Boris Johnson is set to pay a visit to Northern Ireland tomorrow to try and smooth things over following the Assembly elections earlier this month. With Sinn Fein securing the most seats for the first time, and the DUP threatening not to form part of the government at all, it does not promise to be a particularly stress-free day at the office. The issue at the top of the Prime Minister’s in-tray is what to do about the Northern Ireland Protocol – the part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement that creates regulatory barriers with Great Britain. The Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng joined Sophy Ridge this morning. She asked Kwarteng if the government would be prepared to tear up parts of the Protocol, in the face of pressure from the European Union:
Kwarteng: Boris ‘fully understood’ the Brexit deal
Ridge played an interview she held with Boris Johnson shortly before the 2019 election, in which the Prime Minister insisted that any checks between Britain and Northern Ireland would be barely noticeable. Kwarteng rejected the charge that Johnson had known this not to be true, and argued that the EU had been ‘intransigent’ on the issue:
Sophie Raworth also challenged Miliband over Labour’s climate policies
Kwarteng: Ukraine should host Eurovision next year
Ukraine’s victory at the Eurovision Song Contest last night will not come as a shock to many. However, it may be less of a done deal as to where the contest will be held next year, especially with the country’s president Zelensky expressing support for the idea of hosting the contest in the recently devastated Mariupol. Kwarteng promised that the UK would be delighted to help Ukraine put on a spectacular show:
Ed Miliband: ‘I don’t believe’ Keir Starmer will be fined
Sophie Raworth spoke to the shadow climate change secretary Ed Miliband. Raworth quizzed him over the ‘Beergate’ controversy and whether his leader, Sir Keir Starmer, would likely be resigning over the issue. Miliband put up a spirited defence:
Miliband: Not voting for a windfall tax ‘should shame’ Conservative MPs
Raworth also challenged Miliband over Labour’s climate policies, especially the much-touted windfall tax on major oil and gas companies. Labour will call for a vote on the tax after the debate on the Queen’s Speech on Tuesday:
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