Post-Brexit Britain will no longer be Washington’s “centre of gravity” in Europe if Joe Biden wins the US presidential election, the UK’s former top security adviser has warned in a blow for Boris Johnson.
It came as the EU confirmed Brexit trade talks had progressed sufficiently to allow a move to continue them in Brussels from Thursday.
Meanwhile, the PM is also under pressure to solve the free school meals row plaguing his government, as Marcus Rashford’s petition on child poverty nears 1 million signatures. However chancellor Rishi Sunak ruled out any major U-turn on free meal vouchers, saying No 10 had to “trust local councils”.
Opinion: While private education thrives, youth unemployment may turn state schools into glorified job centres
In a deeply-worrying statistic, the number of 18-24 year olds claiming unemployment-related benefits increased by nearly 125 per cent between March and September this year, writes Maxine Harrison.
Covid-19 has severely affected the job market and the traditional career trajectory, leaving many young people, who otherwise would have sought regular 9-5 jobs, for example, to forcibly consider other, more precarious employment, such as gig work.
Jon Sharman27 October 2020 14:12
Holiday clubs alone ‘may not be enough to tackle child food poverty’
Ministers will have to come up with a mix of ways to tackle child food poverty if they plan to take extra steps on the issue in the wake of Marcus Rashford’s free school meals campaign, it has been claimed.
A top official involved in the pilot of holiday activity and food programmes – the brainchild of government food czar Henry Dimbleby – said some children in need could be missed out if the scheme’s focus is too narrow.
Kirsty McHugh, chief executive of the Mayor’s Fund for London, told the PA news agency: “Think about the children who are under five and not yet in school. They haven’t got free school meal eligibility.
“We could have holiday provision at scale but it’s going to have to be broader than just free school meals eligibility.
“It’s going to have to be a mix of things. And the holiday provision in itself is a really good way forward, but it’s not going to be the whole answer and it’s particularly tricky for the Christmas period.”
Ms McHugh said a lot of the voluntary groups and public sector organisations that run holiday provision tended not to operate at Christmas.
“That’s something that has to be factored in,” she said, adding: “Holiday provision would be great over Christmas, but the question is have you got the community groups, the youth clubs etc who are operating given that people want to spend time with their families.”
Jon Sharman27 October 2020 14:04
Rescue operation under way after migrant boat sinks trying to reach UK
A boat carrying migrants attempting to reach the UK has sunk in the English Channel, writes Lizzie Dearden.
French authorities have mounted a search and rescue operation off the coast of Dunkirk.
Jon Sharman27 October 2020 14:08
Peer describes ‘panic’ of looming summer holidays while growing up in poverty
Labour’s Lord Griffiths of Burry Port has told the House of Lords of the panic his family – he, his mother and his brother – felt ahead of the school holidays when he was a child living in poverty.
His mother relied on free school meals to make ends meet, he told peers.
He said: “I was in receipt of free meals throughout my entire school career. My mother, a single woman, her only income was the contributions of the National Assistance, we lived in one room.
“I remember very clearly, I can still taste and smell it, the mounting panic ahead of school holidays because the income we had could not stretch to feeding two boys and a mother in that day.
“Marcus Rashford and I have this, and probably only this, in common. We remember not in our heads but in our whole bodies. An old Etonian, of course, can’t be expected to have had the same experience.”
Lord Griffiths said children faced a “postcode lottery” in terms of the response of their local councils.
Baroness Berridge, the education minister, replied: “Many noble lords of all parties and none can recall circumstances in which their own needs – whether that be housing or food – were not met through the circumstances of their family.
“It’s not a postcode lottery – 1.4 million children in England are entitled to free school meals, saving their families over £400 a year, and in addition to that, particularly through the soft drinks levy, the government has in nearly 2,500 schools been funding breakfast clubs to provide children with healthy food.”
Jon Sharman27 October 2020 13:54
Government dragged back to court for approving more arms sales to Saudi Arabia
The government is facing a new court battle to keep arms shipments flowing to Saudi Arabia, after campaigners filed a judicial review against the policy, writes Jon Stone.
The Court of Appeal imposed a block on new arms sales to the autocracy in June 2019, but the government lifted it following a review in July 2020.
Now Campaign Against the Arms Trade, which responsible for the original court action, is seeking a judicial review of the decision by ministers to overturn the ban.
Jon Sharman27 October 2020 13:22
Brexit consultants? ‘Surely that’s why we have civil servants?’
The consultancy giant Deloitte and McKinsey has reportedly been handed government contracts worth £180m to help manage the transition out of the UK’s current arrangements with the EU.
They have been awarded the money for the provision of “strategic programme management” related to the end of the transition period, according to the Byline Times.
Ex-BBC presenter Andrew Neil isn’t happy about it. “Surely that’s why we have civil servants,” he tweeted. “And £180m would more than cover free school meals over recess.”
Adam Forrest27 October 2020 13:12
Up to councils to feed children, Sunak says
Chancellor Rishi Sunak has appeared to rule out any major U-turn over free school vouchers, saying the government should not “dictate” how help is provided. “We should be able to trust local councils in different areas to make decisions for their people,” he said.
The comment adds to evidence that ministers will not bow to pressure to fund holiday vouchers for hungry children, but may instead provide more indirect help through town halls.
Sunak told BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat the government was “absolutely committed” to stamping out hunger – but there is a “debate about what the best way to do that”.
Business minister Nadhim Zahawi earlier suggested the government would “look at how we can build” on a pilot holiday activity and food programme devised by Henry Dimbleby, the government’s food tsar.
Adam Forrest27 October 2020 12:59
UK won’t be Biden’s ‘centre of gravity’ in Europe
Post-Brexit Britain will no longer be the US’ “centre of gravity” in Europe under a Joe Biden presidency, a former UK national security adviser has warned.
Sir Peter Ricketts, who was Britain’s ambassador to Nato and France, said that the Democrat candidate, if elected, will look to Berlin and Paris as his most important allies.
“When Biden looks towards Europe, he will see Paris and Berlin more as the centre of gravity of what’s really important for America in Europe, both economically and in security terms, and Britain will be seen rather as an outlier, rather outside the mainstream of Europe,” he said in a damning assessment.
Sir Peter added: “Britain will not have the same prominence it has been used to having in Washington because, frankly, Britain is less useful to the US administration.”
Adam Forrest27 October 2020 12:48
Brexit negotiations to move to Brussels
Last-ditch talks on a Brexit trade deal will continue in Brussels from Thursday, it has been announced.
Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has been in London since the weekend. In a sign that enough progress is being made to at least allow negotiations to continue, the teams will move from to the Belgian capital to continue the discussions.
Dan Ferrie, a European Commission spokesperson, said: “I can confirm that negotiations are ongoing in London right now, they will run until tomorrow and then they will take place here in Brussels, as of Thursday.”
He would not be drawn on the status of the negotiations but said both sides are “engaging intensively” to reach a deal.
EU Chief negotiator Michel Barnier in London
Adam Forrest27 October 2020 12:27
Sunak questioned on free school meals
The government is “absolutely committed” to preventing poor children from going hungry, Rishi Sunak has insisted.
The chancellor said that there was some debate about how best to achieve that aim.
He told BBC Radio 1’s Newsbeat: “We’ve taken the view that we have provided resources for local authorities to help in a targeted way the most vulnerable children that they need to look after.
“We’ve got to trust local councils in their area and we provide them with resources, as we have done in this case, and directly to families.
“But … we should be able to trust local councils in different areas to make decisions for their people.
“So I don’t think it’s always the right answer that central government comes in and dictates things.”
Is he talking about the £63m fund from earlier this year?
A reminder of our overnight story:
Jon Sharman27 October 2020 11:47
