Britain won’t need another coronavirus lockdown,
says Boris Johnson
Prime Minister likens nationwide shutdown to a
‘nuclear deterrent.’
By ASHLEIGH
FURLONG 7/19/20, 9:55 AM CET Updated 7/19/20, 10:27 AM CET
The U.K.
won’t be in a position to need another national lockdown, according to Prime
Minister Boris Johnson.
Johnson likened
a nationwide shutdown to a “nuclear deterrent,” telling the Sunday Telegraph
that he doesn't want to use it. “And nor do I think we will be in that position
again,” he added.
The move
echoes France ruling out a second lockdown, with Prime Minister Jean Castex
saying that this would lead to “disastrous” economic and human consequences.
Johnson’s
comments came after the announcement of plans for local authorities to have new
powers to implement local lockdowns to respond to increases in coronavirus
cases.
Despite
worldwide criticism of the U.K.’s response to the pandemic, Johnson defended
the government, insisting that “lots of things … went very, very well.” He
pointed to the quickly-built Nightingale hospitals across the country, the U.K.
trial that led to dexamethasone becoming a possible treatment for coronavirus
and the country's extensive furlough scheme.
In the
wide-ranging interview, Johnson also spoke of his plans to shake up the
university education system. Specifically, he said that the pricing of
university courses would be reviewed. "In reality, it would have been much
more sensible if courses had been differently priced. We are certainly looking
at all that."
An increased
focus on technical education would also support the U.K.’s production of new
technology, argued Johnson, in a reference to the U.K. banning the Chinese firm
Huawei's 5G gear.
"Let's
start doing some of this stuff ourselves, working with ... like-minded
countries, and getting the stuff installed. The potential is enormous, whether
it's 5G or full fiber or gigabit or superfast broadband, the U.K. can really
excel in all those,” he said.
Authors:
Ashleigh Furlong
Liam Fox: Covid-19 to cause 'nightmare' economic
crisis
By Nicholas
Watt
Newsnight
political editor
17 July
2020
Coronavirus
will lead to a worldwide economic downturn somewhere between a "bad dream
and worst nightmare", former cabinet minister Liam Fox has warned.
The
Conservative MP said many leaders have failed to grasp the expected economic
fallout from the crisis.
Dr Fox was
speaking to BBC Newsnight as he made his case to become head of the World Trade
Organization (WTO) in Geneva.
He also
suggested that the UK could be granted a second Brexit transition phase.
Speaking at
the WTO headquarters, the former international trade secretary indicated that
the Geneva-based body could oversee another transition period if the UK and the
EU agree a new trading relationship this year.
"We
have what are known as differential treatments here which often allow countries
who have a clear destination time to adapt to those changes," Dr Fox told
BBC Newsnight.
"I think
that everything should be done by the rules and there are a number of
precedents set here for transitions, there are a number of precedents set here
for differential treatments. That is a matter for the officials here."
A
transition, overseen by the WTO, would be different to the current Brexit
transition. That involves full UK participation in the EU without a vote.
Dr Fox
indicated that a second transition could be used to allow a phasing in of new
border arrangements between Britain and the EU which has been proposed by
Michael Gove.
Liz Truss,
the current international trade secretary, has warned that the Gove plan could
leave the UK vulnerable to a WTO challenge on the grounds that EU imports to
the UK would be treated more favourably than imports from elsewhere.
Economic
implications
Prime
Minister Boris Johnson nominated Dr Fox, a long-standing Brexit supporter, to
be head of the WTO around an hour before the deadline earlier this month.
He is one
of eight candidates hoping to succeed Roberto Azevedo, whose time in office was
overshadowed by the effective freezing of the WTO's dispute mechanism and trade
skirmishes between the US and China.
Dr Fox
believes calculations about global trade before the pandemic will have to
change as the world deals with the downturn.
He told BBC
Newsnight, "We will not be in business as usual. I'm not sure people have
actually grasped yet what a big impact the pandemic can have on the global
economy and how that will shape thinking on the other side.
"It's
one thing to put forward a set of views if you think the global economy is
going to be growing happily. It's quite another to put forward the same
prescriptions if you think that economy is going to be contracting.
"These
are not going to be normal times. This is not business as usual... we must
understand the potential scale of the problems we will face."
Donald
Trump
Dr Fox has
strong connections in Washington, particularly with the Republican Party.
But he
indicated that he has little truck with President Donald Trump who has
questioned the merit of multilateral organisations and has effectively
paralysed the WTO's appellate court by refusing to endorse new appointments.
In contrast
the former international trade secretary said he strongly backed a rules-based
international trade system.
He also
indicated he has little time for Mr Trump's habit of upping trade tariffs as Dr
Fox deprecated protectionism.
"Protectionism
comes at a price not least in security," he said. "But economically
if you protect your economy you may get a drop in prices in the short-term but
you are likely to get a rise in prices in the longer-term as there is less competition
in the system."
Brexit and
trade
Downing
Street believes the nomination of Dr Fox is an important sign of the freedoms
enjoyed by Britain after Brexit.
Trade
negotiations in the EU are conducted by the European Commission which means
that it would be all but impossible for a member state to nominate a candidate
to head the WTO unilaterally.
Britain has
high hopes that the EU will not veto Dr Fox. But there are fears that China may
oppose his appointment as punishment for Britain's decision to phase out
Huawei's involvement in the UK's 5G network.
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