POLITICO London Playbook: Body blow — Tinker, tailor, soldier, SpAd — Release the tapes

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By ALEX WICKHAM

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Good Monday morning.

DRIVING THE DAY

BODY BLOW: Boris Johnson will today have to answer the most incendiary claim that has emerged from the Downing Street briefing war: that during a meeting in No. 10 in October last year, he allegedly told colleagues: “No more ****ing lockdowns — let the bodies pile high in their thousands.” The marmalade-dropper allegation is made by a “source” to the Daily Mail’s Simon Walters, who has also been the recipient of other recent leaks that the prime minister has blamed on his former top adviser Dominic Cummings. Last night, No. 10 furiously denied the claim on the record, issuing a short statement: “This is just another lie.” And so begins another week of the Dom vs. Downing Street circus.

Gover and out: The Mail’s story alleges Johnson made the remark after a meeting with Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove and other senior ministers in October, before the government imposed a second national lockdown. The paper quotes “a source close to Mr Gove” recalling: “Michael said that if he didn’t impose a second lockdown there would be a catastrophe. Hospitals would be over-run, people would be turned away from A&E and people would be dying in hospital corridors and hospital car parks. He told the PM he would have to send soldiers into hospitals to keep people out.” Johnson is said to have agreed to the second lockdown, but then made the “bodies” comment as he insisted there wouldn’t be a third.

Tinker, tailor, soldier, SpAd: Much of the story is attributed to a “source close to Gove,” and it goes without saying that Cummings used to work for Gove. The Mail piece is also accompanied by a box item headlined “Cummings has key No. 10 tapes,” which quotes an “ally” claiming: “Dom has stuff on tape. They are mad to pick a fight with him because he will be able to back up a lot of his claims. He used to tell advisers to record things all the time — discussions with officials. He has also kept a lot of his correspondence.” No. 10 is obviously in no doubt as to where this came from.

Starmer going hard: A Labour spokesperson said last night: “If this report is true, then these are truly shocking and sickening comments from Boris Johnson. It is hard to imagine how families who have lost loved ones to COVID will feel reading them. Boris Johnson must make a public statement as soon as possible in his response to this report.”

**A message from Facebook: Working together is more important than ever in the fight against COVID-19. In Spain, the World Bank is using Facebook’s Disease Prevention Maps to forecast needs for COVID-19 testing and hospital beds. Learn more about how we’re collaborating to keep communities safe and informed at about.fb.com/europe.**

Where’s Boris? Johnson is on the campaign trail in Wales today — the local elections are just 10 days away — so you’d imagine it won’t be long before he’s asked to repeat No. 10’s denial.

Release the tapes: So, did he say it? It’s fair to say it wouldn’t be the first time the PM has made an ill-advised off-the-cuff remark. (He’s even done one about “bodies” before.) It’s also the sort of thing you’d make up if you wanted to brief something untrue but just about believable to smear him. The next place this he-said-he-said story goes is for another minister present to either confirm or deny it, or for a tape to emerge. Gove should surely be able to clear it up pretty quickly.

First up: Defense Secretary Ben Wallace is on the morning round, where he will perhaps have to issue more forceful denials than International Trade Secretary Liz Truss managed on her round on Sunday.

And another: “Allies of Cummings” appear elsewhere in today’s papers. The Times’ Olly Wright and Steve Swinford quote them saying Cummings will produce documents proving the PM was prepared to let people die rather than lock down again. The Telegraph’s Charles Hymas says he will accuse Johnson of overruling advice from himself and Home Secretary Priti Patel to close the borders last year. We know the Patel part of this is true as Guido actually did have her on tape confirming it a few months back. Cummings coincidentally tweeted on Saturday that borders were a “v important issue re learning from disaster.”

CHATTY RAT CATCHER: The Times and Telegraph splash on an important briefing from the Cabinet Office ahead of Cabinet Secretary Simon Case’s appearance in front of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee at 2.15 p.m., which firmly rejects two central claims made in Cummings’ blog last week about the so-called chatty rat lockdown leak inquiry.

Claim 1: The first is Cummings’ insistence that Case cleared him of being the leaker of the second lockdown news, and found the evidence pointed to senior No. 10 aide Henry Newman. A senior Cabinet Office official — not a political adviser with skin in the game but a neutral civil servant — tells Playbook this is not right. The official says Case will make clear at today’s select committee that the inquiry is ongoing and has not ruled anyone out, meaning Cummings has not been cleared as he wrote. Notably the official also suggests the evidence does not point toward Newman: “No. 10 would not appoint a suspect in a leak investigation to a senior role.”

Claim 2: The second is Cummings’ claim that Johnson asked if he could “stop” the leak inquiry if it pointed to Newman, as he is a friend of the PM’s fiancée Carrie Symonds. The Cabinet Office official says Case will reject this allegation today and state that the PM has never interfered in a leak inquiry.

Open Case: If PACAC hopes to get confirmation of the juicy details in the Sundays about the security services’ “chatty rat” investigation — which apparently undertook forensic analysis of messages sent from the room in which the lockdown meeting was held and found Cummings was the likely source — it’ll be disappointed. The Cabinet Office official says Case will aim to commit as little news as possible and “dead bat” any questions on this topic and probably most others.

What will the cab sec be saying? Playbook hears PACAC is expected to publish a letter sent to them by Case on Friday, in which he outlined the early findings of his probe into civil service double-jobbing following the Greensill scandal. Case told PACAC he has ordered senior officials to apply the existing rules on outside interests more rigorously, and that he is considering introducing tougher measures. The Guardian’s Aubrey Allegretti says that will take the form of another review.

What will we get? Case will potentially give some “vague” numbers of broadly how many civil servants have fessed up to having outside jobs — Playbook hears it’s in the double figures. But he won’t name and shame the double-jobbers.

What will Labour do? Keir Starmer was last night planning how best to hit the government with urgent questions in the Commons today, and is spoilt for choice on what to go with. For all of the leaks, briefings, claims and counter-claims of the past few weeks, Labour officials who spoke to Playbook last night reckoned it’s another story that might actually end up proving more damaging for Johnson: the possibility that Downing Street isn’t telling the truth about its handling of last week’s football Super League controversy.

My old Dan said be a City fan: The Sunday Times’ Caroline Wheeler tweeted a must-read thread last night outlining her bombshell claims about what happened at a meeting between Manchester United Executive Vice Chairman Ed Woodward and No. 10 Chief of Staff (and Man United fan) Dan Rosenfield last week. Wheeler has sources claiming Rosenfield told Woodward that Downing Street would not stand in the way of the plan for the hated Super League. When Johnson and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden later went nuclear on the breakaway proposal, Rosenfield apparently intervened to tone down their response.

Why it matters: These are extraordinary claims that would drive a coach and horses through No. 10’s apparently successful efforts to work on the side of fans to save football as we know it. Imagine if it turns out that Downing Street originally privately gave the green light for the Super League plan, only to U-turn following public outcry. Labour’s Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens last night wrote to Simon Case asking him to publish minutes of the meeting to help get to the bottom of what really went on.

What No. 10 is saying: The official line from Downing Street is that the Super League was not discussed at all at this meeting, that Rosenfield did not given anyone any assurances on the Super League, and that on the contrary he worked with the rest of No. 10 to stop it. That is the direct opposite of what the Sunday Times reported. One to watch.

FLAT-GATE LATEST: Labour is also calling for a full investigation into the funding of renovations to Johnson’s Downing Street flat, and this morning the party has written to the Electoral Commission calling on it to take evidence from Cummings on what he knows. After No. 10 confirmed last week that Johnson was footing the bill himself (beyond the taxpayer-funded allowance given to all PMs), the question that remains is whether a Tory donor helped pay for the works initially — meaning a loan would need to be declared to the Electoral Commission. The i reports HMRC is asking for “clarification” on where the money came from.

Heavy Case load: Last week, Sky’s Sam Coates reported that Simon Case was overseeing the fallout from the row over the Downing Street flat — so you’d expect PACAC will ask him about that too. Playbook is told Case will likely only give a factual timeline of what he knew and when and again will try not to make news.

Where does this go? The general view in government is that given Johnson is now paying for the works himself, the Electoral Commission and public will be more relaxed than they otherwise might have been. One minister over the weekend sent Playbook John Rentoul’s article in the Independent in which he concluded: “We should be clear that what was wrong about Johnson’s plan was the secrecy, not the funding. As a taxpayer, I would be delighted to have a Conservative donor pick up the bill for doing up the prime minister’s flat in that historic building. But, obviously, we should know about it. So the most serious charge that Cummings can level against his former boss is that he thought about doing something unethical but didn’t.”

Also today: Labour is calling for ministers to publish all contacts and links they have with firms awarded government contracts during the pandemic. The BBC has the story.

One hot take: The conventional Westminster wisdom on all this has been that it was Johnson who declared war on Cummings, and that this was a terrible strategic mistake that would provoke his former aide into seeking diabolical revenge. Well, quite possibly, but the view at the top of government is very different. One minister who spoke to Playbook yesterday argued it was Cummings who had declared war on Johnson by leaking against him over the past few weeks, noting that his blog did not deny being the source of the Downing Street flat or Mohammed bin Salman stories. The minister said the PM had to respond rather than just let the leaks continue with the public being none the wiser about what was going on. They also suggested Cummings was always going to go nuclear on the PM at his select committee appearance, and that Downing Street’s decision to name him as the leaker will make no difference to his ultimate testimony — other than guaranteeing a lot of it is priced in beforehand.

How this might end: As far as Playbook can see there are two key questions that decide this: Does No. 10 produce the apparent evidence from the security services that supposedly shows Cummings was the chatty rat, proving he lied in his blog and destroying his credibility? Or does Cummings produce the tapes his allies claim he has, standing up explosive and embarrassing statements from Johnson that vindicate the former aide and leave the PM facing killer questions about his competence and integrity? (If neither of these happen, the third question might be: Does any of this ever really cut through to the public, or does it just remain some weapons-grade but relatively short-lived Westminster entertainment?)

One person enjoying all this: A friend and former colleague of David Cameron told Playbook this weekend that the former PM, who famously once labeled Cummings a “career psychopath,” had been proved right — and might just be relishing the current No. 10 incumbent’s predicament after Johnson’s tough line on the Greensill scandal. “He called it years ago from first-hand experience of what this guy is like. If only Boris had listened.”

MR. BRIGHTSIDE: The coronavirus crisis has shown that Boris Johnson is optimistic and buccaneering to a fault, but also capable of planning ahead. How he balances these two inclinations could end up determining how the pandemic is remembered, his fate at the next election, and the country’s health, writes my POLITICO colleague Esther Webber.

TODAY IN WESTMINSTER

HOUSE OF COMMONS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with education questions to Gavin Williamson, followed by any urgent questions or ministerial statements … There will then be ping pong with the Lords on their amendments to the Financial Services Bill, Domestic Abuse Bill and the National Security and Investment Bill … Later on, MPs will turn to regulations bringing in a new system of managed quarantine for red-list travelers.

HELP FOR INDIA: It perhaps says it all about Westminster that it is spending the day arguing about SpAds, wallpaper and WhatsApp messages rather than the situation in India, which officially reported 349,691 more coronavirus cases on Sunday with another 2,767 deaths — although the real numbers are likely to be much higher. Today the U.K. government is flying more than 600 pieces of vital medical equipment to the country, including ventilators and oxygen concentrator devices. EU countries are also sending aid. The BBC and POLITICO have write-ups.

Public service announcement: People aged 44 will be invited to book their COVID jab from today. Yes, that means they are currently going down the list one year at a time. NHS England says: “The decision to move to people aged 40-43 will be set out in the coming days.” Playbook is told to expect those in their early 40s to be able to get the jab this week, and people in their late 30s coming up very soon as well.

YESTERDAY’S COVID STATS: 1,712 new cases, ⬇️ 349 on Saturday. In the past seven days the U.K. has recorded a total 17,063 new cases, ⬇️ 824 on the previous week … 11 new reported deaths within 28 days of a positive test, ⬇️ 21 on Saturday. In the past seven days the U.K. has recorded a total 160 deaths, ⬇️ 23 on the previous week.

VAX STATS: A total 33,666,638 people have received the first dose, ⬆️ 142,215. A total 12,587,116 people have received the second dose, ⬆️ 498,430.

WHAT LABOUR WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green is unveiling new research this morning claiming that under the Conservatives, apprenticeships have declined by a third since 2015. She’s on the morning broadcast round.

WHAT UNITE WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: The Unite union is leading a series of strikes across the U.K. as part of an effort to end “fire and rehire” tactics from big firms. Hundreds of workers at British Gas lost their jobs last week after they refused to sign up for longer hours — Labour is calling on the government to bring legislation to ban such practices. Government ministers including Jacob Rees-Mogg, Paul Scully and Kwasi Kwarteng have all been critical of fire and rehire recently too. The Mirror’s Pippa Crerar has more.

FREE MOVEMENT: U.S. travelers who are fully vaccinated from COVID should be able to travel to the EU over the summer, according to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. “The Americans, as far as I can see, use European Medicines Agency-approved vaccines,” von der Leyen told the New York Times on Sunday, adding, “This will enable free movement and the travel to the European Union.” POLITICO’s Miriam Webber has the story.

ALSO IN COMMITTEES: The Lords constitution committee talks to two former Cabinet secretaries in Gus O’Donnell and Mark Sedwill about revising the “Cabinet manual,” the document that provides guidance for ministers and officials (noon) … The public accounts committee hosts senior DCMS officials for a session looking at the Culture Recovery Fund (2.30 p.m.) … The Commons Treasury committee continues its inquiry into the future of financial services, with representatives from the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (3.30 p.m.) … and the joint national security committee talks to former foreign office official Simon McDonald and IfG Director Bronwen Maddox (4 p.m.).

HOUSE OF LORDS: Sits from 1 p.m. with questions on the impact of COVID on the leveling-up agenda, protecting natural habitats during infrastructure construction and more … Followed by debate on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Report on Historical Inequalities (2 p.m.) … Peers will then consider Commons amendments to the Overseas Operations (Service Personnel and Veterans) Bill (2.40 p.m.) and then debate NHS regulations on pharmaceutical charges and services (5.40 p.m.).

** Salla Saastamoinen acting director general, DG Justice and Consumers will speak at POLITICO Live’s virtual panel “Saving Europe’s summer: mission impossible?”, taking place on Wednesday, May 26. Register today!**

STATE OF THE UNION

GRAND REOPENING: Scotland and Wales will take a big step toward normality today, as a raft of lockdown measures are eased to mark the U.K.’s progress with the virus. It’s a big day especially for pub, restaurant and café owners, who will welcome customers back today for the first time in 2021. The BBC has detailed reports from Wales and Scotland.

REOPENING IN SCOTLAND: Pubs, cafés and restaurants can serve food indoors — without alcohol — until 8 p.m. They can provide full service — with alcohol — outdoors … Weddings and funerals can now take place with up to 50 people … Gyms and swimming pools can reopen … as can shops and tourist accommodation … and indoor attractions like museums and libraries.

AND IN WALES: Pubs, cafés and restaurants reopen to customers outdoors … Outdoor weddings and “organized outdoor activities” can take place with up to 30 people … and two people can now visit care homes.

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MEDIA ROUND

Defense Secretary Ben Wallace broadcast round: Sky News (7.05 a.m.) … Today program (8.10 a.m.) … Times Radio (8.35 a.m.) … LBC (8.50 a.m.).

Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green broadcast round: Today program (6.50 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (7.10 a.m.) … Times Radio (7.45 a.m.) … talkRADIO (8.05 a.m.) … BBC Radio Five Live (8.20 a.m.) … Today program (8.40 a.m.) … LBC (8.50 a.m.).

Also on the Today program: Commander of the UK Carrier Strike Group Steve Moorhouse (6.45 a.m.) … Former No. 10 chief of staff Gavin Barwell (7.10 a.m.) … Dr. Zarir Udwadia, a member of India’s Maharashtra government COVID task force (7.50 a.m.) … Former Director of Public Prosecutions Ken Macdonald and Malcolm Chalmers, deputy director general at the RUSI think tank (8.50 a.m.).

Also on Sky News breakfast: Scotland’s National Clinical Director Jason Leitch (8.05 a.m.).

Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast (LBC): Former UKIP MEP Patrick O’Flynn (7.05 a.m.) … Former Labour adviser Tom Hamilton (7.10 a.m.) … Unaffiliated peer Kate Hoey (8.20 a.m.).

Also on Times Radio breakfast: Former No. 10 chief of staff Gavin Barwell (7.35 a.m.) … Former WHO official Karol Sikora (8.10 a.m.).

Also on Julia Hartley-Brewer breakfast show (talkRADIO): Commons foreign affairs committee Chairman Tom Tugendhat (7.20 a.m.) … Former Brexit Party MEP Martin Daubney (7.33 a.m.) … Holyrood Scottish Tory candidate Jamie Greene (8.33 a.m.) … Former standards in public life committee Chairman Alistair Graham (9.06 a.m.) … Mayor of London Lib Dem candidate Luisa Porritt (9.17 a.m.).

Good Morning Scotland (BBC Radio Scotland): Scottish government COVID adviser Devi Sridhar (6.35 a.m.) … Social Psychology professor Stephen Reicher (7.52 a.m.) … Scotland’s Chief Medical Officer Gregor Smith (8.11 a.m.).

Politics Live (BBC Two 12.15 p.m.): Tory MP Dehenna Davison … Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar … Reaction Editor Iain Martin … New Statesman’s Ailbhe Rea.

Reviewing the papers tonight: Sky News (10.30 p.m. and 11.30 p.m.): Cumberland and Westmorland Herald Editor Emily Atherton and Playbook Editor Alex Wickham … Times Radio (10.30 p.m.): Former Tory/Lib Dem MP Sarah Wollaston and former Labour MP Mary Creagh.

TODAY’S FRONT PAGES

(Click on the publication’s name to see its front page.)

Daily Express: For Britain’s sake … get on with the job!

Daily Mail: Boris — “Let the bodies pile high in their thousands.”

Daily Mirror: Stop the hate now.

Daily Star: Beat EU to it.

Financial Times: Credit Suisse shareholders seek risk chief’s scalp after scandals.

i: PM facing tax issues over flat renovation.

Metro: Race to get aid to India.

POLITICO UK: Boris Johnson’s optimism addiction.

The Guardian: Outrage as No. 10 rules out urgent inquiry into pandemic mistakes.

The Independent: EU nations rule out deals with U.K. on deportation.

The Sun: Ronnie — My new cancer fight.

The Times: Cummings still in frame as lockdown leaks ‘rat.’

LONDON CALLING

WESTMINSTER WEATHER: 🌥☀️🌥 Sunny in spells, breezy. Highs of 12C.

JAB WATCH: The Daily Mirror’s Pippa Crerar … ITV’s Chris Ship … Former Labour MP Michael Dugher … and former Universities Minister Sam Gyimah got their first doses over the weekend. Tory peer Anne Jenkin and legendary chef Nigella Lawson got their second doses. Let us know if you’ve got or are getting yours.

NOW HIRING: MI6. The intelligence agency chief Richard Moore told Times Radio’s Tom Newton Dunn he’s looking for a “Q” to handle the agency’s technology and gadget needs. Advert coming soon — get your CVs ready.

BIRTHDAYS: Harrow East MP Bob Blackman … Shadow Tourism Minister Alex Sobel … Carmarthen East and Dinefwr MP Jonathan Edwards … Southport MP Damien Moore … Twickenham MP Munira Wilson … PCS trade union General Secretary Mark Serwotka … Former Tory MP Victoria Borwick … Former U.S. first lady Melania Trump … Labour peer Alan Haworth … Scottish Tory Holyrood candidate Brian Whittle … Former Labour MP Michael Dugher.

PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editor Zoya Sheftalovich, reporter Andrew McDonald and producer Miriam Webber.

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