UK Politics

Boris Johnson has come down against onshore wind farms in the cabinet row which has delayed the publication of his energy security strategy.His comments dismayed environmentalists who believe that the development of onshore wind power is a vital part of the UK’s move towards net zero carbon emissions by the 2050 target.Environment think tank Green Alliance said it was “absolutely bizarre” to seemingly exclude one of the UK’s cheapest energy sources from the nation’s future power mix.The prime minister had been reported to be leaning towards business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng’s drive for the relaxation of planning rules to allow more onshore turbines, in the face of opposition from ministers including Jacob Rees-Mogg.But giving evidence to a parliamentary committee today, he singled out offshore wind farms as a priority for the UK’s future energy supplies. And he underlined the fact that he was drawing a distinction with developments on land by repeating the word “offshore”.It is now almost a month since Mr Johnson promised an energy security strategy “in the coming days” in order to help wean the UK off reliance on Russian oil and gas, ease cost of living pressures and step up the drive for net zero. It is regarded as crucial to break the deadlock over onshore wind in time to allow the document to be released next week, ahead of the purdah in the run-up to May’s local elections.Setting out his plans for the long-delayed strategy, Mr Johnson told the Commons Liaison Committee: “In the UK we have failed for a generation to put in enough long-term supply and it’s been one of those colossal mistakes.“Renewables are fantastic and offshore wind – and I stress offshore wind – I think has massive potential. But so does nuclear.”Green Alliance senior political adviser Joe Tetlow said the government should show “leadership” over onshore wind rather than ruling it out for fear of a “not in my back yard” response from communities close to the sites of proposed facilities.“It’s 2022, not 2012,” Mr Tetlow told The Independent. “People support onshore wind.“They recognise we need it for energy independence, for national security, and to bring down bills. Of course we need community support, but we also need political leadership.”And Danny Gross, energy campaigner at Friends of the Earth, said Mr Johnson “cannot afford” to ignore onshore wind if he is serious about dealing with the energy crisis.“On average it takes six years to develop an onshore wind farm, compared with 28 years for new oil and gas fields,” Mr Gross said. “Johnson’s energy review must focus on unlocking the nation’s huge renewable potential, and this must include ending the unfair planning rules that hamper onshore wind.”Mr Johnson said he wanted to accelerate a new generation of nuclear power in the UK, telling MPs that new-style small nuclear reactors (SMRs) being developed by Rolls Royce could be on-stream by the end of the 2020s.But he said that fossil fuels would remain part of the country’s energy mix, both as part of the transition to renewable sources and as an element in the production of hydrogen energy. He insisted that the ambition to put the UK on the path to net zero “has not been adulterated or lost at all”. But despite the UK’s decarbonisation promises at the Cop26 summit last year, he said it would be “very useful” to continue oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.Mr Johnson told MPs he could not claim that new nuclear reactors would be producing electricity “in the next couple of years”.But he added: “We’ve got to be looking at big-ticket nuclear solutions – Sizewell and other projects – but we’re also going to be looking at small modular reactors. “The Qataris are just one of the countries that wants to work with us on SMRs. There’s a huge list of potential partners for Rolls Royce… If we don’t start now, we won’t be fixing the problem.”Mr Johnson’s remarks came after 14 green groups called on the government earlier this week to “unblock” onshore wind in England.Green groups have repeatedly pointed out that wind is popular, clean and cheap. A YouGov poll last year found that 70 per cent of respondents supported the installation of more onshore wind turbines in the UK. A more recent report by the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy found that 80 percent of people supported onshore wind.In 2020, the government estimated that onshore wind would cost around £46 per megawatt-hour by 2025, compared to £85 for gas. The estimates suggest it will be the second cheapest energy source after large solar in 2025, according to analysis by Carbon Brief. More

Labour is calling for the UK to agree a security pact with the EU following the wake-up call of the Ukraine invasion, as part of its drive to “make Brexit work”.Boris Johnson must end his “petty diplomatic spats with our neighbours” and rebuild relationships, the party says – arguing last year’s Integrated Review of Foreign Policy is out of date.That review rejected formal cooperation with Brussels, arguing the Indo-Pacific region and, in particular, China will be more important in the post-Brexit ‘Global Britain’ era.Mr Johnson had rejected the EU’s push for a defence and security pact in the Christmas 2020 Brexit deal, despite Theresa May’s attempt to make it a priority.Now David Lammy, Labour’s shadow foreign secretary, will argue it is time for an urgent rethink, “as war ravages parts of our continent”.“The government has pursued an Indo-pacific tilt, but it must not do so at the cost of our commitments to European security,” he will say, on a visit to the US.“We need to put past Brexit divisions behind us, stop seeking rows with European partners, and use this moment to explore all possibilities to renew relations with European allies through a new UK-EU security pact.”Delivering a speech to the Institute for Global Leadership in Boston, Mr Lammy is expected to say: “Britain has left the EU. The task now is to make Brexit work.”Labour is arguing for the rebirth of the ‘E3 format’ between France, Germany and the UK – which emerged in nuclear negotiations with Iran – warning it has not met since late 2020.The Integrated Review, published in April 2021, contained “practically no detail” on how the UK will cooperate with its European allies, the party says.The stance echoes the call from the Conservative European Forum for a defence pact, to allow the UK to quickly “deploy forces around Europe”, it said.In Boston, Mr Lammy will set out four principles in response to the “age of authoritarians”, which are:* Ending government defence “cuts” – with the Army set to shrink by 9,500 soldiers to 72,500 by 2025.* Ending Britain’s dependence on dirty fossil fuels from authoritarian states – by matching Labour’s £28bn-a year green investment plans.* Stopping the UK facilitating “dirty finance from corrupt elites from across the world”.* Restoring the UK’s ‘soft power’ – by reversing overseas aid cuts, as well as supporting the BBC World Service and the British Council.Mr Lammy will say the UK “must adjust our mindset” because it was wrong to believe that “the era of wars between states was over.“We reshaped our security, defence, intelligence and diplomacy to tackle different threats – allowing core capabilities to dwindle,” he will say.“Just months before Russia’s invasion, Boris Johnson said that the era of tank battles on European soil was over. Now we see tanks rolling across frontiers in Europe.” More

A Tory MP has demanded easier access to the UK for rich Qataris as the “right” type of immigrant – and a crackdown on refugees arriving in “rubber boats”.Bill Wiggin demanded an explanation for the hold-up in removing the need for visas for super-rich visitors from the Middle East country, long condemned for its human right record.“The only people who are turning up, turn up in rubber boats,” he told Boris Johnson, asking: “Why can’t we get the right people through our immigration system’ instead of the wrong ones?”The comments came during a Commons committee meeting, in which the former shadow minister appeared frustrated at the focus on help for refugees from Ukraine.He urged the prime minister to look at the other “end of the spectrum,” telling him: “We have, on at least three occasions, promised the Qataris visa-free access.“These are very wealthy people who are unlikely to stay. And yet, despite saying we do it three times, we still haven’t delivered.”Mr Wiggin – who recently declared a Qatar-funded £2,740 trip to the country, in the Commons register – then added: “We want Qataris. We don’t want people in rubber boats.”In response, Mr Johnson said the current Borders Bill – which will criminalise refugees crossing the Channel – would help stop what he called “the cruel trading of people”.He also revealed he had spoken recently with the Emir of Qatar about removing the need for visas, saying: “We are likely to see progress very soon.”The comments came as the prime minister admitted the under-fire Homes for Ukraine scheme could be “abused” by traffickers or sex offenders.He again claimed he did not know how many refugees have arrived in the UK through the sponsorship route, despite being asked the same question three hours earlier.Mr Johnson was then alerted to fears that it “risked operating as Tinder for sex traffickers”, without monitoring of attempts to match up refuges with host families online.Asked whether the National Crime Agency should investigate adverts on social media, he told the Commons liaison committee: “Certainly.”The prime minister added: “The Homes for Ukrainians scheme has got to be something we’re very generous [with], we open our arms.“But we also make sure that that scheme is not itself being abused – and not by the Ukrainians, but by people who maybe have bad motives.”Mr Johnson defended the issuing of just 2,700 visas under the sponsorship scheme – from just under 60,000 applications – with an unknown number of arrivals.“The numbers are going up quite steeply. I think they’ll continue to rise for a while to come. I think it’s going to be a great thing,” he said. More

Transport secretary Grant Shapps has urged a government regulator to disqualify P&O Ferries chief executive Peter Hebblethwaite on the basis he is “unfit to lead a British company”.The cabinet minister said he had written to the Insolvency Service “conveying my firm belief” that Mr Hebblethwaite should longer be in charge of the under-fire ferry operator.“I have asked them to consider his disqualification,” said Mr Shapps told the Commons on Wednesday as he set out his nine-point plan to crack down on “sharp” practices after P&O sacked 800 workers without warning.Mr Shapps said he had asked British ports to immediately refuse access to ferry services paying below the existing minimum wage – saying the government would consult on legislative changes to make it a legal requirement.“I want to see British ports refusing access to ferry companies who don’t pay a fair wage, as soon as practical,” Mr Shapps told parliament.P&O’s decision to layoff hundreds of workers and replace them with cheaper agency staff, paid at rates below the minimum wage, has provoked widespread anger among MPs and trade unions.Mr Shapps announced several measure in response to the P&O decision – including efforts to seek international “minimum wage corridors” with allies such as France, and extra resources for the HMRC to enforce the minimum wage.He said the government would bring in a new “statutory code of practice” to discourage firms from “hire and refire” tactics and boost compensation – but stopped short of the complete ban called for by Labour.The transport secretary also vowed to “take action” on the loophole which saw P&O Ferries fail to give notice to ministers on mass redundancies because of an exemption on ships registered overseas.Mr Shapps said the government would reform tonnage tax so more maritime businesses would have red tape removed and be “set up in the UK” – thus bringing bring more ships under UK control. More

Boris Johnson has told MPs that Britain is looking at “going up a gear” in its military assistance to Ukraine, potentially supplying armoured vehicles to help relieve the besieged city of Mariupol.And the prime minister said that in the long term, the UK and its Western allies need to undertake a “total rethink” of the way that Ukraine and other former Soviet states are protected from Russian aggression, ensuring that they are so fortified with Nato weapons that Moscow would not dare invade.Mr Johnson indicated that Ukraine cannot expect to receive full Nato membership, with the guarantee of military protection offered by Article 5 of the alliance’s treaty. But he suggested that Nato weaponry could ensure – like the quills on a porcupine – that the country is “indigestible” to any invading army.Speaking to the House of Commons Liaison Committee, Mr Johnson again cautioned allies against easing sanctions against Vladimir Putin’s regime in response to a Russian ceasefire, insisting that a full withdrawal of troops is required before any relaxation of measures can be contemplated.And he appeared to agree with Tory MP Tom Tugendhat that this should include withdrawal from the Crimea and Donbas regions occupied since 2014, telling him it meant sanctions should not be stepped down “until every single one of his troops is out of Ukraine”.Asked what immediate help the UK can offer to Ukraine now, Mr Johnson said: “We are certainly looking at going up a gear now in our support for the Ukrainians as they defend themselves. “In Mariupol, the issue is that Ukrainian defenders are now pretty much encircled and there’s a humanitarian catastrophe. The question is, can we help the Ukrainians relieve Mariupol, if that were possible? Would armour, would APCs (armoured personnel carriers) be useful for them (or) armoured Land Rovers? We are certainly looking at that.”Mr Johnson said he was also ready to consider supplying armoured ambulances, though they had not yet been requested by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.Over the longer term, Mr Johnson said it was necessary to “have a total rethink about the support that we offer countries such as Georgia and Ukraine”.He said: “What we are evolving towards is, I think, a new way of looking at Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union.“Because of the sheer quantity of Nato-compatible materiel and the weapons that we are now supplying, we’re changing the dynamic and we’re changing the security architecture of the situation, bit by bit.“There’s going to come a point where I think we should recognise that this has happened and that we, I hope, will be in a position with willing partners to offer not an Article 5 security guarantee to Ukraine, but a different kind of future, a differen kinds of commitment, based on the idea of deterrence by denial.“So that Ukraine is so fortified and so protected – the quills of the porcupine have become so stiff – that it is ever after indigestible to Putin. That is that is the path that we are now and I think that’s a very productive way of thinking about something that has been a problem we have been unable to solve, which is the homelessness of Ukraine and other countries in Europe’s security architecture.” More

Boris Johnson has been told he’s “toast” as prime minister as he repeatedly dodged questions over No 10 lockdown parties during Covid restrictions.Under a grilling from MPs, Mr Johnson said he was unable to provide a “running commentary” when quizzed on the episode that led to calls for his resignation.On Tuesday, the Metropolitan Police revealed it would issue an initial batch of 20 fixed penalty notices as part of its investigation into 12 events held in Downing Street during severe Covid restrictions.Police have not confirmed the size of the fines, which ranged between £100 and £10,000 in the period covered, depending the law in place at the time, the size of the gathering and the person’s role.Despite dodging questions, the prime minister indicated he was not, so far, among the the individuals who have been issued with a fixed-penalty notice over breaches of the Covid laws.Asked whether he had received a fixed penalty notice, the prime minister told MPs: “I’m sure you’d know if I were, but I think… I’ve been several times to the House to talk about this, explain, and apologise.“But what I also said repeatedly is I won’t give a running commentary on an investigation that is underway — it would be wrong of me to deviate from that”.The SNP MP Pete Wishart replied: “Prime minister we’re not expecting you to give a running commentary, quite obviously, but if you have… you’re pretty much toast aren’t you?”Mr Wishart also asked the prime minister accept that “there has been criminality committed”, given Scotland Yard’s decision to issue 20 fixed-penalty notices.Earlier Dominic Raab, the deputy prime minister, accepted the issuing of fines meant the law had been breached – a view Downing Street refused to endorse on Wednesday.But Mr Johnson told Mr Wishart: “I have been, I hope, very frank with the House about where I think we have gone wrong and the things that I regret, that I apologise for.“But there is an ongoing investigation… I am going to camp pretty firmly on my position. I won’t give a running commentary on an ongoing investigation.”Asked by a second MP how he would respond to a petition signed by more than 130,000 who wanted to make lying in the Commons a criminal offence, Mr Johnson went on: “I’ve tried to be as clear as I can about my understanding of events.“I’ve been back repeatedly to… before the Commons to explain, to apologise for the things that I think we’ve got wrong, and I’ve no doubt that I will be back again.” More

A fresh delay to post-Brexit checks on EU imports will open the door to African Swine Fever and “wreak havoc” on disease prevention, vets are warning.The threatened deferral of promised controls – revealed by The Independent – has been attacked for weakening the “first line of defence of biosecurity” at the UK’s borders.“It will be the fourth delay and open the door even further to the potential incursion of African Swine Fever, which is spreading rapidly,” the British Veterinary Association warned.James Russell, the BVA’s senior vice president, said it’s work had become even more vital since Brexit shut the UK out of the EU’s biosecurity and assurance systems.“It would be deeply misguided to push back the need for these vital checks even further and in so doing weaken this layer of protection for both animal and public health,” he told ministers.The comments come after No 10 revealed it is exploring a further delay to the checks – promised for July – on consignments from the EU of products of animal and plant origin.The rethink is being considered because of growing alarm that they will add to the growing cost of living crisis, by imposing an estimated £1bn to the costs of cross-Channel trade.Fears have also been raised that EU suppliers will choose to shun the UK as the mountain of Brexit red tape grows, leading to some foods disappearing from shop and further price hikes.Now the BVA has raised the alarm over disease outbreaks, including African Swine Fever which affects all pigs and which is common in many EU countries. It does not affect humans, but is spread by them.Mr Russell called the disease “devastating”, adding: “If this extension is allowed to go ahead it will be the fourth delay.“Official veterinarians working at the border act as the country’s first line of defence of biosecurity, and we feel it would be deeply misguided to push back the need for these vital checks.”He said his profession also needed “certainty”, warning: “Given the ongoing capacity challenges in the workforce it’s really important that we can prepare and allocate resource where it’s most needed.”The government is also risking a legal challenge under World Trade Organisation rules, if it continues to treat EU imports more preferably than those from the rest of the world. More