UK ministers confident post-Brexit trade friction will be eased by deal
The movement of trade was one of the main discussions at the first meeting of the East-West Council to take place in Northern Ireland on Thursday, which was also attended by members of Intertrade UK.
Earlier this month the UK Government said border checks on fruit and vegetables imported from the EU will be scrapped, to ease trade, ahead of its new sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) deal with the EU.
Secretary of State Hilary Benn, Northern Ireland Office minister Fleur Anderson and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden held discussions with First Minister Michelle O'Neill and deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly at the Custom House in Belfast on Thursday.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr McFadden said the main topics were ensuring smooth trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and the new Connect Fund to support community groups.
He said he believed the recent agreement between the UK and EU will 'go a long way' to reducing friction and restoring the free flow of trade.
Mr Benn also expressed confidence the flow of trade will be smoothed.
'It comes after a very busy period with the negotiation of the new relationship with the European Union, and one of the issues we discussed was the beneficial impact an SPS deal will have on the flow of the agrifood and plant products from GB to Northern Ireland,' he said.
He added: 'The new Government was elected in July, we came in and said we want to build a closer, better relationship with the EU and you saw the result of that in the agreement that was reached at the summit a few weeks ago.
'And for Northern Ireland the single most important part of that agreement was to work together to get an SPS agreement in place because that would deal with a lot of the things that people are having to cope with at the moment in respect of agri food products and plants moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
'I hope that will give businesses real hope for the future, and we want to get on and put that new SPS scheme in place as quickly as possible.'
Meanwhile Ms Anderson announced the Connect Fund, which will provide awards from a funding pot of up to £1 million to support groups working in sectors which directly affect Northern Ireland communities.
It will be open to groups seeking to strengthening east-west connections, with bids are invited for between £300 and £50,000.
Ms Anderson said it will 'support better connections between community groups and individuals of all ages between Northern Ireland and Great Britain'.'I ran a community centre before I was an MP and so I know the value that this funding will bring,' she said.
'I urge local community and voluntary groups in Northern Ireland to apply to take part in this great opportunity, and look forward to the positive changes which this fund will bring to communities in the coming years.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Reuters
29 minutes ago
- Reuters
Dutch government supports NATO spending target of 5% of GDP
THE HAGUE, June 13 (Reuters) - The Dutch caretaker government is in favour of increasing the country's defence spending to a total of 5% of gross domestic product, in line with a target set by NATO, Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Friday. "The government supports the new NATO norm to spend 3.5% on defence and 1.5% on defence-related measures," Brekelmans said in a post on X. "Given the increasing threats this is necessary to keep the Netherlands safe." At a NATO summit this month in The Hague, alliance members are expected to agree to an overall military spending target of 5% of GDP, with 3.5% of GDP going to core military spending and another 1.5% for defence and security-related investments.
North Wales Live
33 minutes ago
- North Wales Live
Hard border between Wales and England to halt deadly disease could be 'costly and futile'
Livestock farmers in Wales face hard border arrangements with England in what some believe is a futile attempt to halt the advance of a deadly disease. The industry fears being crippled by the need to test and licence vast numbers of sheep and cattle when they cross the border into England. Unlike England, Wales is still free of bluetongue, a viral disease that cause ulcers around the animal's mouth and face. In the Netherlands, tens of thousands of sheep have died and British farmers fear worse could happen in the UK. In an attempt to contain the virus' spread, an England-wide restricted zone (RZ) is to be imposed from July 1. In practice this means existing movement controls will be eased with farmer encouraged to use new bluetongue vaccines instead. The Welsh Government is reluctant to follow suit, fearing a freedom-of-movement regime will hasten bluetongue's spread into the country. Instead, Cardiff wants to keep the virus at bay 'for as long as we can' and so has opted not to apply an RZ in the county. But the Welsh farming sector has warned the implications could be 'catastrophic' for cross-border trade. Some 550 cross-border agri businesses and straddle the Wales-England border and each year tens of thousands of animals are shipped out to livestock markets. It also has major implications for July's Royal Welsh Show, Europe's largest agri showcase and the biggest annual event in Wales. Livestock exhibitors from England and Scotland will now be unable to attend, slashing the cattle entry by 40%. Refunds are being processed. Urging Cardiff to align Wales with England, the industry has branded the looming arrangements as both 'a futile endeavour and wholly impractical'. FUW president Ian Rickman said farmers' first instincts were to keep any disease out of Wales – but in this case the solution could be economically disastrous. Mr Rickman said midges carrying the disease are likely to blow into Wales regardless of England's RZ. He said the insects 'do not respect any such boundaries' and the RZ will hasten the spread of bluetongue to Wales anyway. 'The on-farm practicalities involved with adhering to this policy position brings with it a wealth of barriers and complications,' he said. 'The mechanics of issuing licences in a timely manner, arranging and conducting pre-movement sampling and testing, co-ordinating haulage and the extortionate costs and disruption to cross-border holdings and trade – it is feared that the decision to hold back the tide will be entirely unattainable and impractical.' While Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) poses a serious threat to cattle, sheep, goats deer and alpacas across the UK, it does not affect humans or compromise food safety. Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies said he had agonised over the decision. On balance, it was the lesser of two evils, he said, adding: 'I cannot in all conscience invite Bluetongue into Wales on 1st July through aligning with the RZ in England. 'I am unwilling to risk the uncertain impact of the disease in livestock dense areas like the Welsh borders. I am also extremely concerned about the economic and farmer wellbeing impacts of dealing with sick animals, and the livestock productivity and fertility losses associated with severe Bluetongue, as observed in many affected European countries.' By setting up border arrangements, it's hoped this will buy time for Welsh farmers to vaccinate their animals against the disease. If Bluetongue does arrive in Wales anyway, disease controls will be implemented. Being a fast-changing situation, Mr Irranca-Davies pledged to 'adapt to the evolving disease situation'. NFU Cymru president Aled Jones said Welsh farmers were 'extremely worried' about the disease - but also about the containment and testing strategy. He said: 'We have significant concerns about the lack of resources and testing capacity within the laboratories and APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) given the significant amount of stock that move across the border from England to Wales for management, welfare and trading purposes. 'We understand that going forward the costs of testing will be borne by the farmer, which will cause a huge increase to the cost of trading. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox 'We are about to enter an extremely important time of the year in the farming calendar, with many farmers looking to trade breeding stock and store stock ahead of the autumn and winter months. 'For many herds and flocks, the opportunity to trade breeding stock, both those looking to purchase or sell stock, only comes once a year and this trade is critical. Welsh Government must ensure that a sustainable solution is found as soon as possible.'
Times
35 minutes ago
- Times
Parents and private schools lose High Court case against VAT on fees
Parents and private schools have lost their legal battle against VAT on fees in the High Court. The judgment on Friday dismissed the arguments made by three separate groups that the new government policy discriminated against children with special educational needs, among others. The ruling said the tax, which was part of Labour's general election manifesto, was proportionate in its aim to raise money for state schools. The Independent Schools Council (ISC) said it was disappointed by the ruling which came after a three-day hearing in April. At least one claimant said they would appeal and the ISC pledged to continue to hold the government to account over the tax. The Treasury, Department for Education and HMRC were named in the application for a judicial review which claimed VAT on fees was discriminatory and a breach of human rights law. Nearly 20 families and faith schools had joined forces with the ISC to challenge the policy, saying it was unfair to parents wanting a faith school or single-sex education, or those who had children with special educational needs but did not have an education health and care plan. Schools and parents were surprised when the tax was introduced in January rather than at the start of the next academic year. The government repeatedly said it would raise at least £1.6 billion a year which would be ploughed back into state schools, including paying for 6,500 more teachers. But Sir Keir Starmer was widely criticised on Thursday for saying on social media that the VAT windfall would fund new housing. Both sides had appointed leading barristers. The barristers used by the government to argue their case had all attended private schools. In their ruling, the judges said the policy may have a discriminatory effect on children with special needs who do not have a Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP), a legally enforceable document setting out what support they require. But to create an exemption, the judges added, would be unfair to the 1.1 million children with SEN in the state sector as less money would be raised to help them. Referring to parents who brought the claim, the ruling said: 'Not every decision to impose tax gives rise to a deprivation or interference with the possessions of the person who will end up paying it. None of the parents in this case are obliged to continue to send their children to private schools, and it is therefore doubtful whether the challenged measure interferes with a 'possession' of theirs.' Families had relied on an argument that the tax breached their right to education under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and was also discriminatory. Parents bringing the claim included those wanting single-sex education, foreign language education such as French lycées and Christian, Muslim and Charedi Jewish families. But the ruling said the convention did not require the state to facilitate one child's access to a private school, even if the parents' reason for preferring a private school is a religious one. Education Not Taxation, a private school parent lobby group, had hoped the ruling would lead to the overturning of the VAT policy altogether, although the judicial review would have had no legal force. It said: 'While we are disappointed in the overall outcome of the challenge, we are grateful that the court recognised that imposing VAT on school fees will have a disproportionately prejudicial effect on pupils with SEN but no education health and care plan (EHCP), and therefore that the government's measure discriminates against them.' It claimed the court ruling supported its argument that VAT on education violated the human rights of vulnerable children, adding: 'Labour have consistently demanded respect for the European Convention of Human Rights and we expect them to think hard about what these senior judges have said — does their concern for human rights not extend to these rights for children as well? We will continue to highlight the harms caused by taxing education.' Sophie Kemp, head of public law at Kingsley Napley, representing the claimants, said: 'Both the government and the court recognised [it] had a discriminatory impact on children at religious schools as well as significant impact on children with SEN. The court felt that it was not able to interfere because of the leeway it must give to parliament. Unfortunately, this doesn't help the claimants, who must now weigh their options.' Christian claimants, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, said they planned to appeal against the judgment. Sir James Eadie, for the government, said during the hearing that raising funds was the primary objective of the policy and that parliament was aware that some people would no longer be able to afford private school fees once VAT was added. He told the court: 'It is revenue raising for a purpose. To help fund the government's priorities for education and young people, including investing in state education.' Julie Robinson, chief executive of the ISC, said: 'This is an unprecedented tax on education and it was right that its compatibility with human rights law was tested. We would like to thank the claimants who shared their stories on key issues: special educational needs and disabilities, faith schools, bilingual provision and girls-only education. 'The ISC is carefully considering the court's judgment and next steps. We will continue to work to ensure the government is held to account over the negative impact this tax on education is having across independent and state schools.' In December last year, the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, said: 'Every single penny of that money will go into our state schools to ensure every child gets the best start in life, and that is so often through being able to recruit and retain the best teachers.' Starmer wrote on X this week: ''In the budget last year, my government made the tough but fair decision to apply VAT to private schools. 'The Tories opposed it. Reform opposed it. Today, because of that choice, we have announced the largest investment in affordable housing in a generation.'
