Nearly 90,000 people applied to register to vote on Monday, as the deadline arrived to take part in next month’s local elections.

A total of 88,225 applications were submitted, according to government figures. A lot? Well … it’s well below the 660,000 applications on deadline day for the 2019 general election.

If you haven’t done so, I’m afraid it’s now too late to register to vote in the elections on 6 May.

Boris Johnson’s defence minister Johnny Mercer is likely to “try” to resign, according to Sky News’ Sam Coates. “He is understood to have indicated such to colleagues. BUT he is not thought to have seen the PM yet to tell him.”

Mercer has previously been critical of the government over defence budget cuts.

Labour’s shadow minister Jo Stevens said Keir Starmer was “taken aback” by the shouty pub landlord told him to “get out” on Monday.

Asked if she thought Starmer was right to say “I don’t need lectures from you” and walk away, the MP said: “You don’t know if someone is dangerous or not … to have that person approach Keir in a less aggressive way, I’m absolutely sure a conversation could have been had.”

The pub landlord has been on Good Morning Britain and other outlets this morning, but his anti-lockdown comments are bit dull and not really worth reporting on.

The German government has urged Boris Johnson government to adhere to the entire Brexit divorce agreement, including agreed protocol arrangements.

“It remains crucial that all parts of the withdrawal agreement are fully implemented, including the protocol on Northern Ireland,” Germany’s Europe minister Michael Roth said ahead of a meeting with his EU counterparts.

The rules agreed in the protocol are key to preserving the achievements of the peace process in Northern Ireland, he told reporters. “Now we need to agree on a binding timeline for the full implementation of the protocol,” Roth said.

The Runnymede Trust has rejected criticism, after a group of Tory MPs reportedly urged the Charity Commission to investigate the leading race equality think tank for “pursuing a political agenda”.

The letter signed by 15 politicians argues that the organisation has broken its charitable objectives and that its criticism of the report was driven by concerns with the current government, The Independent understands.

The Runnymede Trust responded: “As a body that represents Britain’s Black and minority ethnic communities, we will not be cowed.”

In his letter to Rishi Sunak, Treasury committee chairman Mel Stride called for a full time-line of contacts that Treasury officials and ministers had with David Cameron and other Greensill representatives.

And the senior Tory MP also asked Cameron for the full texts that he sent the Chancellor, which the Treasury has not published.

Stride told Sky News: “We do want to look closely at every stage of that lobbying, just make sure the Treasury did the right thing.”

A permit required by lorry drivers entering Kent after the end of the Brexit transition period has been scrapped.

The Department for Transport said the measure was no longer necessary “thanks to hauliers arriving at the border prepared” – saying freight volumes between the UK and the EU continue to operate at normal levels”.

Kent Access Permits have been mandatory for EU-bound heavy goods vehicles entering Kent since January 1, following the end of the transition period. Its removal will mean “less paperwork for hauliers”, the department added.

Both David Cameron and Rishi Sunak will be summoned to give evidence to a parliamentary inquiry into the lobbying scandal – as well as Lex Greensill, founder of the collapsed finance firm the sparked the scandal.

The powerful Treasury committee has now sent all the key individuals a series of questions about what happened, ahead of looming evidence sessions.

In case you missed it, Keir Starmer spoke to The Independent on Monday about his own hatred of the European Super League. The Labour leader said he supported legislation to block English clubs’ involvement and backed the idea of bringing in a new ownership model.

“It’s not an area where you’d expect legislation, but the strength of feeling is such that if the government is prepared to bring forward legislation, we would certainly look at it and support it,” he said.

“I think that controls of the ownership … I think it might have to be [prising control], or at least limiting the extent of the ownership stake, and also dealing with the speculation element of it,” Starmer added.

“Foreign speculation almost brought down Wigan Athletic, a great club, a historic club, very important to Wigan itself, and so we’ve got to tackle the ownership question.”

So what exactly can be done to stop the near-universally despised European Super League?

Culture secretary Oliver Dowden said ministers would look at competition law and possibly try to legislate to block the set-up of the league. This would be complex, however, with ESL chiefs said to be confident they would win legal battles.

He also suggested the government could pull support “to facilitate matches”. This could see licences to stage games withdrawn or a police presence being withheld, or perhaps work permits for players.

Another option thought to be under consideration would see English football clubs forced to follow the German-style model of ownership – whereby fans are guaranteed a majority of share ownership. Such a move would take a lot of time, however.

No 10 could also work with governments in Italy and Spain, where the elite clubs are also pushing the breakaway league. “Ministers hope to link up with Spanish and Italian counterparts – who also oppose it,” according to Times Radio’s Tom Newton Dunn.