Inside Politics: No 10 awaits ‘Dom bombs’ as Cummings set to spill secrets

Tributes have been paid to William Shakespeare, the man who made the headlines after becoming only the second person to get the Pfizer Covid vaccine. The “much-loved” 81-year-old has died of an unrelated illness. Covid, Shakespeare and octogenarians will be making the headlines for quite different reasons today. Dominic Cummings is ready to attack Boris Johnson and his government this morning, and is set to shed some light on whether the PM skipped crucial meetings to work on his Shakespeare book. He is also expected to tell MPs that Johnson claimed “Covid is only killing 80-year-olds”.

Inside the bubble

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

Dominic Cummings’ much-anticipated appearance before the health and science select committees kicks off at 9.30am and might well still be going when PMQs starts at noon. Cummings’ revelations might well provide Keir Starmer with some immediate ammunition. The questions will cover pandemic planning, lockdowns, testing and Cummings’ infamous trip to Barnard Castle. Plenty of popcorn required.

Daily briefing

REVENGE OF THE NERD: So Dominic Cummings finally gets his chance to turn those tweets into testimony. The ex-No 10 adviser is expected to tell MPs that Boris Johnson delayed lockdown last September by claiming “Covid is only killing 80-year-olds”. He will also accuse Johnson of boasting about keeping the beaches open, rather than imposing a second lockdown, according to ITV. “I’m going to be the mayor of Jaws – like I should have been in March,” the PM is supposed to have said. Cummings appears to be most agitated by indecision in the autumn, but he will also be grilled about the crucial weeks of delay in February and early March. As No 10 officials and ministers await any “Dom bombs” headed their way, might Cummings shed some light on claims Johnson missed crucial meetings to work on a Shakespeare book? It emerged that the PM gave an odd, two-minute monologue on Shakespeare last February – fuelling claims that he was focused on his writing. Meanwhile, The Mirror reports that Johnson “backed” the failed European Super League before it was announced. “Boris doesn’t know much about football so he said it was a great idea,” one source told the paper. No 10 denies the claim.

HOT MESS: The government has now updated its advice for eight variant hotspot areas after widespread fury over “confusing” local guidance against travel. Angry council chiefs and public health bosses were forced to clear up the mess and reassure residents there were no new restrictions on travel in and out of their areas. The government’s amended advice now asks people to “minimise travel” in and out of the hotspots. On the defensive, No 10 claimed the guidance was a matter of individual judgement. But government sources blamed health secretary Matt Hancock and his department for the big communications blunder. Labour’s shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said the incident had been “upsetting and insulting” – and attacked Hancock for failing to turn up in parliament to explain himself. Tory MP and doctor Dan Poulter said: “The government’s public health messaging needs to be clearer … People are being asked to piece together a jigsaw puzzle of information.”

WON’T DO IT AGAIN – HONEST: Boris Johnson blamed his offensive comments comparing burqa-wearing women to letter boxes and bank robbers on his previous life as a columnist. An independent review found his remarks have helped give the impression that the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities”. Johnson said: “Would I use some of the offending language from my past writings today? Now that I am prime minister, I would not.” The review found anti-Muslim sentiment “remains a problem” within the Conservatives and criticised the party for failing to properly investigate. Claims of “institutional racism” were not borne out, the report stated. But Tory peer Baroness Warsi told The Independent: “The findings of the report do not support its conclusion that the party does not have an ‘institutional issue’.” She called for the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to investigate. Tory chair Amanda Milling said the party accepted the recommendations of the Singh report and apologised “to anyone who has been hurt”.

IN THE LOOPHOLE: Tory MP Rob Roberts faces a six-week suspension from parliament after a Commons watchdog found he sexually harassed a member of his staff. The former employee told the BBC that Roberts repeatedly propositioned him and asked him to be “less alluring”. The MP apologised for a “completely improper” breach of trust. MPs still have to decide whether to back the recommended suspension from the independent expert panel – but Labour urged Roberts to “resign immediately” and the Tories have suspended the whip. Could the matter spark a recall petition and a by-election? Probably not. MPs are angry that a “loophole” means Roberts is set to avoid such punishment. Any sanctions recommended by the independent expert panel do not automatically trigger the Recall of MPs Act 2015. Labour MP Chris Bryant said that was “manifestly unfair” and wants a change in the rules. “I think it would be entirely dishonourable for a member to exploit that loophole … I think the government has to close it as a matter of urgency.”

I RESTRICT A RIOT: The UK government approved the export of riot gear to America just months after US security forces violently put down Black Lives Matter protests, The Independent has revealed. Around £420,000 worth of ‘anti-riot’ shields were approved for sale to the US in October 2020. Campaigners at the Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) accused UK ministers of “empowering, enabling and legitimising” crackdowns on anti-racism protesters. Elsewhere, cabinet minister Liz Truss has admitted there were “fundamental disagreements” with the government’s LGBT+ panel before the group was disbanded last month. The minister for women and equalities told MPs there was a “difference of opinion” on the issue of the Gender Recognition Act – with members of the panel supporting self-identification for gender recognition. She added the government would be appointing a new LGBT+ panel in “due course” to support its priorities.

PROMISED LAND: Nicola Sturgeon’s vision of an independent Scotland has a little more substance after the release of a radical report by the Social Justice and Fairness Commission she set up two years ago. Billed as “a blueprint, a route map to a more socially just Scotland,” the 132-page study recommends the decriminalisation of personal drug use, looser immigration rules and a universal basic income (UBI). It also suggested a one-off wealth tax to help close the country’s deficit. The Scottish Tories were predictably scathing about it all. “This wish-list from the SNP is not remotely credible,” said the party. “Their election manifesto wasn’t costed and this blueprint for their vision of a future Scotland isn’t either. It is based on fantasy economics.” The commission deputy convenor SNP MSP Neil Gray said: “The proposals we set out are only options. Whether all or any of them are taken forward are political decisions.”

On the record

“If you are a young Muslim child and you want to grow up and be prime minister, you should join the Conservative Party.”

Boris Johnson claims his party offers everyone a warm welcome.

From the Twitterati

“It shows such strength of character that Nadia Whittome has chosen to share her struggles publicly. We should be trying to reduce mental health stigma, not adding to it.”

Tory MP Dehenna Davison condemns the Guido Fawkes blog for questioning Whittome’s PTSD diagnosis...

“She returned to work in care homes at the height of the pandemic. That is more life-experience than all of the arrogant, entitled brats that run the vile Guido Fawkes rag put together.”

...and Labour MSP Paul Sweeney also backs Whittome.

Essential reading

Rabina Khan, The Independent: We don’t need a review to prove Boris Johnson’s burqa comments were offensive

Gordon Brown, The Independent: Boris Johnson must not wreck G7 proposals on corporate tax abuse

Harry Lambert, New Statesman: Cummings is right – the UK did pursue ‘herd immunity’

Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic: If Belarus gets away with it, other regimes with hijack planes too

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