Inside Politics: Boris Johnson ‘constantly lobbied by phone’

You could blame Brexit for a lot of things. But the demise of the European Super League? Juventus chairman Andrea Agnelli – one of the key instigators of the whole thing – has blamed Brexit and the suspicious attitude of English clubs towards Europe for the collapse of his “beautiful project”. How Boris Johnson must hanker for the glory days of the Brexit wars – his own beautiful project – when everything could be blamed on the Europeans. The PM is currently struggling under the pressure of the Dyson scandal, and his government’s rather unfortunate habit of dealing with rich people via matey text messages.

Inside the bubble

Deputy political editor Rob Merrick on what to look out for today:

Inquiries into the lobbying scandal begin this morning, when the Treasury’s permanent secretaries are grilled at the public accounts committee. Elsewhere, defence secretary Ben Wallace will be making a statement on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission report, which has revealed black and Asian service personnel were not properly commemorated.

Daily briefing

JOY OF TEXTS: Labour is demanding a “thorough” investigation into Boris Johnson’s textual relationship with vacuum cleaner mogul James Dyson. The PM said he made “no apology for moving heaven and earth” to get ventilators during the pandemic. But the lobbying is more about tax than ventilators. In text messages shared by the BBC, the PM promised to “fix” tax changes Dyson wanted (he didn’t want to pay extra tax if his firm made ventilators) – and lo and behold the changes happened (the company was not, in the end, asked to provide ventilators). “We need the PM to appear before the liaison committee immediately,” said Labour’s Rachel Reeves. Labour leader Keir Starmer said it was part of a pattern of “sleaze, sleaze, sleaze”. Beyond the rhetoric, a Labour spokesman later there “appears to be evidence the [ministerial] code was breached.” But No 10 said rules were followed and the texts were passed on to officials “to work up the advice”.

HERE’S MY NUMBER, SO CALL ME MAYBE: Boris Johnson reportedly rejected his cabinet secretary’s advice to change his mobile number over concerns about constant contact by brazen influence seekers. Simon Case is said to have recommended the move last year, according to The Telegraph (though No 10 is denying the claim). Apparently, Johnson is bombarded. “He is constantly lobbied by phone,” one Tory source told The Guardian. “He may be running everything past private office, but it could become a big issue.” Meanwhile, there are fresh questions for Conservative chairman Ben Elliot. Leaked emails seen by The Times suggest a donation to the party was set aside for the desired redecoration of Johnson’s Downing Street flat. Donor Lord Brownlow, who copied in Elliot, refers to £58,000 for the “Downing Street Trust” in his email – the trust purportedly aimed at getting money for all the expensive wallpaper and suchlike.

GRAVE MATTER: Black and Asian service personnel who died fighting for the British Empire weren’t commemorated because of “pervasive racism”, according to a damning new report. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has apologised after discovering at least 116,000 mostly African and Middle Eastern casualties from WWI weren’t properly honoured. “The events of a century ago were wrong then and are wrong now,” it said. Labour’s shadow justice secretary David Lammy said it was a chance to “work through this ugly part of our history – and properly pay our respects to every soldier”. Elsewhere, foreign secretary Dominic Raab has been condemned for “hiding” the full scale of massive overseas cuts. Furious MPs lashed out after a failure to reveal where a £5bn cut between 2019 and 2021 will be made.

CESSPIT AND THE PENDULUM: The departing defence minister Johnny Mercer ain’t going quietly. The Tory MP launched a scathing attacked on Boris Johnson’s team, claiming he had been “bullied” into resigning. Mercer described this government as the “the most distrustful, awful environment” where “almost nobody tells the truth” – branding the world of Westminster a “cesspit”. Don’t hold back now Johnny. His replacement, Leo Docherty, pledged to bring new legislation “soon” to protect British soldiers who served in Northern Ireland from potential prosecutions – which was Mercer’s main gripe. Meanwhile, in the latest Covid news, officials at the Department for Transport (DFT) appear close to finalising plans for Covid passports in time for summer holidays. The certification scheme is said to be in an “advanced state” and could be made available as early as next month, in time for summer holidays. 

STICKY WICKET: Britain’s high commissioner in Australia has been forced onto national TV to try to smooth over a bizarre trade deal row. It follows anonymous officials in Liz Truss’s trade department complaining about the “glacially slow” progress in negotiations with Australian counterpart Dan Tehan. One source reportedly described Tehan as “inexperienced” compared to Truss, adding: “He needs to show that he can play at this level.” The Aussies branded the remarks “sledging” (a cricket term for mind games). There was a mixture of “disbelief and laughter” in the Australian government, according to Australia’s ABC News. We move now from cricket-related mind games to football ones. Downing Street has denied Brexit attitudes played a role in Johnson’s opposition to the European Super League. Attacking the British government, the bitter Juventus boss Andrea Agnelli said “politics would have seen [the league] as an attack to Brexit and their political scheme”. A No 10 spokesman responded: “I would reject that.”

OUR DAILY DREAD: Alex Salmond has promised Nicola Sturgeon that he will be a “daily” annoyance, should he and other Alba candidates win seats in the Scottish parliament. Salmond said his party would push an SNP government to “get on with” independence –vowing to lay a motion demanding immediate negotiations with the UK government. Scottish Labour’s deputy leader Jackie Baillie spoke for Sturgeon when she said the thought of Salmond returning to Holyrood “fills me with dread”. Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar launches his party’s manifesto today. He and other unionists will be pleased at two new polls – by YouGov and Savanta ComRes – showing a majority of Scots narrowly against independence. In a potentially big development for Labour, trade union delegates at the STUC have backed a motion saying a decision on whether to hold indyref2 should be left to the Scottish parliament, “and should not require UK government consent.” Which is essentially the SNP position.

On the record

“One rule for those who have the prime minister’s phone number, and another for everybody else.”

Keir Starmer on the Johnson-Dyson textual relationship.

From the Twitterati

“Jesus Christ. Johnson has turned us into such a shabby tinpot s***hole.”

Ian Dunt on the PM’s promises to Dyson.

“Not just the PM who comes out of this Dyson thing looking grim. Whose first thought when asked to help in a national crisis like this is ‘but what about my taxes’?”

…and The Guardian’s Gaby Hinsliff suggests Dyson has questions to answer.

Essential reading

Amber Rudd, The Independent: The UK has no choice but to make Cop26 a success

John Rentoul, The Independent: Keir Starmer is looking a bit desperate with his attacks on ‘sleaze’

Isabel Hardman, The Spectator: Is No 10 planning a Covid passport ruse?

Stephen Bush, New Statesman: The Super League is dead – but the challenge for Boris Johnson lives on

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