At the last general election Boris Johnson said he had an oven-ready deal, ready to go. He has yet to deliver it. Today we’ve had hot air and excuses over actual solutions. It’s time to take responsibility, Prime Minister. 1/6
This is now the third deadline Boris Johnson has set himself which he’s then missed. It's becoming a habit. Initially he said a deal with the EU would be sorted by July, then September, and then this week. 2/6
Of course everyone needs to prepare as best they can - but how on Earth can ministers lecture businesses to get ready, when the government can't even say if industries from farming, food and car manufacturing will face prohibitive tariffs to their biggest market in 10 weeks? 3/6
The Prime Minister blithely talks about an 'Australia' type arrangement but won’t have the guts or honesty to tell people that that means tariffs, increased costs & lost jobs. He needs to stop playing games and deliver the deal he promised to the British people last December. 4/6
The government's own preparations are a shambles - from lorry parks, border delays, shortages of customs agents and vital technology not even ready. We need focus and cool heads ahead of talks next week. 5/6
Finally, Boris Johnson must think long and hard about the implications of his approach in the coming days given we’re in the midst of a global pandemic & recession. Leaving with no deal is the last thing British jobs & businesses need. He must put our national interest first. 6/6
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
#OTD in 1909 Alice Bacon, the first woman MP to represent a Leeds constituency, was born in Normanton. She was a miner’s daughter rooted in West Yorkshire. When she joined the Labour Party aged 16, she said it was “as natural as breathing”. (1/5)
First elected in the 1945 Labour landslide, Alice Bacon was one of 21 Labour women elected as MPs. In total 24 women MPs were elected in that year. (2/5)
When Labour came to govt under Harold Wilson in 1964, Bacon became a Home Office Minister. She worked to get many liberalising reforms on the statute books, including legalising abortion, decriminalising homosexuality, and abolishing capital punishment. (3/5)
We have 117 days till UK’s transition period with EU ends - but still no sight of the Conservatives ‘oven ready deal‘. Despite ramping up their bluster on negotiations this morning, they have lots to do to ensure we're ready. Here's the start of their to-do list for next week ⬇️
1. Border plans are far from ready, with the logistics sector issuing grave warnings that vital IT systems are still not in place. We need ministers to listen and take action now to prevent border chaos. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
2. Last minute lorry parks: the govt has plans to build these across the UK - but won’t say where & won’t engage with local communities. Given the shambles so far, we need to see their plans to avoid disruption to residents, commuters, businesses & ports. bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Last December Boris Johnson told the country he had an 'oven ready' deal. In June he claimed it could be delivered by the end of July. The negotiations for August have finished and there's still no deal in place. This only adds to the uncertainty for UK industries. 1/5
When Prime Minister returns from his holidays he needs to get a grip of the negotiations. The Government and the EU must rapidly accelerate talks and deliver the deal he has promised the UK electorate. 2/5
So many businesses are working incredibly hard in response to the economic challenges of Covid-19. They need to know the Government is negotiating with people's livelihoods in mind. People don't want to see rising food costs, more bureaucracy & Britain's businesses held back. 3/5
On this day in 1948, the National Health Service came into existence thanks to a Labour government. They knew that wealth should not be a barrier to access to health and care. Our principles of fairness were put into practice once in power. (1/8)
Nye Bevan was the minister entrusted by Attlee to create the NHS. Bevan was 1 of 10 children – only 6 of whom survived into adulthood – born into a Welsh mining community at the end of the 19th century. He worked in the pit from the age of 13 and experienced real hardship. (2/8)
Bevan was inspired by the Tredegar Workmen’s Medical Aid Society, which insured local miners and steel workers: "All I am doing is extending to the entire population of Britain the benefits we had in Tredegar for a generation or more. We are going to Tredegar-ise you." (3/8)
THREAD: Today, I challenged the Government over the mixed messages it is sending about upholding food and animal welfare standards now we have left the EU.
This is what Michael Gove told the BBC's Countryfile in October 2018. Many – including the farming community - took him and his party at their word.
However, Penny Mordaunt’s comments on Tuesday suggested that the Government’s focus was on letting the free market decide, not ruling out allowing products like chlorinated chicken to be sold and eaten in the UK. independent.co.uk/news/uk/politi…