ECJ 

Express
UK OFFICIALS are growing impatient with Brussels’s demands over the role of the European Court of Justice on Brexit Britain.
On Monday, Brexit minister Lord David Frost urged the European Union to move in negotiations over the trading arrangements in Northern Ireland or Britain may unilaterally suspend the so-called “protocol”.
Britain has asked for “substantial and significant change” covering areas including the movement of goods into Northern Ireland, standards for goods and governance arrangements, and a treaty framework that is not policed by the European Court of Justice (ECJ).
But according to EU expert Mujtaba Rahman, EU officials are categorically dismissing the UK’s requests.
He reported that a senior EU official told him: “The ECJ is not even a redline, it’s like the weather – a constant, a permanent.”
Responding to the comments, a senior UK official also told Mr Rahman: “We need them to understand they don’t get to a stable and cooperative relationship with us until they have sorted this thing with the ECJ out.”
Under the protocol, Britain agreed to leave some EU rules in place in Northern Ireland and accept checks on goods arriving from elsewhere in the United Kingdom, in order to preserve an open land border with EU member state Ireland.
The UK Brexit minister has warned of “cold mistrust” in relations with the EU if they do not move, but on Friday, Lord Frost’s EU counterpart, Maros Sefcovic, rejected the idea of renegotiating the deal.
Lord Frost raised the prospect of triggering “Article 16” of the protocol, which allows either side to dispense with its terms if they are proving unexpectedly harmful. 

EU Army 

Express
CALLS for Brussels to work on a united EU Army, reiterated by Ursula von der Leyen today, were shattered by Italian MEP Marco Zanni.
The Italian MEP highlighted the essential role the UK still covers in terms of security and defence of the continent, despite Britons’ decision to leave the EU. Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the bloc must be able to intervene militarily without the help of the United States but lacks the political will.
She said: “The more fundamental issue is, why has this not worked in the past.
“You can have the most advanced forces in the world, but if you are never prepared to use them, what use are they?
“What has held us back until now is not just shortfalls of capacity it is a lack of political will.”
The Commission President added: “The good news is that over the past years, we have started to develop a European defence ecosystem. 

Illegal immigration 

Breitbart
The crisis in the English Channel saw more illegal boat migrants cross from France last week than the entire year of 2019, as Home Secretary Priti Patel is finally set — she claims — to implement a turn back the boats approach.
In the week leading up to September 10th, a total of 1,959 illegal aliens crossed the Channel in small rubber boats, taking the total for the year to around 14,500, compared with 8,400 for all of last year.
Analysis conducted by The Telegraph found that the number of illegal arrivals was four times higher than the same seven day period last year when around 500 landed. The massive increase in illegal boat migration also means that more illegals arrived last week than in all of 2019 when an estimated 1,890 arrived by boat.
With at least 50 more migrants landing on British shores on Monday, the total for September has already surpassed the monthly total for September of last year.
It comes as the Home Office is making preparations to enact the turn back the boats approach long advocated by Brexit leader Nigel Farage.
On Monday, Mr Farage released footage from the Channel purporting to show Border Force officers on jet skis apparently undertaking training manoeuvres with a dinghy full of volunteers, attempting to turn the boat around.
Yet, the Brexit leader noted: “It would appear that the dinghy just continues but in wake and water considerably rougher and choppier than the on than the ongoing sea conditions.” 

Fisheries 

Express
EU “fly-shooter” vessels, which disrupt the seabed with their high-intensity fishing methods, spent a staggering 32,000 hours plundering UK waters, a new environmental impact study has indicated.
And Greenpeace campaigners have called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to live up to his Government’s pledge to be a “world leader” when it comes to marine protection in the wake of their shocking research. Greenpeace’s investigation revealed vessels which are licensed for industrial fly-shooting, a high intensity fishing method which disturbs the seabed, spent the equivalent of almost four years operating in UK waters last year.
About 16,000 hours were spent in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), specially designated conservation regions.
In total 75 industrial fishing vessels – 60 of which are EU-flagged – were licensed to fly-shoot in UK waters without a full environmental or economic impact assessment of this fishing method by the UK Government.
Greenpeace will next week be joined by fishermen as they sail up the Thames to the House of Parliament in protest against the government’s failure to safeguard our oceans and fishing communities.
Industrial fly-shooting is estimated to be up to 11 times more efficient than traditional inshore trawling and involves dragging heavy weighted gear along the seabed.
Data on fishing hours is available for just 40 of the 75 industrial fly-shooters, meaning Greenpeace’s analysis actually underestimates the fleet’s total fishing time.
Greenpeace last week declared a state of emergency in the English Channel and Southern North Sea, where the new fly-shooter fleet has concentrated its operations. 

Extinction Rebellion 

Mail
Police were caught on film standing around with their hands in their pockets for more than two hours and nicely asking climate anarchists who set up roadblocks on three motorways during rush hour today ‘if they were in discomfort or needed anything’ amid travel chaos on the M25, A3 and Dartford Crossing.
The failure by officers to clear Insulate Britain protesters for two-and-a-half hours sparked fury as a video emerged of a female officer telling them: ‘If any of you have any questions, or are in any discomfort or need anything, just let us know’ – while stricken motorists couldn’t get to work, hospitals and appointments.
Another video showed an officer on his own and being met with silence after asking the demonstrators which of them had organised today’s protest. He then told them, ‘I’m going to have to ask you to move’ before awkwardly leaving. Meanwhile, police had to restrain incensed truck drivers who desperately tried to move eco-warriors who had glued their hands to the road.   

The Telegraph and Breitbart also cover the demo. 

Jobs 

Mirror
Ryanair is set to create 5,000 jobs over the next five years as the budget airline plans its recovery.
The expansion comes after the company announced at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic that it would lay off 3,000 workers due to the crisis.
But chief executive Michael O’Leary said the carrier is in a better position and has been snapping up slots vacated by collapsed airlines due to coronavirus hitting the industry hard.
Speaking ahead of the company’s annual shareholder meeting, he said: “Ryanair will open 10 new bases across Europe this year as we work with airport partners to help them recover traffic and jobs post-Covid, and take up slot opportunities that are being vacated by competitor airlines who have collapsed or significantly reduced their fleet sizes.
“Ryanair expects to create over 5,000 new jobs for pilots, cabin crew and engineers over the next five years, and the group is excited to have, earlier this week, opened a 50 million euro (£43 million) Aviation Training Centre in Dublin, with two further high-quality training centres planned for Spain and Poland over the next five years.” 

China 

Express
CHINA will react with fury following the announcement of the trilateral Aukus alliance by the UK, US and Australia.
After the Western power announced the trilateral partnership, one expert has claimed Beijing will see the new alliance as an effort to push back against China. Although none of three leaders named China during the announcement, Joe Biden warned of the need to protect peace in the Indo-Pacific region. The new alliance will bring together the three countries’ collective power to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. 
Amid the announcement of the new alliance, Bonnie Glaser, director of the Asia programme at the German Marshall Fund said China will view this as a cooperative way to counteract Beijing. 
She told the South China Morning Post: “Beijing will see this as part of US efforts to forge coalitions aimed at pushing back against China, and they aren’t wrong.
“The Chinese need to recognise that this assertive behaviour is drawing democratic countries to cooperate in new ways to defend their interests.”
The alliance will also provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines. 

Several other media report similarly including  Mail, Telegraph, Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Times, ITV News, BBC News 

Cabinet reshuffle 

Mail
Dominic Raab and Gavin Williamson were humiliated last night as they were ousted from their Cabinet jobs in the reshuffle.
Mr Raab was removed as Foreign Secretary in the wake of his disastrous handling of the crisis in Afghanistan.
The minister was shunted from one of the Great Offices of State to become Justice Secretary.
But in a face-saving move, he was given the title of Deputy Prime Minister following lengthy talks with Boris Johnson in his Commons office yesterday.
Mr Williamson was sacked as Education Secretary after his calamitous tenure saw chaos in schools during the pandemic, including on exams.
Mr Raab was replaced by Liz Truss, who becomes only the second female foreign secretary in history, while Mr Williamson’s job was taken by Nadhim Zahawi. 
Robert Buckland, who had been at the Ministry of Justice, was sent to the backbenches. 

Mail
Nadhim Zahawi, who arrived in Britain as a nine-year-old boy unable to speak English, was promoted to Education Secretary yesterday, replacing Gavin Williamson.
The former health minister was rewarded with a Cabinet role after the successful rollout of vaccines across the UK.
Mr Zahawi, 54, who fled Iraq under Saddam Hussein with his family when he was a child, gave a double-thumbs up as he left No 10 yesterday after accepting his new job. 

Lots more details are in Order-Order, Telegraph, Guardian, Sun, Telegraph, Independent, Mirror. Times, ITV News, Breitbart 

Russian gas 

Telegraph
The Kremlin has called for the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline to be opened up “as fast as possible” to balance soaring gas prices in Europe.
State-owned energy giant Gazprom announced last Friday the “full completion” of the contentious £8 billion pipeline, which critics say will enhance Europe’s dependence on Russian gas and make it vulnerable to political bullying.
But commercial deliveries cannot begin until German and European regulators sign off on the project, which could take until Spring.
Natural gas prices in Europe and the U.K have soared to record highs as the recovery in demand from the worst of the coronavirus lockdowns collided with low levels of wind power and gas supply constraints ahead of the winter.
Britain’s energy supply crunch worsened on Wednesday when a fire knocked out a facility in Kent that stores electricity brought in from France via undersea cable. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email