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Tom Newton Dunn

@tnewtondunn

14 Jun

Interesting conversations with two different ministers tonight. Both support PM’s caution in unlocking this far, but have serious concerns about how the July 19 delay now plays out. They (individually) make the point that cases + hospitalisations and, to a lesser extent, deaths…

…will rise further now sharply, and still be rising in 4 weeks time, but hopefully with a slower rate of incline once more second doses kick in. But they fear the PM will come under huge pressure from the CMO/CSA, Labour and opinion polls, not to unlock when numbers are still…

…pointing upwards, and hospitalisations are in the high 100s and deaths in high two or three figures daily. They wonder, if Johnson doesn’t unlock then, “when can we ever?” The answer, they say, is he will have to bite the bullet once and for all and declare a number of daily…

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Tom Newton Dunn

@tnewtondunn

18 May

@pmdfoster

The spectacularly big row over whether to allow Australian agriculture zero tariffs in a trade deal - as per @pmdfoster and @GeorgeWParker's top scoop today - is now engulfing at least half the Cabinet. I learn however that George Eustice has a plan to end the stand off (1)

Eustice, who wants to protect UK farmers from being under cut, will tell Liz Truss he will accept zero tariffs but NOT zero quotas. Instead, flashpoint Australian imports, such as beef and lamb, must have annual caps, or TRQs (tariff rate quotas) as they're known (2)

The Australians must then be told its TRQs on beef and lamb or no deal, and then challenged to bring down the whole thing over that one element. “They’ve defended their interests well. We just need to do the same for ours”, one close to the talks tells me (3)

Read 7 tweets

Tom Newton Dunn

@tnewtondunn

17 May

Matt Hancock reveals there are now 2,323 cases of the Indian variant of covid across the UK. Almost doubled in four days, since the 1,300 on Thursday. 483 of those cases in Bolton and Blackburn alone.

Hancock rams it home to the vaccine hesitant: “Look at what has happened in Bolton: those who chose not to have the jab have ended up in hospital, some of them in intensive care. Vaccines save lives, Mr Speaker".

People aged 37 will be invited forward for a jab from tomorrow, Hancock reveals. The 35s will follow later in the week.

Read 5 tweets

Tom Newton Dunn

@tnewtondunn

16 May

Oxford’s Emeritus Professor of Medicine Sir John Bell tells T&G nobody should go on a foreign holiday this summer: “I don't think anybody's going on a holiday, except in the UK. There are very broad swathes of Europe that are largely unvaccinated...

“...so they’re pretty vulnerable to new variants, be it Indian or otherwise sweeping across the continent. Having people flying around and coming back with whatever local variant they run into, that is not a good idea. Cornwall or Bournemouth is not so bad".

“I don't want to be a party pooper but the most important thing is not to prolong this any longer than we absolutely have to, so going about this cautiously could be quite helpful to everybody.”

Read 5 tweets

Tom Newton Dunn

@tnewtondunn

11 May

The Treasury Committee has just released dozens of texts that David Cameron bombarded officials, ministers and SPADS with over 3 months of last year to try to save Greensill. He even lobbied his old nemesis Michael Gove. Some are toe curling, like this first one to Tom Scholar:

Or this one, promising "an elbow bump or foot tap" along with the Chancellor.

Cameron also lobbied Treasury ministers Jesse Norman and John Glen with texts, plus No10 SPAD Sheridan Westlake.

Read 5 tweets

Tom Newton Dunn

@tnewtondunn

11 May

Queen's Speech Summary: 25 bills, including two draft ones. 5 major themes:
1. Levelling Up + building back better from Covid. Lots of proposals but only three named bills for this - Skills and Post-16 Education Bill, Planning Bill and the Health and Care Bill.

2. Brexit: Three bills to enact post EU national regimes on areas like subsidies and to set up 8 freeports - the Subsidy Control Bill, Procurement Bill and National Insurance Contributions Bill.

3. Security: two big bits of legislation to tackle the increasing threat from Chinese and Russian espionage, online and in person - the Counter-State Threats Bill and Telecommunications (Security) Bill.

Read 6 tweets

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