Boris Johnson has told Emmanuel Macron to “get a grip” and “donnez-moi un break” after France’s furious reaction to the UK’s defence pact with the US and Australia.
In undiplomatic franglais, the prime minister said: “I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez-moi un break. Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security.”
Mr Johnson also dismissed suggestions that gas price hikes could lead to panic-buying in supermarkets, after describing the energy crisis as “temporary”.
But a minister has admitted the cost of gas could remain high for some time.
A large spike in wholesale gas prices has led to the closure of four energy providers in recent days and to the regulator Ofgem warning that others will also soon go bust. If this happens, millions of people could be affected.
Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told MPs on Wednesday that “we have to prepare for longer-term high prices”.
Meanwhile, the deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner blamed the government at PMQs for the problems with gas supply. “Their failures paved the way for this crisis that will hit families and businesses. As usual, it’ll be the British people that will have to pay the price,” she said.
In response, the deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said the government would maintain supply this year, citing the support it was giving “two critical CO2 plants” to help the food and drink sector.
Rayner claims minimum wage worker needs ‘50 days’ pay’ to stay a night at Raab’s luxury Crete hotel
As mentioned earlier, Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner used PMQs to accuse Dominic Raab of being out of touch with the public.
“[Mr Raab] speaks of the economy, but he doesn’t even know how much his own holiday costs – so let me tell him,” she said.
“A worker on the minimum wage would need to work an extra 50 days to pay for a single night at his favourite resort.”
Unite leader to miss Labour conference
Unite’s new leader Sharon Graham will not be attending the upcoming Labour Party conference, insisting that her absence is not a snub to Keir Starmer.
She said she would instead be prioritising ongoing industrial disputes, having been elected on a vow to take the union “back to the workplace”.
Ashley Cowburn reports:
US ban on British lamb to end, says Johnson
A two-decade US ban on British lamb will soon end, Boris Johnson has said.
Speaking from Washington, the prime minister said: “I can tell you today that what we’re going to get from the United States now is a lifting of the decades-old ban, totally unjustified, discriminating on British farmers and British lamb.”
British beef exports to the US were also banned until last year.
What are CPTPP and USMCA pacts?
Now that a free trade agreement with the US is looking unlikely in the short-term, ministers are reportedly exploring other possibilities.
Joining the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) or the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) are two options, with the former seen by experts as highly unrealistic.
My colleague Chiara Giordano takes a closer look at both pacts:
Energy company collapse leaves 250,000 people in limbo
Energy company Green has announced it will stop trading, meaning that a quarter of a million customers will be left in limbo.
In a swipe at the government, the firm claimed the government and Ofgem think “smaller suppliers should be left to fail”.
“Green fears that smaller energy suppliers are being left behind by the government, with rescue packages being put in place for larger suppliers and for private discussions to be held with the business secretary,” it said.
Government eyes windfall tax on companies profiting from gas price rises
The government is considering whether to impose a windfall tax on companies that profit from increases in gas prices, the business and energy secretary has said.
Pushed on the issue, Kwasi Kwarteng added: “I’m not a fan of windfall taxes, let me just get that straight – but of course it’s an entire system and we have to think of how we can get the whole system to help itself.”
Bonfire Night at risk as fireworks supplies hit by Brexit
Fireworks have become the latest item hit by Brexit supply chain shortages, with one company predicting a 70 per cent plunge in the industry-wide stock. One company blamed the problems within the industry on changes to product certification post-Brexit, a shortage of labour and increased checks on imports, reports Holly Bancroft:
Johnson plays down fears of panic-buying
Boris Johnson has dismissed suggestions that rising gas prices could lead to panic-buying in supermarkets.
The Prime Minister said: “I don’t think that will happen. I think we’ve got very good supply chains, as I’ve been saying over the last few days, and what we’re seeing is the growing pains of a global economy recovering rapidly from Covid.”
Asked whether taxpayer bailouts should be going to a firm owned by a US millionaire, a spokesman for the Prime Minister said: “This is an exceptional short-term arrangement given what we have seen over the course over the last week or so in terms of the issues the lack of CO2 is causing to the industry.
“It is a unique circumstance where we have seen other companies that provide the same product be in maintenance, so we will take three weeks to find a market solution.”
Pressed on why the Government had not disclosed the exact amount of financial support promised to the fertiliser manufacturer, the spokesman said: “These matters are commercially sensitive. We will obviously set out any details as we always do under transparency laws.”
On why CF Fertilisers was only restarting operations at one of its two closed plants, the official said: “We believe the Billingham plant will provide enough CO2 to supply our needs.
“My understanding is workers were on site and start-up has commenced, and we would expect it to take 48 hours to produce CO2 for the market.”
Downing Street said it had stepped in to assist CF Fertilisers due to the “unique situation” surrounding CO2 production.
Donnez-moi un break, PM tells Macron
Boris Johnson has told French president Emmanuel Macron to “donnez moi un break” and get over his anger about the new military pact forged between the UK, US and Australia.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, the Prime Minister said: “I just think it’s time for some of our dearest friends around the world to prenez un grip about this and donnez moi un break.
“Because this is fundamentally a great step forward for global security. It’s three very like-minded allies standing shoulder to shoulder creating a new partnership for the sharing of technology.
“It’s not exclusive. It’s not trying to shoulder anybody out. It’s not adversarial towards China, for instance.”
Marcus Rashford to be studied by GCSE media studies pupils
GCSE media studies pupils will learn about footballer Marcus Rashford’s use of social media after his influential campaigning on child poverty and racism in sport. The Manchester United and England star has been added to the course by exam board AQA, writes Joe Middleton:
