It’s possible that I shall make an ass of myself. But in that case one can always get out of it with a little dialectic. I have, of course, so worded my proposition as to be right either way (K.Marx, Letter to F.Engels on the Indian Mutiny)
Monday, June 13, 2022
UK
Fury as government waters down post-Brexit food standards
Strategy described as ‘missed opportunity’ as final wording merely commits to ‘considering’ animal welfare
Animal welfare campaigners have criticised the government’s new food strategy proposals.
Animal welfare campaigners, food policy experts and farmers have reacted with fury after the government watered down post-Brexit trade deal standards in its food strategy, released on Monday.
In a version of the strategy leaked to the Guardian on Friday, the government committed to making it easier for countries to import goods if they have high animal welfare standards.
The draft reads: “We will seek animal welfare-linked liberalisation in our [free trade agreements], allowing us to offer more generous liberalisation for products certified as meeting certain key animal welfare criteria specified in the agreement.”
But the final version is stripped of this and merely commits to “considering” animal welfare and the environment when it comes to free trade agreements.
Caroline Lucas, Green MP for Brighton said: “This looks like yet another shamefully squandered opportunity to cement stringent animal welfare protection into our free trade agreements.
“We need a full explanation from government as to why this element was removed, and on whose demands.”
The government’s white paper, billed as the first such strategy in 75 years, rejected most of the food tsar Henry Dimbleby’s ambitious policies, which he outlined in a report released last year.
Dimbleby made a number of high-profile suggestions, including a significant expansion to free school meals, greater environment and welfare standards in farming, and a 30% reduction in meat and dairy consumption. None of these have made it into the final strategy. Food plan for England condemned by its own lead adviser
Rob Percival, head of food policy at the Soil Association, said: “It’s notable that the approach to trade in the final strategy appears to be different to the approach outlined in the draft which was leaked to the Guardian on Friday.
“Why has the strategy been watered down? Is this evidence of a rift in government, Defra [the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs] trumped by DIT [the Department for International Trade]? Farmers will need more than positive rhetoric if they are to continue to raise welfare and environmental standards. Government should develop core trade standards as a matter of urgency.”
Claire Bass, executive director of Humane Society International, said: “This smoke-and-mirrors approach to safeguarding animal welfare in imported products just won’t wash. Instead of adopting a rulebook of animal welfare core standards to govern trade, we are now waiting for a ‘statement’ on animal health that will ‘inform negotiations’.
“This soft policy approach will make the UK a doormat in negotiations with major trading partners like the US, and in practice UK animal welfare trade barriers will be junked at the first sign of any objection.”
Farmers have said they are disappointed with the watering-down of the trade section and that it puts English producers at a disadvantage.
Patrick Holden, a dairy farmer and director of the Sustainable Food Trust, said the removal of the animal welfare commitment was indefensible, adding: “Unfortunately, I am not surprised to see that section was taken out. Farmers in this country are worried about being let down by lower standard imports – and they are not wrong.
“Britain had such an opportunity to show leadership in that area – this was the opportunity missed, now we are signing these grubby trade deals, and it’s continuing to water down what was already a very dilute package on trade.”
Defra has declined to comment.
Majority Of Northern Ireland Politicians Reject UK's Protocol Plan "In Strongest Possible Terms"
A majority of Northern Ireland's assembly members (MLAs) have strongly criticised the government's plan to unilaterally override the Northern Ireland Protocol in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
The letter is signed by 52 of Stormont's 90 MLAs and comes as the government prepares to publish legislation seeking to scrap large parts of the post-Brexit treaty.
All MLAs in Sinn Fein, Alliance, and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) added their signatures to Monday's letter. No politician from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), or any other unionist party, have done so, however.
It reads: "We reject in the strongest possible terms your Gov’s reckless new Protocol legislation, which flies in the face of the expressed wishes of not just most businesses, but most people in Northern Ireland."
The government argues the plan will protect the Good Friday peace deal and help get the government in Belfast up and running. The DUP is currently blocking the formation of an Executive over their opposition to the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Speaking on Monday, Johnson said the Northern Ireland Protocol in its current form was upsetting "the balance and the symmetry" of the peace agreement and needed fixing.
"We have to understand there are two traditions in Northern Ireland, broadly two ways of looking at the border issues, and one community at the moment feels very, very estranged from the way things are operating and very alienated," he told reporters.
The letter urges ministers to abandon their plan to act unilaterally and instead up efforts to negotiate a deal with Brussels. "While we share a desire to see the arrangements work as smoothly as possible, the way to achieve that is through engagement with the European Union," it says.
It also rejects the government's argument that it is protecting the Good Friday Agreement by legislation to override the agreement with the EU.
"To complain the Protocol lacks cross-community consent, while ignoring the fact that Brexit itself – let alone hard Brexit – lacks even basic majority consent here, is a grotesque act of political distortion. Your claims to be acting to protect our institutions is as much a fabrication as the Brexit campaign claims you made in 2016," it says.
The Alliance party, led by Naomi Long MLA, has separately accused the government of sidelining Northern Irish parties which oppose their plan in the process of putting together the legislation.
In an email to government on Friday, and leaked to PoliticsHome, Long complained that "only one" political party in Stormont – the DUP – had been "central to the preparation of this legislation".
Long declined the offer of a technical briefing on the bill, arguing that the government had treated Northern Ireland's political parties in a "differential manner" in its approach.
She said: "We are, therefore, not interested in offering the government's approach any veneer of credibility, given the fact that it has been treating NI parties in a differential manner and ignoring the expressed views of a majority of NI elected representatives, businesses and civil society on this matter".
A government source hit back at the email, telling PoliticsHome that Long's characterisation of the government's engagement with Northern Ireland political parties was "inaccurate".
"It is disappointing that Naomi Long is the only party leader to reject the offer of a technical briefing on the Government’s Protocol legislation. It is designed in the best interests of all the people and businesses in Northern Ireland.
"We have engaged with all the parties throughout this process, to suggest otherwise is inaccurate".
The Northern Ireland Protocol, agreed as part of Brexit negotiations, was designed to avoid a contentious hard border on the island of Ireland, but resulted in new barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The UK and EU are committed to reducing these barriers, but have failed to agree changes after eighteen of negotiations.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is today expected to unveil legislation that will give ministers the power to drop large parts of the treaty. The plan is set to face fierce opposition in the House of Lords and prompt legal action from the EU, as well as possible trade retaliation.
A Tory who opposes the plan said the letter to Johnson showed that the government was "showing complete and utter contempt for the people of Northern Ireland" and "a stark reminder that the government is not only lying to its own MPs and the media about the illegal focus of this bill".
https://www.politicshome.com/
Sinn Féin, SDLP and Alliance jointly write to Boris Johnson to condemn 'reckless' Protocol bill
The letter represents a majority of MLAs in Stormont but no unionists signed it.
(L to R) Naomi Long, Colm Eastwood and Michelle O'Neill. (File) Image: Niall Carson https://www.thejournal.ie/
STORMONT MLAS from Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Alliance Party have joined together to write to Boris Johnson expressing their opposition to his government’s “reckless” Protocol bill.
Unionists politicians are seeking changes to the arrangement, with the DUP blocking the operation of the Stormont Assembly as part of its opposition to the Protocol as its currently instituted.
A majority of MLAs elected to Assembly last month are in favour of the Protocol and in their letter today said that it “offers clear economic advantages to our region”.
The letter has been signed by 52 of the 90 MLAs, including all nationalist members of the Assembly and all Alliance Party members, who designate as ‘other’. No unionist MLAs signed the letter.
The letter to Johnson states that the signatories “reject in the strongest possible terms your government’s reckless new protocol legislation, which flies in the face of the expressed wishes of not just most businesses, but most people in Northern Ireland”.
It continues that “whilst not ideal, the protocol currently represents the only available”. While we share a desire to see the arrangements work as smoothly as possible, the way to achieve this is through engagement with the European Union. It is clear that solutions are available and deliverable – as have already been delivered in the area of medicines – but this must be on the basis of trust and the rule of law rather than law breaking and unilateral abrogation of treaty obligations.
“It is also deeply frustrating that you and your ministers continue to misrepresent our desire to see smooth implementation as an endorsement of your Government’s reckless actions on the Protocol – it is categorically not.”
In response to the letter DUP MP Sammy Wilson tweeted:
Not one Unionist MLA supports the Northern Ireland Protocol. Power sharing will not be restored until decisive action is taken to remove the Irish Sea Border. There will be no return to the status quo.
The Northern Ireland Protocol was agreed as part of the Withdrawal Agreement between the EU and UK following Brexit and was designed as a way of preventing the need for a hard border on the island of Ireland.
The Protocol effectively keeps Northern Ireland in the EU Single Market for goods but also keeps Northern Ireland in the UK’s Customs territory.
While the unique arrangement offers potential advantages for NI businesses to operate in both territories, unionists have criticised it because it has required some checks to be carried out on goods travelling from Britain to Northern Ireland
Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, the Northern Ireland institutions will be periodically asked to consent on the continuation of the Protocol, with the first such vote due to take place in December 2024.
Government Sets Out Powers To Override Most Of The Northern Ireland Protocol Adam Payne@adampayne26
The government has published legislation that aims to hand ministers the power to scrap large parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol despite significant opposition from the European Union and numerous Conservative MPs.
The bill, which Foreign Secretary Liz Truss unveiled on Monday afternoon, also faces pushback from the House of Lords, amid criticism that if implemented it would break international law. Truss's counterpart in the Republic of Ireland described UK plans to override the protocol as a "particular low point" in post-Brexit relations.
The government insists that the plan acts within international law and published a summary of its legal position to accompany the legislation. Its position is that the "genuinely exceptional situation" justifies the "nonperformance" of oglibations it signed up when the protocol was agreed.
The government did not, however, go as far as critics have demanded by publishing all the legal advice it had received on the matter.
Truss said the bill would protect the Good Friday peace deal and "support political stability" in Northern Ireland. The region currently doesn't have a functioning government, with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) blocking the formation of an Executive over its opposition to the protocol.
"It will end the untenable situation where people in Northern Ireland are treated differently to the rest of the United Kingdom, protect the supremacy of our courts and our territorial integrity," Truss said.
Speaking to Sky News after the bill was published, the Foreign Secretary said the government had made it "very clear" that it was "acting in line with the law".
The government argues that it has no choice but to take unilateral action after failing to reach a negotiated settlement with the EU after 18 months of talks.
The protocol, agreed by the UK and EU in 2019, was designed to avoid a contentious hard border on the island of Ireland, but resulted in new barriers to trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Both sides are committed to reducing these barriers, but have failed to agree on how.
The bill will give ministers the power to unilaterally make sweeping changes to the treaty, which Truss described as a "reasonable, practical" measure to address "the problems facing Northern Ireland".
The government plans to significantly reduce the amount of checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea by creating a "green lane" for goods that are staying in Northern Ireland. These goods will be "freed of unnecessary paperwork, checks and duties", the government says in a paper setting out the proposed new regime. Additionally, it plans to establish a "dual-regulatory regime" allowing goods that enter the Northern Irish market to adhere to either UK or EU rules.
If implemented, the bill would also remove the role of the European Court of Justice in overseeing Northern Ireland's post-Brexit arrangements, and overhaul how the protocol impacts tax policy so that there is no difference between the region and the rest of the UK when it comes to VAT.
It is likely to be a number of months before the legislation becomes law, however, and the UK and EU are expected to continue negotiating in the meantime. Truss stressed that the government's preferred way of solving the Northern Ireland Protocol remained an agreement with the EU.
It is also understood that the changes would not come into effect immediately after the bill receives parliamentary approval. Government officials indicated that ministers would use the powers handed them to action the changes once the systems required to deliver them are ready.
The measures set out by Truss this afternoon amount to major changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol and are expected to prompt legal action from Brussels, and possibly trade retaliation.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson this morning said trade retaliation would "be a gross, gross overreaction" by the European Commission, and insisted that the changes set out in today's legisaltion were "relatively trivial set of adjustments in the grand scheme of things".
Simon Coveney, Ireland's foreign minister, in a phone call with Truss this morning said the UK's plan to act unilaterally represented a "particular low point" in its approach to Brexit.
An Irish readout of their call said: "Minister Coveney repeated that the protocol is the negotiated solution, ratified by Westminster, to the hard Brexit pursued by the U.K. government.
"The UK’s unilateral approach is not in the best interest of Northern Ireland and does not have the consent or support of the majority of people or business in Northern Ireland. Far from fixing problems, this legislation will create a whole new set of uncertainties and damage relationships".
A majority of politicians in the Northern Irish assembly wrote to Johnson prior to the publication of the bill, saying: "We reject in the strongest possible terms your Gov’s reckless new Protocol legislation". The ketter was not signed by a unionist MLA, however.
The bill is set to face opposition from numerous Tory MPs who are urging the government to scrap its plan to act unilaterally and instead up its efforts to negotiate a deal with the EU.
In a briefing note leaked to PoliticsHome on Sunday, Conservative MPs who intend to vote against the legislation say it "is damaging to everything the UK and Conservatives stand for" and ignores warnings from senior legal figures that it would break international law.
"A Bill with ‘notwithstanding’ clauses disapplying our own ratification legislation breaks international law: no amount of shopping around for rent-a-quote lawyers can hide that Labour’s decision to do this over Iraq was damagingly exposed and should be a cautionary tale," it reads.
David Lammy, the Shadow Foreign Secretary, said the legislation was "a desperate attempt by Boris Johnson to distract from the drama of his leadership crisis".
"Britain should be a country that keeps its word. By tearing up the Protocol it negotiated just a couple of years ago, the Government will damage Britain’s reputation and make finding a lasting solution more difficult," he said.
He called on the government to publish the legal advice it had received in full, not just a summary of its position.
Claire Hanna, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MP for South Belfast, expressed frustration that Truss did not make a House of Commons statement about the legislation.
"The UK government's contempt for the people of Northern Ireland is underlined by the foreign Secretary failing to come to parliament to explain such a substantial and destructive move".
A government source stressed to PoliticsHome that ministers do not usually make statements at the first reading of legislation. Second reading, at which point Truss is expected to address MPs, is expected to take place before parliament breaks up for its summer recess next month.
UK moves to rewrite Brexit rules; EU threatens legal action
Jun 13, 2022 Demonstrators protest outside Hillsborough Castle, ahead of a visit by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, in Hillsborough, Northern Ireland, Monday, May, 16, 2022. Britain’s government is expected to introduce legislation that would unilaterally change post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland amid opposition from lawmakers who believe the move violates international law. The legislation, expected Monday, June 13, 2022, would let the government bypass the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which requires the inspection of some goods shipped there from other parts of the United Kingdom.
(AP Photo/Peter Morrison, File)
LONDON (AP) — Britain’s government on Monday proposed new legislation that would unilaterally change post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, despite opposition from some U.K. lawmakers and EU officials who say the move violates international law.
The proposed bill seeks to remove customs checks on some goods entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. That will override parts of the trade treaty that Prime Minister Boris Johnson signed with the European Union less than two years ago.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss maintained that Britain is acting within international law, and blamed the EU for blocking a negotiated settlement. The European Commission said it could take legal action against the U.K.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said the EU’s executive arm will consider launching new infringement procedures to “protect the EU single market from the risks that the violation of the protocol creates for EU businesses and for the health and safety of EU citizens.”
In Ireland, Prime Minister Micheal Martin said it was “very regrettable for a country like the U.K. to renege on an international treaty.”
Brushing aside criticism, Johnson told reporters that the proposed change is “relatively simple to do.”
“Frankly, it’s a relatively trivial set of adjustments in the grand scheme of things,” he told LBC Radio.
He argued that his government’s “higher and prior legal commitment” is to the 1998 Good Friday agreement that brought peace and stability to Northern Ireland.
Arrangements for Northern Ireland — the only part of the U.K. that shares a land border with an EU nation — have proved the thorniest issue in Britain’s divorce from the bloc, which became final at the end of 2020. At the center of the dispute is the Northern Ireland Protocol, which now regulates trade ties between Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K., and the Republic of Ireland, part of the EU.
Britain and the EU agreed in their Brexit deal that the Irish land border would be kept free of customs posts and other checks because an open border is a key pillar of the peace process that ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland.
Instead, to protect the EU’s single market, there are checks on some goods, such as meat and eggs, entering Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K.
But the arrangement has proved politically damaging for Johnson because it treats Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the United Kingdom. Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party has refused to return to the region’s power-sharing government until the protocol is scrapped or substantially changed.
The bill to override that arrangement is expected to face opposition in Parliament, including from members of Johnson’s own Conservative ranks. Critics say unilaterally changing the protocol would be illegal and would damage Britain’s standing with other countries because it’s part of a treaty considered binding under international law.
In Brussels, Sefcovic said the protocol was the “one and only solution we could jointly find to protect the hard-earned gains of the peace process in Northern Ireland.”
He added that the EU remains open to discussions with the British government to find a solution to the dispute.
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Associated Press reporter Samuel Petrequin in Brussels contributed to this story.
The European Union could take legal action against the UK as soon as Wednesday in response to moves to re-write parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol, according to RTE News reports.
A Bill to unilaterally amend the agreement will be introduced in Parliament amid controversy over whether the legislation will break international law.
Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis has insisted the new Bill is “lawful” and “correct” but Labour has accused the Government of “law-breaking”.
There is also likely to be some opposition from within Tory ranks, with a number of MPs believed to be unhappy with the legislation.
The Financial Times reported that an internal note had been circulating among those against the Bill, which said: “Breaking international law to rip up the Prime Minister’s own treaty is damaging to everything the UK and Conservatives stand for.”
It is also expected to prompt a fierce response from the EU, which could initiate legal action as early as Wednesday.
RTE News reporter Tony Connelly said that a statement is expected to say that the EU will not renegotiate the Protocol, and will imply that the EU could take retaliatory trade measures against the UK.
The bloc will “consider” issuing “new” infringement proceedings, as well as unfreezing existing legal action this week.
Sources say the EU will adopt a carrot and stick approach, with the unfreezing of legal action being accompanied by the publication of a “model for the flexible implementation of the protocol based on durable solutions.”
The UK government on Monday introduced legislation to rip up post-Brexit trading rules for Northern Ireland, despite the possibility that could spark a trade war with the EU.
London says it still prefers a negotiated outcome with the European Union to reform the Northern Ireland Protocol.
But with talks stalled, the bill proposes overriding the EU withdrawal treaty that the UK signed, although the government in London insists it is not breaking international law.
The EU quickly threatened legal action in response while Dublin called it "a particular low point in the UK's approach to Brexit".
That could not come at a worse time for the UK, which is grappling with inflation at 40-year highs and rising household bills that have left many Britons struggling to make ends meet.
But London claims the bill will address "burdensome customs processes, inflexible regulation, tax and spend discrepancies and democratic governance issues" that are "undermining" peace in Northern Ireland and have paralysed its power-sharing government.
"The EU must be willing to change the protocol itself. Ministers believe that the serious situation in Northern Ireland means they cannot afford to delay," it added. 'Reasonable'
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss spoke to European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and Ireland counterpart Simon Coveney on Monday to inform them the bill was being introduced in parliament.
She called it a "reasonable, practical solution to the problems facing Northern Ireland".
But Sefcovic said that the EU would not renegotiate its divorce deal and that Brussels would now consider reopening a suspended "infringement procedure" against Britain, as well as opening fresh cases.
"It is with significant concern that we take note of today's decision by the UK Government to table legislation," he said in a prepared statement to reporters in Brussels.
Sefcovic tweeted earlier that he had warned the UK minister that "unilateral action is damaging to mutual trust and a formula for uncertainty".
Coveney told Truss the move marked "a particular low point in the UK's approach to Brexit" and was "deeply damaging to relationships on these islands and between the UK and EU".
"The UK's unilateral approach is not in the best interest of Northern Ireland and does not have the consent or support of the majority of people or business in Northern Ireland," he added.
But Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that the move was "the right way forward" and was needed to maintain the "balance and the symmetry" of the Good Friday peace agreement between pro-UK unionists and nationalists who want a united Ireland.
"One community at the moment feels very, very estranged from the way things are operating, very alienated. And we've just got to fix that," he told LBC radio. Open border
The pro-UK Democratic Unionist Party argues that the protocol's creation of an effective border in the Irish Sea is jeopardising Northern Ireland's status in the wider UK and makes a united Ireland more likely.
It is boycotting the local government in Belfast until the deal is scrapped or dramatically overhauled.
Northern Ireland's first minister-elect, Michelle O'Neill, of Irish nationalists Sinn Fein, said Johnson was "in clear breach of international law".
Analysis: UK sets up EU battle with Northern Ireland changes
But DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson welcomed the bill as "the kind of action that is required" to remove what he said were barriers to trade within the UK.
The protocol requires checks on goods arriving from England, Scotland and Wales, to prevent them from entering the EU's single market via the Republic of Ireland and to avoid a return to a "hard border".
Border infrastructure was a flashpoint during 30 years of violence over British rule in Northern Ireland and an open border was central to the peace deal. Green and red channels
The UK bill proposes scrapping most of the checks, creating a "green channel" for British traders to send goods to Northern Ireland without making any customs declaration to the EU.
The EU would have access to more real-time UK data on the flow of goods, and only businesses intending to trade into the single market via Ireland would be required to make declarations via a "red channel".
The EU would need to trust the UK to monitor the flow, London said, promising "robust penalties" for any companies seeking to abuse the new system.
Since recently surviving a confidence vote in his leadership, Johnson has reportedly been under pressure from pro-Brexit Tory hardliners to toughen the bill and remove oversight of the protocol by the European Court of Justice.
Northern Ireland minister Brandon Lewis said there was "no logic" to having only one side's judges involved in a bilateral trade arrangement, but ECJ's jurisdiction is a red line for the EU to protect its single market.
(AFP)
Explainer: What is in Britain's proposed new post-Brexit law for N.Ireland
Reuters Traffic drives through the border between Northern Ireland and Ireland along the M1 motorway, as seen from Carrickcarnan, Ireland, May 19, 2022.
REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne
LONDON, June 13 (Reuters) - Britain published legislation on Monday to tackle disruption to post-Brexit trade with Northern Ireland, setting out measures it says are needed to protect peace in the British-ruled province but which are sure to antagonise the European Union.
The government sees the legislation as part of a "dual track" approach to the problem, enabling ministers to pursue negotiations with the EU while having an insurance policy in the form of the new bill if those talks fails to come to fruition.
Following are the reasons why Britain wants to unilaterally change the Northern Ireland protocol, agreed as part of its Brexit divorce deal with the EU, and what it has proposed.
WHAT IS THE NORTHERN IRELAND PROTOCOL?
-- The protocol is an arrangement agreed as part of Britain's Brexit deal that keeps Northern Ireland aligned with the EU's single market for goods, avoiding a hard border with EU member Ireland that was a key part of a peace deal.
-- It brought in checks on goods moving between Britain and Northern Ireland, deterring traders from delivering certain products to the province.
JUSTIFICATION FOR THE LEGISLATION
-- Foreign minister Liz Truss said on May 17 the Belfast Good Friday Agreement peace deal was under strain, preventing the working of the Northern Ireland executive.
-- This argument has formed the basis of the government's legal justification. It believes the conditions have been reached to justify the "doctrine of necessity", which allows an administrative authority to employ extraconstitutional measures to restore order or stability.
-- Britain says the new legislation is legal under international law. It says it will not scrap the protocol deal but make limited changes.
PROBLEMS
-- EU customs procedures for moving goods within the UK have meant companies are facing significant costs and paperwork. Some businesses have stopped this trade altogether.
-- Rules on taxation mean that citizens in Northern Ireland are unable to benefit fully from the same advantages as the rest of the UK, like the reduction in VAT on solar panels.
-- SPSS (sanitary and phytosanitary) rules mean British producers face onerous requirements including veterinary certification to sell food stuffs in Northern Irish shops.
-- The EU has made proposals to ease the burden for traders but Britain says they do not address the full concerns and would go backwards from the current situation.
NEW LEGISLATION
-- Britain wants to introduce green and red lanes backed by commercial data and a trusted trader scheme for goods, with the green lane for products staying in the UK, and red for those going to the EU or being moved by traders not in the trader scheme. Post and parcels would go through the green lane.
-- To protect the EU's single market, it would implement robust penalties for those who seek to abuse the system.
-- Robust data sharing and a purpose-built IT system with information available in real time and well within the time taken to cross the Irish Sea would be available.
-- It would also remove regulatory barriers to goods made to UK standards being sold in Northern Ireland. Goods could be marked with either a CE or UKCA marking or both if they meet the relevant rules. Approval could be granted by UK or EU bodies.
-- Britain wants to allow businesses to choose between meeting UK and EU standards in a new dual regulatory regime.
-- London will be able to decide tax and spend policies across the whole of the UK. Britain proposes using the Subsidy Control Act 2022 to manage subsidies in the UK. Britain would provide freedom for ministers to adapt or disapply rules so that people in Northern Ireland could benefit from the same policies as those elsewhere in the UK.
-- It would address issues related to governance by bringing the protocol in line with international norms and removing the dominance of the European Court of Justice. Britain proposes more balanced arrangements that look to manage issues through dialogue, and then through independent arbitration.
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE?
-- Britain says it needs to deal with the trade issues as a matter of urgency but there is no legislative timetable.
-- It is likely to meet resistance in the upper house of parliament. One Conservative lawmaker said the rarely-used Parliament Acts could be utilised to force it through. This limits the delaying powers of the House of Lords to a year.
Britain defies EU with 'relatively trivial' N.Ireland law Elizabeth Piper and Kate Holton Sun, June 12, 2022, FILE PHOTO: The border between Northern Ireland and Ireland FILE PHOTO: The border between Northern Ireland and Ireland
FILE PHOTO: British Foreign Secretary Truss gives a statement to the House of Commons in London EU Commission Vice-President for Interinstitutional Relations Sefcovic
By Elizabeth Piper and Kate Holton
LONDON (Reuters) -Britain published plans on Monday to override some of the post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland by scrapping checks and challenging the role played by the European Union's court in a new clash with Brussels.
Despite Ireland describing the move as a "new low" and Brussels talking of damaged trust, Britain pressed ahead with what Prime Minister Boris Johnson suggested were "relatively trivial" steps to improve trade and reduce bureaucracy.
European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic said that Brussels' reaction would be proportionate, but ruled out renegotiating the trade protocol.
Tensions have been simmering for months after Britain accused the bloc of heavy-handed approach to the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland - checks needed to keep an open border with EU-member Ireland.
Always the toughest part of the Brexit deal, the situation in the region has sent alarm bells ringing in European capitals and Washington, and among business leaders. It has also heightened political tensions, with pro-British communities saying their place in the United Kingdom is being eroded.
"I'm very willing to negotiate with the EU, but they do have to be willing to change the terms of this agreement which are causing these very severe problems in Northern Ireland," British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said.
"We're completely serious about this legislation."
Britain has pointed to the breakdown of a power-sharing administration in Northern Ireland as a reason for drafting the legislation, the first step in what could be a months-long process before the bill becomes law.
The legal advice cited the "doctrine of necessity", which is invoked when governments may take law-breaking action to protect stability, as the foundation for the move, saying the conditions had been met because of the situation in Northern Ireland.
Britain has long complained that negotiations with the EU have failed to come to fruition and the legislation is seen as an insurance policy, and possibly a bargaining chip. The bill could accommodate any solution agreed in those talks.
But a new trade row with the EU comes at a time when Britain faces its toughest economic conditions in decades, with inflation forecast to hit 10% and growth stalling. Johnson said any talk of a trade war would be a "gross, gross overreaction".
The EU's Sefcovic said the bloc will not renegotiate the protocol and called the idea "unrealistic".
"Any renegotiation would simply bring further legal uncertainty for people and businesses in Northern Ireland," Sefcovic said in a statement.
"Our aim will always be to secure the implementation of the Protocol. Our reaction to unilateral action by the UK will reflect that aim and will be proportionate." NEW CLASH
Britain has long threatened to rip up the protocol, an agreement that kept the region under some EU rules and drew an effective customs border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK to prevent a back door for goods to enter the EU's vast single market.
It is now planning a "green channel" for goods moving from Britain to Northern Ireland, to change tax rules and end the European Court of Justice's role as sole arbiter in disputes. It also wants a dual regulatory regime, angering companies which fear higher costs.
The move has yet again exposed divisions in Johnson's Conservative Party, a week after the prime minister just survived a rebellion by his own lawmakers.
Brexit supporters said it could have gone further, critics feared it again undermined London's standing in the world by challenging an international agreement.
Similar divisions were evident in Northern Ireland.
Brussels believes any unilateral change may breach international law, while Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney said that only the British government thought it was not a breach.
The EU could launch legal action or eventually review the terms of the free trade deal it agreed with Britain. It has already thrown doubt on Britain's role within the $99 billion Horizon Europe research programme.
The United States urged Britain and the EU to resolve their differences, adding that it sought to protect the 1998 peace deal for the province.
"U.S. priority remains protecting the gains of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, and preserving peace, stability, and prosperity for the people of Northern Ireland," a White House spokesperson said.
($1 = 0.9553 euros)
(Additional reporting by Paul Sandle, Andrew MacAskill, William James, Alistair Smout and Kylie MacLellan in London, Marine Strauss and Benoit Van Overstraeten in Brussels, Padraic Halpin in Dublin and Alexandra Alper in Washington; Editing by Louise Heavens, Mark Potter, Ed Osmond, William Maclean and Tomasz Janowski)
USA / CANADA
‘Bloodbath’ in store for Canadian tech sector as wave of layoffs looms, industry players say
A wave of layoffs and hiring freezes in the American tech sector is set to hit Canada hard, industry watchers say. They warn that although job cuts have already happened here, bigger reductions lay ahead. “The message everyone is receiving is: ‘Protect your capital.’ There will be many more layoffs, …
After a banner year for tech, layoffs are here. In fact, as of the beginning of June, more than 17,000 workers in the U.S. tech sector have been laid off in mass job cuts so far in 2022, according to a Crunchbase News tally. Tech companies as big as Netflix have slashed jobs this year, with some citing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and others pointing to overhiring during periods of rapid growth. Robinhood, Glossier and Better are just a few of the tech companies that have notably trimmed their headcount in 2022.
To keep tabs, we’ve compiled a list of U.S.-based tech companies that have laid off employees so far this year.
Notable U.S. tech layoffs are included below. Please note that layoff and workforce figures are best estimates based on reporting. Columns are searchable and sortable.
The public markets have been hit hard in 2022, and that’s trickled down to the private markets. Inflation concerns, rising interest rates and geopolitical issues have all contributed to a roller coaster stock market.
Startups—especially the ones who benefited from a pandemic boom that’s starting to cool—are starting to feel the pressure too. Valuations, particularly at the late stage, have started to dip, and startups say it’s much more difficult to raise new funding in this environment.
Methodology
We’ve included both startups and publicly traded companies that are based in the U.S. We’ve also included companies based elsewhere that have a sizable team in the United States, such as Klarna, even when it’s unclear how much of the U.S. workforce has been affected by layoffs.
We sourced the layoffs from media reports, social media posts and layoffs.fyi, a crowdsourced database of tech layoffs. Are we missing something?
Our hope is that this database will be as comprehensive as possible, so if we’ve missed any companies or if your company goes through layoffs, please let us know by filling out this form.
This layoff tracker will be updated at least weekly, if not more frequently.
The tech sector has had a tumultuous year. That trouble is now starting to translate into layoffs, with venture capital-backed firms being hit especially hard as investors abandon risky bets and seek immediate returns. So far this week, firms including fintech unicorns Bolt and Klarna and delivery startups Gorillas and Getir have announced workforce cuts. Tech giants such as Netflix and PayPal are also shedding jobs, while Uber, Lyft, Snap and Meta have slowed hiring.
VC is tightening their belts, and instructing their founders to do the same.
Unemployment is at VERY low levels (see chart).
The easiest way to tighten? Reduce labor expenses (aka layoffs) to lengthen the runway. While this is never a welcome sight, it is part of a normal economic cycle.
There are about 10 million people in the tech industry in the U.S.
Half work for full-on tech companies, but sometime not even in a tech role – think customer service, administration, finance, sales, etc. The other half fill tech roles – IT, data analysis, cybersecurity, etc. – at companies in which technology is not their core business.
Despite "big tech" layoffs, many employers are desperate for tech talent, according to Todd Thibodeaux, president and CEO of CompTIA
“We see all over the world, there are just big gaps in talent pools where companies need more people. And it's not just the big-name companies. That's the misnomer about tech employment. A lot of times, the media will focus on Silicon Valley and use that as a proxy for the tech industry and employment,” Thibodeaux tells me in an interview for Work in Progress: A WorkingNation Podcast, out next Tuesday.
“You see some layoffs, which are happening in some companies now, and you're starting to see some people slowing their hiring, that's not the case in the rest of the tech employment space. You have lots of medium- and small-sized companies who are dying for talent, and they're not slowing down their hiring at all,” he adds.
You can listen to my full interview with Todd Thibodeaux Tuesday. Download the Work in Progress podcast wherever you get your podcasts or listen at our WorkingNation website. https://lnkd.in/ghU2U24M
In this week alone, at least 16 companies laid off more than 7,000 tech employees worldwide. As I was writing this story, we had to revise that count twice to keep pace with what felt at times like a cascade of layoff announcements.
Layoffs are tough news to absorb even as an outsider—so how did leadership announce the decision to individuals who were losing their livelihoods? We took a look.
Miss Palestine wears prison uniform to highlight Palestinian suffering in Israeli prisons
Gofran Sawalha
13 June 2022
Miss Palestine, Lauren Imseeh, wore a prisoner jumpsuit to the “Miss Global” beauty pageant, to highlight the suffering of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons.
Ukrainian high school grads pose for photoshoot in war-torn Chernihiv
Ukrainian high graduates return to bombed-out Chernihiv for yearbook photoshoot
A group of high school graduates in war-ravaged Ukraine used damaged buildings and destroyed vehicles as a haunting backdrop for their graduation shots.
Photographer Stanislav Senyk, 25, told Reuters he wanted to document the “very important story” of roughly 40 graduating seniors from schools in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine after witnessing the first-hand horrors of the war now in its fourth month.
“And I’m sure it was very important to capture that in the memory,” he said. “And 10-15 years from now, when they have their own children, they can show those pictures to them.”
One chilling photo showed a group of students huddled atop a tank, looking out with stoic faces with graduation sashes across their chests. Another showed a group of girls standing in a blown-out building, with others looking down from decimated floors above.
“Seeing it in person is a special feeling that cannot be described,” Senyk told Reuters. “But I was dominated by a different feeling. I saw the children who were there and it was like some kind of surrealism going on.”
One of the students, Olha Babynets, 17, said she enjoyed the photoshoot, even if it was “very difficult” for everyone involved
.
A student poses for a high school graduation photoshoot, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, in Chernihiv, Ukraine.Instagram/@senykstas/Handout via REUTERS
Each class involved offered up different locations for the photoshoot according to the Students.via REUTERS
“But we wanted to show that we live in such realities and it is like that for us,” she told Reuters. “No, we wanted to show our pain, which is there and has never subsided. It was difficult emotionally, but we tried to hold on. And I think we managed to do that.”
Some of the students even grabbed spent bullet casings at the scenes, Senyk said.
The photographs will now be compiled into a graduation album for the students. Senyk also wanted to find an exhibition space to showcase them and sell the photos to donate any money raised to Ukrainian troops, Reuters reported.
Photographer Stanislav Senyk told Reuters he wanted to document the “very important story” of roughly 40 graduating seniors.
Instagram/@senykstas/Handout via REUTERS
One of the students, Olha Babynets, 17, said she enjoyed the photoshoot, even if it was “very difficult” for everyone involved.
Instagram/@senykstas/Handout via REUTERS
The photographs will now be compiled into a graduation album for the students. Senyk also wanted to find an exhibition space to showcase them.
@senykstas via REUTERS
One chilling photo showed a group of students huddled atop a tank, looking out with stoic faces with graduation sashes across their chests.
Instagram/@senykstas/Handout via REUTERS
Each class involved offered up different locations for the photoshoot, Senyk said.
“And that shows that Chernihiv is pretty much ruined throughout,” he told Reuters. “Not a single location was repeated, not once were we in the same place.”
Russia, meanwhile, was continuing its assault Monday on the Donbas region of Ukraine with ongoing artillery and air raids as it tries to take over the nation’s industrial heartland in a campaign that could change the course of the war.
With Post Wires
NY Philharmonic restores salaries to pre-pandemic levels
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Philharmonic is restoring salaries of musicians to pre-pandemic levels as it prepares to return to Lincoln Center’s Geffen Hall for the 2022-23 season.
A four-year contract agreed to in December 2020 during a season canceled due to the coronavirus had called for players to earn 75% of minimum scale through Aug. 31, 2023, which comes to $2,214 weekly. The figure was to rise to 80% of scale through the first six months of the following fiscal year and 90% for the following six months.
The orchestra said Monday that salaries will be restored to a $2,952 weekly minimum starting Sept. 21.
After missing the 2020-21 season due to the pandemic, the orchestra split this season largely between Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall (46 concerts) and Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater (28 concerts). The Philharmonic held 89 concerts in all and drew 90% capacity with attendance of 74,787, not including its free Memorial Day performance at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
The Philharmonic returns to Geffen Hall on Oct. 7 after a $550 million renovation that reduced capacity to under 2,200 from 2,738 and cut rows in the orchestra cut from 43 to 33. The stage was moved forward 25 feet, allowing seven rows of wraparound seating behind the orchestra. About two-thirds of the third tier was eliminated.
