Inside Politics: Boris Johnson’s unpaid debt court order ‘without merit’, says No 10

You can’t say anything nowadays! Tony Blair has attacked the minefield of woke culture – claiming he’s “terrified” to tackle tough subjects in case he “says something I should not say”. A fellow former prime minister will have to choose his words very, very carefully today. David Cameron will be forced to tackle the tough subject of his tenacious lobbying work when he goes before MPs on two select committees. The current inhabitant of No 10, meanwhile, is keeping quiet about an embarrassing court order for an unsettled debt. Perhaps Boris Johnson can be persuaded to say something about the mysterious unpaid bill?

Inside the bubble

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

All eyes will be on David Cameron when appears at the Treasury committee at 2.30pm this afternoon. But it might also be worth looking out for culture secretary Oliver Dowden, when he answers MPs’ questions on summer restart plans at the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee (also at 2.30pm).

Daily briefing

WON’T PAY, WE’LL TAKE IT AWAY! Boris Johnson has vowed to challenge the shock court order against him for an unpaid debt of £535, unresolved for six months. Downing Street is seeking to cancel the county court judgment against the PM. The creditor and nature of the debt, first reported by Private Eye, is not yet clear. Downing Street said it was “totally without merit” (though nobody seems to know enough to talk confidently about its merit). These kinds of orders typically come with a warning that a bailiff “may visit your home if you do not pay your debts”. So could we see the boys in black vests banging on the door of No 10? Probably not. “If this was a single parent in Tottenham getting hammered by Universal Credit … they would not get off as lightly,” said Labour’s David Lammy. Asked whether we should be concerned about the potentially chaotic state of Johnson’s personal finances, the PM’s press secretary said: “You should not be concerned, no.”

QUESTION TIME: David Cameron will be grilled by two separate panels of MPs today about his deluge of emails, texts and WhatsApp messages to ministers. The former PM will be under pressure to explain his persistent attempts to secure access to a government-backed loan scheme for Greensill Capital when he appears before the Treasury committee at 2.30pm and the public accounts committee at 5pm. MPs on the latter committee may also wish to ask about Cameron’s “private drink” with health secretary Matt Hancock to discuss a Greensill-run NHS payment scheme. The government is desperate to distance itself from dogged Dave – pointing to the fact his lobbying on the loan scheme was ultimately unsuccessful. Cabinet minister George Eustice insisted his colleagues did not do Cameron “any special favours”. It comes as Ben Elliot, co-chairman of the Tory party, faces questions about his luxury concierge service. The Quintessentially firm he founded has admitted making illegal payments to shareholders, according to The Times.

HOTSPOTS AND LIFT-OFFS: The government’s Sage group committee will hold an urgent meeting today to talk about the rapid spread of the Indian variant. Boris Johnson issued a warning that next winter could see more “suffering” than the one gone by if new Covid variants take root. Cabinet minister George Eustice said the government would not rule out re-introducing tougher local restrictions for Covid “hotspots”. Downing Street has played down the idea that the 17 May easing of restrictions could be delayed, despite calls for a last-minute rethink from the most cautious of independent scientists. The Sun claims the government’s scientists now support plans to end the requirement for masks inside shops from 21 June. “The data is looking good and the political will is there for a proper lift-off,” said one official. Meanwhile, we’ve finally got a date for a public inquiry into the government’s handling of the pandemic. Boris Johnson revealed that it would take place in spring 2022 – promising it would put his own actions “under the microscope”.

APPETITE FOR DECONSTRUCTION: Labour needs “total deconstruction and reconstruction” to win back power, according to Tony Blair. The three-time election winner has his old party in uproar with his big New Statesman essay. Blair called Keir Starmer “intelligent” and “capable” – but warned a new leader alone would not achieve “the miracle renaissance”. Blair added: “The cultural message, because he is not clarifying it, is being defined by the ‘woke’ left.” Appearing on GMB with a new haircut, Blair compared Starmer to Neil Kinnock – suggesting he may be playing the John the Baptist role before the messiah appears. The left scoffed and sneered. Owen Jones suggested Blair got lucky in the 1990s with “growth driven by a financial bubble”. It comes as Kim Leadbeater, sister of murdered MP Jo Cox, announced her intention to stand as Labour’s candidate in Batley and Spen. “I am touched that so many people seem to think I would do a good job.”

NOT IN MY BACK CONSTITUENCY: Boris Johnson has sparked a big rebellion among Tory MPs in the south with his controversial planning bill. The PM has been warned of a “blue wall collapse” if he pushes on with the overhaul, aimed at establishing “growth zones” of development. One senior Tory told The Telegraph the “forces of opposition are gathering fast” against the bill, which would make it more difficult for residents to object to housebuilding. Some Tories have joined Labour in expressing dismay at the plan for voter ID. Ruth Davidson, the outgoing Scottish Tory leader at Holyrood, said the idea was “total b*******” on the Peston programme last night. “There are bigger threats from agents outside our borders than from someone who forgets to take their drivers’ licence (if they have one) to a polling station,” she later tweeted, apologising for her bad language on ITV.

BAD MANNERS? Boris Johnson has “apologised unreservedly” for the deaths of innocent people in Ballymurphy in 1971, No 10 has said. The PM held a phone call with Northern Ireland’s first and deputy first ministers, after an inquest found that 10 people shot dead in the wake of an army operation in Belfast were “entirely innocent”. But some of the families said Johnson should have made a full public apology in the Commons, accusing him of “bad manners”. John Teggart, whose father Danny was among those who were killed, said: “The apology was to third parties, it wasn’t to the Ballymurphy families … What kind of insult is it to families that he couldn’t have the conversation with ourselves?” Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill, deputy first minister, put it to Johnson that he should still apologise to the families himself following their phone call. Downing Street issued a written apology statement last night.

On the record

“We also face the threat of new variants and, should they prove highly transmissible and elude the protection of our vaccines, they would have the potential for even greater suffering than we endured in January.”

Boris Johnson warns of winter surge.

From the Twitterati

“I’m sure Boris Johnson can clear his £535 debt – he can just ask whichever Tory donor paid for all his wallpaper.”

Dave McLadd wondersif anyone can bung a bob or two to our poor PM…

“Boris Johnson said: ‘I believe that we all owe a massive debt to our nurses.’ … When he pays this debt off, he can pay that debt off too and give them a proper pay rise.”

…while Angela Rayner reminds the PM of other debts.

Essential reading

Tom Peck, The Independent: Hard to know what’s more embarrassing – David Cameron’s texts or the replies

John Rentoul, The Independent: Tony Blair is hoping he is still relevant, but will Labour listen?

Paul Mason, New Statesman: Tony Blair is pining for a centre ground that no longer exists

Fiona Harvey, The Guardian: Boris Johnson’s advisers may push for a virtual Cop26. He should ignore them

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