Inside Politics: Boris Johnson says ‘imagination’ will solve Brexit problems

Scientists claim they’ve developed a model for a warp drive – a device allowing us to travel to distant galaxies at faster-than-light speeds. I’m sure the Queen wouldn’t mind the chance to zip off to a galaxy far, far away right now (though even the little green men on far-flung planets have probably seen the Meghan and Harry interview). Boris Johnson would certainly welcome the chance to warp-drive away from mounting scrutiny over plans for the Brexit protocol and his Downing Street refurb. And Keir Starmer would jump at the chance to distort spacetime and whizz on past the PM’s vaccine poll bounce.

Inside the bubble

Chief political commentator John Rentoul on what to look out for today:

Cabinet meets by video this morning, where the introduction of a new sentencing bill will be confirmed. Chancellor Rishi Sunak will take questions in the Commons, followed by the last day of Budget debate. We’ll get some commentary on tax policy from three ex-chancellors – Norman Lamont, Alistair Darling and George Osborne – at the Institute for Government at lunchtime.

Daily briefing

ROYAL RUMBLE: It proved impossible for politicians to keep out of the Meghan and Harry mess. Boris Johnson tried his best to saying nothing interesting, choosing to point out he “always had the highest admiration for the Queen” when asked about claims the royals had failed to care for the Sussexes’ mental health and a member had speculated on Archie’s skin colour. Foreign office minister Zac Goldsmith – a close friend of the PM – was less circumspect. “Harry is blowing up his family,” said the baron, adding: “‘What Meghan wants, Meghan gets.’” Keir Starmer backed away from calls from fellow Labour frontbenchers (Kate Green and Wes Streeting) for Buckingham Palace to “investigate” the possibility of racism. The Labour leader said Meghan’s claims should be taken “very, very seriously”. Just to cool things down a little in the culture wars, the government introduces a new bill today bringing in 10-year sentences for vandals who damage statues. Even Sir Nicholas Soames, Churchill’s grandson, questioned whether 10 years in jail might “overdo the point”.

MYSTERY OF THE INTERIOR DESIGNER: Boris Johnson did not deny private donors helped pay for renovations to his Downing Street flat – and is under growing pressure to say who stumped up the money. “All I can say is all such inquiries will be answered with normal declarations in the normal way,” he said. Sir Alistair Graham, former chair of the standards committee, said: “Just tell us the truth and the story will go away – if the prime minister’s got a sensible explanation.” No 10 insisted Tory funds were not being used after the Daily Mail reported that party funds met “a large part” of the bill for the work wanted by the PM and his fiancée (thought to be £200,000). Marking International Women’s Day, the PM’s press secretary Allegra Stratton said Johnson describes himself as a“feminist” – but said the feminist was unlikely to take any time off for paternity leave. There was also a hint of more women in cabinet at the next reshuffle to make it“more representative”.

NO FLOUNCE OVER BOUNCE: Keir Starmer has said the Tories’ widening poll lead over Labour is down to a “vaccine bounce”. The Labour leader said voters felt good after getting their jabs and tend to “gravitate” towards the government during a time of crisis. “There is undoubtedly a vaccine bounce going on,” Starmer toldRadio 2’s Jeremy Vine show, saying he would keep calm and carry on. “Let’s be honest, we’ve got to do better … I’ve got to do better, we’ve got a job and a half to do.” In a speech today, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth will urge the government to hold regular “war games” across the health service to prepare for future pandemics. The current pandemic is enough for Boris Johnson right now. He admitted an increased risk of transmission was “inevitable” with the re-opening of schools. Dr Jenny Harries, the deputy chief medical officer for England, also warned that Covid case levels (around 4,700 on Monday) were still worryingly high. “This is a level at which a new wave could easily takeoff again from.”

IN A WORLD OF PURE IMAGINATION: What next in the row over No 10’s unilateral move to change protocol arrangements? The EU Commission’s vice president Maros Sefcovic is set to brief EU ambassadors today on options for legal action against the UK, according to the FT. Boris Johnson doesn’t seem the least bit worried about lawsuits. The PM told a No 10 press conference that “goodwill and imagination”were all that was needed to iron out those pesky old “teething problems” over the protocol. He insisted that the critics who have accused him of destroying trust with Brussels would be “pleasantly surprised” by the outcome of talks. Meanwhile, the EU Commission rejected Brexit minister David Frost’s claim that its approach to Northern Ireland was driven by “ill-will” towards the UK. “We never sulk,” said a spokesman. “We don’t have moods. We are an institution, so we try to work on a day-to-day basis with a very, very even temper.”

OOH, YOU ARE AWFUL! Boris Johnson will probably avoid Wales for his summer staycation this year. First minister Mark Drakeford was caught calling the PM “awful” by a TV documentary crew filming the aftermath of a Zoom call in December. Drakeford said he felt a “sense of despair” and was “wringing” his hands after a crisis meeting with the PM following France’s travel ban. He was then heard to say: “Dear me, he really, really is awful.” In Scotland, Tory leader Douglas Ross suggested independence negotiations to break up the UK would be really, really awful – much messier than Brexit. “It would be immensely worse than the difficulties that we’ve experienced in leaving the EU.” Ross has signalled he would be open to working with Labour in a “grand coalition” to keep the SNP out of power after May’s Holyrood election. But Scottish Labour’s new leader, Anas Sarwar, accused his rival of attention-seeking behaviour. “What Douglas Ross is trying to do is try and get some relevance for himself.”

COAL? IT’S THE PITS: White House official John Kerry enjoyed a socially-distanced meeting withBoris Johnson and Cop26 conference president Alok Sharma at Downing Street on Monday. Joe Biden’s climate envoy had a friendly word of warning on plans for anew coal mine in Cumbria. “The marketplace has made a decision that coal is not the future,” he said – calling it the “dirtiest fuel in the world”. Kerry did praise the UK’s “ambitious” climate goals, and also urged the world’s top 20polluters to reduce CO2 output immediately. Meanwhile, the White House was drawn into the Megan and Harry saga. Biden’s press secretary Jen Psaki praised their “courage” in speaking out on their mental health struggles. “That is certainly something the president believes [in].” But Psaki said the Biden administration would not be commenting further on the lives of “private citizens sharing their own stories”.

On the record

“I’m sure that it can all be ironed out and sorted out … with goodwill and with imagination.”

Boris Johnson won’t let Brexit get him down.

From the Twitterati

“Boris Johnson then says the key to saving Brexit is ‘imagination’. Guess we’ve run out of pixie dust and unicorn horns.”

Femi Oluwole find the PM’s claims astonishing...

“Boris Johnson’s spokeswoman claims he is “a feminist”. He previously: – Said women only go to university "to find men to marry” – Wrote a piece about the “hot totty” at Labour conference.”

…and Adam Bienkov is astonished by Boris the feminist claims.

Essential reading

Sadiq Khan, The Independent: We mustn’t let Covid reverse decades of progress in gender equality

Shola Mos-Shogbamimu, The Independent: The royal family have failed Harry and Meghan

Stephen Bush, New Statesman: How will the UK-EU row over the Irish border be resolved?

Jelani Cobb, The New Yorker: The Republican party’s existential crisis

Sign up here to receive this free daily briefing in your email inbox every morning