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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 election | 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 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 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. | |
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: |