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Brexit: Barnier says EU wants fair deal with UK, not deal 'at any price' – live news Labour leadership: Starmer, Long-Bailey and Nandy debate in Guardian hustings – live news
(32 minutes later)
Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the EU agreeing its negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, and the Guardian’s Labour leadership hustings in ManchesterRolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including the EU agreeing its negotiating mandate for the post-Brexit trade talks with the UK, and the Guardian’s Labour leadership hustings in Manchester
We are now on opening statements.
Long-Bailey goes first. She defends the 2019 manifesto, and says if people vote for her, Labour will have a vision, it will have the courage of its convictions, and it will have a path to power.
Nandy says this was not an ordinary election. Nurses and ex-miners who had voted Labour before abandoned the party. She says the party has a narrow opportunity to get things right. It cannot just offer the same again. She says Labour must not just rebuild the red wall, but build a bridge to that future.
Starmer starts by thanking the audience for coming. He is looking forward to the questions. The one burning question is, who can we win the next election. Defeat was devastating for people who needed change. He says Labour has lost four elections in a row, and if it loses the next one, it will have been out of power for longer than any period since the war. Labour can tear lumps out of each other; it is good at that. But if it wants to win, it must unite.
Anushka asks audience members if they think they know who they will vote for. Most hands go up. But then she asks if candidates could say something that would make them change their minds. Almost the same number of hands go up too.
The event is now starting. Sir Keir Starmer, Lisa Nandy and Rebecca Long-Bailey take the stage, along with Anushka Asthana, a former political editor of the Guardian who now presents the Guardian’s Today in Focus podcast. There will be a Today in Focus episode about tonight’s event.
The hustings is taking place in one of the larger conference rooms at Manchester Central, the venue used for party conferences. There are 800 people in the audience, and most of them now seem to have arrived. We should be starting soon.
It is raining in Manchester, and the only campaigners outside handing out leaflets to people on the way in were supporters of electoral reform.
Good afternoon. I’m Andrew Sparrow, taking over from Aamna Mohdin, and I’m in Manchester for the Guardian’s Labour leadership hustings.
We start at 6.30pm. Sir Keir Starmer, Rebecca Long-Bailey and Lisa Nandy will all be taking part, and the event will be chaired by my colleague Anushka Asthana. It will run until 8pm.
There have already been 11 official Labour party hustings, although there were complaints that the format (question, 40 second answer, with no debate between the candidates) made them rather dull. There have been several other hustings organised by broadcasters or campaign organisations - you can read about the Newsnight one here, and the Jewish Labour Movement one here - but obviously the Guardian one will be the best.
Former Brexit secretary David Davis told the Financial Times that the French have “long had a mythology that the UK is the home of all wild west deregulation.”Former Brexit secretary David Davis told the Financial Times that the French have “long had a mythology that the UK is the home of all wild west deregulation.”
In response to Barnier’s statement that the UK can’t expect the same treatment as Canada because of the close trading relationship and geographic proximity between the UK and EU, Davis said:In response to Barnier’s statement that the UK can’t expect the same treatment as Canada because of the close trading relationship and geographic proximity between the UK and EU, Davis said:
When asked why the EU would shift its position, David said:When asked why the EU would shift its position, David said:
From the Guardian’s Brussels correspondentFrom the Guardian’s Brussels correspondent
David Henig, the UK director of the think tank European Centre For International Political Economy, has criticised the UK’s government Twitter thread on the EU’s negotiating mandate, saying it is inaccurate.David Henig, the UK director of the think tank European Centre For International Political Economy, has criticised the UK’s government Twitter thread on the EU’s negotiating mandate, saying it is inaccurate.
Steve Baker announced he has resigned as chair of the European Research Group (ERG) of Conservative MPs.Steve Baker announced he has resigned as chair of the European Research Group (ERG) of Conservative MPs.
In his resignation letter, he said that Boris Johnson “has the policy, the mandate and the majority he needs to deliver an exit from the EU worth having”.In his resignation letter, he said that Boris Johnson “has the policy, the mandate and the majority he needs to deliver an exit from the EU worth having”.
When asked if the months ahead were likely to be the toughest in his career, Barnier said: “It will be difficult, but its already been difficult over the past three years. If you look at the discussion with the UK couple years ago on the financial settlement there were many issues that were controversial.”When asked if the months ahead were likely to be the toughest in his career, Barnier said: “It will be difficult, but its already been difficult over the past three years. If you look at the discussion with the UK couple years ago on the financial settlement there were many issues that were controversial.”
He called for all those involved to look at day to day problems in perspective. He added the EU would not undermine peace in Ireland and was focused on creating a great future relationship with the UK.He called for all those involved to look at day to day problems in perspective. He added the EU would not undermine peace in Ireland and was focused on creating a great future relationship with the UK.
Barnier said: “The UK will be the EU’s third largest trading partner, almost 10 times bigger than Canada. At the same time Canada is some 5,000 km away. It’s clear that the rules cannot be the same. It’s logical, it’s simple. This is not new, there is no surprise.””Barnier said: “The UK will be the EU’s third largest trading partner, almost 10 times bigger than Canada. At the same time Canada is some 5,000 km away. It’s clear that the rules cannot be the same. It’s logical, it’s simple. This is not new, there is no surprise.””
Here’s a video from Bloomberg of that clipHere’s a video from Bloomberg of that clip
Barnier said: “We are ready to offer a highly ambitious trade deal to the UK.Barnier said: “We are ready to offer a highly ambitious trade deal to the UK.
“But the UK cannot expect high quality access to the single market if its not prepared to accept guarantees that competition remains open and fair, free and fair.”“But the UK cannot expect high quality access to the single market if its not prepared to accept guarantees that competition remains open and fair, free and fair.”
He added: “There must be robust level playing field, safeguards to avoid unfair advantages social, environmental, tax, and aid state matters.”He added: “There must be robust level playing field, safeguards to avoid unfair advantages social, environmental, tax, and aid state matters.”
He said he quoted the exact sentences that was agreed in the political declaration that was agreed in October.He said he quoted the exact sentences that was agreed in the political declaration that was agreed in October.
Barnier announced a joint committee will be established to monitor the implementation for the Irish protocol during the negotiations.
The UK has responded to the EU negotiation mandate during Barnier’s press conference.
Barnier said the EU will do everything it can under the current time pressure.
“The pressure is not being put by us. The British government is putting the pressure of time on these negotiations,” he explained.
He said the negotiations will be complex, demanding and difficult.
Barnier said the EU would not conclude negotiation “at any price”.
He added: “Over the coming months, in a calm and methodological way, we will be stressing a fair and balanced partnership with a robust framework of governance as outlined in the political declaration that now needs to be reflected in our future partnerships by solid guarantees to ensure fair competition and high standards.”
Barnier is now discussing the agreed mandate.
Barnier said the 27 member states adopted the negotiating mandate which commits and authorises the commissions’ negotiating team, which he heads up, to starting negotiations with the UK
He said: “We are ready to start this new stage in negotiation following Brexit. We’re ready to start Monday afternoon these negotiation with the British team led by David Frost.”
He added there will be meeting on Monday and Tuesday and the first round of negotiations will be concluded on Thursday.
“Later in March, we’ll have a second round in London and so on,” he explained.
Afternoon, I’m Aamna Mohdin taking over the liveblog from Andy.
Michel Barnier is currently hosting a press conference about the EU’s negotiating mandate with Andreja Metelko-Zgombić, state secretary for European affairs, and Maroš Šefčovič, the EU Commission’s vice-president for Inter-institutional relations.
Metelko-Zgombić said: “We are so proud that we managed to adopt a clear and comprehensive mandate for negotiations for a new partnership with the United Kingdom.”
Georgina Wright, a Brexit expert at the Institute for Government, has posted a useful thread on Twitter about how the negotiating mandate published by the EU today differs from the draft published at the start of the month. It starts here.
That’s all from me for the moment.
My colleague Aamna Mohdin is taking over now. I will be picking up the blog later, from Manchester, where I will be covering the Labour leadership hustings hosted by the Guardian. It starts at 6.30pm.
These are from Raoul Ruparel, who was a Europe adviser to Theresa May when she was prime minister. The PD is the political declaration.
This is what Downing Street said earlier about the cabinet’s EU exit strategy (XS) committee approving the UK government’s mandate for the trade talks with the EU this morning. The PM’s spokesman said:
Here is the full text (pdf) of the negotiating mandate agreed by the EU for the trade talks with the UK. It has been toughened up a bit since a draft version (pdf) was published earlier this month.
The UK has not published its own negotiating mandate yet – it is due out on Thursday – but we already have a pretty clear idea of what it will say, partly because of what Boris Johnson said in his Brexit speech in Greenwich and partly because of what Johnson said the same day in a written ministerial statement.
The trade talks will be hugely complicated, but there are two issues where the gap between the two sides is widest – on the general issue of the need for a level playing field, and on the specific issue of fishing.
Level playing field
What the EU is now saying: The key passage is paragraph 94. Here it is in full.
How the EU mandate has been toughened up: Paragraph 94 is tougher than the equivalent passage in the original draft, paragraph 89. The original said the agreement should uphold “common high standards” in various areas but now it says the agreement should uphold “common high standards, and corresponding high standards over time with union standards as a reference point” in these areas. This is not the same as “dynamic alignment” – the toughest form of level playing field provision, involving a rule saying regulations would have to remain aligned (so that if, for example, the EU toughened its laws, the UK would have to follow suit). But it is a nudge in this direction.
The original also said that if the UK broke these conditions, the EU should have the power to “apply autonomous interim measures” as a sanction. Now the text talks about the EU being able to “apply autonomous, including interim, measures” in response – implying that non-interim, ie permanent, sanctions could be imposed too.
How this differs from the UK’s demand: The UK is adamant that it will not agree to be bound by EU regulations. In his written statement Johnson said:
In his speech he insisted there was no need to have a commitment of this kind, because the UK would maintain high standards anyway. He said:
And, just in case anyone failed to get the message, No 10 said yesterday:
What remains to be seen is whether common ground can be found in the possible overlap between “high standards over time with union standards as a reference point” and Johnson’s determination to “maintain the highest standards”. But if the UK will not legally commit to upholding EU rules, then any agreement will involve the EU trusting the UK to honour its promises. And, as we saw this morning (see 9.50am and 10.11am), trust between the two sides is under strain.
Fishing
What the EU is now saying: The section on fishing starts at paragraph 86. Here are the most important paragraphs:
How the EU mandate has been toughened up: The original version of the mandate just said “the provisions on fisheries should build on existing reciprocal access conditions, quota shares and the traditional activity of the union fleet”. That has now become “uphold existing reciprocal access conditions” etc. EU fishing fleets do not want to lose any of the access they currently have to UK waters, or UK fish, and this new wording implies that the status quo should continue.
How this differs from the UK’s demand: This is what Johnson said about fishing in his Greenwich speech.
British fishermen expect to be allowed to catch a larger proportion of the fish in British waters after Brexit and Johnson fuelled this expectation by saying that British fishing grounds should be “first and foremost for British boats”. The EU is resisting this, because it wants to ensure EU fishermen don’t lose out.
And the EU is pushing for a long-term agreement on access. But the UK wants annual negotiations, which presumably would give the UK the right every year to refuse EU boats access to British waters.