Monthly Archives: February 2022

Did something change this month? Having proclaimed the Brexit referendum triumph of 2016 as the unique achievement of Boris Johnson and praised his historic success in the election three years later with the slogan get Brexit done, did the wreckers of the European dream slowly begin to realise that if Johnson goes, it shifts the sands from beneath their feet?

Im the president of European Movement Andrew Adonis is chair and between us we agreed that this link needed a public airing. Learning from the direct and simple messaging of the anti-European newspapers, we felt the phrase: If Boris goes, Brexit goes said it clearly enough. Adonis duly tweeted it, to the horror of the pro-Brexit press.

The past few weeks have been a torrid time for the prime minister. He designed a set of restrictions he said were of critical importance for our safety and for the ability of the NHS to cope with the pandemic. He was right to do so. But disclosures since give the clearest impression that he not only broke the rules, but that he also misled parliament.

Johnson said he would accept the findings of Sue Grays inquiry, in stark contrast to his treatment of Sir Alex Allans report into the home secretarys behaviour in 2020.

I believe he is entitled to insist that matters are not prejudged prior to the release of the full findings of the Gray inquiry, and the completion of the Metropolitan police investigation. I do not believe in the rule of the mob.

But a great deal hangs on this. If the prime minister is found to have lied to parliament and to the people, what defence is there to the allegation that the Brexit cause mired in similar controversy over lies and dissembling was conducted with the same disregard for the truth?

We all have a clear memory of the Brexit campaign and what was said. That we were being run by Brussels. That European restrictions were holding back our economy and lowering our living standards. That we could keep all the benefits of the single market and customs union, while negotiating trade deals with faster-growing countries in a world that was shifting east. That we had to regain control over our borders. That there would be no new border between Northern Ireland and mainland Great Britain, and that the Good Friday agreement, having ended years of strife, would be fully honoured.

Theresa May became prime minister and immediately handed important offices of state to the three leading Brexiters. Boris Johnson went to the Foreign Office. David Davis went to the Department for Exiting the European Union, and Liam Fox to the Department for International Trade. They had their hands on the levers of power for two years before Johnson and Davis resigned, claiming their jobs were impossible.

Having ousted May, they claimed that a bare-bones trade deal without most of the benefits of the customs union and the single market was oven ready and would get Brexit done. In a straight contest with the unelectable Jeremy Corbyn, Johnson secured his mandate.

Except their deal didnt get Brexit done. Within months it had seriously frustrated trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain, and the government threatened to tear up the very deal it had itself negotiated to safeguard the position of Northern Ireland. Lord Frost resigned from the cabinet as Brexit minister last December after less than a year, complaining of the Covid strategy but also bemoaning that, regarding Brexit, the correct agenda was not being pursued.

Characteristically, he gave no detail as to what that agenda should have been or who was holding it up, but the villains were familiar: the metropolitan elite, the civil service, the BBC, Brussels, the remoaners more or less anybody, and now including myself and Andrew Adonis. Everyone except the actual people in positions of power.

That is why February 2022 feels so significant. The cry has been growing louder. The right wing has been circling. Letters have been landing on the chairman of the 1922 committees desk. Something must be done. Reshuffle the pack, create a new government department and put yet another Brexiter in charge to pluck all those low-hanging plums that proved beyond the reach of predecessors.

Anyone with experience of Whitehall knows what happens next. The nameplates will change and the same civil servants will have new titles without actually moving their offices. But they will face exactly the same questions that have now been unanswered for five years. What is Brexit all about?

Jacob Rees-Mogg, Lord Frosts spiritual successor in his new role as minister for Brexit opportunities, has a novel approach. He told the Sun last week that he is bypassing the civil service to ask if anyone else in the country has any ideas about Brexit benefits. Sun readers are invited to write to him with suggestions and he will see what can be done. But that too is revealing. One of the first tests officials apply to new ministers is to ask if they know what they want and to assess whether they have the ability to communicate that to them. I am afraid that Rees-Mogg has not passed this test, which is all the more surprising as he had plenty of time lounging on the government frontbench, listening to suggestions from Brexit-supporting Tory MPs.

So did something happen in February 2022? Maybe its just a feeling, a cloud no bigger than a mans fist, the first breath of wind before the storm when the Daily Mail and the Daily Telegraph employ two of their most renowned columnists to attack Andrew Adonis and myself, merely for making the point that their hero may have feet of clay and take the Brexit house down with him. Perhaps they have smelled the wind, just as I have.

See more here:

Why the panic among Boris Johnsons allies? Because they know Brexit is unravelling - The Guardian

The impact of the first year of Brexit on Ireland has been revealed after official data showed cross-border trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland jumped by 2.8bn (2.3bn) in 2021.

Full-year figures from Irelands Central Statistics Office show that imports to Ireland from Northern Ireland were up 65% to 3.9bn, a rise of 1.5bn compared with 2020.

Exports from Ireland to Northern Ireland also rocketed, up 54% to 3.7bn, an increase of 1.3bn compared with 2020 a total trade rise of 2.8bn.

The breakdown of figures show the biggest increase in trade in both directions was in food and live animals, with exports to NI up from 919bn to 1.35bn year on year, while imports to Ireland were up from 714m to 1.02bn. The past year also saw a tripling in the value of imports of chemicals and related products to Ireland from NI, up from 280m in 2020 to 850m in 2021, with big rises also in imports of fuel.

As no contemporary trade figures are published by the UK government or the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency for goods crossing the Irish Sea from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, it is impossible to tell how much of the increase in trade is a result of the new trade barriers created by the Northern Ireland Brexit protocol.

Nonetheless, they will be seized on by protocol critics, including unionist parties, as confirmation that Brexit has boosted Irelands trade with Northern Ireland.

The CSO figures, published on Tuesday, also show the impact of trade barriers erected between Ireland and Great Britain as a result of the UKs departure from the EU, with a fall in exports from Great Britain to Ireland.

Exports from Ireland to Great Britain were up 17% across the year to almost 14.4bn, but imports plummeted by 13% to 15.4bn.

There was a drop of just over 2.3bn in exports from Great Britain to Ireland.

The UK was Irelands single biggest trading partner before Brexit. The UK is now neck and neck with the US as the largest single non-EU source of goods imported to Ireland, accounting for 20% of trade at around 2bn apiece.

However, the CSO figures suggest traders are becoming accustomed to the Brexit barriers. They show a massive drop in imports from GB between December 2020 and January 2021, when the new rules came into force, but then a slow rise over the year.

Data for December shows that the decline in imports from GB slowed by the end of the year, down 4% compared with December 2020. The main decreases were seen in imports of food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment.

Levels of exports to GB were less volatile across the year, with no comparable sharp fall in January last year.

This may be down to better Brexit preparedness in Ireland compared with Britain. Exports for December 2021 compared with December 2020 were down 5%, with greatest decreases in exports of food and live animals.

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The steady export trade also suggests Brexit has not caused a diversion of trade to GB by the use of new Brexit-busting ferries that go direct to France and Belgium, allowing exporters to bypass the so-called land bridge to the EU.

Preliminary figures for 2021 show that Ireland enjoyed a bumper year with exports at highest on record, exceeding 165bn.

The largest increases were in medical and pharmaceutical products, a reflection of the strong presence of large companies such as Pfizer, one the of manufacturers of Covid vaccines, in Ireland.

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Brexit: huge jump in trade between Ireland and Northern Ireland - The Guardian

BELFAST, Northern Ireland Michelle ONeill was forced to greet visitors this week in a drab upstairs meeting room at the rear of the Stormont Parliament Buildings in Belfast, its faded posters and scattered chairs a stark contrast to the classical grandeur of the chambers at the front of the complex.

A leader of the Irish nationalist Sinn Fein party, Ms. ONeill had just vacated her office as deputy first minister of Northern Irelands government after the first minister, Paul Givan, a member of the main unionist party that is, the main party supporting Northern Irelands current status as part of the United Kingdom abruptly resigned. Under the power-sharing agreement that governs the territory, she automatically lost her post as well.

But if the upheaval turned Ms. ONeill into a temporary vagabond, it also served to underline a momentous political shift in Northern Ireland: Assuming that current polls hold, Sinn Fein, with its vestigial ties to the paramilitary Irish Republican Army and fervent commitment to Irish unification, will become the largest party in the Northern Ireland Assembly after elections scheduled for May.

That could catapult the 45-year-old Ms. ONeill into the post of first minister, and it helps explain why Mr. Givan quit when he did.

His Democratic Unionist Party is desperate to rally its voters before the election. Its most emotive issue is the Norths trade status in the wake of Brexit, which is governed by a complex legal arrangement known as the Northern Ireland Protocol. Unionists complain that the protocol, which requires border checks on goods passing between Northern Ireland and mainland Britain, has driven a wedge between the North and the rest of the United Kingdom.

By pulling their leader out of Stormont, the Democratic Unionists are trying to put pressure on the British government, which is in the process of renegotiating the protocol with European Union. Unless the trade rules are radically overhauled, unionists say, they will not return to the government and Northern Irelands on-again off-again experiment in power-sharing will collapse.

Weve had enough of being promised that this issue would be dealt with, said Gordon Lyons, 35, a Democratic Unionist who serves as economy minister in the government and who will stay in his position until the election. Theres a general sense that we unionists are always being asked to suck it up.

Ms. ONeill dismissed Mr. Givans exit as a reckless stunt. It came days after another unionist minister, Edwin Poots, declared that the government would stop inspecting agricultural goods coming in from Britain, a violation of the protocol. A judge ruled that the checks must continue until the issue was decided in court.

Theyve been on the wrong side of the Brexit debate, Ms. ONeill said. Now theyre bringing their dysfunction into this building.

Behind the theatrics, however, is a deadly serious contest for the future of Northern Ireland, one that could reverberate widely, destabilizing not just the island but also Britains relations with the European Union and the United States.

Nearly a quarter century after the Good Friday Agreement ended the sectarian violence known as the Troubles, Brexit has scrambled Northern Irelands politics. Few want a return to the bloody 30-year guerrilla war that set mostly Catholic nationalists and republicans, seeking unification with Ireland, against predominantly Protestant loyalists and unionists, who want to stay in the United Kingdom.

But the fallout from Brexit has left unionists angry and divided, and it has tilted the political landscape in favor of Sinn Fein, which opposed Brexit and seeks ever closer ties between the north and south of Ireland.

This does feel like a critical juncture, said Katy Hayward, a professor of politics at Queens University in Belfast. We cant avoid the fact that 100 years after its creation, Northern Ireland has fundamentally changed.

If Sinn Fein does win the largest number of seats it is currently eight points ahead of the Democratic Unionists in polls the most likely scenario would be a prolonged negotiation as the two parties tried to figure out how to live with each other. But some experts said they doubted the Democratic Unionists could ever take part in a government with a Sinn Fein representative as first minister.

As a practical matter, the first minister and deputy first minister have equal powers in overseeing the government an arrangement designed to force parties from opposing traditions to work together. But in the identity politics of Northern Ireland, symbolic details matter.

Unionists complain that Sinn Fein vetoed their plans to plant a rose bush at Stormont last year to mark the centenary of the establishment of Northern Ireland. Nationalists point out that the unionists opposed legislation that would give the Irish language similar status to that of English, as Welsh has in Wales.

Its about a sense of loss, said Monica McWilliams, an academic and former politician who was involved in the 1998 peace negotiations. The unionists say, If this is going to be good for the Irish economy, its going to be bad for us up north.

On its face, the Northern Ireland Protocol would not seem to have the visceral power of issues like language. It is a technical arrangement that grew out of a deal between London and Brussels to avoid resurrecting a hard border between Ireland, an E.U. member state, and Northern Ireland, which left the European Union as part of the United Kingdom. To achieve this, it requires checks on goods flowing across the Irish Sea from mainland Britain to the North.

Mr. Givans party enthusiastically supported Brexit, and when Prime Minister Boris Johnson struck the deal on the protocol, they grudgingly went along with it. But as the checks have begun to be enforced, unionists say they have imposed an onerous burden, with one widely quoted analysis estimating that Brexit adds 850 million pounds, or $1.15 billion, a year in costs. Other experts cast doubt on those figures and point out that Northern Ireland has bounced back more quickly from the pandemic than much of Britain.

Still, there is a palpable sense of betrayal at the hands of Mr. Johnson. First, he promised the unionists that the protocol would not disrupt trade across the Irish Sea. Then he told them that Britain would drive a hard bargain with the European Union, scrapping the protocol, if necessary, to remove barriers.

Now, however, Mr. Johnson, embattled by his own scandals at home, is wary of igniting a trade war with the European Union. He also recognizes that stirring up tensions over Northern Ireland would antagonize President Biden, who takes a particular interest in the preservation of the Good Friday Agreement.

When Mr. Johnsons hard-line trade negotiator, David Frost, resigned last December in part over concerns about this softer stance on the protocol he was replaced by a more emollient figure, Liz Truss, the foreign secretary. While the negotiations remain tough, Britain and the European Union are stressing progress and seem less likely to come to blows.

The least difficult option for Boris Johnson is to sacrifice Northern Ireland, said David Campbell, chairman of the Loyalist Communities Council, which represents a group of pro-union paramilitary groups that vehemently oppose the protocol.

Some of those groups were suspected of instigating clashes with the police in April last year when tensions over the protocol first boiled over. Mr. Campbell insisted in an interview that was not the case, though he warned that if London were to cut another deal with Brussels, The message it would send is that the only thing that works is violence.

In the short term, the protocols biggest threat is to the Democratic Unionists, who are being challenged by rival parties on both their right and left. How do you reward these people for all their blunders? Mr. Campbell said.

The Democratic Unionist Party, which was founded by the Rev. Ian Paisley during the height of the Troubles, has cycled through leaders and lurched sharply to the right as it struggles to shore up its base.

Someone in Europe needs to wake up to the reality that they are not doing this to assist the peace process, Mr. Poots declared in the Assembly on Monday. The political element of the peace process has had a bomb put in it, and it hasnt been by terrorists, it has been by the European Union.

Such fiery words pose a problem for both the European Union and Britain. While London could resort to imposing direct rule on the North as it has during previous breakdowns in relations between the Northern Irish parties that would further inflame tensions. To make the protocol work smoothly, both sides need a functioning administration in Belfast to set up and enforce much of the border checks.

It can, in theory, be overridden, but we shouldnt underestimate the political costs of doing this, said Raoul Ruparel, a former special adviser to the British prime minister on Europe. The U.K. government tramping into Northern Ireland just doesnt seem to be a reasonable request.

See the article here:

Upheaval in Northern Ireland, With Brexit at Its Center - The New York Times

Mr Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison formally sealed the deal in a video conference call on Wednesday. The move signifies yet another post-Brexit deal between the two nations. With this agreement, Mr Johnson is looking to turn the UK into the biggest European partner in the Indo-Pacific.

This pact comes with two major investments in both countries.

The UK will be welcoming Australian fintech firm PEXA, as it expands into the UK as its first international market.

Meanwhile, this deal has allowed Octopus Group, a major energy firm in the UK, to begin developing a major greenfield renewables project in Australia.

The statement read: In a boost for UK-Australia collaboration on cleantech, Octopus Australia is partnering with an Indigenous business group to create Desert Springs Octopus, a project worth 26billion over 10 years that will deliver wind, solar and hydrogen energy.

Ahead of the announcement, Mr Johnson said: The UK and Australia are working together to enhance regional security in the Indo-Pacific, drive innovation in science and green technology and boost opportunities for our businesses and citizens.

Our nations are forging a new partnership from a historic alliance, fit for the next century and grounded in our shared priorities on security, democracy and free and fair trade.

He also highlighted opportunities this comprehensive and wide-ranging deal will provide for British workers, businesses and consumers to reap the benefits.

George Freeman, the UK minister of Science said: Delighted to announce a new UK and Australia innovation collaboration using space observation to: support climate resilience, improve crop productivity, [and] create opportunities for spacetech SMEs.

READ MORE:Security ties with Australia beefed up

The UK and Australia partnership will also boost cooperation on science and technology through a new Science Partnership Series to bring our world-class research communities together.

Mr Johnson also stated that the UK will enhance the UK-Australia Space Bridge Agreement, which was agreed a year ago, with a new 1million commitment for Earth Observation in Agroclimate to help farmers deal with a changing climate.

This agreement, to create the worlds first space bridge will unlock improved access to trade, investment and academic research opportunities, better advice to businesses and innovative bilateral collaborations, Number 10 announced.

Both countries will once again reaffirm their commitments to delivering on the Glasgow Climate Pact and Paris Agreement to keep global warming below 1.5 degrees.

Britain will invest 25million for regional projects in the Indo-Pacific to counter security threats at sea, in the air and in cyberspace.

It comes after the UK was banned from the EU's 95billion (80billion) research funding programme Horizon Europe.

Business and Energy Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng told the UKs Science and Technology Committee last Wednesday that Britain was ready to go "full steam ahead with setting up its own pioneering science programme, rather than pushing to rejoin Horizon.

The UK has announced a 6billion spending programme over three years as part of this new global science fund, to be rolled out if the EU refuses to allow association with Horizon programmes.

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Five Eyes coup! UK strikes 26bn Australia deal after EU's ban: 'Reaping the benefits' - Daily Express

Boris Johnsons government has been urged to start building more lorry parks near Dover or face traffic gridlock around the port, as post-Brexit customs checks continue to cause disruption.

Desperate drivers caught in four-hour queues near Dover have been forced to s*** in the bushes and throw bottles of urine out of the window, The Independent has been told.

Logistics chiefs and local politicians have warned that road congestion in Kent will get worse when further checks come into force in July and September.

The government has asked National Highways to identify a new sites for lorries. But ministers have not yet committed to building an extra park despite a promise by chancellor Rishi Sunak at the Autumn Budget to spend 32.5m on driver facilities.

There are simply not enough lorry parking spaces, Rod McKenzie, director of policy at the Road Haulage Association (RHA). The facilities for drivers are inadequate. The government has promised in principle to do more but we lack specifics.

The RHA official added: Theres precious little room in Dover itself. So more infrastructure is needed near the port for checks. Theres a real urgency about this problem its not something that can be ignored much longer.

EdwinAtema, from the Dutch FNV union, which works hauliers from across the EU, told The Independent that drivers are increasingly angry about the time spent waiting in queues at Dover since full customs controls came into force in January.

There is a lot of time not working, just waiting, Mr Atema said. Drivers are suffering from the lack of proper facilities. They have to s*** in the bushes. Ive been there. You can see it, you can smell it. Its 2022 and this should not be happening.

Drivers have said they have been stuck in queues of up to 15km (9 miles) visible from satellites along the A20 near Dover since the start of January, when full customs controls came into effect.

Chris Precious an independent councillor on Kent town council said bottles of urine and plastic bags of human excrement are being thrown into peoples gardens and along the A20 roadside by desperate drivers. Its left for residents to clear up.

Calling for a new lorry park near Dover and a bypass for freight traffic, the councillor added: If nothing is done soon it will get much worse. We will have gridlock. Its impossible for the [A20] road to cope with this.

Conservative MP Huw Merriman, chair of the transport select committee, revealed last month that he accidentally stood in human excrement during a stop at a lay-by during a visit to inspect facilities at Dover.

Roads minister Baroness Vere said last month that she had asked National Highways to look at any and all landholdings to see if we can find any new places.

In December ministers hailed the opening of Ashford International Truckstop almost 25 miles away from Dover where up to 660 drivers can park and use the new facilities.

The site sits next to the governments inland border facility, where hauliers are sent for post-Brexit paperwork checks. Some drivers have been forced to wait for 24 hours for red tape issues to be resolved.

A much smaller site, made up of just 96 parking spaces, is being created just outside of Dover to allow officials to inspect trucks when additional agri-food checks come into force in July.

However, the RHA fears it will not be enough to ease the congestion around Dover in the months ahead. Mr McKenzie said it would take the best part of year to create a major new site.

The haulage policy chief added: The struggle to retain drivers is made more difficult by the shortage of infrastructure, the shortage of spaces to park, spaces to wash and spaces to go to the loo. Were just asking for decent facilities of the type found in Europe.

MrMcKenziehas said regular delays of three or four hours could be expected on busy days in the months ahead.

There is also mounting concern about the number of lorry drivers forced to sleepinlay-bys because of the long delays with Kent County Council warning of safety implications and disruption to residents.

Adrian Jones, Unites national officer for road transport, said: If drivers are going to be held up more regularly, there needs to be appropriate infrastructure and facilities available. It isnt good enough at the moment.

Last month the chief of Dover port Doug Bannister warned that the UK has just months to avoid further disruption when new EU biometric checks come into force in September.

As it stands, all car drivers would have to exit their vehicles to undergo biometric checks at the border, which could cause additional delays at the Kent port.

A government spokesperson said: We are spending 32.5m to improve lorry parking facilities across the country, and are working with industry on a detailed plan to help drivers feel rested and recharged to carry out their vital work safely.

Read more:

Brexit: Government warned of complete gridlock in Kent unless more lorry parks built - The Independent

As the legal, business and political communities continue to consider the implications and likely outcomes of the UKs governments proposal for a so-called Brexit Freedoms Bill (and associated policy paper on The benefits of Brexit), a few reflections are offered here on the direction of travel indicated. Whilst the contents of the actual bill remain unclear, some potentially troubling questions emerge from the initial rhetoric.

Data, tech and the regulatory landscape

Although the full wording of the bill has not yet been published, the governments press release proclaimed that [t]hese reforms will cut 1 billion of red tape for UK businesses, ease regulatory burdens and contribute to the governments mission to unite and level up the country.

At first blush, there appears to be some tension between the aim of cutting red tape (which implies a lighter regulatory burden) and another objective stated of transform[ing] the UK into the best regulated economy in the world with a high-standards regulatory framework. Scepticism has also been raised on this 1 billion headline figure (as well as the risks that cutting red tape can involve).

Of particular note for readers of this blog, the Prime Minister commented that the proposals would be pro-growth and give businesses the confidence to innovate, invest and create jobs in areas like cyber technology, artificial intelligence, and gene editing.

In the field referred to as Data and AI specifically, the bill aims to facilitate the UK moving in a faster, more agile way to regulate new digital markets and AI and creating a more proportionate and less burdensome data rights regime compared to the EUs GDPR. When placed in the context of the rhetoric of the press release as a whole, it is difficult to isolate concrete legal proposals from political grandstanding. Indeed, the language used here raises several questions, including:

Parliamentary scrutiny

On a more general note, there are concerns from within the legal community and beyond with the proposed mechanism for achieving these stated goals. The government notes that under current rules, reforming and repealing this pipeline of outdated EU law would take several years because of the need for primary legislation for many changes, even if minor and technical. As a result, the government proposes that [t]he Bill will make it easier to amend or remove outdated retained EU law.

The implication is that the draft legislation may give ministers powers to remove, amend or add legislation as statutory instruments. Given approximately 3,500 statutory instruments are made each year already (with many not subject to parliamentary scrutiny and a tiny fraction actually not being approved), there may be concerns at the scope of these proposed powers.

Indeed, this ambition is somewhat difficult to reconcile with the aim for Brexit to increase the role of the UK parliament in legislating: this contrasts with the press release's introductory remarks that many EU laws did not receive sufficient scrutiny in our democratic institutions and the comment by the Attorney General that the legacy EU rules in question often had limited meaningful parliamentary scrutiny.

Conclusion

Given the breadth of both the legislative reforms suggested and the powers which could be used to effect them, the draft bill itself will need very careful scrutiny once published in order (among other things) to safeguard the rights of data subjects and, more generally, the role of Parliament as the UKs legislature.

"The new legislation will ensure that changes can be made more easily, so that the UK can capitalise on Brexit freedoms more quickly."

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/prime-minister-pledges-bre

Continued here:

Some reflections (and concerns) over the 'Brexit Freedoms Bill' - Lexology

UL architect dRMM has announced the opening of an office in Berlin to improve its access the post-Brexit EU market.

The office, which will be run by three native Germans, Jonas Lencer, Saskia Lencer and Judith Stichtenoth, comes after dRMM won the Neue Schleiermacherhaus civic centre near the Brandenburg Gate this month.

The architect added that it was also looking forward to working in a country where the use of wood in construction was considered mainstream rather than being treated with distrust.

The Neue Schleiermacherhaus, which will be built from engineered timber, will house the Cultural Council of Germany as well as providing space for work, events and community facilities.

According to dRMM, the bulding will not does not mimic its surroundings, but rather showcases an expression of the ideas behind the historic buildings, with circular materials, heavy faades and flexible interiors crafted from the studios engineered timber.

Read the original:

London-based dRMM launches Berlin office to boost work in post-Brexit Europe - GCR

The Prime Minister has come under fire in the past few weeks over allegations he and his Downing Street team broke coronavirus rules during the first lockdown. Mr Johnson is also suffering criticism over his handling of the Brexit negotiations and Number 10's threats of triggering Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol.

But EU expert Wolfgang Munchau warned that getting rid of Boris Johnson could spark a domino effect that would see Labour win the next elections and Brexit gradually reversed.

The Eurointelligence director said: "A trigger of Article 16 would endear Boris Johnson to two critical groups among Conservative MPs: the members of the so-called European Research Group, and assorted Thatcherites.

"If they got rid of him, they would face the prospect of Rishi Sunak, the UK Chancellor, as a potential successor.

"Sunak is a man who tends to follow the advice of his officials. If you are a Brexiteer, beware of unintended consequences."

He explained: "The consequences would be a rise in the probability of a Labour victory at the next elections.

"If that were to happen, we would expect to see a partial Brexit reversal in the form of an attempt to forge a different relationship with the EU, possibly even an association agreement."

Echoing Rejoiner Lord Adonis' comments, he added: "Long-term, we could even see a complete Brexit reversal. The real tragedy of Brexit is that those who wanted it the most did not have any idea what to do with it. This is why we ultimately agree with the tweet by Lord Adonis, chairman of the European Movement in the UK: If Boris goes, Brexit goes.

"It wont be as direct as Adonis suggested, but ultimately we think he is right."

The warning comes despite Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer promises he would "make Brexit work" should his party win the next elections.

Sir Keir said a Labour government would back businesses to "buy, make and sell in Britain".

With Parliament in recess, the Labour leader is currently touring the North of England and the Midlands, taking his "contract with the British people" directly to voters.

Criticising the Government for not investing in manufacturing jobs across the UK, Sir Keir said: "It's not enough to just leave the EU and think the job is done: we must now make Brexit work. That means backing the places that powered our country to get our economy motoring again.

READ MORE:Bitter EU launches extraordinary Brexit attack on proud voters

"For too long the decline of manufacturing has been treated as if it was inevitable and irreversible. I will never accept that. But these figures show how the Government's failure to back British business has led to a shocking decline in the number of jobs."

In an analysis of ONS data, Labour claims that the number of jobs in manufacturing fell by 93,000 between the end of 2009 and the end of 2021.

This includes 16,000 jobs lost in the North of England and 18,500 jobs lost in the Midlands. Between 2010 and 2020, Germany added nearly one million manufacturing jobs.

Ahead of a visit to Burnley on the second day of his tour, Sir Keir added: "The next Labour government would support our manufacturers with practical plans to buy, make and sell in Britain.

"We would be as ambitious for towns and cities across the country as they are for themselves, investing in skills, technology, and quality jobs - so that people once again feel the benefits of British industry.

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"This is personal to me. My dad was a toolmaker, so I know the pride that comes with creating and building things - and the pain felt when the Tories dismantle that hard work.

"That's why it's a crucial part of my contract with the British people, which will build a new Britain that guarantees security, prosperity and respect for all."

On Monday, the Labour leader stressed he would not seek to re-enter the EU in government.

When asked about whether a Labour government would rejoin, he told BBC Radio Newcastle: "We've exited the EU and we're not going back. Let me be very clear in the North East about that. There is no case for rejoining."

He added: "I want to make sure we take advantage of the opportunities, and that we have a clear plan for Brexit. That's what I'm working on."

Link:

'Lord Adonis is right!' Brexiteers warned Labour victory will 'reverse' Brexit - Daily Express

An ambitious immersive artwork designed to be experienced with your eyes closed will begin touring around the U.K. in May as part of the rebrand of a pricey initiative originally planned to celebrate U.K. culture in the wake of Brexit.

Inspired by an experimental 1959 creation by artist-inventor Brion Gysin,Dreamachine promises audienceswith their eyes closedan opportunity to experience colorful, kaleidoscopic patterns and hallucinated visions created by flickering light. The experience will be accompanied by a tailor-made soundscape, as well as what organizers describe as one of the largest scientific research projects to take a deep dive into the collective human psyche.

Bryon Gysin, right, and his Dream Machine, with William Burroughs, ca. 1970, London.

The work is a collaborative effort spearheaded by Collective Art, which brings together Turner Prize-winning artists Assemble and Grammy- and Mercury-nominated composer Jon Hopkins together with a team of technologists, scientists, and philosophers. It is one of the 10 projects commissioned as part of Unboxed: Creativity in the U.K., formerly nicknamed the Festival of Brexit, the 120 million ($163 million)extravaganza initiated by Theresa Mays government to celebrate British culture after the country cut ties with the European Union. The festival is funded by the four governments of the U.K.England, Northern Ireland, Scotland, and Walesand commissioned in partnership with Belfast City Council, Creative Wales, and EventScotland.

The work will tour London, Cardiff, Belfast, and Edinburgh between May and October 2022, presented with Cardiff Council, Northern Ireland Science Festival, W5 Belfast, Edinburgh International Festival, and Edinburgh Science Festival. More than 100,000 visitors are expected to be able to experience this mysterious work for free.

Collective Art, Dreamachine (2022). Photo: Christa Holka.

Gysins original vision was to create a device that could replace television, allowing each individual to create their own cinematic experiences by immersing themselves into the images generated by the flickering light. Gysin hoped such unique viewing experiences could keep people away from passive consumption of mass-produced media.

More than six decades later, Collective Art pushes Gysins vision further, creating an immersive environment woven from layers of music, technology, neuroscience, philosophy, and architecture. Visitors are led to a room and seated in front of the machine with their eyes closed. A soundtrack by Hopkins, who has worked with Brian Eno and Coldplay, guides visitors to a transcendental state.

Audiences will be asked to participate in the science research project Perception Census to look into the unseen diversity of the nations inner worlds, organizers said. Details of the project, as well as dates, ticketing information, and venues, will be announced in late March.

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An Immersive Art Installation Designed to Be Experienced With Closed Eyes Will Headline a Rebranded Festival of Brexit in the U.K. - artnet News

There have been, and will continue to be, many changes within the UK resulting from Brexit, with the UK having left the European Union at the end of the transition period at 11pm on 31 December 2020. One change which may not have been at the forefront of minds is the delay on suppliers in Great Britain being able to legally trade in edible insects; a delay which, according to recent reports, is likely to continue throughout 2022.

Edible insects are a potential sustainable alternative to protein derived from meat and fish because they require significantly less land, account for a fraction of greenhouse gas emissions and require much less water than cattle or pigs. Whilst insects have long been on the menu in other parts of the world, for example toasted grasshoppers in Mexico and Witchetty grub in Australia, they are not yet widely adopted in Europe (despite insect products, including honey, being mainstay ingredients). With the global population increasing and consumers having a keener eye on sustainability, insects are widely considered to be a viable alternative food source, with snack and nutritional products such as roasted mealworms and cricket-flour entering the market in recent years.

Their supply, however, has been affected by the end of the transition period, which invalidated all applications for edible insects, classed as novel foods under EU law. Any application for a novel ingredient not approved for use in the EU as of 1 January 2020, must be re-submitted to the Food Standards Authority (FSA) before being sold in the GB market.

Applications must be made for each novel food or ingredient to be considered and whilst applications are free to submit, costs arise in having to gather scientific evidence for the FSA to be able to make an informed decision as to whether their introduction into the market is deemed safe. In May 2021, the Guardian reported that legal authorisation to operate may cost between 70,000 and 85,000. For businesses relying on the sale of edible insects, who may have been forced to cease trading because of this change in the law, this is a considerable amount of money which may just prove too costly or otherwise tighten margins and pass the cost on to consumers, making the products uncompetitive to their "traditional" protein counterparts.

It further remains unclear whether the transitional measures operating at the EU level continue to apply, allowing companies to continue selling insects, without novel food status, provided applications were submitted prior to January 2020. Clarity has been requested on this issue however clear guidance from the FSA is yet to be seen.

It is evident that (at least in the short term) red tape imposed by Brexit could lead to missed opportunities in bringing new and alternative foods into the market. It is unclear at this stage how long it will take for the FSA to work through the backlog of applications received.

Whilst it all may seem doom and gloom at this stage, the fact that the UK has left the EU and is free to deviate from the EUs position on novel foods might mean that there is scope and opportunity in the future for the UK to be at the forefront of emerging areas in the food and beverage sector and align itself closer to global trends. However, plans may have to be mothballed until this is resolved.

https://www.thecaterer.com/news/in-depth/industry-fears-future-of-edible-insects-as-brexit-leaves-trade-legal-limbo

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A bug in the system - Brexit and edible insects - Lexology