Markus Andrews

The Cornish fishing industry is changing the names of two of its most common catches in a bid to boost their appeal with British consumers because of post-Brexit problems exporting to Europe.Until now, 95 per cent of Cornwall’s megrim fish and 85 percent of spider crab have been exported to Spain – but trade has been disrupted by the red tape difficulties stemming from Boris Johnson’s deal with the EU.Desperate Cornish fishing chiefs are instead looking to local markets, but the two catches in question have traditionally been less than appetising for British diners.“There’s this negative thing with megrim – it’s the ‘grim’ connotation,” Paul Trebilcock, chief executive of the Cornish Fish Producers Organisation (CPPO) told The Times.The spider crab apparently suffers not only because of a potentially off-putting name, but also because of its appearance, with Mr Trebilcock saying it “doesn’t look as pretty as brown crab”, the species more commonly eaten in the UK.In hope of an image makeover, the CFPO, after consulting consumers, buyers and restaurateurs, is planning to relaunch the two species –with megrim set to be known as “Cornish sole”.The spider crabs, meanwhile, are likely to be rebranded as the “Cornish king crab” in an effort to help them stand out with British buyers. Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayIt is hoped Cornish sole will become just as popular as its more expensive cousin, Dover sole, while the CFPO is also working with chef James Strawbridge to develop recipes for the rather plain-looking fish and spider crab.The moves are reminiscent of other changes to fish names to make them sound more appealing. Patagonian toothfish, for example, was changed to become Chilean seabass in the US and Canada.The move comes as the government criticised the EU for a ban on certain kinds of British shellfish imports, admitting it has been a “devastating blow” for the UK fishing industry.Since the Brexit transition period ended, mussels, clams, cockles, scallops and oysters from most UK waters can only be exported to the EU if they are purified before departure and accompanied by an export health certificate – something the industry is not set up to do.Environment secretary George Eustice said the government had been forced to advise traders their produce would be rejected at EU ports.The minister blamed Brussels’ “indefensible” bureaucracy – insisting there was “no legal barrier” to prevent the trade. “We are just asking the EU to abide by their existing regulations and not to seek to change them,” he told LBC on Tuesday.However, the EU has said its import rules of shellfish have existed for decades and are not about to change. More

A controversial new coal mine planned for Cumbria is struggling for national support, with a new poll showing Britons want ministers to block it on climate grounds.The West Cumbria Mining proposal near Whitehaven would be the first deep coal mine in the UK for 30 years, with supporters saying it would create thousands of jobs.But activists warn it would be detrimental to the environment and Britain’s climate goals, as the UK prepares to host the Cop26 summit in Glasgow in November.A survey by YouGov found 47 per cent of people think the mine will have a negative impact on the UK – with just 9 per cent believing it will be positive.Ministers say the go-ahead of the mine is a local issue and are refusing to step in and overrule Cumbria County Council, which gave it the green light last year.John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace UK, which commissioned the polling, said: “Greenlighting the UK’s first new deep coal mine in 30 years is the last thing you’d expect from the host government of the next major climate summit. “It’s like giving a tax break to Big Tobacco before hosting a global public health conference. ‘Do as we say not as we do’ can’t be the government slogan for the Glasgow summit. Britain really does need to lead by example or it won’t lead at all. “Ministers are still in time to call in the decision and block the mine before it buries the government’s climate credentials under a tonne of coal.”According to YouGov’s poll, 36 per cent of people are opposed to construction while just 24 per cent who support it. Additionally, a complete blanket ban on the construction of new coal mines has support from 33 per cent of voters, with while 25 per cent are against.
Ministers are still in time to call in the decision and block the mine before it buries the government’s climate credentials under a tonne of coal.John Sauven, GreenpeaceDefenders of the mine say its coal will be used exclusively for coking in the production of steel rather than power generation, and that alternative technologies are not yet mature enough.They argue that the mine will provide jobs locally and that coal will have to be imported to produce steel anyway for some time to come.Phil MacDonald, lead UK analyst at the clean energy think-tank Ember, told The Independent: “A new coal mine in the UK won’t provide the jobs it promises. The last use for the coal is in steel – but the transition to producing clean steel from hydrogen and renewables has already begun. In Sweden, commercial steel production from renewables is just 5 years away – and the UK won’t be far behind.”The UK can’t meet its climate targets if we keep allowing coal mining – and it sends a terrible signal to the rest of the world just as we are hosting the climate conference in Glasgow this December. The UK government needs to be backing green, stable jobs in renewables in the North West – not short-lived, dangerous jobs.” More

Officials have launched an investigation after thousands of pounds were spent on luxury chocolates using a government agency credit card shortly before Christmas.The UK Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has begun an internal probe after it emerged that £6,248 was spent on items from Hotel Chocolat, the high-end confectionary outlet. The 21 December purchase is included in a list of the agency’s corporate charge card payments in excess of £500. It stands out among work-related spending on items such as job listings and computer services.If the purchase of pricey treats is found to have violated the data regulator’s policy on spending, the ICO could ask for “reimbursement” from whoever is found responsible.“This payment is currently subject to an internal investigation,” a spokesperson told The Independent. “We believe that the transaction has been made contrary to ICO policies.”The official added: “The ICO is committed to upholding high standards in all aspects of our financial management and controls. Should a contravention of our finance policies be confirmed, we will take appropriate action, including ensuring the payment is reimbursed.”Hotel Chocolat retails its most expensive selection of chocolates, the Signature Cabinet, at £170 a box. Data campaigners condemned the purchase, but praised the ICO for making the details public.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday“I don’t know what’s worse: the fact that someone who had access to the credit card did this, or that they thought it was OK,” FOI campaigner John Slater told Business Insider, which first reported the purchase.The ICO is a non-departmental public body which received £4.6m of government funding last year. However, it is primarily funded by private organisations who pay an annual data protection fee. More

A breakdown in the international order has led to a growing threat of chemical attacks around the world, the defence secretary has warned.Ben Wallace said some regimes around the world increasingly believed it was acceptable to use nerve agents and pathogens against their opponents.In an interview with The Times newspaper the minister said such attacks were “what happens in a sort of breakdown of world order”.And he blamed the internet for providing a “turbo boost” to extremist groups trying to acquire or build such weapons.”Globally, I think there is a growing threat of chemical or biological (attack),” he told the newspaper on a visit to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down, near Salisbury. “It depends on what is at hand for people using the internet.”It is unfortunately what happens in a sort of breakdown of world order where you see countries like Syria use it on its own people.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday”There has been a worry that some states think it is acceptable to use that type of method to carry out or further their aims.”Mr Wallace referenced the use of chemical nerve agents by Russia in the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia.He said the attack demonstrated the need for more police officers to be trained to respond to chemical and biological incidents in the UK.Abroad, the minister also cited the use of chemical weapons in Syria as another example of where a regime had used such tactics against its own citizens.
World news in picturesShow all 50 More

Millions of Britons risk being driven “over a cliff edge” by the withdrawal of financial support as the Covid-19 lockdown is lifted, the British Red Cross has warned.In a new report, the Red Cross revealed that support for the most vulnerable dropped at the end of the second lockdown in December, and called on the government to provide £250m in emergency grant funding to avoid people being forced to go without food, clothing or heating if the same happens again when current restrictions are eased.The call came as a separate report by the Living Wage Foundation found that more than a quarter (27 per cent) of low-paid workers – over a million people – had regularly skipped meals during the coronavirus pandemic of the past year, with almost three in 10 (29 per cent) missing bill payments and a fifth (20 per cent) falling behind on rent or mortgage.The survey found that more than two-thirds (67 per cent) of those earning less than the real living wage – £10.85 an hour in London and £9.50 elsewhere in the UK – had seen their pay fall as a result of the pandemic.Almost half of the 2,128 workers polled by Survation for the LWF said their low pay had increased their levels of anxiety, 34 per cent that it negatively affected relationships with friends and family and 31 per cent of those who were parents said it harmed their relationships with their children.Foundation director Laura Gardiner said: “The fact that many low earners – including essential workers who’ve kept the economy going through the pandemic – are forced to skip meals or forego heating their homes is unacceptable. “As the vaccine is rolled out and we inch back to some sense of normality, it’s clear business as usual isn’t an option. To recover and rebuild, and to truly level up living standards throughout the UK, we will need to see a greater focus on lifting people onto a real living wage that covers the cost of living.”Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayThe British Red Cross conducted research between October and December last year to monitor the effect on the most vulnerable of moving between lockdown and different levels of tiered restrictions.Its report, The Longest Year, identified two particularly hard-hit groups: the “newly vulnerable” who have never needed help before and struggle with the stigma of asking for support and unfamiliarity over where to obtain it; and those who were struggling before the pandemic and are now “on the brink”.The report found that during last autumn’s regionally tiered restrictions, some 43 per cent of those in need of financial support to self-isolate were unable to get it. Two-fifths were not confident about where to access financial support during the period of tiered restrictions, including 13 per cent who said it would have been helpful to them.And half (50 per cent) found it difficult to keep track of coronavirus restrictions in their area, with three-quarter (74 per cent) saying they found it easier to simply limit how much they left home rather than try to keep up with what they were allowed to do.More than half (55 per cent) said they found it hard to talk about their problems when so many other people were having a difficult time. Of those who are not confident they can recover from the impact of the pandemic on their lives, some 71 per cent cited their mental health as a key factor.As part of the move out of lockdown, the British Red Cross called on the government to give £250m a year to local councils in England for emergency welfare for people whose circumstances change quickly due to the pandemic.And the charity – which has itself given out £2.4m to people in immediate need during the pandemic – called on the government and devolved authorities urgently to improve access to self-isolation support payments. Norman McKinley, executive director of UK operations at the British Red Cross, said: “Local and national governments have the best intentions but too many people have fallen through the cracks.“Our report shows the inextricable link between financial insecurity and mental health, and that the point at which someone faces hardship is a crucial moment to catch them before they fall into a more desperate situation.  “When you feel like your life is spinning out of control, having agency over the small things – like the cereal you buy or the ingredients for your dinner – makes all the difference. We need flexible and easy to access cash support to give people back their dignity, while also giving them the breathing room to get back on their feet.  “As we come out of the pandemic, we must develop a more nuanced understanding of what it means to be vulnerable and normalise asking for help – whether practical, emotional or financial.”    More

Labour is calling for immediate action from chancellor Rishi Sunak to fend off a £50bn “bombshell” facing UK businesses as coronavirus support packages end in April.Shadow business minister Lucy Powell said businesses cannot afford for Mr Sunak to wait until his 3 March Budget to save them from the looming financial hit.She warned that the planned end of the furlough scheme, along with rates holidays, tax deferrals, VAT cuts and other support packages will “blow a massive hole in the recovery” and cost thousands of jobs.With many businesses now expecting to be closed through the spring and beyond, she called for the immediate announcement of an extension to the furlough scheme, which pays up to 80 per cent of the wages of workers unable to do their jobs, which is currently due to run to the end of April.She also said the chancellor should extend for at least six months the 100 per cent business rates relief offered to retail, hospitality and leisure businesses and continue the temporary 5 per cent reduced rate of VAT for hospitality, tourism and culture.Ms Powell said: “The government’s failure to ensure economic support is adequate and goes hand-in-hand with public health measures has meant we’ve seen the worst recession of any major economy and the worst growth. “The £50bn business bombshell firms face must be defused before it blows a hole in our economy. We need a smarter furlough scheme, and better support for businesses, to secure jobs and get Britain on the road to recovery.”Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayAccording to government data, around 600,000 firms – a quarter of the UK’s businesses – between them deferred VAT payments totalling £34bn between March and June 2020, which will have to be repaid within the 12 months from the end of March.Labour said that high street firms will also face paying £9.6bn in business rates in 2021-22 when the current holiday ends in April.Companies will also lose £3.3bn a month in furlough payments if the job retention scheme is wound down as planned at the end of April.Meanwhile, companies which have taken out bounce back loans and coronavirus business loans (CIBLs) worth a total of £62bn will have to start paying interest calculated at an estimated £275m after the government’s offer to cover interest for the first 12 months expires.Labour said that moving back from the emergency 5 per cent rate of VAT to the standard 20 per cent at the end of March will cost businesses in hospitality, accommodation and culture £4.1bn.And Ms Powell said businesses will also have to account for a £9bn hole in their finances after Mr Sunak withdrew the promise of a £1,000 job retention bonus when he extended furlough at the end of last year.Boris Johnson has said he aims to reopen English schools to all pupils on 8 March, and classrooms are set to return on 22 February in Scotland and Wales.But there is no date yet for the relaxation of other lockdown measures, such as the closure of non-essential shops, pubs and restaurants. Mr Johnson has promised a “roadmap” towards normal life in the week of 22 February, leaving only days for Mr Sunak to adjust his Budget to take account of new plans. A HM Treasury spokesperson said: “We’ve invested more than £280bn throughout the pandemic to protect millions of jobs and businesses – and extended our self-employed and furlough schemes through to April so that people have certainty that help is in place. “At the upcoming Budget we’ll outline the next stages of our Plan for Jobs to support businesses and families across the UK. That has been our priority throughout the past year and it will be the priority for the year to come.” More

Labour has accused ministers of selling young people short after new figures suggested an incentive designed to boost the number of apprenticeships had so far created less than a fifth of the forecast jobs.  Last summer ministers announced employers would receive sums of either £2,000 or £1,500 to take on a new apprentice.  Just a few months later in the November Spending Review ministers announced an extension of the scheme to the end of next month.  In total, the government set aside enough money to make payments for 100,000 new apprentices. It did note, however, that the final number would depend on employers and could be lower.  But new data shows that by the start of last month the scheme had created just 18,670 new apprenticeships.  Labour wants ministers to use a wage subsidy to create new apprenticeships. Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayThe party says that in effect this would mean half of a new young apprentices’ wages would be paid for by the government, saving employers more than £3,500 for every apprentice that they take on.Kate Green, the shadow education secretary, accused the government of “trying to get away with quick fixes, which are selling young people short and failing to create the training and employment opportunities they need.  “The chancellor’s failure to secure our economy means the pandemic is wreaking havoc with the jobs market and now more than ever people need access to training and the chance to learn new skills.” A government spokesperson said: “We have been generous with the amount allocated to apprenticeships because we know they work, and we want to make sure that employers have access to the support they need to create more. That’s why we cover 95% of the training costs of SMEs, in addition to our Plan for Jobs cash incentive for giving an apprentice a job. “Right from the start we have been clear that the final cost of the scheme will depend on the number of apprentices hired, and these figures only take into account employers who have claimed payments so far. We expect the number to grow substantially ahead of the March deadline.” More

Priti Patel has refused to criticise the arrest of a journalist for photographing a peaceful protest outside a controversial asylum centre, despite the case being dropped.Instead, Ms Patel appeared to back the arrest – before claiming she could not comment further for legal reasons, even though the journalist will face no further action.“All decisions on arrests are an operational matter for the police, and the police make arrests in line with their duties to keep the peace and to protect the community,” she told MPs.The arrest of Mr Aitchison, first reported by The Independent, after he shared photos of the demonstration outside Napier military barracks in Kent, which now houses asylum seekers, sparked fears over press freedom.Protesters held up signs saying “Close Napier now” and “Priti Patel There will be blood on your hands” after at least 120 men at the barracks tested positive for Covid-19.Six hours later, five police officers arrived at Mr Aitchison’s nearby home and arrested him, in front of his children, on suspicion of criminal damage.Inside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayInside Politics newsletterThe latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekdayA media freedom alert was filed with the Council of Europe and submissions have been made to the UN special rapporteur on human rights over Mr Aitchison’s treatment.During Home Office questions, the Conservative MP Damian Collins, who represents the constituency where Mr Aitchison lives, raised his case, highlighting how the photographer was “held for questioning for seven hours”.“The police confiscated his mobile phone and photo camera card and last Friday the charges were dropped and case closed,” he said.He asked Ms Patel to “agree there should be a review of the guidance given to the police before action like this is taken against accredited journalists” – and that Mr Aitchison had “committed no offence”In reply, the home secretary said it was a matter for Kent Police, before claiming: “I’m afraid, at this stage, that’s all I can say because an arrest has been made.”Ducking the call for new guidance, she told Mr Collins: “I have no doubt that Kent Police will continue to keep all interested parties, including my right honourable friend, updated.”Mr Aitchison told The Independent he was “disappointed” by Ms Patel’s response and her refusal to commit to a “much needed” review of guidance for police in handling accredited journalists.“She does not seem to acknowledge the significance of my unlawful arrest. She seems to suggest that my arrest was in line with keeping the peace and protecting communities, which is obviously untrue as I was merely doing my job and documenting a peaceful protest,” he said.“I am concerned that the wrongful arrest of journalists reporting on sensitive issues will continue. This seems to be a repetitive issue for many journalists, particularly photojournalists, and it has to stop.  “The freedom to report seems even more pertinent during a lockdown where people are unable to move about freely.”Criticism has been mounting about conditions at the Ministry of Defence site since it was repurposed in September for housing hundreds of asylum seekers.Ian Murray, director of the Society of Editors, criticised the police action, saying: “We are constantly told journalists, including press photographers, are an essential part of our democratic system in this country and a free media is to be protected.“But words are not enough. It is actions that count and arresting press photographers is not something that should be happening in a liberal democracy.” More