Brexit
Reuters
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to break international law by breaching parts of the Brexit divorce treaty with the European Union faces a vote in parliament on Monday amid growing opposition from within his own party. The House of Commons will on Monday debate the Internal Market Bill, which the EU has demanded Johnson scrap by the end of September. Lawmakers will decide if it should go to the next stage. But Johnson, who has a majority of 80 in the lower house of parliament, is facing a growing revolt from some of his own lawmakers.
Telegraph
The UK and EU chief negotiators have been embroiled in a clash of words on social media, with each side publicly accusing each other of misleading the public on issues relating to the Northern Ireland border. Michel Barnier dismissed the Government’s claim that the Northern Ireland Protocol could be used to break up the UK and insisted that Brussels was not refusing to grant Britain third party status. Instead he claimed that the EU wanted to “know in full what a country’s rules are” before changing its status, saying the “same objective process applies to all listed countries”. However, the UK’s leading official Lord Frost hit back on Twitter by insisting the EU “knows perfectly well all the details of our food standards rules” and warned that without third party listing it would become “automatically illegal” for Northern Ireland to import food products from mainland Britain.
Times
Lord Frost urged the European Union last night to “think better” of threatening the UK with what Boris Johnson has claimed is a “food blockade”. Mr Johnson’s chief negotiator and Michel Barnier, his opposite number in Brussels, traded blows on Twitter as the row over the prime minister’s moves to scrap parts of the Brexit treaty worsened. Mr Johnson alleged in The Daily Telegraph on Saturday that the EU was trying to break up the UK with a “food blockade” of Northern Ireland.
Breitbart
Britain’s Brexit negotiator has called out EU negotiator Michel Barnier for the bloc’s apparent dirty tricks on Northern Ireland, which could see the British province of Northern Ireland blocked from importing food from Great Britain. The United Kingdom technically left the EU in January, but for now remains locked in a so-called “transition” period in which EU control over British fisheries, the EU’s Free Movement migration regime, and the supremacy of EU law and EU judges remain in place while negotiations for a new deal on trade, security, and so on are conducted. If one cannot be struck, as looks increasingly likely, as the EU insists on continued control over British fisheries, British submission to EU business and state aid regulations to achieve a “level playing field”, and more as the price of a trade agreement, Britain and the EU would revert to standard World Trade Organization (WTO) terms — were it not for special provisions on Northern Ireland.
Express
NICOLA STURGEON’S SNP is plotting to block Boris Johnson’s Brexit plans amid claims new legislation aimed at breaking deadlocked EU trade talks could leave Scotland’s NHS and water supplies open to privatisation. Senior party figures insist Scottish independence is the only way to protect such institutions from eventually being sold off by the Tories. The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford is urging MPs to get behind a cross-party amendment to reject the UK Internal Market Bill which has its second reading in the Commons today. Mr Blackford warned the Bill would give the Government powers to overrule the Scottish Parliament in devolved areas and give private health providers and water companies the right to unhindered trade in Scotland.
EU
BBC News
Taoiseach (Irish PM) Micheál Martin has said the UK should expect a “firm and strong” response from the EU to the proposed Internal Markets Bill. Speaking on Sunday, Mr Martin also cautioned against “playing politics” with negotiations. The proposed bill would go against the Withdrawal Agreement, signed by the UK and EU earlier this year. Mr Martin also stated categorically there would be “no return of a hard border” on the island of Ireland. During the week, Boris Johnson said part of the reason for the Internal Markets Bill was to protect the Good Friday Agreement and Northern Ireland peace process. “There’s a very firm and strong view emanating from Brussels in how to manage and deal with this,” said Mr Martin, speaking to Irish broadcaster RTÉ’s Week in Politics programme.
Migrants
Mail
Migrants crossing the Channel in small boats could be banned from claiming asylum in Britain as part of plans to curb human rights laws. Home Office officials have been asked to consider a draconian clampdown on asylum rights in a bid to halt the flow of Channel migrants, which has reached record levels in recent weeks. Under one ‘nuclear option’, people could be banned from claiming asylum if they arrive in the UK from a safe country like France. Ministers are also looking at curbing the right of failed asylum seekers to fight deportation in the courts. Both moves would breach the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), which is implemented in the UK via the Human Rights Act.
Stop and search
Guardian
Ministers are seeking to expand stop-and-search powers in England and Wales by allowing police to repeatedly check people previously convicted of carrying a knife without suspicion they are committing a fresh offence. The proposals are being unveiled despite mounting evidence that stop-and-search tactics are used disproportionately against ethnic minorities, which is in part behind enflamed tensions between black communities and the police. Proposed serious violence reduction orders (SVROs) would be applied to people previously convicted of carrying a knife or an offensive weapon, including those who have received non-custodial sentences such as community orders or suspended sentences, and would open them to further searches by police.
GPs
Telegraph
GPs have been ordered to give patients face-to-face appointments amid warnings that they will come under investigation if the public is denied care. A letter is being sent to every family doctor in the country following growing concern that too many people are being “shut out” from surgeries and only allowed consultations via telephone or video. Health chiefs have warned GPs that failure to offer appointments in person is a “breach of contract” and may heap pressure on Accident and Emergency departments. It comes as the “rule of six”, making it illegal for larger groups to meet in most circumstances, became law across the country.
Times
GP practices have been told in a letter from NHS England that patients must be able to have face-to-face appointments when they need them. It said all GP practices must ensure that a patient can be seen in person, where clinically required, in addition to video and phone consultations. Between March and July NHS Digital estimated that there were 102 million appointments in general practice, half of which were by phone or video call. Research suggests that almost two thirds of the public are happy to have a remote GP consultation. However, the NHS wants to ensure that before winter arrives patients know they can book an appointment to see their GP in a surgery.
Curfew
Telegraph
A national curfew would be an “obvious next step” for containing coronavirus if new lockdown rules fail to reverse the current increase in the spread of the disease, ministers believe. Pubs and restaurants in local lockdown areas are already closing at 10pm, and the measure could be rolled out more widely amid fears that people tend not to adhere to social distancing rules when they consume more alcohol. The proposal would affect greater numbers of young people, who have been blamed for a recent spike in infections (see graphic below showing the rising rate of infections in younger age groups). A senior Government source said: “A national curfew is the obvious next step if the numbers keep rising despite all the steps we are currently taking. “But we are not at that stage at the moment, and hopefully the action we are taking locally to contain outbreaks where they occur will mean we don’t have to go that far.”
Sun
PUBS could be hit with a 10pm curfew to curb the spread of coronavirus as the Justice Secretary today said “young people forget the rules”. The move could see venues close their doors at 10 or 11pm due to concerns boozed-up drinkers ignore social distancing. It comes as gatherings of more than six are banned from tomorrow (Monday) as strict new lockdown measures come into effect. A source told the Telegraph that the curfew was the “logical next step” for the country if local lockdowns fail to stop the spread of infection. Bars in Bolton already have to close early in an attempt to curb the rise in cases in the city.
Testing
Sky News
The government’s coronavirus testing programme is in chaos – with leaked documents revealing a backlog of 185,000 swabs and large numbers of people who will never receive their results. Officials apologised this week over growing problems with the test-and-trace process, blaming a “critical pinch-point”. But despite Boris Johnson promising a “world-beating” operation would be in place by June, many suspected COVID-19 patients are being told there are no test sites available to them. And with infections soaring across the UK, leaked documents show the system is currently so stretched that it is sending samples to laboratories in Italy and Germany.
‘Rule of six’
Telegraph
The “rule of six” is “catastrophic” and may be the policy that tips the British public over the edge, Oxford scientists warned as they said there is no evidence to support it. Professor Carl Heneghan accused Boris Johnson of acting too hastily in drawing up draconian measures that could well have major social consequences. The leading scientist and director of the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine at Oxford University, said: “The rule of six policy should be binned. “When Boris Johnson returned to work in April after his brush with coronavirus, he warned that lockdown restrictions must remain to prevent a second wave. “Ever since, beset by anxieties, doubts and fear, and surrounded by a platoon of advisors, the PM has made one cautious, catastrophic error after another. “Last week’s roll of the dice with the ‘rule of six’’ could well be the policy that tips the British public over the edge, for it is a disturbing decision that has no scientific evidence to back it up and may well end up having major social consequences.”
BBC News
Restrictions banning social gatherings of more than six people have come into effect, following a rise in coronavirus cases. The “rule of six” applies in both indoors and outdoors in England and Scotland, and indoors only in Wales. Restrictions in England affect everyone, but do not include children under 11 in Wales or under 12 in Scotland. Some Tory MPs have urged No 10 to also exempt young children in England. The new rules are introduced as the UK’s R number escalates to between 1 and 1.2 for the first time since March, indicating infections are increasing. A further 3,330 positive cases were recorded in the UK on Sunday – the third consecutive day in which cases have been over 3,000 – with five more deaths reported.
Mirror
New laws take force today that will ban social gatherings of more than six people in England. If you meet up with more than five friends or family members anywhere, indoors or outdoors, you could be dispersed by police or face a £100 fine. The harsh limit was brought in to simplify the rules after a frightening surge in Covid-19 cases and includes people of all ages, including babies and kids. However, there are exemptions for workplaces, schools, unis, places of worship and more. And pubs and restaurants can have more than six customers in total – people must just be split off into small groups, that’s all.
Sun
THOUSANDS of Brits hit the pubs for a final blowout before the “rule of six” crackdown – as one said: “I couldn’t care less about the new law”. Partygoers descended on bars across the UK, including Birmingham and Leeds, last night before the new lockdown laws came into force at midnight. Anyone meeting in a group of more than six indoors or out are now breaking the law and repeat offenders face fines of up to £3,200. Home Office officials say those who refuse to accept £100 on-the-spot fines will be arrested, taken to court and slapped with a criminal record.
Mail
Britons packed the beaches, parks and bars yesterday as they made the most of the glorious weather before the new ‘rule of six’ coronavirus crackdown hit today. People met in large groups outdoors in sun-soaked areas such as Bournemouth, Brighton, Leeds, London and Nottingham before the strict new rules come in to tackle rising coronavirus infection rates. But as care-free revellers assembled in their hoards, officials urged young people to heed their warnings and remember ‘the importance of the rules’ as the country’s Covid case total continues to soar. Some 3,330 coronavirus cases were reported today – up 11 per cent from last Sunday.
Mirror
The government has released a full list of exemptions to its new ‘rule of six’ – the first national tightening of coronavirus restrictions since lockdown. Boris Johnson announced major changes to the law throughout England, which come into force from Monday 14 September and “apply in any setting, indoors or outdoors, at home or in the pub”. It will be illegal to gather in a group of more than six people – and those people children, even toddlers. Flouters face fines of £100, which will double each time up to £3,200 for repeat offenders. Police will have the power to fine people meeting in public parks, pubs or restaurants, or private homes and gardens. But they won’t have powers to force entry to your home.
Second wave
Telegraph
Covid-19 infections are once again surging in the UK, with government advisers warning that the country is “on the edge of losing control” of the virus and the reproductive number may be as high as 1.7. But unlike the spring, experts are quietly optimistic that the uptick in cases will not trigger a major increase in deaths. When the virus first hit Britain in February, the virus took hold in some of the most Covid-vulnerable populations, leaving a high death toll in its wake. In early April daily deaths hit a peak of around 1,100, a figure that now hovers at roughly 10. But experts say that even if infections continue to rise, Britain’s “second wave” may not result in the same high fatality figures and could follow the pattern observed in countries including Sweden.
Vaccine
Mirror
A coronavirus vaccine could be rolled out in the UK nine months from now – with trials hoping to report ‘positive’ results before Christmas, a leading scientist has said. Prof Peter Openshaw, who advises the government’s SAGE group, said there were reasons for a glimmer of hope after a major trial was restarted following a patient’s unexplained illness yesterday. But he and other scientists made clear a vaccine will not be ready in time for any second wave this winter. Prof Openshaw said “before the winter of 2021/22”, there may a vaccine that is effective. But he also cautioned that it would not be available that soon in every country in the world.
BLM
Times
A culture of outrage and “baying mobs” prompted by the Black Lives Matter movement is hindering officers who stop and search suspects , a senior Scotland Yard officer has told The Times. Chief Superintendent Roy Smith called for calm after he attended a 999 call and chose to detain and search the apparent victim, finding a large hunting knife. Mr Smith, area commander for northwest London, was leaving a community meeting when he volunteered to take the routine call. On arrival it appeared that a black teenager had been attacked but on speaking to him the officer had suspicions and detained him for a stop and search, at which point a gathered crowd grew hostile.
Green energy
Times
Boris Johnson is preparing to back floating wind turbines and greener steel plants to help Britain to meet its carbon reduction targets. The emerging technologies are the frontrunners as Mr Johnson looks for emission-cutting projects that deliver jobs and investment to “red wall” seats. Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, meanwhile, is ready to give firms a full tax break on capital investment in the budget in a move that would help to foster cleaner technology. Mr Johnson is to deliver a speech setting out how the UK will reduce net carbon emissions to zero by 2050. Whitehall departments were given until last Friday to submit proposals to be included in the address.
Cabinet
Mail
Boris Johnson has told officials to prepare for a reshuffle after the Spending Review, with Ministers judged on how they ‘grip’ their departments during preparations for the autumn announcement. The Prime Minister is understood to have indicated that ‘competence and control’ will be used as the benchmarks for the reshuffle, which has become the subject of growing speculation among Ministers and their aides. It comes as Mr Johnson faces growing challenges to his authority from backbenchers from different wings of the party opposed to the tightening of coronavirus restrictions, his hardball Brexit strategy, the relaxation of planning laws and mooted tax rises. Some have even joined a rebel WhatsApp group called ‘wtfisgoingon?’
UKIP
iNews
The former Tory MP Neil Hamilton has become interim Ukip leader – and leader and spokesperson for UKIP Wales – after Freddy Vachha was removed after less than four months in the post. Mr Vachha was elected unopposed as UKIP leader earlier this year, but has been suspended pending a formal complaint of bullying and harassment. He is believed to fighting the decision to oust him. In June, Mr Vachha vowed: “We’re back in business, we’re a proper mainstream political party. That shower in Westminster should be quaking in their shoes.” While the investigation continues, the party has confirmed Mr Hamilton has been temporarily appointed leader of the party in the United Kingdom. In a statement, the party said: “Freddy Vachha has been suspended from membership of Ukip, pending a formal investigation of a complaint of bullying, harassment, verbal abuse and other conduct likely to bring the party into disrepute. Suspension from party membership automatically suspends Mr Vachha from the Ukip leadership.
Oh hell, Wasn’t too bad till near the end.
Stupid, stupid Boris on about ‘Green Energy’ again.
Then – well that surely must be the death of Ukip. What happens to any money in the piggy bank when it is finally wound up?
If you want to ask that question you will have to give Mr. Hamilton a large bung.
My own opinion, it will disappear in expenses, consultant fees etc. before winding up.
However I still think that it is a potential powerful brand name and can be resurrected if the present bunch are replaced in totality and a proper membership based and accountable leadership is put in place (and old egos and animosities are discarded).
I heard a rumour that there are now more ex-leaders than members, any truth?
Who cares about the UK Governments breaking International Treaties.
What has been more important to UK Goverments since the early 1990s. The EU has been more important to them than the majority of the British People for whom they seem to have no respect. Those government considered the majority of the British People to be thick as !!!!
The EU referendum gave the majority of the British People a VOICE. Did Parliament still care? As normal it ignored the majority of the British People.
For the majority of the British People it is Paliaments’ attitude to them that the majority of the British People have not liked. British Parliaments have consistently failed the majority of the British People. Successive British Parliaments have been elected dictatorships, emulating the five presidents, and failing the People of the UK. Standards in all walks of life have continuously ben reducing year on year.
I want a British Government that cares for the British People. A British Government that is not to upset the EU by not breaking International Treaties. The breaking of poorly legislated Internation Treaties is low on my priorities.