Electricity
Express
A HUGE Brexit trade war could be about to explode between the UK and European Union, after a leading expert warned France could interrupt the electricity supply running to Jersey and even parts of mainland Britain.
Tensions between London and Brussels soared after talks between the UK Brexit minister Lord Frost and European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic on Wednesday collapsed over a solution to the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol. The EU has threatened to launch a trade war against Britain if it does not implement checks on goods entering Northern Ireland under the terms of the Brexit deal, with Mr Sefcovic warning patience with the UK is wearing “very, very thin”.
Lord Frost has refused to rule out the prospect of the UK unilaterally delaying the imposition of checks on British-made sausages and other chilled meats due to come into force at the end of this month.
But Mujtaba Rahman, managing director of Europe for political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, has warned the trade retaliation from the EU could stretch to lengths greater than anyone could have previously imagined.
In a note following the breakdown in talks between the YK and EU, the analyst wrote: “In a more extreme scenario of a UK suspension of the Protocol, the EU could choose to do something across a variety of sectors.
“One example is electricity, as the UK is a net importer, primarily from France, which supplies much of Jersey and a small percentage of mainland Great Britain’s needs.”
Northern Ireland
Express
FRANCE has vowed to block any attempt to renegotiate the post-Brexit border deal struck for Northern Ireland.
President Emmanuel Macron stressed that he would veto any attempt to revise the Protocol to avoid a hard border or extend “grace periods” on Brussels red tape. In comments that will likely stoke up tensions between the UK and EU, he said it was “not serious” to revisit the agreement. Mr Macron said: “I think it’s not serious to want to review in July what we finalised after years of debate and work in December.
“This is not an issue between the UK and France, it is an issue between Europeans and the UK.
“We have a protocol under which there is this Northern Ireland Protocol and we have a trade deal.
“It has been painfully discussed for years, and discussed, let me remind you, on the initiative of the British who decided to leave.”
His remarks will add fuel to the fire with the threat of a looming trade war over UK sausage exports to the region.
A similar story appears in the Guardian.
Macron
Express
EMMANUEL MACRON attempted to upstage Prime Minister Boris Johnson over the global vaccine rollout effort, with France now said to be on a “collision course” with the UK.
Mr Macron expressed his support for waiving patents for vaccines to help end the pandemic ahead of the G7 summit. The French President wrote on Twitter that “from day one France has worked to make solutions to the pandemic a global public good”. He added: “Dose sharing, opening up of intellectual property, financing of health systems. It’s up to the G7 to get involved.”
A French official confirmed to Politico that the “opening up of intellectual property” meant supporting waiving patents on vaccines.
The UK is currently opposed to the idea, which is reportedly poised to place Mr Macron and Mr Johnson on a “collision course” this weekend.
Mr Macron previously attempted to upstage Mr Johnson on the issue after he demanded Europe start dishing out doses to other countries in February.
Similar stories appear in the Independent, Times, Guardian
Freedom day
Mail
The end of lockdown curbs may be delayed by as much as four weeks even though ministers are set to win their race to double-jab millions in time for ‘Freedom Day’.
Figures released yesterday showed the Government is on course to hit its target to have offered a second coronavirus vaccine dose to all over-50s by June 21.
Just hours later, however, it emerged that supplies of the Pfizer vaccine will reduce throughout June.
Furthermore, the Mail understands that ministers are still considering keeping some curbs in place for a further two to four weeks amid mounting concern about the spread of the Indian variant.
While an exception is likely to be made for weddings, ministers have become increasingly pessimistic over the course of the week and are now moving closer to a delayed freedom day that could coincide with the start of the school summer holidays.
The Pfizer setback comes as a particular blow, as it makes the prospect of speeding up the vaccine roll-out to meet demand much more difficult.
MSP Humza Yousaf told Matt Hancock in a letter that supplies of the jab are to be ‘particularly tight over the next few weeks’, not just in Scotland but across the UK, according to the i newspaper.
Mr Yousaf’s fears are the result of the updated advice published the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation last month, which said that under-40s should be given Pfizer or Moderna jabs rather than the AstraZeneca equivalent due to concerns over a small risk of blood clots in younger patients.
And with thousands of under-30s now receiving jabs after the vaccine roll-out picked up pace, demand for doses of Pfizer has now soared beyond supply levels.
Yesterday, Health Secretary Matt Hancock revealed that the Indian variant now comprises 91 per cent of new infections.
Figures showed Covid-19 case rates have increased across every region in England in the past week. But hospital admissions have only increased fractionally – while deaths are up by just 1.9 per cent on the previous week.
NHS bosses have said vaccines appear to have broken the link between rising cases and hospitalisations. Those that are admitted are often younger and less sick than during previous waves.
According to NHS data published yesterday, more than 85 per cent over-50s in England – considered the age group most at risk – have now had two vaccine doses.
Similar stories appear in the Telegraph, Evening Standard, Guardian, Mail
The economy
Telegraph
The UK shrugged off predictions of a post-Brexit trade collapse as imports from outside the EU hit a record high in April and trade with the bloc recovered further.
Britain imported £20.1bn of goods from beyond the EU in April, the most on records going back to 1997. Meanwhile, companies sold £12.9bn worth of goods into the bloc, nearly 10pc higher than last September.
Imports from the bloc also rose, but remained markedly below pre-Brexit levels.
The continued climb in exports suggests companies have largely adapted to a wave of new regulations introduced by the Brexit deal, although industry bodies continue to report problems.
Overall goods trade with the EU is about a fifth lower this year, with much of the shortfall on the imports side.
Samuel Tombs, chief UK economist at consultancy Pantheon Macroeconomics, said exports into the bloc were also about 9pc lower than 2019’s pre-pandemic levels.
Similar stories appear in the Guardian, BBC News
Vaccines
Express
Boris Johnson today pledges 100million Covid vaccine doses to the worldwide fight against the pandemic. At the G7 Summit in Cornwall, the Prime Minister will commit the surplus doses from the UK’s massive stockpile to encourage world leaders to join coordinated action to vaccinate the world’s entire population by the end of the year.
The British contribution, funded from the Government’s £10billion annual overseas aid budget, is expected to be part of at least a billion vaccine doses pledged by the leaders attending the Carbis Bay gathering. Speaking ahead of the first day of the summit today, the Prime Minister said: “Since the start of this pandemic the UK has led the way in efforts to protect humanity against this deadly disease.
“Over a year ago we funded the development of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine on the basis it would be distributed at cost to the world.
“This unprecedented model, which puts people squarely above profit, means over half a billion doses have been administered in 160 countries so far.
“As a result of the success of the UK’s vaccine programme we are now in a position to share some of our surplus doses with those who need them.
“In doing so we will take a massive step towards beating this pandemic for good.
Similar stories appear in the Mail, Mirror, ITV News
Child migrants
Mail
The farce of adult migrants posing as children is to be tackled in a crackdown by Priti Patel.
A specialist unit is to be set up by the Home Secretary to carry out expert assessments of would-be asylum seekers who claim to be under 18.
It comes after a series of high-profile cases of phonies – including a balding man who appeared to be in his 40s – ending up in school because they said they were minors.
One adult asylum seeker spent six weeks in a Year 11 class before a Home Office investigation revealed he was years older.
A team of social workers will help local authorities nationwide assess new asylum claims, including those by people who arrive on small boats across the Channel.
It comes amid soaring numbers of arrivals from northern France, with 1,000 so far this month alone.
The Border Force intercepted and brought in 179 people making the dangerous crossing on Wednesday and ten yesterday, bringing this month’s total to 1,008.
So far this year the total is just under 4,900, compared with a record 8,410 in the whole of last year.
Migrants who say they are under 18 obtain preferential treatment.
A similar story appears in the Mail.
Macron wants to wave patents…cos he spent 500mill and still no patent.
How come the EU is promising to give away vaxx whilst it is sueing AZ in the EU courts.
At time of typing, does EU produce any vaxx ?
So two points. As its G7 am I alone in counting 9 useless suits in a room , in a photo call etc ?
Did Dianne Abbott call this ?
SEcond, The Bad Friday agreement is an outrage to UK sovereignty.
If the EU needs customs borders a sov state must be allowed a real border .
The Bad Friday agreement bought off the IRA. Most of the kneecappers and murderers are dead now.
The IRA family business is now in drugs etc .
No need for The Bad Friday agreement . these things do change with the times.
… clever little Macron – with malice primed and always ready to be deployed when a distraction from political problems at home in EU Province 02 is required …
…and now for the REal horror stories from Cornwall.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/06/11/boris-calls-talk-with-biden-breath-of-fresh-air-touts-nato-climate-change-agenda/
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that his first face-to-face talk with U.S. President Joe Biden was a “breath of fresh air”, gushing over joint plans regarding climate change and NATO.
https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2021/06/11/boris-compares-himself-biden-churchill-roosevelt/
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has compared himself and President Joe Biden to wartime leaders Sir Winston Churchill and Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
The comments to both articles are… well not always politically correct.
How dare he even have the downright audacity to mention such names as “Winston Churchill” ?
The man’s a heathen to even imagine he could ever possibly bear the slightest resemblance to such a
“great man”
Bloody FOOL!
One of the problems for UKIP now is that the man in the street thinks that Brexit has been delivered. It most certainly has not, as you point out.
As many have suggested on ID it’s time for the smaller parties to pool resources and to start to work together if we are to break the LibLab Con stranglehold.
https://www.ukip.org/time-for-collaboration
Ceri – I think you have created a heresy! Are you advocating the demise of the Party System? But we cannot beat ‘the system’ by creating another party. That would be self-defeating and a contradiction in terms Or, do you mean the people should work together to break the LibLabCon stranglehold? That’s a different proposition and I’d back you on that.
Michael D. I believe that we must work together.
Quite right Ceri
Michael D. We cannot beat the Party system by creating another Party, no. That is largely because there are too many regulations relating to political parties and the existing parties have the financial backing to cope.
Some sort of ‘umbrella organisation’ to help Independents for example, might get round the problem.
Since UKIP still has some of what is required, it just might be the place to start.
Officially the Conservative and Unionist Party. BUT no longer unionist or conservative. More accurarately a branch of the party of Davos.
Let’s be honest – the N I Protocol debacle is the making of Johnson’s own doing. Johnson’s Brexit ended up being fairly indistinguisable from May’s fudge. He did not deliver the Brexit we all voted for. The dog’s breakfast we find ourselves in is his making alone.
Agreed JB.
There seems to be a groundswell of negativity towards the whole surrender agreement as obvious soverenity (where’s the smelling checker when you need it?) giveaways have started to appear since day one – Northern Ireland annexation by a foreign country without a shot fired, is just one.
No wonder the establishment want the plague lockdown to continue to deflect discussion away from such matters.