Dear John,

In the week where Donald Trump took office in the White House for the second time, enacting a host of damaging executive orders in the process, here is your Weekend Wire…

Government of the billionaires, by the billionaires, for the billionaires



The sight of Donald Trump becoming the 47th President was as sobering as it was predictable. Inaugurations have historically been moments for political victors and losers alike to come together and display a united front for the United States of America. But this was no ordinary inauguration as the new President became the first in over 100 years <[link removed]> to promise to expand American territories. 

Rarely in modern history have the United States been so divided, and its politics so fraught and contentious. The inauguration was marked by uncharacteristic chants of “USA USA”, but it was the make-up of those in attendance which most drew the eye with the design of the inauguration, symbolic and almost certainly intentional. 

A lot has been made of the oligarchic developments within America, and fears that the powerful tech barons have reincarnated the robber barons <[link removed]> of the past. Those fears were all but confirmed when Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos et al sat ominously in front of the new Trump cabinet <[link removed]> in a clear show of strength and an illustration of why each man has kissed the ring of the new Emperor in Washington.

Perhaps the clearest indication of the next four years came in two separate parts of his speech at the inauguration; firstly he promised to withdraw from the Paris Climate Change Accord, whilst also outlining the ambitious task of landing Americans on Mars <[link removed]> during his Presidency. Ambition no doubt, but ambition for who? The decision to leave the Paris climate agreement <[link removed]>  and “Drill, baby, drill”, leaves international efforts to mitigate climate disaster near paralysed, whilst the promise to launch an (unimaginably) expensive public spending spree on reaching Mars whilst cutting various welfare and health access protections illustrates who Trump is President for.

Ripping up the rule book

Evidently in a constant state of campaign, President Trump hotfooted it over to a rally for his adoring fans following the inauguration,  where he broke with tradition and signed his first executive orders to the glee of his followers. From renaming the Gulf of Mexico, claiming that he is going to take back the Panama Canal and withdrawing from the World Health Organisation, Trump was in full swing <[link removed]>.

Once he had returned to the White House, Trump continued to show exactly who he was President for. In pardoning the rioters <[link removed]> of January 6th, Trump has legitimised political violence and given the green light for crimes committed in his name and for his cause. Likening the rioters to “hostages”, Trump also opened the door to a more prominent role of far-right organisations like the Proud Boys <[link removed]> in his government.

Trump vs the Constitution

Historically, Americans have viewed their constitution as sacrosanct and an invaluable protection against tyranny. On his first day, the new President went to war with the constitution. His executive order that would remove American citizenship rights for those born in the country is a direct affront to the 14th Amendment <[link removed]> and has sparked widespread fury and legal challenges <[link removed]> across the country. 

 It is the role of the Supreme Court to strike down any legislation or Presidential order deemed to be unconstitutional and so this will be  an important test for the separation of powers between the judiciary and the executive. In his previous term Trump packed the Supreme Court <[link removed]> with loyalists to the extent that six out of the nine are openly sympathetic to Trump’s agenda. 

Tariffs on the horizon…

It was notable that Trump namechecked William McKinley <[link removed]>, the last President to make good use of tariffs and expand American territory just before the beginning of the gilded age. 

For Trump’s new ‘golden age’ it is clear he is targeting success through the same mechanisms. Mexico and Canada have been again threatened by 25% tariffs on all goods, whilst the UK and  European Union are also in the firing line <[link removed]> for the new administration as early as next weekend. However, in slightly more positive news (rare this week),  Trump announced that tariffs of only 10% <[link removed]> would be enacted on China, rather than the 60% reported during the election campaign. Despite the noise, Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Darren Jones MP, reaffirmed this week <[link removed]> that he did not believe Trump would put tariffs on the UK, let’s hope he is right…

From Russia with love?



This week the UK Defence Secretary John Healey MP called out Russia for using a secret spy ship <[link removed]> for “mapping the UKs critical underwater infrastructure”. Maybe they are also after our famous sandeels <[link removed]>…

The Russian vessel was tailed by the frigate HMS Somerset and the patrol ship HMS Tyne to avoid any loitering around British cables and underwater networks. The incursion comes at a time when cables under the Baltic Sea have been damaged in suspicious circumstances at least three times over the last 18-months.

Healey had this message for President Putin - “we see you, we know what you’re doing and we will not shy away from robust action to protect this country”.

‘Ritual for a dictator’



Exiled leader of the Belarusian opposition, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskayha, has dismissed the upcoming Presidential “election” in the country as little more than a ‘ritual for a dictator <[link removed]>’ 

Lukashenko is a long time ally of Vladimir Putin and Belarus served as a staging post for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The “election” will extend Alexander Lukashenko’s 31-year long reign into a seventh term. Hopefully President Trump isn’t getting any ideas.

Both Belarus and Russia remain the only two European countries not to be signed up to the European Convention on Human Rights, which makes the desire to join them from those on the right of the Conservative Party (cough Jenrick <[link removed]>) all the stranger. However, one area where Britain does share common ground with the international pariah is using a first-past-the-post system for national elections.

Bank of Dav-os

Following the release of the hotly anticipated Bank of Dave sequel <[link removed]>, the world's economic and financial luminaries met in the Swiss resort of Davos for the World Economic Forum.

The Chancellor, Rachel Reeves MP, and the Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, were amongst those to attend this week <[link removed]> to talk the UK up as a place for international investment. The Government's attendance follows a week of good news economically after the consultancy firm PwC, ranked the UK as the second best place for foreign investment after the U.S.A. for the first time in the survey's 28-year history. 


In other, slightly more left-field, events at the sometimes controversial conference, chainsaw-weilding Argentinian President Javier Melei  restated his war on woke <[link removed]>, bashing what he labelled radical environmentalism. President Trump spoke on Thursday to the forum where he restated his intention to upturn the applecart of global trade with, you guessed it, the most beautiful tariffs <[link removed]> you’ve ever seen.



You heard it here first

At the Business and Trade Select Committee earlier this week, the Minister for EU Relations, Nick Thomas-Symonds signalled his openness to a potential discussion with the EU relating to the introduction of a Mutual Recognition of Conformity Agreement (MRC for short). Read our helpful explainer on what an MRC is <[link removed]> and how it will help unlock Britain's business potential.

PlayPEM

On Thursday the EU’s Brexit deal pointperson Maroš Šefčovič told the BBC <[link removed]>that the EU would consider the UK joining a pan-European customs union (PEM) which includes states like Moldova. While a welcome step in the right direction, such a move falls short of the meaningful change that British businesses need that will only come with beneficial regulatory alignment. Šefčovič also argued for the reviewing of a new veterinary agreement between the EU and UK to bring down trade barriers for agricultural and fresh produce trade.



Melania's milliner deserves a raise for this kiss-barrier brim.

<[link removed]>I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Joshua Edwicker
Best for Britain

<[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]> <[link removed]>You're receiving this email because you opted in on [link removed] <[link removed]>. Find out more in our Privacy Policy <[link removed]>.
This email was sent to [email protected] <> · To stop receiving emails, .click here <[link removed]>

Copyright © 2023 Best for Britain, All rights reserved.
Published and promoted by Cary Mitchell on behalf of Best for Britain, the campaign name of BEST FOR BRITAIN LIMITED registered at International House, 36-38 Cornhill, London EC3V 3NG. Best for Britain is registered with The Electoral Commission.
Best for Britain Limited is a company registered in England and Wales no. 10436078. Registered for VAT no. 378894125.