE? We’ll finish today with a bit more on racks-in-a-sack government infighting. A minister has denied weekend claims that Johnson’s fiancée Carrie Symonds urged the removal of environment secretary George Eustice. Symonds believes Eustice is insufficiently tough on animal welfare, according to a Dan Hodges column in the Mail On Sunday. Goldsmith, who is a close friend of Symonds, tweeted: “Completely fabricate a bunch of stories about someone and then use those to pour hate and bile on them.” Perhaps the government just has too many sleaze claims on its hands to stage an inquiry into the pandemic right now. Bereaved families are angry after being told that Downing Street and Whitehall departments are simply too busy to start an inquiry. “It is not anticipated that the government’s workload will ease in the coming months,” the group was told in a letter.

On the record

“Tell us about where you’re getting this money from, Boris, to do up your flat.”

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner.

From the Twitterati

“Cummings is a strange chap, but Johnson will rue the day he picked a fight with such a forensic obsessive who knows where the bodies are buried.”

Andrew Neil thinks the PM should be worried…

“Ministers are claiming that Johnson is *entirely* focused on the pandemic, also no one is denying he personally called newspaper editors to brief against Cummings.”

…and the FT’s Jim Pickard thinks the PM has been driven to distraction.

Essential reading

John Rentoul, The Independent: Cummings may have missed his chance to make his charges against Johnson stick

Jess Phillips, The Independent: This is our chance to break the cycle of violence against women

Andrew Rawnsley, The Guardian: Tories are wrong to think they won’t face a day of reckoning over sleaze

Yasmeen Serhan, The Atlantic: India is a warning to the entire world

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