Brexit news – live: Starmer says Northern Ireland border tensions must de-escalate ahead of Gove-EU meeting

A Cabinet minister has admitted that the UK is sending out a “mixed message” by giving the go-ahead to a new coal mine at the same time as asking other countries to commit to reducing carbon emissions.

Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the Institute for Government think-tank that the arguments were “finely balanced” but noted that he still supported the proposal.

Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has the full story below:

Former health secretary Jeremy Hunt has thanked the NHS for its “wonderful care” after he broke his arm on a run this morning.

Mr Hunt told MPs that he “unfortunately slipped over” and broke his arm earlier in the day, forcing him to wear a sling when he spoke virtually in the Commons on Thursday.

Our reporter, Zoe Tidman, has the full story below:

Downing Street has blamed the EU after Amsterdam surpassed London as Europe’s leading share trading hub last month following the end of the Brexit transition period.

EU-based financial firms have been banned from trading in London because the bloc has not recognised UK regulations on exchanges as equivalent to its own, prompting €6.5bn (£5.7bn) of daily transactions to move from the UK on 1 January.

“The UK exchanges remain some of the biggest and deepest in the world and we continue, as we have done, to believe in open, global markets and firms’ ability to choose where to trade,” Boris Johnson’s spokesperson told a Westminster briefing.

“Despite the fact that we have supplied all of the necessary paperwork and are one of the world’s most pre-eminent financial centres with a strong regulatory system, the EU still haven’t granted us full equivalence.”

They added: “This has meant that a number of EU shares that were previously traded on UK venues have moved to the EU venues on advice of the European regulator.

“But our position is fragmentation of share trading across financial centres is in no-one’s interests, so we remain open to discussions with the EU about this.”

A Stormont committee is to investigate the decision to withdraw staff conducting post-Brexit port checks in Northern Ireland.

The Department of Agriculture temporarily suspended physical scrutiny of animal-based food produce arriving at Larne and Belfast ports recently.

It followed concerns for the safety of staff following the discovery of threatening graffiti.

Members of the Agriculture Committee voted by a majority on Thursday in favour of an inquiry into the department’s decision.

Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has called for “creative solutions” to the problems surrounding Northern Ireland’s sea border.

Since the implementation of the Northern Ireland protocol at the end of the Brexit transition period, there has been some disruption to trade due to new customs checks at Belfast and Larne ports.

Ms Long said it was important not to “just bemoan the problems”, in a veiled swipe at the Democratic Unionist Party, which has called on the UK government to scrap the protocol entirely.

Senior Tory MP David Davis has spoken out against the government’s fund to fix dangerous cladding, warning that more work is needed to address the “state’s failure”.

Earlier this week, ministers were accused of “betrayal” over the £3.5bn package which would leave huge numbers of residents to pay the bills for making their homes safe.

“I cannot understand why government is not funding remedial work to fix cladding on properties under 18m in height,” Mr Davis said.

“This limit seems rather arbitrary. It is the state’s failure and it should therefore meet the costs to fix the issues.”

UK performers could move overseas if visa-free travel with the EU is not secured, ministers have been warned.

Post-Brexit travel rules that came into force at the beginning of the year do not guarantee visa-free travel for UK musicians in the EU.

Speaking in the Commons, the SNP’s Angela Crawley said: “Now, whether it’s Elton John, Ronan Keating, Brian Cox, [there is] an all-star line-up of some of our biggest exports, emphasising the importance of touring for musicians at all stages of their careers.

“How does the minister feel about the prospect of making acts decide that they need to base themselves abroad as our parochial laws don’t allow the movement needed to compete on the global stage?”

In response, Cabinet Office minister Penny Mordaunt said: “It is not our parochial laws. During the negotiations, the EU tabled text regarding paid activities which can be conducted without a visa. These proposals would not have addressed our sector’s concerns.

“It didn’t deal with work permits at all and it would not have allowed support staff to tour with artists.”

She added: “The only way we’re going to get movement on this is to get the EU to agree to our very reasonable proposals.”

A new poll below from YouGov shows the Conservatives with a 5-point lead over Labour this week:

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has warned that the chancellor Rishi Sunak must do more to protect the City following Brexit.

“Our financial markets are hugely important. I was very worried when I saw the Brexit deal that there was almost no provision for financial services,” Sir Keir told reporters at Heathrow.

“So what I want is to see progress here. The chancellor said that he would look after the City of London on financial services, he needs to make good on that promise because we absolutely need to protect our financial services.”

Our business reporter, Ben Chapman, has more details below on the news that Amsterdam has surpassed London as Europe’s leading share trading hub: