Tag: Liam Fox

Those close to the Labour side have expressed surprise the talks have centred on persuading the opposition of the benefits of May’s negotiated deal, with extra involvement for parliament on the next phase of the deal. His comments suggest he would be unable to remain in the cabinet if May were to agree to a customs union. The political declaration, unlike the withdrawal agreement, can be reopened by the EU. But it is non-binding, even if May can be persuaded to include a permanent customs union and a hard Brexiter successor like Boris Johnson could disregard it. It has been suggested that the the prime minister would offer to rewrite the government’s withdrawal bill to enshrine any agreed customs arrangement in domestic law. However, senior Labour figures believe the protections in that amendment are relatively weak. However, there may be scope for the prime minister to offer a free vote in parliament on a confirmatory referendum if a deal is reached with Labour. Labour and trade unions have suggested the protections so far are insufficient and could be easily unpicked by future governments. It has called for full dynamic alignment of workers’ rights where new protections are automatically adopted – a demand understood to be under serious consideration. Environmental protections Gove has joined the talks on Tuesday with environmental protections and consumer standards likely to be on the table for discussions.

Liam Fox has indicated the government could ignore MPs’ views from indicative Brexit votes this week if parliament’s stated choice goes against the Conservative manifesto, insisting the real choice is still between Theresa May’s deal and no deal. The international trade secretary dismissed calls for May to be ousted, or for the prime minister to offer to resign in return for her Brexit plan being passed, as suggested to her by Tory Brexiters on Sunday. The real debate is about our future relationship with the European Union once we’ve left.” Later on Monday, after May has updated the Commons on last week’s Brussels summit, MPs will have a chance to vote for an amendment seeking to reserve Wednesday’s Commons business for a series of non-binding indicative votes on various Brexit options. I was also elected on a manifesto that specifically said no single market and no customs union. The number one constraint is that we contracted out parliament’s sovereignty on the issue of the European Union to the people.” MPs should instead, Fox said, focus on passing May’s deal at the third time of asking or else risk no deal or a further Brexit delay necessitating the UK taking part in European elections. Read more The chances of May’s deal being passed appeared to grow even more distant after a summit on Sunday at her Chequers country retreat, with Boris Johnson and other leading hard-Brexiters leaving without agreement. Tory rebels present said the prime minister repeated “all the same lines” about her deal and that nothing new emerged during the three-hour meeting, at which Jacob Rees-Mogg, Iain Duncan Smith and Dominic Raab were also present. “Clearly a number of people do not want the prime minister anywhere near the next phase of negotiations, which is the future trading relationship between ourselves and the EU,” he told Today. Oliver Letwin, the Conservative former minister who is among those who have led the amendment on the indicative votes, now signed by more than 120 MPs, told Today it could take several rounds of voting to find a consensus. The prime minister, the only woman present, also invited her effective deputy, Lidington, and the environment secretary, Gove, plus Julian Smith, the chief whip, and Brandon Lewis, the Conservative party chairman.

The US should join the back of a queue for a post-Brexit trade deal if it thinks its “woefully inadequate” and “backward” animal welfare and food safety standards will be accepted in Britain, the former farming minister George Eustice has said. Eustice, a leading Brexit supporter who resigned from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs last week, said signing any deal that allowed a reduction in food standards would be a mistake, as it could “give free trade a bad name”. The issue is a contentious one within the UK government as Michael Gove, the environment secretary, has insisted food and welfare standards will be maintained, but Liam Fox, the trade secretary, has defended the safety of chlorine-washed chicken. “Their livestock sectors often suffer from poor husbandry which leads to more prevalence of disease and a greater reliance on the use of antibiotics,” he said. “Whereas we have a ‘farm to fork’ approach to managing disease and contamination risk throughout the supply chain through good husbandry, the culture in the US is more inclined to simply treat contamination of their meat at the end with a chlorine or similar wash.” He said the situation in relation to animal welfare was even worse, as “legislation as regards animal welfare is woefully deficient”. Food fight: doubts grow over post-Brexit standards Read more “There are some regulations governing slaughterhouses but they are not as comprehensive as ours,” he said. “If the Americans want to be granted privileged access to the UK market, then they will have to learn to abide by British law and British standards, or they can kiss goodbye to any trade deal and join the back of the queue,” he said. Johnson, who has been ambassador since 2017, set out the US position on a post-Brexit trade deal in the Telegraph last week, saying it was a myth that chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-pumped beef were bad. “You have been presented with a false choice,” he wrote. Inflammatory and misleading terms like ‘chlorinated chicken’ and ‘hormone beef’ are deployed to cast American farming in the worst possible light.” Johnson described using chlorine to wash chicken as a “public safety no-brainer” and insisted it was the most effective and economical way of dealing with “potentially lethal” bacteria.

Mrs May has promised MPs a vote on her deal on or before 12 March. Tory MP Bone denies Brexiteers are split Minister quits over Brexit delay vote Brexit: A really simple guide They say it is up to to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who is in talks with the EU, how he achieves an exit mechanism from the backstop. He also sought to allay the fears of Brexit-backing Tories that Mrs May's offer to MPs of a vote on delaying the UK's departure - if her deal does not get through Parliament - could scupper Brexit. The UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March, with or without a deal. Mrs May believes the majority of the MPs who voted against her deal - including 118 Conservatives - would back it if she managed to secure changes that would prevent the UK being tied to EU customs rules indefinitely. She has promised MPs another vote on her deal by 12 March - and if that fails, she says MPs will get a vote on whether the UK should leave without a deal, and then, by 14 March, a vote on whether Brexit should be postponed for a short period. Some Tory MPs would prefer to see the UK leave without a deal, rather than the PM's deal, even with changes. 'Improved deal' Mrs May could find herself relying on the votes of Labour MPs from Leave-voting parts of the country, who are in favour of Brexit but want guarantees from the PM that workers' rights will not fall behind the EU after Britain's departure. She said as many as 30 Labour MPs felt the same way, with even more against another EU referendum. PM might think she has a chance Imagine Theresa May sitting with a calculator - trying to figure out if she has any prospect of winning the vote on a new deal she's promised in the next nine days.

"there's Conservatives as well, it's not just the Labour Party. I think as of now they are basically working with us to stop Brexit, to try and get a People's Vote. Liam Fox: To extend because we don't have an agreement is not acceptable Dr Fox said there should not be an extension to Article 50 simply because there wasn't a deal on the table with the EU. 'A no deal Brexit is an uncertainty that is completely unacceptable for all sorts of people' - Shadow Attorney General Shami Chakrabarti reacts to Nissan cancelling plans to build a new model in Sunderland.#Ridge For more, head here: https://t.co/KxKLJs9ljT pic.twitter.com/i4BpO9OPm8 — Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) February 3, 2019 Liam Fox: Ireland must negotiate Earlier in the show, Liam Fox spoke to Sophy Ridge about the ongoing discussions and the issue of the hard border on the island of Ireland. 'Agriculture and food is always the last chapter in any trade deal to be agreed' - National Farmers' Union president @Minette_Batters says agriculture has to be part of any free trade agreement with the EU. Minette Batters: No-deal is huge for every single person 'Post-Brexit we could have been producing much more of our fruit and veg at home' - National Farmers' Union president @Minette_Batters says farmers reliance on seasonal workers has been put in jeopardy by Brexit. "We would see a long term future of bringing cheap food in. Liam Fox: MPs might have a tough time keeping seats Dr Fox told Sophy Ridge: "Theresa May has negotiated not only with Brussels but her own party. Those who were elected on it and don't carry it through will have a difficult time in the next election and I think they deserve it." Vince Cable on the potential plot for a new party Liam Fox: Talks will continue He said: "We continue to talk to European partners to get an agreement, and as quickly as possible.