UK can ‘cuddle’ EU and US on the similar time amid Trump tariff threats, minister says
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Kemi Badenoch has dominated out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s get together tops plenty of nationwide polls and surpasses 200,000 members.
The Conservative get together chief known as the concept of placing a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who didn’t need to see her “get into bed” with Farage.
It comes as Reform achieved its highest lead in a YouGov ballot so far, with 26 per cent of voters surveyed saying they might vote for the get together, up one share level on the earlier week.
The pollsters’ most up-to-date voting intention ballot, taken on Sunday and Monday, noticed Labour following intently behind at 25 per cent of voters, additionally up one share level on final week, whereas the Tories stayed the identical at 21 per cent.
In the meantime, the UK authorities claimed Britain’s particular relationship with the US is “very good” regardless of Donald Trump’s announcement of worldwide tariffs in his newest transfer in an escalating commerce struggle.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen responded that the brand new US president’s “unjustified” 25 per cent tariff on metal “will not go unanswered”, with Trump additionally threatening extra duties on aluminium.
It comes as a row broke out after the Labour MP behind new assisted dying laws, Kim Leadbeater, introduced she can be eradicating the main safeguard of choices needing to be signed off by a excessive court docket decide.
In the meantime, Oliver Ryan grew to become the second Labour MP to be suspended from the get together amid a row over alleged sexist, homophobic and racist messages in a constituency WhatsApp group. The scandal had already value Andrew Gwynne his job as a junior well being minister.
Shadow commerce minister warns UK metal business is in ‘nice peril’
A shadow commerce minister has known as this second certainly one of “great peril” for the UK metal business, accusing the federal government of failing to have interaction “with gusto” with the brand new US administration.
Dame Harriett Baldwin informed the Commons: “The United States is our greatest ally and our greatest single trading partner. The UK and the United States are the biggest investors in each other’s economies and yet this is a moment of great peril for the UK steel industry because the Government has failed to engage with gusto with the new US administration.
“The Prime Minister, despite his many airmiles, has not got on a flight to the States at the first possible opportunity and years of student politic-style insults hurled at the president by the frontbench opposite have put our relationship in jeopardy – and that’s before the embarrassment of the Chagos Islands shows that we have terrible negotiators running the country.”
Dame Harriett pressed the Authorities on work to safe a commerce take care of the US, saying: “Much of the work was done by his department the last time President Trump was in the White House so will the minister finally set out to this House what plans the Government has to obtain a big, beautiful free trade agreement with the United States?”
Commerce minister Douglas Alexander replied: “First, on the big, beautiful deal that they contemplated and abjectly failed to secure, I would simply observe that that was one of a whole number of trade deals that they boast about but abjectly failed to deliver.”
On engagement with US officers, Mr Alexander famous the related representatives have but to be confirmed of their positions and mentioned the UK “stands ready to have an engagement with the incoming administration once we’re in a position to do so”.
Dame Harriett Baldwin has known as this second certainly one of ‘great peril’ for the UK metal business (PA Media)
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 15:00
British business ought to keep away from ‘knee-jerk’ response to US tariffs, warns commerce minister
Commerce minister Douglas Alexander mentioned British business wants a “cool and clear-headed” response relatively than a “knee-jerk” response to strikes by the US to impose 25 per cent tariffs on British metal exports.
Responding to an pressing query, Mr Alexander informed the Commons: “We have seen the proclamation issued by President Trump overnight which enforces a full return to 25 per cent tariffs on US steel imports on March 12 2025.
“Only details on steel have so far been published by the United States, not on aluminium. The intended effect of this proclamation is to revoke existing arrangements that have avoided these tariffs, such as the UK-US resolution, as well as any separately agreed product exclusions from the tariffs.
“What British industry needs and deserves is not a knee-jerk reaction but a cool and clear-headed sense of the UK’s national interest based on a full assessment of all the implications of the US’s actions.”
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 14:40
UK ‘stands prepared’ to seek out options that work for each international locations, says commerce minister
Commerce minister Douglas Alexander mentioned the UK “stands ready” to seek out options that work for each international locations.
He mentioned conferences will likely be held with representatives of the metal business and commerce union on Tuesday afternoon, including within the Commons: “The Secretary of State for Business and Trade is in touch with representatives of the British steel industry and will be meeting them within the next 24 hours.
“Since July we have engaged in a systematic way with the UK steel sector and we will continue to engage with UK industries impacted by potential tariffs.
“Historically we’ve benefited from a strong and balanced trade relationship with the United States worth around £300 billion and supporting millions of jobs, so in trade policy we stand ready to work with President Trump to find solutions that work for both the United Kingdom and the United States.”
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 14:20
Badenoch guidelines out pact with Reform
Kemi Badenoch has dominated out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s get together tops plenty of nationwide polls and surpasses 200,000 members.
The Conservative get together chief known as the concept of placing a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who didn’t need to see her “get into bed” with Farage.
Kemi Badenoch has dominated out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK (PA Wire)
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 14:01
Evaluation: Is the particular relationship with the US actually ‘very good’, as No 10 claims?
Each morning, Keir Starmer wakes as much as uncover if Donald Trump has put one other potential bomb beneath the already faltering UK financial system.
On Monday he had – with the announcement that he would impose tariffs of 25 per cent on metal imports.
The British metal business has since known as for motion to mitigate what might be a “devastating blow”.
A world commerce struggle might additionally see an inflow of cheaper imports that would put British suppliers out of enterprise.
On the similar time the PM has come beneath sustained hearth from the President’s ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk, together with on Monday over the UK authorities’s perspective to the info of Apple customers.
And, as The Unbiased revealed final month, President Trump was even contemplating rejecting our new man in Washington Peter Mandelson.
On this context, the outline of the particular relationship as “very good”, whereas clearly an try at diplomacy, might be described as a press release of hope relatively than expectation.
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin11 February 2025 13:37
UK authorities claims US particular relationship ‘very good’ regardless of Trump’s tariffs
The UK authorities has claimed Britain’s particular relationship with the US is “very good” regardless of Donald Trump’s announcement of worldwide tariffs in his newest transfer in an escalating commerce struggle.
As the brand new US president’s 25 per cent tariff on metal is ready to hit the UK, a Downing Road spokesperson informed reporters as we speak: “We fully expect that relationship to continue to go from strength to strength.”
When requested how the particular relationship would now be characterised, they mentioned: “The special relationship, it’s very good. We have a wide range of areas where we’re working closely with the United States and the prime minister’s had very good early engagement with President Trump.”
Whitehall editor Kate Devlin11 February 2025 13:22
What adjustments are being made to the assisted dying invoice?
Newly proposed adjustments to the assisted dying invoice have prompted controversy as MPs weigh up whether or not they’ll proceed supporting the laws on the ultimate vote.
Put ahead by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who tabled the unique invoice, the adjustments would reform a significant safeguarding measure that was included within the authentic model.
Ms Leadbeater says her modification would make the invoice “even more robust,” however others have responded critically. Veteran member Diane Abbott, a vocal opponent of the laws, wrote on X: “Safeguards on the Assisted Dying Bill are collapsing. Rushed, badly thought-out legislation. Needs to be voted down.”
Former Lib Dem chief Tim Farron added: “Lots of MPs voted for the bill at second reading in the expectation that there would be stronger safeguards added at committee stage and yet we now see that even the weak safeguards that existed, are being dropped.”
Right here’s every thing you should know concerning the adjustments:
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 13:00
Leadbeater signifies assisted dying modification requiring psychiatrist
Kim Leadbeater has indicated she would assist an modification to her assisted dying Invoice requiring a psychiatrist to be concerned in some instances.
Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse has proposed altering the Invoice to require an evaluation by a psychiatrist if there’s concern somebody “may be seeking assistance to end their own life due to an impairment of judgment arising from a mental disorder or other condition”.
At the moment, the Invoice contains the choice of docs referring such a affected person to a psychiatrist, however it’s not obligatory.
Throughout a committee debate on the Invoice, Ms Leadbeater mentioned: “That’s an amendment I would like to support and I hope the Bill committee support it.”
Danny Kruger, one of many main opponents of the Invoice, mentioned: “Well for the first time so far in the course of this debate, we have a strengthening of the Bill from the honourable member, so that’s great news, we can chalk that up as a victory.”
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 12:40
Labour officers ‘told about WhatsApp group before it became public’
Labour officers had been repeatedly warned a few WhatsApp group containing offensive messages made by a former minister earlier than they had been made public, it has been claimed.
Gerald Cooney, the previous Labour chief of Tameside council in Larger Manchester, mentioned he raised considerations about Andrew Gwynne’s remarks a number of occasions up to now 12 months.
Labour sources mentioned no formal criticism had been acquired concerning the WhatsApp group.
Learn the total story right here:
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 12:20
Sue Grey to take seat in Lords months after leaving coronary heart of Authorities
Sue Grey, the “partygate” investigator who went on to grow to be Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of employees, will take her seat within the Lords on Tuesday 4 months after leaving the center of Authorities.
The previous senior civil servant was amongst 30 new Labour friends who had been introduced final December by Downing Road because it seeks to rebalance Parliament’s unelected second chamber.
Six appointments from the Tories, together with Liz Truss’s former deputy prime minister Dame Therese Coffey, and two from the Liberal Democrats had been additionally confirmed.
Ms Grey will likely be launched to the Home as Baroness Grey of Tottenham alongside Baroness Money, a Conservative nomination.
Ms Grey went from an influential however little-known arbiter of conduct in Authorities to a family identify when she took on the probe into Covid rule-breaking at Boris Johnson’s Quantity 10 in 2021.
She stepped in to guide the investigation after then-cabinet secretary Simon Case, her boss, recused himself following allegations that his personal workplace held a Christmas occasion amid a lockdown.
Civil service impartiality was later thrown into query amid Tory criticism of her transfer to give up the Cupboard Workplace after a long time in Whitehall and be part of Labour as Sir Keir’s chief of employees.
Scrutiny of her new function mounted after the get together received the election, with leaked disclosures that the 67-year-old earned greater than the Prime Minister and experiences of an influence wrestle in Downing Road between her and different aides.
After weeks of detrimental briefings in opposition to her, Ms Grey introduced her resignation in October in a press release citing considerations that she was “becoming a distraction” to the work of Authorities.
Sue Grey will take her seat within the Lords on Tuesday (PA Wire)
Tara Cobham11 February 2025 12:00
