Babak Belurs

Senin, 28 Desember 2020

Victory! UK heading for post-Brexit BOOM after signing new trade deals worth £900 billion - Daily Express

Brexit: Bridgen slams Keir Starmer's position on trade deal

The colossal figure comes as Trade Secretary Liz Truss signed off a new £18.6 billion tie-up with Turkey, meaning the UK now has new agreements in place with 62 countries around the world. And there are multi-billion free trade deals with America, Canada and Australia in the pipeline for 2021. Together they could boost the UK economy by at least £100 billion over the coming decade, according to analysts.

Writing in the Daily Express, former Business Secretary Andrea Leadsom, says that the UK’s ability to secure it’s own trading agreements, free from EU interference, means that the “sunlit uplands” are on the horizon.

She says Boris Johnson’s “phenominal” £660 billion trade deal with Brussels is the “catalyst for the UK to redefine our place in the world”.

“Let us seize the opportunities that our new position brings,” she says. Let’s use this as the positive push for our post-COVID recovery. The Roaring Twenties can now truly begin!”

With just three days to go until the Brexit transition period ends Boris Johnson yesterday (Mon) hailed a “new starting point” for the UK’s relationship with the EU.

Trade Secretary Liz Truss signed off a new £18.6 billion tie-up with Turkey

Trade Secretary Liz Truss signed off a new £18.6 billion tie-up with Turkey (Image: EXPRESS)

In a call with European Council president Charles Michel the Prime Minister welcomed the agreement as a fresh start “between sovereign equals”.

“We looked forward to the formal ratification of the agreement and to working together on shared priorities, such as tackling climate change,” the prime minister added.

It came after ambassadors representing the 27 EU member states unanimously approved the trade deal, which was secured on Christmas Eve just days before the 31 December deadline.

The approval means the trade deal can take effect provisionally, though the European Parliament will formally vote on it in January.

There are multi-billion free trade deals with America, Canada and Australia in the pipeline for 2021

There are multi-billion free trade deals with America, Canada and Australia in the pipeline for 2021 (Image: GETTY)

MPs will be recalled to parliament to vote on the agreement tomorrow (Wed) and currently only 10 Tories are expected to rebel.

But Tory grandee Lord Heseltine has urged MPs and peers to abstain from the vote, warning the deal would inflict “lasting damage” on the UK. Labour has also criticised what it described as a “thin” deal.

However, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has said his party will support it, meaning it is expected to be approved and come into force on 1 January.

The agreement with Turkey, which will be formerly signed later this week, will provide a major boost for the British car industry, manufacturing and steel industries and lays the groundwork for an enhanced relationship in the future.

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Boris Johnson secured a trade deal with the EU on Christmas Eve

Boris Johnson secured a trade deal with the EU on Christmas Eve (Image: GETTY)

Ms Truss and her team have now agreed trade deals with 62 countries, alongside the new EU deal - accounting for around £885 billion of UK trade.

More deals with Albania, Cameroon and Ghana could be agreed in the coming days.

Announcing the deal the International Trade Secretary said: “We now look forward to working with Turkey towards an ambitious tailor-made trade agreement in the near future, as we aim to open new global markets for great British businesses, drive economic growth and improve people’s lives across both countries.

“It will provide certainty for thousands of jobs across the UK in the manufacturing, automotive and steel industries.”

The deal with the EU came just before the UK's transition period ended

The deal with the EU came just before the UK's transition period ended (Image: GETTY)

The UK is Turkey’s second-biggest export market but Ankara’s customs union with the EU meant that a free trade agreement could not be finalised until a Brexit deal was in place. That raised fears among Turkish producers of white goods, cars and textiles that their products could face hefty import tariffs and UK border delays if Britain crashed out of the 27-member bloc.

The deal seeks to replicate the trading terms that currently exist between the UK and Turkey, with tariff-free trade on all non-agricultural goods, according to British officials.

The UK has also agreed to roll over the preferential tariffs that Turkey enjoys on some agricultural products under its customs union with the EU.

It follows hot on the heels of a bumper £17.6 billion tie-up with Singapore that will help Britain become a major tech-hub.

Another £15 billion deal was signed with Japan, paving the way thousands of new jobs

Another £15 billion deal was signed with Japan, paving the way thousands of new jobs (Image: EXPRESS)

Another £15 billion deal was signed with Japan, paving the way thousands of new jobs. Crucially it gives Britain a foot in the door to joining a wider 11-nation trade deal, known as the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Once fully operational it will account for around 14 per cent of global GDP and is worth more than £112 billion.

Boris Johnson has promised Britian will “prosper mightily” outside the EU and Chancellor Rishi Sunak this week said that the new trade deal secured with the EU will usher in a "new era for global Britain".

Brexiteer John Redwood, who has indicated he will support the deal in tomorrow’s (Wed) vote, said the opportunities for Britain outside the EU are huge.

The EU had expressed its reluctance to back down to the UK's fishing demands

The EU had expressed its reluctance to back down to the UK's fishing demands (Image: GETTY)

And he questioned the so-called “economic boost” of being in the bloc, suggesting there was only 1.66 per cent per year since 1993.

“If we look at the 28 years 1993 to 2020 when we were in the single market and customs union, total growth was 59 per cent.

“That was an annual growth rate of just 1.66 percent.”

Richard Tice, Chairman of Reform/The Brexit Party, yesterday (Mon) questioned some elements of the UK/EU deal but described it as “a giant leap forward”.

“We are once again a free, sovereign, independent United Kingdom,” he said.

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2020-12-29 00:00:00Z
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Record Covid infections in UK as hospital numbers exceed previous peak of pandemic - BBC News - BBC News

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2020-12-28 22:26:11Z
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COVID-19: Ambulances used as makeshift wards as hospitals fill - Sky News

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2020-12-28 19:37:55Z
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Covid-19: Gove 'confident' schools can reopen in England - BBC News

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has said he is "confident" the staggered return to secondary schools in England can go ahead as planned.

But Mr Gove said the issue was still being reviewed, amid concern over the spread of the new coronavirus variant.

Wales and Scotland have delayed or revised the start of the new term. Northern Ireland schools are due back next week.

Ministers have said exam year pupils in England would return as normal.

But the majority of secondary school pupils in England are due to begin the term studying remotely, to give head teachers time to implement a coronavirus testing programme for students and staff.

Mr Gove told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he still expected Year 11 and Year 13 pupils to return in the first week of January, with the rest going back to the classroom later in the month.

"It is our intention to make sure we can get children back to school as early as possible," he said.

He said that prioritising children's attendance in school was "the right thing to do" but he acknowledged concerns about the new variant, which scientists believe may be more transmissible.

"We have a new strain and it is also the case that we have also had, albeit in a very limited way, Christmas mixing, so we do have to remain vigilant," Mr Gove said.

"We are confident that we will be able to get schools back in good order. Our plan and our timetable is there, and we are working with teachers to deliver it."

Mr Gove told BBC Breakfast the safe return to school would be built on an effective testing system, with teachers working "incredibly hard" to implement it.

Teachers' union the NASUWT said schools have not been given enough time to prepare for mass testing - and that further guidance and support were needed for those in the highest tier areas.

Dr Patrick Roach, the union's general secretary, told BBC News it was "vitally important" the government helps schools to arrange testing programmes "to ensure an effective mass testing system is possible".

How are the UK nations returning to school?

England: Secondary school pupils in exam years will return at the start of term while others begin their learning online. Face-to-face learning is expected to resume for everyone by 11 January. Primary schools will return as normal
Scotland: Schools will start term on 11 January with learning taking place online until at least 18 January.
Wales: Term will start with online learning, but the majority of pupils are expected to resume face-to-face lessons by 11 January. A full return to the classroom is expected to be complete by 18 January
Northern Ireland: All schools will initially reopen for face-to-face teaching at the start of term, but years 8 to 10 will move to remote learning from 25 January for at least two weeks

Schools in all the UK nations are remaining open for vulnerable children. England, Wales and Scotland have also committed to maintain face-to-face teaching for children of key workers.

The union has written to Education Secretary Gavin Williamson, calling for him to allow schools in the highest tier areas to teach online, except for vulnerable pupils and the children of key workers.

Mark Tilling, head teacher of High Tunstall College of Science in Hartlepool, told BBC Radio 4's The World At One that he needed to train 21 staff to carry out the mass testing, which would take at least a week from the start of term.

He said: "The key issue for me is, is it safe to open if we can't do mass testing? If it isn't then the government need to make a decision that we can't open."

The National Education Union has also written to Mr Williamson and the prime minister, repeating its call for schools and colleges to teach classes online for at least the first two weeks of January.

Although there is no suggestion the new variant poses more of a threat to children's health, scientists are investigating whether it spreads more easily in children.

Preliminary research by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine suggested that schools and universities might need to close on top of existing tier 4 restrictions to bring the new variant under control.

Labour's shadow education secretary Kate Green said the government did not have a clear strategy and was not acting quickly enough.

"Parents will be extremely concerned that all they're getting is rumour and innuendo. Teachers and school staff will need to know what is expected of them," she said.

Sir Jeremy Farrar, a member of the government's Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told the Today programme the country faced "very, very tough choices" over schools.

He said that while schools were an "absolute priority", there would be a "trade-off" that could mean other parts of society had to stay closed.

The UK faced "continued pressures" from the spread of Covid-19 for at least the next two or three months, Sir Jeremy said.

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2020-12-28 18:57:00Z
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Britain records 41,385 Covid cases and 357 more deaths as second wave continues to grow - Daily Mail

Britain records 41,385 Covid cases and 357 more deaths as second wave continues to grow

Department of Health figures show the UK's daily Covid infection toll is technically the largest ever recorded
But the true scale of the coronavirus crisis in the first wave was never laid bare because of a lack of testing
Government statistics also show today's coronavirus death count is up 66 per cent on last Monday's figure

By Stephen Matthews Health Editor For Mailonline

Published: 16:25 GMT, 28 December 2020 | Updated: 17:20 GMT, 28 December 2020

Britain today recorded 41,385 cases of Covid and 357 more deaths as the second wave of the disease continues to grow with a highly-infectious strain spreading rapidly across the country.

Department of Health figures show the UK's daily infection toll is technically the largest ever recorded and is up 24 per cent on last Monday's count.

But the true scale of the Covid crisis in the first wave remains a mystery because of a lack of testing, meaning it is impossible to tell if this is Britain's worst day of the pandemic so far. Top scientists estimate up to 100,000 people were catching the disease every day during the darkest days of the spring.

Government statistics also show today's death count - which takes the UK's overall number of lab-confirmed Covid victims past 71,000 - is up 66 per cent on last week's.

But coronavirus death tolls on Mondays - and following bank holidays - are always affected because of a recording lag, meaning the counts will inevitably spike later in the week. Scotland has also not posted their daily coronavirus deaths since Christmas Eve, suggesting there may be an anomaly tomorrow when officials eventually get back-on-track with publishing the data following the festive period.

Today's record-high number of cases are also likely to have been skewed upwards by recording hiccups over the Christmas break, with some of the home nations not declaring any new infections in the past few days - meaning they would be pushed onto tallies released today or even later this week.

Public Health England's medical director Dr Yvonne Doyle said: 'We have all made huge sacrifices this year but we must all continue to play our part in stopping the spread of the virus which is still replicating fast.' She warned that the figure is of 'growing concern' because 'hospitals are at their most vulnerable'.

The effects of Tier Four, which came into force last week for 16million people across London, the South East and the East, should start to be seen within the next few days, with cases likely to drop sharply in areas plunged into the harshest restrictions. But deaths won't follow suit for at least another fortnight because of how long it can take infected patients to succumb to the illness.

But some experts fear cases will start to rise as a result of millions being allowed to spend Christmas Day with loved ones they don't live with.

Hospitals are also beginning to feel the brunt of the growing outbreak, according to official figures, with experts warning the NHS in England on track to have 20,000 coronavirus patients who need NHS treatment on New Year's Eve.

Department of Health statistics show 18,227 Covid-infected patients were being cared for in hospitals across the nation on Christmas Eve - a 15 per cent rise in a week. April 12 was the busiest day of the Covid pandemic so far for hospitals in England, when 18,974 patients were occupying beds.

Separate figures laying bare the true scale of the second wave show more than 90 per cent of councils in England saw their coronavirus outbreaks grow before Christmas.

Around 24million people are already living under draconian stay-at-home orders, with ministers slapping the Tier Four measures on London, the South East and East to control rapidly growing Covid outbreaks. But millions more face being hit with the toughest curbs when officials review the existing four-tier system on Wednesday.

Department of Health statistics show 18,227 Covid-infected patients were being cared for in hospitals across the nation on Christmas Eve - a 15 per cent rise in a week. Top officials say the highly infectious strain spreading rapidly across the country is to blame. For comparison, April 12 was the busiest day of the pandemic so far for hospitals in England, when 18,974 patients were occupying beds

The total number of patients in hospital with the virus is likely to exceed the peak from the first wave, with 21,286 coronavirus patients being treated on December 22 - the most recent day data is available for. In comparison, the figure on April 12 was 21,683

Millions more Britons face being plunged into Tier 4 this week as the mutant Covid-19 strain continues to spread across the country

Hospitals in England 'on track' to have 20,000 Covid patients by New Year's Eve

Hospitals in England are hurtling towards having 20,000 coronavirus patients who need NHS treatment on New Year's Eve, according to dire projections that will bolster calls for No10 to introduce another draconian lockdown in 2021.

For comparison, April 12 was the busiest day of the pandemic so far for hospitals in England, when 18,974 patients were occupying beds.

The Health Service Journal, a trade publication aimed at health bosses, has calculated that the number of Covid patients is rising by around 250 each day, meaning NHS England is 'on course to exceed the first wave in the next few days and, possibly, top 20,000 on New Year's Eve'.

Doctors fear the NHS could be 'overwhelmed' within days, with frontline medics in London describing hospitals as resembling war zones. And in chaotic scenes reminiscent of the darkest days of the first wave of Covid, hospitals in England have been urged to free up every possible bed ahead of the expected spike in patients.

Health bosses today insisted health service would 'cope' with the surge in patients, which will inevitably begin to ease over the next fortnight when the effects of the brutal Tier Four restrictions kick in.

Tier Two Cumbria is one area that could find itself in the firing line, with three of the county's six boroughs seeing their Covid infection rate – the number of new cases per 100,000 people – double in size during the week ending December 22.

Department of Health statistics show Eden, home to around 50,000 people, had a rate of 422.5 during the most recent week data is available for – up from 200.9 in the previous seven-day spell. It stood at 41.3 at the start of the month.

It means the borough, which includes Penrith, recorded more confirmed Covid cases for the size of its population than several councils already placed under Tier Four, including parts of Surrey, Berkshire and Oxfordshire.

Allerdale (163.7) and Copeland (64.5) also saw outbreaks double in size over the same time-frame. However, the latter Cumbrian borough still has England's lowest coronavirus infection rate.

And Barrow-in-Furness – another part of the county – was one of just 27 areas that recorded fewer cases week-on-week. England's 288 other boroughs saw their outbreaks stay stable or grow, with 35 authorities seeing infections double over the same duration.

Local health bosses fear the rapid growth in cases across parts of the county, which borders Scotland, is being driven by the same coronavirus mutation that spread rapidly across the Home Counties.

No10's top scientists have already admitted they cannot control the spread of a highly-contagious mutation that spread like wildfire across the south and effectively cancelled Christmas for a third of the country.

It comes as Michael Gove today refused to rule out the gloomy prospect of No10 placing all of England into Tier Four, which effectively bans residents from leaving their home.

The Cabinet Office minister told BBC Breakfast: 'We review which tiers parts of the country should be in on the basis of scientific evidence.

'The Joint Biosecurity Centre (JBC) will be making a recommendation to ministers, but I can't pre-empt that because it obviously has to be a judgment based on the medical situation.'

But he warned the NHS is 'under pressure' and added 'these are difficult months ahead'.

Mr Gove's comments come amid fears hospitals in England are hurtling towards having 20,000 coronavirus patients needing treatment on New Year's Eve.

For comparison, April 12 was the busiest day of the pandemic so far for hospitals in England, when 18,974 patients were occupying beds.

Doctors fear the NHS could be 'overwhelmed' within days, with frontline medics in London describing hospitals as resembling war zones.

And in chaotic scenes reminiscent of the darkest days of the first wave of Covid, hospitals in England have been urged to free up every possible bed ahead of the expected spike in patients.

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2020-12-28 16:25:00Z
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