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Brexit: No 10 tells businesses to prepare for life outside EU customs regime 'in all circumstances' – live news Brexit: No 10 tells businesses to prepare for life outside EU customs regime 'in all circumstances' – live news
(32 minutes later)
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the cabinet, the House of Commons and the parliamentary Labour party all meeting for the first time since the general electionRolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the cabinet, the House of Commons and the parliamentary Labour party all meeting for the first time since the general election
The Copeland MP Trudy Harrison has been appointed Boris Johnson’s parliamentary private secretary, the BBC’s Richard Moss reports.
Mairead McGuinness, first vice-president of the European parliament and an MEP for Ireland’s Fine Gael party, told the World at One that EU insiders were “cautious” about whether it would be possible to negotiate the UK-EU future partnership by the end of next year, as Boris Johnson wants. Asked if this timescale was realistic, she said:
She also said that including provisions in the withdrawal agreement bill to rule out an extension to the Brexit transition amounted to going back on the withdrawal agreement Boris Johnson negotiated with the EU, because that did include provisions for a possible extension, but she implied she did not see this as a problem.
An estimated 800,000 EU citizens in the UK have yet to apply to remain in the country after Brexit, new Home Office figures suggest.An estimated 800,000 EU citizens in the UK have yet to apply to remain in the country after Brexit, new Home Office figures suggest.
And around 900,000 EU citizens who have already applied to stay will have to apply again because they have been granted temporary leave to remain, known as “pre-settled status”. This is granted to applicants who have been in the country for fewer than five years or those whom Home Office deems not to have sufficient evidence of being in the country for five years or more.And around 900,000 EU citizens who have already applied to stay will have to apply again because they have been granted temporary leave to remain, known as “pre-settled status”. This is granted to applicants who have been in the country for fewer than five years or those whom Home Office deems not to have sufficient evidence of being in the country for five years or more.
Today’s Home Office figures (pdf) show 2.6m applications for settled status have been made so far, but the government estimates there are around 3.4 million EU citizens in the UK.Today’s Home Office figures (pdf) show 2.6m applications for settled status have been made so far, but the government estimates there are around 3.4 million EU citizens in the UK.
The Home Office minister Brandon Lewis said:The Home Office minister Brandon Lewis said:
EU citizens have until at least 31 December 2020 to apply to remain in the country post-Brexit.The Home Office said in its statement it had completed the process on 2.2m applications, leaving a backlog of 400,000 applications.It also said it had granted status to 305,600 EU citizens in November, showing how efficiently it can deal with straightforward applications.Of concern to lawyers and academics monitoring the process will be the high proportion granted pre-settled status.Of the 2.2m applications already concluded, 41% (around 900,000) were granted this status.Barristers, including the immigration specialist Colin Yeo, have raised concerns that some EU citizens may be entitled to settled status but accept pre-settled status for convenience even though it limits their rights.EU citizens have until at least 31 December 2020 to apply to remain in the country post-Brexit.The Home Office said in its statement it had completed the process on 2.2m applications, leaving a backlog of 400,000 applications.It also said it had granted status to 305,600 EU citizens in November, showing how efficiently it can deal with straightforward applications.Of concern to lawyers and academics monitoring the process will be the high proportion granted pre-settled status.Of the 2.2m applications already concluded, 41% (around 900,000) were granted this status.Barristers, including the immigration specialist Colin Yeo, have raised concerns that some EU citizens may be entitled to settled status but accept pre-settled status for convenience even though it limits their rights.
These are from Darren McCaffrey from Euronews. He is quoting Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP, co-leader of the Greens-European Free Alliance and a member of the European parliament’s Brexit steering group.These are from Darren McCaffrey from Euronews. He is quoting Philippe Lamberts, a Belgian MEP, co-leader of the Greens-European Free Alliance and a member of the European parliament’s Brexit steering group.
Boris Johnson’s plan to make it illegal for the government to extend the Brexit transition period beyond 11 months has been described as “strange” by Simon Coveney, Ireland’s deputy prime minister, my colleague Daniel Boffey reports.Boris Johnson’s plan to make it illegal for the government to extend the Brexit transition period beyond 11 months has been described as “strange” by Simon Coveney, Ireland’s deputy prime minister, my colleague Daniel Boffey reports.
And here are some more lines from the No 10 lobby briefing.And here are some more lines from the No 10 lobby briefing.
The prime minister’s spokesman said that, as well as ruling out an extension to the Brexit transition, the government was also ruling out having a transition after December 2020 to allow time for new UK-EU trading arrangements agreed in the future partnership deal to be implemented. When asked if this could happen, the spokesman replied:The prime minister’s spokesman said that, as well as ruling out an extension to the Brexit transition, the government was also ruling out having a transition after December 2020 to allow time for new UK-EU trading arrangements agreed in the future partnership deal to be implemented. When asked if this could happen, the spokesman replied:
The spokesman said businesses should prepare for the fact that the UK will be leaving the customs union and the single market. He said:The spokesman said businesses should prepare for the fact that the UK will be leaving the customs union and the single market. He said:
The spokesman refused to comment on the fall in the pound this morning, in the light of the announcement about an extension to the transition being ruled out (see 9.06am), saying No 10 did not comment on currency fluctuations on principle.The spokesman refused to comment on the fall in the pound this morning, in the light of the announcement about an extension to the transition being ruled out (see 9.06am), saying No 10 did not comment on currency fluctuations on principle.
The spokesman said some new non-cabinet government appointments would be announced this afternoon. These are appointments to fill gaps created by MPs leaving parliament.The spokesman said some new non-cabinet government appointments would be announced this afternoon. These are appointments to fill gaps created by MPs leaving parliament.
I’m just back from the Downing Street lobby briefing. The prime minister’s spokesman said that Boris Johnson had a conversation this morning with Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European commission. The spokesman said: I’m just back from the Downing Street lobby briefing. The prime minister’s spokesman said Johnson had a conversation this morning with Ursula von der Leyen, the new president of the European commission. The spokesman said:
Asked if von der Leyen expressed any doubts about whether it would be possible to conclude the UK-EU trade deal by the end of next year, the spokesman said both sides had agreed in the political declaration that they should reach an agreement on the future partnership by the end of of next year. Asked if Von der Leyen expressed any doubts about whether it would be possible to conclude the UK-EU trade deal by the end of next year, the spokesman said both sides had agreed in the political declaration that they should reach an agreement on the future partnership by the end of of next year.
Von der Leyen has tweeted about the call, but in her tweet she did not say anything about wrapping up the talks by the end of next year.Von der Leyen has tweeted about the call, but in her tweet she did not say anything about wrapping up the talks by the end of next year.
A survey of LabourList readers has Rebecca Long-Bailey very narrowly ahead of Sir Keir Starmer as the favourite candidate for next Labour leader. Angela Rayner, who is now not expected to run, is in third place. Almost 20,000 people took part, but this is a self-selecting survey of readers who may not be party members and who may not have a vote in the contest, and so it would be unwise to read too much into its findings.A survey of LabourList readers has Rebecca Long-Bailey very narrowly ahead of Sir Keir Starmer as the favourite candidate for next Labour leader. Angela Rayner, who is now not expected to run, is in third place. Almost 20,000 people took part, but this is a self-selecting survey of readers who may not be party members and who may not have a vote in the contest, and so it would be unwise to read too much into its findings.
Polling companies find it hard to poll members of a particular political party, but YouGov has carried out polls of Labour members and its research in 2016 provided a reasonably good guide to the outcome of that year’s leadership contest. In July this year YouGov did survey more than 1,000 Labour members and ask them who would make a good leader. Starmer, John McDonnell and Emily Thornberry came out top. Here are the figures.Polling companies find it hard to poll members of a particular political party, but YouGov has carried out polls of Labour members and its research in 2016 provided a reasonably good guide to the outcome of that year’s leadership contest. In July this year YouGov did survey more than 1,000 Labour members and ask them who would make a good leader. Starmer, John McDonnell and Emily Thornberry came out top. Here are the figures.
I’m off to the No 10 lobby briefing now. I will post again after 12.30pm.I’m off to the No 10 lobby briefing now. I will post again after 12.30pm.
At least two bookmakers have sent out press releases today about the odds they are offering on the next Labour leader, with Rebecca Long-Bailey the favourite, followed by Lisa Nandy and then Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary.At least two bookmakers have sent out press releases today about the odds they are offering on the next Labour leader, with Rebecca Long-Bailey the favourite, followed by Lisa Nandy and then Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary.
Starmer’s opponents, as well as criticising his stance on Brexit, have been arguing that the next leader should be a woman, as well as an MP from outside London.Starmer’s opponents, as well as criticising his stance on Brexit, have been arguing that the next leader should be a woman, as well as an MP from outside London.
But Jenny Chapman, who worked for Starmer in the shadow Brexit team and who lost her Darlington seat in the election, has been giving interviews today saying saying gender and regional background should be not factors in the contest. She made this argument in an article for the Daily Mirror and she told the Today programme:But Jenny Chapman, who worked for Starmer in the shadow Brexit team and who lost her Darlington seat in the election, has been giving interviews today saying saying gender and regional background should be not factors in the contest. She made this argument in an article for the Daily Mirror and she told the Today programme:
Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, has been on BBC News this morning. There were two interesting lines in his interview.Barry Gardiner, the shadow international trade secretary, has been on BBC News this morning. There were two interesting lines in his interview.
Gardiner hinted that Labour would vote against the withdrawal agreement bill if the government holds a second reading vote on Friday. He said that the decision to remove provisions protecting workers’ rights from the bill (see 9.37am) would make it even less attractive than the original version of the bill, that Labour opposed in October. He said:Gardiner hinted that Labour would vote against the withdrawal agreement bill if the government holds a second reading vote on Friday. He said that the decision to remove provisions protecting workers’ rights from the bill (see 9.37am) would make it even less attractive than the original version of the bill, that Labour opposed in October. He said:
Gardiner did not rule out standing for the Labour deputy leadership. Asked if he would be a candidate, as some reports have suggested, he replied:Gardiner did not rule out standing for the Labour deputy leadership. Asked if he would be a candidate, as some reports have suggested, he replied:
In an interview for the Today programme this morning Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester and Jeremy Corbyn’s main rival in the 2015 leadership contest, said that the party’s Brexit policy was a problem at the election. He explained:
Burnham refused to say which candidate he would be backing in the forthcoming leadership contest.
He also said that voters in the north should be “wary” of accepting Boris Johnson’s promises, saying that the PM could not simply offer infrastructure improvements that were “decades away” to keep his new northern voters on side. He said:
More than 140,000 EU citizens applied last month to live and work in the UK after Brexit, PAA Media reports. The Home Office said it received 142,300 applications for the EU settlement scheme in November, compared with more than half a million submitted in the previous month. This takes the total number received by the end of November to almost 2.6 million (2,592,800). Overall, the number of applications finalised in that time was more than 2.2 million (2,230,900), according to the Home Office figures (pdf).
Of these, 59% were granted permanent leave to remain in the country, called settled status, and 41% were granted pre-settled status – which means they have temporary leave to remain and would need to apply again for permanent permission at a later date.
Sky News has just broadcast some footage of Boris Johnson addressing cabinet for the first time. He told his ministers:
At this point, treating the cabinet like a bit like a primary school class, Johnson asked his colleagues how many new hospitals they were going to build. Forty, they chanted back at him. (No one was brave enough to point out that it would be more accurate to say just six.) Johnson also asked them to tell him how many new nurses they would hire, and new police officers they would recruit. Then he went on:
Johnson ended his opening statement by referring to today’s employment figures (see 9.53am), joking about taking the risk of “sounding more North Korean than normal”. The economy continued to be robust, he said, but the government would take steps to strengthen it.
“You ain’t seen nothing yet” was a Ronald Reagan catchphrase, and Johnson may have been quoting him deliberately. Reagan drew the political map of American by winning the support of blue-collar workers who had previously voted for the other party (“Reagan Democrats”) and, although seen as a leader with a poor grasp of detail, he exuded can-do optimism, which people seemed to like.
The government has repeatedly said that it does not intend to lower standards on workers’ rights, consumer rights or environmental protection after Brexit. (See 9.37am.) The EU will also wants to ensure that it does not get undercut by the UK in the future, but a key issue in the UK-EU trade talks will be what rules are agreed to ensure this happens.
In an interview on the Today programme this morning Liam Fox, the former Conservative international trade secretary, admitted that the EU would start by pushing for “dynamic alignment” - an agreement that, when the EU tightens standards, the UK would follow suit. But Fox argued that, internationally, this sort of approach was going out of fashion. He explained:
Fox was also asked if he thought the NHS would be at risk from a trade deal with the US. He said there was no chance of this whatsoever and that this was a “red herring” that had been dismissed as such by the voters.
He said it was now the “norm” to insert “exemption clauses” into trade deals to protect the running of public services. He went on:
During his round of interviews this morning Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, also insisted that the government would protect employment rights when the UK left the EU. He said a bill to this effect would be in the Queen’s speech on Thursday.
This is from the Mirror’s Dan Bloom.
UK unemployment dropped to its lowest level in 44 years in the three months to October, as the number of unemployed women hit a record low, PA Media reports. However, the reduction in unemployment came as wage growth stalled over the period and the number of job vacancies also shrank.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefits decreased by 13,000 to 1.28 million for the quarter, the Office for National Statistics said. It meant the rate of unemployment stayed flat at 3.8%, surpassing analyst expectations, which had forecast an increase to a 3.9% rate of unemployment. This was largely driven by a decrease in the unemployment rate for women, which fell to a record low of 3.5% for the period.
Meanwhile, the number of people in work increased by 24,000 to 32.8 million for the quarter, while the proportion of people in employment stayed flat at 76.2%.
Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, has been giving interviews this morning (although not to the Today programme, which is still subject to a No 10 ministerial boycott). As my colleague Kate Proctor reports, on BBC Breakfast Gove refused to explicitly rule out a no-deal Brexit at the end of the transition - although he repeatedly insisted that this was not something people needed to worry about anyway, because both sides were committed to reaching a deal before the end of next year.
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, has said that it was a mistake for Jeremy Corbyn not to say what side he would take in the second referendum Labour was planning to hold on Brexit. In an interview with the BBC’s political editor, Laura Kuenssberg, recorded during the Labour conference in September and broadcast in Kuenssberg’s documentary, The Brexit Storm Continues, going out tonight, Thornberry said:
Asked if Labour could win if Corbyn adopted that position, Thornberry said:
Thornberry also said she wanted Labour to be more overtly pro-remain.
At the time Corbyn was refusing to say which side he would back in a second referendum. During the election campaign he refined his position, saying he was taking a deliberate decision in advance to stay neutral.
Thornberry is likely to stand for the Labour leadership and Brexit is likely to be a key issue in that context. Jeremy Corbyn’s allies, who are rallying behind the shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey as their candidate, argue that agreeing to a second referendum was a mistake (although Long-Bailey herself has yet to express a view on this topic.)
The biggest threat to Long-Bailey may come from the candidate attracting most Labour remain supporter, either Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, or Thornberry herself. Both Starmer and Thornberry strongly argued for a second referendum, and said that in such a poll they would back remain.
On Friday, in a statement in Downing Street after his surprise and overwhelming election victory, Boris Johnson offered an olive branch of sorts to people who voted remain. Addressing specifically those who still wanted to stay in the EU, he said “we in this one-nation Conservative government will never ignore your good and positive feelings of warmth and sympathy towards the other nations of Europe.” It was hard to know what he meant by that, and this morning many remainers will be concluding “not much” following the overnight announcement from No 10 that its new version of the withdrawal agreement bill will ban the government from seeking an extension to the Brexit transition. This is a concession to Brexiters and, although it could be argued that the intention is just to intensify pressure for the UK-EU trade deal to be finalised by the end of 2020, it does raise the prospect of the UK falling out of the transition into a no-deal Brexit this time next year if agreement cannot be reached.
That is the conclusion of the financial markets. The pound has been falling this morning, wiping out all the gains it made after the election result was announced. This is from the BBC’s economics editor Faisal Islam.
My colleague Graeme Wearden has full coverage on his business live blog.
Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, has condemned the government’s move, saying that it is “reckless and irresponsible” and will put jobs at risk.
The government wants to hold a vote on the second reading of the withdrawal agreement bill on Friday. Starmer’s comment implies that Labour will vote against it, but the party’s election defeat has opened an intense debate about its Brexit position and others in the party will be arguing that the party should not vote against the bill at second reading.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Boris Johnson chairs a political cabinet, followed by a normal cabinet meeting.
12pm: Downing Street lobby briefing.
After 2pm: Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, is due to address the Scottish parliament about the consequences of the election.
2.30pm: The Commons assembles for the first time since the election. MPs will re-elect Sir Lindsay Hoyle as Speaker, and then the swearing-in of MPs starts.
6pm: Jeremy Corbyn is due to address the parliamentary Labour party.
The shadow cabinet is also due to meet at some point this morning.
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. We plan to publish a summary at the end of the day.
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.
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