EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was “a little bit surprised” to hear Boris Johnson propose an “Australian-style” Brexit – suggesting it would amount to a no-deal scenario at the end of 2020.
It comes as retail chiefs warned consumers to expect price hikes and food shortages at the end of the Brexit transition period – even if a deal is forged. It follows an admission by Michael Gove there would be trade “friction” and checks on goods at the border.
The PM faced backbench Tory anger after telling the Commons HS2 had been given the “green signal”. Jeremy Corbyn mocked Mr Johnson’s plan for a bridge connecting Scotland and Northern Ireland – noting his record of failed “shiny” projects.
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PM to approve full HS2 roll-out
Boris Johnson is expected to announce his approval of the HS2 rail project in the House of Commons today.
Widespread reports indicate he will finally, formally give the whole high-speed rail project the green light today (although the second phase, building out from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester, is set to be subject to a review).
The government is expected to attempt to find ways of reducing the cost of the project in its latter stage – with a review set up to identify savings and plans to integrate new lines along existing railways.
Johnson will also be announcing £5bn of funding for 4,000 “zero-emission buses”, new buses routes and 250 miles of new cycle paths.
Boris Johnson to approve full roll-out of HS2, report says
Report comes after Johnson tells 10-year-old that with ‘a hole the size of HS2, the only thing to do is keep digging’Dislike of Corbyn to blame for Labour’s election defeat, huge survey finds
A major survey commissioned by Tory pollster Lord Ashcroft has found the main reason Labour voters deserted the party at the general election because they disliked Jeremy Corbyn.
The report – entitled “Labour’s turn to smell the coffee” – lays bare deep antipathy to Corbyn as weak, indecisive, unpatriotic and “stuck in the past”.
In contrast, the survey of 10,000 people found that no fewer than 53 per cent of people who deserted Labour between 2017 and 2019 did so because they “did not want Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister”.
“Labour had a proper numpty in charge,” one voter said. “He went from bad to worse, he got dafter and dafter,” said another.
Dislike of Jeremy Corbyn to blame for Labour's election disaster not Brexit, major survey finds
Leader seen as weak, indecisive, unpatriotic, ‘stuck in the past’ and apparently sympathetic to terroristsPM pledges £5bn for buses – but Labour says it won’t make up for cuts
As well as the HS2 announcement, Boris Johnson will also unveil a £5bn, five-year package for bus services, as the government attempts to reverse some of the damage of austerity cuts to public transport.
Labour’s shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, said: “After years of underinvestment and cuts, this unambitious announcement is nowhere enough to make the difference that transport users, our economy or our environment need.”
Despite more individuals using buses than any other mode of public transport, funding for those services has dramatically fallen over the last decade with over 3,000 routes altered, reduced or withdrawn.
The PM will also pledge to introduce over 250 miles of new, separated cycle routes across England as part of the package.
Boris Johnson to plough £5bn into restoring regional bus routes after years of austerity cuts
Labour says investment is ‘nowhere near enough to make the difference transport users need’Backlash after Gove admits on post-Brexit trade ‘friction’
The senior cabinet minister Michael Gove has admitted to years of confusion at Britain’s borders because of Brexit, with goods checks now “inevitable” – and a new IT system not ready until 2025.
“You have to accept we will need some friction,” he told businesses at the Cabinet Office event, adding: “We will minimise it, but it is an inevitability of our departure.”
Gove insisted the checks must come in on 1 January 2021 – despite acknowledging it’s likely to take five years to deliver a smart border, allowing smooth online checks on goods, yet firms must be ready for “significant change” in under 11 months.
Labour MP Tanmanjeet Singh said the promise of “frictionless trade” after Brexit had been exposed as “another Tory lie and u-turn”. He added: “We’ll all pay the price and be hammered by the incompetence of this Tory hard-Brexit.”
The Food and Drink Federation warned of potential problems ahead – expressing concerns that “any additional friction into the UK-EU trading relationship will inevitably have a cost for businesses, consumers and shoppers”.
Elizabeth de Jong, the UK policy director at the Freight Transport Association, said: “Gove put to rest Javid’s assertion that industry had plenty of time to prepare. It is encouraging for industry that he said he does not underestimate what needs to be done.”
Michael Gove admits Brexit will bring years of confusion at borders as trade checks imposed
Realities of leaving single market and customs union revealed to businesses - after controversy ducked during election campaignRetails chiefs warns of price hikes and food shortages
Shoppers have been warned to expect price hikes and shortages of fresh fruit and vegetables at the end of the transition period – even if the government strikes trade deal with the EU.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC)’s warning follows the admission by Michael Gove there would be border checks for “almost everybody” from January 2021.
Andrew Opie, the BRC’s director of food, said higher prices and some empty supermarket shelves were the inevitable consequences, without a dramatic upgrade of channel ports.
“This is going to hit us in January – that’s our peak import season for things like fresh fruit and vegetables,” he warned.
“Customers are really going to see the problems on supermarket shelves unless we get that infrastructure.”
Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has the details:
Boris Johnson's Brexit deal will cause price hikes and shortage of fresh fruit and vegetables, retail chiefs warn
'This is going to hit us in January....customers are really going to see the problems on supermarket shelves'Jamaica deportation flight leaves – but some detainees win reprieve
A deportation flight to Jamaica has now left the UK – but a court ruling which meant dozens of those scheduled to be removed were granted a last-minute reprieve last night.
The Court of Appeal ordered the Home Office not to deport men who had not been granted adequate access to legal advice in the Heathrow detention centres.
They had been denied access to working sim cards following a mobile phone signal outage that prevented them from consulting lawyers.
Asked how many people were on board this morning’s flight, Sajid Javid told Sky News: “I don’t know the exact number but I think it is around 20 – or above 20.”
More than 50 people were originally thought to have been due to be deported.
Javid said that “every single person on board is a foreign national offender … they are not British they are not members of the Windrush generation and they are all guilty of serious crimes”.
EU chief ‘surprised’ PM would be happy with no trade deal
The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said she was “surprised” that Boris Johnson had highlighted an Australian-style relationship with Brussels as a potential post-Brexit model.
She told MEPs that Australia does not have a trade deal with the European Union and said the UK-EU relationship should be “way more ambitious”.
“Honestly, I was a little bit surprised to hear the prime minister of the United Kingdom speak about the Australian model. Australia, without any doubt, is a strong and a like-minded partner, but the European Union does not have a trade agreement with Australia.
“We are currently trading on WTO terms and if this is the British choice, well, we are fine with that, without any question.”
But the EU was trying to negotiate a trade deal with Australia to end that situation.
“Of course the UK can decide to settle for less, but I personally believe that we should be way more ambitious,” she said.
We will look back and regret HS2, says Tory MP
Backbencher Michael Fabricant has been talking about his disappointment that HS2 is set to go ahead – and made clear he and other MPs in the HS2 Review Group would continue to oppose it.
“I think people in years to come will look back on this project and just say they could have done it so much better,” he told BBC Radio4’s Today programme.
“I for one cannot support this. My constituents would quite rightly say, having argued so long and hard about why HS2 is so flawed in its design – for me to say, ‘I’m now going to vote for it’ would be a nonsense.”
Deportation flight an ‘outrage’, says David Lammy
The Labour MP said it was “outrage” that the deportation flight to Jamaica was allowed to depart this morning – and said: “The lessons from Windrush have not been learned.”
“The Government wants to give the impression that everyone who was deported was a hardened violent criminal, but the reality is many of those who were scheduled to be deported had committed non-violent one-time drugs offences.
Lammy added: “Lives are being ruined because we don't remember our history.”
It is not yet known how many detainees were on board the flight, but chancellor Sajid Javid said earlier “I think it is around 20 – or above 20”.
Our social affairs correspondent has all the latest details:
Jamaica deportation flight goes ahead despite dozens being granted last-minute reprieve by courts
Charter flight goes ahead but dozens granted last-minute reprieve after court rules they were denied access to justiceKids’ TV superhero would do better job than cabinet, says Dominic Cummings
Boris Johnson’s closest adviser was doorstepped this morning, and offered the BBC an Eric Cantona-esque response to question about why HS2 has been allowed to go ahead.
“The night time is the right time to fight crime,” said Cummings.
If you Google it, you’ll find it’s the lyrics to the theme tune from children’s TV show PJ Masks.
“It think we need PJ Masks on the job,” Cummings said.
Asked about cabinet reshuffle, he replied: “PJ Masks will do a greater job than all of them put together.”
17 people on Jamaica deportation flight, No 10 confirms
Downing Street said that 17 individuals were on board this morning’s deportation flight to Jamaica while 25 remained in the UK because of a Court of Appeal ruling.
Boris Johnson’s official spokesman said the government would be urgently appealing against the court decision. “There are 25 foreign national offenders who the court ruled could not be removed and all therefore still in the country,” the spokesman said
“We bitterly regret this decision which prevents the removal from our country of foreign criminals convicted of rape, manslaughter, sexual offences, violence and drug offences which spread misery across our communities.
“We make no apology whatsoever for seeking to remove serious foreign national offenders. We will be urgently appealing.”
Those who avoided removal are being held in removal centres but are now able to launch applications for release on bail.
The prime minister will conduct a reshuffle of his ministerial team on Thursday and then chair a meeting of cabinet on Friday, his official spokesman also confirmed.
EU chief ‘fine’ with UK moving onto WTO rules without deal
Our Europe correspondent Jon Stone has more on this morning’s speech by EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen – and chief negotiator Michel Barnier.
Von der Leyen said she was “surprised” to hear the prime minister propose an “Australia-style” Brexit because “the European Union does not have a trade agreement with Australia”. She also said that if the UK wanted to leave without a deal, the bloc was “fine with that”.
The EU also wants fishing rights for its fleets in British waters, while the UK wants access for its financial services firms to European markets – but Barnier offered a warning.
The chief negotiator stated: “I’d like to make it clear to certain people in the UK in authority that they shouldn’t kid themselves. There will not be general, open-ended, ongoing equivalence in financial services. We’ll retain a free hand to take our own decisions.”
All the details here:
EU president tells Boris Johnson his latest 'Australia-style' Brexit plan is just no-deal
PM had claimed 'Australia-style' Brexit could be an optionMinisters urged to act over insufficient funding for abuse survivors
Only 16 per cent of child sexual abuse victims say NHS mental health services meet their needs, according to a new report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse.
Led by Labour MP Sarah Champion, the group heard from nearly 400 victims from across the country in its inquiry – and found one in five did not report abuse to the police due to fear of further violence from perpetrators.
Our correspondent Ashley Cowburn has the details:
Just 16% say NHS mental health services meet needs for adult survivors of child sexual abuse
‘Least they deserve is the government commitment to right this historical wrong by delivering the resources survivors need to rebuild their lives’Who or what is PJ Masks?
The Google search term “PJ Masks” enjoyed a spike after Dominic Cummings’s bizarre remarks this morning.
When asked about HS2 and a cabinet reshuffle, the No 10 strategist replied: “PJ Masks will do a greater job than all of them put together.”
So who or what is PJ Masks? Well, it’s the animated children’s TV series about a crime-fighting trio known as the “PJs” for short.
By night Amaya, Greg, and Connor don their masks, become Owlette, Gekko and Catboy and shout: “PJ Masks, we’re on our way. Into the night, to save the day!”
Defence secretary Ben Wallace appeared to have an older cartoon in mind – Thomas the Tank Engine? – when he was asked about HS2 this morning. He replied: “choo choo, choo choo, choo.”
Economy languishes, as ONS reports zero growth
Ministers have been keen to talk up the UK economy, but the latest figures show it completely stalled in the final quarter of 2019 – with no growth at all on the previous three months.
GDP remained flat between October and the end of December, down from a rise of 0.4 per cent in the third quarter, the Office for National Statistics revealed.
All the details here:
UK economy stagnates with no growth in last quarter of 2019
GDP flatlined between October and December as manufacturing output declined and services industry stalledHS2 will be ‘albatross around this government’s neck’, says Tory MP
North West Leicestershire MP Andrew Bridgen said HS2 could rob the Tory party of hard-won support in the Midlands and north of England.
“People are going to say, ‘Well, this is what the Conservatives have done to you – they’re just driving this railway through,” the backbencher told BBC Radio 5 Live.
Asked if it would cost the Conservatives’ votes, Bridgen said: “I’m afraid it will – I think it will be an albatross around this government’s neck. The Labour party will vote for it because it’s a stick with which they will beat the government for many years to come.”
Michael Gove refuses to say whether he wants COP26 climate change summit role
The senior cabinet minister has acknowledged that the government needs to do more to show leadership on global warming, as the UK prepares to host the crucial COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow.
But Gove refused to be drawn on whether he would be given the role of president of the November summit – or even whether he would want the top job.
The Tory MP was pressed on whether he would like the role after speaking at conference held by environmental think-tank Green Alliance. He replied: “I am very happy with the job that I have and there are many, many, many, many talented people who could do the job of COP president better than I ever could.”
In an implicit criticism of the climate stance of Donald Trump and Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro, Gove said the government’s ambitions for the talks, including working with people at a state and city level in countries such as Brazil and the US.
PM approves HS2 – and promises ‘transport revolution’
Boris Johnson has finally approved the HS2 rail project, telling in the House of Commons it had been given the “green signal” and promising to bring about a “transport revolution”.
He has outlined the government plan for £5bn investment in 4,000 zero-emission buses, new bus routes, and more cycle paths – pledging to create “mini-Hollands blooming like so many tulips”.
Turning his attention to HS2, he criticised those in charge of the planning so far. “When it comes to HS2 it must be said the task has not been made easier by HS2 Ltd,” he said.
“Poor management has not detracted in my view from the fundamental value of the project.”
He stated: “So today the cabinet has given high-speed rail the green signal.”
PM claims HS2 will show Britain ‘still has vision to dream’
Boris Johnson has confirmed that the HS2 rail line has been formally approved.
He also promised the second phase linking northern cities will also go ahead, arguing any improvements to rail network in the north of England wouldn’t make sense without the “spine” of HS2.
But the PM indicated that phase 2B of the multi-billion pound project, extending the lines to Manchester and Leeds, was now under review.
Johnson finished his speech by saying the ambition infrastructure project would show Britain “still has the vision to dream big dreams and the courage to bring those dreams about”.
Our political editor has more here:
