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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Politics
Andrew Sparrow and Nadeem Badshah

Varadkar says new agreement 'possible' after Johnson talks - as it happened

A summary of today's key developments


- Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar “agreed they could see a pathway to a possible deal” during talks in Liverpool over the Brexit deadlock.

- Varadkar says a new Brexit treaty agreement is “possible” by the end of October.

- Chris Williamson loses a court battle to get his suspension from Labour lifted.

- The prime minister has given the green light for Labour to hold talks with top civil service officials, in the clearest sign yet that an election is looming.

Updated

Friday’s Times front page

Friday’s Financial Times front page

Friday’s Daily Telegraph front page

Friday’s Daily Mail front page

Friday’s Guardian front page

For the first time in months, there is a more optimistic tone in tomorrow’s newspapers on the prospect of a deal being reached with the EU.

The London Assembly has asked Boris Johnson to explain by 5pm on Monday why his response to an investigation into his links to businesswoman Jennifer Arcuri should be kept confidential.

The prime minister wrote to the Assembly regarding the inquiry, insisting the contents of his response should remain private.

In the letter to Johnson’s solicitors, Len Duvall, chairman of the Assembly’s oversight committee, said: “Transparency and accountability are at the heart of the London Assembly’s operations and I was disappointed to see that your response is marked ‘Private and Confidential’ and ‘Not for Publication’.

“The reason for confidentiality is not given and, on the face of it, is unclear to me.

“I would request that you provide reasons for that confidentiality by 5pm on Monday 14 October 2019, so that the GLA oversight committee can consider appropriate handling of the letter.”

The oversight committee has asked Mr Johnson for details and a timeline of all contact with Arcuri “including social, personal and professional” during his time as mayor of London.

Johnson, who has denied any wrongdoing, previously accused his “old friends” in the Assembly of “barking up the wrong tree” with their investigation.

The Guardian’s Peter Walker on the Brexit discussions

Lisa O’ Carroll on the full blow-by-blow account of the press conference

The former Scottish Labour leader Kezia Dugdale is no longer a Labour party member, according to the BBC.

Dugdale reportedly told friends that she terminated her membership in July, shortly after she stood down as an MSP, and she did not vote for the party in May’s European elections.

A prominent Remain campaigner, Dugdale has been highly critical of Labour’s stance on Brexit.

Dugdale led the party for two years before quitting unexpectedly in August 2017, and later stunned supporters by appearing on ITV’s I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Meanwhile, first minister Nicola Sturgeon has insisted that a legal referendum is the only way to secure Scottish independence.

In an interview with the BBC ahead of SNP conference this weekend, she said there was “no easy or shortcut route to independence” and that a future referendum had to be “beyond any doubt in terms of its legitimacy”.

Moving away from Brexit, the Lord Speaker has called for an overhaul of how appointments are made to the upper chamber as he criticised peers who are “eager for the title” but do little work.

Lord Fowler said some peers are “entirely unprepared” for the position as he urged Boris Johnson to follow predecessor Theresa May’s example and show “restraint” in the number of peers he appoints.

Writing in The House magazine, the former Conservative Cabinet minister said: “Frankly, we have had enough of peers who are eager enough for the honour of the title but do precious little when they arrive.

“They are a minority - I emphasise that - but it is difficult to justify their place in a modern working House.”

Lord Fowler suggested potential peers should be interviewed by a committee.

He said they should be “asked bluntly what contribution they intend to make”.

Deputy prime minister of Ireland Simon Coveney on the Brexit deadline

So what happens next?

If there is no agreement reached with the EU, Boris Johnson will face demands from opposition parties to comply with the Benn Act which would require him to go back to Brussels and request a further Brexit delay.

The prime minister has said that while he will abide by the law, he is determined to leave on the Halloween deadline.

Many MPs believe that if he cannot get a deal, Johnson will use the occasion to lambast them for thwarting an agreement, laying the ground for a “people versus Parliament” general election, potentially as early as next month.

ITV’s Robert Peston on his take on the Brexit discussions

Micheál Martin’s reaction to the talks in Liverpool

Scottish Brexit Secretary Mike Russell responding to Michael Gove who accused the SNP of undermining the Brexit process.

Russell said: “Mr Gove has completely ignored Scotland’s overwhelming vote to remain in the EU, and has ignored every attempt to find compromise from the Scottish Government - so we will take absolutely no lectures from him on democracy.

“We are preparing as best as we can for Brexit, but no one can fully mitigate the impact of the Brexit chaos that Mr Gove’s government is set to inflict on us.”

More from Lisa O’Carroll on the progress made

Brexit correspondent Lisa O’Carroll’s take on the meeting between Johnson and Varadkar

Boris Johnson cowardly for avoiding critics in Liverpool following Hillsborough remarks, says mayor

Michael Gove has claimed the Scottish Government has undermined the Brexit process so it can “smash up the United Kingdom”.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said he feels members of the Scottish Government are not working in the best interests of their citizens by failing to prepare for leaving the European Union.

The comments come after Scottish Brexit Secretary Mike Russell said the relationship between Westminster and the devolved administrations has deteriorated.

Speaking after the meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (EU Negotiations) (JMCEN), Gove said: “The overriding policy of the SNP is to smash up the United Kingdom and separate families.

“I sometimes wonder if, not just in rhetoric but in policy, the SNP is not thinking in the interests of Scottish citizens first, but are thinking in the interest of their own agenda.

“These issues are far too important to be politicised in that way and I hope that the wiser voices in the Scottish Government prevail in order to ensure that people do act where they need to act, in order to make sure that the sovereign decision that the United Kingdom’s electorate came to is honoured.”

He added the SNP promised in 2014 there would not be another referendum on independence, saying he would “take them at their word”.

Brexit party MEPs vote against plans to address Russian propaganda

A few key dates for the diary:

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay will meet the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, in Brussels on Friday when they are expected to assess whether there are the grounds to move forward.

Boris Johnson almost certainly needs the EU leaders gathering in Brussels on October 17 and 18 to sign off on an agreement in order to be able to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 with a deal.

In what has been dubbed Super Saturday, The House of Commons will meet on October 19 for a debate on Brexit, the first time the Commons has met on a Saturday since April 3, 1982 at the start of the Falklands crisis.

Sky News is reporting that Downing Street has appealed to the bosses of FTSE-100 companies to publicly endorse Boris Johnson’s Brexit “compromise deal”.

Advisers to the prime minister have this week been canvassing support from business leaders for an open letter arguing that the uncertainty over Brexit “needs to end”.

Sources said “a substantial number” of Britain’s most prominent companies had been contacted during the last week to gauge their interest in signing the letter.

But they warned that it might not be published because of executives’ reluctance to back its contents amid concerns about its “overtly political” message.

Gove was also asked by the Guardian about remarks earlier by Gianluca de Ficchy, chairman of Nissan Europe, that a no deal Brexit would put the car firm’s entire European operation “in jeopardy” and would be unsustainable.

De Ficchy added his firm’s anxieties were increased by the lack of clarity from the UK government the “future evolution of the Brexit discussion.”

Gove implied that he sympathised but said de Ficchy’s worries were unfounded:

“Obviously all of us hope that the negotiations can come to a conclusion and the chairman of Nissan, like all of us, I’m sure will be heartened by the positive and constructive tone of the meeting between the prime and the Taoiseach today

“And again, more broadly, we know that unmitigated, a no deal Brexit poses particular challenges for particular sections of our economy. I have never hidden from that but it is my job to ensure that we can put the appropriate mitigations in place.

“And as I have said in the past, while there will be difficulties that we face if we do go down the road of no deal, there are greater difficulties if we say to the British people that we are not going to honour their request to leave the European Union.

“The best way to do that is to leave with a negotiated deal and that’s the prime minister’s principle aim and driving ambition.”

Updated

Michael Gove, the de facto deputy prime minister, said the apparent breakthrough following Boris Johnson’s talks with Leo Varadkar should allay fears from car maker Nissan about the potential crisis of a no deal Brexit.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Scottish and Welsh governments in Edinburgh, Gove said the Taoiseach’s optimistic assessment about the growing prospects by the end of this month were “very encouraging”.

“I know the prime minister and the Taoiseach spoke privately for quite some time before bringing in their officials. I know the tone was positive from that meeting.

“The Irish government will be briefing {EU chief negotiator] Michel Barnier and the [European Commission’s] Taskforce 50 team so I hope that the optimistic and constructive approach that both sides showed can result in more progress.”

Updated

Audio of Varadkar’s press conference after his talks with the prime minister

Home Office minister Brandon Lewis has disclosed that the UK will deport EU citizens after Brexit if they fail to apply for the right to remain in time.

He told a German newspaper they would have to leave even if they met all the criteria for a residency permit.

Lewis told Die Welt: “If EU citizens until this point of time have not registered and have no adequate reason for it, then the valid immigration rules will be applied.”

When pressed on whether that would include those who met the legal requirements for residence but did not apply in the next 14 months, he replied: “Theoretically yes. We will apply the rules.”

Campaign group the3million, which represents EU citizens in the UK, said this was “no way to treat people”.

The Home Office said 1.8 million people had applied to the scheme and others have until “at least” December next year.

It said those with “reasonable grounds” for missing the date would be granted an extension to apply for the right to live and work in the UK.

Here’s a recording of Leo Varadkar’s remarks after his meeting with Johnson today.

Varadkar on today’s discussions and his objectives

Possible ramifications for DUP after today’s talks between Johnson and Varadkar

Varadkar added if an agreement works for the people of Ireland it means avoiding a hard border between north and south.

“That’s always been our primary objective: ensuring the all island economy can continue to develop and that north south co-operation as envisaged by the Good Friday Agreement can resume and those are our objectives.

“This has always been about achieving those objectives and I think today they can be achieved,” he said.

More from my colleague Lisa O’Carroll who is at the Varadkar briefing:

He said he hoped there would be the outline of a deal next week and he believed the “objectives” of the backstop could be achieved after today’s talks.

“I can’t predict that with any certainty but I think all sides would like there to be an agreement next week at the council if possible and obviously there is a further deadline after that which is 31 October, so I would say a short pathway rather than a long pathway.”

He indicated a cautious optimism and a hope that talks could now take place away from the glare of the media and acrimony of anonymous briefings.

Varadkar said the two prime ministers had agreed not to disclose any new proposals that might have been put on the table but that talks would now move to Brussels where Brexit secretary Steve Barclay is meeting Michel Barnier tomorrow.

Speaking prior to a flight back home, a coy Taoiseach said it would be wrong to comment on whether one side or the other had made any concessions during the meeting.

He said: “In terms of concessions, I don’t think this should be seen in the context of who’s making concessions or who the winners or losers are, I don’t think that’s the game any of us want to play.

“What this is about is securing an agreement that works for the people of Ireland and for the people of Britain and Europe.”

Moving away from the Brexit drama for one moment, Labour MP Chris Williamson has lost his High Court bid to be reinstated to the party after he was suspended over allegations of anti-Semitism.

The Derby North MP was suspended in February after he claimed Labour had been “too apologetic” in response to criticism of its handling of anti-Semitism allegations.

He was readmitted to the party and issued with a formal warning following a hearing of a National Executive Committee (NEC) anti-Semitism panel in June.

But he was suspended again in July after a second panel reviewed the decision to reinstate him and found it “cannot safely stand”.

Labour also imposed a separate suspension last month over additional allegations of misconduct.

A Labour Party spokeswoman said: “The court has upheld Chris Williamson’s suspension from the party and has said his disciplinary case must run its course.”

From my colleague Lisa O’Carroll, Varadkar on his thoughts about his discussions with the prime minister.

“I had a very good meeting today with the prime minister and our teams together. It was very positive and very promising. I am now absolutely convinced that both Ireland and Britain want there to be an agreement that’s in the interests of Ireland and UK and the EU as a whole,” he said.

The meeting lasted significantly longer than expected, with the two prime ministers agreeing that there had been enough movement to form a basis for substantive negotiations.

Varadkar said he believed the outline of a deal would be possible in time for the crunch summit of EU leaders next Thursday although “there was many a slip between cup and lip” and challenges remained ahead.

“What I would hope that what happened today will be sufficient to allow negotiations to resume in Brussels,” he added.

“I do see a pathway towards an agreement in the coming weeks.

“There are of course issues yet to be fully resolved, the first is the issue of consent and democracy ensuring that any long term arrangement that applies to Northern Ireland has the consent of the people of Northern Ireland, the second is the whole issue of customs ensuring that there is no customs border between north and the south.

“Also we had a good discussion looking forward to how relationships might look after Brexit, how we can strengthen co-operation north and south economically and politically and also between Britain and Ireland.”

Updated

Lisa adds a note of caution from Varadkar.

Updated

Varadkar says new Brexit treaty agreement 'possible' by end of October

This is from my colleague Lisa O’Carroll.

That is all from me for today. From Brexit to parents’ evening ...

My colleague Nadeem Badshah is now taking over.

These are from Mujtaba Rahman, the former European commission official who produces well-regarded Brexit analysis for the Eurasia consultancy.

Chris Williamson loses court battle to get his suspension from Labour lifted

The MP Chris Williamson has lost his high court bid to be reinstated to the Labour party after he was suspended over allegations of anti-Semitism, the Press Association reports. It story goes on:

The Derby North MP was suspended in February after he claimed that Labour had been “too apologetic” in response to criticism of its handling of antisemitism allegations.

He was readmitted to the party and issued with a formal warning following a hearing of a national executive committee (NEC) antisemitism panel in June - prompting an outcry from MPs, peers and Jewish groups.

But he was suspended again in July after a second panel reviewed the decision to reinstate him and found it “cannot safely stand”.

Labour also imposed a separate suspension on September 3 over additional allegations of misconduct.

At a hearing in September, Williamson’s lawyers argued that his treatment had been “manifestly unfair” and asked the high court to declare his suspension from the party was void.

Giving judgment this afternoon, Mr Justice Pepperall ruled that “the Labour party acted unfairly in that there was no proper reason for reopening the case against Mr Williamson”.

However, the judge found that there was “nothing in the new allegations, the timing of the letter of 3 September or the decision to suspend that entitles me to take the view upon the papers that the Labour party is acting either unfairly or other than in good faith”.

He added: “I therefore refuse relief in respect of Mr Williamson’s recent re-suspension. The new disciplinary case must run its course.”

Williamson himself has posted a thread on Twitter about the case. It starts here.

From the Irish Times’ political editor Pat Leahy

From my colleague Lisa O’Carroll

Given that Leo Varadkar spent a lot of time talking to Boris Johnson one-to-one, some of us are wondering if his experience of a Johnson negotiation will end up similar to Damian Green’s. (See 10.30am.)

And these are from RTE’s Tony Connelly.

These are from journalists from Irish news organisations, who seem to have had some briefing.

From the Irish Daily Mail’s Emma Jane Hade

From the Irish Times’ Denis Staunton

From the Irish Independent’s Hugh O’Connell

From the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg

From the Irish Independent’s Hugh O’Connell (20 minutes ago)

Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar have agreed they can see a “pathway to a possible Brexit deal” but warned there were still challenges ahead if an agreement was to be struck at next week’s EU summit, my colleagues Lisa O’Carroll and Rowena Mason report.

Johnson/Varadkar's joint statement - What can we learn from it?

Since all we’ve got to go on at the moment is the joint statement from No 10 and the Irish government, let’s try and subject it to some analysis.

Each paragraph from the statement is in quotes. My take on each passage is below.

The prime minister and taoiseach have had a detailed and constructive discussion.

“Detailed” and “constructive” are the key words, and both are positive.

Both continue to believe that a deal is in everybody’s interest. They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal.

The first sentence does not amount to much, because it is what all sides have always said from the moment the Brexit talks started. The second sentence is the most significant, and the one that has sent the pound moving up. (See 3.25pm.) It is more positive than people were expecting, and it implies that the Brexit talks are now at least off their deathbed.

But does it mean much more than that? We don’t know. It is worth noting that there are two qualifiers in this sentence: “They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal.”

And does it mean they are both looking the same pathway? No one has ever had problems imagining a possible deal, or a pathway to it. The trouble has been finding one acceptable to all veto players in this process: the EU, Dublin, parliament, the Conservative party, the ERG and the DUP.

Their discussion concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent.

That is no surprise, because these are the two main features of Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan identified as unacceptable by Dublin and Brussels.

They also discussed the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, including on Northern Ireland.

It is not clear what this refers to, although the UK government quite often talks about the desirability of improving bilateral relations with Dublin, particularly when they are under strain.

They agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them.

This sentence is moderately positive: “reflect further” means no one will be pulling the plug on the talks process today, and the reference to officials implies they have some new ideas to discuss.

Following their discussions the taoiseach will consult with the taskforce 50 and the Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay will meet Michel Barnier tomorrow morning.

Originally Barclay and Barnier were due to meet today, but that meeting got put back until Friday. There were some suggestions that, if today went badly, it would get cancelled. The fact it is going ahead means neither side wants to give up yet.

Updated

From Sky’s economics editor Ed Conway

It is a joint statement from No 10 and from the Irish government. Leo Varadkar has tweeted it too.

Full text of statement about Johnson/Varadkar talks

Here is the full text of the joint statement about the Johnson/Varadkar meeting.

The prime minister and taoiseach have had a detailed and constructive discussion.

Both continue to believe that a deal is in everybody’s interest. They agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal.

Their discussion concentrated on the challenges of customs and consent.

They also discussed the potential to strengthen bilateral relations, including on Northern Ireland.

They agreed to reflect further on their discussions and that officials would continue to engage intensively on them.

Following their discussions the taoiseach will consult with the taskforce 50 and the Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay will meet Michel Barnier tomorrow morning.

Updated

Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar 'agreed they could see pathway to possible deal' during talks

Here is the Number 10 statement about the talks. It is a joint statement.

It says Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar “agreed that they could see a pathway to a possible deal”.

That is a lot more positive than people were expecting - although still well short of an agreement.

Updated

We have been told that we will get a statement from No 10 shortly about the Boris Johnson/Leo Varadkar talks.

Labour allowed to hold talks with civil service ahead of general election

The prime minister has given the green light for Labour to hold talks with top civil service officials in the clearest sign yet that an election is looming, the Press Association reports. The main opposition party is traditionally given time before a polling date to speak with senior civil servants to discuss the policy changes planned if they win power. The decision n to allow shadow ministers access to the civil service - a right usually reserved solely for the government - indicates that the wheels are being oiled for a fresh trip to the polls. A Labour spokesman said the party would use the talks with Whitehall mandarins to “prepare for a transformational” government.

Jeremy Corbyn (centre) and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott with Labour candidate Gareth Eale on a visit to Northampton Saints rugby club in Northampton
Jeremy Corbyn (centre) and shadow home secretary Diane Abbott with Labour candidate Gareth Eale on a visit to Northampton Saints rugby club in Northampton Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

This is from the Press Association’s Catherine Wylie on Thornton Manor.

The luxury wedding venue chosen for Boris Johnson and Leo Varadkar’s Brexit talks was where Coleen Rooney held her circus-themed 21st birthday party.

Rooney, who caused an online sensation this week after alleging Rebekah Vardy’s Instagram account was the source of leaked stories about her in the media, hosted the glamorous party at Thornton Manor in 2007.

The venue is a Grade II listed building that was once the home of the soap magnate William Hesketh Lever in the village of Thornton Hough on the Wirral.

Thornton Manor, which hails itself as a “truly unique” wedding venue that “exudes historic enchantment and charm”, is the setting of a political showdown this week between two men talking about a separation and a union of a different kind.

But it is not the first event relating to a significant milestone and involving familiar faces that has taken place here.

Back on March 31 2007, stilt walkers dressed as swans and jugglers in sailor suits greeted guests as they arrived to celebrate the 21st birthday of Rooney, then the fiancee of footballer Wayne Rooney who she went on to marry.

Boris Johnson (right) and Leo Varadkar at Thornton Manor hotel.
Boris Johnson (right) and Leo Varadkar at Thornton Manor hotel. Photograph: Leo Varadkar/PA

Anti-Brexit campaigners outside Thornton Manor Hotel, near Birkenhead, where Boris Johnson is meeting Leo Varadkar.
Anti-Brexit campaigners outside Thornton Manor Hotel, near Birkenhead, where Boris Johnson is meeting Leo Varadkar. Photograph: Leon Neal/AFP via Getty Images

These are from my colleague Jennifer Rankin in Brussels.

A supporter gestures to Jeremy Corbyn after his speech at Northampton Saints rugby club in Northampton
A supporter gestures to Jeremy Corbyn after his speech at Northampton Saints rugby club in Northampton Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Jeremy Corbyn's speech and Q&A - Summary and analysis

You can read the full text of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech - Labour’s alternative Queen’s speech, as he put it - here. In policy terms it did not really contain anything new, but what it did do was summarise, clearly and comprehensively, Labour’s policy offer to the voters in an election. As is often the case, the more newsy comments came in the Q&A. Here is a summary.

  • Corbyn strongly condemned President Trump for remarks that appeared to defend the American diplomat’s wife who was driving on the wrong side of the road when involved in a collision with the British teenager, Harry Dunn, who was killed. Speaking about the case yesterday, Trump said:

The woman was driving on the wrong side of the road, and that can happen. You know, those are the opposite roads, that happens. I won’t say it ever happened to me, but it did.

When you get used to driving on our system and then you’re all of a sudden on the other system where you’re driving - it happens. You have to be careful, very careful.

Asked for his reaction to what Trump said, Corbyn said: “That is the most crass, insensitive comment anyone could ever make.”

  • Corbyn strongly criticised the US decision to allow the diplomat’s wife, Anne Sacoolas, to claim diplomatic immunity in this case. He said:

I’m alarmed about [the use of diplomatic immunity]. For somebody to be killed in our country and the person who did it to flee to the United States and then claim diplomatic immunity is completely unacceptable.

I know the family went to see Dominic Raab yesterday. We would put every bit of possible pressure we could on the United states.

If we could mount legal action in the United States, we would do so because it is simply not acceptable for someone to seek diplomatic immunity when somebody - a wholly innocent individual - has been killed by the behaviour of somebody else.

  • Corbyn restated his determination to have a general election before holding a referendum on Brexit. As Kate Devlin reports in today’s Times (paywall), some Labour MPs want the party to unite with other opposition parties and insist on a referendum first, not least because current polling suggests Labour would lose the election. Tony Blair has been making this argument strongly too. In her story Devlin says:

Many Labour MPs are desperate to avoid an election during a delay to Brexit and lobbied Mr Corbyn directly over the issue last week. Members of his shadow cabinet are also pressing him to wait until Brexit had been fully settled.

Last night Labour MPs predicted that Mr Corbyn would face a revolt within his own party if he tried to whip them to vote for an election.

One said: “Opposition to a general election is widespread among Labour MPs.”

Another questioned whether Mr Corbyn read the opinion polls, saying: “We are far behind in the polls, Jeremy is a liability and our Brexit position is a mess.”

But in his speech Corbyn said that the party was “champing at the bit for an election” and would agree to one as soon as a no-deal Brexit on 31 October was taken off the tabled. (See 11.11am.) Asked in the Q&A about Labour MPs pushing for referendum first, Corbyn just restated his determination to hold a referendum after a Labour victory in the election. (See 11.44am.)

  • Corbyn said that he would want EU reform to be part of any proposal for the UK to remain in the EU. Labour’s plan is to negotiate a deal for a soft Brexit with the EU, and to then offer voters a choice between that option and remain. But, speaking in the Q&A, he said:

After an election a Labour government would introduce legislation to ensure a referendum takes place between the agreement that we would reach with the European Union and remain. I have to say, in remain I would also want to see some reforms to the European Union.

It is hard to know what this would mean in practice, but it is not likely to enthuse any EU leaders hoping for a Labour government and the possibility of the UK voting to stay in. EU leaders spent months negotiating a package of reform measures with David Cameron, but voters took little notice and Cameron lost the referendum in 2016 anyway, even though the EU was offering the UK different terms of membership.

  • Corbyn said that the first task of a Labour government would be to “get Brexit sorted”. He said:

The first task of a Labour government will be to finally get Brexit sorted.

After three years of Tory failure, it’s time to take the decision out of the hands of politicians and let the people have the final say.

This is interesting because “get Brexit sorted” is very similar to the Tories’ slogan, “get Brexit done”. Obviously, the policies are different; the Tories want to settle the matter by delivering Brexit, and Labour wants to settle the matter by having a referendum that could result in a vote to remain. But Corbyn’s use of this phrase may indicate that Labour wants to neutralise a slogan that the Tories clearly believe will work very well for them.

Conservative Party annual conference in ManchesterA Brexit slogan is displayed at the venue of the Conservative Party annual conference in Manchester, Britain, October 2, 2019. REUTERS/Phil Noble
Slogan at Tory conference in Manchester. Photograph: Phil Noble/Reuters
  • Corbyn confirmed that Labour would introduce a £10 an hour minimum wage for all workers over 16 immediately. (See 11.17am.) The £10 an hour minimum wage has been Labour policy for some time, but the party has not always been clear how quickly it would be introduced. But Corbyn is now saying the policy would be introduced immediately. This is in response to Sajid Javid’s announcement at the Tory conference that his party would increase the national living wage to £10.50 an hour - but only by 2024.
Jeremy Corbyn delivering his speech at Northampton Saints rugby club in Northampton
Jeremy Corbyn delivering his speech at Northampton Saints rugby club in Northampton Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP via Getty Images

Updated

Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach (PM), has tweeted some pictures from his meeting with Boris Johnson.

Here is the full text of Jeremy Corbyn’s speech.

A summary of the highlights is coming soon.

Updated

Some anti-Brexit protesters have arrived outside Thornton Manor, the Liverpool Echo’s Liam Thorp reports.

And now the gates are shut, my colleague Lisa O’Carroll reports.

Leo Varadkar arrived at Thornton Manor 22 minutes after Boris Johnson, according to the Irish Daily Mail’s Emma Jane Hade.

Thornton Manor is also a “dream wedding” venue, my colleague Paul Johnson points out.

This is form MLex’s Matthew Holehouse on the venue for the Johnson/Varadkar talks.

Boris Johnson arrives at manor house on the Wirral for private talks with Leo Varadkar

Turning away from the Corbyn Q&A for a moment, Boris Johnson has lost his game of hide and seek with the media. This is from the Liverpool Echo’s Liam Thorp.

Updated

Q: How hard will it be to win an election when the Tories are also promising a big increase in public spending? And if you lose, will you stand down?

Corbyn says he never comments on opinion polls. He does not study them.

But the 2017 election was called in an emergency manner, and Labour went into it with the most radical, transformative manifesto that had been put to the people. He got the biggest increase in the Labour vote since 1945. He thinks he opened the eyes of people to how things could be different.

He says he has spent a lot of time since then touring the country, and listening to people.

A lot of people feel depressed and angry. The levels of mental health problem reflect the anxiety being generated by what is going wrong.

What this country cannot afford is the level of inequality it has.

He says, when the election is called, he will be out there, with hundreds of thousands of Labour members sending the message that things can be different.

Do you want the country run by a party that has cut and sliced public services? Or do you want more of the same?

He says he is very fit, and determined to win an election.

Q: What is your plan for the backstop?

Corbyn says the best solution would be to maintain a customs union relationship with the EU.

Q: What is your response to what Donald Trump said about how anyone could drive on the wrong side of the road?

That is the most crass, insensitive comment anyone could ever make.

He says a man died. Let’s have some humanity and justice, he says.

Updated

Corbyn's Q&A

Q: Some Labour MPs want a referendum before an election. Are you committed to an election first? And when should it be?

Corbyn says he is proposing a second referendum when a Labour government is elected. People would have a choice between remain and a deal. We are in for a few days of shadowing boxing by Boris Johnson. Corbyn says he hopes the decision comes back to parliament.

He says a deal does not look likely.

He says the opposition parties want as a priority to take no deal off the table.

He says he is very confident that he could get a deal with the EU.

But, with the remain option, he says he would also want to see some reforms from the EU.

Q: Should the Americans waive diplomatic immunity in the Anne Sacoolas case.

Corbyn says he is “alarmed and very concerned” by this case. It is not appropriate to seek diplomatic immunity when someone has been killed, he says.

Q: Would you give into Extinction Rebellion’s demands?

Corbyn says he has met many of these protesters. Their right to protest must be defended, he says.

He says people should think where protest can lead.

He refers to the 19th century Northampton MP Charles Bradlaugh, who ensured atheists could stand for parliament, and the suffragettes.

Corbyn is on his peroration.

The alternative Queen’s Speech I’ve set out today is the most transformative, radical and exciting programme ever put before the British electorate. This is Labour’s plan to change our country, it’s the real thing not the pale imitation offered by Boris Johnson and his Conservative Party.

It’s a path to a future where the economy is run for the people, not the privileged, and the government works for you not the vested interests. A future where we tackle the climate emergency and Britain is a force for peace and international justice in the world.

That future is within our grasp. Together we can build a country fit for the next generation. The future is ours to make It’s time for real change.

Turning to foreign affairs, Corbyn says the invasion of Northern Syria by Turkey is “completely unacceptable”.

He says Labour would pass legislation to ensure the PM cannot go to war without parliament’s approval.

Currently the prime minister has the power under the royal prerogative to launch military action without recourse to parliament. Boris Johnson – a prime minister without a majority – has talked about sending troops to Saudi Arabia to confront Iran: another disaster in the making. I will be a very different kind of prime minister, one who is prepared to limit my own power in the public interest. So that’s why a Labour government will introduce a War Powers Bill to ensure no prime minister can bypass parliament to take the country to war.

Corbyn confirms Labour would ban fracking.

Labour will ban fracking, roll out a street-by-street insulation programme and fit solar panels on 1.75 million roofs, double large-scale solar, remove barriers to onshore wind and ensure every single new house built is a zero carbon home.

Corbyn praises groups like Extinction Rebellion.

To have any hope of keeping global temperature rises to a manageable level we need immediate and radical action. I’d like to thank groups like the Climate Strikers and Extinction Rebellion for educating us and pushing the issue to the top of the agenda.

The government’s target of reaching net zero emissions by 2050 is too late and the Tories are doing little to meet it – in fact investment in clean energy has fallen for three years running. A Labour government is fully signed up to a Green New Deal. We are already working closely with trade unions and the scientific community to develop the most radical climate targets in the world.

Corbyn says Labour would fund councils properly.

And services have not been funded properly either, he says.

The same goes for vital basic services we all rely on, which have been carved up and fleeced by their private owners. The privatisation of our utilities, which are natural monopolies, has been a failure. People are sick of paying through the nose for a poor service while billions are handed over to shareholders. So Labour will bring rail, mail, water and the energy grid into public ownership, run by and for the public, not for profit.

And a Labour government will take the railways back into public ownership too. We’ll invest in public transport including Crossrail for the North, from Liverpool to Hull and up to Newcastle. We’ll reinstate bus routes and establish municipal companies making free bus travel available to the under-25s while maintaining the pensioner bus pass. Our public transport network is falling apart just when the climate emergency means we need it most.

Corbyn says Labour will “guarantee every young person access to youth services in their community”.

Women will be at the heart of Labour’s programme for government, he says.

Labour is the Party of equality. We’ll bear down on sexism, racism, homophobia and all forms of discrimination wherever they exist in our economy and society.

He says yesterday’s antisemitic attack in Germany was “sickening” and a Labour government would oppose all forms of racism, including antisemitism.

Corbyn confirms that Labour would increase the number of uniformed police officers.

But the reduction in police numbers is not the only reason why violent crime has doubled, he says.

It’s also the wider impact of austerity – including the closure of youth services. 750 youth centres have closed their doors since 2012. Too many young people today are growing up with nowhere to go and no one to speak to about their lives.

Labour would deliver justice for Grenfell, Corbyn says.

After the horror of Grenfell it’s astonishing that the Tories are still failing to make tower blocks safe. Nine out of ten private blocks with Grenfell-style cladding haven’t had it replaced.

Labour will ensure people aren’t living in death traps. And we will deliver justice for Grenfell.

Corbyn says today is world homelessness day.

And let me say this on World Homeless Day: in the fifth richest country in the world no one should be sleeping rough. We all know it’s wrong. It’s Labour that will end rough sleeping.

Corbyn quotes from the report (pdf) from the UN rapporteur on extreme poverty.

If I told you that our social security system has been “deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos” you might think, ‘Well, he would say that.’

But if I told you those aren’t my words but the damning verdict of the United Nations, no less, you get a sense of the damage wrought by nine years of Tory austerity.

Turning to welfare, he says:

A Labour government will change the whole culture of the DWP. It will become the Department for Social Security to give people dignity and respect.

Social security shouldn’t be about forcing women into the indignity of having to fill out a four-page form to prove their child was born as a result of rape as 500 women had to do last year.

Labour will scrap Universal Credit and introduce an emergency package to immediately end its worst aspects. Ending the benefit cap and the two child limit, which alone will stop up to 300,000 children being pushed into poverty.

And, yes, that means the end of the disgusting rape clause.

We’ll end the five week wait for the first payment, end the Tories’ vicious sanctions regime, end the bedroom tax and - because we’re committed to reducing poverty - we’ll end the benefit freeze.

We’ll control welfare spending by tackling low pay and insecure work ... and rip-off rents. Social security shouldn’t be subsidising bad employers and greedy landlords.

Turning to adult social care, Corbyn says the current system is “a disgrace”.

Nearly £8 billion has been taken from councils’ social care budgets since 2010. 87 people die every day while waiting for the care they need. It’s a disgrace, frankly, that we treat our older people in this way.

A Labour government will introduce free personal care providing help with daily tasks like bathing, washing, and preparing meals. This will be the first step to creating a National Care Service, easing the fear of getting older.

Turning to education, Corbyn confirms Labour would scrap university tuition fees, end SATS for 7 and 11-year-olds and rebuild Sure Start.

Turning to health, he says:

For a decade our NHS has been run down, carved up, and prepared for privatisation. A Labour government will reverse this. We’ll repeal the Tory-Lib Dem privatisation Act of 2012. We’ll give our NHS the resources, equipment and staff it needs. That means more GPs and nurses and reduced waiting times. And under Labour prescriptions in England will be free.

And he restates the policy he announced at conference - big drug companies would no longer be allowed to “hold our NHS to ransom”, he says.

Corbyn says Labour would introduce £10 an hour minimum wage for over-16s immediately

Corbyn says Labour would raise the minimum wage to £10 an hour for all workers over 16 immediately.

The chancellor, Sajid Javid, has said the minimum wage will not rise above £10 an hour until 2024, and only for those aged 21 and over.

So a Labour government will immediately raise the minimum wage to £10 an hour for all workers from the age of 16.

And Corbyn runs through some of the party’s other flagship policies for workers.

We’ll create a new Ministry of Employment Rights to give workers a seat at the Cabinet table and strengthen the democratic voice of the workforce through collective bargaining.

Every worker will have full rights on day one of a new job; entitling them to sick pay, holiday pay, parental leave and protection against unfair dismissal. A new Workers’ Protection Agency will ensure all these rights are properly enforced. And we’ll create a Working Time Commission … to reduce the average full time working hours to 32 a week within ten years.

But to truly rebalance power in people’s daily lives we need to go further. So Labour will give workers a say and a stake in their workplace … by ensuring a third of the seats on company boards are reserved for worker directors ... elected by the workforce.

Corbyn says Labour wants an economy that works for the many, not the few.

A Labour government will rebuild communities across Britain with investment on a scale our country has never known bringing new jobs and fresh growth to every town, city, region and nation.

We’ll upgrade our creaking infrastructure with £250 billion of public investment into energy, housing and transport through a National Transformation Fund and establish a National Investment Bank to make a further £250 billion available through loans to businesses and co-ops to get our economy moving.

Grotesque inequality isn’t inevitable. It’s the result of a deliberate effort to tip the balance of power away from workers towards the privileged elite that Boris Johnson’s Conservatives represent.

Corbyn says the first task of a Labour government would be to get Brexit sorted.

The first task of a Labour government will be to finally get Brexit sorted.

After three years of Tory failure, it’s time to take the decision out of the hands of politicians and let the people have the final say.

So a Labour government will immediately legislate for a referendum.

And he sums up the Brexit position confirmed at Labour’s conference.

Within six months of being elected we will put that deal to a public vote alongside remain.

And as prime minister I will carry out whatever the people decide.

There’s nothing complicated about that position. It’s really very simple: Labour trusts the people to decide.

Corbyn sums up Labour’s election offer.

We might be just weeks away from the first Queen’s Speech of a Labour government.

And in that Queen’s Speech, Labour will put forward the most radical, hopeful, people-focused programme in modern times: a once-in-a-generation chance to rebuild and transform our country.

It will:

Let the people decide on Brexit

Build an economy that works for all

Change government so that it works for you

Tackle the climate emergency …

Reset our global role to one based on peace and human rights.

Corbyn says Labour will back an election once a no-deal Brexit has been taken off the table.

It wasn’t long ago that Johnson was pretending not to want an election. Now he’s pretending that it’s Labour that doesn’t want one.

So let me address this directly:

Prime minister, we can’t trust you not to break the law because you’ve got form.

We can’t trust you not to use the period of an election campaign to drive our country off a No Deal cliff edge that will crash our economy, destroy jobs and industries, cause shortages of medicine and food and endanger peace in Northern Ireland.

So it’s simple: obey the law, take No Deal off the table and then let’s have the election.

Corbyn starts by describing next week’s Queen’s speech as a “cynical stunt”.

On Monday, we will be treated to the farce of Boris Johnson’s Conservative government, amid full pomp and ceremony, setting out an agenda to parliament that it has no intention and no means of delivering.

Because this government isn’t going to put any legislation before parliament.

It has a majority of minus 45, a 100 per cent record of defeat in the Commons and is seeking a general election which will rapidly end the parliamentary session the Queen is about to open.

Holding a Queen’s Speech before an election is a cynical stunt.

Johnson is using the Queen to deliver a pre-election party political broadcast for the Conservative Party.

Jeremy Corbyn's speech on Labour's radical agenda

Jeremy Corbyn has just started his speech now on Labour’s radical agenda.

German ambassador tells Irish border communities Berlin sees defending peace process as priority

Germany believes the peace process in Northern Ireland is so important that it will not budge in its opposition to Boris Johnson’s current Brexit proposal, the country’s ambassador to Ireland has told Irish border communities.

Deike Potzel spent more than an hour with representatives from border communities in Dublin on Wednesday night and they said they came away reassured that Germany was supporting their interests.

Damian McGenity, the coordinator of the campaign group Border Communities Against Brexit, said:

She said Germany was completely behind the belief that the peace process is the priority. She said they will not budge on this. They know from their own experience in Germany that the peace process is incredibly important and while they are very much of the view they want a deal, she said they were prepared for no deal.

She said the peace process trumps all other considerations in Brexit

She also said that Germany was not coming under any pressure to abandon the Irish, not from business, from car manufacturers.

They are watching the situation quite closely but think that people do not understand the border issue.

Trade deals after Brexit would only have 'very limited potential value', says Hammond

In an interview in the Daily Telegraph (paywall) Philip Hammond, the former Tory chancellor who had the whip withdrawn last month after rebelling over Brexit, has revived his call for a soft Brexit as an acceptable compromise. He is suggesting that the UK should stay in the customs union, and in the single market for goods, with the UK having a 12-month “break clause” that would allow it to leave this arrangement with a year’s notice.

This would mean the UK would not be able to negotiate its own trade deals. But in the Telegraph Hammond argues that the values of these have been over-estimated. He says:

We all know these trade deals are of very limited potential value and likely to be very hard to negotiate without serious domestic economic and political consequences.

Speaking on the Today programme, Hammond also said he thought the Conservative party was in danger of losing its reputation for economic competence. He said:

The economy is slowing down and the government has made a number of very significant spending commitments and I do worry that the Conservative Party’s core message for many, many years - whether people like us or loathe us - has been that we are a responsible party with the economy and the public finances ...

And I do worry about a strategy which is reckless about our economic future in terms of advocating no-deal Brexit and reckless about our public finances in terms of spending money that, frankly, at this point in the Brexit negotiation, we cannot be sure we have available.

Philip Hammond
Philip Hammond Photograph: BBC

Some 50 Scottish cultural figures have published a ‘declaration for independence’ this morning, setting out a series of ‘guiding principles for a new and better Scotland’.

The timing itself is interesting: just after what organisers claim was the biggest ever march for independence in Edinburgh last Saturday, and ahead of the SNP conference in Aberdeen this Sunday.

The signatories, from across the arts and academia, include writers A. L. Kennedy, Andrew O’Hagan and Jenni Fagan, actor Brian Cox, historian Tom Devine and musicians Stuart Braithwaite and Karine Polwart.

No doubt with the recent arguments at Edinburgh’s court of session in mind, the declaration itself calls for a written constitution, separation of powers between parliament and government and affirms judicial independence, as well as committing to human rights, transparency of land ownership, and the rejection of nuclear weapons.

As this latest clamjamfry gears up, it’s worth remembering the key role that Scottish artists and cultural figures played in the last independence referendum, on both sides, although more noisily for yes. We’ll find out at the weekend whether this piles extra pressure on SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon - who drew some criticism for not attending last weekend’s march, as many of her party colleagues did.

She has declared her desire to hold a second independence referendum by the end of 2020, but activists are well aware that time is running out to get the necessary legislation and legal powers in place to meet that timetable.

The march for Scottish independence in Edinburgh on Saturday. Around 200,000 were said to have taken part.
The march for Scottish independence in Edinburgh on Saturday. Around 200,000 were said to have taken part. Photograph: Duncan Bryceland/REX/Shutterstock

Yesterday Damian Green, head of the One Nation group of Tory MPs, had a meeting with Boris Johnson to raise concerns about claims that, if Brexit gets delayed beyond 31 October (as many people expect), the Conservative party would fight the next election on a no-deal platform. As we reported (see below), Green came out of the meeting thinking he had an assurance from Johnson that this would not happen.

We also said that some No 10 insiders were saying that Green may have “overinterpreted” what he had been told by the PM. Emilio Casalicchio has heard the same, and his story on the meeting includes this clarification from Downing Street.

A senior Downing Street official pushed back on [Green’s claim], telling POLITICO that no manifesto position has been agreed so far. “It may have to be straight no deal or it may not depending on the situation,” the official said. “We are keeping our options open. I suspect Green has over-interpreted the meeting. There are many cards left to play in the game before we get to a manifesto.”

Two MPs are taking the government to court to demand an independent inquiry into the UK’s complicity in torture after “years of dither and delay”, the Press Association reports. Labour’s Dan Jarvis and Conservative David Davis are bringing legal action alongside the campaigning justice charity Reprieve, seeking a full judge-led inquiry into “the truth of the UK’s role in post 9/11 abuses”. It is alleged the refusal to hold a hearing is contrary to article three of the European convention on human rights, which requires governments to fully investigate credible torture allegations, and also violates the common law prohibition of torture.

UK economy shrinks by 0.1% in August

Britain’s economy contracted by 0.1% in August, according to the Office for National Statistics’ latest growth report. My colleague Graeme Wearden has full coverage in his business live blog.

Leadsom criticised for saying PM could use 'patently unlawful' two-letter plan to sabotage extension request

In an interview on ITV’s Peston last night Andrea Leadsom, the business secretary, suggested that, if Boris Johnson has to write a letter to the EU requesting a Brexit extension - which is what the Benn Act says he will have to do, if there is no deal - he might also send a second letter, making points intended to persuade EU leaders against granting an extension. There has been speculation for some time that this might be the loophole Johnson intends to use to ensure the UK leaves the EU on 31 October, as he has promised, and that he obeys the Benn Act, as he has also promised.

Asked about this possible tactic, Leadsom said that it would be “perfectly reasonable” to act in this way.

But there is a problem; lawyers say that doing this would be not only not reasonable, but unlawful too. This is what Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, tweeted last night. He’s a QC.

This is from Joanna Cherry, the SNP’s justice and home affairs spokeswoman, who is also a QC.

In a blog yesterday for the UK Constitutional Law Association, Jeff King, a law professor, specifically said that the plan floated by Leadsom would be “patently unlawful”.

An option mooted in the Daily Telegraph suggests that the PM might send two letters, the second asking the European council to disregard the one required by the Benn Act. It would be absurd as well as patently unlawful. The European council would seek clarification and the matter would end up before a UK judge, who would make short work of it. The statutory request is required by a law whose aim is clear, and the second letter would seek to frustrate the operation of that law. The correct authority for that proposition is Miller v SS for Exiting the EU [2017] UKSC 5 (Miller No.1): there exists no foreign affairs prerogative power that would operate to frustrate the purpose of a statute. A court would be required to declare that the second letter was issued without lawful authority. The European council would be instructed that that there is only one valid letter.

The FT’s legal commentator David Allen Green says it’s the Padfield case that explains why the Leadsom gambit would be illegal.

And it is worth quoting what the advocate general for Scotland, Lord Keen, told the Scottish court in the case referred to by Cherry. Keen said the PM accepted that he “cannot frustrate” the purpose of the Benn Act. The full quotes are in the judgment (pdf).

On the Today programme this morning Kwasi Kwarteng, a business minister, ducked a question about whether a two-letters strategy would be an option. He said that he was not a lawyer, and so could not comment on the rights or wrongs of this issue, but he did say the government would obey the law.

Updated

As the Liverpool Echo reports, there is speculation that the Boris Johnson/Leo Varadkar meeting will take place in the city.

This would be another reason why No 10 might want to keep the location of the talks secret, because Johnson is still unpopular in the city because of an editorial he published when he was editor of the Spectator 15 years ago that was offensive to Liverpudlians.

Yesterday Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor for the Liverpool city region, posted these on Twitter.

In fact, Johnson has apologised for the Spectator article.

No deal would put lives at risk, says former chief medical officer

The most important event today will almost certainly be Boris Johnson’s private meeting with Leo Varadkar, his Irish opposite number, where the two leaders will make one final attempt to reach agreement on an alternative to the backstop, which is the key that would unlock a Brexit deal. But it is also the event that may be hardest to report. Yesterday No 10 just said the meeting would place at lunchtime somewhere in the north west of England. “There are no media opportunities and this will not be open to the media or the pool,” the Downing Street operational note said. Obviously that won’t stop journalists trying to find out where the meeting is taking place, and doorstepping the two PMs, but they may not succeed.

In the meantime, we had a fresh warning about the dangers of a no-deal Brexit this morning. As the Evening Standard’s Joe Murphy has pointed out, in the Commons last month the Labour MP Tracy Brabin asked Michael Gove if he could give her an assurance that “no one in this country will suffer in their health because of a no-deal Brexit”. Gove, the Cabinet Office minister in charge of no-deal planning, replied with a single word: “Yes.”

This morning Prof Dame Sally Davies, who has only just stood down as chief medical officer, gave a very different assessment. Speaking on the Today programme, she said that if there were a no-deal Brexit at the end of this month, people could die as a result.

The health service and everyone has worked very hard to prepare. But I say what I’ve said before - that we cannot guarantee that there will not be shortages, not only in medicines but technology and gadgets and things. And there may be deaths, we can’t guarantee there won’t.

Asked if lives were at risk, she replied firmly: “They are at risk.”

Here is the agenda for the day.

11am: Jeremy Corbyn delivers a speech on Northampton on Labour’s radical agenda for transforming Britain. As Kate Proctor reports, he will criticise Boris Johnson for using the Queen’s speech next week as a “party political broadcast” before the expected general election.

Around lunchtime: Boris Johnson meets Leo Varadkar, the Irish taoiseach (PM) for private talks on Brexit.

12.30pm: The Institute for Government hosts a hustings for candidates for the post of Commons Speaker.

3.15pm: The joint ministerial council, which comprises ministers from the UK government and the devolved administration, meets in Edinburgh.

As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web, although I will be focusing mostly on Brexit and on Jeremy Corbyn’s speech. I plan to publish a summary when I wrap up.

You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads.

If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow.

I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone.

If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter.

Prof Dame Sally Davies
Prof Dame Sally Davies Photograph: Ken McKay/REX

Updated

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