Boris Johnson news – live: Starmer says might back tougher Covid restrictions as fishermen attack Brexit deal

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Sir Keir Starmer has set out his “optimistic” vision for a new relationship with the United States under Joe Biden.

Speaking on Saturday, days ahead of the inauguration of Mr Biden as US president, Sir Keir said he is “pro-American but anti-Trump” and wants to build a Britain that can act as “the bridge between the US and the rest of Europe”.

The Labour leader said he is committed to a new US-UK relationship, consisting of “a strong future together, on everything from security, climate change, aid and trade”.

Meanwhile, Boris Johnson’s “desperately poor” Brexit deal has left Scottish fishermen with losses mounting by the day and many businesses fearing for their survival, the industry’s trade body has said in a scathing letter to the prime minister.

• Scottish fishermen eviscerate Boris Johnson’s ‘desperately poor’ Brexit deal in angry letter as losses mount
• Labour: Keir Starmer to declare himself ‘pro-American but anti-Trump’
• Brexit: Boris Johnson ‘in danger of proving he is a buffoon’, says DUP’s Paisley
• Tory revolt threatens Boris Johnson with defeat over £1,000 a year cut to universal credit
• Boris Johnson’s bike ride has made it harder for police to enforce rules, poll finds

 

Key Points

• Freight group warns Irish government of huge post-Brexit disruption
• Sir Keir Starmer would back further coronavirus measures

[16 January 2021 08:32 · Emily Goddard]

Hello and welcome to the latest updates on Brexit as we await a speech from Sir Keir Starmer, who will declare himself “pro-American” today.

 

 

[16 January 2021 08:34 · Emily Goddard]

Freight group warns Irish government of huge post-Brexit disruption

Empty supermarket shelves, job losses and rising prices are expected amid huge post-Brexit disruption to supply chains in coming weeks, according to an Irish freight group.

The Freight Transport Association of Ireland (FTAI) wrote to Ireland’s premier Micheal Martin to warn him of the consequences of the impact of Britain leaving the EU unless the government takes action to assist the industry trying to bring goods into the country.

The letter, signed by FTAI general manager Aidan Flynn, also said the industry was struggling to keep the flow of goods moving.

“There is a growing backlog of goods of all hues, from mechanical parts (car parts) to electrical household goods, furniture, clothing, food supplies, sitting in depots because there are not enough agents to process the declarations correctly,” the group said.

Mr Martin said he read the letter and shared their concerns, adding that an additional 1,500 people have been employed to manage the new customs rules.

He also said the Irish government is managing “very damaging developments” in the wake of Brexit.

“Now that Brexit has become a reality, we are seeing operational effects on supply chains, and on ports, on trade between Great Britain and the European Union countries, including Ireland,” he added.

[16 January 2021 08:54 · Emily Goddard]

Scottish fishermen attack PM’s ‘desperately poor’ Brexit deal

Boris Johnson’s “desperately poor” Brexit deal has left Scottish fishermen with losses mounting by the day and many businesses fearing for their survival, the industry’s trade body has said in a scathing letter to the prime minister.

Elspeth Macdonald, the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation chief executive, accused Mr Johnson of misleading the public about the agreement and giving the industry “the worst of both worlds”.

Our business reporter, Ben Chapman, has the full story:

[16 January 2021 09:25 · Emily Goddard]

‘We should be clear that not all trade disruption is caused by Brexit’

We should not confuse the economic cost of Brexit with the temporary cost of adjusting to the new rules, or with the disruption caused by coronavirus, John Rentoul, our chief political commentator, cautions.

[16 January 2021 09:58 · Emily Goddard]

Brexit group’s website suspended in row over its bid to move to EU

The website of pro-Brexit pressure group Leave.eu has been suspended amid a row over its attempt to switch its registration to Ireland to avoid losing its .eu domain name.

The group, founded by businessman Arron Banks and supported by Nigel Farage, moved its registration from the UK to Waterford in the Republic of Ireland shortly before the end of the transition to Brexit on New Year’s Eve, to get round a rule stating that .eu addresses can only be used by individuals and organisations based in the EU.

Andrew Woodcock, our political editor, has the full story:

[16 January 2021 10:05 · Emily Goddard]

Would scrapping the 48-hour working week be good for Brexit Britain?

The government seems to be considering using its post-Brexit freedom to diverge from European Union regulations by dismantling various workplace rules, including scrapping the maximum 48-hour week.

The proposals are at an early stage and may not go anywhere, but it’s long been an argument among Brexit supporters on the right that one of the benefits of leaving the EU would be the ability to scrap such workplace rules. But would it help the UK economy?

Ben Chu, our economics editor, investigates:

[16 January 2021 10:28 · Emily Goddard]

Government criticised over laptop scheme for students

The government is facing criticism over an “incomplete” attempt to get laptops to students needing them at home, as school leaders raise concerns over the quality of laptops and waiting times for them.

One headteacher told The Independent he has not been allowed to order a single laptop for his school since England’s new lockdown, with the online system telling him he would be able to “as soon as possible”. 

Others say the equipment that has arrived is not up to task, with one school leader saying laptops do not seem durable enough.

Our reporter Zoe Tidman spoke to teachers about the situation:

[16 January 2021 10:50 · Emily Goddard]

How travel to the EU has changed

Brexit has meant a tangle of rules and restrictions for travellers.

Simon Calder and Maya Yagoda provide some clarity on what the changes mean:

[16 January 2021 11:04 · Emily Goddard]

Deletion of police records led to ‘near misses’ on serious crimes

In other UK news, the accidental deletion of as many as 400,000 records from police computer databases led to several “near misses” in identifying suspects in serious crimes.

It emerged on Friday that at least 150,000 records relating to people arrested and released without further action were scrubbed from the Police National Computer after being incorrectly flagged for removal.

But now a letter from the National Police Chiefs Council has revealed that the blunder may have affected as many as 213,000 offence records, 175,000 arrest records and 15,000 person records stored on the system that shares criminal records information across the UK.

And deputy chief constable Naveed Malik, the NPCC’s lead for PNC, said: “We are aware of a couple of instances of ‘near misses’ for serious crimes where a biometric match to an offender was not generated as expected but the offender was identified through matches between scenes.”

We go to Andrew Woodcock for more on this:

[16 January 2021 11:04 · Emily Goddard]

Armin Laschet confirmed as leader of Angela Merkel’s CDU party

Germany’s Christian Democrats elected Armin Laschet as chairman on Saturday, aiming to unify its divided party behind a new leader who they hope can succeed Angela Merkel as chancellor when she steps down after federal elections in September.