UK Politics

Boris Johnson says legislative solution needed for NI protocolThe EU has warned of retaliation if the UK presses ahead with the foreign secretary’s plans to ditch the Northern Ireland protocol.Liz Truss today announced the government will bring legislation to unilaterally ditch the protocol, despite a plea from the Bank of England to avoid a damaging trade war with Europe.European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, who has been involved in negotiations with the foreign secretary about the protocol, said he had “significant concerns” about the plan and warned “unilateral actions are not acceptable”.He added: “Should the UK decide to move ahead with a bill disapplying constitutive elements of the protocol as announced today by the UK government, the EU will need to respond with all measures at its disposal.”Ms Truss proposed the bill – due to be published in weeks – as a means of upholding the Good Friday Agreement and re-establishing powersharing in the Northern Ireland Executive.She made the same case in calls held last night with Ireland’s foreign minister, Simon Coveney, and Mr Sefcovic.Show latest update

1652798671NI Brexit business group says UK protocol solution ‘sub-optimal’The Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group – an umbrella body of 14 leading groups – has responded to Liz Truss’s statement by condemning the idea of unilateral action on post-Brexit arrangements as “sub-optimal”.The group said it would “study” the UK government proposal, but stated: “While we are frustrated with the ongoing failure to resolve the outstanding issues, it is our shared view that anything other than a negotiated outcome is sub-optimal.”Calling for a negotiated compromise, the group added: “It is incumbent on the EU and UK to recommence discussions without delay. It will require movement and compromise on both sides to secure the workable and lasting solutions we all need to see.”Ms Truss earlier said the government would introduce legislation to override the Northern Ireland protocol of the Brexit deal. Britain wants to change elements covering the movement of goods, goods regulation, VAT, subsidy control and governance.Liam James17 May 2022 15:441652797531Boris Johnson rejects Bank governor’s claim of ‘helplessness’ over cost of living crisisBoris Johnson has said he does not share the economic pessimism expressed by Bank of England governor, who admitted to feeling “helpless” amid the worsening cost of living crisis (Adam Forrest writes).Andrew Bailey warned on Monday of an “apocalyptic” spike in food prices, predicted unemployment will rise, and conceded that the Bank is largely “helpless” to address inflation.Asked on Tuesday if too he felt “helpless” over living costs, the prime minister said: “No – I think that this country has got a fantastic future.”Mr Johnson told reporters: “What we’ve got to do is fix some short-term global inflation issues caused by coming out of the pandemic – particularly on supply chains, particularly on the cost of energy. But we have the fixes.”Liam James17 May 2022 15:2516527963917 in 10 say government handling the economy badlySeven in ten people (72 per cent) say the government is handling the economy badly, including more than half of Conservative voters (54 per cent), a YouGov poll has found.The economy has been a growing concern in Britain since November and became the foremost issue in the public mind in January as the cost of living crisis set in.The number of British adults who think the government is handling the economy badly is the highest in Boris Johnson’s time as prime minister and is 32 per cent higher than this time last year.YouGov surveyed 1,810 UK adults from 14-16 May.Liam James17 May 2022 15:061652795417Power sharing in Northern Ireland will not be restored until EU ‘power grab’ to ‘crush’ businesses resolved, ministers toldPower sharing in Northern Ireland will not be restored until an EU “power grab” to “crush” business in Northern Ireland is resolved, ministers have been warned.DUP MP Ian Paisley (North Antrim) told the Commons about the paperwork faced by Marks & Spencer chairman and former Tory MP Archie Norman to do business on the island of Ireland.Mr Paisley said: “His business in the Republic of Ireland to export goods has to fill in 700 pages.”It has to do that within an eight-hour period, it has to do some of that wording in Latin to satisfy the European community, and it also has to do it in a certain type font or else it will not be allowed.”It costs him an additional £30 million. He has said this morning on the radio that the EU has told him they would like the same procedures for his businesses in Northern Ireland.”He added: “This is power grab. People talk about trade war. This is a trade war to crush business in Northern Ireland. Will the foreign secretary ensure that whenever she is speaking to the Cabinet, that they know clearly that if they keep the protocol, power sharing isn’t coming back?”Foreign secretary Liz Truss said the government’s proposed new Bill would “deal with the bureaucracy that we are seeing”, adding the government was “open” to talks over a “negotiated settlement” in the meantime.Chiara Giordano17 May 2022 14:501652794817Ireland’s Simon Coveney says he ‘deeply regrets’ UK government’s introduction of legislation that will disapply elements of protocolIreland’s foreign affairs minister Simon Coveney has said he “deeply regrets” the British government’s decision to introduce legislation that will disapply elements of the Northern Ireland Protocol.Mr Coveney said such unilateral action “is damaging to trust and will serve only to make it more challenging to find solutions to the genuine concerns that people in Northern Ireland have about how the protocol is being implemented”.He said the unilateral action from the British government is “contrary” to the wishes of people and businesses in Northern Ireland, but welcomed foreign secretary Liz Truss’s preference for a negotiated solution with the EU.Chiara Giordano17 May 2022 14:401652794217Government asked to take action to ensure European judges have no ‘adverse influence’ over NI tradeThe government has been asked to “take action” to make sure that European judges do not have “adverse influence” over trade in Northern Ireland.Conservative MP Mark Francois (Rayleigh and Wickford) said Lord Trimble, who helped bring about the Good Friday Agreement, had raised the issue of the European Court of Justice’s (ECJ) role as an arbiter for disputes over the Northern Ireland Protocol in a newspaper article.He said: “As an architect of it with John Hume nearly a quarter of a century ago, he also raised the issue of the adverse influence of the European Court of Justice in Northern Ireland.”Can the Foreign Secretary assure the House that under her sixth heading, which I think she called governance, she will take action on that issue as well please?”Liz Truss replied: “I can assure him that we will take action to ensure the arbitration mechanism is in place for Northern Ireland as it is in the Trade and Co-operation Agreement, rather than having the ECJ as the final arbiter which it is as present.”Chiara Giordano17 May 2022 14:301652793917Liz Truss says plan ‘will actually save costs’ when challenged in CommonsThe solution the government is putting forward “will actually save costs”, foreign secretary Liz Truss has said.Ms Truss’ comments came as Labour MP for Putney Fleur Anderson asked her in the Commons: “So much for getting Brexit done, so much for oven ready. What is the cost of the proposed actions? The Treasury has drawn up economic impact assessments for this course of action. When will the government release them for the House?Ms Truss replied: “Well, the solution that we are putting forward will actually save costs by reducing the bureaucracy that traders are currently facing shipping goods into Northern Ireland.”So, our overall proposal benefits traders into Northern Ireland. It benefits the people of Northern Ireland. It doesn’t make the EU any worse off and it helps protect the single market.”Chiara Giordano17 May 2022 14:251652793617NI trade barriers ‘relatively minor’, admits PMBoris Johnson has been speaking about the government’s plan to override parts of the protocol to reporters during a visit to see the new Elizabeth line at Paddington Station.Asked about the possibility of a trade war with the EU, the prime minister said: “I don’t think that is likely … We need to address the problems with the protocol. What that actually involves is getting rid of some relatively minor barriers to trade.”He added: “And I think there are good, common sense, pragmatic solutions. We need to work with our EU friends to achieve that.”The PM said the “higher duty” of the UK government was to the Good Friday Agreement and the peace process, adding: “Of necessity, we can make some changes, I think, to the protocol … “It makes it very clear on the face of the text that you should ensure east-west trade, and the integrity of the UK internal market.”He added: “Let’s fix it. We don’t want to nix it – we want to fix it. And we’ll work with our EU partners to do it.”Adam Forrest17 May 2022 14:201652793066EU warns it will use ‘all measures at its disposal’ if UK overrides Northern Ireland protocolThe European Commission has warned it will retaliate and use “all measures at its disposal” if the UK presses ahead with a threatened bill to override the Northern Ireland Protocol.Vice-president Maros Sefcovic said he had “significant concerns” about the plan and that “unilateral actions contradicting an international agreement are not acceptable”.Our political correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the full story:Chiara Giordano17 May 2022 14:111652792749Boris Johnson urges all political parties to help get Stormont ‘up and running’Prime minister Boris Johnson said: “I think that it’s important that all political parties who believe in the government of Northern Ireland get back round the table and get Stormont up and running.”Northern Ireland has got amazing opportunity now. Parts of the Northern Irish economy are going really, really well.”What they need is leadership. They need their politicians to focus on the things that matter to the people of Northern Ireland.”Chiara Giordano17 May 2022 14:05 More

Some of the poorest families in the country have yet to receive the £150 council tax rebate promised by chancellor Rishi Sunak to ease soaring energy bills, a leading charity has warned.National Energy Action said many of the hardest-pressed people in England and Wales who do not pay their council tax via direct debit were still waiting for their payment.Local authorities were expected to distribute the £150 rebate when the energy price cap was raised in April, but say they are struggling to pay the one-off sum to everyone. More

Brexit red tape is far worse for British exports to the EU than to Northern Ireland, a store chief is warning – with some information demanded in Latin and a particular typeface.Archie Norman, the chair of Marks and Spencer, revealed the mountain of bureaucracy that is making international trade impossible for small producers, leading many to give up entirely.The UK is preparing legislation to shred the Northern Ireland Protocol, arguing talks with the EU have failed to make the progress necessary to remove costly red tape. More

The European Commission has warned it will retaliate and use “all measures at its disposal” if the UK presses ahead with a threatened bill to override the Northern Ireland Protocol.It comes after Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, proposed new legislation overwriting parts of the post-Brexit deal, telling MPs in it will be published in the “coming weeks”.The cabinet minister argued the Good Friday Agreement is “under strain” and that it is “necessary to act” to ensure the Northern Ireland executive can be restored.Although Ms Truss did not specifically mention the European Court of Justice, Ms Truss said ”governance” would be overhauled – code for ending the remit of the ECJ.She added the legislation would create new ‘green’ and ‘red’ channels for goods travelling from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, setting up a “trusted trader” scheme.The proposals, however, triggered an immediate response from Brussels, with the European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic saying he had “significant concerns” about the plan. He said that “unilateral actions contradicting an international agreement are not acceptable”.In his statement, Mr Sefcovic also warned of retaliatory measures, saying: “Should the UK decide to move ahead with a bill disapplying constitutive elements of the Protocol as announced today by the UK government, the EU will need to respond with all measures at its disposal.“Our overarching objective is to find joint solutions within the framework of the Protocol. That is the way to ensure legal certainty and predictability for people and businesses in Northern Ireland.”With political will and commitment, practical issues arising from the implementation of the Protocol in Northern Ireland can be resolved. The European Commission stands ready to continue playing its part, as it has from the outset.While Ms Truss’s proposed actions were welcomed by some Tory MPs, Simon Hoare, the chair of the Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, questioned if the government is committed to honouring the rule of law.He began by quoting Margaret Thatcher’s commitment to the rule of law, adding: “Respect for the rule of law runs deep in our Tory veins. I find it extraordinary that a Tory government needs to be reminded of that.“Could [Liz Truss] assure me that support for and honouring of the rule of law is what she and the Government is committed to?”The cabinet minister replied: “I can assure him that we are committed to upholding the rule of law, we’re clear that this bill is legal in international law and we will set out the legal position in due course.” More

William Hague has attacked Boris Johnson’s decision to shelve his obesity action plan as weak and immoral, warning Britain will pay a high price for it.The former Conservative leader said the U-turn – delaying action on cheap fatty foods and TV advertising of them – will be added to the “long history of failed obesity strategies”.Tory MPs who pushed the prime minister into the climbdown are “acquiescing in a future of higher dependence, greater costs, reduced lifestyle choice and endless pain,” he warned. More

A new bill to override the Northern Ireland Protocol will target the role of European judges and give UK big tax powers, setting up a momentous clash with the EU.Liz Truss revealed the legislation will go much further than seeking to ease border checks in the Irish Sea – increasing the chances that it will provoke a damaging trade war with Brussels.It would go to the heart of the 2019 agreement, hailed as “fantastic” by Boris Johnson at the time, by removing European Court of Justice jurisdiction over disputes relating to Northern Ireland.And it would allow the government to set VAT rates and decide on subsidies in the province, the foreign secretary told MPs.The legislation has not yet been published, but is expected to be released within weeks – at which point the EU is likely to set out its plans to retaliate.In a statement to the Commons, Ms Truss argued it is “necessary to act to ensure the institutions [in Northern Ireland] can be restored as soon as possible”.And, to some jeers, she insisted the dramatic move is “consistent with our obligations in international law”.Labour warned of “wide-ranging and damaging repercussions”, questioning whether future potential trade partners would want to strike deals with a country that breaks its word.And it raised fears of “fuelling divisions with our European allies”, when the priority should be to help Ukraine fight back against the Russian invasion.Justifying the move to seize back control of tax-setting powers in Northern Ireland, Ms Truss pointed to the inability to cut VAT on “solar panels”, in line with the rest of the UK.“The rules on taxation mean citizens in Northern Ireland are unable to benefit fully from the same advantages as the rest of the UK,” she argued.Although she did not specifically mention the European Court of Justice, Ms Truss said ”governance” would be overhauled – code for ending the remit of the ECJ.The legislation would create new ‘green’ and ‘red’ channels for goods travelling from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland, setting up a “trusted trader” scheme.Only goods destined for the Republic of Ireland would be subject to customs checks and tough penalties for any traders attempting to dodge the rules.Ms Truss is inviting Maros Sefcovic, the European Commission vice-president, for talks in London to discuss the new proposals.However, there appears to be little hope of progress, after the UK rejected EU proposals to remove many of the current checks.The UK has refused to sign up to EU veterinary rules, seen by many as the key to reducing the need for much of the bureaucracy, which hits transport of food goods hardest. More

The British government dramatically escalated a fight with the European Union on Tuesday by saying it will pass a law to change the trade treaty signed by the two sides less than two years ago.Britain says its move to scrap parts of the legally binding treaty is an insurance policy in case it can’t reach agreement with the bloc to end a long-running dispute over post-Brexit trade rules.The threat of legislation is sure to rile the EU, which accuses Prime Minister Boris Johnson of trying to wriggle out of a deal that his government negotiated and signed as part of the U.K.’s exit from the bloc in 2020. It raises the specter of a trade war between Britain and the 27-nation bloc that is — even after Brexit — its major economic partner.Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told lawmakers in the House of Commons that the move “is consistent with our obligations in international law.”Truss said the bill will be published in the coming weeks, and she hopes to keep up talks with the bloc in the meantime.“Our preference is to reach a negotiated outcome with the EU,” Truss said.Britain says post-Brexit trade rules are hurting the economy and undermining peace in Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member state.When Britain left the bloc and its borderless free-trade zone, a deal was agreed to keep the Irish land border free of customs posts and other checks, because an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.Instead, to protect the EU’s single market, there are checks on some goods, such as meat and eggs, entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K.The arrangement is opposed by British unionists in Northern Ireland, who say the new checks have put a burden on businesses and frayed the bonds between Northern Ireland and the rest of the U.K.The Democratic Unionist Party, Northern Ireland’s biggest unionist party, is blocking the formation of a new regional government in Belfast until the checks are scrapped.Under power-sharing rules set up as part of Northern Ireland’s peace process, a government can’t be formed without the cooperation of both unionist and nationalist parties.The British government agrees that the trade regulations, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, are destabilizing a peace agreement that relies on support from both Protestant unionist and Catholic nationalist communities.While the DUP wants the Protocol scrapped, most other parties in Northern Ireland want to keep it, with tweaks to ease the burden on businesses. Johnson says his government wants to fix, rather than scrap, the arrangements, using technology and trusted-trader programs to create a check-free “green lane” for goods destined for Northern Ireland that are at little risk of entering the EU.“There are too many companies, including major supermarkets, at the moment who have no stores in the Republic of Ireland, who are moving their products from their depots in Great Britain into Northern Ireland for sale and consumption in Northern Ireland, but going through checks as if they were going into the EU,” said the U.K.’s Northern Ireland Secretary, Brandon Lewis.The British government hopes its threat of legislation — which would take months to pass through Parliament — will increase pressure on the EU to compromise.The bloc insists the legally binding Brexit treaty can’t be renegotiated, though it is willing to be flexible about how it is implemented. The EU could hit back at Britain with legal action, and potentially trade sanctions, if Britain does not back down.Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said Monday that Britain’s stance “calls into question” the entire post-Brexit trade agreement that the U.K. and the bloc hammered out in months of rancorous negotiations.___More AP coverage of Brexit: https://apnews.com/hub/brexit More