Keir Starmer’s proposed agricultural trade deal with Brussels has been condemned as a “monumental act of self-harm” that could shrink the economy by £15billion.
A report by the Growth Commission, founded by Liz Truss, warns that the sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) agreement signed in May, under which the UK will effectively copy EU food and pesticide rules, amounts to “effectively ceding power over British rules to the EU and causing a colossal hit to the British economy”.
Shanker Singham, the Commission’s chairman, said: “Hardwiring into UK law SPS regulations, which are already costing EU economies dear, would be a monumental act of self-harm that would be extremely difficult to reverse.“
"The European regulatory system is one of the most anti-competitive and growth-destroying regulatory systems in the world ... With a pressing need to grow its economy, the last thing a country like the UK should be doing is aligning to European regulations."
The think tank argues that alignment could also damage ties with the US, risk the pharmaceutical sector and complicate Britain’s position in the trans-Pacific trade bloc, calling the deal “a backward and economically harmful move”.
A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “No one seriously worried about British business competitiveness would argue for more paperwork, higher costs and longer queues at the border.
"Government analysis shows that a food and drink trade deal will add £5.1bn to the economy.”
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Education Secretary: 'I'm aware of anger over student loans'
Bridget Phillipson has assured Britons that she is aware of the anger the student loans system is causing.
“Part of the challenge with reforming the student finance system is that whilst it can often seem superficially attractive to do things like changing the interest rate, it doesn’t always have the desired effect in terms of making the system fairer, particularly for less well-off students.
“It’s a really complex system. It’s evolved over time. It’s not a system that I would have put in place, but we are where we are," she told LBC.
"We are going to look at if there’s anything that we can do on this, of course we keep it open and under review.”
When asked if she was aware of the anger the student loans system is causing currently, the Education Secretary said: “Yes, I am.”
Keir Starmer promises support for Ukraine 'for as long as it takes'
Keir Starmer has promised the UK's support for Ukraine for "as long as it takes" after the Government announced a new raft of sanctions against Russia.
"Four years on from Russia’s barbaric full-scale invasion of Ukraine, our message to the Ukrainian people is simple: Britain is with you," the Prime Minister wrote on X.
"Today, we are stepping up military, humanitarian, and reconstruction support, and we will support Ukraine for as long as it takes for a just and lasting peace.
"Russia will not win this war. Slava Ukraini."
Government set to release documents on Lord Mandelson's appointment next month
The Government still plans to release documents relating to Lord Peter Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador in early March, Bridget Phillipson said, after the peer’s arrest on Monday.
Asked whether the Government still planned to go ahead with the publication, which was announced in the Commons on Monday just ahead of Lord Mandelson’s arrest, the Education Secretary said: “My understanding is yes, but we do just need to be mindful of any documents we publish, given the nature of the ongoing police investigation.
“So, we want to be transparent, we do want to push ahead with publishing documents, but we just need to make sure that nothing that’s published could compromise or call into question an ongoing police investigation.”
Ms Phillipson would not reveal whether the Government will support a forthcoming Lib Dem attempt in Parliament to compel ministers to disclose information about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s role as a trade envoy between 2001 and 2011.
“We’ll review what they are asking for and will set our approach later on in Parliament,” she told Sky News.
Asked whether the Government would support removing Andrew from the royal line of succession, the Education Secretary said: “We’re ruling nothing out and that is definitely an option that we would want to keep under consideration.”
UK announces largest raft of Russia sanctions in four years
Britain on Tuesday imposed sanctions on oil pipeline giant Transneft as part of a sweeping package targeting nearly 300 Russian entities and individuals, described by ministers as the most extensive measures since the early stages of the Ukraine war.
Unveiled on the fourth anniversary of the conflict, the sanctions single out Transneft — one of the world’s largest pipeline operators, responsible for transporting more than 80 per cent of Russia’s crude exports — in a bid to further squeeze Moscow’s energy revenues.
The package also targets 48 oil tankers, the Government said, intensifying efforts to curb the Kremlin’s ability to finance the war.
'I apologise for praising Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor' says Lib Dem leader
Sir Ed Davey has said he regretted praising Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor in his role as trade envoy when the Liberal Democrat leader was a minister in the coalition government.
“First of all, can I apologise to all those victims of Epstein who may have read those words and been upset by them. I really regret them.”
He later added: “We do need to make sure that, whatever someone’s title and their friends, they can be held to account.
“So, I’ve learned from that, I’m pretty angry to be honest that I was put in that position, and I think anyone who has had any comment to make on Prince Andrew as trade envoy over the years will be pretty angry that the trust that was put in him, the privileged position he had, he absolutely betrayed,” he told the BBC.
Sir Ed also told the BBC his party was calling for the release of documents relating to Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy because “we need to go right to the moment when he was appointed, and then we can answer the questions about how he conducted that role”.
He added: “What we’re asking today is to make sure all the documents about the vetting, the due diligence, ministerial correspondence, is in the public domain, and I think that’s the right thing to do.”
Tories: promised immigration and welfare reform in doubt as 'Prime Minister cannot govern'
The Tories have questioned whether the Government will be able to deliver its promised reforms to immigration, welfare and other areas, as Keir Starmer "cannot govern".
Julia Lopez hit out at the Prime Minister's authority while speaking to GB News.
"The Prime Minister cannot govern. Rebellions are brewing, left, right and centre among Labour MPs, and he's lost all authority," the Shadow Technology Secretary said.
"And that's a real problem for your viewers, because they care about things like, are we going to get immigration reform? Are we going to get welfare reform? Are we going to see jury trials scrapped?"
"On those and other things that are important to the management of the country, we have to really worry that we have somebody at the top who doesn't actually have any authority anymore."
Lord Mandelson's replacement meets President Trump
Lord Mandelson's replacement as ambassador to the US has met with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office. At the same time, his predecessor was arrested and released on bail on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Christian Turner, a career diplomat, formally took up his post on February 2 after a lengthy deliberation from Keir Starmer and the Foreign Office.
It is understood he officially met Mr Trump last week but chose last night to announce the meeting.
"An extraordinary honour to present my credentials to President Trump. In America’s 250th year, the relationship makes our citizens safer and richer," Mr Turner wrote on X alongside a photo with the beaming US leader.
Lib Dem leader refreshes Nigel Farage attack as he hits out at ‘barbaric’ Donald Trump policies
Sir Ed Davey has refreshed his attack on Nigel Farage, hitting out at US President Donald Trump’s “barbaric” policies.
“I don't want Donald Trump's America to become Farage’s Britain,” the Liberal Democrat leader told GB News.
“Donald Trump is a disaster for his country, both economically and (he is) damaging our country too. And if you look at the awful things that are happening in America, Nigel Farage wants to repeat them here. Reform wants to repeat them here.”
The Lib Dem leader was referring to the actions of US Ice agents in Minnesota, enforcing the President’s pledge to enact mass deportations of illegal immigrants in the US.
“I think that sort of barbarity is not something that is true to British values, and so we will oppose that,” Sir Ed said.
Reform’s Home Affairs spokesman, Zia Yusuf, promised his party would launch a UK version of Ice to get a grip on Britain’s migrant crisis.
Ed Davey: Keir Starmer made ‘catastrophic failure of judgment’ as scandals rumble on
Ed Davey spoke to GB News this morning
|GB NEWS
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has said he “absolutely questions” Keir Starmer’s judgement as the Lord Mandelson saga and other scandals continue to swirl around the Prime Minister.
“I was surprised when he was appointed in the first place, given his track record of having to resign or be sacked from a number of officers,” Sir Ed told GB News.
“But that the Prime Minister has admitted that he knew that Mandelson continued his relationship with Epstein even after Epstein hadbecome a convicted pedophile raises huge questions about the Prime Minister's judgment.”
“And then you add to that his decision to appoint Lord Doyle to the House of Lords, I think it's a catastrophic failure of judgment by the Prime Minister.”
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The nation has woken to the news that Lord Mandelson has been released on bail by the Metropolitan Police following his arrest on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
In a statement, the force said: "A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation.
The New Labour architect, who briefly served as ambassador to the US under Keir Starmer, has been accused of passing sensitive information to paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein during his time as Business Secretary.
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