Government’s flag policy mocked as like ‘episode of Thick of It’ – follow Brexit news live

The government must end the “damaging speculation” about decriminalising non-payment of the television licence fee, a committee of MPs has warned.

A report on the future of public service broadcasting by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee claimed the government now has “no options” on reforming licensing rules and should support the licence fee for at least the next charter period from 2028-2038 – unless it comes up with a “strong alternative”.

Delays to full fibre broadband rollout mean the government cannot move to a “wholly online public service broadcasting system”, the committee said in a statement.

“As a result, the government must now act quickly to end damaging speculation about decriminalising non-payment of the BBC licence fee with continuing uncertainty likely to boost evasion rates and lead to a further drop in funding.”

In January, culture secretary Oliver Dowden said the government would not go ahead with plans to decriminalise non-payment of the licence fee but said the issue would remain under “active consideration”.

According to the committee, the BBC’s annual reports identify a rise in licence fee evasion from just over 5 per cent some 10 years ago. The most recently published figures for estimated evasion are now between 6.5 per cent and 7.5 per cent.

According to the report, decriminalisation of non-payment of the licence fee could be “used as a bargaining tool by the government” during subsequent negotiations about funding.

It added this would “undermine one of the core principles of public service broadcasting: that it should be removed from government interference”.

Plant and animal checks after Brexit are set to be “a permanent barrier” to trade unless the UK drops its opposition to a new deal with the EU, a study is warning.

It rejects Boris Johnson’s claims of “teething problems” – arguing the punishing red tape is here to stay unless agreement can be reached with Brussels on common health and safety standards.

Our deputy political editor Rob Merrick takes a look at the report’s findings:

Liverpool City Council’s chief admitted on Tuesday that findings in a report – commissioned last December in the city after a series of arrests for fraud, bribery, corruption and witness intimidation – were “shocking”, but stressed the criticism was mostly “historic”.

Tony Reeves, who took up his post in 2018, told BBC Radio 4’s Today: “Two things I would point out is that much of the criticism is historic and the report acknowledges that things have started to change in a significant way and that is why the commissioners are not coming in to take over the council, they are coming in to oversee a council-led improvement.

“The second point that I think is really important is that this is about the wrong-doing of a small number of individuals – the report acknowledges that the majority of politicians and the vast majority of staff at the council are honest, hard working, decent public servants and that is exactly what you see in the organisation.

“So it isn’t a failing organisation but there are shocking findings in this report that people will be seeing when they are reading it today.”

The authority will now have some of its functions taken from councillors and officers for the next three years, and instead the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) will appoint commissioners, as part of an “improvement plan”.

Mr Reeves said the culture of fear mentioned in the report had “largely disappeared”, adding: “Of course this is really shocking but no way is this a return to the 1980s – the city will come back from this very quickly and I will make sure that that happens.”

Earlier this week, a Conservative MP asked BBC‘s director-general why the corporation’s annual report did not feature any images of the union jack.

In a discussion on the BBC’s role as a representative of Britain on the world stage, James Wild MP asked Tim Davie more than once why no flags featured.

Mr Davie said the number of flags was a “strange metric” by which to measure the BBC’s British credentials, adding there was “no problem” with the BBC’s role “championing Britain abroad”.

He said he had not been briefed on the matter before the meeting of the Public Accounts Committee, but added that a union flag flies above the BBC headquarters in London on many days of the year.

The conversation left many bemused, and some concerned, with one Twitter user saying of it: “A few years ago this would have been an April Fool’s story, today it’s a sign that things really could get a lot worse.”

My colleague Liam James has the full report from Monday:

A government committee has urged ministers to establish a trusted trader scheme with the EU, to ease the amount of paperwork that businesses have to fill out while also tackling the increased cost of transporting goods and helping firms to understanding the VAT changes when exporting to the European bloc.

A report by the Lords EU Goods Sub-Committee has warned small firms are “feeling the squeeze” since Boris Johnson’s free trade deal with Brussels came into force in January.

There remain “substantial barriers” for UK trade with Europe, with small businesses bearing the brunt of the post-Brexit strain, according to peers.

In the “Beyond Brexit: Trade in Goods” report, published on Thursday, peers said there “remain substantial barriers to trade with the EU” following the implementation of the fresh trading terms.

It also cautioned that, without action, the physical checks currently in place on animal and plant products could become a “permanent barrier to trade”, with meat and live shellfish products particularly badly-hit by the new inspection regime.

Baroness Verma, the committee’s chairwoman, said: “The Brexit trade deal struck with the EU may have prevented the nightmare of a ‘no deal’ exit for the UK, but a lot of unfinished business remains between the two sides.

“Businesses, particularly SMEs (small and medium sized enterprises), are feeling the squeeze of the non-tariff barriers resulting from the end of the transition period.

“The government must take an ambitious approach to trade ties with the EU. Swift action and further funding is needed to minimise future disruption.”

She added: “Ongoing dialogue will be crucial to achieving smoother trade. The TCA (Trade and Cooperation Agreement) should be treated as the start, not the end of the UK’s new relationship with the EU.”

Ministers have ordered the union flag to be flown every day on all UK government buildings in Britain under new guidance that also states planning permission will be needed to fly an EU flag.

The government has also “cut red tape” to allow “dual flagging” – where two flags can be flown on one pole. Where organisations have two flag poles, they can fly the union flag alongside another flag.

The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said “deemed consent” would now exist for NHS flags to be flown alongside the union flag.

My colleague Chiara Giordano reports: