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| Getting good trade deal from EU could be 'much easier' after no deal Brexit, Raab claims - live news | Getting good trade deal from EU could be 'much easier' after no deal Brexit, Raab claims - live news |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| A Brexit party bus has been towed after it was pictured empty with its doors open on the side of a road in Wales. After pictures were shared on Twitter of the bus blocking a lay-by in the Brecon Beacons on Saturday night, some speculated it had been left there as a “bizarre publicity stunt”, but the party has confirmed that it suffered a mechanical failure, the Press Association reports. | |
| From the BBC’s Sue Charles | |
| Driving through the Brecon Beacons tonight. Was expecting a few by-election posters, but surprised to see what looked like a Brexit Party bus, crashed into a hedge. Got out to check all was ok. No one around, just an abandoned bus, doors open, side-on, blocking a lay-by... pic.twitter.com/8VwvEeZjlO | |
| Veterans will be represented in cabinet under plans set out by Boris Johnson, the Press Association reports. Oliver Dowden, the paymaster general and Cabinet Office minister, will be given the role. He will work closely with former soldier Johnny Mercer, who has been appointed Minister for Defence People and Veterans. They will oversee a new Office of Veterans’ Affairs to coordinate Whitehall departments in addressing the challenges facing former armed forces personnel. In a statement Johnson said: | Veterans will be represented in cabinet under plans set out by Boris Johnson, the Press Association reports. Oliver Dowden, the paymaster general and Cabinet Office minister, will be given the role. He will work closely with former soldier Johnny Mercer, who has been appointed Minister for Defence People and Veterans. They will oversee a new Office of Veterans’ Affairs to coordinate Whitehall departments in addressing the challenges facing former armed forces personnel. In a statement Johnson said: |
| The brave men and women who serve in our military truly represent the pinnacle of British character. We are rightly admired throughout the world for our armed forces, and it is a stain on our national conscience that any veteran who has served should be abandoned by the country they have fought so courageously to protect. | The brave men and women who serve in our military truly represent the pinnacle of British character. We are rightly admired throughout the world for our armed forces, and it is a stain on our national conscience that any veteran who has served should be abandoned by the country they have fought so courageously to protect. |
| The announcement meets one of three demands set out by the Sun newspaper, which has been enthusiastically backing Johnson, in a campaign it has been running for veterans. | The announcement meets one of three demands set out by the Sun newspaper, which has been enthusiastically backing Johnson, in a campaign it has been running for veterans. |
| Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon says that she will press Boris Johnson on the damage that a no deal Brexit will do to the Scottish economy, when she meets the prime minister later this afternoon. | Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon says that she will press Boris Johnson on the damage that a no deal Brexit will do to the Scottish economy, when she meets the prime minister later this afternoon. |
| Speaking ahead of the first face-to-face meeting between the first minister and the new prime minister, Sturgeon said: | Speaking ahead of the first face-to-face meeting between the first minister and the new prime minister, Sturgeon said: |
| The people of Scotland did not vote for this Tory government, they didn’t vote for this new prime minister, they didn’t vote for Brexit and they certainly didn’t vote for a catastrophic no-deal Brexit which Boris Johnson is now planning for. | The people of Scotland did not vote for this Tory government, they didn’t vote for this new prime minister, they didn’t vote for Brexit and they certainly didn’t vote for a catastrophic no-deal Brexit which Boris Johnson is now planning for. |
| Boris Johnson has formed a hard-line Tory government with one aim – to take Scotland and the UK out of the EU without a deal. | Boris Johnson has formed a hard-line Tory government with one aim – to take Scotland and the UK out of the EU without a deal. |
| Scotland has been ignored throughout the Brexit process and it is now time for everyone who cares about the future of Scotland to come together to chart our own course and say to the Tories – stop driving our country towards disaster. | Scotland has been ignored throughout the Brexit process and it is now time for everyone who cares about the future of Scotland to come together to chart our own course and say to the Tories – stop driving our country towards disaster. |
| I’m just back from the Number 10 lobby briefing. Mostly it was a routine affair, that did not shed a lot of new light on what the administration is up to, but the prime minister’s spokeswoman did have at least one mini story for the hacks. | I’m just back from the Number 10 lobby briefing. Mostly it was a routine affair, that did not shed a lot of new light on what the administration is up to, but the prime minister’s spokeswoman did have at least one mini story for the hacks. |
| Boris Johnson will be living with his partner, Carrie Symonds, in Downing Street, Number 10 has confirmed. He will be officially move in today, and Symonds will be living there with him, the spokeswoman confirmed. They will be living in the four-bedroom flat above 11 Downing Street, which prime ministers since Tony Blair have been using because it is much bigger than the flat above 10 Downing Street, which now gets used by the chancellor. The spokeswoman also denied a report claiming that Johnson was getting officials to buy him a new bed because, owing to his divorce from his wife, he did not have his own furniture. “There is no cost to the taxpayer,” the spokeswoman said, when asked about the story, although she refused to give further details of how the flat was being furnished. She also said that she was not aware of Symonds receiving any formal support in her role, as prime ministerial spouses have received in the past, and that there would be no extra cost to the taxpayer from her being in Downing Street. | Boris Johnson will be living with his partner, Carrie Symonds, in Downing Street, Number 10 has confirmed. He will be officially move in today, and Symonds will be living there with him, the spokeswoman confirmed. They will be living in the four-bedroom flat above 11 Downing Street, which prime ministers since Tony Blair have been using because it is much bigger than the flat above 10 Downing Street, which now gets used by the chancellor. The spokeswoman also denied a report claiming that Johnson was getting officials to buy him a new bed because, owing to his divorce from his wife, he did not have his own furniture. “There is no cost to the taxpayer,” the spokeswoman said, when asked about the story, although she refused to give further details of how the flat was being furnished. She also said that she was not aware of Symonds receiving any formal support in her role, as prime ministerial spouses have received in the past, and that there would be no extra cost to the taxpayer from her being in Downing Street. |
| I will post a full summary of the briefing later. | I will post a full summary of the briefing later. |
| On the Today programme this morning Sir Oliver Letwin, one of the Conservative MPs most opposed to a no deal Brexit, confirmed that he had been talking to the shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and others about what could be done in parliament to stop this happening. Letwin said: | On the Today programme this morning Sir Oliver Letwin, one of the Conservative MPs most opposed to a no deal Brexit, confirmed that he had been talking to the shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and others about what could be done in parliament to stop this happening. Letwin said: |
| There are all sorts of talks going on between everybody and everybody else, and there will continue to be between now and October ... It is certainly true we have all been talking to one another, I have been doing that for months and months as all of us have. | There are all sorts of talks going on between everybody and everybody else, and there will continue to be between now and October ... It is certainly true we have all been talking to one another, I have been doing that for months and months as all of us have. |
| I’m off to the Number 10 lobby briefing now. I will post again after 11.30am. | I’m off to the Number 10 lobby briefing now. I will post again after 11.30am. |
| This is from Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, on the Daily Telegraph story (paywall) about the government spending up to £100m telling people and businesses what they need to do to prepare for a no deal Brexit. | This is from Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, on the Daily Telegraph story (paywall) about the government spending up to £100m telling people and businesses what they need to do to prepare for a no deal Brexit. |
| What a shameful waste of money - and all while Tory welfare cuts are driving people to foodbanks and public services are still bearing the pain of Tory austerity. https://t.co/q1l2hRyeme | What a shameful waste of money - and all while Tory welfare cuts are driving people to foodbanks and public services are still bearing the pain of Tory austerity. https://t.co/q1l2hRyeme |
| Here are the main points from Dominic Raab’s Today interview relating to Brexit. It was his first Today interview as foreign secretary. | Here are the main points from Dominic Raab’s Today interview relating to Brexit. It was his first Today interview as foreign secretary. |
| Raab claimed that negotiating a good trade deal with the EU could be “much easier” after a no deal Brexit. He made the point after the interview, Mishal Husain, put it to him that, if the UK were to leave the EU with no deal, problems like the backstop, and what to do about the Irish border, would re-emerge as soon as the UK tried to strike a deal with the EU for a long-term trading relationship. Raab replied: | Raab claimed that negotiating a good trade deal with the EU could be “much easier” after a no deal Brexit. He made the point after the interview, Mishal Husain, put it to him that, if the UK were to leave the EU with no deal, problems like the backstop, and what to do about the Irish border, would re-emerge as soon as the UK tried to strike a deal with the EU for a long-term trading relationship. Raab replied: |
| Of course, over the long term, whether we get a deal before the end of October or whether that’s not possible because the EU sticks very stubbornly to its line, we will want to put the relationship on a firmer footing. It will take both sides to show the pragmatism, the flexibility to make that happen. But I think it will be much easier, for example, to deal with the backstop issue in the context of a free trade agreement than it would under the current arrangements, which are so undemocratic. So actually although there will be risks on all sides of this [from a no deal Brexit], I think the prospects of reverting and getting a good deal for the UK will be easier after we leave, if that’s the case, and the reason being is we will do so as an independent third country and we will be less subject to, effectively, the demands and unilateral dictates of the EU as we are now. | Of course, over the long term, whether we get a deal before the end of October or whether that’s not possible because the EU sticks very stubbornly to its line, we will want to put the relationship on a firmer footing. It will take both sides to show the pragmatism, the flexibility to make that happen. But I think it will be much easier, for example, to deal with the backstop issue in the context of a free trade agreement than it would under the current arrangements, which are so undemocratic. So actually although there will be risks on all sides of this [from a no deal Brexit], I think the prospects of reverting and getting a good deal for the UK will be easier after we leave, if that’s the case, and the reason being is we will do so as an independent third country and we will be less subject to, effectively, the demands and unilateral dictates of the EU as we are now. |
| This is a very much a minority view. Many EU watchers and trade experts believe that that the inevitable acrimony and distrust generated by a no deal Brexit would make a negotiating a good long-term trade deal even harder. | This is a very much a minority view. Many EU watchers and trade experts believe that that the inevitable acrimony and distrust generated by a no deal Brexit would make a negotiating a good long-term trade deal even harder. |
| Raab suggested that Boris Johnson will not reopen talks with the EU the summer unless it agrees to drop the backstop. (See 9.14am.) Asked about what meetings might be taking place, Raab just mentioned the Gymnich, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August. My colleague Jennifer Rankin says this meeting is not even about Brexit. | Raab suggested that Boris Johnson will not reopen talks with the EU the summer unless it agrees to drop the backstop. (See 9.14am.) Asked about what meetings might be taking place, Raab just mentioned the Gymnich, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August. My colleague Jennifer Rankin says this meeting is not even about Brexit. |
| Asked @BBCr4today what UK/EU meetings are coming up, Dominic Raab cites the Gymnich, an EU foreign ministers informal get together, which is not about Brexit. | Asked @BBCr4today what UK/EU meetings are coming up, Dominic Raab cites the Gymnich, an EU foreign ministers informal get together, which is not about Brexit. |
| Raab claimed EU intransigence was to blame for the government now having to plan for a no deal Brexit when only last month Johnson was saying the chances of it happening were “a million to one”. That was Johnson’s line at a Tory leadership hustings. Now the Telegraph is splashing on a story (paywall) saying the government is preparing to spend £100m on an advertising campaign telling people and businesses what they need to do to get read for this eventuality. Asked to explain why Johnson’s assessment of the prospect of no deal happening has changed so dramatically, Raab blamed the EU. He said: | Raab claimed EU intransigence was to blame for the government now having to plan for a no deal Brexit when only last month Johnson was saying the chances of it happening were “a million to one”. That was Johnson’s line at a Tory leadership hustings. Now the Telegraph is splashing on a story (paywall) saying the government is preparing to spend £100m on an advertising campaign telling people and businesses what they need to do to get read for this eventuality. Asked to explain why Johnson’s assessment of the prospect of no deal happening has changed so dramatically, Raab blamed the EU. He said: |
| We want the deal ... Since the remarks that you have mentioned, we’ve had the series of fairly stubborn positions staked out by the EU. In fairness, you would expect that. It’s only been a few days into this administration. But if they stick to that line - I think the thing that has changed is that they’re not wiling to move at all, and they have reiterated that - then we must be prepared to give the country the finality it needs by preparing both businesses, but also people more broadly, [for a no deal Brexit]. | We want the deal ... Since the remarks that you have mentioned, we’ve had the series of fairly stubborn positions staked out by the EU. In fairness, you would expect that. It’s only been a few days into this administration. But if they stick to that line - I think the thing that has changed is that they’re not wiling to move at all, and they have reiterated that - then we must be prepared to give the country the finality it needs by preparing both businesses, but also people more broadly, [for a no deal Brexit]. |
| Raab was being diplomatic. In truth, there is nothing that the EU is saying now that it was not saying during the Tory leadership campaign. Johnson’s “million to one” claim was always misleading and absurd. | Raab was being diplomatic. In truth, there is nothing that the EU is saying now that it was not saying during the Tory leadership campaign. Johnson’s “million to one” claim was always misleading and absurd. |
| TELEGRAPH: Johnson’s £100m Brexit ad campaign #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/6qQwY7NP0a | TELEGRAPH: Johnson’s £100m Brexit ad campaign #tomorrowspaperstoday pic.twitter.com/6qQwY7NP0a |
| Raab said the EU was not “not the only game in town” for future trade deals, and that he would be travelling to the US, Latin America and Asia to explore opportunities there. He said: | Raab said the EU was not “not the only game in town” for future trade deals, and that he would be travelling to the US, Latin America and Asia to explore opportunities there. He said: |
| I haven’t set the firm plans yet, but that will include the US, Latin America, and Asia because the negotiation with the EU is crucially important and we would love to get a deal that is acceptable to the UK, but Brussels is not the only game in town. | I haven’t set the firm plans yet, but that will include the US, Latin America, and Asia because the negotiation with the EU is crucially important and we would love to get a deal that is acceptable to the UK, but Brussels is not the only game in town. |
| The opportunities of Brexit involve many of those growth markets of the future from Latin America to Asia, and we have got a US President who is speaking very warmly about this country. | The opportunities of Brexit involve many of those growth markets of the future from Latin America to Asia, and we have got a US President who is speaking very warmly about this country. |
| He refused to deny a claim in today’s report from the Institute for Government (pdf) that a no deal Brexit would require the government to legislate to impose direct rule in Northern Ireland. Asked if the government would legislate for this, h just said: | He refused to deny a claim in today’s report from the Institute for Government (pdf) that a no deal Brexit would require the government to legislate to impose direct rule in Northern Ireland. Asked if the government would legislate for this, h just said: |
| We’ll make sure the arrangements are in place so that there is no vacuum, that there’s the efficient conduct of government. | We’ll make sure the arrangements are in place so that there is no vacuum, that there’s the efficient conduct of government. |
| He claimed that the Vote Leave campaign has always acknowledged that the UK might have to leave the EU without a deal. When Husain said Vote Leave had never raised this as a possibility during the 2016 referendum campaign, Raab replied: | He claimed that the Vote Leave campaign has always acknowledged that the UK might have to leave the EU without a deal. When Husain said Vote Leave had never raised this as a possibility during the 2016 referendum campaign, Raab replied: |
| The mandate certainly was not leave the EU if the EU let us. It was an in/out referendum and we made clear, those on the campaign, that we should strive for a good deal, but if that wasn’t available, that we should go on and make a success of Brexit. | The mandate certainly was not leave the EU if the EU let us. It was an in/out referendum and we made clear, those on the campaign, that we should strive for a good deal, but if that wasn’t available, that we should go on and make a success of Brexit. |
| Raab also claimed that in interviews at the time he and other Vote Leave figures had repeatedly said, if a deal could not be struck, the UK might have to leave without one. Husain said she did not remember this, and Raab replied with a swipe at the BBC. | Raab also claimed that in interviews at the time he and other Vote Leave figures had repeatedly said, if a deal could not be struck, the UK might have to leave without one. Husain said she did not remember this, and Raab replied with a swipe at the BBC. |
| In fairness, the institutional memory of the BBC is a bit sketchy on this as a whole, so you are not alone. | In fairness, the institutional memory of the BBC is a bit sketchy on this as a whole, so you are not alone. |
| The FT’s Henry Mance says other leavers side with Husain. | The FT’s Henry Mance says other leavers side with Husain. |
| Dominic Raab says Vote Leave raised the prospect of no-deal during the referendum campaign.Here’s the view of someone who worked for Vote Leave pic.twitter.com/8oAr1gQZrY | Dominic Raab says Vote Leave raised the prospect of no-deal during the referendum campaign.Here’s the view of someone who worked for Vote Leave pic.twitter.com/8oAr1gQZrY |
| Before Boris Johnson became prime minister there was speculation that as soon as he took office he would be on the plane to Brussels, Paris and Berlin to open talks with EU leaders about his demands for a new Brexit deal. On Friday the German government even said Johnson had accepted an invitation to visit Angela Merkel “in the near future”. But Number 10 itself has been playing down the prospect of talks opening soon, today’s Daily Mail says Johnson has no plans to visit EU capitals this summer, and that there might be no significant talks with Brussels until the EU summit starting on 17 October, and in an interview on the Today programme this morning the new foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, all but confirmed this. | Before Boris Johnson became prime minister there was speculation that as soon as he took office he would be on the plane to Brussels, Paris and Berlin to open talks with EU leaders about his demands for a new Brexit deal. On Friday the German government even said Johnson had accepted an invitation to visit Angela Merkel “in the near future”. But Number 10 itself has been playing down the prospect of talks opening soon, today’s Daily Mail says Johnson has no plans to visit EU capitals this summer, and that there might be no significant talks with Brussels until the EU summit starting on 17 October, and in an interview on the Today programme this morning the new foreign secretary, Dominic Raab, all but confirmed this. |
| Asked if Johnson had any plans to visit EU capitals, Raab said there were a whole series of meetings coming up, but the only one he mentioned was the Gymnich, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August. Raab ignored a question about whether Johnson would be visiting EU capitals before that, and he implied that Johnson has not even spoken yet to Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, who is central to any decision taken by the EU in relation to the backstop. Raab then suggested that there was no point in the UK opening talks until the EU agrees to abandon the backstop. He said: | Asked if Johnson had any plans to visit EU capitals, Raab said there were a whole series of meetings coming up, but the only one he mentioned was the Gymnich, an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers at the end of August. Raab ignored a question about whether Johnson would be visiting EU capitals before that, and he implied that Johnson has not even spoken yet to Leo Varadkar, the Irish prime minister, who is central to any decision taken by the EU in relation to the backstop. Raab then suggested that there was no point in the UK opening talks until the EU agrees to abandon the backstop. He said: |
| I have spoken to Simon Coveney [the Irish foreign minister] and a range of other European foreign ministers, and will continue those calls, to send the message very clearly we want a deal if there’s a deal to be done, but I don’t think you can just airbrush the fact that the last deal was defeated by the biggest margin in parliamentary history and has led to the resignation of a prime minister. It is not just going to revert to where we left off the last negotiations. There must be some change from the EU. And if the EU are not willing to move at all, we must be willing to ready to give the country some finality. | I have spoken to Simon Coveney [the Irish foreign minister] and a range of other European foreign ministers, and will continue those calls, to send the message very clearly we want a deal if there’s a deal to be done, but I don’t think you can just airbrush the fact that the last deal was defeated by the biggest margin in parliamentary history and has led to the resignation of a prime minister. It is not just going to revert to where we left off the last negotiations. There must be some change from the EU. And if the EU are not willing to move at all, we must be willing to ready to give the country some finality. |
| Number 10 has repeatedly said that the “change” required from the EU is the removal of the backstop from the withdrawal agreement. | Number 10 has repeatedly said that the “change” required from the EU is the removal of the backstop from the withdrawal agreement. |
| I will post more from the interview shortly. | I will post more from the interview shortly. |
| Today we have got a lobby briefing from Number 10 at 11am. Johnson himself is in Scotland, where he is visiting a military base this morning, before going to Edinburgh in the afternoon for talks with Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, and Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader. | Today we have got a lobby briefing from Number 10 at 11am. Johnson himself is in Scotland, where he is visiting a military base this morning, before going to Edinburgh in the afternoon for talks with Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, and Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Tory leader. |
| 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. I plan to publish a summary when I wrap up. | 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. 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |