BEST FOR BRITAIN'S

WEEKEND WIRE

Dear John,

Remember when we thought Northern Ireland might have a functioning Government, our human rights weren’t going to be dumped at the behest of Jacob Rees-Mogg, and our BLT sandwiches had their L and T? Ah, last week. I remember it like it was yesterday.

Tomatoes aren’t a proper British fruit anyway

Turns out the sunlit uplands aren’t sunny enough for the UK to feed itself.

On Wednesday, shoppers were greeted with empty shelves after bad weather in Spain and Morocco forced some of the UK’s largest supermarket chains, including Asda, Tesco, and Morrisons, to begin rationing certain produce like tomatoes, cucumbers, and, still to your horror Truss fans, lettuce.

While the Government cautioned that the shortages could last months, experts were unsparing in their take: while Brexit is not so bad that it makes the weather worse, it does leave the UK’s supply chains uniquely vulnerable to short-term pressures like the bad weather seen this month. Never fear, said Therese Coffey, we can content ourselves with turnip sandwiches and be grateful for our proper native Brittonic produce. Just kidding, we're out of those, too.

Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith lamented that Brexit would make depressing scenes of empty supermarkets a “more common sight” until the Government improves relations with the EU.

Human rights? SO pre-Brexit.

As Best for Britain CEO Naomi Smith explains in this op-ed in The New European published on Thursday, throwing red meat to silence the braying of right-wing Tories is not the deft political strategy the Prime Minister thinks it is.

The piece eviscerates the PM’s signals that he may endorse the Tory right’s favourite pet project: withdrawing the UK from the European Convention on Human Rights. With Rishi Sunak feeling the pressure from his right during the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiations, he may be tempted to go forward with this proposal to keep the DUP and ERG sweet.

Beyond the obvious implications of a withdrawal–yet another embarrassment for the UK, throwing away eight decades of international cooperation set into motion by Chruchill to appease the likes of Lee Anderson and Suella Braverman, putting us in the company of Belarus and Russia–there’s also the small problem that it would constitute a direct violation of the Good Friday Agreement.

Have a read, give it a share, and enjoy your human rights while you’ve still got them.

UKTBC talks money

The UK Trade and Business Commission, for which Best for Britain acts as secretariat, heard evidence this week from financial services and fintech experts.

Witnesses representing both sectors highlighted the skills and labour crunch facing their industries as a critical challenge that needs to be addressed, while one fintech expert warned that companies are starting to shift away from the UK and toward Europe and North America as their destination for going public. Suggesting that the UK’s status as Europe’s financial hub may not be guaranteed.

Following the session, the Evening Standard published exclusive research from the Commission showing that over half of the UK’s largest fintech companies have been hit by layoffs in the past year, compared to less than a quarter of their EU counterparts.

Political party like it’s 2019 in Belfast

First there was a deal, and then there wasn’t.

After news last week that a deal was imminent, a reported failure by the Prime Minister to appease right-wing Tories and the DUP with his UK-EU Northern Ireland Protocol Agreement has meant that a deal this week remains in the future.

Along the way, this week has seen threats of resignation over the deal by Cabinet ministers including, reportedly, Suella Braverman (don’t tempt us), Boris Johnson sticking his grubby nose into the proceedings and suggesting he may not support the deal, and a warning from the former Irish Taoiseach that the impasse may not be resolved until a new Government takes over.

If you ever get stuck in all the back-and-forth, check out the comprehensive NIP explainer blog penned by B4B’s Director of Communications, Niall McGourty.

Starmer’s mission for success

Keir Starmer took to the lectern in Manchester on Thursday morning for a keynote address laying out his five “missions” to give the UK “its future back” under a Labour government. With Starmer boldly promising “a decade of renewal”.

To counter Rishi Sunak’s five-pronged plan for a Tory turnaround, Starmer promised the “highest sustained growth” among G7 countries, pledged to make the UK a “clean energy superpower, committed to overhauling the justice system, said he’d improve educational outcomes, and called for a turnaround in the NHS. And when responding to journalists, Starmer ditched some of his previous equivocation on Europe and called for a closer trade relationship with the EU.

Refugees forced to prove it–all over again

People waiting years for their asylum cases to be processed could soon be faced with fast-tracked deportation as part of the Home Office’s bid to reduce the asylum backlog.

In lieu of properly conducting the complicated process of assessing claims through interviews–so that people’s cases can be properly considered–12,000 people from nations like Afghanistan, Syria, and Yemen will instead be sent a complicated questionnaire that must be completed in English and includes demands for official documents that are often lost along the journey. Failure to complete this document could result in deportation within 20 days.

Migration experts have slammed the plan, noting that the 20-day deadline will make it nearly impossible for people to get legal advice, and cautioning that thousands of people could be incorrectly deported.

Read Best for Britain’s blog debunking common myths about migration to the UK so you can shut down harmful narratives about people seeking asylum in the UK when you hear them.

Want public safety? Do proportional representation

Labour’s Crime Week wrapped up this week, with Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper rolling out bold new reforms including 14,500 new officers, crackdowns on cops accused of abuse, and returning police to neighbourhood beats.

All of it sounds like a breath of fresh air after 13 years of Tory cuts, which have seen half of all police stations close, but, as B4B CEO Naomi Smith’s newest blog explains, it could be all for naught without electoral reform. Naomi outlines how the first-past-the-post system has installed the Tories in their position and details how committing to electoral reform would help Labour retain power for long enough to implement long-lasting public safety reforms.

Read Naomi’s blog, and check out Best for Britain's Can’t Wait campaign, which highlights the link between the electoral system and its real-life consequences for public safety.

Ukraine marks one year since invasion

This Friday marked the first anniversary of the Putin regime’s invasion of Ukraine, seeing thousands of Ukrainians lose their lives while uprooting the lives of millions and sparking the largest refugee crisis within Europe since the Second World War.

As people around Europe have paid tribute to those killed in the fighting and bombing campaigns, the Ukrainian government has reaffirmed its commitment to resist Putin’s invasion and hailed the heroic efforts of those defending the nation.

Best for Britain reaffirms its unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

As the days grow longer and the odds of a Tory wipeout grow greater, we’ve got renewed optimism that better days could be on the horizon. At the very least, soon it will be warm enough to grow our own tomatoes–what’s the opposite of a victory garden? A pitiful plot? Sound off!

Best wishes,

Tommy Gillespie
Press Officer, Best for Britain