Afternoon summary
Thanks for following the blog today and all your comments. I’m going to leave you with an afternoon summary:
- The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has indicated that chlorinated chicken will be part of the trade deal demanded by the US. Asked directly about the issue, he told LBC: “There will be real contentious issues around agriculture ...We need to make sure we don’t use food safety as a ruse to try and protect a particular industry.”
- The Communication Workers Union has endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey as the next Labour leader. Long-Bailey had already received the endorsement of Unite and the Fire Brigades Union. The CWU also endorsed Angela Rayner as deputy leader but its general secretary, Kevin Ward, admitted the contest had not caught the imagination of the public and urged candidates to deliver “more dynamic and innovative campaigns”.
- Preparations are underway for tomorrow’s Brexit Day, when the UK will leave the EU at 11pm GMT. Union flags have been hung in Parliament Square. A small number of demonstrators have been demonstrating in the square about the UK’s departure from the EU.
I reported earlier that the Communication Workers Union has endorsed Rebecca Long-Bailey and Angela Rayner for Labour party leader and deputy leader respectively. But the union’s general secretary Dave Ward has been critical of the campaigning so far. He said:
I am proud of the democratic process our union has conducted and it is clear to me that Rebecca Long-Bailey is the outstanding candidate for leader.
It is also clear that the ability and experience of Angela Rayner make her the best candidate for deputy leader.
What is also true is the contest so far has not caught the imagination of Labour members or the wider public. We call on all candidates to deliver more dynamic and innovative campaigns in the coming weeks and months.
We’ve had a glimpse into the preparations to mark Brexit in the UK. Here’s a peek into what our European friends are doing:
Brussels has organised an au revoir Britain festival on Grand Place - it’s more than a little odd and VERY kitsch!!! #Brexit pic.twitter.com/PG2P9aiWmj
— Darren McCaffrey (@DarrenEuronews) January 30, 2020
The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has been speaking to Iain Dale on LBC about post-Brexit trade talks and indicated that chlorinated chicken would be part of the deal demanded by the US. Asked by Dale directly about chlorinated chicken, he replied:
There will be real contentious issues around agriculture ...
I’m sure the Ag[riculture] issues will be difficult. Our ask will be as it has been in the other negotiations. We need to be open and honest about competitiveness. We need to make sure we don’t use food safety as a ruse to try and protect a particular industry. And then we need to have hard conversations about the places we have opportunities to give and take and then deliver on outcomes that benefit the agricultural sector - and most importantly consumers who are going to be the net beneficiaries of these really good deals.
Updated
The new speaker of the House of Commons, Lindsay Hoyle, has indicated that he would be happy for women MPs to breastfeed in the chamber, , the Independent reports.
It says he was asked at a Westminster lunch whether he would allow feeding to take place in the Commons chamber and committee rooms and replied:
My view is, it is up to the woman. I think it would be wrong for me as a man to dictate on that policy. If it happens, it happens. I wouldn’t be upset by it.
Female MPs have in the past demanded that new mothers be allowed to breastfeed in the House of Commons chamber to help get more women into parliament.
The former speaker, Betty Boothroyd, said it would be allowed when workers at Tesco were allowed to do so.
The Edinburgh West MP, Christine Jardine is to formally announce that she is standing for the Liberal Democrat leadership, the New Statesman reports.
Jardine, the party’s home affairs spokesperson, has represented her constituency since 2017.
No one has formally announced their candidature yet but the frontrunners for the post are considered to be acting leader Ed Davey and Layla Moran.
Other possible contenders include the Bath MP, Wera Hobhouse, and new MP Daisy Cooper, who took St Albans from the Conservatives at the general election.
Union flags have been raised in Parliament Square ahead of tomorrow’s Brexit celebrations.
Not everyone is in the mood for celebrating though ...
Want to own a piece of history? Nigel Farage has revealed one lucky connoisseur will have the chance to purchase the Mr Brexit portrait, he unveiled, with the help of comedy dinosaur, Jim Davidson, this afternoon (see 2.45pm update).
From PA Media:
The work created by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall was revealed at L’Escargot Restaurant in London, less than 36 hours before the UK is set to leave the European Union.
Mr Farage told the PA news agency: “I will miss the drama. I will miss being the pantomime villain who gets up and 500 people boo.
“I won’t miss Brussels because it’s a dump. But I will miss Strasbourg which has got lots of family-run restaurants and yeah, of course, I am going to miss that.
“I suppose my level of notoriety is relatively high at the moment and I am hoping we can auction this off for a magnificent charity.”
The money raised by the painting will go towards veteran support charity Care After Combat.
Nigel Farage stands beside a portrait of himself titled Mr Brexit by artist Dan Llywelyn Hall, with comedian Jim Davidson, at L’Escargot Restaurant in London. Photograph: Kirsty O’Connor/PA
Labour leadership contender Rebecca Long-Bailey has received the endorsement of the Communication Workers Union today.
She had already secured her place on the ballot paper after endorsements from Unite and the Fire Brigades Union.
Responding to the CWU’s declaration of support, Long-Bailey said:
I am honoured to be endorsed by one of the leading workplace trade unions in the UK, which has been solidly behind the Labour Party’s transformative agenda.
As leader of the Labour Party I will stand shoulder to shoulder with trade unions in disputes, and full solidarity to the CWU in their current dispute with Royal Mail.
The decision was made by a forum of over 500 workplace representatives from the CWU, who backed Angela Rayner for deputy leader.
We are very proud that in the most democratic process of any trade union our branches have overwhelmingly voted to nominate @RLong_Bailey for leader of the Labour Party pic.twitter.com/WDb7bganpL
— The CWU (@CWUnews) January 30, 2020
We have also nominated @AngelaRayner for deputy leader of the Labour Party pic.twitter.com/4nAYploFMN
— The CWU (@CWUnews) January 30, 2020
The Times Scotland’s political editor has been tweeting out results of their new YouGov polling, which shows a lead for Scottish independence of 51%. The majority in favour of independence will boost the SNP as Nicola Sturgeon prepares to set out her next steps towards another referendum tomorrow, after Boris Johnson refused her request for the powers to hold a legal referendum earlier this month.
EXC: New @YouGov poll puts Yes in lead on #indyref. Margin of 51-49, first time Yes has led since 2015.
— Kieran Andrews (@KieranPAndrews) January 30, 2020
But...56% against indyref2 this year.
While the poll shows 2014 no voters and 2016 Remain voters converting to the ‘yes’ cause, interestingly there is not a majority in favour of a second referendum this year, which Sturgeon is still pushing for.
Indeed, yesterday the Scottish parliament’s pro-independence majority of SNP and Greens voted through Sturgeon’s motion in favour of a 2020 referendum.
Finally, the challenge for a future yes campaign is the same as always: the economy. According to this poll, 42% of Scots think the country would be worse off economically with independence, and 35% think it would be better off.
It is still less than 33 hours till Brexit but the celebrations have already begun.
For younger readers who may be unfamiliar with Jim Davidson, a list of his most controversial moments by the Telegraph includes creating Chalky White, a stereotype of West Indians, as part of his stand-up routine and his single, White Christmas, performed in a Jamaican accent.
Nigel Farage has just unveiled a portrait of himself entitled "Mr Brexit". Jim Davidson is now giving a speech to mark the occasion. Happy Brexit everyone pic.twitter.com/dCDnfqywwt
— Michael Deacon (@MichaelPDeacon) January 30, 2020
Here is video of the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, saying the US intends to put Britain “at the front of the line” for a trade deal post-Brexit.
Lunchtime summary
Here are the morning’s main developments:
- The government has refused to confirm or deny that Boris Johnson is planning to give the go ahead for HS2, after the chancellor, Sajid Javid, gave the controversial high speed rail project is backing. A spokesperson for the PM refused to preempt the decision while the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said an announcement would be made next month. Javid, Johnson and Shapps are meeting today to discuss HS2 amid opposition from some backbenchers.
- The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, has reiterated that the UK will be “at the front of the line” when it comes to negotiating a post-Brexit trade deal. At a Policy Exchange event with the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, both Raab and Pompeo insisted a full trade deal could be finalised prior to November’s US presidential election. They generally presented a united front, glossing over disagreements on Iran, Huawei and the Harry Dunn case.
- The foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, said that a charter flight to evacuate Britons from areas affected by the coronavirus will depart Wuhan at 5am tomorrow. Earlier, he said the foreign office had been working flat out to arrange their safe transport.
- The Bank of England’s monetary policy committee (MPC) has voted to leave interest rates unchanged at 0.75%. It took the decision amid early signs of a rebound in the economy following Boris Johnson’s election victory and despite warning that Brexit would hold back growth in the long run.
- The acting Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, has used a speech in Manchester to call for unity among progressives, including on fighting against a no-deal Brexit. He said there should be an end to discord between remain and leave voters but that progressives needed to band together to fight inequality under Boris Johnson’s government and deliver a soft Brexit.
- Self-harm in prisons has hit a new high, with more than 60,000 incidents in the 12 months to September 2019, Ministry of Justice figures released today show. The number of inmates self-harming increased by 2% in the latest 12 months, to the highest recorded figure of 12,740 individuals. The number of self-harm incidents per individual rose by 14% from 4.2 to 4.8.
Here are some more opinions from Westminster on HS2 - against and for respectively:
The HS2 rail project will “undermine the economics of the existing west coast and east coast mainlines” says Tory MP John Redwood
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 30, 2020
He reckons it will be “loss making” and passenger number forceasts have been "exaggerated"#politicslive https://t.co/6caiAeDEWS pic.twitter.com/Ka5H2VUfgW
Labour’s Lord Falconer says the government would be right to go ahead with the HS2 rail scheme
— BBC Politics (@BBCPolitics) January 30, 2020
“We are committed to this, they need greater capacity... this is the cheaper way to do it”#politicslive https://t.co/6caiAeDEWS pic.twitter.com/MFnhznH7CN
Dominic Raab said during the Policy Exchange event that hopefully British citizens would be evacuated “later this evening”. However, in a statement, he has just confirmed that the flight will be tomorrow morning:
We are pleased to have confirmation from the Chinese authorities that the evacuation flight from Wuhan airport to the UK can depart at 5am local time on Friday 31 January.
The safety and security of British nationals is our top priority. Our embassy in Beijing and consular teams remain in close contact with British nationals in the region to ensure they have the latest information they need.
That was a display from Dominic Raab and Mike Pompeo of US-UK unity ahead of Brexit, with disagreements over Huawei, Iran and the Harry Dunn depicted as blips that could be overcome.
Instead, the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, reiterated that the UK would be “at the front of the line” when it comes to a trade deal, with both parties concurring that this was achievable before November’s presidential election in November.
Pompeo said it could deliver “enormous benefits” for both the US and the UK now that the latter was not constrained by the EU.
There is a follow up question on Harry Dunn from CBS.
Raab says he had a “good conversation with Mike” about it.
What changes to the special relationship can be expected post-Brexit, someone else asks. t
Pompeo says he is optimistic because there were things the UK were required to do as being part of the EU which they no longer have to do. That is fantastic for the US and UK, says the secretary of state. He says there will be “enormous benefits” that accrue to both organisations.
Lucy Fisher from the Times says a full trade deal is unlikely before the November US election. Will a sectorial deal be struck instead and if so will it be for the financial sector?
Raab says a deal can be done and we should have a “can-do” attitude. Pompeo simply says “I concur”.
Jason Groves from the Mail asks if there could be a barter - Prince Andrew for Anne Sacoolas.
Pompeo says both situations will be resolved. Raab says there is no barter.
And that’s the conclusion of the event.
James Landale from the BBC asks Pompeo if the US will make good on its pledge to restrict intelligence-sharing in response to the Huawei decision.
Pompeo says the security relationship is deep and will remain but the US will not permit its citizens information to go across a network it is unhappy about.
Landale also asked how the special relationship fits in with the case of Harry Dunn and the refusal to extradite Anne Saccolas, who fled the country after being involved in the incident which killed the teenager.
Pompeo offers some platitudes and says they are working to resolve the situation.
Landale also asks Raab about getting UK citizens out of Wuhan, China.
Raab says ideally citizens will be evacuated tonight and insists the UK government is doing its best.
On Huawei, Pompeo says permitting a Chinese company tied to the Chinese communist party to access private information creates risk. He says Chinese companies have obligations to the party and party members are investors in Huawei.
This is about a model that the Chinese communist party has ...it’s not about a technical back door, they have the front door.
He says he is confident the UK and US will find a way to resolve the situation and be able to work together.
Raab says the decision protects security and the relationship with security allies, “the five eyes”.
Both Raab and Pompeo say there need to be more players in 5G.
Interest rate unchanged
Breaking away briefly from the Raab-Pompeo show, the Bank of England has left interest rates unchanged at 0.75% (seven members to two voted to maintain the status quo). It slashed its slashed its growth forecasts to 0.8% in 2020, 1.4% in 2021 and 1.7% in 2022.
You can read more on our business blog.
Pompeo says the UK should have a close relationship with the EU and Nato, although there will inevitably be disagreements with the EU, which brings a smile to Raab’s face.
The special relationship means shared values and being a force for good around the world, says the US secretary of state.
Talking about trade arrangements with the US, Raab says he doesn’t want to pre-empt negotiations.
Pompeo says it is about reducing friction between the countries, creating ease of travel, ease of each others citizens attending each others schools, ease of travel of capital.
On Iran, Pompeo says pressure on Iran’s economy has reduced its capability.
Raab says there is scope for rapprochement with Iran but it must be prepared to take the necessary steps.
Asked about the Trump deal on Iran, Raab says:
I don’t think there is a huge difference between Europeans and Americans ...the question is whether there is political will in Iran.
Pompeo says you can only have conversations/disagreements about the likes of Huawei with countries you have a “deep relationship” with, so it won’t fracture the friendship.
Raab concurs:
Good friends don’t always agree on everything.
He says there is a sea of things the countries agree on.
Pompeo says there is a “tremendous value” to the US from the relationship with the UK.
He says:
The Chinese communist party represents the central threat of our times.
The US secretary of state talks about the importance of western democratic values, which he contrasts to those of the Chinese government.
US will put UK at 'front of line'
The Pompeo-Raab conversation has begun (refresh the page to see the livestream embedded at the top of the page).
The US secretary of state says he wanted to be here on the date that Brexit takes place but Raab said Brexit day would be “hectic” so he’s here the day before.
Raab says Brexit was about pursuing the UK self-interest and self-belief and it’s great to have the US recognising and supporting that.
Having the US say it’s all fine by us ...it’s great.
Pompeo says:
We intend to put the UK at the front of the line [for a trade deal].
He contrasts this with the Obama administration which he says would have put the UK at the back of the queue.
Updated
The government has said it is working “urgently” with Chinese authorities to ensure citizens in Wuhan can return on a flight “as soon as possible”.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said:
We are doing everything we can to get British people in Wuhan safely back to the UK.
A number of countries’ flights have been unable to take off as planned including the British repatriation from Wuhan.
We are working urgently with the Chinese authorities to ensure that the flight can take off as soon as possible.
The flight is planned to touch down at a military base in the UK before passengers are taken to an NHS facility to be quarantined.
But the plane has been prevented from leaving China because “we haven’t got the necessary clearances and we are working with the Chinese authorities on securing those”, the spokesman said.
Number 10 is not giving away any more than Grant Shapps did in transport questions this morning regarding whether HS2 will go ahead, despite the chancellor’s backing for the high speed rail project.
Straight bat from No10 this morning on reports Boris Johnson is poised to give HS2 the green light.
— Jack Maidment (@jrmaidment) January 30, 2020
PM’s spox: “A decision on HS2 is an important decision for the country and it will be taken based on the facts and I am not going preempt that decision.”
Coming up shortly (scheduled for 11.30am) is the US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, in conversation with the foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, in a Policy Exchange event. We will be embedding a livestream at the top of the blog and I will also be listening in.
Here are a couple of HS2-themed clips from transport questions in the House of Commons this morning.
This morning I asked about the damage #HS2 could cause to our #ancientwoodlands and #chalkstreams.
— Wera Hobhouse MP 🔶 (@Wera_Hobhouse) January 30, 2020
I know many of my constituents are deeply concerned about this.
And I will be scrutinizing the #HS2 plans to ensure they are not causing untold damage to our countryside. pic.twitter.com/RP6fFJM7GM
Continuing with #HS2 will help address regional disparities in transport investment.
— Eddie Hughes MP (@EddieHughes4WN) January 30, 2020
I urged the SoS for Transport to support its continuation when he meets the PM later today. #levellingup pic.twitter.com/tE75f0oLws
The Lib Dems’ acting leader, Ed Davey, has been making a speech in Manchester this morning. He called for the end of the discord between remain voters and leave voters and for unity among progressives (an olive branch to Labour depending on who is elected leader?) to tackle inequality.
He said that the campaign to stop Brexit is over but the Lid Dems will always be a pro-European, internationalist party. He said:
Through pain comes wisdom, and the immense pain we feel tomorrow should at least remind us of one important truth:
That which unites us is far greater than that which divides us. That is true whether “us” is the United Kingdom, Europe or humankind. And it is also true of ‘us’ as progressives.
We cannot let small disagreements or tribal labels stand in the way of our common values: compassion, fairness, equality. internationalism.
He added:
We must no longer be a country that is divided by leave and remain, but that means we must heal our country’s other divisions too.
For if Brexit has taught us anything, it is that there are many serious divisions to fix.
The UK is divided by inequality. Inequality of opportunity, of wealth, of power. Inequality of hope.
And the forces of English and Scottish nationalism unleashed by these divisions, cannot bring our fractured country together: by their very nature they seek to divide our family of nations even further.
Only progressive parties like the Liberal Democrats will fight to disperse power and wealth across our country, and to create opportunity for every child, in every community.
He promised to fight the Conservatives every step of the way.
When it comes to tough choices on taxation and spending, this Conservative prime minister looks to protect the wealthy than the vulnerable.
Boris Johnson’s idea of reforming democracy is to attack the courts and make it more difficult for people to vote.
Boris Johnson’s idea of uniting the country has been to tell half of the country to give up their beliefs.
Boris Johnson’s idea of a new role for Britain in the world, is to ring Donald Trump for his orders.
We cannot leave Britain’s future in the hands of a Prime Minister who only cares about himself, and has never once put the national interest ahead of his own career.
We must stand together as progressives against these forces that have done so much harm, to prevent them doing even more.
He said that the fight for a progressive Britain would begin with the campaign to prevent a no-deal Brexit at the end of the year.
— Liberal Democrats (@LibDems) January 30, 2020
Updated
Moving away from HS2 for a minute, the Mirror had a story in today’s paper about a confidential internal Labour report which found:
- The party lost 2.6m voters between the 2017 and 2019 general elections.
- Around 750,000 former supporters switched to the Lib Dems and a similar number went to pro-Brexit parties, primarily the Tories.
- A further 1.2m Labour voters from 2017 decided not to cast a vote.
- Of the 20 constituencies where Labour had the most “contacts” with voters, it only gained one - Putney.
- Labour lost most support to the Tories among low-income older voters and less well-off families,.
Toby Perkins, Labour MP for Chesterfield, urged Grant Shapps to commit to HS2 and “get control” of some MPs “constantly undermining” it.
Shapps said that MPs were quite entitled to debate the merits of the project under a democracy, adding:
It is the case that this is the biggest infrastructure decision this country has ever made, the biggest in Europe, and it’s quite right that it’s properly and carefully considered ...the good news is he won’t have to wait too long.
Here is PA Media on the prison violence statistics, published this morning:
Incidents of self-harm in prison have reached a record high, official figures show.
There were 61,461 incidents in the 12 months to September, up 16% from the previous period, according to data released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
But the number of deaths behind bars have fallen by 8% in the 12 months to December, down to 300 from 325 in the previous period. Of these, 84 were self-inflicted, a 9% drop from 92 in the previous period.
The number of assaults has also fallen slightly, down 2% in the year to September with 33,222. Attacks on staff remained at the same level as the previous period, with 10,059 assaults recorded, according to the data.
Philip Davies called HS2 “a catastrophic waste of money” at transport questions in the House of Commons. He urged the government to prioritise “northern powerhouse” rail, increasing connections between northern cities, including those in his West Yorkshire constituency.
In response, transport minister Chris Heaton-Harris said that HS2 and Northern Powerhouse rail “are not either or, they are additional investments.”
HS2 decision next month
Seven minutes into transport questions, the first question on HS2 was posed to the transport secretary, Grant Shapps. Eddie Hughes, Conservative MP for Walsall North, asked him whether he would join the chancellor in backing HS2 ahead of their meeting with the prime minister today.
Shapps wasn’t prepared to give anything away. He replied:
He [Hughes] won’t have to wait very long and we will have an announcement on this next month.
Updated
Greg Smith, the newly elected Conservative MP for Buckingham, warned this morning that he will vote against HS2 in parliament if the government presses ahead with the project. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme:
I was very clear in the general election campaign that I am opposed to HS2. It is absolutely wrong for my constituency and I believe it to be wrong for the country as well.
I made very clear commitments in the general election that, come what may, I will oppose HS2.
Smith said his view was shared by many other MPs, including newly-elected Tories in northern constituencies.
We are not against infrastructure. We are just saying that HS2 is the wrong project, it goes along the wrong route at a cost that, frankly, the nation can’t afford.
What the HS2 review group - which has many new northern Conservative MPs on it - is saying is that, instead of HS2, we can do great things that will really improve people’s lives - local commuter routes in our Midlands and northern towns and cities - big improvements to those.
'We're not against infrastructure, we're just saying that HS2 is the wrong project'
— BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) January 30, 2020
Conservative MP @gregsmith_uk says his Buckingham constituents will be "extremely angry" if @BorisJohnson agrees with his chancellor @sajidjavid and backs HS2 #r4today | https://t.co/onRXnp0Qfx pic.twitter.com/puxqDJ9ppY
Good morning. This is Haroon Siddique standing in for Andrew Sparrow. It’s a big day for the HS2 rail project today as the chancellor, Sajid Javid, is expected to give his backing to the controversial scheme despite concerns about its spiralling costs, environmental impact and opposition from many Tory MPs, not to mention Dominic Cummings.
A final decision is not expected to be made until next week but Javid will meet Boris Johnson and the transport secretary, Grant Sharps, to discuss HS2 today. Given, he holds the purse strings, the chancellor’s support is key and most papers report this morning that it paves the way for the project to be completed.
Thursday's FT: "HS2 future clearer as Javid throws support behind £88bn rail project" (@AllieHBNews) #BBCPapers #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/XDMVbgqxY2
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) January 29, 2020
Also coming up today:
9.30am - Shapps faces an hour of transport questions in parliament, where HS2 is likely to dominate.
9.30am - Statistics on prison violence and youth justice will be published by the ministry of justice at 9:30 a.m.
11.30am - The US secretary of state, Mike Pompeo will be in conversation with the Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab at Policy Exchange event.
12pm - The Bank of England will announce whether interest rates are to be cut for the first time since 2016, ahead of the UK’s departure from the European Union tomorrow.
The government will announce that minimum funding levels for schools are to be enshrined in law. Every secondary school in England will receive at least £5,000 per pupil next year, while primary schools will receive £3,750 per pupil.
After he planned airlift of UK nationals out of parts of China affected by coronavirus was cancelled at the last minute, the government is likely to face pressure about the effectiveness of its response.
Stay tuned for all the political developments today. If you want to catch my attention, the best way is via Twitter @Haroon_Siddique.
Updated
