Category Archives: Brexit

Four attempts and we still don't have a proper deal. Boris Johnson and his team being accused of not taking negotiations seriously.

Businesses are warning that the uncertainty is not good for them. Unions are starting to get anxious at the prospect of job losses.

Londoners are being ignored. The whole thing is starting to drag now. Dj vu?

Of course, it's "TfLexit". In a time when the government is putting transport at the centre of its 'levelling up agenda' to bring the country closer together, London's public transport is diverging.

Most economists and politicians will tell you it's a bad thing but the people have voted (re-electing a Labour mayor) and que sera, sera.

READ MORE: What happened to London's bendy buses 10 years after being kicked out of the capital

As we enter 2022, the sunlit uplands of Metroland are looking more fragile more than ever.

Transport for London (TfL) says it needs around 2billion a year to plug a financial hole to keep the city moving or else hundreds of bus routes are at risk, a Tube line could go and the city won't be the same for decades to come.

The government says it's 'scaremongering'. Whoever you believe and whatever side you're on, if a deal was possible for Brexit, a deal is possible for the TfL funding crisis and we might just learn from the uncanny similarities between the two.

Last week's announcement that the Deputy Mayor for Transport, Heidi Alexander, would be stepping down was met with a wry reaction.

It was acceptance that given the dire prospects for London's transport, it's probably the most unattractive, bleak role a politician could have in the country despite the 132,664 salary Ms Alexander received.

Although it's looking likely the Elizabeth line is set to open soon and cycling continues to flourish across the capital, everything else is quite frankly depressing - 2billion funding crisis, declining passenger use, congestion problems, river crossings at risk of collapse or closure, Tube strikes every weekend for at least the next six months, concerns over women's safety and growing anger over the Silvertown Tunnel.

Every one of these is a stick the Tory government knows it can use to prod the opposing Labour mayoral team. You'd need someone who knows how to fight a losing battle.

Cue die-hard Remainer Seb Dance, former London MEP, who famously held up a "he's lying to you" sign behind Nigel Farage in a Brussels speech.

He will be taking over from Ms Alexander.

Assuredly a very competent and principled politician, his real asset in the Deputy Mayor for Transport role is his ability to hold his head up and say 'I tried to do the right thing when everything went wrong' when it inevitably will because City Hall has no real negotiating power, one fears.

It means negotiations to resolve TfL's funding crisis are now essentially down to a significant amount of people who were invested in the Brexit debacle: Seb Dance, Boris Johnson, the Department for Transport (which is still haunted by queues at Dover) and vocal Brexit critic Sadiq Khan.

The former permanent secretary to the Department for Exiting the European Union, Clare Moriarty, now sits on the TfL board after being appointed by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps as part of conditions the government imposed in the first TfL bailout.

In the best case scenario, each of these people will have learnt from mistakes made in the choppy Brexit negotiations and use it to their advantage to come to a compromise in the interests of Londoners.

In the worst case scenario, we will get a proper deal four years after the crisis started and there could very well be several political casualties.

I would direct you to the European Union flags on the side of TfL's newest 545,000 hydrogen buses as an indication of how things appear to be going so far.

As both TfL and the government look at ways to come to an agreement, it would appear that a 'hard border' is at risk of forming around London - in terms of transport at least. Mayor Sadiq Khan floated the idea of charging road users a 3.50-5.50 charge to enter Greater London per day, with the funds helping to plug TfL's financial black hole.

The idea reportedly 'remains an option' but seems to have been quashed by the government.

The Mayor is now instead proposing to shift this charge from road users to public transport users by removing TfL from the National Travelcard scheme (think of it as a customs union with National Rail).

Currently, if you live outside of London, you can buy a travelcard which covers TfL services in Zones 1 to 6 which costs around .350-5.50 more than a standard return to the London terminus station by train.

By removing TfL from that agreement, passengers would be forced to buy a standard return and then use contactless/Oyster instead, which costs them more but would bring TfL more money in fares revenue.

This would backfire massively.

The cheaper travelcard fares encourage those from outside of London to come and spend money in the capital.

Should the perceived travelcard benefit disappear, those who live in the Home Counties would find it much cheaper to simply drive to the London boundary, dump their cars at the first opportunity and get on the Tube anyway.

That brings more congestion and pollution to the streets of Outer London and reduces train usage between the capital and its Home Counties commuter towns, which leads to a reduction in services.

At the same time, the Mayor is desperately trying to convert Outer London Tube station car parks into more financially lucrative housing developments which make TfL extra money.

If he is successful, those now wishing to 'park & ride' instead of buy a travelcard will have to dump their cars in side streets in places like Stanmore, bound to be met by strong local opposition.

So far, four of TfL's planning applications have been rejected, with key Brexiteer and Barnet MP Theresa Villiers accusing the Mayor of a 'war on the suburbs'.

In recent years to save money, TfL has also implemented or proposed changes to its bus routes which run beyond the Greater London boundary into the Home Counties.

It tried to cut two routes to Bluewater, cut route 167 from Debden to Loughton after subsidies stopped in 2016, is proposing a host of changes to buses on the Croydon/Surrey border and reduced frequencies on several remaining bus routes (such as route 292 to Borehamwood, Hertfordshire).

The world might be your Oyster but I wouldn't be surprised if Essex no longer is, put it that way.

TfL also seems to have given up on the Metropolitan line entirely.

It will not be as easy to travel from the Home Counties into London as it was before the TfL funding crisis whatever happens..

Combined with the Mayor's wish to push through the Silvertown Tunnel against much opposition and reduce the congestion charge, it would appear that the Mayor is inadvertently penalising those who are using public transport to encourage more people to use their cars.

But despite that, the whole TfL funding crisis was caused by a shift in people using their cars instead of public transport during Covid in the first place.

Je ne sais pas non plus.

Wherever we go from here will be messy. Right now, Mr Khan probably has a better chance of ringing up Noel Edmonds and his infamous 'banker' than getting a decent funding settlement from Westminster.

What is certain is that we're reaching a Brexit crescendo.

With a fourth lockdown or new restrictions on the horizon, the whole in TfL's finances is set to get worse, not better.

TfL seems to have tacitly accepted this and has stylised three options for the media in the same way that Remainers outlined the possible outcomes of a disastrous Brexit that nobody wanted and nobody technically voted for.

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Don't let the jargon fool you.

'Managed decline' is hard TfLexit, 'financially constrained' is soft TfLexit and 'Policy consistent' is remain.

Ultimately, it will be a botched job which is neither of these three but all of the same three at the same time and will have some bizarre unintended consequences like renaming Cyprus DLR station as "Winston Churchill".

For now, let's just hope TfL gets it's mojo back somehow.

What a tragedy it would be if the city which invented the underground railway as we know it had to scrap part of it thanks to ideological politicking. It can never lose its precious va va voom.

You can read all of MyLondon's TfL-related news stories, features and trivia pieces on our dedicated page.

What outcome do you think will come of 'TfLexit'? Share with us your thoughts in the comments below!

Read more:

'TfL's funding crisis is the new Brexit and the sooner everyone admits it the better' - My London

An A-Z style guide has been drawn up by the Labour-run Welsh Government, listing politically correct do not use words and phrases that the 32,440 civil servants in Wales must adhere to. It was updated on December 20, and the work to compile this guide was funded by taxpayers money.

Among terms banned by the list, are HM Government, with civil servants being instructed to say UK Government instead. BAME is also banned. Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, is to be used now says the guide. The phrase able-bodied, must from now on be replaced with non-disabled.

Referencing the use of metaphors, staff have been told to avoid their use, being advised, They do not say what you actually mean, and lead to slower comprehension of your content.

Use transition period to refer to the time between 1 February and 31 December 2020, instructs the guide, telling staff that Brexit has happened, so now the word must be replaced.

One civil servantcommented, They are just words and phrases used every day by ordinary people, adding, It is a massive A-Z, but the only one missing is W for woke. It is just getting so nit-picking, well if I was allowed to say that.

It is like looking over your shoulder every time you send an email. Big Brother of words and phrases, said another member of staff.

Andrew RT Davies, the leader of the Welsh Conservative party in the Senedd, according to The Times, claimed that the government in Wales had well and truly lost the plot, called the list nonsense.

Only last week we had ministers cancelling women from sex education in Wales, and now theyre consigning Brexit and Her Majesty to the political correctness bin. Its a bonkers misuse of public money and a complete and utter waste of time. Civil servants who are just looking to get on with their day job shouldnt be subjected to such nonsense, said Mr Davies.

He continued, And to be frank, the Labour Welsh government has much more important things it should be tackling, such as the chronic problems in our NHS, and our crumbling road infrastructure, which continues to serve as a national embarrassment.

Wasting energy on problems that dont even exist sadly epitomises the current socialist regime we have in Cardiff Bay, who seem intent on imposing a woke ideology right across Welsh public life, he concluded.

A spokesperson for the Welsh Government told express.co.uk, This is pure nonsense. Anyone reading this style guide can see that Brexit has happened and Her Majesty is not a banned word.

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Welsh Government bans the words 'Her Majesty' and 'Brexit' among others - Euro Weekly News

This will jump from 50 to 70 percent, meaning more fish can be sold and processed in the UK in a major boost to the sector after Brexit. Fishing boats which fail to meet the landing or crewing requirement will have to donate quota. This will increase from 16.5 percent to 20 percent in 2022, with the UK Government looking to increase the current threshold "over time".

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) said the package of measures, known as the economic link, will a create jobs and provide an economic boost to the UKs coastal communities following Brexit.

This new set of rules, which will take effect from April 1, 2022, comes with the Government unveiling a 75million investment boost to improve infrastructure, strengthen supply chains and create new jobs.

Defra said this funding will be used to strengthen the sector's ability to "land more fish in the UK and take them to market faster".

This will be achieved through "improving the capacity and efficiency of our harbours and processing facilities while boosting the long-term sustainability of the fishing industry and supporting jobs, increasing opportunities for coastal communities and levelling up across the country".

A 65million infrastructure scheme will be launched for projects such as modernising ports and harbours, while increasing capacity and efficiency at processing and aquaculturefacilities.

The remaining 10million will be spent on encouraging new entrants into the processing, catching and aquaculture sectors, with the money also spent on training and upskilling workers currently employed in the sector.

Defra will begin inviting the industry to submit bids for the Infrastructure and Skills and Training, with funding provided to those that most benefit the industry.

The latest funding schemes are the second and third parts of the 100 million UK Seafood Fund, aimed at "levelling up" the UK's coastal communities.

READ MORE:Nicola Sturgeon BARRED from chain for damaging lockdown rules

Mr Eustice said: "A year on from the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, a positive picture is emerging for our fishing industry.

"Today, we are announcing a 65 million infrastructure scheme which will allow us to modernise ports and harbours and increase capacity and efficiency at processing facilities.

"A 10 million fund will encourage new entrants into the processing, catching and aquaculture sectors, and train and upskill those in the industry.

"We are committed to levelling up coastal communities across the UK, and this marks a period of rejuvenation for our fishing industry."

Michael Gove, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, added: "This multi-million pound investment will have a real and tangible impact on coastal communities across country and the UK fish industry.

"It will support the creation of jobs and training opportunities that will help put the industry on a sure footing for the future.

"We are working hard to boost local communities and spread opportunity to every corner of the country as we level up the nation."

See original here:

Brexit WIN! Huge change to fishing rules will see more Brits in work to meet 70% quota - Daily Express

2021 was supposed to be the year for two things to end and for one thing to become more under control but which would stick around more or less permanently. Brexit was to be done and dusted, and the pandemic would be conquered by vaccines. But Brexit is far from done, whichever side of the Irish sea you look, and the Covid-19 virus seems able to adapt and outpace vaccine development and deployment.

The climate crisis, however, will endure whatever COP26 came up with which was much less than many hoped for.On reflection, it was no surprise to find that Brexit, for 2021 at least, was more a theory than a practice and that Johnsons government has yet to decide what type of Brexit to implement: full-scale de-regulation versus close alignment with the EU. This is seen most clearly in the postponement of the introduction of new British regulatory systems such as the UK Conformity Assessment mark for any goods intended for the UK market, which is supposed to replace the EU CE mark. It is also seen in the postponed implementation of import controls (now due 1st January 2022) even though the EU introduced its own controls a year ago at the end of the implementation period.

Irish food exports to Britain will add 240,000 export health certificates to the 60,000 currently issued each year. Their introduction has already been postponed three times and the target date is now 1 July 2022 for meat and 1 September for dairy. This trade is worth about 5 billion.

Of course, postponed implementation has been elevated to an article of faith this side of the Irish sea border, as to do otherwise would be to deprive us of English sausages and more generally violate 'the UK single market'. Lord Frost learnt that offending a sense of British sovereignty stirs more interest here in the North than it does in Britain itself: his Command Paper was littered with exaggerated claims of political instability and damaging diversions of trade.

Anyway, Frost has left the stage, as have Foster and Aiken, and all the signs are that Protocol politics not only caused the DUP some 'leadership issues' but also major credibility problems. The deadline for the threat to bring down Stormont came and went..

But he failed spectacularly to use loyalist and unionist discontent for the cause of little Englanders within the Tory party who hate the idea of the European Court of Justice presiding over any future disputes with the EU. For the Spartans, Brexit has hardly started.Another failure was team Habibs legal attempt to strike down the Protocol for breaching the Act of Union 1800. The former Brexit Party MEP mobilised Foster (DUP), Aiken (UUP), Allister (TUV), Lord Trimble and Baroness Hoey to back the case, only to be told by the High Court that the Withdrawal Act trumped the Act of Union. Habib wants to appeal this all the way to the Supreme Court.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Lord Frost belongs somewhere on the spectrum of Habibs pan-anti-Protocol front but you would be wrong. Frosts 'principle before pragmatism' approach to the Protocol was not pure enough for the likes of Habib who now sees Frost as standing in the way of tax cuts and deregulation.

Anyway, Frost has left the stage, as have Foster and Aiken, and all the signs are that Protocol politics not only caused the DUP some 'leadership issues' but also major credibility problems. The deadline for the threat to bring down Stormont came and went, and the polls showed voters turning away from a once dominant DUP, albeit in different directions. Furthermore, few seem to be impressed by the DUPs defiance of High Court rulings over non-attendance at North-South Ministerial Council meetings.

Yes, Fujistu, developer of the faulty Horizon software which resulted in the Post Office wrongly prosecuting hundreds of sub-postmasters for fraud, false accounting or theft sending some of them to prison in what has been described as the biggest miscarriage of justice in British legal history. Liz Truss may keep the flame alight a little while longer, but only if it suits her leadership ambitions within the Tory party.

Above all, what became clear during the year was that the worst consequences of Brexit were being felt, not by those of us who remained in the single market for goods, but in Britain, even if Covid tended to be blamed for labour shortages, disrupted supply lines and the emergency deployment of military personnel in various roles. This inevitably fuelled the growing discussion around Irish unity and a border poll which reached a tipping point during the year, moving from the margins to the mainstream. And with this came the narrative that Southerners support the dream of unity but not the reality. The unionist argument that the North is unaffordable has already cast its shadow southwards.

What also became clear towards the end of the year was that internal Tory party disputes and a somewhat desperate discredited leader were increasingly driving Covid policy and not just the continuing arguments on Brexit. It would be wrong to suggest a complete overlap between Brexit Spartans and Covid libertarians currently warning Johnson against the reintroduction of public health restrictions. But the point is that public health and the NHS are becoming secondary to Tory party in-fighting, some of which concerns Rishi Sunak, himself a contender to replace Johnson as prime minister.

Meanwhile our own public health response is constrained by Sunaks reluctance to spend a penny more on dealing with the pandemic. He was happy enough to borrow billions in 2020, providing it was dished out to private companies run by Tory mates. But even gravy trains have limits.The main policy lesson around Covid from 2021 is that we will never get on top of it through vaccine nationalism and vaccines alone. It is all very well to boast about Britains vaccination programme and to claim, falsely, that we've vaccinated more people as a percentage of our population than virtually anywhere else", as Johnson did just before Christmas. The problem is that vast numbers in low and middle income countries do not have access to vaccines and Covid has more global reach than even Britain had in its days of empire.

A number of rich countries, Britain included, have blocked the production of vaccines in Africa and elsewhere by opposing a waiver on intellectual property rights for Covid vaccines, pitching the fortunes of pharmaceutical companies above the interests of humanity.Closer to home, vaccine boosterism encourages a mentality that vaccines are the one and only solution to Covid. This may be politically convenient for poets such as Sammy Wilson opposing public health restrictions on social contact, but it flies in the face of the evidence surrounding airborne virus transmission.There are growing calls for the mandatory use of FFP2-quality masks, made freely available, and for air quality in schools and workplaces to be taken much more seriously. This will not only prevent Covid transmission but also moderate the effects of air pollution generally (which causes over 300,000 premature deaths each year in Europe alone), thereby reducing pressures on health services. Prevention is better than cure even if there is less money in it.

How does this relate to the climate emergency? Simple. If we lack the international solidarity to address the pandemic, how do we expect to deal with the climate emergency?

As Rachel Kyte says in this excellent C4 News report on Bidens difficulties with the Build Back Better bill, The most important point is the disgust that most developing countries feel at our complete lack of ability to come forward with a viable global vaccination plan. And the feeling is, if you cant even do that, then will you really be there for us for this incredibly complicated transition to a decarbonised and more just society?

Do you have something to say on this issue?If so, why not submit a letter to the editor via this link?

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MIKE TOMLINSON: Twin headaches of Covid and Brexit will torment beleaguered Tories in 2022 - Belfast Media

Research fellow of the Henry Jackson Society, Dr Rakib Ersan, spoke to Express.co.uk about the migrant crisisin the Channel and why it was seen to be such a big issue in the UK. Polling from YouGov has shown immigration has overtaken environmental issues in Britons top three important issues facing the country tracker. When asked why the issue was seen to be more important than crime or education, Dr Ersan suggested the electorate had been promised by the Government they would handle border control better post-Brexitbut they have failed to deliver on escalating crossings.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Ersan was asked why is the migrant crisis becoming a big political issue for voters around the country.

He explained: I think that for Brexit voters, in particular, I feel that concerns over immigration, border control and just the desire for the restoration of national sovereignty

When it comes to immigration and more broadly border security, that played a strong part in the Brexit vote that was delivered back in June 2016.

And much of that was that desire you've heard the slogan take back control, but at the moment it doesn't look like the UK Government has control of our own national borders.

So of course, there is a cut through because there are voters who felt that there's going to be a fundamental restoration of national sovereignty and we're going to be able to take control of how our national borders operate.

But the illegal channel crossings have shown that the Government does not have a firm grip of the situation when it comes to matters of immigration.

According to YouGov, 36 percent of Britons have immigration and asylum in their top three important issues facing the country.

The issue comes behind the economy which is second place with 38 percent and health with 51 percent.

In November, YouGov found 71 percent of respondents believe Boris Johnson is handling immigration badly.

Dr Ersan also explained to Express.co.uk he was confused why the UK Government did not continue the Dublin III regulation post-Brexit.

The regulation lays out the mechanisms for returning asylum seekers to their country of origin and determining who is responsible for their applications.

However, the agreement was not continued after the UK left the European Union meaning it is harder for the UK to send asylum seekers entering the country illegally to the European countries they came from.

Disagreements between the UK and France have ramped up over the past few months as the UK sees record numbers of migrants crossing the Channel.

The UK provides France with funding and support to police its northern beaches to prevent boats from illegally entering the UK.

But French authorities have been accused of not doing their job after record numbers have made the journey and images emerged of French police doing little to prevent them from leaving.

In November, 1,185 migrants made the journey to the UK which is the highest daily record.

Data also shows 1,327 migrants have been detained by Border Force this month, compared to 211 at the same time last year.

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ITV reporter Jonathan Swain revealed he spoke with French police but they told him they were in a tricky legal position.

He explained: "French patrols will just pass them by and won't stop them at all or intervene.

"And we saw those pictures from yesterday as well where dozens of people get into a boat that potentially make it across the channel.

"I spoke to French police officers, they're very reluctant to deal with the media, particularly British media, but the ones that have sort of spoken to say that well actually it's not their job to stop migrants from crossing the water.

Because actually, they're not doing anything illegal by getting into a boat on a beach and crossing the water.

"It's illegal to get into the UK, but not illegal to leave the French coast so politically it needs to come down from the top from President Macron to put that pressure on the French police to stop them even before they get into the water.

"I have to say having been here and seen it for myself, it's not that difficult to stop them from getting into the water because they are openly walking to the beaches carrying dinghies around the villages."

On November, 27 people died in the Channel after a boat capsized on its journey to the UK.

Read more here:

Migrant crisis cutting through to voters as key Brexit pledge not upheld by Tories - Daily Express

Boris Johnson betrayed the fishing industry to get his EU deal over the line, one of Britains biggest Brexit-backing newspapers has said.

The EU and UK reached a deal on quotas of shared fish stocks last week, with minister Joze Podgorsek of Slovenia, which holds the EU presidency, describing it as an agreement that provides certainty for EU fishermen and women going forward.

The decision reverts back to last years trade deal between France and the UK and sets catch quotas and rights for about 100 shared fish stocks in each others waters.

It has been widely criticised by environmentalists, who say fish will continue to be over-exploited following the deal.

Quoting former MEP June Mummery, The Express newspaper also had a thing or two to say about it.

She told the paper: I cant tell you how betrayed I feel by Boris.

He has betrayed the fishing industry and coastal communities.

But the biggest betrayal is our ocean and Mother Nature. He has betrayed them as well.

Our ocean is in crisis. It is betrayal.

She went on to say how when Britain departed the EU, the UK should have taken full control back and she had great hopes.

Ms Mummery continued: I thought we would take back control.

We would rebuild our coastal communities.

The UK could have been one of the best sustainable fishing industries in the world.

At the moment, the problem is we have no fish. There is no fish out there.

The Channel is barren because there are still 1,700 EU vessels trawling our waters unpoliced. No one is looking at that.

The former MEP went on to add how she does not see any positives going into next year and said the UK still has four more years of this.

Ms Mummery added: I do not see any positives going into 2022.

We have a bunch of clowns negotiating.

We have four more years of this.

After four years, we are still tied to tariffs, aviation and energy.

We are being sold out.

Related: Labour ahead in polls even with Sunak in charge of Conservatives

See the original post:

Boris Johnson 'betrayed' the fishing industry to get Brexit done - The London Economic

Fights breaking out at the checkout counters in Waitrose as angry shoppers battled for the few remaining stocks. Reports of black market birds changing hands for thousands in the posher parts of London. Twitter feeds cluttered with pictures of nut roasts, tofu crowns, and chestnut bakes taking pride of place on the Christmas table, as people desperately tried out the alternatives. You probably noticed the Great Turkey Shortage this year. Christmas went ahead more or less as normal, but of course Brexit meant there werent any turkeys available anywhere, just as the farmers had warned.

Only a couple of months ago, we were all being told that turkeys would inevitably be in short supply this year.'There is a likelihood there will be a shortage,' the British Poultry Council told MPs.

Such predictions were splashed across a credulous media. And, of course, it wasnt just turkeys: pigs in blankets were 'already under threat', we were informedbythe bigwigs at the National Pig Association.

Almost as seriously, the champagne was likely to run out as well, at least according to the Guardian. In fact, the only thing forecast to be in plentiful supply was brussels sprouts, on account of a pretty good growing season. Without wishing to disparage the sturdy sprout, if that was going to be the centrepiece of Christmas dinner it was likely to be a fairly meagre meal. The explanation? Our departure from the EU meant there were fewer workers for the farms, and border controls would make it impossible to import enough food and drink. Some hardcore Remainers were getting ready to point out, with their weariest sadly we told you so expressions, that outside the single market Christmasses would be very bleak from now on.

Except of course, none of it happened. For all the scare stories, there were lots of turkeys available in the shops, and as many pigs in blankets and bottles of champagne as you felt like buying. With the omicron variant of Covid-19 there were plenty of challenges over the festive season, but a shortage of traditional foods was, for most people, not among them. It turned out to be yet another ridiculous round of scare stories.

In fact, it was not hard to work out what was going on. Farmers and industrialised meat producers most of all, have allowed themselves to become too reliant on cheap imported labour. The industry has been lobbying intensively to be allowed to ship in as many agency workers on seasonal contracts, for minimum wage, as it needs; whipping up scare stories about shortages is the best argument it has. After all, complaining that profits might be hurt by having to offer better pay and conditions to attract staff doesnt sound quite so good.

But of course, although few people recognise it, a free market is very good at getting around obstacles. Sure, supply chains have to be re-configured sometimes, new suppliers in different countries have to be located, and prices have to be adjusted to make it happen. And yet making sure supply and demand roughly balance out is what a free market does best.

There are occasional shortages, such as the fuel crisis of the autumn, but they are usually caused by a surge of panic buying, and rarely last for very long. In reality, there was no shortage of turkeys this Christmas, nor anything else, and there wont be next Christmas either and all the media reports that played along with the scare stories have been left looking a bit bird-brained.

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What happened to the great Brexit turkey shortage? - Spectator.co.uk

British company Orbex has been developing a launchpad that will be used for sending small satellites into low-earth orbit from the UK. Having started back in 2016, CEO Chris Larmour claimed: Right now, I think it is widely recognised that we are well ahead of anyone else doing this in Europe. For the past three or four years the UK has been well ahead. This could be a huge boost for the UKs OneWeb satellite network which has now moved its satellite production to the UK.

OneWeb is the worlds second-biggest satellite operator and it is building an advanced satellite network to provide Internet across the globe.

It has been tipped as the UKs rival to Galileo a project which many small satellite companies left Britain after Brexit to stay a part of as the UK was barred from it following its departure from the bloc.

Galileo also carries out a similar function to what the OneWeb network could one day provide accessible satellite data enabling positioning, navigation and timing determination.

But those firms that left the UK may soon return when they see companies like Orbex that are making huge progress in sending satellites into space.

Mr Larmour said: We can apply for launch licenses that almost no other country in the EU can do right now.

The UK is actually quite a big player in the generic space sector in terms of satellites and downstream services where we analyse the data in the satellites.

But we havent been a player in the launch domain since we stopped doing it in the seventies and I think thats the impetus the Government is pushing is to bring us back into that domain.

Back in September, 30 OneWeb satellites were launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

The satellites beam signals in 3G, 5G, LTE and Wi-Fi for high-speed internet access to all corners of the globe.

Arianespace, the company that organised the launch, said: "OneWebs constellation of 650 satellites will deliver high-speed, low-latency enterprise-grade connectivity services to a wide range of customer sectors including enterprise, government, maritime and aviation customers.

READ MORE:Covid horror as ANOTHER new variant discovered in France

"Central to its purpose, OneWeb seeks to bring connectivity to every unconnected area where fibre cannot reach, and thereby bridge the digital divide."

But after that launch, OneWeb was only halfway towards its 650 target.

Now companies like Orbex will be hoping they can play a part in helping to launch the rest of OneWebs satellites into low-earth orbit.

Back in July 2020, the Government pledged to invest 400m in OneWeb to give it a stake in a business after the company went bankrupt.

The deal included a pledge to bring the manufacturing of OneWebs satellites to the UK.

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Downing Street said: The deal will support the UK to be a pioneer in the research, development, manufacturing, and exploitation of novel satellite technologies, whilst boosting UK manufacturing.

Graham Turnock, the UK Space Agency chief executive, said: Now is the right time to look at new ways to use space to boost the UKs prosperity, security and global influence, while benefiting people across the whole country.

Originally posted here:

Galileo blow as Brexit Britain 'well ahead' of EU in revolutionary satellite technology - Daily Express

The impact of Brexit on the UK economy will be worse than that caused by the pandemic, according to the chairman of the UK fiscal watchdog.

Richard Hughes said the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had assumed leaving the EU would reduce our long run GDP by around 4%, adding in comments to the BBC: We think that the effect of the pandemic will reduce that (GDP) output by a further 2%.

Gross domestic product or GDP is a measure of the size of the economy.

In the long term it is the case that Brexit has a bigger impact than the pandemic, Hughes told the broadcaster, hours after the OBR responded to Rishi Sunaks latest budget by saying it expected inflation to reach 4.4% while warning it could hit the highest rate seen in the UK for three decades.

It came as Downing Street vowed to retaliate against France if Paris goes ahead with a disappointing and disproportionate threat to impose sanctions in an escalation of a row over fishing boats.

The French government dramatically warned it will block British vessels from some ports next week if the post-Brexit dispute over fishing licences is not resolved.

Paris even went as far as suggesting it could restrict energy supplies to the Channel Islands if no deal is reached with the UK as relations since the EU departure further soured.

No 10 said the threats do not seem to be compatible with international law and vowed an appropriate and calibrated response if Paris does not back down.

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Brexit worse for the UK economy than Covid pandemic, OBR ...

Britain is full. That vague but powerful assumption has shaped so much of our politics. From the Brexit campaign with its breaking point poster of a queue of migrants and refugees, and border-fixated home secretaries from Jack Straw to Priti Patel, to the regular immigration panics spread by newspapers to voters, the idea that these small islands have reached their maximum viable population has become hugely influential.

Its a convenient situation for the right. Blame for congestion and strained public services can be placed on population growth and migrants, rather than on our profoundly unequal patterns of land ownership and use or Conservative cuts in state spending. But the idea that Britain is full or too full already also appeals more widely: to some environmentalists, to people who like peace and quiet, and dislike cities or new housing developments, or think that being British is a privilege that needs protecting. A fear of overcrowding is deep in our island psyche.

And over recent decades the UK population has undeniably changed quite dramatically. Between 1981 and the beginning of the pandemic, it grew by more than a fifth, or about 12 million people. Meanwhile, the number of people visiting the UK also surged, almost doubling during the first two decades of this century. So many factors contributed to these increases from globalisation and the end of the cold war to EU membership and improvements in life expectancy that they seemed unstoppable. In British cities, where most of the influx took place, railway stations, restaurants, museums, schools and train carriages all got bigger.

How underpopulated those spaces have often been since the arrival of Covid-19. Lockdowns and anxiety about the virus do not fully explain the transformation. Far from having too many people, Britain may be in the early stages of a population decline and it may last longer than the pandemic.

One recent Friday evening in central London, with Omicron yet to spread much and the Christmas shopping and drinking season theoretically in full swing, the usually packed pavements of Oxford Street, Regent Street and Piccadilly Circus were dotted with people walking unobstructed in small groups, surrounded by empty space. As absent as the usual crowds were the usual foreign accents. The tourism body VisitBritain expects that the number of foreign visitors this year will be more than 80% below its pre-pandemic figure a much steeper fall than in comparable destinations such as France or Spain.

For Britain, where tourism is the fifth-largest sector of the economy and the source of a lot of national self-confidence, this is a big change even if it has been masked in places by an increase in domestic visitors. Yet the suspension of our status as a leading destination may be less significant than what is happening to our more permanent population. In 2020 alone, according to the Economics Statistics Centre of Excellence, the number of UK residents may have dropped by more than 1.3 million the largest fall since the second world war.

Other demographers estimate that there was a smaller fall or a tiny increase. But all agree that thanks to our terrible Covid death toll, a drop in the birthrate, and fewer EU and non-EU migrants after Brexit, the UKs population boom has come to an end. If and when the pandemic fades, there is little confidence that this growth will resume. Even before Covid, the birthrate was falling, and the long modern rise in life expectancy was stalling the latter almost certainly connected to Conservative austerity. Through Brexit and other policies, the Tories effectively promised a less crowded and less cosmopolitan country, and that is what they have created.

During the first lockdown, some people of all political persuasions relished the emptier, calmer streets. And with fewer foreign tourists, famous British places have felt more like meaningful national monuments and less like theme park attractions. Even the pompous plaza in front of Buckingham Palace had an atmosphere a sort of stoical Victorian grandeur when I found it almost deserted at dusk one day last summer.

But as with lockdowns, the appeal of this quieter country is wearing off. This years disruptive labour shortages are a sign that depopulation and consumerism are not completely compatible. In the longer term, we may also discover that living in a shrinking or static population is psychologically unsettling, even alarming. The last time Britains population stopped growing, in the mid-1970s and early 1980s, it was widely seen as a sign of national decline. When fewer people are choosing to live in a country, or to have children in it, that country feels less confident, and its prospects contract.

For now at least, many Conservative voters may not mind. Lots of them grew up in a postwar Britain with considerably fewer people, so they may feel that a return to those population levels is a restoration of the natural order. Alternatively, their opinions may not be that connected to social realities. During the Brexit referendum, the political journalist Stephen Bush visited Hull, and found that the issue that moves [Brexit] voters was Britain is full. Since the 1960s, the citys population had actually fallen by a seventh. Yet Hull still voted leave by two to one.

Conversely, the most pro-EU and pro-immigration parts of Britain are often the most densely populated, such as inner London. Many Britons who have actually experienced life on a crowded island seem to like it.

Its possible that the current population slump, like that of the 1970s and 1980s, will turn out to be temporary, ended by changes in economic and political conditions. But if it doesnt, life on our archipelago at the edge of Europe will gradually become very different. One day, we may look back with nostalgia at when Britain felt full.

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The myth of an overcrowded Britain suits our island psyche and this government - The Guardian