Northern Ireland protocol – live: Boris Johnson booed as he arrives for Belfast talks

Boris Johnson was booed by protesters as his car arrived for Brexit protocol talks with political leaders at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland.

Demonstrators held placards reading “Back of Boris! Protect the protocol” as the prime minister’s motorcade swept into the official government residence.

Mr Johnson is meeting with the leaders of the five main parties to discuss potential changes to the post-Brexit trading arrangements.

Earlier, business leaders urged him to pull back from radical unilateral action to ditch protocol checks.

Mr Johnson has said the UK will have a “necessity to act” if the EU is unwilling to drop checks on goods coming from Britain into Northern Ireland.

Ministers are reportedly ready to table legislation as early as this week to override the protocol – despite EU warnings that such a move would violate the Brexit treaty and could spark a trade war.

Key points

• PM booed as he arrives at Hillsborough Castle

• NI businesses warn PM against unilateral action

• Boris Johnson confirms UK will set out NI protocol plans this week

• PM expected to hold talks with NI leaders

• UK calls for EU to show flexibility in resolving NI protocol standoff

• Priti Patel lifts restrictions on police stop-and-search powers

04:55 , Namita Singh

Welcome to The Independent’s UK politics live blog for Monday, 16 May 2022.

Boris Johnson confirms UK will set out NI protocol plans this week

05:16 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson has confirmed the government will this week set out plans expected to allow ministers to unilaterally scrap part of his Brexit deal.

The prime minister said more details would be released “in the coming days”, despite warnings they could trigger a trade war with the European Union, in an editorial in the Belfast Telegraph newspaper.

Ministers are engaged in a standoff with the European Union over the Northern Ireland protocol.

Mr Johnson’s government signed up to the agreement, which is designed to protect the EU’s single market.

But ministers warn the deal threatens the Northern Ireland peace process by putting a border down the Irish Sea and introducing checks on goods coming from other parts of the UK.

Read the full story from our Whitehall editor, Kate Devlin:

Boris Johnson confirms UK will set out NI protocol plans this week

PM expected to hold talks with NI leaders

05:26 , Namita Singh

Boris Johnson is expected to hold emergency talks with Northern Ireland’s political leaders in a bid to break the deadlock over post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The PM’s visit comes amid heightened tensions between the UK and EU over the prospect of him moving forward with a plan aimed at unilaterally scrapping parts of the deal creating economic barriers between the region and the rest of the UK.

Brussels has made it clear that Westminster’s attempt to override elements of the protocol by way of domestic legislation would represent a breach of international law.

Mr Johnson has said the UK will have a “necessity to act” if the EU is unwilling to reach a compromise, though he stressed that the government is open to “genuine dialogue” with the European Commission over the protocol.

Read the details here:

Boris Johnson to hold talks in bid to break Stormont deadlock

UK calls for EU to show flexibility in resolving NI protocol standoff

05:39 , Namita Singh

The EU must display the same flexibility it has shown during the Ukraine crisis to resolve the standoff over the Northern Ireland protocol, government sources have said, just days before the row is set to come to a head.

Sources told The Independent that the bloc had shown enormous agility when it took in huge numbers of people almost overnight after Russia invaded Ukraine.

But they added that the UK would be forced to act if some of the same flexibility and creativity were not applied in relation to the protocol, which ministers insist is threatening the Belfast peace process.

Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

UK calls on EU to show same flexibility on NI protocol as it offered to Ukraine

Priti Patel lifts restrictions on police stop-and-search powers

06:01 , Namita Singh

Priti Patel is lifting restrictions placed on police in the use of controversial stop-and-search powers as part of the government’s strategy to tackle violent crime.

The new measures will see officers able to stop people without suspicion in areas where serious violence “may” occur, rather than “will” occur, a loosening of the guidelines which the government claims will help prevent knife crime.

In a letter sent to police forces on Monday, the home secretary will set out how restrictions on section 60 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act, which have limited when officers could use stop and search and have been in place since 2014, will be removed.

Ms Patel’s initial plan to remove restrictions placed on section 60 searches was met with criticism, leading her to backtrack on the plan, although she is now pressing ahead with it.

Zaina Alibhai reports:

Priti Patel makes it easier for police to use stop and search

Sturgeon to warn of ‘catastrophic’ consequences of failure on Cop commitments

06:14 , Namita Singh

Failure to meet the targets agreed at the Cop26 summit in Glasgow could have “catastophic” consequences, Nicola Sturgeon will warn.

Six months on from the global conference, the First Minister will speak about environmental issues as she addresses the Brookings Institution in Washington DC during a trip to the US.

She will stress that world leaders must prioritise an “approach to energy security that focusses on sustainability”, with measures to promote greater energy efficiency and need to move towards renewable and low-carbon power.

“Six months on from Cop26, the world looks very different but many of the challenges we faced then remain,” she will say.

Nicola Sturgeon

Read the details here:

Sturgeon to warn of ‘catastrophic’ consequences of failure on Cop commitments

Post-Brexit financial ‘competitiveness’ could spark race to the bottom, warn experts

06:25 , Namita Singh

The UK’s post-Brexit focus on helping the financial sector could spark a harmful race to the bottom and undermine the government’s levelling up plans, a former minister and academics have warned.

In an open letter to the chancellor, the former business secretary Sir Vince Cable and other expressed scepticism about the new plans.

“We are writing to express our concern about proposals for the UK’s Financial Services Future Regulatory Framework (FRF) to give regulators statutory objectives to promote competitiveness after Brexit,” the letter reads.

Read more about the letter in this report:

Post-Brexit financial ‘competitiveness’ could spark race to the bottom – experts

Margaret Thatcher statue egged within hours of going up

06:35 , Namita Singh

A statue of Margaret Thatcher was egged less than two hours after being installed in her home town of Grantham.

Onlookers voiced their disapproval of the new memorial to the divisive former prime minister, with several motorists booing loudly as they drove past. One man shouted “Tear it down” while another said “This is no good for Grantham, is it?”

The £300,000 statue was lowered into place in the Lincolnshire town on Sunday, after plans to put it in Parliament Square in London were opposed because of fears it would be vandalised.

My colleague Liam James reports:

Margaret Thatcher statue egged within hours of going up

Jeremy Hunt declines to call Boris Johnson an honest man

06:48 , Namita Singh

Former Conservative minister Jeremy Hunt has declined to say that Boris Johnson is an honest man in the wake of the Partygate scandal.

Mr Hunt was asked the question by Sophie Raworth on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme.

In response, he twice replied that “talking about personalities is not a helpful thing to do”, despite being told by Ms Raworth that it was a “simple question”.

On the issue of whether Mr Johnson was the best person for the job, Mr Hunt said: “I hope he can turn things around.”

He did say, however, that he thought that Tory MPs should support the prime minister “in the situation we are now in” with the war in Ukraine.

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has the details:

Jeremy Hunt declines to say Boris Johnson is an honest man following partygate

Priti Patel overrode legal advice in asylum cases, leading to record costs

07:00 , Namita Singh

Priti Patel has repeatedly overridden Home Office legal advice on immigration and asylum cases, adding to record costs for the taxpayer, The Independent can reveal.

The department spent £35.2m on legal bills for lost cases and paid out a further £9.3m to people wrongly held in immigration detention in 2020-21.

The figures stand at their highest level since the Conservatives came to power, having rocketed from £17.1m and £2.2m respectively in five years.

Home Office sources told The Independent that Ms Patel and other Home Office ministers had rejected legal advice in individual cases on numerous occasions.

Legal experts had shown clear instances where “immediately settling cases offered best value to the taxpayer, and set best precedent for presenting future cases to the courts”, a Home Office source said.

Read the details in this exclusive by our correspondents Anna Isaac and Lizzie Dearden:

Priti Patel overrode legal advice in asylum cases, adding to record costs

Energy price cap ‘could change twice as often'

07:32 , Zoe Tidman

Energy regulator Ofgem has revealed plans that, if implemented, would see the price cap on bills changed twice as often.

The watchdog said it might change the price cap to update every three months, rather than every six.

Ofgem said this will help customers when wholesale gas prices fall from current peaks by passing on savings to households more rapidly.

PA

Ex-Northern Ireland secretary calls for ‘political deal’ with EU

08:02 , Zoe Tidman

Julian Smith, the former Northern Ireland secretary, has called on the UK to form a “political deal” with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Asked his thoughts on the UK government overriding elements of the protocol, the Tory MP urged the EU to “go the extra mile” and be flexible over any negotiation.

“I think my view would be to try to delay, to give space now to looking at what the EU could do to solve those practical issues. Business supports the protocol but there are major technical issues,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme.

“I think we do need the EU and UK negotiators to spend some positive time in a locked room and come up with a deal, we need a political deal, we need a fudge.”

PA

Minister’s suggestion at how to cope with cost-of-living crisis

08:10 , Zoe Tidman

Britons struggling with the cost-of-living crisis should consider taking on more hours at work or moving to a better-paid job, a minister in Boris Johnson’s government has said.

Adam Forrest reports:

Britons struggling with cost of living should get ‘better job’, says minister

Watch: Minister claims over better-paid jobs and cost-of-living crisis

08:24 , Zoe Tidman

Here is the clip from below:

‘I need another coffee’: Minister in a muddle over stop-and-search plan

08:48 , Zoe Tidman

A Home Office minister admitted she did not have the numbers to hand on her department’s stop-and-search changes as she appeared to muddle the amount of hours the powers could be extended for.

Home secretary Priti Patel has made permanent changes to Section 60 extending the length of time the extra searching powers can be in force from 15 to 24 hours.

Rachel Maclean, asked how long a Section 60 can be put in place for, told LBC: “I think the time is 12 hours.”

Told it was not 12 hours, but 24 under the changes, she replied: “Oh, forgive me, 24 hours. I need another coffee.”

Pressed further, she responded: “I think it is ... No, I’m being quite upfront with you, I haven’t got the paper in front of me, forgive me.”

Asked whether she thought she should know such information, she said: “I do know. But ... you’re doing a very good job of demonstrating that I don’t have the papers in front of me now.”

Northern Ireland protocol ‘not working in current format’, minister says

08:57 , Zoe Tidman

The Northern Ireland Protocol “isn’t working in its current format”, government minister Rachel Maclean also said this morning ahead of the PM’s visit.

“I think the key thing here is that the prime minister is going to Northern Ireland today because he recognises that the protocol needs to be reformed,” she told Times Radio.

“It isn’t working in its current format and we need to have the executive up and running, because that is how we will actually deal with those issues affecting businesses and the cost of living in Northern Ireland.”

Ireland’s foreign minister hopes for ‘message of willingness to work together’ on protocol issues

09:23 , Zoe Tidman

Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney acknowledged there were problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol and he hoped Boris Johnson’s visit to Belfast would be constructive.

Mr Coveney told reporters in Brussels: “The prime minister is in Northern Ireland today and I hope we’ll get a message of a willingness to work together to try to respond to these issues.

“There are real issues in relation to the implementation of the protocol that need the attention of both the UK and the EU working together to make sure that we can respond to concerns on the ground.”

Channel crossing hit 8,000 for the year

09:40 , Matt Mathers

More than 8,000 asylum seekers and migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel this year, figures show.

Since the start of 2022, 8,393 people have reached the UK after navigating busy shipping lanes from France in small boats, according to analysis of government data by the PA news agency.

This is more than double the number recorded for the same period in 2021 (3,112) and more than six times the amount recorded at this point in 2020 (1,340).

Crossings resumed this weekend, with more than 600 people arriving in Kent over two days, after four consecutive days last week without any taking place amid poor weather conditions.

Some 436 people made the crossing to the UK in nine boats on Sunday after 167 in 13 boats arrived on Sunday, according to Ministry of Defence (MoD) figures.

Minister: Civil servants ‘still delivering’ while working from home

09:55 , Matt Mathers

Home Office minister Rachel Maclean said civil servants are "working really hard" and that they "are still delivering" when working from home.

"A lot of them are back at work and we certainly have civil servants in the Home Office - when I go back there today, they will be back at their desks," the safeguarding minister told ITV's Good Morning Britain programme.

"I think the economy as a whole has moved to a more hybrid working pattern, I'm quite relaxed about that.

"I think it is for employers to consider how best to achieve their outcomes. It is actually about performance and delivery."

Asked whether she was "at odds" with government efficient minister Jacob Rees-Mogg on the issue of working from home, Ms Maclean said: "Not at all."

She added: "We've had a pandemic, things have changed, people work differently.

"If people work from home, it is incumbent on their managers and ministers, such as myself, to make sure they are still delivering. And actually, that's what we are seeing in the Home Office."

Partygate: Time to rethink fixed penalty notices, says Jacob Rees-Mogg

10:10 , Matt Mathers

Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for a rethink over the use of fixed penalty notice (FPN) fines handed out to Boris Johnson and Downing Street staff over the Partygate scandal.

The Brexit opportunities minister claimed that FPNs defy the British tradition of burden of proof – arguing that they assume “you’re guilty until you prove your innocence”.

Our politics reporter Adam Forrest has more details:

Jacob Rees-Mogg calls for rethink on fixed penalty notices after Partygate

Minister’s ‘get better job’ comments are ridiculous and out of touch, says Labour

10:25 , Matt Mathers

Labour MP Tulip Siddiq, shadow economic secretary to the Treasury, said minister Rachel Maclean’s comments advising people to get a better job show the government “could not be more out of touch or out of ideas”, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest, writes.

“As energy bills rise by record amounts for millions of families, comments like this are ridiculous – as is the prime minister’s refusal to back a windfall tax on oil and gas producer profits that could tackle the cost of living crisis.”

Wendy Chamberlain, the Liberal Democrats’ work and pensions spokesperson, said: “So the Conservatives’ answer to the cost-of-living emergency is that people should just earn more? This shows just how out of touch they truly are.”

Labour: Protocol solutions must satisfy both sides of the community

10:40 , Matt Mathers

Boris Johnson must find solutions to Brexit's Northern Ireland protocol that satisfy both nationalists and unionists, Labour has said.

Peter Kyle, the shadow Northern Ireland secretary, spoke to Sky News earlier ahead of the prime minister's visit to Belfast.

More comments below:

Liz Truss accused of turning back on world’s poorest with new ‘aid for trade’ plan

11:27 , Matt Mathers

Liz Truss has unveiled a major shake-up to link overseas aid to expanding trade, triggering accusations the UK is turning its back on the world’s poorest.

Our deputy politics editor Rob Merrick reports:

Liz Truss accused of turning back on world’s poorest with new ‘aid for trade’ plan

Northern Ireland business chiefs urge PM to pull back from plan to ditch protocol

11:29 , Matt Mathers

Business leaders in Northern Ireland have urged Boris Johnson to pull back from radical unilateral action to ditch protocol checks, as the prime minister heads to Belfast for crisis talks.

Our politics reporter Adam Forrest has the story:

Northern Ireland business chiefs urge PM to pull back from plan to ditch protocol

Sadiq Khan feels ‘incredibly safe’ despite Buffalo shooting

11:45 , Matt Mathers

London mayor Sadiq Khan has said he feels “incredibly safe” despite being named by Buffalo shooting suspect Payton Gendron on a list of enemies he wanted dead.

Gendron, 18, is accused of shooting dead 10 people at a supermarket in the US city on Saturday.

Mr Khan was reportedly described as a “Muslim invader” under a page entitled “Kill high profile enemies” in a 180-page manifesto published online by Gendron.

The London mayor told the PA news agency: “It’s heart-breaking to see 10 innocent people have lost their lives at the hands of this white supremacist, this terrorist. Others have been injured.

“My key response is to make sure that we respond by showing that our diversity is a strength, not a weakness.

“We’re not going to allow this terrorist or others like him to make us cower.”

TUC says minister’s remarks on better-paid jobs were ‘bit rich’

12:00 , Matt Mathers

Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, has responded to Home Office minister Rachel Maclean’s remarks on encouraging people to find better-paid work, our politics reporter, Adam Forrest, writes.

“Working people don’t need lectures – they need help. Millions are working flat out but are still struggling to cover the basics,” she said.

“It’s a bit rich for ministers to tell people to find better-paid work – especially when they have presided over an explosion of low-paid and insecure jobs.”

Struggling with the cost of living? The Tories think it’s all your own fault

12:15 , Joe Middleton

Rachel Maclean’s top tip for folks in poverty is to go out and get a better job, and if you can’t do that then beg your employer to let you work longer hours, writes Sean O’Grady.

Opinion: Struggling with the cost of living? The Tories think it’s all your own fault

John Rentoul to host ‘Ask Me Anything’ about the Northern Ireland protocol

12:30 , Joe Middleton

John Rentoul will be here to answer your questions about the Northern Ireland protocol on Tuesday.

If you have a question, submit it now, or when he joins live at 1pm on Tuesday 17 May for the “Ask Me Anything” event. To get involved all you have to do is register to submit your question in the comments below.

John Rentoul to host ‘Ask Me Anything’ about the Northern Ireland protocol

UK sees ‘sensible landing’ for EU negotiations on NI protocol

12:36 , Joe Middleton

The UK government sees a “sensible landing” for negotiations with the EU on the Northern Ireland protocol, No 10 said today.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Boris Johnson’s visit to Northern Ireland, the prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We have always sought to deal with this issue in a calm manner.

“That’s always been the approach we’ve taken when having negotiations with the EU or individual countries.

“That’s a view shared by both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary.

“We believe there is a sensible landing, as the Prime Minister said over the weekend, in which everyone’s interests are protected and we will keep that in mind as we set out next steps.”

Asked whether Brussels needed to “change its mandate”, the official said: “What we are clear about is the mandate given to (European Commission vice-president) Maros Sefcovic does not allow him to make the changes that we think are wholly necessary to protect peace and democracy in Northern Ireland.”

Partygate: Time to rethink fixed penalty notices, says Rees-Mogg

12:45 , Joe Middleton

Cabinet minister Jacob Rees-Mogg has called for a rethink over the use of fixed penalty notice (FPN) fines handed out to Boris Johnson and Downing Street staff over the Partygate scandal.

The Brexit opportunities minister claimed that FPNs defy the British tradition of burden of proof – arguing that they assume “you’re guilty until you prove your innocence”.

FPNs were first introduced under Margaret Thatcher’s government during the 1980s to deal with minor traffic offences, and have been used as an alternative to court prosecution.

Adam Forrest reports.

Jacob Rees-Mogg calls for rethink on fixed penalty notices after Partygate

NI protocol can be ‘superseded’ by future negotiations with EU, says No10

12:50 , Joe Middleton

The Northern Ireland protocol can be “superseded” by future negotiations between the UK and EU, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said.

Speaking to reporters, the spokesperson said: “We believe the protocol, as drafted, allows for further negotiations, improvements and enhancements to be made, to facilitate properly, to work properly for the long term.

“That’s what we want to do. We want significant changes to how the protocol is being enforced and we think there is sensible flexibility that was envisaged when it was drafted.

“As I say, we think there is a sensible landing spot within the protocol, and that’s what we want to see.”

Asked whether he was referring to Article 16 when mentioning how the protocol was “drafted”, the No 10 official replied: “No. I understand there is a lot of focus on that but it was Article 13.8 that saw parts of the protocol being superseded by future agreements between the UK and EU and allowing.

“The protocol at the time recognised that there would be further discussions to take place.”

‘Foolish’ PM heading for ‘full on collision’ with EU, says Sinn Fein

13:00 , Joe Middleton

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald condemned Boris Johnson over threats of unilateral action on the protocol and warned of a “full on collision” with the EU.

“It is very, very foolish of him, and reckless of him to pursue again the threat of unilateral action, to break international law and create a full on collision with the European institutions, with the government in Dublin and with the US administration,” she told the BBC.

The Sinn Fein leader also accused the UK government of choreography with the DUP over the latest crisis at Stormont.

“We believe strongly that the prime minister has given cover to Jeffrey Donaldson and his party and their antics of holding everything back, and we’ll be saying to him very clearly that that needs to stop,” she said.

Britons struggling with cost of living should get 'better job', says minister

13:15 , Joe Middleton

No 10: Rwanda plan will work as deterrent once ‘fully established’

13:20 , Matt Mathers

The government's plans to send migrants to Rwanda will deter Channel crossings when the policy is "fully established", Downing Street has claimed.

"Short-term, we will continue to see these crossings take place until this policy is fully established," the prime minister's official spokesman said.

The spokesman's comments came after figures showed more than 8,000 asylum seekers and migrants have arrived in the UK after crossing the English Channel this year.

This is more than double the number recorded for the same period in 2021 (3,112) and more than six times the amount recorded at this point in 2020 (1,340).

Asked if it was hoped to be a deterrent, the spokesman added: "We want to establish the policy in full and we believe that once fully established it will be successful in reversing some of this growing trend we have seen."

Tories 'thrashing' UK reputation as development 'superpower'

13:45 , Matt Mathers

The Liberal Democrats have accused the government of "trashing Britain's reputation as a development superpower" following the publication of the new international development strategy.

Layla Moran, the party's foreign affairs spokesperson, said: "The Conservative government is trying to run and hide from the devastating impact of their aid cuts.

"The callous decision to slash aid spending is so scarcely mentioned in the strategy it's like they're pretending it doesn't exist.

"The foreign secretary won't even appear before parliament to announce this new strategy, because she knows that she will face difficult questions on how this broken Conservative promise is harming the most vulnerable around the world."

Ms Moran added: "Development has been relegated from the cabinet table, the aid budget has been slashed, and the UK's proud reputation as a development superpower has been comprehensively trashed."

Starmer repeats pledge to quit if fined by police over ‘Beergate'

14:00 , Matt Mathers

Sir Keir Starmer has been quizzed on 'Beergate' in an appearance on ITV's This Morning, repeating his pledge to resign if Durham Police find he had broken Covid laws.

"I will do the right thing and step down - I've put everything on the line because i think that's the right thing to do. That's the complete opposite of the prime minister," he said.

Pressed on his call for Boris Johnson to resign [when Metropolitan Police first launched an investigation in January], he said: "By then we already knew there was industrial scale rule-breaking in Downing Street. We'd had so many examples, including the suitcase of booze coming in on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral."

"I haven't broken the rules. My instinct as soon as I knew that Durham had decided they were going to reopen its investigation, in my heart I knew what I was going to say, which is if I'm wrong, and they find I have broken the law, then I'll do the right thing and step down.

The Labour leader added :"I hope that isn't going to happen, I don't think it's going to happen, but I'm trying to make a bigger point here... trust in politics. The number of times I hear you're all the same - you won't do the right thing. I think trust is everything in politics.

"In the event I'm wrong and the police say I have done something wrong, then I will step down and do the honourable thing. I think it's very important to me to say that and I have said that."

Tory MP decides he wants benefits raised immediately after visit to food bank

14:15 , Matt Mathers

Conservative MP Michael Fabricant has called on chancellor Rishi Sunak to immediately raise benefits in line with inflation after he paid a visit to his local food bank.

Our politics reporter Adam Forrest has the story:

Tory MP wants benefits raised immediately after visit to food bank

No 10 defends minister’s ‘get a better paid job’ comments

14:30 , Matt Mathers

No 10 has defended Home Office minister Rachel Maclean after she suggested people struggling with the rising cost of living should consider taking on more hours at work or moving to a better-paid job

The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “The minister was clear in what she said, people’s individual circumstances will vary.

“That’s why we have a range of measures available to people, some are quite broad, changes to income tax, there’s also more tailored support like the doubling of the household support fund.

“So it will vary, the minister was clear, she said it was not going to work for people already working in three jobs, and that’s why we have the other measures we are putting in place.”

The spokesman added: “People’s individual circumstances will vary, there is no one-size-fits-all approach.

“This is a global issue caused by things like the pandemic and war in Ukraine. So individual circumstances will vary, there is a range of support for individuals depending on their circumstances.”

Priti Patel set to give herself more powers to ‘intervene’ in policing

14:47 , Matt Mathers

Priti Patel is attempting to give herself more powers to “intervene” in policing and ensure local forces are delivering the “government’s policing commitments”.

Planned changes to the Policing Protocol Order, which governs the relationship between the home secretary, chief constables, elected police commissioners and scrutiny panels, have sparked alarm.

Our home affairs editor Lizzie Dearden reports:

Priti Patel set to give herself more powers to ‘intervene’ in policing

Boris Johnson booed as he arrives for talks in NI

14:56 , Matt Mathers

Some protesters, including anti-Brexit activists, booed Boris Johnson as his car arrived at the gates of Hillsborough Castle just outside Belfast for talks with political leaders.

Activists held banners which read: “Back off Boris. Protect The Protocol”.

Mr Johnson is in Northern Ireland for talks aimed at solving issues around the post-Brexit trading arrangments.

I’m too worried about money to care about politics – and it’s my job

15:30 , Matt Mathers

This is the first time I am experiencing inflation as an adult and I am struck by the sense of sheer powerlessness that comes with it, writes Marie Le Conte.

Read Marie’s full piece below:

Opinion: I’m too worried about money to care about politics – and it’s my job

Employer of man accused of egging Thatcher statue decries deed

16:00 , Lamiat Sabin

A university has said it “does not condone defacement” after one of its staff members was accused of throwing eggs at a statue of Margaret Thatcher.

Jeremy Webster, who is deputy director at the University of Leicester’s Attenborough Arts Centre, is alleged to have been responsible for the incident.

Three eggs were thrown at the monument of the late former Conservative prime minister – by a man in a white t-shirt – shortly after the memorial’s installation in Thatcher’s hometown of Grantham, Lincolnshire, on Sunday morning.

The university said the matter is being addressed “in line with (their) own procedures.”

Lincolnshire Police said no arrests had been made on Sunday in connection with the incident, but they did receive a report of criminal damage shortly afterwards.

In February 2019, a planning committee unanimously voted in favour of the £300,000 statue – which was originally intended for Parliament Square in Westminster.

Two CCTV cameras have been installed around the memorial to combat any threats of vandalism, the local council said.

Foreign Office ‘more concerned with China than reducing poverty’

16:20 , Lamiat Sabin

Charities and Labour are accusing the government of being “more concerned with tackling China than tackling poverty” with its new aid strategy.

The government said – in its International Development Strategy published today – that it would spend more of its aid budget working directly with other countries and less on multinational bodies, such as the UN.

The switch is also intended to allow the UK to offer an alternative to support from “malign actors” – understood to mean China. But international aid organisations have said the strategy prioritises geopolitics over poverty alleviation.

Stephanie Draper, chief executive of UK aid network Bond, said: “Though this strategy contains some positive elements, it seems largely driven by short-term political and economic interests rather than the attempt to tackle the root causes of global crises such as inequality, conflict and climate change, which impact us all.”

Oxfam’s head of government relations Sam Nadel said the “strategy prioritises aid for trade and the financialisation of development” and is “clearly motivated more by tackling China than tackling poverty.”

The government reduced aid spending from 0.7 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent – in breaking a manifesto promise and cutting £4.5 billion from the aid budget.

Mwanwhile, Labour’s shadow international development minister Preet Kaur Gill said: “‘Aid for trade’ simply doesn’t work.

“British people want the aid budget to help those most in need around the world, not horse-traded for favours to big British corporations. The government appears to want to take us back to the 1980s and corruption scandals like the Pergau Dam.

“It’s not just bad for those facing famine and conflict – it’s short-sighted and wrong.”

DUP leader waiting to see ‘decisive action’ on protocol from PM

16:40 , Lamiat Sabin

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson does not sound particularly impressed with what he heard from Boris Johnson this afternoon – saying he was still waiting to see “decisive action” from the PM on the protocol.

“Clearly we want a fully-functioning executive,” he told reporters. “We want that as soon as possible. Therefore we’re looking at the government – we’ve had the words, we now need to see the action.”

Sir Jeffrey said he still had not seen the government’s proposals for unilateral legislation to override the protocol and end checks.

“We’re waiting to see what they say in precise detail. So I will suspend judgement until I have seen what the government is proposing.”

Mr Johnson’s ministers are reportedly ready to table legislation as early as this week to override the protocol.

Foreign secretary Liz Truss is said to be ready to make a statement about the legislative plan on Tuesday.

Asked how quickly he expected to see the move, the DUP leader said: “I don’t see the point in having legislation unless you table it. Legislation only becomes law when it is enacted by parliament. I believe the government will make their position clear later this week.”

Rejecting Sinn Fein’s claim that Mr Johnson was siding with the DUP, Sir Jeffrey also said: “The idea that the prime minister is taking sides is for the fairies … They need to stop this purile nonsense.”

‘We waited long time for NI protocol talks,’ says DUP leader

17:00 , Lamiat Sabin

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has welcomed the prime minister’s visit to Northern Ireland.

Earlier, he voiced doubts over Boris Johnson’s words on the Northern Ireland protocol today.

“We’ve waited a long time on this moment. We’ve waited a long time to see the government bring forward proposals that represent action to deal with the problems caused by the Irish Sea border,” Sir Jeffrey said.

Mr Donaldson also said that he expected Mr Johnson’s government to “make their position clear” on the protocol later this week.

Bank of England faces ‘biggest test to monetary policy framework’

17:20 , Lamiat Sabin

The Bank of England (BoE) is facing the biggest challenge to its monetary policy framework in 25 years, its governor Andrew Bailey said.

He was asked by the Treasury committee of MPs how he feels about criticisms from politicians about the Bank’s response to inflation.

It comes after the BoE’s decision this month to raise interest rates in the face of an inflation rate they think will hit 10 per cent this year.

“I don’t live in the world of anybody’s politics actually,” Mr Bailey said. “I’m afraid it’s not a world that I particularly respond to at all. I read about it but I don’t respond to it.”

He said he was “always” concerned about ensuring the BoE’s independence, adding: “This is the biggest test of the monetary policy framework that we have had in 25 years, no question about that.

“What I would say to these people is that this is when both the independence of the bank and the target framework and the nominal anchor matter more than ever, frankly. More than in the good times, the easy times as it were.”

Aslef train drivers’ union rejects motion to disaffilate from Labour

17:40 , Lamiat Sabin

Train drivers’ union Aslef has rejected a motion to disaffiliate from Labour.

Delegates to the union’s conference in Bournemouth rejected it by 74 votes to nine.

Before the vote, Aslef general secretary Mick Whelan told delegates that staying in Labour is “the only game in town” for workers in a “two-party system”.

If the motion had passed, Aslef would have become the second union to disaffiliate from the party since Sir Keir Starmer succeeded Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader. Food workers’ union BFAWU disaffiliated from Labour in September, accusing Sir Keir of waging an "internal war".

On Friday, firefighters’ union FBU voted against disaffliation from Labour by about 75 to 25 on a show of hands, LabourList reported.

‘Help must come soon’ for people in cost-of-living crisis – Major

18:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Former Conservative prime minister Sir John Major said that “help must come” for people struggling with the rising cost of living.

Addressing the National Cathedrals Conference, he said providing support would help bring “trust and respect back to politics”.

Sir John said: “Help must come – and I hope it will come soon ... Everyone needs to believe that the State cares about them – and not just the interests of the powerful, the motivators, and the elite.

“If the week lasts longer than the money, do the penniless believe the State cares about them?”

Sir John led the Conservatives from 1990 to 1997, after the party ousted Margaret Thatcher as PM.

Michael Gove a ‘flibbertigibbet’ for suggesting Lords relocation

18:20 , Lamiat Sabin

More peers have criticised communities secretary Michael Gove for his suggestion to temporarily relocate the House of Lords out of London while the Palace of Westminster undergoes restoration.

Mr Gove had suggested that the Lords could move to Burnley, Stoke-on-Trent, or Sunderland – in a move that he says would boost the economy of the North.

Lord Cormack, a Tory MP, questioned the authority of Mr Gove and asked if the plan was “just another freelance exercise by another intellectual flibbertigibbet”.

According to online definitions, the word ‘flibbertigibbet’ means “a frivolous, flighty, or excessively talkative person.”

Crossbencher Lord Carlile, a former Lib Dem MP, said “we are one Parliament, not two” and that if he wanted to send peers to Burnley, then the House of Commons should go too.

Foreign Office rejects ‘aid for trade’ claims over its new strategy

18:40 , Lamiat Sabin

The Foreign Office has denied claims that the new International Development Strategy represents a shift towards “aid for trade”.

A spokesperson said: “The International Development Strategy is about helping partner countries, in particular low-income countries, to build their economies sustainably, including through honest, reliable investment in infrastructure and trade.

“This strategy is not about providing ‘tied aid’ or aid in return for trade.

“The UK wants to offer a clear alternative to malign actors, so low and middle-income countries are not burdened with unsustainable debt with strings attached.”

In response to the “malign actors” remark, charities and Labour earlier accused the government of being “more concerned with tackling China than tackling poverty”.

Johnson sets out ‘insurance’ plan to rewrite NI’s Brexit deal

19:00 , Lamiat Sabin

Boris Johnson said his plan to legislate to rip up Northern Ireland‘s post-Brexit trading arrangements was an “insurance” policy if a fresh deal could not be reached with the European Union.

The row over the Northern Ireland Protocol has created an impasse in efforts to form a new executive in Stormont, with the Democratic Unionist Party refusing to join a new administration unless its concerns over the arrangements are addressed.

The Prime Minister travelled to Belfast to meet leaders of the Stormont parties in an attempt to secure progress - but Mr Johnson also used the trip to issue a warning to Brussels that the UK is prepared to rewrite unilaterally the terms of the Brexit deal he signed.

The move could risk a trade war with the European Union, but Mr Johnson is frustrated that talks with Brussels to resolve the protocol problems have not made sufficient progress.

“None of the parties - I spoke to all five parties just now - not one of them likes the way it’s operating, they all think it can be reformed and improved,” the Prime Minister told reporters in Belfast.

Mr Johnson said “we would love this to be done in a consensual way with our friends and partners” in Brussels, “ironing out the problems, stopping some of these barriers” to goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain.

“But to get that done, to have the insurance, we need to proceed with a legislative solution at the same time.”

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to set out plans for legislation to rewrite the protocol when she addresses MPs at Westminster on Tuesday.

PA

19:25 , Lamiat Sabin

That’s it for today’s coverage of UK politics news. Thanks for following.