Brexit news – live: Minister admits ‘devastating blow’ to shellfish trade but says EU action ‘indefensible’
Follow live politics updates below
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Environment secretary George Eustice denounced the EU’s ban on the import of live British shellfish as "indefensible" after admitting on Monday the Brexit-driven ban was a “devastating blow” for the industry, which was valued at £393m in 2019.
The government had hoped that current bureaucracy — requiring seafood to be purified and accompanied by health certificates — would be lifted from April.
Mr Eustice said ministers disagreed with the EU’s approach and advised exporters that their “consignments may very well not be accepted at EU ports for now”.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has insisted that the UK will not break up as a result of Brexit, while admitting that the Northern Ireland protocol “is not working” and needs “redefining”.
Speaking on Monday to the European Scrutiny Committee, Mr Gove said that “constitutional, territorial, political integrity” of the UK was “unaffected”, despite trade problems between Great Britain and Northern Ireland UK.
Both UK and EU ‘have got to do better’, says leading Brexit analyst
Relations between the UK and the EU continue to be strained, particularly over the situation in Northern Ireland.
Things soured when the EU threatened to override the Northern Ireland protocol in a row over Covid-19 vaccine supplies, before hastily backtracking last month.
Seeking to capitalise on the bloc's mistake, Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove described it on Monday as "a moment when trust was eroded, when damage was done, and where movement is required in order to ensure that we have an appropriate reset".
Respected Brexit analyst Mutjaba Rahman says both sides "have got to do better", after "defaulting into a horribly predictable, acrimonious dynamic, characterised by mutual mistrust".
Inside Politics
Here with our daily politics round-up, Adam Forrest has the latest on the EU's likely rejection of the UK's call for a two-year extension of the post-Brexit grace periods.
EU ‘ready to offer only short Brexit extension’ – your daily politics briefing
Brussels looks set to reject the UK’s call for a two-year extension of post-Brexit grace periods and prolong arrangements by only a few months, writes Adam Forrest
Millions risk financial cliff edge after lockdown, Red Cross warns
Millions of people in the UK could be left extremely vulnerable by the withdrawal of financial support once lockdown is lifted, the British Red Cross has warned.
The warning comes as a new report published by the Red Cross reveals that support for the most vulnerable declined at the end of the second lockdown in December.
The organisation has called on the government to provide £250 million in emergency grant funding so that people do not have to go without food, clothing or heating this time around.
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:
Millions risk financial ‘cliff edge’ as support withdrawn at end of lockdown, Red Cross warns
Survey by Living Wage Foundation finds more than a quarter of low-paid have skipped meals during pandemic
Ban on EU shellfish imports a ‘devastating blow’ for industry, says Eustice
Environment secretary George Eustice has said that the EU's decision not to lift a post-Brexit ban on live shellfish imports is a "devastating blow" for the UK's food industry.
Currently, seafood exporters are required to have their catch purified and an export health certificate issued before it leaves the UK.
Ministers had hoped these restrictions would be lifted from April, but the EU has said they will stay in place.
One shellfish exporter in Yorkshire told the Guardian that the government had lied to the industry.
“All we have had is b******t from the government, promises that haven’t been kept. I am winding up the business while I still have enough to pay redundancy to my staff,” he said.
Brexit bureaucracy stopping shellfish imports to EU is ‘devastating blow’ for industry, government admits
Exporter forced to shut down after 60 years accuses government of not being straight over Brexit drawbacks
Gove says UK will not break up
Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said that the UK will not break up as a result of Brexit, while admitting that the Northern Ireland protocol is currently "not working".
Mr Gove was asked by Brexiteer Richard Drax, a Conservative MP, whether post-Brexit trade disruption between Great Britain and Northern Ireland posed a threat to the future of the UK.
In response, he said: “I think it is the case that the United Kingdom – its constitutional, territorial, political integrity – is unaffected.
“I think it is the case that the that Northern Ireland remains firmly – and the protocol underlines this – within the customs territory of the UK."
He added that the issues over Northern Ireland could be resolved within the protocol, but acknowledged that "we are very far from resolving all those problems" with the EU.
Morning, and welcome to The Independent's rolling UK politics coverage.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments