UK Politics

A minister has been accused of “begging” for a US trade deal, after a speech in which she urged Washington to wake up to Brexit and “make a choice”.Penny Mordaunt raised eyebrows by telling an event in Atlanta that she wanted to “awaken you to an opportunity”, calling for a “response that recognises this moment”.Joe Biden has slammed the brakes on trade talks, embarrassing Brexit supporters who argued an agreement would be easy and the biggest win from leaving the European Union.But speaking in the state capital of Georgia, Ms Mordaunt hailed the two countries’ “shared cultural DNA”, pointing to “wealth creation, open trading systems, protection of property rights”.“The most critical partner for us is the US. For the US to wait to seize this opportunity would be to all our detriment, but also to its own,” the trade minister said. “You need to increase opportunities for business and attract investment. Want the prospect of a best-in-class deal on agriculture? Think you will get that from the EU?”Arguing Brexit has allowed the UK to “plug ourselves back into the global economy”, Ms Mordaunt told the World Affairs Council: “That is our choice. Now America has a choice to make. How will you respond?”The head of the Best for Britain group, which campaigns for a better Brexit deal called the speech “embarrassing”, when firms were struggling to cope with the “failed deal with the EU”.“It’s embarrassing for the government who said the US would be clamouring for a deal to now be begging for one,” Naomi Smith said. “And, given their track record of ditching standards to get other trade deals over the line, this level of desperation should ring alarm bells for anyone who cares about the health service, farming and food standards in the UK.”Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow trade secretary, said: “The 2019 Conservative Party manifesto promised a UK-US trade deal within three years.“As the clock ticks down to this deadline, it is a sorry indication of the lack of progress that a government trade minister is having to go to the United States to remind American politicians of an ‘opportunity’ to reach an agreement.”Tony Spisak, head of policy at the Tony Blair Institute, called it: “A solid candidate for the most embarrassing speech delivered by a government minister in 2021.”The Atlanta speech came after the US blocked a deal to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminium, because of anger over threats to the Northern Ireland Protocol.Anne-Marie Trevelyan, the trade secretary, also speaking in the US, admitted that Brussels, which did get tariffs lifted, enjoyed – as the larger trading partner – greater muscle in Washington. More

The Home Office has been accused by a Tory MP of “trying to railroad through” an “unacceptable and unworkable” plan to hold asylum seekers on another military site in Kent.The department announced on Tuesday that a former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Manston, Kent, would be used as a processing site for people who have crossed the Channel in small boats by January 2022.Sir Roger Gale, MP for North Thanet, where the facility is located, told the House of Commons on Wednesday that there had been “no consultation” with him as MP, the local authority or local health services about the plan.“All we were told by the civil servant leading the project, who was I understand working from home and has not visited the site, is that the Home Office is establishing a processing centre before Christmas,” he said.Accusing ministers of a “lack of foresight and preparation”, he added: “Trying to railroad a bad idea through the shelter of Christmas recess can only have unfortunate and undesirable consequences for the communities, and the people affected and the government.”The Home Office has not yet indicated how many asylum seekers will be held at the site, but it has said that it “anticipates” men, women and children will be held there for “a maximum of five days”.Critics have questioned why ministers are going ahead with the plans when the use of Napier Barracks, another military site in Folkestone, as asylum accommodation, has been fiercely criticised by the immigration watchdog, the prison watchdog and others.Sir Roger said the Manston site would be “largely unsuitable” to hold asylum seekers, adding: “They will be accommodation in mid-Winter in marquees, and detained securely while being processed.“There’s no indication of how the site will accommodate these human beings, will be made secure, or what facilities will be made available, other than statutory on-site medical services. These are real people who have been subjected to great misery.”He called on ministers to “put this unacceptable and unworkable proposal on hold” and instead examine the viable alternatives, suggesting that “clean, comfortable and secure operational vessels” could be used.Responding, immigration minister Tom Pursglove claimed that consultation with the council and Sir Roger was “ongoing” and said the move had “directly come about because of those very high number of crossings that we’ve seen”.Announcing the plan on Tuesday evening, he said: “This new site will provide safe and secure accommodation for illegal migrants whilst the government carries out necessary checks.” More

Boris Johnson has urged people to cut back on Christmas partying and “think carefully” before going out during the festive season, as omicron cases hit record levelsSpeaking at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon the prime minister urged people to get booster jabs but suggested they might want to avoid unnecessary social gatherings.But he declined to impose any new formal restrictions, despite a record number of new cases and warnings of a spike in hospitalisations to come.“What we are saying is think carefully before you go, what kind of an event is it, are you likely to meet people who are vulnerable, are you going to meet loads of people you haven’t met before, and get a test, make sure there’s ventilation, wear a mask on transport,” Mr Johnson said.“We’re in a different environment thanks to the boosters from where we were last year but we’ve got to be cautious and think about it while we wait for the benefits of the boosters to really kick in.”Speaking alongside the prime minister, Chris Whitty, the government’s chief medical officer, warned that “lots of people” were going to get sick.He said people would have to make their own decisions about what to do over the festive season, but that he would be scaling back his Christmas plans. “Realistically, I think there’s a high chance that my original Christmas plans with my family are going to be interrupted,” Professor Whitty said, adding that people should prioritise only attending gatherings that mattered to them.Responding to the same question, Mr Johnson added: “I think the way things are looking I expect a lot of us are going to be working during the period. My own plans, as you can imagine, are pretty modest at this stage.”Professor Whitty had said earlier in the press conference that records would be broken in terms of infections.It was “reasonably nailed on” to suggest that many people would be hospitalised after Christmas after contracting the virus, he said – adding that any suggestion the new omicron variant was milder should be treated with extreme caution.The prime minister’s reticence to impose new restrictions despite spiking cases comes after a bruising rebellion at the hands of his own MPs over vaccine passports.Speaking after the press conference, Dr David Nabarro, the World Health Organisation’s special envoy on Covid-19, told Sky News: “This is a very serious situation indeed. The rise that you’re seeing in the UK today is just the beginning of an extraordinary acceleration.”There are two epidemics going on delta and omicron, and it is an emergency situation for the British health service. It will get extremely serious within the next two weeks, perhaps quicker.”He added: “I have never been more concerned than I am tonight, not just about the UK but about the world.” More

As tensions with Russia simmer, European Union leaders met Wednesday with their counterparts from five former Soviet republics, including Ukraine with an eye toward deepening political, trade, energy and cultural ties.The EU’s Eastern Partnership includes Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia Moldova and Ukraine. The president of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko is boycotting the forum due to EU sanctions over reported fraud in his reelection last year a security crackdown on antigovernment protesters that followed.The Eastern Partnership was set up after Moscow sent troops into Georgia in 2008, stunning the Europeans and much of the world. It aims to improve and deepen relations among the six countries, most of which share borders with Russia and are strategically important energy hubs, as well as with the 27-nation EU.The meeting was intended to affirm the participants’ “strong commitment to our strategic, ambitious and forward-looking” partnership, based “on common fundamental values,” according to a draft of the summit statement seen by The Associated Press.The countries taking part in the meeting will also say that they “are bound by our joint determination to further strengthen democracy and the rule of law in our societies,” according to the text, which could change before the planned 6-hour meeting ends.The EU is likely to offer the Eastern countries a 2.3-billion-euro ($2.6 billion) economic and investment plan, which the bloc hopes will attract up to 17 billion euros ($19 billion) in public and private investments for the region.The meeting also will see the EU put the emphasis on “differentiation” – the acceptance that some of the six may be in a position to deepen their relations with the bloc more quickly. Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, for example, have free trade pacts that ease tariffs and other barriers to European trade.In 2014, Ukraine’s then president, Petro Poroshenko signed its trade deal, ignoring vehement opposition from Moscow, and declared that his country wanted to join the EU. His pro-Russian predecessor was forced to flee Ukraine after his rejection of the free trade deal sparking months of pro-EU demonstrations. More

The majority of UK adults support the idea of a two-week national lockdown starting in December to combat omicron, new polling shows.Some 51 per cent back the idea of lockdown over Christmas to halt the Covid variant’s rapid spread across the country, according to the latest Savanta ComRes survey.One third of adults (32 per cent) remain opposed to a new lockdown, rising to almost two in five Conservative voters (38 per cent) – although almost half of Tory backers do support the idea (48 per cent).Downing Street insisted on Wednesday that Boris Johnson has “no plans to go beyond” current plan B measures and impose tougher curbs – despite warnings from health chiefs that the NHS could soon be overwhelmed by omicron hospitalisations.But pollsters at Savanta ComRes said the prime minister would appear to have “the public on his side” if he did bring in further restrictions.Of specific restrictions polled, the closing of nightclubs (63 per cent support) and halting large crowds at sporting and entertainment events (64 per cent) have the highest levels of backing, with just one in five opposing each.A return to the “rule of six” that would place strict limits of the number of people who could gather indoors is supported by 55 per cent of the public.And restrictions such as the closing of pubs and restaurants (44 per cent support), no indoor mixing of different households (44 per cent) also have relatively high levels of support.“The omicron variant looks set to force the hand of the government and, as things stand, it seems the public are braced for another Christmas of disruptions and restrictions,” said Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta ComRes.He added: “With half appearing in support of a lockdown amid rising cases, the prime minister again appears to have the public on his side if he does decide to make last-minute changes to the festive period.”Mr Johnson will hold a press conference at 5pm today alongside chief medical officer Professor Chris Whitty, who has warned has warned a “significant increase in hospitalisations” is coming from omicron.UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) chief Jenny Harries warned on Wednesday that omicron was “probably the most significant threat we’ve had since the start of the pandemic” and the NHS could be in “serious peril” because of the new wave.Although no firm proposals for a plan C have yet been circulated to cabinet ministers, government officials are reportedly considering contingency plans for further restriction. The Savanta ComRes pollster noted that the popularity of restrictions over the holiday had dropped slightly from last year, where two-thirds supported the reduction in “Christmas bubbles” from five days to one. “Some are definitely less keen this year than they were last,” said Mr Hopkins.Almost half of UK adults (48 per cent) told the pollster they are likely to cancel planned Christmas gatherings or other social occasions in the next two weeks because of omicron. Only two in five say that they are not likely to do this (42 per cent). More

Behind a heavy oak door in Parliament, Prime Minister Boris Johnson implored Conservative lawmakers to back him by voting for new restrictions to help slow the fast-spreading omicron variant.The lawmakers cheered Johnson — yet almost 100 defied him, voting in the House of Commons against requiring vaccine passports for nightclubs and other crowded venues. The rebellion didn’t defeat the measure, which was approved with opposition support and took effect Wednesday. But it could have big implications for Johnson’s political future and for Britain’s pandemic response.“It was a very clear message that colleagues are not happy with how the government is operating at the moment,” Mark Harper, one of the rebels, told Times Radio “The team captain should be able to depend on the loyalty of the team, but it’s a two-way street.”Tuesday’s rebellion by 98 Conservative lawmakers on vaccine certificates was by far the biggest of Johnson’s premiership, and an echo of the serial revolts that ousted his predecessor, Theresa May. More than 60 Tory legislators also voted against mandating vaccinations for all health care workers.Johnson’s government argues that the restrictions are needed to confront the “grave threat” from the highly transmissible omicron variant, which is spreading so quickly it could overwhelm Britain’s hospitals even if it is less severe than previous strains.Some on the party’s right wing don’t believe the dire warnings, and don’t like the “nanny state” measures the pandemic has brought. In Tuesday’s vote, they were joined by others wanting to send a warning to a prime minister whose approval ratings have plummeted amid policy U-turns and ethics scandals.Any further coronavirus restrictions look certain to face strong resistance from Conservatives, leaving Johnson reliant on the opposition to get them approved.“The prime minister is so weak that without Labour votes last night, vital public health measures wouldn’t have got through,” Labour Party leader Keir Starmer said Wednesday during Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons. “His MPs are wrong to vote against basic health measures, but they are not wrong to distrust him,” Starmer added.The Conservatives chose Johnson as their leader in 2019 because the blustering, Latin-spouting former London mayor was anything but a typical politician. He’d been fired from a party job for lying, used racist and offensive language in columns and quips — but he was upbeat, entertaining and a hit with voters.Johnson promised to “get Brexit done” after three years of gridlock over Britain’s departure from the European Union. He won a big victory in the December 2019 election by winning over voters in England’s “red wall,” a belt of former industrial towns that had long been Labour strongholds.The pandemic knocked Johnson off course. His initial reluctance to impose a nationwide lockdown in early 2020 helped give the U.K. the highest coronavirus death toll in Europe apart from Russia, with more than 146,000 deaths. A successful vaccination program helped Johnson recover some of his authority, but a slew of damaging allegations has tarnished him.First there was an expensive refurbishment of the prime minister’s official Downing Street apartment, funded by a Conservative donor. Johnson was cleared of wrongdoing over the “cash for curtains” affair, but the party was fined by Britain’s political regulator.Then the government faced charges of cronyism when it tried to block the suspension of Owen Paterson a Conservative lawmaker found to have broken lobbying rules.Most damaging are allegations that staff in Johnson’s office flouted coronavirus rules with lockdown-breaching Christmas parties last year, when others were banned from gathering. Johnson has ordered an inquiry, but insists he personally broke no rules.It all adds up to a dangerous moment for Johnson. Starmer is working to restore Labour’s fortunes after the party suffered four consecutive election defeats, and it has recently opened up a lead in opinion polls. Danny Finkelstein, a Conservative member of the House of Lords, said Conservative lawmakers’ “large-scale open rebellion against government policy on the most important question of the day” amounted to a vote of no-confidence in the government.“How long can such a position endure?” he asked in the Times of London.A special election on Thursday for the North Shropshire parliamentary seat, formerly held by lobbying-scandal lawmaker Paterson, could add to Conservative jitters. Polls suggest the opposition Liberal Democrats have a chance of winning what has long been a staunchly Conservative district.Britain is not scheduled to hold a national election until 2024, so Johnson may have time to recover. His popularity could rise if the omicron wave washing over the U.K. is not as bad as many fear, and Johnson meets his goal of offering all adults a booster vaccine by New Year’s Eve.But the Conservatives have a long history of dumping leaders they consider liabilities. Several ministers — notably Treasury chief Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss — are already being discussed as possible replacements.Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government think-tank, said Johnson “looks much weakened, but it’s not clear to me if he is fatally weakened.” “He still has some quite biggish advantages, particularly if you’re a red wall Conservative looking at who can get people to turn out for the Conservatives again,” she said. “Is Liz Truss, is Rishi Sunak, really going to bring them flocking to the ballot boxes in the way that Johnson’s star quality does? That’s not so clear.” More