If Boris Johnson wants to avoid being the Prime Minister who loses the union, then this isn’t a great start. The future of the United Kingdom is beginning to look like No 10’s biggest blind spot.
The greatest challenge Boris Johnson will face - post lockdown - is reinvigorating enthusiasm for the union when the pandemic has done much to erode it. Not just in Scotland, but in NI & Wales where identities are shifting perhaps faster than at any time in the history of the UK.
There is much polling out there to demonstrate that. But allow me one lazy anecdote...a family member who once balked at even calling themselves Welsh (as opposed to British) recently told me they would now vote to leave the UK if there was a referendum. It is a live discussion.
Until recently Welsh independence was in all honesty an irrelevance, something even Plaid Cymru once buried deep in manifestos. Wales remains the most loyal of all the Celtic fringes so when independence is being serious discussed you know the union really is at its most fragile.

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More from @PaulBrandITV

22 Feb
BREAKING: Roadmap for lifting lockdown.

STEP 1 - 9th Mar
📚 Schools, 1-to-1 outdoors

29th March
🧑‍🤝‍🧑Rule of 6 outdoors, outdoor sports

STEP 2 - Not before 12th Apr
🛍️ Non-essential shops
💇‍♀️Hairdressers
🎢 Theme parks/zoos
🏕️ Holiday lets/camping
🍺Outdoor hospitality

1/2
STEP 3 - Not before 17th May
🏠 Indoors rule of 6
🍺 Indoor hospitality
🏋️‍♀️Gyms/indoor sport
🌳 Rule of 6 lifted outdoors, max meeting of 30
⚽️ Stadiums up to 10k spectators

STEP 4 - Not before 21st June
🎵 Nightclubs and remaining sectors
👩‍❤️‍👨No more limits on social contact

2/3
✈️The *earliest* international travel will resume is 17th May, but that is still under review.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿Travelling across the country to see family and stay overnight comes 17th May.

3/3
Read 5 tweets
21 Feb
NEW: PM to announce the following lockdown lifting tomorrow.

March 8th:

🚸 *ALL* schools reopen (which will infuriate unions)
☕️ Coffees/picnics one-to-one outdoors in public areas

March 29th:

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Groups of 6 / two households outdoors
🎾 Outdoor sports eg tennis/football resume
ALL schools reopening to ALL pupils in England differs from Scotland/Wales, which both opted for staggered approach with younger pupils back first.

Unions in England demanding to see scientific proof full reopening is safe. Today one SAGE scientist said it could push R above 1.
PM will announce full details in the Commons at 3:30pm on Monday, all part of his four step roadmap out of lockdown. Then a press conference will follow in the evening.
Read 4 tweets
19 Feb
BREAKING: Care home residents will be allowed one regular indoor visitor from 8th March in England, including holding hands. Testing required before entry, PPE worn throughout.

Visiting essentially back to December situation, but up to individual homes whether they allow it.
Tonight @age_uk welcomes the fact visitors will be allowed back in.

“We know that some older people have stopped eating and drinking, despite the best efforts of staff to take their place. Sometimes, only the person you love most in the world will do.”
But one residents group @rightsforresid2 tells me tonight that they are “devastated” visits will still be down to discretion of homes.

Some have gone above and beyond to allow face to face visits, many have installed pods etc, but some are too afraid to allow visits at all.
Read 5 tweets
1 Nov 20
NEW: PM slaps down Michael Gove’s comments this morning about potentially extending lockdown.

Tomorrow he’ll tell MPs:
 
“On 2nd December, we will seek to ease restrictions, going back into the tiered system on a local and regional basis according to the latest data and trends.”
Note that the semantics here don’t quite rule out extending lockdown. But No 10 is clearly keen to steer public expectation back towards this being a four week blitz. Perhaps in the hope that it’ll encourage greater compliance and of course keep more Tory MPs on side.
PM will also defend his approach tomorrow, telling MPs:

“Models of our scientists suggest that unless we act now, we could see deaths over the winter that are twice as bad or more compared with the first wave.
 
“Faced with these latest figures, there is no alternative...”
Read 5 tweets
20 Oct 20
NEW: Understand No 10 may now withdraw the offer of £60m for Greater Manchester, after @AndyBurnhamGM is reported to have rejected it.

No 10 source tells me, "That will have to be determined. £60m was part of a negotiation, he has walked away from that."
Surely the optics of this would be toxic. Conservative MPs in Greater Manchester would be in uproar. A less inflammatory approach would be for No 10 to offer the £60m on the basis of proportionality with Liverpool and Lancashire and try to move on.
At the end of the day, this isn't really about Boris Johnson or Andy Burnham. It's about the people who will lose their jobs under Tier 3 and need financial support. Leaving the vulnerable without vital funds because politicians can't agree would be the worst of all outcomes.
Read 5 tweets
20 Oct 20
BREAKING: Government says NO agreement has been reached with Greater Manchester.

Measures govt wants to take include:

- all pubs/bars to close, unless they are serving substantial meals
- Betting shops, casinos, bingo halls, adult gaming centres, and soft play areas also close
Full statement from Communities Secretary @RobertJenrick
Assumption is that these measures will now be imposed regardless, with PM due to hold a press conference at 5pm to formally announce them. Restrictions will last 28 days.
Read 4 tweets

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