Inside Politics: Ministers to reveal border plans and immigration rules

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Brexit-backing pub chain boss Tim Martin won’t be happy. The Neverspoons app – named after the anti-Wetherspoons hashtag and designed to help drinkers find independent boozers – has now been downloaded more than 50,000 times. Amazing how smart technology can help us take back control. Michael Gove insists smart technology can give Britain the world’s most “secure” border and make Brexit a success. But the old-fashioned diggers are out in Kent today, ripping up land to create more parking space for lorries. Is this what Boris Johnson meant when he said his government was ready to “build, build, build”?

Inside the bubble

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick on what to look out for today:

Home secretary Priti Patel will unveil a new “health and care visa” for foreign workers, as part of the government’s new immigration rules – having previously said it would be offered to NHS professionals only. Details are scarce, but the special visas come with fast-track, cut-price permission to take up job offers. MPs are set to vote on membership of the intelligence and security committee this evening – with Chris Grayling put forward as the potential chairman in charge of releasing the Russia report.

Daily briefing

GET TO THE POINTS: Priti Patel will spell out the plan for a post-Brexit immigration system today. “Foreign criminals” sentenced to more than one year in prison will be banned from Britain under new rules, according to The Daily Telegraph. Both EU and non-EU migrants will have to earn 70 points to become eligible to work in the UK. Meanwhile, work begins today on a massive site for lorries just outside Ashford, after the government reportedly bought 27 acres of land there. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove boasted about a £705m funding package for “smart infrastructure” to create “the world’s most effective and secure border” (yet more boasts about world-beating technology). Labour’s Rachel Reeves said the government had promised to build “hospitals, railways and new schools … not investment in a lorry park in Kent”.

THE HORROR, THE HORROR: Get ready for another Brexit-related advertising blitz. The government’s campaign to prepare us for the end of the transition period will run with the slogan “Check, change, go”. At least some of it is aimed at making us aware of the higher costs coming our way – with hikes in travel insurance premiums expected. The Lib Dems’ acting leader Sir Ed Davey said the campaign would fill businesses still struggling to deal with the fall-out from Covid-19 with “utter horror”. Elsewhere, the chancellor is set to start the bidding for towns hoping to get post-Brexit “freeports” – the tax and tariff-free zones. But reports suggest they won’t be “fully operational” until at least 18 months after the transition period.

INFUSIASTIC RESPONSE: Some more encouraging news now. Scientists at Astrazeneca are ready to start trials of a new antibody treatment aimed at protecting older people from Covid-19. Experts at the pharmaceutical giant hope a three-minute “infusion” of antibodies could prevent infection for up to six months, according to The Times. Less encouraging news from health secretary Matt Hancock, who has revealed more than 100 small, local outbreaks are happening every week. He said door-to-door testing would increasingly be used to control clusters. Meanwhile, ministers have been urged to control the messaging around masks. Despite Boris Johnson’s suggestion the government could get “stricter”, Gove said he didn’t think face coverings should be compulsory in shops in England, telling Andrew Marr it was a matter best left to common sense and “good manners”.

PILLORIED TO POST: Labour will join an advertising boycott of Facebook in “solidarity” with the Black Lives Matter movement. The shadow Cabinet Office minister Rachel Reeves said her party wanted to “express our concern about the failure … to take down some hateful material”. Facebook has said some malicious posts would be removed – but some of those posts could stay if they had news value. Polling doesn’t tend to have too much news value this far out from a general election – but there is another intriguing survey for the Labour leader. Opinium found the public rate Keir Starmer more highly than Johnson on competence and ability to negotiate with the EU. And 49 per cent of people said their opinion of Labour had become more favourable since he took over.

AI CARAMBA! Dominic Cummings’ company paid more than £250,000 to one of the artificial intelligence firms who worked for the Vote Leave campaign, according to The Guardian. Unfortunately, the world-be genius at No 10 and the AI firm Faculty declined to explain what the payments were for. Gove, the other would-be genius at the heart of government, confirmed on Sunday that parts of civil service will be shunted out of London. He told the BBC is was “vitally important that decision makers are close to people”. Asked about the idea of peers moving to York, Gove sounded enthusiastic, but said it was “a question for the House of Commons and the House of Lords”. Further north, Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said any border restrictions would be based on health risk, not politics.

IN THE ROUGH: Donald Trump’s national security adviser Robert O’Brien is said to be flying into Paris for talks with the UK’s top civil servant Sir Mark Sedwill on China and Huawei’s involvement in the 5G network. It’s not the only Trump interest in Britain at the moment. The president’s sons are planning a big expansion of his golf empire in Scotland, with proposals to build hundreds of private homes, retirement villas and shops beside the golf courses the family already owns. Trump had a relatively quiet weekend (playing another round of golf, of course). He retweeted an article in which one of his advisers suggested Kanye West could take black voters away from Joe Biden. The president added: “That shouldn’t be hard. Corrupt Joe has done nothing good for Black people!”

On the record

“I love Liz, she is one of my bestest friends in cabinet.”

Michael Gove on loving trade secretary Liz Truss, despite her recent letter warning of Brexit border problems.

From the Twitterati

“Michael Gove tells Marr the British Govt will install “smart infrastructure to let trade flow” ... After his government's deeply ‘un-smart’ Covid performance, does he expect anyone to believe that?”

Broadcaster Lesley Riddoch isn’t buying what Gove says about border tech…

“Does anyone believe a single word that Michael Gove said on the Andrew Marr show?’

…while anti-Brexit campaign Graham Tottle is buying anything Gove says.

Essential reading

Rachael Revesz, The Independent: I was optimistic about the post-Covid world – until the Tories reminded us who they are

Alastair Campbell, The Independent: MPs need to stop letting Johnson gaslight the public

John Harris, The Guardian: The return of benefit sanctions won’t help the Covid-19 jobs crisis

Amna A. Akbar, The New York Times: The left is remaking the world

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