Brexit news – live: Ireland forced to ease customs checks as UK fishermen halt exports to EU
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Fishermen in the UK are halting their exports to European Union countries over new border bureaucracy introduced by the government as part of Brexit.
It comes as the Brexit campaign group Leave.eu has moved its internet registration to the Republic of Ireland in order to keep its .eu domain name after the UK left the European Union.
The group was founded by businessman Aaron Banks and supported by Nigel Farage and has pushed for the hardest possible Brexit since it pushed for Leave in the 2016 referendum.
Meanwhile, parcel courier DPD UK has said it was pausing its road delivery services into Europe, including Ireland, until at least Wednesday and Debenhams announced it was suspending online sales to Ireland due to “uncertainty” about the new rules, which mean some products are now subject to tariffs. Other major retailers were reported to be considering similar steps.
Kwasi Kwarteng replaces Alok Sharma as Business Secretary
Kwasi Kwarteng has replaced Alok Sharma as Business Secretary after Boris Johnson appointed Mr Sharma full-time president of the UN COP26 climate conference in Glasgow this November.
Read this breaking news story by The Independent’s political editor Andrew Woodcock:
Kwasi Kwarteng replaces Alok Sharma as Business Secretary
Boris Johnson has made Alok Sharma full-time president of the crucial COP26 climate change talks, bringing Kwasi Kwarteng into his cabinet to replace him as business secretary.
Gove: ‘significant disruption’ at UK borders in coming weeks
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove said he expected there to be "significant additional disruption" at UK borders as a result of Brexit customs changes in the coming weeks.
Speaking to broadcasters, he said: "So far disruption at the border hasn't been too profound but it is the case that in the weeks ahead we expect that there will be significant additional disruption, particularly on the Dover-Calais route.
"It is our responsibility in Government to make sure that business is as ready as possible, and hauliers and traders have already done a lot but we have to redouble our efforts to communicate the precise paperwork that is required in order to make sure that trade can flow freely.
"So over the course of the next few days, Government will be stepping up that communications effort to make sure that business knows what is required."
Labour branch passes ‘motion of no confidence’ in leader
The Camberwell Green branch in Southwark said its members did not believe Sir Keir could lead the party to victory against Boris Johnson’s Conservatives or deliver “socialist” policies.
Read the full story here by Adam Forrest:
Labour branch passes ‘motion of no confidence’ in Keir Starmer
The south London branch ‘does not believe he can win a general election’
Percy Pigs casualty of Brexit red tape
Percy Pigs are struggling to find their way across the Irish Sea to supermarket shelves in the Republic of Ireland in one of the first Brexit casualties.
Marks & Spencer revealed that getting to grips with new post-Brexit rules are becoming particularly tricky for the retailer's porcine favourite.
At the company's Christmas trading update, chief executive Steve Rowe explained how the sweets are a typical example of the problems facing retailers, as several report difficulties with new red tape.
But the problem is not confined to Percy Pigs and other retailers are already reporting struggles in understanding the new rules.
Mr Rowe said: "Essentially, there is about a third of the product in our food business that is subject to very complex rules of origin arrangements, around the components within it, and how much has been altered in the UK.
"Depending on that there is a variable tariff.
"Any product that's manufactured in Europe, comes to the UK and is then redistributed to somewhere like Republic of Ireland also, potentially faces a tariff.
“So, the best example is Percy Pig is actually manufactured in Germany, and if it comes to the UK and we then send it to Ireland, in theory, he would have some tax on it.”
PA
Government accused of undermining scrutiny of EU trade deal
The government has been accused of undermining parliamentary scrutiny of Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade deal after Jacob Rees-Mogg ordered the shutdown of the cross-party committee examining Britain’s relations with the EU.
The move blocks a planned six-month inquiry into the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA), grilling key players in televised evidence sessions at parliament before producing an authoritative report assessing the merits and flaws of the deal in rigorous detail.
Read the full report by The Independent’s political editor Andrew Woodcock:
Government accused of undermining scrutiny of EU trade deal, as Jacob Rees-Mogg shuts down Commons Brexit committee
Move blocks plan for six-month inquiry into Boris Johnson’s Christmas Eve agreement
Opinion: The view that Labour MPs are ‘desperate’ to rejoin the EU is a huge problem for Keir Starmer
Rosie Duffield, the MP for Canterbury, Labour’s most surprising gain in the 2017 election, has said out loud what everyone knows to be true: that most of her colleagues want to rejoin the EU, writes The Independent’s John Rentoul:
The view that Labour MPs are ‘desperate’ to rejoin the EU is a huge problem for Keir Starmer | John Rentoul
Rosie Duffield was foolish to say it out loud, but everyone knows it’s true – and it has publicly identified the Labour leader’s biggest election weakness in advance, writes John Rentoul
Government extends evictions ban until 21 February
The government has extended a ban on evictions, just three days before the last emergency measure was due to expire.
Cases can still be processed in court and eviction notices issued, but these cannot be acted on until the new deadline of 21 February elapses.
Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association, described the ban extension as “a sticking plaster”, adding that tenants needed support to pay rent arrears.
The Independent’s policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
Eviction ban extended by government just three days before previous end date
Bailiff-enforced evictions will remain banned for six weeks
Sadiq Khan declares ‘major incident’ in London as Covid cases soar
Sadiq Khan has declared a “major incident” in London, as health and emergency services in the capital struggle to cope with a spike in coronavirus cases.
The London mayor described the situation as “critical, with the spread of the virus out of control”. Currently, one in 30 Londoners has the disease.
Mr Khan said that hospital beds in the city would run out within the next fortnight, unless the transmission of the virus dropped off significantly.
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has the details:
London mayor declares ‘major incident’ as Covid cases surge
Hospitals in capital ‘at risk of being overwhelmed’, says Sadiq Khan
Anti-Brexit peers accused of ‘lacking imagination to see life beyond Brussels’
Peers who tried to block Brexit have been accused of "lacking the imagination to see life beyond Brussels".
Baroness Fox of Buckley said such peers also shared with US president Donald Trump a "refusal to give losers' consent", and warned voters may look at "unelected lawmakers closer to home" following the break with the EU.
The former Brexit Party MEP voted for the UK-EU future arrangements deal "reluctantly" as she would have preferred a "clean break", but praised the government for delivering on sovereignty issues.
The non-affiliated peer told the Lords: "While many in this place sneeringly traduce sovereignty as xenophobic nationalism, only embraced by knuckle-dragging gammon, it is historically and now the only basis for democratic accountability.
"The demos voted to remove the unelected legislature in Brussels unanswerable to UK voters. Now that is the reality, they may look at unelected lawmakers closer to home. Good.
"Good also that now government has nowhere to hide and will need to look the electorate in the eye and own each and every decision they make, including the egregious parts of this agreement.
"Voters matter. Listening to the hours of contributions last week - I was culled from speaking - I noted a rather self-congratulatory, back-slapping tone from the government benches. It rang rather hollow.
"In truth it was the perseverance and steely courage of millions of voters who used the ballot box time and time again to use electoral vehicles, such as the pivotal Brexit Party, to pile on the pressure, and it was that which forced the Conservative Party to finally honour the referendum.
"So, let's acknowledge it's the voters who got Brexit done and against all the odds, and against the machinations deployed by the highest echelons of the technocratic establishment.
"And against many in this place who really did believe they had the right to overturn 17.4 million votes and shared with Donald Trump a refusal to give losers' consent, who even now today lack the imagination to see life beyond Brussels or Erasmus or to see Brexit beyond the narrow prism of GDP."
Liberal Democrat Lord Shipley said he "disagreed profoundly" with much of Lady Fox's speech.
Irish authorities relax customs amid post-Brexit backlog
Irish customs authorities have temporarily relaxed regulations around goods moving from Great Britain, as traders face backlogs due to border controls and paperwork.
Revenue Commissioners made the decision to lift some customs rules in response to delays and trucks being refused entry on to ferries.
Exporters shipping goods to Ireland have to complete post-Brexit paperwork, which is causing administrative pressure for companies.
Revenue officials issued a general code for hauliers to use to overcome administrative difficulties and allow the movement of goods to ports.
In a statement, Revenue said it recognises some businesses are experiencing difficulties in lodging their safety and security ENS (entry summary) declaration for the movement of goods.
"In response, Revenue is implementing a temporary easement to alleviate these current difficulties," it said.
"We expect trade and business with genuine difficulties that are impeding their ability to complete the ENS process to engage with Revenue in a co-operative endeavour to overcome their difficulties.
"A failure to engage may result in this temporary easement being withdrawn, so early engagement with Revenue is strongly encouraged."
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