European Parliament
Guido
Britain’s MEPs were called to a meeting at the EU Parliament this evening to discuss the ending of their mandates at the end of the month, how redundancies of both MEPs and staff will work, and how they need to go about shutting down their offices. Things were clearly in high spirits as Guido is informed Lib Dem and Labour MEPs went in determined to secure their pension rights. On the other hand, Farage has promised to not take a penny of his golden goodbye…
One Labour MEP desperately tried to justify why she deserved her full pension entitlement because she’s “been working really hard creating the biggest pro-EU movement in the UK”. Guido hears this caused laughter from all sides, including Brussels officials who spotted her movement clearly hadn’t worked…
Richard Corbett kept asking about whether he’d be able to get a ’widower’s pension’ and Caroline Voaden came out with the line “It shows just how unfair the system is” when she realised she won’t be getting her full pension. One source reports they think they spotted a couple of her colleagues in tears…
Unsurprisingly the Lib Dems were seething, with one telling Brexit Party MEP June Mummery to “shut up” when she tried talking, to which she fired back “shut yer big gob you”. One MEP tells Guido next time they’re definitely bringing popcorn…
Brexit
Mail
The Brexit talks were literally on thin ice today – as the EU’s Maros Sefcovic took a tumble on a slippery step.
Mr Sefcovic nearly came a-cropper as he arrived at Chevening for discussions with Liz Truss on the Northern Ireland protocol.
The Foreign Secretary and ministers looked on aghast as he nearly lost his balance by the entrance to the stately home in Kent, but quickly recovered.
Mr Sefcovic tweeted pictures of the pair strolling around the grounds and said they had an ‘opportunity’ to resolve critical issues.
The Brexit divorce rules have been blamed for fuelling sectarian tensions in Northern Ireland, with the DUP demanding the protocol is axed altogether.
The UK government has threatened to invoke Article 16 and suspend the arrangements if Brussels does not agree to a deeper overhaul.
Speaking ahead of the talks, Ms Truss said: ‘There is a deal to be done that protects peace in Northern Ireland, defends our Union, and maintains the integrity of the United Kingdom and EU. But it will require a pragmatic approach from the EU.
‘I will be putting forward practical, reasonable solutions starting from these fundamental principles, with a view to agreeing a plan for intensive negotiations.
‘The EU has a clear responsibility to help fix the myriad problems caused by the Protocol and protect the Good Friday Agreement.’
Telegraph
Liz Truss on Thursday told the EU she wants a deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol by the end of March in her first face-to-face meeting with the bloc’s Brexit negotiator.
The two sides are expected to agree a new timetable for intensive talks over measures to avoid a hard border in an attempt to broker a compromise before the forthcoming Stormont elections.
After a slippery start to the talks when Maros Sefcovic, a European Commission vice-president, stumbled on an icy step while meeting Ms Truss at Chevening House, the Foreign Secretary’s country residence, the pair said a deal was needed to ensure peace and stability in the province.
The UK and EU believe the best way to achieve this is by brokering a pact to reduce the number of trade checks between Northern Ireland and Great Britain before May’s ballot.
Express
THE UK economy has surpassed pre-Covid levels for the first time in November after the country recorded stronger-than-expected growth.
According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 0.9 percent between October and November. This was higher than expectations and meant the economy was 0.7 percent larger than in February 2020.
However, following the spread of the Omicron variant and the introduction of Plan B Covid measures, the growth slowed again.
ONS chief executive Grant Fitzner said: “The economy grew strongly in the month before Omicron struck, with architects, retailers, couriers and accountants having a bumper month.
“Construction also recovered from several weak months as many raw materials became easier to get hold of.”
Chinese spy
Sun
SPOOKS yesterday blew the cover on a suspected Communist spy at the heart of British democracy.
MI5 accused Labour donor Christine Lee of channelling cash from Beijing to influence parliament as it publicly warned MPs and peers to avoid her.
The Chinese lawyer has donated nearly £700,000 to the Labour Party, mostly through the office of Corbynista MP Barry Gardiner, who until confronted by the Security Services yesterday, employed her son.
But Lib Dem leader Ed Davey also accepted a £5,000 donation from Lee’s law firm while in the Cabinet, and Theresa May handed her a peace prize — which was last night rescinded.
Lee has been snapped with ex-Tory PM David Cameron, former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his then deputy Tom Watson but was yesterday exposed as an agent of the Chinese Communist Party.
Tensions between the UK and China have been stretched recently by the superpower’s Covid lies, dire human rights abuses and escalating espionage attacks.
Mail
A Chinese ‘spy’ outed by MI5 targeted the ‘highest levels of Government’, including former prime ministers, it was revealed last night.
In an unprecedented move, spy chiefs yesterday issued a security alert to MPs over solicitor Christine Lee, 58.
She sought to influence a string of politicians and succeeded in establishing powerful links ‘right to the top of the British establishment’, security sources said.
A warning memo sent to MPs said her ‘political interference activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party’ have been secretly monitored by the security services for years.
The twice married mother of two from the West Midlands has openly given around £670,000 to the Labour Party since 2005, including donating more than £600,000 to Brent North MP Barry Gardiner – who employed her son.
But yesterday it was revealed she also courted a wide range of Tory and Labour MPs, cultivating contacts with cabinet ministers and prime ministers in what was described by MI5 as a deeply sinister campaign of ‘interference across British democracy’.
ITV News
Foreign Office officials have raised concerns with the Chinese ambassador to the UK over a warning from MI5 that an agent engaged in “political interference activities” in the UK on behalf of the ruling communist party.
China denied the allegations late on Thursday night, saying it had “no need” to “buy influence” in any foreign parliament.
It came after it emerged that a senior Labour MP had received more than £500,000 in donations from a woman believed by MI5 to be a Chinese agent.
Barry Gardiner received the donations from Christine Ching Kui Lee – mainly to cover staffing costs in his office – over a period of six years, and employed her son as his diary manager.
The disclosures came after MI5 took the rare step of issuing MPs and peers with a warning about Ms Lee’s cultivating of British politicians to secure a “UK political landscape” that was “favourable” to China.
Sky News
A Labour ex-minister who received hundreds of thousands of pounds from an alleged Chinese government agent has admitted to Sky News he did discuss policy with Christine Lee, but insisted she “gained no political advantage for the Chinese state from me”.
In an exclusive interview, Brent North MP Barry Gardiner denied he felt “a fool” following the revelation that Ms Lee has been engaged in “political interference activities”.
But the Labour former frontbencher admitted he was “very angry that somebody tried to use me in that way”.
China denied the spying allegations late on Thursday night, saying it had “no need” to “buy influence” in any foreign parliament.
Immigration
Express
EASING visa applications for Indians to work in the UK could be a major benefit of Brexit, as free trade discussions between the two nations continue.
Under the Home Office’s Tier 2 skilled workers scheme, India accounted for more than 40 percent of the 103,819 visas granted in the year up to June 2021.
But while easing visa costs “makes sense”, under “a streamlined Tier 2 skilled visa process”, distinguishing between ‘skilled’ and ‘low skilled’ work does not, according to Ryan Bourne, writing in The Telegraph.
Mr Bourne said a migration system with “crude wage thresholds” can “ignore all the unobservable or potential skills a migrant might have if they were afforded the opportunity to actually live here in Britain”.
Telegraph
New rules to weed out adult migrants falsely claiming to be children in order to boost their asylum chances are to be introduced by ministers after a trebling in fake applications.
Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, will on Friday issue new guidance allowing immigration officials to crack down on anyone who appears to be over 18 seeking to pose as a child to fast track their application.
At present, officials unsure of the age of a young migrant have to treat them as children unless their physical appearance and demeanour “very strongly suggests that they are 25 years of age or over”.
The lowering of the age threshold to 18 follows Home Office data which showed the number of adult migrants falsely claiming to be children hit 1,118 in the year to September 2021 – the highest figure since records began in 2006 and more than treble the 320 in the previous year.
Unaccompanied children are more likely to be granted asylum and less likely to be detained or removed if their claim is rejected.
BBC
Mail
Senior Conservatives last night accused the BBC of ‘outrageous’ bias over its coverage of Boris Johnson’s apology to MPs for the Downing Street lockdown party.
They were incensed at Wednesday’s 10pm television news and yesterday’s Today programme on Radio 4, accusing both programmes of allowing an openly anti-Johnson agenda to dominate.
A Whitehall insider called the BBC’s coverage of the Prime Minister’s statement ‘unbearable’, adding: ‘It feels like the BBC isn’t going to stop until he’s gone. Wednesday night’s News at Ten was extraordinary but Today was even worse.’
Tories angrily pointed to a series of barbed comments from Today presenter Nick Robinson as examples of bias.
They were infuriated when he sneeringly asked whether Mr Johnson’s apology ‘really was an apology’.
Mr Robinson, interviewing Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis, said ‘most people’ thought the Prime Minister was only saying sorry because he had been caught.
And, during the heated exchange, Mr Robinson said the PM’s focus had ‘always been on blaming other people for his behaviour’.
Covid
Mail
Britain’s Omicron wave continued to collapse today as Covid cases fell once again and NHS hospital admissions remained flat.
Another 109,133 positive tests were logged across the UK over the past 24 hours, down 39 per cent on the tally a week ago. It is the eighth consecutive day that new infections have fallen week-on-week and the lowest daily total in more than a fortnight.
Deaths — which are a lagging indicator of the outbreak— have been slowly creeping up in recent days, with 335 more victims registered today. It is unclear if reporting issues over the holidays are still at play but the seven-day average number of fatalities sits at 261 now, compared to 99 a fortnight ago.
Meanwhile, latest hospital data shows there were 2,184 admissions for the virus-infected patients on January 9, up 5 per cent compared to the previous. Daily admissions have fallen on three of the past seven days.
NHS leaders have publicly voiced optimism that Omicron-fuelled pressure on hospitals has already peaked and that eight new Nightingale surge hubs will not be needed.
Mirror
Covid cases across the UK have increased by 109,133 in the last 24 hours – marking a 39% decrease over past week.
A further 335 deaths have also been recorded.
Last Thursday, Covid cases soared by 179,756 with a further 231 deaths.
Yesterday, the number of cases increased by 129,587 – as the latest figures come as a frontline doctor says it is looking ‘increasingly likely’ the country will be able to ride out the Omicron variant.
Dr Richard Cree, an intensive care consultant at James Cook University Hospital who has blogged about his work during the pandemic, said: “Across the country, the number of people being admitted to hospital following infection remains high.
“However, the number of people being admitted hasn’t risen as high as I feared it might and it may even be starting to plateau.”
Mail
Controversial Covid passes are to be scrapped this month after Sajid Javid effectively killed off the policy, according to reports.
The Health Secretary is said to have concluded that Covid-19 certification is longer needed as the Omicron wave eases.
On Thursday, daily Covid cases fell by nearly 40 per cent in a week to 109,133 — the eighth day in a row that positive tests have declined week-on-week.
With ministers considering lifting WFH guidance when Plan B curbs are reviewed on January 26, it is possible that compulsory masks in enclosed public places will be the only restriction remaining in February.
Mr Javid yesterday told MPs that there were ‘encouraging signs’ that infections were falling in parts of England that the NHS was coping.
New party
Guido
When is a party not a party? When it’s being launched by Gina Miller. The QEII centre this morning saw the long-anticipated launch of the latest centrist electoral irrelevance – Gina Miller’s “True & Fair Party”. Gina told viewers that, according to their polling, 66% of people would consider backing a new party – something not reflected by turnout at the event. 13 hacks turned up to the launch. Three bothered to ask questions…
One hack asked what policies the new party has. She proudly announced they total to two, both of which are available on their website: one on ‘cleaning up politics’, which includes promises to end paid lobbying by MPs and introduce a new ministerial code enshrining the Nolan principles (both of which already exist); and another on electoral reform. The difference between the True & Fair Party and LibDems is Gina Miller’s ego…
Gina’s most excitable claim was on the legislation coming from the government at the moment, specifically accusing the Judicial Review Bill of threatening to “silence our voices”, creating an “elective dictatorship”. Can anyone remember why the judicial review bill is needed in the first place?
Vaccine
iNews
A handful of UK firms have announced moves to cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff members – but employment lawyers have warned such a move may not technically be legal.
Next announced on Thursday that employees who are identified as a close contact of someone who has tested positive for the coronavirus will only receive statutory sick pay of £96.35 a week.
But it said that all staff who test positive for the virus, whether they are vaccinated or not, will receive full sick pay.
The high street store’s sales employees and stock assistants are paid between £6.55 and £9.21 an hour, while staff working in its warehouses receive between £9.30 and £11.26 an hour.
Only those with mitigating circumstances will be exempt from the policy.
Times
The fashion retailer Next is the latest company to cut sick pay for unvaccinated staff as Sajid Javid said those who have not had jabs damaged the NHS.
The health secretary said that the unvaccinated were making it harder for everyone else to get treated and that “people who have chosen not to get vaccinated should understand the consequences of their decision for the rest of society”.
Javid said that anyone still unvaccinated had “chosen not to do that. And that has consequences. It doesn’t just have consequences for them, it has consequences for all of us.”
iNews
Millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine could go to waste if more young people do not come forward to get a booster jab, ministers fear.
The pace of the boosters rollout has fallen sharply this week, with just 140,000 people getting jab every day – even though there are more than nine million people in the UK who are eligible for a third dose and haven’t had one.
The Government is expected to make a fresh push to improve boosters uptake among the young. And Health Secretary Sajid Javid has suggested that people who choose not to get vaccinated at all are selfishly benefiting from others’ decision to have the jab and therefore keep society open.
Britain has more than 25 million vaccine doses currently available after ramping up orders over the autumn in preparation for the boosters campaign.
But if uptake remains low in the coming weeks millions of the jabs – which have a shelf life of nine months in the freezer and just one month once they are thawed – may have to be thrown away.
Excellent TGS, I hope others tune in to yesterday’s comments and applaud too
Typo “muck raking” not “muck taking”
Tonight on GB TV Alexander Stewart was posing the theory that there was a conspiracy campaign in the Media and others to get rid of Boris.
The editor of the Sunday People contested this and maintained the gen all gen taken from drip drip publication put out by Cumming’s £10 a shot to join.
That’s as maybe, I’m not sure what is happening is that the press are behaving normally, conspiracy or not
They sell filth and innuendo as a stock in trade, they employ every means of titillation and muck taking available consciencelessly and we en masses lap it up
The lurid turns of the case of the Duke of York currently outrank the less sexy doings of zBoris which are relegated temporarily to the inner pages.
But dog eat dog they all join joyfully in the grand chase of felling prominent characters, guilty or not. it’s the thrill of the chase, it’s in reality, a blood sport, enjoyed nationally.
Are Johnson’s days in 10, Downing Street severely numbered now, after the list of drinks parties during lockdown at Number 10 and elsewhere grew by another three today. One cannot say too much because Sue Gray that very well known investigator, allegedly the great great grand daughter of Miss Marple is looking into the shenanigans of Number 10. And who appointed this great investigator to look into these parties held under Johnson’s roof. Oh, Johnson himself, so there will be no conflict of interest then. Since when does a person under investigation get to appoint the investigating officer, you just couldn’t make it up. And when will she report on her findings I wonder. No doubt its an open ended investigation which will take at least two years to complete. Johnson get out of 10, Downing Street tomorrow, and close the door behind you. I hope those Conservative MP’s who are worried whether they will still be position after the next general election have or are in the process of submitting those letters to Sir Graham Brady of the 1922 Back Bench Committee, and if not why not. Surely now they must be thinking along the lines of a damage limitation exercise, or perhaps they don’t care………
“Millions of doses of Covid-19 vaccine could go to waste if more young people do not come forward to get a booster jab, ministers fear.”
What I I fear is millions of young people getting jab -injured ; but maybe unwashed little plebs like me inhabit a different world from ministers !
How I would love these crooks aka ministers to be forced to pay for these out of their own pockets.
If we ever do get our country back I hope the first thing we do is see off the phenonmenon “Power without Accountability”.
PS Many people have written to MHRA asking for evidence to suppport their claim that the various covid jabs are safe, and that the 1900 deaths and 1.3 million injuries soon after the jabs were not caused by the jabs. MHRA are dismissing these reasonable requests as VEXATIOUS !
Let the suckers have as many jabs as they want Mary. These sheeple cannot be persuaded otherwise. At some point the penny will drop what fools they have been.
A BRILLIANT COUP….the cabinet office with its powerful civil servand preponderance, has shown how it can with ease bring down its enemies . Hopefully this display of arrogance and cunning will give the press, and both front benches some belated thought. These are serpents,. do not expect straight thinking. They are largely remainers, do not expect pride, They do not work for them, do not expect loyalty.. They think they are gaining, expect mistakes be vigilant and suspicious. This is the establishment , they can buy your best friend. They will certainly try.These are Mandarins and politicians with many aspects,,, and prospects.
There is just too much chaos. Nothing and nobody can betrusted. So what do we do.? We used to be able to trust the NSO. We used to be able to trust our council. We used to be able to trust the police. But they do not even do their basic job any longer. As for Justice . it’s laughable. As for the Army, all the money goes straight into the MOD and procurement.. There are too many aspects of our society that have been poorly served by copying America purely because politics believe they do a good job. Every little bit of our society is now corrupt by every single method known in history. Not a single solitary institution is free of the creeping corruptions of bureaucracy and ignorance and simple obvious greed, theft, assault, grooming, and a thousand tolerated peccadillos in a spectrum reaching up to the monster greeds of huge business and the global empires of governments protection money prostituting Taxes. And the incredible enormous mountainous thefts and collusion by the establishment and governments of theft by QA , inflation, etc. The lists are endless. Protection money paid to the establishment to not be too damaging to the economy or malign to the population. eg just above breaking point.
QA.. Slang for QE quantitative easing eased and avoided or disguised.
And they still vote Lib/Lab/Con/ so why should they change.
Correct me if I am wrong but doesn’t the Surrender treaty oblige the British Government to pay into the EU pension pot to cover anyone in any country retiring before some future date tba by the EU? Or does that not apply to British MEPs? Pretty sure EU citizens have rights to claim British Welfare for their lifetime. What a mess.
I do not understand why we do not insist on a Briticsh Court, and all its trickery, in Southern Ireland ” To protect our integrity”. After all The English speaking world outnumbers and predates, and is richer and more powerful, etc etc than pathetic embryo Civil Service constructs ph ( Post Hitler, and despite French struggles )
BBC bias of Doris’ attempt at an apology. Serves him right. They are both untrustworthy. The only good thing to come out of this, is that the covid fear mongering from Government and media will struggle to maintain its current narrative.
EU pensions I have my popcorn machine ready. Johnson, Javid and the rest of the cabal are in ars-e covering mode. If they think we will forgive or forget they are very much mistaken.