Brandon Lewis and Lord Frost have collectively told parliament that the UK will not yet trigger Article 16 of the Northern Ireland protocol, even though the circumstances now exist to do so. Both have suggested “we cannot go on as we are”, and this afternoon the government published a Command Paper stating that it is seeking to negotiate significant changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Approaching crunch time…
Brandon Lewis told the Commons:
“The past few months have shown the current approach to the Protocol is simply not working. Already we have seen trade diverted, supply chains disrupted, and increased costs due to added bureaucracy. This is all having a considerable impact on everyday life in Northern Ireland.”
“The new approach we have set out today, based on negotiation and consensus, recognises that a sustainable solution will require significant changes to the way the Protocol is being approached. Working together we can find a new balance that better reflects the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland.”
Priti Patel had a rough ride during this morning’s Home Affairs Committee appearance. Facing off against Labour’s Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary was repeatedly challenged over her potential involvement in the use of dormitories for asylum seekers throughout the migrant crisis – despite Public Health England (PHE) advising back in September 2020 that such dormitories weren’t Covid compliant, and “[not] good from a COVID or any type of infection prevention and control perspective.” Patel insisted to Cooper she didn’t see that email…
In the fiery altercation above, the pair repeatedly traded blows over Patel’s handling of the crisis, with Cooper saying:
“The answers that you have given to Diana Johnson implied that you did not know what the PHE advice was… You had an outbreak of 200 cases in dormitory accommodation and anybody across the country could tell you that putting people into dormitories in the middle of a pandemic was going to be a risk.”
Patel responded with:
“Obviously I did not see emails that went to officials, and I can only make decisions based on the advice that comes to me…and the advice that came to me was based on the guidelines or the approach that we should be taking in terms of stepping up our facilities…”
The Tories clearly aren’t happy. One source crunched the numbers and found out of 104 minutes of questioning, Labour and the SNP were given 65% of them. Guido’s Tory source accuses Cooper “and her merry band of left wing click bait merchants” of spending “an hour trying to get clips for social media.”
The Sixtieth anniversary of PMQs – and the first since Covid restrictions were lifted – coincided with arguably the biggest tech botch of the digital Parliament era…
- Sally-Ann Hart (Con)
- Keir Starmer (Lab)
- Craig Williams (Con)
- Ian Blackford (SNP)
- David Davis (Con)
- Jeffrey M Donaldson (DUP)
- Theo Clarke (Con)
- Stephen Timms (Lab)
- Alberto Costa (Con)
- Rosie Cooper (Lab)
- Margaret Ferrier (Ind)
- Natalie Elphicke (Con)
- Debbie Abrahams (Lab)
- Cherilyn Mackrory (Con)
- Cat Smith (Lab)
- Selaine Saxby (Con)
- Richard Burgon (Lab)
- Bill Wiggin (Con)
- Sarah Olney (LD)
- Rehman Chishti (Con)
- Lisa Cameron (SNP)
- Stephen Hammond (Con)
- Jamie Stone (LD)
- Lee Anderson (Con)
- John Spellar (Lab)
Huddersfield’s Labour MP Barry Sheerman is increasingly looking like someone whose grandkids should maybe tell him his deranged tweets can be seen by everyone. Among bizarre digital musings, which suggest he is few fries short of a happy meal, at 5.53 am this morning Barry told followers:
Don’t buy beef products or fast food if you want to save the planet & live a healthy life.
— Barry Sheerman MP (@BarrySheerman) July 21, 2021
This beef with Maccies appears to be a major u-turn from Sheerman. In 2014 the MP spent a day working shifts at the restaurant, posing with a large batch of fries and a McChicken Sandwich.
It clearly left its mark on Barry, who returned in 2015 to see the franchise and placed an order via one of their new self-serving ordering kiosks, after a renovation saw them go onto burger and better things.
In 2019 he once again visited McDonalds, joking he was “checking on security at Huddersfield’s town centre”
Checking on security at Huddersfield’s town centre @McDonalds pic.twitter.com/bbDSeLOv6e
— Barry Sheerman MP (@BarrySheerman) November 2, 2019
It seems Barry’s no longer lovin’ it…
Nine NEC members voted against proscribing Resist, an organisation that promoted George Galloway instead of Labour’s Kim Leadbeater in the Batley and Spen by-election. The group also claim that accusations of antisemitism in Labour were politically motivated.
Laura Pidcock, Yasmine Dar, Gemma Bolton, Nadia Jama, Mish Rahman, Jame Taylor, Andy Kerr, Mick Whelan, Andy Fox, Ian Murray, and Andy Kerr also voted against expelling Labour Against the WitchHunt, and Labour in Exile. Interestingly Laura McNeill, NEC Youth Rep, broke rank and voted for proscribing Labour Against the WitchHunt, and Labour in Exile…
A further 12 NEC reps voted against proscribing Socialist Appeal. In spite of the rebellion all four groups were banned from the Labour Party….
A statement signed by nine of the left NEC members and incoming rep Amy Jackson claimed that considering the matter is:
“a continuation of the destructive, factional behaviours from the leadership of the party which have marked the last year. This isn’t just about the organisations we are being asked to consider on Tuesday it is about setting a precedent; proscribing these organisations as a forerunner to proscription of more and more groupings on the left of the party, to ultimately expel large sections of the Labour left.”
Guido encourages co-conspirators to listen to the people Starmer is trying to expel and decide whether they think these people and groups are “toxic”…
