Markus Andrews

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightLabour has promised British farmers a better deal with the EU and vowed to make sure British produce is used for 50 per cent of food offered in schools, hospitals and prisons.Sir Keir Starmer’s party set out its “new deal” for the sector at the start of a general election year – citing figures that suggest more than 6,000 UK farming companies have collapsed in recent years.The party said it would use government buying power to back agricultural businesses as it seeks to woo rural voters going to the polls in 2024.A quota-driven approach across parts of the public sector will run alongside Sir Keir’s pledge to pursue a new veterinary agreement with Brussels in an effort to ease the friction in trade following Brexit.Labour hopes an agreement on shared standards to relax the red tape – which some food-sector chiefs have been calling for since the Brexit trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) came into force – would boost UK exports.While Sir Keir has ruled out any wider realignment with the EU – vowing to keep Britain out of the single market and the customs union – he raised eyebrows in September by saying he would seek a “much better” deal when the TCA is reviewed in 2025.Labour has also pledged to make sure that at least half of all food supplied to hospitals, schools and prisons is British, through the use of public contracts. Sir Keir has said that 50 per cent “is just the minimum – we will do everything to go beyond it”.Keir Starmer on a visit to Home Farm in Solihull, West MidlandsThe party also said it will create a Cobra-style “flood resilience taskforce” to reduce the flood risk for Britain’s farms by delivering drainage systems, flood defences and natural flood management schemes.Labour claimed that the Tories are presiding over the “destruction” of agricultural businesses – with a new party analysis of official data suggesting that more than 6,300 such companies have been terminated since 2017. This includes almost 5,000 meat, fruit, vegetable and dairy producers. The analysis of figures from the Office for National Statistics shows that the number of people employed in agriculture has fallen by a third over the same period.Shadow environment secretary Steve Reed said: “This Conservative government has wrecked our farmers. It is time we turned the page and embraced a decade of national renewal with the countryside at its heart.”“Labour will give British farmers their future back,” the frontbencher added. “We will deliver lower energy bills for farmers by switching on GB Energy, lower red tape at our borders to get our great food exports flowing again, and use the government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.”The party hopes its plan for GB Energy, a new publicly owned company to invest in clean, homegrown power and make Britain energy-secure, will deliver cheaper bills for farmers.It has promised to “rewire Britain” in a way that allows farmers to “rapidly plug their renewable energy into the grid”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailConservative MPs have expressed their horror at claims that Rishi Sunak held secret talks with Dominic Cummings about the former senior adviser to Boris Johnson making a return to government.Mr Cummings has claimed that Mr Sunak sought a “secret deal” with him in a bid to “smash” Labour and win the looming general election. His price for returning to the fold was that the prime minister would have to enact radical reforms – a deal that Mr Sunak ultimately rejected, according to The Sunday Times.Tory MPs shared their alarm after No 10 did not deny that Mr Sunak had met Mr Cummings twice for discussions about political strategy last year.One senior Tory, a former cabinet minister sympathetic to Mr Sunak, told The Independent: “It is a disgrace and shows poor judgement.”Another senior Conservative added: “Whoever advised him to [meet Mr Cummings for advice] should immediately be sacked. Cummings needs to be handled with asbestos gloves.”A third senior Tory MP, also allied to Mr Sunak, warned the prime minister: “Never bring an arsonist into your home. They will burn it down, and finger you for it.”Cummings says Sunak wanted his advice on how to win votes Staunch Johnson loyalist Nadine Dorries said Mr Sunak had “repeatedly denied, on the record, having contact with Cummings, which makes him an on-the-record liar”.It came as a video re-emerged that showed Mr Sunak claiming during the 2022 Tory leadership contest that Mr Cummings would have “absolutely nothing to do with any government that I am privileged to lead”.Mr Sunak was branded “weak and desperate” by Labour and the Liberal Democrats for “secretly begging” Mr Cummings to return to No 10.However, the Tory leader apparently decided against bringing Mr Cummings back, after the meetings saw the strategist make a series of demands about government priorities.Mr Cummings urged Mr Sunak to abandon his cautious approach, hold an emergency Budget, settle the NHS strikes, and double the threshold at which people pay the 40p rate of income tax from £50,000 to £100,000, The Sunday Times reported.The former adviser also advocated leaving the European Convention on Human Rights as part of a plan to reinvigorate the Rwanda deportation scheme.Downing Street has not denied Mr Cummings’s account of secret meetings in July and December 2022 – but insisted that no job offer was made. A No 10 source said: “It was a broad discussion about politics and campaigning; no job was offered.”According to the report, based on Mr Cummings’s account, Mr Sunak told the strategist: “The MPs and the media will go crazy. Your involvement has to be secret.”But Mr Cummings said he was “only prepared to build a political machine to smash Labour” if the prime minister would commit to taking action on issues “we started fixing in 2020 but Boris abandoned”.Sunak had vowed not to give any role to Cummings after Boris Johnson’s government ended in a shambles On the topic of Mr Sunak rejecting his advice, Mr Cummings said: “The post-2016 Tories are summed up by the fact that Sunak, like Johnson, would rather lose than take government seriously. Both thought their MPs agreed with them, and both were right.”The Liberal Democrats have called for an official Cabinet Office inquiry into whether Mr Sunak breached the ministerial code by failing to declare any meetings he may have held with Mr Cummings.The party pointed to Mr Sunak’s transparency returns – which do not make reference to the meetings – and urged that an inquiry take place to look at whether the discussions were reported to the Cabinet Office, as is required under the code.Lib Dem chief whip Wendy Chamberlain said that any “shady attempts to bring back Cummings through the back door need to be properly scrutinised”, adding: “We urgently need to know why these meetings weren’t declared in the proper way.”A government spokesperson said: “In full accordance with the ministerial code, meetings with private individuals to discuss political matters do not need to be declared.”Johnson sacked Cummings at the end of 2020 The shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, questioned Mr Sunak’s judgement in respect of the “secret meetings” with “this loathsome individual who has brought so much chaos on our country”.The frontbencher said on his LBC radio programme: “You’d have thought he would have learnt something from his poor judgement on Suella Braverman.”The shadow paymaster general, Jonathan Ashworth, said: “From Cameron to Cummings, the prime minister is admitting he’s out of ideas and too weak to come up with his own.”A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “This is a desperate move from a desperate prime minister.”Mr Cummings, who helped to mastermind the Vote Leave campaign, is widely credited with helping Mr Johnson to win the 2019 election. But he left the following year after a spectacular fallout with the then prime minister.He later admitted he had been working to bring an end to Mr Johnson’s tenure. He also became embroiled in a public scandal when it emerged that he had driven from London to County Durham at the height of lockdown. More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightRishi Sunak is facing an uphill battle to make the general election a presidential-style contest, as a shock new poll reveals he is voters’ preferred PM in only a handful of constituencies across Britain.Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is the most popular leader in 390 seats in England, Wales and Scotland – while Mr Sunak is voters’ first choice in just four seats.Mr Starmer is even ahead of Mr Sunak in the prime minister’s own North Yorkshire constituency of Richmond, in a series of grim survey findings for the Conservatives.It comes as Tory chairman Richard Holden revealed there was still a “one-third” chance Mr Sunak could hold an earlier-than-expected general election in May 2024.And Mr Sunak has been branded “weak and desperate” as Boris Johnson’s former adviser Dominic Cummings claimed that he and Mr Sunak held top-secret meetings about returning as a No 10 strategist ahead of the election.As election fever mounts, a major new seat-by-seat analysis by Focaldata for the Best for Britain campaign group found that Mr Starmer is beating Mr Sunak in hundreds of constituencies on the question of who makes the best PM.Nationally, the Labour leader is the ahead of his Tory rival by 32 per cent to 22 per cent. Only Braintree, Castle Point, Clacton and North Bedfordshire put Mr Sunak ahead of Mr Starmer and undecideds.And the Tory leader is third choice on preferred PMs in his own seat of Richmond. “Don’t know” was local voters’ top response with 32 per cent, Sir Keir came second with 27 per cent, and Mr Sunak third at just 24 per cent.Sunak is preferred PM in only four constituencies The only silver lining for the prime minister comes from the large proportion of undecided voters still up for grabs. The number of “don’t knows” on the question of preferred PM were ahead in 238 seats.The poll also shows that 61 per cent of voters want an early general election by at least May, with only 17 per cent hoping the PM waits until autumn to call the vote.Mr Holden, the Tory chairman, told the Mail on Sunday: “The chance of a May election is about a third. It is more likely to be at the back end of the year. My job is to be ready whenever it happens.”Despite the possibility of going early, Tory election strategist Isaac Levido has “pencilled in” a likely election for 14 November, according to the Sunday Times. The 10,000-person MRP poll by Focaldata also revealed a high level of interest in tactical voting, and widespread dismay with Brexit. Some 52 per cent, potentially representing 16 million voters, said they would consider voting tactically.Some 9 in 10 of self-identified tactical voters said Brexit has increased the cost of the weekly shop. And a majority (55 per cent) of these undecided tactical voters want Labour to seek a closer relationship with the EU.The MRP poll also found that Labour lead the Tories nationally by 35 per cent to 19 per cent. The Electoral Calculus analysis of these results point to Labour winning 415 seats – a huge majority of 180 seats for Sir Keir. The Tories would lose around 200 seats and be left with just 151 MPs.Labour leader Keir Starmer is preferred PM in 390 seats Naomi Smith, chief executive of the internationalist campaign group Best for Britain, said: “The message in our polling from voters is clear – they want an election, they think Brexit has hurt them in their pockets, and they’re prepared to vote tactically for change.”She added: “With the possibility of Farage’s party offering a life raft to his vulnerable friends on the Conservative right, tactical voting will be more important than ever.”It comes as the PM face fresh outrage over a shock report claiming that he asked Mr Cummings for advice to help the Tories ”smash” Labour when Britain goes to the polls.Dominic Cummings says Sunak wanted advice on how to win the election Mr Cummings told the Sunday Times that he urged Mr Sunak to abandon his cautious economic approach, hold an emergency budget, settle the NHS strikes and double the threshold at which people pay the 40p rate of income tax from £50,271 to £100,000.He also reportedly advocated leaving the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) as part of the Rwanda deportation plan.No 10 has not denied Mr Cummings’ account of a secret meeting, but said no job offer was made. A Downing Street source said: “It was a broad discussion about politics and campaigning, no job was offered.”The Liberal Democrats have called for an official Cabinet Office inquiry into whether Mr Sunak breached the ministerial code by failing to declare his “shady” meetings with Mr Cummings.The party pointed to Mr Sunak’s transparency returns, which do not include the meetings, and urged an inquiry to look at whether the discussions were reported to the Cabinet Office, as required under the code.A government spokesperson said: “In full accordance with the ministerial code, meetings with private individuals to discuss political matters do not need to be declared.”It came as a video re-emerged showing Mr Sunak claiming during the summer Tory leadership contest that Mr Cummings would have “absolutely nothing to do with any government that I am privileged to lead”.Labour’s shadow foreign secretary David Lammy questioned Mr Sunak’s judgement over “secret meetings” with “this loathsome individual who has brought so much chaos on our country”.The frontbencher told his LBC programme: “You’d have thought he would have learned something from his poor judgement on Suella Braverman.”Meanwhile, Brexit campaign financier Arron Banks has said he would seek to raise £10m from defecting Tory donors for Reform UK if Nigel Farage makes comeback to lead the party.“One of the things about Nigel … is he can cut through to the red-wall seats in a way that Richard Tice doesn’t,” the EU.Leave co-founder told the Sunday Times. “My view is we could raise £10m to kick Reform into the next league – that’s obviously a Nigel-dependent thing.”Mr Banks added: “A lot of Tory donors love [Mr Farage] … I think their view is that if Rishi isn’t replaced post haste, they could possibly get behind Reform. You are pushing at a half-open door. There are Tory donors who are absolutely furious.”Mr Sunak said the public should look forward with “pride and optimism” to 2024 as he insisted his economic plan was already working in his new year message. Sir Keir challenged voters in his end-of-year message – saying the future of Britain “rests in their hands” at the upcoming general election. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThere is a good chance that Rishi Sunak will call an earlier-than-expected general election in the spring, the Conservative Party chair has revealed.Richard Holden said there was still a “one-third” chance that the prime minister will hold an election in May, despite expectations that No 10 wants to wait until the autumn. It comes as a new poll reveals Sir Keir Starmer is the preferred choice for PM in 390 seats in England, Wales and Scotland – while Mr Sunak is voters’ first choice in just four seats.And Mr Sunak has been branded “weak and desperate” after Boris Johnson’s former chief adviser Dominic Cummings claimed that he and Mr Sunak held top-secret meetings about returning as a No 10 strategist ahead of the election.Despite the uphill battle faced by the Tories, the chair said the party could be prepared to launch an election campaign in just months – shortly after chancellor Jeremy Hunt’s 6 March Budget.“The chance of a May election is about a third. It is more likely to be at the back end of the year. My job is to be ready whenever it happens,” Mr Holden told the Mail on Sunday.The cabinet minister also hinted that fresh personal tax cuts are in the March Budget, as he played down reports the PM and chancellor could scrap inheritance tax.Asked about the possibility of death taxes being ditched, he said: “What you want is tax cuts which affect as many people as possible.”Mr Sunak will be accused of ‘bottling’ election if he waits until autumn Mr Holden claimed the Conservatives could still pull off a shock victory in 2024 because the party’s base remained unconvinced by the Labour leader. He said traditional Tory voters could return “because the threat of Starmer – a man who we do not know what he stands for – is just so great.”Despite the possibility of going early, Tory election strategist Isaac Levido has “pencilled in” a likely election for 14 November, according to the Sunday Times.As election fever mounts, a major new seat-by-seat analysis by Focaldata for the Best for Britain campaign group found that Mr Starmer is beating Mr Sunak in hundreds of constituencies on the question of who makes the best PM.Nationally, the Labour leader is the ahead of his Tory rival by 32 per cent to 22 per cent. Only Braintree, Castle Point, Clacton and North Bedfordshire put Mr Sunak ahead of Mr Starmer and undecideds.The poll also shows that 61 per cent of voters want an early general election by at least May, with only 17 per cent hoping the PM waits until autumn to call the vote.The Tories claimed that Labour would pile £2,200 a year on working families from the opposition’s promise to invest £28bn in green jobs. But a Labour spokesperson said the claims are “total garbage and a desperately absurd claim from a Tory Party which has increased taxes on working people”.Mr Starmer says voters will decide ‘Britain’s future’ in 2024 Meanwhile, the PM is said to have asked Mr Johnson’s former chief aide for advice as he pushed for a “secret deal” with Mr Cummings to help the Tories win when Britain goes to the polls.Mr Cummings told the Sunday Times that he urged Mr Sunak to abandon his cautious economic approach, hold an emergency budget, settle the NHS strikes and double the threshold at which people pay the 40p rate of income tax from £50,271 to £100,000.He also reportedly advocated leaving the European Convention on Human Rights as part of the Rwanda deportation plan.No 10 has not denied Mr Cummings’s account of a secret meeting, but said no job offer was made. A Downing Street source said: “It was a broad discussion about politics and campaigning, no job was offered.”Elsewhere, Brexit campaign financier Arron Banks has said he would seek to raise £10m from defecting Tory donors for Reform UK if Nigel Farage makes a comeback to lead the party.“One of the things about Nigel… is he can cut through to the red-wall seats in a way that Richard Tice doesn’t,” the Leave.EU co-founder told the Sunday Times. “My view is we could raise £10m to kick Reform into the next league – that’s obviously a Nigel-dependent thing.” More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak has said the public should look forward with “pride and optimism” to 2024 as he insisted his plan for Britain’s economy was already working.The PM urged voters to focus on the promise of a “brighter future” in a new year’s message, as he gears up for a general election campaign in the months ahead.Mr Sunak has already said he will call an election in 2024, with the Tories battling to cling on to power as opinion polls point to a huge and consistent Labour lead.The Tory leader used his message to claim he was “getting the economy growing” and promised to “further to grow our economy” next year.The PM may have met his promise to halve inflation in 2023 but a key pledge for growth was dealt a big blow earlier this month by figures showing GDP fell between July and September.Mr Sunak highlighted an upcoming cut to national insurance as an example of change under his leadership, and boasted of “decisive action” to stop migrant boats in the Channel.However, he faces calls from rebellious MPs in his own party to go further on tax cuts, and toughen up his flagship Rwanda bill to get deportation flights started by the spring.Rishi Sunak faces a struggle to push his Rwanda bill through parliament, then get flights off by springMPs in the “five families” of the Tory right – including Brexiteers the European Research Group (ERG) – have threatened to kill the bill if the government does not agree to amendments in the new year.Top legal adviser David Pannick is said have warned Mr Sunak’s government that the Rwanda bill may not get flights started as planned because it still allows individual legal appeals.A source familiar with the discussions told The Telegraph: “Lord Pannick acknowledged that without addressing individual claims the scheme would be severely impeded.”In his new year message, Mr Sunak said his “resolution” would be to “keep driving forward”. The PM said: “Inflation is set to fall further, cutting the cost of living for everyone. And we’re not stopping there.“We’re going further to grow our economy by reducing debt, cutting taxes, and rewarding hard work, building secure supplies of energy here at home, backing British business and delivering world-class education.”Mr Sunak added: “And we’re taking decisive action to stop the boats and break the business model of the criminal gangs.”The Tory leader’s focus on tax-cutting in his new year message comes after the government announced the main rate of national insurance will be reduced from 12 to 10 per cent from 6 January.There is speculation that the Tories could make more attention-grabbing pledges in the pre-election spring Budget – including ditching inheritance tax.Reports suggest death duties could possibly be slashed or scrapped, as Mr Sunak desperately looks for ways to turn around his party’s huge polls deficit and create policy dividing lines with Labour.However, former Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont has urged Mr Sunak to ignore calls from MPs on the right. The Tory grandee said he does not “buy” the argument that the tax on inherited wealth is widely hated – telling the PM to focus on cutting income tax instead.Mr Sunak also thanked “our incredible armed forces and NHS staff who take care of us all”. The message comes between strikes by junior doctors in England, with the longest walkout in NHS history due to begin on 3 January.He ended by saying: “We should look forward full of pride and optimism for what we can do together to build a brighter future for everyone. That’s what I’m determined to do, and I wish you all a very happy 2024.” By building expectations of a contest this spring, Labour is setting the stage to accuse Mr Sunak of “bottling it” if he holds on until the autumn.Sir Keir Starmer has challenged voters in his new year’s message – saying the future of Britain “rests in their hands” at the upcoming general election.The Labour leader will use his end-of-year address to deliver an election-themed message, framing 2024 as the year to “give Britain its future back”.He will say it has also been another tough year economically for millions – but that hope “is the fuel of change” and “the oxygen of a better future”. More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster email An Albanian court on Saturday ordered house arrest for former Prime Minister Sali Berisha, who leads the opposition Democratic Party and is being investigated for possible corruption.Judge Irena Gjoka of the First Instance Special Court on Corruption and Organized Crime, which covers cases involving senior officials and politicians, accepted prosecutors’ request to put Berisha, 79, under house arrest after he violated the previous restrictive measures of reporting every two weeks. He was also barred from traveling abroad.His lawyer, Genc Gjokutaj, said the court also barred Berisha from communicating with people other than his family who lives with him, and considered the order a violation of law. Depriving Berisha of communication may become a wider political issue because he’s the leader of the main opposition party.Gjokutaj said he would appeal the court order. It is not clear how police officers would monitor Berisha at his apartment in downtown Tirana.Last week, parliament voted to strip Berisha of his legal immunity. Lawmakers loyal to Berisha tried to disrupt the session and boycotted the vote. Berisha has criticized his investigation and arrest as political repression ordered by Prime Minister Edi Rama, and has warned of “powerful protests.” In October, prosecutors publicly put Berisha under investigation for allegedly abusing his post to help his son-in-law, Jamarber Malltezi, privatize public land to build 17 apartment buildings. Prosecutors have yet to file formal charges in court and Berisha is still technically under investigation.“Rama’s New Year postcard is the arrest and isolation of the opposition leader!” Berisha’s son Shkelzen posted on Facebook. Prosecutors have said that if convicted, Berisha faces a prison sentence of up to 12 years.Berisha served as Albania’s prime minister from 2005-2013, and as president from 1992-1997. He was reelected as a lawmaker for the Democratic Party in the 2021 parliamentary elections.The United States government in May 2021 and the United Kingdom in July 2022 barred Berisha and close family members from entering their countries because of alleged involvement in corruption.Just days before the investigation into Berisha’s role in the land deal was revealed in October, opposition lawmakers have regularly disrupted sessions of parliament to protest the ruling Socialists’ refusal to create commissions to investigate alleged cases of corruption involving Rama and other top government officials.The Socialists say the plans are not in line with constitutional requirements.The disruptions are an obstacle to much-needed reforms at a time when the European Union has agreed to start the process of harmonizing Albanian laws with those of the EU as part of the Balkan country’s path toward full membership in the bloc.___Follow Llazar Semini at https://x.com/lsemini More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailFormer Conservative chancellor Norman Lamont has urged Rishi Sunak to ignore calls from his own MPs to ditch inheritance tax.The Tory grandee said he does not “buy” the argument that the tax on inherited wealth is widely hated – telling the PM to focus on cutting income tax instead.Mr Sunak and Jeremy Hunt are under pressure to deliver tax cuts by 6 March, with the PM and his chancellor said to be considering moves to scrap or cut inheritance tax.Sir Iain Duncan Smith, Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg and other senior Tories have urged him to get rid of inheritance tax in a bid to boost the party’s polling fortunes ahead of the general election.But Lord Lamont, chancellor under John Major between 1990 and 1993, said cutting it only benefits “a small number of people”, adding: “I don’t really buy the argument that it’s much hated by everyone.”“The largest number of people should benefit from whatever is possible,” the Tory peer told The Telegraph. “My priority would be [raising] income tax thresholds. They affect the most people.”Lord Lamont added: “I think you want to give some relief to people who have paid the price and have had to pay for some of the measures that were introduced during the [Covid] pandemic. I think the average person would like to see a little light at the end of the tunnel.”Norman Lamont was Tory chancellor under John Major Despite calls from the Tory right to scrap the “hated” inheritance tax, fewer than 4 per cent of estates in the UK pay the levy on inherited property, money and shares.The respected Institute for Fiscal Studies says the wealthiest 1 per cent of people in Britain would receive 47 per cent of the benefit of scrapping it. Inheritance tax is forecast to provide almost £10bn a year for the public coffers by 2028-29.A plan to abolish inheritance tax is being pondered as part of a “gear change” on tax, according to The Telegraph. But No 10 and Treasury sources have played down reports as speculation.Some red-wall Tory MPs have also urged Mr Sunak to bring in tax cuts for people on lower incomes – rather than cut inheritance tax for the wealthiest – in March.“We should concentrate on incomes and thresholds rather than inheritance tax. That produces more benefit for a greater number of people,” John Stevenson MP, head of the Northern Research Group, told the Daily Mail.Former minister Neil O’Brien, Tory MP for Harborough, said Mr Hunt should offer “tax cuts for those at the bottom end to help with the cost of living, and tax cuts that boost productivity”.However, many senior Tories are still pushing for the PM and chancellor to act on inheritance tax. Sir Jacob said inheritance tax was “a pernicious and bad tax, which ought to be scrapped”.Former leader Sir Iain said: “I would scrap it altogether. The political impact would be enormous.”Meanwhile, Ranil Jayawardena, chair of Liz Truss’ Conservative Growth Group, said: “Time is running out and the government needs to be bold: it’s time to scrap inheritance tax.” More