Inside Politics: Could Boris Johnson speed up his roadmap?

How long is too long? Piers Morgan claims Carrie Symonds has acquired clippers to cut Boris Johnson’s growing blonde mane before the hairdressers open back up. The ITV host thinks the length of the PM’s locks leave him looking like “Wurzel Gummidge”. Others are much more concerned about the length of Johnson’s lockdown. Tory MPs continue to snipe about the four-month timetable, while Nicola Sturgeon thinks Johnson has promised the end of all curbs much too soon.

Inside the bubble

Political commentator Andrew Grice on what to look out for today:

Boris Johnson and Keir Starmer will trade blows again at noontime PMQs. The government will then try to head off a revolt by Tory backbenchers, as ministers try to overturn a Lords amendment to the Fire Safety Bill saying leaseholders should not pay for cladding removal. There will also be urgent questions about the recent court ruling on PPE contracts.

Daily briefing

THE MORAL MAZE: Boris Johnson said his government will review the “deep and complex” issues around vaccine passports and whether we should be asked to prove immunity before getting into pubs, theatres and other venues. He said there were “ethical issues” in “mandating people to have such a thing” – and suggested it could lead to a ban on demands for proof in certain circumstances. The PM appears to have sparked a boom in holiday bookings with his promise of summer freedom. The UK’s biggest holiday firm, Tui, said bookings for foreign trips jumped 500 per cent. Has Johnson given false hope? Transport secretary Grant Shapps said a review on international travel would report back on 12 April. Several Tory MPs – outside of the usual sceptic suspects – have been moaning about the PM’s roadmap. One told Politico it is “ridiculously slow”. Government sources told The Telegraph that better-than-anticipated vaccine data may allow some things to happen more quickly – but any acceleration would happen no sooner than May. But No 10 has said the easing would happen “no earlier than” dates set out by the PM.

LIKE A FINGER IN THE WIND: Nicola Sturgeon has set out a much more cautious lockdown exit plan for Scotland. Four people from two households could be allowed to meet outdoors from 15 March. Shops, restaurants and and gyms won’t reopen until from 26 April at the earliest. In a big deviation from England, Sturgeon said the aim was to move back to a tiers system of regional restrictions from the last week in April. The first minister said she was being “deliberately cautious” at this stage – and suggested giving dates for the end of lockdown (like Boris Johnson’s 21 June target) would be “like putting your finger in the wind”. But opposition parties said her plan lacked clarity on its “ultimate goal”. The Scottish Tories’ Holyrood leader, Ruth Davidson, complained: “We didn’t get information [on] when we will be able to do something as basic as give a loved one a hug,” she said. Matt Hancock confirmed people from different families in England could hug again from 17 May.

WHERE’S THE BEEF? Trade secretary Liz Truss has launched a new campaign to boost British exports of food and drink. The Open Doors campaign – which involves £2m funding – will include ads to encourage businesses to increase overseas sales. Truss insisted she would “never sign a trade deal that is bad for British farming”. The minister appeared utterly oblivious to the huge food export problems with our biggest market – the EU. Speaking at the NFU conference, she said: “I’m delighted that already we’ve got … British beef back on American plates, pork trotters on Chinese tables and cheese on supermarket shelves across the Gulf.” Meanwhile, it emerged the Brexit trade deal will not be fully, formally approved by the EU until the end of April, after the UK reluctantly agreed a delay. Michael Gove gave the go-ahead, but he said a new partnership council with the EU – which businesses hope will ease the crisis caused by the agreement – couldn’t “begin work” until ratification is completed.

SCHOOL’S (NOT) OUT FOR SUMMER: Secondary schools in England’s secondary schools will be asked to provide summer teaching to help pupils catch up with time lost to the Covid crisis. The government has pledged £420m for the programme. Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT union, said summer schools “will be of value for some pupils, but it will be important not to overwhelm students”. It comes as Boris Johnson told a group of schoolchildren that journalists spend their time “attacking” and “abusing” people. The PM told pupils at Sedgehill Academy it was the terrible “guilt” of being a journalist that led him to swap the profession for politics. Incidentally, resurfaced video footage from 1992 shows then-reporter Johnson swearing at a camera crew while he tries to work. When a lighting operator shines a bright white light, Johnson could be seen flailing his arms and shouting: “Oh, p*** off!”

OH NO HE WON’T! So Alex Salmond won’t be giving evidence at the Alex Salmond inquiry today after all. The whole pantomime appears locked in an endless cycle of procedural hell. The former SNP leader has again ditched an appearance at the committee investigating the botched handling of harassment complaints, after the Scottish parliamentary authorities agreed to redact some of his evidence at the demand of the Crown Office. Despite it being online for 16 hours, it was taken down, edited and put back up late on Tuesday. Salmond’s lawyers say the decision to remove parts related to Nicola Sturgeon suggests there is a “material risk” for him if he appears committee. “He cannot be placed in legal jeopardy.” Mr Salmond’s lawyers have demanded the legal justification for redactions – but said he could still appear on Friday if an agreement can be reached. Oh yes he could! ... oh no he couldn’t ... etc.

LONE STAR STORM: Joe Biden will travel to Texas today as the state continues to suffer from the winter storms which have sent the region into an arctic chill. Millions of Texans have been without power for several days, while the state grapples with food and water insecurities. Texas senator Ted Cruz – who continues to face the flak for over his decision to flee his state for a tropical vacation in Cancun – will try to shrug off the scandal when he speaks at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) today. His subject? The all-important matter of “cancel culture”. Biden, meanwhile, has held a virtual meeting with Justin Trudeau. The Canadian PM criticised the Trump administration in his opening remarks – thanking Biden for “stepping up”. Turning to a joint communique, Trudeau joked: “It’s nice when the Americans aren’t pulling out all references to climate change.”

On the record

“I would love to stand here and say that by 21 June we’ll all be back to normal completely … I can’t say that with any certainty at all.”

Nicola Sturgeon won’t offer the same end date as Boris Johnson.

From the Twitterati

“Journalists are “always abusing people,” says Boris Johnson, who has previously called gay men “bumboys”, Muslim women “letterboxes”, and black Africans “piccaninnies”.”

Business Insider Adam Bienkov suggests the PM may wish to address his own history…

“Ex-journalist Boris Johnson – fired by The Times for making up a quote – says journalists are “always abusing” people & “sometimes you feel a bit guilty”. Speak for yourself, prime minister.”

…and Belfast News’ Sam McBride suggests the same.

Essential reading

John Rentoul, The Independent: Why I think Boris Johnson plans to ease lockdown faster than his roadmap says

Andrew Feinberg, The Independent: The convenient personal reason why Trump wants to run in 2024

Martha Gill, New Statesman: The government got duped by the myth of ‘freedom-loving’ Britain

Rafael Behr, The Guardian: Brexit is a perpetual grievance machine – it’s doing its job perfectly

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