Daily Archives: January 17, 2022

In recent days it was confirmed two of the largest fishing vessels in the world (the Afrika' and the Zeeland') were both spotted fishing just 15 miles off the coast of Cornwall.

Both are registered in the Netherlands, and for some obscure reason, have been given licences to fish in UK waters.

They are both well over 100 yards long and use nets which can be the size of six football pitches.

Such large vessels indiscriminately catch huge numbers of fish at one time, whatever their species and size, with no regard for the damage this must do to the fish stocks of this country as well as the general biodiversity of UK waters.

Despite this serious threat to the United Kingdoms fishing industry, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), headed by George Eustice, gave permission for both these vessels to fish here, as well as seven other so-called Supertrawlers registered in the European Union, as part of the rollover of more than 1,500 fishing licences for EU vessels to operate in UK waters.

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Brexit LIVE: 'Never happen!' Remoaners' 100k City exodus myth SMASHED jobs surge 100%+ - Daily Express

Michael Fabricant is MP for Lichfield.

Last week, I spent considerable time on the media defending Boris Johnson (as I will perhaps do this week too). Why did I do so?

Am I after a promotion?No.Do I want to get into the Prime Ministers good books? No.

Its because I despise bullying and injustice.Whether it was my challenging John Bercow never a wise move to argue with a Speaker who can switch you off mid-sentence or a Minister who was bullying a subordinate in his department, they all have to be called out.

At the beginning of last week, the media were trying to portray Downing Street operations as bacchanalia flourishing in the face of a national lockdown.And little riles the British public more than hypocrisy by those in power setting rules for others which they themselves then ignore.

So I thought it important to explain that the Downing Street garden is not a public place like a park from which we were all banned except for taking exercise.Far from it.I also sought to explain that it is not just a few grand rooms, but 100 plus pokey little offices in three buildings over 300 years old, all knocked together.It was no surprise to me when Covid ripped through numbers 10, 11, and 12, with Johnson himself being rushed to hospital.

At the time of the garden party in May 2020, I have pointed out that many staff had been working 18 hour days, and were exhausted.So meeting in the fresh air, in a secure environment patrolled by armed police so no outsiders could mix in, was not going to increase the risk of spreading Covid.

Was it wise?Probably not.Was it illegal as it was not a public space? Well, Sue Gray will be the judge of that.And one of the Prime Ministers failings we all have them is that he empathises with staff who have been working long, unthanked hours for him and the nation.

However, we now find that there was a culture of meeting for drinks after work, as in so many other organisations.Again, no mixing with outsiders was permitted, so although it might be understandable from an epidemiological view, at a time of lockdown it was wrong.

And Johnson has apologised to the House of Commons and to the British public.When he found that a leaving party took place the night before the funeral of Prince Philip, he apologised to the Queen, even though he did not himself attend: at the time he was over 40 miles away at Chequers.

But the visceral loathing of the Prime Minister goes deeper than just the understandable fury of those who think its one rule for them and one rule for us.

Its one that defies logic and forgiveness. For it was Johnson who delivered Brexit and there are many who suffer from Long Brexit: they just cant get over it and will never forgive.And then there is an even stronger motive: the very fear that just as the magic of the Prime Minister delivered Brexit, so he could deliver another general election victory for the Conservatives, too.

Of course, MPs have been receiving Boris must go messages, and many of them are identical website click emails.In total, the number of messages I have received so far not all from my constituency because of my recent media profile are less than one-fifth of one percent of my electorate.

I do not doubt that people are very angry, and some of my colleagues in Parliament fear for their own seats or have always despised Johnsons approach.

I concede there is something wrong at the heart of Downing Street.But it isnt an arrogant detachment from the public as our opponents wish to portray.It is the very structure by which the organisation is run.The civil servants and advisors are all part of the Cabinet Office, which is based in a different building in Whitehall.

Tony Blair tried to establish a different department: an Office of Prime Minister. The idea makes eminent sense, but he failed. Johnson must not.A separate Office of Prime Minister with its own civil service management based in the building might well have prevented these gaffs from happening.

So where do we go from here? Gray is yet to report and if the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are to be believed, Britain could soon be the first country in the northern hemisphere to escape the Covid pandemic.

Meanwhile, I will continue to try and explain these circumstances on tv until even the press tire of their relentless Johnson-bashing.

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Michael Fabricant: Johnson's enemies will never forgive him for Brexit. They must not be allowed to oust him. - ConservativeHome

Divisions in the Conservative Party over the "partygate" scandal and Boris Johnson's future as leader are bursting into the open, with some taking up the cudgels for the Prime Minister and others claiming his position is now untenable. A fully fledged Tory Party civil war seems to have erupted, as anger over a series of leaks about alleged lockdown parties in Number 10 are engulfing Mr Johnson's premiership. But former adviser to Margaret Thatcher, Nile Gardiner, has explained what unseating Mr Johnson could mean for Brexit.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Gardiner said: "There's certainly a battle within the Conservative Party for the future of the party.

"There is a battle between more wet elements, and more Thatcherite elements, for the future of the party.

"There are many MPs who fear of course that if Boris Johnson goes then the whole Brexit project will be threatened.

"There are some who fear that an early general election could lead a far-left Government taking power in the UK that actually reverses Brexit.

READ MORE:Brexit LIVE: Liz Truss 'not backing down' to EU - but theres a catch

"It won't be part of their platform for the election of course but once in power, a Labour/SNP coalition could seek to fundamentally reverse the process and defy the will of the British people.

"There are major concerns here on so many levels across the board."

Six Conservative MPs have called for the Prime Minister to quit so far, arguing that a change of senior officials would not reverse the "terminal damage" done to Mr Johnson by the allegations.

Former children's minister Tim Loughton, in a post published on Facebook on Saturday, said: "It is not down to a simple Government policy change or a sacking of ministers or officials to put things right.

For a leadership contest to be triggered, 54 letters of no confidence in the Prime Minister have to be submitted by Tory MPs to Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee, asking for a vote on the Conservative leader's future.

Sir Graham does not publicly state how many letters he has received, but reports suggest about 20 might have been handed in.

While strong words about Mr Johnson have undoubtedly been said by his own faction, many Tories have come out to promptly and passionately defend him.

Veteran Tory MP Peter Bone told LBC he had found constituents in his Wellingborough seat were "clearly in support of the Prime Minister", while former trade secretary Dr Liam Fox - who was sacked by Mr Johnson - said it was the "wrong time" for a change of leader.

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'Brexit under threat!' Boris Johnson warned early election to spark reverse of EU ref - Daily Express

Manufacturers in Northern Ireland have ranked the post-Brexit arrangements for trade in Northern Ireland as the least of the challenges facing their businesses, according to a quarterly industry survey, with 28% saying trade with the EU has increased over the last year.

The top concern was listed as labour shortages caused by the pandemic but also the end of freedom of movement that prevents EU citizens living in border counties in the republic of Ireland crossing into Northern Ireland for work.

The protocol was the least of their worries, said Stephen Kelly, chief executive of Manufacturing Northern Ireland (MNI), which conducted the survey. While we all get caught up in the political narrative, in business the bigger concerns are staff recruitment, productivity and then the pandemic itself.

It shows the narrative favoured by the DUP [Democratic Unionist party] and others that Northern Ireland is going to hell in a handcart because of the protocol is quite clearly not the case, quite the opposite, Kelly added.

He said there was a huge uptick in the number of firms accepting that the protocol is here to stay, but many want it to work better through simplifications of paperwork.

The survey reveals some businesses are now enjoying a Brexit dividend, with 28% saying they have experienced an increase in trade with the EU including the republic of Ireland. Two in five businesses also want the Northern Ireland executive, the equivalent of the governments cabinet, to seize the unique opportunities the country has to trade with both the UK and the single market.

The survey comes as the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, who took over Brexit negotiations after the resignation of Lord Frost before Christmas, holds a second day of talks with the European Commission over the protocol and wider relations with the EU. Truss is hosting the commissions vice-president, Maro efovi, at Chevening House in Kent.

Sources say that the UK will continue to press for further compromises on the checks on goods going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Businesses surveyed by MNI show that while it may not be a priority concern, many are still experiencing a negative impact of the checks and customs controls on goods crossing from Great Britain to Northern Ireland. However, the portion expressing concern in the last quarter is just over 50% down from 77% in the first quarter.

Great Britains readiness for the customs paperwork that applies to goods remains the big issue as one in five report their GB suppliers are unwilling to send to Northern Ireland.

This has remained consistent throughout 2021, said Kelly.

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Northern Ireland manufacturers say Brexit protocol least of worries survey - The Guardian

Julian Jessop took to Twitter after the Office For National Statistics published its latest economic statistics, relating to November 2021, which reveals GDP rose 0.9 percent, while the economy was 0.7 percent larger than in February 2020. Mr Jessop, who used the data to update his UK GDP forecasts, posted: UK economic growth in 2021 is likely to be just shy of 7.5 percent, one percent higher than assumed in the October Budget and three percent higher than the consensus at the start of last year.

This means that the UK was almost certainly the fastest-growing G7 economy in 2021.

Many were likely to dismiss this as an inevitable minor recovery after the large fall in 2020, Mr Jessop, the former Chief Economist at the Institute for Economic Affairs (IEA), conceded.

However he added: The UK still did much better than expected, even taking account of this favourable base effect.

To illustrate his point, Mr Jessop share a chart comparing what he called two different vintages of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Developments forecasts for last year.

He said: In December 2020 the OECD expected the UK to grow by 4.2 percent in 2021, and to be outpaced by France and Italy.

This turned out to be the biggest forecast error for any G7 economy.

READ MORE:Booming Britain - EIGHT ways UK is better off outside EU

The economy is still much smaller than if it had continued to grow at its pre-Covid trend, and parts are still on life support.

But the UK recovery also ended 2021 with more positive momentum than many of its peers, with GDP rising about one percent in Q4.

So while UK GDP regained its pre-Covid level a little later than some (notably the US and France), it has a better chance of pushing on from here.

The first full-year estimates for 2021, which were also published on Friday, also suggested Germany was now the G7 laggard, Mr Jessop said.

He explained: German GDP fell by 0.5 percent to 1.0% q/q in Q4 and is still below its pre-Covid level, due to supply chain problems, soaring #inflation, and Omicron restriction.

Looking ahead to the rest of 2022, Mr Jessop expects UK GDP to risk by between 5.5 and six percent.

He said: The recovery probably stalled again in December and January, due to caution over #Omicron, and rising energy bills and tax hikes will add to the headwinds in 2022.

But there should be some powerful tailwinds too, including the strong #jobs market, a further easing of #Brexit uncertainty, a rebound in business #investment, and the fading threat from Covid.

The more timely business and consumer surveys are generally reassuring too.

He concluded: The UK economy should again beat expectations this year.

Obviously, there are big risks (in both directions), and the government may need to do more to help low-income households in particular.

But the consensus still looks too pessimistic, just as it was in 2021.

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Brexit Britain roars back to outpace the EU as expert hails fastest growing G7 economy - Daily Express

Fury has erupted after the Africa and the Zeeland - two of the largest fishing vessels in the world - were seen just 15 miles off the Cornwall coast on several days throughout last week. Jayne Adye, director of the pro-Brexit campaign group Get Britain Out, said: Both are registered in the Netherlands, and for some obscure reason, have been given licences to fish in UK waters. They are both well over 100 meters long and use nets which can be the size of six football pitches.

She added: Such large vessels indiscriminately catch huge numbers of fish at one time, whatever their species and size, with no regard for the damage this must do to the fish stocks of this country as well as the general biodiversity of UK waters."

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), had given permission for both vessels to fish here, she claimed.

In addition, seven other supertrawlers registered in the EU were operating with the blessing of the UK Government.

A Defra spokesperson said: As an independent coastal state we can now review which vessels, including supertrawlers, can access and fish our waters.

The new licensing framework within the Fisheries Act allows us to apply conditions to the activities of all fishing vessels in our waters - regardless of their nationality and will need to abide by UK rules around sustainability and access to our Blue Belt of protected waters.

But the latest triggered a furious response from Britons, who have launched a blistering attack against Mr Johnson and his Government.

Express.co.uk reader alanwalton raged: "This is one of many reasons he has to go, because he has been useless."

Fellow reader harrymc mocked the Prime Minister's repeated pledge the UK would take back control following Brexit.

READ MORE:Brexit LIVE: Rishi Sunak told 'fuel can be zero-rated instantly'

Gezzer said: "He keeps making mistake after mistake and doesn't learn from past lessons.

"This is just another one of them."

Express reader Liberated UK simply said: "He just needs to go now."

Elsewhere, Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney has ramped up the pressure on UK counterpart Liz Truss by saying he wants to see an agreement on the much-debated Northern Ireland Protocol reached by the end of February.

This comes after Ms Truss held her first meeting with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic since taking over Brexit negotiations following the shock resignation of Lord Frost last month.

Mr Coveney acknowledged the meeting marked a "reset" in the relationship between the EU and UK negotiating teams, which is now "in a better place than we've seen for a while".

He said: "From my conversations with both sides, I think that process will be a very serious one.

"I think in people's minds, really, we would like to have, if possible, these issues resolved by the end of February so that the elections in Northern Ireland can move ahead without being dominated by the Protocol issues, right the way to polling day.

"Elections in the North are often polarising enough affairs without having the added complexity and tension around the Protocol and its implementation.

"So I think everybody is conscious of their responsibility in terms of trying to bring some stability and certainty to Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit, and the Northern Ireland Protocol."

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'Boris must go!' Britons rage at Brexit fishing move: 'Not done what he was elected to do' - Daily Express

Britons are charged with a five percent levy on energy bills, a policy introduced by the EU back in the Nineties. The Prime Minister promised that the UK could get rid of that policy after Brexit, back when he was running the referendum campaign. Back in 2016, Mr Johnson wrote in The Sun with Michael Gove: Fuel bills will be lower for everyone. In 1993, VAT on household energy bills was imposed.

This makes gas and electricity much more expensive When we Vote Leave, we will be able to scrap this unfair and damaging tax.

But now, at a time when energy bills are soaring, Mr Johnson has rejected the calls for this measure.

Mike Foster, head of Energy Utilities Alliance, toldExpress.co.uk: It is a clear betrayal of Brexit voters, who were promised that VAT on energy bills would be scrapped.

If the Prime Minister doesnt stay true to his word, they would be right to feel they have been lied to.

Whether he should have made that promise or not, without understanding the implications is irrelevant, he made that promise and he needs to deliver on it.

This is despite a national energy crisis, with the energy price cap expected to rise by 50 percent to 2,000 in April.

This is the maximum tariff an energy company can charge consumers.

And millions of Britons were already hit with a previous price cap rise back in October.

Mr Foster toldExpress.co.ukthat many of those impacted are Red Wall voters.

These are key seats that Mr Johnson was able to snatch from Labour in the 2019 election which consists largely of Brexiteers.

READ MORE:Archaeology: Shipwreck found in British waters 105 years after it sank

Mr Sunak posted Twitter: Ive been on a visit all day today continuing work on our #PlanForJobs as well as meeting MPs to discuss the energy situation."

Meanwhile, calls for Mr Johnson to resign have been coming in thick and fast.

Conservative MP William Wragg is chair of the public administration and constitutional affairs committee and a vice-chair of the backbenchConservative 1922 Committee executive.

He has demanded that Mr Johnson steps down after a series of scandals.

This includes a work party that broke Covid rules which Mr Johnson has admitted he attended.

Mr Wragg said: "Im particularly concerned, as a Conservative MP with interests of the country, my constituency and the Conservative party, that a series of unforced errors on matters of integrity are deeply damaging to the perception of my colleagues and the party.

"And that is deeply unfair to them.

"As colleagues are saying to one another and off the record, I sadly think that the prime ministers position is untenable."

"I dont believe it should be left to the findings of a civil servant to determine the future of the prime minister, and indeed who governs this country."

A union representing 100,000 health workers have also called for Mr Johnson to step down.

Unite national officer for health Colenzo Jarrett-Thorpe said: Health workers have toiled long and sacrificed much during the last two years of the pandemic.

They have taken huge personal risks caring for the public and day-after-day observed all the standing rules on Covid.

The Prime Minister has set these rules and yet he has flagrantly broken them. His position in office is now untenable."

A YouGov poll revealed that 56 percent of people believe Mr Johnson should resign.

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Boris on brink: Clear betrayal of Brexit voters who feel 'lied to' could topple PM - Daily Express

Brexit minister Lord Frost resigns from Cabinet

The Government's former Brexit negotiator has accused some EU officials of ongoing bad faith in a wide-ranging interview with The Telegraph. Of the UK's current relations with the bloc, he said: "While I was in those [Brexit] negotiations, I often felt we werent being taken seriously, that the EU didnt look on us as an equal negotiating partner, but as a kind of province or territory in which they expected to exercise exceptional influence, one way or another.

"Thats not how we saw it and I wasnt happy about it.

"I think the atmosphere is gradually improving, as certain people move on. But a lot of the EU is invested in Brexit failing."

In a discussion on civil service reform, the former senior Foreign Office mandarin disagreed when asked if people in Whitehall wanted to sabotage Brexit under Theresa May's premiership and since.

He said: "I wouldnt say sabotage. But the intellectual midpoint of the Civil Service was that the European Union is a jolly good thing, and it was very bad that we were leaving so it took time to get the system in the right place."

Lord Frost acknowledges in The Telegraph that "there was obviously an attempt to stop Brexit after the referendum, with parts of our political establishment working in cooperation with some in the EU to have a second run at it".

On Northern Ireland, which is still in the EU single market, Lord Frost describes it as "quite shocking" that Brussels has used the territory's fragile peace as a bargaining chip when negotiating Brexit, in particular when Theresa May was Prime Minister.

He said: "One of the problems we had when we came in in 2019 is that a lot of the damage had been done, with positions of principle already conceded.

"We were extremely worried we wouldnt get Brexit at all in any form, so we took the strategic decision to deliver it as quickly as possible, in a way that gives the country free choice about the future."

READ MORE ON FEARS COVID CASES COULD BE THREE TIMES HIGHERS

He added that under the Northern Ireland Protocol, in contrast with Mays Irish backstop, the Northern Ireland Assembly has the right to vote in four years time as to whether or not existing arrangements should continue.

The Government also has the right to invoke Article 16 of the protocol, which would bring the agreement to an end.

Lord Frost said: "It definitely has to be a real option for us. Its always best to do things by negotiation if you can, but the way the EU is acting now makes no sense and its obvious the protocol must be changed significantly or replaced.

"If they insist on the goods moving into Northern Ireland as being like any external border of the EU, then it wont work. Thats not what the protocol was designed to do.

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"If the EU wants a good relationship with us, they should negotiate and put in place something better."

It comes as Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney said he wants to see an agreement on the Protocol reached by the end of February.

He said he does not want to see the Northern Ireland Assembly election in May become dominated by the "polarising" issue.

Since taking over Brexit negotiations after Lord Frost's resignation, Britain's Foreign Secretary Liz Truss held her first meeting with European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic this week.

Mr Coveney, speaking on Friday, said the meeting marked a reset in the relationship between the EU and UK, which is now "in a better place" than seen "for a while".

He said: "From my conversations with both sides, I think that process will be a very serious one.

"I think in people's minds, really, we would like to have, if possible, these issues resolved by the end of February so that the elections in Northern Ireland can move ahead without being dominated by the Protocol issues, right the way to polling day.

"Elections in the North are often polarising enough affairs without having the added complexity and tension around the Protocol and its implementation.

"So I think everybody is conscious of their responsibility in terms of trying to bring some stability and certainty to Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit, and the Northern Ireland Protocol."

Ms Truss said there is a "deal to be done" following her meeting with Mr Sefcovic.

However, she refused to rule out the possibility the UK could invoke Article 16 if a way forward could not be agreed upon.

However, Mr Coveney insisted the Protocol is here to stay and he did not expect the UK to remove the threat of Article 16 until a deal is agreed.

He told RTE Radio One: "The Protocol is there. It's part of an international treaty, it's part of international law.

"And so the focus really on the EU side is how do we implement this Protocol in a way that is pragmatic and flexible, and takes on board the genuine concerns that have been raised in Northern Ireland?

"I think if both sides work on that basis, there is a landing zone that can be agreed over the next six or eight weeks.

"As an Irish government perspective, we'll be working to try to assist that process."

Mr Coveney said he did not expect the UK Government to follow through on its threat to trigger Article 16, adding: "I don't expect that the UK side will take something like the use of Article 16 off the table, until there's an agreement. That's just the nature of negotiations.

"But I have to say, I think the consequences of the triggering of Article 16, in a way that sets aside large elements of the Protocol would be hugely damaging to the relationships that we're now trying to build to solve these issues through negotiation and good politics."

Since its introduction in 2021, the Protocol has disrupted trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

Unionists are opposed to the checks because they do not want Northern Ireland to be treated differently to the rest of the country.

The UK wants changes, including getting rid of checks between the UK and Northern Ireland.

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Lord Frost exposes how EU really sees the UK bloc is invested in making Brexit fail - Express

Its now official. At least one state government in the UK has declared the term Brexit politically too toxic and banned its use in official correspondence and statements.

The Labour-led Welsh Government has ordered its civil servants not to use Brexit to refer to Britains exit from the European Union. The period between February 1 and December 31, 2020 when Britain was in the process of leaving the EU, is to be referred to as the transition phase.

The Brexit has acquired a divisive connotation because of the way it was used by Boris Johnson and his supporters during the 2016 referendum to polarise public opinion portraying opponents of Brexit as anti-national. It triggered widespread xenophobia leading to immigrants from EU countries being targeted and told to go home.

Other terms banned in an updated official style-guide issued by the Welsh Government include HM government (Her Majestys government) to refer to the Central UK government; BAME for members of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities; and able-bodied. Substitutes recommended are UK government, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and non-disabled respectively. And, oh, Welsh Assembly is no longer Welsh Assembly. Its Welsh Parliament.

The move has been greeted with mockery with some officials accusing the government of behaving like a Big Brother gone bonkers by banning words and phrases used every day by ordinary people.

Is this whats called losing the plot? as one official said

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London Diary: Brexit is a dirty word now - National Herald

Boris Johnsons withdrawal agreement effectively kept Northern Ireland in the single market - a move with has outraged its unionist community. Now the protocol has created another problem as the skyrocketing price of gas threatens to help exacerbate a looming cost of living crisis.

Unlike the rest of the UK, Northern Ireland cannot currently cut VAT below five percent.

This is because it is bound by Article 8 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which deems the province within the European Union rules for VAT and excise.

Current EU legislation deems five percent the minimum threshold VAT can be levied at, which itself is the existing UK rate on energy and so it could not be cut here.

This means that a Scrap the VAT campaign on energy bills being run by broadcaster and economic commentator Liam Halligan would not be allowed to apply in the province.

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Are they prepared to back the opposition in calling for a pan-UK reduction in living costs or will they yet again demand a rigorous implementation of a protocol that legislatively limits the positive impact a nation state can have in helping ordinary people with their everyday lives?

Alliance MP Mr Farry, along with SDLP MPs Mr Eastwood and Ms Hanna have all criticised Brexit in the past.

Earlier this week a Labour motion calling for VAT to be scrapped on energy bills was dismissed in the House of Commons.

MPs voted by 319 to 229 a majority of 90 against the proposal, with Anne Marie Morris the only Conservative MP to rebel and support the measure.

Labour argued that the move - which would be funded through a tax on North Sea oil and gas companies - could save households 200 off their bills, with up to 600 in total for those who need it most.

Speaking afterwards, Sir Keir said Conservative MPs had been given the opportunity to put families, pensioners and struggling businesses first, with a VAT cut on energy bills.

They voted against it.

Instead of providing security for those who need it the most, the Conservatives are abandoning them.

Express.co.uk has contacted all three MPs for comment.

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Brexit outrage: UK powerless to cut hated VAT while still shackled to EU MPs told to act - Daily Express