London Calling | Edition 6
London Calling is a weekly rundown of the top ten emerging issues from the past seven days shaping US-UK commercial relations.
London Calling is for global communication strategists and C-Suite executives.
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Memo: London Calling | Edition 6 | February 17, 2021
1. UK PM Boris Johnson on "Face the Nation": Margaret Brennan had an exclusive conversation with Johnson on COVID-19 and the UK-US relationship.
"I want to ask you about US-UK relations. You have not yet met President Biden, though you're about to have this virtual meeting. You did have a phone call. Back in 2019, he referred to you, as I'm sure you know, as 'the physical and emotional clone of Donald Trump.' Are you concerned you're going to start off on the wrong foot?"
2. Anti-Scottish' Johnson is driving the rise of Scottish nationalism: The Times reports, Johnson is leading an "anti-Scottish" government that risks driving extreme nationalism with its refusal to engage with a second independence referendum, a former Welsh Labour first minister has claimed. Carwyn Jones said it would be "very difficult to oppose" another constitutional ballot if the SNP won a majority at May's Holyrood elections.
3. A former Danish minister has given her support to an independent Scotland rejoining the EU. Lykke Friis, climate, energy, and gender equality minister between 2009 and 2011 and now head of thinktank EUROPA, also advised Scotland to formulate strong alliances with other northern European countries, including Scandinavian and Baltic countries.
4. There will always be an England, but not a UK: Max Hastings writes a breakup of Britain would be a boon for Northern Ireland, bad for Scotland and Wales, and devastating for England's place in the world.
5. Boris Johnson and Nicola Sturgeon's green beauty contest: Politico reports, Downing Street will want to limit Scotland's first minister's chances to strut her stuff on the world stage at COP26.
6. Jaguar is to recreate itself as the West Midlands' Tesla and become a fully electric car manufacturer within four years. The company vows to keep all UK 'core sites' open under a 15-year strategy to phase out diesel.
7. MI6 recruiting foreign-born spies for the first time to improve diversity: Candidates no longer need to have been born in the UK, although they must still hold a British passport. A Whitehall source told The Times that the spy agency, which collects intelligence overseas, wanted to recruit from the biggest talent pool possible and create a workforce with a "diversification of thought . . . not people who all think in similar ways."
8. Leader of the Labour Party Keir Starmer calls in Peter Mandelson to inject a dose of New Labour's winning mentality: The Times reports, as Starmer's honeymoon ends with sniping at his shadow cabinet and questions over his political nous, the party leader is putting his faith in Tony Blair's chief strategist.
Starmer is planning to take a leaf out of the New Labour playbook with the launch of a "prawn cocktail offensive" with potential wealthy donors.
9. Westminster polling intention:
CON: 42%
LAB: 37%
LD: 6%
SNP: 5%
GRN: 5%
Plaid Cymru: 1%
Other: 4%
Via Opinium Research
10. Larry the cat celebrates 10 years at 10 Downing Street: The "Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office" is now on his third prime minister.
@Number10cat: Having spent 10 years inside number 10, I've been asked what my plans are for the future. Let me be clear: this cat is not for retiring, and I'm planning for my 20th anniversary already. #Larryversary