“The success of reopening thousands of pubs on Saturday will depend on drinkers acting responsibly and not letting them down, Boris Johnson will warn on Friday. The Prime Minister will say the reopening “will only succeed if everyone works together” and warn that restrictions will reimposed if coronavirus “starts running out of control again”. Businesses in England have been rushing to make sure they are ready for so-called “Super Saturday” after Mr Johnson said they could reopen from July 4 after more than 100 days of lockdown. The Prime Minister will say that Saturday is “about supporting the livelihoods of business owners and their employees up and down the country” and paying tribute to their “heroic effort” to reopen.” – Daily Telegraph
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“China’s ‘unacceptable’ crackdown in Hong Kong could shut the door to Huawei’s involvement in Britain’s 5G mobile network, Boris Johnson has said as London and Beijing traded blows today. Mr Johnson said the draconian new security law that China has imposed on Hong Kong was ‘plainly an unacceptable breach’ of the freedoms that the city was guaranteed after Britain handed it back in 1997. Linking the crisis to the Huawei deal, the PM told the Evening Standard that ‘I don’t want to see our critical national infrastructure at risk of being in any way controlled by potentially hostile state vendors… so we have to think very carefully about how to proceed now.'” – Daily Mail
>Today: Iain Dale’s column: China’s cyber attacks on Britain. How do I know about them? Because I’ve seen the proof.
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Wanted: an international solution to the plight of the Hong Kongers
“Rishi Sunak will put jobs at the heart of his set-piece economic statement next week as he tries to avert a post-coronavirus catastrophe, but he has told Tory MPs not to expect big tax cuts to boost the economy. The chancellor’s attempt to manage expectations over fiscal stimulus measures came as Boris Johnson disappointed business leaders by confirming that the government would phase out the job retention scheme by October. As the economy opened up, furloughed workers were simply being kept in “suspended animation”, the prime minister said… Mr Sunak’s statement will mark a shift in his coronavirus strategy from a support phase, where the government “wrapped its arms around the UK economy”, to a stimulus phase, where it encourages households and companies to spend as normally as possible.” – FT
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Comment:
>Today: Peter Gibson MP in Local Government: Set the high street free
>Yesterday: Phillipa Stroud in Comment: Coronavirus has hit those in poverty hardest. The Government must support employment, fast.
“We can also draw a map of the Covid not-spots, and it is fascinating. London – still pretty much a ghost town – now scores 3, meaning there are just a few dozen new cases a day. The south-west of England is virtually Covid-free. The reopening of Longleat safari park means that in Wiltshire you are more likely to meet a lion than someone recently diagnosed with the virus. Last week, there was not a single Covid case recorded in Bath, Portsmouth, Rutland or Torbay. We didn’t know all this before. Now that we do, it makes it harder to understand why so many theatres remain shuttered, offices empty and schools on a skeleton service. Local knowledge can be put to practical use, as we have seen in Leicester: it allows ministers to act quickly. But they can also do so in places that are virtually Covid-free, abolishing mandatory restrictions and simply asking people to be careful.” – Daily Telegraph
“Parents have been instructed to send their children back to school in September unless a doctor tells them otherwise as the government seeks to fully restart classroom teaching. Schools and local councils reluctant to reopen to all pupils have been told that ministers will use emergency powers to force them to do so, unless a local health emergency, similar to that in Leicester this week, is declared. The government issued the order as it released pages of guidance designed to help schools run as safely as possible. It said that they must open full-time and at full capacity in September. In primary schools, pupils will be required to stay in their class “bubbles”, usually numbering 30 or so.” – The Times
Comment:
Editorial:
>Today: ToryDiary: The Government toughens up on school reopenings
>Yesterday: David Chinchen in Local Government: We need to develop effective operational links between neighbourhood policing teams and our schools
“People arriving in the UK will be given Covid-19 tests at the border under plans to abolish the blanket quarantine for all passengers. Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, confirmed yesterday that officials were assessing plans for mass testing at airports. He suggested that an enhanced testing regime could unlock travel to and from Britain. A trial scheme at airports is already being planned by two private sector companies and it is believed that details of a government-backed programme will be confirmed in mid-July. Today, Mr Shapps will announce further details of quarantine-free “air bridge” agreements that will allow passengers to travel into the UK without self-isolating for two weeks.” – The Times
“Jeremy Corbyn’s legacy is being rapidly dismantled, with his allies suffering a huge setback in Labour’s civil war yesterday as they lost control of the campaign group Momentum. The grassroots group was set up in 2015 on the back of Corbynmania to help secure the Islington North MP’s victory in the leadership contest. The socialist campaign movement was highly influential over the Labour Party during Mr Corbyn’s four-year tenure in the top job. Following Sir Keir Starmer’s election victory in April, Momentum – which urged its members to back Rebecca Long-Bailey for leader – vowed to “hold Keir to account and make sure he keeps his promises”… But, yesterday allies of Mr Corbyn who oppose Sir Keir’s leadership suffered a severe setback when they lost Momentum’s internal elections.” – Daily Express
“Michel Barnier accused British trade negotiators of a lack of respect after Brexit talks ended a day early on Thursday amid “serious divergences” between the UK and the EU. Mr Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, blamed British intransigence and a refusal to engage in negotiations for the lack of progress in this week’s round of talks, which had been meant to close on Friday. The EU and UK are divided over fishing rights, the future role of the European Court of Justice, Brussels’ demands for “level playing field” guarantees and the governance of the future relationship treaty. “We want a deal but not at any price,” said Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, during a press conference with Angela Merkel.” – Daily Telegraph
“Northern Ireland faces a fresh political crisis after Arlene Foster’s Democratic Unionists called on Sinn Féin’s joint head of government to step aside in a row over alleged breaches of coronavirus rules at an IRA enforcer’s funeral. Mrs Foster, the first minister, urged deputy first minister Michelle O’Neill to stand down pending a police investigation into alleged breaches of social distancing guidelines at the Belfast funeral of Bobby Storey, a senior figure in the IRA. But Sinn Féin insisted Ms O’Neill won’t go, saying she “will not be stepping aside as deputy first minister under any circumstances”. The escalating row has piled pressure on the coalition led by the DUP and Sinn Féin that controls Northern Ireland’s devolved government at Stormont.” – FT
“Complicated changes to the two-metre social distancing rule unveiled by Nicola Sturgeon will see it retained on pavements, halved in bars and abolished for some children but not others. The First Minister announced that from Friday youngsters under 12 can play normally with each other outside and interact with adults, allowing them to hug non-shielding grandparents for the first time since lockdown started. However, despite widespread reports for weeks of teenagers socialising in parks and other public spaces, she said the two-metre rule would still apply to children aged between 12 and 17. In theory, both age groups will still be restricted to meeting outside in groups of up to eight people from no more than three households.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
>Yesterday: Henry Hill’s Red, White, and Blue column: Johnson prepares to take a more ‘robust’ line on the Union… but muzzles devosceptics