UK Politics Thread part II

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

^ Agreed but in all honesty I don't believe Argentina have the military capability today.

Maybe, but so has the UK no capability to retake the islands either.



And there is another difference: today Argentine has practically the complete support and solidarity of all Latin America on this issue. Parts of South America have rich reserves in lithium and a few things more desperately needed across Europe, and in the UK. Any argentinian action against the Falklands may be accompanied by international moves against the UK and at the UN as well. In 1982, it stood practically alone, and got nothing but words from its neighbours. The Western view of things dominated the world.



These things have changed.

[Jimbuna]

James Cleverly says Falklands are British as Argentina ends deal

The UK has insisted the Falkland Islands are British after Argentina broke a co-operation deal and pushed for talks on the islands' sovereignty.

In 2016, both sides agreed to disagree on the sovereignty of the Falklands in favour of improved relations.

Argentina pulled out of the pact this week and informed UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly.

The Falkland Islands were subject to a bloody war in 1982 when Argentina tried to stake a territorial claim.

In response, Mr Cleverly tweeted: "The Falkland Islands are British.

"Islanders have the right to decide their own future - they have chosen to remain a self-governing UK Overseas Territory."

The 2016 agreement between Argentina and the UK pledged to "improve co-operation on South Atlantic issues of mutual interests".

Mr Cleverly was informed about the decision by his Argentinean counterpart Santiago Cafiero when the pair met at the G20 summit in India earlier this week.

Mr Cafier called for talks on the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands, known in Argentina as the Malvinas.

The UK's minister for the Americas, David Rutley, said it was a "disappointing decision" after he had had a "constructive visit" to Buenos Aires.

"Argentina has chosen to step away from an agreement that has brought comfort to the families of those who died in the 1982 conflict," he said.

The Falkland Islands are a British overseas territory in the south-west Atlantic Ocean. Argentina has long claimed sovereignty over the islands.

Argentina invaded in 1982 in a bid to reclaim sovereignty and said it had inherited the Falkland Islands from Spain in the 1800s.

A brief but bitter war lasting 74 days followed - with 655 Argentinian, 255 British and three Falkland casualties - before British forces regained control on 14 June 1982.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64835605

[Jimbuna]

Johnson may have misled Parliament over parties, say MPs

Boris Johnson may have misled Parliament over Partygate, MPs investigating his conduct say.

Evidence strongly suggests breaches of coronavirus rules would have been "obvious" to Mr Johnson, the privileges committee said in an update.

The inquiry has found four examples where Mr Johnson may have misled the House of Commons. This is not the committee's final report.

Mr Johnson said there was no evidence he "knowingly" misled parliament.

Mr Johnson is due to be give evidence to MPs later this month.

The former prime minister repeatedly denied breaking lockdown rules when asked in the House of Commons.

An investigation by the Met Police led to 83 people, including Mr Johnson himself, receiving fines for breaking lockdown rules.

On Friday, the committee published its initial report, including some previously unseen photos of Downing Street parties.

The report says the Commons may have been misled multiple times and Mr Johnson "did not correct the statements" at the "earliest opportunity", as would have been expected from an MP.

The report found "evidence strongly suggests that breaches of guidance would have been obvious to Mr Johnson at the time he was at the gatherings".

It also said there was "evidence that those who were advising Mr Johnson about what to say to the press and in the House were themselves struggling to contend that some gatherings were within the rules".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64836425

[Jimbuna]

‘The man is a narcissist’: Tories despair as ‘bully’ Boris Johnson threatens Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal

As Rishi Sunak addressed much of his parliamentary party during an away day in Berkshire this week, he warned that voters would punish the Tories at the ballot box if they “inflicted more psychodrama” on the country.

But for many Conservative MPs the comments were more likely to be construed as wishful thinking, rather than a threat to fall into line.

While the Prime Minister was attempting to rally his troops, choosing to host the team-building exercise in the same Windsor hotel where he shook on a Brexit deal with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week, one of his predecessors was issuing a clarion call of his own.

Just as the Tory party’s Australian polling guru Isaac Levido was spelling out to MPs in Windsor how the Conservatives had a route to electoral victory by showing they could “work as a team”, 25 miles east Boris Johnson was delivering a speech in Westminster which rejected his leader’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland, demanded fresh tax cuts and criticised the party’s position in the polls.

Tory MPs now fear that Mr Sunak’s attempts to govern through statecraft and quiet diplomacy, as shown in his dealings with Brussels, could be torpedoed by the noise surrounding Mr Johnson, even if his latest tilt at a prime ministerial comeback fails due to Partygate.

“The man is a narcissist with no loyalty to the party that made him,” spat one former minister. “He is praying for a trouncing in the local elections so that he can bully his way in again.”

Some have viewed Mr Johnson’s decision to speak out on the Brexit Northern Ireland deal as ominous for the current Prime Minister, whose team are now anxiously waiting for the crucial verdicts on the “Windsor Framework” from the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Brexiteers and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

“It could spell trouble for Rishi if things don’t start looking up,” a veteran Conservative MP said.

But Mr Johnson faces his own problems as a grilling from MPs over Partygate looms in just over a fortnight’s time.

Downing Street has meanwhile been cautiously optimistic that it has managed to secure a replacement for Mr Johnson’s fundamentally flawed Protocol arrangement that all sides could live with.

The lack of a flat rejection from either the DUP or the ERG in the 48 hours that followed the publication of the framework agreement was viewed as a victory.

Mr Sunak was praised for securing a deal that appeared to extract some major concessions from Brussels on the reach of EU laws and regulations in Northern Ireland, particularly through the implementation of the so-called “Stormont Brake”.

To Whitehall observers and allies of the Prime Minister it was evidence that the former City banker’s smooth style of technocratic statesmanship was able to pay greater dividends than Mr Johnson’s gunboat diplomacy.

It is an approach Mr Sunak intends to take forward in a bid to secure further compromises with striking nurses and with President Emmanuel Macron on the issue of Channel migrant crossings.

As revealed by i last week, the Prime Minister personally intervened in the dispute with the Royal College of Nurses, viewing their demands as a special case and one staunchly supported by the public.

Meanwhile, he is expected to rekindle “le bromance” with his French counterpart. The pair share many similarities, not least their past as bankers and their penchant for expensive suits and shoes with elevated heels.

Mr Sunak’s Parliamentary supporters believe that his collegiate approach to the country’s most pressing issues could even turn the party’s fortunes when it matters.

One ally told i: “I certainly think if things carry on like this, things could be looking up for the election. It’s the start of a drumbeat of action.”

The MP added that despite Mr Johnson’s sabre-rattling over Brexit, “Rishi’s deal has genuinely clipped his wings”.

Earlier this week Johnsonites were arguing that their champion remained a potent political force. They said that rather than attempting to derail the new Brexit deal, the former PM was choosing to criticise the framework as part of a “Spartan attack to claim the moral high ground”, and thereby build a support base from the staunch Brexiteer cohort within the Tory party.

One Johnson ally said such a move was the start of a call to arms for his backers to rally, with the news of Sue Gray’s attempt to join Labour as Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff seen as a potential launch pad for Mr Johnson to try and reclaim the leadership.

“He’s raising his profile but not striking yet,” one veteran Tory said. “This Sue Gray story has given him a serious boost. I think over the next few weeks he will be seen as a martyr who was fixed up by the Left.”

The backbencher added that any move from Mr Johnson would “come after the local elections then climax around party conference time” in October.

His backers see Mr Sunak’s logical and technocratic approach to policy problems, as a weakness rather than a strength, despite the apparent success it offers.

“The consensus is Rishi is managerial, whereas Boris has vision,” one ally from the pro-Johnson wing of the party told i.

Since then, though, the Partygate allegations that helped to bring Mr Johnson down have returned to centre stage. On Friday the committee of MPs investigating whether the former PM misled Parliament over the affair published a series of WhatsApp messages, suggesting that even his own officials believed there was more than one “great gaping hole” in the account he gave.

Meanwhile, senior Labour figures believe their decision to back Mr Sunak’s Windsor Framework in any Commons vote has “boxed Johnson in” over Brexit.

But they are dismissive of the idea that getting the deal through Parliament means the PM has turned a corner.

“Ensuring people can buy British sausages once more in Northern Ireland is not success, it’s the bare minimum expected. And it won’t make the average voter feel any better off, or get striking workers back to work,” a Shadow Cabinet member said.

No 10 will be eager to avoid having to push through the new Brexit deal on the back of Labour votes, as it will leave Mr Sunak desperately exposed to attack from the right of his party. But he could be spared a renewed assault due to a general Brexit fatigue that has set into the party.

According to one senior backbencher, several in the ERG “do not have the appetite” for another scrap over the issue. “And truthfully, they know a compromise has to be reached and the deal has been drafted by those who were in the ERG hierarchy,” the MP added.

But Mr Johnson remains a problem for the PM. Supporters of Mr Sunak have criticised the former PM’s interventions because fear they will hand the Downing Street keys to Labour.

“Boris had his chance and he blew it,” a senior Tory said. “A period of silence now would be most desirable.”

But they do not view the renewed challenge Mr Johnson faces over Partygate as any kind of victory, because it is “dominating headlines” in a way that threatens the whole Tory brand.

As one supporter of the PM put it: “Rishi would rather this would just go away.”
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...f5da8d91&ei=13

[Jimbuna]

Boris Johnson won’t survive as an MP beyond the summer

In a couple of months, we could witness the spectacular end of Boris Johnson’s political career.

It seems incredible, given his profile, his still substantial fanbase in parliament (and among the Conservative membership, for whom he can do no wrong), and the fact, remarkable as it remains, that he secured a majority of more than 80 for the Tories at the last general election. How could he fall so fast, so soon?

Quite easily, really; and the steps to oblivion are almost preordained.

Step One to Johnson’s personal hell will be his appearance before the Commons privileges committee in the week beginning 20 March, to be arraigned for lying to parliament. It’s perfectly clear from the committee’s interim report that things are looking extremely bleak for Johnson.

Never the most impressive or plausible witness, his habitual buffoonery, bluster, banter and boosterism aren’t going to do him much good when he goes up against the likes of Harriet Harman, Bernard Jenkin and Charles Walker (steely-eyed and granite-faced, no doubt). He’s looking at a four-week stretch – a formal suspension from the Commons lasting 20 sitting days.

Unless Rishi Sunak launches some sort of rescue mission for Johnson (as if), the Commons will endorse the committee’s recommendation, and this is when the real slide can begin. The four-week suspension means that there can be a “recall petition” for a by-election in Johnson’s constituency of Uxbridge and South Ruislip.

Say the committee reports in late April or early May, and the Commons considers the matter shortly after, then a petition for a by-election would be automatically opened up by June. There’s then a six-week period when people can sign up, and about 7,000 would be needed (10 per cent of the electorate) to trigger the by-election.

That takes us to around mid-July, at which point the Commons would still be sitting. A summer by-election could be held in August or September – and Johnson, on current polling, would lose.

And that would be that for his current parliamentary career. Even if it were a realistic prospect, he couldn’t launch a leadership bid because he’d be ineligible.

Oblivion? Almost. Even if Johnson lost his by-election, he could still stand again in a safe seat, such as... well, there’s always Nadine Dorries’ former constituency of Mid Bedfordshire, where he might just about scrape home.

As they don’t quite say: you can’t keep a bad man down.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/other...20e23dc8&ei=47

[Jimbuna]

Plan for lifetime ban for Channel migrants is unworkable, say charities

Government plans to ban migrants from re-entering the UK if they cross the Channel in small boats are unworkable and will leave thousands of people in limbo, refugee groups have said.

Under new legislation, Channel migrants would be removed from the UK, banned from future re-entry and barred from applying for British citizenship.

Supporters say the PM is "getting a grip" on illegal migration.

The government is expected to outline the plans on Tuesday.

The proposed measures will apply to anyone arriving on UK shores in a small boat - but there are few details on how they will be implemented, with previous efforts to tighten procedures - such as the Rwanda policy - mired in legal challenges.

PM Rishi Sunak, who has made the issue one of his top priorities, told the Mail on Sunday: "Make no mistake, if you come here illegally, you will not be able to stay."

But the Refugee Council, one of a number of charities to criticise the plans, accused ministers of shattering the UK's long-standing commitment under the UN Convention to give people a fair hearing, regardless of how they get to the UK.

The group's head Enver Solomon said the plans would "add more cost and chaos to the system", adding: "It's unworkable, costly and won't stop the boats".

It is thought the legislation would place a duty on the home secretary to remove all those arriving on boats to Rwanda or a "safe" third country "as soon as reasonably practicable" - no matter where they had come from - and would also permanently ban them from returning.

Currently, asylum seekers arriving in the UK have the right to seek protection under the UN's Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights.

But the Mail on Sunday says a clause in the Illegal Migration Bill is expected to apply a "rights brake" to effectively allow the conventions to be circumvented. It is not clear how this would work.

The proposed legislation would also stop those coming to the UK in small boats from applying for British citizenship.

Under current UK law, a person can seek to settle permanently and apply for citizenship after five years in the country - but this is not straightforward.

Last year's immigration act already gave the home secretary the power to bar Channel migrants from seeking to resettle. It is possible the new plans might be aiming to make this an automatic ban and not a discretionary one.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64848101

[Jimbuna]

Johnson nominating father for knighthood ‘absolutely outrageous’, says Starmer

It would be “outrageous” for Stanley Johnson to be given a knighthood as part of Boris Johnson’s resignation honours list, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said.

The former prime minister, who was forced out of Downing Street last September following a series of scandals, reportedly included his father as one of as many as 100 names put forward for honours.

He told LBC Radio: “The idea that Boris Johnson is nominating his dad for a knighthood – you only need to say it to realise just how ridiculous it is.

“It’s classic of a man like Johnson. I mean, I think the public will just think this is absolutely outrageous.”

The former prime minister’s sister Rachel Johnson acknowledged “I don’t expect there’s going to be a national outpouring of joy, if my father is going to be arise Sir Stanley” but she said it was the subject of speculation, pointing out that the current Prime Minister would have to sign off the list.

Liberal Democrats chief whip Wendy Chamberlain urged Rishi Sunak to veto Mr Johnson’s honours list if future ones “are to have any shred of credibility”.

She said: “Honours should be reserved for those who’ve gone above and beyond to contribute to our country. Boris Johnson’s attempt to bestow that recognition on his father makes a mockery of the whole thing.”

But Mr Sunak has no plans to change the honours system, Downing Street indicated.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman told reporters: “There are longstanding rules that guard the honours process.

“There’s no plans to change those that I’m aware of. It is a matter of fact that outgoing prime ministers are able to nominate people in this way.”

Cabinet minister Michelle Donelan said there are “bigger fish to fry” as she played down the row.

The Science Secretary told LBC: “I think at this stage it is just speculation.

“Obviously, it’s the ex-prime minister’s prerogative to be able to make those types of appointments, but we’ll see if this story is true or not.”

The Times newspaper reported that the former prime minister has nominated his father for the honour.

A spokesperson for the former premier said: “We don’t comment on honours.”

Stanley Johnson also declined to comment.

But Rachel Johnson told The News Agents podcast: “If my brother hadn’t been Prime Minister, I think my father could have been in line for some sort of recognition in his own right.

“He’s done much more for the Tory Party and the environment than dozens of people who have been given gongs to at this point.”

She added: “People can draw their own conclusions, please don’t ask me to, as it were, sit in judgment on it. Because it literally is too close. You’re talking about my brother and my father. That is a decision that my brother has made with regards my father or not.”

Boris Johnson with his father Stanley (Stefan Rousseau/PA)Any honour for Stanley Johnson would raise questions for the former Conservative leader.

The former prime minister faced accusations of cronyism in 2020, after he nominated his brother Jo Johnson for a peerage.

In 2021, senior Tory MP Caroline Nokes and a journalist publicly accused Stanley Johnson, a former MEP, of touching them at Conservative party conferences.

Ms Nokes, chairwoman of the Commons Women and Equalities Committee, accused Stanley Johnson of forcefully smacking her on the backside and making a vulgar comment at the Conservative Party conference in 2003.

Stanley Johnson said after that he had “no recollection” of either incident.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...7fca8ae3&ei=19

[Jimbuna]

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is announcing new legislation in Parliament to try to stop people crossing the Channel on small boats.

The new bill would ban people entering the UK illegally from claiming asylum or re-entering in the future.

It would also place a duty on the home secretary to deport them "as soon as reasonably practicable"

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the bill isn't a solution and lets people smugglers "off the hook"

Braverman tells MPs she is "confident" the bill is compatible with international law, insisting the government's approach is "robust and novel"

The Refugee Council says it breaks the UK's commitment to give people a fair hearing, regardless of how they arrive, under the UN Human Rights Convention.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018

[Gorpet]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Home Secretary Suella Braverman is announcing new legislation in Parliament to try to stop people crossing the Channel on small boats.

The new bill would ban people entering the UK illegally from claiming asylum or re-entering in the future.

It would also place a duty on the home secretary to deport them "as soon as reasonably practicable"

Labour's shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper says the bill isn't a solution and lets people smugglers "off the hook"

Braverman tells MPs she is "confident" the bill is compatible with international law, insisting the government's approach is "robust and novel"

The Refugee Council says it breaks the UK's commitment to give people a fair hearing, regardless of how they arrive, under the UN Human Rights Convention.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018

In 2030, England will become a footnote in History.It will not survive the NATO war.Sorry but you will not be alone.The Americans will meet you in hell.Allahu Akbar

[Jimbuna]

Suella Braverman calls Gary Lineker asylum remarks ‘unhelpful’

The Home Secretary criticised Match of the Day host Gary Lineker after he compared the Government’s new asylum policy to 1930s Germany.

Suella Braverman said Lineker’s remarks on the immigration plans were “disappointing and unhelpful” after he called the proposed measures “cruel”.

But she declined to say whether the BBC should sack the broadcaster, who earned £1.35 million in the financial year to April 2022 and is the corporation’s highest paid presenter.

The BBC said the star would be “reminded of his responsibilities” after he responded on Twitter to a video posted by Ms Braverman in which she said the UK is being “overwhelmed”.

A BBC source said the corporation was taking the matter “seriously” and expects to have a “frank conversation” with the former England striker.

The Government yesterday outlined plans to effectively ban anyone arriving via an illegal route from claiming asylum in the UK. Lineker wrote: “There is no huge influx. We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries. This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the ‘30s.”

Ms Braverman told BBC Breakfast: “I’m disappointed, obviously. I think it’s unhelpful to compare our measures, which are lawful, proportionate and, indeed, compassionate to 1930s Germany. I also think that we are on the side of the British people here.”

She added that “the British people have had enough of this situation of thousands of people coming here illegally at huge cost to the taxpayer”.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...0ec61eca&ei=17

[Jimbuna]

BBC speaking frankly with Gary Lineker over tweet comparing UK asylum policy to 1930s Germany

The BBC says it is having a "frank conversation" with Gary Lineker after the Match of the Day host tweeted critically about the government's asylum policy.

Lineker said the language in which the plan was set out was "not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s".

The BBC has impartiality guidelines and the corporation said Lineker was being "spoken to" about his responsibilities.

Home Secretary Suella Braverman said she was "disappointed" by the comments.

On Tuesday, the government outlined its plans to effectively ban anyone arriving via an illegal route from claiming asylum in the UK.

Anyone found to have entered the country illegally will also be blocked from returning or claiming British citizenship in future.

The measure is part of attempts to address an increase in the number of people arriving in the UK via Channel crossings each year, which rose from around 300 in 2018 to more than 45,000 in 2022.

Responding to a video message setting out the policy by Ms Braverman, Lineker tweeted: "Good heavens, this is beyond awful."

Told by another user he was "out of order", he added: "We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries.

"This is just an immeasurably cruel policy directed at the most vulnerable people in language that is not dissimilar to that used by Germany in the 30s, and I'm out of order?"

It is not clear which language in particular Lineker was referring to, but Ms Braverman's video and accompanying tweet included the words "enough is enough" and "we must stop the boats".

Following the comments, the home secretary told BBC One's Breakfast: "I'm disappointed, obviously. I think it's unhelpful to compare our measures, which are lawful, proportionate and - indeed - compassionate, to 1930s Germany. I also think that we are on the side of the British people here."

The decade saw the rise to power of the Nazi party in Germany and persecution of Jewish people, leading to the Second World War.

Lineker, who has presented Match of the Day since 1999, is the BBC's highest paid star, having earned about £1.35m in 2020-21.

He has in the past been vocal about migrants' rights and has taken refugees into his home. He has also been critical of successive Conservative governments over issues including Brexit.

In October, the BBC's complaints unit found Lineker had broken impartiality rules in a tweet asking whether the Conservative Party planned to "hand back their donations from Russian donors".

The comment came after the then Foreign Secretary Liz Truss urged Premier League teams to boycott the Champions League final in Russia over the invasion of Ukraine.

In 2018, after BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew called on him to "keep your political views... to yourself", Lineker responded: "I'm the face of my own Twitter account. I'll continue to tweet what I like and if folk disagree with me then so be it."

The furore surrounding Lineker's latest remarks put pressure on the BBC, with director general Tim Davie having made impartiality a cornerstone of his leadership.

The broadcaster's editorial guidelines state that the organisation is "committed to achieving due impartiality in all its output" and that "public comments, for example on social media, of staff [or] presenters... can affect perceptions of the BBC's impartiality".

Mr Davie said he had not spoken to Lineker.

Asked about how many "strikes" the presenter has had over social media posts, he said: "I wouldn't talk specifically about individuals, I don't think it's right.

"I think the BBC absolutely puts the highest value on impartiality and that's clearly important to us."

Conservative Party deputy chairman Lee Anderson said Lineker was "out of touch" and should stick to football.

Writing on Twitter following Lineker's comments on Tuesday, he said the presenter had "piped up again with his virtue-signalling nonsense".

"This is just another example of how out of touch these overpaid stars are with the voting public," he said. "Instead of lecturing, Mr Lineker should stick to reading out the football scores and flogging crisps."

Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay said Lineker's comments were "foul, ill-conceived and disgraceful" and called on the BBC to sack him.

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper told BBC Radio 4's Today programme she did not agree with the comment, adding it is "entirely" a matter for the BBC when asked whether it should take significant action against him.

She continued: "He's somebody that's spoken out very strongly on lots of different issues, and people who feel strongly should be able to speak out and say the things that they feel."

A spokesperson for the corporation said: "The BBC has social media guidance, which is published. Individuals who work for us are aware of their responsibilities relating to social media. We have appropriate internal processes in place if required.

"We would expect Gary to be spoken to and reminded of his responsibilities."

The corporation has also responded to previous criticism of Lineker by highlighting that he is not involved in its news or political output and is a freelance broadcaster, not a member of staff.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64883655

[Jimbuna]

Here we go again! Macron to spark fresh UK-France row by rejecting small boat return plan

Emmanuel Macron is poised to throw out Rishi Sunak's plan to return small boats to France, ahead of a meeting between the two leaders this weekend. The Prime Minister will travel to Paris tomorrow for the Anglo-French summit, in which they will discuss small boats, Brexit and defence.

It is thought Mr Sunak hopes to secure a long-term deal with the EU country to return illegal immigrants who cross the English Channel.

In return, Britain would accept refugees from the EU.

But the prospect of such an agreement has been played down by Government officials, with sources telling the Times that it would require EU-wide agreement.

Instead, the focus is expected to be placed on a new deal to increase police patrols on French beaches.

An EU diplomat told the Times: "Why would Macron take back Brexit Britain's returns when other EU members, like Italy, are not following the Europe rules? It will not happen."

Mr Macron is understood to be demanding annual payments from Britain in order to put "boots on the ground" on the beaches of northern France.

The UK has paid France at least £232million in one-off payments since 2014, the latest of which was in November when Braverman agreed to a £62million deal with her French counterpart to increase patrols by 40 percent.

Speaking ahead of the Anglo-French summit taking place this weekend, an Elysée source said: "We're trying to agree with our British counterparts a multi-annual financing framework that would allow us to better plan our actions and increase our human resources, equipment and infrastructure."

Another French official defended France's response to the issue so far, saying: "We already have a lot of boots on the ground. Being effective in our response necessitates much more than more police on the beaches of Pas-de-Calais."

Last year, 45,728 migrants arrived in the UK on small boats, up from 299 in 2018, during which time Britain paid France more than £193million.

Yesterday, the Home Secretary introduced new legislation to stop the small boats crisis once and for all by deporting tens of thousands of people entering the UK illegally.

The new legislation will stop asylum, modern slavery, and human rights laws being used by migrants who have breached Britain's borders.

In her statement to the Commons, Ms Braverman warned that "patience has run out" adding that the "law-abiding patriotic majority have said enough is enough".

The Prime Minister is under mounting pressure from Tory MPs who have questioned the value for money of previous deals with France.

Tim Loughton, Tory MP for East Worthing and Shoreham, accused the Government of failing to get value for money.

He said: "The British taxpayer has generously subsidised the French police for several years now over which time we have seen a substantial increase in the numbers successfully evading their measures.

"The real issue is that the French police will not arrest those migrants they intercept on the beaches so they are back again the following night with a new boat to try again. They only have to get lucky once.

"Similarly they will not intercept the boats in the water and return the passengers to French beaches or allow our Border Force to land them at Calais rather than Dover.

"This would genuinely kill off the vile and dangerous trade at source and we should not be transferring more funds to France until they are prepared to discuss these preventative measures."

Former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith echoed this, asking: "Are we subsidising them for something they should be doing anyway themselves?

"I don't mind if we get value for money on it. The problem is I haven't seen any evidence of value for money."

He added: "Are they using drones, which they should be doing?

"They keep saying you can't patrol every beach. But a drone with night vision can.

"How much are they using our money to invest in that sort of technology?"

Conservative MP for Stoke-on-Trent North told the Times: "I'm not surprised to hear the French are demanding more of the hardworking British taxpayers' money yet again to do their job for them.

"The French should be willing to stump up their own cash to prevent people travelling through France up to their northern coastline to try and illegally enter the UK."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/uknew...2cde4144&ei=15

[Jimbuna]

Small boats: Sensible to give France cash to stop crossings, says PM

Spending more money with France to stop small boat crossings is a "sensible investment", Rishi Sunak has said during an Anglo-French summit in Paris.

The PM has met French President Emmanuel Macron and the two men are holding a news conference later.

Speaking ahead of their meeting, Mr Sunak said giving France £63m a year to boost policing on its beaches was yielding benefits for the UK.

He argued it was better than paying to house migrants in the UK.

"I think everyone knows that we are spending £5.5m a day plus on hotels - we would rather not do that, and the best way to stop that is to stop people coming in the first place," he said.

The UK government hopes to use the summit to boost UK-French efforts to stop migrants crossing the English Channel.

But the two countries are not expected to reach a deal on returning migrants arriving in the UK to France.

The French government is thought to prefer a deal between the UK and the European Union, something of a frustration to British diplomats who would like to see quicker action.

"We want a EU-UK returns agreement and will push that forward," the prime minister's spokesman said.

"But it is equally important that there is work on the ground right now to stop the crossings we are seeing even in these winter months."

A French government source said: "At this stage, and due to Brexit, there is no readmission agreement between France and the United Kingdom."

Labour said the absence of a new agreement to return migrants to France was a "total failure".

The conflict in Ukraine, nuclear power and renewable energy are also on the agenda for the summit.

Mr Sunak also said he was planning to talk to the French president about relations with China, ahead of Mr Macron's visit to the country.

The prime minister met Mr Macron at the Elysee Palace on Friday morning and the two men are now taking part in a roundtable discussion with French and British companies.

Mr Sunak is being accompanied on his trip by Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, Home Secretary Suella Braverman and Environment Secretary Therese Coffey.

The summit comes in the week Mr Sunak unveiled his plans to deter people from making the channel crossing in small boats.

Under the plans, anyone found to have entered the UK illegally would not only be removed within 28 days, but also be blocked from returning or claiming British citizenship in future.

Those arriving on the UK's beaches would either be returned to their home country, or another "safe third country" like Rwanda.

The British government feels the relationship with their opposite numbers in Paris on this issue has improved significantly in the last couple of years.

But Downing Street's desire "to make the small boat route across the Channel unviable" is a bold ambition - especially given that the numbers proving it to be the opposite have continued to rocket.

More than 45,000 people entered the UK via Channel crossings last year, up from about 300 in 2018.

So far this year, around 3,000 people have arrived on small boats, but the two governments claim their joint work has stopped a similar number from embarking on the journey.

An announcement on deepening co-operation on the issue is expected, rather than a big breakthrough.

The joint work the two countries do on this issue remains politically sensitive, as our Europe editor Katya Adler writes here.

Officials point out that both the UK and France are nuclear powers, members of the G7, G20 and the Nato defence alliance and permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Brexit has been something of a stone in the shoe of the relationship between the UK and France in recent years.

But diplomats believe the deal between the UK and the European Union on Brexit arrangements in Northern Ireland creates a much better atmosphere between the two countries.

It is a month of particularly intense activity between the two countries - as King Charles and the Queen Consort will be in France in a few weeks.

Next year marks the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, which put an end to centuries of rivalry between the two countries.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-64909510

[Jimbuna]

Liz Truss allies say ex-PM vindicated as report says Hunt has £97bn to make tax cuts

Jacob Rees-Mogg and allies of Liz Truss have claimed that she has been vindicated by a new report which suggests Jeremy Hunt could make almost £100 billion in tax cuts in his Budget and still meet his main economic objectives in paying off debt. The report by the NIESR has also seen renewed criticism of the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR), whose findings undermined Ms Truss's economic plan before her downfall.

In its findings, the NIESR report stated: "A combination of higher revenue and lower spending, together with the more favourable outlook for GDP and interest rates, means that the Chancellor has a large amount of fiscal space ahead of his budget on 15 March.

"We estimate this to be £166.0 billion (5.1 percent of GDP) for his deficit target and £97.5 billion (2.9 per cent of GDP) for his debt target."

The conclusions will fuel demands by Tory MPs that Mr Hunt abandons a 6p increase in the Corporation Tax rate taking it to 25p in the £1 above Britain's competitors in Europe.

He will also be under pressure to find other tax cuts and avoid further increases in items like fuel duty which would hit people in the pocket during the cost of living crisis.

Yesterday 45 MPs, mostly Conservative, attended the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on fair fuel to show their support to a campaign opposing a proposed 14p hike in fuel duty.

But the NIESR report has also led to claims that Ms Truss may have been right over the high growth, tax cutting economic policy which saw her forced out after just 49 days.

One of the criticisms at the time was a decision not to run the mini Budget by the OBR's whose subsequent forcasts were critical of her policies.

On seeing the NIESR report, a source close to Ms Truss said: "What does that tell you about the accuracy of the figures produced by the OBR which everyone takes as gospel and which were used to box in her and Kwasi [Kwarteng] as to what they could do in the mini Budget?"

Jacob Rees-Mogg, who was Ms Truss's Business Secretary, also was critical of the OBR after seeing the NIESR estimates.

He also pointed out that inflation has in the short term helped bring down government debt.

He said: "This is an important study which shows how inflation helps the government's finances in the short term.

"It also exposes the limitations of the error prone OBR whose baleful inference is doing so much damage to the UK economy."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/othe...3f7f57a5&ei=16

[Catfish]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Small boats: Sensible to give France cash to stop crossings, says PM
[...]
Spending more money with France to stop small boat crossings is a "sensible investment", Rishi Sunak has said during an Anglo-French summit in Paris.

Telegraph wrote:
"BBC urged to sack Gary Lineker after ‘Nazi’ migrant jibe
Tory MPs rebuke presenter for comparing crackdown on Channel boats to evil regime.
Gary Lineker said: ‘We take far fewer refugees than other major European countries’ CREDIT: Simon Stacpoole/Offside
Conservative MPs on Tuesday night demanded the BBC take action against Gary Lineker after the corporation’s highest-paid presenter compared the government’s migration policy to Nazi Germany."

"Fact is 1933's Germany took in about 100k Jewish-only undocumented and illegal refugees fleeing Poland and Russia."

https://journey.holocaust.org.uk/top...1930s-germany/

"More Jewish refugees than the UK took in of all ethnicities combined in 2022.
Another fact is that 1930's Germany had the British King as an ally, was considered a "partner" and so much more."

2022/23 UK is attacking all refugees as "invaders" and all those who dare speak up as "invalids" that must be cancelled or burned at the stake. Orwellian dystopy coming true