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In the words of a leaked Labour internal memo, “the use of the flag, veterans, dressing smartly at the war memorial etc gives voters a sense of authentic values alignment”. Aside from the market research jargon – the document having been derived from focus group research – you have to wonder about a party being “authentic” if it is being encouraged to do things that it is not doing already, that is to say naturally, voluntarily and, erm, authentically. Would not the voters be able to sniff out the subterfuge? Or is it more a case, as the late Bob Monkhouse once said, that the public love sincerity? “If you can fake that, you can fake anything,” he said. Which brings us rather neatly to Tony Blair and New Labour. While no doubt Keir Starmer is sincere (and authentic) in his professed desire not simply to be a reimagined Blair, there is no mistaking his quest to push Labour towards the centre ground of politics and to win back lost voters in what are now termed “foundation seats”, formerly “red wall” or, latterly, “blue wall”. Not only is this a matter of policy, but of image and appearance, adopting the demeanour of what prospective or defected Labour voters wish their leaders to sound and look like. After all, the electorate in places such as Sedgefield (once represented by Tony Blair) and Bolsover (ex Denis Skinner) were won over by the plummy Old Etonian Boris Johnson, a man who constantly drapes himself in the national flag, and may, for all we know, wear Union Jack undercrackers. Presumably under some edict, no government minister is permitted to be on television without at least one union flag behind them, a novel and vaguely fascistic fashion. More

Boris Johnson has threatened to call time on the Northern Ireland Brexit deal in a bid to avert more border chaos on the Irish Sea.The prime minister on Wednesday threatened to invoke the protocol’s Article 16 exit clause if it was the only way to ensure free flowing trade between the province and Great Britain.It comes as his deputy Michael Gove held talks with European Commission officials after demanding a “grace period” for new bureaucracy on importers and exports be extended to 2023.The Brexiteer gave Brussels a tight deadline to come up with a solution “this week”.The prime minister’s Brexit deal has already led to significant disruption between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, including shortages of some goods.But the situation is expected to get worse in April unless the current grace period applying to supermarkets and others in the food industry is extended.In the House of Commons, DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr confronted the PM with his previous promise that businesses could throw any demands for paperwork on exports between Britain and Northern Ireland “in the bin”.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 weekdayMr Paisley said the people of Northern Ireland felt “betrayed” by the outcome of the Brexit deal and told Mr Johnson: “Prime minister, be the unionist we need you to be.”“The protocol has betrayed us and has made us feel like foreigners in our own country,” said Mr Paisley. “Tea and sympathy will not cut the mustard. What is the prime minister actually going to do?”Mr Johnson responded that he was willing to override parts of the Northern Ireland protocol if necessary.“We will do everything we need to do, whether legislatively or indeed by triggering Article 16 of the protocol, to ensure that there is no barrier down the Irish Sea,” he said.In a letter to EU Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, sent on Tuesday evening and made public on Wednesday, cabinet office minister Mr Gove urged an extension of the grace period.The minister said that the “minimum set of steps necessary to stabilise the situation” in Northern Ireland included extended the grace period to “at least 1 January 2023”.“We are both well aware that there are a number of pressing problems with the operation of the protocol that need to be addressed and we must do so this week,” he said.Speaking on Wednesday morning Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney told public broadcaster RTE that his government thought the EU should show “flexibility” on the issue.Loyalists and unionists in Northern Ireland are unhappy at the new arrangements, which effectively put a trade border in the Irish Sea in order to keep the border with the Republic of Ireland open.The Democratic Unionist Party has for weeks called on the government to suspend some of its obligations in the treaty under Article 16.The profile of the EU was raised after the European Commission briefly suggested it would trigger Article 16 to stop coronavirus vaccine exports, before swiftly withdrawing the idea after an outcry.Boris Johnson on Wednesday morning spoke with Arlene Foster, the DUP leader and Northern Irish first minister.
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The University of Manchester has terminated a research project with a state-owned Chinese company with alleged links to human rights abuses against Uighur Muslims.It comes after a parliamentary committee accused China Electronics Technology Group (CETC) of providing technology and infrastructure used in the persecution of the ethnic minority group.Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, had written to the university over its Department of Physics and Astronomy’s research partnership with the company.“According to credible reports from both Human Rights Watch and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, CETC is one of the main architects of the Chinese government’s surveillance state in Xinjiang, China, providing both technology and infrastructure that is being used for the identity-based persecution of more than one million people, predominantly Uyghur Muslims,” the MP said in his letter.The Chinese government has been accused of widespread abuse in the northwestern Xinjiang province, including mass internment, slave labour and allegations of forced sterilisation.China at first denied the existence of the internment areas. It later acknowledged them, but denied any abuses and says the steps it has taken are necessary to combat terrorism and a separatist movement.The Foreign Affairs Committee is attempting to determine the extent of British involvement with organisations who are implicated in the situation as part of an inquiry.In his letter, the chair asked the University of Manchester about its partnership with CETC, including whether staff had raised concerns and the university knew about alleged links with Uighur persecution when the relationship was agreed.Professor Martin Schroder, the university’s vice-president and dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, said the institution has “now taken steps to terminate the current agreement” with CETC while it assesses the relationship.He said the university had already been reviewing the relationship, after a licence application for a joint project was rejected.“I also confirm that, as far as I am aware, the university had no prior knowledge of any credible reports stated in your letter, or from any other source, linking CETC’s technology with the persecution of Uyghur Muslims. Your letter is the first to do so,” he told the committee in a letter. He added: “I confirm that as I am aware no members of staff at the University have raised concerns about the collaboration with CETC38, and no desires have been expressed or steps taken by the University or CETC38 to develop collaboration between these two organisations in the areas of artificial intelligence, big data or advanced materials.”Mr Tugendhat said he was “pleased” that the university “has decided to suspend its relationship with CETC” following the committee’s intervention.  “Although we welcome the university’s move to withdraw from any further projects with CETC, it is surprising that the university had not been made aware that CETC’s technology was being used to aid the atrocities taking place in Xinjiang detention camps. Our letter was apparently the first they knew of it,” the Tory MP said.  He added: “It remains imperative that British institutions, educational and otherwise, are fully informed of who it is they are working and sharing research with.“A lack of curiosity could inadvertently lead to some of our most well-respected businesses and universities entering into a relationship which – inadvertently or otherwise – sees them complicit in the systematic abuse of the human rights of the Uyghurs and other minority groups.”The university said their research collaboration with CETC aimed to “significantly advance the field of radio astronomy”.“The projects worked towards an objective of disseminating research results in the public domain through publication in academic journals and as is standard in collaborative research projects, results of the work undertaken were shared between the parties in accordance with the terms of the agreement,” Mr Schroder said in his letter to the commitee.They had already completed one project, had a licence application rejected for a second, and have now withdrawn a third application for a project, he said.A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University is reviewing its collaboration with China Electronics Technology Group Co. Ltd (CETC38) following the rejection of a licence application by the government’s Export Control Joint Unit (ECJU) in relation to a specific project with the company.“This took place in January and predates any correspondence with the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Since then, we have taken steps to terminate the current agreement with CETC38 whilst assessing the relationship.”The spokesperson said the university had recently undertaken more work to address “the potentially complex risks and issues” arising from international research partnerships. “One of the aims is to provide a strengthened degree of assurance about potential new research partners with the University’s guiding principles, values, missions and goals,” they said. Additional reporting by agencies More

Labour left-wingers have warned Keir Starmer he risks alienating the party’s core supporters if he tries to wrap the party in the Union flag.A leaked report prepared for the party said Labour should “make use of the flag, veterans and dressing smartly” as part of a radical rebranding to win back “red wall” voters who switched to Tories in 2019.The proposal has sparked alarm on the Labour left, with one MP telling The Independent that it would be a “foolish strategy” unless combined with firm statements of progressive values of inclusivity, while a former member of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet said it showed “a paucity of vision” at a time of economic and public health crisis.Any plan to appeal to patriotic voters risked being undermined by a video unearthed by the Guido Fawkes website, showing Sir Keir saying that he had once wanted to get rid of the monarchy.The 2005 film of barrister Starmer shows him saying: “I also got made a Queen’s Counsel, which is odd since I often used to propose the abolition of the monarchy.”At prime minister’s questions in the Commons, Boris Johnson tried to capitalise on quotes in the leaked report from voters who said Starmer was “sitting on the fence”.But Johnson was slapped down by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, who told him to stick to answering MP’s questions.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 report, obtained by The Guardian, was drawn up for the party by an external agency which conducted focus groups “from Watford to Grimsby” last autumn to find out how voters view Labour under Starmer.Recommending an embrace of patriotic symbols, it said: “The use of the flag, veterans, dressing smartly at the war memorial etc give voters a sense of authentic values alignment.” Richard Burgon, who served as shadow justice secretary under Corbyn, told The Independent: “In the biggest public health and economic crisis for 100 years, is this the best the party can do? I don’t think it is. It suggests a paucity of ideas. People want us to believe in something.”He added: “There is a real danger that the Labour leadership thinks it can take the votes of those who backed Labour in 2017 and 2019 for granted, that it can take the votes of young people and black and minority ethnic communities for granted, and go chasing the votes of people who may well prefer a real conservative party.”Clive Lewis, a former soldier and one of Labour’s leading ethnic minority MPs, said: “The Tory party has absorbed Ukip and now Labour appears to be absorbing the language and symbols of the Tory party.“It’s not patriotism; it’s Fatherland-ism. There’s a better way to build social cohesion than moving down the track of the nativist right.”And Brighton Kemptown MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle told The Independent: “There is nothing wrong with showing that you are comfortable with the symbols of your country. But if you do it by just waving the flag, our core supporters, who are young, liberal, EU-supporting, will get confused about the message you are trying to send.“All these things are fine, but if they don’t come with a sense of values and a recognition that we are have to appeal to people from both sides, it is a foolish strategy.”A Labour spokesman stressed that the report was produced by an outside organisation and was not party policy.”We will write our own strategy and that will be a strategy focused entirely on how do we restore trust and how do we win in 2024,” he said.The spokesman shrugged off the 2005 video, saying: “It’s a 15-year-old interview about what Keir said 15 years before that. We all reflect on what we said when we were in our 20s.”
Starmer “believes in the monarchy” and sees himself as a proud patriot, said the spokesman.“The Union flag represents the country that Labour wants to govern and the country that Keir wants to be prime minister of,” he added. “Labour believes in a better future for our county, and Keir wants to become prime minister and we want a Labour government because we want a better country. That’s patriotism.”Some centrist Labour MPs said it was right for the party to show pride in the Union flag. Frontbencher Toby Perkins said: “There is a broad coalition of voters we need to win and pride in our flag is a good but not sufficient step.“The revulsion to our flag of some on the left is revealing.”And Neil Coyle tweeted a photo of himself in a Union flag face-covering made by a company in his Bermondsey and Old Southwark constituency. Mr Coyle told The Independent: “If people are afraid of our flag, that’s very worrying. “We should be proud of our flag and our country. That doesn’t mean ignoring the problems of our country, it means focusing on them and working to improve things. That’s why the Labour Party exists.” More

Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer and MPs at PMQsThe post-Brexit deal signed by Boris Johnson with the EU on fishing fell “short” of industry expectations, the environment secretary has admitted.George Eustice told a House of Lords committee on Wednesday that “it’s fair to say that we didn’t get everything that we wanted on fishing”, adding that “compromises were made”.Another problem for the UK government is the disruption of trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland since the end of the Brexit transition period. This has led Downing Street to urge the EU to extend the Brexit “grace period” to 2023. British, EU and Northern Irish leaders are meeting on Wednesday to discuss the issue. 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 weekdayShow latest update
1612363860Labour left tell Starmer not to wrap party in Union flag Labour left-wingers have warned Keir Starmer not to wrap the party in a Union Jack, after a leaked external review suggested it should rebrand itself as more demonstrably patriotic. The presentation, which was seen by the Guardian, said Labour should “make use of the flag, veterans and dressing smartly” to win back voters in “red wall” seats. One Labour MP told the Independent it would be a “foolish strategy” unless it was accompanied by firm statements on the progressive values of inclusivity. Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports: Rory Sullivan3 February 2021 14:511612362468Labour distances itself from leaked presentation on patriotism Labour has said a leaked presentation about making the party appear more patriotic is from an external review and is not part of its new strategy. This comes in response to a Guardian article, which cited the presentation to suggest that Labour sought to rebrand itself by making use of the Union Jack.  A spokesperson for Keir Starmer said: “It was a document produced by an external agency about the Labour Party – it was created by a third party and the recommendations in that report are their recommendations.“It is not right to say it was presented as our strategy. That is not what it was and to claim otherwise is wrong,” they added.Rory Sullivan3 February 2021 14:271612361411Hancock says film shaped government’s vaccine response Health secretary Matt Hancock has said the film Contagion partly shaped his response to the Covid-19 pandemic. When asked by LBC about the movie in which the world struggles to contain a deadly virus, he admitted that it influenced the government’s approach to place large orders with vaccine suppliers. Rory Sullivan3 February 2021 14:101612360122Government writes to EU requesting grace period extensionThe government has now formally called for post-Brexit grace periods in Northern Ireland to be extended for another two years.Michael Gove wrote to European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic insisting that arrangements allowing supermarkets to phase in new checks on food travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland stay in place until at least 1 January 2023.“The eligibility for these arrangements must also be adapted so that all relevant local businesses and services are able to be included as authorised traders,” the cabinet office secretary wrote.“This must be accompanied by a commitment to rapid work on a proportionate, risk-based long-term solution that recognises the very low-risk nature of retail movements by trusted traders.”
He also said: “A permanent solution should be put in place for those chilled meat products moving GB-NI that are otherwise prohibited.
“If this in practice requires further time and engagement, then a temporary solution must be in place until at least January 1 2023.”Liam James3 February 2021 13:481612359174Brexit fishing deal ‘fell short’ of industry expectations, government admitsThe deal signed by Boris Johnson with the EU on fishing after Brexit fell “short” of industry expectations, the environment secretary has admitted.
Speaking at a House of Lords committee on Wednesday George Eustice told peers that “it’s fair to say that we didn’t get everything that we wanted on fishing”, adding that “compromises were made”.Since the transition period ended fishermen have reported little benefit and many have instead complained they are unable to export their catches to Europe because of the new bureaucracy created by Brexit.The environment secretary told peers: “I don’t think anyone in the fishing industry believed that we would immediately exclude access for all [EU] vessels.”Our Policy Correspondent Jon Stone has the full story:Liam James3 February 2021 13:321612358095‘Sticking plaster’ not good enough for Northern Ireland, says DUPFollowing a call between Boris Johnson and Arlene Foster, the DUP called for “permanent solutions” to the problems that have plagued Northern Ireland since trade barriers went up after the end of the Brexit transition period.“Sticking plaster solutions and grace periods that kick the can down the road will not solve these problems,” the party said in a statement.“It is now up to the prime minister to back up his words with tangible actions that protect the integrity of the whole of the United Kingdom. We will continue to engage with the UK government on all these issues but have underlined that long-term workable solutions will need to be found quickly because Northern Ireland needs to be free of this protocol.”Liam James3 February 2021 13:141612357162DWP secretary dismisses £1,000 one-off payment to replace universal credit increase Therese Coffey has dismissed a proposal – reportedly being considered by the chancellor – to replace the weekly £20 universal credit increase with a one-off £1,000 payment to claimants. It is currently unclear whether the increase, which was announced in response to the pandemic, will continue beyond March. The DWP secretary told MPs that the lump sum payment was not the department’s “preferred approach”, adding that a “steady sum of money” would be better for claimants. Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the details: Rory Sullivan3 February 2021 12:591612356578Speaker interrupts PM for not addressing question in dig at Starmer Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle interrupted Boris Johnson during PMQs while the prime minister was attacking Keir Starmer over his approach to the pandemic. After Mr Johnson accused the Labour leader – once again –  of “sitting on the fence”, Sir Hoyle said: “In fairness, we’ve got to be somewhere near the question asked and I don’t want to go around the world answering every problem and issue.”There’s a lot more questions which is going to allow you to do that.”Hoyle interrupts Boris Johnson as he takes a jab at StarmerRory Sullivan3 February 2021 12:491612356290Labour leader asks PM why thousands of people still living with unsafe cladding Keir Starmer has asked the prime minister why hundreds of thousands of people are still living in homes with unsafe cladding, three and a half years after the Grenfell tragedy. Speaking at PMQs, the Labour leader said: “I can’t tell the Prime Minister how anxious and angry people feel about this. It’s now three and half years since the Grenfell tragedy which took 72 lives.“So can the Prime Minister tell the House and the country why three and half years on are there still hundreds of thousands of people living in homes with unsafe cladding?” Boris Johnson responded by acknowledging that the problem “needs to be fixed”. “I very much appreciate and sympathise with the predicament of leaseholders who are in that situation but we are working to clear the backlog, and I can tell him that the Chancellor and the communities secretary will be coming forward with a full package to address the issue,” he added. Rory Sullivan3 February 2021 12:441612356091SNP Westminster leader accuses Johnson of ‘reckless’ visit to Covid outbreak plant Blackford accuses Johnson of ‘PR stunt’ after visit to Covid outbreak plantRory Sullivan3 February 2021 12:41 More

Boris Johnson visited a vaccine plant despite No 10 being warned of a Covid outbreak, triggering condemnation in the Commons.The prime minister was accused of a “reckless PR stunt” – after it emerged that the boss of the manufacturing site in Scotland had alerted his team to the outbreak.“The prime minister and his advisers knew there was a serious Covid-19 outbreak at this plant – they knew the visit posed a risk,” SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford said.Valneva’s chief financial officer, David Lawrence, has said that Downing Street was informed in advance of the 14 coronavirus cases at the plant – about one in eight of the workforce.“They were made aware we’d had some reported cases and had implemented our control procedures,” he told the Daily Record.But the prime minister defended the trip and claimed: “Nobody raised that issue with me before or since.”
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 weekdayLater, Mr Johnson’s spokesman repeatedly refused to confirm that he had not been told of the Covid outbreak – while acknowledging Downing Street was informed.At the factory, Mr Johnson was pictured meeting the site director and holding equipment. He was wearing a mask, but conducted TV interviews with his face uncovered.
The local health board, NHS Lothian, has confirmed an intervention by an incident management team took place last Wednesday – the day before the trip – after a suspected outbreak.
At prime minister’s questions, Mr Blackford added: “The prime minister acted recklessly,” attacking “the irresponsible decision to go ahead with this PR stunt”.
“The prime minister can’t just explain away this shocking error of judgement,” he said, arguing he “put politics before public health”.
Mr Johnson first ducked the issue of the warning, replying: “I can think of few things more important than to see the rollout of vaccine programmes across this country.”
But, when pressed a second time, he told MPs: “Nobody, by the way, raised that issue with me before or since.
“It is my job to visit every part of this country, nothing and no-one is going to stop me and I am very, very proud of the record of the government in rolling out the vaccine.”The visit had already been controversial, after Nicola Sturgeon, the First Minister, questioned whether it was the “essential” travel allowed under lockdown rules.
“We are living in a global pandemic and every day I stand and look down the camera and say, ‘Don’t travel unless it is essential, work from home if you possibly can’. That has to apply to all of us,” she said.
“People like Boris Johnson and I have to be in work for reasons people understand, but we don’t have to travel across the UK. We have a duty to lead by example.” More

Britain is urging the EU to extend the Brexit “grace period” on trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain to avoid more border chaos.Cabinet office minister Michael Gove on Tuesday wrote to his counterpart in Brussels asking for the relaxation of checks and control to continue until 2023.Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has already led to significant disruption between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, including shortages of some goods.But the situation is expected to get worse in April unless the current grace period is extended.Speaking on Wednesday morning Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney told public broadcaster RTE that his government thought the EU should show “flexibility” on the issue.”From an Irish perspective we want there to be some flexibility here if it’s possible to do that,” he said.Mr Gove is due to speak to EU vice president Maroš Šefčovič later on Wednesday to discuss the issue of extending the protocal.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 weekdayHe had told the Commons on Tuesday: “The end of grace periods for export health certificates and other issues do need to be addressed. “I will be writing to Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič later today to outline some specific steps that we believe we need to take. “Tomorrow, I will meet him and the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive in order to ensure that we can make rapid progress through the Joint Committee.”The UK and EU have stood down some controls at Belfast and Larne ports following an “upsurge in sinister and menacing behaviour in recent weeks”.
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Donald Trump’s son Eric has lashed out at Scottish politicians over plans for a parliamentary debate on whether the financing behind the family golf resorts should be investigated.
MSPs will vote on a motion calling for a court order to probe the ex-president’s business holdings in Scotland, amid growing concerns about deals done to set up the Trump Organisation’s golf courses.Mr Trump’s son said those leading the push for Wednesday’s vote were “pathetic” – and warned Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon that investors could be put off from doing business in the country.
The debate has been called by the Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie, who said it was time to shed some light on the “shadowy” business dealings of the Trump Organisation.It is aimed at pressuring the Scottish government to seek an Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) – a legal mechanism aimed at forcing those suspected of financial corruption to explain the source of their wealth.Eric Trump suggested the campaign for an investigation had been driven by the Scottish Greens’ personal animosity towards the family. “Patrick Harvie is nothing more than a national embarrassment with his pathetic antics that only serve himself and his political agenda,” he said.“If Harvie and the rest of the Scottish government continue to treat overseas investors like this, it will deter future investors from conducting business in Scotland, ultimately crushing their economy, tourism and hospitality industries.”
Mr Trump Jr, an executive vice president at the Trump Organisation, also claimed Scotland’s politicians should be focused on “saving lives and reopening businesses in Scotland”,  rather than pursuing “personal agendas”.Ahead of Wednesday’s vote, Mr Harvie claimed there were “evidenced concerns” surrounding the Trump Organisation’s purchase of the Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire, and the purchase of land for its course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.“The Scottish government has tried to avoid the question of investigating Donald Trump’s wealth for far too long,” the Green MSP told The Scotsman earlier this week. “There are serious concerns about how he financed the cash purchases of his Scottish golf courses, but no investigation has ever taken place.” More