Rishi Sunak won’t like Mondays such as this one.
The Prime Minister will have woken up at Number 10 battling two political fronts, as he first gives evidence to the Covid-19 Inquiry before facing a crunch vote on Tuesday over his highly divisive Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.
In fact, the next two days are arguably the most critical of Sunak’s barely year-long premiership.
This episode examines how he’s spent the weekend lobbying MPs to get the bill through, the fractured Conservative party and the legal challenges.
But first, we’ll head to the inquiry in Paddington, where Sunak’s been probed in evidence on his time as Covid-era Chancellor, lockdown decision-making, overseeing the flagship furlough scheme and controversial Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, which has been blamed to helping spread the virus.
Defending his Covid decision-making, Sunak said he worked so closely with Boris Johnson that he saw the former PM more than his own wife at times during the pandemic.
But what about his pandemic text messages?
Apparently, the PM is not a ‘prolific’ WhatsApp user and had changed his phone “multiple times”.
He began with an apology to families, but under questioning from Hugo Keith KC, an often smiling Sunak’s disposition bore stark contrast to the outwardly contrite tone of Johnson, who gave evidence last week.
It cams as separate messages revealed government scientists referred to then Chancellor Sunak as “Dr Death” over concerns about his push to keep economic activity going while heading the Treasury during the pandemic.
Insight with the Standard’s courts correspondent Tristan Kirk and chief political correspondent Rachael Burford.
Listen above, or wherever you find your podcasts.
