Politics LIVE: Brexit blunder to delay rollout of new Border Force fleet as costs balloon to £300m
Britain’s replacement Border Force fleet will not be ready until 2030 at the earliest and is set to cost six times more than its original budget after a Brexit blunder.
Plans to replace five cutters and six patrol boats used to protect UK borders and pick up migrants in the Channel are set to see costs balloon to £300million.
The error is an unintended consequence of post-Brexit trading rules that were designed to boost free trade when Britain withdrew from the EU.
Although the rules stipulate that Government contracts must be open to international competition, then-Trade Secretary Liz Truss failed to exclude the construction of civilian ships from the list of contracts.
She instead signed that the only exemption to the rule would be for warships in an echo of the EU’s terms of accession to the World Trade Organisation.
The Home Office admitted to The Times that in order to confine the contract to British shipyards, the Government department chose to reconsider the design of the vessels to incorporate some military modifications.
However, the Home Office said making the change would be expensive.
Security experts told the publication that the delay in procuring the new fleet was putting national security at risk as the boats need replacing due to emergency repairs putting some of them out of service.
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Rayner: Backing for new deals is ‘first step of devolution revolution’
Four new devolution deals in England have been supported by the Government as ministers seek to shift more decision-making powers away from Westminster.
The proposals include electing regional mayors for Greater Lincolnshire and Hull and East Yorkshire in May 2025, with the new leaders having control over transport, housing, skills and investment in their areas.
Combined county authorities would also be established for both Devon and Torbay and Lancashire in early 2025, and they would be given responsibility for adult education.
The agreements are subject to parliamentary approval and local consent, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government added.
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: “This is only the first step of our major ambition to drive forward our devolution revolution, and ensure we empower more communities and strengthen the existing powers of our brilliant mayors.”
Welsh Labour minister defends cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners
The Welsh Labour Government has defended cuts to winter fuel payments for pensioners.
Conservative members of the Senedd called for the Welsh Government to back their demands for Winter Fuel Payments to be restored to all pensioners during a debate on Wednesday.
The Tories warned that the cut could lead to more pensioners dying, with around 400,000 households in Wales likely to lose up to £300 per person.
But Welsh Labour minister Jane Hutt defended the move, insisting there was a hole in the public purse and “difficult decisions are now being taken”.
Public overestimates how much of UK immigration is from asylum seekers – study
The public vastly overestimates how much asylum seekers account for in UK immigration, leading to “skewed perceptions” that make the debate on migration “unbalanced”, according to new research.
A survey found that, on average, respondents thought those seeking asylum represent 37 per cent of total immigration when actually they accounted for only around 7 per cent in the year ending in June 2024.
More than one in five (22 per cent) thought asylum makes up more than half of the UK’s total immigration, according to findings from the Immigration Attitudes Tracker by British Future and Ipsos.
Half of those surveyed expect net migration to go up over the next 12 months, while only 12 per cent said they thought it would fall.
Sunder Katwala, director of the British Future think tank, said a drop in net migration over the next year could give Sir Keir Starmer “breathing room”.
He said: “Most people will be surprised to see net migration falling over the next 12 months.
“PM Keir Starmer will exceed public expectations, giving him breathing room to reshape the government’s approach – though [former Home Secretary] James Cleverly may argue that he deserves the credit.”