Brexit news : Budget cancelled as Boris Johnson warned UK faces ‘winter of discontent’
Follow for the latest developments
Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UK
Sign up to our Brexit email for the latest insight
Rishi Sunak has cancelled his upcoming budget after a surge in new coronavirus cases forced the government to bring in fresh restrictions likely lasting six months, placing the chancellor under intense pressure to provide financial help to affected businesses and individuals.
As Mr Sunak prepares to lay out new support on Thursday, Boris Johnson has been accused of leading the UK into “another winter of discontent” amid fears of mass unemployment and a failing coronavirus testing system.
It came as Michael Gove revealed that police will patrol the Kent border to turn away lorries without an “access permit” in a bid to ease Brexit border chaos. The Cabinet minister confirmed a leaked letter that said the government predicted a no-deal worst case scenario of 7,000-truck-long queues with up to two days of delays.
This live blog is no longer being updated. Read our coverage as it happened below:
Tories postpone pledge to ban no-fault evictions for renters until economy recovers
A government minister has admitted that a Conservative manifesto pledge to ban no-fault evictions for renters has been postponed.
Boris Johnson had vowed to abolish Section 21 at the December election and included the commitment in a proposed Renters’ Reform Bill outlined at the Queen’s Speech following his victory.
But when pressed on the commitment, Christopher Pincher, a housing minister, said the government remains committed to repealing no-fault evictions, but added they would do it “at the appropriate time when there is a sensible and stable economic and social terrain”.
Our Political Correspondent Ashley Cowburn reports:
Tories postpone pledge to ban no-fault evictions for renters until economy recovers
Boris Johnson pledged to abolish Section 21 notices at the December election
Nicola Sturgeon seeking more powers from Boris Johnson to fund coronavirus decisions
The Scottish First Minister has written to the Prime Minister asking for greater fiscal powers to avoid being “hamstrung” when tackling coronavirus.
Nicola Sturgeon said during her coronavirus briefing on Wednesday: “We mustn’t be hamstrung in essential public health decisions by the lack of necessary economic mitigations.
“All four UK nations agreed a joint statement to the effect that we would focus out efforts ‘on suppressing the virus to the lowest possible level and keeping it there’ and that is really positive.
“It puts aside forever the idea that we can just let this virus run, because we know it does real damage in lives and in health.
“There is an argument… that all of us across the UK should actually be doing even more right now and there is a danger that what starts to hold us back is not public health analysis but financial limitations.”
Scottish ministers have made repeated calls for more powers to be given to the devolved administrations over borrowing in recent months.
Government playing ‘blame game’ with public - health expert
A public health expert has accused the government of blaming the public over the coronavirus crisis and suggested that the prime minister and other leading politicians had a “problematic” communications strategy.
Linda Bauld, a professor at the University of Edinburgh, said Downing Street’s “blame game” consists of reproaching young people for their behaviour, accusing the population of wanting too many coronavirus tests and threatening the public with larger fines, reports my colleague, Rory Sullivan.
Government playing 'blame game' with public over Covid, says health expert
Nicola Sturgeon, by contrast, ‘knows how to communicate with public’
Budget cancelled as Rishi Sunak prepares to unveil more support for business
Chancellor Rishi Sunak is to announce new measures on Thursday to respond to the heightening Covid crisis, after calling off plans for a Budget later this year, our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports.
Mr Sunak had been expected to deliver his second budget of 2020 within the next few weeks, but his plans have been blown off course by the rapid upsurge of coronavirus cases which last night forced Boris Johnson to announced new restrictions to economic and social activities.
The move - including a 10pm curfew for pubs and restaurants - has put the chancellor under intense pressure from business and unions alike to provide financial support to companies and workers likely to see incomes depressed for at least the next six months.
Budget cancelled as Sunak prepares to unveil more Covid support for business
The latest breaking news, comment and features from The Independent.
‘It is easy to underestimate the misery it causes’: Government inquiry to investigate Britain’s poor body image
“It’s all encompassing. I’m ashamed of my weight and think about it all the time. It stops me from doing things I want to do [and] holds me back from being 100 per cent me”.
These are the words of an anonymous British man, 25, who took part in a recent government-commissioned survey about body image. Although his feelings on his body are strong, he is far from alone, Sophie Gallagher reports.
In fact the results of the survey found 61 per cent of adults and 66 per cent of children feel negatively about their body most of the time. And lockdown has only made things worse.
On Wednesday 23 September, the Women and Equalities Committee undertook the first evidence hearing for a new inquiry into poor body image in this country. The committee, chaired by Conservative MP Caroline Nokes, will look at what can be done - if anything - by leaders and lawmakers to change the way we feel about ourselves now, and in the future.
To launch the inquiry, the committee - made up of 11 MPs from a range of political parties - published a report, titled “Changing the perfect picture: what can be done about poor body image?”, and the results of an informal survey of 7878 people, canvassed on social media platforms between 6 to 19 June 2020.
Britain’s poor body image to be investigated by government in new inquiry
Poor body image is becoming of increasing concern in today’s society, but what is to be done? Sophie Gallagher looks at a new government inquiry set up to find the answers
Keir Starmer accuses Boris Johnson of ‘serial incompetence’ during pandemic
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson and his Government of "serial incompetence".
“I don't think he has led us well during this pandemic and I'm not alone in that. I think the vast majority of people think that he hasn't,” the Labour leader has told Sky News.
"We have got one of the highest death rates in the world and we are heading, on current forecasts, for one of the deepest recessions. Our country is better than that."
Highlighting the mounting number of government U-turns so far, Sir Keir said: "I'm quite prepared to accept that a government will make mistakes in a pandemic like this and one or two U-turns is probably a sign of a government listening and then changing.
“But when you have got 12 in a row, the only conclusion is serial incompetence.”
Tory MPs back Labour calls to decriminalise drug possession
MPs on the Labour Group for Drug Policy Reform have today published their recommendations following months of consultation with some 700 people.
Their recommendations include:
- Decriminalising drug possession, allowing for an “explicitly public health-based approach”
- Expand harm reduction services to tackle drug related deaths and reinvest in treatment services
- Engage seriously with worldwide discussions around the regulation of currently illegal drug markets, including exploring the potential of regulating the cannabis market in the UK.
In a rare point of agreement, their recommendations have been backed by the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group.
Home Office plans to outsource asylum interviews branded ‘alarming’
Plans by the Home Office for private firms carry out interviews with asylum seekers have been branded "alarming" and "hugely risky" by charities.
The government is looking at outsourcing the work - which includes gathering evidence on claims - to companies in order to reduce a backlog of claims and speed up decision making, according to a letter sent to charities by acting head of Asylum Operations, Dave Draper.
Asylum interviews were suspended in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, and began again in July. Home Office figures show at the start of the pandemic there was a backlog of more than 50,000 applications and at least 30,000 were waiting more than six months for an initial decision on their claim.
Stephen Hale, chief executive of Refugee Action, said that while waiting times for decisions on asylum claims needed to be brought down "urgently", outsourcing the process was "hugely risky".
“The human cost of getting this wrong would be huge,” he said. "The Home Office must ensure there are robust safeguards in place to ensure decisions are fair and effective."
“Asylum decisions often turn on what happens in the interview and there is a real risk of forcible return to torture if mistakes are made,” said Freedom from Torture chief executive Sonya Sceats, who called the move “alarming”.
"Outsourcing such a sensitive process to a commercial provider and severing the link between the interview and the decision-maker is a dangerous move that could jeopardise the Home Office's commitment to make the right decision first time and push more people into the appeal system."
Home Office plans to outsource asylum interviews despite warnings
Lawyers warn move to outsource asylum interviews is ‘hugely risky’ as private firms in running for new contract have been embroiled in previous scandals over handling of immigration services
Boris Johnson ‘negligent in approach to Good Friday Agreement’, Stormont minister says
Declan Kearney warned Northern Ireland was facing a "perfect storm" as he accused Boris Johnson of using the country as a "commodity" in negotiations with the EU as the UK heads for a no-deal Brexit.
The Sinn Fein minister heavily criticised Mr Johnson's attempt to use the controversial Internal Market Bill to override elements of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, suggesting the prime minister could be using the bill as a negotiation tactic - which he said was getting onto “dangerous ground”.
"I think that we're dealing with a British government at this point in time that has probably set itself on a trajectory to see an a non-agreed outcome - a crashout Brexit," he said.
He said the Internal Market Bill would undermine the Good Friday peace agreement.
"Whether or not that's a negotiation tactic, it's dangerous ground to get onto when you start to mess with that level of political sensitivity and stability," he said.
"I believe that Boris Johnson and some within his government have been negligent in their approach to the Good Friday Agreement. That's been a hallmark of every Tory government since 2010 - negligence towards the agreement and oversight for the agreement."
He added: "I think that this British government is now treating the north and the peace process and our powersharing arrangements here as a commodity in a bigger picture. I think that that's wrong."
UK will ‘adhere strictly’ to trade deals despite breaking international law, minister insists
Britain will "adhere strictly" to any free trade agreement, a minister has insisted, after being challenged over controversial Brexit legislation enabling the UK to break international law.
Tory frontbencher Lord Grimstone of Boscobel was asked in the House of Lords how other countries could have faith the government would stick to future deals as it was "in the process of reneging" on the EU Withdrawal Agreement brokered with Brussels last year.
Labour peer and vocal Brexit critic Lord Foulkes of Cumnock said: "Since the government are in the process of reneging on the Withdrawal Agreement that they freely entered into, how can Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the other members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership have faith that this Government will abide by any agreement they make to become a member?"
In reply, Lord Grimstone said: "The British government take their responsibilities under agreements very seriously. Sometimes, special circumstances arise where they have to take a view on the matters in the agreement, but I assure him that we will adhere strictly to any free trade agreement that we sign."
The controversy was raised with Lord Grimstone as he was questioned by peers over the government's plans to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade pact.
The CPTPP is an 11-nation trade agreement which includes Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies