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Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab has called for “a bit of respect” from EU leaders as he claimed the bloc’s senior figures “serially” talk about Northern Ireland “as if it were somehow a different country from the UK”.

The UK and EU are currently at loggerheads over the implementation of post-Brexit arrangements for Northern Ireland – known as the Northern Ireland Protocol – ahead of the end of a “grace period” for some border checks at the end of this month.

The row has threatened to overshadow the UK’s hosting of the G7 summit in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, this weekend – during which Prime Minister Boris Johnson has claimed some in the EU needed to “get into their heads” that the UK is a single country.

The prime minister’s ire is reported to have been raised during his bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday morning.

Mr Johnson is said to have attempted to explain his frustration with the protocol by asking what Mr Macron would do if sausages from Toulouse could not be moved to Paris.

The French president was claimed to have responded by arguing the comparison did not work because Paris and Toulouse were both part of the same country, thereby suggesting Northern Ireland is not within the UK.

Asked by Sky News at the G7 summit if those reports were true, Mr Raab said “as a matter of diplomatic profession” he would not “spill the beans”.

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But he added: “No one should be surprised by these reports and it’s not just one figure.

“We have serially seen senior EU figures talk about Northern Ireland as if it were somehow a different country from the UK.

“That is not only offensive, it has real world effects on the communities in Northern Ireland – it creates great concern, great consternation.

“Could you imagine if we talked about Catalonia, the Flemish part of Belgium, one of the Lander in Germany, northern Italy, Corsica in France as different countries?

“We need a bit of respect here and also, frankly, a bit of appreciation of the situation for all communities in Northern Ireland.”

Mr Raab claimed the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol had been “very lopsided”, which had had “real life effects” on people in Northern Ireland.

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HashFlare co-founders plead guilty to wire fraud in US

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HashFlare co-founders plead guilty to wire fraud in US

Sergei Potapenko and Ivan Turogin, both Estonian nationals, agreed to forfeit all claims in digital assets frozen by US authorities as part of a plea deal with prosecutors.

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BTC-e operator to be released as part of US-Russia prisoner swap: WSJ

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BTC-e operator to be released as part of US-Russia prisoner swap: WSJ

Schoolteacher Marc Fogel returned to the US on Feb. 11 as part of a deal with Russian authorities that will reportedly include the release of Alexander Vinnik.

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Treasury launches inquiry into leak of growth forecasts

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Treasury launches inquiry into leak of growth forecasts

A leak inquiry will take place following reports that economic growth forecasts have been reduced by the government’s financial watchdog.

Bloomberg reported that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) had reduced its growth forecasts in data sent to Chancellor Rachel Reeves last week.

Reduced growth could force the government to cut further spending or increase more taxes.

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The next forecast is set to be published in March – with the process supposed to remain confidential until that point.

The inquiry was confirmed by James Bowler, the most senior civil servant in the Treasury.

He told the House of Commons Treasury Committee: “We will undertake an inquiry, and I’m happy to communicate the outcome of that.”

The government’s attempts to grow the UK economy have proved difficult since the election last year, and businesses have complained about measures introduced in Ms Reeves’s first budget.

Part of Labour’s plan involves increasing house building and development, although these plans were not included in the forecasts for last October’s budget.

Mr Bowler sought to play down the fact that a leak inquiry was happening meant that what was reported by Bloomberg was true.

Asked by committee chair Meg Hillier about the inquiry, the civil servant appeared to indicate about 50 people in the Treasury would have been able to see the forecasts.

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Bank of England issues growth blow

He said an investigation into OBR officials would likely also happen, although the body is independent of government.

Downing Street has tried to remain bullish about the economic situation.

A Number 10 spokesperson said: “In recent weeks and months, the [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development] and the [International Monetary Fund] have upgraded our growth forecast over the next three years.”

They added: “The government remains relentlessly focused on growth as the only way of sustainably raising living standards and delivering the investment that we need in our public services.”

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Both bodies mentioned slightly increased their growth forecasts, but they still remain below 2%.

Last week, the Bank of England halved its growth expectations for the UK – saying it would only increase by 0.75% in 2025, before increasing to 1.5% for the next two years.

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The OBR’s forecasts have a more direct impact, as the Treasury use them to measure if they are meeting their fiscal rules.

GDP figures are set to be published tomorrow, which will show how the UK economy was performing to the end of 2024.

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