Downing Street has poured cold water on allegations business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng lied about his and chancellor Rishi Sunak’s departments being in talks over resolving the energy crisis.
Following his comments, an unnamed source from the Treasury denied any involvement in discussion with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and accused Mr Kwarteng of making things up in interviews.
However, at the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning, the PM’s official spokesman said: “As you would expect, ministers from BEIS are working across government, including with Treasury, on this important issue, the challenges that are currently facing industry in light of global gas prices, and that will continue.”
He added that staff at the BEIS and Treasury “continue to work very closely together, as the public would expect”.
It comes after industries affected by soaring energy costs made a fresh appeal to ministers for “immediate action” in a bid to prevent more businesses shutting down. Sectors such as ceramics, paper and steel manufacturing have called for a price cap, with talks that began on Friday between the government and industry figures set to continue this afternoon.
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Ministers urged to consider windfall tax as energy prices soar
Labour MP Darren Jones, chairman of the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Select Committee, today urged the government to put in place a windfall tax on companies that are making big profits from the surge in gas prices.
He told the BBC Radio 4’s World At One programme:
“One thing I want Rishi Sunak and the Treasury to be doing is looking at a windfall tax on the generators of gas, who are making enormous profits at the moment because of the global fluctuations in the price of gas.
“Everyone is looking around for money to help consumers and businesses in these difficult times, and that has to come from somewhere.
“Kwasi Kwarteng said to me for my select [committee] a few weeks ago, they were looking at the concept of a windfall tax but it looks to me like the Treasury haven’t been bothered to do the maths and don’t want to get involved in this problem.”
When asked whether the windfall tax would be applied internationally, the MP for Bristol North West said: “Quite frankly that’s the job for the Treasury to do.”
Earlier, commenting on the “spat” between the BEIS and Treasury, Mr Jones tweeted:
What is the UN climate conference and why does it matter?
COP26, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties, will finally commence in Glasgow, Scotland, at the end of October, a year on from its postponement because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Hosted by the UK under the presidency of former business secretary Alok Sharma and in partnership with Italy, the summit at the city’s SEC Centre will bring together the biggest gathering of world leaders ever assembled on British soil over the course of its 12-day run from Sunday 31 October to Friday 12 November.
The 197 signatories, or “parties”, to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will all be represented in Glasgow, along with tens of thousands of negotiators, government officials, businesses and activists, all hoping to make their voices heard and see a comprehensive plan drawn up to realise the goals of the 2016 Paris Agreement and avert the global climate catastrophe our planet faces.
So, what will be discussed at the meeting and what is it so important? Joe Sommerland take a closer look.
No 10 rubbishes allegations made in ‘anonymous source quotes’
Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports the following:
Asked whether the PM had spoken to Sunak/Kwarteng about their extraordinary falling out, a No 10 spokesperson said: “It’s not how I would characterise according to an anonymous source quote.
“As you would expect, ministers from BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy) are working across government, including with the Treasury on this important issue, the challenges that are currently facing industry in light of global gas prices and that will continue.”
Insisting Treasury officials were involved in the cross-government work, they added: “This is a significant challenge, and there’s work across government to mitigate it.”
Pressed on whether Kwarteng was “making things up”, the spokesperson said: “Again I’m not getting into anonymous source quotes.”
Quizzed on whether “further mitigations” would include financial support, they went on: “I’m not going to jump ahead of any future conversations — it’s right that we continue to listen carefully to what industry are saying and have talks across government about whether any action is needed to mitigate the challenges.”
Industries ‘heartened’ BEIS in talks with sectors about energy crisis
Some more expert commentary on the energy crisis now.
Andrew Large, director general of the Confederation of Paper Industries, said:
“We’re heartened that there’s an understanding within BEIS about the need for urgent action.
“Constructive discussions are continuing at pace over a package of measures to offer immediate support during the current crisis, but also to address longer term issues around uncompetitive UK energy prices.
“We will comment more fully once the result of these discussions are known.”
PM ‘working from holiday’ – one week after telling workers to return to offices
The Daily Mirror’s Pippa Crerar reports the following, amid backlash to comments Boris Johnson made last week about the need for workers to return to their offices full-time.
Watch: Thousands march in Poland to support EU membership
Donaldson defends NI position on European Court of Justice
Following my post earlier (2.03pm), DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said it’s not acceptable for Northern Ireland to fall within the jurisdiction of a court over which it has no control.
It comes as he was continuously pressed for his party’s position on the government’s demand for the EU to remove the arbitration role of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) from the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Fielding media questions at Stormont, Sir Jeffrey was asked why the ECJ was not referred to explicitly in his party’s seven tests for judging efforts to resolve issues with the protocol.
Sir Jeffrey said ECJ jurisdiction fell within the fourth test set out by the party: ‘Give people in Northern Ireland a say in making the laws that govern them’. He added:
“Actually that is part of my test – that I want to know how the people of Northern Ireland are going to be dealt with in all of this.
“It is not acceptable for Northern Ireland to have to accept laws and the jurisdiction of a court over which we have no control and in which we have no say. That is not the way forward.
“We are very clear that the governance arrangements, how any future measures and arrangements that are agreed with the EU are taken forward, how they are governed is very important, because there is the potential for future divergence between the UK and the EU, and we don’t want Northern Ireland once again caught in the middle of all of that.”
Donaldson made the remarks as pressure mounts on the UK and EU to come to a resolution on the NI Protocol
” height=”726″ width=”982″ srcset=”https://static.independent.co.uk/2021/09/09/11/EU_Brexit_52106.jpg?width=640&auto=webp&quality=75 640w” layout=”responsive” class=”i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined” i-amphtml-layout=”responsive”> Donaldson made the remarks as pressure mounts on the UK and EU to come to a resolution on the NI Protocol
No 10 won’t say if PM on holiday at villa owned by Lord Goldsmith
No 10 has declined to say whether Boris Johnson is holidaying at minister Lord Goldsmith’s luxury Spanish villa, as the government faces accusations of putting its “out of office on” during a crisis.
It comes after The Mirror reported that the PM was enjoying a vacation at the Costa del Sol villa owned by Lord Goldsmith, who was handed a life peerage by the prime minister in 2019 after losing his Commons seat.
Asked whether the prime minister had paid for the holiday himself — or whether the trip was a donation — the prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “Any declarations will be made in the normal, but I don’t have anything to add on that.”
Adam Forrest has more:
DUP boycotting north-south council ruled ‘unlawful’
The DUP’s boycott of north-south meetings in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol is unlawful, a High Court judge has ruled.
Mr Justice Scoffield delivered the declaration at Belfast High Court after a Belfast man, Sean Napier, brought an application for judicial review into the lawfulness of the DUP move.
The case centred around DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson’s announcement last month that his party would disengage with the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) meetings as part of their campaign of opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Mr Justice Scoffield said:
“The respondents decision to withdraw the from the North South Ministerial Council was and is unlawful.
“It frustrates, is contrary to and is in breach of legal duties contained in the Northern Ireland Act.”
Changes to Northern Ireland Protocol essential to its survival, Downing Street says
The prime minister’s official spokesman said that while the UK had signed on to the Northern Ireland Protocol in “good faith,” the way that it was being operated by the EU was not working, and said that change was essential to its survival.
“It was formed in the spirit of compromise in challenging circumstances,” the spokesman said.
“Since then we have seen how the EU is inclined to operate governance agreements, issuing infraction proceeding against the UK at the first sign of disagreement.
“These arrangements aren’t sustainable, we need to find new ways of resolving issues that arise between us using mechanisms normal in other international treaties.
“It is unheard of for bilateral agreements being policed by the courts of one of the parties,” he added.
