MPs back crackdown on policing – follow live

Our defence editor Kim Sengupta has taken a look at the government’s integrated review of defence and foreign policy in this analysis piece:

For better or worse, Brexit has happened and without the upheaval of a total “no deal” outcome. Some of the leading characters in the drama have moved on, writes former Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable for Independent Voices.

Nigel Farage is launching a war against “wokeness” and is hunting for Red Guards as part of his campaign against Chinese infiltration. The Conservative Remainers who stood and fought were wiped out politically, as were all defectors from Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour Party. Some of us retired to do other things.

Leaked footage shows foreign secretary Dominic Raab telling officials that the UK will seek trade deals with countries which do not meet international standards on human rights.

Mr Raab said that Britain would miss out on trade with future “growth markets” if it insisted on dealing only with countries which meet the standards of the European Convention on Human Rights.

In the video question and answer session with FCDO staff, a recording of which was obtained by the HuffPost website, Mr Raab can be heard saying: “I squarely believe we ought to be trading liberally around the world.”

“If we restrict it to countries with ECHR-level standards of human rights, we’re not going to do many trade deals with the growth markets of the future.”

Government plans to introduce new powers to crack down on protests have cleared the first hurdle in the Commons — despite warnings from civil liberties groups.

Following two days of debates on the contentious proposals, MPs voted by 359 to 263 to pass the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill at second reading.

The legislation, running at almost 300 pages, contains a huge range of new laws, including tougher penalties for knife carriers and killer drivers, but proposals for protests have sparked particular alarm.

Sir Keir Starmer’s amendment to block the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill from receiving a second reading was defeated by 359 votes to 225, majority for the government 134.

Experts have warned the government is risking new diseases and unsafe food coming to Britain by delaying the introduction of safety checks in a bid to avoid Brexit chaos.

MPs on the Commons environment committee were told that “unscrupulous” criminal gangs had their eyes on the UK’s lax controls, drawn by making “considerable” amounts of easy money.

Our policy correspondent Jon Stone has more details:

Labour has written to the health secretary urging him to set out plans to integrate coronavirus testing and contact tracing into local public health teams.

In a letter to Matt Hancock, the party called for an end to the outsourcing of contact tracing in England to large private companies like Serco and Sitel, in the wake of a highly critical report into the NHS Test and Trace scheme.

Local leaders have suggested that linking contact tracing closer to teams already embedded in the community could better engage harder to reach groups, while more effectively driving down transmission of the virus.

Last week, the Commons Public Accounts Committee found that despite a budget of £22 billion, there was “no clear evidence” the NHS Test and Trace programme had contributed to a reduction in cases.

The use of phrases including “lost generation” and “catch-up” may be “damaging” to young people, the UK government’s youth mental health ambassador has told MPs.

A&E doctor and Love Island star Dr Alex George said “we must steer away from that language” as it makes young people even more concerned about their futures post-pandemic.

A senior police officer has said a technique in which non-uniformed officers mix with the public in bars and clubs to identify cases of sexual harassment “absolutely works” and is an approach that should be adopted by other forces.

Detective Chief Inspector James Senior, of Thames Valley Police, said the benefits of Project Vigilant would “outweigh concerns” and that recent “tragic” events had reinforced the need for such a programme.

Project Vigilant was launched in 2019 in Oxford to combat a rise in sexual offending in the night-time economy.

DCI Senior said that Thames Valley Police had seen a 50 per cent reduction in rape offences and a 30 per cent reduction in sexual offending since the programme began.

Former universities minister Lord (Jo) Johnson stressed the importance of treating China “carefully” in engaging economically but also making clear the UK’s stance on key issues, such as the Uighur minority.

The prime minister’s brother told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme: “No one thinks it’s a good idea to decouple from China abruptly or crudely, given its size and its interconnectedness in the global economy.

“The crucial thing is that the government treats China carefully, ensures that while we engage with it economically, we at the same time make clear where we stand on key issues relating to supply chain issues, the treatment of minorities such as the Uighurs and so on.”

The prime minister’s brother Lord (Jo) Johnson, a former universities minister, said the government required having a “have your cake and eat it” policy in its approach to China.

“It’s pretty clear that the government wants a balanced approach to China,” he told BBC Radio 4’s PM programme.

“This is the first major foreign policy challenge for post-Brexit Britain and getting a balance right is obviously critical.

“The government in some senses needs to pull off a ‘have your cake and eat it’ policy towards Beijing, so that it satisfies a growing number of China hawks within the Conservative Party and beyond, while at the same time ensuring that the UK continues to engage with this massive economy and continues to benefit from strong ties of trade and investment.”

Senior police and crime commissioners have said new powers to crack down on protests are not needed and go “too far”.

MPs are to vote on the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which would lower the threshold at which police can impose legally-binding restrictions on protests, and make it easier to prosecute people for violating them.

Our home affairs correspondent Lizzie Dearden has more details:

No targets will be set to assess if Boris Johnson’s “levelling up” pledge has been achieved, a minister has revealed – insisting voters will decide.

The allocations from the £4.8bn fund have provoked uproar, after the leafy North Yorkshire seat of Chancellor Rishi Sunak was given higher priority than struggling Barnsley.

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick has more details:

Ministers would have the power to veto the appointment of NHS chief executives and trust leaders under plans to reform the health service, it has emerged.

Health secretary Matt Hancock told MPs he wanted the ability to sign-off appointments of senior managers in the NHS, and that separately he was open to the idea of regulation for senior managers.

Our health correspondent Shaun Lintern explains:

Boris Johnson has been condemned for cutting aid spending while allowing the UK’s nuclear arsenal to increase.

The prime minister’s foreign policy review committed to returning to the target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on aid when the public finances allow but did not give a firm date.

At the same time, the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy increased the number of nuclear warheads the UK may possess to 260. It had been due to fall to a maximum of 180 by the middle of the decade.

The 0.7 per cent commitment was abandoned in November, with the UK spending 0.5 per cent of its income on aid in 2021.

The Home Office is to end its use of a former military camp as accommodation for asylum seekers after months of criticism over unsuitable poor conditions.

Penally Barracks, in Pembrokeshire, is to be returned to the Ministry of Defence (MoD) by 21 March, The Independent understands.

Follow our breaking news story for more updates:

Campaigners have told The Independent the government’s controversial new policing bill disregards the “needs” of sexual and domestic violence victims.

Our women’s correspondent Maya Oppenheim has more details:

The shadow chancellor has claimed the UK is an “outlier compared to other countries” in its approach to rebuilding the economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

Labour’s Anneliese Dodds criticised the management of public finances since 2010 and said this meant the UK was not in a “strong position” when the pandemic hit.

Appearing at a virtual event held by the Reform think tank this morning, she warned against ending the £20-per-week Universal Credit uplift and increases to council taxes, as these will hit household spending when the economy is “still building back up again”.

Justice secretary Robert Buckland said he is “annoyed” that Labour is not supporting the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill – claiming it would help “achieve a better society for women”.

The minister also claimed he does “not see what the fuss is about” over controversial new powers to curb protests.

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy warned Buckland not to get “annoyed” at the despatch box – as under his bill that is “something that you can go to prison for”.

Labour has claimed the bill does nothing to increase the protection of women and girls. “What does he have to say to all women who have suffered abuse and have given up hope of this government’s ability to deliver justice?” Lammy asked.

More now on the looming by-election in the north-east. Labour has confirmed Mike Hill has quit as MP for Hartlepool, setting up a test for Keir Starmer’s party in the “red wall” heartlands.

His resignation follows reports that he used taxpayers’ money to fight a staff member’s claim of unfair dismissal, sexual assault and harassment.

Hill was suspended by Labour in September 2019 over allegations he sexually harassed a woman – but had the whip restored to contest the general election two months later.

Labour won a majority of more than 3,500 votes last time – but the potential Tory vote was hampered by the Brexit Party, which is far less likely to be a force under its ‘Reform Party’ guise this time around.