Markus Andrews

Challenged over the prime minister’s trip on ITV’s This Morning, the home secretary insisted that lockdown rules were “clear”.But she was unable to give an explanation of the guideline which states that outdoor exercise should be done within “your local area”.Ms Patel also suggested that cycling, running and walking were allowed “because you’re on your own”, when in fact the rules state that they can be done with one person from another household.And while she said that the regulations were not about to be changed, she was only able to say that this was the case “today and tomorrow”.Ms Patel was challenged by presenters Philip Schofield and Holly Willoughby over why Mr Johnson was able to go for a ride in the Olympic Park in east London, seven miles from Downing Street, when a pair of women were given £200 fines – later rescinded – for driving five miles to walk at a Derbyshire beauty spot.“Where’s the clarity on that?” asked Willoughby.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 weekdayMs Patel replied: “Well local is local, so if you’re in a London borough, then clearly London boroughs are big places in terms of cycling and walking. But taking your daily exercise? People do exercise in so many different ways, Holly.”
Willoughby pointed out that Mr Johnson had not remained within his borough of Westminster when he travelled to Stratford, and asked whether that meant he had broken the rules.Ms Patel responded: “Well, London is a big geography in terms of cycling.“You know, five miles, 10 miles, many people cycle big distances and that’s normal to them. People cycle according to their own health plans, their cycle plans, people have their own routes.”The home secretary confirmed that the Derbyshire women had not broken coronavirus regulations by walking with coffees in a socially distanced way after driving separately to a reservoir near their homes.And she said that a Covid marshal was wrong to stop a jogger for “breathing heavily” without a mask, telling Schofield and Willoughby: “You can’t run and wear a mask. That’s not practical, that’s not sensible.”Attempting to explain how people should exercise their judgement on what exercise is permitted, the Home Secretary said: “The point to make about any exercise is it should be local. People exercise differently, but exercise on your own and don’t use it for a social meeting. “There’s a fundamental difference there, because the point about the spread of the virus is that it spreads people to people. “So if you’re exercising, cycling is fine because you’re on your own. You should not be cycling with other cyclists .“Running, exactly the same, because you’re on your own. “Walking on your own and keeping proximity distance away from people and not going out to socialise.“I want everyone just to be very conscientious when they go out to exercise, but also even when they go to the shops.“‘Hands, face, space’. Wear your masks in shops and supermarkets.” More

New regulatory frictions causing disruption to trade with the EU are an “obvious and inevitable” consequence of Brexit and can be expected to be permanent, Brussels’ former chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said.While some “glitches, problems and breakdowns” caused by the introduction of new paperwork could be expected to be cleared up in the coming weeks and months, other things have “changed for good” as a result of the UK’s decision to leave the EU, said Mr Barnier.And he indicated that the UK will not be able to rewrite structural changes that have led to checks on agricultural exports and the confiscation of lorry drivers’ packed lunches, telling the Financial Times: “This agreement will not be renegotiated, it now needs to be implemented.”His comments came as the government came under fire in the House of Commons over the damaging impact of Boris Johnson’s trade deal on the UK fishing industry, with Tory MPs including the party’s leader in Scotland speaking out about the “serious concerns and frustrations” of fishermen.Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross said one skipper in his Moray constituency had found the value of his catch  had fallen to “half of what he needs to cover his costs” as a result of the deal and demanded compensation.Tory MP for St Austell and Newquay, Steve Double, said fishermen in Cornwall were “very disappointed” by the agreement and feared they would “benefit little” from it.Other MPs complained of an “avalanche of paperwork” and “cumbersome red tape” faced by fisheries firms.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 weekdayLiberal Democrat MP for Orkney and Shetland Alistair Carmichael described the situation as “a shambles”.“For years, this government has promised our fishing industry a sea of opportunity, but today our boats are tied up in harbour, their propellers fouled by red tape manufactured in Whitehall,” said Mr Carmichael.But environment secretary George Eustice dismissed the difficulties faced by fishermen as “teething problems” and blamed some blockages on European bureaucrats.“Many of these are quite trivial, about where the stamp is,” he told the Commons. “We’ve even had questions raised about the colour of the ink that is used on the forms, the pagination, the way pages are numbered and so forth.”Mr Eustice told MPs: “We are looking very closely with industry on this matter. We are having twice-a-week meetings with all the key stakeholders, all of the key sectors to help them understand these issues.“Yesterday we had a meeting with the Dutch officials, earlier this week we had a meeting with the French, on Friday we had a meeting with the Irish to try to iron out some of these teething problems.“They are only teething problems, once people get used to using the paperwork goods will flow normally.”But Mr Barnier said that some things have “changed for good” as a result of the UK’s policy choices in negotiating the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.“There are mechanical, obvious, inevitable, consequences when you leave the single market and that’s what the British wished to do,” said the negotiator, who is now thought to be planning a relaunched career in French politics.Mr Barnier warned Brussels will be “vigilant on all fronts” in policing UK implementation of the deal.He raised concern over Britain’s decision to grant temporary authorisation for the use of a pesticide banned in the EU because it is suspected of being harmful to bees.And he noted that Mr Johnson’s deal gives the EU the right to impose tariffs and quotas on UK exports in retaliation for excessive divergence from Brussels rules and regulations.While divergence between EU and UK rules was a natural consequence of Brexit, “one ought to be careful . . . otherwise there will be consequences in terms of going on exporting without tariff without quota to our market”, said Mr Barnier.“Pesticides concern public health, the health of farmers, farm workers and consumers. Depending on where you set the threshold in that area it can also have an impact on competition and competitiveness.” More

Pressure to ease the curbs as early as the end of February must be resisted, the leading epidemiologist said, agreeing some will be needed for “many, many months to come”.
The dismal death toll reached on Wednesday – of 100,000 people dying with Covid-19, on one calculation – had been reached with only 20 per cent of the population infected, Professor Ferguson said.
“We have to get to very high levels of vaccine coverage in those vulnerable groups before we can reduce that risk of having, basically, the same number of deaths again,” he warned.
The prime minister has promised a return to something close to life as normal by Easter – with many Tory MPs demanding the lifting of restrictions if the target of vaccinating 15 million people by mid-February is reached.
But Prof Ferguson raised the example of “only 70 per cent of the elderly” having received jabs, adding: “We still get a very large epidemic which, unfortunately, could kill many, many people.”
The easing of restrictions would be “a gradual process to the autumn”, the expert whose modelling led to the original lockdown last March told BBC Radio 4.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“All groups” feeding modelling and analysis to the Sage advisory group of scientists had the same view of the need to be “very cautious”.
The comments come after criticism of Mr Johnson for ignoring the last significant Sage advice – on 18 December, that a tougher lockdown than November’s was needed to control the more virulent new variant of coronavirus.
In the Commons, Keir Starmer said: “Instead of acting on 18 December, the Prime Minister sat on his hands for over two weeks and we are now seeing in the daily figures the tragic consequences of that delay.
“How does the Prime Minister justify delaying for 17 days after he got that advice on 18 December?”
Sage advice, in September, that the second lockdown was needed was also rejected by Downing Street until two months later.
Prof Ferguson agreed there was evidence the growth rate in cases and hospital admissions is slowing, with a “sign of plateauing” in some regions.
“It looks like in London in particular and a couple of other regions in the South East and East of England, hospital admissions may even have plateaued, though it is hard to tell if they are coming down.
“It has to be said this is not seen everywhere – both case numbers and hospital admissions are going up in many other areas, but overall at a national level we are seeing the rate of growth slow.” More

No 10 has admitted an EU proposal to allow visa-free tours by musicians was rejected, apparently because of a belief it clashed with ending free movement.After days of arguing Brussels threw out a deal, the government has acknowledged it did turn down a plan, as The Independent revealed – but has refused to explain the reasons for doing so.A Downing Street spokesman said the offer “fell short” of what was required, but a source has said the reason was a fear it involved travel rights that undermined the aims of Brexit.
The plan would have allowed all short-stay workers to come for 90 days, it is claimed – despite the EU pushing to allow only a carved-out list of “paid activities”, including music tours.
Furthermore, EU citizens can come to the UK as tourists for up to six months anyway, the standard period for foreign visitors exempt from visas.
Music organisations said the admission made it even more important that ministers come clean about what happened in the negotiations – and find a solution, to lift the threat of musicians requiring work permits.
They had been repeatedly reassured that a Brexit deal would protect touring performers, as well as their support teams and equipment, in an industry worth £5.8bn a year to the UK economy.
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 weekdayStars including folk singer Laura Marling and Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess have signed a Parliamentary petition demanding visa-free work rights, backed by around 230,000 people.
The Incorporated Society of Musicians condemned “needless confusion” and urged the government “to put this issue to bed”.
“It would be hugely welcomed by the music sector and fulfil the government’s own commitment made over many months to achieve frictionless work travel for musicians and other performers,” said Deborah Annetts, its chief executive.
And a spokeswoman for the Musicians’ Union said: “We urgently need clarity from the UK government on why musicians and crew were not catered for in the Brexit negotiations.
“We have had no detailed information on what was discussed and we are still seeking clarity on various aspects of the agreement as it stands.”
A No 10 spokesman said: “The EU’s offer fell short of the UK’s proposals and would not have enabled touring by musicians.”
It pushed enquiries to the Department for Digital, Culture, Music and Sport, but it has refused to answer questions about why the EU offer was rejected – and whether the reason was a fear of weakening the policy of ending free movement.However, Caroline Dinenage, the culture minister, hinted that was the explanation, arguing Brussels had been “conflating general freedom of movement/work with specific provision for musicians/artists”.The fresh controversy came as Michel Barnier, the EU’s Brexit negotiator, confirmed the UK had rebuffed Brussels, telling the Financial Times: “The British didn’t display any greater ambition.”“We had a number of initial proposals on this,” he said, adding: “Of course, you have to be two to reach an agreement.”
He rubbished an article on the NME website, by Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, claiming: “I’m afraid it was the EU letting down music on both sides of the Channel – not us.”The government has argued it “pushed for a more ambitious agreement which would have covered musicians and others, but our proposals were rejected by the EU”.
However, The Independent understands the UK proposal was only for a 30-day exemption for performers, less than the 90 days the EU put forward.And the request was made under so-called ‘mode 4’ exemptions – which the EU argues is for specialists, providing contracted services, not performers.
The stalemate throws the decision onto member states, with some hope that EU capitals will waive the work permit requirement unilaterally.
France has already done so, announcing at the weekend that no permits would be required for Britons “travelling for a sporting, cultural or scientific event”, for up to 90 days. More

“Emergency” measures are planned at ports to prevent feared food shortages in British supermarkets because of Brexit, a government document reveals.Empty lorries crossing the Channel to restock will be allowed to skip queues at key ports, as concerns mount in Whitehall that disruption is set to worsen.
“We are proposing an emergency contingency measure . . . to expedite the return of empty food lorries from the UK to the EU where they can be restocked with supplies,” the document says.
Up to 300 trucks a day would be fast-tracked outside Dover and Folkestone, under a scheme open only to the largest supermarkets and their subcontractors.
Seen by the Financial Times, the proposal has been sent to industry groups by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs – which warned “the potential for further disruption remains high”.It was revealed as Liz Truss, the trade secretary, rebuffed Labour calls to assess the economic harm from the Christmas Eve trade deal – which independent analysts have put at about 4.5 per cent of GDP.
Ms Truss said it was time to “move forward”, despite the government publishing economic impact assessments for much-smaller ‘rolled over’ deals with the likes of Moldova and North Macedonia.
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 “emergency” action at ports follows the supermarkets’ warning that the agreement is “pretty much unworkable”, as gaps appear in fresh produce aisles.
Ian Wright, director of The Food and Drink Federation, told MPs that suppliers remained “clueless” about some of the practical implications of a deal agreed “very, very late”.“All members of the food supply chain have had very little time to get to grips with the provisions of the agreement and are still getting to grips with them,” he said.
Meanwhile, the German logistics group DB Schenker became the latest major parcels operator to suspend delivery services to the UK because of the “enormous bureaucratic regulations”.
The consultation document warns the Dover-Calais route is “critical” to UK food supply, with around 10 per cent of food consumed in the UK coming across the Channel.
In winter months, about 75 per cent of fresh fruit and vegetables comes via this route, according to the British Retail Consortium.
Under the plan, lorries that could demonstrate they are working for a big supermarket or supplier, and were planning to return to the UK within seven days, would be granted a priority permit to bypass lorries stacked on the M20.
It would be triggered if waiting times outside Dover reach eight hours or more and the loads delivered to UK supermarkets fall below 75 per cent of expectations, for two consecutive days.
In the Commons, asked to publish an assessment of the Brexit trade deal, Ms Truss urged Labour to “move forward” and focus on “the 63 countries that we have covered with new trade deals and our aspirations to strike trade deals with the US, New Zealand and Australia”. More

Ministers are facing calls to introduce a minimum of two weeks’ paid bereavement leave following the death of a close relative or partner.
A coalition of MPs, business chiefs and charities have called for the measure in the face of the mounting Covid-19 death toll.The government has so far been reluctant to introduce statutory bereavement leave.   More

The House of Lords inflicted a series of defeats on the government over the Covert Human Intelligence Sources (Criminal Conduct) Bill.It would allow public authorities, ranging from police and MI5 to HMRC and the Food Standards Agency, to authorise agents and informants to commit crimes while undercover.The proposed authorisations would not only be issued in the interests of national security or preventing and detecting crime, but also preventing “disorder” and in the “interests of the economic wellbeing of the United Kingdom”.In October, MPs voted by 317 votes to 256 against an amendment to limit the kind of crimes that could be authorised.But on Wednesday, the House of Lords approved the same curbs by a narrow majority of 299 votes to 284.The cross-party amendment, brought by Lord Dubs, Baroness Massey, Lord Rosser and Lord Paddick, said the new criminal conduct authorisations may not include actions that intentionally cause death or grievous bodily harm, pervert the course of justice, include rape and sexual offences or torture.Lord Paddick said: “We do need legislation to govern the tasking of police informants to commit crime, but this bill goes beyond what is reasonable.“The Liberal Democrats have managed to add important safeguards to the bill, but the sheer number of fundamental issues that have been raised from all sides should force the government to stop and think again.”Dan Dolan, of the Reprieve legal charity, said allies including the US, Australia and Canada had inserted “common sense limits” to similar laws.
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Gavin Williamson appeared in front of parliament’s Education Committee yesterday and did little to recover the dereliction into which his reputation has fallen since he became education secretary a year and a half ago. At the time when academic grades awarded by algorithm were cancelled after being awarded in England last summer, it was widely assumed that he would be moved from his post soon. Yet he is still there, and still answering questions about policy errors for which his department is responsible. Yesterday, the committee asked him about the inadequate food parcels sent to families with children entitled to free school meals. He reacted as if it was nothing to do with him: “When I saw that picture I was absolutely disgusted. As a dad myself I thought how could a family in receipt of that really be expected to deliver five nutritious meals.” More