Trade experts have said the UK’s trade deal with Australia will only deliver minimal economic benefit to the UK economy.
The GDP boost created by the pact would likely be closer to zero than the government’s 0.02 per cent estimate, according to David Henig, UK director of European Centre For International Political Economy.
Joe Spencer, partner at accountancy firm MHA MacIntyre Hudson, also called the agreement “unfavourable”. “UK farmers are increasingly being asked to offer protection for the environment, while the government is withdrawing support to them at the same time,” he said.
Such criticism comes after Boris Johnson said the UK and Australia’s post-Brexit trade deal shows “global Britain at its best”, while promising it would benefit both British farmers and consumers.
As part of the first agreement negotiated from scratch since London left the EU, Britons under 35 will be able to work more easily in Australia, while British cars and Scottish whisky can be sold there more cheaply.
Amid worries that British farmers will be undercut by Australian meat exports, the government said the sector would be safeguarded by caps on tariff-free imports.
UK government keeping Scotland in dark
The SNP have criticised the UK government for keeping the devolved nations in the dark about the UK’s trade deal with Australia.
Scotland’s trade minister Ivan McKee said the UK government was supposed to brief the devolved administrations on it this morning. However, this meeting was postponed “because we were told, ‘not enough of the deal is nailed down’”, he said.
He tweeted that he was therefore “very interested to read so much informed coverage” about the pact.
Mr McKee’s party colleague Ian Blackford, the SNP leader at Westminster, echoed his words. “Yet again, Scotland is being kept in the dark and not consulted on a deal that could have serious and damaging consequences for our economy,” he said.
Hormone-fed beef not to imported from Australia, government says
Earlier today, the National Farmers Union expressed its concern from the scant details on animal welfare in the Australia trade deal.
In response, a No 10 spokesperson said: “We are absolutely not compromising our high animal welfare and food safety standards.
“The government continues to champion the top quality produce of British farmers both for domestic consumption and overseas markets.”
They added that hormone-injected beef will not be appear in British supermarkets as a result of the agreement and that further details would be given soon.
Rees-Mogg defends football fans who boo England players for taking the knee
Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended fans who booed the England football team for taking the knee, saying there was no evidence that they are racist.
Speaking to Conservative Home, the leader of the Commons claimed: “I think they are booing the BLM movement — I think that’s quite clearly a reaction to what is now known about BLM and the underlying political message which is one that is not sympathetic to the United Kingdom as a nation”.
His claims are at odds with the prime minister, who said he wanted to “see fans cheering, not booing”.
Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the story:
PM to meet with speaker after tongue-lashing
Boris Johnson will hold talks with Lindsay Hoyle, after the Commons Speaker gave him a tongue-lashing for announcing the delay to lifting Covid restrictions at a press conference – rather than in the Commons – but it may not be straightaway.
“The prime minister is going to be meeting with the Speaker to discuss this,” his spokesman said. However, asked when, he replied: “In due course.”
Mr Johnson has watched the footage of Nick Watt, the BBC political reporter being abused by anti-lockdown mob and was as appalled as everybody else.
“This footage is deeply disturbing. Journalists should never face that kind of behaviour,” his spokesman said, adding: “Violence, threats and intimidation like this is never acceptable.”
The prime minister is also throwing his weight behind Cressida Dick, despite criticism of her in the Daniel Morgan report.
Asked if the Met Commissioner has his full support, his spokesman replied: “Yes.”
Downing Street also made clear the full removal of all Covid rules will only go ahead on 19 July if the four existing tests are met, meaning the policy is still “data not dates” – despite Mr Johnson calling it “a terminus date”.
Controversial Australia deal will only deliver minimal benefit to British economy, experts say
Trade experts have offered withering assessments of the UK’s trade deal with Australia, saying it will deliver minimal economic benefit while harming the environment.
David Henig, UK director of European Centre For International Political Economy, said the GDP boost from the pact would likely fall much lower than the government’s 0.02 per cent estimate.
Joe Spencer, partner at accountancy firm MHA MacIntyre Hudson, was equally scathing, calling the agreement “unfavourable”.
“UK farmers are increasingly being asked to offer protection for the environment, while the government is withdrawing support to them at the same time,” he said.
SDLP vows to legislate on Irish language at Westminster
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) will seek to introduce an Irish language amendment to a bill on Northern Ireland passing through the House of Commons.
The Northern Irish party made the pledge in the event that Sinn Fein and the DUP do not introduce the change at Stormont.
The Northern Ireland (Ministers, Elections and Petitions of Concern) Bill will have its second reading on 22 June, after which the SDLP’s two MPs could table amendments.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said it was a “disgrace” that the Sinn Fein and the DUP were threatening to collapse the government over the issue.
“They have learned nothing from the last time they brought us to the brink. Fourteen years leading government and these parties have clearly demonstrated that they are incapable of delivering on their commitments,” he said.
His words come as the DUP warned the UK government not to get involved in what it sees as a devolved matter.
Post-Brexit science and medical research threatened with £14bn funding shortage, MP warns
The UK government needs to find £14bn to keep its promises to fund vital post-Brexit scientific and medical research, MPs have warned.
Their report reveals that only £1bn of the £15bn needed to stay in the flagship Horizon Europe programme for the next seven years had been found.
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details:
Gove adamant that British farming sector will be protected
Parroting the party line, Michael Gove has said the Australia deal provides “significant new trading opportunities for the UK”.
He also claimed that the agreement’s mitigations did enough to protect the British farming sector.
The cabinet office minister said Australia and the CPTPP (Comprehensive and Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership) presented exciting possibilities for the UK.
“But it’s also the case that we’ve got very high environmental animal welfare standards here and they’re an asset, not just good things in themselves, it also means that UK farmers have a quality mark that the world recognises when they’re selling their produce abroad,” he added.
Patel gives statement following ‘alarming’ report
Priti Patel has issued a statement following the report into Daniel Morgan’s death.
She said no redactions to the report were required but she had to take account of national security issues.
Describing the report as “deeply alarming”, she said the public looks to the police for protection and that the overwhelming majority of officers use their powers properly.
Baroness Nuala O’Loan, the crossbench peer who chaired the panel, criticised Ms Patel moments ago for delaying the report’s publication.
It was supposed to be published on 24 May, Baroness O’Loan said, but Ms Patel reportedly decided at the last minute she must read it.
Baroness O’Loan said the panel was disappointed by the move, which she considered to be “wholly unjustified”, as the report was “previously vetted”.
Met Police ‘institutionally corrupt,’ says report into detective’s murder
The full report from the Daniel Morgan independent panel has finally been delivered. You can read it here.
Baroness Nuala O’Loan, the crossbench peer who chaired the panel, is currently delivering a lengthy statement about the panel’s findings.
Here is some of what she has said so far:
“From the beginning, there were allegations that police officers were involved in the murder, and that corruption by police officers played a part in protecting the murderer(s) from being brought to justice.
By not acknowledging or confronting, over the 34 years since the murder, its systemic failings, or the failings of individual officers, by making incorrect assertions about the quality of investigations, and by its lack of candour, which is evident from the materials we have examined we believe the Metropolitan police’s first objective was to protect itself. In so doing it compounded the suffering and trauma of the family.
The Metropolitan police were not honest in their dealings with Daniel Morgan’s family, or the public. The family and the public are owed an apology.
As I said, the Metropolitan police concealed from the family of Daniel Morgan, and from the wider public, the failings in the first murder investigation and the role of corrupt officers. That lack of candour, over so many years, has been a barrier to proper accountability. In 2011 the Metropolitan police said publicly, for the first time, that police corruption had been a factor in the failure of the first police investigation. However it was unable to explain, satisfactorily, what that corruption was or how it affected the investigation.”
Baroness O’Loan also criticised the current Metropolitan Police leadership, including commissioner Dame Cressida Dick, for slowing down its work by failing to give prompt access to necessary records and computer systems.
