Month: February 2023

But the prime minister said no agreement had yet been made between the UK and the European Union.

Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said the deal over trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland was “inching towards a conclusion”.

A No 10 source has described the negotiations as positive.

The taoiseach said an agreement could come within days but this was “by no means guaranteed” as negotiators still had a gap to close.

He urged politicians from the UK, Brussels and Northern Ireland to “go the extra mile” to get it over the line.

The Northern Ireland Protocol – agreed under former PM Boris Johnson after the UK left the European Union – has been an ongoing source of tension.

It sees Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws so that goods can flow freely over the border to the Republic of Ireland without checks.

Instead, goods arriving from England, Scotland and Wales are checked when they arrive at Northern Irish ports.

Some, including Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), feel this undermines the nation’s position within the rest of the UK as well as impacting trade.

The DUP, which also wants less EU oversight of the rules, is currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland because of its concerns.

The UK and EU have been negotiating on a way forward and appear to be on the brink of completing a new deal – for which the prime minister has been trying to win support.

Speaking to the Sunday Times from Downing Street, Mr Sunak said: “I’m here all weekend trying to get it done… We’re giving it everything we’ve got.”

He said he wanted to show that Brexit “works for every part of the United Kingdom”, continuing: “There’s unfinished business on Brexit and I want to get the job done.”

The prime minister said “the idea that the EU can impose laws on Northern Ireland without them having any say isn’t acceptable”, adding that ensuring stability for the people of Northern Ireland is key.

“It’s about the people and communities of Northern Ireland,” he told the newspaper. “It’s about what’s best for them and that’s what everyone should have in the uppermost of their minds.”

The prime minister added in an article for the Sunday Telegraph: “Resolving this issue is fundamental to everything that I believe as a Conservative, as a Brexiteer and as a Unionist.”

Meanwhile, there had been plans for King Charles to meet the president of the European Commission in the UK on Saturday, the BBC understands.

The planned meeting between the King and Ursula von der Leyen, originally reported by Sky News, was not part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU and multiple sources said her visit was cancelled due to operational reasons.

It is not known when she will now come to the UK, but the fact a meeting was planned appears to indicate a deal was about to be done – and publicly presented – while she was in the UK.

Some had also suggested a new deal on the Northern Ireland Protocol could be called the Windsor Agreement.

Earlier, a source from the DUP told the BBC they had no meetings scheduled over the weekend over the protocol.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson also said: “The objective in London and Brussels should be to get this right rather than rushed.

“The wrong deal will not restore power sharing but will deepen division for future generations.”

The prime minister has been facing added pressure from some Conservative MPs over Northern Ireland’s current obligation to follow some EU laws and be accountable to the European Court of Justice.

Eurosceptic Tory MP Sir John Redwood said: “The UK needs to hold out over the EU imposing laws on Northern Ireland. The EU needs to get the Unionists on side.”

The Northern Ireland Protocol is a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks.

Before Brexit, it was easy to transport goods across this border because both sides followed the same EU rules. After the UK left, special trading arrangements were needed because Northern Ireland has a land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is part of the EU.

The EU has strict food rules and requires border checks when certain goods – such as milk and eggs – arrive from non-EU countries.

The land border is a sensitive issue because of Northern Ireland’s troubled political history. It was feared that cameras or border posts – as part of these checks – could lead to instability.

The UK and the EU agreed that protecting the Northern Ireland peace deal – the Good Friday agreement – was an absolute priority.

So, both sides signed the Northern Ireland Protocol as part of the Brexit withdrawal agreement.

Speaking on the first anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion, he said the proposal signalled that China was involved in the search for peace.

“I really want to believe that China will not supply weapons to Russia,” he said.

China’s plan calls for peace talks and respect for national sovereignty.

However, the 12-point document does not specifically say that Russia must withdraw its troops from Ukraine, and it also condemns the usage of “unilateral sanctions”, in what is seen as a veiled criticism of Ukraine’s allies in the West.

The Chinese authorities have so far not publicly responded to Mr Zelensky’s call for a summit with Mr Xi.

Meanwhile, Russia hailed the Chinese peace proposals. “We share Beijing’s views,” the foreign ministry in Moscow said in a statement.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Beijing was considering supplying weapons and ammunition to Russia – a claim strongly denied by Beijing. On Friday, American media again reported that the Chinese government was considering sending drones and artillery shells to Moscow.

Asked about the Chinese plan, US President Joe Biden told ABC News on Friday: “[Russian President Vladimir] Putin’s applauding it, so how could it be any good?

“I’ve seen nothing in the plan that would indicate that there is something that would be beneficial to anyone other than Russia,” he added.

China appears to be siding with Russia, though it would like to find a way of rescuing President Putin by arranging some kind of face-saving peace deal, says the BBC’s World Affairs Editor John Simpson.

The Chinese proposals follow a visit by the country’s top diplomat Wang Yi to Moscow, where he met President Putin and Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday.

After the talks, Mr Wang was quoted by China’s state-run Xinhua news agency as saying that Beijing was willing to “deepen political trust” and “strengthen strategic coordination” with Moscow.

Western officials gave the latest proposals a lukewarm reception. Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said Beijing “doesn’t have much credibility” because it had “not been able to condemn the illegal invasion of Ukraine”.

President Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, and Russian troops made significant advances during the first few days in Ukraine’s north, east and south.

But the attack on the capital Kyiv was soon repulsed and the Ukrainian military was later able to retake large areas.

The conflict – the biggest in Europe since World War Two – has since become a grinding war of attrition.

At a lengthy news conference in Kyiv on Friday, Mr Zelensky also said victory “will inevitably await us” if allies “respect their promises and deadlines”.

Poland said it had already delivered four German-made Leopard II tanks to Ukraine and was ready to deliver more. Germany has said it will provide 14 Leopard tanks, with Spain and Canada also sending tanks.

The US – by far the biggest provider of military aid to Ukraine – has pledged to send 31 of its M1 Abrams tanks and the UK is providing 14 Challenger 2 tanks.

The Ukrainian leader added that his country had failed to engage sufficiently with countries in Africa and Latin America after many nations in those continents abstained during a UN General Assembly vote on a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion.

“We didn’t work well for many years, we didn’t pay attention, I think it’s a big mistake,” he said.

Asked if he could name his worst moment of the war so far, Mr Zelensky said Bucha, a town outside Kyiv where Russian troops are accused of having killed civilians in the early part of the war. The small town had been under Russian control until Ukrainian troops fought back last April to reclaim it.

“What I saw. It was horrible,” Mr Zelensky said, visibly moved.

The US marked a year since Russia invaded Ukraine by announcing a new range of sanctions against Russia and new aid for Ukraine.

The latest restrictions target more than 100 entities both within Russia and worldwide, including banks and suppliers of defence equipment. The US said it wanted to stop those helping Russia exploit loopholes to get sanctioned materials.

The White House’s fresh round of aid for Ukraine is worth $12bn (£10bn), comprising $2bn from the Department of Defense including ammunition and drones and $10bn from the State Department including budgetary support to the Ukrainian government.

A further $550m will be supplied to both Ukraine and neighbouring Moldova to strengthen their energy infrastructure.

Moldova is Europe’s poorest country and has been heavily impacted by the war. Its leaders have warned for several weeks that Russia is plotting to seize power.

It comes days after US President Joe Biden flew to Kyiv for a surprise visit and held talks with Mr Zelensky.

On Friday, the EU also approved its 10th round of sanctions against Russia, imposing restrictions on technology that has a civilian and military dual use.

When Kate Forbes entered the contest she highlighted her desire to “unite the party and the Yes movement”.

Ash Regan said she would “bring back unity” and would “take the SNP forward together”.

Humza Yousaf offered to “reach across the divisions… and bring people together”.

Worthy aspirations for anyone seeking to takeover the leadership of an increasingly fractious party.

How any of the three candidates would actually deliver the promised unity is much harder to see, especially at the end of a week of sometimes bitter infighting.

Kate Forbes fractured her own campaign support by making clear that while she has no plans to unpick the law enabling gay marriage, she would not have voted for it.

Five senior politicians who were either in her camp or heading that way have since deserted her. They include ministers Tom Arthur, Clare Haughey and Richard Lochhead, backbench MSP Gillian Martin and MP Drew Hendry.

There was then a spat between the Forbes campaign and the deputy first minister, John Swinney, who questioned the suitability of someone with Kate Forbes’ views for the highest office.

She has since tried to reset her campaign by committing to protect the rights of everyone to live and love without fear or harassment, describing herself as “heartsore” at the hurt some of her comments have caused.

Ms Forbes has also said that she would be “loath” to challenge the UK government’s section 35 order blocking the gender recognition reform bill becoming law.

That has antagonised the SNP’s power-sharing partners in the Scottish Greens who issued a statement insisting that the UK’s intervention “must be challenged robustly”.

It is hard to imagine the SNP/Green arrangement continuing in its current form if Ms Forbes becomes first minister. Her strong emphasis on economic growth could place further strain on relations.

The power-sharing deal is probably even less likely to survive if Ash Regan wins the contest.

She has committed to dropping the gender recognition reform bill, over which she resigned from the Scottish government as community safety minister.

She has also prioritised the dualling of the A9 and the A96 and promised to stand up for oil workers rather than support an accelerated path to net zero carbon emissions if that threatens North Sea jobs.

By contrast, Humza Yousaf has declared himself a “wholehearted” supporter of the SNP/Green tie-up which gives the Scottish government a stable majority in parliament.

Like Nicola Sturgeon he is committed to going to court to defend Holyrood’s gender reforms – one reason he is seen as something of a continuity candidate.

Legal action would no doubt be welcomed by Greens and SNP supporters of the legislation, but does little to reassure those in the SNP who opposed it, that their concerns have been heard.

While Humza Yousaf is a socially-liberal politician compared to the socially-conservative Kate Forbes, it is a matter of record that he did not take part in the final Holyrood vote on gay marriage.

His explanation is that he had an important meeting with a Pakistani diplomat about the case of a Scot facing the death penalty.

However, the minister responsible for the same sex marriage legislation, Alex Neil – who is a Forbes supporter – tells a different story.

He claims Mr Yousaf timed the appointment to avoid the vote because he was under pressure from some in the Muslim community not to back reform.

Perhaps the biggest threat to Mr Yousaf’s campaign is his record in government. As health secretary he is in charge of the NHS at a time of enormous strain.

This week’s report from the finance watchdog, Audit Scotland, suggested Mr Yousaf’s recovery plan after the pandemic was not on track and that NHS waiting had got worse since it was published.

At Holyrood question time, Nicola Sturgeon highlighted record spending on the NHS and that Mr Yousaf has managed to avert strike action in the service. But that did not stop opposition leaders renewing calls for his resignation.

Independence is likely to emerge as an even bigger dividing line in this contest.

This is where Humza Yousaf breaks with the current first minister. He has said he is “not wedded” to the idea of using a general election as a substitute referendum.

My understanding is that he is very unlikely to back that approach. Instead, his emphasis is on building sustained majority support for independence to persuade the UK government to agree to indyref2.

Kate Forbes has also talked of the need to build “unstoppable” levels of support for independence. She told the BBC the strategy needed a “reset” and that it was not as simple as targeting a majority at an election.

Before Brexit, the SNP took a similar approach – that another referendum should happen if and when independence appeared to be the settled will of the Scottish public.

Meanwhile, Ash Regan has doubled down on the election route to Scottish statehood, arguing that achieving more than 50% of the vote should trigger negotiations on Scotland’s withdrawal from the UK.

She is also proposing to bring together all independence-minded organisations under the umbrella of an independence convention.

Her position on this and some other key policies is very similar to the platform of the Alba party, led by Alex Salmond.

There will be much to discuss in the three-way leadership debates being organised by the SNP and by broadcasters.

Whoever emerges as the winner when voting ends on Monday 27 March, this is the end of an era in the SNP and Scottish politics.

The end of the Sturgeon era, certainly. The end of the Salmond/Sturgeon era too – the pair having taken control of their party and then the Scottish government together.

That was nearly two decades ago and this is the first time since 2004 there has been a contest to decide who takes over the party and what direction it should take.

The three candidates represent a generational shift away from those who have built and run the SNP for more than 30 years.

Alex Salmond’s gone. Nicola Sturgeon’s going. John Swinney’s stepping back too. Ian Blackford has already done so. As has Mike Russell, who now has the honorary post of party president.

All three potential leaders have only established themselves in elected politics since the SNP took power at Holyrood.

Kate Forbes and Humza Yousaf were still at school when the Scottish Parliament first opened in 1999.

Interestingly, those two candidates were once named by Nicola Sturgeon as potential successors – not that succession planning has been an obvious feature during her time in charge.

The next SNP leader and first minister will either be the second woman to hold these offices or the first to do so from a black or Asian minority ethnic background.

They will face huge challenges in rebuilding the NHS, managing the public finances in a cost of living crisis, and trying to break the deadlock over independence.

Trying to unify their party in the process could be one of the biggest challenges of all.

There are signs an agreement is close, with a No 10 source calling negotiations “positive”.

King Charles had also been due to meet the president of the European Commission in the UK on Saturday, the BBC understands.

But the visit has been cancelled due to operational reasons unconnected to the political talks.

The planned meeting between the King and Ursula von der Leyen, originally reported by Sky News, was not part of the negotiations between the UK and the EU.

However, it was an opportunity for the pair to meet face-to-face. And the fact this meeting had been planned is significant as it appears to indicate a Brexit deal was about to be done – and publicly presented – while Ms von der Leyen was in the UK.

It is not known when the European Commission president will now come to the UK.

Some had suggested a deal on the Northern Ireland protocol – thought to be all but complete – could be called the Windsor Agreement and include a moment in front of the cameras involving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ms von der Leyen.

The prime minister and Ms von der Leyen spoke by telephone on Friday and Downing Street said Mr Sunak had made “good progress”.

A source said afterwards that it had been “positive” and negotiations would continue, with leaders agreeing “to discuss this further in coming days.”

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has pulled out of a long-planned trip to the Middle East at the beginning of next week – raising expectations that a formal announcement from the UK and Brussels could be days away.

But there have been repeated delays over the last week or so, as wrangling went on between No 10, the Democratic Unionist Party and Conservative backbenchers.

The prime minister has been trying to win support for changes to the controversial Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

The protocol, which was agreed under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and came into force in 2021, saw Northern Ireland continue to follow some EU laws to get round the need for checks at the UK’s border with the Republic of Ireland.

Earlier, a source from the DUP told the BBC they had not been involved in any talks with the prime minister on Friday and had no meetings scheduled over the weekend.

Mr Sunak has been trying to win the DUP over to a deal, as the party is currently blocking the formation of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

The prime minister has been facing added pressure from some Conservative MPs over Northern Ireland’s current obligation to follow some EU laws and be accountable to the European Court of Justice.

Both the UK and the EU also have to coordinate diaries to make the choreography of an announcement work at a mutually convenient time and place.