Markus Andrews

There is a parliamentary campaign being fought within and between both houses to insert some form of prohibition on trade deals with countries guilty of genocide. A determined group of MPs and peers across all parties and none are pressing hard for such a provision. They are backed by the International Bar Assiciation, the British Board of Jewish Deputies and the Conservative Muslim Forum, among others. The government is resisting. The “genocide amendment” is currently at the “ping pong” stage, successively approved and rejected by the Commons and Lords respectively. Because it is part of the trade bill, rather than a “money bill” as such, and because such issues were not covered in the Conservatives’ ejection manifesto, the process of attrition could take some time.  It should be, in principle, an unexceptionable move, and one that wouldn’t raise any immediate issues with large economies in any case. Who wants to trade with mass murderers? The obvious candidate for such a snub would be China, because of its treatment of the Uighur Muslim people, as well as offences against human rights in Hong Kong and expansionism abroad. There is little possibility of any trade treaty with the people’s republic for some time. China is hardly hammering on Britain’s door, and the wind-down of Huawei’s UK presence proves the point.  The debate also uncomfortably raises the question of what was the point of Brexit, given that determining our own terms of business was one of the few possible benefits of leaving the EU. Now that Britain is an independent trading nation surely this is a moment to make a point, to set a standard, and to show moral leadership to the world on free, fair and humane trade? Brexiteers might enjoy drawing a contrast between British fastidiousness and the EU’s new partnership agreement with China (although the European Parliament is making its own objections to that). More

Boris Johnson has said he is looking forward to working closely with Joe Biden as America’s president-elect prepares to take office.
Mr Biden will be sworn in as the 46th president of the United States on Wednesday amid unprecedented security after outgoing president Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol earlier this month.
Mr Johnson declared his intention to work “hand in hand” with the new incumbent of the White House on promoting their shared goals.
The prime minister, however, is viewed with suspicion by some influential Democrats who regard him as a “Trump clone” — an image he is anxious to shake off.In a statement ahead of Mr Biden’s inauguration, he pointed to the continuing common interests the UK and the US share on defence, security and “defending democracy”.
He also highlighted Britain’s upcoming role in chairing the G7 summit in Cornwall and the Cop26 climate change conference in Glasgow – both priorities for the new administration.
Mr Johnson said: “I warmly congratulate Joe Biden on his historic inauguration as 46th president of the United States and look forward to working closely with his new administration as we defeat Covid and build back better from the pandemic
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”In our fight against Covid and across climate change, defence, security and in promoting and defending democracy, our goals are the same and our nations will work hand in hand to achieve them.
“Only through international cooperation can we truly overcome the shared challenges which we face.”
Additional reporting by PA More

A Welsh politician has been suspended and three others are under investigation after they were spotted drinking on parliament premises, potentially breaching coronavirus guidelines.Former minister Alun Davies was seen drinking wine with Tory leader Paul Davies, chief whip Darren Millar and the party’s chief of staff Paul Smith in a Senedd tearoom on 8 December.The alcohol was consumed in the Tŷ Hywel building, attached to the Senedd complex, and the meeting went on until around midnight, according to reports in the Mirror. The group were meeting to discuss Mr Davies’ bid for a Welsh Hearts Bill to boost the number of defibrillators available in rural areas, he said in a statement.  Following government guidelines, pubs, restaurants and cafes in Wales were banned from serving alcohol from 6pm on Friday 4 December in a bid to stop the spread of coronavirus – though off-licences were allowed to sell alcohol until 10pm.
Owing to the fact they neither bought nor were served the alcohol by Senedd catering staff, all four men claim they did not break any Covid rules. They also said social distancing measures were observed before they drunk alcohol which was bought elsewhere.While apologising for “giving the impression” he was “not committed to upholding the regulations”, Mr Davies signalled he had already been informed by officials that he “did not breach coronavirus regulations”.
“I am very sorry if my actions have given the impression that I am in any way not committed to upholding the regulations which I have consistently supported throughout the last year,” he said.
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“The Senedd Commission has already confirmed to me that I did not breach the coronavirus regulations on the consumption of either food or alcohol that were in force at that time.“I have also confirmed to the Commission that the regulations on the number of people present and on social distancing were not breached either. I look forward to the Commission’s final conclusions on this matter.”
A spokesman for CH&CO Group, which offers catering and hospitality services at the Senedd, announced the company was “currently undertaking a full investigation into this matter”.
“As caterers, we take our responsibilities and obligations to restrictions and public health regulations across the UK very seriously,” he added.
A Welsh Conservatives source told the PA news agency on Tuesday that the four men believed they had not broken any Covid-19 rules.Welsh Labour, on the other hand, announced it had suspended Mr Davies from its group in the Senedd pending an investigation, with a spokesperson saying: “A member has been suspended from the privileges of the Senedd Labour group membership while an investigation takes place into this alleged incident.”
The three Tory MS’ released a joint statement to say they were “profoundly sorry” for their actions.
“While we did not break the rules, we recognise that what was part of a day’s work would not be seen to be following the spirit of them – especially given the tough time the country has been going through,” Mr Davies, Mr Millar and Mr Smith said.  A host of Welsh politicians took to social media to condemn the four men under review for their “incredibly serious” and “indulgent” actions.
Wales’ minister for mental health Eluned Morgan said on Twitter: “I have written to WelshConserv this evening to call on them to take appropriate action and suspend those involved whilst investigations continue into this alleged incident.”
Meanwhile, Plaid Cymru MS Llyr Gruffydd said: “If this is true it seems Tories and Labour politicians have been indulging in a lock-in while the public are locked down.
“This is incredibly serious and nothing but an immediate suspension of the whip pending a thorough investigation will suffice.”
The Senedd’s corporate body said it was “aware of an incident … which may have been contrary to public health regulations in force at the time”.
“The Senedd Commission takes the public health regulations in Wales very seriously and is currently investigating the matter in order to establish an accurate account of what took place and to determine whether action may be required,” its spokesman said. More

Boris Johnson has narrowly avoided a Commons defeat over planned measures to revoke trade deals the UK has made with countries ruled to be committing genocide.The amendment to the Trade Bill – first passed by the Lords – would have forced the government to withdraw from any free trade agreement negotiated with a state which the High Court had deemed to guilty of genocide.The prime minister avoided a defeat as MPs voted 319 to 308 against the measure – giving the government a majority of just 11.But amid growing international concern over China’s treatment of the Uighur Muslim minority group and reports from human rights groups of forced sterilisation, slave labour and mass internment, 33 Conservative MPs defied the government whip and voted in favour of the amendment.Rebels included the former Brexit secretary David Davis; the former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith; Tobias Ellwood, chair of the Commons Defence Committee; and Tom Tugendhat, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee.They were joined by former Conservative ministers Tracey Crouch, Nusrat Ghani, Caroline Nokes and Damian Green, Theresa May’s former de facto deputy prime minister.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 weekdayDuring the debate, Mr Duncan Smith, who spoke in favour of the amendment, told MPs that the persecution of the minority group “has all the hallmarks of a genocide”, but insisted it should be up to a UK court to make that call.“These are people at the moment, and there are others as well, that have been pushed into slave labour, have forced sterilisation on them, their population has shrunk by some 85 per cent and they are exporting trade goods used by slave labour,” he added.“Why would we be doing a trade deal with a country that is guilty of genocide?”Mr Tugendhat also outlined his decision to rebel against the government, saying: “It’s about reminding ourselves that when a people is under the oppression that means that their very existence is threatened, we have a duty, we have a responsibility to stand up.”Earlier, No 10 said the government had a “proud record” standing up for human rights in China and insisted ministers would not support the genocide amendment to the Trade Bill.“We recognise the strength of feeling but the government doesn’t support the amendment,” the prime minister’s press secretary Allegra Stratton told reporters.The amendment “aims to address significant human rights concerns in China, but it’s the case that we don’t have a free trade agreement with China and we are not currently negotiating one”, she said.Trade minister Greg Hands told MPs the government would act before a country reached a situation where it could be accused of genocide.Concluding the debate, he told the Commons: “I don’t think it would be right for the UK government to wait for a human rights situation in a country to reach the level of genocide – which is the most egregious international crime – before halting free trade agreement negotiations. Any responsible government would have acted before then.”Earlier, Labour urged Conservative MPs to “vote with their consciences” and support the changes to the Trade Bill.In a joint letter, Emily Thornberry, the shadow international trade secretary, and Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, said they were “gravely concerned” about the situation in Xinjiang, adding there was a “growing body of evidence of the systemic human rights abuses being committed by the Chinese government on an industrial scale against the Muslim Uighur people and other minorities”.They added: “It is essential that, as we begin to implement our own independent trading policy, we ensure that our collective concerns about human rights are reflected in how we conduct trade negotiations around the world, and that parliament can play its proper role in scrutinising potential trade agreements with those human rights concerns in mind.”MPs also voted to disagree with a separate Lords amendment to the Trade Bill, which had aimed to give parliament a bigger say in the approval of post-Brexit trade agreements, by 353 votes to 277 – majority 76. Eleven Conservatives voted against the government. More

Deaths from coronavirus hit a grim record on Tuesday, with daily fatalities reaching a high of 1,610 across the UK as a government scientific adviser warned that it could be weeks before significant reductions are seen.The highest daily toll of the pandemic brought the total official figure for deaths above 90,000. But a separate measure of death certificates which mentioned Covid-19 put the total at 108,000. Antibody data suggested that one in eight people in England had been infected with coronavirus at some point in the pandemic up to December, in what one expert described as “one of the worst coronavirus problems in the world”.Boris Johnson told his cabinet that while infection rates were declining, the UK remains in a “very serious” situation, with the swift rollout of vaccines the key to reducing pressure on the NHS and reopening society.But vaccination rates fell for the third successive day, with 204,076 first jabs in the UK over a 24-hour period – well below the 324,000 achieved at the end of last week. In all, some 4,266,577 people – around one in 15 of the population – have received their first dose of a vaccine, as the government began rollout to over-70s and people with serious underlying health conditions.Reported positive cases of Covid-19 continued to slide, reaching 33,335 on Tuesday – less than half the 68,000 recorded on 8 January – bringing the seven-day total 22 per cent below the previous week.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 weekdayBut epidemiology professor Andrew Hayward of University College London told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme it could be weeks before this decline fed through into hospitalisation and death figures.“We have seen a clear decline in the number of new infections, particularly in the younger age groups,” said Prof Hayward, a member of the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). “Unfortunately the decline has not been as marked in the older age groups. And of course those age groups are the ones that will comprise the majority of the hospitalisations, so it still may be a few weeks before we see death rates coming down substantially could be weeks.“I think it’s really bleak news. We have one of the worst coronavirus problems in the world at the moment and we need to do everything we can to bring rates down.”Alison Pittard, dean of the Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, said pressure on the NHS remained high, warning: “We’re nowhere near out of this at the moment.”She told Sky News: “There are many intensive care units and hospitals around the country that are already overwhelmed – seeing unprecedented numbers of cases, large numbers of very, very sick people, many of whom are dying.“And there are staff who are almost on their knees, having been going through this non-stop for months and months and months.”In Scotland, first minister Nicola Sturgeon extended lockdown to at least the middle of February, with schools remaining closed to the majority of pupils.And England’s deputy chief medical officer suggested there may be a staggered reopening of schools south of the border, reflecting regional infection figures.“I think it’s likely that we will have some sort of regional separation of interventions,” Dr Jenny Harries told the Commons Education Committee.“It is highly likely that when we come out of this national lockdown we will not have consistent patterns of infection in our communities across the country.”The prime minister’s official spokesperson said Mr Johnson had previously stated “the priority is to get schools open as soon as possible, but whether that is after the half-term break depends on a number of things” including progress in the vaccination programme and the possibility of a new coronavirus variant emerging which resists the jab.Meanwhile, Sage adviser Dr David Halpern warned of a “day before the armistice” effect which might see people relax their guard on social distancing and hygiene immediately after receiving a vaccination, not realising it takes some time to take effect.“We definitely do worry that people feel that, the second they have got that vaccination, they are good to go,” Dr Halpern told MPs.“People are going to be overconfident, too fast on the vaccine.”In other developments:- Health secretary Matt Hancock announced he was going into self-isolation, after being “pinged” by the NHS Test and Trace app as a close contact of a positive coronavirus case.- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick said she was “baffled” that under current plans she would be offered immunisation as an over-50 ahead of frontline police officers who come into contact with the public on a daily basis.- Welsh first minister Mark Drakeford said the principality could receive a larger share of vaccines in future because it has an older population.- Up to 2,000 people working in the vaccine supply chain will be offered jabs to help maintain the flow of doses- NHS England said 400 military personnel were now working on general duties alongside doctors and nurses in hospitals across London and the Midlands.Responding to the record daily death toll, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “The climbing record death rate is a tragic reminder of how devastating this virus is. Behind every statistic is a family grieving and in pain.“It didn’t have to be like this. Every effort must be made to suppress Covid, minimise sickness, and save lives.”And medical director at Public Health England, Dr Yvonne Doyle, said: “Whilst there are some early signs that show our sacrifices are working, we must continue to strictly abide by the measures in place.“By reducing our contacts and staying at home we will see a fall in the number of infections over time.” More

Boris Johnson blames seafood exporters ‘not filling in the right forms’ for post-Brexit sales crashBoris Johnson’s government has been warned that meat worth hundreds of thousands of pounds is going to waste at EU ports, as British exporters continue to get caught up in post-Brexit red tape problems.It comes as photos emerged showing UK’s largest fish market in Peterhead largely deserted, as the industry struggles with an export slump caused by customs delays. “What a sad sight – like a ghost town,” said the Scotland Food and Drink group.Meanwhile, Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis claimed that empty shelves in Northern Ireland were due to coronavirus “challenges” – and not because of Brexit. And the head of Eurostar has sounded alarm over the future of the rail company, saying the situation was “critical”. 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
1611067904Brexit has pushed £150bn of assets from UK to FranceA big shift in both assets and jobs from the UK to France is already under way and will accelerate this year, according to the governor of the Bank of France.Francois Villeroy de Galhau revealed around 170bn euros (£150bn) of assets and 2,500 jobs had already been moved out of London by the end of 2020. “It is now or never that we should seize the double opportunity of Brexit and the reconstruction to make a capital markets union,” Villeroy said.It comes as the largest political group in the European parliament urges EU chiefs to come up with a “master plan” to move key financial services out of London after Brexit. More

Matt Hancock will self-isolate until the end of the week after receiving a test and trace alert on the NHS app.In a video message the health secretary said complying with notifications on the app was “perhaps the most important part of all social distancing” regulations.Mr Hancock said he would work from home until Sunday.“Last night I was pinged by the NHS coronavirus app, so that means I’ll be self-isolating at home, not leaving the house at all until Sunday,” he explained.“This self-isolation is perhaps the most important part of all the social distancing because I know from the app I’ve been in close contact with somebody who has tested positive and this is how we break the chains of transmission.“So you must follow these rules like I’m going to. I’ve got to work from home for the next six days, and together, by doing this, by following this, and all the other panoply of rules that we’ve had to put in place, we can get through this and beat this virus.”Former chancellor George Osborne questioned why ministers like Mr Hancock were not high on the list for vaccinations so they can continue to lead the fight against Covid-19 without fear of becoming sick with the disease.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 a peculiarly British trait that we rightly make vaccinating millions of health workers a priority, but we can’t spare a single dose for the health secretary leading the response to the pandemic,” said Mr Osborne.But Boris Johnson’s official spokesperson rejected the idea, telling reporters: “The prime minister and the rest of the cabinet will take the vaccine when it is their turn to do so, based on the priority lists that have been published.“We don’t think it is right that the prime minister or other members of cabinet take the vaccine in place of somebody who is at higher clinical risk.”Asked whether Mr Hancock could be sure that the app alert was not a false alarm, the spokesperson said: “We have been clear that if you are contacted by NHS Test and Trace, whether by phone, through the app or by email we are asking everybody to abide by their instruction to isolate.“What you are seeing is Matt Hancock abiding by test and trace’s request for him to isolate.”The spokesperson made clear that Downing Street was not concerned about the weekend’s photographs of the health secretary playing rugby with his son in a park, saying: “People are allowed outside to exercise, which is what I believe Matt Hancock was doing.”The NHS contact tracing app was released in September. It allows people to report their symptoms and Covid-19 test results, and monitors whether users come into contact with anyone else using the app who has tested positive.Mr Hancock’s isolation comes as new figures from the ONS show an estimated one in eight people in England had had Covid-19 by December last year – up from one in 11 in November. More

It is “natural” that some over-70s will receive vaccines before over-80s, a Cabinet minister says, amid criticism of a growing postcode lottery in England.
Health chiefs must begin offering jabs to that younger cohort to avoid “gaps where people are not getting vaccines at all”, Brandon Lewis argued.But he refused to say what proportion of over 80s should be inoculated in each area before the over 70s are targeted – other than saying it must be “a majority”.Mr Lewis, the Northern Ireland Secretary, faced questions after Thérèse Coffey, the Work and Pensions Secretary, protested that the “oldest and most vulnerable” in her Suffolk constituency were missing out.“I am hearing from people that 80-plus and 90-plus-year-olds have not been contacted while some 70-plus patients in the same GP practice were invited for vaccination,” she said.
Mr Lewis said specific problems should be investigated, but defended the process by saying: “We need to recognise that, at every stage of the vaccine process, there will be an overlap.“You will see some people in the second cohort having vaccines whilst the first cohort are still moving through that process.
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“That’s that overlap that I’m talking about – that’s quite natural. But they do need to be working through the first cohorts as the priority.”
Prime minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman later denied that there were regional variations in supplies of vaccines.“We have ensured that every areas has equal access, and that includes the devolved administrations,” the spokesman said.“The overarching aim is to ensure that we get vaccines into people’s arms as quickly as possible.”Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told LBC radio she was “”baffled” that frontline officers were not higher up the priority lists for jabs than over-50s like herself.The PM’s spokesman said that ministers had made clear there was “a good case for those in public-facing roles who come into contact with other people to be prioritised as part of phase 2”.But he said ministers would be guided by the recommendations of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which is currently drawing up lists of those who should be next in line for jabs once the first phase – covering over-70s, health and care workers and those with serious underlying health conditions – is complete.More than four million people across Britain have received a first dose of the vaccine, allowing the government to bask in the fastest jabs programme in Europe.
However, ministers have sparked confusion by allowing letters to go out to 5 million over 70s, while also insisting over-80s are still the priority – implying vaccines will be diverted to go-slow areas.
And there is criticism of a refusal to release data to reveal how much vaccine has been delivered, where it is in the country and whether there is enough to sustain the pace through the winter.
Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Lewis also repeated that it is “too early” to outline how the national lockdown will be eased in England.“The Prime Minister said, when we put these restrictions in place, that we’d have a review point in mid-February, we’re still some weeks away even from that review point.
“I think we’ve got to wait until we get to that point and see where we’re at, see how the vaccine programme is rolling out, see how the restrictions have worked and then we can look at what the next steps are.
“But, whether that’s in February or whether we move forward in March, it’s just too early now in relatively early January to give an outline to that.”
It was vital that people who have received the vaccine “still follow restrictions”, he said – adding there was still “a long way to go”. More