George Eustice

The environment secretary is reportedly one of the cabinet ministers who could be demoted by Boris Johnson in the next reshuffle. George Eustice is said to be among those “due for the chop” after a disagreement over the post-Brexit trade deal with Australia, with the minister expressing concerns over the impact on farmers. MPs have heard […]

The EU has been “slow to engage” with discussions over how to solve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol, environment secretary George Eustice has complained. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “There are lots of ways to give the European Union the assurance that they say they want for their single market, and what […]

A zero tariff, zero quota trade deal between the UK and Australia would damage Northern Ireland’s beef and sheep trade, the new DUP leader has warned. Edwin Poots said the prospect of such an agreement posed a “high level of risk” to farmers across the UK. Poots outlined his concerns in a letter to UK […]

George Eustice and Liz Truss have reportedly rowed over a proposed trade deal between the UK and Australia. The Financial Times reported environment secretary Eustice, along with Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, were concerned about the potential impact of tariff-free access for Australian farmers on the British agricultural sector. They have concerns the agreement would further […]

A cabinet minister has insisted plans to require photographic identification to vote has “nothing to do with party interests” after questions the move could limit votes for opposition parties. Civil liberties groups and senior MPs on both sides of the Commons have criticised the proposal, warning it could disenfranchise some voters. Newly-released research for the […]

French fishermen have blocked lorries of UK-landed fish arriving in Boulogne-sur-Mer in protest at the slow granted of fishing licenses in UK waters by the government. Under Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit deal, EU fishermen could continue to fish in British waters, but only once they had received a license. But almost four months since the deal was […]

A British fisherman has expressed his regret over voting for Brexit during an appearance on Danish TV. Ian Perkes, a fish exporter from Brixham, Devon, told Danish broadcaster DR that he had been “lied to” about the implications of leaving the EU and the increased costs to business. He said: “Do you think I would […]

Labour’s shadow environment secretary has called on George Eustice to apologise for Brexit trade barriers which have left seafood companies on the verge of collapse. Luke Pollard said the deal had left the shellfish industry in a “mess” and that many fishermen felt “betrayed” by the government’s handling of their interests during the Brexit negotiations. The EU has […]

Steve Anglesey brings you your weekly check on how Project Fear is becoming Project Reality. It has been a gloomy week on the sunlit uplands of sovereign Britain, where the government accused the EU of being selfish over shellfish. Environment secretary George Eustice started the tussles by claiming Brussels was flexing its muscles on mussels, […]

George Eustice has claimed that the European Union has unexpectedly changed its position on live UK exports of shellfish. The environment secretary has called on Brussels to abide by existing regulations as producers expressed frustration at the lack of government action. The introduction of new checks and paperwork since the end of the Brexit transition […]

Greta Thunberg has criticised the government for allowing UK farmers permission to use a bee-killing pesticide so poisonous that is banned by the EU. English farmers will soon be able to use neonicotinoid thiamethoxam on sugar beet crops, prompting outcries by environmentalists that ministers have bowed to pressure from farmers. Environment secretary George Eustice has given farmers permission […]

A leading fisherman has called for resignations over Brexit claiming that it has left the industry “worse off” than when the UK remained a member of the European Union. Arnold Locker, chairman of the Locker Trawlers in Whitby and a former chairman of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations, claimed that key Brexiteers had betrayed the […]

A fish merchant has said he was “brainwashed” into voting for Brexit and that he “wishes he hadn’t”. Brixham-based fish merchant Ian Perkes told Financial Times (FT)that he “never looked at implications of the paperwork” that a vote to leave would bring.  Perkes has now added his name to a letter from the fishing industry to […]

The government’s post-Brexit farming proposals are a “full-throttle attack” on English family farms, according to Labour. Shadow environment secretary Luke Pollard told the Commons: “Labour supports public money for public good, of course we do, but that’s not what this is about. “Strip away the green coating and these proposals are a full-throttle attack on […]

George Eustice has told Piers Morgan that Britain was a “free country” as he sought to defend a six-month government boycott of Good Morning Britain. Eustice, a cabinet minister, said political parties were free to choose which media outlets to speak with as he attempted to explain the reasons behind 201-day hiatus from the popular […]

Environment secretary George Eustice has been ridiculed after claiming that a Scotch egg “probably would” class as a substantial meal in a pub to allow people to have a drink. The minister was ridiculed for entering the debate over what is classed as a “substantial” meal to go with alcohol in pubs in tier two […]

A minister in Boris Johnson’s government has admitted that Brexit talks with the European Union could be extended beyond the transition period of December 31. Appearing on Sky News with Kay Burley, the environment secretary George Eustice said it is “always possible” to extend negotiations, and that the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost has always […]

A major European dairy products producer has corrected the UK government saying that a no-deal Brexit will lead to higher prices. Alra, which produces items like Lurpak butter, said the environment secretary was incorrect to suggest the company could simply move part of its production to Britain in the event of a no-deal scenario. George Eustice told the BBC […]