UK Politics

The European Commission has reminded the UK government that the Brexit deal is a “binding” legal obligation, after a senior Conservative minister said there was no need to stand by the agreement.Jacob Rees-Mogg on Wednesday told a committee of MPs that it was “nonsense” that the UK had to stick to the terms of the Northern Ireland protocol, which the government negotiated and ratified as part of exiting the European Union.On Friday a a spokesperson for the EU’s executive hit back and told reporters in Brussels on Friday that “the withdrawal agreement, the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are legal obligations to which the UK is bound”.Mr Rees-Mogg, who is Boris Johnson’s minister for Brexit opportunities, had told a hearing of parliament’s EU scrutiny committee: “A lot of commentary that says: ‘Well, we signed it and therefore surely we should accept it lock, stock and barrel.’ That’s absolute nonsense.“We signed it on the basis that it would be reformed. And there comes a point at which you say: ‘Well, you haven’t reformed it and therefore we are reforming it ourselves.’ And the United Kingdom is much more important than any agreement that we have with any foreign power.”On Friday morning the Financial Times additionally reported that Boris Johnson is preparing to bring forward laws override parts of the Brexit agreement in UK statue. The powers are expected to be included in the Queen’s Speech next month and would likely spark a new political conflict with Brussels. Some unionists are annoyed that the protocol imposes frictions on trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland though polls show the agreement generally has popular support there.Asked about the reports, a European Commission spokesperson told reporters in Brussels: “It will come as absolutely no surprise to that we have no comment on press reports or unnamed sources, or other comments. I think more generally, I can simply reiterate what we have said a number of times in this press room: that we are fully committed to working jointly with the UK government to find long-lasting solutions for Northern Ireland, to bring about long-lasting certainty and predictability for people and businesses in Northern Ireland. “Only joint solutions can do that: jointly-agreed solutions. And if you look at it, this approach is working. Only a couple of days ago we reached the solution on medicines for Northern Ireland which was agreed in record time. It’s important to underline that.”As you know, last October, we came forward with a number of serious, wide-ranging solutions for Northern Ireland. We’ve been working on them since and our intention is to continue working on these solutions with the UK over the coming weeks. I think finally, it’s important to to underline as well that our agreements, the withdrawal agreement, the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are legal obligations to which the UK is bound as much as we are.”The spokesperson added that EU and UK teams had been in regular contact on the issue at both a technical and political level.Under the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market and customs area – a provision agreed by both sides to prevent a hard border from being required between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Both sides wanted to achieve this aim to preserve the Good Friday Agreement and peace process.But the agreement means there are some checks on trade and extra frictions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, because the government wanted to take Britain out of the customs union and single market under its hard Brexit policy.Recent polling from October 2021 conducted by LucidTalk to Queen’s University Belfast revealed 52 per cent of respondents believe the post-Brexit arrangement to be a “good thing”, up from 43 per cent in June that year. Asked whether the UK would be justified in triggering Article 16 53 per cent of respondents said no and 39 per cent who responded yes. More

Boris Johnson is set to use the Queen’s Speech to pick a Brexit fight in the European Union over the deal he signed with Brussels.After prolonged absence from the news agenda in Westminster, UK-EU relations will soon make a major comeback – as the prime minister seeks to move on from the Partygate scandal and energise his base.The government’s legislative programme is reportedly to include powers for ministers to scrap the Northern Ireland protocol, a key part of the agreement Mr Johnson negotiated with Brussels.But the prime minister now says the agreement is not working and that it should be reformed to make life easier for Northern Ireland.Brexit opportunities minister Jacob Rees-Mogg told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday: “There a lot of commentary that says: ‘Well, we signed it and therefore surely we should accept it lock, stock and barrel.’ That’s absolute nonsense.”Now the Financial Timesreports that Mr Johnson and foreign secretary Liz Truss have in principle signed off plans to bring forward a Northern Ireland Bill early in the next parliamentary session, which begins next month.That bill would give ministers the power to deactivate parts of the protocol in British law, including border checks across the Irish Sea.A UK government spokesperson said that no decisions had yet been taken and that “our overriding priority continues to be the protection of peace and stability in Northern Ireland”.But asked about the plan on LBC radio on Friday morning Northern Ireland minister Conor Burns said: “We don’t talk about what’s in the Queen’s speech before the Queen’s speech has been delivered, that would be grossly inappropriate. “What I would say is we have been clear as far back as last July, the prime minister said, that we believe that threshold for trial for triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol had been reached.”There is significant societal disruption in Northern Ireland due to the way the protocol is being implemented. There is a sense that people in Northern Ireland are a people set apart.”He added that the agreement “is not working as it was intended to work” and that “it is absolutely right that if the European Commission will not move will not look at practical solutions to make the protocol less invasive, less bureaucratic then the United Kingdom [will]”.Mr Burns added: “We have been very clear with the Commission that ultimately if there isn’t movement, if there isn’t a political willingness to engage in changing the protocol to make its implementation and application work more effectively, then the United Kingdom retains the right – as by the way laid down under Article 16, which says the application has protocol leads to serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties that are likely to persist or diversions of trade, the Union or the UK may take unilateral and appropriate safeguarding measures – that may be what we have to do.”Asked about the reports, a European Commission spokesperson told reporters in Brussels on Friday: “It will come as absolutely no surprise to that we have no comment on press reports or unnamed sources, or other comments. I think more generally, I can simply reiterate what we have said a number of times in this press room: that we are fully committed to working jointly with the UK government to find long-lasting solutions for Northern Ireland, to bring about long-lasting certainty and predictability for people and businesses in Northern Ireland. “Only joint solutions can do that: jointly-agreed solutions. And if you look at it, this approach is working. Only a couple of days ago we reached the solution on medicines for Northern Ireland which was agreed in record time. It’s important to underline that.”As you know, last October, we came forward with a number of serious, wide-ranging solutions for Northern Ireland. We’ve been working on them since and our intention is to continue working on these solutions with the UK over the coming weeks. I think finally, it’s important to to underline as well that our agreements, that withdrawal agreement, the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, are legal obligations to which the UK is bound as much as we are.”Under the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol, Northern Ireland remains in the EU single market and customs area – a provision agreed by both sides to prevent a hard border from being required between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. Both sides wanted to achieve this aim to preserve the Good Friday Agreement and peace process.But the agreement means there are some checks on trade and extra frictions between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, because the government wanted to take Britain out of the customs union and single market under its hard Brexit policy. The agreement has general support across Northern Ireland in opinion polls but is unpopular with some in the unionist community, who believe on ideological grounds that Northern Ireland should not be treated differently from the rest of the United Kingdom.Recent polling from October 2021 conducted by LucidTalk to Queen’s University Belfast revealed 52 per cent of respondents believe the post-Brexit arrangement to be a “good thing”, up from 43 per cent in June that year. Asked whether the UK would be justified in triggering Article 16 53 per cent of respondents said no and 39 per cent who responded yes. More

Boris Johnson’s Partygate scandal will be a major problem for the Conservatives at the May local elections, according to one of the country’s top political scientists.Sir John Curtice said polling had got worse for Tories since the prime minister was fined for his law-breaking birthday bash, adding the saga had “significantly damaged” his party.“The story is not going to go away, the story has now got legs again,” the polling guru told The Independent. “The opposition is just going to keep on talking about it. All of this plays to Keir Starmer’s advantage.”Professor Curtice said Labour had stretched its lead over the Tories by three points since Mr Johnson was handed a fixed penalty notice by the Metropolitan Police – leading to an average Labour poll lead of eight points.Asked if Partygate will be a major problem come the elections on 5 May, Prof Curtice said: “Yes. The government can keep saying we’ve got these other issues. But they are getting bad press over cost of living. And Ukraine is a mixed blessing.”The Strathclyde University professor added: “There has never been evidence of a rallying factor [for the Tories] from Ukraine, and the government is getting terrible press over the visa refugee policy.”However, Prof Curtice said much of the public outrage over Partygate has been “largely baked in” since December and January, when the most significant shift in the polls occurred.“The latest YouGov poll shows 78 per cent think [Mr Johnson] lied. They thought that in January,” Sir John said. “Stories over the next couple weeks will just reinforce those views.”The expert added: “My view is that Partygate has significantly damaged the Conservatives’ standing, though it has not led to the collapse in the Conservative vote.”One recent study predicted that the Tories could lose up to 810 council seats at next month’s elections. Around 5,000 seats are up for grabs at local elections taking place across England, Wales and Scotland, while Northern Ireland is voting on the Stormont assembly.The Electoral Calculus and Find Out Now study, based on extensive polling in England and Wales, also estimated that Labour could gain up to 835 seats.Although Prof Curtice said seat forecasting for local elections was a “mug’s game”, the polling guru said he did expect the Tories to lose a lot of council seats at elections in Scotland, while Labour may seize control of more councils in London – including Barnet and Wandsworth.Even if Mr Johnson survives a push on his leadership by restless Tory backbenchers after the local elections next month, he faces another major test with the Wakefield by-election.Tory MP Stephen Hammond has suggested that contest, now expected to take place in June, could be the final straw for Mr Johnson.On the key test in red-wall territory, the former minister said: “If we don’t [win], there might be some thought about what we need to do to reassure those voters that came to us for the first time in 2019.”Senior Tory MP Mark Harper, who has sent a letter of no confidence to the 1922 Committee, said he expected the 54 letters needed to trigger a vote to be submitted before parliament’s summer recess in July.Prof Curtice said: “I think we’ve reached a point where the opposition probably thinks that Boris Johnson staying on is to their advantage. The Labour message is the ‘Tories want to hang onto a lawbreaker’ and they will keep on repeating it.” More

The UK government will re-open the British embassy in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv next week, Boris Johnson has announced.The embassy was moved away from the city in mid-February, shortly before Vladimir Putin’s Russian forces launched a brutal invasion of the country.The prime minister said on Friday that it was now safe for UK diplomats to return to Kyiv, after Ukrainian forces successfully fought off Russian advances on the capital.“The extraordinary fortitude and success of president Zelensky and the Ukrainian people in resisting Russian forces in Kyiv means that I can announce today that we will very shortly, next week, reopen our embassy in Ukraine’s capital city,” he said at a press conference in India. However, Mr Johnson has not pressured his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to strengthen his position against Putin over the invasion of Ukraine.Downing Street conceded that Mr Johnson did not raise India’s official neutrality at the UN on the Russian invasion during his meeting in New Delhi.The PM’s spokesperson said “he was not there to talk to another democratic country about what actions they should take”.Mr Johnson said on Friday that India and UK were “sticking together and confronting our shared anxiety about autocracies and autocratic coercion around the world”.Asked whether he has put any pressure on Mr Modi over Russia, Mr Johnson replied: “You have to recognise that Indians and Narendra Modi in particular have come out and been very strong in their language about events in Bucha.”The PM added: “He has intervened several times with Vladimir Putin, really to ask him what on earth he thinks he’s doing, and where he thinks this is going. What Indians want is peace and they want the Russians out [of Ukraine]. And I totally agree with that.”More than a dozen countries have already sent diplomats back to Kyiv this month, after Moscow refocused its attention on the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine.The EU reopened its diplomatic mission in Kyiv earlier this month, while Italy, France and Portugal have also sent officials to reopen embassies.A contingent of British staff have remained in western Ukraine to offer humanitarian and other support over the past two months. Foreign secretary Liz Truss paid tribute to “the bravery and resilience of the embassy team and their work throughout this period”.It is “symbolically important” for western nations to try “to continue embassy work as normally as possible,” one senior eastern European diplomat told Foreign Policy. More

Boris Johnson refused to use a Russian-built helicopter to ferry him to a factory during his visit to India, it has emerged.After Downing Street staff vetoed the Mi-17 chopper, a US-built Chinook was flown from an Indian Air Force base six hours away to do the job.Citing senior protocol officials in the Indian government, The Times of India said Mr Johnson’s unwillingness to use the Russian craft was made clear by No 10 staff making preparations for the trip three days in advance.It is understood they said that the use of a Russian craft would not be appropriate during the current sanctions over the invasion of Ukraine.One British source said that row over the helicopter was the most difficult aspect of the planning, saying: “We were tearing our hair out. The optics would not have been good.”The helicopter ride was planned to transport the PM from Gujarati state capital Ahmedabad to a nearby JCB plant and back shortly after his arrival in the country on Thursday.The 30-seater Chinook was brought in from the IAF base at Chandigarh on Wednesday to take Mr Johnson on the 20-minute flight to the factory in Halol.It is understood that the PM – who had just completed a 10-hour journey from London – joined the pilot in the cockpit of the craft, and briefly dozed off during the flight. More

Boris Johnson failed to mention Russia or Ukraine as he appeared before the press alongside India’s prime minister Narendra Modi following talks this morning.The Ukraine war is a sore point in UK-India relations, as Delhi has maintained a neutral stance, condemning killings in the Kyiv suburb of Bucha but not the invasion itself and calling for diplomatic dialogue to end the conflict, and has continued to import military supplies from Russia.Mr Johnson vowed not to “lecture” Modi on his stance during his two-day visit, and he avoiding ruffling feathers by skating over the issue as he appeared alongside his host to face the press on Friday.In brief statements at state guest house Hyderabad House in Delhi, the pair – who took no questions from reporters and were not challenged on Mr Johnson’s travails over Partygate – announced progress in negotiations on a post-Brexit free trade agreement, with a deal to ease exports of UK medical devices to India.Mr Johnson revealed that four chapters of the deal have now been concluded, and said that when complete it would create “hundreds of thousands” of jobs by easing trade in British machinery and Indian rice and textiles.The PM said he wanted to accelerate talks, which enter their third round next week, telling negotiators to get the deal “done by Divali” on 24 October, while Mr Modi stuck to the end-of-2022 target originally set by the two sides.Mr Modi said that the pair had “emphasised an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine and the use of dialogue and diplomacy for resolving issues”.The formulation effectively separates India from the West on Ukraine by dodging the issue of Russian blame for the violence.It conflicts starkly with Mr Johnson’s position that talks with Moscow are pointless because Vladimir Putin cannot be trusted, and the situation can only be resolved by the failure of the Russian president’s military adventure.Aides later said that Ukraine took up a “significant” part of talks stretching over just over an hour, but India’s foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla said that Mr Johnson did not seek to put pressure on Modi to change his stance.And Mr Johnson chose not to pick a fight in public on the issue during his seven-minute statement, alluding only indirectly to the war as he hailed the close relationship between the UK and India, which he described with the Hindi phrase “khaas dost”, or “best friends”.Since he spoke with Modi via video link at last year’s G7 summit in Cornwall, “the threats of autocratic coercion have grown even further”, he said. “It’s therefore vital that we deepen our co-operation, including our shared interest in keeping the Indo-Pacific open and free.”In a mark of the UK’s efforts to wean Delhi off its reliance on Moscow for military supplies, the prime minister announced a “new and expanded” Defence and Security Partnership, including an Open General Export Licence for India, which will cut red tape and speed delivery of arms exports over the next decade.The licences have only previously been issued to Britain’s closest allies in the US and EU.The  UK will also promise to work with India to boost security across the five domains – land, sea, air, space and cyber.This will involve an offer of British know-how to support new Indian-designed and built fighter jets.And Britain will support India’s requirements for new technology to identify and respond to threats in the Indian Ocean.The pair also announced an agreement for Britain to support the development of hydrogen technology in India, as part of a push to find alternatives to Russian oil and gas to meet its energy needs. More

Boris Johnson’s Partygate scandal is going to be the most closely scrutinised event since World War II, a government minister has claimed.The prime minister is struggling with growing unease among Tory MPs as he now faces a Commons investigation into whether he lied to parliament over the No 10 parties.Tory MP Conor Burns shared Mr Johnson’s “frustration” with the new probe, saying: “This is going to be the most looked at event, possibly, since the Second World War.”The Northern Ireland minister told Sky News: “He has nothing to fear. He’s looking forward to this ending, he’s looking forward to drawing this to a conclusion, for it to be examined fully so we can move on.”Mr Burns – the minister who said Mr Johnson had been “ambushed by cake” at his birthday bash – said there was “no question of the prime minister going”.The loyal ally said Mr Johnson remained confident that he would be cleared – saying he believed that the PM statements on parties had been “faithful, genuine and true”.The minister added: “He remains confident that when people can see the full context of what happened it will be clear that he was straightforward … He said to the House in good faith that he believed the rules were followed.”The privileges committee investigation into Mr Johnson’s remarks is likely to trigger the release of demining photos of rule-breaking gatherings. If the inquiry finds MPs were “knowingly” misled, he will be expected to resign for breaching the ministerial code.Mr Johnson shared his frustration with ongoing questions over Partygate. “What I don’t want is for this thing to just go on and on and on,” he told Channel 4 News while in India.Senior Tory MP Mark Harper – who has sent a letter of no-confidence letter to the Tory backbenchers’ 1922 Committee – said he expected 54 letters needed to trigger a vote to be submitted before parliament’s summer recess in July.“I think my colleagues will have enough evidence to make a decision,” the ex-chief whip told The Telegraph. We can resolve this matter then, and later we can give the country the fresh leadership it deserves.”Mr Harper also said he was “very confident that we’re going to see photographs” from Downing Street parties.Fellow Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who has called on Mr Johnson to quit, said a growing number of backbenchers were “troubled” by his leadership. “It’s now when, not if, a vote of confidence takes place,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.The defence committee chair also told Sky News: “We must stop drinking that Kool-Aid that’s encouraging us to think this is all going to disappear … More and more MPs believe it’s time the leadership baton is passed on.”Meanwhile, Mr Burns has said the government will “take remedial action” to scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol “if there isn’t movement” from EU.The minister refused to be drawn on a report by the Financial Times that the government is now preparing legislation giving them sweeping powers to tear up the protocol.However, Mr Burns said it is clear that the protocol is not working in the way that “was intended” and the government already has powers under Article 16 of the protocol allowing it to suspend elements of it.Asked why the government signed the protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, Mr Burns said: “We signed it because of some of the guarantees that were in it.” More

Boris Johnson is likely to face a no-confidence vote within three months over the Partygate scandal, according to a senior Conservative MP opposed to his leadership.Mark Harper – who has sent a letter of no-confidence letter to the Tory backbenchers’ 1922 Committee – said he expected 54 letters needed to trigger a vote to be submitted before parliament’s summer recess in July.“I think my colleagues will have enough evidence to make a decision,” the ex-chief whip told The Telegraph podcast. “We can resolve this matter then, and later we can give the country the fresh leadership it deserves.”Asked if the Tory vote on Mr Johnson’s leadership would happen “before the summer break”, Mr Harper said: “Yes.”Mr Harper also said he was “very confident that we’re going to see photographs” from Downing Street parties – which some expect will trigger a flurry of letters to the 1922 Committee chair.Fellow Tory MP Tobias Ellwood, who has called on Mr Johnson to quit, said a growing number of backbenchers were “troubled” by his leadership. “It’s now when, not if, a vote of confidence takes place,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.The defence committee chair also told Sky News: “We must stop drinking that Kool-Aid that’s encouraging us to think this is all going to disappear … More and more MPs believe it’s time the leadership baton is passed on.”Mr Johnson faces the humiliation of a Commons inquiry into whether he lied to parliament over the No 10 parties, after a revolt by Tory MPs forced him to abandon an attempt to kick it into the long grass.The privileges committee investigation is likely to trigger the release of demining photos of rule-breaking gatherings. If the inquiry finds MPs were “knowingly” misled, Mr Johnson will be expected to resign for breaching the ministerial code.Despite the growing pressure, Johnson loyalist Conor Burns – the minister who said he had been “ambushed by cake” – said on Friday: “There’s no question of the prime minister going.”The Northern Ireland minister told Sky News: “He has nothing to fear. He’s looking forward to this ending, he’s looking forward to drawing this to a conclusion, for it to be examined fully so we can move on.”Mr Burns also claimed Partygate was “going to be the most looked at event, possibly, since the Second World War”.Mr Johnson shared his frustration with ongoing questions over Partygate. “What I don’t want is for this thing to just go on and on and on,” he told Channel 4 News while in India. “I think there’s got to be a way of drawing a line under it.” Former minister Steve Baker became the latest minister to call on Mr Johnson to resign – telling the Commons on Thursday that “the gig’s up”.Mr Baker’s call to resign was “very significant”, said Lord Barwell, former chief of staff to Theresa May. The Tory peer told LBC: “If I was still working in No 10, I would be pretty worried about that intervention.”William Wragg – who has demanded a confidence vote – also urged his fellow Tory MPs to act on Mr Johnson’s leadership of the party. “We must stop delegating and delaying our political judgement,” he pleaded.Mr Harper said: “Colleagues have got to decide they want to go into the election, with Boris Johnson leading the Conservative Party. If they do, they can just sit on their hands.”Though 54 Tory MPs must submit letters of no confidence to trigger a leadership vote, a majority of the party’s MPs – around 180 – must vote against Mr Johnson to remove him from office.Mr Burns hit out at Tory MPs calling for Mr Johnson’s resignation, saying they “never really supported” him.The minister told the Today programme: “If the prime minister stepped off Westminster Bridge and walked on top of the water they would say he couldn’t swim – that is a fact.” More