The Home Secretary said the UK is absolutely about to enter a glorious new era. Brexit transition rules will end in December allowing the country to finally take back control. Ms Patel told the Daily Express: January 1 is going to be one of those totemic moments in the history of this country, a landmark moment.

We are ending free movement. We are a government thats all about delivery.

The points-based system is just the first step to big immigration changes, changes to border control.

Ms Patel said the government is boosting economic investment in all parts of the UK.

We want to get Britain moving again but we actually want to get Britain motoring, she said.

We want to see the renaissance of our regions, we want to level up.

We have levers to do all that so this is just the start.

Ms Patel was speaking during a visit to Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, to meet local police on the first anniversary of being made Home Secretary.

The Cabinet minister said the Conservatives are unapologetically the party of law and order.

We have a first-class working relationship with the police, she said. I am absolutely shoulder to shoulder with them.

We dont stand behind them, we stand beside them. It is a journey for both of us in terms of the support we give and my commitment to them, but also through resourcing.

Ms Patel revealed 90,000 people have applied to be police officers since last October and the government is well ahead of its police recruitment targets.

READ MORE: Barnier warned public 'growing impatient' as no deal Brexit 'likely'

Police forces have received that largest uplift in funding in a decade at 1.1 billion.

That is moving the needle on law enforcement, Ms Patel said. We love the police, we respect the police, we are here for the police, we are the party of law and order.

Ms Patel, who visited the Blue Glove Boxing Academy, a gym for emergency services personnel, hailed police officers for their exceptional service during the coronavirus crisis.

She said there had been a spirit of national unity during the COVID lockdown and the police have been at the forefront of it.

Police have warned they will not be able to carry out widespread enforcement of new rules coming into force on Friday ordering the public to wear facemasks in shops.

Ms Patel said she did not believe that heavy-handed tactics would be necessary because people have been very conscientious about following the rules.

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She insisted enforcement is always a last resort.

People will apply their common sense, she said. We dont need police officers to go round in a pernicious way to act in an enforcement way.

The Home Secretary said she did not expect there to be widespread flouting of the rules over the summer, despite recent problems such as overcrowding on Bournemouth beach.

She said people have had pent up frustrations in the last few weeks after lockdown.

She added: Thats inevitable. Thats human instinct.

But she insisted Britons are sensible people.

Ms Patel said she has used her first year to empower and equip police officers, including making stop and search easier.

Although some campaigners claim the measures leave young black boys and men disproportionately targeted, Ms Patel insisted it is not a divisive tactic.

She said: Ive spent plenty of hours, too many sadly, with parents that have lost their children to street violence. The parents have said to me repeatedly we need more stop and search.

Officers have been actively using stop and search even during the COVID crisis over concerns about weapons on the streets, she said.

When it comes to saving lives, we should be unapologetic, Ms Patel added. If we are saving lives then these are the types of measures we should be using.

Ms Patel said tackling knife crime is a priority and told how machetes half my height are being pulled off the street.

We need to stop that, she said.

Hard cash is going into police forces in a targeted way to keep the public safe.

Crime is coming down, she said. We are serious about getting violent crime down.

The rest is here:

Brexit will unleash Britain's potential vows Patel as she hints at new immigration reform - Daily Express

EU governments were forced to slash its spending plans during marathon talks to negotiate the blocs next seven-year budget and a recovery fund for coronavirus-ravaged economies. Despite reaching an agreement on a 1.8 trillion financial package, leaders were unable to completely fix the shortfalls of Brexit. The recovery fund would see the Commission borrow 750 billion on the international markets.

Eurocrats would then distribute 390 billion as grants and 360 billion as low-cost loans through the blocs 1.074 trillion budget.

To broker the deal they had to agree to a number of projects being cut in size to please the so-called frugal states.

While the package was meant to tackle the fallout of the pandemic, the only mechanism included to support the health sector was scrapped and Horizon Europe, designed to boost innovation, was also subjected to cuts.

Funding for neighbourhood policy and a solvency support tool for private firms were also cut.

A European Commission official said: At the same time we do have to keep in mind with the UK leaving the Union we had a pay gap of about 70 billion.

Weve managed to reduce this gap but its not fill filled, so the overall size of the Multiannual Financial Framework is smaller than the previous one.

Brussels managed to limit the size of its Brexit blackhole to 10 billion, another official added.

The source said: The current MFF included the United Kingdom, which was contributing 10 billion net per year.

So we have 70 billion less from this year onwards with 27 member states, and overall weve only got a reduction of 10 billion.

The official suggested the bloc had done quite well to plug the gap left after Brexit, adding: We had a very difficult situation going into this MFF.

MUST READ:How EU founders spoke of 'multispeed' future after Brexit

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the cuts were regrettable but still a big step towards recovery.

But the budget faces a challenge from the European Parliament because of its lack of ambition.

Johan Van Overtveldt, chairman of its budget committee, said: Parliament cannot accept the proposed record low ceilings as they mean renouncing to the EUs long-term objectives and strategic autonomy, while citizens ask for more.

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More European solidarity, more European action in public health, in research and digitalisation, youth, and in the historical fight against climate change. Key programmes to reach these objectives have been considerably shrunk, and lost most of their top-ups under Next Generation EU.

The compromise is also a flagrant missed opportunity when it comes to modernising the revenue side, making it fairer and more transparent, he added, with the support of five other MEPs.

The EU is now allowed to borrow funds but there is no certainty on how the debt will be repaid. Parliament has been clear: the recovery should not reduce investment capacities nor harm the national taxpayer. This is why new genuine own resources are the solution to repay the common debt, but the plastic-based contribution will not do the trick alone!

See more here:

Brexit blackhole: EU's seven-year budget still contains gaping hole left by UK exit - Daily Express

The UKs delayed pandemic response, problematic testing programme and uncertainties related to Brexit are set to have a major negative impact on IT spending, analyst Forrester has warned.

The most likely scenario will see computer equipment sales drop by 9%, communications equipment by 11% and software spending by 10%, said Forrester principal analyst Andrew Bartels in a blog post.

The EU has projected that the UKs real GDP will fall by 8.3% in 2020, while the Bank of England has forecast a 14% decline.

According to Forresters Tech budget outlooks for France, Germany and the UK in a Covid-19 recession report, because of the coronavirus and resulting recessions, tech spending in Germany, France and the UK will decline by 5% to 7% in 2020 from 2019 levels in the best-case scenario.

The report predicted that UK companies will cut new projects deeper, causing software spending to fall by 10% and tech consulting and systems integration services by 11%. UK firms will also start to renegotiate their tech outsourcing and telecom contracts, causing spending to fall by 7% in both categories, said the analyst firm.

These spending cuts will continue in the first half of 2021, which will have an impact on new project activity early in the new year. Forrester said that for 2021, it expects full-year spending on software and tech consulting services to be 2% to 3% lower than in 2020. However, it said it expects pickups in business will lead to small but positive growth in communications equipment and telecom services.

Forrester said it expects the unresolved issues of Brexit will return to the fore as lockdown measures relax in the UK. Open issues about trade and labour policies are unlikely to be resolved in 2020, as had been the goal at the start of the year, it warned. Uncertainties about Brexit as well as the potential resurgence of the virus will make businesses extremely cautious in their rehiring and their investments.

In its best-case scenario, the analyst firm predicted that the UK unemployment rate would almost double from 3.8% in 2019 to 6.7% in 2021, while UK exports would fall more than imports. But it said an aggressive fiscal expansion (government spending will increase by 4% in 2020) could help counter the decline, setting the stage for a 6% economic recovery in 2021.

Bartels said Frances economy is likely to recover sooner than the UKs because of its aggressive response to the coronavirus and the financial support its government has given businesses and professionals, its strong social safety net and business balance sheets pre-coronavirus.

He also said Forrester expects IT spending in Germany to decline less compared to the UK and France in 2020, with a 5.2% drop in tech spending, and would experience a mild rebound of 4.1% in 2021. In the blog post, Bartels wrote: Germanys recovery will be helped by its extensive Covid-19 testing, strengthened employment support programmes, and strong business balance sheets pre-Covid-19.

Read the original:

Brexit and slow pandemic response will impact UK IT spend, says Forrester - ComputerWeekly.com

LEAVING the European Union is already costing every Shetlander more than 6,600 in lost economic activity, new research from the University of Warwick suggests.

The study, which is based on assumptions on how the economy may have behaved with and without the Brexit vote, identifies 168 UK districts that have lost economic activity since the vote in June 2016.

Shetland is the second worst hit area in Scotland, and the tenth worst in the UK, costing the local economy an estimated 154 million and resulting in a drop of GDP of 18.7 per cent compared to how the economy would have developed without Brexit.

In comparison, Orkneys GDP appears to be 13.6 per cent lower, equivalent to a loss of economic activity of around 3,800 per resident.

And while Aberdonians have lost as much as 9,000 per resident, the people of the local authority area of Westminster, in London, gained 12,747, or 4.69 per cent.

Thiemo Fetzer and Shizhuo Wang of Warwick University said their research was based on well established academic methods and had uncovered significant geographical disparities of the economic impact of Brexit.

They found that just 78 districts in the UK have benefited from Brexit so far while they also suggested that the Covid-19 pandemic will have a greater negative impact on areas already hit hard by the Brexit process.

The findings were highlighted by SNP Highlands and Islands MSP Maree Todd who said the report was further evidence that Shetland will be absolutely hammered by Brexit.

Todays analysis has made clear that any form of Brexit will inflict major harm on Scotlands economy people in Shetland are already over 6,600 less well off thanks to these Tory Brexiteers, she said.

The very last thing our economy needs on the back of the Covid-19 crisis is to be dragged out of the EU single market and customs union.

The research, published last week, coincides with the announcement of a 100 million islands growth deal, which is expected to result in government funded investments in Shetland of around 33 million over the next 10 to 15 years.

Shetland Islands Council (SIC) chief executive Maggie Sandison said the council was well aware of the significant economic damage the Brexit process was having long before the end of the transition period at the end of December this year.

The lack of clarity on Brexit and what the economy will look like in 2021 is having an impact on day to day business decisions, she said.

The SIC is in the process of compiling an input/output report which is expected to become available in October, and which is likely to give a clearer picture of the impact of Brexit as well as the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sandison said the figures suggested by the University of Warwick did sound credible to her.

She added: Economic uncertainty has an impact on business investment and consumer confidence and that is what is coming through in terms of those figures.

Associate professor at Warwick University Dr Thiemo Fetzer said the methodology used in his research was used around the world to establish what would have happened to an economy had history or policy scenarios been different.

It is sound thing to do because we know that the economy in much of the rest of the world did grow whereas there was a significant slowdown in growth in the UK post 2016, he said.

And this paper shows that there is a distinct regional signature to that slowdown in growth where some areas are hit much more than others.

The research finds that the costs of the Brexit vote to date may already exacerbate the very same regional inequalities that became all too apparent during the 2016 referendum vote. Much of the employment growth since 2016 is not supported by productivity growth, leaving those jobs on a shaky foundation.

During the EU referendum four years ago, 56.5 per cent of Shetlanders voted in favour of remaining part of the European Union despite huge dissatisfaction locally with the shortcomings of the Common Fisheries Policy.

The study from the University of Warwick can be found here.

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Shetland worse hit by Brexit than most other UK areas research suggests - Shetland News

[co-author: Yung Shin Van Der Sype]

On July 22, 2020, the European Data Protection Board (EDPB) released an information note on Binding Corporate Rules (BCRs), which provides guidance for groups of undertakings/enterprises which have the UK ICO as their competent supervisory authority (BCR Lead SA) [1]. Binding Corporate Rules are a means of legitimizing transfers of personal data outside of the EEA under the EUs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

As a consequence of Brexit, BCR holders having the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as their BCR Lead SA need to identify a new BCR Lead SA in the EEA (in accordance with existing regulatory guidance [2]) and must amend their BCRs before the end of the Brexit transition period. For BCRs already approved under the GDPR, the new BCR Lead SA in the EEA will have to issue a new approval decision following an opinion from the EDPB. Such approval by the new BCR Lead SA is not required for BCRs for which the UK ICO acted as BCR Lead SA under Directive 95/46/EC, the GDPRs predecessor. It is important to note that current BCR holders will not be able to rely on their BCRs as a valid transfer mechanism for transfers of personal data outside the EEA in the absence of the required changes and/or a new approval before the end of the transition period.

Also, groups of undertakings/enterprises for which BCRs are at the review stage by the ICO need to identify their new BCR Lead SA before the end of the transition period. The new BCR Lead SA will take over the application and formally initiate an approval procedure subject to an opinion of the EDPB.

In order to assist such controllers and processors, the information note contains a checklist of elements that need to be amended for the BCR Lead SA change in the context of Brexit.

The checklist primarily consists of an overview of BCR criteria which are relevant in the context of a BCR Lead SA change, and for each specific criterion, the EDPB provides practical comments, indicating which elements of the BCRs are most likely to be amended due to the BCR Lead SA change.

Some key comments provided by the EDPB in the checklist include that:

Following this months Schrems II case (which we cover here), BCRs may hold increasing importance as a means of legitimizing data transfers from the EEA to the rest of the world.

[1] EDPB, Information note on BCRs for Groups of undertakings / enterprises which have ICO as BCR Lead SA, adopted on 22 July 2020, https://edpb.europa.eu/our-work-tools/our-documents/otros/information-note-bcrs-companies-which-have-ico-bcr-lead_en.

[2] Specifically, Article 29 Working Party, Document Setting Forth a Co-Operation Procedure for the approval of Binding Corporate Rules for controllers and processors under the GDPR, WP263 rev.01, adopted on 11 April 2018 endorsed by the EDPB.

[View source.]

See the original post here:

EDPB Clarifies Brexit Obligations for Holders of Binding Corporate Rules Which Have the UK ICO as Their Lead Authority - JD Supra

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It has been almost two months since the UK officially left theEU on Friday, 31 January 2020, yet it remains in a period oftransition. For intellectual property professionals, rights holdersand applicants alike, this has represented a time of uncertainty asthey seek clarity around important questions concerning process andregulation.

Click here to view the video

The UK's relationship with the EU is currently governed bythe Withdrawal Agreement, which provides for a stand-still periodin relation to the application of EU law in the UK. Changes to thecurrent regime are due to take effect from 31 December 2020. Whatthese changes will be will depend on the terms of any agreement(s)reached (or not reached) between the UK and the EU addressing theirlegal relationship from 31 December 2020. In a document released atthe end of February, the UK Government stated it is seeking anagreement that "secures mutual assurances to provide highstandards of protection for IP rights, including registered IPrights such as patents, trademarks or designs."

So what does this currently mean in practice for intellectualproperty? Well, for now, not a lot, but here are five keythings to be aware of in the areas of patents, trademarksand designs as we wait for the Brexit dust to finally settle:

The European patent system is governed by the European PatentConvention and is entirely independent of the EU. It has always hadnon-EU members such as Switzerland, Norway and Turkey, and there isno current reason why the UK could not continue to be a part ofthis regime post-Brexit.

The UK patent system comprises the national system (applicationsmade to the UK IPO) and the European system (applications made tothe EPO). As both systems largely fall outside the remit of EU law,and questions of infringement and validity of each nationaldesignation are a matter for the courts of each relevant country,the impact of Brexit for the existing patent systems is likely tobe minimal.

However, the European patent system is developing with theintroduction of the Unified Patent Court (UPC). While the previousUK government had expressed their intention to remain invested inthe UPC project, the current administration confirmed that the UK"will not agree to any obligations for our laws to be alignedwith the EU's, or for the EU's institutions, including theCourt of Justice, to have any jurisdiction in the UK." Ittherefore seems highly unlikely that the UK would become part ofthe UPC system upon its entry into force.

Companies concerned about having to re-register EUTMs in the UKin the event of a no-deal Brexit need not worry. All EUTMsregistered as at 31 December 2020 will automatically be protectedas "cloned" UK trademarks without any loss of priority,filing or seniority dates at no additional cost. The new UK TMrights will have a prefix to indicate that it is cloned and willrequire its own separate renewal.

For EUTM applications that are still pending at the end of thetransition period, proprietors will have nine months to file a UKapplication for the same trademark or design maintaining thebenefit of the same filing, priority and seniority date.

Where oppositions or proceedings against EU trademarkapplications or registrations are based on prior UK rights, theproceedings will automatically be dismissed once the transitionperiod ends. UK rights will cease to be "earlier rights".We have already seen some adversarial proceedings based on UKrights stayed by the EUIPO. UK rights holders should be reviewingtheir involvement in any EU trademark proceedings with theirattorneys in order to determine whether they will be affected andto identify alternative options at their disposal.

Similarly, existing EU design rights will be automatically"cloned" into UK national rights to ensure that no rightssimply cease to exist.

EU registered design rights in place before Brexit day willbecome "Re-registered Design" rights, and will act as ifit was a UK registered design.

EU's unregistered design rights will become "ContinuingUnregistered Community Designs" to give protection in the UK.It will be possible to obtain the same protection following Brexitby way of the newly formed "Supplementary UnregisteredDesign" right.

At present, the UK operates within a regional exhaustion systemin the European Economic Area (EEA). Post transition period shouldthe UK be moving to national exhaustion or internationalexhaustion? While IP owners would undoubtedly like to see theirnational markets protected, others believe that an internationalexhaustion system would see greater competition and a reduction inprices for consumers.

It is a controversial issue and it is no surprise that theIntellectual Property (Exhaustion of Rights) (EU Exit) Regulations2019 provides that the current system of EEA exhaustion willcontinue as far as possible. This means that at the end of thetransition period, rights in goods put on the market in the EEAwill be exhausted in the UK. However, it is unclear whether the EUwill take the same approach. If it does not, putting goods on themarket in the UK would not exhaust IP rights in the EEA. This meansthat UK rights owners would not be able to prevent parallel importsfrom the EEA but owners of rights in the EEA would be able toprevent UK exports from the UK into the EEA. Importers from the UKinto the EEA would therefore need to consider whether they requirespecific permissions from rights holders. It remains to be seen howthis issue will be approached in the trade negotiations.

Given the UK's current hard Brexit stance in relation to thenegotiation of a future trade agreement with the EU, in which thereappears to be no role for the CJEU and no dynamic legislativealignment, it is likely that the future may see divergence betweenUK and EU patent, trademark and design jurisprudence. Where exactlythey will diverge is yet to be seen. It is also possible that thetimetable for Brexit will change in light of the impact ofCOVID-19.

Read the original article on GowlingWLG.com

The content of this article is intended to provide a generalguide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be soughtabout your specific circumstances.

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According to reports, ALVANCE British Aluminium announced on Tuesday this week that it will be scaling back its workforce on a permanent basis.

An ALVANCE British Aluminium spokesman said: "The Covid-19 pandemic has compounded an already difficult commercial environment for aluminium. Given the continued impact of the virus and uncertainty around post-Brexit trade talks, the market is likely to remain challenging for up to 18 months.

"With regret, we therefore have made the difficult decision to begin a consultation on reducing the workforce at the Lochaber smelter. We will be proposing a reduction of around 15 to 18 jobs.

"As a responsible employer, we need to balance the welfare of our people with the need to protect the long-term sustainability of the Lochaber smelter, which is a vital piece of Scotlands industrial infrastructure and valuable contributor to the regional economy.

We will provide appropriate support to those affected including looking at employment opportunities elsewhere through GFG Workforce Solutions, a redeployment vehicle operated by our parent organisation, GFG Alliance."

Read more:

The continued impact of COVID-19 and the uncertainty around Brexit is - Aluminium Today

Belfast couple Margaret and Elise, who are getting married in December next pictured during a visit to the Tower Museum yesterday afternoon. DER2029GS - 011

According to the Annual Audit Opinion for DC&SDC for 2019/2020 that was laid before the July Assurance, Audit and Risk Committee meeting, the council was already facing a number of strategic risks, including the financial viability of City of Derry Airport and Brexit, when COVID-19 hit.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic there was a significant review of the Corporate Risk Register in May 2020, the document states.

The emergency has disrupted the work of the councils internal audit section as it has all departments.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council is operating in a much more difficult and challenging set of circumstances both financially and operationally. As a result, the 2020/2021 Internal Audit Strategy and Plan which was to be presented to Members of the Assurance, Audit and Risk Committee in March 2020 has had to be reviewed. The updated Internal Audit Strategy and Plan takes into consideration the new risks facing the Council in order to provide a service which is relevant to the current needs and objectives of senior management and to provide the necessary assurances to the Assurance, Audit and Risk Committee, the report further advises.

A new sub-section has been added to the risk register warning against a risk of an inability to ensure the future financial stability of Council in relation to implications arising from COVID-19. This risk, the report states, has been reviewed by the councils senior management but while allocations from Stormont have helped mitigate losses incurred as a result of COVID-19 the report warns that the financial position remains critical.

Despite extension of non-business rates relief, critical risk relates to rate-base impact. Council lobbying Government to ensure that rates paid are based on estimated figure agreed during 19/20 rate setting process, it says.

Read the rest here:

COVID-19 joins Brexit and CoDA as key risks - Derry Journal

Britain warned the Brussels bloc it was not prepared to give up our rights on sovereignty, laws and fishing after Mr Frost and Mr Barnier shared a poignant moment. Mr Barnier tweeted that he and Mr Frost paused together in front of a war memorial following dinner on Monday in Westminster.

He said: "At the occasion of the working dinner with my counterpart David Frost at Carlton Gardens, a brief moment remembering our shared European history."

There continue to be a number of key sticking points in the way of agreeing a post-Brexit deal before the transition period ends in January.

The points of dispute - the "level playing field" of measures designed to ensure fair competition between the UK and EU, fisheries and the governance of any deal - will be on the agenda in Tuesday's sessions.

Ahead of the talks, Downing Street acknowledged significant differences remained between the two sides and reminded the EU it is "not asking for a special, bespoke or unique deal".

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: In terms of the discussions that we have been having throughout the intensified process, they have continued to be constructive but significant differences still remain on a number of important issues.

Our position on our sovereignty, laws and fisheries is clear - we will not give up our rights as an independent state.

"We will continue to engage constructively with the EU on these key issues and will work hard to reach the broad outline of an agreement.

"But as we have been clear all along, we are not asking for a special, bespoke or unique deal."

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READ MORE:EU blasted for absurd and contradictory Brexit demands

3.12pm update:Merkel accused of interfering in 2017 general election over Brexit

Angela Merkels Germany was accused of trying to influence the 2017 general election by undermining former Prime Minister Theresa May over Brexit talks, unearthed reports reveal.

According to a 2017 report by The Telegraph, senior officials in the German government and in Brussels openly mocked Theresa May in what was described as an attempt to undermine the former Prime Minister.

Ahead of the general election in June 2017, Mrs Merkel claimed Britain had illusions over what it could hope to achieve from Brexit.

Weakening Mrs Mays mandate with the electorate tilted the balance in favour of the EU negotiators, and Conservative sources suggested she was the victim of a coordinated plot.

Emily Ferguson is taking over live reporting fromRebecca Perring

2.25pm update: PM is confident Brexit was fair

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is confident the 2016 Brexit referendum result was fair, his spokesman said on Tuesday.

Asked in the light of a parliamentary report into Russian influence in Britain whether Johnson thought the outcome of the referendum was fair, the spokesman said: "Yes, absolutely."

1.56am update: Pompeo hails 'constructive' Brexit talks with Boris

Mike Pompeo said it was a constructive visit after he met Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

He said: "Our two countries' long-standing, strong bilateral relationship has laid the foundation for today's candid discussion on issues ranging from 5G telecommunication to our negotiations for a US-UK free trade agreement.

1.15pm update:Farage takes on EU again as Italexit campaign praises him for freeing UK from 'EU cage'

Nigel Farage is making his mark yet again in his battle against the EU after it emerged he has helped inspire the man behind Italys Italexit campaign.

Prominent Brexiteer and Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has been hailed a true British patriot who sent away the technocrats from Brussels by anti-EU campaigner Gianluigi Paragone, a former senator for the anti-establishment 5Star Movement in Italy.

Mr Paragone revealed he had met with Mr Farage just before launching his Italexit campaign 'No Europe for Italy, which will take place on Thursday, July 23.

12.44pm update: Brexit will split financial markets - BoE

Brexit will make markets less efficient but it won't be disastrous for Britain's economy, an appointee to the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee (FPC) said on Monday.

Jonathan Hall told the Treasury Select Committee that Brexit represented a longer term risk of increased fragmentation and complexity in financial services.

He said: "This would increase friction costs for the economy, the supervisory burden."

11.49am update: 'Brexit was always gift to Putin'

Guy Verhofstadt, chief Brexit negotiator for the European Parliament, tweeted following the release of the Russia report: "Brexit was always a gift to Putin because it weakened the European Union & left Britain divided, isolated. The #RussiaReport shows just how many questions remain unanswered."

11.25am update: Italy could follow in UK's Brexit footsteps

Italy will officially launch a campaign to unshackle itself from the EU on Thursday as the Mediterranean country looks to follow in Britain's Brexit footsteps.

The EU has another crisis on its hands after Italian politician Gianluigi Paragone, a former senator for the anti-establishment 5Star Movement, said it was time for Italy to launch its Italexit campaign ' No Europe for Italy' on Thursday, July 23. He said Italy would no longer be "blackmailed" by the Brussels bloc.

10.32am update: Russia meddled in Scottish referendum but unclear on Brexit - report

Russiameddled in the 2014 Scottish referendum and the British government failed to ask for a deep assessment of possible Kremlin-directed interference in theBrexitvote, the British parliament's intelligence and security committee said.

The report said: "There has been credible open source commentary suggesting thatRussiaundertook influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014"

It said there were open source indications thatRussiasought to influence theBrexitcampaign but that the British government had not sought deep evidence of meddling.

The report castRussiaas a hostile power which posed a significant threat to the United Kingdom and the West across a range of fronts, from espionage and cyber to election meddling and laundering dirty money.

It added: "It appears thatRussiaconsiders the UK one of its top Western intelligence targets."

9.46am update: Pound Sterling enjoys rise

The pound briefly rose above $1.27 for the first time in six weeks on Tuesday.

The currency had enjoyed its best day in three-weeks on Monday, lifted by the generally buoyant market mood which allowed investors to overlook poor British economic data and lack of concrete progress on Brexit trade talks.

9.35am update:Nigel Farage lashes out at Remainers over Russia report

Nigel Farage has demanded serious apologies after an investigation reportedly found that Russia did not attempt to meddle in the Brexit vote.

The Brexiteer hit out after a long-awaited probe into alleged Russian interference in British democracy, due to be published later today, found nothing to suggest Russia played any part in the 2016 EU referendum, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Mr Farage tweeted: So, no evidence of Russian interference in the referendum. Some serious apologies are due.

8.48am update: US Mike Pompeo to meet Boris

As Britain toughens its stance on China due to its handling of the coronavirus and a crackdown in Hong Kong, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's visit is an attempt to stiffen Boris Johnson's resolve and dangle the potential reward of a post-Brexitfree trade deal, diplomats say.

Mr Pompeo will discuss ways to tackle the growing might of China when he meets Mr Johnson on Tuesday, just a week after London ordered a purge of Huawei gear from the 5G network.

President Donald Trump lauded Mr Johnson's ban on Huawei, though he also claimed he had forced London's hand due to concern over China, which he considers to be the US' main geopolitical rival of the 21st century.

8.15am update: Policing minister says he doesn't know if Russia meddled in Brexit

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse said he does not know if Russia meddled in the Brexit vote or the Scottish independence referendum.

Asked on BBC Breakfast why it has taken so long for the report to be published, he said there has been a general election, adding: "And the fact that this report is the property of the committee itself and they make a decision about its publication.

"The fact that the committee took a little time to get going after the general election probably delayed it too.

"But it'll be here in, you know, a couple of hours, and we'll be able to read it and digest it."

Asked if he thinks Russia tried to influence the Scottish and EU referendums, he said: "I don't know. I haven't read the report. I'll have to wait and see what they have to say."

8.02am update:Taoiseach welcomes Brexit EU fund

Micheal Martinwelcomed a 5 billion reserve fund to support countries worst affected by the impact of Brexit.

It comes after the EU agreed on a 1.82 trillion budget and coronavirus recovery fund.

Micheal Martin said it is a strong deal which includes a substantial and significant package of measures.

The budget and recovery fund was finally agreed in the early hours of Tuesday after a marathon four-day summit in Brussels.

7.50am update: EU fishermen demand SAME access to UK waters in Brexit deal as system working well

Brexit trade talks with the EU will resume on Tuesday, but a breakthrough is not expected as the bloc is still adamant European fishermen must have the same access to UK waters - something British negotiators are keen to avoid.

Gerard van Balsfoort, Chairman of the European Fisheries Alliance, has told Michel Barnier to insist fishing rights remain the same after the conclusion of the Brexit transition period this year.

The EU's chief negotiator was told losing access to the waters could be disastrous for many EU states.

Mr van Balsfoort told the Telegraph: Loss of access to fishing grounds, to markets for fish or the return of overfishing will ultimately harm all of us.

"Michel Barnier knows this."

7.39am update: Brexit deal is possible but ambitious - Germany

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said on Tuesday: "The aim of reaching an agreement between Britain and the European Union on future ties between the two by October is ambitious but achievable.

An agreement on the basis of the Political Declaration is sporty but still possible."

Here is the original post:

Brexit LIVE: UK sends EU dire ultimatum - before rivals share 'poignant moment' in London - Daily Express

The UK government announced its plans for a new 705m post-Brexit border infrastructure but the EU is poised to step in to stop trade after the transition period is over if they detect unfair competition, it has been revealed.Last week Cabinet Minister Michael Gove said the Government had been laying the groundwork for months to help Britains borders after the end of December.

But concerns have been raised about how the EU could stop trade between the UK if they think there is not a level playing field.

Speaking toExpress.co.ukNick Witney, senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said: My suspicion is we will end up with a deal which provides minimal legal cover for shipping goods in either direction without quotas but with the British side not actually ready to implement any new system of vetting goods for regulatory requirements.

Mr Witney explained there are concerns Britons will start exporting goods to Europe which are subsidised providing unfair competition for European producers.

He said: More initially in the short term the EU is worried that the possibility of all sorts of people from around the world could sell stuff into Europe via the UK and undercut European producers.

Or send stuff into Europe that is not the right standards.

He added how Europeans will be poised to step in and stop things coming if they detect any reason to think that its unfair competition which would be a very messy situation to live with for months and years.

Mr Witney said the UK and EU will end up with a compromise by the end of the year rather than a breakdown.

He thinks this will happen because of two reasons, firstly the British side will not be ready at the end of December for trade between the EU.

READ MORE:EU blasted for absurd and contradictory Brexit demands

International Trade Secretary, Liz Truss, feared the new border arrangements with the EU will not be ready in time for January.

Her leaked letter addressed to Rishi Sunak and Mr Gove highlighted four key areas of concern about the Governments Brexit border plans.

Mr Witney said: I think we are way behind the curb and that will certainly increase the internal pressure on the Government to find a way not to have an absolute breakdown at the end of the year.

Ms Truss raised concerns that UK ports will not be prepared to carry out full import checks when they come into place in July next year.

DON'T MISSEU fishermen demand SAME access to UK waters in Brexit deal [UPDATE]Iain Duncan Smith SNAPS after Brexit Britain trade warning [INSIGHT]Brexit travel: Britons could face higher holiday costs[ANALYSIS]

She also warned that some ports could be exposed to smuggling from January.

Mr Witney also highlighted how the brand knew IT system to help check goods heading to the EU from the start of January has not been tested yet.

When Britain leaves the European Single Market in January, the Government has planned to put a new IT system in place to manage the additional border checks that are needed.

The system, known as Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS), requires those transporting goods to have a GVMS reference number before being able to leave for the EU.

The reference numbers will be checked by customs officials at locations which are unspecified at the moment.

HMRC is not planning to test the new system until November, a month before Britain will leave the EU Single Market.

Mr Witney said the most critical thing to ensure is that on the 1 January goods can continue to move in both directions without tariffs and quotas.

He added: I suspect that the EU will be prepared to cut some provided that theyre convinced were sincere in wanting to get our plans properly in place.

And provided that they will reserve to themselves the right to step in at any particular point and say no were not having any more of whatever it is because were not happy.

The UK is set to leave the transition period at the end of December.

However, if a trade deal is not agreed by the end of the year the UK will face the prospect of tariffs on exports to the EU.

Read more here:

Brexit shock: EU poised to stop trade with UK when the transition period ends - Express

The EU Commission has agreed to undertake mass borrowing for the first time in a landmark recovery deal. The talks, lastingover 90 hours and stretching over five days, saw tensions flaring and emotions run high between the blocs leaders. Charles Michel, the European Council president announced that the deal had been reached on Twitter at 5:30am in Brussels. French President Emmanuel Macron hailed the news, and called the agreement a historic day for Europe. THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSED. Click HERE for today's latest Brexit updates

The recovery deal is centred on a 390 billion programme of grants to financially weakened member states.

The COVID-19 recovery plan also contains 360 billion in loans, and is attatched to a1.074 trillion seven-year budget, bringing the totalfinancial package to anabsurdly high 1.82 trillion.

The talks saw EU leaders struggle through negotiations partially due to the "frugal" members, those beingAustria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden,resistingthe idea of permitting the bloc to borrow money and hand it out as budgetary expenditure for member states.

In response to those nations concerns over grants to financially weak members, they were offered rebates, withAustrias annual reduction being doubled to 565 million a year, and the Netherlands rebates set to rise to 1.92 billion from 1.57 billion.

The budget talks were just hours shy of breaking the record for the longest ever EU leaders meeting, which remains the 2000 Nice summit.

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7.37am update:THIS BLOG IS NOW CLOSE. ClickHEREfor today's latest Brexit updates

6:04am update: EU leaders reach unprecedented 1.82 trillion budget deal

After five days of bitter negotiations, EU leaders have agreed on their new seven-year budget.

The 1.82 trillion deal includes 750 billion for coronavirus relief measures, including 390 billion in grants and 360 billion in loans for financially weakened countries.

European Council President Charles Michel announced news of the agreement on Twitter, with a one-word post saying Deal!

4:42am update: EU emergency budget talks conclude with a deal

The EU has agreed to terms for a seven year budget, plus funds for coronavirus relief

4:40am update: Day 5 of EU budget talks near conclusion, green policy to be slashed

A final negotiating document on an emergency budget has been shared with EU delegates, according to POLITICO.

The budget sees a reduction in the Just Transition Fund, designed to help EU countries move to cleaner energy, by a huge 20 billion.

3:30am update: Report on Russian interference in UK releases today

The Russia report from the UK parliaments intelligence and security committee is set to be released today.

Its release comes nine months after Prime Minister Boris Johnson blocked its publication ahead of the 2019 general election.

Publication of the document comes after the committee rejected Mr Johnsons choice of former minister Chris Grayling as the new chairman.

Members voted by five to four to support the veteran Conservative Julian Lewis instead.

12:00am update:Belgian socialists warn of new election if no coalition formed

Paul Magnette, leader of Belgiums Socialist Party, has warned the country could face another election if a coalition government is not formed in the next 50 days.

After the King tasked him with looking for a possible coalition, Mr Magnette said: We have about 50 days to find a solution, failing which we will have to call a new election.

Currently the country is governed by Sophie Wilms, who was given emergency powers for six months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Ms Wilms, leader of the Reformist Movement party, took over as caretaker Prime Minister due toBelgium'sinconclusive 2019election results.

Dylan Donnelly takes over from Richard Percival

9:30pm update:MPs defeat Tory backbench attempt to guarantee parliamentary approval of post-Brexittrade agreements

Ministers resisted a Tory backbench attempt to give Parliament a definitive say on post-Brexit trade deals as flagship legislation appeared in the Commons this evening.

Concerns were raised that politicians in Westminster would be unable to prevent the Government reneging on commitments to protect the NHS and maintain animal welfare and food standards under the current terms of the Trade Bill.

But the Government stressed UK law offers such protections and any changes would have to come before Parliament.

They rejected new clause four by 263 votes to 326, majority 63.

8pm update: US gets involved in Brexit talks

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo arrived in the United Kingdom on Monday to discuss China, 5G and a Brexitfree trade deal with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Pompeo, who did not speak to reporters on the plane, was due to be greeted by US Ambassador Woody Johnson shortly after landing.

The US State Department said ahead of his visit: "While in London, Secretary Pompeo will meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to discuss global priorities, including the COVID-19 economic recovery plans, issues related to the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and Hong Kong, and the US-UK Free Trade Agreement negotiations."

6.30pm update: Sterling reaches highest rate against Euro

The Pound recovered from an early-morning 20-day low against the stronger euro, but investors remained bearish as Britain's bleak economic outlook andBrexitrisks weighed on the currency.

Against the Euro, the pound was at 90.375 pence per Euro, similar levels to last Monday's close

With a new round ofBrexitnegotiations between Britain and the EU beginning on Tuesday, hopes for a trade deal in time for the year-end expiry of the transition period following Britain's departure from the bloc are fading fast.

Kaspar Hense, a portfolio manager at Bluebay Asset Management, said: "There will be a deal but it will be a hardBrexit, probably worse than a Canada deal."

5.30pm update: Scottish Secretary urges united approach on UK internal market after Brexit

Different regulations on goods between Scotland and the rest of the UK will cost consumers, the Scottish Secretary has warned.

Alister Jack has urged the Scottish Government to work with the UK Government on the establishment of the new internal market.

In the past week, a row has developed between Holyrood and Westminster over what the Scottish Government has called a "power grab" using the new Internal Market Bill.

Mr Jack said: "For me, it's fantastic these powers will no longer be exercised in Brussels.

"But it brings a risk that different standards, rules and regulations set in Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland could emerge, creating barriers to trade and extra costs for business and consumers.

"That's in no-one's interests."

4.30pm update:Brexitwill split financial markets says Bank of England

Brexit will make markets less efficient but it won't be disastrous for the UK economy, an appointee to the Bank of England's Financial Policy Committee has said.

Jonathan Hall, told a confirmation hearing in Parliament's Treasury Select Committee this afternoon: "It will cause fragmentation, it will cause inefficiency, there will be problems with regulation, but it's not going to be disastrous... for the economy."

3:30pm update: Concerns on Government commitment to a Green Brexit

Environmentalists have raised concerns that the Government is "watering down" its appetite for a greenBrexitand recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

Environment Secretary George Eustice used a speech to environmental groups this afternoon to insist that the approach to green regulation after the UK quits the EU system will help boost nature.

During the speech, he also stressed that Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Government want to see a green recovery for the UK as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis.

But RSPB chief executive Beccy Speight, who was also speaking at the online conference organised by think-tank Green Alliance, voiced the concerns of many in the sector over the gap between the Government's rhetoric and action on the environment.

She said: "We're seeing patterns that show a kind of watering down around the appetite for a greenBrexit, a watering down of the appetite of a green economic recovery."

Ms Speight stressed that we "would want to see more ambition, more heart and certainly more investment in nature" in order to deliver a real, green recovery, warning that what has been announced for nature so far "did not touch the sides" of what is needed.

1.37pm update: 'We will not give up our rights as an independent state' - Downing Street

Britain will continue to engage "constructively" with the EU on a post-Brexit trade deal, but is refusing to give up its rights as an independent state, a spokesman for Boris Johnson has warned.

The spokesman told reporters: "Our position on our sovereignty, laws and fisheries is clear, we will not give up our rights as an independent state.

"We will continue to engage constructively with the EU on these key issues and will work hard to reach the broad outline of an agreement, but as we have been clear all along we are not asking for a special, bespoke or unique deal."

Both sides will resume talks on Tuesday after the UK's chief negotiator David Frost hosts EU counterpart for dinner on Monday evening.

12.39pm update:EU told to do Brexit deal in bid to avoid global unemployment spike like Great Depression

Liam Fox has warned of a possible spike in global unemployment higher than anything since the Great Depression.

During an interview with Sky News, Dr Fox urged the UK and European Union to agree a good open trading relationship post-Brexit.

The former International Trade Secretary stated that a deal between Britain and the EU would give a boost of confidence to the global trading system when it is desperate need of a positive signal.

Mr Fox said: "We want to see Brexit done, I still hope we will see a good open trading relationship between Britain and the European Union.

"I think that now goes beyond the bilateral relationship.

"It is obviously good for Britain and our European partners to have open liberal trade between us.

"I think now the global trading system is slowing down because of COVID, we have the COVID emergency on top of that.

"We may well be seeing problems with global unemployment, a spike higher than we have seen since the Great Depression.

"It is very important that all countries understand that they need to do even more to keep trade moving.

"I think a good agreement between Britain and the EU would give a boost of confidence to the global trading system at a time when it very much needs one."

11.51am update: Liam Fox exposes key 'incentive' for EU to agree quick trade deal

Brexit negotiations could benefit from a new "incentive" the coronavirus pandemic has exposed, according to former International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox.

The UK and EU have been struggling to find common ground to secure a final trade agreement as both sides remain firm over their red lines.

But according to former International Trade Secretary Dr Liam Fox the coronavirus pandemic has exposed a new "incentive" that could push Brussels into a deal.

Speaking to Times Radio, he said: "I think there is an added incentive now for Britain and the EU to come to a good trade agreement.

"Weve got not only a slowing down of the system but weve got the emergence of COVID.

"Weve probably got an incipient global financial crisis on our hands, or certainly an economic crisis.

"The world lacks one thing at the moment and that is confidence. If we can manage to come to a good trade agreement with the European Union I think that will give a good boost to the international system."

10.55am update:Three quarters of UK hauliers could be shut out of EU if no trade deal agreed

Up to three quarters of British hauliers could be shut out of the EU if a post-Brexit trade deal is not agreed, triggering new fears over shortages of food and other goods.

The Freight Transport Association (FTA) warned permits would be made available for only 2,088 businesses from January - significantly down from the 8,348 that were registered for journeys last year.

The trade group warned companies are already under financial pressure because of the coronavirus crisis, and need a resolution within weeks as it prepares for its "Christmas peak".

The FTA's European policy manager Sarah Laouadi said: If you learn whether you have the right to continue operating as a company on Dec 28 and the only fallback plan is the ECMT system, which requires applications and allocations for permits, it will be too late."

10.38am update: Brexit talks could COLLAPSE as stubborn EU digs in heels - UK told to cave over fishing

Brexit talks are in danger of completely collapsing and a no deal scenario becoming increasingly probable, with EU member states digging their heels in on fishing and the level playing field - the UK's red lines.

The UK and EU are resuming talks on a post-Brexit trade deal in London today as the two sides desperately try to thrash out an agreement and overcome a number of hurdles.

Negotiations began in March but following several rounds of talks, both sides have lamented the lack of progress and significant differences that still exist.

This means Britain's future relationship with the bloc remains undecided - more than four years after the UK voted to leave the EU in a historic referendum.

Now allies of Boris Johnson say he believes Brexit talks could completely collapse over the next few weeks as EU member states take an increasingly tough stance against British demands.

Those close to the Prime Minister have warned he is prepared for leaders of the EU27 pulling out next month because of what one source described to The Times as a chasm between the sides.

Read more here:

Brexit LIVE: EU budget talks conclude with leaders to spend billions on COVID-19 relief - Daily Express

MPs have defeated an attempt by Tory backbenchers to ensure parliament has a vote on any post-Brexit trade deal.

An amendment to the Trade Bill currently going through the Commons would have given MPs and peers a say on any new agreement signed by the government.

Jonathan Djanogly, the Conservative MP who led the rebellion, had argued that the US congress approves similar deals.

Sharing the full story, not just the headlines

He accused the government of taking a position of less scrutiny than we did as a member of the EU, because EU trade deals are subject to a vote in the European Parliament.

Although his amendment was supported by Labour and the Liberal Democrats it failed to attract enough Tory rebels to pass.

The clause was rejected by 263 votes to 326, a majority of 63.

During the debate, shadow international trade minister Bill Esterson said the lack of scrutiny threatened to leave the health service "wide open to pharmaceutical giants" and to "undermine" farmers and consumers.

International trade minister Greg Hands insisted the government was "committed to transparency" when it came to the scrutiny of international agreements. During the debate on the Trade Bill, an MP was forced to apologise after he said food in shops had to be affordable for the "housewife to buy".

The DUP's Paul Girvan, the MP for South Antrim, was arguing in favour of retaining the UKs high food standards.

But he added that the UK should aim to ensure that we have a product which is still viable and still economically possible for the housewife to buy.

He added: "I've used the wrong term, I apologise, but those that are buying in their basket, their basket of food in the supermarket, they will definitely be able to get the best value for it."

Originally posted here:

Brexit: Tory backbenchers defeated in attempt to put any future trade deals through parliament - The Independent

The UK stood its ground and told the EU it was not willing to give up our rights on sovereignty, law and fishing in the latest Brexit development. Neither side can find a solution to the main points of contention access to UK fishing waters, governance of a future deal and a so-called level-playing field. There are smaller issues too which have caused grievances for both parties, such as the installation of an EU base in Northern Ireland.

This was suggested by Brussels back in May, as Northern Ireland will be in a unique position in the UK.

The Northern Ireland Protocol states it will remain in the customs union and single market but will not be part of the EU or able to contribute to its rules, according to the agreement reached by former Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Prime Minister Boris Johnson last year.

Yet, cabinet minister Michael Gove rejected the idea of a permanent EU base in Belfast in May, claiming there was no need for a mini embassy in that part of the UK.

He conceded that there would be ad hoc visits by Brussels officials but no permanent area was needed.

His comments stirred up discontent in the Irish Dil, when the Fianna Fail leader Micheal Martin now the rotating Taoiseach until 2022 accused the Government of showing bad faith.

According to The Irish Times in May, he said that the decision not to allow an office in Belfast is both of concern and in my view potentially highly divisive.

READ MORE:How surprise nation has moved to back Ireland after UK departure

Mr Martin continued: The extraordinary position of London that no European Union office would be agreed for Belfast appears like a demonstration of bad faith concerning the operationalising of what has been agreed relating to Northern Ireland.

It may be some form of negotiating tactic, the logic of which remains hidden.

He added that there was nothing positive about London citing a concern with community divisions in Northern Ireland, which has not existed before.

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He concluded: No one in Northern Ireland appears to object to the idea that there'll be any European Union office in Belfast.

Mr Martins words followed complaints from the leaders of pro-Remain parties within Northern Ireland, who also accused Wesminster of bad faith.

Deputy First Minister and Vice President of Sinn Fein Michelle ONeill, SDLP leader Colum Eastwood, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long and Green Party leader Clare Bailey wrote a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson earlier this year.

According to The Irish News report in April, it read: You are aware that under the terms negotiated by your Government, EU representatives have a right under law to be present during any activities relating to the protocol implementation.

It is also for the EU to determine the extent to which it wishes to exercise these rights, including the opening of an office in Belfast staffed by EU representatives who can carry out their functions without interruption by the Westminster Government.

The letter added that it was necessary for liaising with Downing Street, and to oppose the opening of it represents an act of bad faith by your Government and a breach of trust.

View post:

Micheal Martins fury with UK for showing bad faith in Brexit demands - Express

LONDON (Reuters) - Britains government failed to find out whether Russia meddled in the 2016 referendum on membership in the EU, a parliamentary report released on Tuesday said, saying the intelligence services should investigate and make their findings public.

Anti-Brexit demonstrator Steve Bray holds a placard as he protests outside Downing Street in London, Britain, July 21, 2020. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

The long-anticipated report by parliaments intelligence and security committee found that Russia had tried to influence a separate referendum in 2014 when voters in Scotland rejected independence.

But it said the committee was unable to determine whether Russia had attempted to influence the EU referendum, which led to Britains exit from the bloc this year.

When asked for evidence on suspected Russian meddling in the vote, Britains main domestic intelligence agency MI5 produced just six lines of text, the committee said.

It is nonetheless the Committees view that the UK Intelligence Community should produce an analogous assessment of potential Russian interference in the EU referendum and that an unclassified summary of it be published, it said in the report, which was produced more than a year ago and shelved until now.

The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who came to power as one of the leading figures in the victorious campaign to leave the EU, rejected the call for a further review. A spokesman for Johnson said the prime minister was confident the referendum result to leave the EU was fair.

The report cast Russia as a hostile power which posed a significant threat to Britain and the West across a range of fronts, from espionage and cyber to election meddling and laundering dirty money.

It appears that Russia considers the UK one of its top Western intelligence targets, the report said.

It said there were open source indications that Russia had sought to influence the Brexit campaign. But hard evidence had not been produced.

The key point is ... they had not sought even to ask that question and that is at the heart of this report, Stewart Hosie, a Scottish National Party member of committee, told reporters.

We saw no evidence because there was no evidence and no one in government sought to look or ask the questions that needed to be asked, said opposition Labour lawmaker Kevan Jones.

Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the West, casting the United States and Britain as gripped by anti-Russian hysteria.

Russia has never interfered in the electoral processes of any country in the world - not the United States, not Britain, nor any other countries, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cast the report as Russophobia in a fake frame.

Relations between London and Moscow plunged to post-Cold War lows after Britain blamed Russia for poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury.

Last week, the British government said it believed Russian actors had tried to meddle in last years general election, which was held after the report published on Tuesday was finished.

When discussing the EU referendum, the report is heavily redacted and there was a classified annex that was not published.

The committee also cast Russia as a source of corrupt money that had been welcomed in London, the worlds premier international financial capital.

The UK welcomed Russian money, and few questions if any were asked about the provenance of this considerable wealth, the report said. The UK has been viewed as a particularly favourable destination for Russian oligarchs and their money.

It offered ideal mechanisms by which illicit finance could be recycled through what has been referred to as the London laundromat, the report said.

Additional reporting by Alexander Marrow in Moscow; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Sarah Young, Paul Sandle and Peter Graff

Link:

UK government failed to find out whether Russia meddled in Brexit vote: report - Reuters

LONDON Russia sought to meddle in the 2014 Scottish referendum and intelligence agencies should produce an assessment of potential interference in the Brexit referendum, a report by the British parliaments intelligence and security committee said.

There has been credible open source commentary suggesting that Russia undertook influence campaigns in relation to the Scottish independence referendum in 2014, the report, which was finished in March 2019, said.

The report was leaked ahead of its publication time by the Guido Fawkes website. Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the West, casting the United States and Britain as gripped by anti-Russian hysteria.

When discussing the EU referendum, the U.K. parliamentary report is heavily redacted.

In response to our request for written evidence at the outset of the Inquiry, MI5 initially provided just six lines of text. It stated that ***, before referring to academic studies, the redacted version reads.

It is nonetheless the Committees view that the U.K. Intelligence Community should produce an analogous assessment of potential Russian interference in the EU referendum and that an unclassified summary of it be published, the report said.

Read the original post:

Russia meddled in Scottish vote, but unclear on Brexit: UK parliamentary report - The Japan Times

Misinformation and disinformation cause real harm to peoples lives, health, finances, and to our democracy.

Our dangerously out of date election laws have left our elections wide open to disinformation and abuse.

Other free countries have been preparing carefully to protect their elections from foreign and other interference and disinformation campaigns.

For example, the steps Canada has taken as part of its Protecting Democracy programme include: publishing the critical election incident public protocol explaining to citizens how a panel of named public servants will be responsible for warning the public of election interference attempts ...

The UK needs to follow Canadas example and create a process for sharing warnings of election and referendum interference with the voters that is independent of the politicians who are campaigning for our votes.

Read this article:

Government rejects ISC's call for inquiry into Russian interference in Brexit referendum - live news - The Guardian

Well, I think we can see why Boris Johnson was worried about the Intelligence and Security Committee report. Even with redactions, it is utterly damning, not just of him and this government, but of the actions and inactions the two Prime Ministers he helped remove, David Cameron and Theresa May.

National security is right up there in the list of responsibilities of a Prime Minister. They have played fast and loose with it, putting their own and their partys interests before the national interest. They didnt want to look for Russian interference in our democracy because they knew they would find it. And for Johnson in particular, who got to the top on the back of a Brexit long seen by the Russians as an important strategic goal, that was a stone best left unturned. Far better to spend his time raising money for the Tory Party by playing tennis with oligarchs and their wives than look into how the millions from the Putin kleptocracy might be undermining our democratic processes.

The report was shocking, but also unsurprising, for it is all of a piece with his character and his record. In the interest of his own ambitions, he has allowed our politics, for all its faults admired and respected around the world, to be corrupted.

Some of you will be aware of the so-called Nolan Principles, drawn up by Lord Nolan at John Majors request after the so-called cash for questions affair in 1994.Honesty. Openness. Integrity. Transparency. Accountability. Selflessness. Leadership by example.

Johnson and Co break one or all of those every day of the week. It used to be a resigning offence to lie at the despatch box. Johnson cant get through a PMQs without transgressing on that one. The Patel bullying. The unexplained Johnson holidays. The Jenrick/Desmond affair. The hounding out of senior civil servants to be replaced by cronies. The awarding of multi million contracts to friends and family without a proper tendering process. If this was an emerging market in Africa, we would be dusting off the banana republic clichs of Johnsons journalist past.And plenty of the Nolan seven have been breached by the governments handling of the Russia Report, which had to be dragged kicking and screaming into daylight.

As the committee members were addressing the press conference, Russia and China will have been laughing at a country in decline. America, due to its current Adminstration, where America First means just that, and where Donald Trump has drunk the Putin Kool-Aid, is indifferent. Europe, the third real global power, is bemused. All of them, however, are united in seeing the UK as a country that has chosen its own decline. Johnson as Prime Minister, and Brexit as his governments main priority, are two very large symbols of that.

At the weekend the BBC played some of the best moments of the London 2012 Olympic Games. I found I couldnt watch. It was just too sad, too depressing to recall the mood of the country then, and to look at Britain today. Whatever the opposite of the Olympic spirit may be, that is what we have now.

Those were two of our best weeks in living memory and then came another two with the best attended and most lauded Paralympic Games of all time. It truly was a wonderful time to be alive, and to be British. The nation felt as united as I can recall it, as happy too. The image projected to the world was one of a country that was competent, confident, at ease with itself.All that has gone.

The Games were a success for British organisation and also for British politics. They were secured and developed under one government, that of Tony Blair and Chancellor Gordon Brown, and delivered under another, led by David Cameron and George Osborne. Unlike Prime Minister Johnson, who casts any and all critics and opponents to one side, Prime Minister Cameron made sure that Tessa Jowell, Labours Olympics minister, remained centrally involved and the whole operation became an all party success. Johnson, then Mayor of London, added to the gaiety of the nation, and the strength of his own profile, with a series of photo stunts, most memorably on a zip wire.

Now he is Prime Minister, we have gone from internationalist to nationalist. From outward looking to inward looking. From open and welcoming to closed. A source of respect and fascination back then, increasingly today seen as rather eccentric and frankly a bit disturbed. And all pointing to a dramatic decline in relevance, and therefore power.

Boris Johnson is a thread running through the whole sorry story. London Mayor at the time of London 2012. The chief beneficiary of David Camerons catastrophic decision to call a referendum which Johnson exploited to win the fight for a Brexit he never really believed in, but which successfully ensured Camerons demise and Johnsons elevation to Foreign Secretary under Theresa May. Diplomats describe him as the least informed and least wanting to be informed Foreign Secretary of all time. He was more interested in undermining Mrs May who, eventually, made way for him. He secured the position he had always coveted. Then he landed the general election he wanted fighting for Brexit and against Corbyn and he was home and dry.

But after a year in office, what has he achieved? Got Brexit done? Up to a point, in that we are out, but the future remains uncertain and the form of Brexit about to be foisted upon us bears no relation whatever to the many shades of Brexit that were promised, either at the Take Back Control referendum or the Get Brexit Done election.

The most ardent Brexiteers will have looked on at the recent EU Summit, seeing the wrangles and the disagreements over the economic revival plans, and enjoyed a feeling of schadenfreude. But they reached a deal among 27 countries, something the UK has so far failed properly to do over Brexit, despite Johnsons election claims to have an oven-ready deal. Also, step back a bit from the nationalism and the jingoism, study the waves lapping round the geopolitical waters, and the sense of splendid isolation so beloved by ideological Brexiteers is not one that should give us any comfort at all.

At a time of genuine concern for the future of the world, we have lost strength, and though it might not seem like that from a still all too UK-centric media, that is how the rest of the world sees it. We have lost allies and we have lost clout. At a time of grave economic uncertainty, we are leaving the biggest and most successful single market in the world, and ministers rejoice in securing trade deals with countries at the other end of the world that will not even begin to fill the gap.

Coronavirus will be used by the government to try to explain away any and all problems ahead: economic, political, social and cultural. But the path was set by Brexit before any of us knew our Covid from our Cummings. The course was of British isolation and exceptionalism. It is the bed we made with the Brexit vote and with the failure to secure a second referendum on the outcome of the negotiations. Now we have to lie in that bed.Every government on the planet believes it means decline for the UK.

Meanwhile, the Johnson/Gove/Cummings axis has near unbridled power and appears determined to use it to drive through changes that were never specifically offered, or fought for at the ballot box. Any and all institutions are up for grabs, from the civil service to the BBC, the military and the security services, the independent judiciary, schools that Gove and Cummings damaged badly enough when the former was in charge of our schools. Now Cummings wants to do more.

Johnson has the majority and many of the MPs on his side feel they owe their place in large part to him. So he does as he pleases. It can only endure however if it works for the country. Eventually he will need to show he can govern as well as campaign. Thus far the signs are not good. He has failed on his big ideological challenge, Brexit, which now more than ever is exposed as a fraud. He has failed on his big crisis challenge Covid. And now we know he has failed on one of the main responsibilities as Prime Minister national security. He wont last. The only question is how much irreparable damage he does to the UK while he is there.

Original post:

Brexit, PM Johnson, the Russia Report evidence of Britain in decline - TheArticle

Tuesday, July 21, 2020 5:41 a.m. EDT by Thomson Reuters

By Elizabeth Piper and William James

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's government failed to find out whether Russia meddled in the 2016 referendum on membership in the EU, a parliamentary report released on Tuesday said, saying the intelligence services should investigate and make their findings public.

The long-anticipated report by parliament's intelligence and security committee found that Russia had tried to influence a separate referendum in 2014 when voters in Scotland rejected independence.

But it said the committee was unable to determine whether Russia had attempted to influence the EU referendum, which led to Britain's exit from the bloc this year.

When asked for evidence on suspected Russian meddling in the vote, Britain's main domestic intelligence agency MI5 produced just six lines of text, the committee said.

"It is nonetheless the Committees view that the UK Intelligence Community should produce an analogous assessment of potential Russian interference in the EU referendum and that an unclassified summary of it be published," it said in the report, which was produced more than a year ago and shelved until now.

The government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who came to power as one of the leading figures in the victorious campaign to leave the EU, rejected the call for a further review. A spokesman for Johnson said the prime minister was confident the referendum result to leave the EU was fair.

The report cast Russia as a hostile power which posed a significant threat to Britain and the West across a range of fronts, from espionage and cyber to election meddling and laundering dirty money.

"It appears that Russia considers the UK one of its top Western intelligence targets," the report said.

It said there were open source indications that Russia had sought to influence the Brexit campaign. But hard evidence had not been produced.

"The key point is ... they had not sought even to ask that question and that is at the heart of this report," Stewart Hosie, a Scottish National Party member of committee, told reporters.

"We saw no evidence because there was no evidence and no one in government sought to look or ask the questions that needed to be asked," said opposition Labour lawmaker Kevan Jones.

Russia has repeatedly denied meddling in the West, casting the United States and Britain as gripped by anti-Russian hysteria.

"Russia has never interfered in the electoral processes of any country in the world - not the United States, not Britain, nor any other countries," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova cast the report as "Russophobia in a fake frame".

RUSSIAN MEDDLING AND MONEY

Relations between London and Moscow plunged to post-Cold War lows after Britain blamed Russia for poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia with a nerve agent in the English city of Salisbury.

Last week, the British government said it believed Russian actors had tried to meddle in last year's general election, which was held after the report published on Tuesday was finished.

When discussing the EU referendum, the report is heavily redacted and there was a classified annex that was not published.

The committee also cast Russia as a source of corrupt money that had been welcomed in London, the world's premier international financial capital.

"The UK welcomed Russian money, and few questions if any were asked about the provenance of this considerable wealth," the report said. "The UK has been viewed as a particularly favourable destination for Russian oligarchs and their money."

"It offered ideal mechanisms by which illicit finance could be recycled through what has been referred to as the London 'laundromat'," the report said.

(Additional reporting by Alexander Marrow in Moscow; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge; Editing by Sarah Young, Paul Sandle and Peter Graff)

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UK government failed to determine whether Russia meddled in Brexit vote: report - WTVB News

(Bloomberg) --

They have played an unglamorous but essential role in business for almost a century. Now a shortage of wooden pallets is threatening to derail Britains cross-border trade with the European Union after Brexit.

From January, wooden pallets moving goods between the U.K. and EU will need to comply with ISPM-15 -- an international rule that requires them to be baked to 56 degrees Celsius for at least 30 minutes to prevent the spread of pests and diseases.

In a letter to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs last month, the head of the U.K.s Timber Packaging and Pallet Confederation warned that Britain wont have enough that comply with the rule -- and the coronavirus has hampered efforts to plug the shortfall.

It is even more unlikely the 1st January, 2021 compliance date will be met, John Dye, the lobby groups president, wrote in the June 7 letter. There has been a lot of progress made by our pragmatic industry, but there is still a lot more to come along.

The shortage adds to a growing list of obstacles that businesses engaged in cross-border trade will face after Britains final parting with the EU at the year-end. Firms are already grappling with how to produce customs declarations for the first time in three decades, while they also face the prospect of their truck movements being policed by an as yet untested government IT system.

According to Dye, as many as 100 million pallets move between the U.K. and EU each year. So far, they havent needed to comply with ISPM-15 because movements between EU member states are exempt -- something that will come to an end when the post-Brexit transition period ends on Dec. 31.

Pallet makers in both the U.K. and EU have been trying to ramp up production, but their efforts have been hit by the pandemic, Dye said. Installations of new kilns to heat-treat pallets were badly delayed by the virus, he said.

It has slowed things up, Dye said by telephone. We were very disappointed the government didnt ask for an extension to cover the six months we lost, he said, referring to the U.K.s decision not to extend the transition period.

Asked whether the U.K. government believes it will have an adequate supply of ISPM-15 compliant pallets ready for Jan. 1, DEFRA didnt give a direct answer.

Strict Enforcement?

Treatment capacity for wooden pallets has increased, the department said in a statement. We are working closely with industry to help ensure a sufficient stock of compliant pallets in time for January.

The ISPM-15 requirement will apply to goods moving in both directions. In a 206-page document outlining its plans for the border after Brexit released last week, the British government said imports may be subject to checks for compliance with the standard.

Dye, who is also the technical & industry affairs director at Scott Pallets, said he hopes the EU wont enforce the rule strictly because the bloc, too, has a shortage of compliant pallets. But he still tells customers that they cant be certain the EU will go easy on the U.K.

They might be stopped, he said of the pallets. Its quite frustrating when politicians are playing with peoples businesses.

2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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The Wrong Kind of Pallets Threatens Border Trouble After Brexit - BNN

By AFP

LONDON:The British government should properly investigate any Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum after failing to look into it despite past evidence of Kremlin meddling, a parliamentary report said Tuesday.

It said oligarchs with links to Russian President Vladimir Putin used their wealth for 'extending patronage and building influence across a wide sphere of the British establishment'.

"There should have been an assessment of Russian interference in the referendum. And there must now be one, and the public must be told the results of that assessment," intelligence and security committee member Kevan Jones said.

The report said it could not point to specific evidence of Russian meddling in the 2016 vote on Britain's EU membership and a 2014 poll on Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom, which the "no" camp won by 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

But Jones said this happened because the UK government "actively avoided asking the question".

"No one wanted to touch it with a 10-foot pole," Jones said.

"In brief, Russian influence in the UK is the new normal, and there are a lot of Russians with very close links to Putin who are well integrated into the UK business and social scene, and accepted because of their wealth," the report said.

"This level of integration - in 'Londongrad' in particular - means that any measures now being taken by the Government are not preventative but rather constitute damage limitation."

"Londongrad" is widely viewed as a central part of London that is a haven for Russian oligarchs, who invest in luxury properties in prestigious areas such as Chelsea.

The report's release has been delayed for months, leading to accusations for the opposition that Prime Minister Boris Johnson wanted to suppress it.

He came to head the government a year ago, after replacing his Conservative party predecessor Theresa May, who became prime minister immediately after the Brexit vote.

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'UK govt should probe any Russian interference in 2016 Brexit poll' - The New Indian Express