Official figures released today show the benefit to the UK economy of a new proposed trade deal with Asian countries is small compared to the losses expected from Brexit.
The Government launched negotiations to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) on Monday, which Boris Johnson said would “open up unparalleled opportunities”.
Figures released today by the Department for International Trade (DfT) forecast a boost to UK GDP of £1.8bn in 15 years time, compared to the 4 per cent long-term hit to GDP forecast by the government’s independent Office for Budget Responsibility as a result of Brexit.
It comes as Mr Johnson has today been warned that the EU could “slow down” exports or shut off the flow of important business data in the event of a trade war.
If the dispute over the Northern Ireland Protocol worsened then Brussels has a number of levers that could cause “significant economic consequences” for the UK, said Jonathan Portes, of the UK in a Changing Europe think-tank.
Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer today made further changes to his top team as he wrestled with the ongoing fall-out from the Hartlepool by-election loss.
Government calls for ‘more reuse and recycling’ after Amazon destroys millions of items in UK every year
The government has called for “more re-use and recycling of products” after an investigation at one of Amazon’s Scottish warehouses suggested it is destroying millions of items every year.
ITV News found items including smart TVs, laptops, drones, hairdryers and thousands of sealed face masks were sorted into boxes marked “destroy” at the Amazon Fulfilment Centre in Dunfermline, Fife.
One ex-employee at the site, one of 24 such warehouses across the UK, said their “target was to generally destroy 130,000 items a week”, writes Samuel Osborne.
Official figures show forecast boost to UK GDP from Pacific trade deal is fraction of cost of Brexit
Official figures have shown that the potential benefit to the UK economy from a proposed partnership with Asian countries is less than one-fortieth the expected losses from Brexit.
And Labour warned that the projected 0.08 per cent (£1.8bn) boost to GDP over the long term will shrink to just 0.017 per cent (£400m) if Malaysia continues to resist ratification of the deal, as it has for the past three years.
One trade expert branded the expected benefits “teeny” by comparison with the negative impact of leaving the EU, writes The Independent’s political editor Andrew Woodcock.
John Bercow joining Labour shows that politicians don’t really care about bullying at Westminster
It is unbelievably frustrating to watch politicians be so complimentary about a man who is alleged to be a bully, writes Marie Le Conte.
Dowden ‘thrilled’ 60,000 fans can attend Euro 2020 final
Sport and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden has said he is “thrilled” after it was announced more than 60,000 fans will be permitted to attend the Euro 2020 semi-finals and final at Wembley.
“We are thrilled that more fans will now be able to walk through the Wembley turnstiles and enjoy the finals of £EURO2020,” he tweeted.
“As we continue to make progress on our roadmap out of lockdown, keeping the public safe remains our top priority.
“We have worked extremely closely with UEFA and the FA to ensure rigorous and tight public health measures are in place whilst allowing more fans to see the action live.
“The finals promise to be an unforgettable moment in our national recovery from the pandemic.”
Carrie Johnson hits out at dog meat festival in China as Boris says slaughter ‘will never be acceptable’
The prime minister’s wife called the torture of dogs and puppies “sickening” as a dog meat festival in China began.
Carrie Johnson tweeted on Tuesday: “The torture of these dogs and puppies is sickening. Warning: these pictures are the thing of nightmares. #stopyulin” in response to the ongoing Yulin Dog Meat festival.
Celine Wadhera reports
‘Anti-woke agenda’ helping Tories hold onto Brexit-backing voters, claims polling expert
The Government’s “anti-woke agenda” is an attempt to hold on to votes from those who backed Brexit, according to a polling expert.
Elections expert Professor Sir John Curtice has claimed that the Conservative Party are seeking to “tap into” a wider set of values held by those who voted to leave the EU in 2016.
Boris Johnson’s Government has been accused of seeking to start a culture war over issues like vandalism of statues and a crackdown on protecting free speech at British universities.
The polling expert told a Westminster briefing: “The fact that people who are pro-Brexit are willing to support the Conservative Party, yes, it’s to do with Brexit in particular, but it is also of course to do with immigration.
“It is also now, as the Conservative Party realises, Brexit is also tapping into a wider set of more socially conservative values.
“And that’s why you can see why the Conservative Party are pursuing this anti-woke agenda, is indeed finding other ways of continuing to connect with the views of Leave voters.
“As well of course the more direct appeals designed by the phraseology of levelling up.”
England’s top nurse says NHS should continue to recruit staff from overseas
England’s chief nurse has said international recruitment to help fill NHS staff shortages should continue just days after reports suggested Baroness Dido Harding wanted to end the practice as part of her pitch to take over the NHS.
Posting on twitter NHS England’s top nurse Ruth May said the health service was at its best when its workforce reflected the community it serves.
Her post was made to mark Windrush Day – the anniversary of the Empire Windrush ship docking in Essex in 1948 and bringing Caribbean migrants to work in the UK after the Second World War, writes The Independent’s health correspondent Shaun Lintern.
Who is the DUP’s new leader?
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson narrowly lost out last month to Edwin Poots in the DUP leadership race. His time has come, however, after being elected unopposed following Mr Poots’ resignation last week.
The 58-year-old, Northern Ireland’s longest-serving MP, is described as a “moderate” DUP politician.
He is expected to be sworn into the position over the weekend.
My colleague Matt Mathers has more information about Sir Jeffrey:
MoD to cover initial costs of new royal yacht, No 10 says
The cost of the new royal yacht will be initially covered by the Ministry of Defence before a full funding plan is set out “at a later stage”, Downing Street has said.
Health secretary Matt Hancock earlier claimed that the £200 million vessel, which former cabinet minister Ken Clarke described as “silly populist nonsense”, would “pay for itself many, many times over”.
No 10 said Mr Hancock’s statement was based on the fact that the yacht would promote British trade and “drive investment back into our country”.
EU should stop threatening ‘big’ countries like Britain, says minister
The EU should stop making “threats” and should work in a different way with “big” countries like the UK, the former Brexit negotiator David Frost has said.
Speaking to MPs on Tuesday, he said: “I think the EU does need to try and find a way of dealing with big third countries in its neighbourhood that is a bit more responsive, and some sort of fleet-of-foot rather than a cookie-cutter approach and fitting everything into a template.”
The Brexit minister added that relations between the UK and the bloc would be a “little bumpy” for a while.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
