Inside Politics: Boris Johnson self-isolates, as Brexit endgame begins

Anyone else race through the fourth series of The Crown? The Charles and Diana engagement drama was almost as sad and compelling as the court gossip involving Boris Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds. The Symonds courtiers are upset at the cruel attacks from Dominic Cummings allies’ – which saw her described as Lady Macbeth, Cersei Lannister and (most cruelly of all) Princess Nut Nut. As well as smoothing over all the personal turmoil and intrigue, No 10 has the tiny matter of forging a Brexit trade agreement this week – or the rest of us will be forced through the sad and compelling drama of a no-deal crash.

Inside the bubble

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone on what to look out for today:

Brexit talks are back in Brussels today for what could be the last round. Neither side looks particularly optimistic after a relatively fruitless previous week. Back in Westminster, channel port operators from the EU and UK are to give evidence to the House of Lords goods subcommittee on our readiness for the end of the transition period. The logistics and freight sectors have been pretty scathing about the government’s handling of preparations so far, so don’t expect them to hold back.

Daily briefing

WHEN THE DEAL GOES DOWN: A huge week in Brexit lies ahead – but Boris Johnson will spend it at home. The PM revealed on Sunday night that he’s self-isolating after meeting Tory MP Lee Anderson, who later tested positive for Covid. Will Johnson be sanctioning some big compromises from his Downing Street flat? Some in the cabinet are said to be getting nervous about the PM’s unwillingness to make concessions. His negotiator David Frost is demanding more than 50 per cent of fish in British waters be reserved for UK-based vessels. But the EU’s current offer is thought to be only between 10 per cent and 20 per cent. “It’s ridiculous,” a government source told The Times. On Sunday, Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney warned that there was “no way” the EU would ratify a trade deal unless No 10 ditched the law-breaking parts of its Internal Market Bill. Environment secretary George Eustice admitted that if a deal was agreed it would “supersede” clauses in the bill and they “won’t be needed”. 

STICKS AND STONES: Self-isolation means Johnson will also have to start his charm offensive via Zoom. No 10 has been trying to calm everyone down after the exit of Dominic Cummings and Lee Cain – the “mad mullahs” of Brexit (as Carrie Symonds’ allies dubbed them). Downing Street dismissed some Brexiteers’ paranoid suggestions that the transition period could now be extended as “utter rubbish”. Indeed, the striking thing about Sunday’s gossipy accounts of the big fall-out was the absence of any real ideological bent to the power battle. Reports suggest the PM was angry about people in Cummings’ team using the cruel “Princess Nut Nut” nickname for Symonds. But The Sunday Times made clear that the relationship between Cummings and Johnson broke down several month ago. The new press secretary Allegra Stratton told The Observer she was upset by the whole business, adding: “The country does not want to be run by people in No 10 who treat people discourteously.” Let’s see how long the new mood of courtesy lasts.

ALL IN IT TOGETHER? Another major vaccine trial has been launched – this time for a jab developed by the Belgian company Janssen. Keir Starmer has called for a national plan for the wider vaccine roll-out, saying it could be the biggest logistical operation since World War II. Labour is also calling for an inquiry into whether lobbyists have benefited from privileged info about Covid. It follows news that The Sun’s former political editor and head of Portland Communications, George Pascoe-Watson, was appointed as an unpaid “adviser” in April. The Sunday Times reported that he briefed paying clients on the government's thinking on upcoming lockdowns – telling them in mid-October that he had been “privately advised” new restrictions on London would last six months until the spring. Labour’s Angela Rayner, called it “deeply insulting” to the British public, and said it was time to “shine a light” on murky ties.

ELECTRIC SLIDE: Johnson will push the idea of a post-Cummings reset by publishing his 10-point plan for a “green industrial revolution” – giving new life to the target of net zero carbon by 2050. But it looks like the push toward electric vehicles is causing some problems. Rishi Sunak is said to be considering plans to charge motorists for using roads. There is concern that the switch to electric cars could cost the exchequer £40bn, mostly though lost fuel duty, according to The Times. The government is also set to revise its controversial planning reforms, following a good deal of moaning from Tory MPs. Ministers are looking to “rebalance” the formula so less homes are required to be built in rural areas. But some are now complaining that the south could be “concreted over” to preserve the north. Perhaps Sajid Javid could sort them all out? The ex-chancellor has been tipped for the No 10 chief of staff role, but reports this morning suggest officials want a “free agent” unlikely to form any kind of faction.

HAUD YER WHEESHT, BROON: Gordon Brown made one of his semi-regular warnings about the strength of the union, and insisted 2021 was the “wrong time” to hold another Scottish independence referendum. So far so predictable. But Brown managed to annoyed Nats enough to spark an internal argument about the timing of their push. Ian Blackford, the SNP’s Westminster chief – who said that the referendum “will take place and we need to plan that that referendum must take place in 2021”. Others in the party feel Blackford is being too hasty. SNP sources told The Times that a more realistic time-frame would be between 18 months and two years from now – meaning a second plebiscite in 2023. Elsewhere on Sunday, Starmer opened up about his family on Desert Island Discs, revealing his difficult relationship with his father Rodney. “We weren’t close – and I regret that.” He also revealed that Northern Soul records reminded him of early years in London living in a “grotty flat” above a sauna and massage parlour.

OH NO I DIDN’T!: Donald Trump has conceded the US election for the first time. Sort of. Maybe. But not really. “He won because the Election was Rigged,” the Republican wrote on Twitter on Sunday – repeating his wild and false claims of fraud. He obviously regretted using the word “won” in relation to Joe Biden, because about one hour later he tweeted that he was most certainly not conceding the vote. Totally normal behaviour. Barack Obama said the US political divide is even more sharp than four years ago, when Trump won the presidency. The former Democratic president said “the kinds of crazy conspiracy theories – what some have called truth decay” were even worse now. “It’ll take more than one election to reverse those trends,” he said.

On the record

“If the British government is determined to continue with their internal market bill … then I think this is a deal that won’t be ratified by the EU.”

Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney says there’ll be no deal unless No 10 ditches bill.

From the Twitterati

“It is so obvious that a long extension of the transition period should now take place … before we go over the Brexit cliff edge. No point getting rid of Cummings unless you also get rid of his policy!”

Lord Adonis thinks Cummings’ exit is a chance for an unlikely reset…

“Everyone should remember that Cummings has left Downing St because 1. Johnson is under serious threat of being ousted 2. Labour is ahead in the opinion polls. Nothing to do with principle everything to do with self-preservation.”

…but Anna Soubry says the exit had nothing to do with Brexit.

Essential reading

Alastair Campbell, The Independent: It’s too late to undo the worst of the damage caused by this government

James Moore, The Independent: Trump TV is the next logical step – but who will remain loyal to him?

Isabel Hardman: Does Boris Johnson still have a supporters’ club in parliament?

David Frum, The Atlantic: There is no Trumpism without Trump

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