Co-conspirators will remember the huge row that sparked last month when a No. 10 presser was used to announce the delay to freedom day, with Matt Hancock’s Commons statement coming later in contravention of the Ministerial Code that dictates important announcement must be made to the House first. As Lindsay ranted from the Speaker’s chair that evening:
“I do not find it acceptable at all that members of all this house are elected to come here and serve their constituents, not to serve them via Sky or BBC. The question should be made here, the PM should be here.”
At the time it sounded like a meeting between Hoyle and Boris had resulted in a concession from the government, that statements would be made concurrently to the No. 10 press conferences, however a No. 10 source refused to confirm the terms of the agreement that had been struck, claiming “there were no specifics on how future announcements would be made.”
It’s now been confirmed that Saj’s statement to the Commons will be made at the same time as Boris tells the public of plans to go ahead with freedom day on the 19th, and level that it’s time for the country to learn to live with the virus. Turns out Hoyle’s convivial methods of negotiation are more effective at getting his way than Bercow’s – who’d have thought?
