EU IN HUMILIATING U-TURN FOLLOWING OUTRAGE

The Guardian reports that Brussels has been forced into a humiliating U-turn in the face of outrage in London and Dublin after seeking to trigger a Brexit deal clause to establish border controls on vaccine doses moving into Northern Ireland from the Republic. The European commission was forced to backtrack on its plan to effectively erect a vaccine border on the island of Ireland after both Boris Johnson and the Irish taoiseach, Micheál Martin, spoke personally to its president, Ursula von der Leyen. EU sources said it had acted “in error” but the crisis highlighted the growing political furore over the lack of vaccine supply and tensions with the UK. The commission wanted to trigger a clause in the withdrawal agreement to allow it to control exports between the south and north of the island of Ireland. Within hours of the intention becoming public, however, the commission was backtracking in the face of protest from the DUP, Sinn Fein, both the British and Irish governments and even the Archbishop of Canterbury.

 

EU ACCUSED OF AN INCREDIBLE ACT OF HOSTILITY

The Daily Mail reports  a major escalation of the EU’s vaccine war as officials in Brussels have used a get-out clause to place a ‘hard border’ between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland in a bid to stop vaccines reaching the UK through the backdoor. Just hours after unveiling an export ban that could stop 3.5million jabs reaching Britain, EU officials have now invoked the clause in the Brexit trade deal which allows them to override part of the agreement. Under the trade deal, all products should be exported from the EU to Northern Ireland without checks. But the EU will now place controls on vaccines heading to Northern Ireland. The move, to invoke article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, has been slammed by the country’s First Minister, Arlene Foster, who accused the EU of an ‘incredible act of hostility’.

 

FEARS THE EU  HAD ACTIVATED BREXIT CLAUSE

The Daily Express reported that  Britain was considering its response after the EU took action to prevent Northern Ireland from being used as a back door to funnel coronavirus vaccine from the bloc into the rest of the UK . Michael Gove  has  contacted officials in Brussels to demand an urgent explanation and has spoken to European Union Commission Vice President Marcos Sefcovic to express the UK’s concern over a lack of notification from the EU about its actions in relation to the NI protocol and is reported as saying that the UK would now be carefully considering its next steps.” This comes after the  EU apparently triggered Article 16 of the Brexit  Northern Ireland  protocol to temporarily place export controls on this movement in respect of coronavirus vaccines. This has  also sparked Ireland into urgent action, with Taoiseach Micheal Martin contacting Ms von der Leyen to express concern over the move.

 

STURGEON CURRIES FAVOUR WITH EU

According to the Daily Mail furious Tory MPs have accused Nicola Sturgeon of ‘showboating’ in a bid to ‘curry favour’ with the EU after she pledged to publish details of the UK’s vaccine supplies. Ms Sturgeon yesterday told Holyrood she intends to release vaccine supply data from next week ‘regardless of what they say’ despite Boris Johnson ordering her to keep the numbers secret to protect the rollout. Tory MPs claimed Ms Sturgeon – who wants Scotland to be independent and rejoin the bloc – is ‘obviously more inclined to help the EU than she is the UK’.

 

FROST RETURNS

The Express reports that  former Brexit negotiator Lord Frost is set to become the Prime Minister’s leading representative on the European Union and international policy. Commenting on the appointment  Prime Minister Boris  Johnson said: I am hugely grateful to Lord Frost for his herculean efforts in securing a deal with the EU, and I am thrilled that he has agreed to be my representative for Brexit and International Policy as we seize the opportunities from our departure from the EU.

 

NEW TRADE DEALS ABOUT TO BE SIGNED

The Daily Express writes: Britain could be just weeks away from signing  trade agreements with New Zealand and Australia.Trade between Britain and New Zealand is estimated to be worth nearly £3billion and will increase substantially once a deal is agreed. Finalising the deals, as well as securing Britain’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-PacificPartnership (CPTPP) have all been key aims for Government in 2021.

 

NO CHEER FOR MINE HOST JUST YET

The SUN warns that pubs and restaurants won’t open until May as the pressure caused by coronavirus on hospitals will not ease quickly enough. But easing lockdown is based on the success of the vaccine rollout, a drop in pressure on the NHS and falling covid cases and deaths – and experts believe this won’t happen until May. Based on the first wave, the hospitality industry was allowed to open on July 4 when there were 2,800 Covid-19 patients in hospitals. Which, on last year’s trajectory, would not be reached until May 5 this time around, according to analysis carried out by The Times and backed up by scientists.

 

BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT NOMINATED FOR PEACE PRIZE

The Guardian reports that the Black Lives Matter movement has been nominated for the 2021 Nobel peace prize for the way its call for systemic change has spread around the world. In his nomination papers, the Norwegian MP Petter Eide said the movement had forced countries outside the US to grapple with racism within their own societies and that Black Lives Matter has become a very important worldwide movement to fight racial injustice.

 

TRIBUTES TO SLAVE TRADERS AND COLONIALISTS REMOVED

From the Guardian: An investigation by the Guardian has revealed that scores of tributes to slave traders, colonialists and racists have been taken down or will be removed across the UK, with hundreds of others under review by local authorities and institutions. In what was described by historians as an “unprecedented” public reckoning with Britain’s slavery and colonial past, an estimated 39 names – including streets, buildings and schools – and 30 statues, plaques and other memorials have been or are undergoing changes or removal since last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests. Other removals of names now deemed offensive include five pubs called Black Boy and one named Black’s Head, and two pet graves, including the one of the black labrador dog mascot buried at RAF Scampton and who was the pet of  Guy Gibson V.C. In some areas, the removals have been fiercely resisted by local residents. The campaign group Save Our Statues said it had helped to gather 195,000 signatures over 40 different petitions that have been debated at council meetings, which helped lead to decisions to keep the statues of Sir Francis Drake in Plymouth and Clive of India in Shrewsbury. Earlier this month, the government announced plans to change the law to protect statues from what Robert Jenrick, the communities secretary, called “baying mobs”.

 

SNOW AND RAIN WARNINGS

The Express writes: Several Met Office ice, snow and rain warnings are in place over the next few days, with three days of alerts from Monday. The weekend looks to be a cold one, with influences from a “dense pool of cold air” which is hanging over Scandinavia. There is a weather warning for snow in place on Saturday for London and South East England, Wales and the West Midlands.

 

AND FINALLY

The Mirror reports that police are investigating the “criminal damage” to the Long Man of Wilmington, a 235ft figure carved into a chalk slope in East Sussex. The giant landmark has long baffled archaeologists and its origins remain unclear. The mysterious Long Man is Europe’s largest portrayal of the human form, dating back to at least 1710. However on Tuesday – some 311 years later – it was discovered that someone had painted a mask onto the protected figure. 

 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email