Inside Politics: Variant reveals ‘holes’ in border strategy, says Labour

All must have prizes! The pandemic hasn’t stopped the season of trinkets and baubles, with some of the planet’s wealthiest entertainers winning awards from their living rooms at last night’s Golden Globe Awards. It’s also the time of year that the chancellor hands out trinkets and baubles – with Rishi Sunak promising plenty of gifts for us at this week’s Budget. Yet the public appears well aware there’s no magic money tree. Voters say they want Sunak to target big business and the wealthy to pay for the spending splurge.

Inside the bubble

Political editor Andrew Woodcock on what to look out for today:

Labour’s shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds will try to win some headlines with a pre-Budget speech at 10.30am this morning. Gavin Williamson will face questions on school re-openings in the Commons at 2.30pm, and former PM David Cameron will give evidence to the national security strategy joint committee at 4pm.

Daily briefing

VARIANT POSITIONS: The week begins with a slight sense of panic over the new Covid “variant of concern” – first detected in Brazil and known as P1 – found in the UK. There are three cases in England and three in Scotland. Officials are following up with passengers on a Swiss Air flight from Sao Paulo, while testing has been ramped up in South Gloucestershire, where the first two cases were detected. But one of those who tested positive for P1 in England has still to be tracked. Labour says it shows the “holes” in the government’s border measures. “This is further proof that the delay in introducing hotel quarantine was reckless,” said shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds. Boris Johnson had been hoping to start the week on a high note, after the vaccine rollout reached the 20 million mark for first doses. The PM called it a “huge national achievement”. The vaccine programme is getting an extra £1.65bn in the Budget, with Rishi Sunak saying it was “essential we maintain this momentum”.

HEY BIG SPENDER: Sunak has hinted pretty strongly at an extended furlough scheme at this week’s Budget’s by saying “there’s more to come” in economic support. Appearing on Marr, the chancellor dismissed claims he told Tory MPs he wanted to raise taxes now so he could cut them before the next election. Weekend reports suggested Sunak could raise corporation tax on Wednesday. It would be popular. A Savanta ComRes poll for The Independent found voters want Sunak to target big business and the wealthy for tax hikes. Some 55 per cent back a “wealth tax” and the same proportion back a hike in corporation tax. It puts Labour in an awkward position, having ruled out support for any tax rises. Shadow chancellor Anneliese Dodds hinted at a change in tack on Sunday, saying Britain needed to get to “a better place” on corporation tax. MPs on the Treasury committee said now is “not the time for tax rises”, while a group of 45 northern Tory MPs have urged Sunak to cut business rates to help “save the high streets”.

FUMES OF DESIRE: Are you hankering to jump back onto crowded carriages? Boris Johnson has dismissed predictions of the daily commute’s demise after months of working from home – insisting that workers will be “consumed with desire” to get back to the office. The PM told a rail industry conference at the weekend commuters would want to get back to normal “in a few short months”. But costs alone are likely to cool commuters’ ardour. New Labour analysis showed commuters have faced an average season ticket hike of a 43 per cent increase from 2010 – with some paying nearly £3,500 more than a decade ago. Door-to-door campaigning will get back to normal pretty soon ahead of England’s local elections. Activists will be permitted to canvas alone from 8 March, with groups of six allowed from 29 March. It comes as the Tories enjoy a 7-point lead over Labour, according to the latest Opinium poll.

YOU HAVE NO AUTHORITY HERE: Things are turning extremely sour in Northern Ireland. Tensions are rising after a leading DUP minister halted halt work on the new permanent border control posts (BCPs) needed to implement protocol arrangements. Sinn Fein are now claiming agriculture minister Gordon Lyons did not have the authority to suspend work at the end of last week. Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard said the decision represented a “very foolish solo run” and was a strange way of reducing practical difficulties (as the DUP has claimed). He said the DUP must “stop playing games”. Several NI ministers have demanded an urgent meeting at Stormont. It comes as home secretary Priti Patel tries to address border issues in the English Channel. Patel wants to upgrade the maximum term for people smugglers so they face life sentences, according to The Times. A Home Office source told the paper that the crime is “practically equivalent to firing rifles into a crowded room”.

CIVIL WAR SLUMP: The Salmond-Sturgeon row finally seems to be having “cut through”. Support for Scottish independence has dropped down to 50 per cent for the first time since June, a Survation poll found. It ends a run of almost two dozen polls in favour of a breakaway. After his six hours of testimony at Holyrood, Salmond is expected to give yet more evidence in private this week to a separate inquiry set up to establish whether Sturgeon broke the ministerial code. Meanwhile, the Scottish Tories are set to lodge a motion of no confidence in the SNP’s deputy first minister John Swinney over the refusal to publish the Scottish government’s legal advice during the Salmond saga. The Tories will lodge the motion on Tuesday if the advice isn’t released today. The Scottish Lib Dems have said they will back the motion. Will Scottish Labour? New leader Anas Sarwar said Sturgeon should quit if she’s found to have breached the code. “It’s a point of principle,” he told Sky News.

I’M THE DADDY NOW: Donald Trump made very clear he considers himself the leader of the Republican party during his big speech at CPAC.He hinted at another run in 2024, saying: “Actually you know they just lost the White House. But who knows – who knows? I may even decide to beat them for a third time, OK?” Former Trump adviser Larry Kudlow hailed the ex-president as “the boss” of the party. Trump described rumours he was ready to start his own party as “fake news”, saying he likes the one he has just fine. “We have the Republican Party. It’s going to unite and be stronger than ever before.” Trump also begged for his supporters for more funds if they want to “take back the future”, even though he has reportedly raised about $250m since the election. Even he seemed a bit embarrassed about it – saying “I don’t do this, I’ve never done this” after pleading for money.

On the record

“We went big, we went early – and there’s more to come.”

Rishi Sunak promises to splash more cash.

From the Twitterati

“What’s the point of the Rishi ‘You’ll have to wait until Wednesday’ Sunak doing the media TV rounds to say absolutely nothing other than blow self-satisfied smoke up his own backside for how well he’s done in the pandemic?”

Piers Morgan didn’t enjoy Sunak’s Sunday interviews.

“After watching Marr interview of Rishi Sunak I see the non-aggression pact between the BBC and the Conservative Party is still robustly in place.”

…and John McDonnell thinks he got a very easy time of it.

Essential reading

Ian Blackford, The Independent: It’s a Budget like no other – Rishi Sunak faces a huge challenge

Tom Peck, The Independent: Scotland is in a scandalous mess – it must be ready to govern itself

Ruth Wishart, The Guardian: Salmond vs Sturgeon is not just a battle of personalities

Scott Jennings, CNN: Trump and his CPAC fans lead the Republicans down a losing path

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