European Parliament members have called on Britain not to adopt proposed legislation which would override the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit deal.
A statement from a group of MEPs who manage the parliament’s approach to post-Brexit arrangements said: “We are deeply concerned with the UK’s unilateral action, which constitutes a serious and unacceptable breach of international law.” It went on to urge the UK government to drop its proposed bill.
Britain yesterday revealed a plan to unilaterally alter trading arrangements agreed with the EU as part of the Brexit deal, citing concerns over bureaucracy and oversight.
Sinn Fein said it was “disgraceful and utterly reckless” for Britain to breach an international agreement but Liz Truss, UK foreign secretary, defended the plan, saying it “doesn’t make the EU any worse off”.
Britain’s move has sparked backlash from across the EU, with the bloc saying it would resume legal opposition. Boris Johnson said any retaliatory move from the bloc would be a “gross, gross overreaction”.
Privatisation is ‘right thing’ for Channel 4, says arts minister
A change of ownership is the “right thing for Channel 4“ in order for it to compete against the “thriving independent sector”, an arts minister has said.
Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay, under secretary of the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), was quizzed on the privatisation of the broadcaster during a DCMS Committee session on Tuesday.
Defending the government’s decision to sell off Channel 4, he said: “Change of ownership is the right thing for Channel 4, because it helps it to have the investment that it needs in order to compete against a thriving independent sector.
“Channel 4 was set up before I was born to help stimulate commissioning from the independent sector, it has done that brilliantly, so well that we have a really thriving independent production sector.”
He cited the growth of streaming platforms as one of the key reasons for the broadcaster’s privatisation, adding: “The cost of those independent productions is going up because there’s such appetite from the Netflixs, the Amazons and others.
“And that’s why we need to look at the next 40 years of Channel 4 and make sure that it has the investment, the access to the cash that it needs to continue to do that for the next generation.”
Boris Johnson says Scotland had already been asked about independence
Boris Johnson said the Scottish people had already made their views known at the 2014 referendum, as Nicola Sturgeon launched her new campaign for a second referendum on Scottish independence.
“I think the decision was taken by the Scottish people only a few years ago, in recent memory,” he told reporters in Staffordshire.
“I think we should respect that. I think we should also focus on what I think the people of the whole of the UK – Scotland, England, everybody – wants us to look at, which is the economic position we are in, the effect of Covid on the country and then the post-Covid issues that we’re grappling with.
“That’s the focus of the government. We’re working with our friends in the Scottish government, in the Scottish administration, on those issues. That’s what you’d expect the government to do.”
Sturgeon launches IndyRef2 campaign
Nicola Strugeon kicked off a new campaign for another vote on Scottish independence today, accusing Boris Johnson of denying democracy.
The first minister laid out the economic and social differences between Scotland and other small countries, attributing the deficit to not having the full powers of an independent country.
She also promised a “significant update” in the near future on how such a vote could be held without the powers being granted by Westminster.
Ms Sturgeon said she was re-elected last May on a “clear commitment” to a vote and had a majority of MSPs in favour of independence.
She claimed if the UK government “had any respect at all for democracy” it would grant a Section 30 order, allowing a legally binding referendum to be held, as happened in 2014.
Sturgeon holds a document promoting Scottish independence at campaign launch today
” height=”726″ width=”982″ layout=”responsive” class=”i-amphtml-layout-responsive i-amphtml-layout-size-defined” i-amphtml-layout=”responsive”> Sturgeon holds a document promoting Scottish independence at campaign launch today
MEPs call on UK to drop Brexit plan
European Parliament members have called on Britain not to adopt proposed legislation which would override the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit deal.
A group of MEPs concerned with UK relations issued a statement on Tuesday reading: “We are deeply concerned with the UK’s unilateral action, which constitutes a serious and unacceptable breach of international law.”
It added that Britain’s planned Northern Ireland Protocol Bill throws into doubt the government’s commitment to other parts of the Withdrawal Agreement.
The MEPs urged the government to drop the bill and parliament not to back it if presented. Britain should return to negotiations for “practical, flexible and durable solutions within the legal framework of the protocol,” they said.
Britain yesterday revealed plans to unilaterally alter trading arrangements agreed with the EU as part of the Brexit deal, citing concerns over bureaucracy and oversight.
Rail strikes can be avoided, says Labour
Rail strikes threatening to result in travel chaos next week are “not inevitable”, according to Labour.
Shadow Commons leader Thangam Debbonaire called on Grant Shapps, the transport secretary, to focus on getting an agreement “hammered out” with the unions.
Her remarks came after Mark Spencer, leader of the Commons, confirmed MPs will debate a “motion on rail strikes” on Wednesday following a last-minute switch to parliamentary business, although he did not confirm the specific details under consideration.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union at Network Rail and 13 train operators are to strike on June 21, 23 and 25 in similar disputes, which will cause huge disruption to services.
The RMT and the Unite union are also striking on London Underground on 21 June in a separate row over jobs and pay.
The government said it wass in talks with union bosses.
Tory MPs press for all US chemicals on food in pesticide blitz
Conservative MPs have urged the government to use its Brexit freedoms to ditch the EU’s cautious approach to making sure pesticides are safe for human consumption.
A new report authored by right-wing Tory MPs urges ministers to “peel back” the EU’s “precautionary principle” so that chemical companies can experiment, increase “yields”, and “return a profit”.
A chapter of the report, authored by MP Alexander Stafford, says the UK should automatically allow all pesticides permitted in the United States under a “mutual recognition” system.
Brussels announced it was banning 10 pesticides on imported fruit and veg in February last year and the UK was expected to follow suit, but has not yet done so in most cases.
Minister claims Brexit ‘not likely’ behind airline woes
Aviation minister Robert Courts said it was “not likely” that Brexit was having a significant impact on staffing for aviation firms.
Mr Courts was appearing before the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee after chaotic scenes at airports over half term that were blamed on staffing shortages.
The government has accused airports and airlines of not being prepared for a surge in travellers after Covid, when thousands of industry staff were laid off.
But off the record chats with airline staff and recruiting consultants suggested that Brexit has made it difficult for the industry to bring workers back while many workers filled gaps in the hospitality sector and were unlikely to return.
Mr Courts told MPs Brexit could not be to blame for Britain’s airport woes as recent chaos was seen around the world.
He said: “Schiphol for example, as we’ve seen in the news, has had a major problem. There have been similar problems in Dublin and France, and also in the United States.
“So it tends to suggest this is a global issue which is caused by a number of factors, but fundamentally, if I were to put in a sentence, it’s the close down of a sector and then having to open it up again, with all of the disruption that inevitably causes.”
Sinn Fein’s O’Neill says UK Brexit plan will deter investors from Northern Ireland
Sinn Fein vice president Michelle O’Neill has said investors will think twice about spending in Northern Ireland due to uncertainty over the protocol.
On Britain’s plan to unilaterally alter the protocol to remove checks on certain goods, she said: “This approach of Boris Johnson is just reckless, it is dangerous and it creates even more economic uncertainty.
“If you were a local company who wants to sell into the European market for the future, that investor will think twice because of the uncertainty here.
“So Boris Johnson is jeopardising jobs here, all for what is going on within the Tory party. Boris Johnson and the Tories will never act in the interests of people here.”
Ms O’Neill led Sinn Fein to victory in May’s Northern Ireland Assembly elections – the first time in Northern Ireland’s history a nationalist party was the largest in Stormont.
Irish prime minister says UK guilty of ‘fundamental breach of trust’
Irish prime minister Micheal Martin said British legislation to override parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol represented a “fundamental breach of trust”.
Mr Martin said the UK government’s plan made it difficult to avoid acrimony or real difficulty in relations between Britain and the EU.
He said the plan was also “anti-business and anti-industry”.
“I don’t think it’s well thought out or well thought through and certainly doesn’t match the realities on the ground in terms of experiences of those involved in various industries,” Mr Martin added.
Britain yesterday revealed plans to unilaterally alter trading arrangements agreed with the EU as part of the Brexit deal, citing concerns over bureaucracy and oversight.
Boris Johnson’s ethics adviser says Partygate resignation was ‘on the agenda’
Boris Johnson’s independent adviser on ministerial ethics has refused to deny that he considered resigning over the prime minister’s response to being fined for attending a party in Downing Street during lockdown.
Lord Geidt told the Commons Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee (PACAC) he felt “frustration” and that the option of resignation was always “on the agenda”.
However, he said that he did not believe there was ever “a single direct proposition” in his own mind.
“I am glad that the prime minister was able to respond to my report and in doing so addressed aspects of the things about which I was clearly frustrated,” he said. “Resignation is one of the blunt but few tools available to the adviser. I am glad that my frustrations were addressed in the way that they were.”
Lord Geidt has criticised Mr Johnson over his behaviour in relation to the Partygate scandal. He has made veiled threats to resign as ethics adviser and warned the prime minister’s breach of the law threatened to undermine the ministerial code.
PACAC is holding an inquiry into non-executive roels in government amid concern over political appointments to senior civil service jobs.
