Today is just the start of what promises to be an intensely disagreeable week for the Prime Minister. The past returns to haunt him in his appearance today at the Covid Inquiry, where he will be obliged to justify his controversial Eat Out to Help Out programme. It transpired that one thing it helped out was the spread of coronavirus. But the present is no more inviting as two separate Tory factions deliberate whether to support the second reading of his Safety of Rwanda Bill. Trouble is, the European Research Group and the One Nation Group have very different outlooks and aspirations. This is not a united party.
However, it may be that some of those factions will keep their reservations to themselves until the Bill’s final reading; the 29 Tory rebels needed to thwart it may think again. And indeed from a merely pragmatic point of view the only effect of a defeat for the Bill would be to confirm to a jaded public that the Tories have a death wish. Labour is, of course, getting off lightly here. It is opposing the Bill without proposing any concrete measures itself to reduce the numbers crossing in small boats. Its easy prescriptions for cracking down on people smugglers and similar have already been tried.
But Labour can get away with flannelling on its migration policy for now; the focus is on the Tories. Rishi Sunak may well weather the week. At the Covid Inquiry he can argue that his ambitious and unprecedented furlough scheme was a needful response to the Covid crisis. On Rwanda, a residual sense of self-preservation within his party will very likely ensure that he survives tomorrow’s vote. But the problems of factionalism and the challenges to his Bill will not be solved, just shelved.
Pity bus drivers
Not only do London’s bus drivers have to cope with badly timed road and lane closures at this busy season and continuing difficulties with cycle lanes, many are complaining that low traffic neighbourhood schemes are turning what used to be relatively easy routes into an ordeal for drivers and passengers alike.
LTNs may be a good idea in principle, but in practice — uncoordinated as they are — some are making bus travel slower. It’s time for a rethink on how they are implemented.
Cheerful givers
Our Winter Survival Campaign to help struggling individuals and families through the hardest time of the year has now surpassed £2 million — including an extraordinarily generous donation of £500,000 from the philanthropic Rausing family.
We thank them, and all who have given so generously. There’s still time to join them!
