Lord Frost of Allenton. Non-affiliated peer in Lords. Senior Fellow @iealondon.
London
Joined November 2012
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David Frost retweeted
Is Britain sleepwalking back into the EU?
In the latest episode of The Capitalist, @DavidGHFrost joins @marcsidwell to discuss the threat to Brexit, Britain's economic malaise – and why he believes neither the Conservatives nor Reform UK are radical enough.
Watch the full interview 👇
David Frost retweeted
Does @AngelaRayner realise how misleading this is?
Even if not, good journalists should have figures at hand to correct her & other Govt. ministers trying to imply UK exports to the EU have gone down since Brexit.
In fact total exports to the EU have increased since Brexit.
…
If EU immigration is supposedly less permanent, how does Burnham explain (1) that we have around 6 million EU citizens with permanent rights to live here under the EU settlement scheme, and (2) that we are still granting applications 6 years after leaving the EU?
Andy Burnham first discussed his theory that EU immigration might be less permanent than post-Brexit immigration (and so perhaps better for the UK) in his interview with me on @GBNEWS last month.
CH: You said immigration controls weaken Brexit, but Brexit gives you the power to control legal migration. Boris Johnson ignored that. The Boris wave happened. He was punished at the polls. Brexit gives you the power you want to be a sovereign nation.
PM: One thing that I want to convey here is Brexit has changed the nature of immigration to this country, because in the past, when we were in the European Union, people can have their view about it, about whether it was good or bad. But what we had was a more revolving door form of migration, where people would come here in their younger years. Many people did from Eastern Europe. People would remember, and they'd maybe spend you know a few years here in their mid to late 20s, and then go home and start a family, and that was a very common form of immigration. Now, immigration is more likely to be a permanent settlement, where people are coming on a visa to work here. And then we saw obviously the Boris wave and the changes that came through in that in that period. So it's changed the nature of immigration.
David Frost retweeted
Most of the BBC website could be completely shut down, except for a small hard news section and an archive of documentaries edwest.co.uk/p/the-bbc-needs…
David Frost retweeted
It is hardly surprising that someone open to rejoining the EU would be open to free movement.
Burnham's romanticised picture of EU membership ignores the fact that we literally had no idea who was coming into the country before 2016. We were always told there were 3 million EU citizens in Britain. When we counted them we discovered there were 6 million.
Any attempt to return to free movement has to reckon with the fact that a country like Spain has legalised the status of a million plus illegal migrants since then, and with the very visible tensions and anxieties amongst EU member states on the subject.
There can be no viable policy which doesn't involve HMG having full control over who comes into this country. We aren't there at the moment, but we will need to get there in the end. Andy Burnham may not understand this now, but he will have to do so eventually.
❗️EXCLUSIVE❗️
Andy Burnham has opened the door to Britain rejoining the EU’s free movement rules, arguing an “honest discussion” about the idea is needed
The PM said the nature of immigration has been “different” since Brexit, with more foreigners moving permanently to the UK rather than returning home
Burnham noted how his father, Roy, an engineer, took advantage of the EU rules in the 1990s to work in Germany
He also said since leaving the bloc Britain has lost access to ‘Eurodac’, an EU database on border crossings
“I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this,” he said
Burnham made clear staying out of free movement would **not** be a red line for talks (unlike adopting the Euro or rejoining the Schengen Area)
Burnham made the comments to me in one of four interviews conducted during his first 100 days in office. All unpacked in tomorrow’s Sunday Times.
It’s big news. Free movement seen as a key reason why the country voted Brexit in 2016. No PM has made the argument for potentially rejoining since… until now.
(Important to note: Burnham accepts there were ‘very significant challenges’ too with free movement. Hasn’t reached a firm decision yes or no. He continues to mull over ‘options’ for closer EU ties)
KEY BURNHAM QUOTE
“Freedom of movement had very significant challenges associated with it and I spoke about them in my previous time in Parliament. But, at the same time, it was a type of immigration that perhaps wasn’t as difficult (as now).
“Revolving door migration where people would come and then go back is different. The balance of migration has changed, hasn’t it, since then? I think we’ve just got to have an honest discussion about those things.”
Read the full story here:
‘Andy Burnham is open to adopting EU free movement’
thetimes.com/article/491a046…
Quite right from @JohnAlty1 👇
In fairness, the final implementation of MTD may have started this year, but the legislation enabling it was passed under the last Conservative government.
It's reasonable to criticise Healey for not stopping it, but he can't be blamed for introducing it in the first place.
That's funny because at my last strategy meeting with my accountant, they informed me I must use HMRC-recognised Making Tax Digital compatible software, creating an oligopoly for firms like Xero.
I must now also report my company's income every three months rather than once a year, as well as a final report at year end.
So I now have to pay for a Xero subscription.
And pay my accountant more for the increased submissions.
And fuck about with reconciling every three months, rather than once a year.
For HMRC to end up with the same amount of income from me as before.
Fuck off.
Just fuck off.
Fuck off all the way back to Yorkshire, then fuck off some more.
David Frost retweeted
Great take here from @DavidGHFrost. The problems with our economy are structural but also cultural at root.
We need David in a major front line role helping shape a positive, long range reforming agenda for the United Kingdom. 👇
What's gone wrong with Britain's economy?
Too much state spending. Markets strangled by regulation. And the erosion of a shared national purpose.
@DavidGHFrost tells @marcsidwell why Britain needs a radical change of direction.
Watch 👇
David Frost retweeted
Could Britain be heading back into the EU?
@DavidGHFrost warns that Brexit supporters risk complacency about the prospect of rejoining – and argues that, despite the apparent narrowness of public support, the campaign to stay out needs to begin now.
Watch 👇
It is hardly surprising that someone open to rejoining the EU would be open to free movement.
Burnham's romanticised picture of EU membership ignores the fact that we literally had no idea who was coming into the country before 2016. We were always told there were 3 million EU citizens in Britain. When we counted them we discovered there were 6 million.
Any attempt to return to free movement has to reckon with the fact that a country like Spain has legalised the status of a million plus illegal migrants since then, and with the very visible tensions and anxieties amongst EU member states on the subject.
There can be no viable policy which doesn't involve HMG having full control over who comes into this country. We aren't there at the moment, but we will need to get there in the end. Andy Burnham may not understand this now, but he will have to do so eventually.
❗️EXCLUSIVE❗️
Andy Burnham has opened the door to Britain rejoining the EU’s free movement rules, arguing an “honest discussion” about the idea is needed
The PM said the nature of immigration has been “different” since Brexit, with more foreigners moving permanently to the UK rather than returning home
Burnham noted how his father, Roy, an engineer, took advantage of the EU rules in the 1990s to work in Germany
He also said since leaving the bloc Britain has lost access to ‘Eurodac’, an EU database on border crossings
“I think you have to have a very factual, quite evidence-based debate about this,” he said
Burnham made clear staying out of free movement would **not** be a red line for talks (unlike adopting the Euro or rejoining the Schengen Area)
Burnham made the comments to me in one of four interviews conducted during his first 100 days in office. All unpacked in tomorrow’s Sunday Times.
It’s big news. Free movement seen as a key reason why the country voted Brexit in 2016. No PM has made the argument for potentially rejoining since… until now.
(Important to note: Burnham accepts there were ‘very significant challenges’ too with free movement. Hasn’t reached a firm decision yes or no. He continues to mull over ‘options’ for closer EU ties)
KEY BURNHAM QUOTE
“Freedom of movement had very significant challenges associated with it and I spoke about them in my previous time in Parliament. But, at the same time, it was a type of immigration that perhaps wasn’t as difficult (as now).
“Revolving door migration where people would come and then go back is different. The balance of migration has changed, hasn’t it, since then? I think we’ve just got to have an honest discussion about those things.”
Read the full story here:
‘Andy Burnham is open to adopting EU free movement’
thetimes.com/article/491a046…
Transcript now available:
dfrost.substack.com/p/interv…
What's gone wrong with Britain's economy?
Too much state spending. Markets strangled by regulation. And the erosion of a shared national purpose.
@DavidGHFrost tells @marcsidwell why Britain needs a radical change of direction.
Watch 👇
David Frost retweeted
Modern MPs are curious creatures. They're public figures who have the power to change laws and tax people, and can speak freely in the chamber. But they don't seem to like being public figures, and they hate receiving criticism. Worse with left wing MPs but not exclusive to them.
David Frost retweeted
🚨NEW: The Online Safety Act has been a failure, according to a new report from Ofcom.
Ofcom have found "no significant change" in children encountering harmful content since the law came into effect last July. This is despite the signifigant threats to free speech and privacy.
David Frost retweeted
Another great example of how Brexit polling shifts when the issue of sovereignty is raised... 🤔
In this case, 47% agree that the UK Government should control who comes into Britain, even if this means a more limited relationship with the EU 👇
source: ipsos.com/en-uk/brits-less-f…
David Frost retweeted
WHY WON'T OUR ELITE LISTEN?
In poll after poll, the British people repeat their demand - that sovereign control of laws money and borders comes first over EU relations.
New polling out today from Ipsos, shows that 54% prefer immigration control over a better EU relationship.
🤖 Made with AI
David Frost retweeted
"The real charge against ministers is not that they have abandoned their net zero policy. It is that they have not."
Why we must assume Rosebank will be blocked, & where this all leaves our dreadful energy policy.
My @Telegraph column today. 👇
telegraph.co.uk/gift/6ba1a9f…
"The real charge against ministers is not that they have abandoned their net zero policy. It is that they have not."
Why we must assume Rosebank will be blocked, & where this all leaves our dreadful energy policy.
My @Telegraph column today. 👇
telegraph.co.uk/gift/6ba1a9f…