Markus Andrews

‘Nothing wrong with being woke’ says Boris JohnsonMichel Barnier has waded into a row over the status of European Union diplomats in the UK after Brexit, warning the government in Westminster to “be very careful”. The Foreign Office is refusing to grant the EU’s ambassador in London the same diplomatic status afforded to representatives of individual nation states but Mr Barnier insisted the bloc cannot be treated solely as an international organisation.Her Cabinet colleague Brandon Lewis, the Northern Ireland secretary, had argued that the coronavirus crisis, not the end of the transition period, was solely to blame for the shortages before Ms Truss contradicted him, blaming “both of those issues”.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
1611240874Barnier warns Britain to ‘be very careful’ in EU diplomat rowMichel Barnier has warned the UK government to “be very careful” after the Foreign Office refused to grant full diplomatic status to the EU’s officials and ambassador in LondonSpeaking at an event hosted by the European Movement Ireland, Mr Barnier, who was the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator, said that while relations will not be “business as usual”, he insisted the EU cannot be treated solely as an international organisation.“I hope we will be able together to find a clever and objective solution to the status of the EU in London,” he added. “I think it would be wise in my view for the UK to find a clever solution.  “We will see what will be the final decision of the UK on this point, but they have to be very careful.”Our Political Correspondent Ashley Cowburn has followed the story so far:Liam James21 January 2021 14:541611240325Hundreds of millions in tax lost as border checks relaxedTaxes totalling £800m could go unpaid this year because of border checks on lorries being scaled back to avoid queues at ports after Brexit, MPs have been told.HMRC accepts that money will be lost because of a decision to prioritise free flow of traffic over revenue protection, chief executive Jim Harra told the House of Commons Public Accounts Committee. The committee heard that significant queues have so far been avoided at ports like Dover. But border delivery group chief executive Emma Churchill said that an average of about 5 per cent of trucks – up to 200 a day – have been turned back for having the wrong paperwork or failing to provide a negative Covid test.More on this from our Political Editor Andrew Woodcock here:Liam James21 January 2021 14:451611239433Up to Joe Biden whether to remove Churchill, says Downing StreetDowning Street has declined to criticise Joe Biden for removing a bust of Sir Winston Churchill from the Oval Office, despite Boris Johnson’s infamous attack on Barack Obama for the same move.The prime minister said in 2016 — in comments widely condemned as racist — that Mr Obama removing the sculpture “was a symbol of the part-Kenyan president’s ancestral dislike of the British Empire”.But Mr Johnson’s official spokesperson on Thursday said the same move by Mr Biden was “up to the president” after the Democrat took over the White House from Donald Trump.“The Oval Office is the president’s private office and it’s up to the president to decorate it as he wishes,” the spokesperson said. More

Michel Barnier has issued a warning to the UK to be “very careful” after the government became embroiled in a “petty” row over the refusal to grant full diplomatic status to the EU’s officials and ambassador in London.Joao Vale de Almeida took up his post as the first EU representative to the UK when Britain formally severed its membership in of the bloc a year ago, but has not been given the same status as other ambassadors.According to the BBC, the Foreign Office intends to treat EU officials as representatives of an international organisation on the basis that it is not a nation state and is insisting staff should not be afforded diplomatic privileges.But speaking at an event hosted by the European Movement Ireland, Mr Barnier, who was the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator, said that while relations will not be “business as usual”, he insisted the EU cannot be treated solely as an international organisation.“I hope we will be able together to find a clever and objective solution to the status of the EU in London,” he added. “I think it would be wise in my view for the UK to find a clever solution. “We will see what will be the final decision of the UK on this point, but they have to be very careful.”Earlier, Brussels said Britain was “well aware” the EU’s 143 delegations and staff in other parts of the world had been accorded a status equivalent to countries’ embassies under the Vienna Convention, which governs the rules of international diplomacy.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 weekdayWithout the full protection of the convention, diplomats do not benefit from immunity from detention, criminal jurisdiction and taxation.The BBC added the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs Josep Borrell wrote to Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, in November expressing his “serious concerns” over the decision.“Your service has sent us a draft proposal for an establishment agreement about which we have serious concerns,” he said.“The arrangements offered do not reflect the specific character of the EU, nor do they respond to the future relationship between the EU and the UK as an important third country.“It would not grant the customary privileges and immunities for the delegation and its staff. The proposals do not constitute a reasonable basis for reaching an agreement.”Tobias Ellwood, the Conservative chair of the Commons Defence Committee, described the decision as “petty”, adding: “[Joe] Biden commits to strengthening alliances and we engage in silly spats which will not help strengthen security and trade cooperation. We are better than this.Peter Ricketts, a former national security adviser and head of the diplomatic service, added: “I came to the same conclusion.“This is a wholly unnecessary move which seems part of systematic effort to signal that the UK is shunning the EU and all its works. Not in British interests.”European Commission spokesman Peter Stano added that the UK, which, as a member of the EU, was a signature to the Lisbon Treaty which established the European External Action Service diplomatic network, was “well aware of the EU’s status in external relations”.”Nothing has changed since the UK’s exit from the European Union to justify any change in stance on the UK’s part,” he said.”The EU’s status in external relations and its subsequent diplomatic status is amply recognised by countries and international organisations around the world, and we expect the United Kingdom to treat the EU Delegation accordingly and without delay.”The prime minister’s official spokesman said: ““The FCDO continues to engage with the EU on the long-term arrangements for the EU delegation in the UK. I am not going to pre-empt the outcome of those negotiations.”“We will ensure the EU delegation receives the privileges and immunities necessary to allow them to carry out their work.”The Independent has also contacted the Foreign Office for comment. More

The prime minister’s position stands in stark contrast to his suggestion that Barack Obama’s earlier removal of the bust in 2016 was “a snub to Britain” which might be prompted by the “part-Kenyan” president’s ancestral dislike of the empire.Obama said then that he had moved the head-and-shoulders statue to make room for another of Martin Luther King, but that he had a second bust of the wartime leader elsewhere in the White House.The Churchill bust, loaned to the White House by the UK government in 2001, was restored to its place by Donald Trump.But Mr Biden risked hurting British feelings by again having it taken out of his office, which now contains busts of civil rights heroes King, Robert Kennedy, Rosa Parks and Cesar Chavez, as well as former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt.According to the Washington Post, Mr Biden has also decorated the office with a large portrait of former President Franklin D Roosevelt and paintings of Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington.Asked whether Mr Johnson objected to Churchill’s absence, his official spokesman told a daily Westminster press briefing: “The Oval Office is the president’s private office and it is up to the president to decorate it as he wishes.”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 More

Britain could stay under lockdown restrictions through the spring and into summer, Boris Johnson has suggested.The prime minister said it was “too early to say” when asked whether rules could be relaxed in the spring or go on longer.Mr Johnson said it was “absolutely crucial” to obey the current restrictions “in what is unquestionably going to be a tough few weeks ahead”.He made his comments on Thursday morning on a visit to the north west to see the impact of flooding caused by Storm Cristoph.The government has pledged to review restrictions, especially for schools, 15 February, but Mr Johnson appeared to downplay hopes of an early release. “I think it’s too early to say when we’ll be able to lift some of the restrictions,” the prime minister said, when asked about the summer.”We’ll look [on February 15] at how we’re doing but I think what we’re seeing in the ONS data, in the React survey, we’re seeing the contagiousness of the new variant that we saw arrive just before Christmas – there’s no doubt it does spread very fast indeed.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”It’s not more deadly but it is much more contagious and the numbers are very great.”A further 1,820 people were recorded to have died from the pandemic on Wednesday, the highest recorded number in any single day – bringing the today to 93,290.The previous highest number of deaths recorded in a single day during the outbreak was 1,610, which was reported on Tuesday.
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Taxes totalling £800m could go unpaid this year because of border checks on lorries being scaled back to avoid queues at ports after Brexit, MPs have been told.The committee heard that significant queues have so far been avoided at ports like Dover. But border delivery group chief executive Emma Churchill said that an average of about 5 per cent of trucks – up to 200 a day – have been turned back for having the wrong paperwork or failing to provide a negative Covid test.Up to 18 January, some 636 truckers have been handed £300 fines – a total of £190,800 – for entering Kent without an access permit for the county.Officials said they were braced for delays to lengthen over the coming weeks as traffic movements return to nearer normal levels, and again when a grace period for imports ends in July. So far this year, freight traffic flows to the continent have been running at only around 70 per cent of the normal level in January, with many companies believed to be holding back on exports until the new systems have bedded in.Mr Harra told the committee: “The government did make it clear that when it came to goods movements into the UK, we would prioritise flow over revenue protection, and that is reflected in the procedures that we have put in place. That does mean that we are running some compliance risks as a result.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“We do expect that there will be some increased non-compliance, particularly in the first financial year, as a result of the easements that we have introduced.”The government’s independent economic forecaster the Office for Budget Responsibility has predicted £200m in lost customs duty and a £600m VAT gap in 2021/22 as a result of the relaxed checks, he said.Meanwhile, UK Border Force director general Paul Lincoln said that 1,570 additional staff had been recruited to carry out extra checks needed as a result of Brexit, with agency workers employed on a temporary basis to fill posts while permanent staff workers are trained.Ms Churchill told the committee that around 5,000 goods lorries are currently crossing to the continent each day via the Short Straits, compared to an average 7,000 a day in a normal January.Transport across the Channel had so far been “completely free flowing” and there had been no significant knock-on disruption on Kent roads, she said.Numbers being turned back for having the wrong papers or no Covid test were “bobbling about between 3 per cent and 8 per cent” – the equivalent of 100-200 HGVs a day, she said.Traffic levels were expected to return to normal levels over the next week or so, though they may remain depressed by coronavirus restrictions, she said. More

Dutch opposition lawmakers slammed the government’s plan to introduce a curfew to rein in the spread of the coronavirus during a debate about the measure Thursday, calling it a disproportionate restriction of freedom and questioning its effectiveness.The comments during a debate in parliament underscored growing frustration at months of restrictions intended to tackle the pandemic that has killed more than 13,000 people in the Netherlands. Prime Minister Mark Rutte said Wednesday his government needs to introduce the unpopular measure amid fears that new, more contagious variants of the virus could lead to a spike in infections and swamp the health care system.But with the government in caretaker mode since resigning Friday, it needs approval from a majority of lawmakers to impose the curfew.Geert Wilders leader of the largest opposition party, called the proposed curfew “a sign of utter impotence and panic” from the government.”We are being imprisoned at home on the orders of Mark Rutte. If you leave home without his permission, you get a fine. We are losing our freedom en masse and that is no fun. Believe me, I know what I’m talking about,” said Wilders who has for years lived under round-the-clock security because of death threats prompted by his strident anti-Islam policies.Tunahan Kuzu, of the Think party, warned that Rutte’s proposal would turn the Netherlands into a “police state,” while other lawmakers urged the government to better enforce existing lockdown measures such as the call for people to work from home.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 weekdayEven one of the parties in Rutte’s four-party ruling coalition criticized the proposed 8:30 p.m.-to-4:30 a.m. curfew, saying that, if it is necessary, it should start later in the evening.If parliament approves the curfew, the Netherlands would join other European Union countries that have told people to stay home after dark, including Belgium, France, Italy, Greece and parts of Germany.Rutte and other government ministers were to address lawmakers later in the debate. He appealed for support for the measure when he announced the plan Wednesday, saying “we are at a crucial moment for our security, for our national public health.”Rutte’s coalition resigned Friday over a scandal involving thousands of parents wrongly being labeled fraudsters by the country’s tax office. The Netherlands has been in a tough lockdown since Dec. 15. Numbers of infections and hospital admissions have been declining in recent weeks but health authorities are concerned that the more transmissible mutation of the coronavirus first detected in Britain will make up the majority of Dutch cases by mid-February.Follow all of AP’s pandemic coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-vaccine https://apnews.com/UnderstandingtheOutbreak More

Parliament must be shown proposals to adapt the Brexit trade deal in advance, MPs say – amid growing fears that Boris Johnson will keep his plans secret.
Documents for the new blizzard of committees – to meet behind closed doors in Brussels – must be revealed and MPs able to make their own recommendations for the talks, their report argues.
The call comes after the prime minister abolished the Commons Brexit committee and refused to give Parliament the right to scrutinise new trade deals.
Despite the UK’s clean break from the EU, a ‘Partnership Council’, and numerous sub-committees, will meet to fill in the huge gaps in the Christmas Eve agreement.
They include unanswered questions about fishing rights, access for financial services, checks on food goods, recognition of professional qualifications, climate emergency commitments, and much more.The deal has also been called “very unstable” by one legal expert, who pointed out it could be terminated entirely for numerous reasons.
Now, in its last report, the cross-party Brexit committee has demanded that the liaison committee – which quizzes the prime minister several times a year – be shown documents “before and after meetings”.
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 “should also be able to recommend the government request topics be included on the agenda of these meetings”.
With “Brexit done”, the report states, “what we need now, as a sovereign state exercising that sovereignty, is a new and proportionate mechanism to scrutinise our relationship with the EU”.
Hilary Benn, the committee’s chair, said: “It is in everyone’s interests to build a strong relationship with our friends and neighbours in the EU. “Strong and effective Parliamentary scrutiny of this new relationship will be really important, so our final report contains practical ideas for how this could be organised.”As well as the development of the main agreement, scrutiny is also needed of:* The Northern Ireland Protocol – with much planned red tape yet to be implemented.
* Policies that affect the rights of EU citizens in the UK and of UK citizens in the EU.
* Any disputes that arise from other UK-EU agreements.
* Any “consideration of suspension or termination” agreements.
On Tuesday night, Tory MPs whipped in the Commons threw out a Lords amendment to the Trade Bill to give Parliament a say over post-Brexit trade agreements.
They also stripped out an attempt to require the UK to rip up a deal with any country which the High Court ruled is committing genocide.
Earlier this month, Professor Catherine Barnard warned MPs: “There is a whole swathe of new governance, to use the jargon, which you, as parliamentarians, might want to look at how you are going to scrutinise.” More

Gavin Williamson has said he would “certainly hope” to reopen schools in England before Easter, as he stressed that teachers, parents and children will be given a two-week notice period before classrooms return to in-person teaching.Three weeks after Boris Johnson ordered the closure of all schools, the education secretary said they be the first to reopen when national coronavirus restrictions are eased, saying he wanted children back in classrooms “at the earliest possible opportunity”.Asked on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme whether there was any realistic prospect of schools opening before Easter, he replied: “I would certainly hope that that would be certainly before Easter.”Any decision to open schools to all children is based on the best health advice and the best scientific advice. “The reason that we were placed in the position to close schools to all but the children of critical workers and vulnerable children was down to the mounting pressure on the NHS.”The cabinet minister added: “Schools were the last to close, schools will be the first to open. It won’t surprise you for one moment that as education secretary I want to see them as soon as the scientific and health advice is there to open at the earliest possible stage. 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 weekdayHowever, Mr Williamson was unable to provide any exact date, outlining that one of the “key criteria” for reopening schools would be whether pressure on the NHS was lifting.Pressed on his own position, the embattled minister also told Times Radio it was more important to discuss new government initiatives to help those in need.”This is about millions of youngsters, making sure they get the right skills in order to be able to move into work, making sure they’re not taking courses that are not leading them into a job.”We want to make sure that a person of any age can access really high quality training.”It may be fascinating to talk about politicians but I think it’s more important to talk about the actual millions of people whose lives that we believe that we can change.”Kate Green, the shadow education, said earlier this week that Mr Williamson must resign as she accused him of “failing children throughout the pandemic” and that his record during the crisis had been “shambolic”. More