Category Archives: Brexit

Brits are now banned from taking meat and dairy products with them on holiday to EU countries and this includes even chocolates and some sweets that have animal-derived products

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Brits will need to be aware of what food and drink they can take with them on holiday to avoid falling victim of EU rules and they include some surprise items.

Since Brexit, people looking to head into the EU need to follow specific rules and regulations about what they can take.

The guidelines are set out in the European Travel Retail Confederation (ETRC) and it means that meat and dairy products cannot be taken from the UK into the EU - rules that date back to the 2001 Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak.

It means any lovers of cheeses like Wensleydale or British bacon will have to leave them behind, reported the Express.

Even chocolate, fudge and sweets, though, containing animal-derived products will not be permitted either.

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So fans of Bovril with beef stock will be disappointed if they hoped to take it on their holidays but Marmite, which is vegan, is allowed.

There are specific rules allowing powdered infant milk, other baby food and that needed for medical reasons which doesnt require refrigeration.

This means that when travelling with kids, for example, up to 2kg of powdered infant milk is permitted, and the same goes for pet foods.

An exception also applies to less than 10kg of meat and dairy products that come from the Faeroe Islands or Greenland.

Anyone looking to pack alcohol into their luggage should bear in mind the maximum allowed quantities four litres of still wine and 16 litres of beer, one litre of spirits, or two litres of sparkling or fortified wine.

Safe for many Brits who can't live without a cuppa, tea bags face no restrictions.

As limited quantities of fish it needs to be gutted, with all the organs removed and processed fishery products are also permitted, Scottish smoked salmon can still be taken to Spain.

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Brexit to blame as Brit tourists banned from taking these foods to EU countries - The Mirror

Lingering Brexit issues could hobble Britains recovery from the pandemic.

A rush from the BOE to fight inflation may prove premature and counterproductive.

Tax hikes and other political woes could add to the misery.

Dollar strength could mask sterling weakness in H1 but not in H2.

Currency trading is all about relative strength and in sterlings case in 2022, relative weakness.

The UK kicked off 2021 with an advantage it secured more vaccines than its peers in the West, and its population seemed enthusiastic to get jabbed. That advantage was closed by Britains peers, and in 2022, most of the world will have access to immunization.

While the disease is global, other issues like Brexit, monetary policy, and fiscal moves are local. The bullishness of the Bank of England could prove temporary and backfire, while other matters may leave the monarchy behind.

Here are the factors set to move sterling in 2022.

Are we there yet? That is the question that children ask their parents on a long road trip and the question that annoyed investors ask when they hear Brexit headlines. The upcoming year will likely be no different.

When Britain officially left, the answer should have been its done in January 2020. January 2021 was when the transition period ended. However, over five years after the referendum, Brexit is here to stay.

In general, no news is good news about Brexit, and these items could lurk from the shadows.

1) Northern Irish protocol: Britain wanted to eat the cake and leave it whole, and that proves problematic. The UK had this trilemma: 1) That Britain would set its own customs rules; 2) That there would be no border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland; 3) That there would be no customs border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

It could choose two, but not three, as Ireland is part of the EU. The then-PM Theresa May opted for an open border in the Emerald Isle and no customs border between GB and NI, thus agreeing to the controversial backstop that kept the UK in the EUs customs sphere. She preferred options 2 and 3 at the expense of 1.

Her successor Boris Johnson took a different approach knowing that his party members preferred getting a full Brexit over holding onto NI, he agreed to special rules for NI, creating a customs border in the Irish Sea.

However, he changed his mind. Practical trade issues have also been in play, convincing the EU and the UK to renegotiate the NI protocol through 2021. There is no solution at the time of writing, and the problem is kicked into 2022.

The best-case scenario is that London and Brussels resolve the issue, which will do little to boost the pound. The worst-case scenario is that the UK triggers Article 16, the nuclear option of a unilateral suspension of the Brexit Deal.

Between these two extremes, 2022 could repeat the 2021 scenario ongoing talks and disgruntled headlines from both sides of the Channel. That would erode any sterling strength.

2) Lack of forums to resolve issues: Another Brexit clash in 2021 was a row over fishing rights. While it is a minuscule industry, France and the UK seemed to enjoy clashing over this highly emotional topic.

Will fish feature in 2021? Perhaps, but the greater trouble comes from a lack of international forums to defuse minor disagreements. PM Johnson and his colleagues wasted precious time in G-20 and NATO meetings to discuss issues that could have been resolved in regular talks. Brexit means there are no forums to resolve such topics before they snowball.

Next time it could be another topic that sinks sterling. On the other hand, if a new mechanism is agreed on, some kind of red line could eventually prove pound-positive.

3) Equivalence: UK financial regulations are at equivalence with EU ones, allowing companies to adhere to one set of rules rather than two separate regimes. The Brexit deal focused on goods, not services.

However, the point of Brexit is that Britain could make its own rules and compete internationally. The romantic idea of buccaneering Britain or Singapore on Thames still curries favor in Westminster most senior officials are Brexit supporters.

Although 2021 was still dedicated to minor Brexit issues and fighting covid, 2022 could be when the UK goes its own way. Losing equivalence would make the country less attractive to investments while maintaining the current status could cause trouble within the ruling Conservative Party. Investors prefer equivalence, but any doubts about it could weigh on sterling. The topic has been under the radar so far.

Reporters called Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey an unreliable boyfriend after the institution refrained from raising interest rates in November. The derogatory term had previously been used against Mark Carney, Baileys predecessor. The pound fell sharply after that decision and never fully recovered.

Being that pretty boy who promises the moon and then disappears, if that is the description relevant to the BOE, could prove better for the pound in 2022 than in 2021.

How? Bailey and his colleagues preferred to wait for data from the labor market following the end of the furlough scheme and could point to virus variants if they decide to only moderately tighten in 2022. Outside the short-term, providing more economic support could prove positive for the pound.

The BOE may turn from an unreliable boyfriend into the favorite son-in-law in 2022 by raising borrowing costs to fight inflation. It may also want to be seen as halting the rapid increase in Britains property prices.

It would be easier for Bailey to follow his Federal Reserve counterpart Jerome Powell in raising rates rather than going it alone. It would put the pound in an advantageous position against some other currencies. It could, however, also prove temporary.

Britains economy is not roaring like Americas and could suffer headwinds from both Brexit (see above) and fiscal tightening (see below). Moreover, it could have little effect on the housing sector or energy prices, both influenced by external factors.

Raising rates too fast could backfire by prematurely choking the recovery. In the first half, dollar strength related to expectations for a Fed hike could mask any damage from a rate hike in Britain. Later in the year, softer UK growth could haunt the pound and force the BOE to reverse course.

Boris Johnson is not Margaret Thatcher. While both PMs hail from the same Conservative Party, the 1980s leader went all-in on having a smaller state, while the current resident of Downing Street seemingly has different plans.

Johnsons 2019 landslide victory owes to crumbling the Red Wall of northern constituencies that have traditionally voted Labour. Apart from appealing to their disgust with the Brexit deadlock, he promised to improve their economic status and level up.

The PM seems keen on reforming social care and even raising taxes with the full backing of this Thatcherite Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak. Parliament has already approved an increase in payroll taxes in 2021 and could take further steps in 2022.

By hiking costs for the rich to boost social welfare and the National Health Service, Johnson is pulling the rug from under the opposition Labour Party. He is also diverting attention away from scandals that refuse to disappear from the headlines. In 2020, it was his senior adviser Dominic Cummings that gave Johnson trouble, and in 2021, it has been a sleaze scandal involving a prominent Brexiteer.

It is hard to believe that 2022 would be a clean year for the embattled PM, and opting for popular policies could be an excellent solution to garnering the positive media attention that he cares so much about.

For investors, higher taxes to fund popular schemes would be disappointing, adding more pressure on the pound.

In 2022, the disease first discovered in 2019 will likely remain on the agenda, yet hopefully only as a minor nuisance rather than a major issue. Any new outbreak would be positive for the dollar while better treatments and more efficient vaccines would weigh on the safe-haven greenback.

This reaction mechanism has already suffered glitches in late 2021, however, when the Omicron variant caused different responses in different currencies. The dollar had a better correlation with bond yields regarding majors. Against commodity currencies, the greenback was inversely correlated to stocks.

It is hard to say how the dollar will react to each covid wave and each promising news release in 2022. However, expecting weaker responses in the broader mood and the dollar would be a safer bet. Vaccines are set to be aplenty for developing countries, not only developed ones.

Another issue that could negatively impact GBP/USD is snarled global supply chains. Indications as early as November 2021 suggest some easing in the shortage of chips and shorter queues of ships at major ports. The world is adapting to living with the pandemic and is coming to terms with the post-pandemic dearth of specific goods while services see weaker demand.

Bears are in control, but 1.3150 may prove a critical make-or-break point. That is the picture that the weekly pound/dollar is sending traders.

Momentum is to the downside, and the pair broke below the 50-week SMA, and more recently under the 100-week SMA and a slippery downtrend support line.

The 200-week-SMA converges with 1.3150, which also provided support in late 2020. If GBP/USD approaches 1.3150 rapidly, the Relatively Strength Index could tumble under 30 entering oversold conditions. The last time such an event occurred on the weekly chart, sterling started to soar back up, during the darkest days of covid.

Below 1.3150, the following significant lines to watch are 1.2830 and 1.2680, which were stepping stones on the way up.

Looking up, recent swing lows serve as resistance lines. These include 1.34, 1.3595 and others. However, the most significant line is 1.40 both a psychological barrier and a resistance line from the summer of 2021. It is followed by 1.4240, which is a double-top.

Lingering Brexit issues, along with premature monetary and fiscal tightening could tilt sterling down. While dollar strength may mask the pounds weakness early on, the downtrend in GBP/USD could turn more significant later in 2022.

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GBP/USD Price Forecast 2022: Brexit and the BOE set to pull in different directions - FXStreet

Relations between France and Britain are strained because the current UK government does not honour its word, president Emmanuel Macron has said.

Macron accused London of failing to keep its word on Brexit and fishing licences, but said France was willing to re-engage in good faith, and called for British re-engagement over the humanitarian question of dangerous Channel crossings, after at least 27 migrants drowned trying to reach the British coast.

The problem with the British government is that it does not do what it says, Macron told a news conference. He added however that there had been progress in the last weeks and that France wanted full cooperation with London.

I love Great Britain, I love its people. I have an overwhelming desire to have a government that wants to works with us in good faith, he said.

At an lyse press conference to present Frances plans for its rotating presidency of the council of the European Union, Macron was asked about UK-French relations. There have been tensions about how to prevent further tragedy in the Channel as more people try to cross to claim asylum in the UK.

He also claimed the UK had an economic model that relied on illegal labour, which was serving as a pull factor across the Channel.

He said: There is still an opaque system which has existed since the 1980s where the British economic model rests on the illegal labour of foreigners. If those situations arent dealt with by the British in good faith, we will always have this situation at our border where France has the goodwill to manage this point of passage.

We need to work in good faith together on the issue of migration.

He added: If we want to solve that question of migration between our two countries, which has become a humanitarian question, we need British re-engagement.

Macron said men and women were living in terrible conditions on the Calais coast because they wanted to reach British soil. He said France had offered accommodation centres and tens of thousands of meals throughout the year, but people wanted to reach the UK. He deplored the fact that there is no legal procedure on processing asylum rights by the British at the Channel border, which meant people were risking their lives to find a way to reach the UK in order to live there.

Macron said he hoped the row over the granting of British fishing licences to French fishers post-Brexit would be resolved before a French deadline on Friday, despite the UK denying that they are working to any such time framework. There has been progress these past two weeks, progress, there has been a sincere re-engagement. I hope that new paths open up on it. I really hope that, Macron said.

Macron said that on defence, Britain had pushed for the Aukus security pact between Britain, Australia and the US that prompted Australia to cancel a contract with France to buy submarines.

The cancellation of the submarines deal caused uproar in France, with accusations that its allies had stabbed it in the back. Macron for the first time publicly accused Britain of being a fervent promoter of the rival deal. Can I ignore that the British were, it seems, the fervent promoters of a contract which deliberately fought against Frances interest in the Indo-Pacific to build an exclusive alternative vision? he said.

He said all of this did not amount to the signs of flagrant friendship, to use an understatement, but he said he wanted to work with the British government in good faith.

Britain has said the Aukus deal was not intended to undermine its defence ties with France.

Before Frances rotating presidency of the council of the EU, Macron called for new mechanisms to protect the EUs borders and to provide emergency support for border crises, after thousands of refugees gathered on the border between Belarus and Poland in recent months. Europe needs to ensure the protection of its borders, he told a news conference, adding that France would push for reform of the Schengen area of passport-free travel between 26 countries in Europe.

Macron, who is due to meet Germanys new Social Democrat chancellor, Olaf Scholz, on Friday, also said the EU should reconsider its strict budget deficit rules as governments spend heavily to save their economies from the impact of Covid restrictions.

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Macron accuses UK of not keeping its word on Brexit and fishing - The Guardian

In November, Ireland opened a new goods terminal in Dunkirk as a gateway to Europe, to be served from its southern port of Rosslare - the main rival to Dublin. It comes as shipping executives noted the impact of Brexit on trade with Britain and consider pivoting to different methods of haulage.

The Irish Maritime Development Office published data which shows significant traffic diverted away from the traditional routes between Dublin and Britain to some of 32 new ferry services, including the Dunkirk port.

In a new report, they said: It is clear that the new trading arrangements between Ireland and the UK have had a significant and negative effect upon ro-ro [roll-on roll-off lorry haulage] freight traffic between the two countries.

Dublin Ports trade is now split 50-50 between the UK and EU, whereas before Brexit, trade with British ports accounted for roughly two-thirds of volumes.

The IMDO also noted Irish importers and exporters now have access to 13 different direct EU Ro-Ro services, where containers are sent on the back of lorries and roll on to and off ships, up from just six in 2019 before COVID-19.

The report suggests Ireland-EU traffic was 52 percent higher in the first nine months of 2021 than in the whole of 2019.

Eamonn OReilly, chief executive at the Dublin Port Company, told the Financial Times that while Ro-Ro trade with the UK is declining, Lo-Lo trade, where unaccompanied containers are lifted on to ships and then lifted off at their port of destination, is becoming more of a focus.

He said: When youre going longer distances to continental Europe, [Lo-Lo] is more viable because its cheaper.

Mr OReilly also said that, because of the customs red tape introduced when Brexit put a customs border down the Irish Sea, trade is increasingly going to Britain via Northern Irish ports.

He noted the volume of Ro-Ro cargoes in Dublin has fallen by a quarter in the first nine months of 2021.

Mr O'Reilly added: I think its permanent...Its turning back the clock.

History suggests to me that [this trade] wont come back.

READ MORE:Brexit LIVE: EU poised to twist knife into Boris

It comes as the value of trade between Northern Ireland and Ireland surged after Brexit, with cross-border business increasing in both directions.

Figures released in November by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Dublin show that the value of imports from Northern Ireland surged by 60 percent in the first nine months of 2021 and are now valued at 2.8bn (2.37bn).

Trade in the other direction has also increased, with a 48 percent rise in exports to Northern Ireland from the republic, bringing the total value of trade to 2.57bn for January to September 2021.

Lord Frost said at the time trade between the UK and Northern Ireland had been damaged by the Brexit protocol.

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Cabinet Minister Michael Gove stressed he was confident the UK would not need to trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, suspending the current deal.

He said at a press conference following a summit meeting of the British-Irish Council: Everyone recognises that the application of the protocol at the moment is causing some disruption to trade and is causing inconvenience at the very least to citizens of Northern Ireland.

I do believe that there is a constructive approach thats being taken by the [European] Commission and Lord Frost has signalled that while, of course, its always possible that article 16 may require to be invoked, were confident that well be able to make progress without it.

According to RTs Tony Connelly, the Irish Government believes there is a 50:50 chance of the UK triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol.

But he believes the Irish Government do not think it will not be triggered before Christmas, quoting a senior Irish official who said: "It's reasonably clear that London has decided it doesn't want a big drama before the end of the year.

One EU diplomat told the RT journalist the UK may trigger Article 16 in order to shore up unionism ahead of next May's Northern Ireland Assembly Election.

They told the website: "London has been taken aback by the DUP's under-performance in going into the elections, and by the rise of Sinn Fin in the south.

"So those two things might lead to some form of arithmetic in London that they need to trigger regardless."

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Ireland makes Brexit gamble: Dublin weighs up 50/50 split between UK and EU - Daily Express

BBC Studios has taken full control of Tessa Ross and Juliette Howells prolific Sherwood and Brexit: The Uncivil War producer House Productions.

The BBCs commercial arm has upped its stake in the London indie from 25% to full control, similar to the relationship that it has with Gentleman Jack producer Lookout Point, Steve Coogans Baby Cow and End Of The F***ing Worlds Clerkenwell Films.

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Ross and Howell, the former heads of Film4 and Working Title TV respectively, launched House in 2016 and the outfit has won a wealth of commissions in the past 18 months following the success of Channel 4s Benedict Cumberbatch-starring single Brexit from Quiz creator James Graham.

Graham is also behind the indies upcoming BBC1 mini-series Sherwood, while it is also producing Netflixs The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle and Stephen Butchards The Good Mothers for Disney+ vertical Star.

Meanwhile on the film side, House is producing Florence Pugh-starring Netflix psychological thriller The Wonder with Normal People producer Element Pictures, while two TV dramas and several film projects are yet to be announced.

The indie exemplifies bold, British, creativity, according to BBC Studios Chief Creative Officer Mark Linsey, who oversees producer partnerships.

Ross and Howell added: We know how lucky we are to have partners in BBC Studios who share not just our ambition for growth and scale, but also for the way in which we achieve that growth, for the people we work with and the stories we tell.

The deal was negotiated by Laura Franses on behalf of House Productions (advised by Tom Manwaring of Helion Partners) and Matt Garside, Managing Director of Content Partnerships for BBC Studios.

Story continues

UK TV trade Broadcast first reported news of the deal in November.

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BBC Studios Takes Full Control Of 'Brexit: The Uncivil War' And 'Sherwood' Producer House Productions - Yahoo Entertainment

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Where's Wolverine? Today's Excalibur #26 sets up Knights Of X, for Destiny Of X, as the war between Otherworld and mutants, and Britain and mutants, creates pincer movement. Not like the Krakoans are doing much to help the Brexit allegory

And Professor X could never counter anything like terrorism, could he? Remind me of that other team he is running from Krakoa with a comic book also out today?

That's right, X-Force, the black ops mutant terrorist group working under his direct approval. Although this issue, X-Force #26, seems to have turned into a relationship guidance comic book, as Wolverine gives Quentin Quire romantic counsel over getting over his Stepford Cuckoo. So it's down to Excalibur to continue the hard-nosed violent realpolitik of the Krakoan comic books this week.

While X-Force sees Jean Grey talking about always falling back into bed with Wolverine. Just in case anyone through the Scott/Jean/Logan throuple was just reading between the lines.

So as Jean Grey talks romantic gravity, Excalibur has members of magical covens give addresses to Parliament.

Now here's the thing. British Ambassadors don't address a collected sitting audience of MPs and Lords. Such addresses are rare and are either a) the sitting monarch for the Queen's Speech, which is dictated by the government of the day. Or foreign heads of states and dignitaries, invited by The Speaker. The most recent was Barack Obama. Other "recent" examples would be Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela, Ronald Reagan, the Dali Lama and Charles de Gaulle still, this is the Marvel Universe, and this is Coven Akkaba, who knows what strings were pulled? So what's going on in X-Force?

For Wolverine to avoid Jean Grey possibly? Seriously, is this what X-Force has come to? The Oni Press Comics Guide To Dating? You know Rob Liefeld will kick off at this sort of thing. Have we got anything to turn it around, stat?

They've got an official X-Men submarine called Bluebird. Yes, that's more like it. Someone tell Hasbro. Unless Wolverine falls in love with the submarine of course

EXCALIBUR #26OCT210897(W) Tini Howard (A) Marcus To (CA) Mahmud AsrarOTHERWORLD FALLS!Merlyn and King Arthur have taken the Starlight Citadel. Saturnyne still lives-but not for long. Betsy Braddock must decide once and for all where her loyalties lie. It's all been building to this the fantasy ends here and reality rushes in. There is no haven for the witchbreed. Can they hold on to their champion, here at the twilight of an age?RATED T+In Shops: Dec 15, 2021 SRP: $3.99

X-FORCE #26 (MR)OCT210880(W) Ben Percy (A) Robert Gill (CA) Joshua CassaraERUPTION!DOMINO, KID OMEGA and WOLVERINE head back into the thresher to recover the precious cargo stolen from Krakoa! If the team can survive the volcanic eruption and stormy seas, there's still the organization behind the plot-the reveal of which will have major ramifications on the next issues of X-FORCE!And the debut of the next wave of Mutant technology! Move over, Blackbird jet!PARENTAL ADVISORY In Shops: Dec 15, 2021 SRP: $3.99

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Mutant Brexit And Wolverine's Love Life in Krakoan X-Men Comics Today - Bleeding Cool News

A DAMNINGreport from the National Audit Office (NAO) has found that the UKGovernment diverted so many staff from pandemic planning to concentrate onBrexitthat it "led to lives being lost to Covid, according to the SNP.

The NAO report states that the Toriesplanning in 2019 for No-Deal Brexit diverted crucial resources from other risk or contingency planning including for a pandemic.

The NAO reportstates that preparations for EU Exit took up a significant amount of time and resources across the civil service.

Government officials reported that this limited the time and resources that were devoted to preparing for other emergencies.

READ MORE:Covid and Brexit leave hospitality firms with mounting staffing issues

The report found some work areas of the Pandemic Flu Readiness Board and the Pandemic Influenza Preparedness Programme Board, including scheduling a pandemic influenza exercise in 2019-20, were paused or postponed to free up resources for EU Exit work.

It also found that as of March 2019, the Civil Contingencies Secretariathad allocated 56 of its 94 full-time equivalent staff to preparing for potential disruptions from a no-deal exit.

And it reported that the National Exercise Programme was significantly scaled down from 2017 onward as resources were directed to the operational and policy response to the Grenfell Tower fire and to EU Exit work.

Aswell as this, national guidance to local resilience forums on excess deaths for an influenza pandemic was published in 2012. Public Health England told us that work to update this guidance started in 2018 but was overtaken by EU Exit preparations.

Commenting on the report, SNP MP Dr Philippa Whitford said: "These findings are utterly damning but they are not surprising - the threat of a pandemic has been at the top of the UK risk register since 2009 but everyone knows the Westminster Tory Government took its eye off the ball to prepare for a possible no deal Brexit.

"When diligent and capable civil servants should have been ensuring the PPE stockpile was maintained and planning the response to any major health emergency, their Tory bosses diverted them to focus instead on their Brexit obsession.

"Sadly, it is difficult to come to any other conclusion than that this obsession ultimately led to lives being lost to Covid, including those healthcare staff who could not access PPE.

"Had the Tories not been so consumed by their damaging Brexit folly, lessons could have been learned from the failures identified by Exercise Cygnus in 2016 and preparations would have been in place to better combat the pandemic that has left so many families grieving."

READ MORE:We were left in the dark over this Brexit shambles

Whitford said the NHS had already suffered adecade of austerity, adding that Brexit was a choice people have "paid dearly" for.

She continued: It is as unforgivable as it was avoidable. The Tories refused our calls, and offers from the EU, to suspend the Brexit process and steamed ahead with the end of the transition with cavalier disregard for the consequences.

Last January, the UK Government dragged Scotland out of the largest single market in the world, causing supply chain issues and exacerbating workforce shortages in the NHS and care sector which continue to impede the nations covid response.

"Those responsible should feel shame and a very deep sense of guilt but sadly, I don't think they are capable of such basic humanity."

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Tory 'Brexit obsession led to lives being lost from Covid', say SNP - The National

Sir Lindsay will return to the Speakers chair for Prime Ministers Questions today, as Boris Johnson faces Sir Keir Starmer and the Commons. It comes after Mr Johnson faced an unprecedented Tory rebellion over new coronavirus passport restrictions. The new restrictions, announced a week ago, were subject to a series of Commons votes yesterday evening, with 98 Tory backbenchers voting against bringing in NHS covid passes.

While the vote passed comfortably, along with separate votes on new face mask rules and self-isolation guidelines, Mr Johnson had to rely on the support of Labour.

The rebels included a number of former Cabinet ministers, such as David Davis, Damian Green and Chris Grayling.

Mr Johnson required an eleventh-hour charm offensive to push the vote through, telling the Tory 1922 Committee that the Omicron variant had forced the Governments hand.

He said: Lots and lots of people are going to get this, and you only need a small percentage of them to go to hospital before this becomes a problem.

Read More:BBC's own ex-staff line up to attack broadcaster's Brexit-bashing

Sir Lindsay, who will be at the centre of proceedings, has been Speaker of the House since 2019 and in that time led Parliament through a number of fearsome votes on Brexit.

However, even before his spell as Speaker, the politician never publicly declared his views on Britain leaving the EU.

By convention, both Speakers and Deputy Speakers refrain from voting on any motion in the Commons.

In turn, Sir Lindsay, who was elevated Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons in 2010, has never had to vote on Brexit.

Though the Speaker was informed in advance that Mr Johnson would make a televised address, he was surprised that the Prime Minister did not make a subsequent Parliament address.

He said: Can I say, last night when the Secretary of State called me to say that the Prime Minister felt the need to make the announcement to the country yesterday, I am surprised that he did not therefore think it appropriate to come to this House to answer questions to announce it today.

I have got to say I have respect for the Secretary of State for Health but I am really, really disappointed that once again this House has become second runner-up to TV news.

Not acceptable.

If this is a game we are going to play, we are going to have to play hardball.

His predecessor as Speaker of the House was John Bercow, who was frequently accused of blocking Parliament and being a Remainer enabler during his ten year spell in the chair.

Mr Bercow, denied Breixt bias but frequently clashed with the Government and strongly opposed Mr Johnsons attempts to suspend Parliament for five weeks to meet the Halloween Brexit deadline.

Since leaving his position as Speaker he has been deeply critical of the Government's handling of the pandemic, while this year he joined the Labour party, having previously had Conservative affiliations that dated back to the Eighties.

Upon joining Labour, Mr Bercow accused Mr Johnsons Tory party of being reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even xenophobic.

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Sir Lindsay Hoyles Brexit mystery as Speaker has never revealed how he voted - Daily Express

Post-Brexit moves to replace EU state aid rules will help unlock potential across the UK, according to the Business Secretary.

Kwasi Kwarteng said measures contained within the Subsidy Control Bill will develop skills, infrastructure and new technologies.

But opposition MPs warned the Government lacks a plan on how to use the new powers and also claimed it represents another power grab from the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The Bill sets out how central government, devolved administrations, local authorities and other public bodies should make decisions to award subsidies.

The new regime replaces EU state aid rules, which applied until the Brexit transition period ended on December 31 2020, and the interim measures which followed.

Subsidies, usually cash payments or tax reductions from public resources, can be used to help an industry or business keep prices low, but the expectation is that they will not distort trade.

Speaking at third reading before the Bill cleared the Commons, Mr Kwarteng told MPs: It establishes a subsidy control system that has been designed by the UK and for the UK.

It demonstrates this Governments clear commitment to seize the opportunities arising from Brexit.

For the first time the decision on whether to grant a subsidy will fall to the granting authority itself. At the heart of the regime is a set of clear and proportionate principles which will be underpinned by guidance.

Local authorities, public bodies and the devolved administrations in Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast will be empowered to decide if they can issue taxpayer-funded subsidies by acting consistently with the principles outlined in this legislation.

This includes a principle specifically designed to minimise distortions to UK competition and investment.

The new regime will help unlock potential so all areas of the UK will feel the benefits of targeted subsidies in their areas.

This includes investment in skills, infrastructure and also in new technologies as well as research and development.

Shadow business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said it is an important Bill but warned: The current Governments economic record sadly combines the very worst of everything.

Our long-term growth forecasts are low, our taxes are high, our productivity is appalling, inflation is growing and our trade is shrinking. In short, this Conservative Government has created a high-tax, low-growth economy.

Mr Reynolds said real delivery is needed from the Government, but he noted MPs are none the wiser about its plans.

Earlier as the Commons debated amendments to the Bill, SNP economy spokeswoman Kirsty Blackman said not naming devolved administrations as interested parties in the new regime could prevent them from challenging subsidies overseen by the UK Government that have a bad impact in regions under their control.

She said: I dont think it is the intention of the Government to exclude the Scottish Government, and the Welsh Government, or the Northern Irish Assembly from making these challenges, but I do think the Bill is written in an unruly enough way that it potentially accidentally excludes them.

Plaid Cymrus Westminster leader Liz Saville Roberts added: This Bill is an assault on devolution, wilfully ignorant of the needs of the national economies of the UK, or the role of public bodies in advancing them.

She described it as yet another power grab that undermines not only devolution but also the levelling up project this Government is allegedly so keen on promoting.

MPs also voted 292 to 31, majority 261, against an SNP amendment which would have made agricultural subsidies exempt from the new rules in the Bill.

The proposed legislation will undergo further scrutiny in the House of Lords at a later date.

For more stories from where you live, visit InYourArea

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MPs back post-Brexit subsidies aimed at unlocking potential across the UK - WalesOnline

The broadcaster was accused of failing in its central duty to remain unbiased when reporting on the most important political decision in decades according to the corporation's former Head of Television News. Roger Mosey, who worked at the BBC from 1980 until 2013, gave a stinging assessment to a House of Lords committee while giving evidence on impartiality and editorial standards.

He said of the corporation: "I think there is sometimes a lack of understanding of conservative groups, of faith groups, of older people, which you have to make sure - if you really want impartiality - you understand why they think what they do.

"It doesn't mean you agree with them but represent them fairly."

He added: "I thought after the Brexit debate that Brexit voters were all portrayed as angry people in fish and chip shops in Clapton.

"That wasn't really the right picture.

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"I think that can damage impartiality as much as what looks like an unfair report."

Mr Mosey left the BBC in 2013 after accusing it of bias.

He quit saying it was too-leftwing and had failed to "give enough space to anti-immigration views or to EU-withdrawals".

Richard Sambrook, the BBC's Director of Global News between 2004 and 2010, blamed the broadcaster for trying to show "emotion" in its reports.

He said attempts to be creative had led to a failure to avoid bias.

The former employee said: "I think there are all sorts of risks to impartiality when you go down that line.

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Director-general Tim Davie, who took up his position just over a year ago, has publicly vowed to do more to ensure the BBC retains the trust of the British public.

He accused the corporation of failing to reflect the views of the whole of Britain in the past and said he was on a mission to become more representative.

Addressing staff shortly after taking up his role in September 2020, he said: "We urgently need to champion and recommit to impartiality.

"It is deliverable and it is essential. If you work here, nothing should be more exciting than exploring different views, seeking evidence with curiosity and creatively presenting testimony.

"Making use of our own experiences but not driven by our personal agendas.

"I wonder if some people worry that impartiality could be a little dull.

"I would just turn to our finest work: it is exhilarating, passionate and ground-breaking.

"To be clear, this is not about abandoning democratic values such as championing fair debate or an abhorrence of racism. But it is about being free from political bias, guided by the pursuit of truth, not a particular agenda."

Express.co.uk has contacted the BBC for comment.

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Ex-BBC staff fume at Brexit-bashing 'damaging impartiality' Leavers treated with contempt - Daily Express