Inside Politics: Boris Johnson urged to name dates for lockdown easing

Timing is everything. Dolly Parton has asked politicians in Tennessee to put their plans to erect a Dolly Parton statue on hold for a while. The music legend said it wouldn’t be “appropriate” for it to go up outside the state capitol right now. Statue-loving Boris Johnson is desperately trying to get his timing right on lockdown easing. Tory MPs and hospitality bosses are begging the PM for a clear timetable next week – but fear he will delay offering any precise dates.

Inside the bubble

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

Boris Johnson chairs his first summit as president of the G7 group of major world powers. The PM will be joined by Joe Biden and others for the virtual meeting around 2pm. Johnson is set to give his backing to an ambitious plan to support the development of vaccines for future novel diseases within 100 days.

Daily briefing

ROADMAP TO NOWHERE? There’s growing apprehension about Boris Johnson’s promise of “data not dates” next week. The PM will put up to 1 million jobs at risk if he fails to name a date for the reopening of pubs and restaurants when he unveils his roadmap Monday, say industry bosses. Trade body UK Hospitality told The Independent it had received indications that Johnson won’t even commit to an “indicative” date for a particular month the sector can reopen. The Telegraph appears more optimistic about some significant easing ahead. It says data demonstrating that vaccines have cut Covid transmissions and infections by two-thirds will help the PM pave the way “back to freedom”. And The Times says ministers are “increasingly optimistic” that we will be able to go on holidays abroad this summer. Johnson is expected to pledge to give a majority of Britain’s surplus vaccine supply to poorer countries when he speaks to the virtual G7 meeting today.

THE SPIRIT OF 45: So Keir Starmer did have quite a lot to say after all. The Labour leader promised millions of savers they would get the chance to invest in the post-pandemic recovery through his British Recovery Bond scheme. He also proposed start-up loans for 100,000 new small firms. Starmer claimed the Tories were “incapable of seizing this moment”, making the connection to the Labour-led post-WWII recovery as often as he could. The ideas were good enough to worry the Tories. The party was forced to accuse Starmer of stealing them – pointing to a bond scheme proposed by the Northern Research Group of Tory MPs. But it didn’t quell criticism from the left. Momentum chief Andrew Scattergood said: “Opposing austerity and supporting investment is a good start, but it’s nowhere near enough.” During an awkward interview on ITV, Starmer was shown clips of voters moaning about him – but saying they quite liked Andy Burnham. “Andy Burham will be happy about that,” he said with an uneasy smile.

DRIVING A SOFT BARGAIN: Boris Johnson has told David Frost to take a “hardline” approach with the EU, according to reports this morning. But it seems the Brexit hardman wants to go soft on the protocol. The government is said to regards Brussels’ implementation of the legal agreement as “overly legalistic” (?!) and wants Frost to push a “softer” interpretation to ease problems in Northern Ireland. Ivan Rogers, the UK’s former representative to the EU, said putting Frost back in charge of talks showed that Brexit was a “permanent negotiation”. Rogers was pretty scathing in his interview with the FT’s Peter Foster, saying he expected trade disruption to be “more than spiky” after the “bog standard” trade deal. He also said rollover deals with faraway places won’t “add up to a hill of beans” compared to the trade we’ve lost by leaving the EU. Meanwhile, an economic development agency in Northern Ireland is rather desperately playing up the region’s “unique” post-Brexit trading position. The protocol? It’s great, said Invest NI – claiming it means “can become a gateway for the sale of goods to two of the world’s largest markets”. Try telling that to the DUP.

PASSPORT TO PIMLICO: Could companies insist on Covid immunity as a condition of employment? Justice secretary Robert Buckland admitted it may be legal for firms to insist new staff are vaccinated. Pimlico Plumbers’ founder Charlie Mullins said he had been advised by his lawyers that “no jab, no job” contracts would be perfectly above board. However, Buckland said it was unlikely bosses could force existing staff to get vaccines. “I’d be surprised if there were contracts … existing now that did make that approach lawful,” he said. Speaking of legal interpretations, the Home Office has been accused of “grossly” overplaying their hand with a fairly brutal new video which claimed “all gatherings are currently against the law”. The department’s Twitter clip showed footage of police raiding house parties and arresting people. In other social media news, Tory MP Julian Knight said Facebook must be “brought to heel” and made to pay for UK news following the global backlash against the tech giant’s stunning Australian news ban.

PUBLISH AND BE DAMNED: So Alex Salmond gets to make his attacks on Nicola Sturgeon in his own way at Holyrood next week. The committee investigating the Scottish government’s handling of harassment claims has agreed to publish Salmond’s dossier of claims and allow him to refer to them freely, after the parliament’s corporate body ruled it was okay to do so. Salmond’s allies seem to think the claims will cause Sturgeon serious trouble. But the SNP leader has her mind on other things. She said the Scottish government would reveal weekly data on vaccine supplies following talks with UK ministers and jab providers. Sturgeon – who has been accused by the Scottish Tories of presiding over a “slow and stuttering” rollout – said it would “give a fuller picture of the supplies” and allow for “closer scrutiny”. The Northern Ireland executive has followed Sturgeon’s lead by agreeing to send primary 1-3 children back to school on 8 March. Lockdown there has been extended until 1 April.

HOUSTON, HE HAS A PROBLEM: Donald Trump ally Ted Cruz is facing calls to resign as senator for Texas after it emerged he flew to Mexico for a family holiday amid fierce winter storms in his state. Cruz’s excuse for the trip? He said it was about “wanting to be a good dad”. But the father-of-the-year has now flown back into Houston after realising the jaunt “didn’t feel right”. Democrat congresswoman Pramila Jayapal said: “People in Texas are literally freezing to death and yet Ted Cruz went on vacation to Cancun.” It comes as speculation swirls around the Trump progeny and their potential plans for a MAGA dynasty. While Ivanka Trump has told Marco Rubio she wouldn’t challenge him for his Florida Senate seat in 2022, Lara Trump is said to be seriously considering a Senate bid in North Carolina.

On the record

“If we’re honest, for too long Labour has failed to realise that the only way to deliver social justice and equality is through a strong partnership with business.”

Keir Starmer hopes to make his party business-friendly.

From the Twitterati

“Mainstream middle of the Labour party stuff. Not clear if the party has a plan around its economic credibility problem. Also not clear if problem has a solution.”

New Statesman’s Stephen Bush shrugs over Starmer speech…

“The best part of Keir Starmer’s speech is making the case that equality and prosperity go hand in hand. One of the biggest lies peddled by the right is that they’re mutually exclusive.”

…but Owen Jones actually quite liked it.

Essential reading

Andrew Grice, The Independent: Mr Brexit is back. The EU should expect David Frost to play hardball

Jess Phillips, The Independent: Keir Starmer doesn’t deserve the flak he gets – here’s why

Alex Massie, The Spectator: There is something utterly rotten going on in Scottish politics

Arick Wierson, CNN: Republican chaos is a gift to Democrats

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