Westminstenders: All bets are off

[RedToothBrush]

We are seeking an extension. Apparently. No prizes for guessing why.

There is no news but COVID news. And that's all there will be for a long time.

Enjoy your stockpile and your sunny uplands it brought.

Keep safe.

Pmk

Chief of Merkel's conservative CSU partner is calling for spending

• actual spending not loans -

of Eur 100-150 bn

Massive amount, even for Germany with its huge budget surpluses normally (58 bn last year)
but if ever there was a time for govt to spend, this is it.

That is in addition to the Eur 550bn available credit Merkel announced some days ago

Plus the ESCB is making Eur 800 bn available to support Eurozone

Massive amounts all round - which still won't be enough to avoid some financial pain

It is, as ever, hilarious that Keynes turns out to be right whenever a crisis comes around.

Pmk

^Next time someone posts that Italy gets far more flu deaths in a year,
this may help to explain why "only 3,000" in a few weeks can overload the system^

To be fair, someone who is proudly impervious to distinguishing "per year" from "per week" is probably also impervious to any subsequent explanations.

I think it's a bit disingenuous of some posters to express faux outrage at something said here, when our own Home Secretary publicly suggested starving the Irish as a negotiating tactic.

Splinters in eyes and all that.

when our own Home Secretary publicly suggested starving the Irish as a negotiating tactic

Cue C&PClav to say that Patel didn’t actually say that and it’s fake news.

It's just been reported that Barnier has COVID-19.

Far to early to call it yet. But if the transition period is to be extended (and doesn't that need a law to be passed ?) then whatever the fig leaf that covers it - some sort of warm phrasing around "only lasting as long as is needed", "regular review", "mutual agreements", "recognising the UKs expressed desire" etc etc, it's hard to imagine a post covid UK where there will be enough bandwidth to resurrect project Brexit. Bearing in mind it's our own government that is using the wartime analogy.

Oh, Barnier in that film was listing his heart tablets

Political pics @politicalpics
Breaking ;I think we can predict a close down of London very soon as beds are being moved into to No10 as we speak...

First it was Redwood asking for state intervention.

Now this thread.

I have entered a weird parallel dimension were IDS asks for universal credit to actually function, Bernard Jenkins gives a fuck and a Tory MP publicly says 'we should do like Europe' without being strung up immediately for being a traitor.

In the same morning.

Lucy Fisher @los_fisher
John Glen, economic secretary, says in Commons the Chancellor "will today be meeting with the TUC, the CBI, the BCC and the FSB.

"This will be with a view to urgently developing new forms of employment support to protect people’s jobs & incomes through this period."

Greg Clark, chair of sci & tech cmtte, suggests: "The monthly wage bill is known to HMRC. Instead of firms paying PAYE to the gvt, that flow should now be reversed with the nation paying the wages of people for the next few weeks, if & only if they continue to employ their staff"

Iain Duncan Smith calls for three urgent changes to Universal Credit, which he says the "gvt could do literally today":

1) lower taper rate
2) change benefit rates to allow "the greater expanse of money to flow to" claimants
3) reduce waiting time "almost immediately"

Gvt coming under a LOT of pressure from Tory MPs demanding urgent extra employment support.

Bernard Jenkin warns ministers "must take note" of calls for "far more radical measures".

"Can I urge the gvt to say something today to give people assurance that the help will come."

Peter Aldous, Tory MP for Waveney, warns many businesses say they face difficulties accessing gvt loans.

Adds: "Can I urge the gvt to support payroll costs far more directly as other European gvts are doing - and this is the way to avoid large-scale redundancies."

So there might be some good news coming on the back end of this after all....
The Death of Brexit 🤗

I have entered a weird parallel dimension were IDS asks for universal credit to actually function, Bernard Jenkins gives a fuck and a Tory MP publicly says 'we should do like Europe' without being strung up immediately for being a traitor.

Once again, I really can't see the appetite - or optics - for "getting Brexit done" to ever be as strong as they were in 2019.

God really does move in mysterious ways. I wonder if Boris thinks the same ?

In Parliament now, beyond satire, Priti Patel says she will make the Home Office a kinder and more respectful place to work.

And I think Diane Abbott just said she had to sneak into the HS's office and steal a copy of the report because PP wouldn't giver her one.

In Parliament now, beyond satire, Priti Patel says she will make the Home Office a kinder and more respectful place to work.

So tacitly admitting it's not a "kind and respectful yadda yadda yadda".

A fiver here and now (or 3 rolls of twin-ply) that it never happens.

Coronavirus is 10 years of reality hitting the government in one month.

It's much harder to hide behind ideology when ideology doesn't have practical skills and usage in a crisis. It's only helpful once youve got back in control of the situation.

Patel claiming the Windrush Report author set a publication time of noon today. That is not the same as giving the opposition front bench official sight of it.

She's thick as mince.

It's much harder to hide behind ideology when ideology doesn't have practical skills and usage in a crisis. It's only helpful once youve got back in control of the situation.

And the government most assuredly is not in control. Probably as a result of years of politics being devolved into lobbying, official briefing, off-record briefing, and a common streak of "sharp elbows" where politicians careers take priority over their jobs.

Boris managed to build a cabinet of nodding dogs. Only they're all out of synch now.

What do you all think of the emergency powers bill that's about to be enacted? Peston seems concerned.

mobile.twitter.com/Peston/status/1240042142678089730

Our current gov't with its taste for authoritarianism and this emergency powers bill is not a good thing. A QC as leader of the opposition would be helpful about now...

Same report from Alex Wickham.

Alex Wickham @alexwickham
Govt getting a pasting from both wings of its own backbenches this morning

— Greg Clark says financial package is not enough, action must be taken immediately on wages — says state should pay them

— Iain Duncan Smith says benefits must be raised today and waiting times reduced

Now Bernard Jenkin piles in

Says Rishi Sunak's package from Tuesday is "simply not going to be enough"

Says Tory "diehards are lining up for far more radical measures... the govt must take note"

Urges the government "to say something today" to reassure people

Full blown protest on the Tory backbenches at the govt's economic response to coronavirus

Tory MP Peter Aldous says the govt must support payroll costs far more directly as other European countries are doing

Aldous says businesses will have difficulty accessing govt loans

Tobias Ellwood says the government has to pay workers' wages

Mark Di Stefano @markdistef
It's getting increasingly strange, from a communications perspective, to have background COVID briefings for the political journalists at 11am.

And then on-record afternoon briefings from the prime minister and medical experts at 5pm.

Official info pinging around everywhere.

Jim Waterson @jimwaterson
The “London to lock down imminently” story has been pinging around as fact since yesterday afternoon, so why wait until a pre-arranged briefing 18hours later to shut it down. If it’s not true, knock it on the head fast, just tweet out “this is not true” from @Number10press.

Lisa O'Carroll @lisaocarroll
They should move to crisis communications sooner rather than later. It's a different discipline with different purpose.

m.huffingtonpost.co.uk/amp/entry/coronavirus-london-lockdown_uk_5e7337d4c5b6eab779428871/

Jess Brammar @jessbrammar
After 12 hours of really serious rumours (which the PM refused to deny yesterday) of lockdown of London, which has had everyone I know scrambling to prepare for it, govt appear to have now ruled it out. How are they allowing comms to be this confusing?

I know numerous families desperately trying to get people either home to London or out of London ahead of "lockdown", in our house we have been madly trying to secure stuff we need for the coming new baby...they could have shut this down last night or first thing this morning

The headless chicken management and briefing style is pissing off and confusing journalists too.

Government are not in control and that sense is definitely rubbing off on the public.

My understanding is that panic buying is much worse in the UK than elsewhere in Europe including Italy.

And this is only likely to help transmission of the virus rather than slow it.

Trust in Johnson is evaporating quickly.

Peston seems concerned.

Peston is right to be concerned.

Justin Madders @justinmadderdMP
There appear to be many more people walking around Ellesmere Port today than there were in London yesterday, feels slightly surreal

I think this reflects different political beliefs, interest and awareness.

Trust in Johnson is evaporating quickly.

The MN faithful just haven't been much good at keeping all us naice ladies on-message and docile. There comes a point when hollow C&Ping of word clouds just isn't cutting it.