Markus Andrews

The UK was attempting to uncover the location of Russia’s defence forces in the Crimean Peninsula and test their response during last week’s Black Sea incident, Vladimir Putin has claimed.The Russian president also claimed that a US reconnaissance aircraft was operating in sync with the British warship HMS Defender during the “complex provocation” near the Crimea coast.Speaking during a marathon live call-in show on Wednesday, Mr Putin said that the US aircraft’s mission was to monitor the Russian military’s response to the British destroyer.“First of all it was a provocation, quite obviously,” he said, according to a translation of his comments on the Russian state-backed RT channel.“What were they trying to tell us? What goals were they trying to achieve? It was a complex provocation organised by the US and the British because a warship entered our waters during the day and then… an American warplane took off from somewhere in Greece.”Mr Putin said HMS Defender “came into our waters and they looked at how we were going to respond” then “the [US] plane was looking at how we were going to respond”.The Russian president added: “I may have divulged a bit of a military secret there but I think our military is going to forgive me.”Mr Putin said Moscow was aware of the US intentions and responded accordingly to avoid revealing sensitive data. “I don’t think we were on the brink of World War Three,” he said.He added: “There was also a political component. A meeting [with US President Joe Biden] had just taken place in Geneva. One must ask why it was necessary to carry out such a provocation.“Why is all this being done? In order to emphasise that these people do not respect the choice of Crimeans to join the Russian Federation.” More

Rishi Sunak has been urged to “stop dragging his heels”, as Labour accused the government of again delaying a long-awaited review into plans for net-zero emissions by 2050.The review is expected to inform the next steps in the UK’s transition to the legally binding target of reaching net zero by the middle of the century — a goal legislated for by former PM Theresa May.It comes after the government’s own climate advisers said the country had made “woeful” progress on tackling the climate change and ignore repeated warnings to prepare for its “inevitable impact”.In response to a Common written question — asking when the final report of the net zero review will be published — minister Kemi Badenoch declined to give a specific date, saying it would be published “in due course” and “later this year”.The chief secretary to the Treasury added the review will also be released “in advance” of the critical climate summit Cop26, which is not until the autumn between 31 October and 12 November.Ministers had previously suggested a roadmap to net zero would be published “during” 2020 and in May, Ms Badenoch told MPs the final report would be released “this spring”, but so far it has failed to materialise.As the chancellor prepared to release plans for a green bond to raise funds to invest in projects such as renewable energy, Labour’s shadow chief secretary to the Treasury Bridget Phillipson said: “There’s a real danger this green bonds announcement is all talk and no action — just like the chancellor’s long delayed net zero review — and a distraction from the critical job of halting climate change.“The chancellor must stop dragging his heels, and publish his final report into the net zero review which has now been delayed since autumn 2020.“And he should hardwire his net zero targets into his upcoming spending review, as Labour would do.”Ms Badenoch added in her response to the written question that the final review will “explore key issues and trade-offs as the UK decarbonises”.She added: “Against a backdrop of significant uncertain on technology and costs, as well as changes to the economy over the next 30 years, it focuses on the potential exposure of households and sectors to the transition, and highlights factors to be taken into account in designing policy that will allocate costs over this time horizon.“In line with the review’s terms of reference the report will allocate costs over this time horizon. In line with the review’s term of reference, the report will not include policy recommendations”. More

Britain should “show some honesty” about what it signed up to over Brexit, Ireland’s foreign minister has said. Speaking during a panel discussion Simon Coveney, a veteran of the exit negotiations, said calls to scrap the Northern Ireland protocol from some unionists were not “realistic”.His comments come as the EU is expected agree to an extension of grace periods on goods travelling between Ireland and Northern Ireland, in a concession to the UK.The British government says the conditions of the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, if strictly implemented, would be too damaging for businesses – and claims the EU is being too assertive it its interpretation.But Mr Coveney said that while there was “a need for the EU to show some flexibility and pragmatism” over implementing the agreement “there is a need for the British government, in particular, to show some honesty around what has been agreed, why it was agreed, and the disruption it has prevented”.“Brexit is the disruptor here , not the Protocol. The Protocol was designed to limit the disruption of Brexit,” he said, adding that there was a need to be “honest with people” that there was no “credible” alternative to the protocol.Mr Coveney’s comments were made in a discussion hosted by the Keough-Naughton Institute for Irish Studies at Notre Dame University and reported by the Irish Times. He was speaking ahead of a Belfast high court decision on Wednesday about whether the protocol, which was jointly negotiated by Boris Johnson’s government and the European Union, is lawful. The protocol was designed to prevent a hard border from forming between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, which both sides agreed was essential to protect the Good Friday Agreement.But the method chosen created new checks and controls between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Boris Johnson initially insisted these would have minimal effect, but the government has since admitted they are doing more economic damage than expected.Businesses say the protocol needs to be changed and some have stopped supplying Northern Ireland entirely because of the increase in bureaucracy. Unionists and loyalists also have concerns that the treaty brings NI closer into the Republic’s orbit at the expense of its place in the UK.During Brexit talks both sides agreed an alternative solution that would have kept the whole UK effectively inside the EU’s customs area – but the plan was shot down by Tory MPs, triggering the resignation of Theresa May.Last week Brexit minister Lord Frost claimed Brussels was not showing “a huge amount of engagement” with the UK’s concerns about the Northern Ireland Brexit deal, and said the protocol was threatening the “delicate balance” of the Good Friday Agreement.Speaking at a committee hearing in Westminster on Tuesday, the UK’s Brexit minister said the post-membership relationship with the bloc had been more difficult than expected and would be “a little bumpy” for some time. More

Matt Hancock is facing calls to quit as an MP and threats of deselection from his own local party following the revelations that saw him leave government. The former health secretary is facing a revolt from senior Conservatives in his Suffolk constituency that could see him ousted from parliament altogether.Ian Houlder, a Tory councillor on West Suffolk council, said he had written to his local Conservative association chair about Mr Hancock’s conduct, which he found “really contemptible”.“Think of people who haven’t been able to bury their mothers or fathers,” the councillor told the Telegraph newspaper.”There he is, just groping away, hands everywhere, tongues everywhere, out of his bubble.”Mr Houlder added: “I think there should probably be a by-election. I don’t think he should cling on, hoping that people’s memories fade.”Meanwhile Terry Clements, another Tory councillor in the area, told ITV News Mr Hancock would “find it impossible to carry on” as a backbench MP.Mr Clements, who has served on the local council for 38 years, suggested Mr Hancock could soon have discussions with local Conservative members who would “advise” him about his position. “I’ve been in some difficult positions and decisions have to be made. He will come to the right decision, I’m sure of that,” Mr Clements told the broadcaster.There is thought to be a range of opinion in Mr Hancock’s local party about whether he should stay on, with allies saying the issue was still being processed.The health secretary stepped down on Saturday following revelations about his breaking social distancing while having an extramarital affair with an aide.The aide had also been appointed a non-executive director at Mr Hancock’s department and was meant to scrutinise him. There are also separate allegations swirling around whether Mr Hancock used a personal email address for official work – thought to be problematic for reasons of both security and scrutiny. More

Opponents of the Northern Ireland Protocol have been dealt a blow after the High Court threw out a bid for the Brexit deal to be declared unlawful.Unionist leaders launched the legal challenge in protest at the agreement – signed by Boris Johnson and the EU – creating a trade border in the Irish Sea, disrupting supplies.But a judge in the Belfast court ruled that the EU Withdrawal Act overrides claims that the Protocol breaches the Acts of Union between Britain and Ireland.The challenge was brought by leading Unionists including Arlene Foster, the former DUP leader, and David Trimble, an architect of the Good Friday Agreement.They argued that the Protocol breaches Article 6 of the Acts of Union which created the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in 1800, by leaving Northern Ireland inside the EU’s customs union.It was also claimed that the agreement ran contrary to the Northern Ireland Act, the legislation which brought the 1998 Good Friday Agreement into law.But Mr Justice Colton refused a judicial review, pointing out that “much constitutional water has passed under the bridge” since the year 1800.However – in what is certain to be a provocative mood – he agreed the Withdrawal Act does conflict with the 1800 Act, but ruled it overrode the provisions of the 200-year-old law.A government lawyer had told the High Court that the Northern Ireland Protocol is an “orthodox application of parliamentary sovereignty”.The applicants were effectively “asking the court to ignore the will of parliament expressed in primary legislation”, it was argued.Furthermore, the government insisted that Northern Ireland remains within the UK’s custom territory – despite the trade checks introduced – which meant there is no breach of the Acts of Union.The ruling comes as tensions continue to rise over the new trade border, with Unionists accusing the prime minister of betrayal – and of dishonesty in claiming its impact was not fully anticipated.The EU and UK are poised to agree a truce to delay a looming ban on the sale of chilled meats from Britain and to ensure new medicines are available in Northern Ireland.But the government has refused to scrap or suspend the Protocol – despite repeatedly threatening to – preferring to work with Brussels to try to make changes.An opinion poll by researchers at Queen’s University Belfast has found people in Northern Ireland are “evenly split” over the Protocol.However, recent protests have “not led to any significant growth in the proportion of voters objecting to it”, suggesting that positions on the Protocol are “already quite well entrenched”.When asked whether the Protocol is appropriate for Northern Ireland, 47 per cent agrees that it is, but 47 per cent disagreed. More

The UK is in line to repeat its lockdown easing mistakes of last summer, a top scientist who advises the government on its coronavirus response fears.Professor Stephen Reicher, a psychologist on Sage’s subcommittee on behavioural science, said that Boris Johnson told people it was their “patriotic duty” to go to the pub and also take part in Rishi Sunak’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme, designed to boost the ailing hospitality sector.But speaking to Times Radio on Wednesday, he warned these decisions meant that Covid infections were never at a low enough level and later spiked in the Autumn after children went back to school.Prof Reicher added that when restrictions are ditched – a step the government currently has pencilled in for 19 July – infections need to be at a much lower level, test and trace needs to work more effectively, and further support is still needed for people who need to self-isolate.He told Times Radio: “My fear is that we’re on line to repeat the mistakes of last summer – if you remember, the prime minister told us it was our patriotic duty to go to the pub, that people should go to work or they might lose their jobs, we had eat out to help out.“The consequence was we never got infections low enough to be able to deal with the disease and so when conditions changed in the autumn, when schools went back and people went back to work and universities went back and the weather got worse and we went inside, so infections spiked.“And I think this time round, we should learn from that and we should get infections low to a point where we we’re in a much better place in the autumn, where we don’t have to reimpose restrictions.“So I think the real question is how can we do that without inconveniencing people too much?”Health secretary Sajid Javid said this week that lifting coronavirus restrictions as soon as possible is his “absolute priority”, but stressed the need for caution in order to make sure changes are “irreversible”.In Parliament he confirmed that the government is still on course to “commence” Step 4 of its roadmap out of lockdown on 19 July.But Prof Reicher added that test and trace was still not working properly or contacting people quickly enough, and pointed to the lack of support for people to self-isolate.He added: “It seems to me that if we got right the basic public health moves to suppress infection, we wouldn’t be talking about a high reservoir of infection which can then spike very quickly when conditions change.”Additional reporting by PA More

Boris Johnson’s government is set to unveil its plans for new state aid rules – claiming they will make the post-Brexit system for business subsidies “agile and flexible”.The EU Commission is expected to scrutinise the proposals when the Subsidy Control Bill is introduced to parliament on Wednesday to make sure they comply with the Brexit agreement.State aid was a major point of contention during Brexit negotiations: any move too far from Brussels’ standards on the subsidies used to boost chosen industries could provoke retribution.Business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng claimed the system would become “more agile and flexible” without a return to the “1970s approach of the government trying to run the economy … or bailing out unsustainable companies”.Paul Scully, the business minister, added: “The UK’s new bespoke subsidy system will be simple, nimble, and based on common-sense principles – free from excessive red tape.”The UK government claimed the new system would leave devolved governments “empowered for the first time to decide if they can issue subsidies by following a set of UK-wide principles”.But allegations of a power grab could be reignited from administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has previously warned Mr Johnson that failing to hand over subsidy powers “would be a full-scale assault on devolution”.The proposed post-Brexit system will “empower” devolved administrations to suggest subsidises for companies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – so long as they fit “UK-wide principals”.Ministers said the new system will stop the awarding of subsidies that will displace jobs from one area of the UK to another to prevent “subsidy races” between authorities seeking to attract the same business.The UK’s courts and tribunal system will be tasked with enforcing the rules. The new regime will come into effect next year if approved by parliament. More

The government is expected to shelve plans for mandatory domestic vaccine passports when lockdown restrictions are lifted next month.Ministers had been considering requiring proof of vaccination, immunity, or testing for big events like music festivals and sports matches.But the Daily Mail newspaper reports that ministers have dropped the idea of making the proposals mandatory.Suggestions that such documents could be required for hospitality venues like pubs and restaurants have already been ruled out by Boris Johnson following a backlash from business who said the idea was unworkable. Organisers of events will still be allowed to run their own schemes to check whether people attending are not at risk of infecting other people.Vaccine passports for international travel are a separate affair and how they might work is currently being examined by a government commission led by Michal Gove. On 19 July ministers are expected to lift the last legal Covid-19 restrictions, following a month-long delay due to rising case numbers of the Delta variant.They argued that the delay would give the NHS more time to vaccine a larger proportion of the population without case numbers spreading out of control.The Sun newspaper reports that when restrictions are lifted the government will also remove some self-isolation requirements for people who have had both vaccinations.Currently, people who come into contact with someone who has Covid-19 have to self-isolate for as long as 10 days – but this requirement is expected to end.Instead, people who are fully vaccinated who are traced as a contact will instead have to take 20-minute lateral flow tests every day for 10 days. Anyone who tests negative would be allowed to leave the house.That approach has been piloted by some health authorities since April, and has been judged by the government to be a success. The Department for Health and Social Care has been approached for comment. More