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| Brexit: Johnson to tell EU chief that trade deal won't be based on 'alignment' - live news | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn at the first PMQs of 2020 | Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Boris Johnson and Jeremy Corbyn at the first PMQs of 2020 |
| In an interview this morning Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, rejected claims that Boris Johnson should have taken a higher public profile over the Iran crisis. Although No 10 has issued statements, Johnson has not been speaking about it in public, and yesterday he got Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, to give an oral statement to the Commons on the subject, instead of doing it himself. But Barclay said it was not fair to say Johnson had been absent. He said: | |
| According to Annabelle Dickson at Politico Europe, Johnson is deliberately keeping a low profile on this issue. In her story she says: | |
| Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has caught up with yesterday’s news that the government is looking for a career civil servant to replace Sir Kim Darroch as ambassador to Washington. Farage used to claim that he did not want the job himself, despite Donald Trump once saying he would be ideal for the role, but judging from this tweet, perhaps he was still hoping that he, or one of his Brexit party chums, would get the call. | Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has caught up with yesterday’s news that the government is looking for a career civil servant to replace Sir Kim Darroch as ambassador to Washington. Farage used to claim that he did not want the job himself, despite Donald Trump once saying he would be ideal for the role, but judging from this tweet, perhaps he was still hoping that he, or one of his Brexit party chums, would get the call. |
| Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has been giving interviews this morning (although not to the BBC’s Today programme, which is still subject to a No 10 boycott for reasons that have never been properly explained by Downing Street). Judging by the interviews I did hear, Today didn’t miss much, but Barclay did use a new argument to justify the government’s claim that it will be possible to conclude a trade deal with the EU by the end of 2020. | Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, has been giving interviews this morning (although not to the BBC’s Today programme, which is still subject to a No 10 boycott for reasons that have never been properly explained by Downing Street). Judging by the interviews I did hear, Today didn’t miss much, but Barclay did use a new argument to justify the government’s claim that it will be possible to conclude a trade deal with the EU by the end of 2020. |
| This is what he told Radio 5 Live: | This is what he told Radio 5 Live: |
| Barclay is right about the EU (withdrawal agreement) bill debate taking much less time than expected yesterday. Eight hours had been set aside for the first day of the committee stage debate. Yet MPs started voting after less than three and a half hours of debate. | Barclay is right about the EU (withdrawal agreement) bill debate taking much less time than expected yesterday. Eight hours had been set aside for the first day of the committee stage debate. Yet MPs started voting after less than three and a half hours of debate. |
| There were three divisions but the government won them all, with majorities of 90, 86 and 92 respectively. The era of knife-edge Brexit votes is well and truly behind us. | There were three divisions but the government won them all, with majorities of 90, 86 and 92 respectively. The era of knife-edge Brexit votes is well and truly behind us. |
| The BBC’s Europe editor, Katya Adler, has posted a helpful thread on Twitter about the talks between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen in Downing Street today. It starts here. | The BBC’s Europe editor, Katya Adler, has posted a helpful thread on Twitter about the talks between Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen in Downing Street today. It starts here. |
| It is worth reading the thread in full (just click on the link above), but here is a key assessment. | It is worth reading the thread in full (just click on the link above), but here is a key assessment. |
| One of Boris Johnson’s ambitions for 2020, apparently, is to turn Brexit into a story for the business pages and not the front pages (assuming he fails in his reported ambition to get people to stop using the word altogether). You might think some of the Brexiters have concluded that the whole process hasn’t been quite the triumph that some of them were predicting in 2016. But it would be surprising if the UK-EU trade negotiating taking place this year does not end up being a front page story and, although that negotiation is not starting today, there will be an important landmark in the process when Boris Johnson holds his first meeting with the new president of the European commission, the former German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen. They will meet in Downing Street this afternoon, a few hours after Von der Leyen delivers a lecture on the UK-EU relationship at the LSE. | One of Boris Johnson’s ambitions for 2020, apparently, is to turn Brexit into a story for the business pages and not the front pages (assuming he fails in his reported ambition to get people to stop using the word altogether). You might think some of the Brexiters have concluded that the whole process hasn’t been quite the triumph that some of them were predicting in 2016. But it would be surprising if the UK-EU trade negotiating taking place this year does not end up being a front page story and, although that negotiation is not starting today, there will be an important landmark in the process when Boris Johnson holds his first meeting with the new president of the European commission, the former German defence minister Ursula von der Leyen. They will meet in Downing Street this afternoon, a few hours after Von der Leyen delivers a lecture on the UK-EU relationship at the LSE. |
| According to Downing Street, Johnson will tell Von der Leyen that he is firmly committed to wrapping up the negotiation this year (which many experts think is unrealistic), that he is firmly opposed to extending the post-Brexit transition period and that the new deal will not be based on “alignment” with EU rules. In a statement last night Downing Street said: | According to Downing Street, Johnson will tell Von der Leyen that he is firmly committed to wrapping up the negotiation this year (which many experts think is unrealistic), that he is firmly opposed to extending the post-Brexit transition period and that the new deal will not be based on “alignment” with EU rules. In a statement last night Downing Street said: |
| As my colleague Jennifer Rankin reports, Von der Leyen is expected to tell Johnson that this might not be as beneficial for the UK as he thinks. | As my colleague Jennifer Rankin reports, Von der Leyen is expected to tell Johnson that this might not be as beneficial for the UK as he thinks. |
| Von der Leyen and Johnson will not be holding a press conference, and so it is not clear quite how much we will learn about what gets said at their meeting, but I will be covering everything that does emerge in full. | Von der Leyen and Johnson will not be holding a press conference, and so it is not clear quite how much we will learn about what gets said at their meeting, but I will be covering everything that does emerge in full. |
| Here is the agenda for the day. | Here is the agenda for the day. |
| 10am: Candidates for the Labour party deputy leadership take part in a private hustings for Labour MPs in the Commons. | 10am: Candidates for the Labour party deputy leadership take part in a private hustings for Labour MPs in the Commons. |
| 10am: MPs start voting in a ballot to elect two deputy Speakers. These two posts are both for Conservative MPs, and there are five candidates. | 10am: MPs start voting in a ballot to elect two deputy Speakers. These two posts are both for Conservative MPs, and there are five candidates. |
| 11.15am: Ursula von der Leyen, the European commission president, gives a speech at the LSE in London entitled “Old Friends, New Beginnings: building another future for the EU-UK partnership.” | |
| 12pm: Boris Johnson faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs. | 12pm: Boris Johnson faces Jeremy Corbyn at PMQs. |
| After 12.30pm: MPs resume their debate on the EU (withdrawal agreement) bill. | After 12.30pm: MPs resume their debate on the EU (withdrawal agreement) bill. |
| 3.30pm: Von der Leyen meets Johnson in Downing Street. | 3.30pm: Von der Leyen meets Johnson in Downing Street. |
| The Iran crisis is likely to come up at PMQs, and of course I will be covering what gets said there, but generally I will be leaving coverage of developments in this story to our separate live blog, which you can read here. | The Iran crisis is likely to come up at PMQs, and of course I will be covering what gets said there, but generally I will be leaving coverage of developments in this story to our separate live blog, which you can read here. |
| As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary when I wrap up. | As usual, I will be covering breaking political news as it happens, as well as bringing you the best reaction, comment and analysis from the web. I plan to post a summary when I wrap up. |
| You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. | You can read all the latest Guardian politics articles here. Here is the Politico Europe roundup of this morning’s political news. And here is the PoliticsHome list of today’s top 10 must-reads. |
| If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. | If you want to follow me or contact me on Twitter, I’m on @AndrewSparrow. |
| I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. | I try to monitor the comments below the line (BTL) but it is impossible to read them all. If you have a direct question, do include “Andrew” in it somewhere and I’m more likely to find it. I do try to answer questions, and if they are of general interest, I will post the question and reply above the line (ATL), although I can’t promise to do this for everyone. |
| If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. | If you want to attract my attention quickly, it is probably better to use Twitter. |