Daily Archives: July 21, 2022

The right kinds of pro-competition rules set standards so contracts can be enforced, staff aren't exploited, our environment is preserved and food is safe to eat. They stop monopolies and cartels, and create jobs, wealth and economic growth by putting customers first, rather than politicians, bureaucrats or company bosses.

The Conservative Party is the party of enterprise. It was this party that unleashed the enterprise revolution in the 1980s. But most business leaders will tell you they are being held back by dense thickets of red tape and quangos that go well beyond those pro-competition rules and standards, and which slow businesses and wealth-creators down by focusing them on form filling instead of customers, making them less nimble, creative and efficient as a result.

So cutting the size and weight of these regulatory millstones around the neck of our economy is vital. But it isnt easy because every system in Whitehall and Westminster is set up to produce new rules. Its how politicians, civil servants and regulators forge their careers, and its why reducing red tape never comes naturally.

Recent history teaches some bitter lessons. We cut red tape successfully between 2010 and 2015 with aone-in-one-out'system that worked okay and later becameone-in-two-out, even though it couldnt apply to all the EU rules that came from Brussels. But then we abandoned it and surprise things went into reverse: in 2018 we tried to cut red tape costs by 9bn but they rose by 8bn instead.

And even though Brexit is now legally done, theres been no bonfire of all that EU red tape so far.

The optimist in me says that the opportunities for post-Brexit Britain to cut red tape costs ought to be immense, because no-one has dealt with 40 years of EU rules and regulations that have piled up on our books.

Scraping all those barnacles off our economys hull ought to be a massive and economically-vital Brexit dividend that will make our exporters and wealth-creators much, much more competitive than before. But, six years after the Brexit referendum, the realist in me says it wont happen automatically.

We will have to grab Government by the scruff of its neck to make the changes we need.

So thats what well do. My Government will reintroduce the one-in-one-out system to begin with, because its the only thing thats proven to work. And why shouldnt we aim even higher in future, by going back to one-in-two-out after that too, like we did before?

Either way, no Minister or regulator will be able to introduce new rules or regulations until theyve found a barrowload of red tape cost to get rid of first.

For example, we can rebuild our natural ecosystems faster and more effectively. Well achieve this by repealing EU rules which force water companies to solve water quality problems by building expensive, high-carbon water treatment plants, when striking deals with local farmers to reduce pollution risks or slow water runoff upstream could be both a greener and far more economically efficient and productive solution instead.

And we should extend the hugely-successful Open Banking project, which has freed up High Street banking and created gale-force winds of competition from new high-tech online banking challenger firms, which have used the extra freedoms to give customers more choices of ultra-modern, cheap and convenient banking apps than anyone would have dreamed of a few years ago.

The next steps should be to extend the same rule-changes to help customers in other areas of finance like pensions and mortgages, and then move on to lots of other parts of our economy too.

Then we should launch a project with British businesses to make our customs processes the easiest, quickest, cheapest, simplest and most digital in the world, reducing frictions and improving productivity for all British exporters and importers too.

If Britain is the easiest, simplest and most convenient country in the world to trade with, it will make us a natural hub for many global industries.

Put alongside our existing strong reputation for reliable business conditions, with easily-enforced contracts, a widely-used legal system, global product standards and the English language, it will make Global Britain easier and quicker to build.

These are just three examples, but there are many more as was set out in the recent Taskforce on Innovation Growth & Regulatory Reform.

Its time to stop talking aboutBrexit dividendsand get on with delivering them instead.

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'We've waited too long to cut EU red tape!' Penny Mordaunt's Brexit blueprint for Britain - Express

There is a British connection to Irelands refugee accommodation problem, although it is not fear of being deported to Rwanda, as Taoiseach Michel Martin claimed last week.

Ireland made its open-door offer to Ukrainian refugees as part of its self-image as a progressive European nation, an image it has tended to define against Britain, especially since Brexit.

When the Republic threw open its doors in March, pious comparisons were made including by Government figures with the UKs draconian visa requirements.

[Newton Emerson: Tory leadership contest may blow open argument on funding for Northern Ireland]

[Newton Emerson: Brussels remains intoxicated by EU nationalism Brexit helped to crystallise]

London took umbrage: there were anonymous briefings of a security threat to Britain via the Common Travel Area, which Ministers in Dublin had to dismiss.

Of course, the UK has begun defining itself against the EU post-Brexit, notably on its military support for Ukraine.

So Irelands refugee policy was competitively framed from the outset. This appears to have provoked a reflexive outburst against Britain as demand for accommodation outstripped supply.

The UKs Rwanda policy is wrong and shocking, the Taoiseach added. Ironically, it was copied from Denmark, the usual ideal of a progressive European nation.

There is no evidence asylum seekers are being diverted from the UK to Ireland. Martins claim, which he admitted was based on anecdote and intuition, has been denied by the Dublin office of the UNHCR.

Numbers entering the State have risen but only back to the pre-pandemic trend. The same is true in the UK. The Taoiseach is fortunate the British government is in too much disarray to laud his claim from the rooftops. Nobody in the UK thinks the Rwanda policy is working: migrant channel crossings have doubled this year.

The Irish public does not believe it either. There was obvious scepticism at blaming Britain for the accommodation shortfall, making this an instance of unpopular populism: nationalist begrudgery from the top that fell on stony ground.

It is striking to see Martin, normally a conciliatory figure, resort to such finger-pointing. Attitudes to Britain across the rest of Government can only be worse, as another immigration policy suggests.

Offering Irish-Americans visas to retire in Ireland was a 2018 proposal developed by Fine Gael Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan and his successor, Simon Coveney.

It was intended to be a quid pro quo for more US working visas for Ireland, until that was blocked by Congress.

In February this year, Flanagan proposed reviving it unilaterally, as its advantages in strengthening cultural and economic ties justify themselves.

Tnaiste Leo Varadkar officially unveiled the scheme last weekend in an online address to an Ancient Order of Hibernians conference in Pittsburgh.

This is a huge policy announcement for Ireland, with potentially significant social impacts. The first question most people will have is if any planning has been done to provide American immigrants with accommodation. That question has also been raised previously in the press.

Few US pensioners retire abroad and almost none stray beyond North America but it is difficult to predict how much pent-up demand might be released once an accessible retirement option in Europe becomes available. It would not take many cash-rich retirees to impact rural and coastal housing markets, where most would want to live. One-third of Irish-Americans have told surveys they would be interested in any scheme to reside or buy property in Ireland.

The Government still has nothing to say on this question. However, Varadkar told the Pittsburgh conference: Our friends and allies in Washington have stood behind us and have not faltered when it comes to protecting the Northern Ireland protocol and the Good Friday agreement. This vital relationship needs to remain strong.

Introducing a policy so momentous as a thank you to Irish America for helping to stand up to Britain over Brexit reveals a complete disconnection between the fixations of the Government and the priorities of the population.

As taoiseach in 2019, Varadkar brought Irish America into play to dissuade the UK from flirting with a no-deal Brexit. It was a diplomatic triumph that continues to consume official efforts, as the UK threatens to disapply the protocol and seemingly abandons hopes for a US trade deal. American support has undoubtedly been welcomed across Ireland.

But none of it registered in the 2020 general election, nor has it in opinion polls since.

Varadkar fought the election on his Brexit record, yet fewer than 1 per cent of voters mentioned Brexit in the exit survey. Still, he fights on, as does the Coalition, on every chance to emphasise the issue, while its support plummets.

Anglophobia is the wrong term for this: the Government is suffering from Anglomania, an obsession with Brexit Britain. It is not shared by the public, or reciprocated in Britain, where the political establishments Euromania is similarly alienated from public concerns. A chasm is opening for real populists to exploit and Ireland is not immune.

Continued here:

Irish Government is obsessed with Brexit Britain despite the risks this brings - The Irish Times

The Tory MP was handed the new Cabinet role of Brexit Opportunities Minister earlier this year following the departure from Government of former Brexit Minister Lord Frost.Since this time, a Freedom of Information request has found that he has five civil servants working for him as part of his role.

The cost of this employment, on top of Mr Rees-Moggs ministerial salary, would be 202,000, according to the SNP.

Michelle Thomson MSP described the cost as obscene given that Brexit opportunities, in her view, do not exist.

She, quoted in the Daily Record, said: The Tories would be as well searching for a crock of gold at the end of a rainbow as they are looking for Brexit opportunities neither of them exists.

"The money they have spent is obscene and the only difference they can claim so far is selling apples and bananas in pounds instead of kilos.

Mr Rees-Mogg was earlier this month mock after he told LBC that one advantage of the UK withdrawing from the UK was that the country had avoided a two percent price increase for fish fingers.

Mrs Thomson added: Jacob Rees-Mogg is on a fool's errand there are no opportunities from Brexit, only downsides.

"As a result, Scotland is being held back by the UK.

European Movement UK, an anti-Brexit campaign group, agreed that this amounted to a complete waste of wages.

READ MORE: Fury as 'schizophrenic' Brussels buckles to Putin

"Westminster control means Scotland is being held back compared to independent countries of a similar size. The only way to unlock Scotland's full potential is with independence."

Responding this week to a new paper from the Scottish Government which argues the country would be more democratic outsiders the UK, James Mitchell, Professor of Public Policy, Edinburgh University, noted: The fear for supporters of self-government is that an independent Scotland would simply replicate much of the worst of Westminster.

What is on offer is not a proposal to renew democracy. This dismal, negative, uninspiring document suggests that the SNP would recreate a warped and discredited form of democracy, an independent Scotland that would simply be a little Britain.

Express.co.uk approached the Cabinet office for comment.

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Waste of wages SNP savages Jacob Rees-Mogg over cost of Brexit opportunities job - Express

If youve been following the Tory leadership contest closely, one or two questions have almost certainly crossed your mind: such as why the candidates are so intent on fighting over Brexit, or so-called culture war issues like trans rights rather than the cost of living or inflation. And thats entirely intentional.

Liz Truss and her backers have tried to portray her as the true Brexit candidate, even though she voted Remain, while Penny Mordaunt has claimed she would get Brexit "re-done". Then Rishi Sunak offered yet another bonfire of EU regulations that have apparently held Britain back. Kemi Badenoch came closest to saying it was time to move on, but the Tories just ignored her. In other words, the next election will also be fought over Brexit.

Brexit was more than just about our trading relationship, it illustrated our cultural divide. We got bitterly angry over it because the EU came to symbolise a set of cultural values for both Remainers and Leavers that they either embraced or loathed. Values such as internationalism, multiculturalism, liberalism and globalisation which became tied to our sense of identity.

You can give them labels if you like: immigration, sovereignty, cooperation, freedom of movement, etc, but they are still codewords for cultural values. People dont get that bitterly divided over trade deals, only when its about their identity. If Brexit had just been about the economy, the Remainers would have easily won.

Brexit, and the election of Trump, were not an aberration, a one-off event or a bad dream we can put behind us. Both were the culmination of a growing divide that we didnt see coming one less about class and more about education.

Im not the first person to say this: a growing number of political scientists have now shown the Brexit divide was most strongly defined by whether we graduated from university or not. In 2016, the American political scientist Nate Silver explained how, Education, not income, predicted who would vote for Trump. Four years later, USA Today wrote the 2020 election had widened the education polarisation and had come to define American politics.

This divide didnt just spring upon us, it has slowly come to dominate our society over the last 30 years due to the expansion of higher education. Graduates developed a different set of cultural and economic values to non-graduates, and this divide exploded out into the open when these votes came up.

Graduates largely voted against Trump and Brexit, while non-graduates voted for it. Education was the strongest indicator for how a person or an area voted, way better than social class or age. In other words, Brexit and Trump are less a one-off event and more a Pandoras box that cant be closed so easily.

Politics makes it necessary to fight these battles over and over again. The Conservative Party has to keep going back to Brexit to rally its voting coalition of 2019. The Labour Party will always, no matter how far Starmer goes, be accused of trying to undo Brexit. But the Brexit the Conservatives refer to isnt about trade deals or the Northern Ireland Protocol which are regarded as irritating side issues by true Brexiteers but our identity as a nation.

Leave voters may not see any economic benefits from Brexit, but they may be persuaded by what are being sold as cultural benefits like the Rwanda policy, for example. After all, Brexiteers want more closed borders and they want everyone to know that.

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So how did the rights of trans people get caught up in this battle? I suspect the Conservatives see it as another sign of the lefts cultural zealotry, and a way to attract gender critical feminists into their camp. They see it as a way to divide the left and attract more votes. Theyve already gone on record for being hardline with their refusal to ban conversion therapy for trans people.

I suspect Rishi Sunak represents the only hitch in the Brexiteers plan. The frontrunner is more focused on the economy than culture war issues, which is why he is still unpopular with the grassroots and many Tory MPs.

My colleague John Rentoul wrote last week that Rishi Sunak is the Tory David Miliband: the boring but economically-focused candidate who is ideologically out of step with his party. For that reason, I suspect the Conservative grassroots will ensure that he loses against Mordaunt, Truss or even Kemi Badenoch.

The Tories want a Brexiteer. They want a culture warrior (on their terms). Not just because it will help them retain voters, but because they want to reshape the country in their image. And thats why these debates will continue to haunt Britain and the next prime minister.

See the original post here:

Why Britain is destined to keep fighting over Brexit and culture wars - The Independent

CUSTOMERS in the Republic of Ireland have been forced to order parcels to Northern Ireland in a bid to skirtBrexitred tape, a Scottish business owner has said.

David Shand, one of the owners of specialist clothing firm Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing, told The National it was cheaper for many of his customers in the Republic to have their items delivered to Northern Ireland then collect them than it was to have them delivered to their own address.

The company, based in Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, designs bespoke clothing garments, from custom smocks to outdoor jackets.

Shand said problems had begun to arise for his customers across the EU after Brexit took effect, with deliveries being a key issue.

READ MORE:'We've been really hard hit': Scots firm sacks half of staff due to Brexit impact

Before Brexit, the European Union accounted for 15% of the business'sturnover. Now its just 8%.

He said: Selling to the EU was a doddle prior to Brexit. The administration involved in selling to customers in Dusseldorf was the same as that to Dundee. Now it is a horror.

Shipments are taking longer, goods are getting lost, our administration costs are increasing, shipment costs are increasing.

We had one customer in Germany who ordered clothing in February for a canoe trip he was doing in April. We shipped the garments in March allowing three weeks for delivery because of the experience we were having with other customers.

The Aberdeenshire business sells a variety of sports clothing

He finally received them in June. His shipment was trapped between UPS and German customs, bouncing between them on a daily basis. Pressure from our courier on UPS didnt achieve anything.

"Finally, goods were released to the customer with no explanation why there had been a delay.

He obviously had done his canoe trip without our clothing."

While Shands customers arent alone in experiencing post-Brexit delivery issues, the 69-year-old said some in the Republic of Ireland have come up withcreative solutions to the problem.

Many of Hillrek Outdoor Clothing's EU customers have gone elsewhere following Brexit

Weve experienced the same sort of issues with Ireland as we have experienced in with Germany and the Netherlands and Sweden and so on, he said.

But the Irish have uniquely found a way around it, and that's for us to send the goods to Northern Ireland to pick up from a friend in Northern Ireland and drive it across the border or get them to send it over.

Because the customs between Northern Ireland and Ireland are simpler they probably find it easier to do it that way."

Shand said it was crazy customers felt forced to have their clothing delivered this way but it seemed to work better for many than sending it directly to their homes.

Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing makes bespoke activewear

Due to the Northern Irish Protocol, the country has in effect remained inside the EU's Single Market. This means that, unlike the rest of the UK, goods can freely travel between the EU and Northern Ireland.

On top of delivery issues, Sand's firm has faced problems with sending repaired clothing back to customers, with some countries, such as the Netherlands, charging customers VAT for the price of the original item and not the repair.

The Aberdeenshire man said Brexit red tape is one of the reasons customers are now opting for competitors.

He said: Some customers in the EU have told us that despite favouring our products they are now sourcing from competitors in the EU because of import processing charges.

There was much noise from the UK Government about finding alternative markets outside the EU but we were already addressing these markets.

Much vaunted trade agreements, especially with the US which could have offset the loss in EU business, have failed to materialise.

READ MORE:Brexit impact causes successful Scots firm to end all international trade

Theres no doubt we are losing out to competitors. Some customers will say its just now too expensive to buy from you and well go elsewhere.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokespersonsuggested the Northern Irish protocol is the reason it's often easier for some customers in the Republic to send their parcels up north.

They said: The Northern Ireland Protocol is not working as intended and has caused economic and political problems in Northern Ireland which need to be fixed. We'd prefer to do thisthrough negotiations, however the EU have repeatedly refused to change the protocol.

That's why we introduced the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which will protect the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, address the problems facing businesses and protect the EU single market.

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Hilltrek Outdoor Clothing says Brexit has almost halved business with EU - The National

The Bournemouth East MP has been a vocal critic of Boris Johnson's leadership ever since he became Prime Minister. In many ways, his loss of the party whip now should come as no surprise.

In 2019 he was sacked as a minister just days into Mr Johnson's premiership after he had been critical of plans to threaten to leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement.

Last autumn he threatened Mr Johnson's career as he warned he ended up being "just another former occupant of No10" if he held Parliament in contempt amid a row over the suspension of the MP Owen Paterson.

Then, in May this year, he attacked the Prime Minister over the so-called Partygate saga.

He said it was time for Mr Johnson to go and that policies he was promoting, such as the return of imperial measurements, were "nostalgic" and "not one-nation Conservative thinking that is required to appeal beyond our base".

READ MORE ON OUR TORY LEADERSHIP LIVE BLOG

Just days later he suggested the centre-piece of the Prime Minister's legacy should be ripped up by calling on Britain to rejoin the EU's single market.

"The OBR calculates, in its current form, that Brexit is reducing our GDP by four percent" he wrote in a parliament magazine.

"These challenges would disappear if we dare to advance our Brexit model by re-joining the EU single market."

His comments last month stunned colleagues. It flew directly in the face of the manifesto they had been elected on in 2019.

And yet, Mr Johnson chose to ignore the remarks.

It can come as no surprise Mr Ellwood's stubborn refusal to take part in last night's confidence vote was therefore a revolt too far.

The chair of the defence select committee was abroad at the time but had been ordered by Tory whips to return to the UK.

Despite the direct instructions he failed to do so, blaming "unprecedented disruption".

A Tory source said: "Other Conservative MPs cancelled foreign trips, left poorly relatives, and one MP's mother died on the morning of the vote, and still attended and voted."

When so many others went to such efforts to show their support for the Government, it would have been unfathomable for Mr Johnson to just sit by and ignore Mr Ellwood's blatant disregard for the Conservative party leadership.

In ignoring calls for him to return to the UK he showed not only disloyalty to Mr Johnson but to the wider party. The next Tory leader may be in no rush to re-impose the whip.

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Tobias Ellwood wants to reverse Brexit - yesterday's vote was just the last straw - Express

The company said this is a success story for British manufacturing post Brexit and pandemic as Revenue achieves new high, entering new financial year with a strong order book projection.

Revenue rose from 78.8m in March 2021 to 104.9m in March 2022, while profit before tax rose from 1.7m to 2.8m.

Its Colourform product achieved a positive EBITDA and 19% revenue growth.

Paper was impacted with substantial energy costs with 37% revenue growth but a loss before tax, while investment expenditure doubled to 6.7m, to support growth plans.

Mark Cropper, chairman, said: The green agenda represents a significant growth opportunity for all our divisions. Looking forward the outlook remains positive across the Group. Our mantra since the earliest days of the Covid crisis has been to emerge stronger and I am confident that this has truly been the case.

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James Cropper claims post Brexit and pandemic success with profits up 62% - Packaging News

The number of asylum seekers being held in hotels has trebled to more than 26,000, costing taxpayers 3 million a day, data obtained by the Refugee Council show.

Figures obtained by the charity under Freedom of Information laws show there were 26,380 asylum seekers in temporary hotel accommodation at the end of 2021, up from 9,400 at the start of the year.

The number of hotels being used doubled to 207 in the same period. More than 10,000 of the asylum seekers, including children, had been in their hotels for more than three months. In total, 2,876 spent between six months and a year in hotel accommodation, with 378 staying over 12 months.

Thecost to the taxpayerbeing footed by the Home Office is 3 million a day, on top of some 1.7 million being spent on hotels for 12,000 Afghan refugees evacuated after the Taliban takeover of the country.

Charles Hymas, our Home Affairs Editor, has the latest

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Millions of Britons were right to place their trust in me, insists PM - The Telegraph