Markus Andrews

Joe Biden urged Boris Johnson to ensure the Northern Ireland peace process is protected in his bitter row with Brussels over post-Brexit trading arrangements, the White House has disclosed.US national security adviser Jake Sullivan confirmed the president did hold a “candid discussion” with the prime minister about the issue at the G7 summit in Cornwall.Boris Johnson had claimed after his Thursday meeting with Mr Biden that they were in “complete harmony” on Northern Ireland – and No 10 insisted Mr Biden had not raised concerns about protocol arrangements.But Mr Sullivan said the president had indeed expressed his views on the issue with “deep sincerity” – suggesting Mr Biden may have delivered his message with some feeling.“All I’m going to say: they did discuss this issue. They had a candid discussion of it in private,” Mr Sullivan said late on Sunday, answering questions from American reporters.The White House adviser added: “The president naturally, and with deep sincerity, encouraged the prime minister to protect the Good Friday Agreement and the progress made under it. The specifics beyond that, I’m not going to get into.”Mr Sullivan would not be drawn on whether the president had linked the issue to a free trade deal with the UK, and did not specify when the conversation took place.The two leaders held a bilateral meeting on Thursday before the main summit began and afterwards Mr Johnson played down any differences between them on the issue.The disclosure came as the gathering ended with a furious diplomatic spat after foreign secretary Dominic Raab accused French president Emmanuel Macron of talking about Northern Ireland “as if it was some kind of different country to the UK”.At his closing news conference, Mr Macron strongly denied that he had ever questioned British sovereignty and insisted the UK must honour its commitments under the Brexit deal.Mr Johnson is said to have teased Mr Macron about French military prowess on Sunday. The prime minister said the wine he gave to Biden “was as old as when the French last won a naval battle,” according to The Sun. More

Rishi Sunak will not extend the furlough scheme despite a likely delay to the lifting of the last lockdown regulations, it has been reported. The temporary social security scheme is set to begin phasing out from July 1 and end on September 30 – only partially covering the expected new longer unlocking.Boris Johnson this evening is expected to confirm on Monday evening that the last restrictions will be extended for another four weeks into late July.But despite the planned delay the Chancellor is not expected to extend the scheme to cover the longer lockdown – which seems some businesses remain shut by government order.Business groups including the British Chamber of Commerce have reportedly urged the chancellor Mr Sunak to extend the support to prevent job losses in sectors like hospitality. The Treasury has not denied the claims.Asked about furlough on Monday morning ahead of the announcement, Health minister Edward Argar told Sky News: “I know that when he addresses his decision, sets out what he intends to do around the easing on the 21st, he will address those points as well.”I think he is very mindful of the need for businesses and others to get the support they need if they continue to be locked down or unable to open.”But I don’t want to pre-empt what he will say, but I know he is very sensitive to those factors.”Mr Argar said that delaying the June 21 lockdown easing for one month would allow another 10 million second coronavirus vaccine doses to be delivered.”Were there to be a delay, were that to be what the Prime Minister announces, we will see what he says and he will make a judgment if he were to delay it on how long by,” he told BBC Breakfast.”If we are going at a run rate of about 250,000 to 300,000 second jabs being done each day, a month gives you roughly that 10 million, which closes the gap… 10 million you have got to do to get from 29 million to 40 million, so that all 40 million have had their second jabs.”The government currently pays 80 per cent of wages up to £2,500. Month for people on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, colloquially known as furlough.But from July those contributions will fall to 70 per cent, up to £2,187.50, with employers having to pick up a further 10 per cent or let the employee go.In August and September the government will further cut its support to 60 per cent up to £1,875 and employers will be asked to up their contributions to 20 per cent. After September the scheme is planned to end altogether. Kate Nicholls, chief executive of trade body UKHospitality said: “We recognise that the Chancellor has provided long-term support for the sector which extends into the recovery period, but there is no doubt that any extension to the restrictions will be challenging for sectors yet to open and those still trading at a loss to navigate.”Businesses need a swift, publicly-stated commitment that such support will be in place in the event of any delays, giving them much-needed reassurance after more than 15 months of closure and severely disrupted trading.”Hospitality is desperate to get back to what it does best and can play a key role in the economic recovery of the UK – but only if it is given the proper support.” More

Boris Johnson will on Monday urge fellow Nato leaders to address the growing security challenge posed by China, as members of the military alliance gather in person for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic.At a summit in Brussels also attended by US president Joe Biden, Mr Johnson will say Nato must look beyond the Euro-Atlantic arena of the Cold War era to focus on threats in the Indo-Pacific, where Beijing has taken an increasingly muscular stance in recent years.Mr Johnson’s desire to exert UK influence in the east Asia was reflected in the decision to send the new HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier to the Indo-Pacific as part of the largest fleet of royal navy warships to deploy internationally since the 1982 Falklands War.The 65,000-ton vessel is currently participating in Nato exercises in the Mediterranean on the early stages of her maiden deployment, which will see her sail to the Pacific in a carrier strike group also including ships from the US and Dutch navies.UK sources said Mr Johnson will use Monday’s summit to “outline the need for Nato to look beyond the Euro-Atlantic to address challenges further afield, including in the Indo-Pacific”.It comes after G7 nations meeting in Cornwall agreed a Build Back Better infrastructure plan for poorer countries, to act as a counterweight to Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road initiative under which China has bought influence across Asia and Africa with investment in ports, roads and railways.Also on the agenda in Brussels will be the recovery from coronavirus, the threat from Russia and the final drawdown of allied troops from Afghanistan, 20 years after the Taliban was toppled from power.The prime minister will pay tribute to the 150,000 British troops who served in Afghanistan and emphasise the UK’s commitment to support the government in Kabul in its efforts to counter terrorism.Speaking ahead of the summit, Mr Johnson said: “Nato is not just important to the UK’s security, it is our security.“Nato owes it to the billion people we keep safe every day to continually adapt and evolve to meet new challenges and face down emerging threats. This will ensure Nato is still the bedrock of global defence for generations to come.”“As we recover from the global devastation wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic we need to do so with secure foundations. The peace and stability brought by Nato has underpinned global prosperity for over 70 years, and I have every confidence it will continue to do so now.”Mr Johnson will say that this year’s foreign, defence and security policy review demonstrated the UK’s “unwavering commitment” to Euro-Atlantic security and the Nato alliance, underpinned by a £24bn investment in defence capabilities.And he will say that the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced the value of Nato, as the crisis was exacerbated by hostile actors’ cyberattacks on allies’ health systems. More

The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, has thrown his support behind Theresa May to be the next Nato chief.The former prime minister had been a “fantastic” leader in “really tough” times and was an “excellent” candidate to lead the transatlantic military alliance, he claimed.The current Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, is due to step down next year after seven years in the role, and discussions behind closed doors are currently under way as to who will replace him.Ms May has not declared herself as a candidate for the job, but Mr Wallace gave her his support in an interview with the Italian political magazine Formiche.“Theresa May was a fantastic prime minister in really tough times,” he said.“I worked with her as the security minister. She would be an excellent candidate.”He said the government had yet to propose a candidate, saying: “We have a lot of work to do, like in Afghanistan, before we think about this.”He added: “The UK is one of the main contributors to Nato [and is] the country in Europe that spends the most. Of course, we always want to play a vital role in the alliance. But there are many other nations and what is important for Nato is to work unanimously.”According to TheSunday Telegraph, the former Conservative Party leader William Hague, the former cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and Mr Wallace himself are also being discussed as potential British candidates for the role. More

As the G7 summit draws to a close, here’s a look at some of the most memorable moments from the past few days:Boris-Biden beach walk love-inBoris Johnson and Joe Biden met as leaders for the first time on Thursday on the eve of the summit, swapping gifts and handshakes for elbow bumps as they posed for photographs before sitting down for talks. Jill Biden and Carrie Johnson joined their husbands hand-in-hand on a stroll along the Carbis Bay promenade before later dipping their toes in the water as baby Wilfred watched in the sand. The US president joked: “I told the prime minister we have something in common. We both married way above our stations.” Mr Johnson hailed Biden as a “breath of fresh air” and played down their differences over Northern Ireland, instead he emphasised the closeness of the partnership between the two countries. “It’s wonderful to listen to the Biden administration and to Joe Biden because there’s so much that they want to do together with us – from security and NATO to climate change,” the PM said. “It’s fantastic, it’s a breath of fresh air. There’s a lot of things they want to do together.”US announces 500 million Pfizer jabs donationFollowing his initial meeting with Johnson on Thursday, President Biden announced his administration’s plan to donate 500 million doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine to lower-income countries. He stressed the donation would come with “no strings attached”, comparing the US involvement in the global fight against the pandemic with its role as “the arsenal of democracy in World War 2.” The White House said it was the largest-ever donation of vaccines by a single country and the donation will be managed through the World Health Organisation-led Covax effort. The vaccines will be distributed to about 100 lower-income countries and the African Union. On Sunday, Boris Johnson said the G7 had pledged over 1 billion Covid-19 vaccine doses for poorer nations – far short of the 11 billion doses sought by the WHO. Last month, Biden broke with European allies to throw his support behind a move at the World Trade Organisation to waive intellectual patents for coronavirus vaccines.Sea shanties to woo world leadersOn Saturday night to wrap up the second day of the summit, Mr Johnson hosted a beach barbecue on Carbis Bay for some of the world’s most powerful figures. As scallop and crab claw canapés were passed around and guests enjoyed hot buttered rum and toasted marshmallows around fire pits on the beach, they were serenaded by the local sea shanty group, Du Hag Owr, who describe themselves as “Cornwall’s South Coast Shantymen”.  Guests were also treated to a fly-past from the famous RAF Red Arrows, roaring through the sky trailing white, red and blue smoke. Downing Street was later forced to insist attendees behaved in a Covid-secure way after images from the event appeared to show no social distancing and guests not wearing masks.Jill Biden’s jacket with a messageThe first lady made a pointed fashion choice on her first overseas trip since moving into the White House in January, appearing in front of reporters wearing a simple black jacket which on the black was a message adorned with sparkle: “LOVE”. The choice seemed an apparent nod to her predecessor Melania Trump’s infamous “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO YOU?” jacket, worn on a visit to an immigration detention centre in Texas amid a scandal about children being separated from their families at the border. When asked if she could explain her choice of jacket, Dr Biden simply said that she was bringing “love from America”.Boris swimming in the seaThe prime minister was seen taking a dip off the Cornwall coast on Saturday morning, before walking hand-in-hand with his wife along the beach near their luxurious hotel ahead of the day’s talks. Mr Johnson vowed to lose weight last year after ending up in intensive care with coronavirus and has been frequently pictured jogging and cycling since. Further along the Cornish coast, hundreds of demonstrators also took to the sea and streets to protest against the lack of climate change action from world leaders attending the summit. Campaigners from Extinction Rebellion marched through Falmouth while cleaner seas campaigners Surfers Against Sewage paddled out into the bay from Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth with banners declaring an “ocean and climate emergency”. The group Ocean Rebellion have also projected a protest message onto a ship in Falmouth harbour housing police officers. More

After a long period of drought, we are now halfway through a series of four parliamentary by-elections in quick succession. There had been no by-election since Brecon and Radnorshire in August 2019, won by Jane Dodds for the Liberal Democrats (who then lost in the general election four months later), until the Hartlepool contest last month.Labour’s defeat in Hartlepool was significant, crystallising the view that, although Keir Starmer had started well as leader of the opposition, he is struggling to make his mark against a vaccine-boosted prime minister.A second by-election a week later, by contrast, was barely noticed, as Anum Qaisar-Javed retained Airdrie and Shotts for the Scottish National Party after Neil Gray gave up the House of Commons for a seat in the Scottish parliament. More

Urgent action must be taken to address the backlog in cancer treatment after Covid and prevent a second “devastating” health crisis, MPs and medical experts have warned.Nearly 70 MPs, heads of medical colleges and leading oncologists are urging the government to deliver a new “radical” national plan to tackle the cancer backlog or risk “tens of thousands of needless cancer deaths”.The open letter addressed to the prime minister warns that “without urgent action we face a second devastating health crisis as the Covid wards empty and the cancer wards fill.”The letter has been signed by chairs of all-party parliamentary groups (APPG), former cabinet ministers and a former cancer minister, and calls on the PM to consider the seven recommendations put forward by the cancer community and cross-party MPs.The recommendations include the need to recognise the urgency of the backlog and deliver a new radical national plan, driven from ministerial level and backed by investment in equipment, technology, IT and workforce and to sweep away bureaucracy that restricts cancer care capacity. Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron, chair of the APPG for radiotherapy, said: “It feels like ministers and NHS leaders are hearing our words but still not accepting the magnitude of this Covid-caused cancer crisis. We keep hearing that ‘everything is in hand’ and that there are ‘encouraging signs’ but this flies in the face of warnings from frontline staff, patients and cancer experts.”He added: “This crisis can’t be solved by just exhorting the already exhausted staff to ‘work harder’.  And getting more patients to present is only part of the solution. We urgently need the prime minister to intervene and ensure we have a radical national plan backed with a real cash ‘super-boost’ to give cancer services the tools and capacity they need to catch up.”Professor Pat Price, a leading oncologist, said the cancer community was “pleading” with the PM to treat the issue as a national priority. “The entire cancer pathway needs urgently restoring throughout the country, staff are exhausted and we simply don’t have the capacity to catch up,” he said.“We need proper investment, backed by the political leadership to ensure that investment gets to where it is needed most. The prime minister has shown what can be done with the vaccine programme.  Now, it’s a national imperative that he works with us to do the same for cancer.”The Department for Health has been contacted for comment. More

Boris Johnson’s chances of success at this autumn’s crucial COP26 global warming conference in Glasgow hang in the balance after the G7 failed to deliver significant new pledges on climate finance at their three-day summit in Cornwall, campaigners have warned.Despite the prime minister’s promises of a new green package to match the US funding of reconstruction of post-war Europe, the gathering of leading global powers at Carbis Bay delivered “a partial plan not a Marshall plan”, said Christian Aid.A communiqué issued by the G7 states – the UK, US, France, Germany, Italy, Canada and Japan – promised that each would “increase and improve” their contributions towards a promise made 11 years ago for rich nations to spend $100bn (£71bn) annually helping poorer countries adapt to global warming.But specific pledges came only from Canada, which doubled its commitment to $4.4bn (£3.1bn) over the next five years, and Germany, which promised to increase spending by €2bn to €6bn (£5.2bn) a year by 2025.After being addressed by Sir David Attenborough on the urgency of action, the group of major democracies also promised to move away from using coal plants without carbon capture technology.But they gave neither a detailed plan for how to make the change or a target date to achieve it – though they did agree to stop subsidising new coal-fuelled power generation in developing countries from next year.Meanwhile, former prime minster Gordon Brown branded the summit an “unforgivable moral failure” after the G7 nations pledged only 870 million of the 11 billion vaccine doses which the World Health Organisation says are needed to inoculate the world by next year, and made no new pledges on vaccine financing.A defensive Mr Johnson denied that Brexit wars and his huge overseas aid cuts had fatally undermined the summit – his first appearance as host on the global stage, five months ahead of the United Nations climate conference in Glasgow.At a closing press conference, he insisted that “great commitments” had been made to try to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees, and said the target to vaccinate the world by the end of next year will be done “very largely thanks to the efforts of the countries who have come here today”.A Build Back Better fund would give access to finance for developing countries to develop infrastructure in a clean and sustainable way, as an alternative to financing from China’s Belt and Road Initiative, he said.And he said he “rejected outright” the suggestion that his £4bn-a-year cut in UK international aid spending had undermined his moral authority to secure commitments from other countries.Asked about a diplomatic spat with France over the UK’s failure to implement the Northern Ireland protocol, Mr Johnson insisted it had not deflected from the agenda he had set out.The “vast, vast majority of conversations” had been about “other subjects”, he insisted, claiming: “There has been a fantastic degree of harmony between the leaders of our countries.”But Max Lawson, from Oxfam, said: “This G7 Summit will live on in infamy. Faced with the biggest health emergency in a century and a climate catastrophe that is destroying our planet, they have completely failed to meet the challenges of our times.“The G7 have chosen to cook the books on vaccines and continue to cook the planet. We don’t need to wait for history to judge this summit a colossal failure, it is plain for all to see.”And the Civil Society 7 (C7) group of charities said: “Without 10 billion vaccines, the removal of patents and investment in healthcare systems pledges to inoculate the world by the end of next year ring hollow.“Multiple commitments for climate action have been made and remade. Yet even after this summit, we are still short of the significant climate finance needed.” More