Inside Politics – Coronavirus special: Rishi Sunak set to reveal future of furlough scheme

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Tuesday 12 May 2020 08:01 BST

Boris Johnson asked why he is being so vague with the British public

Stanley Johnson’s out-of-print novel The Virus (yes, it’s about a deadly virus) is to be reissued this summer – despite accusations the prime minister’s father is attempting to “cash in” of the current crisis. Although super-wealthy celebs have been accused trying to cash in on the Treasury’s furlough scheme, employers and employees across the country remain utterly dependent on the emergency cash. Rishi Sunak today reveals the future of the scheme beyond June. After the shambolic launch of the lockdown exit plan, can the chancellor send out a clear and reassuring message? I’m Adam Forrest, and welcome to The Independent’s daily Inside Politics briefing during the coronavirus crisis.

Inside the bubble

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

The ONS releases the latest weekly figures for UK deaths linked to coronavirus, and overall excess deaths, which is perhaps the best indicator to compare with other countries, at 9.30am. The main business in the Commons will be a statement by chancellor Rishi Sunak on the job retention scheme. Expect a fuss later about the regulations allowing abortion in Northern Ireland, on which MPs have not yet voted, although this could be the week in which remote voting finally begins.

Daily briefing

IT’S COMPLICATED: Boris Johnson was forced to defend his lockdown easing strategy and “stay alert” slogan after he was accused of failing to offer clarity. The PM argued there were “inevitable complexities” and a “finer, more complicated” message was also therefore required. Thankfully, the government’s 60-page document did actually help clarify matters. It confirmed No 10 is considering allowing households to meet up in merged “bubbles” as soon as 1 June, possibly based on the New Zealand model. What changes this week? From Wednesday, people in England should now aim to wear face coverings on public transport. And despite Dominic Raab’s incorrect suggestion you can meet up with both parents, the document makes clear you are permitted to meet up outside with only one person from a different household (while maintaining social distancing). Remarkably, more than 27.5 million people tuned for Johnson’s big speech on Sunday night, and were not given this information then.

SEPTEMBER SONG: Will the chancellor keep the furlough scheme? According to The Telegraph, Rishi Sunak is ready to announce it will be extended to September – but cut from covering 80 per cent of employees’ wages to just 60 per cent. Labour and the unions are not happy that businesses have been given so little to prepare for returning employees who cannot work from home. The business and energy department did at least publish guidance on Monday for different sectors which can now reopen. One senior trade union official warned that employers may still need up to two weeks to prepare a safe work environment. Dan Shears of the GMB said the PM’s “back to work” message had been rushed and “reckless”. Travel bosses remain in a state of confusion over the government’s quarantine policy, with 28 aviation leaders writing to the PM to demand a meeting over vague plans for a mandatory 14-day isolation for arriving passengers.

BEAUTY SPOT OF BOTHER: There is still some confusion about whether travelling to beauty spots is allowed. Raab said people should feel to drive anywhere in England “to go and walk in a particular area that you are fond of”. But Cumbria Police urged people not to “rush” to the Lake District, while regional tourist agencies complained the messages were confusing. Johnson later added to the puzzlement by telling the No 10 briefing: “We don’t want to see people travelling to another home for a holiday or a second home.” Labour leader Keir Starmer, facing Johnson in the Commons, brought up the lack of clarity on travel – claiming public transport companies were being asked to follow rules “that don’t yet exist”. Johnson waved away Starmer’s queries. “There will be myriad hypothetical questions,” he said. The PM also suggested the British public could be relied upon to “apply their common sense”.

BIFF IN A HUFF: New York governor Andrew Cuomo announced the first lifting of lockdown restrictions in his state, revealing drive-in theatres were among the low-risk business allowed to reopen. “Talk about going back to the future. Back to drive-in movie theatres. I’m okay with that.” Meanwhile Donald Trump, occasionally compared with Biff from the Back to the Future movies, abruptly ended a press conference on coronavirus testing after a dispiriting exchange with Asian-American reporter Weijia Jiang. When the CBS News journalist asked him why he seemed to be treating the virus as a “global competition”, Trump replied: “Maybe that’s a question you should ask China.” Ms Jiang said: “Why are you saying that to me, specifically?” The briefing ended soon after.

MOSCOW RULES: Vladimir Putin has announced a gradual easing of coronavirus lockdown measures in Russia – despite a new surge in infections which took Russia’s tally past Italy’s, making it the fourth highest in the world. Putin, in a televised nationwide address, said he would start lifting restrictions from Tuesday. The president said he wanted to try to stop unemployment (which has doubled to 1.4 million in a month) from spiralling higher. He spoke after the number of new cases of coronavirus rose by a record daily amount to 11,656, taking the official tally just over 220,000. Only the US, UK and have recorded more cases. The authorities also reported 94 deaths on Monday.

NIGHTCLUB DETECTIVES: South Korean authorities have been busy combing through mobile phone data, credit card statements and CCTV footage to identify people who visited nightclubs in a bid to contain a new cluster of infections in Seoul. More than 100 new coronavirus cases now linked to the clubs have raised fears of a second wave. The government has now pushed back this week’s scheduled reopening of schools. Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said “slow, steady lifting of lockdowns” is the key to containing the virus. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the process was “complex and difficult”, but pointed to South Korea as an example of a country with systems in place to respond effectively.

On the record

“The failure to look at what [Asian] countries were doing at the outset will rank as one of the biggest failures of scientific advice to ministers in our lifetime.”

Health committee chair Jeremy Hunt attacks the government’s advisers.

From the Twitterati

“To be clear: you can now go to the park to meet a parent but that parent must be Dominic Raab.”

The Times’ Matt Chorley is amazed at how unclear the rules are...

“Let me absolutely clear: You CAN visit your parents in a park providing you are 2m apart and the group does not consist of more than three people UNLESS one household arrives separately and providing it is outside the off stump and the batsman hasn’t hit…”

…and ABC’s Julia Macfarlane thinks we might need a rulebook.