we start with brexit, and an indication of how much effect the uk leaving the european union has had on trade in both directions across the english channel. figures compiled by the uk government show how british exports to the eu fell byjust over 40% injanuary the first month when the post brexit rules came into force. and imports from the eu were down by nearly 30%. there are of course contributing factors, like earlier stockpiling, and pandemic lockdowns. our economics correspondent, andy verity, has the details. this manchester exporter of branded clothing, much of it for corporate events that haven t been happening, has gone through what it describes as a nightmare yearjust staying in business and keeping staff safe. but now, its boss told me, far from the promised frictionless trade, it s become very difficult to export to europe. transporters and couriers are charging big extra fees to cover much more complex paperwork and taxes, pushing costs up so high that it s had
that the labour party only has one seat left in scotland. so, this will have an impact on that. the other issue that is rapidly coming onto the agenda is the possibility of there being a by election in rutherglen. the seat of the former snp mp there margaret ferrier, who was recently suspended from parliament for breaking lockdown regulations, and it is expected there will be a process through which they will be a recall, and she has already resigned from the party. but they will be a recall and a by election there perhaps, in the autumn. again, this is not the kind of publicity, and these are not the kind of images that the scottish national party wants to be living under in the run up to what will be crucial by election. the snp have a
to see a former prime minister being investigated and a procedural way despite the fact politics has ousted him from power, what are we likely to see? it him from power, what are we likely to see? , , . ., to see? it is unprecedented, i have been covering to see? it is unprecedented, i have been covering british to see? it is unprecedented, i have been covering british politics i to see? it is unprecedented, i have been covering british politics for i been covering british politics for 30-40 been covering british politics for 30 40 years and i have never seen anything like it. i think we will see borisjohnson deciding the best form of defence is attack and we have been heavily briefed about the nature of his defence which will have three prongs to it, numbered one to say it is not true, he did not mislead parliament because when he said lockdown regulations were being observed he genuinely believe that, that s what he was being advised. the second attack be this committee of mps, s
of his defence, which will have three prongs to it, to it, number one to say it is not true, he did not mislead parliament because when he said lockdown regulations were being observed he genuinely believe that, that s what he was being advised. the second attack being this committee of mps, some of them are biased against me, you cannot trust them. and the third is the way in which this committee is operating, what might be called the level of proof needed is lower than you would expect any court of law, something like it will have to be more likely than not he misled mps, where as his team are saying it should be significantly more likely than that. so expect a robust defence from borisjohnson on wednesday.
overlap with the personnel, obviously. sue gray, if referred to, writing that report into what will be known as partygate, those parties that broke coronavirus lockdown regulations at the time. if this is the case that you don t understand where boris johnson s the case that you don t understand where borisjohnson s defence will come from is it not the case that we should wait until his performance as he appears before mps on what you think his lines of defence could be? well, i think he s actually going to struggle because the committee seems to have quite forensically looked at the evidence including some of the internal messages that were going on at the time which seemed to be struggling with how to present this to the external world so they ve picked this sort of almost line by line and borisjohnson will have to do, you know, face those facts and that s not something that he strong at but he will have, you know, his