UK Politics

Two in three voters believe Boris Johnson’s government is failing in its aim to “take back control” of Britain’s borders after Brexit, a new poll shows.The prime minister claimed the government had fulfilled the Leave campaign slogan and “taken back control” of the UK’s borders after he forged an exit deal with the EU at the end of 2020.But amid the ongoing surge in small boats crossings in the Channel, only 27 per cent of voters say the government have done “well” to take control of the borders, according to a Savanta ComRes survey.Some 64 per cent of adults told the pollster the government had done “badly” on the issue, with similar proportions of Conservative voters (63 per cent) and Leave voters (65 per cent) saying the same.Just one in five voters say home secretary Priti Patel has handled the Channel crossings issue well (21 per cent). And only 24 per cent of voters thought Mr Johnson had responded well to the crisis.However, some of the prime minister’s proposals to tackled the small boat crossings – outlined in his controversial letter to French president Emmanuel Macron – are popular with a majority of voters.Six in ten UK adults overall (58 per cent), and seven in ten Conservative voters (69 per cent) say that joint patrols of French beaches would be an “effective” way to stop migrants attempting the crossing in small boats.But another of Downing Street’s requests from France – a bilateral agreement to return migrants to France – is viewed as the most ineffective method to deal with the issue (36 per cent say it would ineffective) amongst voters.Paris has rejected the idea of a bilateral deal on returns, insisting that any agreement would have to be forged between the UK and the EU as a bloc. The French have also thus far dismissed the idea of joint patrols as a matter of “sovereignty”.Chris Hopkins, political research director at Savanta ComRes, said it was “fair to wonder” if the borders issue could develop into an electoral problem for the Tory party.“With the government seen to be performing badly on something as dyed in the wool as ‘taking back control’, things must be pretty dire,” said the pollster.Mr Hopkins added that the Channel crisis creates political difficulties “particularly among voters who, in voting for Brexit and trusting Boris Johnson to get Brexit done, would have expected the UK to unilaterally be able to prevent such a crisis”.The findings come as a separate Ipsos Mori survey found a majority of MPs think Brexit will have a bigger long-term impact on the economy than Covid.Some 60 per cent of MPs said effect of the UK’s exit from the EU will have more effect that coronavirus over the next five years, according to the survey carried out for UK in a Changing Europe.The poll for the think tank’s What Do MPs Think? report found 87 per cent of Labour MPs think Brexit will have the greater long-term consequences on the economy. Some 38 per cent of Tory MPs agree, and only 28 per cent said Covid would have more of an impact More

No 10 has warned the White House not to shelve a deal to remove tariffs on UK steel and aluminium because of anger over threats to the Northern Ireland Protocol.It is wrong to “conflate” the two issues, Boris Johnson’s spokesman said – after a US official said tariff talks were on hold because of British threats to suspend Article 16 of the Brexit deal.A former British ambassador to Washington warned the row showed UK trade will be held back until the government stops “threatening to walk away from an international agreement they negotiated”.The “troubled” relationship with the US confirmed long-held suspicions that the US will take actions necessary to “protect a peace they helped broker”, said Kim Darroch, now chair of the Best for Britain campaign group. Labour, meanwhile, said it was unacceptable for vital jobs and businesses to become “a pawn in anyone’s political games”.A communication sent by a US commerce official, seen by the Financial Times, says talks on easing the Donald Trump-era tariffs cannot go ahead because of fears about the protocol.The UK insists that triggering Article 16 is still “on the table”, after it rejected an EU compromise offer to cut checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea from Britain.In response, the prime minister’s spokesman said: “It is important not to conflate those two issues. They are two separate points.”In the Commons, trade minister Penny Mordaunt underlined the stance, telling MPs: “These are two entirely separate issues. We don’t do ourselves any favours if we perpetuate these false narratives.”The 25 per cent tariff on steel and 10 per cent tariff on aluminium were imposed by the Trump administration in a dispute with the EU.To ministers’ embarrassment, while Brussels and Washington reached an agreement in October to suspend the tariffs, British exporters are still forced to pay the levies.In retaliation, UK duties on US bourbon whiskey and other products also remain in place.Joe Biden, who has Irish heritage, has made clear his determination to protect the Good Friday Agreement – the purpose of the protocol, in avoiding a hard land border – in the Brexit fallout.Mr Johnson’s spokesman added: “On the steel tariffs, we are working quite closely with the Biden administration.“It is encouraging that they are taking steps to de-escalate the issue and we are very focused on a agreeing a resolution that removes damaging tariffs, which will benefit businesses on both sides of the Atlantic.“On the protocol, the US shares our deep commitment to the Belfast agreement and the peace process.”Nick Thomas-Symonds, Labour’s shadow trade secretary,  said: “It’s been more than a month since the US agreed to lift punitive tariffs on steel and aluminium exports from the EU, but left the same tariffs in place for the UK.“The UK steel and aluminium industries should not be a pawn in anyone’s political games, when there are jobs and businesses at stake in communities across our country.” More

Families who lost loved ones during the pandemic say they are “sickened” by reports that Downing Street staff breached lockdown regulations by holding Christmas parties in No 10.It comes as the ex-head of the government’s legal service hinted the law may have been broken when Downing Street staff drank together late into the night, in defiance of Covid lockdown rules.Jonathan Jones, who was the government’s top lawyer until November last year, said he had cancelled his own leaving party around the same time to stay within the law.“About a year ago I was due to have a party to mark my departure from the civil service. This did not happen for – well – legal reasons,” he said in a post on social media. Sir Jonathan departed his role on 9 November – around the same time as the alleged Downing Street parties are said to have taken place.Events breaching household bubble rules reportedly took place on 18 December and 27 November, to celebrate Christmas and the departure of a special adviser respectively. In addition to these events, The Guardian newspaper also reported a source claiming there were “loads of leaving parties” during both the second and third lockdowns.The December event went ahead two days after the government moved London into Tier 3 restrictions, banning all indoor mixing apart from household bubbles.Attendees are said to have played party games, drank and eaten until after midnight.Covid Bereaved families spokesperson Safiah Ngah told the BBC: “My dad died in February from Covid-19, despite being in good health. The last Christmas period is sadly one I will never forget.“One in 20 people in my borough had Covid-19 and my family were desperately trying to do what we could to keep each other safe. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough.“To think that just a few miles away, No 10 was throwing a Christmas party, with no care for the rules they had set, is sickening.”A No 10 spokesperson refused to deny parties had taken place and said only that rules had been followed.“Covid rules have been followed at all times,” they said. More

Ministers have been accused of a “shocking” lack of support for unpaid carers after new analysis found that a £25m pot of money announced this week amounts to just 87p a year for each person with caring responsibilities.The social care white paper published by health secretary Sajid Javid on Wednesday said the cash would “kick-start a change” in the services provided to support unpaid carers in England, such as respite breaks and peer group and well-being support.Mr Javid was responding to the State of Caring report by charity Carers UK, which found that one in four unpaid carers do not have enough money to cover monthly expenses and more than half feel anxious and stressed about their finances, with average outgoings of £1,370 a year on services or equipment for the person they care for.Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said that the sums on offer over a three-year period were an “insulting” response to the massive sacrifices made by millions of people who have cared for disabled or ill family members and other loved ones during the pandemic and are now at “breaking point” after months without respite.Sir Ed’s party calculated that the investment promised by Mr Javid equates to 87p a year for each of the estimated 9.6m unpaid carers in England.And it falls well short of the £1.5bn requested by Carers UK to enable all carers to take a break this winter.Sir Ed said: “Millions of people across the country are making huge sacrifices to look after loved ones. For the Conservative government to offer just 87p per carer is as insulting as it is short-sighted.“Carers have been repeatedly ignored and forgotten by this Conservative government, and the lack of funding in their social care white paper is the latest shocking example.“Unpaid carers have stepped up heroically during this pandemic. Most haven’t been able to take a break since it started. Most are simply exhausted and many are at breaking point, they deserve far more support.”The State of Caring survey found that an additional 4.5m people became unpaid carers overnight at the outset of the first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, meaning that one in four of all UK adults were providing care to an older, disabled or ill relative or friend at the height of the pandemic.While numbers have fallen as restrictions have been lifted, the charity says that increased support for carers must be at the heart of the country’s approach to recovery from the pandemic.Covid-19 has had a “monumental” impact not only on the amount of unpaid work done by carers to look after their loved ones, but also on their relationships, mental and physical health, their paid work and finances and their emotional wellbeing, found the report, released in October.Carers UK has estimated that the value of unpaid care provided during the Covid crisis has equated to a saving to the state of £530m for every day of the pandemic.The charity’s chief executive Helen Walker welcomed the announcement of the £25m funding.But she said: “Many unpaid carers tell us they are at breaking point, exhausted and on their knees after more than 18 months caring with little or no outside support right now.“Seventy-two per cent have not had a break at all from caring since the start of the pandemic. We are concerned that there is no substantial funding to enable carers to take the breaks they desperately need.  “We have already called on the Government to provide £1.5 billion to enable all carers to take a break this winter.” Joe Levenson, the executive director of policy at the Carers Trust, said: “Carers Trust is pleased that the government has recognised the vital role of unpaid carers, including through the £25m set out for services that support unpaid carers.“But we are seriously concerned that the proposals for investment set out in the white paper go nowhere near far enough to delivering the sort of generational change that our broken system so desperately needs.“We simply cannot afford to let down millions of unpaid carers and the people they care for by underinvesting in social care reform. That’s why to ensure we’re supporting unpaid carers effectively, the funding needs to match the ambition and vision. Otherwise we risk repeating the mistakes of the past and storing up enormous problems for the future.”The Independent has approached Mr Javid’s Department for Health and Social Care for comment. More

The British and Irish governments expressed optimism Thursday that a thorny spat between the U.K. and the European Union over Northern Ireland trade can be resolved, but Ireland s top diplomat indicated that negotiations were likely to drag on into next year. Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said the talks over post-Brexit rules for Northern Ireland, the only part of the U.K. that shares a border with an EU member, had not produced a “breakthrough moment.” But neither has there been a breakdown that seemed to loom for months.“Do I think that all issues can be resolved linked to the (Northern Ireland) protocol by the end of the year? I think that’s a very tall order and unlikely to happen,” Coveney said after a meeting of U.K. and Irish ministers in London Under a deal agreed to before Britain’s departure from the EU last year, Northern Ireland remains inside the EU’s tariff-free single market for goods. The provision was designed to maintain an open border on the island of Ireland – a key pillar of Northern Ireland’s peace process. But it created a new customs border in the Irish Sea for goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K., even though they are part of the same country. That has brought red tape and supply problems for some businesses, and has angered Northern Ireland’s British Unionists, who say the checks undermine Northern Ireland’s place in the U.K. and destabilize the delicate political balance on which peace rests. The U.K. is seeking major changes to the arrangements and has threatened to use an emergency break clause to suspend parts of the legally binding Brexit divorce agreement, if no solution is found. Using the emergency clause, known as Article 16, would trigger EU retaliation and could spiral into a trade war between the U.K. and the 27-nation bloc.“Triggering Article 16, in my view, from an EU perspective, will move us into a new space where we don’t want to go because I think that will be a signal that negotiation has failed,” Coveney said.Britain’s language toward the EU has grown less belligerent in recent weeks, with ministers saying they would prefer to strike a deal rather than act unilaterally. U.K. Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis said Thursday he was “an optimist” about the outcome of the talks, which remain snagged over Britain’s insistence that the EU remove its top court from its role in resolving any disputes over the agreement — an idea the bloc flatly rejects.“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to come to a positive resolution with the EU. Our focus has got to be about resolving the issues for the people of Northern Ireland,” Lewis told reporters.Lewis and Coveney declined to confirm a report in the Financial Times that U.S. concerns about the dispute’s impact on Northern Ireland peace had led Washington to drag its feet on lifting tariffs on British steel, something it has done for steel from the EU. Coveney said the U.S. had played a big role in securing peace in Northern Ireland, “and they watch it closely.”“It’s not new that there are concerns in Washington in terms of the impact of the sort of polarized politics around the protocol and its implementation on the broader peace process and political stability in Northern Ireland,” he said. “The U.S. can speak for themselves on that,” he said. “But for us, this is about trying to find accommodation, trying to settle difficult issues for both sides in a way that can allow us to move on and that will continue to be our focus.”___Follow all AP stories on post-Brexit developments at https://apnews.com/hub/Brexit. More

Multiple Christmas parties were held in Downing Street while indoor mixing was banned under Covid rules, according to the latest reports.Boris Johnson on Wednesday refused to deny that a large party was held in No.10 in late December – breaking the regulations.But there are now new claims that staff repeatedly gathered after work to drink alcohol and play party games in their offices, despite rules banning mixing between household bubbles.The Daily Mirror newspaper reports that on 18 December around 40 people drank and celebrated late into the night.Food, party games, and alcohol all said to have been available at the gathering, according to the BBC – whose source described the mood at as “downbeat”.The party went ahead two days after the government moved London into Tier 3 restrictions, banning all indoor mixing outside household bubbles.And the day after the bash took place Mr Johnson scrapped plans for a Christmas relaxation of rules, keeping millions from seeing their families.Another party is said to have taken place on 27 November. This event was reportedly a leaving drinks for special advisor Cleo Watson, who was leaving No.10 to work elsewhere.Mr Johnson himself is said to have attended the November bash and made a short speech before commenting on how crowded the room was.The Guardian newspaper also reports a source claiming there were “loads of leaving parties” during both the second and third lockdown.A No.10 spokesperson refused to deny parties had taken place and said only that rules had been followed.“Covid rules have been followed at all times,” they said.But the government has also repeatedly claimed the rules were not broken in other similar cases where ministers and officials have taken liberties – including Matt Hancock’s affair and Dominic Cummings’ trip to Barnard Castle.At prime minister’s questions on Wednesday, Keir Starmer accused Mr Johnson of “taking the British public for fools for following the rules”.“The prime minister doesn’t deny there was a Downing Street Christmas party last year,” he said.”He says no rules were broken. Both of those things can’t be true.” More

Boris Johnson denies breaking Covid rules with No 10 Christmas partySir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of “taking people for fools” amid reports 10 Downing Street held multiple Christmas parties last year while indoor mixing was banned under covid restrictions. Following a Daily Mirror report stating that between 40-50 people attended a bash at No 10 where staff drank and celebrated late into the night, the Labour leader wrote on Twitter: “Boris Johnson hosted multiple parties when the country was in lockdown over Christmas. “Yesterday he claimed that was within the rules. He is taking people for fools. It’s one rule for the Conservatives and another for everyone else.”Government ministers and spokespeople from No 10 have insisted that all staff “followed the guidance.” Asked about public frustration following the Christmas party reports, business minister George Freeman told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I totally understand that people around the country expect that, when we make sacrifices, that we all make them.”He added: “I can’t get drawn into who was or wasn’t in the room and who was drinking which cocktail. You’ll understand I wasn’t there.”Follow live updates belowShow latest update

1638455714Andrew Grice: Therese Coffey has got her tongue in a twist over snogging guidelinesThe work and pensions secretary has sparked further confusion over the government’s opaque advice on the omicron variant, writes Andrew Grice.Read his full piece below: Matt Mathers2 December 2021 14:351638454329No 10: Important to use ‘measured and appropriate language’ on protocolDowning Street has said it is important to use “measured and appropriate language” in relation to the Northern Ireland protocol after President Macron suggested resolving the current deadlock was a matter of “war and peace”.Mr Macron reportedly told the European Committee of the Regions, an EU advisory body: “It’s a question of war and peace for Ireland. So we should avoid any temptation to be less than serious.”In response, the PM’s official spokesman said: “When it comes to the protocol it is vital that we use measured and appropriate language given the sensitivities involved.“It is obviously welcome that Mr Macron recognises that a serious situation needs to be resolved. We urgently need to make progress.”Downing Street has said it is important to use “measured and appropriate language” in relation to the Northern Ireland Protocol after President Macron suggested resolving the current deadlock was a matter of “war and peace”.Matt Mathers2 December 2021 14:121638453314Brandon Lewis: Triggering Article 16 still on tableBrandon Lewis has said triggering Article 16 was still on the table as “substantive gaps” remained between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland Protocol.The Northern Ireland secretary made the comments at a press conference at the Foreign Office on Thursday, following a meeting of the British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference.He said: “Obviously, we believe that the conditions were met for Article 16 in the summer. We haven’t triggered Article 16 because we don’t want to.“We want to find a negotiated, agreed solution with the EU that gives certainty. Those conversations are ongoing.”He added: “Ultimately, as I say, my position is, as is [Lord Frost’s] and the Prime Minister’s, very much that [an] agreed solution between us and the EU is the best way forward.“But there are substantive gaps between us and if we need to use Article 16 to move things forward, then we will have to do that. We don’t want to. Hopefully we can get a positive solution through the negotiations and discussions.”Brandon Lewis said triggering Article 16 was still on the table as “substantive gaps” remained between the UK and EU on the Northern Ireland protocol.Matt Mathers2 December 2021 13:551638452740UK ‘must build equivalent of worlds biggest wind farm every 10 weeks for next 20 years’ to hit net zero targetsThe UK must build the equivalent of a 1.2-gigawatt offshorewind farm – the largest ever built – every 10 weeks for the next 20 years in order to hit its legally binding net-zero targets, a report from the Tony Blair Institute claims.The report highlights how the current energy crisis, which has resulted in numerous small energy providers going bust, has exposed “profound problems of design and regulation in the retail and wholesale energy markets”, and says without major adaptation, the energy market is heading towards a greater level of centralisation and higher costs for consumers.Our environmental correspondent, Harry Cockburn has the full story below: Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 13:451638451814Labour demands formal government investigation into No 10 lockdown Christmas partiesLabour is demanding a formal government investigation into possible breaches of Covid rules at parties held at No 10 over Christmas last year.Deputy leader Angela Rayner has written to cabinet secretary Simon Case to ask whether he will make inquiries into events held at Downing Street – and refer any violations found onto the Metropolitan Police.My colleague Adam Forrest has the full report: Matt Mathers2 December 2021 13:301638451240ICYMI: Macron called Boris Johnson ‘un clown’, French press reportsFresh evidence emerged of the depths to which the UK’s relationship with France has sunk, as French media reported that Emmanuel Macron referred to Boris Johnson in private as “un clown”.Amid a continuing stand-off over France’s handling of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats, a former French ambassador to London, Sylvie Bermann, said that cross-Channel relations had “never been so bad since Waterloo”.Our political correspondent Andrew Woodcock has the full story below: Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 13:201638449740No 10 stresses it doesn’t want parties to be cancelled, amid mixed messages from ministers No 10 has stressed that it does not want Christmas parties to be cancelled, despite government departments opting to do so.Asked why government departments were cancelling festive celebrations despite Boris Johnson urging people not to, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister has been very clear on this.“On Christmas parties, we don’t want people to cancel such events. There is no government guidance to that end.“It is right that post-Step 4 (of the road map out of lockdown), we returned to the position where people can use their individual judgment, but there is certainly no government guidance to that end, and the Prime Minister has been very clear.”Asked what Mr Johnson made of the department for business, energy and industrial strategy (Beis) deciding to ditch plans for a pre-Christmas get-together, the spokesman said he had not spoken to the Prime Minister about it.Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:551638448660Cabinet Office fined £500,000 over New Years Honours data breachThe Cabinet Office has been £500,000 for a New Years Honour data breach which included Elton John’s details.The Cabinet were accused of “complaceny” in the incident which led to accidentally disclosing the personal details of prominent recipients of the 2020 New Year Honours online. Concluding a probe, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the government had breached data protection law by publishing a file containing the names and redacted addresses of more than 1,000 people on the honours list. The list included celebrities such as Sir Elton John, TV chef Nadiya Hussain, cricketer, Ben Stokes, alongside former Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, who branded the breach in December 2019 a “complete disaster.” Our political correspondent, Ashley Cowburn, has the full story below: Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:371638447640Watch: ‘I haven’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years’, says ministerGovernment minister George Freeman said he hasn’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years after work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey advised Brits against sharing the intimate exchange with strangers in a bid to curb the spread of omicron. ‘I haven’t been kissed under the mistletoe for years’, says ministerThomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:201638446740Boris Johnson ‘has spent whole life breaking the rules’ Angela Rayner says Angela Rayner has also joined leaders slamming Boris Johnson following reports he broke lockdown rules by hosting a Christmas party last year at 10 Downing Street.Writing on Twitter, the Labour deputy leader said: “As I said on Monday @BorisJohnson has spent his whole life breaking the rules and facing no consequences. “He thinks it’s one rule for him and another for the rest of us and he takes the British people for fools.” Thomas Kingsley2 December 2021 12:05 More

No 10 is urging firms not to cancel Christmas parties and says people are free to kiss whomever they like, in a bid to clear up confusion.Boris Johnson’s spokesman dismissed a minister’s suggestion that larger parties should be avoided – and another minister’s plea not to “snog under the mistletoe”.“The prime minister has been very clear on this, on Christmas parties. We don’t want people to cancel such events and there is no government guidance to that end.”Asked if people should avoid kissing strangers, he added: “The position has not changed – there are no further restrictions or guidance.”The government’s stance on festive celebrations has become muddled, as it wrestles with the heightened threat from the omicron variant and fears that it reduces Covid immunity.George Freeman, the science minister, suggested larger businesses should cancel their staff Christmas parties – revealing his department’s event will now be held remotely.Hours earlier, the work and pensions secretary Thérèse Coffey warned partygoers: “I don’t think there should be much snogging under the mistletoe. Don’t need to do things like that.”But, on both issues, Mr Johnson’s spokesman made clear that – after the summer lifting of all legal restrictions – they are a matter of individual choice.On party cancellations, he said: “It is right that post-step 4 [of the road map out of lockdown], we returned to the position where people can use their individual judgment.“There is certainly no government guidance to that end and the prime minister has been very clear.”He also disowned Mr Freeman’s warning about larger gatherings, saying there is no limit on numbers. “That is not in the guidance, it is not in the regulations” the spokesman said.However, he suggested No 10 has not organised a staff Christmas party – amid the future over the parties staged a year ago, in in apparent breach of coronavirus rules.Meanwhile, it is likely to be a few more days before a detailed NHS plan is published to meet Mr Johnson’s pledge to offer a booster jab to every adult in England by the end of January.Health officials are locked in talks with overworked GPs about what other requirements will be eased to enable them to switch back to a bigger focus on the vaccination programme.The plans will not be released on Thursday and the government is only working to get it out “as soon as possible”, one official said.GP time must be freed up to increase the delivery of boosters from 350,000 to 500,000 a day to counter the threat posed by Omicron.Dr Nikki Kanani, NHS England’s primary care chief, said on Wednesday, on formalising the plan: “These matters with the BMA [British Medical Association] need to be settled before that can happen.” More