The head of the European parliament’s Brexit steering group Guy Verhofstadt has claimed the UK will rejoin the EU one day because young people will demand to be part of the bloc. “It will happen,” he said.
In response Tory MEP Daniel Hannan told the BBC he supported holding another referendum in the future to test Mr Verhofstadt’s theory.
“I’m perfectly happy to have another referendum in a generation’s time and let people decide,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme.
It comes as the Commons authorities said money raised by the public to have Big Ben bong on 31 January cannot be accepted because of rules on private donations. Despite that, a campaign led by Tory MP Mark Francois to get the clock chiming has now raised more than £160,000.
Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice told the BBC: “I blame the bureaucrats. They’ve now said even if we raise the money, actually they won’t let us do it because they’re worried about spending privately-raised money on a public sector asset.”
Meanwhile in the Labour party Rebecca Long-Bailey and Emily Thornberry both set out their stalls for the leadership in their official launch events.
Ms Thornberry leant back on her experience, arguing the leader to succeed Jeremy Corbyn needed to be “battle hardened”, while Ms Long-Bailey invoked policies including the green new deal she had worked on for Mr Corbyn’s manifesto.
However both appear to be coming up short against the only man in the contest. In a YouGov poll conducted for the Times, Kier Starmer was placed ahead in the final round with a comfortable 63 per cent of the vote compared to the 37 per cent attributed to Rebecca Long-Bailey
Emily Thornberry would be out in the first round of votes, then Lisa Nandy, then Jess Phillips, according to the poll of 1005 Labour members.
Here are the day’s events as they happened:
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of British politics, as Rebecca Long-Bailey and Emily Thornberry launch their rival bids to succeed Jeremy Corbyn as leader – and Brexiteers attempt to meet a crowdfunding deadline to have Big Ben bong on Brexit night.
Commons authorities cannot accept public donations for Big Ben bongs to mark Brexit
An update on all the Big Ben bongs for Brexit buffoonery. Tory MP Mark Francois and the group Stand Up 4 Brexit are still trying to raise £500,000 – the sum they have told it would cost to delay repair work and get the bell chiming.
On Thursday Francois expressed his frustration Boris Johnson was backing away from the crowdfunding bid. He said the donations were “literally flooding in” and fumed: “As the prime minister effectively initiated this campaign live on TV two days ago … he would be mad to back away from it.”
But last night the House of Commons Commission – the body that runs the estate and iconic clock tower – ruled that money raised could not be accepted because of parliamentary rules on financial donations.
An exasperated Sir Lindsay Hoyle said a vote in the Commons would be needed to change those donation rules.
The speaker told The Telegraph it was up to Johnson whether he wanted to table a motion on Monday ordering Big Ben to chime for Brexit.
He said: “The decision was taken in the Commission. If somebody wants to change that decision, as I said from day one, this should be the will of the House because it is political.”
A No 10 source told the newspaper: “I don’t think we ever thought it would be as complex as the Commons authorities have since set out.”
What a first-class farce this has become.
Francois wants to ‘celebrate becoming a free country again’ - as his campaign raises £150,000
The online fundraising campaign seeking to have Big Ben bong at 11pm on January 31 has raised more than £150,000.
Mark Francois and Stand Up 4 Brexit’s “Big Ben must bong for Brexit” campaign had raised £153,000 of its £500,000 target from almost 10,000 donors on the GoFundMe website by Friday morning.
Regardless of the House of Commons Commission’s insistence there was no permitted process to accept public donations, the campaign is trying to raise another £350,000 “by this weekend”.
A statement on the crowdfunding page states that “because there is a lead time to make the necessary preparations, we would need to raise this amount by this weekend”.
On Thursday Francois accused the House of Commons authorities of exaggerating the cost of bringing the bell - which has been silent since 2017 - back into operation.
In a video posted on the fundraising site, the ERG deputy chair of the ERG group of Tory Eurosceptics said: “Please give an amount an amount on this website now so we can properly celebrate becoming a free country again.”
‘It will happen’: Verhofstadt predicts UK will rejoin EU one day
The chairman of the EU’s Brexit steering group Guy Verhofstadt has predicted the UK will rejoin the EU one day because young people will “want to go back”.
“I think that will happen, yes, (but) it’s difficult to say when,” said Verhofstadt.
“There will be a generation, the young generation coming in the coming decades, who will say later, “We want to go back”.
“It will happen. Maybe you will not see it in my life, but it will happen.”
Verhofstadt also confirmed that plans for an “associate” membership of the EU are still being pushed for, a move that would allow Britons to sign up to be citizens of the EU even after Brexit.
“My idea is that the European Union and European citizenship has to be possible for the European living somewhere else in the world,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
Verhofstadt said his meeting with Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay on Thursday saw the government concede over allowing EU citizens to have a hard copy of their settled status confirmation.
Those who have been successful in claiming settled status were previously told to use a screenshot of their confirmation on their mobile phone as proof.
“They said we are going to look at it so people can print it so they have a physical document,” said Verhofstadt.
“People will have the opportunity to have a printout, probably a PDF document. That was the conclusion of our conversation.”
Long-Bailey promises to end Westminster’s ‘gentlemen’s club’
Rebecca Long-Bailey will promise to end “the gentlemen’s club” of British politics when she launches her Labour leadership campaign in Manchester on Friday.
The shadow business secretary’s comments will be seen as a dig at Sir Keir Starmer, her main rival in the race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn and the only man in the contest.
As the leadership race stepped up a gear, Sir Keir called for an end to Labour “factionalism” and insisted he was best placed to unite the party.
Labour announced on Thursday that 14,700 people had applied to become registered supporters of the party, at a cost of £25, in order to vote in the contest.
More details here:
Rebecca Long-Bailey promises to end ‘gentlemen’s club’ of politics, as Keir Starmer calls for end to Labour ‘factions’
Shadow business secretary launches campaign as main rival says party needs ‘unifying peace’Nicky Morgan weighs in on Oscars diversity row
The culture secretary Nicky Morgan has criticised the Oscars for the failure to include any female directors in its nominees – and suggested the awards body should rule out all-male shortlists.
Amid a row over lack of diversity in the Academy nominations, she said “it’s not enough [for those in charge] just to wring their hands” about the failure for any women to be considered for best director.
The recently ennobled peer suggested Hollywood awards organisers had something to learn from Commons select committees in refusing to have all-male panels.
“If we want more female director talent, they need to see existing female directors being rewarded,” Baroness Morgan told The House magazine.
Culture secretary suggests end to all-male shortlists after Oscars diversity row
'It’s not enough just to wring their hands,' says cabinet minister‘You’re being racist’: Actor snaps at Question Time audience member
Laurence Fox finds himself the focus of a lot attention on social media after his appearance on BBC’s Question Time last night.
The actor and musician – part of a dynasty of famous performers – dismissed claims of racism against the Duchess of Sussex and claimed anyone calling him “white, privileged male” was being “racist”.
Rejecting comments about press coverage of Meghan by an audience member, he said: “We’re the most tolerant lovely country in Europe, it’s not racism.”
The woman told Fox “you are a white, privileged male” – before he sighed and snapped back: “So to call me a white privileged male is to be racist. You’re being racist.”
‘Let the people decide’: Tory MEP backs another EU referendum in future
Tory MEP Daniel Hannan told the BBC he supported holding another referendum in the future to test Guy Verhofstadt’s prediction that the UK would return to the EU.
“Maybe I’m wrong,” said the Conservative MEP, after disagreeing with the chairman of the EU’s Brexit steering group’s prediction the country would want to rejoin.
“I’m perfectly happy to have another referendum in a generation’s time and let people decide,” he told Radio 4’s Today programme.
Hannan defended the government’s record on ensuring the future status of EU citizens living in Britain after Brexit.
“I think we’ve actually got a pretty good record on looking after the rights of settled EU citizens. A system is now up and running, and it is by far the most effective and the most generous in any of the EU countries.”
He noted that the Netherlands and Austria are charging UK citizens “to pay for the administrative costs” involved in applying for settled status, despite Britain dropping the initial £65 fee.
Incidentally, Hannan told talkRADIO he doesn’t care about Big Ben bonging for Brexit.
Verhofstadt pushing for ‘associate’ membership of EU for Brits
Our correspondent Ashley Cowburn has more on Guy Verhofstadt’s interview this morning.
As well as backing the UK to rejoin the bloc in future, the Brexit steering group chief said there were still plans to allow British people to sign up for “associate” membership of the EU.
“My idea is that the European Union and European citizenship has to be possible for the European living somewhere else in the world,” he said.
He said one of the successes from his meeting with Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay was that those European citizens who had been granted settled status in the UK after Brexit would be given the ability to print out their confirmation details as proof.
Verhofstadt also said he had been assured would be “no automatic deportation” for those who missed the deadline to apply for settled status.
And he also claimed a free trade agreement will be “very difficult” to secure if Britain does not sign up to honouring Brussels' rules on standards.
Read more here:
Brexit travel update: Quitting EU won’t impact holidays this year
The travel industry is insisting “nothing will change” for holidaymakers once the UK withdraws from the EU at the end of January.
Travel trade association Abta updated its Brexit advice to state that the expected 11-month transition period means “arrangements will remain the same at least until the end of December”.
This replaces the organisation’s previous guidance which warned of potential changes to areas such as passport validity, European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC), driving licences, taking pets abroad and data roaming.
Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: “The UK is primed to enter a new Brexit phase from 31 January when trade talks begin, and when it does nothing will change when it comes to travel.
“This means that valid passports can still be used, EHIC cards will still be valid and the same gates can be used at border check points. People can continue to make their travel plans with confidence that things won’t change until at least the end of 2020.”
Why did Labour voters switch to the Tories? Almost half say Brexit
Something for Corbyn supporters to latch on to, perhaps.
According to YouGov, 49 per cent of voters who switched from the Conservatives to Labour cited Brexit as the main reason. Only 27 per cent cited the leadership.
But just 5 per cent of these switchers hold a favourable view of Corbyn, while 90 per cent have a somewhat unfavourable or very unfavourable view of the Labour leader.
So the vast majority of people who stopped voting Labour really dislike Corbyn, mainly because of how he handled Brexit?
Starmer won’t make Long-Bailey shadow chancellor if he wins, ally predicts
Labour leadership hopeful Keir Starmer might not give his rival Rebecca Long-Bailey one of the top shadow cabinet jobs if he wins the contest, one of his senior allies has suggested.
One Labour MP who nominated the shadow Brexit secretary has told The Independent: “I don’t think he’ll make Becky shadow chancellor. She doesn’t have a lot of experience.
“I think there’d be a place for people like Becky, and even Richard Burgon would be given something low-profile which didn’t involve him being on the media too much.”
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock has the details:
Starmer won't make Long-Bailey shadow chancellor if he wins, ally predicts
Front-runners in race to succeed Jeremy Corbyn are both calling for party unity
Brexit Party boss blames ‘bureaucrats’ for blocking Big Ben bongs
Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice hasn’t given up on getting Big Ben to chime on 31 January – he’s still longing for the bonging.
He has been on the BBC complaining. “It looks like bureaucrats in the House of Commons are trying to stop this happening – this hugely important moment in our constitutional history.”
“We’re leaving the European Union, we want a bold, ambitious vision for the country, and yet we can’t even organise a bell to ring in a clock tower – it really is pathetic.
“I blame the bureaucrats. They’ve now said even if we raise the money, actually they won’t let us do it because they’re worried about spending privately-raised money on a public sector asset.”
Home Office tries to clear up ‘misconceptions’ over settle status scheme
The Home Office has rejected some of the comments from the European parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt on EU citizens who remain in the UK – and warned against “misconceptions”.
Verhofstadt said he had won assurances from Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay that there would be “no automatic deportation” of those who miss the deadline to apply for settled status.
And he said, after meeting Barclay in London a day earlier, that the government had conceded over allowing EU citizens to have a hard copy of their settled status confirmation.
But the Home Office said it had “made it clear” that extensions would be granted if there are “reasonable grounds” for missing the deadline and that there has been “no change to our digital approach”.
A statement added that “some of the misconceptions we’ve seen about the settlement scheme have been unhelpful when our focus is on providing reassurance”.
Campaigners raised concerns of another Windrush-style scandal when Home Office minister Brandon Lewis said in October that EU citizens may be forced to leave if they miss the deadline, which is 30 June 2021, including a grace period.
With hundreds of thousands of people yet to apply for the right to live and work in the UK after Brexit, Verhofstadt said he had questioned Barclay over previous “contradictions”.
“I wanted to be sure that there is no automatic deportation of these people even after the grace period because it can be people who are very vulnerable,” Verhofstadt said earlier on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.”
But the Home Office stressed that this was already the case in response to Verhofstadt. “We have made it clear that, where people have reasonable grounds for missing the original deadline, they will be given a further opportunity to apply,” a statement said.
‘Britain is taking a sabbatical’
The Labour MEP Seb Dance has retweeted our story about Guy Vorhoftstadt – noting the European parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator has responded to his own prediction that the UK is only taking “a sabbatical” from the bloc.
Taking his seat for the last time in the building on Thursday, Dance, said: “One day British MEPs will get to sit here again and represent our interests and work with our neighbours to solve common problems. Britain is taking a sabbatical”.
What does Momentum’s backing for Rebecca Long-Bailey mean for her leadership hopes?
The endorsement of the Corbyn-supporting group is worth more than the numerical total of its members’ votes, writes John Rentoul.
Read his piece here:
Nicky Morgan forced to sit in the public gallery for her own department’s questions
The secretary of state for culture, media and sport was, as they say, present but not involved, writes Indy sketchwriter Tom Peck.
Read his piece here:
Government denies U-turn on giving EU citizens physical proof of right to remain in UK, despite 'new Windrush' fears
Ministers have refused a plea to give EU citizens physical proof of their right to stay in the UK after Brexit – needed to prevent “another Windrush” they say – triggering fresh anger.
Hopes were raised after Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's co-ordinator, hailed a partial climbdown after a meeting with Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary.
But officials quickly stamped on his claim that the ability of millions of EU citizens to print out a letter confirming they had been granted ‘settled status’ amounted to a concession.
“It has always been the case that people could print a copy of their confirmation letter, but this can’t be used as evidence of status,” the Home Office.
Long-Bailey’s Momentum mandate mocked
The chair of Labour Students group has attacked the left-wing group Momentum for balloting its members with only one option over Jeremy Ciorbyn’s successor.
Momentum said 70 per cent of replying members had ticked a “yes” after they were asked if they supported “recommended” candidate Rebecca Long-Baily.
“The ballot was fundamentally undemocratic – a ballot has to include every single candidate or it’s not a democratic ballot,” said Rania Ramli, who is backing Jess Phillips for Labour leader.
Lara McNeil, the Labour NEC’s youth representative, defended Momentum’s process – saying it was “definitely a mandate for Rebecca”.
McNeil added: “She is clearly the left candidate … who’s going to carry on with the policies of the last four years.”
‘Defend reproductive rights’, leftist commentator tells candidates
More squabbling in the Labour movement.
The leading author-pundit-intellectual Paul Mason, formerly of the BBC and Channel 4 News, has shared an open letter urging the Labour leadership candidates to “commit to defending and extending the reproductive rights of women across the UK”.
Mason – who is supporting Keir Starmer as Jeremy Corbyn’s successor – tweeted: “I don’t want Labour’s policy on reproductive rights dictated by the Vatican, thanks.”
It’s a barely-veiled attack on Rebecca Long-Bailey.
Long-Bailey was shown to have expressed “personal” support for tougher abortion limits in the case of unborn children with disabilities – after the anti-Corbyn blog Red Roar revealed her responses to the deanery of Salford questionnaire.
Her spokesperson insisted that Long-Bailey, who is Catholic, always backed extending abortion rights and she is not expected to try to change Labour policy or the law.
