Monthly Archives: January 2022

European Brexit funds worth 35 million are to be directed to port and coastal communities to improve publicly-owned piers and harbours.

The fund, which will be administered by the Department of Agriculture, will be paid out of the EUs Brexit Adjustment Reserve (BAR) fund. It will be targeted at rejuvenating public piers and harbours in coastal communities, the department said .

The establishment of the fund was one of the recommendations of a seafood sector taskforce established after Brexit by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue. The taskforce had proposed a fund of 80 million across five years for the development of publicly-owned marine infrastructure.

It was set up to fund works to pieces of coastal infrastructure that have been damaged or declined in structural integrity or have been underused in recent years.

Projects needing funding of up to 1 million will be asked to submit shovel- ready plans during this year and next, although larger projects will be considered where there is particular exposure to Brexit due to proximity to UK waters and loss of fishing opportunities.

Local authorities are to be charged with delivering the projects as they own and maintain the relevant marine infrastructure. So much of the outcome of Brexit has been bad news for local coastal communities, Mr McConalogue said. Now we have this opportunity to support economic growth and mitigate the negative impacts for these communities.

The BAR fund was set up as a special one-off emergency instrument to counter the adverse economic, social and territorial consequences of Brexit. Ireland is the biggest beneficiary of the fund, and was the first EU member state to receive its pre-financing.

The rest is here:

Brexit funds of 35m to be directed to coastal communities to improve piers and harbours - The Irish Times

Recent reports have shown that Britain has become a hub for tech investment, which according to one source is leaving rivals trailing. As a result of Tech innovation, the sector is already contributing 149bn to the UK economy and is set to grow as Britain has a broader and deeper ecosystem than European rivals.

Taking to Twitter to celebrate the news, Foreign Policy Analyst Nile Gardiner said: Brexit Britain power ahead of its European competitors.

According toBrexitFacts4EU.org, tech investment in the UK is 22 percent larger than Germany and France put together.

The group state: The importance of tech industries cannot be underestimated.

These mean as much to our economic future as the railways were for the Victorian era, and the arrival of mobile phone technology at the end of the 20th Century.

The group adds: Tech covers not just FinTech, but HealthTech, ClimateTech, AgriTech, EducationTech and other such sectors.

On a global scale, the group state: The value of start-ups and scale-ups in the UK is worth c.$585bn to the UK economy (up 120 percent against 2017) and compares favourably to the $291bn of Germany, our next closest European rival.

Britain is also the leading power in Europe when it comes to venture capital investment.

Only the US and China beat the UK in the sector, with Britain most notably ahead of France and Germany, and surprisingly, India.

With venture capital investment in Britain reaching 10.99bn ($14.9bn), the sum is almost the same as France and German investment combined.

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Mr Philips said: Its been another record-breaking year for UK tech with innovative British start-ups helping solve some of the worlds biggest challenges.

The 29.4bn raised by UK startups and scale-ups was double the figure raised in Germany and almost three times that raised by French companies.

UK tech investment accounted for a third of the total 89.5 billion that flowed into the European tech ecosystem this year.

Capitalising on this fantastic investment across the country is a crucial part of our mission to level up, so we are supporting businesses with pro-innovation policies and helping people to get the skills they need to thrive in this dynamic industry.

Since Brexit, the UK has had the freedom to pursue its own trade deals.

So far, it has signed trade deals and agreements in principle with 69 countries and one with the EU.

Britain and India last week concluded their first day of talks about a potential free trade deal in New Delhi.

The aim is to have an agreement signed by the end of the year that could boost trade by billions of pounds.

Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal and his UK counterpart Anne-Marie Trevelyan said there could be a limited agreement in the next few months.

The UK has made a post-Brexit deal with India one of its priorities as it looks to tap into fast-growing economies.

Ms Trevelyan said: "This is an opportunity that we must seize to steer our partnership along the track of mutual prosperity for the decades to come.

Britain said the deal could almost double British exports to India, and boost total trade between the countries by 28bn per year by 2035.

Total trade in 2019 was worth 23bn.

Original post:

Brexit Britain powers ahead of its EU competitors UK hailed after major success - Daily Express

Two major ports in Wales saw trade plummet by 30 per cent in 2021 as a result of post-Brexit changes in the way freight is moved, a ferry operator has said.

Stena Line UK, who runs the Holyhead and Fishguard ports, said it had been hit quite hard by the UKs new customs controls that were implemented at the start of this month.

Speaking to the BBC Politics Wales programme, Stena UK boss, Ian Davies, said: In January, we saw a big drop off ranging from 50-60 per cent of our freight volumes.

As people really kind of got used to the new regimes and the new documentation that was required, I would say it caught quite a few, not so much in the haulage industry but their customers, unaware.

But then things gradually improved, but we seem to have plateaued; currently, were probably in the region of 30 per cent down on our 2019 volume.

He later added: I think now were probably in a position to say yes, this is really the effect post-Brexit of where we are and slight changes in the way that people are moving freight.

If we look at the Irish Sea in its entirety, the freight volumes are roughly the same.

What has been adversely affected is really the Welsh ports and the Welsh routes so far.

Looking optimistically into the future of UK-EU trade, Mr Davies said he thought things will improve.

The leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, Jane Dodds, slammed the UK government for doing half a job of the Brexit trade negotiations.

Whether its the unacceptable levels of new red tape for our hauliers and small businesses, the lack of an adequate veterinary agreement for our farmers, or the impact of lost development funds on our most deprived regions, the Conservatives are failing to even attempt to address the problems they have caused on multiple fronts, she said.

It comes after extensive tailbacks stacked up on the main road into the Port of Dover this week.

Eastbound congestion on the A20 yesterday saw restrictions placed to manage the traffic, including a 40mph speed limit and control on lorry drivers to use the left lane only.

One haulier told The Independent lorries being subjected to checks of 15 to 20 minutes in order to pass the new Goods Vehicle Movement Service (GVMS) system.

Its entirely Brexit you cant blame it on anything else but Brexit, said the driver.

Read the rest here:

Welsh ports hit with 30% reduction in traffic due to Brexit - The Independent

International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan joined numerous leading politicians earlier today during a virtual meeting of The Ottawa Group. It consists of World Trade Organisation members who want to urgently modernise the organisation to promote the benefits of free trade across the planet.

Canada created the group to address specific challenges that are putting the multilateral trading system under stress.

It works to remove trade barriers and support our people and is seen as an important weapon in Brexit Britains armoury to help it prosper outside of the EU.

Sharing a screenshot of a virtual meeting, Canadian commerce minister Mary Ng wrote: The Ottawa Group had our first meeting of 2022!

We discussed rules-based trade, with @wto at its core.

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When it comes to global economic recovery, we need to work together to remove trade barriers and support our people.

Ms Trevelyan - who succeeded Liz Truss to head up the key post-Brexit department - could be seen beaming alongside other politicians.

In a statement, Ms Ng said that during the meeting - which was also attended by WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala - members committed to continuing momentum towards achieving strong outcomes on trade and health, WTO reform, as well as on negotiations related to fisheries subsidies and agriculture.

She said that it emphasised the WTOs important role in ensuring that the global trading system contributes to ending the pandemic and future global health crises.

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The group committed to working closely together to address trade barriers in essential medical goods, export restrictions and customs clearance, she said.

In a statement released afterwards, she added: As chair of the Ottawa Group, Canada is committed to continuing to work closely with our international partners to strengthen the rules-based multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core.

We are focused on advancing key WTO initiatives and maintaining momentum concerning trade and health, fishery subsidy negotiations and WTO reform to support a strong, sustainable and inclusive global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking after the UK was welcomed into the group last March, Ms Truss said: The UK looks forward to working closely with all of you to ensure we collectively meet that challenge.

News of opening up trade relations would be music to the ears of many international firms keen to trade with the UK.

A spokesman for vape firm dab pens said it would help "supercharge" the industry in the UK - which would benefit all parties.

He added: "It makes perfect sense and everyone knows it. Cutting down barriers and encouraging free-flowing trade is what will help the UK flourish."

Continued here:

Brexit Britain cements seat at world table: AMT in key talks on global economic recovery - Daily Express

It links the UK to the US, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Singapore and Brazil. Officials have already hailed it for "speeding up the time it takes to get these new medicines to patients". Seven medicines have already been approved, in a move that could save scores of lives.

Four of the newly approved treatments are for lung cancer and breast cancer.

The other three are extensions of existing treatments.

EMA says it takes around a year for it to evaluate a medicine.

Then it will make a recommendation to the European Commission, which can take another two months to approve.

The first drug the MHRA approved under Project Orbis last May - AstraZeneca's lung cancer treatment Tagrisso - took the EMA almost a month longer to approve.

AstraZeneca's executive vice president of oncology Dave Fredrickson praised Project Orbis as a "welcome initiative that has already shown it can help accelerate the speed of getting innovative cancer medicines to patients in the UK and across the globe".

"It is vital for industry, regulators and health bodies to continue working closely together to make sure many more medicines can get to patients in the shortest possible time.

Some are not so impressed though, with experts warning speeding up the process could lead to corners being cut.

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Prostate, breast and lung cancers are said to be making up most of the absent cases.

The NHS is teaming up with Prostate Cancer UK to launch a landmark campaign next month to locate thousands of missing men.

Dame Cally Palmer, national cancer director at NHS England, said: Weve just agreed a campaign with Prostate Cancer UK where the NHS is supporting and funding something run through a charity, so were trying new initiatives that dont rely on individual charity fundraising, because thats been difficult too for them during the pandemic.

So the NHS needs to take the lead I think, with the support and advice of the charities. And we are doing that.

Read more here:

Brexit Britain handed huge cancer boost as EU red tape slashed to 'speed up' treatment - Daily Express

Boris Johnsons removal from Downing Street would be an opportunity to reconsider Brexit, Conservative grandee Michael Heseltine has said.

The prime minister is under growing pressure from Tory backbenchers over the Partygate scandal, with some MPs predicting he will face a leadership contest once the investigation into drinks gatherings is published.

Conservative peer Lord Heseltine appeared to suggest that Mr Johnsons exit as a result of the current public anger could lead to a second referendum on Brexit.

The senior Tory, who is a leading campaigner for another vote on EU membership, told Times Radio: The Brexit agenda was a pack of lies ... What happens if Boris goes, does Brexit go throw the whole thing up in the air?

The former deputy PM added: Will the majority, now, of people who believe Brexit was wrong have another chance to express their view?

Lord Heseltine warned that the public mood was febrile, and called for the Tory leadership question to be resolved quickly.

He said: People are extremely angry, and they turn to extremes in those circumstances, we know, with horrific consequences in history. So something has to be resolved quickly.

This is against the background where the government is going to be less popular, for one reason, and that is the falling living standards that are now built into the inflation cycle.

Earlier on Thursday, former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair said it would be a mistake to start campaigning for EU membership any time soon.

Asked whether he would want Britain to rejoin the bloc in future, Sir Tony said: It would be a political error to revive the whole argument you just have to accept that, no matter how passionately opposed to it I was.

He said the focus should be on making the relationship with the EU work, adding: You dont want a situation where your prime minister is not on good terms with European leaders.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said this week that he had ruled out a return to the single market or the customs union. Theres no case for rejoining, so we have to make it work. We are out and were staying out, he told The Guardian.

Meanwhile, senior Tory Brexiteer Steve Baker said on Thursday that it looked like checkmate for Mr Johnson, suggesting that his time at No 10 was coming to an end.

Fellow Brexiteer MP Andrew Bridgen one of seven MPs to have publicly declared that they want Mr Johnson to go, and that they have submitted no-confidence letters has predicted that a vote will take place next week.

To trigger a leadership challenge, 54 Conservative MPs must write letters of no confidence to the chair of the backbench 1922 Committee. A simple majority of Tory MPs around 180 would then have to vote against Mr Johnson in order to spark a leadership contest for a new prime minister.

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Boris Johnsons removal would be a chance to reconsider Brexit, says Heseltine - The Independent

Jamie Dornan, 39, who hails from Northern Ireland, revealed in an interview onEamonn Mallie's Face to Face thathe didnt see a positive outcome from the negotiations. The Fifty Shades of Grey actor went on to say that he didnt think highly of the UKs withdrawal from the EU in the 2018 interview, insisting that it was the last thing the country needs at the moment.

I am kept awake at night for what it means for this country, I cant really see a sort of sound solution, some of the people who have a say in it over here break my heart a little bit, Jamie said.

I think this is the last thing that this country needs at the moment, and I just dont see how theres a positive outcome for Northern Ireland in the matter.

While he acknowledged that there were a lot of interesting options on the table, Jamie pondered where the country would end up in years to come.

At the time of the interview, Northern Irelandwas a central negotiating point of theUK and the EU negotiations.

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Ive got three of my own kids to worry about.

While Jamie is arguably most famous for his role as Christian Grey in thepopularFifty Shades franchise, the father-of-two has also helmed a series of TVshowsover the years.

He most recently fronted his own six-part BBC show, The Tourist, which premiered earlier this month.

Much of the show wasfilmed inSouth Australia, where Jamies unnamed character regains consciousness after being driven off the road by a truck.

Speaking about theshow to Metro earlier this month, the Belfast star said that filming the series was particularly intriguing as Jamie hadnt spent much time in down under before signing up for the programme.

During his five-month stint in Australia, though, Jamie said he had a lot of respect for the Aussies, who reminded him a lot of the Irish.

Ive always really liked Aussies but not spent enough time with them, so to be surrounded by so many was brilliant, Jamie continued.

They remind me of the Irish.

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No positive outcome' The Tourist's Jamie Dornan on Brexit fears for Northern Ireland - Daily Express

Rolls-Royces small modular reactors, also called SMRs, are around the size of two football pitches but can power half a million homes (a city the size of Leeds). With traditional nuclear power having a range of major drawbacks like the cost and time it takes to build them, SMRs look to be a revolutionary option for countries looking to decarbonise. As the EU, like Britain, is aiming to go carbon neutral by 2050, Rolls-Royce is looking to a number of countries within the bloc that it could sell the technology to.

Cheaper and easier to deploy than regular nuclear power, it is no surprise the technology has peaked the interest of a number of states.

Alan Woods, Director of Strategy and Business Development, Rolls-Royce SMR, toldExpress.co.uk: There are a range of countries that have embarked on a decarbonisation journey.

We are active in a range of EU and non-EU countries including Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Netherlands, Romania, Finland, Serbia and further afield such as South Africa.

Each country is at a different stage in its process to deploying SMRs with some looking at direct procurement and others in the fact-finding stage.

The key point is there are a range of countries that see SMRs as a core part of the path to decarbonisation.

Mr Woods said that the significant interest in SMRs gives Rolls-Royce the chance to export their models to the EU, with a stunning potential to generate significant revenue.

In fact, Rolls-Royce estimate that the export potential for the market as a whole is valued at around 250billion.

Back in October,Express.co.ukspoke to Roll-Royce CTO Paul Stein.

He said: There is a big export potential for the UK.

We see it as a significant contribution not only to net zero but a revived UK economy.

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Each country must determine its own route to net-zero but we believe nuclear should play its role in enabling decarbonisation.

It also comes after Rolls-Royce announced an interest in bringing SMRs to the Middle East too.

It came just before Rolls-Royce showcased its SMR technology at the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi.

And with countries like Saudi Arabia, which is reportedly eyeing up a 74billion nuclear investment, it seems as though Rolls-Royce could profit from this region too.

Read more:

Brexit Britain boost as Rolls-Royce to capitalise on 250bn market with core role in EU - Daily Express

The massing of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border is a threat to national sovereignty, to a nascent democracy and to the international order. With Russia now in sharp relative economic and demographic decline, Vladimir Putin is attempting to revive his countrys Soviet-era heft by allocating a grotesquely large share of its GDP to the military, propping up tame dictators and carving up his neighbours. Having already illegally annexed Crimea and sponsored conflict in eastern Ukraine, the UK Government today cites intelligence showing that his goal might be to install a pro-Moscow government in Kyiv.

Throughout this crisis, the UKs position has been consistent and correct. While swathes of Europe have danced amorally with the Russian bear to maintain the flow of gas, Liz Truss has hardened Britains opposition to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, arguing that it leaves the continent vulnerable to blackmail by an imperialist regime. British anti-tank weapons poured into Ukraine last week, curiously avoiding German airspace.

No one is considering direct British participation in any war over Ukraine. The UKs strategy is to attempt to deter Mr Putin by making an invasion as costly as possible. Mrs Truss and the defence secretary, Ben Wallace, have provided leadership at a moment when the Western alliance is embarrassingly divided. At a press conference last week, US president Joe Biden said that a minor incursion into Ukraine's territory might trigger a softer Western response an extraordinary remark that could easily have been interpreted as an invitation to Mr Putin to try his luck.

Meanwhile, Emmanuel Macron, in a speech pitched to help his re-election effort, lashed out at the UK over fishing and Northern Ireland and argued that Europe should negotiate separately from Washington and Nato. Germany has actually sought to placate Russia, undermining attempts to provide a strong Western response. Berlin has refused to provide arms to the Ukrainians, rubbing salt into the wound by offering to send a field hospital instead and has even reportedly blocked weapons deliveries from Nato ally Estonia.

Germany, now governed by a socialist/green alliance, is shuttering its remaining nuclear plants, leaving it dangerously reliant upon energy imports from the east. However, the rot appears to go deeper than mere commercial considerations. Berlin is now one of the weakest links in Nato, with some experts saying that its pitiful compromises are making conflict more likely, not less.

For all its claims to be a geopolitical superpower and a moral force for the liberal order on the world stage, the EU itself has been shamefully silent on this crisis. While member states, such as Poland and the Baltic States, have stood alongside the UK in solidarity with Ukraine, Brussels has failed to use its convening power to forge a common response. As usual, it is Nato that has been left to play that vital role.

Even if Mr Putin does not in the end launch a full-blown invasion, the events of the past few weeks will still be a victory of sorts for the Kremlin. He will have shown that the unity and resolve that characterised the Wests opposition to the Soviet Union for much of the Cold War has gone. In its place there are a few nations still determined to stand up for sovereignty and against aggression, but many others led by weak politicians who will do anything for an easy life.

We were told that when Britain voted for Brexit, it had turned its back on the world. This was always a gross, self-serving mischaracterisation. Liberated from the debilitating European sphere of political influence, we are, in fact, free to do what Britain has historically done and advance the case for freedom. Much of Europes leadership, by contrast, is only interested in a narrow definition of its own lazy self-interest, which amounts to little more than protecting the economic status quo and managing decline. As this crisis intensifies, it is increasingly clear that it is only with strength and resolve that we will stand a chance of avoiding a potentially devastating conflict.

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Europe is divided, weak and betraying Ukraine. Thankfully, Brexit Britain is providing leadership - Telegraph.co.uk