Brexit news – live: Salmond will not appear at Holyrood committee and trade deal delay ‘prolongs uncertainty’

Car-makers are “paddling furiously below the water” to maintain their supply chains post-Brexit, an industry leader has warned.

Mike Hawes, chief executive of the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, told MPs that the movement of parts had been “difficult” since the end of the transition period.

Mr Hawes told the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee that there was a “pervading sense of relief” in the industry that an agreement on trade had been negotiated with the EU.

“We ended up, I think, with a deal that in many ways works for the sector, most obviously in the avoidance of tariffs and quotas which would have been a severe brake on the industry,” he said.

“However, it doesn't mean zero cost. The industry is trying to manage its supply chains. We are integrated within the European, if not the global, industry, so the supply chains do stretch far and wide.

“All the industry is ... I characterise it as paddling furiously below the water to keep things going.”

Mr Hawes added that the administration required to move goods in and out of the UK is “significant” and a “major challenge”.

Our reporter, Adam Forrest, has more details below on the removal of former SNP leader Alex Salmond’s evidence to the inquiry into harassment allegations against him:

Boris Johnson should apologise for his suggestion that journalists are always “abusing” others, Labour’s shadow media minister has said.

“For Boris Johnson to say journalists are ‘always abusing people’ probably says more about his own career,” Chris Matheson said in a statement.

“It is particularly troubling coming so soon after the prime minister stood by one of his ministers who attacked a journalist who was just trying to do her job.”

Mr Matheson added: “We know from Donald Trump that these kind of assaults on the free press are dangerous and designed to stir up distrust and division.

“Boris Johnson should withdraw these remarks and apologise.”

Labour has warned that the decision to postpone enforcement measures against companies that do not report their gender pay gap by an extra six months could cause “permanent damage” to gender equality.

Marsha de Cordova, shadow women and equalities secretary, said on Tuesday that all available evidence suggested that the coronavirus crisis was having “awful consequences” on women’s representation in the workforce.

Our women’s correspondent, Maya Oppenheim, has the full story below:

Alex Salmond’s lawyers have demanded to know the legal justification for the Scottish parliament redacting swathes of his written evidence, warning that the decision could jeopardise his planned appearance before a Holyrood committee tomorrow.

The Scottish parliament took down evidence from its website today, in which Mr Salmond alleged Nicola Sturgeon broke the ministerial code, after concerns about possible contempt of court were raised by the Crown Office.

It was replaced with a redacted version of the written submission with five sections censored.

“Our client's submission was carefully reviewed by us and by counsel before submission,” David McKie of Levy and McRae solicitors wrote.

“There is no legal basis for the redactions that we are aware of which you now propose having gone through that extremely careful exercise.”

Scotland’s economy will begin a “phased reopening” from the last week of April, as the country moves to a regional level system of coronavirus restrictions, Nicola Sturgeon has announced.

Our political editor, Andrew Woodcock, has more on this breaking story below:

The Brexit trade deal will not be fully approved until the end of April as the UK has agreed that the provisional application of the agreement should be extended, Michael Gove has admitted.

The deal is yet to be ratified by the European Union and Brussels had requested an extension to the 28 February deadline.

“Provisionally applying the agreement was not the United Kingdom's preferred outcome given the uncertainty it creates for individuals and businesses and indeed the parties,” the Cabinet Office minister said.

“Extending the period of provisional application prolongs that uncertainty.”

In a letter to European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic, Mr Gove said the UK expected the EU to “satisfy its internal requirements” before 30 April and “that we would therefore not be asked to further extend the period” beyond that date.

Our deputy political editor, Rob Merrick, has more details below on the delay to the full approval of the Brexit trade deal:

The Northern Ireland Protocol is having a “devastating” impact on the biodiversity of woodlands in the province, the House of Lords has been told.

Baroness Hoey said the Woodland Trust in Northern Ireland had cancelled an order for 22,000 trees from mainland Britain, specifically due to the “ban on British soil coming from GB to Northern Ireland”.

In response, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs minister Lord Goldsmith said the situation made “no sense whatsoever” and added that he would speak to ministerial colleagues to see what could be done to resolve the issue.

It was recently reported that orders for almost 100,000 trees had been cancelled by Northern Ireland buyers because of a post-Brexit ban on the plants being moved from Britain.

British people are the most pessimistic about the outcome of the Brexit deal, according to a poll of people from the UK, France and Germany.

YouGov asked people from those three countries who got the best result from the negotations and found 33 per cent of Brits thought the EU got the best deal, while just 13 per cent thought the UK had come out on top.

You can find the full results below: