Inside Politics: EU ‘fears the worst’ and Sunak ‘confident’ on Christmas toy supply

EU and UK still divided on solutions to Brexit impasse and toy manufacturers warn of shortages at Christmas, writes Matt Mathers

(EPA)

London and Brussels are getting back round the table in a bid to thrash out a deal aimed at solving post-Brexit trading problems with the Northern Ireland protocol. It doesn’t look like the discussions will get off to the best start after the EU cautioned that it is “fearing the worst” after the UK appeared to decline an offer to scrap up to 80 per cent of checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from GB. Elsewhere, Rishi Sunak is urging people not to panic-buy Christmas presents after industry warnings of shortages, an MP has been found guilty of harassment and there’s a cash injection for GP appointments.

Inside the bubble

The Commons is in recess until 18 October.

Coming up:

– Health secretary Sajid Javid on LBC at 7.50am

– Shadow trade secretary Emily Thornberry on Sky News at 8.05am

Daily Briefing

THE MORE THINGS CHANGE: The more they stay the same. Brexit is back featuring heavily in the news but London and Brussels are still some way off agreeing on a deal to solve trading tensions around the Northern Ireland protocol. The bloc said last night it “feared for the worst” after the UK signalled that its offer to scrap 80 per cent of checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of GB was not enough. Pursuing a hard-line strategy under the de-facto Brexit minister, Lord Frost – a former cheerleader for EU membership – London is demanding the removal of European Court of Justice (ECJ) jurisdiction over the trading arrangements, which is likely to be a red line for the EU. Business leaders in Northern Ireland have given the bloc’s proposals a cautious welcome, saying they are more interested in practical solutions than politics. Elsewhere, Dominic Cummings, the PM’s former top aide, has been up to his old tricks, lobbing a ‘Dom Bomb’ into the discussions. He claims No 10 always intended to ditch the protocol and that Johnson “never had a scoobydoo” what the agreement actually meant. Who’d have thunk it. Labour is calling on both sides to reach an agreement for the people of Northern Ireland.

DON’T PANIC: Britons are being urged to buy their Christmas presents early amid fears of shortages due to the ongoing supply chain crisis. After a major global shipping company diverted vessels away from Felixstowe in Suffolk and to other ports in Europe, toy manufacturers warned that shortages are likely to continue for months and are advising parents to get their orders in early. Retailers are also warning about decreased choice. Oliver Dowden, the Tory co-chair and cabinet minister, has sought to reassure Britons that gift lists will be fulfilled on 25 December. And Rishi Sunak, the chancellor, has since given an interview to the BBC urging shoppers not to panic buy in the run-up to the big day, saying he’s confident there’ll be a good amount of Christmas presents available for everyone to buy.” Sunak’s comments came shortly after he chaired a G7 meeting of world finance ministers in Washington, where he called on his peers to work together to solve the, er, supply chain crisis. Who is telling the truth, the government or the toy bosses?

CAUGHT UP IN A WEBBE: Of her own untruthfulness, was the damning verdict of a judge yesterday after Claudia Webbe, the former Labour MP, was found guilty of a campaign of harassment. Webbe, 56, made a string of calls to 59-year-old Michelle Merritt between 1 September 2018 and 26 April last year. She threatened to use acid against her boyfriend’s female friend and reveal naked photographs of her. Webbe, who had the whip withdrawn after she was charged, maintains her innocence and says she will appeal the decision. “I find she was jealous of the relationship between Lester [Thomas, her partner] and Michelle. Whatever the nature of that relationship, she certainly thought it was something she was not happy with,” chief district judge Paul Goldspring said. “I found Ms Webbe’s evidence to be vague, inconsistent and at times to be illogical. It was shaped around the overwhelming evidence against her she could not innocently answer, but ultimately I found it to be untruthful.” Webbe could now go to jail.

CLIMATE DEMANDS: Johnson’s government should demand that banks and major companies in the UK produce their own climate transition plans, Labour has said. The opposition party is pushing for tighter regulation on big business to make sure their plans align with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C. Labour said the prime minister should “mandate” Britain’s financial institutions and its FTSE100 companies to publish their carbon footprint and adopt a credible plan to reduce emissions. In a speech ahead of next month’s Cop26 summit in Glasgow, Labour’s shadow business secretary Ed Miliband said top companies could make a “profound difference” in the push for net-zero emissions.

CASH INJECTION: Sajid Javid, the relatively new health secretary, has signed off on a £250 million funding package on much-needed reforms to help GPs see more patients face-to-face over the winter months.The new winter access fund will pay for locum, or self-employed GPs, to work more shifts in surgeries. It will also be used to fund appointments with non-medical staff such as physiotherapists and podiatrists and advanced nurse practitioners. The aim is to increase the number of same-day appointments for patients to head off growing anger over the difficulties patients are experiencing in getting a GP slot. A triumphant Daily Mail is claiming victory this morning after campaigning on the issue for weeks. “GPs: The new face-to-face revolution,” its splash declares. The health secretary will be very pleased.

On the record

“It is clear that with political will there is a landing ground – now is the time for the EU, UK and representatives from Northern Ireland to get around the table and reach the agreement communities need.”

Labour’s shadow Northern Ireland secretary Louise Haigh says solutions can be found on Brexit.

From the Twitterati

“But I thought they Got Brexit Done?”

Daily Mirror political editor Pippa Crerar pokes fun at the government over the never-ending protocol saga.

Essential reading

• Jenny Chapman, The Independent: Boris Johnson signed the Northern Ireland protocol – now he needs to make it work
• John Rentoul, The Independent: According to Cummings, PM is either stupid or dishonest
• Iain Martin, The Times: It’s a make or break winter for Kwasi Kwarteng
• Emma Haslett, The New Statesman: Will the problems at Felixstowe really cancel Christmas?

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