Westminstenders: A photo opportunity

[RedToothBrush]

Johnson likes publicity.

Any attention is good attention. Whilst you are talking about how crazy his idea is, the less you come up with your own.

And there it is. The lack of plan to stop no deal. Just a bunch of idiots who argue over who is more right about politics without offering up a practical solution.

Unable to see their own flaws.

And leading us ever closer to the cliff edge and operation Yellowhammer.

And far too many Jo Swinsons.

David Allen Green@davidallengreen
This is such a desperate wet fish of a letter

Embarrassing

Lib Dem press office @libdempress
Boris Johnson's proposal on the backstop to Tusk this evening is so vague as to be deeply embarrassing. The PM’s intervention simply highlights after three years the Conservative Government are no closer to identifying a credible solution. @thomasbrake

John Locke @jlz0z
Max Johnson, brother of Boris Johnson, is an ex-banker who says investors should make use of the sterling’s weakness to snap up assets in the UK. Disaster capitalism in action, if you voted for Brexit then you voted for this

Did you know? (Do you care?)
www.scmp.com/business/banking-finance/article/3022223/boris-johnsons-brother-hong-kong-backs-his-brexit-strategy
Boris Johnson’s brother in Hong Kong backs Brexit strategy as he plans UK hotel fund targeting Asian investors

Article dated 10th Aug....

In totally unrelated news the front pages of cityam and the ft tonight

David Allen Green@davidallengreen
The UK government still does not have a clue about Brexit

No more clue - perhaps even less of a clue - than it had under May

The Suez Crisis was a brief picnic by the Nile compared with the current national humiliation

The price of everything will go up.

Some people at Greene King might lose their jobs too.

But hey believe in Brexit bargains.

From Sebastian Payne

🚨 Dublin rejects Boris Johnson’s letter 🚨

"Unfortunately this letter does not set out what the so called 'alternative arrangements' could or would be. Unless and until there are viable alternatives the need for the backstop insurance policy is clear,” said a senior govt figure

Possibly because the 'alternative arrangements' are fictional? Back to square one we go...

Max Johnson? How many are there? Leo is the one that keeps his head down and seems less un-ok. Stanley has six kids - like the Fatberg?

www.businessbecause.com/news/mba-degree/6191/boris-johnson-brother-in-china

Trust us? After 2 solid years of failing to come up with operable solutions...mmm, my guess (wild stab in dark) is the EU will say “no”. /7

As far as Johnson is concerned he can play this as the EU being unreasonable.

As usual @Peregrina I completely agree with you!

Steven Swinford @Steven_Swinford
EXCLUSIVE

Boris Johnson's £100m no-deal public information campaign risks shortages of food, medicine and fuel before Britain has left EU, officials have warned

Times told officials said advertising blitz could encourage people to stockpile key goods

In paper submitted to ministers earlier this month, officials warned advertising blitz could cause 'extreme spikes' in purchases of key goods before Oct 31

They also warned banks could take a 'more cautious’ approach to lending & increase interest rates as Brexit day approaches

Officials also highlight a series of risks for Northern Ireland before Oct 31 including:

• Border community disruption

• Businesses relocating to Ireland

• Decline in cross-border trade

• Electricity price rises

Minister familiar with risks:

'One of the difficulties of the information campaign is that it has to get the balance right by informing people rather than frightening them'

Read more in tomorrow's Times

warned advertising blitz could cause 'extreme spikes' in purchases of key goods
They hope.

Hooo 💐

The problem facing the Tories re the information campaign:

How to let "our sort of people" know they need to prep

without scaring the plebs we despise, who might vote for the other lot, or even riot

The Columnist@Sime0nStylites
Thoughtful people might start to consider how Johnson resiles from the government’s current position.

Part of me thinks the LDs, SNP, Greens, Labour and Tory Rebels should almost call his bluff and say "Ok then. If you've got the plan, detail it and we'll seriously consider supporting it.' Ditto the EU.

As Johnson almost needs them to act out opposition and hostility to get to where he wants to be.

Rather than a VoNC.

Britain Elects@britainelects

Westminster voting intention:

CON: 31% (+3)
LAB: 25% (-2)
LDEM: 19% (+1)
BREX: 12% (-2)

via @BMGResearch, Chgs. w/ J

Simon Cox @SimonFRCox
Belfast Agreement binds UK not to change its laws affecting cross-border issues - without cross-border agreement. Johnson’s letter ignores that.

Johnson’s letter says “Belfast Agreement neither depends upon nor requires a particular customs or regulatory regime”. True: UK can have any regime it likes, as long as it doesn’t require changes to border arrangements without Ireland’s agreement.

National rules about animal health, products, tariffs all affect what is required at the border. By committing to only agreed change at the Irish border, UK gave up its sovereignty to make unilateral changes in N Ireland affecting border issues. For good.

Faisal Islam story worth reading:
Detailled - and alarming - info on local council prepping

www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/business-49397728?

Faisal Islam@faisalislam

NEW:
we have seen internal local authority No Deal planning document from up and down the country,
basically those councils responsible for delivering public services including meals, and asked to by Govt to plan and assess risks - concerns standards wont be met, prices rise etc:

Eg North Ayrshire Council:
officials “might need to amend school nutrition standards”
to take into account price impact, and availability issues on fresh food

• NB Scotland has more detailed standards than England & Wales /2

.. interesting reference on that above to
“agriculture has sufficient calorific content to feed the population, albeit with a restricted diet and a dramatic reduction in livestock production to enable all crop production to be used as human food”

• that is not Brexit specific /2b

Then North Tyneside Council
on changing school menus “around available produce”, and eg “special dietary requirements may be difficult to meet”... “increased use of tins and frozen goods” as a mitigation
- but No Deal is in red as a risk for its food provision: /3

councils have checked in with foodbanks about what they might be able to provide in No Deal - fear is that rising food prices will both lead to increased need, but also reduced donations.
Eg Slough council asked its foodbank earlier in year, it said we rely on donations: /4

Bedford Council’s EU exit planning document from February:
^“Care homes advised to hold 4 to 6 weeks supply of non-perishable foodstuffs”. /5

Hastings Council had this ref in internal Brexit risk register:
“There might be the need for rationing.
^The severity would depend on what was available and particularly the duration of any shortages”

understand rationing here to mean stopping people stockpiling individually /6

.

From that Faisal Islam link:

Many councils say that prices for school meals will rise,
and central government funding for free school meals will have to increase
...
"certain nutritional standards will have to be altered or adapted for a short period of time" for schools and hospitals.
....
He said public services such as new hospitals, had been built without food storage,
and that caterers were now effectively "fighting each other for space" in warehouses.
....
"Because of our changing tastes, unless we're going to go back to a menu based on the 1700s,
we are going to look at imported products and imported tastes and imported flavours."
...
"There will be challenges around availability, delays at ports and around currency fluctuations,"

I hope this link works. This is genius.

twitter.com/bmay/status/1162996543697252357?s=21

The Monty Python Romans sketch, House of Commons style.

Better link: