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"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 11th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
While focusing on `what the papers don`t say` Byline Times offers a comprehensive run down on hot topics across the media. Today, it`s the Brexit Cliff Edge, and accounts of the economic impact of Britain`s imminent departure from the EU.
Jobs at Risk
Brexit: Netherlands talking to 250 firms about leaving UK
The Dutch government has said it is in talks with more than 250 companies about moving their operations from the UK to the Netherlands before Brexit. The economic affairs ministry said it had lured 42 companies or branch offices and 1,923 jobs from the UK last year, as it increases its efforts to gain Brexit business.
Among those who have chosen to invest in the Netherlands are the Discovery Channel, Sony and Bloomberg. Sony announced last month it was moving its European headquarters to Amsterdam, as companies in the UK continue to progress with contingency plans. Its rival Panasonic has already moved to the Dutch capital.
Tories try to limit European election damage with cut‑price campaign
Conservative Party chiefs have signed off a cut-price campaign for the European parliamentary elections after finally admitting that the polls will go ahead two weeks tomorrow.
Candidates received a confidential briefing at Conservative campaign headquarters (CCHQ) on what many admit will be a damage-limitation exercise. Party chiefs are said to be sending only taxpayer-funded mailshots with the first wave of literature targeting postal voters due within days.
The Conservatives’ message will be that only the governing party can deliver Brexit as it pleads with voters not to back Nigel Farage’s insurgent Brexit Party, according to a senior figure. The first leaflet includes a photograph of Theresa May.
British cryptologist in Belgium explains brain drain resulting from Brexit vote
As the confusion over Brexit becomes increasingly drawn out, a major brain drain is occurring across various fields in the United Kingdom, and academia is no exception.
Economic Impact
The Brexit Bill: Here’s the Damage So Far
Britain’s status as European hub of choice has suffered a blow. Japanese electronics groups Sony Corp and Panasonic Corp, insurer Chubb Ltd. and money-exchange firm TransferWise are among the companies who have moved their EU headquarters or set up new subsidiaries.
What effect has Brexit had on the UK economy?
The Bank of England found that business investment has slowed sharply, and reckons it will fall by even more this year. Companies are unwilling to flash the cash until they are confident about what lies ahead. That's not just down to a lack of clarity over Brexit, but a result, too, of weaker demand from elsewhere, as the likes of China and Europe slow down. As a result, the Bank now calculates the total level of GDP is about 1.2% lower than it had expected three years ago.
British and U.S. Banks Are Deeply Divided on Brexit Ties
While U.S. banks want Britain to maintain the closest possible ties with the EU after Brexit, U.K. banks and insurers are anxious they don’t become beholden to new laws made by Brussels, two of the people said.
Blow For UK Growth Businesses As Brexit Hits Fundraising
Disappointing news for start-up and scale-up Britain – investors’ appetite for funding growing businesses appears to be waning. New research suggests there was a marked drop-off in investment in such businesses last year. Beauhurst, the research analyst that specialises in emerging growth companies, says equity investors pumped £7bn into start-up and scale-up businesses last year, down almost 19 per cent on 2017. Deal numbers were significantly lower too: Beauhurst tracked 1,572 transactions during 2018, a near 10 per cent fall on 2017’s figure of 1,744.
UBS Clear to Move $36.5 Billion of Assets to Germany Over Brexit
The impact of Brexit on London’s financial sector came into stark relief as a judge approved plans by a UBS Group AG unit to shift some of its U.K. business -- involving assets valued at more than 32 billion euros ($36.5 billion) -- to Germany.
The Swiss bank’s plans are a response to the “external shock” of Britain’s exit from the European Union, not designed for “commercial advantage” or based on any “internal rationalization,” said Judge Alastair Norris in London, who approved the proposal Tuesday.
House prices in Brexit slump:nearly £7,000 knocked off price of average UK home as uncertainty continues
The property market suffered one of its biggest monthly falls since the financial crisis last month as uncertainly over Brexit undermined buyers’ confidence. The average price of a home across the country slumped 2.9 per cent to £223,691 in January wiping almost £7,000 of its value, according to latest figures from mortgage lender Halifax. The fall brought the annual rate of house price inflation down to just 0.8 per cent.
Administrative Fall Out
Heidi Allen: “The fact people are trying to pick holes shows we must be a bit of a threat”
Ever since she railed against George Osborne’s welfare cuts, Heidi Allen’s relationship with the Conservatives looked fragile. After months of feeling disillusioned with her adopted party, she helped to form The Independent Group. Now interim leader of the rebranded Change UK, the South Cambridgeshire MP is hopeful for success at the European elections – but says Brexit cannot be everything that her party’s about. She talks to Sebastian Whale
'Brexit barriers' to be installed on M20 this weekend
Highways chiefs say are using "lessons learned" from Operation Stack to prepare for a no-deal Brexit. Work on installing the temporary steel 'Brexit barriers' along the coastbound carriageway of the M20 begins this weekend, which will lead to the introduction of a 50mph speed limit along an eight-mile stretch. Planners have revealed more details about the timings of the works, saying the barriers will let lorries travelling to Europe flow free and keep traffic disruption to Kent to a minimum.
Brits Will Face Immediate Return Of Mobile Phone Roaming Charges Under No-Deal Brexit, Government Reveals
Brits travelling in Europe will overnight face the return of mobile phone roaming charges in the event of a no-deal Brexit, HuffPost can reveal. A little-noticed government regulation laid before parliament on Tuesday confirms that the UK will revoke the current legislation that allows holidaymakers and business people to use their smartphones in the EU at no extra cost. The draft ‘statutory instrument’, which has been tabled as part of a raft of no-deal preparations, means that from March 29 phone users will be liable for surcharges when they travel on the continent.
Diabetics in Britain worry a no-deal Brexit could put their lives at risk
The Road Haulage Association, a transport industry body, has warned of “disastrous queues at ports” if Britain doesn’t exit smoothly with a deal. For those who rely on lifesaving medicines, the thought of roads to and from ports turning into parking lots is distressing. As with many sectors, health care is deeply integrated across Europe, with sophisticated “just-in-time” supply chains uniting the 28-nation bloc. Up to three-quarters of all the drugs used by Britain’s state-run National Health Services come from or through the E.U.
Theresa May's government fails to hire 1,000 new border workers to cope with Brexit
The UK government has failed to recruit the 1,000 new border workers it promised ahead of Brexit, despite pledging to do so a year ago. The delay means the UK could be unprepared to cope with the strain of a no-deal Brexit on its borders.
A leading union chief representing border workers tells Business Insider that "[Border Force staff] can barely manage business as usual, let alone cope with these new challenges."
Hundreds of MI5 officers prepare for Brexit violence in Northern Ireland
A few days ago, the London-based newspaper The Daily Mail cited an unnamed “counterterrorism source” who said that MI5, Britain’s primary counterterrorism agency, had stationed a fifth of its force in Northern Ireland. The agency is allegedly monitoring a number of dissident republican groups —a term used to describe armed groups of Irish nationalists who continue to reject the nationalist community’s majority view to endorse the Good Friday Agreement back in 1998.
Government immigration plans to cost employers more than £1bn after Brexit
The government’s new immigration plans will cost employers more than £1bn, according to a new report. Global Future, an independent think tank advocating “an open and vibrant Britain”, arguges the flagship proposals will also impose an £80m barrier to EU students, and the proposed “settled status scheme” post-Brexit “exactly mirrors the makings of last year’s Windrush scandal – but on a much larger scale”.
U.K. Could Be Kicked Out Of Newly Launched Pharma Tech Security System Because Of Brexit
Saturday, February 9, 2019, sees the launch of the European Union (EU) Falsified Medicines Directive (FMD), but the U.K. could be kicked out of the newly launched pharma tech security system if it fails to reach a Withdrawal Agreement with the EU, resulting in a no-deal Brexit. Despite having plowed millions of pounds into the project, in less than 50 days time, when the U.K. is set to leave the EU on March 29, 2019, the U.K. could be forced to lock itself out of what has been dubbed the most high-tech medicines safety system in the world.
Political Shenanigans
UK Labour Party seeks Brexit deal vote before end of the month
The Labour Party will this week try to force Theresa May to pledge another “meaningful vote” on her Brexit deal before the end of February to prevent the prime minister taking the final parliamentary showdown on the UK departure from the EU to the wire. With fewer than 50 days to go until the scheduled Brexit day on March 29, there are growing fears among MPs and business leaders that Downing Street is engaged in dangerous brinkmanship. Keir Starmer, shadow Brexit secretary, will put forward an amendment within days aimed at compelling Mrs May to hold the vote before February 26. “We have got to put a hard stop into this running down the clock,” he told the Sunday Times.
https://www.ft.com/content/2c088e3e-2d19-11e9-ba00-0251022932c8
Additional sources: (BBC) (PoliticsHome)
Additional sources: (BBC) (PoliticsHome)
May rejects Corbyn's offer as businesses warn of Brexit cliff edge
Theresa May has effectively ruled out Labour’s ideas for a compromise Brexit plan, shutting off another potential route to a deal as business groups warned that with less than 50 days to go the departure process was entering the “emergency zone”.
Boris Johnson backs call for multibillion cut to UK aid budget
There are calls for a multibillion-pound cut in the UK’s overseas aid budget and closure of the Department for International Development (DfID) as a separate Whitehall entity are set out in a new Conservative vision for a post-Brexit “global Britain” backed by the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson.
Government’s secret post-Brexit plan must rule out the Singapore model
Whitehall should publish the findings of ‘Project After’ to clarify the direction of UK industrial strategy in the case of no-deal. here are plans under discussion in Whitehall to cope with the long-term consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Dubbed Project After, these plans involve Whitehall officials poring over the government’s entire portfolio of tax and spending commitments and how they might be adjusted once the UK tumbles out of the European Union’s single market and tariff-free customs area. No 10 has kept Project After under wraps and little is known about any conclusions that might have been drawn. The theme, we know, centres on encouraging companies that might otherwise depart these shores to stay, and encouraging fresh investment from businesses nervous about setting up shop in a newly outcast UK.
Not opposing Brexit could lose Labour 45 seats, says leaked report
A trade union affiliated with the Labour party has claimed that Jeremy Corbyn’s party could lose an additional 45 seats in a snap election if it fails to take an anti-Brexit position, in a leaked report. The report, drawn up by the transport union TSSA and including extensive polling, was sent to the leftwing pressure group Momentum. It appears to be an attempt to pile pressure on the Labour leader over Brexit. It claims that “Brexit energises Labour remain voters” disproportionately, and warns: “There is no middle way policy which gets support from both sides of the debate.” The Guardian understands that while the report was sent to Momentum, it was not commissioned or requested by the group.
Black and White Ball: Brexit donor snub has PM relying on backers linked to Russia
Conservative donors snubbed the party’s annual Black and White Ball fundraiser, leaving Theresa May increasingly dependent on handouts from supporters linked to Russia. A senior party insider said many big donors had failed to show up at the social event held on Wednesday night at the Evolution venue in Battersea Park, London. One donor who did attend said others had stayed away in protest at May’s leadership and her handling of Brexit...Meanwhile, May has accepted almost £270,000 from Russian-linked donors since she blamed the Kremlin for the Skripal poisoning. She had promised to distance her party from Russian donors when she took office, with allies briefing that she would “sup with a long spoon”. However, the party has accepted almost £2m from Russia-linked donors since May become prime minister in July 2016. Lubov Chernukin, the wife of a former Putin minister, has given £230,250 since last March and Alexander Temerko, a Ukrainian-born former Russian defence chief, gave £39,450.
Senior European Diplomats Believe Theresa May Has Embarked On A “Buy Time” Strategy
A diplomatic note seen by BuzzFeed News reveals that senior European diplomats think the prime minister is trying to “buy time” with MPs – and the risks of a “no deal by accident” are increasing.
BBC defends decision to ban audience members waving EU flags at Eurovision: You Decide
Audience members at a BBC programme to decide the UK’s 2019 Eurovision entry were reportedly banned from bringing EU flags into the venue – instead being offered Union Flags. In a move slammed by pro-EU campaigners as “politicising”, all external flags were checked into security while the show was taking place. EU Flag Mafia, a group who were handing out EU flags ahead of the event, added: “No issues with the Union flag as we’re British, but this is clear propaganda and against the Eurovision code of conduct.”
BBC investigating after Scots ex-UKIP candidate makes Question Time audience appearance for FOURTH time
The BBC has launched an investigation after it emerged a Question Time audience member who attacked the SNP had been on the show three times before. But Mitchell’s contribution from the audience sparked controversy because of his numerous previous appearances. Thursday’s programme aired from Motherwell.
Mitchell has previously asked questions from the audience at two debates in Stirling and one in Kilmarnock. Question Time is supposed to have stringent rules about applications and adhere to strict rules about balance. SNP deputy leader Keith Brown said the progamme had “got itself into a real mess”.
Govt working to ensure NHS can 'operate fully' in event of no-deal Brexit
Matt Hancock's confirmation of the preparations followed reports that senior figures are examining ways to reboot the economy if the UK leaves the European Union without an agreement in place. According to the Financial Times, officials from the Treasury, Cabinet Office, business and trade departments are meeting with the head of the civil service to develop emergency plans as part of an initiative called "Project After". The newspaper reports that options explored by the group have included cutting taxes, boosting investment and slashing tariffs - with one Whitehall source describing it as a "Doomsday list of economic levers we could pull if the economy is about to tank".
Theresa May facing ministerial resignations over Brexit as Brussels sends her away empty-handed
Theresa May is returning to Westminster facing ministerial resignations after she left talks with EU leaders over her Brexit deal empty-handed. With another vote in the Commons due next week, a minister said colleagues on Ms May’s own front bench are ready to quit if there is no breakthrough in talks with Brussels. She was told on Thursday by a string of EU chiefs that the controversial backstop in the withdrawal agreement was not up for negotiation – and that she should instead change her red lines to win Labour support and take the deal over the line.
Revealed: The dark-money Brexit ads flooding social media
Facebook has new transparency rules on political ads. But in the last week pro-Brexit groups have spent tens of thousands pushing ‘no deal’ – without having to explain who pays for them.
Boris Johnson earned £51,000 for one speech, MPs' register reveals
Whatever the speculation about Boris Johnson’s political ... no one can doubt his ability to make money since returning to the backbenches, including, it has emerged, being paid more than £51,000 for a single speech.
Ireland and EU discuss emergency funds to offset no-deal Brexit
Ireland is in talks with the EU over a substantial Brexit emergency fund to offset the damage caused to the country’s €4.5bn (£3.96bn) food exports to Britain if the UK crashes out of the bloc with no deal next month. As Theresa May prepares for a crunch meeting in Brussels on Thursday, officials at the European commission are already looking at continuous compensatory measures for Ireland as part of an ongoing arrangement that could last years.
Yvette Cooper: Man arrested over threats to Labour MP
A man has been arrested by police investigating threats made to Labour MP Yvette Cooper. The 59-year-old Leeds man was arrested in Castleford on Friday over alleged threats to the Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford MP. West Yorkshire Police said the man was held "as a result of information received in relation to alleged threats against a serving MP".
Political Setbacks
Brexit: sack Grayling over ferry fiasco, demand MPs
Cross-party calls for transport secretary Chris Grayling’s dismissal following on from the collapse of a £13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight
Four men with a ladder: the billboard campaigners battling Brexit
Posters exposing politicians’ lies and hypocrisy over leaving the EU are appearing across the UK. The friends behind the Led By Donkeys campaign explain why they had to take action
Government spent more than £45,000 printing Brexit deal Theresa May now wants to change
Freedom of Information requests lodged by the BBC reveal that 1,300 copies of the near-600 page EU Withdrawal Agreement were printed to send to MPs and peers ahead of the deal's 230-vote defeat in a House of Commons vote last month. According to the new figures, provided to the broadcaster by the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Government spent £45,637 getting paper copies of the deal produced.
Brexit ferry company with no ferries may be stranded in a port that isn’t a port
The ferry company with no ferries might be stranded in a port that isn’t a port. Running new services from Ramsgate was the Government’s big idea to relieve the pressure on Dover in the event of a No Deal Brexit.But councillors in Ramsgate are meeting tonight to decide whether to make a series of budget cuts. If those cuts go through, it might make the big plans for Ramsgate impossible.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Exclusive: Secret No-Deal Brexit Plan To Slash Tariffs On All Imports
Ministers are secretly planning to unilaterally cut tariffs on all imports to zero in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in a move that could flood the market with cheap goods and “ruin” industry, HuffPost UK has learnt. Trade Secretary Liam Fox wants to use executive powers – reserved only for ministers – to make a last-minute change to the Trade Bill which would allow the government to dramatically slash tariffs on all foreign goods. It has been described by manufacturing union the GMB as “the ultimate Brexit betrayal”.
Where can I move my cheese
Liam Fox is scrambling to replicate the benefits of the 40 trade deals Britain enjoys with 70 countries thanks to its membership of the EU. The task of crossing out the letters “EU” in these agreements and replacing them with “UK” has proved tougher than expected. A handful have been successfully rolled over, with Switzerland, Israel, Chile and a clutch of southern African nations saying they will continue to trade with Britain on the same terms after Brexit. Yet officials at Fox’s Department for International Trade (DIT) briefed business leaders last week that “most” of the deals may not be ready in time for the March 29 deadline — including those with large markets such as Japan, South Korea and Canada.
Japan seeking big concessions from Britain in trade talks
Japan is seeking tougher concessions from Britain in trade talks than it secured from the EU, while negotiations between London and Tokyo are also being slowed by the looming risk of no-deal Brexit. Japanese trade negotiators are confident they can extract better terms, the Financial Times reported, in a sign of the mounting difficulties facing UK officials as they attempt to line up post-Brexit trade deals around the world.
Here's What US Lobbyists Want Donald Trump To Get From A Post-Brexit Trade Deal
U.S. lobbyists for big firms have made more than 130 demands, which need to be include or any potential trade deal to go ahead between the USA and the UK. These include: Changing how NHS chiefs buy drugs to suit big US pharmaceutical companies; Britain scraps its safety-first approach to safety and food standards; Law changes that would allow foreign companies to sue the British state; Removal of protections for traditional British products.
Business expresses fury at UK failure to roll over EU trade deals
The UK government has told businesses it cannot guarantee the British economy will be covered by “most” of the EU’s global network of trade agreements immediately after Brexit — even if parliament approves Theresa May’s divorce deal with Brussels
UK and Faroe Islands sign trade continuity agreement
The UK has signed a new trade continuity agreement with the Faroe Islands. With almost £200 million worth of fish and crustaceans brought into the UK from the Faroe Islands in 2017, this agreement will allow imports to continue tariff-free and enable businesses to trade as freely as they do now. Trading on these preferential terms will secure savings and help to safeguard access to fish products from the Faroe Islands. Consumers in the UK will potentially benefit from greater choice and lower prices for fish and seafood such as Atlantic salmon, haddock and halibut.
EU Funding Benefits
EU-funded report finds xenophobia is holding migrants back
Xenophobia is keeping foreign-born jobseekers out of the labour market across Europe, research has found. The EU-funded SIRIUS project, which involves researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), looked at conditions in 11 different countries.
Pre-Brexit EU funding bid for Cheshire West heritage scheme
Britain might be leaving the European Union next month, but council chiefs are preparing to work with groups on the continent in an innovative project. Cheshire West and Chester Council’s cabinet has unanimously given the go-ahead for the local authority to take part in a €3 million project that will use technology to help people with disabilities or impairments. Cllr Stuart Parker, shadow cabinet member for communities and wellbeing in CWAC’s Conservative group, urged the cabinet to go ahead with the bid.
Residents react to Hastings EU-funded ‘mini-tram’ scheme
A plan to run a mini-tram along Hastings seafront has received mixed reactions since the news broke this week. At a meeting yesterday (Monday, February 4) Hastings Borough Council said it was looking at running a ‘mini-tram’ from one end of the seafront to the other after winning European project funding. Despite the £159,463 project being funded by the Interreg Europe – a scheme funded by the European Union and European Regional Development Fund – some frustrated readers have asked why the ring-fenced money cannot be used to help improve the town in other ways.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 12th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Too many of us risk ending up at the Brexit Cliff Edge without enough information about how we got there. With the publication of this newsletter we hope to avoid that. For the next few weeks we will endeavour to round-up the latest stories on this prolific topic, helping you navigate this endless, relentless sea of Brexit news.
If you want to campaign, feel free to post these stories to your own social media networks. if you want to write sharper articles, or blog posts, use them as a research tool to help inform you. We hope finding material from different sources in one place will save you time and make it easier to see what is most relevant in your eyes, every day.
It is time to get more people involved and better informed about Brexit, in whatever way suits them best. that way we can all be prepared as we approach the Brexit Cliff Edge.
Jobs at Risk
Brexit: Thousands of UK lorry drivers face being barred from entering EU after missing out on permits
Thousands of British lorry drivers face the prospect of being barred from entering the EU after missing out on permits that will be required after Brexit. Figures show more than 11,000 HGV operators applied for a European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT) permit but less than 1,000 of the annual passes were made available. The Department for Transport said an additional 2,832 one-month permits “will start to be allocated” by the end of the month, although this is still short of how many are required.
Economic Impact
Brexit is clearly taking its toll on UK economic growth
For beneath the headline figures which showed that the economy grew by 0.2% in the final quarter of last year were a couple of striking stories: first, that the economy is looking weaker than those big numbers suggest; second, that that weakness owes rather a lot to Brexit. For one thing, that when you put it at two decimal places, growth in the fourth quarter was 0.17%, which looks a bit weaker than 0.2%, and is barely more than half the 0.3% economists forecast. Second, look at the monthly pace of economic growth and something else leaps out at you. The economy, it turns out, grew by 0.2% in October and November, but then contracted by 0.4% in December.
Every sector save agriculture shrank, from services to the manufacturing and construction sectors.
Brexit no-deal could blow £18.6bn hole in UK economy, tourism body warns
A Brexit no-deal could blow a huge £18.6 billion hole in the UK economy as a result of more than 700,000 jobs being lost in the travel and tourism sector, a leading trade body has warned. It has forecasted a loss of £18.6 billion in GDP to the UK economy in the event of a Brexit no-deal and deficit of £22 billion to the remaining economies throughout the European Union. The research reveals 308,000 jobs in the travel and tourism sector would be lost, as well as an additional 399,000 jobs in the rest of the European Union.
British Pound Undermined by Data Showing UK Economy Shrank in December
The UK economy shrank in December 2018 according to official data from the ONS with month-on-month GDP data showing the economy shrank -0.4% in December, a decline that exceeds consensus expectations for a reading of 0%.
UK economic growth slowest since 2012
The UK economy expanded at its slowest annual rate in six years in 2018 after a sharp contraction in December. Growth in the year was 1.4%, down from 1.8% in 2017 and the slowest rate since 2012, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
‘Toxic alliance’: Rebel Labour MPs warned that support for government's Brexit deal could cost constituencies £1.1bn a year
Rebel Labour MPs targeted by Downing Street are being warned that their constituencies could lose £1.1bn a year within a decade if they back Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Analysis of Treasury figures for the People’s Vote campaign found the 32 constituencies such as Wigan and Hartlepool could be hit by a total annual loss of £970m in economic output and some £100m in agricultural subsidies and structural funds within 10 years of leaving the EU. These areas, whose MPs have either backed the government or been reportedly targeted by Ms May, have also seen £895m cuts from local authority funding since 2010, the research found.
Administrative Fall Out
Businesses say Brexit burden means Gove's plans should be paused
The government has been asked to pause as a matter of “great urgency” consultations on all food, farming and environment issues because Brexit is choking the capacity of businesses to respond to Michael Gove’s plans. Leaders from 32 organisations across all sectors have written to the environment, food and rural affairs secretary to express their “deep concern” over the resources they are having to divert to protect against the potential impact of a no-deal Brexit. The intervention means that consultations on Gove’s pet projects, such as a bottle deposit scheme for England and Wales, could be delayed.
British passports may not be valid for upcoming holidays, warns the UK Passport Office
With Brexit scheduled for Friday 29 March – and still shrouded in an air of uncertainty – the British passport office have started to contact people via text message to warn them about how the changes may affect any upcoming holidays in EU countries. The warning comes at a time when it’s becoming more likely that the UK may leave the EU without a deal in place. If that happens, British passport holders would lose their free travel access to countries in the EU and Schengen area. To try and minimise the disruption, travellers who may be affected are receiving text message reminders.
Brexit: Families already have £1,500 LESS to spend since 2016 referendum
Household incomes have taken a £1,500 hammering since the Brexit referendum, experts reveal today. The UK has experienced the sharpest slowdown in income growth of any comparable economy, reveals the Resolution Foundation think tank study.
Gina Miller: Brexit could erode LGBT+ rights in the UK
The government insists that it will continue to champion LGBT+ rights after the UK leaves the EU, but the government’s plan in the EU (Withdrawal) Bill to exclude the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights does not live up to its promise that Brexit should not lead to a reduction in rights. The inconvenient truth is the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is the only treaty binding on the UK that expressly protects against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
UK, 3 non-EU nations ink ex-pat residency deal
The British government has agreed to allow citizens of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein already living in Britain to remain after Brexit even if the country leaves the European Union without a deal. The agreement finalized on Friday should remove the uncertainty a “hard” Brexit scenario posed for some 15,000 citizens of the three non-EU nations who live in Britain. The deal’s reciprocal arrangement also clarifies plans for some 17,000 British citizens who reside in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein. Those countries aren’t EU members, but belong to the much-smaller EEA EFTA group. EEA EFTA spokesman Thorfinnur Omarsson said Monday the agreement secured their citizens’ rights in Britain “regardless of the outcome of negotiations between the EU and the U.K.”
The Brexit fears of 70,000 British pensioners living in Spain
Spain is the country in the EU with the largest number of British pensioners. (70,000). The UK pays Spain's Health Department 245m Euros a year to help cover the health costs of these British pensioners, but with no brexit leaving deal, Spain can simply drop treatment for these pensioners and without it they will be forced to return to the UK. Many are furious as they do not want to go back
Taking your pets to Europe after Brexit
The Pet Passport is something that was agreed with the European Union, meaning British pets, including dogs, cats and ferrets can travel freely to Europe if they are holders of a passport. But in a ‘no-deal’ scenario, this arrangement would be scrapped. Your dog, cat or ferret must be chipped and have an up to date rabies injection. After allowing a month to pass a blood sample needs to be taken from your loved one and sent off to an EU approved doctor for analysis. The antibodies for rabies need to be at an approved level. Then three months must pass and a further check needs to be carried out. So, if you’re looking to travel to Europe this summer with your Pet, then you need to act now! In light of the risk of a no deal Brexit, we’ve taken the decision that pets are no longer allowed to travel with their owners destined for travel to Europe in our Motorhomes. However, Pets are still more than welcome to travel with their owners on holidays which are based in England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Beyond Brexit: How universities and companies are trying to look past the cliff edge
The increasingly palpable hard Brexit would end the UK’s participation in the prestigious European Research Council, and spell an uncertain future for grantees living in the country. “Some of this talent could leave overnight,” said one university leader. The government should cushion the fallout, was the suggestion at this information event, by relaxing immigration rules to allow more scientists from outside the EU into the UK.
Meet the 'Brexit Preppers' stockpiling food for a No-Deal Brexit
People across Bristol are ‘prepping for Brexit’ by stockpiling food, drink, medicines and other essentials, in the event of empty supermarket shelves on the day we leave the European Union. They may well originally have been both Leavers or Remainers, but all say they are preparing for the worst if the supply lines that keep Britain fed are disrupted on March 30.
Indian doctors protest UK's 'unfair' health surcharge on non-EU professionals
UK-based Indian doctors and healthcare professionals are campaigning against what they describe as an unfair doubling of a health surcharge imposed on professionals from outside the European Union (EU) living and working in Britain. The British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO), the UK's largest representative body for Indian-origin doctors, is lobbying the UK Home Office for a rethink over the charge, arguing that it would have an adverse impact on their attempt to recruit more healthcare professionals from India to meet staff shortages in the NHS.
EU governments provide Brexit relief for asset managers
European governments have stepped up efforts to grant crucial concessions to UK asset managers to limit the worst effects of a no-deal Brexit. France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are among countries that have amended national laws to ensure UK investment companies can still serve foreign customers. British groups manage at least £1.8tn for clients in the EU. Such relationships are in jeopardy because of the likelihood that Britain will crash out of the bloc without a deal on March 29.
Dutch say no-deal Brexit could hit 50 medicines
Dutch health authorities say that the supply of some 50 medicines used to treat life-threatening illnesses could be jeopardized if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal. However, the health ministry is not publishing the list, fearing it could lead to hoarding and price rises. In an update on Brexit preparations published Wednesday, the ministry says that the Dutch authority responsible for assessing medicines looked at about 2,700 medical products linked to the United Kingdom and has whittled down the list to around 50 whose supply could be threatened by a ‘no-deal’ Brexit.
2,000 EU nationals invited to meeting in Perth to discuss Brexit
Senior SNP politicians have invited the more than 2,000 EU nationals within their constituencies to the meeting. The UK Government expects EU nationals to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK. The Home Office is providing £9 million funding to help organisations provide advice about the scheme.
Political Shenanigans
Why A No-Deal Brexit Is Now Theresa May's Fallback Plan To Save Her Party – And Herself
Chief whip Julian Smith and, crucially, party chairman Brandon Lewis made a forceful case that she had to find a way to accommodate her backbenches, rather than make a grand bargain with the official Labour opposition. Smith had warned her before the vote that she would lose if she didn’t address MPs’ concerns about the so-called backstop for Northern Ireland, the guarantee in the deal to keep the province’s border open with Ireland through continuing alignment of EU rules. A fortnight later, May was thrown a lifeline by her party after she agreed to ask Brussels for “alternative arrangements” that could win a parliamentary majority. In recent days, May has more than ever bought into the Smith-Lewis argument that party unity has to come first, one source claims. “She’s thrown all of her weight behind the chief whip. He’s telling her ‘your party is fucked if you do anything other than hold strong’.”
Why a no-deal Brexit is likely
Most MPs tell me they believe a no-deal Brexit is a remote prospect. They are wrong. I would argue it is the most likely outcome - unless evasive action is taken much sooner than anyone expects. Here is why.
1) The probability is low of the PM securing substantial enough changes to the widely loathed backstop to win a vote for her deal exclusively from Tory MPs, the DUP and a modest number of leave-supporting Labour MPs.
2) The probability is also low of the PM risking the break up of her party by pursuing all the way to a formal agreement.
Dominic Grieve: As Brexit disaster looms, we must have the courage to retrace our steps
For more than two-and-a-half years we have been following a route, led by the Prime Minister, which is intended to take us out of the EU without undermining our economy or security while honouring the referendum result. But with less than 50 days to go the signs that we have lost our way are all about us. So is the mounting evidence of present and future damage.
Majority of voters want Theresa May to delay Brexit, exclusive Independent poll finds
A majority of the country want Theresa May to delay Brexit, according to a new poll released ahead of a fresh Commons showdown over her exit strategy. With less than seven weeks until exit day, the exclusive survey for The Independent found 53 per cent of voters would support postponing Britain’s departure from the European Union, opening the door to a second referendum or further talks with Brussels. The poll comes as Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn sought to quell anger among his own MPs by stressing that a Final Say vote was still on the table.
Barnier says Britain must give ground to break Brexit impasse
Michel Barnier has said “something has to give” on the British side of the negotiations if the Brexit impasse is to be broken. The EU’s chief negotiator insisted there was no question of Brussels giving in to Downing Street’s demands on the Irish backstop. “We’re waiting for clarity and movement from the United Kingdom,” Barnier told reporters after talks in Luxembourg with the country’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel.
Back a public vote now, Labour donors tell Corbyn
Over 40 Labour donors and long-standing members have written to Jeremy Corbyn demanding that he “back a public vote without further delay”. The letter, sent to the Labour leader today, warns that “time is dangerously short” and “the current deadlock is slowly but surely wrecking the economy”. Citing Theresa May’s “dismal record as a negotiator” and “propensity to put party before country”, the party donors say they could not trust her to deliver the right Brexit result – even if parliament were to vote for Labour’s alternative Brexit plan.
Lessons for Brexit from Norway’s hard border with Sweden
Norway’s membership in the European Economic Area (EEA) grants it access to the EU’s vast common market and most goods are exempt from paying duties. Still, everything entering the country must be declared and cleared through customs. Technological solutions being tested in Norway to digitalize customs procedures for cargo have been seized on by some in Britain as a way to overcome border-related problems that threaten to scuttle a divorce deal with the EU. But the realities of this northern border also show the difficulties that persist.
BBC Radio 4's news not biased against Brexit, says regulator
BBC Radio 4’s news output is not inherently anti-Brexit, the media regulator has concluded, dismissing a formal complaint from a group of MPs and peers who believe the corporation is biased in favour of remainers. The politicians had claimed “positive, pro-Brexit opinion is being systematically underrepresented in BBC output” and that “more time, space and emphasis is being given to pro-EU or anti-Brexit voices”, based on an analysis of Radio 4’s output.
Ribble Valley MP requests rural funding for constituencies that voted to leave the EU
Nigel Evans, MP for the Ribble Valley, has written to the Prime Minister asking for increased funding for rural constituencies that voted to leave the European Union. Following recent reports that the Government is considering proposals from a group of Labour MPs, in predominantly Leave-supporting constituencies, to allocate more funds to their communities, Mr Evans has urged the Prime Minister to extend any incentives and funding to all rural constituencies that voted to leave the European Union.
Inside Europe: superb TV that shows how to solve the EU crisis
Inside Europe: Ten Years of Turmoil, is an extraordinary BBC2 documentary that ends tonight. The series is effectively a Brexit prequel, examining how the current crisis was shaped by three pressure points on the European Union: the bail-out of the Eurozone in 2010, plus the Greek debt crisis and the European migrant emergency of 2015.
Political Setbacks
Grayling urged to quit as spending on Brexit ferry deal consultants revealed
Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, is facing calls to resign after auditors found his department spent £800,000 of public money on consultants assessing the bid of a company with no ships that was temporarily awarded a Brexit-related ferry contract. The shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, said his opposite number had been shown to be “off the Richter scale of incompetence” after the demise of plans involving the startup Seaborne Freight. A report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog found the Department for Transport (DfT) “spent approximately £800,000 on its external consultants Slaughter and May, Deloitte and Mott MacDonald”.
Eurotunnel takes UK government to court over no-deal Brexit ferry contracts
Transport Secretary Chris Grayling's decision to award contracts to three ferry companies, including one with no ships, under no-deal Brexit plans, is being challenged at the High Court. Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, says the contracts totalling £108 million were awarded through a "secretive and flawed procurement process". But the Department for Transport argues that the "extreme urgency" of preparations for Britain's departure from the EU on March 29 justified the process.
Amber Rudd links universal credit to rise in food bank use
Amber Rudd says the increased use of food banks is partly down to problems in rolling out universal credit. The system was supposed to be up and running by April 2017, but it has faced numerous delays and is now not expected to be fully operational until December 2023. Research released by the Trussell Trust charity this month showed the use of food banks had increased by 52% in areas where universal credit had been in place for a year or more - compared with 13% in areas where it had not been.
Labour MP Angela Smith turned away from party's HQ with People's Vote petition
A Labour MP attempted to hand in a petition to the party's headquarters, calling for a second Brexit referendum, only for it to be turned away. Angela Smith's petition, which called on the party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to back a People's Vote, has been signed by nearly 50,000 people. Ms Smith told ITV News MPs shouldn't be "bribed" with money for their constituencies because Brexit will cost more than the PM can offer.
UK will deploy drone squadron after Brexit, says defence secretary
The UK would “develop swarm squadrons of network-enabled drones capable of confusing and overwhelming enemy air defences”, Williamson said, and he promised to have them “ready to be deployed by the end of this year”. One expert, Chris Cole, from Drone Wars UK, an NGO that monitors the use of armed drones, said he thought the defence secretary had overblown the idea. The idea of swarm drones was “very much at the concept stage, and it’s very unlikely he can meet the deadline of the end of the year,” he said.
Hostile Environment: Hundreds of Commonwealth nationals evicted under anti-migrant 'right to rent' rule
Figures obtained by Politics.co.uk reveal that almost 300 Commonwealth nationals have been evicted from their homes under the government's controversial 'right to rent' rules, raising concerns that members of the Windrush generation could have been affected. A key measure within the regulations forces landlords to terminate a tenancy if they receive a notice from the Home Office informing them that someone living at the property is 'disqualified' from renting. A freedom of Information request has now revealed that between December 2016 and July 2018 419 people were named on these notices. Of those, 293 were from Commonwealth countries, raising the possibility that some of those affected could be part of the Windrush generation.
Chris Grayling 'Baffled' At Criticism Of Seaborne Freight Fiasco
Chris Grayling has refused to apologise for the Seaborne Freight no-deal Brexit ferry debacle and described criticism of him as “baffling” and “inexplicable”. The transport secretary also reversed Horatio Nelson’s famous quote, declaring “I did see ships” after being mocked for handing a £14m contract to Seaborne, a company which owned no ferries, to move supplies across the Channel. Grayling had hoped that Seaborne would ferry crucial supplies between Ramsgate in Kent to Ostend in Belgium in the event of a no-deal Brexit but cancelled the contract last week.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Government to miss Brexit trade deal target
Government officials have admitted for the first time that they will not be able to renegotiate all trade treaties involving the European Union by the end of March.
The UK is party to around 40 European treaties, covering trade with more than 70 countries and making up 12% of the UK's total trade. In the event of no deal, each would need to be rewritten, either with new terms or by mirroring the existing terms, a process known as "rolling over". Two years ago, the International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said that updated versions of all those treaties should be ready to sign within a minute of Britain leaving the EU.
The impact of Brexit on Wales: 14 serious ways the country loses out if we crash out of European Union
Wales Online explains in a highly detailed, comprehensive analysis just how badly Brexit could impact Wales, based on several pieces of government research. It lists fourteen reasons and parts of the Welsh economy that stand to be hit and why. It also underlines that Wales could be the region hardest hit by Brexit
UK signs post-Brexit trade deal with Switzerland
The UK and Switzerland have signed a deal to continue trading after Brexit as they did before it. The "continuity agreement" - based on the EU's existing free trade deal with Switzerland - was agreed in December but ratified on Monday. International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said the deal would "continue the preferential trade that we have". The UK is seeking to replicate about 40 EU free trade agreements, covering more than 70 countries.
UK, 3 non-EU nations ink expat residency deal
The British government has agreed to allow citizens of Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein already living in Britain to remain after Brexit even if the country leaves the European Union without a deal. The agreement finalized on Friday should remove the uncertainty a “hard” Brexit scenario posed for some 15,000 citizens of the three non-EU nations who live in Britain. The deal’s reciprocal arrangement also clarifies plans for some 17,000 British citizens who reside in Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
No-deal Brexit 'could cost 600,000 jobs worldwide': study
Researchers at the IWH Institute in Halle, eastern Germany, examined what would happen if UK imports from the remaining EU fell 25 per cent after Brexit. They reckoned that some 103,000 jobs would be under threat in Europe's largest economy Germany and 50,000 in France.
Italy explores its own "bilateral Brexit deal" with Britain as its economic crisis nears danger level
Italy is drawing up emergency plans to safeguard financial stability and keep trade with the UK flowing even if there is a no-deal Brexit, if necessary through a bilateral deal between Rome and London. The country’s insurgent Lega-Five Star coalition is increasingly worried that a mishandling of the EU’s Brexit crisis could push Italy's fragile economy into a dangerous downward slide and risk a funding crisis for its sovereign debt at a treacherous moment. Premier Giuseppe Conte has told his Brexit Task Force to focus urgently on ports, airports, customs, and the handling of food trade, as well as the status of Italians living in the UK.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 13th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
The most striking thing in the relentless torrent of Brexit news is how the media is beginning to highlight the potential for business fall out stemming directly from Brexit uncertainty.
The newsletter covers stories relating to the car manufacturing industry, international road hauliers, Welsh fishermen, as well as, more upbeat ones about how port owners may increase capacity and step into the breach.
And as you might expect, any reader of this newsletter will almost certainly get the sense of growing business chaos coming from the mounting political uncertainty.
Economic Impact
Brexit delivers a shuddering blow to UK economic data
With four consecutive quarters of declining business investment, 2018 recording the lowest annual growth rate of the economy since the financial crisis of 2009 and a slump in output last December of 0.4 per cent, the effects of Brexit were stamped all over the national accounts data published by the Office for National Statistics.
Economists have been calculating the Brexit effect on the economy for more than a year and most agree that it has cost Britain between 1.5 per cent and 2.5 per cent of gross domestic product.
Brexit: Mark Carney warns of no-deal 'economic shock'
Bank of England governor Mark Carney has urged MPs to solve the Brexit impasse in a speech warning of growing threats to the global economy. He said a no-deal Brexit would create an "economic shock" at a time when China's economy is slowing and trade tensions are rising. "It is in the interests of everyone, arguably everywhere" that a Brexit solution is found, he said.
How the economic cost of Brexit is being hidden from Leave voters
One of the reasons Brexit can happen is that its economic costs are not immediately visible. It is experienced but not isolated as a Brexit effect. It can be estimated to a reasonable degree of accuracy by experts, but the Brexit press keeps going on about the pre-referendum Treasury forecast and the broadcast media prefers a quiet life to routinely quoting these expert assessments. Brexit is not about the economy only because Leave voters are being kept in the dark about the impact Brexit is already having.
Flirting with Armageddon: That's what hard Brexiteers and the EU are doing
Out in the real world of business, of balance sheets, profits and jobs, there is despair at the political impasse as the clock counts down to March 29 and the threat of the UK crashing out of the EU looms ever larger. Some are unconcerned. Jacob Rees-Mogg and his hardcore Brexit cronies in the European Research Group (ERG) relish the prospect of No Deal. They place their own ideological purity above the economy, or the worries of business. If the economy is trashed in the process, well it's a price worth paying.
Brexit: Government immigration plans to cost employers more than £1bn after UK leaves EU
The government’s new immigration plans will cost employers more than £1bn, according to a new report. Global Future, an independent think tank advocating “an open and vibrant Britain”, arguges the flagship proposals will also impose an £80m barrier to EU students, and the proposed “settled status scheme” post-Brexit “exactly mirrors the makings of last year’s Windrush scandal – but on a much larger scale”. The analysis goes on to suggest the proposed £30,000 salary threshold for skilled workers would “leave over 100,000 unfilled jobs in social care and nursing, and cause the total EU workforce to shrink by 2025 – making it very difficult for businesses to survive and expand”.
Hammond's Brexit 'deal dividend' not credible, MPs say
MPs have dismissed the chancellor's forecast of a Brexit "deal dividend" of lower taxes and higher spending. The Treasury Committee said it was "not credible" to describe any resultant economic boost from a Brexit deal as a "dividend". In their report on the 2018 Budget, MPs said what was being talked about was "avoiding something really very bad". They also said the government's aim of eliminating the budget deficit had "no credibility" and should be abandoned.
Administrative Fall Out
UK's carmakers face twin concerns of global upheaval and Brexit
The British car industry faces a “pivotal moment” during the next few years of potential Brexit upheaval as manufacturers decide where to invest for the next generation of vehicle production. Car manufacturers tend to invest in cycles of roughly seven years, meaning companies that started production of new models more than three years ago face imminent decisions on where to invest next.
Brexit: EU citizens’ children could lose right to stay in UK, senior MP warns
The children of EU citizens risk losing their right to stay in the UK after Brexit because of flaws in the application system, a senior MP has warned. The alarm has been raised over youngsters who – in a repeat of the Windrush scandal – do not apply for the new settled status, perhaps because their parents believe them to be British. Campaigners giving evidence to the Commons Home Affairs Committee told MPs of “a real concern” that there are no “safeguards in place”.
Chief Medical Officer Admits We May Not Be Able To Get Medicine After No-Deal Brexit
England's Chief Medical Officer has told LBC she is concerned that a no-deal Brexit could mean the NHS cannot get the medicine it needs to save lives. Professor Dame Sally Davies confirmed they have been stockpiling key drugs, but warned that these will only last for six weeks. Her comments reflect those of the Chief Executive of the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, who said we must avoid a no-deal Brexit at all costs. Earlier this year, Mike Thompson told LBC: "Our message is, when parliamentarians come to think about the options in front of them, no-deal is something which they should avoid at all costs because of the challenges it will give everybody.
What Brexit means for Polish workers living in rural Wales
The CBI has warned a proposed post Brexit immigration policy could restrict Welsh businesses from employing overseas workers. Workers would have to earn £30,000 before firms could employ them, but the CBI says in many industries the average wage is less than that. One area of Wales which has attracted many foreign workers is Llanybydder in Carmarthenshire. Hundreds of Polish, Romanian and other EU nationals call the village and the surrounding area home. But ITV Wales has been told many are already leaving the UK, worried about the uncertainty surrounding Brexit.
The NHS is stockpiling body bags to cope with no deal Brexit
The NHS is stockpiling bodybags to cope with a no deal Brexit shortage, ministers have admitted. A letter from health minister Stephen Hammond to a fellow MP, giving assurances to one of his constituents, confirmed the macabre course of action, in a bid to offer reassurance that the NHS will continue to operate despite the disruption.
Brexit: No-deal plan for Channel Tunnel operations
Trains will be permitted to use the Channel Tunnel for three months if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, under a proposed European Commission law. The planned legislation, published on Tuesday, will give the UK and France time to renegotiate the terms under which the railway service operates. The law must be agreed by the European Parliament and EU member states.
Britain leaving the EU with no deal is the default position on 29 March unless a withdrawal agreement can be approved.
How Brexit is changing the way Europe views the UK
Deborah Haynes, Sky Foreign Affairs Editor, visits and discusses Brexit with people in four European countries and ask them how their view of the UK is changing
The unanswered Brexit questions for traders
The near-paralysis in the UK parliament over Britain’s exit from the EU has kept alive the risk that the country tumbles out of the bloc without a withdrawal agreement at the end of March. Regulators responsible for capital markets spanning both the EU and the UK have been forced to step up efforts to minimise disruption in the event of a “hard” Brexit. This month they have signed agreements on data-sharing and surveillance for trading and clearing. However, brokers, banks and investors remain anxious for guidance on what will happen to some key areas of trading should Britain leave the EU on March 29 without an agreement.
That sinking feeling: Brexit threatens German bathroom connection
The Guardian interviews a number of small but successful businesses working with the continent to better understand the complications they are facing due to the trading uncertainty of the UK government's failure to secure a Withdrawal Agreement
Driving in the EU after Brexit: from licence validity to international driving permits, everything we know
In the event of a no-deal Brexit, the current mutual recognition of driving licences between the UK and EU is expected to end. That will mean that British and Northern Irish driving licences will no longer be valid in Europe without additional documentation. It means UK visitors will need additional permits and any British expats living in Europe will need to obtain a local driving licence. Until March 29, expats can apply to exchange their GB or NI licence for one in their country of residence. After March 29, they will have to sit the driving test in that country in order to obtain a valid licence.
Bristol Port hopes to profit from a Brexit boost if no deal hits other UK ports
Bristol Port says it has put aside land to help other major UK ports in the event of disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit. The port - stretching for miles between the Bristol Channel and the M5 - covers nearly 2,500 acres - 800 acres assigned to so-called Temporary Storage Areas - some of which it says can be made available.
At least Brexit has got us talking about how public money is spent
This spring should see a government spending review, to set the shape of public services into the 2020s. But this looks like becoming another casualty of Brexit, with uncertainty around when the review will take place and what spending it will cover. How can you make a plan when the prime minister is making big spending commitments on the hoof and the economy and public revenues face meltdown?
No deal Brexit: 'Food businesses facing extinction'
Food businesses could be facing "extinction" from the impact of a no deal Brexit, the Food and Drink Federation has warned. CEO Ian Wright told Today a disruptive no deal Brexit is "the biggest threat businesses have faced since 1939".
Attitudes harden in UK’s ‘Brexit capital’
Many fear that about 4,000 jobs in the potteries would be at risk if the government reacts by unilaterally slashing import tariffs as Liam Fox, the trade minister, mooted last week, and duties are imposed on ceramics exported to the EU. For the ceramics industry, any deal — including Mrs May’s — that preserves something of existing trading relations would be preferable to that alternative.
British port operator readies plan to boost capacity after Brexit
The largest investor in British ports is ready to boost capacity quickly by 30 per cent at its Essex terminal to ease congestion at other sites should the country crash out of the EU without a trade deal. Sultan bin Sulayem, chief executive of Dubai’s DP World, said the state-owned ports operator would be able to raise volumes even further at London Gateway over time by bringing more cranes and other equipment to the fast-growing facility.
Spain's strawberry fields lie under a Brexit shadow
“Supply and demand are pretty well balanced in the market right now. A hard Brexit and a border closing could trigger an important crisis over its initial years. We could have a couple of difficult years that could even mean we have to reduce our crop hectarage a bit to adapt our supply to the demand all over again.” In other words, the surplus resulting from the closed UK market would upset the balance, drive prices down and force farmers to rethink their planting.
May's Brexit deal would mean checks on nine trucks a day – study
Warnings that Theresa May’s Brexit deal could create a border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK are based on a myth, according to economic analysis. The deal that MPs have rejected would keep trade between Britain and Northern Ireland flowing smoothly, with ports having to check on average just nine trucks a day, the study found.
Brexit fishing law a 'missed opportunity' for Wales
The Welsh Government said: "The Fisheries Bill is not the mechanism to take forward detailed negotiations between UK administrations, or between the UK and the European Union, on issues such as quota share. "We continue to press the case around quota shares with the other UK administrations as part of separate discussions." The department for environment, food and rural affairs said: "It is simply not true to say the Fisheries Bill doesn't deliver for the Welsh fishing industry. The bill creates more powers than ever before for the Welsh Government and the National Assembly for Wales.
Brexit immigration rules 'threat to Northern Ireland'
Proposed immigration rules after Brexit "risk causing significant harm" to NI businesses, the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has said. The government is currently consulting on a minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for foreign workers seeking five-year visas. The CBI said firms could face "severe difficulties" getting staff. Some sectors in NI are heavily dependant on workers from Europe, such as food and drink manufacturing. The average private sector wage in Northern Ireland is £22,000 and the CBI said 71% of all workers in the region earn below £30,000.
Welsh sheep farmers fear post-Brexit British branding
Farmers and food producers in Wales may suffer after Brexit if their lamb and beef is marketed under the union flag rather than with specific Welsh branding, industry chiefs have said. The body that markets Welsh lamb and beef has expressed concern that in some parts of the world UK red meat is viewed negatively. It is keen to make sure that after Britain leaves the EU there will be a clear way to differentiate between Welsh red meat and the UK-wide product.
Could we see the economic impact of a no-deal Brexit much sooner than we think?
The Business Secretary, Greg Clark, warned last week that the real Brexit deadline for some exports is not 29 March but 15 February. This is because it takes six weeks to ship cars from the UK to Japan. If the UK crashes out of the European Union with no deal on 29 March it will also lose the coverage of the new Japan-EU trade deal, which means zero tariffs on cars sent between the two markets.
Why Brexit scares Airbus and BMW: Lines of trucks at the EU border
A disorderly Brexit would cause customs checks at the UK border and disrupt the finely tuned manufacturing system. The companies have warned of immediate damage to their supply chains, while new trade barriers and higher costs after March 29 could eventually force manufacturers to rethink their business in the United Kingdom. "[The] worst case scenario would be just blockades, vehicles parked up because we don't know what's going on," said David Zaccheo, operations director at Alcaline. "It's difficult for me to obviously comment on that because we're not sure ourselves what's gonna happen."
Brexit could delay upgrades to Island Line Trains – SWR growing increasingly concerned
Delays to upgrading Island Line trains could be being caused by Brexit — with the government refusing to approve plans until the end of the financial year. An improvement plan for the Island’s oldest trains was put before the Department for Transport (DfT) at the end of May 2018 — as part of the franchise agreement the DfT must approve the plans before South Western Railway (SWR) can invest in the new stock.
Political Shenanigans
Here's the moral case for a second Brexit referendum
Given the complexity of the issue and the impasse on the Withdrawal Agreement in Westminster, a second referendum is a political necessity. Furthermore, a second referendum is a moral requirement. A second referendum would not mark the end of democracy in the UK as we know it, and the prospect of anarchic violence post-referendum is nothing more than empty rhetoric and shameless fear-mongering.
Brexit news latest: Theresa May would win working majority in snap general election, poll finds
Theresa May would win a working majority if a general election were held today but the Tories would only gain four seats, a new poll has found. YouGov modelling for The Times, which correctly predicted a hung parliament, suggests that Jeremy Corbyn’s Labour would lose 12 seats and the Tories would gain four.
'It's never too late,' Luxembourg minister says on possible Brexit deal
"I have seen many negotiations, yes, but this one is such a wide one that you cannot strike a deal by changing a number, a percentage or adding a sentence. This is so wide that it took many months, in fact two years to negotiate, and there are so many different topics, so that's why we needed something that encompasses the whole relationship and that's why a last-minute agreement cannot fix it all," Luxembourg Finance Minister Pierre Gramegna said.
If we're heading for a no-deal Brexit, why is the Government not acting now?
it now looks as if the Prime Minister yet again wants to postpone a showdown and seek another fortnight’s grace in the hope of securing changes able to get her deal over the line. If by February 27 she cannot bring a renegotiated agreement before Parliament for a so-called meaningful vote then she promises to let the House debate an amendable motion that would allow all the various alternatives to be voted on.
UK calls on former EU chief to help break Brexit deadlock
A source told Sky News that Mr Van Rompuy was invited to attend the dinner because he is seen as an "influencer" with the potential capability to seek out a compromise between the two sides. Mr Van Rompuy was at the helm in the European Council throughout the Greek financial crisis, which threatened the stability of the euro. Greece was finally bailed out in a compromise deal overseen by Mr Van Rompuy.
Brexit: Theresa May promises meaningful vote after more talks with EU
Theresa May has promised MPs a final, decisive vote on her Brexit deal with the EU - but not until she has secured changes to the Irish backstop clause. The PM said she needed "some time" to get the changes she believes MPs want. She promised to update MPs again on 26 February and, if she had not got a new deal by then, to give them a say on the next steps in non-binding votes. Jeremy Corbyn accused her of "running down the clock" in an effort to "blackmail" MPs into backing her deal.
There’s a big problem with Theresa May’s plan to pass her Brexit deal
May doesn’t want to embrace membership of a customs union with the European Union because that would split her party. What she is aiming for instead is to pass a Brexit deal primarily with Conservative and DUP votes, with Labour votes making up the difference. The problem is that the Prime Minister is fishing in a very, very small pool. Just 20 Labour MPs have voted against the Labour whip to make Brexit harder than official party policy, and a further nine have abstained on vital votes. Taken together that gets you to 29 votes, including a number of sitting shadow ministers.
Theresa May tells MPs she’s still seeking backstop changes
Theresa May is still seeking "legally binding changes" to the Irish backstop and these "can be achieved by reopening the Withdrawal Agreement," she told MPs. Despite the EU's firm rejection of any changes to the legally binding draft agreement, as communicated to May during meetings in Brussels last week, the U.K. prime minister said talks are "at a crucial stage."
PM calls on MPs to 'hold their nerve' on Brexit
Addressing the House of Commons a fortnight after MPs voted for her to go back to Brussels and replace the controversial Irish border backstop, Mrs May acknowledged that she would need "some time" to hold talks with the EU. Mrs May pledged to return to Parliament on February 26, if no deal has been secured before that time, to report back on progress and trigger a further MPs' vote the following day.
Ian Blackford calls Theresa May a 'liar' in the House of Commons
Blackford was angry that the prime minister had claimed an economic analysis of her Brexit proposals put forward had been published - and the claim she wanted her Brexit deal done and dusted by hristmas - despite pulling the vote. Blackford, in his main response to May’s statement, said: “Sometimes I think the prime minister must live in a parallel universe. “We’ve just heard from the prime minister that she wanted this concluded in December. Talk about rewriting history. “It was the prime minister that denied us the right to have the meaningful vote and to try and rewrite history, and she sits there laughing, sometimes you should be honest with yourself, never mind being honest with the people of the United Kingdom.” He added May is “lost in a Brexit fantasy”, adding: “We’re 45 days from Scotland being dragged out of the European Union against our will - 45 days from economic catastrophe.”
A united Ireland now looks like an increasing possibility
According to recent polls, 86 per cent of people surveyed in the Republic preferred a united Ireland to a hard border and 62 per cent of people in Northern Ireland believe that Brexit makes a united Ireland more likely. Reunification would mean Northern Ireland automatically remains in the EU. A united Ireland was always “the solution that dare not speak its name,” says Margaret Urwin, author of A State in Denial, a book about the British government’s collaboration with loyalist paramilitaries. But speaking about reunification used to lead to accusations of supporting the IRA. “It’s a breath of fresh air now people feel able to mention it,” she tells me.
MPs reveal two new plans to stop no-deal Brexit
Two proposals were published after the prime minister urged MPs to give her more time to renegotiate an agreement with Brussels, but faced claims she is running down the clock. Jeremy Corbyn is leading the Labour frontbench bid to force a vote on the EU divorce deal itself or let MPs come up with their own plans to change the course of Brexit. From the backbenches, Yvette Cooper has teamed up with Labour colleagues and Tory rebels to try to give MPs a separate vote a fortnight before Brexit day on 29 March.
Theresa May running down the clock on Brexit, Starmer says
The British Labour Party’s Brexit spokesman has warned that Theresa May is “running down the clock” towards Brexit and restated his party’s promise to put a second referendum “on the table.” “I’m very concerned now with 46 days to go that the prime minister appears to be just running down the clock,” he told journalists at the headquarters of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions. “Mindful as I am that the next EU summit is the 21st of March, and if she’s trying through chunks of two weeks to run the clock down, then I think parliament has to step in with a hard stop and say we’re not going to accept that.”
Exclusive: UK chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins warns MPs the choice is May’s deal or extension
Olly Robbins said that, in his view, he expects the choice for MPs to be either backing May’s deal or extending talks with the EU. He expects MPs in March to be presented with backing a reworked Brexit deal or a potentially significant delay to Brexit, he told colleagues last night. “The issue is whether Brussels is clear on the terms of extension,” he was overheard saying. “In the end they will probably just give us an extension.”
Political Setbacks
Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt suggests Leave campaigners could ‘end up on the guillotine’
The politicians pushing Brexit should be careful not follow in the footsteps of revolutionary leaders who “ended up on the guillotine”, the European Parliament’s Brexit chief has said. At a press conference in Strasbourg Guy Verhofstadt compared Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg to Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre – leading figures in the French revolution who were ultimately executed by their former comrades. He said it was “important to remind” the senior Conservatives that their historical counterparts had ended up losing their heads.
‘Love Jez, h8 Brexit’: billboard graffiti show ire at Corbyn's stance
Anti-Brexit campaigners have turned their attention to Jeremy Corbyn by erecting a largely blank billboard in the Labour leader’s constituency that invites people to write slogans challenging his position. However on Tuesday morning, the Corbyn billboard – complete with stepladder – appeared opposite Arsenal’s Emirates stadium in north London. Young remainers quickly got to work filling it in with slogans demanding another referendum on Brexit.
Fury as failed UKIP candidate claims he was personally invited on to BBC Question Time
A failed UKIP candidate who has appeared in the BBC's Question Time audience four times has claimed he was invited on to the show. Speaking to The Times, he claimed that he was invited by the show's producer to appear in the unionist-heavy audience in Motherwell last week, in part to make up a shortage of conservative speakers. Audience members usually go through a process of applying to be on the show while answering key questions about political affiliations, voting history and if they have been on the programme before
Brexit: MPs erupt in fury as Theresa May blames THEM for crisis in 'delusional' statement
"I wanted this sorted before Christmas!" smirked the Prime Minister, who delayed a Brexit vote by an entire month, as she urged MPs to "hold our nerve" with just 45 days to go - Commons erupts in anger as she tries to blame them for the delay
Brexit: New video shows Jeremy Corbyn vowing to 'defeat' the EU before he became party leader
Jeremy Corbyn vowed to “defeat” the European Union after accusing it of supressing the British economy in a tub-thumping rally speech before he became party leader. In his speech he calls the EU a militaristic Frankenstein
Brexit: extending Article 50 would serve no purpose - FT quotes PM May
British Prime Minster Theresa May told business leaders on Tuesday that extending the Article 50 process under which the UK is meant to leave the European Union on March 29 would serve no purpose, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday.
May said delaying Britain’s departure from the EU would bring no end to Brexit uncertainty or push parliament any closer to approving a withdrawal agreement, the FT report said, citing people who took part in a phone call with the prime minister.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Forget the Brexit deal – the Political Declaration will keep us locked in a battle with the EU for decades
Overcoming the many contradictions in what is no better than a wishlist of headings for a future EU-UK partnership will take many years. The free trade agreement between Canada and the EU was first proposed 22 years before it was signed and it took seven years to negotiate. It does not cover services or the rights of Canadians to live freely in Europe or EU citizens to work or retire in Canada.
Brexit warning: Populist parties may torpedo UK trade deal after EU elections – report
According to a new report, populist parties across Europe are set to make massive gains in May’s European Parliamentary elections – and some feel they may try to sabotage a post-Brexit trade deal between the bloc and the UK. The ECFR warns many parties are planning to “destroy the European project from within”, and could also vote down any future UK-EU trade deal after Brexit
EU Funding Benefits
Northern Scotland will lose £320 million in EU funding post Brexit
Northern Scotland would have benefited from more than £320 million in European Union funding over the next eight years had the UK not voted Leave, new analysis has revealed. In all, the UK would have been entitled to approximately 13 billion euros in regional development funding for the 2021-2027 period had it remained in the EU, the Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions (CPMR) think tank has estimated. A regional breakdown of the figures has revealed that the Highlands and Islands region would have received just over £160 million, while the north-east and east would have benefited from more than £169 million.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 14th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Right across the UK media there is a palpable sense of a Brexit clock being run down by the UK government, instead of an agreement being sought to stop a No Deal exit. Labour says it is acting to stop it, but its MPs appear to disagree. There is talk of party resignations, some Leave area Labour MPs are pondering voting against the Labour whip in favour of the Conservative government, and Corbyn`s integrity is being called into question over his Brexit stance.
The EU says Theresa May is only `pretending to negotiate a revised deal` as no renegotiations are on offer. The EuroSceptic Tory ERG are planning to vote against her in Parliament.
Ford Motor says it is going to find alternative sites for manufacturing, putting thousands of jobs at risk. Bank of America is moving its HQ out of the UK. Arch-Brexiteer Liam Fox has secured continuity trade agreements for just £16bn out of the £117bn the UK economy needs just to stand still when it leaves the EU.
Forty former diplomats tell Theresa May that there must be a delay to Brexit to avoid severe economic disruption. The UK is threatening to withold military cooperation with the EU in the future, were a No Deal Brexit to occur. The British Haulage Association says the Department of Transport is running a ludicrous lottery in post Brexit EU transport permits, which threaten its members and their businesses. The Food & Drink Federation is alarmed by a No Deal brexit and warns many food businesses may go under.
Jobs at Risk
Brexit: Ford reveals its plans for move abroad
Ford has become the latest carmaker to sound the alarm over Brexit, saying that it is stepping up preparations to move production out of Britain. The business, which has 13,000 staff in the UK, told the prime minister on a private call with business leaders that it was preparing alternative sites abroad. The warning comes after Nissan announced last week that it was cancelling plans to build a new model in its Sunderland plant, a decision that it attributed in part to Brexit uncertainty.
Ford warns no-deal Brexit would be 'catastrophic'
Ford declined to comment directly on The Times' report, but said it had long warned against a "hard Brexit". The company is the latest carmaker to warn on the risks of a no-deal Brexit. "Such a situation would be catastrophic for the UK auto industry and Ford's manufacturing operations in the country," the company said in a statement. "We will take whatever action is necessary to preserve the competitiveness of our European business."
Ford told UK PM May it is preparing alternative production sites - The Times
Ford Motor Co told British Prime Minister Theresa May that it is stepping up preparations to move production out of Britain, The Times reported on Tuesday. The automaker told the prime minister during a private call with business leaders that it is preparing alternative sites abroad, The Times said. Ford was not immediately available for comment.
Bank of America says no going back on its $400m plans for Brexit move
Anne Finucane, Bank of America’s vice-chair, said her company would spend about $400m — the upper bound of a $300m-$400m range previously given by BofA — on everything from offices to moving people and technology as it tries to ensure clients can trade seamlessly with the EU after the UK’s exit. BofA’s plans include moving $50bn of banking assets to Dublin and creating a 500-strong trading business in Ireland, which will also have a sizeable but as-yet unspecified asset base. The bank is also moving traders to a new Paris hub. “Dublin is our headquarters for our European bank now — full stop,” she said. “There isn’t a return. That bridge has been pulled up . . . From a trading perspective, likewise, Paris would be the European trading arm.”
Brexit: This is how many people could lose their jobs in each area of Coventry and Warwickshire
Almost 4,000 jobs could be lost in Coventry if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, according to research. The numbers are cited in research by the University of Sussex's UK Trade Policy Observatory. n Coventry, a total of 1,750 jobs could be lost among residents if a soft Brexit happens, according to the research. The worst hit will be those living in the Coventry South constituency, with 650 jobs expected to be lost among residents there. In Coventry North East, 600 jobs are set to be lost and 550 in Coventry North West.
Economic Impact
Brexit threatens surge in market abuse, financial watchdog warns
Brexit presents its own threat to market cleanliness because City corporates may fail to “knit back together” their oversight after Britain’s departure, Julia Hoggett, the FCA’s director of market oversight, said in a speech on Wednesday. Companies have had to set up EU hubs to retain access to the bloc because Brexit will result in the loss of so-called passporting, which allows them to be based in one country and sell services seamlessly across the EU without separate regulatory permission or ringfenced capital.
Brexit Set To Break the GBP
Neil Wilson Chief Market Analyst from Markets.com and this is what he is predicting “You have to assume that a no-deal Brexit is very much in play and therefore there are severe downside risks to GBPUSD should that occur. I’d anticipate a very severe shock in the FX markets even from where the pound is now. Sterling is undervalued but a no-deal Brexit could push it as low as 1.10. Should Theresa May somehow get her deal through – stranger things have happened – then a rally through to 1.40 would be on the cards. At present risks are tilted to the downside but a last-ditch agreement on the deal is an upside risk.
5 levers to tackle the economic shock of no-deal Brexit
The five recommended 'levers' to manage a No Deal Brexit are:
Drop import tariffs to avoid big price hikes - Use the Article 21 ‘nuclear option’ - Interest Rates. Should I cut or should I hike? - Stop Customs Checks - Deregulate to become a fiscal paradise
UK inflation falls to two-year low, offering households help before...
Allan Monks, an economist with JP Morgan, said the impact of the power price cap would be short-lived because tariffs were likely to rise by around 10 percent in April. “Unlike when the cap is lowered, energy firms don’t have to automatically raise prices when the cap is lifted. But we expect they will,” Monks said.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit doubts leave firms 'hung out to dry'
UK firms have accused the government of leaving them "hung out to dry" in the event of a no-deal Brexit. With less than 50 days until 29 March when the UK is due to leave the EU, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) says 20 key questions remain unresolved. How to move skilled staff between the UK and EU, which rules to follow, and what trade deals will be in place are all still unknown, the BCC says.
Carney is right. Brexit could lead to a better, fairer kind of globalisation
The Guardian's Larry Elliott argues: Free market economics has created a world fit for multinationals. But we need less frictionless trade and more local control so Brexit is good
Cautious Dublin reaps benefits of Brexit exodus
With the terms of the UK’s scheduled exit next month still in doubt, the Central Bank of Ireland is processing a large volume of applications from London financial institutions. A Dublin official familiar with the authorisation process says “a broad number” in excess of 100 groups are on track for approval “based on current circumstances”.
EU markets watchdog calls for rapid response powers after Brexit
After Brexit, the EU will have a large, liquid and interconnected capital market next door which is no longer subject to the bloc’s rules, Steven Maijoor, chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority, said. “This creates the need to have tools to react rapidly to new developments,” he told an industry event in Dublin. Lawyers said the comments signalled an arm’s length relationship with the EU for Britain’s financial sector after decades of being deeply interlinked.
Eastern European companies fear 'chaos' of no-deal Brexit
Trade with central and eastern Europe already affected and local GDP could shrink by 5%. For Future Processing, there are three main concerns about a hard Brexit. First, the likelihood that the pound will plummet, creating currency risk. Second, that transport connections between Poland and the UK will be disrupted, making it harder for the Polish company’s representatives to visit British clients. Finally, that the UK breaking away from EU law will create legal uncertainty and potential additional costs as the Polish and British systems diverge.
@BBCNewsnight “The overwhelming feedback is that a no-deal Brexit would be extremely damaging… politicians are still not taking it sufficiently seriously” - Economics Editor Ben Chu
“The overwhelming feedback is that a no-deal Brexit would be extremely damaging… politicians are still not taking it sufficiently seriously” – our Economics Editor Ben Chu on what he’s been told by both big and small business firms today @BenChu_ | #newsnight
@Peston Nicola Sturgeon says the Scottish govt will develop advice to people about how to handle Brexit over the coming weeks
When asked by @Peston if she would advise Scottish people to start stockpiling essentials, @NicolaSturgeon says advice will 'develop' over the next few weeks. #Peston
Brexit: Government must 'get its act together' to prevent panic-buying and civil unrest, officials warn
The government needs to “get its act together” to prevent panic-buying and civil unrest over Brexit, officials have warned. A group coordinating contingency planning in London heard that with 44 days until Britain is due to leave the EU, authorities still have “no direct indication of what we’re planning for”. Fiona Twycross, chair of the London Resilience Forum, said people would stockpile food, fuel and other supplies because of the uncertainty.
Brexit: Sturgeon steps up no-deal planning
The Scottish government has stepped up its preparations for a no-deal Brexit as it again called on Theresa May to rule out the possibility. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she still believes no deal can be avoided. But she said her government had a duty to plan for the possibility as best it could.
Anti-terror checks deliver fresh Brexit threat for UK hauliers
The freight industry has warned of the potential for a *fresh* Brexit ferry fiasco after it emerged all British truckers will be required to have counter-terrorism safety ...
@Peston Nicola Sturgeon tells Robert Peston her horror that we are discussing food and medicine shortages in a prosperous country
First Minister of Scotland @NicolaSturgeon tells @Peston that it is ‘frankly incredible’ we are discussing the possibility of food and medicine shortages in a prosperous country. #Peston
@Peston CBI President tells Peston that many businesses are currently making plans to transfer out of the UK due to Brexit uncertainty
President John Allan says that many businesses are currently making plans to transfer out of the UK due to Brexit uncertainty. #Peston
How the UK Visas and Immigration department is preparing for Brexit
After March 29, EU citizens will need to apply for settled or pre-settled status to remain in the UK. This obviously won't apply to your husband as he is Japanese but I can see why you are concerned about increased waiting times if most EU citizens do need to contact the UK Visas and Immigration department at a similar time. The good news is that the deadline for applying will be June 30, 2021, if we leave with a deal in place, or December 31, 2020 without a deal, so hopefully applications will be spread out over that time period.
Brexit delay will serve no purpose, PM tells business
The prime minister said delaying Britain’s departure from the EU would bring no end to Brexit uncertainty or get parliament closer to approving a withdrawal agreement, according to people who participated in the phone briefing with Mrs May. Her conference call with business leaders came after Mrs May told the House of Commons she needed more time to negotiate a revised Brexit deal with the EU.
Her statement was met with weary horror by business leaders who reiterated the urgency of taking a no-deal Brexit off the table, which she has repeatedly declined to do.
Ian Wright, CEO of @Foodanddrinkfed, says a no deal Brexit is "the biggest threat businesses have faced since 1939"
"This is really really scary... one in four food exporters could go out of business within six weeks" Ian Wright, CEO of @Foodanddrinkfed, says a no deal Brexit is "the biggest threat businesses have faced since 1939" #r4today | http://bbc.in/2DtPcUK | @dominicoc
Carmageddon: The future is catching up with the motor giants
An argument is put to say the public comment from car companies expressing disquiet about Brexit is not the real reason. Technological change, the demise of diesel and middle class angst in China are the real reasons behind it. Only very reluctantly in the final paragraph is it admitted that Brexit 'might' be involved in the decision making process
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May forced to deny she’s secretly planning to delay Brexit after bombshell leak reveals plan to run the clock down
Theresa May has today been forced to deny that she's secretly planning to delay Brexit after a bombshell 'leak' revealing the PM wants to run the clock down. Last night Theresa May's chief Brexit negotiator was overheard in a bar saying she will threaten MPs with a huge delay if they don't back her deal next month.
Brexit: Call for Irish border poll during deadlock 'irresponsible'
Last week, several cabinet ministers told the BBC a no-deal Brexit could lead to a vote on Irish unification. Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald has also called on the Irish government to begin planning for a border poll, in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Now Bertie Ahern has called such a move irresponsible
Varadkar expects UK to leave EU with Brexit deal at end of March
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar expects the UK to leave the European Union at the end of March with a withdrawal deal, although his Government continues to prepare for “for all outcomes”, including a no-deal Brexit. Addressing more then 300 international bankers and finance executives at a conference in Dublin, Mr Varadkar said it was necessary to ensure that there would be no return to a hard border in Ireland and that the peace process be protected.
@BBCNewsnight “The Brexiteer Tories are not happy with the government motion and are threatening to vote against it”
“The Brexiteer Tories are not happy with the government motion and are threatening to vote against it” Newsnight’s Political Editor Nick Watt lays out the potential landscape facing the government in tomorrow’s Brexit motion @nicholaswatt | #newsnight
Jeremy Corbyn urges Theresa May to publish tax return as he reveals his own £46000 bill
Figures published by Labour show that the Labour leader handed over £46,074.90 to the HMRC for the 2017/18 tax year. The new data represents the fourth time Mr Corbyn has made his own tax return public, and shows that he earned £132,611 in the 12-month period from his salary as an MP and pensions.
EU officials: UK only 'pretending to negotiate' over Brexit impasse
The British government is “pretending to negotiate” with the European Union and has not presented any new proposals to break the Brexit deadlock, according to EU officials. Barnier, has said current talks with the UK do not even qualify as negotiations. In a call on Tuesday morning with Guy Verhofstadt, chief Brexit representative for the European parliament, Barnier said there were “no negotiations” with the British. “These are courtesy calls at best and we have nothing new to say,” Barnier was reported to have said, by a source familiar with the conversation.
Does Theresa May want a no-deal Brexit?
On Monday, HuffPost’s Paul Waugh contended that, unwilling to countenance a solution that will split her party, the prime minister has warmed to the once “unthinkable” idea of leaving the EU without a deal as a fallback position should her withdrawal agreement be rejected for a second time by MPs. ITV’s Robert Peston generated much excitement with a similar argument in a blog published the same day.
Labour launches bid to stop Theresa May 'running down the clock' towards no-deal Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn tabled an amendment to the Prime Minister's Brexit plan which would force the Government to hold a fresh meaningful vote on her deal by the end of February. MPs will vote on Labour's attempt on Thursday and the Labour leader said: "This amendment would stop the Government from running down the clock on the Brexit negotiations, hoping Members of Parliament can be blackmailed into supporting a botched deal. "This is an act of gross irresponsibility. The Prime Minister is playing for time and playing with people’s jobs, our economic security and the future of our industry."
Brexit: Could Labour rebels form new party?
The unhappiness with the Labour leadership is of course not new. But the moment of decision may have arrived because some of the MPs in the small group who are contemplating leaving felt it was worth staying in a party they felt was hostile to them as individuals while they had a chance of influencing Brexit policy. But as the final shakedown over Brexit approaches and Jeremy Corbyn's attitude to another referendum stays the same - obviously not enthusiastic - their frustration is reaching new levels. And if they can't get him to the position of backing another vote, for them, what's the point of hanging around to defend a policy they don't believe in, in a party they believe is no longer their own.
Hardline Brexiters threaten to vote down Theresa May's motion
Members of the Tory European Research Group are unhappy with the wording of a No 10 motion because it endorses parliament’s vote against any Brexit without a withdrawal agreement. The motion for debate on Thursday simply affirms “the approach to leaving the EU” backed by the Commons on 29 January, when an amendment was passed in favour of an attempt to replace the Northern Ireland backstop with “alternative arrangements”. The motion was thought to be fairly uncontroversial until pro-Brexit supporters realised it also encompassed a second amendment passed on that day, which ruled out a no-deal Brexit. The amendment, tabled by Dame Caroline Spelman, “rejects the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a withdrawal agreement and a framework for the future relationship”.
Dark money is pushing for a no-deal Brexit. Who is behind it?
So who or what is Britain’s Future? Sorry, I have no idea. As openDemocracy points out, it has no published address and releases no information about who founded it, who controls it and who has been paying for these advertisements. The only person publicly associated with it is a journalist called Tim Dawson, who edits its website. Dawson has not yet replied to the questions I have sent him. It is, in other words, highly opaque. The anti-Brexit campaigns are not much better. People’s Vote and Best for Britain have also been spending heavily on Facebook ads, though not as much in recent weeks as Britain’s Future.
Our constituencies voted to leave – based on an impossible promise
After two years of talks, the government has admitted that every form of Brexit will hurt our economy. That means our constituents will be poorer, for many of them their jobs will be put at risk, and the pressures on our NHS and other public services will only deepen. And far from taking back control, Brexit would see the UK forced to follow EU rules over which we will no longer have a say.
Brexit: Will there be a resolution to months of indecision?
And at the start of this Westminster week, it's hard to find anyone in Westminster who is confident that there will be any ending to the drama much before the end of March. There is a summit with EU leaders where the prime minister will gather with her counterparts seven days before the departure date of 29 March. And while it seems like the kind of kamikaze politics the UK doesn't tend to do, traditionally at least, there is growing expectation, horrific to some, exciting to others, that the prime minister may well not come back with her final deal that she wants them to vote on until after that.
Political Setbacks
Part David Cameron, part Piers Morgan – Alan Partridge returns in time for Brexit
Steve Coogan said it “feels right” for his character to return now, particularly given Brexit: “There might be a missive at the BBC saying that a certain area of the viewing audience had been disenfranchised … Alan potentially represents that. You can imagine them thinking we might as well give this guy another bite of the cherry.”
Exclusive: UK Could Hold Back Military Help For EU Under No-Deal Brexit
European governments are being warned that Britain may in future hold back military help for EU countries if there is a no-deal Brexit, HuffPost UK understands.
Officials have told foreign diplomats that while Theresa May is fully committed to maintaining strong defence and security ties, future governments could be less willing to support new missions in the EU like the current deployment of troops to Estonia, on Russia’s border.
Dutch PM warns of ‘devastating’ consequences of no-deal Brexit
Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, has said Britain is a “diminished” country after its vote for Brexit and warned that a no-deal exit from the bloc risked “insurmountable” consequences for the UK economy. Mr Rutte expressed alarm that Britain appeared to be doing nothing to stop itself from crashing out of the EU on March 29, saying it could be “devastating.” “At the moment the ball is rolling towards the Dover cliff and we are shouting ‘Stop the ball from rolling any further’ but nobody is doing anything at the moment, at least not on the UK side,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times and a group of other European newspapers
The surprising truth about Brexit Britain – we're a country full of moderates
The sobering thing for me was the realisation that I only heard these moderate voices because I was stuck with them – this being the whole point of the programme, to go back to those I had heard from before. In the normal run of things they wouldn’t have made the cut and they would never have got on air. What good is a moderate, considered voice in a news vox pop? If I had been doing a radio phone-in and one of this lot had been put through to me, I’d be mouthing annoyance through the glass at my producer, asking what they were playing at.
The UK government has set up a 'spectacularly badly run lottery' which could bar most British lorries from Europe under a no-deal Brexit
Industry figures say the government's no-deal Brexit plans would bar thousands of British lorries from entering EU countries. Up to 90% of British trucks could be barred from operating in Europe in the event of a no-deal Brexit, which the Road Haulage Association said would bankrupt many firms. The Road Haulage Association described the permit allocation process as "the most spectacularly badly run lottery." The Department for Transport said it was confident of securing a deal which would allow lorries to continue enjoying the current access they enjoy.
Labour split erupts over Brexit as Keir Starmer suggests general election plan no longer 'credible'
Labour splits on Brexit have been laid bare once more after Sir Keir Starmer appeared to suggest that pushing for a general election was no longer a “credible ...
Brexit: Government admits it has ‘run out of time’ to find ships to bring emergency supplies after no-deal
Officials have admitted they have “run out of time” to find ships to bring extra emergency supplies after a no-deal Brexit, following the Seaborne Freight fiasco.
No “large amount of further additional capacity” will be available across the Channel before the end of March, MPs were told – by either sea or rail. The admission follows the embarrassment of the cancelled £13.8m contract handed to Seaborne – a firm with no ships – which has sparked calls for Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, to be sacked. “It would not be possible to complete procurement and make it operational for 29 March,” the Department for Transport’s director general admitted.
Labour MPs warn Corbyn: back a second referendum or we quit
Jeremy Corbyn faces up to 10 resignations from the Labour frontbench if he fails to throw his party’s weight behind a fresh attempt to force Theresa May to submit her Brexit deal to a referendum in a fortnight’s time, frustrated MPs are warning. With tension mounting among anti-Brexit Labour MPs and grassroots members, several junior shadow ministers have told the Guardian they are prepared to resign their posts if Corbyn doesn’t whip his MPs to vote for a pro-referendum amendment at the end of the month.
UK officials deny May is taking no-deal off the table
Members of the backbench European Research Group say that it effectively endorses another amendment ruling out no-deal, which was approved by MPs the same day but is not binding on the British government. One ERG member told the BrexitCentral website: "We told the government very clearly last night that we will not support this motion and in fact we urged them, indeed pleaded with them at senior level, to withdraw it yesterday - but they took absolutely no notice. Frankly, we despair."
As Brexit Deadline Looms, Billboards Call Out Politicians' 'Quick And Easy' Claims
The protest group Led By Donkeys wants to remind citizens of what it considers to be misleading pledges by pro-Brexit leaders, as political chaos continues ...
Theresa May reportedly scrapes the mold off jam. Is this the perfect metaphor for Brexit?
British Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly said she scrapes the mold off jam, which was quickly dubbed a perfect metaphor to describe Britain’s European Union departure plans. The British leader, who is a keen cook, reportedly told members in her top leadership team that instead of throwing out moldy jam, she scoops off the mold and eats what is underneath. What is left is perfectly edible, she reportedly said. Her views came up in a discussion about food waste, according to the Daily Mail.
Theresa May faces Valentine’s Day revolt as Tory hardliners vow to keep no-deal alive
Theresa May faces a Commons revolt by Tory Right-wingers amid chaos over her Brexit policy. Members of the hardline European Research Group said they will vote against the Government tomorrow night, putting her at risk of another humiliating defeat. The clash erupted over the wording of a government motion that “supports” a previous Commons vote that opposed crashing out of the EU without a deal. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May attempted to reassure Tory MPs that she still planned to leave the EU on March 29. However, she did not rule out a delay altogether.
Theresa May facing Commons defeat as Eurosceptics fear she is going soft on Brexit
Theresa May risks an embarrassing Commons defeat on Thursday at the hands of Eurosceptic Tories who claim she has taken a no-deal Brexit off the negotiating table. Tory whips are trying to quell a threatened rebellion by the European Research Group (ERG), which is pushing for a harder Brexit. It has more than 80 members. Mrs May’s tiny working majority could be swept away if even a small number of ERG supporters refuse to support the Prime Minister.
@channel4News "Crashing out without a deal is a disastrous option for this country... and so it must be stopped." Dominic Grieve
"Crashing out without a deal is a disastrous option for this country... and so it must be stopped." Former Tory Attorney General Dominic Grieve explains why he is backing an attempt to block a no-deal Brexit.
Delay Brexit, 40 former diplomats tell May - The Times
More than 40 former British ambassadors have called on Prime Minister Theresa May to extend Britain’s stay in the European Union, The Times reported on Wednesday. The diplomats said it would be best to delay Brexit in order to clarify the terms of the future relationship between Britain and the EU or allow for a second referendum, the Times said, citing a statement sent to it.
Unless May can get a Brexit deal approved by the British parliament before March 29, she will have to decide whether to delay Brexit or thrust the world’s fifth largest economy into chaos by leaving without a deal.
Theresa May attacks Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit flip-flopping as secret poll shows trust in him has plummeted
Theresa May mounted a startling personal attack on Jeremy Corbyn yesterday after secret Tory polling revealed his integrity rating has collapsed. The Labour leader used to boast record high ratings for being a man of principle. Close to 40% of the nation previously said the lifelong Socialist was a man of his word, whether they agreed with him or not. But that has now plummeted down to just 11% after the opposition leader was seen as flip-flopping over a series of Brexit issues, surveys carried out for Tory chiefs have revealed.
YP Letters: Labour must back People’s Vote or suffer Brexit backlash
Indeed it would surprise me actually ever to see a Labour government again if this happens, since Scotland will be on its way and the chances of Barron’s Brexit-loving bedfellows in the bigoted DUP actually ever supporting a Labour government are nil. Let’s hope that the sense and realism of David Blunkett and both recent Labour prime ministers wins out and that a second referendum is held that will deliver 20 million votes for Remain, which will be the case if young people are allowed to express a preference.
@Peston Len McCluskey asked if 'Remain' should be on the ballot paper says 'staying in the EU would not be the best option for our nation'
When pressed by @Peston if ‘Remain’ should be on the ballot paper, @LenMcCluskey says that staying in would not be the best option for our nation. #Peston
Kicking The Can Down The Road Makes Theresa May "Deluded": Layla Moran
Layla Moran believes Theresa May is "deluded" for kicking the can down the road and that there are enough MPs in Parliament to put through a so-called People's Vote. The Liberal Democrat called the Prime Minister "deluded" for kicking the can down the road, describing Brexit "beginning to look like something out of a farce".
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Post-Brexit trade partners ask UK to lower human rights standards
Britain has received demands to roll back its human rights standards in exchange for progress on post-Brexit trade deals, including from some countries that ...
Switzerland to impose immigration QUOTA for working Britons under no deal Brexit plans
The Bern government is set to introduce a new quota system, giving 3,500 British citizens the right to work in the country after the UK leaves the EU, according to Reuters. The number of those who can apply for residence permits will be capped at 2,100. Switzerland will also offer 1,400 short-stay visas for Brits as part of the system which will replace the current free movement agreement between the two countries.
Brexit: UK has rolled over just £16bn out of £117bn trade deals
The government’s push to roll over EU trade deals from which the UK currently benefits has yielded agreements covering only £16bn of the near-£117bn of British trade with the countries involved. Despite frenetic efforts by ministers to ensure the continuity of international trade after the UK leaves the EU on 29 March, the international trade secretary, Liam Fox, has so far only managed to secure deals with seven of the 69 countries that the UK currently trades with under preferential EU free trade agreements, which will end after Brexit.
Liam Fox Branded 'Abject Failure' Over Lack Of Pre-Brexit Trade Deals
Cabinet minister Liam Fox was accused of “abject failure” after it emerged just six of the 40 trade deals he promised will actually be signed in time for Brexit. The trade secretary, who once said a free trade agreement with the EU would be the “easiest in human history”, had vowed to “roll over” 40 EU deals with 70 countries before Britain breaks from the bloc on March 29. But, according to a document leaked to The Sun, Fox has secured just a handful and is now asking countries to sign non-binding “letters of understanding” instead.
Brexit: Britain’s trade application that the WTO rejected
What happened was that a number of WTO members, which included the U.S., New Zealand and more than a dozen major exporters said they opposed the U.K.’s approach and terms and then formally objected to the British government application, the consequence was that Britain’s proposal to join on WTO terms were rejected … by some of the very countries that Liam Fox is claiming Britain will be able to trade with. Even Peter Mandelson, sacked from high office as many times as Fox has been could see that WTO rules would not instantly work for Britain. Trading under WTO rules, would, he argued “wipe out agreements and take away preferential access”. And how right he was on both counts.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 15th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Brexit has wiped £40bn off the UK`s annual economic growth since the 2016 referendum, according to a top Bank of England official
- The Guardian believes Thursday`s 45 vote defeat exposes the bankruptcy of Theresa May`s Brexit strategy, reinforcing the need for a consensus approach
- The Irish Times says there is no incentive for the EU to move its position now after another May defeat in Parliament
- Labour frontbenchers are threatening to quit if Corbyn fails to back a 2nd referendum push
- Conservative Minister Richard Harrington calls the ERG treacherous and says they should resign and join Farage`s new party
- Senior Labour MPs accuse the Met Police of cover-ups and unacceptable delays in investigating Brexit referendum crimes
- The Scottish and Welsh governments are demanding the UK Treasury replaces in full any lost EU funding at a meeting on Friday
- A no deal Brexit could starve diabetics of insulin fear Diabetes UK and JDRF, who are urgently seeking answers from the Department of Health & Social Care
- US lobbyists are demanding Britain drop the level of antibiotics restrictions and food standards before any US-UK trade deal is signed
- Bundesbank says UK banks moving to EU are not staffed up enough yet and more people and investment needs to follow
Jobs at Risk
Banks have not moved enough staff from London to EU for Brexit: Bundesbank
Some banks that conduct their euro zone business from London have failed to meet regulators’ expectations to move enough staff into other EU countries in time for Brexit, the German bank supervisor Joachim Wuermelling said on Thursday.
“Not all SSM banks are currently fully compliant with the SSM’s respective supervisory expectations,” said Wuermelling, referring to the euro zone’s Single Supervisory Mechanism that includes the European Central Bank and regulators from the 19 countries that use the common currency.
Airbus scraps A380 superjumbo jet as sales slump
Airbus said it would start discussions with partners regarding the "3,000 to 3,500 positions potentially impacted over the next three years". The BBC understands that around 200 jobs in the UK could be under threat from the decision. Airbus confirmed it hopes to redeploy a "significant" number of affected staff to other projects.
Economic Impact
Brexit has wiped £40 billion from Britain's annual economic growth since referendum, top Bank of England official reveals
Brexit has already wiped £40 billion off Britain’s annual economic growth since the 2016 referendum, a top Bank of England official revealed today. Gertjan Vlieghe said it amounted to £800 million per week of “lost income for the country” -- more than twice as much as the £350 million a week that the Vote Leave campaign claimed could be “saved” by quitting the European Union.
Who’s the biggest failure in the Brexit cabinet: Chris Grayling – or Liam Fox?
ow badly do you have to mess up, these days, before you’re not allowed in Theresa May’s cabinet? Just how far does tolerance stretch? You might imagine Chris Grayling to be the ultimate prototype in this real-world experiment, with his granting then cancelling of a £13.8m ferry contract to a ferry company with no ferries, but let us also observe the progress of Liam Fox. Fox is one of the most vocal and optimistic Brexiteers in politics. In 2016, he declared that a trade deal with the EU would be “one of the easiest in human history”. In 2017, he promised to “replicate the 40 EU free trade agreements that exist before we leave the European Union so we’ve got no disruption of trade”, and they would be ready “one second after midnight in March 2019”.
Phew, the Bank would deploy common sense on no-deal Brexit
A no-deal Brexit, in economic terms, would be a trip into the unknown and would very likely involve a severe shock. Even the sober sub-set of Brexit promoters concedes the latter short-term point. But at least one likely outcome is becoming clearer: the Bank of England would not make things worse by cranking up interest rates.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Scotland government demands lost EU funding be ‘replaced in full’ by Treasury after UK's exit
The Scottish government wants all lost EU funding currently received by Scotland to be “replaced in full” by the UK Treasury after Brexit. Representatives from both the Scottish and Welsh governments are due to meet with chief secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss in Cardiff on Friday. Ahead of the meeting, Scottish finance secretary Derek Mackay said he was “deeply concerned” about the lack of clarity over future budgets and wants assurances that Scotland would “not be financially worse off as a result of the EU exit”.
No-deal Brexit could see UK locked out of EU infectious disease surveillance data, chief medical officer warns
A no-deal Brexit could see the UK lose access to an EU-wide online tracker of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer (CMO) for England, has told The Pharmaceutical Journal. Asked if the UK would still be able to access — and contribute to — The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases following a no-deal Brexit, she said that at the present time “we actually don’t know”.
American Meat Lobbyists List Demands For Post-Brexit UK-US Trade Deal
Lobbyists for the American meat industry have urged the US government to demand Britain drop antibiotics restrictions and the ban on ractopamine-fed pork as part of any post-Brexit trade deal. Speaking at an evidence session in front of the powerful US Trade Policy Committee in Washington last month, the lobbyists also warned forcing the UK to accept chlorine-bleached chicken would require “hard negotiating”. Craig Thorn, of America’s National Pork Producers Council, said Britain should drop its standards and stop testing pork for the parasitic worm trichinae.
Porsche warns of 10% price rise after no-deal Brexit
Porsche has told its customers that they might have to pay up to 10% on top of the price of their car in import tariffs should there be a no-deal Brexit. The UK is currently due to leave the European Union on 29 March but has yet to strike a deal, meaning tariffs of up to 10% could be applied to imports and exports
Cardiff gig to discuss Brexit and Welsh independence
Some of Wales' top musicians have launched a new movement urging people to discuss the country's post-Brexit future and independence. Charlotte Church, Super Furry Animals' Cian Ciaran and Welsh Music Prize-winners Boy Azooga are all involved. Yes Is More! launches at The Tramshed in Cardiff later as part of a series of cultural events. Ciaran, one of the organisers, said: "It's also about having fun and getting rid of our fears." Church said it did not matter how people voted in the EU referendum or whether they think Wales should be independent, but she wanted people to talk about the issues.
How might the Premier League be affected by Brexit?
The FA sees Brexit as a chance to increase the number of English players in the Premier League, which it says will boost the chances of the national team by exposing more players to the best football. But the Premier League has rejected this view, saying there is “no evidence” it would work. As part of their plan, the FA has called for a cut in the maximum number of non-homegrown players allowed in each team’s 25-player squad from 17 to 12.
Brexit: 'Best outcome' is withdrawal agreement
The best Brexit outcome is that a withdrawal agreement is reached to allow "a smooth transition" from the EU, the chief executive of Invest NI has said. Alastair Hamilton made the comments following the announcement of 80 new jobs in Dungannon on Thursday. He said that it would be "difficult to quantify" damage caused by a no-deal Brexit.
Brexit 'monster' urges Dutch to prepare
The Dutch government sees Brexit not as the elephant in the room but as a giant Muppet-style monster lying on a desk. That is the picture tweeted by Foreign Minister Stef Blok, with the warning: "make sure Brexit doesn't sit - or lie - in your way". There is a link to an official website where Dutch firms can see the potential impact of Brexit on their business.
Five ways you can protect yourself from the Brexit house price slump
ouse prices have started to fall in many areas of the country, leading to fears of a full-blown house price crash. According to Halifax, the bank, UK house prices slumped by 2.9pc in January. Many areas in London and the South East of England have seen even bigger falls as pre-Brexit nerves cause a slowdown in the housing market. The Telegraph discusses how readers can protect themselves from any would-be Brexit house price slump
British students at Dutch universities face steep fee rises amid Brexit uncertainty
As the terms of the United Kingdom’s split from the EU on the 29th of March remain unclear, British students at Dutch universities fear a steep increase in their tuition fees. Brexit could especially affect those students aiming to start a new degree in September.
A no-deal Brexit will starve diabetics of insulin – this despicable government really is ‘lower than vermin’
Diabetes UK and the JDRF, a charity focused on Type One diabetes, have issued their strongest statement yet with respect to that. “With just a matter of weeks between now and 29 March and, despite reaching out directly to the Department of Health and Social Care in December, we still have not seen the concrete detail needed to reassure us – or people with diabetes – that the UK government’s plans are robust enough to guarantee no impact on insulin and medicine supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “We are increasingly hearing from worried people who do not feel reassured by existing published guidance on this issue. With the information available to date, we feel unable to fully alleviate their concerns.”
Brexit: we need to talk about staff concerns
In some cases, he says, the most useful thing business leaders can do is make information available to staff who might not otherwise know where to turn. But employer and employees may need more specialist advice: “One of the guys who has been married for 20 years has a German wife. She had never got round to taking out a British passport because there was no need.”
@BBCHughPym - A&E performance in England in January the worst since modern records began - 84.4% treated/assessed in 4 hours
A&E performance in England in January the worst since modern records began - 84.4% treated/assessed in 4 hours
Westfield’s £1.4bn Croydon development 'under review due to Brexit and structural changes on the high street'
The owner of the Westfield shopping centres today said it is “reviewing” its £1.4 billion new development in Croydon because of Brexit and “structural changes” on the high street. Work on the centre, which is hoped to be the catalyst for broader regeneration, was due to start in September but is now not expected to begin until next year.
Jobs plan for North East re-launched as Brexit affects region
The body tasked with improving the North East’s economy is to re-launch its job creation plan to reflect Brexit and other factors affecting the region. The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will today publish its updated Strategic Economic Plan, saying that Brexit, the North of Tyne devolution deal and other factors have meant it has had to look again at its plan.
No-deal Brexit plans for Portsmouth likened to ‘Dad’s Army comedy’
Plans to prevent ‘chaos’ on Portsmouth roads in the event of a no-deal Brexit were likened to the comedy of Dad’s Army at yesterday’s full council. Leader of the city council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, revealed preparations that would involve stopping lorries on junction 1 of the M275, by the Park and Ride, to check documentation. If everything is in order the lorries will be able to carry on to Portsmouth International Port to go to France. But any lorries without the correct paperwork will be directed to Tipner West until it is sorted out.
Political Shenanigans
Backing a Tory Brexit could wipe out Labour, warns Clive Lewis
Clive Lewis, a shadow Treasury minister, warned Corbyn that Labour might never be forgiven and could disappear from UK politics if MPs voted to facilitate a Conservative Brexit deal. Another shadow minister, Paul Sweeney, also backed a second referendum on the final Brexit deal for the first time on Thursday. The high-profile pro-EU backbencher Chris Leslie said he was “clinging to hope” that the Conservatives would back a fresh poll in the next fortnight, suggesting that he had lost faith in his own party.
Is the DUP heading for a split with Tory Brexiteers?
Both the European Research Group and latterly Downing Street subscribe to that logic, which is why the prime minister agreed to demand compromise from the EU27 on the Irish backstop - something it has neither the desire nor political incentive to offer - after the last set of Brexit votes last month. But when asked to affirm that strategy this evening, the DUP and ERG diverged. May’s confidence and supply partners voted for the government motion, while most ERG MPs followed Jacob Rees-Mogg’s instruction to abstain on the grounds that to vote for the motion would be to implicitly reject the principle of a no-deal exit.
Corbyn to hold Brexit talks with Barnier and Verhofstadt
Jeremy Corbyn will hold talks in Brussels next week with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, as he seeks to break the Brexit impasse and persuade Theresa May to sign up to a customs union. The visit is likely to be highly unwelcome in Downing Street, and risks accusations that Labour is pursuing its own shadow negotiations, undermining the prime minister’s hopes of fresh EU concessions.
MPs voting on May's Brexit strategy
MPs are voting on whether to back the government's Brexit strategy. They have rejected a Labour call for another vote on the withdrawal deal by 27 February by 322 votes to 306. The Commons also rejected an SNP call to delay Brexit by at least three months by 315 votes to 93 votes, after Labour abstained in the vote. Conservative backbencher Anna Soubry has withdrawn her amendment calling for official papers on the impact of a no-deal Brexit to be published. Brexit Minister Chris Heaton-Harris indicated that Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington would meet Ms Soubry and would be publishing some information.
Caroline Flint Says MPs' Attempt To Block No Deal Is A 'Trojan Horse' To Stop Brexit
A cross-party attempt to take control of Brexit and rule out no deal is a “Trojan horse” for stopping Britain’s exit from the EU, a senior Labour MP has said. Caroline Flint said the Yvette Cooper-led move could open the door to “game playing” by politicians who want to overturn the 2016 referendum result, and criticised the Labour leadership’s “high handed” decision to back it in the February 27 ‘high noon’ Brexit votes without consulting MPs.
Andrew Adonis says remain must march again before it's too late | Latest Brexit news and top stories
As for any future big demo, it has to have as much impact as the great October 20 People’s Vote march. As soon as the new date is announced, every reader of The New European needs to make plans to be there, taking at least 20 friends and colleagues each! Remember who Milton set in contrast to the immobile: “Thousands at his bidding speed / And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest.” The least we can do is march again on London, so that May doesn’t get Brexit through by default and wreck our country.
Theresa May loses another battle – but she may be zigzagging towards winning the Brexit war
The assumption must be that May was persuaded to tack towards her soft-Brexit wing by a group of ministers who are threatening to resign if the government heads towards a no-deal exit. Inevitably, by trying to keep those ministers on board, she lost about 50 Eurosceptic MPs off the other side of the seesaw. But this is important because it contradicts the usual Labour allegation that May is a prisoner of her hard-Brexit backbenchers and always gives in to them. This time, she went the other way and lost the vote as a result.
Is the DUP heading for a split with Tory Brexiteers?
Both the European Research Group and latterly Downing Street subscribe to that logic, which is why the prime minister agreed to demand compromise from the EU27 on the Irish backstop - something it has neither the desire nor political incentive to offer - after the last set of Brexit votes last month. But when asked to affirm that strategy this evening, the DUP and ERG diverged. May’s confidence and supply partners voted for the government motion, while most ERG MPs followed Jacob Rees-Mogg’s instruction to abstain on the grounds that to vote for the motion would be to implicitly reject the principle of a no-deal exit.
It is time for Labour and Tory MPs to wake up and see the Brexit reality staring them in the face.
After tonight’s voting debacle, no one in the EU thinks that she would secure a majority for her deal even if they were to give Theresa May everything she and the ERG Brexiters say they want and eviscerated the backstop. The EU has given up on Theresa May as the deliverer of any Brexit and is now pinning its hopes on MPs of all parties coalescing around a customs-union version of the long-term relationship between the UK and EU - which would turn the hated backstop into the bridge to a permanent solution that it was always designed to be. A customs-union Brexit as the only compromise deal on offer will test to breaking point the unity of Tory and Labour parties. But if it is not seized, then the default option of a no-deal Brexit becomes the vivid reality. There is an outside chance that as and when this reality bites, MPs will belatedly think it is all too hard for them and decide to put the choice back to us in a referendum.
@BBCThisWeek - "It's not an opinion poll, it's like a jury" @stellacreasy tells Michael Portillo on her call for a People's Assembly over Brexit
"It's not an opinion poll, it's like a jury" @stellacreasy tells Michael Portillo on her call for a People's Assembly over Brexit #bbctw #bbctw
@BBCQuestionTime - ‘I think we should scrap the whole thing, it was a bad idea to start with’ @jimmy_wales
‘I think we should scrap the whole thing, it was a bad idea to start with’ @jimmy_wales says he wants another referendum on leaving the European Union. #bbcqt
Britain can manage no-deal Brexit tariffs
There is no cliff edge on 29 March, but there are some major transitional problems that are manageable, as long as the Government develops a bit of backbone, argues David Green Director of Civitas
As Brexit Day Nears, Conservatives Consider Purging One of Their Own
They were lingering at the back of the church: a cluster of men and women in their 60s, mostly white-haired and wearing sensible coats. They were the leaders of the local conservative association, the ones deciding whether to expel Mr. Boles from his seat for trying to block a no-deal Brexit. Party leaders see the threat of no-deal as a key lever in last-minute negotiations with the European Union. “He has let us down badly,” said Philip Sagar, chairman of the Grantham and Stamford Conservative Association. “I cannot vote for someone who is selfish,” said Matthew Lee, the leader of the District Council.
Hundreds march through Leeds in anti-Brexit protest - as Theresa May suffers another defeat in parliament
Hundreds of people marched through Leeds city centre this evening in protest against Brexit. Leeds for Europe called the protest as they launched a new campaign, titled Brexit Divides Us - Let’s Stay Together.
Political Setbacks
Brexit: No incentive for EU to move as May loses another vote
Theresa May could have presented MPs on Thursday with a neutral motion that simply took note of her statement on the Brexit negotiations earlier this week. Instead the UK prime minister asked them to reiterate their support for “the approach to leaving the EU expressed by this House on January 29th”. It must have seemed like a clever idea at the time, but if there is one thing the conspiracy theorists in the Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG) are good at, it’s spotting conspiracies. They understood that the motion could be interpreted not only as a reaffirmation of their demand for changes to the Northern Ireland backstop but also as a rejection of a no-deal Brexit in line with another amendment passed on January 29th.
Labour frontbenchers in 'threat to quit' if Jeremy Corbyn fails to back second Brexit referendum push
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a raft of frontbench resignations unless he throws Labour's weight behind calls for a second EU referendum, it has emerged. According to The Guardian, as many as 10 shadow ministers could resign if the Labour leader continues to resist pressure to support a so-called People's Vote.
Labour's official policy is to keep "all options" on the table if it cannot secure a general election over Brexit, "including campaigning for a public vote".
UK Political Process Is Polluted By Dirty Russian Money: Bill Browder
One of the leading activists against corruption has told LBC that the UK is failing to act because politics is polluted by dirty Russian money .Speaking to James O'Brien, Mr Browder said: "These Russian gangsters - guys in suits who are polluting the political systems of Europe - including that of the United Kingdon - with laundered money"
May's latest Brexit defeat: The edifice of nonsense comes tumbling down
The government has been defeated by MPs on propositions that they themselves backed two weeks ago. The whole edifice of blather and nonsense is coming tumbling down. It's commonly accepted that there's no majority in the Commons for a response to Brexit. But today it went a step further. It was inadequacy squared. It is clear now that there is not even a majority for the imaginary things MPs had only recently given a majority to. The whole British political system is imploding in on itself.
Richard Harrington: “In my view, the ERG are not Conservatives”
“I’m very disappointed because we were told that the prime minister would be coming back to the House of Commons and there would be a statement and an amendable vote after that,” he says. “I took that, as someone who is very concerned about the effects of not ruling out a hard Brexit, to mean we would have a deal or outline deal to discuss and the option of looking at that. “We’re now told it will be in another two weeks’ time so, being very conscious of the damage that not ruling out a hard Brexit is having on business and industry, I’m concerned that it’s going to drag on. “What concerns me most is there is now talk that there won’t be a final decision until the next EU Council on 21 March which, as far as business is concerned, is completely unacceptable.”
EXCLUSIVE: Senior Labour MPs Accuse Met Police of ‘Cover-Up’ and ‘Unacceptable Delays’ in Investigating Brexit Crimes
Criminal investigations into Leave campaigns still stalled amid allegations up to a dozen MPs in the frame. The Met Police is facing accusations of a “cover-up” over its failure to decide whether leading Brexiteers should be subject to a criminal investigation amid allegations of illegality in the EU Referendum campaign. MP David Lammy, a leading Labour Remain campaigner, told the Byline Times that the Met’s delay “smells more and more like it could be a cover-up from the very top”. The Tottenham MP was joined by Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson who agreed that “this seems an unacceptable delay on a subject of national interest and importance”.
Over 100 MPs will go on holiday next week despite being ordered to stay in Parliament to vote on Brexit
Over 100 MPs will go on holiday next week despite being ordered to stay in Parliament to vote on Brexit. MPs from all parties have defied an order to scrap their February break to work on Brexit in a move that has led some to claim the cancellation was just a PR stunt
A Churchill history lesson for Brexit Britain
U.K. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell found this out the hard way, when he sparked outrage by calling the wartime prime minister — and Britain’s greatest icon — a “villain” for using excessive force to crush a picket line in the Welsh town of Tonypandy in 1910. Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames chimed in first, branding McDonnell a “Poundland Lenin.” Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson took to Twitter to trot out a not very accurate history lesson. Thousands of enraged voices predictably followed.
'Incredible' UK has let Brexit 'come to this' - Coveney
Tanáiste Simon Coveney has told the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee it is "incredible" that the British parliament has allowed Brexit negotiations to come to their current state. "It is incredible in my view that the British parliament has allowed it come to this," he said. Mr Coveney also said that one of the big mistakes in London is the perspective that "the EU needs a deal as much as we need a deal".
Brexit vote breaks down 'fragile Tory truce'
Plasters lose their stick, revealing the hurt underneath. And the fragile patch that was covering the Tory truce has been well and truly torn. Just when Theresa May wanted to show the European Union that she could hold her party together to win, she lost. And at home the prime minister has been shown in no uncertain terms that she simply can't count on the factions in her party to come through for her.
Six things we've learned from May's latest Brexit defeat
May will find it much harder now to argue that she has got a Commons majority behind her Brexit strategy. The debate showed that MPs were only able to unite behind Brady because they could not agree what it meant. EU leaders, who were reluctant to offer much to the UK in backstop concessions, not knowing what would get through parliament, will now surely feel still less inclined to engage
Dutch PM on Brexit: UK is a waning country too small to stand alone
Britain is a “waning country” and too small to stand alone on the world stage, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, has claimed in a withering assessment of the ...
READ: BBC's letter to all Scottish MPs and MSPs defending Question Time
The BBC has written to all Scottish MPs and MSPs to defend Question Time, amid the ongoing row over its broadcast from Motherwell last week. Below is a letter sent by Ian Small, BBC Scotland's head of public policy & corporate affairs, sent to Scottish politicians. In the letter, Small addresses our exclusive report that the BBC cut down SNP minister Fiona Hyslop's answer to a Unionist rant from the audience to just seven seconds.
Humiliation for Theresa May as MPs inflict fresh Brexit defeat following Tory rebellion
Theresa May has been dealt another huge blow after a rebellion by Tory eurosceptics saw her defeated again over Brexit.
Cowardly Theresa May should have taken her medicine and faced defeat in person
Rats deserting a sinking ship display more self-respect than the church mouse running away from another Parliamentary defeat. Vicar's daughter Theresa May showed no moral fibre by cowardly abandoning the Commons chamber to duck publicly the announcement of a humiliating defeat inflicted by MPs on her Blackmail Brexit plan. The surrender of leadership was clocked in Westminster and Brussels, weakening the Prime Minister's authority both with rebel Tories and heads of 27 other European countries. Taking your medicine, sitting rictus-faced on the front bench to hear you've lost, is what defiant Premier's do
Brexit: Theresa May suffers fresh Commons defeat
Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy. The defeat has no legal force and Downing Street said it would not change the PM's approach to talks with the EU. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to "admit her Brexit strategy has failed" and to come forward with a plan Parliament would support.
Government minister tells Brexiteer Tory MPs to join Nigel Farage's new party
A government minister has accused Tory Brexiteers of "treachery" and called on them to join Nigel Farage's new anti-EU party. Richard Harrington said members of the hardline European Research Group who celebrated defeating Theresa May's Brexit deal last month were "not Conservatives" and should quit. The business minister also said he was "very disappointed" that the Prime Minister was still refusing to rule out the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. nd he dismissed the so-called "Malthouse Compromise", which Mrs May is considering as a potential way of breaking the Brexit deadlock, as "fanciful nonsense".
EXCLUSIVE: Senior Labour MPs Accuse Met Police of ‘Cover-Up’ and ‘Unacceptable Delays’ in Investigating Brexit Crimes
Criminal investigations into Leave campaigns still stalled amid allegations up to a dozen MPs in the frame. The Met Police is facing accusations of a “cover-up” over its failure to decide whether leading Brexiteers should be subject to a criminal investigation amid allegations of illegality in the EU Referendum campaign. MP David Lammy, a leading Labour Remain campaigner, told the Byline Times that the Met’s delay “smells more and more like it could be a cover-up from the very top”. The Tottenham MP was joined by Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson who agreed that “this seems an unacceptable delay on a subject of national interest and importance”.
@LeedsEurope Hundreds marching with a clear message to stay in the EU
In #Leeds now! Hundreds are marching with a clear message. - #LetsStayTogether!
Brexit: Labour MP Kate Hoey roasted on Twitter after complaining about BBC’s ‘negative’ reporting
Labour MP Kate Hoey has lashed out at BBC News for apparently promoting a negative slant on Brexit. Hoey, who campaigned alongside Nigel Farage in the 2016 EU referendum, would have soon found her notifications filling up with people pointing out some very obvious points about the BBC's lack of bias on Brexit.
The Guardian view on parliament and Brexit: Theresa May’s approach has failed
The latest government defeat on Brexit should be a watershed. Thursday’s 45-vote defeat, in which scores of MPs abstained, says something lethal about the parliamentary Brexit process. Opposition amendments from Labour and the SNP were duly defeated, as expected. An important all-party backbench amendment was withdrawn at the last moment, leaving key issues again unresolved. And the government lost another vote because of Conservative splits, exposing the bankruptcy of Theresa May’s Conservative-facing Brexit strategy and reinforcing the need now for an all-party consensus approach
Brexit latest: Conservative Pary in turmoil as loyalists infruriated by Brexiteers abstaining after vote
Brexit disputes are causing turmoil within the Conservative party after Theresa May’s humbling defeat in the Commons. The further division has come following the pro-Brexit European Research Group’s "collective decision" to abstain from Thursday's lost vote. With some Remainers failing to vote and five Conservative MPs voting with the opposition, the Government fell to a 303 to 258 defeat.
Brexit: Theresa May suffers fresh Commons defeat
Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy. The defeat has no legal force and Downing Street said it would not change the PM's approach to talks with the EU. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to "admit her Brexit strategy has failed" and to come forward with a plan Parliament would support.
@BBCPolitics - "What an absolute fiasco this is" - Tory MP @Anna_Soubry says UK politics is "becoming the laughing stock of the world"
"What an absolute fiasco this is" - Tory MP @Anna_Soubry says UK politics is "becoming the laughing stock of the world"
@Femi Dominic Grieve does not hold back
Dominic Grieve DID NOT HOLD BACK!
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: Is there a 10-year-rule to sort out trade?
If the UK leaves the EU with no deal, it will fall back on the rules of the WTO - the basic building blocks of international trade. At that point, the UK could choose to continue applying zero tariffs to goods being imported from the EU. But under rules set out in Article 1 of Gatt (which are commonly known as Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rules), it would then also have to offer the same terms to the rest of the world. If no-one had to pay anything to get their goods into the UK, that would certainly mean cheap imports. But it would also put a lot of British companies out of business and there would be no obligation on other countries to offer the UK the same tariff-free access in return
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 18th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- MPs have run out of time to force the government to publish details of over 320 Brexit `contingency planning workstreams` spanning nearly 20 government departments
- Dyson outsourced more than 100 back office roles out of the UK only months before announcing the relocation of its headquarters to Asia, said current and former employees of the consumer appliances maker.
- Netherlands are boosting the financial services regulator`s budget to meet the rapidly expanding demand from new businesses relocating to the country from the UK
- Flybmi collapsed as it was ‘unable to secure valuable contracts in Europe,’ was hit by a spike in fuel prices and affected by the uncertainty created by the Brexit process
- Just 13% of the 12,000 EU regulations that need to be `copied` into UK law have been carried out to date
- There were reports that Brexit-linked harrassment of female MPs has led to the employment of bodyguards, police advice to change behaviour and in some cases moving home
- Tobias Ellwood and David Gauke indicated that they`d resign as ministers if No Deal is not taken off the table by Theresa May soon
- ERG leader Steve Baker said that Theresa May is only pretending to negotiate with Brussels and that it is all a ploy to run down the clock in leaked WhatsApp ERG messages
- Nick Boles MP sounded the alarm that UKIP members are `entering the Tory Party` in large numbers in a bid to hijack it and move it to the right
- Plans have been announced for a Pro-EU march on the 23rd March just before the Brexit deadline
Jobs at Risk
Regional airline Flybmi collapses, blaming Brexit uncertainty
East Midlands carrier ‘unable to secure valuable contracts in Europe’ cancels all flights. The company, which employs 376 staff and operates more than 600 flights a week, said it faced “several difficulties” in recent weeks including spikes in fuel and carbon costs, the latter arising from the EU’s recent decision to exclude UK airlines from full participation in the Emissions Trading Scheme. “Current trading and future prospects have also been seriously affected by the uncertainty created by the Brexit process, which has led to our inability to secure valuable flying contracts in Europe and lack of confidence around bmi’s ability to continue flying between destinations in Europe,” the airline said in a statement.
Brexit Is Such Good Business for the Dutch, Their Watchdog Needs to Get Bigger
Amsterdam is winning so much business as Europe’s post-Brexit trading hub that the Netherlands is boosting the financial regulator’s budget by 10 percent to keep up with it all. “It could be even more in case of a no-deal Brexit,” Merel van Vroonhoven, head of regulator AFM, said in a Bloomberg TV interview. AFM needs the extra budget to “heavily invest in IT” and hire many more people,” she added.
Dyson sweeps 100 back office jobs out of the UK
Dyson outsourced more than 100 back office roles out of the UK only months before announcing the relocation of its headquarters to Asia, said current and former employees of the consumer appliances maker. At least 100 roles at Dyson’s Malmesbury site in Wiltshire were outsourced overseas, chiefly to India through the professional services group Accenture, according to current and former employees who asked not to be named. A smaller number of roles went to the Czech Republic. Accenture declined to comment.
Economic Impact
Europe could face ‘recession’ if EU rejects UK Brexit demands warns Liam Fox
Brexiter Liam Fox makes the extraordinary claim that rejecting UK Brexit demands could potentially lead to a recession across the continent, after Italy’s economy shrank last year.
Administrative Fall Out
Porsche warns UK customers of Brexit price rise
Porsche is warning UK customers they might have to pay 10% extra for cars delivered after Britain leaves the EU. The German firm wants buyers to sign a clause agreeing to a potential tariff, a move Porsche said is "precautionary". Porsche's owner Volkswagen declined to discuss if some of its other brands, including Audi, Lamborghini, Skoda, Bugatti, Seat, and Ducati might follow. A 10% surcharge would see the cost of an entry-level Porsche 911 rising from £93,110 to £102,421.
Theresa May's government is using 'blanket secrecy' to hide its no-deal Brexit plans
MPs have run out of time to force the government to publish details of over 320 Brexit "workstreams." The workstreams — spread across nearly 20 government departments — are intended to make sure the United Kingdom is ready for all outcomes on exit day, March 29. This includes no-deal. The government still refuses to publish details of whether these workstreams are on track. "It's secrecy for secrecy's sake and Brexit has become the excuse for that," senior MP Meg Hillier, who has been pushing for ministers to be more transparent about its Brexit work, told Business Insider. The government insists that the information is sensitive and cannot be made public.
@BBCPolitics No deal #Brexit: “We’ve spent tens of millions of euros” Airbus VP Katherine Bennett on preparations for a no deal Brexit
Airbus UK boss Katherine Bennett explains to Andrew Marr that the company has spent tens of millions of Euros on contingency planning for Brexit and she'd much prefer it to have been spent on apprentiships, training, investment for new jobs instrad
Revealed: how Home Office hires out staff to hunt migrants
The Home Office is selling the services of its immigration officials to private companies in a move attacked as an escalation of the “hostile environment” strategy. According to internal documents seen by the Observer, the department is attempting to embed immigration officers at a rate of almost £60 an hour as part of an “enhanced checking service” being offered to public services, understood to include NHS trusts and local authorities, as well as private firms.
No-deal Brexit: Country by country guide to how the rights of Britons will be affected
With the UK parliament still gridlocked on how to find a compromise on Brexit, the likelihood of Britain exiting the European Union without a deal grows by the day. Here's what that would mean for Brits in each country
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May letting zealots turn Tory Party into another Ukip, warns Nick Boles
“There has been a systematic operation of infiltration of the Conservative Party by Ukip and Ukip sympathisers. I had 400 members until 12 months ago and I now have 500 . . . They have coalesced with those in my party who already had these views. Among the more right-wing and reactionary members there has never been a total acceptance of my brand of politics; they were quite grumpy about gay marriage.”
Brexit ‘high noon’ could see Theresa May lose six ministers
A dozen or more government ministers could quit by the end of the month if Prime Minister Theresa May refuses to extend the Brexit negotiating period beyond 29 March, a leading Tory opponent of EU withdrawal has said. Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said the next round of Brexit votes on 27 February would be a “high noon” moment when resignations on this scale – which he said could include six Cabinet members – might bring Mrs May’s government down. He was speaking as Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt made clear his unwillingness to accept a no-deal departure, telling hardline Brexiteers in a tweet: “We are not leaving without a deal. If you want to leave, you’d better agree one. In the next fortnight would help.”
David Gauke expresses 'grave concerns' about no-deal Brexit
The justice secretary has said he has grave concerns about the prospect of leaving the European Union without a deal, saying it would have a “very adverse effect” on the UK’s economy, security and union with Northern Ireland. David Gauke said the government was planning for the contingency of no deal, but suggested he would support extending article 50 if a deal between the UK and EU was not reached, since a no-deal Brexit was not in the national interest. He added that he expected the government to act responsibly if the current deadlock prevailed.
People's Vote campaign announces London march for weekend before Brexit day
The People's Vote campaign for a second referendum on Brexit has announced a march the weekend before the UK leaves the EU. The "put it to the people" march will call for the public to be given a final say on any Brexit deal. Its timing - on March 23 - follows suggestions that a deal may not be agreed until the eleventh hour. Britain is due to leave on March 29.
Brussels fears ’90 per cent’ chance of No Deal Brexit after PM’s Commons defeat
Brussels fears the chances of a no deal Brexit are now as high as 90 per cent after Theresa May’s latest calamitous Commons defeat. EU diplomats warned the PM she is on her “last chance” to salvage a Brexit deal – but warned that privately the mood is “black”
Brexit extremism is going nowhere. Now the moderate millions must act
For three years, the worst of Britain has been in charge. The Britain that says it is elitist to tell the electorate it can’t have the impossible. The Britain that has patted itself on the back for threatening the rule of law and the independence of MPs. The Britain where it is normal for supporters of Jeremy Corbyn to call the BBC’s political editor a bitch and a whore and demand her dismissal for crimes against the party line and for supporters of Nigel Farage to send death threats to MPs. The Britain with no middle, only extremes.
Labour pulls level with Tories in latest opinion poll
Labour has pulled level with the Conservatives, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer that suggests significant potential support for a new party. The poll also confirmed that a large proportion of the public are disillusioned with the two main parties. Almost half (41%) think that both Labour and the Conservatives have become extreme, with 39% of Tory voters and 37% of Labour voters agreeing with this. A similar number (42%) think neither party stands for anything. Two-fifths (40%) think a new political party would be the best way for people like them to be represented, while 59% would consider voting for a new centre-ground party.
Remainers plan mass march and key vote in last days before Brexit
Campaigners against Theresa May’s “my deal or no deal” Brexit strategy are planning to mobilise the public and politicians for a showdown over the UK’s future in Europe in the final six days before Britain is due to leave the EU, the Observer can reveal. The plans will involve a huge march in London on Saturday, 23 March, aimed at demonstrating the scale of public anxiety about the two Brexit options May is offering, which will conclude with speeches outside the Palace of Westminster. Hundreds of thousands are expected to attend.
Parliament’s Brexit drama will play out in three acts
Act 1 is all about killing off the disastrous outcome of leaving the EU on March 29 without a deal, which remains the default. Act 2, which could prove very short, will revolve around final attempts to obtain some kind of compromise with the EU. It needs to be sufficiently Brexity to persuade the hardliners in the Conservative party and the Democratic Unionist party that a fig leaf over the initial Northern Ireland backstop provides enough cover for their partial retreat. Act 3 begins with the prime minister, centre stage, looking for salvation: the threat of no deal will have been disarmed and her plan will still lack majority support. There will remain the option of going to the country by calling a general election — risky but tempting given the helpless Labour leadership — or going to the country with a referendum.
Tories plan to crown Boris Johnson PM in exchange for supporting Theresa May's Brexit deal
Tory Brexiteers are plotting to demand Theresa May’s job as the price she must pay to get her EU deal through Parliament. Jacob Rees-Mogg’s rebel European Research Group want her to quit as Prime Minister after local elections on May 2. In return they will vote for her deal so she can hit her March 29 deadline for us to leave the EU.
A Tory leadership contest would take place over the summer with the ERG campaigning for their champion Boris Johnson. And the new PM will be crowned at the Tory conference in Manchester in September. Brexiteers think they can hold Mrs May to ransom because she cares more about getting Brexit on her terms than being PM.
Brexit: Put It To The People march demanding Final Say referendum to take place six days before UK leaves EU
Campaigners for a fresh Brexit referendum will pour onto the streets for another huge demonstration next month, with the decision poised to “go down to the wire”. The Put It To The People march – organised in partnership with The Independent’s Final Say campaign – will take place in London on Saturday 23 March, just six days before the UK’s scheduled departure from the EU. That decision still hangs in the balance, with the EU refusing changes demanded by Theresa May to reverse the crushing defeat of her divorce deal last month and cabinet ministers threatening resignation.
Theresa May Makes Another Plea for Unity to Get Brexit Deal Through
Prime Minister Theresa May launched a desperate appeal to Conservative Party lawmakers to unite behind her derided Brexit plan as she prepares for a return to Brussels for more talks with European Union leaders. In a letter to her party’s lawmakers, May said she’s planning to meet with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and speak to the leader of every EU member state in the days ahead. Gaining headway in Brussels will depend largely on whether she can show a united front at home.
Claims that scare stories about transport chaos after No Deal Brexit have been demolished after EU chiefs have allegedly agreed a secret deal with Britain to maintain links
There are unsubstantiated claims that EU chiefs have secretly agreed measures to ensure transport links with Britain are maintained in the event of a No Deal Brexit, The Sun on Sunday can reveal. The contingency plan drawn up by the European Commission is on the condition that the UK offers the same rights to the EU.
Our new march will show MPs there is a price to pay if they allow such a damaging Brexit
It was a project that began on the right-wing extremes of the Tory party, then helped by those too right-wing even for that, such as multimillionaire Jimmy Goldsmith, whose Referendum Party made much noise on the subject in the 1990s, and Ukip, for which Dulwich College-educated City trader Nigel Farage would deploy a beer-swilling, fag-chomping faux man-of-the-people shtick to broaden the appeal.
My bill stops drift and damage – not Brexit
I want to see a workable deal that supports manufacturing and can sustain a consensus. But the prime minister’s refusal to change her red lines, her refusal even to consider a customs union, and her determination to pander only to the hardline European Research Group within her own party make me deeply worried. The votes last week show that the ERG will not be satisfied with any sensible plan. Its members advocate no-deal, but they won’t be the ones who suffer if food prices go up as a result of WTO tariffs and border delays to food, and they won’t be the ones who are hit if manufacturing jobs are lost.
Tory benefactor John Griffin questions party reliance on rich donors
One of the Conservatives’ most generous donors has criticised the party’s reliance on wealthy benefactors, and has urged the party’s chief executive, Mick Davis, to be “more energetic” and seek £50 gifts from ordinary members...Some of the party’s biggest donors are withholding payments because of concerns over Theresa May’s leadership, the lack of a policy agenda and paralysis over Brexit.
Political Setbacks
MPs told splitting from Labour risks 'decade' of Conservative government
Ex-foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett and Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell tell MPs to stick with the party.
Brexit: Just 13% of 12,000 EU regulations have been transferred to British law
Britain faces having “large gaps” in the law after Brexit after a study found just 13% of EU regulations have been replaced. Experts say it will create “troubling” uncertainty for businesses as they brace themselves for the possibility of no-deal in just over a month. Some 12,000 Brussels rules will have to be examined, edited and ‘retained’ by MPs before Britain leaves the EU at the end of March. To ensure a smooth transition, in either a deal or no-deal situation, the Government will “lift and shift”’ those Regulations which currently apply to the UK into the UK Statute book.
Blow for Theresa May as minister declares he will vote to stop a no-deal Brexit
Tobias Ellwood said quitting the EU in March without an agreement would be “catastrophic for Britain” and that the option needs to be taken off the table “very soon indeed”. The Defence Minister has been a vocal critic of a no-deal outcome, but today became the first frontbencher to openly admit he would be willing to rebel to stop it from happening.
List of Brexit lies: an A to Z
Matt Kelly, Editor of The New European, lists his take on the most widely known Brexit Lies. He explains them in an A-Z format, why they are wrong and how they have been spun.
Arron Banks is back on Twitter, after a three-week absence and he's even more vile than ever. He's boasting about 50,000 Kippers joining the Conservatives purely to wreck your party.
Arron Banks is back on Twitter, after a three-week absence and he's even more vile than ever. He's boasting about 50,000 Kippers joining the Conservatives purely to wreck your party. You're one of the MPs targeted. Brandon Lewis must act, but he's AWOL. #PurpleWave
Labour failing to cash in on Brexit billionaires
Loyalty to personal wealth is paramount when details of his dirty little secret follow Brexit boss James Dyson switching his HQ from Blighty to Singapore while Tory loaded banker Jacob Rees-Mogg opened a city fund in Dublin to remain within Europe while forcing everyone else to leave. Never has Brexit felt such a plaything for a footloose wealthy elite who incited enough working people to vote for economic suicide in the knowledge first class tickets and private planes await to fly them to safety.
Six pro-Brexit protesters charged after London 'yellow vest' march
Six people have been charged after a number of police officers and emergency workers were attacked at a pro-Brexit yellow vest protest march in London. Footage posted on social media appears to show some activists clashing with officers at the march through Whitehall and Piccadilly on Saturday. Five protesters were charged with assault on an emergency worker, and one was charged with obstructing police.
Jeremy Corbyn accused of ditching Labour's Brexit policy as party delegates turn on leader
Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of betraying the party’s Brexit policy by the delegates who wrote it, as they demand he finally backs a Final Say referendum on Brexit. The delegates from around the country have sent a letter to the Labour leader, directly charging him with failing to implement the plan carefully formed and approved by conference last year. In a stinging rebuke they remind him that he promised “policy will be made by Labour members, not the leader”, but then go on to say, “the complete opposite now appears to be happening”.
Third of Britons believe Islam threatens British way of life, says report
More than a third of people in the UK believe that Islam is a threat to the British way of life, according to a report by the anti-fascist group Hope not Hate. The organisation’s annual “State of Hate” report, which will be launched on Monday, argues that anti-Muslim prejudice has replaced immigration as the key driver of the growth of the far right.
Theresa May’s Brexit unity plea shattered by leaked WhatsApp messages
The Sunday Times received leaked WhatsApp messages revealing that Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the 100-strong European Research Group (ERG), told colleagues that May’s Brexit negotiations with Brussels were a “complete waste of time”. In a message on Friday, Baker said Downing Street and Brussels were pretending to negotiate while “working together to run down the clock to force [May’s] deal through” with few changes.
Billionaire Brexiteer Sir James Ratcliffe 'relocates to Monaco in a bid to save £4bn in tax'
Ratcliffe is chairman of chemicals company Ineos which has turnover of £45bn.
He and two senior execs are reportedly set to benefit from tax avoidance plan.
Monaco, famous for its yacht-lined harbour and casinos, is well-known tax haven
Plan could see Treasury lose out on around £400m and £4bn, should it go ahead.
Jacob Rees-Mogg compares Glasgow's mortality rate with concentration camps on Question Time
Yesterday a prominent Conservative backbencher compared the death rate in Glasgow to mortality figures in concentration camps during the Boer War. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is particularly well known for his pro-Brexit views, used an appearance on BBC Question Time to defend the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill.
During an exchange with Grace Blakeley, a research Fellow on IPPR’s Commission on Economic Justice, Rees-Mogg talked about concentration camps - bringing in Glasgow as a statistical example.
“You would be prepared to be one of the people who will go down in history…
“You would be prepared to be one of the people who will go down in history… How could you possibly, responsibly do that when you know that's a bad thing?” That was the question @krishgm put to Cabinet minister James Brokenshire about leaving the EU without a deal on March 29th.
Brexit abuse forces MPs to move house
Female MPs have been forced to move house and hire bodyguards as tensions over Brexit fuel intimidation and abuse, The Times can reveal. Some MPs have been bullied into changing their position on crucial votes after being targeted by extremists, according to senior figures such as Harriet Harman, the former deputy Labour leader. One female parliamentarian has been advised by police not to travel at night on her own, another has been told not to drive herself and a third has been advised not to run in her local park.
'Cash for access' claims after Tories offer private meetings with Philip Hammond for £25,000 a year
he Conservatives are facing new “cash-for-access” claims after offering business figures private meetings with the Chancellor and other finance ministers in return for substantial donations to the party. Individuals working in the City were being offered membership of a “Chancellor’s Group” that Tories said had the “overt patronage of the Chancellor” and offered the chance to “discuss topical issues” with key finance ministers, go to post-budget briefings and get “monthly updates on the economy.”
Fatcats supplied more than half Tories' £52m donations since 2017
Fatcat donors were behind more than half the £52million given to the Tories since 2017. Analysis by Labour reveals the cash from the secretive Leader’s Group — an elite network of donors who pay £50,000-a-year to dine with top Tory ministers.
The billionaires, business tycoons and hedge fund bosses have access to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers such as Chancellor Philip Hammond, as well as leadership contenders Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid. Of those dining with Tory ministers, super-rich donors working in finance donated £9.1million to the party.
Labour’s Michael Dugher quits the party after 28 years over Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to tackle anti-Semitism
A senior Labour figure once tipped for high office is quitting the party over Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to tackle anti-Semitism. Michael Dugher, 43, admits he has been close to tears watching colleagues abused by the hard-Left hate mob.
Billboards ‘exposing politicians’ lies and hypocrisy’ over leaving the EU are appearing all over the UK
Billboards ‘exposing politicians’ lies and hypocrisy’ over leaving the EU are appearing all over the UK. The billboards are the brainchild of Led By Donkeys, four men who want to ‘highlight the hypocrisy of our politicians on Brexit’. The posters share direct quotes from politicians including, Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Theresa May and David Cameron, in the form of Tweets.
Len McCluskey: Remainers need to calm down and back Corbyn
Unite General Secretary argues that Jeremy Corbyn has been rock-like and statesman in his consistency of 'accepting the 2016 Brexit result' and that everyone else should be too.
Labour and Tory MPs in talks over setting up new centrist party
Intense discussions are taking place at Westminster that could lead to the emergence of a new centrist party consisting of six or more disaffected anti-Brexit Labour MPs along with the involvement of some Conservatives and the backing of the Liberal Democrats.
Brexit news latest: Eight Cabinet ministers signal they're ready to quit over no deal
Up to eight Cabinet ministers are indicating they will resign if Theresa May lets Britain crash out of the European Union without a deal, the Standard has learned.
Some say they will quit unless the Prime Minister takes action by the end of this month to prevent a no-deal Brexit by backing an extension to Article 50. Senior MPs said Mrs May was running out of time to paper over the cracks and predicted a “High Noon” on February 27 when MPs are due to stage key Brexit votes, including on postponing the March 29 deadline.
Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe blasts EU over ‘stupid’ taxes
In an open letter to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Sir Jim warned Europe is “no longer competitive” as a result of its strict energy and labour laws, which he claims are the most expensive in the world. He added the EU is “scaring away investment with heavy green taxes”, with Europe’s share of the world chemical market having halved to just 15% in the last 10 years.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK lorries and planes WILL be allowed into Europe after a no deal Brexit
British lorries and planes will be allowed into Europe even if there is a no deal Brexit, newly published contingency plans from Brussels have revealed. The EU Council said 'basic' air and road links would be maintained for at least several months to avoid a catastrophic collapse in ties after exit day on March 29.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 19th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Honda announced plans to shut its Swindon factory in 2022 putting 3,500 jobs at risk
- Birds Eye`s Wayne Hudson said a disorderly Brexit could lead to a 20% rise in food prices
- Travellers with booked flights could be hit with a Brexit surcharge in the event of No Deal
- EY is shifting its HQ from the UK to Brussels
- Without an equivalency trading deal, the government No Deal stance means organic food exports to the EU are dead in the water
- Investment firms are telling British colleagues that to be able to pitch M&A deals to EU businesses they`ll need EU-based chaperones
- Mercedes boss Toto Wolff sees imminent chaos for Formula One teams in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- Germany is questioning whether it will extradite its citizens to the UK in the event of a No Deal, as the current European Arrest Warrant lapses
- A Parliamentary report on Fake news slammed Facebook for its actions in facilitating misuse of personal data, infringements of personal privacy and inadvertently aiding bad actors in attempts to subvert democratic institutions and processes
- Tories Sarah Wollaston and Sir Alan Duncan are now also facing deselection meetings from Eurosceptic hardliners
- The breakaway group of seven Labour rebels announced the formation of a new independent group in Parliament
- A Tory minister and four Tory MPs are said to be actively considering joining the rebel group of seven former Labour MPs
- Irish minister Simon Coveney confirmed there would be no keyhole surgery on the UK withdrawal agreement at the expenses of the Irish backstop
- UK-Japan trade talks almost, stalled before they started, as the UK issued a tersely worded letter that the Japanese found patronising
Jobs at Risk
‘Shattering body blow’ as Honda plans to close Swindon factory
Honda is planning to close its factory in Swindon, dealing what trade unions called a “shattering body blow” to the UK automotive sector, which is already wrestling with the effects of Brexit-related uncertainty. The Japanese carmaker is expected to announce as early as Tuesday that it is planning to shut its Swindon plant in 2022, in a move that would put 3,500 jobs at its only European production site at risk and threaten many more in its supply chain.
Honda: Is Japan losing faith in the UK?
Since the referendum, the Japanese government, its UK ambassador and company managements have repeatedly warned about the corrosive effect of Brexit uncertainty and the possibility of losing frictionless trade with the EU. Honda is not alone in pulling investment from the UK. Nissan reversed its decision to build the X-Trail SUV in Sunderland, while Sony and Panasonic moved their European HQs to the EU. In each case, the rationale was slightly different, but many in Japan feel that failure to provide Brexit certainty counts as a broken promise, permitting the loosening of ties that used to bind the two countries.
Workers blame Brexit for demise of Honda's Swindon plant
Honda workers in Swindon expressed their anger and fears for the future on Monday over the expected closure of the plant, blaming Brexit for a loss that they said would send shockwaves through the town. After news broke of the likely closure in 2022, with the loss of 3,500 jobs, one worker leaving the plant said the atmosphere inside was “clearly not very happy”. The man, who like most workers absorbing the news did not wish to be named, has been with the company for 24 years. He blamed Brexit for the car giant’s decision. He said he had voted remain in the EU referendum and condemned the local Conservative MP Justin Tomlinson for campaigning for Brexit.
Blame Brexit? UK faces threat of 8,000 lost car manufacturing jobs
Oxford professor Matthias Holweg, who specialises in manufacturing and operations management, told Yahoo Finance UK earlier this month that the industry could see “death by a thousand cuts.” “The real danger is, in the long run, we’re going to see ‘death by a thousand cuts’ and the industry becomes, essentially smaller and smaller, and thereby loses scale and competitiveness,” Holweg warned. “It’s an immediate, logical consequence of the continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit.” The British car industry directly employs roughly 186,000 people in the UK, with a total of 856,000 jobs dependent on the sector, according to recent SMMT data.
Brexit: Thousands of UK financial jobs secured after EU regulator recognises London clearing houses
A vital part of the City of London supporting tens of thousands of jobs has been spared the worst effects of a cliff-edge Brexit after European regulators recognised clearing houses, which process trillions of pounds worth of transactions each year.
Economic Impact
Brexit donor Odey renews sterling 'short' position, does not see hard Brexit
British hedge fund manager and Brexit supporter Crispin Odey said on Monday he was again positioning for sterling to weaken, calling the currency "mortally damaged". "The market is basically believing we won't have a hard Brexit and I think they're probably right....The truth is there will either be a delay or (Prime Minister Theresa May) will get her way," Odey told Reuters,
Administrative Fall Out
A digital gangster destroying democracy: the damning verdict on Facebook
Facebook is an out-of-control train wreck that is destroying democracy and must be brought under control. The final report of parliament’s inquiry into fake news and disinformation does not use this language, precisely, but it is, nonetheless, the report’s central message. And the language it does use is no less damning. Facebook behaves like a “digital gangster”. It considers itself to be “ahead of and beyond the law”. It “misled” parliament. It gave statements that were “not true”. Its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, has treated British lawmakers with “contempt”. It has pursued a “deliberate” strategy to deceive parliament.
Key points from parliamentary inquiry into disinformation
The UK government should define digital political campaigning and online political advertising and reform electoral law, which is described as “unfit for purpose”, to make the sources of online political adverts clear. It specifically cites the case of Mainstream Network, a pro-Brexit campaign run by unknown individuals that spent £257,000 over 2018 promoting dozens of adverts targeted at specific constituents, encouraging them to write to their MP criticising Theresa May’s Chequers proposal. It complains that Facebook promised answers as to who was behind the campaign, but has thus far failed to provide them.
London bankers will need 'chaperones' for EU clients
Investment banks have warned merger and acquisition teams in Britain they cannot pitch business to clients in the European Union if there is a no-deal Brexit without an EU "chaperone" sitting in on their meeting. This is according to sources familiar with the matter. Banks including Nomura and Credit Suisse have told dealmakers in London that in a no-deal Brexit scenario they would have to loop in EU colleagues when talking to customers in continental Europe about specific advisory work and regulated products like loans or bonds. Even cold-calling of company executives to pitch for new business out of London could raise eyebrows among EU regulators if Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, the sources said.
City relief as EU gives no-deal green light for clearing houses
Europe stepped up preparations for a no-deal Brexit on Monday after giving key parts of the City of London temporary access to EU customers in the event of a cliff-edge departure. The European Securities and Markets Authority, the EU financial regulator, has granted three UK-based clearing houses — LCH, ICE Clear Europe and LME Clear — licences to carry on doing business with European-based customers over the next 12 months even if politicians fail to strike an agreement.
Honda closure may not be about Brexit, but it is about Brexports
Honda production is returning to Japan for the same reason Nissan production is returning, and Dyson production is heading to Singapore: these countries have new free trade deals with the EU. Japan’s deal will slash tariffs on cars exported to the EU from 10 per cent to zero by 2027. Politicians knew Japanese carmakers were in talks to make tariff-free EU trade possible but did absolutely nothing to counter it
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff says no-deal Brexit could cause 'mother of all messes' for Formula One
With only 38 days until Brexit, Toto Wolff, team principal of reigning five-time world champions Mercedes, has predicted that a no-deal scenario could create the “mother of all messes” for Formula One. While Wolff stopped short of suggesting that Mercedes had any contingencies to abandon the UK, he signalled that a crisis was mounting.
Fleets reminded of no deal Brexit driving licence implications
Fleets are being reminded that drivers may need an international driving permit (IDP) if they are going to drive abroad in the event of a no deal Brexit on March 29.
Currently, drivers can use their Great Britain or Northern Ireland in all EU or European Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland, but may need an international driving permit (IDP) to drive outside the EU or EEA. However, the DVLA says if the UK leaves the UK without a deal, people might need an IDP to drive in all EU and EEA countries, apart from Ireland.
‘We’re going back in time’: Brexit and the customs broker
When the Revenue Commissioners warned last month that the number of customs declaration forms filed a year could surge from almost 1.7 million to 20 million after the UK leaves the European Union, O’Hare was listening. He and brokers like him will, for the most part, be the ones helping traders to prepare the declarations. “I can see huge problems if it comes to a cliff-edge Brexit,” says O’Hare, whose Dundalk-based office is located just 6km (3.7miles) south of the Border.
'A bit messy on the other side': Dutch economy braces for Brexit shockwave
The Dutch government says it's been in talks with 250 foreign firms considering moving or expanding operations into the Netherlands in the wake of Brexit. At least 42 made the move in 2018, according to figures recently published by a Dutch foreign investment organization. The European Medicines Agency is in the process of relocating from London to Amsterdam. Electronics giants Sony and Panasonic have announced plans to move their European hubs from Britain to the Netherlands.
Commission adopts 'no-deal' Brexit contingency measures for rail
The European Commission has adopted proposals designed to help avoid major disruption to cross-border rail services between the UK and the European Union in the event of a ‘no deal’ Brexit. The Commission is working with the European Parliament and Council to ensure the legislative measures can be in force ready for when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU on March 29/30. The proposals would ensure that safety authorisations for certain rail infrastructure, in particular the Channel Tunnel, can remain valid for a ‘strictly limited’ period of three months ‘to allow long-term solutions in line with EU law to be put in place’. This would be conditional on the UK maintaining safety standards identical to EU requirements, which the UK has already said it intends to do.
New Cross Hospital chiefs draw up plans for 'no deal' Brexit
Talks are under way to ensure there are no disruptions to supplies of medicines and vaccines if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal next month. The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, which runs New Cross Hospital in the city, said there were three suppliers considered to be “high risk”. But health bosses said they were not likely to stockpile medicine, on guidance from the Department of Health.
Brexit: Food prices to rise up to 20% ‘virtually instantaneously’ after leaving EU, warns Birds Eye boss
Fans of fish fingers could see the prices of their favourite food shoot up "virtually instantaneously” should Britain crash out of the EU without a deal, the head of Birds Eye in the UK has warned. The frozen food specialist's managing director for the UK and Ireland, Wayne Hudson, said many food products would be affected by a disorderly Brexit.
Manufacturers would have to pass tariffs of up to 20 per cent on to retailers, who would themselves have to decide how much of the extra cost to pass on to shoppers, he cautioned.
Brexit: Will Britons living in the EU still get healthcare?
"We are in a situation now where many of our fellow-citizens living in Spain or France do not know in just over 40 days time whether they will have any health cover," Sarah Wollaston, the Conservative chair of the House of Commons health select committee told BBC News. We'll look at the situation in those two countries and Ireland. There is considerable uncertainty about what would happen if there is no deal but the government says it is in "close discussions" with EU member states and will do all it can to ensure patients can continue to access healthcare, whatever the outcome.
Chemicals companies shift to EU regulation in no-deal survival plan
The threat of a no-deal Brexit has prompted more than 50 chemicals companies to move regulatory approvals from the UK to the EU. The companies, which have operations in the UK, have applied to use European Union regulators for critical authorisations to protect their ability to do business legally. Their current authorisations will become worthless if there is no transition arrangement following 29 March, the planned date of Brexit, according to data provided to the Guardian by the European Commission.
Brexit: Violence if hard Irish border returns report claims
There would be a return to violence in Northern Ireland if there was a hard Irish border due to a no-deal Brexit or a rushed border poll, claims a report. The new research was conducted by Irish Senator Mark Daly in conjunction with two UNESCO chairmen. Mr Daly said the report "highlights the responsibility of the UK government to stand by the backstop". Both the EU and the UK government have said they are committed to avoiding the return of a hard border after Brexit.
What are Brexit contingency plans for aerospace and defence?
The British aerospace sector is bracing for a no-deal Brexit, which it estimates could mean billions of pounds in extra costs. The impact on some goods could equate to 38% of their sale value, according to one no-deal Brexit scenario modelled by ADS, a lobby group for the aerospace and defence sectors. The group estimates that new customs checks alone will cost an extra £1.5bn per year. While tariffs are less of an issue for the sector, as most finished aerospace parts are not caught by the levies, import VAT and tariffs on generic parts and raw materials could still add significant costs.
Inside the London tech scene's frantic plan to stop Brexit
The Tech For UK crowd is mostly comprised of startup founders, developers, recruiters, marketing experts, social media strategists. They might have joined out of simple pro-EU sentiments, and/or out of worry for Brexit’s impact not only on their lives, but on their livelihoods and businesses. They have seen how VCs stopped liking the UK; they are fretting about European innovation grants drying up, or European tech workers talk about moving somewhere else; some of them, of course, are European citizens themselves. Dismayed by the fatalistic comportment of official trade organisations, these people eventually congealed into an unofficial pro-Remain guerrilla operation, determined to use their skills to make the Brexit train stall before it goes flying over the white cliffs of Dover. As Butcher puts it, this is an exercise in “civic technology.”
Brexit news: Travellers with booked flights could be hit with ‘Brexit surcharge’
Brexit is proving a headache for travellers, with ongoing negotiations and political uncertainty prompting huge confusion prior to the UK’s departure from the EU on March 29. A new warning has now been issued by experts for those who have already organised and stumped up the cash for their post-Brexit break.
Maintain EU electrical safety standards after Brexit, ministers urged
The government is being urged to prevent consumer safety standards from slipping after Brexit, to avoid putting lives at risk from the growing number of potentially dangerous counterfeit electrical goods coming into the UK. As the country edges closer to leaving the EU, the charity Electrical Safety First (ESF) wants the government to prioritise consumer safety and protection, regardless of the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, which could be the UK crashing out without a deal.
Britons stockpiling euros as Brexit day draws nearer
Britons have been stockpiling euros as the UK’s departure from the European Union draws nearer, new figures suggest. Sales of euros have been up on the previous year for each of November, December and January. While the numbers show British appetites for holidays on the continent have not been diminished by Brexit, they could also illustrate fears the pound could slump if the UK crashes out without a deal on 29 March. Post Office Travel Money, which handles one in four of all foreign exchange transactions, said there had been “strong demand” for euros in recent months.
Airbus warns of ‘catastrophic’ no-deal Brexit
A top Airbus executive warned today that a no-deal Brexit would be "catastrophic" for the industry, adding that the company has already spent tens of millions of euros preparing for such a scenario. “There is no such thing as a managed ‘no deal,’ it’s absolutely catastrophic for us,” Airbus' Senior Vice President Katherine Bennett told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. “Some difficult decisions will have to be made if there’s no deal ... We will have to look at future investments," she added.
EY Europe abandons London for Brussels before Brexit
Big Four firm EY has announced that it is shifting its legal entity from London to Brussels, ahead of Britain’s exit from the European Union. The move will bring the entity in line with continental auditing rules, while shielding it from changes in the recognition of professional qualifications between the UK and EU.
Firms urged to step up Brexit plans as concerns mount
Brexit pressure is starting to grow on small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) here, new research has found, with two out of every five saying they are concerned about the issue. According to the latest InterTrade Ireland Business Monitor covering the fourth quarter of last year, rising costs are also a worry for a third of Irish SMEs. As the economy approaches full employment, attracting and recruiting the right employees remains an ongoing problem for smaller firms with more than ten staff, with one in every five saying it is a struggle.
The Government has just admitted organic food exports are DEAD after a no deal Brexit
The Government has just admitted organic food exports are DEAD after a no deal Brexit: "Unless an equivalency deal is reached with the EU, or your UK control body is recognised by the EU, you will not be able to export organic food or feed to the EU."
UK manufacturers warn of 'catastrophic' no-deal Brexit
Britain faces the “catastrophic prospect” of a no-deal Brexit next month due to the selfishness of some politicians and chaotic parliamentary proceedings, the head of the country’s main manufacturing association said on Tuesday. The strong warning from Make UK, previously known as the EEF, comes as Japanese carmaker Honda is expected to say it is preparing to shut its main UK plant with a loss of 3,500 jobs. Nissan earlier this month canceled plans to build its X-Trail sport utility vehicle in Britain, mostly blaming “business reasons” but also citing Brexit uncertainty.
Berlin warns it will stop extradition of Germans to UK after Brexit
Under its constitution, Germany has strict limits to the extradition of its nationals. The only potential exceptions permitted are for requests from other EU countries, which are made via the European Arrest Warrant, or to an international court. This means Berlin will reject any British requests to arrest German nationals after Brexit, even if a planned 21-month transition period comes into force. During the transition period — an integral part of Theresa May’s deal with Brussels that can be extended to the end of 2022 — the UK would still apply EU law in full and stay under European Court of Justice jurisdiction.
Political Shenanigans
No 'key-hole surgery' on Withdrawal Agreement - Coveney
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said Ireland is ruling out any "key-hole surgery" on the Withdrawal Agreement and that the Irish Government would reject any unilateral exit clause or expiry date to the Irish backstop. He added that Ireland would not be "steamrolled" as the Brexit process nears a potential no-deal scenario at the end of March...
https://www.rte.ie/news/2019/0218/1031193-brexit-barclay-brussels/
Additional sources: (The Guardian)
Additional sources: (The Guardian)
Theresa May must investigate 'foreign influence and voter manipulation' in Brexit vote, say MPs
Theresa May must launch an independent investigation into “foreign influence and voter manipulation” in the Brexit vote, a committee of MPs says today, amid growing evidence of lawbreaking by Leave campaigners. A highly critical report – which warns “democracy is at risk” from rogue practices on social media – turns its fire on the prime minister for the failure to probe their effect on the referendum result.
No wide-ranging investigation has taken place, despite the main Vote Leave campaign, fronted by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, being found by the Electoral Commission to have broken the law.
Michael Gove vows to uphold food standards after Brexit
The environment secretary, Michael Gove, is to pledge that British food standards will not be lowered “in pursuit of trade deals”. In an address to the National Farmers’ Union annual conference on Tuesday he is expected to also vow to minimise the risk that food producers will be left at “competitive disadvantage” in the face of cheaper imports that are below EU standards. His words follow a recent warning from senior figures in the US that if the UK chooses after Brexit to adhere to EU regulations, which ban chlorinated chicken and hormone-fed beef, then trade talks will be difficult.
Can a general election be a way out of the Brexit conundrum?
Prime Minister Theresa May is lacking authority and credibility, unable to listen or lead. Indeed, having led the first government to be found in contempt of parliament, May now finds herself in contempt of the people: is her intransigence paralysing the country, the economy, the political system the country and its economy perhaps for years to come. Now the endgame threatens the preservation not simply of the British government, but of modern Britain. The Brexit process revealed the weakness of Westminster’s insular politics. The UK Parliament is seemingly incapable of running a modern economy and society. Westminster’s politics are becoming more not less dysfunctional. Whether a general election could provide a way out of this mess, hangs in the balance.
More EU-UK Brexit talks set after Cox sets out backstop changes
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said on Monday he would hold more talks with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier at mid-week after British Attorney General Geoffrey Cox sets out proposed amendments to the tricky Irish border backstop.
‘We are in God’s hands’ Juncker says of Brexit
“If you are asking for how long the withdrawal can be postponed, I have no timeframe in mind. With Brexit so many timetables have already gone by the wayside.” “But I find it hard to imagine that British voters would again vote in the European elections. That to my mind would be an irony of history. Yet I cannot rule it out.” (Jean-Claude Juncker)
Brexit won't necessarily lead to an EU army
There is no consensus on what constitutes a European army. It remains ambiguous whether it would be a centralized institution operating like traditional armed forces, or a looser integration of European military personnel. European nations would have to forego an unprecedented level of autonomy, something which they have rejected once before. With most EU members also being members of NATO, a European Army may find it difficult to attain enough funding to justify its existence, especially if states are considering their defense spending alongside NATO's security contributions.
Brexit: 'More and more people are trying to stop it,' says MP
"More and more people are trying to stop Brexit" and ensure the UK stays in the EU, a Welsh MP has said. David Jones said those calling for a second referendum or more negotiating time had no plan for leaving. The Tory MP for Clwyd West, a former Brexit minister, predicted a deal will not be agreed until "a few days" before the UK's departure on 29 March. It comes as Labour's Anna McMorrin said a General Election or final say vote were the only ways to avoid "chaos".
Brexit: Theresa May 'must talk to Labour' - John McDonnell
Theresa May must approach Labour for a "serious discussion" over Brexit by the end of the month, the shadow chancellor has said. John McDonnell told BBC One's Andrew Marr Show that the prime minister can secure parliamentary approval for a deal, but only if she is prepared to negotiate with Labour over its approach.
Tory minister and four Conservative backbench MPs poised to join new Labour splinter group
A Tory minister and four Conservative backbenchers appear poised to defect to the new Independent Group set up by disgruntled Labour MPs, it has been claimed.
Describing the breakaway group as “remarkably sensible people”, the minister told the Telegraph he was prepared to join the new party if the Government presses ahead with a no-deal Brexit.
We’ll back the deal if the people are allowed a final say
This is our compromise: we are prepared to facilitate the passage of the prime minister’s deal through the House of Commons if the deal is put to a confirmatory ballot of the British people. We believe this is the way forward because Brexit started with the people and therefore should end with the people. We are preparing to lay an amendment in parliament to this effect at the appropriate time. There is precedent for our approach. The Good Friday agreement was enacted automatically after a ballot of the electorate on both sides of the Irish border. The people decided with the facts before them. The same with the 2011 AV referendum on the proposed changes to the electoral system. Again, the people had the facts before them. Both pieces of legislation meant there was no need for a return to parliament. And no third, fourth or fifth referendum. Our approach confines the theory of “neverendum” to the bin.
What’s the Plan for Brexit? There Is No Plan
The way the process has been going, counting on a reasonable vote at the last minute is seriously tempting disaster. There are several sites already displaying a countdown to Brexit, and their message seems to be that the 11th hour has struck, and getting an extension now might not be the worst idea.
Political Setbacks
Labour breakaway’s Brexit impact
All seven are supporters of a second referendum and frustration with leader Jeremy Corbyn’s reluctance to take that path contributed to their decision to leave.
And while it would be wrong to see the split as a solely Brexit-driven event (anger at anti-Semitism in Labour ranks and wider political and ideological differences with Corbyn also played their part) the timing, 39 days before the day the U.K. is scheduled to leave, means that Brexit will utterly dominate the agenda of this new parliamentary group.
Nigel Farage’s 'purple Momentum' gaining strength as MORE Tory MPs face DESELECTION
Arron Banks, the former Ukip donor behind the campaign, said: “In the coming weeks these new members will have a direct say in adoption of these MPs or not - stop Brexit and we will do everything to stop you, now or at the next General Election.”
UK Government accused of ‘feckless and reckless’ approach to Brexit
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was urged to take no deal off the table by Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary, as the pair attended a public question-and-answer session in Edinburgh on Monday. Mr Ewing told an audience at the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) headquarters: “Unless we take a no deal off the table there will be irreparable harm, particularly to our sheep, our lamb sector that is so reliant on exports to the EU that a collapse in the lamb price would be an inevitable consequence.”
If we strike a decent Brexit deal, it will be DESPITE Theresa May’s botched negotiations
It will show the unnecessary crisis engulfing Britain as we stumble unprepared towards a No Deal Brexit was entirely made in Downing Street. It was created by a stubborn, inflexible Remainer who ignored the clearly stated instructions of the British people — especially those in her own party — to leave the European Union. This failure of imagination is characteristic of a leader who defied advice, triggered Brexit without a plan and lost her majority in a catastrophic snap election along the way. Now she wants to revive her universally detested Chequers deal — famously branded “a polished turd” by Boris Johnson — and ram it down the throats of Brexiteers.
Brexit: Labour will only back a fresh referendum ‘in extremis’, John McDonnell says
Labour will only back a fresh Brexit referendum “in extremis” and is determined to “get a deal done”, John McDonnell says. The shadow chancellor cooled hopes that Jeremy Corbyn is moving towards backing another public vote, stating it was still “not the best option”. “Let’s get a deal done – that’s the most important thing for me,” Mr McDonnell told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. Insisting Labour would continue to push its softer Brexit plan – despite Theresa May rejecting it – he added: “You would only go back to the people in extremis if can’t get a deal agreed through parliament.
UK Government accused of ‘feckless and reckless’ approach to Brexit
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was urged to take no deal off the table by Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary, as the pair attended a public question-and-answer session in Edinburgh on Monday. Mr Ewing told an audience at the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) headquarters: “Unless we take a no deal off the table there will be irreparable harm, particularly to our sheep, our lamb sector that is so reliant on exports to the EU that a collapse in the lamb price would be an inevitable consequence.”
Derek Hatton has been allowed back into Labour - 34 years after being kicked out
Derek “Degsy” Hatton has been allowed back into Labour - 34 years after being kicked out for belonging to the hard-left Militant faction. The former deputy leader of Liverpool’s City Council triggered a national outcry in the 1980s by setting an illegal budget and was blasted for sending redundancy notices by taxi to thousands of council workers. However, the Mirror understands his membership was rubber-stamped last week following a meeting of the party’s disputes panel, which is overseen by its ruling national executive committee.
You get the heroes you deserve. And Brexit Britain has Gavin Williamson
Keen to turn back the clock to the days when Britain’s men in uniform could brutally quash a native uprising in the morning, appropriate half of India’s wealth in the afternoon and enjoy a G&T or seven in the evening, the man who once kept a pet tarantula in his office to cultivate an air of ruthless cunning has appropriated an image befitting his new role: action man.
MPs blast Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and call for tough regulation to tackle fake news
The DCMS committee has spent months looking into targeted advertising on social media, fake news, disinformation and foreign interference in elections. It has probed the secretive data firms that played a pivotal role in the EU referendum and looked at how their wares have been used to target voters away from the scrutiny of the public eye. In its conclusions it called for a compulsory code of ethics for tech firms overseen by an independent regulator with the powers to take legal action when rules are breached. It also said electoral laws were “not fit for purpose” and demanded major reform by Government - including over foreign meddling in elections from states like Russia. But it trained its most damning fire on Facebook, which it said “intentionally and knowingly violated both data privacy and anti-competition laws” by handing masses of user information over to app developers.
Britain needs a day of reckoning. Brexit will provide it
Britain’s global profile has diminished its ability to focus on internal nation-building. “The British state is a machine for running and exploring the world,” he said. “It doesn’t work very well when it comes to the business of the modern nation.” It’s a country paralysed, polarised and falling apart, yet deluded about its global status. A humbling must come to pass
UK's Labour urges government to back customs union Brexit plan ahead of Brussels visit
British opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will on Tuesday urge the government to adopt his party’s Brexit plan for a permanent customs union with the European Union, ahead of a visit to Brussels. With just six weeks until Britain is due to leave the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May is yet to win ratification of British lawmakers for her Brexit deal.
@PolHomeEditor Jeremy Corbyn emails Labour MPs urging them to remain united.
Jeremy Corbyn emails Labour MPs urging them to remain united. One says: "This is absolutely incredible. The leadership just don’t get it. Within hours of the 7 leaving they send out this. This is their problem. Cloth eared and making matters worse."
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Japan almost cancelled Brexit talks due to 'high-handed' letter – report
Japanese officials have reportedly accused Jeremy Hunt and Liam Fox of taking a “high-handed” approach towards a post-Brexit free trade deal, and briefly considered cancelling bilateral talks due to take place this week. The Financial Times cited unnamed officials in Tokyo who reacted with dismay to a letter sent on 8 February in which Hunt, the foreign secretary, and Fox, the international trade secretary, insisted that “time is of the essence” in securing a trade deal with Japan, the world’s third-biggest economy.
UK-Japan trade talks sour after letter from Hunt and Fox
Relations with Japan have soured as a result of a letter from the UK foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt and international trade secretary Liam Fox which told their Japanese counterparts that “time is of the essence” and said flexibility would be required on both sides. Although UK officials insisted that the letter, sent on February 8, had been couched in standard diplomatic language, Japanese officials believe that it reflected an increasingly high-handed approach from the British side. In response, officials in Tokyo briefly considered cancelling a round of trade talks this week.
Theresa May sets course for Brexit disaster
The emergency sirens are whirring for a no-deal Brexit — only this time it’s not a drill. In European capitals there is now mounting alarm that Theresa May has set Britain on course for a diplomatic disaster, by fundamentally misjudging how far EU leaders are prepared to bend at the last minute in their summit just a week before Britain’s EU departure date.
Brexit negotiatiors settle for legal concessions ahead of EU showdown
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney-General Geoffrey Cox will present EU officials with a “legal way forward” that aims to calm the nerves of Brexiteers over the controversial Irish backstop. Mr Cox will aim to secure fresh legal text that allows him to reverse his previous warnings that Britain could be locked in an indefinite custom union backstop by the EU. In a move that will enrage Brexiteers, Theresa May’s new-look negotiation team will sideline the hunt for “alternative arrangements” in favour of legal assurances.
Another deal signed! Liam Fox secures trade with Israel - 'An important step'
The continuity agreement with Israel effectively rolls over the current trading terms the UK has as a member of the EU with the country. The deal will protect trade worth £4 billion between the two countries, according to the Department for International Trade.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 21st Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- A no deal Brexit will cut GDP by 7% cause a rise in unemployment by up to 100,000 and hit the value of the pound, a report from the Scottish government`s chief economic advisor will say later today
- Ireland is alarmed by Michael Gove`s plans to put tariffs on food to protect UK farmers from imports and considering asking Brussels for an emergency funding package
- UK Retail Consortium groups issued a statement saying a no deal Brexit would badly hit the availability of goods and force up prices to consumers
- Companies seeking to carry on trading as before with UK customers are rushing to get official trading permit clearance from UK authorities
- Three Conservative MPs (Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston) quit the Conservative Party accusing it of being hollowed out by Far Right extremists
- Tory Peer Baroness Altmann is considering leaving the Tory Party and joining the Independent Group
- European officials were said to be mystified by UK red top press reports that Theresa May was on the edge of a Brexit in her withdrawal talks with the EU, as they insist this is not so
- Labour MP Joan Ryan joined the Independent Group blaming a culture of anti-semitism and Jeremy Corbyn`s stance on Brexit as her main reasons
- openDemocracy reveals anonymous Dark Money is pouring into social media ads, all designed to target MPs to push them towards voting for a No Deal Brexit
- Theresa May is said to have been told, by a group of her own Cabinet ministers, that she must rule out a No Deal Brexit or they will resign en masse with around 20 MPs joining them to vote for the forthcoming Cooper-Letwin amendment to extend Article 50
- UK government new trade treaty plans include the dreaded Investor-State Dispute Settlement clause, which allows companies to sue governments in a semi-secret setting - potentially costing the taxpayer millions in each dispute if the government loses
Jobs at Risk
Honda decision stokes anger in Brexit-voting Swindon
“We pay them to sit in parliament to make the right decision for the future of the country. It is a shame we can’t fire them too,” said Rob, a supplier to the Honda plant, as he drove out of the plant digesting Tuesday’s news. The Brussels-Tokyo deal will allow Japanese carmakers to export into the EU tariff free by 2027, undermining the rationale for the UK’s small production base, particularly if Britain leaves the bloc without a deal.
Brexit vote has sent number of EU workers in Cornwall plummeting
The number of EU citizens coming to Cornwall to work has plummeted since Britain voted to Leave. Figures from the Department for Work and Pensions show that 2,107 European people came from overseas and registered for National Insurance numbers in the year ending September 2018. That’s down from 2,382 registrations in the year ending September 2017, and a drop of 24 per cent from 2,780 in the year ending in September 2016. The situation in Cornwall mirrors the national picture. Across the UK as a whole, there were 619,683 National Insurance number registrations from adults coming from Europe in the year ending to September 2018.
Economic Impact
No deal Brexit ‘could force Scotland into recession this year’
A no-deal Brexit could force the Scottish economy into recession this year, cut GDP by 7 per cent and lead to a surge in unemployment, an official report will warn on Thursday. The value of the pound could also fall by 30 per cent if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 29 March, the document by the Scottish Government‘s chief economic adviser says. “Collectively, the above pressures have the potential to push the Scottish economy into recession during 2019″ Dr Gary Gillespie Dr Gary Gillespie’s report, which models two possible no-deal scenarios, also predicts that disruption to trade could hit Scottish exports by up to 20 per cent. The report warns that business investment in Scotland could fall by £1bn by the end of 2019, with net migration into the country likely to slow significantly and possibly go into reverse. The unemployment rate is also forecast to rise from the current level of 4 per cent to between 5.5 per cent and 8 per cent, the equivalent of up to 100,000 people being made jobless
Brexit risks making North Sea oil ‘less attractive’ to buyers
North Sea oil risks becoming less attractive to foreign buyers if the UK Government fails to secure key trade deals before Brexit, a leading energy business has warned. SK Innovation claimed that Theresa May’s plans risked creating import tariffs, which would reduce the attractiveness of North Sea oil for the global market.
CBI pushing hard for UK and EU to find Brexit compromise
Anna Leach, CBI head of economic intelligence, said: “UK manufacturing activity has moderated at the same time as headwinds from Brexit uncertainty and a weaker global trading environment have grown. “The time for Brexit compromise to support the UK manufacturing industry is now. The clock is ticking quickly towards crisis point. It is of critical importance that politicians of all stripes and on both sides of the channel come to agreement on the terms of a Brexit deal as soon as possible, to allow our manufacturers to continue to create, make and trade their goods with certainty.”
Retailers sound no-deal Brexit warning bell
The leading retail bodies in the UK and Ireland have issued a stark warning on how a no-deal Brexit will affect shoppers. Aodhán Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium; Thomas Burke, director of Retail Ireland; and William Bain, head of EU and international at the British Retail Consortium, have said a no-deal Brexit will squeeze household budgets across Ireland and the UK, and lead to reduced availability of some goods. The retail organisations highlighted how increased tariffs and new regulatory checks would lead to increases in the cost of making goods available to consumers, as well as the cost implications of non-tariff barriers such as checks and delays.
Ireland alarmed by UK’s food tariff plans in no-deal Brexit
Ireland has responded with alarm to UK plans for tariffs and quotas on agri-food imports in a no-deal Brexit, as worries grow about the potentially grave impact on the country’s annual €4.5bn food and drink sales to Britain. Leo Varadkar’s government is facing demands to seek emergency aid from Brussels after Michael Gove, UK environment secretary, said reports that Britain would operate a zero-tariff regime in a no-deal were “not accurate”.
Politicians must stand up for the City of London after Brexit
For financial services, in which the UK has a large surplus, this is bleak, with the Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, reckoning that a free trade agreement would shrink exports to the EU by almost 60 per cent. This means job losses among the 2.2m people employed in the financial and professional services ecosystem, of whom a number live in my constituency of Orpington, and an annual £10bn hit to tax revenues, according to consultants Oliver Wyman.
Why Pound Traders Should Stop Obsessing Over Brexit Day
Investors in the pound may be ignoring the here and now by being too fixated on the March 29 exit deadline from the European Union. While they are rushing to buy options that help guard against wide swings in the currency around the departure date, they are scarcely prepared for volatility before the end of the first quarter. That means they are at risk of having to pay more for protection later or take a hit on profits, should any early political developments fuel outsized sterling fluctuations.
Lloyds bullish over Brexit as £4bn payout to investors unveiled
Lloyds Banking Group has shrugged off growing fears over Brexit as it unveiled a £4bn payout to shareholders, despite reporting smaller-than-expected annual profits. Britain’s biggest high street bank, which operates one out of five of the country’s branches, reported a 24% rise in net profits to £4.4bn for 2018, below the £4.6bn forecast by analysts. Statutory profit before tax was up 13% to £6bn.
Administrative Fall Out
Companies rush for Brexit trade clearance
There has been a surge in the number of companies looking for clearance to trade with Britain after Brexit. Revenue said yesterday that there had been a 300 per cent rise in applications for economic operators registration and identification (EORI) numbers so far in February compared with last month. There were just under 400 applications in January, rising to more than 1,600 in February. A spokesman for Revenue said that this was “basically just companies being proactive for trading with the UK after Brexit”
Brexit 'could risk children's safety', warn commissioners
Children's safety could be put at risk if the UK leaves the EU without proper plans for child protection, the UK's four children's commissioners warn. Child abuse, exploitation, abduction and how family law matters are dealt with if a child has one parent from the EU, are all "immediate issues".
Brexit: Aviva to move £9bn worth of assets to Ireland as it prepares for no-deal outcome
Britain’s second largest insurer has announced it will move £9bn worth of assets to Ireland as it prepares for Brexit. Aviva, which has more than 14.5 million, policyholders has received approval from the High Court in London to transfer €9bn (£7.8bn) to Dublin. It follows approval earlier this month to move £1bn to the Irish capital. The move, which is timed for 10.59pm on 29 March, is designed to deal with the consequences of a no-deal Brexit.
European Medicines Agency loses battle to end UK lease over Brexit
The European Medicines Agency has lost a high court battle to cancel its £500m long-term office lease in London to move to Amsterdam because of Brexit.
Britons may need £52 visa to visit mainland Europe after Brexit
British tourists travelling to continental Europe may need to pay £52 for a visa in a few weeks after Spanish demands over the status of Gibraltar again derailed Brussels’ preparations for Brexit. Agreement on legislation exempting UK nationals from requiring the travel permit is mired in a dispute over whether the British overseas territory should be described as a “colony” in the EU’s statute book.
Retailers warn over no deal Brexit price hikes
Groups representing retailers in Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK have issued a strong warning that a no-deal Brexit will lead to reduced availability of some goods.
The joint statement from the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Retail Ireland and British Retail Consortium also cautions that if Britain crashes out of the EU on 29 March food and drink prices will rise. The organisations say that in the event of a disorderly Brexit increased tariffs of up to 45% and new regulatory checks will result in higher costs to suppliers.
Brexit to make UK more vulnerable to interference from China, report warns
Economic uncertainties after Brexit could make the UK more vulnerable to Chinese interference, with Beijing using a variety of means to infiltrate Britain’s power structures, a leading think-tank has warned. There has been little focus in Britain on how China preys on targeted countries and there is a need for a cohesive programme to counter it, according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, which charts the tactics used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to achieve its aims. The report examines the “concerted strategy” allegedly used by Beijing, ranging from spreading surreptitious technological reach through mega-corporations like Huawei, to the “elite capture” of people in important positions and opinion-formers by the placing of “advisers”
Will I face roaming charges abroad after Brexit?
Roaming charges have, until recently, been one of the most punishing things about going on holiday. And they soon could be again. Brexit has brought back fears that companies could re-introduce roaming fees and force people to pay extortionate amounts as they travel around Europe. Those charges disappeared because of EU rules – and could come back when the UK leaves as a result of a No Deal Brexit
As a ‘No Deal’ Brexit Looms, the Art World Prepares for the Fallout
Some British traders seem unaware of the shock a no-deal Brexit could deliver to the world’s fifth-biggest economy. Andrew Legere, owner of Lantiques, a dealership based in Petworth, southern England, has been buying and selling old French furniture for more than 25 years. “I used to buy a lot of my stock in France, but now I have an established network of British dealers who buy in France for me. I’m anticipating that this should adequately sidestep the obstacle of Brexit,” said Mr. Legere. But wasn’t he aware that from March 29 it will be difficult, if not impossible, for dealers to drive a van over to France and drive it back filled with antiques?
Brexit: What happens to the Erasmus student scheme in a no deal?
If the UK leaves the EU without a deal before the exchanges for the next academic year have been finalised, then the government would need European agreement to keep taking part. That is true for both UK students planning to go to EU countries, and EU nationals hoping to come to the UK. So the government has said that it will negotiate with the European Commission to try to get the 2019-20 programme agreed, but those negotiations cannot start until after the UK leaves. That is why students have been receiving letters saying that the funding of their 2019-20 trips is uncertain. The Department for Education told BBC News that it was "seeking to engage the Commission as soon as possible to seek clarification and discuss further what they are proposing".
Brexit food shortages are not inevitable – keep calm and don’t panic buy
With no Brexit deal in place and March 29 fast approaching, fears are growing that the UK will struggle to maintain supplies of food currently sourced from the EU. A company producing £295 “Brexit boxes” containing freeze-dried food, a water filter and fire-starting gel, recently said it has sold 600, showing that this issue is close to the hearts (and stomachs) of the British public. But, clever marketing tricks aside, it is worth emphasising that doomsday scenario shortages are not inevitable.
Drivers will still have access to satellite navigation systems after Brexit
The EU is in the process of developing its own systems called Galileo and the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS). The UK has been heavily involved with Galileo, which is expected to be fully operational by the mid-2020s, and EGNOS, which is already up and running. We have spent around £1.2billion on the two programmes while UK companies have also provided expertise. When the UK leaves the EU we will no longer be able to take part in any further development, as the EU has said it must only be built by member states. Companies in the UK, which have previously worked on satellite payloads and security systems, will no longer be able to bid for contracts.
EU raids salmon farmers in Scotland in price-fixing inquiry
European commission investigators have raided salmon farming businesses in Scotland and other European countries in an inquiry into suspected price-fixing by Norwegian producers. The anti-cartel investigators raided sales offices owned by Mowi, formerly Marine Harvest, in Rosyth in Fife, a Scottish Sea Farms site and a salmon farm operated by Grieg in Shetland on Tuesday, as well as sites in the Netherlands and other EU member states.
'Fanciful' to say Honda didn't consider Brexit when closing Swindon
Sir David Warren, former British ambassador to Tokyo, says UK-Japan trade and investment ‘held hostage’ by Conservatives’ internal politics. Claims that Brexit had nothing to do with Honda closing its only UK manufacturing plant are “fanciful”, according to a former British ambassador to Japan. The Japanese government has become increasingly vocal in recent weeks about the damage a no-deal Brexit would cause, while a number of big Japanese corporations have announced restructures. The Japanese foreign minister, Taro Kono, said on Tuesday that it was “absolutely necessary” for the UK to avoid crashing out of the European Union without a deal.
Where next for British car manufacturing? -
BBC Newsnight reviews the Honda plant closure decision and then looks back at the history of the UK car manufacturing industry since the 1970s. Confirms Margaret Thatcher's pledge for the UK to remain in the UK common market and improvements in industrial relations were behind the successful rise in car manufacturing right up to 2016
Political Shenanigans
Tory MP Phillip Lee causes an argument on BBC Politics Live show after calling Brexit a ‘turd’
Conservative MP Phillip Lee sparked a row during the BBC Politics Live show on Wednesday after he branded Brexit a “turd” during a heated discussion. The Tory MP for Bracknell was discussing the latest defections of his colleagues Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston to the centrist The Independent Group parliamentary bloc that has taken shape this week. While he said he did not feel it was the time to join them, he took issue with the Conservatives embrace of Brexit since the 2016 vote.
Theresa May must rule out catastrophic no-deal Brexit at all costs
Anybody claiming a no-deal Brexit would be anything other than a catastrophe is either an idiot or a liar. It’s a simple fact that crashing out of the EU without a deal would involve an economic shock that would be devastating for hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. This truth was driven home in a stark parliamentary statement by Scottish Constitutional Relations Secretary Mike Russell yesterday. The SNP minister revealed that official Scottish Government estimates suggest 100,000 jobs would be lost in the aftermath of a no-deal Brexit.
Theresa May fights Remainer rebels as EU departure set to be delayed up to nine months
Cabinet ministers have told Theresa May she must agree to delay Brexit if there is no EU deal to halt their Commons rebellion next week. Four of the PM’s top table confronted her during a No10 meeting on Monday to insist she must take No Deal off the table. Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Greg Clark and David Mundell named a new pledge from Mrs May to extend Article 50 talks as their price not to side with backbench rebels during a new showdown with MPs in seven days time. If the PM refuses, the senior ministers insisted they and 20 other members of the Government would press on with their vow to back Labour MP Yvette Cooper and Tory grandee Sir Oliver Letwin’s plan for Parliament to seize control of the Brexit process.
Could new group reshape political tribes?
Fears over Brexit and the party drifting to the right - and away from relevance - are held far beyond today's "three amigos", but by dozens of MPs privately, including ministers in the government. If, as is likely, more MPs move across, those private pleas to stay in the centre ground have more weight. Like Labour, the Tories have big questions they can't answer at the moment - profound quandaries that it's not clear their leaderships are ready, or perhaps even capable right now of meeting.
Sky Views: If Theresa May won't take no-deal off the table, her MPs will
Ministers and MPs who have doggedly supported Mrs May's Brexit deal, even of they don't like it much either, were furious that this "party within the party" is dictating the terms of Brexit and pushing the country towards a no-deal. Now they are preparing to rise up to act as a counter-weight to their eurosceptic colleagues.
A group of up to 30 government ministers are preparing block a no-deal Brexit.
They are working out how many of them need to resign from government in order to support the Cooper/Letwin amendment that will give parliament the power to take no-deal off the table.
‘My phone is melting’: Tory defectors buoyed by support
The mobile phones of Heidi Allen, Sarah Wollaston and Anna Soubry were “melting” in the 24 hours before their departure.
Brexit: Theresa May says 'time of essence' for backstop deal
Theresa May has said progress has been made in talks about changes to the Brexit deal that could win MPs' backing but admitted "time is of the essence". The PM met the EU's Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels to discuss legally-binding guarantees over the Irish border. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said "small but important" changes to the backstop would allay MPs' concerns it could be trapped in a customs union. But Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the chances of a no-deal exit had risen.
May and Juncker dive into Brexit fine print
The Prime Minister acknowledged the EU’s position and notably the letter sent by President [Donald] Tusk and President Juncker on 14 January.” That letter, to May, stated that the Withdraw Agreement is not renegotiable. "We are not in a position to agree to anything that changes or is inconsistent with the Withdrawal Agreement," the two EU leaders wrote at the time. In their statement, the two leaders said they explored “which guarantees could be given with regard to the backstop that underline once again its temporary nature and give the appropriate legal assurance to both sides” and they “reconfirmed their commitment to avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland and to respect the integrity of the EU’s internal market and of the United Kingdom.
Brexit Accord Is Already Being Hammered Out, Spain Says
"The EU’s position is that the treaty won’t be reopened, but can be interpreted, or complemented with explanations that may be satisfactory," said the minister, who met EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier in Madrid on Tuesday. Josep Borrell was cautious as to whether what’s on offer will be enough for U.K. politicians.
Revealed: How dark money is winning ‘the Brexit influencing game’
Shanker Singham has been a near-constant presence in British media in recent weeks, often dismissing concerns about a no-deal Brexit. And as well as a constant stream of broadcast media invites for a man who refuses to reveal his paymasters, Singham has enjoyed “extraordinary” access to government ministers including Michael Gove and Boris Johnson. Earlier this month, Singham attended a meeting at the Cabinet Office between senior ERG figures, Brexit secretary Steve Barclay and officials “from all arms of government” to discuss “alternative arrangements” for the Irish backstop. Theresa May was said to be “clearly taking this exercise seriously”. Between them, influential, dark-money-funded lobbyists like Singham and pro-Brexit MPs have sought to play down fears about Brexit, and particularly a no-deal departure from the EU. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of pounds of dark money has poured into social media ads warning MPs not to “steal Brexit” and promoting the UK leaving the EU on WTO rules.
Theresa May told to delay Brexit if there’s No Deal to halt Commons rebellion
Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Greg Clark and David Mundell named a new pledge from Mrs May to extend Article 50 talks as their price not to side with backbench rebels during a new showdown with MPs in seven days time. If the PM refuses, the senior ministers insisted they and 20 other members of the Government would press on with their vow to back Labour MP Yvette Cooper and Tory grandee Sir Oliver Letwin’s plan for Parliament to seize control of the Brexit process.
Risk of no-deal Brexit has risen - Home Secretary Sajid Javid
Home Secretary Sajid Javid said on Wednesday that the risk of a no-deal Brexit has risen and that the option could not be taken off the table. "It is not possible" to rule out a no-deal Brexit, Javid told ITV in an interview
The Independent Group: Ex-Tory MP says 'hardline, right-wing, awkward squad' has taken over party
An ex-Tory MP who left the party for a breakaway group has said that the battle for the Conservative Party was “over” because hard-right Brexit extremists have won.
Anna Soubry, a former minister, said “the right wing, the hardline anti-EU awkward squad” was running the party from top to bottom. Speaking hours after she announced her resignation from the Conservatives alongside Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston, the Broxtowe MP also launched a scathing attack on Theresa May, saying she had failed to reach out to moderate Tory MPs.
Brexit: Theresa May says 'time of essence' for backstop deal
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said "small but important" changes to the backstop would allay MPs' concerns it could be trapped in a customs union. But Home Secretary Sajid Javid said the chances of a no-deal exit had risen. Speaking on ITV's Peston show, to be broadcast later on Wednesday, Mr Javid said it was "fair to say that in the past few weeks the probability of a no-deal Brexit has gone up".
@IanDunt There's an amendment secretly doing the rounds which would force the government to try & protect Brits' rights in Europe in the event of no-deal - and it looks set to succeed
Bit of breaking news here. There's an amendment secretly doing the rounds which would force the government to try & protect Brits' rights in Europe in the event of no-deal - and it looks set to succeed
Last-gasp gambit: Smart new amendment to May deal protects Brits in Europe
A smart new amendment looking to guarantee citizens' rights even in the event of no-deal is doing the rounds in Westminster. It's picking up support from across the Tory party - from ERG types to the moderate wing, making it highly likely to pass. It's a skillful bit of legislative footwork. The amendment will be put down by Tory MP Alberto Costa. It's designed to be attached to Theresa May's motion on her deal during the meaningful vote on February 26th. It reads like this: "This House considers the prime minister's statement of 26th February and requires the prime Minister to seek at the earliest opportunity a joint UK-EU commitment to adopt part two of the withdrawal agreement on citizens rights and ensure its implementation prior to the UK’s exiting the European Union, whatever the outcome of negotiations on other aspects of the withdrawal agreement."
@VinceCable We will hold out the hand of friendship to the independent MPs with whom we already have a good working relationship.
We will hold out the hand of friendship to the independent MPs with whom we already have a good working relationship. In the short term we must focus on securing a People's Vote, with an option to stay in the EU.
Conservative split as rebels denounce grip of hardline Brexiters
Three Conservative MPs who resigned to join a new independent group on Wednesday said Theresa May had allowed their former party to fall prey to hardline Brexiters and declared that the Tory modernising project had been destroyed. In the latest evidence that Brexit is reshaping the political landscape, Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston, all outspoken critics of May’s stance on Europe, said the Conservative party as they had known it under David Cameron was dead.
Political Setbacks
Brexit became inevitable while we were all looking the other way
When historians come to write the story of Brexit, where will their account begin? The year it all started to go wrong for David Cameron was 2012 - first Greece teetered on default and the EU took a highly publicized austerity stance. This threw the Euro into crisis and in turn the political project went into the mixer
Tories pushed close to breaking point after three Brexit-hating MPs defect and join Independent Group
Theresa May’s Tory party was pushed close to breaking point on Wednesday as three prominent MPs walked out to join the new Independent Group. Former Cabinet minister Anna Soubry, Commons Health Committee chair Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen stunned Westminster with the defection.
Theresa May trolled in Brussels by anti-Brexit group
Just over 3 kilometers away from the Commission's Berlaymont building, a giant electronic billboard in Brussels' Place De Brouckère shows one of May's tweets from April 2016. It says: "I believe it is clearly in our national interest to remain a member of the European Union." The billboard is the work of Led By Donkeys, an anti-Brexit group that posts, according to its Twitter bio, "the Brexit predictions of our leaders, rendered as tweets then put on massive billboards."
Brexit: Great UK expectations meet EU reality
Downing Street expects a revised Brexit deal in the offing, possibly ready for the House of Commons to vote on early next week. EU chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, is still talking about a "worrying political impasse". Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, says he expects no breakthrough during his meeting with Mrs May - but that is polite language compared to what I'm hearing behind the scenes.
May met Ineos chair for off-roader talks as tax row loomed
The Sunday Times reported that Sir Jim and two of his fellow Ineos shareholders had been working on a restructuring of the company to enable them to reduce their tax bills by huge sums of money - potentially running into billions of pounds. Britain's largest private company, Ineos redomiciled to Switzerland following a row over its VAT liabilities, but returned to the UK in 2016.
Tory peer Baroness Altmann threatens to join Independent Group over no-deal Brexit
Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann said she felt “disillusioned with the Ukip-isation of the Tory party” before declaring she would happily sign up for a moderate splinter party in the event of a no-deal Brexit. She emotionally warned of the risks of Britain leaving the EU without a deal before adding the Conservatives are being “infiltrated by Ukip”. She told the Daily Telegraph: “I want to cry, I want to weep at what we are doing. “If a group of like-minded Conservatives give up on the Conservative Party because it is intent on taking the UK out of the EU without a deal, then I would consider supporting them.”
Brexit: Former EU ambassador says no-deal 'means hard border'
The UK's former ambassador to the EU has warned there will be a hard border in Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Sir Ivan Rogers was giving evidence to the Lords EU Committee. He said that if a hard Irish border was to be avoided in a no-deal scenario, there would instead have to be a border in the Irish Sea
Conservative MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston quit party in protest at Brexit stance
Three MPs have quit the Conservative Party to join the new Independent Group (TIG) in a major blow to Theresa May's authority. Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston hit out at the Prime Minister's "disastrous" handling of Brexit as they quit
Alex Sobel: Why it is now vital that we extend Article 50 over Brexit
We now stand on the precipice of disaster. And wasn’t it always going to come to this with Theresa May? The Prime Minister chose a course which pleased no one, hiring one arch Brexiteer after another, challenging them to follow through on her promises of free trade unicorns and post-Brexit nirvana, only to see them achieve nothing and resign. She pushed back on any form of cross-party consensus, All this while the clock ticks towards the March 29 deadline. We are where we are. Now is the time for an honest appraisal of the situation facing the country and for grown up, level-headed and practical solutions. It is my contention that the most practical way of dealing with our March deadline, is to extend Article 50.
Royal Navy will not step in to bodyguard British fishermen from ‘aggressive’ French trawlers after Brexit
Royal Navy ships will not be used to protect British fishermen from their French counterparts after Brexit, a defence minister has revealed. The decision was confirmed by armed forces minister Mark Lancaster this week and comes following a series of bizarre clashes between UK and French fisherman last year – dubbed ‘The Scallop Wars’.
David Mundell vows Brexit will strengthen devolution
Leaving the European Union will serve to strengthen devolution within the UK, Scottish Secretary David Mundell is to argue. He will use a speech to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Scottish Parliament to reject claims from the Scottish Government that Brexit will “damage devolution”. The decision to quit the EU has increased tensions between Theresa May’s Westminster Government and Nicola Sturgeon’s Edinburgh administration.
Brexit: Extremists taking over, warns Major
“The Conservative Party membership appears to be ‘hollowing out’ traditional Conservatives, while former Ukip members strengthen the anti-European right of the party,” he said in a speech in Glasgow. “In parliament, the European Research Group (ERG) has become a party within a party, with its own whips, its own funding and its own priorities. Some of its more extreme members have little or no affinity to moderate, pragmatic and tolerant conservatism. “The ERG does not represent a majority view but — with a minority government, as now — can determine policy simply by being intransigent.”
Theresa May fails to get Brexit deal changes discussed with Jean-Claude Juncker
Theresa May and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last night discussed possible "guarantees" and "legal assurances" that could be established in relation to the controversial Irish border backstop protocol that has dogged the PM's efforts to pass her Withdrawal Agreement. However, May failed to win concessions on her bid to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement in full, meaning any changes would be in the form of a supplementary resolution.
European Officials Say The British Press Is Wrong About A Brexit Breakthrough Coming Soon
European governments and EU officials say they are puzzled by recent optimistic reports in the British press of an emerging Brexit deal. As the clock ticks down to Brexit day, the UK press is once again rife with stories suggesting imminent breakthroughs and speculation that a “deal in the desert” could be signed in Sharm El-Sheikh on the sidelines of an EU-League of Arab States summit taking place in Egypt this weekend.
Derek Hatton suspended by Labour just two days after his readmission was confirmed
Labour has suspended Derek Hatton’s membership of the party just days after it was confirmed that he had been readmitted.
@SkyNewsPolitics @jessphillips says "if you are not in @jeremycorbyn's gang" it feels like you "have no role in the party".
@jessphillips says "if you are not in @jeremycorbyn's gang" it feels like you "have no role in the party". She adds that she was "born Labour" but finds it hard to disagree with the issues raised by the eight MPs who have quit.
Brexit: No breakthrough at Theresa May meeting, says EU president Juncker
The president of the European Commission has poured cold water on the possibility of a breakthrough in Brexit talks as he met with Theresa May in Brussels.
The prime minister travelled to the EU capital on Wednesday night to meet Jean-Claude Juncker and try to convince the bloc to change the agreement to make it more palatable to Tory MPs. Senior Tories were reportedly upbeat ahead of the meeting, trailing the prospect of the prime minister returning to London with concessions, but the message was not matched by officials in Brussels.
@Channel4News Anna Soubry announces she has left the Conservatives - and criticises the "infiltration" of right-wing activists into the party.
"It's a form of tyranny and it's ironic that Conservatives observe and condemn it in the Labour Party, but it's happening in their own party." Anna Soubry announces she has left the Conservatives - and criticises the "infiltration" of right-wing activists into the party.
Joan Ryan blames Jeremy Corbyn for 'culture of anti-semitism' as she becomes eighth MP to quit Labour
Joan Ryan has become the eighth Labour MP to quit to join the new Independent Group, blaming Jeremy Corbyn for "a culture of anti-semitism" in the party.
Labour MP apologises after claiming new Independent Group of MPs could be ‘supported by Israel’
High Peak MP Ms George was responding to reports that a local Labour councillor had liked a Facebook comment describing the MPs involved in the breakaway as “Israelis”. She said she would "condemn the calling of anyone as an Israeli when it’s not the case". But she then added: "The comment appears not to refer to the independent MPs but to their financial backers. Support from the State of Israel, which supports both Conservative and Labour ‘Friends of Israel of which Luciana was chair is possible and I would not condemn those who suggest it, especially when the group’s financial backers are not being revealed. It’s important for democracy to know the financial backers for any political group or policy."
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Much to fear from post-Brexit trade deals with ISDS mechanisms
ISDS clauses in trade deals allow foreign investors to sue national governments for any measures that harm their profits. These cases take place in secretive private arbitration courts and can cost the taxpayer billions. Previous cases brought against governments using ISDS include a Swedish energy firm suing Germany for introducing policies to curb water pollution; US pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly suing Canada for trying to keep medicines affordable; and French multinational Veolia suing Egypt for increasing its national minimum wage. ISDS courts give international investors a legal system that neither ordinary people or domestic businesses can access, with low levels of transparency, no appeals system and high costs.
EU Funding Benefits
Lancashire could land EU cash weeks before Brexit
Lancashire could receive European Union cash to create a special investment fund less than a month before Brexit. Lancashire County Council cabinet members will be asked whether they want to approve the arrangements for establishing an Urban Development Fund (UDF) on 7th March. The board of the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) heard at a recent meeting that the process was “time critical” and had to be completed before the UK is due to leave the EU on 29th March.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 20th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- The World Health Organization says counterfeit medicine smugglers sense an opportunity to make money from any potential No Deal Brexit chaos
- The UK courts have Aviva`s £8.8bn transfer of contingency funds to the Irish Republic as part of its relocation and restructuring
- UN survey says Brexit will cause a palpable loss of UK influence on the world`s stage
- Michael Gove promised to apply tariffs to food imports in the event of a chaotic Brexit to protect British farmers from cheaper imports
- Two German economists, Marc Friedrich and Matthiaas Welk, told Focus Magazine that the UK will become a huge tax haven at the edge of Europe, after it recovers from the bout of economic disruption it will suffer post Brexit
- NFU President Minette Batters told her conference delegates that a No Deal Bexit would be catastrophic for the farming industry
- Labour`s John McDonnell called for dialogue with the new Independent Groups of MPs and said there won`t be up to 30 leaving his party
- David Liddington, Deputy PM, said a No Deal Brexit risks breaking up the UK as a whole
- Tory Minister Tobias Ellwood attacked the ERG group inside his party and said they were poisoning Conservatism
- Former PM John Major accused the Tories of being manipulated by Brexit zealots
- Labour`s Ruth George accused the new Independent Group of being funded by Israel, only to have to retract these controversial comments later in the day
- A Royal United Services report said a No Deal Brexit makes the UK more vulnerable to manipulation from the Chinese
- Conflicting reports that suggest Theresa May could have abandoned the Malthouse Compromise for the Irish backstop, while the ERG seem to believe she has not
- Talk that up to 3 Tory MPs are planning to breakaway and join the new Independent Group in parliament
- The UK has signed only 6 trade continuity deals so far, out of 40 needed, representing little more than 11% of existing EU trade
Jobs at Risk
@Channel4News "I make no apology for saying that leaving the EU without a deal would be a catastrophe for British farming." National Farmers' Union President Minette Batters says a no-deal Brexit is "the stuff of nightmares".
"I make no apology for saying that leaving the EU without a deal would be a catastrophe for British farming." National Farmers' Union President Minette Batters says a no-deal Brexit is "the stuff of nightmares".
Aviva, NatWest to join 'Brexodus' of business to EU
England’s High Court on Tuesday gave Aviva, Britain’s second largest insurer, approval to transfer around £9 billion in assets to a new Irish company just before the starting gun is fired on Brexit. The move, timed for 2259 GMT on March 29, is part of a wider withdrawal of business and money by financial companies seeking to keep contracts and policies within the European Union even after Britain departs. Brexit formally takes effect at 2300 GMT on March 29.
UK will apply food tariffs in case of no deal, Michael Gove says
Michael Gove warned that delays were likely in Calais because of mandatory EU checks on food imports on the French side of the channel. The tariff regime Britain would like to apply in the event of no deal will be revealed in the “next few days”.
He told the National Farmers’ Union’s annual conference in Birmingham that reports that Britain would operate a zero tariff regime in order to secure frictionless trade in a no-deal scenario were “not accurate”. “We can expect, at least in the short term, that those delays in Calais will impede the loading of ferries, constricting supply routes back into Britain and furring up the arteries of commerce on which we all rely,” said Gove. The NFU recently warned that health and safety audits required on individual food processing plans required by the EU could take up to six months to complete, effectively locking British farming exporters out of the bloc. On Tuesday Gove confirmed this by pointing out the EU had not yet classified the UK as a “third country”, which will only happen after health and safety audits are complete. “The EU still have not listed the UK as a full third country … As I speak there is no absolute guarantee we will continue to be able to export to the EU,” he told farmers.
Japan/EU trade deal likely the biggest factor in Honda move from Swindon
Sky's economics editor says Brexit consequences, rather than Brexit itself, have driven Honda's looming exit from Swindon.
Honda confirms Swindon closure
Honda has confirmed it will close its Swindon car plant in 2021, with the loss of about 3,500 jobs. The Japanese company builds 160,000 Honda Civics a year in Swindon, its only car factory in the EU. Honda said the move was due to global changes in the car industry and the need to launch electric vehicles, and it had nothing to do with Brexit. Business Secretary Greg Clark said the decision was "devastating" for Swindon and the UK.
Michael Gove promises farmers safeguards against no-deal Brexit
Michael Gove, the environment secretary, will seek to reassure British farmers in a speech to be delivered on Tuesday that the government will act to protect them as Brexit looms, including if no deal can be reached for an orderly departure from Europe. Mr Gove, who will make the remarks at the National Farmers’ Union annual conference in Birmingham, is also expected to reiterate earlier pledges that Brexit will not cause the UK to lower its food standards in any way.
For Wall Street Banks in London, It’s Moving Time
The financial landscape of Europe is changing as banks shift employees and hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of assets from London to new subsidiaries across the bloc in time for Britain’s divorce from the European Union, a process known as Brexit, on March 29. Banks are adjusting contracts with “Brexit clauses” to protect themselves if the separation is chaotic. Lawyers are checking regulations, jurisdiction by jurisdiction, to gird for possible future contractual disputes.
Honda’s departure is bad news for Brexiteers – and Remainers
The Honda decision is about scale. A global company has to focus its resources in the places where it can a) produce most cheaply, but more importantly b) sell most profitably. For Honda and similar firms, that means the world can be seen as a handful of mega-markets, places where it is possible to make things and sell them to hundreds of millions of potential buyers. For Honda, that means a future focus on North America and Asia.
Economic Impact
Brexit Britain will be 'huge tax haven in middle of Europe' - 'UK will prosper
Economists Marc Friedrich and Matthiaas Welk believe the UK will become a tax haven “soon” after Brexit if the country leaves the EU without a deal. Speaking to Focus in Germany, the experts said: “In the case of a hard Brexit, we expect to soon have the largest tax haven in the middle of Europe - Britain.
“The International Monetary Fund expects growth losses of four percentage points in five years for the UK economy. “In the short term, foreign trade will get into a pickle. “The pound will depreciate significantly again and inflation will rise. “Yields on British government bonds will also rise, with consequences for the state budget. The stock markets will significantly lower downwards.
UK labour market bucks growth slowdown and Brexit fears
There were 167,000 more people in employment during the final quarter of 2018 than over the previous three-month period, the UK’s Office for National Statistics reported on Tuesday. The employment rate remained stable at a record high of 75.8 per cent. The data suggest that Britain’s jobs market has so far been insulated from the effects of uncertainty over the outcome of the Brexit negotiations — even as overall economic growth last year fell to its lowest level since 2012 because of a drop in business investment.
Administrative Fall Out
Stormont bonuses for no-deal Brexit staff worth £1.2m
Stormont chiefs could hand out more than £1.2 million in bonuses to staff under plans to entice more civil servants to join coordination teams for a no-deal Brexit.
Civil servants are being offered a bonus of up to £1,500 to join the contingency proposals which would come into force if the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal, The Irish News yesterday revealed. The "Command, Control and Coordination" (C3) structures may involve staff moving onto a 24/7 rota for up to six months and a 'central hub' being established to handle a no-deal Brexit.
Brexit causing ‘palpable decline’ in UK influence at the UN
Brexit is already leading to a “palpable decline” in British influence at the UN, and that influence would be in freefall but for the UK’s commitment to spend 0.7 % of gross national income on overseas aid, a study has found. The report by the UK branch of the United Nations Association suggests Britain will lose political capital on the 15-member UN security council and the larger general assembly in New York because its campaigns will no longer be automatically aligned with those of the EU.
Brexit uncertainty cannot be an excuse for inaction in public sector says Wales Audit Office
Planning for a ‘no-deal’ Brexit is being taken seriously across Wales but the picture varies across the country the Auditor General for Wales has said, although locally the efforts will be scrutinised quite close to Brexit itself.
Storm Brexit keeps up the high pressure
As dwellers on this island observed the Brexit storm-clouds on the horizon, there was an underlying belief that while Storm Brexit would be turbulent, it would never evolve into a full-blown no-deal disaster. There was an assumption that the British political establishment was undergoing some form of PRSD — post-referendum stress disorder — that would make them all crazy for a while, but that eventually common sense would be restored. Instead, the theatre of the absurd took up permanent residence in Westminster. Internecine war in the Tory and Labour parties has, if anything, got worse, while in Northern Ireland Sinn Féin and the DUP squatted in their partisan trenches.
People didn’t vote leave for my son to be separated from his mother
Deal or no deal, that’s the question on everyone’s lips right now. But for me and the 140,000 other European carers and stay-at-home parents living in the UK, it makes no odds. Either way we are being faced with separation from the people we love. Either way I am being told that I am unworthy of citizenship, unworthy of my family. All because I chose to do what any mother would do in my circumstances and give my son the specialised care he needed.
'Brexit gap' over wildlife protection is looming
Wales risks losing 80% of the laws that protect its environment after Brexit with no plans in place yet to replace them, nature charities have warned. Wildlife, habitats, air and water quality could all be affected, they have claimed. One organisation - WWF Cymru - has written to Environment Minister Lesley Griffiths calling for "urgent action". The Welsh Government said it was developing proposals and looking forward to taking them forward. But with less than 40 days to go until the UK is set to leave the EU, WWF Cymru's director Anne Meikle warned "the rug will be pulled out from our existing environmental protections".
HSBC sees UK business weaken amid Brexit uncertainty
Banking giant HSBC has reported tougher conditions in the UK in the run ... but we are still going to see a growth rate." On Brexit, he said: "The longer we have the uncertainty the worse it is going to be
What are Brexit contingency plans for pharmaceutical industry?
AstraZeneca and other companies have frozen all manufacturing investments. Britain’s second-biggest drugmaker decided to halt further investments at its Macclesfield site in the summer of 2017. Its chairman, Leif Johansson, has said the UK needs to make sure it “does not become an isolated island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean”. David Jefferys, a senior executive at the European arm of the Japanese company Eisai, which makes treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy and breast cancer, told the Guardian: “Nobody likes uncertainty. We are not making any new investments in the UK until there is clarity.” Other major drugmakers, such as Novartis and the Viagra maker Pfizer, have announced plans to close UK manufacturing or packaging sites by 2020. Both decisions were made after the June 2016 referendum but the companies said they were not linked to Brexit.
Carmakers quitting Britain won't blame Brexit – it's not in their interest
In the months before the Brexit vote, Japan’s government warned that a victory for the leave campaign could have a negative impact on investments in Britain. The Japan Business Federation, noting that more than 1,000 Japanese firms have a presence in Britain, joined the Japanese prime minister, Shinzo Abe, in pleading with Britain to remain in the EU. Since the referendum vote, Japanese companies have stayed largely silent. Like all major employers, they have broken cover in recent weeks to talk about the huge cost of a no-deal Brexit. But there have been precious few stories of companies, and especially those that sell directly to consumers, blaming factory closures or office relocations on the UK’s decision to leave the European Union.
Aviva to move €10.1bn in assets to Dublin as Brexit looms
Aviva has been given the green light to transfer €10.1bn (£8.8bn) worth of assets to Ireland as the insurance giant ramps up its Brexit contingency planning. The group, one of Britain’s biggest life insurance and pensions companies with 14.5 million policyholders, received approval from the High Court today to transfer €9bn (£7.8 billion). It follows approval earlier this month to transfer €1.1bn (£1bn) to Dublin. The relocation is designed to deal with the consequences of a no-deal hard Brexit, in which UK based financial services firms will lose passporting rights that allow them to function in the EU’s single market, the world’s richest trading bloc.
Investment paused and cancelled by Brexit, says Skates
Business investment in Wales is being "paused and cancelled" due to Brexit uncertainty, a Welsh minister has said. Ken Skates said an unnamed manufacturer has put on hold investment in north-east Wales "because of Brexit". The minister said the investment, which would create 250 jobs, "will be lost" in the event of a no-deal Brexit. He said ministers could possibly spend money on school and road building projects "to stimulate economic growth" if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Brexit: UK will apply food tariffs in case of no deal
Environment Secretary Michael Gove has promised that the government will apply tariffs to food imports in the event of a no-deal Brexit, to provide "specific and robust protections" for farmers. His remarks come as the government is poised to release details of tariffs (taxes on imports) that would apply to thousands of products coming in from around the world, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Many supporters of Brexit argue that tariffs on food and other items should be scrapped in order to lower prices for consumers. But farmers fear that cheap imports and lower standards would destroy many parts of British agriculture.
Leave to remain? The voters who have changed their minds over Brexit
In my opinion, it is too late to stop Brexit. Businesses are already leaving and the damage is done. Faith in politicians is so low that seeing this through is very important to stop the rise of populism. In a way, I think it would be good to leave so that people realise we’re better off being part of the “club” rather than out of it. If we leave with no deal, in 12 months’ time, we may be begging the EU to take us back.
Parts of public sector 'not ready' for no-deal Brexit
Some parts of the Welsh public sector have only made limited plans for a potential no-deal Brexit, a public spending watchdog has warned. The Wales Audit Office (WAO) said councils in particular have not spent money because of the political uncertainty. Risks highlighted by public bodies include the disruption of food supplies to hospitals, schools and care homes.
Sturgeon urges EU citizens to stay in Scotland after Brexit
Efforts to encourage EU citizens to stay in Scotland after Brexit are to be stepped up, Nicola Sturgeon has told members of the French parliament. The Scottish first minister addressed a committee of the Assemblée Nationale during a visit to Paris.
She said she would "always make it clear that EU citizens are welcome". The Home Office is currently testing an application system for settled status in the UK, which it said 100,000 people had successfully taken part in so far. In January, Prime Minister Theresa May announced that fees for EU nationals to apply to stay in the UK after Brexit had been scrapped - although Ms Sturgeon said this was only after lobbying from other parties.
Brexit: NI Water stockpiles purification chemicals
Northern Ireland Water is stockpiling purification chemicals as part of its Brexit plan, it is understood. There have been concerns that disruption in trade with the EU, as a result of a hard Brexit, could lead to shortages of some chemicals. Most of the chemicals that NI Water uses are manufactured in the UK or Ireland. It will nonetheless hold months worth of additional stocks at its own premises and at supplier warehouses.
A ship has left the UK for Japan with no guarantee of unloading its cargo due to Brexit
The U.K. business minister has confirmed that a trade agreement with Japan won't be in place by the time Britain leaves the European Union. Cargo leaving Britain by sea will now be arriving at some ports after March 29th.
At last, a Brexit dividend – shame it’s for the pedlars of fake medicine
The World Health Organization reported earlier this month that fake leukaemia medicine, packaged for the UK market to look like the genuine drug Iclusig, was circulating in Europe and the Americas. On all counts, people in the UK are vulnerable right now. The criminals’ business model depends on patients taking risks. And desperate patients will buy medicines from dodgy sources for lots of reasons, our research shows. If the medicine you need isn’t covered by your insurance or health service, you turn to the internet (think of the HIV-prevention pill PrEP in England and Wales, for example).
Blue in the face: Dutch businesses heed furry Brexit monster
A furry blue monster aimed at spurring companies in the Netherlands to take Brexit seriously may look slightly odd but seems to be doing a good job, the Dutch government has said. The enormous Muppet-like creature, unveiled in a tweet last week showing it sprawling unhelpfully across the desk of the foreign minister, Stef Blok, had prompted 10 times more companies to take an official “Brexit scan”, the foreign affairs ministry said. A spokesman said on Tuesday that on the day Blok launched the campaign, 6,832 companies assessed the impact upon their businesses of Britain’s forthcoming departure from the EU at the brexitloket.nl website, compared with 691 the previous day.
Irish government assured over power outage fears from no-deal Brexit
The Irish Environment Minister has assured a government committee that they are not anticipating blackouts or power outages on either side of the border in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
'It's the only life I've ever known'
Karin was born in Germany. After 35 years of living and working in Scotland, she is now worried about her citizenship after Brexit. Charity the Fife Migrants Forum say concerns may lead many EU nationals to avoid signing up for so-called Settled Status. The Home Office insists the scheme is a simple and straightforward way of protecting the rights of those EU citizens living and working in the UK.
Simon Coveney says people shouldn't stockpile medicines because of Brexit
Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said that there is enough medicine in Ireland for 8 to 12 weeks in the event of a no-deal Brexit, and that people should not be stockpiling medicines, as it may cause issues later on.
Brexit food shortages: Britons told to prepare for spam, canned peaches, and ‘a tonne of leeks’ in no-deal scenario
With a no-deal Brexit looming, supermarket bosses have again warned of the adverse impact it will have Stockpiling can only prepare the UK for so much as there's limited space and fresh food has a short shelf life One retail chief said it may well be that we all have to get used to canned goods like Spam
Hub set up in Belgium to ship critical NHS supplies under No Deal Brexit
Ministers have set up a “logistics hub” in Belgium to ship critical NHS supplies under a no-deal Brexit. The Department of Health has also reserved its own dedicated shipping channel from mainland Europe to the UK to ensure vital medical products get through.
Britain's EU workforce in decline as numbers from elsewhere soar
The number of workers in the UK from elsewhere in the EU fell by 61,000 at a time when the number of British and non-EU workers soared, official figures show. It contrasted with an increase in the number of non-EU workers in the UK, rising from 1.16 million to 1.29 million in the same period. This was an increase of 130,000 compared with the equivalent period 12 months earlier, and the highest number since records began in 1997.
@KnoxTony “Dublin is our headquarters for our European bank now, full stop,” said Anne M. Finucane, vice chairwoman of Bank of America...
One big Brexit beneficiary is Dublin, where Bank of America, Citigroup and Barclays are expanding their ranks. “Dublin is our headquarters for our European bank now, full stop,” said Anne M. Finucane, vice chairwoman of Bank of America...
Political Shenanigans
UK will push options to Brexit backstop for future trading
Earlier on Tuesday, reports said the Malthouse Compromise would not be included in Brexit talks between British Prime Minister May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday. However, Steve Baker, a member of a eurosceptic group in May’s ruling Conservative Party, said the Malthouse Compromise was “alive and kicking” after a meeting with May on Tuesday.
Brexit backstop: Theresa May to put new proposals to EU
Theresa May will present the EU with new legal proposals to solve the Irish backstop issue on Wednesday, which Downing Street hopes will be enough to convince Eurosceptics to back her Brexit deal. The prime minister is travelling to Brussels to meet Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, with a plan to secure legal assurances that the backstop would not permanently bind the UK into a customs union.
Brexit: Robert Buckland cautious over 'sensitive talks'
It would be "reckless and irresponsible" to give a running commentary on changes the UK is seeking to the Northern Ireland backstop, a government minister has said.
Solicitor General Robert Buckland was answering MPs on "sensitive" Brexit negotiations taking place with the EU.
Breakaway Labour MPs picked their moment for maximum impact
On January 16 — the day Theresa May saw off a vote of no confidence in her government and the one after her Brexit deal was defeated by a historic margin — Mr Shuker registered a company called Gemini A Ltd, which will support the Independent Group. He told friends that the company name was “deliberately meant to sound like a Bond villain’s lair to annoy the conspiracy theorists”. On February 10 the group registered a website and the venue for yesterday’s launch was booked within the past week. “If you’re going to build a new politics it’s got to be the people who are currently on the field,” one of the MPs said. “This has to be a project for current politicians and activists and people who want to build a new politics.”
@MrHarryCole Cabinet ministers explicitly told Malthouse Compromise won’t be part of the measures put to the EU this week.
Cabinet ministers explicitly told Malthouse Compromise won’t be part of the measures put to the EU this week.
EU not prepared to re-open the Withdrawal Agreement ahead of Theresa May visit
Theresa May will meet European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels on Wednesday, commission spokesman Margaritis Schinas has said. Mr Schinas told the daily briefing for journalists in Brussels that the talks would aim to find a way through the current impasse over the Northern Ireland backstop but said the EU was not prepared to re-open the Withdrawal Agreement.
UK will probably delay Brexit, says former EU chief Jose Manuel Barroso
Britain is likely to delay Brexit because of the lack of a deal, former EU Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso has said. Mr Barroso, who ran the bloc’s executive from 2004 to 2014, said it would be right for the EU27 to accept any request for an extension. Theresa May has repeatedly said she would not extend the Article 50 period – which expires on 29 March – and that “no-deal is better than a bad deal”. MPs have however voted in principle
Health secretary urged to quit to block no-deal Brexit
Matt Hancock sidestepped calls to confirm he would resign to block a no-deal Brexit, as he revealed the cost of NHS contingency planning. The health secretary said around £11 million of taxpayers’ cash has been spent so far, adding there have been costs to the pharmaceutical industry due to stockpiling of medicines. Hancock also attempted to reassure people with diabetes after insisting the two major providers of insulin have made stockpiles of at least 12 weeks - double that requested by the Government for other medicines
Theresa May axes hi-tech plans to solve Brexit deadlock amid hopes of imminent breakthrough with Brussels
Theresa May last night dumped hi-tech plans to solve the Brexit deadlock amid hopes of an imminent breakthrough with Brussels. The PM told Cabinet it was not plausible to pursue the so-called Malthouse Compromise pushing for alternative arrangements to the hated Irish backstop by March 29. Sources claimed a new agreement on the backstop such as a time-limit could even be struck with the EU this weekend following talks between Theresa May and Commission boss Jean Claude Juncker on Wednesday night.
Mainland councils predicting traffic misery at ports in no-deal Brexit plans. What about IWC?
Two of the Hampshire’s biggest councils are preparing for the impacts of Brexit, with traffic misery forecast if no deal is reached. This, it has been predicted, will come from disruptions at both Southampton’s and Portsmouth’s ports. Last week the no-deal Brexit plans for Portsmouth were likened to a ‘Dad’s Army comedy. This week Southampton City Council will consider the impact of a no-deal Brexit.
Up to three Tories preparing to join new Independent Group of MPs
Up to three Conservative MPs are preparing to cross the floor to join the new Independent Group of MPs, it emerged today. The bombshell could come as early as tomorrow morning, the day of Tory leader Theresa May’s weekly Prime Minister’s Questions appearance. Chuka Umunna, one of the seven MPs who quit Labour to form the new centre-ground group yesterday, issued a rallying cry to Tories “demoralised by the Ukip-isation, if you like, of the Conservative Party”.
Political Setbacks
Post-Brexit Britain will be more vulnerable to Chinese interference, report warns
Economic uncertainties after Brexit could make the UK more vulnerable to Chinese interference, with Beijing using a variety of means to infiltrate Britain’s power structures, a leading think-tank has warned. There has been little focus in Britain on how China preys on targeted countries and there is a need for a cohesive programme to counter it, according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, which charts the tactics used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to achieve its aims.
Labour split: John McDonnell denies further defections could be as high as 30
The shadow chancellor called for "dialogue" with the newly-formed independent group, as questions abound of more Labour MPs jumping ship over the party's Brexit policy and antisemitism
BBC Scotland director defends Question Time against bias criticisms
The director of BBC Scotland, Donalda MacKinnon, has said she wants to convince critics the corporation has no agenda, as a row about pro-union bias on Question Time escalated. Speaking before the launch of a £32m dedicated television channel in Scotland, the cornerstone of the BBC’s efforts to address complaints from SNP politicians, TV companies and viewers that it has neglected Scottish audiences, MacKinnon acknowledged that “despite high consumption of BBC content in Scotland, higher than anywhere else in the UK, perceptions remain lower”
Conservatives being 'manipulated by Brexit zealots', ex-PM Major to warn
The Conservative Party is being "manipulated" by Brexit "zealots" and the "mainstream majority" of MPs must reassert itself to stop a damaging EU exit, Sir John Major is to argue. In a lecture in Glasgow, the former prime minister will urge Parliament to "dig deep into its soul" and act before the scheduled departure, on 29 March. Brexit will cost billions and risk the break-up of the UK, he will say.
Brexit news latest: No-deal could break up UK, deputy PM tells hard Brexiteers
Theresa May's de facto deputy warned today that a no-deal Brexit could encourage the break-up of the UK — piling pressure on Right-wingers to back the Prime Minister’s plans if Brussels makes a concession on the Northern Ireland border “backstop”. Cabinet Office minister David Lidington raised expectations that Tory MPs will be urged to support Mrs May’s Brexit blueprint if the European Union offers limited legal assurances on the backstop. A codicil or addendum to the withdrawal agreement might enable Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to argue that the threat of the UK being indefinitely subject to EU rules has been curtailed.
‘It’s like Pompeii again if Pompeii voted for the volcano’ – US show takes down Brexit
Beginning the feature on Brexit he explained: “It’s now been two-and-a-half years since the UK voted to leave the EU. The long story short of is there was a bus with a lie on it, people made a massively consequential decision by a narrow margin, and the subject of the impending Brexit has dominated every waking moment in British life.” “People in Britain are completely exhausted by Brexit talk, and the crazy thing is it hasn’t even happened yet. Although it has had big effects on the British economy. In the wake of the Brexit vote the UK has become one of the worst performing economies in the G7, major companies like Nissan and Dyson are moving operations out of Britain, and the pound has dropped by almost by 14%.”
Tory minister blasts Brexiteers for 'tarnishing' party amid claims Conservative MPs could quit
A Conservative minister has warned Tory eurosceptics they are "tarnishing" the party, amid reports a trio of MPs could quit and join a new independent grouping in parliament. Defence minister Tobias Ellwood attacked the European Research Group (ERG) of Conservative Brexiteers for their actions, which he claimed were threatening to "poison" the party. He also added to speculation Tory MPs could join a group of seven former Labour MPs, who this week walked out of their party and formed a new group in the House of Commons.
Labour split: Antisemitism row over MP Ruth George’s Israel funding claim
A Labour MP has come under attack after suggesting that the seven MPs who quit the party might be secretly funded by Israel. The group, including Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, who is Jewish, announced yesterday that they were resigning over Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of antisemitism in the party as well as Brexit. Ruth George, the MP for High Peak, today posted on social media that “support from the State of Israel, which supports both Conservative and Labour Friends of Israel, of which Luciana was chair, is possible”.
Brexit: Labour rift proves it cannot be relied on, Hunt tells EU
Jeremy Hunt has seized on Labour’s split, claiming to European foreign ministers it proved that only concessions to win round Conservative rightwingers will get the Brexit deal through the Commons. During a frenetic day of lobbying in Brussels, the foreign secretary privately counselled his EU counterparts that the opposition could not be relied upon, even if the government pivoted to backing a customs union.
Brexit: Michael Gove admits farmers may never recover from no-deal
A no-deal Brexit would seriously harm the UK’s farmers, Michael Gove has admitted. The Environment Secretary told the National Farmer’s Union (NFU) conference that there was “no absolute guarantee” that British farmers could export any of their produce to the EU in a no-deal scenario, and would face punishing tariffs even if they could. Mr Gove also dismissed speculation that the UK Government could slash tariffs on food imports after Brexit, an idea hinted at by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox
Sheffield MP apologises after comments on skin colour spark racism row
One of Sheffield's MPs has been forced to apologise after sparking a racism row on the day she left the Labour party. Angela Smith, who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge, quit Labour along with six more of the party’s members of parliament in a major blow for leader Jeremy Corbyn.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: What trade deals has the UK done so far?
The UK has (so far) only agreed six deals. These include relaxing certain rules, reducing taxes (tariffs) on imports and exports, or granting easier market access.
The government estimates that about 11% of UK trade relies on the EU's agreements with 70 countries. The "continuity" agreements the UK has struck are:
Israel (18 February) - Palestinian Authority (18 February) - Switzerland (signed 11 February) - The Faroe Islands (1 February) - Eastern and Southern Africa (31 January)- Chile (30 January)
EU says UK will struggle to match its free trade deals
The UK will struggle to conclude the same high quality free trade deals as the European Union due to its small size and continuing uncertainty over Brexit, the EU’s agriculture commissioner has said. Phil Hogan, who was visiting Australia for talks on an EU-Australia free trade agreement, also warned that a no-deal Brexit would result in a big jump in food prices in the UK, a move that would cause the public to punish those responsible at the ballot box. “Size matters in trade,” Phil Hogan told the FT in an interview. “Five hundred million customers will always resonate more with a third country when they want to do a trade deal with the EU, rather than 65m. This is what Mr [Liam] Fox is finding out as he travels around the world. Japan recently told him: ‘Come back to us when we see the implementation of the EU deal’.”
UK secures a trade continuity deal with Palestine
Our trade continuity agreement with the Palestinian Authority will help give UK and Palestinian businesses, exporters and consumers the certainty they need to continue trading freely as the UK prepares to leave the EU. @AbeerOdeh11
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 22nd Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Credit ratings agency Fitch has put the UK on negative ratings downgrade watch because of Brexit uncertainty. This will make its debt more expensive
- Poor areas of the UK, such as West Wales and Cornwall, which have benefited from European Regional Development Fund for infrastructure project investment, are worried about the lack of any information on the UK government`s replacement funding
- The Royal College of Radiologists are concerned about how the NHS will maintain its supply of short-life radioactive isotypes, vital for cancer treatment. With no information on the matter, it fears it may have to make clinical decisions influenced by supply
- Tower Hamlets council put an advert for EU citizens to get registered to stay in the UK on the side of its rubbish collection trucks. The error was compounded as the picture featured an arrow pointing EU citizens towards the crusher
- Some UK pharmaceutical companies, medical hospitals and industry groups say it is impossible to prepare for a No Deal Brexit. They say it throws the continuation of important medical trials into question
- The Home Office has failed to properly collect fines imposed on hundreds of businesses who employed undocumented migrant workers
- Tory MP Chris Davies has been charged with submitting two fraudulent election expenses
- The UK diplomatic team has upset Bangladesh (stateless ISIS bride), Japan (haughty letter pushing them to agree a trade deal) and China (our defence secretary threatened to send a gunboat to the South China Sea). This willful clumsiness makes securing last-minute trade deals even harder
- The Independent Group`s Anna Soubry gave an interview in which she said Theresa May has a real problems with immigrants
- Taxpayers will have to foot the bill for £310m in compensation to Windrush victims and their familes, who were wrongly deported
- There were reports of up to 100 Conservatives ready to force a delay on Brexit if Theresa May fails to secure a deal
- The Independent Group said it would be interested in supporting Theresa May`s deal, if she also committed to a referendum in which Remain was on the ballot paper as an option
- Jean-Claude Juncker confessed to feeling Brexit fatigue, as Theresa May and her team sought to get additional amendments to the political declaration
Jobs at Risk
Honda's 2018 briefing undermines claim plant closure not Brexit-related
A senior figure at Honda listed a catalogue of risks posed by Brexit at a briefing near its Swindon plant last year, fuelling doubts about the carmaker’s insistence that Britain’s withdrawal from the EU had nothing to do with the factory’s closure. Multiple factors are understood to be behind the closure, including global market conditions, the shift to electric vehicles and a free-trade agreement with the EU that will allow Japanese carmakers to export cars tariff-free from 2027.
Brexit Job Loss Map maker
Someone has been mapping Brexit job losses... Not a pretty sight.
Economic Impact
Fitch puts UK credit rating on negative watch
The UK faces a credit rating downgrade because of the mounting risk that it will leave the EU without a transition deal, according to a leading rating agency. Fitch has put the UK’s double A credit rating on negative watch over the growing uncertainty over Brexit, a move that signals the increasing likelihood of a downgrade. There is “heightened uncertainty” over the outcome of the Brexit process, Fitch said, and an “increased risk of a disruptive no-deal Brexit” that the agency believes “would lead to substantial disruption to UK economic and trade prospects”.
UK and Ireland retailers warn of 40% tariffs on food in no-deal Brexit
A no-deal Brexit could lead to tariffs of 40% or more being imposed on food such as beef and cheddar cheese, driving up prices in shops and squeezing household budgets across the UK and Ireland, retail organisations from both countries have warned. With mounting fears that the UK could leave the European Union without an agreement in 36 days’ time, the British Retail Consortium (BRC), Northern Ireland Retail Consortium (NIRC) and Retail Ireland, issued a joint warning that this outcome could lead to delays at borders and shortages of fresh meat, fish, fruit and vegetables.
Administrative Fall Out
The Home Office Is Still Owed Most Of The Fines It Has Issued To Employers Using Undocumented Migrants
At least half – and potentially more than two-thirds – of fines owed to the Home Office by employers using undocumented workers have gone unpaid in the last five financial years. Many of these employers have exploited undocumented workers as a way to pay far below the minimum wage. The introduction of more stringent fines was part of Theresa May’s “hostile environment” strategy when she was home secretary.
Some cancer treatment may be delayed post-Brexit
NHS trusts will have “no choice but to prioritise” which patients receive cancer treatment if a no-deal Brexit delays the import of radioactive isotopes, the Royal College of Radiologists has warned.
Remain or leave? Carmakers confront hard Brexit choices
“It would not be true to say that a hard Brexit automatically means the closure of plants in the United Kingdom, neither for us, nor for other manufacturers, but it would certainly mean they come under greater scrutiny,” a car industry leader in the UK said. British workers would have to deliver productivity gains that offset tariffs and supply chain friction. everting to a regime of cross-border tariffs and World Trade Organization rules, after decades of free trade, would force Aston and its suppliers to trace and document where all the parts in a vehicle come from, he told Reuters. “When you’ve got 10,000 parts on a car and then you’ve got all of the sub-parts and the sub-parts, you quickly get up to hundreds of thousands of parts. And do you honestly know where they’ve all come from? Often not,” he said.
London's Heathrow Airport could see trade boost in no-deal Brexit
London Heathrow Airport could be boosted by extra trade if Britain leaves the European Union without a deal and Britain’s seaports and roads get clogged up with extra congestion, the airport’s chief executive said on Thursday.
Bin lorries raising awareness of EU citizens' rights after Brexit tell them 'this is your home'
A London council has sparked debate over its ad campaign offering information to EU citizens on their rights after Brexit. Tower Hamlets is displaying posters on 11 bin lorries around the borough, signposting people to its website and encouraging them to "secure your right to stay here". The message read: "Are you one of the 41,000 EU citizens who live in Tower Hamlets? This is your home too." It was accompanied by an arrow pointing to the back of the lorry.
Pay farmers to avoid cull of lambs after no-deal Brexit, union says
The National Farmers Union president, Minette Batters, questioned what would happen to British produce if no deal is agreed that allows goods to be accepted. “With 900 hours to go, it’s unacceptable for government to leave British businesses having to take this gamble,” she said. Nick von Westenholz, the director of EU and international trade at the NFU, said sheep farmers were particularly vulnerable because they rely heavily on exports to the EU that could be halted for months if the UK crashes out of the bloc on 29 March. “The negative impact on the sheep sector will be felt within weeks because of the time [of year],” he said. The EU has said it could take up to six months to authorise imports from UK food producers. The NFU says this would be a de facto trade embargo, leaving sheep farmers with no option but to slaughter surplus animals.
Scottish packaging firm Macfarlane Group makes Brexit plan
The boss of the UK's biggest protective packaging distributor has a "high degree of confidence" it could still serve customers after a no-deal Brexit. Peter Atkinson of Macfarlane Group said there would be difficulties if Britain crashed out of the EU, but added that contingency plans were in place. His comments came as the Glasgow-based firm reported a ninth year of successive growth.
Yes, there’s Brexit. But the inaction on the fit-for-work scandal is shameless
“Fit-for-work tests”, the linchpin of the austerity era’s pernicious “welfare reforms”. Introduced by New Labour, but accelerated dramatically by the coalition government, these assessments have falsely pushed disabled and severely ill people off benefits, and even towards suicide.
Are we stockpiling in case of a no-deal Brexit?
There are fears that a no-deal Brexit might disrupt supplies of food from abroad. So how many of us are stockpiling groceries ahead of the leave date? Here's what some are doing in the Yorkshire town of Baildon.
For the Dutch, Brexit is a mistake – and a big opportunity
An advert in the Netherlands features a hairy beast warning about the looming departure of Britain from the EU. Move over Project Fear, this is Project Fur: a campaign aimed at urging businesses to brace themselves for a no-deal Brexit. So what do the Dutch make of the big blue Brexit monster? While the British media has been busy laughing at photos of the muppet-like creature straddling a desk as the Dutch foreign minister watches on, the truth is that this campaign has actually passed many people by. This is a shame: there are good reasons for Dutch folk to worry about the impact of an acrimonious Brexit. Such an outcome would be in no-one’s interests. But just as British supporters of Brexit talk of it as an opportunity, so too do many people in the Netherlands – only from their point of view this will come at Britain’s expense.
No-deal Brexit 'could disrupt London commuter trains'
Rail passengers commuting into London could have services disrupted by freight trains if a no-deal Brexit causes logjams at the Channel tunnel, it has emerged. Go-Ahead, the company behind the rail operator Southeastern, said it was working with the government to try to ensure commuters were not affected. But David Brown, the chief executive of Go-Ahead, which runs some of the biggest rail and bus networks in Britain, said there was a risk some passenger services could give way to goods. He also warned of a potential future shortage of bus drivers, revealing that job applications from Europe had dried up since the UK’s EU referendum in 2016.
Medical industry sounds alarm on risks posed by no-deal Brexit
Some of the UK's biggest pharmaceutical companies, research hospitals and medical industry groups say it is now impossible for them to be prepared for a no deal Brexit, which would put the future of medical trials in doubt. They say leaving the EU at the end of next month without a deal would also potentially delaying life-saving breakthroughs in fields such as cancer care. A blizzard of no-deal notices have been sent to medical firms this week by the industry watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with warnings that much of its important guidance and online services will not be available until the day of Brexit itself.
Aer Lingus given six months to fix Brexit EU ownership issue
The European Union has given Aer Lingus and two related airlines in Spain a six-month deadline, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in which to restructure its shareholding and thus ensure it is eligible to continue operating as a European company. This is the result of Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling being owned by British holding company International Airlines Group (IAG). According to EU rules, only companies that are majority owned by EU shareholders are able to operate flights between member states. A no-deal Brexit raised the prospect of Aer Lingus, Iberia and Vueling being stripped of their EU flying rights.
Tourists face £52 visa for EU after Brexit as Spain blocks waiver
British tourists may have to pay to visit European countries after Brexit because of Spanish demands over the status of Gibraltar. Legislation being put in place to ensure Brits are able to travel visa-free within Europe after leaving the EU was derailed by Spain during talks in Brussels. The country was reluctantly backed by the other 26 member states when on Wednesday it re-ignited the argument over whether the British overseas territory should be described as a ‘colony’ in the EU’s statute book.
Despite Brexit, London will remain the VC capital of Europe
Leaving the single market will have the least impact on the most ambitious startups. The EU’s regulatory harmony has always been somewhat offset for startups by its linguistic and cultural diversity. In any case, these companies place no geographic bounds on their aspirations. The UK’s prosaic but fundamental strengths – a favourable time zone and the English language – will keep the country attractive as a springboard to launch a global company.
On the rocks: Can the Scottish whisky industry survive Brexit?
The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) trade body was not unique among UK industry in supporting a Remain vote. Business hates uncertainty - and the European Union accounts for over 30 percent of overseas Scotch whisky sales.
Britain is due to leave the EU on March 29, after most people in England and Wales - unlike those in Scotland and Northern Ireland - voted to leave the bloc. If there is no deal agreed to govern that exit, then Britain is going to be trading with the EU and the rest of the world, on World Trade Organization (WTO) terms. "There is a risk of losing benefits, including lower tariffs, secured through the EU’s bilateral trade deals with markets representing around 10% of Scotch exports," according to the SWA.
Remain or leave? Carmakers confront hard Brexit choices
Many auto companies - from luxury marques like Aston Martin to mass-market brands such as Vauxhall - are working on ways to survive after March 29. On the outskirts of London, workers at Vauxhall's operation in Luton are preparing to produce a new line of commercial vans following fresh investment from the brand's owner PSA which they are counting on to sustain over 1,000 jobs. While post-Brexit market conditions remain a big unknown, Vauxhall boss Stephen Norman told Reuters Britain's exit from the European Union could present an opportunity to increase the brand's market share. He is pursuing a marketing campaign to boost demand for the company's modestly priced cars and SUVs.
First minister says Wales needs to be first in queue for post-Brexit relief
First Minister Mark Drakeford said Wales needed to be at the front of the queue for any post-Brexit economic relief. He was in Llandudno Junction on Thursday for a cabinet meeting at the Welsh Government offices. Asked what his plan B was if companies such as Toyota and Airbus UK were to relocate after Brexit, taking away thousands of direct and ancillary jobs from the area, he laid the blame squarely with the Westminster government.
No-deal Brexit could cause food prices to soar by 45%, retailers warn
Retailers have warned that a no-deal Brexit will lead to “unaffordable” price hikes on food and drink for customers in both the UK and Ireland as well as causing shortages of some everyday items. Leaders of retail bodies said reverting to World Trade Organisation tariffs could make the cost of making fresh food and drink available to consumers increase by as much as 45 per cent – which is likely to be passed on to customers. Food and drink production will be made more expensive due to a combination of higher tariffs and new regulatory checks, according to Aodhan Connolly, director of the Northern Ireland Retail Consortium, Thomas Burke, director of Retail Ireland and William Bain, the British Retail Consortium Europe and international policy adviser.
The warning comes days after Birds Eye boss Wayne Hudson said food prices were likely to rise by up to 20 per cent “virtually immediately” due to new tariffs.
Political Shenanigans
Group of 100 Conservative MPs ready to force Brexit delay if May's deal fails
Theresa May has been warned by a group of 100 moderate Tory MPs that they are prepared to rebel against the Government to force her to delay Brexit if she cannot reach a deal. The Brexit Delivery Group, which represents both Remain and Leave MPs, has called for a free vote next week on a backbench bid to take no deal off the table. Simon Hart and Andrew Percy, the leaders of the bloc, say in a letter leaked to The Daily Telegraph that "numerous" members of the group have become "deeply troubled" by the prospect of a no deal Brexit. The letter to Julian Smith, the chief whip, says: "The reputation for competence of both the party and the Government depends on our ability to deliver an orderly exit, in line with the existing timescale.
Could new group reshape political tribes?
Fears over Brexit and the party drifting to the right - and away from relevance - are held far beyond today's "three amigos", but by dozens of MPs privately, including ministers in the government. If, as is likely, more MPs move across, those private pleas to stay in the centre ground have more weight. Like Labour, the Tories have big questions they can't answer at the moment - profound quandaries that it's not clear their leaderships are ready, or perhaps even capable right now of meeting.
UK's Jeremy Corbyn: Risk of no-deal Brexit 'very serious'
The leader of Britain's biggest opposition party warned on Thursday that there was a "very serious" risk that the country would crash out of the European Union without a deal. Following a "useful" meeting in Brussels with Michel Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotatiator, Corbyn said May was "trying to keep the threat of a no deal on the table" and accused her of "running down the clock" ahead of the Brexit deadline on March 29. The Labour Party was "determined" to remove the possibility of a no-deal exit, he said, adding that Barnier had conveyed the EU's own fears about the predicted economic damage such an outcome would entail for both sides.
@SkyNewsPolitics "It is a complex and difficult question to answer at this stage".
"Did Barnier say it was possible to have an extension to #Article50?" asks @Stone_SkyNews. @jeremycorbyn responds with: "It is a complex and difficult question to answer at this stage".
The real Brexit cliff edge is not on March 29th - it's July 1st
Here's the great secret truth about the Brexit cliff edge: It's not on March 29th. It's actually pretty easy to extend that deadline by a few months and there is something close to consensus in Whitehall, Westminster and Brussels that we'll have to. The real cliff edge is on July 1st, the day before the inaugural plenary session of the newly-elected European parliament. That's the dead zone. If you haven't taken part in the upcoming European elections, there's no way to extend the deadline any further. So something is becoming increasingly clear. If Labour really is committed to ruling out no-deal, if moderate Tory Cabinet ministers really mean it when they say they refuse to allow it to happen, they must support British participation. This is, by far, the most important aspect of the whole Brexit debate. And there is almost no mention of it at all.
Labour MP Jess Phillips: 'I feel closer to Luciana Berger [than Jeremy Corbyn] without any shadow of a doubt'
Labour MP Jess Phillips – who has said she found it hard to disagree with her former colleagues who are part of the Independent Group – spoke to Channel 4 News and they asked her whether she was minded to join them.
Labour must take on the splitters by finally backing a people’s vote
From the perspective of the anti-Brexit movement, the Labour split does not change the bottom line. At some point in the process, Labour needs to whip in favour of a public vote and, if there is not a general election in the meantime, enough Tories need to join them to pass the motion. The damaging thing is the bigger process: the crude attempt by Chuka Ummuna and others to cash in their role in the anti-Brexit movement to lend credibility to a New Labour project which has run out of its own ideas.
Theresa May fights Remainer rebels as EU departure set to be delayed up to nine months
Cabinet ministers have told Theresa May she must agree to delay Brexit if there is no EU deal to halt their Commons rebellion next week. Four of the PM’s top table confronted her during a No10 meeting on Monday to insist she must take No Deal off the table. Amber Rudd, David Gauke, Greg Clark and David Mundell named a new pledge from Mrs May to extend Article 50 talks as their price not to side with backbench rebels during a new showdown with MPs in seven days time. If the PM refuses, the senior ministers insisted they and 20 other members of the Government would press on with their vow to back Labour MP Yvette Cooper and Tory grandee Sir Oliver Letwin’s plan for Parliament to seize control of the Brexit process.
Tory MP Phillip Lee causes an argument on BBC Politics Live show after calling Brexit a ‘turd’
Conservative MP Phillip Lee sparked a row during the BBC Politics Live show on Wednesday after he branded Brexit a “turd” during a heated discussion. The Tory MP for Bracknell was discussing the latest defections of his colleagues Anna Soubry, Heidi Allen and Sarah Wollaston to the centrist The Independent Group parliamentary bloc that has taken shape this week. While he said he did not feel it was the time to join them, he took issue with the Conservatives embrace of Brexit since the 2016 vote.
Theresa May must rule out catastrophic no-deal Brexit at all costs
Anybody claiming a no-deal Brexit would be anything other than a catastrophe is either an idiot or a liar. It’s a simple fact that crashing out of the EU without a deal would involve an economic shock that would be devastating for hundreds of thousands of people across the UK. This truth was driven home in a stark parliamentary statement by Scottish Constitutional Relations Secretary Mike Russell yesterday. The SNP minister revealed that official Scottish Government estimates suggest 100,000 jobs would be lost in the aftermath of a no-deal Brexit.
Brexit: Theresa May eyes potential route out of negotiation deadlock in Brussels
The outline of a potential compromise deal on Brexit has begun to emerge in Brussels with both sides now working towards a new route out of the deadlock.
EU diplomats confirmed they were looking at a new kind of legal instrument to sit alongside the existing withdrawal agreement, giving clarity over the temporary nature of the Irish backstop so hated by Tory backbenchers. They were in meetings with the UK’s attorney general Geoffrey Cox, who has already done groundwork on similar instruments before heading to Brussels for meetings alongside Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay.
Brexit: No deal threat focusing minds, says Hammond
The threat of a no-deal Brexit is "focusing minds" and encouraging compromise, the chancellor has said. Philip Hammond said the government was "determined to get a deal" before leaving the EU on 29 March but a "very bad" no deal outcome remained possible. The government said talks on Thursday were "productive" and would "continue urgently at a technical level". Jeremy Corbyn, who met EU negotiator Michel Barnier earlier, again accused the PM of "running down the clock".
Corbyn in Brussels to break Brexit deadlock – as Juncker declares his ‘Brexit fatigue’
We don’t need more time – we need decisions from the British Parliament – this from the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier, who’s just been holding talks with the Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay – the mood in Brussels growing distinctly gloomier, about the prospects of No Deal. Even the European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker declared he had “Brexit fatigue”.
Amendment to May's Brexit deal could protect UK and EU citizens' rights
It's just over a month before the UK is set to leave the European Union on March 29, and the risk of a no deal exit is rising with every day that passes. In this scenario, British citizens in the EU and EU citizens in the UK could lose their rights
Newly-partnered Fianna Fail and SDLP release joint statement on Brexit
The SDLP and Fianna Fail have issued a joint statement urging pro-remain parties across Ireland to form an alliance. The statement, which was issued by party leaders Colum Eastwood and Micheal Martin, sets out five core principles for parties across the island to agree on, in order to counteract the consequences of Brexit.
David Mundell: SNP wants No Deal Brexit to break-up UK
The SNP is "contriving" to bring about a No Deal Brexit because it will hasten the demise of the United Kingdom, Scottish Secretary David Mundell has claimed. And he indicated that he is ready to back moves to remove control of the Brexit process from the Government and return it to the Commons to avoid a "No Deal" scenario .
Exclusive: The Independent Group Could Prop Up Theresa May's Government In Return For A Referendum On Her Deal
The Independent Group of Labour and Tory defectors could prop up Theresa May’s government in a confidence and supply arrangement, a leading member has said. This would include voting for any Brexit deal, if the prime minister put it to the public in a referendum. Gavin Shuker told HuffPost UK’s Commons People podcast it would be “in the national interest” to provide stability through any public vote, which could take a year to arrange. The group first made the offer in a meeting with the PM’s de facto deputy, David Lidington, last month.
Political Setbacks
We’ve upset Japan, China and Bangladesh this week alone – post-Brexit Britain won’t have any trade links at this rate
One of the many unintended consequences of Brexit is that “Global Britain” seems curiously friendless. We have proved remarkably inept at “taking back control” of our foreign policy, we are losing friends we need diplomatically every day. Telling Bangladesh to take our now 'stateless ISIS bride' - sending haughty letters to Japan they need to urgently agree a trade treaty with us - our defence secretary threatening to send a warship into China's backyard and then we ask them for a trade deal.
No-deal Brexit threatens to push Ireland into budgetary deficit
Ireland’s deputy premier said the economy would be affected if the UK crashes out of the EU. A no-deal Brexit threatens to push Ireland into a budgetary deficit, Ireland’s deputy premier has warned. Simon Coveney said the economy would be impacted if ...
Jeremy Corbyn pushes Labour's Brexit blueprint in Brussels
After his meetings with EU officials in Brussels on Thursday, the Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, and those around him, seem more confident than ever that their vision of Brexit will, somehow, become reality. Despite not actually being in the negotiation seat or in power. Sources close to the talks between Mr Corbyn and Michel Barnier say the EU's chief negotiator was sympathetic to Labour's ideas of membership of a customs union and a closer alignment with the single market. Speak to EU diplomats and officials in Brussels privately and they have always seen the Labour plans as more favourable.
Not there yet but closer: Britain and EU haggle over Brexit compromise
May’s finance minister, Philip Hammond, raised hopes that a revised deal was on the cards by saying lawmakers could get an opportunity as early as next week to vote on a revised deal. But within hours of his comments, a British government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, played down the likelihood of a deal within days.
Theresa May reaches out to Remainer rebels amid quit rumours
Theresa May has held meetings with leading Tory Remainers, amid speculation about further defections. Justine Greening and Phillip Lee say Mrs May has ignored requests from pro-EU Tory MPs in favour of Brexiteers. The pair had separate meetings with the PM in Downing Street. Meanwhile, one ex-Labour member of the new Independent Group of MPs has said it could help keep Mrs May in power on condition that she agreed to another EU referendum with Remain as an option.
Delay to tax havens’ public registers ‘risks national security’
The UK government is undermining national security by delaying the introduction of publicly available share ownership registers in Britain’s major tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, the foreign affairs select committee has said. During a general inquiry into the relationship between the UK and its overseas territories, the MPs on the committee discovered that the Foreign Office planned to delay the introduction of publicly available beneficial share ownership registers until 2023, three years after the deadline MPs believed they had set. Public registers are seen as critical by campaigners for cracking down on money laundering, corruption and tax evasion, including by leaders of authoritarian governments.
Tory MP defector predicts cabinet resignations over no-deal Brexit
Theresa May tried on Thursday to prevent further Europhile Tory MPs from resigning by promising that her UK government would occupy the political centre ground. Justine Greening and Philip Lee, two Tory MPs who are seen as among the most likely to join the new Independent Group in the House of Commons, were both invited to meet Mrs May at Downing Street. Hours earlier Ms Greening said she would resign from the Conservative party if the government sought to take Britain out of the EU without a deal
Scotland Brexit: David Mundell 'will not quit Conservative Party'
The Scottish secretary has said he is determined to stop a no-deal Brexit, but has no intention of leaving the Conservative Party. Speaking at an event in Edinburgh, David Mundell said leaving the EU without a deal could cause "chaos and disruption in our economy". He said he was not surprised that three pro-Remain Tory MPs had quit the party to join the new Independent Group. But he said he would "most certainly not" be joining them.
Theresa May is lying to get her Brexit deal through – even if that means thousands more people losing their jobs
The withdrawal agreement, widely known as “May’s deal”, clearly sets out the objective of leaving both the customs union and the single market. Leaving them both is part of the prime minister’s many red lines. Not only are May’s claims on the political declaration false, they are an attempt to obscure the decisive difference between her deal and Corbyn’s policy. Corbyn is demanding that our economy is in a customs union with the closest possible relationship with the single market. The prime minister is willing to destroy tens of thousands of jobs and lower living standards as workers at Nissan, Ford and Honda are finding out. And the distortion of the truth is part and parcel of that plan.
John Humphrys SHOCKED by Philip Hammond's 'HIGH RISK' Brexit admission
BBC Today programme host John Humphrys was shocked by Philip Hammond's Brexit admission as the Chancellor revealed the UK Government may have never asked the EU whether they would offer Britain an extension of Article 50.
There’s only one way out of this Brexit nightmare – revoke Article 50
Brexit was a mutiny. Like all mutinies, it was driven by anger at authority rather than by a strategy for the future. To date, the consequences have been to deepen polarisation, but triumphant victory for either side is not the way forward. That there is no majority for any of the current options is entirely understandable: they are all awful. We can only break the polarisation with a new strategy. The Brexit mutiny should have been a wake-up call. Instead, the elite are angry that the mutiny was not suppressed, while the mutineers have become ever more distrustful. There is a way out of this nightmare. Revoke Article 50
No-deal Brexit might see Justine Greening quit Conservatives
Justine Greening has indicated she would leave the Conservative Party if the Government backed a no-deal Brexit. "I don't think I would be able to stay part of a party that was simply a Brexit party that had crashed us out of the European Union," the former education secretary said.
Brexit became inevitable while we were all looking the other way
When historians come to write the story of Brexit, where will their account begin? The year it all started to go wrong for David Cameron was 2012 - first Greece teetered on default and the EU took a highly publicized austerity stance. This threw the Euro into crisis and in turn the political project went into the mixer
Tories pushed close to breaking point after three Brexit-hating MPs defect and join Independent Group
Theresa May’s Tory party was pushed close to breaking point on Wednesday as three prominent MPs walked out to join the new Independent Group. Former Cabinet minister Anna Soubry, Commons Health Committee chair Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen stunned Westminster with the defection.
Theresa May trolled in Brussels by anti-Brexit group
Just over 3 kilometers away from the Commission's Berlaymont building, a giant electronic billboard in Brussels' Place De Brouckère shows one of May's tweets from April 2016. It says: "I believe it is clearly in our national interest to remain a member of the European Union." The billboard is the work of Led By Donkeys, an anti-Brexit group that posts, according to its Twitter bio, "the Brexit predictions of our leaders, rendered as tweets then put on massive billboards."
Theresa May faces ministerial revolt over no-deal Brexit
Theresa May is facing the most serious cabinet revolt of her premiership next week, with as many as 25 members of the government ready to vote for a Brexit delay unless she rules out “no deal” – in a move that will challenge her to sack them. Rebel Conservatives believe there are now enough MPs across the House of Commons to pass an amendment that would require May to extend article 50 rather than allow the UK to leave without a deal.
Taxpayers face having to cough up £310 MILLION for the Home Office’s Windrush scandal
Taxpayers face a staggering £310 MILLION bill from the Windrush scandal, the Sun can reveal. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has told Cabinet colleagues that a compensation fund may cost the extraordinary sum. And he is warning the bill is so high, the Home Office will struggle to even launch the fund without extra cash from the Treasury. One Cabinet source told The Sun: “Saj is saying it’s unaffordable and that the Home Office budget needs another £150 million.” It’s the first time the Government has put a figure on the likely redress for thousands of Commonwealth citizens caught up in the scandal – which erupted almost exactly one year ago.
EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker 'not optimistic' about avoiding no-deal Brexit
The European Commission president lamented that the two sides were unlikely to reach a deal MPs will be willing to support. And he warned that a no-deal departure from the bloc would have “terrible economic and social consequences, both in Britain and on the continent”.
From Europe, Brexit is like 'watching a car crash in slow motion'
Europeans in Brussels, the unofficial capital of the E.U., have some choice words to describe Britain’s attempt to leave the 28-country bloc. "Horrifying," "chaotic" and "frustrating" are just a few of them. There are just 36 days left until Brexit, and lawmakers have been unable to agree on how it will leave and what the future relationship will look like. “It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion and you can’t do anything to stop it,” said Jess Fitch, who was born and raised in Belgium to British parents and is a U.K. national.
Chris Davies: Tory MP charged with forgery over his expenses claims
A Tory MP has been charged with forgery over claims he falsified documents for his Parliamentary expenses. Chris Davies, 51, will face court next month charged with three alleged offences dating back to early 2016. The Crown Prosecution Service said today they brought the criminal charges after reviewing allegations that Mr Davies "falsified two invoices in support of Parliamentary expenses claims." The MP has represented Brecon and Radnorshire since 2015 and was made a government aide to the Wales Office in January 2018.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-chris-davies-tory-mp-14031134
Additional sources: (The Sun)
Additional sources: (The Sun)
Ex-Tory MP Anna Soubry Claims Theresa May Has 'A Problem With Immigration'
Ex-Tory MP Anna Soubry has claimed Theresa May has a “problem with immigration” on the same day she decided to quit the Tories to join parliament’s new Independent Group. Soubry, who announced her resignation on Wednesday over the government’s stance on Brexit, told BBC Newsnight that the prime minister would not agree to the single market “because of the free movement of people”.
Soubry added: “And I think what’s really worried me about Theresa, and she has history in the Home Office that supports this – because I’m an old barrister, I look at the evidence – and I think she’s got a problem with immigration. I really, honestly do.”
Labour reports former MP Joan Ryan over alleged data breach
Labour has reported its former MP Joan Ryan to the Information Commissioner’s Office, though she strongly denies accessing party systems to contact members after resigning from the party on Tuesday to join the breakaway Independent Group. It is understood the party has informed the commissioner about the alleged breach and that it intends to submit a full report. Suspicions about the breach prompted party officials to shut down its key canvassing software.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Trade pact with Japan ruled out by Brexit deadline
The government has admitted it has run out of time to roll over existing trade pacts with Japan and Turkey in the event of a no-deal Brexit. A document released on Thursday by the Department for Trade showed it was seeking to continue deals with 40 trading partners currently covered by EU membership, accounting for 11% of all UK trade. But it confirmed that in the case of Japan - whose trade pact with the EU only came into force this month - "it is unlikely that we will reach an agreement prior to exit day".
We cannot allow Liam Fox’s post-Brexit trade plans to go unscrutinised
The international trade secretary, Liam Fox, is using the opportunity of the Parliamentary recess to avoid proper scrutiny of plans that threaten our rights, our environment and our democracy. He tabled a general debate on post-Brexit trade agreements with the US, Australia, New Zealand and the Trans-Pacific Partnership for Thursday. And he is expected to launch negotiations soon after the debate – with no chance for parliament to stop him. The government is planning to include investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms in future trade deals. ISDS clauses let foreign investors sue national governments for introducing policies that harm their profits.
Britain threatens to favour Brazilian beef over Irish as new trade war looms
Britain has upped the ante in the battle over the Brexit backstop, by threatening to favour Brazilian beef over Irish using a system of tariffs and quotas. The British plan, which echoes tactics used against the government of Eamon de Valera during the Anglo-Irish trade war of the 1930s, aims to allow beef-producing countries like Brazil to dodge the brunt of the new import taxes, or tariffs, after Brexit. It will mean a huge quantity of low-priced Brazilian beef being pushed into the UK market, with quality Irish beef being priced out.
EU Funding Benefits
Life After Brexit: Sustainability And The European Regional Development Fund
Responsible for balanced development across the European Union, the ERDF has funded a large chunk of infrastructure projects and services in remote regions of the UK. The funding was particularly important in West Wales and Cornwall, the two poorest regions in Northern Europe. With Brexit fast approaching, areas relying on the ERDF are growing increasingly worried about the lack of information regarding the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) the government has set up to replace it.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 25th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Later this week the UK government is expected to spell out what tariffs it intends to place on food and other essential imported items in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- It emerged that Ministers have spent £100m on consultancy contracts to assist them with Brexit to date
- Business leaders are sounding the alarm about work permits in Europe on the back of little being agreed and a likely massive six month backlog of applicants seeking them
- HMRC`s `Making Tax Digital` rules come into force on April 1st adding to the pressure on up to 1m small businesses who may be struggling to adjust to No Deal Brexit changes
- British Retail Consortium is sounding the alarm over food supply if a No Deal Brexit occurs. It is pointing to no new infrastructure to handle port traffic and no details on how to deal with countries under the new arrangements and only a month to go
- British Ports Association chiefs went on record saying plans to manage a No Deal were lamentable and they wondered if the government was working off Google Map copies of the infrastructure in each port
- The New Economics Foundation reported that the UK economy has already shrunk by £100bn because of recent austerity policies
- Some business writers lament the end of the Japanese love affair with the UK, and argue, that the withdrawal of Japanese business investment is inevitable as their investors lose faith
- Former EU diplomatic chief Ivan Rogers has slammed the whole Brexit negotiation process, calling UK negotiators a `group of fantasists taking offence at a trading club simply asking to enforce its own rules`
- In more steps toward trade talks, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt made a diplomatic faux pas in Slovenia, confusing and insulting politicians in the country by suggesting it was a state that endured Soviet occupation, when in fact it was part of the old Yugoslavia
- Philip Hammond went on record saying Defence minister Gavin Wiliamson`s comments about sending warships to the South China Sea were unhelpful, just at the moment the UK was trying to propel post Brexit trade talks forward
- The EU is considering a 21 month extension/delay in the UK leaving, if it continues to be unable to agree what a final Brexit deal might be
- The EU Commission`s Michel Barnier says the chances of an accidental No Deal Brexit are now really high
- Three Tory Cabinet ministers say they are considering stepping down to vote for the Cooper-Letwin amendment in Parliament which takes No Deal off the table
- Theresa May has withdrawn her plans for a meaningful vote on her revised Brexit plan and pushed the date of a vote back to March 12th
- Theresa May remains defiant and ready to fight on, and to push Brexit over the finish line and deliver on her domestic agenda
- There is another amendment being put to Parliament which forces Mrs May to put her withdrawal plan to the British people in a referendum which includes an option to remain in the EU on the ballot paper
Economic Impact
The Japanese aren’t daft – that’s why they’re getting out of Brexit Britain
A new Japanese consensus has formed. The Conservative party and its leaders cannot be trusted. They ignore warnings, break their word and do not understand business – personified by Old Etonians Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Brexit is a first-order disaster, striking at the heart of how Japanese companies organise themselves as “lean manufacturers”. As Honda’s Patrick Keating, its European government affairs manager, briefed a meeting in Swindon in September, Brexit is likely to interrupt the just-in-time delivery of 2 million parts a day – a fifth of which come from EU suppliers. Those suppliers would have to fill out 60,000 customs declaration forms a year, he warned. One in five of its UK workforce are EU nationals. The world of tariff-free barriers – access to the EU’s free-trade agreements with other countries, and ability to move staff between countries promised by Thatcher – has evaporated in front of Honda’s eyes.
The City may thrive despite Brexit, but the rest of us won’t
The real gap that Brexit will widen yet further is not just between financial services and trade in food and manufactures. It is between London and the rest of the country. Already the Treasury’s staggering £4.2bn “for Brexit preparations” is tipping jobs into the capital. The greatest irony is that London and the south-east of England, which voted overwhelmingly for remain, will emerge from a hard Brexit richer than ever. It is the provinces that voted leave that will suffer. Manufacturing will slide towards recession, while Londoners smile all the way to the bank – a bank for which Brexit will not exist.
UK economy £100bn smaller because of austerity – thinktank
Austerity policies from the Treasury have resulted in slower growth in every year since 2010 and left each household £300 a month worse off as a result, a thinktank has said. The New Economics Foundation said its analysis of the impact of tax and spending changes since the Conservatives came to power, first as part of a coalition with the Liberal Democrats, had left the economy £100bn smaller than it would otherwise have been.
Clear of Brexit's teething troubles, 2020 could be a boom year for the UK
The adverse effects of Brexit will be front-loaded and the benefits back-loaded. It is difficult to find even the most devoted of Brexiteers arguing that things will start to improve immediately after Brexit. So this issue has something of the characteristic of an investment decision: immediate costs in order to secure long-term benefits.
Administrative Fall Out
Government 'May Have Relied On Google Maps' To Draw Up No-Deal Brexit Port Plans
Emergency plans to tackle no-deal Brexit chaos at UK ports are so “very basic” transport chiefs stand accused of using Google Maps to draw them up. Richard Ballantyne, chief executive of the British Ports Association, made the startling allegation to HuffPost UK as he slammed “simplistic” proposals the government has drawn up for maritime chiefs. Bosses at Dover and Portsmouth are braced for potential ferry gridlock amid fears crashing out of the EU on March 29 could lead to food and medicine shortages.
Ministers spend £100m on Brexit consultant contracts
The government has agreed contracts worth £104m for outside help on Brexit, according to analysis for the BBC. Since the EU referendum, Whitehall has hired companies to do consultancy work to prepare for the UK's EU exit. Companies with the most valuable Brexit contracts include Boston Consulting Group, PWC and Deloitte, according to analysis firm Tussell.
Brexit: Ireland warns residents UK driving licences won't be valid in No Deal
Ireland has warned its residents that UK driving licences will no longer be valid in a no deal Brexit. Drivers who live in the Republic are being urged to exchange their UK licences urgently for an Irish one before March 29. The announcement came this week from Ireland's National Driver Licence Service (NDLS). A statement by the NDLS said UK residents who visit "from time to time on holidays" will still be able to use their UK licence. NDLS rules also make clear visitors can drive on a foreign licence for up to a year providing it is current and valid. But people who live in Ireland have been told: "Your UK driving licence will not be valid to drive here in Ireland".
EU expects UK request to help avoid food shortages under hard Brexit
“I’m sure that the United Kingdom will be giving us a phone call to make sure that in the first few days or few weeks of any particular hard Brexit that there is a joint effort on behalf of the UK and the European Union to mitigate the damage to the citizens of the UK in relation to food,” Hogan told Reuters on the sidelines of the Paris farm show. “I don’t think they will want a situation where they will have a logistical problem at their ports, that they will have food shortages and food prices going up in the shops,” Hogan added. The EU would prefer a “soft” Brexit with a transition period, as set out in last year’s withdrawal agreement agreed by May and the other 27 EU countries, but was “ready for the worst-case scenario”, Hogan said.
One million self-employed braced for digital tax burden days after Brexit
More than a million self-employed people and small business owners will be hit by a burdensome new tax-reporting regime to be introduced just days after Britain leaves the EU. From April 1 the Government’s Making Tax Digital (MTD) rules will force small business owners with a turnover above the £85,000 VAT threshold to keep all records digitally and submit them to HMRC using approved software. Self-employed people including local shop owners, barristers and landlords will be among those who must comply with the new regime, when businesses are likely to be under severe strain and adapting to new trading conditions post Brexit.
UK food supply under threat from no-deal Brexit
In Calais and Dover, no new infrastructure has been built to prepare for customs checks should controls be required. London has yet to provide exporters and importers any clarity around its proposed trading regime with countries outside the EU. And companies from supermarket chains to big food processors such as Nestlé say they have no idea what labeling requirements will be in place should no deal be reached. “Obviously as importers of food, it’s really important that we know if there will be tariffs applied and if so what that is going to look like,” said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, which represents supermarkets in the U.K. “There are a number of countries such as Iceland, Norway and Mexico — important for imports of food — where we are still uncertain what the trading arrangements will be on day one of a no-deal Brexit."
Poles will return east to higher wages and jobs, and UK will lose out
Britain’s old reputation as an attractive place for economic migrants to come and work now lies in tatters. The message is clear: we want your money, but not your people. Eastern Europeans no longer flock to Britain; quite the reverse. Figures last week showed that 76,000 EU workers left last year, while the number of non-EU migrant workers rose by 159,000. Fresh statistics expected on Thursday are likely to show the decline continuing. However, evidence indicates that such immigration has been beneficial for the economy and in the long run we will be the losers
The Japanese aren’t daft – that’s why they’re getting out of Brexit Britain
A new Japanese consensus has formed. The Conservative party and its leaders cannot be trusted. They ignore warnings, break their word and do not understand business – personified by Old Etonians Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg. Brexit is a first-order disaster, striking at the heart of how Japanese companies organise themselves as “lean manufacturers”. As Honda’s Patrick Keating, its European government affairs manager, briefed a meeting in Swindon in September, Brexit is likely to interrupt the just-in-time delivery of 2 million parts a day – a fifth of which come from EU suppliers. Those suppliers would have to fill out 60,000 customs declaration forms a year, he warned. One in five of its UK workforce are EU nationals. The world of tariff-free barriers – access to the EU’s free-trade agreements with other countries, and ability to move staff between countries promised by Thatcher – has evaporated in front of Honda’s eyes.
Bosses' alarm over EU visas | Business
Many British companies will find it impossible to do business in Europe in the event of a no-deal Brexit, leaders have warned, due to waiting times of up to six months for work permits. If Britain leaves without a withdrawal agreement on March 29, free movement of UK nationals to the remaining 27 EU nations will immediately cease.
The time it takes to process an application for a work permit varies from about a month in Holland to six months in Italy. However, immigration experts say the existing application system for short-term visas and work permits could be overwhelmed with demand.
UK food imports from EU face '£9bn tariff bill' under no-deal Brexit
The government is expected next week to spell out its plan to mitigate a potential £9bn food-price shock from a no-deal Brexit, as analysts predict the cost of staples such as beef, cheddar cheese and tomatoes could soar. With just over a month until the Brexit deadline, the Department for International Trade is expected on Monday to publish a list of new import taxes, or tariffs, that will apply to 5,200 products, including food and clothing, should the UK crash out of the EU without a deal.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May risks Cabinet fury as she delays Brexit meaningful vote again
The Prime Minister told reporters en route to a summit in Egypt that the next major Commons showdown on her deal would take place by 12 March - less than three weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU. She said: "My team will be back in Brussels on Tuesday. As a result of that, we won’t bring a meaningful vote to parliament this week, but we will ensure that that happens by 12 March. It tees up a major class with Mrs May's Ministers who have threatened to vote to take No Deal off the table
The Independent Group will back Theresa May in any vote of confidence, says Heidi Allen
The new Independent Group of MPs has agreed to back Theresa May in any vote of no confidence, one of its most prominent members has said. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, former Conservative MP Heidi Allen said the group – which also consists of eight Labour MPs – had decided not to do anything that would facilitate a general election. Her words go further than previous comments that the group might support Ms May in a confidence and supply arrangement if she agrees to soften her Brexit stance.
Brexit: Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke issue delay warning
Brexit should be delayed if Parliament does not approve a deal in the coming days, three cabinet ministers have warned publicly for the first time. Ahead of crucial votes in the Commons, Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke told the Daily Mail they would be prepared to defy Theresa May and vote for a delay. Downing Street said the trio's views on no deal were "scarcely a secret".
May signals she is ready to fight on
Theresa May signalled on Sunday she wanted to press on as prime minister, saying there was still more to do to live up to her promise when she took office to make Britain work “for every one of us”. May told her governing Conservatives in December last year she would not lead the party into the next election, part of a message to ease concerns among her MPs before they mounted, and then lost, a no confidence vote against her. But she has so far refused to give a date for her departure, and despite reports some of her ministers want her to step down after local elections in May, she said she wanted to pursue not only Brexit, but what she called her “domestic agenda”
Liam Fox slaps down Cabinet colleagues over plan to halt no-deal Brexit
Liam Fox has warned that a Commons plan to kill off a no-deal Brexit would "fundamentally weaken our position" - just a day after three of his Cabinet colleagues broke ranks to back the proposal. In a direct rebuke to his Cabinet colleagues, Dr Fox took aim at the plot to push for an Article 50 extension. He told the Sunday Telegraph: "Taking no-deal off the table would be to remove the single strongest card that we have in our negotiation with the EU itself and would therefore fundamentally weaken our position ... While [I] do not want to see a no-deal scenario, the risk of failing to deliver on Brexit itself is too great to be contemplated."
Brexit: Motion for second referendum to be tabled in parliament next week
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has said his party will next week make a fresh drive to give MPs the chance to back a second Brexit referendum. Sir Vince asked members of the new Independent Group for support as he sought backing for a motion aiming to lock a new public vote into law. As it stands it is unclear whether any other group will try to bring forward or support a bid for a fresh referendum this Wednesday, when MPs will have another opportunity to table alternative proposals for the next steps in the Brexit process.
Theresa May's Brexit vote delay: what does it all mean?
Deep divisions in the cabinet over how to manage Brexit burst into the open this week, with three ministers – Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark – warning in a statement published in the Daily Mail on Saturday that if a breakthrough could not be achieved, “in the next few days”, then the article 50 notice period for leaving the EU must be extended. May is now promising to bring her deal back to parliament for a second meaningful vote on 12 March – just 17 days before Britain is due to leave the EU. But Rudd, Gauke and Clark’s comments suggested they were ready to join the string of ministers who have signalled that they are prepared to defy party whips in order to back the Cooper-Letwin amendment.
Amber Rudd accused of cynical plot to force Tory Brexiteers into backing May's Brexit deal
Amber Rudd was last night at the centre of claims that she was part of a cynical ‘plot’ to force the capitulation of Tory Brexiteers over Theresa May’s deal with Brussels. The Work and Pensions Secretary faced fury after she joined fellow Remainer Cabinet Ministers, Business Secretary Greg Clark and Justice Secretary David Gauke, in signalling publicly that they would force a delay to Brexit to stop a ‘disastrous’ No Deal. While some leading figures in the pro-Brexit European Research Group (ERG) said the three Ministers should resign as they were in breach of Cabinet collective responsibility, others said they suspected it was a ruse to scare MPs into backing Theresa May’s deal.
Brexit news latest: Senior Labour MPs say party could back second referendum this week
Labour is moving closer to supporting a second Brexit referendum and may officially back one as soon as this week, senior members of the party have said. Asked whether this would be the week Labour comes out in support of a second referendum, the party's deputy leader Tom Watson told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "It might be... we are getting closer to that point."
Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell exclusively reveals how Luciana Berger was let down by Labour
McDonnell argues there is progress. They are backing the Cooper-Letwin amendment, which would delay Brexit if a deal isn’t approved by March. Although Corbyn is perceived to be anti-People’s Vote, McDonnell is not. He volunteers that “we’re moving towards [a referendum]” and is warm about the initiative by Labour MP’s Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, which would offer the Prime Minister support for her deal, so long as it was put to the people for a vote.
Theresa May insists Brexit must not be blocked
Theresa May has vowed to Tory grassroots activists that she will not allow the referendum vote for Britain to leave the EU to be frustrated. Northern Minister John Penrose warned taking no-deal off the table could undermine Mrs May’s efforts to secure concessions on the backstop. “It could torpedo Brexit completely, leaving us in a ‘Hotel California’ Brexit, where we’d checked out but could never leave,” he said in an article for The Sunday Telegraph.
Brexit: Carwyn Jones calls for second EU referendum
Former First Minister Carwyn Jones has called for a fresh referendum on Britain's EU membership. Before standing down in December, Mr Jones, the AM for Bridgend, argued that Labour should seek a general election first. But speaking S4C debate show Pawb a'i Farn on Thursday evening, Mr Jones said: "It makes sense to me settle the question now."
Political Setbacks
Eilis O’Hanlon: 'Ireland shouldn't hold its breath for a sea-change in UK's broken politics'
'Ireland shouldn't hold its breath for a sea-change in UK's broken politics' according to the Irish Independent. The emergence of a breakaway group of pro-EU MPs at Westminster may be too little, too late for Ireland as UK's broken political system jogs on towards a No Deal Brexit which hurts us all
Michel Barnier says there is high chance of 'accidental' no-deal Brexit
Michel Barnier has said he is more concerned than ever after a week of talks with Theresa May and the British negotiators that has left Brussels fearing an accidental no-deal Brexit in five weeks. But he told a French radio channel: “Today I am more worried than before” over the talks, adding that the UK needed to make decisions fast. The EU official also told ambassadors privately, after the negotiations with the UK’s Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, and a visit by May to Brussels, that the chances of an “accidental” no-deal Brexit were high.
Momentum chief warns Independent Group pose a threat that could damage Labour
Momentum founder Jon Lansman has admitted that parliament’s new Independent Group of MPs is a threat to Labour, as his organisation’s Corbyn-backing activists mobilise in a bid to force by-elections in defectors’ seats. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Mr Lansman said that while he believes the new group is guaranteed to fail under its own shortcomings, Momentum will seek to minimise the political cost to Mr Corbyn by accelerating its downfall.
Jeremy Hunt enrages Slovenia by wrongly saying it was 'a vassal state of the Soviet Union'
Foreign secretary visits Slovenia hoping to win friends and influence people over Brexit, before being labelled ‘arrogantly insulting’ after telling his hosts they were once subservient to Russia when they were actually part of a fiercely independent Yugoslavia
Brexit must not be frustrated, Theresa May vows
The Brexit vote must not be frustrated and the government needs to maintain an "absolute" focus on delivering it, Theresa May has said. In a speech to Tory activists the PM said, as her negotiations with the EU reach their final stages, the "worst thing we could do is lose our focus".
What UK’s political crack-up means for Brexit
Without signs of progress, some ministers and officials believe the unravelling of the party system — started by the 12 MPs who resigned from Labour and the Tories last week — could accelerate. A sizeable chunk of government ministers are threatening to resign to vote for backbench proposals designed to stop a no-deal Brexit. The result would be a further destabilizing of British politics just weeks before the U.K.’s scheduled departure from the EU on March 29, opening up the prospect of a general election, second referendum or even a redrawn coalition government replacing May’s ailing administration.
Contempt Committee: Theresa May’s Government has ‘Not a leg to Stand On’ Withholding Information from Parliament
Opening its session this week, the committee’s chair, Charles Walker MP, asked key Opposition MPs: “Do you think the Government has a leg to stand on?” when it came to keeping requested information out of the hands of elected representatives.
SNP MP Joanna Cherry QC (SNP) said she did not believe that the Government has a “leg to stand on” if MPs’ requests for factual information, particularly on Brexit, are stonewalled. “They have to accept that they are a minority government,” she said, before adding that Parliament is operating in “exceptional circumstances” that are at least equivalent to those before the Iraq War. This issue strikes at the heart of what the public should have a right to know.
We need the final say on Brexit
Two and a half years later, what is unfolding is an epic shambles that could very soon spell disaster for our nation. Every day that goes by businesses and public services are spending a fortune trying to prepare for a no deal scenario which would be an unprecedented self-inflicted disaster for our country. Businesses are hurting - delaying investment, paying sky-high prices for stockpiling and not committing to providing the decent, permanent jobs we need for the future.
EU Considers 21-Month Delay If May Can't Get Brexit Done
The European Union is considering telling Theresa May that if she can’t get her Brexit deal through Parliament and wants to delay the departure date, the country will have to stay in the bloc until 2021. Three European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said senior EU figures and several governments back an extension of as much as 21 months beyond the scheduled March 29 exit day.
The idea will enrage pro-Brexit lawmakers in May’s party, who will probably see it as a tactic to get them to back May’s deal. A fourth European official also said it looked like a scare tactic.
Institute of Direct@JonSnowC4News Institute of Directors issue statement saying they have ‘lost faith in the political process’ after May postpone yet another vote.
Institute of Directors issue statement saying they have ‘lost faith in the political process’ after May postpone yet another vote on a Brexit deal
Theresa May Told How To Hold A Cue As She Plays Pool With The Italian Prime Minister
In the footage, the British Prime Minister admits she’ll be “hopeless” as she’s handed the cue. “You’ll have to show me how,” she adds, unsure of the mechanics of the game. Conte lets May onto the table after failing to pocket. Clearly hoping to help his boss while she’s caught in a tricky situation, Gavin Barwell, her chief of staff, shows her how to use her hand as a bridge and how to hold the cue. “Put your thumb and finger like that,” he suggests. Sadly, the video cuts out just after she hits the cue ball, so we’ll probably never know if she’s a natural.
Gordon Brown calls for MPs to vote to delay Brexit - for up to 12 months
The former Labour PM wants to postpone Britain's jump from the EU and "avoid hurtling over a cliff edge" by gathering evidence from people across the country to tell if they want a second referendum on the move
Buoyed by freedom, the rebels are now able to follow their consciences
If Corbyn breaks his promise on a second referendum or, more characteristically, pretends to support a people’s vote while quietly sabotaging it, more MPs will go. There’s talk of Tom Watson, the nearest the modern Labour movement has to a Bevin, forming a real Labour party. Whether it’s more than talk, I can’t say. One thing is certain, the question “do you think Jeremy Corbyn is fit to be prime minister” has the same answer it always had. I don’t know how much longer the bulk of the parliamentary Labour party can avoid delivering it.
Corbyn told: change course before it’s too late for Labour
Some of Labour’s most influential figures are urgently warning Jeremy Corbyn to change his approach to antisemitism, Brexit and factional infighting, as more senior politicians reveal they have already decided to quit the party. Figures across the party say that a major exodus of MPs, peers and councillors will be triggered over the next few weeks unless the demands for change are met, with some already poised to go. One senior parliamentarian told the Observer: “I have decided that I am going to have to leave. For me, it’s just a question of when.”
Ivan Rogers slams UK government, again
Writing in The Times, Rogers labeled Britain's "political class" a group of fantasists for taking offense at the EU wanting to enforce the rules of its trading club in Brexit negotiations. Rogers also faulted the EU for not "thinking strategically about the long-term relationship it wants with what will be its most important non-EU economic and security partner." Rogers reserved his greatest astonishment for that the fact that British businesses to have no idea about their terms of trade in five weeks time: "I can think of no parallel for this in the postwar annals of developed countries," he wrote.
https://www.politico.eu/article/ivan-rogers-slams-u-k-ministers-again/
Additional sources: (Herald Scotland)
Additional sources: (Herald Scotland)
‘A wrench to see them go’: 20 more MPs are on brink of quitting
The Observer has spoken to Labour MPs, peers and supporters who are all on the verge of quitting. “I know personally there are up to 20 MPs sitting on the cliff edge,” said one MP. “The interesting thing is of the 20, it’s whether they jump or are kicked off.” Another said: “100%, more will go.” Several peers are also considering their position. “In many cases they’ve had 50 or 60 years of membership,” said one. “It is a wrench. However, there are people in the ‘not if, but when’ mode.”
The British public is disconnected from the reality of Brexit
There are politicians for whom a well-informed public on Brexit is now the enemy. These distortions of the political situation in the UK are having a cumulative impact. They are creating a looming disconnect between the UK public and the consequences of leaving the EU. Those in favour of Brexit are doing their best to ensure that remains so. May has suppressed reports from her own civil service that concluded that immigration makes a positive contribution to the UK economy. When a UN envoy wrote a damning report about the level of poverty that exists in the UK– surely an argument for having as soft a Brexit as possible – instead of using the information gathered, the Conservative Party rejected it as outright lies. From Isis brides to off-hand comments from EU politicians, anything that can be thrown into the mix to obscure the truth is being used.
PM accused of DUMBING down Brexit demands to get quick deal before Commons showdown
It is believed negotiations include a joint review mechanism that could end the backstop within 12 months of it being triggered. One pro-Remain minister told The Sun: “The PM knows she has to come up with something fast before next week to keep us onside”. But the development sparked an angry backlash from Brexiteer Tory MPs’ European Research Group, who warned of another major rebellion. A senior ERG source said: “It is highly likely that both sides in Brussels are about to commit another catastrophic misjudgement”.
Legal papers lodged against Boris Johnson for 'lies' told during EU referendum
The Brexiteer MP and Vote Leave leader has been accused of “abusing public trust” through the inaccurate claims made about the money sent each week to the EU. Claims about £350m sent to Brussels featured prominently on a big red bus during the Brexit campaign and on literature sent to voters - despite the chair of the UK Statistics Authority writing to tell Johnson his claims were untrue. A study carried out last year found that almost half of voters still believe the claim. Now private prosecutor Marcus J Ball has filed papers at court, claiming three offences of misconduct in public office against Johnson.
Poll shows Welsh voters prefer May's Brexit deal to leaving EU without a deal
The latest YouGov poll for ITV Wales suggests that Welsh voters are now more likely to vote remain if there was another EU referendum. But if the only choice is Theresa May's deal or No deal they'd vote for the May Deal
Polls show Brexit regret is so strong that 'Remain' would win a second referendum by 9 points
The more familiar British people become with the details of Brexit, the less they like it, according to one of the UK's leading pollsters. There is now a nine-point majority that believes leaving the European Union was "wrong," YouGov found. It's the biggest majority against Brexit since the poll was instigated. A majority would vote "Remain" if a second referendum was held. Morgan Stanley now predicts Brexit will be delayed, possibly opening a window to a second vote.
I'll stop Brexit extremists infiltrating our party, Theresa May assures Tories
Theresa May has vowed to block right-wing entryists from joining the Conservative Party in an attempt to stem further defections.Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen said local Tory associations were being infiltrated by a Eurosceptic “purple Momentum” when they joined the new Independent Group of MPs on Wednesday. In a letter to the trio, Mrs May said she did “not accept” the comparison between the Conservative grassroots and the influx of left-wing activists into the Labour Party since Jeremy Corbyn became leader.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Downing Street delays No Deal Brexit tariffs report to avoid outrage before crunch vote
Downing Street is delaying a bombshell announcement on No Deal tariffs to avoid uproar before a crunch Brexit vote next week. Cabinet sources last night said that long-awaited details of import duties on areas such as food and ceramics will only come “next Thursday or Friday”
Philip Hammond reopens row with Gavin Williamson by saying UK-China relations ‘not made simpler’ by defence secretary’s threats
Philip Hammond risked reopening a cabinet rift with Gavin Williamson by suggesting the defence secretary damaged UK relations with China by suggesting that the UK would deploy an aircraft carrier in the South China Sea, just prior to a drive to open trade deal talks
No-deal Brexit “like jumping off cliff without parachute” says former WTO leader
Britain would go to the bottom of the international pecking order in the case of a no-deal Brexit, a former Director General of the World Trade Organisation has said. Pascal Lamy likened a hard exit to “jumping off a cliff without a parachute”. “What happens in the next days is you move down from first league to fourth league, and you have to apply tariffs, borders, controls and I’m not talking about specific arrangements of airlines, capital markets, nuclear safety. It’s not ready, nobody is ready, for a no deal, which is by the way the reason I think it will not happen. People are wise enough not to jump off the cliff without a parachute,” Lamy said.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 26th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- The CBI tweeted that a No Deal Brexit will damage every region and nation of the UK and must be avoided at all costs
- The ADS Group, which represents aerospace and defence in the UK, said the risk of a No Deal Brexit would be `an unforgivable act of economic and social self-harm`
- New research published in the Medical Journal, The Lancet, sets out reasons why a No Deal Brexit would seriously damage the NHS
- The UK safety regime covering everything from household products to medicines, depends on an EU programme known as the Reach database. In the event of a No Deal animal testing could surge, as companies are forced to duplicate health and safety tests underpinning the safety of everything from medicines to household products, as the new governing body starts from scratch to protect the consumer
- Larry Fink, CEO of Black Rock, the world`s largest asset manager has slammed the UK government`s handling of Brexit, saying `it has become a problem for every private sector company in the world`
- British Chamber of Commerce boss Adam Marshall attacked Theresa May`s decision to postpone a meaningful vote on Brexit to March 12th, saying that `17 days for businesses to adjust to what may be the biggest economic and trading change they face in a generation is unacceptable`
- France 24 reported on the UK stockpiling vital medicines such as insulin for diabetics, with pharmaceutical companies creating up to 6 weeks stock to cope with expected severe disruption from a No Deal Brexit
- The British Retail Consortium chief pictured members frantically trying to prepare for a messy Brexit at short notice. The article also quoted an unnamed FTSE 100 CEO, who said he knew that some companies in the UK are considering the nuclear option and just leaving, in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- The Sun reported that Theresa May would formally rule out a No Deal Brexit, at Cabinet later today. The paper reports this as opening a door to a delay in the Brexit process. Tory hardliners in the ERG are expected to be less than amused. However, May still wants to keep a No Deal option alive for later in the year as `negotiating pressure on Brussels`
- The EU is pondering making an offer of 2 years extension to Article 50 for the UK, thus, allowing it more time
- Labour was widely reported to be `moving towards supporting a Second Referendum.` Corbyn said he initially wants to back the Wilson-Kyle Amendment in Parliament, which offers to support a Theresa May-led Brexit plan, so long as it is then put to the country in a referendum. Even so, it is still unclear whether Labour wants Remain in the EU to be an option in any future referendum. If and when the Wilson-Kyle amendment is defeated, Labour will back the Cooper-Letwin amendment in Parliament to delay Brexit
- Theresa May said she wants to carry on with the next phase of Brexit, and believes she must press on to achieve some of the things she promised voters on taking office before standing down as PM
- A Eurotunnel lawsuit against Chris Grayling, over the proposed £14m Brexit ferry contract saga, has revealed that the minister is trying to keep the majority of documents in relation to the contract out of the public domain, and this is not legally justifiable, according to the judge
- The Sun political correspondent tweeted that Theresa May was considering getting a Withdrawal Agreement through Parliament BEFORE it is even signed off by the EU27
- UK Ministers are planning a `hardship fund` for Britons impoverished by a No Deal Brexit
- An opinion poll by YouGov says the Tories are on 36%, Labour 23% and TIG 18% with the Lib Dems on 6%. This means combined TIG and the Lib Dems now poll higher than Labour
- Brexit is not even in the top 10 list of German business priorities, according to Ralf Lissek, CEO of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce
- LBC heard from Jessica Simor QC who explained that in her recent court action against the government over Brexit, the judge made it clear that if the referendum had been legally binding, any illegal action on the part of Vote Leave would make it null and void. However, as the referendum was advisory only, this rule does not apply and the PM is free to do as she wishes
Economic Impact
@CBITweets says "No deal will damage every region and nation of the UK"
No deal will damage every region and nation of the UK
No-deal Brexit risks 'full-blown economic crisis'
The risk of a no-deal Brexit is turning into a "full-blown economic crisis", the aerospace trade body has warned. ADS Group said it was now able to track "the very real economic damage being caused" by the continuing uncertainty over the UK's exit from the EU. Its warning comes as insurance trade body, the ABI, said a no-deal Brexit "would be a be an unforgivable act of economic and social self-harm".
The UK is due to leave the EU on 29 March, but no deal is yet in place.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit ‘will cause significant harm to the NHS’
The availability of medicines and vaccines, the healthcare workforce, NHS financing and access to medical research would all be negatively impacted by a no-deal Brexit, according to a review published in medical journal The Lancet. The authors warn “little evidence exists that the UK is prepared for any of the eventualities set out in their analysis”. The report adds: “For instance, the recently published NHS 10-year plan ran to 136 pages, with only two mentions of Brexit, neither of which offered any detail about what it might mean or how any threats would be addressed.”
No-Deal Brexit Will Seriously Damage NHS, Academics Warn In The Lancet Review
A no-deal Brexit will cause “significant harm” to the NHS, top health academics have warned in a new paper. The medical journal The Lancet says that any form of leaving the EU will harm the health service, but that quitting without a withdrawal agreement will be “by far the worst option”. The medical journal outlines how NHS staffing numbers, finances and medicine will be impacted under four Brexit scenarios, and concludes that the only way to avoid damaging healthcare is to remain a member of the bloc. The authors warn “little evidence exists that the UK is prepared for any of the eventualities set out in their analysis”.
Brexit could trigger major surge in animal testing as EU rules are invalidated, experts warn
Experiments on animals may have to be replicated if UK companies cannot access testing data for everything from household products to medicines. Animal testing could surge in the UK after Brexit as companies are forced to duplicate procedures underpinning the safety of everything from medicines to household cleaning products. Experts have warned of unnecessary harm to animals, as well as considerable costs for businesses, amid the uncertainty of a potential no-deal outcome. Chemicals found in an enormous variety of products are currently regulated under an EU programme known as Reach. If the government cannot agree on a deal that maintains its access to the system, it has said it will create its own UK-based version that essentially “copy and pastes” from the EU database.
BlackRock CEO unhappy with UK's handling of Brexit — report
The chief executive of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, has criticised the UK government’s handling of Brexit, saying it has become a problem for every private sector company in the world. The comments from Larry Fink, made in an interview with CNBC, come as UK Prime Minister Theresa May struggles to renegotiate the terms of a withdrawal agreement struck with Brussels last year, and avoid a no-deal Brexit on March 29. Fink told CNBC: “Brexit is an immediate problem, and it’s a problem that’s quite frankly annoying every private sector organisation in the world today. “The irresponsibility right now of the UK in coming to a resolution is putting more and more private sector organisations on alert.”
The hidden cost of Brexit: how political wrangling has derailed vital consumer protections
Vital consumer protections have fallen by the wayside thanks to the Government’s slow progress on Brexit, experts have claimed. More than half of the consultations launched by government departments in 2018 are still waiting for a response, according to the Consultation Institute, a watchdog. Official guidelines state that a reason for delay should be given if responses are not published within 12 weeks. This target was not met in 204 of 414 cases last year. Among the policy discussions that have stalled are a solution to the care funding crisis, reform of leasehold home ownership and proper regulation of the funeral plans sector. Social care was the issue that arguably cost Prime Minister Theresa her majority in 2018 and it is still not addressed
@BCCAdam 17 days’ notice for businesses, employees, investors and communities on what may be the biggest economic and trading change they face in a generation. Unbelievable. #Brexit
A parliamentary vote on March 12th for something that’s meant to take effect on March 29th. 17 days’ notice for businesses, employees, investors and communities on what may be the biggest economic and trading change they face in a generation. Unbelievable. #Brexit
Failure to agree a special post-Brexit intelligence deal would cause ‘significant damage’ to both UK and EU security
Britain would have less access to EU information systems than the US, Canada and Australia. In a lengthy paper calling for a bespoke UK-EU permanent security arrangement, it argues that Britain makes a disproportionate contribution to over 40 EU data systems and cooperation arrangements so it’s in “neither party’s interest to unnecessarily impede this flow of critical information”. RUSI research fellow Alexander Babuta calls on the EU to consider creating new precedents for a third country to be granted access to certain critical databases - regardless of whether there is a deal.
Britons face five-hour airport queues in Spain with no-deal Brexit
British tourists to Spain could face airport queues of five hours or more after a no-deal Brexit, according to analysis by Which?, and the consumer group suggests travellers should take food, water and even nappies to survive prolonged delays
Eurostar owner allays Brexit chaos fears
The biggest shareholder in Eurostar has sought to allay fears that Brexit might hit - or even halt - the cross-Channel train service. Guillaume Pepy, head of France's SNCF railway company, told French media that it was working to ensure smooth travel "whatever the [Brexit] scenario". He said "details" still needed to be worked out, but the service's "fundamentals" would not be affected.
Hard to stomach – the malnutrition emergency in the NHS
“Today, malnutrition affects at least 3 million people in the UK.” This was the sobering statistic shared by Declan O’Brien, Director General of British Specialist Nutrition Association (BSNA), as he addressed an early morning roundtable in the House of Commons. The BSNA event, sponsored by David Tredinnick MP, brought together parliamentarians and concerned health professionals to discuss the challenges faced by patients at risk of malnutrition and how the NHS can shape greater support for the future. Chairing the event, Mr O’Brien laid out the reality of the situation. “Currently one in three people in care homes, one in 10 visiting their GP and one in four people admitted to hospital are malnourished,” he said. “We know the number of malnourished people is increasing rather than decreasing, so we have a real problem.”
Diabetics stock up on insulin over Brexit fears
Diabetics and insulin providers in Britain are stockpiling the precious medicine to avoid potential shortages in case Britain leaves the European Union without a deal in just over month's time. Diabetes UK and another group, JDRF, have called on the government to provide more details on its preparations in case of a no-deal. They point out that in addition to insulin, people with diabetes use other drugs and imported products such as needles, insulin pumps, and devices used to measure blood glucose levels.
Hub in Belgium to keep NHS supplied in event of no-deal Brexit
The government has created a logistics hub in Belgium where vital medical supplies will be stockpiled to stop the NHS running short of equipment if there is a no-deal Brexit. The Department of Health and Social Care has also arranged to get NHS supplies – including drugs – into Britain using seven new ferry routes, to bypass the chaos that is widely expected in and around Dover in the event of no deal. The Department for Transport has agreed to pay two companies, Brittany Ferries and the Danish firm DFDS, £88.8m to transport products from the hub across the Channel over the next six months. Suppliers, including pharmaceutical companies which will store their products elsewhere, will be given priority access to the ferries.
Mirror owner warns over Brexit as it makes £200m writedown
Simon Fox, the chief executive, said the write-down reflected the difficulties in generating advertising revenues locally and Brexit uncertainty. He said: “If there is a no deal there is a chance we could see a downturn in advertising.” Reach has prepared for Brexit by increasing stockpiles of newsprint imported from Norway and Canada, he said. The company said while average monthly page views for its websites grew by 6% to more than 1bn last year, digital advertising revenues had been hit by “algorithm changes made by Facebook and Google early in 2018”, which reduced the amount of Reach content being distributed via these platforms.
British Companies Are Frantically Preparing for a Messy Brexit
There are limits to how much more some industries can prepare. For food manufacturers, chilled storage is full and fresh food can’t be stockpiled. To try to stock up any more would be prohibitively expensive, said William Bain, a policy adviser at the British Retail Consortium, which represents more than 5,000 retailers.
“People are busting a gut to make sure they do what’s deliverable,” Bain said. “Six months ago, people didn’t feel we’d be in this position, but it’s where we’ve landed.’’
Some major firms still have their finger hovering over the nuclear option: to move outside the U.K., said a FTSE 100 chief executive officer, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential plans. If Britain confirms it’s in a no-deal scenario, those companies will go, the person said.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May to propose to Cabinet today that she formally rules out No-Deal Brexit
Theresa May will today propose to Cabinet that she formally rules out a No Deal Brexit on March 29, opening the door to a delay. The decision will mean putting off Britain’s EU exit by weeks or months if MPs still haven’t passed a new divorce agreement in two weeks time. Mrs May's highly controversial move will infuriate hardline Tory Leavers. But allies of the PM say she has come to the difficult conclusion that the personal U-turn is the only way to avoid a “catastrophic” defeat by a Remain ministers’ rebellion. In a bid to calm Brexiteers’ fury, Mrs May still wants to keep the option of No Deal alive for later in the year as negotiating pressure on Brussels.
Brexit could be delayed by 2 years as Theresa May again postpones vote on her deal
The EU is reportedly considering delaying Brexit by up to 2 years. The proposal comes after May once again delayed a parliamentary vote on her deal. MPs will now not get to vote on it until March 12, just days before Britain is due to crash out of the EU. Senior ministers in May's government are threatening to resign if she does not rule out a No Deal Brexit
Theresa May 'considering two-month Brexit delay' to stave off Article 50 rebellion
According to the Telegraph, Downing Street officials this weekend circulated a proposal to ask Brussels for an extension to Article 50. The report comes just hours after Mrs May confirmed that the second meaningful vote on her Brexit deal will not take place until 12 March - teeing up the prospect of a fresh clash with her Cabinet.
Labour backs second referendum: Is this really happening?
Advocates for a second referendum should not get over-excited just yet. There are still massive obstacles to securing it, let alone winning it. Labour support does not create a parliamentary majority. A chunk of Labour MPs - probably around 50 of them - would vote against any amendment on a People's Vote, regardless of whether the leadership backed it or not. This approach also involves backing for May's deal, albeit with a rather massive snarling caveat, which may make many opposition MPs queasy. That could worsen the numerical problem. And there are only about a dozen Tory MPs who are prepared to support such an idea right now. That means a lot of minds need changing to secure a Commons majority
Labour prepared to back new Brexit referendum
Labour has said it is prepared to back another EU referendum to prevent a "damaging Tory Brexit". Jeremy Corbyn has told Labour MPs the party will move to back another vote if their own proposed Brexit deal is rejected on Wednesday. Labour's Emily Thornberry said if the parliamentary process ended with a choice of no deal or the PM's deal, the public should decide. Theresa May is under growing pressure to delay the 29 March Brexit date. Labour are not yet making clear what their proposed referendum would be on.
David Mundell won't oppose no-deal Brexit because it's 'easy win' for SNP
Scottish secretary David Mundell has been described as a “ghost of a minister” after walking away from a rebel cabinet group demanding no-deal Brexit be ruled out, because he didn’t want to give the SNP an “easy win”. Mundell accused the SNP of "actively pursuing a no deal Brexit in the belief that the chaos and confusion it would cause would increase support for Scotland leaving the UK.” "I would urge you to work in Scotland's interests, not your party's," he added.
@JeremyCorbyn After meetings in Brussels and Madrid, it’s clear that Labour's alternative plan for Brexit is credible and could be negotiated with the EU.
After meetings in Brussels and Madrid, it’s clear that Labour's alternative plan for Brexit is credible and could be negotiated with the EU.
@BBCPolitics Theresa May once again rejects the idea of delaying #Brexit, saying "any extension of Article 50 isn't addressing the issues"
Theresa May once again rejects the idea of delaying #Brexit, saying "any extension of Article 50 isn't addressing the issues"
A divided Labour could hand the Tories another 12 years of power
In September 2016, the Labour party reached a turning point but then failed to turn. The re-election of Jeremy Corbyn as leader with an increased majority, despite the opposition of two thirds of his own MPs, seemed to make a split inevitable. But it wasn’t until this week that Labour MPs found the nerve to leave the party and begin to form a new one: the Independent Group.
If Labour aids a Tory Brexit it will be destroyed by what follows
The threat that Brexit poses to the British left is aptly summed up by an essay published 40 years ago. In The Great Moving Right Show, the late Stuart Hall laid out the scale of the challenge he believed the left faced from Thatcher – months before she even moved into No 10, years before she began her scorched-earth economics. But Hall saw it all coming: the populism of Thatcher, the way she would target schools and policing. And he saw how Thatcherism would win mass support: “Its success and effectivity does not lie in its capacity to dupe unsuspecting folk but in the way it addresses real problems, real and lived experiences, real contradictions – and yet is able to represent them within a logic of discourse which pulls them systematically into line with policies and class strategies of the right.”
Sparks fly at Parliamentary Labour Party meeting on second referendum
The announcement that Labour will support an amendment calling for a second referendum if its own amendment to change the government’s negotiating position fails this week has proved divisive. While many MPs in the room welcomed the decision, even those who have campaigned for a second referendum were left frustrated. According to Owen Smith, Corbyn was asked 23 times if in a future referendum he would want Remain to be an option on the ballot paper. Corbyn declined to answer.
Theresa May signals she will defy calls to quit within months over Brexit
Theresa May has signalled she will defy calls to quit and let someone else negotiate the second stage of Brexit. The Prime Minister has faced demands to walk away once the UK has formally left the EU, allowing another figure to seize the No 10 keys and thrash out the terms of Britain's future relationship with Brussels. But she is desperate not to be remembered as “the Brexit PM” and wants to forge a domestic legacy. She told the Tories' backbench 1992 Committee in December that she would not fight the 2022 general election. But she has refused to outline a timetable for her departure.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/theresa-signals-defy-calls-quit-14047104
Additional sources: (Sky News)
Additional sources: (Sky News)
EU Considers 21-Month Delay If May Can't Get Brexit Done
In just over a month, the U.K. is meant to be departing the union it’s belonged to for 40 years but the outlook has never looked more uncertain. May’s hands are increasingly tied by an unpopular divorce deal she sealed with the EU but that Parliament has rejected by a landslide. Brexit has proved to be such a divisive issue that both mainstream parties have suffered defections, businesses are panicking, and voters are exasperated. Delaying Brexit has the potential to split May’s Cabinet and her ruling party, triggering a rebellion from Brexit-supporting Tories who might even try to bring down her government.
Rebel demands - Tory trio want PM to spell out timetable delaying Brexit if there’s No EU deal by mid-March
Remain Cabinet ministers will demand Theresa May this week spells out a timetable to delay Brexit if there is no EU deal by mid-March as their price not to rebel. A public declaration by Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark to a back a Commons bid this week to extend Article 50 talks ignited a fresh civil war at the top of Government. Brexiteer Cabinet ministers angrily accused the trio - who are joined by 20 other junior minister and dozens of backbench Tory MPs - of "astonishing disloyalty” and undermining the PM. But Mrs May herself turned a blind eye yesterday and refused to slap them down.
Tony Blair: It’s 'bloody obvious' the case for independence is stronger
If Scotland is in favour of staying in Europe, and you wrench the UK out of Europe, then yep, people who are arguing for independence are going to have another dimension to their argument”, Tony Blair said. “It doesn’t mean to say I agree with it, but it’s bound to have an impact.
Political Setbacks
Grayling accused of trying to hold Brexit ferry trial in private
Chris Grayling has been accused of trying to conduct large parts of a trial over the £14m Brexit ferry fiasco in private, against the principle of open justice, the high court has heard. The transport secretary is being sued by Eurotunnel over the allegedly unlawful award of a government contract to Seaborne Freight, a company with no ships, and two other ferry companies, in a case due to start on Friday. Lawyers for Eurotunnel told the high court on Monday that the minister was trying to keep the majority of documents in relation to the contract out of the public domain. They said they did not know his reasons but argued that if Grayling was trying to avoid adverse publicity or embarrassment then this was not legally justifiable.
Former WTO boss: Brexiteers' vision makes 'no sense'
Pascal Lamy claimed a no-deal Brexit would make “no sense” in a “world that is globalising and integrating”. He urged the British government to strike an agreement to ensure there is continuity beyond March 29th, contradicting the vision of Brexiteers like Farage and Rees-Mogg, who want to end up on WTO rules. Lamy told Euronews: “I know there’s a view on the Brexit side that they become independent, they regain control. “In a world which is globalising, integrating, I think it makes absolutely no sense. “What would be the sense of having a regulation for 60 million people when the world is moving to zones who have regulations for 500 million or 600 million people? It makes no sense.”
@tnewtondunn An extraordinary proposition from Theresa May to achieve Brexit on time - says she could try to pass a Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons BEFORE the EU27 even formally sign off a new deal on March 22: “It is possible to do it either way”.
An extraordinary proposition from Theresa May to achieve Brexit on time - says she could try to pass a Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons BEFORE the EU27 even formally sign off a new deal on March 22: “It is possible to do it either way”.
No-deal hardship fund planned for surge in jobless
Ministers are planning a “hardship fund” for Britons impoverished by a no-deal Brexit. A leaked document from the cabinet committee dedicated to preparing for a chaotic rupture with the European Union reveals the extraordinary scenarios being prepared for in Whitehall. Other measures under consideration include using “tax and benefits policy” to offset rises in the cost of living, protection for parts of the country “geographically vulnerable” to food shortages and sourcing alternative food for schools, prisons and hospitals. The plans were drawn up at a meeting this month of the EU exit and trade (preparedness) committee, which is chaired by Theresa May and attended by almost every cabinet minister. One of the “actions arising” circulated after the meeting says that “officials and ministers” in several government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and the Treasury, will “work on the detail of a possible hardship fund”.
Poll shows Labour fall as Independent Group rises
Labour’s support has fallen below the combined total for the new Independent Group and the Liberal Democrats. A YouGov poll for The Times asked people how they would vote if they could support the Independent Group (TIG) in their constituency. The poll found the Tories on 36 per cent, down two points from last week and Labour on 23 per cent, down three points. TIG received a four-point boost, at 18 per cent, with the Lib Dems on 6 per cent, down one. The result means that TIG and the Lib Dems, which support a second referendum, are on a combined 24 per cent, one point ahead of Labour, underlining the potential scale of the challenge to Labour from pro-referendum parties.
Iceland PM warns over no-deal Brexit
The prime minister of Iceland has warned that the UK will be in a "very difficult position" if it leaves the European Union without a deal. In an interview for BBC Scotland's new news programme, The Nine, Katrín Jakobsdóttir said a no-deal Brexit was "also a concern" for Iceland. She said this was because of close trading links between the two nations. Asked whether she thought Scotland could be independent, Ms Jakobsdóttir replied "absolutely". Although she said the decision was "not for me to take".
DWP minister urges people to stop claiming the benefit system causes suicides
A Tory DWP minister has demanded people stop claiming the benefits system can be directly linked to suicides. Sarah Newton said MPs should be "careful" before making "allegations" about the regime - which includes fit-for-work tests, underpayments in error and cuts under Universal Credit . And she brushed off calls for an "investigation" into 20,000 people who died waiting to see if they were owed sickness benefit. The plea came as Ms Newton answered questions on a £1.7bn blunder that paid 210,000 people too little Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) as far back as 2011.
Pundits were wrong to write-off the People's Vote campaign
Not too long ago, commentators and pundits were gleefully writing eulogies for the People’s Vote campaign. In early February, after the prime minister managed to fudge her way to a parliamentary majority (sort of), with the Labour party’s continued intransigence in the face of member opinion to support a People’s Vote and the clock continuing to run down - it was universally agreed that if there ever was a chance for a People’s Vote, it was now gone. But - whisper it quietly - there is growing momentum for a People’s Vote once again.
@JolyonMaugham The nature of Labour's amendment - changes to the non-binding Political Declaration - suggests Labour might support the withdrawal agreement if its amendment is carried.
The nature of Labour's amendment - changes to the non-binding Political Declaration - suggests Labour might support the withdrawal agreement if its amendment is carried. The amendment also hangs out to dry those who want the right to live and work and love across Europe.
Labour Party Leader, Under Pressure, Backs a New Brexit Referendum
Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Monday that it was prepared to support a second referendum on withdrawal from the European Union, a shift that could have significant ramifications for the fate of Brexit and for the country’s future. After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his longstanding resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc. Getting an amendment for a new vote through Parliament any time soon is unlikely, but Mr. Corbyn’s support for one will cheer pro-European Britons, who have been fighting to reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum decision. Without the support of Labour, there is no chance of a second referendum ever being authorized by lawmakers.
Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt criticises Theresa May’s ‘reckless’ decision to postpone meaningful vote on deal
The European parliament’s Brexit chief has criticised Theresa May for delaying a parliamentary vote on her deal, branding the decision “one of the most reckless” he had ever seen in his life. Guy Verhofstadt accused the prime minister of “kicking the can down the road” and adding to the “crippling uncertainty” for citizens and businesses. The prime minister announced over the weekend that she would not be holding a Commons vote this week, despite a looming deadline to ratify an agreement before the UK crashes out.
Dead calm: Brexit not in top 10 of German businesses’ priorities
An Irish business delegation, led by former taoiseach Enda Kenny, had a rendezvous with this German reality at a recent breakfast in Berlin with Bundestag MPs. “They told us Brexit is not among their top 10 political concerns,” said Ralf Lissek, chief executive of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, who led the group. “I have the impression the visiting Irish were relieved to hear they weren’t in the top five, but a little nervous to hear they weren’t in the top 10.”
Will Theresa May ever give us a straight answer on Brexit?
Before Theresa May’s press conference in Sharm el Sheikh, a rumour went round that the Egyptian authorities would not permit any questions about Brexit. I don’t know who started it. But it was very cruel of them to get our hopes up like that. As it turned out, journalists were free to ask Mrs May whatever they liked. Not that it mattered. I’ve said this so many times now that I’m in danger of becoming as repetitive as she is. But watching the Prime Minister field questions about Brexit is extraordinary. No matter what you ask her, she point-blank refuses to give a straight answer.
British MPs now have their chance to 'take back control' from Theresa May's hapless government
With the Conservatives and Labour in disarray, let's hope The Independent Group shakes British politics to its core. The new group are united by moderate values. They think Brexit is a disaster and have called for another referendum. They think the leaders of their former parties are being manipulated by hardliners on the far right (Conservatives) or far left (Labour). They think British politics is broken and expect more MPs to join them.
UK faces chaotic Brexit or extension of article 50, says Donald Tusk
Theresa May will not get her Brexit deal through the Commons, Donald Tusk has warned, leaving the UK with the option of “a chaotic Brexit” or an extension of its membership of the EU beyond 29 March. The European council president, to quell “speculation”, disclosed that, during private talks with the prime minister at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, he had walked through the legal process that would need to be followed to delay Brexit. Tusk said it was not the EU’s “plan” to extend the two-year negotiation but that it was now evident to him that it was the “rational solution” in light of the prime minister’s failure to corral a majority behind the deal.
"Brexit Referendum Was Corruptly Won, But Result Stands Thanks To Loophole"
"If the referendum had been legally binding, then the findings of the Electoral Commission would have rendered it invalid. But because it wasn't binding, we can be held to something that was corruptly delivered." according to lawyer Jessica Simor QC who took the government to court over the matter
I’ll stay beyond summer for Brexit stage two, says Theresa May
“First of all, you are absolutely right that there is a second part of the negotiation in terms of the future economic relationship and the future security partnership. We have set out a clear framework for that and that is the basis on which those negotiations would go forward,” she said. “But I was very clear in December with the Conservative Party that what I’m doing — my job — is not just about delivering Brexit. Actually, there’s a domestic agenda that I’m delivering on, that reflects what I said on the doorstep of No 10 when I first became PM. That’s why we’ve been making key decisions like the extra money for the NHS and the long-term plan for the NHS. There is still a domestic agenda that I want to get on with.”
Digital gangsters threaten to kill democracy
The main news of the past week was not the splintering of our calcified political system. It concerned attacks on it from outside. A devastating report from a Commons committee looking at disinformation highlighted the threat posed by unregulated political advertising. It lambasted the big tech companies as “digital gangsters” for their greedy collusion in this. Another report, by the Royal United Services Institute, showed how the Chinese authorities systematically control foreign academic and media discussion and turn economic ties to their political advantage. If you think you live in a free country, ask when your rulers last spoke out bluntly on topics such as Taiwan and Tibet. The combination of foreign interference and technological change threatens to overturn our political system. How can we have a fair election when unlimited money from murky sources — including foreign ones — can pay for secret messages that most voters never see? That is what Facebook enabled in the Brexit referendum. How can we deal sensibly with the world’s second-biggest economy if our discussions and actions are constrained by greed for its money?
The Brexit death spiral
None of the defects in electoral regulation or the threats of disinformation and hostile campaigns (domestic and foreign) have been addressed. The DCMS report arrived with a whimper and nothing has been implemented that makes any of it better. Truth be told, the situation is worse now than it was in 2016. The reality is simply that Leave own the conversation on Facebook, where activism translates from electronic to the street, and they are punching well above their audience on Twitter too. For example, of 2.7 million monitored interactions across the country's most popular Facebook pages of all political flavours in the last week, the pro-Brexit lobby owned 76.45% of the conversation. And on Twitter, where Leave only really has a quarter of the total audience, it's still in charge of 39.38% of the interactions
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK to keep trade penalties post-Brexit
"What's crucial is what's missing from the Government's announcement today," said Laura Cohen, chief executive of the British Ceramic Confederation. "We still do not know what they are going to do with those underlying, most favoured nation tariffs, onto which trade remedies are added. "If Government drops these to zero in a no-deal Brexit, then ceramic tiles and tableware, and many thousands of other goods manufactured in this country will be in jeopardy, because a flood of imports will cause untold damage to our domestic markets," she said. "Even a highly experienced authority would struggle with the sheer volume and complexity of reviewing all the transitioned measures, implementation of the UK's new steel safeguards as well as taking on a brand new investigations into dumping and subsidies," said the Director General of UK Steel Gareth Stace. "UK steel producers are at risk of exposure to unfair trading practices whilst the fledgling Trade Remedies Authority wrestles with this mammoth task and plays catch-up with its EU counterpart," he said.
This Brexit trade bill threatens parliamentary sovereignty
I am calling for parliament to have the right to set a thorough mandate to govern each trade negotiation, the right of the public to be consulted as part of setting that mandate, transparency in the negotiations, and parliamentary power to amend and reject trade deals. The government offers none of that. The trade bill currently making its way through parliament contains no provision for greater parliamentary involvement in trade agreements. In fact, it provides no formal obligation to even inform or consult parliament on negotiations. As with so many aspects of Brexit, it is a threat to our parliamentary sovereignty. The number of parliamentary defeats this government has faced in 2019 alone, not to mention the margins of defeat and its consistent attempts at undermining parliament have taken away its legitimacy to govern effectively.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 27th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Theresa May `offered` MPs a vote on a No Deal Brexit and a chance to extend the exit date beyond March 29th in Parliament, should her revised plan be rejected that day by Parliament
- Theresa May stated that any Brexit delay cannot go past the May European Elections
- Businesses need to be prepared not for one cliff-edge Brexit, but two dates now, as it could be the end of March or the end of May. This creates a new layer of economic uncertainty
- The Daily Telegraph revealed the government has signed off plans to settle a large part of the £39bn Brexit divorce bill even in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- The hardline Tory Eurosceptic group, the ERG, appear not to be happy with the prospect of a delay and look set to vote against Theresa May`s deal on March 12th, which will make a delay more likely
- The FT published a view on how Grexit was badly handled by Greek politicians a few years ago. Greek politicians lacked an understanding of the EU`s political and institutional dynamics, had a flawed negotiation strategy and could not realise the EU would act cautiously and focus like a laser beam on its own unity first and foremost. Sounds just like the UK, doesn`t it?
- The government published its No Deal impact assessment on business and trade. It forecasts customs checks would cost business £13bn a year, food prices would rise sharply and there was little evidence that business or the public are prepared for the consequences
- DEXEU`s No Deal analysis said the UK economy would be 6.3-9% smaller in the event of a No Deal scenario, across a period of 15 years, assuming no action is taken to stop it
- Ministers have handed a contract for shipping critical NHS supplies from Belgium to the UK to DHL - the firm behind the KFC chicken shortages fiasco
- Bank of England governor Mark Carney warned MPs economic growth would be guaranteed to fall in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- Bank of England monetary policy committee member, Gertjan Vlieghe, estimated Brexit so far had cost the UK economy £40bn a year of lost growth, when compared to 2 years ago, which works out at £800m per week
- No Deal would put vulnerable people at risk and would severely affect councils, according to a Department of Health and Social Care presentation for DEXEU
- Vauxhall`s CEO said the carmaker would NOT shy away from unpopular decisions, including shutting factories, in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- The Irish press reported ferry companies are putting on some extra roll-on, roll-off capacity onto direct routes to Europe, bypassing the UK, so Irish hauliers can avoid burdesome customs checks and delays
- Theresa May will protect sensitive agricultural and manufacturing sectors with tariffs, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. It would increase the price of lamb, beef, milk and cheese - and - it would increase the price of food from the EU. She plans to do away with tariffs for many other items, which run a risk of the UK seeing cheaper competition from across the world swamping its producers
- There was talk of Tory MP Alberto Costa being sacked, for tabling a cross-party motion to protect EU citizens rights in the UK and abroad
- Leave Means Leave issued a threat that it would mount a legal action against the government to ensure the European Elections are held on May 23 if Article 50 is extended
Jobs at Risk
Which companies are leaving UK, downsizing or cutting jobs ahead of Brexit?
Brexit brings us nightmarish new headlines from the business world on most days at present. Declining manufacturing growth; £44bn-worth of transactions in jeaopardy every day and retailers chiming in to say prices of some foods could rise by 45 per cent, to say it's looking dicey out there is putting it mildly. The fact that former Brexit secretary David Davis chose to deny the UK was heading into a “Mad Max-style dystopia” is arguably quite telling. Even Somerset Capital Management, a firm co-founded by Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg, has warned that the UK's departure from the EU could cause "considerable uncertainty".
Economic Impact
UK growth 'guaranteed' to fall in no-deal Brexit, Mark Carney warns MPs
UK growth is “guaranteed” to fall in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the Bank of England’s governor Mark Carney has told MPs. The Bank slashed its UK growth forecast for 2019 to 1.2 per cent earlier this month - down from the 1.7 per cent forecast in November - even on the assumption of a Brexit deal and smooth transition.
@PickardJE "UK economy would be 6.3-9% smaller in the long term in a no deal scenario (after around 15 years) than it otherwise would have been when compared with today’s arrangement
Dexeu has published No-Deal analysis "UK economy would be 6.3-9% smaller in the long term in a no deal scenario (after around 15 years) than it otherwise would have been when compared with today’s arrangements, assuming no action is taken"
How has Brexit vote affected the UK economy? February verdict
While the gloomiest of economic forecasts made ahead of the EU referendum in 2016 might not have come to pass, increasing evidence has emerged of the gradual damage the vote unleashed for the economy. This month, a member of the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee, Gertjan Vlieghe, put the cost at £40bn a year of lost GDP growth compared to a vote to remain two-and-a-half years ago. That’s about £800m a week, he said, which is more than double what the leave campaign claimed could be saved on EU membership fees and instead spent on the NHS.
Pound rises amid Brexit delay speculation
The pound has hit a 21-month high against the euro, following increased speculation about a delay to Brexit. Prime Minister Theresa May said in the Commons that if no deal was agreed and if a no-deal exit was rejected, then there could be a short extension to the date for Britain to leave the EU. At one point, sterling hit €1.1643, its highest level since May 2017. However, Mrs May's concession was not as wide-ranging as investors had hoped, causing sterling to dip again.
Administrative Fall Out
Germany promises ‘better pay, weather and food’ to tempt NHS nurses to leave UK after Brexit
A German hospital is trying to lure NHS nurses to leave the UK after Brexit with promises of better pay, weather and food. The University Hospital of Dusseldorf has placed adverts in two Polish newspapers published in Britain, hoping to convince Poles currently working in NHS hospitals to swap Britain for Germany. The adverts, written in German and Polish, feature Dusseldorf’s attractive skyline against blue skies with the River Rhine in the foreground. As well as telling Polish nurses they could boost their salaries, the adverts also point out Germany had better weather and cuisine than Britain.
No-deal Brexit could put vulnerable people at risk, officials warn
A no-deal Brexit could result in failures of social care providers that may put vulnerable adults at risk and seriously affect councils and the NHS, according to a leaked civil service document. The official warnings are contained within a Department of Health and Social Care presentation passed to the Guardian that has been prepared for a meeting of its EU exit delivery board to be held on Tuesday.
Vauxhall says it won't shy away from the 'dark side' in no-deal Brexit
The chief executive of Vauxhall owner PSA Group said the carmaker would not shy away from unpopular decisions, including shutting factories, if there is a no-deal Brexit. Carlos Tavares said PSA has built up stockpiles of parts and products in preparation for disruption, and that “the bureaucracies of supply chain are going to be disruptive if there is a no-deal [Brexit]”. However, Tavares also said that the Vauxhall brand’s appeal to Britons could provide the company protection not available to European rivals in the UK’s large car market.
‘Beyond insane’: why one woman fears no-deal Brexit could kill her
A woman who has been on kidney dialysis for 21 years has told how she fears she could die in a no-deal Brexit because irresponsible politicians are playing with people’s lives. She says she is so concerned that she is prepared to go on dialysis strike outside Downing Street to drive home the dangers facing her and other home dialysis patients. Madeleine Warren needs a daily supply of 15 consumables including syringes, blood lines and acid fluid to allow her to conduct home dialysis five nights a week, but the supply is threatened in a no-deal scenario as half of the items are made in the EU.
Britain's Other Irish Border Is Also a Big Brexit Problem
Some Irish haulage companies are looking at avoiding the UK as a stepping stone to mainland Europe and switching to direct ferry routes from Ireland to France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Spain. CLdN Cobelfret SA, Irish Ferries and Brittany Ferries have all added extra roll-on, roll-off caapcity on direct routes to Europe - any delays in customs check jeopardise haulage contract business, particularly with food delieveries
Theresa May to impose agricultural tariffs in no-deal Brexit
Theresa May has decided to protect sensitive agricultural and manufacturing sectors if Britain leaves the EU without a deal — but to slash duties on all other goods imports in a no-deal Brexit. While many British farmers are intensely worried about being wiped out by cheap imports, the decision to use tariffs to protect products such as beef, lamb, milk and cheese would increase the price of many foodstuffs from the EU and expose other products to competition from other parts of the world
Pharma industry steels itself for no-deal Brexit
Despite all the industry’s planning, many potential problems are beyond its control — such as congestion at ports and the regulatory regime on both sides of the English Channel. Both could affect whether there are sufficient supplies of vital drugs. Moreover, both the UK government and business have recognised that investment in the sector could be dented, because Brexit implies extra costs for pharmaceutical companies, which in turn could affect patients’ access to medicines.
David Jefferys, an executive at Eisai, the Japanese pharma company, who has the regulation brief at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, said companies could not eliminate the possibility of patients facing drug shortages in the event of no-deal.
Brexit may clip wings of UK game shooters
Britain’s shooting parties may find themselves short of pheasants and partridges to kill next season if transport delays prevent chicks being imported from France, game exporters say. 40 percent of the pheasants and nine in every 10 of the partridges shot in Britain are imported, nearly all from France, where exporters specialise in breeds that are popular in Britain, such as ring-neck pheasants and red-legged partridges. “It is mainly day-old chicks that will be a problem, we only have 24 hours to send them over,” said Denis Bourasseau, whose company Gibovendee in western France controls about half the exports of game bird eggs and hatchlings to Britain. “There is a real risk for British hunters in case of disrupted logistics, be it a hard Brexit or not. If we can no longer ensure the welfare of animals, concretely we will no longer be able to export them.” He estimates British shoots will see about a 10 percent reduction in the 40 million gamebirds released each year as a result of Brexit. Shortages would have been greater in the past, when most game birds were exported live.
Any form of Brexit will hurt the NHS, but a No Deal will be worst, warns leading medical journal
A Brexit deal desperately needed to avoid disastrous consequences for the NHS. Any Brexit is negative for the NHS, but No Deal must be avoided. Leaving the EU leaves hospitals struggling to fill jobs and supply medicines, the report concludes
Reports: Brexit will hurt the UK games industry and reduce investment
Jas Purewal, lawyer and co-founder of Games4EU, suggest that with the current deal on the table the UK will lose the EU laws on data adequacy and immediately replace them with a copy. “If the EU moves ahead with further regulation of interactive entertainment, the current Brexit direction of travel means the regulation would go ahead without British involvement but still be binding on the UK both formally, as a result of any likely exit deal, and practically, given the size of the EU market and the publishers’ strong preference for common EU products wherever possible,” he explained. We will also lose access to EU start-up grants, which can be in the millions of euros, these have been used by new studios to kick start their business.
Minister prepares sector to face possible 'no deal' Brexit
The Minister talked about the continuing preparedness work that the Government as a whole was doing, and the specific work in relation to fisheries at both national and EU level. “Today was about ensuring that our fishing representatives are fully informed of the preparedness work that is underway. If the EU fleet is excluded from UK waters it would have serious implications for the Irish fleet,” explained Creed. “To minimize that possible impact, there must be a co-ordinated EU level response by the Commission, relevant Member States and fisheries stakeholders,” he continued.
Brexit: ITV could suffer
Carolyn McCall, ITV’s CEO, warned in November last year that ad-income for the fourth quarter (to December 31st) could fall by 3 per cent and that last month could suffer by as much as 8 per cent. Patrick Wellington, an analyst at investment bank Morgan Stanley , suggests in a note to clients that ad-revenues could slide by up to 20 per cent during February, and that there would be a modest recovery in April, flat in May but tumbling between 15 per cent -20 per cent in June and July (although those months last year also saw the peak benefits of the World Cup football screenings).
How to protect yourself against scams during Brexit period of change
Consumers are being urged to take steps to protect themselves after a government publication warned that scams could increase during Brexit. The document, which looks at the impact of a no deal Brexit on financial services, warns there may be a greater risk of scams during any period of change.
Brexit to harm UK's cherished health service, experts say
A British exit from the EU without a deal would have “an immediate and drastic” impact on availability of medicines and vaccines as well as affecting health system funding and staffing, experts warned on Monday. Although a no-deal Brexit was the worst scenario, even a negotiated divorce from the European Union would also damage the National Health Service (NHS), the experts said in a review published in The Lancet journal.
Delay to Brexit could mean a 'damaging double cliff-edge'
Delaying Britain’s departure from the EU would be better for the economy in the longer term – but the move could also have a damaging impact on firms that have spent two years preparing for a 29 March exit and now face the prospect of planning for a double cliff-edge, in March and June, business leaders have warned.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May offers MPs vote on no deal Brexit and chance to extend exit date beyond March 29
Prime Minister Theresa May has promised to give MPs a vote on extending Brexit negotiations or withdrawing from the EU without a deal if her plan is rejected next month. In a dramatic statement to the House of Commons, Mrs May confirmed that she will put her Withdrawal Agreement - including whatever additional assurances she has secured from Brussels - to a "meaningful vote" by March 12. If that fails, MPs will be offered two separate votes the following day - one on a no-deal Brexit, and the other on requesting an extension to the two-year Article 50 negotiation process to delay EU withdrawal beyond March 29. The sequence of votes will be proposed in an amendable motion tabled by the Prime Minister for debate and vote in the Commons on Wednesday.
May's Article 50 extension is a trick to take us to the real cliff edge
Ian Dunt nails Prime Minister Theresa May's obfuscation and intentional half-truths in an excellent article about how she is doing 'just enough' to keep moving the nation closer to her Brexit. She conceded 'some' of the ground proposed in the Cooper-Letwin amendment to delay leaving the EU but not enough to bind her hands legally. She tacitly admitted that if we extended it would only be to the eve of the European Elections and she baulked at the UK participating in them. With a legislative mountain of work still to do, even two months more would not be enough. May has in fact signalled there are two cliff edge Brexits not one and the second one is the eve of the EU elections in May
Brexit: Labour WILL back second EU referendum to avoid No Deal announces Corbyn
Labour has announced plans for the party to vote "in favour of" a second EU referendum. In a bombshell development 32 days before Brexit, the party said it will "put forward or support" an amendment "in favour" of a so-called People's Vote.
It is still unclear exactly what form the party's backing for a second referendum would take and what conditions could be put on it. A prominent Labour MP said it will only happen next month, when MPs vote on Theresa May's final Brexit deal. But it's being seen as a major step forward by Remainers in the party after months of lobbying the leadership - which previously only had a public vote as an "option on the table".
If we’re heading for a hard Brexit, then we’re heading for a united Ireland
If an alternative arrangement that worked actually existed (or was likely to exist in the next couple of years) Brexiteers would have already accepted the backstop, knowing they could easily replace it with their idea during the transition. The fact that they won’t bet on themselves tells you all you need to know about what they have in the locker.
EU told to help UK launch second Brexit referendum for ‘second chance’ to stop exit
Jean Asselborn, who served as deputy prime minister of Luxembourg under Mr Juncker, said the EU should allow Britain to nominate members of the European Parliament for a short period. Mr Asselborn, now Luxembourg’s foreign minister, said the move would allow the UK to participate in May’s elections but would not tie British MEPs to Brussels. The 69-year-old told Reuters any second referendum was likely to push the timetable back by six months or more. Mr Asselborn explained the European Parliament elections in May were a problem but did not need to be a stumbling block.
May's Brexit Deal Hinges on Just One Man
Whether another vote comes to pass, or Brexit is delayed, now depends very much on if the prime minister can convince lawmakers in her own party to back her deal. It is one of the more curious twists of the Brexit drama that this job – and thus the fate of Theresa May and her divorce deal – falls to a lawyer few had heard of a year ago. There is a simple reason for that: Geoffrey Cox may be the only official left who critics of the prime minister’s deal feel they can trust. It was the attorney general’s damning November legal advice, which the government was forced to publish, that largely motivated parliament to reject her deal in January. May is now hoping Cox will change his opinion and help her win over enough votes to pass the settlement agreement next month. Failing that, the fate of Brexit looks to be truly out of her hands.
Brexit polls: top UK pollster John Curtice says Remain has a ‘consistent’ 53-47 lead, but it’s based on non-voters showing up
One of Britain’s top polling experts has said his model shows voters’ desire to remain in the EU is currently commanding a “narrow but consistent” majority, but warned this depends on non-voters who back Remain turning up to vote in any future referendum. Sir John Curtice, Professor of Politics at the University of Strathclyde, told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme on Tuesday that Remain is polling ahead of Leave, as he discussed the Labour Party’s decision to endorse a second referendum between Theresa May’s Brexit deal and staying in the EU.
What does Labour’s policy change on a new Brexit referendum actually mean?
An emailed news release to journalists said he would tell them the party will “put forward or support an amendment in favour of a public vote to prevent a damaging Tory Brexit”. It is not yet clear when he will “put forward” such an amendment, or when there would be a suitable amendment for him to “support”.
Jeremy Corbyn warned Labour may lose heartlands with fresh Brexit vote
The Labour leader dropped a welcome bombshell with news tonight that he would throw his weight behind a second referendum - but there are fears he may damage electoral chances in key Leave-voting marginals. Jeremy Corbyn last night vowed Labour would do everything it could to stop Britain crashing out of the EU with a no-deal he warned would be disastrous for the country. And the Labour leader finally backed a plan for a second referendum, despite fears it could cost him vital votes.
Independent Group table second referendum amendment to 'break Brexit gridlock'
MPs from the newly-formed Independent Group have tabled a amendment seeking to pave the way for a second Brexit referendum. The move comes after Labour's announcement the party would back attempts in the Commons for a fresh public vote, if it fails to force MPs to adopt its own Brexit plans in a series of votes on Wednesday evening in the chamber. The fresh bid has the support of MPs in the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats, and Plaid Cymru - increasing the chances of it being selected by the Commons Speaker on Wednesday morning.
Brexit: If not 29 March, then when?
Theresa May has bowed to pressure from a group of Tory MPs and ministers and agreed to give Parliament a vote on delaying the UK's departure from the EU on 29 March. This will take place only if MPs reject her Brexit deal for a second time and then also say no to the UK leaving the EU without a comprehensive, legally binding agreement - the so-called no-deal scenario. With just 31 days to go, Parliament has yet to approve the terms of withdrawal negotiated with the EU.
Tory Brexiteers cry 'plot' and 'betrayal' after Theresa May U-turns on delaying Brexit
Theresa May’s “screeching U-turn” on giving MPs the chance to delay Exit Day has been branded a betrayal by Tory Brexiteers, who suspect it is part of a plot to stop Brexit. The backlash to Mrs May’s dramatic move came as a UK Government analysis on a no-deal scenario warned Britons were largely not prepared for such an outcome, which would result in higher food prices, delays at Dover lasting months and an extra £13 billion hit in costs to businesses.
Labour finally backing the People’s Vote is a victory, but the battle is far from over
Labour appears to have finally backed a People’s Vote – but now is not the time to get complacent. Now is the time to continue the work organisations Our Future Our Choice (OFOC), For Our Future’s Sake (FFS) and the young people of this country have done so far.
EU Considers 21-Month Delay If May Can't Get Brexit Done
In just over a month, the U.K. is meant to be departing the union it’s belonged to for 40 years but the outlook has never looked more uncertain. May’s hands are increasingly tied by an unpopular divorce deal she sealed with the EU but that Parliament has rejected by a landslide. Brexit has proved to be such a divisive issue that both mainstream parties have suffered defections, businesses are panicking, and voters are exasperated. Delaying Brexit has the potential to split May’s Cabinet and her ruling party, triggering a rebellion from Brexit-supporting Tories who might even try to bring down her government.
Government planning to pay billions to Brussels – even in event of no-deal Brexit
The Government is making plans to pay billions of euros to Brussels to settle large parts of the £39bn Brexit divorce bill even in the event of a ‘no deal’, the Telegraph can reveal. Ministers signed off the in-principle decision on Monday at a meeting of the Brexit ‘no deal’ preparedness cabinet committee, according to senior Whitehall sources. Under a plan agreed on Monday, the Government will table an executive order, or Statutory Instrument, in the final days of the Brexit negotiations to create the legal foundations for future payments to Brussels. This flies in the face of hardline Brexiteers hopes that No Deal would mean the UK simply walking away.
Political Setbacks
Grexit lessons for Brexit
"Just like Greece, the UK lacked an understanding of the EU’s political and institutional dynamics. This led to a flawed negotiating strategy . . . As with Grexit, time has worked in the EU’s favour. By 2015, the EU was better prepared to manage a possible Grexit; so it is today with Brexit,” Mr Papaconstantinou writes. He draws attention to “the UK’s shambolic internal decision-making on Brexit”, so similar to the manner in which one Greek government after another lost the EU’s trust by appearing unable to make up its mind, keep promises or refrain from provocative complaints about EU bullying and blindness. All this “reinforced the EU’s inclination to embrace caution” and to “focus on its own unity”, he says.
Rich getting richer while poor get poorer, official figures show - with 'Brexit and benefits freeze to blame'
The rich are getting richer while the poor get poorer, according to official statistics, dealing a heavy blow to Theresa May’s claim to be tackling “burning injustices”. They showed the incomes of the richest fifth of households grew by 4.7 per cent last year – while the incomes of the poorest fifth of households fell by 1.6 per cent.
The respected Resolution Foundation thinktank blamed the controversial freeze on benefit levels, adding to problems caused by higher inflation following the Brexit referendum.
Public and businesses are not preparing for a no-deal Brexit, government document says
Despite warnings of the impact of a no-deal Brexit, members of the public and businesses are not preparing for such a scenario, a government document has said. A report drawn up for ministers paints a pessimistic picture of preparations for no-deal, noting that a third of the "most critical projects" to get Britain ready for such a scenario are not "on track". The document, which sets out the implications for businesses and trade if Britain leaves the EU without a deal, also claims warnings are not getting through to businesses and members of the public.
Tom Richmond: "I don’t know" should not be a Government’s method of running the country, as the Brexit crisis deepens
Matthew Parris, a one-time Tory MP, wrote a devastating critique of the PM’s current modus operandi. “Warnings are delivered to her, and ignored. Plans are run by her, unacknowledged. Messages are sent to her, unanswered. She has become the unperson on Downing Street: the living embodiment of the closed door,” he wrote. And while this criticism in The Times, not subsequently denied by Downing Street, reflects poorly on Mrs May who should have heeded all those, including The Yorkshire Post, who advised her to appoint a strong deputy to take charge of domestic politics while she focused on Brexit, it shows Ministers in an even worse light as they appear to abdicate their duties while hoping Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s myriad failings over trains, ferries and much else will mask their own deficiencies.
Corbyn faces backlash over second Brexit referendum plan
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been warned the party risks “catastrophic” damage to support in leave-supporting seats after backing a second referendum on Brexit. Mr Corbyn said if Theresa May’s Brexit deal gets through Parliament “there must be a confirmatory public vote”. The shift in policy, which would see voters asked to decide between a deal and remaining in the EU, won plaudits from Remain-supporting MPs but led to warnings of electoral disaster in some of Labour’s heartlands.
Brexit deal needs delay for law to pass Commons - Tory MP
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's the World At One, Mr Bebb said: "Most people in [the Commons] know full well that even if the prime minister's deal was to be put in front of the house tomorrow and pass, we would still need an extension of article 50 in order to get the legislation that needs to be passed in order to allow the prime minister's deal to operate to be put in place. "The reality is that we're not currently in a situation where we can leave the European Union because our legal system is not currently in a situation where that can be done."
We’re heading into the ‘Mad Max Brexit dystopia’ that David Davis once promised us we’d avoid
International trade secretary Liam Fox says a no-deal Brexit is ‘survivable’. So is rickets and and getting bitten by a Komodo dragon, but I wouldn't describe those as ‘exciting opportunities.' Hard to believe, but unmistakeably dystopian, the EU Exit and Trade (Preparedness) Committee has been charged with exploring preparation for parts of the country “geographically vulnerable” to food shortages and sourcing alternative food for schools, hospitals and prions. Our jails forced to go without porridge. Imagine.
No-deal Brexit could raise food prices, says government assessment
The government has tonight given its own assessment of the economic impact of a no deal – and it’s a sobering read. It accepts that the flow of goods through Dover and the Channel Tunnel could be significantly reduced for months and that could push up food prices. And it says a big part of the problem is that many businesses are still not preparing for no deal.
Brexit Cliff-Edge Merely Delayed, Not Off the Table, BAML Says
Gilles Moec, chief European economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Peter Dixon, global equities economist at Commerzbank, comment on the outlook for the UK company, pointing out that news today has simply delayed the cliff-edge exit not taken it off the table
No-deal Brexit panic after ministers realize the UK doesn't have the right pallets for exporting to the EU
The UK Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs is set to hold an emergency meeting with business leaders on Tuesday. They are expected to discuss emergency no-deal Brexit plans after the government confirmed last week that it does not have enough pallets — structures used to transport goods — for UK companies to export to the European Union in a no-deal Brexit. The extraordinary acknowledgment left affected industry leaders baffled. Labour criticised the "incompetency and lack of forward planning."
Brexit: No-deal impact assessment published
The government has published its assessment of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on business and trade. The report said "some food prices are likely to increase" and customs checks could cost business £13bn a year in a no-deal scenario. It also said there was "little evidence that businesses are preparing in earnest".
Mike Nesbitt: Some unionists are now weighing up Irish unity
Mike Nesbitt, who stepped down as Ulster Unionist leader almost two years ago but remains an MLA, said that many people in Northern Ireland feel “diminished” as a result of Brexit and he suggested that it may be the biggest own goal by unionists since the creation of Northern Ireland almost a century ago.
Parliament should use a delay to rethink Brexit
A softer withdrawal or a second referendum are the only realistic options...an extension must be accompanied by a new direction. The country deserves something better than the shambles of the past six months. The hardliners have had more than two years to convince parliament of their vision of Brexit. They have failed. Now, as MPs finally find their voices, there is an opportunity to forge a cross-party consensus for a more workable Brexit.
A brave Brexiteer would back a second vote
The hard Leavers of the ERG have obstructed the path to Brexit and it’s time they made some honest decisions. In other words, if you really believe your own propaganda you would become advocates for a second vote. You can complain and say it shows the establishment has failed but tactically it’s an obviously less risky path than the one you are on now. The truth is, I think you don’t believe your own propaganda. You know that Mrs May’s Brexit is much more than Brino and you aren’t remotely confident that you could defend a no-deal Brexit. For all your talk of having a mandate for leaving on WTO terms, you are painfully aware that you’d struggle with the proposition in a prolonged national debate.
It’s time to be honest about Theresa May’s deal and delay Brexit
There is now no time left. We need to level with the public about what the Brexit options on the table mean for them. To do anything less is a dereliction of our duty as public servants. It is now abundantly clear that the Government has one risky strategy to deliver Brexit: use distraction and displacement activity to run down the clock — and ram through a deal by threatening MPs with the unconscionable choice of backing the Prime Minister — or a disorderly exit from the EU. This is not the stuff of statecraft.
Purga-Tories UK leave date faces three-month delay but hardline Brexiteers warn it won’t end Parliament’s deadlock
Britain is now unlikely to leave the EU until the end of June after hardline Brexiteers warned a Remainers’ revolt will not end Parliament’s deadlock. Theresa May was forced to offer MPs a three month extension to Article 50 talks to avoid a No Deal spin out in just 30 days time. The PM caved in to the demand to stop 20 ministers resigning to back a bid by Parliament to enforce the delay in a Commons vote. No10 now hopes the real threat of a Brexit delay will win round unhappy Tory MP Leavers to back her revised EU deal in a new showdown Commons vote on March 12. But senior European Research Group figures refused to blink, and instead said it is still “highly likely” they will vote it down.
Brexit: Contract for shipping NHS supplies given to firm behind KFC chicken shortage
Ministers have handed a contract for shipping critical NHS supplies in the event of a no deal Brexit to the firm behind the KFC chicken shortage fiasco. The Mirror has learned that a Government logistics hub in Belgium will rely on delivery firm DHL to transport some key goods across the Channel.
Contempt threat by Breakaway Independent Group MPs forces Cabinet to release £13bn cost of No Deal Brexit
'Implications for Business and Trade of a No Deal Brexit’ Report - Here are just a few of the KEY warnings from the report- Government Departments across the board are NOT on track for a no deal. Customs Admin at ports will affect 240,000 UK businesses and cost them £13bn per annum in administrative costs alone, the HMRC estimates. There will be shortages of some foods, price increases, and the food supply industry is altogether unprepared. Northern Ireland will fare worse than the rest of the UK.
No 10 braced for another Tory departure
Her plans for EU citizens in a no-deal Brexit scenario has been criticised by Alberto Costa, a loyalist MP who works as a parliamentary private secretary for David Mundell, the Scottish secretary. Mr Costa will table a motion to protect the right of three million EU citizens in the UK and one million UK citizens in the event of no deal. Mr Costa, who is 47 and was born in Britain to Italian parents, has been warned that putting down the government amendment is incompatible with his role but is refusing to resign, forcing the government to consider sacking him.
Leave campaign to sue if Brexit is delayed
Leave Means Leave, the cross party campaign group for Brexit, says it will mount legal action against the government to ensure European Elections are held in the UK on 23 May, if Article 50 is extended. The organisation has appointed the city law firm Wedlake Bell as well as counsel from Field Court Chambers to prepare this claim.
Chester MP Chris Matheson on why he is losing respect for the 2016 EU referendum result
“The more I hear about what went wrong in that 2016 referendum, the less I actually respect the result,” says Chester MP Chris Matheson as the UK prepares to leave the European Union on March 29. Mr Matheson says if the referendum was a sporting event the ‘Leave’ campaigns would have been ‘disqualified months ago’.
It’s not just the EU that is alienated by Brexit. It’s Japan too
A case can be made that the crux of the crisis stems from May’s obsession with freedom of movement. Tories are supposed to believe in freedom, but not May.
When she inherited the office she had desired for most of her life, the prime minister, who was apparently concerned that the Tory party was the “nasty party”, wanted to do lots of good, socially beneficial things. Instead, the nastiness has continued – social neglect is all around us – and she has been obsessed by opposition to the kind of free movement of labour that all but the most pig-headed Brexiters can see the British economy depends on. For this she was, and is, prepared to sacrifice membership of the customs union and the single market – apparently in an effort to keep the Conservative party together, an aim which looks increasingly doomed.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 28th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- The French President, Emmanuel Macron, has vowed to block any Brexit delay if there is no clear UK objective for doing so
- Make UK say post-Brexit migration rules where a salary of £30K is needed for someone to qualify to work in the UK would cause shortages of welders, robotic workers, toolmakers and maintenance technicians and must be urgently reconsidered
- BMW said `piecemeal delays` to Brexit would hurt its bottom line, spelling uncertainty for its four UK plants
- A third of the government`s no-deal Brexit plans are behind schedule, ministers have admitted, as government in turn blamed business for ignoring warnings to prepare. Of the 240,000 businesses that trade with the EU, only 40,000 have registered to export, meaning their goods would be turned back at the border
- Six out of eight critical IT systems required to allow the UK border security force to function under a no-deal Brexit are in danger of not being ready, the government`s own National Audit Office has found
- The government has identified 7,000 medicines that would be worst hit by customs restrictions, when the UK leaves the EU, and has asked pharmaceutical companies to stockpile at least a six-week buffer stock. The government has also `hired ferries` to ship goods to Poole, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Immigham and Felixstowe - away from Dover
- Hardline Brexiteers say they may need to soften their opposition to Theresa May`s Irish border backstop proposals, otherwise Brexit will be certainly delayed, or perhaps come under threat of not happening at all, due to a Second Referendum
- Paul Mason wrote a New Statesman opinion article arguing that Labour needs to slay the myth of the working class voter who backs Brexit. Timely, as up to 20 Labour MPs in Leave constituencies are mulling over whether to support Theresa May`s Brexit deal on March 12th
- Tory Minister, Alberto Costa, resigned from the government, as per convention, in order to push his proposals to protecting the rights of EU citizens through parliament. With a vote won - the situation now looks more optimistic for all those EU citizens who had been living under threat for the last 2 years
- The Cooper-Letwin amendment was passed by Parliament with a thumping majority, which gives Parliament the opportunity to vote on a delay to Article 50. However, this would come AFTER the vote on Theresa May`s deal on March 12th - so it may become academic if the May Deal wins Parliamentary support
- The co-founder of US buyout giant Carlyle Group, David Rubenstein, called for a second referendum to help the UK out of its Brexit impasse
- One of the richest men in Scotland, Sir Tom Hunter, has called for a fresh referendum on Brexit
- The DUP`s Brexit strategy was described as `a massive act of self-harm and completely ill-judged` by the Northern Ireland Alliance Party leader Naomi Long
- A Politico-Hanbury opinion poll revealed the UK public to be in favour of a Brexit extension, but only if it is a short one
- Wired highlighted the huge sums of dark money pouring onto Facebook from Vote Leave backing front groups, which have little transparency and are spending vast sums to force through a no deal Brexit
- Jacob Rees-Mogg has publicly warned that delaying Brexit beyond the European elections `risk a surge in right-wing extremism` citing a known- Far Right criminal, Tommy Robinson, as a likely beneficiary of such an event were it to occur
Jobs at Risk
Post-Brexit migration rules disastrous, say manufacturers
Make UK said the move would cause shortages of welders, robotics workers, toolmakers and maintenance technicians. "Few of these roles initially pay more than the £30,000 necessary under the new rules to qualify to work in the UK," said the organisation, formerly known as the EEF. Its director of employment and skills policy, Tim Thomas, urged the government to "urgently reconsider" the salary threshold plans.
Economic Impact
BMW says piecemeal Brexit delays 'not good' for its four UK plants
BMW has said piecemeal delays to Brexit “would not be good” for the carmaker, spelling more uncertainty for its four UK plants. Andreas Wendt, a BMW board member and purchasing chief, said in an interview with the German industry journal Automobilwoche that a stop-start approach would add unwelcome disruption to its manufacturing in Britain. “A start date [for Brexit] delayed a little at a time would not be a good scenario for us,” he said.
UK consumer morale edges up from five-year low as Brexit uncertainty persists
British households are showing “amazing” stoicism as the country heads for Brexit, a market research company said on Thursday as its measure of consumer confidence edged up in February. The GfK consumer confidence index rose to -13 from -14 in January. Economists taking part in a Reuters poll had expected a slight fall to -15.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Critical no-deal plans running late
A third of the government’s most critical no-deal Brexit plans are behind schedule, ministers have admitted, as they blamed business for ignoring warnings about the need to prepare. In a bleak assessment of the economic impact of no deal published yesterday, the government said that 10 per cent of all food could be subject to shortages as well as price rises. It warned that cross-Channel disruption would be increased by the failure of British companies to register for customs formalities. The paper revealed that of the 240,000 businesses that trade only with the EU, 40,000 had registered with the government to export, which would result in goods being turned back at the French border. “The lack of preparation for EU controls greatly increases the probability of disruption,” it stated.
The Tory plan for no-deal medical shortages is staggeringly negligent
A no-deal Brexit … is expected to have an immediate and drastic effect on supply chains” for medicines. From the pen of an op-ed writer, such language might seem alarmist. But this comes from a report published this week in the Lancet, a world-class scientific journal – and it should terrify you. The scale of the problem is huge. You will know someone affected, even if you are not. NHS figures show that almost half the population regularly takes a prescribed medicine. And around 75% of the medicines the NHS uses come into the UK from the EU.
IT systems to run UK borders 'may not be ready for no-deal Brexit'
Six out of eight critical IT systems required to allow the UK’s borders to function under a no-deal Brexit are in danger of not being ready, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found. The National Audit Office has also concluded that with 31 days to go before the UK is due to leave the EU, the readiness of UK’s businesses are a “red-rated” risk if the government crashes out of Europe. The findings were released on Wednesday evening in a memo sent to the public accounts committee.
Meg Hillier, the chair of the committee, said serious questions remained about whether the UK would be prepared at the border, and what this would mean for individuals and businesses.
Government identifies 7000 medicines for no-deal Brexit planning
Companies that supply these 7,000 medicines have been asked to provide a six-week buffer stock, and health minister Stephen Hammond said in a written ministerial statement on 25 February 2019 that “the majority of companies have confirmed that stockpiling plans are in place”. Hammond also announced that the government had bought “tickets” from two cross-channel ferry operators that run routes to Poole, Portsmouth, Plymouth, Immingham and Felixstowe, away from the straits of Dover, which are expected to become congested if there is a no-deal Brexit.
No-deal Brexit would lead to food shortages and cost business billions, government reveals
Ministers also admitted that up to a third of “critical” infrastructure projects were now behind schedule, partly due to firms failing to view a no-deal scenario as “sufficiently credible”. Members of the public are also failing to prepare for a no-deal Brexit, according to the 15-page document, which warned that industries like the automotive sector would be “severely” impacted by new tariff and non-tarriff barriers if the Commons does not back the Withdrawal Agreement negotiated by Theresa May.
UK citizens living in EU 'still entitled to social security benefits' in case of no-deal Brexit
EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the 27 EU countries will keep any social benefits acquired before withdrawal in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Text adopted by the Employment and Social Affairs Committee subject to full EU Parliament approval aims to safeguard people's entitlements to social security benefits based on insurance, employment or residence. The contingency measures would apply to EU citizens living in the UK and UK citizens living in one of the 27 member states who have acquired social entitlements due to the free movement of people. The measures will be adopted across the EU only if the UK leaves with no withdrawal agreement in place. The European Commission will assess how the measures are working one year after the regulation is implemented and produce a report for the EU Parliament and MEPs
@AlbertoCostaMP I’m hugely grateful to those colleagues who have very kindly supported my amendment to ringfence rights for those EU citizens in the UK and those in UK citizens in the EU.
1/4 Can’t begin to say how brilliant it is to see my amendment in black and white on the order paper today. I’m hugely grateful to those colleagues who have very kindly supported my amendment to ringfence rights for those EU citizens in the UK and those in UK citizens in the EU.
UK will pay: German businesses to OVERCHARGE Brits after Brexit 'why should WE suffer?'
A leading industrial lobby, which is based in the region around car giant Volkswagen’s headquarters, is leading a charge for “price adjustments” to cover the costs of exporting to Britain in event of a no-deal Brexit. Smaller firms are also following the lead after Lueneburg Chamber of Commerce published “five Brexit tips”, which includes charging Britons more to cover potential customs duties. The plans have been pushed out to over 10,000 people as part of an effort to prepare businesses near Hamburg for a hard Brexit
‘They LOATHE her!’ British expats in Spain FURIOUS with May over Brexit health chaos
‘Brexpats in Spain’ co-founder Anne Hernandez said Spanish-based Britons with existing medical problems are “very concerned” with 30 days until Brexit and health rights still not guaranteed. EU-based British pensioners are currently able to access free healthcare though the S1 scheme, which is ultimately paid by the British government. But this week the government warned British nationals may have to pay for private health insurance in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Political Shenanigans
The smart money is on the Brexit can being kicked down the road again
After a tumultuous three days where decisions were forced by threats of resignation and the realities of splits and defection, Westminster faces a different set of Brexit choices - there are now plausible routes to delay, and a new referendum, but also the increased credibility of both those outcomes could yet motivate rebellious Tory Brexiters to cash in their chips and accept the PM's deal.
Another Sign of Hope for Her Deal
The hardline Conservative Brexit backers, whose support May needs to get her deal ratified in Parliament, appear to be softening after May’s tactical gamble to take a no-deal Brexit off the table and replace it with the option of postponing the exit day. The prospect of a delay or, worse, the divorce that euroskeptics have spent their careers fighting for being reversed, may be focusing minds.
The Prime Minister must use Brexit deal to give Britain a new start… then she May go
Henry Newman of the Open Europe 'Think Tank' argues that jitters over Brexit happening are understandable and that Brexiteers need to stand firm to see Brexit goes over the line and then Theresa May steps down
Rees-Mogg Won’t Insist on Dropping Irish Backstop, Report Says
Pro-Brexit lawmaker Jacob Rees-Mogg is no longer insisting that the “Irish backstop” be dropped as a condition for supporting Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal, he told the Financial Times in an interview. In a sign that he’s softening opposition to the plan, Rees-Mogg -- the leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Conservative Party lawmakers -- said he would consider other legal fixes to ensure the so-called backstop didn’t become permanent, the paper reported. That could be in the form of an appendix to the text, he said. “I think you can add an appendix without reopening the text,” Rees-Mogg said, according to the Financial Times. “You’d be adding something on at the end, but it’s still part of the text.”
Jacob Rees-Mogg softens position on Theresa May’s Brexit deal
Jacob Rees-Mogg, the head of the leading Eurosceptic faction of Conservative MPs, has softened his opposition to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, amid rising hopes in Downing Street that the prime minister might win approval for a revised agreement next month. Mr Rees-Mogg told the Financial Times that he was no longer insisting that the contentious “Irish backstop” be scrapped as a condition for his support for Mrs May’s deal and was prepared to consider other legal fixes to ensure it did not become permanent.
Labour will win more votes than it loses by backing another referendum
John Mann, the pro-Brexit Labour MP, says the party will lose support if it pursues the policy announced by Jeremy Corbyn, and ends up enabling a public vote ...
Labour to push for Commons vote on second Brexit referendum – John McDonnell
Labour will push for a vote on calling a second referendum as soon as Theresa May brings her Brexit deal back to the Commons. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said Labour would take the first opportunity to test whether MPs will back a public vote.
May and Corbyn have failed us on Brexit again. MPs must back a people’s vote
Take the prime minister first. She triggered article 50 without any clue as to what kind of Brexit could command the confidence of parliament or her party, and she did so without having any conversation with MPs or the country. Instead, the referendum result was taken as an instruction to deliver a hard Brexit, with the UK leaving the single market and the customs union.
@the3million @AlbertoCostaMP looking very happy after the #CostaAmendment has been adopted as Govt policy.
@AlbertoCostaMP looking very happy after the #CostaAmendment has been adopted as Govt policy. We are now one step closer to truly protect #citizensrights of EU citizens in the UK & @BritishInEurope even in case of no-deal Brexit.
Brexit Vote: Here are the key amendments and what they mean for Theresa May
MPs are to have another chance to vote on Theresa May’s ongoing Brexit negotiations and strategy and propose their own suggestions. On Wednesday evening the Prime Minister will table another so-called “neutral motion” after updating the house on her Brexit talks the previous day. This will give members the chance to table their own amendments, which can be voted on, providing the Government with an indication to the Commons’ intentions over Brexit.
EXPLAINED: All the Brexit amendments MPs are voting on tonight
Here we go again… MPs will vote tonight on a string of non-binding Brexit tweaks and alternatives, as Theresa May tables another ‘neutral’ motion on her deal to leave the EU. PoliticsHome gives you the lowdown on every single one.
The band of 11 who broke Corbyn and May on Brexit
For Mr Corbyn this was to announce his support for a second referendum if he cannot get the Brexit deal he wants. The risk of the People's Vote band in parliament following Chuka Umunna et al out of the door was simply too great.
In reality, a plan to hold another referendum probably won't get through parliament, so this is a promise Mr Corbyn might never have to actually keep. But that he was forced into making the pledge for fear of a split is ample proof that this was the week traditional command-and-control party politics was turned on its head.
Sir Keir Starmer says second EU referendum should include Remain but not no-deal
Labour's Sir Keir Starmer has told Sky News a second EU referendum should be a "basic choice" between a "credible Leave option and Remain" - but voters should not have the option of a no-deal Brexit. Labour have announced their support for a fresh public vote on Brexit to prevent a "damaging Tory Brexit being forced on the country"
Brexit has already ravaged the northeast. Of course we’ll support Labour in backing a Final Say
Inevitably, focus will now be on parliamentary arithmetic, and how many Labour rebels will needed to be offset by Conservative MPs supporting a people’s vote to gain a majority in the House of Commons. The reality is that if a significant number of Labour MPs – such as John Mann and Caroline Flint – vote against a people’s vote, it is unlikely to happen. To do so, based on the misconception (propagated not just by a small group of MPs, but unelected advisors to the leader’s office) that northern and Midlands voters – specifically in Labour heartlands – are a homogenous group of die-hard Brexit voters, would be simply criminal.
@ITVPeston Oliver Letwin says to find a Brexit solution there should be a succession of votes to identify where the consensus lies in Parliament.
Oliver Letwin says to find a Brexit solution there should be a succession of votes to identify where the consensus lies in Parliament.
Brexit news latest: Brussels ‘will insist on delay of up to two years if UK fails to agree deal’
Senior ministers believe that the European Union will insist on a Brexit delay of up to two years if Britain fails to agree a deal in the next few weeks. Several sources have told the Standard they do not think the sort of “short, limited extension” of Article 50 suggested by Theresa May in the Commons yesterday would be permitted by Brussels. Ministers closely involved in Brexit preparations believe the EU would probably demand an extension until December 2020, effectively replacing the planned transition period with continued EU membership.
Carlyle co-founder says new vote only way out of Brexit impasse
US billionaire David Rubenstein has said a second referendum on whether the UK should leave the EU is “the only solution” that could break Britain’s stalemate over Brexit. Speaking at a private equity conference in Berlin, Mr Rubenstein, who co-founded US buyout fund Carlyle in the 1980s, added that Brexit was hurting UK growth but that considerable “political will” would be needed for the country to hold a new EU referendum.
Why Centrist Dads will stop Brexit
What most accurately characterises Centrist Dads is a rejection of dogmatic certainty – along with an at times annoyingly compulsive habit to tell younger people that they may think that way now but they’ll see things differently when they get to his/her age. As their favourite joke goes: A Centrist Dad takes his children to feed the ducks, a Conservative Dad takes his children duck shooting, a Socialist Dad takes his children to a Solidarity With Ducks rally. When Centrist Dad pin-up figure Tony Blair called the Independent Group a “fightback in an era of crisis and extremism” it was the perfect application of the soothing moderate analgesic centrist Dads like to bathe in.
Public backs Brexit extension — but only if it’s short
U.K. voters support a delay to Brexit, but only if it lasts no longer than three months, according to an exclusive POLITICO-Hanbury poll published ahead of a crucial showdown in the British parliament over the next steps in the Brexit process.
While voters remain skeptical about the intention behind any delay, overall they support pushing back Brexit day (with 47 percent in favor to 26 percent opposed) if it is needed to continue the exit negotiations or to ratify the deal. But support for an extension lasting any longer than three months drops dramatically, according to the survey of 2,006 adults.
A second Brexit referendum is now essential
Theresa May’s aim is to convert fear of a no-deal Brexit into acceptance of her bad deal, which would leave the UK at the EU’s mercy. In the end, the rhetoric about “taking back control” has come down to a choice between suicide and vassalage. This march of folly needs to be stopped, for the UK’s sake and Europe’s. The only politically acceptable way to do this is via another referendum. That is risky. But it would be better than sure disaster.
Theresa May backs down to buy herself more time on Brexit
Mrs May now appears more like a driver who has lost control of the stagecoach. More important, the horses are pulling in two different directions. Her MPs, her ministers, her cabinet and even her close Downing Street advisers are divided. The prime minister’s only focus is keeping them from pulling the entire contraption apart. From the moment she lost the support of Brexit hardliners in her own party, Mrs May’s entire strategy has been to play for time until she can scare MPs into voting for her withdrawal agreement. Unfortunately the cliff edge is too close and she has, quite simply, lost the trust of even her allies in cabinet.
Political Setbacks
Naomi Long labels DUP Brexit strategy a 'massive act of self-harm'
Naomi Long has described the DUP's Brexit strategy as a "massive act of self-harm and completely ill-judged". The Alliance leader said Arlene Foster's party was now being driven by its 10 MPs, who she claimed had become aligned with "extremists" and "slightly giddy" at the attention Westminster's finely-poised arithmetic had brought upon them.
Sir Tom Hunter: Politicians 'have let us down' on Brexit
One of Scotland's richest men has accused politicians of letting down the country as he called for another referendum to be held on Brexit. Sir Tom Hunter said voters had been lied to by the Leave campaign during the EU referendum in 2016. They had ...
The Yorkshire Post says: Theresa May on back foot over Brexit
Back in November, Theresa May compared herself to her cricketing hero Geoffrey Boycott as she insisted she had the obduracy and resolve to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. But the Prime Minister now finds herself on an increasingly sticky wicket on the issue. On Monday, Mrs May told a Press conference in Egypt that a delay to Brexit “doesn’t deliver a decision in Parliament, it doesn’t deliver a deal” and “just delays the point at which you come to that decision”. But 24 hours later, she addressed the Commons to say that if her deal is rejected for a second time and MPs then prevent leaving without a deal on March 29, they will then be given the chance to vote to delay Britain’s departure to the end of June.
@Channel4News "The stark truth is this: not one word of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Political Declaration has changed since it was signed off on 25th November last year."
"The stark truth is this: not one word of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Political Declaration has changed since it was signed off on 25th November last year." Labour's Sir Keir Starmer says Theresa May is wrong to believe that her Brexit deal with the EU is going to be changed
MP accuses former Tory official of being a ‘fraudster’ and ‘cowboy’ who exploited legal loophole to hide source of ‘dark money’
Although the Constitution minister, Chloe Smith, told the debate that responsibility for unincorporated associations lay with the Electoral Commission, and that data held by them was “treasure trove of information”, Docherty-Hughes said the way the DUP donation was organised was “the exact opposite of open, properly-functioning parliamentary democracy.” He questioned whether anyone in the DUP knew the source of the cash that was largely used to fund pro-leave campaigning on the UK mainland, and whether any “requisite due diligence” was done ahead of the money being accepted. Under previous Northern Ireland electoral laws, donations to any of the major political parties were protected. The exact origins of £435,000 could have been revealed if the government had honoured its promise last year to back-date legal changes to the time of the 2016 referendum. This did not happen.
@YoungTories4PV We voted to leave not for a deal” We’ll just wait for someone to show us anything from Vote Leave that mentioned no deal
“We voted to leave not for a deal” We’ll just wait for someone to show us anything from Vote Leave that mentioned no deal
Betrayal Jeremy Corbyn forced to formally back second referendum and betray 17.4m Leave voters after losing bid for his own ‘alternative Brexit’
Jeremy Corbyn has tonight formally backed a second referendum after MPs threw out his plans for a soft Brexit. The Labour boss’s official policy will now be to betray the 17.4million Brits who voted to leave the EU, and send them back to the polls to have another go. Labour's amendment was defeated by 240 votes to 323 in the Commons this evening after his last-ditch plans for a soft Brexit failed. And Mr Corbyn tonight confirmed it was now party policy - but risked anger from Remainers by saying he would look at other options too.
@BBCPolitics "People have been thoroughly misled, over a long period of time, by a form of propaganda that believes the EU is evil" Conservative MP Dominic Grieve says
"People have been thoroughly misled, over a long period of time, by a form of propaganda that believes the EU is evil" Conservative MP Dominic Grieve says many people calling for a "catastrophic" no-deal #Brexit have been led to believe "mad fantasies"
French President Emmanuel Macron vows to block any Brexit delay without a 'clear objective'
French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to block any extension to Brexit unless there is a “clear objective” for the delay. Speaking at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris, Mr Macron warned Theresa May that France would use its veto power to prevent any extension to Article 50. Any request from the Prime Minister to delay Brexit past 29 March would require the unanimous agreement of all 27 EU member states. “We would support an extension request only if it was justified by a new choice of the British," he told reporters. “But we would in no way accept an extension without a clear objective.”
France will block Brexit delay without 'new choice' by UK
Emmanuel Macron has said France will block a Brexit delay unless there is a “new choice” by Britain, as Spain’s prime minister said that merely postponing the no-deal deadline would not be “reasonable or desirable”. In a sign of the heightened risk of an accidental crash-landing for the UK, both leaders signalled their disapproval of Theresa May’s suggestion of a last-minute request for a two-month extension if her deal is voted down again. The French president said there would need to be a clear purpose to delaying the UK’s exit from the EU, in comments that will inevitably raise cross-party concerns among those seeking to take no-deal Brexit off the table.
Labour must challenge the myth that the working class supports Brexit
The party must campaign on the values its supporters in the real, progressive, multi-ethnic working class believe in, not on the values of people who will never vote for it. Look at the MRP polling done by Hope Not Hate and Best for Britain: it shows that, even in those constituencies where Leave scored high, and where Labour stands a chance of winning the next general election, on average there’s been a six percentage point swing from Leave to Remain – with working class women, young Labour voters and Muslims the groups most likely to change their mind. And look at the real working class of Britain. It contains 2.7m European citizens, many of who are the very factory workers and farm hands the labour movement was born to represent. Do we include them in the British working class? Scotland did in 2014 – when it gave them the vote – so why can’t we?
Government aide quits over bid to guarantee EU citizens' rights after Brexit
Alberto Costa, whose parents are Italian, resigned as parliamentary private secretary to Scottish Secretary David Mundell after tabling an amendment to the Government's Brexit business in the Commons. He had called on the Government and Brussels to make a joint commitment to protect the rights of EU and UK ex-pats regardless of whether Britain leaves with or without a deal. Labour accused the Prime Minister of sacking the South Leicestershire MP, but Downing Street insisted he had no option but to stand down. A spokesman for Mrs May said: “He's resigned from the Government. There's a long-standing convention that members of the Government payroll don't table amendments to government bills.
Dominic Grieve: No-deal Brexit would be 'catastrophic'
A no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for Britain, according to Dominic Grieve MP.
Speaking to talkRADIO's Julia Hartley-Brewer, the former Attorney General said he would "not allow" the UK to leave the European Union without a deal, and would do "everything possible" to achieve his goal. "A no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for our country. I must do everything possible to stop it happening," he said. "Brexit has damaged trust in our democracy. It's a dreadful process and one that is dragging this country to a third-rate future. The third-rate future is going to be infinitely more damaging than continuing to have a debate at the moment about the best terms of exit."
Talk of a second Brexit referendum has created a surge in sketchy Facebook ads
Earlier this month, Open Democracy raised the alarm about a cluster of Facebook pages that were publishing ads supportive of no-deal Brexit, while providing very little information on who was behind the organisations nominally paying for the posts. One could again lay the blame on Facebook’s doorstep: publishing political ads on the platform only requires a British or EU identity document and a UK bank account. But the problem runs deeper. It has to do, for instance, with the British Electoral Commission’s utter toothlessness when it comes to supervising digital campaigning, let alone forcing an organisation to reveal its backers.
Brexit: Sajid Javid stuns MPs by backing bid to secure EU citizens' rights after no-deal after Theresa May dismissed it
Sajid Javid has pledged the government will back a move to protect the rights of EU citizens if there is a no-deal Brexit – a day after Theresa May dismissed it. The home secretary stunned and delighted a committee of MPs by saying there was “nothing” wrong with the amendment, tabled by a Tory MP. However, he was blindsided when told the government had suggested it would fight the amendment, saying: “When did you hear that? From who.”
Theresa May: the new Iron Lady or a heap of rusting Brexit metal?
May was horrified that some MPs might have thought she was trying to run down the clock and force them into accepting her deal that they had already overwhelmingly rejected, or risk either no deal or no Brexit. So to alleviate any uncertainty, she was going to give parliament the certainty of even longer uncertainty by offering it the chance of delaying Brexit for a couple of months in which nothing would change and then allow the country to go over a cliff edge at the end of June.
The inescapable irony of the Brexit crackup
An economic study by the Bank of England estimated that a “disorderly no deal” could result in as much as a 10 percent drop in the economy (gross domestic product). The pain would be shared with E.U. countries, because the United Kingdom is a large market for their exports. Assuming widespread economic consequences, Kirkegaard doubts that a “no deal” decision could “last very long.” Both the E.U. and the United Kingdom would be drawn back to the bargaining table. But to what end?
A ‘clean’ Brexit doesn’t exist. May finally admits it now
Brexit is irredeemably complex. There is no tidy way to do it, and the messiest version of all is the one that the hardest Brexiters advocate – quitting without a comprehensive agreement. This is routinely called the “no deal” scenario, but that is a misnomer. Only if Britain wants to be more isolated than North Korea will there be literally no deal.
EU27 citizens see no big Brexit hit for them, but think Brits will be ‘worse off’: poll
Citizens across the EU27 generally reckon their countries will "not be much affected" by the U.K.'s exit from the bloc, and more think Britain will be "worse off" after the divorce, according to newly released data. A study by the Bertelsmann Foundation published Wednesday found that 61 percent of people living in the EU27 believe there "will not be a significant change in EU countries because of Brexit." The foundation asked 10,434 people across the EU27 in December what "best describes the consequences" of Brexit for both the EU as well as the United Kingdom.
May using Nixon’s ‘madman theory’ to play chicken with Brexit
The “crazy guy” strategy, as it is sometimes called, is of little value in the UK’s negotiating approach towards the EU. The major flaw is that the “no deal” button over which May’s finger now deliberately hovers would, if triggered, rain down its destruction principally not on the EU-27 but on the UK itself. For the EU to give any credence to the threat of volatility and irrationality, it would have to believe that the UK government is not only completely mad but also colossally stupid.
Brexit: Alberto Costa MP loses his job for protecting EU citizens in new fiasco
Theresa May was accused of a "nasty and petty" act in "sacking" Alberto Costa - despite accepting the plan that got him ditched in the first place. Though she argued that it was a resignation and it was an Executive norm for ministers to stand down when proposing motions in this fashion
Former Brexit secretary David Davis: The utter folly of defeatist Mrs May taking No Deal off the table
I would not blame the Prime Minister if she felt isolated. Who could blame her for looking for a way out? The right playbook however is Churchill’s. Keep buggering on. This is not the time to capitulate, to fold and to be defeatist. Now is the time to stand firm and hold our nerve. Mrs May’s announcement yesterday in which she conceded two Commons votes on Brexit in mid March is the wrong move. It sends the wrong message to the EU. Opening up the possibility of ruling out No Deal, or extending Article 50, may harm our negotiating position.
Brexit: Cabinet split over Theresa May’s offer to extend Article 50, but she’s avoided resignations
Andrea Leadsom is said to have “gone off like a firework” when Mrs May raised the prospect of Brexit being deferred
Delaying Brexit risks a surge in right-wing extremism, warns Jacob Rees-Mogg
Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that delaying Brexit beyond the European elections risks a surge in right-wing extremism. Addressing a 2,500 strong audience at the London Palladium, the leading Brexiteer said denying the public the biggest democratic mandate in British history would open the door to right-wing firebrand Tommy Robinson. Speaking at the sellout Spectator event, the MP for North East Somerset said: “If we try to stay and we stay beyond the European elections, there will only be one winner from that, and that would be Tommy Robinson.
Evening Standard comment: At last the ice melts as Brexit positions collapse
Even in the past few days she was refusing, in public and private, to countenance delay. Her insistence that a no-deal departure remained on the table — solely as a negotiating tactic to bully her own party — has already cost the British economy billions of pounds, as businesses move key operations off-shore, some never to return. It has taken an unprecedented revolt from the sensible wing of her party to force her to stop this madness. Backbenchers like Oliver Letwin and Nick Boles, and the Cabinet trio of Amber Rudd, Greg Clark and David Gauke, deserve the nation’s thanks
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit victory 'of sorts': UK secures WTO agreement
BRITAIN has secured a deal of sort with a body connected to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and will remain within the its Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) after it leaves the EU
May using Nixon’s ‘madman theory’ to play chicken with Brexit
The “crazy guy” strategy, as it is sometimes called, is of little value in the UK’s negotiating approach towards the EU. The major flaw is that the “no deal” button over which May’s finger now deliberately hovers would, if triggered, rain down its destruction principally not on the EU-27 but on the UK itself. For the EU to give any credence to the threat of volatility and irrationality, it would have to believe that the UK government is not only completely mad but also colossally stupid.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 1st Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- The Office of National Statistics published its last set of figures before Brexit. It showed net migration from Europe has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. However, numbers from elsewhere in the world have soared, with the PM`s target of 100,000 net being smashed by the final tally of 261,000
- UK business confidence slid to its lowest level since June 2016 in February, a Lloyds Business Barometer survey showed, with the services sector most pessimistic - indicating Brexit uncertainty is having a strong impact
- Biofuel production came back online at Wilton, near Redcar, but CropEnergies said it was waiting to see what the regime for imports and exports to the UK and Europe would like before confirming the plant`s longer term future
- Global investment bank, JPMorgan, has secured additional office space in Paris for around 200 staff at short notice, under its contingency plans for a No Deal Brexit
- A Wearside MP with Nissan in her constituency said she was alarmed at the lack of details from Ministers with regards to Brexit and any impact it might have on the plant`s longer term future
- Aston Martin will spend £30m on contingency plans for a hard Brexit, according to its financial results
- Rolls Royce is axing 4,500 jobs as part of a cost cutting drive, as it delivers its turnaround plan, which stemmed from losses it has had in the manufacturing cycle
- Southend Airport said Air Malta had pulled all Italian flights from the airport
- The East Anglian Daily Times reported a rise in food bank usage and said it is linked to job cuts and Brexit uncertainty
- The Russel Group of Universities called on the government to rethink its plans to give 3 year visas to EU students as it would discriminate against universities offering 4 year courses
- Nigel Farage said he planned to lead a march from Wearside to London to promote Brexit
- Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has Theresa May`s fate in his hands as he tries to persuade the EU to agree substantive legal changes to the political declaration attached to the Withdrawal Agreement
- The Tory hardline ERG group appeared to be softening its hardline stance over the Irish backstop. Both Jacob Rees Mogg and the DUP have suggested that a time limit to the Irish Backstop of around 21 months would be something they would both support
- Brussels is signalling that any extension of Article 50 must be one-off and underpinned by concrete reasons before it would be agreed
- A by-election in Newport West to fill the vacant seat of the late Paul Flynn has been announced. Brexit is likely to dominate as an issue
- Labour plans to offer a rehash fo the Kyle-Wilson amendment to Theresa May. It will suggest Labour will agree to abstain from voting on her deal. In return she will agree to put the deal to the country in a public vote
- George Eustice resigned from the government in protest at Theresa May`s intention to consider extending Article 50
- Top UK scientist Sir Paul nurse said the UK is sleepwalking into a disaster. The UK is set to lose up to £1bn a year in research funds because of Brexit. This will have lasting consequences for the coutnry`s future he added
- The Leave campaign now seem to be placing `paid for stories` in mainstream media to promote their messages. Spiked`s Ella Whelan wrote a piece attacking the idea of a second referendum on Brexit for the Irish Times. Former Australian PM Tony Abbott sung the praises of `economic independence` from the EU in The Spectator
Jobs at Risk
Aston Martin sets aside £30m for hard Brexit as costs hit profits
Aston Martin set aside £30m to deal with a hard Brexit as spiralling costs hit profits at the British luxury carmaker and triggered a sharp fall in its share price on Thursday. The group posted a pre-tax loss of £68m for last year, largely because of £136m in costs from its stock market flotation in October. But even once the exceptional charges were stripped out, pre-tax profit declined by 7 per cent to £68m, due in part to a one-off pension gain that it booked during 2017 and accounting changes last year.
Rolls-Royce hails ‘breakthrough year’ despite swinging to £2.9bn loss
Rolls-Royce hailed a “breakthrough year” despite suffering a £2.9bn loss last year partly thanks to technical problems with its engines. Company is axeing 4,600 jobs as part of a cost-cutting drive and has suffered from a series of technical issues with its engines
Lack of detail over Brexit is 'hugely concerning' says Sunderland MP
A Wearside MP says she has finally received a reply to a letter she sent Prime minister Theresa May calling for more clarity over Brexit. But Sharon Hodgson, whose Washington and Sunderland West constituency covers the Nissan plant, says the reply leaves her questions unanswered. She has now received a reply which Business and Industry Minister Richard Harrington MP sent on February 22, which can be viewed here. Mrs Hodgson said the Minister had been unable to provide any further information regarding what trading arrangements will be when we leave the European Union (EU) and refused to rule out a 'hugely damaging' No-Deal Brexit.
Ensus refinery at Wilton to resume production but bosses warn of threat to future from Brexit
German parent company CropEnergies has now confirmed a decision to bring the Wilton plant back online at a "reduced capacity" from the beginning of March. Around 90 staff work at the plant near Redcar but it also directly supports around 2,000 supply chain workers in areas from farming to haulage. But in a statement, the company said: "Questions related to Brexit regarding customs for imports and exports to and from the United Kingdom need to be clarified immediately. "The future customs regulations are of existential importance for the production site (at) Wilton." Labour MP for Redcar, Anna Turley , challenged Ministers in Parliament on Thursday to protect the British biofuels industry after Brexit. She warned of a potentially "devastating impact" of tariffs being removed on biofuel, and said as Ensus' decision to limit production shows jobs "still hang in the balance".
JPMorgan plans temporary Paris hub for 200 staff if no-deal Brexit
JPMorgan has secured additional office space on the outskirts of Paris to house up to 200 staff who could be billeted to the French capital at short notice, under plans to cope with the fallout from a ‘no deal’ Brexit, sources told Reuters. The U.S. investment bank has expanded an existing lease at the temporary base so it can accommodate a swift transfer of crucial operations to the city by April 1 if Britain were to leave the EU without a deal on March 29, the sources familiar with the matter said.
Economic Impact
Theresa May hit by migrant target farce as record numbers of Europeans leave UK
Theresa May's immigration policy was engulfed in fresh criticism today as figures revealed a slump in EU workers coming to Britain — and a surge in arrivals from outside Europe. The Office for National Statistics said that an outflow of Eastern Europeans means that net migration from Europe has fallen to its lowest level in a decade. But at the same time the numbers coming to the UK from the rest of the world has soared to 261,000 — more than double the Prime Minister’s target of cutting net migration to below 100,000.
UK migration: Rise in net migration from outside EU
Net migration to the UK from countries outside the European Union has hit its highest level for 15 years, the Office for National Statistics says. Figures show 261,000 more non-EU citizens came to the UK than left in the year ending September 2018 - the highest since 2004. In contrast, net migration from EU countries has continued to fall to a level last seen in 2009. The figures are the last set before the UK is due to leave the EU next month. And separate figures released by the Home Office show the number of EU nationals applying for British citizenship hit an all-time high last year, rising by 23% to about 48,000.
Brexit Uncertainty Has Hurt Our Economy – Extending Article 50 Could Hurt It Even More
Extending the Brexit process will lift uncertainty in Westminster, but will do little to reassure businesses and consumers there is light at the end of the tunnel. Both consumers and businesses are paying the Brexit price. This is because, in the presence of ongoing economic policy uncertainty, the sterling exchange rate takes a hit as foreign investors become less willing to trust, and therefore invest, in the UK economy.
UK business confidence slides to lowest since month of Brexit referendum - Lloyds
British business confidence slid in February to its lowest level since June 2016, the month of the Brexit vote, a survey showed on Thursday, adding to other signs that Brexit uncertainty is hurting companies. Business confidence fell by 15 points to 4 percent in February, according to the Lloyds Bank Business Barometer. The services sector, which accounts for the bulk of British economic output, accounted for the biggest fall in morale.
Air Malta's Italian routes 'pulled' from Southend Airport
There are now no options on Air Malta’s website to book any flights from Southend to Catania and Cagliari on any date.Travellers believe they are cancelling the flights six weeks before departure date and not giving passengers any options to book them.
Migration to UK climbs as more workers and students come from beyond Europe
The net migration of EU nationals to the UK has fallen 70 per cent since the 2016 vote to leave the bloc, but arrivals from outside Europe have increased markedly, in an indication of Brexit’s impact on flows of people to the country. Figures released by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday show the net migration of EU nationals fell to 57,000 in the year to September 2018, the lowest level in a decade. This compares with a net inflow of 189,000 EU nationals in the year to June 2016, when the Brexit referendum was held. The change is even more stark for those people who come from the eight central and eastern European member states that joined the EU in 2004 — countries such as Poland. The number of people from such countries who are leaving the UK now outstrips those arriving. Overall, National Insurance number allocations to EU nationals fell by a third to 419,000 between 2016 and 2018.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit uncertainty and job cuts ‘fuelling spike in foodbank use’
Firms are slashing hours and cutting jobs over Brexit fears – prompting more people than ever before to turn to foodbanks for help, it has been claimed. Frontline volunteers say the uncertainty surrounding Britain’s EU exit is playing a significant role in why so many people are struggling to put food on the table, alongside Universal Credit payment delays. It comes as demand for foodbanks in parts of Suffolk and north Essex soared by as much as 50% year-on-year in February. Stowmarket and area foodbank manager Mike Smith warned local people are “really struggling” at the moment after sending out 100 emergency food parcels this month, up 51% from 66 in 2018.
Border IT Systems Aren’t Ready for Brexit: Plan A Scratched, Plan B Troubled
“The government assesses readiness of traders as one of its most significant risks”
Six of the eight IT systems deemed “most critical for day one” after Brexit are at serious risk of not being delivered on time or in an adequate condition. Worrying, it said that HMRC had decided last month that a flagship new Customs Declaration Service (CDS) to handle and risk-assess customs declarations, and account for payment of duties, would not be ready for a no-deal Brexit. But the fall-back option, the existing Customs Handling of Import and Export Freight (CHIEF) system, is riddled with issues and also may not be ready in time.
How EU-reliant small British businesses are preparing for Brexit
Hardly a day goes by without a business announcing relocation to the EU, or warning of how dangerous Brexit would be for the UK economy. These have included aerospace firm Airbus, which employs more than 14,000 people in the UK. Electronics multinationals Sony and Panasonic have both moved their European headquarters from the UK to the Netherlands, while financial services company JP Morgan announced 4,000 of its staff could be moved from London in the event the UK crashes out of the EU. While multinational firms have sufficient capital and resources to plan and pivot, just over a month before the UK is due to leave the EU, most smaller businesses can only wait and hope.
FCA gives finance firms 15-month reprieve in case of no-deal Brexit
The UK financial regulator confirmed that firms will have a 15-month grace period to comply with rule changes in the event of a cliff-edge Brexit in 29 days’ time. The Financial Conduct Authority on Thursday published a series of “near-final” rules around Brexit, although they still need approval from the Treasury. They include a waiver for firms around changes that the FCA has had to introduce as a result of the UK leaving the European Union and therefore the bloc’s rule book.
Scrap plans for No Deal visas
The Russell Group is calling on the Home Secretary and Immigration Minister to scrap plans for a 36-month visa for EU nationals coming to the UK in the event of a No Deal Brexit. The European Temporary Leave to Remain (ETLR) scheme would discriminate against Scottish universities and any future EU students wanting to study engineering and medicine courses, which last more than three years.
Womad festival struggling to book artists due to Brexit uncertainty
Chris Smith, the festival’s director, said it was getting harder each year to get people to perform. “It is harder to book artists because of Brexit … We are struggling to overcome it and let artists know they are welcome here and [that] people still want to experience their great music,” he said. “Lots of artists are finding they can get to Europe but fear taking the next step to the UK, particularly if there is there is no passport union. It will become more complicated. When we are out of the EU the passport arrangements will change, so artists coming from wherever will get into Europe but worry they then won’t be able to cross the Channel.” While he noted their concerns may be unfounded because it was too early for artists to make official visa applications, he said there was a feeling this year of people asking: “Can we be bothered? Is this a process we want to put ourselves through?”
UK house prices growth subdued in February with Brexit looming
"After almost grinding to a complete halt in January, annual house price growth remained subdued in February,” Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s chief economist, said. “Indicators of housing market activity, such as the number of property transactions and the number of mortgages approved for house purchase, have remained broadly stable in recent months, but survey data suggests that sentiment has softened.” He added that “measures of consumer confidence weakened around the turn of the year and surveyors reported a further fall in new buyer enquiries over the same period”.
Uncertainty over Brexit is ruining our personal lives
I have never been here before. I don’t mean: “I’ve never looked at the ranks of government with such distaste and despair,” because there was no way of knowing, 10 years ago, that things would get this much worse. No, I mean, I’ve never felt the public realm bleed so relentlessly into my personal life that I’m drenched in unknowables and can’t make any decisions at all. All questions end: “Wait and see what happens in March, I guess.” “Do we move house?” is merely the headline uncertainty that probably only affects a few. Where do you go on holiday when you don’t know what’s going to happen to the pound? This stuff matters
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage to lead nationwide Brexit march through Sunderland and Hartlepool
Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage is to lead a nationwide Brexit march to London through both Sunderland and Hartlepool. The Leave Means Leave protest - which begins on Wearside on Saturday, March 16 - will end in the capital on Friday, March 29, to mark the planned day the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
What to do if you get injured on holiday and how this might change after Brexit
As much as we like to think it will never happen, getting injured when abroad is commonplace, but how many Brits know what action to take should the unthinkable happen when on their travels? Paul McClorry, Head of Travel Litigation at specialist injury lawyers, Hudgell Solicitors, has given his advice on what to do if you are injured on holiday, and how this might change once Britain leaves the EU
‘I’d vote Leave more emphatically than in 2016’: Three farmers on why they still back Brexit
Some farmers have absolutely no regrets about losing their EU subsidies after voting Vote Leave and say they would do so with even more gusto this time
Brexit warning: UK farmers feeling ‘stark’ impact of deal uncertainty - 'irresponsible!'
With the March 29 Brexit day fast approaching and Theresa May still attempting to convince Parliament to back her deal, a delay to Britain’s departure is looking increasingly likely. But a lack of clarity over future trading arrangements means £514 million worth of British grain exports are at risk as farmers struggle to plan ahead. NFU combinable crops board chairman Tom Bradshaw said a divorce deal is needed to allow trading contracts to be put in place with European buyers
Political Shenanigans
Huge obstacles remain to a second Brexit referendum
Advocates of a second referendum have a new plan: to push for a “ratification referendum”, meaning a public vote after Theresa May’s deal goes through. This would still require lots of Labour MPs to support a Tory Brexit, something the party seems set against. Some believe that the threat of a delay to Brexit also means it is more likely that Brexiteers vote for Mrs May’s deal. However, huge obstacles remain to a second vote. Ultimately it is very hard to push through a referendum unless the government agrees. Some MPs backing a second referendum hope that the binding nature of the forthcoming vote could make it impossible for the government to ignore. However, it requires parliamentary time and government money to set up, as well as an extension to Article 50.
Brexit: Cox has Theresa May's fate in his hands
The man who is arguably the most powerful force in the land at the moment was a stranger to many in Westminster until last summer. Geoffrey Cox, a more familiar face at the Bar until his appointment as attorney general in July, now holds the fate of Theresa May in his hands. There are signs that Brexiteer Tories and the DUP may be able to accept the key change Cox is seeking: a legally binding time limit to the Northern Ireland backstop. The backstop is designed to avoid a hard border by tying Northern Ireland closely to the rules of the EU if the UK and Brussels fail to negotiate a future relationship by the end of a planned transition period.
Breakthrough for May - after Rees-Mogg, now DUP say they could back her deal
The DUP’s Westminster spokesman Sammy Wilson admitted they could back the Prime Minister’s deal if the EU agreed a time limit to the Northern Ireland backstop. Mr Wilson said: “We have 21 months before the implementation period would be finished anyway. We believe there are possibilities to have the monitoring of trade across the border solved in that time. “That’s the kind of time limit we would be looking for.” It comes after Jacob Rees-Mogg, who chairs the powerful European Research Group (ERG) of pro-Brexit Tory MPs, softened his stance for legal guarantees limiting the Northern Ireland backstop. Mr Rees-Mogg suggested he could support Mrs May’s deal if binding legal assurances were added to an appendix to the Withdrawal Agreement, rather than put in the treaty itself.
Why the PM can dare to dream that her Brexit deal will pass
Can the prime minister dare to dream that her Brexit deal will pass - perhaps as soon as next week? It is striking how Brexiters from the ERG group are lining up to tell me how reasonable they are trying to be. After well over a hundred Tory MPs failed to vote for Yvette Cooper's amendment on Wednesday evening, which simply captured the PM's u-turn pledge to allow MPs to delay Brexit, one senior Tory texted me to insist this was "more cock up than conspiracy".
SET THE DAY, MAY Brexiteer Tories tell Theresa May they will back her deal if she lays out timetable to quit Downing Street this year
Brexiteer Tory MPs have told Theresa May they can deliver a majority for her EU deal if she lays out a timetable to leave No10 this year. The Sun has been told that “dozens” of sceptical backbenchers are now ready to hold their noses and vote for the PM’s revised divorce agreement, even if she can only win small tweaks to it, so long as she names the day she'll go
March on Westminster: Farage to lead HUGE Brexit protest march from Sunderland to London
The nationwide event will see marches begin in North East England on March 16 and culminate with a mass rally in London on March 29 - the day Theresa May had pledged Britain would quit the EU. Organised by pro-Brexit pressure group Leave Means Leave, the protest aims to “show the level of popular dissatisfaction” with how the divorce from Brussels is being handled. Brexiteer Nigel Farage, who serves as an MEP for South East England, said: “The Westminster elite are in the process of betraying the British people over Brexit.
Can Brexit be stopped? How leaving EU could be delayed or cancelled - in theory
Less than a month before we leave the EU, there's a question on a lot of people's lips - can Brexit be stopped? The short answer is yes. It takes only a crucial few decisions to un-chisel the March 29 exit date in stone. But the long answer is it's complicated - the Daily Mirror explains the options
Theresa May’s biggest Brexit u-turns
The UK staying in the customs union – could have been avoided if she’s made concessions elsewhere. She could have accepted Brussels’ offer to allow Northern Ireland to stay part of the EU customs union if no agreement was reached. Mrs May dismissed this option as “unacceptable” because, in her view, it would amount to breaking up the UK. No doubt the staunch opposition from her parliamentary lifeline, the DUP, also weighed on her mind as she considered that proposal.
Any extension of article 50 must be a one-off, Brussels to insist
Brussels is to insist that any Brexit delay is a one-off, according to senior EU diplomats, setting the stage for Theresa May to present MPs with the choice of her deal or a chaotic no-deal exit this summer. The prime minister has suggested that she will seek a two-month extension if MPs vote down her deal again in mid-March to allow further time for negotiations. But EU27 heads of state and government are said by senior sources to hate the idea of the UK then asking for a further delay when the initial extension proves to be insufficient for renegotiations. Key member states are understood to be planning to put pressure on the European council president, Donald Tusk, to rule out a second extension in writing. “Some member states will insist on that being on paper,” said one diplomat.
The EU’s options for extending Brexit
For Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council of EU states, delaying Brexit is the “rational” choice for the UK. Given UK prime minister Theresa May’s difficulties in Westminster, European officials almost universally concur that Britain needs to postpone its March 29 exit date from the EU. But beyond that there is little EU consensus. Senior diplomats are discussing delays ranging from two to 21 months. Some offici als have even questioned whether a deadline need be set at all. The final word will come from EU leaders, who must unanimously agree to any UK request to extend the formal Article 50 divorce process. Their minds are far from made up.
Brexit: Why Remain would win second referendum – Kenny MacAskill
Theresa May’s unpopularity and the difference between the emerging reality of Brexit and the Leave campaign’s rhetoric would help Remain triumph in a second vote, writes Kenny MacAskill. Theresa May continues to play with fire, running the clock down trying to deliver her Brexit deal. Meanwhile Jeremy Corbyn still vacillates but at least has been progressed to supporting a second referendum. Whether it’ll come about still isn’t clear but it’ll only happen if MPs hold their nerve and exert their authority. But, another vote is looking like the only way out of the morass and, what’s more, Remain will win. It’s not just that leading pollsters have been saying that Remain has had a narrow lead in the polls for a while now but, more importantly, the wider circumstances in which it would be held.
Brexit: Republic to recruit 600 new customs staff
The Irish minister for finance has told the Dáil there will be 400 extra customs staff recruited before the end of the March. The hiring of some 200 more would follow soon after, minister Paschal Donohoe told the Irish parliament. These workers will be required to deal with a new customs systems resulting from Brexit. The minister insisted that the new staff will not be placed at or near the border with Northern Ireland.
ANALYSIS: Brexit set to dominate at the Newport West by-election following death of Paul Flynn
Labour and the Conservatives gearing up for a fresh clash over Brexit in Wales. The two parties will duke it out in the Newport West by-election, set for 4 April - just days after the UK is due to leave the EU. The seat was vacated by Labour veteran Paul Flynn after he died aged 84 last month. The seat has been held by Labour since 1987, when Flynn snatched it from Conservative Mark Robinson, who served as a junior minister under Margaret Thatcher. The majorities secured by Flynn in the eight elections he fought ranged from 2,708 in his first victory and 14,357 in the Blair surge of 1997. His majority at the 2017 snap election was 5,658 - so not a wildly safe bet when the political climate is so volatile.
Labour moving towards plan to let May's Brexit deal pass if it faces public vote
Amendment proposed by backbenchers would see party abstain on PM’s deal in return for second referendum. Those involved in talks said the Labour leadership was in favour of a redrafted amendment proposed by backbenchers Peter Kyle and Phil Wilson, which would see the party abstain on the Brexit deal if a second referendum were promised on those terms. Labour is moving towards a compromise plan that would allow Theresa May’s Brexit deal to pass but make clear that parliament “withholds support” until it has been put to a public vote, according to multiple party sources.
Kyle said he was now confident the Labour leadership would back his rewritten amendment, along with a number of Conservative MPs, meaning there was an increasing prospect it would succeed. “I have every reason to believe
Labour must make a principled case for free movement
Undermining existing rights to free movement undermines the rights of the whole working class. Labour must offer a vision of an open, democratic, egalitarian Britain.
Political Setbacks
Brexit delay: Tory minister George Eustice resigns in protest at 'humiliating' plan to extend Article 50
A government minister has quit his job protesting that Theresa May has risked the UK’s “final humiliation” by opening the door to delaying Brexit. George Eustice resigned as farming and fisheries minister, warning: “Developments this week will lead to a sequence of events culminating in the EU dictating the terms of any extension requested and the final humiliation of our country.” In a letter, Mr Eustice – a supporter of the prime minister’s stalled deal – attacked her for preparing the ground for taking a no-deal Brexit off the table. “If the position of parliament is now that we will refuse to leave without an agreement then we are somewhat stuck,” he wrote.
Theresa May under growing pressure as minister resigns in protest at 'humiliating' plan to extend Article 50
Theresa May faced fresh pressure over her Brexit strategy after farming minister George Eustice resigned from government to oppose any delay to Britain's exit day next month. Mr Eustice said he had backed the prime minister through "a series of rather undignified retreats" but he was afraid that the prospect of a vote on extending article 50 would lead to the "final humiliation of our country". His resignation came after MPs overwhelmingly voted to lock in the prime minister’s promise to give parliament a veto over a no-deal Brexit, while Ms May opened the door to a "limited" delay to Brexit.
George Eustice praised as 'brave and right' by Boris Johnson for quitting Government over Brexit
Theresa May’s credibility suffered a fresh blow as another minister quit over her Brexit plans and was immediately praised by Boris Johnson for being “brave and right”. George Eustice, a long-serving agriculture minister, resigned in protest at Mrs May’s decision this week to give MPs the chance to delay Brexit. He has quit amid fevered speculation in Westminster that the Prime Minister is planning to force MPs to vote on her Brexit deal on Wednesday next week.
Paul Nurse on Brexit: 'UK is sleepwalking into a disaster'
Currently, the United Kingdom gets back from the EU science budget between £500 million (US$666 million) and £1 billion a year more than we put in. Beyond any Brexit transition period, there is absolutely no guarantee from the Treasury that they will replace that funding. That means that UK research will lose up to £1 billion a year after Brexit. Over the past year, I’ve repeatedly asked ministers: ‘Where is that money coming from’? They have no answer, so the United Kingdom is almost guaranteed to lose that money. In the long term, the government needs to find another billion and that has to come from another department’s budget.
Macron: We need a ‘clear’ reason to grant Brexit extension
French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU would only grant the U.K. an extension to the Brexit negotiations if there is a "clear" reason for doing so, as he took a stronger line than German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "The time has come for the British to make choices," Macron said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with Merkel. "We could examine a request for an extension, if it is justified by new choices by the British. But under no circumstances would we accept an extension without a clear perspective" on the objective pursued.
That I had to seek guarantees on EU citizens’ rights is a sad state of affairs
Despite the fact it has necessitated the end of my role in government, I have been delighted with the tremendous cross-party support my amendment has received over the past week. From prominent Brexiteers within my own party to Remain advocates in the opposition, my amendment has clearly chimed with the overall mood of the House. A mood that would seem to suggest that while border and backstop discussions continue, the matter of citizens’ rights is something of a unifying force.
It is not normal that oblivion remains on the government’s policy agenda
We have to stop pretending everything is as it was. Brexit represents a unique rupture and the old ways of thinking no longer work. Brexit represents a unique rupture, and we must adapt our political rituals and approaches to accommodate it. We no longer live in an innocent age where familiar problems result in familiar consequences. These times are as dangerous as we have ever known, and we need to start acting like it.
Watch lawyer explain Brexit vote would be void for corruption if only it was binding…
Barrister Jessica Simor took May’s government to court for proceeding with Brexit on the basis that the referendum was lawful, despite their full knowledge of the illegal behaviour of the campaign to leave the EU. Based on the Electoral Commission’s rulings of last minute overspending by Vote Leave on a highly targeted Facebook campaign, Brits affected by Brexit living in Europe launched a legal case arguing the referendum result should not stand. But last week, the Court of Appeal denied the ex pats and Jessica Simor representing them permission to appeal. She appeared on James O’Brien’s LBC show to explain the appalling contradictions of the case.
Tory MEP warns Brexit will 'end in tears' as May continues 'to kick can down the road'
Speaking to Euronews, the Tory member of the European Parliament claimed he could not support any Brexit that would be detrimental to the British economy. He argued he was not elected on a Brexit manifesto and did not support Britons' decision to leave the Brussels bloc. He said: “I obviously can’t quibble with the views of the Prime Minister in what she considers to be her duty. “My duty is to look after the UK economy. “I wasn’t elected on any Brexit manifesto and I happened to believe that Brexit - particularly the hard Brexit which she has chosen in her Political Declaration out of the single market and the customs union, and a no deal Brexit which would be even worse - is very damaging to the British economy. “It will not deliver frictionless trade and the Government’s own research suggests a nine percent hit on the British economy if there is no deal."
Sir Tom Hunter: Politicians 'have let us down' on Brexit
One of Scotland's richest men has accused politicians of letting down the country as he called for another referendum to be held on Brexit. Sir Tom Hunter said voters had been lied to by the Leave campaign during the EU referendum in 2016.
They had therefore made their decision without knowing the facts about what Brexit would mean, he added. The entrepreneur also said he believed there should be another referendum on independence - but "not now".
Scotland’s small fishermen see little benefit from Brexit
Scotland’s biggest fishing lobby says Brexit and the end of EU influence over UK waters will create a “sea of opportunity” for the industry. But that is not how it looks to many fishermen plying their trade among the estuaries and islands of Scotland’s inshore waters. “It’s only a sea of opportunity for a few. It’s not a sea of opportunity for the west coast inshore fleet,” said Kenneth MacNab, chairman of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association, whose family has fished for generations in the waters off Tarbert in Argyll and Bute.
Through the Looking Glass: The latest topsy-turvy logic of Brexit
Farce number one. Last Thursday the Court of Appeal heard the final attempt by the UK in the EU group to have Theresa May's decision to trigger Article 50 declared invalid, on the basis that Vote Leave had broken electoral law and been given the maximum fine by Electoral Commission. The court rejected their appeal on the grounds that, while illegalities did take place, the referendum of 2016 was advisory only, so the result could not be voided by the courts. It's quite remarkable. Precisely because the referendum was not binding, May was free to cite the will of the people and plough on ahead.
Corbyn’s handling of Brexit has been magnificently opportunistic
Three ministers co-wrote an article in Tuesday’s Daily Mail (over the undead body of Paul Dacre) in this sense. They would never have dared to do so unless they had been sure that they would go unpunished by the government. If you follow the sequence of how a variety of ministers emerged on this subject, you will see orchestration. Mrs May’s spin doctor, Robbie Gibb, ex-BBC, briefs programmes like Newsnight all the time: the official line was to say how ‘troubling’ the behaviour of the ministers was. But you do not get three ministers to co-author an attack on stated government policy without government acquiescence.
Brexit – we didn't vote for this!
Every Scottish Government department, every local authority and every business in every part of the land is spending money preparing for a no-deal, because the consequences of a no-deal will be so catastrophic. That’s money that we all actually hope will be entirely wasted. The chief economic advisor to Scotland reported last week that a no-deal Brexit has the potential to push the Scottish economy into recession with unemployment rising and trade and investment disrupted. If prolonged, the shock of Scotland’s departure from the EU could lead to significant structural change in the economy, with national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) predicted to fall by up to seven per cent. Shetland could be one of hardest hit places in Scotland. The report notes that over 25 per cent of the workforce here face economic damage from a no-deal Brexit.
Liam Fox blows £100,000 on 'vanity project' podcast heard by just 8,400 people
Tory Trade Secretary Liam Fox blew more than £100,000 on a podcast ‘vanity project’ listened to by just 8,398 people. The online radio series has been branded a “complete waste of money” which should have been spent on public services.
‘Local to Global’, part of the Government’s ‘Exporting is Great’ campaign, was recorded a bid to encourage British firms to export their wares. It’s a series of interviews by former Apprentice co-host Nick Hewer, speaking to British entrepreneurs to discover the “personal stories and memorable moments” that inspired them to start exporting. But the government has revealed there have been just 8,398 downloads or listens in total, across the 6 episodes of the podcast, plus a 1 minute preview episode.
Brexit is the last straw for young people like me – we need a Final Say referendum to protect our futures
...And it’s also why I will be joining the hundreds of thousands of protestors on Saturday 23 March calling upon our politicians to put it to the electorate. Young people from around the country should join me in demanding again a Final Say on the Brexit deal. Apparently 700,000 frustrated protestors wasn’t enough.
May’s deal is so far removed from the Brexit promised by the Leave campaign
Ben Bradshaw MP says there is a moral as well as a practical argument for going back to the public for a legally-binding vote to ask people is this Brexit deal what you really want?
‘Spending even more public funds on TV ads to scare the public’ - No-deal Brexit adverts to air
Anti-Brexit campaigners have said that the prime minister is “playing political games with public money” by spending money on no-deal Brexit television adverts. Sir Mark Sedwill, head of the civil service announced before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee that the adverts would help “individuals and citizens and businesses” to make their own judgements. The move comes as part of the government’s communication campaign, which has already seen advertisements on the radio and online. Jo Stevens MP, a Best For Britain supporter and MP for Cardiff Central, responded: “Not content with wasting £50,000 of taxpayers money last year to promote the government’s failed Brexit deal via online advertising, it seems the powers that be now plan to spend even more public funds on TV ads to scare the public about a no-deal scenario.
The fight for EU citizens’ rights could become another Windrush
The surprise hero was an unknown, Tory MP Alberto Costa, who rode to the rescue of EU citizens living here and Brits living abroad, together numbering at least 5 million. Their rights will be assured in any kind of Brexit. All this time May has resisted giving security to people whose lives are deeply, invisibly, indivisibly interwoven into the fabric of British life. Her hostile environment has terrified families, some of whom have departed already, unwelcome under her chill xenophobic glare.
NICK COHEN: Theresa May is too stupid by half
May’s dismal achievement has been to shut Britain in a room without adults. Within a month – or, more probably, four months – we could be facing a recession as more than 40 years of legal and trade relations disappear, food shortages as perishable imports are left at the docks, and a health crisis as a no-deal Brexit has “an immediate and drastic effect” on supply chains for medicines, vaccines, medical devices and equipment, as the Lancet put it. Not even the greatest project fearmonger predicted in 2016 that four weeks from our departure the British prime minister would be playing Russian roulette with the country’s future: spinning the chamber and clicking the trigger until she gets her way.
Revealed: Wife of former Vladimir Putin minister is major Tory party donor
The Conservatives received almost £250,000 in donations last year from the wife of a former minister in Vladimir Putin’s government, new figures revealed. Lubov Chernukhin, whose ex-deputy finance minister husband Vladimir fell out with the Kremlin, is among the most generous donors to Tory coffers. She handed over £146,750 in November and December in addition to £100,000 earlier in the year. The party also accepted £150,000 from Ann Said, whose Syrina-born husband, Wafic, is a former broker of arms deals with links to Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
Lord Barker of Battle quits Lords to run Oleg Deripaska’s energy group En+
Lord Barker of Battle, the former energy minister, has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords to run an aluminium and energy group owned by Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, with revenues of $12 billion. En+ appointed Lord Barker, 52, as executive chairman this month for a three-year term after the United States said it would lift sanctions on the company. The former Conservative MP told the Lords of his plans to hang up his robes on February 11 and has not voted since. He will keep his title during his absence but will not be able to attend the House, vote or claim expenses.
No deal? No problem
Here in Australia, this story just doesn’t fit with the Britain that we know. A disorderly Brexit would mean, at most, a few months of inconvenience. Perhaps some modest transition costs. But these difficulties would quickly pass. By far the more serious threat comes from Britain caving in and agreeing to a bad deal that imposes most of the burdens of EU membership but with few of the benefits. Or, almost as bad, a Brexit delay that would keep the UK as a tethered goat — while the EU shows how it will humiliate any country with the temerity to leave. For Britain to lose its nerve now would represent failure on an epic scale.
A second Brexit vote will destroy what little trust is left in British politics
2nd Brexit vote will destroy trust left in British politics - Spiked writer Ella Whelan writes an Irish Times 'paid for advocacy hit piece.' A repeat vote reinforces sense of insignificance in dejected electorate she claims for an unknown funder
Trade Deals/Negotiations
The U.K. and World Trade Organization Agree on a Post-Brexit Deal
Britain struck a trade deal Wednesday for a post-Brexit world, obtaining approval from other World Trade Organization members to stay part of a competitive market for lucrative government contracts after the country leaves the European Union.
The agreement allows Britain to retain its place among the 47 WTO countries that are involved in the Government Procurement Agreement. The EU’s 28 member nations belong as a single entity, so the bidding agreement’s participating countries signed off on allowing Britain to join as an independent party to the pact.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 4th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- The Department for Exiting the EU is haemorrhaging staff - a quarter of all its civil servants quit in the last six months
- A new Kantar Retail report warns that supermarkets are preparing for possible food shortage disturbances, if a No Deal Brexit were to occur
- The British Meat Processors Association says it has been flooded with calls from worried businesses. They are saying buyers are now looking to other countries for supplies due to Brexit uncertainty
- The Cumberland News has been told that local NFU helplines have seen a sharp increase in worried farmers, concerned about the weather, loss of EU payments and Brexit. They have some members now on `suicide watch`
- A detailed 18-page report from U.S. trade negotiators, playing hardball with regard to a future trade deal for the UK, said Britain must lower its food standards, post Brexit, and open up its agriculture fully to American farmers
- A business survey confirmed that British businesses are stockpiling goods at a rate unseen for 30 years
- The CBI reported that its members have seen the weakest growth in 6 years in recent months. CBI members cite Brexit concerns and the prospect of global trade barriers
- The PMI Index says business confidence is down, with jobs going and investment suspended. It added that the numbers were not worse only because of business stockpiling
- The University of Surrey is offering redundancy terms to all its staff, as it battles reduction in tuition fee income and Brexit concerns
- Thanet District Council has to cut £730k from its local government budget, so its plans to invest in Ramsgate port have been dropped
- A Tory minister has approached the Independent Group. In addition, 3 other leading Tories are facing No Confidence votes
- Nick Timothy, Theresa May`s former close aide, gave a BBC interview in which he explained Mrs May sees Brexit as little more than a damage limitation exercise
- The government agreed to pay Eurotunnel £33m over the Ramsgate ferry dispute
- The Daily Telegraph reported there would be no changes to the Withdrawal Agreement
- The government believes Nicola Sturgeon is on the point of asking for a second Scottish Independence referendum
- The Tory eurosceptics warned Theresa May not to bounce Parliament into a fresh vote on her deal, as they need time to review any changes to it secured by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox
- A new survey indicated that 2/3rd of Labour voters in Leave voting seats support a second referendum
- The DUP/ERG say they intend to give Theresa May 3 tests to pass before they will support her in any parliamentary vote on the withdrawal deal
- If the UK leaves with No Deal millions of lambs may have to be slaughtered for health and safety reasons
Jobs at Risk
Honda reveals it had plans to make electric cars in Swindon before plant closure
Honda has admitted that it had already invested in manufacturing the next line of electric vehicles in Swindon. Senior figures at Honda told workers at the plant that robot technology to build electric cars was being delivered by boat, before the sudden announcement last week that the plant will close. It is understood the new technology in transit was to switch the joinery of panels of the new 2021 hybrid models from welding to adhesive. The new technology would have been installed over the summer when the workers had planned stoppage time.
Surrey University makes £15m cuts and offers redundancy to all staff
All staff at the University of Surrey are offered redundancy as Brexit and tuition fee review hits income.
Economic Impact
UK factories slash jobs, stockpile at record pace before Brexit: PMI
British factories are cutting jobs and bracing for Brexit by stockpiling goods at a record pace, but consumers seem less worried, suggesting their spending might help to shore up the economy, data showed on Friday. A measure of manufacturing - the IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index - hit a four-month low in February, and the fall would have been worse if factories had not rushed to build up inventories to see them through any Brexit border chaos.
Factories stockpile at record rates as they brace for Brexit, an industry indicator shows
The IHS Markit/CIPS UK Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), shows UK manufacturers are stockpiling at the fastest pace seen in any leading economy since data started to be collated
UK firms report weakest growth since April 2013: CBI
British businesses reported their weakest growth in nearly six years during the past three months due to fears of a no-deal Brexit and rising global trade barriers, the Confederation of British Industry said on Sunday. The CBI’s index of private-sector activity over the past three months dropped to -3 in February from zero in January.
This was its lowest since April 2013, when Britain was still recovering from the global financial crisis. Firms expected similar weakness in the three months ahead, when Britain is due to leave the European Union after over 40 years of membership.
Attitudes to Brexit and economy quizzed in poll for BBC Wales
More than half of Welsh voters now think Brexit will have a negative impact on the economy, the annual St David's Day poll for BBC Wales suggests. Of 1,001 adults polled, 56% thought it would have a negative impact on the Welsh economy - more than last year. Meanwhile 51% thought it would impact negatively on the general way of life in Wales, also up on 2018.
Brexit 2019: mortgage and house price predictions – Which? News
Brexit could have a big impact on house prices and mortgages. WHICH outlines a range of experts and their predict as to what will happen to the market over coming months.
Administrative Fall Out
Meat export orders cancelled due to Brexit
The British Meat Processors Association said they've been inundated with calls from companies reporting that overseas customers are now cancelling orders and buying their product from other countries due to the lack of clarity around Brexit.
Desperate Cumbrian farmers on 'suicide watch' after being driven to the brink by late payments, weather woes and Brexit
Desperate farmers are on the emotional and financial brink after being hit by late payments, weather and Brexit. Distressed farmers are calling crisis networks and a The Cumberland News learnt some farmers are on “suicide watch”.
UK pays Eurotunnel 33 million pounds over 'secretive' no-deal Brexit ferry contracts
Britain has paid out 33 million pounds to settle a claim with Eurotunnel which runs the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France after the firm took legal action over the process to award ferry contracts to cope with a no-deal Brexit.
Brexit exodus as QUARTER of civil servants working on deal quit inside last six months
Over 500 civil servants have left the Department of Exiting the EU since its creation in July 2016 - DEXEU should have 700 staff. 516 staff left since its creation in July 2016 to last December. FOI figures show.
No-deal Brexit threatens cull of 10m lambs
Millions of British lambs may have to be slaughtered and then buried or burnt, rather than eaten, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, government officials have told farmers. This is because UK lamb may be banned from sale to the EU from March 30 under meat hygiene rules applied to non-EU countries. If exports are allowed to continue, they would face tariffs of 45%.
Spain unveils measures to protect 400,000 Brits if no-deal Brexit
The Spanish government has issued a range of measures aimed at protecting British citizens in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The royal decree, approved on Friday, gives British residents of Spain access to healthcare until at least the end of 2020. Spain will also provide residency for an estimated 400,000 Britons and preserve freedom of movement across its border with Gibraltar.
No-deal Brexit: Supermarkets prepare for looting and riots amid fears of food shortages
Supermarkets are planning for possible disturbances in the event of a No Deal Brexit, according to a new Kantar report.
Crown dependencies face crackdown on secret companies
Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man face a financial transparency crackdown, after Conservative MPs ambushed prime minister Theresa May to demand an end to secret company ownership. The three crown dependencies are exempt from EU rules requiring countries to publish registers of the real owners of companies. Transparency campaigners argue that the lack of disclosure has aided large-scale money-laundering. Jersey has previously warned that such a move would “trigger a constitutional crisis”, because the crown dependencies are self-governing and not represented at Westminster.
It's four weeks to go until Brexit day, so would Britain still vote Leave amid this chaos? Let's look at the polls
Slightly more people now believe the decision to Leave was wrong than they did before according to UGov polling reflecting a shit in public opinion over the last 10 months
German Companies Have a Brexit Plan: Send the Bill to the Brits
A meeting of German businessmen identified the pitfalls they face with regard to the UK dropping out of the EU
a) British components may no longer count as EU content and that could affect whether they meet tariff-free criteria with partners like Japan and South Korea
b) Accessing corporate IT systems from British subsidiaries may breach EU data-sharing rules
c) Accounting systems need to be able to allow the U.K. to reclassify as a “third country” for tax purposes to avoid potential penalties
d) Contracts need to be reviewed to clarify which country’s laws are being applied and where conflicts will be resolved
e) Sending employees across the channel to attend conferences could raise visa issues
MPA calls for national interest to trump party politics on Brexit
Tthe Mineral Products Association (MPA) is calling for all MPs, whether ‘leavers or remainers’, to wake up to the need for the national interest to trump party politics over the coming weeks.
Political Shenanigans
£1.6bn 'bribe' for poorer towns as May seeks Labour's backing for Brexit deal
Left-behind towns in England are to get a £1.6bn funding boost as part of a package of measures to win support for Theresa May’s Brexit deal among Labour MPs, who said the new cash would not buy their votes. Labour MPs including Lisa Nandy and Gareth Snell who have signalled they might back May’s deal criticised the approach and said the cash would do little to tackle the effects of austerity. The prime minister said the Stronger Towns Fund, much of it allocated over seven years to the north of England and the Midlands, would go to areas that had not “shared the proceeds of growth”.
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox abandons time-limit and unilateral exit clause for Brexit backstop
The Attorney General has abandoned attempts to secure a hard time-limit or unilateral exit mechanism from the Irish backstop, The Telegraph has been told. Some Cabinet ministers are already resigned to the Prime Minister losing a second meaningful vote on her deal amid concerns that changes to the backstop secured by Mr Cox will not be sufficient to win round Brexiteers.
Brexit supporters give UK PM May three tests for EU deal
A group of Brexit-supporting lawmakers who rejected British Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union exit deal in January have set out the changes they want to see to her agreement in return for their support. “The mechanism has got to be legally binding, so effectively treaty-level change,” one of the group, Conservative lawmaker Michael Tomlinson, said in an interview with the newspaper. “The second part is the language. It can’t be a reinterpretation of the withdrawal agreement or a re-emphasis; it’s got to be really clear language as to where we are going ... The third requirement is a clear exit route.”
'Star chamber' of Brexiteers: the Eurosceptic legal group that holds the PM's fate in their hands
The fate of Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement could be decided by a star chamber of Eurosceptic lawyers. The panel of eight lawyers - seven of whom are serving MPs - has been assembled to forensically examine any legal changes to the Brexit deal secured by Attorney General Geoffrey Cox. When the amended agreement is put to another meaningful vote on March 12, it is likely to hinge on whether the lawyers agree that what Cox has brought back from Brussels constitutes a legal change that will ensure the Northern Ireland backstop cannot endure indefinitely.
Theresa May's Team Is Already Plotting A Third "Meaningful Vote"
Senior figures in Theresa May’s team privately fear she will lose the second "meaningful vote" on her Brexit deal and are gaming whether they can secure a majority at a third attempt. As Westminster waits to see if Attorney General Geoffrey Cox returns from Brussels next week with legally-binding changes to the Irish backstop – the insurance policy to prevent a hard border – allies of the prime minister conceded to BuzzFeed News that whatever he comes back with may not be enough to win the second vote on the deal.
Brexit: Boost for Corbyn as Labour voters in party's heartlands back Final Say referendum
Jeremy Corbyn’s decision to support a fresh Brexit referendum enjoys the overwhelming backing of Labour voters in Leave-voting areas, new research has found. Only 21 per cent of those in the north and the midlands who voted Labour at the last election said they opposed the dramatic policy shift – a figure dwarfed by the 66 per cent in favour. In a further boost for Mr Corbyn, 35 per cent said it made them feel more favourable towards Labour, compared with just 14 per cent who said it made them feel less positive
Now Tory Brexiteers plan a 'hop, skip and jump' exit from EU on March 29
Tory Brexiteers are prepared to settle for what they call a “hop, skip and jump” Brexit – paving the way for a deal as early as this week so Britain leaves the EU on time. The HOP is to reluctantly accept Theresa May ’s new deal with Brussels.The SKIP is the transition to get a free trade deal in place while we are effectively still in the EU. And the JUMP is to finally cut all EU ties by December 2022 at the latest. Tory Brexiteer Nigel Evans said: “Hop, skip and jump is not the clean break we all campaigned for. But now is the time for compromise to break the logjam.” Fellow Brexiteer and ex-Minister John Whittingdale added: “I want to leave on March 29. We have to compromise.”
Cabinet ministers 'expect Theresa May to quit in November'
Several of Theresa May's Cabinet colleagues believe she will have stepped down as Prime Minister by the end of the year, it has emerged.
The active pursuit of a delay to Brexit, with no purpose beyond frustration, is a betrayal of referendum result
Both ministers make the case that moving to an Article 50 extension without some strong purposes is futile, particularly if it is just to thwart the result of the 2016 referendum
Brexit delay now unavoidable, says EU, as Andrea Leadsom and Jeremy Hunt warn of attempt to frustrate departure
Delay to Brexit is now unavoidable, even if MPs sign off a deal next week, the European Commission has suggested. In an interview with a Spanish newspaper, Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator, indicated that a "technical" extension would be needed to implement a deal. His deputy, Sabine Weyand, later "liked" a tweet summarising his comments, in English, as "extension now inavoidable [sic] - will be granted". Mr Barnier's comments confirm the private view of a significant number of the Cabinet that a limited delay is now inevitable
No self-respecting country would accept this deal. MPs must vote it down
Hardline Brexiteer Daniel Hannan calls on Eurosceptics to vote down Theresa May's Brexit deal
The outcome of Brexit now depends on Geoffrey Cox, Arlene Foster and Nigel Dodds
I don’t see how Cox could come up with a form of words on the Irish border that would bridge the gap between the EU27 and the DUP. But, and I have no inside information on this, it would be astonishing if the DUP were not also engaged in negotiations with the prime minister over the next stage of their supply and confidence agreement. The two-year commitment to extra public spending in Northern Ireland, which was signed after the 2017 election, expires in the summer.
We promised the voters we would leave - if that means backing Theresa May's Brexit deal for now, so be it
Here we are at last, faced with the two ghastly choices: a bad deal or No Brexit. Theresa May’s terrible Withdrawal Agreement looms out of the miasma of confusion and incoherence as the only possible way of avoiding the trap laid long, long ago by the invincibly arrogant Remain forces.
MPs have 10 days to pass Theresa May’s Brexit deal or face a weaker Brexit negotiating position with the EU
If Mrs May’s deal hasn’t won a Commons vote by March 12, the Commons will vote on whether to proceed with No Deal. The Parliamentary arithmetic is such that No Deal will be defeated.
Theresa May has been forced to move on Brexit — now MPs must keep pushing
A refreshing gust of honesty and candour has blown into a decrepit process of post-truth, delusion and deception. The door is ajar to new and liberating options. But it must now be forced fully open. Posterity will not smile on MPs if they surrender this final opportunity to do the right thing.
The Guardian view on delaying Brexit: time to take part in the EU elections
Theresa May envisages only a short delay. But any extension of article 50 raises big issues that would take many months to sort out. So the UK should take part in the European Elections to facilitate a longer extension period
The Tories have a historic opportunity to destroy Labour once and for all
Not since Lord North was prime minister in the 18th century has Britain been governed so appallingly, and yet the Tories could paradoxically still end up crushing Labour and winning the next election with a massive majority. As Friedrich Nietzsche put it in Beyond Good and Evil, “In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule.”
Political Setbacks
Lawyers blow hole in plan for short extension favoured by May in order to pass her deal
A Brexit delay of longer than two months could be illegal unless the UK elects new MEPs, lawyers are warning, appearing to torpedo Theresa May‘s strategy. Article 50 cannot be extended beyond the end of May unless the UK takes part in fresh European parliament elections, according to a legal opinion issued by the German Bundestag.
May sees Brexit as 'damage limitation', says ex-aide Nick Timothy
Theresa May's former chief of staff has told the BBC she always saw Brexit as a "damage limitation exercise". In his first TV interview, Nick Timothy suggested the PM and other ministers' attitude meant the government has "not been prepared to take the steps" needed to make the most of Brexit. And he warned the government's mishandling of it risked "opening up space for a populist right wing party".
Tory Party Showing 'Tell-Tale Signs Of Institutional Racism' Over Islamophobia, Says Baroness Warsi
The Conservative Party is showing “worrying tell-tale signs of institutional racism” over its handling of Islamophobia, Baroness Warsi has said. It comes after HuffPost UK revealed the Tories failed to expel member Colin Raine, despite him sharing hate online and an allegation he was behind a far-right protest at an MP’s office. Raine’s membership was instead allowed to expire, Bishop Auckland Conservative Association confirmed. Reacting to the story, Warsi tweeted: “Reactive not proactive; hiding behind bureaucracy; using process as an excuse; failing to acknowledge the challenge; opaque complaints system.
Brexit: Barnier doubts whether UK will leave EU on schedule
EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has indicated he does not believe the UK will have enough time to approve British prime minister Theresa May’s withdrawal deal by the scheduled exit date of March 29th. Mr Barnier suggested a “technical extension” of up to two months may be needed.
TIG has shaken up the Labour Party – with the threat of 70 more defections chipping away at Corbyn’s power
If Corbyn fails to show real leadership in stamping out antisemitism, declines to give more centrist MPs shadow cabinet roles and influence on policy and allows 50 MPs to be deselected by their local parties, then TIG’s ranks will swell, and Labour’s election prospects diminish. Corbyn’s handling of Brexit will also be important. Although he is edging towards backing a public vote in return for allowing May’s deal to pass the Commons, he will be happy if anti-referendum Labour MPs defeat him. As one MP put it: “He will go into the division lobby with his fingers crossed behind his back.”
Barry Gardiner: Second EU referendum would undermine trust in democracy
The Shadow International Trade Secretary told the BBC's Question Time that a so-called "People's Vote" on whether or not to overturn the result of the 2016 referendum would be "divisive". His comments came just days after Labour announced that it would formally back another referendum between a "credible" Leave option and remaining in the EU.
Minister approaches Independent Group of MPs as three more Tory MPs face no-confidence votes
A senior Government minister has approached The Independent Group of MPs, it has emerged, as three more Conservative MPs face no confidence votes by their local parties which could end their political careers. The unnamed Minister of State wrote a letter to a senior member of the group saying they "agreed with everything you have done" opening the possibility of a hugely damaging defection away from the Conservative party.
ERG warns May not to 'bounce' parliament over new Brexit deal
Tory Eurosceptic group says at least two days will be needed to scrutinise new compromise on Irish backstop
How do you kick EU ‘bastards’ out, asks Boris Johnson
It is not clear who runs the EU or how to "kick those particular bastards out," said former U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. "My objection to the EU was not that it was run by foreigners,” Johnson, a Brexiteer who quit Prime Minister Theresa May’s government last year in protest at her Brexit strategy, told a New Delhi conference Saturday, according to AFP. “The problem is we don't really know who is running it."
'Brexit betrayal' march: Nigel Farage charging Leave protesters £50 to join him on walk to London
Leave supporters who want to join Nigel Farage’s march against Theresa May’s Brexit approach are being charged £50. "Core marchers” – those who walk for two or more days – will have to make the one-off payment, which covers accommodation, dinner and breakfast. Other supporters can join the event for free as cheerleaders but would have to fund their own accommodation if away from home overnight.
Hundreds turn out in Cardiff for protest against Brexit
Hundreds of people marched through Cardiff on Saturday to protest against the UK leaving the EU. A march, organised by Wales for Europe, started outside the Central Library on The Hayes, on Saturday afternoon, before heading along Queen Street in the city centre.
Brexit – latest news: 'Talks have stalled', Barnier tells EU ambassadors as minister warns May no-deal will be ‘stopped whenever’
Michel Barnier has told EU ambassadors that no progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations as the UK keeps pushing for changes that would unacceptable to the 27 remaining member states
The Tories won’t be forgiven for a hard Brexit – which equates to a massive tax rise on business
The Conservative Party – the supposed party of business – seems to have abandoned its core principles. It has failed to address the concerns of firms facing massive uncertainty about their future operations as Brexit looms closer, brushed aside the warnings from business representatives and refused to plan properly for all eventualities. This has already resulted in many companies relocating operations and investment away from the UK. Without any clarity about the future relationship with the EU, firms have been forced to spend enormous sums on stockpiling, relocation and administrative changes. Large companies have spent millions revamping their operations to prepare for all contingencies, whereas small businesses have, in the main, not even begun preparations. That is because they have no idea what to prepare for and are struggling to find resources to devote to projects that may be entirely unnecessary.
Grayling under pressure to quit over Brexit ferry fiasco
The beleaguered transport secretary, Chris Grayling, is under mounting pressure to resign after reaching a humiliating £33m out-of-court settlement over a botched Brexit ferry deal. The deputy Labour leader, Tom Watson, said “heads must roll” after the latest chapter in the fiasco, in which the startup company Seaborne Freight was awarded a £14m contract to open a new UK-EU ferry route for emergency medical supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit, even though it had no ships and no port contract.
The EU smells our fear and thinks we are biddable. It's time to walk out of the room
Ex-Minister George Eustice launches a blistering attack on the EU saying "they smell our fear" and we should "just walk out the room" as his route for a negotiated withdrawal agreement
Brexit: 'No deal' Port of Ramsgate funding axed
Funding for the Port of Ramsgate which was at the centre of a row over a no-deal-Brexit ferry contract has been axed. Thanet District Council has approved cuts of £730,000 saying it will no longer keep the port "ferry-ready". In December the government gave Seaborne Freight a contract to run a service to Ostend, Belgium to offset delays in the case of a no-deal Brexit. The Seaborne contract was later cancelled after a backer pulled out.
Diehard Brexiteers long to feel betrayed
If May wins her ‘meaningful vote’ the real arguments begin, and many of the ERG would rather be martyrs than victors. In the deepest recesses of the Brexiteer mind lies a fear of winning, of being tested. Buried in their psyche is the ache for martyrdom. The divide between those who will vote for May’s deal in the days ahead, and those who won’t, is just a difference of opinion about when to cry foul. Betrayal is their unconscious dream. Our job as Remainers will be to help them fulfil it.
Ivan Rogers on Brexit: "What Surprises Me Is the Extent of the Mess"
Ivan Rogers: I knew that it would be a long, tortuous and potentially conflictual process. That doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is the extent of the mess and the fact that four weeks before the deadline, the political class is unable to come to any serious conclusion about what kind of Brexit they want. Of course, Brexit is a revolutionary moment, but I have never seena political crisis like this in my professional career.
BBC QT panel shuts down People’s Vote saying it would only cause 'more uncertainty'
Mr Zahawi added that a second referendum “undermines the whole principle of democracy in this country”. He said: “Another referendum would cause more uncertainty for business and will be divisive.”
Brexit: Theresa May responds to Irish American concerns
The prime minister said the government's commitment to the 1998 agreement remains "steadfast - to the principles it embodies, the political institutions it seeks to establish and the rights that it guarantees". "No government that I lead will ever take risks with the hard won relative peace and stability that these agreements have established," she added. The US group had expressed concerns about recent votes in the House of Commons, where the government's Brexit deal was rejected because of the Irish border backstop: the insurance policy to maintain an open border unless and until another solution is found.
Simon Schama: When Britain chose Europe From Cobden to Gladstone, Victorian liberalism has a clear message for today’s Brexiters
Forty years after the repeal of the Corn Laws, the failure of Irish Home Rule nearly broke the Liberals. Today, Ireland is still the bone in the throat of British convenience masked as self-righteousness — and Theresa May’s weekly peregrinations to Brussels in ever more pitiful search of amending the backstop to something that can command a majority in Parliament betray the tinniest of ears to what is truly at stake.
UK 'will reject Sturgeon's Indyref2 calls'
The UK government is preparing to reject any call from Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for the power to hold another independence referendum, sources have told the BBC. Ms Sturgeon has said she will reveal her next steps on independence soon. There is an expectation at Westminster that she will call for the power to hold another referendum in the coming weeks.
What Goes On in Those Brexit Talks in Brussels? ‘Nothing,’ Document Says
Since her Brexit plan was overwhelmingly rejected last month, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain has repeatedly set off for Brussels, ostensibly to negotiate new terms for her country’s departure from the European Union. Each mission has ended without a deal, or even a hint of progress, leaving baffled observers to wonder what, exactly, Mrs. May and European officials talk about in these get-togethers. Now, a confidential document summarizing a Feb. 7 meeting from the European side has offered up an answer: “Nothing.”
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK-US trade deal: Envoy attacks 'myths' about US farming
Woody Johnson, described warnings over US farming practices as "inflammatory and misleading" smears from "people with their own protectionist agenda". He also said the EU's "Museum of Agriculture" approach was not sustainable, adding: "American farmers are making a vital contribution to the rest of the world. Their efforts deserve to be recognised. "Instead, they are being dismissed with misleading scare-stories which only tell you half the story."
UK says food standards will not be lowered for US trade deal
The UK will not lower food standards to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, the government says. It comes after Washington published its objectives for a US-UK trade pact. The US wants "comprehensive market access" for its farmers' products that would see more US-made food on British supermarket shelves. European Union rules currently limit US exports of certain food products, including chlorine-washed chicken and hormone-boosted beef. If free of EU trade rules, the US want the UK to remove such so-called "sanitary and physiosanitary" standards on imported goods. A Downing Street spokeswoman said: "We have always been very clear that we will not lower our food standards as part of a future trading agreement."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47418505
Additional sources: (The Independent) (The Independent) (The Guardian) (The Telegraph)
Additional sources: (The Independent) (The Independent) (The Guardian) (The Telegraph)
We now know the great prize of Brexit: becoming Trump’s prey
Recall the fury of the leave crowd when Barack Obama dared puncture the Anglosphere fantasy by warning that a post-Brexit Britain would, in fact, be at “the back of the queue” for a trade agreement with the US, prompting Boris Johnson to reach for his racist dog-whistle and remind British voters that Obama was “part-Kenyan”. Recall too the needy relief of those same Brexiters when Michael Gove interviewed the newly elected Donald Trump and extracted a not-quite-promise that Britain and the US would “get something done very quickly”. This week we got a double glimpse into what that “something” might be – and it wasn’t pretty.
Britain's hopes of a trade deal with America just suffered a big blow
The Trump administration on Thursday outlined its goals for a free trade deal with Britain in a document that takes a tough line on agricultural products and warns the United Kingdom against getting cozy with China. The list of priorities, which runs to 18 pages, makes sobering reading for a British government that was hoping for a quick deal on trade with the word's largest economy after Brexit. "This is an uncompromising document from the US point of view, with no mention of mutual benefit," said David Henig, the director of the UK Trade Policy Project and a former UK trade official.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 5th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- The Japanese ambassador warned that more Japanese companies may relocate away from the UK in the coming months if the UK not does not seal a promising post-Brexit deal. The ambassador said Japanese companies are cutting back investment in the UK due to Brexit uncertainty
- One of Toyota`s top executives told the FT that a No Deal Brexit would make it extremely complicated to build new models at its British plants.
- AON sounded the alarm over Brexit Day valuations for UK pension and investment funds which have 31st March as a maturity and valuation date. AON said some 15% of UK funds share this date and final valuations will be driven by market conditions on the close of `Brexit Day`
- UK insurers have been badly affected by Brexit uncertainty, they`ve had to set up a Green Card insurance scheme, not knowing if it will or will not apply. They have had to tackle insurance contract continuity where long-term cover to customers elsewhere in the EU could be triggered as free movement of services does not apply. This has led to large scale movement of funds to fresh EU offices and new subsidiaries popping up across the EU
- The flow of new debt and equity deals hitting the UK market slowed to almost a trickle in January. Although it is not growing that much faster elsewhere in the world, the UK finds itself firmly rooted at the bottom as the worst performer
- Make UK sounded an alarm. It said UK manufacturers are desperate for clarity as exports are lagging way behind domestic orders
- The government has still not said how it will meet any shortfall in university tuition fees (universities enjoy between 5-10% EU students currently) in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- Forbes highlighted a survey which said there is a worrying `racial lens to Brexit` and that ethnic minorities are particularly concerned about Brexit. They are concerned about how it might affect their careers when compared to their white counterparts
- Emmanuel Macron has set out a roadmap for European renewal calling on the continent to learn the right lessons from Brexit and to push hard to reform
- The UK Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is due back in Brussels to negotiate changes to the Irish Backstop on Tuesday. The papers suggested he was planning to ditch the UK demand for a Brexit backstop end date and a unilateral exit clause, moving to an independent verification process. This looks likely to be highly controversial for many Eurosceptic Tories
- Theresa May has announced a £1.6bn fund for towns and cities left behind economically, in recent years, as part of her drive to persuade Labour MP`s to vote for her revised Brexit deal. The package was attacked by Scottish MPs and Welsh MPs, for offering them nothing. The East of England complained the deal offered them the smallest share and Tories from southern England joined in the chorus of criticism saying their region got little out of it as well. Many MPs called the Stronger Towns Fund offer `obscene and derisory` a `bribe`
- A YouGov opinion poll of Labour seats, which voted Leave in 2016, found that the overwhelming majority of Labour voters (75%) backed Jeremy Corbyn`s move to support a second referendum
- The former UK ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, said that people around the PM at the time of triggering the Article 50 process really did not fully understand the EU and how it works at all
- The Danish PM, speaking at a party conference on Saturday, described Brexit as a circus and it would be irresponsible for Denmark to follow Britain`s chaotic example, as it is now stuck with an economy that is suffering and a paralysed political system in meltdown
- The government`s Brexit legislative timetable was thrown in disarray, as it was forced to pull a vote on its Financial Services Bill to tighten transparency in places such as Guernsey and Jersey - due to strong Parliamentary opposition from the Conservative backbenches
- The Daily Mirror reported that the Tory ERG has been called a `death cult` by Downing Street, a comment that was rapidly denied by official press spokespeople. It may point to internal party disagreements inside the Tory Party getting stronger than before
- There was talk of up to 17 Labour frontbenchers who are ready to vote with Theresa May and oppose Jeremy Corbyn over his second referendum plans
Jobs at Risk
Toyota warns on building new models in UK after Brexit
One of Toyota’s top executives has warned a no-deal Brexit would make it “extremely complicated” to build new models at its British plants in the latest blow to the health of the UK car industry. The warning by Japan’s biggest carmaker that no-deal makes it less likely it will manufacture additional models in the UK follows Nissan’s recent reversal of a 2016 decision to build a sport utility vehicle in Sunderland and Honda’s planned Swindon closure. It also comes against a backdrop of steep falls in investment in the UK car industry.
Brexit Job Loss Index: 213,943 Jobs Lost As Of 22 Feb 2019
Here are the key stats (last updated 22/02/2019): Total Jobs Lost: 213,943 Total Annual Wages Lost*: £6,135,243,411 Reduction in Annual Income Tax & National Insurance Receipts**: £1,837,528,614.41....Job Losses By Region: Midlands: 20,320 - London: 19,507 - South West: 10,646 - Wales: 10,166 - North East: 9,751 - Scotland: 5,647 - North West: 3,972 - South East: 3,358 - East of England: 2,663 - Gibraltar: 1,000 - Southern England: 870 - Northern Ireland: 462 - Nationwide/unknown: 125,581
Administrative Fall Out
Schemes with 'Brexit Day' valuations must review options, warns Aon
As many as 15% of UK funds/schemes have a valuation date of 31 March 2019 - which is a Sunday this year - but their funding position will likely be impacted by the UK's planned departure from the European Union (EU) on 29 March. Valuations on 31 March will therefore be driven by market conditions at the close of markets on ‘Brexit Day', which could be an "atypical day on the financial markets". The firm warned that if no action is taken now, then this could lead to more difficult valuation negotiations.
Brexit uncertainty drives insurers to waste time and money
The issue of contract continuity has been particularly difficult. Many UK-based insurers have sold long-term policies to customers elsewhere in the EU — and vice versa — using the free movement of services rules. But there have been concerns that Brexit will stop insurers paying out on those policies, as free movement of services will no longer apply. So UK-based insurers have been setting up subsidiaries elsewhere in the EU and going through a court-approved process called a part VII transfer to shift the old policies into them. In February, for example, Aviva moved £9bn of business to Dublin. According to the Association of British Insurers, 36 insurance companies have issued part VII transfer notifications, covering 29m contracts. George Swan, partner at law firm Freshfields, said: “There’ll be a flurry of part VII transfers over the next few weeks. Some have hearings scheduled for the last few days of March.” It has cost millions of pounds to get these transfers done, which insurers justify by saying they needed to remove any uncertainty for their customers. Unfortunately, it turns out that this process, too, might turn out to be unnecessary
Fundraising drought suggests nerves over Brexit
The flow of new debt and equity deals hitting markets slowed to a trickle in January and the following month has shown little sign of a pick-up, particularly in the UK, suggesting that Brexit is weighing heavily on companies’ plans to raise money.
For the opening two months of 2019, the number of new bond deals in the UK was 40, the lowest since 1995, and a drop of two-fifths compared with the same period last year, according to data from Refinitiv. Total proceeds reached $26bn, down by almost a half.
'Time is running out!' Manufacturers in Brexit plea as exports fall behind domestic orders
Research by Make UK and business advisors BDO LLP revealed business are stockpiling goods, which is driving part of their production. But the report warned exports have been unable to pick up since dropping last year, with Brexit uncertainty throughout Europe continuing to mount. Employment plans have been ramped up, indicating that rather than making long-term investments, manufacturers are opting to hire a flexible workforce in the short-ter
Insurance firms to begin issuing 'green cards' for cross-border travel in event of no-deal Brexit
Motorists in the north are being issued 'green card' insurance documents to ensure they are covered when driving across the border in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Following a warning from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) last month that anyone planning to cross the border will need to get a Green Card to cover their trip
French grid operator readies hard Brexit day-ahead power auction plan
French electricity grid operator RTE has prepared an auction mechanism which would permit continuity in day-ahead electricity auctions between Britain and France in case there is no deal for Britain to leave the European Union on March 29. RTE said in a note to power market participants it had submitted market terms and conditions to the French energy market regulator CRE, and would be able to implement the new terms of the auction from March 30. It added that a no-deal Brexit would have no impact on yearly, monthly and intraday France-England power capacity auctions because the auctions are carried out on a bilateral platform dedicated to the French-English border.
What would a no-deal Brexit mean for universities and research?
Overseas students from EU countries make up around 5% of those in England and are treated the same way as local ones. They pay at most £9,250 ($12,230) a year for tuition and have access to generous state-provided loans to meet the cost. The government has promised to extend this support to EU students starting courses in 2019, but hasn’t said what will happen after then. In the event of a no-deal Brexit, it would have little incentive to extend financial support to EU students.
No-deal risk to South Lanarkshire schools as Brexit looms, says council
Children in South Lanarkshire could lose out on education services as a result of a no-deal Brexit. Risk registers have been updated across the council, with the education department one of the latest to add a Brexit risk. A report to the education resources committee on Tuesday, February 19, about the updated risk register and control plan marked Brexit as a “top council risk”. The report stated: “Failure to agree a deal could have significant impacts on funding and finance, workforce and employment, procurement [and] legislation. “A no-deal Brexit could place additional demand on services due to reduced growth, higher unemployment, inflationary and other budget pressures, supply chain interruption, customs and regulatory issues.”
“There’ll be an uprising”: Hartlepool on life as a Brexit town with no deal in sight
Leavers and Remainers alike in the coastal community are concerned about the outcome of Westminster's recent dramas. The New Statesman looks at Hartlepool, how the years of austerity have the city and how it would react to the various Brexit scenarios
Here's What British People Would Eat in a Worst-Case Brexit
There’d at least be plenty of meat and potatoes, but forget “five-a-day” fruit and vegetables. And with months until U.K. harvests, traditional Sunday roast dinners would be light on the trimmings for a while. “We’ll have food, but the supply chains and logistics would need to handle a major change,” said Sue Pritchard, director at the Food, Farming and Countryside Commission at the Royal Society of Arts. “Maybe we’ll need to revive the British tradition of a good meat and three veg roast!”
How would a no-deal Brexit affect the UK economy?
The Financial Times lays out how no deal would affect three vital sectors (ports, food and policy response) this year. The analysis indicates that predictions of chaos are likely to prove an exaggeration, but that disruption is almost certain. There would be ripple effects across the economy.
Brexit: ‘We are all racing to this March 29th deadline’
Irish businesses are racing to prepare for Brexit and most are expecting it to be a No Deal Brexit so are activating plans for the worst case scenarios
Travel after Brexit: All you need to know about Eurostar, Eurotunnel and ferries
The UK is set to leave the European Union on 29 March 2019. Brexit has profound implications for travellers. The Independent updates its readers on what it knows about changes to travel after the Brexit deadline is reached
Businessman who voted leave calls for second Brexit vote due to impact of leaving EU
A business owner who supported Leave in the 2016 EU referendum is among a group of Nottinghamshire small business leaders and sole traders demanding an opportunity to vote once more on whether the UK should leave the European Union
Has Brexit made British property MORE popular?
A poll of 450 high net worth investors based in these four countries indicated that 85 per cent of those invested in either residential or commercial property were still keen on the asset class and looking for new investment opportunities in Britain. The cost of buying British property has been pulled down since the Brexit vote by the fall in the pound, however, a tax crackdown has made it more expensive.
Sheep farmers' concerns of no-deal Brexit
The Scottish government said the UK leaving the EU without a deal would be "catastrophic". Phil Stocker, of the National Sheep Association, said efforts were being made to grow the domestic market and there had been some successes in selling UK lamb to Japan and countries in the Middle East. But he told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme there was not enough time to create a market big enough to handle the amount of lamb produced.
He said: "If you think of the volume that goes into the European market and think of the time if takes to agree trade deals, it is going to take some years - six, eight, 10 years - to open up equitable markets across the world."
Britain's Ethnic Minorities Worry About Their Careers After Brexit
After looking at how Brexit will affect young women more, latest research exclusive to Forbes shows that there is a worrying racial lens to Brexit. Ethnic minorities in the U.K. are more concerned about the negative impact of Brexit on their careers than their white counterparts. In fact, 52% of ethnic minorities surveyed feel that Brexit will negatively impact their career progression, compared to only 16% of their white counterparts.
Brexit cannot be an excuse for politicians to ignore our knife crime epidemic
With more young people dying across the UK in knife crime and numbers rising sharply, the Daily Telegraph ponders whether legislators obsession with Brexit has led to them taking their eye off the ball with regard to dealing with knife crime
Political Shenanigans
EU must learn from Brexit and reform, says Emmanuel Macron
As part of what he called a “roadmap to European renewal”, he put forward a range of proposals for change including tougher joint action on internet hate speech, the supervision of internet giants, new competition rules, a minimum European wage and a new defence treaty. He also proposed that panels of European citizens should be consulted on EU reforms, not just during election periods.
Brexit: UK 'abandons' key backstop demand in move set to spark Tory row
Theresa May is braced for a Tory row after reports the government has abandoned a key demand to change her Brexit deal. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox is said to have dropped a push for certain changes to the 'Irish backstop' - a clause in the 585-page Brexit deal that could trap the UK under EU customs rules from 2021.
Theresa May's lawyer seeks legal fix to the Brexit riddle
Prime Minister Theresa May’s top lawyer will try to clinch a Brexit compromise with the European Union this week in a last-ditch bid to win over rebellious British lawmakers before crunch votes that could delay the divorce. May is hoping to win over enough MPs to pass it, by agreeing a legal addendum with the EU on the deal’s most controversial element: a “backstop” to ensure no hard border between EU-member Ireland and British-ruled Northern Ireland.
How Geoffrey Cox's backstop showdown could shape Brexit talks
Britain’s booming-voiced Attorney General returns to Brussels this week, as he launches a renewed campaign to secure concessions on the Irish backstop. Geoffrey Cox will meet with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, on Tuesday to hold further talks on how the backstop can be tweaked, adjusted or clarified to suit the demands of Eurosceptic MPs. Mr Cox’s negotiations could hold the key to securing a Brexit deal by the end of the month, but only if he manages to extract some major concessions from EU officials - which continues to look highly unlikely.
Geoffrey Cox 'ditches UK demand for Brexit backstop end date and unilateral exit clause'
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox risks fresh anger from Conservative Brexiteers amid reports he has shelved attempts to try and put a time limit or unilateral exit clause on the controversial Northern Ireland backstop. According to the Telegraph, the Cabinet minister - who has been leading efforts to secure changes to Theresa May's Brexit deal - has conceded that the two major demands of Tory eurosceptics are too "blunt" and will not be accepted by the European Union. Ministers briefed on Mr Cox's thinking said he is instead trying to secure an independent "arbitration mechanism" allowing Britain or Brussels to serve notice that the backstop should come to an end.
Post-Brexit fund set up for struggling English towns
The government has unveiled a new pot of money to be spent on struggling towns in England. Theresa May said the Stronger Towns Fund was aimed at areas that had missed out on prosperity. But Labour said the government was trying to bribe MPs into supporting its Brexit deal, and added that the fund should have been much larger. There were also grumbles from Conservative backbenchers who suspect the money is being targeted at Labour areas rather than their own.
Tory MP says there’d be ‘rioting on the streets’ if Brexit was delayed for UK to do ‘absolutely nothing for another two years’
Conservative Eurosceptic MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested her constituents would be “rioting in the streets” if Brexit delayed for two years beyond 29 March during an interview on Monday. Speaking on the BBC’s Politics Live show the MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed said that a lengthy extension, would lead to disorder if “we are going to do absolutely nothing for another two years.”
Northern Labour voters back Brexit second referendum move by 75%
Northern Labour voters overwhelmingly back the party’s shift towards a new Brexit referendum, a fresh poll has found. More than 75% of people who voted Labour in 2017 and expressed a preference backed the move, according to a YouGov poll for the People’s Vote campaign. Some 35%, said the policy change to push for a new Brexit vote made them feel more favourably towards Labour, while 14% said it made them feel less so. The survey of 5,000 voters across the North, Yorkshire and Humber and the Midlands found that 76% would support staying in the EU, with 24% against.
If it was a choice between Remain and backing Prime Minister Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement, the split would be 81% to 19% in favour of staying in the EU, according to the survey.
Drugs 'blockage' after no-deal Brexit could see shortages in IRELAND - EU members AT RISK
The European Union has warned it will impose the stricter regulations it applies to imports and exports from other ‘third countries’ if Britain leaves without a deal. But Mr Hancock said such a move would disrupt drug supplies to EU members, with the Republic of Ireland particularly at risk. Taking calls on an LBC phone in this morning, Mr Hancock said most medicines bound for Ireland pass through the UK on the way to their destination.
Brexit talks entering 'sensitive phase' - Taoiseach
With just 25 days to go before the UK is scheduled to leave the EU, Mr Varadkar has said that the talks between the UK and the EU on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement are entering a sensitive phase. Speaking earlier today, the Taoiseach said Ireland was happy to offer clarifications on the backstop, which is designed to avoid a hard border in Ireland, but repeated it could not be time-limited or have a unilateral exit clause.
How a second Brexit referendum could be won — and lost
Second time around, voters might be more willing to tune in to the detail. But any version of Leave still has the edge in emotional resonance, while Remain feels remote and technocratic. Few people understand global supply chains, or non-tariff barriers, nor do they want to. And economic uncertainty plays both ways. There is a strong feeling of “just get it over with”. Thirty per cent of people identify with the idea that “the longer the stalemate over Brexit goes on, the more likely I am to support leaving the EU without a deal”, according to the pollsters Survation. Remainers who talk only about economics fail to connect with people whose vote was about culture and fairness.
Labour could order MPs to vote for Brexit second referendum says John McDonnell
Labour members would be ordered to vote in favour of a new Brexit referendum, John McDonnell has suggested. It could put the party in the unusual position of having to sack frontbenchers for both supporting and opposing the same policy within a few months of each other. "I just say this - and I think it'll be for MPs right the way across the House in all parties now - that they've got to look to the long-term interests of the country, they've got to protect people's jobs, they've got to protect the economy, otherwise we'll never be forgiven in the future."
Brexit, the NHS and the threat of dark money
Open Democracy's Adam Ramsay said: "There are huge amounts of the money that paid for the Brexit referendum, turns out to have come from powerful business lobby groups ... who seem to be very keen to take Britain away from the regulation of the EU and drag it towards the kind of unregulated space of America, so they can do things like privatise the NHS, so they can slash regulations, so they can keep Britain as the world's money laundry."
Political Setbacks
Furious Emmanuel Macron slams Brexit as 'lie sold by anger mongers with fake news'
Emmanuel Macron has blasted Brexit as an "irresponsible lie" less than a month before Britain leaves the EU. The French president slammed "anger mongers backed by fake news" for creating the biggest European crisis since the Second World War in an astonishing broadside. "Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing – it is rejection without an alternative. "And this trap threatens the whole of Europe – the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything.
SNP accuse Theresa May of 'grubby Brexit bung' over Scotland's share of £1.6bn package
The SNP accused the Conservatives of handing out a ‘grubby Brexit bung’ with more cash for Northern Ireland, while the money was dubbed as "desperate bribe" by shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
Theresa May’s English Towns Bribe Shows Her Utter Disdain For Wales
It seems that Theresa May has found her magic money tree once again. After nine long years of Labour MPs calling for greater investment across the UK, only when the Prime Minister needs to get her botched Brexit deal through the commons does she start to clear the cobwebs from the Treasury vaults. But while this gruel for deprived English towns may be pretty thin, it is gruel nonetheless. But what did Wales get in today’s desperate round of handouts? Nothing. We didn’t even figure.
East of England to get smallest share of £1.6bn ‘Brexit bribe’ pot for deprived towns
The east of England will get the smallest share of a £1.6bn government fund to boost run-down towns after Brexit. The move has been dubbed a “Brexit bribe” by political opponents who say it is aimed at trying to influence Labour MPs in Leave-supporting areas to back prime minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement in crunch Commons votes. The area set to benefit most was the north west, which will get £281m, the equivalent of £39.95 per person. While the east of England will get just £25m, equal to £4.11 per person. The money, which will see the investment over several years, will be aimed at creating new jobs, helping train local people and boosting economic activity.
Is Theresa May's Stronger Towns Fund a Brexit bribe?
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the funding announcement "smacks of desperation" as many of the areas that will receive funding are part of Labour constituencies that voted to leave the EU. McDonnell criticised the government for overseeing "a decade of cuts" and said that was the reason why a number of communities were struggling. He argued that the government was resorting to bribing MPs in the hopes they would vote for May's deal. Anna Soubry, Brexit spokeswoman for the Independent Group, said the prime minister was employing a "desperate measure to buy votes" and compared it to the funding found for Northern Ireland when the Conservatives set up their confidence and supply deal with the DUP.
Labour MPs scorn May’s £1.6bn towns plan as blatant Brexit ploy
Labour MPs have scorned Prime Minister Theresa May’s promise of £1.6bn for English towns as a transparent attempt to buy their support for her Brexit deal with funds so thinly spread as to make little difference to deprivation.
Stronger Towns Fund: £1.6bn post-Brexit cash announced
A £1.6bn government fund has been launched to boost less well-off towns in England after Brexit. The pot is split into £1bn, divided in England using a needs-based formula, and £600m communities can bid for. More than half of the money, to be spread over seven years, will go to the north of England and the Midlands. Labour called it a bribe to influence MPs to back the PM's Brexit deal and critics say it does not cover cuts to local authority funding.
Lisa Nandy on Brexit vote and cash for English towns
Lisa Nandy MP says she would not turn down Brexit funds for her constituency, but it will not affect how she votes on a Brexit deal.
May loses key MPs' support over 'obscene and derisory' pro-Brexit towns fund
Downing Street unveiled a "Stronger Towns Fund" for less prosperous parts of England on Sunday - with £1bn divided between the regions and a further £600m available for bidding by local authorities. But the amount of allocated, which will be distributed over the next six financial years, has been criticised. The West Midlands was awarded the second highest sum of £212m, which works out at £9 per person per year.
Tory MPs express unease over £1.6bn boost for poorer towns
The government has come under immediate pressure from its own MPs over a £1.6bn funding boost for deprived English towns, as it emerged the guaranteed spending in some regions would amount to as little as 58p per person per year. The money, to be spent over seven years, includes £1bn pre-allocated to various English regions, ranging from £281m for the north-west to £33m for the south-west. The other £600m will be available to any region via a bidding process.
Theresa May 'did not understand EU when she triggered Brexit'
Theresa May and her circle of advisers did not understand how the European Union works, and consequently followed a negotiating strategy in 2016 that was doomed to fail, the former UK ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers has said.
Speaking to the Institute for Government on Monday, Rogers said the people around the prime minister at the start of the article 50 process “didn’t know very much about European councils or that much about the EU”. Rogers, who resigned a year ago and has developed a reputation for producing some of the most caustic assessments of the misunderstandings between the UK and the EU, said the UK lived under the illusion that it could circumvent Brussels by making direct deals with the major capitals.
Dawn Butler: Theresa May 'a danger to democracy'
Speaking to talkRADIO’s Matthew Wright, Ms Butler said: “She’s doing everything she possibly can to get her deal through the house, from running down the clock to now offering money for votes. “That’s very dangerous for our democracy and I think people need to take this seriously.” Ms Butler added that the sum of money offered was just a “drop in the ocean” compared to cuts made to local authority funding as part of the government’s austerity measures. “It’s such small fry in terms of what local communities have lost, and I don’t think our MPs are that cheap,” Ms Butler added.
Brexiters are refusing to accept their victory
If, in 2015, you had offered Leavers Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg the outcome now available through Prime Minister Theresa May’s agreement — an end to free movement of people and near total withdrawal from the primacy of European Court rulings — they would have accepted it with alacrity. Yet they are now holding out over the UK’s right to escape the limits on trade that are part of the Irish backstop. They have turned an independent trade policy into the wheel on which their dream may be broken.
Voting for May’s Brexit deal solves nothing
Most of the Leave voters in Labour seats in 2016 weren’t our voters in the first place. Of Labour voters, the vast majority (around two thirds) voted Remain in 2016. As Brexit has unfolded, Labour voters are the group most likely to have shifted from Leave to Remain. Labour is a Remain party, with a Remain voter base. For the Leave voters we have left, polls show that Brexit is not a priority – their main goal is a Labour government.
Howard Flight: The Brexit deal. I suspect we will end up being presented with a last-minute fudge.
How are the last-minute negotiations are likely to break? Theresa May is on clear record as saying that “no deal would be better than a bad deal”. But she does not want No Deal, as it would run the political risk of breaking up the Conservative Party. She has now delayed the “meaningful vote” in the Commons until March 12th at the latest, when the Prime Minister’s deal will be the only option. It is also clear that there is no parliamentary majority for even a managed No Deal.
Tory MPs must vote down any deal that fails to deliver a real Brexit or the people will never forgive us
Tory MPs must vote down any deal that fails to deliver a proper Brexit or the people will never forgive us
Geoffrey Cox shifts focus after giving up on Eurosceptic backstop demands
Geoffrey Cox has switched his attention to trying to secure an enhanced "arbitration mechanism" to allow the UK to leave the Irish border backstop after failing to meet the Brexit demands of Eurosceptics. The Attorney General has given up trying to secure a way of avoiding a hard border and placate the hardline Brexiteers
Chris Grayling: Government sends health secretary to answer Brexit ferry questions instead of transport chief
Beleaguered transport secretary Chris Grayling faced fresh criticism when the health secretary instead answered MPs’ questions about the Brexit ferries fiasco.
Matt Hancock fielded queries in the Commons over Friday’s shock £33m payment to Eurotunnel to settle controversy over cross-Channel contracts. Labour condemned the decision, claiming Mr Hancock would be acting as Mr Grayling’s “human shield” on Monday. But Downing Street said “the supply of medicines” was a key part of the no-deal cargo that the ferries would bring to Britain.
Watch: Britain Brexit is a 'circus', warns Danish PM
Speaking at a party conference on Saturday, Rasmussen said it would be "irresponsible" for Denmark to follow in the UK's footsteps to withdraw from the European Union. ”It would be completely irresponsible to toy with the idea of copying the circus that is playing out in Britain at the moment," he said. "With an economy that’s suffering...With a paralysed political system that is melting down."
Cabinet ministers took May ‘hostage’ over Brexit delay, says former minister
The British government was "taken hostage" by Cabinet ministers who forced Theresa May into offering MPs a mechanism to delay Brexit, said former minister George Eustice. Eustice, who resigned Thursday from his post as junior agriculture minister, told Sky News’ Ridge on Sunday that May was strong-armed into allowing MPs a vote on delaying Brexit, which would damage her negotiating hand with Brussels.
Richard Tice demands NEW TEAM for post-Brexit trade negotiations – 'NOT too late'
“It will be a peaceful march to show the Government just the strength of feeling that Brexiteers have out there." “If they ratify the withdrawal agreement I think the sense of anger that the Government has put the country into a straight jacket and given the key to the padlock to eurocrats in Brussels so that they can unlock us at their timing, people will be very, very angry about that and will have an opportunity to express that.
Fresh Brexit chaos as government shelves Financial Services Bill in face of looming defeat
The Government’s Brexit legislation timetable has been thrown into "chaos" after ministers were forced to pull a key bill because it was facing a humiliating defeat. The bill, which is one of several pieces of crucial legislation required to be passed before the UK leaves the EU, will now have to be re-scheduled for debate in the Commons. Up to 22 Conservative MPs were set to defy the Government to vote for a cross-party amendment aimed at forcing new tax transparency rules on British Overseas Territories.
Martin Howe: It is far better to risk extending Article 50 than to accept May’s bad deal
A long extension of 21 months would have the same practical result as the “implementation” period in the deal, except the UK would be much better off than under the deal because we would still have a vote and representation in EU institutions and the European Parliament. Unlike the deal, we would be free to leave on 1st January 2021 without being trapped in the “backstop” Protocol.Our financial liabilities during the 21 month extension would be the same as under the deal, but unlike the deal, we would have no obligations afterwards. Unlike under the deal, we would not be subject to indefinite ECJ jurisdiction after 2020.
@TNewtonDunn The Financial Services Bill is the 1st of 6 bills that Govt must pass (thru both houses) by March 29 to make No Deal possible.
The Financial Services Bill is the 1st of 6 bills that Govt must pass (thru both houses) by March 29 to make No Deal possible. It was due to leave Commons tonight. So yet another Brexit timetabling disaster.
The Brexit death cult that's killing everything good about Britain
Hours after an anonymous insider called the extremists of the Conservative Party a "death cult", Downing Street denied saying it. That often happens when something is true. ERG deputy Steve Baker is reputedly the inspiration for this new cult, despite lacking any obvious charisma. A born-again Christian, he was most upset to find out about his unwanted promotion while at church on Sunday, and No10 offered "clarification" that the claim had nothing to do with them. Which does not mean that the original comment was not made by someone else. And this is what we have come to: 25 days before what we are assured is apocalypse, and the provisional wing of the Tory Party is getting its knickers in a twist not about the backstop but about being called names.
Theresa May's Twitter tribute to Salisbury attack victims used a picture of Bath
Theresa May's trip to Salisbury today to mark the one year anniversary of the Novichok attack got off to a rocky start when she appeared to pay tribute to the wrong town. Twelve months on from the chemical attack on Russian defector Sergei Skripal, 66 and his daughter Yulia, 33, Downing Street took to Twitter to praise the resilience of the people of Salisbury. There was just one problem - they tweeted a picture of Bath instead.
Labour CRISIS: 17 frontbench MPs set to OPPOSE Jeremy Corbyn over second referendum U-turn
Up to 17 shadow ministers have spoken out about the effects they believe a second vote could have on the UK. In the past 6 months, 13 of these ministers have publicly opposed a second referendum. Mr Corbyn could face mass resignations if he continues take the plan to a Commons vote, according to The Daily Telegraph.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Japan's ambassador warns more firms could leave UK over Brexit
More Japanese companies may relocate away from the UK in the coming months if Britain does not seal a promising post-Brexit deal, the Japanese ambassador has warned. In an exclusive interview with Sky News, Koji Tsuruoka said Japanese companies had been cutting back on investment in the UK amid the uncertainty. Although both companies emphasised that neither decision was due to Brexit, Mr Tsuruoka said many of Japan's 1,000 or so UK-based companies were now considering how to adapt to post-Brexit life.
EU Funding Benefits
The millions of EU cash spent in Leeds revealed
The millions of EU grants handed to causes and companies around Leeds have been revealed by new research. Figures show the city has secured at least £263m in European Union grants in recent years, most of which has gone to the city centre area. But the real figure could be much higher as Leeds institutions, such as the universities, have taken part in some £2.2bn of EU funded projects, with the exact amounts dished out directly to the city not always clear. Research by pro-Remain groups, MyEU and Best For Britain, shows the bureaucrats in Brussels gave large chunks of money to Leeds City Council, the Leeds based West Yorkshire Combined Authority, our hospitals, and the city's two major universities.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 6th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Nissan Sunderland is considering cutting the number of shifts on the production line that makes the Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs from three to two - putting around 400 jobs at risk. It has already reversed plans to build the next generation X-Trail in the UK and Brexit is raising questions about long-term investment in the plant.
- A BMW board member, Peter Schwarzenbauer, said BMW would need to consider moving production from the UK because of Brexit due to the extra costs the company will now have to absorb. He said there is additional capacity in Austria for Mini and Rolls Royce production
- Ladbrokes owner, GVC Holdings is relocating all its servers to Ireland to end Brexit uncertainty. It also said the changes to the maximum stake on fixed odds betting terminals will see the closure of around 1,000 shops and loss of jobs
- Toyota`s European operations chief said a negative outcome from Brexit would put future investment in its UK factory near Derby at risk. If Brexit hurdles were too high, it would undermine the company`s competitiveness
- The PMI for the UK service sector showed it risks stalling or flatlining, with companies reporting job cuts for the first time in six years and new orders falling
- The Yorkshire Post reported a Kantar Worldwide retail survey which said one in ten shoppers have started stockpiling food due to Brexit uncertainty
- Foreign Policy magazine looked at the import/export of paper after Brexit. It quoted the director general of the Confederation of Paper Industries, who said toilet paper supplies could run low, with UK citizens using an unrivalled 110 rolls of toilet paper per year
- OFCOM is launching an inquiry into the impartiality and depth of the BBC`s coverage of Brexit, as it has come under heavy fire from both sides of the EU debate
- HMRC Northern Ireland chiefs told the UK Public Accounts Committee that businesses in the province do not have enough time to prepare for any would-be border in the event of a no-Deal Brexit
- A Republic of Ireland Freight Transport Association group said `a no deal Brexit would have a seismic impact on the UK`s trading environment and, in turn, freight distribution and logistics on both sides of the Irish sea`
- MPs in Westminster have been promised a vote to `protect workers rights` after Brexit by Theresa May, in her efforts to persuade the Labour Party waverers to back her deal. The TUC attacked her proposals as `blatant window dressing` and nothing more than `procedural tweaks` protecting no one
- The Conservative Party chief whip, Julian Smith, has issued an ultimatum to the ERG hardline Eurosceptics, saying they must back Theresa May`s deal, or see Parliament take over
- Channel 4 News broadcast a detailed investigation in Brexit backer Arron Banks and offered up strong evidence that he eagerly pursued a multi-billion pound gold deal offered to him by a Russian oligarch, who has close ties to the Kremlin, just a few months before the EU referendum
- Both the Scottish and Welsh national assemblies voted on Tuesday to oppose the Brexit deal agreed by the UK government. This is the first time this has occured simultaneously, and it is a sign of the internal fracture of the United Kingdom starting to widen due to Brexit
- The Leave side has signed up a former head of Mi6 and many academics, who co-signed a letter, to be made public, that argues that a No Deal Brexit is far better than the deal Theresa May has secured
- The head of the Northern Ireland civil service wrote to local political parties saying `if the UK crashes out unemployment is likely to rise sharply, security could be undermined, and a no deal Brexit would cause fresh challenges for the security services and the police, particularly if a hard border returned`
- Brussels sources told Reuters that the talks between the EU and the UK have not gone well, but talks will resume Wednesday, in an effort to find an agreement
- IAG chairman, Willie Walsh, the airline group that owns British Airways, said `the lack of progress in Brexit talks is very shocking and it will hurt the UK economy.` In a forward to the company annual report, he predicted Brexit will have an even greater impact in the months ahead
- Donald Tusk claimed external powers meddled in the Brexit vote. He called for EU member states to do far to protect the upcoming European elections from external and internal interference
- A Vote Leave regional spokesperson, Peter North, was found guilty of libelling pro-EU campaigner Professor Anthony Grayling and the judge awarded costs and £20,000 in damages against Mr North
- Sir Ivan Rogers, the UK`s former top diplomat in Brussels, told Business Insider that `Brexit is a national crisis` and he believed the chaos it is causing and damage it will do `may trigger a future public inquiry`
- Fourteen Conservative Party members have been suspended for posting Islamophobic or racist comments on social media
- The government looks set to slash the UK`s trade tariffs to some of the lowest levels in any point in history if a No Deal Brexit occurs, according to Sky News. The cuts will be outlined in documents, if Theresa May fails to get her deal approved in Parliament. They will be a potential bombshell for many manufacturers and farmers in the UK. As tariffs are a charge on goods entering the country, they are designed to protect domestic producers from overseas competitors. Tariffs slashed by 80-90% means domestic companies could be fighting for survival against cheaper imports
Jobs at Risk
Hundreds of jobs at Nissan could be at risk, reports suggest
Reports suggest Japanese carmaker Nissan is considering plans to change production shifts at its Sunderland plant in a move that would lead to hundreds of job losses. The automotive giant has refused to comment on claims that it is looking to cut back production line shifts at its Sunderland plant , threatening around 400 jobs.
Nissan could cut back production line shifts threatening jobs, Sky sources
Nissan is considering plans to cut back production line shifts at its Sunderland plant in the latest setback to the UK car industry, Sky News understands. If the Japanese carmaker goes ahead with the plan it could result in 400 jobs being threatened, Sky sources say. The Nissan proposals would see the number of shifts on a production line making Qashqai and Leaf vehicles reduced from three to two.
Nissan could cut production shifts at Sunderland, says report
Nissan is evaluating plans to cut back production line shifts at its Sunderland plant, which could threaten 400 jobs, according to reports. The Japanese car maker is considering cutting the number of shifts on the production line that makes the Qashqai and X-Trail SUVs from three to two, Sky News says. Nissan recently reversed plans to build the next-generation X-Trail at Sunderland, citing the decline in demand for diesel as the key factor - while acknowledging uncertainty over Brexit raised questions over long-term investment in the plant.
BMW may shift Mini and engine work from UK in no-deal Brexit
Peter Schwarzenbauer, the German car giant's board member responsible for Mini and Rolls Royce cars, said the firm would "need to consider" moving production from the UK as the company could not absorb the extra costs they would inevitably face. He also told the Reuters news agency at the Geneva car show that some engine manufacturing, at Hams Hall in Birmingham, could be lost to Austria.
Brexit: BMW could shift production from UK to Austria in event of no deal, board member reveals
BMW may move some of its engine production from the UK to Austria in the event of a no-deal Brexit, one of its board members revealed on Tuesday. “We have some flexibility on the engine side with Steyr in Austria,” Peter Shwarzenbauer told Reuters at the Geneva car show. “We would need to make some adjustments toward Steyr. We are preparing to be able to do it.” Schwarzenbauer also told Sky News that BMW will “have to consider” ending Mini production at its Oxford plant if the UK leaves the EU with no deal in place.
Brexit: BMW warns production of Mini could shift abroad if we leave with no deal
Production of the iconic Mini in the UK could end in the event of a no deal Brexit, German owner BMW warned. A top boss said Mini’s plant in Oxford - and BMW’s engine factory here - were in “danger” if the UK crashing out of the EU led to ...
@Haggis_UK BMW tells #SkyNews that they would have to consider moving Mini production out of the UK in the event of a #NoDealBrexit.
BMW tells #SkyNews that they would have to consider moving Mini production out of the UK in the event of a #NoDealBrexit.
Ladbrokes owner moving servers,licences ahead of Brexit
Ladbrokes owner GVC Holdings said today it had made plans to relocate servers hosting online gambling platforms to Ireland for Brexit uncertainties. GVC owns games brands such as partypoker, PartyCasino, Casino Club, Gioco Digitale and Foxy Bingo. It also said the cut to the maximum stake on fixed-odds betting terminals (FOBTs) in the UK will result in the closure of up to 1,000 shops, while it expects the EBITDA impact to be £135m in 2019.
Toyota and BMW warn no-deal Brexit could hit UK investment
Car giants Toyota and BMW have both warned a no-deal Brexit threatens the production of their cars in the UK. BMW told Sky News it could consider moving production of its Mini from the UK in a no-deal scenario. Separately, the head of Toyota's European operations said a negative outcome could put future investment at its UK factory near Derby at risk. Johan van Zyl told the BBC that if the Brexit "hurdles" are too high it would undermine Toyota's competitiveness.
Economic Impact
UK economy flat-lines as Brexit nears, firms cut jobs - PMI
Britain’s economy risks stalling or contracting as Brexit nears and a global slowdown worsens, with firms in the dominant services sector reporting job cuts for the first time in six years and falling new orders.
EU banks could face panicky trading after no-deal Brexit
The Bank of England has said that the failure of EU regulators to put in place measures to protect continental banks increased the risk of panicky trading on financial markets in the aftermath of a no-deal Brexit. Without further guidance to EU banks and insurers and greater urgency to put in place rules before the 29 March article 50 deadline, traders on international money markets could raise the costs of lending to the banking sector. This could intensify the impact of Britain crashing out of the EU, the Bank said.
Brexit won’t bother the City – but everyone else should worry
No manufacturer would begrudge the Bank of England’s efforts to save us from another 2008-style credit crunch. Threadneedle Street is merely doing its job and everybody knows it started with the advantage that the EU needs access to London’s banks. But the outcome is a comfort blanket for the City – London is on its way to becoming a “free port”, Simon Jenkins argued in this paper last week – and next to nothing for the rest of the economy.
Things Are Looking Up for the Pound, Strategists Say
There is now just a 9 percent chance that the U.K. will leave the European Union at the end of March without an agreement, according to a Bloomberg survey of banks. Much more likely is that Britain’s exit will be delayed or even that Prime Minister Theresa May’s beleaguered deal will get through Parliament, both of which are seen pushing the pound higher.
Administrative Fall Out
Shropshire medics issue warning over 'crippling' effects of Brexit on NHS
Doctors and nurses from Shropshire are among the signatories to a letter warning of the damage Brexit is doing to the National Health Service.
One in ten shoppers ‘stockpiling food to prepare for no deal Brexit’
One in ten shoppers claim to have started stockpiling food to prepare for a no deal Brexit, according to Kantar Worldpanel As Brexit uncertainty intensifies, the latest grocery market share figures, published today from Kantar Worldpanel, show year-on-year ...
French customs agents disrupt Calais port ahead of Brexit
Traffic jams built up on Tuesday around the French port of Calais as customs officers worked to rule, carrying out tighter checks on lorries heading for the Channel Tunnel and the ferry port. The action, which began on Monday, is aimed at improving pay and staff numbers ahead of the UK's expected departure from the EU on 29 March. Dunkirk, further up the French coast, is also affected. "Brexit is a catalyst for deeper anger," said one union official.
How Brexit could affect the price of renting: ‘I’ve heard from other landlords that they are putting rents up’
The latest data shows rents across Britain actually fell for the first time in a decade last year. The biggest falls were in Yorkshire and Humber, where rents dropped by £21 (3.63 per cent), and London, where rents were down by £30 per month from 2018. How Brexit will affect renters really depends on two things: your landlord and whereabouts you live in the country.
What Happens to London’s Food Scene After Brexit?
As Britain prepares to leave the EU—with no agreement ensuring an unimpeded flow of goods between the two yet in place—both sides are ramping up their no-deal preparations: a scenario rife with fears of supply-chain disruptions, increased food prices, and economic uncertainty. Ottolenghi fears the situation could upset the country’s esteemed food scene, as well its internationalist culture that has allowed his restaurants and others to thrive
Hard Brexit Means Hard Times on the Toilet
In the case of the United Kingdom, where the average resident uses an unrivaled 110 rolls of toilet paper per year, the highest figure in Europe, any meaningful measure of forward planning would require more real estate than is currently available. This is just one of the terrible challenges that the paper industry—and the public—may face in the coming months, said Andrew Large, the director general of the Confederation of Paper Industries, the leading trade association for the U.K.’s paper-based industries.
Booze cruise back in fashion as Britons stock up before Brexit
The booze cruise is back in fashion as shoppers stock up on cheap wine from across the Channel before the Brexit deadline on 29 March. Sales at Majestic Wine’s Calais stores soared 49% last month and pre-orders are up 78% in March as shoppers take advantage of France’s low alcohol taxes while they can. Nearby Calais Wine Superstore said its pre-orders for March are up 100% and sales are up 51% since January. The huge increase in Calais sales comes amid evidence that one in 10 Britons have begun stockpiling groceries while a further 26% are considering doing so.
Europeans are watchful but calm about Brexit
Differences on Brexit capture the way in which perceptions of the UK and EU’s
future prospects are filtered through each country’s experience of recent
European crises, its party political landscape and social cleavages. Far-right, rightwing populist and anti-establishment voters are much more likely
than people on the centre-right, centrists or moderate leftists to think that the
UK will prosper as a non-EU member.
BBC faces probe over 'biased reports and pointless stories' after both political sides claim it's not impartial
Regulators have launched an inquiry into the impartiality and 'depth' of the BBC's news and current affairs coverage. The Ofcom probe follows bias claims from both sides of the political divide – especially over Brexit. It also comes amid growing fears that serious news coverage is 'in retreat' and allegations from rival news providers that the BBC uses too much 'clickbait' – celebrity or frivolous stories with little public service value – to lure online readers.
BBC staff to receive ‘unconscious bias’ training
BBC staff are starting to undergo “unconscious bias” training. Staff are being asked to complete online courses. A spokeswoman said training is being provided to all staff and is designed to make the BBC a “better and more inclusive” place to work. The BBC said it early February that it would “roll out” unconscious bias training.
How Brexit broke the BBC
One strand of criticism unites the Remain and soft Brexit factions—that the BBC is so obsessed with “balance” that, on Brexit issues, it gives credence to nonsense. And there are heavyweights in the BBC who worry about this too. One senior presenter put it like this: “We should encourage debate… while being more militant about our core approach—that we are fact-based, and question and test all sides of the debate. We should not be doing vanilla ‘on the one hand’ versus ‘on the other hand’ journalism. I am sympathetic to the arguments about the danger of ‘false equivalence,’ and think we should be clear about the weight of arguments. But if a substantial number of people believe, so to speak, that bananas are blue we have to treat that seriously. Seriously, but robustly.”
Brexit: Northern Ireland businesses not ready for no-deal
Northern Ireland businesses will not be ready for new border procedures if there is a no deal Brexit later this month, senior customs officials have warned. The HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) officials were giving evidence to MPs on the Public Accounts Committee. Jim Harra told the committee that even if border processes were announced today there is "insufficient time for traders who wish to comply to get ready."
Transport group warns of no-deal Brexit threat to trade
A national association representing Ireland's transport and logistics industry has accused the Government of being unprepared for a no-deal Brexit scenario.
Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTAI) has called on the Government to "advance and clearly communicate" contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit or, it warns, the country will face "significant threats to its supply chain". Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, FTAI General Manager Aidan Flynn said: "A no-deal Brexit would have a seismic impact on the UK’s trading environment and in turn, the freight distribution and logistics sector on both sides of the Irish Sea.
Political Shenanigans
Workers rights: MPs promised vote on changes after Brexit
MPs have been promised a vote on any changes to workers' rights after Brexit as Theresa May seeks Labour support to pass her deal on leaving the EU. No 10 said Parliament would be given a say over whether to adopt any new protections introduced on the continent and to stay aligned with EU standards. Labour MPs in Leave constituencies have been seeking assurances the UK will not fall behind EU standards after Brexit. But the TUC said they should not be "taken in by blatant window dressing". The union movement said what was being offered was "flimsy procedural tweaks".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47460850
Additional sources: (Huffington Post UK) (Reuters) (Huffington Post UK)
Additional sources: (Huffington Post UK) (Reuters) (Huffington Post UK)
Frances O'Grady: Theresa May's Brexit promises on workers' rights are worthless
The flimsy proposals she’s unveiled today won’t even guarantee your existing rights after Brexit. And they certainly won’t stop workers’ rights in the UK from falling behind those in the rest of Europe. Theresa May says our rights at work won’t be watered down. But her promises are worthless when she is unlikely to be in post this time next year. And there’s nothing to stop a future right-wing Tory government from tearing these rules up altogether.
Chief whip hands Tory Eurosceptics ultimatum on May Brexit deal
Julian Smith, the government chief whip, has issued an ultimatum to Eurosceptic Tories: vote for Theresa May’s Brexit deal or Europhile Conservative and Labour MPs will join forces to keep Britain in a customs union with the EU. Mr Smith told the cabinet on Tuesday that the stakes would be very high when MPs have a second “meaningful vote” on Mrs May’s deal. “He didn’t sound very optimistic we would win,” said one minister at the meeting.
Do a deal on Brexit or risk Britain as strategic rival to EU, Hunt warns Macron
Jeremy Hunt today warned French president Emmanuel Macron to do a deal on Brexit or risk the UK becoming a “strategic” competitor just offshore of the EU. The Foreign Secretary piled pressure on Paris to ditch its hardline stance on Brexit as Attorney General Geoffrey Cox dashed to Brussels to seek a breakthrough in the deadlocked talks on the UK’s “divorce” from the EU.
The Banks Files: how Brexit “bad boy” Arron Banks was eyeing a massive Russian gold deal
Millionaire Brexit backer Arron Banks eagerly pursued a multibillion-pound gold deal brought to him by a Russian oligarch with links to the Kremlin just months before the EU referendum, Channel 4 News can reveal. Business associates of the self-styled “bad boy of Brexit” offered to oversee a plan to create a massive new Russian gold company, and tried to arrange a personal meeting in Moscow with key players from a state-owned Russian bank. Five months before the referendum, the finance company suggested that Banks travel to Russia to meet executives at state-owned bank Sberbank to hurry the deal along. Associates of Mr Banks even identified a shell company, based in Sweden, to be used as a vehicle for the deal. Russia experts have told Channel 4 News that the document suggests Mr Banks and his associates expected the funding to come “one way or another from the Russian government”.
May's Chief Whip Tells Cabinet Vote Will Be Tight
The government’s chief whip told the Cabinet that the vote next week on May’s Brexit deal will be tight, according to three people familiar with the situation.
Parliament will force Britain into permanent customs union with EU if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is voted down, Chief Whip warns Cabinet
Parliament will force Britain into a permanent customs union with the EU if the PM’s Brexit deal is voted down next week, the Chief Whip has warned. Government discipline chief Julian Smith delivered the dramatic assessment to the Cabinet’s weekly meeting on Tuesday. Instead of a simple Brexit delay of up to three months to keep negotiations on the PM’s deal going, Mr Smith said rebel Tories would ally with Labour to swiftly take control of the Commons order paper. An indicative vote would swiftly follow for MPs to pick their preferred Brexit outcome, which he is now certain would be a softer Brexit and a customs union.
@PA The Independent Group MPs are at the Electoral Commission for talks about becoming a fully-fledged political party, group spokesman Chuka Umunna says
The Independent Group MPs are at the Electoral Commission for talks about becoming a fully-fledged political party, group spokesman Chuka Umunna says
Scottish parliament, Welsh assembly join forces to oppose Brexit
Scotland’s parliament and the Welsh national assembly voted on Tuesday to oppose the Brexit deal agreed by the UK government, the first time they have done so simultaneously in a sign of the United Kingdom’s internal fracture over Brexit.
Britain’s 52-48 percent 2016 vote to leave the EU has stretched relations between the four-nation United Kingdom because England and Wales voted to leave but a majority in Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.
Brexit: UK in further push for deal with EU
Mr Cox has dismissed reports he has given up on securing a firm end date to ensure the UK is not stuck. MPs will vote on the deal by 12 March. The UK is currently scheduled to leave the European Union on 29 March. If MPs reject the withdrawal agreement for a second time, they will have the opportunity to vote on whether to go ahead in just over three weeks' time without any kind of negotiated deal. If they decide against, they will then have a vote on whether to extend negotiations and push the date of departure back by several months.
Brexit: 'Difficult discussions' with the EU and UK if no-deal
The Republic of Ireland will need to have "difficult discussions" with the EU and UK if there is a no-deal Brexit in a few weeks' time, the Irish prime minister has said.
Leo Varadkar was speaking in the Irish parliament on Tuesday.
Ex-MI6 chief says no-deal Brexit far better than Theresa May's offering
The former head of MI6 and dozens of senior academics have said a no-deal Brexit would be far better for Britain than Theresa May’s “disastrous” deal. Sir Richard Dearlove said there would be “no tangible benefits” from a Brexit conducted under Mrs May’s deal, which would merely “prolong the agony”. In a letter to The Daily Telegraph, he is joined by 33 academics and business leaders who say that a no deal Brexit would offer “immediate opportunities”.
Brexit threat to Northern Ireland jobs revealed by civil service chief
Unemployment could rise sharply in Northern Ireland if the UK crashes out of the EU, the head of the civil service in the region has said in a letter to local political parties. Security in the region could also be undermined, David Sterling said, adding: “The planning assumptions include the possibility that, in some scenarios, a no-deal exit could result in additional challenges for the police if the approach appeared to be unfair or unreasonable for some of those most affected.” “These consequences do not arise from the possibility of checks or controls on either side of the land border, but would simply be the direct consequence of the legal position that would apply. This point is well understood by the business community.”
EU-UK Brexit talks failed to reach deal on Tuesday - sources
Talks between European Union and British Brexit negotiators ended after more than three hours in Brussels on Tuesday and will resume on Wednesday, sources from both sides said. An EU official said the talks did not go well. Neither side released any comments after the meeting, which involved the EU’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier and the UK’s Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay and Attorney General Geoffrey Cox.
Nicola Sturgeon warns no-deal Brexit would be ‘unforgivably reckless’
Nicola Sturgeon hit out at the UK Government’s “unforgivably reckless” stance on Brexit as she led calls from both Scotland and Wales to rule out Britain quitting the European Union without a deal in place. Ms Sturgeon spoke as both the Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly looked set to rally behind a plea for Theresa May to rule out no-deal and extend the Article 50 deadline beyond March 29. Leaving the EU without any deal in place is an “avoidable outcome” which could only happen “by the choice of the UK Government,” the Scottish First Minister said.
Macron lays out proposals for a more ‘protective’ EU
Emmanuel Macron has stepped up calls for a more united EU, laying out a series of proposals for a “European renaissance” to fend off resurgent populists expected to score big gains in the bloc’s elections in May. “Never since the second world war has Europe been so necessary,” he wrote in an address to the “citizens of Europe” to be published on the opinion pages of multiple newspapers on Tuesday. “And yet Europe has never been so much in danger.”
Political Setbacks
IAG chief says lack of Brexit progress ‘quite shocking’
Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, the airline group that owns British Airways, has said the lack of progress in Brexit talks is “quite shocking” and would hurt the UK’s economy. In a foreword to IAG’s annual report, Mr Walsh wrote: “I think it is inevitable that Brexit will have a greater impact in the months ahead. It has been quite shocking to get so far in the political process without having any real clarity about the future. That can’t be positive for the economy.”
https://www.ft.com/content/27a22fde-3f53-11e9-9bee-efab61506f44
Additional sources: (Yahoo Finance UK ) (RTE.ie)
Additional sources: (Yahoo Finance UK ) (RTE.ie)
Donald Tusk claims anti-European forces meddled in Brexit vote
Donald Tusk has claimed external powers meddled in the Brexit vote as he called for EU member states to do more to protect the upcoming European elections. “There are external anti-European forces, which are seeking – openly or secretly – to influence the democratic choices of Europeans, as was the case with Brexit and a number of election campaigns across Europe. And it may again be the case with the European elections in May,” said Tusk, a former prime minister of Poland and vociferous critic of Vladimir Putin.
Chris Grayling defies calls to quit over Brexit ferry fiasco as he defends 'collective' decision
Chris Grayling has said he will not quit over a ferry contract blunder that forced the Government to shell out millions of pounds to Eurotunnel.
Outspoken Brexit critic wins £20,000 damages from ex-UKIP candidate who branded him a paedophile
Professor Anthony Grayling CBE was 'distressed and enraged' after discovering a tweet by Peter North saying he kept hoards of vile videos. The May 2018 post said: 'I'd bet good money that AC Grayling has a hard drive full of underage botty sex videos.' Former Oxford don Grayling, who appeared on BBC's This Week criticising a British exit from the European Union, has sued Mr North for libel. Mr North has been described as 'a prolific writer in support of the UK leaving the European Union'. He failed to file a defence and, in a hearing at the High Court in London, Judge Richard Spearman QC awarded Professor Grayling £20,000 for the 'particularly pernicious' libel. 'In my view, that's a figure which should provide vindication for him,' he said. 'It must be clearly stated that there is no truth in the allegation against him.'
Bombs sent to London airports and Waterloo came from Ireland
The Garda was now aiding the London Metropolitan Police with its inquiries into the devices. British counter-terrorist police have opened an investigation into who sent the three small bombs to Heathrow and London City airports and Waterloo train station ...
The endless Brexit lies have left us in an Orwellian nightmare
In the meantime, we are left with the last gasp of the old lies from 2016: the idea the Commission will buckle, that the member states will ride to our rescue. They will not. And there are older and uglier lies than that at play too: that Britain will always outmanoeuvre and outsmart the continental Europeans and the insubordinate Irish will eventually do as they're told. That, too, will not happen. In the end, British exceptionalism will be the last reality to collapse. Because it is our oldest lie of all.
Vote Leave cheated in the 2016 Brexit vote – how would we stop them doing it again?
The court of appeal made it clear that they do not want to “interfere” with the 2016 referendum. Now, more than ever, it is essential MPs protect the national interest and that of their constituents, above party politics. If a Final Say referendum crystallises, it is vital that parliament engages in a cold, rational debate about the imposition of robust legal safeguards. Firstly, to act as a deterrent to non-compliance with agreed rules and, secondly, to ensure that any poll in which corruption occurs may be invalidated. If democracy means anything to those in power, they cannot allow any further cheating to taint it.
Brexit Bulletin - Last Ditch
s Cox tries to achieve the apparently impossible on the much-loathed Irish backstop, two factors play in May’s favor: First, the European Union wants to avoid a delay. It would be messy because of European elections, and members are split on how long it should be. Secondly, since May effectively replaced the option of no deal last week with the alternative of extending Brexit, the decision facing hardliners is much tougher. They now have to choose between the risk of getting trapped in EU rules via the backstop, and the certainty of getting trapped in the whole bloc through an extension
@JP_Biz The Head of the NI Civil Service has sent an updated no-deal Brexit letter to the local parties warning of "grave" consequences which could have a "profound & long lasting impact on society."
The Head of the NI Civil Service has sent an updated no-deal Brexit letter to the local parties warning of "grave" consequences which could have a "profound & long lasting impact on society."
Lord Sugar Tells LBC: “There’s No Such Thing As A Good Brexit Deal”
Lord Sugar has told LBC there is “no such thing” as a good Brexit deal because the EU is “only interested in what’s good for them”. The pro-EU businessman and former enterprise advisor to Gordon Brown added that he had “no idea” whether he would have been able to have negotiated a better deal.
Security adviser Max Bergmann on Russia: 'Brexit for them was a huge opportunity to sow discord in Europe and UK'
Security adviser Max Bergmann on Russia: ‘Brexit for the Russians was a huge opportunity to sow discord in Europe and UK’
Brexit is a major national 'crisis' which may trigger a public inquiry, says former UK ambassador
Brexit is a national crisis which could lead to a major public inquiry, according to the UK's former chief ambassador to the European Union. Sir Ivan Rogers told Business Insider that UK politicians and officials should be going through "a hell of a lot of reflection" on how they have handled Britain's exit from the European Union.
He also said that Theresa May "didn't know very much" about the EU at the beginning of the Brexit process.
Tory party suspends 14 members for posting Islamophobic or racist comments online
Fourteen Conservative party members have been suspended after posting Islamophobic or racist comments on social media, The Independent can reveal.
Comments found on a pro-Jacob Rees-Mogg Facebook group from Conservative party members included calling for Muslims to be “turfed out of public office”, for the government to “get rid of all mosques” and calling Home Secretary Sajid Javid a “Trojan horse”. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which has repeatedly called for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia within the party, said the latest revelation was ”astonishing”
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: Government to slash up to 90% of trade tariffs if UK leaves EU with no deal
The Government will slash Britain's trade tariffs to more than at any point in history if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal, Sky News has learnt. The Department for International Trade (DIT) intends to cut 80-90% of all tariffs imposed on goods imported into Britain, according to Whitehall sources. The cuts, which will be outlined in documents published if the prime minister fails to get parliamentary backing for her EU withdrawal bill next week, represent a bombshell for many manufacturers and farmers in the UK. Since tariffs are a charge on thousands of types of goods entering the country, they protect domestic producers from overseas competitors.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 7th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Bombardier the most important employer in the Unionist strongholds of Northern Ireland, is putting pressure on the DUP to drop its objections to the PM`s Brexit deal. It is privately warning of consequences for Northern Ireland jobs and investment, were a hard Brexit to occur
- Vauxhall parent company, Groupe PSA, made it clear that a future decision on investment in the production of electric and hybrid cars, at its Ellesmere Port plant, would not happen until Brexit is resolved. CEO Carlos Tavares said, in his opinion, a No Deal scenario would be a disaster both for Britain and continental Europe
- The OECD is slashing its growth forecast for the UK. Even with a Brexit deal, it sees the UK growing by only 0.8%, adding that without a deal this number would be significantly lower. The OECD also said that No Deal and a move to WTO trade terms would shave 2% off UK GDP over the next two years.
- The Bank of England has activated a `crisis-era` liquidity swap line with the European Central Bank to keep foreign exchange markets functioning throughout the Brexit period. So, in the event of a No Deal Brexit, the UK remains on `liquidity and life support support` from Frankfurt in order to survive
- A poll of foreign exchange dealers by Reuters predicts a 9% fall in the value of Sterling in the immediate aftermath of the UK leaving without a deal, though the value would mostly recover later in the year
- LSE academics wrote a blog discussing how Brexit has hit the value of UK firms. In it, the authors cite a February survey by the Institute of Directors, which said 29% of UK companies have relocated, or plan to relocate, some operations abroad due to Brexit uncertainty
- A study by WhoCanFixMyCar, spoke to a network of independent UK garages and found that 1-in-6 have been stockpiling parts ahead of Brexit. More than half of the garages predicted parts will become more expensive post Brexit and availability of some may be in doubt
- The post-Brexit necessity for all EU citizens to get themselves put onto a register in order to ask for `settled status` from the Home Office, when in many cases they have been living in the UK, have families and have lived here for years, has been called demeaning and insulting
- The Royal College of Radiologists has told doctors to prepare for possible delays in getting some drugs used to detect cancer if there is a no deal Brexit
- Trains from Paris to London were delayed, and there were huge queues, as French customs staff staged a Brexit style security check in at the Gare du Nord. The work to rule was to askthe government for a boost to the workforce, in order to deal with the huge increase in customs checks after the UK quits the EU
- Negotiations between UK Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox and Michel Barnier seem to have stalled. Regardless, Theresa May`s spokesperson insisted the `meaningful vote on Mrs May`s Brexit deal` promised for next Tuesday will still go ahead
- The government was defeated in the House of Lords, over a meaningful vote on future trade deals, by a Labour amendment to a bill, which makes it an objective of the government to pursue a free trade deal allowing the UK to stay in a customs union after Brexit
- Irish PM Leo Varadkar said he had no legal texts or draft texts to consider after the latest round of UK-EU negotiations.
- The UK was asked by the EU to table an acceptable remedy to the need for a backstop to the Irish border issue. EU negotiators said they were happy to work across the weekend to secure a deal, if an acceptable deal was proposed. The UK insisted it had already tabled an acceptable proposal
- The DUP said it would not back Theresa May`s deal without fresh guarantees on the Irish backstop
- The Daily Telegraph ran an article by hardline Eurosceptic and former Tory MP Stewart Jackson, which said that Brexiteers are playing a long game and would never vote for Theresa May`s miserable deal
- Jeremy Corbyn reached out across the aisle to One Nation Tories to discuss additional Brexit options. The group discussed a Norway + or EEA solution. Nick Boles, Oliver Letwin and others were involved on the Tory side
- Former Conservative Party Attorney General Dominic Grieve is meeting senior members of Emmanuel Macron`s government on Thursday, to discuss how best to extend Article 50 with agreement from the EU side
- The Kyle-Wilson amendment offering Labour abstention on Theresa May`s Brexit plan, in return for a guarantee that she would put her plan and remain in the EU on the ballot paper in a referendum, was once again discussed by The Guardian
- It was revealed that Labour Shadow Minister, Gloria del Piero is organising and persuading colleagues to join her in stopping a new Brexit referendum, despite the party now commiting to a People`s Vote
- A Kings Fund survey said public satisfaction with the performance of the NHS now stands at its lowest level in more than a decade
- The government was accused of leaving UK businesses in the dark, after news broke that it was planning to cut import tariffs under a No Deal Brexit by up to 90%. Businesses cannot prepare as they don`t know what a Brexit agreement looks like yet. In addition, the government said it won`t publish any tariff details until AFTER the vote on Theresa May`s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement next Tuesday, which makes forward planning by businesses next to impossible
Jobs at Risk
Bombardier presses DUP to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal
Bombardier, the most important employer in the Unionist strongholds of Northern Ireland, is putting pressure on the region’s Democratic Unionist party to drop its objections to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit deal as a critical vote in Westminster nears. The Canadian aircraft manufacturer, which employs almost 4,000 people at four separate Belfast factories, has kept a relatively low public profile over Brexit compared with other UK-based manufacturers. But the increasing threat of Britain leaving without a deal has prompted Bombardier to warn the DUP, which has fiercely criticised Mrs May’s deal in the past, of the serious consequences on its Northern Ireland operations of a hard exit, according to people familiar with the discussions.
Vauxhall: No further Ellesmere Port investment until Brexit outcome decided
Production of electric and hybrid cars will not be introduced to Ellesmere Port until the outcome of Brexit is decided, Vauxhall's parent company has warned. Carlos Tavares, chief of Groupe PSA, said that investment could not be ploughed into the Cheshire plant before the political situation becomes clearer. Speaking to ITV News, Mr Tavares argued that the introduction of electric cars would represent a "very big" business decision for PSA. He also offered his own opinion that a no-deal Brexit scenario would be a "disaster" for both Britain and continental Europe.
'No investment' at Vauxhall Ellesmere Port plant until Brexit sorted
The boss of Vauxhall's parent company has said there will no further investment in the Ellesmere Port plant until the fate of Brexit is known. Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Groupe PSA, which took over Vauxhall in 2017, also warned a no-deal outcome would be a "disaster" for Britain and the rest of Europe. Mr Tavares made the comments during an ITV News interview at the annual Geneva car show on Tuesday.
Economic Impact
OECD warns no-deal Brexit could plunge UK into recession
The OECD has slashed its growth forecasts for the UK and warned that a no-deal Brexit could plunge the economy into recession. It now predicts that Britain will see GDP increase by just 0.8% this year even with a deal - and that without one the outlook will be "significantly weaker". The economic think-tank said the increase in tariffs resulting from a no-deal outcome and move to WTO trade terms would take 2% off GDP over the next two years. It also pointed to the risks of supply chain bottlenecks, declining business confidence and financial market disruption - which could add to the adverse effects on the economy already seen since the 2016 EU referendum.
No-deal Brexit could cause sharp unemployment hike – NI civil service chief
A no-deal Brexit could cause a sharp rise in unemployment in Northern Ireland, the head of the civil service said. Inability to prepare, EU tariffs and significant changes to exports could cause business distress, failure or the relocation of some companies to the Republic, a report from David Sterling said.
European Central Bank comes to UK's aid as crisis-era swap lines activated
The Bank of England has announced it will activate crisis-era emergency swap lines with the European Central Bank (ECB) to keep foreign exchange markets functioning throughout the Brexit period. The Bank said it was taking the action to ensure that banks do not run short of cash if there is a no-deal Brexit. The move, predicted in a Sky News report last year, underlines that even in the event of a hard Brexit, in which the UK abruptly severs its ties with the European Union, the UK would remain reliant on liquidity and support from Frankfurt.
Sterling to slide to $1.20 if no Brexit deal agreed - Reuters poll
Sterling would lose around 9 percent of its current value against the dollar and trade at $1.20 in the immediate aftermath of Britain leaving the EU without a deal, a Reuters poll of foreign exchange strategists predicted.
ECB cut UK interest rates by pumping €300bn into Britain
Europe’s money-printing programme pumped hundreds of billions of pounds into the UK, the central bank for central banks has found, pushing down interest rates even further in Britain. Quantitative easing (QE) pushes down long-term interest rates in an effort to stimulate economic growth.
But because this was happening on a grand scale just across the Channel from Britain’s major financial centre, as much as €300bn of the European Central Bank’s QE ended up buying assets from institutions in the UK in the scheme's first three years.
How Brexit has hit the value of UK firms
In a wide ranging look at Brexit and its relationship to the business decisions being taken the authors say: "according to a recent survey by the Institute of Directors, 29% of UK companies have relocated, or plan to relocate some operations abroad due to Brexit uncertainty"
Administrative Fall Out
Garages predict Brexit price rises and parts shortages
As many as 45 percent of garages have taken steps to get ready for Brexit (and possibility of ‘no deal’) by switching to UK-based suppliers. A study by WhoCanFixMyCar surveyed a network of independent garages across the UK. It found that one in six garages have been stockpiling parts ahead of the projected EU exit date of Friday 29 March. More than half (52 percent) of garages anticipate an increase in labour costs after Britain has left the EU. And almost two thirds believe drivers will be hesitant to get repairs done for fear of cost increases. More than half of garages also predict that parts will be more expensive, with 42 percent saying the availability of parts in the UK post-Brexit was in doubt.
UK's Brexit preparations 'shambolic', haulage chief says
A recent trial involving 80 trucks had been a farce he said as 10,000 trucks go through the UK port of Dover daily. “How could you possibly make that a useful test? “We are 17 working days from a potential no deal Brexit which will be very unfortunate indeed for truck drivers facing 20km long queues and for the rest of us who rely on supplies, 95% of which come on trucks.”
EU citizens brand registration 'insulting' ahead of Brexit
The plan is crazy, it is deeply unsettling. Under UK government plans, around 185,000 people living for years but EU citizens by birth have to apply for settled status after Brexit and go on a register. With 25 days to go until the UK leaves the EU, STV News heard some of their concerns.
Brexit 'likely to cause cancer test delays'
Hospitals are likely to experience delays to cancer testing and treatment regardless of the result of next week's Brexit vote, BBC Newsnight has learned. The Royal College of Radiologists has told doctors to prepare for possible delays for some drugs used to detect cancer if there is a no-deal Brexit. It says clinicians should reduce their workload in the days after 29 March, when the UK is due to leave the EU.
Huge queues as French customs staff stage Brexit drill for Eurostar at Gare du Nord in Paris
Train services from Paris to London were delayed and there were huge queues today as French customs staff staged “Brexit-style” security checks at the Gare du Nord. The border officials imposed a “work-to-rule” as they demanded a boost to their workforce to deal with extra checks after the UK quits the European Union. As passengers and trains were hit by delays of up to two hours, one border guard declared: “This will be what it is like after Brexit. Back to 1970s.”
A third of British billionaires have moved to a tax haven
A third of British billionaires have moved to tax havens after an exodus over the past decade, a Times investigation has found. They are among 6,800 Britons controlling 12,000 UK firms from low-tax jurisdictions. The Exchequer is denied billions a year but many of the bosses still reap the benefits of British assets. Some have bankrolled political parties while living offshore as successive governments have failed to enact a law passed in 2009 that would have banned large donations from anyone resident abroad for tax purposes. Many have been awarded honours or hold titles, with at least one viscount, one baron, six knights and one dame among the billionaires.
What would a no-deal Brexit mean for your supermarket shop? – Which? News
How will a no deal Brexit impact food prices, and will there be food shortages? What foods will be most impacted? We've spoken to the British Retail Consortium to better understand how your supermarket shop would be affected
My quest for a Brexit-proof passport
Marek Kohn recounts a personal journey as he sought a passport from the country of his father's (not his) birth, Poland, across a two year time period as Brexit forces many people to think about who they are and where they belong
Political Shenanigans
Brexit meaningful vote will go ahead, says No 10, despite talks stalling
Downing Street has insisted the meaningful vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal will go ahead as promised on Tuesday, despite negotiations in Brussels stumbling. The prime minister’s spokesman repeated the line on Wednesday that the government is determined to secure “legally binding changes” to the Irish backstop, despite the attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, returning empty-handed from the talks. Shortly before leaving Brussels, he conceded “strong views” had been expressed during three hours of “robust” discussions.
Government defeated in Lords over meaningful vote on future trade deals
The government was defeated on Labour’s amendment 13 in the House of Lords. The amendment makes it an “objective” of the government during negotiations to pursue a free trade deal allowing the UK to stay “in a customs union” with the EU after Brexit.
Brexit negotiations descend into disarray as EU warns 'no solution' sight
Efforts by British negotiators to win changes to Theresa May’s Brexit deal are going badly, after talks in Brussels broke up without any progress to report and the EU Commission warned that “no solution” is in sight. Exasperated Irish prime minister Leo Varadkar has said he had “no legal texts or draft legal texts to consider” following several rounds of meetings between the UK and EU. A spokesperson for the EU Commission said on Wednesday morning that “while the talks take place in a constructive atmosphere, discussions have been difficult” and that “no solution has been identified at this point that is consistent with the withdrawal agreement”.
Brexit: Theresa May prepares for Brussels trip in last ditch bid to secure deal changes
Theresa May is set to visit Brussels this weekend in an attempt to clinch changes to her Brexit deal ahead of a crunch Commons vote next week. The prime minister is expected to meet senior EU figures following negotiations over the last fortnight, as she desperately seeks tweaks in a bid to win the support of backbench Tory Brexiteers. Ms May also announced measures to shore up post-Brexit workers’ rights, designed to maximise support for her deal among Labour MPs.
DUP won’t back Brexit without guarantees on backstop, says MP
A senior Democratic Unionist party MP has insisted the party can only support Theresa May’s revised Brexit deal if the withdrawal agreement itself is amended to make the Northern Ireland backstop time-limited, or allow the UK to withdraw unilaterally. Sammy Wilson, the DUP’s Brexit spokesman, also dismissed worries about the impact on the region of a no-deal Brexit, saying warnings about this on Tuesday from the head of Northern Ireland’s civil service were “politically motivated”.
Stalemate for Brexit backstop talks in Brussels
Talks to save Theresa May’s Brexit deal stalled last night after European Union negotiators refused to give Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, “reasonable” assurances on the Irish backstop. Three and half hours of talks in Brussels between Michel Barnier, the EU’s lead negotiator, Mr Cox and Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, ended in a bad-tempered stalemate. Negotiations will now go to the wire this Friday, running into the weekend, to try to find guarantees that will enable Mr Cox to change his legal advice on the Irish backstop before the crucial Brexit vote in the House of Commons next Tuesday. “There are very sensitive discussions. We are into the meat of the matter now.
Can May finally get her Brexit deal through parliament?
By now, if Theresa May’s Brexit strategy had gone to plan, the UK prime minister would be on the cusp of a famous victory. In her quest to secure House of Commons backing for her Brexit deal before Britain’s March 29 scheduled departure date — and to reverse a previous, shattering defeat — Mrs May has been seeking the support of three vital groups of MPs. Here the FT looks at Mrs May’s prospects of winning over each of the three groups.
Brexit in 23 days: EU says still 'no solution' in negotiations
"Michel Barnier has informed...that while the talks take place in a constructive atmosphere, discussions have been difficult," said Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for the European Commission, the bloc's executive. "No solution has been identified at this point that is consistent with the withdrawal agreement, including the protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland, which will not be reopened," Schinas said.
Brexit: UK urged to table 'acceptable' backstop remedies
The UK has been urged to table fresh proposals within the next 48 hours to break the Brexit impasse. EU officials said they would work non-stop over the weekend if "acceptable" ideas were received by Friday to break the deadlock over the Irish backstop. The UK has said "reasonable" proposals to satisfy MPs' concerns about being tied to EU rules had already been made. There have been few visible signs of progress ahead of Parliament's second vote on the Brexit deal next Tuesday.
Brexiteers are playing a long game, and will never vote for Theresa May's miserable deal
So, as we begin the Meaningful Vote Part 2 vortex, hurtling toward climax in the House of Commons next week, the Prime Minister has rolled the pitch with tasty sweeteners to Labour MPs in Leave-supporting seat, to save her miserable deal from yet another shellacking. It displays again a typically tone-deaf approach, speaking to a patrician mindset from Remainers, that all it really takes is a few baubles and soothing words about immigration and the whole sorry contraption can be pushed over the line: The UK would be locked permanently into international treaty obligations from which it will take years to disentangle.
Theresa May’s rhetoric can be as populist as Trump’s
An academic study, commissioned by the Guardian, involved close analysis of the speeches of leaders who have served 40 countries to ascertain levels of populist discourse. The surprising finding in relation to May is partly explained by Brexit, the issue that has defined her premiership and dominated the UK’s political conversations since the referendum to leave the European Union in 2016. Researchers identified several examples where May offered a romanticised description of “ordinary working people” pitted against a self-serving elite, a defining feature of populism
Exclusive: Dominic Grieve hosts French minister for discussions on Article 50 and second referendum
Remain Tory MPs will meet on Thursday with senior members of Emmanuel Macron's government to discuss extending Article 50 as a path to a second referendum, The Telegraph can reveal. Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, will hold a meeting with Nathalie Loiseau, the French Europe minister, and other senior French politicians in his office. It came as Nick Boles and Oliver Letwin, two Tory MPs pushing for a softer Brexit, held a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn to discuss their plans. They have backed calls for a Norway-style Brexit - described as "Common Market 2.0 - that would see Britain stay inside the European Economic Area after Brexit.
How will next week’s Brexit votes affect the UK economy, jobs and wages?
If no deal actually materialises, it seems likely we’d see a further significant fall in sterling, pushing up import prices and inflation, and reducing real wages. Considerably more worrying, however, would be the impact on consumer and business confidence, and hence spending. Businesses would be hit by rising input prices, resulting both from the fall in sterling and the need to replace EU imports with more expensive ones sourced from outside the EU.
The truth is out about Brexit – but there is a narrow road back to sanity
What the Kyle-Wilson amendment does is give the people a chance to choose between real options: either Brexit, via May’s deal, or remain. Provided the amendment is in place, both are on the table, both are agreed by the EU, and both are implementable now. And it has a third advantage: it offers at least some hope of mending bridges. If, during the debate preceding the public vote, more MPs were to speak the truth about the Good Friday agreement, some Brexiters who want greater freedom than May’s deal offers might come to understand why any version of Brexit has to be so tightly constrained
Labour shadow minister admits organising to stop new Brexit referendum - despite party backing public vote
One of Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow ministers has admitted to organising a campaign to stop a fresh Brexit referendum, despite Labour’s backing for the policy. Gloria Del Piero refused to answer questions about how her campaigning could be squared with her frontbench role as a spokeswoman for justice issues. Critics said Mr Corbyn’s “complete lack of leadership” on Brexit would be underlined if he allowed shadow ministers to openly oppose party policy to push for a second public vote.
Labour launches bid to purge Independent Group MPs from Commons committees
The party will hold internal elections to determine who they want to take over the Labour places that were lost when former members defected last month. Select committee places are allocated on a party basis at the start of each Parliament following a General Election.
Jeremy Hunt vows to step up fight against election cyber-attacks
Jeremy Hunt is to promise the government will step up international efforts to prevent overseas cyber-attacks on elections, while insisting the UK has never succumbed to such outside interference. A number of groups have called for an investigation into allegations that Russia was behind interference before the 2016 EU referendum, and for a wider examination of the role of foreign companies in the campaign. In a speech in Glasgow, the foreign secretary will warn that without concerted global action, cyber-attacks could turn some elections into “tainted exercises, robbing the governments they produce of legitimacy”. An advance trail of Hunt’s speech said he would, however, be “making clear that we have seen no evidence of successful interference in UK polls”.
Political Setbacks
Public satisfaction with the NHS 'drops to lowest level in over a decade'
Analysis by The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust of the 2018 British Social Attitudes survey found 53% of the public were satisfied with the health service, down 3% from the year before and at the lowest since 2007. The figure clashes with an historic high of 70% in 2010, which followed a decade of increasing satisfaction, from 38% in 2001.
Theresa May Could Be Forced Into A Soft Brexit After Peers Back Customs Union Membership
MPs will have a chance to force Theresa May into a softer Brexit after peers passed an amendment calling on the government to “take all necessary steps” to form a customs union with the EU. Peers voted by 207 votes to 141, majority 66, to amend the trade bill in the House of Lords to make it the prime minister’s objective to strike a UK-EU trade deal which includes a customs union. It means MPs will have a binding vote on customs union membership - a key Labour demand - when the legislation returns to the Commons in the coming weeks.
Former Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni: 'Brexit biggest mistake by a European country since war'
Channel 4 spoke with the former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who described Brexit as the biggest mistake by a European country since the Second World War in a wide ranging interview
Ryanair boss calls Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn ‘idiots’ and says Brexit should be reversed
The airline’s chief executive warned: “It doesn’t resolve any of the fundamental issues. And that is: the same people – Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liam Fox – who were promising us for the last two years that this trade deal will be the easiest one in history, have failed to deliver anything in the last two years. “We’ll be back here again at the end of 2020 wondering what the hell are the UK government are going to do?”
A hostile environment for EU citizens?
In a no-deal scenario, these 3 or so million (assuming they wish to remain here) can apply for European Temporary Leave to Remain for up to 36 months. Then, EU citizens face further applications for a different immigration status from 1 January 2021 onwards.
UK accused of not honouring dual citizenship commitments
Northern Ireland residents who wish to assert their Irish nationality and EU citizenship rights after Brexit are inadequately protected by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, a delegation from Northern Ireland told the EU Brexit task force on Wednesday. UK Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay and attorney general Geoffrey Cox returned to London following fruitless “difficult” discussions with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Tuesday evening.
Home Office to amend registration rules for vulnerable EU citizens
The Public Law Project, which acted on the JCWI’s behalf, said: “Following key concessions to the claim by the home secretary, JCWI have today withdrawn their claim.” It said the agreement would have implications for hundreds of thousands of citizens nervous about their status because they were elderly, a carer, a stay-at-home parent, mentally ill, a student, homeless or out of work through no fault of their own. As part of the settlement, the government has expressly confirmed that it will not refuse settled status to anyone who is “economically active”, works part-time or those who do not have private health insurance.
Desperate 11th hour Brexit talks near collapse in Brussels after bitter clash between Attorney General and Michel Barnier
Eleventh hour talks for a new Brexit deal were last night on the verge of collapse as EU chiefs clashed bitterly with Cabinet ministers in Brussels. With just five days to go before a final showdown Commons vote, British and EU negotiators hit deadlock over a compromise on the Irish backstop. No10 admitted that Attorney General Geoffrey Cox’s meeting with Michel Barnier was “difficult” and the pair had “a robust exchange of views” – diplomatic code for a blazing row. It even emerged that the senior eurocrat’s deputy Sabine Weyand told EU ambassadors last night that the two sides are so far apart they will today discuss whether it’s even worth holding any further meetings.
Liam Fox defends spending £100,000 on a podcast listened to by 8,400 people
Liam Fox was asked again if his podcast presented value for taxpayers' money, he said: "It depends how many of the businesses that actually listened to it actually became exporters. If all 9,000 who listened to it became exporters then I’d say that was a successful project. If none of them did, I would question its value for money but that will depend on the review that we have to get data."
Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn 'reaches out' to Tory MPs over Norway plan
Jeremy Corbyn has said he is "looking at all the options" to prevent a no-deal Brexit after he met Tory MPs to discuss alternatives to the PM's deal if it rejected again by Parliament. The Labour leader held talks with ex-Tory ministers Nick Boles and Sir Oliver Letwin, who favour a closer, Norway-style relationship with the EU. He said he had discussed the so-called "Common Market 2.0 option" but would not commit to backing it at this stage. The UK is due to leave on 29 March.
Jeremy Corbyn working with Tory backbenchers to reach 'soft' Brexit deal
Jeremy Corbyn is working with Tory backbenchers to try to reach a ‘soft’ Brexit deal that can get the support of Parliament. The Labour leader held in-depth talks with a cross-party group of MPs who are backing a Norway-plus style Brexit. Afterwards, he said felt “more certain” and “more determined” than ever that a sensible compromise could be struck. Mr Corbyn hopes to secure a close economic relationship with the EU after Brexit that would keep both Leave and Remain voters happy. And he wants to move beyond Brexit to concentrate on crucial domestic issues that are currently being neglected.
Labour HQ Staff Threaten Strike Action After Rejecting Below-Inflation Pay Offer
Labour party staff are considering strike action after rejecting a below-inflation pay offer made by general secretary Jennie Formby. In a move that would cause Jeremy Corbyn huge embarrassment, some workers at the party’s HQ are threatening industrial action if a better deal fails to materialise, HuffPost UK has been told. On Wednesday, the GMB union’s Labour branch rejected an offer of a £600 flat rate increase in salary, and later this week Unite colleagues are expected to follow suit, sources said.
‘We are at War’ with Putin MPs told: his Aim is to Divide Europe
Dr Andrew Mumford answered the Committee’s question What do these states do, what do they want? “Fundamentally they want to disrupt the decision-making process within competitor states,” he told Parliament. “Essentially, acts of hybrid war try to put a competitor state on the horns of a dilemma. Overreaction looks like you are the belligerent one, under-reaction leaves elements of your national critical infrastructure at risk. … Everything is done below the threshold of response. … Those clear lines of command and control are not there, they are very murky.” Donnelly told the committee he believes deterrence is to some extent ‘impossible’ and that the UK may need to actively wage hybrid war on its competitors – a tactic that the UK does not currently use – in order to deter attacks.
'Highly likely' GRU hacked UK institute countering Russian fake news
The National Crime Agency is leading an investigation into a suspected cyber attack on a British institute that seeks to counter Russian disinformation, Sky News can reveal. Whitehall sources said it is highly likely that Russia's military intelligence service carried out the hack-and-leak of files from the little-known Institute for Statecraft. The move may have been in response to Britain implicating the GRU in the Salisbury spy poisoning last year and pledging to "shine a light" on the agency's covert activities, they said. Mr Donnelly, who speaks Russian and is an expert on the Kremlin and Russian military strategy, said the hackers used sophisticated techniques, not leaving behind easy-to-spot tracks, which he said was a further indication of a Kremlin-sponsored attack.
Calls for Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley to resign over 'not crimes' claim
Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has faced calls to resign after telling MPs that killings by the military and police during The Troubles "were not crimes". Amid a backlash at her remarks, the cabinet minister was forced to return to the House of Commons hours later on Wednesday to clarify that she was "not referring to any specific cases". Ms Bradley continued: "The under 10% that were at the hands of the military and police were not crimes; they were people acting under orders and instructions, fulfilling their duties in a dignified and appropriate way."
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Businesses 'in dark' over plans to cut trade tariffs
Ministers were accused of leaving businesses in the dark last night as it emerged they could cut up to 90 per cent of import tariffs under a no-deal Brexit. Industry leaders expressed fears of a shock if Britain departed the European Union without an agreement this month and axed duties that shield domestic companies from foreign competition. Corporate concern over Brexit disruption was heightened after Sky News reported that the Department for International Trade planned to cut more than 80 per cent of tariffs on goods if Britain left the EU without a deal on March 29.
Government accused of keeping tariff bonfire secret to avoid no-deal Brexit
The government is under fire over a “secret” plan to cut up to 90% of tariffs in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Sky News reported late on Tuesday that the government was planning to slash tariffs on 80%-90% of goods if the UK left with no deal, which would benefit consumers but damage the competitiveness of many British factories and farms. Anna Turley, a Labour MP on the business, energy and industrial strategy select committee, said the reported tariff cuts were “unbelievable”.
“Is the government giving up all pretence of Britain being able to make anything any more? This will open the door to floods of imports, from steel to ceramics,” she tweeted.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 8th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- A survey of the automotive industry, by leading independent law firm Brabners, has found that almost three quarters of the companies expect to move part of their operations outside of the UK during the next three years because of Brexit
- A labour market survey reported that UK employers were holding off from hiring permanent staff in February, adding to growing nerves prior to Brexit. February`s survey reading was the second weakest since June 2016
- Estate agent Countrywide cited Brexit woes amongst its problems, as it slid to a second consecutive annual loss of more than £200m
- LK Bennett has become the latest victim of the high street downturn, as it entered administration with 500 jobs at risk
- The Scottish government economist`s prediction that there would be a sharp rise in unemployment and a potential shock to the nation`s GDP of up to 7%, in the event of a No Deal Brexit, continues to be reported on
- The CBI said Brexit has negatively affected sales (down 58%) and UK investment (down 43%) and costs to businesses have increased (up 59%), as a result of Brexit uncertainty, and stockpiling of goods has become an everyday business reality (up 43%), because No Deal is `still on the table,` leaving businesses in the dark
- A study by the Office of National Statistics said that `life was getting better before the Brexit vote,` according to its measures of satisfaction and lifestyle. However, its data went on to capture a growing sense of buyers` regret over Brexit
- The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries said the average British adults` life expectancy has been cut by six months, a downward trend that began in 2011 and continues today
- There are reports that dissident Irish republicanism is viewing the prospect of a hard border in Northern Ireland and Brexit as an opportunity to recruit and to invoke the nationalist notion of Irish resistance to British rule once more
- No Deal Brexit will hit catering in schools, hospitals and care homes, according to a report in the Sunderland Echo
- The UK said it is preparing to launch an international research fund to fill a gap left by the loss of European Union funding
- Jeremy Corbyn has been discussing a Norway-style, Common Market 2.0 Brexit, with a number of former Tory Ministers - Nick Boles, Oliver Letwin. This is a departure from his recently announced plans to back a second referendum.
- The Independent reports that Corbyn`s second referendum announcement was more about party management than a firm policy commitment. It warns Jeremy Corbyn to tread carefully as large numbers of Labour Party members could feel a strong sense of betrayal
- The UK has been urged by the EU to submit acceptable Irish backstop plans. Reports from the media make it clear that there has been very little progress in negotiations between them. For example, The Guardian reported Geoffrey Cox flummoxed negotiators when he argued that a backstop per se could threaten Northern Irish human rights
- An Irish Times poll said the majority of people in Northern ireland are unhappy with the handling of Brexit by Theresa May and the DUP
- German finance minister Olaf Scholz said the country was prepared for all Brexit scenarios
- The Financial Times said Theresa May`s authority is on the line in next week`s 2nd meaningful vote as she looks set to receive another crushing defeat. Perhaps by as many as 100 votes.
- Arron Banks` company `Better for the Country` filed accounts. It is now £3.3m in the red. He continues to bankroll the organization, with £2m in loans. There are no new figures for Leave EU, which was £6.17m in the red as of September 30th 2017
- Fewer than half of Britain`s trade deals with non-EU countries will have been rolled over by the scheduled date of departure from the EU, the government confirmed. It has identified 161 agreement which need to be signed, and expects 64 to be so by March 29th, or shortly after, 64 may or may not be, and 33 agreements will definitely not happen
Jobs at Risk
UK automotive industry warns of Brexit exodus
Almost three quarters of automotive businesses expect to move part of their UK operations overseas in the next three years, according to a study by leading independent law firm Brabners. The new research, conducted with senior leaders from across the UK’s automotive supply chain, found that nine in 10 viewed the EU as the most attractive destination if they were to relocate part or even all of their UK operations.
UK firms hold off on permanent hires as Brexit nears - survey
British employers held off from hiring permanent staff in February, adding to signs of growing nerves ahead of Brexit in the country’s otherwise strong labour market, a survey of recruiters showed on Friday. February’s reading was the second-weakest survey reading since the shortly after the Brexit referendum in June 2016 following January’s slump to 49.7.
500 jobs at risk as LK Bennett collapses into administration
LK Bennett has become the latest victim of the high street downturn after collapsing into administration, putting about 500 jobs at risk. The upmarket fashion retailer, which has 41 shops and 480 staff, announced last week that it could enter administration unless funding is found to keep it afloat as it struggled with soaring business rates. Five stores - Brent Cross and Westbourne Grove in London, Meadowhall in Sheffield, as well as Bristol and Liverpool - will close immediately. Workers at the stores as well as some in head office have been made redundant immediately by ad
Market report: Brexit woe hits home at Countrywide
A second consecutive annual loss of more than £200m for Countrywide sent the UK’s biggest estate agent sliding to the bottom of London’s market as Brexit angst threatens to derail its turnaround. The company is implementing a “back to basics” plan to kick-start its recovery but Countrywide revealed that the turnaround has been hampered by a slump in property transactions as Brexit uncertainty bites. The company’s shares have been under pressure since last summer when it tapped investors for a £140m lifeline, aiming to slash its debt pile.
Economic Impact
Unemployment would rise after no-deal Brexit, top economist warns
A no-deal Brexit would be a “sharp shock”, increase unemployment and could shrink the Scottish economy by 7%, Scotland’s top economist warned MSPs. With just three weeks until the UK is due to leave the EU, the Scottish Government’s chief economic adviser said that they would not be able to mitigate all the damage caused by a no-deal Brexit. Giving evidence about his report into the economic impact if the UK leaves without an agreement in place, Dr Gary Gillespie told MSPs the Scottish economy would be between 2.5% and 7% lower compared with remaining. He said: “Despite the best government mitigation, a no-deal would impact a short, sharp shock to the economy.
'Brexit stalemate means growing damage today and weaker economy tomorrow'
Less than one month before the UK is set to leave the European Union, CBI affiliated firms believe: The recent uncertainty around Brexit has negatively affected sales (weighted balance of -58%) and UK investment (-43%) - Costs have increased significantly (+59%) as a result of Brexit uncertainty - Stockpiling of goods is an everyday business reality (+43%) with ‘no deal’ still on the table
Subsidy for wages can protect jobs, say Bank researchers
Temporary wage subsidies to stop companies laying off staff in a recession are an effective tool against joblessness, Bank of England researchers have said in analysis that might feed into the policy response to a no-deal Brexit. On its Bank Underground blog, the Bank published a study of “short-time work” (STW) schemes, which are used in other European countries to stabilise the economy in a shock. The researchers found that “the presence of STW schemes can reduce the fall in employment brought on by a recession”.
Brexit vote brought UK feelgood factor to abrupt halt, says ONS
It’s official: life in Britain was getting better before the Brexit vote. In the years up to 2016 people in the UK were on average feeling better about their lives, enjoying the data also captures a sense of buyer’s regret about Brexit. Between 2016 and 2018 the increase in the number of people believing that it was a good thing for EU citizens to have the right to work in the UK was higher than any other EU state – up by 11 percentage points. Then comes 2018, the proportion of people in the UK disagreeing that the country faced a better future outside the EU increased by six percentage points from spring 2016 to spring 2018. The ONS data reflects a sense of buyer’s regret about Brexit.
It's a complete myth that a no-deal Brexit would cripple the British economy
Like most Leave voters, my position has hardened. I still don’t relish the idea of leaving without a deal, but I’m now, for the first time, reconciled to doing so. As matters stand, a so-called no-deal (in reality, we’ve already agreed lots of mini-deals) would be our least bad option. It wouldn’t be pretty, especially for one or two industries, but would probably cost just 1-2 per cent of GDP.
Administrative Fall Out
Life expectancy falls by six months in biggest drop in UK forecasts
British adults’ life expectancy has been cut by six months in the biggest reduction in official longevity forecasts. The Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, which calculates life expectancy on behalf of the UK pension industry, declined to speculate on why longevity is deteriorating for men and women in England and Wales. Some analysts, however, blame austerity and cuts in NHS spending, others point to worsening obesity, dementia and diabetes.
UK community groups receive funding to help vulnerable EU migrants
UK organisations such as food banks, addiction centres and libraries are to receive public funds to help vulnerable EU nationals apply for settled status, to avoid a “second Windrush” generation losing their legal rights after Brexit. Migration campaigners have been warning that the pressure to register 3.5m EU citizens with new immigration credentials in the next two years could result in mass disenfranchisement, especially among the elderly, disabled, homeless and mentally ill. Those lacking internet access or necessary language skills are also at risk. Immigration officials are working on the basis that as many as 10 to 20 per cent of all EU nationals in the UK could be considered vulnerable and in need of assistance with the process.
Brexit is a 'huge help' to Irish republicanism, says dissident leader
Brexit is a “huge help” to Irish republicanism and will fuel violent resistance to British rule in Northern Ireland, a dissident republican leader has claimed. The UK’s departure from the European Union has refocused attention on the border and the “colonialist” partition of Ireland, boosting efforts to politicise a new generation of Irish nationalists, Brian Kenna, chairman of the political party Saoradh, told the Guardian. “Brexit has been a small pilot light in reigniting that side of physical force to British occupation,” he said. Kenna spoke in an interview before three improvised explosive devices were found at separate transport hubs in London on Tuesday. At least two of the packages bore Irish stamps and postmarks.
No Deal Brexit will impact on catering in schools, hospitals and care homes
Public sector catering includes schools, universities, hospitals, care homes and prisons; and therefore caters for some of the most vulnerable in our society. It is estimated that 10.5 million people in the UK rely on public sector catering for some of their food, of which some are completely reliant for all of their meals. Away from all the Brexit arguing, are people, young and old, who will suffer in the event of a No Deal Brexit.
East Midlands Airport battles to keep cargo moving amid Brexit uncertainty
East Midlands Airport officials are in the dark on whether all cargo will be subject to further checks after Brexit. Extra border force officers are on standby if more checks are required on cargo from the EU after Brexit. About 365,000 tonnes of freight passes through the airport every year, making it the second largest freight airport in the UK after Heathrow. No one seems to know what will happen after the UK leaves the EU or whether all cargo will be subject to further checks. "We're still waiting for government guidance on how that will look," Mr Morris says.
Eurostar cancellations and Eurotunnel delays continue
Cross-Channel train services are being thrown into chaos again today as militant French trade unions continue a 'Brexit-style' checking system. Eurostar was reporting cancellations and delays to services from its Paris hub, where long queues started to build from 6am. Although nothing has yet changed, 'aggressive' questioning and passport checking has begun, travellers said. Meanwhile ferry firm DFDS announced on Twitter at 6am that delays had already reached 60 minutes on its Dover to Dunkirk service. One frustrated driver in Calais shared a video online as he drove past parked trucks for more than four minutes in what is believed to be a 15-mile tailback.
Brexit 'means fresh look' at boosting Scottish farming
Britain's departure from the EU could be an opportunity to "look afresh" at boosting Scotland's agriculture industry, a leading expert has said. Prof Wayne Powell, principal of Scotland's Rural College, said rural economies in places such as New Zealand and Norway were well ahead of Scotland. The main EU subsidy paid to UK farmers is to be phased out after Brexit. Experts have said Scotland's economy could be boosted by £4.5bn with a rural university.
Brexit: Will UK Government hear the prayers of Scots? – leader comment
Brexit was supposed to have been pretty much sorted last year. We were supposed to be entering an orderly transition period towards the end of this month. But it’s now March and no one is able to say with any certainty what is going to happen next. As MPs flirt with the idea of a no-deal Brexit – despite the catastrophic effect this could have on our economy and, also, relations with the EU – they should bear in mind that, across Scotland, people are literally praying for this crisis to be averted.
Birds Bakery begins stockpiling as Brexit deadline looms
Birds is stockpiling a number of ingredients it imports from the European Union as the Brexit deadline looms closer. Staff at the well-known bakery, based in Derby, revealed on Sky News that they have started squirrelling away their stash from the continent due to the uncertainly of what will happen come the end of the month.
Mike Holling, head of retail at the company, is calling on the Government to end the uncertainty "once and for all". He said: "Fifty percent of our ingredients comes from the UK and 40 per cent come from outside the country but from the European Union.
'Terrified' produce growers in southern Spain brace for Brexit pain
Farmers in Spain are concerned that Britain’s impending departure from the European Union could have a huge impact on their business. The trade in fresh produce hinges on getting goods to market promptly. By throwing up borders with the 27 countries remaining in the EU, Brexit could mean long, costly waits for trucks at customs posts. The prospect of UK import tariffs, volatile exchange rates and a potentially wounded British economy is also setting off alarm bells among farmers, workers and officials on the Mediterranean coast.
Brexit: Why are vets being recruited?
The Irish government is advertising a 4m euro (£3.4m) contract to recruit vets to carry out animal inspections in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Northern Ireland has already recruited additional vets and says further appointments are planned. It remains unclear whether any checks could take place at the Irish border. But EU law says animal products (including livestock) have to be inspected at the point they enter the single market. "We could see a surge in demand for border checks on animals and animal products," says Aurelie Moralis, president of the Northern Ireland branch of the British Veterinary Association.
'I'm embarrassed!' Top violinist vows to leave the UK due to Brexit
A top violinist has claimed he is ready to leave the UK due to Brexit, claiming he was “embarrassed” to be associated with the country. Nigel Kennedy lashed out at Brexiteers, claiming most of those who voted to leave did not realise the consequences. And he praised calls for a second referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. Speaking to Germany newspaper Die Welt, Mr Kennedy said: "I'm embarrassed to be British - even though I'm half Irish.
UK considers post-Brexit research fund open to world
The UK government is considering creating an international research fund to fill a gap left by the loss of prestigious European Union funding after Brexit. Adrian Smith, director of the Alan Turing Institute in London, will lead a “major” project with the research community to look at establishing such a fund, UK science minister Chris Skidmore told a parliamentary science committee on 5 March. He said that such a fund, if established, would be open to international as well as British scientists.
How five smaller UK firms are preparing for a no-deal Brexit
Britain has 5.7m small and medium-sized enterprises, defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees, and concerns about a potentially disorderly departure from the EU span many sectors. Theresa May’s deal is due to be put to a parliamentary vote on Tuesday. If the government is defeated, MPs will vote on successive days on whether to block a no-deal Brexit and whether to extend the departure date. Meanwhile, British SMEs try to plan for an uncertain future.
Brexit: Why Derby isn't changing its mind about voting Leave
In 2016, nearly 60% of voters in Derby opted to leave the European Union and there is very little evidence since then that Derby regrets that decision. "It was divisive. It continues to be divisive. But issues like funding for the NHS, council cuts, immigration and a feeling of regaining sovereignty are still very strong amongst our readers," says Oliver Astley, digital content editor of the Derby Telegraph. And whilst in some areas of Britain there is some evidence to suggest a change of heart towards Brexit, a recent poll carried out by the newspaper suggested that the result would remain the same if a second referendum was held.
European parliament to keep Scotland office after Brexit
The European Parliament has decided to retain an office in Scotland after Brexit.
BBC Scotland understands the parliament's Edinburgh operation will stay open until at least the end of next year. MEPs said it would provide advice to EU citizens living in Scotland and Scottish organisations seeking to maintain EU links. The Scottish government said it hoped the office would become permanent.
Brexit: Millions face 'Friday deadline' to renew passports in case of no-deal, says Which?
Millions of UK holidaymakers have been warned they need to renew their passports by tomorrow or face being barred from entering several European countries under a no-deal Brexit. Up to 3.5 million people risk falling foul of rules for entering countries in the Schengen zone, such as France, Spain and Italy, according to consumer group Which?. The rules state that visitors from non-EU countries must have at least six months left on their passport before its expiry date on the day of travel.
Political Shenanigans
'Common market 2.0' – Jeremy Corbyn talks to former Tory ministers
Jeremy Corbyn has met Conservative former ministers promoting a Norway-style Brexit, raising the possibility that Labour could join a cross-party majority to force Theresa May’s hand. Former ministers Nick Boles and Oliver Letwin, as well as Labour MPs Lucy Powell and Stephen Kinnock, met Corbyn after prime minister’s questions to discuss their “common market 2.0” plan. Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer was not present. A Labour spokesman said they had met to “discuss how to achieve a deal that would be good for jobs and could bring leave and remain voters together”.
Brexit: UK urged to submit 'acceptable' backstop remedies
The PM is seeking legally-enforceable changes to the backstop - an insurance policy designed to prevent physical checks on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, but there have been few visible signs of progress.
MPs are due to vote for a second time on the Brexit deal next week. If they reject the deal again, they will get to choose between leaving without a deal or deferring the UK's exit from the EU beyond the scheduled date of 29 March.
Here Are The Two New Ideas Geoffrey Cox Presented To The EU
Tuesday’s meeting is described in the note as “negative.” It states that Cox, who is leading the talks for the UK side, presented the idea of an “arbitration panel” that would determine if the two sides were acting in good faith and were being reasonable in their efforts to identify alternative arrangements to the backstop — the insurance policy that guarantees that there can be no hard border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in all circumstances. Cox also proposed the concept of a new “mini backstop” that would limit the mechanism to only cover elements that relate to border infrastructure. Both ideas were rejected by Barnier. “[Barnier] requested fresh drafting,” the note read.
May should 'of course' deny another Scottish independence vote - Hunt
Britain’s government should “of course” deny a request for a new referendum on Scottish independence if one is made, foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday, wading into a row about secession fuelled by Brexit. Speaking at the University of Glasgow, Hunt said British Prime Minister Theresa May would reject any request by Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for a fresh vote on secession - something nationalist activists are pushing for because of unhappiness about Brexit.
Germany is prepared for all Brexit scenarios - Finance Minister Scholz
Germany and its customs authority are prepared for all Brexit scenarios, including Britain crashing out of the European Union without a divorce deal setting out future relations, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz said on Thursday. “All necessary precautions have been taken,” Scholz said during a visit to a logistics hub at an airport in the eastern city of Leipzig, adding that the government had already agreed to hire 900 additional customs officers.
Fears post-Brexit prosperity fund could go to LEPs
Senior councillors have voiced concerns that the post-Brexit shared prosperity fund will be allocated to local enterprise partnerships (LEPs) rather than councils. During meetings today of both the Local Government Association’s councillors’ forum and executive, some councillors said they had been led to believe by Ministry of Housing, Community & Local Government officials or their local LEP that the fund would not be distributed through councils.
This is Brexit's week of Waterloo
A maximum extension period, with it possible for the UK to leave at any point short of its termination, is a wholly different proposition. It doesn’t matter if May says she ‘definitely’ doesn’t want more than two or three months. The EU response would be: ‘Fine if you can agree the present deal by the end of June, but since we are not convinced on past form that you can do so, we are giving you a longer period too, without the need for any further crisis negotiation this year.’
BREXIT FURY: ‘Unless miracle happens’ May deal will FAIL – Remainers blamed for deadlock
Cabinet ministers Geoffrey Cox and Stephen Barclay returned from Brussels yesterday without any sign of a breakthrough in the wrangle after EU chief negotiator as Michel Barnier rebuffed their demands for changes to the so-called “backstop” measures. Their failure to make progress left Theresa May facing a fresh crushing Commons defeat over her Withdrawal Agreement at Westminster next Tuesday. While EU and UK officials were continued the talks, angry Brexiteer MPs blamed the hard-line Tory Remainers pressing the Prime Minister to rule out a no-deal departure for the impasse.
Theresa May faces these TWO key problems blocking her deal from passing in Parliament
Two problems will arise when Attorney General Geoffrey Cox brings a Brexit deal back to the House of Commons, predicts Mark Francois. The Brexiteer MP pointed out the Attorney General will not be able to give a legal opinion on the agreement as he is involved in the negotiations and, secondly, Theresa May has not secured a “clear mandate” on replacing the Brexit backstop.
Here's how Britain and Poland's relationship will continue to thrive after Brexit
Poland's UK ambassador, Arkady Rzegocki, writes for readers of the Daily Telegraph. He argues that Brexit is not going to impact on the UK-Polish relationship an desire to work together which has remained strong over time
What happens if May's Brexit deal is voted down? And if it passes?
May will breathe a sigh of relief if her deal manages to squeak over the line on Tuesday, but not for long. She will probably still have to obtain a short technical extension of article 50 from Brussels to pass the legislation that needs to be in place for Brexit Day. At that point, having achieved a departure from the EU that pleases neither Brexiters nor remainers, she would have to decide whether to try to limp on as prime minister or announce a timetable for standing down to avoid being pushed out by her party.
May’s authority on the line as defeat on Brexit vote looms
Theresa May is making contingency plans for a crushing defeat of her Brexit deal next week, amid fears in Downing Street that her authority will be swept away in a series of humiliating Commons reverses. Mrs May is expected to make a dash to Brussels on Sunday — or even at dawn on Monday — as she tries to extract last-minute concessions from the EU that might turn parliamentary opinion in favour of her Brexit deal.
Brexit row hits Scottish Labour on eve of conference
In a sharp illustration of tensions within the Scottish party, Mr Leonard’s predecessor as Scottish party leader this week accused him of censoring anti-Brexit opponents. In a leaked letter, Kezia Dugdale formally complained to Mr Leonard about “wholly inappropriate” changes to a statement by departing Scottish Labour members of the European Parliament that was published in the official conference guide.
Political Setbacks
Backstop may threaten Northern Irish human rights, says Cox
Geoffrey Cox said unless the Irish backstop could be shown to be a temporary arrangement, it risked breaching protocol 1, article 3 of the Human Rights Convention, which protects the rights of people to vote in order to choose their legislature. In what appeared to be a curve ball, Cox told the EU that Northern Irish citizens would be unrepresented in the EU’s decision-making institutions, including the European parliament, thereby diminishing their rights.
Irish Times poll: Majority in North unhappy with handling of Brexit by May and DUP
The poll finds that Northern voters are deeply dissatisfied with the management of Brexit by the UK government and, most significantly, with the Democratic Unionist Party, with more than three-quarters of all voters saying they are dissatisfied with the UK government. Two-thirds of all voters (67 per cent) say the DUP is doing a bad job of representing Northern Ireland at Westminster, while 69 per cent of people – including 57 per cent of those from a Protestant background – are dissatisfied with DUP leader Arlene Foster.
Labour warned against ‘betraying’ members as party admits it may not back fresh Brexit referendum
Sources close to the Labour leadership confirmed that the party is not advocating a referendum on anything other than a “damaging Tory Brexit” and will not support one if Britain leaves the EU on terms that Labour backs. The Independent has learnt that the issue was the subject of a row between Mr Corbyn’s shadow ministers that pitted Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry against Brexit-backing frontbenchers led by Jon Trickett. As it dawned on Labour Remainers today, a prominent MP who backs the People’s Vote campaign warned that a failure of the party to follow through on the pledge to back a new referendum would be seen as a “betrayal”.
Breaking point: The brilliant poster showing the real threats to the country
Led By Donkeys, together with For our Future’s Sake, today hired the exact same van used by Farage to launch his referendum poster showing a queue of mostly non-white migrants and refugees with the slogan “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all” and drove it to Westminster’s Smith Square, the same place he launched it.
But they gave it a redesign: replacing the migrants with Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson, Liam Fox, David Davis and Farage himself, and tagging it “The UK is being swamped by a tide of incompetents”. The campaigners said: “By taking the exact same ad van that Nigel Farage used to launch his vile poster in 2016 and replacing it with our own version, we hope to go a little way towards cleansing our country of that noxious moment.
Delay Brexit for year to prevent ‘impending national disaster’, urges Gordon Brown
Brexit should be delayed for up to a year to prevent an “impending national disaster” and allow proper consideration of the UK’s future relationship with Brussels, Gordon Brown said. The former prime minister said an extension to Article 50 was “inescapable” to avoid chaos on the scheduled March 29 departure date from the European Union. He said that extending the period by 12 months would allow MPs to listen to the public through a “citizens’ consultation” on the detail of current Brexit proposals and the alternative options.
May’s authority on the line as defeat on Brexit vote looms
The prime minister’s team fears another defeat on Wednesday when MPs are likely to vote on whether to allow Britain to leave without a deal, an option Mrs May says the UK should retain for negotiating purposes. A third vote could take place on Thursday next week on whether to extend the Article 50 exit process from the EU.
Mrs May’s team says that the votes on delay and no-deal could be held back-to-back on Wednesday to avoid a cascade of humiliations for Mrs May through the week, even if there would no disguising the scale of the defeat.
Former Brexit minister Suella Braverman insists Portsmouth port will work ‘just as effectively’ after Britain leaves European Union
Former Brexit minister Suella Braverman has insisted the city’s port will function ‘just as effectively’ after Britain leaves the European Union. Hampshire’s local resilience forum has drawn up contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit, including preparing land and a triage system near the port at Tipner West. Planners fear any delay at the border would lead to the backing-up of lorries on the M275 – rapidly spreading to the M27 within minutes.
Theresa May urged to safeguard emergency food supplies in no-deal Brexit
Theresa May has been urged by more than a dozen major charities to safeguard food supplies for vulnerable people in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The Trussell Trust, Church Action on Poverty and FareShare were among 15 organisations to write to the prime minister calling for a “hardship fund”, which would be used to help those worst hit if Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal. They warned that services like meals on wheels and free school dinners, as well as supplies to food banks, homeless hostels and refuges, could be adversely hit if food prices increase. These services feed millions of people every day. Children, the elderly, hospital patients and low-income families could all be affected, the charities said.
MANDRAKE: Arron Banks' Brexit campaign outfit £3m in red
Arron Banks is not letting a National Crime Agency investigation dampen his ardour for Better for the Country. New accounts, just in at Companies House, reveal that Banks has continued to bankroll the controversial outfit with £2 million in loans, but, for all his largesse, it’s now £3.3m in the red. The multi-million-pound admin expenses were reported in the 2017 accounts for Better for the Country at at £611,184 for 2017, plus £12.4m for 2016. There are no new figures for Leave EU, which was £6.17m in the red at September 30, 2017. Officially, the NCA investigation concerns the entities Better for the Country and Leave.EU, as well as Banks, Elizabeth Bilney and other individuals.
Belfast Shows the Price of Brexit
If the U.K. exits the EU warrant system, it will have to stand up its own—and if that new system does not pass muster with EU courts, Irish police might not be allowed to extradite wanted criminals. The harder border will militarize. Over the past three days, as I’ve had many conversations with Irish politicians and officials, both with those still serving and even more with those who are retired, the word that recurred most often in discussions of Brexit was betrayal. They imagined that they had at last awoken from Joyce’s nightmare. Now it has returned, scarier than ever.
Brexit is a 'huge help' to Irish republicanism, says dissident leader
Brexit is a “huge help” to Irish republicanism and will fuel violent resistance to British rule in Northern Ireland, a dissident republican leader has claimed. The UK’s departure from the European Union has refocused attention on the border and the “colonialist” partition of Ireland, boosting efforts to politicise a new generation of Irish nationalists, Brian Kenna, chairman of the political party Saoradh, told the Guardian. “Brexit has been a small pilot light in reigniting that side of physical force to British occupation,” he said. Kenna spoke in an interview before three improvised explosive devices were found at separate transport hubs in London on Tuesday. At least two of the packages bore Irish stamps and postmarks.
Brexit talks contain uncanny echoes of events a century ago
The tortuous talks on Brexit, which are now entering a critical stage, contain uncanny echoes of the events of a century ago that reshaped the continent of Europe. One of the threads that links past and present is the Irish Border, which had its origins in the great political controversy over Home Rule that dominated politics in Ireland and Britain on the eve of the first World War. Back in the summer of 1914 in an effort to avert a political crisis that threatened to unleash a civil war across the United Kingdom, King George V convened a conference of British and Irish political leaders at Buckingham Palace. One of the big issues was whether some counties of Ulster should be excluded on a temporary basis from the remit of an Irish parliament and if so which ones.
New IRA 'has recruited dozens of dissidents amid mounting anger over Brexit'
Up to 200 active members have signed up to Republican terror groups amid anger over Brexit, a source has claimed
Government 'in chaos’ as Brexit department boss to quit on EU departure date
Pro-EU campaigners have blasted the Government after it emerged the top civil servant in the Brexit department will quit the day the UK leaves the EU. Philip Rycroft will retire as permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union on 29 March after just over a year in the role. It means the office will soon be on its third boss in less than three years, after former permanent secretary Olly Robins was moved to the Cabinet Office in 2018. Labour MP and People's Vote campaigner Jo Stevens said the personnel moves at the top of the department were "a reflection of the whole Brexit process – shambolic and doomed to fail".
Facebook finds UK-based 'fake news' network
Facebook has removed more than 130 accounts, pages and groups it says were part of a UK-based misinformation network. The company said it was the first time it had taken down a UK-based group targeting messages at British citizens. The same group set up pages posing both as far-right outlets and anti-fascist activists.
Facebook said it had shared its discovery with law enforcement and the government. The group was able to gain followers by setting up innocent-looking pages and groups. It later renamed them, and started posting politically-motivated content. MP Damian Collins, who chairs a committee investigating fake news, said it was the "tip of the iceberg".
The political plot to engineer a soft Brexit is doomed to fail spectacularly
The pressure on pro-Brexit opponents of May’s deal continues. This morning, Chancellor Philip Hammond threatened that if Parliament does not pass May’s deal, the UK will not leave on March 29th as scheduled and the delay will be used by opponents of Brexit to achieve a much “softer” post-Brexit deal. This argument is confused and unconvincing. It is confused in that the main objections to May’s deal are not how “soft” a Brexit it implies. The main objections are that it makes the EU, not the UK, sovereign over the key economic laws of Ireland, in violation of the Belfast Agreement, and that it involves paying £40bn we don’t owe the EU for nothing in return
After Brexit, Britain will be a rule-taker
Free-enterprise Brexiters railing against supposedly excessive EU red tape have never understood the relationship between common rules and open markets. Liberalising trade across national frontiers requires shared standards to ensure a level playing field. The single market has had great success in promoting trade because the EU has been able to harmonise the rules. They are wrong. The simple fact is that in today’s global economy, rulemaking is the property of the most powerful players. If you are one of the world’s biggest importers you can insist others meet your standards. Likewise, if you have a serious grip on a particular industry you can set sector-wide norms. The EU, the US, and, to varying degrees, China, Japan and India all fit this bill. Britain is not big enough. Within the EU it has been at once a rulemaker and a rule-taker. Outside, its only real choice will be between whether it should accept rules from Brussels or elsewhere.
James O'Brien just proved that these old promises about Brexit have turned out to be completely false
There are no two ways about it, James O'Brien has an excellent skill for cutting through obfuscating Brexiteers' arguments, and getting to the truth of the matter.
Now, the long-suffering Remainer, and LBC radio host, has turned his ire on politicians' historical claims about Brexit, and proved them to be complete and utter 'hogwash'. With only 23 days to go before Brexit, and no deal with the EU in sight, his frustration at the situation is getting more and more palpable, as he tears those responsible for this 'shambles' to shreds.
For leavers, it is not about the economy
Few of the 17.4 million who voted Leave in 2016 ever wanted any of that. Most of them come from a different place than Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg. I’ve tried to understand Leave voters partly by going through surveys, with help from Matthew Goodwin of the University of Kent. I’ve also consulted my private hotline to a subcategory of Leavers: several hundred FT readers who have emailed me since 2016 in response to my out-of-touch elitist Remoaning. The vast majority of Leave voters know what they voted for, still believe it and are unmoved by the latest Remainer arguments. That’s because the three-year dialogue of the deaf between the two Britains continues: Remainers talk economics, while most Leavers talk culture.
@JolyonMaugham Cummings made the tactical choice to allow Brexit to mean different things to different people. That was the only way he could get a "mandate".
Before elevating Cummings to sainthood, remember: he made the tactical choice to allow Brexit to mean different things to different people. That was the only way he could get a "mandate". There was no way then and is no way now to resolve the contradictions. That's the problem.
As foreign secretary I argued against an EU referendum. Now I back one
The UK is in a Brexit dead end and May’s deal satisfies no one. I don’t see any way out other than allowing voters the final say
Brexit deal 'will be defeated by 100 votes', ministers believe, after talks in Brussels collapse
Theresa May’s Cabinet is resigned to her Brexit deal being defeated by up to 100 votes next week after talks in Brussels collapsed without progress on Wednesday.
Downing Street is already making plans for a third “meaningful vote” on the deal on the assumption that Tuesday’s vote is lost, and Mrs May is considering making a major speech on Friday to plead for support from MPs. One minister said it appeared “certain” that the Commons vote on the Brexit deal will be lost, and that Mrs May’s next move would depend on the scale of the defeat. Meanwhile the Chief Whip, Julian Smith, has warned MPs their Easter break could be cancelled if Brexit is delayed
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Majority of UK’s non-EU trade deals still up in the air
Fewer than half of Britain’s deals with non-EU countries will have been rolled over by the country’s scheduled date of departure from the European bloc, the UK government has said. The Department of Exiting the European Union said that it had identified 161 agreements with non-EU countries — including trade and aviation deals — that would need to be updated after Brexit. Of those, 64 are certain or highly likely to be replicated by March 29 or shortly after, 64 may or may not be, and 33 definitely won’t be.
Most EU treaties won’t be replicated in UK by 29 March, says minister
Brexit secretary confirms only 43 of 161 agreements seen as essential have been rolled over
Fear of Brexit disruption stalks Turkey-UK trade ties
Turkey and the UK have a strong political relationship, and have spent the three years since the Brexit vote informally discussing the outline of a future free trade agreement. But Theresa May’s government made clear last month that an Ankara-London deal would not be in place in time for Britain’s scheduled exit date of March 29. Turkey’s status as a customs union partner but a non-EU state means that its hands are tied until the EU has itself struck a deal with the UK, experts said.
Brexit: Will it affect the Kenyan flower trade?
As Britain prepares to leave the European Union, workers in Kenya's flower industry are closely monitoring developments. Flowers are big business in Kenya and earnings from exports have doubled in the past five years. A key export destination is the UK, which most of the flowers enter after being auctioned in the Netherlands. Growers and exporters in Kenya are asking the same question - what impact will Brexit have on the flower trade?
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 11th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Drugmaker Shionogi is moving its European HQ out of the UK to the Netherlands
- Ireland`s Lakeland Dairies has expressed alarm at the extra costs a No Deal Brexit would heap on it and its cross-border merger partner
- Reuters records the fact that 275 firms are moving a combined $1.2tr in assets and funds, plus thousands of staff, out of the UK to the EU - at a cost of $4bn
- 50 Northern Irish businesses warned UK lawmakers of economic and social risks from a no-deal Brexit in a letter
- While speaking in Glasgow, Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, learnt about an oil industry report which says WTO-style tariffs could add at least £500m to the sector`s annual trade bill
- The Bank of England has told some UK lenders to triple the amount of easy-to-sell assets they hold to help them weather any no deal Brexit liquidity crisis
- Belgium`s customs authority is advising businesses trading with the UK to `hit pause` for a period just after March 29th
- Scotland`s Housing Minister, Kevin Stewart, will say leaving the EU without a deal will damage investor confidence in residential assets and the build-to-rent market
- Northern Ireland`s Retail Consortium chiefs are predicting a dip in living standards in the event of No Deal Brexit
- Metropolitan police have been banned from taking holiday days so there will be sufficient officers in the event of civil disorder
- A Sky Data poll revealed 28% of people are stockpiling food and essential items in preparation for a No Deal Brexit
- Summer holiday bookings were about level year-on-year in January, but they slumped by 9-10% in February, as Brexit drew near
- The government data system to register the 3m EU citizens living permanently in the UK cannot handle women`s maiden names
- The government is also refusing to say what it intends to use the EU citizens data for
- The government is planning a £3.5m advertising campaign pleading with EU citizens not to leave and to get registered to achieve settled status
- The head of the Chemical Industries Association warned that a No Deal Brexit was threat to billions of pounds of chemicals, many vital to manufacturing and UK infrastructure
- Greenpeace revealed the Brexit commotion about fishing rights is `cooked up` as fish quotas have been swapped or sold long ago, and are in the hands of a virtual cartel of just a few handful of owners
Political Shenanigans
- Theresa May has come away from negotiations with the EU empty handed
- May is coming under fire to announce a date for her departure due to unease over her handling of the withdrawal deal
- The Eurosceptic wing of the Conservatives sees Theresa May`s departure date as essential, before they will support a deal
- The EU team are aware that Theresa May is likely to play the blame game. So Michel Barnier publicly Tweeted his proposals last week, to show he was not just saying no to everything
- There are rumours of political plots flying everywhere. Tory leadership contenders were supposedly jostling for position. They were plotting to keep the UK in a customs union with the EU. There was also rumoured to be only two Cabinet members backing her still
- Surveys carried out by YouGov suggested that there was no majority support for Theresa May`s deal in any constituency in the UK
- Labour`s Jeremy Corbyn is not pushing forward with the Second Referendum proposal he commited to. His efforts are focused on the revived Wilson-Kyle Proposal which allows Labour to abstain on May`s deal in return for a guarantee it will be put to the country in a vote
- Almost all political pundits are predicting Theresa May`s deal will lose Tuesday`s vote by a huge margin
- There is talk that Theresa May will pull Wednesday`s vote to take No Deal off the table in Parliament, and instead, push for a third go at getting her deal approved at, or around the time of, the next EU Summit on March 21st
- Young people who were too young to cast a ballot in 2016 (approximately 2m) have been polled and 74% of them said they would vote to Remain in a second referendum
- There was an epic `stare-off` between Will Self and eurosceptic Mark Francois MP on a BBC Politics show
Jobs at Risk
Japanese drugmaker moves European HQ from London over Brexit
A Japanese pharmaceutical company that based its European headquarters in London five years ago and was praised for doing so by then London mayor Boris Johnson, is now planning to move the base to the Netherlands in preparation for Brexit. Shionogi’s planned move makes it the latest in a string of Japanese companies — including Panasonic and Sony — looking to restructure their European operations to insulate themselves from disruption caused by Britain’s departure from the EU.
Lakeland Dairies: Dairy giant warns of Brexit impact
Brexit could hit the bottom line of a huge new cross-Irish border dairy business, its boss has said. Michael Hanley is the chief executive of Lakeland Dairies. It has just merged with another big player in the Northern Ireland milk market - LacPatrick - to create a new venture. Mr Hanley said Brexit would mean extra costs, build inefficiency into the business and could reduce profits
Brexit fallout on UK finance intensifies - think tank
More than 275 financial firms are moving a combined $1.2 trillion (£925.4 billion) in assets & funds and thousands of staff from Britain to the European Union in readiness for Brexit at a cost of up to $4 billion, a report from a think tank said on Monday.
Northern Ireland firms warn of economic, social risks from no-deal Brexit
Northern Ireland businesses urged British lawmakers on Sunday to seek a compromise over the country’s departure from the European Union and avoid the economic and social risks the province faces in crashing out of the bloc without a deal. Ahead of a vote on Tuesday on the divorce agreement struck with the bloc last year, more than 50 businesses warned members of parliament in an open letter of the dangers of failing to unite behind a way forward that avoids a hard border and protects peace and economic progress in Northern Ireland.
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt sparks oil and gas row with Brexit deal vow
An industry report has suggested WTO-style tariffs could add £500 million to the sector’s annual EU trade bill. The prospect of more customs red-tape has led to fears that equipment imported from Europe will be delayed. With EU nationals accounting for 5% of oil and gas workers in the UK, the industry is also anxious to protect its workforce. On the question of tariffs, Mr Hunt said there would be “clarity” on the issue if Mrs May’s deal is backed by parliament on Tuesday.
Economic Impact
BOE tells some UK lenders to triple amount of liquid assets before Brexit - FT
The Bank of England has told some UK lenders to triple the amount of easy-to-sell assets they hold to help them weather any no-deal Brexit crisis, the Financial Times reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the situation. The BOE has told some lenders to hold enough liquid assets to be able to cope with stress of 100 days, instead of the regular 30 days that BOE’s Prudential Regulation Authority rules demand, the FT reported. A Bank of England spokeswoman said the central bank had no immediate comment.
Brexit: Belgium tells companies to halt exports to UK after March 29
Belgium’s customs authority is advising companies that export to the UK to halt shipments after Brexit day to avoid customs chaos in the event of a no-deal scenario. Kristian Vanderwaeren, chief executive of Belgian customs, called for a “Brexitpauze” after 29 March and said firms should do as much of their exporting as they can before new controls have to come in. “Who are we as customs to give the business world instructions? But we are still asking the SMEs and all other parties to wait. Do the necessary export to your customers before 29 March,” he told Belgian business newspaper De Tijd.
Trading slips away from London ahead of Brexit
Few expect London to lose its position as Europe’s biggest financial hub, but Britain’s departure from the EU is turning into a multibillion-euro boost for the bloc’s protracted efforts to build a deeper capital market to rival the UK capital.
Administrative Fall Out
Northern Ireland businesses voice fears of 'no deal' Brexit
More than 50 businesses have written an open letter to MPs expressing concern over the prospect of a 'no deal' Brexit. Local businesses believe that the failure to approve a deal with Europe on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU will have significant repercussions for the local economy. Such a scenario will both hinder indigenous and foreign direct investment, it would result in significant job losses and will stifle opportunities for the next generation across Northern Ireland.
No-deal Brexit could damage Scotland’s housing sector, minister warns
A no-deal Brexit could cause serious problems for Scotland’s housing sector, the housing minister has warned. Kevin Stewart will say that leaving the EU without a deal could damage investor confidence in residential assets and the build-to-rent market when he writes to housing organisations and stakeholders next week. He will also say that inflation and interest rate fluctuation could affect rents, the financial health of Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) and the availability and cost of finance for new-build homes.
Business owner fights back tears whilst talking about the damage that Brexit could do to her company
With just 20 days to go until Brexit and still no deal in sight or any idea as to what on Earth is going on, British people are starting to get worried.
Science has dim view of Brexit voters’ brains
Researchers gave 11,225 volunteers psychological tests before the referendum and asked how they intended to vote. Results suggest that leavers tended to be less numerate, more impulsive and more prone to accept the unsupported claims of authoritarian figures. “Compared with remain voters, leave voters displayed significantly lower levels of numeracy and appeared more reliant on impulsive thinking,” said the researchers. The study was commissioned by Britain’s Online Privacy Foundation and analysed by scientists at Missouri University.
Brexit: NI consumer faces 'dip in living standard'
Consumers could face rising costs post-Brexit, a retail expert has warned. NI Retail Consortium director Aodhán Connolly said a no-deal Brexit would mean a rise in household costs. Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's On Your Behalf, he said he had heard of a small amount of stockpiling, but advised people not to panic buy. Mr Connolly was one of a panel of experts who addressed Brexit concerns at the Consumer Council's consumer parliament in Belfast on Friday.
Police banned from taking holiday ahead of Brexit as Met fear 'civil disorder'
Restrictions have been put in place to stop police officers taking annual leave as the Brexit deadline draws ever-closer. The move, according to police chiefs, will mean there will be “sufficient officers and staff available” to deal with any issues that may arise from Brexit. The Metropolitan Police has “placed restrictions” on the amount of leave their staff can take, as well as other forces such as Hampshire Police. Officers said restrictions apply to “certain dates in March and April 2019”, though they told Sky News they would not be cancelling all holiday for officers. It said the measure was to “allow the service to have sufficient officers and staff available to deal with any issues arising from the UK leaving the EU”.
German port casts anxious eye across the sea at Brexit
...back in Cuxhaven, both Mr Zint and Mr Barth sounded confident that even a no-deal Brexit would leave their business broadly intact. But they — like much of the rest of German business — found it hard to hide their bewilderment at the political course set by the UK. Mr Zint said: “When you see that the head of Airbus questions whether the company can still have production in the UK, or when Honda says they will close their plant, you would expect that more people would voice their concerns regarding Brexit.”
'Stockpiling for no-deal Brexit buffers my family from risks'
A Sky Data poll has revealed 28% of people are stockpiling in preparation for a no-deal Brexit, or have thought about doing so. In Cornwall, Nevine Mann and her family have been buying extra food and supplies since last summer to make sure she is prepared if there is no deal as Britain leaves the European Union.
Nobel-winner Paul Nurse on Brexit: ‘The UK is turning in on itself’
Scientists fear the UK has lost its way because of Brexit, and scientific research could suffer as a result, the head of the UK’s biggest biomedical research lab has warned. Nobel prize-winner Paul Nurse said scientists were concerned that the UK’s decision to leave the EU was driven by the country becoming less outward-looking.
“The motivation for Brexit seems to be a turning in of the country on itself. Turning away from the rest of the world, not just Europe. And science thrives on the exact opposite,” the former Royal Society president told New Scientist.
French customs strike delays Eurostar, airports ahead of Brexit
As French customs officers staged the sixth day of a work-to-rule strike this Saturday, airport officers joined customs workers in charge of Eurostar trains and of the Channel port of Calais, sparking travel chaos throughout the week. Eurostar trains from Paris to London were running up to two hours late, trucks were stacked up on the approaches to the Channel port of Calais and long lines were reported in airports across France on Saturday. As the Brexit deadline of March 29 approaches, French customs officers are demanding higher pay and better working conditions with actions all over France.
Online shopping after Brexit: Higher prices, slower deliveries
Rocketing prices, customs hold-ups, delivery delays, obstacles to returning unwanted purchases and a dramatic curtailment in the retail choices and rights available to Irish consumers are just some of the problems online shoppers here may be hit with if the UK crashes out of the European Union without a deal in three weeks’ time.
Of Civil Wars and Family Feuds: Brexit Is More Divisive Than Ever
Like the election of President Trump, the 2016 Brexit referendum vote crystallized divisions between cities and towns, young and old, the beneficiaries of globalization and those left behind. And far from fading, the Brexit divide seems to have become entrenched within many British workplaces, families and social circles. The divide shows no sign of narrowing.
Brexit casts cloud over British holidaymakers’ plans
The Brexit effect is beginning to cast a shadow over a traditional aspect of British life: holidaymakers’ pursuit of European sun. With concerns rising about a no-deal Brexit that could involve border delays, the travel industry is reporting that UK consumers have changed their behaviour in recent weeks. Data from the research group GfK show that summer bookings for overseas holidays from the UK were rising until the last week in January. But since then there have been falls of 9-10 per cent when compared with the same weeks last year.
Female EU citizens in UK fear post-Brexit discrimination as system is confused by maiden names
Women from EU countries living in the UK fear discrimination after Brexit because the registration system is confused by their maiden names. The glitch will be place them in danger of being denied jobs, housing or NHS treatment, campaigners say – even after being given “settled status” to stay with a promise of protected rights.
The warning is being issued to coincide with International Women’s Day, as part of wider fears that Brexit will be a “trap” for abused women, those who work part-time or have taken career breaks.
'No decision' on post-Brexit environment body for NI
Civil servants have said they have not taken a decision on whether to extend an independent environmental protection agency to Northern Ireland post-Brexit.
That is in spite of publication of a letter from a senior official that appeared to indicate it was to happen. In it he said the extension of proposed legislation covering England to include Northern Ireland had been sought and agreed.
No-deal Brexit threat to 'billions of pounds' of chemicals
A no-deal Brexit threatens billions of pounds of chemical imports, the head of the Chemical Industries Association, Stephen Elliott, has warned. He says secondary legislation, needed to copy EU regulations into UK law, contains "significant gaps".
The loophole could halt UK imports of chemicals by EU-registered companies from countries outside the EU, he says. "Put simply, the drugs don't work, the cars don't run and the planes don't fly without chemicals and chemistry." Unless the law is changed, he says, the import of "billions of pounds worth of chemicals," used across UK manufacturing, would have to come to a sudden halt if the UK left the EU with no deal on 29 March
Geneva motor show: Brexit, electric cars and luxury dominate agenda
BMW gave a clear signal that a no-deal Brexit, in which trade defaults to World Trade Organization terms, including tariffs on cars and parts, could prove destructive for the British car industry. BMW’s Mini brand would face a “huge burden”, according to the board member Peter Schwarzenbauer, which might make it consider moving out of its Cowley plant in Oxford. Top executives from Toyota, Bentley and Vauxhall’s owner, PSA all expressed similar concerns about short and longer-term costs if barriers to trade between the UK and EU are erected. Maxime Picat, PSA’s operational director for Europe, said: “It’s difficult for me to imagine that you can rebuild a UK automotive industry, self-centred, looking only at the UK.”
UK minister says migrant workers may still be allowed to come to work in tourism industry after Brexit
A UK Brexit minister has said special allowance could be made for migrant workers to come and fill jobs in the tourism and hospitality industry if it can be shown they are needed. On a visit to Edinburgh, Tory peer Lord Callanan, who has been number two at the Brexit department since 2017, said freedom of movement would end when the UK leaves the EU but the government was still consulting on what immigration rules should then apply. “If there is a necessity for immigration in certain sectors that is one of the things we will take into
consideration.”
Privatising the seas: how the UK turned fishing rights into a commodity
In the early 90s – against the wishes of the main fishermen’s organisations – the government formalised the right of “sector” fishermen to move licences and track records between vessels, opening up a new kind of trade in quota. Detaching track record from vessels in this way ensured quota taken out of the pool would never come back to it. This was followed by other deregulatory moves, like the liberalisation of quota “swaps” between POs. In 1999, the UK replaced track records with “fixed quota allocations”, which give the holder an unchanging share of the UK’s quota. These were dished out to vessels in the sector based on their catches in the mid-nineties. This change discouraged the “race to fish”, but also made quota easier to swap, sell or lease to others.
Political Shenanigans
Tories under attack after tax haven donations
Theresa May is facing growing pressure over more than £1 million raised by her party from Britons based in tax havens and their UK companies before the 2017 general election. Senior MPs said that the prime minister had “serious questions to answer” about the money, which was accepted even though a law was passed in 2009 that was meant to clamp down on donations from offshore. The bill banned large personal donations from anyone not resident or domiciled in the UK for tax purposes but successive governments have failed to enact it with a commencement order.
Theresa May desperately attempts to salvage Brexit deal with 48 hours before critical Commons vote
Theresa May has been warned she could be forced out of Downing Street if her Brexit strategy is dismantled by MPs this week in a series of critical votes. As negotiations entered the eleventh hour, the prime minister was desperately attempting to salvage her withdrawal deal, with a plane reported to be on standby at RAF Northolt to fly her to Brussels at the first sign of EU officials shifting their position. However, it remained unclear whether the prime minister would be making a dash to the Belgian capital, as hopes of achieving any significant concessions appeared to fade.
Tony Blair secretly advising Emmanuel Macron on Brexit as former PM accused of 'unacceptable' behaviour
Tony Blair has been accused of “unacceptable” behaviour after it emerged he has been briefing Emmanuel Macron on how to force Britain to stay in the EU. The former Labour prime minister believes that if the EU stands its ground over the Brexit deal, Parliament will cave in and accept a customs union - which would keep Britain yoked to Brussels - or a second referendum that could cancel Brexit altogether. Sources in Paris confirmed to The Telegraph that Mr Blair had been speaking to the French President about Brexit. He is reported to have told Mr Macron to “hold firm” and wait for events to play out in London that end in Britain staying in the EU.
Keir Starmer: Why we'll vote down Theresa May's Brexit deal for a second time
If Theresa May’s deal is rejected by Parliament again on Tuesday, it will be another humiliation for her, her Government and for our country too. I know how frustrated people are with this situation. These past two years we’ve been badly let down by an incapable Prime Minister and an incompetent Government too busy fighting with itself to focus on what is in the best interests of the country. After two years of failure, we need a change of approach.
Brexit: Could the UK drop tariffs to zero?
MPs are set to hold key votes next week on the terms of Brexit, the outcome of which could determine whether the UK has greater flexibility to set its own trade tariffs.
Brexit: Britain does not want long delay, reveals poll on eve of votes
A long delay to Brexit would be unacceptable to a majority of the British public, according to an exclusive poll days before critical votes in the House of Commons.
Some 52 per cent of people do not want a delay to last more than six months, the survey by BMG Research for The Independent indicated. The data flies in the face of extensions advocated in Brussels, by Remainers and even some Brexiteers. They have talked about pushing back the date of the UK’s departure for a year or more – something supported by fewer than one in five, according to the survey.
Torrid Brexit backstop talks descend into Twitter duel
Michel Barnier's unveiling of his proposals on a social media platform was highly unusual. Sources said it was because of fear of a cynical blame game over the faltering talks. “That’s why he published the proposals on Twitter to show he was exploring avenues and not just saying no to everything,” a source said.
Brexit secretary met Labour MPs championing second referendum
The cabinet minister in charge of Brexit has held detailed talks with Labour MPs who are championing plans for a second referendum – amid signs of mounting desperation inside Theresa May’s government about what to do if the prime minister’s deal suffers another crushing defeat on Tuesday. At least 40 Labour MPs – and all but about nine Tories – are said to be opposed to a second referendum, although party sources believe this would change if Jeremy Corbyn came out strongly in favour.
Brexit could be lost if deal rejected, Jeremy Hunt says
Conservative MPs should back Theresa May's deal this week or risk losing Brexit altogether, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has warned. There was "wind in the sails" of those opposing Brexit and the consequences for the party will be "devastating", if it is not delivered, he said. MPs will vote again on the deal on Tuesday, after rejecting it in January.
Don’t vote for May’s deal, it will only usher in more austerity
After weeks of non-announcements and paltry incentives to persuade MPs in towns ravaged by government neglect, nothing has changed. This is the same bad Brexit deal that went down to the worst parliamentary defeat in history. It’s why Labour MPs should reject it again. The government’s own forecasts show that acceptance of these terms would be set to lower GDP by £100bn – the equivalent of losing the annual output of Wales. Whatever is gained from reduced EU contributions would be wiped out by the economic damage.
Pressure mounts on Theresa May to quit to save Brexit deal
Theresa May faced mounting pressure to quit on Sunday as Conservative Eurosceptic rebels claimed she might have to sacrifice her premiership to win them over ahead of a crucial Brexit vote this week. Several cabinet ministers have said Mrs May should announce her plans to resign to win the support of Tory Brexiters, who believe that a change in Number 10 would signal a more robust approach to talks on a future UK/EU trade deal.
Jess Phillips: ‘I think I’d be a good prime minister’
She’s famous for her witty takedowns of the political class but Jess Phillips is also dealing with so many death threats she has nine locks on her front door. The MP, who had her first child when she was 22 and grew up with a brother who was a heroin addict, tells Rachel Sylvester where she thinks her party is going wrong
While Theresa May’s Brexit deal is far from perfect, the alternatives would be a shameful betrayal of voters
The Sun on Sunday said MPs must this week rally around Theresa May’s Brexit deal – it is the only way the UK can achieve a dignified departure from the EU and honour the will of the people.
By the end of the week we could have no deal, no Brexit or no PM
Most agree that the prime minister is close to losing control of events. “By the end of the week we could have no deal, no Brexit or no prime minister,” one cabinet source said. Stuck between the rock of an EU reluctant to budge and the hard place of a parliament tiring of her kicking the can down the road, May faces a new plot this weekend by MPs to grab control of events and force her towards a soft Brexit.
The Guardian view on MPs and Brexit: time to set a new course
Northern Ireland is again at the very heart of the Conservative government’s Brexit crisis. This is not an accident. It is there essentially because Theresa May’s government is committed to three things that cannot be reconciled. One is the peace process promise that Brexit would do nothing to restore a hard border between the UK and the Republic of Ireland. The second is the promise that Mrs May made in 2017 to the DUP that there would be no regulatory divergence in the Irish Sea. The third is the Tory’s right’s doctrinaire passion for leaving the EU single market and customs union, which Mrs May very foolishly made into Brexit red lines.
A Mysterious Hard Brexit Group Run By A Young Tory Writer Is Now Britain’s Biggest Spending Political Campaign On Facebook
Tim Dawson is the only person publicly associated with Britain's Future. The group has spent almost £350,000 on Facebook since November, raising questions over the influence of "dark money" at a crucial point in the Brexit process.
Brexit: The Cox Gambit, the Barnier Response, and the Blame Game begins
The price the UK would have to pay for walking away, would be reverting to the original Northern Ireland-specific backstop Theresa May rejected one year ago, something quickly recognised by the DUP’s Nigel Dodds. Officials in Brussels describe Barnier’s offer as "defensive", brought about by sense of shock over what Geoffrey Cox was proposing, and the exaggerated expectations in Westminster over what the EU would be prepared to offer.
The Government cannot fool the voters over Brexit
May’s speech in Grimsby yesterday was a waste of time. The PM rehearsed the case for her Withdrawal Agreement and urged MPs to vote for it on Tuesday, but the EU hasn’t given her the changes necessary to appease Brexiteers and it is still likely to be defeated. In fact, the political situation hasn’t altered since the Chequers agreement of July last year. Since then the Government has been going round and round in circles, trying to sell the same Brexit-in-name-only. Leavers say “no”; the Government seeks alterations; the EU says “non”, too. The public, meanwhile, watches the dance in disbelief.
Thornberry: We want short delay to avoid EU election
Labour will oppose any delay to Brexit that will require Britain to take part in the European parliament elections, Emily Thornberry has said. Theresa May has promised to give MPs the chance to ask Brussels to extend Article 50 if they vote down her agreement on Tuesday. Remaining in the EU beyond July, however, will require the UK to take part in the elections due to be held in May, which the prime minister has said she is determined to avoid.
Brexit: EU says Britain can leave backstop but Northern Ireland must stay
The offer by Mr Barnier for a unilateral exit for Great Britain, but not Northern Ireland effectively lets the UK revert to the original EU plan for the backstop – which would have put customs checks on the Irish sea between Northern Ireland and the mainland. “[The new offer is] basically going back to the old backstop,” one EU official said of the plan, which does not require the reopening of the withdrawal agreement.
UK minister warns of violence in case of no-deal Brexit
David Gauke, the U.K.'s secretary of state for justice, said a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the country, including the immediate ending of U.K.-EU cooperation on vital law enforcement issues. "In the worst-case scenario if we had significant difficulties with food supplies no one is going to be left starving but if there are empty shelves, can that result in violence and more criminal cases?" he said in an interview with the Times published Saturday. "Of course it can.”
UK minister rejects Barnier’s Irish backstop reassurances
Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the U.K.'s House of Commons, on Saturday dismissed efforts by the European Union's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier to offer a solution to the Brexit impasse and avoid a hard border in Ireland, calling his statement "disappointing."
We’re back to the DUP as the touchstone for a Brexit deal
As often happens in difficult negotiations, the parties become fixated on a technical details they fancy – often wrongly – will clear a roadblock. This is called synecdoche, substituting a part for whole which is too big to contemplate . It has its psychological attractions as it diverts from the greater intractability.
Leaked memo reveals ministers warned of Brexit plot to keep UK in permanent customs union with EU
Ministers have been warned that MPs supporting an amendment to delay Brexit could “politicise the monarchy” and lead to a “full blown constitutional crisis” causing the Government to “lose its ability to govern” according to leaked documents seen by the Telegraph. The explosive memo advising the cabinet as Theresa May battles to win Tuesday’s second meaningful vote - warns that supporting any amendment re-tabled by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and Tories Oliver Letwin and Nick Boles could pave the way for a bill to change the day of our EU exit and bind the Government into a permanent customs union.
UK realising EU is dominant power in Europe and Brexit will be on its terms
The EU has accomodated the UK's demands but never prioritised them above the rights of the remaining 27 member states. So it has pursued 3 goals: demonstrate the centrality of the EU in governing transnational relations in Europe; membership matters and brings benefits; safeguard the union as a rules-based system
Brexit: One more push needed to get deal through, says May
Theresa May has asked the EU for "one more push" to get her Brexit deal through Parliament and warned that, if it fails, "we may never leave at all". The prime minister said the UK had tabled "serious" proposals to resolve the deadlock over the Irish backstop. Warning of a "moment of crisis" if the deal was rejected again, the PM told EU leaders: "Let's get it done." The EU said it would give "legal force" to assurances already made that the UK could not be stuck in a customs union.
Billions on offer by backing May’s Brexit deal, says Hammond
Philip Hammond has urged Eurosceptic Conservatives to stop agonising about the so-called Irish backstop and swing behind Theresa May’s Brexit deal, saying its approval would allow him to release billions of pounds for stretched public services.
The chancellor said in an interview that the backstop plans in the agreement, which could force the UK into an EU customs union as a last resort to avoid a hard Irish border, were not “real world problems”. Eurosceptics fear the measure could lock Britain into close ties with Brussels in perpetuity.
Theresa May ON BRINK: Iain Dale explains why PM’s downfall is close on BBC Newsnight
Theresa May might not be Prime Minister by the end of April, political commentator and broadcaster Iain Dale argued on BBC Newsnight on Friday. Mr Dale used a lengthy intervention on the current affairs programme to explain the precise course of action he believes will spell Mrs May’s demise. He started by examining the most likely course of action when the Prime Minister brings her much-beleaguered deal before the House of Commons again next week. MPs are due to vote on the plan on Tuesday, March 12. If Mrs May’s deal does not go through Parliament France and Lithuania have indicated they would veto an extension to Article 50. The only option France has hinted at is a two-year delay period, which would be completely unpalatable to Brexiteers in the Commons. Mr Dale added, “in any of these scenarios” he does not believe Theresa May could be Prime Minister by the end of April.
Brexit: EU chief Michel Barnier sparks anger by revealing his 'offer' to UK
Tonight Mr Barnier said the EU would commit to letting the UK exit the backstop - but only one part of it, a shared customs union with the EU. That means the other provisions would have to stay - a move critics say will divide Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK. Furious Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay hit back on Twitter within minutes, tweeting: "With a very real deadline looming, now is not the time to rerun old arguments.
CEREAL PLOTTER Jeremy Hunt holding secret breakfast meetings with ministers as he bids to become PM
Jeremy Hunt is now seen as the frontrunner to replace Theresa May, having significantly stepped up his leadership bid with secret breakfasts for Cabinet ministers. The Sun has learned that the Foreign Secretary is billing himself as the unity candidate as he tries to woo MPs, making different pitches to Leavers and Remainers. As speculation spirals among Tory MPs that the Brexit crisis could force the PM to resign within weeks, Mr Hunt is even said to have started to ask senior ministers what jobs they want in his Cabinet in exchange for their backing.
Political Setbacks
Theresa May desperately attempts to salvage Brexit deal with 48 hours before critical Commons vote
Theresa May has been warned she could be forced out of Downing Street if her Brexit strategy is dismantled by MPs this week in a series of critical votes. As negotiations entered the eleventh hour, the prime minister was desperately attempting to salvage her withdrawal deal, with a plane reported to be on standby at RAF Northolt to fly her to Brussels at the first sign of EU officials shifting their position. However, it remained unclear whether the prime minister would be making a dash to the Belgian capital, as hopes of achieving any significant concessions appeared to fade.
EU prepares to demand multi-billion pound increase on divorce payment from Britain in return for Brexit delay
he EU is preparing to impose punitive conditions on Britain as its price for agreeing a Brexit delay if Theresa May is forced to ask for an extension this week. Member states are “hardening” their attitudes towards a delay and will demand “legal and financial conditions” including a multi-billion pound increase to the £39bn divorce payment. With no signs of a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations to change the existing exit deal, Parliament is expected to reject the deal for a second time on Tuesday, before voting later in the week to extend Article 50.
No majority support for Theresa May's deal in any constituency, analysis shows
The new constituency-by-constituency model based on YouGov polling for the People's Vote campaign of more than 25,000 voters presents grim reading for Downing Street ahead of Tuesday's "meaningful vote" on Ms May's Brexit agreement. If "don't knows" are excluded from the polling, which was conducted in January, the results add that there is a majority support in just two constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales for the prime minister's deal.
Corbyn's bullying Labour party is dashing the hopes of the young
The culture of bullying, intolerance and division is a betrayal of the hopes that young people had invested in Corbyn, the Pied Piper of Labour who turns 70 in May. As long as he remains leader, the divisions can only deepen.
Brexit delay would be political calamity, say
Two leading Brexiteers have said any delay to Brexit would do "incalculable" harm to public trust in politics. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Tory MP Steve Baker and the DUP's Nigel Dodds said the "extended uncertainty" would be a "political calamity".
Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins and his team ran up a £140k bill for travel and hotels in three months
Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins and his team ran up a £140,000 bill for travel and hotels in three months, government figures reveal. Best for Britain boss Eloise Todd said: “This is a huge waste of money. “In the short space of three months, the government spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on travel and accommodation to negotiate a deal that was defeated by an historic margin. “It makes no sense to carry on spending like this when there are plenty of other priorities.”
Arron Banks broke agreement to suspend Brexit campaigning after Jo Cox murder, investigation finds
Arron Banks flouted an agreement to suspend Brexit campaigning after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, according to an investigation by Channel 4 News. Nigel Farage’s ally ordered Leave.EU team to “up the spend” on Facebook and “press it harder”, emails obtained by the programme reveal – the morning after the killing that shocked the nation. Channel 4 said the emails also showed a Leave.EU press officer drafted a press release accusing the media of politicising Ms Cox’s murder for the Remain side, but in the name of the Labour Leave campaign group.
Green MP Caroline Lucas brands Theresa May 'shameless' over Brexit, and says she thinks PM will call second referendum
Leading People’s Vote campaigner Caroline Lucas today delivered the verdict that Theresa May will call a second Brexit referendum once she is "boxed into a corner" over her Withdrawal Agreement. Green MP Ms Lucas pointed to the Prime Minister's "shameless" history of U-turns, predicting Mrs May will offer a second vote "when it suits her".
Seamus Milne and Corbyn aide blocked anti-semitism suspensions
Two of Jeremy Corbyn’s closest aides directly intervened to lift the suspension of an activist accused of anti-semitism, according to leaked emails. Seumas Milne, the Labour leader’s director of strategy and communications, told party officials to reinstate Glyn Secker after two of them had ruled that he be kicked out for joining a Facebook group where members posted messages denying the Holocaust. Milne stepped in after Andrew Murray, another aide to Corbyn who is also the Unite union’s chief of staff, stated that the leader himself was “interested in this one”. Secker was readmitted to the party shortly afterwards.
Minister claims 'only two' members of Cabinet still support Theresa May as she faces growing pressure to quit
heresa May is facing increasing pressure to resign within weeks after it was claimed she has lost the backing of all but two of her Cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister has already said she will not contest the 2022 general election, but her ministers want her gone by July so that a new leader can conduct the next phase of the Brexit negotiations if Britain avoids a no deal exit. Members of the Cabinet have privately discussed whether they should tell her at the end of this week that her time is up, after what is expected to be a series of disastrous votes in Parliament.
Why are our MPs putting blatant self-interest ahead of the Brexit vote?
There are no risk-free options now, no steady-as-she- goes, old-fashioned British compromise. The whole issue has to be reframed, re-energised and rescued from its present captivity. Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, told Marr that the deal’s failure this week would risk “Brexit paralysis”. But where do he and his colleagues imagine we are right now?
Mark Drakeford: Tory 'arrogance' could damage UK
The Conservatives' "arrogance" could lead to the "unravelling" of the UK, according to Wales' first minister. Mark Drakeford said the party's "grace and favour" attitude to devolution could put the UK's future in danger. He said that Labour was a "dedicated devolutionist party". "In the end it is the so-called unionists who pose the greatest threat to the union of the United Kingdom," he said, speaking at the Scottish Labour Party conference in Dundee.
Mike Russell: Jeremy Hunt perfectly symbolises Westminster arrogance
It was hardly surprising that Jeremy Hunt should be at it again this week in Glasgow, when he contemptuously claimed that “of course” the UK Government would refuse any request for a Section 30 order from the Scottish Government. What was incredible, however, was what followed, when he advised the Scottish Government to concentrate on delivering in the areas of health and education instead.
Brexit: £3.5m adverts ask EU citizens to stay
Ministers are to launch a £3.5 million advertising campaign within weeks to encourage people from the European Union to secure their status in Britain after Brexit. About 3.7 million EU citizens live in this country and the information campaign will focus particularly on areas where a large number of them live. The first phase will begin days before the full launch of the settlement application process. The campaign will include advertising on billboards and bus stops and at railway stations. There will be adverts on radio, catch-up TV and websites and on social media.
Corbyn keeps trying to dodge a Final Say – he should realise we’re best served staying in the EU
It seems Jeremy Corbyn is sifting through the Brexit allsorts, desperate to find any alternative to the one he doesn’t like: a people’s vote. His latest dodge is to throw his support behind a Norway-plus option. This would essentially see the UK join the European Economic Area (EEA), whose members are bound by many European laws, but without any influence over their content. This would represent a serious and significant loss of sovereignty.
Delay Brexit to save environment, green charities urge PM
Five leading green organisations have called on Theresa May to delay Brexit to avoid losing environmental protections created by “decades of campaigning”. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, Green Alliance, E3G and ChemTrust have said the prime minister should try to extend article 50 because the government has failed to live up to its promise that existing environmental standards would be maintained or even enhanced.
The left-wing case for Brexit is becoming more ridiculous by the day
So let me get this straight: a Brexit driven by a hard right-wing Tory government is just what we need to protect workers’ rights, health and safety and the environment? The Centre for Policy Studies powers the thought behind hard Brexiteer plans, protecting workers’ rights, health and safety and the environment would simply get torn to pieces in future even more right wing Tory administrations
Parliament will suffer a terrible backlash if Brexit doesn't happen on time
Theresa May's speech in Grimsby yesterday was a waste of time. The political situation hasn’t altered since the Chequers agreement of July last year. Since then the Government has been going round and round in circles, trying to sell the same Brexit-in-name-only. Leavers say “no”; the Government seeks alterations; the EU says “non”, too. The public, meanwhile, watches the dance in disbelief.
UK minister warns of violence in case of no-deal Brexit
The failure to secure a deal to leave the European Union may lead to violence on British streets, according to a senior British lawmaker. David Gauke, the U.K.'s secretary of state for justice, said a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the country, including the immediate ending of U.K.-EU cooperation on vital law enforcement issues.
No-deal Brexit will be the UK’s fault, not the EU’s – leader comment
Hunt should be doing everything he can to ensure the UK and EU do indeed remain “the best of friends” – given our main alternatives include Trump’s America, China and Russia. His attempt to shift blame onto the EU for what would be the UK’s failure sounds worryingly like the Government has given up hope for May’s deal and already started its no-deal PR campaign with a “blame Brussels” theme. If it happens, a no-deal Brexit, followed by a recession so bad it could affect the global economy, will be no one’s fault but our own.
It would be a mistake for Tory rebels to back May’s Brexit deal
Yesterday, in Grimsby, she turned to her own backbenchers, telling them: “Reject [the deal] and no-one knows what will happen. We may not leave the EU for many months. We may leave without the protections a deal provides, we may never leave at all.” She is of course right: no-one knows what will happen on Tuesday nor in the coming three weeks before 29 March. It does her no credit that she has allowed it to get to such a late stage with businesses still having no idea how to prepare for Brexit, or no Brexit. But one thing is for sure: hard Brexit or no Brexit at all, May’s deal was and remains the worst of all worlds.
May Could Lose Tuesday's Brexit Vote by Huge Margin, Times Says
Theresa May’s aides are increasingly concerned that Tuesday’s vote on her Brexit deal could result in an even worse humiliation than she endured in a similar vote in January, the Sunday Times reported. The majority against the government then was 230, the biggest defeat for a prime minister in more than a century. “It’s bloody bad,” the Times cited one of her aides as saying. “We are at Defcon 2.”
Brexit: Leave Means Leave features 63-year-old Wetherspoon's owner in campaign aimed at young people
Just last week their Ladies For Leave campaign was ridiculed for using gender as a means for supporting Brexit, despite women overwhelmingly voting to stay in the EU. Now they are back with a new video aimed at young people and are aiming to highlight the many benefits for young people outside of the EU, despite 71 per cent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 voting for Remain in the 2016 referendum. The three prominent speakers in the promotional video are all white men and have a combined age of 122, which is hardly what we would call 'young.'
Three-quarters of newly eligible voters would back remain in second poll
Some 87% of people who were too young to cast a ballot in the 2016 Brexit referendum but have since reached voting age would “definitely” take part if a second public vote were called, according to a new poll. And of the estimated 2 million new young voters, 74% would back remain. The survey, carried out by BMG on behalf of the anti-Brexit youth groups Our Future, Our Choice and For Our Future’s Sake, suggests the youth vote would be crucial in any second remain campaign and could significantly boost its chances of overturning the 2016 leave result.
Arron Banks 'ignored deal to stop pro-Brexit ads' after Jo Cox death
Channel 4 News said it had seen email sent the morning after Cox’s murder from Banks, Leave.EU’s key financial backer, to his assistant Liz Bilney, the campaign group’s chief executive, that read: “Keep pumping the McKenna video” and “up the Spend A”. The campaign had enlisted the TV hypnotist Paul McKenna to advise on its broadcasts. Bilney replied to Banks: “Yes that’s starting to get traction now and with paid advertising and no active campaigning could get a lot of take up today.” Banks responded: “Exactly – press it harder.”
The more we learn about Brexit, the more crooked it looks
By the relatively low-spending standards of British politics, Banks was a huge donor, giving $11 million of his own money to the Brexit cause and raising an additional $5 million on top. And here's the peculiarly British part of the story: Thanks to Banks's extensive use of tax havens and shell companies, it has never been entirely clear where all of that money came from — or even whether all of it was really his.
UK government refuses to reveal how it will use EU citizens' data ahead of Brexit
1) EU citizens could be deterred from applying to remain in the UK after Brexit due to fears over how the UK government will use information collected during the application process. 2) The Home Office has refused repeated requests from privacy and transparency campaigners to reveal information about the new settled status scheme for EU citizens living in the UK. 3) Around 3 million EU citizens currently live in the country. 4) Campaigners suggest government secrecy about the issue could be breaking the law.
For business, no-deal Brexit has already hit...Three weeks before Brexit day, the costs of no-deal are mounting by the day.
Industry has spent hundreds of millions on contingency plans it will not be able to recoup even if a last-minute deal can be done, and U.K. firms are already reporting drops in sales, exports and investment. Farmers are also watching contract orders for this year's harvest dry up. The findings are backed up by U.K. government figures showing that domestic business investment has fallen for three consecutive quarters. The last time business investment fell for more than two quarters was in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash.
Worried about Brexit? What, with these geniuses in charge?
Exiting the EU is a job for the country's brightest minds. They weren't available, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde, who then tears into the Ministers in charge of Brexit in a humourous manner
Brexit: 'Home Office should lose its immigration duties'
The Home Office is the wrong department to manage immigration after Brexit, says a highly critical report by the Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank. “The failure to make trade-offs, decide priorities and articulate objectives has damaged public confidence and made it impossible for government to run the system effectively,” it said, adding that the Home Office set up increases its ineffectiveness.
Brexit: Will Self and Mark Francois in TV stare-off
Tempers rose in the BBC's Politics Live studio over voting in the EU referendum, leading to quite a stare-off between author Will Self and Tory MP Mark Francois.
No matter what happens with Brexit, this toxic environment must end
Part of what the prime minister is banking on is Brexit fatigue, and the understandable public annoyance that MPs haven’t been able to sort the issue growing. I think a people’s vote could solve that, but even then, to hold a referendum responsibly will require a degree of respect between people on all sides of the debate. We must end this toxic environment, or no matter where we end up with Europe, our country will be divided for generations to come.
Lord Trimble: Brexit challenge cannot be heard yet
Lawyers for Lord Trimble have told him that his Brexit legal challenge cannot be heard in court at this stage. He is attempting to challenge the legality of the backstop, arguing it breaches the Good Friday Agreement. They argued that the case was not capable of being argued in court because no final decision has yet been taken on the backstop and therefore there is nothing for a court to review.
Labour peers launch extraordinary attack on Jeremy Corbyn over 'political failure' on anti-semitism
Labour peers have launched an astonishing attack on Jeremy Corbyn and condemned his “political failure” to tackle anti-semitism in the party. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission yesterday said Labour may have “unlawfully discriminated” against people because of their religious beliefs. Its announcement came as it emerged senior officials in the leader’s office had advised complaints teams over how to act in disciplinary cases.
Comment: MPs vote is merely end of Act One in Brexit saga
Irrespective of the route MPs opt to take next week, businesses exhausted by Brexit and hoping Parliament will finally deliver a conclusion to the drama may be sadly disappointed. Even if a deal is passed, this is really only akin to reaching base camp. Thereafter, the UK must embark on a precarious ascent towards agreeing its future relationship with the EU, whilst also working to strike trade deals with countries around the world.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 12th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK Economic Impact
- Moody`s produced an analysis of how much a No Deal Brexit would cost the Japanese car industry in the UK, which makes up half of UK car production. Assuming a 10% tariff was imposed under WTO rules, Japanese carmakers would be hit by an extra £1bn per year
- The City of London has lost £900bn in financial assets which have been moved from London to other European countries over the last 2 years
- The UK vehicle crash repair industry is predicting up to 1,000 repair companies would collapse inside a few weeks in the event of No Deal Brexit
- The International Energy Agency says a No Deal Brexit would hit the global energy market, reducing oil demand and holding back growth in international trade
- After UK company spending fell for the last four successive quarters, a Bank of England expert predicts a low business investment environment will continue for the foreseeable future
Industry, Farming, Aviation
- The UK government revealed that medicines and power station supplies would have priority on No Deal Brexit ferries, ahead of food
- All UK-based Ryanair investors, who own shares, will be barred from buying more stock under a No Deal Brexit
- Lamb farmers are worried about how a No Deal Brexit would hurt them, as 90% of their lamb exports go to the EU each year. With 20m lambs born each year, where are these lambs going to be sold.
- A passport renewal rush on the UK Passport agency website at the weekend caused a systems crash
Is it really a Political `Breakthrough`?
- Theresa May claims to have secured `legally binding` changes to the EU deal which may placate supporters in a vote later today
- The changes are not in the Withdrawal Agreement itself, but in the accompanying political declaration. They recommend a process of arbitration, by both parties, is the best way to decide when or if the UK would be able to pull out of the Irish backstop agreement with the EU
Political Shenanigans
- A poll puts support for Scottish Independence at 66%, the Labour Party in Scotland, meanwhile, is on course for its worst election results since 1910
- Labour Party MPs received a QC opinion which says Theresa May`s promise on maintaining workers` rights after Brexit are worthless and unenforceable
- The Daily Mirror revealed Boris Johnson`s trip to Afghanistan last year, to avoid a vote on approval of a new runway Heathrow Airport, cost the taxpayer £20k
- The producer of Brexit the Movie looks likely to be jailed for fraud
- In the event of a No Deal, the EU would seek to get the UK to pay the outstanding money it owes BEFORE resuming any future talks on securing a future trade deal
- Labour`s Sir Keir Starmer savaged the `new Theresa May deal` as empty, as not a single word of the Withdrawal Agreement has changed
Jobs at Risk
No-deal Brexit could cost Japanese carmakers in UK $1bn a year
A no-deal Brexit would cost Japanese carmakers in Britain more than $1bn a year if 10% tariffs were imposed on trade between the UK and EU, new analysis from Moody's indicates
How the City has moved £900bn out of UK already to prepare for Brexit
Banks, asset managers and insurers have already moved nearly £1 trillion of assets out of the UK and to other European countries ahead of Brexit, with more likely to be shifted in coming months, according to new research.
Up to 1,000 vehicle repair companies could collapse within 2 weeks of a no-deal Brexit
Up to 1,000 companies in the UK vehicle repair industry could collapse within two weeks of a no-deal Brexit, with many more forced to close within a month, according to leaked minutes from a meeting of leading industry figures seen by Business Insider. The UK vehicle crash repair industry — which is comprised of around 3,000 companies and employs an estimated 35,000 people nationwide — relies heavily on car parts imported through "just in time" supply chains. Repairers need to complete jobs quickly — not just to keep their cashflow going, but also to ensure they have enough courtesy cars for customers. Repairers effectively work to a one repair in, one completed repair out system.
Economic Impact
‘Disorderly Brexit’ and trade spats would hit oil demand IEA warns
A “disorderly Brexit” could hit crude oil demand, the International Energy Agency said, marking the first warning from the body about how the UK’s exit from the EU could reverberate across global energy markets. Consumption of oil depends on the strength of the world economy and the IEA said uncertainty stemming from trade spats as well as concerns about an ill managed Brexit were major factors dictating consumption patterns. “Ongoing trade disputes between major powers and a disorderly Brexit could lead to a reduction in the rate of growth of international trade and oil demand,” the Paris-based intergovernmental organisation said on Monday.
Low business investment set to persist, says BoE
Companies’ capital spending fell for four successive quarters last year, the longest period of decline outside of a recession since 2003. Bank of England's Mr Haskel said that, whatever the final trade deal between the UK and the EU, business investment was likely to be lower with the BoE forecasting that every form of Brexit will lead to lower economic growth. “The longer-term question is whether [business] investment will eventually bounce back after [Brexit] uncertainty is resolved . . . At least for the next few years the prospect of low investment seems possible,” he said in a speech at Birmingham university.
FCA to run no-deal Brexit 'financial war room'
The Financial Conduct Authority has plans in place for a financial war room to take action in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The war room will keep a close eye on the IT changes that will be required over the weekend following 29 March. It is understood that the regulator will keep in close contact with leading City firms to watch for potential disruption in the financial markets. The FCA will also liaise closely with Whitehall and Threadneedle Street.
Administrative Fall Out
Medicines and power station supplies will have priority on no-deal Brexit ferries ahead of food
Medicines and raw materials to keep power stations going will have the top priority for space on cross-Channel ferries if there is a no-deal Brexit - ahead of food supplies - the Government has revealed.
Ryanair's UK investors to lose rights in no-deal Brexit
Airlines not majority-owned by EU nationals or companies risk losing ability to fly within bloc. So...British citizens who own shares in Ryanair will be barred from buying more stock, voting on company resolutions or attending annual shareholder meetings if a no-deal Brexit goes ahead, the Dublin-based carrier said on Monday.
'Absolutely devastating': British lamb farmers fear impact of no-deal Brexit
A so-called meaningful vote in Parliament due Tuesday evening could help determine the fate of Theresa May's Brexit deal — and so, too, the fate of millions of British lambs being born right now. At the heart of the issue is a no-deal Brexit scenario that could put the brakes on the export of prized British lamb. As Brexit and lambing season converge, an industry threatens to unravel in a costly, unpalatable mess. About 20 million lambs are born in the U.K. every year. There's way more domestic lamb than Brits actually consume, so well over a third is exported — and a full 90 per cent of those exports go to the European Union.
No-deal Brexit would leave UK vulnerable to fresh horsemeat scandal
A no-deal Brexit could leave the UK vulnerable to ‘food fraud’ as a result of suppliers cutting corners in an attempt to offset rising prices, industry experts believe. One of the most high-profile instances of food fraud was the 2013 horsemeat scandal when it emerged multiple supermarkets were selling processed beef products that contained horsemeat.
Brexit no deal fear causes UK Passport website crash as Britons update their documents
Brexit sparked panic among British passport holders who flocked to renew their document on the website, only to be met with an error message on-screen. The UK Passport office’s official site crashed at the weekend as worried travellers sought to make sure theirs was fit for travel. Last month, Express.co.uk reported how millions could potentially be rendered invalid in light of a no deal Brexit. Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit divorce deal will face a meaningful vote ahead of March 29, with further crucial House of Commons votes on the UK’s departure from the EU due this week.
Brexit: 10 ways you could be affected by no-deal
The BBC discuss 10 possible ways in which people might be affected by a No Deal Brexit
No-deal Brexit 'could bring return of low-welfare egg imports'
Billions of eggs produced by hens kept in battery cages could be back on the UK menu in the event of a no-deal Brexit unless the government acts to protect consumers, the industry will warn this week. The British Egg Industry Council (BEIC) and the welfare group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) have joined forces to seek assurances from ministers that consumers will not be exposed to eggs or egg products from non-EU countries such as the US, Ukraine, India and Argentina where animal welfare standards are significantly lower.
Brexit could spell disaster for Edinburgh tram extension
We are also only a couple of weeks away from Brexit day. Due to the inept Conservative government we don’t know even now, after two years of dithering and procrastination, whether we will leave with the awful deal negotiated by Mrs May, a “no deal” which would damage Edinburgh significantly or a delayed deal. Why does this matter? The business case for the new tram line relies on income from passengers. Those figures could change dramatically if numbers of passengers at Edinburgh Airport fall as a result of a “no deal” Brexit (for example). The case also relies on a special dividend from our excellent Lothian bus company.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: Claims that 'Legally binding' changes to EU deal have been agreed
The prime minister has secured "legally binding" changes to her Brexit deal a day ahead of MPs voting on it, says the Cabinet Office minister. David Lidington said the changes will mean the EU "cannot try to trap the UK in the [Irish] backstop indefinitely". But he said further negotiations are taking place as the PM is still meeting EU officials in Strasbourg. Shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer questioned whether any changes had been made to the withdrawal agreement. Replying to Mr Lidington's statement in the Commons, he said: "People will be disappointed when they look at the detail."
Theresa May claims she’s won legally binding changes to Brexit deal in last-ditch bid to avoid crushing defeat
At a joint press conference with Mr Juncker she said: "a joint instrument with comparable legal weight to the Withdrawal Agreement will guarantee that the EU cannot act with the intent of applying the backstop indefinitely". And "if they do, it can be challenged through arbitration and if they are found to be in breach the UK can suspend the backstop."
EU's Juncker says agrees last chance Brexit package update with UK
European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday he agreed an updated Brexit deal with British Prime Minister Theresa May to make the agreement more palatable to MPs but warned they would not get a third chance to endorse it. “There will be no third chance. There will be no further interpretations of the interpretations, no further assurances of the re-assurances – if the meaningful vote tomorrow fails,” Juncker said.
Theresa May dashes to Strasbourg in bid for Brexit compromise
Theresa May has made an 11th-hour dash to meet EU leaders in Strasbourg as the government insisted the meaningful vote on her Brexit deal would go ahead on Tuesday as planned. May was greeted in Strasbourg by Jean-Claude Juncker and Michel Barnier as she arrived in pursuit of a Brexit compromise late on Monday, after a phone call with the European commission president earlier in the day.
Brexit news: May to fly to Strasbourg in desperate last-ditch bid for breakthrough to avert looming Commons humiliation
Theresa May will fly to Strasbourg this evening to try to salvage her Brexit deal ahead of a vote in the Commons tomorrow, the Irish government says. But Simon Coveney, the deputy prime minister, played down any talk of a breakthrough – saying Ms May would “try to finalise an agreement if that’s possible”.
Poll reveals Scots ready to back independence over any type of Brexit
Scottish voters would rather have independence than any kind of Brexit, a new poll has revealed. The Panelbase survey, carried out for the Wings Over Scotland blog, also indicated that support for staying in the EU has skyrocketed to 66%, up from the 62% who backed remaining in 2016’s vote. When given a straight choice between Scottish independence and a no-deal Brexit, voters chose independence 52% to 48%.
There may be a Brexit breakthrough on the backstop
There are mutterings that the Donald Tusk/Jean-Claude Juncker letters to the UK delegation of early January could be turned into some kind of legal basis for a declaration on the Irish backstop that may win the support of Theresa May's eurosceptic MPs
Joe FitzPatrick: Brexit medical supply fears are 'unacceptable'
The health and social care system will face “damaging and lasting consequences” if the UK Government does not rule out a no-deal Brexit, it has been claimed. Scotland’s Public Health Minister, Joe FitzPatrick, also described the lack of guarantees over medical supplies in the event of a no-deal as “completely unacceptable”.
Labour MPs warned that Theresa May's worker rights vow 'not enforceable' ahead of crunch Brexit vote
Theresa May's "half-hearted" promise to protect workers' rights after Brexit cannot be enforced, Labour MPs have been warned. The scathing verdict comes in a legal opinion sent to all Labour MPs by two trade unions ahead of Tuesday's crunch Commons vote on the Prime Minister's Brexit deal. In a bid to win Labour backing for her embattled agreement, Mrs May last week unveiled a string of pledges designed to protect workers' rights after Britain leaves the EU.
We've suffered 47 years of penal servitude, says Jacob Rees-Mogg
If this cannot be achieved then the default position is that the UK leaves without a deal. Some MPs say that they could never agree to this but many of them voted for the Article 50 Act that sets out the timetable and then stood on a Conservative manifesto which stated clearly that "no deal is better than a bad deal". If such people were to use Parliamentary prestidigitation to delay, in the hope of preventing Brexit, the honour and trustworthiness of politicians would fall to a new low.
Big Brexit moment: Will MPs back or bin the PM's deal?
The prime minister will try again this week to get her plans for Brexit through parliament. The clock is ticking to 29 March when the UK is due to officially leave the EU, but if MPs vote against the deal, there could still be a last minute twist, as political correspondent Jonathan Blake explains.
Why the PM's Brexit would not be saved by her martyrdom
One of their number told me that even if a “proper” Brexiter became PM in short order - and they are by no means confident of that - they simply don’t see how they would ever get out of the backstop, short of reneging on the Withdrawal Agreement after it has been ratified. "We are not in the business of ripping up international treaties," he said. "We’ve thought about it but it is not a good look for this country."
So burying the backstop is all that matters to them.
Scottish Labour steers clear of Brexit split with UK party
Scottish Labour has formally backed calls for a second referendum on Brexit but, echoing the UK leadership, done little to reassure Remainers that the party is ready to mount a serious push for such a vote. Ahead of a crucial week of Westminster votes on Brexit, Scottish Labour leaders used their spring conference to focus attention more on long-term socialist policy proposals such as a new wealth tax and free bus travel.
Brexit motion to be voted on by parliament on Tuesday
Reuters detailed the exact wording of the Parliamentary motion that lawmakers will vote upon in deciding whether to support or oppose Theresa May's Brexit deal
Labour MPs urged to disregard PM’s ‘half-hearted’ Brexit pledge on workers’ rights ahead of crunch vote
Ahead of a Commons showdown on Ms May’s Brexit deal, top QC Aidan O’Neill has drafted a damning assessment of the prime minister’s proposals to protect workers’ rights, which were unveiled last week in an attempt to win over Labour MPs. The EU law expert, who was commissioned by the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain (IWGB) and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA), argued that Ms May’s offer provides no guarantee that future EU standards will be matched when the UK leaves the bloc. In a 47-page dossier sent to all Labour MPs, Mr O’Neill warned that future parliaments could rip up Ms May’s pledges, and even if parliament did implement all new EU standards, workers could still lose out on key protections under EU laws.
Political Setbacks
Government ordered to end secrecy over Jacob-Rees Mogg’s ‘hard’ Brexit ERG lobby group
The UK Information Commissioner rules that Brexit department must release names of European Research Group MPs, following an openDemocracy Freedom of Information appeal. “The names and parliament email addresses of the MPs, MEPs and Lords redacted from the emails disclosed should be provided,” the ICO ruled. The ICO added that ERG members’ names are “constantly placed in the public domain” and “they frequently use publicly accessible Twitter accounts to provide their views”.
Officials accused of 'cover up' over cost of Boris Johnson's Afghanistan trip
Officials have been accused of trying to “cover up” the cost of Boris Johnson’s trip to Afghanistan the day of a controversial vote. The former foreign secretary blew more than £20,000 of taxpayer’s cash on a visit to Kabul, which allowed him to miss a crunch vote on Heathrow expansion in June last year.
Brexit movie producer admits £500,000 scam Brexit movie producer admits £500,000 scam
The producer of ‘Brexit: The Movie’ is facing jail after admitting he faked his earnings to secure a half a million pound investment for a business venture. Tory activist David Shipley, 36, convinced Resourcing Capital Ventures he could begin his own financial recruitment company after photoshopping wage receipts for business presentations. The corporate finance executive admitted a single count of fraud by false representation at Southwark Crown Court. Shipley used the fake invoices to secure £519,000 for his corporate finance…
http://courtnewsuk.co.uk/brexit-movie-producer-admits-500000-scam/
Additional sources: (Evening Standard)
Additional sources: (Evening Standard)
Nigel Farage met Donald Trump and urged him to back no-deal deal Brexit
Nigel Farage urged Donald Trump to back a no-deal Brexit when they met in Washington earlier this month. Former Ukip leader Mr Farage told the US leader to support the idea that Britain should walk away if a bad agreement was on offer. President Trump and Mr Farage became friends during his campaign when the former Ukip leader, dubbed "Mr Brexit", was greeted at a rally in Mississippi before the 2016 election.
Number 10 Issued A Private Apology After Two Tory Officials Quit And Accused Party HQ Of Ignoring Their Islamophobia Complaints
In revelations that cast fresh doubt on Tory Party boss Brandon Lewis’ claim to have a “zero tolerance” policy on Islamophobia, the leaked emails show he was first made aware of the allegation in September 2018, but neither he nor the party’s complaints unit responded despite repeated requests for answers. When Theresa May was informed in January this year that the two association chairs had resigned saying their complaints had been ignored, she asked her senior adviser David Beckingham to respond. In his letter to Jagota, he apologised and said he had obtained assurances from CCHQ the complaint was being investigated, the leaked correspondence shows.
We Are More Divided Than Ever On Brexit – Extending Article 50 Would Give Us Time To Build Consensus On How To Move Forward
There's been no plan B, no flexibility on red lines, no reaching out – the Prime Minister should focus on getting agreement on what kind of Brexit people want to see
The UK Has Yet Another Idea To Solve The Backstop, But MPs Already Say It's "Legally Meaningless"
BuzzFeed News has learned that, under a proposal drawn up by May’s team and discussed with MPs and ministers over the last 48 hours, the government could publish a unilateral statement saying it would consider it “bad faith” on the part of the EU for the UK to be kept in the backstop for more than a period of up to five years. And that is what will be sold as the 'guarantee' that the EU will not control the matter to opponents
Labour 'disaster' poll also brings a warning for the SNP
It is just 15 months since Richard Leonard took over the leadership of Scottish Labour. While his claim that the party was back on the road to power seemed pretty far-fetched to most people, myself included, I expected that they would recover at least some of the ground lost under Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale. After all, how could things possibly get worse? But get worse they did. And if the Wings Over Scotland/Panelbase poll released last week is accurate, Labour is now on course for its worst General Election result since 1910, before the introduction of universal male suffrage. That surely explains the air of desperation about Richard Leonard’s ever-more extravagant promises.
Britain's Future Stopped, Then Restarted Its Massive Facebook Ad Campaign Just Before A Key Brexit Vote
An investigation revealed Britain's Future is Britain's biggest political spender of Facebook advertising, purchasing more than £350,000 of ads targeting users to contact their MPs. On Monday morning, Facebook's ad archive showed Britain's Future was not currently advertising on the platform. But hours later, the group had 43 new ads targeting Facebook users displayed on the platform's ad archive tool.
It's unclear whether the group stopped its advertising campaign as part of a scheduled or strategic decision, or whether this came as a result of recent media coverage of the group.
@Channel4News [Theresa May] has allowed hardliners in the ERG group to hijack the government and hijack the country."
[Theresa May] has allowed hardliners in the ERG group to hijack the government and hijack the country." Labour's Yvette Cooper says that "instead of reaching out", Theresa May has allowed Conservative Eurosceptics to set the Brexit agenda.
Doublethink: How Brexit arguments lost all meaning
The deal hasn't just gone down badly because it will genuinely hurt future generations. Leavers hate it because it's the first time an actual picture has been painted from the referendum result. And when all of the lies and rhetoric and misinformation are scrubbed away, what's left is bleak, expensive and nothing like what was advertised. Ever since the question was decided, the UK has fallen victim to a debate between fantasy and reality. And as long as the government is allowed to pursue this blank cheque Brexit, whose terms are utterly divorced from what was on the ballot paper, we continue to risk monumental harm.
EU eyes cash demands as Brexit talks turn sour
Prime Minister Theresa May agreed a withdrawal treaty last year under which Britain would pay the European Union close to 50 billion euros (43.4 billion pounds) over the coming years to meet commitments made while a member. But the British parliament has rejected the deal and the treaty will be void if nothing changes by March 29. In the event of a no-deal exit, likely to cause economic disruption, the EU would insist on Britain committing to settle those bills - a significant part of the EU budget - before any resumption of talks on how to manage future trading relations.
“Imagine all the bad blood and acrimony should we end up with a no-deal after two years of negotiations,” an envoy who follows Brexit for one EU member state told Reuters.
Brexit: It’s far too late for UK to say what it wants, says Varadkar
Mr Varadkar told reporters. “We’re two and half years if not three years since the referendum. It is far too late for the United Kingdom to tell us what they want. The withdrawal agreement requires a compromise and this withdrawal agreement is already a compromise.”
Dog owners hound Theresa May in call for Brexit referendum
Theresa May has been accused of making a "dog's dinner" of Brexit by second referendum campaigners and their pooches. The prime minister was hounded by pup-owners who gathered in Westminster to condemn the "diabolical" situation just 19 days from Brexit.
Brexit: Keir Starmer savages Theresa May's new 'deal' in fiery Commons statement
Labour's Keir Starmer tonight savaged Theresa May's Brexit 'deal' in a fiery House of Commons statement. The former Director of Public Prosecutions swept into full lawyer mode as he held aloft hundreds of pages of documents in a furious attack. Sir Keir shot down Mr Lidington's argument by saying Theresa May had promised to change the Brexit deal itself - and achieved no such thing.
Brussels in bleak mood in 'crunch' Brexit week
"How can we move forward with the UK?" another EU diplomat spluttered in frustration.
"We held talks this weekend, yes. But with whom? UK civil servants representing whom? Theresa May only?"
"How can the EU conduct negotiations, when the other side (the UK) doesn't have one position but many? And they keep changing and contradicting."
The mood in the EU, I can assure you, is not one of a bloc that is poised to "blink" at the last moment. And there is huge irritation in EU circles that UK government fingers of blame are pointing at Brussels for what they see as EU intransigence.
Former Australian PM calls Brexit trade plan ‘utter bollocks’ - Kevin Rudd says UK striking deals with Commonwealth is not ‘magical alternative’ to EU
Rudd, a former chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, noted that, while Australia, Canada and New Zealand would remain supportive of a post-Brexit UK, their combined population of about 65 million people does not “come within a bull’s roar of Britain’s adjacent market of 450 million Europeans”. And he cast serious doubt on suggestions the UK could quickly come to a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, pointing out that talks he began with the nation on behalf of Australia a decade ago are still going on. “A substantive India-UK FTA is the ultimate mirage constructed by the Brexiteers. It’s as credible as the ad they plastered on the side of that big red bus about the £350m Britain was allegedly paying to Brussels each week. Not.”
@C4Dispatches - Dispatches reveals that Brexiteer and Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg may have earned at least £7 million since the 2016 EU referendum, from an investment firm he partly owns - which has seen its profits increase since the vote.
“The amount I receive is not for public disclosure.” Dispatches reveals that Brexiteer and Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg may have earned at least £7 million since the 2016 EU referendum, from an investment firm he partly owns - which has seen its profits increase since the vote.
MPs have failed on a grand scale over Brexit
The May deal is the only one the table right now and the only one that is ever going to be on the table. As MPs (should) have known since at least November, parliament has only three options: deal, no deal, no Brexit. A decision is long overdue. Rejecting the deal at this stage in the process isn’t brave or principled and it certainly isn’t leadership. It’s rolling a dice with Britain’s politics and economy because you can’t bring yourself to take responsibility and face up to the complexities and compromises of real life.
Brexit is the most expensive, ruinous divorce in history
Our once-proud democracy has been turned into an idiocracy run by inept fools thanks to Theresa May ’s woeful amateur-hour negotiating and the grandstanding, puffed-up Tory Brextremists, who still scream their dogmatic lies. If Parliament adopts the PM’s bad deal or, worse, a no-deal exit, our nation’s decline into irrelevancy and intolerance will be accelerated. If MPs do the right thing and go into extra time, there might be a chance to ask people if they really want to wreck Britain
Sir Rocco Forte: 'No point in delaying Brexit'
A no-deal Brexit is better than a bad deal, and Theresa May's is a bad deal according to hotel tycoon Sir Rocco Forte. Ahead of a series of Brexit votes in parliament this week Sir Rocco is urging MPs to reject both the prime minister's deal and the option of delaying Brexit. "There's no point delaying, Europe has said the deal is the deal, it's on the table and we're not going to change it, so what do we do? Are we going to delay? What's it going to do? if we take no deal off the table, we're finished. We have no negotiating position," he says.
The Great Indifference: Brexit Wrongdoing Swept Under the Carpet
On Tuesday Channel 4 repeated claims of Banks’ business dealings with Russia in 2015 and provided evidence that a finance company, substantially owned by him, pitched a gold mine merger to a Kremlin linked oligarch just prior to the EU referendum. The destabilisation of the UK and the EU is a key objective of Putin’s regime and any links between a major player in the Brexit process and actors in that state should be a source of serious unease – but Banks responded to all of the Channel 4 allegations with his usual bluster. The idea that there can be ‘trust in politics’ when grifters like Banks can subvert elections and not reveal the source of his funding is, frankly, laughable. With the clock ticking down to 29 March serious and immediate questions need to be asked as to who actually funded Brexit – and Arron Banks urgently needs to be held to account.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 13th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK Economic Impact
- The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has flagged the IT systems of DEFRA and the Department of Transport as being unprepared for a No Deal Brexit
- The Road Hauliers Association slammed the Department of Transport for `failing to make timely preparations to procure the additional freight capacity needed to transport critical goods.` It also said `its procurement approach has been rushed and risky and preparations conducted in secrecy with inadequate stakeholder engagement`
- Nissan announced it will stop manufacturing Infiniti Q30 sedan and QX30 SUV models in Sunderland by mid 2019 putting 250 jobs at risk
- Both IHS Markit and Manpower Group surveys found that a growing number of companies are preparing to cut jobs across the country
- City UK, Make UK and the CBI director general all urged MPs to `stop this circus and bring the curtain down on the risk of a No Deal Brexit. An outcome that would be disastrous for UK manufacturing and jeopardise many thousands of jobs`
- In January UK GDP grew by 0.5% month-on-month, after a decline of 0.40% in December. It remains sluggish, but there is speculation that January saw a one-off boost by businesses, who have been busy stockpiling for a No Deal Brexit
- The National Audit Office revealed that the government is spending £1.5bn on `urgent civil contingencies` this year alone as part of Operation Yellowhammer which is the planning vehicle for No Deal Brexit
EasyJet, Sanofi, Irish Border Customs, Brexit social media interference and Bloody Sunday charges
- EasyJet has shored up its supply chain at its new Austrian subsidiary, stockpiling spare parts in case of a No Deal Brexit
- Sanofi`s UK managing director, Hugo Fry, spoke to Sky about how the company is stockpiling medicines including insulin and flu vaccines
- Climate activist group Extinction Rebellion said it planned to blockade major routes into the port of Dover the day after a No Deal Brexit
- The Internet security group F-Secure has identified a large number of fake accounts based outside the UK and automated bots which are pushing the Leave EU message
- It is understood that the UK government has no hard and fast plans for Irish border controls to collect customs duties. The BBC believes customs will rely on businesses crossing the border and `self-reporting,` using an app-based record of goods being moved across the frontier. The government`s formal plans will be published later today
- The UK government will also publish tariff rate proposals for goods, produce and trade moving between the EU and the UK
- The Ministry of Defence put out a note on Tuesday, preparing MPs for the possibility of charges being brought against former soldiers, in relation to the Bloody Sunday murders at the start of the Troubles. The MoD expects a charging decision on Thursday
- The `new IRA` confirmed it had sent three bombs to prominent transport addresses in London recently
Theresa May`s Deal is Defeated a Second Time
- Theresa May`s deal was defeated in the House of Commons by 149 votes with 391 MPs voting against the Withdrawal Agreement
- The PM said a vote on whether Parliament supported a No Deal Brexit would proceed on Wednesday, and there would be no `whip` for Conservative MPs, a sign the PMs hand is much weakened, according to political commentators
- Theresa May announced that a further Parliamentary vote on whether to ask the EU Commission for an extension to the proposed date for Brexit, would occur the following day
- The PM stressed the fact that the EU required the UK to present a `credible justification for any extension` - such as clear plans for a softer Brexit, or a General Election or a Second Referendum
- The EU Commission confirmed that there would be no `third chance` for Theresa May`s deal and that it is now up to the UK to decide what it would like to do next
Political Shenanigans
- Nicola Sturgeon told the Daily Record that the case for Scottish independence, after the PM`s second defeat, has never been stronger
- Tory MP Robert Halfon floated the idea of a `Common Market 2.0` as a solution to the Brexit impasse on the website Conservative Home
- Sinn Fein`s deputy leader said the DUPs actions in Parliament were driving everyone in the UK towards a No Deal Brexit catastrophe
- Hardcore Brexiteers are warming to the idea of a delay, suggesting a new leave date of May 22nd, the eve of the European elections
- The same group of hardcore Brexiteers also said they are going to push for a `Managed No Deal` option as the basis for the UK`s exit from the EU
- Jacob Rees-Mogg was interviewed by the BBC`s Andrew Neil, shortly after yesterday`s Parliamentary vote, and the Express quoted Neil as telling Rees-Mogg `it was the night you lost Brexit`
- There are rumblings on the Conservative benches for Theresa May to consider her position
Jobs at Risk
House of Commons Public Accounts Committee confirms RHA Brexit fears
RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett said: “For the past 18 months we have strongly voiced our concerns to government officials, specifically to the Secretary of State for Transport, Chris Grayling. Each time our concerns were met with the same response: that UK international hauliers had nothing to worry about. “We have never shared Mr Grayling’s optimism and this report confirms our doubts.”
To quote from the report: The Department for Transport has failed to make timely preparations to procure the additional freight capacity needed to transport critical goods. The Department’s procurement approach has been rushed and risky and preparations have been conducted in secrecy with inadequate stakeholder engagement. “We could not agree more,” Richard Burnett continued. “The road freight industry relies on accurate planning yet with only 13 working days until Brexit we are still in the dark about future border crossing procedures. Our pleas for clarity have been constant – yet none has been forthcoming.
Nissan to stop manufacturing Infiniti models in Sunderland, 250 jobs affected
Nissan has said its Infiniti Q30 sedan and QX30 SUV will no longer be produced in Sunderland. The company said by the middle of 2019 manufacture will cease, as it plans to exit western Europe early next year and turns its attention to sales in the world’s two biggest car markets instead. Infiniti has around 250 employees working on it in the Sunderland plant. Nissan said it is working to find alternative opportunities for staff, consulting with employee representatives where necessary and identifying opportunities for transition and training support where appropriate.
Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti leaves Britain
Workers at Britain’s biggest car plant received more bad news yesterday when Nissan’s luxury Infiniti division said that it would halt production in Sunderland within months. Trade union leaders sought urgent assurances over the fate of about 200 jobs at the site. Executives said that they were “working to find alternative opportunities” for all affected staff. The carmaker has decided to shift production of its Q30 model to Japan amid weak sales in western Europe. Work is due to conclude in Sunderland “by mid-2019”. About 5,000 had been manufactured at the plant each year.
Brexit uncertainty prompts more UK firms to prepare for job cuts
Growing numbers of British companies are preparing to cut jobs or put hiring plans on hold as Brexit uncertainty intensifies, in the latest sign of stress on the economy.
In an indication that Britain’s long jobs recovery since the financial crisis is gradually running out of steam as Brexit nears, IHS Markit said UK employers’ staff-hiring intentions had reached a six-year low in February. A separate survey of more than 2,000 firms by the employment agency ManpowerGroup found that growing numbers of companies were preparing to cut jobs across the country.
Economic Impact
Plans for Irish border in event of no-deal Brexit to be published
Plans for the Irish border in the event of a no-deal Brexit are set to be published.
Speaking after her Withdrawal Deal was defeated in a House of Commons vote, Theresa May said her Government will publish its plans for a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday. The Prime Minister said these will include its approach to tariffs and the Northern Ireland border among other matters, if the United Kingdom leave the European Union without a deal on March 29.
MPs urged to avoid no-deal Brexit 'own goal'
The City UK, the finance industry body, said leaving without a deal "would be an own goal of historic proportions". The government is set to publish more details of its no-deal plans on Wednesday, including trade tariffs and Irish border proposals.
CBI director-general Carolyn Fairbairn said the extension of the Brexit process "should be as short as realistically possible and backed by a clear plan". "It's time for Parliament to stop this circus," she added. Stephen Phipson, chief executive of manufacturers' group Make UK, said: "It is now essential that Parliament brings the curtain down on this farce and removes the risk of no deal. "That outcome would be disastrous for the UK manufacturing, jeopardising many thousands of jobs in every constituency in the land."
Business leaders call for new approach to Brexit
Business leaders on Tuesday night called for a “new approach” to Brexit as Theresa May’s Brexit deal fell to its second major defeat in the House of Commons.
“Enough is enough,” said Carolyn Fairbairn, director-general of the Confederation of British Industry. Referring to Tuesday’s tumultuous parliamentary debate on the prime minister’s Brexit deal as another day of “failed politics”, she demanded a different course from the government, warning that “jobs and livelihoods depend on it”
UK avoids 'Brexit black hole' in January, but economy still sluggish - as it happened
The UK economy expanded at a faster-than-expected pace in January, supported by growth in all main sectors such as manufacturing, services and constructions, preliminary figures from the Office for National Statistics showed on Tuesday. Gross domestic product grew 0.5 percent month-on-month in January after a 0.40 percent decline in December. Economists had expected a 0.20 percent increase. In November, GDP grew 0.2 percent monthly.
No-deal Brexit will cause fresh food shortages, price hikes and border delays, government believes
Fresh food will run out, prices will rise and UK travellers will face border delays after a no-deal Brexit, civil servants are predicting. Whitehall’s “reasonable worst case scenario” for crashing out of the EU is revealed by a government watchdog – one day before a promised Commons vote on ruling out the prospect. The National Audit Office also reveals that £1.5bn is being spent by government on “urgent civil contingencies funding” in this financial year alone. The projections are made as part of Operation Yellowhammer, the emergency planning project first disclosed when Philip Hammond was photographed with a secret Treasury document last autumn.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit news: Travel Insurance warning - medical fees could soar by 900 per cent in no deal
Brexit uncertainty could see travellers forking out almost 900 per cent extra for their medical care abroad, travel insurance experts have claimed. In the case of a no deal scenario, the protection offered by the current European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) is unknown. Yet it might offer no assurances at all, with Admiral Travel Insurance estimating treatment for food poisoning could cost £2,000 should a British traveller fall ill overseas. Meanwhile for a more serious operation such as an appendix removal, this fee could surge by almost 900 per cent post March 29.
Sanofi building drug stockpiles ahead of Brexit | Business News
Hugo Fry, UK managing director of Sanofi, supplier of medicines including insulin and flu vaccines, reveals how it is preparing for Brexit.
EasyJet shores up EU supply chain in case of no-deal Brexit
Low-cost airline easyJet is stockpiling parts for its aircraft in continental Europe, in case a no-deal Brexit severs its supply chains. Johan Lundgren, chief executive, said easyJet had also been transferring three aircraft a week to its new Austrian subsidiary, which now had a fleet of 130. He said the airline was “stockpiling” spare parts for the Austrian fleet, “so as part of our Brexit preparations we’re making sure we’re not reliant on spare parts . . . only in the UK”. He said easyJet had “pre-purchased a number of spare parts” and allocated them to the right facilities.
Norton motorbike boss: Brexit has kicked us up the backside
He voted Remain, but now thinks that leaving the European Union could revolutionise Norton's fortunes. "All day long we would have preferred to remain but now we've looked and reviewed our business model in the light of Brexit," he told me. "We have the potential to be bigger, better and stronger, to go across a wider range of export territories than we would ever have looked at if we had stayed Remain." Mr Garner is a confident, cheerful and eloquent businessman with a background as unusual as his company.
'IRA' says it is responsible for parcel bombs - police
A group calling itself the IRA says it was behind the parcel bombs sent to three London transport hubs and the University of Glasgow last week, according to police. Officers say the group claimed five devices were sent but only four have been found so far. Police Scotland and the Metropolitan Police have said the claim was received by a Northern Ireland media outlet using a recognised codeword.
Brexit news: Brexit will see WINE and CAR prices rise - but you could have YOUR tax CUT
The most recent news to come out of Brexit has shown the price of wine and high-value cars could go up. According to a report by the Wine and Spirit Association, 99 percent of wine drunk in Britain is imported - and half of this is produced in the EU. According to a study done by the Journal of Wine Economics, customers may have to pay up to 25 percent more by 2025 in the event of a hard Brexit. If the UK exit the EU with a softer version of the withdrawal agreement, the price would only go up by 11 percent, the research shows.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit crisis: Another day and more humiliation looms for Theresa May
MPs will vote on ruling out a no-deal Brexit, after the Prime Minister was forced to concede a free vote for Conservative MPs to avoid ministerial resignations. If MPs vote against no deal, 24 hours later they will vote on extending Article 50, which if carried would mean the UK would not leave the EU on the proposed date of March 29
Breakingviews - Britain positions for longer Brexit limbo
Even then, a postponement is not guaranteed: the EU’s 27 members must all approve it. Keeping Britain in the bloc for more than a few extra months could complicate elections for a new European Parliament, which will be held at the end of May. Eurosceptics will seize on any delay beyond March 29 as a betrayal of the result of the 2016 referendum. More importantly, buying time will not change the fundamental choice that British politicians have yet to make: to leave the European Union – with a deal or without one – or reverse the decision to quit, probably following another referendum. That moment of truth is no more predictable after Tuesday’s defeat, but it’s probably a little bit further away.
Nicola Sturgeon says case for independence has 'never been stronger' after May's Brexit deal suffers crushing defeat
Nicola Sturgeon has said the case for Scotland's independence has 'never been stronger' after the Prime Minister's EU exit plan was heavily defeated for a second time in the House of Commons. Speaking after the vote - which saw MPs reject the UK Government's proposals by 391 to 242 - the Scottish First Minister said the Brexit plan had ignored "the needs and voice" of Scotland and left the entire UK "poised on a cliff edge". The First Minister insisted Theresa May "definitively" rule out the "catastrophe" of a no-deal Brexit and warned that the UK had been left with a Government which has "effectively ceased to function".
Robert Halfon: If you don’t like the backstop and you want a Brexit deal done quickly, there’s only one answer: Common Market 2.0
All we need to do turn the Prime Minister’s deal into Common Market 2.0 is to renegotiate the Political Declaration. We know that the EU won’t make problems, because they have already told us that they would be happy to agree to a future relationship that would keep us in the Single Market. Going for Common Market 2.0 would minimise the delay in delivering Brexit. It is the only Brexit compromise that really can be agreed and ratified in under 3 months.
What is a free vote and why did Theresa May call one for the No Deal Brexit vote?
Conservative MPs have a free vote on a motion stating that "this House declines to approve leaving the European Union without a Withdrawal Agreement and a framework on the future relationship on March 29 2019 and notes that leaving without a deal remains the default in UK and EU law unless this House and the EU ratify an agreement". In short, they can vote with their conscience – instead of having to toe the party line, as dictated by Conservative managers in a "whipped vote".
Business groups react to Brexit vote
Carolyn Fairbairn, CBI director-general, said: “Enough is enough. This must be the last day of failed politics. A new approach is needed by all parties. Jobs and livelihoods depend on it.” She added: “Extending Article 50 to close the door on a March no-deal is now urgent. It should be as short as realistically possible and backed by a clear plan. “Conservatives must consign their red lines to history, while Labour must come to the table with a genuine commitment to solutions. It’s time for Parliament to stop this circus.”
Theresa May warns of no-deal damage following heavy Brexit defeat
Prime Minister Theresa May has warned of the potential damage leaving the EU without a Brexit deal could do, after MPs rejected her Withdrawal Agreement for the second time. Mrs May said she "profoundly regrets" the decision of 391 MPs to vote against her withdrawal agreement, which she still believes is "the best and only deal available". She also said she will allow a free vote among her party, which will allow Conservative MPs to vote according to their personal beliefs rather than party policy. She said: "Brexit is an issue of grave importance for the future of our country, just like the referendum there are strongly held and legitimate views on both sides. For that reason I can confirm that this will be a free vote on this side of the house.
EU Tells May To Provide 'Credible Justification' For Delaying Brexit
The EU has demanded a “credible justification” before it can grant any request to delay Brexit, suggesting Theresa May may have to pivot to a softer deal or call an election or referendum. The prime minister is now highly likely to be forced by MPs to by MPs to seek an extension of the Article 50 withdrawal process beyond March 29 after her Brexit deal was defeated in the Commons by a 149 vote majority. MPs now look likely to reject a no-deal Brexit in a vote on Wednesday before ordering May to seek an extension Article 50 in another vote on Thursday.
Climate activists to blockade major routes at Dover day after Brexit due
Climate protesters are planning to blockade the main routes in and out of Dover on the day after Brexit to deepen any disruption to Britain’s food imports. Activists say their demonstrations on major roads from the port will “cause major delays but nothing critical”, and will “highlight the need for emergency action” on the climate and ecological crisis. But news of the plans by Extinction Rebellion organisers on Saturday 30 March was met with an immediate backlash from supporters, who warned that delaying food supplies was unfair and risked turning the public against them.
How a second referendum on Brexit could work: the question, when it could happen and who would win
Whilst the original Brexit referendum was based on a simple, binary choice of Remain or Leave, it is now implausible that a second poll could rerun the same question. For starters, there are no longer two options on the table....
Juncker: There will be no third chance to pass Brexit deal – as it happened
Juncker warned there would be no further chance to pass a withdrawal deal. He said: “In politics, sometimes you get a second chance ... There will be no third chance.” And he added a warning that “it is this deal or Brexit might not happen at all”. Moreover, he said, the UK would be legally obliged to hold European Parliament elections in May, should Brexit not be sorted by then.
After May's crushing defeat, Gibraltar prepares for all options but hopes for Remain
Theresa May’s defeat in the House of Commons has increased the chances of the UK and Gibraltar remaining in the European Union, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo said on Tuesday, even as he insisted that Gibraltar was nevertheless prepared for all possible outcomes, including a hard Brexit. Mr Picardo was speaking after Mrs May’s Brexit strategy was dealt a devastating blow by MPs, who rejected her EU Withdrawal Agreement by an overwhelming majority for the second time.
Michelle O'Neill: DUP 'hell-bent' on 'driving us all towards a no-deal catastrophe'
Sinn Féin’s deputy leader Michelle O’Neill has claimed the Democratic Unionist Party is “hell-bent” on pursuing a reckless and blinkered Brexit strategy that is “driving us all towards a no-deal catastrophe”. “The EU has shown considerable patience and a willingness to facilitate a Brexit agreement that enables Britain to leave the EU without creating a hard border in Ireland, or undermining the Good Friday Agreement,” she said.
Is Theresa May intent on a no-deal Brexit?
As Brexit day on March 29 approaches, Mrs May’s publicly stated willingness to lead Britain out of the EU without a deal — if none can be agreed by parliament — is causing a collective loss of nerve at Westminster and beyond. Hilary Benn, Labour chair of the Commons Brexit select committee, said business leaders were “tearing out their hair” at the prospect of the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement at the end of next month.
Now even the ERG wants to DELAY Brexit: Hardcore Leavers reveal their plan for Britain to leave the EU without a deal… but admit the UK 'won't be ready' to crash out until MAY
Hardcore Brexiteers have thrown their weight behind a plan for a no-deal Brexit - but want it delayed until May. Senior Tory eurosceptics, the DUP leader in Westminster Nigel Dodds and moderate Leaver leader Simon Hart have signed up to an amendment to be tabled by former Brexit minister Steve Baker. It would alter the terms of the no-deal Brexit plan to be voted on tomorrow to extend Article 50 until 10.59pm on May 22 before we leave without a deal. This would give businesses time to prepare for a new customs tariff system that would come into play if the UK crashed out without a deal.
EU leaders warn Britain it will need 'good reason' for delay and to prepare for no deal as they've done 'everything possible' to agree a plan
Britain will need a good reason for a Brexit delay if the House of Commons asks for an extension to Article 50 this week, Donald Tusk has warned. The European Council president said Brussels would consider a 'reasoned request' for a longer Brexit process but demanded that the UK supply a 'credible justification'. Mr Tusk said the chances of a no-deal Brexit were 'significantly higher' after MPs rejected Theresa May's agreement for a second time. He said it was 'difficult to see what more we can do' to help Mrs May win support for her deal in Parliament.
No-deal Brexit still possible even if MPs vote against it – ERG
Steve Baker, the former Brexit minister who is the ERG’s chief organiser, announced late on Tuesday that he and others would attempt to force a so-called “managed no deal” in the Commons on Wednesday, when MPs will have a free vote on whether the UK should leave with no agreement.
In a late-night amendment signed by the former remainers Nicky Morgan and Damian Green, Baker proposed a 21-month transition to no deal, an idea that the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, has explicitly rejected.
New poll finds majority of Scots want another independence referendum
A new poll has found that 60% of Scots want another independence referendum.
Survation research asked Scots for their view on the timing of a second referendum on independence. Only around one-third of those polled (32%) said "there should never be another Scottish independence referendum". By contrast, 60% of Scots backed a fresh vote on the country's future. With "don't knows" excluded, that figure rises to 65% in support of an indyref2.
@BBCPolitics Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg blames #Brexit impasse on a "historic disconnection" between voters and MPs
Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg blames #Brexit impasse on a "historic disconnection" between voters and MPs - "52% of voters voted to leave, but probably 500 out of 650 MPs voted to remain" #BrexitVote
@MikeySmith I’m told Tory HQ is actively preparing to take part in European Elections. CCHQ Director General Alan Mabbutt is briefing Tory campaign managers at 4pm.
I’m told Tory HQ is actively preparing to take part in European Elections. CCHQ Director General Alan Mabbutt is briefing Tory campaign managers at 4pm.
@BBCPolitics "The proper thing to do is to put it back to the public in a people's vote, in a second referendum"
"The proper thing to do is to put it back to the public in a people's vote, in a second referendum" Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve says he'll vote against the PM's latest #Brexit deal
Brexit: Foreign far-right Twitter users 'manipulated debate'
Foreign Twitter accounts have recently tried to influence the debate around Brexit, with pro-Leave tweets receiving the most support, researchers say. Cyber-security firm F-Secure analysed 24 million tweets published between 4 December 2018 and 13 February 2019. Much "inorganic" activity was discovered - including excessive retweeting carried out by bots or fake accounts. Both sides received amplification, but pro-Leave much more so than pro-Remain. Twitter declined to comment on the findings.
@SteveBakerHW Heading to table a #MalthouseCompromise Plan B amendment with @DamianGreen, @NickyMorgan01 and @Simonhartmp, supported by @Jacob_Rees_Mogg, @NigelDoddsDUP and Iain Duncan Smith
Heading to table a #MalthouseCompromise Plan B amendment with @DamianGreen, @NickyMorgan01 and @Simonhartmp, supported by @Jacob_Rees_Mogg, @NigelDoddsDUP and Iain Duncan Smith
@AlexWickham At 6:42pm, 18 minutes before the meaningful vote, the MoD sends out a dear colleagues letter confirming they expect Bloody Sunday charging decisions on Thursday and that the govt will fund veterans’ defences
At 6:42pm, 18 minutes before the meaningful vote, the MoD sends out a dear colleagues letter confirming they expect Bloody Sunday charging decisions on Thursday and that the govt will fund veterans’ defences
@MichelBarnier Let me be clear: the only legal basis for a transition is the WA. No withdrawal agreement means no transition.
Listening to debate in @HouseofCommons : there seems to be a dangerous illusion that the UK can benefit from a transition in the absence of the WA. Let me be clear: the only legal basis for a transition is the WA. No withdrawal agreement means no transition.
Political Setbacks
'The night you LOST BREXIT!' Jacob Rees-Mogg STUNNED as Andrew Neil lets loose on ERG
European Research Group (ERG) leader Jacob Rees-Mogg was left shocked after BBC presenter Andrew Neil accused the eurosceptic of losing Brexit. Mr Neil said a Brexit extension is now more likely and with that comes an uncertainty on when - if at all - Brexit will be achieved. The comments came moments after Theresa May failed to pass her withdrawal agreement through Parliament.
Tory Brexit crisis is even worse than it looks
The defeat of Theresa May’s deal shows just how big a problem Brexit will be for her party in years to come. There are abstract benefits to leaving the EU but many of the concrete advantages are ones that Brexit voters don’t really want. Which leaves the Conservative Party facing two directions at once.
Today the position of the Tories looks grim. Perhaps, however, its external foes might come to its aid. A Norway-plus Brexit may now be imposed. This could make Brexit largely pointless. But at least it would relieve the Conservative Party of its strategic dilemma.
Theresa May loses control of Brexit policy as MPs move to dictate terms over next 48 hours
Theresa May has finally lost control of Brexit after her deal was once again defeated in parliament by a huge margin on a catastrophic night for her plans. She must now let MPs decide whether to rule out a no-deal Brexit and has been forced to allow her ministers to vote as they wish to stop a devastating public split in her cabinet. In a humiliating Commons speech the prime minister said with a broken voice that she will also let the Commons vote on delaying the UK’s departure beyond 29 March and agreed to enact whatever was decided.
A No-Deal Brexit Would Be "Unlawful", Dominic Grieve Says
A no-deal Brexit would be "unlawful" and "very difficult" to include in any second referendum, former attorney general Dominic Grieve told LBC. The Tory rebel, who is calling for another public vote on Brexit, said the government had a legal obligation to obtain a soft border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
Sinn Fein's McDonald: May's Brexit defeat shows 'absolute disregard for the people of Ireland'
Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald has hit out at the defeat of Theresa May's Brexit deal, claiming it shows an "absolute disregard for the people of Ireland". Mrs McDonald was speaking after the Prime Minister's latest deal was defeated in the Commons by 149 votes. “We are 17 days away from Brexit and the uncertainty and confusion continues,” she said. “A crash out Brexit would be unthinkable for the peace process, jobs, trade and to the loss of people’s rights and quality of life, particularly in border communities.
Brexit: MPs reject Theresa May's deal for a second time
Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs by an overwhelming majority for a second time, with just 17 days to go to Brexit. MPs voted down the prime minister's deal by 149 - a smaller margin than when they rejected it in January. Mrs May said MPs will now get a vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal and, if that fails, on whether Brexit should be delayed.
2 weeks till Brexit and Defra, at the very least, looks set to be caught with its IT pants down
The UK government has moved so slowly to prepare for a no-deal Brexit that backup plans for IT systems will be burdensome and more error-prone, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have warned. The committee has hounded government departments about their plans for the UK's exit from the European Union without a deal for more than a year. Throughout, the MPs expressed concern about the pace of progress and lack of urgency – and have today said they are disappointed some of these fears have come to fruition. In a report titled Brexit: Risky and rushed activity must not become "new normal", the committee looked particularly at the Department for Transport and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Theresa May's Brexit deal defeated by 149 votes
MPs have rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal for a second time to prompt further instability at Westminster and uncertainty over the UK's departure from the EU. The prime minister, whose political future has also been thrown into doubt, saw 391 MPs vote against her withdrawal agreement on Tuesday night, with 242 voting in favour.
This delivered a defeat by 149 votes for Mrs May's deal.
Theresa May loses Brexit vote by crushing margin of 149 - and is now expected to come out against no-deal
Theresa May is set to vote on Wednesday to block a no-deal Brexit after she suffered another humiliating Commons defeat which left her fighting for her Premiership life
Lost & ruined: May humiliated once again by Commons
It's not right to pity her. She has been utterly hopeless throughout. She gave away her red lines in 2016 to win Conservative party support and has been limited by that decision ever since. She triggered the timetable of Article 50 without bothering to have a plan and then wasted precious months calling a snap election which only suceeded in removing her majority. She made countless political decisions to placate the extremist wing of her party rather than seek the kind of consensus which might conceivably have united the country. She treated parliament with utter contempt. She lied and lied and lied. She lied as easily as she breathed. She followed a path based on the most mean-spirited and inward-looking of all possible political convictions. Her strategic failure has been equal only to her moral failure. She deserves all of the consequences of her actions and none of the pity which might normally have come with them.
Theresa May’s Brexit deal fails again
IT WAS once rare for British governments to lose big votes in the House of Commons. Under Theresa May it is becoming a habit. On the evening of March 12th, for a second time, her proposed Brexit deal was roundly rejected by MPs. The margin of defeat was 149 votes—significantly less than the 230-vote defeat the deal suffered in January, but still a huge loss by historical standards.
Croaky Horror Show - Theresa May’s rejigged Brexit deal inflicted with another defeat by hardline Tory MPs as she loses her voice
The PM, who lost a vote on her Brexit deal in January by a record 230 votes, this time managed to reduce the number of Tory rebels from 118 to 75 - she still crashed to the fourth biggest Commons defeat in history.
This was May unplugged, unvoiced and once more exposed
In her statement after the defeat, the prime minister insisted her deal was still the only deal on offer. It was bordering on clinical madness. Her limitations as leader once more exposed. This was May unplugged. Unvoiced even. Her words no more than the occasional gasp. Even when she glimpsed reality by barking out that there would be a no-deal vote the next day, she was unable to prevent herself from more self-harm by declaring she would fail to whip it. Weakness piled on weakness. The martyrdom of St Theresa. Condemned by her own hand. A kinder Tory party would put an end to her suffering right now.
Theresa May’s Brexit lost to the ultimate adversary: reality
There might still be ways that Brexit can go badly; unexplored dead ends and byways of failure. But the road to success is now closed. Parliament’s second verdict on Theresa May’s deal is slightly less crushing than the first one in January. But a defeat by 149 votes, just weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU, indicates not only the last evacuation of any authority from the prime minister but a profound crisis in the project that is the only purpose of her government. She had one job, and she cannot do it. Vital questions about the future will now be settled in a state between despondency and panic. There is no strategy, no guiding intelligence. A plan must be salvaged from the wreckage of a bad idea badly executed.
Fake, foreign and far-right: Dodgy accounts uncovered pushing Brexit agenda on social media
Far-right political groups have been using fake accounts and co-ordinated behaviour on Twitter to amplify pro-Leave views, according to new research. In a study examining Brexit-related activity on Twitter, researchers from cyber security firm F-Secure identified fake accounts had been attempting to influence both sides of the debate. However, the firm found that astroturfing - the practice of faking grassroots support for a cause or subject - was "far more prominent in Leave conversations" than on Remain's side. They found this by examining tweets made between 4 December 2018 and 13 February 2019, well after the referendum, but during a critical time of parliamentary debate.
Democratic Unionist party will not support May's deal in vote
The Democratic Unionist party has rejected Theresa May’s bid for support for her Brexit deal, in another serious setback for the prime minister. Hours after the attorney general revealed that his legal advice over the Irish backstop remained “unchanged”, the party said it would not be supporting her at Tuesday night’s crunch vote. Their decision could have a devastating domino effect on the outcome of the vote with many in the Eurosceptic European Research Group led by Jacob Rees-Mogg likely to vote the same way as the DUP.
Nicola Sturgeon told she ‘is not bright enough’ to understand May Brexit deal
Nicola Sturgeon was told that she “simply wasn’t bright enough” to understand the benefits of Theresa May’s Brexit deal during a Downing Street meeting, according to an SNP MSP. The claim by Michael Russell, the Scottish constitutional relations secretary, was described as ridiculous by senior British government sources. Mr Russell was party to a terse meeting between Ms Sturgeon and Mrs May at No 10 in January, after which the Scottish first minister accused the prime minister of “running scared” of a second independence referendum.
Theresa May warns 'Brexit could be lost tonight' ahead of key vote
The Prime Minister claimed victory in a last-ditch trip to Strasbourg, where she unveiled some "legally binding" changes at the last possible moment. But Tory Brexiteers and the DUP rejected the changes after her Attorney General said they won't guarantee we can quit the 'Irish backstop.' Cornered, embattled and suffering a nasty cold, the croaky-voiced PM warned MPs they "risk No Deal or no Brexit" by voting her down. And she said "Brexit could be lost" tonight if she loses. If the deal is defeated tonight, MPs vote on whether to reject No Deal Brexit at 7pm on Wednesday. They then vote on delaying Brexit at 5pm on Thursday
May's Brexit deal has reached the end of the road: Boris Johnson
“This deal has now reached the end of the road. If it is rejected tonight I hope that it will be put to bed,” Johnson told parliament. Johnson said if the EU was unwilling to accept further changes, Britain should leave without a deal as while this would be more difficult in the short term, in the end it would be “the only safe route out of the abyss and the only safe path to self respect”.
Theresa May is appallingly weak and has brought about a surreal new level of crisis - she must go
It was painful watching the Prime Minister in the Commons on Tuesday, it really was. And not just because that familiar voice with a hesitant scratch in it had deteriorated to the same Dalek croak that wrecked her speech to the Conservative Party Conference back in 2017. The second defeat of Theresa May’s Brexit Bill was not as bad as the first, but 149 votes against would still count as a pulverising loss under normal circumstances.
EU says it can do nothing more to help Theresa May after her Brexit deal suffers another huge defeat
The EU can do nothing more to break the Brexit deadlock in the House of Commons, the European Commission and the president of the European Council said after MPs rejected Mrs May’s deal by a huge margin for the second time on Tuesday night.
“On the EU side we have done all that is possible to reach an agreement. It is difficult to see what more we can do. If there is a solution to the current impasse it can only be found in London,” said Donald Tusk’s spokesman.
Brexit vote result: All 75 Tory rebels, and how your MP voted on Theresa May's deal
heresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has been voted down by MPs in another landmark defeat for the Government. Some 118 Conservative MPs had rebelled against against the Government in the first Meaningful Vote, delivering a record defeat. This meant that Prime Minister May had a huge task at hand in order to regain her majority.
This time round, in the second Meaningful Vote, the Government lost by a margin of 242 to 391 - a majority of 149. Some 75 Conservative MPs rebelled this time, delivering the fourth largest Government defeat in parliamentary history.
Theresa May’s Brexit deal is dead — MPs must now take over
Mrs May must end the fantasy of bringing her deal to parliament a third time. EU officials have made clear there will be no further concessions on the backstop aimed at avoiding a hard border in Ireland. Mrs May should instead allow parliament to take control. She must work to promote and facilitate exactly the kind of cross-party co-operation in the national interest that she has so far stubbornly resisted.
@UKParliament We're aware of a technical issue with our website and our live feed to the House of Commons Chamber and we're working quickly to bring you coverage of the #WithdrawalAgreement.
We're aware of a technical issue with our website and our live feed to the House of Commons Chamber and we're working quickly to bring you coverage of the #WithdrawalAgreement.
Tory and DUP eurosceptics set to vote down May's Brexit deal
Theresa May's hopes of securing House of Commons approval for her Brexit deal suffered a shattering blow as leading Tory and DUP eurosceptics said they would not recommend that MPs vote for it. The so-called Star Chamber of lawyers convened by the Leave-backing European Research Group found that agreements reached by the Prime Minister in 11th-hour talks in Strasbourg do not deliver the legally-binding changes the Commons has demanded.
EU washes hands of Brexit deal: ‘We have done all that is possible’
Brussels has washed its hands of trying to help Theresa May get her Brexit deal through parliament, warning that it is up to the UK to either pass the agreement or not. Immediately after MPs rejected the withdrawal package for the second time on Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for European Council president Donald Tusk said that the EU had “done all that is possible to reach an agreement”. “Given the additional assurances provided by the EU in December, January, and yesterday, it is difficult to see what more we can do. If there is a solution to the current impasse it can only be found in London,” he told reporters in Brussels.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: Government has no plans for Irish border controls
The BBC understands the UK government does not intend to collect customs duties or have any other controls at the Irish border in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Instead it will rely on self-reporting by businesses. Details of how the UK will manage the border if there is no deal will be published on Wednesday. Meanwhile the DUP will vote against a motion in Parliament that would rule out the UK leaving the EU with no deal. It is also understood the government's border plan will suggest an app-based system to record cross border trading.
UK plan to trade with Commonwealth nations after Brexit is 'utter b**locks', former Australian PM says
Claims Britain will be able to recuperate its trade losses with the EU by dealing with Commonwealth nations are “utter bollocks”, Australia‘s former prime minister has said. Kevin Rudd said the idea trade deals with his country, Canada, New Zealand and India would make up for leaving the EU was “the nuttiest of the many nutty arguments” made by Brexit supporters. Writing in The Guardian, he said that while Australia, Canada and New Zealand would “do whatever they could” to work out new free-trade agreements with the UK, their total population of 65 million people does not “come within a bull’s roar of Britain’s adjacent market of 450 million Europeans”.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 14th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Economy, Tariffs and Border Controls
- Allie Renison, head of Europe and trade at the Institute of Directors, slammed the government`s approach to setting new tariffs in the event of a No Deal, calling them `cack-handed` and `one of the reasons businesses will not be prepared for this outcome on 29th March`
- Labour attacked the government`s plans for a No Deal TV advert campaign, based around the theme of `Don`t Panic` as comparable to Dad`s Army
- A statement on the public finances by Chancellor Philip Hammond reminded many that Brexit has become `all-consuming` for this government and public services desperately need investment
- The UK government published its proposed tariffs for goods coming into the country in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- The government also confirmed it planned to waive Northern Ireland border custom checks, relying instead on online self-declaration by people crossing the border
- A UK government minister told an EU Home Affairs committee in the House of Lords that the government did not rule out the possibility of introducing ID cards after Brexit
- Retailers and business leaders broadly welcomed the vote to rule out a No Deal Brexit in parliament, in any form or circumstance
Panic buying, holiday confusion, exhausted civil servants
- The supermarket chain Morrisons said it had seen evidence of the public stockpiling in the run up to a No Deal Brexit, citing toilet rolls and painkillers as two examples
- Sky reported that Brits are putting planned Easter holidays in the EU on hold, as they wait to learn what the new travel and customs restrictions might be
- With 16 days till the 29th March, The Guardian reported that civil servants are stressed and floundering, unclear as to which path the UK might take amidst the on-going Brexit paralysis
Political Shenanigans
- MPs voted to `rule out a No Deal Brexit` in all circumstances, with Theresa May warning of a lengthy delay to the UK`s departure from the EU
- An amendment proposed by Caroline Spellman and Yvette Cooper to the PM`s No Deal motion was accepted by Parliament (312 votes to 308). The amended PM motion was then resoundly approved 321 votes to 278 votes. This was despite Theresa May, at the last minute, ordering her party to oppose her own motion (because of the amendment).
- Four government ministers defied the Tory Party whip and abstained on the Theresa May No Deal motion, along with a small group of Tory MP`s who voted against it. There were calls by some Tory MPs for Theresa May to sack these ministers: Amber Rudd, David Mundell, David Gauke and Greg Clark
- Theresa May made it clear she intends to proceed with a third meaningful vote in Parliament on her Withdrawal Agreement within the next seven days. Her motion says the government will request a short technical implementation-based extension if the third vote passes her plan by the 20th March. If nothing is agreed she`ll request a longer Article 50 extension
- Many commentators stressed that a No Deal Brexit on March 29th was still the default position for the country. As the Parliamentary motion passed on Wednesday was not legally binding, it does not over rule the existing legislation
- The Eurosceptic bloc the ERG continue to actively campaign for a No Deal Brexit. They are placing opinion articles in the press and lobbying in Brussels to get `friendly right-wing` governments to veto any withdrawal agreement extension for the UK.
- There are rumours (from Arron Banks) that the right-wing Italian government is extremely receptive to the idea. Deputy PM Matteo Salvini (also a populist) is being actively encouraged to get Italy to block any extension to Article 50 in order to force the UK to leave with a No Deal on 29th March
- Back in the House of Commons, later today, MPs will vote on whether Parliament believes the UK should get an extension to Article 50.
- It has been stressed at EU Commission level, and by the Prime Minister, that to get the support of the EU to extend Article 50, the UK must have a clear plan or path to agree some kind of Withdrawal Agreement, a General Election or a Second Vote
- MPs are also planning to propose a series of indicative votes in the House of Commons today. These will cover soft Brexit options (EEA, Norway etc) and there could also be an indicative vote on a new referendum
- Finally, Sky News pointed out that the House of Commons rulebook, Erskine May p 397, states that a matter once decided upon by MPs cannot be considered again in the same session of Parliament. Whether that second motion is substantively the same motion as the first one is a `matter for the Speaker to decide upon.` This means that Speaker Bercow (in theory) has the power to rule out a further motion on the May Withdrawal Agreement if he deems it to infringe this rule. If he was to invoke this clause, last used in 1943 so there is precedent, it has huge political ramifications
Jobs at Risk
UK firms react with fury to 'cack-handed' no-deal Brexit plan
Allie Renison, head of Europe and trade at the Institute of Directors, said that while cutting tariffs unilaterally was a necessary and welcome part of a country’s trade policy, the government had failed to do it in an open and consultative way. “The belated, cack-handed way in which the government has handled its no-deal planning is one of the main reasons why many businesses will not be prepared for this outcome by 29 March,” Renison said. “Politicians should be under no illusion: this package of mitigating measures do not help make the case for no deal. They are rather a reminder of the spike in invidious choices we would face as a country amidst a backdrop of chaos.”
No-Deal Brexit Would Decimate Britain's Auto Industry, Or Maybe Not
Forbes questions some of the assumptions that underpin the Moody's and Fitch reports into the prospects of the UK automotive sector under a No Deal Brexit scenario. The author feels initial trade disruption would spark an agreed solution 'of sorts' pretty quickly and a set of agreed tariff rules would reduce the sting until a full agreement could be reached. Therefore, he believes the impact predicted by Moody's and Fitch is overstated at best
WATCH: No-deal Brexit TV advert compared to Dad's Army
The government’s no-deal TV adverts have been compared by Labour to Corporal Jones’ warnings in Dad’s Army not to panic. But shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett said the possibility of “thousands of job losses” is “no joke”. He told the Commons today: “The country is hanging on a no-deal cliff-edge, and today we read the government’s latest idea; a ludicrous TV advert saying to the public from Friday onwards ‘don’t panic’. “A bit like Corporal Jones in Dad’s Army. But this is not the Home Guard in the 1940s is it? And the prospect of thousands of job losses and the shortages of food and medicine and so on, it’s no joke.”
Economic Impact
Sterling leaps after UK lawmakers vote down no-deal Brexit
Sterling shot higher on Wednesday after British lawmakers voted resoundingly against leaving the European Union in 16 days’ time without a transition agreement. Britain’s parliament voted against the risk of a “no-deal” Brexit, 24 hours after a second defeat for Prime Minister Theresa May’s divorce agreement left Britain heading into the unknown. Lawmakers will vote on Thursday on delaying Britain’s EU departure beyond March 29. The pound strengthened on hopes of a delayed Brexit, a move which investors said could increase May’s chances of getting her deal with the EU through parliament or lead to Brexit being called off altogether if a second referendum is held.
Dow Jones up as UK Parliament rejects no-deal Brexit
The Dow Jones is up as the UK Parliament voted 321-278 against the UK leaving the European Union (EU) without a plan in place. This comes just a day after rejecting another Brexit deal from UK Prime Minister, Theresa May.
No-deal Brexit: transport crisis could leave cities short of police
Ministers have voiced concern that already stretched police resources will be diverted from Britain’s cities to help contend with any traffic and transport problems arising in Kent from a no-deal Brexit affecting the Channel ports. The plans form part of Operation Snow Bunting, which aims to coordinate the policing response to Brexit, but Whitehall sources said there was unhappiness in cabinet with the idea of diverting so many officers to the county. “I can’t believe we are planning to take officers off the street at a time knife crime is rising,” one cabinet source said, arguing that the public will start to understand the impact of a no-deal Brexit as the government finally spells out its plans.
Public services desperately need investment. But Brexit is all-consuming
The underlying causes of this and all the other crises – underfunding, poverty and soaring need – are, inevitably, never addressed in these panicky forays. That nearly nine years of austerity cuts are themselves a turbo-generator of far more costly demand for services – in social care, housing benefit support, mental health services and child protection, to name just a few – is for ministers a truth that must remain universally unacknowledged. That the cuts drive crime, hunger and ill health is even more forcefully ignored.
UK to remove tariffs, waive Irish border checks in no-deal Brexit
Tariffs would be maintained to protect some industries such as poultry, some dairy products, agriculture, and meat products such as beef and poultry. This would mean that 82% of imports from the EU would be tariff-free, lower than the current 100%. The UK government also said that they will not introduce any new checks or controls, or require customs declarations for any goods moving from across the border from Ireland to Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
Administrative Fall Out
Business leaders welcome rejection of no-deal Brexit but urge action
Business leaders welcomed MPs’ vote to reject a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances but urged the Government to turn it into action. The pound appeared to rise significantly after the vote on Wednesday as fluctuations in Sterling were driven by "politics instead of economics”, according to one expert.
MPs have “voted in the interests of businesses and households” by voting to rule out leaving the European Union without a deal, according to the City of London Corporation’s policy chairwoman Catherine McGuinness. The move is a “victory for common sense”, she said.
Retailers welcome Commons no-deal Brexit rejection
The two main retail bodies in Northern Ireland and the Republic have welcome the rejection of a no-deal Brexit in the Commons On Wednesday night, a majority of MPs voted in favour of an amended motion ruling out the UK leaving the EU without a deal at any time and under any circumstance. While the motion is not legally-binding, Retail NI chief executive Glynn Roberts said it provides "some degree of certainty" for businesses and said the Commons must now agree to seek an extension to the Article 50 departure date of March 29.
UK VFX industry weighs the cost of Brexit
In either a deal or no deal scenario the cost of the government’s current immigration proposals could see work relocated away from Soho, denting the health of the wider creative industries. “If there is a down-turn in the UK VFX industry as a result of a restricted talent pool, I believe the loss will not only be an economic one,” says Antony Hunt, CEO of the Cinesite Group. “The UK film industry will also lose some of the ‘soft power’ – or cultural influence –we currently have in the world. That loss cannot be quantified but will be hard felt.”
Brexit: How will the new tariff system work?
A no-deal Brexit has always meant that the UK would have greater flexibility to set its own trade tariffs. The government has now set out its plans on how it would take advantage of that opportunity. It has said it will cut tariffs to zero on 87% of the goods it imports if the UK leaves the European Union with no deal in place. Business Secretary Greg Clark told the BBC before Wednesday's publication of the plans that the changes would have "big implications" for some sectors
ID cards a possibility after Brexit, says UK immigration minister
Ministers could potentially consider some type of post-Brexit ID card system for the UK, the immigration minister has said, saying this would be a response to the sheer complexity of residence rules once free movement ends. Giving evidence to the EU home affairs subcommittee in the House of Lords, Caroline Nokes said particular difficulties could arise in the event of a no-deal Brexit, as there would be seven separate ways under which EU nationals could legally be in the UK.
Morrisons sees signs of Brexit stockpiling by shoppers
Morrisons has revealed evidence of hoarding by customers as the clock ticks down to Brexit with the outcome still unclear. With just 16 days to go until the UK is due to leave the EU, the supermarket chain admitted it had seen sales growth in the high single digits for some essential items. Chief executive David Potts said: "We've seen quite a tick up in painkillers and toilet rolls this financial year. "Whether that's got any bearing on how people are feeling about the Brexit process, I don't know."
Holidays on hold and uncertainty over pets as Brexit confusion continues
As the outcome of Brexit remains unknown, people in Derby are putting holidays on hold as they wait to understand what they might need when travelling to the European Union.
Civil service stressed and floundering amid Brexit paralysis
With just 16 days until Brexit, evidence is emerging of deep tensions in Whitehall as the civil service battles to plan for a no-deal scenario. Civil servants say they have been frustrated by political paralysis, gripped by inter-departmental rows and shorn of key staff while trying to implement the biggest change to the state’s machinery since the second world war. Bob Kerslake, a former head of the civil service, said the root of this frustration was the failure of UK politicians to decide on a plan to leave the EU. “For every task in hand there are at least two streams – the deal and the no deal – and with it a duplication of tasks. What I am getting from them is a desire to serve the government but they cannot do so without instruction and time is running out to prepare properly, one way or the other.
Political Shenanigans
Meaningful vote 3 in the next seven days
Theresa May’s extension motion makes clear that she intends to bring her deal back for another vote in the next seven days. The motion states that if a meaningful vote has been passed by the 20th of March, then the government will request a short technical extension to pass the necessary Brexit legislation. (This request would be made at the European Council meeting next Thursday). But if no deal has been passed by the 20th, the UK would request a much longer extension — which would require the UK to participate in the EU Parliament elections.
A no-deal Brexit could still happen, even if MPs vote against it – and this is why
There will be more MPs voting for a no-deal Brexit because they think the government needs to use the threat of the economic disruption it would cause as negotiating leverage in the final days of talks with the EU, but the outcome is nevertheless about as certain as it can be. But even if parliament votes against it tonight, as we expect, the UK could still leave the EU without an agreement. The votes tonight are merely expressions of opinion. As the prime minister pointed out last night, the only way to be sure of avoiding a no-deal Brexit is for the Commons to vote for something else. It has to vote either for a deal or to delay Brexit. The only way to take no-deal off the table permanently, other than approving a deal, would be to revoke the Article 50 notice – that is, to cancel Brexit altogether. And there isn’t a majority in the Commons for that either, yet.
Yvette Cooper: amendment was a 'vote against chaos of no deal'
Yvette Cooper said that she decided to press an amendment that ruled out no deal because Theresa May “has refused to consult or build consensus” and “refused to allow votes on other Brexit options”. It fell upon the Labour backbencher to push the “no to no deal” amendment to a vote after its initial sponsor, Conservative MP Caroline Spelman, had said she wanted to let it drop in favour of the government’s weaker proposal that only ruled out exiting without a deal on 29 March. As a result, Cooper said, “the House of Commons has voted decisively tonight against the chaos of no deal”, a defeat that she said will force the prime minister to resolve the Brexit crisis, or leave backbenchers to try to take control of the process.
Jeremy Corbyn says a Brexit delay is now 'inevitable'
Jeremy Corbyn has said a Brexit delay is now 'inevitable' after MPs rejected both Theresa May's withdrawal agreement and a no-deal exit. The Labour leader said Article 50 would be extended but said a delay with no clear objective was 'not a solution'. Speaking in the Commons he called on Parliament to 'take control', saying Labour would take part in cross-party talks to find a 'compromise solution' with 16 days to go until Brexit day. He did not renew his calls for a general election but raised the prospect of a possible second referendum on Brexit.
Give us Brexit options or parliament will take over Brexit - Labour MP
The government must come up with plans to allow parliament to vote on a series of options to break the impasse over Brexit or lawmakers will take over Britain’s departure from the European Union, a Labour MP said on Wednesday. “The government should come forward with plans to hold indicative votes on different options, including a customs union, so we can get on with this,” said Yvette Cooper, a lawmaker who has led efforts to wrest control of Brexit from the government. “If the prime minister won’t sort this out and build some consensus on the way forward then Parliament will need to instead,” she said in a statement.
@Peston @SteveBakerHW reminds @Peston that the law currently states we're leaving the EU on the 29th March and the ERG may have something up their sleeves to keep it that way #Peston
@SteveBakerHW reminds @Peston that the law currently states we're leaving the EU on the 29th March and the ERG may have something up their sleeves to keep it that way #Peston
Group of MPs plan to force indicative votes on Brexit options
A group of MPs is planning to force indicative votes in parliament on a series of Brexit options, including a second referendum and a softer departure, as several cabinet ministers suggested it could be the only way to resolve the political impasse. If MPs vote down the possibility of a no-deal Brexit on Wednesday night, they will vote on Thursday on whether to seek an extension to article 50. Efforts are under way to persuade Theresa May to announce plans then to hold debates on Brexit options the following week in order to determine a new path for parliament during a short extension. If May does not propose indicative votes herself, a coalition of MPs, including the Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin and Labour’s Stephen Kinnock, plan to force the votes by laying down an amendment on Thursday that would pave the way for legislation to ensure the votes took place.
Article 50: Why delaying Brexit is not as straightforward as you think
Speaker of the House, John Bercow, revealed that the Government's motion proposes extending the deadline for Brexit to 30 June. The European parliament's new term is due to begin on 2 July. The government does have the power to revoke Article 50 but it has to be done before exit date and the EU won't agree to an extension unless a specific pathway for the UK to follow is made clear to them
ERG signals it could back May's Brexit deal if legal advice is clearer
Senior Tory Eurosceptics believe they and the Democratic Unionist party could be persuaded to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal if Geoffrey Cox, the attorney general, gave clearer legal advice about how the UK could withdraw from an international treaty. It is understood the DUP is back in talks with senior government figures about what it would take for them to back May’s deal at a third Commons vote. A party source said: “Channels are open.” However, discussions are taking place around a point that Jacob Rees-Mogg, the ERG chair, raised in the House of Commons before Tuesday’s vote, relating to “how article 62 of the Vienna convention could be used”.
Tonight’s Brexit vote makes it clear – the PM must end the parliamentary dance and put it to the people
There is a fundamental choice at this point. Leave on the terms the government has reached with the EU, or see sense and remain in the EU. A Final Say would settle that question
Brexiters lobby for European veto of article 50 extension
Veto by a country such as Italy or Poland could lead to a no-deal Brexit this month...Leave.EU touted its connections with Eurosceptic forces in Europe on Wednesday, tweeting: “The British establishment would do well to remember the Eurosceptic scene is a close-knit group across the continent and on the rise – some are now in power! If our politicians betray Brexit and vote for delay, Matteo Salvini can defend the 17.4 million and veto!” Salvini is Italy’s deputy prime minister and a Eurosceptic.
Tory MP calls for abstaining no-deal ministers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke to resign
Ministers who defied the government by abstaining in the no-deal Brexit vote should resign, according to a Tory MP. Andrea Jenkyns called on the likes of Amber Rudd, David Gauke and Greg Clark to step down after they failed to back the government - despite being whipped. MPs voted to take no-deal off the table entirely under all circumstances. Despite being whipped, Downing Street has decided not to sack ministers who abstained, something which has caused outcry in the Conservative Party.
MPs have taken control of the Brexit process, but they don't know what to do with it
The only way to avoid a hard collision is to open your parachute: in the case of Brexit, that means either revoking Article 50 and cancelling Brexit, or ratifying some form of exit agreement. MPs don’t like May’s deal but they are yet to assert themselves in favour of another. May has blundered her way into crisis, but the smell of failure isn’t only coming from the government, but from the legislature as well.
MPs could vote again on May’s EU agreement after ruling out no-deal Brexit
Theresa May has held out the prospect of a third “meaningful vote” on her EU Withdrawal Agreement within the next week after MPs dramatically voted to rule out a no-deal Brexit. A Government motion for debate in the House of Commons on Thursday offers to seek a one-off extension delaying Brexit to June 30 if MPs approve the deal negotiated with the EU by next Wednesday. But the Prime Minister warned if the deal – which has already been twice rejected by massive majorities – is not approved, a longer extension will be needed, requiring Britain to take part in the European Parliament elections in May.
What will happen now MPs have rejected a ‘no-deal’ Brexit?
The next 24 hours will be crucial in deciding when – and if – the UK leaves the EU. Tomorrow MPs will vote on whether Parliament wants to seek an extension to Article 50 – delaying the UK’s departure beyond the current March 29 deadline. In order to get an extension the Prime Minister will have to convince the other 27 EU states to support it. They will probably agree to it if the extension means there’s a prospect of a deal being reached or alternatively a second Brexit referendum or general election being called.
Brexit to be delayed by at least three months as Theresa May gives MPs one week to pass deal
The Prime Minister said MPs have just seven days to back her deal or face the risk of the UK remaining in the EU for years. Mrs May's desperate gambit came after the Commons defied her to vote to permanently rule out a no-deal Brexit. Up to 20 ministers - including four Cabinet ministers - defied a three-line whip to abstain on the key vote. But in a clear sign that Tory Party discipline has completely broken down, they were assured that they would not be sacked for doing so.
MPs to vote on three-month Brexit delay as PM warns of 'lengthy' extension to Article 50
MPs have voted to rule out a no-deal Brexit in all circumstances, with Theresa May warning of a lengthy delay to the UK's departure from the EU. The prime minister suffered fresh humiliation in the House of Commons on Wednesday night - accompanied by a ministerial resignation - as MPs voted rejected leaving without a withdrawal agreement in a 321-278 vote. Although non-binding, the result comes as a fresh blow for Mrs May, who had only supported the rejection of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March. MPs spurned her proposition by instead backing the ruling out of no deal completely.
Six reasons why Brexit Britain can’t trust Donald Trump – Henry McLeish
The idea that the US is anxiously poring over every twist and turn of Brexit so that negotiations can be started on an exclusive trade deal is fiction. The US administration is more interested in weakening the EU, as it drives towards the Trump ideals of economic nationalism, bilateral trade deals and MAGA – Make America Great Again – a euphemism for protectionism, dismantling regulations and lowering standards. The US wants two of the biggest industry groups, pharmaceuticals and agriculture, who are powerful lobbyists on Capitol Hill, to be let loose in the UK.
An old rule means Bercow could take drastic action on Brexit
According to the Commons' rule book "Erskine May", there is a clear precedent that a matter, once decided upon by MPs, cannot be considered again in the same session of parliament (which usually lasts a year - this current session has gone on for longer and will expire in the summer). Buried deep within on page 397, there lies: "A motion or an amendment which is the same, in substance, as a question which has been decided during a session may not be brought forward again during that same session." It continues: "Whether the second motion is substantively the same as the first is a matter for the chair." In principle then, it would be in John Bercow's gift to say that parliament has voted on a matter already and whether a second, third or fourth iteration is sufficiently different to merit further consideration.
MPs defy May to reject no-deal Brexit, to vote on three-month delay
The British parliament on Wednesday rejected leaving the European Union without a deal, further weakening Prime Minister Theresa May and paving the way for a vote that could delay Brexit until at least the end of June. After a day of high drama, MPs defied the government by voting 321 to 278 in favour of a motion that ruled out a potentially disorderly “no-deal” Brexit under any circumstances. While the approved motion has no legal force and ultimately may not prevent a no-deal exit, it carries considerable political force, especially as it passed thanks to a rebellion by members of May’s own Conservative Party and her cabinet.
Brexit set for long delay as MPs vote to reject ‘no-deal’ completely
MPs are expected to delay Brexit for months after dramatically ruling out a ‘no deal’ under any circumstances. In a surprise move, the Commons voted 312 to 308 – a majority of four – in favour of stopping Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal. And the vote was later confirmed by a more emphatic 321 votes to 278, overriding a Government motion which would have left ‘no deal’ on the table after 29 March – Britain’s scheduled departure date.
No deal Brexit ruled out by MPs in all circumstances as chaos deepens
MPs have rejected the United Kingdom leaving the European Union without a Brexit deal in any circumstances as Parliament took control of Britain’s divorce from the bloc. A cross-party amendment to do so, narrowly passed, despite the Conservative government whipping its MPs to block. Several ministers abstained and other Tory MPs supported it
Theresa May launches bid for third ‘meaningful’ vote that would delay EU departure until June
Britain’s departure from the EU looks set to be delayed until June after Theresa May launched a desperate last-ditch bid to make MPs vote on her Brexit deal a third time. On a farcical night in Westminster, Ms May was forced to concede she would go to Brussels and ask for the short extension – but only if the Commons approves her deal next week. If MPs reject her deal at the third time of asking, she warned that a longer extension would leave Britain at the mercy of EU demands for new concessions and mean the UK must take part in European elections in May.
Brexit: Chancellor Philip Hammond calls for cross-party compromise
The BBC's assistant political editor Norman Smith said the chancellor's comments are likely to be seen as support for moves by senior cross-party MPs to forge an alternative Brexit agreement. This could include holding a series of indicative votes on different options, which would show what next steps MPs would be prepared to back.
MPs to vote on Article 50 extension as May warns they might be kissing Brexit goodbye
Theresa May is urging MPs to back a three-month Brexit postponement or face the threat of a much longer delay, in a desperate bid to persuade her pro-Leave rebels to back her withdrawal agreement next week. After a cabinet "gang of four" and several more ministers abstained and 17 backbenchers voted against the government in a Commons vote ruling out no deal, the Prime Minister has issued an ultimatum to Tory Brexiteers. In what many MPs see as a last roll of the dice for the beleaguered PM and her Brexit deal, she is effectively challenging her rebel MPs who have now defeated her deal twice: Back me or risk losing Brexit altogether.
Czech PM says new Brexit referendum option cannot be ruled out
British Prime Minister Theresa May rejected a second referendum on leaving the European Union in a telephone call on Saturday, Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday. “I told her the best solution would be for Great Britain to stay in the European Union. Therefore I am convinced it is worth calling a new referendum,” Babis said on Twitter, saying he had discussed Brexit with May at the weekend. “She rejected this, but according to me it is still not ruled out.” British lawmakers handed May a second humiliating defeat for her Brexit plan on Tuesday, plunging the country deeper into political crisis with almost no clues as to how it will emerge from the Brexit chaos.
Brexit: UK ‘must make up its mind’ before we’ll says yes to delay
The European Union has called for a “clear answer” from the UK about its next step in the Brexit process after MPs rejected Theresa May’s deal. The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier again insisted there will be no further offer from Brussels apart from the deal already on the table, and it is now “the responsibility of the UK” to suggest a way forward.
Brexit: Chaos in the Commons as MPs vote to block No Deal FOREVER
Theresa May has signalled she could hold a third vote on her Brexit plans as the only way to avoid a lengthy delay, after MPs voted to reject No Deal on a dramatic night at Westminster. The PM's deal could be put to another vote as soon as next week - despite being defeated twice already - following Wednesday's fresh humiliation in the Commons, where Remain MPs hijacked her plan to end the immediate risk of No Deal on March 29. Amid chaotic scenes, MPs voted twice against No Deal as a raft of pro-EU ministers abandoned the PM in a crucial vote and abstained. In the main division, MPs voted 321 to 278 to rule out No Deal. The new defeats prompted Mrs May to tell MPs they have a week to agree her Brexit deal or face delaying the country's exit from the EU - potentially for years.
Brexit news: Labour abandons support for referendum on Theresa May's deal
The Labour Party had originally believed in putting the agreed Parliamentary withdrawal agreement to the country in a referendum, as part of its move towards backing a Second Referendum. Now that the deal has been comprehensively rejected twice by parliament it no longer does, so its position has become less clear
Political Setbacks
Theresa May urged to SACK Remainer rebels who defied her to block a No Deal Brexit
Theresa May is under pressure to sack Remainer ministers tonight who defied her to block a No Deal Brexit. Ex-Tory Vice Chair Ben Bradley called on the PM to get rid of those in her top team who abstained on the final Brexit vote tonight.
Jeremy Corbyn announces cross-party Brexit talks as Labour leader seeks to capitalise on Government defeats
Jeremy Corbyn announced cross-party Brexit talks in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday's Government defeats as Philip Hammond and Michael Gove suggested MPs should be offered indicative votes on the way forward. Mr Corbyn said MPs had “decisively rejected” both the Prime Minister’s deal and the prospect of a no-deal divorce from the EU as he said “Parliament must now take control”.
He said he will now meet with MPs from across the House of Commons to “find a compromise solution”. Meanwhile, the Telegraph can disclose Mr Hammond warned Theresa May she should not waste "time and capital" on a third vote on her Brexit deal if it looks like it will be defeated.
Blaming Theresa May and the EU is delusional — Brexit is defeating itself
The problem is not that May has failed to deliver on the Leave campaign’s promises — the problem is that no prime minister could have done so. In 2016, the Brexiteers vowed to end free movement, retain the economics benefits of EU membership, withdraw the UK from the customs union and avoid a hard Irish border — aims that were inherently irreconcilable.
How Europe's newspapers reported May's latest Brexit humiliation: 'The Tories are decomposing'
Spain’s El Mundo claimed Britain is “perhaps the European state where populism has most corrosively affected traditional parties”. “While Labour has moved towards Jeremy Corbyn’s Eurosceptic, far-left position, the Tories have entered into a process of internal decomposition,” it added
EU on no-deal Brexit motion: 'like Titanic voting for iceberg to move'
A European commission spokesman offered a withering assessment of the decision by MPs to ignore Theresa May’s assertion that no deal was the default position unless there was a deal in place by the time of the UK’s departure. “We take note of the votes in the House of Commons this evening,” the spokesman said. “There are only two ways to leave the EU: with or without a deal. The EU is prepared for both. To take no deal off the table, it is not enough to vote against no deal – you have to agree to a deal. We have agreed a deal with the prime minister, and the EU is ready to sign it.”
May loses a vote against herself in a crazed night of parliamentary drama
It was as if all the qualities of the Brexit debate came together in perfect unison. It had everything: the cynicism, the inadequacy, the lies, the total collapse of moral or political authority. And it ended with the prime minister whipping her own MPs to defeat her and then inadvertently, by force of her own errors, voting for no-deal. It was a masterpiece of haplessness. Peak Brexit. Except that presumably things will somehow become even more ridiculous tomorrow.
An old rule means Bercow could take drastic action on Brexit
Deep in the Commons rule book is a line that gives outspoken John Bercow the power to block a third vote on the PM's Brexit deal. Buried deep within on page 397, there lies: "A motion or an amendment which is the same, in substance, as a question which has been decided during a session may not be brought forward again during that same session."
@Peston - @AngelaRayner says it would be disastrous to go back to the people now on Brexit #Peston
@AngelaRayner says it would be disastrous to go back to the people now on Brexit #Peston
Brexit news latest: MPs tell of ‘utter chaos’ in Government after no-deal is taken off the table
Cross-party MPs have hit out at the “utter chaos” of the Government after a vote to take a no-deal Brexit off the table. MPs voted to reject crashing out of the European Union without a deal "under any circumstance." Mrs May was defeated by 321 votes to 278, a margin of 43, on a motion to rule out a no-deal Brexit at any time and under any circumstance. Work and pensions secretary Sarah Newton quit after defying the whips to vote for the cross-party proposal.
MPs vote to prevent no-deal Brexit after Theresa May’s deal suffered second defeat
MPs have voted to instruct the government to avoid a no-deal Brexit in any circumstance after voting for an amendment tabled by Dame Caroline Spellman, Jack Dromey and Yvette Cooper. Despite Spellman indicating to the speaker she did not wish to move the move, Cooper indicated she did want to continue with a vote. Consequently politicians voted in support of the motion by 312 votes to 308.
But confusion reigned as the government was then forced to whip MPs against their motion after the amendment was passed. It still passed by 278 votes to 321 votes with 17 Tory MPs still supporting it and 11 ministers abstaining. Best for Britain supporter Rupa Huq MP said: “This is another significant rejection of the no-deal disaster option which would decimate industry, costing thousands of jobs up and down the country, and cripple key public services.
MPs vote to reject no-deal Brexit
In a night of high drama in the Commons, MPs surprised the government and voted by 312 to 308 to reject a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances. The vote is not binding - under current law the UK could still leave without a deal on 29 March. On Thursday, MPs will vote on whether to ask the EU for permission to delay the date for departure. There could be a short extension - or a much longer one - depending on whether MPs backed the prime minister's existing withdrawal deal that has been agreed with the EU by 20 March, the government says. That means Theresa May could make a third attempt to get her deal through Parliament in the next few days.
Parliament is betraying voters, but a clean Brexit is the best option
John Redwood MP defends the concept of a No Deal Brexit in an opinion article in which he dismisses a second referendum vote. A key point he maskes is 'leaving on 29 March will not mean leaving with no deal. There will be a range of deals. There are agreements in place for air transport to fly, for lorries to cross borders, for trade to continue under WTO rules and for cooperation to continue in various areas. As we leave, more such arrangements will be agreed. The EU has as much interest as us in continuing the trade. No EU pharmaceutical company will refuse to sell us medicines and no UK port will block their passage to our hospitals.'
The Brexit crisis shows that the Conservatives have lost the ability to change
A party that was once capable of adapting to new forces has been trapped by its own rigidity. Paul Mason goes on to say the Labour Party has played a 'perfect hand at every stage of the Brexit debate.' his article concludes: if Parliament ends up at a Norway-plus solution, it is so unlike what the xenophobic right fought for that it provides an even greater rationale for a second referendum to ratify it. If you would rather remain and reform the EU, giving parliament a shot at a negotiated soft Brexit and putting it to the people is the only remaining route to that.
Losing control of Brexit
The defeat for the prime minister may help her win the war of attrition with hardliners in her Conservative party. She has always needed a moment of confrontation: to narrow the choice between her Brexit deal and a long extension from Article 50. It now seems that moment will arrive next week. Mrs May will play on the fears of Brexiters about kicking back exit day. They know that public opinion is gently shifting and Britons may change their minds on holding a second referendum.
May’s final warning to Tory rebels: back me or lose Brexit
Theresa May will attempt one final desperate roll of the dice on her Brexit deal, issuing a stark warning to mutinous Brexiters that they must approve her offer by next week or face a long article 50 extension. The prime minister was humiliated yet again amid chaotic scenes on Wednesday night in parliament, as her cabinet ruptured three ways and MPs inflicted two more defeats on the government to demand no deal should be taken off the table permanently. In an unprecedented night of Tory splits, four cabinet ministers, Amber Rudd, David Mundell, David Gauke and Greg Clark, defied their party’s last-minute whip and refused to vote against the government’s own motion, after it was amended to rule out any prospect of no-deal Brexit.
Half of UK voters want Theresa May to resign: poll
British voters want Theresa May to resign as prime minister following the humiliating defeat of her Brexit deal, and for MPs to block no deal while voting to extend Article 50, according to an exclusive snap poll. The POLITICO-Hanbury poll of 500 Britons, carried out in the hours after the U.K. prime minister’s deal was overwhelmingly rejected for a second time Tuesday evening, reveals widespread discontent with the amended agreement May brought back to the Commons. The survey also shows growing support for no-deal and a second referendum — as well as for remaining in the EU.
Nobody wants this Brexit - it's time to grow up, and ditch this miscarriage of democracy
If you have to blackmail the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Parliament; threaten your friends; ignore the predictions of businessmen, scientists and experts; commit the grossest breach of campaign finance law in history; steal people's data' rely on Russian bots, fake news algorithms and racists; paint lies on a bus and keep Chris Grayling in a job because he was one of the people who thought this was all a great idea, then it's almost certainly a festering dungheap of a plan and it should be ditched before the cack hits the spreading device.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK sets out trade plans to limit no-deal Brexit damage
The price of food and cars imported from Europe would jump under a no-deal Brexit, UK officials revealed on Wednesday in a bid to pressure Conservative MPs to vote to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement. The British government set out the long-awaited trade plans after Theresa May’s exit agreement with the EU suffered a humiliating second defeat on Tuesday. The plans, which would apply both to imports from the EU and from outside the bloc, would eliminate 87 per cent of tariffs but introduce 10 per cent duties on cars, and levies on beef, chicken and pork as well as protections for the ceramics industry
Ireland’s no-deal Brexit tariff fears
EU farmers, particularly those from Ireland, would find it much harder to compete and enter the U.K. market, a major export destination for the country. Up to 65 percent of Ireland's cheddar cheese exports go to the U.K. along with large shipments of butter and infant formula. In total, 30 percent of Ireland’s dairy production is sold to the U.K, according to Bord Bia, the Irish Food Board. Ireland’s food exports to the U.K. made up 35 percent of the total in 2017. "The proposed tariff levels are deeply unwelcome, would put Irish butter and cheddar under severe pressure in the U.K. markets at current consumer price rates and would necessitate [price] increases at consumer level in the UK — something that their government desperately wishes to avoid," Dairy Industry Ireland said reacting to the announcement in London.
UK sets out trade plans to limit no-deal Brexit damage
The price of food and cars imported from Europe would jump under a no-deal Brexit, UK officials revealed on Wednesday in a bid to pressure Conservative MPs to vote to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement. The British government set out the long-awaited trade plans after Theresa May’s exit agreement with the EU suffered a humiliating second defeat on Tuesday. The plans, which would apply both to imports from the EU and from outside the bloc, would eliminate 87 per cent of tariffs but introduce 10 per cent duties on cars, and levies on beef, chicken and pork as well as protections for the ceramics industry.
No-deal Brexit tariffs: The winners and losers
After years of fruitlessly asking for certainty and clarity, many across British business will again feel that they've been presented with a complex, brave new world - and a headache. If these rules come in at the end of the month, it's hard to think anyone will be ready.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 15th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Impact on the UK economy
- CNBC said it had seen 93 large company `earning calls` from S&P 500 companies, all cite the negative impact of Brexit on their business during the last 3 months
- The Irish media responded to the proposed UK No Deal tariffs on imports, with a firm view that the EU would `respond in kind,` and a trade war would quickly escalate
- House prices are predicted to fall by 0.3% during 2019, according to the UK government`s Office for Budget Responsibility
- Doctors and pharmacists have been told not to oversubscribe medicines to patients, so as to stop them hoarding medicines and exacerbating any shortages
- The Independent surveyed travel companies which all said Brexit confusion was hitting them in the pocket, and leading to prices for breaks going down, due to falling demand
- RICS saw Brexit uncertainty freezing up the UK property market, saying it would be a challenging Spring
- Harvard Business Review has a running survey of 7,000 UK business leaders, who put forward their views on Brexit. HBR say the group says there has been a 6% reduction in UK investment in 2016-18. Brexit is predicted to reduce productivity by around half a percentage point. The majority of businesses anticipate Brexit wll reduce sales and increase their costs over time
- Public Health Minister, Steve Brine, told a House of Lords sub-committee on Energy and Environment, that the UK not being included in the EFSA food standards agency arrangement would mean it lacked access to food safety risk assessments.
Political Shenanigans
- Eight of Theresa May`s top Cabinet ministers voted against her motion in Parliament to extend Article 50. The Brexit Secretary, Stephen Barclay, had the company of another 187 Conservative MPs in the lobby when he voted against her proposal
- There were several votes during the course of yesterday. One was a move to propose a second Referendum. It was resoundly defeated, as the Labour Party was ordered by Jeremy Corbyn to abstain. He then sacked several Shadow ministers who broke the whip to vote against a second referendum
- Donald Trump chimed in with his opinion that if Theresa May had taken his advice negotiations on Brexit would have been successful
- The EU Commission stressed it would only get member states to agree to an extension to Article 50, IF there was a clear plan, or pathway, indicating the UK side had an agreed position
- Nigel Farage said he was lobbying foreign governments in the EU to get them to block any extension to Article 50 for the UK
- Theresa May intends to introduce her Withdrawal Agreement to Parliament early next week for a third time. She is now challenging her Eurosceptic ERG Tory MPs to back her or risk losing Brexit
- Buzzfeed News said some Eurosceptics are seriously considering voting against Theresa May for a third time
- Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, ruled out Brexiteer plans to push for the inclusion in the Withdrawal Agreement of a form of words recommending the Vienna Convention`s Article 62, as a `get out clause` for the Irish Backstop, in next week`s 3rd meaningful vote
- An attempt by cross-party backbenchers to find Commons time to launch a debate a series on indicative ideas about Brexit next week, was narrowly defeated by the government by just two votes
- Liam Fox`s recent high profile claims to have secured a great new trade deal with Switzerland fell to pieces as it turned out the deal did not include services, which makes up 52% of all UK-Swiss trade
- Fox did sign a trade continuity deal with Fiji and Papua New Guinea hailing it as a success
- The CBI, the TUC all concurred any the no-deal tariff regime the goverment is proposing would have the effect of taking a sledgehammer to the UK economy
Economic Impact
As Brexit stumbles, Salesforce and other tech companies warn of possible fallout
In the past three months, 93 earnings calls of the S&P 500 companies addressed Brexit and its potential impact, according to FactSet. Among those are some of the largest companies, including Facebook, Cisco and Walmart. While most companies were cautious with their answers, sharing very little detail, some companies were more upfront about it. Expedia, for example, said it’s seen a drop-off in U.K flight bookings due to “uncertainty around Brexit.” Booking Holdings, the owner of a group of travel sites including Priceline.com, also said Brexit is creating a “tremendous amount of uncertainty.” Facebook’s CFO David Wehner also said during January’s earnings call that macroeconomic concerns, like Brexit, are a “risk on top of other issues” facing the company.
EU will not match zero tariffs - May's no-deal Brexit plan means hard border in Northern Ireland, warns CBI chief
The UK proposals - announced on Wednesday morning in a bid to "inform" MPs ahead of a no-deal vote in parliament - state there will be no checks and no tariffs imposed on goods moving from the Republic of Ireland across the border into Northern Ireland.
It's war: EU will retaliate over British tariffs threat
The EU will fight “fire with fire” by levying tariffs on UK food exports to Europe if Britain enacts draconian new taxes on Irish farm products in a no-deal Brexit. In the event of a disorderly Brexit, the UK will levy beef, lamb, pork, poultry and some dairy imported from the EU, including Ireland. The moves will lead to retaliatory measures by the EU, imposing levies on UK foodstuffs coming into EU markets under its normal ‘third party trade regime’.
Pound holds losses after MPs back Brexit delay
Sterling remained lodged in the red on Thursday evening after Britain’s parliament voted in favour of extending the Brexit date past March 29. The currency was down 0.67 per cent at $1.3250, well off the low of $1.3209 that was hit in the London morning. It had rallied as much as 2.4 per cent to a high of $1.3383 during the previous session. The pound only very briefly trimmed its losses after the House of Commons voted to tell the government it should delay the UK’s break from the EU, either until June if Theresa May’s deal is agreed or further into the future if not.
Administrative Fall Out
House prices will fall this year as Brexit uncertainty freezes market, Budget watchdog predicts
House prices across the UK are expected to drop by the end of the year for the first time since 2012, according to an official Government watchdog. The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which analyses the Government's finances, predict that house prices will fall by 0.3 per cent in 2019. It's a sharp contrast to its five-year forecast made in October 2018, which saw house prices rise by more than three per cent in the last three months of the year. Experts have blamed the lagging property market on a dragged out Brexit and lack of affordability.
No deal Brexit could mean passports are checked at Porthcawl
Bridgend council also says its catering services, which takes care of catering in schools and care homes, have stockpiled six weeks of goods as a precautionary measure
Doctors given post-Brexit advice on patient prescriptions
Doctors and pharmacists are being told not to give patients extra prescriptions in advance after Brexit. The NHS has stockpiled medication in case of difficulties in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal at the end of this month. There have been concerns that it may be problematic to get some supplies into the country because of a potential backlog at ports.
Brexit confusion providing below cost bargain holidays for UK travellers
Senior travel industry executives surveyed by The Independent unanimously reported an apparent reluctance to commit to short breaks and longer holidays over the next few weeks in the run up to 29 March and across the Easter school break.
They blame uncertainty over international travel in the event of a no-deal departure from the European Union (EU) – the present Brexit default. The consequences would range from British driving licences and the passports of millions of UK travellers losing validity for the EU, to confusion over arrangements for medical treatment. As a result, air fares and hotel rates are tumbling.
Brexit uncertainty 'holds back house moves'
Buyers and sellers are "sitting tight" as Brexit uncertainty continues to freeze the UK property market, surveyors have said. Some 77% of members asked by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said that the Brexit impasse was holding back activity. New buyer enquiries, sales, and homes being put on the market all fell in February, the survey said. This would mean a "challenging spring" for housing and the economy, it sa
The Young People Staring Down an Endless Brexit
For a number of reasons, Brexit has been an invidious political process. But one of the most unsettling has been the mismatch between the generations that voted for Britain’s departure and the generations that will have to bear the consequences. Around seventy per cent of those under the age of twenty-four voted Remain, while sixty per cent of those older than sixty-five voted Leave. “It’s really, really scary to watch politicians who are trying to implement something which the vast majority of us don’t want and have never wanted,”
Austerity created this mental-health crisis. Brexit has sent it into overdrive
Calls not to politicise mental-health issues fall flat when an era of cuts and uncertainty sees our mental wellbeing plummet writes Dr Frances Ryan
Tim Martin: ‘If there’s a no-deal Brexit I’ll bring the price of beer down’
Tim Martin says that the company’s four non-executive directors differ with him on Brexit: “I don’t talk to them much about it because it’s too emotional.” David Page, an old friend and founder of the Franco Manca pizza chain, who voted Remain, says it is “as personal to him as the pubs. I think he’s sad about how divisive it has become but when Tim makes up his mind, it takes an earthquake to change it.”
Brexit Is Already Affecting UK Businesses — Here's How
According to a survey of over 7000 business leaders in the UK...We find that Brexit has been an important source of uncertainty for many UK businesses. We estimate that this led to a 6% reduction in investment in the first two years after the referendum, with employment also around 1.5% lower. And Brexit is likely to reduce future UK productivity by around half a percentage point via a batting average effect of output being reallocated away from higher productivity firms toward lower productivity ones. The majority of businesses anticipate that Brexit will eventually reduce sales and increase costs.
Brexit: Farmers' Union of Wales and NFU want more time
Farming unions in Wales have called for more time until Brexit to protect the industry.
The Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW) urged MPs to reject a no-deal Brexit under all circumstances, while NFU said an extension to leaving the EU needed to be "as long as necessary". There are concerns a no-deal Brexit would have a "devastating impact" on Wales' lamb exports. Concerns have also been expressed within the steel and car industries. Meanwhile, First Minister Mark Drakeford said what was announced under the new tariff regime demonstrated the "catastrophic effect" a no-deal Brexit would have on the Welsh economy. "It exposes us immediately to all sorts of headwinds in terms of international trade that will make the task of securing jobs here in Wales in manufacturing, in agriculture, even more difficult," he said.
Classic car industry fears Trump and Brexit roadblock
The UK's continuing Brexit uncertainty is another factor said to be weighing heavily on the sector. Malcolm Barber, co-chairman of auction house Bonhams, which has its headquarters in London, says Brexit has led to "caution" among UK car collectors "as it has in most industries in Britain".
What a spike in toilet paper sales says about Brexit
While British lawmakers fumble through Brexit negotiations, sales of two items might hint at how the public is bracing for impact: toilet paper and painkillers. On a recent earnings call, David Potts, chief executive of British supermarket Morrisons, said that the chain had seen a “small amount” of stockpiling and that sales of these two goods had risen more than 7 percent in the past year. “We’ve seen quite a tick-up in painkillers and toilet rolls [sales],” Potts said, according to reporting from Reuters. “Whether that has any bearing on how people are feeling about Brexit, I don’t know.”
Brexit: Unexploded bomb found at Chris Grayling's 'no-deal lorry park' airport
Bomb disposal crews have been called to Manston Airport - which the government may need to use as a lorry park if there's a no deal Brexit in 15 days
Brexit raises food safety concerns
Those arguing that the UK is woefully unprepared for its departure from the EU on 29 March were given further ammunition last week as the House of Lords EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee took evidence from Public Health Minister Steve Brine MP and Food Standards Agency Chair Heather Hancock. Although major preparations have been made, the Committee heard, significant uncertainty remains concerning the UK’s relationship with the EU on food safety issues. Brine said that the FSA would be highlighting to Defra (the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) the importance of continued scientific collaboration with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which undertakes food safety risk assessments on behalf of the EU, but admitted the terms were still a matter for negotiation. “We will not be able to contribute to the strategic direction of EFSA,” he said. “Access to EFSA’s risk assessments – that is a matter for negotiation. Their scientific opinions are made publicly available but the supporting data is not published. So following exit, if we don’t have access to the data, we may have to source our own.”
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May is truly on the ropes. But there may yet be life in her deal
Hammond’s very public advocacy of a wholly different Brexit route, delivered with May glowering stony-faced and silent on the benches behind him, showed the shift that was taking place in the government, in the Tory party and in parliament. It announced, in effect, that the national interest matters more than the party interest, because an agreed Brexit deal that passes is a higher priority than May’s deal, which has now been twice defeated. It therefore has to imply that Hammond thinks that May may have to go.
Brexit: Does the UK need to hold European elections?
It is becoming a key question in this complex Brexit process.
If the UK was to request, or be offered, a lengthy extension of its membership of the European Union (EU), would there be an obligation to take part in May's European elections? Both the UK government and the European Commission (EC) say that there would; but legal opinion is divided, and many lawyers argue that a satisfactory fix could be found. The elections are taking place between 23 and 26 May, although the new parliament will not sit, and new members will not be sworn in, until 2 July.
That is why it has been argued that an extension of Article 50 until the end of June would not prove to be a problem.
Brexit Recap: MPs to vote delay Brexit and reject second referendum
Brexit will no longer happen on March 29th after MPs voted to delay it. After a series of votes in the House of Commons, MPs backed an extension to the Article 50 process, which is expected to last at least another three months.
MPs have voted to delay Brexit - so what might happen now?
The government might need to offer updated legal advice in order to convince both to drop their hostility to the Irish border backstop, while the looming prospect of a long delay to Brexit could also make them reverse their opposition. However, it has been suggested Mrs May might not be able to bring back her deal - if it's not significantly different - for a third vote under parliamentary convention.
British lawmakers overwhelmingly back Brexit delay
British lawmakers voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to seek a delay in Britain’s exit from the European Union, setting the stage for Prime Minister Theresa May to renew efforts to get her divorce deal approved by parliament next week.
EU's Tusk floats long Brexit delay before summit
European Union leaders will consider pressing Britain to delay Brexit by at least a year to find a way through its domestic deadlock, the chair of next week’s EU summit said on Thursday.
Brexit: Cabinet unity crumbles as eight top ministers refuse to back Theresa May's Article 50 extension
The unity of Theresa May’s cabinet has publicly crumbled after eight of her most senior ministers refused to back her plan to delay Brexit by three months. Those who failed to support it included the prime minister’s Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay, who was joined by 187 other Conservative MPs and frontbenchers in voting against her approach. None of the ministers opposing Ms May’s ultimately successful move to delay Brexit will be sacked, because she allowed a “free vote” on the issue in the face of a mass rebellion.
Theresa May to hold third 'meaningful vote' on her deal after MPs vote to extend Article 50
Theresa May will hold a third “meaningful vote” on Brexit after MPs authorised her to ask for a lengthy delay if no deal has been agreed by next Wednesday. Huge pressure is now being put on the DUP and Brexiteers to fall in behind the Prime Minister’s deal to avoid the risk of Article 50 having to be extended by up to two years. But it emerged on Thursday night that the “star chamber” of legally-trained Brexiteer MPs has already rejected fresh legal advice from Geoffrey Cox, the Attorney General, over the Northern Irish backstop.
Brexit extension of 21 months 'a possibility' - Coveney
The Taoiseach has welcomed a vote in the House of Commons, which enables the British government to ask the European Union for a delay to Brexit. MPs want to delay the UK leaving the EU until at least the end of June. The motion by the British government was approved by 412 votes to 202. In a statement, Leo Varadkar said that the result of the vote reduces the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit. However, he said that London needs to give details on what purpose an extension would serve, and how long it would last for.
Brexit: Will the EU accept a delay to Article 50?
Brussels reporter Adam Fleming explains what a potential delay to the triggering of Article 50 would mean. MPs are expected to be given a vote on Thursday on whether they want to seek an extension to the Article 50 negotiation period. The EU have said any extension would need a purpose.
Tusk pushes EU27 leaders to be open to long Brexit delay
Donald Tusk is pushing the European Union’s leaders to consider a long Brexit delay to allow the UK to rethink its goals in the negotiations as the Commons voted in favour of seeking an extension of article 50. In an apparent shift in the EU’s red lines, the European council president suggested even before MPs had voted that a lengthy extension beyond 29 March could be granted simply to give Westminster time to recalibrate.
Brexit crisis presents opportunity for Theresa May
This is now a crisis - the rules that traditionally have preserved governments are out of the window. The prime minister has been defeated again. Her authority - if not all gone - is in shreds. But for Number 10 there's an opportunity too, because MPs will soon be presented with a new choice - back the PM's deal, which has already been defeated twice, or accept the chance of a delay to Brexit. This isn't the choice of a government that's in control. But the tactic is to make the best of chaos. To use nerves among Brexiteers to shove them towards accepting Theresa May's deal in the absence of another solution with no other agreed alternative - yet.
Donald Trump 'surprised at how badly' Brexit negotiations have gone
Donald Trump has said he is "surprised at how badly" the Brexit negotiations have gone for Britain and claimed that leaving the EU is "tearing the country apart". In an explosive intervention, the US president claimed that Theresa May did not listen to his suggestions on how to handle the negotiations. He also poured scorn on the idea of a second referendum.
Hammond warns Brexiter Tories to back May deal or face softer cross-party plan
Conservative MPs should finally get behind Theresa May’s Brexit plan in yet another Commons vote, Philip Hammond has argued, saying the alternatives were either a softer, cross-party Brexit or a long delay to departure. After MPs voted to indefinitely rule out a no-deal Brexit, and ahead of another likely dramatic set of votes on Thursday about extending article 50 and the idea of a second referendum, the chancellor strongly indicated that May would try for a third time to get her deal through parliament. Amid signs the Democratic Unionist party and Tory Brexiters might finally be starting to back the deal, Hammond used a round of media interviews to warn them of the consequences of it failing yet again.
Sir Vince Cable to quit as Lib Dem leader in May
Sir Vince Cable has announced he will step down as Liberal Democrat leader after May's English local elections. Sir Vince said he wanted to pave the way for a "new generation". He became party leader without a contest after Tim Farron's resignation in 2017 - but the party has struggled to make an impact in the polls since. The former business secretary said in September he would stand down as party leader "once Brexit is resolved or stopped". But in an interview with the Daily Mail, he said: "It now looks as if it will be a protracted process, and may never happen."
Brexiteers launch Commons bid to kill off 'divisive' second EU referendum
More than 100 MPs have backed an amendment to today's motion on delaying Brexit seeking to stop a so-called "people's vote" from ever taking place. Tabled by Tory eurosceptic Lee Rowley and backed by DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds and Labour MPs Gareth Snell and Caroline Flint, it asks the Commons to endorse the view that "the result of the 2016 EU referendum should be respected and that a second EU referendum would be divisive and expensive, and therefore should not take place".
Theresa May Will Ask The EU To Delay Brexit After MPs Voted To Support An Extension
The UK will ask the European Union to delay Brexit after parliament voted by a majority of 210 to seek an extension to the withdrawal process. On a third consecutive night of drama in Westminster, MPs voted 412 to 202 to ask for more time to resolve the crisis that has bitterly divided the country’s political class and gravely undermined Theresa May’s government. Only 112 Tory MPs voted to delay Brexit, with 188 voting against. The delay only got through the Commons on Labour votes. Eight cabinet ministers voted against the government's motion, including Steve Barclay, the Brexit secretary who had spoken in favour of it at the despatch box as he closed the debate for the government. He was joined in the Noe lobby by fellow cabinet ministers Penny Mordaunt, Gavin Williamson, Liz Truss, Liam Fox, Alun Cairns, Chris Grayling, and Andrea Leadsom. Julian Smith, the government chief whip, abstained on the government's motion, while Michael Gove, the former chair of Vote Leave, and David Davis, the former Brexit secretary, voted to delay Brexit.
A Group Of Hardline Brexiteer MPs Is Threatening To Side With Jeremy Corbyn And Bring Down Theresa May's Government
A core group of around 20 hardline Brexiteers is threatening to vote down Theresa May’s deal for a third time next week and bring down her government at a confidence vote called by Jeremy Corbyn. But as Eurosceptic Conservative MPs divide on how to approach the third meaningful vote due next week, a wider group of Brexiteer rebels are now keen to back the deal on the condition that May commits to stepping down as prime minister in the summer. Downing Street remains pessimistic that the PM’s deal will pass at the third attempt. A senior government source told BuzzFeed News that they expected a significant number of Brexiteer switchers, but not enough to secure a majority next time round. The source said the government could lose the third meaningful vote by between 20 and 40 votes, and then hope to win with support from Labour backbenchers at a fourth attempt.
Even though they voted against it, MPs know a second referendum is the only way out of this Brexit mess
And I wonder if she ever reflects on the fact that her entire strategy is to keep asking MPs the same question, when nothing has changed, in the hope they change their minds; but it is an affront to democracy that the British people, almost three years on, when so much has changed, and so much more is known about what Brexit actually means, should not be allowed to express a view. As we fight for a people’s vote, there are bound to be differences of opinion on tactics about how best to prosecute the case in parliament. Today was not, in my view, the right time to seek parliamentary support, though I share the passion for a people’s vote of those who tabled the amendment. But today was about securing the extension to Article 50 and allowing the world to let the chaos in government sink in.
AMENDMENTS EXPLAINED: Everything MPs will vote on in tonight's crunch Article 50 decision
MPs are due to debate whether the Government should try to push back the UK's exit date beyond 29 March after giving the PM another shot to get her deal through next week. Members are once again hoping to throw a spanner or two in the works. Here are the bids that John Bercow has chosen to be put to a vote.
Brexit: Britain faces TWO YEARS of limbo unless Theresa May wins vote
Donald Tusk today revealed he will urge EU leaders to agree a 'long extension' to Article 50 - delaying Brexit by up to two years to give the UK time to 'rethink' - if Theresa May's deal is voted down a third time next week. The President of the European Council's intervention on Twitter this morning will bolster claims that the UK would not leave the EU until 2021 unless Mrs May can persuade the DUP and Brexiteers to back her divorce deal - because some in the EU want to play 'hardball' and push for a delay of two years. Ireland's Foreign Minister Simon Coveney also said today the EU is likely to offer Britain a 21-month delay to Brexit while Taoiseach Leo Varadkar added that if the UK changes its mind it would be welcomed back 'like the prodigal son'.
Brexit: Direct rule for Northern Ireland 'real possibility'
Michael Gove has warned re-imposing direct rule for Northern Ireland from Westminster is a "real possibility" if there is a no-deal Brexit. Devolved government in Northern Ireland collapsed in January 2017 after a row between the power-sharing parties. MPs have voted to reject the UK leaving the EU with no deal - but it is not legally binding. The environment secretary said direct rule would be a "grave step" the government would have to consider.
Political Setbacks
Sack Brexit abstaining ministers, says Welsh Tory MP
Tory ministers who abstained on a vote opposing leaving the European Union without a deal should resign or be sacked, a Brexiteer MP has told BBC Wales. Thirteen government ministers defied whips by abstaining on the vote on Wednesday night. David Davies said the MPs should not be in government. MPs rejected leaving the EU without a deal 321 votes to 278, in a further government defeat on Brexit.
Brexit deal latest: Attorney General Geoffrey Cox warned using Vienna Convention to get out of backstop is a 'complete non-starter'
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was today warned that using a Vienna Convention article to get out of the Brexit backstop was a “complete non-starter”. The QC was also told he risked turning his “codpiece into a figleaf” if he changes his legal advice, which had been dubbed a “codpiece”, in an eleventh-hour bid by the Government to persuade Tory and DUP MPs to back Theresa May’s plans.
MPs to vote on Article 50 extension as May warns they might be kissing Brexit goodbye
Theresa May is urging MPs to back a three-month Brexit postponement or face the threat of a much longer delay, in a desperate bid to persuade her pro-Leave rebels to back her withdrawal agreement next week. After a cabinet "gang of four" and several more ministers abstained and 17 backbenchers voted against the government in a Commons vote ruling out no deal, the prime minister has issued an ultimatum to Tory Brexiteers. In what many MPs see as a last roll of the dice for the beleaguered PM and her Brexit deal, she is effectively challenging her rebel MPs who have now defeated her deal twice: Back me or risk losing Brexit altogether.
Who cares about food and medicine? Brexit is the best nightly entertainment show Britain has ever had
Comedian Mark Steel takes apart the absurd farce of the Brexit discussions and votes going on in Parliament at the moment. Every detail seems designed to make Britain look gloriously stupid he says
Brexit: MPs' plan to take control from Theresa May fails by just TWO votes
The Commons has voted against an amendment that would have paved the way for 'indicative votes' for MPs to discuss in order to find a new way forward. The amendment was been tabled by the powerful a cross-party coalition of Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper and Oliver Letwin. It was defeated by 312 votes to 314.
Analysis: Why Hammond's Brexit war chest is smaller than it looks
Philip Hammond dangled the prospect of £26.6bn before their eyes, telling Parliament that if they behave themselves and back a Brexit deal the taps can be turned on. The ‘end of austerity’ can turn from simply an end to restraint into a new age of cash for all. “If we leave the EU with a deal and an orderly transition to a future economic partnership we will see a ‘deal dividend,” Hammond told the Commons in his announcement-light statement. Britain can expect “an economic boost from recovery in business confidence and investment and a fiscal boost...
UK needs to get 'act together' on Brexit deal, says European Commission's vice-president
Frans Timmermans says that the UK parliament need to tell the EU what they want in terms of a deal on Brexit in a video interview with Sky News
'It's terrible — the Brits were lied to': Americans give their verdict on Brexit
Brexit faced a crucial week this week as May tried to get her Brexit deal approved by the U.K. Parliament. It failed to win enough support from British lawmakers for a second time but MPs also then voted to reject the option of leaving the EU without a deal. They are next going to vote on whether to delay Brexit altogether.
The UK needs a second Brexit referendum after no-deal exit is rejected, says Scottish lawmaker
As U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal continues to face a pummeling in Parliament, the only option is to return the matter to the British public for a second referendum, according to Drew Hendry, a U.K. member of parliament from Scotland. Hendry on Wednesday joined the chorus of parliamentarians calling for more time before Britain’s looming departure from the European Union. “There needs to be a situation now where there’s an extension to Article 50 to allow this to go back to the people,” Hendry told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday. Article 50 refers to the formal two-year process governing the U.K.’s departure from the European Union
The Brexit clocks have been reset, but time's running out for the PM
Extraordinary, shambolic chaos in the Commons as the planned prime ministerial free vote on ruling out no deal disintegrated before her eyes, taking ministers with it.
The PM ended up effectively voting for no deal, after her motion, only ruling it out for a month, was defeated and replaced with one ruling it out full stop. Humiliatingly she also lost that vote against no deal by an even bigger margin. One of the Labour MPs being wooed to vote for her deal a few months ago, Jess Phillips, called her a "disgrace" to her face in the voting lobby.
A chaotic Brexit is part of Trump’s grand plan for Europe
The Brexit saga isn’t just about a negotiation gone awry, nor about the impasse a country finds itself in having fallen prey to a movement based on lies and deception. The wider question is about what kind of world we want to live in. To fully see this, it helps to keep Trump’s US in mind, not just the intricacies of British parliamentary arithmetic or Michel Barnier’s latest statement. Because Trump’s US is intimately intertwined with the Brexiter vision of Britain.
Hypnotised by cake and unicorns, the Brexit perfectionists have blown it
The result of yesterday’s meaningful vote in the House of Commons, much like the first in January, was emblematic of a very striking Brexit reality: that the principle barrier to leaving the EU comes from the very people most desperate to see it happen. The Tory right have had two clear chances to push Brexit over the line, two clear chances that were squandered in dogged pursuit of a “perfect” vision of Brexit. What makes their intransigence all the more useless is their collective inability to produce any worthwhile negotiating alternative. What we have witnessed is an exercise in prioritising ideology over what is best for the country.
Trump: 'Surprised at bad Brexit negotiations'
US President Donald Trump has been critical of how Theresa May's Brexit negotiations have taken place. Trump told reporters a second vote would be unfair "on the people who won", and that the Irish border issue was one of the most complex Brexit issues.
EU pours cold water on May's Brexit delay win – 'ALL EU27 need to approve'
A European Commission spokesman fired off a quick response moments after a vote to delay Article 50 was won 412/202, with a majority of 210. The ballot will allow Mrs May to iron out a better deal or post-Brexit Britain, though not without their permission the spokesman reminded the Prime Minister. The spokesman said: “We take note of tonight’s votes. A request for an extension of Article 50 requires the unanimous agreement of all 27 Member States. “It will be for the European Council (Article 50) to consider such a request, giving priority to the need to ensure the functioning of the EU institutions and taking into account the reasons or and duration of a possible extension.”
Farage unveils PLOT to secure Brexit on March 29 – 'you have encouraged me'
Nigel Farage was confronted about rumours suggesting he is planning to seek the support of allies in Italy and Poland to ensure requests for a Brexit extension are rejected. Mr Farage was asked to clarify the claims on Wednesday, and he confirmed he has been "thinking very carefully" about reaching out to fellow Eurosceptics to make sure the UK quits the bloc on March 29. Speaking to Euronews, the architect of Brexit said: "Next Thursday night is a major moment because if Mrs May comes and meekly asks for an extension without a plan, and isn’t able to offer a second referendum because of the implications for her own party, you may find that there is a veto there with or without my help.
Brexit: Labour will NOT support tonight's vote for a second referendum
The Mirror understands Labour whips will instruct MPs to abstain. Responding to a question from Anna Soubry in the House of Commons he said: "Many colleagues in and out of this place absolutely supportive of the cause she supports - namely a people’s vote - vehemently disagree with this amendment being tabled and voted on today." "The People’s Vote campaign…have issued a formal statement of their position today in response to amendment H, saying “we have made it clear that we do not regard today as the right time to press the case for the public to be given a final say.
Brexit: Commons uproar as Jeremy Corbyn defends abstaining on second referendum
Jeremy Corbyn said: "Today I reiterate my conviction that a deal can be agreed based on our alternative plan that can command support across the House. "I also reiterate our support for a People's Vote - not as a political point-scoring exercise but as a realistic option to break the deadlock." But Labour rebel Neil Coyle, who supported a second referendum, told the Mirror: “Labour members are fretting over the party’s failure to lead in seeking a new People’s Vote. “I am forced to break a whip for something that is supposed to be Labour Party policy but has not been backed today. “There is little time left to win a new public vote. Next week Labour must back it wholeheartedly and with no more reservations.”
Michael Gove’s Brexit agony
I feel particularly sorry for Michael Gove, because there is psychological torment here. His understandable reasoning for not resigning over Theresa May’s Chequers proposal was that he had been accused first of betraying David Cameron, then of betraying Boris Johnson. He could not face being accused of a third betrayal by walking out on Mrs May. This meant that he unintentionally betrayed the cause of Brexit. He is now the government’s media apologist for whatever piece of contortion comes out of Downing Street, and is humiliated when the line he has just peddled collapses a few hours later.
Theresa May is acting like a 'cruel parent' over Brexit, says Labour peer
Baroness Smith of Basildon, Labour’s leader in the Lords, said May did not have the full support of her government or the cabinet. Lady Smith said the May had been “extraordinarily intransigent” in her speech to MPs after the defeat last night on a no-deal Brexit and wanted to “ignore parliament”. Lady Smith said the government was spending time, energy and money on preparing for a “no-deal failure” despite the vote to rule it out. She said of reports that Mrs May would make another attempt to get her “twice rejected deal” approved by MPs: “She’s acting like a cruel parent who when a child won’t eat it’s dinner serves up the same plate of cold food day after day until they are forced to accept the unwanted, unpalatable and dangerous.”
RESPECT THE RESULT Labour in Brexit chaos again as top Jeremy Corbyn ally says second referendum would be ‘disaster’
Angela Rayner, who has said in the past she doesn't want a second vote, thinks it would be a terrible idea to go back to the people - but MPs will vote on it today
Theresa May has finally got the Brexiters where she wants them
It now means the prime minister can stage next Tuesday’s vote the way she wants it: as an ultimatum to the ultras of the European Research Group and the Democratic Unionist party. Thanks to another, much more comfortable vote this evening, approving in principle an extension of article 50, those intransigents will now face a sharp dilemma. The ERG and DUP either swallow their objections and vote for May’s deal, or they face the prospect of a long delay to Brexit – perhaps for the best part of two years. Given the mayhem on show these past few days, who would bet what might happen to their precious Brexit project between now and 2021? They might lose it altogether.
Labour whip quits as second referendum vote exposes splits
A Labour whip and an aide to deputy Labour leader Tom Watson quit in order to vote against a second Brexit referendum as the party’s divisions on the issue were laid bare. Stephanie Peacock resigned from the whips office, saying she wanted to “respect the result of the 2016 vote” and her constituents in Barnsley East would expect her to “honour that promise”. Ruth Smeeth resigned as parliamentary private secretary to Mr Watson, saying she had a duty to “support the will of my constituents” in Leave-supporting Stoke-on-Trent North.
May Suffers Mass Tory Revolt As MPs Vote For Three-Month Brexit Delay
Theresa May has suffered a mass Tory revolt by her ministers and MPs as she caved to pressure to delay Brexit by three months. Amid shambolic scenes in Parliament, the prime minister’s tattered authority took a fresh blow when more than half her party opposed her government move to postpone exit day from March 29 to June 30. Some seven Cabinet ministers, including her Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, voted against May’s motion, which was aimed at giving her extra time to get her EU-UK divorce deal passed and put on the statute book. Earlier, she had seen off a dramatic attempt by parliament to seize control of the Brexit process.
Brexit: Is the UK actually in a crisis over leaving the EU?
You've probably heard at least one person say the UK is in a Brexit crisis. Politicians from Europe and Britain have said it and it's been in headlines - usually in CAPITAL LETTERS - a lot. But are we being dramatic or is the UK actually in a crisis over leaving the European Union? We spoke to three experts to find out.
EU furious with Theresa May after she calls third Brexit vote on eve of summit
Brussels has reacted furiously after Theresa May announced plans to hold a third meaningful vote on her Brexit deal just one day before an EU summit to approve an extension to the Article 50 negotiations. While EU-27 leaders are divided over the length and conditions for the extension beyond the March 29 deadline, they are united in their irritation that the prime minister will give the bloc very little time to consider their response and prepare a joint position.
Will Northern Ireland dissidents be able to exploit Brexit chaos?
Brexit is viewed by republican dissidents as an “opportunity” rather than a political end in itself, say politicians and security officials. Yet it would be wrong, says one UK security expert, to expect a sudden upsurge in violence after the UK leaves the EU.
But, he adds, the security situation will become harder to manage after Brexit, with even the slightest hardening of the border likely to provide a tempting target for extremists. The idea of border checkpoints enforced by police or immigration officers remain unlikely but even softer options, such as the addition of automated cameras to check the movement of goods as they cross the border, could be magnets for dissidents looking to send a message
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: UK's no-deal trade plan – and what it means for Ireland north and south
The new regime would mark a shift in favour of products from non-EU countries.
While 82 per cent of imports from the EU would be tariff-free (down from 100 per cent now), 92 per cent of imports from the rest of the world would pay no border duty (up from 56 per cent). :: Are there any special arrangements for Northern Ireland?
Yes, the north would be treated differently to Britain for goods originating in the Republic. In special arrangements for Northern Ireland, the UK's temporary import tariffs would not apply to EU goods crossing the border from the Republic. The decision is designed to avoid a hard border in Ireland.
Brexit: Switzerland trade deal signed by Liam Fox attacked for leaving out services
Liam Fox’s claim to have secured a post-Brexit trade deal with Switzerland of “huge economic importance” has been sharply criticised – because it fails to protect about half of current commerce. The agreement – one of the few successfully ‘rolled over’, with the scheduled departure from the EU just 16 days away – does not cover services, a committee of peers has warned. “Most trade in services, which make up 52 per cent of all UK-Swiss trade, is not covered by the deal,” its report says. Trade with Switzerland, which is outside the EU but participates in its single market, is worth about £31bn a year to the UK economy, making a rollover a key government priority
UK signs post-Brexit trade deal with Fiji and Papua New Guinea
Britain has signed a post-Brexit trade deal with the Pacific islands of Fiji and Papua New Guinea, as the government rushes to sign as many agreements as possible before 29 March. The Department for International Trade said the agreement would maintain access to goods including sugar and fish imported from the islands 10,000 miles away. Total trade between Britain and the region is worth about £369m a year.
Signed by the international trade secretary, Liam Fox, the deal eliminates all tariffs on all goods imported from Fiji and Papua New Guinea and will gradually remove around 80% of tariffs on UK exports to these countries.
No-deal tariff regime would be ‘sledgehammer’ to UK economy, CBI warns
TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady accused the Government of showing “reckless disregard for people’s jobs”, warning the proposed tariff regime would be “a hammer blow to our manufacturing industries and the communities they support”.
The general secretary of steelworkers’ union Community, Roy Rickhuss, said: “The Government’s plan for zero tariffs would be a fresh betrayal of British steelworkers, putting further pressure on their jobs at a difficult time for the industry.” In special arrangements for Northern Ireland, the UK’s temporary import tariffs will not apply to EU goods crossing the border from the Republic. The decision – designed to avoid the need for checkpoints which might revive sectarian tensions – has raised fears of smuggling, as ministers insist there will not be a border down the Irish Sea.
@LiamFox Signed a trade agreement today with Pacific Islands which will avoid around £19m of tariff duties on UK imports from
Signed a trade agreement today with Pacific Islands which will avoid around £19m of tariff duties on UK imports from
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 18th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK Economy, visas, investment, No Deal tariffs, Stockpiling and Road Protests
- British companies generating most of their revenues in their home market are experiencing their worst share price performance since they were first hit by the UK`s decision to leave the EU 3 years ago, The FTSE Local UK Index, which measures performance of listed companies generating at least 70% of their revenue in the UK, is more than 20% lower than it was on Brexit referendum day
- A survey by New Financial indicates that 269 UK financial companies have relocated parts of their business, moved staff or set up fresh legal entitites in the EU since Brexit. New Financial also identified a further 100 more financial groups that will need to act but have not done so yet
- The Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, conceded the no-deal Brexit catastrophe that many predict may be slightly exaggerated. But he also confirmed leaving without a deal would be harmful economically and Brexit had already knocked 2% off UK GDP. It has also hit business investment, our hi-tech production capacity is weaker now than it was 10 years ago
- EU Ag Commissioner, Phil Hogan, mused that the UK government`s no deal tariff plan would be illegal under WTO rules. The plan sees no duties placed on goods, entering Northern Ireland across the border, which he said this was little more than a political stunt, as the government needs to get agreements and approvals from other governments under WTO rules
- Finance provider Premium Credit published a survey which said 17% of the country has begun hoarding food, drink and medicine in advance of Brexit, with about 2.4m people having spent more than £500 on stockpiling
- A group of lorry drivers calling themselves `The Brexit Protest and Direct Action Group` has threatened to stage a UK-wide blockade of roads and motorways if Brexit is delayed. It has already planned a go slow on March 22nd on the A494 in protest
- Irish passport applications from Britons stand at 250,000 applications, in less than 3 months, with more than 3,000 per day applying this year so far. The Irish foreign minister said this figure is 30% higher on the same time last year
- Overseas students will be given visa extensions of 1 year, instead of 4 months as they get now, at the end of their courses, to allow them to look for work or apply to study
- A Brexit delay will cost the government millions of pounds more in extra payments to ferry companies, who are planning to run Brexit ferries in the event of a No Deal Brexit. The cost of the delay could be as high as £28m according to the Financial Times
- The Farmers` Union of Wales called for Article 50 to be revoked at the end of last week, `as it better reflected the votes that took place in Parliament`
- Ford said the new UK tariffs hit it twice, in the event of a No Deal Brexit. It only makes engines in the UK, so Ford would be taxed on exporting them to assembly plants in mainland Europe. It would then face import duties again when bringing the finished vehicles back to the UK for sale
Political Shenanigans
- Theresa May wrote an opinion article, in the Sunday Telegraph, calling on MPs to back her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement at the third time of asking. She issued a stark warning to them to back her deal or `we will not leave the EU for many months, if ever`
- Speaking on political talk shows over the weekend, Theresa May`s ministers admitted that the government would only submit Theresa May`s Brexit Withdrawal Agreement to a third vote this coming week if they believed they could win it
- Boris Johnson had been expected to call on fellow Eurosceptics to back Mrs May`s Brexit deal. Instead, he wrote a more nuanced opinion piece, for the Telegraph, in which he called on the government to show `proof that the next stage of Brexit talks will be radically different`` before he would consider backing the deal
- ITV`s Robert Peston surveyed the possibilities in Parliament this week. One pathway led to Mrs May`s Withdrawal Agreement winning a 3rd meaningful vote. If it fell or was not submitted, then there would likely be a series of indicative votes to gauge the will of Parliament, which would need the Labour Party`s full backing to be successful. Thirdly, there was the possibility that the Speaker of the House of Commons could rule that holding a meaningful vote for a third time was an unacceptable breach of parliamentary convention - so it was prohibited
- The Labour Party touted its Wilson-Kyle Amendment plan. MPs would vote for `some form of Brexit` conditional on it being confirmed by the people of the UK in a new referendum. On the ballot paper there`d be a choice between this `new final Brexit withdrawal plan` and remain - No Deal Brexit would be binned forever
- Theresa May`s lobbying of her MPs for support, in a series of telephone calls to MPs. seems to have triggered many telling her she has to step down from No10 and resign as Prime Minister, before they will back her Withdrawal Agreement.
- With a future leadership contest now being openly discussed, the rumour mill as to who the Conservative Party candidates would be is in full swing. Several articles named names and said these hopefuls were already lobbying colleagues and considering options
- Theresa May has to keep the DUP sweet for her deal to pass. So the Northern Irish parliamentarians were seen meeting up with Phillip Hammond in the Treasury, leading many to think they would soone recieved another `favourable cash settlement` for the province
- The DUP were also promised that if the Irish Backstop were ever triggered, the UK would adopt any new food and business rules that the EU forced on Northern Ireland as well. An offer which seems to have whet the appetite of the DUP, even though, it has little legal force in reality.
- The DUP was also seeking a `seat at any future negotiating table` after Brexit. This means at the next stage, when the future trading relationship with the EU bloc is worked out over the coming years
- There has been a surge of support in favour of holding a People`s Vote, according to a new YouGov poll. The margin has moved from roughly neck-and-neck (yes/no) six weeks ago, to 57% to 43%, in favour of a new vote
- Theresa May emphasised that if her 3rd meaningful vote was lost she`d ask the EU for a two year delay to Brexit. If her plan was approved she`d seek a delay until the end of June, so all technical and legislative tasks could be completed before departure
- Nigel Farage`s Brexit March started in Sunderland with the mainstream press reporting on it in generic terms. Social media was far less flattering. The criticism focussed on the very low numbers of people on the march and the fact Farage disappeared on Day 2, telling the press he was only going to walk bits of it
- Theresa May saw another one of her moderate Conservative MPs, Nick Boles, resign from his local Conservative Party. He said he would take the Tory whip, if they wished to do so, but his displeasure on Brexit - where he was a leading light in seeking a compromise solution in Parliament - was apparent in his comments
- Conservative Party Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, who is at the very heart of the Brexit negotiations for the government, was warned by Parliamentary authorites for mistating his expenses. Cox failed to declare thousands of pounds in rent paid to him on his London flat
Jobs at Risk
Domestically focused UK stocks are mired in gloom
British companies that generate most of their revenues in their home market are experiencing their worst share price performance since they were first hit by the UK’s decision to leave the EU nearly three years ago. The FTSE Local UK index — which measures the performance of listed companies generating at least 70 per cent of their revenue in the UK — is more than 20 per cent lower than it was on referendum day relative to the FTSE 100, which is dominated by companies that operate worldwide. The FTSE 100 index tends to move inversely to sterling, as weakness in the pound helps to boost the value of its members’ overseas revenues. Meanwhile, the FTSE Local UK is more exposed to the nation’s economic prospects.
Brexit moves ‘will reduce UK tax base, influence and jobs’
To date, 269 UK financial companies have relocated parts of their business, moved staff or set up legal entities in the EU, according to New Financial, a London consultancy. New Financial has also identified almost 100 more financial groups that will need to act at some point but have not yet done so. Asset managers have been among the most active movers with 69 expanding their presence in the EU, mainly in Dublin and Luxembourg. William Wright, co-founder of New Financial, said the available data “significantly understated the real picture” as many companies have not disclosed their Brexit response. “The final tally is likely to be much higher, which will reduce the UK’s tax base, supervisory influence and ultimately have an impact on jobs,” said Mr Wright. The UK’s trade surplus in financial services with the EU will also shrink as more business shifts from London.
Economic Impact
Brexit: EU says UK no-deal tariff plan is ‘illegal’ under WTO rules
The UK government’s no-deal Brexit tariff plan would be “illegal” under World Trade Organisation rules, the EU commissioner in charge of agriculture has said. Phil Hogan characterised the British plan, which would see no duties levied on goods entering Northern Ireland across the border, as “a political stunt, pure and simple”.
“Our initial assessment is that the proposal is illegal. It is not compatible with WTO rules and it’s the start of a process where they’ll have to get approvals,” he told reporters in Dublin.
Brexit or no Brexit, our real problem is failure to invest
The governor of the Bank of England, Mark Carney, who says a no-deal Brexit is not the catastrophe many believed it would be when forecasts were made last year.
In Carney’s considered opinion, the negative economic effects of leaving the European Union without a deal are lower following the considerable efforts of banks and businesses to minimise the impact. However, the referendum vote has already knocked 2% off GDP and, worse, it has hit business investment to the extent that Britain’s capacity to produce hi-tech, 21st-century goods as efficiently as Germany, France, the US and Japan the UK is even weaker than it was 10 years ago. That shortcoming undermines Britain’s ability to grow smoothly and without debilitating side effects well into the next decade, whichever of the central bank’s scenarios you pick.
Administrative Fall Out
Brits spend over £4.6 billion as Brexit stockpiling peaks
Britons have spent over £4.6 billion stockpiling household goods in preparation for a hard Brexit, according to new research. A survey carried out by finance provider Premium Credit shows that 17% of the country has started hoarding food, drink and medicine – with about 2.4 million people having spent more than £500 stockpiling.
A further 6.1 million have spent up to £500 while one in five, or 19%, have spent over £1,000 on hoarding. Britain is scheduled to leave the European Union in less than two weeks, but with Parliament in a deadlock over Brexit, the country is at acute risk of crashing out without a deal, causing havoc to supply chains. Of those stockpiling, 80% of people surveyed said they have done this with food, 63% with medicine and 43% with drinks
Lorry drivers threaten to stage UK-wide blockades if Brexit is delayed
Truck drivers are reportedly planning to stage UK-wide blockades on highways if the country does not leave the EU on March 29. Brexit Direct Action, an anti-EU group, claims it has received lorry-loads of requests from Brexiteers to put on mass blockades of Britain’s major transport links, reports The Express. Brexit Direct Action wrote on Twitter: “Several social media groups have been in contact to ask if we’ll help gather support for a national truck drivers protest if #Brexit is delayed.”
Another tweet said: “Brexiteers all over the country are planning to bring this country to its knees by blocking the main arterial routes - M1, M6 M25, M62, A1, A55, M5, M4, M42, M55, M61, A66 etc.
Brexit protesters reveal when and where North Wales go-slow will take place
A go-slow on the A494 in protest at the Government's handling of Brexit will take place next week. The Brexit Protest and Direct Action Group has revealed it will be held on Friday, March 22, at 7pm.
BREXIT BLOCK: Lorry drivers threaten to CLOSE UK transport links if exit is delayed
Truck drivers are planning to stage UK-wide blockades on highways if the country does not leave the EU on March 29, which they would see as a “Brexit betrayal”.
Brexit’s most disturbing aspect is the casual adoption of extremist views
Brexit Britain has gone from the promises of sunny uplands to sounding like Gloria Gaynor – ‘we will survive’
Irish passport applications averaged 3,000 every day this year ahead of Brexit
There has been almost a quarter of a million applications for Irish passports in less than three months, with more than 3,000 people on average applying every day so far this year. Ireland’s foreign minister Simon Coveney said more than 230,000 applications have been received to date this year. The figures mean there have been two applications every minute on average. Mr Coveney said the figures represent a 30 per cent increase on the same period last year. It comes after 2018 proved to be a record year with the highest number (860,000) of Irish passports ever issued.
Visa extension to boost numbers of overseas students in UK after Brexit
International students will be given visa extensions of up to a year to look for work in the UK as part of a package of government measures to boost numbers of overseas students after Brexit. The move represents a break with current policy, where students are allowed to stay for just four months after graduation. Announcing the strategy, the Department for Education (DfE) said: “There is no limit on the number of international students that can study in the UK, and to ensure the UK continues to attract and welcome them, the post-study leave period will be extended to six months for undergraduate and master’s students, and a year for doctoral students.”
Edinburgh tram extension is no Brexit insurance policy – John McLellan
It would be a fool who would predict that all the issues about Britain’s relationship with Europe will be resolved by Spring 2023, the latest date for the introduction of the new service, but even for supporters of the £207m project it is surely fanciful to claim that three miles of track is somehow an insurance policy against the worst vagaries of international relations. But we are, as they say, where we are. Brexit is in the hands of 650 people in Westminster, each seemingly with their own agenda which the Government has been powerless to control, but 36 people in the City Chambers have decided the tram completion should go ahead no matter what it costs or how long it takes.
Brexit delay could cost millions in extra payments to ferry firms
Any delay to the UK leaving the EU could cost the government tens of millions in extra payments to keep its no-deal ferry contracts in place. The extra costs will be a fresh political blow to the transport secretary, Chris Grayling, after the collapse of one contract with an operator that had no ferries and a lawsuit by Eurotunnel that was settled out of court at a cost of £33m. It seems unlikely the contracts will now be realised after MPs voted to instruct Theresa May to seek an extension to article 50, which would delay Brexit beyond 29 March. According to the Financial Times, the cost of the delay could reach £28m. Brittany Ferries, which has contracts worth £46.6m under the deal, said the terms “included fair and proportionate compensation in a deal scenario, taking account of the significant preparatory work and concomitant costs incurred”.
Sweden 'cannot guarantee Brits' future in no-deal Brexit', EU minister tells The Local - The Local
In an interview with The Local, Sweden's EU minister said he was currently unable to guarantee what the status of Brits in Sweden would be one year after a no-deal Brexit, but said he was confident that "any problems will be sorted out".
"We don't really want [a no-deal Brexit] to happen. But if it does, and there is a serious risk that it might, then we feel that we are pretty well prepared for that situation," Hans Dahlgren told The Local. "It doesn't mean that would be without problems."
Doctors claim ‘Brexit is costing us lives’
Signatories claim that along with the funding issues the NHS is currently facing, the service is also overstretched due to the loss of thousands of European staff. “As doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals from the South East, we see the damage Brexit is already inflicting on our treasured National Health Service,” they added. “Make no mistake about it. Brexit is costing us lives. “No one voted to leave the NHS overstretched and underfunded. We were promised an extra £350 million a week. But today, our NHS is facing a nightmare.
Brexit: Welsh farmers’ union calls for Article 50 to be revoked
One of the UK’s leading farmer representative bodies is calling for Article 50 – which set the original deadline for the country to leave the EU – to be revoked altogether. The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) says that the article should be revoked to better reflect the votes that took place in the UK parliament this week.
Ford Fears Double-Whammy From May's No-Deal Brexit Tariffs
Ford Motor Co. said it will be hit twice by U.K. tariffs to be imposed in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The U.S. company, which only makes engines in Britain, would be taxed on exporting them to assembly plants in mainland Europe and then face import duties for bringing finished vehicles back to the U.K. for sale, it said in a statement Wednesday. Competitors that manufacture engines elsewhere and then ship them to the U.K. for assembly, by contrast, would incur no charges thanks to a tariff-free regime that Prime Minister Theresa May’s government plans to offer for auto-component imports.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May asks MPs for 'honourable compromise' on Brexit
Theresa May has asked MPs to make an "honourable compromise" as she seeks to persuade them to back her Brexit deal at the third time of asking. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, the prime minister said failure to support the deal would mean "we will not leave the EU for many months, if ever". Mrs May is expected to bring her withdrawal agreement back to the Commons next week for a third vote. It comes after MPs this week rejected her deal and voted to delay Brexit.
Brexit: Ministers admit government might pull third vote on Theresa May's deal
Admitting MPs would “not definitely” get a vote this week, Mr Hammond said: “We will only bring the deal back if we are confident that enough of our colleagues and the DUP are prepared to support it so that we can get it through Parliament. “We’re not just going to keep presenting it if we haven’t moved the dial.” International Trade Secretary Liam Fox agreed saying whether a vote was staged “would be determined by whether we can succeed in getting that vote through the House of Commons” It would be “difficult to justify having a vote if you knew we were going to lose it”, he added.
To back the PM's deal, we need proof that the next stage of Brexit talks will be radically different
Sometimes in politics you can face a dilemma so painful that the best thing can be to lay it out before your own constituency association, and ask for their advice. Last Friday I had the chance to do just that. By way of background, the Uxbridge and South Ruislip Conservative Association could not be remotely described as hardline. We are a diverse, thoughtful, metropolitan bunch of One Nation Tories. There are probably as many Remainers as Leavers. In consulting my association, I tried to frame the choice as neutrally as I could. There was a chance, I said, that the Government would ask parliament to vote for a third time on the Prime Minister’s EU Withdrawal Agreement. If such a vote took place, how should I proceed, said Boris Johnson to his members
Don't bet there'll be a third vote on Theresa May's deal
If May gets her deal approved next week, the ERG Brexiters could still secure their cherished no-deal Brexit at the end of May by talking out the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill that would turn the meaningful vote into Brexit reality. Second, if her deal is squelched, the process of turning indicative votes into a deliverable Brexit deal would only be effective if Labour cooperated in an institutional sense, and that could not be guaranteed. Third, everything I’ve written is redundant if the Speaker were to rule that the PM’s desire to hold the meaningful vote for a third time is a blatant and unacceptable breach of parliamentary convention – and therefore prohibits it.
Only our compromise can break the Brexit impasse
Our plan would mean MPs voting for some form of Brexit deal conditional on it being confirmed by the people of the United Kingdom in a new referendum. On the ballot paper would be a straight choice: a real form of Brexit – rather than some fantasy idea that cannot be delivered – which could be debated, warts and all, against the proposition of staying in the EU. We would not be asking MPs to vote for Brexit but to withhold support for any deal until the public has had their say in a confirmatory ballot. We would be taking the prospect of no deal off the table forever. And we would be giving pro-Brexit MPs who talk so much about the “will of the people” the chance to check back in with those same people.
The battle to be Theresa May's successor heats up in Westminster
The race to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader is hotting up with more than six high profile Tories canvassing the support of MPs. It is understood that senior Tories believe Theresa May will have to step aside in order to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. Even aides in the PM’s team believe she will be gone by the summer and prospective candidates are already busy building alliances and promises in the tea rooms of Westminster.
Brexit: Labour set to endorse a plan to put May's deal to a public vote
Labour is preparing to offer its most strident support yet for a second referendum by voting for a plan to put Theresa May’s Brexit deal to a public vote. The Observer understands that the proposal, drawn up by two backbenchers, will be put to parliament when May launches her third attempt to pass her Brexit deal. She is expected to do so this week, before heading to a summit with EU leaders on Thursday.
What the PM offered the DUP
The prime minister’s frantic last attempt to persuade Northern Ireland’s DUP to back her third meaningful vote on Tuesday involves a promise that if the controversial backstop is ever triggered, Great Britain would adopt any new food and business rules that could be forced by the EU on Northern Ireland. As a minister told me, for the DUP to accept the offer it would have to trust that a future prime minister and government would honour the pledge - which cannot be guaranteed even if May legislates for such alignment (because any law can always be repealed). So logically the regulatory alignment offer should not pacify and win over the DUP. But sources close to the DUP tell me that - to their surprise - it may have done. If so they would announce this entente as soon as tomorrow.
Support for a People's Vote surges as public reject Brexit alternatives
Support for a new public vote on Brexit has surged in the days since Theresa May’s Brexit deal was decisively rejected by MPs for a second time, according to a new YouGov poll. The poll shows that the public, which was more or less evenly divided on this question six weeks ago, would now back the people being given the final say on Britain’s future relationship with the EU by a margin of 57% to 43% when excluding the “don’t know” responses.
Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement is now our only guaranteed route out of the EU
I'd urge Brexit-backing MPs to vote for the PM’s Withdrawal Agreement on its third go. I hate the deal. It threatens to trap us in the backstop; it grants too many concessions. Up to this point, were I an MP, I’d have voted against it. But circumstances have changed dramatically and, as a consequence, it has become our only guaranteed route out of the EU.
John Bercow should block a third vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal
Not for the first time the Speaker of the House of Commons appears to hold the Brexit process in his hands. There has been speculation this week that John Bercow has the power to prevent a third vote on Theresa May’s deal by resorting to a parliamentary convention which prevents a motion being debated in the Commons if it is substantially unchanged from a motion already brought before the House during the same session of parliament. Given that a third vote on May’s deal – likely to be called on Tuesday – would be essentially the same motion as was defeated by 149 votes last Tuesday (and not all that much different from the one defeated by 230 votes in January) there would appear to be a good case for Bercow to act.
Brexit: Conservative leadership hopefuls ‘step up a gear’ as demands grow for Theresa May to resign
Tory leadership hopefuls have “stepped up a gear” in making their pitches to replace Theresa May as pressure mounts on the prime minister to set a date for leaving Downing Street. Rivals have undertaken a flurry of activity both behind the scenes and in the media as speculation grows that Ms May will announce her departure in the coming weeks. The expectation has been fuelled by signals that Conservative MPs whose votes the prime minister desperately needs to pass her Brexit deal would back her plan if she sets out her departure schedule.
Nigel Dodds speaks out. But is the DUP's uncompromising stance any more than cover for living with the backstop?
After the chaos of last week, leading media reflect sharply differing views on the prospects for a third meaningful vote on Tuesday. The Leave – supporting Telegraph newspapers have emerged as the unlikely cheerleaders for Mrs May’s battered deal. If the deal passes, No 10 officials say the necessary legislation will have cleared the Commons by April 25, paving the way for a new Brexit Day in the final week of May or first week of June, according to the Sunday Times.
Dominic Raab and Esther McVey tipped to be Brexit candidate in future Tory leadership election as Boris Johnson's chances wane
Former Cabinet ministers Dominic Raab and Esther McVey are being tipped by MPs to be the 'Brexiteer' candidate in a future Tory leadership election amid fears Boris Johnson's chances may be waning. Speculation is rife in Westminster that Theresa May will be asked to stand down by a group of senior Conservative MPs led by 1922 chairman Sir Graham Brady in April or May if Britain leaves the European Union in the next few months. This would allow time for a leadership election over the summer and the next leader to be crowned at the party's conference in Manchester in October. The new Prime Minister would then negotiate the future trade deal with the EU.
DUP demands seat at the table in future EU trade talks as price for backing May's deal
Theresa May has appealed to MPs' "patriotism" and urged them to cast aside their differences by voting for her Brexit deal to save her premiership. In a bid to stave off a third heavy defeat, the Prime Minister writes in the Sunday Telegraph that MPs must "stand together as democrats and patriots" and support her Withdrawal deal.
MPs are likely to vote on the deal for the third time on Tuesday or Wednesday.
However, remainers are also plotting to scupper her Brexit plan with Labour planning to back a backbench amendment calling for a referendum on Mrs May's deal.
Brexit: UK needs to reset approach to justify extension – Coveney
Mr Coveney said that if the British government is “asking for longer extension, there will need to be a plan to go with that … Presumably that will mean seeking time to build a new consensus.” The Tánaiste was clearly hinting that Mrs May must indicate that she intends reach out to the opposition if she wants to get approval for a long extension from EU heads of state. “More of the same” will not suffice, observers in Brussels have warned.
Brexit: DUP says issues remain over deal
The Democratic Unionist Party has said there are "still issues to be discussed" with the government as Theresa May continues to try to win support for her Brexit deal.
Mrs May is expected to bring her withdrawal agreement back to the Commons next week for a third vote. It comes after MPs this week rejected her deal and voted to delay Brexit. The DUP, which has twice voted against the agreement, said it remained in discussions with the government. It has been reported by the Spectator magazine that there is a "better than 50:50 chance" the party will support the deal next week.
McDonnell: MPs will 'move heaven and earth' to prevent no-deal Brexit
Politicians will move heaven and earth to prevent the country leaving the EU with no deal, John McDonnell has said, adding that such an outcome would be catastrophic for the economy. Speaking before an event in Gravesend, Kent, the shadow chancellor also indicated that Labour might support a compromise proposed by two of the party’s MPs which would see Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement put to a public vote after being passed in the House of Commons.
No-deal Brexit ‘now very unlikely’, says Coveney
He said if the British parliament ratified the withdrawal agreement negotiated by prime minister Theresa May next week he expected the EU would extend the Brexit deadline until the end of June, to enable the UK to wrap up technicalities. But if parliament rejected the accord a third time, Mr Coveney thought the EU might refuse to grant a longer extension. He based his prediction on the strength of this week’s vote in the House of Commons to avoid a no-deal Brexit. “But having said that, just because you vote against something doesn’t make it happen the way you want it to,” he continued. “The British parliament has to take a course of action to avoid the current default position in law, which is that they leave on the 29th of March.
Parliament could end up ‘cancelling Brexit’ if deal rejected again
Parliament may end up “cancelling Brexit” if an exit deal is not finalised in the next two weeks, according to Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable. Sir Vince, speaking to the Press and Journal, said that if Theresa May’s Brexit deal is rejected for a third time next week, MPs could start taking steps to revoke Article 50 and effectively cancel the referendum result. The Lib Dem leader said he believed the only route from the current impasse was to hold a second referendum and dismissed the notion that it would cause a backlash from the public and diminish trust in politics.
Theresa May ready to ditch her Brexit deal and trigger two-year exit delay if defeated for a third time
Theresa May is ready to ditch her Brexit deal rather than face a third humiliating defeat. The PM will not force a vote this week unless she is convinced she has the support to get it through. In a stark message to dithering Tory MPs, she vowed there will be no fourth attempt if she fails this time. She warned it will almost certainly lead to a two-year delay and declared bluntly: “It hardly bears thinking about.” With just 12 days until departure day, it would mean going back to square one – handing over billions to the EU and fighting the European elections.
Boris Johnson to boost his hopes of becoming PM by backing Theresa May’s Brexit deal
One minister told The Sun on Sunday: “There’s a tremendous opportunity for Boris here – bigger than when he decided to support the Leave campaign three years ago. “In the next few days he can become the man who saves Brexit and be in a great position to mount a leadership challenge.” Another admirer added: “If he backs the deal and it gets through Parliament at the third attempt, he can claim to be the man who saved Brexit. “He’s already stolen a march on his two biggest rivals so it would put him in pole position. Win or lose, Theresa can’t cling on to the job much longer so it would be his for the taking.”
EU Creates New Cliff-Edge as Wrangling Over Brexit Delay Begins
The European Union will tell the U.K. that if it wants the option of delaying Brexit for more than three months it must hold European Parliament elections, or risk a perilous new cliff-edge in July. A draft document discussed by ambassadors Friday opens the door to a long extension of membership beyond the March 29 exit day. But if Britain wants to extend beyond June, it has to take part in the election, which could be politically toxic. Otherwise, it will be ejected from the club.
Brexit: DUP denies ‘cash for votes’ suggestions after meeting chancellor over backing for deal
The Democratic Unionist Party has denied “cash for votes” suggestions after the chancellor was sent into talks designed to win its support for the Brexit deal. “We are not discussing cash in these discussions,” Nigel Dodds, the DUP’s Westminster leader, insisted – amid government pressure on the party to switch sides in next week’s repeat “meaningful vote”. Instead, Mr Dodds said Theresa May must do more to convince the party that the deal would not breach its “red line” that Northern Ireland must not be treated differently from the rest of the UK.
Robert Armstrong: Worse than Suez –Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet secretary on how he would reform Brexit relations with the EU
It is nearly 70 years since I joined the Civil Service. In all that time, I do not think that I have ever felt, even at the time of Suez, a stronger sense of shame at the spectacle which we are presenting to an astonished world. As one journal put it, Brexit is breaking British politics. A country once envied for its political stability, steadiness and maturity has descended into a chaos of division and indecision.
Corbyn launches effort to find a cross-party Brexit compromise
Jeremy Corbyn has written to MPs backing soft Brexit plans as well as supporters of a second referendum, inviting them for talks to find a cross-party compromise.
BREXIT BETRAYAL? Jeremy Corbyn plans talks with SNP with a second referendum on agenda
Jeremy Corbyn will hold a summit with the SNP and other opposition parties to discuss backing a second EU referendum to break the Brexit deadlock, it has emerged. It comes after Labour’s divisions were exposed during the Commons vote on Wednesday. The Labour leader wrote to the SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford to offer talks “at the earliest opportunity” with aims to break the Brexit stalemate, according to The Telegraph. Mr Corbyn said he would first examine Labour’s proposals for a softer Brexit which include a permanent customs union and a second EU referendum. He said: “We would obviously use that position as a starting point for any discussions but we would like to hear about the plans you are advocating and we are keen to see if there is scope to find common ground between our respective proposals and to work together to break the impasse.”
Britain split over prospect of second Brexit vote, poll finds
Exactly the same proportion of voters believe there should be a second referendum on Brexit as think the UK should leave the EU without a deal, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. The survey shows the country split down the middle, with 43% supporting a delay to Brexit in order to hold a second public vote and 43% believing the UK should simply quit without any agreement with Brussels.
Nigel Dodds: “We will not waver on our Brexit red line"
As the leader of the DUP at Westminster, Nigel Dodds could hold the key to unlocking the Brexit impasse. If Theresa May can secure the support of his party for her deal, it could be enough to pass this week. With the public at large growing tired of the fractious debate, is he feeling the pressure to act? He talks to Sebastian Whale
Scots Tory MP may not vote for PM's deal even if DUP do
A Scottish Conservative MP has said if Theresa May's Brexit deal comes back to parliament that he will not necessarily support it - even if the DUP do. Ross Thomson, MP for Aberdeen South, told Sunday Politics Scotland that he will make up his own mind on the deal. He said he had a lot of the same concerns as the Democratic Unionists. He said the PM's withdrawal agreement is "not the greatest" but he could "suck up" some issues if concerns on the backstop could be addressed.
Political Setbacks
Brexit: Theresa May should make 'dignified exit' to get deal through says Esther McVey
Conservative MP for Dover Charlie Elphicke said there needs to be "a change of leadership" in order for him to support the deal, telling BBC Sunday Politics South East we need "a new face and a new team to take us forward to the future relationship". His comments come after fellow Tory Andrew Bridgen told The Sunday Times that he was informed by party whips that Mrs May was willing to announce her resignation to get her Withdrawal Agreement approved when it returns to the Commons for a third meaningful vote potentially this week.
Jeremy Corbyn says he could vote to leave EU in second Brexit referendum
The Labour leader said an agreement with Brussels that would allow for a “dynamic relationship” with the bloc could pose a way to unite the country. Meanwhile, he said Labour will demand a no-confidence vote in the Government if Theresa May loses a crucial vote on her Brexit deal next week. Asked if he was enthusiastic about the prospect of a second referendum he would only say: “I’m enthusiastic about getting a deal with Europe.” His comments are likely to anger campaigners for a fresh vote - many of whom are Labour members. However Mr Corbyn did suggest Labour would whip to support a backbench amendment this week that will demand a final say on the deal.
I still won't back Mrs May's deal – because it's not Brexit
Despite the turbulence of last week’s votes, the law remains that the UK will leave the EU at 11pm on March 29. The Remainer plots – supported on some votes by certain unruly ministers – to seize control of the parliamentary timetable or force a second referendum were all defeated. But the Commons did resolve that a short extension to June 30 2019 should be sought on the condition that “the House has passed a resolution approving the negotiated withdrawal agreement.” The Prime Minister will, therefore, present her deal to the Commons again. Without substantial changes, I will vote against it again and I cannot see how the House – having already emphatically rejected it twice – will change its mind
Brexit is really about escaping the emotional ordeal of Europe
Britain has always seen the EU as something to be endured rather than embraced.
There can be no good Brexit for Scotland and we can do so much better
The UK Parliament has not worked in Scotland’s national interest for a very long time, if indeed it ever did. But this was the week in which that was utterly exposed and plain for all to see. The madcap antics of the so-called Mother of Parliaments, as it grappled with the conundrum of Brexit, were perhaps best summed up by one political sketch writer who observed: “The House of Commons was a Benny Hill chase on acid, running through a Salvador Dali painting in a spaceship on its way to infinity.
Why Brexit chaos CANNOT be solved! May under attack from former US Ambassador
Theresa May came under the attack of former US Ambassador Anthony Gardner who claimed her Government had "wasted two years" trying to solve three Brexit issues which "can't be solved at the same time". "First, leave the customs union and the single market; second, to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and the third is to avoid a hard border in the Irish Sea. "All three things can’t be solved at the same time. You can solve two of the three."
‘The damage is done’: Disbelief in Europe at another lost Brexit week
For all the forlorn hopes that things might be different this time, leaders across Europe and senior EU officials in their offices in Brussels, watched on with a sinking heart as Theresa May’s deal was rejected again on Tuesday evening, this time by 149 votes, the fourth largest defeat for a sitting government. The Commons subsequently voted to delay Brexit by at least three months. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, who has described himself as Britain’s best friend among the 27 EU heads of state and government, was left asking reporters: “What’s the point of whining on for months on end while we have been going around in circles for two years?”
Theresa May Phoned Round Tory Rebels To Ask Them To Back Her Deal. They Told Her To Resign
May was told in direct terms by several MPs in one-on-one phone calls on Sunday that she should make a pact to resign as prime minister to get her deal through. The race to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader is hotting up with more than six high profile Tories canvassing the support of MPs. It is understood that senior Tories believe Theresa May will have to step aside in order to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. Even aides in the PM’s team believe she will be gone by the summer and prospective candidates are already busy building alliances and promises in the tea rooms of Westminster
A long delay is now the only way out of this Brexit quagmire
If the government’s managers do not think they have a chance of winning – or at least of significantly reducing the margin of defeat – they will not subject the prime minister to yet another humiliation on Tuesday. The case for trying is the remarkable speed with which a number of previously hardline Brexiteers are discovering the merits of pragmatism and reconciliation. It is amazing how quickly non-negotiable objections can melt away as the clock ticks, reality bites and careerism trumps principle.
@ByDonkeys Day two of the #MarchToLeave. 77 people including photographers. @Nigel_farage should apologise to those marchers for this farce. But of course he’s disappeared. Shameful.
@ByDonkeys Day two of the #MarchToLeave. 77 people including photographers. @Nigel_farage should apologise to those marchers for this farce. But of course he’s disappeared. Shameful.
Theresa May told by 50 Tory associations she will be 'personally' held responsible for any Brexit betrayal
Theresa May has been told by the leaders of dozens of local Conservative grassroots associations that she will be "personally" held responsible for any "betrayal" of Brexit. Nearly 40 local party chairmen and longtime activists have told the Prime Minister that they are in an "absolute state of despair as to what is happening to democracy in this once great country of ours". They add in an open letter, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, that if Mrs May cannot ensure that Britain leaves the EU as planned at the end of next week she should resign.
They feel betrayed over Brexit - and are not just crying about it from afar
Nigel Farage's pro-Brexit march started in Sunderland on Saturday and is aiming to finish in Westminster later in the month.
Nick Boles resigns from local Conservative association over Brexit
Nick Boles, the Tory MP for Grantham and Stamford, has resigned from his local Conservative association after public disagreements regarding his stance on Brexit.
Boles, who has represented the constituency since 2010, has been at the head of efforts in parliament to deliver a softer exit from the EU, co-sponsoring an amendment with Labour’s Yvette Cooper in January that would have given parliament control over the Brexit process.
'The damage is done': Disbelief in Europe at another lost Brexit week
By Wednesday the French daily Le Monde had concluded that the hoarseness of the prime minister’s throat “symbolised the state of a supposedly pragmatic country left voiceless by its incapacity to accept compromise with its neighbours”.
‘Just get OUT NOW!’ Brexiteer says no deal Brexit is ESSENTIAL for future of democracy
Brexiteer and Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has called for Britain to "get out of the EU now" as he vowed to bring down the price of beer in the event of a no deal exit Brexit.
Protesters gather as Nigel Farage prepares to lead Brexit march
A group of protesters has gathered in Sunderland ahead of a 14-day march to London in a bid to avert perceived attempts to betray the public over Brexit. The March to Leave, which has been organised by the Leave Means Leave campaign, is being led by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Around 100 people assembled in Sunderland, the first city to vote in favour of exiting the European Union on the night of the 2016 referendum, in order to start the event.
Theresa May is wreaking havoc with the British constitution - thankfully, her days are numbered
Shortly after she and three cabinet colleagues had dynamited the doctrine of collective cabinet responsibility last Wednesday, by abstaining in the Commons vote on a no-deal Brexit, Amber Rudd sought to justify herself. Leaving without a deal “would, in my view, do generational damage to our economy and our security”.
She is entitled to her opinion, and the few who still listen to her are used to her risibly defective judgment. However, the luxury of holding a view contrary to the Prime Minister’s and the Cabinet’s has always only been available to those choosing not to hold the office and collect the salary of a minister. The four abstainers patently care less about behaving correctly than they do about the interests of the Conservative Party and the country
Theresa May: Long Brexit delay would be sign of collective political failure by MPs
Theresa May has warned MPs that if they fail to back her Brexit deal at the third time of asking then Brussels might insist on a lengthy delay, potentially scuppering chances of leaving the European Union altogether. The Prime Minister said it would be a “potent symbol of Parliament’s collective political failure” if a delay to Brexit meant the UK was forced to take part in May’s European elections almost three years after voting to leave.
The Prime Minister of humilation
Matthew Parris began hearing from a growing number of officials, lawmakers and ministers the extent to which May had isolated herself, how unreachable she had become, and the levels of frustration among those surrounding her. "She is mean. She is rude. She is cruel. She is stupid. I have heard that from almost everyone who has dealt with her," Parris says. He said he had never expected this much hatred, "and that is not a word I use lightly." The worst thing, though, he says, is May's inability to win over others to her position, to compromise and to lead. "It's crazy," says Parris. "That someone like her would end up in a job where the most important thing is to communicate, answer questions, make decisions. That is, I believe, more of a psychological than a political problem."
Brexit delay cannot lead to 'rolling cliff edges' – Irish minister
Ireland will want to avoid a series of “rolling cliff edges” if the UK requests a delay to its exit from the EU, the country’s finance minister has said. Paschal Donohoe said London would need to convince the EU27 that an extension to article 50 would not further risk economic disruption. “I believe it is highly important that we do all we can to avoid being in a scenario of rolling cliff edges … particularly from a financial market stability perspective and economic stability, we need to be aware of that,” he said.
Brexit: Ian Paisley warns over no-deal direct rule comments
A DUP MP has described comments by Michael Gove that a no-deal Brexit could lead to Dublin having more involvement in NI as "insulting". Mr Gove said the UK would have to engage with the Irish government about more decision-making for NI in the event of no deal. Northern Ireland has been without a government since January 2017 after a row between the power-sharing parties.
Justine Greening: Another meaningful vote on Brexit will be meaningless – it will be just another charade
I’d made the mistake of pointing out to them that the state we have got the country into on Brexit was totally predictable and highly probable. Common sense that for millions who voted leave and were told “Brexit means Brexit”, the Prime Minister’s deal, with our country continuing to follow EU rules but now without any say, was the exact opposite of taking back control.
Tory Minister Geoffrey Cox warned after failing to declare thousands of pounds in rent
Mr Cox admitted failing to register six months of income in a letter to Parliamentary authorities. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was forced to apologise after he failed to declare thousands of pounds in rent on his London flat. Mr Cox admitted failing to register the income in a letter to Parliamentary authorities. The senior Tory minister was once the highest paid MP when he earned £800,000 in a single year for his work as a criminal barrister - but he still claimed 49p in expenses to pay for a pint of milk. Mr Cox admitted that he failed to register rent from tenants on his Battersea flat for six months between August and January this year, according to reports in the Sunday Telegraph .
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 19th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- A study published by the Royal College of Radiologists said cancer centres were reporting dire staffing levels, with half of all posts vacant, being so for more than a year. Demand for therapy is rising 2% a year and it identifies EU staff leaving in large numbers as a major reason. Additionally, it said there are concerns over whether a No Deal Brexit will adversely affect the steady supply of isotopes for cancer treatment
- Pro-Brexit truckers are planning to bring the motorways of Britain to a halt this Friday
- A Reuters story featured a worried multi-million pound UK asparagus farmer, who is concerned that he would not get foreign labour to pick his harvest easily, as UK staff won`t replace the Eastern European staff, who are now far less likely to come
- Police Scotland said they had put hundreds of extra police on standby because of Brexit. These police are ready to step in, should protests, or logistical issues, arise across Scotland during the coming months
- Travelodge is seeking to fill its huge staffing gap, down to EU nationals leaving, by targetting working parents who seek flexible hours and extra income
- Rightmove said its survey of the housing market shows asking prices are falling
- A children`s legal charity, Coram, estimates there are 900,000 EU national children in the UK, with about 285,000 born here. The charity believes children in foster care, care homes and in vulnerable families could slip through the new Home Office compulsory scheme to register all EU nationals net
Bercow throws a 1604 spanner in the works
- The House of Commons Speaker invoked a 1604 Parliamentary Convention to stop the government repeatedly bringing the same motion back to the Commons for a vote in an unchanged format
- The government had no advance warning of the Speaker`s decision and was flat footed by it. It had planned to carry on lobbying its MPs for a 3rd meaningful vote on Theresa May`s EU Withdrawal Agreement which had been scheduled for Tuesday
- Some commentators were predicting May would lose Meaningful Vote 3 (MV3), so the Speaker`s ruling could be a blessing in disguise as she has more time to lobby MPs
- The Kyle-Wilson Amendment (proposed by Labour) is now being promoted by the People`s Vote campaign and supporters as a `classic compromise.` In practice, the Labour Party abstains on the vote for MV3. In return, the Withdrawal Agreement is submitted to the people in the form of a referendum, with Remaining in the EU also on the ballot paper alongside it
- The government told The Sun it was `drawing up a letter to the EU Council to make a formal request for a long delay, of around 9 months to 1 year. But, this delay period will have an escape clause active between nine and twelve months`
- The SNP is growing increasingly unhappy with the extremely strong influence of the DUP on the Conservative government and, along with the Welsh Assembly, it is expressing a more rebellious sentiment towards Westminster
- Theresa May had promised to `name the day she would step down as PM` as part of the deal to get the Eurosceptics to vote for her deal on Tuesday (before Speaker Bercow`s decision). She had also promised to offer them the head of her chief negotiator, Olly Robbins, who would step down once her deal passed
- May`s deal would have had difficulties, as a hard core of 20-30 Tory MPs said they would not vote for it under any circumstances. So May would still need Labour Leave MPs to replace these votes
- With the 29th March departure date still looming, The Guardian reported on MEPs getting ready to clear their desks and vacate their offices
- The EU Commission were said to be `gaming` the possible resignation of Theresa May and her replacement as PM by a hardline Eurosceptic successor, during a meeting of EU ambassadors and senior officials last Friday
- MP`s are now suggesting alternative next steps publicly - Crispin Blunt MP called for a General Election to break the deadlock
- James Gray MP, an ardent Brexit supporter, told ITV Brexit will not happen now
- Hardline Tory MPs suggested to The Sun that they go on a voting strike if she asked the EU for another year`s extension to the leaving date.
Jobs at Risk
Dawnus administrators cite Brexit
Administrators for Welsh construction group Dawnus say that while Brexit did not directly cause the business to fail, it made it harder to save. Whilst the financial difficulties of the group were not a consequence of Brexit, there is no doubt that Brexit uncertainty impacted the ability to rescue the business,” said administrators - 700 people are affected across a number of sites in the UK
Administrative Fall Out
Cancer doctor shortage threatens patient welfare says report
A shortage of cancer specialists could be putting patients at risk, according to a new report. The study from the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) said cancer centres were reporting "dire" staffing levels with more than half of vacant posts being empty for more than a year. It said almost 1,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every day and demand for radiotherapy is going up 2% every year, while demand for chemotherapy is rising 4% a year. In 2018, there were 863 full-time equivalent clinical oncology consultants working across the UK's 62 cancer centres.
M1 and 'all major roads in Yorkshire' set to be targeted by Pro-Brexit go slow protests
Angry lorry drivers are set to stage a nationwide pro-Brexit go-slow protest which could bring Britain's motorways to a standstill. Truck and HGV drivers across the country are planning a series of demonstrations across the UK on Friday and Saturday, threatening to disrupt rush hour traffic.
Brexit crisis tipped for British asparagus as EU seasonal workers stay away
Uncertainty over eastern Europeans’ employment rights and how long they can stay, combined with a fall in the value of the pound, meant Germany and the Netherlands were now considered more attractive destinations. “They go somewhere which is most straightforward and any, even minor, hurdles you put in their way is just nudging them ever closer to going somewhere else,” he said. With just 11 days to go until Britain is due to leave the EU, the government is yet to agree a withdrawal arrangement or an extension, meaning the risk of a disorderly “no-deal” Brexit cannot be ruled out.
Brexit billionaire chooses BMW engine for 'British' 4x4 project
The UK’s richest man, expat Brexit supporter Jim Ratcliffe, has enlisted Germany’s BMW to supply engines for a “British” successor to the Land Rover Defender, after handing the vehicle design contract to another German firm last year. Ineos, the chemicals company Ratcliffe founded in 1998 that is responsible for his estimated £21bn fortune, said BMW had joined a partnership aiming to build an “uncompromising” new 4x4 vehicle. He called the tie-up with BMW a “major step forward” in its plans, called Projekt Grenadier, to build a vehicle to be marketed to customers around the world.
Hundreds of Scottish police on standby for Brexit fallout
Police in Scotland will be ready to respond to any emergencies during an “unprecedented set of circumstances” after Brexit, a senior officer has said, with hundreds of officers ready to step in should protests or logistical issues arise. Assistant chief constable Steve Johnson, Police Scotland’s EU exit tactical commander, said the force would be prepared to handle a range of potential challenges presented within the coming months. It included having 360 officers on standby to cover unforeseen eventualities. Johnson, who met the Scottish justice secretary, Humza Yousaf, said preparations would extend to any delays at ports, as well as possible political protests.
Brexit: Wales sets out environment protection plans
Action to ensure protection of wildlife and the environment is not lost after Brexit has been unveiled by the Welsh Government. It said it was committed to maintaining and enhancing existing standards. But a 12-week consultation will ask how potential breaches of environmental law should be investigated in future. Nature groups have warned that time is running out to get these safeguards in place.
Travelodge targets parents to fill post-Brexit staffing gap
Budget hotel chain Travelodge is targeting parents who want to return to work to fill a potential post-Brexit staffing gap if EU worker numbers fall. It plans to open 100 new hotels creating 3,000 jobs by 2023, and says it hopes to attract parents by offering flexible hours and school hour roles. The firm, which in 2012 was on the brink of administration, reported strong sales and profits for last year. Travelodge said sales rose 8.8% to £693.3m in 2018. Staff from the EU make up nearly a quarter of all jobs in the hospitality sector. But there are concerns that proposed regulations could dictate what type of workers are allowed to come to the UK after Brexit. The government is consulting on a minimum salary requirement of £30,000 for foreign workers seeking five-year visas.
Brexit or no Brexit, universities must be bridge across a Europe simmering with discontent
Looking around the situation in Europe can be an uncomfortable experience for those who believe in inclusive, open and progressive societies. The rise of populism in many capitals and a growing disregard for evidence-based policymaking is worrying, particularly for those of us working in universities with a mission to advance our collective knowledge base and to work collaboratively to meet the problems our societies face. No part of Europe is immune. We have seen discontent in France, Italy, and even in countries which in the last 30 to 40 years have been more stable politically, like Germany and the UK. Universities spanning countries and sharing education and ideas, can be the beginning of a process to put some of what has been lost together again once more
Brexit fears dampen spring property revival as asking prices fall
Brexit anxiety has all but killed the traditional spring property revival, pushing down asking prices across the UK by 0.8% in the year to March, according to property website Rightmove. Inner London saw the sharpest falls, followed by boroughs across the rest of the capital and surrounding counties, as separate reports showed that Brexit uncertainty was also damaging UK exports and the broader economy.
Revealed: The Swindon hospital risk assessments for no-deal Brexit
In one risk assessment, GWH’s head of procurement warned hospital executives: “There could be difficulties in manufacturers sustaining support (repair, parts and documentation) for devices, if we are not part of an agreement with the EU.” The hospital said it had contacted EU-citizens on the staff roster, informing them of changes to the rules requiring non-UK nationals to pay for settled status. The staff turnover rate for EU nationals was lower now than it was six-months-ago. Currently, it stands at almost 19 per cent compared to 23 per cent half a year ago.
Northern Ireland’s farmers urge DUP to back Brexit deal
Ivor Ferguson has farmed quietly in Northern Ireland's County Armagh for decades. But Brexit has thrust him into the political battle in faraway Westminster.
Thousands of children 'could become undocumented' after Brexit
Thousands of children of EU nationals risk becoming a new “Windrush generation”, a children’s legal charity has said. They are concerned that vulnerable children could become undocumented in the same way as the Caribbean children who came to the UK decades ago only to suffer at the hands of the Home Office’s hostile environment decades later. An estimated 900,000 EU national children are in the UK with about 285,000 born in the country. Coram Children’s Legal Centre fears that children in foster care, in care homes, and others from vulnerable families could slip through the net of the new Home Office registration scheme for EU nationals after Brexit.
Political Shenanigans
John Bercow’s ruling has changed everything – Europe now decides the fate of Brexit
The one novel option that is now emerging from the fog of Brexit war is the grand compromise of a second referendum coupled with conditional approval of the May deal. This is the so-called Kyle-Wilson amendment which has won the, albeit confused, support of Jeremy Corbyn (who wants to vote Leave in the subsequent referendum, but on Labour terms which do not of course exist). It is "substantially different" from previous meaningful votes because it has a national referendum attached to it – a big move by anyone’s standards.
Speaker's unchanged Brexit deal vote ban could be good news for Theresa May
Sky News' senior political correspondent Jon Craig says the PM has more time to win over enough waverers and serial malcontents as she was not looking likely to get her deal through this week, before the EU Summit
EU could hand May lifeline with formal offer of new Brexit date
The EU is set to offer Theresa May a helping hand after her plan for a new meaningful vote was derailed, by formally agreeing on a new delayed Brexit date at upcoming summit. This will focus her campaigning on seeking support for a deal and help sell the deal as different from the earlier two
@Channel4News Commons Speaker John Bercow says Theresa May cannot hold a third vote on her Brexit deal if her motion is the same, or very similar to, the one that was heavily defeated last week, citing 'convention' dating back to 1604.
Commons Speaker John Bercow says Theresa May cannot hold a third vote on her Brexit deal if her motion is the same, or very similar to, the one that was heavily defeated last week, citing 'convention' dating back to 1604.
@Brexit Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow just said Theresa May will not be allowed to bring forward a third similar vote on her deal this week
BLOCKED. Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow just said Theresa May will not be allowed to bring forward a third similar vote on her deal this week
Theresa May to ask for one year Brexit delay after smug Speaker John Bercow torpedoes third vote on EU deal
Speaker John Bercow said “b*ll*cks” to the British people by torpedoing Theresa May’s deal and forcing her to ask the EU to delay Brexit for up to a year. The shock ruling – a year after a row over a “Bollocks to Brexit” car sticker was spotted in his wife’s motor – sparked jubilation from Labour ‘Remainers’ pushing for a referendum. Amid scenes of chaos in Parliament, he said a third vote on her Brexit deal could only take place if the offer before MPs was “substantially” different. He signalled updated legal advice would not be enough. senior Government figures revealed that the Ulster unionists took fright at Mr Bercow’s ruling. And they said there is now “almost no chance” at getting an agreement with the DUP over the line before a crunch EU summit on Thursday. Instead, No10 sources said the PM was drawing up a letter to EU Council president Donald Tusk to make a formal request for the long delay, instructed by Parliament last week if her deal still hadn’t been passed by the Commons. But the PM will also ask Brussels for an escape clause to the delay - expected to be between nine and 12 months.
The Chaotic Triumph of Arron Banks, the “Bad Boy of Brexit”
The U.K. is in a panic over voters’ decision to withdraw from the E.U. But the pugnacious millionaire whose donations—and Trumpian scare tactics—helped sway Britons has no regrets.
Two thirds of Tory Brexit rebels vow to stay firm in major blow for Theresa May
A survey by The Sun has found that among the 75 rebels who voted against the PM's deal, 32 said they would not back it if it was brought back to the Commons unchanged
Brexit latest: West Dunbartonshire MP thinks second referendum is best option
A second referendum remains the best option to break the Brexit deadlock, according to West Dunbartonshire’s MP. Martin Docherty-Hughes has called on the UK government to take immediate action to extend Article 50. The local SNP MP, who voted against Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal for a second time last week, said he will not support a Tory hard Brexit that he claim hurts the jobs and living standards of his constituents in West Dunbartonshire.
Brexit: Jacob Rees-Mogg hints at backing deal
Leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned Britain may never leave the European Union if Theresa May’s deal is voted down by MPs for a third time. Mr Rees-Mogg, chairman of the influential Conservative European Research Group (ERG), said he still regarded the Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement as a “very bad deal”. However, he expressed concern that if there was now a long delay to the UK’s departure from the EU - due to take place on March 29 - Brexit could be thwarted altogether. “No deal is better than a bad deal but a bad deal is better than remaining in the European Union,” he said during an LBC radio phone-in.
DUP’s influence over Brexit is ‘unacceptable’, Nicola Sturgeon tells Theresa May
Theresa May is unfairly favouring Northern Ireland over Scotland and the UK’s other devolved nations in the hope of forcing her Brexit deal through, Nicola Sturgeon has said. In a letter to the Prime Minister, she claimed the Government’s actions on Brexit had done “sustained and consistent” damage to the idea that the UK was a partnership of equal nations. “It seems clear that maintaining your majority in the UK Parliament comes before respect for the properly constituted governments” Nicola Sturgeon The Scottish First Minister also accused Mrs May of putting her slim working majority at Westminster ahead of respecting the devolved governments by trying to win the DUP‘s support. Ms Sturgeon was responding to reports that the Government is preparing to offer Northern Ireland extra funding in a final desperate attempt to get its Brexit deal through the House of Commons.
Brain of Brexit fears DUP could be bought into backstop U-turn
One of the key brains of the Brexit campaign has expressed concern that the DUP might do a U-turn on the backstop in return for money. In comments which are implicitly withering, Dan Hannan said it was possible that the DUP would back down because “unionism has a materialistic side”. Two weeks ago Mr Hannan said that “government strategists believe that the DUP is looking for an excuse to climb down and that, if it does so, the ERG will follow”. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Mr Hannan, a Tory intellectual who is respected on the right of the Conservative Party, noted the reports of Mrs May hoping “to induce the DUP to vote for a deal that has been expressly designed to weaken the Union”. He said that under the backstop “Northern Ireland would remain under the regulatory control of the EU, but have no representation there.
Brexit: Jeremy Hunt says a 'lot more work' needed to get deal through
A "lot more work" is required to get MPs to back Theresa May's Brexit deal, Jeremy Hunt has said, amid uncertainty over whether it will be put to a vote for a third time this week. The foreign secretary said there were "encouraging signs" that opponents of the deal were slowly coming round. But he said another vote would only be held before Thursday's EU summit if ministers were "confident" of victory. A number of Brexiteers have signalled they will continue to oppose the deal. Former foreign secretary Boris Johnson called for further changes to the terms of withdrawal, which the EU has rejected, while 22 Tory MPs have written to the Daily Telegraph saying that leaving without any agreement - known as a no-deal exit - on 29 March would actually be a "good deal" for the UK.
Britain’s Brexit crisis is rooted in the power of our public schools
Among the myriad absurdities of Brexit, one has repeatedly taken the whole thing into the realms of the surreal: the gifting of the whip hand to the Tory faction known as the European Research Group. At the start of yet another watershed week, it is still this 90-strong band of ideologues that holds the keys to both Theresa May’s political future and the fate of her deal.
Theresa May turns to Vienna for Brexit help
London is looking for creative — some say dubious — ways to bring opponents on board. That's where Article 62 of the Vienna Convention — a treaty that lays down the rules about international treaties, or legal agreements between countries — comes in. Under one option set out by the Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, the U.K. could make a statement saying that if there are "unforeseen circumstances" arising from the implementation of the backstop, the U.K. would have the right to walk away.
Priti Patel's brazen anti-aid agenda is ultimately all about Brexit
Patel, you might think, given the nature of her departure, might not be best thought of as a star turn on the future of British aid, unless you are, of course – like her hosts the TaxPayers’ Alliance – essentially ill-informed and hostile to the idea of international development as most understand it. In endorsing the pressure group’s new report, which calls for a shift in priorities in British aid, what Patel actually exposed was their profound shared misunderstanding of how aid works.
Brexit: ‘No vote’ on deal this week without DUP and ERG support
DUP says talks with UK government are focusing on legal assurances and not cash.
Jacob Rees-Mogg says THIS person should take over Brexit negotiations from Olly Robbins
Jacob Rees-Mogg disclosed who he thinks should take over trade negotiations between the UK and EU, urging Theresa May to announce the change at the next European Council meeting. Mr Rees-Mogg believes Crawford Falconer, who is currently the UK’s Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser, should step in for the next stage of Brexit negotiations. LBC host Nick Ferrari remarked: “Boris Johnson suggests that Theresa May needs to go back to Brussels to seek and I quote, ‘real change’. Is he right?” Mr Rees-Mogg replied: “Well there is a council this week on March 21, on Thursday, I think that will be an opportunity to say to them look you do not want the backstop, we do not want the backstop, let’s put an end date in.
Chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins will quit if deal goes through, Tory MPs told
Theresa May is under growing pressure to postpone a third Brexit vote after a suggestion that she would replace her chief EU negotiator to get her deal through left her still facing defeat. A meaningful vote that was widely expected tomorrow night could now be held on Wednesday or moved to next week unless there is a major breakthrough this evening. In a desperate last ploy to save her deal, Downing Street has told Tory MPs that Mrs May’s chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins will quit if it goes through.
DUP backing will not secure May's Brexit deal, says Jim Wells
Theresa May could lose a third vote on her Brexit plan even if the Democratic Unionists back it in the Commons, due to the number of Conservative rebels, a former DUP minister has predicted. Amid a final scramble by the prime minister to bring her informal coalition partners onboard before a probable vote this week, Jim Wells, who was the DUP’s minister for health in the Northern Ireland assembly, said he believed up to 30 Tories would still vote against the plan. “So even with the DUP support, I think it’s inevitable that Theresa May, if she pushes a third vote, will go to yet another defeat,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
For all our sakes: Theresa May’s Brexit deal must be voted down
It is utterly inexcusable that a softer Brexit in the form of a customs union has not been subject to debate in the House of Commons. It is a condemnation of parliament’s absurd polarisation and archaic submission to the government of the day. For Britain to proceed towards departing the EU without even voting on what was promised – a “frictionless” leave – would beggar belief. Now, at least, that option will be up for discussion.
Chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins will quit if deal goes through, Tory MPs told
Theresa May is under growing pressure to postpone a third Brexit vote after a suggestion that she would replace her chief EU negotiator to get her deal through left her still facing defeat. A meaningful vote that was widely expected tomorrow night could now be held on Wednesday or moved to next week unless there is a major breakthrough this evening. In a desperate last ploy to save her deal, Downing Street has told Tory MPs that Mrs May’s chief Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins will quit if it goes through.
Steve Bannon talks Russia, Brexit, 2020 and his controversial following
Mr Bannon, who since leaving the White House has become a sort of intellectual guru for nationalist uprisings in Europe, also says Nigel Farage has more influence on Mr Trump than the British prime minister. He went on to heap praise on former foreign secretary Boris Johnson, but for an unexpected reason. He said: "I think Boris Johnson would make a good prime minister. I think Boris Johnson is a guy with big ideas. I think he's the new recreated Boris Johnson who's lost 30 pounds - he's got a new haircut, he's a role model - the way he's lost so much weight... very inspiring."
Political Setbacks
Theresa May warned she cannot hold another vote on same Brexit deal
Speaker John Bercow has warned Theresa May he will veto a third vote on her Brexit deal unless it is "substantially" different from the previous two versions. He cited a more than 400-year-old Commons rule that blocks parliament being forced to vote on the same issue repeatedly in a short space of time.
Brexit: John Bercow rules out third meaningful vote on same deal
The solicitor general, Robert Buckland, said the decision was a “constitutional crisis” and that the government might have to consider the drastic step of ending the parliamentary session early and restarting a new session. “We’re in a major constitutional crisis here ... This has given us quite a lot to think about in the immediate term. There are ways around this – a prorogation of parliament and a new session – but we are now talking about not just days but hours to 29 March,” Buckland told BBC News. “Frankly we could have done without this, but it’s something we’re going to have to negotiate with and deal with.” Downing Street was blindsided by the announcement and unable to give a response at its regular afternoon briefing for journalists. “The speaker did not forewarn us of the content of his statement or the fact that he was making one,” May’s spokeswoman said.
Brexit deal MUST change or I’ll block third vote, John Bercow says in urgent statement
The speaker of the House of Commons said MPs have expressed concerns about being asked to vote on Mrs May’s controversial deal more than once. He said unless her deal is revised, he will prevent the third meaningful vote on it. He said: “It has been strongly rumoured that third and even possibly fourth meaningful vote motions will be attempted. Hence this statement is designed to signal what would be orderly and what would not. “If the Government wishes to bring forward a new proposition that is neither the same nor substantially the same as that disposed of by the House on March 12 this would be entirely in order.
Watch: John Bercow lays into Andrea Leadsom
Today, the Speaker John Bercow dealt a harsh blow to the government’s Brexit strategy after announcing that he would block a third vote on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, unless it changed in a substantial way. Not content though with just one attack on the government, the Speaker also found time to launch a dig at his favourite rival in the House of Commons: Andrea Leadsom. ‘I note that as the right honourable gentleman asks his question and I respond, the leader of the house [Leadsom] is playing with her electronic device and so is the deputy chief whip [Pincher]. I didn’t include him in the category of very senior people in the house, but that’s a debatable proposition.’
Third Brexit vote must be different - Speaker
Speaker John Bercow has thrown the UK's Brexit plans into further confusion by ruling out another vote on the PM's deal unless MPs are given a new motion. In a surprise ruling, he said he would not allow a third "meaningful vote" in the coming days on "substantially the same" motion as MPs rejected last week. With 11 days to go before the UK is due to leave the EU, ministers have warned of a looming "constitutional crisis". The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 29 March. Theresa May has negotiated the withdrawal deal with the EU but it must also be agreed by MPs. They have voted against it twice, and the government has been considering a third attempt to get it through Parliament. Mr Bercow cited a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion could not be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.
Government's Brexit deal needs 'substantial changes' before MPs can vote on it again
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has ruled out another vote on Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement if the motion is substantially the same as last time. The ruling means May's deal, as it stands, will not be put before MPs as anticipated would happen this week. Bercow said the government cannot "resubmit to the House the same proposition, or substantially the same proposition," for a third time. The Speaker cited the Commons rulebook Erskine May as he set out a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion cannot be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.
Bercow detonates May's third vote with dramatic Brexit intervention
John Bercow blew the whole thing apart. After years of petty sneers and active sabotages of parliament by the government, he finally took his revenge. And it was huge: dramatic, constitutionally-explosive and with far-reaching repercussions for Brexit and British democracy. Once he was done, the prime minister's strategy was in ruins. This was a long time coming. The referendum had created a new kind of sovereignty in British democracy. Since the English civil war in the 1600s, sovereignty lay with parliament, which gained its legitimacy through the elections held by the public. But the referendum result created a new form of political legitimacy: that of direct democracy.
Government's Brexit deal needs 'substantial changes' before MPs can vote on it again
House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has ruled out another vote on Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement if the motion is substantially the same as last time. The ruling means May's deal, as it stands, will not be put before MPs as anticipated would happen this week. Bercow said the government cannot "resubmit to the House the same proposition, or substantially the same proposition," for a third time. The Speaker cited the Commons rulebook Erskine May as he set out a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion cannot be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.
Brexit: Bercow chucks a hulking great spanner in the works
"He's breaking the constitution" - quite the accusation, laid at the door of John Bercow's grand speaker's apartments. It's notable because it's the view of a government minister who is not one of those whose pulse quickens when discussing leaving or trying to stay in the European Union. There is, of course, precedent in the very well-thumbed copies of Erskine May, the parliamentary rules, for the speaker's decision. Quoting decisions as far back as 1604, John Bercow was quite clear that governments are not meant to be able to keep asking parliament the same question, in the hope of boring MPs into submission if they keep saying no. But as another member of the government put it mildly, the speaker has a reputation for being "interventionist", and he has, this afternoon, chucked a hulking great spanner in the works.
@JolyonMaugham Here's the page from Erskine May which the Speaker is reading out.
Here's the page from Erskine May which the Speaker is reading out.
Brexit: EU wary of divisions over UK delay
The EU has almost given up understanding what's going on in UK politics. This weekend, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte compared UK Prime Minister Theresa May to the Monty Python knight whose limbs get cut off in a duel, but insists to his opponent that the fight was a draw. Elsewhere in the EU, there is less attempted humour about the situation, especially with the prospect of a lengthy delay to Brexit on the cards. "The whole point of Article 50 [which sets out the legal process for leaving the EU] is to go," a diplomatic contact from one of the UK's closest trading partners told me. "The UK triggered Article 50 two years ago, but it prevaricates, debates with itself and hovers around on the EU stage."
Brexit: Frustrated voters in Labour's Wales heartlands just want it to be over
Nestled at the foot of the Gwent Valleys just north of Newport, Cwmbran forms part of the safe Labour constituency of Torfaen. Residents voted by 59.8% to 40.2% to Leave at the 2016 referendum. It is typical of the traditional Labour heartlands which ...
With Brexit approaching UK's voice in Brussels grows quiet
Although delay is on the cards, wheels are in motion for the long-planned Brexit day. British MEPs have been told to clear their offices by 29 March, as their passes will stop working soon after. Redundancy notices have been served to British MEP assistants, although contract renewal notices are now in the works for some. “It’s uncertain, it’s unnerving that we still don’t have an answer,” one assistant said. “If there is any kind of extension that is a bonus, but for me I’ve always been planning on 29 March.” Outside the Brexit hothouse, the reality has not fully hit home for everyone. “I’m getting invites to host events in Brussels in April,” the Labour MEP Seb Dance tweeted recently. “What can I say?!” “There is a sort of resignation in the air in recent weeks,” he told the Guardian. “It is not one I share. I have always said all along the odds are against stopping Brexit – that’s obvious, but if anything is going to change it will be in the last few weeks.”
Leave MPs must take responsibility for the horrors of a long Brexit delay
In a letter published in the Daily Telegraph, 23 Conservative MPs explained why they still wouldn’t vote for Theresa May’s Brexit deal, despite the alternative before them of a potentially lengthy delay to the whole idea. As long-standing supporters of leaving the EU, they said that their “moral course is clear”. They argued that it is not their fault that they are now confronted by what they regard as “two unacceptable choices” – a bad deal or a prolonged delay – “but it will be our fault if we cast a positive vote in favour of either for fear of the other”. This statement has important implications and is also a fascinating argument.
Believe me, the Civil Service is trying to sink Brexit. I have seen it from the inside
As a civil servant I can tell you large parts of the Whitehall machine are systematically working against leaving the EU. I have met thousands of civil servants in the past few years: I can only recall five who voted for Brexit. At first, I thought they were perhaps just staying quiet given the political climate, but my worst fear was confirmed during the high-profile remainer Gina Miller’s successful court case to make sure Parliament has a say on the Brexit outcome
EU plans for Theresa May's departure 'after losing confidence' in prime minister
EU officials are preparing contingency plans on how to deal with a hardline successor to Theresa May. European leaders revealed at the weekend that they have lost confidence in the prime minister’s ability to govern and are concerned she will be replaced by a leader who will try and unpick the withdrawal agreement. During a meeting of EU ambassadors and senior officials on Friday the European Commission’s secretary general Martin Selmayr raised the scenario of May leaving office.
Tory MP Says Theresa May Should Call Snap Election To Break Brexit Deadlock
A Conservative MP says Theresa May should now call a snap general election in a bid to break the Brexit impasse. Crispin Blunt told Eddie Mair the Prime Minister should seek a “new mandate from the electorate” after Speaker John Bercow ruled MPs can’t vote on her Brexit deal for a third time without “substantial” change.
London: The Athens of the north
The ignorance of so many at Westminster in this matter of the utmost national importance is truly staggering. And it is that revelation that many of my journalistic colleagues from across Europe have found most disturbing; that so many British politicians are prepared to take such monumental decisions on the basis of such colossal ignorance of that which they claim is damaging their country. Know thy enemy is sound advice. They refuse to follow it. Just ask Sir Ivan Rogers when he is in Dublin next week. The celebration of the unlearned by the unprincipled, the elevation of dogma over fact, the rewarding of bullying over brains - all have led the British political class to where they are now: clawing at each other in last minute desperation, seeking to find answers to questions that should have been asked, and answered, long before they set the Article 50 clock in motion.
Rees-Mogg: Brexit ‘has made no difference to my financial situation’
Despite statistics continually showing Brexit is leaving the British people worse-off, Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg says that it has made “no difference” to his financial situation. That the country as a whole, in his view, would see the benefit not just him
@ITVNews 'Brexit will not now occur.' Ardent Leaver and Conservative MP James Gray gives his reaction to the speaker's decision on a third meaningful vote.
'Brexit will not now occur.'
Ardent Leaver and Conservative MP James Gray gives his reaction to the speaker's decision on a third meaningful vote.
France’s EU minister names her cat ‘Brexit’ because ‘he meows loudly to be let out but won’t go through the door’
France’s minister for European affairs says she has named her cat “Brexit” on account of its indecisive nature. Nathalie Loiseau told Le Journal du Dimanche that her pet meows loudly to be let out each morning, but then refuses to go outside when she opens the door. The comments from the French government’s lead in Brexit talks come ahead of a decision by EU leaders on whether to extend the Brexit negotiating period at the request of the UK. And this week will see a possible third rejection of Theresa May’s Brexit deal by the House of Commons. “He wakes me up every morning meowing to death because he wants to go out, and then when I open the door he stays put, undecided, and then glares at me when I put him out,” Ms Loiseau said.
Hardline Tory Brexiteers threaten to go on strike if Theresa May carries out vow to delay Brexit by a year
Hardline Tory Brexiteers have threatened Theresa May they will go on strike if she carries out her vow to delay Brexit by a year. No10 on Monday set a deadline of late on Tuesday for MPs to agree the PM’s exit deal before Thursday’s European summit.
@ByDonkeys Day 3 of the #MarchToLeave. Looks like we’re down to about 60, though could be some stragglers. Still no sign of @Nigel_Farage
Day 3 of the #MarchToLeave. Looks like we’re down to about 60, though could be some stragglers. Still no sign of @Nigel_Farage
Revealed: How dark money split the Tories’ ruling elite
One of the remarkable features of Brexit is that this rule has been broken. The Conservative party has wrenched itself asunder over an issue which most people in the UK didn’t much care about before 2016. This group is desperate to pull Britain away from the European regulated space, and drag it into the deregulated American-sphere, where the winner takes it all, and they’ve already decided who the winner will be. And no, it’s not you. First, there’s a large chunk of the media – papers like the Telegraph and the Sun, owned by multi-millionaires who live, respectively, in the Channel Islands and the US, and who have been the biggest institutions driving Brexit. There’s the people who funnelled dark money into the Leave campaigns – the cash openDemocracy revealed, which went through former Scottish Tory golden boy Richard Cook to the DUP, and the cash which came through Arron Banks, via Gibraltar, and which we’ve spent much of the last two years tracing.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK reaches post-Brexit trade agreement with Iceland and Norway
Britain on Monday reached an a deal with Iceland and Norway to allow trade to continue unchanged if it leaves the European Union without a deal, trade secretary Liam Fox said. Britain is seeking to replicate around 40 EU bilateral trade deals ahead of its exit from the bloc.
Brexit: trading insults
The UK government set out its proposed tariffs if there is a 'no deal' Brexit. Even if they aren't applied, they may indicate where negotiations will go after the Withdrawal Agreement phase. This united the Irish, Northern Irish and UK business lobbies in fury at the consequences and lack of consultation, though some farming interests can feel relieved. Some EU imports - notably of cars and meat - would become more expensive, and foreign buyers of some UK exports would face price hikes, requiring a sharp shift in the business model of these sectors in the UK.
The next phase of negotiations could be cruel in exposing both the paucity of options facing the UK and the inexperience of Britain's trade negotiators. And even more complex than goods trade is the more important services sector.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 20th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Sir Charlie Bean, a member of the Office of Budget Responsibility, told MPs it was `almost impossible` to accurately predict the shockwaves that would be sent through the economy, should the UK crash out of the EU without a deal. He said that, as with Lehmans Collapse in 2008, the actual havoc wrought by the shock would only become clear as events unfolded
- Less than half the applications from UK firms seeking `Trusted Trader` status have been approved since 2016. This is a quality marker which the government says allows firms to fast-track shipments through customs. Hauliers say they`ve been given chaotic information about the programme. It could be crucial in the event of a No Deal
- British business executives are growing anxious about the parliamentary gridlock and very concerned about the consequences to their businesses if the UK leaves with No Deal on March 29th. They are also worried about the Brexit uncertainty continuing a further few months or years
- The government has thrown a £500m lifeline to British pensioners across the EU, by offering to cover the costs of their healthcare for up to 12 months after Brexit exit day
- NHS chief executives said `Brexit has had a negative impact on staffing, with EU nurses and doctors leaving the service, it poses a threat to future vaccination programmes and the maintenance of hospital infrastructure.` All complained about `the lack of meaningful guidance from NHS England to local hospital trusts,` describing it as `like navigating through treacle`
- Lorry drivers plan to stage an anti-EU blockade on the M5 as early as this weekend. Brexit Direct Action is calling on hauliers to block motorways if the government does not leave the EU on March 29th
- Holders of UK driving licences in Ireland, who have applied for Irish permits have been told to stay off the roads for six weeks, due to the enormous backlog of people with UK licences that need change over to Irish ones
- Universities are raising the alarm over the loss of millions of pounds worth of EU grants for research, in the event of a No Deal Brexit. They have warned government that life-changing research could be just days away from stalling and urged the government to set up contringency plans to protect UK access to research funding
Deal or No Deal
- Theresa May`s cabinet split badly over her plans for a Brexit delay, some ministers even suggesting that if she proposed asking for 2 years, it could lead to the break up the Conservative Party. May`s reticence to tell them how long she intends to ask the EU for, led to many suspecting she is going to ask for 2 years, with a break clause if a deal is found sooner
- Michel Barnier indicated the price of a long Brexit delay, in the event of Theresa May`s withdrawal agreement being defeated again, would be a soft Brexit or a `new event` - such as a second referendum or a General Election. Barnier stressed that a delay imposes extra costs on the member states so approval is not guaranteed
- Hundreds of thousands of people from all over the country are set to march to Westminster on Saturday 23rd March, to take part in the `Put it to the People March.` This march calls on the government to give voters the final say on whatever deal MPs finally agree on
- The Information Commissioner has fined the Brexit campaign group Vote Leave £40,000 for sending out nearly 200,000 unsolicited text messages. The text messages contained a link to its campaign website, alongside information about its original purpose
- U.S. President Trump sees great opportunity for a trade deal with the UK, his National Security Adviser, John Bolton, told Sky News
- Donald Trump`s son criticised the way Brexit has been handled over the last two and half years. He said the Brexit result and his father`s Presidential win were examples of the people overcoming the elite and urged that Brexit be completed soon
Jobs at Risk
City jobs market 'in slow motion' as Brexit uncertainty hurts banking sector
Founder and chief executive Robert Walters said political uncertainty had negatively impacted recruitment in the City as firms and candidates craved clarity.
“It’s impacted confidence, the London jobs market has gone into slow motion, it’s not frozen as there is still plenty going on but it’s like walking through treacle at the moment," he said. “Doom and gloom is not the right phrase, it’s just a ‘rabbit caught in the headlights.’” The recruitment veteran said no specific city had emerged as a rival to London despite a significant amount of relocation activity.
Economic Impact
Britain's fiscal watchdog compares shock of no-deal Brexit to collapse of Lehman Brothers
Britain's fiscal watchdog has compared the shock of a no-deal Brexit to the collapse of Lehman Brothers that sparked the global financial crisis more than a decade ago. Sir Charlie Bean, a member of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), told MPs it was "almost completely impossible" to accurately predict the shockwaves that would be sent through the economy should the UK crash out of the EU without a deal. He said that, as with the collapse of Lehmans in 2008, the actual havoc wrought by the shock would only become clear as events unfolded.
A transatlantic front opens in the Brexit battle over derivatives
European politicians have declared that if LCH wants to clear euros when (or if) Brexit occurs, that business must either move to continental Europe, or be regulated by the European Securities and Markets Authority, the Paris-based entity.
In one sense, that is no surprise. And what has come as a relief for the City — and banks — is that Esma declared last month that it will let London’s clearing houses perform these functions, even after a hard Brexit, as long as they accept Esma rules. However, there is a trillion-dollar catch that sits completely outside the British parliament’s control: the US. The CFTC has told Europe that it will not accept Esma controlling London’s swaps business insofar as it impinges on dollar markets and US banks.
UK employers defy approach of Brexit with hiring spree
British employers ramped up their hiring at the fastest pace since 2015 in the three months to January as the labour market defied broader Brexit weakness in the overall economy.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Less than half of trusted trader applications approved
Less than half of the applications from UK firms for "trusted trader" status have been approved by HMRC since 2016, Newsnight has learned. The status is a quality marker, which the government says allows firms to fast-track their shipments through customs. This could be crucial if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Hauliers say they have been given "chaotic information". HMRC said businesses must "meet strict compliance standards" for the status.
UK business groups urge Theresa May to come up with Brexit plan B
British business groups that threw their weight behind Theresa May’s Brexit deal are now pressing Downing Street to come up with a “plan B” in case she fails to get her agreement through the House of Commons. The prime minister received lukewarm support from business leaders for her withdrawal agreement when it was agreed with the EU in November, with many backing it mainly because it prevented the severe disruption of a no-deal Brexit. But now executives are increasingly anxious that if parliamentary gridlock continues, the UK could crash out of the EU without a deal on March 29 when it is scheduled to leave the bloc. They also worry that if the Brexit deadline is extended, political paralysis will continue if Mrs May fails to devise an alternate plan.
Where is the DUP’s £1bn ‘bung’? Our schools and hospitals are broke
David Sterling, head of the Northern Ireland civil service, complained: “Our system of government was not intended to function in the absence of elected representatives … Without ministers, we have no one with a democratic mandate to set new policies … There is also ongoing work regarding planning for the sensible spend of the [£1bn] moneys. However, this is another area where the absence of ministers is handicapping us.”
No-deal Brexit: UK to pay some health costs of retired Britons in EU
The government has thrown a potential £500m Brexit lifeline to 180,000 British pensioners in EU countries outside the UK who rely on the NHS to pay for their healthcare. The health minister, Stephen Hammond, has said the government is committed to covering all treatments that began before exit day for up to 12 months afterwards in the event of no deal. “The UK government has committed to fund healthcare for UK nationals (and others for whom the UK is responsible) who have applied for, or are undergoing, treatments in the EU prior to and on exit day, for up to one year, to protect the most vulnerable,” he said in a ministerial written statement.
Cancer doctor shortage threatens patient welfare says report
A shortage of cancer specialists could be putting patients at risk, according to a new report. The study from the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) said cancer centres were reporting "dire" staffing levels with more than half of vacant posts being empty for more than a year. It said almost 1,000 people are diagnosed with cancer every day and demand for radiotherapy is going up 2% every year, while demand for chemotherapy is rising 4% a year. In 2018, there were 863 full-time equivalent clinical oncology consultants working across the UK's 62 cancer centres.
7 Brexit terms no-one ever wants to hear ever again
There are now several phrases and terms which have sufferers of Brexit fatigue people running as soon as they hear them Perhaps the most devastating damage caused by Brexit has been to the English language. The Mirror discusses seven terms which people are starting to get fatigued with hearing
Plans for Brexit blockade on M5 to bring 'huge area' to standstill could take place this weekend
Lorry drivers could stage their anti-EU blockade on the M5 as early as this this weekend, it can be revealed. Brexit Direct Action is calling on drivers to block major motorways around the country if the Government does not leave the European Union on Friday, March 29.
Brexit 'information vacuum' fuelling NHS drug shortages, trust bosses warn
Hospitals are already facing drugs shortages as a consequence of Brexit, with an "information vacuum" hampering their ability to plan for no deal, NHS trust leaders have warned. One hospital chief executive said they are currently unable to source more than 160 medicines on a daily basis, an increase from about 30 in normal circumstances. Other chief executives said Brexit had already had a negative impact on staffing, with EU nurses and doctors leaving the service, and poses a threat to future vaccination programmes and the maintenance of hospital infrastructure. All complained of a lack of meaningful guidance from NHS England to local hospital trusts, describing planning as "high-level and sketchy" and "like navigating through treacle"
Man mocked for "drunkenly" spending over £600 on no-deal Brexit stockpile
A woman has mocked her husband on Twitter after he "drunkenly" ordered £600 worth of items in preparation for a no-deal Brexit. Juliet East shared a picture of husband Tony Smollett's supermarket haul, which includes 144 rolls of toilet paper, more than 50 tins of food and numerous bottles of wine. In the post, she wrote: "THIS is what my husband's drunken £600 No Deal shop looks like"
'It could be terrible for us': how one British high street is preparing for Brexit
Ordering and delivering within 24 hours will not be possible. I worry the flower business will go online and never come back,” he says. “And, personally, I won’t go there.” Bothamley’s Dutch suppliers are worried, too, he tells me, adding that Holland is a world centre for the flower trade. “They can manage without us.” He needs them, however. We look around the shop; even the South African proteas come via the Netherlands. There is one jug of daffodils from Lincolnshire. “People don’t like the air miles, but it’s a global business. Practically every carnation on sale comes from Colombia. Those roses are Italian.”
'A riskier place to go': academics avoid conferences in Brexit Britain
According to Sandro Carnicelli, senior lecturer in events and tourism management at the University of the West of Scotland, UK academics may also find going to conferences more difficult. “Most academics are funded by research projects and a lot of those projects are European,” he says. “Some partners in Europe are cautious about including British academics in proposals for funding, because they believe there may be issues in getting funding approved.”
Brexit: Holders of UK licences in Ireland face weeks off road
Holders of UK driving licences who have applied to swap them for Irish permits due to Brexit have been told they must stay off the road possibly for weeks while awaiting new licences. There are thousands of UK licence holders in Ireland, who have been advised to change their licences as they will be invalid in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Fianna Fáil transport spokesman Robert Troy said the Road Safety Authority (RSA) confirmed to him a demand of up to 500 applications per day was being seen. Amid backlogs caused by a rush of applications for licence exchange, drivers are being told by the National Driver Licence Service (NDLS) that it is illegal for them to drive until they get their new permits.
Citi sets post-Brexit Frankfurt trading hub in motion
Citigroup’s new broker-dealer in Frankfurt is now fully operational as the US bank finalises its Brexit contingency plans with political negotiations stuck in limbo less than two weeks before the UK’s official leaving date. Citi’s German investment firm has begun trading on the main European exchanges and issuing in capital markets on behalf of institutional and corporate clients that can no longer be served through its British entities, the lender said. It has also begun clearing on the Eurex exchange. Unable to wait any longer, in recent months banks have put the finishing touches to their structural changes as the UK heads into more Brexit uncertainty after parliament rejected the deal on offer.
No-deal Brexit could mean £130m hit to research budgets
Universities have raised the alarm about the potential loss of hundreds of millions of pounds worth of EU grants from the UK in the case of a no-deal Brexit. They warned that life-changing research “could be days away from stalling” and urged the government to set up contingency plans to protect UK access to research funding. Researchers who have submitted applications for the latest round of funding from the European Research Council (ERC) say they are still in the dark about what will happen to their submissions in the case of no deal.
Scots living in remote communities claim they are ‘f*****’ because of Brexit
Scots living in remote areas have issued a stark warning that “we are f*****” as result of Brexit, an official report as revealed. The blunt language appears in a document published by Scottish Rural Action (SRA). It featured on a side banner on page four of the document.
Overseas students choose UK business schools despite Brexit
The percentage of overseas students making Britain their first choice for business school has increased since the EU referendum, suggesting that fears about Brexit damaging the sector were overblown. The resilience of the British market is attributed to declines in the value of the pound after the vote to leave the EU, which has made tuition fees in Britain relatively cheap for international students, particularly for people who would otherwise apply to US business schools.
@PortdeCalais HVs drivers: for a rapid transit, those documents will be needed on the port of Calais: International consignment note (CMR) The Master reference number MRN (barcode) If you are transporting sanitary or phytosanitary goods: the pre-notification document
BREXIT: From 29/03 00.00, HVs drivers: for a rapid transit, those documents will be needed on the port of Calais: International consignment note (CMR) The Master reference number MRN (barcode) If you are transporting sanitary or phytosanitary goods: the pre-notification document
How Brexit will affect UK travel – from visas to traffic delays at the Eurotunnel
On February 1, EU ambassadors agreed to allow UK citizens visa-free travel to Europe - even with a no deal Brexit. This means Brits travelling to any of the 26 countries in the borderless Schengen area will be allowed visa-free travel for a temporary stay for up to 90 days. The allotted 90 days can be taken in any 180-day period. The European Council said its decision was based on an assumption that EU nationals would enjoy the same privilege when heading to the UK for a short stay. And they warned that a visa would quickly be imposed should that not be the case. The European Parliament is now expected to pass the decision into legislation.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May to ask for Brexit delay, 1,000 days since referendum
Theresa May is preparing to formally ask the EU to delay Brexit, 1,000 days since Britons voted to leave the EU. The prime minister will on Wednesday send a letter to Brussels revealing her preference for either a short or long extension of Article 50 - the legal mechanism to take the UK out of the bloc. But she could face a potential cabinet split, and the threat that such a request will be rejected.
Brexit news: Theresa May to write to Tusk as exasperated EU leaders demand 'clarity' over delay plan
Theresa May is set to write to European Commission president Donald Tusk to lay out the government's plan for delaying Brexit. The cabinet spent 90 minutes discussing the issue this morning but reportedly did not reach a conclusion on the possible length of the extension. It comes as European leaders signalled that they may not agree to the UK’s request for a delay to Britain's departure from the bloc, which was originally expected on March 29.
Dodds: DUP 'haven't softened' on Brexit deal
The DUP's conditions "haven't softened" when it comes to the government's Brexit deal, Nigel Dodds has said. The party's deputy leader said there had been "good" discussions, but they are not ready to offer support yet. The government needs the backing of the 10 DUP MPs in order to get the agreement through the House of Commons. It comes amid reports that Theresa May is writing to the EU to ask for Brexit to be postponed until 30 June with the option of a longer delay.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-47628566
Additional sources: (Belfast Telegraph) (Reuters) (BBC)
Additional sources: (Belfast Telegraph) (Reuters) (BBC)
Labour's Corbyn calls on UK opposition parties to work on Brexit plan
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Britain’s main opposition Labour Party, called on other opposition leaders on Tuesday to work towards finding a majority in parliament for “a close economic relationship” with the European Union after Brexit. Corbyn met leaders from the Scottish National Party, Liberal Democrats, Wales’ Plaid Cymru and the Green Party to discuss how to break the Brexit impasse in parliament, which has twice rejected Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal to leave the EU. “Should there not be a majority in parliament for May’s deal or a public vote, Corbyn called on the other parties to engage constructively to find a parliamentary majority for a close economic relationship with the EU that can work for the whole country,” a Labour spokesman said. “The party leaders discussed efforts to ensure May’s deal would be put to a public vote if she is able to force it through parliament with threats and phony bribes.”
Four party leaders urge Corbyn to back second Brexit referendum
Labour remains publicly committed to a policy of seeking a second referendum if the party’s own customs union-based Brexit plan is not adopted, and is pushing for a confirmation vote if May’s deal passes parliament. The Labour spokesman said: “The party leaders discussed efforts to ensure May’s deal would be put to a public vote if she is able to force it through parliament with threats and phoney bribes.”
As Brexit crisis deepens, Boris Johnson and lover take stroll on beach in Italy
Carefree Boris Johnson strolls on a paradise Italian beach while Britain is gripped by the Brexit crisis he helped to unleash. The former Foreign Secretary was pictured with blonde lover Carrie Symonds, 30, on Fornillo beach, at Positano on the stunning Amalfi Coast. Mr Johnson, 54, wore a suit and shirt without a tie for a stroll. One tourist website describes Fornillo as “a little hidden secret” and says: “Many visitors rush around... and have no idea that this slice of paradise exists.”
Saturday's huge London protest demanding a Brexit vote could be the biggest in British history
Thousands of people across London are set to march to Westminster on Saturday (March 23) to take part in what will be one of the largest political demonstrations in British history. The 'Put it to the People' march will call on Parliament to give London and Britain's voters the right to have a crucial vote to say 'yes' or 'no' to whatever deal MPs finally come up with on Brexit. The huge march is likely to be even bigger than the previous demonstration organised by the grassroots People's Vote campaign back in October 2018, which was attended by around 700,000 people - including thousands from across London. Activists have been distributing thousands of leaflets in high streets in virtually every part of London in a bid to gather support for the march.
Cabinet fractures over Brexit delay as May warned she could cause 'the end of the Conservative Party'
Theresa May’s Cabinet is fracturing over her plans for a Brexit delay after ministers told her she was risking “the end of the Conservative Party”. Angry ministers turned on the Prime Minister after she refused to tell them how long an extension she intends to request from the EU, leaving some suspecting she could ask for a delay of up to two years. Amid accusations that Mrs May has failed to get a grip on what she admits is a “crisis”, Eurosceptic ministers warned that a long delay would lead to a Jeremy Corbyn government and turn Britain into a “barren land” with “gulags”.
Andrea Leadsom, Liam Fox and Chris Grayling left Mrs May in no doubt that they would have to consider quitting the Cabinet
Eurosceptic Tories use covert talks to call on EU countries to veto Brexit extension
Backbench Eurosceptic Tory MPs have made a behind-the-scenes bid to persuade European Union leaders to veto any delay to Brexit at this week's Brussels summit.
The undercover diplomatic initiative has been led by Tory MPs Daniel Kawczynski, Craig Mackinlay and former Cabinet minister Owen Paterson. The talks have been discussed at meetings of the European Research Group of around 60 hardline Conservative MPs. The MPs were hoping that one of the EU's 27 remaining member states could veto Britain's expected request to an extension to Article 50 to make it more likely that the UK leaves the EU at the end of next week.
Meaningful Vote 3' could be held the day before Brexit Day
Two government sources suggest the Meaningful Vote “take 3” might happen on Thursday of next week. Of course, like everything else right now, that could change. But if it did pan out that way it would mean that we were voting on the eve of the 11pm 29th March departure time that is still in UK law. The week would start with a Monday statement from Theresa May following the EU summit which happens this Thursday/Friday. There has been talk in government of then having a “paving motion” ahead of the Meaningful Vote to over-rule the objections of The Speaker by proving there is parliamentary will for a third attempt at getting the deal through.
May seeking Brexit delay to June 30 with option of two-year extension
British Prime Minister Theresa May will write to the European Union on Tuesday to ask for a Brexit extension until the end of June and with a possible two-year delay, the BBC’s political editor said. With Britain due to leave the bloc in just 10 days, May’s spokesman earlier said she would be writing to European Council President Donald Tusk to request a delay to Brexit either on Tuesday or Wednesday. But the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg said on Twitter after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting: “Cabinet sources say PM is writing letter to EU today asking for extension - frustration that she is going to ask for end date of June 30th, with proviso of delay of up to 2 years.
Getting rid of Theresa May solves nothing
Whoever is Conservative leader after Theresa May — Henry Kissinger, Nelson Mandela, Donald Trump — Britain will still be in the same position, with a relatively weak negotiating hand facing a fairly united negotiating partner. Getting, as a result of the current mess, a year or two longer to prepare for leaving might mildly strengthen our hand (which is one reason we shouldn’t assume the EU will automatically agree to it). But no deal with our main allies and trading partners will remain significantly unattractive and hard to sustain. So we will need a deal and the sort of deal we will end up with won’t change much.
Price of Brexit delay could be referendum or election, says Barnier
Michel Barnier has suggested that the price of a long Brexit delay in the event of Theresa May’s deal being defeated again would be a soft Brexit or a “new event” such as a second referendum or general election. Speaking two days before Thursday’s crunch leaders’ summit, the EU’s chief negotiator said the bloc’s heads of state and government would want to be convinced of the usefulness of extra time, given the costs involved. The EU is seeking a detailed road map from the prime minister on how parliament will decide on one of those options should her deal be rejected again next week, and is pushing for a commitment by May that a decision would be made by MPs by mid-April.
Brexit: With ten days to go, what is going to happen?
a) Further votes on May’s deal (in spite of Bercow’s ruling) b) A major renegotiation (but the EU have ruled this out) c) Another referendum (but May has ruled this out)
d) A general election (May doesn’t have the power, but it could happen with the support of more than two-thirds of MPs) e) Labour could table another no confidence vote f) Another option is no Brexit. g) The European Court of Justice ruled that the UK could unilaterally revoke Article 50 and abandon Brexit without the need to consult all 27 member states. Would this mean no Brexit ever or another referendum – it’s unclear.
@Peston Huge Tory revolt under way to stop @theresa_may asking EU for Brexit delay of nine months or more
Huge Tory revolt under way to stop @theresa_may asking EU for Brexit delay of nine months or more. She has been requested to address the 1922 committee of Conservative MPs at 5pm tomorrow, where she will be told in no uncertain terms that delay must not be longer than...
The EU should be ready to grant Britain a long Brexit delay
Blame for the current political chaos lies not with Mr Bercow but with Mrs May, and her dogged insistence on treating Brexit as Conservative party property. The Speaker’s ruling rightly prevented the prime minister from putting a motion again before parliament that still has insufficient votes to pass. If Mrs May succeeds in mustering a majority in favour of her deal, that same majority can vote to set aside his judgment. Mr Bercow himself might allow another vote as early as next week if the prime minister secures a change to the planned exit date at an EU summit on Thursday and Friday.
'An extension will have consequences' says EU as Downing Street admits 'crisis' over Brexit
There will be "consequences" if Article 50 is prolonged, the EU has said as Theresa May prepares to ask for an extension. The comments from the European Union come just hours after Downing Street admitted the UK is "in crisis" over Brexit. The EU's chief negotiator, Michel Barnier also said that any extension to Britain's membership had to be "useful" and warned it would bring "uncertainty". Commenting on the length of any potential extension, Mr Barnier said a longer delay would only be granted if it is "linked to something new, a new event, a new political process". ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston assessed that Mr Barnier's comments imply a general election or referendum would be required in the UK before the EU commits to a longer extension.
@ITVNews Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comments on the most recent Brexit developments and says if the government doesn't 'get a majority for its way on Monday' then it is 'surely time for a general election'
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comments on the most recent Brexit developments and says if the government doesn't 'get a majority for its way on Monday' then it is 'surely time for a general election'
Brexit: Angela Merkel vows to fight for orderly process
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said she will fight for an "orderly Brexit" until "the very last hour". Mrs Merkel said that current events were in a "state of flux", adding that European Union leaders would try to react to whatever the UK proposed. The UK is due to leave the EU in 10 days' time, with or without a deal. Prime Minister Theresa May is writing to European Council President Donald Tusk to ask for an extension. She will meet EU leaders later this week. Mrs May's proposed Brexit deal has already been rejected twice by MPs at Westminster.
'Only majority in Parliament is for soft Brexit'
Under the current law, the UK will leave the European Union with or without a deal on 29 March. The New Statesman's Grace Blakeley tells Politics Live "the only thing in Parliament that has a majority is a soft Brexit". Responding, Conservative Brexiteer Owen Paterson says if there is a lengthy extension to Article 50, he and other MPs will "continue to represent the interests of the 17.4 million" people who voted to leave the EU.
Brexit: Council adopts a series of contingency measures for a "no-deal" scenario
The Council today adopted a series of legislative acts as part of its contingency preparations for a "no-deal" Brexit scenario. The aim of these acts is to limit the most severe damage caused by a disorderly Brexit in specific sectors where it would create a major disruption for citizens and businesses. They come on top of other measures, such as on citizens' rights, adopted by member states as part of their preparations for a "no-deal" scenario. These measures are temporary in nature, limited in scope and adopted unilaterally by the EU. They are in no way intended to replicate the full benefits of EU membership or the terms of any transition period, as provided for in the withdrawal agreement. In some areas, they are conditional upon the UK's reciprocal action.
France ready to veto any meaningless Brexit delay: Elysee official
France is ready to veto any British request for a Brexit delay that either kicks the can down the road without offering a way out of its deadlock or imperils European Union institutions, an official in President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Tuesday
Brexiteers threaten to go on strike over Article 50 delay
Some 20 hardliners have vowed to stop participating in key government votes if Theresa May extends the Brexit process by a year, according to the Sun. The prime minister had hoped to win over enough support in the coming days to get her deal passed before March 29th. But rather than winning over extra Tory support the Brexiteers have instead insisted they will withdraw support for the prime minister altogether. A “vote strike” from 20 members of Theresa May’s government would put it on the blink of collapse.
Political Setbacks
Pity poor Barnier, a man in search of the UK's plan
The EU’s chief negotiator would settle for a few hints of what the UK's plan for Brexit is, perhaps, expressed through interpretive dance
Jeremy Corbyn 'ready to stand down' because he is 'tired and fed up'
Jeremy Corbyn is reportedly ‘ready to step down’ as leader of the Labour Party, it has been claimed. Sources said last night that Mr Corbyn is becoming ‘tired and fed up’ in the role, and is looking to leave as he nears his 70th birthday in May. Speaking to The Standard, one member of the shadow cabinet said that those closest to the leader are of the view he would like to hand over his socialist project.
Theresa May admits country is 'in crisis' with 10 days to avert no-deal Brexit
Theresa May has admitted the country is in crisis as she prepares to write to the EU explaining her next steps with Britain heading towards a no-deal Brexit in ten days. The prime minister’s spokesman argued that a crisis had now “come to pass”, as Ms May warned it would after the House of Commons rejected her Brexit deal last week. She will now write to European Council president Donald Tusk setting out her next steps, a letter likely to involve some kind of request for a delay to Brexit.
We’re edging away from Brexit – but both sides are set to lose
We are edging away from the EU exit, but not towards resolution of the social and political tensions exposed by the referendum. This is a dangerous dynamic. The remain cause makes tactical progress, helped by the ineptitude of its enemies, but the argument for being part of a European project has barely advanced. If Britain wants to preserve a healthy relationship with its nearest allies, it is not enough that Brexit fails. More people must want it to fail.
No deal has sensationally risen from the dead, and is now more likely than ever
The Speaker's extraordinary intervention has transformed the political landscape. Until yesterday, pro-Brexit Tory MPs effectively had a gun to their heads.
Vote Leave fined over thousands of unsolicited texts
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined Brexit Campaign group Vote Leave £40,000 ($53,000) for sending out nearly 200,000 unsolicited text messages. The text messages contained a link to the campaign website alongside information about its ambitions. They were sent in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016. The ICO said the group had been unable to prove that everyone who received the message had consented to the contact. Vote Leave said it had gathered numbers from people who had contacted it. It said the numbers came from website enquiries, texts it had received in response to other promotions and from running its own football competition.
Speaker John Bercow wrong to stop Brexit deal vote – leader comment
Bercow, who has revealed he had voted Remain, may believe he is defending the Commons’ rules; others will suspect he hopes defeating May’s deal will lead to a second referendum. If the latter is true, he is playing a dangerous game of roulette that could well result in the worst of all outcomes – a no-deal Brexit. A delay and a second referendum would indeed be the best way out of our current mess, but MPs need to come to this conclusion themselves, not be bounced into it by the Speaker.
Tory MPs vow to quit party if Boris Johnson becomes leader
Johnson is the current favourite of Brexit-backing Tory activists, who will pick the leader out of a final two candidates. However, the former London mayor would first have to clear the hurdle of convincing Conservative MPs to put him on the final list of two. One minister said she would leave the party if Johnson and his supporters, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, took over the Conservatives. Another minister said he knew of five or six Conservatives who were openly saying they were so opposed to a Johnson premiership that they could not stay in the party run by him and a group of “Brexit ultras”. Anna Soubry, the former Tory minister who quit to join the new Independent Group, said she believed “people will leave” if Johnson were to become prime minister.
Donald Trump Jr: ‘Brexit and my father’s election are one and the same’
U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest son said the "establishment" is trying to "silence the voices" of those who voted for Brexit and elected his father. Writing in the Telegraph, Trump Jr. said British Prime Minister Theresa May has "promised on more than 50 separate occasions that Britain would leave the EU on March 29 2019. She needs to honour that promise." "In a way, you could say that Brexit and my father’s election are one and the same — the people of both the UK and the US voted to uproot the establishment for the sake of individual freedom and independence, only to see the establishment try to silence their voices and overturn their mandates. "What we’re seeing now in Washington, London and Brussels is the desperate, last-gasp attempt by those previously in power to cling on to what was once theirs in the face of an overwhelming mandate for change."
https://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-jr-brexit-election-comparison/
Additional sources: (Daily Mirror)
Additional sources: (Daily Mirror)
Donald Trump Jr and John Bolton berate UK leaders over Brexit
Donald Trump Jr and the US national security adviser, John Bolton, spoke out over Brexit on Tuesday in what appeared to be a coordinated intervention by the White House into British domestic politics. Both the US president’s son and Bolton attacked British political leadership after Theresa May said she would ask the EU for a delay to the UK’s exit from the European Union; in line with parliament’s wish.
Brexit: Theresa May begs EU for more time but faces full-scale Cabinet mutiny
Theresa May tonight faced a full-scale Cabinet mutiny as furious ministers tore into her bid to beg the EU for more time to sort Brexit. There were fears Leave MPs could quit over her expected formal request to Brussels on Wednesday for an extension that could keep us in the EU until June at the earliest or even up to two years. One raging minister said after a “spiky” Cabinet meeting on the matter: “I couldn’t back a long delay. She’d have to sack me.” It came as Downing St finally admitted the Brexit shambles was a “crisis”. And Mrs May slipped closer to being toppled as fed-up Leavers believe any lengthy delay would kill her fading authority.
Brexit: Cabinet split on length of delay
One minister who was in the room suggested the prime minister gave the impression that she would ask the EU for an extension to the end of June, with the option of (you guessed it) a "backstop" option of a delay of up to two years. But another minister said they left the meeting with the view that there had, in fact, been no judgement really made at all. Another insider was boiling with frustration that, in their view, yet again, Theresa May was failing to express what she actually wants to do clearly, and allowing the Tory Party, and of course Parliament - and more importantly the rest of the country - twist in the wind while she grinds on.
Public cheated if Brexit not on time says Brexiteer Tory MP
The public would feel "cheated" if Brexit did not happen on time, a former Welsh Secretary has warned. Clwyd West Tory MP David Jones said it would require an "awful lot of political courage" from Prime Minister Theresa May to delay the process. Mr Jones, a Brexiteer, has twice voted against Theresa May's deal. Last week MPs voted to reject a no-deal Brexit, in a non-binding Commons vote. The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 29 March.
Pro-Brexit activist denies harassing MP Anna Soubry
A pro-Brexit activist has pleaded not guilty to harassing MP Anna Soubry outside Parliament. James Goddard, 29, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, is alleged to have called the MP a "Nazi" and a "traitor". He denied three charges before the case at Westminster Magistrates' Court was temporarily adjourned when people in the public gallery started shouting. Mr Goddard was remanded on bail until 19 July when he will face a two-day trial at the court in London. He was held by police following protests outside Parliament.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Donald Trump sees 'huge opportunity' for trade deal with Brexit Britain
US President Donald Trump sees "huge opportunity" for a trade deal if the Brexit impasse is solved, according to his national security adviser, John Bolton told Sky News that America is “ready to go” on a trade deal with “a newly independent Britain.” "Trade minister Liam Fox would be welcome here; any member of the government would be welcome here, we can do these deals quickly. We are ready to go. We want to partner with a newly independent Britain,” he said. "The president has been clear he wants a resolution to this issue that allows the United States and Britain to come to trade deals again.”
'We're ready for a US-UK deal': Trump adviser John Bolton says America wants to partner with Brexit Britain
Donald Trump's national security adviser John Bolton has told Sky News that America is "ready to go" with a US-UK trade deal. In a UK exclusive, the former US ambassador to the UN said: "We are ready to go, we are ready to go." "Trade minister Liam Fox would be welcome here; any member of the government would be welcome here, we can do these deals quickly. We are ready to go. We want to partner with a newly independent Britain."
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 21st Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Consultancy EY say the UK finance industry is taking £1 trillion in assets out of the UK and 7,000 jobs are expected to go as a result of the Brexit uncertainty
- UK OBR officials pushed back on industry fears that proposed No Deal tarifs on goods and services would force prices up sharply. With the exception of cars, the OBR said, foreign producers may well absorb the extra costs and a lower pound may offset costs as well
- A short-term loan group had an advert promoting people taking out cash to stockpile food and drink banned stopped by the Advertising Standards Authority
- The UK government said it is hoping to use the EHIC health card, when it leaves the EU. But it stressed EHIC won't be usuable in the event of a No Deal Brexit but may once a trade deal is signed in a year or two
- The CBI said there has been a drop in UK manufacturing output during March. Export order books have increased, but the level of domestic demand has declined more than expected
- UK retirees living in the EU attacked the UK government's plan to only offer to pay for healthcare in EU countries for a single year for them
- There were more reports of NHS bosses saying there is an unprecedented shortage of medicines in the NHS and drug prices are already under pressure because of Brexit stockpiling
Theresa May - charming and offensive at the same time
- Early yesterday, Mrs May spent hours meeting MPs from all parties in her House of Commons office, seeking to persuade them to support her withdrawal agreement.
- Then Mrs May, went to the Commons and told MPs it was their fault that a No Deal was now alive once more, badgering them to back her deal in a 3rd meaningful vote, due to take place next week
- Then at half eight, Mrs May made a somewhat belligerent public broadcast to the nation from No10 Downing Street, in which she appealed to voters saying 'I am on your side' and that 'Brexit chaos is all the fault of MPs who are naval gazing'
- Earlier in the day, EU Council President, Donald Tusk, had said a brief Brexit extension of 3 months would be possible, but only if May had a deal or some clear plan
- Tusk also stressed that several member states were sceptical about supporting an extension and would need to see a UK plan in order to be convinced
- The Labour Party's Alison McGovern has tabled an SO24 emergency debate motion for later today, which seeks to win support for a debate on Theresa May's proposal to ask Brussels for a 3 month extension. The outcome and objective for the SO24 motion are still a little hazy
- Channel 4 News said sources had told it that the government would schedule a 3rd meaningful vote on Brexit on March 28th, the day before the UK is set to leave with a No Deal. This forecast is now being picked up by other media and starting to cause ripples of concern
- The Brexit Cabinet Secretary told Cabinet ministers in a letter that Operation Yellowhammer will begin on Monday March 25th. This is the government's contingency plan for a No Deal Brexit exit from the EU
- A Guardian editorial called for Theresa May to hit pause and rethink what kind of Brexit the country wants
- The Independent attacked Mrs May for continually caving in to her Brexiteers, and in fact, to anyone who challenges her. Two weeks ago pro-EU remain Cabinet ministers threatened to resign and she caved in to them too
- Former Tory Attorney General, Dominic Grieve, made an impassioned speech saying 'he'd never been more ashamed to be a member of the Conservative Party.' He went on to predict 'if we do not get a grip we will spiral into oblivion - and the worst thing is, we will deserve it'
- The Huffington Post said MPs are furious after Theresa May blamed them for the Brexit crisis. It said they felt her performance was 'toxic, arrogant and disgraceful'
- Theresa May's broadcast to the country sparked a petition to Revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU into life. Within just a few hours it went from next to no signatures to around 360,000 in support
- The Irish Times said Brexit was exposing the inherent weakness of the UK constitution: parliamentary sovereignty meant it was the ultimate decision make on all matters. The way the referendum is being forced through is taking that away from Parliament - making them simply implementers of instructions
- Unhappiness in Brussels with Theresa May's government is also manifestly on show. Diplomats quoted in the Financial Times said 'it was a circus beyond comprehension' and 'it is like dealing with a failed state'
Economic Impact
£1tn in assets to Brexodus: EY
The finance industry is taking roughly £1 trillion in assets out of the UK as a result of Brexit uncertainty – up by £200 billion from an estimate in January, according to data from EY. That comes as firms are triggering their contingency plans just days before the UK's currently scheduled departure from the EU on March 29. Roughly 7,000 finance jobs are expected to move outside the UK, with Frankfurt, Paris and Dublin the most popular destinations, EY says.
https://www.linkedin.com/feed/news/1tn-in-assets-to-brexodus-ey-4980810/
Additional sources: (Financial Times)
Additional sources: (Financial Times)
Brexit will cost 7,000 City jobs and £600m tax — nothing, right?
According to the latest survey by consultants EY, financial services groups have triggered contingency plans that will move £1tn of assets, and 7,000 jobs, out of the UK to Europe. Never mind that there are still eight whole days to go before Britain leaves the EU with no withdrawal deal and no agreement on future trade in goods and services.
UK tariff plan for no-deal Brexit will have limited impact on economy — OBR
Contingency plans published last week, to eliminate most tariffs but impose a 10 per cent duty on imports of cars and some animal products, drew a fierce reaction from industries that would face fiercer international competition and consumer groups that say some prices would rise sharply. However, OBR officials said the overall impact on the economy would be limited, and that the “real world” impact of tariffs would depend on how they were implemented and enforced, and how people changed their behaviour in response. Robert Chote, the OBR chairman, told MPs that the “dominant effect” would come from the tariffs imposed on cars — but added that there might be “quite considerable compliance challenges”. Given different rates for finished and unfinished vehicles, he added, one would need to ask if “all that was needed . . . would be to stick on a wing mirror”. Mr Bean said that tariffs would not necessarily affect domestic prices, because foreign producers might absorb the impact, and that because the plans published last week were quite “tightly targeted”, there might be “more scope to redefine a product so it falls into a different bucket”.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit food stockpiling loan ad banned
A financial services company has been ordered not to reuse an advert in which it tried to persuade people to take out a loan, in case they wanted to stockpile food because of Brexit. Cash On Go, trading as Peachy.co.uk, sent out an email saying, "it's a good idea to have a little stockpile ready." The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint from a reader who said the advert was irresponsible.
Peachy said it referred to Brexit light-heartedly and to make it topical.
UK aiming to keep EHICs if there's a no-deal Brexit - but they may not work on exit day
The UK Government has proposed to EU member states that the European Health Insurance Card arrangement should stay the same until the end of 2020, even if we leave the European Union with no deal - but says protections may not be in place on the day we leave. In a written statement to Parliament, health minister Stephen Hammond wants to guarantee that the "reciprocal healthcare rights", which include the use of the EHIC, will remain until the end of 2020 if a no-deal Brexit occurs. If there's a deal the rights will remain until at least the end of 2020. But Hammond adds that whilst steps have been taken to ensure this does occur, EHICs "may no longer be valid" in a no deal scenario.
UK manufacturers in despair at Brexit impasse, says CBI
Britain’s manufacturers are in despair at the failure of politicians to end the Brexit impasse, according to the CBI, which reported a drop in output in March as businesses cut back production. Export order books increased among the 358 manufacturers in the survey, supported by the low level of sterling, but this was cancelled out by a decline in domestic demand to leave the industry in a weakened position ahead of a decision in parliament on Brexit. The total orders balance fell back to +1% in March after picking up to +6% in February from a three-month low of -1% in January, the CBI said. Prospects for the industry were likely to worsen following the recent slowing in the global economy, which was expected to undermine the demand from foreign buyers for UK manufactured goods.
UK retirees in EU say NHS plans under no-deal Brexit are 'sick'
The government has been described as sick and uncaring by an organisation representing more than 10,000 British nationals in Europe over NHS healthcare plans for pensioners in a no-deal Brexit scenario. British nationals who have retired to EU countries have reacted with fury to what they describe as an insulting and offensive offer by the government to cover healthcare costs for up to one year if they had applied for or are undergoing treatment before exit day. This is in contrast to the current reciprocal arrangement whereby the NHS reimburses EU member states for treatment of those who have paid into the UK national insurance system for a qualifying number of years.
Unprecedented drug shortage linked to Brexit, NHS bosses say
Hospitals across England are experiencing medicine shortages due to "stockpiling and price pressure as the Brexit deadline approaches", NHS Providers has told BBC Newsnight. The trade association warned some trusts had seen shortages of up to 160 different drugs in the past six weeks. This was compared with just 25 to 30 drugs in normal times, it said. The Department of Health said there was "no evidence" the "small number of supply issues" were related to Brexit.
Brexit: How one French port town is preparing
Dieppe, on the Normandy coast, is tied to Sussex by centuries of sea crossings. Nowadays, the ferry from Newhaven is a gateway to France - carrying up to 40 lorries and 600 passengers two or three times a day in each direction. As the UK makes preparations for a possible no-deal exit from the EU, how are people in Dieppe responding?
Sunderland Council plans post-Brexit Nissan lorry park
A council is planning to create a temporary lorry park to help Nissan deal with any post-Brexit port delays. Sunderland City Council is planning a six-month lease at Deptford Terrace to create a waiting area for lorries bound for the Washington factory. It said there was already a "problem" with lorries parking around the area awaiting a delivery slot. The authority estimates delays at ports could see a "two-fold increase" in the number of waiting lorries. In an email sent to councillors by the Chief Officers Group, council bosses said: "Were there to be delays at ports nationally as a result of a No Deal EU Exit, then supply lorries would set off earlier to meet their delivery deadlines and overnight parking could increase greatly."
Brexit: The choice facing British citizens living in Germany
The continued uncertainty surrounding Brexit means the rights of UK citizens living in EU countries are still to be guaranteed. Instead of waiting to see what's in store, an increasing number of British people abroad are applying for citizenship in the European country where they live and work. Germany was the place that welcomed most new citizens from the UK in the year following the referendum.
The Scream: Munch London show 'not intentionally timed with Brexit'
Curator at British Museum says date of exhibition featuring artwork is 'pure serendipity' - having conceived the exhibition five years ago, the timing of its opening, according to its curator, Giulia Bartrum, is “pure serendipity – certainly at the moment when we are all worrying about bloody Brexit. But that’s actually sheer coincidence.”
What No Deal Brexit tariffs mean and how cost of imported Volkswagen cars, steak and cheese could rise – but it means cheaper wine
Shoppers could pay more for items such as steak and cheese, cars and clothing as a result of a no deal Brexit - but it will also make hundreds of products cheaper.
Usually there's no tax - known as a "tariff" to pay on goods being imported into the UK from the EU. But if a trade deal with the EU isn't agreed, a tax on one in 10 European Union imports to the UK will be introduced. And there's a fear that these higher taxes could be passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices. The temporary tariff regime would last for the first 12 months after a no deal Brexit while the Government comes up with a permanent solution. Some observers see the move as a threat to the EU from Theresa May, to convince them to give Britain a better Brexit deal or see taxes slapped on their exports.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May's address to the nation sees her tell voters 'I am on your side' over Brexit
Theresa May has blamed MPs for failing to implement the result of the 2016 EU referendum, and told voters who want Brexit to be over: "I am on your side." In a televised address from Downing Street, May said that it was "a matter of great personal regret" for her to have to ask for a three-month delay to Britain's withdrawal from the EU , which was due to take place on March 29. She will go to Brussels on Thursday to make a formal request to the other 27 EU leaders for an extension to the two-year Article 50 negotiation process.
Theresa May blames MPs for Brexit delay
Theresa May blamed MPs for her request to delay Brexit for three months, warning the public is fast losing patience with the "political games” in Westminster. In a rare address to the nation Wednesday night from inside No. 10 Downing Street, the U.K. prime minister said her application for an extension to the Article 50 negotiating period was "a matter of great personal regret" but is necessary to deliver Brexit. The short five-minute address came after another day of high drama in Westminster in which she hinted she would quit rather than delay Brexit any further.
Brexit: 'Tired' public needs a decision, says Theresa May
Theresa May has told the public she is "on their side", laying the blame for the delay to Brexit squarely with MPs. Speaking from Downing Street, the prime minister said people were "tired of infighting and political games" and it was "high time" politicians made a decision on the next steps. Earlier, Mrs May wrote to EU Council President Donald Tusk requesting to delay Brexit until 30 June. She said the postponement was a "matter of great personal regret".
Theresa May’s very big gamble risks a no-deal Brexit
Her own leadership is now over. Unable to control the House, unable to control her cabinet, she lingers in office until her party gets round to removing her. It is hard to imagine her being prime minister long after this stage of Brexit is settled. If she is forced into the humiliation of going to Brussels on the eve of Brexit to beg for the long extension she has expressly ruled out, she is likely to resign soon after. As with all negotiations with the EU, nothing is final until it is irreversible. It may be that her deal will be defeated and a long delay then offered by the EU, but its leaders are conspiring with Mrs May to present next week as a defining moment. It is a very big gamble.
Brexit: EU says short delay is possible if MPs back deal
The EU will only agree to a short delay to Brexit if MPs approve the current withdrawal agreement next week, Theresa May has been told. EU Council President Donald Tusk said an extension, requested by the prime minister on Wednesday, was possible. Mrs May has written to Mr Tusk requesting a Brexit delay to 30 June, saying she needed more time to get her deal agreed by MPs and passed into law.
EU demands conditions if Brexit delay to be granted
The EU has warned Theresa May the UK will not be granted a Brexit delay unless it has a “purpose” as Downing Street admitted that withdrawal from the EU had descended into “crisis”. Mr Barnier’s comments put the Prime Minister on notice that she has to shape a route ahead or no approval will be forthcoming
Donald Tusk: Extension possible but conditional on positive Brexit deal vote
The president of the European Council has said a short delay to Brexit will be possible, but it will be conditional on the House of Commons backing the withdrawal agreement. He says that although "Brexit fatigue is increasingly visible and justified", the parties "should not give up seeking a positive solution until the last minute".
EU Commission resists May's June 30 Brexit date - document
In a note on the Brexit process reviewed by the Commission at its weekly meeting on Wednesday, officials wrote that leaders meeting May at a summit on Thursday faced a “binary” choice of a short delay of Brexit from March 29 to before May 23 or a long delay to at least the end of this year, with Britain obliged to hold an election on May 23 for European Parliament lawmakers. “Any extension offered to the United Kingdom should either last until 23 May 2019 or should be significantly longer and require European elections,” the document said. “This is the only way of protecting the functioning of the EU institutions and their ability to take decisions.”
EU states which were due to receive additional legislative seats after Brexit would need to know by mid- to late April if they would be denied those seats because Britain was staying. The note also said that in any extended membership, Britain should, “in a spirit of loyal cooperation”, commit to “constructive abstention” on key issues, such as the EU’s long-term budget and filling top EU posts after the May election.
France ready to veto any meaningless Brexit delay: Elysee official
France is ready to veto any British request for a Brexit delay that either kicks the can down the road without offering a way out of its deadlock or imperils European Union institutions, an official in President Emmanuel Macron’s office said on Tuesday
Brexit SO24: What is SO24? And why is Labour backing it?
Labour has thrown its weight behind an emergency debate being held on Brexit in order to prevent Prime Minister Theresa May seeking a short extension of Brexit. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is supporting the application put forward earlier by Labour Wirral South MP Alison McGovern. Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has also showed his support, tweeting: "What the Government should be doing is showing real leadership, making good on their commitment to break the deadlock and secure an extension with a genuine purpose."
UK Labour lawmaker requests emergency debate on Brexit
An opposition Labour lawmaker requested on Wednesday an emergency debate in parliament on Brexit, seeking to challenge Prime Minister Theresa May’s pursuit of a short delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union, her office said. The office of Alison McGovern, the Labour lawmaker, said the so-called SO24 emergency debate motion would be a very short statement on Brexit and would be aimed at securing a debate in parliament. It is not clear if that would trigger a vote. It is up to parliament’s speaker to decide whether to press ahead with the move, after which McGovern would make a three minute speech on the case for such a debate and then parliament would have to agree that the debate should take place. The speaker, who blindsided the government earlier this week by saying May could not ask parliament to vote on her deal for a third time unless it was substantially different, could allow lawmakers to propose changes to what will be neutral statement. That might open the way for parliament to debate and vote on different options for the way forward on Brexit. So far, it is not clear whether this will happen.
MPs prepare fresh bid to take control of Brexit process
MPs will on Monday make a fresh effort to seize control of the Brexit process from Theresa May by seeking to ensure the House of Commons votes on alternatives to the prime minister’s exit package. Yvette Cooper, a former Labour minister leading efforts in parliament to try to prevent a no-deal Brexit, made a passionate appeal on Wednesday to Mrs May in the Commons to commit to so-called indicative votes by MPs on different Brexit options. Mrs May appeared to resist the idea, saying MPs had already had multiple chances to vote on Brexit alternatives.
‘Absolutely jaw-dropping’: third ‘meaningful vote’ on Brexit deal could be held as late as next week
A Tory MP has described the possibility that a third “meaningful vote” on Theresa May’s Brexit deal could be held in the same week the UK is due to leave the EU as “absolutely jaw-dropping”. Former minister Nicky Morgan was responding to suggestions the Government could hold a vote on the 28 March, the eve of Brexit, despite Mrs May suffering two heavy defeats on the deal in recent months. According to Channel 4 News, the Government could kick off next week with a statement from the Prime Minister, before putting a “paving motion” to a vote that would overrule the Speaker John Bercow after he ruled out MPs voting a third time on the same deal unless it was “substantially” different.
New Brexit vote would be divisive, says FM Drakeford prompting row
Labour's divisions on Brexit erupted in the Senedd on Tuesday after the first minister said a new referendum would inevitably be divisive and may not be decisive. Mark Drakeford said a new poll would not be straightforward. The comments prompted a robust response from Alun Davies, Blaenau Gwent Labour AM and a People's Vote campaigner, who said he regretted Mr Drakeford's tone.
Mr Drakeford told him it is not a "difficulty free" option.
No deal Brexit BOMBSHELL: No deal plan WILL be implemented if no delay agreed by Monday
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay told Cabinet ministers in a letter the plan will be implemented on March 25 unless a new exit date is agreed. Operation Yellowhammer is the UK Treasury’s contingency plan for no deal exit from the bloc. The plan drafts what would happen for factors such as money, citizens, trade and customs.
Derek Mackay claims Scotland "sold out" by Brexit process
The UK government has been accused of "shortchanging and ripping off Scotland" as the country prepares to leave the European Union. Scotland’s finance secretary, Derek Mackay, said that the country had been "sold out" during the Brexit process while other parts of the UK were "bought off" with "bungs"
Brexit: Welsh Government split as minister calls for poll
A senior member of the Welsh Government has told BBC Wales that another referendum should be held on Brexit. The stance of the Health Minister, Vaughan Gething, puts him at odds with the First Minister, Mark Drakeford. On Tuesday, Mr Drakeford said a new referendum would inevitably be divisive and may not be decisive. But Mr Gething said he wanted "the people to have that choice between the reality of leaving....and the potential to think again".
The Guardian view on the Brexit crisis: take back control by giving it up | Editorial
A meaningful pause would also allow time to reflect on whether this form of Brexit is what the country wants. This is about Mrs May giving back control – both to parliament and to the people. The Guardian has already made it clear that, if required, this country should have a debate on Europe. Taking part in European parliamentary elections would be a good place to start. The advocate general at the European court of justice has also pointed out that such elections would not represent an “insuperable obstacle” to extending article 50.
Remain would win second Brexit referendum but no-deal would get more votes than Theresa May’s deal, poll indicates
Nearly two-thirds of people would vote to remain in the EU rather than for Theresa May’s deal if a referendum offering those options were called, a snap poll by YouGov has found. Sixty-one per cent of the population would vote to remain while 39 per cent would opt for the existing deal. However, if people were asked in a public vote whether they would prefer to remain in the EU or leave with no deal in place, Remain would still win, though by the smaller margin of 57-43 per cent.
UK's emergency plans for no-deal Brexit begin to be put into action
Kent county council has activated no-deal plans to keep its roads, hospitals and schools open, as the government considers pulling the trigger on national contingency measures involving 30 central departments and 5,000 staff. With the country placed on a knife-edge by the Theresa May’s latest Brexit crisis, the government is preparing for “any outcome” with a decision on Monday on whether to roll out the national Operation Yellowhammer contingencies for food, medicine and banking. Some measures have already swung into place, including Operation Fennel’s traffic management in Kent. The Europe minister, Alan Duncan, has also said the Foreign Office staff deployed to its Brexit “nerve centre” were working to help UK citizens in the EU in the event they get caught up in a Brexit mess.
Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn walks out of crunch talks because Chuka Umunna was invited
Jeremy Corbyn walked out on a crucial meeting with party leaders because former Labour MP Chuka Umunna was invited. The Labour leader was reported to have said he was leaving because Mr Umunna, now an Independent Group MP, is "not a real party leader". A Labour spokesperson said: "It was not the meeting that had been agreed and the terms were broken. Downing Street is in such chaos that they were unable to manage their own proposed meeting. "We are in discussions with Number 10 about holding the bilateral meeting with the PM that Jeremy proposed at PMQs ."
Political Setbacks
Theresa May has kept her job by caving in to the Brexiteers, but her humiliation is complete
May is expected to ask for a delay of up to three months. She originally wanted the option of a longer extension but has backed down after a revolt by cabinet Brexiteers, amid threats of resignations and growing speculation that she could be forced out. A weak prime minister is being buffeted, in whichever direction the gale blows: two weeks ago, a threat to resign by four pro-European ministers forced her to rule out a no-deal exit this month. Now Eurosceptics led by Andrea Leadsom, who want a “managed no-deal”, have pushed May in the other direction. The cliff edge will move from March to June.
'Terrible': Tory despair over leadership deepens but May ploughs on
Dominic Grieve, who has known May since they were at Oxford University together, spoke for many in his party when he gave a stinging speech in the emergency Brexit debate, saying he had “never felt more ashamed to be a member of the Conservative party”. He said the prime minister was “zig-zagging all over the place, rather than standing up for what the national interest must be” and if the government did not get a grip, “we will spiral down into oblivion – and the worst thing is, we will deserve it”.
'Toxic, Arrogant, Disgraceful': MPs Are Furious After Theresa May Blamed Them For The Brexit Crisis
Theresa May has triggered a major backlash from MPs after she blamed them for the Brexit crisis. MPs from across the political spectrum - and both Remain and Leave supporters - condemned the Prime Minister’s “arrogant”, “toxic” and ”irresponsible” late night address to the nation from inside Downing Street.
Revoke Article 50 petition: 300,000 people demand UK remains in EU as Theresa May begs for Brexit delay
More than 300,000 people have signed a petition demanding that Article 50 is revoked as Theresa May was forced to beg EU leaders for a delay to Brexit. An influx of people jumped to sign it on a night of political chaos as the Prime Minister turned on MPs as she delivered an impassioned speech to the nation on Wednesday night. The 100,000-signature threshold for the petition to be debated in Parliament was quickly surpassed and the phrase revoke Article 50 became a global trend on Twitter.
Brexit: A risky pitch of Parliament versus Public
Theresa May has pitched herself tonight against Parliament on the side of the people. It's true that No 10 believes strongly that swathes of the population have simply had enough of Brexit. The way it drowns out other public concerns, the way its processes, contradictions and clamour have wrapped their way around the normal workings of Westminster - remote at the best of times and downright bizarre at the worst. But, when it is MPs the prime minister needs to get on side if she is to have a real chance of finally getting her deal through next week - third time extremely lucky - the choice of message was not without risk.
‘Disingenuous’ and ‘an outrage’ - Norfolk MPs react to Theresa May’s Brexit statement
A Norfolk MP has said it is an “outrage” that parliament has been denied the opportunity to take control of Brexit, as the prime minister rounded on representatives in a televised statement. But North Norfolk Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb said MPs had not been given the chance to have a say. He said: “I think there’s some self delusion here, she keeps talking about MPs are good at saying what they don’t want but not good at saying what they do want.”
But he said MPs had not been given the chance to do so.
Theresa May's endgame: Prime minister blames MPs for Brexit failure and demands they back her deal
Theresa May has set the scene to take her final shot at pushing her troubled Brexit deal through parliament next week, after a day which left her strategy and her political career teetering on the edge of ruin. In a statement from Downing Street the prime minister blamed MPs in the House of Commons for naval gazing and said they should just get on with it and pass her agreement
Brexiteers are stopping Brexit because they believe in the fantasy of “Global Britain”
Brexiteers are stopping Brexit because they believe in the fantasy of “Global Britain” The delusion that the UK can strike valuable trade deals with the rest of the world has driven Leavers to repeatedly reject Theresa May's deal.
Brexit may have just killed the British constitution
The decision to resort to a referendum to decide on the UK’s EU membership was always going to lead to difficulties. The bitter divisions it opened up undermined two key features of the UK’s constitution. First, it undermined the organising principle of the British constitution; the idea of parliamentary sovereignty which has traditionally meant that parliament is the ultimate decision-maker on all matters. The referendum moved parliament from its role of taking decisions to the role of implementing the electorate’s decision to leave the EU, no matter how vague and confused the instruction given by voters.
Stella Creasy slams head on desk over Brexit
“Stop! Make it stop!” says Labour's Stella Creasy after slamming her head after Conservative Nadhim Zahawi's Brexit comments on Politics Live.
UK retirees in EU say NHS plans under no-deal Brexit are 'sick'
The government has been described as sick and uncaring by an organisation representing more than 10,000 British nationals in Europe over NHS healthcare plans for pensioners in a no-deal Brexit scenario. British nationals who have retired to EU countries have reacted with fury to what they describe as an insulting and offensive offer by the government to cover healthcare costs for up to one year if they had applied for or are undergoing treatment before exit day. This is in contrast to the current reciprocal arrangement whereby the NHS reimburses EU member states for treatment of those who have paid into the UK national insurance system for a qualifying number of years.
Pathetic, incoherent, chaotic: Europe's verdict on Brexit shambles
“Britain’s reputation is, there’s no denying it, much diminished,” judged Pascal Lamy, one of France’s most senior public officials, a former presidential adviser, European commissioner and World Trade Organization head. Some British politicians are “on another planet”, Lamy said, incapable of seeing that Brexit is the infinitely complex diplomatic and legal equivalent of “trying to take the eggs out of an omelette. Even today, they spout the most monstrous nonsense. Many have still not landed in a place one could call reality. The cognitive dissonance is … remarkable.”
France, Spain and Belgium could veto Theresa May's request for a Brexit extension
Sources have told the Press Association that France, Spain, Belgium and maybe Italy stand prepared to reject an extension without evidence parliament is now ready to accept a deal and “the deadlock can be broken”. Some member states worry there is no point to an extension as, even after 1,000 days of negotiation, May’s deal keeps being rejected and the EU cannot move any further towards the UK.
EU frustration with UK rises as Brexit talks near final hours
One negotiator says Brussels has ‘zero’ trust in Theresa May and her government. “This is a circus that is beyond comprehension,” said one senior EU diplomat working on Brexit. Another senior Brussels figure involved in talks likened it to “dealing with a failed state”. The 585-page draft exit treaty UK prime minister Theresa May has agreed with the bloc looks comatose, stuck in ratification stalemate in the House of Commons.
Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn walks out of crunch talks because Chuka Umunna was invited
Jeremy Corbyn walked out on a crucial meeting with party leaders because former Labour MP Chuka Umunna was invited. The Labour leader was reported to have said he was leaving because Mr Umunna, now an Independent Group MP, is "not a real party leader". A Labour spokesperson said: "It was not the meeting that had been agreed and the terms were broken. Downing Street is in such chaos that they were unable to manage their own proposed meeting. "We are in discussions with Number 10 about holding the bilateral meeting with the PM that Jeremy proposed at PMQs ."
Jeremy Corbyn 'walked out of crucial Brexit meeting with Theresa May and opposition leaders because Independent Group MPs were present'
Jeremy Corbyn refused to take part in crucial Brexit talks between opposition parties and Theresa May because breakaway Independent Group MPs were present, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable said. The Labour leader is reported to have left at the start of the meeting because TIG MP Chuka Umunna, who defected from Labour, was present and allegedly said he is “not a real party leader.” Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince described it as “a very strange way to behave in a moment of national crisis."
The Maybot's binary messages have become just a series of noughts
For more than two years, the prime minister has spoken Maybot, a very primitive computer language only capable of basic sentences that are more or less grammatical, but still almost totally devoid of meaning. Since she became Leader in Name Only, Lino – hard to nail down, but easy to walk over – she can’t even manage that. Her binary messages into deep space are now just a long series of random noughts. She literally has nothing to offer. More worrying still, her already limited random access memory has totally failed. She now has no recollection of anything she said just days earlier.
‘Astonishing level of ignorance’: Matt Hancock criticised for revealing results of his genetic test for diseases
Matt Hancock has faced criticism from experts after claiming a controversial genetic test for cancer could have saved his life. The health secretary was accused of showing an “astonishing level of ignorance” about the use of such tests, which he said could change the way the NHS works. Experts are largely sceptical about his demand to roll out genetic testing more widely, as they say it is premature and could place undue pressure on an already strained service.
The Guardian view on May and Brexit: a prime minister gone rogue
Theresa May has put no deal firmly back on the table in flagrant defiance of parliament and the dictates of responsible government. Her political capital is all spent. She has no allies at home or abroad. Her only leverage in parliament comes from the fear that her appalling management of the country provokes – the prospect that she is incompetent enough to allow the worst to happen. She long ago lost sight of diplomacy and strategy. Then she shed authority. Now she has abandoned responsibility, completing the journey from bad prime minister to rogue prime minister.
Theresa May manages to be both charming and offensive
On a day in which she launched a desperate eleventh-hour bid to persuade MPs to vote for her Brexit deal, Theresa May managed to do both charm and offensive on her own. She spent hours attempting to charm MPs of all parties in a series of meetings in her Commons office. Then she went on TV and was offensive to MPs, insulting them and questioning their motives. Earlier, in Prime Minister's Questions, she accused the House of Commons of "contemplating its navel" and said it had "indulged itself on Europe for too long".
‘Don’t compare it to the People’s Vote march’, plead Brexit protest organisers
Organisers of the March To Leave say their pro-Brexit protest is “completely successful” despite photographs appearing to show dwindling numbers on their two-week journey from Sunderland to London.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
'EU is FAILING model!' Tycoon Richard Tice calls for Brexit revolution - 'Let's go WTO!'
BREXITEER business tycoon Richard Tice has blasted the European Union for being a “failing model”, insisting that only by leaving can the UK “thrive”.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 22nd Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- A study Bertelsmann Stiftung said Europeans are facing billions in lost income each year because of Brexit. A hard Brexit would result in 57.3bn Euros in income losses in the UK every year and other member states would lose an average 40.4bn Euros in income. Germany would lose an annual income of 9.5bn Euros, France 8bn Euros and Italy 6bn.
- The Financial Times reported on a study by the IE Business School Madrid which showed that the world's largest sovereign wealth funds had slashed their investment in the UK. State-backed funds put $21bn into the UK in 2017, but only $1.8bn last year. There were only 8 deals made by SWFs in the UK in 2018 compared with 18 a year before.
- Bank of England said consumers seemed to have shrugged off Brexit uncertainty a little in February, as volumes bought tose by 0.4%, better than the decline of 0.4%, predicted by City economists
- The Bank of England kept interest rates on hold and published a survey which suggested 80% of firms are as ready as they can be for a No Deal Brexit
- Business lobby groups (including the UK's CBI) wrote to the European Commission warning of possible disruption to flights, drug shortages and critical data-sharing interruptions. The document confirmed European companies are as worried about a No Deal Brexit outcome as UK firms are
- The Ministry of Defence has activated a plan called Operation Redfold, which has 3,500 troops at its disposal, to move food and fuel and help manage traffic congestion around ports
- A German toilet roll manufacturer, Wepa, said it had stockpiled 3.5m rolls in warehouses in preparation for a No Deal Brexit. The UK is the largest toilet roll consumer in Europe and a core market for the industry
- Press reports suggest a Pro-Brexit lorry group will carry out their threat to go-slow and jam motorways on Saturday. The same day as more than half a million are expected to travel to London for the Put it to the People March
- Sky News revealed that the government has imposed gagging orders on all organizations working with it in preparation for a No Deal Brexit. The use of NDAs is now at nearly 'epidemic proportions' Sky News observed
No Plan B if your deal fails? The EU throws Theresa May a Brexit lifeline
- Britain's departure date has been extended by an extra fortnight to Friday, 12th April - the legal deadline when the UK must decided whether to take part in the EU elections. If Theresa May gets her Meaningful Vote 3 through Parliament next week, Brexit Day moves again to May 22nd to give her time to pass legislation. If she fails, the UK has just these two weeks to come up with a new departure plan, either incorporating a long Article 50 extension, participating in the EU elections or leaving on the basis of No Deal
- Theresa May's performance at the European Council was savaged by some sections of the UK press. 'Black Thursday: Britain humilated on global stage as it begs for more time' (Politics.co.uk); 'We are not in a souk here' Luxembourg's PM gives an exasperated response to the UK's Brexit demands' (iNews); 'A collosal failure of statecraft, an epic shambles, the worst political crisis in 70 years' (The Scotsman); 'Nine days from Brexit Day, does anyone have a clue what is happening' (The Guardian); 'Theresa May needs to recognise that Parliament, not the PM, is sovereign' (Politics Home; 'Theresa May has trashed our democracy and put our MPs in danger' (The Guardian)
- Theresa May's performance at home was also savaged. 'Chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory MPs tells Theresa May to quit over Brexit' (Daily Telegraph). Sir Graham Brady said 'he had been bombarded with text messages demanding Theresa May quit'.
- In an unprecedented move, the two main business and workers organizations in Britain - the CBI and the TUC - wrote a joint letter to Theresa May saying she needs to urgently change her approach to Brexit as the country is now facing a national emergency
- The Revoke Article 50 public petition quietly sailed past 2m signatures yesterday and is likely to carry on adding names. This is despite the website connection failing, on many occasions, simply due to the volume of people trying to sign the petition every minute.
- BBC's Europe correspondent seemed dismayed during a podcast on Brexit, as she warned listeners that it is impossible to know what will happen next week as a No Deal Brexit is a now very real possiblility
- The Financial Times said Theresa May had decided that her preferred route, if her deal failed, was a No Deal Brexit last Wednesday evening. It reports many who met her as saying, her mood had hardened and she did not seem concerned about the consequences of No Deal. This also explains her reticence to explain to EU Council leaders what her Plan B should her Meaningful Vote 3 fail next week at the meeting on Thursday
Economic Impact
Soft or hard, Brexit will cost UK and EU billions of euros: study
Europeans are facing billions of euros in income losses due to Brexit, a study by the German Bertelsmann Stiftung has found. A hard Brexit would hit citizens in both the EU and the United Kingdom particularly hard, resulting in €57.3 billion in income losses every year in the U.K. and €40.4 billion in the EU's remaining 27 member states. Germany alone would see annual income losses of €9.5 billion. France and Italy won't escape unscathed, either: The study expects €8 billion and €6 billion in annual income losses respectively for the two countries, making them the biggest losers after the U.K. and Germany. Yet a soft Brexit would cost Europe dearly too, although considerably less than a hard Brexit. In the U.K., income losses in case of a soft Brexit would amount to €32 billion a year, while the remaining EU countries would incur annual income losses of around €22 billion.
Hard Brexit would be costly chaos, says former head of WTO
Britain’s humiliation over its Brexit negotiations has been caused by a fundamental inability to resolve a conflict between the desire to leave Europe politically, but to remain economically, Pascal Lamy, the former head of the World Trade Organization, has said. He also said he did not think it feasible for the UK to leave the EU without an agreement, since it would be so costly.
Sovereign wealth funds cut UK investment ahead of Brexit
Dealmaking in the UK by some of the largest sovereign wealth funds has plummeted because of the growing uncertainty around Brexit, a report from IE Business School in Madrid has revealed. State-backed funds — including Singapore’s GIC and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board — invested a total of $21bn in the UK in 2017 compared with only $1.8bn last year, said the report, based on the total assets allocation of 91 funds with $8.1tn of assets under management. There were only eight deals by SWFs in the UK last year, compared with 18 a year before.
UK retail sales unexpectedly rise even with Brexit looming
British consumers appear to have shrugged off Brexit uncertainty in February as retail sales unexpectedly jumped during the month, according to data published by the Office for National Statistics on Thursday. Volumes bought rose by 0.4 per cent compared with January, much better than the decline of 0.4 per cent expected by City economists. There was little sign that the rise in sales was because of stockpiling ahead of a potentially disorderly Brexit: food sales were the only subcategory to see a drop in sales during the month, which the ONS attributed to the end of the January sales.
Bank of England says 'nature' of Brexit will guide path for economy
The Bank keeps rates on hold and publishes a survey suggesting 80% of firms are as ready as they can be for a no-deal Brexit.
Administrative Fall Out
UK businesses watch Brexit political chaos with ‘sense of horror’
Britain needs a whole new plan if politicians are to avoid a chaotic departure from the EU, according to the director-general of the UK’s largest business association, the CBI. Carolyn Fairbairn said businesses were looking at the parliamentary infighting around Brexit with “a sense of absolute horror”.
Post-Brexit trade ruling sparks accusations of a ‘land grab’
European fund managers have called on regulators to reconsider plans that would prevent them from trading some of Britain’s biggest stocks in London in a no-deal Brexit, amid accusations that the EU is mounting a “land grab” of UK share trading.
Investors were surprised by a ruling late on Tuesday from the European Securities and Markets Authority, the pan-European administrator, which detailed some 6,200 stocks that EU-registered investors would have to trade in the EU if the UK leaves the bloc without a deal. The list included 14 stocks whose home listing is in London and which trade overwhelmingly on the city’s main exchange, such as Vodafone, Rio Tinto and BP. All 6,200 stocks are either EU-based or have a second, highly active listing in London, such as Ryanair.
NHS could be short of 100,000 nurses in a decade
A report co-authored by the Nuffield Trust, Health Foundation and King’s Fund predicts that in the next five years nurse shortages will double and GP gaps nearly treble if major action isn’t taken. The health think tanks suggest a combination of international recruitment, student grants, a significant overhaul of the current system and an investment of at least £900m is needed to address the widening workforce gap. It recommends offering a £5,200 grant for living expenses to student nurses, tripling the number of postgraduates in training and bringing 5,000 more students onto nursing courses every year.
Next profits fall but boss says Brexit not affecting spending
Profits at retail chain’s stores slump by more than a fifth but online arm reports growth. CEO says customers are numb to Brexit and the results do not relate to it
Kent pupils could be left stranded by no-deal Brexit gridlock, warns council
Teachers in schools in Kent have been told they may have to suspend classes and “adopt a carer role” in the event of disruption caused by a no-deal Brexit. The warning comes as the government confirms it has activated a team in a nuclear-proof bunker under the Ministry of Defence to provide army support in a no-deal scenario. No-deal planning will move from the Cabinet Office to daily meetings of the government’s emergency committee Cobra from next week. Also the military’s Operation Redfold will have authority to direct some 3,500 military personnel to move food and fuel and help with traffic congestion in Kent.
Brexit and How Japanese Companies Are Navigating Its Uncertainties
Japanese companies that have invested in Britain offer an interesting example of how international business is coping with the political tumult roiling the UK economy over Brexit. Japanese firms operating in the UK and the Japanese ambassador to London have been uncharacteristically outspoken about their dissatisfaction with Brexit and its inept handling by British politicians. However, they are not rushing to exit the UK. Instead, they are making limited, defensive moves while they wait for clarity to emerge from the chaos.
Brexit is 'real risk' to Scottish firms
"We're at quite a serious point," Aquascot's CEO Mr Overton told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme. "If we do see a no-deal exit from the EU, that's gong to be problematic to quite a number of players in the food and drink sector.
"It's probably most extreme for those people who export high-value perishable products and seafood. Shellfish, farmed salmon and farmed trout come into that."
He added: "We're heading into a period - it could be in the coming weeks - of real risk. "That risk has been looked at and thought about, but frankly it's a big challenge. (There are) big red flashing lights on at the moment."
Brexit: Europe's no-deal preparation 'falls short', say businesses
Business lobby groups have written to the European Commission, warning that its own no-deal Brexit plans "fall short of what is needed to limit major disruptions", Newsnight has learned. The letter is from Business Europe - an umbrella body for lobby groups across the EU, including Britain's CBI. It warns of possible disruption to flights, drug supply shortages and data-sharing interruptions. The Commission said it was in frequent contact with stakeholders. But the document suggests European companies - not just UK firms - are extremely nervous about the economic repercussions of a no-deal Brexit on 29 March.
Firms that planned for a no-deal Brexit in March now plan for June
Companies braced for a no-deal Brexit may empathise. Those with contingency plans for March 29th surely feel relieved that the government is trying to extend the Article 50 talks. Nine in ten firms prefer an extension to crashing out, according to the Confederation of British Industry (cbi), a lobby group. Yet the prospect of a short delay, with no new plan for how to agree on a deal, merely moves the cliff edge back. Firms that had hoped to cancel their costly no-deal plans must now remake them.
UK's top toilet roll supplier stockpiling in case of no-deal Brexit
One of the UK’s biggest suppliers of toilet and kitchen roll has been stockpiling about 3.5m rolls in UK warehouses in preparation for a no-deal Brexit. The German firm Wepa said it had been storing an extra 600 tonnes of toilet and kitchen roll in the last three to four months to safeguard supplies in Britain, in case the UK crashes out of the EU without an agreement on 29 March. The company has also built six weeks’ supplies of the cardboard core used inside the rolls, as this cannot be sourced from the UK in sufficient quantities and is imported from EU countries in eastern Europe and Scandinavia.
'Go-slow' protest planned on the M62 motorway over Brexit
Brexit - or lack of it - appears to be dominating all parts of society. Now protests over delays to the process of leaving the European Union are even being planned for the M62 motorway. Dozens of members of the Brexit Protest and Direct Action Group UK Facebook group have said they would be taking part in a 40mph 'go-slow' drive between Leeds and Liverpool on Saturday, reports Examiner Live. The protest action could see traffic in both directions affected, with protesters travelling westbound from Leeds to junction 18 at Simister Island, and eastbound from Liverpool to the same junction. Almost 60 members of the group have signed up so far.
Small firms have 'no resources' for no-deal Brexit planning
Small businesses are resigned to whatever happens with Brexit as they do not have the resources to plan for a no-deal scenario, according to the Federation of Small Businesses. The organisation has told Sky News that many are finding it impossible to make decisions ahead of a week's time when the UK could be leaving the EU if the prime minister's efforts to agree an extension to the current 29 March deadline fail. Alan Soady, from the FSB, said: "A lot of small businesses don't have the kind of resources, and specialist teams to do contingency planning. "They don't have the money or expertise. That's why many have found it so difficult to plan, and prepare for the possibility of an unplanned no deal.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: EU leaders open door to long delay as May fails to set out plan B
EU leaders have rejected Theresa May’s assurances that she can get her Brexit deal passed this week and opened the door to a long delay to the UK’s departure, offering pro-EU MPs a two-week window to mobilise for an alternative. In marathon talks in Brussels, EU leaders agreed a ‘flexible’ extension to Article 50 that will keep the UK in the EU until 22 May if the deal is passed, but giving until 12 April for the UK to ask for more time if MPs reject it again. After telling MPs, the country and 27 European heads of government that she wouldn’t tolerate the UK staying in the EU beyond the end of June, fellow leaders ignored her and kept open the possibility of putting Brexit off until the end of the year.
Brexit: EU draft plans propose Brexit delay until 22 May
The UK could be offered a Brexit delay to 22 May on the condition MPs approve the PM's deal next week, the latest draft European Council document says. But if MPs vote the withdrawal deal down for a third time, EU leaders would back a shorter delay until mid April
Brexit: MoD prepares for no-deal in Whitehall bunker
The Ministry of Defence has set up an operations room in a bunker at its main Whitehall building to deal with a potential no-deal Brexit. The preparations are being run under the banner of Operation Redfold - although officials stress they are part of wider cross-government planning. An MoD spokesman said it was "always willing to support wider government planning for any scenario". Defence chiefs had previously said 3,500 troops were being readied.
What the EU should do next about Brexit
The European Council will probably not take a final decision on whether to extend the Brexit deadline today. But it can do something useful to help bring this process to a good conclusion, and remind the UK parliament that Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, and a recent ruling of the European Court of Justice, allow only three Brexit outcomes: deal, no-deal or unilateral revocation.
EU looks at two-stage approach to Brexit delay - diplomats
European Union leaders were considering an offer of a two-stage Brexit delay on Thursday, depending on whether Prime Minister Theresa May gets her divorce deal approved by the British parliament next week, diplomatic sources said. If she does, the bloc would offer a Brexit delay from the current leave date of March 29 to May 22, according to several diplomats briefed on talks between the other 27 national EU leaders meeting in Brussels. If she does not get approval for her deal, Britain would be given until April 12 to inform the EU whether it would hold European Parliament elections on May 23-26. If Britain agreed to hold the elections, the EU could then consider a longer extension and if it did not, a no-deal Brexit would happen on May 22, the diplomats said.
Brexit: EU draft plans propose Brexit delay until May
EU leaders have agreed on a plan to delay the Article 50 process, postponing Brexit beyond 29 March. The UK will be offered a delay until 22 May, if MPs approve the withdrawal deal negotiated with the EU next week. If they do not, the EU will back a shorter delay until 12 April, allowing the UK time to get the deal through or to "indicate a way forward". Mrs May said there was now a "clear choice" facing UK MPs, who could vote for a third time on her deal next week.
Cabinet minister: No Deal Brexit possibility “real and rising”
One Cabinet Minister tells me his central expectation now is that the vote fails and the EU, in the interests of giving itself a breather before “no deal” and not in expectation of any progress towards a deal in Westminster, grants a temporary extension to April (when the European Parliament elections arrangements need to be locked in stone). The logic runs that they’d be doing that in the hope that some management of the difficulties of “no deal” can be advanced in the interim. A new cliff edge is born but the look on this Cabinet minister’s face suggested he thought it was the final one. The chances of no deal are now “real and rising,” the Cabinet minister said.
Jeremy Corbyn to meet Theresa May on Monday in bid to stave off No Deal Brexit
The Labour leader was hopeful that a cross-party group of MPs would agree a Norway Plus-style alternative this week if Mrs May’s plan is defeated again, to prevent a No Deal. “I think Parliament will come to an agreement next week to stop that happening and we will do everything we can to help them,” he said. “The dangers of a chaotic exit are huge, on supplies, investment, jobs and everything else.” Labour will support MPs getting a say over the way forward on Brexit on Monday. The party will then back a cross-party amendment focused on the UK’s future trading relationship with the EU, as well as workers’ rights. But it remains unclear whether there is a consensus in Parliament around a softer Brexit. The smaller opposition parties, including the SNP and the Lib Dems, are opposed to leaving the EU in any form and want a second referendum instead.
Brexit: Hundreds of gagging orders taken out by government
Sky News can reveal that the government has taken out hundreds of gagging orders as part of its preparations for a no-deal Brexit. The orders, formerly known as non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), are legally binding contracts to stop confidential conversations being talked about in public. They are typically used to maintain secrecy around corporate deals or to protect intellectual property. However, we have discovered that the use of these NDAs has become prevalent across great swathes of the UK government.
How May summoned up her inner Trump for her Brexit address
And if Donald Trump had wandered last night out from the Oval Office to the adjoining West Wing dining room where he has installed a 60 inch flat screen TV along one wall, and watched the Theresa May speech he might have found himself giving a knowing nod of the head. Maybe she had listened after all.
How Theresa May decided she was willing to accept a no-deal Brexit
In the early hours of Wednesday morning, Theresa May made a momentous choice. After a day of acrimonious debate in her cabinet and inner circle, the prime minister decided that she was willing to take Britain out of the EU without a deal. At Thursday’s European Council meeting in Brussels, EU diplomats wondered whether Mrs May was bluffing, but those close to the prime minister said if she cannot secure her Brexit deal she is determined the UK should embark on a no-deal exit. Since announcing on Wednesday that she would ask EU leaders for a short extension to the bloc’s Article 50 process — to delay Brexit from March 29 to June 30 — people who have spoken to the prime minister said she is reconciled to the implications of what happens if the UK parliament continues to reject her withdrawal agreement. “The mood has hardened on no deal,” said one person close to the prime minister. One Eurosceptic Conservative MP who met Mrs May on Wednesday night said: “She didn’t seem concerned about leaving with no deal.”
JCB backs Johnson's leadership bid with a further £15,000 gift
Boris Johnson has received another £15,000 from the pro-Brexit digger maker JCB, figures show, part of a mass of donations to potential Conservative leadership contenders with the expectation that Theresa May’s time in office is coming to an end. The former foreign secretary, a likely standard bearer for pro-Brexit Tories, received £31,000 in donations in the past month, the register of MPs’ interests shows, and has been given almost £140,000 in money or other support since late last year. Others to receive new donations in recent weeks include Dominic Raab, the former Brexit secretary who has made no secret of his leadership ambitions. He has been given more than £50,000 in cash and other donations this month alone.
May's appeal falls flat as EU seizes control of Brexit date
The EU has handed Theresa May two weeks’ grace to devise an alternative Brexit plan if her deal falls next week after the prime minister failed to convince the bloc that she was capable of avoiding a no-deal Brexit. After a marathon late-night session of talks, the EU’s leaders ripped up May’s proposals and a new Brexit timeline was pushed on the prime minister to avoid the cliff-edge deadline of 29 March – next Friday. Under the deal agreed by May, Britain will now stay a member state until 12 April if the withdrawal agreement is rejected by MPs at the third time of asking. The government will be able to seek a longer extension during that period if it can both “indicate a way forward” and agree to hold European elections.
In the unlikely event that May does win the support of the Commons when the Brexit deal goes to MPs again on Tuesday, the UK will stay a member state until 22 May to allow necessary withdrawal legislation to be passed. “The 12 April is the new 29 March,” an EU official said.
Political Setbacks
The EU throws Theresa May one last Brexit lifeline
Members of Parliament could vote the deal down. At this point, the UK would be forced to do some soul searching as it must decide by April 12 whether to take part in the European parliamentary elections, which begin on May 23. If it decided not to participate in those elections, Britain could simply not remain in the EU. Without approval for a withdrawal deal, May 22 would become the new March 29, a cliff-edge over which the UK would be obliged to hurl itself.
Theresa May facing intense pressure to name a date for her resignation as Tories slam her Brexit attack on Parliament
Theresa May was under intense pressure to name a date for her resignation as Tories panned her blistering attack on Parliament. Amid uproar in Westminster, backbenchers Anne Marie Trevelyan and Tracy Crouch were among a “large number” who told whips she “had to go”.
Black Thursday: Britain humiliated on global stage as it begs EU for more time
May's previous speeches have often managed to turn otherwise sympathetic European leaders against her. They don't appear to be any better behind closed doors than they are in front of cameras. In both instances they lack charisma, or intellectual content, or even a hint of personal responsibility. She cannot think creatively about problems. She cannot lay out a convincing case for how to proceed with them. All she can do is blame other people - the EU, opposition parties, the House of Lords, or the institution of parliament itself - for her own failings. Expecting her to live up to the historical moment is like asking an old Casio calculator to log on to the internet.
MPs more likely to reject May’s deal after she blamed them for Brexit deadlock
Theresa May is facing backlash from angry MPs who said they have been subjected to death threats after her controversial speech blaming them for the Brexit deadlock. MPs from all sides lined up to condemn her remarks, warning that they had put them in danger of physical attack by angry members of the public. Anna Soubry, the pro-Remain MP who recently quit the Tory Party to join the Independent Group, said she was unable to travel home this weekend after receiving ‘very, very serious’ death threats.
'No deal most likely' MEP quizzed over EU's Brexit mood - 'May's sided with Brexiteers'
Speaking on Channel 4 News, host Matt Frei quizzed an Irish MEP and Vice President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, about a no deal Brexit becoming the “most likely” outcome. The MEP replied: “Two points there, in terms of the internal issues in the Conservative Party. David Cameron tried with the referendum to heal the rift, and perhaps the Prime Minister is also trying to hold her party together. “There are bigger issues than that in my view because Brexit would be such a sundering if it goes wrong, of relationships, and bad for everybody. “I think it is unthinkable that we would allow that to happen.”
‘We are not in a souk:’ Luxembourg’s PM gives exasperated response to UK’s Brexit demands
Luxembourg PM Mr Bettel responded with some emphasis: “We didn’t force the United Kingdom, you decided to leave, we shouldn’t exchange roles. “You want us to be the bad guy. You decided. You decided. “We have to just find a deal and we negotiated the deal, we found the best possible deal and we are not in a souk where we are going to bargain for the next five years.”
Brexit: This united kingdom is as good as gone
A colossal failure of statecraft; a collapse of trust between voters and parliament; a desperate and divided government split all the way up to the Cabinet: Brexit has proved an epic shambles and by far the worst political crisis in 70 years.
Why Europe Should Reject Theresa May’s Brexit Extension
May cannot demand an extension but has to request one because, according to Article 50 of the EU treaty, the power to grant one is at the EU’s discretion. The remaining 27 EU members have the right to reject the British request—and they should.The remaining 27 EU members have the right to reject the British request—and they should. They should reject a short extension, as May has requested, because the pressure of time is the only thing that will prevent British lawmakers from continuing to demand the impossible. An extension of a few weeks merely postpones the day of reckoning. But they should also reject a long extension if they care about the survival of the EU.
Theresa May is taking a hideous Brexit gamble
Brexiters may dream of a “clean break” from the EU. But no deal would be the opposite of “clean”. It would be a horrible and long-lasting economic and political calamity.
Nine days from ‘Brexit day’, does anyone have a clue what’s happening?
Three years Brexiters have had to sort this. Might I suggest that if you’re mad at Bercow for following parliamentary rules you might reserve a teensy-weensy bit of anger for a government whose only plan with 10 days to go was to show up with the same rejected scrap of paper wearing a false moustache.
Brexit: DUP 'won't be threatened' into backing deal
The DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson says his party will not be "threatened" into voting for the government's deal. On Wednesday, Theresa May blamed MPs for the failure to ratify an agreement in order for the UK to leave the EU on 29 March. Sammy Wilson said he believed the PM was trying to threaten Parliament.
But he said it had not worked and his party would not back the deal if it remained unchanged.
Brexit: PM's blame on MPs disappointing says David Jones
Conservative MP for Clwyd West David Jones, who has voted against the deal, said: "It's very clear from speaking to colleagues that nothing has changed today. "If anything, MPs have been irritated by the hectoring tones of Donald Tusk and the EU's intransigence. "They are also disappointed that the PM sought to put the blame on MPs for there being no agreement, when the fact is that the deal is disliked by parliamentarians of all colours, whether Leave or Remain".
There is a way to topple Theresa May and stop a no-deal Brexit – this is how it could be done
The Kennedy Bill has two clauses. But only one counts (the other is a formality and extends the bill across all the nations making up the UK). Clause 1 is simple and effective. Under the heading, “Revocation of notification of intention to withdraw from the European Union”, it states: (1) Subsection (2) applies if it appears to the prime minister that a withdrawal agreement is unlikely to be ratified by the United Kingdom before exit day. (2) The prime minister must in that case, before exit day, notify the European Council that the notification given by the United Kingdom under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, of its intention to withdraw from the European Union, is revoked. The bill’s simplicity is its genius
ANALYSIS: Theresa May needs to recognise that Parliament, not the prime minister, is sovereign
It was possibly the most constitutionally illiterate speech ever made by a British prime minister. Standing in front of two Union Jacks in Downing Street, the prime minister told the people that “Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice”. She claimed that “motion after motion and amendment after amendment has been tabled without Parliament ever deciding what it wants”. She declared that “you, the public, have had enough”.
Remain ministers warn Theresa May they will quit if she blocks free vote on new bid to stop no-deal Brexit
Remain ministers have warned the Prime Minister that they are prepared to quit unless she gives them a free vote on a new backbench bid to stop no deal. A cross-party group of MPs is on Friday expected to table a new amendment that will force the Prime Minister to accept a longer extension to Article 50 if her deal fails. The amendment, which will be voted on next week, will mean that if Mrs May's deal is defeated Parliament - rather than the Prime Minister - will decide whether to accept any offer of a longer extension of Article 50 from Brussels. A group of eight Remain ministers met Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, on Thursday to demand a free vote on the amendment to avoid the threat of mass resignations
Exclusive: Theresa May told by chairman of 1922 committee that Tory MPs want her to quit over Brexit
Theresa May has been told by the most senior Tory backbencher that MPs want her to stand down because of her handling of Brexit, The Telegraph can reveal.
Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory MPs, visited the Prime Minister in Downing Street on Monday afternoon and made clear that a growing number of Tories believe she has to go. The visit by Sir Graham to Downing Street on Monday came after he was "bombarded with text messages" by colleagues and urged to confront the Prime Minister with demands that she should quit. Sir Graham imparted their calls in a "neutral" manner in his role as chairman of the 1922 committee during the meeting in Downing Street.
Theresa May has trashed our democracy and put MPs in danger
The sense of anger is hard to adequately put into words. Yesterday, in the toxic climate that now defines British politics the prime minister took to a Downing Street podium to place the blame for this national crisis on MPs. She pitted parliament against “the people”, deploying an inflammatory rhetoric reminiscent of far-right populists whose influence is steadily growing in Britain, America and across the world. Reckless doesn’t do it justice.
Brexit will damage UK's economy, stature and future
An important paper by the Washington-based Petersen Institution for International Economics lays out a stark Brexit prognosis. The paper’s authors ran 12 economic simulation models that examined the impact of Brexit on the UK, and virtually every one came out negative. Two simulations came out with a potential positive impact, but the authors concede that those scenarios were “based on unrealistic assumptions.” Just about every major academic study shows similar results. It’s hard to find a long-term forecast that demonstrates a bright post-Brexit future.
CBI and TUC bosses warn UK faces national emergency over Brexit
Britain’s foremost business lobby group and trade union body have joined forces to demand Theresa May urgently changes her approach to Brexit, warning the country now faces a national emergency. Writing a joint letter to the prime minister, the heads of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Trades Union Congress (TUC) said a plan B needed to be drawn up as quickly as possible to avoid a no-deal departure as early as next week. Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, and Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI’s director-general, wrote in the letter published before the crunch EU summit in Brussels: “Our country is facing a national emergency. Decisions of recent days have caused the risk of no deal to soar. Firms and communities across the UK are not ready for this outcome. The shock to our economy would be felt by generations to come.”
Farmer pressure persuades MP to back May’s Brexit deal
A Shropshire MP (Daniel Kawczynski) has indicated he will now support Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement, if it is put to the vote next week, having been convinced by farm unions that a “no-deal” Brexit would be a disaster for the farming sector.
'Cancel Brexit' petition passes 1m signatures on Parliament site
A petition calling for Theresa May to cancel Brexit by revoking Article 50 has passed two million signatures. Parliament's petitions committee tweeted that the rate of signatures was "the highest the site has ever had to deal with", after the website crashed. EU leaders in Brussels have reached agreement on a plan to delay Brexit beyond 29 March. Downing Street said the prime minister "has said many times she will not countenance revoking Article 50". The PM's spokesman added: "The PM has long been clear that failing to deliver on the referendum result would be a failure of democracy and a failure she wouldn't countenance." Revoke Article 50 has been trending on Twitter as people were urged to sign it. At one point, the petitions committee said there were nearly 2,000 signatures a minute.
UK's Brexit divisions play out in pub car park as March to Leave passes through Yorkshire
A microcosm of the UK’s Brexit divide played out in a pub car park as the March to Leave passed through Yorkshire only to be greeted by Remain-supporting counter-protesters who taunted 'where's Nigel?'
Britain heading for another election as the only way to sort out Brexit chaos, William Hague warns
The former Tory leader William Hague predicted Conservative MPs could bring down the Government if she fails to push her deal through next week.
Douglas Murray: will we have a country left after Brexit?
The Spectator's Douglas Murray attacks the UK government for its failed Brexit strategy and poses the question as tyo whether we'll still have a United Kingdom after Brexit
Brexit: Amber Rudd shares Hastings Pier letter in perceived attack on Theresa May
Amber Rudd has been accused of making a not-so-subtle dig at Theresa May’s handling of Brexit in a letter about the uncertain future of Hastings pier. The letter focuses on overshooting a March deadline for re-opening the seaside attraction. The work and pensions secretary said she “can’t support any scenario” in which the pier remains closed indefinitely. While she is the MP for the area, Ms Rudd has little power to intervene as the pier is privately owned.
BBC Katya Adler reveals NO DEAL Brexit ‘very very REAL’ – ‘matter of hours’
BBC's Katya Adler appeared in dismay as she warned Brexitcast listeners Brexit will now be resolved in a matter of hours but it is difficult to predict where the UK is going to be in a week time.
'Bad boys of Brexit' were guests at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club
Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore have drawn the scrutiny of investigators looking into possible Russian interference in the 2016 referendum vote.
Theresa May 'must change course' on Brexit - Sturgeon
Prime Minister Theresa May "must change course" on Brexit "before it is too late", Nicola Sturgeon has said. Mrs May is in Brussels for talks over an extension to the Brexit deadline, having laid the blame for the delay squarely on MPs in a public statement. The Scottish first minister said Mrs May's comments were "deeply irresponsible" and "failed to accept" her own responsibility for the "mess". Ms Sturgeon said that "if all else fails", MPs should revoke Article 50.
Government orders hospitals not to reveal Brexit impact assessments to protect 'commercial interests'
Hospitals have been ordered not to tell the public about any damage they expect to suffer from Brexit because it would hurt “commercial interests”. Requests for information about the impact on the supply of goods and services, and on EU staff numbers, should be refused, the department of health and social care has said. Releasing the information could cause trusts “premature financial harm, and so possibly put public wellbeing at risk,” hospital bosses were told.
"I fought in the Second World War, now I am fighting for a second referendum"
96-year-old World War Two veteran Brigadier Stephen Goodall tells why he is travelling 200 miles from Devon to go on the People's Vote march
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 25th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Remainers on the March
- More than one million people marched in support of the Put it to the People demonstration on Saturday, with many arguing it was a larger rally than the Stop the War rally in 2003
- There were other marches taking place at the same time elsewhere in the UK: two examples: one in Lerwick and one in Bangor saw 80 and 300 people taking part, respectively
- The online petition to 'Revoke Article 50 and Remain' passed 5.3m signatures this morning, just before 6am, and is the fastest growing petition in UK history
- Until the statutory instrument adopting the EU's new Brexit Extension deadlines is put into law (later today) the UK will still be 'technically' leaving the EU on March 29th
- The PM is having to fight to stay in office, with growing calls for her to stand down now all over the Conservative leaning press - a coup on Sunday was said tobe in motion against her, but it fizzled out, for now!
- If the PM fails to get her deal through Parliament at the third attempt, the government is considering allowing indicative votes in Parliament on seven alternative options: revoking Article 50, a second referendum, the PM's deal, her deal + customs union, the deal plus a customs union and single market access, a standard free trade agreement or a no deal.
- ITV's Robert Peston says that if all seven options fail to secure a majority in parliament, Theresa May will automatically opt for a No Deal Brexit
- Norway's PM told the press a Norway-style EEA membership might not be a great option for the UK after Brexit. She said 'the debate about the EEA in the UK is a long way from the realities of what the EEA agreement actually is in practice'
Russian interference and a public inquiry into Brexit?
- Sky News said the UK has a duty to investigate potential Russian interference in the Brexit referendum
- The Guardian learnt that diplomats, business figures and MPs are increasingly warming to the idea of a public inquiry into Brexit and how it has been handled
Theresa May - Third time lucky?
- The hardline DUP appear to still be reluctant to vote for any Theresa May deal that does not address the Irish backstop concerns they have in the Withdrawal Agreement
- Theresa May went toe-to-toe in a private meeting with would-be successor Boris Johnson and said she would not stand aside for him in order to get her deal passed
- Former Tory deputy PM, Michael Heseltine called Theresa May's address to the nation from Downing St last week, in which she heaped blamed on everyone else but herself, 'an affront to democracy'
- The FT reported that at last week's European Council, it was clear to the EU27 leaders that Theresa May had lost total control over events in the UK. They gave her little chance of staying in office, but tried to help her with a rolling set of dates for her UK Brexit Article 50 extension
The brakes were slammed to stop the nationwide Brexit motorway protest
- The pro-Brexit campaigners who were going to jam up the UK motorways in slow motion convoys failed abysmally. Some are now facing prosecution for 'inconsiderate driving while trying to bring roads to a standstill'
- The public hostility towards MP's - stoked by Theresa May's speech - has led to Hull's Diana Johnson being threatened she would be shot and hanged. Anna Soubry was advised not to go home for the weekend by police because of death threats. The SNPs Ian Blackford was threatened as he set up for an interview. Dominic Grieve MP is facing a motion of No Confidence in his constituency from around 100 'new' members of his local party. The deputy speaker of the House of Commons advised all MPs to travel in groups for safety reasons
- Nigel Farage's band of around 60 Marchers for Leave were banned by the National Trust from their grounds. But he still gave a speech in a pub car park, in which he said millions in the country supported them
- The Conservative Party's second biggest donor said there should be a government of national unity to solve the Brexit crisis
Welsh independence referendum on the horizon?
- Plaid Cymru called for a vote on Welsh independence after the UK leaves the EU
- A U.S. senator told the Irish press that due to the size of the EU market the USA will prioritise a trade deal with the EU before one with the UK
- Liam Fox's Department of Trade team signed a trade continuity deal with Cariforum (Caribbean countries) helping to maintain imports of bananas, rum and sugar into the UK. This means Britain now has trade continuity deals for about a third of the trade value that it currently has because of its membership of the EU
INEOS wants to evade EU pollution rules
- Greenpeace unearthed documents which show INEOS is threatening to close its manufacturing and chemical plant in Middlesborough, 'unless it is allowed to defer compliance with EU rules that prevent air and water pollution.' INEOS is owned by the UK's richest man, leading Brexiteer Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who recently announced he was leaving the UK to domicile in Monaco for tax avoidance reason
Prudence moves her money to Luxembourg
- The UK's largest insurance group, The Prudential, said it has just finished transferring £36bn in assets to Luxembourg, which is to become the company's hub for all its EU business after Brexit
- Finnish central bank chief, Olli Rehn, told Reuters 'Brexit is the biggest risk facing the slowing Euro zone economy in the short term.' He added 'I believe Europe's financial markets seem to be far too relaxed and are seriously underestimating the potential risks that a disorderly Brexit may cause'
Jobs at Risk
INEOS threatens to close UK plant unless it can dodge EU pollution rules
Top Brexiteer Sir Jim Ratcliffe (leaving UK to live in France) runs INEOS. He said it could close its Middlesbrough manufacturing plant unless it is allowed to ‘defer compliance’ with EU rules designed to prevent air and water pollution, according to documents obtained by Unearthed. An analysis of data from the Environment Agency (EA) also reveals the plant clocked up 176 permit violations between 2014 and 2017, 90 of which related to air and water emissions. An EA spokesperson said: “air emissions are well over legal limits and this poses a risk to the environment”.
Economic Impact
Markets seem to underestimate threat of Brexit - ECB's Rehn
The risk of Britain leaving the European Union without a deal is the biggest risk facing the slowing euro zone economy in the short term, Finnish central bank chief Olli Rehn told Germany’s Die Welt newspaper in remarks published on Monday.
“In the short term Brexit is surely the biggest threat,” said Rehn, who sits on the European Central Bank’s rate-setting Governing Council. “Financial markets seem to be too relaxed and appear to underestimate the risk.” He said the ECB had made arrangements with the Bank of England to blunt turbulence in the case of a disorderly Brexit. Asked about the risk of recession in the euro zone, Rehn — who is often mentioned as a potential candidate to succeed ECB President Mario Draghi — said: “Growth has indeed slowed down significantly and we must be worried about the economy.”
Brexit or not, Prudential says it made sense to move some business to Luxembourg
U.K.’s largest insurer, Prudential, said it finished transferring some of its operations to Luxembourg about a week ago.
The insurer announced earlier this month that it was transferring 36 billion pounds ($47.58 billion) of assets to Luxembourg, which is intended to be the company’s hub for its European business after Brexit.
No-Deal Brexit Risk Hangs Over Pound Investors After EU Reprieve
Pound traders face the risk of yet another vote on Theresa May’s Brexit plan next week, with the prospect of no-deal continuing to hang over the currency. Sterling dodged a bullet as the European Union extended the Brexit deadline by two weeks to April 12, or to May 22 if the prime minister’s deal passes Parliament at a third attempt. The last-minute reprieve still doesn’t remove the threat of Britain crashing out of the EU and the pound tumbling for Goldman Sachs Group Inc.
Hard Brexit would cost every person in Gloucestershire an extra £732 a year
A hard Brexit will cost every man, woman and child in Gloucestershire £732 a year, according to a new policy paper. The figure is nearly double the amount it will cost people in the county in the event of a 'soft' Brexit, which will cost £413 per person.
Countdown to Brexit: three market indicators to watch
These measures recommended to potential investors include watching changes in the yield curve, the wearing off of the effects of a weaker currency than have buoyed share prices for a while and the FTSE volatility index
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Kent County Council prepares for no-deal disruption
A council has employed extra staff, stockpiled supplies and warned schools against closing as it prepares for six months of no-deal Brexit disruption. Kent County Council is preparing for queues on the M20 and backlogs at the Port of Dover if existing border arrangements end next Friday. Additional trading standards officers are in place at the port. Schools have been told to suspend teaching and take on a "carer role" rather than closing if short staffed. Advice to head teachers warns that closing schools could "result in several hundred working parents having to leave their place of work to look after their child".
Brexit: This is what business uncertainty looks like
"I think stockpiling will continue for the next six months at least, until everybody knows how the transition periods are going to work, if there is an agreement made, so we know how the border control processes work and settle down. "Personally I just want to see a decision made so that the industry, the whole of the industry, can get on with doing their jobs. 110% capacity is not an efficient way to operate but we need to service our customers and make sure their needs are met so we are squeezing every ounce of space that we can out of the units."
Brexit: Petition to remain in the EU hits 3 million signatures
A petition calling on the UK to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU has gathered more than four million signatures in under three days. By 14.30 CET on Saturday it had attracted more than 4.2m names making it the most popular one ever on the UK parliament's website. "The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'," it reads. "We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now."
No-deal Brexit: What is the UK government doing to prepare?
EU leaders have agreed on a plan to delay the Article 50 process, offering to postpone Brexit for at least two weeks beyond the original 29 March exit day. Theresa May says she still wants to leave the EU with a deal, but if she cannot win the support of MPs then the possibility of a no-deal Brexit remains. So with the clock still ticking, what is the government doing to prepare for a no-deal Brexit?
Brexit fears boost British tourism
Uncertainty about Brexit is the biggest single problem facing UK businesses right now. However, for some sectors that uncertainty is proving to be a real benefit.
The British tourism industry has seen a surge in business so far this year. Ashbourne Heights Holiday Park in Derbyshire’s Peak District has seen its bookings rise by over 60%.
I spoke to 40 UK-based Polish women about Brexit – here's what I found
Then there are those, mostly with families, whose livelihoods cannot be that easily transferred to another place. These women are therefore anxious about Brexit – particularly on how it may effect their children’s future. Ksenia, for example, told me: “I might have to apply for residency or citizenship, which is costly. Now that I started a family here and I have a child here, that’s linked to new worries. Will I have problems accessing the NHS or getting social assistance?”
Will Mini Plant Oxford move shutdown date because of Brexit?
Oxford's Mini plant will not be moving its planned shutdown period despite the UK's Brexit date shifting by at least two weeks. EU leaders last night agreed an extension to article 50, meaning the UK will not now leave the union until April 12 at the earliest. Prime Minister Theresa May was told if she can get her deal through parliament next week then the withdrawal date could be further extended until May 22 in order to pass the necessary legislation. But the last-minute developments won't impact on BMW's plans to close its Cowley factory for four weeks after the original Brexit date of March 29.
Brexit go slow protests - when they will happen on M6, M62, M4, M5, A494 and A30
A go-slow protest at the way Brexit has been handled is expected to cause traffic chaos at locations throughout the UK later today. The Brexit Protest and Direct Action Group UK, which now has 24,000 Facebook members, is scheduled to take its campaign to ...
Ports braced for Brexit protests, with further go-slows planned on M62 at Manchester and Warrington
Holyhead Port is bracing itself for a Brexit protest tonight. The Brexit Protest and Direct Action Group UK, which now has more than 24,000 Facebook members, is set to demonstrate there over the Government's handling of leaving the EU. According to campaign leader Ian Charlesworth, from Deeside, a convoy of vehicles is set to roll into Holyhead Port at 10pm (March 23) - but what form the protest will take is yet to be fully decided.
The Brexit blockades that are confirmed as going ahead (including on the M5) as cost of protests to the South West is revealed
The planned action has been branded as 'hopelessly irresponsible' by Tim Jones, chairman of the South West Business Council. Mr Jones said: "Our usual estimate for disruption on this vital route is £1million an hour, but given the timing on what is the most crucial time of the week for deliveries and employee movements, I think you can easily add 25 per cent to that. "It is hopelessly irresponsible and flies in the face of how the South West economy supports itself. Small businesses cannot withstand this and this is literally taking cash away from people."
Political Shenanigans
Tory bastards are back, and Theresa May is so scared of them, she might give us no-deal Brexit
Until the statutory instrument adopting the EU’s new deadlines is put into UK law, this Friday, March 29, will still be legally Brexit day. The prime minister and other ministers have intimated that this will be the first order of business tomorrow, but the Brexit process has repeatedly demonstrated that the government’s word is not always its bond. The vicar’s daughter has proved particularly unreliable.
PM fights to retain power as MPs look to seize control of Brexit
Theresa May tries to stay in power as MPs seek to seize control of parliamentary business in a bid to secure a softer Brexit. Meanwhile, Sunday newspapers had reported that a cabinet coup was under way, with a growing number of MPs putting pressure on the prime minister to set a date for her departure. A proposal led by former Tory ministers Sir OIiver Letwin and Dominic Grieve, together with Labour's Hilary Benn, will attempt to seize control of parliamentary business away from the government.
Plan for MPs to get votes on seven Brexit options if Theresa May's deal defeated again
Number 10 is understood to be considering allowing parliament to vote on seven alternative options next week amid growing fears that Theresa May will not get her Brexit plan through the House of Commons. A senior minister in the government told Sky News that plans are being drawn up to give MPs a choice between revoking Article 50, a second referendum, the prime minister's deal, her deal plus a customs union, the deal plus a customs union and single market access, a standard free-trade agreement, or a no-deal Brexit. Another source confirmed to Sky News that senior figures within government had been speaking openly about getting behind the idea.
Avoiding Irish hard border in no-deal Brexit scenario ‘very difficult’
Avoiding a hard border in Ireland in a no-deal Brexit scenario will be very difficult, the country’s European Affairs Minister has said. Helen McEntee said the risk of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement remained “very strong”, but insisted Ireland was still not planning for border checks. Ms McEntee said the Dublin government would only enter into negotiations with the UK and EU Commission on how a future border would work when, or if, it became clear that a no-deal is the only option. “If a no-deal scenario is the only option left and looking like that is going to happen, then we need to sit down with the Commission and with the UK and we need to understand and work with each other, and essentially this is negotiation as to how we can avoid borders on the island of Ireland and, be under no illusion, it’s very difficult without a deal,” she told RTE Radio One.
Brexit: Vote on Theresa May's deal may not happen next week
Theresa May has told MPs there might not be a third vote on her Brexit deal next week if there is insufficient support for it to pass. If it does not pass, the EU has set a deadline of 12 April for the UK to propose a new plan. Supporters of another EU referendum are due to march through central London later. Labour's Tom Watson will speak at the event, pledging to back May's deal if she agrees to hold a referendum on it. Meanwhile, an online petition calling for the UK to remain in the EU has attracted a record number of signatures.
MPs have one shot this week to avert a no-deal Brexit, say senior government members
The prime minister and the EU will be looking at the indicative votes that are due to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday - on Tuesday sponsored by the PM, on Wednesday under the backbench initiative of Sir Oliver Letwin - to see if a majority of MPs can demonstrate their support for a deliverable alternative to a no-deal Brexit. If they don't, Theresa May's conclusion may well be full steam ahead to a no-deal Brexit, I am told - which will be music to the ears of perhaps a third of the Cabinet and Tory Party.
Secret Cabinet Office document reveals chaotic planning for no-deal Brexit
The extent and range of the impact of a no-deal Brexit is revealed in a confidential Cabinet Office document that warns of a “critical three-month phase” after leaving the EU during which the whole planning operation could be overwhelmed. The classified document, seen by the Guardian, sets out the command and control structures in Whitehall for coping with a no-deal departure and says government departments will have to firefight most problems for themselves – or risk a collapse of “Operation Yellowhammer”.
Tory whips ‘threaten to walk out of the Government’ after Theresa May’s Brexit blunders
Theresa May’s control over the Conservatives was close to collapse last night amid fears that government whips were on the verge of quitting after a week of serious missteps by the Prime Minister. Party unity appeared to have all but evaporated as Cabinet ministers openly defied Mrs May by plotting to seize control of the Government’s Brexit plans next week. The Prime Minister is expected to table her Brexit deal for a third meaningful vote on Tuesday, but few MPs expect her to secure enough support to get the agreement over the line, and many predict that a defeat could cost Mrs May her job.
The Brexit farce is about to turn to tragedy
There are two big lessons. First we are paying the price of our failure for years to explain the EU. What is it for? Security. It delivers good political relations among neighbours — the best guarantee of security you can get. We have benefited very directly from this. Being in the EU together meant that for the first time we worked with Dublin as equals. That, and the open border, enabled peace in Ireland. In Britain, no one noticed. The EU is a political project: the customs union and the single market are means to an end. Why did no one tell us? The second lesson is that we are governed by the parties for the parties. The system would never get past a decent competition regulator. Most people know that it makes no difference how they vote. We are the oldest parliamentary democracy, and it shows.
Brexiteer fury as Government confirms MPs to get vote on alternatives if they reject Theresa May's deal
Eurosceptic Tories have erupted in anger as Cabinet minister Greg Clark confirmed MPs will be given a vote on a string of Brexit alternatives if they reject Theresa May's deal for a third time.
Brexit deal: Norway-style EEA membership may not be right for UK, says Iceland prime minister
Membership of the European Economic Area (EEA) may not be the “right solution” for the UK after Brexit, the prime minister of one of its key members has said. Icelandic prime minister Katrín Jakobsdottir expressed hesitancy at the idea that Britain could join the EEA, suggesting that the debate in the UK was far from the realities of the agreement. She was in Brussels to meet her EU counterparts for a celebration of 25 years of the EEA’s existence – joking that “maybe some of the EU leaders have other things on their mind” after a late night Brexit negotiation that spilled over into the early hours of the morning.
Brexit: May urged to quit to help deal pass
Two ministers touted as a potential caretaker PM in reports of a cabinet coup say they fully back Theresa May. Environment Secretary Michael Gove told reporters it was "not the time to change the captain of the ship". And the PM's de facto deputy David Lidington insisted he was "100% behind" Mrs May. Meanwhile, the Brexit secretary said an election will become more likely if MPs vote this week for a Brexit option the government does not want.
Brexit BOMBSHELL: Nicky Morgan could be the next Prime Minister claim senior Brexiteers
The former Education Secretary is a Remainer, bur pro-Brexit MPs have privately suggested she could be a “unity” candidate to take over as leader, according to the Telegraph. This suggestion follows her involvement in the so-called Malthouse Compromise for Brexit, along with fellow Remainers and Brexiteers alike. Mrs Morgan campaigned to remain in the EU, but has since said: “The abiding mood in the country is ‘get on with it’ and patience on all sides is running out.”
Sky Views: UK has a duty to investigate potential Russian interference
Nigel Farage claimed "Russian collusion" when it appeared that a number of signatories to a parliamentary petition calling for the government to stop Brexit came from outside the UK. It is unclear whether the former UKIP leader genuinely believes this or was simply conveniently drawing on an issue - Kremlin interference in Western democracies - many observers suspect played a part in the Brexit referendum that he and fellow Brexiteers such as Arron Banks won. Either way, Mr Farage's remark on his Twitter account is a reminder of the threat to democracy posed by hostile states that use websites and social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook as a weapon, by exploiting existing divisions in democratic societies.
Corbyn’s no2 Tom Watson leads massive anti-Brexit march in clearest sign Labour now backs staying in EU
Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson will tomorrow lead a huge march to overturn Brexit, he announced tonight. Jeremy Corbyn's no 2 is attending the "Put it to the People" protest in the clearest sign yet Labour will try and force through a second referendum. Mr Watson will tell Theresa May he is prepared to back her Brexit deal - as long as she holds a public vote on it. It was previously thought none of Mr Corbyn's top team would be at the march which is set to be attended by hundreds of thousands of diehard Remainers.
Avoiding Irish hard border in no-deal Brexit scenario ‘very difficult’
Avoiding a hard border in Ireland in a no-deal Brexit scenario will be very difficult, the country’s European Affairs Minister has said. Helen McEntee said the risk of the UK leaving the EU without an agreement remained “very strong”, but insisted Ireland was still not planning for border checks. Ms McEntee said the Dublin government would only enter into negotiations with the UK and EU Commission on how a future border would work when, or if, it became clear that a no-deal is the only option. “If a no-deal scenario is the only option left and looking like that is going to happen, then we need to sit down with the Commission and with the UK and we need to understand and work with each other, and essentially this is negotiation as to how we can avoid borders on the island of Ireland and, be under no illusion, it’s very difficult without a deal,” she told RTE Radio One.
Brexit: What are indicative votes?
Before any indicative votes can take place, MPs must secure the parliamentary time for debate. Usually the government has control over what happens day-to-day.
MPs have tried - and narrowly failed - to take control away from the government in recent weeks, but a fresh attempt by a cross-party group of MPs, including Labour's Hilary Benn and Conservative Sir Oliver Letwin, may prove successful on Monday evening. However, to avoid being forced, the government could voluntarily set aside time for MPs to debate - something ministers have previously suggested.
Though the precise format is unknown, one possible process would see a series of motions being presented setting out each Brexit option. MPs would then vote on each option in turn with the results announced after each vote.
Brexit: Vote on Theresa May's deal may not happen next week
Theresa May has told MPs there might not be a third vote on her Brexit deal next week if there is insufficient support for it to pass. If it does not pass, the EU has set a deadline of 12 April for the UK to propose a new plan. Supporters of another EU referendum are due to march through central London later. Labour's Tom Watson will speak at the event, pledging to back May's deal if she agrees to hold a referendum on it. Meanwhile, an online petition calling for the UK to remain in the EU has attracted a record number of signatures.
Scots to join London march for second Brexit referendum
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has joined hundreds of thousands of people on a march in London to demand a second Brexit referendum. She spoke to crowds gathered at the end of a rally organisers of the "Put It To The People" campaign say more than a million people attended. Bus-loads of protesters travelled through the night from across Scotland to support the People's Vote event. It came after the EU agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU. She told the crowd that Theresa May had pitched parliament against the people.
Brexit is about to 'destroy' the Tory Party and Theresa May, says Michael Portillo
The latest Brexit developments will “destroy” the Conservative Party, Michael Portillo has warned. Speaking on the BBC1 politics show This Week, the former deputy leader of the Conservatives said there was no chance Mrs May’s deal would get past MPs. He also insisted that no-deal was off the table – but the prospect of revoking Article 50 and stopping Brexit was equally unlikely. Instead, he painted a particularly gloomy picture for the Tory Party in his predictions for the coming weeks. He said: “I think Parliament will try to take over the process – Parliament may well succeed. What emerges from that will be unacceptable to Mrs May. “Mrs May will resign before April 12 and, before April 12, an interim leader of the Conservative Party – I suppose it would be David Lidington, the deputy prime minister will say he will want to explore with the EU an alternative.”
Pro-remain MPs draw up plans to vote on revoking article 50
Pro-Remain MPs are drawing up plans for a vote on revoking article 50 as an emergency measure to stop Britain crashing out of the EU, after an online petition to cancel Brexit became the most popular ever. By Saturday night more than 4.6 million people had signed the petition on the parliament website, which states: “A People’s Vote may not happen – so vote now”. Public discussion about halting Brexit was considered politically toxic until just days ago. But that shifted last week as the prospect of crashing out drew closer and the number of petition signatures rose dramatically. A cross-party group of parliamentarians is now examining the possibility of cancelling the Brexit process, following concerns that Theresa May could end up backing Tory MPs who favour a no-deal departure if her own withdrawal agreement is rejected again. They are planning to table an amendment to Brexit legislation closer to the day of Britain’s scheduled departure from the EU.
Corbyn’s team split over soft Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow cabinet is set to clash again over Brexit this week, with supporters of a second referendum concerned that the Labour leadership will opt to facilitate a soft Brexit. With senior Labour figures openly calling for another public vote at the anti-Brexit march in London on Saturday, other influential MPs believe Corbyn’s inner circle is actually warming to a Norway-style Brexit that would see Britain leave the EU, but remain closely aligned to it. Tensions between Labour and its pro-Remain activists are already high after the party released a tweet on Friday evening asking if supporters had any “big weekend plans” and called on them to go out leafleting for May’s local elections.
Calls grow for public inquiry into Brexit | Politics
Calls for a public inquiry into Brexit are mounting among diplomats, business figures, peers and MPs, amid claims that the civil service is already planning for a future investigation into how it has been handled. The decision to call the referendum, the red lines drawn up by Theresa May and Britain’s negotiating strategy are all issues that senior figures would like to be examined.
Varadkar: 'Brexit will define UK for next generation'
Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has said that Brexit will define the UK for the next generation. Mr Varadkar added that "it doesn't have to define" the Republic of Ireland. The taoiseach told delegates at the Fine Gael conference in Wexford that "we live in extraordinary times". "The last two and a half years, the last two and half months, even the last two and a half days have seen many twists and turns in the Brexit saga," he said. "Throughout all of it, we have stayed firm. We have held our nerve and we have stayed the course."
Theresa May admits third Brexit deal vote may not take place next week
Theresa May has admitted she may not garner enough support to get her twice-defeated Brexit deal through the Commons next week, amid mounting speculation about the future of her premiership. The Prime Minister wrote to MPs warning that if there is insufficient support for her Withdrawal Agreement in the coming days that she could seek an extension to Britain’s EU membership beyond the European Parliament elections.
EU forces choice of their political lives on MPs
MPs have a weekend to decide whether to initiate civil war against Theresa May and the government and instigate a once-in-a-century reconfiguration of the structure of political parties.
For Young People, a March for a Second Brexit Vote Is Just the Start
An online petition on Parliament's website is unlikely to change the course of Brexit, but Britons keep signing anyway. Young people see a future threatened by restriction on freedom of movement and opportunity so many will be marching on Saturday
Brexiteer fury as Government confirms MPs to get vote on alternatives if they reject Theresa May's deal
Eurosceptic Tories have erupted in anger as Cabinet minister Greg Clark confirmed MPs will be given a vote on a string of Brexit alternatives if they reject Theresa May's deal for a third time.
It’s not too late to stop Brexit. Saturday’s march will force politicians to hear us
Public outrage at the crippling incompetence and indecision in Westminster reached new levels this week when the petition to revoke article 50 and remain in the EU hit 2m signatures, crashing the parliamentary petition website several times. But this crisis must be ended with the public’s consent – and Saturday’s march is another important opportunity to give a voice to this country on the defining issue of our age.
Cross-party negotiations may be the only way to achieve Brexit with unity, pride and purpose
If Labour’s alternative plan for a close economic relationship can’t get a parliamentary majority, then Common Market 2.0 is a Brexit compromise which might just get us out of this difficult period and out the other side with unity, pride and purpose. We would leave the political institutions of the EU, taking control of our laws, our farming and our fisheries but keep close economic ties to our neighbours. It would avoid a catastrophic No Deal — which would be a disaster for businesses in places like Ashfield.
Richard Branson: UK dangerously close to full-scale Brexit disaster
I fear the UK is still dangerously close to the full-scale disaster that a no-deal exit from the European Union would be. Employers and unions agree. In a rare joint statement, the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress have warned of a “national emergency”. The time for the UK Government to rethink its approach is now. At this juncture, it seems implausible that another motion to vote on the Withdrawal Agreement would actually win majority parliamentary support. And even with an extended Brexit deadline, that’s a major risk to the UK, and to the Union itself. This is a moment of profound national crisis for the UK. Yet there is no sign of the inclusive leadership such a crisis requires. Prioritising party over country, the Prime Minister is no longer acting in the national interest. Instead, she has decided to pitch herself as the defender of the “people” against the machinations of Parliament.
Scottish politicians to join anti-Brexit march
Nicola Sturgeon has called for a lengthy extension to allow a second Brexit referendum ahead of the Put It To The People march in London. The Scottish First Minister urged opponents of Brexit to seize the “moment of maximum opportunity” presented by the delay agreed by the EU. Before she joined the rally backing a second EU referendum, Ms Sturgeon said: “This is now the moment of maximum opportunity – we need to avoid both the catastrophe of no deal and the damage which would be caused by the Prime Minister’s bad deal.
May tells Johnson: I will not step aside to solve Brexit crisis
Theresa May told Boris Johnson she had no intention of stepping aside to help resolve the Brexit impasse at a high-stakes meeting earlier this week with the man seen as the favourite to replace her. In the meeting, the former foreign secretary, who remains opposed to May’s Brexit deal, demanded to know how the prime minister would change approach, which was interpreted as a coded message that he believed she should quit. May responded by saying she was drawing up plans in case her Brexit deal was carried through by the House of Commons, including a “restructuring” of the Department for Exiting the European Union, signalling she anticipated staying put.
Political Setbacks
Authority in tatters, power leaches from Theresa May
The PM’s best survival hope may be that MPs cannot reach a strategy beyond her own withdrawal agreement. Emmanuel Macron, French president, arrived in Brussels giving Theresa May a 10 per cent chance that she could save her Brexit deal and probably her premiership. By the time he had listened to a haunted Mrs May address the European Council, he had revised his opinion: he gave her a 5 per cent chance. One EU diplomat said leaders of the 27 other member states had recognised Mrs May and her government had lost control of events. “The message was ‘We need to take over. They are not capable of doing it themselves’,” added the diplomat. Donald Tusk, European Council president, said Mr Macron’s 5 per cent chance was too generous.
Brexit march: Former Conservative deputy prime minister calls Theresa May’s No 10 speech an ‘affront to parliamentary democracy’
Theresa May’s address to the nation from Downing Street will rank in history as an “affront to parliamentary democracy”, the former Conservative deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine has said. In a scathing assessment of the prime minister’s decision to blame MPs for the current political crisis over Brexit, Lord Heseltine said he was “appalled” by her speech on Wednesday.
People's Vote march ‘too big to ignore’, organisers warn MPs
The organisers of Saturday’s march demanding a fresh EU referendum, estimated to have drawn a crowd of more than 1 million people, have told MPs that it was too big to ignore. The Put it to the People protest was one of the biggest demonstrations in recent British history. Members of the People’s Vote campaign group, which coordinated it, have expressed confidence that it will prove to have not been in vain.
If Theresa May is to get her Brexit deal she must offer up her job or we could face a general election
On Wednesday, No Deal suddenly seemed a likely option again. The EU were saying they would only grant Theresa May’s request for an extension if her Brexit deal passed before March 29, something that is highly unlikely. But on Friday morning that meeting was cancelled. Why? Because after the EU agreed to halt the UK’s departure until at least April 12, No Deal is once again highly unlikely. This delay means if May’s deal fails again, Parliament will have enough time to step in and take control of the process.
Theresa May could drop vote on Brexit deal if it lacks support
Theresa May has indicated she may not bring her deal back to parliament for a third vote if there is not enough support for it. In a letter to her fellow parliamentarians, she wrote: "If it appears that there is not sufficient support to bring the deal back next week, or the House rejects it again, we can ask for another extension before 12 April." The prime minister set out four options available following the EU's acceptance of a delayed departure date. Revoke Article 50, Leave with No Deal, Pull vote hold European Elections longer extension, No Deal leave May 22nd
It's time for MPs to decide what type of Brexit they actually want
Please, somebody, make it stop. This week the House of Commons is expected to vote, again, on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. In typical fashion, the Government refuses to say exactly what it has planned. That’s probably because it’s as confused as the rest of us. But we should prepare for a third “meaningful vote” on the deal – known at Westminster as MV3.
Online trolls want Hull MP Diana Johnson 'shot and hanged' over Brexit
A Hull MP says she has faced distressing calls online for her to be “shot and hanged” as the Brexit decision date has neared. MPs have twice voted against Theresa May’s Brexit deal in recent weeks, with all three Hull representatives playing their in defeating the PM's deal
Brexit march: Leave campaigners hit out at ‘mob rule’ as one million people join second referendum protest
Daniel Hannan, a Conservative MEP and leading Brexiteer, compared the march to “mob rule”, adding that “17.4 million is a lot bigger that one million”. “The great thing about elections is that they replace mob rule,” he added. “We can ask people what they want instead of trying to infer the mood of ‘the street’. To remind you: 17.4 million is a lot bigger than one million, even if we accept the latter figure at face value.”
BREXIT BETRAYAL: Government already preparing to REJOIN EU - ‘They have COMPLETE contempt'
The Sunday Express learnt a recent contingency planning meeting between the Brexit Department and HMRC included rejoining the EU as a high possibility. A senior Government source admitted that all departments are now including the same contingency planning on EU membership. The source said: “In the end government departments have to consider all possibilities and there is a high chance that a future government may want to take us back into the EU.
Brexit: leaver go-slow on roads leads to prosecutions
Pro-Brexit campaigners have been prosecuted for inconsiderate driving while trying to bring roads to a standstill. According to organisers, the demonstrations aimed to ensure the UK leaves the EU on 29 March by causing gridlock on motorways and A-roads using a convoy of slow-moving vehicles. The protesters were aiming to target between 30 and 40 locations over the weekend, including the M25, M6 and M1.
'We voted to leave and we should' - Stoke-on-Trent snubs national petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled
A petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled has now been signed by more than three million people across Britain – but it has gathered little support in Stoke-on-Trent.
The petition, calling on the Government to revoke Article 50 – the legislation which allows the UK to leave the European Union – passed the three million mark before midday on Friday.
Sky Views: UK marches deeper into Brexit mess created by Cameron and May
Whatever happens we will not be "leaving the EU on 29 March in an orderly fashion" as the prime minister has so often promised. If Mrs May wants to know why, she will only have to look in the mirror at the leader who has spread division instead of trying to unite a divided country.
Brexit Has Triggered Britain's Most Ambitious Migration Exercise Ever
Some migration advocates fear that the sheer volume of EU citizens' applications could overwhelm the country’s ever-more antagonistic immigration regime—one that hasn’t exactly been known for its competence in recent years. Others worry that the most vulnerable EU nationals—such as the elderly, people with limited English, and even children—are at risk of being left behind.
‘Traitor to England’: Ian Blackford harassed by Brexit supporters in London
The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford was harassed by a group of Brexit supporters who shouted abuse at him as he walked down Whitehall. Mr Blackford and fellow SNP MP Stephen Gethins were leaving the Cabinet Office shortly after 4pm following a meeting to discuss Brexit with minister David Lidington. A group of around a dozen people followed Mr Blackford, shouting “traitor to England” and “leave means leave”. Media interviews that were scheduled to take place outside the Cabinet Office had to be abandoned. The pair were escorted back to parliament by a police officer. Mr Gethins said: “Ian took it with characteristic good humour, but no one should have to face that kind of abuse.”
Brexit March London: Forecasters predict fine and dry weather for huge rally calling for People's Vote
Marchers are set to assemble on Park Lane around midday, before the route takes hundreds of thousands of people down Piccadilly and St. James’s Street, through Trafalgar Square and along Whitehall to Parliament Square where a rally is expected to begin at 2.30pm and end just before 4pm. Met Office spokesman Steven Keats said: “There is a band of cloud and rain moving south, so it’ll be a drizzly start to Saturday.
Dominic Grieve facing a move to oust him as MP on March 29 for ‘wrecking Brexit’
Brexit wrecker Dominic Grieve will face a move to oust him as MP – on the day Britain should be leaving the EU. At least 100 angry Tory members are threatening to oppose a confidence vote at his local party’s AGM on Friday.
One million join march against Brexit as Tories plan to oust May
In one of the biggest demonstrations in British history, a crowd estimated at over one million people yesterday marched peacefully through central London to demand that MPs grant them a fresh referendum on Brexit. The Put it to the People march, which included protesters from all corners of the United Kingdom and many EU nationals living here, took place amid extraordinary political turmoil and growing calls on prime minister Theresa May to resign. Some cabinet ministers are considering her de facto deputy David Lidington as an interim replacement for her, although as pro-Remain he would be strongly opposed by Brexiters. Organisers of the march said precise numbers had been difficult to gauge, but they believed the protest could have been even bigger than that against the Iraq war in February 2003.
Cabinet Ministers Are Plotting To Oust Theresa May As Even Her Fed Up Whips Say Her Brexit Deal Is Doomed
It was the moment, according to one source present, that Theresa May lost her whips office, her best chance of passing her Brexit deal, and her ultimate authority as prime minister. Having endured months of frustrations with Downing Street in the least envied job in Westminster, chief whip Julian Smith assembled his team of enforcers to sit down with the PM and deliver their honest advice. Knowing the consequences of what they were about to do, before the meeting they agreed: “What happens in the whips office stays in the whips office.” One whip told colleagues they felt like crying. May began with a boilerplate speech imploring her team to do all they could to find a majority for her withdrawal agreement, telling them the country wanted to move on and get the deal over the line so she could focus on her domestic agenda. It was too much for Paul Maynard, one of her senior whips, who spoke first in response.
Brexit march: Million joined Brexit protest, organisers say
Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in central London calling for another EU referendum, as MPs search for a way out of the Brexit impasse. Organisers of the "Put It To The People" campaign say more than a million people joined the march before rallying in front of Parliament. Protesters carrying EU flags and placards called for any Brexit deal be put to another public vote. On Thursday, European leaders agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU. PM Theresa May is coming under pressure to quit after saying she might not put her Brexit deal to a third vote by MPs.
Brexit march: Remainer walks 200 miles to join protest
A man has walked 200 miles to join a march in London in favour of another EU referendum, engaging with Brexit supporters along the way. Ed Sides set off from Swansea two and a half weeks ago and has "taken time to listen as much as talk".
Wales for Europe had booked out 30 coaches to transport protesters to Saturday's demonstration. But one Leave supporter said a fresh vote would just prolong the arguments for another three years. Others from across Wales made their own way to Hyde Park for the march.
Brexit march: A carnival of colour as a million people turn protest into a party
In London’s Park Lane, James Lancaster and his band, Brass Against Brexit, stood amid the gathering crowds preparing to march on Parliament Square. For the two-mile walk, the 10-piece group – trumpets, trombones, sax – planned on playing a selection of New Orleans jazz, classic pop and (but of course) Beethoven’s Ode To Joy, the European Union’s official anthem. “Brexit is a national crisis – it’s that serious,” the 54-year-old from York said, his giant sousaphone on his back. “But that doesn’t mean our protests against it can’t be a carnival. We’re here because we want to make today joyous. We want to show the world this movement is celebratory.”
Delia Smith calls it a ‘dogs dinner Brexit’ as stars tweet from the Put it to the People march
A clutch of celebrities joined the Put it to the People rally calling for a referendum, on the Brexit deal. Among them were cook Delia Smith, Game of Thrones star Lena Headey, Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman Music stars at the march included Bastille, Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant, James McVey and, of course, Billy Bragg.
'Brexit is killing me!': EU debate weighs heavily on MPs
MPs are under increasing pressure to come to a collective view on Brexit. As the debate wears on and the impasse remains, the stress is beginning to take its toll on some of our elected politicians. Over the last two months, the stress has manifested itself in physical symptoms. “I’m reluctant to moan about it because it’s the same in lots of other jobs. But the weight of this decision is massive.” For instance Ben Bradley MP is getting heartburn “all the time”, has blotches on his face and has high blood pressure. “I’m at the doctors most days having my blood pressure checked now. It’s amazing; if I come off the TV and I’ve been talking about Brexit, I go straight to the doctors and have my blood pressure done. It’s like 160/120 or something ridiculous. If I talk to the kids for five minutes and have it done again, it’s fine.”
Lerwick hosts own Brexit vote march
Around 80 folk marched through the centre of Lerwick on Saturday to voice their support for a ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit. Banners such as ‘Put it to the people’ and ‘Ask us’ were hold aloft as locals of all ages walked from the Market Cross to the Town Hall. Among the walkers included Shetland MSP Tavish Scott and NHS Shetland chairman Gary Robinson. The march took place on the same day a similar event was held in London. The slogan for the national people’s vote campaign proclaims that “they can not, must not and will not force this broken Brexit on the British people without giving us the final say”.
Brexit looks like it is doomed to fail and Conservative chaos must take blame
If Brexit dies, as seems increasingly possible, it will have the unlikeliest of assassins — some of those who most wanted it and stand to lose most from its demise. MPs have twice been given the chance to vote for an exit deal which would secure much of what 17.4million voted for and return some stability to Britain. Twice they have rejected it. In the diehard Remainers’ case that’s because they will not support any Brexit or honour their promises to voters. In Labour’s case it’s solely because they hope to profit from the chaos. In the peculiar case of the Tory ERG and the DUP, two groups who could not be more pro-Brexit, it’s because the deal contains the controversial “backstop” they fear could one day trap us. So next week, barring a dramatic U-turn, they will all seal its doom.
'Cancel Brexit' petition passes three million signatures
A petition demanding Theresa May revokes Article 50 and cancels Brexit has passed three million signatures. "The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'," the petition says. "We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now."
Recap: People's Vote March staged in Bangor to coincide with London Brexit rally
Protesters are gathering in the city of Bangor for a solidarity march to coincide with the People's Vote March taking place today in London. Around 300 people - including politicians and residents - armed with placards and banners have come together at the ...
Why Nigel Farage's pro-Brexit march is not welcome at National Trust properties
A pro-Brexit march promoted by Nigel Farage which has been travelling across the UK has been told it is not welcome at National Trust properties. The 60 odd people had been scheduled to use the properties during the course of the march
'We are not enemies of the people': Hartlepool MP Mike Hill hits back at Theresa May Brexit 'blame'
Hartlepool MP Mike Hill says the Brexit crisis is 'entirely down to Theresa May's own making' after the Prime Minister appeared to blame MPs for its delays. Mr Hill described the language used by Mrs May as even potentially putting MPs' safety at risk from extremists. In a statement this week, Mrs May said she was on the British public's side in wanting to see an an end to Brexit. She said: "You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am on your side. It is now time for MPs to decide.” The EU has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline until May 22 if MPs back Mrs May's deal next week. If not and no alternative plan is put forward the UK is set to leave the EU on April 12 instead of March 29.
Brexit: Revoke Article 50 petition hits 4 million signatures becoming most popular online protest in history
An online petition urging the Government to cancel Brexit has become the most popular to be submitted to the Parliament website with over 4,150,000 million signatures. The Revoke Article 50 petition on Saturday leapt ahead of a 2016 petition calling for a second EU referendum, as thousands of demonstrators are due to march on Westminster calling for a People's Vote. It has had the highest rate of sign-ups on record, according to Parliament's official Petitions Committee, adding over two million signatures in 24 hours.
Anti-Brexit petition shows stark divide in Sheffield and South Yorkshire
In some parts of Sheffield and South Yorkshire more than 12 per cent of the population have signed it whereas in others fewer than 2 per cent have registered their support. The parliamentary constituencies with the most support are Sheffield Hallam with 12.3 per cent of people signing and Sheffield Central with just under 10 per cent support. However, in Sheffield South East the figure is around 2.5 per cent and in Rotherham just 1.79 per cent of people have signed.
A30 Brexit protest: 13 vehicles show up - and three of them are police cars Organiser says ‘It was never going to be a massive event anyway’
About 10 vehicles have set off on a pro-Brexit protest along the A30. The vehicles, three of which have been decorated in banners and flags, left the service station at Plusha at about 3.30pm. No lorries have taken part in the Cornwall protest. The Cornwall Go Slow protest is one of dozens of events being held across the country by pro-Brexit groups. In Devon, lorries are expected to block the M5 this evening.
Organisers say the group will travel at about 20mph towards Truro. Initially they said 25 people had signed up to take part in the rolling road block after the prime minister asked the European Union to delay the UK’s exit date beyond March 29.
'We have failed' The pro-Brexit M25 go-slow didn't exactly go to plan
Protesters angry at the situation with Brexit vowed to 'bring the country to its knees' in a 'go slow' protest this evening (March 22). But that's not exactly what happened. Elsewhere in the country there may well have been a hold up or two. But Kent's roads moved as (slowly) as they usually do - with no more hold ups than usual.
Theresa May hints she may drop third vote on Brexit deal
British prime minister Theresa May hinted on Friday that she might not bring her European Union withdrawal deal back to parliament for a third time next week if there was not enough support for it to be passed. Mrs May’s Brexit deal has already been twice rejected by lawmakers but the prime minister was expected to try a third time next week.
Brexit news latest: Theresa May slammed by DUP for 'missing opportunity' to improve deal in Brussels
Theresa May missed an opportunity to fix her Brexit deal and unite Parliament behind her plans in her recent trip to Brussels, according to the DUP's deputy leader. Nigel Dodds delivered a fresh blow to the PM as he indicated his party will not be swayed to back her Withdrawal Agreement. He said: "The Prime Minister missed an opportunity at the EU Council to put forward proposals which could have improved the prospects of an acceptable Withdrawal Agreement and help unite the country."
Top Tory donor: form unity government to solve Brexit crisis
The Conservative party’s second biggest donor has called for a government of national unity to be formed as soon as possible to solve the Brexit crisis. John Griffin, the taxi tycoon who has given £4m to the Tories over the last six years, said the party should reach out to MPs from Labour, the Lib Dems and the Scottish National Party if it is to emerge from EU negotiations with a successful deal. It follows similar demands from fellow Tories including Nicky Morgan and Sir Nicholas Soames. Other Conservative donors have threatened to withhold funds unless it solves the current political crisis, it emerged on Thursday.
Brexit: polls that show how Britain cannot make up its mind
Among 1,800 people asked by YouGov last weekend to choose between various options, 34 per cent chose a second referendum with an option to remain, and 20 per cent chose no deal. A softer Brexit was third with 15 per cent, narrowly ahead of Mrs May’s deal on 14 per cent. When YouGov asked voters to assess the merits of each of the four options on its own, “no deal’ slipped to third place. When what voters considered as an “acceptable compromise” was taken into account, it fell to fourth place.
Plaid Cymru could call for independence poll after Brexit
Wales should hold a referendum on independence if a series of demands are not met after Brexit, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said. In a speech to his party's spring conference, he said European funding for Wales must be guaranteed. Mr Price also called for cuts in VAT for tourism and construction, and for the devolution of powers over air passenger duty. Wales should also control its own migration policy, the leader added.
Is Theresa May following Richard Nixon's 'madman theory' - or is she actually delusional?
As the Brexit crisis deepens, commentators have begun to liken Theresa May to perhaps the most disgraced leader in western history – Richard Nixon. They don’t mean she lied about a dirty tricks break-in at a hotel called Watergate, but that she’s adopted the former US president’s tactics for defeating an opponent by threatening an action so disastrous it suggests the person making the threat is now irrational. It has come to be known as the “madman theory”.
Girl, 16, hailed for articulate and detailed speech on Brexit during Question Time
A 16-year-old has been hailed for an articulate speech analysing the current Brexit chaos on Question Time. The teenager appeared on the show in Belfast on Thursday night and told the audience that there are going to be “huge generational changes for all of us” as a result of Brexit. In an articulate speech, the 16-year-old slammed the Conservative party for “playing party politics” with Brexit before calling for a “general election and representative democracy”.
As Brexit remains in limbo, Yale's Stephen Roach says the 'imperfect' EU may not survive
“You have to wonder about the future of the European Union itself ... this is an imperfect union and the survivability of it is, I think, a serious question,” Stephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University, told CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah on Friday.
Even before Brexit came about, the EU faced multiple challenges over the last decade, said Roach, who’s a former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia. Those challenges include a sovereign debt crisis in Greece and a standoff with Italian leaders over the country’s spending plans. And with the U.K. — one of the largest European economies — planning to leave the bloc, it remains to be seen whether the EU has the ability to withstand more pressure coming from member states while still reeling from the shocks of the global financial crisis, said Roach.
James O'Brien On Brexit: I Have Contempt For The Conmen & Compassion For The Conned
James O'Brien coined a new catchphrase for his feelings on Brexit: "Compassion for the conned, contempt for the conmen." The people who voted for Brexit, he says, are our friends and families.
British MPs advised to travel in groups to avoid Brexit abuse
British members of parliament have been advised to take taxis or travel home together to avoid the risk of abuse over Brexit. Lindsay Hoyle, a deputy speaker of the House of Commons, wrote to all MPs saying the Metropolitan Police has been “left in no doubt” that they must ensure “Members of Parliament can vote in Parliament without fear.”
Political map shows spread of Brexit discontent across the UK following petition
The online petition calling for Brexit to be scrapped last night reached 3.5million names and revealed the new political reality in Britain. The darkest areas of the map are those with most support for revoking Article 50. As expected, they are in ...
May ‘warned her job is on the line’ amid Tory anger over Brexit
Theresa May is returning from another tumultuous Brussels summit amid warnings that her premiership is on the line. EU leaders agreed on Thursday night to give her more time to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. But she faces a Tory Party losing patience with her leadership and threats that MPs could now seize control of the withdrawal process. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, was reported to have met Mrs May to tell her that most Conservative MPs now want her to quit. The Daily Telegraph said that Sir Graham visited her in Downing Street on Monday after being “bombarded” with text messages from MPs demanding she should go.
Brexit: National Trust bans Nigel Farage’s march from its properties
A pro-Brexit march between Sunderland to London, which has been heavily promoted by Nigel Farage, has been banned from National Trust properties. The March To Leave procession has been told it is not welcome because the charity is “apolitical”. The revelation comes after it emerged marchers, who are walking the 270 miles over 14 days, had already been asked to leave a property run by the organisation in North Yorkshire. Plans to start Tuesday’s leg of the walk – organised by Leave Means Leave – at picturesque Fountains Abbey had to be hastily rearranged after the trust said walkers should not gather at the site’s car park.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit trade deals will be worse than current EU deals, says Liam Fox's former trade chief
Countries are likely to offer the United Kingdom worse trade deals than it currently enjoys as an EU member, the former head of Liam Fox's International Trade Department has told Business Insider. "The United Kingdom alone can offer significantly less in terms of market access or government procurement than can all of the European Union," Donnelly said. Major trading partners of the UK including Japan and the USA have indicated that they will seek tough concessions from the UK in trade talks because it is a relatively small trading partner. "Trade negotiators are not sentimental," Donnelly said.
US to prioritise trade deal with EU over UK post-Brexit
A US Senator has said that America will prioritise doing a trade deal with the EU over the UK once Brexit has happened. Democratic Senator from Connecticut Chris Murphy is currently on a visit to the UK, Northern Ireland and Ireland to report back to congressional colleagues on Brexit. Senator Murphy said a trade deal that would rescue the British economy post-Brexit was not going to happen. He said that he was "skeptical" that any trade deal with the UK would ever happen, pointing out that there was not enough time to negotiate and pass a deal before the end of President Trump's first term in office and the current Congressional session. While President Trump has spoken of his desire to do a trade deal with the UK, any pact would have to be passed by the US Congress before it could be formally signed into law.
UK secures post-Brexit trade deal with group of Caribbean countries
The Department for International Trade said it had signed an economic partnership agreement with the Caribbean forum (Cariforum) of nations, helping to maintain the imports of good including bananas, rum and sugar to Britain. The deal means the government’s push to roll over EU trade deals from which the UK benefits has yielded agreements covering a little more than a third of its trade with the countries involved.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 26th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Will we reach the end of May?
- Theresa May's government lost a key vote in the House of Commons 329 votes to 302 (with 30 Conservative MPs rebelling, including 3 ministers who resigned: Steve Brine, Alistair Burt and Richard Harrington). The Oliver Letwin cross-party indicative votes plan paves the way for a series of indicative votes on Wednesday.
- The runners and riders for the indicative votes in Parliament on Wednesday are very likely to be in this list: Revoke Article 50; Second Referendum; May Deal Mark 3, Canada-style Free Trade Agreement; Customs Unions; EEA and No Deal Brexit.
Parliament needs to 'curb its enthusiasm'
- Earlier yesterday, Theresa May's Cabinet ministers 'war-gamed' the possibility of calling a General Election, she also made it clear, prior to the Letwin vote, that these votes would be considered to be only advisory by the government and that her plan was the preferred option. Though she refused to rule out a No Deal Brexit at PMQs
- One of the three government ministers who resigned, Richard Hartington, wrote a blistering letter to the PM saying; 'at this critical moment in our country's history, I regret that the government's approach to Brexit is playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country who are employed by, or otherwise depend on, businesses for their livelihood'
- When Theresa May fielded questions earlier in the day, one answer indicated that the UK government recognised that Northern Ireland was unprepared for a No Deal Brexit due to its lack of a fully functioning devolved government. This incensed the DUP who took this to be an 'entirely new argument that we're hearing for the first time as a justification to delay Brexit'
- A NatCen Social Research poll showed that a staggering 81% of the country believed ministers had done a bad job in the EU-divorce talks, compared to just 7% of Britons who believed the opposite was true
Wrapped in tape
- Workplace Insight published a survey which showed 58% of all UK business leaders expect their costs to rise after Brexit, even if a deal is struck, and just over a third of them believe access to local business funding and grants will become more challenging post-Brexit
JPMorgan is packing its bags
- JPMorgan sent letters to 300 London-based investment banking staff asking them to sign fresh contracts confirming they'll leave the UK in the event of a No Deal Brexit
Lloyds of London put on a brave face
- Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chairman of Lloyd's of London, told the FT business executives were 'planning for the worst and hoping for the best' and that they've been busy buying and leasing property in continental Europe, applying or upgrading licences in EU countries and transferring and hiring hundreds of staff, transferring business to new legal entities and sending thousands of letters to clients explaining the new arrangements. He said the cost for individual companies has run into the hundreds of millions of pounds
Clothing and accessories sector is stalling
- The BBC reported that Laura Tenison, founder of JoJo Maman Bebe, said orders are a third down on her business, which had been growing by 20% a year and she felt retail business confidence is at an all-time low
CBI/PwC Survey sounds the alarm
- More than half of the financial services businesses surveyed between February and March were less optimistic about their overall business situation. The survey's net score for Optimism dropped to -43%, its lowest reading since 2008. CBI's chief economist, Rain Newton-Smith, said 'the alarm bells are ringing at a deafening level in the financial services sector'
RBS goes Dutch
- The Financial Times reported that RBS is about to start serving clients from its new Dutch business entity as part of its preparation for a hard Brexit
Brussels confirms border checks back under No Deal Brexit
- All British travellers will need a stamp in their passport every time they enter or leave the EU in the event of a No Deal Brexit, the EU Commission confirmed.
In limbo, fearful and facing May's 'hostile Home Office environment'
- AlJazeera reported on the 300,000 Roma in the UK and said that many of them are extremely worried about losing their residency status in the chaotic registration and documentation process May's Home Office seems to be engaged in planning
EU Citizens living in the UK - in the 'hostile environment' firing line
- A study by the joint committee on human rights (JCHR) - whose members come from the Commons and the House of Lords, issued a stern warning that Home Office plans to hastily register 3m EU citizens who have been living here legally, working, with families and paying tax. The JCHR said it cannot be governed by a process reliant on Statutory Instruments approved by ministers at a later date. If a new Windrush scandal is to be avoided it requires primary legislation to govern the whole process
European holidays 'on ice' and Kent on a 'go-slow'
- Data from the Office of National Statistics shows Brits have shunned holidays in the EU in the last few months because of Brexit uncertainty
- The Revoke and Remain petition is still rolling and now stands at 5.6m signatures. It is by far the largest and most popular petition in UK history
- The Road Hauliers Association questioned the wisdom of the government starting its Operation Brock 'lorry stacking measures' in Kent yesterday. Drivers were reportedly mystified at the appearance of No Deal Brexit speed limits being introduced in Kent and say the whole Operation Brock idea is 'inflexible and outdated'
Jobs at Risk
JPMorgan Said to Push 300 to Leave U.K. in No-Deal Brexit
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is pushing about 300 London-based investment banking staff to sign fresh contracts confirming they’ll leave the U.K. in the event of a no-deal Brexit, people familiar with the matter said. The employees, who work in areas such as sales and risk, have been presented with contracts in the last week that demand they relocate to a European Union country such as Germany or France in a no-deal scenario, the people said, declining to be identified as the details are private. A spokesman for JPMorgan in London declined to comment.
JP Morgan asks 300 staff to leave UK in event of a no-deal Brexit
Hundreds of JP Morgan staff have been asked to relocate out of the UK "at fairly short notice" in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Around 300 investment banking staff will have to sign new contracts in the coming weeks confirming whether or not they will relocate abroad. Sources said if they refused, the bank would try to find them an alternative role.
Finance sector hopes for smooth Brexit, plans for the worst
Senior executives describe as “planning for the worst, while hoping for the best” — include buying and leasing property in continental Europe, applying for new or upgraded licences in EU countries, transferring and hiring hundreds of staff, transferring business to new legal entities, and sending thousands of letters to clients about new arrangements. Costs for individual companies have run to the hundreds of millions of pounds. “We would say that we are Brexit-ready at Lloyd’s, that would [also] be true for the other major cross-border insurance companies,” says Bruce Carnegie-Brown, chairman of Lloyd’s of London, the specialist insurance market. “We got cracking on this really very quickly after the referendum and began by thinking about where we would need to be domiciled in the EU in the event of a hard Brexit.”
Brexit: JoJo Maman Bebe founder says retail confidence hit
A leading Welsh businesswoman has said she is convinced Brexit uncertainty is stalling business growth. Laura Tenison, founder of JoJo Maman Bebe, said consumer confidence was at an all-time low. The clothing and accessories company has been growing at 20% a year and has the capacity to send out 6,000 parcels a day, but is now down to about 2,000 a day. She said it has been "extremely tough" for the retail sector. "Until about six months ago we were doing well, we continued to grow, but recently the lack of consumer confidence is so apparent, people don't know when their job stability is going to be given back to them," she said.
Economic Impact
Brexit is now a national emergency, says CBI’s chief economist
Sentiment and volumes are deteriorating sharply in the financial services sector, with a number of indicators at their lowest since the financial crisis of 2008, according to the latest CBI/PwC Financial Services Survey. The quarterly survey of 84 firms found that optimism about the overall business situation in the financial services sector plunged sharply, falling at the quickest pace since December 2008.
Brexit fears set alarm bells ringing for financial services
Sentiment and business volumes in UK financial services deteriorated sharply at the start of 2019 owing to Brexit uncertainty, raising fresh concerns over the crucial but underperforming sector. More than half the financial services businesses surveyed between February and March by the CBI and the consultancy PwC were less optimistic about their overall business situation. The net score of optimistic minus pessimistic dropped to -43 per cent, the lowest reading since 2008. “The alarm bells ringing at the state of optimism in the financial services sector have now reached a deafening level,” said Rain Newton-Smith, chief economist at the CBI.
The European Union has bigger problems to deal with than Brexit
The eurozone is a half-completed project, lacking the political structure that would give it a chance of working. What’s more, if Europe continues to underperform economically, the alternative to closer integration is disintegration. Not immediately, because returning to national currencies or moving to a hard and soft euro, would be fraught with difficulties. Crunch time will only come when the next recession blows in. It might not be all that far away.
Banks ramp up plans for ‘hard Brexit’
JPMorgan Chase has sent new EU employment contracts to more than 200 London-based staff in recent days while Royal Bank of Scotland is gearing up to begin serving clients at its new Dutch entity, as banks intensify preparations for a “hard Brexit”. Senior executives at several large international banks said that while a postponement of the UK’s March 29 departure from the EU would be helpful at the margins, they were powering ahead with final preparations to be ready to cope with any eventuality. In JPMorgan’s case, those preparations involved sending new employment contracts to between 200 and 300 staff in the past few days informing them that their employment will switch to new EU entities if a “hard Brexit” occurs, two people familiar with the situation said.
Administrative Fall Out
Majority of UK business leaders believe costs and red tape will rise after Brexit
Over half (58 percent) of UK business leaders expect costs to rise after Brexit, even if a deal is struck and just over a third (38 percent) believe that access to local business funding and grants will also become more challenging post-Brexit,
Warning of legal limbo for 3m EU citizens living in UK after Brexit
EU citizens living in the UK would be stripped of their freedom of movement, housing and social security rights by Home Office legislation introduced to regulate immigration following Brexit, a parliamentary report has warned. Despite repeated government reassurances that their privileges will be protected, a study by the joint committee on human rights (JCHR) concludes that more than 3 million Europeans living in Britain would be left in legal “limbo”. The cross-party committee, whose members are drawn from the Commons and the Lords, argues that EU citizens’ rights should be protected by primary legislation rather than reliant on statutory instruments approved by ministers at a later date.
Brussels confirms return of border checks under no-deal Brexit
British travellers will get a stamp in their passport every time they enter and leave the European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the European commission has confirmed. The announcement on border checks was revealed days after the British government secured a short extension that shifts the Brexit deadline to 12 April. “The risk of a no-deal scenario is becoming increasingly likely,” an EU official said. The EU’s Brexit no-deal plans “cannot replicate the benefits of being an EU member” and were not “mini-deals or a negotiated no deal”, but unilateral measures to avoid disruption for the EU side, the official said.
Europeans living in UK told to secure settled status for Brexit
EU nationals are being encouraged to secure their right to keep living in the UK with just weeks to go until Brexit. Adverts on billboards and at bus stops and railway stations will be rolled out across the country ahead of the full opening of the Home Office’s settlement scheme this weekend. Any EU national that has lived continuously in the UK for five years can obtain settled status, meaning they are free to go on living and working in the UK indefinitely.
Britain's Roma community fears post-Brexit future
There are 300,000 Roma in Britain, but some members of this already persecuted minority lack documentation and they are extremely worried about losing their residency status after Brexit
British no more: Why some UK citizens face Brexit dilemma
The number of UK citizens acquiring the nationality of another EU country has shot up since the 2016 Brexit referendum. For many Britons living in Germany, France or Italy, dual nationality solves questions about freedom of movement to work in the EU, pensions and healthcare. But a handful of EU countries, including Austria, do not generally allow dual citizenship. That makes things complicated for people like British opera singer Stephen Chaundy, who has lived in Vienna with his family for many years, but often works in theatres and opera houses in Germany.
Brexit: Queen's University staff paid early due to uncertainty
Staff at Queen's University in Belfast are to be paid their salaries three days early this month due to "ongoing uncertainty relating to Brexit". QUB staff are usually paid on the final working day of every month. However, because of fears about the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, this month's payment date was brought forward to Wednesday, 27 March.
'England became smaller and bigger': what 'home' means in Brexit Britain
Headlong theatre company's latest production, Acts of Resistance, plugs into people power in four communities across the country - Plymouth, Kendal, Bristol and Mansfield.
Half a MILLION Britons shun holidays amid Brexit fear - avoiding European destinations
British holidaymakers are shunning trips overseas – with the looming presence of Brexit uncertainty potentially playing a part. The number of trips abroad taken by UK residents has dropped, according to new figures released by the Office of National Statistics (ONS). The data put overseas travel and tourism and trips made in November and December 2018 under the spotlight. The final months of last year marked a period of deep uncertainty amid the UK’s Brexit outlook.
Brexit: Agri-tech company says lack of progress 'frustrating'
Northern Ireland agri-tech company Devenish has said Brexit will cost it approximately £1.7m next year. Chief executive Richard Kennedy told BBC News NI's Inside Business programme that the lack of progress had been frustrating. Headquartered in Belfast, Devenish has manufacturing sites and offices across the world. Mr Kennedy said the rough calculation of costs still stands even in the event of a commercially favourable Brexit.
Yes, there's a petition in favour of a no-deal Brexit
Over five million people have signed a petition to revoke Article 50 and remain in the EU. It’s the biggest petition in parliamentary history, and the one with the fastest sign-up. But what about if you’re a hard-line Brexiteer and don’t want to be left out? Don’t worry, there’s an alternative petition you can sign.
Revoke Article 50 Brexit petition reaches five million signatures
A petition to stop Brexit now has now surpassed five million signatures - making it the most popular to ever be submitted to the Parliament website. The Revoke Article 50 campaign has now overtaken a 2016 petition calling for a second EU referendum which reached 4.1 million signatures.
Lorry drivers ‘mystified’ at start of no-deal Brexit speed limits
Lorry drivers are “mystified” as to why no-deal Brexit plans have been brought in so early, branding the idea “inflexible” and “outdated”. The Road Haulage Association (RHA) made the claim today after the deployment of Operation Brock, which sees lorries heading for Europe driving at 30mph along the coastbound carriage of the M20. All other traffic, including lorries carrying out UK deliveries, must now use a 50mph contraflow of two lanes in each direction on the London-bound side of the road.
Housebuilders fear Brexit will lead to timber prices rise
Scotland’s builders are concerned that Brexit could lead to an increase in timber import prices and see vital funding for major infrastructure projects disappear, according to construction and property consultancy Thomas & Adamson.
The show must go on: How Brexit is dominating the British arts world
When Article 50 was triggered in 2017, Sky Arts responded by inviting 50 artists from various disciplines to consider what it means to be British. They have invested £2 million in the project, which begins today with a four-part series, plays and art works across the country. Philip Edgar-Jones, director of Sky Arts and head of entertainment at Sky, hopes to lighten the mood: “We didn’t want this series to be dark and brooding. One thing that really does unite us in the UK is humour.”
Political Shenanigans
Parliament to vote on three proposed changes to PM May's next steps on Brexit
Those include a proposal to change the rules of parliament on Wednesday in order to provide time for lawmakers to debate and vote on alternative ways forward on Brexit, a process often referred to as ‘indicative votes’. The speaker also selected the opposition Labour Party’s amendment which calls on the government to give lawmakers time to find a majority for a different approach on Brexit. The third amendment he selected says that if Britain comes within a week of leaving the EU without a deal, the government should ask parliament whether it would approve a no-deal exit or if it should seek a further delay to Brexit.
MPs back indicative vote plan as Oliver Letwin amendment trounces PM
MPs have backed Sir Oliver Letwin's cross-party Brexit indicative votes plan by 329 votes to 302, inflicting a defeat on the government. The success of the Letwin amendment paves the way for a series of "indicative votes" in the Commons on Wednesday, effectively taking control of the Brexit process out of the hands of the Government. The rebellion against the government was helped by the resignations of Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt and pro-EU business minister Richard Harrington. The vote against Theresa May came after she ruled out a third vote on her Brexit deal on Tuesday.
Theresa May loses three ministers as MPs take control of Brexit process
Theresa May has lost three ministers and control of the Brexit process to the House of Commons in further blows to her authority. Richard Harrington quit his position as business minister just moments before he voted against the government, siding with an amendment which will allow MPs to debate alternative Brexit plans on Wednesday. He was joined by Steve Brine and Alistair Burt - who was by Mrs May's side at Chequers just a day before.
Brexit options: the runners and riders | News
MPs are likely to get the chance this week to vote on a range of Brexit alternatives to see where a consensus lies. Revoke Article 50; Second Referendum; May deal; Canada-style free trade agreement; customs union; EEA and No Deal Brexit
Brexit is part of a wider European struggle
The sad truth is that the country’s version of the wider European crisis is uniquely self-destructive. That is because Brexit is simultaneously a rupture in the country’s legal order, a resignation from the country’s most important international alliance and, in all probability, a severe shock to the economy. That is an extraordinary triple blow to the stability of the UK. And while new extremist parties are not on the rise, that is partly because the far left has taken over the leadership of the Labour party, while the nationalist right have formed their own bloc within the governing Conservatives.
Brexit: What is Common Market 2.0?
The MPs promoting it say it would go back to the sort of economic relationship the UK had with the European Economic Community in the 1970s and 80s, without having to be involved with closer political union or the direct involvement of the European Court of Justice. They also say it could be agreed with the EU quickly and that there could be a majority for it in the House of Commons, although that has not been tested. Critics point out that it would still involve freedom of movement, making significant contributions to the EU Budget and following EU regulations without membership of the bodies that create them. It crosses several of Theresa May's red lines.
Esther McVey: “Voting for the Brexit deal is the insurance policy to at least get out”
The calculation is still the same for Esther McVey. Voting for Theresa May’s Brexit deal is the only way she can be sure that the UK will leave the European Union. “What we should be doing is voting for her deal because it is your insurance policy to at least get out,” she explains. The former cabinet minister, who voted against the Withdrawal Agreement twice, doesn’t think another rejection would lead to a no deal Brexit. Does she think the EU is bluffing? “Yes,” she replies. She warns Brexiteers banking on securing no deal that they would probably end up with a “worse” Brexit or Remain. “Look at the votes of the House; the Cabinet’s Remain, the PM’s Remain, the House is Remain 75-25, and the Speaker’s Remain.”
Theresa May Wields Threat of ‘Slow Brexit’ in Final Bid for Support
Theresa May has long threatened members of Parliament with the risk of no-deal, or no Brexit. On Monday she added a new one -- the danger of a “slow Brexit.”
May has zigzagged between tactics as she tries to get various factions in the House of Commons to back her deal. With just days to go, she’s now got her eye on pro-Brexit hardliners, and she’s coined a new term to describe a long extension to EU membership slow Brexit
UK unlikely to leave the EU without a deal, Credit Suisse says
There’s no appetite among the U.K. lawmakers to leave the European Union without a Brexit deal in place, so, that possibility can be ruled out, according to Andrew Garthwaite, global head of equity strategy at Credit Suisse. EU leaders have warned that the U.K. has one final opportunity to leave the bloc in an orderly fashion, after agreeing to delay the departure date beyond March 29.
Brexit hypocrisy highlighted by nationwide billboard campaign
Political billboards have popped up across the UK, from Glasgow to Dover, thanks to anti-Brexit group Led By Donkeys. Each board is emblazoned with a quote from a politician or public figure, taken from past speeches, interviews and social media.
The four friends behind the popular campaign ”wanted to highlight the hypocrisy” of politicians engaging in the Brexit debate, according to the group’s crowdfunding page. “This Brexit chaos is founded on the forgotten lies of our leaders,” the page says. “Let’s remind the country of them with giant billboards.”
Brexit debate: Do petitions ever work?
"Petitions by themselves don't do anything, but they can be a very valuable tool for change," says Cristina Leston-Bandeira, a professor of politics at the University of Leeds, who specialises in petitions and public engagement. It all comes down to "how campaigners use the petition to put pressure on their representatives".
Dominic Grieve: The PM must heed the million marchers and put a brake on Brexit
The rapidity of events over recent days reflects a deepening political crisis. The Prime Minister has been unwilling to put the Brexit deal she has negotiated to the House of Commons as she believes it will be rejected yet again. She has gone to Brussels and secured only a very limited extension to Article 50, displacing the cliff edge to no-deal chaos by only a fortnight. There are clear signs that the EU no longer believes that her deal is deliverable but does not want to be seen to be pushing the UK into no deal against its wishes. The Commons for its part has indicated by a strong majority that a no-deal Brexit must be avoided.
Brexit: Cabinet 'war game' to prepare for general election
Cabinet ministers today “war-gamed” how they might call a general election to break the Brexit deadlock. In an emergency meeting this morning ministers debated whether they would have any choice other than to call an election if Britain is forced into a long Brexit delay. The move came as Theresa May admitted to MPs that she still did not have “sufficient support” to bring her vote back before MPs for a third time and pledged not to endorse no-deal without parliament’s approval.
What do voters make of Brexit now?
Does a negative reaction to the Brexit deal mean voters have changed their minds about leaving the EU in the first place? In truth, the polls have for some time been indicating that slightly more people now say they would vote Remain than Leave in another ballot.
Political Setbacks
Minister 'resigns' and says government's Brexit approach is 'playing roulette with lives'
Business minister Richard Harrington has resigned warning that the government's Brexit approach was "playing roulette" with people's lives. The pro-EU MP, who was one of three minister to resign on Monday night said in a letter to the Prime Minister he had quit so he could “do all I can” to prevent a no-deal Brexit. He said in letter to the Prime Minister: "At this critical moment in our country's history, I regret that the government's approach to Brexit is playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country who are employed by or otherwise depend on businesses for their livelihood."
Brexit petition to revoke article 50 exceeds 5m signatures
The petition asking the British government to revoke article 50 and reconsider its plan to exit the European Union has passed the 5m-signature mark, following a massive demonstration in London on Saturday. As of 11pm on Sunday, 5.3m people had signed the petition, making it the most popular to have been submitted to the parliament website. The previous highest total of 4,150,260 was for a 2016 petition calling for a second referendum should the initial poll not provide a definitive enough result. The petition continued to grow following Saturday’s march, which organisers claimed saw more than a million people take to the streets of London. The woman behind the petition, Margaret Georgiadou, said on Saturday she had received death threats. Georgiadou tweeted that on Friday night she had received three such threats via telephone.
Brexit: PM says NI unable to prepare for no-deal
Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Theresa May said she had wanted to deliver Brexit on 29 March. "But, I'm conscious of my duties as prime minister to all parts of our United Kingdom and of the damage to that union leaving without a deal could do, when one part of it is without devolved government and unable therefore to prepare properly," she said. Former Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said he was surprised to learn that Northern Ireland had not been able to prepare properly. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deputy leader Nigel Dodds accused Mrs May of a "fundamental lack of preparation" and said "the government is entirely responsible for that".
Theresa May dismays the DUP as she blames Northern Ireland for Brexit delay
A decision by Theresa May to blame Northern Ireland for the delay in Brexit has dismayed the DUP, pushing them further away from the Prime Minister at the point when she needs them most. A change of stance by the weakened Prime Minister today saw her tell MPs that the absence of devolution in Northern Ireland is part of the reason for suddenly asking for a last-minute delay. In a demonstration of the lack of trust between No 10 and the party which keeps Mrs May in office, a bewildered-looking Nigel Dodds said in the Commons that was “an entirely new argument that we’re hearing for the first time” as a justification for delaying Brexit.
Brexiteers will soon discover that all other deals are worse than Theresa May's
The upshot of the Prime Minister’s statement on Monday afternoon is that the House of Commons will finally get to vote on the alternatives to the Brexit deal they have twice rejected. It is understandable that ministers have long resisted such a moment, for if MPs actually managed to deliver a majority for a specific plan, it would be that much harder to justify yet another attempt to pass the one negotiated by the Government. Furthermore, if that plan is one that a large part of the Cabinet cannot stomach, then the constitutional crisis many of us have long feared would be upon us, and a general election not far away. Holding the "indicative votes" that now appear imminent might open the Pandora’s Box
Theresa May hints she’ll quit if Brexiteers back her deal — but they’re demanding she goes public with the date
Theresa May is locked in a Mexican stand-off with hardline Brexiteer chiefs after she dramatically opened the door to quitting as PM. The Sun can reveal that Mrs May has indicated for the first time that she would consider resigning in exchange for MPs passing her Brexit deal.
Labour’s chief whip defies leader to say he wants to remain
Splits at the top of the Labour Party emerged today as chief whip Nick Brown defied Jeremy Corbyn to say that he wants to stay in the EU. In an email to one of his constituents he disclosed that he is personally in favour of halting Brexit by revoking Article 50 if the only other option is no deal. He wrote he would also back another Brexit vote where “remain in the EU” is an option on the ballot paper. The 2017 Labour Party manifesto endorses Brexit and Mr Corbyn has been criticised heavily by his MPs for not explicitly backing a second referendum and instead saying he favours a Labour-led “jobs first” Brexit or a general election.
Brexit protesters unfurl giant banner mocking David Davis during Put It To The People March
Protesters demanding a second referendum on Brexit mocked David Davis on Saturday by unfurling a banner emblazoned with one of the former cabinet minister’s old statements. “If a democracy cannot change its mind, it ceases to be a democracy,” was the quote written on the banner. It comes from a speech which Mr Davis, a former Brexit secretary, made in November 2012 about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
81% of Britons think Government has handled Brexit talks badly, damning poll finds
The vast majority of Britain believes the Government has handled Brexit negotiations poorly, a damning poll has found. A staggering 81 per cent of the country thought ministers have so far done a bad job in EU-divorce talks, the study suggested. That’s compared to just 7 per cent of Britons who said the opposite was true, the NatCen Social Research poll showed.
Theresa May should set out plans to quit in order to get Brexit deal through, says Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans
Tory backbencher Nigel Evans, a joint executive secretary of the influential Conservative 1922 Committee, said Theresa May should set out her plans to quit in order to get her Brexit deal through. "Clearly a number of people do not want the Prime Minister anywhere near the next phase of negotiations, which is the future trading relationship between ourselves and the EU," he told BBC Radio 4's Today.
Brexit activist slams Irish border question – by defending free movement
Darren Grimes found it was “not beyond the wit of man” to keep a border open, when travelling from Italy to Switzerland. Not realising that they are both in the Schengen region which requires that anyway
Theresa May can’t shirk the blame for a Brexit crisis she created
Her attempt to frighten everyone by talking up no-deal amounts to almost criminal negligence with the economy says The Guardian's William Keegan. So bad has been the impact of the prospect of Brexit on investment that the fall in the exchange rate – which has caused problems for many – has not even improved the trade balance.
The Conservative Party is assuring its own destruction over Brexit
These are the men whose heady mix of lies, delusion, stupidity, shamelessness, vanity and cowardice have broken their nation. And yet, three years down the line and with the Brexit Domesday Clock at two minutes to midnight, here they are all again, summoned by the prime minister for yet another chance to shape the future of a country they have humiliated in in a way it has never been humiliated before.
Brexit: Corbyn criticises government handling of EU talks
Jeremy Corbyn criticised the "dangerous and irresponsible" comments from Theresa May about the delay to Brexit. He said the government has "no plan" for Brexit, and the prime minister should admit that her deal was "dead" and she should not waste the time of MPs by putting to the Commons for a third time.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 27th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Consumers nervous about IT purchases- Brexit jitters have badly hit UK consumer PC sales which fell by 25% across January and February
Companies hiring and investment plans on ice
- The Recruitment and Employment Confederation reported that British companies have sharply scaled back their hiring and investment plans due to the Brexit turmoil
Ireland facing an economic hit from No Deal Brexit
- A disorderly Brexit will cost the Irish economy 50,000 jobs and lower its GDP by 2.4% across the next ten years, according to a leading think tank survey
Flu takes flight
- Sanofi said it has plans to fly in supplies of flu vaccine if other UK transport routes become too disrupted after the UK leaves the EU
Customs checks mean huge lorry tailbacks expected
- Kent Police said they are drafting in an extra 140 officers per day to cope with the long queues of lorries expected on the M20. They have an additional £3.4 to spend on preparations for gridlock and delays around the channel ports
NHS is stretched to its limit
- An NHS staffing survey showed GPs are under pressure with 1,500 fewer GPs now than in 2015. Staff sickness levels are up sharply with 40% citing stress, the highest number recorded in 5 years. The service has been heavily dependent on EU staff, many of whom have gone back to their home countries. So there are now shortages of staff at all levels of the NHS
Research funding drying up at universities
- Universities are now facing a crunch point on scientific and research funding with EU money about to dry up. They are in the dark as to what will replace it. Many are seeing leading research expertise 'walk' to other universities in mainland Europe where these research grants are secured
Theresa May is on the road to nowhere
- Today is the day that MPs run the order paper in the House of Commons and they plan to put around '16 Brexit Plans' to MPs for them to vote on
- The idea is for a simple preference selecting vote by all MPs. Then the most popular Brexit proposals make it to a more detailed round of discussion and voting next Monday in Parliament
- Up to 20 Tory ministers are said to be poised to resign if Theresa May does not allow a free vote on all these indicative proposals.
- Theresa May's Meaningful Vote 3 appears to be struggling back to life and may be put before Parliament once again. The Tory eurosceptic hardline ERG have been discussing supporting it, with some opting for 'ideological purity over the Irish backstop position' and others, like Jacob Rees Mogg, recognising there is now a risk of losing Brexit completely if they do not support May
- The DUP votes do not seem to be so certain for the Prime Minister. Talk of the need for Westminster to impose Direct Rule in the event of No Brexit has made discussions uncomfortable, but they are also feeling the pull of voting for May's Deal or they may get No Brexit at all, so their position may soften
- Talk of Theresa May naming her resignation date in return for ERG/DUP support of her Withdrawal Agreement now seems more pivotal than ever
- The Times reported that talk of the Cabinet 'gaming general elections' and having Plans to secure a deal are just not true as there is no Plan B, only Theresa's plan A for third time
- Tories are said to be 'fighting like rats in a sack' on their private WhatsApp group. Many are extremely bitter at the 70 or so Brexit hardliners who blocked May's deal. The unhappiness reflects the fear of some that a hard Brexit was in their grasp and it has now escaped, and Brexit itself could be in jeopardy
- The government has rejected the petition to Revoke and Remain in the EU, currently signed by more than 5.8m people. A debate on this petition is scheduled for next Monday - April Fools Day
- Although a General Election is for some a likely wayout of the impasse, other wiser heads are pointing out that if Parliament backs an indicative vote proposal the government will be compelled to act as its representative in discussions with Brussels, which is unlikely to be acceptable to Theresa May. Equally, she has committed to not leading the Conservatives into the next General Election. At this point she would have run out of all roads to take except a second referendum - which she clearly loathes and would not seek to take either
Jobs at Risk
Brexit turmoil hits UK firms' hiring plans - REC
British companies have scaled back sharply their hiring and investment plans amid the growing turmoil around Britain’s exit from the European Union, a survey showed on Wednesday. More firms were downbeat about the outlook for jobs and investment than were optimistic for the first time since the Recruitment and Employment Confederation began its surveys in June 2016, the month of the Brexit referendum. Nearly three years on, it remains unclear how, when or even if Brexit will happen.
Brexit jitters fingered as UK consumer PC sales collapse
PC and Laptop Sales into the retail market sunk 25% during Jan and Feb... UK PC volumes via distributors fell 7 per cent to 538,000 for January and February: business machines went up 4.5 per cent to 361,000 but those to consumers declined 25 per cent to 176,000.
Economic Impact
Brexit to hit Ireland’s economic growth, according to report
ESRI report said: “The persistent uncertainties with respect to the form of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, “Under the most severe scenario of a disorderly no-deal, domestic real GDP is estimated to rise by just 1.2% in 2019 and 2.4% in 2020.”
No-deal Brexit will cost 50,000 jobs, say officials
A disorderly Brexit would derail the Irish government’s efforts to post a budget surplus for the first time since the financial crash a decade ago and shave 50,000 jobs off employment growth over five years, a report suggests.The study, carried out by the Department of Finance and the Economic and Social Research Institute, the country’s main think tank, found that if Britain crashed out of the EU Irish GDP growth would be 2.4 per cent lower by the end of 2020. The economy would still grow, but at a much slower pace. Ireland is also projected to post a budget surplus this year for the first time since the economy collapsed in 2008. A disorderly Brexit would lead to a 0.3 per cent deterioration in the finances of the exchequer over the short term and push the budget balance back into the red, the study said.
How has Brexit vote affected the UK economy? March verdict
Brexiters might argue the bad news from the European economy is reason enough for Britain to distance itself from the EU as much as possible. Eurozone GDP is on course to expand by just 0.2% for the first quarter, marginally weaker than the UK. Italy is suffering from its fifth recession in two decades, while Germany only just avoided recession at the end of last year, with growth close to zero. However, the EU accounts for almost half of UK exports, while there has been little adjustment to non-EU trade since the Brexit vote. Bad news for the EU is still bad news for Britain.
Brexit puzzle forces companies to gamble on pound exposure
Given that spread of possibilities, some companies are leaving their exposures unhedged, to the greatest extent possible, hoping that the way in which sterling eventually moves will be to their benefit. “Some companies continue to believe that it will all be fine. But . . . going into Brexit naked is very dangerous,” says Jonathan Pryor, head of FX sales at Investec.
UK economy remains afloat despite the Brexit shenanigans
Watching Brexit developments from 3,000 miles away in the US has been surreal. Fareed Zakaria, the host of a CNN show, recently wrote in the Washington Post that Britain – “famous for its prudence, propriety and punctuality – is suddenly looking like a banana republic”. I never thought I would read anything like this about the country of my birth. Britain’s international reputation has been trashed.
Pound sterling rises after Jacob Rees-Mogg makes this Brexit claim
The pound rebounded on Tuesday, supported by comments from Jacob Rees-Mogg indicating that a no-deal Brexit is off the table. In an interview, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) said it was difficult to see the UK leaving the EU without a deal, leaving two choices: the Prime Minister's deal or no Brexit.
The pound rose following his comments, before pulling back slightly.
Pound regains ground after MPs to vote on alternatives to Brexit
Sterling remains in thrall to the twists and turns of Westminster’s Brexit politics. As the odds on an orderly departure from the EU improve, the pound is rising, as are UK stocks earning revenue at home. The pound turned higher on Tuesday as investors measured the implications of a move by MPs to seize control of the Brexit process, with signals from influential Eurosceptics that they could support Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Flu vaccine 'could be airlifted into UK'
Drugs company Sanofi has plans to fly supplies of flu vaccine into the UK if other transport routes are disrupted after the country leaves the EU. Hugo Fry, the managing director of its UK arm, told BBC Radio 5 live's Wake Up To Money that the flu vaccine was one it was not possible to stockpile. "We prepare in different ways and have prepared many different routes into the UK," he said. "If we have to in the end, we will airlift it in."
He added: "We are eating the cost of that but patients and citizens are our primary concern, so we're quite happy to take that cost and make that planning."
Brexit: No-deal EU exit could see 140 extra officers sent to Kent
Up to 140 police officers a day could be drafted into Kent to deal with the impacts of a no-deal Brexit. Police are preparing for gridlock on the roads if anticipated delays at the Port of Dover and Folkestone create long queues of lorries on the M20. Officers are also ready to tackle any protests or disorder that occur, Kent Police Assistant Chief Constable Peter Ayling said. The Home Office has so far given the force £4.3m to pay for preparations. Additional officers could be "mobilised" from other forces in the UK, according to Mr Ayling, a member of emergency planning group the Kent Resilience Forum.
GP practices are struggling – and Brexit will only make things worse
Staff sickness and uncertainty caused by Brexit have worsened NHS staffing shortages. A recent NHS staff survey showed that just under 40% are unwell with stress, the highest that we have seen in five years. And with health and social care relying heavily on staff from the EU, Brexit has the potential to compound our existing recruitment and retention problems. According to a report last week, the shortfall in GPs in England will almost triple from 2,500 to 7,000 by 2023-24. There are already 1,300 fewer family doctors than in 2015.
Gender pay gap expert among top professors quitting Brexit Britain
Across UK's universities it is the same story. Leading EU academics in climate policy and economics and most disciplines are worried about how grant funding from the EU will be replaced. They have had enough of hostility – and in many cases they are off
No-deal Brexit mitigation plans ‘hampered by poor DfT engagement’ Select Committee told
Giving evidence to the Commons Brexit Select Committee, Portsmouth City councillor, Gerald Vernon-Jackson said preparations for a no-deal EU Brexit plan had been “hampered by poor engagement from the DfT” and there’d been “systematic refusal from the DfT to engage in any way”.
The myth of British good-humour and resilience was born during World War II and is about to die a Brexit death
A 1942 report into the UK says "The average European, he writes in an accompanying note, has a “rough and ready perception of the Englishman” who is – among other things – “inclined to lecture other people for not doing things as Englishmen would do them, although quite ignorant of the reasons why others act differently from us”. Europeans also perceive a country that cannot be depended on “because we won’t say what we really want or what we are going to do”.
Brexit drives warehouse move to jobs black spot
Logistics and warehousing group Clipper's expansion expansion into Sheffield is an example of how brexit is impacting on the labour market as labour shortages force companies to change tack and to search for staff to fill the roles previously carried out in many cases by EU migrants
What a no deal Brexit would mean for British fashion
Last year the British fashion industry contributed some £32 billion to the British economy. What’s more, at last count, it employed some 890,000 people. The last thing that we – that I – want to see, is our industry retract due to Brexit. Rather, we want to see British fashion continue to provide opportunity and engagement, to inspire young people to be creatives and entrepreneurs and for British Fashion to be continued to be recognised as global leaders in creativity, innovation and business.
First picture of new Brexit driving licence as DVLA steps up preparations for no deal
The first picture of a new driving licence has been unveiled as the DVLA steps up preparations for the increasing fear of a no deal Brexit.
Roaming charges could return in event of No Deal Brexit
Roaming charges could make an unwelcome return in the wake of a no deal Brexit, with the European Union confirming that rules governing the cost of using smartphones while travelling will not apply in the UK. In new guidance, the EU said, “Companies providing mobile communications services, such as voice calls, text messages or data will no longer be bound by EU roaming rules when operating in the UK.
Political Shenanigans
Prime minister would 'break the law if she ignores Letwin result'
I am told that the cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and the attorney general Geoffrey Cox informed Cabinet that if at the end of the Letwin process MPs pass a motion mandating the PM to pursue a new route through the Brexit mess - perhaps a referendum, or membership of the customs union, or some other softer future relationship with the EU - the PM and government would be in breach of the ministerial code and the law if they fail to follow MP's instructions.
Conservative Party loyalists call on Theresa May suspend all Tory MPs who refuse to vote for her Brexit deal
Loyalist ministers have urged Theresa May to suspend all Tory MPs who refuse to vote for her Brexit deal in a pre-emptive strike for an upcoming party civil war. Under the nuclear move, the PM would threaten to withdraw the Conservative whip from any Brexiteers who defy her again.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/brexit/8726925/pm-suspend-mps-refuse-brexit-vote/
Additional sources: (The Sun) (The Guardian) (The Guardian) (Politics Home) (The Independent) (The Sun)
Additional sources: (The Sun) (The Guardian) (The Guardian) (Politics Home) (The Independent) (The Sun)
DUP prefers one-year delay over May's 'toxic Brexit deal', says Wilson as Rees-Mogg signals shift
DUP Brexit spokesperson Sammy Wilson has said that his party would rather see a one-year delay to Brexit than support Prime Minister Theresa May's withdrawal deal.
Jacob Rees-Mogg Suggests He Is Ready To Vote For Theresa May's Brexit Deal
Jacob Rees-Mogg has indicated he is ready to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal after admitting eurosceptic MPs do not have the numbers to secure their perfect exit. In a boost for the prime minister, the head of the European Research Group (ERG) of pro-Brexit Tory MPs said it appeared he would have no choice but to vote for the agreement. “The prime minister will not deliver a no-deal Brexit,” he told ConHome’s Moggcast podcast on Tuesday. “I have always thought that no-deal is better than Mrs May’s deal, but Mrs May’s deal is better than not leaving at all.”
Brexit news: Labour's Nick Brown says it would be better to cancel Brexit than to leave with no deal
Labour chief whip Nick Brown has said it would be better to cancel Brexit than to leave the EU without a withdrawal agreement. It follows warnings that a "no-deal" Brexit would be catastrophic for employers in the North East , particularly manufacturers and exporters.
Boris Johnson admits that he COULD back May's deal 'if there's a path to a Canada-style trade deal'
Boris Johnson has signalled he could be willing to back Theresa May's Brexit deal, but only if there is a path to then negotiate his preferred 'Super Canada' future trading relationship with the EU. Speaking at an event hosted by the Telegraph, the former Foreign Secretary said he 'was not there yet' on backing May's deal but admitted that there was a risk Britain 'won't leave the EU at all' if MPs voted it down for a third time
Brexit latest: How Remain MPs could force through SOFT Brexit in indicative votes
After months' of threats, MPs finally seized control of the Commons agenda last night enabling them to stage their own debates and votes on Brexit. The constitutionally unprecedented move means MPs have fundamentally taken control over Brexit from Theresa May. Exact rules and parameters for the Commons debates and votes are likely to be outlined today, with the established options to be debated tomorrow with a final decision made on Monday
Brexit indicative votes to be held by MPs on alternatives to Theresa May's deal
Ps will take part in a series of paper ballots on Wednesday in a bid to work out what kind of Brexit has a chance of winning the support of the House of Commons , it has been confirmed. Members must put forward their preferred options by the end of Tuesday, with Commons Speaker John Bercow selecting those to be put to a series of indicative Yes-or-No votes over the course of half an hour the following evening. Further debate and votes on the most popular alternatives will be staged on Monday to try to whittle the list down.
Brexit in turmoil as MPs plan to take control of process for a second day
British lawmakers are preparing to take control of the House of Commons agenda for two days in an unprecedented move that will test support for alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May's deadlocked Brexit plan. A landmark vote placed Wednesday's parliamentary timetable in the hands of lawmakers, after May's repeated failure to pass her deal raised the chances of Britain crashing out of the EU in chaos. MPs now plan to add a second day of debate on Monday.
A motion published by the Labour MP Hilary Benn, one of the MPs leading the charge to seize control of the Brexit process, disclosed that lawmakers will vote simultaneously on a menu of options on Wednesday evening local time. These so-called indicative votes will reveal which of the various alternatives command the most support.
UK's weakened PM May still hoping to push her Brexit deal through
British Prime Minister Theresa May will address her Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday, possibly to set out a timetable for her departure in a last throw of the dice to win support for her twice-rejected Brexit deal in parliament.
Remainer ringleader MP Nick Boles gloats ‘I’m going to wake up with a broad grin on my face’ after Brexit-wreckers seize control of Commons
Squabbling politicians have rushed to carve up Brexit as 16 alternatives to Theresa May's deal were tabled for a historic Commons showdown on our EU divorce. Remainer ringleader MP Nick Boles has gloated “I'm going to wake up with a broad grin on my face” after Brexit-wreckers seized control of Commons. The Tory told The Sun: "It's a great feeling to be finally off to the races and see whether this horse will run."
No-deal Brexit 'would require direct rule in Northern Ireland'
The head of the senior civil servants’ union has said direct rule will be necessary in Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Dave Penman, the general secretary of the FDA, said public sector employees in the province could not be expected to make increasingly political decisions with major security and economic implications if the UK crashed out of Europe. His words follow Theresa May’s comments on Monday, when she told the House of Commons that “some direct application of powers” might have to be imposed on Northern Ireland in a no-deal scenario.
The UK government has lost control of Parliament's agenda for the first time in over 100 years. What comes next?
There were audible gasps in the UK Parliament on Monday night as lawmakers voted to seize control of the Brexit process from embattled Prime Minister Theresa May -- the first time in over a century that MPs have taken over the parliamentary timetable from the government. It was a pivotal moment in what has already been a rollercoaster few weeks in the Brexit process, dealing what could well be the final blow to May's premiership and paving the way for a Brexit lawmakers can at last agree on.
Scottish Parliament to vote for Brexit to be cancelled
The Scottish Parliament is expected to formally back calls for Brexit to be cancelled in a vote later on Wednesday. MSPs will be asked to support a motion calling for Article 50 to be revoked if it is not possible for another EU referendum to be held.
A general election can’t solve Brexit – the only way to solve the issue is another referendum
If we want the public to sort out our political deadlock on Europe, then we need to ask them a question about Europe. We know from the latest polling and analysis by Sir John Curtice that there has been a shift in sentiment. We’re on balance pro-Remain now, given the disastrous talks. There is a small switch in opinions, but proportionally more potential Remain voters say they would vote now than was the case back in 2016.
No EU joy as UK parliament gears up for Brexit votes
EU governments know well enough by now that Wednesday's votes may not end up providing a clear picture of Brexit. Even if they did, European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker will point out that the EU's only "interlocutor" – or opposite number – remains Her Majesty's government, led by Theresa May, and not UK MPs. Would she be willing to shuttle as a go-between on behalf of Parliament, which has chosen to ignore her negotiated Brexit deal? Not likely.
@fabianpicardo Alternatively, carve a legit route to remain via the 3Rs: REVOKE, REFERENDUM, REMAIN.
I agree @Peston. Whichever side of the debate you are on, revoking Art50 is the best way to TAKE BACK CONTROL of #BREXIT. If MPs won’t support the WA, revoke then plan to leave in a managed way. Alternatively, carve a legit route to remain via the 3Rs: REVOKE, REFERENDUM, REMAIN.
Brexit options 'narrowing', says health secretary
The options for Brexit "are narrowing", Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said, after MPs voted to seize control of the parliamentary timetable. The PM was dealt a fresh blow as the government was defeated by 27 votes on Monday, on a plan designed to find out the kind of deal MPs would support. Thirty Conservative MPs rebelled, including three ministers. Mr Hancock said the government would listen to MPs but "can't pre-commit to following whatever they vote for".
Britons backing away from Brexit, but no safe bets - pollster
British voters appear to be changing their minds about leaving the European Union, Britain’s leading polling expert said on Tuesday, but not to a degree that would make a different result in another referendum a safe bet.
Labour considers backing 'common market 2.0' soft Brexit
Shadow minister suggests party will whip along Labour Party policylines ahead of upcoming indicative votes
Brexit paralysis pulls Tories towards an early election
The May administration is disintegrating before us. It looks less like a government than a gruesome reality TV show. Cabinet rows are leaked before the meeting is even over; collective responsibility has collapsed; leadership contenders take public positions to boost their ratings with the party selectorate. Welcome to Hate Island: press 1 for Boris Johnson; press 2 for Dominic Raab; press 3 for Jeremy Hunt.
Political Setbacks
May faces 20 ministerial resignations if they are not allowed free vote on solving Brexit mess
Theresa May conveyed no ... to find a solution to the Brexit mess. She has been warned by MP Anne Milton that there could be 20 resignations from junior ranks of government to add to the three on Monday, if she does not allow a free vote.
Brexit: There is no secret plan, admits minister
Nor could other MPs discern a plan. One Conservative MP told The Times about a conversation with their whip. The MP asked the whip what they were voting in this week. “Don’t know”, they were told. Then they asked if the meaningful vote was coming back. “Don’t know,” they were told. They asked if the indicative votes would happen and got the same response. The whip then asked, “But will you support the government?”
Leader comment: Replacing May will not solve the humiliation of Brexit
EU leaders were scathing about the Prime Minister, last week, but they were equally angry with the Brexiteers whose campaign led us to this chaotic point. In this climate, do these May-must-go members of cabinet really think that sending someone new to the next summit in Brussels is going to create further concessions in the United Kingdom’s favour? If they do then, we fear, they are deluding themselves.
DUP deal killer blow to Theresa May's plan as they refuse to back her 'toxic' Brexit deal
As a number of Brexiteers are indicating they could cave and back the deal to avoid no Brexit, the DUP are holding firm. On Tuesday they insisted they still preferred leaving without a deal to Theresa May's deal. But their Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson went one step further and suggested that an extension was better than the PM's deal. He said: "Even if we are forced into a one-year extension, we at least would have a say on the things which affect us during that time and would have the right to unilaterally decide to leave at the end of that one-year period through the simple decision of not applying for a further extension."
Tories fight 'like rats in a sack' to hang on to the hard Brexit dream
“It’s like rats in a sack on the WhatsApp group today,” says one glum Tory Brexit-backing MP. “Everyone is turning on each other.” Another described the mood as “extremely bitter and very depressed” among many more mainstream Eurosceptic Conservative MPs who fear they are on the brink of losing the hard Brexit that was almost in their grasp. Their ire is directed mainly at the 70 pro-Brexit hardliners who refused to back May’s deal on the second attempt. The holdouts won approval from their Conservative members who want nothing less than a no-deal Brexit and will be decisive in picking the next party leader.
Former minister says others may also resign over Brexit
Former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, who resigned to vote against the government over Brexit, told the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg that he expects more ministers to resign over Mrs May's policy plans for reintroducing her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
One True Brexit's standard bearers stand firm in bonkers battle
The far right Tory Bruges Group regards changing the EU leaving day from the29th March as moment of national surrender
MPs have voted to put Brexit in the hands of Parliament’s most blunder-prone Tory buffoon
Brexit is today in the hands of Parliament’s most blunder-prone Tory buffoon. It’s hard to imagine how things could get worse. But Oliver Letwin will find a way. MPs voted for this diehard Remainer and Old Etonian twit to take charge of votes on mainly “soft Brexit” alternatives.
Pharmacy minister Steve Brine resigns from government over Brexit
Pharmacy minister Steve Brine resigned from the government last night (March 25) to vote against Theresa May over Brexit.
The Brexit delusion of taking back control
From Beijing, where I now am, the UK looks small. It also looks as if it has fallen into the hands of lunatics engaged in an astonishing act of national self-harm. But this, Brexiters will say, is an illusion. The UK is going to “take back control”. The slogan was brilliant. But it was the biggest delusion of all. Control is different from sovereignty. As I argued during the referendum campaign, the UK was already sovereign: it could, if it wished, vote to leave the EU. It did so, but promptly discovered that, while it was sovereign, it was not very powerful. Yet control is about power.
The Guardian view on Brexit’s revolution: eating its own
For many Brexiters, the European Union was not an institutional arrangement that eased trade, immigration and political disputes; it was nothing short of a conspiracy to sap money from the United Kingdom to Brussels, construct an EU army, or help spread Islam across the continent. This thinking underlies the political project to leave the EU. As they are not grounded in truth, these narratives have produced Brexit’s lengthy saga of political ineptitude.
Warning of legal limbo for 3m EU citizens living in UK after Brexit
EU citizens living in the UK would be stripped of their freedom of movement, housing and social security rights by Home Office legislation introduced to regulate immigration following Brexit, a parliamentary report has warned. Despite repeated government reassurances that their privileges will be protected, a study by the joint committee on human rights (JCHR) concludes that more than 3 million Europeans living in Britain would be left in legal “limbo”. The cross-party committee, whose members are drawn from the Commons and the Lords, argues that EU citizens’ rights should be protected by primary legislation rather than reliant on statutory instruments approved by ministers at a later date.
Government rejects petition to 'cancel Brexit' signed by 5.8 million people
The British government has rejected a petition calling for Brexit to be stopped, which gathered more than 5.8 million signatures. The petition is due to be debated by MPs on 1 April, after breaking the 100,000 threshold for consideration and becoming the best-supported proposal in the history of the House of Commons and government’s e-petitions website. Rejecting the oft-repeated claim that EU withdrawal is the “will of the people”, it calls for the revocation of the Article 50 letter informing the European Council of the UK’s intention to leave.
Get set for Brexit: Indicative Day – the one where the Grand Wizards turn on each other
Draw near, true believers, for these are dark days for the ERG Brexit ultras. The Fellowship of the Ringpieces finds itself divided on their next move, and may yet be bitterly sundered as they ponder the big question: could they honestly have played it worse?
@Peston Senior ERG Brexiter lawyer MPs, Cash, @SuellaBraverman, Tomlinson and Jones, accuse PM of "unlawful use of Royal Prerogative" in agreeing with EU a postponement of Brexit day without first changing UK law.
Senior ERG Brexiter lawyer MPs, Cash, @SuellaBraverman, Tomlinson and Jones, accuse PM of "unlawful use of Royal Prerogative" in agreeing with EU a postponement of Brexit day without first changing UK law. It is the symbolism of ERG attacking the PM which matters, because no...
Olly Robbins was right about one thing at least; it's either May's deal or a lengthy extension
For many Brexiteers, Olly Robbins, Theresa May’s chief Brexit negotiator, is something of a hate figure. But whatever the rights and wrongs of his Withdrawal Agreement, his analysis of the way events would pan out, as articulated in a Brussels hotel bar, is proving pretty much spot on. When it came down to it, he was overheard saying some months ago, the choice would be between Mrs May’s deal and a lengthy extension. Everything else would fall by the wayside. The second of these options is where we now seem to be heading.
The Government is in crisis, but what makes Parliament think it can do any better?
It is hard to think of a more humiliating moment for a sitting Prime Minister than what happened in Parliament yesterday. MPs from across the House, including ministers, voted to take matters out of her Government’s hands into their own – "taking control" as they put it – because they do not trust Theresa May to get a grip and find a workable response to Brexit.
Why a general election is both necessary and impossible
Here is the nightmare for Theresa May. If, as seems highly likely, MPs instruct the prime minister to negotiate a Brexit or no-Brexit outcome that conflicts with government policy, she and her ministers would be degraded into ciphers and puppets of MPs. There are two big reasons why it cannot happen. First is that the two main parties are irredeemably split over Brexit. Labour and the Tory Party would find it impossible to craft a manifesto with a policy on leaving or not-leaving the EU for which all their respective MPs could campaign. So an election could not end the torture for the UK and EU of the uncertainty about our Brexit or no-Brexit future. Second, I have not found a single Tory MP who think it would be a good idea for Theresa May to lead her party into another election, such is the degree to which they have lost confidence in her (and she of course has pledged not to do that).
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 28th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK Daffodil business mired in uncertainty- A drop in seasonal workers driven by Brexit fears, has left daffodil growers struggling to harvest their fields, amid warnings that crops will 'almost certainly' be lost as the year progresses. Uncertainty over the value of the pound, and a drop off in foreign pickers coming to the UK, will hit this £45m a year industry hard, says the NFU
Retail sales fell sharply in March
- UK retail sales fell in March, at the fastest rate for more than a year, as the UK's mounting Brexit crisis weighed on consumers' willingness to spend, according to a survey of major retailers. The CBI said retail sales slid by the most since October 2017. Its retail sales index fell to -18%, from a level of zero in February, meaning more retailers saw a slump in sales than reported an increase
Councils told hate crimes may spike again
- Local councils are being put on notice that there is likely to be a spike in hate crimes when the UK leaves the EU
Travel chaos expected on Kent's roads
- Kent County Council's Brexit coordinator said 'parts of Kent could be cut off by traffic jams, after the UK leaves the EU. The Isle of Thanet was one of the areas where delivery of supplies, movement of emergency vehicles and essential travel could become difficult'
Office space and apartment costs rise sharply in Amsterdam - as companies leave
- Due to dozens of companies relocating offices from the UK to Amsterdam, the city is seeing a sharp spike in apartment and office space prices, due to a lack of availability
Watch out for currency fluctuation in freight handling
- The freight distribution trade press reported that although many companies had prepared for Brexit, one unexpected area that could hit them hard is unpredictable currency fluctation
May flies, indicative votes fall
- After taking a day to debate eight alternative Brexit proposals, the House of Commons voted on them. None of the eight won a majority
- The two 'most popular' new proposals were: Customs Union (264 votes but lost by 8 votes) and Confirmatory Vote (268 votes but lost by 27). There is now an additional day to debate the 'winners' next Monday. It is not clear as yet how matters will proceed that day
- There was still a push by the government to get a 3rd Meaningful Vote on Theresa May's withdrawal agreement past the House of Commons. Ministers and officials were busy seeking support from ERG waverers and the DUP
- These efforts to seek support for a new vote, led to Theresa May telling the Conservative Party 1922 Committee that she would be prepared to step down as Prime Minister, were her Withdrawal Agreement passed in a 3rd Meaningful Vote.
- Theresa May's offer to stand down has been one of the demands of her own European Research Group, hardcore Eurosceptics, many of whom have voted against her deal twice. Her news triggered renewed speculation on a would be successor and increased the group's willingness to back her deal
- The deal needs the support of the DUP. It said on Wednesday it will vote against her deal. It believes the changes that are needed to the deal with regard to the Irish backstop have not happened. So, in their opinion. 'they cannot sign up to something that would damage the union'
- The Sun's political commentator, Tom Newton Dunn, commented caustically: 'still 36 hours to go to MV3 on Friday - time for the DUP to screw billions from the Treasury in return for votes'
- House of Commons speaker John Bercow reiterated that any 3rd Meaningful Vote motion in the Commons had to be materially different from the previous two the House defeated, or he would block it
- So, if the Theresa May deal does make it to a vote on Friday, there are some obstacles remaining. There is a hardcore inside the ERG who are unlikely to budge, without a large enough incentive (perhaps). Then comes Monday
- ITV's Robert Peston reported that the Cabinet Secretary and the Attorney General have told the Cabinet that, if at the end of the Letwin Amendment process on Monday, the House of Commons passes a motion mandating the PM to pursue a new route through the Brexit mess, the PM and government would be in breach of ministerial code and the law if they fail to follow these instructions
- One of the architects of the 2016 Brexit vote Dominic Cummings, has been found in contempt of Parliament
- The Scottish Parliament voted for Brexit to be cancelled if the UK faces the prospect of leaving the EU without a deal
- Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, also raised the spectre that Theresa May's departure could make the Brexit debacle worse. There would be a Tory leadership election in the midst of the crisis, followed by a political lurch further to the right, as any candidate would need to earn ERG support to become party leader
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Jobs at Risk
Daffodil and coffee worker shortages amid Brexit uncertainty
Brexit has been holding back recruitment, with curbs on EU immigration likely to damage the farming industry's growth, union bosses have said. A drop in seasonal workers driven by Brexit has left daffodil growers struggling to harvest their fields amid warnings that crops will "almost certainly" be lost as the year progresses. The daffodil season, which lasts from January to April, contributes about £45m a year to the UK's economy. The National Farmers Union (NFU) said uncertainty over the value of the pound and the future ability of staff to work in the UK after Brexit has resulted in a significant drop in pickers choosing to come to the UK.
Economic Impact
Retail sales fall as Brexit uncertainty weighs on consumers
UK retail sales fell in March at the fastest rate for more than a year, as Britain’s mounting political crisis over Brexit weighed on consumers’ willingness to spend, according to a survey of major retailers. The latest figures from the Confederation of British Industry, covering high street firms responsible for a third of employment in retailing, showed that retail sales slid in March by the most since October 2017.
The business lobby group’s monthly retail sales index plunged to -18% in March from a level of 0% in February – meaning more retailers reported a slump in sales than reported an increase. City economists had expected a reading of +5%.
Administrative Fall Out
Kent plans for areas ‘cut off’ by Brexit traffic jams
Parts of Kent might become “cut off” by traffic jams following the UK’s departure from the EU and might need special help to receive basic supplies, according to the county council expected to be the worst hit in the event of post-Brexit travel and trade disruption. Fiona Gaffney, the council’s Brexit co-ordinator, said the Isle of Thanet on the northeastern tip of Kent was among the areas where delivery of supplies, movement of emergency vehicles and other essential travel could become particularly difficult.
Councils warned to prepare for potential hate crime increase after Brexit
Local councils are being warned to brace for an increase in community tension and localised ‘trigger events’ as the UK leaves the EU. In the latest of a series of updates sent by the Government, Nottinghamshire County and Nottingham City councils have been advised there could be increased community concerns about hate crime after Brexit.
Brexit Is Making Life Tough for Amsterdam Homebuyers
Dozens of companies have added Amsterdam offices as a result of the U.K.’s impending departure from the European Union, and some 2,400 jobs have been created in the Netherlands, with officials predicting many more will come. Real estate agents say they speak English with half the buyers or renters who show up for home viewings, and lender ABN Amro Group NV has stationed a Brexit team of 10 people at Amsterdam’s airport to offer mortgages to potential homebuyers flying in from London.
I’m glad I left Brexit Britain. My EU friends who didn’t are stuck in limbo
Surprise, surprise: your rights will likely not be protected as the government once promised. For the very few who still had hope that Brexit would not affect them this may come as a shock and cause serious concern about their future in the UK. For me, it is reassurance that I did the right thing in leaving the UK last September.
How disties are reacting to the new Brexit deadlines
Border blockages and price cutting may not even be the biggest threats to the channel in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Dave Stevinson, MD of QBS Software, warned that changes to currency rates could have the biggest effect on pricing.
"Changes in currency are a bigger risk than excess inventory, which would probably be covered by price protection or contracts between the vendor and distributor," he explained. "My advice to resellers and disties is to have a strong look at their foreign exchange policy in the next few weeks and months - a big swing can wipe out all the profit."
Political Shenanigans
Parliament Has Rejected Every Single Brexit Plan
The alternative plan which secured the most votes in favour was a motion calling for a second referendum, which lost by 295 to 268 — ironically, the same 52% to 48% margin as in the 2016 referendum. In second place was a motion calling for a permanent customs union to be added to the withdrawal agreement, tabled by former Conservative cabinet minister Ken Clarke, which was beaten by 272 to 264.
Other motions were even less successful. Two proposals put forward by Brexiteers calling for a no-deal Brexit and the so-called ‘Malthouse plan’ garnered only 160 and 139 votes respectively. A cross-party proposal for a Norway-style softer Brexit, dubbed Common Market 2.0, also performed poorly, losing by 283-188. Nonetheless, several of the options fared between that May's deal at the second meaningful vote earlier in March, which was crushed by 391 votes to 242.
Brexit: No majority for any options after MPs' votes
None of MPs' eight proposed Brexit options have secured clear backing in a series of votes in the Commons. The options - which included a customs union with the EU and a referendum on any deal - were supposed to help find a consensus over how to leave the EU. Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said the results strengthened ministers' view their deal was "the best option". The results capped a day of drama in which Theresa May promised to stand down as PM if her deal was passed. The prime minister told a meeting of Tory MPs she would leave office earlier than planned if it guaranteed Parliament's backing for her withdrawal agreement with the EU.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-47728333
Additional sources: (The Telegraph) (The Telegraph) (BBC) (Politico) (Daily Mail)
Additional sources: (The Telegraph) (The Telegraph) (BBC) (Politico) (Daily Mail)
Oliver Letwin: The ‘jobbing prime minister’ whose amendment seized control of the Brexit process
The architect of these events is Sir Oliver Letwin, a Tory MP and former minister. His intervention has led some to refer to him as a “jobbing Prime Minister”. On Monday night, MPs voted to hold a series of votes to establish the most popular way forward on Brexit. The decision showed MPs were unhappy with Theresa May‘s negotiations and confirmed they were resoundingly against her Withdrawal Agreement.
Brexit: Theresa May's withdrawal deal in disarray as DUP vows to vote against it after she offers to resign
Theresa May’s plan to secure Tory MPs’ backing for her Brexit deal by promising to resign has been blown apart after her DUP partners in government vowed to block it in a new vote. Ms May announced she will resign within weeks if Tory rebels desperate to see the back of her, allow the Brexit deal she struck with Brussels to pass through the House of Commons. The move did see Boris Johnson and other rebels finally fall into line, but within hours the boost was wiped out when DUP leader Arlene Foster branded the prime minister’s Brexit plan an “unacceptable threat” to the UK’s integrity.
People's Vote wins over most number of MPs in House of Commons
A series of indicative votes in the House of Commons has found that no alternative to Theresa May’s Brexit plan has been found, but a second vote won over the most MPs. A total of 268 MPs voted for a confirmatory second referendum, with 295 voting against, giving it the most support in the House of Commons out of all of the options. It narrowly beat the option of a Customs Union which received 264 votes with 272 MPs voting against. Both options were more popular than Theresa May’s Brexit deal which won over just 242 MPs in the second meaningful vote. Labour’s alternative Brexit plan was the third most popular option with 237 votes (with 307 votes against), Common Market 2.0 had 188 votes (with 283 votes against), and revocation of Article 50 had 184 votes (with 293 votes against). A no-deal Brexit had just 160 votes (with 400 votes against) and the Malthouse Plan B gained just 139 votes (with 422 votes against).
Indicative votes: A People's Vote just became much more likely
The instant reaction, in the Commons Chamber and online, was exasperation. None of the eight ideas about Brexit put to MPs this afternoon commanded a majority. It was easy to paint it as a typically shambolic bit of parliamentary chaos.
But the truth was completely different. The fact there was no clear winner was as expected. Once the dust settled and you could take a hard look at the numbers, something was clear: This was a very good night for the People's Vote campaign.
We always knew it would go like this. It had been plain for a long time that there was no majority for any one option in the Commons. When Oliver Letwin was arguing for his system on Monday, before MPs voted to support it, he made it clear that it would be a multi-stage process.
Brexit: Theresa May vows to stand down if deal is passed
Theresa May has promised Tory MPs she will quit if they back her Brexit deal. She told backbench Tories: "I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party." The PM said she knew that Tory MPs did not want her to lead the next phase of Brexit negotiations "and I won't stand in the way of that". But the DUP said it had not changed its position and would still vote against the deal. The BBC's Laura Kuenssberg said the DUP's refusal to back the deal at this stage was a "huge blow" for Number 10.
Brexit: Theresa May plays her final card
If the deal doesn't go through then it's not quite clear that Mrs May's offer to go still applies, although it is almost impossible, whether it stands or falls, that she would be able to stay. The prime minister hopes that by offering to leave Number 10, she'll take the country out of the EU with her, smoothly, without more political turmoil. And that order, of a sort, will be restored and the uncertainty for all of us will end. If that happens, we'll see a new leader in Downing Street by mid-July. But that is still a gamble.
Revoke Article 50 option rejected by MPs in Brexit vote
MPs have this evening voted against revoking Article 50 in a series of votes in the House of Commons. The amendment was voted down with 184 aye votes and 293 no votes. The motion, tabled by the SNP’s Joanna Cherry, was signed by 33 MPs including Conservative former attorney general Dominic Grieve, Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable, Labour’s Ben Bradshaw and all 11 members of The Independent Group. The votes MPs took part in were indicative, meaning the Prime Minister is not bound by the result, but will give her guidance over what MPs are thinking.
UK Conservative MP Letwin says will back PM May's deal
British Conservative Party lawmaker Oliver Letwin, the architect of a series of votes on alternatives to Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan, said on Wednesday he would continue to vote for her deal. “I still hope even at this last moment ... that those of my colleagues who have not been backing the prime minister .. may change their minds and the prime minister might get a deal over the line on Thursday or Friday. If she does, no one would be happier than I am,” Letwin told BBC radio. Ahead of lawmakers holding so-called indicative votes on a variety of possible Brexit outcomes later on Wednesday, Letwin said he did not expect the process to deliver an immediate majority view on the way forward. “If we do go forward to Monday, and if on Monday one or more propositions get a majority backing in the House of Commons, then we will have to work with the government to get the government to implement them. There is nobody else other than the government to implement them,” he said.
Scottish independence campaigners face perils of People's Vote hypocrisy
The sight of First Minister Nicola Sturgeon sharing a platform with Alastair Campbell and Michael Heseltine at the People’s Vote Rally in London did not upset me as much as it did others but it was symbolic of the times. The Letwin amendment, which has temporarily given Parliament a greater degree of control over Brexit proceedings, was drafted by the chief architect of Thatcher’s poll tax, yet in the “national interest” the SNP supported the legislative tweak. That would be fine if not for the fact that the SNP tore into Labour for years for sharing a platform with the Conservatives at the 2014 referendum. But now, apparently, it’s OK.
@TNewtondunn Still 36 hours to go to MV3 on Friday - time to screw more billions from HMT, and too early for them to give in politically.
Will the DUP really not vote for the deal? Cabinet ministers still think they will at last minute. Still 36 hours to go to MV3 on Friday - time to screw more billions from HMT, and too early for them to give in politically.
Brexit: DUP confirms it will not back withdrawal deal
The DUP has confirmed it will not back Theresa May's Brexit deal despite the prime minister's promise to step down if MPs backed it. The party said that it the changes it wants to see to the backstop have not been achieved. Theresa May told Tory MPs that she would stand down if they voted for her withdrawal deal. DUP leader Arlene Foster said that the party "cannot sign up to something that would damage the union".
Result of UK parliament votes on Brexit options shows PM May's deal is best: minister
The fact that none of the alternative Brexit options voted on by British lawmakers on Wednesday won the support of a majority shows that Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal is the best option, Brexit minister Stephen Barclay said. Lawmakers grabbed control of the Brexit process on Wednesday to try to break the impasse over May’s Brexit deal, which has been rejected twice by parliament. “The results of the process this House (of Commons) has gone through today strengthens our view that the deal the government has negotiated is the best option,” Barclay told parliament.
Scottish Parliament votes to revoke Article 50 and cancel Brexit
Holyrood has called for Brexit to be scrapped if another referendum cannot take place. MSPs backed a motion lodged by Scottish Greens co-convener Patrick Harvie, insisting the UK should revoke Article 50 in the absence of an extension allowing for a People’s Vote. In a largely symbolic move, the motion passed by 89 votes to 28, with the Scottish Tories voting against. It came ahead of MPs voting on a series of alternative Brexit options at Westminster.
Bercow issues fresh warning over third vote on May's Brexit deal
Theresa May’s hopes of putting her Brexit deal to a third meaningful vote have hit another obstacle after John Bercow said parliamentary procedures could not be used to present it unchanged, even as more senior Eurosceptics seem to be getting behind the agreement. Amid speculation the prime minister is making a private pact to set a date to stand down when the deal goes through, more than 20 Conservative Eurosceptics have publicly suggested they will change their minds because they do not want a softer Brexit.
Brexit extension could be until 31 March 2020, EU documents reveal
The EU has pencilled in April Fools’ Day 2020 as a leading option for Britain’s first day outside the bloc, should the UK government ask Brussels for a lengthy extension of article 50 in three weeks’ time, it can be revealed. The date was to be offered at the leaders’ summit last week if Theresa May had followed through on her promise to request a short extension in the event of passing her Brexit deal, and a longer one should it be rejected again by the House of Commons. Such was the disapproval of her cabinet, the prime minister only sought a short delay until 30 June in her formal letter. She was subsequently given an unconditional extension until 12 April, or a longer one to 22 May in the unlikely event of the withdrawal agreement being ratified this week.
To defeat an insurgent far-right, Labour must resist Brexit with all its force
The left must fight for the softest possible form of exit and then unleash a counter-attack in the form of a second referendum.
Tusk urges EU not to ignore Britons who no longer want Brexit
Mr Tusk called April 12th the “new cliff-edge date” and that Britain still had a choice between a deal, no deal, a long extension or the revoking of Article 50, Britain’s notification that it plans to leave the European Union. “You cannot betray the six million people who signed the petition to revoke Article 50, the one million people who marched for a People’s Vote, or the increasing majority of people who want to remain in the European Union,” said Donald Tusk, who chairs summits of EU leaders, told the parliament.
Palace ‘bricking it over Brexit as Queen could get dragged into political chaos’
Brexit is apparently getting the Queen as stressed as the rest of us. The Queen’s main concern is thought to be the 2011 Fixed Term Parliament Act’s no confidence procedure. This would be triggered following a vote of no confidence in the Prime Minister. As a result MPs would be given two weeks to form a new Government dragging her in to controversy potentially
Brexit voting: MPs reject Customs Union by just 8 votes – how every MP voted
MPs voted against every single one of the indicative votes intended to find where a majority in Parliament was to be found. The closest a motion came to passing was tabled by Ken Clarke, the veteran Conservative, and Father of the House. However, it was still defeated by 8 votes. 33 Conservatives voted for the motion, as well as a few Independent MPs. Almost all of Labour also voted for it, with just 12 electing to vote against it.
Tory Eurosceptics signal shift toward Theresa May’s Brexit deal
Several Tory arch-Euroskeptic MPs have signaled a shift toward U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement ahead of Wednesday's House of Commons votes on a series of alternative Brexit plans. European Research Group leader Jacob Rees-Mogg issued a front-page apology for his U-turn in the Daily Mail, confirming he will vote for May's deal if the Democratic Unionist Party also comes on board.
MPs fail to reach agreement on a Brexit plan B
MPs voted for a soft Brexit and a second referendum in significant numbers on Wednesday, but no single option for leaving the EU secured majority support in the House of Commons. A cross-party group of backbench MPs succeeded in taking control of the Commons agenda and organising a series of so-called indicative votes on alternative plans to Theresa May’s Brexit deal after it was emphatically rejected twice. Most of the plans were put forward by backbenchers, in an effort to forge a consensus on a different option to the prime minister’s deal.
Letter from Westminster: What does Oliver Letwin's constitutional revolution mean?
The constitutional revolution devised by Oliver Letwin, Yvette Cooper, Dominic Grieve, Nick Boles and Hilary Benn has finally broken through the last defences and an ingenious group of backbench MPs have devised a way to take over the functions of the government temporarily
Prime minister would 'break the law if she ignores Letwin result'
I am told that the cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill and the attorney general Geoffrey Cox informed Cabinet that if at the end of the Letwin process MPs pass a motion mandating the PM to pursue a new route through the Brexit mess - perhaps a referendum, or membership of the customs union, or some other softer future relationship with the EU - the PM and government would be in breach of the ministerial code and the law if they fail to follow MP's instructions.
To avert this Brexit disaster, MPs must smash the party system
Brexit has changed the political map and the old structures can no longer contain the crisis, says Guardian columnist Rafael Behr.
Political Setbacks
How Theresa May Finally Set Her Resignation Timetable To Get Brexit ‘Over The Line’
Her voice cracking at one point, May was heard in silence as she finally uttered the words her Brexiteer backbenchers had been waiting for. “I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations – and I won’t stand in the way of that.” The reaction was one of relief, both for her and her party. The very first response came from veteran backbencher Richard Bacon, a doughty eurosceptic who announced he would now back the PM’s deal. James Gray and Robert Courts said they too would now switch and dump their opposition. Backbencher Bob Seely asked May just how close she was to getting the DUP on board. She sidestepped the question.
Theresa May promises to quit if Brexit deal passes
Theresa May has promised she will quit as prime minister once her Brexit deal is voted through. Mrs May made the promise in an address to Conservative MPs in parliament. Her move is a last-gasp attempt to persuade her own party to back her EU withdrawal agreement, which has already been twice heavily defeated in the House of Commons. Mrs May told a gathering of the Tories' 1922 committee: "I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party." "I ask everyone in this room to back the deal so we can complete our historic duty - to deliver on the decision of the British people and leave the European Union with a smooth and orderly exit."
The hardliners are fearing defeat — and Remainer MPs can take advantage
Where are the self-styled Brexiteer “grand wizards” who converged on Chequers last Sunday to deliver a scary ultimatum to May? They have been replaced, it seems, by a huddle of meek and supplicant smurfs, worried that Brexit might not happen at all. We know that May is going sooner rather than later, that she has already agreed not to lead her party into the next general election, and that the battery of her political authority is now completely drained. To present her imminent departure as a famous victory for the European Research Group is truly pathetic.
No, what has spooked the Brexiteers is the sudden scent in the air of total defeat. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands marched through London demanding a People’s Vote .
May’s exit won’t halt Britain’s slow drift into a kind of Brexit civil war
Most of the votes that are making this happen are from the opposition benches. Tonight’s results had a heavy Labour dimension. But the decisive element in the new situation is the mobilisation of the one-nation Tories. Time and again in the past two years, the pro-Europeans, the modernisers and the liberals on the Tory benches have flattered to deceive, preferring to rally around May when she has been subverted and abandoned by the hard Brexiters. On Monday, these Tory centrists finally stood up in force, mustering 30 votes behind Letwin; they included three very effective middle-ranking ministers who resigned. Today, on the timetable motion, 33 of them voted against May. This change has been pivotal. They will surely rally around Amber Rudd now.
Dominic Cummings found in contempt of parliament
MPs had examined correspondence between Cummings and the digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) committee, which was investigating the proliferation of false news stories during the EU referendum campaign. The privileges committee acknowledged its sanctions were limited to recommending the Commons issue a formal admonishment for Cummings’ conduct, raising questions about the committee’s enforcement powers. The admonishment would require a resolution of the house, which, if passed, “should be communicated to Mr Cummings by the clerk of the house”, the committee said in its report. Damian Collins, the chair of the DCMS committee, said it was clear the powers of the house had been “found wanting”
Online petition system needs overhaul because it leaves public opinion open to 'manipulation' says Conservative MP
A conservative MP has called for an overhaul to the online petition system, saying it leaves public opinion on important issues like Brexit open for “manipulation” from “foreign state aggressors.” During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, MP Maggie Throup said a “fundamental flaw” of the current system is that it “accepts unverified signatures from across the world.”
Brexit latest: Theresa May tells MPs there is 'still not sufficient support' to bring back deal for third meaningful vote
Theresa May has told MPs that there is still not "sufficient" support to bring back her Brexit deal to the Commons for a third meaningful vote. But the Prime Minister said she would continue her efforts to build support for the deal - defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 votes in March - and stage a vote before the end of the week.
Theresa May allows a free vote on Brexit alternatives
Theresa May has avoided a rash of resignations by Europhile ministers by allowing Conservative MPs a free vote on alternatives to her Brexit plans, as the House of Commons seeks to take the initiative from the government on Britain’s departure from the EU. In a move indicating her waning authority, the UK prime minister will not instruct, or “whip”, Tory backbenchers or junior ministers on how to vote when the Commons debates rival plans to her Brexit deal on Wednesday evening — although cabinet members will be ordered to abstain.
Efta countries wary of UK's interest in 'Norway' option
Iceland says UK would have to accept free movement of labour, while Norway wants to avoid being seen as interfering in Brexit politics
Welsh Tory Brexit rebels say PM's exit vow has not changed minds
The only course of action for MPs after they rejected a range of alternatives to Theresa May's Brexit deal is to pass the agreement, a Welsh Tory MP said. David Davies said the exercise showed there was no support for other options. On Wednesday night MPs rejected eight proposals, including calls for a customs union with the EU and for a further referendum. The votes came on a day when the PM told Tory MPs she would step down if her deal is backed.Two Welsh Conservative MPs, who have voted against it twice, told BBC Wales that Mrs May's move would still not be enough for them to support the agreement if a third vote is held.
MPs want Brexit à la carte. Let’s hope they know the unicorn’s off
If parliament spends its day voting on impossible options, no progress will be possible – and the kitchen closes on 12 April
No-deal Brexit 'disadvantage' for NI agri-food - Michael Gove
No-deal Brexit plans could place Northern Ireland's agri-food industry at a "significant disadvantage", the UK's environment secretary has said. The UK plan would mean that food exports from the Republic to NI would face zero tariffs, said Michael Gove. However, goods going the other way from NI to the Republic could face high tariffs. Mr Gove said the impact would depend on what the Irish government and European Commission choose to do.
A Boycott Is the Underpriced Risk of a Second Brexit Vote
Now that parliament has taken control of the timetable in order to hold indicative votes on various Brexit paths, one option MPs will be asked to reconsider is a second referendum. Talk of a new vote, with a Remain option on the ballot, has grown again following Saturday’s mass-scale protest march. But lost amid all the chatter about another vote is the tangible danger to British democracy lurking in such a plan. The risk is that any attempt at what proponents call a people’s vote would likely be met with a people’s boycott. Regardless of the referendum’s final tally, an organized boycott would mean all of Britain loses.
@RobDotHutton Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman explains that the party only supports a referendum on a "damaging Tory Brexit". If Labour takes power, he says, it will negotiate a better Brexit, which won't need a referendum.
LABOUR BREXIT LATEST: Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman explains that the party only supports a referendum on a "damaging Tory Brexit". If Labour takes power, he says, it will negotiate a better Brexit, which won't need a referendum.
Brexit latest shock: Did SNP just give Norway+ a massive boost in vote tonight?
Mr Blackford, who is also SNP Westminster, said today: "It is becoming increasingly clear that the cost the Prime Minister will pay to force her disastrous deal through is the price of her departure. "Yet again another Tory Prime Minister is willing to ride off into the sunset and saddle us with a crisis in the UK and an extreme right-wing Brexiteer coming into Downing Street. Does the Prime Minister feel no sense of responsibility for what she is about to do?"
Sturgeon: PM's plan to quit could make Brexit worse
Theresa May's pledge to stand down if her Brexit deal is approved risks making "an already bad project even worse", Nicola Sturgeon has claimed. Ms Sturgeon said it could see Scotland "shackled to a disastrous Brexit driven by a Tory party lurching even further to the right". She predicted that this would "further reinforce" the case for independence. Ms Sturgeon was speaking after Holyrood voted for Brexit to be cancelled if the UK faces leaving the EU without a deal.
Brexit: Second referendum blocked by just a handful of Labour MPs
People's Vote campaigners were left furious tonight after it emerged a second referendum would have got a majority if Labour MPs hadn't voted against it. The Indicative Vote motion on a second referendum was just 27 votes short of a majority - exactly the same number as Labour MPs who voted against it.
Five anti-Brexit MPs sent threats and pictures of a crossbow
A man and a woman have been arrested for sending malicious messages to Remain MPs on Twitter A man and a woman have been arrested for sending malicious messages to Remain MPs on Twitter.
The UK government bought a £12m New York penthouse for a British civil servant to use for post-Brexit trade deals
The Foreign Office has paid $15.9m for a seven-bedroom luxury penthouse in New York for a senior British civil servant, charged with securing trade post-Brexit, to use at will. According to The Guardian, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt personally oversaw the purchase of a 5,893 sq ft (574 sq metre) property as the official residence for Antony Phillipson, the UK trade commissioner for North America and consul general in New York.
Brexit: UK Government sends official response to Revoke Article 50 petition - here it is in full
The Government emailed people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition last night with a response. The petition currently stands at 5,819,436 signatures and is scheduled for debate in parliament on 1 April.
Hardline Brexiteers should think about quitting Tories, says rebel former minister Richard Harrington
Hardline Brexit “irreconcilables” should consider quitting the Conservative party, former business minister Richard Harrington suggested today. He believes that Tories unwilling to accept any type of compromise on Europe would be better off seeking a party more in tune with their views.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 29th Mar 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Car Production Falls Again
- UK car production levels slump for ninth consecutive month as industry boss warns no-deal Brexit would cause 'serious damage' to the sector
British Chambers of Commerce chief attacks handling of Brexit process
- Brexit: Business chief's attack on 'irresponsible' MPs - 'you've let us down'
NI Food & Drink Association accuses Brexiteers of peddling myths
- The NI Food and Drink Association said there is 'no good outcome' from a no-deal scenario and that Brexiteers were 'peddling myths about the WTO'
Sterling down on No Deal fears
- Sterling tumbles as opposition to Brexit deal grows
Police Scotland's Brexit Squad already busy
- Police Scotland has deployed a team of more than 300 officers on Brexit-related incidents in only a week since the team's inception
Brexit is now the top issue for any indepedence argument in Scotland
- Scots cite Brexit as ‘single most important issue’ when considering independence
Warning to health groups about stockpiling medicines
- Scots urged by Chief Medical Officer not to stockpile medication in run-up to Brexit
Fears over losing the European arrest warrant
- PSNI chief fears losing the European arrest warrant in event of no-deal Brexit
Most Scottish firms unprepared for No Deal Brexit
- Law firm Anderson Strathern reports that more than half of all Scottish firms have no contingency plans for a No Deal Brexit
Crazy like a Fox
- Liam Fox said we'll have all 40 EU free trade agreement signed so trade can continue as before when we leave the EU in 2017 - so no disruption. As of March 28th only 8 have been signed
Theresa May gambles everything on one last roll of the dice
- Theresa May's deal is back, sort of. The government have submitted half of it - the Withdrawal Agreement - for a vote in Parliament on Friday. Thereby, not breaching Parliamentary convention by submitting exactly the same thing as last time (Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration)
- The PM's decision to offer her resignation if her deal passes the House of Commons is not winning favour with the DUP and a hardline Eurosceptic faction within her own party. Although, the vote is likely to be closer than her two previous defeats, much now depends on whether she can persuade Labour Party MPs to back her
- There may have been a good chance of Labour support, before Mrs May announced her imminent resignation. Now, Labour fears that a more hardline Eurosceptic leader of the Tory part may emerge and any promises made to the MPs could turn out to be worthless
- The European Commission has circulated a note to EU27 ambassadors in which it states that the UK's remaining options seem to be No Deal or a long delay to Brexit
- The EU is activating its full crisis mode plans for a No Deal Brexit. It will make paying the UK's full Brexit bill of £39bn a precursor of any future trade deal discussion
- All the potential candidates in waiting to become Prime Minister after Theresa May are moving to campaign mode. This is likely to play an important role in their decision making in this vital Brexit phase
- The Labour Party attacked the PM's decision to go for a split vote on her deal calling it a return to a blindfold Brexit
- ITV's Robert Peston points out that if Theresa May's vote did win through it locks down May 22nd as Brexit Day not April 12th as now
- A Sky News poll says more than half of all Britons are 'unconvinced' by the list of Theresa May's potential replacements
- The Revoke Article 50 and Remain petition is closing in on 6m signatures and has a debate next Monday
- Leader writers are slamming the Conservative Party for 'playground politics' which has caused the Brexit crisis
- News emerged the Department of Transport never held any face-to-face meetings with the backers of the ferry-less shipping firm Seaborne Freight at any time
- Sky pondered whether Theresa May was contemplating using a win in the Commons today as a pretext to leave the EU on the basis of that vote
- The Metropolitan Police are said to be very concerned by the threat of extreme violence on 'Brexit Day,' likely to come from a number of far right groups who plan to converge in London
Economic Impact
UK car production levels slump for ninth consecutive month as industry boss warns no-deal Brexit would cause 'serious damage' to the sector
The number of cars built in Britain dropped for the ninth consecutive month in February, new figures show. Around 123,200 cars were built last month, marking a fall of over 15 per cent from the same point a year ago. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the continued reduction should be a wake-up call to anyone who believes the industry could survive a no-deal Brexit without 'serious damage.'
Brexit: Business chief's attack on 'irresponsible' MPs - 'you've let us down'
Politicians have "let down" British business with their "irresponsible" handling of Brexit - a top business leader has said. Dr Adam Marshall, director general of the British Chambers of Commerce said Parliament had spent three years "going round in circles". The deadlock had left companies and communities facing "mass disruption" and people were "angry and frustrated" at Westminster. In a speech to the BCC's annual conference in London, he will accuse politicians of focusing on "soundbites not substance" and of "listening without hearing".
A no-deal Brexit would send sterling to its lowest level since 1985
Regardless of what they tell you, traders struggle to explain short-term fluctuations in the value of currencies. Recently, however, the pound has become an exception. Every time it seems more likely that Britain will leave the eu without a deal, sterling falls against the dollar. The strength of this link can be measured statistically, thanks to a helpful proxy for the odds of no-deal. On January 16th a market opened on Betfair Exchange, a betting website, on whether Britain will crash out by March 29th, the original Brexit deadline. Punters have bet £3.9m ($5.1m).
Sterling tumbles as opposition to Brexit deal grows
Sterling fell almost 1% today as concerns grew that British Prime Minister Theresa May's offer to resign failed to convince hardline eurosceptics in her party to back her Brexit withdrawal deal. Boris Johnson, who led the 2016 referendum campaign to leave the European Union, said May's deal - already defeated twice in parliament - is now dead, London's Evening Standard newspaper reported today. Another Conservative Party lawmaker, Mark Francois, denounced May's EU divorce deal as "rancid" and said he would reject it again if parliament voted on it again. The pound tumbled by close to 1% to $1.3061 this evening. Against the euro, it weakened 0.9% to 85.99 pence.
Has poverty increased in the UK in the past year, did wages increase and how is Brexit involved?
A report by Cambridge Econometrics published in September 2018 assessed the various impacts Brexit could have on low-income groups in the years up to 2030.
It found that consumer prices will probably rise and wages for low-pay workers will be "depressed". And in the case of a No Deal Brexit, low-income households could see an average £480 increase in the cost of living. In November 2018, a UN poverty expert blasted the UK Government's policies of public spending cuts and austerity ahead of Brexit. Philip Alston said: "The United Kingdom's impending exit from the European Union poses particular risks for people in poverty, but the Government appears to be treating this as an afterthought."
Administrative Fall Out
200,000 nurses have quit the NHS since 2010
Research conducted by the Labour Party and verified by the House of Commons Library shows that between 2010 and 2018 over 200,000 nurses left the NHS with a staggering 163,094 leaving for reasons ‘other than retirement’. Meanwhile, the number of workers who quit for health reasons has doubled and the total number of staff leaving the NHS due to a poor work-life balance has more than tripled.
Scots cite Brexit as ‘single most important issue’ when considering independence
Brexit is now the most important issue for Scots when considering if the country should be independent, according to a new opinion poll. More than two-fifths (43%) of voters cited this as one of the three key issues they would consider when deciding if Scotland should be independent – just ahead of the 42% who said the economy was the most pressing factor. In 2014, the year of the independence referendum, the future of the economy was given as the main concern by 46% of voters, with EU membership only ranking as the sixth most important issue.
Scots urged not to stockpile medication in run-up to Brexit
Scotland’s chief medical officer has warned shortages of medicines “may occur” in the wake of a no-deal Brexit but said people should not stockpile drugs. Dr Catherine Calderwood said members of the public – as well as GPs, pharmacies and hospitals – should not try to build up their own supply of medication. She issued the advice in a letter sent to NHS board chief executives, local authority leaders and the leaders of integration authorities – which bring health and care services together.
Brexit: No-deal advocates 'peddling myths'
Politicians advocating a no-deal Brexit are "peddling myths and misleading the public", the vice-chair of the NI Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) has said. Declan Billington said there is "no good outcome" from a no-deal scenario. Mr Billington attacked Conservative Brexiteers in Westminster, some of whom have said they will not back a deal and would prefer to leave the EU on World Trade Organisation (WTO) terms. "To find that so close to a no deal, the myths are still being peddled is hugely concerning because they're trying to sleepwalk us into a disaster for our local economy. "That's what we see coming out of the London politicians," he told BBC Newsline.
Brexit police unit ‘heavily deployed’ since launch
A team of more than 300 police officers set up for incidents relating to Brexit has been “very heavily deployed and busy” since it started last week, Police Scotland has revealed. The dedicated unit for Brexit-related emergencies has already been dispatched to deal with protests and “increasing febrile” behaviour in the streets, according to Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Will Kerr. Funding for the additional officers is a source of concern, with the force’s budget revealed to be facing a large shortfall.
Brexit uncertainty stalls housing starts at 165,000 a year
Housing starts stagnated at 165,160 in 2018, despite Government efforts to pump up housing supply to achieve its flaunted building target of 300,000 homes by the mid-2020s.
PSNI chief fears losing European arrest warrant in event of no-deal Brexit
A senior police officer has voiced concern that the European Arrest Warrant could disappear in the event of a no-deal Brexit. PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Tim Mairs told a Policing Board seminar in Belfast that this week alone, five people are being brought back to Northern Ireland under the policing tool. Making a presentation called Policing The EU Exit, Mr Mairs said police are concerned about the risk of losing this power if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. He also outlined potential risks from a no-deal Brexit including additional infrastructure or checks at the Irish border generating violent attacks and the exploitation of differences between the north and the Republic. He emphasised that police do not want to see the perception of a "safe haven" for criminals created either north or south of the border after Brexit.
Coffee industry ‘crisis’ looms due to fears of post-Brexit barista shortage
According to the UK Coffee Report, created by Allegra World Coffee in partnership with The London Coffee Festival, 6,517 new coffee shops are expected to crop up nationwide by 2023, which could lead to a shortage of baristas. There are currently 160,000 baristas working in the UK, but the research claims that 40,000 more will be needed to accommodate the looming surge of coffee shops. Given that the industry relies heavily on overseas workers, the report suggests that Brexit could have an adverse affect on yet another key part of our lives.
Scottish firms lack contingency plans for no-deal Brexit
More than half of Scottish businesses reliant on European Union funding do not have a no-deal Brexit contingency plan, new research indicates, as the UK’s departure date looms amid a political stalemate and ongoing delays. A report by law firm Anderson Strathern found that just 45 per cent of Scots firms that receive funds from the EU have a full strategy in place
Britain can keep its meat affordable after Brexit, but will need to eat totally differently
Ed Barker, who represents the National Pig Association, said to i: “We buy a relatively small range of pig meat products. We only use certain parts of the animal and the surplus is exported. “Here, we eat lots of loin meat, used for bacon, and legs, which are used for cooked ham and gammon. We sell lots of belly, shoulder, and offal. The offal market here is virtually non-existent, even with chefs and restaurants talking about it. “Brexit could impact this and lead to a higher cost of production. Trade could become more expensive, which will lead to higher costs for consumers. The carcass balance we have, basically, would be fractured – meat in demand would go up in price and cheaper cuts would become cheaper, or, worse, wasted. “We actually have enough pigs to be self-sufficient, but only if British habits change radically. We over-consume some cuts and under-consume others. “In a no-deal Brexit, bacon might end up being 5-6 per cent higher in price. Retailers won’t absorb that.”
Brexit 'risks German-Scots investment'
German companies could pull investment out of Scotland if post-Brexit trade becomes too difficult, a leading industry group has said. The risk was highlighted by Alexander Altmann, from the British Chambers of Commerce in Germany. German companies such as manufacturer Siemens and supermarket Lidl employ thousands of people in Scotland. German business leaders have come to Scotland to press the case for the UK to maintain free trade after Brexit. Mr Altmann told BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme that most German companies wanted to see the UK stay in the customs union, which would mean no taxes on goods moved between EU countries and the UK.
If the Erasmus scheme closes after Brexit, how else can I study abroad?
For many students, a jaunt abroad is the highlight of their time at university. But political uncertainty caused by Brexit means more than 17,000 British students who planned to study in Europe with Erasmus+ from September have been left in limbo. This is because a technical note, published by the government at the end of January, failed to guarantee funding for the scheme if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. It would be a huge loss. Jane Racz, director of Erasmus+ at the British Council, says the scheme gives students a chance to gain language skills, to understand different cultures and to build confidence. But there are other options. We run through some of the affordable alternatives to Erasmus+ for those who fear they could miss out.
Calais port ready for Brexit 'whenever it happens'
The Port of Calais is ready for Brexit "whenever it happens" after spending millions of pounds preparing for the UK to leave Europe without a deal. Jean-Marc Puissesseau, the port's boss, told Sky News that he had overseen €6m of work designed to prepare the port for Brexit, and claimed that if the plans were followed "there should be no more delays after Brexit than there were before". His words are in stark contrast to many analysts in France, Britain and beyond who have claimed that Brexit, and particularly a no-deal Brexit, would lead to long delays at Calais as lorry drivers were subject to more onerous customs checks.
Brexit has ganged up with Alzheimer’s against my mother
It’s tempting to think that the sudden deterioration of my mother’s mental health could be linked to Brexit and our country’s collective nervous breakdown. I know it’s just a coincidence. But I believe that she and many others with Alzheimer’s disease are Brexit victims because the government’s focus on leaving the EU has created a policy vacuum that has cut adrift the most vulnerable people.
Brexit leaves Tate scrambling to assure EU museums over Van Gogh loans
it has now emerged that the opening this week of Van Gogh and Britain, the gallery’s spring blockbuster, went ahead only after a last-minute diplomatic scramble to assure European galleries that any masterpieces loaned to the exhibition would not get stuck in a chaotic post-Brexit UK. The British and Dutch governments were both enlisted to assure lenders that their works would not be subject to hefty import taxes when they returned to the EU if Britain crashed out with no deal, the Guardian has learned. The Tate show was also specifically raised among European member states as a problem that needed an urgent resolution, before the European commission circulated new guidance on customs rules – barely a fortnight before the exhibition opened – to settle nerves.
Brexit: Firms tell MPs to 'stop chasing rainbows'
MPs need to stop "chasing rainbows" when it comes to resolving the Brexit impasse, according to the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC). Brexit uncertainty is already doing "real world damage" to the UK economy, the BCC's Adam Marshall told the group's annual conference on Thursday. He also said leaving the European Union in a disorderly way would be a "flagrant dereliction of duty".
Political Shenanigans
MPs to vote on 'substantially different' Withdrawal Agreement on Friday
Speaker John Bercow on Thursday cleared the Government's Brexit motion on the EU Withdrawal Agreement for debate, ruling that it complies with parliamentary conventions which bar ministers from asking MPs to vote repeatedly on the same proposals. He said the motion "complies with the test" because it is "new and substantially different". The motion will not count as a third attempt to pass a "meaningful vote" on Mrs May's deal because it will not cover the future relationship with Europe. MPs will be voting on the Withdrawal Agreement only, which argues the terms of actually leaving the EU, including terms on future trade and the Irish backstop, and not the Political Declaration which sets out plans for a future trade and security relationship with the EU.
Theresa May warned promise to fall on sword may not be enough to pass Brexit deal
Theresa May has been warned her promise to stand down if her Brexit deal goes through will not be enough to win over hardline Tory Eurosceptics. The Prime Minister sounded the death knell on her premiership by telling Tory MPs she would stand down for the next phase of negotiations with Brussels. She is is currently battling to win round DUP allies in a desperate attempt to save her Brexit deal.
The European Union Thinks The UK Is Left With Two Choices After The Last 24 Hours Of Brexit Chaos
BuzzFeed News has seen a diplomatic note of an EU27 ambassadors meeting on Thursday that states that the UK’s remaining options are no-deal or a long delay to Brexit.
EU moves into crisis mode as it plans for no-deal Brexit
The EU has moved into full crisis mode, with officials now setting the terms the UK will have to meet for Brussels to open talks on avoiding an economic meltdown in the weeks after a no-deal Brexit. The EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, told the diplomats during the meeting that a no deal was now “the most plausible outcome”, and that there was an urgent need to war-game the bloc’s response to it. The EU is to step up its “full-on crisis” preparations, according to a diplomatic note. It was agreed among the member states that for there to be any talks after the UK has crashed out, the bloc’s 27 capitals will expect Downing Street to agree to signal by 18 April that it will pay the £39bn Brexit bill despite the failure of the Commons to ratify the withdrawal agreement.
The DUP faced down the IRA – they aren't going to crumble before Theresa May
EU officials involved in negotiating the Northern Ireland backstop admitted afterwards that they couldn’t believe the British had signed up to it. “We knew it would not be acceptable to the unionists,” one said. Months on, that message still seems to be struggling to get through in Westminster. Is it really so hard to understand why those whose entire existence is founded on preserving the Union between Great Britain and Northern Ireland would stand firm against a proposal which, in their eyes, fatally threatens it?
In this leadership race, the future of Conservatism is up for grabs
If Boris Johnson was even half as egotistical and calculating as his enemies say, things might not be in such a mess now. Had he not collapsed in a heap immediately after the referendum and slunk off to play cricket at Althorp, without anything resembling a leadership campaign, he might have won. Instead Theresa May, fresh from having sat out the referendum campaign, saw her chance and pounced. Mr Johnson failed to become leader because of a lack of basic organisation. This is not a mistake that anyone now eyeing No 10 intends to repeat.
Now that Mrs May has offered to resign if her deal is voted through (and it might be tomorrow) the battle to succeed her has begun.
Securing a Brexit deal will not end the UK's political crisis
Wednesday night's indicative votes showed that there is, so far, a majority for none of the alternatives on offer. But the most popular option, involving a softer Brexit customs union, could find its way into the post-May round of trade negotiations with the EU. In fact, May's original withdrawal agreement does not rule out a softer Brexit -- because it is concerned with the process of leaving rather than the nature of a future relationship. Intriguingly, the DUP abstained on the customs union motion, rather than voted against. They are rumored to be inclined towards a softer Brexit than May has argued for -- the bigger issue for them is the integrity of the UK and the Northern Irish backstop. What could change the metrics is, of course, a general election.
SNP accused of 'faux outrage' over Brexit
Nicola Sturgeon is more interested in pushing for independence than she is in finding a solution to Brexit, the Scottish Conservatives have claimed. All 35 SNP MPs abstained in a Commons vote on whether there should be customs union with the EU after Brexit. Tory interim leader Jackson Carlaw said the SNP had "refused to back the very option they have been demanding" and accused Ms Sturgeon of "faux outrage". Ms Sturgeon said remaining in the EU must now be the top priority.
And she said her party would continue to "stand up for Scotland's interests" by pushing for another referendum on EU membership.
Brexit consensus still possible after Commons deadlock, says Letwin
The Conservative MP behind a series of indicative votes in the Commons has insisted the process could still find a consensus despite Wednesday night’s first attempt ending in deadlock, saying a final collapse of Theresa May’s deal would focus minds. Eight votes on alternative Brexit options, put before the Commons after MPs seized control of the parliamentary process from the government, resulted in no majority for any of them, although the vote was close on one softer Brexit option. Oliver Letwin, the Tory former minister whose amendment created the process, said this was to be expected, and that if May’s deal is defeated for a third time if put to MPs on Friday, this could forge unity if the only other option was no deal on 12 April.
Brexit: Labour vows to oppose any 'desperate' bid by Theresa May to split vote on EU deal
Labour will oppose any "desperate" attempt by Theresa May to split a crucial vote on her Brexit deal in two, Sir Keir Starmer has said. The shadow Brexit secretary's remarks came amid speculation MPs could be asked to approve the Brexit withdrawal agreement, but not the political declaration setting out plans for a future trade and security relationship with the EU. Sir Keir said such a move would amount to asking MPs to vote for a "blindfold" approach to the next phase of talks - which could be led by a different prime minister.
Brexit: Limbo remains despite Theresa May's grand gesture
The prime minister offered to pay the ultimate political price, and leave office - the grandest of gestures any leader ever really has. For a moment it seemed it might work and line up the support she so desperately needs. But within a couple of hours her allies in Northern Ireland were refusing to unblock the progress of Theresa May's main mission. That might not be terminal - one cabinet minister told me the PM may yet have another go at pushing her deal through Parliament against the odds on Friday. But if Plan A fails, Parliament is not ready with a clear Plan B that could yet succeed.
May to Put Divorce Deal Only to Vote on Friday: Brexit Update
Theresa May will put her Brexit divorce deal to a vote in Parliament on Friday, but she’s holding back the part of the package that focuses on the future trade and security relationship. The question is whether the British prime minister will win the vote this time, after her deal was rejected overwhelmingly on two previous occasions. She’s been trying to woo the Democratic Unionist Party in talks all day.
Softer Brexit now possible, not DUP's priority - deputy leader
The deputy leader of the Northern Irish party propping up Prime Minister Theresa May’s government said a Brexit outcome that keeps the United Kingdom more closely aligned to the European Union is now a possibility. “From our point of view, the concern and priority for us and Northern Ireland isn’t necessarily the form of Brexit,” Nigel Dodds, whose party will not back May in Friday’s third attempt to pass her divorce deal in parliament, told BBC Northern Ireland.
“It’s making sure that whatever form of Brexit we have, that those trade barriers between ourselves and our main market in the rest of the United Kingdom, the constitutional issues, that those are protected and we will be seeking a stronger role in the second stage (of talks) to avoid some of the problems we have faced in the first stage.”
@Peston The motion for MPs tomorrow "approves Withdrawal Agreement" if passed - but weirdly does not represent a meaningful vote on Brexit. It would lock in 22 May as Brexit day, rather than 12 April.
The motion for MPs tomorrow "approves Withdrawal Agreement" if passed - but weirdly does not represent a meaningful vote on Brexit. It would lock in 22 May as Brexit day, rather than 12 April. But is hugely confusing - because unless and until the EU Withdrawal Act is reformed...
Brexit vote: Another defeat ahead for May?
On what was meant to be Brexit Day, is a request to MPs to allow her to keep going, to carry on pursuing her route, with its well-documented flaws. There's a challenge there too, not just to her own Brexiteers but to Labour and the other opposition parties, to say "no" to a long delay to our departure from the EU, the last moment when Number 10 believes anything even approaching a timely exit can be guaranteed. There are signs now of course that many Eurosceptic MPs are ready to say "yes" - not because they suddenly have realised her deal is perfect but because more of them officially realise that it is the clearest break from the EU they can realistically hope for. Yet her Northern Irish allies are not persuaded. Labour, even though they have sometimes accepted that what's on the table tomorrow, the divorce deal, will never be unpicked by the EU, will still, in the main, resist.
How the UK lost Brexit battle
In the short five-paragraph document written by Council President Donald Tusk’s chief of staff, Piotr Serafin, and circulated among EU ambassadors, the bloc’s remaining 27 national governments were urged to speak with one voice and to insist that the U.K. leave through the Article 50 process set down in EU law. This meant settling the divorce first and the future relationship second, once the U.K. had left. “In the future we hope to have the U.K. as a close partner of the EU,” the document read. “First we need to agree the arrangements for the withdrawal.”
Political Setbacks
Sky Data poll: Almost half of Britons unconvinced by Theresa May's potential replacements
Almost half of the British public are unconvinced by the likely candidates to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, according to an exclusive Sky Data poll.
But the vast majority want her to resign if parliament votes against her Brexit deal for a third time.
Labour Chairman Ian Lavery 'Backed Managed No-Deal Brexit By Mistake'
Labour chairman Ian Lavery is facing calls to apologise to the party’s pro-EU membership after claiming he mistakenly voted in favour of a managed no-deal Brexit. The Wansbeck MP has admitted he accidentally rebelled against the Labour whip when the Commons was asked to vote on eight different Brexit motions as part of the ‘indicative votes’ process in the Commons on Wednesday night.
MPs were presented with ‘Yes/No’ ballots for each of the options as they attemtped reach a consensus on exiting the bloc in the wake of two defeats for Theresa May’s deal. Lavery backed a motion by hardline Tory Brexiteer Marcus Fysh for a managed no-deal exit. It advocated a “standstill” agreement with the EU while a Canada-style free trade deal, without a single market or customs union agreement, was reached.
EXCL Theresa May spent thousands on Facebook ads promoting her speech attacking MPs
The Government paid between £12,000 and £30,000 for four Facebook ads pushing the controversial speech she made from Downing Street a week ago. The cost was part of an expensive publicity blitz Downing Street embarked on in a desperate bid to promote the Brexit deal Mrs May clinched with Brussels, according to a new analysis by the People’s Vote campaign. Ministers spent between £80,000 and £300,000 on Facebook ads promoting the Brexit deal, including the four that featured a video of Mrs May's address. But the ads have since been switched to ‘inactive’ - suggesting the PM had second thoughts about pumping them through Facebook to Brits around the country. Some £700,000 has been spent since mid-December last year by the Cabinet Office on two agencies - Manning Gottlieb OMD and Engine Partners UK - to push Brexit content from the Government.
In a Bid to ‘Take Back Control,’ Britain Lost It
More than 1,000 days after the U.K. voted to leave the EU, the country’s future is still shrouded in uncertainty. Its exit date from the bloc is still unknown. Its parliament is hopelessly divided. Who will be leading the country in the weeks and months ahead is no longer clear. No one, least of all British lawmakers, seems to know how Brexit will happen, or even whether it will happen at all. Nearly every political figure or institution of note in London—including Prime Minister Theresa May, who has lost control of Brexit to both her party’s right wing and to Parliament, and the House of Commons itself, which has not been able to agree on any single option for leaving the EU—has, when seeking to exert control, proved to have none.
Brexit was scheduled for March 29th. Wasn't it meant to be easy?
“There will be no downside to Brexit, only a considerable upside.”
David Davis, the first of three (and counting) Brexit secretaries, lays out his analysis. October 10th 2016
Brexit is a national crisis. Not a careers fair for 22 Tories
Hanging over all of this is the sense that who gets to be prime minister of Britain is a private matter for the top of the Tory party; that a national crisis should somehow be a careers fair for 22 people. You can put some of that down to Cameron’s law for fixed-term parliaments, but there is also the thick, sweaty air of entitlement.
'No way to run a country': Business frustration with Brexit chaos boils over
Business leaders are voicing intense frustration with politicians who have plunged the United Kingdom deeper into uncertainty over Brexit. "No one would run a business like this -— and it is no way to run a country," Adam Marshall, head of the British Chambers of Commerce, said on Thursday. Theresa May has offered to step down as prime minister in a last-ditch effort to win support for her EU divorce plan, which UK lawmakers have already rejected twice by huge margins. Parliament itself has now seized more control over the process. Yet with only two weeks to go before the exit deadline — delayed once already — a series of votes on alternative scenarios has provided little clarity.
UK PM's May's Brexit deal is 'rancid' - Conservative lawmaker Francois
Brexit-supporting Conservative Party lawmaker Mark Francois said on Thursday that Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union divorce deal was “rancid” and that he would vote against it again. “If it comes back I’m happy to vote it down again,” he told Sky News.
“The British people voted to leave the European Union - let’s just leave,” said Francois, who is vice-chairman of the European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers.
Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt mocks Nigel Farage at European Parliament, comparing him to Blackadder character
However, none of the comebacks were as on point or as savage as this takedown from the EU's Brexit coordinator who compared him to Field Marshal Haig from Blackadder.
Arlene Foster: PM's Brexit deal 'would damage the union'
The DUP has confirmed it will not back Theresa May's Brexit deal despite the prime minister's promise to step down if MPs supported it. DUP leader Arlene Foster said that the party "cannot sign up to something that would damage the union".
Meet the man 'detained at Gatwick for wearing an anti-Brexit badge'
A man wearing an anti-EU badge was challenged by a customs officer to remove the badge, when he refused, he was briefly placed in a room for questioning until a second officer released him. Home Office said it is now investigating
Revoke Article 50 petition to cancel Brexit hits 6million signatures
A petition to Revoke Article 50 has now been signed by more than six million people. Today EU Council President Donald Tusk said the six million people who have so far supported it must be listened to. MPs will discuss the poll in Westminster Hall, a secondary chamber, on 1 April after a record number of people signed it. But the government have already said they won't be revoking Article 50.
In an official response posted on the parliamentary petitions website, the Government said: "This Government will not revoke Article 50. We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union."
Brexit Britain: A nation born from Tory playground politics – leader comment
Theresa May offers to quit, making Boris Johnson smile in latest outbreak of playground politics over Brexit. Boris Johnson emerged from last night’s meeting of Conservative MPs with a broad smile. Then came the news that Theresa May had promised to stand down if they agreed to vote for her Brexit deal – and that Johnson and other hardline Tory Brexiteers were now prepared to back it
Theresa May faces her day of reckoning on Brexit - and is warned it will not end well
Theresa May will face a day of reckoning on Friday as she tables one last vote on her Brexit deal despite warnings from her closest aides and ministers that she is destined for yet another defeat. The Prime Minister has promised to resign if she gets a deal through Parliament, but Eurosceptic MPs have insisted she must announce the timetable of her departure on Friday regardless
Brexit: Several million reasons to hold second referendum
Whatever the estimated numbers turn out to be, no one can deny that last weekend’s demonstration in London was an impressive expression of people’s desire to move to a second referendum to settle the Brexit debacle. As the UK Parliament continues to tie itself in knots with ever-increasing tedium
Government ‘never met’ Seaborne Freight's financial backers
The Department for Transport (DfT) held no face-to-face meetings with the backers of the ferry-less shipping firm Seaborne Freight, the BBC has learned. A Freedom of Information request unveiled that no officials or ministers met Arklow Shipping, the Irish firm that eventually withdrew its support for a route between Kent and Belgium. It also uncovered that no DfT ministers met Seaborne at any point. But the government stressed that many emails and phone calls were exchanged.
Theresa May’s deal may not be dead, but it’s killing us
Any journalist who tells you they did not enjoy any of this is probably lying. Brexit may be bad for a lot of industries but it has certainly been good for journalism — or at least for providing its practitioners with new material, even if its consumers take a dimmer view of it than ever. But it now feels as though even that cold comfort is ebbing away. The rot set in back in December when Mrs May cancelled what was meant to be the first meaningful vote. Robbed of that crunch point, MPs sought catharsis through other means: first, the failed no-confidence vote in the prime minister brought by her own colleagues and second, the failed no-confidence vote brought in by Labour. It established a pattern which has persisted from that day to this, dictated by Section 13 of the EU Withdrawal Act, the bit that makes any withdrawal agreement subject to approval by MPs in a “meaningful vote”.
Brexit: Theresa May's last gamble in tatters as resignation plan is not enough
Theresa May played her final card tonight telling febrile Tory MPs that she will quit if they finally back her Brexit deal. An emotional Prime Minister told a packed meeting she will go before the next stage of talks - but only if her twice-defeated ...
Brexit: May vows to resign before next phase of negotiations if deal is passed
Theresa May has played her final desperate card to tame the Brexit rebels in her warring party, by promising to sacrifice her premiership if they back her twice-rejected Brexit deal. The beleaguered prime minister, whose authority has been shattered by the double rejection of her deal and the humiliation of a delay to Brexit day, made the offer to Tory backbenchers at a packed meeting in parliament. It came as MPs held backbench-led “indicative votes” on eight alternative Brexit options, including no deal, a referendum, a customs union and a Norway-style deal – none of which secured a majority.
Brexit deal split deeply risky move for Theresa May as MPs smell a trap
Stripping out the part of the deal that outlines what future relationship we will seek with the EU will annoy Labour MPs, who are already angry about not knowing what type of Brexit lies ahead due to the vague nature of the political declaration. No doubt, the government will seek to reassure MPs by promising to bring back another full vote on the whole Brexit deal in the coming weeks, giving them a chance to take blocking action. But some MPs smell a trap.It is UK law that dictates that both parts of Mrs May's deal need to passed before Brexit. Could the government seek to change the law and then attempt to leave the EU on the basis of tomorrow's vote?
Blow for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour frontbencher quits to join rebellion against second Brexit referendum
A Labour frontbencher quit her job last night to join a major rebellion against the party's backing for a second Brexit referendum. Melanie Onn resigned as a shadow housing minister after Labour ordered its MPs to vote in favour of a motion calling for any Brexit deal passed by the Commons to be put to a public vote. Jeremy Corbyn suffered further embarrassment when three Shadow Cabinet members - Jon Trickett, Ian Lavery and Andrew Gwynne - abstained.
We’re led by a party not fit for power in a system not fit for purpose
But even if the Conservatives were decent and effective, as a simple matter of capacity they are no longer even low-functioning – they are not viable. Terrified of their own members and overwhelmed with internal rivalry, they cannot run themselves let alone the country. Their divisions are multiple and irreconcilable. (True, many say the same about Labour. But there are two important distinctions: Labour did not get us into this mess; and it has a far more plausible plan to get us out of it.)
The President of the Royal Society explains why he signed the Revoke Article 50 petition
Amidst the political chaos, it is astonishing that the idea of a 'no-deal' Brexit is still touted as a viable alternative by some politicians. Parliament has voted against it, employers and unions have said it will cost jobs and be hugely disruptive, yet somehow the idea persists. The uncertainty and disruption caused by a 'no-deal' Brexit would be disastrous for UK science.
Donald Tusk: EU cannot betray increasing majority wishing to remain – video
Donald Tusk has said the EU cannot betray an 'increasing majority' of British people who want to cancel Brexit and remain in the bloc. The European council president hailed those who marched on the streets of London and the millions who were petitioning the government to revoke article 50. Tusk finished his speech by saying: 'They may feel that they are not sufficiently represented by the UK parliament, but they must feel that they are represented by you in this chamber. Because they are Europeans'
Police brace for disorder after far-right protesters threaten to riot on what would have been Brexit day
Police are bracing for potential unrest at protests by pro-Brexit groups following threats of riots by far-right extremists. Scotland Yard said it was ready to “share resource across the country” if disorder breaks out at numerous planned demonstrations in London and across the UK on Friday. Ukip, Tommy Robinson, the UK “yellow vests”, Democratic Football Lads Alliance and Leave Means Leave campaign are holding rallies in the capital, on the day Britain was due to leave the EU. Counter-protesters are planning to meet them after accusing anti-Islam groups of using Brexit as a “platform to spread their extreme far-right agenda”. The Metropolitan Police is working to prevent clashes at the demonstrations, which will be held amid heightened tensions over a vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal in the House of Commons.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: Rolled-over UK free trade deals 'are incomplete'
At a Conservative party event in 2017, Liam Fox said: "We're going to replicate the 40 EU free trade agreements that exist before we leave the European Union, so we've got no disruption of trade. "Believe me, we'll have up to 40 ready for one second after midnight in March 2019," the international trade secretary added.
As of 28 March, only eight of the 40 have been signed.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 1st Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
EU is nervous
- The EU is expressing a mix of impatience and unease at what is happening in the UK. The FT and the Independent reported that it views matters as a choice between passing a withdrawal deal or asking for a long extension
Letwin's Indicative Votes are back
- With the House of Commons set to takeover the Order of Business today, the second part of the Letwin Amendment on Indicative votes is on Parliament's schedule
- The Speaker, John Bercow, is expected to rule out last week's options with the fewest votes, such as a No Deal brexit, most likely leaving the choice to be between a customs union with the EU, a Norway-style EEA membership or a second referendum
6m now want to Revoke Article 50
- The Revoke Article 50 petition also comes up for debate later today. The government has already declared it will not agree to it, but as it now has 6 million signatures it would unwise not to give the petition serious consideration
- There was a DeltaPoll, reported by the Mirror, which said Revoke Article 50 was the most popular option amongst people surveyed scoring 36%
Last week's Indicative Votes were undermined
- The Sun confirmed Tory junior ministers plotted with Tory colleagues to deliberately undermine all eight indicative vote options last week, getting them to vote No to all of them to stop them winning a majority - a tactic they may use again
Are DUP Remainers now?
- The DUP's Nigel Dodds told BBC Newsnight he thought it better to cancel Brexit than risk the break-up of the United Kingdom.
- Hundreds turned out in demonstration on the Irish border against Brexit on Saturday
Blukip Insurgency makes Dominic Grieve
- Leading Remain MP, Dominic Grieve, lost a motion of No Confidence in his Beaconsfield constituency on Friday, due to a suspected UKIP-led insurgency
- The result in Grieve's constituency has also put other Tory Remain MPs on notice, as a number of them have been targeted for No Confidence votes by UKIP insurgents
Vote Leave admits its guilt
- Vote Leave finally gave up its legal attempt to contest a ruling of guilty and accepted a fine of £61K against it for unlawfully breaking spending limits during the Brexit referendum
Brexit Violence on Friday
- Lord Heseltine and BBC presenter Jeremy Bowen expressed disgust at some violent behaviour by Brexit supporters in and around Westminster on Friday evening
May's government teetering on edge of collapse
- All the heated political talk was about Theresa May risking the collapse of her government. The PM's threat of a possible General Election, to break the Brexit deadlock, angered both Remain and Brexit MPs in her party. It is also going back on her promise not to lead the party into the next General Election.
Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement could return from the dead one more time
- May is considering bringing her Withdrawal Agreement to Parliament for a 4th vote at the end of the coming week, in a sort of run-off against the preferred Indicative Vote favourite. Theresa May believes the ticking clock towards 12th April could turn her deal into the least worse option as the No Deal EU exit deadline looms into sharper focus
Every route for May is a dead end
- Theresa May is under pressure from Remainers and Brexiteers if she makes any move towards accepting a Customs Union, which hardliners would see as a Betrayal of Brexit. Meanwhile, Remainers are adamant about not counternancing a No Deal Brexit - with 6 ministers saying they are prepared to resign. But this wing of the Tory Party will consider a softer Brexit option
- So logically, the Mirror reports of the Tories at war over a customs union made some sense. The paper also predicted it could see the worst Tory party split since the Corn Laws battle of the 1840s
Could May turn the Customs Union to her own political advantage?
- ITV's Robert Peston, though, saw a way for Mrs May to use a Customs Union plan to her own advantage. Such a plan will net her another 15-20 votes for her own withdrawal agreement. Then if she were to add a Labour amendment which called for MPs to have a strong role in future negotiations with the EU - she may well scoop up the further votes she needs to get her deal through
- The Tories announced a new One Nation Conservative group had formed, which intends to act as a counterbalance to the more hardline European Research Group
- There were reports that ministers and official in Whitehall are exasperated because No Deal preparations, which kicked in recently, mean government decision making is effectively in paralysis
- The Scottish government blamed Brexit for a delay in the planned £900m investment in the nation's NHS
- Post offices are running out of No Deal Brexit driving permits for people intending to drive on the continent
- Home Secretary Sajid Javid announced that the Brexit app for EU citizens will work on iPhones by the end of the year
- Global Affairs Canada has warned Canadians travelling to the UK to look out for random acts of violence linked to Brexit
- The workers at Honda Swindon marched against the decision of the company to shut the plant in 2 years time with the loss of 3,500 jobs
Jobs at Risk
Honda workers join protest march against Swindon car factory closure
Union officials will go to Japan to ‘press’ company bosses over jobs losses, says Unite chief Len McCluskey
Economic Impact
The cost of Brexit to December 2018: Towards relative decline?
The UK economy is 2.5 per cent smaller than it would be if Britain had voted to remain in the European Union. The knock-on hit to the public finances is £19 billion per annum – or £360 million a week. The latest update of the Centre for European Reform’s cost of Brexit calculation, which covers the period from the referendum to the fourth quarter of 2018 shows a slight increase compared to our third quarter estimate, which put the cost at 2.3 per cent.
Consumers Buoy U.K. Economy as Brexit Hits Business Investment
Consumers helped to keep the U.K. economy growing in the fourth quarter as firms cut investment amid the escalating chaos over Brexit. The Office for National Statistics left its growth estimate at 0.2 percent, a sharp slowdown from an upwardly revised 0.7 percent in the previous three months. The performance would have been worse but for consumers, who are enjoying record employment and the fastest wage growth for a decade. Households spent 0.3 percent more, slightly less than the pace of the third quarter but enough to offset the damage from a fourth consecutive fall in business investment. Strong government spending also contributed to growth.
Administrative Fall Out
Travel advisory for Canadians in Britain warns of ’acts of violence’ linked to Brexit
Global Affairs Canada has issued a travel advisory for Canadians in Britain, warning them of possible violence in the wake of today’s latest twist in the country’s Brexit drama. The department issued the updated advisory as British politicians rejected the latest attempt to coalesce around a path out of the European Union.
In the advisory, officials warn of “acts of violence” and confrontations between demonstrators and security forces around the parliamentary buildings and near Westminster Abbey in London.
Brexit app for EU citizens to work on iPhones by end 2019 – Javid
Sajid Javid has announced that the controversial Brexit app for EU citizens’ residency rights will finally work on iPhones. The home secretary has struck a deal with Apple a year after the Home Office was ridiculed for developing an app that only fully worked on Android phones, even though iPhones account for 48% of the market.
Post Offices running out of 'no-deal Brexit driving permits' - what you need to know
UK drivers have expressed anger after some Post Offices around the country have run out of the driving permits required to travel in the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The backlash comes because if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on April 12 EU countries will not recognise a UK driving licence without an additional permit.
In a statement to ITV News, the Post Office confirmed a high demand for the permits and assured worried travellers that more stock would arrive by 2 April.
Cash for NHS repairs 'delayed by Brexit'
The Scottish Government has blamed Brexit for its failure to deliver a long-awaited investment plan to help address a £900m maintenance backlog in the NHS. Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said the medium-term NHS Capital Investment Strategy had been held up because of Brexit uncertainty and its impact on the Scottish budget.
Photos: Lorry park works underway at Manston airport site
Works are being carried out at the Manston airport site in preparation to stack up to 6,000 lorries when (or if) the UK exits the European Union.Some £4.9million of government funding is being spent to increase the capacity to hold 6,000 – rather than the initial projection of 4,000 – lorries.
Political Shenanigans
EU expresses doubts on alternatives to May’s Brexit plans
If Britain wanted to pursue Brexit — rather than revoke the Article 50 exit process altogether — there were only two options: “Either the UK asks for an extension beyond May 22, in which case it must participate in the European Parliament elections, or it must adopt the withdrawal agreement.” While Emily Thornberry, the foreign affairs spokesman of the UK opposition Labour party, suggested on Sunday that a “side protocol” could allow the UK to sidestep the European elections if it was still in the bloc, Jean-Claude Piris, a former senior EU lawyer, emphasised on Twitter that the EU had taken a final decision on the matter “which has been formally accepted by the UK government”.
Brexit: Jean-Claude Juncker warns EU's 'patience coming to an end' as he urges MPs to find solution to impasse
The EU is running out of patience with Britain over Brexit, the president of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker has warned. In an interview with Italian state TV, Mr Juncker said he would like MPs in the UK to be able to reach an agreement over the way forward in the coming days. “We have had a lot of patience with our British friends but patience is coming to an end,” he told RAI. The commission president added: “So far we know what the British parliament says no to, but we don’t know what it might say yes to.” Asked if a second referendum might be possible, Mr Juncker said that was an issue exclusively for the British people.
Margaret Beckett: why Brexit has to go back to the people
“I have become increasingly worried that the house could decide something which is so far away from what people thought they were getting when they voted to leave that it could cause serious ructions. Some very strong Leavers say they don’t think people should have a second opportunity to be consulted because they might have changed their minds. That seems to me to be incredibly dangerous as well as completely indefensible.”
Theresa May 'could ask the Queen to stop soft Brexit', lawyers claim
Two lawyers drew up the eyebrow-raising paper as MPs prepare to go over Theresa May's head to approve a soft Brexit. In the paper, lawyers Stephen Laws QC and Prof Richard Ekins argue Theresa May could stop any Parliamentary Bill promoting a softer version of Brexit at its final stage - being signed off by Her Majesty. "But if legislation would otherwise be passed by an abuse of constitutional process and principle facilitated by a rogue Speaker, the Government might plausibly decide to advise Her Majesty not to assent to the Bill in question. "It would be MPs, not the Government, that had by unprincipled action involved the monarch." It would set up a constitutional crisis with the Queen, who is famously completely neutral on political matters in public.
Hard Brexit, Dark Money: Links Between These Secretive Campaigns Raise New Questions For Facebook About Political Ads
BuzzFeed News reported that Facebook’s transparency measures were under fresh scrutiny because of Britain’s Future’s sudden and mystifying emergence as a major force in political campaigning. In just a few months, the site has spent more than £410,000 lobbying MPs to oppose Theresa May’s Brexit deal — overtaking the UK government, the three major political parties, and Remain-supporting campaigns backed by corporate heavyweights — while giving no information about its origins or sources of funding other than to say it is funded by donations.
One Nation group to fend off hardliners
A new socially liberal group championing “compassionate Conservatism” has been launched to seize back the initiative from the party’s Eurosceptic wing. Led by Amber Rudd, Damian Green, Nicky Morgan and Sir Nicholas Soames, the “One Nation” group will promote progressive Conservative values and seek to become a powerful counterweight to Jacob Rees-Mogg’s European Research Group. The group, which is already 50-strong, will seek to influence domestic policy and is united in its opposition to a no-deal Brexit. Other high-profile members include Greg Clark, the business secretary, David Gauke, the justice secretary, and David Mundell, the Scottish secretary. In recent weeks the group has been meeting daily amid fears the party is being hijacked by hardline Brexiteers. The group, whose board is co-chaired by Rudd and Morgan, is seeking to influence any leadership contest by hosting hustings.
Brexit fine: Ex-Vote Leave chairwoman does not apologise over spend
The ex-chairwoman of the official pro-Brexit campaign has sidestepped calls to apologise after the group dropped its appeal over a spending fine. The Electoral Commission fined Vote Leave £61,000 after ruling it exceeded spending limits during the referendum. Asked by the BBC if she would say sorry, Gisela Stuart instead defended the organisation's record. The watchdog had said: "Serious offences such as these undermine public confidence in our system." Vote Leave - which was fronted by Boris Johnson and Michael Gove - was fined in July for spending more than the £7m spending limit. The campaign said at the time the watchdog's findings were "wholly inaccurate" and politically motivated.
PM may have to accept soft Brexit if Commons backs it, says minister
Theresa May will have to consider the possibility of accepting a softer Brexit if the measure is supported by parliament this week, the justice secretary, David Gauke, has said. With 12 days before the UK is due to leave the EU, and parliament plunged into a political stalemate, Gauke, a soft-Brexit supporter, said the prime minister would have to “look very closely” if MPs back a customs union in a fresh round of indicative votes that begin on Monday. “I think she would need to look very closely at that,” he told BBC1’s The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday.
Archaic, authoritarian, unequal to the challenge – parliament is broken
The Brexit shambles exposes the weaknesses of Westminster, which have grown starker since the 1998 devolution settlement. The House of Commons includes repulsive opportunists, bone-headed pedants and a few real scoundrels. But most MPs are well-meaning men and – especially – women. Yvette Cooper, wise Joanna Cherry, Anna Soubry the maenad with blazing eyes: they and their sisters have been the stars of these awful weeks. Best of all, none of them did that “womanly” number of trying to mediate between gnashing, stomping males. They gnashed too, and with a furious clarity. And it was Nicola Sturgeon who gave Theresa May the smartest epitaph: “The only leader in modern times who tried to fall on her own sword and managed to miss.”
Brexit: Tories at war on customs union as MPs warn of worst split in 173 YEARS
The Conservative Party has erupted into open warfare over whether to bow to mounting pressure and back soft Brexit this week. Furious Tories warned of the worst split for 173 years as MPs hold a bombshell new round of votes tomorrow on the way out of the deadlock.The "indicative" votes are widely expected to single out a customs union - keeping close EU ties and favoured by Labour - as the most popular option. But following that policy would break the Tories' 2017 manifesto and stop the UK signing its own trade deals around the world. Tory Cabinet minister David Gauke today warned Theresa May it would be "unsustainable" to ignore the will of MPs if they choose a customs union. But 170 Tory MPs wrote to the Prime Minister urging her to take the UK out of the EU quickly as possible - WITHOUT a customs union. The letter is said to be backed by 10 Cabinet ministers including Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, Michael Gove and Penny Mordaunt.
May can still pass her Brexit deal on the fourth try – here’s how
First Ken Clarke's Customs Union plan wins the support of the Commons. That drives a wedge straight down the middle of the One Nation Tories and the ERG. This will prise lose 15 more votes for May's deal. Then add the Nandy/Snell amendment (MPs shape future negotiations) - hey presto! May has another votes
Thornberry sparks Twitter storm after appearing to claim 70% wanted out
Shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry bemused viewers after she appeared to claim that 70% of the United Kingdom supports leaving the EU. Thornberry then appeared to claim that 70% supported leaving the EU, before saying “some honesty needs to be injected into this”. She said: “I personally don’t really understand why 70% of the population at this moment don’t want to remain in the EU. But they don’t. I personally think the reason for that is because we’ve not had the sort of debate we need to have.”
Cabinet Brexiteers heap pressure on Theresa May over customs union 'betrayal'
According to The Sunday Times, the top ministers used an emergency conference call this weekend to plan a mass walkout if Mrs May backs a customs union or tries to get the UK to take part in European elections in May. One Cabinet minister told the paper: "We have got to stick by our manifesto commitment not to join a customs union. It would be deeply damaging to hold EU elections. If they are going to happen, Labour MPs will have to vote for them." Another accused those pushing for a customs union of an "absolute betrayal of the referendum result and of this country". They warned: "I cannot understand how any of them can describe a customs union as any kind of Brexit. You may as well revoke Article 50."
Positioning herself for a tilt at the Tory leadership, the chief secretary to the Treasury
Positioning herself for a tilt at the Tory leadership, the chief secretary to the Treasury has taken to wearing primary colours. Her politics are similarly bold. That means using the “vast majority” of the £27bn Brexit war chest saved by the chancellor to fund big tax cuts for business and young people. Truss says: “We need to reshape the state and not just think the answer to our problems is spending more money. The most likely age group to agree with that are younger people. We have lowered business rates. Currently we spend £18bn on business support. I’d like to cut the taxes on business — not give them back their own money.”
Conservative leadership: Ex-cabinet minister Esther McVey signals she will run to succeed Theresa May
Former cabinet minister Esther McVey has signalled she will run for the Tory leadership as senior Conservatives gather support for their bids to succeed Theresa May. The ex-work and pensions secretary, who presided over part of the botched rollout of universal credit, said she would put herself forward to be the next prime minister if she thought she had “a fair shot”.
Tom Watson hints at government of national unity to break Brexit deadlock
Tom Watson has hinted that he would be willing to serve in a government of national unity in an attempt to break the Brexit deadlock. The Labour deputy leader said "if needs must, we have to then do what’s right", as Parliament struggles to agree a way for the UK to leave the European Union. Mr Watson's comments are likely to spark an angry backlash from many Labour members, who would be bitterly opposed to their party going into government with the Tories as well as MPs from other parties.
History will favour those who do right by the will of the people on Brexit — and condemn those who try to usurp it
The Prime Minister’s Withdrawal Agreement has been voted down three times. It’s had more comebacks than Frank Sinatra. Even now we are told that it is not dead yet. There is speculation there may well be a showdown next week between the PM’s deal and an insistence that the UK remains in the customs union. If unreconciled Remainers in Parliament are allowed to hijack negotiations, we will get Brexit in name only, or no Brexit at all. It’s a terrible state of affairs and I wish the Government had had the courage to maintain the possibility of a No Deal exit. It would have given leverage to our negotiating position and delivered a better deal.
Furious Tory MPs tell May: we’ll block snap Brexit election
Conservative MPs from across the party are threatening to vote down any attempt by Theresa May to lead them into a snap election, warning it would split the Tories and exacerbate the Brexit crisis. In a sign of the collapse in authority suffered by the prime minister, cabinet ministers are among those warning that there will be a serious campaign by Conservative MPs to vote against an election headed by May, a move she hinted at last week to break the Brexit deadlock.
Conservatives and Labour could both split over Brexit divisions, Vince Cable says
Asked about the prospect of a possible split in the main parties, he said: “I think for the first time in my lifetime this is possible. “In the last few days I’ve been having conversations with deep-dyed Tories – the kind of people you would never regard as wet or one-nation Tories. “They say ‘we’ve just had it up to here – we just cannot take any more of it. Our party’s been infiltrated by the right-wing equivalent of Momentum, we’ve been threatened in our seats, we’ve had to get legal advice. They’re in a terrible state these moderate Tories. “And then on the Labour side you have one desperate effort being made by [deputy leader] Tom Watson, who is a very formidable and impressive guy, to try and save the Labour Party, but even those who like him and hope for the best are pretty pessimistic because the hardliners have complete control.
Brexit: Cabinet faces COLLAPSE as 'six ministers threaten to quit over no deal'
Senior government ministers have reportedly threatened to quit the cabinet if Theresa May heads for a no-deal Brexit . Mrs May faces the risk of resignations from senior ministers on both sides of the Brexit divide, depending on what decisions she makes next week.
Labour’s plan for a people’s vote on the final Brexit deal can heal the country
I think Labour should embrace European elections just as we should welcome a general election that might get rid of this broken government. If we go into either contest with a positive policy on Brexit and say any final deal must be put back to the people, I am confident Labour can win. We already have a fund raised by local parties to pay for the campaign and I’ve asked our NEC to develop a plan to get grassroots members involved in selecting candidates.
Led by Donkeys: How four dads made asses out of Westminster
“We stumbled on a formula that really works,” says Richard. Chris adds: “We have a news cycle where everything flies past at a million miles an hour. There’s something powerful about slapping a tweet on an old-school method of communication, a billboard, that makes people stop and consider in a way they don’t with Twitter.” Newspapers have been calling the featured politicians to ask them to respond. Most say “no comment”, although Jacob Rees-Mogg took objection because his quote was said in Parliament not on Twitter.
@SkyNewsPolitics "There is clear evidence that there was an orchestrated campaign by my UKIP opponent."
"There is clear evidence that there was an orchestrated campaign by my UKIP opponent." Tory Remainer Dominic Grieve has spoken out after suffering a vote of no confidence by his local party.
Mueller’s report is a warning – and Britain won’t listen
In Britain, we don’t have the bandwidth or the resolve or the understanding of the bigger picture to want to even try to understand this web of interconnected relationships. We stand by as Arron Banks and Nigel Farage ape Donald Trump. We remain incurious about the ties that connect them and the money behind them. We watch as they attack the press and seek to undermine our institutions. The Mueller report is a warning that we won’t heed. He’s exposed Russia’s attack on America’s presidential election for what it was – a system exploit. The same system that underpins our democracy – with the same weaknesses and vulnerabilities.
The remainer MPs now under pressure after Dominic Grieve's no confidence vote
Pro-Remain MPs are facing increasing pressure after Dominic Grieve suffered a vote of no confidence by his local Conservative Party. Tories in the long-time MP's constituency, Beaconsfield, took a stand against the former Attorney General after a "robust discussion." Grieve among a number of pro-EU Conservatives to come under pressure in their constituencies.
Theresa May Is Planning To Bring Her Brexit Deal Back Again And Threatening An Election If It Fails
Theresa May is planning to bring her Brexit deal back for another vote in Parliament next week and ... A veteran Conservative backbencher told BuzzFeed News: “I do not see how she can call an election. There is not a chance in hell we will vote for it
Brexit’s fate to be decided by an X Factor-style run-off of Commons votes between PM’s deal, soft Brexit and a second referendums deal, soft Brexit and a second referendum
Speaker John Bercow is expected to narrow down Parliament's options to just three choices when Indicative Votes are held on Monday. But this time, Speaker John Bercow is expected to rule out the options with that attracted the lowest number of votes, such as a No Deal Brexit - most likely leaving the choice between a customs union with the EU, Norway-style EEA membership and a second referendum. Mrs May is expected to wait until the options are narrowed down to just one, when she will then pit her divorce deal against it.
Nigel Dodds: Better to cancel Brexit than risk the break-up of the United Kingdom
Speaking to Newsnight political editor Nicholas Watt, Mr Dodds warned his party would be prepared to ditch their support for Brexit if it meant protecting Northern Ireland's position within the UK. “I would stay in the European Union and remain rather than risk Northern Ireland’s position,” he said. "That’s how strongly I feel about the Union. "So yes, the answer must be something that works for the whole of the United Kingdom - that’s our first and main priority.”
SECRET BREXIT PLOT Tory junior ministers devised secret plan to frustrate the alternative Brexit vote
The group persuaded dozens of fellow Tories to vote down all eight alternatives, from customs union to second referendum, in order to boost the chances of Theresa May's deal passing
@BBCNewsnight "I would stay in the European Union and remain, rather than risk Northern Ireland's position,"
"I would stay in the European Union and remain, rather than risk Northern Ireland's position," DUP deputy leader Nigel Dodds tells BBC's Nicholas Watt
@nicholaswatt | #newsnight | @NigelDoddsDUP
Political Setbacks
Sky Views: The world used to see UK as bastion of stability - Brexit has changed that
I would find myself wondering how the UK population - so used to living in relative (compared with a lot of the world) comfort - would cope if ever faced with a real crisis. Fast forward 15 years and fears about fuel and food shortages - whether or not they come to pass - are actually being talked about in the event of border disruption if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal. While for the rest of the world, Britain and Brexit have become one of the biggest (for them) foreign news stories around, with debates in the House of Commons - including meaningful votes and speaker John Bercow shouting "order" - regularly making headline news.
Brexit: Chief whip attacks cabinet's post-election strategy
The government should have made clear after the 2017 election that it would "inevitably" have to accept a softer Brexit, the Tory chief whip has said. In a BBC documentary, Julian Smith is also strongly critical of the cabinet's behaviour and lack of discipline. It is unprecedented for a chief whip to publicly attack his own government and comes as the cabinet is deeply split over whether to move to a softer deal. MPs hold further indicative votes later on options to resolve the deadlock.
Tories threaten to stop Theresa May triggering election as poll puts Jeremy Corbyn in reach of Number 10
Theresa May has been warned by her own MPs against plunging the country into a fresh general election as a new poll put Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party five points clear of the Tories.The latest Deltapoll study for the Mail on Sunday shows that a seven-point Conservative lead has evaporated over the past month amid ongoing political turmoil over Brexit. Labour currently stands at 41 percent, five points ahead of the Tories on 36.
Remain stalwart Dominic Grieve faces Tory deselection after losing no confidence vote
Prominent pro-Remain Conservative MP Dominic Grieve is facing deselection after he suffered a vote of no confidence by his local party. The no confidence vote was passed 182 to 131 by the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association. The chairman of the association, Jackson Ng, said the motion was passed at the association’s annual general meeting on Friday.
Tories need 'experience' at the helm, says Cabinet minister
The Conservative Party must appoint a senior Tory Eurosceptic to lead it through the next phase of the Brexit negotiations and delay a full scale leadership contest until after the 2022 election, a Cabinet minister has said. The comments by Chris Grayling, who previously served as Mrs May's campaign manager in 2016, will be seen as an effort to streamline the race to replace Theresa May, amid speculation that as many as two dozen MPs could slug it out in a campaign that could go on for months.
Theresa May's cabinet close to collapse
Brexiteers and Remainers are threatening to walk out. Theresa May will be warned today that her government faces total collapse unless she passes her Brexit deal — as the prime minister’s aides were at loggerheads over whether to accept a soft Brexit or call a general election this week. In an emergency conference call last night Brexiteer cabinet ministers agreed they would resign if May accepted a customs union or got Tory MPs to vote for the UK to take part in European elections in May. They will deliver their threat when the prime minister consults her cabinet today. More than half her Commons party, 170 MPs and ministers, have signed a letter telling May to pursue a no-deal departure from the EU rather than accept a soft Brexit. It also demands that the UK leave the EU by May 22.
How can the DUP support Brexit when Northern Ireland does not?
The party propping up the Tory government puts the union before everything – even its own electorate
Brexit: More than a THIRD of people back revoking Article 50 in bombshell poll
Revoking Article 50 is the most popular of any Brexit option with the public, a bombshell poll suggests today. The survey of 1,010 people found 36% want to abandon leaving the EU entirely, despite the nation voting by 52% to 48% to leave in the 2016 referendum. The second most popular option was to crash out with no deal on April 12 unless the EU makes further concessions - a choice backed by 26% of people. Those options were followed by 'Don't Know' on 13% and backing Theresa May's deal on 12%. The result came as the number of people signing a petition to revoke Article 50 - the two-year countdown to Brexit Day - hit 6million.
Brexit petition to revoke Article 50 hits 6 million signatures
A petition calling on the government to halt the Brexit process and keep Britain in the EU has passed six million signatures. The Revoke Article 50 petition - which will be debated by MPs on Monday - has the highest number of signatures of any parliamentary e-petition in history. At one point, nearly 2,000 signatures were being added every minute and it was so popular that the website crashed.
No 10 hopes to delay Tory leadership contest until October
Downing Street hopes to delay any Conservative party leadership contest until October in a move that will hamper the campaigns of established candidates such as Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid. As Tory contenders began manoeuvres this weekend to replace Theresa May after the third defeat of her Brexit deal, sources confirmed that those close to her will push for a new prime minister to be chosen after the party’s conference at the end of September.
MP Joanna Cherry hopeful of 'revoke Article 50' motion support
A Scottish MP has said she is hopeful of winning cross-party support for her bid to rule out a No-Deal Brexit. The SNP's Joanna Cherry is planning to table a motion on Monday that would call on the government to revoke Article 50 if no extension can be obtained. Ms Cherry said she had worked closely with some Labour MPs to craft it in a way they could support. Scottish Labour MP Paul Sweeney said the move was a "sensible safeguard".
Anger in Whitehall as Brexit strife delays key policies and legislation
Ministers and officials said to be exasperated as no-deal preparations result in paralysis. Brexit is delaying key pieces of policy and legislation, angering ministers and officials, amid reports of paralysis across Whitehall as the government focuses on solving the current crisis, the Guardian has learned. Legislation meant to limit the prosecution of soldiers, create an online regulator and curb drug dispensing errors have been held up or postponed as the government tries to gain enough support for a deal to leave the EU. It comes as Whitehall departments divert senior staff to work on Brexit-related matters in case the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Tory tensions rise as Theresa May faces agonising choice on Brexit
When Dominic Grieve, a Conservative MP and former attorney-general, was heckled by party members shouting “traitor”, the forces ripping through his party were plain for all to see. Mr Grieve, who lost a vote of confidence brought by his local party association on Friday, is one of a clutch of pro-EU Tory MPs targeted for deselection by local members. He has blamed his reversal on “entryism” by anti-EU activists into the local party, but the transformation in the Conservatives’ ranks goes far beyond his Beaconsfield constituency. Mrs May now faces the huge challenge of trying to get her deal through the House of Commons — without provoking a revolt in what has largely become a Brexit party.
Remain MP Dominic Grieve says he'll not quit despite local party no confidence vote
Pro-Remain MP Dominic Grieve has insisted he will not be standing down in the wake of suffering a vote of no confidence by his local Conservative Party. Party members in Beaconsfield voted 182 to 131 in favour of the no confidence motion on Friday evening, meaning Mr Grieve faces possible deselection. The former attorney-general said he would listen very carefully to the views of local members but, when asked by ITV News Political Correspondent Paul Brand whether he would resign, said: "I was elected by 36,000 people of Beaconsfield who voted for me and I'm answerable to them.
@carolecadwalla Do you believe this man?? Watch this video. He was co-convener of Vote Leave. He received daily briefings. Yet he claims total ignorance.
Do you believe this man?? Watch this video. He was co-convener of Vote Leave. He received daily briefings. Yet he claims total ignorance. Even in incredible event, he didn’t know, it still happened on his watch. If we had an opposition, they would surely call for him to resign
Tinpot Brexiteer vandals have been rumbled
Compromise be damned: we can’t give an inch to the liars and rascals who’ve brought our country to the brink of ruin. Compromise be damned. We’re looking at an assemblage of ninnies and rascals here, and they’re well on their way to being rumbled. Yet again I remind you of the words (to me) of Margaret Thatcher’s parliamentary private secretary, the late Ian Gow. “In the Lady’s view, once you’ve got the crocodile on to the sandbank you don’t help it back into the deep. You stick the knife in.”
Hundreds protest against Brexit along Irish Border
Hundreds of people have taken part in a number of mass demonstrations on the Irish Border in opposition to Brexit. Border Communities Against Brexit organised the protests to mark the day after Britain had been due to leave the European Union. Border demonstrations took place along a number of crossing points in Co Tyrone, Co Louth, Co Donegal, Co Fermanagh, Co Cavan and Co Monaghan. Demonstrators set up a mock check-point on the Old Dublin Road in Carrickcarnon which was manned by people dressed as customs officers. The road was closed to members of the public as protesters carried anti-Brexit placards and EU flags.
Lord Heseltine: Pro-Brexit populism is 'unacceptable and repugnant'
Michael Heseltine has condemned the rise of pro-Brexit populism as “unacceptable and repugnant” after Friday's Brexit Day protests. Although the majority of demonstrators at the rally were peaceful, police arrested two people on suspicion of assault and another on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. The former deputy prime minister, who campaigned to remain in the EU, told talkRADIO’s James Whale he feared pro-Brexit protesters would use “physical force and intimidation” as political tools. “What appals me is that those who have strong feelings think that the legitimate weapon in their hand is physical force and intimidation,” Lord Heseltine said. “We have all seen what happens when people say there will be civil unrest and start muscling up in a crowd, yesterday we saw a lot of posters torn down in parliament square and then somebody got roughed up.
@gabriel_Pogrund Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote at Beaconsfield Conservative Association by 182 to 131 votes; paves way for deselection
Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote at Beaconsfield Conservative Association by 182 to 131 votes; paves way for deselection
Brexit: Theresa May's aim to prove deal is least worst option
When does determination become delusion? Number 10's answer to that may be - not yet. There is every chance that the prime minister will again - with routes outside the normal boundaries - try to make a version of her Brexit deal the end result of all of this. Despite a third defeat, despite the embarrassment of repeated losses, don't imagine that she is ready to say a permanent farewell to the compromise deal she brokered with the EU or, straightaway, to her time in office. There is still a belief in the heart of government that there could be a way round, perhaps to include the prime minister's agreed treaty as one of the options that is subject to a series of votes that will be put in front of the Commons next week. The aspiration, strange as it sounds, for some time now has been to prove to MPs that the deal is the least worst of all the options, for time to expose the impossibilities of the new compromises some MPs seek politically for the Tory party, and for the cost of a long delay to Brexit to be too great to allow Parliament to find a new way too.
Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote held by Beaconsfield Tories
The remain-supporting Conservative MP, Dominic Grieve, is facing deselection by his party after losing a confidence vote held by his local association by 182 to 131 votes. The Conservative association in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire – Grieve’s constituency – said it no longer had confidence in the former attorney general after he put his case to members at a meeting on Friday. And, while he remains its MP for the time being, a meeting will soon be convened to discuss his future.
Lady Warsi says she fears Michael Gove becoming PM
Some of Gove’s opinions were expressed in Celsius 7/7, a controversial book he wrote in 2006 about Islamism in the UK and elsewhere. Asked in a Guardian interview what she thought about the idea of Gove succeeding Theresa May, Lady Warsi said: “I just don’t even want to imagine it. I’ve sat in too many meetings, I’ve done everything from rolling my eyes, to thinking, gosh, thank God he’s not prime minister.” Celsius 7/7 was written shortly after the 2005 London tube and bus bombings, which killed 52 and injured many more, and Gove stated that “a sizeable minority” of Britain’s 1.8 million Muslims held “rejectionist Islamist views”. To support that argument, Gove cited polling data from the time that showed 46% of British Muslims considered themselves Muslim first and British second, and emphasised that a minority – 12% of those aged 18-24 – said suicide bombing could be justified in the UK.
May risks 'total collapse' of government in Brexit impasse - Sunday Times
British Prime Minister Theresa May risks the “total collapse” of her government if she fails to get her battered Brexit deal through parliament, the Sunday Times newspaper said, amid growing speculation that she might call an early election.
Furious Tory MPs tell May: we’ll block snap Brexit election
Conservative MPs from across the party are threatening to vote down any attempt by Theresa May to lead them into a snap election, warning it would split the Tories and exacerbate the Brexit crisis. In a sign of the collapse in authority suffered by the prime minister, cabinet ministers are among those warning that there will be a serious campaign by Conservative MPs to vote against an election headed by May, a move she hinted at last week to break the Brexit deadlock. The threat of an election immediately angered both pro-Brexit and pro-Remain MPs. May would need a two-thirds majority in the Commons to secure one, meaning a serious rebellion by Tories could block it. May would then be forced to secure an election by backing a no-confidence vote in her own government, which only requires a simple majority of MPs.
Boris Johnson and Michael Gove under fire on Vote Leave’s law-breaking
Conservative leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are facing growing calls to account for illegal behaviour by the official Vote Leave Brexit campaign. The group has dropped its appeal against the Electoral Commission’s ruling that it broke the law by channelling hundreds of thousands of pounds of donations to an ostensibly independent campaign group, BeLeave. When the Observer revealed evidence a year ago that Vote Leave had broken spending rules, Johnson attacked the report on Twitter as “utterly ludicrous” and said it had “won … legally”. A Johnson adviser said on Saturday that the former foreign secretary would not comment on the end of the appeal.
The future of the Conservative party needs to be as the Brexit party - says Jacob Rees-Mogg
The future of the Conservative party needs to be as the Brexit party. It ought not to cede this title to any other contenders as the nature of its opposition to the EU grows out of its core beliefs. The Tory party in all its guises, over many centuries, has had the view that society is best organised from the bottom up rather than the top down.
Brexit: Vote Leave quietly drops appeal against £61,000 fine for breaking electoral law
Official Brexit campaign says it has run out of money to pursue appeal after Electoral Commission found it coordinated illegally with another group
Theresa May must step down as prime minister: for the sake of Brexit, her party and democracy itself
riday was supposed to be Brexit day. Instead, the Government spent it trying to heave its Withdrawal Agreement over the line, with the threat that it could be this or no Brexit at all. They did their best; a few Tory sceptics were converted. Nevertheless, the deal died in the lobbies for a third time. Theresa May had told the 1922 Committee that she would resign if the Agreement passed. What will she do now that it has been beaten yet again? She cannot continue. The Prime Minister needs to consider her position urgently, bearing two things in mind: the longer this goes on, the softer Brexit will become and, second, that the public is losing faith not just in the Government or the Conservative Party, but in the political process itself too
Tweeted: RT @BowenBBC: I’ve seen this kind of thuggish intimidation in ...
RT @BowenBBC: I’ve seen this kind of thuggish intimidation in nasty places around the world. Horrendous to see it in the UK https://t.co/5O…
Tensions run high as five people arrested at Brexit protest in London
The Metropolitan Police said five people were arrested following the Brexit protests in Westminster on Friday. Some journalists were intimidated by aggressive Leave supporting protestors
Compare the peaceful march for a Final Say with nasty threats of violence from the Brexit far right
Spot the difference: on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to peacefully request a democratic vote in a march to Parliament Square where a rally was held. Today hundreds of people in the same place threaten rioting and violence in an attempt to push the opposite point. Quite a contrast isn’t it. But that’s roughly how it’s been ever since David Cameron stuck a knife into the heart of Britain in the hopes of settling a debate in the Conservative Party, which his successor Theresa May set about twisting with the same aim in mind. One side politely requests a vote, the other responds with a pair of hobnailed boots. Or hobnailed heels in the case of May, who’s comments could be seen as inciting violence against MPs.
@MarkUrban01 @FabianPicardo Chief Minister of Gibraltar has written to Theresa May asking her to revoke Article 50. "in preference to a long extension of membership of the EU or a no-deal departure from the EU"
Following today's Commons defeat @FabianPicardo Chief Minister of Gibraltar has written to Theresa May asking her to revoke Article 50. "in preference to a long extension of membership of the EU or a no-deal departure from the EU"
May hopes to hold fourth vote on Brexit deal
Government sources suggested May was first likely to make another attempt to force her deal through parliament in a third “meaningful vote”. This might happen in a “run-off” against any successful alternative from Monday’s indicative votes. The government has been discussing with the Speaker, John Bercow, whether there is a way to hold MV3 that would not fall foul of his insistence that the same proposition cannot be put before parliament again. A Downing Street spokesman highlighted the fact that May’s margin of defeat, 58, was smaller than the 149 majority she lost by earlier this month, and the crushing 230-strong defeat in the first meaningful vote in January. “We are at least going in the right direction,” the spokesman said.
@thejaytoday This is what the pro-Brexit march became in the end. Men and women drinking cans of beer and abusing the police.
This is what the pro-Brexit march became in the end. Men and women drinking cans of beer and abusing the police.
How Theresa May Went From “The New Iron Lady” To The Leader Who “Betrayed Brexit”
The prime minister’s promise to stand aside if her Brexit deal passes will bring an end to one of the shortest and most turbulent premierships in modern British history. ...
ANALYSIS An Englishman's Betrayal: What next for the DUP?
The alliance between Rees-Mogg, he who once said he takes the whip from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than Julian Smith, and the DUP was one of the more innocuous thrown up by Brexit; aside from sovereignty, one wonders what he spoke with Sammy Wilson et al about when he was the star attraction on the DUP after-dinner circuit. As recently as Wednesday, he was repeating his protestations that he “would not abandon the DUP” - then he broke with them and voted for May's deal
Tories could become the nasty party again
The temptations of two particular doctrines have made the Tories all but ungovernable. The first is the appeal of sovereignty-based nationalism. There is a breed of Eurosceptic in the Conservative Party that loathes the European Union so much that they are not even prepared to vote to leave unless they can stick their fingers up to it as they go. Their vision of national sovereignty in a world of alliances, treaties and trade and capital flows is a century out of date and their assumption that taking back control from Europe is the answer to the problems Britain faces is simply fatuous. Yet they have got religion and cannot be reasoned with.
Brexit: Man found in contempt of Parliament Dominic Cummings urges Vote Leave activists to form party
Dominic Cummings has issued a rallying call to former Vote Leave activists to start building a new political party or campaign to fight for Brexit. The former director of the campaign that won the 2016 EU referendum urges supporters to "start rebuilding our network now" in a post on his blog. He says winning another EU referendum would be "easier than in 2016". It comes as he was found "in contempt of Parliament" by the Commons Privileges Committee.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 2nd Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Not pulling any punches
Britain's highest ranking civil servant, Sir Mark Sedwill, has issued a letter to ministers outlining a 'doomsday' scenario of how the country would be affected in the event of a No Deal Brexit
- Sedwill's bombshell letter says No Deal will hamper police and security services and lead to the return of direct rule in Northern Ireland.
- There would be a 10% spike in food prices and the collapse of some businesses trading directly with the EU
- The government would come under pressure to bail out companies on the brink
- A recession will hit the UK and the pound's depreciation will be more harmful than it was in 2008
- The UK's legal and judicial system would come under enormous pressure.
UK now a laughing stock
- Goldman Sachs said the chaotic approach to Brexit since 2016 has cost the UK economy £600m per week, roughly 2.5% of its GDP.
- The UK CEO of German manufacturing group Siemens urged UK politicians to agree on a customs union and said 'the world used to consider the UK a beacon of stability, now it sees us as a laughing stock'
- BMW is closing its Mini plant in Britain for four weeks as previously announced, and Peugeot is closing its Vauxhall factory for two weeks. These previously agreed moves are to helps these firms cope with any Brexit disruption
- Easyjet said there was weakening demand for holidays as it enters its busy summer period and it pointed to Brexit uncertainty as a likely cause
The cracks in Parliament exposed
- Direct action group Extinction Rebellion stripped off during the Brexit debate in the House of Commons to promote their campaign to highlight the urgency needed to tackle climate change
- Factories are rushing to stockpile goods in anticipation of Brexit. This has led to the Purchasing Manager's Index (PMI) rising for 32 months in a row, and it rose again in March
High Noon showdown in Downing Street
- Theresa May is to hold a 5 hour cabinet meeing this morning. Two meetings: the first will be a political cabinet discussing strategy and party matters without officials. the second will be a conventional cabinet business meeting
- The Guardian reported there is a desperate mood in No10 today with talk of the Prime Minister calling a snap General Election. Last weekend's polls, though, show Labour jumping ahead of the Conservatives for the first time in a while.
- Theresa May has been warned that if the she pursues a soft Brexit is could shatter the Tory Party. She was handed a letter with 170 MPs signatures urgng her to reject the prospect of asking the EU for a longer delay to the Brexit process. The MPs urged her to not do this or fight the EU elections, indicating that they were leaning towards a No Deal Brexit option
- The DUP has said in a BBC interview they will not vote for Theresa May's deal a thousand times over and said it places the integrity of the Union over Brexit
- RTE News reported that the EU is actively preparing for No Deal and expect that the UK pays more than 10bn Euros to it. This money would be used to guarantee grant funding the university research sector among other matters
- It was revealed that one government department alone had spent £5.5m in a single month on management consultants to help with Brexit policy
- MPs debated four motions that summed up the alternative to Theresa May's deal during the day. In the evening MPs voted against them all. The two motions with the highest number of votes were the Customs Union which lost by 3 votes and polled 273 in favour. Then the Second Referendum which polled 280 votes and was beaten by 12 votes
- Conservative Party's Nick Boles, who proposed the Common Market 2.0 option during the indicative vote debate - told the House of Commons that he was resigning the Conservative Party whip and that 'my party refuses to compromise'
- MPs in the chamber debating the indicative votes came in for stick from the press, with Politics.co.uk's Ian Dunt describing the factions favouring each indicative vote motion as experts in forming a circular firing squad
- The government's chief whip, Julian Smith, was critical of Theresa May's post 2017 General Election strategy with regard to Brexit in a BBC documentary on the same theme
- Theresa May was said to be pondering bringing her Withdrawal Agreement one more time. Hardliners in her own party were also preparing to defeat it once more
Jobs at Risk
Banks keep options open and hold fire on Brexit exodus
The City of London’s biggest international banks have moved fewer than 1,500 jobs from the UK in the run-up to Brexit, after slashing their estimates of the staff they need onshore in the EU after Britain leaves the bloc. Financial Times research shows top lenders are preserving as much optionality as possible by moving fewer people from the UK to the 27 other EU countries as they strive to avoid costly actions while grappling with deepening political uncertainty. London’s top 15 international banks have collectively cut fewer than 3,500 jobs in the UK capital since the Brexit vote in June 2016, amounting to about 5 per cent of their City headcounts. Fewer than 1,500 of those moves were linked to Brexit, interviews with senior bank executives have revealed.
Economic Impact
Brexit costs UK £600m per week, says Goldman study
Brexit has cost the UK around £600m every week since the 2016 referendum, according to a report by Goldman Sachs that highlights the economic impact of the uncertainty surrounding Britain’s exit from the EU. The investment bank said that Brexit has cost Britain about 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product, compared with a hypothetical “Doppelgänger” economy that did not withstand a Brexit shock. Its estimates suggest that the UK economy has underperformed other advanced economies since mid-2016 as a result.
Top mandarin's bombshell No Deal warning: Food up 10%, police unable to protect public, direct rule in Ulster, worse recession than 2008 says leaked letter
Sir Mark's 14-page letter warns:
a) No Deal would result in a 10 per cent spike in food prices and the collapse of some businesses that trade with the EU;
b) The Government would come under pressure to bail out companies on the brink;
c) It would hamper the ability of the police and security services to keep people safe;
d) It would lead to the reintroduction of direct rule in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2007;
e) A recession will hit the UK and the pound's depreciation will be 'more harmful' than in 2008;
f) Our legal authorities and judicial system would be put under 'enormous pressure'.
Brexit uncertainty has cost Britain £600 million a week - Goldman Sachs
Britain’s chaotic exit from the European Union has cost the economy about 600 million pounds per week since the 2016 referendum, Goldman Sachs said on Monday in a report that underscores how Brexit uncertainty has dented investment. The report found that Brexit had cost the world’s fifth largest economy nearly 2.5 percent of GDP at the end of last year, compared to its growth path prior to the mid-2016 vote on exiting the bloc. It has also lagged other advanced economies.
“Politicians in the UK are still struggling to deliver on that vote,” Goldman Sachs economists wrote in a note to clients.
Brexit is turning Britain into a laughing stock, says Siemens UK boss
The UK chief executive of the German manufacturing group Siemens has said Brexit is making Britain an international “laughing stock”, while urging MPs to pursue a softer withdrawal from the EU. Jürgen Maier said Britain was wrecking its reputation for business stability, putting investment in the country at risk and threatening the economy. A no-deal Brexit would inflict further damage, he said, while urging MPs to reach a consensus and back a customs union with the EU.
Writing an open letter to MPs published by the Politico website, he said: “The world is watching, and where the UK used to be beacon for stability, we are now becoming a laughing stock.
BMW, Peugeot go ahead with UK plant shutdowns despite Brexit delay
BMW’s Mini plant in Britain closes for four weeks from Monday and Peugeot’s Vauxhall car factory shuts for two weeks in moves planned months ago to help the firms deal with any disruption resulting from Brexit, which has since been delayed.
Administrative Fall Out
Protesters strip off in House of Commons during Brexit debate
A group of protesters have been arrested after stripping off in the House of Commons as MPs debated Brexit. Direct action group Extinction Rebellion said semi-naked activists had glued their hands ...
Holiday bookings hit by 'unanswered questions' on Brexit, easyJet warns
Easyjet has warned that "unanswered questions surrounding Brexit" are weakening demand as it heads into its key summer trading period. Shares in the low-cost airline fell 9% after it said it was now "more cautious" about its expected financial performance in the key second half of its financial year from now until the end of September. Chief executive Johan Lundgren said the carrier was operationally well-prepared for Britain's departure from the European Union but that it was seeing "softness" in the market in both the UK and Europe.
For Many British Businesses, Brexit Has Already Happened
For more than three decades, London has attracted global banks, trading operations, hedge funds, asset managers and sovereign wealth funds, becoming a global financial center second to none. Brexit has jeopardized that status.
Factories rush to stockpile for Brexit
UK factories stockpiled goods for Brexit at an unexpectedly high rate last month, boosting manufacturing growth to a 13-month high, according to a closely watched survey. The research, by IHS Markit/CIPS, found that the rate of increase in stocks hit a survey record high for the third month in a row. The Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) for the manufacturing sector rose to 55.1 in March, from 52.1 in February. A figure above 50 indicates expansion. The PMI has remained above that benchmark for 32 months in a row.
Brexit: Will flights be disrupted?
The EU has agreed measures to allow "basic connectivity" for a year, to prevent planes being grounded the day after a no-deal Brexit. UK Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg has confirmed that this will be reciprocated. This doesn't provide the exact same access as before, though. It allows for "point-to-point" trips - from the UK to another EU country and vice versa. But it doesn't cover onward flights to other European countries - or flights by EU carriers between two UK cities.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: Theresa May calls crunch cabinet talks as UK heads towards election that ministers admit 'nobody actually wants'
It means that on Tuesday the usual 90-minute cabinet meeting will be ditched, with ministers told to clear their diaries for two meetings lasting five hours in total. The first, between 9am and noon, will be a “political cabinet”, where top ministers discuss political strategy and party matters without government officials listening in.
This will then be followed by the more usual cabinet meeting to discuss government matters, such as no-deal Brexit preparations, with civil servants taking notes.
Downing Street insisted on Monday that the prime minister still believed a general election was not in the national interest, despite deputy-Conservative chairman James Cleverly admitting his party was engaged in “sensible and pragmatic” planning for a snap poll.
'Desperate mood' in No 10 as insiders considered snap election
Inside the No 10 bunker, there has been heated discussion about whether a snap general election fronted by Theresa May remains a possibility. But with the Conservatives plunging below Labour in the polls this weekend and the party’s split over Europe looking increasingly irreconcilable, there are growing warnings from Tory grandees that even entertaining such a course of action is deeply unwise. “It was certainly being tested,” said one Downing Street adviser. “Some people weren’t exactly arguing in favour, but were saying it could be the least worst option.”
Tory MPs in revolt as 170 sign letter demanding that Theresa May rejects long Brexit delay
Theresa May is today facing a Tory revolt after 170 of her MPs signed a letter begging her not to agree a long Brexit delay. A letter was sent to No10 which was signed by 170 MPs - more than half their whole number - demanding the UK leaves the EU within the next few months. The letter insists the PM must uphold the Tories' manifesto commitments on Brexit, meaning there must be no long exit delay and no EU elections fought. In a serious challenge to her authority, it was also signed by 10 Cabinet ministers and 20 other members of her Government.
Brexit: DUP 'will oppose PM's deal 1,000 times'
A Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) MP has said the party will not vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal even if she presents it to the House of Commons "a thousand times". The party's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson said its position was fixed. He accused former prime minister Sir John Major and Justice Secretary David Gauke of "scare tactics". They said on Sunday that a no-deal Brexit could jeopardise Northern Ireland's place in the UK.
Soft Brexit will shatter Tory party, Theresa May warned
Theresa May was warned last night that she faced resignations and a split in the Conservative Party if she agrees to pursue a “soft” Brexit this week. Ministers including Chris Grayling and Penny Mordaunt have made it clear they would consider resigning if the prime minister bows to the will of the Commons, should it vote for a customs union with the EU tonight.
Brexit customs union bad for foreign policy and trade, says Truss
The idea of Brexit based on a customs union is “incredibly problematic”, Liz Truss has said, as Theresa May faces increasingly open cabinet splits before a new round of indicative votes which could point the way towards a softer departure.
With MPs expected to vote on Monday evening on some of the eight tabled proposals, the chief secretary to the Treasury said she vehemently opposed the idea of the government backing a customs union if MPs voted for the option.
The justice secretary, David Gauke, said on Sunday he did not think it would be “sustainable to ignore parliament’s position” if MPs ruled out a no-deal Brexit and opted for a customs union.
Labour Must Spread The Truth That Any Brexit Will Screw The Working Class More Than No Brexit At All
Today in the Commons our politicians will try again to cobble together a Brexit of some sort. They hope this in extremis approach will get through Parliament when, so far, our political class has repeatedly failed to agree a plan. May’s deal is as dead as a dodo, and political consensus among our rulers about where to go next is yet to emerge.
MPs prepare to vote on Brexit options for second time
MPs are getting ready for the second round of so-called "indicative" votes on EU withdrawal options, with cross-party support for softer versions of Brexit.
Dutch MPs call for ring-fencing of citizens' rights post Brexit
Dutch MPs will on Tuesday vote on a motion to make guaranteeing the rights of British nationals in Europe and Dutch nationals in the UK a separate issue in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The motion was drawn up by CDA MP Pieter Omtzigt and D66 parliamentarian Kees Verhoeven and calls on the Dutch government to lobby Brussels to take the section on citiziens’ rights out of the withdrawal agreement and make it a separate matter. The recommendation was included in the duo’s last report on the Brexit preparations but generated a ‘negative reaction’ from the Dutch government, Omtzigt told DutchNews.nl.
Theresa May STEPS IN to protect Dominic Grieve after losing no confidence vote over Brexit
The Prime Minister is backing the Tory grandee after party association members in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire, voted to see their constituency’s MP deselected, Home Office minister Victoria Atkins said. When asked whether Mrs May would step in and help Mr Grieve retaining his seat, Mrs Atkins told Pienaar’s Politics on BBC 5 Live: “The Prime Minister’s been very clear about this. Dominic has given years and years of service to the parliamentary party, to the country, and the fact is that his Ukip opponent used a meeting on Friday to bring about this debate.”
Brexit: Parliament again fails to agree on how to leave the E.U., as deadline looms
Britain's Parliament still can't agree on how to move forward on Brexit. Four nonbinding measures that would have outlined a potential way forward on exiting the European Union all failed to gain a majority Monday. The vote came after lawmakers last week rejected a withdrawal agreement proposed by Prime Minister Theresa May for a third time. Two of these votes were the largest and fourth largest losses in parliamentary history. Despite these defeats, May is reportedly considering putting her deal up for yet another vote in Parliament this week.
No-deal Brexit a 'real possibility', says Coveney
Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney has said Ireland needs to prepare for the "worst possible outcome" on Brexit. Mr Coveney said the British political system is "unpredictable and semi-chaotic at the moment". He said with a "deeply divided" parliament Ireland cannot be sure what the outcome of the votes there will be this week. Mr Coveney said a no-deal Brexit has shifted from a "remote possibility" to a "real possibility", but said while he personally does not think it will happen, we cannot be sure.
EU to seek €10bn from UK even if no-deal Brexit
The European Union is expected to seek more than €10bn in UK contributions for this year even in the event of a no-deal scenario on 12 April, RTÉ News understands. In exchange, UK beneficiaries of EU funding would continue to receive grants for the rest of the year. A senior EU source told RTÉ News: "We hope to have it wrapped up this week." The official said there had been "informal" signals from the UK Treasury that Britain would be willing to consider paying the remainder of its budget obligations until the end of the year. This is in order that universities, local communities and any other beneficiaries would not be frozen out of EU structural, regional development and research funding immediately.
UK Brexit plan has failed — but a customs union can unite MPs
The U.K. Office for National Statistics on Friday confirmed investment is in its worst slump since the last recession, and we already know 80 percent of businesses say Brexit has damaged investment decisions. Worse, the damage this is doing to the country's hard-won reputation as a serious and stable place to do business is now all too real. The world is watching, and where the U.K. used to be beacon for stability, we are now becoming a laughing stock. I personally can no longer defend the action of our parliament when reporting to my managing board, making it hard to win support for finely balanced investment decisions that in the end have an impact on U.K. jobs, innovation and the competitiveness of our activities here.
The Guardian view on Brexit votes: put nation before party
MPs’ failure to come together increases the chance that hard Brexiters will frame the crisis as an opportunity to get people to vote against their economic interests
It’s time for common sense on Brexit – a customs union must prevail
The votes should be free and unwhipped. The Speaker should plead for it. The whips should grant it. The chief government whip, Julian Smith, has admitted an “unprecedented” collapse in discipline, but we are where we are. The nation is screaming for unity and resolution – employers, unions, industries big and small, opinion polls, every non-maverick lobby in the land. The Westminster bubble must burst.
Ed Vaizey on second referendum: 'I may end up supporting it'
Wantage MP Ed Vaizey has hinted that he is moving towards supporting a second referendum on Brexit. Asked if he would back another vote, the former minister replied: "Still unconvinced but may end up supporting." Mr Vaizey suggested he was unaware of reports this morning claiming he is one of a number of Tories set to back the 'Kyle-Wilson amendment', which would see an approved Brexit deal put to voters.
Brexit votes: MPs fail to back proposals again
MPs have again failed to agree on proposals for the next steps of Brexit. The Commons voted on four motions for leaving the EU, including a customs union and a Norway-style arrangement - keeping the UK in the single market - but none gained a majority. The votes were not legally binding, so the government would not have been forced to adopt the proposals. Theresa May's plan that she negotiated with the EU has been rejected twice by historic margins in Parliament. The withdrawal agreement section of her deal was voted down again by MPs on Friday. Mrs May now has until 12 April to either seek a longer extension from the EU to take a different course or decide to leave the EU without a deal.
Cabinet Office spends £5.5m in a month on Brexit consultants
One government department alone spent £5.5m in a single month on management consultants to help with Brexit policy, it has emerged. Labour analysed government data on all spending of £25,000 or more by the Cabinet Office in January, the last month for which figures have been released, and calculated that the amount spent on external consultants for Brexit-related work was £6m. The Cabinet Office said just over £400,000 of this was spent not on consultants but by a media buying company to purchase advertising space for the government’s Brexit-related public information campaign. It said the £5.5m, which primarily went to multinational companies including EY, PwC and Bain, covered necessary extra skills for Brexit-related tasks such as operational and project management tasks. The monthly cost was expected to increase as the Brexit process accelerated, the department said.
@Telegraph Indicative vote results in the House
Indicative vote results in the House Customs Union: 273 Ayes - 276 Noes Common Market 2.0: 261 Ayes - 282 Noes Second Referendum: 280 Ayes -292 Noes Parliamentary Supremacy: 191 Ayes - 292 Noes
For the right price, Macron will change his position on extending Article 50
To the delight of ardent Brexiteers, French President Emmanuel Macron has recently indicated that extending the UK’s European Union membership past 12 April is by no means certain and that no-deal next week is a real possibility. Is this just theatre, or could he really mean it? There are four key reasons for Macron to make such noises. First, many EU leaders and members of the European Parliament are fed up of Brexit and fed up of Britain. If push comes to shove they will probably agree to Britain staying in the EU until December 2020, the end of the current budgetary framework period.
Brussels to send bill for billions of pounds if UK crashes out with no deal
Brussels is demanding Britain pay up billions of pounds even if the UK crashes out of the bloc in a no-deal Brexit on April 12. The EU wants about £5.3 billion from Britain, UK officials said. The figure takes into accounts deductions from the British rebate and funding already paid back to Britain. The money would guarantee that the EU continues to pay out committed funding to British recipients, such as farmers and university researchers, until the end of 2019. “We hope to have it wrapped up this week,” the Irish broadcaster RTE News quoted a senior EU source as saying on Monday.
Britain staying in customs union is 'best thing' that could happen to EU, says Guy Verhofstadt
Britain staying in a customs union after Brexit would be the “best thing that could happen” to the European Union, Guy Verhofstadt said, as EU sources warned Brussels would dictate trade policy under such an agreement. The UK could leave the EU by May 22, and avoid a Brexit extension of up to two years and the need to hold European elections, if MPs built a cross-party majority behind a customs union, Mr Verhofstadt said. A customs union would help solve the vexed issue of the Irish border but it will prevent Britain from pursuing an independent trade policy, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator said
Only one option remains with Brexit – prorogue Parliament and allow us out of the EU with no-deal
The legal and democratic principles of our constitution now point to one resolution of the EU withdrawal crisis: prorogation of Parliament for two or three weeks, so that ministers can settle down to exercising their abundant statutory and prerogative powers to prepare for the immediate consequences of a no-deal withdrawal on April 12. On that date the European Treaties will cease to apply to this country – the UK will withdraw from the EU – by the automatic effect of Article 50.3 as modified by decision of the European Council, with the United Kingdom’s agreement, on March 22.
Labour Breaches Own Manifesto By Backing Plan For Continued Free Movement After Brexit
Corbyn's party will support Common Market 2.0, alongside proposals for a customs union and a second referendum.
What happens in the Brexit process now that MPs have again rejected the alternatives on offer?
MPs have again rejected a series of alternatives to Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
A call for a customs union after Brexit was defeated by just three votes, a referendum on any deal was rejected by 12 votes, the Common Market 2.0 plan lost by 21 votes and cancelling Brexit to prevent a no-deal scenario was defeated by 101.
MPs fail to agree on alternative Brexit option to Theresa May's plan to leave the EU
MPs have rejected all four Brexit alternatives tabled for the second round of the indicative vote process. Moments after the results were announced Conservative former minister Nick Boles quit after he told the Commons he can "no longer sit for this party" .
Brexit: EU leaders plan for no deal as other options dissolve
EU leaders used to use the threat of a no-deal Brexit as a negotiating tactic (as did the UK). They now believe it to be a very real prospect. That has led to a number of countries - notably France - questioning the logic of delaying Brexit for much longer. They wonder if the UK will ever unite around a Brexit Way Forward - be it a softer Brexit, no deal or no Brexit. Would a Brexit extension, allowing for a general election or a second referendum, really settle the issue, they ask? Or will the EU and UK end up in a no deal scenario anyway, after countless extra months of agonising (and costly) uncertainty?
Political Setbacks
Brexit: MPs AGAIN reject every option for a way forward in indicative votes
Brexit has been thrown into chaos yet again after MPs rejected every single option in a new round of "indicative votes" on the way forward. In a bid to break the impasse, MPs seized control of the Parliamentary timetable to vote on four different options. These included a customs union, a Norway Plus style deal, an extension that could prevent No Deal and a second referendum. But all of the options were voted down. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for fresh votes on the same options on Wednesday. He said: “It's disappointing that no solution has won a majority this evening but I remind the House that the Prime Minister's unacceptable deal has been overwhelmingly rejected three times. “The margin of defeat for one of the options tonight was very narrow indeed and the Prime Minister's deal has been rejected by very large majorities on three occasions.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-brexit-mps-vote-against-14221064
Additional sources: (The Sun) (Daily Mail) (Politico) (BBC)
Additional sources: (The Sun) (Daily Mail) (Politico) (BBC)
Merkel Wants Irish Ready for Painful Choice If Brexit Goes Wrong
If the U.K. tumbles out of the bloc without a deal, the question that has dogged Brexit talks -- how to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland -- becomes an acute crisis. For Ireland, the dilemma is this: policing the border could endanger the region’s peace process. Failing to do so could endanger Ireland’s access to the single market.
If Juncker is tired of Brexit now, a poorly timed British general election will really test his patience
For Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Europe himself, to come down with the disease of Brexit exhaustion while on a trip to Rome is testament to the virulence of the disease: “With our British friends we have a lot of patience, but even patience is running out,” Juncker said in an interview with Italian public broadcaster RAI. “So far we know what the British parliament says no to, but we don’t know what it might say yes to.” The treatment? Mr Juncker is happy to write his own prescription: for the British to make a decision about their future relationship with the European Union. Once administered, Brexit fatigue could clear up remarkably swiftly.
Lesley Riddoch: Why are bungling Brexit elites escaping public wrath?
Johnson and Rees Mogg, turncoat architects of Brexit, are escaping the wrath of the public, but why, asks Lesley Riddoch Britain is approaching the perfect political storm this week and every new course to avoid a hard Brexit looks hazardous for a captain ...
Boles quits Conservative Party over Brexit
Conservative lawmaker Nick Boles said on Monday he was resigning from Prime Minister Theresa May's governing party after his attempt to seek an alternative route forward to break the deadlock in parliament over Brexit was rejected. The proposal Boles put forward for a so-called Common Market 2.0, or enhanced Norway-style deal which would include membership of the EU's single market as well as a customs arrangement with the EU, lost by 282 votes to 261. "I have given everything to an attempt to find a compromise that can take this country out of the European Union while maintaining our economic strength and our political cohesion, I accept I have failed," Boles told parliament. "I have failed chiefly because my party refuses to compromise, I regret therefore to announce that I can no longer sit for this party." Boles later said on Twitter he would sit as an "Independent Progressive Conservative."
A government of national unity is another Brexit fantasy
MacDonald’s choice offers Tories a clue to what is coming if they do not back her deal — a shattered party or an early election. Mrs May is planning yet another push, incorporating a backbench Labour plan for more parliamentary control over the next stage. With Labour backing every soft Brexit option, only the most obtuse Tory hardliners can believe there is a better option on offer. Too bad it is the most obtuse hardliners she now needs to convince.
Brexit protester who disrupted Eurostar admits nuisance charge
The Brexit protester who disrupted services on the Eurostar last week by standing on top of St Pancras station in London has admitted a charge at Westminster magistrates court of causing a public nuisance. Terry Maher, 44, from Camden, north London, climbed on to the roof of the station at 7pm on Friday and remained there until 8am on Saturday. He waved a St George’s flag and told arresting officers he was angry at politicians for “fucking up Brexit”. Maher’s actions took place on the day the UK was supposed to leave the European Union and caused the cancellation of eight Eurostar services and major delays for thousands of passengers.
Brexit: Germany’s EU minister blames clueless ‘silver spoon’ Westminster elite for ‘s**tshow’
The clueless “silver spoon” elite that dominates British politics is to blame for the current Brexit crisis in the UK, Germany’s Europe minister has said. Speaking in Berlin, Michael Roth said “90 per cent” of Britain’s cabinet ministers have “no idea how workers think, live, work and behave” and that their ignorance had led to a “big s**tshow”. “Brexit is a big s**tshow, I say that now very undiplomatically,” Mr Roth said at a gathering of his Social Democratic Party over the weekend.
Brexit: Jacob Rees-Mogg defends tweet of far-right AfD clip
Conservative British MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended his tweet of a speech made by the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The prominent Brexit supporter posted the footage of Alice Weidel speaking in Germany's parliament. In it, she questioned the European Union's (EU) Brexit negotiating strategy and called for EU reform. AfD was formed in 2013 and is Germany's main opposition party, campaigning for tougher immigration laws. The party has provoked outrage in Germany for incendiary remarks from its members on race, religion, and Nazi Germany.
Petitions and jokes will not halt this march into Brexit calamity
In the classic sense of a very modern word, we are being trolled. Yet the outward mood of many people opposed to Brexit remains subdued, weary and fatalistic. As austerity grinds on and the social fabric carries on fraying, the impossibility of leaving the EU without truly dire economic and social damage is self-evident. Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and – no, really – Dominic Raab are jostling to get the keys to 10 Downing Street. Our system of government has creaked to a halt; the official opposition is divided, confused and often mute. Anger might seem like the most apposite response, but what we have mostly seen is a strange passivity.
Climate protesters flash MPs during Brexit debate
Police have arrested 12 people on suspicion of outraging public decency after climate change activists stripped off to stage a protest in the House of Commons while MPs debated Brexit. A group of largely-naked Extinction Rebellion protesters with messages painted on their bodies stood up in the public gallery overlooking the debate on Monday night. Some were pressed against the glass which separates the gallery from the chamber, with police who were sent to the scene to negotiate saying one had "super-glued" themselves to the window. MPs were seen taking a glance up at the protest and Speaker John Bercow maintained that the debate on the second stage of the Brexit alternatives would proceed despite the protest.
We are heading for a long Brexit delay – and even ERG MPs are resigned to the fact
The Independent Group of MPs (TIG) will be supporting any measures that provide for a people’s vote with Remain on the ballot and, if that not possible, for the revocation of Article 50 if that’s what it takes to stop a no-deal Brexit – we certainly will not facilitate Brexit like the main parties. But, whatever gets through, I’m not sure we’d be able to pass all the necessary legislation even by 22 May at this rate, the latest date pencilled in by the European Council for our departure.
WATCH: Baker refuses to name person who gave him advice on overspend
Steve Baker says his “conscience is free of any blemish” - despite sending an email advising Vote Leave could spend as much as it needed.
Circular firing squad: Puritanism sees Remainers and Soft Brexiters destroy each other
It was like the final scene of Reservoir Dogs. Each of the Brexit political tribes held a gun up to the other and shouted at them, preventing any one idea from securing a majority. They killed everything: a customs union, the single market, a People's Vote and even the ability to keep no-deal off the table. There were four motions put forward in the indicative vote debate tonight - the latest event at which MPs wrestle control of the parliamentary timetable from the government and try to find an alternative to Theresa May's stale plan. If any one of them could secure a majority, it could act as a battering ram forcing the prime minister to give ground.
Jeremy Corbyn needs to get behind the people’s vote to fight the far right
For a second vote to stand a chance, it needs the socialist Labour leadership behind it, making it about transformational politics in Britain, rather than a default to a broken economic policy that is breaking people. But regardless of support for another referendum, with the far right permeating our political air supply, the Corbyn left must throw its intellectual, moral, campaigning and policymaking weight behind full-throated anti-racism and support for immigration. This is so long overdue, it’s starting to feel as if the left really has conceded defeat.
Julian Smith: Chief whip attacks cabinet's post-election Brexit strategy
The government should have made clear after the 2017 election that it would "inevitably" have to accept a closer relationship with the EU after Brexit, the Conservative chief whip has said. In a BBC documentary, Julian Smith - who manages party discipline - is also critical of the cabinet's behaviour. The attack comes as the cabinet is split over whether to move to a softer deal that could mean a customs union. No 10 said the prime minister had "never used the term soft Brexit". Several cabinet ministers have said agreeing to a customs union would break promises the Conservatives made at the 2017 election while ex-minister Steve Baker said doing so would "shatter" the party.
Brexit has destroyed the barriers between the centre and far right
"The Brexiteers have trampled down the border between the centre right and far right. In Conservative politics now we have complete freedom of movement"
Remainers, take note: much of Europe just wants to excise the British cancer
The mood in Brussels is pessimistic. Most of those closely involved in the Brexit talks think the likeliest outcome is for the UK to leave without a deal. There is also tremendous frustration with what EU officials see as the incompetence, ignorance and irresponsibility of swaths of the British political class. Over the past three years much of the goodwill that people held towards the UK has evaporated.
Theresa May’s Legacy of Chaos
As the Article 50 fuse she so imprudently lit fizzes to its end – she has come to realise that the one shot she has at posterity – is to get her wretched deal through and fulfil the meaningless undertaking that “Brexit meant Brexit”. That empty epithet will now be her political epitaph. In some quarters May has gained sympathy for having to handle this thankless political task – but it is entirely unwarranted. David Cameron stupidly and ill-advisedly caused the mess – but May has had opportunity after opportunity to put a halt to it. Instead of being straight with the public – she has appeased the whims of the Europhobic lunatics and let the country got to the dogs.
Parliament Has Again Failed To Agree On Any Alternatives To Theresa May's Brexit Plan
After MPs rejected all the alternative proposals for the second time in a week, a leading Conservative MP announced he was quitting the party because it "refuses to compromise". Parliament has again failed to agree on an alternative to Theresa May’s Brexit plan, leaving Westminster hopelessly divided with less than two weeks to go before the UK is due to leave the European Union. On Monday night, for the second time in a week, MPs took control of parliamentary business in an attempt to resolve the gridlock by voting on possible Brexit outcomes, but none of the four proposals received the backing of a majority of the House.
The Conservatives have only just learned what a customs union is
The clock is ticking down to Brexit, and it can feel like the people in power have no idea about the reality of the situation. Well, in the case of the Tories, that seems to actually be the case. One of the central points of this Brexit process has been membership of the customs union. It has been crucial to discussions all along. Some are in support of being in it, some do not think that should be the case.
Today, the Tory MPs FINALLY had their training session on what a customs union is.
@ExtinctionR Extinction Rebellion activists strip off in House of Commons public gallery to call attention to the ‘elephant in the room’
BREAKING: Extinction Rebellion activists strip off in House of Commons public gallery to call attention to the ‘elephant in the room’ — Climate and Ecological Crisis #ExtinctionRebellion #TellTheTruth @HouseofCommons
“Not in the public interest”: why the Electoral Commission didn’t investigate Vote Leave and DUP donation
The UK’s election watchdog doesn’t think it’s worth finding out if the Brexit campaign broke the law more than once. MPs have called on the regulator to look again.
Jacob Rees-Mogg under attack for sharing video of German far-right leader
Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has come under fire for sharing a speech from a controversial far-right German party known for its anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric. The leading Eurosceptic shared a video of the Alternative for Germany leader Alice Weidel hitting out at Brussels’ handling of Brexit. Posted from his Twitter account, the chairman of the European Research Group said: “The AfD leader asks 'Is it any wonder the British see bad faith behind every manoeuvre from Brussels?'"
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 4th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Tone down the rhetoric say police
- The Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner, Martin Hewitt, said 'politicians and campaigners should take care not to inflame tensions in the UK caused by Brexit.' He said people should not use nflammatory language and avoid inciting others to violence. His warning comes after increased concern about intimidation of MPs
No Deal Police Squad Ready and Primed
- The police said they have amassed their biggest ever peacetime reserve of 10,000 officers, which they are ready to deploy to deal with any potential unrest, in the event of a No Deal Brexit
Civil Servants working on No Deal get counselling
- The BBC reported that UK civil servants have been offered specialised counselling support services to deal with the strain of preparing for a No Deal Brexit. Documents seen by the BBC say 'surgeries were primarily for those working on emergency preparedness in case of a no deal Brexit scenario'
BBC accused of normalizing white supremacy
- A cross-party group of MEPs have accused the BBC of normalizing 'white supremacist language' in a letter addressed to the BBC's director of news and current affairs
Ministers have the power to control your prescriptions
- Byline Times revealed the implications of the government's Serious Medicine Shortages Protocol, which passed unchallenged in Parliament last February. The law, designed for emergencies, lets Ministers direct pharmacists to prescribe different drugs to patients if there is as a serious shortage, without consulting a patient's GP. Many GPs are expressing unease and saying this practice 'would willfully endanger patients'
BBC to set up office in Amsterdam?
- The BBC is moving some of its TV channels to Amsterdam, so it can keep broadcasting to the EU, if there is a no deal Brexit. Lord Hall told the Public Accounts Committee 'the BBC is being cautious and that it wants to continue serving its wider market'
EU anti-trust regulators target sweetheart tax deals
- The EU has ordered the UK to recover illegal tax aid from a group of multinationals. EU antitrust regulators ruled the tax evasion scheme as illegal after a 16 month investigation. The probe focused on the UK's Controlled Foreign Company rules which saw multinationals benefiting from sweetheart tax deals, offered by some EU countries
EU Commission rejects a further short Brexit delay
- Jean-Claude Juncker said that either the withdrawal deal is passed in the next nine days, or the UK crashes out of the EU, or it agrees to sign up to a long delay. This would entail it agreeing to run European elections - the decision deadline by which the UK must agree is April 12th
- The EU also reiterated that it would refuse to open any post Brexit trade talks with the UK after a No Deal. It would stand firm until the UK decided to sign up to the main elements of the current withdrawal agreement before starting any talks
- Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May negotiation teams met to discuss a Brexit deadlock solution on Wednesday. Corbyn said there had not been as much flexibility as he would have expected, on Theresa May's side, but talks will continue
- Papers reported that Theresa May's Tory Party is enraged that she is talking directly to Jeremy Corbyn about Brexit. Mrs May was said to be pursuing the chance of a deal over Tory party unity
- Resignations and criticism of Theresa May's decision is starting. Michael Fabricant MP raged in the Telegraph; 'I can no longer support our reckless PM'
- Another Brexit minister resigned in protest at the government position. Chris Heaton-Harris published a resignation letter in which he argued for a No deal Brexit
- The Daily Telegraph wrote 'by allying with Corbyn, our kamikaze PM has decalred war on her own party'
- The Sun said up to 15 ministers in her government are ready to resign in protest over her holding Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn
- There were growing numbers of social media posts of Tory Party members cutting up their membership cards appearing on social media
- In a series of knife-edge Parliamentary votes, backbenchers tried to take control of the Government Order Paper for next Monday - failing as the vote was tied, and the Speaker voted against the motion, as per Commons convention
- MPs voted in favour of a Parliamentary manoeuvre to try to avert a No Deal Brexit on April 12th by a majority of one vote. The legislation was rushed through the House of Commons on Wednesday. The bill now moves to the House of Lords for approval. The bill does not bind the EU, who could reject the outcome of the vote and not offer an extension
- Investigations show that a lobbying company run by Conservative election guru, Sir Lynton Crosby, is linked to a grassroots Facebook advertising campaign pushing MPs to back a hard Brexit. Two supposedly independent groups (Britain's Future and the Mainstream Network) have spent nearly £1m on a targeted campaign to get people to pressurise their MPs
- Jeremy Corbyn is facing a Cabinet backlash from colleagues as he appears to be resisting calls to push for a Second Brexit referendum in his discussions with Theresa May
- A new nationwide opinion poll conducted for the campaign group Right to Vote, involving 9,500 adults across the UK, reveals that 58.1% of the voters want a final say on any Brexit deal as opposed to 41.9% who disagree
Jobs at Risk
Brexit still pushing financial jobs from UK to EU - think tank
Financial firms in Britain continue to shift business to new European Union hubs and won’t stop unless Brexit is cancelled, a think tank told British lawmakers on Wednesday. William Wright, head of New Financial, said its study published on March 11 showed that 275 financial firms were moving some of their business, staff or assets from Britain to hubs in the EU to avoid Brexit disruption. “Since the report was published we have found another 14 firms have set up new entities,” Wright told a House of Lords committee.
Economic Impact
Bank of England governor Mark Carney: Risk of no-deal Brexit now 'alarmingly high'
Mark Carney has told Sky News the risk of a no-deal Brexit is now "alarmingly high", branding suggestions such a scenario could be managed as "absolute nonsense".
In an exclusive interview with Sky News, the governor of the Bank of England defended its gloomy forecasts for what a cliff-edge Brexit would mean and denied they amounted to scaremongering. He said the Bank's thinking on the issue - which included predictions of an economic shock - had been demanded by a committee of MPs and involved the work of hundreds of staff, including its economists.
@SkyNews "Forget the fiction… it's absolute nonsense. It needs to be called out." Mark Carney says it's a "myth" that the UK could maintain zero tariffs in a Brexit on WTO rules.
"Forget the fiction… it's absolute nonsense. It needs to be called out." Mark Carney says it's a "myth" that the UK could maintain zero tariffs in a Brexit on WTO rules.
Pound rises on May-Corbyn Brexit talks
The pound rose to $1.3184 this morning after the announcement last night by Prime Minister Theresa May that she would work with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit. The pound, which rose sharply on the news, had fallen as low as $1.2997 in the past week.
Administrative Fall Out
Civil servants offered counselling for no-deal Brexit stress
British civil servants were offered specialised support to deal with the strain of preparing for a no-deal Brexit, the BBC has learned. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) spent £40,000 on counselling services in London, York and Bristol. The surgeries were primarily for those working on "emergency preparedness in case of a no deal scenario". The government said the wellbeing of its staff was "always a priority". The three-month contract, which was awarded to Gloucester-based employee assistance firm Care First, was brought to the BBC's attention by the data firm Tussell. It was designed to bolster Defra's in-house mental health services while the department made changes to its support programmes, and ended on the 31 January.
Brexit: Police warn MPs and campaigners not to inflame tensions
Politicians and campaigners should take care not to "inflame" tensions in the UK caused by Brexit, a senior police chief has warned. The Metropolitan Police Service's Assistant Commissioner, Martin Hewitt, said people should think carefully to avoid inciting others to violence. The warning follows increased concern about intimidation of MPs. Police have 10,000 officers ready to deploy at 24 hours' notice as part of possible no-deal Brexit preparations.
Police amass 10,000 officers in preparation for no-deal unrest
Police chiefs have voiced fears that inflammatory rhetoric from politicians and activists could fuel Brexit tensions as they revealed they have amassed their biggest ever peacetime reserve of 10,000 officers to deal with potential unrest in the event of no deal. The chair of the National Police Chiefs Council, Martin Hewitt, warned “prominent individuals” involved in the protracted Brexit debate should avoid inciting anger given the “febrile” and “emotive” atmosphere, amid concerns of violence and disorder.
EU orders UK to recover illegal tax aid from multinationals
Britain will have to recover millions of euros from some multinationals after EU antitrust regulators ruled on Tuesday that an exemption in a UK tax scheme was illegal. The European Commission’s decision, following a 16-month investigation, is part of an ongoing crackdown against multinationals benefiting from sweetheart tax deals offered by EU countries. The EU investigation focussed on Britain’s Controlled Foreign Company (CFC) rules, which are aimed at attracting companies to set up headquarters in Britain and discourage UK companies moving offshore.
UK immigration rules ‘deny’ NI-born Irish citizens access to EU rights
The UK government is under pressure to clarify immigration rules that human rights activists say undermine the rights of Northern Ireland-born Irish citizens under the Belfast Agreement. Les Allamby, chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, said changes in UK immigration laws treating people in Northern Ireland automatically as British citizens (or British subjects) “goes against the grain” of the 1998 agreement underpinning the Northern Irish peace process.
He was referring to the changes to immigration rules published on March 7th but highlighted this week by citizens’ rights campaigner Emma DeSouza, a Northern Ireland-born Irish citizen embroiled in a lengthy appeals process after her US-born husband’s application for residence was rejected.
Brexit: BBC to move channels to Amsterdam so it can keep broadcasting in no-deal
The BBC is moving some of its TV channels to Amsterdam so it can keep broadcasting to the EU if there’s a no-deal Brexit . Auntie’s director-general confirmed reports it was examining creating a European office so it can carry on providing services within the bloc. Lord Hall told the Commons Public Accounts Committee today: “It’s simply us being cautious and saying we have channels that we run, a market in the rest of Europe that we want to make sure we can continue doing. “If we were to move somewhere - and it depends entirely on what happens with the negotiations over Brexit - it would be a handful of people, four or five people.
MEPs denounce BBC’s use of ‘white supremacist’ language
A cross-party group of European Parliament lawmakers has accused the BBC of normalizing "white supremacist language" in its Brexit coverage. In a letter addressed to the BBC's director of news and current affairs on Thursday, 14 British MEPs called for journalists to receive advice on the use of "extreme right dog-whistles," the Independent reported.
Ministers’ “Power Grab” from Doctors over Brexit Medicine Shortages
In what MP Jonathan Ashworth calls ‘an extraordinary power grab’ from doctors, the Government passed its ‘Serious Medicine Shortages Protocol’ in February, without parliamentary debate. A legal challenge to overturn the new law was refused permission in the High Court last Friday, with lawyers planning to appeal. The law, designed for emergencies, lets Ministers direct pharmacists to prescribe different drugs to patients if there is a serious shortage. Pharmacists could then alter patients’ prescriptions in line with that guidance, without calling their GP. Doctors received letters about the plan last month. One GP explained her worries on receiving the Government letter: “Pharmacists will be able to override and change prescriptions in event of shortages. This may sound OK, but could in fact be dangerous because they aren’t currently party to the patient’s records.” She added: “I do feel worried because in my 26 years as a GP, I have never received a mailing from the Government about something that could willfully endanger patients.”
'We’re not being given a viable future': how Brexit will hurt British music
From customs holding up CD and vinyl deliveries to visa issues putting roadies out of work, the UK music industry is nervous about what Brexit may bring
May seeks to reassure bosses over shifting Brexit plan
The prime minister has tried to reassure the bosses of some of the UK’s biggest companies about her undulating Brexit strategy amid efforts to persuade corporate Britain to publicly endorse her latest change of tack. Sky News understands that Mrs May held a call with the co-chairs of her business councils on Tuesday night, shortly after announcing that she would seek a further extension to Article 50 and hold talks with the Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn aimed at forging a parliamentary consensus. A source close to the discussion said that Mrs May was keen to gauge support among the heads of companies such as BT Group, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Rolls-Royce for her sudden shift toward a softer Brexit.
Political Shenanigans
Labour's Corbyn says Theresa May has not moved enough on Brexit
Opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Wednesday that Prime Minister Theresa May had not moved far enough in a first round of crisis talks aimed at breaking the domestic deadlock over Britain’s exit from the European Union. The United Kingdom was supposed to leave the EU last Friday but, nearly three years after it voted by 52 percent to 48 for Brexit in a referendum, it is still unclear how, when or even whether it will quit the bloc it joined in 1973. After her EU withdrawal deal was rejected three times by lawmakers, the Conservative prime minister invited Corbyn, a veteran socialist, to talks in parliament to try to plot a way out of the crisis.
UK legislates to avert chaotic Brexit as May seeks new plan
Britain's Brexit drama went into overtime Wednesday as Prime Minister Theresa May and the country's main opposition sought a compromise deal to prevent an abrupt British departure from the European Union at the end of next week. In an about-face that left pro-Brexit members of May's Conservative Party howling with outrage, the prime minister sought to forge an agreement with left-wing Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn after failing three times to win Parliament's backing for her Brexit deal. May also said she would ask the EU for a further delay to Britain's departure date - postponed once already - to avert a chaotic and economically damaging no-deal Brexit on April 12. Skeptical lawmakers, reluctant to take her word for it, approved a hastily crafted law that compels May to ask for an extension to the Brexit deadline if a no-deal departure is looming.
Sir Lynton Crosby staff ‘covertly run hard Brexit Facebook ads’
A lobbying company run by the Conservatives’ election guru Sir Lynton Crosby has been linked to a covert “grassroots” Facebook advertising campaign pushing for a hard Brexit. Two supposedly independent groups, Britain’s Future and the Mainstream Network, have spent nearly £1 million on a targeted campaign encouraging people to write to their MPs with a call to reject Theresa May’s agreement and support a no-deal Brexit. Documents seen by The Guardian have linked the groups with employees of CTF Partners, Sir Lynton’s lobbying outfit which also ran Boris Johnson’s campaign to become mayor of London.
Juncker rejects May appeal for a further short Brexit delay
Theresa May’s appeal for a short Brexit extension has been rejected by Jean-Claude Juncker, who said that unless the withdrawal deal was passed within nine days the UK would crash out of the EU or have to sign up to a long delay. Less than 24 hours after May had spelled out her new strategy from Downing Street, the European commission president dismissed her request for an extension of article 50 to 22 May. Speaking to the European parliament, Juncker instead set an “ultimate deadline” of 12 April for the Commons to approve the withdrawal agreement. “If it has not done so by then, no further short extension will be possible,” he said. “After 12 April, we risk jeopardising the European parliament elections, and so threaten the functioning of the European Union.”
Brexit vote TIED in House of Commons for first time in 26 years
A crunch vote on Brexit was tied in extraordinary scenes, the like of which have not been seen in the House of Commons in 26 years. And the last vote to be tied in the Chamber was, ironically, in a vote on the Maastricht Treaty with the European Union. The vote was on Labour MP Hilary Benn's bid to bring forward a third set of indicative votes to find a way forward on Brexit , which would have taken place on Monday. After MPs voted on the plan, exactly 310 of them voted for and against it.
In the case of a tie, the Speaker has the casting vote. Speaker John Bercow voted no, complying with the convention that when there is no majority in the House, the chair should not create one. As such, the amendment was defeated by 311 votes to 310.
Brexit: Corbyn should walk out of talks with Theresa May if she refuses to discuss fresh referendum, says senior Labour MP
Jeremy Corbyn should walk out of cross-party talks with Theresa May if she refuses to discuss a second referendum, the senior Labour MP Margaret Beckett has said.
The remarks from the party's former foreign secretary come as talks between the prime minister and the Labour leader are set to commence in an effort to break to Brexit logjam at Westminster. Appearing at a press conference organised by the People's Vote campaign for a fresh referendum, Dame Margaret said Mr Corbyn is now in "a very powerful position". She said that if any new proposal is to command Labour's support and a stable majority in parliament, "it cannot, must not, and will not preclude the idea of any Brexit deal is put to the people".
EU says it would not open talks with UK after no-deal Brexit until it agrees to divorce bill and Irish backstop
The EU would refuse to open trade talks with Britain after a no-deal Brexit until the UK decided to sign up to the main elements of the withdrawal agreement anyway, the European Commission has said. Speaking in the European parliament on Wednesday, Jean-Claude Juncker said the Irish border, citizens’ rights and the divorce bill would need to be agreed before any other negotiations could begin.
He also warned that no further short Article 50 extension would be possible, and that the UK would have to commit to European parliament elections and a longer delay if it wanted to put back its deadline again.
Brexit: Emily Thornberry says Corbyn's deal with Theresa May must include referendum
The Shadow Foreign Secretary wrote to all Labour MPs after the Leader of the Opposition met with the Prime Minister. Emily Thornberry has insisted that any deal with Theresa May to save her Brexit plan signed off by Jeremy Corbyn MUST include a referendum. Ms Thornberry today warned that any agreement that did not include a public vote would be "in breach of the decision made unanimously by Conference in Liverpool and overwhelmingly supported by our members". The Labour MP, who had to miss a vote today on holding indicative Brexit votes because her daughter was ill in hospital, said in the letter: "Any deal agreed by Parliament must be subject to a confirmatory public vote, and yes, the other option on the ballot must be Remain".
Attorney General Geoffrey Cox: 'We must leave the EU'
It is an "article of faith" that the UK must leave the EU to honour the referendum result, Geoffrey Cox says. The attorney general told the BBC a customs union was "not desirable" but if that was the only way of leaving the EU, he would take it. He suggested the government's only option was to "seek with Labour some common ground" for a "swift exit". And he suggested that the UK could not be bound into a customs arrangement permanently. It comes as the Brexit secretary says rejection of the PM's deal would mean a "soft Brexit or no Brexit at all". Meanwhile, the PM has responded to criticism from her own party over talks with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn by saying all MPs had a responsibility to deliver Brexit.
DUP lawmaker hints at supporting a customs union post-Brexit: BBC correspondent
A lawmaker from the Northern Irish party which props up Prime Minister Theresa May’s government appeared to hold out the prospect of the party supporting Britain’s membership of a post-Brexit customs union, a BBC correspondent said. “We would have preferred a form of Brexit that enables the UK to negotiate new trade agreements with other countries,” Jeffrey Donaldson, a Democratic Unionist Party lawmaker, was quoted as saying by BBC Northern Ireland Political Correspondent Enda McClafferty. “That is part of the reason for Brexit and maybe a customs union might be a temporary staging post toward that objective,” Donaldson was quoted as saying.
Brexit news latest: MPs back bill that rules out no-deal and delays withdrawal in knife-edge vote
MPs have narrowly backed a bill by a majority of just one to force Theresa May to ask for an extension to the Brexit process to avoid a no-deal outcome. The cross-party Cooper-Boles Bill, which was fast-tracked through Parliament in one day, was approved by MPs by 315 to 310 votes after its second reading. It was later passed in the Commons by just one vote, with 313 votes for and 312 votes against. The third-reading vote just before midnight on Wednesday means the Prime Minister has a mandate to ask for an Article 50 extension.
Brexit: Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn hold 'constructive' talks
Talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to break the Brexit deadlock have been called "constructive". The two leaders met on Wednesday afternoon and agreed a "programme of work" to try to find a way forward to put to MPs for a vote.
It is understood that each party has appointed a negotiating team, which are meeting tonight before a full day of discussions on Thursday. A spokesman for No 10 said both sides were "showing flexibility". And he added that the two parties gave "a commitment to bring the current Brexit uncertainty to a close". Speaking after the meeting, Mr Corbyn said there had not been "as much change as [he] had expected" in the PM's position. He said the meeting was "useful, but inconclusive", and talks would continue. Meanwhile, Chancellor Philip Hammond has said a confirmatory referendum on a Brexit deal was a "perfectly credible" idea. He told ITV's Peston programme he was not sure if the majority of MPs would back it, but "it deserves to be tested in Parliament".
MPs back delay bill by just one vote to rule out 12 April no-deal Brexit
The House of Commons have narrowly approved a bill in the commons this evening, that will compel Theresa May to seek a further extension on Article 50, to prevent a no-deal exit on 12 April. The bill, laid by Labour's Yvette Cooper, requires the government to bring a legally binding vote to the Commons, seeking an extension to Article 50, where MPs will be able to determine the length of the extension. 313 MPs voted for the bill, and 312 voted against - a majority of one.
However, this does not bind the European Union to the decision, who could reject the outcome of the vote and not offer an extension. The bill raced through parliament in under six hours, as backbench MPs took control of the parliamentary agenda from the government.
Theresa May extends a squeamish hand to Jeremy Corbyn with fate of the nation at stake
Strictly speaking, this is not the first time that Theresa May has tried to break free of the malign grip of the Eurosceptic Right. Her decision to hold a snap general election in June 2017 was generally interpreted as a bid to secure a personal mandate and the right to negotiate with Brussels on her own terms. “Crush the saboteurs” boomed the Daily Mail after she announced her plan. This was indeed the Prime Minister’s intention. But, according to those who worked with her at the time, the prospective “saboteurs” were not Tory Remainers but the much larger number of Brexiteer hardliners: the PM knew that they would never be happy with the deal that she was likely to deliver, and sought a thumping Commons majority to liberate her from their veto.
Corbyn and May agree to more talks after 'constructive' first day
Jeremy Corbyn will resume Brexit talks with the prime minister on Thursday, after Labour tensions over a second referendum burst into the open, with the shadow foreign secretary, Emily Thornberry, writing to colleagues to insist any pact must be put to a public vote. Both Labour and Downing Street described the discussions as “constructive” and said they would hold technical talks, facilitated by civil servants, on Thursday. “We have had constructive exploratory discussions about how to break the Brexit deadlock,” a Labour spokesperson said. “We have agreed a programme of work between our teams to explore the scope for agreement.” An emergency shadow cabinet meeting was convened in the aftermath of the discussions to consider how Labour should proceed.
A Brexit Expert on Just How Badly Things Are Going in the U.K.
Benjamin Hart interviews Ian Dunt on the Brexit chaos in the UK
MPs opt by majority of 1 to seek long delay to Brexit
MPs have voted in favour of a parliamentary manoeuvre to try to avert a no-deal Brexit on April 12 with a majority of one vote. The bill, tabled by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and the Conservative Oliver Letwin, requires Theresa May to negotiate a long delay to Brexit with all 27 EU leaders. The legislation, which passed by 313 votes to 312, was rushed though the House of Commons on Wednesday. The bill will now move to the House of Lords for approval before it can become law. The bill was tabled before the prime minister said she intended to seek an extension of Article 50 at next Wednesday’s emergency meeting of EU heads of government. The UK is set to leave the EU on April 12 without a deal unless an extension to the Article 50 divorce process is approved by EU member states.
Brexit: British MPs reject no-deal Brexit Bill
Proposed legislation to further delay the date of Brexit has cleared the House of Commons by one vote. MPs passed the Bill instructing British prime minister Theresa May to seek an extension to article 50 and avoid a no-deal Brexit on a third reading by 313 votes to 312. The Bill now has to pass the upper chamber, the House of Lords. The plan, spearheaded by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and the Conservative Oliver Letwin, was almost scuppered during a frenzied day in parliament after MPs voted by a majority of just one to let the snap Bill proceed. After MPs voted 312 to 311 to allow the Bill to proceed, Ms Cooper and Mr Letwin then had four hours to pass the Bill’s second reading, committee stage and third reading through the Commons.
Brexit vote tied in Commons
A vote in the House of Commons has been defeated by one vote after the Speaker John Bercow cast the deciding ballot. MPs were voting on a motion to hold more indicative votes on alternative plans for Brexit but the result was tied with 310 votes for and 310 against. Mr Bercow then voted "no" in accordance with precedent.
Spanish PM: Brexit and Catalan independence bid both based on lies
Spain’s prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, has compared Brexit to the failed push for Catalan independence, warning that “engaging in campaigns or political projects based on lies eventually leads societies down a blind alley”. Renewing his appeal for the UK to accept the EU’s withdrawal deal, Sánchez said he saw clear parallels between the rhetoric that drove the Brexit debate and the arguments used in the regional independence campaign that plunged Spain into its worst crisis in four decades. “The techniques of the Catalan independence movement are very similar to those of [Nigel] Farage and other ultra-conservative leaders who have defended Brexit,” he said.
@ChhCalling After much contemplation, I have decided to leave Theresa May's Government. I'm grateful to the PM for giving me the opportunity to serve the UK and I will continue to represent my constituents as the MP for Daventry.
After much contemplation, I have decided to leave Theresa May's Government. I'm grateful to the PM for giving me the opportunity to serve the UK and I will continue to represent my constituents as the MP for Daventry.
Brexit talks must start 'without red lines'
Former Conservative MP Nick Boles, who resigned the party whip on Monday, has asked the prime minister for reassurance that she will enter cross-party talks "without the red lines that have bedevilled the Brexit process so far".
The Guardian view on Brexit radicalisation: take time, lower the temperature
Brexiters may well be frustrated but their rhetoric of betrayal, sabotage and treason is fuelling a dangerously febrile atmosphere
Juncker draws hard line on April 12 deadline for Brexit
European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Wednesday there would be no short extension for Brexit once the April 12 deadline hits and reaffirmed that the Withdrawal Agreement is the best way forward. "If the House of Commons does not adopt a stance by that date, no extension, no short-term extension will be possible," Juncker told the European Parliament. "After April 12, we run the risk to jeopardize the correct running of the European elections and function of the European Union." Juncker added a no-deal scenario on April 12 is "more and more likely."
Brexit deal between May and Corbyn would 'satisfy nobody' and 'make country poorer', Nicola Sturgeon says
Scottish first minister warns against 'cobbled together least bad option' and calls for long delay to Brexit instead. Any Brexit deal agreed between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn would "make the country poorer", Nicola Sturgeon has said. The Scottish first minister said a cross-party compromise plan would be a "cobbled together least bad option" that "satisfies nobody" and could be "unpicked" by a future Eurosceptic prime minister such as Boris Johnson.
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay says ‘remorseless logic’ could drive UK to softer Brexit or none at all
Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay said the “remorseless logic” of the House of Commons was pushing the UK towards either a softer Brexit or no Brexit at all. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he also claimed it meant the Tories now had to seek support from the opposition. “The Prime Minister’s deal won’t go through and no deal in law is taken off the table, then the consequence of that is either a soft Brexit or no Brexit at all”, he said, “It’s regrettable that what we have been saying for several months now is coming to pass but that is the remorseless logic of not backing the Prime Minister’s deal.
Any Brexit deal should be put to the country
Commenting on the meeting today (Wednesday) between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn, UNISON general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Theresa May should have been reaching out across Westminster to find a Brexit solution a long time ago, not just at the tail end of her premiership when she’s little else to lose. “With just nine days to go every effort must be made to avoid a catastrophic no-deal Brexit and protect public services, jobs, wages, the economy and peace in Northern Ireland. “A general election is our preferred option, but until that time, the so-called Norway+ plan, allowing the UK to remain in the customs union and the single market is the next best bet. “Whatever deal emerges in the coming days should be put to the country. We cannot allow the UK’s future to be dashed on the rocks of a no-deal Brexit.”
@BBCPolitics Vote by MPs on whether to hold fresh round of votes on #Brexit options ends in a tie - with Speaker John Bercow using casting vote to reject the plan
Vote by MPs on whether to hold fresh round of votes on #Brexit options ends in a tie - with Speaker John Bercow using casting vote to reject the plan
As the Tories self-destruct over Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn’s new stance has been vindicated
By backing a confirmatory referendum and opposing Theresa May’s deal, the Labour leader has pulled his party back from the brink.
Political Setbacks
Brexit: Theresa May’s party is in a rage that she’s negotiating with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn
May’s dramatic swerve across her own red lines threatens to tear her beloved Conservative Party apart, as fellow Tories on Wednesday heaped scorn upon their leader for sitting down with an opponent they daily excoriate as a leftist menace.
Hard-line Brexiteers on May’s right are not only enraged that she seeks compromise with Corbyn, but they also fear she will agree with the Labour Party’s vision for an ultrasoft version of Brexit.
Labour at war over Corbyn's Brexit meeting with May after leader fudges demands for a second referendum despite shadow cabinet's demands
Jeremy Corbyn has risked the wrath of his shadow Cabinet by making a lukewarm appeal for a second referendum in his meeting with Theresa May. The Labour leader has faced pressure to back a People's Vote but said he had merely 'put it there as one of the issues' in his Brexit summit with the PM today. He said there had been no agreement on a new referendum, which ministers have insisted is not on the table. It puts Mr Corbyn on collision course with his shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, who earlier demanded that any deal reached must be put to a public vote.
The United Kingdom Has Gone Mad
The problem with holding out for a perfect Brexit plan is that you can’t fix stupid.
Sam Gyimah: I’m still a Tory — it’s the party I joined that’s changed
He’s faced repeated deselections and a no-confidence vote — but Sam Gyimah won’t give up. Here, the MP talks about being ‘thrown to the wolves’ and how toxic Brexiteer infighting is threatening to tear the Conservatives apart
Brexit party official removed after antisemitic posts
A senior official from Nigel Farage’s pro-Brexit party has been removed after the Guardian uncovered antisemitic and other offensive Facebook posts he made, two weeks after the party leader quit her role for similar reasons. The party said Michael McGough, its treasurer, had made “unacceptable statements” and would no longer have any role in the organisation. In some messages, McGough refers to Ed and David Miliband and Peter Mandelson as having “shallow UK roots” or being “devoid of UK roots” – seen as a common antisemitic trope about Jewish people.
A Facebook post saw McGough refer to a foreigner as “someone from a bingo bongo land”. In another, he said many survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire were “illegal aliens enjoying an amnesty”.
Theresa May says Tory and DUP MPs to blame as she asks Jeremy Corbyn to help save Brexit
Theresa May has risked igniting a fresh Tory civil war after she blamed her own MPs and the DUP for the fact she is now seeking Jeremy Corbyn's help to deliver Brexit. The Prime Minister has written a letter to every Conservative MP explaining why she will hold talks with the Labour leader in an attempt to break the Parliamentary deadlock. Parliament has rejected Mrs May's own deal on three occasions, with Tory Brexiteers and the DUP - whose 10 MPs she relies on to prop up her government - repeatedly refusing to back it.
Michael Gove: 'I wasn't made aware of law-breaking measures' | Latest Brexit news and top stories
Michael Gove has denied any knowledge of Vote Leave’s wrong-doing during the referendum campaign, claiming as a co-convenor he was too busy on the campaign trail.
Brexit: Theresa May chooses a deal over party unity
For so long, Theresa May has been derided by her rivals, inside and outside, for cleaving to the idea that she can get the country and her party through this process intact. But after her deal was defeated at the hands of Eurosceptics, in the words of one cabinet minister in the room during that marathon session today, she tried delivering Brexit with Tory votes - Tory Brexiteers said "No". Now she's going to try to deliver Brexit with Labour votes. In a way, it is as simple as that.
Jacob Rees-Mogg boils over in live BBC interview after questions over his promotion of far-right German AfD leader
Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg lost his customary cool during a live BBC interview after being confronted over his promotion of a far-right German leader. The anti-EU Conservative had prompted anger after approvingly quoting the leader of the AfD, senior figures from which have called for refugees to be shot. Asked on the BBC’s Today programme about his decision to shine attention on the AfD remarks, he replied: “Well I think this is typical of the BBC’s obsession – dare I say it the Today programme obsession.” Challenged again, he told presenter Mishal Husain: “Hold on. You must be patient and not interrupt because the answer needs to be given properly. The BBC does have this obsession.” Referring to what he said was a “slur” made by another BBC presenter about the European Research Group, which Mr Rees-Mogg chairs in the Conservative Party, he continued: “When I quote someone and it’s not my view, that’s a great shock, and that seems to be typical of the Today programme’s leftie approach.”
Labour confirms it wants to end freedom of movement
Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesperson has confirmed that it is Labour policy to end freedom of movement once the UK leaves the EU. The 2017 manifesto, For the Many Not the Few, began its section on immigration with the statement: “Freedom of movement will end when we leave the European Union.” It added: “Labour will develop and implement fair immigration rules.” After PMQs today, in which the Prime Minister cited ending free movement as an area of agreement, the Labour leader’s office said that this pledge remains party policy and that Labour supports “fair rules and reasonable management of migration”.
Facebook Brexit ads secretly run by staff of Lynton Crosby firm
A series of hugely influential Facebook advertising campaigns that appear to be separate grassroots movements for a no-deal Brexit are secretly overseen by employees of Sir Lynton Crosby’s lobbying company and a former adviser to Boris Johnson, documents seen by the Guardian reveal. The mysterious groups, which have names such as Mainstream Network and Britain’s Future, appear to be run independently by members of the public and give no hint that they are connected. But in reality they share an administrator who works for Crosby’s CTF Partners and have spent as much as £1m promoting sophisticated targeted adverts aimed at heaping pressure on individual MPs to vote for a hard Brexit.
I am a Party loyalist, but I can no longer support our reckless PM and this watered-down Brexit
Theresa May’s response to Brexit has resulted in falling opinion polls, a drop in donations to the Tory Party, and collapsing membership. I am über loyal to Conservative Prime Ministers. I have been über loyal to Theresa May. But no longer. I have become exasperated with this decent, kind, hardworking, but stubborn Prime Minister who is cursed with a political tin ear. On Tuesday, the Cabinet met for a tortuous 7 hour session. As they entered No 10, their phones were confiscated and put in the little pigeon holes to the left of the door. During the course of the meeting, 14 Cabinet members argued hard to Leave on April 12th, without a Deal and were not listened to
Another Brexit minister bites the dust as Chris Heaton-Harris resigns
The government has lost another Brexit minister following the resignation of Chris Heaton-Harris. In a letter to the prime minister Heaton-Harris wrote: “I simply cannot support any further extension to Article 50”. He continued: “I have constantly voted in Parliament for us to leave the European Union on March 29th, 2019. I truly believe we should have honoured the result of the 2016 referendum and left on that date. Indeed every time we seek an extension to this process we diminish faith in our political system and the good people, from all political parties, who serve within it. I simply cannot support any further extension to Article 50 and this obviously means I cannot stay in government.” Heaton-Harris was previously condemned for demanding that university lecturers reveal details of their lessons plans that reference Brexit.
Jeremy Corbyn faces shadow cabinet backlash after resisting calls to push for second Brexit referendum
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a backlash from his shadow cabinet after resisting calls to demand a second referendum during his talks with Theresa May. The Labour leader was told by Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, and Tom Watson, the party's Deputy Leader, that any deal agreed must be subject "confirmatory" public vote. However Mr Corbyn said that he will only pursue a second referendum to "prevent crashing out" or "prevent leaving without a deal".
Both Labour and Downing Street described the talks as "constructive" and will continue with further technical talks today.
By allying with Corbyn, our kamikaze PM has declared war on her own party
Are we really stuck with a Tory Prime Minister who believes Jeremy Corbyn to be the country’s last hope of salvation? Is this just a nightmare from which we are all about to awake, or is Theresa May actually for real? Corbyn, for those who are now so afflicted with Brexit Derangement Syndrome that they need reminding, is the most dangerous leader in Labour’s history, a hard-core socialist desperate to tax, nationalise and control, a man who has allowed his party to be infected by a posse of despicable anti-Semites and who is soft on national security.
Three quarters of Corbyn’s constituents back Final Say on Brexit, poll reveals, with Labour leader under pressure from party to secure new referendum
Three quarters of Jeremy Corbyn’s own constituents back a Final Say referendum on Brexit, new polling has revealed, as the Labour leader faces pressure from within his parliamentary party to back a second vote. A nationwide survey of 9,500 people conducted by campaign group Right to Vote found 58.1 per cent who expressed a view, now want another public vote on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Polling found high levels of support for the idea in London, including in Mr Corbyn’s Islington North seat, where 75 per cent of those polled backed a Final Say. In Theresa May’s Maidenhead constituency, 59 per cent of voters also supported the idea.
Jez not going to work - Theresa May struggles to hold her Government together as 15 ministers ready to jump ship over Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn
Theresa May was last night struggling to hold her Government together as two ministers quit in protest at her “national unity” Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn - with 15 more ready to go. The PM’s decision to compromise with Labour for a softer Brexit that will pass the Commons split the Conservative Party down the middle yesterday.
How Brexit Britain can repair its battered reputation
The first challenge is to restore economic growth. The second is to produce a migration and visa regime that does not seek in spirit or in application to shut out the world, as part of a foreign policy that does the same. The third challenge is not to lose Northern Ireland and Scotland from the union. If there is any event that would diminish the UK further in its international standing, it would be the radical shrinking of its physical territory (a sign, too, that it could not contain the diverging views within its society)
Brexit: Good Friday Agreement 'hard to protect' in a no deal
It will be difficult to protect both the Good Friday Agreement and the European single market in a no-deal Brexit, Leo Varadkar has said. The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) said the Republic of Ireland and the EU will do everything possible to avoid the emergence of a hard border. He said "reasonable questions" are being asked about the protection of the single market and the customs union. Mr Varadkar described this as the basis for the Irish economic model.
Conservatives cut up membership cards after PM agrees to Brexit talks with Corbyn
Angry Conservative Party members are slicing up their membership cards and sharing the results on social media in protest at Theresa May looking to Jeremy Corbyn to get her Brexit deal done. Members have decried the prime minister's move to hold talks with Labour leader Mr Corbyn as the “final straw”. Pub owner Adam Brooks, from Essex, was one of many to share a photo of his chopped up card. Mr Brooks said the leader of the Opposition “has no right to be involved” in Brexit talks and Mrs May has “killed” the Conservative Party.
EXCL Jeremy Corbyn refused to accept Ian Lavery's resignation after Brexit vote rebellion
Ian Lavery offered to resign from Labour's frontbench for rebelling in a key Brexit vote but was turned down, PoliticsHome has learned. One source said: "Jeremy's office hassled them for their resignation letters yet don’t say anything about Shadow Cabinet people. These are people who sit on the discussions and contribute to the debate, yet still get special treatment." It has also emerged that the row sparked angry scenes at Tuesday's meeting of the Shadow Cabinet. Diane Abbott, Nia Griffith and Angela Rayner all made clear their unhappiness at Mr Lavery, as well as shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett, breaking the Labour whip.
Almost three in five voters want a final say on Brexit, claims new poll
The new nationwide poll conducted for the campaign group Right to Vote - involving 9,500 adults across Britain - reveals that 58.1% of voters who expressed a view now want a final say on Brexit, with 41.9% against. Overall, voters in nine out of 10 of Great Britain’s 632 constituencies support a final say.
@NAAdams Following yesterday’s cabinet, this morning I’ve been to Downing Street & resigned my position as UK Govt Minister for Wales & Govt Whip.
Following yesterday’s cabinet, this morning I’ve been to Downing Street & resigned my position as UK Govt Minister for Wales & Govt Whip. I’m grateful to the PM for the opportunity to serve as a Minister since 2017 & will continue to serve my constituents from the backbenches.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Blow to UK global trade as new watchdog chief quits before launch
Liam Fox’s international trade department has faced further criticism for its lack of Brexit readiness after it emerged that the creation of the watchdog tasked with protecting UK companies from unfair global trading practices was behind schedule.
The government said on Wednesday that the Trade Remedies Authority (TRA) would not be established in time for a no-deal Brexit. The organisation exists in shadow form only, as a part of the Department for International Trade, and is without a chairman after the person designated unexpectedly quit last week for personal reasons.
EU would begin customs controls right after no-deal Brexit
The European Union will immediately introduce customs checks and import duties in the event of a “no deal” Brexit, erecting barriers to British exports ranging from cars to farm produce and preventing consumers bringing in British cheese or meats.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 3rd Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Extension Tension
- After a marathon Cabinet meeting yesterday the Prime Minister risked a walkout by the Brexiteers in her Cabinet, as she threw an olive branch to the Opposition Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and announced she has pivoted towards a soft Brexit in the withdrawal process
- Political pundits seem startled by the PM's strategic shift 'May prepared to blow up her Tory family and put Brexit in Labour's hands' or 'May chooses a deal over party unity'
- In a statement shortly after the Cabinet meeting broke-up, May confirmed she was going to ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit deadline beyond April 12th to break the logjam in Parliament
Could it be a trap?
- One respected pundit, Ian Dunt, said 'although May's move looked genuine on the surface, it could be a No-Deal trap. If the UK passes the April 12th deadline without agreeing to contest the European Elections it cannot remain inside the EU. This creates a danger zone in which May could put her deal to Parliament for a 4th time, safe in the knowledge that no further extensions of Article 50 were possible'
- The EU still needs to agree to an extension, although the May 22nd deadline is in place, subject to conditions. With trust in Theresa May's ability to deliver an approved withdrawal agreement ebbing away, the EU is preparing to offer the UK a long extension with conditions attached
- Theresa May, though, said she wanted a short extension, just enough time to pass the necessary enabling legislation to support any deal Parliament passes. This difference in intepretation led to Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, accusing May of simply kicking the can down the road to avoid making any decision on how to compromise
- Therefore, Labour's Lexit/Brexit priorities of a customs union, access to a single market and protections for the consumer, environmental and workers rights are now 'on the negotiating table'
And what about the DUP?
- Michael Gove told Reuters the government still hopes to get the DUP to back Theresa May's Brexit approach and that conversations with them are still ongoing
- But the DUP told BBC Northern Ireland that the PM's handling of Brexit has been lamentable and that her decision to involve Jeremy Corbyn is 'sub-contracting the future of Brexit to Mr Corbyn'
Being Brexit partners does not guarantee success
- Brussels chief negotiator remains cautious, arguing that a No deal outcome remained likely
- Leading Tory Eurosceptics have already spoken publicly at their anger over her dealing directly with Corbyn calling it 'frankly grotesque' and ERG chair Rees-Mogg was said to be furious at May's plan to work with a 'known Marxist'
- Around 180 Conservative MPs signed a letter calling for a Managed No Deal Brexit and to leave immediately, So Theresa May's decision to reach out to Corbyn puts her at odds with over half of her Conservative Party. Meaning her near total dependence on Labour to pass her deal, when they desire a General Election, above all else
The Cabinet Secretary's letter
- Theresa May's change of heart, and apparent decision to rule out a No Deal Brexit, points in the direction of Sir Mark Sedwill's letter to ministers as playing a key role. Ten percent rise in food prices, a recession, direct rule in Northern Ireland and social unrest may well have moved the Prime Minister from her rigid red lines
- It also says a lot about the fourteen ministers in her government who remain happy to go for a Managed No Deal, presumably confident in the government's preparations to date
Ford Europe is at the crossroads
- Ford Europe chair, Steven Armstrong, said the company is going to take a long hard look at the future of its UK investment, if the government proceeds down the road of a No Deal Brexit
- CNN lists 10 dire warnings about Brexit from business. In a piece which recaps the last two years and the many Brexit linked business announcements, CNN discusses: Siemens, EasyJet, Citigroup, Airbus, Sony, Nissan, Ford, BMW and Schaeffler - and the likely impact on the UK stemming from their Brexit-linked business decisions
- Siemens UK CEO, Jurgen Maier, told the BBC Today programme 'enough is enough,' and that Britain is 'trashing its fabulous relationship with the rest of Europea because of its failure to secure a Brexit deal
- The CBI's Carolyn Fairburn said the Tories now need to compromise on red lines over Brexit and Labour must come to the table in good faith to find a solution. 'No excuses any more, no time wasting, no more party politics'
A 'para-military' style Brexit attack
- Two malicious obstructions have been found on railway lines and are linked to Brexit. British Transport Police said short-circuiting devices were left on tracks near Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, and Netherfield in Nottinghamshire last month. It was a deliberate attempt to cause significant sabotage to the rail network. Attached to the devices was a note saying 'we will bring this country to its knees if we don't leave'
Jobs at Risk
Ford to take 'long hard look' at UK future in no-deal Brexit
Ford has stepped up warnings over a no-deal Brexit, saying it would take a "long hard look" at its UK operations in that event. As Theresa May scrambles to find a way forward following a series of "no" votes on Brexit options in parliament, the chairman of Ford Europe told Sky's Ian King Live the company had a duty to protect itself from the prospect of becoming uncompetitive. Steven Armstrong said Ford, which employs just under 13,000 staff in the UK including workers at its Dagenham and Bridgend engine plants, had already spent tens of millions of euros preparing for no-deal.
Brexit leaves Ford at crossroads on long-term British plans
Ford is spending tens of millions of euros preparing for a possible British exit from the European Union without a trade deal and has yet to decide on its longer-term plans for Britain, Ford Europe chairman Steven Armstrong said on Tuesday. “We love being in Britain, but it has to be competitive and if it’s not competitive then we’ll have to take whatever actions we’ll need to take to protect the business,” Armstrong told Reuters at an event in the Netherlands. Ford, which makes 1.3 million engines at two British locations, Bridgend and Dagenham, and cars in Germany, has warned it could face $1 billion in tariff costs in case of a so-called hard Brexit. While the company has announced 5,000 job cuts in Germany, its second-biggest European market, it has yet to make major decisions in Britain, which is its biggest.
UK business: 10 dire warnings about Brexit
Frustration is now boiling over. Here are 10 of the most dire warnings about Brexit from business leaders this list includes: Siemens, Easyjet, Citigroup, Airbus, McDonalds, Sony, Nissan, Ford, BMW, Schaeffler
Economic Impact
Goldman Sees a ‘Big Finish’ for Brexit, Opportunity in the Pound
Instead of a prolonged stalemate or a chaotic no-deal scenario, Zach Pandl said a soft Brexit approach, which may include a permanent customs union packaged with a second referendum, could come within the next day or two. “Sterling is maybe the biggest opportunity among developed market exchange rates today,” Pandl said.
Brexit: NI potato firms 'unable to export to EU' in no-deal
Northern Ireland potato firms will not be able to export to the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Hundreds of tonnes of table potatoes and bulk shipments of chips are sent to the Republic of Ireland every week. But government guidance says trade to EU countries will face restrictions in the absence of an agreement. One of NI's biggest processors Wilson's Country said it had lorries crossing the border six days a week to supply southern supermarkets.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Councils left in the dark, MPs say
The government needs to stop leaving councils "in the dark" over Brexit and urgently provide more support, MPs say. The Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government committee said ministers should prioritise making sure that EU funding will be fully replaced after the UK leaves the EU. Its report said plans for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund need to be fast-tracked to fill the gap. The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April.
The government has said that after Brexit it will replace EU funds for poorer parts of the UK with the proposed UK Shared Prosperity Fund to reduce inequalities across the country.
Brexit: UK risks 'trashing relationship' with Europe, says Siemens boss
Britain is at risk of "trashing its fabulous relationship" with the rest of Europe because of its failure to secure a Brexit deal, a top businessman says. Jurgen Maier, the UK chief executive of Siemens, told the BBC's Today programme: "We are at a point of crisis right at this moment in time. "We need to find a way forward so we can re-establish that trust to give us the confidence to invest here again." Confidence in Britain would return once the situation was resolved, he added.
Mr Maier said: "If I was going to go to my board today and say here is another factory that I want to open for a major infrastructure project in the UK, I can tell you that with this turmoil right now, we would not be putting that over the line.
"I'm saying to our parliament, 'enough is enough' and this is the week where a decision needs to be made.
Two malicious devices found on railway lines 'linked to Brexit', police believe
Two “malicious obstructions” found on railway lines in the UK are linked to Brexit, police believe. British Transport Police (BTP) said short-circuiting devices were left on tracks near Yaxley, Cambridgeshire, and Netherfield, Nottinghamshire, last month in “a serious and deliberate attempt by someone to cause significant sabotage and disruption to Britain’s rail network”. Detectives investigating the attempted sabotage “believe it relates to Britain’s exit from the European Union”.
The devices, installed at Yaxley on 21 March and Netherfield on 27 March, were detected by Network Rail workers and removed without disrupting services. A note found attached to the devices warned: "We will bring this country to its knees if we don't leave."
CBI chief's warning to politicians amid Brexit stalemate
While business groups gave a cautious welcome to the domestic olive branch, Ms Fairbairn said: "Welcome steps must be breakthrough not false dawn. "Business confidence slumping, growth stalled and UK reputation in tatters. "Tories must compromise on red lines and Labour come to table in good faith. No excuses, no time wasting, no party politics. Enough is enough."
Brexit: Bickering MPs ignore stark reality of no-deal – Scottish Retail Consortium
While eyes are transfixed on the unfolding political drama, the stark reality is firms are spending valuable money and effort on contingency planning for a disorderly Brexit. A lasting trade deal would have genuine benefits for Scots. It would help retailers keep down prices and ensure shoppers continue to have the widest possible choice on shop shelves. A ‘no deal’ Brexit by contrast would hit the poorest, who typically spend proportionally more of their family budget on groceries, clothing, and medicines. This is because these items can attract import tariffs. Thin margins in retail mean extra costs are likely to be passed on to consumers. Also, a significant portion of the food we buy comes from the EU, and needs transported quickly.
Brexit has already irreparably damaged research
A no-deal Brexit could be catastrophic for research. A timely reminder of what’s at stake came on 28 March, when UK-based scientists once again won the largest share of the prestigious European Research Council advanced grants, claiming more than 21% of the awards and €112 million (US$126 million) in total. A no-deal exit would instantly sever the United Kingdom from the scheme. Everyday research would take a hit as supplies, clinical trials, data collection and travel suffer disruption.
Polish mum blames attitudes to Brexit for failing residency test at Jobcentre
A young Polish mother says she believes attitudes to Brexit are responsible for her failing a residency test, leaving her without benefits despite living in Scotland for eight years. Agnieszka Maziarek, 26, from Edinburgh, who passed her first residency test two years after arriving in Scotland in 2011, says she is now dependent on loans from friends and food vouchers.
The Rare Businesses That Can’t Wait for Brexit
Unlike the vast majority of British business leaders, though, Lance Forman isn’t worried. In fact, he isn’t really worried about Brexit at all. The fourth-generation owner of Britain’s oldest salmon curer told me that his family’s company has survived fires, floods, and displacement. “What we learned from each of those catastrophes is that change provides great opportunity for renewal,” Forman said. He believes Brexit will do the same
Political Shenanigans
May prepared to blow up her Tory family and put Brexit in Labour's hands
The fall-out from this gambit is eye-wateringly high risk: by reaching across the chamber to Mr Corbyn she is tacitly preparing to water down her own red lines and place the success of Brexit in her opponents' hands. If that fails, she will proceed to indicative votes to find a way through. Both options point to the same thing - a far softer Brexit than (most in) her party and cabinet would want. It goes without saying that her MPs are incandescent.
Theresa May deals triple blow to Tory hardliners
The second, bigger blow for the Eurosceptics came when the prime minister opened the door to a softer Brexit, announcing cross-party talks with Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, to try to find a mutually acceptable exit deal.
And in a third setback for the Brexiters, Mrs May said that, if cross-party talks failed, she would hold a run-off in the Commons between her thrice-rejected Brexit deal and a so-far undefined alternative — almost certain to be a softer option including a customs union with the EU.
No.10 statement: Look out for Theresa May's no-deal trap
The European elections are a crucial moment in the Brexit process. The EU has been clear that if the UK does not take part in those elections, it cannot remain inside, because it would mean that the European parliament would potentially be illegally constituted. The danger was always that May would use this fact to pivot parliament into a place where it had to choose between her deal or no-deal. The elections are on May 23rd. But the last date Britain can pass the domestic legislation to take part is April 12th. This creates a kind of danger zone, a time window in which May could put her deal to parliament in the knowledge that no further extensions of Article 50 were possible.
May’s Brexit gambit hands initiative to Corbyn
Nevertheless it would be a mistake to dismiss Mrs May’s gambit. She has ruled out no-deal; she has, after three attempts, abandoned her entire political strategy of trying to get her deal through with Tory votes alone. In advance of the decision, the cabinet was briefed on Tory prospects in a snap election. Given the decisiveness of Mrs May’s move, the outlook must have been grim indeed. The inevitable consequence, if she sticks to this plan, is that Brexit is about to get a lot softer, if it happens at all.
Brexit: May chooses a deal over party unity
She was for budging. Today, the prime minister made her priority leaving the EU with a deal, rather than the happy contentment of the Brexiteers in the Tory party.
For so long, Theresa May has been derided by her rivals, inside and outside, for cleaving to the idea that she can get the country and her party through this process intact. But after her deal was defeated at the hands of Eurosceptics, in the words of one cabinet minister in the room during that marathon session today, she tried delivering Brexit with Tory votes - Tory Brexiteers said "No". Now she's going to try to deliver Brexit with Labour votes. In a way, it is as simple as that.
What do Labour and Jeremy Corbyn want from the Brexit plan?
Theresa May is to hold talks with Jeremy Corbyn in an attempt to break the Commons deadlock on Brexit negotiations. The Labour leader said he would be “very happy” to meet the prime minister and would not “set any limits” ahead of their discussions, but he vowed to ensure his party’s Brexit priorities remained “on the table”. Labour wants a softer Brexit than Ms May’s withdrawal agreement proposes. Its priorities include a customs union with the European Union (EU), access to the single market, and protections for consumer, environmental and workers’ rights.
EU draws up strict conditions for long Brexit extension offer
The EU is preparing to offer Theresa May a long Brexit delay with strict conditions attached, including the need to hold European Parliament elections and a possible “gentleman’s agreement” over Britain’s future conduct as a member state. Measures under consideration in Brussels include the EU postponing Brexit to January or April 2020. In one extreme scenario, such an offer could be made even if Mrs May makes no request for an extension before next week’s summit
Gove still hopes Northern Irish DUP will back May's Brexit approach
The British government still wants the support of Northern Irish unionists to pass its Brexit deal despite pivoting in its strategy to consult the opposition Labour party on the way forward, environment minister Michael Gove said on Tuesday. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) have said they will never support May’s deal so long as the so-called Irish border backstop is in place, contributing to three defeats in parliament for the withdrawal agreement with the EU and forcing a change of approach. “We want the DUP to support our approach as well,” Gove told Sky News after May said she would ask for another Brexit delay to sit down with the opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. “Conversations are ongoing with the DUP,” he added.
How seven hours of rows and recrimination at Cabinet produced a surprising shift towards a soft Brexit
It was billed as the ultimate Brexit showdown and in the end the seven-hour marathon cabinet meeting ended in rows and recriminations after a cabinet majority for no deal was ignored in favour of a customs union consensus with Jeremy Corbyn. The fact that the epic political pow wow started with a brief delay should have acted as an omen. Ministers had initially been summoned to Downing Street for 8.30am only for it to be announced six minutes later that the meeting had been postponed to 9.30am and that the afternoon session might be cancelled.
Brexit: Theresa May to ask EU for further extension
Theresa May will ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit deadline to "break the logjam" in Parliament. The PM says she wants to meet Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree a plan on the future relationship with the EU. But she insisted her withdrawal agreement - which was voted down last week - would remain part of the deal. Mr Corbyn said he was "very happy" to meet Mrs May, and would ensure plans for a customs union and protection of workers' rights were on the table. The cross-party talks offer has angered Tory Brexiteers, with Boris Johnson accusing ministers of "entrusting the final handling of Brexit to Labour".
The former foreign secretary said Brexit was "becoming soft to the point of disintegration" and he could never agree with staying in a customs union.
Brexit: Michel Barnier accuses Farage and Brexiteers of trying to destroy the EU
Brussels chief Michel Barnier has accused Brexiteers of trying to "destroy" the EU. The bloc's chief Brexit negotiator claimed Nigel Farage had another motive for campaigning for Britain to leave than simply regaining sovereignty for the UK.
Mr Barnier said Mr Farage and other Brexiteers wanted to tear the Union apart from the inside and from the outside. And he warned remaining member states to "take good care" of the Union. Mr Barnier recounted talks he held with Mr Farage during the negotiations during a meeting of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Council.
May gambles on talks with Labour to unlock Brexit, enraging her own party
Prime Minister Theresa May said on Tuesday she would seek another Brexit delay to agree an EU divorce deal with the opposition Labour leader, a last-ditch gambit to break an impasse over Britain’s departure that enraged many in her party. In a hastily arranged statement from her Downing Street office after spending seven hours chairing cabinet meetings on how to plot a way out of the Brexit maze, May said she was seeking another short extension to Brexit beyond April 12.
Does Theresa May really think Jeremy Corbyn is stupid enough to walk hand-in-hand with her to a Tory Brexit?
Another anti-climax, then, from the queen of the let down, Theresa May. She really is debasing the currency of the set-piece Downing Street statement. It used to be reserved for declarations of war or general elections or tearful prime ministerial resignations. Next time she'll probably make a solemn promise to get the next round in. In truth it appears to be an exercise in the blame game – tying to pin the failure of Brexit on Jeremy Corbyn this time. The rhetoric about national unity is incredible from someone who has so studiously ignored and disdained parliament for the past few years. And it is a flimsy, transparent effort to get Jeremy Corbyn to back what he has always called a “Tory Brexit”.
Brexit: Theresa May tears up strategy as she opens door to softer exit with Jeremy Corbyn's backing
Theresa May has dramatically torn up her Brexit strategy, paving the way for a softer withdrawal in a bid to secure Jeremy Corbyn’s backing to pull Britain out of the EU. The prime minister confirmed the UK would seek a further short delay to Brexit beyond 12 April in a Downing Street statement that infuriated Eurosceptic Tories. Government insiders believe the two big parties’ positions on future customs arrangements are not so far apart and could form the basis of a new deal.
The Newport West byelection could vindicate Labour’s Brexit policy
Paul Flynn was the MP for longer than I’ve been alive, and was immensely popular in the area: while I was at school, he championed the satirical group Goldie Lookin’ Chain and was mentioned on their album sleeves and at gigs. The band commemorated his death in February by penning a song that included the line: “Paul, you were the best, forever representing Newport West.” It was significant, as a teenager demonstrating against the Iraq war, to have the vocal support in your city of one of the minority of Labour MPs who opposed the conflict.
FM Mark Drakeford would stop Brexit to avoid no deal
Wales' first minister has said he would back stopping Brexit if it was the only way to stop leaving the European Union without a deal. But Mark Drakeford said the move would have profound political consequences. He spoke after MPs failed for a second time to back alternative Brexit proposals on Monday night. Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price said the position of Carolyn Harris as deputy Welsh Labour leader was untenable after she abstained on a further public vote. Labour whipped its UK MPs to support the measure. 24 of them voted against. In Wales two abstained - Ms Harris and Islwyn's Chris Evans. Ms Harris said that her voting reflected "the majority view of my constituents".
Where do cabinet ministers stand on soft Brexit v no deal?
It seems that a majority of cabinet ministers could now back a no-deal Brexit over a long delay and a customs union, with former remainers such as the Treasury chief secretary, Liz Truss, and the home secretary, Sajid Javid, now among the voices calling on Theresa May to seek this option. Ten cabinet ministers have signed a letter coordinated by Chris Heaton-Harris, the Brexit minister in charge of no-deal planning, urging the prime minister to leave without a deal. Here’s how the cabinet splits in favour of no deal versus a softer Brexit compromise – and those who could go either way.
MPs attack Brexit in debate on 6m-strong petition
MPs have urged Theresa May to listen to the 6m people who signed the biggest petition in British history, calling on the UK prime minister to revoke the Article 50 EU exit process and stop Brexit. In a debate in Westminster Hall, Catherine McKinnell, Labour MP for Newcastle-upon-Tyne North, called Brexit an “all-consuming exercise in futility”, arguing that most of the public “want this national nightmare to be finally over”. Chuka Umunna, a member of the pro-EU Independent Group of MPs who have defected from the Labour and Conservative parties added that, “whether people voted Leave or Remain there is no majority for the mess that has unfolded”.
All eyes on the 'Furious Fourteen': May faces cabinet resignations as she shuns 'clear majority' of ministers who backed No Deal and sets up Soft Brexit surrender talks with Jeremy Corbyn instead
Theresa May risked a Cabinet walkout last night by defying the wishes of 14 of her ministers, throwing an olive branch to Jeremy Corbyn and pivoting towards a soft Brexit. More than a dozen senior Tories including Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Liam Fox spoke out against a long delay to Brexit in a seven-hour ministerial marathon at Downing Street. But the Prime Minister went with the minority - a group of 10 ministers including Amber Rudd and Michael Gove who backed a further delay - in a move which enraged Brexiteers and could trigger a Cabinet walkout. Mrs May vowed to 'break the logjam' in Westminster by offering talks with Mr Corbyn - who favours a customs union - in a last-ditch bid to find a compromise, saying she would ask Brussels for more time to reach a deal.
Brexit: Theresa May to ask EU for further extension
Theresa May will ask the EU for an extension to the Brexit deadline to "break the logjam" in Parliament. The PM says she wants to meet Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree a plan on the future relationship with the EU. But she insisted her withdrawal agreement - which was voted down last week - would remain part of the deal. Mr Corbyn said he was "very happy" to meet Mrs May, and would ensure plans for a customs union and protection of workers' rights were on the table. The cross-party talks offer has angered Tory Brexiteers, with Boris Johnson accusing ministers of "entrusting the final handling of Brexit to Labour".
Macron: EU 'will not be hostage to Brexit crisis'
The European Union will not be hostage to a "political crisis" in the UK, France's president has said.
Sturgeon: Prime minister 'kicking the can' over Brexit
Nicola Sturgeon has accused Theresa May of "kicking the can" after the prime minister said she would ask the EU for a further Brexit deadline extension. Mrs May called for talks with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to "break the logjam" in the Commons over Brexit. Ms Sturgeon said the prime minister was "kicking the can and delaying making any decision" on how to compromise.
The macho drama queens of Brexit are about to be knocked out by reality
From ‘hardman’ Steve Baker to Mark Francois of the TA, posturing ‘no dealers’ are dragging us towards Armageddon
There is a glimmer of hope on this dark Brexit day. Your move, Tories
Everyone is exhausted, and everyone is furious. Nick Boles’s choked, emotional resignation from the Conservative party on the floor of the Commons, in despair at its refusal to compromise, will sum up a black mood for many today. Once again parliament has spoken and the only comprehensible word was “no”, with some remainers now digging in for a second referendum as obstinately as leavers are for no deal. It sounds mildly unhinged to suggest this mess gives any grounds for optimism and yet strangely enough, that must be what this unfamiliar feeling is.
Second Brexit referendum plan can be agreed by MPs in coming days, Anna Soubry says
MPs have begun a fresh push to agree an alternative Brexit plan that would be put to a referendum in the autumn, despite throwing out all options last night. Talks will begin to settle on a “composite motion”, combining soft Brexit proposals with a commitment to putting them to the people to confirm – with the alternative of staying in the EU. Anna Soubry, who defected to The Independent Group from the Conservatives, insisted a compromise was still achievable and that supporters of a Final Say referendum were making “huge progress”.
What Would a No-Deal Brexit Look Like?
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, warned on Tuesday that Britain’s seeming inability to decide on an orderly departure agreement has made a so-called no-deal Brexit more likely with less than two weeks until April 12, the latest deadline. While a further extension of the deadline was possible, nothing was certain.
Political Setbacks
Brexit: DUP criticises May's 'lamentable' negotiations
The DUP has called the prime minister's handling of the overall Brexit negotiations "lamentable". The party's criticism comes after Theresa May said on Tuesday that she is to ask the EU for a further extension to Brexit. Mrs May also said she has called on Jeremy Corbyn to meet her to find a compromise. The DUP said that Mrs May's plans would be "sub-contracting" the future of Brexit to Mr Corbyn. Mr Corbyn said he was "very happy" to meet Mrs May, and would ensure plans for a customs union and protection of workers' rights were on the table.
Brexit: Theresa May 'whipped Tories to weaken Scottish independence bid'
Theresa May told her MPs to vote against the Common Market 2.0 in last night's indicative votes, because of fears it could weaken the case against Scottish independence, a BBC journalist has claimed. Newsnight reporter Nicholas Watt said the Tory leader believed the proposal put forward by her former minister Nick Boles "would have destroyed main pro-UK argument in a Scottish independence referendum”. The Common Market 2.0, or Norway plus plan, tabled by Boles and backed by MPs from all parties, would commit the Government to joining the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area.
UK’s top civil servant tells ministers No Deal Brexit would spark recession, hit police and send food prices soaring
No Deal Brexit would cause a recession and huge hikes in the price of food, according to Britain's top civil servant. Sir Mark Sedwill wrote to Cabinet ministers claiming No Deal would leave the country unsafe - but his warning was dismissed as a "Whitehall scare story" by Brexiteers.
MPs demand Jeremy Corbyn sack Labour Party chair after he refuses to back second referendum on Brexit
The Labour leadership had issued a three-line whip on Monday calling on all its MPs to vote in favour of backbencher Peter Kyle’s motion to hold a confirmatory vote on any agreed Brexit deal. The bid was defeated by 12 votes after Mr Lavery abstained along with fellow Shadow Cabinet member Jon Trickett. In total, 40 Labour MPs either voted against or abstained on the alternative Brexit option to demand another referendum, including eight junior shadow ministers. It is the second time in a week that Mr Lavery has ignored the party whip to abstain on the motion to put a withdrawal agreement to the public in a confirmatory vote.
Up to 200 Conservative MPs call for 'managed' no-deal Brexit - ITV's Peston
A junior minister in Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is said to have collected 200 signatures from Conservative lawmakers for a letter calling for a ‘managed’ no-deal Brexit, ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston said. “DExEU minister Chris Heaton-Harris... is said by several of his colleagues to have collected 200 Tory MP signatories on an old-fashioned paper letter... calling for what is frequently described as a “managed” no deal,” Peston said.
Brexit: MPs unveil new plan to FORCE delay - as indicative votes set for round 3
MPs today unveiled a new plan to force Theresa May to delay Brexit after their "indicative votes" were left in tatters. Labour's Yvette Cooper made the bombshell next move after the House of Commons voted down all four alternative options to the Prime Minister's deal. The result - which failed to approve soft Brexit by just 3 votes - meant Parliament was deadlocked despite two rounds of "indicative voting" with MPs in control. So Ms Cooper has now shifted her focus to a dramatic bid to delay Brexit - in order to block No Deal. She and Tory Sir Oliver Letwin have published a cross-party Bill that would force the PM to delay the April 12 Brexit date to avoid No Deal. Usually it takes weeks, months or even years for a Bill to clear Parliament. Instead the MPs intend to force their Bill through ALL its stages in the Commons tomorrow - culminating in votes at 7pm (on the second reading) and 10pm (on the third reading).
Leaked No Deal Brexit letter predicts UK catastrophe with price hikes, recession and security chaos
An explosive letter has been leaked, revealing Britain will be plunged into catastrophe by a No Deal Brexit. The letter warns of ten per cent price rises, a recession - and direct rule in Northern Ireland. A leaked letter from cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill has been obtained by the Daily Mail. It showed that the UK's top civil servant has warned of 10% food price hikes, economic recession and disruption to security if Britain crashes out without a deal.
Leaving the EU without any sort of trade deal and relying on what are called World Trade Organisation rules, would also see a 10% spike in food prices. The government is said to have been preparing for a no deal scenario but, during the Brexit referendum, the idea was barely mentioned by Brexiteers or Remainers, the Mirror reports.
'Frankly Grotesque': Tory Eurosceptic Fury As Theresa May Proposes Brexit Compromise With Corbyn
Tory Eurosceptics have vented fresh anger and frustration at Theresa May after the PM offered to sit down with Jeremy Corbyn to hammer out a Brexit deal. Backbenchers called the plan, announced by May outside Number 10 after a tumultuous seven-hour Cabinet meeting drew to a close on Tuesday night, “frankly grotesque” and “appalling”. May said her decision was an “attempt to break the logjam” after MPs rejected her own Brexit deal three times. The two leaders would attempt to agree a withdrawal deal, she said, and if they fail to broker a compromise by April 10 - when the EU Council is next to meet - new options would be put to MPs.
May’s can-kicking changes nothing – MPs must stop a no-deal Brexit
Let us please get real. No deal remains a clear and present danger and that is what we must focus on. Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, spelt out to May’s ministers exactly what it will mean. Prepare for a recession significantly worse than 2008, a police force that can no longer keep order, food prices shooting up by 10% and direct rule in Northern Ireland, his report says.
Brexit: Head of civil service warns ministers of dire impact of leaving EU without deal
Britain's most senior civil servant has privately warned cabinet ministers of the dire consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, told ministers that leaving the EU without an agreement will result in food prices rising by ten per cent, the police being unable to protect people and the economy suffering the worst recession in a decade. Direct rule would have to be restored in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2007 and the government would come under pressure to bail out companies that had gone bust, he warned. In an explosive 14-page briefing sent to every cabinet minister and obtained by the Daily Mail, Sir Mark said leaving without an agreement would make Britain "less safe" and see pressure on law enforcement authorities "enormously increase".
'I've lost four inches off my waistline due to Brexit'
Conservative MP Huw Merriman has told Radio 5 Live he has gone from a 34 inch waist to almost under a 30 due to the stress of Brexit. The MP for Bexhill and Battle told Anna Foster much of the stress is caused by abuse from his constituents and that he’s also “started seeing a counsellor”. “I've decided that I need to make sure that I'm properly looked after and that we look after our mental health."
Brexit LIVE: Rees-Mogg and Johnson FURIOUS at May plan to work with 'known Marxist' Corbyn
Mrs May further angered the Tory backbenchers by stating her intentions to work with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to “try to agree a plan". Mr Rees-Mogg slammed Mrs May’s strategy to work with ”a known Marxist” and insisted the public “did not vote for a Corbyn-May coalition Government”. European Research Group chairman also warned the Prime Minister history did not show success for political leaders who tried to get policy through the Commons "on the back of Opposition votes". The leading Brexiteer added this approach is “deeply unsatisfactory” and is “not in the interests of the country”.
Barnier: 'No-deal Brexit has become more likely'
The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said it has become more likely that the UK will leave the European Union without a Brexit deal. Mr Barnier was speaking at an event in Brussels after MPs rejected four alternative options to Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement.
I’m a student who campaigned for Brexit in 2016 – now I know I got it wrong
Vote Leave managed to run a campaign that connected on a much more emotional level than any of the financial threats the Remain campaign rolled out. The urge to “Take back control” was clever – the use of the word “back” hinting that we somehow had lost an advantage, or control, over huge areas. What is obvious now, and perhaps to many was even before the referendum, is that leaving does not allow the UK to gain any control. Leaving the EU actually means losing control, losing power, losing influence and losing opportunities.
Brexit: EU nervous over UK's 11th-hour rethink
The EU has given the UK until 10 April, when it will hold an emergency Brexit summit, to decide what next or to slip - however unintentionally - into a no-deal Brexit. On Monday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said EU patience was running out. It's hardly a surprising comment, nor the first time an EU leader has said something similar.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 5th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
3% Growth Lost since 2016 says S&P
- S&P Global Ratings said the UK economy would have been 3% larger by the end of 2018, if the country had not voted out in the June 2016 referendum. S&P estimates that the country has lost £6.6bn in economic activity every quarter since the vote
£1 trillion taken out of UK financial services to Europe
- Channel 4's economics correspondent said she had been told that upwards of £1 trillion has been taken out of the UK and transferred to Europe as part of the sector's preparations for a No Deal Brexit
Self-driving car market could go off the economic cliff edge
- The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said that Britain's leading role in the development of self-driving cars - an industry potentially worth £62bn - would be be in turmoil in the event of a No Deal Brexit
Farmers have a beef about a No Deal Brexit
- The Ulster Farmers' union, the North's Livestock and Meat Commission and the Meat Exporters Association all said that a No Deal Brexit threatens the North's £1.3bn beef and lamb industry
Dial back the rhetoric say the police
- People with a platform, including activists, politicians and the press have to tone down their language used to discuss Brexit to avoid inciting violence, according to the National Police Chiefs Council's new chairman, Martin Hewitt
Lorries face huge queues in a No Deal Brexit scenario say insiders
- The government is drawing up plans to deal with a massive increase in the number of lorries needing official paperwork to cross to mainland Europe in the wake of a No Deal Brexit
London town halls making plans to hold European elections
- Letters will soon go out to EU citizens in the capital telling them they can take part in European elections if they are held. If the government confirms that it intends to hold these elections, this will happen almost immediately after
Epilepsy and bipolar disorder medicine shortages possible
- The NHS is unable to stockpile certain drugs in the event of a No Deal Brexit. Drugs to treat and manage conditions such as epilepsy and bipolar disorder drugs cannot be stockpiled and there would be shortages soon after the start of a No Deal Brexit, according to documents seen by BBC Newsnight
The House of Commons springs a leak
- Angela Merkel hailed those MPs who voted to force the PM into asking the EU for another Brexit delay, saying they have reduced the risk of a No Deal brexit.
- Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are considering the idea of forcing a future PM to secure the consent of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland before they can alter the UK's future relationship with the EU. This would apply were a customs union with the EU to be agreed
- The Guardian reported that Theresa May is expected to write to Jeremy Corbyn to set out the government's offer on Brexit. The letter is supposed to include a proposal for MPs to vote on a second referendum
- The House of Lords spent the day debating the Cooper-Letwin Bill which would delay Article 50 and prevent the UK leaving with no deal. Brexiteers attempted to filibuster the deal through a mix of speeches and amendments. The next stage looks to conclude on Monday
- Senior cross party MPs who oppose Theresa May's Brexit deal have met to discuss how to stop May's team from stitching up crucial votes which will decide how the UK is going to leave the EU
- The EU Council President, Donald Tusk, is considering proposing a 12 month 'flexible' Article 50 extension for the UK, but it needs to be agreed by EU leaders at the emergency summit next week
- A 12 month extension to Article 50 was also mentioned by the Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, in an Independent story
- The Labour Party held Newport West in a by-election, due to the death of the incumbent Paul Flynn, on a 37% voter turnout
- The Guardian reported that leaked emails it had seen confirmed a coordinated plan of inflitration by former UKippers into Dominic Grieve's constituency for the sole purpose of deselecting him because of his views on Brexit
- The House of Commons 'sprung a leak' as water poured into the press gallery, filling light fittings and flooding a cafe on the floor above.
- The Foreign Office's UK Ambassador to France, Ed Llewellyn, was interviewed by France 24 and he is quoted as saying that the UK government has spent £4bn on No Deal Brexit planning
Economic Impact
Brexit - UK loses £6.6 billion a quarter since referendum, S&P says
The United Kingdom has lost £6.6 billion in economic activity every quarter since it voted to leave the European Union, according to S&P Global Ratings, the latest company to estimate the damage from Brexit. In a report published on Thursday, the ratings agency’s senior economist, Boris Glass, said the world’s fifth-biggest economy would have been about 3 percent larger by the end of 2018 if the country had not voted in a June 2016 referendum to leave the EU. Quarterly growth rates would have averaged about 0.7 percent, rather than 0.43 percent, he said.
Brexit is already undermining the economy—how much worse could it get?
We will be on our own in an increasingly acrimonious world. where being part of a big bloc offers benefits we cannot quantify. Moreover, the act of detaching from the EU was, as we can now see, misunderstood or misrepresented. We should worry for the economic risks, but in the fullness of time, these will pass (after they have made us relatively worse off.) What we cannot allow for is the harm that might be done to our security, and democratic ideals and values—which we will have to work hard to sustain.
@Channel4News "Upwards of £1 trillion" is being taken out of the UK and transferred to Europe, according to estimates from the UK banking industry
"Upwards of £1 trillion" is being taken out of the UK and transferred to Europe, according to estimates from the UK banking industry. Our Economics Correspondent @HeliaEbrahimi explains how no-deal Brexit preparations are impacting the UK economy.
Fearing a No-Deal Brexit, British Companies Hoard Like It’s Wartime
For 46 years, British manufacturers have built their supply chains and export markets around free trade with Europe. On April 12, that could come to an end, rupturing one of the world’s most advanced, cross-border assembly lines. To get ready, British companies are hoarding at rates rarely seen outside of wartime.
The value of the customs union to the UK is overrated
Support for a customs union is based on the belief that it makes sense for the UK to have frictionless trade with its biggest trading partner: no tariffs, no quotas, no customs posts, no border checks, unimpeded supply chains. Outside of the customs union, UK firms would have more forms to fill in, more red tape to disentangle. They would be disadvantaged in the way that American, Chinese and Japanese exporters to the EU currently are. No question, the customs union certainly makes it easier for multinational companies to ship parts and semi-finished goods backwards and forwards across the Channel. But the real test of the worth of the current system is whether it has done anything to improve Britain’s trade performance.
Self-driving cars could provide £62bn boost to UK economy by 2030
Britain’s leading position in developing self-driving cars could produce a £62bn economic boost by 2030, the car industry claimed – but warned that such potential could be jeopardised by a no-deal Brexit. A report published by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said the UK has significant advantages over other countries in pushing connected and autonomous vehicles, including forward-looking legislation allowing autonomous cars to be insured and driven on a greater proportion of roads than elsewhere. Mike Hawes, the chief executive of the SMMT, said more than £500m had been invested in research and development by industry and government, and another £740m in communications infrastructure to enable autonomous cars to work.
Administrative Fall Out
Civil servants handling no-deal plans offered mental health support
Civil servants have been offered mental health support to help ease the stress of preparing for a no-deal Brexit, it has emerged.
'All I hear is anger and frustration': how Brexit is affecting our mental health
Feeling low and anxious? Suffering from disrupted sleep? Could Brexit be damaging your mental health? A Britain Thinks poll of more than 2,000 people, the results of which were released this week, found that 83% of those surveyed were sick of hearing about Brexit, while 64% thought it was damaging their mental health. The poll found that the dominant words people use in relation to Brexit have changed: in 2017, it was “confusing” or “uncertain”; now, it is “broken” and “chaos”. No politician is singled out, because we’re blaming all of them equally; except for David Cameron, who has a special, individuated space in the nation’s psyche as the man who unleashed this hell. Wishing for the politics of a lost age is the last thing people do when they have given up: it isn’t an acceptance of the status quo, but rather frustration at not being able to put these hideous worms back in their can.
No-deal Brexit threatens North’s £1.3bn beef and lamb industry, organisations warn
Farmer and meat industry representatives in Northern Ireland have warned that a no-deal Brexit is the “absolute worst possible outcome” for Northern Ireland’s £1.3 billion beef and lamb industry. As negotiations on how the United Kingdom exits the European Union appear to be reaching a climax the Ulster Farmers’ Union, the North’s Livestock and Meat Commission, and Meat Exporters’ Association have demanded that “every effort” is made to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU. “A no-deal will jeopardise our ability to export. It will undermine our domestic market. It is crucial decision-makers fully understand the devastating economic and social impact it will have on Northern Ireland, ” the three organisations said on Thursday.
“This is not project fear. This is project fact,” they added.
Brexit: Police Chief Says MPs, Activists And The Press Have A Responsibility Not To Inflame 'Febrile' Atmosphere
People with a platform, including activists, politicians and the press, should be careful about the language used to discuss Brexit in order to avoid inciting bad behaviour, one of the country’s most senior police officers has warned. Police chiefs said they had been planning for the worst case scenario and felt confident they were well able to react to any disorder caused by the UK leaving the EU, no matter what option the government chooses. The contingency planning has involved preparations for protests, riots, disruption at the UK’s ports and maintaining the supply chains of food, fuel and medicine. Pointing out that there is an “incredibly febrile atmosphere” as a result of Brexit, the National Police Chiefs Council’s new chairman, Martin Hewitt, said prominent individuals who have a platform have a responsibility in the way they conduct themselves.
Leaked file shows stark contrasts for Britons in EU after no-deal Brexit
A leaked EU document lays bare for the first time the differences in how British nationals will be treated by the bloc’s member states after a no-deal Brexit, with two countries emphasising that requests to stay could be rejected on public order and security grounds. The European commission paper presents a hotchpotch of attitudes among the EU27, Iceland, Norway, Lichtenstein and Switzerland, to the Britons living in their territory should the UK leave without a negotiated deal. Brussels has recommended in the event of a no-deal Brexit, UK nationals should not be considered to be staying illegally straight away but that contingency measures should be temporary with national migration policies returning “back to normal as soon as possible”.
Serbia advises citizens to avoid travelling to UK due to ‘major political chaos’
Serbia’s foreign minister has suggested that citizens should not travel to the UK because of the danger posed by “major political chaos”, according to local media reports. Ivica Dacic’s remarks, which he described as “cynical”, were made in response to cautionary travel advice about travelling in northern Kosovo, issued by the British embassy in Pristina.
Lorries face huge queues in a no-deal Brexit, say industry insiders
The government is drawing up plans for dealing with a massive increase in the number of lorries needing official paperwork in the wake of a potential no-deal Brexit. Industry insiders have told Sky News they fear that document checks could lead to huge queues on the motorways leading to Channel ports in Kent - undermining work to speed lorries through from Dover to Calais. At the moment, only a small fraction of hauliers need a permit - known as a transit document - to take goods between the UK and mainland Europe. However, if the UK was to leave the EU without a deal, that figure could go up 10 times - perhaps more, with thousands of drivers needing to obtain permits.
London town halls make plans to let EU citizens take part in European elections
London town halls are preparing to write to hundreds of thousands of EU citizens in the capital to tell them they can take part in European elections if they are held. They will send out the letters if the Government decides to press ahead with the European polls in order to get a long Brexit extension rather than crash out without a deal. Lewisham council is the lead town hall in London for the European elections and a spokesman said: “The Regional Returning Officer, Janet Senior, can confirm that all London authorities are making appropriate preparations and contingency plans to deliver these elections, should the decision be made that the UK will be taking part.
Brexit: Some drugs 'cannot be stockpiled' for no-deal
The health service has been unable to stockpile certain drugs in case of a no-deal Brexit, potentially putting patients at risk, documents show. Confidential NHS England files - seen by BBC Newsnight - suggest supply chain issues mean some drugs used to treat conditions like epilepsy and bipolar disorder "cannot be stockpiled". Potential shortages would have "a significant impact", documents say. The Department of Health said supplies "should be uninterrupted".
Political Shenanigans
Britain needs a Brexit compromise. Forging one could be the making of Corbyn’s Labour
There is also a case for Corbyn to be bold, a case for him not to miss this opportunity by failing to grasp the national importance of the moment, the political weakness of the prime minister and the opportunities for Labour that her offer opens up. The process seems likely to fail. Yet the situation cries out for compromise. Compromise is an ineradicable element of politics. Knowing how, when and why to offer or accept a compromise is a vital art of government. It would be even more vital under a fairer voting system. Yet the key protagonists at this hour are almost uniquely unsuited to the task. Can they work together? Stranger things have happened in politics. But not many.
Theresa May's Brexit ministers have discussed the possibility of second referendum with Labour
Theresa May's ministers have discussed the possibility of giving MPs a vote on a second referendum during talks aimed at agreeing a Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn, it has emerged. A team of four ministers led by David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, held four and a half hours of talks with their Labour counterparts on Thursday during which the idea of offering a second referendum was discussed as an option. Labour's Keir Starmer is believed to have said that a second referendum had to be one of the options put to MPs in a series of so-called indicative votes which will take place if a deal cannot be agreed
Angela Merkel hails MPs who voted to force the PM into asking for another Brexit delay as she meets with Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin
Angela Merkel yesterday hailed MPs who voted to force the PM into asking for another Brexit delay, saying they have reduced the risk of no deal. The German Chancellor met Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin - and praised Remainers who backed the Cooper-Letwin amendment as they vowed to fight until the “last hour” to stop a crash out. She said: “We’re following this with great interest and we hope this will open up possibilities of an orderly Brexit. “It’s an important message there’s a vast majority in the Commons that wants to avoid a disorderly Brexit without a deal, and this is my starting point.”
'Plan with a chance' could come out of cross-party Brexit talks
Will it at this last moment provide a stable platform not only for a one-off vote on the principle of this Brexit model but also the complex, controversial, attendant and necessary legislation? Well maybe - if Theresa May can ignore the weeks ahead of outrage from her own Brexiter MPs, who may quit her Government and even her party in disgust. Oh and Labour and Jeremy Corbyn could face a similar risk of binary fission, if the offer of a confirmatory referendum looks conditional and therefore to all intents and purposes fictional.
A people’s vote is not a Brexit option, it is a solution
Ms Nandy’s argument positions Leavers as the authentic political voice — particularly of the left — forgetting that the result in 2016 was extremely close and that Brexit has arguably seen the collapse of party political ideology. Her analysis, in fact, makes the perfect case for a people’s vote: Brexit continues to divide the country and both the government and, now, parliament has failed to deliver compromise or consensus. Putting the decision to the people is the only way to break this gridlock, reach a genuine evidence-based consensus, and move on with the business of healing the country.
Parliament is having a ‘collective breakdown’ as Brexit stress hits exhausted MPs
Parliament is undergoing “a collective breakdown” as the stress of the Brexit crisis tips dozens of exhausted MPs over the edge, a senior MP has warned. Education Committee chair and former Tory minister Rob Halfon issued the alarm over the intense personal pressure that the deadlock and repeated high stakes voting is having on all MPs.
Newport West by-election won by Labour's Ruth Jones with 37% turnout
Labour held on to Newport West in a by-election battle which saw turnout slump. The party's Ruth Jones took 9,308 votes, giving her a majority of 1,951 over the Tories, with Ukip in third place. The contest was triggered by the death of veteran MP Paul Flynn and came against the backdrop of Brexit battles at Westminster. The city has long been a Labour stronghold and voted Leave by a margin of 56% to 44% in the 2016 in-out referendum.
Jeremy Corbyn’s Brexit problem
May’s Brexit offer forces the Labour leader to choose whether his party will really help deliver Brexit. Make no mistake: underneath the gloved hand of friendship extended to its leader Jeremy Corbyn by British Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday was a clenched fist primed to punch the opposition party right where it hurts. The calculation is simple. Labour supporters are overwhelming opposed to Brexit, but the constituencies it needs to take power are overwhelmingly in favor. The leadership does not believe it can afford to be either purely anti-Brexit or purely pro. May’s offer to the Labour leader to help shape Brexit is designed to finally push Corbyn from his high-wire tightrope walk
Theresa May And Jeremy Corbyn Could Give Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland A Veto On Future Changes To A Brexit Deal
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are looking at the idea of forcing a future prime minister to secure the consent of Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland before they can alter the UK’s future relationship with the EU. BuzzFeed News has learned that one option under consideration ahead of Thursday’s talks between the government and the Labour Party is to require any repeal of a permanent customs union to be agreed by the devolved assemblies in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, according to two Whitehall sources.
Committee seeks reassurances from Home Secretary about EU Settlement Scheme
Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, Chair of the Sub-Committee, said "We are reassured on some aspects of the EU Settlement Scheme, but more needs to be done to ensure that it is fit for purpose and does not lead to problems in future. We are pressing the Home Secretary for further information about our key concerns, and seeking to make constructive proposals for improvements. In particular, we remain very concerned about the Government’s resistance to providing physical proof of status, and we are asking why the centralised system cannot work in tandem with physical proof." The EU Justice Sub-Committee has asked for a response within ten days.
No-deal Brexit pressure group paid DUP's Lee Reynolds for consultancy work
The DUP's director of policy carried out paid consultancy work for a pressure group campaigning for a no-deal Brexit. Belfast councillor Lee Reynolds received almost £1,000 for just over a week of work between November and January on behalf of Brexit Express. The group, founded by multi-millionaire financier Jeremy Hosking, is actively pushing for the UK to leave the European Union without a deal. It launched a Brexit-backing billboard advertising campaign in February with slogans saying "no deal is ideal" and it is "the only way to end the humiliation". Brexit Express, which offered funding to Leave-supporting Tories in 2017's election, is now seeking to register as a new political party in Britain.
Theresa May to make written Brexit offer to Jeremy Corbyn
Theresa May is expected to write to Jeremy Corbyn to set out the government's offer on Brexit, with negotiations due to resume in Downing Street on Friday. Letter to include proposal to offer MPs vote on second referendum, source suggests
Brexit: senior MPs discuss tactics to avert No 10 'stitch-up'
Senior MPs who oppose Theresa May’s Brexit deal have met to discuss how to stop No 10 “stitching up” crucial votes that will decide how the UK leaves the European Union. The cross-party group includes Sir Oliver Letwin, Nick Boles, Yvette Cooper and Hilary Benn, who have already successfully forced legislation to prevent a no-deal Brexit through the House of Commons. They are now concerned that No 10 could present a series of Brexit alternatives for parliament to vote on – such as May’s deal, Labour’s proposals, or a customs union – without consulting MPs properly about what options should be on the table. There is growing suspicion that the government is still set on trying to get the prime minister’s deal through parliament if talks with the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, fail.
Lords prepare to sit 'until 6am' as Tory Peers try to block Article 50 extension
The House of Lords braced to sit through the night Brexiteer Peers tried to block a Bill which would delay Article 50 and prevent the UK leaving with no deal. Yesterday MPs voted for the Bill which forces Theresa May to seek an extension to negotiations with EU by just one vote, 313 votes to 312.
Barclay: no guarantee UK won't vote in EU elections
Responding to a question from Labour's Emma Lewell-Buck, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay says "there is no guarantee the UK would not participate in European parliamentary elections". He said it should be clear to MPs that "asking the public to hold elections for an organisation we are meant to have left would damage trust in politics".
Brexit: EU's Donald Tusk 'suggests 12-month flexible delay'
European Council President Donald Tusk is proposing to offer the UK a 12-month "flexible" extension to its Brexit date, according to a senior EU source. His plan would allow the UK to leave sooner if Parliament ratifies a deal, but it would need to be agreed by EU leaders at a summit next week. The UK's Conservatives and Labour Party are set to continue Brexit talks later. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has told the BBC that if they fail, the delay is "likely to be a long one". The UK is due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs. Downing Street said "technical" talks between Labour and the Conservatives on Thursday had been "productive" and would continue on Friday.
Brexit Is Georgia's Chance to Push for EU Membership, President Says
Georgia must seize the opportunity presented by the U.K.’s departure from the European Union to push its case for integration leading to membership of the bloc, according to the country’s new president. “We are looking at this situation with the determination to get the most out of it,’’ Salome Zourabichvili said in an interview in the capital, Tbilisi. “There is a logic that the country that has been steadily moving toward and wanting Europe can’t be treated less than the country that’s steadily moving away from Europe.’’
British trade unions are finally backing a new Brexit referendum – now it's up to Jeremy Corbyn to deliver it
So my fight for a people’s vote is motivated very simply, by the untold damage that Brexit will do to my already devastated community. I can only describe my feelings, on hearing the announcement from Unison – my trade union – that we backed a public vote on Brexit, as absolute joy.
Political Setbacks
Why the House of Commons is falling apart
Those 12 indicative votes were, in fact, useful, because they showed the extent to which the main division in the Commons over Brexit remains that of party. In all but one of those votes, the majority of Labour MPs faced the majority of Conservative MPs. The things Tory MPs want, Labour MPs don’t; the things Labour wants, the Conservatives will not abide. Indeed, on many recent votes, the numbers of MPs breaking from their party is not that significant. The root cause of the impasse is not the lack of discipline, but that there is no majority to cushion against even the smallest of rebellions.
Treacherous Theresa May has surrendered our freedom… and her honour
Lips will curl at her very name for decades to come. It will be spat to the floor in balls of green-gob spittle, hissed, sworn at with the sort of language we must not print in a popular newspaper. NO DEAL COULD HAVE BEEN BRILLIANT
She will be called a traitor, with plenty of adjectives attached. And she will deserve it. This is a terrible thing to say about any person, let alone a church-going diabetic who has been our Prime Minister for two years. I take no pleasure in levelling the charge of treachery at a Tory leader who secured 42 per cent of the vote in the 2017 General Election. We all want our Prime Ministers to be honourable and to improve the lot of our land. But after her surrender this week to Brussels and to Jeremy Corbyn, May’s name will rank alongside those of the worst eels in Western history.
The Brexiters' rearguard defence against Article 50 extension has fallen apart
This defeat was not just lost on the floor of the Commons. It was the result of years of party mismanagement, of a tin-eared prime minister refusing to listen to moderate voices in her government or her party benches, leading key figures to drop out, one by one, over the course of this whole sorry, dreary saga. It was made up of several individual stories of political disenchantment. If any one of them had not happened, yesterday's vote would have failed. It is like a morality tale of the long-term consequences of short-sighted political calculations.
Leaked emails show infiltration fears before attempt to oust Grieve
Concerns were raised about the “infiltration” of Dominic Grieve’s local Conservative association by 200 new members in the months leading up to his attempted ousting, leaked party emails reveal. The Guardian has learned that a Ukip supporter was among the flurry of “suspicious” newcomers who tried to join the association in the year before the former attorney general – who has been a standard-bearer for the remain camp in the Brexit debate – lost a confidence vote, leaving him facing deselection. In a single small town in the constituency, seven people, including a man who had been canvassed as a Ukip voter, tried to join the party in the space of 48 hours, leading to infiltration concerns. One email noted it could not be a “fluke”.
House of Commons suspended after water pours through ceiling
A Brexit metaphor? Water pours into House of Commons – Leak soaks section of press gallery, fills light fittings and floods a cafe on the floor above
House of Commons sitting ends after parliament's roof leaks
A leaking roof has forced House of Commons proceedings ... Labour's Justin Madders wrote: "In the Commons chamber and can hear rain dripping in through the roof. Parliament really is broken."
Tory peer warns of 'insurrectionary forces' if referendum result not accepted
A pro-Brexit Conservative peer has warned that "undesirable insurrectionary forces" will be unleashed if parliament does not accept the result of the 2016 EU referendum.
Blowing the whistle on Brexit
A year after revealing that the official leave campaign broke electoral law, whistleblower Shahmir Sanni and Guardian and Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr assess the impact of the story.
Brexit has become so toxic, even the gentle House of Lords is raging
In the House of Lords, peers bickered over a bill to delay Brexit with far more passion than would normally occur. For many it is a throwback to earlier days when they sat in the 'Other Place'
Parliament must accept Leave vote or face ‘understandable insurrectionary forces’, says Brexiteer Lawson
Brexiteer Lord Lawson has raised the sinister possibility of “understandable insurrectionary forces” if parliament attempts to delay Brexit. He warned of a deepening “rift” between politicians and the public and that “an ugly situation” was developing. He made his comments in a debate in the House of Lords, where pro-Brexit peers are attempting to resist a Bill which would force the prime minister to ask the EU for an extension to the Article 50 process beyond 12 April and would give parliament the power to decide the length of this delay.
Mike Russell accused of ‘game playing’ over second Brexit referendum
The constitutional relations secretary, appearing before MSPs yesterday, suggested the “best outcome” to the Brexit deadlock would be a People’s Vote.
However, moments after the comment, he said that the SNP government could well reject the outcome if the UK-wide result differed from the one in Scotland. Mr Russell said: “If I were able to wave a magic wand and get what I want – apart from no Brexit, which has been a complete distraction and disaster for the last two and half years of massively damaging proportions – then it would have to be a very long delay, a referendum, the European elections taking place and perhaps some calmness coming into this to look at the damage that would be done by proceeding along the present lines.”
Jeremy Corbyn ally Shami Chakrabarti: Second referendum or General Election 'very likely'
A second referendum or a General Election appears “very likely”, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s closest allies said today as the Labour leader opened a second day of talks with Theresa May aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock. Shadow Attorney General Baroness Shami Chakrabarti suggested that another public vote would not be justified if Labour and the Government could agree a deal on quitting the European Union. However, expectations are low that Mr Corbyn and Mrs May can unite behind a joint position and he is facing growing pressure to push for a so-called “People’s Vote”.
Goodbye EU, and goodbye the United Kingdom
The invented identity of ‘Britishness’ is unravelling as English nationalism takes hold
Andrew Wilson: Brexiteer yobs are doing lasting damage to UK
I feared the worst but thankfully it was only thunder. It was like the heavens were sending a message to the governing classes a few hundred yards away in Westminster. The end of days. I am fearful though because the descent of Britain’s society and standing in the world has progressed from risible and pathetic to palpably dangerous. The stakes are soaring.
How a Brexit that MPs might support could destroy the Tory party
The magnitude of the gulf between the cabinet and perhaps a majority of Tory MPs over how to deliver Brexit was on display like an oozing wound on my show last night. The Chancellor was his normal phlegmatic, unsugaring self when revealing the government is reconciled to a long Brexit delay till at least the end of the year - and that the best the prime minister can hope for from the emergency EU council on Wednesday is that the EU’s 27 leaders would allow her a break clause, so that if a Brexit deal is fully approved on all sides earlier, the UK could leave the EU at that earlier juncture. But even so, he conceded there is now no escape from preparing to participate in European parliamentary elections, at considerable financial and emotional cost to the UK.
House Of Commons Springs A Leak, Forcing It To Close For The Day
It was supposed to be a rare quiet afternoon for the House of Commons, a break from the chaos of Brexit. But as members of the U.K. Parliament discussed other issues, their chamber began to take on water, through a large leak in the ceiling. And with rainwater pouring in, business was canceled for the rest of Thursday.
Members of Parliament gamely tried to speak over the sound of water echoing as it splashed into the gallery above them. But as they spoke, they often sneaked glances toward the ceiling, keeping an eye on the deluge while they discussed tax enforcement policies.
Brexit to be delayed until next year after parties fail to break deadlock, attorney general warns
Brexit is on course to be delayed until next year, the attorney general has warned, as cross-party talks to end the crisis remained deadlocked. Geoffrey Cox risked blowing apart the fragile cabinet truce over an Article 50 extension by suggesting it would be more than “just a few weeks or months” – unless Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn strike a deal. The prime minister is still clinging to the hope of carrying out EU withdrawal by 22 May, but Mr Cox acknowledged that hope was fading before a crunch summit of EU leaders next Wednesday. “The problem then would be that we would be in an extension. It’s likely to be a long one, by which I mean longer than just a few weeks or months,” he said. Asked, by the BBC’s Nick Robinson for his Political Thinking podcast, if he meant “more than a year” – as some EU leaders have suggested – Mr Cox said the EU held all the cards.
I’m in no-deal planning ops. Here’s a briefing from our Whitehall bunker
Acres of analysis will be written about what mistakes were made – the Institute for Government has already made a start. My point here is simply that while future inquiries will probably be devastating, they will probably also find evidence of positive significant change in civil service culture. Mark Sedwill and civil service chief executive John Manzoni hinted as much when they reminded every civil servant a few days ago that all sides of the Brexit debate have shown admiration for the civil service. If we collectively manage to avoid a no-deal Brexit – if we avoid Brexit altogether – we should still weep for what those no-deal billions could have been spent on. But if those costs end up also contributing to a complete re-imagining of what public service is for and how it is conducted, I can live with that. Even if it’s a long way from being a bargain.
Labour's Lords deputy accuses Tories of filibuster over no-deal Brexit bill
Opposition peers defeated several Tory backbench bids to block the progress of the bill but lengthy speeches and procedural devices were likely to significantly slow down proceedings. Lady Hayter, the Labour peer steering the bill to extend article 50 through the Lords after its narrow victory in the Commons late on Wednesday night, said the bill would not stop Brexit but would prevent a no-deal scenario. “It’s been passed by the Commons … we should not be trying to hold it up,” Hayter told Sky News. “There is unfortunately a filibuster being organised by Conservatives to try to talk out this bill, they are getting a bit of support, in fact quite a lot of support from the government, which I think is fairly shameful.”
SOS signal beamed onto White Cliffs of Dover calling for Brexit extension
An SOS signal to the EU has been projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover by anti-Brexit protesters. Activist group Led By Donkeys have beamed a huge SOS message onto the White Cliffs of Dover calling for a Brexit extension and a confirmation vote. The group posted three tweets addressing French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, written in English, German and French. Alongside a picture of the 50m by 75m projection, they wrote: “Dear Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, opportunists from the hard right want Britain to crash out of Europe, even though a majority now wants to stay.
EU uneasy over Ireland’s Brexit no-deal readiness
Ireland’s leader Leo Varadkar welcomes German chancellor Angela Merkel to Dublin on Thursday determined to reassure the EU that his country is ready to deal with the chaos that would be unleashed by a no-deal Brexit. Public support for Ireland — the EU country most exposed if the UK crashes out of the bloc — has so far been strong: this week French president Emmanuel Macron has told the taoiseach that Europe “will never abandon Ireland and the Irish, no matter what happens”. But anxiety in EU circles is growing about Dublin’s readiness for a no-deal scenario, when Brussels would require extensive checks on cross-border trade between Ireland and the UK — the very thing Mr Varadkar hoped to avert by insisting on the “backstop” in Theresa May’s disputed Brexit treaty.
Theresa May has set a trap for Labour – but she could fall into it herself
By backing Brexit – even a soft Brexit like Common Market 2.0 – we would see our voter base fragment to the SNP, Greens, Lib Dems and newly formed, explicitly anti-Brexit Change UK. Labour supporters would see a May/Corbyn deal as a betrayal, leading to a Lib Dem-style vote collapse. Labour would not pick up Leave voters to compensate. Just as Tory voters stuck with real austerity in 2015, not the ‘austerity-lite’ of Ed Miliband, so Leave voters would stick with the Tories, and would not be swayed by the halfway house of a customs union or single market membership.
@France24 "I think £4bn has been spent on #NoDeal planning," says UK Ambassador to France @EdLlewellynFCO.
A Michael Gove premiership would be another blow for British Muslims
As far as Muslims are concerned, Britain's environment secretary is best known as the unsung commander-in-chief of the Islamophobes inside the Conservative Party
Trade Deals/Negotiations
@AlanDuncanMP Delighted to sign today the trade continuity agreement with the Dominican Republic
Delighted to sign today the trade continuity agreement with the Dominican Republic
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 8th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Manufacturers group says in event of no deal revoke Article 50
- Make UK, the lobby group representing 20,000 UK manufacturing firms, have written to Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn calling on them to Revoke Article 50 if they cannot strike a Brexit agreement next week, for the sake of British manufacturing industry
JLR shutters its factories for a week due to Brexit
- Jaguar Land Rover is to shut down production for a week, due to uncertainties surrounding Brexit. It will affect thousands of staff at Castle Bromwich, Solihull and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands and Halewood on Merseyside. from Monday. The company said it needed Brexit certainty and said that a No Deal Brexit would cost it more than £1.2bn in profit each year
Northern Ireland dairy farmers worried about a No Deal Brexit
- The Northern Ireland dairy farming trade relies on milk tankers criss crossing the border to collect milk and drop off supplies. In the event of a No Deal Brexit, this ends, and local farmers fear they could go under very quickly
NFU says farming industry confidence is now at a decade low
- The National Farmers Union says confidence amongst British farmers is at its lowest level since the start of the decade. Arable farmers have not been offered any protection against cheaper imports, in the event of a No Deal brexit. Farmers representatives said a disorderly Brexit would be catastrophic for the dairy industry
Google Pay moves its Euro-business to Dublin
- Google Pay has shifted its service provision for all non-UK users in the European Economic Area from Britain to Ireland ahead of Brexit. Google revealed the news and said it has had to make this change because of Brexit, but UK residents payments will continue to be processed in the UK
Customs expert slans UK customs readiness
- Peter MacSwinney, chair of the Brexit Joint Customs Consultative Committee, said that Britain's customs system is not ready for Brexit and it could take up to another three years before it is properly prepared
Daffodils are not for picking
- Cornish daffodils are being left to rot due, to a lack of Eastern European workers. The industry is worth £45m a year to the UK economy
Will Grayling save Scottish seafood?
- Scotland's transport secretary has called for time-sensitive exports to be given priority in the event of a No Deal Brexit. Michael Matheson wrote to Chris Grayling asking for goods such as the Scottish seafood business, to be given prioritised space on No Deal ferries. With a value of £944m to the Scotland the industry needs support he said in his letter
UK SME's deeply worried about implications of a No Deal Brexit
- Two experts from the University of St Andrews published an academic report on the UK small business sector. They found that more than 1m SMEs, around a quarter of the total, were concerned about how Brexit would affect the success of their business.
Brexit linked medicine shortages could harm patients
- The Independent observed, last January, Health Secretary Matt Hancock had told parliament that all potentially life-saving drugs had been stock piled for use in the event of a No Deal Brexit. BBC Newsnight revelations last week show this not to be the case and that people needing epilepsy or bipolar disorder drugs would not be covered - risking lives
Theresa May invokes her 'fireside chat' straight to camera Brexit plea
- In an attempt to shake-off her robotic reputation, Theresa May released a short video explainer on what is happening with Brexit. In the piece to camera, she tries to explain why she is now negotiating with the Opposition to see if they can jointly agree a Brexit deal based a round a customs union
- Monday also sees Yvette Cooper's bill on extending Article 50 pass its final stages in the House of Lords and, perhaps, quickly gain Royal Assent. If this occurs Parliament will be given time to decide what length of Article 50 extension Mrs May should request
- The Sunday Times reports that Theresa May is preparing to offer Jeremy Corbyn a legally binding soft Brexit deal with a 'Boris lock' that would make it difficult for a future Eurosceptic PM to tear up the agreement after she leaves No10.
- Senior figures in Downing Street are about to tell Tory MP's they face a stark choice - accept a rebranded customs union with Brussels or lose Brexit altogether.
- The Labour side of the negotiations seem to be unaware of what is about to be offered, with members of the negotiating team saying 'they are waiting for Theresa May to move her Brexit red lines' as there is no sign of compromise
- The EU position on Mrs May's request for a Brexit extension until 30 June is starting to become clearer. France, Spain and Belgium are all sceptical about granting any more extensions, arguing that nothing has changed and the UK still has not passed the withdrawal agreement or defined what it wants in terms of a longer term deal
- Donald Tusk, however, is recommending that EU ministers offer the UK a 'flextension' of one year. EU Ministers have already rejected Mrs May's request for 30th June extension at an earlier summit, but Tusk feels that by giving the UK longer it can better sort out its position
- Flextension would stipulate a length of time (in this case a year) but if at any time during that year the Withdrawal Agreement is passed, the extension would come to an end
- Cabinet minister Andrea Leadsom called a possible second referendum vote to solve the parliamentary logjam 'the ultimate betrayal'
- The education minister, Nadhim Zahawi called the UK participating in the UK elections 'an existential threat to the Tory party'
- Emily Thornberry said the UK needs to hold an inquiry into how Brexit has been handled after it is all over. She also demanded a referendum on any agreement that Labour and Conservatives reached over Brexit
- Eighty Labour MPs called on Jeremy Corbyn to secure a guarantee of a second referendum as part of any deal he reaches with Theresa May
- If the UK was facing a No Deal Brexit this coming Friday, Labour's Rebecca Long-Bailey said the party would consider revoking Article 50 very strongly
- Tories were said to be angry over the prospect of having to fight European Elections in May. As this is a precondition of any Article 50 extension, this is becoming an increasingly likely
- Cabinet Minister Liam Fox was said to have joked that French President Emmanuel Macron was 'sleeping with his grandmother' as he emerged from last week's Cabinet meeting
- There were still a number of senior Tory figures trying to paint the notion of a No Deal Brexit as nothing much to worry about
- The Scottish Greens warned Labour that it would never be forgiven if it partnered with the Conservatives to introduce Brexit
- A BMG Research survey has found that there is now a majority of the British public in favour of a final say on Brexit. The Independent cites both Philip Hammond and Emily Thornberry as two significant members of the leading political parties who were starting to come round to a second referendum as a solution to the Brexit gridlock
- Angela Merkel is said to be ready to accomodate Theresa May's desire for a 30 June deadline, as she fears a longer timescale may prove to be self-defeating
Jobs at Risk
Brexit: Revoke Article 50 if deal fails, Theresa May urged
Manufacturers are calling on Theresa May to revoke article 50 if she can’t strike a Brexit agreement next week, in the latest sign that the looming possibility of Britain leaving the EU without a deal is hammering confidence in the sector. Make UK, the lobby group that represents 20,000 manufacturing firms, last night wrote to May and Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, saying it is “critical for the future of UK manufacturing businesses and their workforces that we bring the current uncertainty to an end”. The letter from Make UK’s chief executive, Stephen Phipson, seen by The Sunday Times, comes after two-thirds of the group’s members backed revocation of article 50 if May does not reach a deal by the new deadline of April 12.
Jaguar Land Rover to start Brexit shutdown
Jaguar Land Rover is to shut down production for a week because of uncertainties around Brexit. It will affect thousands of staff at Castle Bromwich, Solihull and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, and Halewood on Merseyside, from Monday.
The shutdown is in addition to a scheduled closure the following week for Easter.
Unite the union said the move was agreed in January when the UK was due to leave the EU on 29 March. The company said it needed more certainty around Brexit, and warned that a "no-deal" Brexit would cost it more than £1.2bn in profit each year.
Dairy farmers: No-deal Brexit could put us out of business overnight
People living and working on the Irish border say they have no option but to prepare for a no-deal Brexit on Friday. Northern Irish farmers fear an immediate loss of trade with the Republic could put hundreds of them out of business overnight. Damian McGenity, a part-time farmer from Jonesborough, one mile on the northern side, says the economic impact would be "catastrophic".
Dudson: More than 300 jobs go at Stoke-on-Trent pottery firm
Jobs are lost with immediate effect as 200-year-old Dudson in Stoke-on-Trent collapses. Representatives from the GMB union said staff were told to leave the premises "with no notice whatsoever" and called it a "devastating blow". Administrators PWC said it was "not commercially viable to continue trading the company". A total of 318 people have been made redundant with immediate effect.
In March, Wedgwood - another of the city's potteries - announced plans to cut its workforce by about a third.
Administrative Fall Out
The NHS is underprepared for a no-deal Brexit – and I am one of the thousands that might die as a result
On Wednesday night, BBC Newsnight revealed some life-saving drugs have proved impossible to stockpile – including those used to treat epilepsy – and that the doctors who had been given this information had been told to keep quiet. Back in January the health secretary Matthew Hancock told parliament that the requisite medicine supplies had been stockpiled in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Last night we learned that was not the case. Currently, a no deal would mean potential shortages of three important drugs for epilepsy, bipolar disorder and neuropathic pain. This would be life threatening for patients.
Google Pay tells Euro users it has ditched UK for Ireland ahead of Brexit
Google Pay has this week shifted its service provision for all non-UK users in the European Economic Area from Britain and into Ireland ahead of Brexit. Up until now, the Google Payments terms of service have been offered by Google Payment Limited, a company incorporated in the UK. But the ad and search giant this week revealed it had had to change the terms due to the UK's "evolving" relationship with the European Union. UK residents' payments will continue to be processed in Blighty. In an email sent to all users in the EEA except those in the UK, and seen by The Register, it said the terms of service would, as of 4 April, be provided by Google Ireland Limited.
Customs industry 'not ready for Brexit'
Britain's customs system is not ready for Brexit - and could still take another three years to be prepared. That is the view of one of the most high-profile figures in the British customs industry, who chairs a key committee advising the government. He told Sky News that plans had been "left to the last minute". Peter MacSwiney is chair of the Brexit committee at the Joint Customs Consultative Committee (JCCC).
It represents the leading players in the industry and liaises with both the government and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) about the implications of Brexit.
First British passports without 'European Union' printed on cover issued
British passports without the words European Union on the front cover have been issued despite the Brexit delay. The burgundy passports were introduced from March 30, the day after Britain was expected to leave the EU. Some passports including the words European Union will continue to be issued while the remaining stock is used up. But those applying for a new travel document will not be able to choose between the two. Dark blue passports, reminiscent of travel documents before the UK joined the EU, will be available from the end of the year.
As the UK updates its .eu Brexit advice yet again, an alternative hovers into view
On Friday, the UK government again updated its advice for Brits with .eu internet addresses. If we were to summarize it in a sentence it would be: god knows what's going to happen but you should probably prepare for the worst. That updated advice comes after the company that operates the .eu registry, EURid, was forced, yet again, to change its advice. A notice on EURid's dedicated Brexit webpage now reads: "Due to ongoing uncertainties over the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, EURid has placed on hold any plan regarding domain names registered to individuals and undertakings located in the United Kingdom and Gibraltar."
No-deal Brexit would be 'catastrophic', farmers warn
The National Farmers' Union says confidence levels among British farmers are at their lowest since the start of the decade. Cereal farmers have told Sky News leaving the EU without a deal would be "catastrophic" and the continued uncertainty is having a huge cost to business. Unlike some livestock farming, arable farmers have not been offered any protection against cheaper imports and also face the prospect of an increase in export tariffs
Home Office makes £2m a month from child citizenship fees as parents driven into debt
The Home Office makes £2m a month from child citizenship fees, figures show, as campaigners warned charges are driving parents into debt and even forcing them to skip meals. Data obtained through a freedom of information request by community organising group Citizens UK, reveals the department is raking in £24m a year – or around £500,000 a week – on charges for children to register for British citizenship. That is the equivalent of £71,429 each day The cost of a citizenship application for a child is £1,012 while cost of processing is £372. This means Home Office makes an estimated £640 profit from each child application it receives. All the fees are non-refundable so are not returned if the application fails.
Cornish daffodils left to rot from lack of eastern European workers due to Brexit
The lack of manpower has been described as a devastating blow for the daffodil picking industry which generates around £45m a year for the UK economy. Britain is by far the world’s largest producer of daffodils, with about 75 per cent grown in Cornwall.
Dig deep to bloom after Brexit | Ireland
Cash-flow fears are taking root among Irish firms reliant on the UK, but a rainy day fund will help to weather the storm
Brexit plea over Scotland's perishable exports
Scotland's transport secretary has called for time-sensitive exports to be given priority in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Michael Matheson has written to his UK counterpart Chris Grayling asking for goods such as Scottish seafood to be given space on ferries. He warned that livelihoods were being put at risk by this "lack of support for exporting businesses". The UK government said it was preparing for "all possible" Brexit outcomes. Mr Matheson claimed that the Department for Transport had failed to take action despite the issue being raised in previous correspondence from the Scottish government. He said: said: "With an annual value of £944m, seafood accounts for 58% of Scotland's total food exports. "Seafood is highly perishable and therefore dependent on the sort of swift and reliable transport connections which would be damaged by a disorderly UK exit from the EU."
Small firms at Brexit’s sharp end
Well over one million UK SMEs, around a quarter of the total, were concerned about how Brexit would affect the success of their business. We also examined how Brexit uncertainty varies according to the size and location of companies and their business orientation. SMEs represent a core part of the UK economy, accounting for 99% of all UK firms and 60% of total private sector employment. They are crucial for innovation and productivity growth and have disproportionately driven job creation since 2010. They are also particularly affected by institutional and political uncertainty and less resilient when it comes to unforeseen events such as Brexit.
Political Shenanigans
‘Flextension’ and just tension in Brussels as UK requests another Brexit delay
It's official: Brexit doesn't mean Brexit. At least not on April 12. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May formally appealed to the EU Friday for yet another extension of the U.K.'s departure date, perhaps until June 30. Or maybe until May 22. Or maybe sooner. The two-and-a-half page letter to Council President Donald Tusk sparked alarm in Brussels. Significant concerns remain that the continued uncertainty poses a threat to the integrity of the European Parliament election and that a half-in-half-out U.K. could adopt a policy of future non-cooperation that the EU would be unable to control. EU leaders still have not had an answer to the questions they asked when they delayed Brexit day last time: What exactly would such an extension be for, and how would it achieve a different outcome?
Labour’s Thornberry calls for Brexit inquiry
Britain should hold an inquiry into how Brexit has been handled, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said. “When all this finishes, we will need to look at how it happened,” Thornberry told a live taping of Politico EU Confidential podcast in London on Sunday. “We will need to look at why it is that we spent billions of pounds on no deal. You know, why David Cameron had a referendum without telling the civil servants to prepare in case he lost the referendum,” she said. “And also, frankly, we will need to look at a lot of Cabinet minutes where they are discussing what’s good for the Tory Party and not what’s good for the country,” Thornberry said.
Theresa May Invokes The 'Fireside Chat' With Straight-To-Camera Brexit Plea
Theresa May has adopted a new ‘natural’ approach in an attempt to get her Brexit message across and shed her ‘Maybot’ reputation after weeks of tumult. In what appeared to be a loosely-scripted video message, the Prime Minister made a plea for “compromise on both sides” as talks with Labour continued. May even forced a chuckle as she admitted that the public might be confused over why leaving the European Union has yet to happen almost three years after the referendum. She began by admitting people have been asking her “what on earth is happening with Brexit” as she was filmed on a shaky camera and with a large tumbler of water placed in the foreground. Filmed at her Chequers country retreat, May was in ‘fireside chat’ mode: an oft-used political device made famous by radio addresses from US President Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s. She addressed the ongoing talks with Jeremy Corbyn, which she now appears to think are the only way out of the Brexit deadlock.
Labour’s Thornberry demands referendum on any Brexit compromise
Emily Thornberry, the U.K. shadow foreign secretary, demanded any Brexit deal between her party and the government be put to a second referendum as she suggested Labour MPs from Leave-supporting constituencies were “misunderstanding” their own voters. Speaking at a live taping of POLITICO’s EU Confidential podcast in London on Sunday, Thornberry said any deal agreed between Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would prove controversial. “The question will be — is this what anybody wants? Or do we end up with a compromise that just makes everybody unhappy?” Thornberry said. “I think whatever it is, it will be controversial. And I think that in those circumstances, it’s right for us to be saying to the British people: 'During that referendum, did you vote for this? Do you want this? When you said you wanted to leave, did you want to leave like this?'”
Brexit news latest: Eighty MPs write to Jeremy Corbyn calling for People's Vote guarantee
Eighty Labour MPs have called on Jeremy Corbyn to secure a guarantee of a second referendum in any Brexit deal he reaches with Theresa May. The group, which includes shadow ministers, wrote to the Labour leader on Saturday and stated that a public vote should be the "bottom line" in the negotiations. The letter warns any concessions secured in the cross-party talks - which have so far failed to produce a breakthrough - cannot be guaranteed, meaning a referendum is a necessary safeguard.
Is there any way back from a Brexit cliff edge?
Every option, from a no-deal Brexit to a referendum, or even revocation of the decision to leave, leads to some combination of UK nations (England versus Northern Ireland and Scotland) or social groups (to simplify, nationalist low-income Brexiters versus internationalist wealthier Remainers) shouting treachery and betrayal. There is no Brexit peace to be had. For many years. Or at least none I can see. And that sure knowledge will condition how EU leaders decide on Wednesday whether and what postponement of the date we leave the EU to grant us. A no-deal Brexit on 12 April, the current official Brexit date, is not a de minimis probability. And nor is either parliament voting for a referendum or straightforwardly to revoke Brexit, if MPs see the sole alternative to those desperate acts of evasive action as leaving the EU with no deal. But any of those outcomes would lead to different combinations of acute strife in politics, economy, society. We’ve muddled though to a precipitate cliff edge - and we don’t know which cliff it is and how steep the drop may be. Heaven help us.
Labour would ‘consider very, very strongly’ revoking Article 50 and forcing the UK to remain in EU
Labour would 'consider very very strongly' voting to revoke Article 50 and forcing the UK to remain a member of the EU, if the alternative were the UK leaving the EU without a deal, a shadow cabinet minister said today. Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow business secretary and part of Labour's Brexit negotiating team, said the move would be considered if an 'extremely damaging' break from the bloc without an agreement was the other option. Pressed by Andrew Marr this morning, on whether Labour would be prepared to revoke Article 50, cancelling Brexit, if the UK was heading towards a no-deal Brexit on Friday, she said: 'We have promised our party members and our constituents that we will do all we can to avoid a no-deal situation and it's something that we would consider very, very strongly.'
Theresa May rules out fourth meaningful vote and no-deal Brexit as she prepares for customs union climbdown
Theresa May has signalled she will not seek a fourth vote on her Brexit deal as she appeared to rule out the UK leaving the European Union without an agreement.
The Prime Minister said MPs had already rejected her divorce deal three times and “as things stand, I can’t see them accepting it”. She warned the choice was now between leaving the EU with a deal “or not leaving at all” as she seemed to finally ditch her long standing mantra of no-deal being better than a bad one. Mrs May said cross-party talks with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would continue in the hope of finding a compromise Brexit deal capable of winning the support of a majority of MPs.
Jeremy Corbyn is 'unfit to be PM', says Jewish Labour Movement as it passes no confidence motion in him
The Jewish Labour Movement have passed a motion of no confidence in Jeremy Corbyn and concluded he is “unfit to be prime minister” as the party’s anti-Semitism crisis worsened. The JLM accused Mr Corbyn and the Labour leadership of having “fundamentally failed” to address the problem and said a government led by him “would not be in the interest of British Jews”. The motion was passed “almost unanimously” at the group’s annual general meeting despite a plea from a leading ally of the Labour leader not to “personalise” the issue.
Brexit: furious Tories will try to oust May if UK fights Euro elections
Theresa May’s mutinous MPs are warning her that they will move to oust her within weeks if the UK is forced to take part in European elections next month and extend its EU membership beyond the end of June. Tory MPs are increasingly angry at the prospect of voters being asked to go to the polls to elect MEPs three years after the Brexit referendum, in an election they fear will be boycotted by many Conservatives and be a gift to the far right and Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party. Senior Tories said one silver lining of a long extension would be that it would allow them to move quickly to force May out, and hold a leadership election starting as soon as this month.
Amber Rudd poised to back Boris Johnson for Conservative leader
Amber Rudd is preparing to back Boris Johnson to be the next Tory leader after MPs approached her allies urging the work and pensions secretary to join a “dream team” alliance that they have dubbed “BAmber”. Rudd thinks Michael Gove is the most “attractive” candidate and Jeremy Hunt is best placed to succeed Theresa May. But she believes that Johnson is the one who can win a general election. Allies say Rudd will not make a public declaration about who she is supporting until the contest is under way, after she moved early to back Johnson in 2016, only to see his campaign implode.
Andrea Leadsom: no-deal Brexit next week would not be so grim
A no-deal Brexit at the end of next week would be “not nearly as grim” as many believe, one of Theresa May’s senior ministers has said, as both the government and Labour indicated that cross-party talks to resolve the situation remained deadlocked. Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, said preparations would mitigate many adverse effects of no deal. She also said the idea of a departure extension long enough to require the UK to hold European elections was “utterly unacceptable”. Her comments came as May used a video statement to talk up the hopes for ongoing cross-party Brexit negotiations with Labour, saying “compromise on both sides” could still deliver a solution.
Corbyn climbs aboard as May tries to save her sinking ship
It was, a minister present remarked, “the saddest moment of cabinet”. Theresa May, her administration and reputation on the line, laid out why she needed to change the government’s Brexit policy, despite making the ultimate sacrifice. “I offered my resignation and still the deal didn’t go through,” she said, reflecting on the three crushing defeats her deal with Brussels had suffered at the hands of MPs.
Asking the impossible: can Theresa May keep her Brexit deal alive?
It is another week where Theresa May must make seemingly impossible demands of her cabinet, her party, Labour MPs and EU negotiators. By Wednesday the prime minister must present the European council with a credible reason for extending the UK’s Brexit negotiating period once more – and every reason she could give is also one that could split her party at home. Labour sources are insistent they have not walked out of the negotiations, but those close to the talks were amazed at how little appeared to actually be on offer from the government. If Yvette Cooper’s bill on extending article 50 passes its final hurdles in the House of Lords on Monday and gains royal assent, parliament will be given time to decide what length of extension May should request.
Sinn Féin will contest North's EU elections - McDonald
The Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald has said her party will contest European Parliament elections in Northern Ireland, if they are held as a result of a long Brexit extension. Speaking in Dublin she said: "If an election happens, we will fight the election. We are ready." She said irrespective of whatever outcome there is to Brexit, Sinn Féin wanted to ensure that "... promises made to Ireland over our peace process, economy and people will be protected." Deputy McDonald said she was going to meet the British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn in London tomorrow to discuss Brexit.
Brexit: Germany's CDU leader hopes for second referendum
"I no longer care so much how Brexit ends," you often hear. "As long as it ends."
"Brexit has been a strain on all of us. In some ways it has paralysed us," Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer told me in Berlin in a UK exclusive interview. She's the leader of Germany's CDU party, very close to Angela Merkel and widely tipped to be the next German chancellor. Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer - also known as AKK - is far from detached when it comes to Brexit. She and a number of other German politicians penned a letter to the Times newspaper back in January, appealing to the UK to change its mind. Now, the EU's determined attempt to show unity at all times over Brexit means it has been frustratingly difficult to get EU leaders to agree to in-depth, on-the-record Brexit interviews .
Prime Minister poised to bind Britain into the customs union
Theresa May was last night poised to mount a humiliating climbdown over a customs union as the price of winning Labour support for her Brexit deal. According to senior sources, Tory negotiators have told Labour that the Government would accept UK membership of a customs union – a 'red line' for Brexiteers – but on condition that they 'call it something else' to avoid inflaming anger among Eurosceptic Conservatives. It is understood that Jeremy Corbyn has also been offered a 'lock' mechanism, which would prevent any future pro-Brexit Prime Minister such as Boris Johnson from unravelling the deal by having it written directly into legislation.
Oh do look at the tin-pot Brexiters, having their moment in the spotlight
Sick of Brexit? Yeah, me too. Partly because it becomes clearer with each chaotic day that for some of the second-tier “Brexit ultras” no one much cares about (Mark Francois, Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen, Bernard Jenkin et al), this is the most attention they’ve ever had and are ever likely to get in their sad, blustering, self-important lives. While it’s Remainers who are supposed to be the soppy drama queens, just look at this bunch – flapping about the media, mouth-breathing through their camera-time, sparkly eyed with their own significance. Brexit as a debilitating national crisis? Hardly. They’ve never felt so
Theresa May bids to save deal with a Boris-proof Brexit
Theresa May is preparing to offer Jeremy Corbyn a legally binding soft Brexit deal with a “Boris lock” that would make it difficult for a future Eurosceptic prime minister to tear up after she leaves No 10. In a last-ditch attempt to leave the EU this year, May’s team is drawing up plans to enshrine in law a guarantee that MPs would have the ultimate say on a final deal with Brussels. Senior figures in Downing Street will tell Tory MPs that they face a “stark choice” — accept a rebranded customs union with Brussels or “lose Brexit”. Cross-party talks stalled on Friday after Labour complained that May was not prepared to rewrite the political declaration with Brussels, which maps out what Britain wants from the second phase of negotiations. But in a sign that May is prepared to soften her approach, Philip Hammond, the chancellor, said the government had “no red lines” left.
Attempt to secure delayed departure from EU could leave UK on course for no-deal Brexit, senior lawyer warns
An attempt by Parliament to direct Theresa May's attempts to secure a delayed departure from the EU could in fact leave the UK on course for a no-deal exit, a senior lawyer has suggested. Lord Pannick, a leading QC, said provisions in a bill drawn up by Sir Oliver Letwin and Yvette Cooper could “damage” attempts to reduce the chances of the UK leaving the EU without a withdrawal agreement.
The barrister, together with Lord Judge, the former Lord Chief Justice, are planning to table an amendment to the legislation on Monday, which would restore powers for Mrs May to negotiate a new exit date with EU leaders on Wednesday if they reject the June 30 cut-off that she has proposed.
Brexit: Majority of public now back Final Say referendum amid chaos in Westminster, poll shows
Most of the British public now back having a Final Say referendum on Brexit whatever the outcome eventually is, an exclusive poll for The Independent has found. Amid the chaos in parliament, backing for a new public vote, which has simmered just below 50 per cent for months, finally broke through into a majority in April, according to the BMG Research survey. Major players in both main parties have signalled that a referendum could be the way forward, including chancellor Philip Hammond and shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry.
May says choice between leaving EU with deal or no Brexit - The Observer
Prime Minister Theresa May said there was now a clear choice between Britain exiting the European Union with a deal or not leaving at all as she tries to find a compromise with the opposition Labour Party, The Observer newspaper reported.
“Because parliament has made clear it will stop the UK leaving without a deal, we now have a stark choice: leave the European Union with a deal or do not leave at all,” May was quoted as saying by the newspaper. “The longer this takes, the greater the risk of the UK never leaving at all.”
Corbyn - I'm waiting for May to move Brexit 'red lines'
Prime Minister Theresa May has yet to move the “red lines” that have blocked a deal for Britain to leave the EU, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Saturday, after May launched talks with him in a last-ditch bid to save Brexit. “I’m waiting to see the red lines move,” he told the BBC. “I hope we can reach a decision in parliament this week which will prevent a crashing out.” No talks have been arranged yet between the two sides for this weekend, a Labour source told Reuters. May’s decision to seek an agreement with Corbyn was an astounding reversal after months of saying her plan for Brexit was the only possible course. It reflects weeks of high drama in parliament that saw May’s deal rejected by a historic majority but no agreement emerge on an alternative plan.
UK PM May has plan to offer Labour Brexit customs arrangement
British Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has a plan to enshrine in law a customs arrangement with the European Union in a bid to win over the opposition Labour Party to back a Brexit deal, The Sunday Times newspaper reported. “Under the new plan, the prime minister would offer to rewrite the government’s withdrawal bill to enshrine a customs arrangement in law,” the newspaper said. May is trying to win over the main opposition party after her negotiated Brexit deal was voted down by parliament on three occasions.
Pro-Europeans must unite around the opportunity of the EU elections
One is that Brexit has fomented in Britain the biggest pro-European movement on the entire continent of Europe: 6m people signed a petition to revoke Article 50; hundreds of thousands, perhaps more, marched. A second is that no matter what form of Brexit is chosen — if one is ever agreed — the UK is likely to continue following EU law. The two-year transition period which Mrs May has negotiated in the withdrawal agreement requires it. For both reasons, elections to choose British MEPs seem like a good idea: we must ensure democratic accountability over an organisation we are still tied to, at least for the time being.
Theresa May rules out no-deal Brexit in last-ditch push for Tory votes
Theresa May has explicitly ruled out a no-deal Brexit for the first time, in what Conservative MPs are interpreting as a last-ditch attempt to win support ahead of a fourth vote on her Brexit deal. The Prime Minister warns this evening: “Because Parliament has made clear it will stop the UK leaving without a deal, we now have a stark choice: leave the European Union with a deal or do not leave at all. “My answer to that is clear: we must deliver Brexit and to do so we must agree a deal.”
Brexit extension veto by EU unlikely, says Leo Varadkar
It is unlikely an EU 27 country will veto a UK request for a delay to Brexit, the Irish prime minister has said. Leo Varadkar said a country "wouldn't be forgiven" if it vetoed an extension as that decision would cause hardship to Ireland and other EU countries. The UK is set to leave the EU on 12 April but a deal has not been approved by Westminster.
Brexit: I had no choice but to approach Labour - May
Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted she had to reach out to Labour in a bid to deliver Brexit or risk letting it "slip through our fingers". The PM said there was a "stark choice" of either leaving the European Union with a deal or not leaving at all.
And shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey says if no-deal became an option Labour would consider "very, very strongly" voting to cancel Brexit. Some Tories have criticised the PM for seeking Labour's help on her deal. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said the Tories were working with Labour "through gritted teeth", adding that no deal would be better than cancelling Brexit.
Merkel throws May a lifeline over UK’s Brexit departure date
Angela Merkel is open to backing Theresa May’s request for a short Brexit extension as the German chancellor seeks to maintain the pressure on British MPs to support the withdrawal agreement, according to senior EU sources. In the face of moves from elsewhere in the EU to insist on a longer delay to Britain’s departure, Merkel is keeping all options on the table ahead of this week’s EU summit and is said to be willing to back 30 June as an exit date. She is thought to be concerned that Donald Tusk’s proposal of a year-long extension, with an option to exit earlier on ratification of the withdrawal agreement, could be self-defeating.
Now the British public is fully aware of the consequences of Brexit, it’s clear they want a Final Say
But even if there was some grand Lab-Con coalition on Brexit, it would still need the approval and consent of the British people. There are forces pushing to give the UK little if any room for manoeuvre, led by President Emmanuel Macron who has apparently picked up support in Belgium and Spain. This threatens a rapid no-deal Brexit even if the British government and parliament have outlawed it. That French tactic will probably not be enough to stop Chancellor Merkel exercising good sense and backing Mr Tusk, but it is a risk. Therefore the choice may very soon – next week – be between the UK crashing out of the EU with no deal and no transition period, or revoking Article 50 unilaterally and staying in the EU.
Second Brexit vote would be 'ultimate betrayal': leader of lower UK parliament
A second public vote on Britain’s membership of the European Union would be the “ultimate betrayal”, Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons or lower house of parliament, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
Brexit blamed for 'poisonous' atmosphere in the Senedd
Brexit has been blamed for creating a "poisonous" atmosphere in the Senedd by a number of AMs. Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood said there has been a noticeable deterioration in the Welsh Assembly, with exchanges there less civilised. Labour's Llanelli AM Mr Waters believes this a reflection of the division in broader society caused by Brexit. It follows almost three years of heated debate in the House of Commons around the UK's exit from the EU.
UK's May says greater risk of no Brexit the longer it takes to find compromise
British Prime Minister Theresa May said on Saturday that the longer it takes to find a compromise with the opposition Labour Party to secure a parliamentary majority for a Brexit deal, the less likely it is that Britain will leave the European Union.
Welsh Lib Dem leader presses case for new Brexit poll
There must be a new referendum on any Brexit deal, the leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats has insisted. Jane Dodds told party supporters: "We demand a People's Vote and we will not waver in our stand." Ms Dodds, who took on the role in 2017, also said Wales has the expertise to be a world leader in green energy technology. She was speaking at the party's spring conference that took place in Cardiff on Saturday. In her speech, Ms Dodds said the Liberal Democrats were "at the heart of a movement of millions to give the people the final say on the deal".
Opinion: Amid the chaos of Brexit, Scotland is a beacon of sense in a sea of madness
As the parliament in Westminster continues its descent into anarchy you could be forgiven for thinking that British politics has reached a state of such utter dysfunction that it may never recover. Thank God then for Scotland which - in an increasingly lunatic world - looks like it will emerge from the morass of Brexit with its dignity intact. There is no denying that those most aggressively seeking Scottish independence have seized on Brexit as a powerful propaganda weapon to advance their cause. While that is certainly true, it does a disservice to Nicola Sturgeon and her administration to suggest that advancing Scottish independence is the only reason that they have so vigorously fought to stop Brexit.
UK Labour leader waiting for government Brexit red lines to move
Britain’s Labour Party is waiting for the government’s Brexit “red lines” to move after talks with the governing Conservatives aimed at ending the deadlock, opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn said on Saturday, according to the BBC. Corbyn said he is “waiting to see the red lines move” in talks with the government and “next week something will have to happen in parliament”, according to a BBC reporter on Twitter. Earlier finance minister Philip Hammond said the government had no red lines in the talks.
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn’s plot to thwart Boris Johnson from delivering clean Brexit by setting their unity deal in stone
Theresa May is plotting to thwart Boris Johnson from delivering a clean Brexit if he becomes the next PM. She has bowed to Jeremy Corbyn’s demands to make any “unity” deal they strike legally binding. And in a message to voters last night she insisted that doing business with her Marxist foe was the only way to stop Brexit “slipping through our fingers”. But writing the compromise into law would tie the hands of her successor – and make it impossible for them to rip up the agreement and start again. The move has infuriated Tory MPs who want her to quit No10 as soon as she has led Britain out of the EU. They fear she will crumble to Labour demands to keep Britain in a customs union – a move which is fiercely opposed by leadership hopeful Mr Johnson.
UK minister sees Brexit deal with Labour, opposition wants flexibility
The British government is optimistic about reaching some form of deal with the opposition Labour Party to end a deadlock on Brexit as work on a compromise continues, Britain’s finance minister Philip Hammond said on Saturday. But Labour said the governing Conservatives needed to be more flexible and had not shown any movement on a political declaration of intent on the future relationship between London and Brussels once Britain has left the European Union.
Brexit crisis: Labour 'disappointed' by talks as EU offers 'flextension'
Labour has accused the government of failing to offer real change or compromise during talks to end the Brexit stalemate - as new exit dates are considered. In a statement following more talks between the opposition and a team appointed by Theresa May to agree a way forward, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said: "So far, the government isn't proposing any changes to the deal. In particular, it's not countenancing any changes to the actual wording of the political declaration.
European governments dismiss Theresa May's 30 June Brexit delay request
European governments have criticised Theresa May’s request for a Brexit extension until 30 June, warning that the UK could end up leaving the EU without a deal. Amelie de Montchalin, the French Europe minister, said that the UK could not continue to ask for extensions without “clear and credible political backing”. “In the absence of such a plan, we would have to acknowledge that the UK chose to leave the EU in a disorderly manner,” she continued. Spain and Belgium are also thought to back France's hardline stance, paving the way for a no-deal Brexit on 12 April.
However, at a meeting of diplomats from the other 27 member states, the German insisted: “There are positive elements to the letter”.
France, Spain and Belgium 'ready for no-deal Brexit next week'
Chance of May getting 30 June extension appear slim after notes of EU meeting emerge. France has won the support of Spain and Belgium after signalling its readiness for a no-deal Brexit on 12 April if there are no significant new British proposals, according to a note of an EU27 meeting seen by the Guardian. The diplomatic cable reveals that the French ambassador secured the support of Spanish and Belgian colleagues in arguing that there should only be, at most, a short article 50 extension to avoid an instant financial crisis, saying: “We could probably extend for a couple of weeks to prepare ourselves in the markets.”
The People’s Vote campaign is about Brexit, not patching up broken parties
People’s Vote sprang from Open Britain – an amalgam of people passionate about the benefits of being in the EU, horrified at the referendum result, and determined to mitigate the various harms Brexit will cause our country. This diverse coalition brought Caroline Lucas of the Green party and Dominic Grieve of the Conservatives to the same table, it united grass roots campaigns such as More United and Scientists for EU, and campaigners of every political hue. In time we agreed the only way out of the growing Brexit crisis was a People’s Vote.
Dominic Grieve hosts French minister for Brexit discussions on Article 50 and second referendum
Remain Tory MPs will meet on Thursday with senior members of Emmanuel Macron's government to discuss extending Article 50 as a path to a second referendum, The Telegraph can reveal. Dominic Grieve, the former Attorney General, will hold a meeting with Nathalie Loiseau, the French Europe minister, and other senior French politicians in his office. It came as Nick Boles and Oliver Letwin, two Tory MPs pushing for a softer Brexit, held a meeting with Jeremy Corbyn to discuss their plans.
France maintains hardline stance on no-deal Brexit
France has reiterated its opposition to Britain being granted any further Brexit extension if it does not have a concrete plan with clear support in the House of Commons, saying that without that Britain must be deemed to have chosen to leave the EU without a deal.
The EU should offer a long Brexit extension so the UK can rethink
The EU should say “no” to Theresa May’s request to delay Brexit until the end of June. It is too short an extension to be useful. Instead, the 27 other countries should say she can have a delay of a year — with the option to end it earlier if she gets a deal through parliament. The UK prime minister probably knows that such a year-long “flextension” is in the national interest. She just couldn’t bring herself to ask for it because she is worried about causing yet more uproar in her Conservative party. Every delay to Brexit drives the hardline MPs mad. But that is no reason for the leaders of the EU27 to go along with a proposal that is bad for them, too. They should make a counter-offer, just as they did last month when Mrs May asked for her first extension to the Article 50 process. Then they gave her less time than she wanted. Now they should give her more.
May asks for Brexit extension to June 30; EU could offer a year
Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Friday that talks with the government on a last-ditch Brexit deal had made no progress, as EU leaders said Prime Minister Theresa May had not convinced them that they should let Britain delay its departure next week. May wrote to Brussels asking European Union leaders to postpone Britain’s exit from next Friday until June 30. But they have insisted that she must first show a viable plan to secure agreement on her divorce deal in the deadlocked parliament. Labour, which she turned to reluctantly after failing three times to get her deal passed, said the government “has not offered real change or compromise” in three days of talks. “We urge the prime minister to come forward with genuine changes to her deal,” a statement said.
Brexit: Theresa May asks for June 30 extension but EU wants year long 'flextension'
Mr Tusk is preparing to put the option to EU leaders at a crunch summit next Wednesday in a bid to prevent the UK crashing out of the bloc on April 12, according to the BBC. Mrs May's request was sent this morning to spell out the UK's plans in a letter to Mr Tusk in sufficient time for the other 27 leaders to consider them before they gather in Brussels on Wednesday evening. A source close to the French President has already slammed talks of granting a further delay as premature. The French diplomatic source slammed as "clumsy" comments by an EU official mentioning a "flexible extension" of the date of the country's exit from the European Union of up to one year. Under the EU's plan the UK’s nominal last day would likely be 10 April 2020 - but would be expected to leave well before then when a deal is agreed.
Donald Tusk will tell EU to back Brexit 'flextension' for UK
Theresa May has written to Donald Tusk to ask for Brexit to be delayed until 30 June while she battles to win cross-party agreement on a way forward. Rather than the year-long flexible extension to article 50 recommended by the European council president, the prime minister suggested 30 June as the new departure date, but with an option to leave earlier if the necessary legislation has been passed. That is the same date requested by the government last month but rejected by EU leaders in Brussels. Unless a new date is signed off at an emergency EU summit on Wednesday, Britain is due to leave without a deal on 12 April.
The Best Brexit Is Still No Brexit
With or without May’s withdrawal agreement, Brexit will be a prolonged process, involving years of further negotiation, debate, lawyering, rule-writing, bean-counting, politicking, infighting and generalized tedium. It will be costly, complicated and socially corrosive. Avoiding Brexit altogether is still the best way forward, even if it means further delay and the costs that go with it. The right result is possible even now, if Britain’s politicians finally start putting the country’s interests first.
Donald Tusk floats 1-year Brexit ‘flextension’
Britain can have another year to think on Brexit — provided it joins the European Parliament election next month, a senior EU official said. European Council President Donald Tusk raised the idea after hours of meetings and consultations Thursday to plan for next week's summit of EU leaders. “The only reasonable way out would be a long but flexible extension," the senior official quoted Tusk as saying. "I would call it a 'flextension.' How would it work in practice? We could give the U.K. a yearlong extension, automatically terminated once the Withdrawal Agreement has been accepted and ratified by the House of Commons.
Theresa May begs Brussels to delay Brexit to June 30 – but EU want it to be a year
Theresa May today wrote to Brussels begging for another delay to Brexit, keeping us in the EU for three more months. The PM asked EU leaders to sign off on a new agreement which would see Britain leave on June 30 - but they're likely to push for a year-long extension instead. The delay is likely to include a "break clause" meaning it would end early if Parliament approves a Brexit deal. But furious Brexiteers warned that if the EU forces us to stay another year, Britain should sabotage it from the inside by blocking plans for expansion.
Brexit: UK asks EU for further extension until 30 June
Theresa May has written to the European Union to request a further delay to Brexit until 30 June. The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 12 April and, as yet, no withdrawal deal has been approved by MPs. The government has been in talks with the Labour Party to try and find a compromise to put to the Commons. But shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said the Tory negotiating team had offered no changes to Mrs May's original deal.
Why Labour's Brexit talks with Government are on verge of collapse
I am not sure whether it’s me or ministers who are the more naive. Because last night I was persuaded by Cabinet sources a breakthrough was nigh in talks to resolve the Brexit deadlock between the Government and Labour. But the talks are already on the verge of collapse - with each side making charges it is the other side which is negotiating in poor faith. Labour sources say the memorandum sent by the PM to Jeremy Corbyn this afternoon shows Theresa May has not shown the flexibility her colleagues expected.
Travel after Brexit: EU parliament votes to give UK citizens visa-free access after no-deal – if it’s reciprocated
The European Parliament voted in support of plans that will allow UK nationals to carry on enjoying visa-free travel across the European Union after Brexit, as long as the same is reciprocated by London to all member states. MEPs backed the proposals by 502 to 81 with 29 abstentions in a vote in Brussels on Thursday. The legislation means UK nationals will not require visas to stay in the EU for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The legislation should be incorporated into EU law by 12 April, the extended final date for the end of the Article 50 process, when the UK finally leaves the EU. It will continue to apply even in the event of a no-deal Brexit.
May's deal has sacrificed services as price of ending free movement
It would be far better for the government to use any extension to rethink its strategy in favour of an approach based on honesty and evidence rather than subterfuge. After all, the Irish backstop may have exposed one giant hole in Mrs May’s plan relating to treatment of goods. But there are other important holes in the government’s Brexit plans that continue to go almost entirely unexamined. Perhaps the biggest relates to the treatment of services.
Scottish Conservatives urged to split from UK party
A call is being made to the Scottish Conservative conference next month urging it to split from the UK party and set up as a separate organisation. It follows tensions between the UK and Scottish party over Brexit and the prospect a hardline Eurosceptic such as Boris Johnson could succeed Theresa May as Prime Minister.
Brexit: Leo Varadkar and Angela Merkel to hear views of people from Northern Ireland
Irish premier Leo Varadkar will hold Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel in Dublin today. The Taoiseach will host Ms Merkel at Farmleigh House where their discussions are set to focus on the latest developments ahead of the special European Council meeting next week.
Political Setbacks
Second Brexit vote would be 'ultimate betrayal'
A second public vote on Britain’s membership of the European Union would be the “ultimate betrayal”, Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons or lower house of parliament, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. “The ultimate betrayal would be a second referendum,” wrote Leadsom, a Brexiteer. “It would require lengthy delay, it would reignite the divisive debate, and since Parliament has so far failed to follow the first result, there is no reason to believe it would honour a second referendum either.”
The Guardian view on no deal: Theresa May must expose it as a fantasy
There are too many Tories calling for no deal on the basis that the EU will not let us be stupid enough to do it. This is irresponsible gambling. The danger of no deal might have receded, but the threat of “no-dealism” as an ideological frame for looking at the UK’s relations with Europe is alive and well. It needs rebutting, and it needs rebutting by the prime minister. The few remaining grownups in the Tory party need to take on the ambitious colleagues who will say anything to appeal to the fanatical leaver grassroots, who, in the absence of a general election, will choose the next prime minister. Even if her very worst decision was to deploy the language she used about no deal, her second worst may have been to trigger a leadership contest where the winner will be chosen by those who believed her rhetoric.
MP Owen Paterson lobbied government for firm he worked for
A former cabinet minister helped to lobby the government to seek contracts for a multinational firm he is paid to advise. Owen Paterson, a former environment secretary and leading pro-Brexit campaigner, is paid nearly £100,000 a year by Randox, a private forensic testing firm, to act as a consultant. Whitehall documents obtained by the Guardian show that Paterson and Randox lobbied the Department for International Development to secure contracts from the department.
MPs ordered to cut out on hurling ‘clickbait’ insults at each other in bid to return Brexit debate to normal
Hysterical MPs have been ordered to cut out the insults and show more respect to their colleagues. Senior figures are alarmed by the angry and offensive language used by politicians on social media, TV, radio and in the Commons. They fear fury and fatigue stoked up by Brexit has spawned a new era of “clickbait conduct” and made-for-Twitter soundbites. Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has called for them to adopt a calmer tone. She has drawn up a new code of conduct for the 50-strong One Nation Caucus of MPs in a bid to “return normal debate to the airwaves”. Some MPs are stressed and on the brink of collapse as tempers fray over the long-running and divisive Brexit process. Last week Tory ex-minister Mark Francois launched a blistering attack on Chancellor Philip Hammond telling him: “Up yours.”
Oh do look at the tin-pot Brexiters, having their moment in the spotlight
Sick of Brexit? Yeah, me too. Partly because it becomes clearer with each chaotic day that for some of the second-tier “Brexit ultras” no one much cares about (Mark Francois, Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen, Bernard Jenkin et al), this is the most attention they’ve ever had and are ever likely to get in their sad, blustering, self-important lives. While it’s Remainers who are supposed to be the soppy drama queens, just look at this bunch – flapping about the media, mouth-breathing through their camera-time, sparkly eyed with their own significance. Brexit as a debilitating national crisis? Hardly. They’ve never felt so
Brexit is ‘slipping away’ May in urgent warning UK heading for second referendum
It comes as Theresa May today warns that unless Parliament can get a deal over the line in the next week then there is a strong possibility of Brexit not happening at all. With talks between Mrs May and Jeremy Corbyn’s teams ongoing it is understood that yesterday SAT saw progress towards an agreement. But the Sunday Express has learnt that former Vote Leave ground teams have been asked to start getting their operations together again in preparation of a second vote by former Vote Leave officials.
British manufacturers want Theresa May to revoke Article 50 if no Brexit deal is agreed
Two thirds of the UK's leading manufacturing lobby group members back a straight revocation of Article 50
I was a strong Brexiteer. Now we must swallow our pride and think again
It’s nearly three years since I, along with 17. 4 million other Britons, voted for Brexit. Today I have to admit that the Brexit project has gone sour. Brexit has paralysed the system. It has turned Britain into a laughing stock. And it is certain to make us poorer and to lead to lower incomes and lost jobs. We Brexiteers would be wise to acknowledge all this. It’s past time we did. We need to acknowledge, too, that that we will never be forgiven if and when Brexit goes wrong. Future generations will look back at what we did and damn us. So I argue, as a Brexiteer, that we need to take a long deep breath. We need to swallow our pride, and think again. Maybe it means rethinking the Brexit decision altogether.
Liam Fox 'joked that Emmanuel Macron was sleeping with his grandmother' after Brexit extension block
Liam Fox was at the centre of a ‘dirty tricks’ row last night over claims he joked about French President Emmanuel Macron ‘sleeping with his grandmother’. Onlookers say the International Trade Secretary made the remark as he emerged from last Tuesday’s marathon Cabinet meeting which backed Mrs May’s decision to try to seal a Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn.
Conservative candidate compares Remainers to people who voted for Nazis
A Conservative candidate standing in city council elections in Nottingham has reportedly compared the millions of Remainers who have signed the petition to revoke Article 50 to those who voted for the Nazi party. Carl Husted has deleted the Facebook post made about anti-Brexit campaigners, along with a series of other recent comments on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Yet the remarks, which Mr Husted called “jokes”, were screengrabbed and published by The Nottingham Post.
“The petition to revoke Article 50 now has the same number of signatures as the number of people who voted for Hitler’s Nazi party in 1930 Germany,” he wrote on 3 April. “Although Hitler didn’t have the benefit of petition signing bots and signatures from North Korea, Syria, Russia etc. So not quite as popular as 1930s nazism but edging closer. #godwinslaw.”
Sky Views: Britain too busy for global role because of Brexit crisis
.It is instead an example of how the protracted Brexit crisis is impacting on the UK's ability to do anything else, particularly on the foreign policy front. A chunk of Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff are engaged in a range of Brexit-related preparations and contingency planning in case of a no-deal, instead of their normal diplomatic day jobs. A summit of NATO prime ministers and presidents will still take place this anniversary year - in December - but this time the venue will be the UK not the US, a mark of the Britain's status as a global power, provided the country is not still consumed by Brexit.
Greens warn Labour will 'never be forgiven' if they usher in Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn has been told his party may never be forgiven if it works with the Conservatives to bring in a “hard-right Brexit”. That was the warning from Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie, as he told party activists to “get into campaign mode” in case the UK takes part in European Parliament elections next month.
Germany once pleaded with Britain to stay in the EU. Now the love has cooled
''Brexit is one big s***show!" German MP Michael Roth, Germany's Minister for European Affairs said on Saturday. "I say that now very undiplomatically. I don't know if even William Shakespeare could have come up with such up a tragedy like this one. Who will foot the bill in the end?'' Roth continued to say that ''90% of the MPs in the British government don't even know how workers think, how they live, work and behave. But they have managed to up-end everything. And now someone else is going to have to take responsibility for their actions.''
Labour chairman attacks Corbyn over ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn was warned by Labour party chairman Ian Lavery that he risked going down in history as the leader who split his party if he backed another referendum on Brexit, in an extraordinary outburst during a meeting of the shadow cabinet last week, according to senior party sources. The outburst stunned shadow cabinet members who said it would have sparked a full-scale shouting match if MPs had not been called to vote at the very moment he made his intervention. At the same meeting several senior figures, including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and deputy leader Tom Watson, spoke out in favour of Labour backing a “confirmatory referendum” on any deal agreed by MPs, with remaining in the EU as the alternative on the ballot paper.
Britain’s Brexit struggles become campaign rhetoric in Poland
Poland’s opposition coalition launched its campaign for next month’s European Parliament elections with a threat: Poland’s ruling party could lead the nation toward its own Brexit. Polish citizens have an overwhelmingly favorable view of the European Union. According to a Pew Research Center study from last month, 72 percent have a favorable view of the E.U., and 54 percent have a favorable view of the European Parliament — the highest of any country surveyed. Poland’s Law and Justice party, which came to power in 2015, has never actually floated the idea of leaving the E.U. Nevertheless, Law and Justice is sometimes referred to as a Euroskeptic party.
Philip Hammond deepens Tory civil war after claiming there are 'no red lines' in Brexit negotiations with Labour
Philip Hammond has risked deepening the civil war in his party after suggesting the Government has “no red lines” in its Brexit negotiations with Jeremy Corbyn. In a bid to save the talks from collapsing, the Chancellor said he was “optimistic” ministers would be able to reach an agreement with Labour and “should be open to listen to suggestions”. However, his intervention has provoked a furious backlash among Brexiteers, who accused him of “deliberately touting his own view” and attempting to push Theresa May into signing up to a customs union.
EU slaps down Jacob Rees-Mogg for suggesting UK should deliberately cause chaos if Brexit is delayed
Brussels has slapped down Jacob Rees-Mogg after the leading Brexiteer suggested the UK should wilfully cause chaos at the EU institutions if Brexit was delayed. A spokesperson for the European Commission suggested that the Tory MP was essentially irrelevant and not involved in negotiations. “This gentleman is not our interlocutor and I would say then that the principle of sincere cooperation does apply, as prime minister May herself makes clear in her letter,” the spokesperson told reporters in Brussels. “I would also say that this is a hypothetical question because it supposes, or presupposed an extension, which is yet to be seen by our leaders.” Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, also piled in. Seizing on Mr Mogg’s comments, he said: “For those in the EU who may be tempted to further extend the Brexit saga, I can only say, be careful what you wish for.”
Tory MP says joining in EU elections would be ‘existential threat’ to party
The education minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it’s important that parliament acts quickly now to decide what it is in favour of. We need to do that quickly because I think going into the EU elections for the Conservative party, or indeed for the Labour party, and telling our constituents why we haven’t been able to deliver Brexit I think would be an existential threat. “I would go further and say it would be the suicide note of the Conservative party.”
European Parliament elections: A quarter of public would boycott poll
A quarter of the public say they would boycott European Parliament elections if they happen in the UK in May, a Sky Data poll reveals. Some 26% of Britons say they would sit out elections in protest, while 47% say they would vote in them, and 17% admit they would not vote in them anyway. A higher proportion say they would vote than turned out in the 2014 EU elections in the UK - 36% of potential voters turned out five years ago, though usually more claim they will get to the ballot box than actually do so.
A shambles on which the sun never sets: how the world sees Brexit
Rapt observers around the globe are confused, amused and saddened by a crisis that has torn Britain’s reputation for stability to shreds
Brexit: Majority of public now back Final Say referendum amid chaos in Westminster, poll shows
The survey of a weighted sample of more than 1,500 people in early April asked: “Would you support the British public having the final vote on Brexit, whatever the outcome of negotiations – whether a deal is reached or not?” Some 52 per cent of people supported a new vote, 29 per cent “strongly” and 23 per cent “somewhat”, while just 24 per cent opposed, to some degree, having another referendum. The remaining 24 per cent replied: “Don’t know.”
Nigel Farage: 'I'll stand in European elections - but I'm not happy about it'
Nigel Farage has confirmed he will stand in the EU elections if the UK hasn't left the bloc but says he is "not happy" about it. The Brexit Party leader told Sky News he would lead his new party into the elections next month, after Theresa May said she would begin contingency plans for holding the votes as she requested another extension to Article 50.
EU issues 'no deal, no meal' Brexit threat to British fish and chips
Britain could face a crippling shortage of fish and chips, the national dish, if there is a no deal Brexit, EU officials warned yesterday. As things stand, EU boats will lose access to British waters and vice versa, if there is a no deal Brexit on April 12.
Brussels wants Britain to agree a short-term emergency fix giving the EU fleet guaranteed access to British waters until 2019. But that could prove politically toxic for the prime minister, who has promised to make Britain as an independent coastal state, and Britain has given no formal signal to the EU over its intentions. An EU official said that Britain could soon run out of white fish such as haddock and cod, which are the most popular...
May is seeking a short extension to Brexit. How utterly contemptuous
The truth is that the last five months have been – by far – the worst in modern British politics. Because of May. From the moment that she pulled the vote on her withdrawal agreement (because she knew that our democratic institutions would not consent to it) she has consistently placed her own, narrow interests above those of this country. She has ignored and misled parliament. She has acted as a demagogue, giving licence to those who threaten and harass MPs. She has burned bridges with our European partners and has treated the British people with contempt.
UK in Disarray : Amid Brexit Chaos, Theresa May's Conservative Party Implodes
The Conservative Party was once seen as Europe's best-oiled political machine. But Brexit and Theresa May have turned it into a smoldering wreck. Now, the party faces the dire prospect of EU elections. It was a small group of Conservatives, blinded by nationalism, that brought on the referendum in the first place. It is that same group that has also ensured that every attempt to bring Brexit to a conclusion -- any conclusion, really -- has failed miserably. Yet it was only on Tuesday evening, almost three years after the referendum, that Theresa May made her first desperate attempt to free herself from the hardliners by offering to meet with Labour to find a joint way out of the chaos. It could very well be that May will be able to pull her country back from the brink at the very last second. But for her party, it may already be too late.
Week in Review: Theresa May's only consistency is failure
What a full-time, 24/7, every-day-including-Christmas moral abyss she is. The prime minister has spent the last three years insisting that holding a second referendum would destroy people's trust in the democratic process. And this is how she behaves. This is how she treats elections. As something to be dismissively engaged in and then cast aside, like a bogey you can't flick off your fingers. She really is absolutely shameless. There is no competition anymore, there is no question: She is, quite simply, the worst British prime minister of our lifetime, and quite possibly of anyone else's.
Brexit is finished. A Leave constituency just voted in a Remain MP
Only a handful of lunatics still want Brexit - it's game over, gammons. The more extreme Brexit becomes - the more a screaming Stephen Yaxley-Lennon puts himself at the head of the marches, the more Mark Francois behaves like an angry Sunday roast on the evening news - the less appealing it is to the vast majority of Britons. Combine that with the unappealing facts that the IRA has been reactivated, the NHS is stockpiling toilet rolls like the rest of us, and Parliament is officially answering "don't know" to all questions asked of it, then we ought to have a country that's falling to pieces. Instead, if Newport West is a barometer of these things, we've got a country that just can't be arsed with this any more.
UKIP councillor's post on remainers 'repugnant' says council leader
A UKIP councillor has sparked a row over a Facebook post describing EU remain voters as "traitors" who should "face the death penalty". Swale Borough councillor Padmini Nissanga's online post has been described as "appalling and repugnant".
At a council meeting on Wednesday it was revealed all opposition members had received printed copies of the post. Council leader Roger Truelove is calling for her name to be removed from ballot papers for the local elections. Ms Nissanga posted the comments on Facebook in August, and opposition councillors recently received screenshots in their pigeonholes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
Mr Truelove, of Labour, is calling for Ms Nissanga, a UKIP councillor for the Sheppey East ward, to be taken off the ballot paper for the local elections in May if the post is verified by council officers.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 9th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Deal or No Deal
- Most Britons believe a No Deal Brexit is unlikely (62%) but they remain worried by the prospect of leaving without a deal this Friday, according to a Sky Data poll
Cooper-Letwin
- The House of Lords approved the Cooper-Letwin Bill, which speedily got Royal Assent, and which now requires the Prime Minister to consult Parliament on the length of any new Article 50 delay and mandates her to try to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal
Red Lines still stuck
- Cross-party talks on a deal to break the Brexit deadlock continue. There are reports that May has not moved from her Red Lines, but Downing Street push back saying the government 'is committed to find a way though' and 'is working at a pace to do so'
Flextension to ease the tension
- EU Commission president is said to be recommending a year long 'flextension' for the UK, to allow it to create a plan to leave the EU and begin negotiating a future trading deal
Belgium showdown
- An emerging plan for the EU Summit indicates that the countries most affected by Brexit will meet Theresa May in the hours before its start to discuss an agreement and shepherd the debate later on, thereby, avoiding any catastrophic errors
Stricter conditions on UK coming
- Ireland's Leo Varadkar reiterated that he was open to an extension of the UK deadline, while France's Emmanuel Macron is likely to impose stricter conditions. These could involve restrictions on the UK using its presence in the EU to disrupt EU business, as suggested by some Brexiteers, with particular concern about the EU budget being obstructed
European Elections looking likely
- The Conservatives are now officially preparing to fight the European elections in May. This was part of the earlier EU demand that the UK had to meet by April 12th, before an extension could even be considered
EU tells Ireland it has 'got its back'
- Michel Barnier made it very clear to Ireland PM, Leo Varadkar, that the EU pledges full support for the Irish border backstop, regardless of what happens in EU negotiations
China benefiting from EU paralysis
- EU Budget Commissioner says that Brexit has paralyzed decision making in Europe and China has taken advantage to promote its own interests around the world
Politicians in Westminster seen as culpable
- Polls are showing the public is holding Westminster to blame for the Brexit deadlock.
Tories facing big local government seat losses
- Tory pollster Rob Hayward says the Conservatives face a voter deficit, if no Brexit deal is secured by the time of the local elections. He said turnout would dramtically decline and that the Conservatives would see council seats won haemorrhage into big losses
Turning the clock back to 1922
- A delegation of the Conservative Party 1922 Committee visited Theresa May in Downing Street. The group told the PM that the mood among party supporters had turned against her over the weekend, that she is damaging the party with her policies and she should consider stepping down
Britain has becoming a laughing stock
- Former Telegraph columnist Peter Oborne publicly said he has changed his mind over Brexit. He said Brexiteers must swallow their pride and think again, as Brexit has turned the country into a laughing stock
Hardline ERG seems to be shattering
- There were signs the hardline Tory ERG which had opposed Theresa May's deal are shattering into smaller groups. One MP, Daniel Kaczynski, said he had resigned from the hardcore element of the group and that there was now around 28 Tory rebels in that faction
Boris Johnson in hot water
- The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards accused the former Foreign Secretary of not demonstrating the leadership expected of a senior MP in sticking to Commons rules. The Commissioner warned Johnson of more serious sanctions if he flouts the rule book again
Jaguar Land Rover car sales fall across the year
- JLR sold 578, 915 vehicles in the year to March, down 5.8%. While weaker demand in China was a major factor behind the fall, the EU saw sales slump by 4.5% because of diesel and vehicle emissions issues
Operation Brock is not winning friends
- The vice president of ferry operator DFDS said he was not at all impressed by Operation Brock's traffic management plan to date, while Port of Dover officials said they were 'reserving judgement,' whilst still admitting they did not believe Brock to be the best solution
Brexit confusion could EU tenants in the UK
- EU citizens will face problems renting properties in the UK because of Brexit. Some landlords were likely to refuse EU citizens as future tenants as the government has failed to offer any clear instructions about its settled status scheme
Portsmouth could become a No Deal hotspot
- The government has provided only 10% of the money needed for No Deal Brexit plans at Portsmouth, according to the channel port's director, Mike Sellers. He confirmed he has told the Department of Transport contingency plans would cost £4m but he'd only seen around £345,000 to date
Jobs at Risk
Jaguar Land Rover begins Brexit shutdown as sales fall
JLR’s factory shutdowns began as the carmaker, which is owned by the Indian conglomerate Tata, released full-year results. JLR sold 578,915 vehicles globally in the year to March, down 5.8%. In March alone, sales fell 8.2%, mainly because of an 11.4% decline at Land Rover, while Jaguar recorded a 0.2% dip. The carmaker blamed weaker demand in China, whose economy has slowed sharply. JLR sales in China slumped 34%, while sales in Europe were down 4.5% because of uncertainty around the future of diesel vehicles, and the impact of new emissions legislation. The effects of the fuel efficiency and emissions testing procedure, called WLTP, have been felt across the industry.
Administrative Fall Out
Home Office denies rejecting Ofsted director's Brexit settled status application
The Home Office has insisted a deputy director of Ofsted hasn't been 'denied settled status' under their scheme for EU nationals. Daniel Muijs, who is Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation for the education watchdog, said he had been “rejected” in a post on Twitter . He wrote: “Have just found out my application for settled status in UK has been rejected. “I now need to find evidence of residence since 2013. Not a good feeling.”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/home-office-denies-rejecting-ofsted-14253848
Additional sources: (BBC)
Additional sources: (BBC)
Operation Brock: No-deal Brexit plan is safe despite crashes and breakdowns, Highways England claims
After a series of accidents, criticism from ferry companies and port operators reserving judgement, Highways England has insisted its no-deal Brexit plan is safe and effective. Operation Brock was designed to ease congestion if traffic towards the port of Dover grinds to a standstill. But the vice president of ferry operator DFDS saying he was “not at all impressed” with the plan, while Dover port bosses meanwhile, said they were reserving judgement on the operation's success although they admitted admitted they are not convinced it is the best solution. Highways England however, said there had only been an estimated half a dozen crashes and breakdowns in the contraflow system in Kent since it was introduced on 25 March, although a spokesman admitted he was unable to provide accurate figures.
No-deal Brexit means less food variety - Wales' first minister
Wales could see "less variety of food" in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the first minister has warned. Mark Drakeford said there were products on supermarket shelves now which would not be there after a no-deal - something he called a "genuine risk". Although the impact would be "devastating" on industries, he said there would not be food shortages. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the UK food industry was "highly resilient".
Irish funds industry group sets up office in Brussels ahead of Brexit
The lobby group for the Irish funds industry is to open an office in Brussels to beef up its European Union advocacy ahead of Brexit. Amid fears of a clampdown on financial services across the EU in the absence of the UK, its chief advocate, Irish Funds, has appointed former BNY Mellon executive Umar Ahmed as its new head of EU affairs. From next month, Mr Ahmed will lead the industry body’s engagement with the EU institutions, regulatory authorities and other stakeholders. Irish Funds chief executive Pat Lardner described the move as a “a natural extension” of the group’s domestic advocacy strategy but acknowledged Brexit made it that bit more urgent.
City of London alarmed at EU’s no-deal Brexit equity trading plan
Fund managers holding European equities are praying that a no-deal Brexit is avoided this week. Europe operates the world’s most integrated cross-border share trading marketplace but the UK’s possible sudden departure from the EU would cleave this network into two: EU and non-EU markets.
Leaving London: voices from the financial front lines of Brexit
The current trickle of new arrivals is stirring concern about upward pressure on property prices and extra competition for places at international schools. The FT has spoken to people in six of the cities affected by these moves — Paris, Frankfurt, Dublin, Amsterdam, Milan and Madrid — to hear how Brexit is playing out.
Rise in cost of probate has been delayed by Brexit turmoil
Plans to increase the cost of probate for grieving friends and families sorting out the wills of loved ones are being repeatedly delayed by Brexit, amid a widespread backlash against their implementation. The proposals, dismissed by critics as a “stealth death tax”, would introduce a sliding scale of charges to replace the current flat rate of £215 for granting official approval of any will. The increases had been due to come into effect on 1 April but no date has been fixed for a parliamentary motion in the Commons that would pave their way. They were expected to raise £155m a year for the Treasury. Brexit has been blamed for eating into parliamentary time.
Cork hotel sees big decline in UK customers since Brexit vote
Mr Grant’s UK clients traditionally came from two sectors – individual or family clients and tour operators. Yet since the vote for Brexit the numbers coming to him from first category have dropped significantly. He says this is primarily due to changes in exchange rates, which means Ireland is more expensive for British visitors than before. “The change in currency since the vote has made Ireland 22 per cent more expensive purely on the exchange rate, not to mention the fact that costs are also rising here since the recession.
Brexit confusion could hit EU tenants in UK, say landlords
EU citizens will face problems renting properties in the UK because of Brexit, private landlords have said. The Residential Landlords Association (RLA) said the confusion over Brexit meant some landlords were likely to refuse EU citizens as future tenants because the government had failed to give them clear instructions over the settled status scheme introduced last week. “They do not follow every twist and turn of Brexit and it is unreasonable to assume that they are going to be able to divine the details of the settled status scheme from statements made by Theresa May or government ministers,” said David Smith, the RLA’s policy director.
Brexit: 'No extra funding' for no-deal Portsmouth port
The government has provided only 10% of the money needed for no-deal Brexit plans at Portsmouth, according to the channel port's director. Mike Sellers said contingency plans would cost £4m, but the Department for Transport (DfT) had provided £345,000. He said the government was "not accepting there is going to be a potential issue at Portsmouth". The DfT said the estimated risk of disruption did not warrant extra funding. Mr Sellers said delays at the port, which could be caused by post-Brexit customs checks, could cause congestion across Portsmouth and supply issues to the Isle of Wight and the Channel Islands. He said there were currently only 13 lorry lengths between the port and the motorway.
Wealthy Chinese Still Beating Path to U.K. Even With Brexit Woes
Political gridlock and years of Brexit drama haven’t dampened demand from wealthy Chinese for U.K. investor visas. Chinese applications for Tier 1 investor visas rose 19 percent to 144 in 2018 from a year earlier, according to data obtained from the Home Office by private equity firm Growthdeck. The number applying has almost doubled since 2016, when the U.K. voted to leave the European Union. Chinese comprised 63 percent of the 228 applications last year, up from half in 2017, according to Growthdeck. Hong Kong was second with 26.
Thousands of Brits have made a home in France. Brexit could complicate their lives.
Each E.U. country has established its own plan for how to treat resident Brits in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In 11 of the 27 member countries, British citizens would automatically be allowed to stay as long as they like. But in 17 countries, they would only get a grace period before they would need to try to claim residency. In France, they would have up to a year to get their papers in order, or face losing their medical coverage and potentially deportation.
Political Shenanigans
@YvetteCooperMP Our cross party Bill now has Royal Assent.
Our cross party Bill now has Royal Assent. Parliament has voted tonight against the damage & chaos that No Deal would cause for jobs, manufacturing, medicine supplies, policing & security.
Yvette Cooper Bill: What happens to the attempt to block no-deal Brexit this week?
The European Union Withdrawal (No 5) Bill legally rules out leaving the bloc without a deal and forces the Prime Minister to seek further Article 50 extension. If passed, it would requires the Prime Minister to table a motion seeking MPs’ approval for an extension to Article 50 to a date of her choosing. Mrs May has already written to the EU seeking a further Brexit delay, but the bill would make it UK law that the negotiation period would be extended in order to rule out a no deal. Although Mrs May indicated she would request the postponement, Ms Cooper said her legislation would allow “more clarity” over any delay.
Brexit: Cross-party talks to continue amid impasse
Ministers and their shadow counterparts will continue cross-party talks on Tuesday, Downing Street has said, as they try to break the Brexit deadlock. "Technical" discussions among officials took place on Monday evening. Sources indicated the PM had not accepted Labour's customs union demand, but there was a move towards changing the non-binding political declaration. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said there had been no change in the government's "red lines". A Downing Street spokesman said the government was "committed to finding a way through" which requires both sides "to work at a pace".
Six in 10 Britons think no-deal Brexit unlikely this week - Sky Data poll
Most Britons think a no-deal Brexit is unlikely - but many remain worried by the prospect of leaving the EU without a deal this Friday, according to a Sky Data poll.
Six in 10 (62%) think the UK is unlikely to leave the EU without a deal this week, while 27% think it is likely to happen - 11% admit they don't know. Parliament has repeatedly rejected the idea of leaving the EU without a deal, and the prime minister has ruled it out - but unless a deal is struck to further delay Brexit in the coming days, a no-deal Brexit will happen automatically on 12 April.
Labour ‘would back revoking Article 50 by the end of this week if the only alternative is a No-Deal Brexit’
Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said that her party would “consider very, very strongly” backing the nuclear option of reversing the 2016 decision should a No Deal be likely
‘Flextension’ and just tension in Brussels as UK requests another Brexit delay
It's official: Brexit doesn't mean Brexit. At least not on April 12. U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May formally appealed to the EU Friday for yet another extension of the U.K.'s departure date, perhaps until June 30. Or maybe until May 22. Or maybe sooner.
UK's new Brexit date could be fixed by small group of EU leaders
Britain’s new exit date from the EU, and the conditions attached to a Brexit delay, will likely be fixed in the gilded rooms of the Belgian prime minister’s 16th century Egmont Palace hours before Theresa May addresses the leaders. Under emerging plans, a small group of EU leaders whose countries will be most affected by the UK’s departure will be hosted by the Belgian PM, Charles Michel, on Wednesday afternoon. The guest list is likely to include the leaders of France, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland. The purpose of the proposed coordinating meeting, three hours before May was set to address the full complement of 27 heads of state and government, would be to try to shepherd the debate that would be held later on, and avoid potentially catastrophic errors, the Guardian has learned.
House of Lords prepares to approve Brexit delay bill
The House of Lords and MPs in the Commons on Monday passed the final stages of a bill requiring prime minister Theresa May to consult parliament on the length of any new Brexit delay, and seeking to prevent the UK leaving the EU without a deal on Friday. The bill, now an Act of Parliament, proposed by Labour MP Yvette Cooper and approved by the House of Commons last week, is a key initiative by backbenchers to try to take control of the Brexit process amid the deadlock at Westminster over Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement. The draft legislation had encountered hours of filibustering on Thursday by Eurosceptic peers who want the UK to leave the EU without a deal. But it passed the Lords on Monday, with peers amending the draft legislation to reduce the possibility of an “accidental no-deal Brexit” because Mrs May lacked the authority to negotiate with other EU heads of government.
Data reveals 32,800 new voters in West Yorkshire since Brexit vote
Despite three quarters of youngsters casting ballots in favour of remain in 2016, this would be unlikely to swing the area’s vote in a second referendum. The People’s Vote campaign says there should be a fresh poll on EU membership so these youngsters’ futures are not decided for them. New Office for National Statistics data shows the number of attainers (people who turn 18 and become eligible to vote) by December 1 this year. In West Yorkshire, by the end of the year, there will be 32,848 new voters since the EU referendum in June 2016
In call with PM May, Ireland's Varadkar says open to Brexit delay
Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar spoke to Britain’s Theresa May on Monday about her plan to seek a further extension to the Article 50 Brexit negotiating period, the Irish government said in a statement. EU leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss Britain’s request. The Irish government said that in the call with May, Varadkar had “repeated his openness to an extension of the deadline”.
Jeremy Corbyn says ‘there’s no new Brexit deal yet because Theresa May won’t compromise’
Cross-party talks between Labour and the Government resumed on Monday night after days of little to no progress on Brexit. Earlier, Jeremy Corbyn blamed Theresa May for the two sides failing to come up with a new Brexit deal yet because she won’t give up her ‘red lines’. Meanwhile Tories have confirmed they are already preparing for European Parliament elections at the end of May – admitting Brexit is likely to be delayed until after then
Brexit: Theresa May heads to Paris to plead for extension amid Tory fury in London
Theresa May is heading to Europe to appeal to France and Germany for an extension to Brexit talks that could see Britain locked into what furious Tory rebels have branded “second class EU membership”. The prime minister will plead with President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Angela Merkel for a delay to the UK’s departure to avoid crashing out without a deal. She will likely be forced to accept strict conditions. Mr Macron has indicated he could not stand the UK using its continued presence to disrupt EU business as suggested by some Brexiteers, with particular concern about the bloc’s budget being obstructed
Government sets out plan to comply with Brexit delay law, if it passes
The government’s leader in parliament set out plans to hold a 90-minute debate on Tuesday on Prime Minister Theresa May’s request for a delay to Brexit in order to comply with legislation expected to pass into law later on Monday. The legislation is currently under discussion in parliament’s upper chamber. House of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom said that if it is approved, the government would later on Monday set out the statement which will be debated.
Brexit news latest: Conservatives officially start preparing for European elections
Applications for European election candidates were being accepted by the Conservative Party this evening amid ongoing talks between the Tories and Labour in an effort to break the impasse over Brexit. The Tories sent an email to potential candidates today stating they would be contesting the elections on May 23, with April 24 the closing date for nominations. It said: “Due to the current situation we will be contesting the European Elections on 23 May 2019 and the closing date for nominations is 24 April.”
Brexit: Furious Tory MPs tell Theresa May her ‘desperate’ decision to seek talks with Corbyn will ‘damage the Conservatives’ for years
Leading Tory Eurosceptics have attacked Theresa May for her decision to seek Jeremy Corbyn’s help in delivering Brexit, warning that her approach will be “disastrous for the nation” and “threatens to damage the Conservatives for years”.
The prime minister reached out to the Labour leader last week after MPs rejected her proposed Brexit deal three times. Talks between the two main parties are continuing as they attempt to find a compromise solution to the deadlock gripping parliament. But the decision to turn to Labour for help in getting a Brexit deal through parliament infuriated Conservative Eurosceptics who fear the outcome will be a much softer Brexit or a fresh referendum.
Mark Carney still stands taller than Brexit’s lost leaders
Carney has come to his own support, quite rightly. In an interview with Sky News, while diplomatically not mentioning King by name, he lambasted his predecessor’s claim that the government could easily prepare for a no-deal Brexit by spending six months arranging interim trade agreements in accordance with WTO rules. “Just like that,” as the late comedian-conjuror Tommy Cooper used to say.
Brexit: Will Britain be leaving the EU on Friday?
Thursday April 11 - If the Cooper Bill has been passed by the Lords, it would place new requirements on the PM. If the European Council proposes a different extension date, Mrs May would need to return to the Commons to obtain MPs’ approval. It is also the final date for the UK to take steps to enable European Parliament elections to take place on May 23. Friday April 12 -This is when the UK is scheduled to leave the EU after MPs repeatedly rejected the Prime Minister’s deal.
Mrs May has written to European Council president Donald Tusk asking for a further extension to June 30, but the EU 27 will have to agree to it when they meet on Wednesday.
If they do not agree to an extension, Britain will leave without a deal at 11pm on Friday.
Barnier pledges EU support for backstop in event of no-deal Brexit
The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has pledged support for the Irish border backstop regardless of what happens in the Brexit negotiations. “The EU will stand fully behind Ireland,” Barnier said on Monday at a joint press conference with the taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, in Dublin. Speaking in English to underline his point, Barnier said that if the UK were to leave without a deal the EU would still expect it to honour the backstop, an insurance policy to avert a hard border on the island of Ireland. “You have our full support,” he said, looking at Varadkar. “The backstop is currently the only solution we have found to maintain the status quo on the island of Ireland ... Let me be very clear. We would not discuss anything with the UK until there is an agreement for Ireland and Northern Ireland as well as for citizens’ rights and financial settlement.”
May to ask Merkel and Macron for short article 50 extension
Theresa May will travel to meet Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel and plead with them for a short extension to Brexit, claiming talks with Labour have a serious chance of reaching a deal. Before an emergency European summit on Wednesday, the prime minister will travel to Paris and Berlin on Tuesday to make the case for extending article 50 for only a few months. She will make the argument that talks with Labour are on the brink of a breakthrough, although those negotiations stalled at the end of last week and no formal meetings are scheduled to start again.
Britain must SCRAP Brexit: Austrian economist calls for SIMULTANEOUS exit and trade talks
Britain must scrap Brexit altogether and restart negotiations - in a scenario where the UK’s exit from the EU and future trading relations are agreed at the same time - a top economist has urged. Gabriel Felbermayr, president of the Kiel Institute for World Economy, pleaded for Brexit to be scrapped and exit negotiations to restarted from scratch. He also argued that the EU exit and future relations should be negotiated at the same time, despite Brussels bosses insisting future relations, like trade, be negotiated after the UK exits the bloc.
PM to meet Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel before emergency Brexit summit
Mrs May's planned travel to Berlin and Paris could yet be interrupted if a bill from Labour's Yvette Cooper and Tory ex-minister Sir Oliver Letwin is passed into law on Monday night. This would force the prime minister to consult the House of Commons, likely to happen on Tuesday, on the length of the further delay to Brexit she is requesting from the EU. A subsequent motion tabled by Mrs May could then be amended by MPs to either shorten or lengthen - or add further conditions - to any Brexit delay. Revealing the scale of anger among Conservative eurosceptics at the prime minister's handling of Brexit, former Brexit minister Steve Baker claimed this week "might be the week when the government and parliament are seen to have betrayed" the 2016 EU referendum result.
Is cancelling Brexit the Prime Minister's new default?
Is the de facto Brexit default now revoking Article 50 this week rather than a no-deal Brexit on 12 April? I ask because the PM is now explicitly saying the choice is a binary one between some version of her negotiated deal and not leaving at all (that is what she said in her sofa chat on Sunday). The point is that she has no power to prevent a no-deal Brexit on 12 April by delaying Brexit; for a delay, she needs the unanimous agreement of the EU's 27 leaders. But she does have the unilateral power to prevent a no-deal by cancelling Brexit altogether, by revoking the Article 50 application to leave the EU. So, have she and Whitehall, who are persuaded (rightly or wrongly) that no-deal on April 12 would be a catastrophe (especially for the integrity of UK), made a huge emotional leap to prepare for the political (if not economic) explosion of cancelling Brexit this week - in that there remains a serious risk that the EU will not grant the UK an extension or an extension on acceptable terms.
Sinn Féin to meet Corbyn for Brexit talks
Sinn Féin leaders are due to hold Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn in London. Party president Mary Lou McDonald says she’ll tell the Labour leader that Irish interests must be protected, whatever the outcome of his negotiations with the Prime Minister. Sinn Féin will also hold meetings with Secretary of State Karen Bradley.
Meanwhile the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, will be in Dublin to meet with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar. They will discuss the latest Brexit developments.
Why UK MEPs voted against visa-free travel to Europe in a no-deal Brexit
British MEPs have explained why they voted against UK citizens getting visa-free access to the EU in the event of a no-deal Brexit. Thirty of them voted against a motion tabled by a Bulgarian MEP to grant British travellers the same concession as dozens of “third country” nationalities, including Australia, Japan and the US. They have told The Independent that they were angered by a footnote to the proposal, added by the European Council after pressure from Spain. It read: “There is a controversy between Spain and the United Kingdom concerning the sovereignty over Gibraltar, a territory for which a solution has to be reached.”
Labour MEP Claude Moraes, initially in charge of the proposal, was removed from this duty by fellow MEPs after opposing the addition. He subsequently voted against the motion.
Lords approve Brexit law forcing May to consult parliament on delay
Britain’s parliament approved legislation on Monday that gives lawmakers the power to scrutinise and even change Prime Minister Theresa May’s request that the European Union agree to delay Brexit until June 30.
Yes, you can be a Remainer and a patriot
The armies are massing, the war drums are thrumming, Nigel Farage and Tony Blair stand mouthing Gladiator-style pep talks in the mirror before the battle to come. Increasingly it feels as though another referendum is on the horizon. The hoped-for delay to Brexit points to a second vote. Changing demographics point to a second vote. Parliament’s most popular option has been a second vote. If that second vote comes, Remain must be ready to remedy the mistake made last time around: leaving all the patriotic tunes to Leave.
European elections are happening and they will be the most important in British history
Theresa May’s hope is that the prospect of holding European elections will finally scare up a parliamentary majority for her withdrawal agreement. That prospect is, however, slim: that she has already opened up talks with the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, increases the political cost to Labour MPs of breaking ranks to back her accord in its current state. May is at or near the maximum level of support her deal can attract from Conservatives and she may even lose ground among Tory MPs next time the withdrawal agreement is voted on.
Brexit latest news: Michel Barnier urges Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to strike deal on a customs union
Michel Barnier has urged Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to strike a pact keeping Britain in a customs union with the EU after Brexit. The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said that the political declaration, which sets out the terms for negotiations over the future relationship, could be reworked very quickly if cross-party talks between Tories and Labour were successful.
Should Labour support a second Brexit referendum?
The facts of course have changed. We now know much more about what is on offer. The political class has been forced to remember that Northern Ireland exists, and has come face to face with the reality of leaving an institution we have become completely integrated with.
The radicalisation of Remainers - Remainers of the day
Since the referendum in 2016 a Remainer rearguard has emerged. Mr Ricks belongs to Bristol For Europe, one of 200 groups which spend weekends and evenings campaigning against Britain’s departure from the eu. They are found all over the country, from Remainer-choked cities like Bristol to Leave-heavy cities like Hull. As Brexit comes to a crunch, their presence is being felt more than ever. On March 23rd about 400,000 of them arrived in London demanding a do-over on Brexit. A petition supporting the revocation of Article 50, which would stop Brexit in its tracks, has so far attracted 6m signatures. Britain has long had a Eurosceptic fringe. Now it has a well organised and increasingly vocal Europhilic one to match it.
A Brexit compromise is in view. A customs union is the only solution
Within the next two days, Theresa May must manoeuvre herself a Commons majority behind a deal that will win another Brexit extension from the EU on Wednesday. That majority deal is now in full view – it would mean the UK leaving the EU with a customs union in place, as agreed with Labour. This would honour the – frankly vague – wish of the 2016 referendum, and it would provide continuity in trade with Europe. It is a palpable compromise, but for either extreme to present it as a national humiliation or catastrophe is absurd. We have been in that customs union without obvious harm for 40 years.
May in diplomatic dash to Berlin and Paris to get support for Brexit delay
The prime minister will today attempt to persuade France and Germany to support her request for another Brexit delay, ahead of an emergency summit of EU leaders tomorrow. Theresa May will meet Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin this morning, before later travelling to Paris to hold talks with President Emmanuel Macron. She is expected to urge them to accept her request for a delay until 30 June, despite indications from EU Council President Donald Tusk that a longer extension - potentially through to March 2020 - would be preferred by Brussels.
A confirmatory public vote is our bottom line
The labour movement now must speak with one voice: a confirmatory public vote is our bottom line. Love Socialism Hate Brexit is a group of radical and socialist Labour MPs fighting to stop Brexit. We will be writing a column for LabourList every week until ...
Political Setbacks
Dr David Smith: A junior doctor’s diagnosis – Brexit is becoming a betrayal of the NHS
Demand in the NHS has never been higher and government funding has failed to keep up with this. Instead of finding more money for the NHS, this Government seeks to drag us out of the EU, simultaneously tearing up decades of carefully written trade deals. The effect of this will be a major hit to our economy, sapping away any hope of a light at the end of the tunnel after years of austerity. Far from the £350m a week promised, Brexit means no extra resources to save our NHS. “It’s okay,” you say. “We can recruit more doctors from overseas.” Don’t bet on it. The end of freedom of movement will make it more difficult for highly-skilled EU doctors to come and work here, while the climate created by the Brexit vote means Britain is increasingly seen as an unattractive place to come, hostile and suspicious of its foreign neighbours. Why would an international doctor want to relocate their life to the UK when they’re made to feel so unwelcome?
Oettinger: China is the ‘biggest winner’ from EU’s Brexit ‘paralysis’
The Brexit deadlock has paralyzed Europe and bolstered China, European Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger said. In an interview with Die Welt published Monday, Oettinger said the prolonged discussions over the U.K.'s exit from the EU has "strengthened others," such as China. "We have been dealing with Brexit for over two years now. That's costing time and effort, nerves and money. There are so many more important things to do," he said."The biggest winner [of Brexit] is China. The Chinese can advance their strategy without disruption and leap everywhere in the world at the opportunities that Europe fails to seize because it's so preoccupied with itself."
British voters say - Give us a strong leader and reform the Brexit-fatigued system
British voters want a strong leader who is willing to break the rules and force through wide scale reform after three years of Brexit crisis pushed confidence in the political system to a 15-year low. The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British. Yet more than a week since the United Kingdom was originally supposed to leave the EU on March 29, nothing is resolved: it remains uncertain how, when or if it ever will.
Poll finds Westminster blamed for Brexit deadlock as support for Conservatives and Labour falls
Welsh voters overwhelmingly blame Westminster for the state of the current Brexit negotiations. That is according to the latest poll commissioned for ITV Wales and Cardiff University. The YouGov barometer poll found that opinion is split between 39% of people who hold Theresa May and her government responsible - and 39% who think MPs as a whole are to blame. Eight per cent said the European Union and other European governments are more at fault.
Brexit-supporting MP calls for no confidence vote in May
The deputy leader of a pro-Brexit faction in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party has called for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May by Wednesday, Sky News reported. “I am writing to you in a personal capacity to express my sincere belief that Theresa May should now resign as prime minister,” Mark Francois, said in a letter to the Chairman of the Conservative Party 1922 Committee, Sky reported. “We simply cannot go on like this, with a weak leader, a riven cabinet and a party in despair. I believe Theresa May has been a failure as leader of our party, which she now threatens to destroy.”
Will Emmanuel Macron veto Theresa May's Brexit extension?
But as Britain seeks to leave the bloc with a withdrawal deal negotiated to avoid economic catastrophe, it is now French President Emmanuel Macron who is threatening to stand in the country's way. Speaking before May's plea for a delay, Macron said that to avoid a chaotic "no-deal" Brexit on Friday, it was up to the U.K. to present a “credible alternative plan backed by a majority” in Parliament before Wednesday's emergency E.U. summit. May has repeatedly been unable to find enough support from British lawmakers for a deal she hammered out with the E.U.
Labour MP’s constituency office windows smashed in ‘Brexit-related attack’
A Labour MP’s constituency office windows have been smashed in what she suspects may have been an attempt at intimidation over her stance on Brexit. The damage to the office of Helen Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland in County Durham, was inflicted on Saturday and comes amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere in Britain over its exit from the European Union (EU). Ms Goodman, who backed Remain in the 2016 but voted to trigger Article 50 two years ago to respect the result of the referendum, is calling for a so-called soft Brexit and late last month voted to keep the UK in a customs union.
Have you changed your mind on Brexit?
Journalists Peter Oborne and Fraser Nelson discuss why they have changed their minds since the 2016 EU referendum. Daily Mail commentator and former Brexiteer, Peter Oborne, told Today that “the economic case for Brexit has collapsed” and that questions around the Irish backstop could lead to “the end of the United Kingdom”. They spoke to Today after Mr Oborne wrote for the political website Open Democracy, calling for a long pause on Brexit.
Conservatives face 'Brexit deficit' at local elections if Theresa May fails to secure deal, says Tory pollster
Theresa May's Conservatives face a voter deficit if no Brexit deal is secured in time for the local elections, according to one of the party's most respected polling experts. With the deadlock over Brexit showing no sign of easing at Westminster and less than a month to go until parts of the country go the polls, Lord Hayward also claimed turnout could dramatically decline. In England alone at the 2 May election there are 8,374 seats up for grabs, including 33 metropolitan councils, 119 district councils, and 30 unitary authorities.
In May’s home county, Tory problems run much deeper than Brexit
Windsor and Maidenhead voted to remain by 54% to 46%; in the local government district of Wycombe, remain also won, with 52% (Baker, who had said he would resign if remain won, said he was “disappointed” but “also surprised”). In both towns, many people I spoke to on either side of the Brexit divide were weary and exasperated by the parliamentary pantomime, and so keen for it all to quieten down that many of them seemed open to settling for whatever compromise the politicians could come up with. What they were most comfortable talking about was what might happen to their immediate surroundings – and, by extension, the future of the country as seen from the perspective of everyday life.
Could Brexit lead to Frexit?
What then if Brexit led to Frexit? And what if the two exits led to a Franco-British Union with a combined GDP ranked 3rd in the world, military power arguably second – and a formidable rugby team. It might solve the Almighty’s nationality dilemma
The Prime Minister has a point: a no-deal Brexit could unravel our United Kingdom
Any approach by a prime minister to the leader of the opposition to work out a joint solution to the nation’s most pressing issue is fraught with risks and dangers. It is undoubtedly infuriating to many government supporters, and has only a slim chance of success. The tempting strategy for an opposition presented with such an initiative is to appear to engage constructively in the talks, draw the government into concessions that further antagonise its own side, and then pull the rug from under it by pronouncing those concessions as inadequate. They would thereby be closer to bringing down the government, their ultimate goal.
Theresa May told 'you are the problem' by backbenchers furious over Brexit paralysis as they urge her to go for good of the party
Theresa May is facing demands from her own MPs to stand down immediately after senior backbenchers told her she is now “the problem”. A delegation of executives from the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers met Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and said the mood among party supporters had turned against her over the weekend. Mrs May sat in stony silence and refused to discuss her future as the MPs made clear the “damage” she is causing the party, sources said. The meeting will draw comparisons with the final days of Margaret Thatcher's reign when she was visited by "the men in grey suits" and prevailed upon to resign for the good of the party.
People are planning to protest Brexit extension by staying at home and doing nothing | Latest Brexit news and top stories
The “national strike” has been planned for Friday April 12 - the next Brexit deadline which could see the UK crash out of the European Union if there is no extension. The Brexiteer organisers are urging people to switch off their television sets and their mobile phones and stay at home. They believe the protest could cost the country £250 million a day. According to a group on Facebook entitled “Brexit Blackout! 12th of April” the protesters will avoid cars, electricity, and shopping.
Lack of Brexit progress would hit Tories badly in council elections, says polling expert
Brexit is likely have a major impact on next month's town hall elections in England, according to a leading polling expert. If Theresa May successfully delivers Brexit by polling day on 2 May, the Conservatives could reap the benefit at the ballot box.
But if she fails and Brexit is further delayed, the Tories could be badly disadvantaged, with smaller parties the main beneficiaries. The predictions have been made by polling guru Robert Hayward, who has accurately forecast the results of recent general elections and referendums.
I was a strong Brexiteer. Now we must swallow our pride and think again
It’s nearly three years since I, along with 17. 4 million other Britons, voted for Brexit. Today I have to admit that the Brexit project has gone sour. Brexit has paralysed the system. It has turned Britain into a laughing stock. And it is certain to make us poorer and to lead to lower incomes and lost jobs. We Brexiteers would be wise to acknowledge all this. It’s past time we did. We need to acknowledge, too, that that we will never be forgiven if and when Brexit goes wrong. Future generations will look back at what we did and damn us.
Conservatives will pay a heavy price for weaponising Brexit
Letting hardliners frame the Brexit debate has exposed the UK to division and humiliation
British public's faith in politics is 'worse than during the expenses scandal', according to damning new survey
The British public's faith in the political system is in a worse state than it was during the MPs' expenses scandal, according to a damning new survey. Some 72 per cent of those polled felt either "quite a lot" or "a great deal" of improvement was needed, while only a quarter were happy with how Brexit was being handled. The findings, reported by the Hansard Society, paint a bleak picture of how potential voters feel about UK politics.
UK poised to embrace authoritarianism, warns Hansard Society
The UK public is increasingly disenchanted with MPs and government and ever more willing to welcome the idea of authoritarian leaders who would ignore parliament, a long-running survey of attitudes to politics has shown. Amid the Brexit chaos, overall public faith in the political system has reached a nadir not previously seen in the 16-year history of the Hansard Society’s audit of political engagement, lower even than at the depths of the crisis over MPs’ expenses. Almost three-quarters of those asked said the system of governance needed significant improvement, and other attitudes emerged that “challenge core tenets of our democracy”, the audit’s authors stated.
Brexit chaos: 28 MPs split from ERG due to 'unicorn hardline element endangering Brexit'
Yesterday evening, Daniel Kaczynski resigned claiming that the “hardcore element” of the party were jeopardising Brexit. The MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham is reportedly now part of a 28-strong group of former ERG MPs who have broken away from the main group due to their hardline Brexit stance, according to talkRADIO. The popular radio station reported: “The 28 remaining Tory Brexit rebels are meeting separately from the rest of the ERG.
Boris Johnson criticised for breaching Commons rules over Somerset property
Boris Johnson was criticised today by Parliament’s standards watchdog for breaching Commons rules on declaring financial interests. Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, accused the former Foreign Secretary of not “demonstrating the leadership” expected of a senior MP in sticking to Commons rules. The Commons Committee on Standards instructed Mr Johnson to attend a “full briefing” from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests and warned of more serious sanctions if he flouts the rulebook again. It came after the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP failed to register a 20 per cent share of a property in Somerset within the 28-day timetable of acquiring it.
The Tory Party Has Suspended 14 Members Over A Series Of Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts
The Conservative party suspended 14 of its members on Tuesday and said it would launch an investigation after a series of anti-Muslim comments were posted on a pro-Tory Facebook page. In the most damaging day for the party during its brewing anti-Muslim crisis, the Conservative headquarters acted after BuzzFeed News passed it details of the comments made by members of the "Jacob Rees-Mogg Supporters Group". The page is not affiliated to the Conservatives or Rees-Mogg, but it is used by Tory party members. The comments were highlighted by the @MatesJacob Twitter account.
Theresa May to consider giving MPs vote on second referendum in bid to break Brexit deadlock with Labour
Theresa May is considering giving MPs a vote on whether to hold a second referendum in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations with Labour, The Telegraph can disclose. The Prime Minister held discussions with Cabinet ministers in Downing Street on Monday about the prospect of holding a Commons vote on whether to enshrine a commitment to a second referendum in law. Mrs May was said to have been "pragmatic" during the discussions and told ministers that securing a deal is not going to be "easy" and will require compromise. Julian Smith, the chief whip, is understood to be "confident" that the Government has the numbers to defeat a bid by Labour to hold a second referendum in the Commons.
Brexit-distracted Tories lose voter trust on core issues: poll
As the U.K.'s Conservatives struggle to deliver Brexit, an exclusive poll for POLITICO suggests the party has lost the trust of voters on core issues. In swing seats across the country, the Tories are trailing Labour on the central issues people most care about, the new POLITICO-Hanbury tracker poll conducted in battleground constituencies has found. But despite the negative view of the party and its handling of Brexit, Theresa May is still seen as the stronger leader compared to her opposition counterpart Jeremy Corbyn.
One Nation Tories invite MPs to dial down Brexit rhetoric
Insults, talk of “treason and traitors”, and references to the second world war must be removed from the Brexit debate, say moderate Conservative MPs attempting to curb politicians’s increasingly inflammatory rhetoric. Despairing at the way some MPs are willing to say anything that will go viral on social media and earn attention, they are asking colleagues to sign up to a code of conduct to stop the worst excesses. The move comes after Mark Francois, Tory MP for Rayleigh and Wickford and pro-Brexit European Research Group member, said “up yours” in a radio interview to chancellor Philip Hammond in cabinet. The second world war has been raised on several occasions. Daniel Kawczynski, Tory MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, recently complained that an “ungrateful EU” had not considered the fact the Britain “helped to liberate half of Europe”.
Tory council candidates warn Theresa May party support 'in freefall' over her Brexit stance
Theresa May has been warned by more than 100 Tory council candidates that her move towards a softer Brexit will see the party lose seats across the country in May.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 10th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
IMF says a no deal Brexit means a 2 year UK recession
- The IMF said 'there were alternative No Deal Brexit scenarios in which the UK would be hit by trade barriers, customs delays, barriers to financial services firms and loss of preferential access to non-EU countries under Brussels negotiated trade deals.' Therefore, it said 'a no deal Brexit risks the UK entering a two-year recession'
No Deal will cause global economic disruption says Trump administration
- Donald Trump's Treasury Secretary warned the U.S. House Financial Services Committee that a 'hard Brexit' was a realistic outcome, and that with no deal, the UK's disorderly exit from the EU would cause global economic disruption'
Brexit linked to significant medicine shortages faced by pharmacists
- Medicine supply shortages in UK pharmacies have hit a record high. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, which manages the list of in-demand medicines subsidised by the government, said 'the UK's exit from the EU and the manufacturers' view of the UK as a less attractive market is starting to cause significant medicine supply problems'
ATM thefts in Northern Ireland carried out by dissidents boosting their Brexit war chest
- Gangs have been responsible for around 12 ATM robberies across Northern Ireland and the Republic since the start of October. The ATM thefts have netted £603,000 and security services believe the attacks are Republican dissident related
Brexiteers need to recognise the Commonwealth is not coming to save them
- The New Statesman examines the myth that the UK can simply switch to trading with the Commonwealth to replace lost EU trade. Trade Ministers in places like South Africa acknowledge the interest but say a trade deal with the UK is not their immediate focus, but they'd consider it further down the track
A customs union is not a Brexit panacea either
- The issue of the ability to sign trade deals with anyone in the world, as opposed to being governed by the trade rules in a customs union, threaten to trigger more 'hardline' Tories, such as Liam Fox, against a new May-Corbyn customs union Brexit deal
The Brexit Cliff Edge is not this Friday
- A consensus is forming among EU leaders around rejecting Theresa May's request for a short Article 50 extension and insisting on a longer one (up to one year). This reflects a complete lack of faith in Theresa May's ability to produce a workable plan to pass a Brexit withdrawal agreement in the UK parliament.
- France is signalling its unhappiness at the UK position. It picked up on Tory hardliner comments to 'become as difficult as possible inside the EU if an extension is granted,' and threats to 'veto any increase in the budget, obstruct a putative army and block Mr Macron's integrationist schemes,' outlined in Jacob Rees-Mogg tweet
- Emmanuel Macron will insist on conditions being inserted into any UK Article 50 extension which expressly prohibit any action which impacts on the EU's decision making abilities with regard to the EU budget and the appointment of the next EU Commission president, for example. The longer the extension the more conditions will be introduced, according to the FT
- There is UK nervousness at the stance Emmanuel Macron is taking over the Brexit extension. The Standard reported comments from a number of MP's who feared he was seeking a 'De Gaulle Moment' which could damage relations between the UK and the EU
- National envoys for the 27 EU states appear to be coalescing around sumit chair, Donald Tusk's proposal to give the UK up to a year longer to organise its withdrawal. Reuters reported ministers were extremely weary of Brexit, but were just as keen not to be seen as the ones pushing the UK off the Brexit cliff edge
- Any remaining EU summit surprise will be over the length of the Article 50 extension. Buzzfeed News seems convinced that France will insist that Brexit cannot be delayed beyond December 2019. So this will be the likely Flextension default position offered to the UK on Wednesday
- Meanwhile, back in the UK, Parliament debated Theresa May's plan to ask the EU for an Article 50 extension, under the new Cooper-Letwin legislation
- UK Chancellor Philip Hammond appeared to be considering revoking Article 50 as an option, were the EU summit to not offer an extension
- Labour seems to be warming towards the idea of bringing back the withdrawal agreement and testing support for amendments promoting various Brexit options. The Conservative side seems less enthusiastic
Boris for Britain leadership campaign bid
- The Our Future, Our Choice campaign launched a spoof 'Boris for Britain' leadership campaign video. The fake 'Boris for Britain' site imagines the former foreign secretary's bid to become Prime Minister
Farage's new Brexit Party sent to Coventry
- Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party plans to formally launch in Coventry this Friday and it will contest every European Election seat on May 23rd
Economic Impact
IMF says no-deal Brexit risks two-year recession for UK
The IMF said there were alternative no-deal scenarios in which the UK would be hit by trade barriers, customs delays, barriers to financial services firms and the loss of preferential access to non-EU countries under trade deals negotiated by Brussels. The impact of these would be enough to cause output to decline in 2019 and 2020. It stressed that “a no-deal Brexit that severely disrupts supply chains and raises trade costs could potentially have large and long-lasting negative impacts on the economies of the United Kingdom and the European Union”.
Mnuchin Says Hard Brexit a ‘Realistic Outcome,’ Urges Agreement
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the U.S. financial system is preparing for the U.K. to crash out of the European Union without a deal, and warned it would cause global disruptions. “We need to be prepared for a hard Brexit as a very realistic outcome,” Mnuchin said Tuesday during a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee, adding that the U.S. has encouraged the U.K. and the union to find a suitable resolution. Yet Britain’s exit from the EU looks set to be delayed by as long as a year in a blow for Theresa May that risks a destabilizing backlash at home.
Administrative Fall Out
EU doctors’ Brexit dilemma: do we stay or do we go?
They believed they were in a welcoming country. Three hospital consultants discuss how their lives have been upended by Brexit
Brexit linked to 'significant' medicines shortage faced by pharmacists
Brexit has contributed to a shortage of some medicines at pharmacies in England as the number of in-demand drugs subsidised by the Government reached a record high, it is claimed. Supply issues partly blamed on Brexit planning and contingency have caused an official list of “concession” priced medicines to reach its longest since 2014, when it was first introduced. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), which draws up the list, said Britain’s exit from the EU coupled with manufacturers’ views of the country as a “less attractive market” had caused the “significant” problems
ATM thefts 'being carried out by dissidents to fund Brexit war chest'
It is believed the gang responsible for some of the 12 robberies in Northern Ireland and the Republic since October has netted £603000.
Political Shenanigans
EU ready to grant Brexit delay, length depends on British argument - Barnier
The European Union hopes cross-party talks in London will yield a majority in the House of Commons for the stalled Brexit deal and is willing to grant more time to achieve that, the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier said. On the eve of an EU summit of national leaders due to decide whether to grant Britain another Brexit delay, Barnier stressed that the length of any second postponement beyond the current date of April 12 would depend on the rationale presented by Prime Minister Theresa May. "The duration of an extension - it has got to be in line with the purpose of any such extension,” Barnier told a news conference on Tuesday.
Michel Barnier urges UK to agree customs union and warns that no deal Brexit will be Britain's fault
Michel Barnier has urged Britain to join a customs union with the EU after Brexit before warning that a no-deal departure would be the UK’s fault alone. He said that Britain could always cancel Brexit by revoking Article 50 to avoid a no-deal and warned that Brussels would not relax any of its red lines, such as freedom of movement, even if the prime minister did. “We are not willing to compromise in any way the very foundations of the EU,” the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said. Mr Barnier said that if talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn were successful, the EU would be ready to change the terms of the UK-EU future relationship to allow for closer links with Brussels.
Philip Hammond suggests MPs could revoke Article 50 to prevent no deal sinking the value of pound
hilip Hammond raised the prospect that MPs will revoke Article 50 this week rather than allow Britain to leave without a deal if Brexit talks collapse.
The Chancellor warned on Tuesday that the value of the pound could fall significantly if Theresa May fails to reach agreement on a Brexit delay with Brussels.
He suggested that the impact of uncertainty on the markets could encourage MPs to vote to reverse Brexit by revoking Article 50.
David Lidington, the Minister for the Cabinet Office, is said to have warned that the Government would no longer be in control and that Parliament and the Speaker would determine how to proceed
Theresa May facing prospect of being offered longer Brexit delay at EU summit
Theresa May is facing the prospect of being offered a Brexit delay of up to a year at an emergency EU summit in Brussels. The prime minister has been pushing for a delay to the end of June, with the possibility of Britain leaving at an earlier date if her Brexit deal is approved. But her hopes look set to be dashed, having already been granted one short extension to the process. In a letter to the remaining 27 EU member states, European Council President Donald Tusk said there was "little reason to believe" Mrs May's deal, which has already been defeated three times, could be ratified by the end of June.
May considers plan to let MPs thrash out Brexit deal if talks fail
It is understood May and her team have gone cool on the idea of MPs having more indicative votes, which she had suggested would be binding if talks with Labour do not progress. However, Labour is keener on bringing forward the withdrawal agreement bill to test support for amendments on various options. A Labour source said this had been discussed in the Cabinet Office on Tuesday, but ruled out frontbench support for the plan at this stage.
Boris Johnson's remainer father Stanley has applied to stand in EU elections
Boris Johnson's remained father Stanley has applied to stand in the EU elections.
Mr Johnson Senior, who appeared on I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here, said he was worried the Tories would not "make the most" of the opportunity. He told LBC Radio: "I think the idea that we should be talking down these Euro elections is absurd. "If we're staying in we may as well do what is required and fight the elections. And if we're going to fight the elections we might as well fight to win, I'm speaking as a Conservative. "And as Conservatives I think we should have a really constructive role to play out there."
A long Brexit pause makes sense for the EU and the UK
The repeated failure of the British political classes to settle the Brexit question is consuming ever larger amounts of EU time, effort and attention just when European leaders need to focus on other pressing internal and external challenges. There were welcome signs late on Tuesday that EU leaders might be moving towards agreeing a long extension. To let the UK crash out on Friday, or to arrange a very short extension, would be no more in EU interests than in London’s. Though frustrated at British behaviour, EU leaders should agree to extend the withdrawal process until at least the end of this year, with appropriate conditions attached.
Emmanuel Macron Doesn’t Want Brexit Delayed Beyond December 2019 At The Latest
French president Emmanuel Macron is adamant that Brexit cannot be delayed beyond December 2019, and will ask the other 26 European Union leaders to impose compliance checks on the UK every three months during any extension, according to diplomatic sources who have been privately briefed on his thinking ahead of this week’s emergency European Council summit of EU leaders. As Macron prepares to meet Theresa May in Paris on Tuesday ahead of Wednesday’s meeting, the sources told BuzzFeed News it was extremely unlikely that Macron would block an extension outright
A new Brexit extension is the moment for Labour to finally champion Remain
The party can no longer be bound by the referendum of 2016 — it must fight for a transformed Europe from within.
MPs vote in favor of Theresa May's plan to delay Brexit until June 30
Members of Parliament back Theresa May's plan to delay Brexit until June 30.
The prime minister will now travel to Brussels on Wednesday where she will seek the support of EU leaders for a delay. The European Council will decide on the length and conditions of any extension on Wednesday evening. EU leaders are reportedly in favour of a much longer delay to Brexit of up to one year.
Anti-Brexit Group Launches Spoof 'Boris For Britain' Leadership Campaign
At first glance, Boris Johnson’s campaign website didn’t come as that much of a surprise… until you looked closer. Launched by anti-Brexit campaign group Our Future, Our Choice, the fake ‘Boris for Britain’ site imagines the former foreign secretary’s bid for the country’s top job.
Is Brexit still worth it? Only the public can answer that question
There are worse things that could happen to a democracy than its citizens being given an opportunity to vote. The same goes for a referendum. And the alternative is a duff deal, soaked in panic, nobody’s first choice, bundled through parliament by a coalition of demoralised remainers and disingenuous leavers, the former with heads bowed, the latter with fingers crossed. That wouldn’t be a durable compromise, or even a truce. It would be MPs bailing themselves out, borrowing a moment of respite for which the country would then pay in years of disappointment and bitterness. Even if a majority could be found for a Brexit settlement, this parliament lacks the authority to validate it as a good deal in the public eye.
Weary EU set to give yet more time for Brexit
Brexit will not be on Friday, EU leaders will confirm when they meet Prime Minister Theresa May at another crisis summit on Wednesday, but diplomats said they are still wrestling on how long it might be delayed and under what conditions. EU diplomats said there was no appetite around the table to drop the axe on Britain just yet. They said that talks, which were to continue among national envoys in Brussels later on Tuesday, were now focused on a proposal from summit chair Donald Tusk to give Britain up to a year longer to organise its withdrawal. “People are tired and fed up - but what to do?” one said. “We won’t be the ones pushing the UK off the cliff edge.”
UK PM May outlines steps to secure 'successful' Brexit with Germany's Merkel
British Prime Minister Theresa May outlined to German Chancellor Angela Merkel the steps she was taking to bring “the Brexit process to a successful conclusion” and on discussions with the opposition Labour Party, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday. May, in Germany as part of her charm offensive to secure a Brexit delay at an EU summit on Wednesday, “updated Chancellor Merkel on the ongoing discussions with the opposition”, the spokeswoman said in a statement. “Ahead of EU Council tomorrow, the leaders discussed the UK’s request for an extension of Article 50 to June 30 with the option to bring this forward if a deal is ratified earlier.”
EU needs to know why Britain wants Brexit extension, what role it will play: France
The European Union must understand what Britain wants to achieve during its requested extension of the Brexit deadline and what role it wants to play in the EU during that time before the EU can grant the delay, French EU minister Amélie de Montchalin said. Montchalin said however, that such an extension would not be automatic. “We want to understand what the UK needs this extension for,” she told reporters on entering a meeting of EU ministers in Luxembourg that is to prepare the Brexit summit on Wednesday. “Then come the questions of the conditions: what role the UK wants to play during this extension time, in what kind of decisions it wants to take part,” she said.
Brexit latest: Minister says it’s ‘too early to say’ if Theresa May has a compromise to offer EU tomorrow
Government Minister David Gauke claimed Theresa May will tell European Union leaders that it is “too early to say” whether she has an agreement with the Labour Party to get a Brexit deal ratified by MPs, despite a looming summit being just one day’s time. “There are some areas of common ground, but there are also well-known areas of disagreement. But there’s a lot of work that’s going on at the moment in terms of identifying perhaps where we can move forward.”
Nigel Farage says his new Brexit Party will unleash political revolution and terrify Tories at the European Elections
Nigel Farage last night claimed his new Brexit Party will spark a political “revolution” at the European Elections – and terrify the Tories. The ex-UKIP chief revealed will formally launch the party in Coventry this Friday and contest every region on May 23 to give voters the chance to “fight back against the betrayal of democracy” by Theresa May.
Brexit delay: EU leaders to consider offering UK extension until after Christmas at crunch Brussels summit
EU leaders will consider giving Theresa May a Brexit extension until the end of the year at a crunch summit in Brussels on Wednesday that could delay Britain’s departure from the bloc until after Christmas. Ahead of the crucial meeting the prime minister was warned that she needed “a clear plan with credible political backing” if she wanted the delay to avert no deal on Friday, as she met with Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron to try and win their support. But there is still debate among the 27 EU countries about what sort of conditions any extension should come with – with talks between ministers in Luxembourg on Tuesday running over by an hour amid debate among countries.
@Alison1MackITV More from the barnstorming speech at the #PeoplesVote rally by former West Bromwich MP Baroness Betty Boothroyd
More from the barnstorming speech at the #PeoplesVote rally by former West Bromwich MP Baroness Betty Boothroyd. If the politicians can't break the brexit deadlock - leave it to the @peoplesvote_uk @ITVCentral
Emmanuel Macron warned he could severely damage French-UK relations with Brexit stance
Emmanuel Macron was today warned he risks blighting Anglo-French relations for years if he is seen to force Britain out of the EU against the wish of Parliament. Senior MPs stressed the danger of seeking “short-term victories” and “playing to a domestic audience … to unwise lengths” with stances which threaten to be severely damaging to ties between London and Paris. They spoke out after Mr Macron took a hard line against delaying Britain’s departure from the EU, sparking suggestions he wants a “De Gaulle moment” similar to the then French president’s decision in the Sixties to veto the UK joining the European Economic Community.
Better no deal or a long Article 50 extension than a customs union cooked up with Labour
Mrs May’s new slogan is effectivly “no Brexit is better than no deal”. Her difficulty is that this gives her no room to manoeuvre. In order to avoid no deal she must agree to whatever she is offered. She has no leverage at all to negotiate the length of extension she would prefer because she has nothing to threaten the EU with. Equally, she has already committed to accept any Brexit arrangements passed by Parliament in a desperate rush to get this done. No deal or a longer extension are better than agreeing to a customs union.
@EUCOPresident There are times when you need to give time time. My letter to EU leaders ahead of tomorrow’s #EUCO: https://europa.eu/!Wb76Jq #Brexit
There are times when you need to give time time.
My letter to EU leaders ahead of tomorrow’s #EUCO: https://europa.eu/!Wb76Jq
#Brexit
@tamcohen Liam Fox letter to Tory MPs pulverises Labour’s customs union: “we would be stuck in the worst of all worlds”
Liam Fox letter to Tory MPs pulverises Labour’s customs union: “we would be stuck in the worst of all worlds”
France signals UK could stay in EU for almost another year
France has signalled the UK could remain in the EU for almost another year but will have to meet strict conditions, as the bloc’s leaders prepare to decide on whether and by how long to delay Brexit. Speaking as Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council of EU member states, called for a long, “flexible extension” of the Brexit deadline, a senior French official said the UK would have to limit its decision-making abilities about issues such as the EU budget and the appointment of the European Commission’s next president. “The longer the period is, the stronger the guarantee needs to be,” the official said, adding that in terms of the extension “a year seems to us too long”. But he indicated that a delay up to March next year could be acceptable — if it was accompanied by conditions.
EU to offer short 'final final' Brexit delay
I was told by those involved in preparations for the emergency Brexit summit on Wednesday that the most likely outcome of the special summit is another kicking of the Brexit can down the road, but only till a bit after the elections for the European Parliament at the end of May. The big problem with a long delay, for France and its President in particular, was that it would give the UK too much power - in their view - to vandalise the EU till EU leaders felt cowed into tearing up the Northern Ireland backstop (hated by Tory Brexiters and DUP). EU leaders trust Theresa May to abide by the convention that all EU members, including Brexiting ones, should engage with each other in a spirit of “sincere cooperation” - but do not trust she will be PM much longer.
Is cancelling Brexit the Prime Minister's new default?
Is the de facto Brexit default now revoking Article 50 this week rather than a no-deal Brexit on 12 April? I ask because the PM is now explicitly saying the choice is a binary one between some version of her negotiated deal and not leaving at all (that is what she said in her sofa chat on Sunday). The point is that she has no power to prevent a no-deal Brexit on 12 April by delaying Brexit; for a delay, she needs the unanimous agreement of the EU's 27 leaders. But she does have the unilateral power to prevent a no-deal by cancelling Brexit altogether, by revoking the Article 50 application to leave the EU. So, have she and Whitehall, who are persuaded (rightly or wrongly) that no-deal on April 12 would be a catastrophe (especially for the integrity of UK), made a huge emotional leap to prepare for the political (if not economic) explosion of cancelling Brexit this week - in that there remains a serious risk that the EU will not grant the UK an extension or an extension on acceptable terms.
Political Setbacks
Brexit: DUP says PM's 'pleading is humiliating'
It is painful to watch the prime minister "pleading" with EU leaders to grant another extension to the Brexit date, Arlene Foster has said. The DUP leader told the BBC she found it "humiliating that we are having to go and beg so that we can leave".
On Wednesday, a special EU summit will take place as leaders consider Theresa May's request. The UK is still scheduled to leave the EU on 12 April, unless a delay is agreed.
Tory MP quits Eurosceptic ERG for 'endangering Brexit'
A Tory MP has quit the Eurosceptic European Research Group, claiming a "hardcore element of 'Unicorn' dreamers" were "endangering Brexit". Daniel Kawczynski voted against Theresa May's Brexit deal twice, before deciding to back her withdrawal agreement last month. The Shropshire MP accused the backbench Conservative group of preventing the deal from passing in the Commons. But the ERG's deputy chairman stood by their opposition to the PM's deal. Mark Francois told BBC Newsnight: "The withdrawal agreement keeps us in the European Union, that's why we've always been so against it."
Unhappiness with politics 'at 15-year high'
The public's dissatisfaction with how government is working is at a 15-year high, an influential study of political engagement suggests. Levels of unhappiness are now greater than in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal, the Hansard Society found.
More than half of the 1,200 people questioned thought the UK was in decline and needed a "strong leader who is willing to break the rules". And more than 40% said they could support new parties with radical ideas. The Hansard Society's 16th Audit of Political Engagement was carried out in early December, before the extent of the current Commons deadlock over Brexit became apparent. But it found that MPs were less trusted to handle Brexit than judges and civil servants, while banks were more trusted to act in the public interest than MPs, ministers or political parties.
Brexit: Huw Merriman MP dares Theresa May to sack him in bombshell interview
A Tory MP has publicly dared Theresa May to sack him from his government role in a bombshell interview over Brexit . Huw Merriman - who is an aide to the Chancellor - announced he will speak at a rally in support of a second referendum at lunchtime today in Westminster. And he warned Tory chiefs will have to sack him from the government if they don't like it. The Parliamentary Private Secretary said he had backed a so-called People's Vote in a "free vote" last week - only to be told it was not government policy. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If I can’t speak freely and explain how I voted on a free vote...I didn’t give up my career to come into Parliament for that - it’s absolutely ridiculous.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/breaking-brexit-huw-merriman-mp-14267300
Additional sources: (iNews)
Additional sources: (iNews)
EU rejects Theresa May's bid for short delay to Brexit
Theresa May’s request for a short Brexit delay has been torn up, putting the EU on track to instead extend Britain’s membership until 2020. Despite the prime minister’s desperate dash to Paris and Berlin, to convince leaders of her plan to break the Brexit impasse, the European council president, Donald Tusk, signalled EU politicians’ lack of faith in her cross-party talks. Against a backdrop of growing support among the EU27 for a lengthy Brexit delay, Tusk picked apart May’s appeal for a shorter delay to 30 June in a letter to the leaders inviting them to Wednesday’s summit, where they will agree the new end date.
Scapegoating immigrant workers is lowest point in dismal Brexit campaign
The message was pushed despite loud warnings that cutting the number of people coming to Britain will have a major impact on vital public services such as the NHS.
Theresa May must produce a plan within 24 hours if she wants Brexit extension, EU warns
The EU is open to granting Theresa May another delay to Brexit talks, but only if she produces a workable plan in time for a summit on Wednesday evening, EU member states have warned. Ministers from the 27 remaining countries met in Luxembourg on Tuesday morning to lay the groundwork for the leaders’ meeting in Brussels the next day. Discussions overran by an hour amid debate between the countries about the way to proceed. “The prolongation of the Article 50 deadline is an instrument and not an objective in itself. The British side must outline a clear plan with credible political backing to justify the decision of the European Council in favour of the extension,” George Ciamba, the Romanian EU minister chairing the meeting said at a press conference afterwards.
Humiliated Theresa May will be told to ‘keep Britain in EU until March 2020’ by Brussels as PM seeks Article 50 extension
Theresa May will be told to keep Britain in the EU until March 2020 by Brussels, it was claimed. In a humiliation for the PM, sources confirmed EU leaders will tomorrow demand an extension of up to a year because of her failure to pass a Brexit deal through the Commons.
There's nothing undemocratic about revoking Article 50 – reconsidering Brexit is the only way out of this mess
The prime minister has at last acknowledged that she had no majority for her deal. Her options will have narrowed to two: no deal or revoke – and now she will have to choose
Boris Johnson savaged for breaching Commons rules in damning watchdog report
Boris Johnson is to be hauled in for a dressing down after he broke rules on financial interests - again. The ex-Foreign Secretary has been savaged for his "lack of respect" after he fell foul of regulations aimed at cleaning up politics for the second time in less than a year.
Merkel should 'reopen withdrawal deal'
Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom said it would be "fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the withdrawal agreement". Ms Leadsom added there had been rumours that senior members of the German government would be willing to do that. The withdrawal agreement sets out how the UK will leave the EU including details of a 'divorce bill' and citizens' rights.
If Corbyn helps the Tories deliver Brexit, it will be a disaster for Labour
This is not 2016. Brexit is not the clearcut will of the people. A majority of voters now oppose it, as do a large majority of Labour supporters. Delivering Brexit means setting yourself against a mass movement, a million of whom have marched and 6 million of whom have petitioned for the outright revocation of article 50. Labour cannot expect to demoralise its activist base by choosing to implement a policy they regard as a fundamental affront to their values, and then just talk about school funding instead.
Donald Tusk says there's 'little reason to believe' we can sort Brexit by June
Brussels chief Donald Tusk says there's 'little reason to believe' we can sort out Brexit by the end of June. It came just minutes after MPs approved Theresa May's plan to seek a delay until June 30. But inviting EU leaders to a crunch summit in Brussels tomorrow, the European Council President said: "In reality, granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates. "This, in turn, would almost certainly overshadow the business of the EU27 in the months ahead. "The continued uncertainty would also be bad for our businesses and citizens. Finally, if we failed to agree on any next extension, there would be a risk of an accidental no-deal Brexit. "This is why I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension. One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects."
@ITVNews Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel - but no one is there to greet her
Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel - but no one is there to greet her https://bit.ly/2FXX3uU
Theresa May is" hiding" from Vote Leave Brexit campaign fraud claims' says SNP MP
Theresa May is “hiding” from taking action on claims of electoral fraud against the Vote Leave Brexit campaign, according to a Glasgow MP. Stewart McDonald, Glasgow South SNP MP had written to the Prime Minister seeking a judge led inquiry to investigate the allegations of fraud. The Prime Minister said she has passed the question on to the Cabinet Office, leaving the MP to conclude she doesn’t want to take responsibility for initiating action. Mr McDonald asked in a written question if the Prime Minister had plans to “set up a judge led inquiry to investigate alleged fraud in the EU referendum”.
@Doozy_45 A. Burt: "I'm from agricultural constituency, 20% of business would collapse" #Brexit
Q. Would you be happy with no-deal?
Hoey: "We'd cope"
A. Burt: "I'm from agricultural constituency, 20% of business would collapse"
#Brexit
@alexwickham Tory grassroots revolt: this draft motion of no confidence in Theresa May is doing the rounds among Conservative associations
Tory grassroots revolt: this draft motion of no confidence in Theresa May is doing the rounds among Conservative associations
Losing Momentum – can Jeremy Corbyn Survive a Split from his Base?
“It was inevitable,” one Labour adviser remarked after shadow cabinet members openly defied a three-line whip to abstain on a crucial indicative vote on a second referendum last week. “The left always eats itself. It’s no surprise discipline has broken down.” Byline Times has interviewed more than half a dozen senior Labour party figures and advisers in the wake of the unprecedented frontbench rebellion by the party chairman Ian Lavery and shadow leader of the house John Trickett. These sources have spoken on condition of anonymity as Labour strives to preserve party unity. Most are on the left of the party or from the grassroots Momentum movement.
@Jacob_rees_mogg If a long extension leaves us stuck in the EU we should be as difficult as possible. We could veto any increase in the budget, obstruct the putative EU army and block Mr Macron’s integrationist schemes.
If a long extension leaves us stuck in the EU we should be as difficult as possible. We could veto any increase in the budget, obstruct the putative EU army and block Mr Macron’s integrationist schemes.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Exclusive: Liam Fox tells Tory MPs that customs union will be 'worst of both worlds' in leaked letter
"A customs union - where the UK was obliged to implement the common customs tariff - would allow the EU to negotiate access to UK markets as part of EU trade policy, irrespective of the interests or wishes of the UK. "It will be able to offer full access to the world's fifth biggest market as part of any EU offer, without the need to balance this access by negotiating on key UK offensive interests." He said that countries that negotiate new free trade agreements with the EU will have "automatic access to the UK market with the UK having no reciprocal access". "The key question is that if a trading partner already had access to the UK for no cost, why would it be interested in negotiating a further bilateral agreement?"
The Brexiteers need to realise that the Commonwealth is not coming to save them
The Commonwealth does about a sixth of the trade with the UK that the EU does – and has neither the capacity nor the desire to be turned into a significant trading bloc. “We understand the UK wants to come to us (as the Commonwealth), in the fullness of time, to present some post-Brexit bigger, deeper agreement that they would want to negotiate with us,” he says. “We would meet them after three years or something, assess the situation and take stock.” Being put on the backburner like this doesn’t sound like the Global Britain promised by the Breexiteers, where the UK rids itself of the shackles of Europe and spreads its wings to seek global markets across the oceans.
The myth of the Great British Brexit trade policy
It makes almost no sense for the Brexit debacle to have come down to the issue of an ‘independent British trade policy’. Trade was not a central issue at the referendum and remains wildly misunderstood by public and politicians alike. But we are where we are. If we end up crashing out by accident, or the May government tears itself apart, it will be on the pretext that significant numbers of Tory MPs want that independent trade policy and cannot stomach the restrictions that a customs union would put on Britain’s freedom over trade.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 11th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Halloween Brexit
- European Council President, Donald Tusk, told Britain not to waste the extra time it now has to sort out Brexit, after the EU agreed to a second delay to London's departure, pushing the Brexit date back to October 31st
- Tusk said EU leaders would review progress in June, and that would not be a cliff edge for Brexit, just a time for review. Britain now has time to leave, alter course or think again, so long as it maintains an approach of 'sincere cooperation'
- There was little sign of any humility from Mrs May, in her early hours of Thursday press conference, at the European Council meeting. She confirmed she was hugely frustrated not to have delivered Brexit by now, but she insisted she would press on (much as before) and seek to secure parliamentary support by mid May
The Tory Backlash has already begun
- The Sun says Theresa May's attempt to secure an extension for Article 50 in Parliament, a vote before she travelled to Brussels, saw 177 Tory MPs vote against the government proposal to do so. This meant more than half of her own party voted against her plan, even though the government whipped the MPs to back her proposal, they still defied her
- Arch Eurosceptic, Bill Cash, said he is going to launch a legal challenge to any Article 50 extension. Cash claims it will be illegal for the UK to be kept in the bloc beyond Friday of this week
- DUP leader, Arlene Foster, accused the Prime Minister of 'demeaning this great nation' in her weak approach to Brexit talks, disagreeing with May's plan to force people into backing her flawed Brexit deal
- The Daily Telegraph reports Tory MPs are plotting changing a Conservative Party rule which states a sitting Prime Minister cannot be kicked out with the 12 months following them winning a No Confidence vote. A number of unamed Tory MPs have called on their local party chairmen to gather signatures to push through a rule change, under schedule 9 of the Conservative Party constitution. It states that party rules can be changed if they are supported by 10,000 Tory party members
- The Sun said 'the new Brexit delay is the final confirmation of Theresa May's failure as Prime Minister.' It added 'she has no workable plan and there is little prospect that the customs union discussions with Jeremy Corbyn would ever get the support of the vast majority of Conservative MPs'
- The Independent said 'to the toughest sales pitch in the nation's history, enter Theresa May, its worst ever salesperson.' It pointed out that a long Article 50 extension will only yield a new British Prime Minister who is likely to come from the deranged wing of the Conservative Party, or Jeremy Corbyn - who would be a mirror image of them
- The image of Theresa May and her delegation sitting off elsewhere, waiting for the EU 27 leaders to discuss and decide the fate of Britain, did not go down well with journalists. Theresa May tried to make it sound positive that she had 'secured a break and leave' clause in the Article 50 extension deal, but this was going to be the case anyway
- May claimed her goal was to leave before June 30th but reiterated that the country now faces 'stark choices' and that 'the timetable is clear'
- Even the Labour Party was signalling failure in the Brexit talks with Theresa May. 'There is yet to be any clear evidence of real change, or compromise, on the government side which would be necessary for there to be an agreement. Theresa May is going to need to move away from her red lines in a substantive way if an agreement is ever to be reached'
Over half of UK voters want a second referendum
- More than half of the public would like the government's final Brexit deal to be put to a referendum, according to a new poll. The Kantar poll of 1,172 people found that 51% of Britons would support a referendum on the deal, once negotiations between the government and the EU come to an end
When is a Customs Union not a Customs Union?
- Leo Varadkar floated the idea of the UK having 'more independence to strike its own deals' if it were to agree a customs union with the EU in the future
On Off European Elections
- An early European Election voting intentions poll indicated that Labour would be on course for a 'blow-out' victory, according to pollsters Hanbury Strategy, who carried out the work for Open Europe
- The official starting gun for the UK European elections may have been fired, yet there is no certainty as to whether they will or will not take place. Theresa May in Brussels last night seemed certain that she could secure a Parliamentary withdrawl deal by May 22nd and the UK would not participate in the European elections. This is despite agreeing to participate (deadline April 12th)
Macron's hard man act got on everyone's nerves
- Bloomberg reported that French President, Emmanuel Macron was the strongest advocate of just letting Britain leave on June 30th. He argued fiercely against offering a year-long extension, and the October 31st date was an agreed compromise, after some intense discussions amongst the EU27 leaders
Few Incentives now for Tories or Labour to break the Brexit stalemate
- Labour believes May will sabotage any potential identicative vote on Brexit options, by ordering her MPs to vote against them. Thus, forcing more pressure on MPs to take her deal over the line. So The Times fears a further Brexit stalemate is likely
EU Citizens 'Settled Status' computer system plagued with computer woes
- Technical issues with the online application system have become a major issue for EU nationals seeking Settled Status. Some have been unable to get their email addresses even verified. Others have hit blank web pages at different parts of the online application process. The anger and frustration at the whole debacle is clearly mounting
Life-threatening drugs are scarce due to Brexit
- Epilepsy and cancer drugs are among the record number of products which are currently facing shortages across the NHS, due to ongoing Brexit uncertainty. Britain has become a 'less attractive market' for suppliers and this has caused price hikes and scarcity, according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee
Brexit stockpiling will have a sting in the tail for the economy
- BDO says that stockpiling of goods for customers caused by Brexit uncertainty has done some good for the economy and suppliers in the short term, but the likely glut it will cause, as the sales of inventories unwind will hit prices, which in turn will hit profitability and possibly jobs longer term
Economic Impact
Brexit stockpiling 'will have sting in the tail for economy' - claim
BDO's Mr Murphy fears this understandable degree of caution could have longer-term consequences. "Businesses have been stockpiling in fear of a hard border, so that if their customers need goods quickly, they'll have them. I can understand why they are doing this, but it is distorting some of the numbers. "If there's not a cataclysmic Brexit - and I don't think there will be - all those goods will have to be traded through. All of a sudden there will be a glut, which will affect prices. "All the indications suggest there won't be a hard border, even if it's a crash out and no deal, and there won't be any checks. "So while stockpiling may be a prudent thing to do, it could cause a sting in the tail."
IMF Issues Yet Another Warning Over U.K. Brexit Battle
The International Monetary Fund has produced another gloomy analysis of the dangers posed by a no-deal Brexit as the U.K. continues its attempts to avoid crashing out without an agreement at the end of this week. If Britain leaves without a deal this quarter, gross domestic product could be 1.4 percent lower in the first year when compared with a base-case scenario where an agreement is secured, the IMF said Tuesday. The hit rises to 3.5 percent by 2021, based on the gap between the scenario and current trend growth. A more chaotic exit, with heightened border disruptions and a greater tightening of financial conditions, could have a more severe impact, the study found.
Administrative Fall Out
Foreign nationals seeking 'settled status' in UK after Brexit hit by computer woes
Foreign nationals who have lived in the UK for years are being driven to despair by a government scheme aimed at guaranteeing their rights after Brexit. The Settled Status Advice Service, a campaign group which was set up to help applicants with the process, said technical issues with the online application system had been a “major issue” for EU nationals. Some have been unable to get their email addresses verified, while others have faced blank web pages at different parts of the online application process with no clear route forward.
Epilepsy and cancer drugs on record-high shortage list amid Brexit uncertainty
Medicines vital for managing epilepsy, cancer and life-threatening asthma attacks are among a record number of products which are currently facing shortages made worse by Brexit uncertainty. The number of drugs which the government is having to subsidise through the “concession” pricing list for short supply medicines has more than doubled since October. Britain’s impending exit from the European Union (EU) coupled with manufacturers’ views of the country as a “less attractive market” had caused the “significant” problems, according to the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC), which draws up the list.
More than 400,000 EU nationals apply to stay in UK after Brexit
More than 400,000 European nationals have applied to secure their stay in the UK after Brexit, the Home Office has disclosed. The number of applications received by the EU settlement scheme has increased by about 200,000 since it went live at the end of last month. More than 230,000 people applied during test phases before the full launch on 30 March. The Home Office also announced that 57 organisations would receive funding to help vulnerable applicants. Up to £9m has been set aside to ensure support is available to an estimated 200,000 individuals who may be marginalised or need extra help submitting their application.
Loss of EU doctors is a disaster for the NHS
It is disheartening that many doctors are feeling less welcome, writes Dr Chaand Nagpaul. Plus David Jost says Peterborough lost a very fine GP after the referendum
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: Over half of UK voters want second referendum
More than half of the public would like the Government’s final Brexit deal to be put to a referendum, according to a new poll. The Kantar poll of 1,172 people found that 51% of Britons would like a referendum to be held on the deal once negotiations between the Government and the EU have come to an end.
EU's Tusk tells UK - 'Don't waste Brexit overtime'
European Council President Donald Tusk told Britain on Thursday not to waste the extra time to sort out Brexit after the EU agreed a second delay to London’s departure until Oct.31. He said Britain still had all the options on Brexit available during the extension, from approving the stalled divorce deal, to changing its leave strategy to cancelling the departure altogether. EU leaders would review the situation at their regular summit in June. “June is not a cliff-edge, or a moment to take new decisions, it must be clear,” Tusk said. “June is not for decisions about extension. My intension is even not to discuss, but only to inform member states about the situation.”
Brexit: UK and EU agree Brexit delay to 31 October
The UK and the EU have agreed a "flexible extension" of Brexit until 31 October, European Council president Donald Tusk has said. Speaking after five hours of talks at an EU summit in Brussels, Mr Tusk said his "message to British friends" was "please do not waste this time". Theresa May said the UK would still aim to leave the EU as soon as possible. Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the UK must now hold European elections in May, or leave on 1 June without a deal.
Britain could have 'a say' in trade deals if it joins customs union after Brexit, Irish prime minister says
Britain should have “a say” in any future customs union it joined with the European Union after Brexit, Ireland’s prime minister has said. Leo Varadkar’s intervention comes amid talks between Labour and the government over whether the UK should have such a trade arrangement after Brexit. Mr Varadkar said the UK would not be a “silent partner” in a customs union and that it was in the interests of both the EU and UK to sign a deal.
May says she aims to finish Brexit by June 30
British Prime Minister Theresa May says the European Union has granted her “key request” to add an early exit clause to its agreement to a six-month Brexit extension. The U.K. and the EU agreed early Thursday to delay Brexit until Oct. 31, but May says she wants to leave “as soon as possible.” She says that if U.K. lawmakers back her Brexit deal, her country can still leave before June 30 — the Brexit deadline that she had requested from the bloc. May says Britain faces “stark” choices “and the timetable is clear.”
UK risks losing European commissioner role over Brexit delay
France is expected to demand the removal of the post of British European commissioner as a price for a long Brexit delay, leaving Britain without a seat at the top table of Brussels decision-making for the first time since 1973. Senior EU sources say the French president, Emmanuel Macron, is likely to seek to entrench the UK’s reduced status in the EU at the leaders’ Brexit summit on Wednesday evening. The British government will have to agree to losing its commissioner but it is unlikely the prime minister will put up a fight when she is presented with the terms of an extension.
May signals she would accept EU offer of longer Brexit delay
Theresa May has signalled that she would accept the EU’s likely offer of a lengthy Brexit delay at a summit of leaders as the UK would still be able to leave when the withdrawal agreement is approved. Arriving in Brussels, the prime minister said it would still possible for Britain to quit by 22 May if the Commons chose to approve her Brexit deal in the coming weeks. May is expected to have her request for a limited extension to 30 June rejected by the EU27 in favour of a longer potential delay to Brexit of up to a year. The EU is split 50:50 on whether to offer an extension to the end of the year or 31 March 2020. The prime minister has previously said that she could not countenance the UK remaining an EU member state after 30 June, and had wanted to keep pressure on MPs to back her deal by creating another cliff-edge date.
Brexiters oppose a second referendum for one simple reason: They think they'll lose
"A lot of my colleagues want to stop Brexit," Labour MP Lisa Nandy told Sophie Ridge yesterday. "They don't say that they want to stop Brexit. They say they want a second referendum." It's a legitimate, if a bit tired argument, that deserves no more elaborate an answer than 'well, duh'. And yet it is trotted out practically every time any journalist interviews a supporter of a People's Vote, as if it were some huge revelation. The reverse point, however, is almost never made, but it has even more profound democratic implications.
Bloodied and bruised, MPs are genuinely trying to do their best
Before you start dusting off the stocks and gathering your rotten fruit, let me assure you that I am not looking for sympathy. It’s a privilege to be an MP. But it does feel as if we are under siege. One colleague has been murdered, another has faced a plot to murder her, dozens of women have had every kind of blood-curdling threat hurled at them in the streets or on so-called social media. Angry activists talk of treason, betrayal and treachery and our in-boxes are full of emails with too many capital letters. Just this weekend one MP had his house daubed, another had a violent attack at his constituency surgery, a third had her office windows smashed, and two other women MPs had to call the police
May prepares to plead for short Brexit delay
Theresa May today acknowledged that European leaders would reject her pleas for a short Brexit extension to keep pressure on MPs to approve her deal. Arriving at a special European summit in Brussels, the prime minister said that even though she had asked for a limited extension until June 30, most important was that the UK could leave as soon as the withdrawal agreement was ratified. EU leaders are expected to offer the prime minister an extension until December or even March next year. Under Article 50, it would end as soon as a Brexit deal was concluded.
Theresa May sets herself up to stay on as prime minister until 2020 as EU eyes long Brexit extension
Theresa May is set to enrage her critics within the Conservative party after setting herself up to stay on as prime minister until 2020 while presiding over a long delay to Brexit. She told MPs just weeks ago that she was “not prepared to delay Brexit any further than 30 June” as prime minister and said she would resign once this stage of talks was complete – prompting her rivals to gear up for a summer leadership contest. But as EU leaders met on Wednesday night to decide on another Article 50 extension that could run until at least the end of the year, a Conservative source said the prime minister’s promised departure was tied to passing the withdrawal agreement rather than a specific date.
Are Labour really heading for a landslide win in the European elections?
Labour are on course for a blow-out victory in the coming European elections, at least if the first poll of the contest, by Hanbury Strategy for the think tank Open Europe. However, many polls struggle to reach voters from certain groups - smart phone usage may be high among the Labour voting young, but much lower across the over 50s or 60s - as an example. So don't be too quick to put any weight on this intial poll and wait for more work to appear
Britain and EU wrestle with Boris Johnson question
“The idea of a ‘Boris lock’ is ridiculous,” said a senior Conservative MP. “Parliament can’t bind its successors, no matter what the prime minister might agree with Labour or the EU.”Labour remains agitated about Mr Johnson as Westminster is absorbed by speculation that Mrs May’s last days as prime minister are approaching. Although Mrs May has said she would only resign once her Brexit deal is passed by parliament, most Conservative MPs believe she will leave office in the autumn. Others believe she will have been pushed out by the summer Mr Johnson is the favoured candidate of the party’s grassroots, according to surveys by the ConservativeHome website. He is also the favourite in the betting markets — followed by former Brexit secretary Dominic Raab and environment secretary Michael Gove. All three are strong Brexit proponents, and Mr Johnson and Mr Raab are fierce critics of Mrs May’s exit deal with the EU, although they voted for it in the House of Commons at the third time of asking. Hence Labour’s fear that, without strong guarantees, any deal with Mrs May might fail to last out the year.
Theresa May is going to revoke Article 50 and she just can't admit it
In the 1,022 days since 17.4million people voted for Brexit, some wonderful things have happened. Most of the country now understands the Good Friday Agreement, knows how the single market works, and has figured out that Boris Johnson is about as poisonous, emissions-wise, as a rocket made of bratwurst and powered by some posh throbber hanging out of the window and shouting "BLAAAAAH!" at passers-by. This newly-discovered knowledge is of benefit to the nation, but there is a price to pay. We've also got political chaos, the Far Right, and some sadist on a TV news desk has deemed it necessary for us to have a daily dose of that strutting knuckle Mark Francois.
Blow for Theresa May as poll shows Tories face European elections drubbing
Theresa May hopes to get her deal through ahead of 23 May so that Britain does not have to take part, however it appears increasingly likely that the UK will need to send MEPs to Brussels as part of an agreed extension with the bloc. A poll for Open Europe found that fewer than one in four voters (23%) would opt for the Tories, while Jeremy Corbyn’s party would rake in 38% of the vote.
Labour and Tories reluctantly prepare for European elections
The official starting gun has been fired on a set of UK European elections that are distinct in two particular ways: first, they might never happen; and second, if they do, the smaller parties are looking forward to them more than the main ones. On Monday, a “day of poll order” was laid in parliament, putting in place the legal groundwork for voting on 23 May, something that will not happen if Theresa May secures a Brexit deal in the interim.
EU grants UK Brexit delay until 'October 31'
The UK has been granted an extension to Article 50, with reports suggesting that it could be until Halloween, with a review in June. Theresa May is yet to agree to the offer and will meet with European Council President Donald Tusk in the early hours of Thursday morning. Late on Wednesday night, following a summit with EU leaders which lasted for more than six hours, Mr Tusk confirmed an extension had been agreed on, tweeting that the "EU27 has agreed an extension of Article 50" and that he will now meet Theresa May to get the UK Government's agreement to these plans.
Labour on track for victory in European parliament elections that could hand EU commission presidency to socialists, polls show
A strong result for Labour in the European parliament elections could be enough to hand the European Commission presidency back to the continent’s centre-left, according to the latest polls. The race to replace Jean-Claude Juncker as commission president is in practice a contest between the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), which has dominated the parliament since 1999, and the centre-left socialist group. Under the EU’s so-called “Spitzenkandidat” system the lead candidate for the group that comes top in the elections becomes the commission president, as long as member states approve. With the latest polling showing a Labour landslide in the UK, Britain’s 73 MEPs could be enough to tip the balance of power in Brussels and clinch victory for the socialists – shifting the priorities of the whole EU leftwards.
Theresa May stands by pledge to cling on until Brexit deal is done
Theresa May will attempt to cling to power during the Brexit delay as Conservative sources said she was sticking by her pledge to see through the first phase of talks and pass a withdrawal deal. As EU leaders gathered to discuss an extension to article 50 of about nine months, May dropped her promise not to allow a delay to Brexit beyond 30 June while she was prime minister. However, she is abiding by her decision to step down only once a Brexit deal with the EU has been passed by parliament, meaning she looks likely to stay on and keep trying to push through a withdrawal agreement for as long as it takes. Arriving at the talks, May signalled she would accept a much longer delay from EU leaders – expected to be nine to 12 months – as long as there was a “break clause” allowing the UK to leave as soon as MPs approve a deal with a meaningful vote.
Brexit Delayed Until Halloween But UK Can Leave Earlier If It Can Agree Exit Deal
Theresa May has agreed to delay Brexit until Halloween to avoid Britain crashing out of the EU with no deal on Friday. During an historic six hour summit in Brussels, the other 27 EU leaders thrashed out the length and terms of a so-called “flextension” which will come to an end on October 31 over four hours, with the prime minister locked out of the room. May had been asking for a short delay until June 30 to avoid a no-deal Brexit on the previously agreed cliff edge April 12, previously suggesting she could resign if Article 50 was extended any longer. But she accepted the six-month postponement after stressing that her main goal was ensuring the UK could get out of the EU early if she could find a way to break the Westminster impasse and pass a Brexit deal in parliament.
The Guardian view on Britain in Europe: an inevitable partnership
Brexit delay will force the UK to confront the fact that its future is intertwined with the European project
What makes somebody change their mind about Brexit?
Leading Brexiter voice Peter Oborne has done a U-turn, showing that even locked-in beliefs have a tipping point
Political Setbacks
New Brexit delay is the final confirmation of Theresa May’s failure as a Prime Minister
The new Brexit postponement is the final confirmation of Theresa May’s failure. She must now accept the game is up. She has done her best. But she had one job and has not delivered on it. Nor can she. She has no workable plan to do so. There is no deal the Prime Minister and Corbyn could cook up that would secure a majority, leaving Labour MPs willing to quit
To the toughest sales pitch in the nation’s history, enter Theresa May, its worst ever salesperson
A long extension is very much likely to yield unto them a British prime minister from the deranged wing of the Conservative Party, or Jeremy Corbyn, who has expanded the deranged wing of the Labour Party so as to take it over entirely. And if you think Theresa May and co have done an abysmal job negotiating Brexit, just wait till those legends have a go, the ones with their semi-customs union that isn’t a customs union but does give the UK a say over the actual customs union that they’re not even in.
The EU’s new October extension finishes off May and her deal
Wednesday night’s humiliation, when 27 other nations decided our fate – a taster of Norway-plus or “common market 2.0”, where decisions are made about the UK without our presence – exposes the lies of the Brexiters and the impossibility of a strong and stable position outside the EU. History will recall that Britons did not value their power in Europe until they lost it. Theresa May, too, was humiliated once again but it does not cut deeply since she appears to feels no shame. She remains convinced she was and is right: that blame is to be found with her detractors and not with her deal or leadership.
Macron Gets on Everyone's Nerves With Brexit Hard Man Act
The compromise that was ultimately reached, for an October cutoff, means the U.K. would leave before the next EU Commission takes office and limit London’s entanglement in the next phase of EU business. Macron claimed that as a win.
But to get there he exposed the tensions between the 27 countries negotiating with Britain for the first time in the talks. All he got for it was a reduction of a few months in the deadline. And Britain could still get another extension after October.
Theresa May admits 'huge frustration' as she agrees Halloween Brexit delay
Theresa May has agreed a delay to Brexit until Halloween after EU leaders offered another extension to Article 50 at a late-night Brussels summit. In the early hours of the morning, leaders of the remaining 27 EU member states decided to give the prime minister an extra six-and-a-half-month period in which to break the Brexit deadlock at Westminster. European Council President Donald Tusk warned the UK: "Please do not waste this time."
Few incentives for Tories or Labour to break Brexit stalemate
Jeremy Corbyn’s MPs are not so optimistic about the idea of new binding votes. They fear that the bulk of Tory MPs, rather than coming off the fence to support softer Brexit options, will oppose them all again in an attempt to ensure that Mrs May’s deal is closer to a majority than any other option. At that point the pressure would become more intense than ever on Labour MPs (and Tory holdouts) to take her deal over the line. Or to put it another way: neither the cross-party talks nor another indicative votes process looks likely to succeed. Which means the Brexit stalemate is likely to endure despite the EU’s extension.
Hardline Brexiteers want to blame the Queen for their grim mistakes, truly the Leave campaign is eating itself
Andrew Lilico has been one of Brexit’s most bizarre and outspoken commentators. He was dragged from obscurity by a Leave campaign scrambling for supporters who could offer some kind of counter argument to the legions of economists warning of Brexit’s dangers. His latest intervention was to brand the monarchy “no longer fit for purpose” in an extraordinary tweet reacting to the passing of the Bill.
He was backed up by Suzanne Evans, the former Ukip leadership candidate, who described his comment as “spot on”. What makes these quasi-Republican conversions so astonishing is that Brexit was supposed to strengthen the role of parliament in British law and policymaking. So, in some senses, not only has Her Majesty done nothing wrong in passing legislation approved by parliament, she has in fact stood firmly behind the most central principle in the (unwritten) British constitution: namely that parliament is sovereign.
Outrage as more than 160 MPs make £42million profit selling homes YOU helped pay for
Campaigners last night demanded MPs who pocketed vast sums after flogging their taxpayer-subsidised homes pay back the cash. On the 10th anniversary of the Westminster expenses scandal that shocked Britain, the Mirror can reveal 160 politicians raked in more than £42million in profits selling properties public money helped fund.
Iain Duncan Smith asked if his ‘entire professional life as a politician has been a waste of time’ during Sky News Brexit clash
Iain Duncan Smith said 'puffed up' politicians are trying to 'deny' people Brexit Sky News' Adam Boulton asked him if his 'entire professional life as a politician has been a waste of time' as a result
WATCH: Minister supports sticker suggestion to solve EU passport issue
A Home Office minister appeared to agree with a suggestion for her department to produce peel-off “European Union” stickers for those who still want it on their passport. The mocking suggestion was sugegested by a Brexiteer in the House of Lords as ministers were challenged over the issuing of the travel documents without the words on the front cover despite the Brexit delay.
Tories resigned to long Brexit delay but warn against customs union
Conservative MPs have said they are now unhappily resigned to a long extension to the date for leaving the EU. Many in the Tory party now believe May is likely to be forced out if she agrees deal with Labour
New bid to oust Theresa May as MPs attempt to gather 10,000 signatures to change the Tory constitution
Tory MPs are plotting to oust Theresa May by changing a party rule which states that a Prime Minister cannot be kicked out within 12 months of winning a no confidence vote. With the Tories plunged into civil war following Mrs May’s attempted customs union compromise with Jeremy Corbyn, a number of unnamed MPs have called on their association chairmen to gather signatures to push through the rule change under schedule 9 of the Conservative Party Constitution.
It states that party rules can be changed with a petition signed by 10,000 Tory members.
Grovelling Britain has officially surrendered to a triumphant EU
So now, the begging. Theresa May has gone off to Brussels to say that Britain is very sorry, we know we have many faults and the EU has been quite right to be strict with us, but could we please stay? We’ll be good, honest we will! You’ll see!
Apparently the French are sceptical and Emmanuel Macron is to tell us that we’ll only be allowed to stay if we promise to be a good little country, sitting still and being quiet, not making any fuss about the EU’s Budget or any other plans.
Exasperated Nick Ferrari Reveals He's Finally Given Up On Brexit
Brexiteer presenter Nick Ferrari confessed he had given up on Brexit, admitting that he's had "enough" and wants the country to move on. Theresa May is facing the prospect of being offered a Brexit delay of up to a year at an emergency EU summit in Brussels. The prime minister has been pushing for a delay to the end of June, with the possibility of Britain leaving at an earlier date if her Brexit deal is approved.
But her hopes look set to be dashed, having already been granted one short extension to the process. In a letter to the remaining 27 EU member states, European Council President Donald Tusk said that the European Council should discuss a longer extension, such as a "flexible extension" lasting "as long as necessary and no longer than one year"
Labour warns Brexit talks with Government will fail unless Theresa May ditches red lines
A Labour spokesman painted a gloomier picture of how the talks are going. He said: "Jeremy (Corbyn) made clear that we would enter into those talks in a serious way without setting limits and to explore the possibilities of coming to find an alternative plan that could win support in Parliament, be negotiated with the EU and bring the country together. That’s the way we’ve approached the talks. "They are being conducted in a serious, detailed and engaged way. But at the same time, as Jeremy, Becky Long Bailey and Keir Starmer have all said at different points, we’ve yet to see clear evidence of the kind of real change and compromise that would be necessary to reach an agreement. "The Government side has been engaged in the detail explaining its position and how it sees its own deal, which has been rejected three times in Parliament. But there really is going to need to be a move off their red lines in a substantive way if we’re going to reach an agreement." The spokesman added: "We're not walking off the talks, but this process obviously has to move forward."
@ByDonkeys We’re in Brussels reminding Europe’s leaders of the donkeys responsible for this Brexit shambles.
We’re in Brussels reminding Europe’s leaders of the donkeys responsible for this Brexit shambles. SOUND ON. (Location: European Parliament Liaison Office)
Macron to warn Theresa May that Britain will have no say over trade in Brexit customs union
Emmanuel Macron will warn Theresa May that Britain will never have a say over trade negotiations if it joins a customs union with the EU at tonight’s summit in Brussels, in a blow to the prime minister's hopes of securing a cross-party Brexit compromise. Mr Macron will insist that whatever the result of cross-party talks on the future UK-EU relationship, the “autonomy of EU decision-making” must be protected, including on trade. Whatever compromise is found, Mr Macron will warn, it must respect the EU’s long-held Brexit red lines and will not allow any “cherry-picking”. An EU diplomat said, “If Britain relaxes its Brexit red lines, we can help but we are not changing any of our red lines.”
PM's weak Brexit approach demeans this great nation, says Arlene Foster
DUP leader Arlene Foster has accused the Prime Minister of "demeaning the strength of this great nation" in her "weak" approach to the Brexit talks. Mrs Foster said the decision to leave the EU was not the problem but rather Theresa May's "ham-fisted" approach to the talks and accused the Prime Minister of trying to force people into backing her Brexit deal.
Labour warns Brexit talks with Government will fail unless Theresa May ditches red lines
Talks aimed at reaching a Brexit deal between the Government and opposition are doomed to fail unless Theresa May ditches her red lines, Labour has warned.
Brexiteer big beasts lead Tory revolt as 177 of May’s own MPs fail to back another Brexit delay
Cabinet Brexiteer big-wigs last night led a fresh Tory revolt on Theresa May's plan to seek another delay to leaving the EU. Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox were two of 177 Tory MPs who failed to support a June 30 extension, which the PM is begging other EU leaders for today. Some 97 Tories voted against the motion to seek a delay in a move forced on the Government by Labour’s Yvette Cooper.
That included ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, ex-DWP boss Esther McVey and former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. And a further 80 abstained including Attorney General Geoffrey Cox – despite being ‘whipped’ by party chiefs to support it. One member of the Government told The Sun: "I told the whips I just couldn't vote for a delay even if that got me sacked - they turned a blind eye." And dozens are thought to be away from Westminster on holiday despite Easter recess being cancelled. But it meant just 131 Tories actually backed the PM’s formal request
Brexiteer claims it is ILLEGAL for UK to stay in the EU beyond Friday
An arch-Eurosceptic today warned the EU he will launch a legal challenge in Britain if they delay Brexit for up to a year tonight. Tory MP Sir Bill Cash says he believes it will be illegal for the UK to be kept in the bloc beyond Friday and will go to court if Theresa May accepts any Article 50 extension.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 12th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Time on her hands
- 'Please do not waste (Brexit extension) this time,' President of the European Council, Donald Tusk, told the European media, in a message clearly directed at Britain
- Tusk went on to say to the Polish Press Agency 'maybe we can avoid the UK leaving - it's my quiet dream'
- In Parliament on Thursday, Theresa May got a loud cheer when she agreed to send MPs on an 11-day Easter break. She urged them to reflect on how to break the Brexit impasse, adding hyperbolically, 'nothing is more vital'
- In Parliament Theresa May stressed her determination to plough ahead with cross-party talks, aimed at striking a Brexit consensus, meanwhile, she shrugged off calls for her resignation from furious Tory backbenchers
- May also stressed her belief that the UK can still exit the EU by the end of May, despite calls in newspapers such as The Evening Standard: 'We must go back to the people'
- Sky News said it believed Theresa May was afraid of dropping her Brexit red lines. In talks with the Labour Party the PM spoke of additions and clarifications to the political declaration that could encompass some form of customs union. But non-legally binding changes may not be enough to calm a Labour leader worried about a future Brexiteer PM ripping up the promises of their predecessor
- May's Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox, did his best to reassure that the government is prepared to listen to the option of a second confirmatory referendum. This is despite Theresa May ruling it out during PMQs. Cox said there were no preconditions to the negotiations, so it is safe to assume it is just May's Red Lines which are now the only obstacle to progress
- The 'June mid-term report' to the EU Council, will be significant for Theresa May's future. She's already told Parliament that she could not delay the UK's departure beyond June 30th as Prime Minister, as the newly elected European Parliament sits on July 1st. If May fails to get her Withdrawal Agreement through the House of Commons to stop the European Elections and hustle the UK out of Europe by the end of June, every option will be back in play
Tory Leadership Knives are being sharpened
- The Daily Telegraph reports the Conservatives are now polling at a similar level to John Major's doomed government in 1997.
- The calls for Theresa May to resign resonated in the House of Commons from Brexiteer quarters, as they felt a second Brexit extension was a betrayal
- The Daily Mail said 'Tory chiefs are preparing for a summer leadership contest.' Senior officials have drawn up detailed plans for hustings between leadership candidates and have scouted locations to hold them across the country
- The Guardian said 'cut the pretence, something is happening to the Tories, it is becoming the new home for hardliners, catastrophists and those wishing to take up residence in la-la land'
- ITV observered that not only a Tory leadership election is now in play, there could also be a General Election, adding the Tories could become the No Deal Brexit Party and Labour might morph into the Referendum Party
No Deal - Operation Brock civil servants told to stand down
- Sky News reported it had seen leaked emails from the Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill, calling on all civil servants in a frontline Brexit department to stand down from emergency No Deal Brexit preparations with immediate effect
Brexit is driving Brits mad
- A new survey said 1-in-3 of all UK adults said the UK's departure from the EU has had a negative effect on their wellbeing. 'The political uncertainty has left people powerless,' the survey said, 'this is directly affecting their mental health by increasing the stress levels that already exist in their lives'
Property prices in London and the South East edge down due to Brexit
- RICS reports that demand from house buyers is falling, with the number of new inquiries also down for the eighth consecutive month. The average time for a house to sell has now risen to 19 weeks, the longest since RICS surveys of this question began
Nightmare Brexit uncertainty is harming UK firms
- Bloomberg reported companies spending vast sums on stockpiling only to find the EU exit date moves and they are stuck with the stock as well as the loans used to buy the extra stock
Liverpool Pro-Brexit Protest Ends in a 5-man Farce
- A group of five people used their cars to block the entrance to an Aldi in Neston in a futile protest
Home Office admit EU citizens personal data breach
- The Home Office apologised to hundreds of EU citizens seeking settled status after it accidentally shared their details. Around 240 personal email addresses, a likely breach of the data protection act, were publicly shared
Brexit is like a slow puncture for the UK economy
- Business investment has fallen for four quarters in a row, few companies are launching any kind of risk-based investment venture and this uncertainty is likely to continue for the next few months
UK car production could halve in a No Deal Brexit scenario - study
- Matthias Holweg, an automotive expert at Oxford University, authored a new study which concluded car production in Britain could collapse by almost half by the mid 2020's in a No Deal Brexit scenario, with plant closures triggering job losses across the country
Investors flee UK stock funds on the back of Brexit worries
- Unease over Brexit has sent investors fleeing from UK stock funds for the fourth consecutive week. The total drained from these funds now stands at nearly $25bn since the 2016 vote on leaving the EU
David Cameron memoirs set to launch this autumn, despite the Brexit extension
- Despite a reported agreement between Cameron and Theresa May to hold the memoirs back until the UK had left the EU, publisher William Collins has now taken the steps required to ensure his book will launch before the new proposed Brexit deadline
Economic Impact
UK car production could halve in no-deal Brexit scenario – study
Car production in Britain could collapse by almost half by the mid-2020s in a no-deal Brexit scenario, with plant closures triggering job losses across the country, according to an Oxford University study. Matthias Holweg, an automotive expert at Oxford, said Britain leaving the EU without a deal and trading on World Trade Organization terms would trigger a big fall in output. According to the study, car production has already slipped by about 9% since the EU referendum in 2016. Production volumes have fallen from more than 1.7m cars per year to less than 1.5m, but could drop further to about 900,000 a year in 2026 if Britain leaves without a deal.
Investors flee UK stock funds on Brexit worries
Unease over Brexit has sent investors fleeing from UK stock funds for a fourth consecutive week, bringing the total drained from such funds to nearly $25bn since the 2016 vote on leaving the EU. Investors withdrew $304.5m from funds that invest in UK shares for the week ending Wednesday, extending the total for the year past $1bn and to $24.8bn since the vote three years ago, according to EPFR Global data. “The continued uncertainty and a cloudy road map on Brexit and what it will mean for trade relationships and corporate earnings are leading to outflows,” said David Donabedian, chief investment officer from Atlantic Trust. “Investors, both domestic and international, are looking for other places to grow their money.”
Brexit is like a slow puncture for the UK economy
Business investment has fallen for the past four quarters and the new Brexit date is likely to prolong the uncertainty. Few companies have ceased replacing worn-out capital equipment — for example, van sales were 10.6 per cent up on an annual basis in March — but many sectors are exposed. This is not the time to install a new car production line in Britain or start building a speculative office development.
IMF's Lagarde says further Brexit delay will 'hinder' UK growth
Further uncertainty over Brexit will hinder growth in the UK economy, the head of IMF has told the BBC. Speaking ahead of the agreement of an extension to Article 50, Christine Lagarde warned that businesses and investors will remain hesitant in the coming months. She said any prolonged uncertainty would have a "negative impact". Ms Lagarde, a former French finance minister, said she hoped a deal could be struck quickly
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit a major drag on UK housing market, say surveyors
Average stock levels on estate agents’ books close to a record low while enquiries from buyers fall for eighth month in a row
Brexit: Home Office sorry for EU citizen data breach
The Home Office has apologised to hundreds of EU citizens seeking settled status in the UK after accidentally sharing their details. It blamed an "administrative error" for sending an email that revealed 240 personal email addresses - a likely breach of the Data Protection Act. The department may now have to make an apology in Parliament. In a statement to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, it said it had since improved its systems and procedures.
'This is Brexit at its best' claim five protesters who blocked off an Aldi
The group of around five people parked their vehicles across the road so delivery trucks could not pass...A small group of Brexiters blocked a main road into an Aldi supermarket depot - because they want Brexit to happen now. The group of around five supporters came in cars and camper vans and blocked Chester High Road, in Neston, last night. In a video taken by a passerby members of the group can be seen brandishing placards and wearing British flags around themselves. Meanwhile a man with a microphone shouts 'this is Brexit at its best' as another woman, with a flag wrapped around her head, shouts 'we are here'.
IMF says Brexit delay means businesses face more uncertainty
The decision to extend the UK’s Brexit deadline will mean another six months of uncertainty for business, the head of the International Monetary Fund has warned.
Christine Lagarde, the IMF’s managing director, said that while she welcomed the fact that Britain would not leave the EU without a deal on Friday, nothing had been resolved. The decision gave more time for discussions between the political parties and for companies to prepare for all options, Lagarde said. “On the other hand, it is obvious it is continued uncertainty. And it does not resolve, other than by postponing what would have been a terrible outcome.” The IMF said earlier this week that leaving the EU without a deal risked pushing the UK into a two-year recession.
Operation Brock 'deactivated' on M20 after Brexit delays
A no-deal Brexit plan in which one side of a motorway was reserved for lorries is to be removed after Britain's departure from the EU was delayed. Operation Brock, intended to tackle queues created by delays at the border, had been in place since 25 March. One side of the M20 was used only by HGVs heading to Dover, with all other traffic restricted to a contraflow system on the opposite carriageway. Highways England said work would begin overnight to "deactivate" the system. The UK's departure from the EU had been set for 29 March, but has now been extended until 31 October.
Anger as ‘Nightmare’ Brexit Delay ‘Screws’ U.K. Firms
For Pooch & Mutt, the U.K.’s hesitation by the Brexit door is more than an annoyance; it’s costing real money. The British maker of superfoods for pets built up about 400,000 pounds ($520,000) worth of extra product as it prepared for the potential disruption of a no-deal Brexit on March 29 and April 12. Now that the split has been delayed a second time, the supplier to Waitrose supermarkets, grocer J Sainsbury Plc and Pets at Home Group Plc needs a loan to cover the cost of its stockpile. “It just screws us,’’ said founder Guy Blaskey, saying the storage expense means less money to hire staff. “Until we know what’s going on, we need to keep our stock levels high.’’
Property prices in London and South East hit by Brexit, surveyors say
Brexit is being blamed for continuing uncertainty in the housing market, with prices expected to edge downwards over the coming months. Demand from buyers is falling, with the number of new inquiries down for the eighth consecutive month, according to The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). And the average time for a home to sell - 19 weeks - is the longest since 2017, which is the joint lowest since the institution started recording this.
Germany's Mittelstand are hardly prepared for Brexit
Germany’s mid-sized manufacturers, collectively known as the Mittelstand, form the backbone of the world’s fourth-largest economy. The fifth-biggest export market for their precision-engineered machinery and components is Britain, especially its car industry. Brexit, then, should be a worry. Yet according to bvwm, their trade association, only 17.6% of Mittelständler surveyed at the end of 2018 said they were “well prepared” for Brexit. Fully 77% thought Brexit would not affect them.
'Please do not waste this time,' EU council chief tells UK after another Brexit extension
The latest Brexit extension “is as flexible as I expected and a little bit shorter than I expected, but it’s still enough to find the best possible solution,” said Donald Tusk, president of the European Council. EU leaders and the U.K. government have agreed to a “flexible extension” of the Brexit deadline until Oct. 31. Many EU leaders had wanted a much longer extension possibly until March 2020, but French President Emmanuel Macron said he took responsibility for blocking such a long delay.
Brexit uncertainty affecting mental health of 1 in 3 UK adults, study shows
Uncertainty about the future of Brexit is affecting the mental health of a third of UK adults, a new survey has found. Around 33 per cent of people said Britain's departure from the European Union has had a negative effect on their wellbeing, according to a poll by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). Older people were more likely to be affected by anxieties over Brexit with 37 per cent of over-65s saying it had a negative impact on their mental wellbeing, compared with just 28 per cent of 16-24 year-olds. Louise Taylor, a counsellor based in Cheshire, said the UK's uncertain future had left people feeling powerless, which was directly impacting their mental health. “While some people may be genuinely worried about their job, some people may have uncertainty in life anyway,” Ms Taylor said. “Brexit just adds to it by making the stress in their lives worse.”
Thieves blowing up cash machines 'to buy guns and bombs for Brexit'
Footage has emerged of the moment a cash machine was ripped from a wall in Northern Ireland. It comes after police warned of similar incidents involving ATM machines in North Wales over the past few months, the latest just a few weeks ago in Llanrwst. The raid in Londonderry however is the eighth in its region so far this year, with fears growing that its of political significance, as reported by Belfast Live .
The shocking CCTV footage, of the incident early Sunday morning, shows a republican gang member operating a digger as it smashes into a shop - while two accomplices watch on. Once the safe was removed from the wall, the thieves loaded the ATM into their van and drove away - yet to be officially identified.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: May insists UK can still exit EU by end of next month
Theresa May has dispatched shattered MPs for a 10-day Easter recess, and urged them to use the time away from Westminster to “reflect on the decisions that will have to be made swiftly on our return,” after European Union leaders set 31 October as the new Brexit deadline. The prime minister addressed the House of Commons after her return from the late-night summit in Brussels at which EU27 leaders thrashed out an extension to article 50. She stressed her determination to plough ahead with cross-party talks aimed at striking a Brexit consensus; and shrugged off calls for her resignation from backbenchers furious at the fresh delay.
“Let us use the opportunity of the recess to reflect on the decisions that will have to be made swiftly on our return after Easter. And let us then resolve to find a way through this impasse. So that we can leave the EU with a deal as soon as possible,” May told MPs.
A general election is (probably) coming – and that will unlock Brexit
All things being equal, however, the clever money must now be on the 31 October deadline. It’s not as if the sound of a ticking clock has inspired parliament to decisive action to date. May failed to convince wavering MPs to back her deal even with the real prospect of no deal looming, so it’s hard to see how she can do so now. If she stays, it is hard to see how this ends.
'TIME'S UP!' May warned of shock Cabinet plot which could REMOVE her from No10
Theresa May secured her survival in Number 10 after two attempts to bring her down in December over discontent with her Brexit withdrawal agreement within her own party. While Conservative Party regulation rules out a new confidence vote within a year from the last poll cast, public policy expert James Crabtree suggested Tory MPs may be able to oust her as fury grows over her acceptance of a new delay to Brexit. Speaking to CNBC, Prof Crabtree said: "In theory, they can’t have another leadership campaign until December but if half the Cabinet resigns en masse, or if half her parliamentary party say they want her to go, which they do, then her position becomes untenable.
Labour considers automatic voter registration to add millions to electoral roll
All British adults could be automatically registered to vote under radical plans being considered by Jeremy Corbyn‘s Labour Party. The move could see around seven million voters being added to the electoral register, with huge numbers of young and low income individuals automatically enrolled for the first time. Mr Corbyn's party believes the current system of individual registration has so far failed to give a voice to huge swathes of the UK public, and Labour will now examine various models around the world. According to the most up-to-date analysis by the Electoral Commission, between 7.6 and 8.3 million eligible people were not correctly registered to vote across Great Britain in 2015, including one in three under the age of 34.
SNP split over referendum priority in Brexit delay
A split has emerged at the top of the SNP over how to use the six-month delay to Brexit. Nicola Sturgeon said the time should be used to hold a second EU referendum. However senior members of her party responded by saying the priority should be a second vote on independence instead. Western Isles MP Angus Brendan MacNeil said the SNP should not be "kicking the Indyref2 can" down the road. He suggested on Twitter that a referendum could be held as soon as August “but Scot Gov would need to campaign on that and not Euroref2 to be a reality”.
There’s an upside to our Brexit humiliation – a second referendum is more likely
Even EU council president Donald Tusk, who has been heroic in standing up for the UK, could not conceal the sense of frustration that yet again, Europe is having to listen to Theresa May tell it that she could find an approach to get MPs behind a way forward. Leaders who have been subject to her direct lobbying see her as the anti-diplomat. President Macron appeared more aggressive towards the British after her pre-summit visit to Paris than he was before. Other European leaders watching her press conference would have been shaking their heads once again.
The EU has given us the gift of time. Soon we must go back to the people
As Theresa May awaited her call into the EU summit last night, there was no mistaking the humiliating mess that has been made of Brexit — one that few foresaw following the 2016 referendum. I was disappointed by the result but felt it had to be respected. The public had voted, the majority went for Leave and that was an end to the matter. Three years later, the argument is not about who won but what has gone wrong since.
@SkyNewsBreak Sky Sources say civil servants have been told to stand down no deal Brexit operational planning with immediate effect
Sky Sources say civil servants have been told to stand down no deal Brexit operational planning with immediate effect
‘No vision, robotic and bland’ - Telegraph readers on the Conservative party’s youth problem
New findings were published this week from the Onward think-tank which revealed that the Conservatives’ popularity among younger votes, and in particular millennials, was moving backwards. The think-tank concluded that the average age at which a voter typically begins to vote Tory has increased from 47 in 2017 to 51 in 2019. Furthermore, the gap between younger and older voters is now 50 percentage points larger than the 1945 average. Considering that wartime leader Winston Churchill once proclaimed those who weren’t Conservative by 35 “had no brain”, it is perhaps of no surprise that Prime Ministerial hopeful, Penny Mordaunt, called the findings a “kick up the ****” for her party.
The next Tory leader can still win big by reaching out to working-class voters
There is only one catch in the coming Tory leadership election, and that is a Catch-22. Whoever succeeds Theresa May will need to work out how to build a new coalition of voters and supporters to win in future, but before that they cannot afford to lose their existing coalition of MPs. Yet divisions among Tories in the House of Commons risk making it impossible to build any future, winning coalition.
The facts are as follows. The Conservatives, even with DUP support, no longer have a working majority. Their MPs are split between those who want no deal, those who want to leave with a deal, and those who want to stop Brexit
Brexit: EU Council president Donald Tusk says 'maybe we can avoid the UK leaving - it's my quiet dream'
European Council president Donald Tusk has said it is his “quiet dream” for the UK to stay in the EU after the bloc’s leaders offered to delay Brexit until Halloween. In a dramatic night in Brussels, European leaders rebuffed Theresa May’s calls for a short extension to 30 June, instead offering the prime minister a longer extension to 31 October to find a way through the Brexit deadlock. Mr Tusk appeared to confirm Brexiteer fears that Britain's departure from the EU was being kicked into the long grass, telling Polish media that Brexit could be avoided. "Maybe we can avoid the UK leaving the EU - this is obviously not my role, but it's my personal, quiet dream," he told the Polish Press Agency.
I know about public inquiries. The Brexiteers face a reckoning
I have considerable experience of public inquiries. As a journalist covering them; think Franks and the Falklands. As a government official involved in establishing them, such as the Saville Inquiry into the Bloody Sunday killings. As a witness having to appear at them. Hutton. Leveson. Chilcot. Even today I can’t hear the first and third of those names without a certain level of anxiety – especially Hutton. Had the judge not found as he did (thank heavens he got to the truth not the media lies that led us to the tragedy of David Kelly’s death in the first place) it would have led not just to my demise but more importantly that of the government.
Emergency £4billion plans for a no-deal Brexit are halted
The Government is standing down emergency preparations for a no-deal Brexit following the latest delay to Britain’s withdrawal from the EU, it has been reported.
The decision to halt no-deal operational planning by officials was taken at a meeting chaired by Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill, according to a leaked email seen by Sky News. The email, which was said to have been sent to all civil servants in an unnamed “front line Brexit department”, says the suspension was taking place with “immediate effect”.
Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May hold more talks as hopes rise over possible customs deal
Mrs May said: "I think there is actually more agreement in relation to a customs union than is often given credit for when different language is used. "We’ve been very clear that we want to obtain the benefits of a customs union - no tariffs, no rules of origin checks and no quotas - while being able to operate our own independent trade policy. "The Labour Party has said they want a say in trade policy - the question is how we ensure we can provide for this country to be in charge of its trade policy in the future." Mr Corbyn described the cross-party talks - which began last week - as "serious and detailed" and added: "If these talks are to be a success, the Government will have to compromise." He also hit out at International Trade Secretary Liam Fox, who described a customs union as "the worst of both worlds" in a letter to Graham Brady, chairman of the Tory backbench 1922 Committee. The Labour leader said that was "an attempt to scupper" the negotiations between his party and the Government.
I’ve got the best job in British politics: being an MEP
As a single MEP you have an enormous amount of potential influence that a backbench MP in Westminster could only dream of. Whereas many criticise the European parliament for not being able to initiate legislation, the reality is that the parliament has a huge amount of scope to change and shape proposals that come from the commission. There is no government and no opposition. So you are not immediately locked out from the action if “your side” is not in power. The result is that in five short years, you can directly influence the course of hundreds of bits of legislation that shape lives in the UK and across the whole of Europe.
@BBCHelenCatt Work will start TONIGHT to remove the #operationbrock contra-flow on the M20 #kent. The metal barrier will stay in place though .
work will start TONIGHT to remove the #operationbrock contra-flow on the M20 #kent. The metal barrier will stay in place though .
Why Theresa May fears dropping her Brexit red lines
Brexiteer nerves will not be settled by Jeremy Corbyn's welcoming of "indications" from the government that they may compromise in "key areas". That will be read as code for caving in on a customs union, something that is fiercely opposed by many on the front and backbenches of the Tory party. The prime minister spoke of "additions and clarifications" to the political declaration - the shorter of the two Brexit deal documents that outlines the UK's future relationship with the EU. But non-legally binding changes may not be enough to calm a Labour leader worried about a future Brexiteer prime minister ripping up the promises of their predecessor. "Red lines must move", said Jeremy Corbyn.
Meet the man who interrupts Ranvir Singh on Good Morning Britain by shouting 'Stop Brexit'
The "Stop Brexit guy" can regularly be heard shouting in the background while Preston's Ranvir Singh presents on Good Morning Britain. The man has become known as the "man who shouts stop Brexit" and can often be heard on news reports. Ranvir even joked after the Brexit deadline was extended to October 31 that she'd have to put up with him for another six months. She also took extreme measures and covered her ears with ear muffs while reporting from parliament on Wednesday (April 10) morning, reports WalesOnline.
WATCH: Geoffrey Cox says a second referendum WILL be considered
Attorney general Geoffrey Cox has signalled the government will “listen” to the option of a second referendum if it leads to a Brexit deal with Labour. This is despite Theresa May still appearing to rule out the suggestion in answers to MPs in the House of Commons. Speaking in the Commons, Cox said there are “no preconditions” to the ongoing discussions. The MP for Edinburgh South West said he had touched on the issue during a recent BBC podcast, and asked him to “tell us what recent discussions the Cabinet have had about a second EU referendum”.
Cox said he could not reveal what was said around the cabinet table, but added: “What I can say is this; the discussions that are currently going forward, with the Labour Party, with the opposition, are being pursued in good faith, there are no preconditions to it.
Theresa May refuses to answer questions on Vote Leave fraud
Theresa May has been accused of running away from questions about the legitimacy of 2016’s Brexit referendum. In a written Parliamentary question, the SNP’s Stewart McDonald asked the Prime Minister if the Government would “set up a judge-led public inquiry to investigate the alleged fraud committed by Vote Leave”. The MP’s question came after Vote Leave, the official Brexit campaign, dropped an appeal against a £61,000 fine for breaking the EU referendum spending limit by donating £680,000 to BeLeave, a youth Brexit group
@YouGov Do you think we will have left the EU by, or on, the 31st October? Yes: 14% No: 55%
Do you think we will have left the EU by, or on, the 31st October?
Yes: 14%
No: 55%
My Brexit Party will give people the chance to change politics for good
Three years after the British people voted decisively to take back their independence, they have a chance to speak again. The new Brexit Party will ask the electorate not only to support a clean break from the European Union, but also to begin a political revolution in the UK. No Brexiteer – least of all me – wanted to contest the European elections on 23 May. But from disaster springs opportunity. Next month’s enforced ballot will allow us to bring about a far wider change in our broken political system.
@MJKIndependent No need for Scotland to re-apply for EU membership if it votes for Independence before the conclusion of #brexit
No need for Scotland to re-apply for EU membership if it votes for Independence before the conclusion of #brexit | Instead it would be allowed to re-negotiate its membership as an independent country without leaving! Whoaaa! | Told you so! #scotref #indyref2
New EU Brexit deadline sets up Tory leadership election and even general election
Under pressure from France's president Macron, the Brexit delay to 31 October is shorter than Donald Tusk, the EU's president, and many government heads thought desirable - though still considerably longer than Theresa May consistently said was acceptable. Its impact may well be to turn the Tories into the no-deal Brexit party and Labour into the referendum party, via a change of Tory leader and even a general election.
Political Setbacks
MPs go on 11-day Easter break hours after EU warned Britain ‘don’t waste Brexit extension’
Theresa May finally got a cheer today after sending MPs on an 11-day Easter break. She urged MPs to use their time off to "reflect" on how to break the Brexit impasse. But she risked ridicule after announcing the holiday despite telling MPs that "nothing today is more pressing or more vital". And she announced the Easter holiday just hours after EU Council President Donald Tusk warned Britain not to "waste" the Brexit extension granted at the mammoth Brussels summit on Wednesday night.
UK stands down 6,000 no-deal Brexit staff - after spending £1.5bn
The government has stood down an army of 6,000 civil servants who had been preparing for a no-deal Brexit, at an estimated cost of £1.5bn. The civil servants who had been seconded from elsewhere will now return to their normal duties, but there is no clear role for an estimated 4,500 new recruits after article 50 was extended until Halloween. More than 16,000 civil servants in total have been working on Brexit. The Labour party’s Hilary Benn said it was a “costly price” to pay for Theresa May’s belligerent insistence of keeping a no-deal on the table. “It was important to plan for all contingencies, but this is the huge cost of the prime minister repeatedly saying: ‘My deal or no deal’ when she knew that leaving without a deal was not in the national interest. This is one example of how Brexit is proving to be very costly for our country,” said Benn, chair of the influential Brexit select committee.
Whatever happens next, the nationalist right has lost the battle for Brexit
It is now nearly five months since May signed the EU-UK agreement on Brexit. Since then, the Conservative party’s rightwing nationalists have repeatedly tried to defeat the deal and to oust May. They have dominated the airwaves and won some famous victories along the way, but in the end, they have decisively lost the war.
For the right, the aim was to bend the Tory party to their obsessional will. They have failed to do that. Instead they may have wrecked their party. Their aim too was to drive the UK out of the EU without a deal of the kind signed by May or any of the economic safeguards Labour and other opponents demand. That is not now going to happen. Wednesday’s agreement in Brussels makes that clear.
Brexit: CBI boss says agree deal or hold second referendum
The president of business organisation, the CBI, has said if politicians cannot "get their act together" on Brexit, then the only other option is to "go back to the people". John Allan stressed this was his personal view, not that of the CBI. Speaking to the BBC Mr Allan said it was "astonishing" that 27 European countries could agree a "lot more readily" than UK politicians. MPs should "take a lesson" from European solidarity, he said. Mr Allan, who is also chairman of Tesco and house builder Barrett, said the CBI did not have a position on a second or confirmatory referendum.
Brexit extension : NI business groups 'breathe sigh of relief'
Northern Ireland business groups said they breathed a "sigh of relief" after the EU granted the UK a six-month extension to Brexit. The Brexit deadline has been pushed back to 31 October. Stephen Kelly from Manufacturing NI said the UK parliament now had to "make its mind up about what it wants to do around Brexit".
"Only at that point will our businesses feel fully relieved," added Mr Kelly. Theresa May said the UK would still aim to leave the EU with a deal as soon as possible. Mr Kelly told BBC Radio Ulster that last week he spoke to one business which invested £10m a week in stock. "They now have three months worth of stock sitting there," he said. "That's £30m that would have been better used in developing new markets or investing in their staff."
Halloween Brexit delay could mean a summer nightmare for Theresa May
Europe has done it again. Despite French President's Emmanuel Macron's reluctance to give the UK a long Brexit extension, the EU leaders have agreed the apparently interminable process can be delayed until October 31, with a school report on Britain's behavior in June. And while everyone is focusing on that Halloween deadline, it's really the June date that's the more significant.
Just three weeks ago, May told lawmakers in the House of Commons that she could not "as Prime Minister" delay Britain's departure from the European Union beyond June 30. After that, Britain would be obliged to send representatives to the European Parliament, where a new session begins on July 1. If May can't get her Withdrawal Agreement, battered and bruised, through the House of Commons in time to put a stop to those European elections and hustle the UK out of the EU by the end of June, everything will be back in play.
Polls show Theresa May's Tories now at similar level of support to John Major in 1997 as voters 'ditch party'
Theresa May’s failure to deliver Brexit has caused the Conservatives to haemorrhage support, with the Tories now polling at a similar level to John Major in 1997, new data suggests. Opinion polls showed support for the Conservatives had crashed eight points in the space of a month as voters seemed to swing behind Nigel Farage’s new party and Ukip. Polling conducted by BMG Research in March had the Tories on 37 per cent but the latest data for April had the party on 29 per cent. The Tories were polling in the high twenties in the run up to the 1997 election which saw the party win just 165 seats and secure 31 per cent of the vote as Tony Blair’s New Labour crushed the Conservatives.
Why Labour looks set to become the referendum party
Enough of the referendum doubters are close to folding, partly because the advantages of Labour rebranding as the people's vote vanguard in the forthcoming European parliamentary and council elections would be very significant. Labour would pick up the votes of almost all of the 48% who voted to remain in 2016, while the Tories would face a humiliating wipe out, with so much of the leave vote likely to gravitate to Farage's new Brexit party and to a somewhat resurgent UKIP.
According to senior Labour figures, what might clinch the deal for McDonnell, Thornberry, Starmer and Abbott, the leading proponents of a referendum, would be a decision by the shadow Cabinet to follow the approach of Harold Wilson's Labour Party in the 1975 referendum: namely for Corbyn himself to largely stand back from the campaign, and to allow any Labour MP or shadow minister to campaign for remain or leave, according to conscience.
A customs union won’t solve the Irish border issue
With a new final date now set for October 31st, the idea that we are in for a ‘trick or treat’ Brexit has been widely expressed in various pictures, memes and suggestions for who gets dibs on dressing up as the backstop. For those living in Northern Ireland, Brexit is neither trick, nor treat. It has become a divisionary force that has called into question what our lives are going to be. We are staring into the same abyss of uncertainty that we have faced for the last three years; and farmers, business owners, and young people living on the border are still stuck in limbo while the elites in Westminster try to fumble their way out of this self-styled mess.
The Tories once had a radical fringe. Now it is the whole party
Let’s drop the niceties. Cut the pretence. Something is happening to the Tories, obvious even to that vast majority of the public who ignore politics. The Conservative party is becoming the natural party of extremists. It is the new home for hardliners, catastrophists and those wishing to take up permanent residence in la-la land. Evidence of this mutation is in every day’s headlines, and borne on a never-ending stream of tweets. It is Jacob Rees-Mogg, coolly suggesting that British representatives should run amok and cause chaos throughout the EU. It is openly acknowledged when the chancellor, Philip Hammond, utters a prayer to “flush out the extremists” in the party. And of course it is Mark Francois, doing Mark Francois. Forever auditioning to be lance corporal in a war that ended 20 years before he was born. Ripping up a letter from the CEO of Airbus, saying it was “German bullying”. Barking about “perfidious Albion on speed”, as if they were headlining Glastonbury.
Labour takes poll lead as Tory support plummets by nine points amid Brexit chaos
The Kantar survey put the Tories in 32% - a staggering nine points lower than in March. At the same time, backing for Labour has increased by four points to 35%, giving them a three-point lead over Theresa May's party. The findings are a huge boost for Jeremy Corbyn ahead of next month's local council elections. Elsewhere, the poll shows the pro-EU Lib Dems have also seen their support rise by three points since March to 11%, Ukip is up one point to 7% and the SNP is unchanged on 5%.
Furious Tory MPs demand Theresa May resign over 'abject surrender' as she faces Commons onslaught over latest delay to EU departure
The prime minister insisted she would not resign after European leaders agreed to delay Brexit until 31 October in late-night talks in Brussels. The second delay to the Brexit process - initially intended to conclude on 29 March - averted a no-deal withdrawal on Friday with less than 48 hours to go. However, it infuriated anti-EU Conservative MPs, who insisted the UK should have instead left the EU without a deal. As she updated MPs in the Commons, Ms May faced calls from veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash to step down. He accused her of an “abject surrender” and asked if she would resign. Ms May replied: “I think you know the answer to that”. Another Brexiteer, Peter Bone, asked the prime minister if she planned to “honour” her vow not to delay Brexit beyond 30 June.
Tories turn up pressure on Theresa may to quit within weeks after EU exit postponed to Halloween
Tory MPs today turned up pressure on Theresa May to quit within weeks to allow a new leader after Brexit was postponed to Halloween. As a string of MPs called for an early contest, former Brexit secretary David Davis warned that there was a desire among many MPs for a “reset in the negotiations” under new leadership. “Pressure on her to go will increase dramatically, I suspect now,” he said. Former international trade minister Greg Hands told the Evening Standard: “It’s time that we had new leadership for both the party and the country.
Brexit: Government 'halts no-deal planning' after committing £4bn to preparations
Leaked email shows preparations suspended with 'immediate effect' after deadline for Britain's departure from EU extended to 31 October. The government has halted all emergency planning for a no-deal Brexit despite committing £4bn to preparations, according to reports. A leaked email reportedly sent to all civil servants in an unnamed “front line Brexit department” said no-deal operational planning had been suspended with “immediate effect”. The decision was made by cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, according to the email seen by Sky News. Downing Street said departments were taking “sensible decisions” about the timing of their no-deal preparations following the agreement by EU leaders to extend the Article 50 withdrawal process to 31 October.
David Cameron memoir still set for autumn, despite Brexit extension
Despite a reported agreement between Cameron and Theresa May, publisher William Collins confirms it will be published before latest Brexit deadline
"Brexit MPs Have Been So Wrong, They'd Have Been Sacked From Any Other Job"
Brexit-backing MPs have been proved so wrong - that in any other line of work they would have been sacked, James O'Brien said. His remarks came as the Prime Minister accepted a delay to Brexit until Halloween after EU leaders offered her another extension to Article 50.
UK stands down 6,000 no-deal Brexit staff - after spending £1.5bn
The government has stood down an army of 6,000 civil servants who had been preparing for a no-deal Brexit, at an estimated cost of £1.5bn. The civil servants who had been seconded from elsewhere will now return to their normal duties, but there is no clear role for an estimated 4,500 new recruits after article 50 was extended until Halloween. More than 16,000 civil servants in total have been working on Brexit.
The toll of Brexit: Photos reveal strain Theresa May has been put under after three years of trying and failing to get a deal done to leave the EU
Since becoming Britain's prime minister nearly three years ago, Theresa May has overseen some of the most chaotic political times in UK history. And these photographs show the strain that the turmoil has put the Sussex-born politician under since she took over from David Cameron in July 2016.
Tory chiefs are 'preparing for a summer leadership contest'
Tory Party chiefs are gearing up for a summer leadership contest in preparation for Theresa May quitting, the Daily Mail has learned. Senior officials have drawn up detailed plans for hustings between leadership candidates, including scouting locations across the country, sources said. Details of the preparations come as a string of Eurosceptic Tory MPs called for Mrs May to resign after she agreed to delay Brexit further.
Brexit: Theresa May laughs off resignation calls as Tories face ballot box punishment
Theresa May laughed off calls to quit today after agreeing to delay Brexit until Halloween. Outraged rebel Tories attacked the Prime Minister after she accepted the fresh extension from EU leaders. Speaking in the Commons, veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash said: “Does the Prime Minister appreciate the anger that her abject surrender last night has generated across the country, having broken promises 100 times not to extend the time?” The Stone MP asked: “Will you resign?” But Mrs May laughed: “I think you know the answer to that.”
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 15th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
British Steel goes cap in hand
- British Steel is no longer eligible for a free EU carbon trading permit as these have been suspended until the Brexit withdrawal deal has been ratified. Therefore, it has been forced to ask the UK government for a £100m loan into to meet EU emission rules
The European Safety Gate could swing wide open
- The public will be at risk from delays in identifying unsafe goods if the UK leaves the European safety system. Dangerous cars, electrical goods and toys could flood the UK market if the government fails to reform the current UK safety enforcement system - according to a study by Consumer Group Which
The Home Office turns itself in
- The Home Office has had to report itself to data watchdogs, as it accidentally shared the emails of hundreds of EU citizens applying to stay in the UK after Brexit
Drugmakers stockpiling for Brexit ask how long do we have to wait?
- Drugmakers are asking for an end to Brexit uncertainty. They want to know how long they need to be overstocked for. There is a certain level of balance sheet pressure that comes into play when this question is answered. Similarly, what if the EU offers up another Brexit extension
Brexit continues to drain confidence from the housing market
- The latest residential market survey from RICS said demand remained in negative territory in March and new property coming onto the market continued to decline
Corbyn asked to back 'Remain, Reform, Rebel' for the European Elections
- A manifesto penned by Corbyn allies and endorsed by every sitting Labour MEP, who intends to contest their seat, should a poll be triggered, includes a proposal for an EU-wide Green New Deal and a pledge to make the continent 100% served by renewables by 2050
Cross-party talks testing out ideas, says Liddington
- Cabinet minister, David Liddington, said talks between Labour and the Conservatives will continue as they test out each others' ideas in the search for a solution to the Brexit deadlock.
People's Vote campaigns vow to overhaul Project Fear image
- A new report concludes that a new pro-EU campaign must address the underlying causes of the 2016 leave vote and offer credible solutions, as well as avoiding overinflated rhetoric. it should focus on the positive difference the EU can make to jobs and rights for workers
Tories are dreading the Euro Elections
- An Opinium poll suggests that the Conservative Party is heading for a result at the election that is so bad that it is without historical precedent. Among voters who say they are certain to participate in the elections only 17% say they intend to vote Conservative.
UK government puts No Deal contingency planning on hold
- Whitehall officials confirmed that Operation Yellowhammer had been put on hold by the government. To date, the government has spent £2bn on plans to mitigate the effects of the UK crashing out of the EU and thousands of civil servants had been assigned to the project
Bercow plans to stay to kill off Brexit
- The Daily Mail reports that many MPs have put pressure on John Bercow to stay on a bit longer to see Brexit sorted. Some people close to Bercow, such as Ken Clarke, were particularly decisive, arguing it was his duty to stay
Pro-EU parties plan to use the European elections as a 'soft referendum'
- Pro-EU parties are planning to use the poll as a soft referendum to demonstrate a surge in support for the remain cause. The Lib Dems, in particular, are seeking to capitalize on the local election results as a platform for further success in the Euro elections, if the EU election proceed
Rory Stewart - Brexit could kills moderate Conservatism
- The prisons minister, Rory Stewart, spoke to Prospect Magazine about the dominance and strength of the right wing of the Conservative Party, its fixation on Brexit, and the sense infiltration is driving moderate Tories out of the party
End the DUP confidence and supply deal
- Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski said he would prefer the prime minister to call a fresh Westminster election rather than renew his party's confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP, who he feels are holding the party to ransom over Brexit
Leavers should be demanding a new vote too
- The end game for a Theresa May deal appears to be a Brexit in Name Only type deal, so leavers should see the benefit of another vote as that of strengthening their negotiating hand going forward, should they win
Signs of Tory Party panic setting in
- Hard Brexit would be suicide, top Tories warn
- Boris Johnson could lose his seat due to a surge of younger voters
- Brexit cannot define us, says PM May's deputy, as Tory poll ratings dip
- Tories hit by new defections and slump in opinion polls as party divide widens
- Conservatives face European elections drubbing as support slumps to lowest point in six years
- Tory Brexiteer Boris Johnson will refuse to campaign in the European elections
- Leave voters have lost faith in the Tories ability to deliver Brexit
- The Conservatives are stuck in a Brexit bedlum that they cannot seem to find a way out of
Still no signs of a cross-party agreement on Brexit
- Brexit talks will stall unless May shifts on a customs union
- Jeremy Corbyn blasts Theresa May's scandalous failure to seek earlier Brexit talks
- Corbyn tells May to abandon her Brexit red lines to get an agreement
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party launched in Coventry
- Theresa May cancels Easter break for her Brexit negotiators as she sees an urgency in the talks if she is to fight the resurgence of Nigel Farage
- Farage came under a bit of fire from the BBC over where he has got funding for his new party from
- Farage accused the government of ignoring democracy by not implementing Brexit
Jobs at Risk
Brexit: British Steel seeks £100m government loan to meet EU rules
British Steel is seeking a £100m loan from the government in order to meet EU emission rules. Previously, the company could have used EU-issued carbon credits to settle its 2018 pollution bill. However, the steel maker has been affected by a European Union decision to suspend UK firms' access to free carbon permits until a Brexit withdrawal deal is ratified. The company is in talks with Department for Business about financial help. The Department for Business, Energy and Industry Strategy told the BBC: "As the business department, we are in regular conversation with a wide range of sectors and companies." British Steel has until 30 April to comply with EU emission rules.
Administrative Fall Out
Dangerous products could swamp UK after Brexit, warns Which?
The public will be at risk from delays in identifying unsafe goods if the UK leaves European safety system. Dangerous cars, electrical goods and toys could flood into the UK after Brexit unless the government urgently reforms the current “failing” safety enforcement system, a consumer group warned on Monday. Which? says the public will be vulnerable to delays in spotting and dealing with unsafe products unless continued access to the European Safety Gate system is negotiated. Its new analysis shows the scheme, under which 31 European countries alert each other to products with serious safety problems, issued 34% more notifications in 2018 than a decade ago
EXCL Home Office reports itself to data watchdog after Settled Status emails breach
The Home Office has been forced to report itself to data watchdogs after it accidentally shared the emails of hundreds of EU citizens applying to stay in the UK after Brexit.
A major bridge is closed ‘indefinitely’ because no one can pay to fix it. Welcome to modern Britain
One of the major arteries into our capital was rammed due to the closure for “safety reasons” of Hammersmith Bridge, one of the few Thames crossings. It’s closed “indefinitely” because, apparently, no-one can afford to repair it.
A curse on Brexit and those who created this crisis – Joyce McMillan
Another dangerous corner, another handbrake swerve, another delay to Brexit; and I guess I am not the only Remain supporter now looking forward to the next seven months with relief, yes, but also with a sense of absolute dread. Already, almost before the new “flexible” Brexit extension has been announced, the sound of people digging themselves further into their entrenched positions is loud in the land.
Brexit: How the new delay has hit four businesses
It was an early-hour announcement that allowed many of the UK's business owners to finally get a few hours of restful sleep. In Brussels on Thursday, the EU granted the UK a six-month extension, thus eliminating the immediate threat of a no-deal Brexit. But for companies that have been preparing for a sudden exit, it was no more than a temporary reprieve. "It's a bit of uncertainty that isn't helpful," says Andrew Graham. His 70-year-old company, Graham and Brown Wallpaper, has been stockpiling raw materials for months at its factory in Blackburn. "Quite frankly, we could do with knowing where we're going," he told the BBC.
Drugmakers Stockpiling for Brexit Ask, How Long Do We Wait?
Bracing for possible border delays in the event of a messy, no-deal Brexit, pharma companies are trying to ensure the steady flow of vital medicines to patients. After U.K. and European Union leaders agreed to push Brexit back to the end of October, drugmakers are sharing the pain of another six months of uncertainty that’s hitting British companies across the board. “How long are we going to be overstocked?” said Hugo Fry, managing director of French drugmaker Sanofi’s U.K. business. “There’s a certain level of balance sheet pressure that comes into play. How long do we wait? In theory, the European Union could give another extension.”
Among other Brexit preparations, Sanofi has augmented its U.K. supplies to about 16 weeks on average. If principal routes are disrupted, the French drugmaker will have to fly its flu vaccine into the U.K., a costly step, Fry said. Novo plans to keep stockpiles at roughly 18 weeks, while it has pushed back access to space that it reserved on airplanes to move its products.
Brexit: Welsh resorts to 'benefit" from EU exit uncertainty
Holidaymakers look set to embrace staycations in Wales this year as Brexit sparks nervousness about European holidays, tourism chiefs say. The Easter holidays were due to be the first break after Britain left the European Union, before the government delayed the initial 29 March deadline. Tourism bosses say the weak pound and uncertainty could add to the 10 million annual overnight trips to Wales.
The Wales Tourism Alliance is positive there will be a "Brexit bounce".
'Biggest' UK tulip grower stockpiles bulbs over Brexit
The UK's biggest outdoor commercial tulip grower has said it has been stockpiling bulbs as uncertainty over Brexit continues. Belmont Nurseries, near King's Lynn, said the future of the UK's relationship with the European Union (EU) was a cause of major concern. "We're very much UK based, but we do also sell to Europe," nursery director Mark Eves said. "If the lorry is held up at port for any length of time the bulbs simply won't get the fresh air they need blown across them during transport which means they won't flower - basically, they'd be ruined." The EU has granted the UK a six-month extension, eliminating the immediate threat of a no-deal Brexit.
Calais boss lets loose: Brexit voters 'given WRONG information - Brussels is a necessity'
Jean-Marc Puissesseau, who is also deputy mayor of the French city, revealed his frustrations to Express.co.uk within Calais over Brexit saying he was not sure how an extension would help when the UK has already had three years to negotiate. He accused Brexiteers of giving UK voters the “wrong information” which led them to vote Leave in the 2016 EU referendum. As he revealed Port Boulogne Calais’ new €6million (£5.17million) facilities, which have been set up as part of preparations for a no deal Brexit, the French boss said he was surprised at Britain’s decision to unshackle itself from the bloc because “Europe is a necessity”.
Why Brexit has driven thousands back to their allotments
Even though the threat of a no-deal Brexit receded last week – until October, at least – I hope that our interest in allotments won’t do the same. It’s use them or lose them, and periods of indifference lead to allotment provision being chipped away, usually irreversibly, as they are filled in with new housing developments. What this last couple of years shows is that crises will always come along, and that when they do we turn to allotments and to our ability to grow our very own basil, spring greens, spinach, sage and lavender.
'Incompetent, self-interested s****': Fear and loathing on the doorstep over Brexit
"We are struggling to get anyone to deliver leaflets, even members of our executive don't want to go out." This theme of Conservatives being unable to turn out their own members was commonplace across the country. One exasperated Tory councillor told me: "Every association I've spoken to are struggling to get their members out. "Members are saying, why should I get s*** on the doorstep and doors slammed in my face when I'm as angry as they are?"
Brexit continues to impact the UK housing market
Demand from buyers remained in negative territory in March and sales and new property coming on to the market continued to decline, according to the latest residential market survey from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).
Respondents still envisage a modest improvement in activity 12 months ahead but modest fall in house prices at a UK level are expected over the next couple of quarters, although the regional picture remains mixed. The market report also shows that in March, enquiries from new buyers saw the eighth negative reading in a row, with 27% of respondents seeing a fall in buyer demand and that demand falling across all parts of the UK
Political Shenanigans
Exclusive: Jeremy Corbyn Handed 'Remain, Reform, Rebel' Manifesto For European Elections
Calls for Jeremy Corbyn to back remain at the European elections have intensified as a strongly pro-EU manifesto penned by left-wingers was passed to the Labour leader. Titled “Remain, Reform, Rebel”, the document was penned by Corbyn allies, including his ex-economic advisor Ann Pettifor, and has been endorsed by every sitting Labour MEP set to contest their seat should the Brexit deadlock trigger the May 23 poll. It demands an EU-wide Green New Deal – similar to that advocated in the US by Democrat politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez – to include a “European super-grid” and pledges to make the continent 100% served by renewables by 2050.
Brexit: Cross-party talks 'testing ideas' says Lidington
The government and Labour are "testing out" each other's ideas as they try to resolve the Brexit deadlock, cabinet minister David Lidington has said. He told the BBC they had a "fair bit in common" over future customs objectives but further compromise was needed. While there was no deadline, he said the sides would "take stock" in 10 days and the process could not drag out.
UK's Lidington says Brexit talks with Labour to continue, will not last months
The British government’s talks with the opposition Labour party on a Brexit compromise will continue, but will not “drag out” for months, Cabinet Office minister David Lidington told the BBC on Sunday. “They’re not going to go on for months, they’re certainly going to continue next week,” Lidington said. “I don’t think this question can be allowed to drag out for much longer, I think the public rightly wants politicians to get on and deal with it.”
People's Vote campaigners vow to overhaul 'project fear' image
More than 80% said Brexit had “turned out to be much more complicated than we were told in the referendum”. The report concluded that a new pro-EU campaign must address the underlying causes of the 2016 leave vote and offer credible solutions, as well as avoiding overinflated rhetoric. Most importantly, it must reject a “project fear” narrative and make a positive case, the report found, a tactic that was “castigated by everyone we spoke to, it remains a complete turnoff to voters”. It found that voters “simply do not believe that leaving the European Union will cause immediate and significant harm to them and their families” and that any new campaign should be centred on the positive difference the EU can make to jobs and rights.
The Observer view on giving voters their say on Brexit
Now there is a firm deal, it would be unthinkable for parliament to ratify it without putting it back to voters, particularly given the gulf between what they were promised and what has been achieved. The reality of Brexit, with all its tough trade-offs – and the fact that there is no way of achieving a clean break from the EU that respects the Good Friday agreement – is embodied in May’s withdrawal agreement. The idea that voters should not get a say on the terms and conditions of the most important postwar decision facing Britain is preposterous. If the merits of that principled argument are not, in themselves, enough to convince, the pragmatic case becomes stronger with each passing week: there is clearly no other resolution to this gridlock in sight. Before the European elections, Labour will have to decide whether it is in favour of a soft Brexit compromise or confirmatory referendum.
Alyn Smith: European elections are Scotland's big chance to shine
Along with my team – Laura, Adam, Clyn, Ciarán and Patrick – we’ve had a fair bit of personal uncertainty to navigate as well! I should have been unemployed on March 29, then again on Friday, yet somehow have survived and face next week my last Strasbourg session having already given my last speech where I asked them to leave a light on for us. I’ve had more goodbye gigs than the Rolling Stones.
Learning from referendum failure is key to success, says leading Remain figure
A future campaign to keep Britain in the European Union will face defeat unless it learns the lessons of the first failed Remain campaign, one of its leading figures has warned. Andrew Cooper, a Tory peer and David Cameron’s former pollster, said that the “dry economic projections” of the Remain campaign had been easily dismissed as “project fear”, while advocates of EU membership failed to make “an emotionally resonant or positive case” for staying in. Cooper makes the plea for a different strategy in the event of a second referendum in a new report by the People’s Vote campaign, as it attempts to find a way of convincing voters that staying in the EU would actually help deal with some of the underlying reasons for the original vote to leave.
Of course the Tories dread Euro elections. They will be marmalised
Our Opinium poll suggests that the Tories are heading for a marmalising so bad that it is without historical precedent. Among voters who say they are certain to participate in the elections, only 17% choose the Conservatives. This poll doesn’t claim to be a precise prediction of what will happen at the end of May, but it does point to a shockingly bad outcome for the Tories. This vote share is six points down on their previous record low in Euro elections, which was in 2014. The sage of electoral history, David Cowling, tells me that the Conservatives have never scored as badly as 17% in any UK-wide election from 1832 onwards. No wonder the Tories are desperate to avoid these elections. This they could do, but only by ensuring that Britain has exited the EU before polling day, a task that the government has repeatedly proved incapable of fulfilling.
Let's use this time to push the case for a Yes vote
Nicola Sturgeon says wait and the Greens, along with others, say: “now is the time”.
If this is what the wider Yes movement believe, than why not use this waiting period to keep the conversation going? If we use this time productively we can win the argument before the date of the next independence vote. Now is the time to talk with, listen to and work out ways of persuading those not fully convinced of independence for whatever reason. To be truthful I think much depends on how the SNP vote at their spring conference on the independence discussions, on a Scottish currency and the adoption of the Growth Commission.
Brexit news latest: Chancellor Philip Hammond says second referendum 'very likely' to be put to Parliament again
The Chancellor has said the idea of a second Brexit referendum is "very likely" to be put before Parliament again. Philip Hammond said on Friday that he hoped MPs would pass a deal by the end of June, breaking the Brexit deadlock. He added that there was a "good chance" of a breakthrough in talks with the Labour party. "I remain optimistic that over the next couple of months we will get a deal done," Mr Hammond told reporters in Washington where he is attending meetings at the International Monetary Fund.
The Conservatives are stuck in a Brexit bedlam that they can’t seem to find a way out of
The Parliamentary Conservative Party notoriously has two default settings: complacency or panic. The pressure of the Brexit process has moved the dial significantly towards the latter, although one should never underestimate the capacity of Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership skills to encourage Conservatives into the former. For anyone who thinks long-term, though, the departure of colleagues with stinging remarks about destroying the Conservative Party should be worrying.
Brexit Exposes Painful Disconnect Between England and Britain
The England-Britain split can be traced back to the Blair government’s election in 1997 on a commitment to parcel out powers.
Brexit delay: Halloween extension feels like the final nail in Theresa May's coffin
It was the weekend after Theresa May's disastrous snap general election in 2017 that former chancellor George Osborne rather brutally described the prime minister as a "dead woman walking". Fitting then, that the EU27 have agreed to a Halloween Brexit - setting 31 October as the new deadline for the UK to leave the EU with a review point in June - given it is this Article 50 extension that could finally kill off her premiership.
UK government puts no-deal Brexit contingency plans on hold
Contingency plans to cope with a no-deal Brexit have been put on hold by the government as the risk of the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement has subsided. Whitehall officials confirmed on Friday that Operation Yellowhammer — a national strategy aimed at preventing a run on food, fuel and the banking system in the event of a no-deal Brexit — had been paused by the government. The government has spent £2bn on plans to mitigate the effects of the UK crashing out of the EU without an agreement, and thousands of civil servants were assigned to the project. Businesses have also spent substantial sums to cope with the scenario.
But the government has relaxed its contingency plans after EU leaders on Thursday agreed to push back the date of Brexit to as late as October 31.
Amidst the Brexit chaos, MPs are on the verge of mental breakdown
Louise Rubin’s job usually involves lobbying parliamentarians and arranging campaigns to promote good mental health legislation. Until this week, when Rubin saw various newspaper articles about the collective mental breakdown in parliament. Rubin read stories about MPs crying in the toilets, of rapid weight loss and weight gain, and of a general feeling of utter exhaustion. Most MPs, of course, attributed the stresses and strains to the never-ending turmoil of the Brexit process. “That’s when we decided it was time to step in and offer our support and advice,” Rubin says. Mind sent a letter to all 650 MPs providing them advice on how to best manage their wellbeing. Rubin called this “a low-level intervention”. “We can’t solve the Brexit crisis,” she says. “We’re only suggesting people are aware of their mental health, and seek help if they do need to.”
Brexit has broken the system – prepare for a European-style realignment of politics
Watching our exasperating Brexit dispute from the safe distance of Vienna, where I was staying for the past month, it struck me how strangely Europeanised our party politics has become, with the prospect of it becoming even more so as our party system reconfigures. In one respect, however, we remain proudly uncontinental. Talking to Austrian friends about the great Brexit “mess”, I detected, along with a fair amount of Schadenfreude, a sneaking admiration for the democratic theatrics that the House of Commons has been providing
Bercow stays to 'kill off Brexit'
The source said: ‘The MPs have put him under huge pressure not to leave the Chair until Brexit is sorted. He is now unlikely to give any hint of his going until after the summer recess at the earliest – and may well wait to see if the new October 31 deadline is met before hanging up his boots. ‘Ken Clarke – who John listens to more than any other MP – was a particularly decisive voice, telling him that it was his duty to stay.’
Brexit: pro-EU parties to use European elections as 'soft referendum'
Pro-EU parties, including the Liberal Democrats, the Greens and the Independent Group, will not form pacts or alliances at the forthcoming EU elections, hoping to use the poll as a “soft referendum” to show a surge in support for remain. If no Brexit deal is passed by parliament, the UK will be required to hold the poll on 23 May. The Lib Dems, the mainstream party hoping to capitalise most on anti-Brexit discontent, has almost finalised its manifesto and plans a huge operation of ground campaigning targeting remain voters. “We want to use the momentum from the locals, which very few other parties will have, as a springboard for European elections,” a party source said. “Voters across all of Great Britain want to vote for a pro-remain party. We’re going to give them all the chance to vote Lib Dem.”
Brexit is losing its media support as People’s Vote and Revoke grab the momentum
These papers played a crucial role in 2016. Years of stories on Brussels bureaucracy (and immigration), set the scene for Vote Leave’s ‘Take Back Control’ campaign on Facebook. Today’s UK news output is a drumbeat of Brexit stalemate and delay. It is corrosive to the Leave cause, undermining the sense of empowerment felt by its supporters three years ago. The media momentum is now with Remainers. While the Brexit press once rallied readers with calls to break the status quo, it is social media hashtags demanding a #PeoplesVote or #RevokeArticle50 that now benefit from a sense of taking action. There is a new Twitter hashtag #RemainerNow for those who have switched sides. And it celebrates Oborne and Ferrari’s change of heart because it knows that, ‘people’s vote’ or not, there are many who look to media opinion formers for their lead.
Sinn Féin select European election candidate as Northern Ireland prepares to vote despite Brexit
Sinn Féin has confirmed that its current MEP in Northern Ireland will run again for her seat. Elections to the European Parliament are going ahead in May despite the United Kingdom’s imminent exit from the European Union. Martina Anderson, who has been one of Northern Ireland’s three MEPs since 2012, said she is proud to lead her party’s team in Europe.
Britain can now change its mind about Brexit
Extra time, however, presents parliament — and the country — with an opportunity. Britain can change its mind about Brexit. MPs can and should agree to put any proposed settlement with the EU27 to a confirmatory referendum. The country could then be presented with the vote it was denied in 2016 — a choice between Remain and the best deal that parliament considers available to Britain outside the union. The trade-offs between prosperity and security and notional sovereignty would be there for all to see. The Kamikaze Brexiters who complain this would flout what they call “the will of the people” mistake democracy for the majoritarianism beloved of despots and demagogues. True democracy embeds the right of citizens to change their minds. As for Mr Macron, he would surely join Ms Merkel and Mr Tusk in applauding a victory for Britain’s Europeans.
Can the Tories and Labour agree on Brexit?
Cross-party talks are continuing in Whitehall, amid parliamentary deadlock over Theresa May's Brexit deal. So what are the sticking points and can Labour and the Conservatives reach an agreement? Public statements on the talks have tended to be bland, ranging from "constructive" and "serious" to the slightly more negative: "We have some way to travel." Behind the scenes, the prospect of a deal, while difficult, is not impossible. There is a big incentive for both sides to reach agreement: the avoidance of next month's European elections.
Weary frustration and cynicism take hold in UK’s Brexit heartland
Sunderland hosts the largest Nissan factory in Europe — one reason why its vote to leave caused so much attention. A good number of workers at the facility, which employs 6,000 people from across the north-east, celebrated the referendum victory in 2016. But several leaving the plant on Thursday said there was real anxiety now about potential job losses. Nissan has already announced it will not produce a promised new sport utility vehicle at Sunderland, partly because of concerns about future ties with the EU. “Brexit needs to be sorted out properly. It is causing a lot of division and unrest,” said one Nissan employee smoking outside the plant, who declined to give his name. “The problem is that nobody seems to know what sorting it out means.”
Britain’s post-Brexit future is still shrouded in fog
Is six months long enough for everyone to calm down and think through the Brexit decision? The day after the EU Council granted the UK an extension to the date on which we leave the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May still seemed bent on driving through a version of her “deal” as fast as possible. But the extra time will be worth having if it engenders more honesty about the trade-offs at the heart of Brexit. Unless the true price of any eventual decision is fully understood by the public, the blame game will never end. Without truth, there will be no reconciliation — whichever way this goes.
Rory Stewart: Brexit could kill moderate Conservatism
Shortly before the referendum, I recall reading Matthew Parris in the Times arguing that a Leave vote would “destroy” moderate conservatism in this country. At the time, this struck me as columnist’s hyperbole. This week, however, I met with prisons minister, one-nation Tory and the unlikely star salesman for Theresa May’s Brexit deal, Rory Stewart, and found him gripped with a very real fear that something like the Parris prediction could soon come to pass.
DUP 'holding Conservatives to ransom' over Brexit, Tory MP says
A Conservative MP has accused the DUP of holding his party to ransom over Brexit. Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski said he would prefer the prime minister to call a fresh Westminster election rather than renew his party's confidence and supply arrangement with the DUP. Referring to the DUP, Mr Kawczynski said he does not "want the tail to wag the dog any longer".
MP Heidi Allen 'shaken to core' by 'Brexit hate mail'
An MP who was sent death threats "related to Brexit" said the messages had "shaken her to the core". Heidi Allen, South Cambridgeshire MP and interim leader of the Independent Group, was one of seven MPs targeted by Jarod Kirkman. It made her feel "very vulnerable", she said, but did not cause her to question her role as an MP, adding: "I will not be bullied." Kirkman has admitted sending malicious communications and awaits sentencing. Ms Allen, who quit the Conservatives to join the Independent Group in February, said Kirkman's threats were not the only abusive messages she had received.
Leavers should be demanding a new vote | Comment
The limbo in which we now sit until November, and which everyone calls humiliating, is a trial run for a Brino (Brexit in name only) Brexit. Adherence to the rules, no United Kingdom veto, no vote in the selection of European commissioners. Our first taste of vassalage, and the response has not been encouraging. We keep the benefits of membership at the whim of the “proper” members of the EU and the twitch of a French president’s eyebrow. This “humbling” of Britain which the news media now lament mirrors the status to which those MPs and commentators who call themselves compromisers and “reachers-out”, those who would “split the difference” between Leave and Remain, aim to reduce us. For the next six months we are rule-takers, not rule-makers. Now we know what Theresa May’s “implementation” period, and (probably trapped by the Irish backstop) beyond it, will feel like.
Political Setbacks
Tories fall seven points behind Labour in new poll as support for Theresa May's party plunges to lowest level in years
The Tories have plunged seven points behind Labour in a new opinion poll. The survey, by Opinium, shows Labour climbing one point to 36 per cent, with the Conservatives dropping six points in the past two weeks to 29 per cent. Britain Elects, a poll analysis service, said it was the Tory Party’s lowest rating in four years – but not as bad as its 23 per cent score in 2013. It comes after a week in which Conservative Brexit divisions resulted in open Commons mutiny against Prime Minister Theresa May, with hardliner Bill Cash calling for her to resign.
Jeremy Corbyn faces an interesting choice – will he demand that the people decide?
For many months Labour's leaders have hedged and fudged and dodged on the subject of a new referendum on Brexit. Now Jeremy Corbyn must make a decision to commit to a second referendum. There are arguments of principle and tactics for making the promise clearer and more emphatic. The argument of principle is that a new referendum is the only democratic way to resolve the Brexit morass. Parliament and the nation are now divided three ways, between leaving the EU with a deal, leaving without a deal, or not leaving at all.
Hard Brexit leader would be suicide, top Tories warn
Senior Tories have launched a “stop Boris” campaign, warning that handing the keys to No 10 to a hard Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab would be electoral “suicide”. Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the former party chairman who is backing Jeremy Hunt to succeed Theresa May, today launches a broadside at Brexiteer candidates, warning that their “ideological” attachment to a no-deal Brexit is “reckless”. Writing in The Sunday Times, he says: “Defining ourselves as the Brexit party, pursuing the hardest form of Brexit with a parliament that will not deliver it, is a recipe for paralysis in government and suicide with the electorate. We are and must remain the Conservative Party, not the Vote Leave party.”
New Brexiteer mutiny: Ringleader Iain Duncan Smith says Tories could boycott EU elections
Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says local Conservative associations could boycott the EU elections if the UK is still a part of the bloc next month. The Chingford and Woodford Green MP slammed the Conservative leadership for not following through on its promise to leave on March 29, calling it a 'disaster' for party support. Mr Duncan Smith said the elections are 'impossible to justify'. He ridiculed the notion of campaigning for the May 23 election while at the same time saying British MEPs won't exist in a few months.
As nationalists grip the Tories, I now support Change UK
Both Labour and Conservative frontbenches have colluded in the same conspiracy to “respect the result of the 2016 referendum” (that is, to conceal the truth about its consequences) because they rightly fear that their party duopoly will not survive a more honest engagement with voters. The European election could give UK voters the voice Westminster has denied them
Judge orders Ukip to reveal Brexit referendum data use
Ukip has been ordered to fully reveal details of how it used nearly £300,000 of political data services in the run-up to the Brexit vote and the 2015 general election after the party lost a two-year legal battle to block disclosure. An appeals tribunal found the political party, led at the time by Nigel Farage, failed to properly answer the information commissioner’s questions. It is now legally obliged to provide detailed answers to questions about how it spent political donations and used polling companies and data. The ruling is the latest watchdog finding to cast a shadow over the 2016 EU referendum and to raise concerns about the use of political and social media data.
Chris Johns: Fantasy no-deal Brexit has cost UK equivalent of 22 hospitals
Brexit planning has so far cost the UK government £4 billion. Much is made of this figure because it represents hard cash actually spent. These are direct costs. But it’s the invisible damage that is much bigger – and gets far less attention. Goldman Sachs, for example, estimates that Brexit has resulted in £600 million of lost GDP per week since the referendum. My own calculations suggest that the implied loss of £85 billion to the economy maps to £28 billion of tax revenue gone missing. So far. That £4 billion in Brexit planning spending makes the headlines but the loss of £28 billion in taxes obviously hurts a lot more. Leading Brexiteer Daniel Hannan once claimed that seven state-of-the-art hospitals could be built for £10 billion. On that kind of arithmetic, I reckon that the UK has 22 hospitals gone missing as a result of Brexit.
Tory Boris Johnson could lose his seat due to 'influx of young voters'
Boris Johnson could be at risk of losing his seat due to a surge in younger voters, research has revealed. The former foreign secretary’s seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip has been listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the 2022 election by Onward think tank. Analysis shows the ratio of younger residents, aged 20 to 39, to older votes, aged 60 and over, is currently above 1.1 – meaning the Tory candidate would likely lose.
UKIP leader Gerard Batten defends European Parliament candidate's rape tweet 'satire'
The leader of UKIP has defended an election candidate who said they "wouldn't even rape" Labour MP Jess Phillips. Gerard Batten called the comment "satire" and praised Carl Benjamin, who was last week picked as an MEP candidate for the South West region. Mr Benjamin had previously written in a tweet to Ms Philips: "I wouldn't even rape you." Mr Batten defended the post, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I think this was satire."
UK fears Brexit could hurt global hunt for new BoE governor
British finance minister Philip Hammond has fired the starting gun for the race to succeed Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, but concerns about Brexit may keep some potential contestants on the sidelines. the next BoE governor will have to reckon with a sharply divided political backdrop on top of the obvious challenges that Brexit poses as regards short-term growth and longer-term regulatory relations with the EU. “There may be some candidates who might be deterred from an application because of the political debate around Brexit, which inevitably the governor of the Bank of England can’t avoid being part of,” Hammond said in Washington. Carney has been criticised by members of hardline pro-Brexit faction of the Conservative Party. Jacob Rees-Mogg last year labelled Carney a “wailing banshee” and a “failed second-tier politician” who gave unfairly negative forecasts of the economic impact of Brexit. Boris Johnson, when foreign secretary, was dismissive of BoE predictions of Brexit damage.
Brexit cannot define us, says PM May's deputy as ratings dip
Britain’s ruling Conservative Party cannot let itself be defined solely by Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy said on Sunday, as polling showed failure to leave the European Union on schedule has badly damaged its support. May’s authority has been shattered by her three-time failure to get an exit deal approved by parliament and a pledge to quit once Brexit is delivered, driving speculation about her successor and a possible national election. The once-prized stability of British politics has disappeared, threatening to break apart both the Conservatives and their main opponents Labour, and leaving the world’s fifth-largest economy facing an uncertain future. Without any consensus in parliament, reflective of a deeply divided population, all outcomes remain possible in the coming weeks and months: leaving the EU with a deal, a disorderly exit without a deal, or another vote on whether to leave at all.
Brexit talks ‘will stall unless May shifts on customs union’
Talks between Labour and the government are unlikely to advance much further in the coming week unless Theresa May moves on her red lines over a future customs union, sources close to the talks have suggested. David Lidington, who is leading the government’s talks with Labour, said a compromise would have to be reached but played down suggestions that a government shift was imminent and added that Labour would also have to move. Labour has suggested the ball is in the government’s court and, while the opposition will engage on other topics including workers’ rights and security, the key question on customs arrangements remains unresolved. “She needs to take a political decision to move off her red lines – or not,” one source said.
Tories hit by new defections and slump in opinion polls as party divide widens
The bitter fallout from Brexit is threatening to break the Tory party apart, as a Europhile former cabinet minister Stephen Dorrell on Sunday announces he is defecting to the independent MPs’ group Change UK, and a new opinion poll shows Conservative support plummeting to a five-year low as anti-EU parties surge. Writing in Sunday’s Observer, Dorrell, who was health secretary under John Major, says he can no longer continue in a party that “has fallen progressively under the influence of an English nationalist outlook” and turned its back on the traditions of many of its greatest former leaders. Arguing that neither the Conservatives nor Labour now represent mainstream opinion in the UK, Dorrell says that the current two-party system no longer serves the interests of the electorate. He writes: “I shall continue to describe myself, as I always have, as a liberal Conservative but I shall do so in future as a supporter of Change UK – The Independent Group, which I believe has become the natural home of those who regard themselves, as I do, as the heirs of Disraeli, Churchill, Macmillan and Heath.”
Brexit news: Conservatives face European elections drubbing as support 'slumps to lowest point in six years'
The Conservatives are facing a humiliating defeat at the European elections next month after support for the party slumped to its lowest level since 2013, according to a new poll. The survey shows the Tories on just 28 per cent when it comes to general election voting intention – a four-point fall which leaves them trailing Labour on 32. When voters were asked which party they will vote for at the European elections, Theresa May’s party languished on 16 per cent, eight points behind Labour on 24
Brexit news latest: Jeremy Corbyn blasts Theresa May over 'scandalous' failure to seek earlier talks
Jeremy Corbyn has said it was "scandalous" that Theresa May didn't seek earlier Brexit talks with Labour. It came as he insisted the Prime Minister must compromise on her red lines if a cross-party deal is to happen. And the Labour leader said Mrs May should not use the delay of Brexit until October 31 as a chance to put her Withdrawal Agreement to the Commons again. It has already been rejected three times.
Brexit: Germany's Steinmeier hopes UK leaves before EU elections
The German president has warned that Britain's exit from the European Union "cannot become an endless horror story." Concerns are growing that pro-Brexit parties could disrupt next month's EU parliamentary elections and that Brexit still rumbling on will help them
Corbyn tells May to abandon Brexit red lines
Jeremy Corbyn has insisted Theresa May must compromise on her Brexit red lines if cross-party talks on EU withdrawal are to succeed. The Labour leader said it is “scandalous” the Prime Minister did not seek dialogue with Labour on Brexit earlier.
Anti-racism groups issue warning to new Brexit Party and urge against divisive politics
Groups campaigning for an end to racism and discrimination have issued warnings about divisive politics amid the launch of the Brexit Party, headed up by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Mr Farage spoke at an event launching the party’s campaign for the May EU elections on Friday, during which he introduced five new candidates including the sister of Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg. He quit Ukip over its veer towards the “far right” and affiliation with anti-Muslim campaigner Tommy Robinson, saying that it had “descended into yobbery”. Mr Farage described the new party as being “deeply intolerant of intolerance” but it has already run into controversy after two senior figures were forced to step down from their roles due to racist social media posts.
May must use Brexit delay to tear up hated Irish backstop and finally seal a deal, DUP blasts
Theresa May is today under fresh pressure to rip up her Brexit deal and scrap the hated Irish backstop. DUP boss Arlene Foster called on the PM to use the six-month delay to Brexit to start talks again and push the EU into compromising. She warned that if Brussels doesn't shift its position, the EU will be responsible for triggering a No Deal scenario. Ms Foster's demand was echoed by Boris Johnson - and his father Stanley, who is planning to stand as a Tory candidate in Euro elections.
So now Brexit could fall on Halloween. How very … appropriate
The so-called Project Fear mounted during the EU referendum campaign is associated with remainers, but the Brexiteers have their own version of it, so they may welcome the fact that the new opportunity to jump off the cliff coincides with Halloween. Here’s Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking at the London Palladium recently: “If we try to stay beyond the European elections, there will be only one winner from that, and that would be Tommy Robinson.” And last year at the Tory conference, Boris Johnson said, “The ultimate beneficiary of the Chequers deal will be the far right.” It really is deeply irritating when a multimillionaire Old Etonian says, “I’m going to get my mates from the working class to beat you up.”
'We're fed up of Brexit, yet we can't get enough of it'
Six more months. Here’s a paradox: we are all fed up to the back teeth of hearing about Brexit, and yet we cannot get enough of it. Brexit related twists-and-turns predictably dominate the airwaves, rightly or wrongly monopolising the attention of our politicians and political commentators. And it has been relentless. But like a wart or a cold sore, we just can’t leave Brexit alone. We keep thinking about it, going back to it, examining it. We hate it and yet we are drawn to it.
When it comes to Brexit, politicians are only respecting the ‘will’ of the white people
Missing from almost all the coverage and debate are those voices of ethnic minorities. It’s ironic given that we were one of the biggest dissenting voices against Brexit. In the 2016 referendum 73 percent of Black and 67 per cent of Asian voters opted to Remain. Given that the 7.5 million people from ethnic minorities represent a larger population than Scotland and Northern Ireland combined, it is high time that these voices are no longer marginalised. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, it is the will of white English people that is being represented as that of the nation.
Real divide is wealth not Brexit, says Jeremy Corbyn
The real divide in society is between rich and poor and not Brexit, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has told party members in Llandudno. At Welsh Labour conference Mr Corbyn said his party is trying to end the Commons deadlock on the issue. He said he did not want to pit remain voters in one part of the country against leave voters in another. Meanwhile Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said Brexit should not be used to "short-change" Wales. He also announced £2.3m to offer sanitary products to all learners in schools and colleges.
Former Tory leader outlines plan to save Brexit that is sure to infuriate Brussels
Lord Howard claimed the House of Commons would support Prime Minister’s deal on the condition she renegotiates the Northern Ireland backstop. He wrote the Daily Telegraph: “Achieving this would not just win the support of Parliament but also create a coherent position around which a Conservative Party that appears dangerously disunited could begin to coalesce. The problems with the backstop arise solely out of the EU’s refusal to countenance any change to the wording of the Withdrawal Agreement
If Tory MPs wish to change the 1922 committee no confidence vote rules there is nothing standing in their way
Two former chairs of the influential Conservative Party 1922 Committee give their opinions that If Tory MPs wish to change the 1922 committee no confidence vote rules there is nothing standing in their way
Tory Brexiteer Boris Johnson 'will refuse to campaign in European elections'
A source close to Mr Johnson told The Times: "Boris won’t campaign in European elections. "He believes the prospect of the UK fielding candidates is utterly preposterous." The intervention comes after Chancellor Philip Hammond admitted that taking part in the fresh elections to the European Parliament, where Britain holds 73 of 751 seats, would be "pointless".
Death threats leave TIG MP Sarah Wollaston too afraid to advertise public meetings
“What’s angered me is that I have had to change the way I operate as an MP. I can no longer advertise on social media my public meetings, for example. I used to hold surgeries in public places and tell people I’d be there, I can’t do that any more. And so I think there is something leading to a diminution of our very open access. It’s a shame, and I think it’s a loss.” She said comments made by members of the Brexit-backing European Research Group about Theresa May had encouraged a culture of hostility from right-wing extremists. “I think MPs routinely come under the most extreme sort of threats from the far right,” Ms Wollaston said. “What we have seen is a normalisation of threats of violence that was never there when I first went into politics.
Leadership rivals target ex-soldiers with 'dirty tricks'
Tory Whips were at the centre of a growing dirty tricks storm last night after it emerged that a second former Army officer tipped for party leadership is having his past mysteriously probed. On Thursday, war hero turned Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer took to social media to accuse an anonymous Tory enforcer of attempting to ‘dig up dirt’ about his military career. The accused is understood to be Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher. Now The Mail on Sunday has learnt that similar enquiries have been made to former Army colleagues of Tory MP Tom Tugendhat – who served in the Intelligence Corps – who last week ruled out a tilt at No 10.
Theresa May cancels Easter break for Brexit negotiators to fight Nigel Farage
A Downing Street source said: “These talks have been constructive and serious and both sides want to see further progress over the Easter recess. “If we can keep up the pace of negotiations, we can get a deal over the line and avoid having European elections.” The negotiating teams have split into working groups.
Greg Clark and Rebecca Long-Bailey will look at services and consumer and workers’ rights. Michael Gove and Sue Hayman will work on environmental protection. And Steve Barclay and Keir Starmer will discuss security. But Labour sources insist little progress can be made without movement from the PM.
One said: “We need her to make serious commitment to moving her red lines. Until then it’s impossible to see these talks going anywhere.”
Brexit battles are about to get much bloodier
This time, Farage will be able to use the single most divisive issue in the country to his advantage. Even if his party isn't as successful as he hopes, it's likely that a large chunk of the MEPs the UK sends will be euroskeptic. This should worry the EU. As a full member state, the UK will have voting rights and be able to frustrate the EU's plans as long as it remains inside the bloc. Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative MP and leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, says this belligerent behavior is entirely justifiable and necessary. "The EU has not been sincerely cooperative during the Brexit process, so I don't think we owe a duty of cooperation to the EU in return," Rees-Mogg said.
Leave voters have lost faith in the Tories' ability to deliver Brexit
The Conservatives’ failure so far to secure Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union is now at risk of costing them dearly. When the Prime Minister first unveiled her deal in mid-November, the party was largely still holding its own. After 5 months of non-stop Brexit debate is poll ratings are falling and the new Brexit Party ratings are rising, along with the Remain parties ratings
Halloween Brexit is a fitting outcome for the zombie prime minister
The EU summit became absurdist performance art as all agreed on something they did not want
Brexit: Boris Johnson 'wrong on no-deal polling claim'
Boris Johnson was wrong to claim there was polling evidence that a no-deal Brexit was the public's preferred option, the press regulator has ruled. Ipso ordered the Daily Telegraph to print a correction after finding the MP's column was inaccurate.
The claim was made in a piece headlined "The British people won't be scared into backing a woeful Brexit deal nobody voted for" in January. The Telegraph had argued it was "clearly comically polemical"
Row erupts as civil servants ordered to halt £4bn no-deal Brexit planning with 'immediate effect'
The decision to begin "winding down" the emergency preparations came after European leaders agreed to delay the UK's exit until 31 October. Since triggering Article 50 two years ago, some 16,000 civil servants have been moved to departments most likely to be impacted if the UK left the EU without a deal. Labour MP Hilary Benn, who chairs the cross-party Commons Brexit Select Committee said the estimated £1.5bn cost of halting the preparations was a result of Mrs May's refusal to rule out a no-deal Brexit sooner. He said: "It was important to plan for all contigencies, but this is the huge cost of the Prime Minister repeatedly saying: 'My deal or no deal' when she knew that leaving without a deal was not in the national interest. This is one example of how Brexit is proving to be very costly for our country."
Staying in a customs union after Brexit won’t resolve the Irish border issue
The EU is unlikely to accept a request from the UK that it should have a say over the EU’s trade agreements. Article 207 of the Lisbon treaty makes clear that the common commercial policy is exclusive to the EU’s direction. Turkey, which is in a partial customs union with the EU, has to follow EU trade agreements with third countries but has no say on them. The reality is that in a customs union all the power would rest with the EU, with the UK as a follower.
Brexit: Philip Hammond defends spending billons on no-deal preparations
The chancellor has defended spending billions of pounds preparing for a no-deal Brexit. Philip Hammond made his case after Sky News revealed the government was mothballing the team of civil servants responsible for no-deal planning. Over the past two years, the government had moved thousands of civil servants away from their normal jobs to prepare for the possibility that the UK would leave the European Union without a deal. Mr Hammond told Sky News: "It would have been irresponsible not to prepare for no deal, so long as it was a real possible outcome.
"Making preparations for events that we hope will not happen is an everyday part of government.
The Establishment Coup Against Brexit
Something profoundly unpleasant has happened in Britain over the past three years. It has come to a boiling point these past few weeks and will probably stay at this heat for a good many more. It can be summed up as a barely concealed dislike of democracy on the part of a considerable subsection of the elite, those who lost the referendum.
Faisal Islam bids farewell to Sky News after five years as political editor
“I fear politics has not learnt the lessons it needs to from the latter form of political terrorism. Unnecessarily aggressive personalised attacks on our politicians demean and endanger the entire process.” Islam added that he finds the “weaponisation of betrayal politics… deeply troubling”, adding: “There are senior politicians who should stop playing with fire.”
Farage tells BBC host 'NO' SIX TIMES during FIERY exchange over Brexit Party funding
Nigel Farage got into a fiery debate with BBC host Elizabeth Glinka after she repeatedly demanded to know whether businessman and political donor Aaron Banks would be funding the former Ukip leaders’ new Brexit Party.
Brexit: DUP threaten to PULL backing of May's government amid 'chat with Boris'
Theresa May's DUP allies have threatened to pull support for her government in a furious clash over Brexit. The party's 10 MPs have backed the PM since 2017 after being handed £1bn for Northern Ireland in a two-year deal. Asked if the DUP still had confidence in Mrs May after the extension, the DUP leader said: "The confidence and supply agreement that we signed was with the Conservative Party and whoever the leader of the party is we will work with. "We believe in national stability. We want to see Brexit delivered."
Five key things we learnt from Nigel Farage's Brexit launch party
Nigel Farage arrived in Coventry to launch the Brexit Party today - promising it would not ignore democracy. He promised a "revolution" in British politics and unveiled some of the big names who had signed up to the party - including sister of leading Conservative Brexiteer MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, Annunziata Rees-Mogg.
Speaking at the B.G Penny factory in the city after the government delayed Brexit for a second time, he said Coventry was chosen for the launch because it was the "heart of England".
Is Brexit the will of the people? The answer is not quite that simple
...there are several complicating factors. First of all, the majority was narrow. There were 17.4 million votes for Leave, 16.1 million votes for Remain, and 12.9 million abstentions. A further 18 million people living in the UK were not on the electoral register, including all young people below the age of 18 and many long-term residents who are not citizens, though they contribute to British society and have a stake in it. So, although 17.4 million is a large number, it is only a relative majority, not an absolute one.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 16th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Turkey worries about a Halloween Brexit
- A new UN report says that if the UK leaves the EU on No Deal Brexit terms later in the year, Turkey will be an unlikely casualty. It will lose access to its second largest export market because of its customs arrangement with the EU. Turkey is already in recession after last year's Lira crisis knocked some 30% off its value. A no deal Brexit would make economic recovery in Turkey a remote prospect
The City of London's Brexit lobbying barage failed
- Initial efforts to build new financial services connections via lobbying efforts failed, in the most part, due to a perception of arrogance - 'you need us more than we need you' - which got people's backs up. Now the tone has changed along with a realism that the partnership with Europe is not going to be as bright as anyone had expected
Labour will 'haemorrhage' votes if it fails to back second referendum in EU elections, MEP leader warns Corbyn
- MEP Richard Corbett, who leads the Labour group in Brussels, said his party could lose traction with the young, pro-European electorate if Labour fails to confirm support for a public vote on a Brexit deal.
UK businesses at most gloomy since referendum - Deloitte
- A new Deloitte survey says that 8 out of 10 finance leaders are expecting the long-term business environment to worsen as a result of the UK leaving the EU. Pessimism about the short term effects of Brexit remains high, with 49% of CFOs expecting to reduce capital expenditure and 22% anticipating having to trim M&A activity. More than half (53%) plan to cut hiring staff because of Brexit
UK economy is leaning heavily on consumer spending as Brexit drags an anchor on business
- As spending on business investment falls and exports slow, the economy is being propped up (just), by consumer spending. The Bank of England Governor Mark Carney recognised the risks this involves when he said; 'when expansion is reliant on consumer spending, you start watching the clock to try to gauge how much longer it will all last'
Operation Brock kills purple carpet or rare orchids
- Volunteers from the Kent Wildlife Trust had grown a purple carpet of rare bee and common orchids over 15 years. Along came Kent County Council and bulldozed the whole area to make way for a drainage ditch for Operation Brock, the plan to tackle lorry queues for customs coming to and from Dover in the event of a No Deal Brexit
Brittany Ferries says it has seen Brexit-linked costs increase by £43m since the referendum
- Brittany Ferries says it has seen Brexit-linked costs increase by £43m since the referendum. In 2017, 4.8m heavy goods vehicles operated these routes
Edinburgh airport boss raises Brexit uncertainty and tax concerns
- The boss of Scotland's busiest airport said the industry is an uncomfortable place to be with high airport taxes and Brexit uncertainty.
Irish hospitals are actively recruiting Irish nurses in UK hospitals due to Brexit
- Organisers of the Nursing & Midwifery Fair held in London last weekend said that there has been a sharp rise in Irish nurses looking to leave the UK and go back to work in the Irish healthcare sector
London finance sector job openings have halved in last two years, due to Brexit jitters
- Recruiter, Morgan McKinley, said the number of jobs in the city's financial services industry, and the number of finance professionals seeking new jobs, has fallen by more than half across the last two years, The inability of the government to reach a Brexit consensus has 'crushed confidence among City employers' Hakan Enver, MD at Morgan McKinley said in a statement
Senior Tories fear thousands of Brexit activists are infiltrating the Conservative Party
- The Sun confirmed that a fresh surge of 30,000 people have joined the Conservatives within the last 12 months, boosting overall numbers to more than 150,000, a seven year high. Some party insiders are saying this is a symptom of external forces at play, with new members seeking to inflitrate in order to pick the next Prime Minister
Corbyn publicly states 'it is a challenge to negotiate with a government that is collapsing'
- Jeremy Corbyn attacked Theresa May for coming to Labour too late in the day during the Brexit process. He said she was making promises as her government was collapsing around her. Even so, Labour is 'engaging in the talks in a serious and constructive fashion'
Any kind of harm to the Good Friday Agreement would scupper a US-UK trade deal post-Brexit - Nancy Pelosi
- At an event held in the LSE in central London, U.S. House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi, made it clear that if the Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland was altered in some way, because of Brexit reintroducing a hard border, there would be no chance of a UK-USA trade deal
Theresa May sent 3 Brexiteers to meet the EU's Michel Barnier for discussions as a 'reality check' for them
- Arlene Foster, Owen Paterson and Ian Duncan Smith were sent to Brussels to meet with the EU's chief negotiator so that the three could put their case against the Irish backstop in Mrs May's withdrawal agreement and learn why it would not wash with Michel Barnier
Labour is not interested in solving the Tory Brexit dilemma
- Former Tory minister, William Hague, warned the government that Labour is not interested in solving Brexit and only wants to destroy the Tories in an article in the Telegraph
Theresa May not considering an election during her walking break
- The last time Theresa May went on a walking holiday in Wales she came back and called a snap General Election, in which she duly lost her overall Parliamentary majority. Now she's off walking again the press have begun speculating
John Bercow looks set to remain to kill off Brexit
- The Daily Mail said the current Speaker is planning to stay on until Brexit is sorted before stepping down
Labour-Tory Brexit talks back on this week
- The stuttering Brexit talks between the two parties is continuing this week as they search for agreement on a way ahead for Brexit
No Deal Brexit preparations are NOT winding down after all
- The PM sent an email to all officials saying planning for a No Deal Brexit must continue, albeit with sensibly adjusted timescales, signed off by top civil servants
Downing Street under pressure to close down Labour talks on Brexit
- No 10 is receiving warnings that Labour is in no hurry to agree an alternative brexit plan and the Conservatives are liable to suffer at the local election and European election ballot boxes as a result
Economic Impact
An unlikely casualty of a hard Brexit - Turkey's exports
Already mired in recession, Turkey stands to lose access to its second-largest export market for years to come if Brexit goes wrong, with its autos, textiles and appliances facing the biggest risk. Britain and the EU agreed last week to delay Brexit until Oct. 31. But if Britain ultimately leaves without trade arrangements - a so-called “hard” or no-deal Brexit - most of Turkey’s $3.7 billion (£2.8 billion) trade surplus with the UK would be wiped out, according to a United Nations report. Turkey would feel the most pain with $2.4 billion in lost exports a year, followed by South Korea and Pakistan, the report said. Exports are considered vital to Turkey’s recovery from recession after last year’s lira crisis knocked some 30 percent off the value of the currency. If Britain leaves the bloc without a replacement trade deal, Turkey, covered by the EU’s customs union, would lose open access to the UK market.
Brexit: UK businesses at most gloomy since referendum – Deloitte
British businesses are the most gloomy they have been about Brexit since the 2016 referendum, with eight out of 10 finance leaders expecting the long-term business environment to be worse as a result of the UK leaving the EU. Pessimism about the short-term effects of Brexit remains high, with nearly half (49%) of CFOs expecting to reduce their capital expenditure and 22% anticipating having to trim mergers and acquisitions activity. More than half (53%) of CFOs also expect to reduce hiring staff because of Brexit – the highest level in more than two years.
How the City of London’s Brexit lobbying barrage failed
The sector recognised how much it stood to lose if it did not keep its connections with the EU but the travelling caravan ruffled more than a few feathers. “There are lots of stories of arrogance . . . about the UK going round European capitals and saying ‘you need us’. That got people’s backs up,” said Sam Lowe, a trade expert at the Centre for European Reform think-tank. Another person who was involved in the lobbying effort acknowledged: “We weren’t very clever about that.” One year on, the trips across the Channel continue, but the tone has changed. Negotiations on the future relationship between the UK and the EU still have not started in earnest. Yet with few exceptions, no one expects the City to achieve anything like the ambitious partnership it was hoping for. “One of the UK’s only globally competitive sectors is being thrown under a bus,” Conservative MP and former minister Jo Johnson has warned.
UK economy leans on consumers as Brexit drags on business
Moving slowly in the fog of Brexit and slowing global growth, Britain’s economy is increasingly reliant on consumers and their spending as business investment and exports fade. Bank of England Governor Mark Carney said the world economy was suffering some of the same problems. “Normally when expansions are reliant on the consumer, you start watching the clock, in terms of how much longer it will last,” he said.
This Brexit Delay Is a Bond Market Opportunity
For now, investor demand is hot as the hunt for yield is in full swing. With sterling currency, credit and interest rate markets becalmed then the brief lull in politics makes for a welcoming environment for corporate issuers.
Administrative Fall Out
Brittany Ferries BLAMES BREXIT after EU shipping giant costs INCREASE by £43 million
Brittany Ferries, which ships around 200,000 trucks across the English Channel each year, says the financial hit has increased dramatically in the past two years following the referendum. The France-based company transports goods across the channel from the UK to ports in France, Spain and Ireland. In 2017, 4.8 million heavy goods vehicles operated through those routes.
Brexit no deal planning has destroyed thousands of Britain's rarest orchids, it emerges
Brexit no-deal planning meant a council destroyed 17,000 of Britain's rarest orchids in one day - and it will take up to eight years for them to grow back. Volunteers from Kent Wildlife Trust had been lovingly tending the purple carpet of rare bee and common orchids for over 15 years. A spokesperson said they were "devastated" by the news. As well as 9,000 Pyramidal Orchids and nearly 8,000 Common Spotted Orchids, it was also home to Bee Orchids, and the extremely rare Man Orchid.
Not only did they attract and sustain a thriving population of bees, but 20 different butterfly species were sustained by the verge. Now, all that remains of the verge is a lump of mud after Kent County Council ordered it to be bulldozed to make way for a drainage ditch due to Operation Brock, intended to tackle queues coming to and from Dover in the case of a No Deal Brexit.
Airport boss raises Brexit and tax concern
The boss of Scotland's busiest airport has said the industry is currently "not a comfortable place to be", because of high taxes and Brexit uncertainty. Edinburgh Airport chief executive Gordon Dewar said he was expecting a solid summer, but insisted the Scottish government must cut air passenger duty. He also said certainty over the UK's deal for leaving the EU was needed so airlines could invest confidently. Government plans to cut air passenger duty have been hit by legal issues. Scottish ministers want to replace the tax with an alternative, then cut it by 50%, before eventually scrapping it completely.
Irish hospitals hope to recruit Irish nurses in UK worried about Brexit
The number of UK-based Irish nurses looking to return to Ireland to work within the HSE has seen a “sharp rise” according to organisers of a Nursing & Midwifery Job Fair held in London at the weekend. Recruiters from Dublin’s Beaumont and the Coombe maternity jospitals as well as other Irish hospitals were in London on Saturday, hoping to lure nurses working in the UK to work in Ireland. While Irish citizens will retain their rights after Britain leaves the European Union, Brexit was a push factor. “Brexit was a contributing factor for me looking into going back home,” says 22-year-old Irish student nurse Caoimhe Ludden. “I’m like everyone else in London who just thinks the whole [BREXIT] thing is a joke.”
London Finance Job Openings Halve in Two Years on Brexit Jitters
Job vacancies in London’s finance industry have halved in two years as uncertainty over Brexit knocks business confidence, a survey by recruiter Morgan McKinley has found. The number of jobs available in the city’s financial services industry and the number of finance professionals seeking new jobs have each fallen by more than half in the past two years, the recruiter said, although both measures rose slightly from the fourth quarter of 2018 to the first quarter of this year. “The inability of the government to reach consensus on a Brexit deal has crushed confidence among City employers,” Hakan Enver, managing director at Morgan McKinley, said in a statement.
Brexit: Dangerous toys, cars and household goods could flood into the UK
Crucial delays to rooting out unsafe products could be triggered unless ongoing access to the European Safety Gate rapid warning system is thrashed out, according to Which?
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-dangerous-toys-cars-household-14311903
Additional sources: (CNN)
Additional sources: (CNN)
Foundation Trust suffers £27m hit from rail delays and Brexit
A specialist trust which has been a major beneficiary of the current financial regime is at risk of missing its “control total” by £27m, after an expected accounting adjustment was scuppered by delays to a rail project and Brexit uncertainties.
Royal Brompton and Harefield Foundation Trust was expecting to report a near breakeven position in 2018-19, after benefitting from an upward revaluation of Chelsea Farmers Market, an investment property it owns. The value of the property was expected to rise by £20m, which would have scored within the trust’s income and expenditure position for the year. However, according to a finance paper to the trust board on 27 March, there has been a downward revaluation of £7m.
Does the man who coined the word Brexit regret it? ‘I wouldn't have if I had copyrighted it’
In a piece called ‘Stumbling towards the Brexit’, Wilding described the UK establishment’s fractured relationship with the EU, and a swell in anti-European rhetoric: “Unless a clear view is pushed that Britain must lead in Europe at the very least to achieve the completion of the Single Market, then the portmanteau for Greek euro exit might be followed by another sad word, Brexit.” It wasn’t until 2016 when representatives of the Oxford English Dictionary called him that he was told that the word had been traced back to him as the first person to use it. It was then made the dictionary’s word of the year. Wilding isn’t just another political pundit – he’s a former solicitor in EU law, former media director of the UK’s Conservative Party and former advisor to then-British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Political Shenanigans
If MPs truly value democracy, boycotting the European elections is the last thing they'll do
The elections due to take place on 23 May will be different. They will go ahead unless Theresa May ... cent would support Labour, 26 per cent pro-Remain parties (the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Greens and Change UK, also known as the Independent Group) and ...
Brian Monteith: The Brexit Party should not be written off in Scotland
The tendency in Scotland is to write off sympathy for Brexit but, just as I warned in this column five years ago, there is a substantial eurosceptic minority looking for a voice. The last time there were EU elections in 2014 Scotland returned a Ukip MEP with over 140,000 votes and 10.5 per cent of the vote. On 23 May, when the European elections that were not meant to take place will be held, the Brexit Party should pick up that seat if it offers a rational and inoffensive home for that existing support. Indeed it could do even better if there is a significant fall in Conservative or Labour support.
Senior Tories fear thousands of Brexit activists are infiltrating the Conservative Party to have a say on who the next PM will be
Senior Tories fear they are being infiltrated by thousands of Brexit activists joining to pick a new PM after the party’s membership swelled by a fifth. The Sun can reveal that a fresh surge of 30,000 have joined the Conservatives within the last 12 months. The influx boosted its overall numbers to more than 150,000 - at least a seven year high. While CCHQ insiders insist some of the rise is from a new recruitment drive, other party chiefs say the prospect of having a say on Theresa May’s successor is now being heavily exploited.
Jeremy Hunt explains Brexit in 90 seconds to class of Japanese schoolchildren
Mr Hunt added: "It is absolutely clear that Brexit paralysis, if it continues for a long time, will be highly damaging to our international standing.” He also said talks with Labour had been “more constructive than people thought” but that if they are not successful, the Conservatives may need to work more closely with the DUP.
Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit talks: ‘It is a challenge to negotiate with a Government that’s collapsing’
Jeremy Corbyn has attacked Theresa May for coming to Labour too late in the Brexit process. He said it was now sometimes difficult to believe the Prime Minister as she is making promises as her government collapses. “It’s scandalous that it came so late in the Brexit process, not at the 11th hour, not even at five to midnight, but at five past midnight after she missed her own deadline of the 29th of March.
“Nevertheless, we’re engaging in the talks in a serious and constructive way.
Ukip MEPs quit to join Farage’s new Brexit Party
Three Ukip MEPs have said they are quitting to join Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party.
Deputy chairman and East Midlands MEP Margot Parker, West Midlands MEP Jill Seymour and Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire MEP Jane Collins announced their resignations on Monday. Mrs Parker accused party leader Gerard Batten of “carrying out a purge of party loyalists” and said he had “taken his eye off the ball”.
Corby-based MEP quits UKIP and joins Brexit Party
East Midlands MEP Margot Parker has today announced her resignation as UKIP deputy chairman and has quit the party. Mrs Parker, who has championed women’s rights and equality, has joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. She was UKIP spokesman on women’s rights and gender equality and said: “The party leader of UKIP is carrying out a purge of party loyalists to ensure only supporters of the far right activist Tommy Robinson, with whom he now associates with, are considered for approval by the party.
Sir Vince Cable MP: May's local elections should be about housing, social care & the environment, not Brexit
On this occasion Brexit will inevitably colour voting preferences. The Conservatives will suffer because they are seen to be badly led and divided over Brexit. And many Conservative activists, who are more radical and pro-Brexit in their motivation, will not be willing to stuff envelopes and deliver leaflets or man polling stations. Labour has a similar problem but most of these elections are not in the Labour heartlands of big cities like London and Birmingham, so they have less at stake. For the Liberal Democrats, these elections are a good opportunity. We have generally been doing well in local by-elections. Our results last May were positive with 75 net gains. We have ground to be retrieved from disastrous elections in the Coalition years. And where we have control of local councils, they have a broadly favourable reputation. We stand to benefit from a swing from the Conservatives. So we have put a lot of effort in, and I have personally been going round to support council candidates from Yeovil to York, whenever I can escape the Westminster bubble and our Brexit-preoccupied Parliament.
Harm to Irish peace accord would prevent U.S.-UK trade deal post-Brexit - Pelosi
The United States would not strike a wideranging trade deal with Britain after Brexit if a hard border was restored between Ireland and Northern Ireland, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi said on Monday. "We made it clear to all, If there is any harm to the Good Friday accord, no (trade) treaty," Pelosi said during a London School of Economics event. "I have to say though every single person, including Theresa May who we spoke to on the phone, everyone said don't even worry about that, it is unthinkable that we would even go there."
Even if Theresa May gets her withdrawal agreement through parliament, Brexit is far from assured
It is far from clear she can get MPs to eventually support her deal, but even if she could, imagine the enormity of the task she faces next. In order to make good on promises made in a referendum to take back control from EU, MPs must vote to pay billions to the EU, entrench EU law into our legal system for possibly more than half a century and keep the UK under the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice.
If the withdrawal agreement isn’t too politically toxic for May’s pro-Brexit backbenchers, the required terms of implementing the agreement surely are. Yet both must be approved for Brexit to happen and before any talks over future trade deals can start. So what next for the prime minister? She might now want to stand down, call a snap election or consider holding a public vote. However, none of these options makes Brexit any easier to achieve. In fact, it’s never looked more unlikely and difficult.
The Good Friday agreement is under threat – but it’s key to resolving Brexit
It is precisely because of such issues as the border that there should be a confirmatory vote on whatever now emerges from the Brexit process in parliament. The Irish border question is a metaphor for the entire negotiation. It is not possible for the UK to have frictionless trade with the EU if it remains outside the single market, so the question is how much friction is compatible with the Good Friday agreement, and that in turns defines any Brexit agreement that will pass through parliament.
Brexit news: May says no-deal Brexit planning to continue, as Hunt insists Labour talks progressing ‘better than expected’
Cross-party talks between the Conservatives and Labour to resolve the Brexit stalemate are to continue through parliament’s Easter recess, as infighting among senior Tories revealed the divisions still plaguing progress. Chancellor Philip Hammond reportedly ridiculed Tory Brexiteers including Michael Gove and Boris Johnson for engaging in a “suicide pact” during the 2016 leadership race in a speech in the US.
Hunt: Tory leadership contest must wait until Brexit deal agreed
Jeremy Hunt has insisted the contest to succeed Theresa May as Conservative party leader must wait until after the Brexit withdrawal agreement has been voted through by parliament. Hunt, a Brexit convert and Tory leadership hopeful, said passing the EU withdrawal bill remained a priority for the government, as reports suggested leading cabinet members were happy for May to stay in office until the autumn if she failed to get her deal through parliament. Tory leadership hopefuls fear any contest before May’s deal is approved by MPs would allow Brexiters, such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab, to gain support by pledging to reopen the agreement with Brussels, according to reports on Monday.
Theresa May's Brexit plot revealed: Brexiteers sent to EU's Barnier for a 'reality check'
Express.co.uk understands the Prime Minister was keen for Mr Duncan Smith, Mr Paterson and Ms Foster to meet with Mr Barnier to understand the realities of the backstop. According to a source, the Brussels negotiator encouraged the British politicians to support the Prime Minister’s hated Brexit deal in order to unlock substantive talks to eliminate the backstop. “Barnier said as long as you ratify the withdrawal agreement, we will work on the alternative arrangements,” the EU source said.
Brexiteers should trust the public and support a second referendum
During the first referendum, Leave’s position was vague, with varying competing promises and visions. This was deliberate, as it made it harder to pin down, and gave Brexiteers flexibility (most also feared campaigning for a hard Brexit, worried it would alienate more cautious eurosceptics). The problem is, that fluidity made it easy for the whole thing to be hijacked, which it since has been by Mrs May. No matter how hard the government tries to sell it as Brexit, nobody voted for her deal. Yet that is the closest thing to Brexit parliament is prepared to countenance, and as we’ve seen, MPs still cannot be drawn to vote for it.
Labour will 'haemorrhage' votes if it fails to back second referendum in EU elections, MEP leader warns Corbyn
MEP Richard Corbett, who leads the Labour group in Brussels, said his party could lose traction with the young, pro-European electorate if Labour fails to confirm support for a public vote on a Brexit deal. Labour has insisted the option of a second referendum remains on the table as a last resort to break the Brexit deadlock, but has failed to fully support a fresh poll.
Labour doesn’t want to solve Brexit, it only wants to destroy the Tories
When you are conducting a negotiation, as leading Conservative and Labour figures are now doing over Brexit, it is essential to understand what the people on the other side of the table really want. For instance, in the talks that led to the Coalition Government in 2010, we soon worked out what the Liberal Democrats wanted most. Apart from getting their hands on ministerial red boxes for the first time in their lives, they wanted a change in the voting system so that they might be in office almost permanently.
Theresa May 'not considering election' on walking break, says No 10
Theresa May is spending part of her Easter break on a walking holiday in Wales, Downing Street has said. But - stand down everyone - Number 10 has insisted the prime minister is not considering calling a general election. Mrs May famously decided to call a snap election during a walking holiday in Snowdonia in 2017 and went on to see her Commons majority wiped out. She has previously said she loves going to north Wales with her husband Philip "because the scenery's great". The parliamentary Easter recess comes at a turbulent time in politics, with Brexit deadlocked in Parliament and no resolution - yet - from talks between the government and Labour. Last week, the EU extended the Brexit deadline to 31 October, prompting calls from several Conservative MPs for the prime minister to stand down before the summer.
European elections will show how Britain really feels about Brexit – of course the government wants to avoid it
It’s amazing how many times in the Brexit process we have been told that something unthinkable or impossible for the government to countenance has come to pass. The prospect of Britain going to the polls on 23 May to elect MEPs is the latest such example. But how likely is it? We shouldn’t underestimate how strong the desire of both main parties to avoid the elections will be. For the Conservative Party, the problem is obvious: few Remainers will vote for it, but Leavers are also now offside in large numbers – Conservatives will hope temporarily – due to the failure to deliver Brexit on time. Brexit has consumed the government to such an extent that there is precious little other reason to vote for it. This hypothesis was backed up by polling data this weekend. For Labour, the problem is more subtle. It would need to produce a manifesto, which would surely force it to end its policy of constructive ambiguity and state, in black and white, what its position actually is on a confirmatory public vote.
Bercow stays to 'kill off Brexit'
The source said: ‘The MPs have put him under huge pressure not to leave the Chair until Brexit is sorted. He is now unlikely to give any hint of his going until after the summer recess at the earliest – and may well wait to see if the new October 31 deadline is met before hanging up his boots. ‘Ken Clarke – who John listens to more than any other MP – was a particularly decisive voice, telling him that it was his duty to stay.’
Political Setbacks
Why won’t the remain parties work together for the EU elections?
These elections should see the pro-Europeans triumph. While Labour still prevaricates, the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Change UK (the Independent Group as was) are the only unequivocal singers of the EU ode to joy. They all campaign for proportional representation, yet seem to have failed in that spirit of cooperation and coalition. If, just for this one election, they combined as a single pro-EU, pro-referendum grouping, they would do far better. Not only would they win more seats and votes, they would shake Labour off the fence for fear of being eaten alive.
Jeremy Hunt: Brexit paralysis ‘highly damaging’ to UK’s global image
U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned today that continued indecision around Britain's exit from the EU would be "highly damaging" to the country's standing around the world. Speaking to the BBC's Today program from Japan, where he is on an official trip, Hunt urged MPs to resolve their differences and agree on a deal, saying the U.K.'s trading partners just want Britain to make up its mind on Brexit and get on with it. He said Japan, and other countries, "are very, very keen to protect their trading relationship with the U.K., [and] the point that I'm impressing on Japanese people I meet is our absolute determination to resolve this quickly.
The Brexit Party, like everything Farage touches, is all about division
As so often with Farage, the launch was long on bombast and short on detail, not to mention riddled with contradictions. The former Ukip leader had begun by declaring war on “career politicians” and “elite establishment figures” whom he claimed had deliberately set out to make sure that Brexit never happened. He conveniently ignored the fact that almost every trade union has spoken out about the dangers of pursuing a hard Brexit. The ironies were inescapable. Farage is nothing if not a career politician. He has now led two political parties, he has been bankrolled as an MEP for 20 years and he has tried – and failed – to get elected to Westminster seven times. Yet somehow Nigel manages to convince himself he is just an ordinary bloke, mainly because he smokes cigarettes and likes a pint.
Brexit latest: Theresa May to resume talks with Labour – but a deal is still a long way off
How many episodes there are in GoT season 8, and how long each one is Senior Tory and Labour figures are set to resume talks this week in the search for common ground over Brexit.
How Britain can make life difficult for the EU during the Brexit extension
De Gaulle’s empty chair policy is a striking lesson in getting one’s way with Brussels, in only six months. But could it be borrowed by Britain, were such an unpleasantness even to be contemplated? Unfortunately not. This approach requires all the bombast and prestige of the General to be successful. Today’s UK government cannot claim anything of the sort. And there is some irony in the idea of Britain applying an ‘empty chair’ policy given that that is what Brexit ultimately seeks to achieve.
Brexit is a curse on family ties. Just look at the Rees-Moggs, the Johnsons, the Milibands...
Our polarised politics are dominated by families with strong lines on Europe. There are also the Johnsons — Boris and Jo — who are still in the same party, though planets apart on how and whether the UK leaves the EU. While Old Etonian Jacob will fag for Boris in the looming leadership contest, Jo hopes to wake up and find the referendum was a bad dream.
Brexit: Theresa May faces ‘grassroots revolt’ as calls to quit grow
Theresa May faces a “grassroots revolt” among Tories over the delay to Brexit as internal party pressure mounts on the embattled Prime Minister to quit before the end of next month. The Tory leader has already announced she will be leaving office when the current phase of talks are over and former leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday said she should quit before European Parliament elections on 23 May.
Claims anti-Brexit candidates could be on Tory election shortlist
YouGov's poll on April 10 to 11 - the first since Brexit was extended up until October - shows Labour a clear leader with 24 percent of the public's backing. The Conservatives are in second place at 16 percent, said the poll of 1,843 people. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which was officially launched on Friday, is third with 15 percent backing, and UKIP is on 14 percent. Another new party, Change UK, which includes Chuka Umunna among its number, are on seven percent. The Liberal Democrats are on eight percent, the same as the Greens, while the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are both on six percent. That is a steep drop from the 2017 general election.
EXCL Theresa May tells Whitehall no-deal Brexit preparation will carry on after backlash
In an email to all officials, seen by PoliticsHome, the Prime Minister says planning for Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement "must continue" - albeit with "sensibly adjusted" timescales signed off by top civil servants. The move comes just days after the Government was criticised following reports that officials had been told to shelve no-deal planning with "immediate effect" as European leaders agreed to potentially delay the UK's exit until 31 October.
Scientists have studied the link between income and vote on Brexit
People’s feelings about their own financial situation had the greatest influence on them voting to leave the EU, according to new research. Academics at the Universities of Bristol, Warwick and ETH Zurich analysed the views of 8,000 prospective voters over a 12-month period before and after the 2016 referendum. They say UK citizens’ feelings about their incomes were a substantially better predictor of how they planned to vote than their actual income. Those who described themselves as ‘finding it very difficult’ financially were 13% more likely to vote for Brexit compared to those who said they were ‘living comfortably’. After considering the effects of financial feelings, only the youngest UK citizens – particularly those under 25 – were substantially pro-Remain. people’s feelings about their finances – rather than their actual income – were shown to be the strongest predictor of their views on Brexit,’ he said. ‘This is an important message for economists and political scientists, stressing once more how the bad feelings created after crisis austerity policies, and spread via the media and social media, have sparked the current wave of populism, and how important it is to take into account human feelings along with material factors.’
Downing Street under pressure to close down Labour talks on Brexit
No 10 is feeling the pressure to pull the plug on Brexit talks with Labour and move to an alternative plan, amid warnings that the opposition is in no hurry for a deal before the European elections. With talks deadlocked and no sign that the government moving on its red lines, neither the Conservatives or Labour want to appear responsible for the breakdown in discussions. Ministers and their opposition counterparts are taking part in working groups on some issues this week, but there will be no discussion before Easter on the big issues of a customs union or a confirmatory referendum, making it easy for Labour to reject the prime minister’s overtures so far.
Ken Clarke: ‘Brexit is like a parody version of student politics’
Clarke is committed to accepting reality, as he sees it. “Unless and until I can see an opportunity of actually reversing Brexit and restoring a stable membership of the European Union, then in the real world I concentrate on minimising the damage,” he says,
Opinion: This is everything that's wrong with the Norway model for Brexit
Femi Oluwole spoke to experts on the Norway's relationship with the EU about whether the deal is a good option for the UK, and their answers were less encouraging than you’d think
Brexit Party candidate RIPS into David Cameron and Theresa May on TWO Brexit promises
Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit Party rally has drawn support from many different types of Brexiteers who are unsatisfied with the current state of political affairs. Brexit Party candidate Ben Habib savaged David Cameron on his £9.4 million “fear” leaflet he issued ahead of the 2016 referendum and Theresa May on her “slip and slide” Brexit stance. While speaking at the Brexit rally Mr Habib said: “I’m the founder and Chief Executive of a company called First Property Group.
Labour MPs in pro-Brexit seats attack bid to select all pro-EU MEP candidates
John Mann issued a direct attack on Richard Corbett, the leader of the Labour group in the European Parliament, while Gareth Snell said it would be a “strategic error” to offer up only pro-Remain candidates. It comes after the Daily Mail reported an apparent plot to stop pro-Leave candidates being selected by the party for the election on 23 May.
Fund managers pay UK politicians £236,000 for speeches and advice
Asset managers have paid UK politicians hundreds of thousands of pounds for speeches and advice over the past 12 months as investors desperately search for an edge as Britain messily negotiates its departure from the EU. Political figures on both sides of the Brexit divide — including Boris Johnson, Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, John Redwood, Damian Green and Ken Clarke — received thousands of pounds to share their insights with UK and US investment companies. The payments made by fund managers to politicians — on top of their basic MP salaries of £79,468 — have drawn criticism from consumer rights champions.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Nancy Pelosi Warns 'No Chance Whatsoever' Of US-UK Trade Deal If Brexit Harms Good Friday Agreement
Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, has warned the UK that if Brexit causes “any harm” to the Good Friday Agreement then it can forget about signing any free trade deal with America. Speaking at the London School of Economics on Monday evening, the powerful Democrat said the peace in Northern Ireland must not be “bargained away”. “If there were to be any weakening of the Good Friday accords then there would be no chance whatsoever, a non starter, for a US-UK trade agreement,” she said.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 17th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
In a Ted talk, The Guardian's Carole Cadwaladr digs into one of the most perplexing events in recent times: the UK's super close 2016 vote to leave the European Union. She tracks the result to a barrage of misleading dark facebook ads which were targeted at vulnerable Brexit swing voters - linking the same players and tactics to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Cadwalladr calls out the Gods of Silicon Vallley for being on the wrong side of history and presiding over a crime scene and asks the audience - are free and fair elections now a thing of the past due to this new technology?
Pro-Brexit group Leave.eu faked migrant footage in 2016, releasing it on social media to influence voters. It included fake videos of migrants attacking women in dark alleys. It included a fake trip which allegedly showed how easy it was for migrants to be brought across the English channel unchallenged.
Theresa May has been warned that she has no chance of passing her Brexit withdrawal deal in time to stop the European elections. The staging of the elections will also be seen as a personal humiliation for the Prime Minister, who has repeatedly told MPs they should not take place three years after the Brexit referendum
An Institute of Government report into the handling of Brexit accuses Theresa May of blundering, by creating an unsustainable split between government departments, while her own highly secretive approach to negotiating the withdrawal agreement only fuelled division in her own cabinet
Backbench MPs Ken Clarke and Frank Field are plotting to force a soft Brexit through a Commons vote, as a way of ending current Parliamentary Brexit deadlock. Clarke and Field are intending to table a proposal which backs a Customs Union and get it through Parliament, so that neither of the two political party leaders has to back down and sign a formal Brexit deal upsetting supporters
Ireland is planning to cover the estimated 4m Euro cost of health insurance for Northern Ireland citizens after Brexit. Simon Coveney said it would pose challenges to extend cover to people in the north, as they were no longer EU citizens, so fresh legislation to do so will be necessary
Jeremy Corbyn said that Tory Party plans for post-withdrawal agreement Brexit deregulation is a major cause of the negotiations starting to stall. He said that Labour continues to propose a customs union as its Brexit proposal, but now it is Theresa May's refusal to budge from her red lines which is the major stumbling block to an agreement
Conservative Party chairmen are plotting to force Theresa May out sooner than she planned by using a little known rule in the party's rulebook. An emergency meeting of the Conservative Party's National Convention can be summoned if 65 local association chairmen agree it would be best to do so. That would be the groundwork laid for a no confidence vote and her subsequent dismissal
A UCL study across all regions of the UK has identified Labour Party voters who backed the party in 2017 but are now ready to switch to any party that is perceived as more European
Amber Rudd confirmed she could well enter the Tory Party leadership contest to succeed Theresa May, were she to stand down
Dozens of Labour Party allies across the EU are piling the pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to include a promise to overturn Brexit in his upcoming European Parliament manifesto
EU citizens are facing a voting headache, as the two-step process which cut numbers of EU citizens voting in 2014 still has not been resolved. The Electoral Commission said it was told not to bother resolving the issue, as the government believed there would be no European Election in 2019
Change UK has been recognised as a political party by the Electoral Commission and said it plans to stand candidates to become MEPs at the next European election
The European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, told the European Parliament that the bloc's decision to grant the UK a Brexit delay until the end of October risked prolonging the uncertainty. Verhofstadt said the six month extension to Article 50 was 'too near for a substantial rethink of Brexit and, at the same time, too far away to prompt any action by the UK government'
Some good news for Brexiteers
Japanese telco and tech behemoth, NTT Corporation, has chosen London to be its new global headquarters, according to reports, with the final announcement planned to be in July
New figures show unemployment is now at its lowest level since 1974, with more people either in work or looking for work than before - wage growth is also rising
Now some not so good news
A new report called 'Brexit, The Good Friday/Belfast Agreement and the Environment: Issues Arising and Possible Solutions' was launched on Tuesday. It stressed that a No Deal Brexit would cause major environmental headaches across Ireland. There would be a series of physical border related concerns, matched by an equal number of regulatory ones, involving divergence of rules and governance changes - all stemming from Brexit
The Yorkshire Post published a study of SMEs and how they are failing to cope with Brexit planning. The Simply Business survey said 800 of the 1,200 SME owners in the study felt unsupported ahead of Brexit and are delaying their growth plans and further investment in their businesses. They are also having to make redundancies to cut costs
The Welsh automotive sector suffered a blow as Japanese firm Calsonic Kansei announced it would be making 100 workers redundant at its Llanelli plant. Late last year the firm secured an investment grant to help create a further 88 jobs over the next five years so the news is a blow to the region
Jobs at Risk
Car components firm Calsonic Kansei shedding nearly 100 jobs at its Llanelli plant
The Welsh automotive sector has suffered a further blow with Japanese firm Calsonic Kansei announcing redundancies at its Llanelli plant. The factory, which supplies heat exchange, air conditioning, exhaust and electronic components to manufacturers globally, has confirmed that 95 jobs are at risk following a "significant drop in sales." Late last year the operation secured a £4.4m grant investment from the Welsh Government which it said would help create a further 88 jobs over the next five years, with a focus on developing and producing electric vehicle technology.
Economic Impact
Did someone forget to tell NTT about Brexit? Japanese telco eyes London for global HQ
Japanese telco and tech behemoth NTT Corporation has chosen London for its new global headquarters amid a massive reorg, according to reports. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation – the parent of Di Data Group – is in the midst of a massive restructuring, with final details due to be announced in July.
But London has scored the global head office seemingly in spite of Brexit worries, reported Nikkei Asian Review.
UK boosts business bank by £200m as Brexit hits funding
The UK government is to inject £200m into a state-run scheme designed to provide financing for business amid concerns over a reduction in funding from the EU after Brexit. The British Business Bank, which works in partnership with other financial institutions to leverage private capital, offers to share the risk of certain losses on a portfolio of new loans made to companies. The government has faced calls to encourage the publicly owned bank, set up by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition government in 2014, to invest in start-ups and help offset the impact that Brexit will have on funding for the tech sector.
Unemployment figures at record low in Northern Ireland
The Department for the Economy's (DfE) Labour Market Report for December to February shows that the unemployment rate was 3% - a 0.5 percentage point decrease over the quarter. This level is lower than the UK rate (3.95), the EU rate (6.5%) and that in the Republic (5.3%). While the amount for those out of work is at a record low, the employment rate has also reached a record high - 71.2%. This is an increase of 1.8 percentage points over the year, a "statistically significant" change, according to the DfE. In the last year, however, there has been 2,357 confirmed redundancies in Northern Ireland - a 24% jump when compared to the previous 12 months. A DfE spokesperson said: "The improvements in the NI labour market since 2017 are consistent with the UK experience, where unemployment and inactivity are joint lowest on record and employment is at a joint record high
UK unemployment at its lowest since 1974
New figures show unemployment is at its lowest since 1974, with more people either in work or looking for work. Ministers say it’s a sign of the “underlying resilience” of the British economy. And wage growth is rising too.
Why the EU carbon market is being roiled by Brexit
It seems that nothing can escape the claw-like grasp of Brexit: it is now the turn of the European carbon market to be roiled by Britain’s stuttering attempts to leave the EU. Prices for the allowances traded under the EU Emissions Trading System hit a 10-year high above €27 a tonne last week, in a move partly attributed to the receding chance of the UK leaving the bloc under a no-deal Brexit.
Administrative Fall Out
SMEs making cuts due to Brexit
The majority of UK SMEs are still completely in the dark over what to expect, or how to better prepare for life after Brexit, according to new research released today.
According to a survey of 1,200 SME owners across the UK, commissioned by Simply Business, three quarters of self-employed people admit to feeling unsupported ahead of Brexit. A third have decided to delay growth plans and further investment in their business, while 8 per cent stated that they’re having to make redundancies to cut costs. Bea Montoya,of Simply Business, said: “There isn’t a blueprint for what happens after Brexit.”
No-deal Brexit threatens ‘innumerable problems’ for environmental projects
A new report called 'Brexit, The Good Friday/Belfast Agreement and the Environment: Issues Arising and Possible Solutions' was launched in Leinster House on Tuesday. A disorderly exit could “cause a major environmental headache on the island of Ireland” in the absence of a clear common rulebook regarding species, emissions, water quality and hazardous waste. “It is likely that Brexit (in any form) will interfere with Good Friday/Belfast Agreement cross-border co-operation and place obstacles in its way in general, but in particular in the area of environmental co-operation,” it says. “A hard border or a customs border would represent a potential physical obstacle to cross-border environmental projects, potentially causing innumerable problems from movement of staff on projects and goods necessary for the carrying out of projects, to the more abstract problems cause by regulatory divergence and governance changes as a result of Brexit.”
Brexit: Environmental rules in Northern Ireland 'at risk'
A paper by Dr Ciara Brennan from Newcastle University and Dr Mary Dobbs from Queen's University points out that where big infrastructure projects affect protected sites, Daera will be responsible for advising on whether there is an "overriding public interest" in proceeding. That would replace the role currently undertaken by the European Commission. The academics suggest planning officials in infrastructure would be asking approval from colleagues in Daera, a situation which, they claim, could lead to "conflicts of interest" where "the government is seeking approval from itself".
Manufacturers fear flipside of no-deal Brexit boom
Foreign customers of UK businesses are raising their demand for goods and services in advance of a no Deal Brexit exit but such a surge is unlikely to last businesses are saying
Political Shenanigans
European elections and a second Brexit vote
A formal alliance or pre-election joint lists between clear anti-Brexit parties – the Liberal Democrats, Greens, the Independent Group/Change UK, Scottish National party in Scotland and Plaid Cymru in Wales – won’t happen. But they could stop name-calling each other, as indeed could Labour its erstwhile colleagues. I remember the pleasure Labour MPs and activists got in calling the Social Democratic party “renegades” every name under the sun after their 1981 split from Labour. It didn’t help. Labour lost the next three elections. Similarly, TIG should drop its jejune insults when it will be Labour MPs, with the help of some Tories, who rescue the nation from the Brexit isolationist fanatics.
Change UK registers as political party ahead of European elections
Change UK has been formally registered as a political party, allowing the centrist movement founded by former Labour and Tory MPs to field candidates for the European elections. The group, led by the former Conservative Heidi Allen, has received more than 3,700 expressions of interest in being a candidate in the elections and is polling about 4-7% for the contest, meaning it could get MEPs. Change UK’s registration was accepted by the Electoral Commission but the body rejected its proposed emblem. A spokeswoman for the commission said: “The emblem contained a hashtag, and we cannot assess the material linked to a hashtag, which will change over time, against the legal tests. The emblem also contained the acronym TIG, which we were not satisfied was sufficiently well known.”
How May miscalculated the Brexit numbers game | Politics
It is a Conservative implosion that has been years in the making. Having seen her Brexit deal defeated three times in parliament, Theresa May finally admitted that “as things stand I can’t see [MPs] accepting it”. Just days later Tory MPs delivered their own verdict. Only a minority of May’s party – 133 out of 314 – voted in favour of the prime minister’s request for a delay. She was effectively governing on the back of opposition votes.
Donald Tusk is right, Britain does need more time for Brexit – so it can hold a Final Say referendum
If we decided to stay, in a Final Say referendum, there might be a heavy price to pay in the short run for the “betrayal” of the 2016 vote – but it would be the only way to allow the EU as a whole to move on to more important things. It is not up to EU leaders to tell us how to run our affairs, but Tusk is right that they should give us the time – and every encouragement – to hold another referendum to put an end to the deadlock.
The Londoner: EU citizens face a voting headache
EU citizens living in the UK have to undergo a two-step process to register to vote in the elections, a system which was blamed in 2014 for what they said was a steep drop in the number of EU nationals eligible to vote. Now it emerges that despite promising in 2014 to act on this, the Electoral Commission has not made any changes to the system, risking the same problem. In 2014 the Electoral Commission promised it would “identify what can be done to simplify the system and remove unnecessary administrative barriers to participation… at the next European Parliament elections in 2019”. Today a commission spokesman explained that it was “not something we looked at” after the Government told it, following the 2016 referendum, that the UK would not be participating in the European elections. Axel Antoni, a spokesman for the3Million campaigning group of EU citizens, blasted both the Government and the Electoral Commission. “It’s disappointing that the UK makes it so hard for EU citizens to register,” he said, but added it was “a bit disingenuous” of the Electoral Commission to blame Brexit. “Between 2014 and 2016 what did they do to make it better? Nothing.” EU citizens must register to vote as normal and, for the European elections, also complete a form stating they are not voting elsewhere in Europe.
EXCL Labour allies across EU pile pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to help overturn Brexit
Dozens of Labour allies from across the EU have piled pressure on Jeremy Corbyn to include a promise to overturn Brexit in his upcoming European Parliament manifesto. The socialist MEPs representing 10 nations urged the Labour leader to run a “strong, confident pro-European” campaign to help prevent the “rise of populism” and help shape “a better future for an entire continent”. They said: “The British Labour party must participate in the European elections and help change the balance of power in Europe. Labour would do well in European elections and could command a large coalition of internationalists who want to see vast social change. “A Labour party leading the socialist group in coalition with the other European left parties could reform the EU into a project for social and environmental justice across borders.” They said pro- and anti-EU figures on the left should “put aside our differences” to fight the far right forces that are gaining traction across Europe in Hungary, Italy, Holland, France and elsewhere.
James Murdoch set to invest $1bn in media companies
People with direct knowledge of his plans said James Murdoch wanted to distance himself from the conservative media outlets controlled for decades by his father but had yet to decide how exactly he would invest in the news media. His options range from a liberal news website to a digital magazine focused on culture, society and lifestyle, they said, adding that no final decision had been taken as the new venture was at an early stage.
Amber Rudd back in Tory leadership race as she says it is 'entirely possible' she will run to succeed Theresa May
Amber Rudd said it is “entirely possible” she will run to be the next Tory leader as she re-entered the race to succeed Theresa May. The Work and Pensions Secretary gave the strongest hint yet of any potential Conservative leadership contender that she could put herself forward to be prime minister as she said she was keeping the “door slightly ajar” to the possibility. Ms Rudd was believed to have ruled herself out of the contest, partially because of her 346 vote majority in her Hastings and Rye constituency. Mrs May has said she will make way for a new Tory leader after the terms of the UK’s divorce from the European Union have been agreed.
The numbers don’t lie: Labour must back a people’s vote to win the next election
The UCL analysis shows that in every region of the UK, the majority of voters who put a cross next to Labour in the general election of 2017 but say they won’t vote Labour next time, are switching to a party they see as more pro-European. In London, where Labour dominated in 2017, a third of Labour voters who know how they intend to vote now say they will vote for another party, but voters switching to a party seen as more pro-remain outnumber those switching to a more pro-leave party by five to one. In the north of England, the number switching is fewer, at just 20% – but again the number switching to a more pro-remain party outnumber those switching to the Tories or Ukip by four to one. In the Midlands, where a quarter of Labour voters say they are switching, remainers outnumber leavers by five to one. Starkest of all is Scotland, where Labour must win 23 of those 80 seats to form a government. There, 48% of our 2017 voters now say they plan to defect, 45% to a more pro-remain party, just 3% the other way – a ratio of 15 to one.
EU has nothing to gain from no-deal Brexit, says Juncker
The EU has “nothing to gain” from the disruption a no-deal Brexit would bring to the UK, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker has said. Mr Juncker said the EU had adopted the “necessary contingency measures”, but said only those who seek to undermine the global legal order would benefit from such an exit.
“We have adopted the necessary contingency measures and we are ready for a no-deal Brexit,” he told MEPs. “But our union has nothing to gain from great disruption in the United Kingdom. The only ones who would benefit are those who resent multilateralism and seek to undermine the global legal order.” Mr Juncker made the comments as he addressed the European Parliament in Strasbourg on last week’s European Council summit at which Theresa May was offered a six-month Brexit delay.
Grassroots Tories hatch fresh plot to oust Theresa May using little-known rule
Fed-up local Tory chairmen are plotting to force out Theresa May sooner than planned by using little known powers in the party rule book. An emergency meeting of the Conservatives’ National Convention, which represents the party’s grassroots, can be called if 65 local association chairmen agree, paving the way for a no confidence vote in the Tory leader. The signatures are already being gathered, with Brexit-leaning grassroots Tories furious at the Prime Minister’s handling of the UK’s departure from the EU. One Tory chairman involved in the campaign told the Mirror: “If she doesn’t go before the European elections we’ll be hammered. The problem lies not just with her Brexit deal, but her poor leadership.”
Michael Heseltine backs David Lammy’s Brexit Nazi comparison, saying similarities to 1930s are ‘chilling’
Former Deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine said he sees a “chilling” similarity between the present day and the run-up to the Second World War as he agreed with some of the points made by Labour MP David Lammy who compared hardline Brexiteers to Nazis. Mr Lammy, who is the MP for Tottenham, told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show on Sunday that he had not been “strong enough” in his comparison of senior Brexiteers such as Jacob Rees-Mogg and Boris Johnson to the German Nazi party of the 1930s. The Tory peer said that he did not like people discussing the “extremes of yesteryear” but said he did agree there were similarities in the economic situation that means that anti-immigrant and anti-elite politics have “basic, chilling appeal for people”.
TED TALK - Carole Cadwalladr ask - Are free and fair elections ever possible again given the extent of new technology disruption?
In an unmissable talk, journalist Carole Cadwalladr digs into one of the most perplexing events in recent times: the UK's super-close 2016 vote to leave the European Union. Tracking the result to a barrage of misleading Facebook ads targeted at vulnerable Brexit swing voters -- and linking the same players and tactics to the 2016 US presidential election -- Cadwalladr calls out the "gods of Silicon Valley" for being on the wrong side of history and asks: Are free and fair elections a thing of the past?
Tory deregulation agenda stalling Brexit talks, says Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn has said Brexit talks with the government are stalling because of a Tory desire for post-withdrawal deregulation, including as part of a US trade deal.
Corbyn said Labour had been putting forward a robust case for a customs union during the talks over the past week but suggested he feared the two sides would not find common ground. “There has to be access to European markets and above all there has to be a dynamic relationship to protect the conditions and rights that we’ve got for environment and consumer workplace rights,” he said. “We’ve put those cases very robustly to the government and there’s no agreement as yet.”
Tories and Labour jittery at prospect of Euro poll
Tories are the most concerned, with senior figures predicting the party could suffer an electoral meltdown as voters protest against Theresa May and the failure to deliver Brexit because of MPs’ rejection of her withdrawal agreement. Conservative politicians in Westminster and Brussels believe that if she is still prime minister by the time of the poll, the party will lose most of its 18 existing MEPs.
Is there time for another Brexit vote?
The latest delay to Brexit has energised those campaigning for another EU referendum. The extension to 31 October gives them more time to make the case for a so-called People's Vote. But if a referendum is to be held between now and then, they need to win the argument fast. Within a few weeks, the Halloween deadline - already challenging - would become a nightmare to meet. That is not to say there cannot be another referendum; just that such a vote may require more time.
Mike Russell: Second EU vote needed even if Brexit deal reached
Scotland’s Constitutional Relations Secretary has said a second Brexit referendum including an option to remain should be held, even if agreement is reached on the Prime Minister’s deal. Mike Russell said if a compromise is found enabling a deal to pass, people across the UK should be given the chance to vote on it.
Government will pay NI’s €4m health insurance post-Brexit – Tánaiste
Tánaiste Simon Coveney has confirmed the Government will cover the estimated €4 million cost of EU health insurance for Northern Ireland citizens after Brexit, if necessary. The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) entitles EU citizens to state-provided medical treatment if they are injured or become ill in another member state or Free Trade Economic Association country (Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Switzerland). If the UK leaves the EU without a deal, British-issued health insurance cards will no longer be valid. Mr Coveney said it would pose challenges to extend the cover to people in the North because they would no longer be resident in the EU and legislation would be necessary.
New soft Brexit plot unveiled in bid to end deadlock (and, yes, it involves more voting)
A fresh plot is underway to force through a soft Brexit to end the Commons deadlock, it was revealed today. Veteran MPs Frank Field and Ken Clarke are teaming up to force another vote on a customs union in weeks - in a hope they can push through a soft exit. But Independent MP Mr Field told the Evening Standard that bringing it back again could get both party leaders "off the hook" and they won't have to sign a formal Brexit deal.
Political Setbacks
Local election candidates feel wrath of Brexit on the doorsteps of Milton Keynes
“If people are angry about Brexit they might vote UKIP, but I get the feeling that the people most upset are those who believe that any delay has been wrong and they are disproportionately Conservatives.” Cllr Douglas McCall, the Lib Dem leader, believes any Brexit effect on the doorstep won’t hit the Lib Dems as much as the other parties, especially the Conservatives. “The Tories gained seats that they did not expect to in 2015, when the local elections took place at the same time as the General Election,” he said. “Four years later, they are really unpopular and I expect they will lose seats to Labour and the Lib Dems.”
The UK teeters on the verge of a Brexit breakdown
The first warning signs of the toll that Brexit might impose on national wellbeing manifested themselves in Europeans resident in Britain, says Emmy van Deurzen.
A consultant psychoanalyst and professor at an offshoot of Middlesex University, Ms van Deurzen says that in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, Europeans living in London suddenly felt less than welcome, and worried about whether they could still call the UK home. Some of her patients said they began losing their appetites and struggling to sleep. This year the same symptoms of anxiety and worse have started spreading to UK citizens, she says. Extreme mood swings. Exhaustion and loss of hope. Delusional outbursts. An inability to carry out everyday tasks.
Theresa May’s secretive Brexit approach led to blunders, says report
Theresa May has been accused of blundering through Brexit by creating an “unsustainable” split between government departments while her “secretive” approach to the withdrawal negotiations fuelled division in her own Cabinet.
In a highly critical report, the respected think tank the Institute for Government (IfG) blamed Mrs May for creating a divide in responsibilities between No.10 and the Department for Exiting the European Union (Dexeu). Tim Durrant, lead author of the IfG report, said: “It is vital that the government uses the next months to develop a better understanding of how the EU will approach the next phase. The time available for negotiations is short and the government must not waste time by failing to prepare.”
Damaging impact of Brexit cannot be fully mitigated, warns Sturgeon
Nobody should pretend that the damage of Brexit can be fully mitigated, according to Nicola Sturgeon. The First Minister will speak at the STUC conference in Dundee on Wednesday and is expected to warn that any form of Brexit would harm living standards and risk jobs. An extension to Article 50 was granted earlier this month, meaning that the UK will not leave the European Union until October 31 unless a deal can be agreed in Parliament sooner.
Environmental regulations proving sticking point in cross-party Brexit talks, Labour claims
Brexit talks between Labour and Conservatives have stalled, in part because the Tories are unwilling to reject the option of slashing workers' rights and environmental protections in order to secure a US trade deal post-Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The Labour leader told the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday that the government "doesn't appear to be shifting its red lines" because parts of the Tory party "actually wants to turn this country into a deregulated, low-tax society which will do a deal with Trump".
DUP arranged 'investment meetings' for Brexit campaign donor
The DUP arranged for a major party donor who bankrolled its Brexit campaign to discuss "investment opportunities" with public bodies in Northern Ireland. Richard Cook, a former vice chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, chairs the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) – a pro-union business group that donated £435,000 to the DUP during the EU referendum campaign. He was involved in a series of senior meetings with Invest NI, Belfast City Council and a Stormont department in the months following the EU referendum, The Irish News has learned.
The meetings were to discuss "potential investment opportunities in Northern Ireland". Invest NI and Belfast council said nothing materialised from these engagements.
Ukip MEP Stuart Agnew addressed pro-apartheid club
A leading Ukip MEP made a speech to a pro-apartheid club of expat South Africans that has far-right links and calls Nelson Mandela a terrorist, it has emerged. Stuart Agnew, who is top of one of the party’s regional lists for re-election if European elections take place in the UK in May, addressed a recent meeting of the Springbok Club, which is led by a former activist in the far-right National Front (NF) and has links to the murderer of Jo Cox. The organisation has the apartheid-era South African flag as an emblem, and has called for the return of “civilised European rule” to the continent.
Nigel Farage says Brexiteer anger will 'explode' if Theresa May strikes deal with Jeremy Corbyn
Nigel Farage has warned Theresa May that Brexiteer anger will "explode" if she strikes a pact with Jeremy Corbyn to keep the UK closely tied to the European Union. The Brexit Party leader has claimed the UK’s democracy is under threat as he sought to build momentum for his movement ahead of the European elections.
His comments came after Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that Mrs May could struggle to hang on to power if she cannot get her Brexit deal through Parliament before the May 23 European poll. Mr Hunt said the "total focus" of ministers was to ensure the country did not have to vote in the elections to the European Parliament on May 23. Speaking during a visit to Japan, he acknowledged that the Government would be facing a "very serious situation" if it failed to do so.
Brexit: Theresa May warned she has ‘no chance’ of passing deal in time to stop European elections
Theresa May has “no chance” of passing her Brexit deal in time to pull the UK out of the European parliament elections and avoid a likely devastating defeat, experts have concluded. Time has already effectively run out on attempts to ratify the agreement by 22 May, they say – despite the prime minister insisting talks with Labour can still deliver a compromise before the deadline. The verdict puts the Conservatives on course to lose most of their MEPs, polls suggest, as Leave voters protest at the failure to deliver Brexit, a disastrous result that would trigger huge pressure on Ms May to resign. The staging of the elections will also be a personal humiliation for the prime minister, who repeatedly told MPs they should not take place, three years after the Brexit referendum
Key Corbyn Supporters In Battle For Labour’s Coveted Euro Parliament Seats
All the main parties are currently fast-tracking selection of potential candidates for the Strasbourg elections, which will go ahead on May 23 if the UK parliament fails to approve a Brexit deal beforehand. While the Tory party is facing a serious threat from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and UKIP, polls show that Labour is on course to gain seats in the Euro elections and the battle has begun in selection races across the country.
Farage should Fix himself - Brexit Party boss busted
The outright lies and failure to deal adequately with policy details will go down in history as the Leave side’s most prominent sore. Leaving the European Union is a mammoth legal, technical and constitutional task which cannot be orchestrated according to the whims of the political sloganeering we saw in the 2016 referendum. The jaws of reality, it turns out, cannot be avoided indefinitely. To some extent, I should have had greater foresight and viewed the withdrawal issues through a more critical lens. But then again, this could be said of almost anybody invested in Brexit. Farage’s grotesque simplifications, parroted by individuals uninterested in complexity, and the almost religious evasion of detail were never going to prepare us for our departure. It is here where history will truly judge him.
'Their first decision was to go on holiday': EU's Verhofstadt fears UK will waste Brexit delay
A top EU figure has said he fears Britain will waste its latest Brexit reprieve and "run down the clock" once again. European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt told the European Parliament that the bloc's decision to grant a delay until the end of October risked prolonging the uncertainty. He said the six-month extension to Article 50 is "too near for a substantial rethink of Brexit and at the same time too far away to prompt any action".
UK MEPs could sit for 'months or longer'
The UK will take part in May's European elections and British MEPs could sit for "months or even longer", European Council President Donald Tusk has said. Mr Tusk said the decision to delay Brexit to 31 October meant British voters would be going to the polls. But Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the six-month extension was too short for change and too far away to prompt action.
Voters now more sure they voted the right way in 2016 Brexit referendum, new poll reveals
Most voters have become even more sure that they voted the right way in the 2016 Brexit referendum despite three years of furious campaigning on both sides, a new poll has revealed. A fresh study by YouGov finds that 64% of Remain voters and 57% of Leave voters are “more sure than I was that I voted the right way” in the nationwide referendum held almost three years ago. A further 22% of Remain voters and 25% of Leave voters told the polling firm that they were “about as sure” as they were in 2016 that they had cast their ballot in the right direction.
How pro-Brexit group Leave.EU faked migrant footage
People-smuggling across the Channel. Migrants attacking women in dark alleys. All designed to fuel fears about immigration - perhaps the defining issue of the EU referendum. Tonight, Channel 4 News reveals disturbing new evidence of fakery - produced for Arron Banks's Leave.EU - and pumped out on social media in the run up to the vote in 2016. And at the heart of it, a secretive security company owned by Mr Banks.
Only a proper Brexit can spare us from this toxic polarisation
I know it may not feel much like it at the moment, but some day soon we are going to get out. Unless we MPs have taken leave of our senses, we will honour the wishes of the people. Unless the PM has some secret plan to stifle Brexit with a series of ever more ludicrous delays, it seems to me all but inevitable that we will eventually respect the result of the 2016 referendum and leave the European Union.
Pro-Brexit Leave.EU group accused of faking videos and forging images of migrants committing crimes
Pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU has been accused of faking a viral video of illegal "migrants" and forging images purporting to show immigrants committing violent crimes. The group, which is led by businessman and former Ukip donor Arron Banks, staged a video that it claimed showed how easy it was for migrants to cross to Britain illegally, according to Channel 4 News. The video was released in the weeks before the 2016 EU referendum and was watched hundreds of thousands of times. But Channel 4 said satellite data showed that the boat had never left UK waters, and footage appearing to show the "migrants" entering the country was filmed before they left UK shores. It also reported that Leave.EU had staged images that the group said showed a migrant attacking a young woman in Tottenham, north London. The photos appearing to show the violent attack were reportedly sent by a special forces veteran who works for Mr Banks to Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU's head of communications.
Damaging impact of Brexit cannot be fully mitigated, warns Sturgeon
Nobody should pretend that the damage of Brexit can be fully mitigated, according to Nicola Sturgeon. The First Minister will speak at the STUC conference in Dundee on Wednesday and is expected to warn that any form of Brexit would harm living standards
Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski calls for vote of confidence to break Brexit deadlock
Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has called for a vote of confidence in the Government to ensure Britain leaves the EU. The Conservative MP said he wanted the Prime Minister to bring her withdrawal agreement back before the Commons for a fourth time, but ...
BREXIT BREAKING POINT How one BBC Veteran Believes BBC Coverage of Farage's New Party 'facilitates fascism'
While BBC journalists working around the world in terribly difficult circumstances still meet the highest ideals, I have to say – with an extremely heavy heart – that I have changed my view of the BBC. I am an “Unashamed Remainer” (to use John Humphrys’ phrase), and have been uneasy for some time about the corporation’s Brexit coverage, and publicly critical of it. But I still managed to believe that the BBC was trying to do the right thing, and that it was ultimately a force for good. That finally changed with the way it covered the launch of Nigel Farage’s new party, and in particular his speech in which he said he wanted “to put the fear of God” into MPs.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
US Speaker Nancy Pelosi warns against weakening peace deal
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has begun an official visit to the Republic of Ireland. Speaking on the eve of her visit, she said there would be "no chance whatsoever" of a post-Brexit trade deal between the US and UK if there were any weakening of the Good Friday Agreement. Ms Pelosi is expected to meet Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar on Tuesday evening. It is understood Brexit will be one of the main topics of discussion. She will be accompanied by a delegation of Democrat and Republican congressmen and women. The delegation is expected to visit Northern Ireland later this week.
@Channel4News "We made it clear to all that if there is any harm to the Good Friday accords: no trade agreement."
EU Funding Benefits
EU law fixes minimum rights for 'gig economy' workers
The European Parliament has approved new EU rules to protect workers in the so-called "gig economy". The law sets minimum rights and demands increased transparency for those in "on-demand" jobs, such as at Uber or Deliveroo. It proposes more predictable hours and compensation for cancelled work, and an end to "abusive practices" around casual contracts. Member states will now have at most three years to enforce the new rules. The European Parliament says the new legislation will apply to "the most vulnerable employees on atypical contracts and in non-standard jobs" - including those on zero-hour contracts. Employees in EU member states already enjoy a wide range of protections to working hours, minimum breaks and holiday entitlement.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 18th Apr 2019
The Brexit Cliff Edge is taking a short break for the holidays.There will be no newsletter (Friday 19th April or Monday 22nd April). The next newsletter will be Tuesday 23rd April and it will round-up all news from the holiday weekend
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Scottish First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has written a personal letter to more than 200,000 EU citizens living in Scotland telling them not to abandon their lives in the country because of Brexit. In the letter she makes an emotional plea and assures them Scotland is their home
- The Financial Times points out that the UK government's plans to register every single EU citizen after Brexit and award them settled status, or not, will create a new underclass. It says there are legitimate moral questions around the process of registering people who have lived and worked in Britain for decades, paid taxes and contributed to the economy, the NHS and the education system.
- Property Reporter touches on one of the complications that EU citizens look set to face. Landlords owning property are duty bound to check the immigration status of their prospective tenants under existing legislation. The publication speculates that now EU citizens will also fall into this category, making renting homes for EU citizens much harder
- The Independent focuses on the rise in sharp rise in hate crimes that followed on from the 2016, with immigrants, EU citizens and LGBTQ people all reporting an increase as more extreme elements of society capitalised on their newly won empowerment
- A new study from the Fraser Allander Institute, part of the University of Strathclyde, predicts a loss of more than £1 in every £20 of output for the Scottish economy if the UK crashes out of the EU with No Deal. This is in line with Bank of England forecasts
- House prices across Britain increased at their slowest rate for more than six years, with London experiencing its biggest slump in a decade as Brexit concerns drag on growth. Elsewhere, north west UK for instance, house prices appear to be more robust, for the moment
High-tech solution for Northern Ireland border a decade away, Home Office document
- The memo said 'the cost and complexity of using new techology to remove the need for border checks meant the challenges of this work cannot be underestimated.' There is a plethora of usable technology on offer but it comes with an array of difficulties. The technology would need to accomodate companies uploading data on goods and using blockchain technology, sensors and automated collection to pay tariffs. As yet there is not an integrated, tested, reliable working solution on which to model it
- The U.S. House of Representatives speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and a U.S. delegation, were visiting the UK and the Republic of Ireland on an official visit. Pelosi repeatedly made it clear that there would be no chance whatsoever of a post-Brexit trade deal between the U.S. and the UK if there were any weakening of the Good Friday Peace Agreement
Leave.eu covered up its targeting of right-wing extremists
- Channel 4 News reported on Leave.eu's efforts to attract a number of far right extremist groups to Arron Banks' campaign to leave the EU in 2016. Leaked emails show that the BBC got a tip off about the story, but Arron Banks stood his ground and lied that the story was nonsense and he threatened to sue them. Channel 4 News goes on to discuss a number of exchanges between Arron Banks and Robbie Gibb, who was then head of BBC Westminister. Channel 4 News reports there was anxiety that the BBC would run the story but then Banks persuaded Gibb to step in and hose down the controversy. the story never run on the BBC. Gibb has moved on to become Theresa May's head of communications
- Labour Party deputy leader Tom Watson called for a judicial inquiry into the activities of the Leave.eu campaign and its main backer, Arron Banks, during the 2016 referendum. 'We cannot allow those who cheat and lie to mock and subvert our democracy using millions from who knows where to prevail'
- Byline Times also reports that Leave.eu ran a number of Facebook adverts directly sourced from Russia Today and Sputnik which made up stories about migrants as sexual predators. One fake video called 'Worrying scenes in Europe' is totally false. It is a video of an assault that took place near Tahir square in Egypt in 2013, but portrayed as happening in Europe that summer
Theresa May's job is in the sites of hardline Tory constituency associations
- There are more reports that many Conservative Party associations are openly collecting chairmen's signatures calling for a national Conservative Party convention. The goal of this convention is to pass a vote of No Confidence in Theresa May and provoke a leadership election
DUP using Facebook to target the Brexit voting elderly in England only
- Northern Ireland's DUP is running ads on Facebook to raise money in England, where it fields no candidates, as part of a new fundraising drive on social media. These adverts are targetting people over the age of 55 - an age group strongly pro-Brexit - and only in the UK. The ads started running last Tuesday and had been viewed between 5,000 and 10,000 times in the last couple of days
Back a public vote on Brexit or hand European election victory to Nigel Farage
- A YouGov survey shows Labour risks losing hundreds of thousands of voters if it campaigns for a customs union Brexit, as is its current policy, before European Elections next month. The survey estimates such a policy would hand Nigel Farage a 10 points margin over Labour
- A wider pan-European assessment by the European Council on Foreign Relations says the European Election is very much up for grabs, with almost 100 million swing voters across the continent. It also states that the electorate is in a volatile, rather than a polarised state, with swathes of voters moving fluidly between parties of the right and left
Economic Impact
Disorderly Brexit 'risks Scottish recession'
A disorderly Brexit risks a deep recession in Scotland, according to researchers. The Fraser of Allander Institute (FAI), part of the University of Strathclyde, predicts a loss of more than one £1 in every £20 of output from the economy. It suggests the fall from peak to trough in the economy could be around 5.5% of total output, contracting for two whole years. This is in line with forecasts made by the Bank of England for the UK economy. The FAI modelled several possible Brexit outcomes and the impact in its latest economic commentary. This included scenarios of a no-deal Brexit with and without policy response.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-business-47954912
Additional sources: (The Scotsman)
Additional sources: (The Scotsman)
Brexit panic: Germany urged to take urgent action as economy slows due to UK's EU exit
The German government has been urged to offer companies incentives in a bid to boost corporate research and development after cutting its forecast for 2019 economic growth for the second time in three months, with Economy Minister Peter Altmaier blaming concerns over Brexit for a slowdown driven by a recession in manufacturing. To counter the slowdown, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz plans to support corporate research and development with incentives worth 1.27billion euros ($1.43billion) annually from 2020, a draft law seen by Reuters showed on Wednesday.
Britain is more optimistic about Brexit than gloomy forecasts suggest
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is up to its usual tricks. Last week, it predicted a two-year recession in the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit. In line with the thinking of Project Fear, in the middle of June 2016 the IMF predicted an immediate recession if the UK voted to leave. Exactly the opposite happened. The economy continued to grow, and unemployment to decline. To be fair, this time around there does seem to be evidence of a slow-down. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) suggests only modest growth at an annual rate of around one per cent in the last three months of last year. A recent Deloitte’s survey of chief financial officers found only 13 per cent of them more optimistic about prospects than they were three months ago.
Survey measures concern about Brexit impact on finances
A new survey has laid bare the extent to which people here think their financial situation will be impacted by Brexit. It found a quarter think that their personal finances will be majorly influenced by the departure of the UK from the EU. While two out of every five respondents said it would have a moderate effect. The poll was carried out by RED C on behalf of utility switching website bonkers.ie and questioned a representative sample of over 1,000 adults here in the middle of March. The results show that people living in rural areas are more concerned about the impact of Brexit on their pocket, with 32% or rural dwellers saying they are worried. A further 16% said they don’t know what Brexit will mean for them, reflecting the uncertainty being felt across the wider economy. A fifth of those questioned, however, were confident that Brexit will only have a minimal impact on their spending choices.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Irish government will pay for European health card for citizens in Northern Ireland after EU exit
Ireland will pay for the European Health Insurance Card for citizens in Northern Ireland after Brexit if necessary, the foreign minister has said. Simon Coveney, who also serves as the country’s Tanaiste (deputy to the Taoiseach) said his government will work to ensure that “Irish citizens in Northern Ireland continue to be EU citizens in all circumstances.” Speaking in parliament on Tuesday, Mr Coveney said that while Irish citizens in Northern Ireland are EU citizens, they will not be resident in the EU after Brexit, “which obviously poses challenges.” He explained: “In terms of the rights of EU citizenship, we are working, and have been working to ensure certain EU programmes and benefits – notably, the EU Health Insurance Card.” The free European Health Insurance Card ensures that EU citizens have access to state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any EU countries.
Registering EU citizens in the UK will create an underclass
Under the scheme, Europeans from 26 member states (the Irish have guaranteed rights) must complete an application and provide evidence of residency in the UK for the past five years. There are legitimate moral questions around registration of those who have lived and worked in Britain for decades, contributed to the economy, the National Health Service and the education system. They are part of the rich social and cultural legacy of European migration to Britain. Leaving these considerations aside, the government faces unavoidable questions about what happens to those who fail to register, or are unable to provide evidence of residency.
Nicola Sturgeon pleas for EU citizens not to abandon Scotland
Nicola Sturgeon has written to more than 200,000 Europeans living in Scotland telling them not to abandon their lives here because of Brexit. The First Minister has made the emotional plea in an open letter in which she assures EU citizens that Scotland “is your home”.
Brexit – The effects on Landlords
One of the most controversial aspects of the government’s hostile policy is the right to rent policy that requires landlords to check the immigration status of their prospective tenants. If it doesn’t get struck down or repealed after the recent high court ruling, it could be significantly expanded to include European citizens. Due to the burdens from the government, some landlords were already reluctant to rent to non-EU citizens, and in the post-Brexit world, they may only want to rent to exclusively British tenants because of concerns of falling foul of the government’s rules. The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) is seeking clarification from the government, and a meeting has been set for the end of April
Mirror and Express team up for campaign to bring people together amid Brexit divisions
The Mirror and Express newspapers have teamed up, despite their “polarised” political views, for a campaign to bring “the nation back together” amid the divisions brought about by the Brexit vote.
No-deal Brexit could harm Aurivo co-op’s milk processing activities
A no-deal Brexit could hit a significant part of co-op Aurivo’s milk processing business, its chief executive Aaron Forde has warned. Operating profits at Aurivo fell 23 per cent to €3 million last year. Figures released by the north western-based business show sales rose 4 per cent in 2018 to €443.8 million from €426.4 million in 2017. Speaking after the co-op published its results, Mr Forde noted that Brexit posed “considerable challenges” to the co-op, as 16 per cent of the more than 400 million litres of milk it processes a year comes from Northern Ireland. Mr Forde explained that milk from the north would have to be exported again to a non-EU country to avoid tariffs should the UK crash out of the bloc without a deal.
Greta Thunberg tells EU to forget Brexit and focus on climate change
Greta Thunberg, the 16-year-old who inspired thousands of school children to take action on climate change, has told Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to forget Brexit and focus on climate change. The teenage climate activist told off EU leaders for holding three emergency summits on Brexit and none on the threat posed by climate change.
Martin Lewis reveals SIX worrying ways Halloween Brexit will affect every Brit
Martin Lewis has identified six key ways Brits will be impacted. "If we leave without a negotiated deal, commonly known as a 'no-deal' Brexit – then the landscape will change, and will change rapidly, and you will need to take action." Mr Lewis then identified six things which will happen if the UK left without a negotiated deal. Worryingly, Martin says: House prices could plummet, The European Health Insurance Card may no longer be valid, Travel insurance may not cover you for Brexit disruption, You would need to renew your passport early, EU citizens living in the UK would have to apply to stay here after 2020, Taking pets to Europe could become harder.
House prices rise at slowest rate in six years as Brexit hits growth
House prices across Britain have increased at their slowest rate for more than six years, with London experiencing its biggest slump in a decade as Brexit concerns drag on growth. The Office for National Statistics said average house prices in the UK rose by 0.6% in the year to February, the lowest rate of growth since September 2012, and down from 1.7% in January. The price of an average London home fell by 3.8% over the year, the steepest drop since the depths of the last recession in mid-2009, and faster than the 2.2% decline recorded in the year to January. The consumer price index (CPI) measure of inflation unexpectedly remained at 1.9% in March, unchanged from a month earlier, offering some respite for UK households.
Brexit delay welcomed by leading UK chemists
Researchers across the UK have breathed a collective sigh of relief following the government’s decision to avoid crashing out of the EU on April 12. The EU agreed a Brexit delay of six months, with a date now set for October 31. The UK can exit earlier if Parliament ratifies the withdrawal agreement, but for many in the scientific community the delay rekindles hopes for Brexit to be doused. ‘Any form of Brexit would be catastrophic for UK science,’ says Fraser Stoddart, 2016 chemistry Nobel prize winner who is now based at Northwestern University in the US. ‘Most of the research community in the UK want to see the back of Brexit.’ Stoddart is more optimistic about the situation given the extension.
Brexit panic: Germany urged to take urgent action as economy slows due to UK's EU exit
The German government has been urged to offer companies incentives in a bid to boost corporate research and development after cutting its forecast for 2019 economic growth for the second time in three months, with Economy Minister Peter Altmaier blaming concerns over Brexit for a slowdown driven by a recession in manufacturing. To counter the slowdown, Finance Minister Olaf Scholz plans to support corporate research and development with incentives worth 1.27billion euros ($1.43billion) annually from 2020, a draft law seen by Reuters showed on Wednesday.
Brexit was supposed to return control – but for LGBT+ people all it’s done is taken it away
What I want to know, is that if Brexit is meant to “give us back control”, then why are LGBTQ+ people, and other marginalised groups feeling like we are losing control when it comes to our safety as a result of the Brexit process? Looking back to 2017, the Home Office released official statistics looking at the increase in hate crimes here within the UK. Looking at the figures from 2012-2013, there had been a recorded rise of reported hate crimes of 123 per cent, and more specifically looking at 2017, the year after the referendum campaign, a rise of 17 per cent on the year previous.
T-Systems opens new London HQ in post-Brexit support for UK
German giant T-Systems has opened a new London headquarters in a move which it says demonstrates its post-Brexit support for the UK. The new office - in Rathbone place, Fitzrovia - was opened by T-Systems global CEO Adel A-Saleh.
Political Shenanigans
Back public vote on Brexit or hand Europe victory to Nigel Farage, voters tell Jeremy Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn will haemorrhage support and hand Nigel Farage a huge victory in the European Parliament elections if he refuses to back another public vote on Brexit, a poll suggests today. The YouGov survey shows Labour risks losing hundreds of thousands of voters if it campaigns for a customs union Brexit, similar to its current policy, before elections next month. Mr Farage’s Brexit Party would storm to victory by 10 points over Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats, according to the poll findings.
Scotland rejects hostile environment created by Theresa May: Sturgeon
Scotland’s First Minister said one of the most shameful aspects of Brexit has been the treatment of EU citizens. Scotland wants no part of Theresa May’s “despicable” hostile environment, Nicola Sturgeon has said, as she urged action against “xenophobia” in politics. Addressing the STUC conference in Dundee, the Scottish First Minister said the treatment of EU citizens in the UK is one of the most “shameful” aspects of Brexit. She warned the damage of any form of Brexit could not be fully mitigated, and said there would be “nothing disorderly” about Scotland leaving the UK following a vote for independence.
EU election still up for grabs, says report
The European Parliament election is very much up for grabs according to a new report, which claims there are almost 100 million swing voters across the Continent.
The report by the European Council on Foreign Relations, a think tank, features data from 14 countries that will take part in May's election and shows, according to the organization's Mark Leonard, that the European electorate is in a “volatile rather than polarised state” with "swathes of voters" moving "fluidly between parties of the right and left.”
Let EU citizens vote in UK elections
Today, 50 years on from the UK extending the vote to 18 year olds, British politics is still blighted by democratic inequality. This is particularly stark in the case of the 3.6 million EU citizens living in the UK. In just under three weeks these nationals will have a vote in local elections, but will continue to denied doing so in general elections and referendums. Fifty years on from giving more people the vote we still have a long way to go. Liberal Democrats have campaigned for a People’s Vote for almost three years. I have been proud to lead a party that has unequivocally stated that Britain is better off in the EU
Revealed: Brexit group covered up its targeting of right-wing extremists
Arron Banks repeatedly lied to cover-up his Brexit campaign’s effort to attract far-right extremists. Leave.EU paid for Facebook adverts targeted at supporters of the National Front, the BNP, Britain First and the EDL. But when the BBC asked for a response to a story they planned to run, Mr Banks sent a barrage of emails in an attempt to get the story dropped. Leaked emails, seen by Channel 4 News, show Mr Banks insisted the BBC’s accusation were “wholly wrong” – despite his own staff telling him the story was true. One Leave.EU employee told him: “Those are our ads, we have targeted those groups since the beginning of the campaign as they gain most traction.”
SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon says Scottish independence won't be as chaotic as Brexit
Nicola Sturgeon has insisted there will be “nothing disorderly” about Scottish independence despite the chaos caused by Brexit. The First Minister was branded “deluded” by opponents after pledging a smooth transition to a separate Scottish state just days before she is due to update MSPs about her plans for IndyRef2 .
Sturgeon was responding to a Fraser of Allander report which warned a “disorderly” Brexit risks a deep recession in Scotland. But asked if this meant the same was true of independence, Sturgeon said: “There will be nothing disorderly about Scottish independence when it happens.” The First Minister is expected to push for a second independence referendum when the Scottish Parliament returns from the Easter recess on Tuesday.
Naomi Long: Hold another referendum on Brexit
A party leader in Northern Ireland has called for another Brexit referendum ahead of an expected run for the European Parliament. Naomi Long said she will confirm her decision within the next two days. She leads the centralist Alliance Party, which garners votes from both communities in Northern Ireland and has been strongly pro-Remain.
Anti-Brexit adverts are appearing at bus stops and Tube stations in London
Adverts calling for an end to Brexit are popping up in parts of London. The ads have appeared in bus stops and on trains in the London underground, but people aren’t sure who, or what group is putting them up. On one of the adverts that appeared on a circle line train, read: “Stop Brexit: Defend Free Movement.” It had a mock underground map drawn next to it, and labelled: “Possible closure expected”.
Another advert at a bus stop has the words “Don’t throw migrants under the bus” written on it, below which is a photo of a double decker bus.
Theresa May could put off Queen's speech amid Brexit turmoil
Some within the government believe May is prepared to ignore demands for a programme of new laws, even though parliament has run out of business to discuss apart from Brexit legislation, which is currently stalled and not bring forward a Queen's Speech, for fear of a vote of confidence on it. A Downing Street source said it would not be fair to say the Queen’s Speech was being delayed, because no official date had been set for one. “There’s no obligation to have one at a fixed point and there’s no immediate plans to bring forward a Queen’s speech,” the source said.
Brexit LIVE: End of Theresa May - 40-50 Tory chairmen in plot to OUST PM in shock new coup
Theresa May could be ousted within weeks thanks to a little-known process never before used by the Conservative Party which would allow “angry and frustrated” grassroots Tories to call for a no-confidence vote. Mrs May’s days as Prime Minister may abruptly end thanks to a no-confidence vote which could be unexpectedly triggered by the National Conservative Convention, which represents the grassroots movements. Party chairmen are circulating a petition calling for an “extraordinary general meeting” which will have to be held if signed by more than 65 association chairmen. Between 40 and 50 party chairmen have already signed it. Dinah Glover, the East of London area chairman, has organised the petition addressing Mrs May as no longer the “right person” to lead the country out of the European Union.
The Leave.EU scandal proves the Brexit vote was rotten – only a second referendum can give us a fair result
The more we know about the Brexit referendum of 2016 the more it feels like a campaign that crossed a few lines. Legal ones in fact, with successful prosecutions against both Remain and Leave groups. The latest accusations levelled at the Leave.EU campaign are disturbing. Then again you only have to read Arron Banks’s candid memoir Bad Boys of Brexit to understand some of the excesses they went in for. We are ready now as we were not in 2016 to make the judgement. We are still divided. We may still vote Leave. But none on either side could say they didn’t know what was at stake. If we do quit, under WTO terms or the May deal then we will do so with our eyes open and our consciences clear. It is the right thing to give people the final say. It is inevitable.
Tom Watson calls for inquiry into Arron Banks and Leave.EU
Tom Watson has called for a judicial inquiry into the activities ahead of the Brexit referendum of the Leave.EU campaign and its main backer, Arron Banks, after claims the group faked a video and photos connected to migrants. Watson, the deputy Labour leader and shadow culture secretary, said the inquiry should have criminal powers. “We cannot allow those who cheat and lie to mock and subvert our democracy (using millions from who knows where) to prevail,” he said in a tweet.
In a joint statement, Banks and his close aide Andy Wigmore, who was head of communications for Leave.EU, said they would welcome such an inquiry.
EU elections: Farage will win unless Labour backs remain, says Beckett
Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, which is currently leading in the polls for the EU elections, will win the contest unless Labour can portray itself as the natural home for remain voters, Margaret Beckett has claimed. Polling commissioned by the People’s Vote campaign suggested the former Ukip leader’s new party was on course for a five-point lead, with remain voters split between Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National party, the Green party and Change UK. “These elections have proven to be rich hunting grounds for Nigel Farage’s brand of extreme rightwing politics before and may be again,” Beckett said. “But the message of this poll is loud and clear: it suggests that if anyone can stop Farage winning, it is Labour – and only if we back [a] people’s vote.”
Key Jeremy Corbyn Ally Katy Clark 'Imposed' As Labour MEP Candidate
A key ally to Jeremy Corbyn has been “imposed” as a top MEP candidate as a bitter battle between Labour party factions came to a head. Katy Clark, who is ...
Panel overruled and leader's ex-political secretary handed coveted place in the European Elections candidate list after battle with Momentum pick
Moderate Conservatives eye challenge for party leadership
Moderate Conservative MPs are planning to endorse a candidate for prime minister in an effort to prevent the party being dominated by Eurosceptic Tories after Theresa May steps down. The One Nation group of Conservatives relaunched last month to provide a counterweight to the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs. Senior Conservatives in the One Nation group include work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd, who said on Tuesday it was “entirely possible” she could run for the party leadership.
Cameron And Osborne Were 'Geniuses' For Getting Public To Accept Austerity, Says Jeremy Hunt
Potential Tory leadership candidate Jeremy Hunt has hailed David Cameron and George Osborne’s “genius” for persuading the public to accept austerity without triggering violent protests. The foreign secretary said the former prime minister and ex-chancellor “put the economy back on its feet” despite “the most challenging cuts to public spending in peacetime history”. In an interview with the New Statesman, Hunt also praised his former cabinet colleagues for doing it without provoking the kind of mass riots seen when Margaret Thatcher tried to introduce the poll tax in 1990. Hunt, who is widely expected to launch a bid to succeed May, suggested austerity was necessary but bemoaned the fact that the Tories were not able to persuade the public that they were moderate centrists during a time of such widespread cuts.
Political Setbacks
DUP targets English voters for funds with pro-Brexit adverts
Northern Ireland’s pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is running ads on Facebook to raise money in England only as part of a new fundraising drive on social media. The party’s “Support Brexit – Support the DUP” ads are being shown mostly to people over the age of 55 – an age group that voted in the majority for Brexit - and only in England where the party has no candidates. Facebook data on the ad, which features photographs of DUP leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dodds, says it was being shown only to people living in England. Some 37 per cent of the people being shown the ad were aged 65 years or older and a further 25 per cent are aged between 55 and 64, according to the data on the ad. The ad had been viewed between 5,000 and 10,000 times since it began running on Tuesday, just weeks ahead of European and local elections.
Britain cannot be treated as a second class citizen while it lingers in EU before Brexit says Tusk
The European Council president attacked 'fear and scaremongering' over UK exit. He dismissed the idea that UK might 'disrupt' activities while still a member. The German foreign minister Heiko Maas said UK had to decide future by October. He attacked idea that the UK could spend years working out how to leave. Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU was now on a break from Brexit. EC chief said EU was 'ready' for a no-deal Brexit but had 'nothing to gain'
How Brexit may harm the new EU parliament
Should the UK not succeed to do so by 22 May, it will have to hold EU elections to elect its own representatives in the new European Parliament. Far from being a punishment, this is a necessity to preserve EU citizens living in the UK, as well as the integrity of the European Parliament as a whole (what if the UK should eventually stay in the EU?). Yet this could irremediably do exactly the opposite.
Holding EU elections in the UK is set to fatally affect the good functioning of the next European Parliament - as well as the entire Union - for the five years to come.
The British participation in the elections is set to distort the new political balance emerging within the next parliament (the 73 UK MEPs are set to leave the assembly upon Brexit), but also to irremediably tarnish the validity of the parliament's future decisions.
End of EU: Shock study says 54% of voters have no faith in Brussels - 'Systems failure'
A think tank has collected data, alongside pollsters YouGov, from 46,000 participants across 14 member states, between January and February 2019 which make up 80 percent of the European Parliament’s seats, finding that 57 percent of participants are unlikely to cast their vote. The study’s authors have created four potential groups of voters that MEPs will have to target if they are to be successful in the ballot – the pro-EU “system believers”, the sceptical “Gilet Jaunes”, the “pro-European left behinds” and the anti-Brussels “nationalist eurosceptics”. Both the “Gilet Jaunes” and “Nationalist eurosceptics” equate to 54 percent of voters, according to the think tank’s publication.
Concern over councils' ability to cope with polls
Council chiefs have raised concerns with Government about the sector’s capacity to run EU elections so close on the heels of local polls. Local authorities have said there remain ‘immediate concerns’ around complex cost and capacity issues related to the elections next month, with ‘urgent responses needed’ from Whitehall.
On top of this, senior Local Government Association (LGA) officials have warned that councils could be open to legal challenge from EU citizens who decide to vote in the UK but are then disenfranchised if the elections are cancelled. The Cabinet Office has suggested that EU citizens in the UK should register in their member state of citizenship as the ‘most certain option to ensure they can cast their vote’ but the LGA wants the Government to issue national legal advice on the subject.
Scotland rejects hostile environment created by Theresa May: Sturgeon
Scotland’s First Minister said one of the most shameful aspects of Brexit has been the treatment of EU citizens. Scotland wants no part of Theresa May’s “despicable” hostile environment, Nicola Sturgeon has said, as she urged action against “xenophobia” in politics. Addressing the STUC conference in Dundee, the Scottish First Minister said the treatment of EU citizens in the UK is one of the most “shameful” aspects of Brexit. She warned the damage of any form of Brexit could not be fully mitigated, and said there would be “nothing disorderly” about Scotland leaving the UK following a vote for independence.
The Ukip-shaped challenge facing Nigel Farage and his new Brexit Party
Stephen Bush discusses the threat to Nigel Farage's nascent Brexit Party posed by his old one, UKIP now run by Gerard Batten
Brexit news: Theresa May facing grassroots no-confidence vote as Farage's new Brexit Party takes commanding poll lead
Theresa May could face an unprecedented no-confidence vote among grassroots Tories, as the prospect of a crushing defeat in European elections looms. Local party chairs have been circulating a petition that is on course to force the National Conservative Convention to hold an extraordinary general meeting where members could pressure the prime minister to resign. The plot emerged as a poll showed Nigel Farage‘s new Brexit Party had stormed into the lead ahead of EU parliament elections next month. A YouGov poll, commissioned by the People’s Vote campaign, puts the Brexit Party on 27 per cent, ahead of Labour on 22 per cent with the Conservatives trailing on 15 per cent. It follows the burst of publicity the Brexit Party received with the launch last week of its election campaign, when it was announced that Annunziata Rees-Mogg – the sister of the leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg – would be among its candidates. It will reinforce fears among ministers the Conservatives are heading for a crushing defeat if the poll on 23 May goes ahead as planned – a result which would almost certainly see fresh calls for Ms May to quit.
Brexit news latest: Guy Verhofstadt blasts MPs for dithering over EU withdrawal
Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Guy Verhofstadt said he fears that the delay to Brexit will “continue the uncertainty. I fear it will prolong the indecision.” He told MEPs: “And I fear most of all that it will import the Brexit mess into the European Union. And moreover, that it will poison the upcoming European election.” The Brexit co-ordinator also said that he fears the decision to extend the Article 50 deadline to October 31 will mean the “pressure to come to a cross-party agreement disappears.”
May's Brexit strategy has put MPs in danger and wasted billions – Britain deserves a real leader
When the prime minister applied for and got a second extension to the Article 50 period, she did so because she wanted to save the country from the disastrous consequences of leaving the EU without a deal. She did the right thing, putting the country first. Theresa May has known about the consequences of a no-deal Brexit for years. Paper after paper has crossed her desk, warning her what it would mean. Most recently the cabinet secretary – the most senior civil servant in the country – laid these consequences out before cabinet: food price rises, shortages of some foods, chaos at the ports, the need to stockpile medicines, direct rule for Northern Ireland and, most dangerous of all, a weakening of our national security. No deal would not only leave our country poorer, but it would also weaken us. No responsible prime minister could embrace such an outcome. No leader could will these consequences on their own country. But how did we get here? Why was the application for an extension and the rejection of no deal seen as such a betrayal, not only by Brexiteer Conservative MPs, but by a significant proportion of the population?
Liberal Democrats attack other anti-Brexit parties for refusing to fight on joint ticket for European elections
The Liberal Democrats have accused other anti-Brexit parties of damaging the chances of success in the European elections by refusing to fight on a joint ticket.
Vince Cable lashed out at The Independent Group and the Greens for rejecting his pleas to stand joint candidates on 23 May, to boost the number of MEPs demanding a second referendum. The Lib Dem leader revealed that his party proposed fighting together – a move that one election expert has predicted could have delivered an extra six seats in Brussels. Frustrated campaigners for a Final Say public vote also believe a unified campaign would have excited voters and delivered an even greater reward. Sir Vince said voters would be forced to choose between “a variety of different parties offering the same message”, under a proportional voting system.
North Of London, Brexit Supporters Gather To 'Feel Proud And Unashamed'
Reading says that she keeps her pro-Brexit views mostly to herself. She's worried if she speaks up at her workplace, she will be ostracized. She can't remember a time when her country was this divided. At the Leavers for Lincolnshire gathering, she found the evening with fellow Brexiteers relaxing and comforting. "We didn't know anybody ... and we started to talk and we all felt the same," said Reading. "That was absolutely great. We can breathe."
Revealed: Brexit group covered up its targeting of right-wing extremists
Arron Banks repeatedly lied to cover-up his Brexit campaign’s effort to attract far-right extremists. Leave.EU paid for Facebook adverts targeted at supporters of the National Front, the BNP, Britain First and the EDL. But when the BBC asked for a response to a story they planned to run, Mr Banks sent a barrage of emails in an attempt to get the story dropped. Leaked emails, seen by Channel 4 News, show Mr Banks insisted the BBC’s accusation were “wholly wrong” – despite his own staff telling him the story was true. One Leave.EU employee told him: “Those are our ads, we have targeted those groups since the beginning of the campaign as they gain most traction.” Another Leave.EU staffer proposed telling the BBC: “We pay for target ads for all political parties, not just right wing.” But Mr Banks replied: “Not the right answer.” Instead, Mr Banks told the BBC: “It’s wholly wrong to say we have targeted extreme right parties… your report needs to reflect this or it will be biased and if we have to we will take whatever legal action we need.” Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU’s Head of Communications, even appealed to the head of BBC Westminster, Robbie Gibb, in a further attempt to prevent the story from being run.
Mr Gibb is now Theresa May’s head of communications
How Farage's Campaign colluded with Putin to Weaponise hate and Islamophobia
By the time of the EU referendum, Russian news agencies like RT and Sputnik were clearly pushing a pro-Brexit agenda, particularly focusing on (mainly false) allegations of rape and criminality by asylum seekers and migrants. One of Leave EU’s most popular videos was mainly sourced from Russian propaganda and deliberately portrayed foreign migrants as sexual predators. Four weeks before the referendum vote in June 2016, Leave EU created a video called ‘Worrying Scenes in Europe’, mainly based on clips from RT. One disturbing sequence in the video is all Leave EU’s creation. It apparently shows sexual assault by dozens of men (alleged to be refugees). But, the clip is actually of an assault that took place in Tahrir Square in Egypt in 2013.
More than half of Britons think Labour has 'serious antisemitism problem', poll reveals
More than half of people believe Labour has a "serious antisemitism problem", a new poll has revealed. The ComRes survey, on behalf of the Jewish News newspaper, showed 51% think the party has a problem with anti-Jewish hate, up from 34% in July last year. A similar proportion of respondents, 55%, agreed that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's "failure to tackle antisemitism within his own party shows he is unfit to be prime minister". Labour's long-running antisemitism row resurfaced at the weekend when the Sunday Times reported Mr Corbyn, in a leaked recording, said that evidence of antisemitism in the party has been "mislaid or ignored".
May to go down in history as 'monumental failure' - a 'massive contrast with Thatcher!'
A former aide to Margaret Thatcher has said Prime Minister Theresa May will go down in British history as a “monumental failure” after she was unable to get enough support for her Brexit deal in order for Britain to have left the European Union within the two-year Article 50 deadline. Last week the EU agreed to extend Britain’s departure from the bloc until the end of October 31 after Theresa May pleaded for a delay. Mr Gardiner told Express.co.uk: “As someone who led Britain at a critically important time in history but who did not have the vision or the guts and the courage to do what was necessary.
Corbyn's polling lead is a national emergency. The Tories must have a proper vision to defeat him
Thanks to the Prime Minister’s staggering incompetence, we face a real risk of a double whammy of no Brexit and a Jeremy Corbyn government, propped up by Scottish Nationalists. Opinion polls should be taken with a bucket of salt. But the past half a dozen tell an eerily similar story: Tory support has fallen off a cliff, especially since voters realised that we weren’t actually going to leave the EU on March 29, as promised. Labour is also down, albeit by less. As a result, Mr Corbyn leads by several percentage points; a uniform swing in a general election today would cost the Tories 60 seats, make Labour the biggest party and allow it to govern with other Left-wing groups.
Nick Boles suggests he will not stand at the next election
Newly independent MP Nick Boles has suggested he will not stand at the next general election, saying he is on his “way out” of frontline politics. In an interview with The House magazine, the former Conservative minister said he was in his “swansong” after deciding to quit his party over Brexit earlier this month. Though Mr Boles backed Ruth Davidson as the “perfect candidate” to become the next Prime Minister, he said it was “very unlikely” that a new Tory leader could bring him back to the fold. He also said it was “reasonable” to question whether it would have been better if the Tories lost the 2015 election and accused Theresa May of making a “moral error” in trying to be more “Brexity than Brexiters” after entering No10. Mr Boles spectacularly resigned the Conservative whip in the Commons after accusing his party of intransigence and refusing to compromise during the Brexit debate. It came after a fractious period with his own constituency party in Grantham and Stamford, which had earlier backed a no-confidence vote against him. Mr Boles fell out of favour over his support for a Norway-style Brexit and opposition to leaving the EU without a deal.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: High-tech solution to avoid hard Northern Ireland border 'decade away', leaked Home Office document says
Any hi-tech solution to the problem of how to keep the Northern Ireland border open after Brexit is at least ten years away, a leaked Home Office document has said. The memo said the cost and complexity of using new technology to remove the need for border checks meant "the challenges of this work cannot be underestimated". The finding will come as a blow to Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, who have repeatedly insisted that technology could be used to keep the border open in the event of a no-deal Brexit, removing the need for the controversial Northern Ireland backstop. The memo, seen by Sky News, was drawn up by the Home Office's Policy Unit and sent to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Treasury. It says there could be a possible technological solution but that it would come with a huge array of difficulties. The solution would involve companies uploading data on goods and using blockchain technology, sensors and automated collection to pay tariffs.
US Speaker Nancy Pelosi warns against weakening peace deal
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has begun an official visit to the Republic of Ireland. Speaking on the eve of her visit, she said there would be "no chance whatsoever" of a post-Brexit trade deal between the US and UK if there were any weakening of the Good Friday Agreement. Ms Pelosi is expected to meet Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Leo Varadkar on Tuesday evening. It is understood Brexit will be one of the main topics of discussion. She will be accompanied by a delegation of Democrat and Republican congressmen and women. The delegation is expected to visit Northern Ireland later this week.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-47936624
Additional sources: (Reuters) (Irish Independent) (The Irish Times) (Huffington Post UK) (Daily Mail) (@Channel4News)
Additional sources: (Reuters) (Irish Independent) (The Irish Times) (Huffington Post UK) (Daily Mail) (@Channel4News)
Brexit: No deal means hard Irish border, says Selmayr
One of the European Commission's most powerful officials has said that a no-deal Brexit would mean a hard Irish border. The comments from Martin Selmayr feature in a documentary made by ARTE, the Franco-German broadcaster. The secretary-general of the European Commission was filmed in a meeting with senior MEPs in late 2018. "Let's be very clear - if there is no withdrawal agreement there will be a hard border," he told them. "The worst of all scenarios."
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 23rd Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Talks resume, Irish backstops starts, Theresa May under attack internally, Remain surges
- The government plans to resume Brexit talks with the Labour Party as MPs return to Westminster following the Easter break, The PM's de facto deputy, David Liddington, will meet senior opposition figures in an attempt to resolve the Brexit impasse
- The Sun reports that Theresa May has asked officials to look again at a rival plan put forward by Tory MPs for the Irish border to escape the Brexit deadlock. The Tory rebels insist that replacing the backstop with their Malthouse Compromise formula is the only way to proceed
- This week, Theresa May will be told by her MPs to name the date of her departure, or face being ousted in June, after the Conservative Party's patience with her finally run out. The chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, will tell the PM that the party is preparing to hold an extraordinary general meeting to change the rules of the party to enable Tory MPs to unseat Mrs May. Backbenchers have already set a date by which they plan to remove May if she does not comply - June 12th
- As her complications mount, The Sun reports that Theresa May has been forced to abandon a planned major Cabinet reshuffle because of the Brexit delay
- A Survation opinion poll of Tory councillors has Boris Johnson as the favourite leadership candidate, backed by 19% of the councillors with Nigel Farage in second place on 15%
- A new Comres opinion poll says that in the event of a fresh referendum on leaving the EU, Remain would be ahead by 58% to 42%. However, a seperate YouGov poll said voters on both sides of the Brexit debate are digging in and are more sure about their positions that before
- The Labour Party's deputy leader, Tom Watson, said that Labour would not see off Nigel Farage if it continued to sit on the fence over a second referendum. Watson says Labour needs to endorse and enthusiastically back a new referendum, and work with fellow centre -left parties to defeat Farage
Tories face a drubbing in local elections
- Respected pollsters Colin Rallings and Michael Thrasher say the Conservative Party looks certain to lose up to 500 seats in the local election, but it could be much worse if recent opinion polls turn out to be accurate. Some 8,400 seats in 248 councils are up for grabs in England. Five councils have inaugural elections and there will be contests for six directly elected mayors.
Derbyshire Tories go on strike for the European Election
- The Conservative Group on Derbyshire County Council has voted to 'go on strike for the European elections' and the councillors are refusing to campaign in anyway to support the Conservative Party's prospective MEPs
Nicola Sturgeon sets out independence plan for Scots
- In a week's time the SNP will vote on a Sustainable Growth Commission report by Andrew Wilson, which includes things such as six tests to be met by an independent Scotland before it would adopt an independent currency. Sturgeon stressed her desire to show competence in economic management as the basis for her plan and said voters would contrast this with the awful way Brexit has been handled
The only man to stop Nigel Farage winning the European Elections could be Jeremy Corbyn
- The independent's Andrew Grice predicts Farage's Brexit Party is on course to wreak havoc at the ballot box and it is vital that Labour come off the fence and adopt a strong Remain and Reform position to combat him. If not there is every likelihood the Brexit Party could win the election
Growing sense that disunity amongst anti-Brexit parties could cost them seats and hand Farage victory
- The Financial Times criticizes the anti-Brexit parties for their collective failure to not agree a unified slate of candidates to fight the European elections next month. The FT predicts this could cost these parties up to half of the seats they would otherwise be likely to win. If the anti-Brexit parties fought as a bloc they would get up to 16 out of the 75 seats. If they do not, only seven seats would be secured, the analysis suggests
Electing a true Brexit believer as the next Tory leader will wreck the chances of the UK getting a good trade deal says former UK ambassador to the EU
- Sir Ivan Rogers said hardline Brexiteers will make promises that the EU would never agree to. Such pledges may win leadership elections but they would make opening trade negotiations next to impossible with the EU he said
Government spent £13m in just two months on consultants to help them with Brexit
- According to The Sun £12.4m was spent by the Cabinet Office on consultant fees which has involved them drawing up alternative plans for the Irish border and preparing for a no deal Brexit. It is a whopping 221% increase on the total consultancy spend for the same three month period a year earlier. The government also spent £300,000 on promoting the plan to the public in December, and a further £400,000 in January with no tangible benefit
Pro-Brexit Labour MP provokes a backlash after complaining about the application process for settled status for her parents
- Twitter users did not fail to see the irony when Ashfield MP Gloria del Piero tweeted the Home Secretary to claim the process to register EU citizens living in the UK was not good enough. Her tweet provoked more than 1,000 responses - with the majority pointing out she should be speaking up for the three million EU citizens not just her parents. The respondents also claimed her U-Turn on Brexit since the referendum had added to the hostile environment facing those now living in the UK
New IRA admits responsibility for journalists murder
- As the status of the Irish border between north and south comes under intense scrutiny, as part of the Brexit debate, Northern Ireland police chiefs have repeatedly been warning that terrorist groups in the north were looking to recruit and seek to capitalise on the chaos and the disunity. Sadly, a journalist was shot and killed by a member of the New IRA over the Easter weekend. The language the New IRA uses to admit responsibility is disturbing 'she was killed while standing behind enemy forces'
Tory donors are by-passing Conservative Central Office and giving money to MPs instead
- Politics Home reported that Tory party donors are giving money directly to Conservative Party constituency associations and MP's instead of handing it to Central Office in protest at the perceived lack of leadership over the Brexit issue
Jeremy Corbyn says Brexit Talks are at risk because the Tories are dead set on doing a deal with Donald Trump
- Labour said that ministers have given little ground in the talks between the two parties so far, and Jeremy Corbyn accused the government of dithering over its Brexit strategy. One of the reasons Corbyn felt was the government's desire to cut a trade deal with Donald Trump
Tory Minister Caroline Nokes says EU citizens fleeing domestic abuse should go back to their own EU country
- UK Immigration Minister, Carolyn Nokes, said that vulnerable EU migrant women living in the UK and fleeing domestic abuse should just return to their own countries. The comments, made in reply to an MP, were branded as callous, heartless and willfully ignorant
Jobs at Risk
Halloween Brexit gives JP Morgan bankers with 'suitcases by the door' extra time
Hundreds of JP Morgan bankers have been given a six month breather after being told to sign new EU contracts and have their “suitcases by the door” if there’s a no-deal Brexit. The delay of Brexit until Halloween means that around 300 investment bankers no longer have to sign the contracts and might not need to relocate to an EU hub such as Paris or Frankfurt after the UK’s exit after all, insiders said. “All the people were ready to go with suitcases by the door as if they were about to go into labour,” one senior banker said. “They don’t need to go now. It’s on ice.” The Wall Street bank asked the bankers to sign the contracts confirming they would move “at short notice” last month
Brexit inertia means London's finance workers face summer slump
With Brexit on ice until as late as October 31 and the terms of the exit still to be agreed, fears are building that this could be one of the leanest years for the City since the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis. The London Stock Exchange has had only one corporate listing in excess of 75 million pounds ($97.61 million) so far this year. Trading turnover on the London Stock Exchange in February and March was down a third from a year ago, and the lowest since August 2016.
Economic Impact
Brexit-related price hikes see UK families spend billions more on everyday goods, new research finds
People in the UK are paying billions of pounds more for everyday goods because of Brexit-related price hikes, new research has found. The fall in the value of the pound after the 2016 Leave vote means money spent by individuals and businesses on imported items does not stretch as far as it used to. As a result, consumers and businesses have had to pay at least £15bn more for the same items, according to analysis by the People's Vote campaign. The group said the price of filter coffee has risen by 10 per cent, the cost of bananas has increased by the same amount and a glass of wine bought in a pub or restaurant has gone up by 8 per cent. Combined with flat-lining wage growth, it suggests households are having to spend more for less.
Divided between the UK's 27 million households, it suggests the average household will have paid at least £550 more since 2016.
Jean-Claude Juncker: Economic turmoil after Brexit will be UK's fault
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission chief, has warned that the UK would be "100 per cent" responsible if its decision to leave the EU caused economic turmoil, as he urged MPs to vote for Theresa May's Brexit deal. In an interview with a German newspaper, Mr Juncker urged the UK not to waste its six month extension to the Article 50 process and added that he did not have hopes of the UK eventually reversing Brexit. "We need to be prepared for a soft and a hard Brexit. In any event, the UK’s withdrawal will have a negative impact - more for the British than for the EU," he told Funke. "There will be no single-market-based solution. As far as I am concerned, the British side bears 100 per cent responsibility
Administrative Fall Out
Thanks to Brexit, I've got 30 days to leave my home in France
I have 30 days to leave my home thanks to Brexit. our local prefecture, which last week wrote to us to tell us that we had 30 days to leave the country. The reasons they gave is that there was no proof that James is self-supporting (we were not made aware of any missing information from our application – if we had we’d have provided it) and that my business does not make enough. Between us we need to prove that we have €1175.00 per month to live on. The feeling of panic I got from the moment I opened those letters is still with me now. It sits in the pit of my stomach as a constant reminder of the nightmare we are now living.
Tory minister says EU citizens fleeing domestic abuse should go home
UK immigration Minister Caroline Nokes has said that vulnerable EU migrant women living in Scotland and fleeing domestic abuse should just return to their own countries, it has emerged. Nokes made the statement in a letter to Kirsty Blackman MP, who is campaigning for a change in law to stop EU women who are judged not to be exercising their treaty rights – because they are not working, studying or able to support themselves – having to choose between staying in a dangerous, abusive relationship or facing destitution. Blackman said that she was shocked by Nokes letter and branded the Home Office “heartless” and “wilfully ignorant”.
London-born baby with British-resident parents denied UK status
A baby that was born in the UK to two British-resident parents has been denied the right to live in the country. Human rights lawyers called the decision “shameful” and “potentially unlawful”. Dr Charles Kriel, a US national and special adviser to a parliamentary select committee, was returning to Britain from Florida with his fiancee Katharina Viken and their 15-week-old daughter, Viola Pearl Viken-Kriel when they were stopped by border officials. They said his child did not have the right to reside in the country. Instead they said she could enter the UK but only on a six-month tourist visa specifying that she must not work or use public services.
Brexit: I felt unwelcome and returned to Poland
PachYa is a Polish singer who lived in the UK for 10 years, but she no longer felt welcome in the country after Brexit. So she moved back to Poland with her daughter Amelia. Two years later she returns to Nottingham and thinks about what she has left behind.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: Cross-party talks to resume
The government will resume Brexit talks with the Labour Party as MPs return to Westminster following the Easter break. Cabinet ministers, including the PM's defacto deputy, David Lidington, will meet senior opposition figures in an attempt to solve the Brexit impasse. But the resumption of talks has provoked anger among a number of Tory MPs, with senior backbenchers meeting later to discuss their next move. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Theresa May will chair a meeting of her cabinet.
Tory MP Nigel Evans, a Brexiteer and critic of Mrs May, told the BBC the government's handling of Brexit had been "frustrating" and that "fresh leadership" was needed. Senior members of the Conservative backbench 1922 committee, which Mr Evans is a member of, will meet late this afternoon. He said: "She's reaching out to the Labour Party and Jeremy Corbyn, when she should have been reaching out to the people."
Emergency meeting set to be called to OUST Prime Minister over Brexit 'farce'
Last night the threshold needed to demand an extraordinary general meeting of the party’s national convention, the most powerful body representing the rank and file, was reached. Sources involved in the plot said the petition had been backed by at least 65 constituency association chairmen after the Prime Minister’s “spectacular failure to deliver” Brexit. “It’s a farce,” they added. “If she’s not capable of doing the job, then somebody come forward that is because this just can’t go on.” It will be at least a month before the meeting can be held and the results of the confidence vote will not be binding on the Prime Minister. But losing the support of the party’s volunteers, who give up their free time to knock on doors to rally support, would heap pressure on her to go. It comes amid a slew of devastating polls for Mrs May as she prepares for local and European elections next month.
Brexiteers’ Irish border plan gets a boost after Theresa May asks officials to look again at the proposals
Theresa May has asked officials to look again at a rival plan by Tory MPs for the Irish border to escape the disastrous Brexit deadlock. Senior Tory Brexiteers are lobbying the PM to use the new six month delay to mount a fresh push on the EU to adopt their ‘alternative arrangements’ model. The development comes as Theresa May will today come under renewed pressure to call time on stalled talks with Labour for a cross-party exit deal. But replacing the controversial Irish backstop to keep the border open with the 'Malthouse Compromise' formula of stand off customs declarations and checks is still the only way she can win a Commons majority for one, the group insist.
MPs to warn Theresa May she will be forced out over Brexit failure if she fails to name her departure date
Theresa May will be told by her own MPs to name the date of her departure or face being ousted in June after the Conservative Party’s patience with her finally ran out. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, will tell the Prime Minister that the party is preparing to change its rules to make it easier to throw out unpopular leaders if they refuse to go. Backbenchers have already set June 12 as the date Mrs May will be forced out if she does not comply - exactly six months on from the day she fought off the last attempt to depose her through a confidence vote in her leadership.
This is why my Change UK-TIG party will not be forming a ‘pro-Remain alliance’ for the European elections
I am a pluralist who thinks tribalism is overrated, so I can see the attraction of a coalition. But no one has been able to explain to me how the practical hurdles can be overcome
Theresa May could be booted out in June as PM after furious Tory MPs plot to change party rules
Theresa May could be booted out as PM by furious Tory MPs in mid-June under radical plans to be considered by senior figures today. The Sun can reveal the Conservative 1922 committee is expected to vote on an extraordinary proposal to rewrite party rules to allow a new no confidence challenge just six months after the PM survived the last one in December.
Theresa May to face grassroots no-confidence challenge
Prime Minister Theresa May is to face an unprecedented no-confidence challenge - from Conservative grassroots campaigners. More than 70 local association chiefs - angry at her handling of Brexit - have called for an extraordinary general meeting to discuss her leadership. A non-binding vote will be held at that National Conservative Convention EGM. Dinah Glover, chairwoman of the London East Area Conservatives, said there was "despair in the party". She told the BBC: "I'm afraid the prime minister is conducting negotiations in such a way that the party does not approve." The Conservative Party's 800 highest-ranking officers, including those chairing the local associations, will take part in the vote
Theresa May is forced to abandon plans for major Cabinet reshuffle because of new Brexit delay
Theresa May has been forced to abandoned plans for a major Cabinet reshuffle next month because of the Brexit delay. The new blow to the PM’s survival hopes comes as it emerged that three out of five party members plan to refuse to vote Tory in the euro elections. Close allies had urged the PM to carry out a big clear of her ageing top team. The move would have helped fend off calls for her to resign immediately after an expected local election meltdown on May 2. Ushering in a younger generation of Tory MPs to the Government’s top ranks could have kept the PM in No10 until December, Cabinet allies argued. But the new six-month delay to Britain’s EU exit until October has plunged Mrs May into a fresh crisis and destabilised her yet further. A senior No10 source told The Sun: “A reshuffle is going to be impossible now. Things are just too precarious.
My TED talk: how I took on the tech titans in their lair
For more than a year, the Observer writer has been probing a darkness at the heart of Silicon Valley. Last week, at a TED talk that became a global viral sensation, she told the tech billionaires they had broken democracy. What happened next?
Nigel Farage second most popular choice among Conservative Party councillors to be next Tory leader, finds new poll
Nigel Farage is the second most popular choice among Conservative Party councillors to be the next Tory leader, a new poll has found. Only Boris Johnson is more popular than the leader of The Brexit Party with Mr Farage ahead of frontrunner candidates including Michael Gove, Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid and Dominic Raab. Mr Johnson, the former foreign secretary and prominent Brexiteer, was backed by 19 per cent of Tory councillors as the best option to take over from Theresa May when the field included Mr Farage. The former Ukip leader was supported by 15 per cent of the 781 Tory councillors polled by Survation between April 17 and 19.
Lord Buckethead reveals plans to stand against Nigel Farage in the Euro elections
Lord Buckethead has revealed plans to stand against Nigel Farage in the European Parliament elections. The candidate, who famously stood against Theresa May in the 2017 General Election, revealed his plans on Friday night.
He said “so many” people had “begged” him to run against the former Ukip leader, who recently unveiled his new Brexit Party. Mr Farage is bidding to be re-elected as the MEP for the South East England constituency. Writing on Twitter, he said: “BREAKING NEWS: Since so many have begged me to run against Nigel Farage in the EU Parliament election on May 23, a clever Earthling set up this link for you to fund the cost of the pricey deposit. “Will I agree to run if the goal is met? MY ANSWER: YES!”
Nigel and Annunziata’s Brexit show basks in the sun, but winter is coming
Like some sleight-of-hand artiste, Farage has pulled the Brexit party out of his flat cap. One moment it wasn’t there. The next it was leading the polls for the European Union elections. It was set up by Catherine Blaiklock in January, but she had to resign when it emerged that, like so many before her in her previous party, Ukip, she’d written things that were not difficult to construe as racist.
Remain would win a second Brexit referendum, poll finds
A second referendum would see the population resoundingly vote for the UK to remain in the EU, a new poll has found. The latest Comres poll revealed that Remain would now win by 58 per cent to 42 per cent of the vote. The Comres poll had Remain as heavy favourites if a second referendum were to be held tomorrow.
But a separate Yougov poll found that voters had largely become even more sure that they voted the right way first time around almost three years of Brexit uncertainty since. It said 64 per cent of Remain voters were now “more sure” they voted the right way compared to 57 per cent of Leave voters.
EU president Donald Tusk says Brexit can be stopped: ‘We cannot give into fatalism’
The president of the European Council has warned opponents of Brexit not to “give in to fatalism” and accept Britain’s departure from the European Union. Speaking in the European parliament on Tuesday, Donald Tusk said Europe and Britain needed “dreams and dreamers” to keep the idea of a united Europe alive and the UK in the EU. “During the European Council, one of the leaders warned us not to be dreamers and that we shouldn’t think that Brexit can be reversed,” Mr Tusk told MEPs in Strasbourg. “I didn’t respond at the time. But today in front of you I would like to say at this rather difficult moment in our history that we need the dreamers and dreams. We cannot give in to fatalism. At least, I will not stop dreaming about a better and united Europe.” Mr Tusk said he accepts the result of the EU referendum and that the decision on whether to leave is for the British people, but he has made no secret of the fact he would rather see the UK stay in the bloc.
Change UK rejects growing calls for electoral alliance with other anti-Brexit parties
An alliance of anti-Brexit parties including Change UK will not "ever be likely."
Change UK: The Independent Group will probably never form an electoral pact with other pro-EU parties, the party's economics spokesperson Chris Leslie told Business Insider. This is despite polls suggesting that Change UK will suffer from the pro-EU vote being split across numerous parties at next month's European Parliament elections and potentially beyond. Leslie said that Change UK was the clearest anti-Brexit option and urged Lib Dems to quit their party.
Brexit: second referendum only way to beat Nigel Farage, warns Tom Watson
Labour will never defeat Nigel Farage if it continues to “sit on the fence” over Brexit and offers only “mealy-mouthed” support for a second referendum, the party’s deputy leader says today. In an extraordinary intervention that exposes the tensions at the top of the party over Brexit strategy, Tom Watson warns that Labour will lose to Farage’s new “far right” Brexit party in May’s European elections if it continues to give the impression that “we half agree with him”. Writing in today’s Observer, Jeremy Corbyn’s deputy argues that Labour needs to give much clearer and more enthusiastic backing to another referendum and also spell out a positive, radical vision of how a Labour government could advance socialist values by working with other centre-left parties inside the European Union.Labour will never defeat Nigel Farage if it continues to “sit on the fence” over Brexit and offers only “mealy-mouthed” support for a second referendum, the party’s deputy leader says today.
In an extraordinary intervention that exposes the tensions at the top of the party over Brexit strategy, Tom Watson warns that Labour will lose to Farage’s new “far right” Brexit party in May’s European elections if it continues to give the impression that “we half agree with him”. Writing in today’s Observer, Jeremy Corbyn’s deputy argues that Labour needs to give much clearer and more enthusiastic backing to another referendum and also spell out a positive, radical vision of how a Labour government could advance socialist values by working with other centre-left parties inside the European Union.
Drubbing looms as Tories face loss of 500 council seats
The Tories look certain to lose up to 500 seats in the English local elections on May 2, but it could be much worse if recent opinion polls turn out to be accurate.
Some 8,400 seats in 248 councils fall vacant in England. Five councils have inaugural elections following the abolition or merger of their predecessors and there will be contests for six directly elected mayors. These largely reprise those held on the same day as the 2015 general election when David Cameron formed his majority government. The Tories did well in the local contests, too, winning six in 10 of all seats. Labour fell back and the Liberal Democrats — punished for their role in the coalition — lost 40% of their councillors. Recent by-elections show Labour and the Tories neck and neck in the battle for local votes. The Lib Dems are performing better in these contests than in the polls but are still a long way behind.
Change UK: ‘we’re the natural home of the remain alliance’
The anti-Brexit party Change UK will this week unveil its list of 70 candidates for next month’s European elections after receiving more than 1,000 applications from former Labour, Tory, Liberal and Green party activists. The party’s interim leader, the former Tory MP Heidi Allen, who yesterday challenged other leaders to a TV debate, claimed that the exodus from established parties showed Change UK was now the “natural home of the ‘Remain Alliance’” and of people who wanted a second referendum. The party said that, of 3,700 people who had applied to stand under the Change UK banner in the 23 May poll, 895 were former Labour activists, 105 were ex-Liberal Democrats and 92 ex-Greens. Dozens of other applicants had been active in the Tory party, including former MPs. Of the Labour defectors, 32 were either former MPs, or had previously been parliamentary or council candidates.
Realism is set to strike the EU over the Brexit timescale
The biggest danger of the Brexit extension is a delusion over time. The UK does not really have more than five months to make a decision. In reality, the effective timescale is just a few weeks. Once this drags beyond the scheduled elections of the European Parliament in late May, we enter a world of uncertain scenarios. The divisions that emerged among EU member states during the meeting of the European Council on April 10 are serious. But it would be wrong to characterise the debate as one between France and the rest. Several leaders supported Emmanuel Macron. Come October, the threat is not one of a veto by the French president, but of a shifting consensus. Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, said in an FT interview that he believed the October deadline was hard. This is becoming a wider consensus view in Germany. Mr Macron is not isolated. He is winning the argument.
May takes lead in bid to rescue Brexit talks
Theresa May will return from the Easter break on Tuesday, seeking to breathe fresh life into talks with the opposition Labour party as both sides search for a Brexit breakthrough that can avert the need to hold “unwanted” European elections. With time fast running out to secure a deal before the European poll on May 23, the prime minister is also likely to come under growing pressure from her own MPs to stand down if she fails to find a way to break the stalemate. But nearly three weeks after the talks with Labour began, there has been scant evidence of any progress. Labour, which wants the UK to retain close alignment with the single market and a permanent customs union, has been left frustrated over what it says is the Conservatives’ failure to offer any new concessions.
Only remainers could snatch defeat from the jaws of victory like this
Going into the European elections, the serial splitting of the pro-EU vote has been a masterclass in political incompetence
First Minister sets out independence plan – with a big warning to critics
Nicola Sturgeon has today set out her “ambitious” and “credible” proposals to win independence as she prepares to update Scotland in the coming days on her plans for a second referendum. In a major intervention the First Minister referred to the ongoing Brexit turmoil and more people being open to back the Yes case, but she suggested such voters may not be won over with easy answers.
Brexit: Jean-Claude Juncker says any type of departure will be negative
Any kind of Brexit will have “negative consequences” which will be worse for Britain than the EU and be entirely the UK’s responsibility, European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said. Mr Juncker said the “ball was in Britain’s court” and urged the House of Commons to support the deal negotiated by Theresa May. A second extension to Brexit was granted to the UK following talks in Brussels earlier this month, with the so-called flextension meaning the departure date will be October 31 this year, or sooner if the Withdrawal Agreement is passed.
In an interview with the German Funke Media Groupe, Mr Juncker repeated the words of European Council president Donald Tusk and urged the UK “not to waste time”.
EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker: The UK cannot keep delaying Brexit
The UK cannot delay Brexit indefinitely and must stop wasting time, the European commission chief has said. Jean-Claude Juncker warned Britain that its departure from the EU must happen by the new 31 October deadline. "I hope that the British will make use of this time and not waste it again. We cannot keep on putting off the withdrawal date indefinitely," Mr Juncker said.
May to be told to quit by top Conservative - Sunday Times
A top member of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party will tell her in the coming week that she must step down by the end of June or her lawmakers will try again to depose her, the Sunday Times reported, without citing sources. May survived a vote of no confidence in December and although party rules mean lawmakers cannot challenge her again until a year has passed, lawmaker Graham Brady will tell her the rules will be changed unless she quits, the newspaper said.
Brady, who chairs the Conservative Party’s influential 1922 Committee of backbench lawmakers, will tell her that 70 percent of her members of parliament want her to resign over her handling of Brexit, the Sunday Times said. Britain was originally due to leave the European Union on March 29, but that deadline was pushed back to April 12 and then again to Oct. 31 as May failed to break an impasse in parliament on the terms of Brexit.
EU will end up with 50 angry and disruptive MEPs if it forces UK to hold European elections, Liam Fox warns
The EU will end up with 50 “disruptive and resentful” British MEPs if it forces the country to take part in elections to the European Parliament next month, Liam Fox has warned. In an interview with The Telegraph, the pro-Brexit International Trade Secretary pointed out that the parliament, which is due to elect the next European Commission president later this year, “will have an effect on the formation of the next commission”. “The last thing our European partners want are 50 disruptive and resentful UK MEPs,” he added.
The only man who can stop Nigel Farage from sweeping the European elections is Jeremy Corbyn
At a lavish party for Nigel Farage at London’s Ritz Hotel five months after the 2016 referendum, the man himself predicted a “big, seismic shock in British politics” like Donald Trump’s “total revolution” in the US. Farage told the 100 guests – friends, politicians and journalists (including me) – the UK’s problem was “still being run by the career professional political class”. He feared it would block Brexit. With Ukip seen as a basket case, in the margins of the event, his allies discussed launching a new, online-based movement based on Italy’s Five Star. The Brexit Party is now up and running, the cleverest piece of political branding since New Labour. European parliament elections on 23 May offer the perfect opening; coming almost three years after the referendum, they validate Farage’s repeated claims that politicians would betray the public. Ukip, a home for Islamophobes and misogynists who dismiss jokes about rape as “satire”, makes Farage look respectable. Not surprisingly, the opinion polls suggest his new party is on course for a famous victory. His “big seismic shock” is on the cards.
This paralysing lack of leadership leaves remainers with nowhere to go
The inability of the leading opposition party to oppose extends beyond its sneaky fudges. Labour is no more challenging every half-truth and whole lie made by Nigel Farage than it is exposing the empty nationalism of the seeming limitless supply of Tory leadership candidates. It’s almost as if Jeremy Corbyn and the upper-class Stalinists who surround him are so lost in the infantile leftist belief that the EU is a capitalist and militarist conspiracy, they would rather let the right have its way than reverse Brexit. Without leaders, Labour voters are meant to solve Labour politicians’ problems for them.
Nicola Sturgeon: This plan is ambitious AND credible – it can win us independence
The UK may have descended even deeper into Brexit crisis in recent weeks, but that hasn’t stopped the architects of the 2014 Project Fear campaign – yes, the same people who said Scotland would lose EU membership if we voted for independence – springing back into action. In 2014, they told us there was no way Scotland could agree with the rest of the UK to continue to use the pound sterling – this time, with no hint of irony, they’re throwing their hands up in horror at the suggestion that an independent Scotland might in future choose an alternative to sterling if that is in our best interests. Of course these politicians will always ridicule any suggestion that Scotland is capable of being a successful independent country, because they want us to believe that whatever happens to the UK and no matter what chaos ensues, the status quo is as good as it gets. But most people in Scotland don’t take that view. In 2014, many who ultimately voted No were open to persuasion.
Theresa May 'boxed in' as voters punish the Tories for Brexit delay
onservative voters are angry and frustrated and the reason is obvious. In April’s monthly ComRes poll for The Telegraph, the only Brexit outcomes ‘acceptable’ to Tory voters were to leave with no deal or, less enthusiastically, agree to Theresa May’s deal. All other options were ‘unacceptable’ to at least 70 per cent of Tory voters. Until the Tory Party realise that Brexit is a visceral issue, outside the flexible political norms of Burkean representative democracy, they cannot recover because the Brexit Party is scratching where the Conservative electorate itch.
Grassroots Conservatives refuse to take part in European election campaign in protest Brexit delay
Grassroots Tories are refusing to take part in next month's European election campaign in protest at the delay to Brexit. In an extraordinary show of defiance, the Conservative group on Derbyshire County Council has effectively voted to go on strike. They have refused to knock on doors or deliver leaflets in support of Tory MEPs, saying they will not take part in the elections because they 'should not be happening'.
Members 'won't mention Theresa May on doorsteps' as Tories prepare for election drubbing
Theresa May is now so unpopular with swathes of her own party that some Tory members won’t mention her by name on the doorstep or have ruled out campaigning altogether, it has emerged. The Prime Minister has become synonymous with “betrayal” over Brexit in voters’ minds, leading some activists to try to focus on local issues, rather the Government’s main goal. Tory HQ has even registered a name variation with the Electoral Commission that allows the candidates to appear on ballot papers as “Local Conservatives”, downplaying any link with the PM.
Theresa May faces threat of new confidence vote after European elections amid Brexit backlash
Theresa May could face a new confidence vote in the wake of the European elections under plans that will be considered by senior Tory MPs this week, The Telegraph can disclose. On Tuesday the 1922 committee of backbench Tory MPs will meet to discuss whether the rules should be changed to allow a new bid to remove the Prime Minister. Alan Mabbutt, a senior Conservative Party official, has confirmed that the rules surrounding leadership challenges are not determined by the party's constitution but by backbench MPs themselves. It comes as a string of senior Tory called for Theresa May to name a date for her departure amid concerns that the European elections will be a "disaster" for the party.
Journalist shot dead in ‘terrorist incident’ in Northern Ireland
A 29-year-old female journalist was killed during riots in Derry, Northern Ireland, on Thursday night in what police are treating as a "terrorist incident." According to reports, violence broke out following police searches in Derry's Creggan district, with petrol bombs thrown at police Land Rovers.
Leave.EU’s latest scandal shows digital propaganda is out of control
Elections can be energising, they can be bruising, and over the past few years the public have been to the ballot box far more often than expected. Two years ago today, Theresa May stood at the lectern outside of No 10 and announced a snap election. It had been less than a year since a divisive referendum, and there wasn’t much appetite from the public or from parliament for yet another campaign. Today, European elections are looming, a public vote on Brexit seems more and more likely, and another snap election is a constant possibility. We are in a time of political crisis and no one knows what will happen next, but trust in our elections is essential to rebuilding public faith in politics. That’s why the government must take urgent action to protect the integrity of our democracy. We do not have the laws we need to defend our democracy from online interference.
Tories and Labour in jeopardy as new voting 'tribes' seek alternatives to the status quo
The Conservatives and Labour are both losing ground to smaller parties, but the Conservatives are hurting more. We analysed recent opinion polls using the new regression techniques which give better accuracy than classic polling approaches. These show a Labour lead of four per cent, with Labour predicted to win 290 seats if there were a new general election. Beneath these headline figures there are identifiable groups of voters who are changing their mind. Using a three-dimensional political landscape, we identified seven tribes, many of whom don't correspond to the traditional left-right spectrum
Clash of Jeremys as Hunt tears into 'Marxist' Corbyn over austerity in fiery online row
Jeremy Hunt, a front-runner for the Tory leadership, has defended the Conservative's austerity programme during a clash with Jeremy Corbyn and said it is the Labour leader's "Marxist regime" that will put Britain's economy at risk.
The Foreign Secretary said in an interview this week that he admired the "genius" of David Cameron for convincing people to accept austerity. He said their success in delivering cuts "without poll tax-style riots" had helped "put the economy on its feet to the extent we're now creating 1,000 jobs every single day since we've been in office".
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is a 'very serious threat' to Labour warns top peer
Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party “poses a very serious threat” to Labour in the European elections, a top party peer has warned.
Lord Maurice Glasman said the newly-founded group was a risk to his party if voters felt Labour had ignored the result of the 2016 referendum and backed a second vote.
Guy who shouts 'Stop Brexit' at Parliament every day to stand in Euro elections
A man who has yelled "stop Brexit" at Parliament every sitting day for the last 18 months is standing for the European Parliament. Steve Bray, known locally as the "Stop Brexit Guy", began protesting in Westminster in September 2017, wearing a blue and yellow hat and draped in a Union Flag cape. He started as a lone voice, shouting at the seat of democracy once a day. But as time has gone on, and anti-Brexit sentiment has swelled, so has his group of screaming Remainers, hurling an increasingly lengthy stream of invective at the Palace. Along with "stop Brexit", Steve and his group have gradually started adding "It's not a done deal" and "it's not going well, is it?"
How May's failed deal shattered EU relations
Donald Tusk, though devastated by a 2016 Brexit referendum result he had predicted, counselled for calm. Brussels had no choice but to wait it out for the formal two years of withdrawal talks to start, he argued. There would be no negotiation without Britain’s formal notification of the wish to leave. Even attempts by the government’s senior Brexit adviser, Olly Robbins, to speak to the EU’s most senior lawyers would be denied until the treaty exit mechanism, known as article 50, was triggered.
Brexit Britain must avoid self-pity and revenge
Most other EU countries have experienced searing humiliations in their recent histories — defeat in war, the collapse of democracy, or occupation by a foreign power. Compared with these, Brexit is pretty mild stuff. If the UK can avoid succumbing to self-pity or a sense of victimhood, Brexit might even serve as a valuable reality-check — one that eventually allows the country to rethink its place in the world, in a calm, unhysterical and unhumiliated fashion
Boris Johnson ‘WOULD WIN’ the Tory leadership contest if Theresa May is toppled in the next few weeks, key all
Both senior Tories are now counting on the votes of more than 50 Conservatives MPs, from a total of 313. But BoJo’s campaign team are convinced he will trounce his successor as Foreign Secretary in phase two of the campaign, a head-to-head run off between the two leading candidates in front of all 150,000 party members.
Nigel Farage has near-total control of Brexit party, constitution suggests
Nigel Farage has almost total control over the new Brexit Party, with power to appoint its governing board and all but no membership to keep him in check, it is understood. The party – which polls suggest could win the European elections – formed in January and registered last week. While more than 100,000 people have signed up to be registered supporters, it is not yet allowing them to become formal members with power to vote on the leadership. It is understood only a handful of people have actual membership of the Brexit party, which is a skeleton operation as it gears up to fight its first election at the European polls. The party’s constitution, released under freedom of information laws, also reveals Farage’s power over the project, with the leader having the ability to appoint four to eight board members and the chairman.
@SkyNews Brexit Party leader @Nigel_Farage says leaving the EU is about upholding a 'higher democratic principle' and the UK must honour the referendum result, regardless of any economic fallout.
Brexit Party leader @Nigel_Farage says leaving the EU is about upholding a 'higher democratic principle' and the UK must honour the referendum result, regardless of any economic fallout.
Labour MPs to urge Jeremy Corbyn not to 'torpedo' Brexit deal
Jeremy Corbyn is to be urged by a group of Labour MPs not to “torpedo” the prospect of a Brexit deal with Theresa May by insisting on a second referendum. The MPs, including Stephen Kinnock and Gloria De Piero, are set to send the Labour leader a letter early next week setting out their “deep-seated reservations about a second referendum”, which they believe would be “divisive but … not decisive”. They also express a worry that insisting on a second referendum would cause talks with the government to collapse, arguing that Conservative MPs would never back such an idea. Labour has committed to keeping a second referendum on the table as an option to stop a “damaging Tory Brexit”, but there are conflicting views at the top of the party about whether to insist on one if Corbyn can secure a deal with the Conservatives.
Disunity to cost anti-Brexit parties seats in Europe poll
Anti-Brexit parties’ failure to agree a unified slate of candidates to fight the European elections next month could cost them half of the seats they would have won as a single group, according to a Financial Times analysis. If the Liberal Democrats, the newly formed Change UK and Green party combined into a single entity to contest the European Parliament elections on May 23, they would win 16 of the 60 seats up for grabs across England, the research found. But with the parties having decided to field separate slates of candidates, only seven seats would be secured, the analysis concluded, based on polling numbers from four organisations.
Britain will have its second referendum – at the EU elections on 23 May
In just five weeks’ time, Britain will have a referendum on Brexit. This will take the form of elections to the European parliament, but in reality this will be a pre-referendum, or, if you like your neologisms ugly, a preferendum. So there is now one simple task: to maximise the vote for parties that support a confirmatory referendum on Brexit, giving the British people a democratic choice between accepting the negotiated Brexit deal and remaining in the EU.
Electing a Brexiteer as next Tory leader will 'wreck' chances of a deal, claims former UK ambassador to EU
Electing a "true believer Brexiteer" as the next Tory leader would likely "wreck" any chance of agreeing a Brexit deal with Brussels, the former UK ambassador to the EU has claimed. Sir Ivan Rogers said Eurosceptic leadership challengers like Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson could make promises to the Tory grassroots to get elected which the bloc would never agree to. Those promises could include reopening the Withdrawal Agreement to delete or change the Irish border backstop protocol - something which the EU has repeatedly said it will not countenance. He said such a pledge would torpedo the talks and any prospect of the two sides agreeing to a new trading relationship.
Putin’s far-right allies gear up for European elections
Last week, leaders of far-right parties from several European Union countries assembled in Milan to announce the creation of a nationalist alliance for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The group, known as the European Alliance for People and Nations, aims to win the largest bloc of seats in the European Parliament and already includes members from Germany, Italy, Finland, Denmark, Austria and France. “We share the same objectives, the same ideals and values,” Matteo Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and the host of the meeting, told journalists ahead of the announcement.
Political Setbacks
Government spent £13 million in just two months on consultants to help with Brexit deal
The government spent more than £13 million in just two months in their desperate attempts to convince MPs to vote for Theresa May’s Brexit deal. According to the Sun, £12 4 million was spent by the cabinet office on external consultant fees, which involved drawing up alternative plans to the Irish border and preparing for a no-deal Brexit. It is a whopping 221% increase on the total spend on consultancy services in the same three month period a year earlier. Best for Britain found that the department spent £300,000 in December on communicating the plan to the public and then a further £400,000 in January, which would have involved using Google and social media networks. The spending spree was a flop, as Theresa May failed to gain the support of the House of Commons, and the government appeared to u-turn on plans for a no-deal Brexit.
Derbyshire Tories boycott EU elections over Brexit chaos
Conservative councillors in Derbyshire have voted to go on "strike" and not help candidates campaign in the upcoming European elections, in an extraordinary show of local defiance to the national party. It comes as a survey of 781 Conservative councillors for the Mail on Sunday shows that 40% of them are prepared to vote for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party at the elections on 23 May. Every one of the 37 Tory councillors at Derbyshire County Council are in support of the boycott, meaning that hundreds of activists will not deliver leaflets or canvass for the party's candidates in the run up to the elections. Council leader Barry Lewis: "I suppose it is described in one way as going on strike, to not take part in a campaign for an election like this. "It is with a heavy heart - we are an activist group at Derbyshire County Council, we want to support our candidates - but we simply cannot go against the wishes of the people.
Pro-Brexit MP provokes backlash after complaining about application process for settled status for her parents
A Labour MP who now supports the UK leaving the European Union caused Twitter to implode when she messaged the home secretary complaining about the application for settled status for her parents. Twitter users did not fail to see the irony when Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero tweeted Savid Javid to claim that the process to register EU citizens living in the UK was “not good enough.” She said: “Dear @ukhomeoffice @sajidjavid trying to sort my parents application for settled status. They are in their 70s and 80s. They don't have smart phones but I'm happy to sort it for them but It's such a complicated process I can't figure out how to do it. This is not good enough.” Her tweet provoked more than 1,000 responses - with the majority pointing out that she should be speaking up for the three million EU citizens - not just her parents. The respondents also claimed her u-turn on Brexit since the referendum had added to the “hostile environment” facing those now living in the UK.
Rape, Race and UKIP’s MEP Candidate
I have no better way of putting it: Carl Benjamin is the Dunning-Kruger candidate. He is the walking, talking embodiment of an overestimated, overinflated belief in one’s intelligence and critical faculties. Anyone who saw his performance at the recent launch of UKIP’s MEP campa understood immediately that he was manifestly ill-equipped for the business of politics.Adopting the poses of a Poundland Mussolini, yet looking like IT middle-management, he railed against the assembled press and pouted as his tweet to Labour MP Jess Phillips – “I wouldn’t even rape you” – was brought up. When pressed for an explanation, he responded: “If a woman is being a giant bitch and laughing about male suicide I’m going to be a giant dick back to her”. He was much like a petulant teenager, caught out.
Ukip European election candidates: man who sent 'rape' tweet to Labour MP and comedian who trained his dog to perform Nazi salute
Ukip has unveiled a man who sent a “rape” tweet to a Labour MP and a comedian who trained his dog to do a Nazi salute as its star candidates for the European elections. Gerard Batten, the Ukip leader, launched the party’s European election campaign by inviting Carl Benjamin, a Youtube personality, to appear on the stage alongside him along with Mark Meechan a Scottish comedian. Mr Benjamin prompted controversy after it emerged he tweeted “I wouldn’t even rape you” at Jess Phillips, a Labour MP. The Ukip candidate yesterday used a press conference to defend his comments. “I think we should treat women the same as men,” he said.
How ‘condescending’ Brexiteer Mark Francois met his match in US Speaker Nancy Pelosi
Nancy Pelosi, the US Speaker, rebuked the hardline Brexiteer Mark Francois for being condescending during a private lunch this week. Ms Pelosi, the third most powerful figure in the US, challenged the “red-faced” former junior defence minister after an exchange about the nature of the Irish border. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has been leading a delegation of senior American politicians on a visit to London and Dublin focused on Brexit. She will conclude her visit today with a trip to Belfast. The programme included a lunchtime meeting with four members of the European Research Group faction of Conservative MPs at a Westminster restaurant on Monday. In addition to Mr Francois the group included Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sir Bernard Jenkin and Steve Baker. The US delegation included Brendan Boyle, a Democrat representing Pennsylvania, who has taken a hard line on the potential damage to US relations after a hard Brexit, and other Irish Americans. Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, was also present.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/94fea254-615b-11e9-9842-63958b78574e
Additional sources: (Daily Mirror)
Additional sources: (Daily Mirror)
Brexit supporter jailed after sending 'terror-filled' messages to MP Heidi Allen
Jarod Kirkman – of Torquay Drive in Luton – was jailed for a total of 42 weeks for seven counts of sending malicious communications, having pleaded guilty to the offence at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, April 8. Threatening communications were sent to MPs Heidi Allen, Nick Boles, Yvette Cooper, Nicky Morgan, Sarah Wollaston, Jenny Chapman and David Lammy, and all were sent using fictitious email details via contact pages on the respective MPs websites. Kirkman was traced and identified by his IP address and, when interviewed, freely admitted he had sent the abusive messages, but couldn't recall all the details, and said “I was just being a stupid idiot over Brexit”.
Facebook bans UK far right groups and leaders
Facebook has imposed a ban on a dozen far-right individuals and organisations that it says "spread hate". The ban includes the British National Party and Nick Griffin, the English Defence League and the National Front. The list also includes Britain First, which was already banned, but this latest action will prohibit support for it on any of the US firm's services. It said it had taken the action because those involved had proclaimed a "violent or hateful mission". "Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook," the social network added in a statement.
Lyra McKee killing: 'New IRA admits responsibility'
The New IRA has admitted responsibility for the killing of 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee, according to a Northern Irish newspaper. In a statement given to The Irish News using a recognised code word, the group offered "full and sincere apologies" to her family and friends. Ms McKee was shot in the head while she observed rioting in Londonderry's Creggan estate on Thursday night. The New IRA said she was killed "while standing beside enemy forces".
Brexit-backing Tory activists to seek Theresa May’s resignation
Conservative activists are to hold an emergency summit to debate a vote of no confidence in Theresa May, adding fresh pressure on her to resign as party leader and prime minister. The grassroots challenge to Mrs May’s already precarious authority comes from the National Conservative Convention, which said on Monday that it would hold an extraordinary general meeting within weeks. The unprecedented move to discuss a vote of no confidence in Mrs May was triggered after more than 70 chairs of local constituency associations handed in a petition to the party.
Furious donors 'giving money to Tory MPs instead of Theresa May' amid Brexit anger
Conservative donors are giving money directly to Tory MPs instead of the party's central office because of their anger about Theresa May's handling of Brexit, it has been claimed. Alexander Temerko, who has donated more than £1 million to the Conservatives, told The Times that the Prime Minister had "alienated" voters on both sides of the Brexit divide. And he revealed that he had now resorted to giving thousands of pounds in donations straight "to associations and MPs" instead of Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ).
May's failure in office reaches far beyond Brexit
Herald Scotland savages Theresa May's performance at the helm of the nation and says the prevasive failure on Brexit stretches across a number of areas of society
Facebook ads by Lynton Crosby's firm 'part of push for hard Brexit'
A network of secretive pro-Brexit Facebook campaigns overseen by Sir Lynton Crosby's company CTF Partners was part of a wider campaign to undermine ...
Lyra McKee's friends stage protest at dissident republican office
Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have painted red hand prints across the office of a dissident republican group in Derry. Ms McKee, 29, was murdered on Thursday night while covering disturbances in Creggan. The gunman was aiming at police when he hit the journalist and author in the head. Her friends used red paint to cover their hands before planting prints across the Junior McDaid House in Derry, where Saoradh's headquarters are based. A group of about six men, understood to be members of the republican group, stood outside during the protest. Saoradh is associated with the New IRA.
Tory election meltdown as activists switch allegiance to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party
More than 60 per cent of Conservative activists are planning to switch sides and vote for Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party in next month’s European elections, a dramatic survey has revealed. Mr Farage predicted that his party would “sweep the board” in the contests expected on 23 May, claiming it was attracting large numbers of Tory and Labour voters alike. Amid growing predictions of a Conservative meltdown at the ballot box, the senior MP Sir Graham Brady will reportedly warn Theresa May that 70 per cent of her MPs want her to step down by the end of June.
'Toxic' Theresa: Tory election candidates avoid mentioning May's name on doorsteps after Brexit 'betrayal'
Tory councillors are refusing to mention Theresa May’s name on doorsteps ahead of next month’s local elections because voters associate it with “betrayal”. Conservative Associations across the country are finding that Mrs May’s name is so toxic with voters that the mere mention of the Prime Minister gets in the way of campaigning. Tory councillors fear that voter backlash against Mrs May’s handling of Brexit will cost them their seats, and are desperately trying to keep conversations focused on local issues to avoid being tainted by events in Westminster.
Jeremy Corbyn says government Brexit talks at risk because Tories want to 'do a deal with Donald Trump'
Brexit talks between Labour and the Government are at risk because Conserative MPs want "to do a deal" with US President Donald Trump, Jeremy Corbyn has claimed. The Labour leader said ministers had given little ground in talks between the two parties so far, as he accused the Government of "dithering" over its Brexit strategy. Ministers and Labour frontbenchers have been holding talks for the past two weeks aimed at finding a compromise Brexit agreement that can get through the House of Commons, which has rejected Theresa May's own deal three times.
@TheSun Jeremy Corbyn blasted after video of him mocking captured SAS troopers and branding British forces in Iraq ‘lawless’ emerges
Jeremy Corbyn blasted after video of him mocking captured SAS troopers and branding British forces in Iraq ‘lawless’ emerges
Margaret Thatcher’s former press secretary savages Ken Clarke’s claim she would vote to stay in EU
'I think it is ridiculous to claim she would have voted Remain just because, like me, she voted to confirm our membership of the Common Market in 1975. Sir Bernard Ingham instead argued that developments within the EU since Mrs Thatcher left office may have prompted her to 'threaten to leave'. He pointed to the adoption of the Euro single currency, which he argued has 'devastated southern Europe', and the moves towards a 'single foreign policy' and 'Euro-army' as factors which might have changed Mrs Thatcher's mind. 'All this ran against the grain of Mrs T's convictions and anyone, Ken Clarke or others, who suggests she would have sat unmoved by this nonsense is incredible,' he said. 'It is true she regarded referenda as the tool of dictators and that she never said to me either before or after 1990 that we should leave the EC. 'My best guess - and this is only a guess - is that she would have eventually challenged - and harried - the EU to drop its damaging federalism and go for a loose, wider freely co-operating group of nation states.
Theresa May spotted in yellow vest working as marshal at Easter race
Theresa May wore a hi-visibility jacket to help marshal a Good Friday race in her constituency, after returning from her Easter holiday in Wales. A smiling prime minister handing out water to thirsty runners at the Easter 10 contest in Maidenhead and walked the route with her husband, Philip. She also shared selfies with spectators before directing the runners, who – unlike so many Conservative MPs – followed her instructions, slapping the hands of some of them with the odd high-five as they passed by.
Britons no longer just want to leave the EU - they want to change politics for good by smashing the two-party system
The rapid rise of the Brexit Party in the polls just days after we launched formally has sent a shiver down the spine of the Conservative Party. This sense of apprehension is well deserved, as far as I am concerned. The omens for Theresa May do not look good. Take Councillor Barry Lewis, the Conservative leader of Derbyshire county council. On Friday, he confirmed that his group recently supported a motion not to take part in the European elections on May 23. Just think about that. The faithful servants of one of the oldest political parties in the world are on strike. They refuse to go out and canvass, such is their anger – and, no doubt, sheer embarrassment – at the appalling mess created
A Far-Right Activist's Website Republished Articles From The Mail Online Without Permission
Former Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen launched the new "venture" earlier this year. BuzzFeed News has found 28 articles that have been reproduced in part or in full from a variety of mainstream publications.
Theresa May's future to be determined in just DAYS as MPs plot new no confidence vote
The Conservative Party’s influential 1922 committee is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss whether the rule allowing a no confidence vote against the same person only once a year should be changed. Mrs May survived a no confidence vote in December 2018 and, according to the current regulations, her position is secured until the end of 2019. But backbenchers in the committee can vote to change the rules, as they are not determined by the party’s constitution but by MPs themselves, according to Alan Mabbutt, a senior Conservative Party official. And the co-secretary of the committee, Nigel Evans, said he is “leaning towards” the idea of changing the rules. He said: “I certainly will be leaning towards us changing the rules if another solution to this situation cannot be found. "We cannot leave it for 12 months. “If we fight the European elections there is only one person that is responsible - her."
I’m no Brexiteer, but even I can admit the Remain camp is slipping into fanatical territory
The writer opines that the online #FBPE crowd are losing site of what they hope to achieve by being overly attack minded
How May's failed deal shattered EU relations
Donald Tusk sent a “lines to take” memo to the EU’s capitals setting out the legal reality and the bloc’s strategic advantage under article 50. “We expect the UK to formulate its wishes when it comes to our future relationship,” he said. “Any agreement, which will be concluded with the UK as a third country, will have to reflect the interests of both sides and be balanced in terms of rights and obligations. First we need to agree the arrangements for the withdrawal of the UK.”
At 11.23am BST, staff in Brussels received an email from the secretary general of the EU council, Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, seeking to assuage fears. “I know that many colleagues, in particular those who are British nationals, are very concerned today,” the Danish official wrote. “I would like you to know that, for me, all … colleagues are European Union officials, independently of the nationality.”
No Brexit more likely than a disorderly one, say economists
The chances that Brexit will be cancelled are now greater than the chances Britain will leave the European Union without a deal, according to economists in a Reuters poll, who again pushed back their expectations for when the Bank of England will raise interest rates. In the latest monthly Reuters survey, taken April 12-17, the median probability Britain and the EU will part ways in a disorderly fashion - where no deal is agreed - held steady at the 15 percent given in March, the lowest since Reuters began asking in July 2017. Only one of 51 respondents gave a value over 50 percent. “Apart from the fact that no-deal Brexit is now less likely, the path ahead is as unclear as ever. A deal (and likely a softer Brexit) still seems more likely than not,” BNP Paribas economists said. “But we are sceptical that this will happen any time soon.”
Facebook to cave to EU pressure after row over political ad rules
In a political standoff between European lawmakers and Facebook, the social networking giant has blinked first. After vocal complaints from the EU’s three main institutions that the company’s new political advertising rules will hamper region-wide campaigning, Facebook is expected to allow the European Parliament and EU political groups to buy social media ads across the 28-country bloc.
Forget Ukip, the only way to rattle the pro-EU establishment is to back the Brexit Party
Following my declaration that I will stand as an MEP candidate for the Brexit Party, I have been asked more than once, “why the Brexit Party? Longworth is seeking to follow through on the 2016 referendum vote and hold the two main political parties to account
Britain is once again the sick man of Europe
Why so many crises have befallen the country at the same time and how they all relate to one another are really important questions. Poor economic outcomes, in terms of real income growth, are surely related to the rise of national identity as a salient issue, though there are other factors, notably immigration. What matters, however, is not what caused all this, but that it is going to take a long time to sort all this out. The UK will, alas, remain sick for a while.
Frustrated, confused: What Leave voters plan to do in the EU elections
The overwhelming majority of those I met this week on a sunny afternoon in town were that way inclined. In summary, I got an earful of the F-word and the C-word.
They are "frustrated" that the UK is still in the EU, and "confused" as to how they are going to cast their votes. If they cast their vote, that is. At least one lady said she planned to abstain in protest. Many people said they would vote for whichever party looked stronger on polling day.
'No minutes' of DUP Brexit donor's meetings with Stormont bodies
No minutes were recorded of meetings the DUP arranged for a Brexit campaign donor to discuss "investment opportunities" with public bodies in Northern Ireland.
Campaigners raised concerns yesterday after The Irish News revealed businessman Richard Cook's meetings with Invest NI, Belfast City Council and a Stormont department in the months following the EU referendum. Mr Cook, a former vice-chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, chairs the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) – a pro-union business group that donated £435,000 to the DUP during its Brexit campaign. Questions have persisted over the DUP's Brexit campaign money, of which £282,000 was spent on a front-page ad in the British newspaper Metro – a publication not circulated in Northern Ireland. Last week it emerged the DUP received a further £13,000 from CRC after the 2016 referendum. The party said it used donations to "further the cause of unionism".
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 24th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Tories no longer have an economic vision and they are in trouble
- David Smith, Economics Editor of The Sunday Times, says the Tories Brexit obsession means they no longer view the economy through an economic lens but through a moral one. These are the moments in history where the Conservative Party have been badly defeated at the ballot box
May's immigration plans could lead to 25% of the NHS services being shut down
- The Daily Telegraph said senior NHS chiefs met senior civil servants in January to tell them that Theresa May's immigration plans (a new rule proposing restrictions on everyone earning less than £30,000) would shut down up to 25% of the services in NHS hospitals. It would prove to be the most destructive proposal possible for NHS recruitment
British companies are planning to stockpile goods to cover themselves for Christmas, in the event of a No Deal Halloween Brexit
- Businesses are starting to shape plans for a October 31st No Deal Brexit. One of the UK's biggest beer companies is set to stockpile two to three times as much as it did in the run up to March 29th, a figure involved told Business Insider. British business has already spent billions on No Deal contingency planning
Customs union plans will sell British cities short - according to Centre for Cities think tank
- Failure to preserve frictionless access to the EU for leading service industries would risk a sharp fall in trade, posing a threat to jobs across dozens of urban areas, the think tank warned. British cities export services worth £78bn each year, such as insurance and legal advice to EU countries. A third of all exports from Edinburgh, Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff and London come from companies selling services to the EU. A goods only trade arrangement would hit the economic prosperity of many cities
Change UK announces its slate of candidates for the European elections
- The Bristol launch revealed a slate of 70 candidates and the media focused in on Boris Johnson's sister Rachel Johnson and former BBC journalist Gavin Esler as well-known personalities to highlight their stories
Scottish First minister Nicola Sturgeon is set to unveil the SNP's Scottish independence plans
- The SNP leader will make a detailed and substantive address to MSPs, on Wednesday afternoon, on Scotland's future in the light of the on-going Brexit turmoil. She will set out her thinking on the staging of a second Scottish independence referendum, which she has pledged to hold
Climate Change rises up the political agenda once more
- Swedish climate change teen activist, Greta Thunberg, met with UK opposition leaders, accusing the UK of being irresponsible on climate change
Theresa May invites Trump on state visit, with clear intention of pushing a UK-U.S trade deal forward
- In a move likely to provoke controversial responses from all sides, Theresa May has extended an invitation to the U.S. President to come on a state visit on June 3rd
Fourth time lucky?
- Several Cabinet ministers lobbied Theresa May during a meeting yesterday, to abandon talks with the Labour Party on Brexit and hold a fourth House of Commons vote on her Brexit withdrawal agreement as early as next week
Theresa May's Brexit 'Red Lines' have never budged
- The Labour Party accused Theresa May of failing to offer any substantive changes to her Brexit deal in the cross-party talks. Labour sources said there was no willingness to counternance changes to the political declaration, which sets out the UK's future relationship with the EU. Instead, ministers offered alternative ways of giving reassurance on the issues labour has raised
Labour is playing for time in the Brexit talks
- For the 1st time Theresa May has gone public on her 'fears' that Jeremy Corbyn does not share her desire to avoid European elections and that she believed the Labour Party is intentionally dragging its heels during the on-going Brexit talks
Farage banking on his success halting broader push for a second referendum
- Nigel Farage claims if his party wins big in the European Election it would kill off the drive to secure a second Brexit referendum, leaving it dead in its tracks.
Farage refuses to publish a Brexit Party manifesto until after the European Election
- Despite several journalists pressing for an answer, Nigel Farage simply avoided doing so and carried on using his standard pro-Brexit talking points
50 MPs from seven parties join forces on issues ignored because of Brexit
- A new cross-party group called More United has formed, which will help fund candidates who campaign on poverty and homelessness, responsible technology, mental health and urgent climate change issues
Insular Britain told it is losing influence in Washington
- The outgoing French ambassador to Washington, Gerard Araud, said that as the Brexit has progressed, the British have vanished from the U.S. political lobbying circuit. The impression in Washington now is of a country that is increasingly insular and obsessed with Brexit
Economic Impact
No 'duty of care' rule for financial firms for now - UK watchdog
Britain’s markets watchdog has ruled out a new “duty of care” protection for consumers for the time being, saying it will focus instead on revising existing rules. Regulation is also coming under the spotlight as backers of Britain’s departure from the European Union say that Brexit is an opportunity to cut “red tape” on financial firms to keep London competitive as a global financial centre. “We know that consumer harm can be caused by different things, so there is unlikely to be a one-size-fits-all solution to any weaknesses in consumer protection,” the FCA said.
Tories no longer have an economic vision — and they are in trouble
It would be easy to see all this as consequences purely of Brexit and Theresa May. Without Brexit, there would have been no May premiership and no shift towards the dominance of the Home Office view of the world, with the Treasury consequently diminished. Brexit has claimed all the government’s bandwidth and left little time for anything else. “The government gives the impression that it sees its job as to form a moral view on the economy and deploy the law against the bad bits — as soon as it can work out what those are . . . The extent to which this government sees the economy not through an economic prism but through a moral one seems remarkable.”
Administrative Fall Out
Theresa May warned her post-Brexit immigration strategy could close quarter of NHS services
NHS executives have described Theresa May’s post-Brexit immigration strategy as the “most destructive policy proposal for NHS recruitment” amid fears it could force some hospitals to close “25 per cent of services”, The Telegraph can disclose. Senior health officials have claimed the Government’s proposals for a £30,000 salary threshold on workers moving to the UK is “appalling” and could jeopardise efforts to attract the 50,000 nurses required by the health service. The Telegraph has been leaked the minutes and a transcript of a high-level meeting between NHS and Whitehall officials in January, which lays bare the opposition to Mrs May’s flagship immigration policy.
Brexit could 'shut a QUARTER of hospital services, leaked NHS warning reveals'
Top NHS officials have reportedly warned that Theresa May's immigration plans post-Brexit could shutter "25 per cent" of services in some hospitals. NHS executives described the plans as the “most destructive policy proposal for NHS recruitment” and could cause chaos in hospitals across the UK. Documents leaked to The Daily Telegraph show that NHS chiefs met senior civil servants in January to share their fears. Among their concerns were fears that a proposed rule which would stop people who would earn less than £30,000 moving to the UK could make it more difficult to fill empty nursing posts.
British companies are planning to stockpile for the 'nightmare' of a Christmas time no-deal Brexit
British companies are already making plans to stockpile for a no-deal Brexit on October 31. They are concerned that the UK could leave the European Union without a deal in the run-up to Christmas time, when demand for many goods — including food, clothes and medicine — rockets. One of the UK's biggest beer companies is set to stockpile "two or three times as much" as it did in the run-up to March 29, a figure involved told Business Insider. British businesses have already spent billions of pounds on no-deal planning.
Political Shenanigans
Rachel Johnson and Gavin Esler to stand for Change UK
The anti-Brexit party Change UK has launched its European elections campaign, revealing a slate of 70 candidates that includes Boris Johnson’s sister, seasoned politicians disillusioned with their parties, and people completely new to politics.
Rachel Johnson said she was standing to make sure Brexit did not wreck the chances of a bright future for her children and other young people, and that her decision to stand was not an attack on her Brexiter brother. Johnson, a writer and journalist who will stand in south-west England, did not speak from the stage at the launch event in Bristol but said afterwards: “I’m sure that Boris understands why this is not a vote against Boris. This is a vote for change. We need to move the dial. People need to have a say.”
Nicola Sturgeon set to unveil party’s Scottish independence plans
Nicola Sturgeon is being urged to “take independence off the table” as she prepares to make a statement in the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday on her plans for a second referendum. The SNP leader will make a “detailed and substantive” address to MSPs on Wednesday afternoon on Scotland’s future in light of the Brexit turmoil and set out her thinking on the staging of a second independence referendum, which she has pledged to hold. “The First Minister will give a detailed and substantive statement, setting out a path forward for Scotland amid the ongoing Brexit confusion at Westminster,” a spokesman for the SNP leader said. “The First Minister will take time to set out her thoughts on that front and, in doing so, she will seek to strike an inclusive tone.”
Greta Thunberg: Teen activist says UK is 'irresponsible' on climate
Teenage activist Greta Thunberg has described the UK's response to climate change as "beyond absurd". In a speech to MPs, the Swedish 16-year-old criticised the UK for supporting new exploitation of fossil fuels and exaggerating cuts to carbon emissions. She was invited to Westminster after inspiring the school climate strikes movement. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said "we have not done nearly enough". In her speech in Parliament on Tuesday, Miss Thunberg said the UK was supporting shale gas fracking, greater exploitation of North Sea oil and gas fields and expanding airports. "This ongoing irresponsible behaviour will no doubt be remembered in history as one of the greatest failures of humankind," she said.
She also described the UK's carbon emissions reduction as the result of "very creative" accounting. The country's reported 37% reduction in emissions since 1990 was only 10% when aviation, shipping, imports and exports were counted, she said.
Swedish teen accuses UK of 'irresponsible behaviour' over climate
Britain’s opposition leaders met Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg on Tuesday to discuss what the teenager calls an “existential crisis” for humanity. After months of Brexit tumult, climate change has leapt back up Britain’s political agenda due to protests that closed some of London’s traffic arteries. Thunberg, who rose to global prominence by staging a school strike to protest about the climate, has praised the “Extinction Rebellion” sits-ins in London. The police have arrested 1,065 people and charged 71 in connection with the Extinction Rebellion protests that targeted Oxford Circus, Waterloo Bridge and other parts of London.
Climate change: Miliband says UK should declare emergency
Ed Miliband has called on the energy minister to persuade Theresa May to declare a “climate emergency” in the UK. The former Labour leader asked Claire Perry about the Extinction Rebellion protests in London over the last week, saying it was "no wonder" activists were taking such a stand given the seriousness of the threat.
Teenage environmental activist Greta Thunberg was watching from the public gallery in the Commons.
'You did not act in time': Greta Thunberg's full speech to MPs
Around the year 2030, 10 years 252 days and 10 hours away from now, we will be in a position where we set off an irreversible chain reaction beyond human control, that will most likely lead to the end of our civilisation as we know it. That is unless in that time, permanent and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society have taken place, including a reduction of CO2 emissions by at least 50%. And please note that these calculations are depending on inventions that have not yet been invented at scale, inventions that are supposed to clear the atmosphere of astronomical amounts of carbon dioxide.
What the Papers Don’t Say about Extinction Rebellion
Much of XR's resilience is due to its decentralised collection of autonomous Affinity Groups of about 12 activists, based on the Spanish Civil War model. They follow a three-stage process of action, reflection and rest. In practice, this means that activists can create their own groups and decide their own actions as long as they follow XR’s Ten Principles and sense check with another group. Of course, these groups do work together for larger actions, but they do this as equals. This means that XR itself is like a living organism and much more sustainable than previous activist groups.
Donald Trump's state visit to the UK set for 3 June
Mrs May said June's state visit was an "opportunity to strengthen our already close relationship in areas such as trade, investment, security and defence, and to discuss how we can build on these ties in the years ahead". But shadow foreign secretary Emily Thornberry voiced concerns about the visit, saying: "It beggars belief that on the very same day Donald Trump is threatening to veto a United Nations resolution against the use of rape as a weapon of war, Theresa May is pressing ahead with her plans to honour him with a state visit to the UK."
Nick Thomas-Symonds: "Brexit has produced a more assertive parliament"
Like his political hero, Nye Bevan, Nick Thomas-Symonds hails from the South Wales Valleys. From excelling at school to a successful career as a barrister, his trajectory has always been upwards. Now shadow solicitor general, does the 38-year-old have higher ambitions? He talks to Sebastian Whale
Chuka Umunna: European elections are a chance to tell Parliament what Britain really wants
At Change UK — The Independent Group, the new party of former Labour and Conservative MPs which started life just a few weeks ago, we have a different view. We welcome these elections as a chance for the British people to send an unequivocal message to the political establishment: we want the final say on Brexit and we want to remain in the European Union.
Theresa May could abandon talks with Labour and hold a FOURTH Commons vote on her Brexit deal next week instead
As cross party talks to pass the EU agreement began again yesterday after the Easter break, frustrated Mrs May accused Labour of dragging its feet. No10 is considering trying to speed up the process by asking Parliament to ratify the Brussels deal anyway by introducing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill that enshrines it in law. Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom were among several senior ministers who lobbied the PM for the emergency move during a meeting of her top table yesterday. It would be high risk without any newly-established majority ready to support it.
Election interference is 'online harm', MPs hear
Adverts using disinformation to influence elections is a "significant online harm" needing urgent action from the government, MPs have been told. Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham spoke to a parliamentary committee looking at disinformation. She said that she was surprised that a recent government White Paper on online harms had failed to address the issue of political adverts online.
It was "a gap" that needed to be addressed, she said. "I was surprised and disappointed that there wasn't more focus on what I think is a huge societal harm, which is around electoral interference and the need for more transparency in political advertising."It's surprising to me and concerning that the government hasn't done a comprehensive examination of political advertising and the oversight that's needed in this space."
Labour says Theresa May unwilling to offer key Brexit concessions
Labour has accused Theresa May of failing to offer any substantive changes to her Brexit deal in cross-party talks, as Downing Street’s hopes of a breakthrough in time to avoid taking part in European parliamentary elections waned. Brexit talks resumed on Tuesday between a team of ministers and shadow ministers. But Labour sources said the government team again appeared unwilling to countenance changes to the political declaration, which sets out the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Instead, ministers offered alternative ways of giving reassurance about the issues Labour has raised, such as on environmental standards and workers’ rights, including through redrafting the withdrawal act implementation bill (WAB) and tweaking separate planned government bills.
Brexit: Calls for progress on cross-party deal talks
The government says "progress needs to be made urgently" on Brexit talks with Labour - but that arranging time with the opposition has been "difficult". Senior figures from both sides have been trying to break the deadlock by agreeing a Brexit deal MPs can support. No 10 said talks had "been difficult in some areas", including "timetabling". But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said the government "really needs to move on" and change its Brexit agreement to solve the impasse. He said: "We cannot go on hearing this tired old mantra that the Brexit agreement has to be adhered to." The deal Theresa May negotiated with the EU has been rejected twice by Parliament, with the withdrawal agreement - the terms on how the UK leaves the bloc, rather than its future relationship with it - defeated a further time.
Tory Remainers desperately try to cobble together a ‘stop Boris’ plan to stop Johnson running away with Tory leadership contest
Former Foreign Secretary is a clear favourite among member to be new leader. So moderate Tories are plotting to vote tactically to force him out of race he is leading,
Mr Johnson is backed by 33% in new poll on influential Conservative Home website.
His rival Dominic Raab on 15 per cent with Michael Gove next on eight per cent.
Three out of five Tory voters to back Farage's Brexit Party at European elections
Brexit: Theresa May accuses Labour of dragging its heels in talks to find compromise
No 10 goes public on fears that Jeremy Corbyn does not share a desire to avoid next month’s European elections. The criticism is striking because it is the first time the government has turned on Labour since approaching the opposition three weeks ago. Until now, it has been Mr Corbyn’s party that has blamed the prime minister for the lack of progress, accusing her of refusing to shift on her red lines – in particular, membership of a customs union.
Nigel Farage claims his new Brexit Party could 'stop a second referendum'
Speaking at an event in Westminster, Mr Farage said: “Leavers have to get themselves mentally prepared that there could be a second referendum. “Rather than just saying it is never going to happen.” He added: “It seems to me that the better the Brexit Party does on 23 May, the less chance there is of the people of this great country being insulted by being made to vote again.
Theresa May Tries To Blame Labour For Brexit Deadlock As Euro Elections Loom
Theresa May has tried to blame Jeremy Corbyn for the continuing deadlock over Brexit, suggesting that Labour is happier than the Tories to contest the coming Euro elections. As cross-party talks between government and the opposition restarted on Monday, the prime minister hit out at Corbyn with her clearest warning yet that he was deliberately trying to slow down the negotiations. And in a sign of fresh tensions on both sides, the Labour leader accused May of “regurgitating” failed plans that had been rejected three times by parliament.
Theresa May plans new Commons Brexit vote in high-stakes move
Mr Corbyn told the BBC that the government “really does need to move on” and change Mrs May’s deal for there to be any hope of a breakthrough in the talks. “We cannot go on hearing this tired old mantra that the Brexit agreement has to be adhered to,” he said, signalling that Labour would not vote for the withdrawal treaty unless there was an understanding with the government on future ties with the EU. Approval for the legislation on the exit treaty would kick off a tortuous passage through parliament during which the bill could be amended. Attempts to add a customs union — which is at the heart of Mr Corbyn’s demands — or a second referendum would be expected.
Join the Remain alliance, urges Change UK at Euro election launch
Change UK has launched its campaign for the European Parliamentary elections, with 70 candidates including journalist Rachel Johnson - sister of Tory MP and leading Brexiteer Boris Johnson. The party - formerly known as The Independent Group - is made up of 11 MPs who quit Labour and the Tories. They are preparing for the European election as the latest Brexit delay means the UK may have to take part. Change UK are a pro-Remain party who back another referendum on Brexit.
Ms Johnson, who was most recently a member of the Liberal Democrats, said: "I'm sure that Boris understands why this is not a vote against Boris. "This is a vote for change. We need to move the dial. People need to have a say." Interim leader Heidi Allen told the event in Bristol: "These elections are a chance to send the clearest possible message - we demand a People's Vote and the right to campaign to remain in the European Union. We are not afraid to say it as clearly as that.
What will happen next with Brexit now MPs are back in Westminster?
Cross-party talks to break the deadlock will resume this week but a solution to the current crisis seems a long way off
50 MPs From Seven Parties Join Forces On ‘Issues Ignored Because Of Brexit’
More than 50 MPs have launched a cross-party movement to work together on “issues ignored because of Brexit”. The ‘More United’ group, dubbed ‘politics for the Netflix generation’, features politicians from seven different political parties, including Labour, Tory, SNP, Lib Dem, Green, ChangeUK and Plaid Cymru.
The new network, which includes leading MPs David Lammy, Nicky Morgan and Caroline Lucas, will help fund candidates who campaign on poverty and homelessness, responsible technology, mental health and urgent climate dangers.
Backed by 150,000 members, it has already helped MPs from different parties to work together on issues like immigration visas, restoring the ‘Enable Fund’ for deaf and disabled people and access to Legal Aid. MPs who lead and support More United campaigns will be eligible to receive money and volunteers from the movement at general elections, with almost £500,000 raised via crowdfunding and 54 candidates supported in 2017.
Nigel Farage can’t escape the foul legacy of Ukip
Is it unfair of me to point out that under Farage, Ukip was the party with councillors, candidates and even MEPs who spoke of “Bongo Bongo Land”, of telling Sir Lenny Henry to move “to a black country”, of having a “problem” with “negroes” because there was “something about their faces”? Back in 2014, the year of their triumph in elections to the European parliament, they had a councillor who blamed floods on God’s wrath at new laws to allow gay people to get married. Farage himself has spoken of his unease at hearing foreign languages spoken on trains, and has blamed immigrants for clogging up the M4 — and that’s before one even mentions his campaigning in the EU referendum. His horror at how Ukip has turned out reminds me of Captain Renault’s horror at gambling in Casablanca. Shocked, he was, shocked.
After 40 years of EU ignorance, we are all experts now
If Brexit is stopped either through a people’s vote or revocation (still unlikely), the work must begin to discuss – objectively and dispassionately – the merits and demerits of membership. That would need to be shorn of false information (the £350 million claim being only the most egregious of many) and bombast. On leaving, if that is what we do, a new generation has it in its gift to start talking about Europe in a different way. The simple act of leaving will usher in a decade or more of negotiations. Those who thought Europe would be “over” have seen nothing yet. Complacency and ignorance characterised more than 40 years of membership. We are all experts now.
Farage unveils new batch of Brexit party election candidates
Nigel Farage has unveiled five more candidates who will contest next month’s European elections for his new Brexit party. Claire Fox, a broadcaster and former Communist party member, will fight the May 23 poll for the party. Other candidates named on Tuesday included James Glancy, a former soldier and conservationist, Matthew Patten, a business and charity director, Lance Forman, the owner and chairman of the smokehouse H Forman & Son, and Christina Jordan, a former nurse. Speaking in central London, Mr Farage said the party was already “doing very well” with Conservative voters and would now set its sights on targeting Labour supporters. “Brexit is not about left or right. It is about right and wrong”, he said.
Political Setbacks
May should go today, says senior 1922 Committee member
Senior Conservatives are to vote on whether to make it easier to force Theresa May out of office within weeks by changing the party’s rules to allow a no-confidence motion at any time. The 1922 Committee will meet later on Tuesday to discuss amending its rules, which currently state a leader cannot face a second no-confidence motion within a year of the previous one. May defeated an attempt to oust her in December, meaning she is safe from an official challenge for at least another seven months. However, some Brexit-supporting members of the committee are trying to remove the time limit.
Brexit Is Back, And It's Already Being Described As The Most Disappointing Season Yet
May continues to try to plot a way to get her Brexit deal through parliament, and may bring her Withdrawal Agreement back to the Commons for a fourth time. God loves a trier. The PM is also fighting a rearguard action to save her job, with warnings her position will be under threat if voting in European elections goes ahead on May 23. The Tory grassroots has already fired off warning shots. With would-be Tory successors to May plotting in the background, most notably Boris Johnson, and cross-party talks in the hunt for a consensus solution continuing, British politics returns to the Groundhog Day that it seems to have been trapped in for recent months. Is this the Brexit finale? Anyone hoping for the latest season of Brexit to come to some kind of conclusion could be disappointed.
Insular Britain told it is losing influence in Washington
The British are nowhere to be seen in Washington as they become increasingly insular and obsessed with Brexit, according to the outgoing French ambassador to the US. Gérard Araud, the outspoken 66-year-old who has been Paris’s man in Washington since 2014, can barely contain his glee over the growing French influence on US foreign policy. “The UK has vanished,” said Mr Araud. “The British ambassador told me — and I loved it — that every time the British military is meeting with the American military, the Americans are talking about the French.”
Conservative MP set for by-election fight after being fined £1500 over false expenses claim
Tory MP Chris Davies could face a by-election to unseat him after he was fined £1,500 and ordered to do community service for making false expenses claims.
Customs union will sell British cities short, says Centre for Cities think tank
Cities including Brighton, Cardiff and Edinburgh as well as London would be hit hard by a Brexit deal that neglects Britain’s powerhouse services sector, according to research. Failure to preserve frictionless access to the European Union for leading service industries would risk a sharp fall in trade, posing a threat to jobs across dozens of urban areas, the economic think tank Centre for Cities warned.
Its analysis found that British cities export services worth £78 billion each year, such as insurance and legal advice, to EU countries. A third of all exports from Edinburgh, Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff and London are generated by companies selling services to the bloc. Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities chief executive, said: “A goods-only customs arrangement would leave services, which comprise the majority of Britain’s exports to the EU, facing trade barriers. This scenario could limit the economic prosperity of many of Britain’s cities and the millions of people living and working in them.”
Theresa May snubs climate change meeting with schoolgirl Greta Thunberg
There was an empty chair at the table as teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg met with party leaders in Westminster today amid ongoing environmental protests. Theresa May didn’t turn up to the round-table in the House of Commons today as Greta, 16, met Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Liberal Democrat Sir Vince Cable, Green MP Caroline Lucas and the Westminster leaders of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru, Ian Blackford and Liz Saville Roberts. A place was set for the PM, with a sign bearing her name, but she was instead chairing a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street. Mrs May had been sent an invitation, but organisers said no response had been received – though they were hopeful she still might make an appearance.
EXCL Embarrassment for Labour bosses as staff unanimously reject latest pay offer
In a major embarrassment for party officials, staff - including those working in Jeremy Corbyn's office - voted unanimously to turn down the proposed rise. Bosses now have until 3 May to return with an improved offer, with the prospect of staff taking industrial action on the table if they do not.
Tory splits erupt once again as MP hails 'fantastic' Brexit Party candidates
Deep Tory splits have been exposed once again after one of their MPs described the Brexit Party candidates for next month's European Parliament elections as "fantastic" - Tory Backbencher Lucy Allen heaped praise on her own party's supposed rivals as they announced who would be standing for them should the poll go ahead on 23 May.
Labour says Theresa May unwilling to offer key Brexit concessions
Labour has accused Theresa May of failing to offer any substantive changes to her Brexit deal in cross-party talks, as Downing Street’s hopes of a breakthrough in time to avoid taking part in European parliamentary elections waned. Brexit talks resumed on Tuesday between a team of ministers and shadow ministers. But Labour sources said the government team again appeared unwilling to countenance changes to the political declaration, which sets out the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Instead, ministers offered alternative ways of giving reassurance about the issues Labour has raised, such as on environmental standards and workers’ rights, including through redrafting the withdrawal act implementation bill (WAB) and tweaking separate planned government bills.
Farage's new recruits join class struggle for the glorification of Nige
Brexit party candidates prove as unconvincing as their leader in vowing to emancipate the people. Nigel was there to emancipate the little people, he insisted. The downtrodden and the dispossessed who were being denied the Brexit that hucksters like him had always insisted would be a piece of piss. Even a skilled chameleon like Nigel couldn’t quite pull that one off. However hard he tries, he just can’t manage anything more than ersatz sincerity. Nige has only ever been about the glorification of Nige. The narcissist’s narcissist.
Nigel Farage REFUSES to publish a Brexit Party manifesto until after EU elections
After five candidates introduced themselves, the floor opened for questions where Telegraph reporter Christopher Hope asked: “Will we ever see a manifesto? “You have only one single policy which is: Brexit. “What does that mean in your eyes, Nigel, to be quite clear, and when will we see actual policies from this new party?”
Remainers with a vengeance How EU Elections could provide the Far-right with More Power
Real change could take place in Brussels beyond 23 May, when the 27 heads of state will meet in November to agree on a new President of the European Commission. That outcome will be strongly linked to the election results. If the centre-right EPP is more or less assured of getting the Commission Presidency, the political strength of the Far-right could have a huge impact on the next Commission’s priorities – and on its political approach towards Brexit thereafter (should Brexit still be ongoing then). Similarly, should the British right, namely the Brexit party and UKIP, manage to be among the first few parties, they’ll argue that Britain just held its second referendum in favour of Leave and pretend that ‘nothing has changed’.
RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The 'Stop Brexit' circus must be run out of town
Mrs May appears to possess not an iota of self-awareness. Rather than preparing a dignified resignation statement, she has apparently spent the past few days contemplating a Cabinet reshuffle. In what parallel universe does she believe rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic is a sensible solution, while the captain who deliberately navigated the ship into an iceberg remains on the bridge? She's already promised to resign, not once but twice. Her authority is shot to pieces. She has been humiliated at home and abroad. Her dismal, defeatist withdrawal 'deal' is dead as a dodo. Her MPs treat her with undisguised contempt. Her own party activists want her gone, yesterday.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 25th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Lord Adonis becomes a Labour Party European Election candidate - issues a statement which sounds like he has been taken hostage
- Andrew Adonis has had a leading role in promoting the 'Remain in the EU' cause over the last two years, with both frequent public and media appearances, during which he argued passionately for a second referendum. Now, as a newly-minted Labour Party European Election candidate, he's made a grovelling apology and kowtowed to the Corbynista line, calling the Labour approach to Brexit 'sensible,' leaving his supporters bewildered
Sturgeon - give residents a choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland
- Five years ago Scotland voted against independence in a referendum. It also voted to Remain in the EU by a strong margin in 2016. It cannot do both if Brexit occurs. So Nicola Sturgeon is proposing to introduce legislation in Scotland to ensure a second independence referendum is held before the end of the life of this Parliament in 2021
The ERG coup d'etat to remove May failed again
- Local Conservative Party association were said to have got around 65 party chairs to sign a resolution calling for a General Meeting, at which, there were plans to introduce a rule change that would allow Conservative MPs to have a leadership election more than once a year - the mechanism to unseat her. The Parliamentary Conservative Party ruling body, The 1922 Committee, met to consider the request and voted against it, thereby, removing the threat to Theresa May's tenure as PM for now
Boris Johnson's rivals are trying to destroy his leadership bid by keeping Theresa May in power
- Insiders told the Express that the longer any leadership election is delayed by Theresa May remains in office, the better the chance of stopping Boris Johnson from succeeding her
Secretive hard-Brexit Facebook campaign has got 1m responses
- Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham told MPs that her investigation into the Mainstream Network Facebook campaign group, has raised concerns about how valuable voter data was being collected by under-the-radar campaigns on the platform, potentially in breach of data protection rules. The group setting up supposedly independent pro-Brexit Facebook pages is being overseen by political guru Sir Lynton Crosby's company CTF Partners, with £1m in online advertising funding the campaign, paid for by unknown sources
Farage is chasing after the Over 40 vote
- Nigel Farage's Brexit Party is outspending rivals on Facebook in a push to target voters over 40. The Brexit Party has spent around £20,000 on Facebook targetting in the 2 weeks since it formed. The Brexit Party has also done well organically with an article written by Farage for the launch of the party receiving more than 110,000 engagements on social media, making it the fourth most shared politics story of last month
The Labour Party set to climb down off the fence they've been sitting on for 2 years
- ITV's Robert Peston says Labour's ruling NEC met Tuesday to decide whether the Labour Party European Election manifesto will contain a commitment for any Brexit deal to be submitted to a confirmatory referendum of the people. The outcome of the meeting should be known soon, possibly on Thursday, and this news has big ramifications for the whole European election campaign
Brexit Talks drawing to a close
- Both parties agree they can only disagree so a Brexit deal looks unlikely
- Theresa May has been persuaded not to immediately resubmit her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement but to wait for the outcome of next week's Local Elections before resubmitting it to Parliament
A No-Deal Conservative Party has no future
- Daniel Finkelstein, former advisor to PM John Major, argued that dumping Theresa May for a more working-class coalition of voters was superficially appealing but doomed to fail. An angrier, whiter, more working class and northern Conservative Party would fail in cities, struggle to win with ethnic minorities and be hit hard by younger voters and by women.
- Theresa May's former aide, Nick Timothy, disagrees with Finkelstein. He calls for the Conservative Party to reinvent itself as the 'national party' or risk being eclipsed by Nigel Farage's Brexit Party
Former Conservative MP Ann Widicombe returns to politics as a Farage recruit
- The 71 year old said her return is to 'fire a very loud warning shot across the bows of the established parties'
Change UK under fire as candidates withdraw and a strategic memo leak
- Change UK lost Jan Rostowski and Joseph Russo, both candidates for the European Elections, less than a day after Change UK announced candidates at its launch.
- The Daily Mail published a leaked Change UK strategy memo which said the party's goal was to wipe out the Lib Dems and replace them as a party. It said Change UK plans to directly target Lib Dem voters and donors and compete with the party on its own issues. Thus ruling out mergers, pacts or alliances
UK is not handling its Brexit fishery policy well - says UK Fisheries
- The no deal trade continuity arrangement which have been signed with Norway, Iceland and the Faroes have the UK granting access to UK markets for these nations to export fish to British consumers. However, the negotiators have failed to demand reciprocal access to fishing grounds in return
UK-US Trade Deal will become harder to achieve with the UK signed up to a customs union
- The U.S. Ambassador to the UK said negotiating a trade deal post-Brexit would be more difficult if the UK is tied to a customs union with the EU. Woody Johnson said this meant it would be very harder for the UK to get control of its own trade policy
Administrative Fall Out
The best place to build a life in English? The Netherlands
If Brexit happens, the Netherlands will probably have the EU’s largest English-language university system. Dutch offices, too, have become the most anglophone in continental European history. Are you a foreign bank or media company moving to Amsterdam? File your documents with the regulator in English. Settle your disputes in the brand-new, English-speaking Netherlands Commercial Court. Hire Dutch staff who will happily speak English even among themselves. The Netherlands is finding a new role: as the English-language economy in the EU that the world needs after Brexit. (Ireland will get some of the pickings, but it’s less populous, in the wrong place and has inferior infrastructure.)
Paris Is Going All Out for London’s Brexit Exiles
The French capital hasn’t always been seen as welcoming, but its government, schools and businesses are determined to make new residents feel at home.
Political Shenanigans
The Tories must reinvent themselves as the National Party – or be eclipsed by Nigel Farage
Delivering Brexit and embracing cultural conservatism are key. At the 2015 election, I helped to run the Conservative campaign that stopped Nigel Farage getting into Parliament. Four years on, I wonder if we made a terrible mistake. Back then, Farage forced the Tories to listen to millions of ignored voters. So they promised the Brexit referendum, and said they’d cut immigration. Now, without Farage breathing down their necks, they are breaking both promises.Like many other Brexit supporters, Farage seemed to believe that the will of the people would be implemented by the Government and Parliament. But we were wrong
Lord Adonis praises Jeremy Corbyn's 'sensible' Brexit plan
Adonis said on Facebook that Labour wanted to unite Remain and Leave voters.
He has previously demanded a second referendum to 'save Britain from Brexit'.
Pro-Europe MPs were left bewildered and said it 'read like a hostage statement.'
Theresa May rejects Nicola Sturgeon indyref2 demand and insists UK must 'pull together'
Theresa May has rejected Nicola Sturgeon's demand for a second Scottish referendum, insisting now is the time for the UK to "pull together". The First Minister announced that she wants to have another poll before the next Scottish Parliament elections in two years' time, so long as the UK has left the European Union. In a statement to MSPs, Ms Sturgeon said she would bring forward legislation before the end of this year outlining the rules for another referendum.
Nicola Sturgeon calls for a second referendum on Scottish independence by 2021 to give residents 'a choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland'
Scots should be given the opportunity to vote again on independence before the next Holyrood elections in 2021 - if Brexit goes ahead, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said today. The SNP leader said she would try to pass plans for a second referendum into law by the end of the year - and dared Theresa May to stop Scotland voting on it again. Speaking in Edinburgh today Mrs Sturgeon argued the current Brexit deadlock at Westminster makes indyref2 necessary, five years after she lost the last one. She said: 'A choice between Brexit and a future for Scotland as an independent European nation should be offered in the lifetime of this Parliament.
Sturgeon wants Scottish independence referendum by 2021
Nicola Sturgeon has said she wants to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence by 2021 if the country is taken out of the EU. The first minister told Holyrood that she would introduce legislation soon to set the rules for another vote.
But she indicated that she would need the agreement of the UK government before actually holding a referendum. Downing Street has previously said it will not grant a new Section 30 order, which underpinned the 2014 referendum. Ms Sturgeon claimed this position was "unsustainable" and challenged her party to increase support and demand for independence. But the prime minister's official spokesman said: "As we have been repeatedly clear, Scotland has already had an independence referendum in 2014 and voted decisively to remain in the United Kingdom. This should be respected. Our position hasn't changed."
@BBCPolitics Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says #IndyRef2 should happen before end of current parliament in 2021
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon says #IndyRef2 should happen before end of current parliament in 2021, saying it is "our route to avoiding the worst of the damage #Brexit will do"
Theresa May is safe until December as party chiefs refuse to change rules so she can be kicked out earlier
Theresa May is safe from a Brexiteer challenge after Tory bosses refused to change party rules so she can be forced out. Conservative grandees tonight voted against allowing a fresh bid to oust the PM to take place within weeks. But Mrs May will have to lay out a "clear timetable" for leaving 10 Downing Street, backbench boss Sir Graham Brady warned. Under Tory party rules, the leader can't be subjected to a no-confidence vote until December after seeing off the last bid to unseat her four months ago.
Secretive hard-Brexit Facebook campaign got 1m responses
A million Britons responded to a secretive Facebook campaign for a hard Brexit overseen by Lynton Crosby’s company, according to the information commissioner, who said the respondents’ email addresses may have been harvested for future use. Elizabeth Denham told MPs her investigation into the Mainstream Network campaign group had raised concerns about how valuable voter data was being collected by the under-the-radar campaign, potentially in breach of data protection rules. Mainstream Network was designed to look like a grassroots campaign and give the impression that the British public was rising up in support of a no-deal exit from the European Union, by encouraging the public to flood MPs’ inboxes with emails demanding one. However, the Guardian has revealed that the supposedly independent pro-Brexit Facebook pages were part of a series overseen by Crosby’s company, CTF Partners. They were backed by up to £1m in online advertising, paid for by an unknown source in a bid to push MPs to reject Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
Tory MPs decide not to change leadership rules to allow fresh bid to oust Theresa May
Tory MPs have rejected the idea of changing the party's leadership rules in order to allow sooner a fresh bid to oust Theresa May, Sir Graham Brady has confirmed.
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party Is Outspending Bigger Rivals On Facebook In A Push For Voters Over 40
Nigel Farage’s Brexit party was the top-spending political campaign on Facebook in Britain last week as it ramped up a push for the support of over-40 voters in the European elections. Widely perceived as a serious threat to Theresa May’s Conservatives, Farage’s new party spent £11,523 pushing its pro-Brexit messages on the UK’s most widely used social network, according to Facebook data — nearly twice as much as that of the main parties, Labour and the Tories. In total, the Brexit party has spent around £20,000 since it formally launched two weeks ago. In contrast, the Remain-supporting Change UK, another new party with big ambitions for next month’s European ballot, only just started its Facebook push today. Separate data reviewed by BuzzFeed News reveal that Farage’s new party has been given a significant publicity boost by Facebook users organically sharing news articles relating to the launch, without the Brexit party having to pay anything for it. A column written by Farage for the Daily Telegraph newspaper on the morning of the Brexit party launch on April 11 received more than 110,000 engagements on social media, making it the fourth-most-shared UK politics story of the last month, according to BuzzFeed News’ analysis of data from BuzzSumo, a company that tracks social sharing.
As Theresa May's Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn face collapse, all sides have massive choices to make
There were no political decisions of any substance taken over Easter. The PM, ministers, all politicians were seemingly too exhausted to do anything but roll the Brexit egg down the hill. So all the political news is about process, after the Cabinet and shadow made no Brexit decisions on Tuesday, and the 1922 executive (guardian of Tory party rules) could not agree whether to expedite a new procedure to evict Theresa May.
European elections: Rachel Johnson will stand for Change UK
Boris Johnson’s sister, a former BBC broadcaster and John Major’s health secretary will all stand for Change UK in next month’s European elections, but the party’s launch yesterday was marred when one of its candidates was forced to stand down within hours over comments about Romanians. The pro-Remain party announced its MEP hopefuls from almost 4,000 applicants at a campaign launch in Bristol yesterday. Rachel Johnson, Gavin Esler, a former Newsnight presenter, and Stephen Dorrell, a cabinet minister from 1994 to 1997, were among dozens of candidates on the stage. Heidi Allen, 44, the interim leader, described them as coming from “every corner of the UK” and from “all walks of life”, adding: “These elections are a chance to send the clearest possible message: we demand a People’s Vote and the right to campaign to remain in the European Union.” Ali Sadjady, one of the candidates, rapidly came under scrutiny for a comment he posted on Twitter in 2017: “When I hear that 70 per cent of pickpockets caught on the [London Underground] are Romanian it kind [of] makes me want #Brexit”. The tweet was uncovered by The Independent, prompting the former Conservative supporter, who was running in London, to say that he would stand down “so as not to tarnish” Change UK’s reputation.
As Theresa May's Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn face collapse, all sides have massive choices to make
There were no political decisions of any substance taken over Easter. The PM, ministers, all politicians were seemingly too exhausted to do anything but roll the Brexit egg down the hill. So all the political news is about process, after the Cabinet and shadow made no Brexit decisions on Tuesday, and the 1922 executive (guardian of Tory party rules) could not agree whether to expedite a new procedure to evict Theresa May.
Senior Tories demand Theresa May sets a 'clear roadmap' for her departure as Brexiteer coup against her fizzles out
Another Brexiteer coup against Theresa May fizzled out as the party’s senior backbenchers decided not to change the party’s rules to allow an early leadership challenge against her. However, Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the party’s 1922 committee, said that it was time Mrs May set a date for her departure by giving a “clear roadmap” for her exit from 10 Downing Street. Under the party's rules, Mrs May cannot be challenged until December after winning a no confidence vote last December by 200 votes to 117. Some members the party’s ruling 1922 committee had sought to change the rules to allow another vote after just six months.
John Bercow confirms voters to be given chance to unseat convicted Tory MP
Tory MP Chris Davies was fined £1,500 and ordered to carry out 50 hours' community service at Southwark Crown Court on Tuesday. The Commons Speaker told MPs that a recall petition will now be held in his Brecon and Radnorshire constituency.
Boris Johnson’s rivals trying to destroy Tory leadership bid by keeping May in power
Boris Johnson’s rivals are desperately trying to keep Theresa May in power for as long as possible - because it is the only way to destroy his bid to become Conservative Party leader, insiders have claimed.
Labour can stop the poisonous Brexit Party winning if we back a People’s Vote
Farage has no real interest in the deep-seated problems people face — insecure jobs and wages, crumbling public services, poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity. He has no ideas for how to address the real challenges facing our country. Just bigoted politics and empty slogans. The antidote to the poison Farage is pushing is the same as it has always been — a strong dose of progressive values, the championing of international solidarity and a willingness to face down the hatred that he represents directly and without fear. That’s what I’ve always tried to do in my role as an MEP, and it’s what I will continue to do if I’m re-elected in the upcoming European parliament elections.
Boris Johnson’s rivals trying to DESTROY Tory leadership bid by KEEPING May in power
The former Foreign Secretary is surging ahead in the popularity stakes in the race to become the next Prime Minister. In a further blow to Theresa May, several Brexiteers today sought to change the party's rules to enable MPs to force her out within a matter of weeks. However, the executive of the 1922 committee rejected the rule change but indicated they want a clearer timetable for her departure.
Support for Extinction Rebellion soars after Easter protests
Support for Extinction Rebellion in the UK has quadrupled in the past nine days as public concern about the scale of the ecological crisis grows. Since the wave of protests began more than a week ago, 30,000 new backers or volunteers have offered their support to the environmental activist group. In the same period it has raised almost £200,000 – mostly in donations of between £10 and £50 – reaching a total of £365,000 since January. The group said the figures showed the public was waking up to the scale of the crisis, adding that pressure was growing on politicians to act.
Could the tragedy of Lyra McKee unite a divided Northern Ireland?
There have been many dreadful murders followed by high-profile funerals over the years in Northern Ireland. Several during the Troubles were themselves targets for bombings and shootings. Others became opportunities for paramilitary parades which merely deepened community enmities and exacerbated personal animosities.
Funerals too often were not salutary moments from which people concluded that violence was destructive and futile; they were the warp and woof of the province’s tragic sectarianism. The funeral of Lyra McKee in St Anne’s Cathedral, Belfast, was as far removed from that grisly past as can be. An author and journalist, she was killed last week when a terrorist claiming allegiance to the new IRA opened fire on police and a bullet hit poor Lyra
A no-deal Conservative Party has no future
Dumping May and building a new angrier, more working-class coalition is superficially appealing but doomed to fail. No-dealers would not come away empty handed. For they would still have that most valuable political commodity: a sense of resentment. Around this a new Conservative coalition can be built — angrier, whiter, more working class, more northern. This no-deal Conservative Party would have chosen new allies, new champions and new seats to win. It’s a plausible political strategy, but will it produce a new majority? And if it did, would it be a majority the right would want? The no-deal Conservative Party will struggle in cities, struggle to win over ethnic minorities, struggle to persuade younger voters. Maybe there is a protest European election victory in that, maybe at a pinch even one solid general election performance, but there isn’t a sustainable new majority.
‘Scots voted to stay in the UK and Europe but cannot do both’ - Keating
The United Kingdom and Scotland are both caught in their own constitutional deadlocks. Westminster is caught in a Brexit bind, with no majority for anything. Both Conservative and Labour leaderships seem to accept that the voters gave
Parliament a mandate in June 2016 – but nobody can explain what the mandate was for, given the multiple versions of Brexit on offer. So the critical decision is constantly postponed. Scotland voted to stay in the UK in 2014 and to stay in the EU in 2016 but has been told that it cannot do both. The Scottish Parliament has a pro-independence majority but in the nation at large there is no combination of Yes/No and Remain/leave commands majority support.
Political Setbacks
MP Johnny Mercer's salary funded by failed bond scheme marketing agent
A company that marketed a failed bond scheme that lost savers £236m has been funding an MP's private salary. Johnny Mercer receives £85,000 from Crucial Academy, a company ultimately funded by Surge Financial Limited. Surge Financial Limited took 25% commission for marketing bonds by London Capital and Finance (LCF), which is now in administration. Mr Mercer - who is facing calls from investors to quit as an MP - said he had done nothing wrong. The Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View is a non-executive director of Crucial Academy, which trains military veterans and aims to find them employment. Mr Mercer, himself a former Army officer, is contracted to work 20 hours per month, a rate of more than £350 per hour.
Phones4u founder vows to leave UK if Corbyn brings in higher taxes
John Caudwell, the billionaire founder of Phones4u, has vowed to leave the UK for tax-free Monaco if Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister to avoid higher taxes.
With an £1.6bn fortune, Caudwell, 66, is the UK’s 87th richest person, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. He said he and other wealthy Britons would emigrate to escape Corbyn’s proposed wealth tax. Caudwell, who built his fortune importing and selling mobile phones in the late 80s and early 90s, said a Corbyn-led government would be “a complete fiasco”. “If Corbyn wanted to start taxing more extensively than already, my appetite or tolerance to pay much more than I’m already paying is not very big,” Caudwell said.
Trump's visit to the UK should be a wake-up call for Britain's declinist, complacent elite
Donald Trump’s state visit in June could not come at a better time. The US President may be just the man to break the Brexit deadlock. He offers an uncompromisingly positive outlook on Britain’s exit from the European Union at a moment when the UK could badly do with a confidence boost and a bit of direction. As the leader of the free world, Trump’s views matter. When he sets foot in London he can outline exactly what Brexit offers the British people. A free trade deal with the world’s largest economy, even closer defence and intelligence ties with the United States, and the enthusiastic backing of the world’s superpower. He will also deliver the heartfelt support of the American people.
Ann Widdecombe: Former Tory MP to stand for Brexit Party
Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe has announced she is set to return to politics - for the Brexit Party. Ms Widdecombe, 71, said she would still vote Conservative in the upcoming local elections but would stand as a candidate for Nigel Farage's new party in the European elections. She said she wanted to "fire a very loud warning shot across the bows" of the established parties. The former shadow home secretary has been retired since 2010. Ms Widdecombe told BBC News she was standing out of "total frustration" and to show Parliament to "get on with it" or see their seats "in danger".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48034732
Additional sources: (GQ Magazine) (GQ Magazine) (Daily Mail)
Additional sources: (GQ Magazine) (GQ Magazine) (Daily Mail)
Ann Widdecombe Says She’s Now Been EXPELLED From The Conservative Party
Lifelong Conservative Ann Widdecombe says she has now been kicked out of the party after she announced she was standing for the Brexit party in next month's European elections. The former shadow home secretary, 71, served as a Tory MP for over a decade before retiring in 2010. But, she’s now been kicked out of the party after joining Nigel Farage’s new outfit to fight next month’s EU elections. “I received a letter from [Conservative] headquarters today,” she told Iain Dale of her expulsion.
Change UK group plots to destroy the Lib Dems and hoover up their members, MPs and donors, leaked memo reveals
The Independent Group of defector MPs is planning to wipe out the Liberal Democrats and replace them as a party, a leaked strategy document reveals.
The group of former Labour and Tory MPs, known as TIGgers, states that its objective is to defeat the Lib Dems so there is just a ‘single party… for progressive politics at the next General Election’. It plans to directly target Lib Dem voters and donors and to compete with the party on its own issues. It also rules out working with the party, saying: ‘No mergers, pacts or alliances.’
Change UK candidate Jan Rostowski backs down on anti-gay comments
Jan Rostowski, who is running for the European elections with the pro-EU Change UK party, has backed down on past anti-gay comments he made. Rostowski—who is a former minister for finance in Poland—was announced as a candidate for Change UK yesterday. However, it wasn’t long before an interview from 2011 resurfaced in which he said “a stable society is based on heterosexual relations.”
He has since backed down on the comments, according to Buzzfeed political correspondent Alex Wickham.
Second Change UK candidate Joseph Russo quits after offensive tweets emerge
Change UK lost another candidate today over offensive tweets including one about being 'scared of black women' after a chase through Amsterdam 'by a crazed black whore'. Joseph Russo also called new party colleague Anna Soubry 'Thatcher 2.0' before she quit the Tories and branded the arrest of paedophile Gary Glitter 'low hanging fruit' for police. Yesterday Ali Sadjady, a former Tory standing for the new pro-Remain party, was forced to resign hours after he was unveiled when it emerged he said Romanian pickpockets in London 'kind of makes me want Brexit'.
Since I announced my Change UK candidacy I’ve been accused of Islamophobia – it’s nothing short of a smear campaign
Ever since the announcement yesterday of my candidacy as a London MEP for Change UK – The Independent Group, I have been subjected to an online campaign of false allegations of racism, including an accusation by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) that I am Islamophobic. I have never – not once – expressed anti-Muslim hatred or bigotry. I have always been clear that any criticisms I may make are about Islamism, and conservative Islamic cultures or beliefs; never Muslims. I am horrified, appalled and deeply upset to have been targeted by what appears to be an active campaign of smears and lies from hard-left activists and the MCB.
Get set for higher taxes as Hammond warns on cost of ageing population
Taxes will keep rising for years to come to cover the cost of caring for Britain's ageing population, Philip Hammond has warned. Despite success in the long battle to defeat the budget deficit, the Chancellor said the tax burden - already its highest in more than 30 years - will rise further. Higher earners in particular should brace for a bigger bill to HM Revenue and Customs as Mr Hammond said “grumbling” from the rich should be taken as a sign of success. “The trick in any tax system is to get the balance right. If taxpayers who are paying large amount of tax weren’t grumbling we wouldn’t have got it right,” he told MPs on the Treasury Committee on Wednesday.
Why does Nigel Farage keep coming back to Clacton? Because it is nothing like Britain
Nigel Farage is talking the language of betrayal, but the only thing he and the rest of the Brexiteers have been betrayed by is reality
Change UK's lead MEP candidate in Scotland quits
The candidate who had topped Change UK's Scottish list for the European Parliament elections has withdrawn from the race after one day. Joseph Russo was selected as the lead candidate for the new party in the Scottish constituency, should the UK take part in the elections in May. However he has now announced on Twitter that he will not stand for election. He said he was "not fully prepared" for the "personal scrutiny" he faced after "offensive" online posts came to light. One of the new party's prospective London candidates, Ali Sadjady, also quit the race on Tuesday - hours after the party's lists were announced - over comments he had previously made on social media. Change UK - which stems from the Independent Group of MPs who quit Labour and the Conservatives earlier this year - launched its campaign for the elections on Tuesday.
Fox breaks cover
Nigel Farage’s Brexit party is leading the polls for the EU elections and, given the party has no manifesto, policies or coherent strategy for leaving the EU, that’s some achievement. It seems that our political discourse is now so irredeemably f*cked that voting for a party with no actual policies in order to elect MEPs to a parliament they don’t believe in is just fine and dandy. Fox is currently director of the ‘think tank’ the Institute of Ideas, but for two decades she was a core figure in the Revolutionary Communist Party and the co-publisher of its in-house magazine, Living Marxism. Neither Fox nor the Brexit Party attempted to deny that, but I wonder whether rank-and-file Brexiters planning to vote for Ms Fox know quite what they are getting.
Nigel Farage - The New Nasty Party
Bill “Viagra Golliwog” Etheridge, apart from the Viagra and the Golliwogs, is more recently known as a pal of the so-called White Pendragons, who were behind the interruption of a speech by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. They told those present that they were there to effect a citizen’s arrest. And outside the venue, they had brought a scaffold. As in the kind used to hang people. He’s part of the new Farage fringe. Also joining Mr Thirsty, and announced as an MEP hopeful this week, has been businessman Lance Forman, who had previously been a supporter of Turning Point UK, the group whose US parent had been linked with all manner of extremism. For him, the charge is one of straightforward hypocrisy: having told “I can’t think of one area in which [the EU] has helped our business”, his company’s website proclaimed the virtues of achieving PGI status for its London Cure Smoked Salmon. Awarded by the EU.
Ministers in a froth amid Huawei row
There have been fears inside government about allowing the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei to get involved in the construction of the UK's 5G telecoms network for some time. Yet the government under Theresa May believes the risks can be controlled and is proceeding
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK's biggest fishing trawler sails up Thames in Brexit warning
“Brexit has huge advantages for fishing if it is properly handled,” said Sir Barney White-Spunner, the chairman of the advisory board of UK Fisheries, which owns the Kirkella. “Our concern is that it is not being properly handled.” He is concerned that in the no-deal continuity arrangements that have been signed with Norway, Iceland and the Faeroes, the UK has granted access to UK markets for these nations to export their fish to British consumers, without demanding reciprocal access to fishing grounds in return.
MPs campaign to have Donald Trump's UK state visit cancelled
Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, issued a strongly worded statement against the visit. “It beggars belief that on the very same day Donald Trump is threatening to veto a UN resolution against the use of rape as a weapon of war, Theresa May is pressing ahead with her plans to honour him with a state visit to the UK,” she said. The Scottish government said in a pointed statement that it had not been consulted about the trip. A spokeswoman added: “We will not compromise our fundamental values of equality, diversity and human rights, and we expect these values to be made clear during the president’s visit to the UK.”
US-UK trade deal 'more difficult' with a customs union
The US Ambassador to the UK says negotiating a trade deal post-Brexit would be "much more difficult" if the UK is in a customs union with the EU. Woody Johnson also said it would be "more challenging" for the UK "to get control of [its] own trade policy". But he said President Donald Trump is still hopeful doing a "robust, big, very generous trade deal" with the UK after Brexit. President Trump will come to the UK for a state visit in June.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 26th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Department of Transport sued because of its cross channel No Deal Brexit plans
- P&O Ferries has begun legal proceedings against the government, after being excluded from the No Deal preparations. The claim involves a £33m payment by the Department of Transport to Eurotunnel to settle claims Eurotunnel had been unfairly excluded from government plans to keep cross-channel routes open during a No Deal Brexit
Business investment plans are plummeting
- Research by Banco Santander suggests that the proportion of companies planning to invest in business development has fallen to 33%, from 74% six months ago. The survey results back up the British Chambers of Commerce warning, from last month, which said the UK could see the worst business investment climate since 2009
EU scientific research grant agency tightens the screw on the UK
- An EU funding agency (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) COST, has changed a policy which directly impacts grants in the UK. COST is demanding that UK grant holders shift administration of the grant facility to an EU-based partner by May 1st. UK grant holders say its premature and disruptive to research and has led to layoffs
MPs warn government post-Brexit environmental plans fall 'woefully short'
- The MPs report says the UK proposals severely downgrade the environmental principles that currently underpin EU rules. It said the new Office for Environment Protection is too tightly linked to the government and has limited powers
The Japanese are not very happy about Brexit
- Japanese PM Shinzo Abe said legal stability in the UK, by avoiding a hard Brexit, was vital to Japanese firms investing in Britain. He added that Japanese firms had traditionally seen Britain as 'the gateway to Europe' but a hard Brexit would trash that prosperous trading relationship
The Irish Border Question Looms Large
- The Shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, told the House of Commons to accept a customs union with the EU, as it was a very important step in avoiding a hard Irish border and, thus, preserving peace. The Tories David Liddington rejected the link between border customs arrangements and the recent murder of journalist Lyra McKee
We've got it all wrong on immigration
- New academic research into the public debate on immigration has evidence which shows the three most common ideas about immigration are simply not true. Employers do not favour migrants because of cost and superior work ethic. The public is not opposed to all migration except highly skilled migration. Migrants are not people with no aspiration beyond low-skilled work
Fury as Corbyn's European Election draft leaflet suggest Labour backs Brexit
- The leaflet said the party would press ahead with Brexit. There was no mention of the party's push for a second referendum on the leaflets sent out to MEP candidates on Thursday. Pro-EU Labour members are furious arguing that 'standing in the middle' of a highly polarised European election would be a very bad move
Political Shenanigans
- Sir Graham Brady urges the PM to support a bid to strip the Irish backstop from the Brexit Withdrawal deal
Will she won't she - Is Meaningful Vote 4 on May's Brexit deal imminent?
- Sky News reported that Theresa May is planning to get MPs to vote on a piece of legislation to take the UK out of the European Union as early as next week.
- The Financial Times disagrees with Sky. It understands that the Withdrawal Agreement has not been included in the House of Commons 'next week's business plan' because it would face certain defeat just days before the local elections across the country
The next Tory leader must 'believe in Brexit' acording to Jeremy Hunt
- The slightly cult-like aura growing round the notion of Brexit inside the Tory Party grows ever more unsettling. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt went on to say 'No deal Brexit is better than no Brexit at all' as if to underline this point
Scottish independence - the UK government refuses to grant its consent for a 2nd referendum
- Cabinet Office Minister, David Lidington, said there was no evidence of a surge in support for another vote, adding the 2014 referendum settled the matter for a generation
Nigel Farage says his Brexit Party will stand in the next General Election
- The Brexit Party is planning to take on the Tories and Labour at the next General Election. In an interview with The Sun, Farage said these European elections are just a springboard to take the party into power inside Westminster
The Guardian comment said there will be no soft Brexit now and the choice is now no deal or another vote
- With the centre option collapsing as the Conservative-Labour talks on Brexit dissolve, the decision on Brexit returns to its extremes once more: No Deal Brexit or a second vote
May wants the UK out by the end of June
Theresa May has given up shutting down the European Elections and has now set herself the target of getting a withdrawal agreement agreed by June 30th
Labour's National Policy Forum unanimously backs a campaign for a Brexit referendum
- Friday's Labour Party Trade Union Liaison Organization is likely to also vote the same as the National Policy Forum. So the emergency NEC meeting, next Tuesday, will see Corbyn coming under enormous pressure from the membership to back a confirmatory referendum with an option to Remain
- It was confirmed that Lord Andrew Adonis was forced to 'recant his previous opinions' under threat of de-selection as a Labour Party candidate
Candidate with criminal convictions wants to become an MEP
- The Far Right's Tommy Robinson is running to become an MEP in next month's European Elections
Someone did it Huawei
- A row broke out over who leaked a report from the UK government's National Security Council to the Daily Telegraph - discussing recommendations for using Huawei Technologies to power the 5G technology roll out in the UK
EU citizens' right to vote under threat
- European Elections - government could face a legal challenge over its appalling handling of EU citizens and their right to vote in the EU elections
Electoral Commission accuse Theresa May of 'risking the public's faith in politics'
- The watchdog said May risks undermining the public's faith in politics by going ahead with the European elections, despite publicly seeking she wants to cancel them and stop MEPs taking their seats
Britain's embrace of Huawei is really all about Brexit
- Bloomberg said the UK needs not to upset China as a potential trading partner, because it urgently seeks post Brexit trade deals. This is one of the reasons behind the UK's surprising move not to ban Huawei Technologies but permit them to be front and centre for theUK's 5G plans
Jobs at Risk
Port Talbot steelworks blasts rock town and injure two as locals report ‘huge explosions’ at Tata plant
Two people have been injured after a huge blast at Britain's biggest steel plant rocked Port Talbot this morning. Emergency crews rushed to Tata Steelworks in the South Wales town after a deafening explosion shook homes and woke locals at around 3:35am.
Economic Impact
Germany knows we’re open for post-Brexit business
The serious challenges lie in the long term, where it will be difficult to maintain that status quo, and firms will be operating in an environment with greater uncertainty, higher costs, a larger administrative burden and will have a reduced labour pool.
Administrative Fall Out
P&O takes legal action over no-deal Brexit preparations
P&O Ferries has begun legal proceedings against the government after being excluded from no-deal Brexit preparations, the latest fallout from Britain’s preparations for leaving the EU. The claim revolves around a £33m payment by the Department for Transport to Eurotunnel to settle claims it had been unfairly excluded from plans to keep cross-channel routes open in the event of a disruptive exit from the EU. Eurotunnel was angry that the government had ignored its “Le Shuttle” train service when it promised payments of £89m to two operators, Brittany Ferries and DFDS, to lay on alternative ferry services to prevent congestion at the main Dover-Calais artery.
EU workers in Britain are the most depressed about Brexit
Gartner, a research company, has conducted weekly polls of around 300 UK-based employees to see how they have been affected. The key week was towards the end of March when the official deadline for Brexit was scheduled (it has since been postponed twice). In that week, more than half of EU workers in Britain experienced disgust, anger and sadness. Those feelings have subsided a little since, but are still running at about 40% of EU workers.
Invesco chief counts the cost of uncertainty over Brexit
One of the world’s biggest money managers has revealed the damage wrought by Britain’s protracted negotiations to exit the EU, saying the outlook should improve only when the terms of Brexit become clearer. Invesco, which manages $955bn in assets from headquarters in Atlanta, suffered big outflows from its UK business in the first quarter, when UK investors accounted for $3.9bn of the $5.4bn drained globally from Invesco portfolios for the period. In the fourth quarter flows from UK portfolios came to $3.3bn of $20bn globally, as a bout of market turmoil prompted investors around the world to shift money to safer assets.
Investment slumps amid Brexit gloom
Almost a quarter of companies are not investing in their business this year due to Brexit uncertainty, a survey reports. Business leaders have been delaying major decisions until clarity emerges about Britain’s future trading relationship with the European Union. The proportion of companies planning to invest in development has fallen to 33 per cent from 74 per cent six months ago, research by Santander suggests. The figures come after the British Chambers of Commerce warned last month that business investment would sink this year to its lowest level since the financial crisis. The lobby group said that investment would fall by 1 per cent this year, down from a decline of 0.9 per cent last year. It would be the worst performance since 2009, when investment fell by 16.6 per cent.
Flylolo cancels Southampton Airport summer programme 2019
A flight operator says Brexit is to blame after cancelling its entire service from Southampton Airport this summer. Flylolo, which is based in Bognor Regis, blames the cancellation of 140 flights and 2,000 bookings on uncertainties caused by Brexit. As reported by the Daily Echo, the firm launched non-stop flights to Skiathos in Greece last year, but has now ditched all of its services from Southampton. A statement from the company says: "It is with the greatest regret that I have to advise that we are cancelling our entire Southampton programme for this summer.
Fearing no-deal Brexit, European funder orders U.K. researchers to transfer grants
The prospect of Brexit, the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, has loomed long and large over researchers, but the effects on funding, so far, have been speculative. Now, a European funding agency has made a pre-emptive strike in advance of Brexit, changing a policy that directly impacts grants in the United Kingdom. The European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Association, in Brussels, is requiring that U.K. grant holders shift financial administration to a partner in Europe by 1 May. COST says the change will prevent disruption if Brexit occurs without a deal to smooth the transition, and that it does not affect participation by U.K. scientists. But U.K. grant holders say the policy change is premature, disruptive to research—and in at least one case it has led to a staff layoff. “The bureaucratic nightmare of moving these grants is pretty horrendous,” says Nic Walton, an astronomer at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
MPs warn post-Brexit environment plans fall ‘woefully short’
Proposals to replace the EU’s strong environmental protections after Brexit “fall woefully short”, according to a highly critical report from a cross-party committee of MPs. The environment secretary, Michael Gove, said in December that the UK’s environmental standards would be enhanced after Brexit. But the MPs’ report said the proposals “severely downgrade” the environmental principles that underpin current EU rules. It said the new Office for Environmental Protection (OEP), proposed as a replacement for the EU’s enforcement mechanisms, lacks independence from Gove’s office and has limited powers. The report from the environmental audit committee also criticises planned exclusions from environmental rules, which one expert called “absurd”.
Japanese firms could pull out of UK in no deal Brexit - Japan PM in STERN WARNING to UK
Speaking after meeting top EU officials, Mr Abe said it was vital to ensure “legal stability” in the UK by avoiding a hard Brexit. Britain has long acted as a “gateway to Europe” for Japanese firms but a hard Brexit could trash the prosperous trading relationship. Mr Abe made the warning after meeting with EU presidents Donald Tusk and Jean-Claude Juncker in Brussels for the 26th EU-Japan summit.
UK law firm Fieldfisher readies for Brexit with Irish merger
UK law firm Fieldfisher is to merge with Irish firm McDowell Purcell, as the legal sector in England and Wales steps up preparations for Brexit. Since the June 2016 referendum, lawyers in England and Wales have rushed to join the Irish Roll of Solicitors in an effort to protect their rights to practice in the EU after the UK leaves the bloc. There were approximately 2,200 such applications from 2016 to 2018, according to the Law Society of Ireland. Of the 18,460 solicitors on the Irish roll, more than one in ten qualified in England and has joined since the Brexit vote.
So far, however, few UK firms have established offices in Ireland: Pinsent Masons opened an office in Dublin in late 2017, while DLA Piper, one of the biggest law firms in the world, has announced plans to follow suit.
Brexit: McKee death 'shows need to solve Irish border issue'
The death of journalist Lyra McKee shows the need to "find an answer" to the Irish border question in the Brexit talks, Emily Thornberry has said. The shadow foreign secretary urged ministers to accept that a customs union with the EU was the way to avoid a hard border and preserve peace. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington rejected a link between the border or customs arrangements and the murder. Treasury minister Liz Truss said it was "very wrong" to connect the two.
Post-Brexit immigration policy that shuts out low-skilled migrants won't suit anyone
The public debate on immigration typically depicts employers as favouring migrants for reasons of cost and superior “work ethic”. The public is usually seen as opposed to all but highly skilled migration, while migrants themselves are viewed as having little aspiration beyond low-skilled work. These three misunderstandings have led to the policy proposals in the recent white paper, which place tight limits on low-skilled migration which could considerably reduce EU migration. The policies will prove particularly problematic for employers in lower-skilled sectors – but evidence also suggests that they aren’t what the public want either.
Political Shenanigans
Sir Graham Brady urges PM to support bid to strip Irish backstop from Brexit deal
The Tories’ most powerful backbencher has called on Theresa May to support a fresh Commons bid by Brexiteers to strip the Irish backstop from her EU deal. The Sun can reveal that senior Tory Eurosceptics are planning to table an amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill to remove the controversial insurance plan that keeps Britain tied to the EU indefinitely.
Fury As Corbyn European Elections Leaflet Suggests Labour Backs Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a fierce backlash from Labour members after a draft leaflet for the European elections said the party would press ahead with Brexit. The leaflet, passed to HuffPost UK, makes no mention of the party’s policy to push for a second referendum on quitting the EU, was sent out to MEPs on Thursday. One Labour insider said: “MEPs were not given these leaflets to review, they were just told: this is what the party is printing and this is what they would have to put out.”
The leaflet claims the party will seek a “better deal with Europe” which ensures the UK has “a say on trade deals”, while also underlining party policy on domestic issues. It has left the party’s pro-EU membership furious and dismayed, with one activist telling HuffPost UK: “In what will be an utterly polarised election, standing in the middle will be a bad move.” HuffPost UK also understands that staunch pro-European former minister Lord Adonis, who is standing for Labour in the South West region, was forced to sign a ‘loyalty’ statement or face being blocked as an MEP candidate.
Government refuses public inquiry into 2016 EU Referendum misconduct
The Government has responded to a petition “To establish a Public Inquiry into the conduct of the 2016 EU Referendum,” insisting there are no plans for an inquiry.
The response by the Cabinet Office insists that electoral offences “are investigated thoroughly by the appropriate agencies,” but adds “this Government wrote to every household prior to the referendum, promising that the outcome of the referendum would be implemented… This Government stands by this commitment.”
May plans Withdrawal Agreement Bill vote as early as next week following leadership reprieve
Theresa May is preparing for her next Brexit battle, with a plan to give MPs a vote on the key piece of legislation to take the UK out of the European Union as early as next week. Having just survived another attempted coup on the part of her angry parliamentary party on Wednesday night, the prime minister is now getting ready to ask MPs to ratify her Brexit deal by introducing the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB), which enshrines her Brexit plan into UK law, in the coming days. The move comes amid growing despair over Mrs May's leadership, with the officers of the 1922 committee on Wednesday only narrowly voting against a rule change to allow an early confidence vote in the prime minister.
Accept the British Empire is dead and Brexit has failed, top MEP tells Farage and Brexiteers
Brexiteers must accept that the British Empire is dead and buried, a leading MEP has said before challenging Nigel Farage and his Brexit party to “bring it on” in May’s European elections. Philippe Lamberts, the leader of the European greens and member of the European Parliament’s six strong and influential Brexit Steering Group, said the Brexit Party would be powerless in Brussels even if it triumphs in May’s elections. He backed a second Brexit referendum but warned putting no deal on the ballot paper would turn Britain into a “rogue state”. He told Brexiteers that they never stood a chance of making Brexit a success before attacking Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn for caring more about their parties than the country
Next Tory Leader Must 'Believe In Brexit', Says Ex-Remainer Jeremy Hunt
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has refused to rule himself out as a candidate to be next Tory leader. Asked directly if he would run to replace Theresa May if she stands down, the cabinet minister replied “wait and see”. Hunt, who stepped into the role when Boris Johnson resigned over Brexit, said the next PM must be someone who “believes in Brexit”. While the former health secretary voted Remain in 2016, he has signalled his leadership ambitions by aligning himself with Conservative members and taking a strongly pro-Leave stance. Speaking to journalists in central London on Thursday, he said the next leader should support Brexit “as I do” even if they failed to vote Leave in the past.
Brexit deadlock: Is there any way out of the logjam before the European Elections?
Westminster is still paralysed by Brexit. Things might be a little less techy now that MPs have been able to have their first proper break since Christmas, but the fundamentals haven’t changed. There are several key reasons for the deadlock and only a few things that might break them. Theresa May just won’t quit
This week there was yet another failed attempt to oust Theresa May from Number 10. Brexiteer MPs had hoped to curtail her 12-month amnesty from leadership challenges, but the backbench 1922 Committee voted against the idea.
No-deal better than no Brexit, Jeremy Hunt claims
Pro-Brexit convert Jeremy Hunt has claimed no-deal would be better than no Brexit, as he all but confirmed he will run for Tory leader. In a speech to political journalists in Westminster, the formerly pro-Remain foreign secretary spelled out his new pro-Brexit credentials. Quizzed about the Tory succession, in which he is expected to be a candidate, he said the next leader should support Brexit, "as I do", even if they failed to vote Leave in the past. "It's got to be someone who believes in Brexit, because that is the fundamental mission of the government at the moment," said Mr Hunt.
Scottish independence: UK government 'will not grant indyref2 consent'
Theresa May's deputy has said the Scottish Parliament will not be given the power to hold an independence referendum by 2021. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said there was "no evidence" of a surge in support for another vote. And he said the referendum in 2014 had settled matters for a generation. Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she wants a referendum before the next Scottish Parliament election in 2021 if the UK leaves the EU. But the first minister also indicated that Westminster's approval was needed to put the legal status of any vote "beyond doubt". She has not yet made a fresh request to the UK government for this to happen, but told BBC Scotland that Mr Lidington was a member of a UK government that is "clinging to power by its fingertips" and has "zero authority or credibility"
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-48053363
Additional sources: (Daily Record)
Additional sources: (Daily Record)
Nigel Farage reveals for the first time his Brexit Party WILL stand in next General Election
The Brexit Party is planning to take on the Tories and Labour in the next General Election, Sun Online can reveal. Nigel Farage has confirmed he wants to run candidates for Parliament in future to stop Remainer MPs blocking Brexit. His new party is on course to come top in next month's EU elections just months after it was founded. And in an interview with The Sun, Mr Farage pledged to use the Brussels poll as a "springboard" to take the party into power in Westminster.
Brexit There will be no soft Brexit now. It’s no deal or another vote
The larger Brexit choices of 2019 are starker, too. With the centre option on Brexit collapsing, the decision lies between extremes. We are back to remain or leave, but now in their 2019 versions. The times will inevitably be very divided again. The effective Brexit choice will lie between no deal, promoted by May’s successor and much of the Tory party, and a second vote, hopefully but by no means certainly promoted by Corbyn, and by other parties too. But the choice for pro-Europeans has now been clarified, and no pro-European can doubt where they must stand.
Jeremy Hunt: I would choose no-deal over no Brexit
The Foreign Secretary, who voted Remain in the referendum, said he wanted a "clean" Brexit in order to deliver on the result of the 2016 vote. Mr Hunt also said "wait and see" when asked whether he would throw his hat into the ring to be Tory leader when Theresa May stands down.
Would Brussels even allow an independent Scotland to join the EU?
Could the European Union allow a newly independent Scotland to rejoin the bloc after Brexit and what conditions would Brussels demand from Edinburgh? Nicola Sturgeon wants a Scottish independence referendum by 2021 if Brexit happens.
“Independence,” she said on Wednesday in Holyrood, “would allow us to protect our place in Europe.” But as with so much to do with the European Union, things are nowhere near as simple as that. The European Commission today appeared to rule out any preferential treatment for an independent Scotland. It is possible with enough political will from Brussels and across the EU that rules could be bent to ease Scottish membership. But there are significant reasons why that could be tricky to achieve
May sets new deadline with Britons to vote in EU elections – ‘GREAT SHAME’
Government insiders say the Prime Minister given up hope of cancelling UK participation in the European Parliament poll by securing Commons approval for her withdrawal deal within the next three weeks. Instead, she is preparing for a determined push to force crucial withdrawal legislation through Parliament in time for the country to quit the EU by the end of June. Her new timetable will mean British voters are set to elect a new troop of MEPs next month - likely to include figures from the new Brexit Party including Nigel Farage and former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe - who will have lost their jobs by the time the new European Parliament assembles on July 2. One source said: “The focus now is on hitting the June 30 deadline so the MEPs don’t take up their seats.” Most Tory MPs expect the party to be hammered in the euro elections scheduled for May 22, with the Brexit Party tipped by many to top the poll.
Vince Cable: Liberal Democrat campaign to stop Brexit is like opposition to Iraq war
Sir Vince Cable will liken the Liberal Democrats’ campaign to stop Brexit to Charles Kennedy's opposition to the Iraq war as he launches the party’s EU election campaign. The Lib Dem leader and Twickenham MP is to say that only his party have the determined army of volunteers standing against the UK’s withdrawal from the bloc. He will say it should be remembered that the Lib Dems had been against Brexit from the start, even though they stood alone.
May drops plan for new Brexit vote before local elections
Theresa May has dropped a plan to try to secure parliamentary approval for her moribund EU withdrawal agreement before next week’s local elections, as hopes fade for any cross-party accord with Labour on Brexit. The prime minister wants to ask MPs to vote on legislation to approve Britain’s exit from the EU, but the withdrawal agreement bill was not included in next week’s business for the House of Commons because of fears it would face certain defeat. Mrs May had been considering holding a vote on the bill ahead of the local elections on Thursday.
Defence Secretary accuses civil servants of ‘leaking details of Huawei’s 5G role’
Gavin Williamson has infuriated Whitehall mandarins by accusing them of leaking a secret decision about the Huawei telecoms giant. The Sun can reveal the Defence Secretary pointed the finger of blame at civil servants in the Cabinet Office for the major security breach.
'Hold Wales independence vote if no further Brexit poll'
Wales should hold an independence referendum if Brexit happens without a further EU poll, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said. People could then choose between an independent Wales at Europe's "heart" or a "forgotten second-class region in a dying British state," he said. The independence call goes further than his party conference speech in March. Polling for BBC Wales has put support for independence at less than 10% since 2011. Mr Price said Wales should hold a "new national conversation" about the country's future whatever happens with the UK's departure from the European Union.
Labour's National Policy Forum wants party to campaign for Brexit referendum
The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum - which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives - has voted unanimously that Labour’s manifesto for European elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal. My sources say there were no dissenting voices. On Wednesday all Labour MEPs voted in precisely the same unanimous way, for a referendum. Friday's Labour’s Trade Union Liaison Organisation is likely to inform the party’s ruling NEC that its big union supporters - including Unison, the GMB and USDAW, but obviously not Unite - also want a referendum. So it is increasingly hard to see how Labour’s ruling NEC can at its emergency meeting next Tuesday ignore such widespread membership pressure and do anything but adopt a confirmatory referendum as the foundation of its manifesto.
Brexit: Losing Control
Andrew Duff argues that neither the EU nor the UK is now fully in control. Both are being badly destabilised by Brexit. An accidental no deal is a live possibility. Unless the British have made real progress towards the exit by the time of the next EUCO in June, attitudes will harden — including those of Angela Merkel. Talks between pro-European Tory ministers and the Labour frontbench have a 30% chance of success. If they fail, both leaders are expected to commit to more indicative votes in the Commons, this time rather more ‘meaningful’. Mr Corbyn may want to delay his agreement until after the UK has been obliged by the EUCO to fight a mock election to the European Parliament. But the June EUCO is the next important deadline if British MEPs are to be stopped from taking their seats. The proposal for a ‘confirmatory public vote’ to second guess the House of Commons is badly misconceived. It reduces the chance that the Commons can reach a solid majority on anything and would throw the nation into bitter division, enfeebling further the Westminster parliament and parties. Mr Tusk apart, the rest of the EU knows that another referendum will not resolve its British problem.
Political Setbacks
How long can Corbyn resist Labour’s drift towards a second referendum?
The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum – which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives – has voted unanimously that Labour’s manifesto for European elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal. My sources say there were no dissenting voices. On Wednesday, all Labour MEPs voted in precisely the same unanimous way, for a referendum. Friday’s Labour’s Trade Union Liaison Organisation is likely to inform the party’s ruling NEC that its big union supporters – including Unison, the GMB and USDAW, but obviously not Unite – also want a referendum. So it is increasingly hard to see how Labour’s ruling NEC can at its emergency meeting next Tuesday ignore such widespread membership pressure and do anything but adopt a confirmatory referendum as the foundation of its manifesto. That said many senior Labour figures tell me they worry Seumas Milne and Jeremy Corbyn will somehow find a way to prevent the party adopting an unambiguous pledge to campaign for a referendum
Less than 0.01% of EU citizens' voter forms received due to election 'havoc', say MPs
MPs have called on the government to cut the red tape around EU citizens’ registration for the EU elections after it was found that fewer than 300 crucial forms have been returned with 13 days before deadline.
Andrew Adonis shocks Remainers by endorsing Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘sensible’ Brexit plan ahead of EU elections
Former Labour minister Andrew Adonis has been among the most prominent campaigners for a second EU referendum since voters backed leaving in 2016. Last year he told radio station LBC that “if you are a Brexiteer, I hope you won’t vote for the Labour party because they’re moving increasingly against Brexit”. But he has now apologised for the comments from September and called on voters to back Jeremy Corbyn’s plan for exit
Leavers have been insulted and betrayed. I'm standing for the Brexit Party to defend their votes
I’ve run a national campaign bringing Brexit supporters (and non-Brexit supporters!) together over a pint and a chat for over three years now, travelling up and down the country, from small seaside towns to hilly hamlets. I’ve met such a depth of vibrant and inspirational characters who have touched me with their stories, histories and aspirations. These are people who are too often reduced to being nothing more than the target of patronising Guardian opinion articles or the butt of mainstream comedians’ jokes simply for wanting their voices to be heard and their democratic wishes fulfilled.
Tory candidates suspended over racist and inflammatory posts
Two Conservative local election candidates and a woman honoured with an MBE are among 40 new self-professed Tory members who have shared or endorsed racist and inflammatory Facebook posts including Islamophobic material, the Guardian has learned. The torrent of racist posts include references to Muslims as “bin bag wearing individuals”, calls for the “cult” of Islam to be banned and the Qur’an being branded an “evil book”. One female Tory supporter even called for a boycott of Muslim-owned shops and endorsed another comment labelling the religion’s followers “sub-human” and “cockroaches”.
Jacob Rees-Mogg was paid entirely in CHAMPAGNE for an after-dinner speech
Jacob Rees-Mogg was paid in Champagne for giving an after-dinner speech, it has emerged. The Tory Brexiteer was invited to speak at an event hosted by Global Media, which owns a string of radio stations including LBC. It was revealed in the latest update of the Register of MPs Interests, published today. According to the entry, Mr Rees-Mogg was paid for speaking at the dinner on February 6 with 12 bottles of Champagne. In total the posh bubbly came to a value of £323.52 - almost £27 a bottle. It's possible Mr Rees-Mogg was running low on Bolly after Brexit-backing colleagues raided his fridge.
Tommy Robinson says he is running to be MEP in European elections
Tommy Robinson has announced he is standing to be an MEP in the European elections. He said his ‘working class’ supporters would send the ‘elite’ a ‘message they’ll never forget’ if he was elected on May 23. The far-right activist, who co-founded the English Defence League, attacked Nigel Farage and his new Brexit Party as he revealed he will be running in the north west region. Robinson said he ‘admires’ what Farage has done in the past but called him ‘just another millionaire stockbroker who looks down at the middle classes’.
PM advised to call in MI5 to investigate Huawei leak
Theresa May has "no option" but to call in the security service MI5 to identify the source of a leak from the National Security Council, a founding member has said.
Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell told Newsnight MI5 and the cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill may have to interview cabinet ministers who sit on the council. The former international development secretary, who sat on the NSC between 2010-2012, spoke out following a leak from the council earlier this week.
The Guardian view on the Conservatives: the headless chicken party
Theresa May’s government is one of the least successful in our history. This is not merely the view of its opponents. It is also the view of its own key members. Less than a month ago the Conservative chief whip, Julian Smith, admitted to the BBC that “discipline is not as good as it should be”. Brexit, he continued, had generated “the worst example of ill-discipline in cabinet in British political history”.
DUP leader Arlene Foster denies Lyra McKee was murdered because of a 'political vacuum'
Arlene Foster today denied Lyra McKee was murdered because of the 'political vacuum' in Northern Ireland - and said her party will not change its mind on gay marriage. The DUP leader looked uncomfortable as a priest delivered a powerful message at the funeral of the murdered journalist in Belfast yesterday when he demanded to know why it had taken the horror of her death to unite politicians.
Mrs Foster sat next to Sinn Fein leaders Michelle O'Neill and Mary Lou McDonald at the Protestant St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, and they were also forced to stand and clap. Father Martin Magill received a spontaneous standing ovation as he called her senseless killing a 'huge injustice' and said he 'dared to hope' something so awful as Lyra's murder could be a 'doorway to a new beginning'. Mrs Foster said today 'I don't accept that the violence that caused Lyra's death was caused by a political vacuum. It was caused by people who wanted to use violence to further their own warped political agenda. That's why Lyra is dead'.
Scottish independence: UK government 'will not grant indyref2 consent'
Theresa May's deputy has said the Scottish Parliament will not be given the power to hold an independence referendum by 2021. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said there was "no evidence" of a surge in support for another vote. And he said the referendum in 2014 had settled matters for a generation. Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she wants a referendum before the next Scottish Parliament election in 2021 if the UK leaves the EU. But the first minister also indicated that Westminster's approval was needed to put the legal status of any vote "beyond doubt". She has not yet made a fresh request to the UK government for this to happen, but told BBC Scotland that Mr Lidington was a member of a UK government that is "clinging to power by its fingertips" and has "zero authority or credibility"
Democracy under attack - was Brexit bought? (German made documentary with English subtitles makes a very strong case that it was)
Democracy under attack - was Brexit bought? (German made documentary with English subtitles makes a very strong case that it was)
Dear Leavers, Lord Adonis doesn't want your support, but my Brexit Party certainly does
Having been adopted as a Labour candidate in the South West region in next month’s EU elections, he published a craven statement apologising for his LBC remarks. In it, he claimed to be in favour of Brexit. “Labour has always been clear it respects the result of the referendum,” he wrote desperately. He then lauded his party’s "sensible plan" for "a close economic relationship with the EU after Brexit.”
As handbrake turns go, this one was noisy in the extreme. But it is deeply insulting in its casualness, as well. There is no way this Labour lickspittle would have humiliated himself in such a manner had he not been told to do so by the party’s high command. On that basis, I think we all know his “apology” is to be taken with a bucket of salt.
@Peston The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum - which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives - has just voted UNANIMOUSLY that Labour’s manifesto for EU elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum...
The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum - which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives - has just voted UNANIMOUSLY that Labour’s manifesto for EU elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum...
@PaulWaugh @Andrew_Adonis mystery finally cleared up: he was told he faced deselection as MEP candidate unless he signed a statement apologising for previous views and stuck to the line on Brexit
Also, @Andrew_Adonis mystery finally cleared up: he was told he faced deselection as MEP candidate unless he signed a statement apologising for previous views and stuck to the line on Brexit
Gavin Esler explains why he has decided to stand as a Change UK MEP candidate
Broadcaster Gavin Esler explains why he has decided to stand as a Change UK MEP candidate – and how New European readers helped convince him to do so. We have three clear objectives: Stop Brexit, fix Britain, reform the EU. The first step is a People's Vote. I want to bring this Brexit nightmare to an end. A confirmatory vote will mean we can move on to the real problems we face.
European elections: Government faces legal challenge amid fears millions of EU citizens could lose right to vote
Chaos surrounding the date of the UK’s departure from the EU means the form for EU citizens' voting was only sent to 2 million European nationals on the electoral register a few weeks before the deadline – instead of the usual four-month period.
A leading organisation, representing EU citizens in the UK, has urged ministers to take immediate action to remedy the situation – or face potential legal action. Roger Casale, secretary general of the New Europeans, said: “Because of the very tight timetable, we would urge the government to allow those EU citizens on the electoral roll, who miss the current 7 May deadline, to fill in the required UC1 declaration forms when they arrive at their local polling stations on 23 May.”
Theresa May is risking public's faith in politics, warns poll watchdog
The election watchdog has warned that Theresa May risks undermining public faith in politics by going ahead with European elections that she says she wants to cancel. The Electoral Commission said that it was “unprecedented in a mature democracy” for a country to elect candidates to roles they may never fill. It warned that the polls next month would lead to “questions about the impact on voters now and in the future”, adding that it was “vital that our democratic institutions and traditions come through [the elections] intact”.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Britain’s Embrace of Huawei Is Really About Brexit
The divorce from Europe is on its way, so Britain is under greater pressure to keep China as a trading partner. British Prime Minister Theresa May’s decision not to ban Huawei Technologies Co. outright was the easier choice. That doesn’t mean it was the right one. The U.S. has been vociferously pushing for countries to exclude telecommunications equipment made by the Chinese firm, saying it’s vulnerable to hacking by state-sponsored actors from its home nation. But Huawei also has some of the most advanced gear for next-generation 5G networks. It’s a conundrum.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 29th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Brexit - stockpiling hits record levels
- Stockpiling of manufactured goods for the three months up to April rose to the highest level on record as the dangers of a No Deal Brexit loomed large
Goldman Sachs says a dragged-out Brexit is doing deeper damage to the UK economy
- Britain's economy has underperformed other advanced economies since 2016, losing nearly 2.5% of GDP, relative to its pre-referendum growth path, in part due to lower business investment
Brexit's financial turf wars enter a new phase
- UK intransigence has sent $1 trillion of bank assets and 5,000 jobs across the English channel and the Irish Sea, to date. The EU is planning to build high regulatory walls to protect itself from a 'potential rogue state neighbour' and is preparing to make fund managers trade top UK stocks on European soil rather than in London
Credit rating agencies S&P and Fitch warn the UK's credit rating is still at risk from a No Deal Brexit
- S&P said its negative outlook for the UK reflects the risk of sustained economic weakness and a hit to UK government finances, if Britain lost access to EU markets. Currently, Fitch and S&P have an AA Rating on British government debt
U.S. tech start-ups about to IPO cite Brexit as a risk to their businesses
- Uber, Slack and Dropbox are just some of the many billion-dollar start-ups freaking out about the potential economic consequences of Brexit
Home Office chaos and incompetence is leading to unlawful detentions, according to whistleblowers
- Decisions on whether an applicant can stay, meant to last six months can take 2 years, leaving them in limbo and unable to work or rent property. Home Office staff personal performance targets encourage asylum rejections, without proper scrutiny. Inadequate training of staff often leads to deportations of people with good cases to remain
Govt planning to make EU students pay higher tuition fees to study at English universities
- Future EU students at universities in England will no longer have the right to pay the same tuition fees as home students, in highly controversial plans being drawn up by the government.
Nicola Sturgeon - 'It is time for Scotland to become independent'
- Addressing the SNP party conference in Edinburgh, Nicola Sturgeon said events since the last Holyrood election have shown beyond any doubt that for Scotland, the Westminister system is broken. Therefore, we now know that if Westminister refuses to change course and reverse Brexit, Scotland must
- Brexit is driving support for a Scottish independence referendum up to 49% its highest in years
- Nicola Sturgeon also declared there was a climate emergency and said her government pledged to speed up efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions
The heat is on Jeremy Corbyn
- Pro-EU supporters inside the Labour Party are stepping up pressure on the Labour leadership to commit to a confirmatory public vote on any final Brexit deal
- In a blow to EU supporters, Labour frontbench shadow minister, Rebecca Long-Bailey, said that Labour could easily sign up to a Brexit deal without a fresh referendum attached, if the government made significant concessions in the on-going Brexit talks
Local elections this week, European elections May 23rd
- Tory polling guru Lord Hayward is predicting the Conservative Party faces losing more than 800 seats in the local elections due to a likely Brexit backlash
- Labour has a seven point lead over the Conservatives ahead of the European elections a new poll has found. Support for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has surged in the last week as voters are abandoning UKIP to join it
- Tory Party chair, Brandon Lewis, refused to say when the Conservative Party plan to launch their European Election campaign, saying his priority it to not have to fight them at all.
- Labour is saying the party will decide on its position, with regard to a second referendum, at the ruling National Executive Committee meeting on Tuesday. Most political pundits are predicting Labour will 'retain its equivocal and ambiguous' second referendum position in its published European Election Manifesto
- Plaid Cymru called for a vote on Welsh independence if there is not to be a second Brexit vote
The UK political crisis is a poor advert for leaving the EU - survey finds
- A Kantar survey across the EU asking people how they would vote in an In/Out referendum found that across almost all countries the percentage of pro-Europeans has risen since the Brexit turmoil in the UK
Remain v No Deal on the ballot paper
- Change UK interim leader, Heidi Allen, suggested that a No Deal Brexit option could be on the ballot paper in the event of a second referendum, up against a remain and reform option
Walk away and don't look back in anger
- BBC's Katya Adler says the EU would let the UK walk away if no deal was found by the new October deadline
Tory chiefs warn MPs and activists they will be kicked out if they back Nigel Farage
- An Opinium poll showed that support for the Tories has slumped to 14% ahead of next month;s European elections. The worry must now be that some fed-up candidates may consider jumping ship to the Brexit Party, instead of waiting to be pushed
Farage upsets Oldham with a speech saying town is split on racial lines
- Addressing an audience of young libertarians in Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, Nigel Farage told them 'I could take you to a town called Oldham where on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side everybody is black. The twain never meet, there is no assimilation. Whole streets in Oldham of people who have lived in my country for over 30 years who don't speak a word of the English language. These folks, are divided societies in which resentments build and grow.'
- In Sussex properties displaying Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green Party posters have been vandalised, in attacks thought to be linked to Brexit. The houses targeted in Lewes had the words 'traitors' and 'hypocrites' spray painted on their exterior walls
- Thousands of EU nationals living in the UK could inadvertentaly lose their right to take part in the upcoming European elections because of widespread confusion over how to register and many have yet to receive their polling cards
- Nigel Farage told LBC interviewer Ian Dale that his new Brexit Party has received one very big donation and lots of smaller ones. Farage, when pressed for a name, refused to say who the large donation was from - which is potentially against election funding rules
- The Brexit Party's latest recruit, Ann Widdicombe, slammed women pension campaigners who opposed the raising of the state pension age for women, as 'self-indulgent and entitled' - up to 3.9m women are thought to be affected by the changes
Economic Impact
Brexit: Stockpiling increases to record level
Manufacturers stockpiled goods at the fastest pace on record during the three months to April as the danger of a no-deal Brexit loomed large and sent business confidence tumbling. An unprecedented number of companies in the sector amassed inventories of raw materials and part-finished goods, as well as completed products, the CBI said in its latest industrial trends survey. A balance of 39 per cent of businesses reported a rise in stocks of raw materials compared with three months ago, while the reading for unfinished products was 21 per cent and finished goods 25 per cent.
Brexit could leave England as 'economic basket case' - MP warns
It is in Scotland's interests to prevent Brexit turning England into an "economic basket case", SNP home affairs spokeswoman Joanna Cherry has insisted. The MP argued even if Scotland were to be independent it would be better for the country to "keep England as close as possible to the single market and customs union as possible". UK Prime Minister Theresa May has so far refused to consider either of these options as she tries to win support for her Brexit deal at Westminster. Ms Cherry said: "Despite the fact that I think Brexit is a disaster for the United Kingdom, I think it is in the interests of Scotland and the SNP to keep England as close as possible to the single market and customs union as possible. "It will make it easier for us to be independent if England is in the same overall union and market for us."
Goldman Sachs says dragged-out Brexit is doing deeper damage to UK economy
Goldman Sachs said in a note to clients that its base scenario was the divorce deal would be ratified by May 22 but that there was a risk of Britain's exit being delayed until much closer to the new October 31 deadline. "The politics of Brexit have become more protracted and, as a result, the side-effects of Brexit on the UK economy have intensified," Goldman said in a note entitled "Brexit — Withdrawal Symptoms". "From both a top-down and a bottom-up perspective, Brexit has taken a toll on the UK economy — even though it has not yet happened," Goldman said.
It said Britain's economy has underperformed other advanced economies since mid-2016, losing nearly 2.5pc of Gross Domestic Product relative to its pre-referendum growth path, in large part due to weaker investment.
Goldman Sachs says dragged-out Brexit is doing deeper damage to UK economy
Britain’s protracted divorce from the European Union is hurting the world’s fifth largest economy as dwindling company investment, signs of a looming labour market shock and poor productivity hinder growth, Goldman Sachs said.
Warren Buffett ready to buy in Britain regardless of Brexit
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said he is “ready to buy something in the UK tomorrow”, handing a big endorsement to Britain ahead of Brexit. “We welcome the chance to put money out any place where we think we understand and sort of trust the system,” the 88-year-old told the Financial Times in a broad-ranging interview. “We’re never going to understand any other culture or the tax laws or the customs as well as the US, but we can come awfully close in Britain.”
Brexit's Financial Turf War Enters A New Phase
Rarely have policymakers seemed so keen to snap the links that connect global markets, even at the risk of economic self-harm. Theresa May’s dogged pursuit of a Brexit that takes Britain out of the European Union’s single market and customs union is an obvious own goal, considering the City of London’s global position. The U.K.’s intransigence has already sent an estimated 800 billion pounds ($1 trillion) of bank assets and 5,000 jobs across the English Channel and Irish Sea. Meanwhile, the EU’s plans to build high regulatory walls to protect its markets from a rogue neighbor have also led to some head-scratching propositions from Brussels, such as potentially forcing fund managers to trade top U.K. stocks on continental European soil rather than in London
S&P and Fitch warn UK rating still at risk from a no-deal Brexit
Britain’s credit rating remains at risk of a further downgrade despite the extended deadline for its departure from the European Union, ratings agencies S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings said on Friday. S&P said its negative outlook reflected the risk of sustained economic weakness and a hit to government finances if Britain lost access to EU markets, investors took fright or sterling’s status as a reserve currency came under pressure. Fitch and S&P both have a AA rating on British government debt.
RBS profits sink as bank warns of Brexit uncertainty
RBS profits fell in the first three months of 2019, it revealed a day after its chief executive announced his intention to resign. Ross McEwan yesterday announced he would step down after five-and-a-half years at the helm, saying he had achieved his strategy to refocus the bank after its £45.5bn government bailout. However, today the bank warned that ongoing Brexit uncertainty will pile further pressure on profits this year, sending shares down 5.5 per cent to 236.3p in early trading.
Administrative Fall Out
Fewer Brits choosing EU countries for holidays, travel firm says
Fewer British holidaymakers have booked a summer holiday inside the European Union this year amid continuing Brexit uncertainty, Thomas Cook says. The travel firm says almost half (48%) of the holidays it sold up until the end of February were to non-EU destinations, up 10% on last year. Despite this, the firm says Spain is still its most popular destination. Its findings chime with separate Post Office figures showing currency sales for long-haul destinations have jumped.
US startups publish warnings about Brexit in S-1s before their IPOs
Uber, Slack, and Dropbox are just some of the buzzy billion-dollar startups freaking out about the potential consequences of Brexit.
Home Office ‘chaos and incompetence’ leads to unlawful detentions, claim whistleblowers
Whistleblowers also allege that:
a) Decisions on whether an applicant can stay in the UK, supposed to take six months, frequently take two years. During this time, applicants are in limbo, unable to work or rent property.
b) People who have sought asylum are frequently unlawfully detained for up to six weeks in immigration removal centres.
c) Personal performance targets indirectly encourage employees to reject applications without fully examining whether people have the right to remain in the UK.
d) People with a strong case to remain in the UK are deported because of poor decisions made by insufficiently trained staff.
e) Flights for deportations are frequently cancelled when asylum seekers protest on board and pilots refuse to fly
RBS sees profit challenge ahead amid Brexit uncertainty
Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has warned continued Brexit uncertainty is "likely" to make income growth more challenging for the bank. The part-nationalised lender used its first quarter results, which showed a fall in profits, to say that while it was maintaining its outlook for 2019 it was particularly concerned about delays in business borrowing decisions. A collapse in business investment because of Brexit fog has been cited as a major drag on the economy - now set to be extended until up to 31 October following the UK's failure to secure domestic agreement on a withdrawal deal. RBS reported a 16% decline in operating profit before tax to just above £1bn from £1.2bn in the same period last year. Attributable profit before tax, which reflects one-off costs, came in at £707m. That was a fall of 12%
“Brexit does split families” - anxious EU citizens unconvinced by Home Office reassurance
Brexit may have been re-scheduled for Halloween, but cross-party talks appear once again to have hit an impasse. Acutely affected by this perennial Brexit limbo are the 3.8 million EU citizens living in the UK, now having to apply to remain in a country that for many has been their home for decades. Laure Olivier-Minns, a French national who has lived and worked in the UK for over 30 years, is one of the many EU citizens who has felt forced to make the unimaginable decision to leave her life and British family behind in the UK, due to the increasing hostility of post-referendum Britain. We sat down in a cafe in Nantes, the hometown to which she recently returned, where she told me that her trust in her adopted country is gone.
Brexit planning provokes considerable accountancy recruitment
Brexit has generally been positive for hiring, especially across public practice recruitment with growth plans in regional areas implemented by the Big 4 and Top Ten firms, with most now open to their employees working across various locations.
2018 was broadly a positive and successful year for the accountancy profession. Jobs registered supported this with a healthy split between replacement and expansion hires, as well as specialist roles within tax especially buoyant anticipating the impact of Brexit.
UK factories stockpile for Brexit at fastest pace in at least 60 years - CBI
With Brexit looming, British factories stockpiled over the last three months at the fastest pace since records began in the 1950s, and they’re increasingly downbeat about their prospects, a survey showed on Friday. The Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) quarterly survey added to signs that Brexit and a slowdown in the global economy has lumbered manufacturers, who account for 10 percent of the British economy, with a headache. Expectations for export orders in the next three months fell to their lowest level since mid-2009, when Britain was reeling from the global financial crisis.
Brexit planning provokes considerable accountancy recruitment
Brexit has generally been positive for hiring, especially across public practice recruitment with growth plans in regional areas implemented by the Big 4 and Top Ten firms, with most now open to their employees working across various locations.
2018 was broadly a positive and successful year for the accountancy profession. Jobs registered supported this with a healthy split between replacement and expansion hires, as well as specialist roles within tax especially buoyant anticipating the impact of Brexit.
The Government Is Planning To Make EU Students Pay Higher Tuition Fees To Study At English Universities
Future EU students at universities in England will no longer have the right to pay the same tuition fees as home students, in highly controversial plans being drawn up by the government. BuzzFeed News has learned that education secretary Damian Hinds is proposing to withdraw home fee status and financial support from EU students starting courses in the 2021/22 academic year, whether Britain leaves the union with a deal or without.
Brexit 'will hit older, less-skilled workers'
Brexit may have disappeared from the headlines thanks to a talks extension, but that doesn't mean we have dodged a bullet - it's just that the day of reckoning has been postponed. There was relief last week from the Department of Finance when it presented its economic forecasts that the delay meant the economy would not experience an immediate sharp stop.
EU students to pay more to study in UK under Brexit plan
EU nationals living in the UK are being urged to use European elections next month to protest over a government proposal to make future students from the bloc pay more to study at English universities. Damian Hinds, education secretary, is proposing to end the preferential status enjoyed by EU students for courses starting in 2021-22, whether Britain is scheduled to leave the union. The proposal, first reported by BuzzFeed News, was not denied by the Department for Education and has already attracted criticism that the government is willing to hobble its thriving universities by turning away international talent. “Another dreadful idea from this dim-witted government,” said Gavin Esler, a former BBC journalist and a candidate for the Change UK party in next month’s European Parliament elections.
Political Shenanigans
Nicola Sturgeon: Time for Scotland to become independent
Nicola Sturgeon has declared it is "time for Scotland to become independent" and called on the SNP to make sure there is a "surge" in support for leaving. Addressing her party's conference in Edinburgh, Scotland's first minister said events since the last Holyrood elections "have shown, beyond any doubt, that for Scotland the Westminster system is broken". Referring to Brexit, Ms Sturgeon said that if the UK "cannot be persuaded to change course" and reverse it, "Scotland must". She added: "We must have the choice of a better future. Scotland must have the choice of an independent future."
Nicola Sturgeon says world is facing a climate emergency
Nicola Sturgeon has said she believes the world is facing a climate emergency and pledged to speed up efforts to achieve zero carbon emissions. Following similar moves by the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, this weekend, the Scottish first minister said she was declaring the emergency because the science showed global warming was worsening. She told the Scottish National party’s spring conference in Edinburgh that if the UK’s expert advisory committee on climate recommended more urgent action to cut CO2 emissions in a report later this week, her government would act.
Nicola Sturgeon calls for SNP to ensure 'surging' support for independence
Nicola Sturgeon has declared it is "time for Scotland to become independent" and called on the SNP to make sure there is a "surge" in support for leaving. Addressing her party's conference in Edinburgh, Scotland's first minister said events since the last Holyrood elections "have shown, beyond any doubt, that for Scotland the Westminster system is broken". Referring to Brexit, Ms Sturgeon said that if the UK "cannot be persuaded to change course" and reverse it, "Scotland must". She added: "We must have the choice of a better future. Scotland must have the choice of an independent future."
@Channel4News “If the UK can’t be persuaded to change its course, Scotland must.”
“If the UK can’t be persuaded to change its course, Scotland must.” First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon tells the SNP Spring Conference that she plans to pass legislation for a second independence referendum by the end of 2019.
Nicola Sturgeon keeps Indy vote option even if no Brexit
Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has refused to rule out pursuing an independence referendum, even if Brexit does not happen. Ms Sturgeon had already announced she wants a so-called 'Indyref 2', citing Britain's exit from the European Union as the reason. In an interview with Sky News ahead of her SNP party's spring conference, she declined to say whether or not she would drop plans for a referendum if Brexit did not take place.
U.K. Conservatives Still Seeking Brexit Deal Before EU Election
Theresa May is still pursuing a Brexit deal that would get the U.K. out of the European Union before elections next month.
Time has run out. Labour must seize its last chance to take a stand on Brexit
Over the next 48 hours, a battle will take place that will settle the future of the Labour party – and arguably the country. Is Labour to be the party of Europe in uncompromising opposition to the rise of an ugly, hard-right, English nationalism? Or will it continue to temporise over Europe, so enabling the centre of political gravity to shift towards the English nationalist right?
Labour could sign up to Brexit deal without a second referendum, shadow minister says
Labour could sign up to a Brexit deal without a fresh referendum attached if the government makes significant concessions in the ongoing talks, the shadow business secretary has suggested. In a blow to pro-EU supporters, Rebecca Long-Bailey said the party was not “hugely prescriptive” on its terms, when asked if the inclusion of a public vote was a “red line” for Labour in the negotiations. Ms Long-Bailey, who has attended cross-party talks alongside shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and shadow chancellor John McDonnell, said meetings had been “productive” with discussions about workers’ rights – a key ask for Labour.
Conservative Party Faces Losing More Than 800 Seats In Local Elections Amid Brexit Backlash
A polling expert has predicted the Conservative Party will lose more than 800 local council seats as at faces an electoral backlash over Brexit as senior Tories acknowledged the party faces a “difficult night”. Voters prepare to go to the polls in England on Thursday against expectations of a hammering and fears that worse could follow in May 23′s European elections. Election pundit and Tory peer Lord Hayward said he expected the Conservatives to lose more than 800 councillors and “marked losses of control of authorities”. “The Tories are at an historic high for a governing party after nine years in power,” he said. “A fall from that level is therefore inevitable at some stage and it will come this year - with force.” He suggested that Labour would gain around 300 seats from the Tories and the Liberal Democrats 500.
Labour takes sizeable poll lead over Tories as Brexit Party surges, ahead of European elections
Labour has taken a seven-point lead over the Conservatives ahead of the European elections, a new poll has found. A study by Opinium put Labour on 33 per cent, the Conservatives on 26 per cent and the insurgent Brexit Party on 17 per cent, when the public was grilled on how they would vote in a general election.
The Liberal Democrats were on 6 per cent, with Ukip, the Green Party and the new centrist party Change UK all on 4 per cent. In a fresh headache for Theresa May, the former Ukip leader’s new party was neck and neck with Labour on 28 per cent for next month’s European elections, while Tory support collapsed to 14 per cent in the 23 May contest. Support for the Brexit Party ahead of the European elections has surged from 12 per cent in the past two weeks, with voters apparently flocking to it from Ukip.
Labour hints at backing Brexit deal without promise of referendum
Labour is prepared to sign up to a Brexit deal with the government without the promise of a referendum attached if cross-party talks make significant progress in the coming days, one of the party’s negotiators has said. With talks set to resume on Monday, Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow business secretary, made clear that if Labour’s Brexit demands were met, she would not expect the party to insist it be put to a public vote. “Our party policy has always been that firstly we want to get a Brexit deal that puts our economy and living standards first and protects our environmental protections, workplace protections, health and safety standards,” she said.
2019 European elections: Tories aim not to have to fight campaign
Brandon Lewis has refused to say when the Tories' European election campaign will launch, saying his priority is not to have to fight them at all. The UK is due to elect new MEPs on 23 May, after Brexit was delayed amid continuing parliamentary deadlock. Several parties have launched their campaigns already but Conservative chair Mr Lewis told the BBC his focus was on next week's local elections. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October, or sooner if a deal is agreed
Labour set to retain 'equivocal' referendum position
A concerted attempt by Labour MPs and MEPs to engineer that their party would campaign unambiguously for a “confirmatory” Brexit referendum in the EU elections looks set to flop. Instead Jeremy Corbyn’s preferred position of characterising a new public vote only as an option is likely to prevail, because he seems to have retained the backing of most of the leaders of the big trade unions. The decision on how strongly to push for a referendum, and how Labour’s position on it should be worded in its manifesto, will be taken at a crunch emergency meeting of the party’s ruling NEC on Tuesday. I am told by senior party sources that in talks last Tuesday with the leaders of the so-called five big trade unions - Unison, Unite, the GMB, Usdaw and the CWU - only the GMB signalled a strong preference for a confirmatory referendum to be upgraded from an option to a clear policy preference. Unison and Usdaw are in theory aligned with the GMB on this, but sources close to Corbyn do not believe they will vote against the Labour leader’s preferred and more ambiguous referendum formulation in a couple of days.
Conservatives in for 'difficult night' in local elections
The Conservatives are in for a "difficult night" in Thursday's local elections, a senior party figure has admitted. Deputy chairwoman Helen Whately admitted the poll will be a chance to "kick the government", amid predictions of a backlash over the delay to Brexit.
Lib Dems accuse Change UK of 'petty tribalism' after anti-Brexit party rejects electoral alliance
Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable urges Change UK to ditch "petty tribalism" and form an electoral alliance. Cable has failed to persuade the new anti-Brexit party of former Conservative and Labour MPs to form a pro-Remain alliance for the upcoming European elections and beyond. Supporters fear this refusal to cooperate will split the Remain vote and hurt anti-Brexit parties. Cable told Business Insider that an electoral alliance was "common sense" and that millions of Remain voters would feel "angry and betrayed" if parties did not work together.
Lib Dem Tom Brake hit back at Change UK suggestions that Lib Dem members should quit the party and join Change UK.
'Hold Wales independence vote if no further Brexit poll'
Wales should hold an independence referendum if Brexit happens without a further EU poll, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said. People could then choose between an independent Wales at Europe's "heart" or a "forgotten second-class region in a dying British state," he said. The independence call goes further than his party conference speech in March. Polling for BBC Wales has put support for independence at less than 10% since 2011. Mr Price said Wales should hold a "new national conversation" about the country's future whatever happens with the UK's departure from the European Union
Farage's Brexit Party spends big on Facebook ads
The Brexit Party of arch-eurosceptic Nigel Farage outspent both the Labour and Conservative Parties on political advertising ahead of the European elections during the Easter break, according to data published by Facebook. The Brexit Party, which is campaigning for the UK’s withdrawal from the EU at the earliest opportunity, spent £11,523 on Facebook ads between April 14 and April 20, a figure that dwarfs the £6,646 and £6,251 spent by the Labour and Conservative parties respectively, across the same period. Meanwhile, Change UK, a new party established by pro-EU advocates only begun advertising on Facebook on Tuesday, and has so far spent considerably less.
The Observer view on the Labour manifesto: get off the fence, Mr Corbyn
Jeremy Corbyn put honesty and integrity – the idea of doing politics in a different way – at the heart of his pitch for the Labour leadership four years ago. That makes Labour’s long-standing failure to clarify whether or not it is decisively in favour of a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal all the more depressing.
Ambiguity remains the name of the game as we approach the European elections in just a few weeks. A draft campaign leaflet that was leaked last week did not even mention a referendum, pledging that Labour would seek “a better deal with Europe” after Brexit.
Support for EU membership above 80% in most member states amid Brexit mess
Support for remaining in the EU stands at well over 80 per cent in the majority of member states, a new continent-wide poll has found – with Britain’s political crisis apparently a poor advert for leaving. The survey by Kantar asked people how they would vote in an in-out referendum and found that Luxembourg (94 per cent), Portugal (92 per cent), Ireland (91 per cent), and the Netherlands (91 per cent) had the highest support for EU membership out of the 28 countries in the bloc. Apart from the UK the highest level of support for leaving was in the Czech Republic, where 66 per cent supported Remain and 34 per cent Leave. Italy was close behind as the next most Eurosceptic country, with 72 per cent Remain and 28 per cent Leave. Austria and France were the third and fourth most Eurosceptic.
Labour: Government still refusing to move on Brexit red lines in cross-party talks
There appears to be no end to the Brexit deadlock in sight, with Labour again accusing the government of refusing to budge on its red lines in cross-party talks. Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey told Sky News there needed to be "hard and fast" progress in the discussions, which will continue this week. She also denied suggestions from the Conservatives that her party was stalling, saying "we're certainly not dragging our heels". Ms Long-Bailey told Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "Honestly I think the discussions so far have been productive, they've gone into a lot of detail, there seems to be a willingness on both sides to move towards some form of consensus.
Labour frontbencher Rebecca Long-Bailey refuses to say if second referendum is a 'red line' if government agrees to party's proposals
A Labour frontbencher today refused to say if a second referendum is a “red line” for the party if the government meets its Brexit proposals. Talks between the Conservatives and Labour are set to resume this week in an effort to find a solution to the stalemate. When shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey was asked on Sky News’ Sophie Ridge on Sunday whether a second poll was one of the party’s demands in the talks, she said Jeremy Corbyn and his team were "not being hugely prescriptive on the minute detail of specific elements because we are willing to compromise and we are willing to be flexible".
2019 European elections: Tories aim not to have to fight campaign
Brandon Lewis has refused to say when the Tories' European election campaign will launch, saying his priority is not to have to fight them at all. The UK is due to elect new MEPs on 23 May, after Brexit was delayed amid continuing parliamentary deadlock. Several parties have launched their campaigns already but Conservative chair Mr Lewis told the BBC his focus was on next week's local elections. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October, or sooner if a deal is agreed. This means the UK must now hold European Parliament elections on 23 May if it wants to avoid leaving the EU without a deal. But if agreement can be reached among MPs before 22 May, the UK could cancel its participation in the elections.
No-deal Brexit option should be on ballot paper says second referendum backer
The option of a no-deal Brexit should be on the ballot paper in a second referendum, the interim leader of Change UK has suggested. Heidi Allen said she felt that the choice should be offered to voters as to some people it represents a "clean Brexit" - but added that an option to "remain as we are" must also be included. Ms Allen, who quit the Tories in February to join the Independent Group, also said the new party had to be about more than just Brexit. In an interview with The House magazine, Ms Allen said she has "some sympathy" for allowing a no-deal option on the ballot paper in a second referendum.
Here's Why Brexit Wasn't Followed By Frexit, Swexit Or Nexit
Instead of becoming a harbinger of the EU's demise, the United Kingdom descended into political chaos and became a cautionary tale for other EU countries. Isabell Hoffmann, who tracks opinion in the EU for Bertelsmann Stiftung, a German independent foundation, says Brexit hasn't hurt the EU's standing — it's helped it. "We do see a Brexit effect in the numbers when it comes to support for the European Union," says Hoffmann. "Actually, they go up in a significant manner, and they stay up ever since." That support is up by 10 percentage points since the 2016 referendum, she says. "There are now roughly 70 percent of people who'd say 'we would vote for our country to stay in the European Union.' "
Brexit: Irish backstop could undermine EU standards, report says
A new report, commissioned by the German Green party and seen by the Guardian, will exacerbate concerns in Berlin over the small print of the withdrawal agreement in its current form. As the dust settles after months of chaos in Westminster, suspicions are growing on the other side of the Channel that the backstop could in fact be the very opposite: a brilliant deception device constructed by crack UK negotiators, which would allow a more reckless British prime minister to undermine the EU’s green and social standards while still keeping access to the European single market.
Brexit Party candidate 'sick and tired' of Leave voters being branded 'racist' and 'homophobic'
A candidate for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party has said he's 'sick and tired' of Leave voters being branded 'homophobic' and 'racist' by the media. Louis Stedman-Bryce, a black openly gay man, announced his candidacy for the party on Thursday at a press conference in Manchester. Speaking at the conference, he said: Our democracy has been betrayed by the media’s portrayal of the type of person that voted for Brexit. The perception out there is that we’re white, we’re homophobic, we’re definitely racist and we didn’t know what we voted for. I stand before you as a gay black man and I can definitely tell you I know what I was voting for when I voted for Brexit. Stedman-Bryce, who is a property investor, will head up the EU's Parliamentary Election campaign in Scotland, reports Pink News.
Why the European Parliament elections will be the most European yet
With both the Far Right and the Pro-European political parties gearing up to fight the European elections in May, The Economist believes it looks set to be the most 'European' election to date
Hammond optimistic of finding Brexit compromise with Corbyn's Labour
Chancellor Philip Hammond said on Friday that he was hopeful of clinching a Brexit compromise with the Labour Party to allow the ratification of Prime Minister Theresa May’s thrice-defeated divorce deal.
Gavin Esler: In just 10 minutes I knew I had to run as an MEP
Esler hadn’t been interviewed for a job since he applied to be North America Correspondent at the BBC in 1989. Over Skype, Heidi Allen “with two or three other people in the room” asked him questions. “‘Why do you want to do it?’ and so on.” It lasted around three-quarters of an hour. “I didn’t think I would get it,” he adds. But at six o’clock on Easter Sunday he answered the phone to Chris Leslie, who said they would like him to run, at the top of the list.
Triumph for Extinction Rebellion as protests spark huge surge in ‘climate change’ web traffic
Alanna Byrne, a press coordinator for Extinction Rebellion, said the protests were “hugely successful” and they were pleased with the way the “message has travelled”. “Most of the feedback that we’ve had has been very positive, and even the right-wing press has been covering us pretty well,” she added. She also claimed that the protests were justified, despite criticism of the organisation’s techniques. “People have to understand that this is urgent and we have to act now,” she said. “We think the government has to do their part and take action now as well. We’re really sorry to the public for being disruptive – but at the end of the day if we don’t cause this temporary disruption now, the disruption in the future is going to be horrifying.”
2019 European elections: Lib Dems stand on 'stop Brexit' message
The Liberal Democrats have launched their European election campaign with an "unambiguous" pledge to stop Brexit. Leader Sir Vince Cable accused the Conservatives and Labour of a "stitch-up" and said a "people's vote" was the only way to end the Brexit "paralysis". He added it was "a pity" that fellow Remain-backing party Change UK had not agreed to running a combined campaign. The UK is due to leave the EU on 31 October, after Brexit was delayed, amid continuing parliamentary deadlock.
BBC's Katya Adler WARNS EU could let UK 'walk away' with no deal if October deadline met
BBC Europe Editor Katya Adler has claimed the European Union may just let the UK walk away from the bloc without a Brexit deal if an agreement is not reached before the end of October.
Brexiteer Conservatives are KILLING the Union claims former Theresa May aide
Mr Wilkins said Prime Minister Theresa May had gone back on her election pledge to bring back the former Conservative and Unionists party name. Speaking on BBC Newsnight, he argued that Mrs May had not stuck to that pledge. When quizzed by the show’s host Emily Maitlis, Mr Wilkins said: “The Prime Minister talked about going back to the real name of the party and made it a central plank with a lot of narrative. Ms Maitlis then asked whether this meant she had forgotten about the union, he added: “There is a big element in the Conservative Party who would like it to be an English national party, with a Scottish version, a Welsh version. “But for them, Brexit and ideally no deal Brexit in their eyes is far more important than maintaining the union.”
Inside the dark world of the Tory whips and their dirty tricks
In a party so ill-disciplined that top secret decisions like Huawei landing Britain’s 5G contract get leaked to the Telegraph, it is perhaps no wonder Government whips have had their work cut out of late. As the MPs responsible for making sure as many members of their party as possible vote the way Theresa May wants, it is fair to say Brexit hasn’t brought out the best in the current crop of whips. Reports of dirty tricks and skullduggery lie at the heart of an aggressive campaign to persuade Tories to back the Prime Minister’s widely unpopular withdrawal agreement. Yesterday Johnny Mercer, the Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View, once again accused the Government’s enforcement officers of skullduggery
Nearly 90 MPs And MEPs Demand Labour Backs Second Referendum In Euro-Elections
Amid growing frustration among the party’s pro-EU rank and file that the leadership will block any campaign for a second vote. HuffPost UK understands trade union figures met today and jointly agreed to press Jeremy Corbyn to include the words “confirmatory vote” in the manifesto for the June 23 poll. But while the leadership was ready to agree the phrase would be in Corbyn’s foreword, it would be banned from the main body of the manifesto, sources have said. Unite, arguably the labour movement’s most influential union, was not at the meeting. A draft leaflet for the Euro-elections, passed to HuffPost UK on Thursday, suggested the party had decided on a pro-Brexit stance, trumpeting a “better deal with Europe” and making no mention of a second referendum.
I'm An EU Citizen And NHS Nurse – Here's Why I'm Standing For Change UK
Brexit has turned our lives upside down and I had two options: to sit down and wait for my fate to be delivered to me, or fight for my rights and my beliefs. I choose to stand up.
Extinction Rebellion: Climate change protesters to stand in European elections
Environmental activists who participated in the recent Extinction Rebellion protests have announced they are standing in next month’s European elections. Nine candidates are running to be MEPs under the banner of Climate and Ecological Emergency Independents – including seven in London and two in the south-west England region – having been “inspired” by the disruptive demonstration across the capital. In a statement, the collective said they wanted to see Europe reach net zero carbon emissions by 2030 and have new citizen assemblies set up to give ordinary people a voice in shaping environmental policy.
Kit Malthouse: Don't pin blame for Brexit chaos on local Tories
While some ministers have found themselves cast into relative obscurity by the Brexit debate, Kit Malthouse planted himself squarely in the middle of it. In January the housing minister brokered a compromise plan formed by an extraordinary coalition of pro-EU and stridently Brexiteer Tories. For a brief period it appeared that the plan could give Theresa May a lifeline in the form of a Brexit plan that might just break the Commons impasse. But the Prime Minister chose not to adopt it as a new negotiating position with the EU. Now, Mr Malthouse, 52, who was a councillor for eight years in Westminster, is concerned that the “unedifying” mess in Westminster could harm the Tories in this week’s local elections
Labour to decide on Brexit public vote on Tuesday, says Corbyn
Labour’s ruling body will decide on Tuesday whether the party will campaign for a public vote on any Brexit deal, Jeremy Corbyn has said on the campaign trail in leave-voting Peterborough. Almost 90 Labour MPs and MEPs, including a number of frontbenchers, wrote to the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) to demand that its European election manifesto include a “clear commitment to a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal”. However, Corbyn declined to guarantee the commitment. He stressed that he was not a dictator and that the matter would be for the NEC to decide.
Corbyn launches bid to declare a national climate emergency
Labour will this week force a vote in parliament to declare a national environmental and climate change emergency as confidential documents show the government has spent only a fraction of a £100m fund allocated in 2015 to support clean air projects.Jeremy Corbyn’s party will demand on Wednesday that the country wakes up to the threat and acts with urgency to avoid more than 1.5°C of warming, which will require global emissions to fall by about 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching “net zero” before 2050.
'Young people have the power to swing these elections' says one of the youngest candidates
23-year-old Carmen Smith is one of the youngest candidates standing for any party (Plaid Cymru) in the European elections. Here she writes why she thinks young people have the power to swing the election.
Heidi Allen: “The fact people are trying to pick holes shows we must be a bit of a threat”
Ever since she railed against George Osborne’s welfare cuts, Heidi Allen’s relationship with the Conservatives looked fragile. After months of feeling disillusioned with her adopted party, she helped to form The Independent Group. Now interim leader of the rebranded Change UK, the South Cambridgeshire MP is hopeful for success at the European elections – but says Brexit cannot be everything that her party’s about. She talks to Sebastian Whale
Vince Cable: Let’s train our guns on breaking Brexit and create a new brand of politics
The fact that European elections are happening at all is testament to the dismal failure of Brexiteers to have any real plan for how to deliver what they promised. They now seek to blame Remainers for not “falling in line”, as though we should somehow have ceased to believe what we do because a narrow majority of others disagreed. Yet the real reason Brexit has been delayed — and may well be cancelled — is that those who advocate it cannot agree on what it should look like. The whole project has run into the sand, as it deserved to.
SDLP 'want to demonstrate politics work'
The SDLP leader has urged politicians to show those who murdered journalist Lyra McKee that "politics does work ... to have a Brexit committee to deal with the fallout from the UK leaving the EU.
Pro-Brexit newspaper puts spin on 8% Remain poll lead
A survey has found that Remain now have an 8% lead over Leave, but one newspaper has put a pro-Brexit spin on its headline. The European Parliament Spring Eurobarometer polls people Europe-wide for attitudes towards the union.
It found that while 45% of UK respondents would vote to remain today, just 37% would vote to leave, giving Remain an 8% lead. The other 18% of respondents were unsure.
Brexit Party Threatens Tories and They Aren't Even Fighting Back
Nigel Farage is back, doing what he does best: Terrifying Conservative members of Parliament. Theresa May’s deeply divided Conservative Party can’t agree on how to tackle the threat posed by the veteran anti-EU campaigner and founder of the new Brexit Party -- a threat one Cabinet minister described as existential.As long as the Tories fail to deliver Brexit, the minister said, Farage will strip them of votes. The first test of that will be on May 23, when the country is likely to take part in an election to the European Union’s parliament -- even though Britain voted to leave the bloc three years ago.
Political Setbacks
May MISERY: Prime Minister has ‘KILLED’ Brexit– 'Tories a smoking RUIN', expert claims
Political commentator John Rentoul claimed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is likely to become Prime Minister at the next election thanks to the Government’s failure to leave the EU. He said in The Independent that the Government promised the referendum three years ago but has failed to deliver Brexit. The co-author of Tony Blair’s biography also said that Corbyn is likely to win the next election because the Tories are “done for”.
‘Running out of time’ - EU expert issues damning statement on May’s latest extension
Although Mrs May has managed to buy some valuable time to get her Brexit deal through, the UK is only just coming to the end of the beginning of the whole process. Dr Simon Usherwood, deputy chair at The UK in Changing Europe think tank, has argued that with every extension, the UK is cutting into the crucial transition stage of the Brexit negotiations. The deputy chair has insisted that although every extension avoids the possibility of a no deal Brexit, it will also make it much harder for the Government to come to an agreement over the upcoming transition stage.
Tory chiefs warn MPs and activists will be kicked out if they back Nigel Farage
Tory chiefs have warned MPs and local activists they will be kicked out of the party if they back Nigel Farage in the European elections. The threat came as a poll shows Theresa May’s troops faces a hammering as Brexit voters desert her in droves. But some fed-up candidates vowed to jump ship instead of waiting to be pushed if the party goes ahead with the heavy-handed tactics. An Opinium poll showed support for the Tories has slumped to just 14 per cent ahead of next month’s the EU elections.
Exclusive: New IRA says Brexit helps it to recruit
The group said Britain’s leaving the EU had given it a chance to recruit supporters. “Brexit has forced the IRA to refocus and has underlined how Ireland remains partitioned. It would be remiss of us not to capitalise on the opportunity,” said one of the dissidents. In the interview, which followed months of secret contacts with republican dissidents north and south of the border, the leadership said the shooting of the 29-year-old journalist in the Creggan area of Londonderry 10 days ago was an accident that occurred in the midst of a riot and described her death as “shocking” and “something that did nothing to further any cause”.
Angry Labour activists threaten European election campaign boycott
Leading Labour activists are warning Jeremy Corbyn that they could boycott the party’s campaign for the European elections unless it backs a confirmatory referendum on Brexit, as pressure mounts on the leadership to support a fresh public vote. The warnings come before a crucial meeting on Tuesday of Labour’s deeply split national executive committee (NEC) at which the wording of the party’s European election manifesto is due to be decided.
Don't take out your Brexit frustrations on our hard-working Tory councillors
Once you get going you will find that canvassing in a British high street is as enjoyable as any other contact sport – and even more exciting, in the sense that you can never be entirely sure who is going to be on your side. As you weave from shop to shop in a kind of rolling maul, you develop an instinct about the members of the public who loom into your path. Sometimes you need to deploy the old side-step; sometimes you palm them off with another member of your team. But most times you will want to commit wholeheartedly to the tackle – thrusting out your garish campaign bumf, clasping their hand, and inquiring joyfully whether you can count on their support.
Now Ukip candidate who said he 'wouldn't even rape' a Labour MP says it's OK to sexually abuse boys
Police are examining sickening statements about child abuse made by a highly controversial Ukip candidate. Carl Benjamin was formally adopted by the party as a candidate for the European elections last week despite fury over his remark that he ‘wouldn’t even rape’ a Labour MP. Now a senior Ukip source has told The Mail on Sunday that they have passed a dossier to Wiltshire police containing deeply offensive remarks made by Mr Benjamin, an online ‘vlogger’ from Swindon who calls himself ‘Sargon of Akkad’.
Major parties across Europe are dying. Unless we deliver Brexit, Tories and Labour could be next
The onset of the banking crash, the squeeze on living standards and the austerity policies required by euro membership played a big part. Voters expected one or other of the two main parties to be able to reverse the economic decline and became disillusioned with both when they discovered that they did not have the power to do so within the EU. Even in Germany, where the economy did relatively well, the two main parties have suffered. Mrs Merkel’s centre-Right CDU lost out badly from backing higher levels of immigration. Many voters also resented Germany having to pay the bills of other eurozone members.
Farage raises hackles in Oldham by saying town is split on racial lines
He is supposed to be fronting a campaign to propel his Brexit party into the European parliament. But Nigel Farage abandoned Europe at the weekend and flew to the US to give a speech where he claimed entire streets of Oldham in Greater Manchester are split along racial lines. Addressing an audience of young libertarians at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, Farage said Oldham was a “divided society”. He told the Young America’s Foundation: “I could take you to a town called Oldham in the north of England where literally on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side of the street everybody is black. The twain never actually meet, there is no assimilation. Whole streets in Oldham of people who have lived in my country for over 30 years who don’t speak a word of the English language. These, folks, are divided societies in which resentments build and grow.”
‘Traitors’: Homes with Labour, Lib Dems and Green posters vandalised in suspected Brexit-related attacks
Properties displaying Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green Party posters Sussex have been vandalised, in attacks thought to be linked to Brexit. The houses targeted in Lewes had the words “traitors” and “hypocrites” spray painted on their exterior walls. “The vandalism includes damage to property and the public footpath,” a spokesperson for Lewes Labour Party said in a statement. “The recent vandalism appears to follow a national trend of anti-social behaviour against political posters and individuals who are involved in local democratic political activity.” Campaigning is in full swing across the UK, where local elections will be held on 2 May.
European elections: Confusion over voter registration could stop thousands of EU citizens from casting ballot, campaigners warn
Thousands of EU nationals living in the UK could inadvertently lose their right to take part in the upcoming European elections because of widespread confusion over how to register, campaigners have warned, amid reports some European citizens are yet to receive their poll cards. Existing rules stipulate that EU citizens must both register to vote and sign a special “UC1” form stating that they will note vote anywhere else in the EU, by 7 May. But confusion has arisen because the UC1 form must be resubmitted before every election – even if the European national intending to vote has already signed and submitted that form previously, for example before the 2014 poll.
My England is in a mess. Scotland’s case for splitting away is stronger than ever
Viewed cynically, Sturgeon’s manoeuvre is reducible to picking a fight with Westminster over a referendum the UK government is unlikely to allow, so as to buy time, avert people’s eyes from the question of what the party has actually done with power, and assist the SNP’s chances in the 2021 Scottish elections. One big tension sits under everything: the fact that even if independence looks more logical than ever, the politics of actually pulling it off could not be more complicated.
Who is funding the Brexit party? Asks LBC's Ian Dale
Who is funding the Brexit Party (22m 50 secs) Farage looks awkward and intially says "we've done this all via the website" but when pressed admits "we've received one big donation" - refusing to say who it is. Rules say he must reveal it - so why not reveal it now?
Patrick Mercer: Former Conservative MP explains why he now backs Nigel Farage and Brexit Party
Now, however, that’s all changed. It’s worth remembering that David Cameron only called a referendum because of the gathering Ukip storm – he had to do something to defuse the prowling ‘fruitcakes’ if he wanted to keep his party together and his own hand in No 10’s sweetie jar. Sadly, for him, he underestimated the passion of people like my wife and the resonance of Farage’s cause.
Andrew Adonis’s staggering Brexit U-turn exposes him as an unprincipled chancer
Andrew Adonis’s staggering Brexit U-turn finally exposes him as the definitive example of all those unprincipled chancers now rotting British politics. Once a Lib Dem, he became an unelected Labour peer, a staunch Blairite, then a Brownite. Then he became the Tories’ infrastructure chief. Then came his deranged crusade to reverse Brexit and his unhinged social media attacks on Leavers and even neutral civil servants planning for Brexit. He told Leavers not to vote Labour. Now, though, he’s a Corbynista MEP candidate, suddenly batting for a “sensible”, “socialist” Brexit. No wonder “people’s vote” Remainers are outraged at their former figurehead’s betrayal.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8942633/andrew-adonis-brexit-u-turn-sun-says/
Additional sources: (Somerset Live)
Additional sources: (Somerset Live)
Brexit revolt as Scottish Tory voters back Farage
Scotland is poised to elect an MEP from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party as voters abandon the Scottish Conservatives, according to a poll for The Times. Ruth Davidson’s party faces losing its only representative in the Strasbourg parliament, analysis of the research by YouGov found, as nearly 40 per cent of voters who backed the Scottish Tories two years ago switch to Mr Farage’s new group. The survey, the first to be conducted after Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, also found increased support for secession, with 49 per cent of Scots preparing to vote Yes, compared to 45 per cent in YouGov’s last poll for this newspaper in June. The research suggests that the SNP is on the verge of doubling its European politicians from two to four, according to Sir John Curtice, an election expert.
Brexit uncertainty 'affecting MPs' mental health'
The ongoing climate of Brexit uncertainty has led to a "testing time" for MPs with some of them reaching "almost breaking point", a Lancashire politician has said.
Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said the political situation was affecting some members' mental health, and admitted to waking up at 4am "thinking about Brexit".
He told the BBC: "It's probably having an impact on MPs more than they would care to admit." The Mental health charity MIND has reached out to MPs and is offering help and support.
Brexit BLUNDER: Theresa May risks making ‘ILLEGAL’ move if she cancels £100m EU elections
MEP Change UK candidate and senior barrister, Jessica Simor has said “stopping the EU election at the last minute would likely be illegal”. Ms Simor claimed that if the Prime Minister cancelled the EU elections, she could face legal action from EU citizens residing in the UK. Yet, Mrs May has repeatedly claimed she has until May 22 to cancel the election.
Facebook prepares for EU election interference ahead of vote in May
Facebook is preparing to tackle interference campaigns aimed to misinform and manipulate voters ahead of the EU's elections in May. Last year the company acknowledged that social media could have a damaging impact on democracy and admitted it was "too slow to recognise" Russian attempts to interfere in the US presidential election. To protect its users from similar interference in the upcoming EU elections Facebook has announced a new range of fact-checking features.
Remainers: don’t panic about European elections. Just participating is a win
There is only one risk here for remainers – that a big win for the Brexit party could spook some Labour MPs into voting for May’s package after all. But provided the Labour vote holds up, and indicates that MPs’ seats are safe, this risk ought to be minimal. In any case, most analysts will be observing not the number of seats allocated but the share of ballots cast. Farage will do well, but it seems unlikely that the Brexit party, Tories, Ukip and the DUP will collectively gain more than 50% of the vote. Indeed, the biggest story of the election is likely to be the humiliation of the Conservative party. Given that this is the party responsible for delivering Brexit, its drubbing in a national poll is unlikely to harm remainers. Even if the government lurched towards no-deal, parliament would not allow it and the EU would not insist on it.
Tommy Robinson's MEP campaign will be an utter failure – but I know first-hand where his real danger lies
Turning up to a “forgotten” neighbourhood, bringing food and promising to tackle supposed threats, is a classic tactic of wannabe authoritarians, from Weimar Berlin to the former Yugoslavia on the eve of civil war. So the crowd get burgers, and a modicum of attention and a kind of “lovebombing” takes place – creating a strong emotional bond between followers and a leading figure. On the surface, this is about seeking electoral success, but there’s also the goal of building a street movement among those who feel ignored and disenfranchised. The campaign video was hell-bent on stirring divisions. It even spoke of politicians who don’t “breathe the same air” as his supporters.
Ex-housing tsar Roger Scruton says the 'witch hunt' of people on the political right is worsening
Sir Roger Scruton has said that the 'witch hunt' of people on the political right is getting worse, following his dismissal over his comments on Islamophobia. former government advisor has expressed his concerns around the silencing of a 'conservative voice', as he challenged remarks he made to the New Statesman publication last month. The 75-year-old had been dismissed as a housing tsar following the interview, with Downing Street then accusing him of making comments which were of a 'deeply offensive and completely unacceptable' nature. The former Chairman of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission has now said the way his views were presented in the magazine were such as to 'cause some kind of scandal'.
UKIP refuses to dump candidate who used vile racial slurs including the n-word
Carl Benjamin, aka Sargon of Akkad, repeatedly used the words "n****r" and "spic" in a 2015 video - yet UKIP claim he's fighting "political correctness" and will not kick him off the party's ticket in the EU elections
The Tory leak of Huawei’s role in the UK’s 5G network confirms that Theresa May’s government is doomed
You don’t have to be a detective to deduce that the most likely leaker was a cabinet minister who wants to succeed May (which reduces the list of suspects to 28)
Nigel Farage faces voter backlash after Ann Widdecombe slams pension campaigners as ‘self-indulgent and entitled’
Protests are now planned outside her remaining dates on her Strictly Ann tour following her remarks on a BBC show. Widdecombe, 71, is top of Farage’s Brexit Party’s south west region list ahead of the European Parliament elections next month. The former Tory MP said: “I’m sorry I’m going to be blunt here, it is unreasonable, self-indulgent and entitled to think that you can retire at the same age with a much longer life expectancy at the state’s expense.” The controversy surrounds the transition to equal pension age with campaigners saying many women only found about the change months before they were due to turn 60. It means many have had to carry on working for an extra five or six years. Up to 3.9 million women are thought to be affected by the changes, according to the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group. There is going to be a judicial review of the alleged mishandling of the case to be held at the High Court in June.
SNP votes for Scotland to quickly adopt new currency if it leaves UK
The Scottish National party has voted to establish an independent currency “as soon as practicable” if Scotland were to leave the UK, as activists rejected a more cautious timetable put forward by the party leadership. In a narrow victory for the grassroots, the party conference agreed by 52 votes to amend part of a wide-ranging economic blueprint, created by the party’s sustainable growth commission, to allow for a new currency to be fast-tracked and “ready for introduction as soon as practicable after Independence Day”.
Public thinks EU referendum was bad idea, says poll
More than half the public – 55% – now think it would have been better never to have held the EU referendum given the difficulties of reaching an agreement on Brexit, according to the latest Opinium/Observer poll. Strikingly, more Conservative voters (49%) now think the referendum was a bad idea than believe it was the right thing to have done (43%). Among Labour supporters, 72% believe it would have been better never to have staged the vote, while 18% say it was worthwhile. The Conservatives are down 3 percentage points on 26% compared with a fortnight ago and continue to trail Labour (also down 3pts on 33%) by seven percentage points. Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit party, meanwhile, has established itself in a clear third place on 17%, having been included in the national poll for the first time.
Brexit: Labour to redraft European Parliament election leaflets
Labour is redrafting European election leaflets after accusations of ignoring a pledge to hold a further Brexit referendum, the BBC has been told. They will now refer to the party's preparations for a general election, with a referendum if necessary to avoid what it calls a "bad Tory deal". Jeremy Corbyn says Labour's ruling body will make a decision on Tuesday about backing a public vote on any deal. About 100 Labour MPs and MEPs want such a promise in the party manifesto.
They wrote to members of the national executive committee before it meets on Tuesday to decide on the manifesto.
Brexit deadlock not local elections on mind of Conservative voters
With local elections a week away the campaign remains dominated by the deadlock over Brexit painting a bad picture of the Conservatives
@BBCNewsnight Labour MP Janet Daby, one of the 90 MPs and MEPs calling for the party to make clear its backing for a second vote, says it “would be very difficult” to hand out a leaflet that does not mention any commitment to another public vote
Labour MP Janet Daby, one of the 90 MPs and MEPs calling for the party to make clear its backing for a second vote, says it “would be very difficult” to hand out a leaflet that does not mention any commitment to another public vote
Nicola Sturgeon is trying to tear our country apart, the BBC can't keep giving her an easy ride
The BBC must institute a dramatic overhaul of its attitude towards Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP now that Scotland’s First Minister has thrown her troops into another referendum battle to break up Britain. She can’t be permitted to get away again with the easy ride she enjoyed at the hands of Martha Kearney on the Today programme. There’s no certainty that there will be another referendum but with Ms Sturgeon’s officials – all members of the British civil service, remember – preparing the ground for such a vote, she must now be treated as a frontline British politician, with all the attendant ferocious scrutiny of her views, policies and record.
Forget Andrew Adonis’s U-turn on Brexit. It’s Labour that should really make one
The Labour leadership is pushing opportunity into the jaws of defeat, given its overwhelmingly pro-European base. The international commission of Labour’s national policy forum, which includes trade unionists, MPs and constituency reps, has just voted unanimously that Labour’s EU election manifesto should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum. On the same day, the Huffington Post obtained a draft Labour leaflet for the European elections saying that Labour would go ahead with Brexit and seek “a better deal with Europe”, with no mention of a confirmatory vote. It reported that neither Keir Starmer nor the head of the Labour MEPs, Richard Corbett, were consulted on the leaflet’s content. If that is the case, it is plain outrageous
Twitter bans Tommy Robinson and Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin's campaign accounts
Twitter has banned the Euro election campaign accounts of Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin and far-right extremist Tommy Robinson. Ukip today refused to dump Benjamin after a video emerged of him using a variety of racial slurs. Benjamin, a vlogger who calls himself “Sargon of Akkad”, had already been banned from Twitter in 2017 for violating the platform's rules on targeted abuse. And Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was permanently banned in March 2018 for violating its rules on "hateful conduct". Benjamin rose to notoriety after Tweeting a message to Labour MP Jess Philips, saying "I wouldn't even rape you."
Alastair Campbell warns Labour over Brexit referendum
Alastair Campbell says he would find it difficult to vote Labour in the European elections if the party does not pledge to hold a referendum on the Brexit deal. Tony Blair's former director of communications, a supporter of the People's Vote campaign, told Nick Robinson's Political Thinking Podcast that it would be an "error of catastrophic proportions" for Labour not to give the public the final say.
Brexit: Corbyn facing fresh pressure to commit to second referendum after ‘furious’ MPs condemn leaked leaflet
Jeremy Corbyn is under growing pressure over his party’s position on a second Brexit referendum after a leaked draft of a campaign leaflet included no mention of a Final Say vote. The Labour leader faced an angry backlash over the flyer, with MPs saying it had triggered “complete meltdown” in the party and left pro-EU MPs “utterly furious”. As the row deepened, 75 MPs and 14 MEPs wrote to Labour’s governing body to demand that “a clear commitment” to another referendum be included in the party’s manifesto for next month’s European parliament elections.
Mr Corbyn’s top team is split on whether Labour should support a second referendum. Several senior shadow cabinet ministers want the party to support a public vote on any Brexit deal passed by parliament, but Mr Corbyn’s inner circle say he only supports a referendum on the government’s deal or to avoid a no-deal outcome. Other shadow ministers oppose another public poll entirely
Gibraltar glee at Brexit chaos: Rock's chief vows to get 'wasted' if EU exit blocked
The Rock’s chief minister Fabian Picardo said Brexit “is more stalled than we could imagine” as he predicted Britain’s exit from the Brussels club could be stopped altogether. Describing his relief if Britain remained in the EU, he joked: “If there is no Brexit I will get so wasted and I will invite the mayor of La Línea and my friends from here and from Gibraltar to celebrate with me.”
Brexit Party candidate claimed Tory Islamophobia was 'made up by the left'
A Brexit Party candidate has sparked a backlash after claiming Tory Islamophobia was “made up”. Salmon tycoon Lance Forman said the row was invented "by the left" to distract from anti-Semitic racism in Labour. In Twitter messages from 2017 to 2018, he also said Islamophobia was "reactive" and "not enough Muslims are standing up for the Jews". And he described Jeremy Corbyn as a Nazi and "fascist", saying: "It's undeniable." Labour claimed the comments were "disgraceful, racist and bigoted" while the Muslim Council of Britain said "dismissing evidence of Islamophobia" must not be tolerated.
With his money-grubbing speeches, Boris Johnson cheapens our politics
What does a person say in two speeches that is worth £160,000? Do they vomit gold? This is the amount that Boris Johnson made last month. He made a speech for the India Today conference and he got £122,990. Accommodation and transport provided of course. On the day Theresa May lost the second Brexit vote in the House of Commons he gave a speech for £38,250 to Citigroup Global Markets Ltd. Johnson is certainly taking advantage of the more liberal rules about income and interests now that he is no longer a minister.
Tories face 'catastrophe' at May 2 local elections, says leaked Lib Dem briefing note
The Tories face a bruising kick in the ballots as voters desert them at next week’s local elections, a leaked briefing has revealed. An internal Lib Dem memo predicts a “catastrophe” for Theresa May ’s party when swathes of England hold council polls on May 2. More than 8,300 seats are up for grabs, half of them Conservative.
The same set of seats was contested four years ago, when David Cameron led the Conservatives to a shock general election triumph, delivering the party’s first parliamentary majority for 23 years.
The dangerous allure of a fudged Brexit
During Mr Johnson’s brief and ignominious spell as foreign secretary, officials reported that his response to inconvenient facts was to cover his ears and hum the national anthem until the bearer of the bad news had departed. Nothing has changed.
A phoney war between old and young is no way to secure the Conservatives' future
It’s rare, nowadays, to come across a Conservative who isn’t trying to be the next leader of the party. Theresa May has been an inspiration, insofar as most of her MPs think they could do a better job. So a mass audition has started, with speeches outlining grand visions for the future. Almost every time, we hear how the party’s biggest problem is winning back young voters. But how? This is where the ideas run out. It’s a bit of a problem. For most of the last 15 years, the Tories have been anxiously trying to look slick, modern and vigorous – only to see a pensioner, Jeremy Corbyn, waltz off with the youth vote.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Britain calls China's Belt and Road Initiative 'vision'
Speaking at a summit in Beijing on China’s programme to re-create the old Silk Road joining China with Asia and Europe, Hammond said the BRI must work for everyone for it to turn into a sustainable reality and he offered British expertise in project financing. “The Belt and Road Initiative has tremendous potential to spread prosperity and sustainable development, touching as it does, potentially 70 percent of the world’s population, a project of truly epic ambition,” Hammond said. “The U.K. is committed to helping to realise the potential of the BRI and to doing so in way that works for all whose lives are touched by the project,” he added. “The BRI is an extraordinarily ambitious vision,” Hammond said. “To turn that vision into a sustainable reality, it must work for everyone involved.”
Japan warns that no deal Brexit must be avoided at all costs at Brussels summit
Shinzo Abe, Japan's prime minister, has said that a no deal Brexit must be avoided at all costs at a summit with European Union chiefs in Brussels. Mr Abe said that Japanese companies needed a predictable business environment to continue their operations in the UK before calling on the EU and Britain to ensure a smooth Brexit.
Standing alongside Jean-Claude Juncker., the president of the European Commission and Donald Tusk, the president of the European Council, Mr Abe said that Japanese firms had invested in Britain because it was a "gateway to Europe".
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 30th Apr 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Brexit undermines the pound's global currency status
- Brexit will threaten the pound's status as a global reserve currency, according to a survey of central bank money managers
British car output falls for the tenth month in a row
- Output tumbled by an annual 14.4% to 126,195 cars in March, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4%
Britain trapped in a Brexit 'No Man's Land' - next decade could be weakest for growth since WW2
- Andrew Sentence, a former member of the Bank of England central bank interest rate setting monetary policy committee said 'I can see the UK limping along for a while, right up until Brexit negotiations are fully resolved. I can see the UK being in this limbo-land for quite a while, certainly up until the late 2020's'
Brexit will slow the UK economy for the rest of 2019 - forecaster predicts
- Howard Archer, the EY Item Club's chief economic adviser said 'Delays to Brexit, a difficult domestic economic and political backdrop and slower global economic growth will result in a weaker outlook for UK GDP this year'
UK consumers remain unfazed by the Brexit storms, firms a little more upbeat - survey says
- The GfK consumer confidence index held steady for a third month at -13 during April. Spending by UK consumers has helped soften a slowdown in the overall economy, with help from a combination of low employment, rising wages and modest inflation
Number of UK firms in critical financial distress soars by 17%
- A survey by insolvency group Begbies Traynor found that half a million businesses - one in seven of all UK companies - were in significant financial distress during the first three months of 2019. The number of distressed companies in the property sector jumped by 13% to 48,182 from 45,512 from a year earlier. Property was the worst hit sector for the second quarter in a row as people are holding off making big purchases like new homes
UK will ask for assurances from the European Union on the fate of British citizens living in the EU bloc
- The UK parliament passed a resolution in February to mandate the government to seek assurances of the fate of UK nationals in the EU bloc post-Brexit. The EU Commission said it would not negotiate mini-deals, therefore, the UK should pass the withdrawal agreement in which this issue has already been negotiated
Eyes down for today's Labour Party National Executive Committee Meeting
- An almighty clash between the Labour Party's pro-Europeans and its Lexiteers looks set to take place Tuesday. At stake is the fate of the wording of any commitment to a confirmatory, or second Brexit referendum, in Labour's European Election manifesto. Both factions look set to clash with the Labour leadership likely to propose that the party 'agrees a formula which is a restatement of the party's equivocal and prolix party conference resolution from last September.' Often described as a position of 'constructive Brexit ambiguity'
Brexit compromise talks to end deadlock over Brexit move on to discuss 'nuts and bolts' of any future deal
- Labour's shadow environment secretary said the Monday meeting with senior government ministers was very constructive, that there was more to discuss, but the government is starting to indicate a willingness to drop some of its red lines
Second referendum options are part of the cross-party talks, says David Lidington
- Senior Conservative MP David Lidington confirmed that a second referendum has been discussed as part of the cross-party talks on a Brexit deal. He did add that it was not government policy to support a second referendum and that the idea has been defeated the last couple of times it was voted on in Parliament
Former Tory Universities Minister said the government's plans to hike university fees for EU citizens means it risks being seen as 'against young people'
- Sam Gyimah said the government plans undermined the universities sector. The government seems to be taking steps to make it more difficult for young people in this country to live, work and study abroad
No decision as yet on post-Brexit student fees
- With the media focussing on government plans to increase fees for EU students wishing to study in the UK after Brexit firmly in the public domain, the sound of ministerial backpedalling could be loudly heard across Whitehall. Accusations flew among Parliamentarians suggesting that 'the government is building walls between the top British universities and the EU' and 'the EU would likely reciprocate meaning only the richest from the UK could afford to study abroad.' So later in the day the government said it had not yet agreed this new charging policy yet so it was purely hypothetical at this stage
MPs could vote again on Brexit options if the cross-party talks break down
- Theresa May's spokesperson said cross-party talks would continue as long as there was still a prospect of reaching a single position to put to parliament. But, he added, if they end, the PM would then look to bring forward a small number of votes to try and find a way through Parliament.
Farage's Brexit Party eyes seat of disgraced ex-Labour MP Fiona Onasanya
- Nigel Farage's party will contest the Peterborough by-election if a Parliamentary recall petition triggers it later this week. Nigel Farage is bullish about his party's chances declaring that it would fight to win the seat
The shadow of a future Tory leadership contest starts to loom
- Current prisons minister, Rory Stewart was quoted as saying he'd likely quit if Boris Johnson became leader. Former Tory minister, Chris Patten, also said; 'I can certainly think of some candidates in my party who I could not conceivably vote for'
Nigel Farage refuses to reveal who made the 'one big donation' to his party
- The fall out from Farage's LBC interview in which he dropped the news that he had one big donor and loads of small ones funding his party is starting to spread to the mainstream media
Nigel Farage's 'British streets split by race' speech to a U.S. audience begins to be reported
- In an inflamatory speech to conservative students at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, Nigel Farage said 'Oldham was so racially divided that blacks lived on one side of the street and whites on the other and there was no assimilation whatsoever just a divided society'
Theresa May will just delay a Queen's Speech to Parliament until 'after Brexit is delivered'
- Any new session of Parliament, scheduled to begin in June, would simply not begin until the Brexit withdrawal agreement has been ratified. Theresa May's spokesperson said there was now no specific date for a new session of Parliament to start
Theresa May is the first Tory leader in 185 years to face an emergency grassroots vote demanding her resignation
- The Sun reported that the PM is to be hauled in front of a snap meeting of all 800 Conservative Party constituency chairmen and activists in June, at which there will be a discussion and vote on whether to demand her resignation for failing to deliver Brexit
Economic Impact
Brexit threatens pound’s status as global currency, survey says
Brexit is likely to threaten the pound’s status as a global reserve currency according to a survey of central bank money managers who say Britain’s departure from the EU will alter their views on sterling. The pound’s history as one of the most important global currencies has meant central banks have long held assets denominated in pounds that can be sold quickly to help curb swings in their own currency’s exchange rates. But a poll by Central Banking Publications, a trade journal, suggests its status will be endangered by Brexit, with three-quarters of reserve managers predicting that central banks will collectively alter — and in all likelihood cut — their sterling holdings. More than one-third of 80 people surveyed — managers working at central banks that hold €7tn in assets — indicated that they would reduce the sterling holdings they personally control.
UK car output falls 14% in March, worse seen if no Brexit deal
British car output fell for the tenth month in a row in March, hit by a slowdown in key foreign markets, and the sector stands to suffer a lot more if the country leaves the European Union without a deal, an industry body said on Tuesday. Output tumbled by an annual 14.4 percent to 126,195 cars in March, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders said. Exports, which account for nearly four out of every five cars made in Britain, were down by 13.4 percent. The SMMT said analysis it had commissioned predicted output would fall this year to 1.36 million units from 1.52 million in 2018, assuming London can secure a transition deal with the EU. If Britain has to rely instead on World Trade Organization rules for its trade with the bloc, which include import tariffs, output is forecast to fall by around 30 percent to 1.07 million units in 2021, returning to mid-1980s levels, the SMMT said
How has Brexit vote affected the UK economy? April verdict
Britain’s economy is trapped in “no man’s land” by Brexit and the next decade could be the weakest for growth since the second world war, a former senior Bank of England policymaker has warned. Andrew Sentance, a former member of the central bank’s interest rate-setting monetary policy committee (MPC), said: “The UK economy will be limping on for a while, until Brexit negotiations are fully resolved. I can see the UK being in this limbo-land for quite a while – certainly until the late 2020s.” The warning comes as the Guardian’s Brexit dashboard reveals robust growth at the start of the year, fuelled by a dramatic rise in stockpiling before the original Brexit date of 29 March, now postponed until the end of October.
Brexit will slow UK economy for rest of 2019, forecaster warns
Howard Archer, the EY Item Club’s chief economic adviser, said: “Delays to Brexit, a difficult domestic economic and political backdrop and slower global economic activity have resulted in a weaker outlook for UK GDP growth this year.” The report said the Bank would probably leave interest rates at 0.75% – where the base rate has been set since August last year – throughout 2019. However, it added that a 25 basis point hike over the summer to 1% could not be ruled out, if the economy continued to show resilience and the labour market strengthened further.
Administrative Fall Out
UK consumers unfazed by Brexit storm, firms more upbeat: surveys
British consumers were unruffled by the latest twists and turns in the country’s Brexit drama and companies have dialled down their worry levels, two surveys published on Tuesday showed. The GfK consumer confidence index - which was conducted mostly in the run-up to a Brexit deadline that was eventually pushed back, the second such delay since March - held steady for a third month at -13 in April. Spending by Britain’s consumers has helped soften a slowdown in the overall economy, thanks to a combination of low unemployment, rising wages and modest inflation.
Employee anxiety peaks despite government’s pledge to uphold workers’ rights post-Brexit
Despite the government’s pledge to keep and strengthen workers’ rights in a post-Brexit world, research from the CIPD has revealed that over a quarter (26 percent) of British employees have expressed job anxiety. Simultaneously, a recent article from the Guardian also states that 64 percent of people believe the stress caused by Brexit is bad for their mental health.
Brexit latest: Number of UK firms in critical financial distress soars 17%
The number of UK businesses in “critical” financial distress jumped 17 per cent over the year to the end of March, with a significant deterioration seen in the first quarter of 2019 as Brexit uncertainty deepened. Research by insolvency firm Begbies Traynor found that almost half a million businesses – one in seven of all UK companies – were in significant financial distress in the first three months of 2019. The number of significantly distressed companies in the property sector jumped by 13 per cent to 48,182 for the quarter, from 42,512 in the same period a year ago. Property was the worst-hit sector for the second quarter in a row, and was hurt by people holding off making big purchases including new homes.
My mum fled to the UK from Somalia's civil war, now Brexit may uproot her all over again
In the case of my mother, she was suffering from PTSD from the war and followed my father, who had promised her a better life, to the UK. When I ask about the time she spent in the Netherlands, she says she doesn’t quite remember – with fresh memories of the war looming over her, she cared simply about providing for her children. Since then, she has lived and worked in Britain for well over a decade. She has in all respects (although I personally dislike the connotations of this word) “integrated” into British society. Now my mother feels a sense of anxiety whenever Brexit is mentioned. I also hold Dutch nationality, but my fears do not run as deep as hers. She has asked me numerous times if she will be forced to move again and worries because her memory of the Netherlands is hazy due to her suffering from shock at the time. It may seem like the least of politicians’ worries at the moment, but we need to treat the mental health of these former refugees more carefully.
Government looking to charge EU students more to attend English universities after Brexit
Education ministers are looking at hiking fees for EU students at universities in England. Education Secretary Damian Hinds wants the new system in place for courses starting in the 2021/22 academic year. Under EU membership, EU nationals studying in the UK currently pay the same tuition fees as home students.
Brexit: UK to ask EU for citizens' rights assurance
The government will ask for assurances from the European Union on what happens to British citizens living in the bloc - and EU citizens in the UK - in the case of a no-deal Brexit. Tory MP Alberto Costa and campaign groups met the Brexit Secretary on Monday, calling for protections to be ring-fenced whatever Brexit's outcome. MPs supported an amendment to the PM's Brexit deal in February to secure citizens' rights. But the EU has rejected the plan. European Commission spokeswoma, Mina Andreeva said they would "not negotiate mini-deals", and the best way to protect citizens' rights was through the deal negotiated between the EU and UK. Around 1.3m UK citizens live in one of the other 27 EU member states, while the UK hosts about 3.2m EU nationals.
Political Shenanigans
Will Labour commit to referendum on any Brexit proposed by this government?
Sources close to the Labour leader believe the emergency NEC meeting on Tuesday, which determines the Labour manifesto for the EU elections, will agree a formula that is "a restatement" of the party's equivocal and prolix party conference resolution of last September. But a senior trade union source tells me that if Unison, GMB and Usdaw are bulldozed on Tuesday, if their demand for Labour to commit to a "confirmatory" referendum on any Brexit deal is simply ignored, Corbyn and his colleagues are "being delusional about the likely consequences". The well-placed trade unionist added: "They have no idea what's going to hit them and the scale of the backlash they will face" - which captures for you how emotions are running very high. And given that Unison, the GMB and Usdaw are respectively the first, third and fourth biggest trade unions in the UK, they can certainly cause trouble for Corbyn, if so minded.
Just days to stop EU elections but Minister says 'no deadline' to sort Brexit
Margaritis Schinas, the European Commission's chief spokesman, said Brussels would not speak of Brexit until London says there have been significative developments. He said: "There is nothing else we can do, there is nothing else we can say. I will not speak on Brexit again unless there are developments in London.
"It is universally known that we are on a Brexit break. Cross-party talks between the Government and the Labour Party are resuming today after the Easter break.
The talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have entered the fifth week.
But Downing Street's official spokesman has announced Labours and Tories still have to find a “way forward” on how to reach a compromise on Brexit.
'This is not about Brexit': Labour faces credibility test in Stoke
In next week’s local election Stoke-on-Trent faces a curious paradox: it is being closely watched as a bellwether for national trends, but at the same time no one directly involved in the battle seems able to predict what could happen, or what lessons might be learned. In the most simple terms, whether or not Labour can regain control of the Staffordshire city would seem a fairly basic test of the party’s electability under Jeremy Corbyn, and failure to do so would be a blow.
New IRA says Brexit has provided it with opportunity - Sunday Times
Brexit has provided the militant Irish nationalist group that admitted killing journalist Lyra McKee with a chance to further its campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland, the Sunday Times quoted its leadership as saying. The New IRA, one of a small number of groups that opposes Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace deal, has said one of its members shot the 29-year-old reporter dead in Londonderry last week when opening fire on police during a riot McKee was watching. The killing, which followed a large car bomb in Londonderry in January that police also blamed on the New IRA, has raised fears that small marginalised militant groups are exploiting a political vacuum in the province and tensions caused by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. “Brexit has forced the IRA to refocus and has underlined how Ireland remains partitioned. It would be remiss of us not to capitalise on the opportunity,” the newspaper quoted one of its members as saying
EXCL Unions urge Jeremy Corbyn to put referendum pledge in Labour manifesto
The general secretaries of Unison, the GMB and Usdaw have thrown their weight behind the move as a crunch meeting of the party's ruling national executive committee looms. Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson and Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer are pushing for a clear promise that any Brexit deal approved by the House of Commons should be put to the country in a so-called "confirmatory ballot". Reports on Sunday suggested that Unison boss Dave Prentis had give the Labour leader assurances that he would support his more equivocal stance that a second referendum should only be held to stop a "Tory Brexit" or the UK leaving without a deal. But PoliticsHome understands that Mr Prentis has joined forces with GMB boss Tim Roache and Usdaw general secretary Paddy Lillis in backing Mr Watson and Sir Keir. Labour's NEC will meet on Tuesday to finalise the party's position in what promises to be a defining moment.
Theresa May's Former Universities Minister Has Warned The Government Risks Being Seen As "Against Young People"
The government risks being seen as "against young people", a former Tory education minister said on Monday amid a cabinet row over plans to hike university tuition fees for EU students after Brexit. Sam Gyimah, who was Theresa May's universities minister until he resigned in November last year, said the plans — revealed by BuzzFeed News on Saturday — meant the government was "undermining the university sector and taking steps that would make it more difficult for young people in this country to live, work and study abroad".
Labour members know what we need: a referendum and a campaign for remain
The challenge we face in the forthcoming European elections is not whether Labour should back a “confirmatory vote” or a “public vote on a Tory deal”, or any of the other variations on these themes circulating in Westminster’s WhatsApp world. The real challenges we face are those described by the phenomenal Greta Thunberg – and the rise of the far right.
Brexit compromise talks to end deadlock move on to 'nuts and bolts'
Cross-party talks to break the Brexit deadlock have moved on to the "nuts and bolts" after the latest "positive" set of meetings. Sue Hayman, Labour's shadow environment secretary, emerged from the Cabinet Office on Monday to declare the day's negotiations with senior government ministers as "very constructive". There is still "a lot more to discuss", she added, but suggested the government had shown willingness to drop some of its red lines.
Labour to discuss 'confirmatory ballot' for Brexit
Labour's governing body will meet on Tuesday to discuss whether to call for a public vote on Brexit as part of its European election manifesto. The National Executive Committee is split between holding a referendum on any deal; holding one with caveats; or rejecting the idea altogether.
The party is also holding talks with ministers to try to agree a Brexit deal and break the deadlock in Parliament.
Brexit talks take positive turn towards possible compromise
Talks with senior shadow ministers and officials are likely to continue this week, including on key areas of previous disagreement that had previously been swerved, including a customs union, single market alignment and dynamic alignment of workers’ rights and environmental protections. It is understood no new offer from the government has been put on the table but participants emerged with a new optimism about a change in tone and a feeling that there were grounds to continue discussions, a marked contrast to last week’s talks. May’s spokesman said cross-party talks would continue as long as there was “still a prospect of reaching a single position to put to parliament”, but added that the prime minister would then look to bring forward “a small number of votes to try and find a way through parliament”. Asked whether that would be votes on new options for a Brexit deal or on legislation, the spokesman said: “I’m referring to options.”
Melanie Onn MP: Labour must stop its sleight-of-hand on a second Brexit referendum or risk alienating working people
Continuing to back a second referendum, a sleight-of-hand position which by nudging and cajoling incrementally, really only has one definitive intention, to revoke the 2016 referendum and remain in the EU. It will send a message of a tin-eared Labour Party, unconcerned by the views of the heartlands it needs to hang on to in order to form a Government. Any decision about the Labour Party fully endorsing a second referendum on any deal must be made, not on the basis of bolstering potential future leadership ambitions, but in the full knowledge of the impact that decision will have on the future electability of Labour as a potential Government, whether that is in 2022 or later this year.
Remaining In EU Should Not Be An Option In Any New Brexit Referendum, Young Labour Rep On Ruling Body Warns
Staying in the EU should not be on the ballot paper of any fresh Brexit referendum, Labour’s representative for young people has declared. Ahead of a crunch vote by the party’s ruling National Executive Committee (NEC) on Tuesday, Lara McNeill said that it would “not be wise” to commit to putting Remain on any ballot paper in another public vote. McNeill, a final year medical student, is one of the 39-strong body due to decide Labour’s European manifesto policy as the party’s senior figures gather ahead of the May 23 elections.
Second referendum part of cross-party Brexit talks, says David Lidington
Conservative MP David Lidington has confirmed that the prospect of a confirmatory referendum has been discussed as part of the cross-party Brexit talks. Labour policy is to have a second referendum on any agreed Brexit deal but Mr Lidington is cool on the idea. "We've always known this is part of Labour's policy platform, so it's something I would have expected them to raise at these meetings and they have," Mr Lidington said when asked about a second referendum after Monday's talks. "Equally, they know this is not something that is government policy and the last couple of time it has come before the House of Commons, it has been defeated."
Brexit: Labour braced for showdown over second referendum
Labour is braced for a showdown over whether to back a referendum on any Brexit deal when the party’s governing body meets to agree its draft European elections manifesto on Tuesday. Party sources suggested the party was likely to agree a compromise option where it would support a referendum in order to prevent Theresa May’s Brexit deal or leaving without a deal, describing that wording as “the path of least resistance”. However, a public drive for a stronger line has been led by the party’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, who has urged remain-supporting members to write to the national executive committee’s members, including Jeremy Corbyn.
'No decision' on post-Brexit EU student fees, says minister
No decision has been made about whether to charge EU students more to study at English universities after Brexit, the government has insisted. They currently pay the same as those from the UK, but it has been reported fees could rise from 2021.
Labour's Angela Rayner accused the government of "building walls" between top British universities and the EU. Lib Dem Tom Brake warned the EU would likely reciprocate, meaning only the richest from the UK could study abroad.
Labour's John McDonnell says UK economy requires 'revolution'
Labour is planning a "revolution" for the UK economy, John McDonnell has told the BBC. The shadow chancellor was speaking to Newsnight for a series of reports to mark 40 years since the election of Margaret Thatcher. He said he saw parallels between today and 1979 when Mrs Thatcher swept to power in a major political sea-change. "Things aren't working for people, so they're looking for change," Mr McDonnell said. Asked whether Labour's plans represented evolution or revolution he said: "OK it will be a revolution. Transformative - because we are going to change society and that's what's demanded of us now." He added: "And do you know? I think most people accept that now. We'll do it by taking people with us. But it will be done on a very pragmatic basis.
How the German Right Wing Dominates Social Media
Help apparently isn't just coming from Germany. Davis has found countless photos among the AfD posts that come from Russian image databases, leading him to wonder if perhaps the party is getting some social media assistance from Moscow. The AfD's spokesperson rejects this claim, at least when it comes to the accounts run by party headquarters. He said he can't be sure about the other accounts.
In intelligence circles, analysts believe such a scenario to be plausible. Experts believe that support for the AfD is consistent with Moscow's strategic intention of destabilizing Western democracies by strengthening extremist forces. Just a few weeks ago, DER SPIEGEL revealed just how close Russia's relationship is with some AfD politicians.
@Haggis_UK Nigel Evans - We have a £50billion trade surplus with the U.S. @adamboultonSKY - While we're still a member of the EU.. so being a member is not actually holding us back.
Nigel Evans - We have a £50billion trade surplus with the U.S. @adamboultonSKY - While we're still a member of the EU.. so being a member is not actually holding us back. #PeoplesVote #FinalSay #alloutpolitics
@NedSimons Ex-WTO director Pascal Lamy has an opinion on Iain Duncan Smith's Brexit plan.
Ex-WTO director Pascal Lamy has an opinion on Iain Duncan Smith's Brexit plan.
MPs could vote again on Brexit options if talks break down
May’s spokesman said cross-party talks would continue as long as there was “still a prospect of reaching a single position to put to parliament”, but added that the prime minister would then look to bring forward “a small number of votes to try and find a way through parliament”. Asked whether that would be votes on new options for a Brexit deal or on legislation, the spokesman said: “I’m referring to options.”
Brexit: Cross-party talks 'productive' and 'constructive'
The latest talks between ministers and Labour to try to end the Brexit impasse were "positive" and "productive", the PM's de facto deputy has said. Speaking afterwards, David Lidington said he was "encouraged" by a sense from both sides about the "need to inject greater urgency" into the talks. He said there would be further meetings between the parties this week. Labour's shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman said there had been "really constructive discussion" on Monday. She said the two parties were "getting much more into the nuts and bolts of the detail", and that she believed the government was "open to moving forward in our direction". Cross-party negotiations have been taking place for a number of weeks after Theresa May's Brexit deal with the EU was effectively rejected for a third time by MPs.
@Peston Sources close to the Labour leader believe that tomorrow the emergency NEC meeting, which determines the Labour manifesto for the EU elections, will agree a formula that is "a restatement" of the party's equivocal and prolix party conference resolution of last September. BUT...
Sources close to the Labour leader believe that tomorrow the emergency NEC meeting, which determines the Labour manifesto for the EU elections, will agree a formula that is "a restatement" of the party's equivocal and prolix party conference resolution of last September. BUT...
May's spokesman - No way forward yet in Brexit talks with Labour
The British government has yet to find a way forward in talks with the Labour Party on how to reach a compromise Brexit deal, Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokesman said on Monday. The spokesman said the talks would continue later on Monday.
Labour’s NEC must commit to a public vote on any Brexit deal
Over 700 Labour party members and trade unionists call on the party’s NEC to make an explicit commitment to a public vote on any Brexit deal, with an option to remain.
My constituents backed Brexit - but they have a right to a say on how we leave
We came up with a compromise that sought to pass the Brexit deal through Parliament provided it was put to the British people in a confirmatory ballot. I am the Leave half of the Kyle-Wilson compromise, Peter is the Remain half. Our approach, with the support of parliamentary colleagues from across the House, twice came top in the indicative voting process held recently in Parliament, but unfortunately it fell short of an overall majority.
Labour set to force Commons vote on declaring climate emergency
The party will demand on Wednesday that the country acts with urgency to slash global emissions by 45% from 2010 levels by 2030, reaching net zero before 2050, according to the Observer. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said the recent climate change protests were a “massive and necessary wake-up call” and that Parliament backing the party’s bid would make it the first national legislature to declare a climate emergency.
Brexit: Tom Watson steps up call for Labour referendum pledge
Labour's deputy leader has stepped up calls for his party to promise a referendum on any Brexit deal in its European elections manifesto. Tom Watson urged party members to message Labour's ruling national executive committee to call for a "confirmatory ballot" pledge. The NEC meets on Tuesday to decide on Labour's campaign manifesto. But frontbencher Barry Gardiner said a referendum on any Brexit deal would be a change in Labour policy. The shadow international trade secretary told BBC Radio 5 Live's Pienaar's Politics that the party's policy agreed at last year's conference was to go for a referendum "to stop a no-deal or a bad Tory Brexit." He added: "If we are being pushed into a no-deal by this government, we will have a second referendum. But we want to try - and that's why we're in there with the government now - trying to deliver on what people voted for."
AA finance boss nicknamed 'the sledgehammer' quits to support anti-Brexit party Change UK
The AA's finance boss has quit after five years so he can devote his time to anti-Brexit party Change UK. Martin Clarke has stepped down immediately and does not have another job. He previously worked for private equity companies, where his robust approach earned him the nickname 'the sledgehammer'.
Labour split as Shadow Cabinet minister suggests party could back Brexit deal without second referendum
Ms Long-Bailey has been among the top team involved in cross-party talks alongside colleagues Mr Starmer and John McDonnell, in a bid to break the deadlock over Britain’s departure from the bloc. However when asked if a second Brexit referendum was a “red line” for the opposition in the talks, the Shadow Business Secretary said: “I wouldn’t couch it in terms of a second referendum, but our party policy has always been that firstly we want to get a Brexit deal that puts our economy and living standards first and protects our environmental protections, workplace protections, health and safety standards.” “We want a customs union arrangement in order to keep our borders open, so that our manufacturing industry isn’t detrimentally affected, and we keep the movement of goods flowing as freely as possible. And we want a strong single market relationship.”
Political Setbacks
Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party will let Jeremy Corbyn become PM by taking votes away from Tories, Jacob Rees-Mogg warns
Nigel Farage will end up helping Jeremy Corbyn get into No10, Jacob Rees-Mogg warned today. The top Tory Brexiteer claimed the Brexit Party risked splitting the Conservative vote and letting Labour get in. And he insisted that any Tory MPs or councillors who vote for Mr Farage's new party should be automatically fired. Mr Rees-Mogg vowed to stay loyal to Theresa May - even though his own sister has defected to the Brexit Party.
Farage’s Brexit party eyes seat of disgraced ex-Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya
Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party plans to capitalise on its poll ratings with a tilt at a Westminster seat. It will stand in Peterborough if a by-election is triggered later this week by a “recall” petition against the disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya. The former Ukip leader’s new group has startled the main parties after polls put it on course to win the European parliament elections on May 23. Surveys have also suggested that large numbers of Conservative activists and even Tory councillors plan to vote for the Brexit Party. Mr Farage has urged voters to use the European elections to send a clear message to Westminster, which he says is blocking Brexit. A spokesman for the Brexit Party said that if a by-election was called in Peterborough “it is highly likely we will stand. We would be fighting Peterborough to win it.”
New IRA says Brexit has provided it with opportunity - Sunday Times
Brexit has provided the militant Irish nationalist group that admitted killing journalist Lyra McKee with a chance to further its campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland, the Sunday Times quoted its leadership as saying. The New IRA, one of a small number of groups that opposes Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace deal, has said one of its members shot the 29-year-old reporter dead in Londonderry last week when opening fire on police during a riot McKee was watching. The killing, which followed a large car bomb in Londonderry in January that police also blamed on the New IRA, has raised fears that small marginalised militant groups are exploiting a political vacuum in the province and tensions caused by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. “Brexit has forced the IRA to refocus and has underlined how Ireland remains partitioned. It would be remiss of us not to capitalise on the opportunity,” the newspaper quoted one of its members as saying
Brexit ‘death zone’: Tory MPs to ‘QUIT’ if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister
Former foreign secretary, Mr Johnson, is a firm favourite to replace Theresa May as leader of the Conservative party. But Prisons Minister, Rory Stewart, has suggested he would quit if Mr Johnson became leader, according to The Sun. Mr Stewart told the BBC: “I would find that difficult if he were campaigning for a No Deal Brexit.
Chris Patten on voting Conservative in Euro elections: 'I can certainly think of some candidates I couldn't conceivably vote for'
We spoke to Chris Patten, who was the last British governor of Hong Kong. We talked about a range of pressing issues, including Brexit, the Tories and Huawei – but first we asked him what his reaction was to the sheer size of the protests in Hong Kong.
Brexit: Rees-Mogg responds to Ahern border criticism
Jacob Rees-Mogg has responded to criticism from former taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern over his knowledge of the Irish border. In remarks made on Sunday, Mr Ahern said the Conservative MP had admitted not knowing what the Irish border was. Responding on Twitter, Mr Rees-Mogg, a high-profile supporter of Brexit, said the criticism was "quite funny but regrettably untrue". "Perhaps Ireland had a comedian as its leader before Ukraine," he said.
Nigel Farage is a phoney. Scrutinise him and he'll crumble
Allow me to sketch you a portrait of a political leader. Even by the lax standards of the powerful, he is England's greatest living hypocrite. He courts popularity by warning that tens of millions from the dole queues of Europe are coming to take British jobs, while employing his German wife as his secretary. He denounces "the political class" for living like princes at the taxpayers' expense while pocketing every taxpayer-funded allowance he can claim for himself, his wife and his colleagues.
He says he represents "ordinary people". But he is a public school-educated former banker, whose policies will help him and his kind. He claims he is the voice of "common sense", while allying with every variety of gay-hater, conspiracy crackpot, racist, chauvinist and pillock. The only sense he and his followers have in common is a fear of anyone who is not like them.
Nigel Farage refuses to reveal ‘one big donation’ to Brexit Party and people are suspicious
Nigel Farage has refused to say who the big donor to the Brexit Party is. On Iain Dale’s LBC show, Farage was asked directly who was funding the party and revealed that there was “one big donation” from an unnamed person. But when Dale asked him who that donor was, Farage dodged the question by claiming it was “not fair” to reveal the name without asking them for permission first.
Queen's Speech to be delayed until Brexit delivered, Theresa May says
The Queen’s Speech will be delayed until Brexit is delivered, Theresa May has said – despite no sign of a breakthrough at Westminster to end the stalemate. The prime minister’s spokesperson said a new session of parliament – due to get under way in June – would not begin until the withdrawal agreement had been ratified. “That is part of the current Queen’s Speech cycle and we need to finish that work,” he said, admitting there was “no specific date” for a new session. The determination to deliver Brexit first opens up the prospect of no Queen’s Speech until the autumn at the earliest – even if the prime minister survives that long. Although talks with Labour will restart today, both sides are gloomy about progress after trading accusations that neither is prepared to make any meaningful compromises.
British streets split by race, Farage tells US audience
Entire streets in Oldham are split along racial lines, Nigel Farage has claimed in a speech in the United States. The leader of the Brexit Party said that blacks lived on one side and whites on the other, with “no assimilation” between the two. He told students at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania that the town in Greater Manchester was a “divided society in which resentments build and grow”. In 2015 Ukip, the party that Mr Farage then led, failed to unseat Labour at a by-election in Oldham West & Royton. He later claimed that the vote was “bent” and blamed “people who do not speak English”. Mr Farage, 55, told the audience at Lock Haven: “Let me take you to a town called Oldham in the north of England where literally on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side of the street everybody is black. The twain never actually meet, there is no assimilation. “Whole streets in Oldham are of people who have lived in my country for over 30 years who don’t speak a single word of the English language. These, folks, are divided societies in which resentments build and grow.”
Over-50s could be forced to pay £300 a year more in national insurance under senior Tory's plan
People over the age of 50 could be forced to pay more than £300 more in national insurance each year in to fund social care, under plans that have been branded a tax on getting old by Labour. Senior Tory MP Damian Green has proposed a major shake-up to funding for care, arguing that it should follow the state pension model where everyone is entitled to basic support but individuals top up the pot through their own savings. The former cabinet minister, who was given the task of drawing up the long-awaited green paper on social care for England when he was in government, suggested a 1 per cent rise in national insurance for the over 50s as a last resort to fill the £2.75bn funding gap in the system.
Theresa May is the first Tory leader in 185 years to face emergency grassroots vote demanding her resignation
Theresa May has become the first Tory leader in 185 years to face an emergency grassroots vote to oust her. The PM is to be hauled in front of a snap meeting all 800 constituency chairmen and senior activists in June, who will decide whether to demand her resignation for failing to deliver Brexit.
Remainers have blown the EU elections, and increased the chance of a no-deal Brexit
Like most people who have been an MP, I will never forget the day I was elected to Parliament. For one thing, it was snowing in the Yorkshire Dales that cold February day in 1989, and the bleak landscape seemed to match the political fortunes of the Thatcher administration at the time. More significantly, I was able to win a by-election – the last Tory to do so while the party was in government for a quarter of a century – because my opponents could not agree on a joint candidate. Together, the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Democrats received many thousands more votes than I did, but they were so neatly divided that I beat both of them. This mattered: the SDP disintegrated soon after this event
A bitter turf war is raging on the Brexit Wikipedia page
While Westminster remains mired in endless Brexit deadlock, over on the Brexit Wikipedia page things are even less amicable. Editors are parrying death threats, doxxing attempts and accusations of bias, as the crowdsourced epic has become the centre of a relentless tug-of-war over who gets to write the history of the UK as it happens. Originally posted in January 2014, what began life as “Proposed referendum on United Kingdom membership of the European Union” has bloated into a 11,757-word behemoth. But the article’s vast size is the least of its problems. In private, and on discussion pages, editors tell tales of turf wars, sock puppet accounts, and anonymous figures hellbent on stuffing the article with information that supports their point of view. “I was heavily involved with the Brexit page, but gave up more than a year ago because the level of bias on it proved impossible to address and the aggravation of trying to deal with that was not worthwhile,” says EddieHugh, a Wikipedia editor who has made 186 edits on the Brexit page – making them one of its most prolific contributors. Since leaving the page behind, EddieHugh now specialises in editing entries about obscure mid-century jazz musicians.
Robin McAlpine: England's Brexit debate is 'xenophobic'
Robin McAlpine, Director of the Common Weal think tank, says the politics of the Brexit debate in England are “right-wing, xenophobic, anti-European”. He says the more affluent south is feeling “challenged by multi-culturalism" while northern England is challenged by the “weak economics of Britain”. He told BBC Debate Night this has not been happening in Scotland, Wales or Northern-Ireland.
‘Mood is DARK!’ Patel warns Tories will SUFFER at local elections due to Brexit
The mood is dark. The public are frustrated. “They are fed up I think more widely with politics and the way in which Brexit has been handled and in particular the fact that, as many people say to me in my constituency, they expected us to leave effectively on March 29. This has not happened.” Ms Patel’s gloomy depiction of the mood in the country - and especially in Leave constituencies - reflects analysis by pollster and Tory peer Robert Hayward, who predicted the Conservative Party could lose more than 800 seats in the May 2 elections.
Fury as Tony Blair claims second Brexit referendum would be ‘healing process’ for the nation
Speaking to the Institute for Government think-tank, Mr Blair insisted a second EU referendum was the only way to decide Brexit. The ex-PM said: "The truth is there are different varieties of Brexit and you have to choose one. "And when you choose one it then becomes apparent what your problem is. Because your problem is there is a downside to whatever option you choose. "So when members of Parliament are forced to come to a choice then I think at that point they will say, ‘OK, this what I think but I’m not going to take the full responsibility so I’m going to share responsibility with the people’, and that allows a referendum to be a healing process."
Brexit: 'How delays and uncertainty are hurting colleges'
The Augar review, apprenticeships policy and the spending review are hostages to the Brexit impasse, writes David Hughes
Kezia Dugdale set to leave politics over Labour's Brexit stance
Kezia Dugdale, the former Scottish Labour leader, is expected to quit frontline politics after becoming increasingly disillusioned with the party’s stance on Brexit.
It is understood that Dugdale, who headed the Scottish party for two years until suddenly resigning in 2017 after months of tension with UK leader Jeremy Corbyn, has found another job outside politics. She is expected to confirm her decision within the coming days, the Sunday Times reported, and to formally quit as an MSP at the end of the current Scottish parliament session in June. Dugdale, a member of Labour’s centrist wing, has made little secret of her unhappiness with Labour’s stance on EU membership and has demanded Corbyn campaigns for a second vote on any Brexit deal.
Local elections 2019: Are the Conservatives facing a massacre? | Latest Brexit news and top stories
Anger over Brexit could cause one in five Conservative councillors up for election to lose their seats in next week’s local elections, revealing polling data has showed. Analysis presented by Professor Michael Thrasher, from the University of Plymouth, on Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday showed that the Tories could lose as many as 1,100 seats when the vote is held across the country next Thursday, May 3. Prof Thrasher said the fact the Conservatives won so many seats in the 2015 local elections - the last time the seats up for election on Thursday were voted on - means that: “The Conservatives are defending a high position. “There is a lot of stake for them. The baseline is 2015 and since the, you'd expect the Conservatives would lose ground from there.”
Nigel Farage is fuelled by the betrayal myth. And Brexit is only the start
In this respect, it was always baked into Farage’s rhetoric that if the public voted to leave, the elite would seek to thwart their wishes. The truth, again, is quite otherwise. The political class has strained every tendon to find a way of delivering the undeliverable: of extracting the UK from a 46-year relationship without wrecking its prosperity, security and access to the wider world. Brexit has failed because the square-circling task is impossible. We must stay, or accept a grievous cost: that is the choice now. But Farage appeals to a primal social instinct: the sensation that the few are, yet again, cheating the many of their unsullied dream. It is not the dream that is at fault, you understand, but those who sabotage it. Just as Marxists insist true communism has never been tried, so Brexiteers declare that their simple plan has been wrecked by weaklings, quislings and fools.
Boris Johnson begs voters not to punish Tories over Brexit in local election bloodbath
Boris Johnson has begged voters not to punish the Tories over Brexit in this week's local elections in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a bloodbath. Experts predicted that the PM could lose 800 councillors this week as furious voters desert her for failing to leave the EU.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Donald Trump can deliver Britain a post-Brexit trade boost
Although uncertainty about Brexit persists, London remains eager to prioritise a US-UK free trade agreement when it eventually leaves the EU. In October last year, Robert Lighthizer, the US trade representative, notified Congress of the administration’s intention to open trade negotiations with Britain. And this year, the UK and the US agreed to continue the “mutual recognition agreement” that ensures their goods meet appropriate regulatory standards in each market. This covers about £12.8bn of trade in sectors ranging from pharmaceuticals to telecoms equipment. Coupled with similar agreements the UK has signed with Australia and New Zealand, the US deal shows Britain is entirely capable of negotiating its own trade pacts. The Brexit negotiations are the outlier, as the UK has followed the US in running into seemingly insurmountable resistance from the EU.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 1st May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Jaguar to move Land Rover Defender production to Slovakia
- British carmaker JLR will move the assembly of its Land Rover Defender to its plant in Slovakia. JLR said the decision runs in parallel with plans to invest in its Solihul plant to support the production of next generation flagship Range Rover and Land Rover models
UK's Brexit obsession will diminish the country, warns UN poverty expert
- UN global poverty expert, Philip Alston, warned that the UK's preoccupation with Brexit will leave the country severely diminshed whether it leaves the EU or not, because too little is being done to alter policies driving people deeper into poverty
Clark backs British Steel with £100m rescue funding
- The government has agreed to provide £100m in funding to the UK's second biggest steel producer after it requested emergency support to make a repayment to an EU run environment scheme. The government funding has been sought to secure carbon credits on behalf of British Steel before surrendering them to regulators
Brexit - Labour's NEC agrees a position on a second referendum after a 5 hour meeting
- The NEC decided the European Election manifesto should include the 'option' of a fresh public vote on the UK's membership of the EU, but rejected stronger proposals put forward by deputy leader Tom Watson and the TSSA union, for a tougher anti-Brexit stance, which would commit the party to a referendum on any deal, not just Theresa May's.
Campaigners for a Brexit vote reacted disappointedly
- Bridget Phillipson MP said 'Labour had done the bare minimum needed and I can only hope it will be enough to secure the support of all those millions of our voters demanding a final say on Brexit.'
- In The Guardian Phillipson is saying 'The manifesto's mealy-mouthed wording still maintains the fiction that there is a deal out there that can satisfy all the promises made three years ago, avoid real cuts to jobs and maintain living standards and bring a halt to the endless crisis surrounding Brexit'
- Jess Phillips predicted Labour will get a drubbing if the party does not offer a second referendum in its European Election manifesto. Asked what will happen if Labour goes into the Euros without a clear second referendum promise she said 'I think people who voted remain and voted Labour will not vote Labour again'
- Jeremy Corbyn was said to have been warned that demoralised Labour voters will boycott crucial elections, after he crushed an attempt to commit the party to a second referendum in all Brexit circumstances
- Owen Smith MP said Labour has more to lose from being vague on Brexit, than it has to gain from pandering to Brexiteers. He added that polling data shows Remainers deserting the party and that he wished the leadership recognised the risk to the vote
Pro-Brexit Labour Party campaigner attacked a second referendum as having no credibility
- Labour MP Graham Stringer went on to the BBC to categorically state 'the first referendum should be implemented in full, it was unambiguous and unconditional'
SNP slams the Labour Party for 'supreme cowardice' over its failure to endorse a People's Vote without any form of equivocation
- SNP leader said Jeremy Corbyn has failed to recognise that there is no such thing as a good Brexit. A People's Vote allows for folk to have a say on the Brexit consequences. A failure to lead is supreme cowardice.
UKIP releases a video of Farage making anti-Muslim statements to discredit him
- The video shows Farage making a series of Islamophobic statements, talking about a fifth column of Muslim jihadists in Britain
Brexit Party candidate Claire Fox is told to disavow her IRA bombing comments
- Claire Fox is now the Brexit Party's candidate for the North West ahead of May's European elections. She was a leading RCP member in the 1980s and 1990s and the Revolutionary Communist Party defended an IRA bombing in Warrington as justified. A bombing in 1993 which killed 12 year old Tim Parry, and Jonathan Bell, aged 3, who was shopping for a Mother's Day card with his babysitter at the time
Paypal Man - why won't Nigel Farage reveal who is funding the Brexit Party?
- Byline Times took aim at the source of Nigel Farage's funding. He admitted earlier on LBC that he had one very large backer and many smaller ones, yet he still refuses to name his rich benefactor
Theresa May preparing to 'cave in' to Labour demands on brexit - Tory Eurosceptics fear
- The PM recently made it clear that she wants to Brexit talks with Labour wrapped up by the middle of next week. This adds to suspicions that she is waiting for the disasterous results on Thursday from the Local Elections before announcing a climbdown.What alarms Eurosceptics most is May's comments that she now believes 'an unpalatable Brexit outcome would be better than a disastrous outcome'
Theresa May threatens Labour she will abandon talks if a deal is not reached by next week
- The Independent's tone was not one of Theresa May about to nail down a Brexit proposal just yet. In this article, UK government spokespeople said that if Labour agrees not to block Theresa May's withdrawal agreement bill, it would then be put forward to a vote in the House of Commons. If Labour does not, the government will 'move in another direction'
Hunt on the leadership shunt
- Jeremy Hunt is on a 'picture-rich' tour of Africa which will burnish his credentials as a possible successor to Theresa May. As part of this drive, Hunt as been warning Theresa May against agreeing a deal with Labour involving a customs union. Adding that he thinks the Tories may have to embrace a No Deal Brexit once more as an option
The Financial Times markedly said 'the UK government is grinding to a halt.'
- The FT said chancellor Phillip Hammond cannot be sure of his numbers in a government spending review because of Brexit uncertainty. Now the government is not prepared to bring forward a new Queen's Speech full of legislative proposals - until it has managed to pass a Brexit withdrawal agreement. There has only been five years since 1900 when a Queen's Speech to Parliament has not taken place
Theresa May is the most evasive Tory PM in history, research shows
- A study by the University of York shows that Mrs May is the worst offender, when it comes to avoiding difficult questions, compared to the last four Conservative PMs. Academics looked at her performances in a series of broadcast interviews and during PMQs and found she employs covert evasion or equivocation more than her predecessors
Jobs at Risk
Jaguar to move Land Rover Defender production to Slovakia
British carmaker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) will move the assembly of its Land Rover Defender to its plant in Slovakia to make room for newer models at its factory in Britain, the company said on Tuesday. The Defender 4X4, which is designed and engineered in Britain, will be unveiled later this year, JLR, owned by India’s Tata Motors, said. “This decision is in parallel with plans for significant investment at the company’s Solihull plant in the UK to support the production of the next generation of flagship Range Rover and Land Rover models,” JLR said.
Economic Impact
Brexit News: British Pound Sterling Exchange Rates Boosted As Cross-Party Brexit Talks Near Final Stages
According to sources close to the talks, PM May could be willing to accept the possibility of a post-Brexit customs union, much to the chagrin of the more eurosceptic elements of her own party. Speaking to the BBC on Tuesday morning, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said Conservative Party MPs would not accept a cross-party Brexit compromise involving a customs union. "If we were proposing, which I very much hope we don’t, to sign up to the customs union, then I think there is a risk that you would lose more Conservative MPs than you would gain Labour MPs," said Hunt.
Administrative Fall Out
UK's Brexit obsession will diminish country, says UN poverty expert
The United Nations global poverty expert, Philip Alston, has warned that Britain’s preoccupation with Brexit will leave the country severely diminished whether or not it leaves the EU because too little is being done to alter policies driving people deeper into poverty.
@NaomiOhReally A graphic of Ireland's ATM machine robbery spree by @NewstalkFM. The gangs steal diggers and use them to rip the whole machine out of the wall.
A graphic of Ireland's ATM machine robbery spree by @NewstalkFM. The gangs steal diggers and use them to rip the whole machine out of the wall.
Political Shenanigans
Ukip releases video to discredit Farage | News
Ukip has released a video of its former leader Nigel Farage making alleged anti-Muslim statements. Ukip ridiculed the claim that Mr Farage’s new Brexit Party will be “deeply intolerant of intolerance”. The video showed Mr Farage, who recently accused Ukip of a “lurch towards extremism”, talking about a “fifth column” of Muslim jihadists living in Britain. “They carry our passports. They speak our language and they hate us . . . they want to kill us . . . they want to overthrow our culture, our constitution, our whole way of life,” Mr Farage is recorded as saying at the Institute for Direct Democracy in Europe. It is not clear when the comments were made.
Scottish Labour activists pile pressure on Corbyn and Leonard over People's Vote
Ten members of the party's Scottish Executive Committee have called on the Labour leaders to recognise the need for a second Brexit referendum.
Theresa May preparing to cave in to Labour demands on Brexit, Eurosceptics fear
Theresa May is preparing to cave in to Labour demands on Brexit, Eurosceptic ministers fear, after they were told an “unpalatable” outcome would be better than a “disastrous” one. The Prime Minister has made it clear that she wants cross-party talks wrapped up by the middle of next week, adding to suspicions that she is waiting until after tomorrow’s local elections before announcing a climbdown. A Cabinet meeting yesterday was dominated by discussion of how the Government can get a Brexit deal through Parliament so that Britain can leave the EU before the current deadline of October. Brexiteers still believe Mrs May can win round Tory rebels by making changes to the Northern Irish backstop
SNP hit out at Labour over 'cowardice' of People's Vote manifesto move
Key SNP figures have slammed Labour for failing to properly back a second EU referendum in its European manifesto, with Ian Blackford calling the move “supreme cowardice”. The new policy only commits Labour to backing a new vote if no agreement is reached with the Tories on an alternative Brexit deal including a customs union membership, or if there is no General Election. "@jeremycorbyn has failed to recognise there is no such thing as a good Brexit. A People’s Vote allows for folk to have a say on the Brexit consequence. A failure to lead is supreme cowardice. Scotland has a choice #It’s time for indy”.
Brexit: Labour NEC agrees position on second referendum after 5 hour meeting
Labour's ruling body has come to an agreement on a second Brexit referendum after a marathon five-hour meeting. In a victory for Jeremy Corbyn's allies on the ruling National Executive Committee, the party will support a new public vote - but only in certain circumstances.
Jeremy Hunt: Tories may have to embrace no deal
Jeremy Hunt's picture rich tour of Africa shows he will be a formidable candidate in the Conservative leadership contest. Snapped taking the wheel of a Royal Marines rigid inflatable boat, he strikes the pose of a clear frontrunner among the cabinet contenders. From thousands of miles away, Hunt has also been showcasing his Brexit credentials by warning Theresa May against agreeing a deal with Labour involving a customs union. But Hunt has one fundamental weakness, that could undermine his chances when he comes up against Brexiteer candidates such as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab. The foreign secretary is, in the eyes of many Tories, a nouveau Brexiteer.
Alyn Smith: Unhappy Labour voters – join a party which supports Europe!
Much as Labour are not looking at a great result, the Tories are guaranteed an awful time. So I do think the elections are happening, and as to the second question, of what comes next, I think it will be largely decided by the result of the election itself. If there is a huge Remain vote for clearly pro-Remain parties, then I think that tends towards a second EU referendum; if there is a huge Leave vote then I think that tends towards them sitting down and quietly agreeing the Withdrawal Agreement. So this really matters – this is our chance to stop Brexit.
Labour agrees to put current Brexit policy in European manifesto
In an emergency meeting this afternoon, Labour’s ruling body agreed to include current party policy on Brexit in the European manifesto. The result means MEP candidates will be officially standing on a commitment to back Labour’s alternative Brexit plan and only support another public vote if the opposition cannot secure either changes to the current deal or a general election. It is a victory for Jeremy Corbyn and the party leadership, which faced attempts – led by deputy leader and national executive committee (NEC) member Tom Watson – to shift policy towards a clear public vote pledge that would apply to any deal.
Jeremy Hunt Warns Backing Customs Union Would Cost More Tory Votes Than It Would Gain Labour
Jeremy Hunt has warned Theresa May she would lose the support of more Tory MPs than she would gain Labour MPs if she backed a customs union in an attempt to strike a Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn. The foreign secretary said on Tuesday he believed a deal would “definitely” be done and insisted there was still a “great sense of urgency” despite Brexit reportedly not even being on the agenda of today’s cabinet meeting. “The reality of Brexit is that it is the most controversial issue, certainly in my political lifetime, but we have a hung parliament so we cannot get it through without talking to other parties,” Hunt told BBC Radio 4′s today programme. “If we were proposing, which I very much hope we don’t, to sign up to the customs union, then I think there is a risk that you would lose more Conservative MPs than you would gain Labour MPs.
Labour's European election manifesto to restate referendum position
MPs campaigning for the party to back another poll declare victory, after the five-hour meeting of Labour's ruling body breaks up.
Judging by the Home Office, it’s now Tory policy to ruin Britain
Since Windrush, all we have seen is pathetic attempts at compensating victims, and more scandals. Presiding over it all is the new benevolent dictator Sajid Javid, who speaks in the language of a man who knows how to pay lip service to the forces that removed his predecessor, while doubling down on policies that have not changed, but are merely fronted by a new, more media-friendly face. One that does not hesitate to point out – as often as possible – that it is a brown one.
Labour Fudges Brexit Referendum Pledge For European Parliament Elections
Labour will fight the European parliament elections without a firm pledge to hold a fresh referendum on Brexit, its ruling body has decided. In a bid to unite the party’s warring factions, the National Executive Committee (NEC) decided the manifesto for its MEP candidates should include a reference to the “option” of a fresh public vote on the UK’s membership of the EU. But the NEC rejected more radical proposals, pushed by deputy leader Tom Watson and the TSSA union, for a tougher anti-Brexit stance that would have committed the party to a referendum on any deal, not just Theresa May’s. HuffPost UK understands that the party’s Euro campaign leaflets will now be amended to reflect the new position, following a huge backlash from MPs and MEPs over a draft version that omitted any mention of a new public vote.
Campaigners react as Labour continues to push for Brexit with new manifesto
Bridget Phillipson, the Labour MP for Houghton & Sunderland South and a leading supporter of the People's Vote campaign, said: “Labour has done the bare minimum needed and I can only hope it will be enough to secure the support of all those millions of our voters demanding the final say on Brexit. “There is no deal on the table other than the one negotiated by the government and there is no majority for it in parliament without a confirmatory referendum to show there is a majority for it the country too. “The decision of the NEC today reaffirms conference policy and means Labour will have little choice except to back a new public vote on the most likely outcome of this vexed process.
UK government is grinding to a halt
Brexit is bringing government and policymaking in Whitehall and Westminster to a juddering halt. Since the June 2017 election, it has been increasingly clear that Theresa May and her ministers don’t have the capacity to contemplate much policy that isn’t connected with Britain’s departure from the EU. But the past few days have brought home how the business of government has slowed to a snail’s pace thanks in large part to the impasse over Mrs May’s Brexit deal. On April 12, chancellor Philip Hammond revealed that he can’t be sure of finalising the three-year spending review for government departments and local authorities over the summer. A new spending review is vital if Mr Hammond is to begin ending austerity. But he told reporters: “If we don’t have a [Brexit] deal done, the level of uncertainty that will remain probably makes it inappropriate to do a long-term spending review.”
Yesterday, Downing Street admitted that another major setpiece parliamentary event for later this year could also be postponed: the Queen’s Speech setting out the government’s domestic legislation programme for the next year. There have been only five years since 1900 when a Queen’s Speech hasn’t taken place. The annual address is an important sign that a government has both a robust policy programme and a Commons majority to boot.
Labour ‘must commit to People’s Vote’ before EU elections
Labour needs to confirm its commitment to a public vote on Brexit, according to nearly 90 of its elected politicians. Jeremy Corbyn is facing growing calls from key members of his team to confirm whether the party backs a referendum on a Brexit deal or not. More than 90 MPs and MEPs have said the issue needs to be urgently clarified in its manifesto for the European elections next month. Labour’s National Executive Committee (NEC) will meet on Tuesday and there are calls for a decision to be made by then.
European elections: Which parties back a second Brexit referendum in your constituency?
Campaigners for a second Brexit referendum have launched a website allowing voters in next month’s European elections to find out which parties in their constituency are backing a fresh vote. The People’s Vote campaign, which set up the site, says it will increase pressure on Labour to match pledges by other parties to back a new say on EU membership. Voters can enter their constituency on the site to see who matches their views. The Liberal Democrats, Change UK, the Green Party, the SNP and Plaid Cymru are all backing a second referendum.
Labour's Jess Phillips says party will get a 'drubbing' at European elections if they don't offer second referendum
Labour's Jess Phillips predicts the party will get a "drubbing" if the party doesn't offer a second referendum in their European elections manifesto. The MP spoke to ITV News Political Correspondent Paul Brand on the ITV News podcast Acting Prime Minister as Labour's National Executive Committee meets on Tuesday to finalise the party's position on Brexit for the elections in May. Asked what will happen if Labour goes into European elections without a clear promise on a second referendum, Ms Phillips said: "I think people who voted remain and voted Labour will not vote Labour again."
Corbyn sees off calls to back second Brexit referendum
Jeremy Corbyn has seen off a challenge from Labour’s Europhile wing, defeating a bid to commit the party to holding a second EU referendum in all circumstances.
After a lengthy meeting of the party’s ruling National Executive Committee to decide the manifesto for European elections, the Labour leader’s position on Brexit was opposed by a minority of delegates, including his deputy Tom Watson, who had argued that the party should give unequivocal backing to a second vote. The Labour leader announced afterwards that the party would maintain its existing policy of backing a soft Brexit with a customs union. He added that Labour would support the “option” of a public vote only if it was unable to secure the changes to the government’s existing withdrawal deal — and could not force a general election.
Brexit: Theresa May threatens Labour she will abandon talks if deal not reached by next week
Theresa May will abandon attempts to strike a Brexit deal with Labour if no cross-party agreement can be struck within one week. The prime minister has bowed to pressure to finally set a deadline for ending the talks with Jeremy Corbyn if necessary – deciding the Labour leader must be on board with seven days, a government source said. If Labour agrees not to block the withdrawal agreement bill, it would then be put to the Commons – but the government will “move in another direction” if no guarantee is given, The Independent was told.
Exclusive: Theresa May Blocks Cabinet Demands To Speed Up Deadlocked Brexit Process
Theresa May blocked cabinet demands to speed up the stalled Brexit process this week, HuffPost UK has learned. Brexiteer ministers had expected the withdrawal agreement bill (WAB) to be brought before the Commons, but were overruled by Downing Street. The prime minister is concerned that MPs could simply vote down the laws at the first attempt, potentially triggering a general election. She is willing to give talks with Labour another week to reach either a cross-party deal or agreement on backing whatever solution comes out of a fresh round of parliamentary votes on alternatives.
@BBCPolitics "A second referendum would have no credibility," says Leave-supporting Labour MP Graham Stringer, "the first referendum should be implemented in full, it was unambiguous and unconditional"
"A second referendum would have no credibility," says Leave-supporting Labour MP Graham Stringer, "the first referendum should be implemented in full, it was unambiguous and unconditional"
The Labour party agrees to reject calls to fully back new Brexit referendum
Labour party rejects calls to explicitly back a second referendum in all circumstances, in defeat for party's pro-Europeans. Jeremy Corbyn's party is heavily split over the question of a second referendum. The ruling NEC agreed to maintain Labour's existing policy of maintaining the "option" of a second referendum.
Labour needn’t worry: in its northern heartlands, Brexiters are not the only voices
You can cherrypick your vox pops to suit, but Mary Creagh, the local Labour MP, and the local People’s Vote campaigners, say they’ve found a marked change in the past two months. And this isn’t just wishful thinking from remainers. YouGov this month polled 5,000 Labour heartland voters in the north-east, north-west, Midlands, Yorkshire and Humberside. Did these Labour voters back “a new public vote on whether Britain should leave on the deal negotiated or stay in the EU”? Three-quarters supported the idea, and 43% said that if Labour backed a vote they would feel greater affinity for the party. Only 8% said it would make them feel less keen on Labour; only 11% backed Theresa May’s Brexit deal. Labour never was the party of Brexit and it’s become even less so now. Don’t mythologise “northern working-class Labour man” when Brexit is overwhelmingly a Tory disease
The Guardian view on May’s elections: resolve Brexit, defend democracy
Politicians need to come clean about the costs of pursuing Brexit – about how it is likely to render poorer many of those places that voted leave; about how it risks peace in Ireland; about the awkward task of redefining the national interest, and trying to give it new meaning while preserving the integrity of the UK. Instead, amid indifference and confusion, politicians have dodged the problem of Brexit. They ought to instead re-engage in these polls, by first organising the millions of EU citizens who have most to lose from Brexit and need to be registered to vote in a week’s time for European elections. Brexit is not going away just because it seems more convenient to ignore it. Politicians have not found a way out; they will only do so by reconnecting with the public.
Political Setbacks
Anger as Corbyn faces down calls for Labour to back new Brexit vote
In a move that sparked an immediate backlash among remain-supporters, Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), announced that its manifesto for the election would be “fully in line” with its longstanding policy. That means continuing to support “Labour’s alternative plan” for Brexit – “and if we can’t get the necessary changes to the government’s deal, or a general election, to back the option of a public vote”, a Labour source said. The wording falls well short of the position set out recently by Watson, and by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, who told the House of Commons in April: “At this late stage it is clear that any Brexit deal agreed in this parliament will need further democratic approval.” Some Labour MPs reacted with fury to the NEC’s decision. Bridget Phillipson, who represents Houghton & Sunderland South, speaking for the People’s Vote campaign, said: “The manifesto’s mealy-mouthed wording still maintains the fiction that there is a deal out there that can satisfy all the promises made three years ago, avoid real costs to jobs and living standards, or end the endless crisis around Brexit.
Theresa May most evasive Tory Prime Minister, research shows
Theresa May has built a political career by being non-committal and now new research has revealed the Prime Minister is the most evasive Tory leader to hold office in recent memory. A study by the University of York has shown Mrs May is the worst offender when it comes to avoiding difficult questions compared to the last four Conservative Prime Ministers. Academics studied her performances in a series of broadcast interviews and during Prime Minister’s Questions to find she is employs “covert” evasion or equivocation more often than her predecessors.
Brexit Party candidate Claire Fox told to disavow IRA bombing comments
A leading Brexit Party candidate has been urged to "disavow" comments about an IRA bombing that killed two children. Tim Parry, 12, died in the arms of his father Colin five days after the IRA attack in Warrington on 10 March 1993. Johnathan Bell, three, was also killed in the attack as he was shopping for a Mother's Day card with his babysitter. The Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) defended the IRA's actions by writing in a newsletter published on 2 April, 1993: "We defend the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures are necessary in their struggle for freedom." Claire Fox, who is now the Brexit Party's candidate in the North West ahead of next month's European Parliament elections, was a leading RCP member at the time.
Striking Brexit deal with Labour could alienate Tory MPs, Jeremy Hunt warns
The Foreign Secretary said talks aimed at thrashing out a joint-approach with the opposition could see the Prime Minister "lose more Conservative MPs" than she gains in Labour votes. Speaking to The Telegraph on a trip to Africa, Mr Hunt said that weeks of discussions between the two sides had been "more detailed and productive than we thought and expected". But he said it would still be "very difficult to imagine a rose garden moment" between the two leaders - a reference to the friendly 2010 press conference held by David Cameron and Nick Clegg after a coalition deal was struck. And he added: "There is always a danger of doing a deal with Labour that [means] you lose more Conservative MPs than you gain Labour MPs, but I think the essential question is whether Labour are serious about delivering Brexit."
Corbynista left splits over Brexit referendum
Brexit is fomenting a significant split in the alliance of Labour left-wing activists that keeps Jeremy Corbyn in power, because of his and the party leadership’s reluctance to commit to hold a referendum on any Brexit deal. A senior and influential activist told me: “Discussions are under way between leading Momentum activists, anti-Brexit MPs and campaign groups about a new process for drawing up a left slate for this year's NEC election”. What this means, he said, is that there would no longer be a joint slate of candidates put forward by Momentum and the much older hard-left campaigning group, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, or CPLD, which was Corbyn’s ideological and spiritual home for decades.
Dan Price and Wendy Parry hits out at Claire Fox of Brexit Party over IRA
A Warrington councillor says the top Brexit Party candidate for the north west is 'totally unfit for office' over her views on the IRA bombing of Warrington. And the father of Tim Parry, killed in the 1993 attacks, says the views are 'highly inappropriate'. Claire Fox is on top of the list for the Brexit Party candidates for the Euro Elections next month. As it stands, if polling is to be believed, she is likely to be elected as an MEP representing Warrington. She is a former core activist and organiser for the Revolutionary Communist Party.
Labour launches investigation into councillor who 'compared Gaza to Auschwitz'
Labour has launched an investigation into one of the party's councillors after he posted comments on social media in which he appeared to compare Gaza to Auschwitz.. Sandwell Councillor John Edwards is facing the formal party probe after he was accused of making anti-semitic remarks by a Labour campaign group.
On Friday, Labour Against Antisemitism activist Saul Freeman flagged a series of tweets in which Mr Edwards railed against the party's adoption of the International Holocaust Rememberance Alliance definition of anti-semitism, as well as dismissing criticism of former Labour MP Chris Williamson as a "smear".
Playtime is over: I can't keep on supporting Brexit if this is how the govt behaves
During the campaign, I was happy to accept a Norway-type arrangement, as were many other Leavers. But once it was over, two things quickly became clear. Firstly, that a well-organised and well-funded section of Leave support with strong media connections would treat anything less than full severance from the EU as treachery. And secondly, that the prime minister would place ending free movement and the views of her most hardline backbenchers above all other considerations. The no-surrender Brexiters have a dream of a free trade wonderland across the world, but it is just that: a dream. It relied on the idea of a stable international trading system based on increasingly global regulatory standards.
Labour's Leadership And NEC Need To Understand That For Members Like Me, All Roads Lead To A People's Vote
On Tuesday morning, new polling for YouGov showed a serious problem for the Labour Party. My party – of which I’ve proudly been a member for six years – has spent the last three years sitting on the Brexit fence. And it shows. A massive one in four voters ‘don’t know’ whether the Labour Party is pro or anti-Brexit. A further 20% say it is neither, whilst 61% of Leave voters think the party is anti-Brexit and only 28% of Remain voters think the same. Political triangulation can work, or it can annoy all parts of your constituency equally. Unfortunately, at Tuesday’s National Executive Committee at Labour HQ, we did little to bring further clarity to our members, voters and supporters.
Watch the moment anti-Brexit campaigners confront Jeremy Corbyn after manifesto meeting
Jeremy Corbyn’s car was stopped by anti-Brexit campaigners as he tried to leave the meeting which confirmed his pro-Brexit manifesto for the European elections. One of the campaigners was Steve Bray, a prominent anti-Brexit protester, who was holding a sign with the Labour leader's face on it. It included the message “where were EU?”, while another sign said “revoke, remain, resist.” Security guards outside the building where the National Executive Committee (NEC) tried to move on the protesters, but Bray politely continued to protest until the Labour leader acknowledged him in his car.
Guy Verhofstadt: ‘The biggest waste of EU resources is Nigel Farage’s salary’
European Parliament liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt had a pop at his longtime rival Nigel Farage on Monday, saying the Brit's MEP salary is "the biggest waste of EU resources." Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium, said on Twitter: "Nigel Farage has been an elected MEP since 1999, but now says he comes out of 'semi–retirement'. As I already warned in 2012, the biggest waste of EU resources is Nigel Farage's salary. Why would anyone re-elect him to this role?"
Labour Party rejects calls to fully back new Brexit referendum
Labour party rejects calls to explicitly back a second referendum in all circumstances, in defeat for party's pro-Europeans. Jeremy Corbyn's party is heavily split over the question of a second referendum. The ruling NEC agreed to maintain Labour's existing policy of maintaining the "option" of a second referendum.
Brexit news: Attempt to get Labour to commit to second referendum shot down at party meeting
Labour supporters of a second Brexit referendum have failed to force Jeremy Corbyn to commit to a public vote in all circumstances, after a marathon five-hour meeting. The party’s ruling national executive committee agreed a manifesto for the European elections “fully in line with Labour’s existing policy”, a source said. It means Labour is only pledged to support a fresh referendum if it cannot secure “the necessary changes to the government’s deal or a general election”.
Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn warned ‘demoralised’ Labour voters will boycott elections after second referendum fudge
Jeremy Corbyn has been warned that “demoralised” Labour voters will boycott crucial elections after he crushed an attempt to commit the party to a second Brexit referendum in all circumstances. The Labour leader demonstrated his iron grip by defeating a bid – led by his deputy Tom Watson – to end the “fudge” that would mean no public vote if the party’s “alternative plan” wins support at parliament. After a marathon five-hour meeting, the ruling national executive committee agreed a manifesto for the European elections “fully in line with Labour’s existing policy”.
Some anti-referendum Labour MPs were delighted, Gloria De Piero tweeting: “Labour’s manifesto for the European parliament will not contain a pledge to hold a second Brexit referendum.
@PaulBrandITV @OwenSmith_MP tells me Labour has more to lose from being vague on Brexit than it has to gain from "pandering to Brexit." He argues that polling shows Remainers deserting the party, and he wishes "the leadership recognised the risk to our vote."
@OwenSmith_MP tells me Labour has more to lose from being vague on Brexit than it has to gain from "pandering to Brexit." He argues that polling shows Remainers deserting the party, and he wishes "the leadership recognised the risk to our vote."
@LBC Labour MP and Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner joins Iain Dale to take your calls.
Labour MP and Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner joins Iain Dale to take your calls.
Clark backs British Steel with £100m rescue funding
Greg Clark, the business secretary, has agreed to provide £100m in funding to the UK’s second-biggest steel producer after it requested emergency support to make a repayment to an EU-run environment scheme. Sky News has learnt that Mr Clark will announce on Wednesday that the government has stepped in to meet a financial shortfall faced by British Steel ahead of a deadline for the company to pay its latest carbon emissions bill. Sources said that the government funding had been used to acquire carbon credits on behalf of British Steel before surrendering them to regulators, with the company signing a deal with Mr Clark's department to repay the money on commercial terms over the coming months.
This craven Cabinet must move now to stop the Brexit betrayal, or they will never be forgiven
What exactly is the point of this Cabinet? Getting into bed with a Marxist catastrophist like Jeremy Corbyn? Presiding over the abandonment of Ministerial collective responsibility? Repudiating solemn manifesto pledges? Ignoring the defeat – thrice – of your flagship political project in the Commons? Reducing Her Majesty’s Government – a Conservative Government no less – into a virtue signalling Blair tribute act bereft of ideas, principles or basic competence?
UKIP candidate exposed as ex-football hooligan jailed over violent clash
A UKIP candidate standing in this week’s local elections is a convicted football hooligan. Paul Martin got six months’ jail for affray and an eight-year match ban over his role in a 2008 clash between 100 Coventry and Leicester fans ahead of a game. Mr Martin is standing for UKIP in Snibston South to join North West Leicestershire District Council and said he admitted his conviction to the party.
He said: “I made one mistake in my life. I went through the process and was approved.” "I declared that on my application to be a potential UKIP candidate and I passed, so what can I do? "I made an error in my life, mate, one error. I hold my hand up. What do you want me to say, that I regret what happened... wrong place wrong time."
UKIP leader Gerard Batten on candidate's rape comments
UKIP's leader says a candidate who tweeted that he "wouldn't even rape" a female Labour MP is suing people who "misrepresented him in the media". Gerard Batten said Carl Benjamin, who is standing for the party in the South West England seat in the European elections, was not making a joke about rape, but was making "a remark of non-intent" aimed at Jess Phillips. Her Labour colleague Lisa Nandy criticised Mr Batten's defence of the "disgraceful" comments, when they were part of the panel on Politics Live.
The tragedy of Brexit is we will still be divided afterwards
Amidst the anger, frustration, and division of Brexit a different and more profound emotion lurks. This is a moment of national sadness. This sadness comes from a national event (the referendum), designed to resolve a question that has instead revealed how fundamentally divided we are. It has revealed that as nation we have little if any common understanding of who we are, what expectations flow from such an understanding, and what binds us beyond having ended up on these islands.
@tnewtondunn Furthermore; the PM has not made any public comment on a national stage (speech, press conference or Commons) about anything now for 20 days. PMQs and Liaison Committee tomorrow will stop the run of silence just before it hits 3 weeks.
Furthermore; the PM has not made any public comment on a national stage (speech, press conference or Commons) about anything now for 20 days. PMQs and Liaison Committee tomorrow will stop the run of silence just before it hits 3 weeks.
@Channel4News Shadow Trade Minister Barry Gardiner: ‘We will respect the referendum result, we should leave the European Union’
Shadow Trade Minister Barry Gardiner: ‘We will respect the referendum result, we should leave the European Union’
PAYPAL MAN Why won't Farage Reveal Who is Funding his BREXIT PARTY?
Populist, anti-elitist, libertarian? Nigel Farage’s new party doesn’t have any ‘members’ and is secretive, authoritarian and looks like a one man dictatorship. So the people who have logged on to the Brexit party website and paid their £25 are currently ‘registered supporters’. As such the Brexit party is more akin to the Dennis the Menace fan club than an actual political entity; although sadly you don’t as yet get a badge and a sheet of free stickers. Ironic isn’t it that a man who has spent thirty years railing against the unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats at the EU should now be heading up the least democratic political party in Britain. But not unsurprising. Farage’s Brexit party goes from strength to strength. A remarkable achievement given that it still has no policies or members. “No members?” You say “but I thought they had tens of thousands of people signing up.” Well yes – and no. Nigel might be bragging but the Brexit party currently has no actual membership, and the reason for that is simple. Nigel doesn’t like members. The trouble with giving people membership is that it starts giving them ideas. They begin wanting to have a say in how things are run. They want to get involved and vote on policy and elect national executives and that way lies another Gerard Batten.
Revealed: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn endorsed ‘brilliant’ book with anti-Semitic tones
Jeremy Corbyn wrote the foreword to a deeply anti-Semitic book written by an author with a record of “vocal antisemitism” who argued that banks and the press were controlled by Jews. In 2011, four years before Mr Corbyn rapidly rose through Labour’s ranks, he endorsed a new edition of John A. Hobson’s 1902 book Imperialism: A Study, The Times reports. In his foreword, the Labour Leader said the work was a “great tome” and praised Mr Hobson’s “brilliant, and very controversial at the time,” analysis of the “pressures” behind western, and in particular British, imperialism at the turn of the 20th century. But in the book, considered deeply anti-Semitic, Hobson claimed Europe was controlled by a “peculiar race” - Jews - and blatantly acknowledged the anti-Semitic Rothschild conspiracy theory.
Watson stages 'polite' walkout over Labour's EU election manifesto
Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, has walked out of a shadow cabinet meeting after demanding to see the text of the party’s draft manifesto for the European parliamentary elections. The shadow cabinet met before Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) gathered to sign off the manifesto for the elections next month. Watson said he had asked whether the shadow cabinet would be shown a draft of the manifesto, but when none materialised, he “politely” walked out. The manifesto for the elections, which has been drafted by the party’s policy chief, Andrew Fisher, is expected to reiterate the policy announced in February.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 2nd May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK factory exports tumble as Brexit chaos takes toll
- UK manufacturing exports declined at the second fastest rate in four and a half years in April, amid a slowdown in factory output, figures from IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) show
Brexit drains $30bn from UK funds
- Investment funds based in the UK haemorrhaged £30bn in the 12 months up to the end of March, as Brexit uncertainty prompted investors to spurn UK assets and shift money to EU regulated products. Research by Morningstar indicated that funds domiciled in the UK lost £5bn in assets in March and £30bn across the course of the last twelve months
Car Industry warns of a return to the 'dark days' as manufacturing falls again
- UK car manufacturing fell for the tenth month in a row, as industry warned that output from the sector could fall back to 1980's levels in the event of a No Deal Brexit. The SMMT released a report which underpinned the gloom and concluded with the fact that car exports represent nearly four fifths of all UK car production, which demonstrates how critical the importance of free and frictionless trade is to the UK car manufacturing industry
No Deal brexit ferry contracts to be scrapped at an eye-watering cost of £50m to the UK taxpayer
- The UK government ended the contracts for £89m worth of ferry capacity from Brittany Ferries and DFDS. Some of the capacity may be sold on, but millions of pounds look likely to be lost. The government has also been forced to pay £33m to Eurotunnel to settle a case in which the company challenged the procurement process for the ferry contracts. The DfT is also facing an additional legal action from P&O Ferries, which says its rival, Eurotunnel, was given an unfair competitive advantage by the government
Fiona Onasanya is booted out as an MP, after her recall petition, over her recent conviction, met the voter recall threshold
- The MP for Peterborough will be forced to stand down as an MP and a by-election for the seat will be called. This is the second time ever a recall petition has been used by Parliament. It is the first time an MP has been recalled
UKIP support melts away in its Kent heartland - Thanet
- UKIP won Thanet on an anti-establishment platform last time around, a pledge which included plans to reopen Manston Airport, which never materialised. In the local elections later today, UKIP has just three candidates for the 56 seats on Thanet Council. The local party's infrastructure has disappeared and candidates, supporters and activists have fled
Gavin Williamson - a man who leaked ambition
- Theresa May sacked her Defence Minister Gavin Williamson over the handing of sensitive UK National Security Council papers to a journalist, putting national security at risk. Now, MPs are calling for a police investigation and Mr Williamson to step down and trigger a by-election
Are Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn about to give birth to a Brexit compromise deal?
- With the PM stating that her aim is to wrap up Brexit talks by the middle of next week, hints are emerging, from sources on both political sides of the discussion, that a compromise Brexit plan is close. Theresa May told a parliamentary committee on Wednesday that 'there is a greater commonality between ourselves and the official opposition,' going on to say 'can we come to an agreement on customs union? I hope we will be able to'
- Rebecca Long-Bailey told BBC Radio4 Today programme listeners that 'the Tories have no option but to shift their red lines if they want to get a Brexit deal through the Commons.' A Tory source said the key question was whether Corbyn and McDonnell are 'willing to dip their hands in the blood of Brexit' and risk a split with pro-EU colleagues
Corbyn's attempt to play the electorate over Brexit look to have backfired. Now neither side needs Labour to get to do what they want
- Grassroots supporters of Jeremy Corbyn and his progressive campaign to reform the Labour Party are starting to think about 'life after Corbyn' now and many believe the recent NEC decision to reject grassroot calls for a Final Say referendum risks Corbyn alienating himself from the very members who ensured his victory
Theresa May is weighing up remaining in an EU customs union
- The FT reports the PM is considering keeping the UK inside the EU's tariff wall to secure a Brexit deal, which would restrict the country's ability to do trade deals, but allow it to strike agreements on services around the world. The PM has been warned by the Chief Whip 'that unless she strikes a trade deal with Labour a second referendum becomes highly likely'
Tory Cabinet ministers are split over a customs union Brexit deal with Labour
- A senior Tory cabinet minister suggested a deal involving a customs union could be backed by as few as 90 Tory MPs and that it would mean a slew of resignations from the government payroll. It would be opposed by the SNP, Lib Dems and other smaller parties - alongside dozens of Labour MPs who would only back a deal if it included a confirmatory referendum
Michael Gove tells the Cabinet it would be better to have an unpalatable deal with Labour than no Brexit it all
- Gove told cabinet colleagues it was time to give ground in the Brexit cross-party talks so that a Brexit agreement can be reached. Gove went on to say an unpalatable deal would be better than the disastrous outcome of Brexit being shelved altogether
MPs in the UK's parliaments make history by passing a motion to declare an environmental and climate change emergency
- Leading the debate, Jeremy Corbyn said 'there was no time to waste as the climate crisis looks set to spiral out of control unless we take rapid action to reverse it now.'
- A Russian oligarch's wife paid £135,000 for dinner with Theresa May and six female Cabinet ministers
- Nearly 8m UK voters were said not be registered to vote ahead of the European elections - according to a Best for Britain commisioned study
- The Daily Mirror reported that 'Labour is winning the ground war in the local elections as the Tories 'have gone missing'
- The Brexit Party candidate Claire Fox is coming under fire for her past views as a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Fox and her group publicly backed the IRA bombing Warrington in 1993, where two young boys were killed.
Economic Impact
UK factory exports tumble as Brexit chaos takes toll
Fears over the threat of a disorderly Brexit lost UK companies new orders from international clients last month as factory exports plunged, according to a survey.
UK manufacturers’ exports declined at the second-fastest rate in four and a half years in April, amid a slowdown in factory output, the figures from IHS Markit and the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (Cips) show.
Brexit drains £30bn from UK funds
Investment funds based in the UK haemorrhaged £30bn in the 12 months to the end of March, as Brexit uncertainty prompted investors to spurn UK assets and shift money to EU-regulated products. The UK came close to leaving the EU without a formal agreement on March 29. Although this possibility was ultimately precluded by an extension to the exit date, news of the delay came at the last minute. New research by Morningstar, a data provider, shows that funds domiciled in the UK were hit hard by the Brexit unease, losing £5bn in assets in March and £30bn in total over a 12-year period. Bhavik Parekh, associate analyst for manager research at Morningstar, said: “In the months leading to the deadline, investors and fund [managers] became increasingly worried over the impact of an unfavourable deal and its negative implications.” The outflows were partly driven by investors culling their exposure to asset classes vulnerable to Brexit shocks, such as UK companies. UK equity income funds — a longstanding investor favourite — bled £3.1bn over the year to the end of March.
Trouble ahead for UK manufacturers as April PMI dips
Stockpiling had been the key theme in UK manufacturing over recent months, as concerns rose about the possibility of an imminent ‘no deal’ Brexit. Recent PMI surveys had suggested that firms were building inventory at an unprecedented rate – faster in fact than any G7 economy has experienced in the survey’s history. But now that Article 50 has been extended and the immediate risk of ‘no deal’ postponed, this stockpiling activity has eased slightly according to the latest survey data. This helped take the manufacturing PMI from 55.1 in March to 53.1 in April.
The Irish Farmers Association says Brexit has so far cost beef farmers over €100m.
The Irish Farmers Association says Brexit has so far cost beef farmers over €100m.
They say price cuts brought on by Brexit have left many on the brink of going out of business. A protest to highlight their concerns is taking place outside a meeting of Cabinet in Cork later. IFA President Joe Healy says beef farmers are suffering and the Government needs to act like they said they would. "The minister has adopted a wait and see approach and this government has said that they'd have farmers' backs in the case of Brexit - well know we want them to back up their words," said Mr Healy. "We don't have to wait and see. Farmers have endured the pain of Brexit in their pockets, where it really hurts." "Unless they're supported they'll go out of business."
Car industry warns of return to 'dark days' as manufacturing falls again
UK car manufacturing fell for the tenth month in the row in March as the industry warned that output from the sector could fall to 1980s levels in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The number of cars produced declined to 126,195, 14.4% lower than in the same period last year, according to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT). It reported an 18.1% fall in vehicles produced for domestic use and a 13.4% downturn for overseas - the latter blamed on continued weaker demand in key Asian and European markets. But the SMMT added that exports represented nearly four-fifths of overall production, demonstrating the importance of free and frictionless trade.
Political Setbacks
UK government cancels Brexit ferry deals
The Department for Transport is cancelling contracts to provide extra ferry services after Brexit. Ending the contracts with Brittany Ferries and DFDS could cost the taxpayer more than £50m. The government bought £89m worth of capacity from the two firms. Some of that capacity might be sold, but millions of pounds could be lost. The contracts were designed to ease pressure on the port of Dover, by creating extra services at other ports. In February, the DfT was forced to axe its £13.8m contract with a third company, Seaborne Freight, which the BBC found had never sailed a vessel. Earlier this year, the National Audit Office estimated that the cancellation costs of all the ferry contracts would be £56.6m. The cost is likely to only be several million pounds less than this. A government spokesperson said: "The termination of these contracts has resulted in less cost to the taxpayer than the termination costs reported by the NAO." The government was also forced to pay £33m to Eurotunnel, to settle a case which challenged the procurement process for the ferry contracts. In addition, the DfT is now facing legal action from P&O Ferries, which says its rival, Eurotunnel, was given a competitive advantage by the government.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-48117366
Additional sources: (Evening Standard) (The Telegraph) (Politics Home) (Sky News) (Huffington Post UK)
Additional sources: (Evening Standard) (The Telegraph) (Politics Home) (Sky News) (Huffington Post UK)
Fiona Onasanya booted out as MP after recall petition over conviction
Disgraced Fiona Onasanya has been booted out as an MP after her constituents voted to force a by-election. The Peterborough MP, who ousted Tory Stewart Jackson in 2017 on a majority of just 607, was jailed and expelled from the Labour Party after being convicted of perverting the course of justice. And rare recall petition - only the second ever of its kind - opened on March 19, giving voters a chance to boot her out. Speaker John Bercow confirmed today that the petition was signed by 10% of her constituents, that she was no longer the MP for Peterborough and a by-election would take place in the seat.
Jeremy Corbyn Rejects Claims That He Endorsed Anti-Semitism In Colonialism Textbook
Jeremy Corbyn has rejected claims that he endorsed anti-semitic remarks in an academic textbook on colonialism, pointing out the language used was “of its time”.
The Labour leader was plunged into a fresh row over the issue after it emerged that he had praised the study by JA Hobson as “a great tome”. The book, Imperialism: A Study, included several anti-semitic tropes about Jewish control of media and finance. It included a line that claimed Europe was controlled “by men of a single and peculiar race, who have behind them many centuries of financial experience”. The Jewish Labour Movement said the issue was a resignation matter for Corbyn, who wrote a foreword to a new edition of the textbook when he was a backbencher in 2011.
UK local elections: Ukip support melts away in Kent heartland
Thanet hoped to take back control. Four years ago, in its last local elections, the Kentish district delivered a populist shock by electing the first council run by the UK Independence party. The party that championed Brexit decades before the term was coined won Thanet on an anti-establishment platform, including a pledge to reopen Manston Airport — a major regional employer renowned for its role in the second world war. It was a high for Ukip and its then leader, Nigel Farage. Its victory, however, soon descended into bickering. In elections on Thursday, the self-proclaimed “People’s Army” is standing a meagre three candidates for the 56 seats on Thanet District Council. In the district’s towns of Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate, the party’s local infrastructure has disappeared. Candidates, supporters and activists have fled.
Gavin Williamson sacking 'personal blow' for May
The shock decision to sack the defence secretary came after senior ministers demanded a full inquiry into a National Security Council leak. Downing Street sources have pointed out the prime minister spoke of her sadness at her decision to fire Gavin Williamson in her letter setting out the reasons for her decision. But they made clear that having conducted a full inquiry into the leak, there could be no other explanation other than the former defence secretary handed over sensitive information to a journalist. Before sitting in the cabinet, Mr Williamson was the chief whip, making him one of Theresa May's most trusted senior colleagues.
The Guardian view on the Gavin Williamson sacking: a man who leaked ambition
It is symptomatic of the malaise of Brexit that personal ambitions have taken over as the animating impulse in too many cabinet ministers. There appears no depth to which Mr Williamson wouldn’t drop to prove that he had metamorphosised into a nationalist rabble-rouser. He was shallow: responding to Treasury cheese-paring with the idea of mounting guns on tractors as makeshift mobile missile launchers. He showboated: suggesting that Gibraltarians could be armed with paintball guns to fire at passing Spanish ships to scare them off. In response, it was reported, generals simply rolled their eyes. Perhaps nobody else has behaved quite so badly. But this sorry episode reminds the nation that many Conservatives are losing their grip on reality when they ought to be grappling with the most complex piece of statecraft in a generation.
How ultra-remainers could score a spectacular own goal on Brexit
Labour’s left was once bitterly denounced for putting purity ahead of power. With Farageism on the brink of winning a national poll, and with Labour having already jeopardised the coalition of remainers and leavers it needs to win, the same people who once angrily made this argument are themselves most guilty of it. Imagine being a second referendum supporter who is so furious with a party that has twice voted for their objective that you’d allow your supposed mortal enemy to win an election and destroy your own cause. Well, you don’t have to imagine it: because in three weeks’ time, that is what will happen.
UKIP candidate Mark Meechan linked to racist forum posts
Scottish UKIP candidate Mark Meechan was a prominent user of an online forum that contained racist language and threats against ethnic minorities. The forum was closed down by its host, US-based gaming community site Discord, following inquiries by the BBC. The chat group, which was littered with racist and Islamophobic terms as well as support for neo-Nazi groups, was promoted from Mr Meechan's Twitter. Mr Meechan said the forum "operates on the principle of free speech". The 31-year-old YouTube blogger, from Coatbridge, was convicted last year of posting a video of his girlfriend's pug lifting a paw when he said "gas the Jews" or "Sieg Heil". It was described by a sheriff as anti-Semitic and racist but Mr Meechan denied he was a racist and said his conviction set "a very dangerous precedent" for free speech.
Labour MP - who said party is not pro-Remain - now 'desperately worried' about losing Remainers
A Labour MP who claimed that Labour is ‘not a Remain party’ has now expressed concerns that it is losing Remainers after a series of member resignations. It had been hoped that the leadership would provide a more positive line on a People's Vote as the country heads to the European elections, but instead the National Executive Committee endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's pro-Brexit message, which appears to keep a public vote option as a last resort. Now Barry Gardiner, a member of the Labour frontbench, has said he is “desperately worried” about losing the support of Remainers after many turned to social media to announce their resignations. That is despite recently telling anti-Brexit campaigners that Labour is “not a Remain party”. He was grilled by LBC radio presenter, Iain Dale about the rise in resignations since the announcement on its manifesto.
Corbyn refuses to back a second referendum – but not because he’s a closet Brexiteer
It was the first line of the spokesperson’s statement that gave the game away: “We are working to bring the country together after the chaos and crisis created by the Tories.” To translate that into normal English: we hope that both Leavers and Remainers will continue to vote for us, while the Conservative Party goes into meltdown for its failure to deliver Brexit. So far, the Milne-Corbyn strategy seems to be working fine.
Activists Are Trying To Force Mastercard To Cut Off Payments To The Far-Right
Activists have successfully forced Mastercard to hold a vote by shareholders on a proposal which, if passed, could see the company monitoring payments to global far-right political leaders and white supremacist groups. The proposal aims to see Mastercard establish an internal “human rights committee” that would stop designated white supremacist groups and anti-Islam activists, such as Tommy Robinson, from getting access to money sent from donors using the company’s card payment services. It’s been conceived by US-based political activists SumOfUs, who want to escalate the battle against white supremacists and far-right groups from tech platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Patreon, and PayPal to one of the biggest companies in world finance, in an attempt to choke off donations. Robinson and several other leading figures in the global far right have been forced in recent months to solicit donations directly on their websites via Mastercard, Visa, and American Express after PayPal banned payments to them. Facebook also disabled the donation function on Robinson’s fan page before deleting it completely.
Brexit Party candidate criticised for past IRA defence
The father of a murdered schoolboy has criticised a top Brexit Party candidate over "absolutely disgraceful" comments about the Warrington IRA bombing. European elections candidate Claire Fox was a leading member of the far-left Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) which defended the fatal attack. Colin Parry, whose son Tim died in the 1993 bombing, said she "should disavow these comments if that's her position". A Brexit Party spokesman said Ms Fox "does not hold those views now". Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, three, were killed in the IRA bombing on March 20, 1993, which left 56 others injured.
Labour is winning the ground war in the local elections while the Tories have gone missing
Prime Minister’s questions today comes on the eve of the local elections so you can expect both leaders to use the opportunity for a spot of last minute campaigning. Theresa May will dutifully go through the motions of defending her Government’s record while refusing to acknowledge her party is facing a hammering in tomorrow’s poll . The consequences of years of austerity are far more noticeable at a local level than the national one. The cumulative impact of the cuts can be seen in the closure of your local leisure centre, the potholes in the roads, the rationing of social care, the absence of community support officers, the state of the local park, the fly-tipping and the loss of your library.
Conservative Party's biggest Brexit mistake revealed – 'We were crazy to do it'
Theresa May has been the subject of heavy criticism from members of her party after she agreed to a further extension to the Brexit process to seek support for her proposed withdrawal deal. Commentator Tim Montgomerie claimed the Conservative Party had made a "crazy" mistake when members maintained the Prime Minister in power despite Mrs May losing the overall majority she had inherited from her predecessor at the 2017 General Election. Addressing the public at a Centre of Independent Studies event in Sydney, Mr Montgomerie said: "If we were here for the rest of the afternoon, we could go through listing the major mistakes that Theresa May has made since she became Prime Minister.
Scout leader quits after troop delivers Conservative election leaflets in Lincolnshire
A Scout leader has quit after children in his troop handed out leaflets for two Conservative candidates in the local elections. The Scout Association said a complaint had been made about youngsters from 1st Marshchapel group in Lincolnshire delivering the information and several volunteers had resigned. The Scouts had been told they could rent an allotment space for a year to grow vegetables for a soup kitchen in return for distributing the leaflets, according to reports. The leaflets were promoting Conservative candidates Paul Rickett and Daniel McNally, who are campaigning for the East Lindsey District Council elections this Thursday.
On election trail in Yorkshire with Labour where Theresa May faces wipeout
Climbing a hilly stone terrace, we’re hailed from the window of a second-floor by 44 year old Richard Wilson, who wants to put up Labour Party poster. In the next street – a stone’s throw from the birthplace of the late poet laureate Ted Hughes – Lesley Clemson, 52, asks “What have the Conservatives done for us? We need Labour in power for action on schools and housing.” Mum Elspeth Allan, 41, comes to the door with toddler Ottilie, insisting: “It’s very disheartening what’s happened with Brexit, but it’s important to vote Labour.” A few doors further up Jordan James, 29, an IT manager, admits to disillusion over Europe. He said: “I wasn’t sure, I’ve voted Labour before, and I will do again.” This is getting like a fan-fest. Where are all the unhappy, brassed-off Tykes who are going to stay at home tomorrow? If they exist, they must be hiding from Roisin’s electoral blandishments.
Russian Oligarch's wife paid £135,000 for dinner with Theresa May and SIX female cabinet ministers
Theresa May and six female Cabinet members had a night out with the wife of a former Vladimir Putin ally who had donated £135,000 at a Tory fundraiser. Lubov Chernukhin was entertained by the Prime Minister at the five-star Goring Hotel in Belgravia on Monday evening. It is understood the banker won the dinner as an auction prize at the Conservative Party’s Black and White ball earlier this year. The £135,000 bid takes Mrs Chernukhin’s donations to the Tories over the past seven years past the £1million mark. The party has insisted that Mrs Chernukhin, now a British citizen, is not a ‘Putin crony’. But the money will raise fresh questions about the Tories’ links to Russia just a year after the Salisbury spy poisoning. Five years ago, David Cameron faced questions after Mrs Chernukhin successfully bid £160,000 at a party fundraising dinner to play tennis against him and Boris Johnson.
UKIP 'not a safety valve for disaffected Tories' says Batten
Gerard Batten has dismissed Nigel Farage's Brexit Party as a "Tory-lite" ego trip as he insisted only UKIP has a "clear policy" for leaving the EU. Launching its European election campaign in Middlesbrough, the UKIP leader said democracy was under threat if the Brexit vote was not honoured. UKIP was a "real political party" with members and a rule book, he said. Its rival, he said, was a "wholly owned subsidiary of one man's ego" and a "safety valve for disaffected Tories".
Mr Farage, UKIP's figurehead for two decades, quit the party after a bitter fallout with Mr Batten last year.
BBC spots the flaw with UKIP man's call for UK Muslims to march against Brunei
Stuart Agnew said the UK "Muslim population" should march against Brunei's sickening anti-gay law - but gave a rather different answer when asked about UK Christians.
8m UK voters not registered ahead of European elections – study
Nearly 8 million people in Britain eligible to vote in the European elections are not yet registered, campaigners have said as the deadline looms. Research commissioned by Best for Britain, the pro-remain campaign, and undertaken by Number Cruncher Politics suggests 7.9 million eligible voters are not on the electoral roll in their local area. The figure is based on population and nationality data, estimates of what proportion of the population is registered to vote in each region, and research from the Electoral Commission on the accuracy of the electoral register. The Green party MP, Caroline Lucas, said: “It’s really concerning that huge swathes of people across the country who have the right to vote in the European elections this May aren’t currently registered.
Political Shenanigans
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson sacked over Huawei leak
Gavin Williamson has been sacked as defence secretary following an inquiry into a leak from a top-level National Security Council meeting. Downing Street said the PM had "lost confidence in his ability to serve" and Penny Mordaunt will take on the role. The inquiry followed reports over a plan to allow Huawei limited access to help build the UK's new 5G network. Mr Williamson, who has been defence secretary since 2017, "strenuously" denies leaking the information. In a meeting with Mr Williamson on Wednesday evening, Theresa May told him she had information that provided "compelling evidence" that he was responsible for the unauthorised disclosure. In a letter confirming his dismissal, she said: "No other, credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified." Responding in a letter to the PM, Mr Williamson said he was "confident" that a "thorough and formal inquiry" would have "vindicated" his position.
@Tom_Watson If he has leaked from the National Security Council, Gavin Williamson should be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act. And he should forgo his ministerial severance pay.
If he has leaked from the National Security Council, Gavin Williamson should be prosecuted under the Official Secrets Act. And he should forgo his ministerial severance pay.
MPs make history by passing Commons motion to declare ‘environment and climate change emergency’
Introducing the motion on Wednesday, Mr Corbyn called on MPs to recognise the “devastating impact” that volatile and extreme weather will have on all walks of life, as he urged them to “declare an environment and climate emergency”. “We have no time to waste,” he added. “We are living in a climate crisis that will spiral dangerously out of control unless we take rapid and dramatic action now. “This is no longer about a distant future. We are talking about nothing less than the irreversible destruction of the environment within our lifetimes.” During the debate on the motion environment secretary Michael Gove, who met with climate activists at Westminster on Tuesday, also said the government recognises “the situation we face is an emergency”, but stopped short of meeting Labour’s demands to officially declare one.
U.K.'s May and Corbyn Hint That a Brexit Deal Could Be in Sight
Theresa May and her arch political rival Jeremy Corbyn are both signaling they may be edging closer to a Brexit deal after a month of talks between their teams that seemed to be going nowhere. Both the U.K. government and the main opposition Labour Party talked up the prospects for a compromise plan and will hold more negotiations in the days ahead. The prime minister is aiming to wrap up the talks next week, either with an agreement or without one. On Wednesday, May signaled she could move on one of her key red lines and allow the U.K. to sign up to some kind of permanent customs union with the EU. The pound strengthened.
“There is a greater commonality in terms of some of the benefits of a customs union that we’ve already identified between ourselves and the official opposition,” May told a parliamentary committee. “Looking at the balance of these issues is part of the discussion. Can we come to an agreement on that? I hope we will be able to.”
'Brexit customs union the only option left for Theresa May,' says Corbyn ally
Rebecca Long-Bailey made clear, however, that Mrs May will have to make a decisive shift towards Labour’s policy for a customs union. “I think, pragmatically, that they potentially may have no option in order to be able to push this deal through,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. A Tory source said the key question was whether Mr Corbyn and shadow chancellor John McDonnell “are willing to dip their hands in the blood of Brexit” and risk a split with pro-EU colleagues such as shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer and deputy leader Tom Watson.
Tories delay Theresa May’s showdown with furious members so she can host Donald Trump
Tory party chiefs are to delay Theresa May’s showdown reckoning with furious members to allow her to host Donald Trump. An unprecedented Emergency General Meeting is due to be called in early June amid a grassroots activists’ revolt over Brexit.
Brexit makes the case for an independent Scotland - At the whim of the Tory party, Scots have been told to surrender their European identity
When Scotland voted to maintain the union with England, the argument that separation would diminish both nations seemed compelling. Five years on, Nicola Sturgeon says Brexit has broken the bargain. Scotland’s first minister and leader of the Scottish National party is preparing for a possible second referendum by mid-2021. Ms Sturgeon may be a touch impatient. She is also essentially right.
Leaving the EU unpicks the logic of Scotland’s place in the UK. The independence vote in September 2014 saw 55 per cent support the union and 45 per cent opt for independence. The decision was clear, and yet still close enough to represent a reprieve rather than an unequivocal commitment to the status quo. The unspoken message was that the cloak of Britishness thrown over England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland could not be taken for granted.
Corbyn’s attempt to play the electorate over Brexit has backfired. Now neither side needs Labour to get what they want
Next year, ringed in the calendar by the Labour leader and shadow chancellor as the likely date of the next election, might then mark the beginning of the end of Corbynism. “People are starting to think about life after Jeremy,” said one Corbyn loyalist. It is a process that will gather pace now that Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) has rejected grassroots calls for the party to support a Final Say referendum on any Brexit deal. Corbyn now risks alienating the very members who ensured his 2015 victory.
Elephant on the doorstep: Plymouth’s politicians don’t mention Brexit
A third of the council’s seats are up for grabs on 2 May. There are currently only Conservative and Labour councillors in Plymouth (26 and 31 respectively), meaning the Tories would need to gain three seats to steal Labour’s majority. Neither party thinks that is likely to happen. “I think it will be tough,” says the council’s Conservative group leader, Ian Bowyer. “There are no two ways about that.” Plymouth voted to leave the European Union by 60% to 40% and Bowyer is open about the fact that the Brexit stalemate in Westminster has damaged his party’s chances. “Without the raging Brexit arguments and the lack of performance that people see in Westminster, I think we would have had a better chance,” he says. Mercer puts it rather more strongly. “I think the electorate are in no mood to vote Conservative,” he says. “Because we have signally failed to deliver our primary policy. The prime minister has said for two and a half years that if we don’t get a good deal we will be leaving anyway. I and thousands of others believed her and it was not the case.”
Dear Corbyn: If you fail to challenge Brexit, you will throw away your support
Take Lara McNeill, the NEC representative for Young Labour: in a blog post yesterday – posted just after she had retweeted a meme which claimed that the Communications Union’s rejection of a second referendum was “quality socialism” – how, exactly? – she made claimed that “it is clear that the electorate’s desire to honour the 2016 referendum result is hardening rather than dissipating.” In fact, the number of those who thought the UK was wrong to vote to leave, rather than right, at close to an all time high. Remain now has a consistent lead in the polls, with the lead among those who think the decision to leave the EU being wrong having grown to as much as eight points in recent months. And the overwhelming majority of young Labour members, voters, and activists backing a fresh referendum. Yet McNeill supplies no positive evidence for her claim. It’s not what the statistics say – and not what I hear from local party, Momentum and activist meetings. She also claims that it is the role of the NEC to decide which parts of established policy to include in the manifesto, not “turn existing policy on its head.” Fine – but a public vote on any deal was voted for by Jeremy Corbyn and the vast majority of the front bench on April 1st. Were they making up policy then?
@BethRigby The PM's letter firing Gavin Williamson
The PM's letter firing Gavin Williamson
May weighs up remaining in an EU customs union
Theresa May is considering agreeing to keep the UK inside the EU’s tariff wall to secure a Brexit deal, which would restrict the country’s ability to do trade deals on goods but allow it to strike agreements on services. The move could satisfy the opposition Labour party’s demand that Britain stay within the bloc’s common external tariff. The prime minister has been warned by Conservative chief whip Julian Smith that unless she strikes a deal on a customs union with Labour a second referendum would be a likely outcome, prompting ministers to scramble to find a possible compromise. Mrs May insisted to MPs on Wednesday she wanted to maintain an “independent trade policy” after Brexit but her allies said that this did not necessarily cover all parts of the British economy. “You could come up with a solution where you have freedom to do trade deals in some areas but not others,” said one person close to Mrs May. Downing Street declined to comment.
Cabinet ministers split over customs union Brexit deal with Labour
Cabinet ministers are bitterly divided over whether Brexit talks with Labour should broach the possibility of a customs union, with several sceptical that such a deal could even command a majority in parliament or survive hostile backbench amendments. A senior cabinet minister suggested a deal involving a customs union could be backed by as few as 90 Tory MPs and would mean a slew of resignations from the government payroll. It is also likely to be opposed by the SNP, the Liberal Democrats and other smaller parties, as well as dozens of Labour MPs who would only back a deal if it included a confirmatory referendum.
Chief whip warned cabinet that referendum or customs union are price of Brexit
I imagine you all know this, but I am told it is true that Julian Smith told cabinet that the only way to get the Brexit deal through the Commons is for the Government and Theresa May to agree either to hold a confirmatory ballot or to commit to a customs union. Which sounds to me like the chief whip telling the PM and ministers that the only way to secure Brexit is to ignore dearest preferences of the majority of Tory MPs and get her Brexit ratified by relying on the official opposition. Which would probably destroy the Tory party. And therefore maybe he was in practice saying that there is no Brexit without a General Election (presumably with a new Tory leader). Apparently the PM did not make any comment on the chief whip's briefing.
Michael Gove tells Cabinet it would be better to have 'unpalatable' deal with Labour than no Brexit
In a boost for ongoing cross-party talks, the Environment Secretary is said to have told Cabinet colleagues this week that the Conservatives might need to give ground to the opposition to reach an agreement. According to The Telegraph, Mr Gove - who campaigned for Brexit in 2016 - warned that an "unpalatable" deal with the opposition would be better than the "disastrous" outcome of Brexit being shelved altogether.
Brexit: Theresa May admits she could cave in to Labour demands to stay in customs union
Theresa May has admitted she could agree to stay in a customs union in a bid to rescue Brexit, saying she “can’t pre-empt” the result of the talks with Labour. The prime minister’s spokesman refused – four times – to rule out the concession, which would enrage many Conservative MPs and almost certainly trigger cabinet resignations. “I can’t pre-empt what will come out of talks,” he said, asked if Ms May was prepared to agree to the central demand made by Jeremy Corbyn.
Is an independent Scotland now inevitable? I'm beginning to believe it might be
Fast forward a year and a bit, and Britain has finally left the European Union, even if the nature of its future relationship with Brussels has yet to be settled. Unfortunately, another problem has loomed into view. By a comfortable majority, Scots have voted for an independent Scotland. A triumphant Nicola Sturgeon stands before Edinburgh’s St Andrew’s House, seat of the Scottish government, to announce that two years hence, the more than three centuries old Act of Union with England will be dissolved. Now fast forward to the moment of departure, and the Scottish government is finding that, like Brexit, actually leaving a union of such long standing in a manner that is not going to be economically that straight forward
Brexit: May hopes UK will leave 'well before' 31 October deadline
Theresa May has said she hopes the UK will leave the EU well before the new 31 October Brexit deadline. She told MPs there was no reason the UK could not leave in a matter of weeks once MPs backed an agreement, which they have so far rejected three times. She signalled she hoped to get Labour backing for any new customs proposal before putting it to Parliament again. She said their aims were "very similar" and "sometimes people use different terms to mean the same thing".
Labour wants the PM to sign up to the idea of a customs union with the EU, something she has adamantly opposed up to now, and some have suggested she is moving in their direction. Most Conservative MPs have said they would not support the move, saying it would mean the UK would not have an independent trade policy.
'Stop stereotyping the north as Brexitland' say four Labour MPs
Four North Labour MPs, Mary Creagh, Anna Turley, Phil Wilson, and Catherine McKinnell, set out why they believe 'published opinion' is wrong about the region's voters. “THERE is no such thing as public opinion,” said Winston Churchill. “There is only published opinion.” If you are an MP in the North of England, as we are, “published opinion” (and Nigel Farage) tells you we are surrounded by shouty people who all voted for Brexit; whose entire lives are dominated by anger that the “elites” are betraying them. “Published opinion” states that we Northern Labour MPs live in constant fear of losing our seats, unless we repeat that mantra that Leave Means Leave, and if we don’t deliver “the will of the people”, we are all heading for the political scrapyard. How dare the media use our constituents to reaffirm Brexit stereotypes of 2016? They were stereotypes then and they still are. Yes, we all know Leavers who still want Brexit. But we also know Leavers who, now they know what Brexit will mean for their families, jobs and incomes, have changed their mind. We know people who are adamantly opposed to a People’s Vote. We know others who were opposed but who now see it as the only democratic way out of the mess we are in.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 3rd May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
A plague on both your houses as Brexit anger dominates the local elections
- A remarkable set of results are unfolding with the Conservatives and Labour both suffering setbacks as local council election results come in. Sky believes Labour did badly in the pro-Brexit north of England but better in the pro-Remain south. The Lib Dems and the Independents, though, gained some spectacular scalps and are on the march. The Tories look to be on course to lose around 500 seats, much as expected. Labour is not doing anything like as well as it should. The Lib Dems have taken control of a number of councils, including arch-Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg's Bath & North East Somerset council
A cross-party deal on Brexit looks close
- Theresa May looks set to accept that the UK will remain in lockstep with the EU's customs rules for years after Brexit in a deal with Labour. Under the terms of the tentative agreement Mrs May is close to signing up to, the two parties would agree on a long-term customs union in all but name. The government would commit to 'enter into a customs arrangement with the EU, at the end of the transition period, after leaving the EU. This would include Britain being able to allign all tariffs on goods with the EU and having the right to negotiate trade deals on Britain's behalf
Labour MP Barry Gardiner characterises the Brexit deal as 'Labour trying to bail out the Tories on Brexit'
- 'We are now trying to negotiate with you because your Prime Minister, who has lost control of her party, has lost any chance of getting her deal through parliament so has had to come to us and then had to say 'please can I listen to the ideas you have been putting forward'
Theresa May has just days to seal her Brexit destiny
- She could call Corbyn's bluff and show he's been negotiating in bad faith OR so enrage her party by agreeing a compromise deal with Corbyn that they find a way to throw her out OR so alientate her Brexiteer MPs and the DUP they join with Labour to kick her out of office. She has nothing to lose and everything to gain. So expect a move on a Brexit deal with the Labour Party very soon
Gavin Williamson is said to be plotting to deliver a bombshell speech to trigger Theresa May's downfall
- As a former chief whip and core to the campaign to get Theresa May elected as leader it is likely he would know where a few of her skeletons are buried. Whether this speech materialises or not, the press now know about the threat so he's entering 'put up or shut up territory'
Conservative donors are abandoning Theresa May to back a new Brexit referendum campaign
- The Right to Vote campaign for a second referendum, set up by Conservative MP's, has already raised hundreds of thousands of pounds from disguntled Conservative donors since it was set up in January. One donor, City Pub Group chairman, Clive Watson, told Business Insider he had donated £35,000 in a personal capacity, having previous donated £25,000 through his business to the Conservatives
Political News RoundUp
- Northampton County Council is not voting today as it does not have enough money to run an election
- Brexit Party candidate Sally Bate, standing in the north west region, has quit the party, as she cannot continue to stand alongside Claire Fox, who has failed to condemn the Warrington IRA bombing of 1993 that kills two children which she continues to support
- Reports says government communication records reveal that Gavin Williamson had an eleven minute call with Telegraph journalist Steven Swinford last Tuesday. Williamson denies he talked about Huawei to the journalist, but this evidence suggests a link which is hard to refute and supports the decision to sack him
- There was some hilarity over a video of UKIP candidate Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson) campaigning in Warrington and ending up covered in a milkshake for a second day running
- Open Democracy said that a leading Tory MEP, and number two on the party's European Election list, Nirj Deva, has been going above and beyond the minimal courtesy an MEP would offer to Huawei - actively and unusually lobbying hard on behalf of the Chinese technology company in Brussels
- Conservative Party leadership candidate and Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt, urged the UK to exercise caution on Huawei and to consider the concerns of intelligence agencies and partner networks about Huawei very seriously before proceeding
- Former Tory Party minister, Greg Barker, is said to have been paid a $4m bonus by controversial Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska, for his efforts in shuttle diplomacy between the UK and the USA - and for getting U.S sanctions placed on Deripaska's company En+ Group lifted
Economic News RoundUp
- Bombardier said it now plans to sell its operations in Northern Ireland, where the Canadian aerospace group is one of the biggest employers, with a workforce of 3,600 people. Bombardier has previously warned of the consequences of a hard Brexit for its operations in Belfast - a threat which could now complicate the sale process
- Bristol's economic prosperity is at risk over a no-deal Brexit, according to the urban policy research unit, Centre for Cities. A total of 55% of Bristol's exports are sold to the EU and are worth around £3.6bn to the city's economy, or £8,508 per worker
- The Bristol Royal Infirmary told a cancer patient that a cutting edge radiotherapy treatment for cancer in his liver, his best chance of survival and recovery alongside chemotherapy, has been delayed indefinitely due to Brexit chaos
Jobs at Risk
Bombardier puts Belfast aerospace business up for sale
Bombardier plans to sell its operations in Northern Ireland, where the Canadian aerospace group is one of the biggest employers with a workforce of 3,600. The decision to dispose of the Belfast-based aerostructures business comes at a sensitive time for the UK, which is grappling with the impact that Brexit could have on Northern Ireland. Bombardier has previously warned of the consequences of a hard Brexit for its operations in Belfast — a threat that could now complicate the sale process.
Economic Impact
Bristol’s economic prosperity 'at risk' over no-deal Brexit
Failure to secure a good Brexit deal with the EU risks putting Bristol’s economic prosperity at risk, a think tank is warning. A total of 55 per cent of Bristol’s exports are sold to the bloc and are worth around £3.6billion to the city’s economy, or £8,508 per worker. But local exporters are facing tariff barriers if the government fails to secure a good Brexit deal, says urban policy research unit Centre for Cities.
Administrative Fall Out
Cancer patient told ‘Brexit chaos’ has indefinitely delayed life-saving treatment
A cancer patient has been told his best chance of a cure has been delayed indefinitely ”because of Brexit”. Richard Kelly was due to start the cutting-edge treatment known as selective internal radiation therapy (Sirt) for cancer in his liver last month, alongside chemotherapy. But now the 53-year-old has claimed that his oncologist at Bristol Royal Infirmary told him: “The treatment had been delayed due to Brexit”. Mr Kelly told The Independent his consultant said: “NHS England were unable to set a budget for this kind of treatment because of the chaotic nature of the Brexit negotiations and the actual leaving of the European Union. Therefore this essential treatment was delayed, with no suggestion of a date when it would be available.” Consultants proposed he undergo the “groundbreaking” treatment method after they found signs the bowel cancer he was initially being treated for had spread to his liver and was “incurable” with surgery - though it could be contained with chemotherapy.
British teenagers able to apply for free EU rail passes despite Brexit
British 18-year-olds can apply for a free rail pass awarded by the European Union despite the looming Brexit deadline. The European commission announced on Thursday that 18-year-olds in the EU could apply for 20,000 “DiscoverEU” passes that allow travel to one or more countries, a repeat of the oversubscribed ticket giveaway launched last year. Successful applicants will have to take their trip, of up to 30 days, between 1 August 2019 and 31 January 2020. British 18-year-olds can apply for tickets, although the UK is scheduled to quit the EU on 31 October.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May has just days to seal her Brexit destiny
Well there are three failure scenarios, all of which could almost simultaneously happen. 1) She could call Corbyn's bluff and in the end find out that he has been negotiating in bad faith; it may turn out that he simply could not bring himself to do a deal with any Tory prime minister. But that would probably reflect worse on him than her. 2) She could so enrage her party that they find a way to throw her out double quick. But she knows that's going to happen in pretty short order any way. So in that sense she has literally nothing to lose from doing what she thinks is the right thing by the country. 3) She could so alienate her Brexiter MPs and Northern Ireland's DUP, whose support is vital to the Tories remaining in office, that they would join forces with Labour to force a general election. But May knows that the parliamentary arithmetic may make it impossible to secure any kind of Brexit ahead of an election in any case. So again she would have lost nothing if an election was precipitated. Or to put it another way, even though the prospect of Theresa May securing a pact with Labour for a managed departure from the EU is a remote one, trying and failing is not such a terrible thing for her - because she knows that whatever happens, her time in 10 Downing Street is almost up. Her destiny is sealed. Her time as prime minister is drawing to a close. So why wouldn't she boldly go where she has never gone before, and seek a genuine Brexit alliance with her implacable opponent, Jeremy Corbyn?
Gavin Williamson ‘planning’ bombshell speech likely to trigger Theresa May’s downfall
Some MPs have called for Mr Williamson to be prosecuted while others believe he should be allowed a chance to defend himself in an official investigation. However, he is reportedly thinking of delivering a speech like Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech which sparked Margaret Thatcher’s downfall. Political editor Nicholas Watt said on BBC Newsnight: “Make no mistake, Gavin Williamson is on the war path.
“I spoke to a friend tonight who said he is thinking of delivering a speech on the level of Geoffrey Howe’s resignation speech which famously precipitated the downfall of Margaret Thatcher.”
Labour and Tories hit by Brexit backlash in local elections
Labour and the Conservatives have been hit by a Brexit backlash, while the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents are enjoying a Brexit bounce. On a night of town hall turmoil in the local elections, broadly speaking Labour have done badly in the pro-Brexit north of England and better in the pro-Remain south. For the Tories it's the opposite: struggling in the south and yet embarrassing Labour in its northern heartlands. The Lib Dems have gained some spectacular scalps and independents are on the march. The two big parties wanted these elections to be about bins, not Brexit. Fat chance. Brexit has dominated and polarised UK politics for three years and threatens to continue to do so for years to come.
Labour 'trying to bail out' Tories on Brexit
Labour MP Barry Gardiner has said his party is trying to "bail out" the Conservatives over Brexit - trying to find a compromise which will break the current deadlock. Mr Gardiner, who is shadow international trade secretary, clashed with Conservative Brexit minister James Cleverly during the BBC News Channel's local election coverage on Thursday. He said: "We are now trying to negotiate with you because your prime minister, who's lost control of her party, who's lost any chance of getting her deal through Parliament, has had to come to us and say 'please, I now need to listen to the ideas that you've been putting forward'".
Chris Philp MP: The local elections are about the everyday services in your area, not the politics in Westminster
For everyone voting tomorrow, it will be a simple choice of who you want running everyday services in your area, and how much you want to be charged for them, says Conservative Chris Philp MP.
Conservative donors abandon Theresa May's party to back new Brexit referendum campaign
Pro-European Conservative donors are diverting their cash from Theresa May's party in order to fund efforts to stop Brexit, as funding for the national party dries up, Business Insider can reveal. The Right to Vote campaign for a second Brexit referendum, set up by Conservative MPs, has already raised hundreds of thousands of pounds from disgruntled Conservative donors since it was set up in January. One donor to the campaign, City Pub Group chairman Clive Watson, which operates 44 sites across England and Wales, told Business Insider that he has donated £35,000 in a personal capacity, having previously donated £25,000 to the Conservative party through his business.
Chris Grayling's no-deal Brexit ferry services scrapped at cost of £83m
Chris Grayling faced fresh calls to resign today after the government wasted £83 million on no-deal Brexit ferries that have been running half-empty for more than a month. The transport secretary was criticised over his handling of contracts signed to create extra freight capacity across the Channel in the event of Britain leaving the EU without a deal. It was announced that contracts with two ferry companies were being scrapped five weeks into a six-month deal, costing the taxpayer about £50 million. This is on top of a £33 million settlement to the Channel Tunnel operator Eurotunnel after it was unfairly excluded from bidding for contracts. The additional space was bought from Brittany Ferries and the Danish operator DFDS to keep essential medicines and food flowing if there were lengthy delays at French ports.
Conservatives and Labour fear 'plague on both your houses' as Brexit anger dominates local elections
Both the Conservative party and Labour fear a disappointing set of results as voters go to the polls in the first major set of elections since Theresa May's decision to delay Brexit. The country will on Thursday elect candidates to 8,200 seats covering 259 councils in England and Northern Ireland. Six directly-elected mayor positions are up for grabs in regions across England, too. For Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, the results will provide a clear insight into how the country feels about their handling of an extremely turbulent period in British politics
Rory Stewart: I'd bring country together as PM
New International Development Secretary Rory Stewart has said he intends to stand for the Conservative leadership after Theresa May steps down. He told the BBC's Political Thinking With Nick Robinson podcast he could "help bring the country together". Mr Stewart also said he wanted to move "beyond my brief", laying out his opinions on "other issues". Mrs May has told Conservative MPs she will stand down if her Brexit deal is passed by Parliament. Boris Johnson, Michael Gove, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Dominic Raab and Andrea Leadsom are among those who have been touted as possible replacements.
Toby Harris: We need to detoxify political debate in Britain
I am introducing a debate in the Lords next Thursday on the toxicity of debate in public life and the divisions being fostered within our society. Such toxicity led to the murder of Jo Cox in the run up to the European referendum, since when politics has – if anything – become even more fractured. Threats to MPs have rocketed with 142 offences recorded in 2017, rising to 270 last year. Death threats are now commonplace. MPs’ homes and offices are attacked and their constituency staff intimidated.
Woman who's voted for 66 years turned away from local elections for having no ID
An 87-year-old woman has been turned away from today's local elections for not having ID - despite voting in every election in her adult life. The pensioner attacked the “stupid” system after taking a taxi to her local polling station in Pendle, Lancashire, only to be told she couldn’t vote.
This County Isn’t Voting Today Because They Don’t Have Enough Money To Run Elections
Crisis-hit Northampton County council is desperately trying to make savings after years of overspending, so district and borough council elections are off.
Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt to knock on doors for Lib Dems in European parliament elections
The European parliament’s outspoken Brexit chief is coming to Britain next week to knock on doors in the European elections on behalf of the Liberal Democrats.
Guy Verhofstadt, who is himself seeking re-election as a Belgian liberal MEP, will hop on the Eurostar from Brussels to join Lib Dem canvassers on the doorstep on Friday. While Mr Verhofstadt is best known in Britain for being the parliament’s voice in Brexit talks, the former Belgian prime minister is also leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe group in the European parliament, in which the Lib Dems sit.
Andrew Adonis - Remain supporters need to back Labour to make a People's Vote happen
The three elements are Labour's 'alternative Brexit plan', a general election, and a second referendum with an option to remain. Behind them is the reality that, despite all the political developments of recent months, including the launch of Change UK, Labour continues to be both the dominant opposition party and the only alternative government to the Conservatives, although a range of Tory leaders and Brexit policies are possible in the months ahead. Crucially, Labour alone can now stop Nigel Farage from topping the poll in the European elections on May 23. If Farage comes first, he will be rampant and the dynamic of Brexit will be his.
Cabinet leaks are undermining Brexit, says Jeremy Hunt after the sacking of Gavin Williamson as defence secretary over secret Huawei meeting breach
Jeremy Hunt last night criticised Cabinet colleagues for damaging leaks which he warned had undermined Brexit. Backing Theresa May's decision to sack Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson over the Huawei leak, the Foreign Secretary said no Premier could have a minister at the table she did not have confidence in. He also defended Cabinet Secretary Sir Mark Sedwill against Mr Williamson's criticism of the investigation, calling him a 'man of utmost integrity'. Mr Hunt insisted it was right the Huawei leak was treated differently because it had been from the 'inner sanctum' of the National Security Council which discusses highly-classified information.
@BBCLauraK Papers snapped by the inimitable @PoliticalPics show document carried by David Lidington say Williamson stays in the privy council
Papers snapped by the inimitable @PoliticalPics show document carried by David Lidington say Williamson stays in the privy council
May prepares to keep EU customs rules
Theresa May is preparing to accept that Britain will remain in lockstep with the European Union’s customs rules for years after Brexit in a deal with Labour. Under the terms of a tentative agreement Mrs May is close to signing up to a long-term customs union with the EU in all but name in return for Labour supporting her withdrawal agreement. Details of internal discussions began to leak as Mrs May gave her strongest hint yet that she was prepared to give ground. She told MPs that both sides now agreed on “some of the benefits of a customs union”. It is understood that under the proposal, which has yet to be agreed, the government would agree to enter a “customs arrangement” with the EU at the end of the transition period. This would include Britain aligning all tariffs on goods with the EU and allowing it to negotiate trade deals on Britain’s behalf.
@SkyNewsPolitics Brexit minister James Cleverly says the Conservatives will "disproportionately" face a Brexit backlash from voters
Brexit minister James Cleverly says the Conservatives will "disproportionately" face a Brexit backlash from voters. Polls have closed in local elections,
@Plaid_Cymru The Welsh Senedd has voted in favour of the Plaid Cymru motion declaring a #ClimateEmergency. Wales has just made history becoming the first parliament in the world to do so.
VICTORY. The Welsh Senedd has voted in favour of the Plaid Cymru motion declaring a #ClimateEmergency. Wales has just made history becoming the first parliament in the world to do so.
Political Setbacks
Brexit Party candidate quits over colleague Claire Fox's 'ambiguous position' on IRA bombing
Sally Bate, who was standing in the North West region, said she “cannot continue to stand beside” Claire Fox, who has failed to condemn the Warrington attack which killed 12-year-old Tim Parry and three-year-old Johnathan Ball in 1993. Ms Fox is a former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, which defended "the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom," in a party newsletter published shortly after the killings. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ms Fox, who is the Brexit Party's top candidate in the North West, said she had the “greatest sympathy” for the Parry family. She added: “The loss of their son was tragic and must have been terribly painful, as for all victims of violence during the Troubles. "My personal politics and views are well known and I have never sought to disguise them, though on this issue they have remained unaired for many years.
This Government Wants To Throw EU Students Under The Bus – Student Reps Like Me Won't Let Them
The Tory government plans to raise fees for EU students, remove vital financial support and make it far harder for EU students to apply to study in the UK. This move would shut off access to your world class education sector from the world.
The Londoner: Labour members shred their cards
Labour members are cutting up and shredding their membership cards in protest at the party’s failure to offer another referendum in its European Election manifesto. Yesterday saw a long drawn-out Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting decide that the manifesto would offer a second referendum “fully in line” with Labour’s policy, which is to offer a referendum only after trying to secure the party’s own “alternative plan for Brexit” or a general election. There had been an attempt by Tom Watson, the deputy leader, to strengthen that policy and make a confirmatory vote a priority. But with Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, said to be implacably opposed, Watson’s move failed, prompting a furious backlash among members.
Pictures of membership cards cut into pieces, or being fed into shredding machines, flooded social media last night and this morning. “I’m not voting Labour until there is a people’s vote,” wrote one member.
Tories are hopeful local elections will ONLY lose them ‘500 to 600’ seats over Brexit shambles
Tory chiefs’ hopes are growing that they can duck a council elections wipe out today as voters go to the biggest local polls since 2015. Control of a total of 259 local authorities are up for grabs across England and Northern Ireland, with 8,804 councillors to be elected. Conservative MPs have feared a vicious drubbing as angry Leave as well as Remain voters take revenge on the Government for the Brexit shambles. Some Cabinet ministers have even predicted more than 1,000 council seat will be lost. But CCHQ insiders now say they can limit the losses to “around 500 to 600 on a good night”. A Tory figure told The Sun: “The private estimate is our vote will be more resilient than is generally thought. “Much of the voting is in rural areas, where Labour haven’t made many in-roads in the last few years. “The doorstep experience is also better than the national narrative.” In contrast, then-PM John Major’s Tories lost more than 2,000 councillors in 1995 in a massive midterm wipe out. A variety of hidden electoral factors are also expected to help hold up the Tory vote despite the Brexit anger, including a low turnout.
The 11-Minute Phone Call That Sparked Gavin Williamson's Cabinet Sacking
An eleven minute phone call is what appears to have sparked Gavin Williamson’s spectacular and dramatic downfall from government. When the defence secretary talked to Telegraph journalist Steven Swinford last Tuesday, he set in train a sequence of events that ended with the first leak-related sacking of a Cabinet minister in 70 years. Communications records, showing that the pair spoke after two crucial meetings of the National Security Council (NSC) and Cabinet that day, are understood to have revealed the exact length and time of the call. In a two-hour session with the official leak inquiry investigators last Friday, Williamson strenuously denied that he had discussed any confidential material from the NSC meeting, never mind the Huawei case. He’d chatted instead about the Tory leadership, Brexit and other matters, he said. But it’s clear that his explanation simply didn’t wash with the inquiry - or with Theresa May.
Gavin Williamson: Now he's told to 'go away and shut up'
In a leak investigation, that has broken the precedent of most leak investigations that end up with precisely no result at all, a rapid hunt of just a few days has resulted in the sacking of one of the most senior ministers in government, and one of the few ministers frankly, that the prime minister could more or less rely on. Mr Williamson was for a while chief whip too, the keeper of the government's secrets.
And, crucially, one of the few ministers who had good relations with the DUP. Indeed, brokering a deal on Theresa May's behalf in the wreckage of the 2017 general election. But there was also a lot of resentment and frustration in government circles at how he sometimes behaved, suspicion often that he was too quick to seek his own political advantage, too interested in his own future, too entertained by the dark arts of Westminster. That meant that as soon as the Huawei story broke, fingers were being privately pointed to him as the source of the leak. "Operation get Gav", as one of his allies described it.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-48128188
Additional sources: (Sky News) (The Independent) (BBC)
Additional sources: (Sky News) (The Independent) (BBC)
Theresa May has questions to answer over the Huawei scandal
The main question that needs to be answered by the prime minister and her security team is why the UK can mitigate this risk, when its partners in the FiveEyes cyber security alliance believe it is impossible. And - perhaps most importantly - whether the UK would have reached a different decision if it had not already allowed Huawei in, over a decade ago?
How Sir Mark Sedwill became Theresa May's supreme 'securocrat' – and pivotal in the Gavin Williamson affair
In his one and only interview as Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill spoke of the importance of keeping ‘a sense of perspective’ and ‘shouldering responsibility’ when it came to taking decisions on ‘the big issues’. Speaking to Civil Service Quarterly, a government publication, the 54-year-old ‘securocrat’ described how he drew on his former career in security and international relations to become the country’s most senior civil servant - and some say, the most powerful man in the country.
Tommy Robinson swings punches at man after milkshake thrown over his head
The far-right extremist, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was in Warrington this afternoon when he was covered in McDonald's milkshake for the second time in two days
Matteo Salvini: vote for nationalists to stop European caliphate
Matteo Salvini, Italy’s most powerful politician, has said Europe will become an “Islamic caliphate” unless nationalist parties make gains in the European elections later this month. Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of the League party, is trying to form a coalition of nationalist and far-right forces ahead of the elections and was speaking in Budapest during a visit to his ideological soulmate Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister. “For our children, to leave behind an Islamic caliphate with sharia law in our cities is not something I want to do and I’m going to do everything in my power to avert this sad ending for Europe,” he said at a joint press conference with Orbán, who has used similarly incendiary rhetoric to rail against migration to Europe from Africa and the Middle East. Salvini made similar comments earlier this week in Italy.
Ukip and swastika graffiti daubed 'on Lib Dem activist's car’ as voters go to polls in local elections
A swastika and the word Ukip have been daubed onto a Liberal Democrat activist’s car in Kent as voters go to the polls in local elections. Images show the grafitti crudely drawn onto a car which was parked outside a primary school. The vehicle's tyres were also slashed. A father walking his daughter to a primary school, on Edith Road, in Faversham, Kent, told the Standard he saw the vandalism this morning.
PM's tetchy exchange with Yvette Cooper over Brexit compromises
Theresa May insists compromises are possible on finding a way forward over Brexit and shows annoyance at the suggestion she is 'stubborn' when asked by Yvette Cooper
If Theresa May thinks the Gavin Williamson row will blow over, she’s kidding herself
Having sacked Gavin Williamson in the most abrupt and even brutal manner possible, Theresa May apparently “considers the matter closed”. Today in the Commons, MPs were in uproar. Some demanded a criminal investigation. Others – including several Tories – protested that the former Defence Secretary was the victim of a “kangaroo court”. Labour’s Tom Watson, intriguingly, began by denouncing the leak as “a fundamental breach of duty” – but then criticised the decision to let Huawei help build the UK’s 5G network. “Our [international] partners are so concerned,” he scowled, “that they’re considering whether they can safely continue to share intelligence with us.” Yet Mr Watson wouldn’t have known about the Huawei decision if it hadn’t been for the leak. In his eyes, it seems, the leaker was simultaneously endangering national security and defending it. Mr Williamson himself was absent, as indeed was Mrs May. Speaking on the Prime Minister’s behalf was David Lidington, the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Mr Lidington is often deployed when the House is fractious, probably because his manner is so cool and soothing. He’s calamine lotion in human form.
Senior Tory revealed as Huawei cheerleader in Brussels
As the ongoing controversy over Huawei engulfs Theresa May’s cabinet, a senior Conservative politician with a controversial lobbying history has emerged as one of the Chinese telecommunications company’s leading advocates in Brussels. On Wednesday the prime minister sacked her defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, after he was accused of leaking secret discussions about Huawei that suggested May “overruled” senior ministers and security warnings to let the Chinese tech giant help build Britain’s new 5G mobile internet network. Those concerns do not appear to have resonated with Nirj Deva, a Tory MEP and number two on the party’s list for the upcoming European Parliament elections, who recently urged colleagues to back Huawei in an upcoming vote in Brussels. “I would ask you to make decisions based on facts, rather than unfounded allegations and to consider the very real implications of banning Chinese technology from our market,” Deva wrote to colleagues on 12 March in a leaked email seen by openDemocracy and SourceMaterial. “There has not been a single instance of foul play detected on any Huawei product.”
Brexit Party Spiked - Nigel Farage's Disastrous RCP Candidates
Claire Fox clearly did not understand that and nor has she sought to. Her arrogance, lack of remorse and unwillingness to take the sincere concerns of locals seriously was already testing patience, but her call to Colin Parry was the final straw. On Wednesday night one of her fellow Brexit Party candidates, Sally Bate, quit the party in disgust and resigned as the prospective MEP. Sally is the founder and leader of Warrington for Brexit and a well-known local activist. Friends and political allies tell me that she felt she could no longer represent the party when Claire Fox was standing on the same platform.
British Lord Barker Got $4 Million Bonus on Deripaska Sanctions Deal
Former Tory Part minister, Greg Barker, a member of Britain’s House of Lords and the chairman of En+ Group Plc, was awarded a bonus of about 3 million to 4 million pounds ($3.9 million to $5.2 million) for negotiating the removal of U.S. sanctions on the Russian company, according to people familiar with the matter. Barker spent months shuttling between Washington, London and Moscow to put together an agreement between the Treasury Department and Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who was sanctioned last April. The talks culminated in a deal in which Deripaska agreed to step away from En+, which holds a controlling stake in aluminum giant United Co. Rusal.
SNP MP labels PM 'evasive' over government's Cambrige Analytica meetings
An SNP MP has branded Theresa May “one of the most evasive Prime Ministers in history” after the Tory leader again refused to answer questions over meetings between the UK Government, Cambridge Analytica and Canadian political consultancy and technology firm AggregateIQ. At Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons yesterday, Deidre Brock challenged May to “spill the beans” on who from her government met with Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ and when meetings took place, following confirmation from the Foreign Office that they happened.
UK should exercise ‘caution’ over Chinese firms like Huawei, Jeremy Hunt warns
The UK should exercise "a degree of caution" about the role of large Chinese firms such as Huawei, Jeremy Hunt has said. The foreign secretary raised concerns about Chinese laws requiring firms to co-operate with Beijing's intelligence agencies, saying: "We have to weigh those considerations very carefully." A Whitehall leak inquiry is under way after details emerged of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting at which Theresa May was said to have given the green light for the Chinese tech giant to help build "non-core" parts of the UK's 5G communications network.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 6th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
John McDonnell accuses Theresa May of betraying Brexit negotiations
- Both Labour and the Conservative Party have spent the last month discussing the shape of a potential Brexit compromise deal based around the idea of a customs union. McDonnell suggested that Theresa May's decision to 'go public with details' since last Thursday's local election defeat has destroyed trust in these negotiations
Brexit Backlash hits hopes of cross-party deal
- A host of senior Labour figures poured cold water on the chances of a breakthrough deal, even as a senior Tory Party source described Tuesday's cross-party meeting as a 'make or break day' - the collapse in support for Mrs May was likened, by Labour, to negotiating with a company about to go into administration
The Liberal Democrat and Green Party advances at the local election were not 'just a protest vote'
- The stunning gains both parties (and Independents) at last Thursday's local election, highlight the fact the country remains deeply divided and voters are only united in their apparent unhappiness with both main political parties
Tories lose over 1,300 seats in local elections as major parties suffer
- The local election defeat was the biggest for the Conservative Party since 1995. Disillusioned voters deserted the party in droves, including in traditional Tory areas such as Chelmsford and Surrey Heath. Labour had expected to make gains at the expense of the government, but it ended up losing around 82 council seats overall. In contrast, the Liberal Democrats were up more than 700 seats and took control of just under a dozen councils, and the Greens and Independents fared unexpectedly well too, at the Tories expense
Desperate Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn plan Brexit 'stitch up' deal
- The Conservative Party press attacked Theresa May's plans for a Brexit compromise deal with Jeremy Corbyn
Theresa May will climb down on customs union, goods and workers' rights
- The PM's negotiating team will reportedly give ground to Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday on the issues of a customs union, movement of goods and workers rights. Mrs May knows there's no sign of the Tories uniting to back her deal behind her. She is hoping that she can get her deal through Parliament by persuading the Labour backbenches to support her
Tory Local Election disaster a direct result of Brexit failure
- There was widespread denial at the local election results - both the Tories and Labour thought Remain parties success was down to the fact they were not 'pro-Brexit enough' and needed to get a compromise Brexit deal agreed
- Jeremy Corbyn also saw Labour's local election failures as a 'failure to get the Brexit deal done' on the night of the local elections
- Tory Cabinet Ministers, keen to succeed Mrs May, were less than enthusiastic at the prospect of a deal with Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party
- Peter Oborne summed up the dilemma facing the Labour Party, describing their position as 'Jeremy Corbyn snared in the Brexit death trap'
Anger is growing at the May-Corbyn Brexit stitch-up plan
- The Observer said 104 opposition MP's, mainly from Labour but also from the SNP, Change UK, Green and Plaid Cymru, have written to both Corbyn and May insisting that they will not back a Westminster Brexit stitch-up unless there is a firm guarantee that any deal is then put to a confirmatory referendum with an option to Remain in the EU
Ruth Davidson says Tories and Labour must agree a Brexit compromise deal before the 23rd May or face the consequences
- Scottish Tory leader Ruth Davidson said a cross-party agreement on brexit was needed before the Euro election on May 23rd, or Britain's major political parties would face an even bigger backlash from the voters
A Scottish independence march, at the weekend, was twice the size of last year's
- Tens of thousands marched in Glasgow, at the weekend, in support of Nicola Stugeon, who said she plans to call for another referendum vote on Scottish independence
- Scottish Secretary, David Mundell said Nicola Sturgeon will be barred from holding a legal referendum on Scottish independence
SNP's currency plan is the single daftest idea in my lifetime, says Michael Gove
- In a clear sign of Theresa May's Tory team doubling down against the call for a second vote on Scottish Independence, her ministers were speaking out against SNP plans
- Theresa May claims Nicola Sturgeon is simply using Brexit as an excuse to call for IndyRef2
- Michael Gove unveiled a plan to hold back millions of pounds from Holyrood and allow Westminster ministers to spend the cash directly north of the border
A landslide victory for clarity on Brexit - the local elections results
- The Times ridiculed the idea that voters chose to vote for strong Remain parties, such as the Liberal Democrats and the Greens, in large numbers because they 'just wanted to get a Brexit deal done'
New poll finds 61% would back Remain in a second referendum
- The YouGov survey for KIS Finance found that given the choice of Theresa May's Brexit deal or remaining in the EU, 61% of the people surveyed would opt to remain in the EU. Under a No Deal scenario the numbers change. 53% of people would vote to remain while 34% would back a No Deal Brexit and just 12% would support Theresa May's deal
The Brexit Party
- Nigel Farage is coming under increasing pressure to reveal the name of his £100,000 backer
- Brexit Party figures who allegedly resigned and left their roles after scandal, are STILL in post - specifically Catherine Blaiklock and Michael McGough
- Nigel Farage's star European election candidate in the north west, Claire Fox, has been exposed as an apologist for IRA bombing in the same region in 1993
Brexit poses an unprecedented threat to maternity care in the UK
- The CEO of the Royal College of Midwives says there is now an almost total collapse in the number of trained midwives coming to work in the UK from other EU countries. In the twelve months up to this March, there were just 33 midwives coming to the UK. In earlier years there had been hundreds. The number of EU midwives leaving to return home has gone through the roof. She concludes 'the UK now repels European midwives and nurses. Brexit poses an unprecedented threat to maternity care in the UK'
- The UK is on HSBC's ratings watchlist because of Brexit uncertainty
- Bumper British strawberry crop may rot as EU pickers stay away
- Businesses in the UK remain in the dark about Brexit so cannot stock properly, plan properly or follow through on longer term investment decisions as a result
Jobs at Risk
Brexit Poses An Unprecedented Threat To Maternity Care
Where we used to attract European midwives and nurses, we now repel them – as well as hundreds leaving the NHS, just 33 registered to join us in the last year. As the chief executive of the Royal College of Midwives, the biggest threat to the provision of maternity care I’ve witnessed first hand is the almost-total collapse in the number of midwives trained on the Continent coming to the UK to work in the NHS. In the twelve months to March last year, just 33 individuals who’d trained elsewhere in the EU registered to practice as midwives here in the UK. Before, it would have been hundreds.
And what’s more, the number of EU midwives leaving has shot up. We used to attract European midwives and nurses; we now repel them. Make no mistake about it. Brexit poses an unprecedented threat to maternity care in our country.
Bumper British strawberry crop may rot as EU pickers stay away
The fallout from Brexit, which has left many eastern European workers feeling that they are more welcome in other European member states, is also a concern. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs recently provided them with brochures in Romanian and Bulgarian declaring that the UK is open to foreign workers. But an expanding Romanian economy has seen fewer workers leave their home. A sizable drop in the number of workers returning year on year has also become apparent in figures collated by the NFU. “Workers from Romania are no longer earning six times what they would back home,” Maurel said. “It’s more like three and a half times. That makes a difference.” It is predicted that apple growers will be worse hit by the labour shortage than berry growers as they will need fruit pickers in the late autumn, when many Romanians choose to return home having earned the maximum they can make before paying tax.
Economic Impact
UK on HSBC watchlist over Brexit uncertainty
A top HSBC executive has urged a swift solution to Brexit, telling Sky News that the uncertainty is hurting business and consumer confidence. Speaking to the Ian King Live programme, the banking giant's chief financial officer Ewen Stevenson said the UK was on a list of world markets that HSBC was concerned about. He was speaking as the global lender reported a 31% hike in profits in the first quarter of the year, despite counting the cost of economic uncertainty in the UK.
Brexit will hammer Britain's financial services - and no-one seems to have noticed
Regulators on the continent have taken a firm line on British demands for special deals covering financial services. Germany and France see Brexit as an opportunity to build up their own insurance, asset management and banking sectors. Firms will be required to constantly beef-up their operations on the continent if they want to keep doing business in it. UK firms are already choosing to grow their operations in the EU27 - not only to ensure compliance with the bloc's rules, but also to be nearer to where regulatory and political decisions are made. It's no coincidence that the insurance marketplace Lloyd’s of London picked Brussels - a political, but not financial, centre - as the location for its first-ever full foreign subsidiary. US and Japanese firms looking for a location to base their European headquarters no longer see London as the default option, according to Sir Mark Boleat, deputy chairman of the City of London Corporation's Policy and Resources Committee. Putting all their eggs in one basket carries far more political risk for these firms than they ever thought possible before June 2016.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit dangerously overshadows the UK’s social mobility crisis
The unravelling of the UK’s relationship with the EU, if it happens, will take time and the impact on our economy and society will be profound. Brexit will dominate political discourse and consume public policy effort for years to come. The fractures it has caused in our political parties will continue to widen and deepen over time. It is hard to see how the Labour and Conservative duopoly that has dominated British politics for the past century can survive.
We can't just go on hoarding like this for Brexit
Even with the timing of Brexit still highly uncertain — the extension will be reviewed next month, while Theresa May said last week that she wanted to leave the EU as soon as possible — many businesses appear to be opting to burn through their reserves. That could spell trouble for the economy, which was boosted by stockpiling. “While the immediate cliff edge has been avoided, the lack of a clear path forward means that many firms aren’t sure whether to maintain heightened levels of stockpiling, or run off what they have,” said Suren Thiru, head of economics at the British Chambers of Commerce. “Without clarity on the UK’s departure date from the EU, it’s impossible to predict when, and if, extra stock will be needed, leaving businesses in the dark about how best to balance their orders.”
Brexit stockpilers and shoppers help Britain to outshine Europe
The economy shrugged off Brexit uncertainty in the first quarter of the year, boosted by unprecedented levels of stockpiling ahead of March’s deadline, official figures are set to reveal. City economists are forecasting growth of 0.5% in the three months to the end of March. If that rate is confirmed when data is released on Friday, it would mean Britain outshone continental Europe at the start of the year, despite the chaos surrounding Brexit. Figures last week showed the eurozone grew by 0.4% in the same period. Output was boosted as companies hoarded raw materials and finished products at a record pace early this year, fearful that a no-deal Brexit would disrupt supply chains. Retail spending showed little sign of Brexit-induced weakness, recent surveys indicate.
Site claiming to help EU citizens register to vote is shut down
An online service set up to help EU citizens in the UK to register to vote in the European parliamentary elections has been shut down after it emerged it was not working properly. Registertovote.eu, which was promoted by some MPs on social media, offered a form to fill in online and said it would submit the required paperwork to electoral authorities to allow people to vote. In order to take part in the election in the UK on 23 May, EU citizens from countries other than the UK, Ireland, Malta and Cyprus have to fill in form UC1/EC6 and submit it to their local electoral office before midnight on Tuesday 7 May. Registertovote.eu was set up by four people at ChangeLab, a co-operative that does digital work for trade unions and campaign groups, after publicity about the low number of EU citizens who had registered to take part in the election.
Kamasi Washington says Brexit could make touring UK tricky for artists
Britain leaving the EU could make the country less appealing to international performers, one of the world’s leading jazz musicians has said. Kamasi Washington, whose album The Epic and his work with Kendrick Lamar made him a poster boy of the jazz revival, said Brexit was not an inviting idea to musicians and could make coming to England harder for smaller bands. “It is not an inviting idea … and then, yes, there will be the notion of coming to Europe and the ease of travelling from one country to the next. That is part of what makes touring possible for lots of artists,” the US saxophonist told the Guardian. “Once it becomes harder to get into a country, just logistically, much more planning would have to be involved,” he said. “It is a bit unknown at the moment. We don’t know how difficult it is to get a visa. But if you are playing in France and want to come to the UK, you don’t know how hard it will be.
Political Shenanigans
John McDonnell accuses Theresa May of betraying Brexit negotiations
Labour accused Theresa May of betraying the party's trust on crunch Brexit talks as they prepared for a fresh round of negotiations on Tuesday. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said he did not trust the Prime Minister after details of potential compromises emerged. He hit out after the Prime Minister issued a desperate last-ditch plea to Jeremy Corbyn for help in delivering Brexit. The Tories are expected to cave into Labour demands for a customs union, as long as it is called something else. A temporary customs arrangement would last until the next general election when parties can put forward their alternatives. Ministers and their Labour counterparts have held meetings over the past month aimed at thrashing out a deal which can pass the Commons. Accusing the Tory leader of breaking confidentiality and “an act of bad faith”, Mr McDonnell stormed: “She's jeopardised the negotiations for her own personal protection.”Asked on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show if he trusted her, he hit back: “No, sorry, not after this weekend when she's blown the confidentiality.”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/john-mcdonnell-accuses-theresa-betraying-14999598
Additional sources: (BBC) (Daily Mirror) (Politics Home)
Additional sources: (BBC) (Daily Mirror) (Politics Home)
Brexit: Labour backlash scuppers Theresa May’s hopes of cross-party deal
A fierce Labour backlash has hit Theresa May’s hopes of quickly striking a deal to rescue Brexit. A host of senior Labour figures poured cold water on the chances of a breakthrough – even as a Tory source called Tuesday a make-or-break day. Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the prime minister was inflating the prospects to try to save her job – meanwhile, Tories are piling on fresh pressure for her to quit. Ms May was also accused of refusing to shift ground on a customs union and of risking the NHS going “up for sale”. The collapse in support for her saw the talks likened to negotiating “with a company about to go into administration”.
A cynical Westminster fix won’t end the Brexit nightmares of May and Corbyn
This re-establishes a long-term trend of voter revolt against the blue-red duopoly that has dominated British politics since 1945. I have been suggesting for some time that the rise in their combined share at the last general election was the product of freak circumstances and a false positive for the big two. That looks even more the case today. Multi-party politics is alive and kicking. The fragmentation of voter allegiances continues. Neither the red tribe nor the blue clan is exhibiting a capacity to get anywhere near to speaking for a majority of Britons.
The only way to save the Conservative Party: a new leader, Brexit, tax cuts and a war on crime
The Government’s response to the catastrophic local election results has been astonishingly tin-eared: rally around the leader, call for unity, threaten to do a deal with Labour over Brexit just to “get it finished”. This was an anti-establishment election in which Labour did badly, too – it has no legitimacy as a coalition partner – and how does the Tory leadership respond? By creating an establishment cartel with the very same Marxists they’ve spent four years denouncing. The Conservatives are not listening to the voters. They are trying to survive the only way they know how, by circling the wagons.
Brexit: John McDonnell pours cold water on May's customs union plan
The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, has poured cold water on Theresa May’s plan to offer a temporary customs union to win Labour over to a Brexit deal, saying the cross-party talks were like “trying to enter a contract with a company going into administration”. McDonnell said his party wanted to do a deal as quickly as possible but would require a permanent customs union to provide stability for businesses, not just an interim arrangement until the next election. He also said he had no trust in the prime minister after details of the talks were briefed to Sunday newspapers. Asked whether he trusted the prime minister, McDonnell said: “No, sorry, not after this weekend when she’s blown the confidentiality I had and I actually think she’s jeopardised the negotiations for her own personal protection.”
SNP call out Yes movement's 'keyboard warriors' and online abuse
Prominent figures from the SNP have called out the "anonymous keyboard warriors" who abuse others online, and urged those in the Yes movement to condemn those that do so. In an interview with the Herald on Sunday, Alyn Smith MEP, Stewart McDonald MP and the party's former depute leader, Angus Robertson, said campaigners opting to engage in insults and attacks against those they disagree with should consider whether they believe they are helping the case for independence.
Labour accuse May of 'jeopardising' talks by leaking key details to media
Theresa May has been accused by Labour of jeopardising the cross-party talks as they enter their crucial phase after details of the key terms of a possible agreement were leaked to the Press. John McDonnell, the Shadow Chancellor, who has been taking part in the negotiations to find a compromise agreement, accused the Prime Minister of acting in “bad faith”.
EU leaders urged to decide swiftly on trio of senior jobs
Europe’s leaders will this week be warned that they cannot wield a veto over the EU’s top appointments, as diplomats push to agree the union’s biggest jobs reshuffle in one package next month. The crucial process to pick presidents for the European Commission, European Council and European Central Bank will be informally discussed by EU leaders on Thursday at a summit in the Romanian city of Sibiu. It is unprecedented for the EU to have such a clutch of senior vacancies. Officials involved in talks fear the process could become bogged down unless it is clear that majority voting could be used to push decisions through.
The Observer view on the local elections
The stunning gains made by the pro-remain Liberal Democrats and the Greens cannot be dismissed as a mere protest vote. The country remains divided, voters united only in their apparent unhappiness with both main parties
Government safeguards UK elections
Government announces a range of new measures to crack down on intimidation, influence and disinformation, and safeguard UK elections
Theresa May 'war games' second referendum questions in case talks with Labour collapse
Theresa May has held secret discussions over a three-way second referendum ahead of a crunch meeting with Labour this week to agree a cross-party Brexit deal. The Prime Minister has carried out “scenario planning” with aides and ministers in case the Government cannot prevent a Parliamentary vote on a second referendum. John McDonnell, the shadow Chancellor, said it “may well” be the case that any deal would have to be put to a second referendum, adding: “I think the Conservatives have to recognise that if a deal is going to go through there might be a large number of MPs who will want a public vote." Mrs May and her advisers are understood to have 'war gamed' the possibility of giving voters a second chance to vote on EU membership
Theresa May’s hopes of a Brexit deal with Labour look dashed by accusation that she has ‘blown the confidentiality’
Theresa May’s hopes of a breakthrough in Tuesday’s crunch all-party Brexit talks were dashed as Labour accused her of failing to negotiate in good faith. She appealed to Jeremy Corbyn to “do a deal” after both parties lost ground in last week’s local elections as voters appeared to take revenge on them for the Brexit impasse. In a move that would infuriate Eurosceptic Conservatives, the Tory negotiating team is set to unveil proposals for Britain to remain in a post-Brexit customs union until the next election.
Far from facing Blair-era oblivion, a huge electoral triumph is in the Tories' grasp
We need to get Brexit done properly – as it should have been done months if not years ago – and then knock Corbyn out of the park argues Boris Johnson
DESPERATE Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to finalise Brexit deal 'STITCH UP' next week
A top level meeting between the Conservatives and Labour will take place on Tuesday with the aim of ensuring a Brexit deal is finalised this week. The meeting – described as “the big push” – will involve Mrs May’s deputy David Liddington, Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Chancellor Philip Hammond, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay, Business Secretary Greg Clark and chief whip Julian Smith. On Labour’s side shadow chancellor John McDonnell, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey and shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman. The plan is to bring in Mrs May and Mr Corbyn to finalise a deal which sources have confirmed will be based around a “customs arrangement”. Mrs May said: “We will keep negotiating, and keep trying to find a way through, because the real thing that matters is delivering Brexit and moving on to all the other issues people care about."
Michael Gove: Tory local election disaster a direct result of Brexit failure
The Conservative Party’s disastrous showing in this week’s English local elections were a direct result of its failure to deliver Brexit, Michael Gove has said. The Environment Secretary said the main lesson the Tories should take from their drubbing at the ballot box was that “referendum verdicts must be honoured”. In a speech to the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen, he said many of the 1,334 councillors who lost their seats did so “because Parliament has not yet delivered Brexit”. Mr Gove, who campaigned prominently for the Leave side ahead of 2016’s vote, also warned delegates that Jeremy Corbyn could get into power if the Tories failed to deliver on Brexit.
Theresa May urges MPs to 'break the deadlock' and back cross-party Brexit talks
Theresa May has issued yet another Brexit rallying cry in a bid to convince MPs to push a deal through parliament. Speaking after disappointing local election results for the Conservatives and Labour - which she and Jeremy Corbyn claimed were a message from voters to get on with taking Britain out of the EU - the prime minister said the Commons needed to act with "fresh urgency" to end the impasse. Writing in the Mail On Sunday, Mrs May said she understood why some Tory colleagues were "uncomfortable" with her decision to hold cross-party talks to try to secure a deal, but urged them to support her efforts.Theresa May has issued yet another Brexit rallying cry in a bid to convince MPs to push a deal through parliament. Speaking after disappointing local election results for the Conservatives and Labour - which she and Jeremy Corbyn claimed were a message from voters to get on with taking Britain out of the EU - the prime minister said the Commons needed to act with "fresh urgency" to end the impasse. Writing in the Mail On Sunday, Mrs May said she understood why some Tory colleagues were "uncomfortable" with her decision to hold cross-party talks to try to secure a deal, but urged them to support her efforts.
Labour and Tories need to compromise on Brexit, says David Gauke
Both Labour and Tories need to compromise to deliver Brexit, Tory Justice Secretary David Gauke said, after the two main parties suffered losses in the local elections. Voters forced out more than 1,300 Conservative councillors during a bruising round of local elections in England - causing the Tories to lose control of 49 local authorities. It was the worst performance by a governing party in local elections since 1995.
Don’t sell us out to Corbyn with a soft Brexit compromise, Mrs May
Like a punch-drunk boxer, the Tory Party is reeling from the local election disaster and walking into the potential knockout blow of a deal with Labour. Theresa May is days away from unveiling a soft Brexit compromise, cobbled together in desperation with an equally battered Jeremy Corbyn, which risks infuriating voters even more. It doesn’t matter what they call it, this will be a customs union in all but name. Such an arrangement will block Britain from striking its own lucrative trade deals after quitting the EU, leaving us shackled to Brussels for years. If this climbdown is not enough, weak-willed Mrs May also appears to have bowed to Labour’s wish to keep us tied to EU rules on workers’ rights.
BREXIT BOMBSHELL: Brussels now MORE committed to EU exit than UK - claims lawyer
The British Parliament is giving the impression of clinging to its EU membership while Brussels has taken clear steps towards letting the UK go, Erika Szyszczak, a Professor of Law at the University of Sussex and a fellow of the UK Trade Policy Observatory (UKTPO) said. Ms Szyszczak analysed the conclusions to the European Council Meeting on April 10 as the EU27 agreed on extending Article 50 for six more months during an emergency EU summit. There, she found Brussels more driven to deliver Brexit than the UK. She wrote: “It appears that the slogan ‘Brexit means Brexit’ has assumed greater resonance in the EU than in the UK. “The Decision affirms that the EU is not willing to reopen talks on the withdrawal agreement, and, importantly, states that the extension period should not be used to negotiate the future EU-UK relationship, but that there is a willingness to renegotiate the non-binding political declaration. In contrast, the UK is falling out of love with the process of leaving the European marriage.”
Brexit disaster is making Britain a weird place to live in
The second example of Brexit frustration can be seen in the results of municipal elections held across the UK this week, in which the governing Conservatives and the opposition Labour parties both lost huge numbers of seats. It's tempting to read an anti-Brexit protest into these results, as both main parties lost seats to groups that support remaining in the EU. But while pro-remain voters found comfort in the europhile certainty of the Liberal Democrats and the Green Party, Brexit supporters had less clear options. While the Conservatives and the Labour Party are nominally pro-Brexit, their positions are confusing. The Conservatives have entered negotiations with Labour in an attempt to compromise on a deal, diluting the clarity of their pro-Brexit message. Labour's participation in those discussions has muddied its attempt to keep remain-supporting voters on board with a position that tried to face two ways at once.
George Osborne officially BACKS new Brexit referendum as he blames Brexiteers for delay
George Osborne said he will be backing calls for a second Brexit referendum if no compromise can be found between the Leave and Remain camps as he blamed Brexiteers for the delay in Britain quitting the European Union.
WATCH: Corbyn says election results show 'we must now get a Brexit deal done'
Jeremy Corbyn has responded to the local election results by claiming there is now a “huge impetus” to deliver Brexit. The Labour leader told ITV News that parliament had to resolve the issue of Brexit and “get a deal done”. He explained: “I think there's a huge impetus on every MP – and they've all got that message, whether they themselves are Leave or Remain, or the people across the country – that an arrangement has to be made, a deal has to be done, parliament has to resolve this.
PETER OBORNE: How Jeremy Corbyn was snared in the Brexit death trap
Experts predicted Theresa May and her Conservative party would experience an electoral massacre.
Certainly, the results were a stinging rebuff as they lost well over 1,000 council seats.
It was even more dreadful than predicted. But the Tories were always going to do badly because the last time these seats were fought had been a high water mark for them electorally – David Cameron’s general election victory of spring 2015.
However, Labour is also a big loser in these local elections.
Theresa May urges Jeremy Corbyn to do a Brexit deal
According to the Sunday Times, Mrs May will comprise on three areas: customs, goods alignment and workers' rights. The paper says she could put forward plans for a comprehensive, but temporary, customs arrangement with the EU that would last until the next general election. The BBC's political correspondent Chris Mason said reaching a deal was "fraught with risk" for both Mrs May and Mr Corbyn. "A deal on a customs union would be deeply divisive for the Conservatives," he said. "Accepting there'd be no new referendum would split Labour."
We are on the cusp of the greatest recalibration of British politics since the 19th century
British politics quite often feels like an unpleasant hangover, but Labour and the Conservatives will be fully justified in spending today in bed: last night they both ...
Nigel Farage challenges Jeremy Corbyn to European election Brexit debate as he vows to 'dig in' to Labour vote
Nigel Farage has challenged Jeremy Corbyn to a debate before the European elections as he said he wanted to “dig in” to Labour voters who felt let down by the party’s “confusing” Brexit stance. The leader of The Brexit Party said he would be targeting Leave-voting Labour heartlands in the run up to May 23 and that if his strategy was successful “we can surprise even ourselves how well we do”. Meanwhile, Mr Farage warned Theresa May against striking a softer Brexit compromise deal with Mr Corbyn as he said it would represent a “final betrayal” for Leave voters. A recent YouGov poll found 30 per cent of voters intend to back The Brexit Party at the European Parliament elections, far ahead of Labour on 21 per cent and the Conservatives on 13 per cent.
May steps up calls for Labour to agree a Brexit deal
Senior Conservatives said on Saturday there was an increased need for compromise after the local election results, and the leader of the Scottish branch of the Conservative Party said a deal with Labour could be done within days. May added her voice to these calls in an essay published in a Sunday newspaper. “To the Leader of the Opposition I say this: Let’s listen to what the voters said in the local elections and put our differences aside for a moment. Let’s do a deal,” she wrote in the Mail on Sunday.
Customs union not a long-term solution after Brexit – Jeremy Hunt
A customs union would not provide a “long-term solution” to Britain’s trade relationships after Brexit, Jeremy Hunt has said, as he suggested a breakthrough in cross-party talks could come within days. As discussions continue between the Government and the Labour Party, the Foreign Secretary said it was still possible that the UK would not have to take part in the European elections in three weeks’ time. He warned that the outcome would not be “pretty” for both parties if they had to participate in the polls and said the cross-party talks could yield a deal in the next week.
May urges Corbyn to agree a Brexit deal
British Prime Minister Theresa May has stepped up calls on Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn to agree a cross-party deal to leave the European Union, following poor results for both parties in local elections on Thursday.
Anger grows at May-Corbyn bid to stitch up Brexit deal
Following Thursday’s local elections, in which both the Conservatives and Labour were punished severely by voters for failing to break the political deadlock, May and Corbyn have insisted their parties must now urgently agree a way forward in cross-party talks which will resume on Tuesday. On Saturday the prime minister reiterated her appeal, saying: “We have to find a way to break the deadlock. I believe the results of the local elections give fresh urgency to this.” But opposition MPs and Tory Brexiters warned any deal the leadership teams stitch up behind the scenes would face inevitable defeat in parliament and cause more acrimony in the parties. The Observer can reveal that 104 opposition MPs, mainly from Labour but also SNP, Change UK, Green and Plaid Cymru, have written to May and Corbyn insisting they will not back a “Westminster stitch-up” unless there is a firm guarantee that any deal is then put to a confirmatory referendum.
UK Conservatives look for Brexit compromise after local poll losses
Prime Minister Theresa May could reach a Brexit deal with the opposition Labour Party within days, a leading Conservative Party figure said on Saturday, after senior ministers urged compromise following poor local election results. Ruth Davidson, the Conservatives’ leader in Scotland, told party members that a cross-partisan agreement on Brexit was needed before this month’s European elections, or Britain’s major parties would face an even bigger backlash from voters.
Thousands march in Glasgow to support Scottish independence
In the first rally since First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said she wanted another vote on Scottish independence, tens of thousands of people marched in support in Glasgow. The rally was twice the size of the one last year.
May presses Labour to reach Brexit deal, but leaks jeopardise talks
The parties have been in negotiations for over a month to try to broker a Brexit deal that can secure majority support in parliament, after May’s minority government suffered three heavy defeats on her preferred deal this year and was forced to delay Britain’s departure. “To the leader of the opposition I say this: Let’s listen to what the voters said in the local elections and put our differences aside for a moment. Let’s do a deal,” she wrote in the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
Tommy Robinson: Young voters could stop anti-Islam activist from becoming MEP, polling data reveals
Young voters could prevent Tommy Robinson from winning seat in the European parliament later this month, according to new analysis. Only 41 per cent of 18-to-24-year-olds say they will definitely vote in the European elections on 23 May, a YouGov poll commissioned by anti-racism group Hope Not Hate and the National Education Union (NEU) has suggested. Hope Not Hate claims the youth vote will be “decisive” in preventing Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, winning in the North West region. Based on low turnout in recent elections, the group estimates that the anti-Islam activist only needs 8.9 per cent of the vote to take one of the region’s seat under the proportional representation system. The YouGov poll also shows that only 7 per cent of young people hold a favourable view of Robinson, while 45 per cent saying they have an unfavourable view.
This growing voters' revolt just might change the course of British history
Nations are like people. Sometimes they just change. Does Britain encapsulate this truth, as it convulses over Brexit three years on? Middle England’s seismic revolt against the Conservatives has officially begun. After losing over 1,200 seats in local elections, the party will likely be obliterated in European elections later this month. The Tories seem irredeemably soiled by their grubby incompetence and dealings with Corbyn. Meanwhile, although it is early days, the popularity of a pristine new Brexit Party is surging.
Local election results: A landslide victory for clarity on Brexit
And you’ll perhaps have heard the political analyst Professor Sir John Curtice summing up on BBC radio yesterday: “In seats where the Liberal Democrats were second to the Conservatives, double-digit swings from the Tories to Lib Dems are commonplace.” And these voters were telling you they just wanted to get Brexit done? In Remain-voting Bath, where the Tories lost 24 council seats and the Lib Dems soared, were voters telling you they just wanted to get Brexit done? And in Barnsley (Leave-voting in 2016) where the Tory vote was down substantially, Labour down massively, and the Lib Dem vote up hugely, were voters trying to tell Labour and the Tories that they just wanted to get Brexit done? And when the Tory vote in Remain-inclined Winchester went down by 5 per cent, and the Lib Dem vote went up by 5 per cent, was it because the good folk there just wanted to get Brexit done? Almost the only conclusion to draw from these results is that the two main parties, Labour and the Conservatives, have lost (a lot) to the Liberal Democrats and (a bit) to the Green Party in both formerly Leave-voting and formerly Remain-voting parts of the country. Bolsover, for God’s sake! Derby, Oldham, Sunderland, Chelmsford . . . all over Britain (whether they voted Leave or Remain in 2016) non-political people despair that neither the Tories nor Labour can secure a Brexit that benefits us.
A cry to ‘get on with Brexit’ or a Remain backlash? In fact, neither side triumphed in the local elections
Labour might do badly too, but the overwhelming message from the European elections is likely to be delivered by a record turnout of people who are furious about what they see as the betrayal of Brexit. Those who want the opposite message to be heard should take comfort from that. The howls of protest from Leavers are a sign that the Brexit project is failing. The Leave movement has split over how Brexit is to be delivered, which means that the 52 per cent majority no longer exists. The return in hollow triumph of Nigel Farage is a price that has to be paid for staying in the EU.
Brexit: Jeremy Hunt accused of having ‘head in the clouds’ after saying royal yacht or plane would be ‘attractive’ to promote Britain
Jeremy Hunt has said that a royal yacht or a plane would be “attractive” options to promote post-Brexit Britain on the world stage. The foreign secretary, who is regarded as a contender to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, said he is a “big believer” in flying the flag for Britain overseas but also acknowledged there are other ways of projecting the UK’s “national self-confidence”. His predecessor Boris Johnson first floated the idea of a “Brexit plane” during a trip to South America last year, when he complained that the RAF Voyager jet – shared with the prime minister and the royal family – “never seems to be available”.
Brexit: Pro-Remain Tory MP Dominic Grieve escapes deselection proceedings despite losing confidence vote
Conservative MP Dominic Grieve will not face deselection proceedings despite losing a confidence motion at his Beaconsfield Constituency Association in March. Jackson Ng, chair of the Conservative association, wrote a letter to Mr Grieve which was also sent to all association members. “The Executive Council has decided that this is not the moment to commence such procedures as it serves no constructive purpose,” Mr Ng said in the letter.
Local elections 2019: Lib Dems hail political 'sea change' as they gain 300 seats with around half of results in
The Liberal Democrats today hailed a “sea change” in British politics as they enjoyed their best local election results in a generation.
With around half of the national results in, the party had gained more than 300 seats and swiped six councils from Tory control.
Home Affairs spokesman Ed Davey MP said the party had taken seats from Labour in the North, and Tories in the South, adding: “Liberal Democrats are back in business.”
Thursday's results mean there's only one way forward: ask the people
Journalists look at seats, but not votes, and stop asking questions. But in the real modern city of Sunderland, the Green Party picked up their first ever seat, while the local Liberal Democrats had a good night too. It was the day Sunderland’s remain-backing Labour supporters – and there are lots of them because the city’s a big place where more people voted remain than in Cambridge – gave us a bloody nose and showed us their support is not unconditional. Even where Ukip won seats it was because the Labour vote went off to the Greens, the Lib Dems or stayed at home, rather than turning to the far right.
Theresa May Believes She Can Now Do A Brexit Deal With Jeremy Corbyn
In the last week government ministers and officials presented Labour with a new offer on a customs arrangement that would effectively see the UK remain in the key aspects of a customs union with the EU, sources familiar with the talks told BuzzFeed News. The proposed customs arrangement would ultimately meet the World Trade Organisation’s definition of a customs union, including a common external tariff that would see the UK apply the same tariffs to imported goods as the EU after Brexit. May is also set to make Labour what one government source described as a “generous” offer on workers’ rights, which would mean UK at a minimum follows new Brussels rules on workers’ rights after it leaves the EU. The offer would be tantamount to the government accepting in full Labour’s demands during the last few weeks of the negotiations, a source familiar with the talks said.
Huawei leak did not amount to criminal offence, police say
The leak from a National Security Council meeting about Chinese firm Huawei did not amount to a criminal offence, the Met Police has said. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked following an inquiry into the leaking of details from the council. Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said he was "satisfied" the Official Secrets Act had not been breached, so he would not investigate the leak. But Mr Williamson said a "proper, full and impartial" probe was now needed. The former minister - who has strenuously denied being responsible for the leak - described the government's inquiry into him as a "shabby and discredited witch hunt" . He said it had been "badly mishandled", both by Prime Minister Theresa May and the senior civil servant who led the investigation.
The Lib Dems were rewarded for their stance on Brexit, just like they were rewarded for opposing Iraq
Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable told me just over a year ago to pay attention to council by-elections. We’re doing a lot better in them than we are in the polls, he said, just like we were when we had our last surge in the wake of the Iraq War. The Liberal Democrats fiercely opposed that unpopular conflict, by contrast to the “main” parties, and were handsomely rewarded at the ballot box.
Britain's sitting MEPs on their long goodbye: ‘People say, “You’re still here!”’
She regrets that British politicians, of all parties, became afraid to make the case for Europe. “We were apologising, when actually we should have been saying this: ‘Be proud of our membership of the European Union.’” While McAvan thinks some of “the mega pro-Europeans” go too far in wanting the EU to be loved, “We should just ask [for it] to be recognised as another level of decision-making.”
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have created an explosively bad formula for Brexit
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are experimenting with hazardous materials. They are seeing if they can create a Tory/Labour Brexit compound without blowing up their own parties. Those in the talks are more optimistic than ever about getting some kind of agreement, if not a finalised deal. But they know that things are very volatile. One senior figure tells me things are “much better than people think, but could blow up at any time”. What is causing this Downing Street optimism is a sense that there is beginning to be pressure on Labour to do a deal. Look at the council seats they lost in Leave-voting areas and the progress Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is making in Labour regions ahead of this month’s European elections. I understand that the compromise being drawn up goes as follows. The UK would initially enter into a “comprehensive customs arrangement” with the European Union. This would be very similar to a customs union. But the two parties would then commit, and hope to persuade the EU to do the same, to there being two choices for the future — either an independent trade policy under a scheme similar to the facilitated customs arrangement that May proposed at Chequers or a customs union with a UK say over future trade deals, which is Labour’s policy.
David Mundell: Nicola Sturgeon will be barred from holding 'legal referendum'
Nicola Sturgeon will be barred from holding any "legal referendum" on independence, the Scottish Secretary has said – as he lambasted the SNP's currency plans as amounting to "chocolate money". David Mundell insisted the First Minister would not be handed any of the levers to hold a second independence vote that were agreed in 2014.
SNP's currency plans 'single daftest idea in my lifetime', says Michael Gove
Michael Gove has branded the SNP's plans to ditch the pound after independence "the single daftest idea in British politics in my lifetime". The Environment Secretary insisted the proposals would be "economic madness" and would lead to poverty and inflation as prices rose.
Politicians pledge to ‘sort’ Brexit after vote drubbing
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have both recommitted to delivering Brexit after suffering the worst local election results in decades. The Conservatives shed more than 1,200 councillors, the deepest losses since 1995, while Labour failed to capitalise and lost more than 80 wards in council elections across England. Both the main party leaders said voters had delivered a rebuke over the failure to agree a Brexit deal in a strong signal that cross-party talks could produce a compromise ahead of a deadline in the middle of next week. The Prime Minister was confronted with anger from her own party, with backbench MPs calling for her removal and warning the party would be “toast” if it did not change direction.
Theresa May claims Nicola Sturgeon using Brexit as opportunity for Indyref2
Nicola Sturgeon was only ever interested is using Brexit as "an opportunity" to stage a second referendum on independence, Theresa May has said. Mrs May claimed she "knew from the start" that the SNP leader would exploit EU divisions to revive the case for independence. But the Prime Minister insisted Scotland's has a "bright future" within the United Kingdom, as she addressed the Scottish Tory conference in Aberdeen today. The SNP leader last week unveiled plans for a second Scottish independence referendum likely to be held next year in response to the Brexit turmoil. But Westminster has control over the constitution and Mrs May has refused to authorise such a vote.
Ms Sturgeon was accused of not respecting the decision of voters.
Ballot With 'Brexit' Written On It Counted As Tory Vote To Break Tied Local Election
The re-election of a Tory councillor by a majority of one has sparked controversy after a ballot paper marked with the word “Brexit” was counted as a vote for the Conservatives. Stephen Hirst retained his seat in Tetbury Town in the Cotswolds, defeating independent Kevin Painter by 232 votes to 231. The voter is said to have written “Brexit” with a large arrow pointing towards Hirst’s name – ruled to be a vote for the Tories despite a backlash against Theresa May for delaying the UK’s exit from the EU until October. Painter is considering challenging the result in court, saying it was “Blackadder-esque”, “bizarre” and had “brought the integrity of the local election system into question”
New poll finds 61% would back Remain in a second referendum
New polling has found that 61% of those who would vote in a second referendum would vote to Remain in the European Union. The YouGov survey for KIS Finance found that between the choice of Theresa May's Brexit deal or remaining in the EU, 61% of those who confirmed they would vote stated they wanted the UK to stay in the European Union. When a no-deal scenario is added into the mix, 53% of people would vote to Remain, while 34% would vote for no-deal, and just 12% would vote for Theresa May's deal.
Why was Labour punished in local elections?
Labour MPs like Jess Phillips have a point when they call for Labour's "triangulation" of Brexit, its attempt to please both Brexiters and Remainers, to be dumped in favour of what they see as a more principled position of backing a confirmatory Brexit referendum. That verdict will have consequences for Theresa May too - because it will determine whether Jeremy Corbyn will be more or less enthusiastic about agreeing a Brexit compromise with her in coming days. As of first thing this morning, Labour leadership was agonising about whether signing off a Brexit pact with the government that contains a Customs-Union element would permanently alienate millions of pro-referendum internationalist supporters and would be seen as propping up an ailing Tory government, or whether it would end all the noise that makes it impossible for the country to hear the party's message for social and economic change. So these local elections will reverberate even to those parts of the UK, like Scotland, Wales and London, where they didn't take place.
@Channel4News "I think people are fed up and they want us to get on with it and they want the issue of Brexit to be resolved." That was Emily Thornberry's reaction to Labour losses in the local elections.
"I think people are fed up and they want us to get on with it and they want the issue of Brexit to be resolved." That was Emily Thornberry's reaction to Labour losses in the local elections.
Tories and Labour suffer Brexit backlash as Lib Dems gain in local elections
Both the Conservatives and Labour have been punished by voters in local elections, with early results showing dissatisfaction with the two main parties, while the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents picked up large numbers of seats. The Lib Dems were particularly buoyant, gaining nearly 300 seats so far and a series of councils, including taking Bath and North East Somerset, and Cotswolds district council from the Conservatives. The party was hoping for its best set of council results since 2004, in the aftermath of the Iraq war, though the gains followed poor results the last time these seats were contested in 2015, at the nadir of the Lib Dems’ post-coalition unpopularity. The Lib Dem leader, Vince Cable, said his party was “the big winner” of the vote. He said: “Voters have sent a clear message that they no longer have confidence in the Conservatives, but they are also refusing to reward Labour while the party prevaricates on the big issue of the day: Brexit.”
Michael Gove: I've not 'gone soft' over Brexit but hardline Leavers need to 'face facts' over no-deal
Michael Gove has insisted he has not "gone soft" on Brexit as he pledged to strive to get it "over the line" in the wake of the Tories' disastrous local election results.
The Environment Secretary told the Telegraph that he opposes a customs union compromise with Labour but hardline Brexiteers need to "face facts" that they do not have the numbers in the Commons for no deal. Speaking from his parents' home in Aberdeen, he also said he had learned from his botched 2016 Tory leadership campaign and insisted he was now a team player. Although he refused to be drawn on whether he intends to stand again in the race to succeed Theresa May, he argued that his conduct since being "recalled from the backbenches"
Corbyn says local elections show voters want deal done on Brexit
Asked about the results, in which the Conservatives suffered much bigger losses, Corbyn told ITV: “I think it means there’s a huge impetus on every MP, and they’ve all got that message, whether they themselves are leave or remain – or the people across the country – that an arrangement has to be made, a deal has to be done, parliament has to resolve this issue. I think that is very, very clear.” His comments echoed remarks from McDonnell, who had earlier claimed the message from voters was: “Brexit – sort it.”
Local elections: Corbyn defends Labour's Brexit negotiating stance
Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn responds following a difficult night for his party in the local elections so far.
Labour’s bid for leave voters is failing. It must now look to remainers
Prof Rob Ford tells me they may instead be a symptom of a different trend visible in these numbers: that “the more votes Labour had to start with, the more they lost”. In other words, Labour dropped off most in its safest seats, whether leave or remain. There are signs too of a more general malaise afflicting the two parties, with voters sick of the sight of both of them, in line with the polls showing both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn with catastrophically low personal ratings. Such doldrums are common for a ruling party entering its 10th year in office, but all but unheard of for an opposition that should be reaping the benefits of the government’s unpopularity.
Michael Gove unveils plans to take control of Holyrood cash
Radical plans to hold back tens of millions of pounds from Holyrood and allow UK ministers instead to spend the cash directly north of the Border have been set out by environment secretary Michael Gove. The Scots-born MP is among the front-runners to replace Theresa May when she stands down. He insists his plan for Westminster to be allowed to spend Treasury funding in traditionally devolved areas would strengthen the Union. It could see Westminster funding projects in areas such as education and farming.
James O'Brien's Powerful Monologue On The State Of Brexit After The Local Elections
"Theresa May chose to put her fingers in her ears, to cover her eyes, to ignore Cambridge Analytica, to ignore Vote Leave's cheating, to ignore the Electoral Commission's findings, to ignore the mystery of where the £8m for Leave.EU came from, to ignore the fact that people's Facebook pages were full of lies of an unprecedented and unbelievable scale, she chose to ignore all that. "That's why yesterday the two-party system came close to breaking point. "Because neither Jeremy Corbyn, nor Theresa May, report reality. "And that's what happens when you let liars and chancers and racists to poison the public discourse for clicks and ratings and controversies on Question Time."
Cabinet leak culture has damaged Brexit process, says Hunt
Britain’s Brexit decisions have been damaged by a year-long culture of cabinet leaks, the foreign secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has said in an apparent swipe at some of his colleagues, including Gavin Williamson who was sacked as defence secretary.
Referring to the effect of leaks on Brexit, Hunt said: “I think it has made it harder to deliver what we have been trying to achieve and yes, of course it damages trust.
“When we are faced with very difficult judgment calls on Brexit issues, it is obviously of great benefit to the country if everyone can discuss them freely without having to think how decisions will be leaked afterwards. So I am hoping this will be a moment of change for the whole machinery of government works.”
Political Setbacks
How Theresa May is planning three major Brexit concessions to win over Jeremy Corbyn and get deal agreed
Theresa May will face her latest “moment of truth” on Tuesday when she presents Labour with a new Brexit compromise plan which she hopes will break the deadlock and deliver an orderly departure from the European Union. Success will be securing Jeremy Corbyn’s support while failure will see the Prime Minister forced to change tack and adopt the plan B of offering MPs votes on different Brexit options.
Both ways forward are likely to have nightmarish consequences for Mrs May. The Prime Minister’s new Brexit plan is based on a trio of major concessions designed to win over Labour, but all three will be opposed by large numbers of Tory MPs.
Not being the Tories is no longer enough for Labour
The point is that if Labour's sole selling point is “We're not the Tories”, that's scarcely a unique selling point. So why vote Labour in particular? Is it beyond even someone of the evident wit and perspicacity of Tom Watson to make a positive case for Labour? Of course, in fairness to Watson, it's difficult for anyone to make a positive case for supporting a party when that party's position on the most urgent matter facing the country is so vague and contradictory as to be meaningless. It's hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for all Labour's advocates when they know that any statement they make on Brexit is likely to be back-pedalled, undermined or just flatly denied by someone further up the Corbyntology food chain. The trouble with Watson's exhortation to vote Labour in this local elections (and by the time you read this I imagine most of you will have voted already, and if not, why not) in order to 'send a message' to the Tory government is that on the matter of Brexit, their message still falls far short of a People's Vote.
Theresa May 'will climb down on customs, goods and workers' rights'
Theresa May is set to offer Labour a three-pronged Brexit deal in a bid to break the deadlock at Westminster, it has been claimed. The PM's negotiating team will reportedly give ground to Jeremy Corbyn on customs, goods and workers' rights.
Conservatives were warned they will have to 'suck up concessions' after Mrs May acknowledged there was 'no sign' of her MPs uniting behind her deal. She is hoping to persuade the Labour benches to back her instead with cross-party talks expected to resume this week.
WATCH: Nigel Farage says Brexit Party £100K donor is 'irrelevant'
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said that the name of his party’s £100,000 donor is “irrelevant”. and would not be named until after the EU elections. Speaking on Sky News' Sophy Ridge politics show, Farage started out sarcastically in response to Ridge's line of questioning. “Oh yes, I'm really going to tell you his name,” he said. “Well why not?” Ridge shot back. “This is the new transparent politics.”
Brexit party figures who left over offensive posts are still directors
Two senior members of Nigel Farage’s Brexit party who left their roles after the Guardian uncovered offensive social media messages they had sent are still directors of the organisation weeks after they had supposedly cut all ties, it has emerged. Catherine Blaiklock, the first leader of the party, who resigned over a series of anti-Islam messages, and the former treasurer Michael McGough, who was ousted because of antisemitic and other offensive Facebook posts, are still listed as directors. Blaiklock, who also retweeted far-right messages, including one from a former British National party activist referring to “white genocide”, also resigned as company secretary of the party soon after the posts emerged, six weeks ago. But despite that change being made to the Companies House register, she remains listed as a director. McGough is also still a director. He was removed as treasurer a month ago after posting what the party called “unacceptable statements”. A party statement at the time said he would no longer have any role in the organisation.
Labour MPs say they won't back a Brexit deal without a people’s vote
Jeremy Corbyn will not be able to get enough of his MPs to back a Brexit deal without the promise of a second referendum, even if Theresa May makes a big offer on a customs union and workers’ rights this week, senior Labour figures believe. Senior party sources said they believe two-thirds of Labour MPs, including several shadow cabinet ministers and many more frontbenchers, would refuse to back a deal without a people’s vote attached. Theresa May is preparing to make new proposals of a temporary customs union until the next election, matching EU employment rights in the future and alignment of single market regulations on goods.
Theresa May must go now, former Tory leader says
Theresa May must resign or the Conservatives should force her out, after the party's heavy local election losses, Iain Duncan Smith has said. The former Tory leader called Mrs May a "caretaker PM" and described her attempts to reach a Brexit deal with Labour as "absurd". The party suffered its worst local election result in England since 1995. Other senior Conservatives have urged Tory MPs to compromise with Labour to ensure Brexit is delivered.
Jess Phillips Just Gave Diane Abbott The Perfect Analogy On Labour And Brexit
In the debate, Abbott said there should be a general election and added that the country needed to be brought back together as it is so divided over Brexit. Phillips hit back, saying she had a very remain and very pro-second referendum position but was in a leave seat, which meant she was “only too aware of how we have to keep the country together”. “As much as we want an election, I want to be a size 10 but I keep eating cake. You don’t just get what you want. An election is not what’s in front of us. Brexit is the thing that is in front of us. We have to show courage and leadership,” she said. As the camera panned to Abbott looking deeply unimpressed, Phillips added: “People loved Corbyn because they thought that he was honest and would come out and say what he actually thought but what he seems to think on this [Brexit] is a bit like ‘oh well, we’ll see’...”
EU recovers £200,000 from Ukip MEPs accused of misusing funds
The European parliament has recovered more than £200,000 from Ukip MEPs accused of misusing public funds through payments to party workers. But with three weeks to go until European elections, time is running out to recoup money from others alleged to have broken EU rules. The parliament has suspended the pay of two staff attached to Ukip’s former leader Paul Nuttall and his fellow North West England MEP Louise Bours, the Guardian has learned. Neither MEP is standing for re-election on 23 May, which could make it harder for officials to recover money.
Since the Guardian revealed the parliament’s investigation into Ukip misspending in 2017, £202,667 has been recovered from two current MEPs and one former one.
Local elections: Why has Labour lost seats?
Labour has suffered a net loss of council seats - starting from the low base of 2015 in many cases. The Conservatives have lost more than 10 times as many councillors, but what is remarkable is that the main party of opposition - around the mid-term of a not-very-popular government - has not made net gains. It seems reasonable to assume that some votes have been lost by Labour in Leave areas because - as the leader of Sunderland City Council Graeme Miller has said - the party hasn't decisively ruled out another referendum. (It has retained it as an option, if the Conservatives are unwilling to change their deal).
Ousted MP Fiona Onasanya will not fight Peterborough by-election
Fiona Onasanya was the first MP removed by recall petition after she was jailed over speeding lie. She has said she will not stand for re-election during the by-election in Peterborough on June 6th
Jeremy Corbyn says election results show 'we must now get a Brexit deal done'
Jeremy Corbyn said results from the latest local elections show "a deal has to be done" on Brexit. Asked about the figures so far, he said: "An arrangement has to be made. A deal has to be done. Parliament has to resolve this issue." Mr Corbyn said there was a "huge impetus" on every MPs to find a way beyond the current logjam. His comments came after shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted: "So far, message from local elections - 'Brexit - sort it'. Message received."
‘I’m getting death threats,’ says man who threw milkshake on Tommy Robinson
Danyaal Mahmud says he's worried about his family after protest against far-right candidate Tommy Robinson went viral.
Theresa May still in Brexit denial after Tory local election drubbing in England
The Prime Minister was in Aberdeen to tell the Tory troops that everything in the garden was rosy despite making a mess of Brexit and being punished in polls. Theresa May just lost more than 1300 Tory councillors – but you wouldn’t know it to listen to her. Instead, the Prime Minister chose to ignore the carnage of the English elections and pretend all is rosy in the garden.
Starmer: Tory leadership contest 'most important' thing for many in Cabinet
Cabinet ministers place more importance on the next Tory leadership contest than Brexit, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed, in a swipe at the Foreign Secretary’s warning that a customs union would not be a “long-term solution”. The shadow Brexit secretary said Jeremy Hunt’s comments provided “yet more evidence” that many in the Cabinet believe the “most important thing right now” is the race to be Theresa May’s successor. Sir Keir made the remarks in response to an interview in which Mr Hunt said he had “never believed” that a customs union is a “long-term solution”.
'Purist Brexiteers' blamed for massive Tory losses in local elections
Purist Brexiteers in the Conservative Party are partially to blame for the Tories losing 1,334 councillors, Jeremy Hunt has said. The Foreign Secretary took aim at his own colleagues for refusing to compromise during the Brexit negotiations and added the Government could have done things ‘differently’. As a result of the massive losses across the country, the Tories lost control of more than 45 local authorities. It was the Tories worst night of elections since 1995.
In Rees-Mogg heartland, angry voters embrace Lib Dems over Brexit chaos
“A lot of Conservatives have changed to the Lib Dems here because they want a second referendum, not because they want to push Brexit through faster,” she told the Observer on Friday, as the results from the previous day’s poll trickled in. “What makes me mad is that we are not being listened to.”
Ukip loses 80% of council seats in local election hammering after lurch to far-right
Ukip has lost around 80 per cent of the council seats it defended on Thursday, in a local election hammering following a politcal lurch to the right. Gerard Batten’s party went into Thursday’s contest with 111 councillors and ended up with just 24, as of the 4.30pm tally on results day. The party has mostly failed to capitalise on the collapse of the Conservatives, with its former leader Nigel Farage taking the lions share of Brexiteer support in polls with his new Brexit Party venture. Mr Farage quit the party in December, alleging that Mr Batten had put too much emphasis on anti-Islam policies, and toxified its brand by associating with far-right personality Tommy Robinson.
Nigel Farage's star candidate is an 'apologist for the IRA'
Nigel Farage was urged to sack one of his star Euro election candidates last night after the father of a 12-year-old boy murdered by the IRA claimed she had refused to condemn the terror group. Colin Parry said that the Brexit Party's Claire Fox did not 'disavow her offensive views' when he challenged her. Miss Fox is standing in North West England, which includes Warrington – where Mr Parry's son Tim was killed when the IRA bombed the town in 1993.
Gavin Williamson 'fired for diabetes jibe at PM'
Gavin Williamson was fired as defence secretary after Theresa May was informed that he had attacked her in private, saying that her diabetes made her unfit to be prime minister. May became frustrated with Williamson’s behaviour after hearing that he told fellow Tories that her health meant she should not continue in the job — claims that Williamson rejects as categorically untrue. The warnings were delivered in the weeks before the former defence secretary was sacked amid claims that he leaked details of a National Security Council meeting last week about the Chinese firm Huawei. Sources at the top of government and the Conservative Party say slurs about the prime minister’s health were overheard by a senior party official, who reported the former defence secretary’s conversation back to Downing Street. It is also claimed that Williamson was also overheard at a dinner, denouncing May’s fitness for the job.
Theresa May must go now, former Tory leader says
Theresa May must resign or the Conservatives should force her out, after the party's heavy local election losses, Iain Duncan Smith has said. The former Tory leader called Mrs May a "caretaker PM" and described her attempts to reach a Brexit deal with Labour as "absurd". The party suffered its worst local election result in England since 1995. Other senior Conservatives have urged Tory MPs to compromise with Labour to ensure Brexit is delivered.
Local elections: Tories call for unity after election drubbing
Senior Conservatives have called for the party to pull together after it suffered its worst results in English local elections since 1995. The Conservatives lost 1,334 councillors in Thursday's votes. Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted voters had "issues of trust" over Brexit, and said the European elections would "be even more challenging". Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the party needed to listen to the results and be "in the mood for compromise". Both PM Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have insisted they will push ahead with seeking a cross-party agreement on Brexit, following the results
Ruth Davidson: Tories face Brexit 'wake-up call'
Ruth Davidson has warned that the two main Westminster parties will suffer the wrath of voters in the EU elections unless they "get Brexit sorted". The Scottish Conservative leader admitted that the Tories and Labour had been given an "almighty kicking" in English local elections. But she predicted that they will be given an even bigger "wake-up call" in the European election on 23 May. She urged the two parties to find a compromise so the UK can "move on". Her speech to the conference was her first major public appearance since the birth of her son Finn in October. The Conservatives lost more than 1,300 seats in the council election and Labour lost 82 as the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents surged across England.
Electoral Commission's £436,000 bill fighting Brexit campaigner
The elections watchdog is spending more than £400,000 defending its decision to fine a pro-Brexit campaigner £20,000. Court papers reveal Electoral Commission estimates that the cost of resisting appeals by Darren Grimes will amount to £436,000, after the body recruited James Eadie QC, the Government's most senior advocate, to argue its case in court. The watchdog fined Mr Grimes, the founder of the BeLeave campaign group, last year after concluding that he had wrongly reported £620,000 of spending on the 2016 Brexit referendum. Mr Grimes insists he is "completely innocent" and that he is being pursued simply for "ticking the wrong box".
David Davis bows out of Tory leadership contest as he says he will back Dominic Raab to replace Theresa May
Former Brexit secretary David Davis has said he will not run to replace Theresa May as Prime Minister, declaring his support for Dominic Raab in the upcoming contest for Conservative leader. The 70-year-old Brexiteer - who came second to David Cameron in the 2005 leadership contest, but did not put himself forward in 2016 - said the Tories need "a generational change" in leadership. He said that Mr Raab, 45, was "the best-placed Brexit candidate to win the necessary support among MPs and party members and, above all, broaden our appeal to voters". Mrs May has said she will stand down as Tory leader when an EU withdrawal agreement is ratified, handing over to a successor to negotiate the future trading relationship with the EU
@PaulbrandITV WATCH: Corbyn's full words below about the need to "get a deal done."
WATCH: Corbyn's full words below about the need to "get a deal done."
Local elections: Tories lose 1,200 seats - and it is a bad night for Labour, too
The Conservatives and Labour have suffered a bruising day following the local elections as voters vented their anger at the two main parties over the continuing Brexit deadlock. The Tories lost over 1,300 seats in what was a devastating night for Theresa May's party, surpassing even the worst projections. But there will be few celebrations in the Labour camp as they failed to capitalise on Tory losses, with the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Independents picking up seats in England in local elections where national politics appeared to dominate all else. Elections were fought in 248 English councils, six mayors and 11 councils in Northern Ireland.
Voters Punish May and Corbyn Amid Brexit Chaos: U.K. Update
Voters are turning their backs on both the main parties amid frustration over Brexit, according to results from local elections in England. Prime Minister Theresa May’s ruling Conservatives are paying the heaviest price at the polls for overseeing the political chaos of the U.K.’s divorce from the European Union. But Labour has also suffered serious set-backs, while the biggest winners so far are the pro-EU Liberal Democrats.
Local elections: Corbyn 'very sorry' for losses and admits Brexit was a factor
Jeremy Corbyn today said he was "very sorry" for Labour's losses in the local elections as he accepted Brexit was a factor. The party leader arrived amid a steaming row and pouring rain in Trafford - a rare gain for Labour overnight after losing heartlands Hartlepool, Bolsover and Wirral. There was a swing from the Tories to Labour in many parts of southern England, but the party lost a whopping nine seats in Brexit-backing Sunderland. And the Lib Dems hailed their best election night ever as a 'Remain backlash' added hundreds of council seats to the anti-Brexit party. Mr Corbyn said he was “very sorry” to have lost control of northern strongholds but insisted: “We’ll fight back and we’ll win them back.” And he admitted Labour may have lost votes from people “disagreeing with both parties on attitudes towards the EU”.
Ghetto Britain: The complex division behind Nigel Farage's dog whistle politics
The Daily Mail attempts to explain that there are some apparent problems in Oldham in terms of the ethnic mix of the community, in an attempt to either justify or explain Nigel Farage's extreme comments in a speech in the USA earlier, in whcih he spoke about communities totally divided in Oldham, but which has drawn near universal condemnation as dog whistle Far Right politics
Sir Tony Robinson quits Labour over Brexit and leadership
Actor Sir Tony Robinson, a former member of Labour's governing National Executive Committee, says he has quit the party over its current direction. He said he was leaving after nearly 45 years because of Labour's stance on Brexit, its handling of anti-Semitism allegations and its poor leadership. Sir Tony, 72, is best known for playing Baldrick in the comedy Blackadder. The political activist has spoken at rallies for the People's Vote campaign for another referendum. His decision comes as Labour lost seats in Thursday's local elections, with voters turning to smaller parties and independents. Announcing his move on Twitter, Sir Tony said it was partly down to the party's "continued duplicity on Brexit".
@PaulBrandITV WATCH: Theresa May heckled in Wales, as party member shouts "WHY DON'T YOU RESIGN? The National Convention don't want you, we don't want you!" May responds in (slightly dodgy) Welsh, "And good afternoon!"
WATCH: Theresa May heckled in Wales, as party member shouts "WHY DON'T YOU RESIGN? The National Convention don't want you, we don't want you!" May responds in (slightly dodgy) Welsh, "And good afternoon!"
Voters are punishing Labour for its Brexit ‘fudge’, angry MPs warn Corbyn after shock election losses
Voters are punishing Labour for its Brexit “fudge”, angry MPs have warned Jeremy Corbyn, after the party was the shock loser from the local elections – urging him to finally guarantee a fresh referendum. A disastrous night for both big parties saw the Conservatives lose more than 1,200 seats and fresh calls for Theresa May to quit, including from a Tory heckler in Wales, who demanded to know: “Why don’t you go?” As the Liberal Democrats and independent candidates surged, little more than half of the public backed the Conservatives or Labour – who were tied on just 28 per cent of votes each. But pro-EU Labour MPs seized on the evidence that their party – even in Leave areas – had lost out to parties demanding a Final Say public vote, as the Greens as well as the Lib Dems were rewarded. Between them, the two Remain parties claimed more than 850 seats, enjoying big swings from Labour in places including St Helens (18.8 per cent), Barnsley (17.3 per cent), Sunderland (13.4 per cent), Peterborough (6.9 per cent) and Derby (6.2 per cent), an analysis by the People’s Vote campaign found.
Tories lose over 1,300 seats in local elections as major parties suffer
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have vowed to press ahead with seeking a cross-party solution to the Brexit deadlock at Westminster, after voters punished both major parties in local elections. The Conservatives’ net loss of more than 1,300 seats on their 2015 figures marked their biggest defeat since John Major was prime minister. Disillusioned voters deserted the party in droves, including in traditional Tory areas such as Chelmsford and Surrey Heath. Labour had expected to make gains, but instead suffered a net loss, and lost control of a string of councils, including Burnley, Darlington and Wirral. Vince Cable’s remain-supporting Liberal Democrats were the major beneficiaries, taking control of 10 councils, including Cotswold and Winchester, while the Greens and a string of independents also fared unexpectedly well.
Scottish Tory leader blocks Boris Johnson from party conference
Boris Johnson has been blocked by Ruth Davidson from attending the Scottish Conservative party conference in Aberdeen this weekend. Scottish Tory sources said a number of potential leadership candidates had been “discouraged” from attending the event, which begins on Friday, amid concerns their appearance could distract from party leader Davidson’s return from maternity leave, insisting the decision was not personal. Davidson appeared to downplay Johnson’s chances of success in any leadership contest in an interview on STV’s Scotland Tonight on Thursday night.
Local elections: Conservatives lose more than 1,300 councillors
The Conservatives have lost 1,334 councillors, with Theresa May saying voters wanted the main parties to "get on" with Brexit. Labour also lost 82 seats in the English local elections, in which it had been expected to make gains. But the strongly pro-EU Lib Dems gained 703 seats, with leader Sir Vince Cable calling every vote received "a vote for stopping Brexit". The Greens and independents also made gains, as UKIP lost seats.
The next PM? Time will come for talk of that, says Jeremy Hunt
Jeremy Hunt’s 12,500-mile odyssey through Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya has been a chance for the man who could be the UK’s next prime minister to learn more about Africa – and for us to learn more about him. The visit by the foreign secretary was ambitious in mileage and scale, speckled with meetings with presidents, helicopter rides to Maiduguri – the Boko Haram haven in Nigeria’s north-east – keynote speeches at the African Union headquarters, seminars with civil society and photo-ops. Meticulously planned, it ended with a visit to the HIV educational charity he helped fund in Kibera in the slums of Nairobi from the proceeds of his business. He is greeted as a long-lost friend and Honourable Jeremy. The children speak eloquently to him about the stigma of HIV.
Sir Tony Robinson attacks Labour's 's***' leadership and quits party
Blackadder star Sir Tony Robinson has quit the Labour Party - blaming its "continued duplicity on Brexit" and "complete s***" leadership. The 72-year-old, best known for playing Baldrick in the classic sitcom, announced his departure following a disappointing night for the opposition in the local elections. Sir Tony, who previously voiced fears that a "leftist clique" had "completely taken over" Labour - also blamed the ongoing issue of antisemitism for his decision.
I might rape MP Jess Phillips, says Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin
A Ukip candidate in the European elections was under pressure to withdraw yesterday after releasing a video suggesting he might rape a Labour MP. Carl Benjamin, who had already been attacked for a social media message saying he “wouldn’t even rape” the Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips, posted a video online suggesting that “with enough pressure I might cave”. Ms Phillips said the comments had upset her and questioned whether he should be allowed to stand in the election this month. She said to Buzzfeed: “If Facebook and Twitter can ban these people for hate speech how is it they are allowed to stand for election?” Mr Benjamin had released the video on YouTube, where he has a large following under the name Sargon of Akkad. After a list of spoof Ukip policies, including invading Spain, he said: “There’s been an awful lot of talk about whether I would or wouldn’t rape Jess Phillips. I suppose with enough pressure I might cave. But let’s be honest, nobody’s got that much beer.”
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 7th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
From Che Guevara to Ramsay MacDonald in less than four years
- May plans to offer Jeremy Corbyn a temporary customs union arrangement with the EU which will be reviewed in 2022. This deal will be bolstered by selective allignment with single market regulations on goods, and a commitment to match all EU measures on workers rights. If this were to be agreed, after a lifetime of Tory-baiting Corbyn would find himself hugging the authors of austerity and neoliberalism tight. In a de facto coalition with them over Brexit
Labour strategist warns against a shift to Remain after the local election results
- Campaign boss Andrew Gwynne warned against a further shift towards Remain, in terms of Labour policy. Gwynne pointed out that all of the councils in which Labour had lost five or more seats were in heavily leave voting areas. Any talk of a second referendum would be a difficult message to put to Labour's traditional voters
- Labour MP Jonathan Ashworth dismissed any compromise deal, as it involves U.S. firms getting their hands on NHS assets
- Tory MP's told the Telegraph they will move to oust May this week if she agrees a deal with Labour
- The Independent said May is facing opposition from all sides over her attempt to strike a deal with Labour. She is being warned that more than 100 Tory MPs would rebel and block any compromise agreement with Labour
The emerging Labour-Tory compromise on Brexit is all a mirage
- The clock governing the transitional trade negotiations between the UK and the EU is now ticking and there is a lot still to negotiate. The deadline for an agreement is the end of 2020. This stop deadline is dealt with by the Withdrawal Agreement. The offer to Labour of a temporary customs union to run until 2022, becomes, therefore, almost irrelevant if it is tagged onto the Withdrawal Agreement
Is May's courtship of Corbyn really putting the Brexit deal on a knife edge?
- With Corbyn's chief strategist at the heart of any potential deal - Seumas Milne - the Tories believe Corbyn is fully engaged and serious about finding a deal. Milne is said to be asking detailed questions about the government's positions and conveying a very positive air during the negotiations
- Corbyn could be PM if he stops playing games with Theresa May - according to the Daily Mirror. 'Bailing out a failing PM and her unpopular bad deal would be political suicide, a real Shakespearean tragedy for a democratic socialist party which has vowed to radically renew Britain, both economically and socially'
Another £160m spent on Brexit consultants
- UK government has signed new Brexit consultancy contracts for the next twelve months, worth almost £160m in value
The Tory Party is already engaged in a leadership election, it has just not been officially announced yet
- Dominic Raab puts family-friendly policies at the heart of his bid to succeed Theresa May, reported The Times - as both he and rival Jeremy Hunt - introduced their wives to the media
- The Independent attacked Raab as 'having a nice wife and kitchen' but this being 'no substitute for his screaming lack of a clue what to do'
Both party leaders face fierce opposition to any Brexit compromise
- Conservative MP's are now describing Theresa May as a caretaker PM and saying that any deal brokered with Labour would be scuppered by backbenchers
- The 1922 Committee chairman, Sir Graham Brady, looks set to meet Mrs May in an attempt to get her to 'clarify her departure timetable for impatient backbenchers'
The spectre of a General Election looms large over the Conservative Party
- Brexiteer or no Brexiteer, any new Conservative Party leader would not survive with the current make-up of Parliament and they'd suffer all the same issues that have dogged Mrs May. So a top priority for any new incumbent has to be solving the lack of a working majority and no obvious Brexit deal which can hold the party together
- In Walsall Conservative councillors bucked the trend last Thursday and did a little better than their party colleagues elsewhere. Tory canvassers believe it was because they promised they were not going to have anything to do with the European elections at all - surviving the revolt by joining with it
- Political scientist John Curtice was quoted in a QZ.com article as saying 'we will discover that there are more than three significant parties at the European elections. We may see the most fragmented British electorate since the advent of mass British democracy'
Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party are getting away with a lot, as the media is looking elsewhere
- A Brexit Party candidate in the north-east expected to win, John Tennant, has a history of vulgar and obscene language about women in social media posts and once praised a colleague for using a Nazi slogan in the European Parliament
- Brexit Party leaflets arriving at people's homes are being trashed by social media activists in a never ending litany of creative and humorous ways
- The Guardian reminded readers that Nigel Farage has regularly repeated antisemitic tropes on a far right talk show in the USA - the Alex Jones Show
- Farage played down his north-west candidate, Claire Fox's previous defence of IRA bombing campaigns calling it 'irrelevant.'
- Farage also said that the name of the Brexit Party's biggest donor was also 'irrelevant'
- To distract attention, one can only imagine, Farage then challenged Jeremy Corbyn to a television debate about Brexit
- It emerged that Annunziata Rees-Mogg looks likely to be the Brexit Party parliamentary candidate for the by-election in Peterborough, set to take place in early June
Other News
- A No Deal Brexit could threaten evidence sharing with Europe on cybercrime, a Northern Ireland police chief told Irish News
- A court date has been set whereby the plaintiff will try and hold Boris Johnson to account for the £350m a week for the NHS claim on his big red bus during the EU referendum campaign
- A counter-factual study computer modelled a result whereby the UK had voted Remain in 2016, and concluded that inward foreign direct investment into the UK since 2016 has fallen by about a fifth
- Trade body Tech London Advocates found that 87% of all tech firms in the UK felt that the Brexit process had tarnished London's reputation as an international tech capital. Many pointed to losing out on investment as a result of the EU exit, with one firm saying they lost out to the tune of £300,000, because of investor fears about the post-Brexit regulatory environment
- CBI President John Allan said postponed business investment will cause knock-on effects further down the line and it will impact upon the economy, possibly for some years
- Law firm Irwin Mitchell and the CEBR produced a report that said there will be a growing gap that widens even further, because of Brexit. It will cause an even bigger divide both economically and socially between the north east and the south east
Economic Impact
Cold money How is Brexit affecting FDI into Britain?
So have investors brushed off Brexit? Not quite. Some industries have noticeably cooled on Britain. It was the top destination for cross-border mergers and acquisitions involving American tech firms in 2014-17. But in 2018 it tumbled to eighth place. In October the UK Trade Policy Observatory at Sussex University modelled a counterfactual Britain that had voted Remain, and found that the Leave vote had reduced inward FDI by a fifth. Brexit affects domestic firms, too. In January Barclays bank received legal approval to move €190bn ($213bn) of assets to Dublin, fearing no-deal. The London School of Economics recently found the Brexit vote had caused a 12% rise in investment by British firms in the rest of the EU. That capital might otherwise have been used at home. FDI remains strong, but it would be stronger minus Brexit. And Britain has not even left yet.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit ‘Threatens’ London’s Reputation As International Tech Capital
London tech firms say political uncertainty has had a direct effect on their ability to access capital, as venture funding shows sharp drop. The UK’s exit from the European Union is damaging London’s international reputation as a tech capital, as well as on the availability of venture capital and staff, a new poll has found. Trade body Tech London Advocates found that 87 percent of tech firms felt the Brexit process had tarnished London’s reputation as a business centre, while 39 percent said it had become more difficult to access capital in the City since the referendum.
One in four of the 200 tech executives polled said they had lost out on investment as a direct result of exit from the EU, with start-up EcoSync, for instance, saying a large German venture capital firm had pulled the plug on a £300,000 investment due to uncertainty about the post-Brexit regulatory environment.
Brexit will widen North-South divide, new report warns
A widening gap will emerge between the economies of the North East and the South East after the UK’s expected departure from the EU , a new report suggests.
A study by law firm Irwin Mitchell and the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) predicts that, at the end of 2020, Milton Keynes, Reading and Oxford will be the top three for economic growth, with no locations in the North or the Midlands in the top 10.
Business leader warns of Brexit harm in years to come
CBI president John Allan said postponed investment will impact on the economy down the line. The damage that Brexit uncertainty could cause to regions like the North East might not be felt for a number of years, a leading business figure has said. John Allan, who is president of the CBI, as well as chairman of both Tesco and Newcastle-founded housebuilder Barratt, said around 80% of businesses were cutting back on investment as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the UK’s future relationship with the EU.
Political Shenanigans
Convinced this stitch-up can end the Brexit ordeal? Think again
Talks between the two negotiating teams will resume on Tuesday. According to the Sunday Times, Theresa May’s plan is to offer Jeremy Corbyn a temporary customs arrangement with the EU – to be reviewed in 2022 – bolstered by selective alignment with single market regulations on goods, and a commitment to match all EU measures on workers’ rights. If this were to be agreed – a ghastly marriage of the old Tory “magic circle” and Labour “beer and sandwiches” – Corbyn would find himself in a quite extraordinary position. In practice, the supposed enemy of the establishment would have entered a national coalition with the Conservative party. After a lifetime of Tory-baiting, he would finally be hugging close the authors of austerity, “neoliberalism” and invitations to Donald Trump. From Che Guevara to Ramsay MacDonald in less than four years: is that really how Corbyn wants to be remembered?
Online political ads 'need law change'
Are the UK's election laws fit for the era of digital campaigning? The Electoral Commission certainly does not think so. The watchdog has called for a change in the law to make online political adverts show clearly who paid for them. It wants online adverts to carry the same information as printed election material, which has to say who has produced it. The director of regulation at the Electoral Commission Louise Edwards told me a new law was needed to make sure that it was clear who had paid for online advertising and make spending on digital campaigning far more transparent. "What we need and what we're calling for, is a very clear change in the law to make parties and campaigners say on the face of their advert, who they are, who's paid for that advert and who is promoted," she said.
Lib Dems to press for tougher EU-wide commitment to curb climate change if Brexit stopped
An EU-wide commitment to wipe out contributions to global warming by 2050 will be at the heart of the Liberal Democrat manifesto for the European elections. Vince Cable’s party will vow to press for much tougher restrictions to end net greenhouse gas emissions across the bloc within 30 years – if Brexit is stopped. Currently, the EU is only pledged to 40 per cent reductions by 2030, an ambition overtaken by calls for emissions to end altogether in order to prevent runaway climate change. That target was negotiated in 2014, when Ed Davey, a Lib Dem, led the UK negotiations – helping to pave the way for the landmark global Paris Climate Treaty a year later. Now the party will demand the EU goes much further, on the back of its stunning local election successes which have raised hopes for the European Parliament polls on 23 May.
A deal by 'caretaker' PM with Labour on Brexit could be scuppered by Tory backbenchers
Theresa May is returning to Westminster - after the Tories’ local elections meltdown and a Bank Holiday breather - ready to gamble on a high-risk Brexit deal with Labour. With some Conservative MPs claiming she is now no more than a caretaker leader, the prime minister is being warned by backbench rebels not to cave in to Jeremy Corbyn. She is understood to be on the brink of offering a temporary customs arrangement until the next general election, when Labour could campaign for a permanent customs union.
UK Government signs new Brexit consultancy contracts totalling almost £160m
The UK Government has signed a new round of Brexit contracts with outside consultants, totalling almost £160 million of taxpayers’ money. Several are due to run until April 2020; that is, six months after the UK's new scheduled departure date from the EU at the end of October this year.
Nigel Farage wants a Brexit television debate with Jeremy Corbyn
Nigel Farage has challenged Jeremy Corbyn to a debate ahead of the European Parliament elections, warning a deal between Labour and the Conservatives would be “the final betrayal”. Farage, who leads the Brexit Party, challenged the Labour leader to discuss Brexit with him. Speaking to Sophy Ridge on Sky News, Farage said: “There are five million voters out there, Labour voters, who voted to leave, particularly in the Midlands, the north, and south Wales. “I would love between now and polling to have a debate with Jeremy Corbyn about this because people are very confused about what Labour are standing for.”
Gavin Esler: TV News Must Stop Giving Airtime To The 'Village Idiots' Of Brexit
“I want to stop Brexit. Fix Britain. And then I want to reform the things that are wrong with the EU,” says Gavin Esler. He has a lot on. The 66-year-old former BBC Newsnight presenter is standing to be an MEP in London for Change UK - the new pro-Remain party formed by The Independent Group of ex-Labour and Tory MPs.
Esler is speaking to HuffPost UK less than 48-hours after he was unveiled as an election candidate at his new party’s campaign launch in Bristol. “It’s all a bit hazy,” he laughs at the whirlwind. “We are trying to get up an organisation. We are trying to get each other’s telephone numbers and emails. And we have four weeks until the election.”
Tory leadership contenders show off wives and policies
Dominic Raab put family-friendly policies at the heart of his leadership bid yesterday as the candidates to succeed Theresa May ushered their wives and children into the spotlight. The former Brexit secretary set out his stall with a pledge for all fathers to have the right to two weeks’ paternity leave at 90 per cent of full pay. Mr Raab also suggested a change in the law to ensure new or expectant mothers cannot be made redundant during pregnancy or maternity leave. This comes alongside a commitment to take 1p off the basic rate of income tax.
Ministers spend extra £160m on Brexit consultant contracts
The government has signed a round of new Brexit contracts with outside consultants worth almost £160m. Many of them are due to run until April 2020, six months after the UK's new scheduled departure date from the European Union. Since the EU referendum, Whitehall has hired companies to carry out consultancy work to prepare for Brexit. The government said it would continue to "draw on the expert advice" of a range of specialists. In February, an analysis for the BBC found the government had agreed contracts worth £104m for outside help on Brexit.
Rees-Mogg 'to stand for Brexit Party' in Peterborough by-election to send message to May
Annunziata Rees-Mogg, a former Tory parliamentary candidate and sister of Jacob Rees-Mogg, hasn’t been far from the headlines since she appeared at the launch of the Brexit Party. Ms Rees-Mogg is now planning on fighting for the Peterborough seat vacated by Labour MP Fiona Onasanya. Ms Onasanya became the first parliamentarian in British history to be booted out of the Commons and stripped of her seat by a recall petition. The MP was jailed for lying to police about a driving offence.
Kevin Maguire: 'Corbyn could be PM - if he stops playing games with Theresa May'
Bailing out a failing PM and her unpopular bad deal would be political suicide – a real Shakespearean tragedy for a democratic socialist party which has vowed to radically renew Britain, both economically and socially
Prince Charles makes a plea to keep ‘links with Germany’ in soft Brexit hint
He will use a speech in Berlin to warn the 'bonds' with Germany 'must endure' As he begins a tour of Germany with the Duchess of Cornwall he will use a speech in Berlin to acknowledge Britain’s relationship with Europe is “in transition”. But he will ...
Breakthrough in crunch Labour and Tory Brexit talks on a knife edge
Chances of a breakthrough in today’s crunch Brexit talks between Labour and the Conservatives are on a knife edge as both sides are under mounting pressure to abandon negotiations. Theresa May has urged Jeremy Corbyn to “do a deal” as ministers are expected to make the first formal offer to the opposition in the shape of a temporary customs union with the EU post-Brexit. The arrangement would remain in place until the next general election in 2022, when either the Tories or Labour could decide to make it permanent or abandon it.
A vote for the SNP is a vote to put the brakes on Brexit
Ian Blackford urges voters to get out and get their message over that Scotland wants to be in the EU.
Brexit news latest: Theresa May to meet 1922 Committee chairman as resignation pressure grows
Theresa May is expected to meet the chairman of the powerful 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers as pressure for her to set a firm departure date intensifies.
It is understood that the Prime Minister will have discussions with Sir Graham Brady in the wake of the committee requesting "clarity" on Mrs May's timetable for standing down and triggering a leadership contest. With negotiations between the Government and Labour on trying to end the Brexit impasse set to continue on Tuesday, Tory impatience with Mrs May's failure to name a clear resignation date is increasing.
Jeremy Corbyn should now commit to a second Brexit referendum – but with one crucial condition
Yanis Varoufakis: "We need to be careful. Those of us who think that democracy is an end in itself should be terrified by the idea of a second referendum that becomes the tombstone of all such votes in the future" - cancel Article 50 clock to make the referendum run smoothly
‘Temporary’ customs union is May’s latest con
The prime minister plans to propose a “comprehensive but temporary” customs union with the EU lasting until the next election to get Jeremy Corbyn to support her Brexit deal, according to the Sunday Times. The idea seems to be to pacify her own MPs by saying the arrangement won’t necessarily last while winning over Labour by suggesting that it would be permanent if they win the election. Forget for a moment that a permanent customs union is a thoroughly bad idea. Even if Corbyn falls for the prime minister’s temporary wheeze, it may not get through the House of Commons. But there’s a more fundamental problem. If Theresa May is really proposing a “comprehensive” customs union lasting until the next election, she is living in fantasy land. The EU has got better things to do than negotiate yet another short-term deal with an unstable government.
Theresa May’s Uneasy Courtship of Corbyn Puts Brexit Deal on Knife Edge
Critically for the Tory side, Seumas Milne, Corbyn’s chief strategist, is said to be fully engaged and serious in the meetings that have taken place, asking detailed questions about the government’s position and the offers on the table, in a sign he’s interested in doing a deal.
Spectre of general election looms large for Conservative party
Brexit dominates debate in Westminster among top contenders for leadership. “Whatever happens I can’t see how we escape an election in the next year or so,” said a senior Tory campaigner. “Brexiter or non-Brexiter, deal or no deal, it is hard to see how the party survives a change in leadership with the current parliament.”
Any new Conservative leader installed before parliament has passed a Brexit deal will face the same challenges as Mrs May: the lack of a working majority and no obvious Brexit deal that can hold the party together.
The emerging Labour-Tory compromise on Brexit is all a mirage
Every day that the UK remains a member state is another day gone in which Whitehall could negotiate the future relationship while benefiting from its place in the single market and customs union as part of a 21-month transition period. There is much to negotiate with the EU. The deadline of 31 December 2020 will not give enough time. The withdrawal agreement foresees this problem. It offers an extension of the transition of up to two years to the end of 2022 – one the British government is likely to need to exploit to its fullest. The offer to Labour of a temporary customs union to 2022 is therefore irrelevant.
Could Brexit kill the Conservative party?
“I think it is fair to say that this is the return of at least three-party politics,” political scientist John Curtice told the BBC. “But I suspect that on 23 May”—or the date of the forthcoming European Parliament elections—”we will discover that there are more than three significant players. We may see the most fragmented British electorate since the advent of mass British democracy.”
Tory voters are at the end of their tether – they will vote in droves for the Brexit Party at the European elections
They found a formula superior to the official message that these were elections on local, not national issues. Even the widespread decision by Tory canvassers to seek to neutralise dislike of May by simply agreeing with voters about her doesn’t explain it. Both arguments worked somewhat – without them, the losses would have been even worse – but Walsall did something extra. Councillor Mike Bird, the local Conservative leader, is clear: “I think it was our attitude towards Brexit. In Walsall we have made ourselves clear that we are not going to have anything to do with the European elections at all.” To survive the backlash against the Prime Minister’s broken promises and Brexit delay, Walsall Tories effectively joined the popular revolt.
Political Setbacks
Irish Official Concerned A Hard Brexit Will Lead To More Violence In Northern Ireland
“We didn’t want to see Brexit happening, but it wasn’t our decision,” Daniel Mulhall, Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, said during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Monday. “From the Irish government’s point of view, the fundamental requirement is that there should be no possibility of a hard border on the island of Ireland anytime now or in the future.” Mulhall says that while he respects the decision of the citizens of the U.K. to leave the E.U., he wants to ensure that it’s done in an “orderly” fashion that does not inflame tensions between Northern Ireland and the U.K. and possibly re-ignite sectarian violence that plagued the region between the late 1960s and '90s. In April, Northern Ireland was rocked by the murder of journalist Lyra McKee, who was mistakenly killed by Irish nationalists in the aftermath of a violent raid by U.K. police of a suspected weapons cache in Londonderry.
Brexit: Theresa May warned more than 100 Tories could block compromise deal with Labour
Theresa May is facing opposition from all sides over her attempts to strike a Brexit deal amid warnings that more than 100 Tory MPs could block a compromise agreement with Labour. Cross-party talks will resume on Tuesday in the wake of reports that Ms May is poised to offer Labour a temporary EU customs arrangement to break the Brexit deadlock. Tory MPs have ramped up pressure on the prime minister to set a date for her departure, with one senior MP saying the party needs to “move on”. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, said Ms May should announce a “road map” for her departure after the European elections.
Blow for Theresa May as poll shows Tory calls for Prime Minister to quit at 'record high'
Theresa May has suffered another blow to her leadership after a poll revealed that more than four in five Conservative Party members want her to quit. The study by ConservativeHome, and the first since the Tories’ local elections drubbing, found that 82% of the party faithful want the Prime Minister to step aside, while just 16% said she should stay on. The record high is up 3% on a study held two-weeks ago and 11 points higher than a month ago.
Brexit party MEP candidate praised use of Nazi slogan
A candidate to serve as an MEP for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party once praised a colleague for using a Nazi slogan in the European parliament and has a history of using vulgar and obscene language about women in social media posts. John Tennant, who according to polls is expected to win a seat in the European parliament as one of Farage’s three candidates in the north-east, also made references to being intoxicated and suggested that Liverpool fans were criminals.
The Brexit Party promises Theresa May's Conservatives 'a really good kicking' in the European elections
Theresa May's Conservative Party are heading for a heavy defeat in the upcoming European Parliament elections, according to recent polls. The elections are being led by the newly-formed Brexit party, created by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage.
The party's lead candidate in London is Ben Habib, a property fund manager and former Conservative donor. He tells Business Insider that Brexit Party will lead to the "demise" of his former party.
UKIP leader cancels visit to Swindon
The anti-immigration party leader and its two MEP candidates for the south west were expected in the town centre this morning. However the leadership cancelled the trip over the weekend, saying that the UKIP battle bus wasn't ready and train services were unreliable due to the bank holiday. It added that there are currently no further plans to visit before the European elections later this month.
No-deal Brexit 'could threaten evidence-sharing with Europe' on cyber crime
Speedy European evidence-sharing about cyber crime may be endangered by a no-deal Brexit, a police officer in Northern Ireland has warned. European Investigation Orders (EIOs) allow the PSNI to access material within 90 days. The number of internet-related crimes has increased significantly in recent years but the amount of resources devoted to tackling it is being outstripped, Detective Sergeant Darren McCracken said. "If we leave as a result of Brexit we no longer have access to EIOs to obtain information within 90 days," he said. He said that was a fast turnaround in the world of law enforcement. Investigators can contact firms directly for intelligence-gathering but for court action the official channel is essential, he said. "If Brexit happens we are no longer part of a European treaty. We may not have access to that."
Theresa May's chief flounces out of Tory WhatsApp group over attacks on his boss
Theresa May's chief of staff has flounced out of a Tory WhatsApp group in protest at the constant attacks on his boss. Gavin Barwell proclaimed "frankly I have had enough of it" before storming out of the group chat for Conservatives in his home area of Croydon. According to a leaked screenshot, he told local Tories it "hurts" to work 19 hour days, only to check Whatsapp and find Tory attacks "of the kind from our worst opponents". The message, which Tory Bible ConservativeHome said it genuine, emerged as Theresa May faced fresh calls to quit after losing 1,269 council seats. The worst local election results since 1995 heap new pressure on the PM, who already faces mutiny over plans for a compromise Brexit deal with Labour .
Date set for court case which could prosecute Boris Johnson over £350 million EU referendum lie
The date has been set for a court case which will attempt to hold Boris Johnson to account for the £350 million claim told during the EU referendum campaign - and was plastered all over the big red battle bus. The crowdfunded private prosecution was brought against the MP and former Vote Leave co-chair by Marcus J Ball. It will take place at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 14th from 2.00pm, with the first hearing held in private, followed by a second public hearing shortly after. Ball, the 29-year-old private prosecutor, has accused Johnson of abusing public trust in his office as Mayor of London and Member of Parliament by intentionally misleading the public with regards to how much money the UK spends on EU membership. The statistic was criticised as misleading by the head of the UK Statistics Authority, who said that it was “a clear misuse of official statistics”.
The hype around Nigel Farage is designed to make us forget he led Britain into an ugly era of chaos
I asked a long-standing member of the Westminster lobby (the political journalists of the main national newspapers and current affairs magazines), who is the political editor of a well-known newspaper, whether it was fair to describe the media noise around Farage as “hype”. He thought it fair and explained it like this: most of the national newspapers heavily backed Brexit (the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, the Daily Express, the Sunday Times etc) but do not want to back the Tories in these European elections because they have made such a mess of it and Theresa May has no credibility.
Brexit Party leaflets arrive and Remainers show exactly what they think of them
Another Twitter user, @MikkoE17, decided to use his as loo roll. He wrote: "We just run out of toilet paper. Luckily you sent your leaflet just in time. Based on the shape and content, it's perfect for the toilet roll. "I knew I could trust Nigel Farage in time of need!"
Nigel Farage under fire over 'antisemitic tropes' on far-right US talkshow
In the six identified interviews, which date from 2009 to last year, Farage, whose Brexit party is leading polls for the upcoming European elections, repeatedly uses words and phrases such as “globalists” and “new world order”, which regularly feature in antisemitic ideas. In the interviews, Farage also says:
1) Members of the annual Bilderberg gathering of political and business leaders are plotting a global government. 2) The banking and political systems are working “hand in glove” in an attempt to disband nation states. 3) “Globalists” are trying to engineer a world war as a means to introduce a worldwide government. 4) Climate change is a “scam” intended to push forward this transnational government. 5)
In the most recent interview, filmed in April last year, Farage said the EU is “the prototype for the new world order”, and 6) “globalists have wanted to have some form of conflict with Russia as an argument for us all to surrender our national sovereignty and give it up to a higher global level”.
Brexit: Labour dismisses early deal as May's plan would mean US firms 'getting hands' on NHS
A senior Labour figure has stamped on talk of an early deal with Theresa May to rescue Brexit, warning her proposals would see private US health giants “getting their hands” on the NHS. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said ministers “haven’t really shifted” in the long-running negotiations – despite speculation that a cross-party agreement could be struck as early as this week.
He criticised Tory “spin doctors” for briefing that a deal was close, saying: “The problem is that, although the government is trying to redress their customs union offer, they haven’t really shifted.”
Ministers spend extra £160m on Brexit consultant contracts
The government has signed a round of new Brexit contracts with outside consultants worth almost £160m. Many of them are due to run until April 2020, six months after the UK's new scheduled departure date from the European Union. Since the EU referendum, Whitehall has hired companies to carry out consultancy work to prepare for Brexit. The government said it would continue to "draw on the expert advice" of a range of specialists. In February, an analysis for the BBC found the government had agreed contracts worth £104m for outside help on Brexit.
Dominic Raab’s nice wife and kitchen are no substitute for his screaming lack of a clue what to do
How can it be, when a country still desperately short of a way out of the Brexit mess has instead been forced to spend its Sunday staring into Dominic Raab’s kitchen? Been forced, too, to gaze upon Dominic Raab’s wife, as she tells The Sunday Times of how he used to prepare picnics for her in Hyde Park, and likes to reads The Gruffalo to his children. Yes, we are now officially at the Wives Stage (and, yes, it is all wives, for now) of the Tory Leadership Contest That Hasn’t Actually Begun Yet, itself an internal displacement activity for its own stunning inadequacies. Jeremy Hunt’s Chinese wife has also been making an appearance, winning praise in The Daily Telegraph for her being “effortlessly charming and considerate with diplomats”
Labour strategist warns against shift to remain after local elections
As senior Labour figures prepare to resume Brexit talks with Conservative ministers on Tuesday, Andrew Gwynne warned against a further shift towards remain. “On Brexit, what Labour is trying to achieve is much harder and more complex than those who say we need to simply swing behind remain admit,” he wrote in the Guardian. “It would be the easiest option and perhaps superficially give us a short-term boost, but we are a national party seeking support from people all over the county, unlike the ‘leave means leave’ charade of the Tories and Nigel Farage, or the ‘stop Brexit’ simplicity of the smaller parties.” He pointed out that all of the 21 councils in which Labour lost five or more seats were in heavily leave-voting areas. “The talk about another referendum was a difficult message to explain to many of our traditional voters.”
All Under One Banner's full statement after being reported by police
Manny Singh, the chief organiser of Glasgow's huge All Under One Banner independence march on Saturday, has released a statement after being reported to the procurator fiscal by police. Singh was visited by police officers at his home on Monday, and was reported under Section 65 of the Civic Government(Scotland) Act 1982 which states that anyone convicted of holding a procession that does not comply with the relevant council order can be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of up to three months.
Farage plays down candidate's previous defence of IRA
Nigel Farage is continuing to come under pressure over one of his Brexit Party candidates' defence of the IRA following the Warrington bombing in 1993 - but called the issue "irrelevant". Claire Fox, a European Parliament candidate in the North West of England, was a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) which defended "the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom" after the IRA killed two young boys in Warrington. Over the weekend, two Brexit Party statements were released in the name of Ms Fox. The first said that she does "not support the IRA or its methods". Pointedly, the second statement left this out, as well as a claim that she "never knowingly met or had any communication or links with republican or loyalist paramilitary organisations". The first also said: "I fully respect the Good Friday Agreement and embrace the peace that it has made possible." But the later one appeared to carefully distance Ms Fox from support for the 1998 peace deal.
Tory MPs 'will move to oust Theresa May this week' if she agrees Brexit deal with Labour
Theresa May has been warned her MPs will begin moves to oust her as soon as this week if she agrees a Brexit deal with Labour. The Prime Minister wants to sign off an agreement with Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday in order to avoid having to send new MEPs to the European Parliament, but there is little appetite for a cross-party deal among her own backbenchers. Rivals in the race to succeed Mrs May are on a state of high alert in case a compromise deal with Labour becomes the trigger for a leadership election. Senior sources within the Conservative Party said on Monday that Mrs May will be “gone very quickly” if she moves towards Labour’s demands for a post-Brexit customs union with the EU.
Nigel Farage: Name of Brexit Party's biggest donor 'irrelevant'
Nigel Farage has refused to reveal the name of the man who has given £100,000 to his new Brexit Party. Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the leader said it was "irrelevant" who the biggest donor was and his or her identity would be declared at the end of July, after this month's European Parliament elections. Mr Farage claimed if he revealed the name now the person would be "hounded" by the media in the lead-up the vote. The party does not list its donors on its website.
@BrexitBin The island of Ireland is not a square on a chessboard. It's part of the fabric of Europe.
The island of Ireland is not a square on a chessboard. It's part of the fabric of Europe. A torn fabric, which the EU helped to repair with the threads of respect and common sense. Vote for Peace at the #EUelections2019 #RevoteRevokeRemain
‘How do we stop the country from tearing itself apart?’: Lord Bates’ pursuit of the common ground
People react to conflict in different ways. Some actively seek it out, others actively avoid it. For Michael Bates, politics has become an almost inhospitable environment. To find the common ground, the Conservative peer and former minister has embarked on a walk from Belfast to Brussels. Nearly 200 miles into his journey, Sebastian Whale joins him in west Yorkshire
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 8th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Brexit-induced NHS staff crisis
- The Oxford Mail spoke about EU staff leaving Oxford hospitals in droves, thereby, deepening the NHS staffing crisis
- The Guardian said 'almost 5,000 nurses and midwives from EU27 countries have quit the NHS in the past two years, with many identifying Brexit as the trigger. The referendum result has made many EU nationals feel unwelcome in Britain. It is no surprise nurses and midwives believe they will be better-off elsewhere' said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the trade union Unison
Hotel industry facing staff shortages thanks to Brexit
- The Travelodge budget hotel chain said its aiming to recruit 3,000 students this summer with contracts that allow them to fit work around their studies, as the industry faces a Brexit-fuelled labour shortage
Brexit is a bigger blow to Britain than Suez
- Sir Simon Fraser, who was a top mandarin at the Foreign Office for five years, described Brexit as a bigger blow than the 1956 Suez crisis, which became an emblem of British foreign policy humiliation. The UK's credibility as a country that pragmatically conducts its affairs has been badly damaged by the fallout from quitting the EU. He said the country's pivotal link between the USA and Europe has been hit and our national security diminished
UK reputation tarnished
- May formally recognises the inevitable and accepts the UK will take part in the European Parliamentary elections
Theresa May's team gloomy about the chances of a Labour Brexit deal
- The beleagured PM's cabinet concluded that cross-party talks are stalling and unlikely to deliver an agreement on a way forward. The government now has to decide what happens next and how to put a Plan B to Parliament
- BBC thinks a Brexit breakthough is possible, but not this week
- Labour accused the government of not being willing to compromise in any way. This prevented negotiations moving along. A spokesperson added 'it is difficult to see how any deal can be reached'
- The Guardian's Jessica Elgot believes Labour is ready to do a deal and then promise to whip its backbenchers in favour of a Kyle-Wlison amendment on a second referendum - as a way to show they serious about a fresh poll and, winking at Labour Eurosceptics at the same time
Theresa May cannot ignore her party forever
- Theresa May wants to stick around until the Conservative Party conference in the autumn, according to her close colleagues. Robert Peston writes that 'no senior Tory will permit her to do this' and the chair of the 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, is to meet May again and ask her for a specific resignation timetable. If she does not do so, he'll step up the pressure on her by pushing the Tory party emerging conference which will introduce rule changes to permit a new vote of no confidence in her within weeks. May has until the end of the day to provide a resignation timetable
- The Evening Standard reported that Theresa May's allies have warned Tory rebels that any attempt to alter the rules of the Conservative Party would be subject to a legal challenge from Theresa May, or a group of Tories acting on her behalf
- Corbyn staring at a possible Labour Party rebellion of his own, if he stitches up a deal with the Tories
The EU's chief Brexit negotiators pulled no punches in their behind the scenes comments about Theresa May and Brexit
- A BBC fly-on-the-wall documentary team has followed the European Parliament's Brexit coordinating team around, led by Guy Verhofstadt, and in the broadcast (due to be later this week) Theresa May is described as 'insane' and 'pathetic' by the EU's chief Brexit negotiators
Cost of staging the European Election rises by £50m
- The extra costs, which is 50% higher than originally thought, includes millions of pounds in contingency costs in case parties have to be reimbursed for the cost of candidates who never get to take up their seats
Boris Johnson to face a private prosecution over his Brexit campaign claims
- Private prosecutor Marcus Ball alleges that the former foreign secretary committed three offences of misconduct in public office by endorsing and making statements which he knew to be false at a time when he was mayor of London and an MP (one of these is the £350m a week claim - found to be misleading by the UK Statistics Authority)
The Brexit Party and UKIP
- Police are investigating comments by UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin, in which he said 'I wouldn't even rape you' to Labour MP Jess Phillips
- Nigel Farage is claiming that former Conservative Party donors are ready to provide 'big bucks' for his new party to fight a General Election
- Nigel Farage denied he was a conspiract theorist and refuted comments about his appearances on the Alex Jones Infowars show. He denied repeating vile and sickening antisemitic tropes such as 'Jewish bankers are plotting to replace nation states with a global government'
- Cambridge UKIP election candidate Peter Burkinshaw called for rough sleepers to be rounded up and put into camps
Economic Impact
Banks lose appetite for new Brexit fight
While Britain debates the merits of a second Brexit referendum, London’s financial centre is steering clear of the argument, resigned to the need to shift some business elsewhere. Burned by backing the ill-fated Remain campaign three years ago, major global and British banks told Reuters they would shy away from taking a similar position in a new vote, preferring to spend time and money on “future-proofing” their business, including tackling outdated technology and moving into new markets. A Reuters survey of leadership attitudes at 17 British and global banks found just six of the 11 institutions who responded to the survey backed the idea of a People’s Vote to break a parliamentary impasse on a proposed exit deal.
Four banks said they opposed another vote while one bank said it would remain agnostic on all Brexit scenarios and would let the political process - now stretching towards its third year - run its course.
Administrative Fall Out
EU staff leave Oxford hospitals in droves over Brexit anxiety
The UK’s decision to quit the EU continues to deepen the NHS staffing crisis with local hospitals reporting a ‘significant’ and ‘unexpected’ increase in the number of EU nurses leaving their posts in March. According to Oxfordshire hospital chiefs, the rise is largely down to an increase in Spanish nurses quitting the country because potential changes to rules in Spain threaten to render their work experience in the UK worthless after Brexit. Currently, Spanish nurses can build up points by working in the UK and other EU countries which can be used to improve their job prospects and salaries if they want to work in hospitals in Spain.
NHS nursing crisis worsened by Brexit exodus
Almost 5,000 nurses and midwives from EU27 countries have quit the NHS in the past two years, with many of those identifying Brexit as the trigger. The number of EU-trained nurses and midwives working in the NHS across the UK fell from a record high of 38,024 in March 2017 to 33,035 in March this year, a drop of 4,989, according to figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which regulates both professions. The 13% fall prompted renewed warnings that Britain’s decision to leave the EU was exacerbating the NHS’s growing staffing crisis. “The referendum result has made many EU nationals feel unwelcome. It’s no surprise nurses and midwives think they’ll be better off elsewhere,” said Sara Gorton, the head of health at the union Unison.
'A bigger blow than the 1956 Suez Crisis': Former top foreign office mandarin gives stark Brexit warning
Sir Simon Fraser, who was top mandarin at the Foreign Office for five years, described Brexit as a bigger blow than the 1956 Suez Crisis, which became an emblem of British foreign policy humiliation. The UK’s credibility as a country that “pragmatically conducts affairs” had been “badly damaged” by the fallout from quitting the EU, he said, adding that the country’s “pivotal” role as a link between the US and Europe had been hit. Sir Simon said he also believes the nation’s security will be diminished.
Travelodge seeks 3,000 students as it faces Brexit staff shortage
Travelodge is aiming to recruit 3,000 students this summer with contracts that allow them to fit work around their studies, as the hospitality industry faces a Brexit-fuelled labour shortage. The budget hotel chain said its student recruitment drive was part of its plans to be “Brexit ready” and it is looking to fill roles across its existing 560 UK hotels, with 2,200 of the student jobs to be filled on a permanent basis, and 800 positions to be offered over the busy summer season. The jobs are in addition to the 3,000 roles Travelodge is planning to create over the next five years as it opens another 100 hotels. The company has already announced plans to try to fill some of those roles by tempting unemployed parents back into the workforce with flexible hours that fit around the school run.
Political Shenanigans
The UK will take part in European Parliament elections, May's government confirms
The European Parliament elections will take place in the United Kingdom later this month, the government has confirmed. Theresa May's deputy David Lidington said on Tuesday there was no longer enough time to pass a Brexit deal through the UK House of Commons in order to prevent the elections going ahead. Lidington said in a statement that it was "not going to be possible to finish that process" before the date of the elections.
Whose side is Twitter on: misogynists or women in public life?
Away from Twitter, in real life, meanwhile, we have a Ukip candidate, the odious Carl Benjamin, who released a video suggesting he “might cave” and rape Jess Phillips. After he had previously written on social media “he wouldn’t even rape her”, his party leader defended him. You cannot stand for elected office if you are subject to bankruptcy proceedings. But somehow you can publicly discuss the rape of a female MP and it’s fine?
Theresa May’s Team Gloomy About Chances of Labour Brexit Deal, Sources Say
The U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May will face lawmakers in Parliament on Wednesday after another day of inconclusive talks with the opposition Labour Party further dented her hopes of reaching a Brexit deal. Already under pressure after a disastrous set of results for her Conservative Party in local elections last week, the beleaguered premier’s cabinet concluded on Tuesday that cross-party talks are stalling and unlikely to deliver an agreement on the way forward, according to people familiar with the matter. That means the government’s focus is likely to turn to what happens next, and how to offer Parliament a range of Plan B options to chose from, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing confidential issues.
Jean-Claude Juncker says it was a ‘mistake’ for EU to stay silent during Brexit referendum ‘lies’
The president of the EU Commission has said he regrets not intervening in the UK’s Brexit referendum to correct “lies” about the bloc during the campaign. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Jean-Claude Juncker said it was a “big mistake” to listen to David Cameron, who he said had asked Brussels to “stay silent”. “The mistake I made was to listen too carefully to the British government – Cameron, because the then prime minister asked me not to interfere, not to intervene in the referendum campaign.
Downing Street admits new UK MEPs may have to take their seats in Brussels
Britain's new MEPs may end up having to take their seats in the European Parliament after all, Downing Street has admitted. David Lidington, Theresa May's de facto deputy, had already confirmed that the UK will have to take part in the EU elections on 23 May because of the Government's failure to deliver Brexit. However, the Government had hoped that the UK would have left the bloc by 30 June, meaning the 73 successful candidates would not have to travel to Brussels when the new parliamentary session begins on 1 July.
Brexit: Will a cross-party deal happen?
Inside both leaders' camps, there is a genuine desire, more intense since they both had a bad night at the polls on Thursday, to see if they can sketch out a joint escape route from the mess of Brexit. But the historically awful result for the prime minister does not seem to have shocked her into ditching her red lines - at least not yet. One former minister, experienced and not prone to make wild prediction, told me Number 10 was in "la la land" if they believed that could happen. About half an hour later, another former and experienced minister told me they believe, in fact, it will fly and perhaps by the end of this month. Whoever you ask, it is clear it is not straightforward. So when the two teams sit down again on Wednesday afternoon, whether it is "constructive" or "robust", there's still an awful lot to do.
BBC BIAS: Farage confronts BBC on lack of coverage – 'we haven’t seen you at any rallies'
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage took a swipe at the BBC during a press conference on Tuesday. The Brexit Party has said it will contest all 650 seats at a future general election as leader Nigel Farage said the party would have to fight to leave the EU beyond the upcoming European elections at the end of this month. Jessica Parker, a BBC News political journalist, asked Mr Farage about the role the Brexit Party would like to play in future negotiations, and if the UK was to seek a WTO Brexit, how much negotiating would be needed. Mr Farage replied: “Well, it is very very nice to see the BBC here, I must say, no it really is. “I have been all over the country speaking at big rallies with a couple of thousand people at most of them, we haven’t seen the BBC at any of them. So it is jolly nice that you have made the effort to come.” The quick remark prompted some jeers from audience members as Mr Farage continued. He said: “I also notice that on no single major current affairs debate or news programme has a single person from the Brexit Party appeared.
British government source sees Brexit breakthrough but not this week - BBC political editor
A Brexit breakthrough in talks between Prime Minister Theresa May’s government and the opposition Labour Party is possible but unlikely this week, the BBC’s political editor cited an unidentified senior government source as saying. “Senior govt source says it IS possible though to see a way to a deal, but unlikely to be resolved this week,” the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg said on Twitter. The aim is “to set out a path to get the Withdrawal Bill to Commons with a fair wind,” she said.
Jeremy Hunt says voters are ‘very, very angry’ Brexit hasn’t been delivered – so Tories must reach compromise with Labour
Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt suggested he would reluctantly accept a Customs Union with the European Union in a compromise agreement with the Labour Party, saying “angry” voters want Brexit to be delivered. The Conservative frontbencher told the BBC’s Radio 4 Today programme that while he did not want a Customs Union with the EU, the drubbing his party had received in last week’s local elections meant a compromise needed to be reached.
Labour accuses government of refusing to compromise as Brexit deadlock continues
Labour has accused the Government of not being "willing to compromise" as negotiations on a joint-Brexit deal once again broke up without agreement. Shadow Business Secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said the Tories were still refusing to move on their red lines and that it was still "difficult to see how any agreement can be reached". Senior frontbenchers from both parties met in the Cabinet Office for nearly three hours as part of their ongoing attempts to thrash out a compromise to put to a Commons vote.
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party 'Recruiting Candidates For Next General Election'
The Brexit Party is recruiting candidates for the next General Election, Nigel Farage has revealed. The former Ukip leader said he was “confident” that his newly-formed party would be ready to fight a General Election by September. “We are, as of today, recruiting candidates to fight the next General Election,” Farage told journalists at a press conference on Tuesday. “We are looking for 650 men and women and we want people with real-world experience – people who either in civic life or in business life have got some achievements under their belt,” he said. “It will be a very new kind of politics.”
Jean-Claude Juncker says it was a ‘mistake’ for EU to stay silent during Brexit referendum ‘lies’
The president of the EU Commission has said he regrets not intervening in the UK’s Brexit referendum to correct “lies” about the bloc during the campaign. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Jean-Claude Juncker said it was a “big mistake” to listen to David Cameron, who he said had asked Brussels to “stay silent”. “The mistake I made was to listen too carefully to the British government – Cameron, because the then prime minister asked me not to interfere, not to intervene in the referendum campaign.
Labour Brexit negotiations failing after government concedes UK will take part in EU elections
Labour's Brexit negotiations with the government appear to be failing, it has been hinted, after the government conceded that the UK will take part in EU elections, despite comments to the contrary. Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow secretary for business and one of Labour's Brexit negotiators, gave an update on cross-party talks. She said: "Without a government that's willing to compromise it's difficult to see how any agreement can be reached." When quizzed on whether there's any point in continuing with negotiations, Ms Long-Bailey defiantly said "of course there's a point" before admitting there has been no movement or agreement.
@JessicaElgot Rumours around Labour backbench circles that the party could do a deal with Tories but then promise to whip in favour Kyle-Wilson amendment on second referendum to show Labour members they are serious about fresh poll. With a nod and wink to Eurosceptic Labour backbenchers...
Rumours around Labour backbench circles that the party could do a deal with Tories but then promise to whip in favour Kyle-Wilson amendment on second referendum to show Labour members they are serious about fresh poll. With a nod and wink to Eurosceptic Labour backbenchers...
Theresa May cannot ignore her party forever, writes Robert Peston
Close colleagues of the PM think she wants still to be PM and party leader at party conference, which on her view would be the showcase for the duo of potential leaders picked by MPs, prior to that final vote by members. I can find NO senior Tory who thinks the party will permit her to do that. And we should learn more about when and how she goes in the next 24 hours, because Brady will communicate the PM’s response to his executive tomorrow afternoon. And they in turn will have to decide whether she has either given an acceptable resignation timetable, or failing that whether to step up the pressure on her to do so by changing Tory party rules to permit a new vote of no confidence in her within weeks. As I have said before, she remains PM despite her party, not because of it.
And although her superpower is to defy political gravity, even she can’t ignore her party forever.
I Know You've Heard This Before But The Next Few Weeks Could Be Pivotal For Brexit. Here's Why.
We've entered the stage that Number 10 aides and political journalists are embarrassingly calling the "death zone". That’s because the next month is pivotal in deciding what happens next as the UK tries to leave the European Union — and will ultimately decide the fate of Theresa May’s premiership. Everything from a deal passing, to May being ousted from Downing Street, to a push for a second referendum, to a further impasse lasting until October are all in play.
Would MPs back a Corbyn-May pact?
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will this afternoon resume efforts on a cross-party deal that can get Brexit across the line. But as their teams prepare to meet, MPs are asking whether any pact could possibly win majority support in the House of Commons? If Mrs May does a deal with Mr Corbyn, there would inevitably be a hefty Conservative rebellion. Any pact would require the prime minister to make a bolder commitment to membership of Europe’s customs union. This would make it very hard for the UK to do trade deals with non-EU states and there would be significant Tory discontent. Nigel Evans, executive secretary of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories, told the BBC at the weekend (reported in The Times): “If there is a compromise that turns out to be a kind of ‘Brexit in name only’ involving anything close to a customs union, there would be more than 100 Tory MPs who would never support it.”
Brexit discussion to be banned from EU leaders’ summit this week
Europe has breathed a collective sight of relief after EU officials announced that serious discussion of Brexit would be banned at an upcoming leaders’ summit. Ahead of Thursday’s meeting in the Romanian city of Sibiu, one senior EU official said the summit would be “in principle Brexit-free”. For two years now the UK has repeatedly crashed EU meetings about other issues and steered discussions towards Brexit – often to the great annoyance of other countries. But since April, when the leaders agreed to delay the UK’s departure until October, the continent has gone on a “Brexit holiday” and is using the time to discuss other issues.
Brexit block: Corbyn facing MAJOR REBELLION from MPs who DEMAND another referendum
Ardant Remainers within the opposition party are demanding any deal to leave the European Union is sealed with a confirmatory vote by the British people. The Prime Minister and Mr Corbyn have been at logger-heads over any potential cross-party deal with a dispute over a customs arrangement being the main stumbling block for both parties. However, even with a closer alignment to the bloc, it is feared my Labour parliamentarians will still not vote to back an agreement in the House of Commons. One shadow cabinet minister told the Guardian: “Jeremy cannot be sure he has the numbers – even if he whipped it – so he cannot do a deal without a confirmatory vote.” Discussions between the opposition parties will continue this afternoon with ministers set to outline proposals for a ‘temporary customs arrangement’ with Brussels until the next general election.
Downing Street admits new UK MEPs may have to take their seats in Brussels
David Lidington, Theresa May's de facto deputy, had already confirmed that the UK will have to take part in the EU elections on 23 May because of the Government's failure to deliver Brexit. However, the Government had hoped that the UK would have left the bloc by 30 June, meaning the 73 successful candidates would not have to travel to Brussels when the new parliamentary session begins on 1 July.
Mr Lidington hinted that the timetable could slip once again when he said hopes to "certainly to get this done and dusted by the summer recess", which will begin at the end of July. The Prime Minister's spokesman later admitted that would push the exit date back to 1 August, meaning the MEPs would have to take their seats for a month. That would be yet another major embarrassment for Theresa May, who has already seen two Brexit deadlines come and go without success.
Theresa May pushes Brexit deadline back to July
The European elections will go ahead and MEPs are likely to take their seats it emerged today after No 10 set a new deadline of mid-July to complete Brexit. Senior ministers said the government had abandoned attempts to claim that it may be able to meet a Brexit deadline that stops European elections going ahead on May 23. No 10 has instead set a new deadline of the Commons summer recess, likely to be the end of the third or fourth week of July, to finalise Brexit and pass legislation, suggesting that they expect MEPs are all but certain to take their seats on July 2. This suggests that Mrs May wants to stay until summer recess as prime minister, potentially pushing a leadership contest to the autumn, which could prompt a backlash from restive Tory MPs.
@BBCLauraK Cabinet source says 'Cabinet decided it was untenable to pursue no deal in March - they have to decide whether it would be justifiable to the country if we end up in the same position again in October'
Cabinet source says 'Cabinet decided it was untenable to pursue no deal in March - they have to decide whether it would be justifiable to the country if we end up in the same position again in October'
Brexit: Theresa May meets Sir Graham Brady amid calls to resign
Theresa May has met the chairman of an influential committee of backbench Tory MPs, Sir Graham Brady, amid calls for her to set a firm resignation date. It followed a request from the 1922 Committee for "clarity" on the issue. No 10 insisted the meeting was routine, but pressure is mounting on the PM, with local Tory associations confirming they will hold a vote of confidence in her leadership on 15 June. Meanwhile, cross-party talks to break the Brexit deadlock resumed.
Political Setbacks
Cost of staging European elections rockets by £50m
The cost of staging this month’s European elections has rocketed by £50 million after Theresa May delayed preparations by insisting the poll would not be necessary. The extra cost - which is 50 per cent higher than originally thought - includes millions of pounds in “contingency” costs in case parties have to be reimbursed for the cost of fielding candidates who never get to take up their seats in the European Parliament. Brexit-backing Tory MPs described the cost of the elections as “a complete waste of public money” and said taxpayers would be appalled. The Government is expected to announce later this week that the cost of the elections on May 23 will be £156m, compared to £108.7m when they were held last time
Police investigate Ukip candidate over Jess Phillips rape comments
Police are investigating comments by a Ukip candidate in the European elections speculating about whether he would rape the MP Jess Phillips amid growing concern over threats to politicians. Carl Benjamin, Ukip’s candidate for South West England, sent a tweet to the MP for Birmingham Yardley in 2016 saying “I wouldn’t even rape you.” He added to the comments in a recent video saying: “With enough pressure, I might cave.” West Midlands police confirmed officers were examining whether an offence had been committed. It comes as fears grow that toxic rows over Brexit in the run-up to European parliamentary elections later this month will further coarsen public debate.
Hard-working Conservative councillors have been sacrificed at the altar of May
The Prime Minister must bear the brunt of the blame for last week's local election wipeout, says Norman Tebbitt
Theresa May branded ‘insane’ and ‘pathetic’ by EU’s chief Brexit negotiators in shocking BBC documentary
Theresa May is labelled “insane” and “pathetic” by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiators in a damaging BBC fly-on-the-wall film. Brexit: Behind Closed Doors shows members of the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinating team, led by Belgian Guy Verhofstadt, mocking Britain and launching foul-mouthed rants at the PM.
'A world first' - Boris Johnson to face private prosecution over Brexit campaign claims
A crowdfunded legal case against Boris Johnson for allegedly abusing public trust during the EU referendum campaign is to receive a hearing in court later this month. Private prosecutor Marcus Ball alleges that the former foreign secretary committed three offences of misconduct in public office by endorsing and making statements which he knew to be false at a time when he was mayor of London and an MP. The allegation relates to the much-trumpeted claim by the Vote Leave campaign that the UK sends £350 million a week to the European Union, which was found to be misleading by the UK Statistics Authority.
Nigel Farage is betraying his own voters
Credit where it’s due. It had not yet been 24 hours since Nigel Farage had been on the Sunday politics shows, warning of the “final betrayal” that was coming. And here he was, not even waiting for it to come, but delivering it himself. The Brexit Party, the party Farage set up himself to contest the European elections he so desperately does not want to be contesting, was holding a press conference to announce it was betraying its own voters. Farage was introduced by the Brexit Party chairman, a man called Richard Tice, who is best known, though nevertheless unknown, for appearing at political events in a white open-topped bus with “Leave Means Leave” painted down the side. When it turned up at Tory party conference last year, he promised free non-EU booze to anyone who could spare five minutes to talk to him.
Ex-Conservative donors ready to give 'big bucks' to Brexit Party, claims Nigel Farage
Former Conservative donors are ready to provide "big bucks" for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party to fight a general election, the anti-EU campaigner has suggested. The Brexit Party has been formed to contest the upcoming European Parliament elections on 23 May, which the government has now confirmed will definitely take place. But Mr Farage used a news conference on Tuesday to set his sights beyond this month. Promising the Brexit Party would "be ready" to fight a general election "that took place any time from September onwards", Mr Farage said: "For us, these European elections on 23 May are but a first step.
Nigel Farage denies being conspiracy theorist after far-right talkshow appearances
Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has insisted he is not a conspiracy theorist after he repeatedly appeared on a far-right US talkshow and openly discussed ideas about a “new world order” linked to antisemitic tropes. The former Ukip leader distanced himself from Alex Jones, the host of the Infowars website, and claimed his appearances on the programme were infrequent, despite a Guardian investigation finding he gave interviews at least six times on the show. In his appearances on Jones’s show, Farage discussed themes commonly associated with an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jewish financiers are behind a plot to replace nation states with a global government. Jones has been banned from Facebook and is being sued by bereaved parents after claiming a US school shooting was faked.
Brexit: Tory MPs tell Theresa May second referendum becoming 'inevitable' as Labour talks hopes fade
Conservative MPs on both sides of the Brexit divide are telling Theresa May that a fresh referendum is becoming “inevitable”, as talks with Labour to break the impasse looked set to fail. The prime minister faced the warning as she suffered the embarrassment of conceding this month’s European elections will go ahead – and as her own deputy suggested the crisis would drag on until July. As cross-party talks entered their sixth week, Labour’s Keir Starmer insisted he would force the Tories to end their refusal to contemplate a Final Say referendum as the price of a deal, saying it was “crunch time”. Significantly, the attempt to put a public vote centre-stage was bolstered from an unlikely source when Daniel Kawczynski, a Tory Brexiteer, predicted it could become the only option “to break the gridlock”.
Brexiteer MP reveals option if May and Corbyn Brexit talks crumble – will anger Leavers
The Government has been in Brexit negotiations with the Labour Party since before Easter after the Prime Minister reached out to Jeremy Corbyn to try to secure Britain’s departure from the bloc. Tory MP, Daniel Kawczynski, a former member of the Conservative Party’s eurosceptic European Research Group, warned the UK could face another referendum if talks fail. Mr Kawczynski claimed another public vote would become “inevitable” and put the blame of those in the Tory Party and in the ERG “who refuse to compromise”.
Theresa May’s poisonous immigration legacy
As Prime minister, Mrs May has proposed limiting immigration to those earning more than £30,000 a year. This has worried employers in fields from agriculture to healthcare. Josh Hardie, deputy director-general of the CBI employers’ group, said: “All skill levels matter to the UK economy.” Mrs May will not be around much longer. She has told her party that she will not contest the next general election, which is due in 2022, but few expect her to last until then. Will her immigration legacy outlast her? It depends on who succeeds her, whether Brexit happens and what form it takes. The UK’s EU residents, who have been promised that they will have a right to stay after Brexit, cannot take much comfort from what has happened to others. Institutional behaviour does not shift quickly. Once officials have been schooled to behave in a certain away, it takes time for them to change, even if the political will for a change exists, which it may not. The hostile environment policy has left a tawdry legacy and, as the immigration figures show, it did not even achieve its own objectives.
Cambridge UKIP candidate says 'round up rough sleepers and put them in camps'
A controversial UKIP election candidate has been condemned after calling for rough sleepers in Cambridge to be "rounded up and put in a camp outside the city". Peter Burkinshaw said rough sleepers "obstruct" the streets and called for a "national solution". The politician was writing in a local weekly newspaper when he made the controversial statement as part of a policy suggestion.
How Tommy Robinson could earn up to £2million in taxpayers' cash as an MEP
Tommy Robinson could exploit EU rules to access millions of pounds of public money if he is elected in May’s European Parliament elections, a Telegraph investigation has revealed. The far right activist and his cronies could personally benefit to the tune of up to £2 million but he could access even more EU cash, which is paid in part by British taxpayers. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, paid his deposit to stand in the elections on Thursday. European elections will be held in Britain unless the Brexit deal is ratified in Westminster before May 23.
Tory MPs give Theresa May one day to set out 'roadmap' for her exit
Theresa May has been given until tea time on Wednesday to come up with a "roadmap" to her resignation as leader of the Tory party - or she will have one forced upon her. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, is understood to have made clear backbenchers' frustration at a meeting on Tuesday night. Tory backbench frustration with Mrs May boiled over after David Lidington, her de facto deputy, confirmed that Britain will have to take part in the European Parliament elections in 15 days' time despite months of assurances that this would not happen.
Brexit news latest: Theresa May's allies in legal threat to rebels who are trying to oust her
Sir Graham Brady was due to meet Mrs May this afternoon on behalf of the executive to insist she give a firm departure date and timetable for a leadership contest. However, the senior supporter of Mrs May said “any attempt” to alter the rules would be “subject to a legal challenge” meaning that Downing Street or a group of Tories acting on behalf of Mrs May would go to court. The clash was caused by the abortive confidence vote forced last December by members of the European Research Group, which Mrs May won comfortably. Under party rules, the PM is supposed to have a clear 12 months before any further confidence motion can be put.
Brexit: The conditions are ripe for the biggest backlash imaginable
Voters were certain that their wishes in the referendum would be carried out without too much difficulty: I lost count of the numbers of voters who, during the referendum and since, dismissed concerns about our withdrawal, not only from the EU but of its myriad political, economic and social auspices, with a variant of the following reply: "I'm sure they can sort it out." In other words the Brexit vote, as well as a cri de coeur for Westminster to listen, was also an affirmation of faith by the British public in the fundamental competence of the British state to prosecute even the most difficult political outcomes.
Labour officials quit their posts with blast at Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit
Senior Labour officials have quit their posts in disillusion at the party's position on Brexit. Aaron Austin Locke and Robert McIntosh announced their resignation as the top two office bearers in the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency Labour party in an email to local members. They said they were unhappy with the party's failure to fully endorse another referendum on any Brexit deal passed by the House of Commons.
Senior Tory MP suggests colleagues who failed to back Brexit deal should join other parties
A senior Conservative MP has blasted colleagues who failed to support Theresa May’s Brexit deal and suggested that they should quit and join another party. Charles Walker, who is vice chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers hit out at Tory hardliners who he said were to blame for Britain still being in the European Union. The comments come as Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party tops the polls for next month’s EU elections in a backlash from Leave voters angry at the Government’s failure to quit the bloc by the 29 March deadline.
Chipper Nigel Farage grins and barely tries to sound plausible
It’s no deal or nothing for Nige, and his Brexit party is ready to negotiate the non-negotiable. Nige rattled on undeterred. The Brexit party would contest a general election but it wouldn’t have any credible policies. But he wouldn’t seek to become an MP himself. Far too risky. Seven times bitten, eight times shy. Rather he was far better off showing his MEPs the Brussels ropes. How to fiddle expenses. That sort of thing. And just because he had previous form on antisemitism and Islamophobia didn’t make him a racist. After 30 minutes or so, Farage appeared to lose interest. Enough was enough. It had been a decent morning’s work. The more useless Westminster politicians appeared to be, the easier his job became. And right now it was something of a doddle. He didn’t need to sound even vaguely plausible. All he had to do was stand up and insist he would be different. As long as nobody started to look too closely, all would be well.
The only Brexit is a hard-right one. Labour must back another vote
Whatever assurances May can offer, they will not stop the hard-right Tory Brexiteers in their quest to eradicate solidarity from the UK economy. If we are to avoid the fate of Ramsay Macdonald, then any deal must be put to a vote of the people. To do otherwise would be to play either the knave or the fool – and gives Theresa May’s successor the right to decide which we have been.
Brexiteers are still chasing unicorns rather than facing up to the reality of the backstop
Brexit is a big deal for Ireland, whatever form it takes it will be bad for Ireland but there is a genuine appetite to minimise the damages of Brexit, allow for the closest possible future relationship and crucially protect the very fragile peace in Northern Ireland. In March, we came the closest so far to a disastrous no deal Brexit, a crash out scenario that would have a devastating economic impact as well as posing a greater risk to the peace process. We cannot let that happen with Conservative Party members suggesting changes on the Irish Border that are unworkable and dangerous and could endanger the peace process
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 9th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK Treasury will lose £1.1bn in carbon credit revenue if it crashes out of the EU with a No Deal Brexit
- The UK Treasury will lose more than £1.1bn in revenue as carbon-emitting companies in the UK escape having to pay for the pollution they cause if the UK crashes out of the EU without a withdrawal agreement at the end of October
Threats to MPs are now at unprecedented levels, according to Metropolitan Police chief, Cressida Dick
- The number of crimes reported by MPs almost doubled in 2018 from 151 to 342 and it was on course to rise much further this year. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told a Parliamentary committee that Brexit was a huge driver and that women and people from ethnic minorities are being disproportionately targeted
Business leaders warn against government plans to curb migrants' dependants
- UK proposals for new immigration rules after Brexit would prevent migrants bringing family members with them. This makes the country far less attractive to talented overseas workers, business leaders are warning. A report by an independent law firm into the propsals calls them 'a significant departure from traditional UK immigration practice'
Nursing and Midwifery Council say there has been a massive fall in nurses and midwives from Europe since Brexit vote
- The number of nurses and midwives registering for the first time was just 968 between April 2018 and March 2019, up from 805 who registered a year earlier, but a massive decrease compared to the 9,389 who registered in 2015-16. Elsewhere the findings stated that Brexit was the reason many left the UK. This prompted Best for Britain and the CEO of the Royal College of Midwives CEO, Gill Walton, to slam Brexit's impact and call for a final say on Brexit in an open letter
ITV blamed Brexit uncertainty for its falling advertising revenue
- Advertising revenue fell 7% during the first three months of the year at ITV. Revenues dropped as much as 16% in March, compared to the same month a year earlier
ITV's Robert Peston sinks sterling with his remarks
- ITV political correspondent's comments about cross-party Labour/Conservative talks on Brexit being at the point of collapse spurred fall in pound
Labour - Brexit talks with the government are near collapse - Robert Peston
- Peston asks if the talks might be pronounced dead as early as today, as Labour will launch its European Election manifesto. Corbyn will be asked about the talks at any launch and can hardly say 'I don't know' to a question about whether a pact on Brexit is possible. BUT...it remains to be seen as to whether Labour's position 'of being all things to both Leavers and Remainers' will stay, after additional consultation with MPs, unions and other supporters
A customs union compromise is a million miles away from Labour demands
- Labour sources said the government had tabled a completely unrealistic draft agreement on a customs union compromise last night. The Tory Party said the talks had been 'constructive and detailed' - Labour commented 'you'd need to ask the government about their choices of adjectives in this instance'
Corbyn always dreamed of a revolution - just not one involving Brexit
- Having rejected a No Deal Brexit, Labour's choices are restricted to a miserable compromise with the Tories, or a slide back to full EU membership. Socialism deferred until the pesky European question has been settle is not much of a rallying cry. Labour need to make a choice and take a stand
Corbyn says Labour 'will heal the divisions opened up by Brexit'
- Jeremy Corbyn plans to say that the party backs the 'option of a public vote' if a 'sensible Brexit deal cannot be agreed' and 'there is not a General Election.' This is the same position which led to the Labour Party losing 82 seats at last week's local elections
Brexit - when will Theresa May actually go?
- 'She's leading us to oblivion. I don't understand why she is hanging on.' 'She is using up the oxygen her successor will need when they take over.' These are genuine frustrations expressed to BBC political correspondent Laura Kuenssberg by MPs who have loyally worked alongside Theresa May and until recently believed she should stay
May buys herself a week in leadership showdown - PM to face senior backbenchers next week
- The Prime Minister will meet with senior backbench Tories of the influential 1922 Committee next Wednesday, after making an agreement to do so with chairman Sir Graham Brady. This came after Theresa May was on the receiving end of some brutal treatment from her own side during House of Commons PMQs earlier in the day
Theresa May's government said it was targetting July 1st as its target for the UK to leave the EU
- Cabinet office minister, David Lidington, said the government was redoubling its efforts to ensure a Brexit deal is passed by Parliament in time to prevent MEPs from taking up their seats in Brussels. If that proves impossible, the government will make sure the EU Withdrawal Agreement is done and dusted before Parliament rises for the summer. This would mean August 1st. This means Theresa May has now set five different dates for Britain to leave the EU
Tories try to limit the European Elections damage by launching a cut-price campaign
- The Conservatives message will be that only the government can deliver Brexit as it pleads with voters not to back Nigel Farage's party. The first leaflet includes a photograph of Theresa May. It is aimed at Conservative Party supporters who think the Prime Minister is doing her best to get a deal over the line and think the delay is not her fault - a source told The Times (good luck with that last point!)
Tug of war over May's exit day is a proxy for the Brexit civil war
- Sky's political correspondent Beth Rigby said the Tories are in freefall as Theresa May has gone from 'Brexit means Brexit' towards 'No Deal is better than a bad deal' and then ending up at 'It's my deal or no Brexit' - almost full circle
Brexit: Behind Closed Doors - 2 part documentary slams the UK Brexit strategy
- BBC camera crews were given access to Brexit officials in the European Parliament. The two part series saw part one broadcast last night. Part one focused on the team around European Parliament Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt. It shows officials having completely lost confidence in the UK's ability to negotiate, with frustration boiling over at the behaviour emanating from London
- Brexit Behind Closed Doors was like watching a car crash in slow motion
- EU official privately branded Theresa May's Brexit strategy as 'insane' and pathetic,' film shows
- David Davis 'did not give a f**k about the Irish border during the Brexit talks, EU figures claim
- Theresa May's 'Dancing Queen' speech was brutally mocked by Guy Verhofstadt and his aides in BBC Brexit documentary
Expenses watchdog in Parliament suspended official credit cards belonging to 377 MPs
- Hundreds of MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson and nine cabinet ministers, have had their official credit cards suspended by the expenses watchdog, since 2015, for breaking the rules by not providing receipts or failing to pay back ineligible expenses
Labour Party staff close to strike action after rejecting latest pay offer from bosses
- Staff working for the Labour Party rejected a third and final pay offer from bosses. The decision at an emergency meeting at Labour HQ was resoundly rejected by 137 votes to 37 with some union members shouting 'strike, strike' as the meeting broke up
May promises a new vote on her Brexit deal within the next two weeks
- The FT reports a minister as saying that Theresa May is 'living from day to day now only' and making promises such as this simply to buy time. If she brought forward legislation to ratify her withdrawal treaty in the next two weeks the chances of backing it from MPs still looks minimal
David Cameron is 'distraught about Brexit' according to former adviser Gabby Bertin
- Speaking to The Times, Baroness Bertin insisted the public perception that David Cameron had travelled off into the sunset could not be further from the truth. His former press secretary said he is distraught about the result of the referendum but not that he called it
Economic Impact
UK to lose £1.1bn in carbon-credit revenue in event of no-deal Brexit
The UK will lose more than £1.1bn in revenue as carbon-emitting companies escape paying for the pollution they cause if the country crashes out of the EU without a withdrawal agreement in October, according to Sandbag, a climate policy think-tank. From January, Brussels stopped providing carbon allowances, or credits, to the UK government for auction under the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, because of uncertainty around Britain’s position in the bloc. Under the cap and trade programme, the UK government receives millions of carbon allowances each year. Roughly 40 per cent of these are given to high-emitting companies, while the rest are auctioned, with the revenue kept by the Treasury to subsidise climate policies. The government has said that a no-deal Brexit would exclude the UK from participating in the ETS from November.
Pound slides to one-week low as Brexit talks falter
Sterling slumped on Wednesday on signs that Brexit talks between Britain's government and the main opposition party may soon collapse. The pound has been falling as negotiations between the Conservative and Labour Parties lumber on with little success and as concerns grow about a challenge to Prime Minister Theresa May’s leadership. But a suggestion by broadcaster ITV’s political editor that the talks could be pronounced dead later on Wednesday took sterling down another leg.
Administrative Fall Out
Threats to MPs at 'unprecedented' levels, says Met chief
Threats to MPs are at "unprecedented" levels, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick has said. The Met chief disclosed that the number of crimes reported by MPs more than doubled in 2018 from 151 to 342 and was on course to rise further this year. Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu told a parliamentary committee Brexit was a "huge driver" behind the increase. Women and people from ethnic minorities were being disproportionately targeted, Ms Dick added. So far this year MPs and staff have already reported 152 crimes and over 600 incidents while incidents involving MPs are now 126% higher than in 2015.
Business leaders warn against curbs on migrants’ dependants
UK proposals for new immigration rules after Brexit that would prevent migrants bringing family members with them risk making the country far less attractive to talented overseas workers, business leaders are warning. The UK has so far provided unusually generous arrangements for spouses and children accompanying migrants with job offers in Britain — including an automatic right to work for dependants. But experts argue that Home Office plans for a tougher regime after Brexit may undermine this approach: a proposed 12-month visa for lower skilled workers excludes dependants. A youth mobility visa for 18- to 30-year-olds, which is due to be expanded to include EU nationals, also does not allow family members. A report into dependant visa rules around the world by the law firm Fragomen described these omissions as “significant departure[s] from traditional UK immigration practice”.
ITV blames Brexit uncertainty for tumbling ad sales, but hopes Love Island will come to rescue
ITV has blamed Brexit uncertainty after advertising sales tumbled 7 per cent in the first three months of the year. The broadcaster said it hopes reality TV hit Love Island will come to the rescue. ITV, which produces shows including Line of Duty, warned that revenues would remain lower for the first half of 2019 because Brexit has reduced demand for advertising. Revenues dropped as much as 16 per cent in March compared to the same month last year. They are set to plummet by around 20 per cent in June as ITV comes up against an “exceptionally strong” June 2018, which was boosted by the Football World Cup.
Figures reveal massive fall in nurses and midwives from Europe since Brexit vote
New figures show that the number of registered nurses and midwives from the European Economic Area registered in the UK highlight the massive fall since the Brexit vote. According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, the number of nurses and midwives decreased by 5.9% between March 2018 and March 2019, from 35,115 to 33,035. The number of EEA nurses and midwives registering for the first time was just 968 between April 2018 and March 2019, up from the 805 who registered in 2017-2018 but a massive decrease compared to the 9,389 who registered in 2015-2016, before the Brexit referendum. Elsewhere in the survey findings, 51% of those nurses and midwives who trained within the EU, left the register and responded to the survey stated Brexit as a reason for encouraging them to consider working outside the UK. It has prompted anti-Brexit campaign group Best for Britain to publish an open letter, endorsed by the Royal College of Midwives CEO Gill Walton and signed by local midwives across the UK, slamming Brexit's impact on maternity services in the UK and calling for a final say on the Brexit deal.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: When will Theresa May actually go?
"She's leading us to oblivion - I don't understand why she is hanging on", says one former cabinet minister. "She's using up the oxygen her successor will need to breathe", says another. These are not wild claims from easily over excitable eurosceptics who have been the main cheerleaders to hurry Theresa May from her job. They are genuine frustrations from MPs who have worked alongside Theresa May who until recently have believed she should stay. Again today, Number 10 bought the prime minister more time with the promise that she will meet the 1922 committee next week. And again, the Tory backbenchers did not agree that the situation is so bad for the party and this Prime Minister that she must go. There are also many Tory MPs who believe sending the removal vans to Number 10 would be completely counterproductive, and present once more to the country a picture of a party that loves nothing more than fighting with itself.
Corbyn says Labour will heal the divisions opened up by Brexit
Jeremy Corbyn will claim that Labour can “unite our country” and heal the divisions caused by Brexit as he launches his campaign for the European elections. After a bitter internal row within Labour over whether to support a second referendum, Mr Corbyn will say that the party backs “the option of a public vote” if a “sensible” Brexit deal cannot be agreed and there is not a general election. He will promise to address the “inequalities that helped fuel” the 2016 Brexit vote, insisting that the “real divide in our country” is not over Europe. The May 23 election will take place because of Parliament’s deadlock over a Brexit deal and the failure of Labour-Tory talks.
Customs compromise a 'million miles away' from Labour demand
Labour last night rejected a Brexit compromise deal put forward by Theresa May, claiming that it was a “million miles away” from what the party would be prepared to accept. After three hours of “robust” talks in Whitehall, Labour sources said that the government had tabled a “completely unrealistic” draft agreement on a customs compromise. Downing Street characterised the talks as “constructive and detailed”, saying that both sides had agreed to meet again to continue the negotiations. Asked about the description, one Labour figure said: “You’d have to ask the government about their choice of adjectives.”
Corbyn always dreamed of a revolution – just not one involving Brexit
Having rejected a no-deal Brexit, Labour’s choices are restricted to a miserable compromise or a slide back towards full EU membership. Neither option has the ring of bold adventure that Corbynism once promised. Socialism deferred until the pesky European question has been resolved is not much of a rallying cry. Meanwhile, the radical right is on the rampage and Labour MPs seem confused as to whether they are defending moderation or opening a new front against it from the left.
Labour Brexit talks with government 'near collapse', writes Robert Peston
Labour's negotiations on a Brexit pact with the Government may well be pronounced dead today - partly because the party is launching its EU elections manifesto tomorrow and would presumably need to say something about a possible pact other than "don't know". To be clear, there are more talks between the two sides this evening. But those involved tell me they have no expectation a breakthrough will be seized from the jaws of futility. Simultaneously Labour's leadership is consulting "all the elements" in and connected to the party, so there's no great backlash from MPs or union leaders as and when the hopes of a Brexit compromise are officially abandoned - which could happen tonight.
Brexit Party candidate for Peterborough by-election Mike Greene is lifelong Tory voter and star of Channel 4's Secret Millionaire
A lifelong Conservative supporter who was an early investor in music app Shazam and appeared on Channel 4’s the Secret Millionaire is the Brexit Party’s candidate for next month’s Peterborough by-election. Mike Greene, a former trustee of Peterborough cathedral and local benefactor, will fight the June 6 by-election in a bid to give Nigel Farage’s party his first foothold in Westminster. Such is the pace of activity in the new Brexit Party that Mr Greene only met Mr Farage for the first time on Tuesday night at a rally in Peterborough. All candidates for the June 6 by-election have to be declared by 4pm on Thursday.
Andrew Adonis: We must spell it out now, Labour is a Remain party
He’s standing for election under a party label that doesn’t quite exist, in a contest that shouldn’t be happening, in a place that isn’t a country — but none of this puts Andrew Adonis off. The Mediterranean sun glints off his EU electric-blue tie as he strides through Gibraltar’s old town, its solid limestone walls reeking of the days when the Royal Navy called this peculiar bastion home. Adonis — academic-turned-journalist-turned-Tony Blair policy wonk-turned-peer — is doing what he has never done before in a long career shaping Britain, and standing in a national election. He’s on the list for the Labour Party in the South West constituency which, thanks to a quirk, includes Gibraltar’s 20,000 voters even though they live as close to Sierra Leone as they do to Plymouth.
Tory MP Mercer withdraws support from PM over veterans
In a letter to the PM, the Plymouth MP said it was "regrettable" that he could not continue to support the government. He called on Mrs May to end the "abhorrent process" of "elderly veterans being dragged back to Northern Ireland" to face possible prosecution. He has previously called for legislation to stop this happening. The former Army officer and member of the Commons Defence Committee told the BBC he had withdrawn support for Mrs May and that he would vote with the Conservatives on Brexit but nothing else. In his letter, he said: "As you know, the historical prosecution of our servicemen and women is a matter that is personally offensive to me. "Many are my friends; and I am from their tribe."
Brexit Bulletin: Losing Hope
One of the sticking points in the talks with Labour is that the opposition can’t trust that May’s eventual successor will stand by her team’s commitments. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell says it’s like “trying to enter into a contract with a company that’s going into administration.” That problem is getting more acute as Conservatives increasingly lose patience with May. Graham Brady, the head of the rank-and-file Tories, has given May until 4 p.m. Wednesday to set out a timetable for leaving or find it forced upon her, according to the Telegraph. Stay tuned for the prime minister’s next checkmate-defying maneuver.
Andrea Leadsom announces she's 'seriously considering' running for Tory leader
Ms Leadsom described Mrs May's Brexit agreement as "tolerable", but said she would be prepared to leave the EU without a deal. "I don't say that no-deal is better than the Prime Minister's deal. "I think the Prime Minister's deal is the best solution because it protects jobs and supply chains," said the Commons leader. "What I'm saying is at the same time I don't think no-deal would be the disaster some people portray it as."
Cambridge Analytica whistleblower signs book deal
The former Cambridge Analytica employee who spoke out on alleged ties between the data firm and the Brexit campaign for Britain to leave the European Union has a book deal. Brittany Kaiser's 'Targeted: My Inside Story of Cambridge Analytica and how Trump and Facebook Broke Democracy' comes out on October 22, publisher HarperCollins announced Tuesday. Kaiser will share 'the dramatic and disturbing story' of her time at Cambridge Analytica, the British company where she was the business development director.
Brexit: Panel to advise on Irish border solutions
A Brexit initiative chaired by two Conservative MPs has named a panel of 20 experts to advise them on technical solutions for the Irish border. Greg Hands and Nicky Morgan chair an "Alternative Arrangements Commission". Some members of the panel, such as Dutch customs expert Hans Maessen, have previously advised pro-Brexit groups. The only member with a significant Irish connection is Graham Gudgin, a former adviser to Brexit supporter Lord Trimble.
Tony Blair says Indyref2 could 'fundamentally' damage the UK
Former prime minister Tony Blair has spoken out against the prospect of a second Scottish independence referendum, insisting such a vote should not take place "unless there is a really big groundswell of opinion for it". The one-time Labour leader, whose government created the Scottish Parliament, voiced his fears that a fresh vote on independence could "fundamentally" damage the UK. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has already made clear her desire to hold a ballot within the next two years. The SNP leader cites Scotland being removed from the European Union against the wishes of voters north of the border as grounds for another referendum, arguing this is a "material change in circumstances" from the 2014 vote.
May buys herself a WEEK in leadership showdown: PM will face senior backbenchers next week
Theresa May has set up a showdown next week with MPs furious at her refusal to reveal when she will quit over Brexit failures. The Prime Minister will face senior backbenchers on the influential 1922 Committee next Wednesday after making an agreement with committee chairman Sir Graham Brady yesterday. It came after she faced a brutal public assault on her leadership today as backbench anger at her failure to stand down reached fever pitch in a row threatening to tear the Conservative Party apart. She had been given a 4pm deadline to set out a 'roadmap' for standing down but has been given a week's grace to explain her plans to the committee next week
Peterborough by-election: Lib Dems, Greens and Change UK ‘to put forward single Remain candidate’
The Liberal Democrats, Green Party and Change UK are expected to put forward a single candidate between them to fight the upcoming Peterborough by-election. The Lib Dems (Beki Sellick) and Greens (Joseph Wells) have already chosen their candidates for the seat, so at least one of them would have to stand down.
Colum Eastwood: 'Brexit can still be stopped'
The SDLP's European election candidate Colum Eastwood says Brexit can be stopped. The party leader was speaking as he launched his bid to win a seat in the European elections on 23 May. The SDLP leader says the focus of his campaign will be to take a pro-European stance to the electorate and fight to stop the UK leaving the EU. He told the BBC: "The main priority is to stop Brexit and I think we still can."
How Theresa May's departure from No 10 could play out
The prime minister has rejected calls to resign as more Tories demand an exit date - how might her departure play out and when might it occur
EU elections may turn Brexit on its head
On these issues the outstanding guide is “The European Elections and Brexit”, a report by The UK in a Changing Europe, a research group at King’s College London. The May 23-26 elections seem certain to produce a more fragmented European Parliament. The two main party groups on the centre-right and centre-left are set to lose their combined majority. A hotchpotch of rightwing nationalists, anti-establishment populists and anti-EU critics may win 30 per cent or so of the assembly’s 751 seats. All this would undermine the prospects for a quick EU-UK deal on trade, security and other areas of post-Brexit co-operation. In fact, ratification of an EU-UK trade agreement might be a Herculean task in a European Parliament pushed one way by rightwing protectionism and another way by leftwing demands on climate change, regulatory standards and social policy.
David Cameron Is 'Distraught' About Brexit, According To Former Advisor Gabby Bertin
Since informing the country he would be stepping down as PM and humming a jaunty tune as he walked into Downing Street for the last time, David Cameron has said little about the Brexit process he set in motion. In January he surfaced to tell journalists he does not regret calling the EU referendum – just the result – but according to his former press secretary he is actually “distraught” about it all. Speaking to The Times, Baroness Bertin insisted the perception he has “travelled off into the sunset” is far from the truth.
Labour tanked in the north east because it offered no clarity over Brexit, not because notherners are ‘angry leavers’
If your policy is for “all options to remain on the table”, then your intent is for all to remain seated at the table. Last week, many Labour voters in the north of England got up and walked away. Of course local elections are always and rightly about all kinds of local issues. But Brexit was the elephant in the room and, when that’s the case, there is little space for the kind of deliberate ambiguity my party’s leadership has tried to create around the biggest issue facing our country for years. There was a rejection of ambiguity in Barnsley where there as a 17.3 per cent swing to the Liberal Democrats. There was a rejection of ambiguity in Sunderland where there was a 13.4 per cent swing to the Liberal Democrats. There was a rejection of ambiguity in Wirral where there was a 11.1 per cent swing to the Greens. Others followed suit.
Anti-Brexit parties considering a Remain candidate for by-election
It has been claimed there will be a Remain unity candidate at the Peterborough by-election to tackle the Brexit Party at the ballot box. Remain campaigners had criticised the likes of Change UK, Lib Dems and Greens for rejecting an electoral pact at the ballot box during the European election campaign after the idea was reportedly floated by Sir Vince Cable. It has allowed the anti-Brexit parties to appear fragmented up against Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which has surged in opinion polls in recent weeks. But with a by-election set to take place in Peterborough, and the Brexit Party considering standing, it has been reported there may be a Remain candidate representing the smaller parties too
George Osborne: Former chancellor urges cabinet to move against Theresa May
The former chancellor has urged cabinet ministers to move against Theresa May as he says the Conservative Party needs new leadership. George Osborne says: "The Conservative Party in 2017 didn't want to confront the reality. "Eventually the party has to confront the truth. It needs a new leader, a new agenda, it needs to win over supporters who have disappeared and make an appeal to urban, metropolitan Britain that has turned its back on the Conservatives."
Brexit: Theresa May targets July 1 for UK exit but Tories more focused on resignation date
Theresa May is targeting July 1 as the day Britain leaves the EU after abandoning a deadline for a Brexit agreement with Labour. David Lidington, the cabinet office minister, said the British government was "redoubling" its efforts to ensure a Brexit deal is passed by Parliament in time to prevent MEPs taking up their seats in Brussels. If that proves impossible, the government will make sure the EU Withdrawal Agreement is "done and dusted" before Parliament rises for the summer, meaning Brexit day would be August 1. It means that Mrs May has now set five separate dates for Britain to leave the EU.
Who's the MONEY MAN, Nigel?
Ever since Nigel Farage revealed, in an interview with LBC’s Iain Dale, that the Brexit Party has had “one big donor”, questions have rightly been asked as to who this anonymous benefactor might be. It seems peculiar that a ‘grassroots movement’ which sells itself on being different to the traditional parties should be so unforthcoming about something as basic as funding. It’s also in stark contrast to the other new kid on the block – Change UK (also known as TIG – The Independent Group) which, for all its many flaws in presentation and style, has been transparent from the start. Even before it formally became a political party and had a legal requirement to declare its funding, Change UK revealed this on its website.
@ITVPeston Who is funding The Brexit Party @Peston asks @Nigel_Farage #Peston
Who is funding The Brexit Party @Peston asks @Nigel_Farage #Peston
@Peston There is now a war attrition between Theresa May and her own MPs
There is now a war of attrition between @theresa_may and her own MPs. Most of them want her to set an unconditional timetable for her departure. She is refusing to do so, saying she will only go when her divorce deal with the EU, the Withdrawal Agreement, is law.
Tories try to limit European election damage with cut‑price campaign
Candidates received a confidential briefing at Conservative campaign headquarters (CCHQ) on what many admit will be a damage-limitation exercise. Party chiefs are said to be sending only taxpayer-funded mailshots with the first wave of literature targeting postal voters due within days. The Conservatives’ message will be that only the governing party can deliver Brexit as it pleads with voters not to back Nigel Farage’s insurgent Brexit Party, according to a senior figure. The first leaflet includes a photograph of Theresa May. “It’s aimed at Conservative supporters who think the prime minister is doing her best to get this over the line and that the delay is not her fault,” said another source, who had seen a draft.
Political Setbacks
Sky Views: Tug of war over May's exit date a proxy for the Brexit civil war
In the end, the prime minister chose her side. After months of trying to hold together the two very different wings of her parliamentary party, she finally weighed in behind Remainers. There would be no no-deal, instead there would be delay - for as long as it took to get a Brexit deal across the line. It has been a torturous journey for her party as MPs and members have watched their prime minister move from "Brexit means Brexit", to "no-deal is better than a bad deal", before performing a hand-break turn to "it's my deal or no Brexit" to go full (nearly) full circle on Tuesday and confirm the UK will after all fight the EU elections.From the ill-fated snap election to this Brexit bungle, under Mrs May's leadership the Tories have gone into free fall.
Brexit latest news: Theresa May buys time by agreeing to discuss her future with backbenchers next week
Theresa May has been given a stay of execution by her backbench MPs
after agreeing to meet them next week to discuss her future as leader. The Prime Minister had been given a deadline of 4pm on Wednesday to set out a timetable for her departure, but she bought herself another a week in which to set a timetable for her departure
Theresa May’s ‘Dancing Queen’ speech brutally mocked by Guy Verhofstadt and his aides in BBC Brexit documentary
The bitter nature of Brexit negotiations has been laid bare in a BBC documentary due to air on Wednesday night showing European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhoftstadt and his team ridiculing Theresa May‘s Tory Party conference speech. The Brexit: Behind Closed Doors documentary, recorded over two years by Belgian filmmaker Lode Desmet, shows acrimony towards the British Government from many in Brussels.
Michel Barnier accuses Nigel Farage of lying during Brexit referendum campaign
Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, has accused Nigel Farage of telling lies during the referendum campaign. Mr Farage denied he lied and challenged Mr Barnier to, “Tell me one thing I said that was untrue”. Mr Barnier was speaking in Zagreb, Croatia at a “citizens dialogue” ahead of European elections later this month, where Mr Farage’s Brexit Party are expected to triumph. He warned that the MEP and former Ukip leader hopes to destroy the EU. Mr Barnier said on Wednesday that the British people were not told of the risks Brexit would pose to peace in Ireland before they voted to leave in 2016.
David Davis 'Did Not Give A F**k' About The Irish Border During Brexit Talks, EU Figures Claimed
At one point, Verhofstadt’s head of office, Guillaume McLaughlin, discusses the meeting with Davis, who eventually quit as Brexit secretary in July 2018. He says: “David Davis explained to us that Ireland is not a problem, they have got lots of control systems, they know everybody who is going in and out across the border, they have automatic... and they will take a loss in the excise duties that they are getting but it doesn’t really matter. “So basically - ’we don’t really give a fuck what goes through our border, in any case we know who the baddies are, there might be a problem with terrorism, and if there’s a problem with terrorism that might be a problem, but okay.’”
EU officials privately branded Theresa May's Brexit strategy 'insane' and 'pathetic', film shows
EU officials involved with Brexit negotiations privately considered aspects of Theresa May’s approach “insane” and “pathetic”, a new behind-the-scenes documentary shows. BBC camera crews were given access to Brexit officials in the European parliament to make Brexit: Behind Closed Doors, a two-part series focusing on the team around Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator. It shows officials having completely lost confidence in the UK’s ability to negotiate, with frustration regularly boiling over at behaviour emanating from the government in London.
Storyville: Brexit Behind Closed Doors was like watching a car crash in slow motion
“What they’re trying to do with Brexit is take an old car and fix it,” announced another, even as a weary Verhofstadt announced he’d spent time with Brexit Secretary David Davis at a vintage car fair: “We discussed nothing, of course.”
Things worsened considerably with the arrival of the Irish question. Guy Verhofstadt went to Northern Ireland to learn first-hand about life on the border during The Troubles. Davis said there was no problem with Ireland. The committee collectively sighed. “They might actually stay – the worst possible outcome,” someone noted gloomily. Brexit: it gets to us all in the end.
Swastika painted on building of Jewish Brexit party candidate
Police are investigating after a Jewish candidate standing for the Brexit party at the European elections had a 10 metre (30ft) swastika painted on his company’s building in east London. Lance Forman, a businessman who owns the H Forman & Son smoked salmon company, found his headquarters and restaurant near the Olympic Park had been daubed with an antisemitic mural. Forman’s business is the UK’s oldest salmon curer, which was set up by his great-grandfather in 1905. A Met police spokesman said officers were investigating a suspected incident of race-related criminal damage. It is thought to have occurred shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
Curtain-haired slimeball Guy Verhofstadt proves he’s the most repugnant figure in Brussels
No more repugnant figure struts the corridors of Brussels than the curtain-haired slimeball Guy Verhofstadt. Try as they might, even the drunk Juncker or the peacock Barnier cannot match the Belgian’s detestable blabbermouthed arrogance.
Politics is descending into farce as the intransigent Theresa May still refuses to go
It is now a month since the House of Commons has divided on a motion. To the justified derision of those outside, it has frequently risen in mid-afternoon for lack of anything to do. On Tuesday, the Government trumpeted as an iconic Parliamentary moment the Second Reading of the Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill. The ban will affect only two circuses and a grand total of 19 animals. This paralysis is the result of the barely believable intransigence of a Prime Minister consumed by the increasingly deluded aim of passing an Agreement which MPs have thrice told her in emphatic terms is a bad deal. Her response each time has been unmoved: “Pass my deal.”
Brexit latest news: Theresa May buys time by agreeing to discuss her future with backbenchers next week
Theresa May has been given a stay of execution by her backbench MPs
after agreeing to meet them next week to discuss her future as leader. The Prime Minister had been given a deadline of 4pm on Wednesday to set out a timetable for her departure, but she bought herself another a week in which to set a timetable for her departure
Sinn Fein claims UK Government ‘assured’ gay marriage in Northern Ireland
The human rights group Amnesty International has accused the Government of consciously frustrating attempts to circumvent Stormont on the issue of equal marriage. Spokesman Patrick Corrigan said that while Amnesty was not aware of the specific assurances mentioned by Murphy, it believes that there were plans to let backbenchers take control of the process. “As a draft DUP-Sinn Fein deal was shaping up last February, Karen Bradley [then-Northern Ireland Secretary] gave an on-the-record response to a written question from Conor McGinn MP, which committed the Government only to allowing a free vote if backbenchers brought same-sex marriage legislation to Parliament,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
Tories mount lacklustre campaign for European Parliament election
The Conservatives are mounting a lacklustre campaign ahead of the European Parliament election on May 23, as Britain’s governing political party edges towards the poll with a sense of dread. Senior party figures admit they could take a hammering as voters turn to Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party to protest against Theresa May and her failure to deliver the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Last week’s local elections, which saw the Conservatives lose almost 1,300 council seats and control of 37 councils, has highlighted how disillusioned many voters are with the party. The Tories are so underwhelmed by its chances in the European elections it is not expected to hold an official campaign launch, or even publish a manifesto.
May promises new vote on Brexit deal in next two weeks
Theresa May has told senior Tories she will make a fourth attempt to break the Westminster deadlock on Brexit before European elections take place on May 23, as she tries to head off growing demands that she quit. But the prime minister has also promised to meet the executive of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs next week to discuss a timetable for her departure. “She’s living from day to day,” said one minister. Brandon Lewis, the Conservative chairman, warned a sullen meeting of Tory MPs on Wednesday night to expect the worst in the European Parliament elections. Downing Street fears that the results will lead to a clamour for Mrs May to step down. The prime minister tried to buy time by telling senior Tories that she would bring forward the legislation to ratify her withdrawal treaty in the next two weeks, even though the chances of winning the backing of MPs currently look minimal.
Tory former minister blasts 'utterly selfish Number 10' in wake of election humiliation
A Conservative former minister has branded Downing Street "utterly selfish" after the party suffered a local elections drubbing. Robert Halfon said failures over Brexit and a lack of strong leadership from Theresa May had weakened the party as he warned its grassroots campaigning power was on "life support." The former deputy chairman of the Conservatives launched the blistering attack on Downing Street after the party last week lost almost a third of the councils it was contesting at the local elections.
My message to the SNP on 'cybernats': Stop perpetuating a Unionist myth
A gentrification of Scottish political engagement is now in full spate. It began to gather pace during the first Scottish independence campaign when the UK’s political elites began to encounter forces they felt unable to control by the usual means. These political classes (and they are by no means confined to the Conservative and Unionist Party) until recent years had always set the order and laid down the rules by which politics is permitted to unfold in this country. Anyone who threatened to reveal the truth of these matters or who refused to abide by the rules set down a long time ago could only hope to get so far before having their collars felt and their lives trashed
Labour staff could take strike action after rejecting latest pay offer by bosses
Staff working for the Labour party could take strike action after rejecting a third and "final" pay offer by bosses. The decision, at an emergency meeting at Labour HQ, came despite the GMB and Unite unions both recommending that they accept the proposal. It is understood that staff voted by 137-37 against the offer, with some union members shouting "strike, strike, strike" as the meeting broke up.
May given until 4pm TODAY to spell out when she will quit
Theresa May has set up a showdown next week with MPs furious at her refusal to reveal when she will quit over Brexit failures. The Prime Minister will face senior backbenchers on the influential 1922 Committee next Wednesday after making an agreement with committee chairman Sir Graham Brady yesterday. It came after she faced a brutal public assault on her leadership today as backbench anger at her failure to stand down reached fever pitch in a row threatening to tear the Conservative Party apart.
She had been given a 4pm deadline to set out a 'roadmap' for standing down but has been given a week's grace to explain her plans to the committee next week.
Brexit: Theresa May rejects calls to resign
The PM has rejected calls to quit over her handling of Brexit, saying it is "not an issue about me". Theresa May was replying to Tory Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns, who said she had "failed to deliver on her promises" and had lost public trust. Calls have been growing for the prime minister to name an exit date. The PM's spokesman said she had already promised to leave after delivering the first stage of Brexit and was sticking to that "generous and bold offer". Mrs May has agreed to address a meeting of the 1922 Committee - an elected body of Tory MPs which represents backbenchers and oversees leadership contests - next week. Its chairman, Sir Graham Brady, told the BBC he had had two "very good meetings" with the PM, organised to raise concerns about her leadership.
Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage tears into Theresa May
Nigel Farage has branded Theresa May the most dishonest Prime Minister of his lifetime over her handling of the country's exit from the EU. The leader of the burgeoning Brexit Party said that Mrs May had promised many times that the UK would leave the bloc following the 2016 referendum vote. But speaking on Good Morning Britain today, he slammed her failure to secure an exit and said the only reason she still leads the Conservatives is because 'Tory MPs have not got the backbone to get rid of her'.
Expenses watchdog suspended official credit cards belonging to 377 MPs
Hundreds of MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson and nine Cabinet ministers have had official credit cards suspended by the expenses watchdog.
They are among the 377 MPs to be penalised since 2015 for breaking the rules by not providing receipts or failing to pay back ineligible expenses. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority tried to prevent the disclosure, saying it would have a ‘chilling effect’ on its relations with MPs.
Theresa May Says She Can Stage Comeback Like Jurgen Klopp And Liverpool
Theresa May tried to channel Jurgen Klopp on Wednesday when she said the Conservative Party could make a comeback on Brexit – just like Liverpool had against Barcelona on Tuesday night. What the prime minister might have forgotten is that the Liverpool manager has said Brexit “makes no sense” and has backed a second referendum.
Trade Deals/Negotiations
UK and Ireland agree to maintain common travel area after Brexit
The UK and Ireland have signed a deal to maintain their citizens’ rights to travel freely between the two countries after the UK leaves the EU, in an initiative that some Brexiters said had wider significance for future relations with the bloc. The agreement includes a memorandum of understanding between London and Dublin guaranteeing reciprocal rights to social security, health services and education in Ireland and the UK after Brexit. It also confirms the rights of the two countries’ citizens’ to work and vote in local and national parliamentary elections in each other’s jurisdiction. The move to continue arrangements — known as the common travel area — that have been in place since Irish independence in the 1920s was welcomed by Eurosceptic MPs as a sign that bilateral accords can help ease tensions over the UK-Irish border.
UK and Ireland sign deal to guarantee rights of citizens after Brexit
The government has signed a Brexit side-deal with Ireland to guarantee Irish and British citizens retain special rights in each others countries in the event of no deal.
The Cabinet Office minister, David Lidington, and Ireland’s deputy prime minister, Simon Coveney, said the deal reflected two years of work to ensure the existing common travel area (CTA) and associated bilateral agreements were secured whatever the outcome of Brexit negotiations. “Our message to Irish citizens in the UK is that your rights will not change. You will still be able to move freely between Ireland, the UK and the islands,” said Lidington. “You will still be able to work, study, draw your pension and access social security and public services in the UK. Above all, you will be welcome. And we welcome the similar commitment the government of Ireland makes to British citizens in Ireland.”
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 10th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Lib Dems
- Vince Cable staked the Liberal Democrat's claim to be the leading remain party in the European elections as he unveiled a forthright new slogan for the campaign 'Bollocks to Brexit' previously used by many ardent Remain supporters, though there is an option to use Stop Brexit for the more squeamish
- The Bollocks to Brexit message quickly became a talking point in the news coverage surrounding the European elections. Defending the message Sir Vince Cable said critics should get a sense of humour. He importantly added, 'some people may not like it but I think others will admire the honesty and clarity of our position'
- The Guardian appreciated the Bollocks to Brexit message, saying 'the colourful language has marked out the Lib Dems as a party with a bit of fight in them. The contrast with the other anti-Brexit parties could not be more striking.'
Jeremy Corbyn claims he can 'heal the Brexit divide'
- Corbyn launched the Labour Party European election campaign saying he wants to bring the two warring side together. It is time to heal and move on.
- Jeremy Corbyn explicitly rejected calls for Labour to become an explicitly anti-Brexit party. He reiterated his intention to 'back an option of a new referendum' only if forcing a General Election is unsuccessful or changing Theresa May's bad Brexit deal were not possible outcomes
- Jeremy Corbyn said he would unite the country and heal the divisions and distress caused by Brexit, as he launched Labour's European election campaign
- Jeremy Corbyn urged voters to discard the divisive labels of Leave and Remain now. He said Labour will seek 'common ground' and will try to avoid the country being sucked into an endless Brexit loop
- The BBC's Norman Smith confirmed on twitter that Labour's initial priority will be to first seek to deliver on Brexit, as they will not ignore the 17 million people who backed Leave in 2016
Sturgeon steps up the call for all pro-EU voters to shun Scottish Labour
- Nicola Sturgeon said voters needed to treat both Labour and the Conservatives as pro-Brexit parties, despite Corbyn's best efforts to face both directions at the same time. She said Labour's stance was pro-Brexit and dishonest and voters should recognise Corbyn and May both want to take Scotland and the UK out of the European Union
Tories fear the party could come sixth in the European elections
- With support plummeting to single digits in some areas, candidates running in the election said the party was almost in denial that the poll was happening and continued to insist they would not need to take up their seats in the European Parliament. The fears of a dismal performance have been stoked by the fact that the party plans to spend no money on candidate campaigning, will not publish a manifesto and is refusing to hold a launch. Candidates are allowed regional manifestos but many are not bothering as they are having to fund them
Tory MPs are more interested in running in the Conservative Party leadership election which has not officially started yet than campaigning
- The Evening Standard has Amber Rudd setting our her vision of a modern-day Conservative Party, saying it must support workers from all backgrounds. Ms Rudd follows the footsteps of: Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Andrea Leadsom and Dominic Raab.
- Amber Rudd told BBC Newsnight that a 'No Deal Prime Minister would not be able to command a majority in the House of Commons at the moment.' Parliamentary convention dictates that a departing prime minister has to advise the Queen on a successor based on one criterion: the ability to command a majority in parliament. If the next Tory leader is a Brexiteer commited to a No Deal Brexit - Theresa May will struggle to give the Queen clear advice
Other News
- UKIP's controversial candidate Carl Benjamin not only has the police investigating his rape comment. Benjamin has caused Robert McNeil-Wilson, a candidate on UKIP's Welsh list - to hand in his party resignation - giving Benjamin and fellow YouTuber Mark Meechan's presence as UKIP candidates as the reason
- MPs have given themselves an 11 day holiday 'the Whitsun recess' which will begin on May 23rd, the day of the European elections. Parliament will not resume until June 4th
- The UK's chief Brexit negotiator with the European Commission, Olly Robbins, reportedly asked the European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, whether he could apply for Belgian citizenship at one stage
- UK Justice Secretary David Gauke said the 'wishful thinking of my pro-Brexit colleagues during the EU referendum fuelled voter anger across the country.' Gauke said 'their claims that leaving the EU bloc would be easy and not cause any problem has not survived the collision with reality.' he warned his fellow Tories that 'over-simplifying and failing to deliver will only encourage further disenchantment among the public'
Economic Impact
'Customs Union Brexit' will hit us by £80 billion a year, says new research
There would be an £80 billion hit to national income and a £13 billion cut to money for public services even if we leave the EU with a customs union deal, a report has claimed. The report by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) says that a customs union deal with the EU would only halve the impact of a no-deal Brexit. All regions of the UK would end up poorer than if we had simply remained in the EU, said the report. A customs union deal would still leave people worse off by an average of £800 a year, and could reduce the treasury's tax revenue by £26 billion.
Brexit would cost us £800 each every year if we stay in the Customs Union
Labour’s plans for a customs union with the EU after Brexit would leave each person £800 a year worse off, according to respected economists. Keeping the UK tied to the trading bloc would deliver an £80 billion hit to the UK’s national income the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (Niesr) has warned. Taxes would have to rise or public services be cut to make up the shortfall, a new report has warned. The issue is at the heart of the flailing Brexit talks between Theresa May’s government and the opposition. Jeremy Corbyn is pushing to keep the UK in the customs union while leaving was always something Mrs May would not reconsider. Staying in the customs union has been referred to as a ‘compromise deal’ as the UK would be able to do frictionless trade with the rest of the EU.
Administrative Fall Out
Tata denies it is trying to sell Jaguar Land Rover to France's PSA
Jaguar Land Rover owner Tata Motors has been forced to deny that it is on the verge of selling the British luxury car brand to the French owner of Peugeot. Britain’s biggest carmaker has been mooted as a potential target for PSA Group – the owner of brands including Peugeot, Citroën and Vauxhall – for months amid reports that India’s Tata was growing frustrated with JLR’s struggles. A “post-sale integration document” has been passed around senior executives at the companies, detailing the potential benefits of a tie-up, the Press Association reported on Thursday. However, both carmakers denied a sale is in the offing.
Polish mother says Brexit abuse forced her from UK
A Polish mother says abuse she has suffered since the Brexit referendum has forced her to leave the UK after 10 years. Magdelena Howlett, whose daughters were both born in the UK, has sold her home in Nottingham and returned to Eastern Europe because of concern for their safety. She said the abuse started two days before the referendum in June 2016 when a stranger swore at her in the street. But through concerns it would escalate she has not reported it to police. A 2018 study by charity Nottingham Citizens found about a third of 4,000 respondents had experienced a hate crime in the city, with Brexit identified as one of the major drivers.
Political Shenanigans
Lib Dems tell those offended by 'Bollocks to Brexit' messaging to get a sense of humour | Latest Brexit news and top stories
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has defended adopting the "Bollocks to Brexit" message for the European elections as the party's pro-Remain agenda becomes a talking point in the news. The message, which has been used by anti-Brexit campaigners including The New European, has been used to tap into the anger of those that want to Remain in the EU. Now Sir Vince Cable is hoping that the message will have more cut-through with the voters than rival Remain parties like Greens and Change UK. Explaining the rationale behind the messaging, Sir Vince said: "We are unambiguous, we argue we should stop Brexit, we've argued for a people's vote, we're not apologetic about it. "Some people may not like that, but I think others admire the honesty and clarity of our position."
Brexit: Vince Cable stakes Lib Dems' claim as torch carriers for remain
Vince Cable has staked the Liberal Democrats’ claim to be the leading remain party in the European elections, as he unveiled a forthright new slogan for the campaign: “Bollocks to Brexit.” The phrase, previously plastered on stickers and T-shirts by ardent remain supporters, is now emblazoned across the Lib Dem manifesto for the 23 May poll – though more squeamish candidates will have the option of one that just says “Stop Brexit”. Buoyed by strong results in last week’s local council elections, and unencumbered by the nuance of Labour’s position, Cable insisted the Lib Dems were the best-equipped party to challenge the message of Nigel Farage at the poll later this month.
Swearing by the EU - UK's anti-Brexit Lib Dems opt for earthy election slogan
Britain’s pro-EU Liberal Democrats are showcasing their European election campaign with a down-to-earth slogan they hope will attract frustrated voters who want to remain in the bloc: “Bollocks to Brexit”. Fresh from a strong showing in local council elections, the opposition party posted a photograph on Twitter of its leader Vince Cable with a “special edition” of its manifesto for the May 23 European parliament vote. The document will be launched on Thursday evening.
The Lib Dems’ ‘Bollocks to Brexit’ is crass, but it might just work
The colourful language has at least marked out the Lib Dems as a party with a bit of fight in them. On the back of encouraging results in the local elections, Vince Cable’s team has recovered some energy and momentum. The contrast with the less distinct and at times rather confused-sounding interventions of Change UK – who also want to stop Brexit, but without swearing – is stark. In addition, the slogan has the virtue of sincerity. The Lib Dems are unequivocal remainers who want to stop Brexit from happening. They think it’s all bollocks and are prepared to say so.
Direct language can be effective. Matt Kelly, editor of the New European newspaper, tells me that since offering new subscribers a free “Bollocks to Brexit” mug if they sign up to receive the paper, subscription rates have trebled.
Can Jeremy Corbyn heal the Brexit divide?
Jeremy Corbyn wants to ditch the labels of Leave and Remain, to stop worrying about the "48" and the "52" and to concentrate on the country as a whole. He says only Labour can bring the two warring sides together. In other words - time to move on. The idea of turning the page will be tantalising to millions, but peeling those labels off our politics is, for now at least, probably wishful thinking. In his own party, the most fevered question is over whether to allow, even help Brexit on its way, or to have another referendum to try to stop it - that's an issue of Leave or Remain. Just after he gave his speech in Kent, launching Labour's European election campaign, two party activists expressed the difference precisely. One of them told us they were "disappointed with the party's half-and-half" approach to Brexit, and keen for another referendum to stay in.
What's in Labour's EU election manifesto? Corbyn unveils policies for 2019 poll
"Some people seem to look at the issue the wrong way around. They tend to think the first question is Leave or Remain as if either is an end in itself. "I think they're wrong. The first question is: what kind of society do we want to be?" As a result, Labour's manifesto is a wide-ranging document, which reads more like a general election manifesto that you might expect.
Jeremy Corbyn says second EU referendum could be 'healing process' for Britain's Brexit splits
Jeremy Corbyn has said that a second EU referendum could be seen as a “healing process” for the country that brings the Brexit impasse to a conclusion. Speaking at the party’s EU election launch in Kent the Labour leader said there should be an option of a public vote on the outcome of talks and negotiations, and that it could “bring people together”. Mr Corbyn said: “The view we put forward, the party conference put this forward, the national executive agreed this, [was] that we should include the option of having a ballot on a public vote on the outcome of the talks and negotiations on what we’re putting forward.
Jeremy Corbyn rejects calls for Labour to become an anti-Brexit party
Jeremy Corbyn has rejected growing calls for Labour to become an explicitly anti-Brexit party, at the launch of his party's European elections campaign on Thursday.
Corbyn has been under intense pressure from Labour Party members and Members of Parliament to make a firmer commitment to a backing a new referendum and campaign for Remain in any new public vote. However, speaking in Medway in Kent, Corbyn said he would only back the "option" of a new referendum if either forcing a general election or changing Theresa May's "bad" Brexit deal were not possible outcomes.
European elections 2019: Labour can unite our country, says Corbyn
Labour can "unite our country" and heal the divisions caused by Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn said, as he launched his European elections campaign. Mr Corbyn said the party backed "the option of a public vote" if a "sensible" Brexit deal cannot be agreed and there is not a general election. He said cross-party talks on Brexit were "difficult" as the government's "red lines remain in place". The European elections take place in the UK on 23 May.
European elections 2019: Labour can unite our country, says Corbyn
Labour can "unite our country" and heal the divisions caused by Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn said, as he launched his European elections campaign. Mr Corbyn said the party backed "the option of a public vote" if a "sensible" Brexit deal cannot be agreed and there is not a general election. He said cross-party talks on Brexit were "difficult" as the government's "red lines remain in place". The European elections take place in the UK on 23 May.
Jeremy Corbyn urges voters to discard labels of leave and remain
Jeremy Corbyn has again rebuffed the demands of many of his own activists for Labour to become the party of remain at the European elections later this month, insisting he will stand on the “common ground”. Launching his party’s manifesto for the European elections in Chatham, Kent, the Labour leader said voters should resist being defined simply as leavers or remainers. “We could allow ourselves to be defined only as ‘remainers’ or ‘leavers’ labels that meant nothing to us only a few years ago. But where would that take us? Who wants to live in a country stuck in this endless loop?” he asked.
@BBCNormanSmith Jeremy Corbyn confirms Labour will seek to deliver on Brexit. Cannot ignore 17m who backed leave, he says
Jeremy Corbyn confirms Labour will seek to deliver on Brexit. Cannot ignore 17m who backed leave, he says
Amber Rudd to set out Tory leadership credentials with vision of 21st century Conservative Party
Tory leadership contender Amber Rudd will today set out her vision of a modern-day Conservative Party, saying it must support workers of all backgrounds. Ms Rudd, seen by many as a prime candidate in the race to succeed Theresa May, is expected to use a major speech in London to set out her ambition for the Tories to be the party for 21st century workers. She will become the latest Cabinet member to set out her credentials, following in the recent footsteps of the likes of Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Andrea Leadsom. The work and pensions secretary will say: “As Conservatives, we want every person, no matter their background, to progress in the workplace and outperform what society says they should be able to do.
Rudd: A no-deal PM would not command majority
The candidate who wins the Conservative leadership contest could fail to become prime minister if they back a no-deal Brexit, Amber Rudd has said. The work and pensions secretary told BBC Newsnight "a no deal prime minister would not be able to command a majority in the House". Convention dictates that a departing prime minister has to advise the Queen on a successor based on one criterion: an ability to command a majority in parliament. The convention is designed to protect the monarch from political turmoil. If the next Tory leader is a Brexiteer committed to no deal, Theresa May may struggle to offer clear advice to the Queen.
Esther McVey throws hat into the ring for Conservative leadership contest
Former work and pensions secretary Esther McVey has announced that she will stand for the Conservative leadership when Theresa May steps down. Ms McVey, who quit the Cabinet in November in protest at Mrs May’s Brexit deal, became the third Tory openly to declare her ambition to be Prime Minister, after Andrea Leadsom and Rory Stewart.
@SkyNewsPolitics "At the moment, momentum is behind @Nigel_Farage, we want to stop that momentum." Lib Dem leader, @vincecable tells #Sunrise voters should get behind his party if they want to remain in the European Union
"At the moment, momentum is behind @Nigel_Farage, we want to stop that momentum." Lib Dem leader, @vincecable tells #Sunrise voters should get behind his party if they want to remain in the European Union. For all the latest political updates, visit: https://news.sky.com/politics
Ex-Sheffield councillor claims calls are growing ‘louder and louder’ for second EU referendum
An ex-councillor has claimed the calls for a second referendum to be held on leaving the European Union are growing 'louder and louder'. Former East Ecclesfield ward member Steve Wilson quit the Labour Party earlier this year and joined his wife, Penistone and Stocksbridge MP Angela Smith, in joining the newly formed 'Change UK - The Independent Group'. The party is in favour of the People's Vote campaign for a second referendum on the UK's membership of the EU. The group has six candidates standing in the forthcoming European elections later this month and they were due to stage a public meeting at The Mowbray in Kelham Island this evening to make their case.
Sturgeon steps up call for pro-EU voters to shun Scottish Labour
Nicola Sturgeon has stepped up her appeals to pro-European voters in Scotland to abandon Labour, describing Jeremy Corbyn’s party as pro-Brexit and dishonest.
Launching her European election campaign, the Scottish National party leader said voters needed to treat both Labour and the Conservatives as pro-Brexit parties, despite Corbyn’s attempt to “face both ways” on Europe. Describing the vote on 23 May as the most important European election in Scotland’s history, Sturgeon also reiterated her call for a fresh referendum on Scottish independence before 2021, regardless of whether Brexit happens. “It is striking, I would say depressingly so, just how close together Labour and the Tories are on Brexit. On this defining issue of our time, Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May have so much more in common than they like to pretend. They both want to take Scotland and the UK out of the European Union,” she said.
European elections: I'm pro-remain, how should I vote?
From Change UK to the Lib Dems, there’s more than one party looking to overturn Brexit - guidance and advice for the tactical European Elections voter
Attempt to form pro-remain Peterborough byelection alliance fails
An attempt to form an alliance of pro-remain parties to support a single candidate in a byelection in Peterborough has collapsed, raising concerns the failure will hinder cooperation in the future. Representatives of the Liberal Democrats, the Green party, Renew and Change UK spent several hours unsuccessfully trying to reach an agreement on a single independent candidate before a 4pm deadline for nominations for the Cambridgeshire seat. It leaves the Lib Dems and the Greens supporting their own candidates. Change UK would support Renew’s candidate, sources said.
@AdamBienkov Comres finds the Lib Dems are the leading Remain party in every region apart from Scotland and Wales
Comres finds the Lib Dems are the leading Remain party in every region apart from Scotland and Wales. Brexit Party doing worst in Scotland (13%) and London (18%). Best in Eastern region (32%).
Tories reveal obsession as leaflet mentions indyref2 more than Brexit
Ruth Davidson’s obsession with independence was laid bare yesterday when social media images emerged of a Tory leaflet which mentions either independence, Nicola Sturgeon, indyref2 or the SNP an astonishing 28 times in one page. The leaflet put out by the party mentions Brexit once. Sturgeon said this proved they were a “one-trick pony which is now really limping”.
What failure to agree a Remain candidate in Peterborough means for Change UK
The withdrawal of second referendum campaigner Femi Oluwole means Liberal Democrats and Greens will run their own candidates, but Change won’t stand at all. A spokesperson said "senior Labour figures, including senior figures campaigning for a People’s Vote, made it clear that they would strenuously disrupt the campaign and obstruct an independent Candidate, driven by fears that it would harm their party in Peterborough.”
@BBCNewsnight “We’re not going to walk away from these talks lightly because we didn’t enter into these talks lightly” - Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon on the cross-party Brexit talks
“We’re not going to walk away from these talks lightly because we didn’t enter into these talks lightly” - Shadow Justice Secretary Richard Burgon on the cross-party Brexit talks
@Emmabarnett | @RichardBurgon | #newsnight
The Tories can only survive now if they become the party of no deal
The Spectator Editor Fraser Nelson calls on the Conservative Party to rebrand under a new leader and actively push an identity as the No Deal Brexit party.
@TNewtonDunn May's mid ranks reshuffle is finally done - 4 loyalists promoted: Robert Buckland to Prisons Minister (next one into the Cabinet) Lucy Frazer to Solicitor General (talked of as a future PM one day)
May's mid ranks reshuffle is finally done - 4 loyalists promoted: Robert Buckland to Prisons Minister (next one into the Cabinet) Lucy Frazer to Solicitor General (talked of as a future PM one day) Andrew Murrison to Middle East Minister Paul Maynard to MoJ as a Parl Under Sec
May earns reprieve from Tories as talks with Labour gain new life
The government and the opposition Labour Party put out statements indicating progress in their talks to forge a consensus on Brexit. May’s office said both parties are acting “with seriousness” and plan to exchange documents, while Labour said in a statement “the negotiating teams are working to establish scope for agreement.”
U.K. an Outsider at the EU Summit, Hinting at Post-Brexit Future
May’s absence did not mean there was no British representation in the bucolic Transylvanian setting. A few hours before leaders talked about Iran, nationalism and their own democratic failings, Stephen Barclay, the U.K. Brexit secretary, spoke about Britain’s place in the world at a conference close to the summit. Barclay lamented the “narrative within Europe on Brexit,” which ignores the view that it’s “an opportunity of confidence, of optimism, a desire to be more global.” Referring to one of the most vocal campaigners for the U.K.’s departure from the EU, he added that the U.K.’s decision to leave the club “certainly wasn’t the Nigel Farage, little-Englander portrayal of Brexit.”
Political Setbacks
UKIP EU election candidate QUITS over Carl Benjamin as police probe rape remarks
A UKIP EU election candidate has quit the party in protest at rape 'joke' furore candidate Carl Benjamin. Robert McNeil-Wilson - a candidate on UKIP's Welsh list - handed in his resignation just weeks before the May 23 poll. In an e-mail seen by the Mirror, he told party chiefs using Mr Benjamin and fellow YouTuber Mark Meechan as candidates showed UKIP was no longer a "serious, reasonable, responsible and credible party". It is too late for him to be taken off UKIP's slate, so he has vowed to quit the EU Parliament immediately if he is elected.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/ukip-eu-election-candidate-quits-15020781
Additional sources: (Yahoo!)
Additional sources: (Yahoo!)
@Peston Femi Oluwole, of our Our Future Our Choice, or @OFOCBrexit, the influential young campaigner for a people's vote, came within a whisker of being the single pro-referendum candidate in the Peterborough by-election
Femi Oluwole, of our Our Future Our Choice, or @OFOCBrexit, the influential young campaigner for a people's vote, came within a whisker of being the single pro-referendum candidate in the Peterborough by-election. He was a candidate until just two hours before the official...
@BBCThisWeek “You have dragged your party into the gutter and created a new opening for Nigel Farage?” @afneil “I don’t agree with that, I have not done that”
“You have dragged your party into the gutter and created a new opening for Nigel Farage?” @afneil “I don’t agree with that, I have not done that” @GerardBattenMEP who says UKIP membership is going up under his leadership - And he challenges claims from @leicesterliz #bbctw
Who needs policies? Jeremy the bearded messiah is back
After Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival had been greeted with a standing ovation from a sizeable crowd that had turned up for the occasion, Jayne Maxwell, one of Labour’s prospective MEPs in Scotland – presumably all the candidates in the south-east had reckoned their chances might be improved by not being seen in public with the Labour leader – set the tone. Labour was on a roll, she said. And she knew this because the party had made massive gains in last week’s local elections. No one had bothered to tell her Labour had actually lost more than 60 seats.
MPs give themselves ANOTHER holiday amid Brexit crisis
MPs will desert Westminster on an 11-day break at the end of the month despite the ongoing Brexit crisis, it was revealed today. Commons' Leader Andrea Leadsom confirmed that the Whitsun recess will begin on May 23 - the day of the European Elections - with MPs not due to return until June 4. The announcement came amid an ongoing crisis over the UK's departure from the EU and Theresa May's premiership.
May buys time with hints at new withdrawal bill vote and exit date
Theresa May has bought herself another week’s grace as prime minister, hinting she will bring the EU withdrawal bill to parliament before the European elections and promising to meet a powerful backbench committee who have demanded that she set out her timetable for stepping down. After a fortnight of furious demands by Tory MPs that she give a firm date for her departure, Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, said May had agreed to meet him and the 13-strong executive of Tory backbenchers next week. He gave no indication that May intended to provide a firm departure date at the meeting, but the promise will buy the prime minister an extra week to continue cross-party Brexit talks with Labour, before the Conservatives could consider changing leadership rules to force her exit.
Britain’s chief negotiator Olly Robbins ‘asked to become Belgian’
Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator told his counterparts in Brussels that he wanted to become an EU citizen after Brexit, behind-the-scenes footage for a BBC documentary reveals. Olly Robbins, Theresa May’s chief EU advisor, said that he would like to take EU citizenship after Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt, Brexit co-ordinator of the European parliament, told the BBC documentary Brexit: Behind Closed Doors, which continues tonight. “Olly Robbins came to me and said ‘Guy, can I become a Belgium citizen after this whole thing because I don’t think I will return,” Mr Verhofstadt is recorded telling the programme.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/ef5bf056-71ed-11e9-a116-49ac88679a93
Additional sources: (The Independent) (Express.co.uk)
Additional sources: (The Independent) (Express.co.uk)
The Brexit party is a post-politics entity
No matter how long you research, you'll never find any content in the Brexit party. There is no manifesto. Its website is a politics-free zone. This is a product made entirely of packaging. It's not even really clear what its Brexit policy is. There's a reference to "WTO Brexit" in Leave Means Leave boss Richard Tice's Twitter feed, and "clean Brexit" - whatever that is - from party leader Nigel Farage. Do they mean no aviation treaties between Britain and Europe? No equivalence arrangements for financial services? No cooperation on border processes? Presumably not. And if not, they are talking about some kind of deal, just a different one. But even to go into that kind of very basic detail is to exceed what they have to offer. There have no ideas at all. And they're not supposed to. Their retail offer is emotional.
'There are two types of Boris Johnson': Former chancellor George Osborne takes a dig at ex-mayor
Former chancellor George Osborne has said there are two different versions of Boris Johnson and he isn't sure which one will turn up to a potential future Conservative leadership contest. Speaking to ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston, Mr Osborne claimed one version is "hard Brexit Boris" and the other "the mayor who won Tory victories in a city that previously always voted Labour". He said he doesn't see how she can continue as PM and claimed the sooner the Conservative Party can move on, the better. "She can't pass the Brexit deal, she's tried, she's been trying since December, she's not relying on Jeremy Corbyn to save her, despite at the same time saying he's unfit for office. "That's not a sustainable position for a prime minister."
ASTROTURFERS OF BRITAIN the Brexit Party's Artificial Grass Roots
Astroturfing is the process of masking the sponsors of an entity by making it appear that an organization has emerged from the grassroots. While there is little doubt that many of the “Leavers of” groups are run by genuine and dedicated Brexiters the fact that Leavers of Britain is registered to an address with links to both Vote Leave and John Mills should raise legitimate questions about the authenticity of this movement. The people of Yorkshire, where Lucy Harris is standing as an MEP will no doubt want to know. And frankly, so do I.
Tories could come sixth in European elections, officials fear
Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the European elections, with their support plummeting to single digits. Candidates running in the election said the party was “almost in denial” that the poll was happening and continued to insist they would not need to take up their seats in the European parliament, despite fading prospects for a cross-party deal with Labour that would enable Brexit to happen before 2 July. The fears of a dismal performance have been stoked by the fact that the party plans to spend no money on candidate campaigning, will not publish a manifesto and is refusing to hold a launch. One MEP said candidates were funding their campaigns out of their own pockets, unlike previous years when there was a central pot of funding available. They have been told they are allowed to have their own regional manifestos, but many are not bothering, and there will be no central party manifesto.
David Gauke says 'wishful thinking' of pro-Brexit colleagues has fuelled voter anger
David Gauke has blamed the “wishful thinking” of his pro-Brexit colleagues during the EU referendum for fuelling voter anger across the country. In a major speech, the Justice Secretary said their claims that leaving the bloc would be easy and not cause any problems "has not survived the collision with reality". He also warned his fellow Tories that “over-simplifying and failing to deliver will only encourage further disenchantment” among the public.
Tory MP Nicky Morgan installed CCTV and panic alarms as unemployed pro-Brexit troll, 44, who lives with his parents threatened to 'send her to the burns unit'
Tory MP Nicky Morgan was threatened by a pro-Brexit troll who said he would send her 'to the burns unit' and leave her 'scarred for life' if she knocked on his door.
Lee Hickling, 44, using the alias Ray Brendon Smith, said that the Remain-backing Loughborough MP had done nothing for the town and 'needs a good kicking' in a series of threatening Facebook posts.
Meet The Brexit Party's Climate Science Deniers
While it might seem like a single-issue party, there’s something striking about the list of candidates we’ve been gradually drip-fed since its formal launch on 12 April: the sheer number who still can’t accept the science on climate change or just don’t think it’s worth the effort of doing anything about.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 14th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Honda Swindon closing
- Honda Swindon confirmed that a 3 month consultation had produced no viable alternatives to its plan to close the car plant in 2021. Talks to agree redundancy packages with the 3,500 workers would begin immediately
Nursing and Midwifery Council blame Brexit for the exodus of EU nurses and midwives
- Nearly 5,000 nurses and midwives from EU countries have quit the NHS in the past two years, with most citing Brexit as a contributing factor. The NMC said Britain's decision to leave the EU is exacerbating the NHS's growing staffing crisis and urgent action is needed
Britain risks copying the U.S. and creating extreme inequality in its society - says think tank the IFS
- In a report to be published Tuesday, the IFS said the result of its multi-year study into inequality showed that UK tax credits for the lower paid had kept inequality ratios relatively stable. However, recent changes to benefits and the likely opening up of the market to liberatarian free market influence post-Brexit, risk exacerbating an already large inequality gap in the UK
Theresa May serves no one by clinging on to power
- The delay until we sort a deal out strategy is dead. The governing party run by Mrs May has ceased to function. Brexit remains unresolved. Those who wish to undermine faith in politics are being handed a new weapon with each week of torpor. May should set a departure date. In the words of one Tory MP 'whatever comes next is coming, we may as well get on with it'
Brexit - A customs union is both bad policy and bad politics
- The Chair of the 1922 Committee and a number of senior former Cabinet ministers have written to Theresa May urging them not to agree a customs union with the Labour Party. 'We won't have an independent trade policy nor any significant say in the trade policy of a wider entity. A Latvian MEP would have more say over our trade policy than anyone elected in the UK.'
Theresa May's chief EU negotiator, Olly Robbins, is heading off to Brussels
- According to the BBC's political correspondent he'll be asking the EU how long it might take to agree changes to the current withdrawal and political agreements, and what would the broader outline of an EU-UK agreement look like were there to be some kind of deal. 'If you squint at the emerging detail from these cross-party Brexit talks, you can just about see where, with some understanding and urgency, an agreement might be found' the BBC correspondent said
Is there going to be a vote on some form of withdrawal agreement on Thursday?
- BuzzFeed News journalist Alex Wickham tweeted the Parliamentary order paper for the Conservative Party and the instructions MPs have been given. Thursday appears to have been upgraded from a one-line Whip to a three line Whip, which tends to suggest the government intends to present something of importance
Any cross-party deal must include a new referendum - Sir Keir Starmer
- The Shadow Brexit Secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, went out of his way, on Monday, to tell the media that no deal will get through Parliament without an agreement for a fresh public vote. Sir Keir told The Guardian that without a new referendum attached, up to 150 Labour MPs would vote against any agreement made
Theresa May's Plan B compromise looks set to be rejected by Labour as talks stutter
- Labour said is cannot sign up to a promise to abide by a fresh set of indicative votes in the House of Commons on Brexit suggestions. With her Plan B, thus, rejected and her Plan A faltering, Theresa May is rapidly running out of road
Theresa May remains opposed to any form of Brexit referendum
- Downing Street spokespeople continued to stress that Theresa May was staunchly opposed to any form of Brexit referendum in answers to press questions. So May appears to be closing down what might be her only escape route
EU vote demands are torpedoing the Labour-Tory Brexit talks
- Surprisingly, Labour MP Stephen Kinnock appeared to echo Theresa May's views on a second referendum in an interview with the BBC. He says demands for a second referendum by his Labour colleagues are torpedoing Brexit talks
Labour MPs tell Corbyn Labour is haemorrhaging votes to the Lib Dems and the Greens in the Euro Elections at PLP meeting
- At the Monday PLP meeting Jeremy Corbyn faced repeated questions on why the party's leaflets for the Euro elections fudged Labour's support for a public vote. MP after MP stood up and slammed the damage being done in the cross-party talks with the government to pass Brexit. Some said Labour faced an 'existential threat' if it continued to be unclear about its position on quitting the EU. Corbyn said he'd take immediate action in response to the concerns, though, still insisting his anti-austerity message offered the best chance to unite the country
Remain newspapers all saying the same as the Parliamentary Labour Party
- Pro-remain voters drift away from Labour as Brexit feud rages on - FT
- Jeremy Corbyn has to get off the fence for Labour to see off the Faragists
- Seven in 10 Londonders would back staying in the EU over Theresa May's Brexit deal
Prospects look bleak for the Conservatives at the European Elections
- Thanks to the Brexit Party the Conservatives can expect their worst ever result next week - Telegraph
- How ironic that Farage the City Boy could help Corbyn crash the economy - Mail
- Tories slump to fifth place in polls ahread of European elections - The Times
- Polls put Lib Dems just 1% behind Labour as the opposition to Nigel Farage - New European
The Sun is desperate for Theresa May to go
- Theresa May's husband will persuade her to resign if she fails to find a majority for a Brexit deal within a month, ministers now believe
- It's time for Theresa May to choose her resignation date before the Tories are damaged further
Farage's Brexit Party Agent says Tommy Robinson has been persecuted and Islamophobia is 'made up'
- Noel Matthews the Brexit Party election agent posted an article sypatheitc to the far-right EDL activist writing: 'Tommy Robinson drew attention to grooming gangs. Britain has persecuted him.' As a post script it is worth pointing out that Nigel Farage said one of his main reasons for quitting UKIP was his former party's fixation with Robinson and Islam
Jobs at Risk
Swindon Honda closure 'a body blow', says Unite
Honda's decision to close its Swindon plant is a "body blow" and a "betrayal", a union has said. The Japanese car maker said a three-month consultation produced "no viable alternatives" to its plan to close the factory in 2021. It added talks to agree redundancy packages with the 3,500 workers would "begin immediately".
Unite national officer Des Quinn said the union would speak to members about next steps. A proposal to cease production of 160,000 Honda Civics a year was confirmed in February. Honda UK director Jason Smith said the decision was taken with a "heavy heart". "We understand the impact this decision has on our associates, suppliers and the wider community," he said. "We are committed to continuing to support them throughout the next phases of the consultation process."
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-48255590
Additional sources: (The Independent) (Daily Mirror)
Additional sources: (The Independent) (Daily Mirror)
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit blamed for exodus of EU nurses and midwives
Over half of EU nurses leaving said Brexit was a contributing factor to them quitting the profession. Nearly 5,000 nurses and midwives from EU countries have quit the profession in the past two years, with many citing Brexit as a contributing factor. The number of EU-trained nurses and midwives working in the UK fell from a record high of 38,024 in March 2017 to 33,035 in March this year, a drop of nearly 5,000, according to official figures released by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
When the NMC asked these staff why they were leaving, 51% said Brexit was a key contributing factor. Experts have warned that Britain’s decision to leave the EU is exacerbating the NHS’s growing staffing crisis and ‘urgent’ action is needed.
Britain risks following US on extreme inequality, says think-tank
A report by the IFS, to be published on Tuesday at the review’s launch, noted that while UK income inequality had been stable, this was largely because tax credits had offset worsening earnings inequality. “Benefit income received from the government may feel quite different, in terms of the dignity and security it brings, from income earning in the labour market,” said the report. But inequality “is not just about money”, added the report. Among other examples, it called attention to a rise in the UK of middle aged “deaths of despair”, from suicide, drug overdose or alcohol-related disease.
There's no such thing as a rape joke
Once you’ve experienced the life-changing, destructive trauma that is sexual violence, rape stops being a laughing matter. And you realise it never was a laughing matter, we just happened to live in a culture too uncomfortable with the topic to call out a rape joke for what it is: an insult to the actual trauma that rape has on real lives, and a gross denigration of human worth. Recently, Ukip MEP candidate Carl Benjamin refused to apologise for his ongoing rape jokes about Labour MP Jess Phillips. Ukip leader Gerard Batten has defended Benjamin’s jokes as ‘satire.’ But anyone who has ever claimed the mantle of free speech in defence of rape jokes has surely never been a victim of rape themselves. They’ve never had to face the seemingly insurmountable flood of post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, and anxiety that disrupts your life, upends your career and ruins your own sense of trust in other people and the rest of the world.
Political Shenanigans
Brexit: Olly Robbins heads to Brussels
Are the talks between the government and the opposition dead? Not yet. Olly Robbins, (remember him?) the government's Brexit negotiator, is off to Brussels on Tuesday to talk about how long it might take, and how the broad outline of the future arrangement between the EU and the UK could be changed if there were to be some kind of deal. On its own, that sounds rather promising. It's been a demand from Labour that there would be changes to the so-called political declaration so that any compromises can be trusted. And broadly, the actual policies of the two main Westminster parties aren't so far apart after all. If you squint at the detail you can just about see where, with some understanding, and urgency, they could collide.
Brexit: ‘A customs union is both bad policy and bad politics’
As the chairman of the 1922 Committee and former cabinet ministers, and who voted for your Withdrawal Agreement in the most recent vote on March 29, we are writing to urge you not to agree any customs union with the Labour Party. A customs union with the EU is both bad policy and bad politics. On policy, we would be stuck in the worst of both worlds. First, the democratic deficit: for the first time in this nation’s long trading history we would have neither an independent trade policy nor any significant say in the trade policy of a wider entity. The British people would not be able to understand how none of their elected representatives had any say. A Latvian MEP would have more say over our trade policy than anyone elected in this country.
Theresa May serves no one by clinging on to power
Even Tory loyalists cannot deny the pointlessness of carrying on as now. Brexit is unresolved; they cannot move on to any other issues and a radical Labour opposition goes unchallenged. It is not only the Tories who are suffering; those who wish to undermine faith in politics are being handed a new weapon with each week of torpor. There is no reason for Tory moderates to be optimistic about the next leader. Yet the “delay till a deal” strategy is exhausted. The governing party has ceased to function and so has Westminster. Mrs May should bank her records and set a departure date. In the words of one Tory MP: “Whatever comes next is coming. We may as well get on with it.”
Brexit news latest: Theresa May told to abandon talks with Labour and not give ground on customs union
Theresa May is under pressure to abandon Brexit talks with Labour amid warnings she risks losing the "loyal middle" of the Tory Party if she gives ground on a customs union. Thirteen former ministers, together with the backbench 1922 Committee chairman Sir Graham Brady, have written to the Prime Minister urging her not to concede Labour's key demand. The signatories of the letter, seen by The Times, were said to include Gavin Williamson, who she sacked as defence secretary, as well as Boris Johnson and Dominic Raab.
@alexwickham NEW: Julian Smith has just told Tory MPs they are now on a three line whip for Thursday. It was previously a one line whip. No reason given for the update. MPs are asking if this means we could finally be getting a vote on the WAB
NEW: Julian Smith has just told Tory MPs they are now on a three line whip for Thursday. It was previously a one line whip. No reason given for the update. MPs are asking if this means we could finally be getting a vote on the WAB
Not voting Labour will let Nigel Farage win, warns party's deputy
Labour's deputy leader said not voting for his party in the European elections will give Nigel Farage a win, and has reached out to Remainers by saying its agenda is to "remain and reform" in Europe. Tom Watson is expected to plead in a speech at the Fabian Society for supporters to back Labour in the polls next week. "There are only two forces that can win this election - that nasty nationalism of the Farage Brexit Party, or the tolerant, compassionate outward looking patriotism of the Labour Party," Watson will say. "I can only plead with Labour supporters - don't stay at home, don't put that cross elsewhere, don't let them win."
Pressure grows on Sajid Javid to allow asylum-seekers to work in Britain
Pressure is growing on Sajid Javid to allow asylum seekers to work in a desperate hunt across Government for new cash streams. The Treasury has demanded the Home Secretary reduce the spiralling bill for claimants in the UK, which now stretches into the hundreds of millions every year. One idea being looked at is to end the long standing ban on foreign nationals who have claimed asylum taking jobs. The controversial move - which could be pushed through as part of new post-Brexit immigration rules - would save the Treasury a fortune in paying out handouts as well as bringing in extra income tax.
Brexit: Cross-party deal must include new referendum - Sir Keir Starmer
A cross-party Brexit deal will not get through Parliament unless it is subject to a fresh public vote, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer says. Talks between Labour and ministers over leaving the EU have been going on for a month with little sign of progress. Sir Keir told the Guardian that without a new referendum up to 150 Labour MPs would vote against any agreement made. Environment Secretary Michael Gove suggested Labour needed more time to come to terms with the idea of a deal. "For some in the Labour Party it will be a significant step to accept supporting Brexit and to come behind the prime minister's approach," he told the BBC. After talks broke up on Monday evening, a Labour spokesperson said the shadow cabinet would be updated on what had been discussed.
Mark Harper: “I will vote Conservative, but I can understand why many of our supporters aren't going to"
Mark Harper MP insists such “self-indulgent” speculation about the party leadership should not be the priority with the European elections looming large. But is the former chief whip mulling a crack at the top job? He speaks to Sebastian Whale
Michael Gove: Theresa May will be prime minister 'for a while to come yet'
Theresa May will be prime minister "for a while to come yet", a Cabinet minister has told Sky News. Environment Secretary Michael Gove said Mrs May should be given the "time, space and dignity to leave in a way that she believes is right". The PM has promised to leave office once the first phase of Brexit has been sorted out, but the deadlock over Britain's departure from the European Union continues to drag on.
Which senior Labour figures support a second Brexit referendum?
Labour's Brexit divisions have been laid bare once more, after two frontbenchers warned any Brexit deal was "impossible" to get through the Commons without a public vote attached. Sir Keir Starmer, the shadow Brexit secretary, and deputy leader Tom Watson have both thrown their weight behind calls for a second referendum on a cross-party agreement. But the prospect of a Final Say vote remains divisive among senior Labour figures, which has led, in part, to the party's carefully crafted Brexit position.
Seven in 10 Londoners would back staying in EU over Theresa May’s Brexit deal
Londoners are saying an emphatic “no” to Theresa May’s Brexit deal, with seven out of 10 saying they would rather stay in the European Union. The exclusive poll also found that nearly half of Londoners want a second referendum to be called, the strongest support yet, with 47 per cent in favour and just 29 per cent against.
The findings by YouGov, with research commissioned by Queen Mary University of London, suggest a big shift from the referendum in 2016 when the capital divided 60-40 for staying in the EU.
The party leaders have failed on Brexit. The UK’s fate is now in MPs’ hands
A greater challenge then presents itself. The Commons must empower a plausible executive machine to deliver what it decides. The party leaders must agree in advance to implement that decision. This would require the Tories to support May, still their leader, to present Brussels with whatever the Commons has decided, irrespective of what the Tories alone decided. To carry any credibility, the prime minister would need other Commons parties alongside her.
Liz Truss says Tories should build a million homes on green belt as she drops clear hint at leadership bid
Top minister Liz Truss has said the Conservatives should build one million homes on the green belt, as she all but confirmed she would stand for the party leadership. The Chief Secretary to the Treasury said the eye-catching proposal would “allow the under 40s to own their own homes”. But it is likely to get short shrift from the old guard in the Tory membership, which has been strongly opposed to building on green belt land.
@BBCLauraK Brexit talks are not in good health, but not dead yet, Olly Robbins is heading to Brussels tomorrow to talk about how, and how long it might take to change the political declaration IF there were to be an agreement
Brexit talks are not in good health, but not dead yet, Olly Robbins is heading to Brussels tomorrow to talk about how, and how long it might take to change the political declaration IF there were to be an agreement
Brexit talks between Labour and Government on brink of collapse as deadlock continues
Brexit negotiations between the Government and Labour are on the brink of collapse after the latest round of talks ended without agreement. Senior frontbenchers from both sides met for nearly two hours on Monday in a fresh bid to find a breakthrough. But sources said they broke up without any “substantive progress” being made. In a clear sign that the negotiations a deal is as far away as ever, no further talks have been pencilled in. Theresa May will report back to her Cabinet on Tuesday, as will Jeremy Corbyn with his Shadow Cabinet. And it looks increasingly likely that both sides will decide to pull the plug on the talks, which began more than a month ago.
Nigel Farage to launch eighth bid to become an MP at next general election
Nigel Farage has confirmed that he will mount an eighth attempt to become an MP in a bid to ensure Britain leaves the European Union. The former Ukip leader's new Brexit Party is on course beat both Labour and the Conservatives at the EU elections next week, amid a growing backlash from Leave voters over the ongoing parliamentary deadlock. Mr Farage also confirmed that he would be willing to prop up a minority Tory government at Westminster if it meant that a no-deal Brexit would be delivered.
Theresa May’s ‘Plan B’ Brexit Compromise Set To Be Rejected By Labour As Talks Falter
Theresa May’s hopes of a ‘Plan B’ Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn look set to be dashed as senior Labour figures have warned they can’t sign up to her plea to abide by a fresh set of Commons votes. Talks between the government and opposition broke up again without any substantive agreement on Monday night, and few on either side now expect a cross-party agreement on major issues such as customs or a second referendum. But with her preferred option of a joint deal on the edge of collapse, HuffPost UK has learned that even May’s fallback plan - of a series of ‘indicative votes’ - is set to be rejected by Labour.
At Change UK we will fight to save London from Brexit
As a BBC correspondent in Northern Ireland I often asked prominent members of the IRA what they made of Corbyn. They repeatedly used the same phrase: he was, they said, a “useful dupe”. Now he is flirting with Theresa May’s Brexit deal. It will make London poorer and will see Mrs May replaced by a hardline Brexiteer in her own party. Even his supporters surely cannot wish for him to become a useful dupe once more — this time of Nigel Farage, Mark Francois, Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Ukip.
Brexit impasse leads to longest UK parliament session since civil war
The Commons has sat for 298 days, and with MPs unable to agree a Brexit deal no new session is in sight. The current session of parliament is now the longest since the civil war period as the impasse over Brexit continues, House of Commons officials have said. As of Friday, the Commons had sat for 298 days, comprising 2,657 hours and 56 minutes, the House of Commons library said in a briefing.
The existing record was set during the “long parliament”, when members sat for 3,322 days without prorogation from 3 November 1640 until 20 April 1653. The record session, which the library noted was unlikely to be broken, included not just the civil war but the trial and execution of Charles I, and ended only when Oliver Cromwell used soldiers to remove MPs.
Thanks to the Brexit Party, the Conservatives can expect their worst ever result next week
The Brexit Party looks set to drain the Tories' Eurosceptic base, though Labour are struggling too. There have been plenty of previous challenges to the electoral grip of the Conservatives and Labour. The Liberal Democrats have long been snapping at their heels, regularly winning around a fifth of the vote until they entered the 2010-15 Coalition. In the last Euro-election in 2014 Ukip shocked the political establishment by coming first. Scotland is now a SNP fiefdom. However, until now these challenges have occurred separately, not in combination. Ukip’s challenge coincided with a collapse in the Liberal Democrat vote. The SNP does not threaten the two main parties south of the border. Now, The Brexit Party does.
@TNewtonDunn Gove is far from alone among Cabinet Brexiteers in not wanting the leadership contest until after Brexit. Holding it before in their view,
Interesting. Gove is far from alone among Cabinet Brexiteers in not wanting the leadership contest until after Brexit. Holding it before in their view, 1. Favours Raab and Boris, 2. Creates a No Deal showdown with the Commons, and therefore 3. Invites on a general election.
Why I won't be advising people to vote tactically in the European elections
With Brexit on the horizon and the main parties so divided, it’s no wonder that progressive voters want to come together to show a united front. Tactical2017, a progressive campaign that encouraged people to vote tactically in the 2017 general election to get the Conservatives out of government, is being asked again for guidance, this time for the European parliament elections on 23 May. Here is why we won’t be making any solid recommendations, and why we advise people not to follow other sites that do
How will Labour’s heartlands greet its Brexit tightrope act?
Jude Kirton-Darling was looking forward to spending a bit of time with her toddler Natan this spring. Although the north-east Labour MEP remained disappointed about the EU referendum result, she thought it would be nice to be a full-time mum for a while. But Theresa May’s failure to get a deal through parliament means Kirton-Darling finds herself on the stump again instead of going to playgroup. “If you had told me three years ago, I wouldn’t have believed you,” she said. “As MEPs we see the Brexit process very, very closely from both sides and I have never seen such incompetent negotiations.”
How ironic that Farage the City boy could help Corbyn crash the economy
The most significant consequence of a Brexit Party advance, however, would be Labour winning well over 300 seats, way ahead of the Tories. On this basis, Jeremy Corbyn, with the support of the Scottish National Party, would become Prime Minister, and John McDonnell Chancellor of the Exchequer. That would not bring about the Brexit that Nigel Farage wants. Labour is fundamentally a Remain party, and even if it were to take the UK out of the EU, it would be only on the basis that we remained permanently part of the Customs Union: it has repeatedly said as much.
North-east England is not obsessed with Brexit – it’s just a symbol
Brexit was, and remains, largely about this mythical EU and its symbolic opposition to an equally mythical Britain, rather than about anything specific to the actual EU. Brexit is pure magic – standing in for your hopes or fears. Bring it down to the level of the prosaic, to MEPs and trade policy, and it loses this magic and becomes ugly and undesirable. Ultimately Brexit cannot be fulfilled, it can only be betrayed.
Heidi Allen challenges Nigel Farage to live TV debate before EU polls
Heidi Allen, the leader of the pro-remain Change UK party, has challenged the Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage, to a live TV debate before the European elections. Allen, the former Conservative MP who joined the breakaway Independent Group, said she wanted to take on Farage so the British people could decide which new party’s vision they preferred. The challenge was made on Monday night in Change UK’s party election broadcast, launched in Cardiff at a rally in which Allen spoke alongside the former Labour MP Chuka Umunna, another key voice in the party. “I’m challenging Nigel Farage to join me in a new live TV debate and let’s share with the British people our vision for the future and let them decide which they prefer,” Allen said.
Tom Watson says late Labour leader John Smith would have backed a second Brexit referendum
Late Labour leader John Smith would have backed calls for a second referendum on Brexit, Tom Watson will declare. In a heartfelt address on Monday, the deputy party leader will argue that Mr Smith, who died in 1994, would have seen a so-called ‘People’s Vote’ as a route out of “this destructive mess”. Mr Watson will also urge Labour voters to stick with the party at the upcoming European Parliament elections and deny victory to the far right and the Brexit Party led by Nigel Farage.
Tories slump to fifth place in polls ahead of European elections
The Conservatives have fallen into fifth place behind every major political party with the exception of Ukip and ChangeUK in this month’s European elections, a new poll for The Times suggests today. The YouGov research has the Tories at just 10 per cent behind the Liberal Democrats on 15 per cent and the Greens on 11 per cent.
The poll indicates that Labour is also haemorrhaging support to Nigel Farage’s new party, with its vote share down five points to 16 per cent. The Brexit Party is up four points on 34 per cent while ChangeUK is on 5 per cent.
Fading away: Brexit Party and Change UK gone within a decade
Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party. Both will be fighting for political survival in an increasingly crowded field. A poor performance is likely to send them to an early grave. As things stand, the public don’t think either of these two new parties will still be around in a decade’s time. The majority of Britons (56 per cent) think Change UK “will eventually fade from politics, and probably not be a force in British politics in 10 years”. Just 10 per cent think that “they are here to stay and will likely remain an important part of British politics for the next 10 years”. The public are even more pessimistic about the Brexit Party, with 63 per cent thinking it will fade over the next decade, although 13 per cent think it’s here to stay. UKIP’s prospects are just as gloomy as those of their newer rivals: 61 per cent think it will fade and 13 per cent think is here to stay.
Corbyn urged to commit Opposition to People's Vote to secure Labour MPs' support for cross-party Brexit deal
Jeremy Corbyn is facing increased public pressure from senior figures in his own Shadow Cabinet to throw the leadership’s weight behind a second EU referendum on any cross-party Brexit deal in order to gain the backing of their own MPs. Sir Keir Starmer, the Shadow Brexit Secretary, warned it was "impossible" to see how an agreement between the Conservatives and his party could clear the Commons unless it guaranteed the deal would be put back to the public for a "confirmatory vote".
Brexit: Labour's old leader would have backed a second referendum, Tom Watson tells Corbyn
Tom Watson has launched a fresh bid to convince Jeremy Corbyn to back another Brexit referendum by claiming that former party leader John Smith would have understood the need for a Final Say vote. In a speech on Monday, the party’s deputy leader will admit that Labour supporters are “not happy” with its current Brexit policy and make an impassioned plea to them not to abandon the party in European parliament elections later this month. In comments that will be widely interpreted as on attack on Mr Corbyn, he will hit out at left-wing critics of the EU and say that they are just as “wrong-headed” as right-wing Eurosceptics.
DUP: Arlene Foster says Brexit vote would put 'democracy at risk'
A confirmatory Brexit referendum would place democracy at risk, Arlene Foster has warned. The DUP leader rejected calls from senior Labour politicians that any Brexit deal that might emerge from their party’s talks with the Conservatives should be put to a public vote.
Brexit: Cross-party deal must include new referendum - Sir Keir Starmer
A cross-party Brexit deal will not get through Parliament unless it is subject to a fresh public vote, shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer says. Talks between Labour and ministers over leaving the EU have been going on for a month with little sign of progress. Sir Keir told the Guardian that without a new referendum up to 150 Labour MPs would vote against any agreement made. Environment Secretary Michael Gove suggested Labour needed more time to come to terms with the idea of a deal. "For some in the Labour Party it will be a significant step to accept supporting Brexit and to come behind the prime minister's approach," he told the BBC.
Sir Vince Cable, Lib Dem leader: ‘Three options’ in second EU referendum
Vince Cable that there could be three options on any future second referendum - No Deal, Theresa May's Deal or Remain in a TV interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy
Theresa May remains opposed to any form of Brexit referendum
Downing Street said May had made clear her views about a second public vote: “She has said on many occasions that she is focused on delivering the result of the first referendum.” May’s spokesman declined to put a deadline on the talks but said the government was prepared to move on to a series of indicative votes in parliament if no resolution was possible. “If we were able to make progress with Labour then we would look to bring the bill before the House of Commons before the European elections,” he said.
Poll puts Lib Dems just 1% behind Labour as the opposition to Nigel Farage
new YouGov poll has thrown into doubt claims that Labour is the main opposition party to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party - with 60% of 2017 general election voters moving away from the party. The latest figures put Labour in second place, but with just 16% of support, as 44% of voters from the 2017 general election plan to vote for pro-Remain parties instead. It has given the Liberal Democrats a boost, giving them 15% of the support, a difference of just 1%. This is followed by the Greens on 11% and Change UK on 5%.
Brexit: EU vote demand is 'torpedoing' Labour-Tory talks
Cross-party talks to break the Brexit deadlock are not succeeding because of Labour's demand for another referendum, a Welsh MP has warned. Aberavon Labour MP Stephen Kinnock says his party's call is "torpedoing" the discussions between both main parties. Talks between Conservative ministers and Labour over leaving the EU have been going on for a month with little sign of progress. Half of Welsh Labour's 28 MPs have backed another public vote. The shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer has said a cross-party deal will not get through Parliament unless it is subject to a fresh public vote.
He suggested a referendum on the final deal had become a red line of its own for many Labour MPs, saying "a significant number, probably 120 if not 150, would not back a deal if it hasn't got a confirmatory vote".
Jeremy Hunt says UK 'should consider defence spending boost'
The UK should consider "decisively" increasing defence spending after Brexit, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has said. He told the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London the threats facing the UK had changed "markedly" since the Cold War.
"We simply do not know what the balance of power in the world will be in 25 years' time", he added. He said any extra money should be spent on "new capabilities and not simply plugging gaps". Mr Hunt said it was "not sustainable" to expect the US to spend 4% of its GDP on defence while other Nato allies spent between 1% and 2%.
"So for these and other reasons I believe it is time for the next Strategic Defence and Security Review to ask whether, over the coming decade, we should decisively increase the proportion of GDP we devote to defence," he said.
Conservative MPs' fury as party leaflet takes aim at Brexiteers who opposed Theresa May's deal
Conservative in-fighting has broken out after the party produced a European Parliament election leaflet which tells people to lobby directly Brexiteer MPs who have voted down Theresa May's Brexit deal. A leaflet - seen by The Telegraph and titled "How to show you want a Brexit deal delivered as soon as possible" - says that "for a deal to pass it needs the support of more than half of all MPs". It includes a photograph and quote from Mrs May saying: "At this critical moment for our country, parties should not be playing politics - or acting for their own personal gain. We need to come together, stay the course, and deliver Brexit in the national interest."
Political Setbacks
Labour MPs Tell Corbyn Party Is ‘Haemorrhaging’ Votes To Lib Dems And Greens In Euro Elections
Jeremy Corbyn has admitted that Labour needs a clearer message on Brexit after a raft of his MPs warned the party was “haemorrhaging” votes to the pro-Remain Lib Dems and Greens. At a heated meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday night, the Labour leader faced repeated questions on why the party’s leaflets for the Euro elections had fudged its support for a public vote on a Tory Brexit deal. MP after MP got up to slam the damage being done by talks with the government, and warned that Labour faced an “existential threat” if it continued to be unclear about its position on quitting the EU. Corbyn pledged he would take “immediate” action to respond to the concerns, though he insisted that his anti-austerity message offered a chance to unite the country in both Remain and Leave areas.
Lopresti ice cream boss handed restrictions over 'slavery risk'
The boss of a popular ice cream firm faces restrictions on his business after a judge raised concerns that he could commit slavery offences. Salvatore "Sam" Lopresti, 75, of Long Ashton, will not be able to employ staff or deal with wages at Lopresti Ice Cream, in Bristol. The measures are part of a Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order (STRO) that was imposed last week. However, he will not face a charge relating to modern day slavery. The company is owned by the family of Tory MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, Jack Lopresti.
AstroTurfers of Britain Part Two: Who is Behind Brexit Party Recruitment and its PR Makeover?
Otto English delves deeper into Claire Fox and Spiked Online‘s close connection to Nigel Farage’s new party, and discovers another PR executive involved in recruiting potential MEPs. It seems just a few short weeks ago that we were howling at its laugh-a-minute ‘March for Leave’ and low-tech website. How did it turn from an amateurish outfit into an undeniably slick operation – with a superior launch video and a festival-style roadshow touring the country? And, on that journey, why has Nigel Farage stuck so steadfastly by Claire Fox, the only weak link in the chain?
Leave voters lash out at Jeremy Corbyn in huge Brexit rant - 'I voted Leave.
Leave voters in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, lashed out at Jeremy Corbyn, admitting they now prefer Nigel Farage to the left-wing leader after being Labour supporters for a long time.
Labour wipe out: Brexiteers send stern warning to Corbyn – 'He will be gone in no time'
Speaking to LBC's Theo Usherwood during an interview with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, Leave voters in Ponterfact vowed to vote against the Labour Party at the next general elections. Asked whether they will support West Yorkshire MPs Yvette Cooper or Jon Trickett, one passionate Brexit supporter said: “Jon Trickett will be gone. He will be gone. He will be wiped out in no time. He will be gone.”
Like Trump, Nigel Farage stands for nothing but himself. It’s up to us to oust him at the EU elections
Hard Brexiteers such as Farage and their cheerleaders don’t much like the institutions that are fundamental to a liberal, free democracy – the judiciary (described by the Daily Mail as “enemies of the people”), our independent civil service (accused of “fiddling the figures” by Jacob Rees-Mogg), the Bank of England (Brexiteers have called for the governor’s resignation) and backbench MPs defending their constituents’ jobs against a hard Brexit. They have all been subject to attack, abuse or threat. The reason we are in this mess is because Brexit, in the form that it was sold to the British people by the Brexit elite – Nigel Farage, Rees-Mogg and others, is impossible to deliver.
800 voters turned away in ID trial during local elections
More than 800 people were unable to vote during a second trial of compulsory voter ID at this month’s local elections, according to interim figures. Across the eight out of 10 test areas that have so far given figures, 819 people were turned away from polling stations and did not return, according to the Local Government Chronicle (LGC). The average of 102 per area compares to 70 in the first trial last year, when 340 people were unable to vote in the five councils trialling the system.
Labour and election organisations renewed their condemnation of the government’s planned national rollout of compulsory voter ID, which critics say disproportionately affects vulnerable voters and tackles a negligible problem.
Nigel Farage has joined the ‘BBC bias’ club. Now we know he’s not worth listening to
Nigel Farage has been a public fraud and phoney for decades. It is only recently that he has been calling the tune. His is the only story that is emerging from these weird elections, because the other pipers have lost their breath. The Tories are not campaigning at all. Labour is trying to be all things to all people, trying not to be eaten alive by the Brexit beast, that would have posed an unimaginable headache to any Labour leader, but the biggest one of all to Jeremy Corbyn, who has been a professional liar on Brexit since he first launched Labour’s campaign, three years ago at the Ministry of Truth.
Pro-Remain voters drift away from Labour as Brexit feud rages on
Labour’s Brexit dilemma is deepening as Tom Watson, deputy leader, steps up calls for a clear commitment to a second EU referendum, amid signs that pro-Remain voters are abandoning the party. Barely two weeks ago, Mr Watson was routed by Jeremy Corbyn, who won a healthy majority at the party’s National Executive Committee against efforts to ensure that Labour back another referendum in all circumstances. But since then Mr Watson and other pro-EU senior shadow ministers have continued to wage their campaign against the more ambiguous policy championed by Mr Corbyn and a group of his top officials. Mr Corbyn’s policy has also failed to convince the voters, according to polls, with Labour supporters increasingly switching to other parties with clearer messages on Brexit, little more than a week ahead of EU elections.
Jeremy Corbyn has to get off the fence for Labour to see off the Faragists
There is no knowing if Jeremy Corbyn is capable of this agility or too stubborn to shift. But when driving towards a concrete wall, a swerve is advisable. Some obstacles have been removed. The People’s Vote campaign was viewed by some Labour conspiracy theorists as a way of covertly rallying anti-Corbynites. But now the Change UK group has split off, so far making very moderate headway, the path is clear for Labour remainers to be seen as just that – pro-Labour, pro-referendum, pro-remain, no subversive agenda. In this election Labour’s remainers will put country before party – and vote accordingly. The party’s Brexit voters have already fled. It’s for Corbyn to decide if he wants Labour humiliated: his remainers are waiting to hear, before they too defect.
Why is Nigel Farage all over the airwaves while my party barely gets a look-in?
Journalism largely missed or muddled the Brexit story because it is an exemplar of that inequality. To ward off criticisms of elitism, it gives platforms, again and again, to figures it misapprehends as voices of the people. Only an elite could mistake a wealthy, privately educated former commodities broker for a man of the people. The only way in which Farage has ever aided “the people” is in highlighting the unfairness of a system that gives much more weight to some votes and voices than others.
BBC is now the enemy, declares furious Farage after TV grilling
Nigel Farage has angrily accused the BBC of “outrageous bias” after he was repeatedly challenged in an interview about his past political views. During a series of confrontational exchanges on The Andrew Marr Show, the Brexit Party leader said that the broadcaster was in “denial” about public anger over Brexit. Marr used the interview to challenge Mr Farage over comments he has made in the past on issues such as immigration, climate change and gun control. He highlighted the politician’s previous support for bringing in a health insurance system for the NHS, relaxing laws on gun control and his admiration for Vladimir Putin. He also quoted Mr Farage as saying that worrying about global warming was the “stupidest thing in human history” and that he felt uncomfortable hearing foreign languages on Tube trains.
Theresa May’s husband will ‘persuade her’ to resign if she fails another Brexit deal within a month
Theresa May’s husband Philip will persuade her to resign if she fails to find a majority for a Brexit deal within a month, ministers now believe. Even No10 loyalists think the PM will find it impossible to overcome “such a head of steam” against her from Tory MPs and activists if the crippling deadlock continues into June.
It’s time for Theresa May to choose her resignation date before the Tories are damaged further
The Tories are on course for their worst election performance ever as they bleed voters to the Brexit Party. Nigel Farage’s outfit is so new it doesn’t have any policies yet — imagine how much bigger the damage could get. Every day the PM remains in office, Jeremy Corbyn gets closer to power. News that one in ten wealth creators will flee Britain if Labour gets in is a reminder of how high the stakes are. No one could accuse Mrs May of not feeling a huge sense of public duty. But when even her adoring husband Philip admits she needs to resign, surely she must realise that she is now the problem, not the solution. This week Tory grandees will tell the PM to name the date she plans to hand over to a successor. She must do it.
The Brexit Party’s Most Senior Election Official Says Tommy Robinson Has Been “Persecuted” And Islamophobia Is “Made Up”
The Brexit Party has distanced itself from its most senior election official after BuzzFeed News found he had defended Tommy Robinson and repeatedly mocked the concept of Islamophobia. Noel Matthews, the Brexit Party’s national election agent and the person with ultimate legal responsibility for its European election campaign, last year posted an article sympathetic to the far-right former EDL activist and wrote: “THIS. Tommy Robinson Drew Attention to Grooming Gangs. Britain Has Persecuted Him.” Nigel Farage has said that one of his main reasons for quitting UKIP and setting up the Brexit Party was his former party’s “fixation” with Robinson and Islam.
Tactical Voting: Website 'RemainVoter.com' Aims To Stop Nigel Farage's Brexit Party
A new website targeted at Remain voters has been launched by data scientists in a bid to help tactical voting against the Brexit Party. RemainVoter.com promises to identify the best tactical voting options to stop candidates from Nigel Farage’s latest party winning a seat in the upcoming European elections. The site uses a new mathematical model to power a tactical voting engine for the European elections, said team leader and ex-Google software engineer Cheryl Hung. “We are entirely non-party political,” said Hung. “Our sole aim is to remain in the EU as we see the damage that leaving it will do to our country. “We understand that party politics, political reality and technical factors prevented a pro-Remain alliance.
Labour send Euro vote campaign leaflets written in Welsh to homes in Highlands
The Labour Party sent campaign leaflets written in Welsh to voters in the Highlands after a Euro election bungle. Voters received bilingual literature that should have been sent to the Welsh Valleys. Labour has launched an investigation into the miscommunication, which resulted in Scots being implored in English to “Vote Welsh Labour on Thursday 23rd May”. The message - “Pleidleisiwch dros Lafur Cymru ar ddydd lan 23 Mai” - was posted alongside a picture of Jeremy Corbyn, who ads: “Theresa May and the Tories are in chaos and Britain is in crisis”. In Welsh, the message was “Mae Theresa May a’r Toraid mewn anhrefn ac mae Prydain mewn argyfwng.”
Andrew Marr's obsession with my past betrays the bias at the heart of the BBC
I'm not the first person to have been on the receiving end of BBC bias, and I won’t be the last. But with an election campaign under way, I had expected our state broadcaster to behave responsibly in its coverage of this pivotal moment for democracy in Britain. Not a bit of it. On Sunday
I was on The Andrew Marr Show. I anticipated a tough and free-flowing interview about the Brexit Party, our candidates, their strikingly different backgrounds, our campaign, and the merits of MEPs and the EU elections. Instead, shortly after the interview began, Marr produced a piece of paper and started reading scripted questions relating to things I allegedly said or thought years ago – questions I did not want to be asked
EU Funding Benefits
If Labour is so committed on climate, it should recognise how the EU can help
It’s clear that the EU is leading on the design of financial levers to encourage a sustainability transition for the finance sector and thus for all companies. Rather than picking off the London Stock Exchange, Labour needs to embrace our continued membership of the EU. When it comes to tackling serious global issues such as climate change, and transitioning towards a green economy, we will achieve so much more working together cooperatively with our European neighbours.
London to have world-first hydrogen-powered doubledecker buses
London will have the world’s first hydrogen-powered doubledecker buses on its streets next year, as the capital steps up attempts to tackle its polluted air. Transport for London (TfL) has ordered 20 of the buses, which cost around £500,000 each and only emit water as exhaust. As well as cutting polluting exhaust emissions, the buses will run on green hydrogen produced via North Kent offshore wind farms, according to TfL. The overall cost for the new fleet, including the refuelling infrastructure, will be £12m, £5m of which will come from European funding. The transport authority expects the running costs to be comparable for a diesel bus.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 13th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK high streets in a downward spiral
- The British Retail Consortium says 1 in 10 of all high street shops is lying empty. The national town centre vacancy rate was at a four year high of 10.2% last month. Struggling high street shops are trapped in a downward spiral
Private equity firms shun the UK for Europe
- James Seagrave, global head of financial sponsors coverage at BNP Paribas in London says the UK market has become sclerotic as a result of Brexit. The main issue for any private equity firm seeking to buy up a UK company is the almost impossible task of assessing the risk they are acquiring
ONS data says manufacturers stockpiling for March Brexit helped economy grow
- There was GDP growth of 0.5% in Q1, because of unprecedented stockpiling by manufacturers who were fearful of the impact of a No Deal Brexit. It was an improvement on 0.2% from the previous quarter. However, the service sector and construction sectors have gone into reverse in March, pushing GDP down for that particularl month by 0.1%
Hundreds of foreign doctors are mulling leaving the UK over crippling working visa and use of NHS fees
- More than 500 doctors from outside the EU voiced their concerns to EveryDoctor, a campaigning organization run by medics to improve how the profession is treated. Hundreds of overseas doctors are considering quitting the NHS protesting at being charged thousands of pounds a year for visas and healthcare in order to work in the UK.
Football faces Brexit chaos over EU player transfers to UK clubs
- At the end of the post-Brexit transition period, set to be January 2021, there is a mid-season transfer window for football teams. There will no longer be an any automatic right for an EU player to work in the UK and Whitehall is worried that many clubs are not working on addressing these concerns
Richest in Britain got 25bn Euros richer since the Brexit vote
- A survey reports that the 15 Britons on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index have added £21.5bn to their fortunes since the country voted to leave the EU in 2016. This includes £14bn so far this year
Brexit talks will tie up Whitehall for years, warns top UK diplomat
- Peter Ricketts, former national security adviser and head of Britain's diplomatic service, is warning that the next stage of Brexit negotiations are going to make the current mess look like a simple affair, and it will tie the civil service up for a long time. These negotiations, he expects, will go on for years and encompass pretty much the entire Whitehall, as detailed negotiations have to be worked out for everything from trade to financial services to data transfer, transport, fisheries and nuclear and gas supply
- Irish Deputy PM, Simon Coveney, warns the Tories changing their leader won't change things when it comes to the Irish border or trade arrangement - realities do not change based on personalities
- UK International trade secretary, Liam Fox, said there are no winners in a trade war, only casualties - as President Trump raises tariffs on a huge number of Chinese goods and China looks set to retailiate
Rumours ministers may try and bring Theresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Bill back to Parliament this week
- Jacob Rees Mogg warned that any move to strike a deal with Jeremy Corbyn would unite the Brexiteer ERG, who would vote against her. Tory MP Phillip Lee said there were significant numbers of Remain Tories who were also hostile to a deal with Corbyn
- More than two thirds of all Labour MPs would reject a deal without a second referendum, Sir Keir Starmer told The Guardian. If the point of such an exercise is to get a sustainable majority in Parliament you cannot do it without a confirmatory vote
Mixed messages coming across about the cross-party Brexit talks
- Some say they are progressing in a positive fashion while others, such as Shadow Health Secretary, Jonathan Ashworth, said 'talks are not getting very far as Theresa May is unprepared to compromise'
- Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said the talks with the Tories were disintegrating as leadership contenders were literally fighting amongst themselves in front of the Labour representatives, making a deal impossible
- Amber Rudd warned Tory rebels that Theresa May could make a comeback and urged them not to move against her until a Brexit deal is reached. She said cross-party negotiations were at a delicate stage and that launching a bid to oust her would deepen the current crisis
Dire funding situation leaves the Tories struggling for party HQ rent
- iNews reported that Tory funding has dried up so badly that the party is struggling to pay rent on its HQ. Concern among activists deepened as James Hosking, one of the party's most prominent donors, defected to Nigel Farage's Brexit Party. iNews was told Conservative HQ is paying for things on a month by month basis and they are waiting to see who would take over at the top as reserves are drying up
New polling suggested the Brexit Party is set to win more votes that Labour and the Conservatives combined
- The latest Opinium poll on voting intentions puts the Brexit Party on 34% with Labour on 21%, the Lib Dems on 12% and the Tories on 11% in fourth place
Multi-millionaire who donated £200K to the Brexit Party is former Tory Party donor
- Financier, Jeremy Hosking said he has given £200,000 over the last two to three weeks to the Brexit Party. Hosking broke cover, telling the Telegraph. He said donated to Farage as he did not want to see the dilution of Brexit, as was happening under Theresa May's leadership
Reconciliation in the UK could take a generation - said Gordon Brown
- Speaking at the launch of Christian Aid week, Brown said there were two competing visions in this country. One was isolated, inward-looking and disengaged, the other outward-facing and internationalist. He said he was worried that divisions are now so deep and so pervasive that it could take a generation for them to be reconciled
Guy Verhofstadt visits the UK to back the Liberal Democrats
- In a visit to London, Verhofstadt joined Lib Dem leader Vince Cable s\in aying they were 'offering an alternative to nationalism' and that they were the only strong pro-European party in Britain
Change UK launched its Charter for Remain in a bid to secure the anti-Brexit vote
- Brexit was the biggest symbol of our broken system, said Heidi Allen the party leader, as she launched the Charter for Remain for the Euro Election. The Charter calls for a referendum on remaining in the EU and sets out how EU membership could be used to push for change on domestic and international issues
Candidate row shows there is trouble in Remania
- The Lib Dems, Greens, Change UK and Renew wanted to field a single pro-EU candidate in the Peterborough June by-election to take on the Brexit Party and Labour. It was going to be OFOC convener, Femi Olowole. Then at the last moment it all fell apart
Scotland does not want Brexit, said Nicola Sturgeon, at the launch of the SNP's Euro election campaign
- Nicola Sturgeon said she was sending an unequivocal message to Theresa May that Scotland did not want Brexit in the SNP's campaign for the European elections. Sturgeon was insistent that any Brexit deal must be put back to the people in a second referendum
Nigel Farage explodes at BBC's Andrew Marr on air as the journalist tries to grill Farage on his previously controversial statements
- Pushed on his previous comments about liking Vladimir Putin, loosening gun control, banning immigrants with HIV from coming to Britain, Mr Farage tried to intially defend the claims but quickly lost his temper at the line of questioning. He then demanded to be asked questions about the European Elections instead
Have I Got News for You episode featuring Change UK leader Heidi Allen pulled due to the Euro Elections
- Allen said the party has written to the BBC claiming that the broadcaster was providing Nigel Farage with unduly favourable coverage and squeezing Change UK out by pulling this episode of HIGNFY
Nigel Farage's chauffeur driven 4x4 crashed into a pub landlord's car - Farage just upped and left them in a mess just hours before his Question Time appearance
- The landlord was travelling with his small son, who was left screaming as a result of shock from the car accident. 'Farage stepped out of the Range Rover, collected his bag from the boot and walked off. He did not have the common decency to see if we were OK and never looked back,' the landlord said
The Times reports that islamophobic Tories are trading in their party cards and joining Nigel Farage's Brexit Party
- A dossier compiled by the anti-racist researcher, MatesJacob, shows how large parts of the Tory and UKP grassroots have migrated to the Brexit Party - among them groups of white nationalists and prominent al-right figures.
Labour and the Tories have gone AWOL on Brexit
- Matthew d'Ancona wrote that the Tories believe just changing your leader makes all the complicated issues that no one seems to be able to resolve suddenly fix themselves. Meanwhile, Labour is oblivious to the deepening divisiveness of the Brexit debate and simply thinks if it speaks nicely to everyone it can heal the nation. Hardly ideas grounded in reality or fact, are they?
UKIP candidates urging followers to switch to the dangerous far-right social network Gab
- This network has no restrictions on anti-semitism, misogyny or racist content and has been regularly used to promote murder and terorism. Gab describes itself as a vehicle for free speech. Its distinguishing feature is that it is where most of the extremists end up after being pushed off the mainstream social media networks
Economic Impact
The Brexit effect: private equity firms shun UK for Europe
The main issue for private equity firms when it comes to British companies is the difficulty of assessing the risk they are acquiring. Even seasoned investors such as Howard Marks, who have made hundreds of millions of dollars investing in high-risk situations, are not sure how to go about investing in the UK. “Whether to invest in anything is always a question of the relationship between price and value, as well as the outlook for value,” says Mr Marks, the co-founder of Oaktree Capital who has made himself a billionaire from a career of investing in complicated deals such as raising large distressed debt funds to invest in undervalued assets. “I don’t know enough about these things to know whether the balance is currently attractive.” He adds: “All I know is that value in the UK is reduced from what it was two to three years ago, because Brexit introduces so much uncertainty and downside risk . . . maybe they’ve moved down so much that assets are cheap.” James Seagrave, global head of financial sponsors coverage at BNP Paribas in London, says the UK market has become “sclerotic” as a result of Brexit.
UK high streets 'in downward spiral' with one in 10 shops empty
One in 10 shops in UK town centres are lying empty, according to figures that underline the scale of the high street crisis. The national town centre vacancy rate climbed to a four-year high of 10.2% last month, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC) vacancies monitor. The vacancy rate has risen in each of the last four quarters to give the highest reading since April 2015, up from 9.9% three months ago. The BRC’s chief executive, Helen Dickinson, said some struggling high streets were trapped in a downward spiral: “Empty shopfronts, particularly for larger stores, can deter shoppers from an area. This effect can be cyclical, with the long-term decline in footfall pushing up vacancy rates, particularly in poorer areas.”
UK economic growth picks up as stockpiling bolsters manufacturing
Britain’s economy strengthened in the first three months of the year, with growth of 0.5% helped by unprecedented stockpiling by manufacturers fearful of the impact from a no-deal Brexit. It was an improvement on 0.2% growth in the previous three months and was bolstered by the strongest quarterly performance for manufacturers since 1988, with factory output up 2.2%, according to the figures from the Office for National Statistics. However, widespread uncertainty about the Brexit negotiations proved to have a greater impact in March as the services sector and construction sectors went into reverse to leave GDP down 0.1% month on month.
Administrative Fall Out
Hundreds of foreign doctors mull leaving UK over 'crippling' fees
Hundreds of overseas doctors are considering quitting the NHS in protest at being charged thousands of pounds a year for visas and healthcare in order to work in the UK. Medics from around the world are considering taking their skills abroad, angered by high charges and fees. Immigration rules mean they must pay thousands of pounds a year for a working visa, and £400 a year for them and each member of their family to use the NHS. More than 500 doctors from outside the EU have voiced their concerns in testimonies given to EveryDoctor, a campaigning organisation run by medics to improve how the profession is treated.
Brexiteers want us to glory in isolation. Their vision is introverted and selfish
Two competing views of what it is to be British in the world are at the root of the Brexit deadlock. Until we reconcile them we can’t move on
Football faces Brexit chaos over EU player transfers to UK clubs
The new immigration regime is set to be rolled out from January 2021, at the end of the transition period that would come as part of the Brexit deal on offer from the EU. However, January also marks the mid-season transfer window, when clubs desperately attempt to secure last-minute deals to bolster their squads. There are concerns in Whitehall that some clubs are not alive to the changes, which will mean European players lose the automatic right to come and play for British sides.
Richest in Britain got €25bn richer since the Brexit vote
At least one group of UK residents is flourishing in Brexit Britain: An exclusive club of billionaires. The 15 Britons on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index have added £21.5bn (€25bn) to their fortunes since the country voted to leave the EU on June 23, 2016, including £14bn so far this year.
Dutch artist shouts 'CANCEL BREXIT' as he sculpts Theresa May being beheaded on Weston-super-Mare beach
A Dutch artist has said "cancel Brexit" as he sculpts the Prime Minister being beheaded on a Somerset beach. Sculpter and activist Johannes Hogebrink is currently creating a depiction of the beheading of Theresa May using sand at Weston-super-Mare beach. As Britain prepares to leave the EU, he said "to cut off England from Europe is to cut off her head", and added that if people can't "understand" his art then they "shouldn’t be allowed to vote"
NHS EU exodus is 'unsustainable' says Oxford MP
Brexit is 'unsustainable' for the NHS, according to Oxford West and Abingdon MP Layla Moran. Her comments come after Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) recorded a 'significant rise' in the number nurses quitting their posts during March. As reported in this paper on Tuesday, the trust, which runs the county's acute hospitals including the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford, has seen a higher number of EU nurses leaving, particularly Spanish nurses due to Brexit 'anxiety'. Speaking yesterday, Ms Moran said: "It is deeply upsetting to hear that hard-working EU staff members are leaving the NHS in droves in Oxfordshire – the Conservatives should be ashamed.
The UK will remain deeply intertwined with the EU after Brexit – just how much, the courts will decide
Much has been written on the relationship between Parliament and the government in the wake of Brexit. Very little attention has been given to the role of our courts after Brexit, which should not be overlooked. There are two important reasons why we should focus on this, writes Martin Brenncke (Aston Law School). First, judges will be key players in delivering the goals of the statute that takes us out of the EU, the EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018. Second, this Act has the potential to intensify the shifting of power from Parliament to the courts.
Man told to remove his 'bollocks to Brexit' hat before his FlyBe flight | Latest Brexit news and top stories
A man was told to remove a woolly hat with "bollocks to Brexit" on it before he could take his seat on a flight because another passenger reportedly found it offensive. IT consultant Derek Knowles was boarding FlyBe's flight BE664 from Knock, in west Ireland, when a flight attendant said he would not be allowed to sit down while he had his hat on. "She just took exception to it," said Derek. "She was polite but firm, saying it might be offensive to other people and I'm not allowed to wear it on the plane." The airline has since said that a passenger had complained about the hat, and even followed up by writing to FlyBe's CEO about it later.
Political Shenanigans
Battle for Brexit: May and Corbyn face brutal defeat if they try to do deal
The warning comes amid rumours that ministers may try to bring the Withdrawal Bill before Parliament as early as Thursday. Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned the Prime Minister that trying to strike a deal with the Labour leader in ongoing talks has reunited the Brexiteer European Research Tory MPs in opposition to any deal. Remainer Conservative MP Phillip Lee, the first minister to resign over Brexit, said that the 14 or so Tory MPs on his side of the debate were set to oppose the deal.
Brexit news latest: More than two thirds of Labour would reject Brexit deal without second referendum, Sir Keir Starmer has warned
The shadow Brexit secretary has warned that without a second referendum, up to 150 Labour MPs would reject a Brexit deal. Sir Keir Starmer said more than two-thirds of the party's 229 MPs could reject a deal in his first major interview since talks with the Government began almost five weeks ago. Speaking to the Guardian ahead of another meeting on Monday, Sir Keir said he doubted any agreement that was not set to be ratified by a public vote would pass through Parliament. "A significant number of Labour MPs, probably 120 if not 150, would not back a deal if it hasn't got a confirmatory vote," he said. "If the point of the exercise is to get a sustainable majority, over several weeks or months of delivering on the implementation, you can't leave a confirmatory vote out of the package.
EU' Guy Verhofstadt tells Brit voters it would be 'insane' to back Farage in Euro elections
The European Parliament's chief Brexit negotiator has told British voters it would be 'insane' to re-elect Nigel Farage as an MEP, as the Brexit Party stormed to a commanding lead in the polls. Former Belgian PM Guy Verhofstadt tweeted that the Brexit Party leader 'would rather go to the pub than fight for British interests in Europe' in his latest interjection in the UK's European election campaign. It comes after Mr Verhofstadt said he didn't know whether Brexit would happen, and on the campaign trail with the Lib Dems said the coming vote was a chance to send message 'to the continent to say never repeat Brexit again.'
Failure to deliver Brexit has fuelled support for Farage's party, says Gardiner
The shadow international trade secretary, Barry Gardiner, has said parliament’s refusal to deliver Brexit has led directly to the surge in support for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party, and is allowing him to dictate what the departure terms should be.
Gardiner, who is among those on the Labour frontbench most sceptical about the idea of a second referendum, criticised the former prime minister Tony Blair for recommending in an Observer opinion piece that voters could opt for anti-Brexit parties in the European elections on 23 May.
Reconciliation in UK could take a generation, says Gordon Brown
The divisions in the UK are so deep and pervasive that reconciliation could take a generation, Gordon Brown has said. The country was facing competing visions of its future: isolated, inward-looking and disengaged, or open, outward-facing and internationalist, the former prime minister said. Speaking at the launch of Christian Aid Week in Westminster on Sunday morning, Brown set out a passionate defence of the international aid budget and the importance of the fight against global poverty before addressing the themes behind the Brexit debate. The UK had endured three years of “almost internecine division”, he said. The debate triggered by the Brexit referendum raised a fundamental disagreement about what it means to be British. “And I’ll be honest, my worry is that the divisions in our country are now so deep and so pervasive that it could take a generation for us to reconcile these differences, bring people together and find a unifying vision of our country and a sense of purpose and direction that takes us forward into the modern world,” Brown said.
Forget the polls. Even if the Brexit Party succeed at the European elections, it’ll have no impact on Brexit
Even if Nigel Farage won every single vote, he could not guarantee frictionless trade, he could not prevent a post-Brexit recession, and he could not solve the Irish border riddle. Nor could any other politician
Labour fears Tom Watson coup if Jeremy Corbyn strikes deal with Theresa May
Allies of Jeremy Corbyn fear his deputy, Tom Watson, could launch a coup within days if the Labour leader agrees to strike a Brexit deal with Theresa May that is not subject to a confirmatory referendum. Sources close to the Labour leader have become increasingly alarmed by Watson’s behaviour after he began recruiting colleagues to join his Future Britain group following the defection of eight Labour MPs for the Independent Group — now Change UK — in February. There are fears in Labour’s high command that Watson is establishing a party within a party that could eventually take control of its finances and MPs. The fears have been fuelled by claims that more than 100 Labour MPs will demand a firm guarantee that any Brexit deal is put to a confirmatory referendum before endorsing a “Westminster stitch-up”. A senior Labour source said: “There has been lots of chatter for months about the idea of Labour MPs resigning en masse if Corbyn backs away from a second referendum. But it’s clear as day to many of us that there will be an internal challenge for the leadership first before there is any kind of further break away from the party.”
Keir Starmer: Brexit deal unlikely to pass without confirmatory poll
The shadow Brexit secretary said he feared the party risked losing its remain voters after worse than expected losses in the local elections, but he warned Labour remainers tempted to vote for the Liberal Democrats or Change UK that only Jeremy Corbyn’s party could deliver a fresh referendum. In his first major interview since talks with the government began almost five weeks ago, Starmer: Suggested a referendum must be part of any package agreed with the government. Said Labour could call time on the cross-party talks within days if it became clear no new offer was forthcoming. Warned Theresa May would further damage the prospect of any deal if she set an imminent departure date from No 10. Said the option was “on the table” to face Nigel Farage or Tommy Robinson in an EU elections debate.
Starmer, a human rights lawyer for 20 years, is to be the key face of Labour’s EU elections campaign, which will be framed as a battle of values.
Tony Blair warns a no-deal Brexit would spark a 'silent revolution'
If we go ahead and tumble out of the European Union with a no-deal Brexit of the sort that Farage and Boris Johnson and these people want, you are going to get a silent revolution in this country as well. "There are people who are going to feel so strongly about this, that I just say this to both main political parties - they're going to sweep them away."
Brexit: Cross-party talks to break deadlock 'are not getting very far', Labour shadow minister says
Cross-party talks to break the Brexit deadlock are "not getting very far", a senior shadow minister has said, dealing a further blow to hopes of a breakthrough. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, claimed the government was refusing to agree to Labour's demands for a customs union with the EU and accused Theresa May of being "unprepared to compromise". The comments contradict claims made by those involved in the negotiations, who have repeatedly said that talks have been "constructive" and made progress.
EU elections: key dilemma for remainers is who to choose
Our Devastated Pessimist group are young. They make up 53% of 18- to 24-year-olds, but only 21% of those aged 65-plus, and are well educated and middle class: 44% of the AB social class, but only 24% of DEs. This makes them natural Labour supporters but they are particularly angry with Labour, with more than half agreeing that, on Brexit, “Jeremy Corbyn is more concerned about his political career than the national interest”. Disappointment in Corbyn is palpable as his apparent fence-sitting challenges the “man of principle” positioning he successfully occupied in the early days of his leadership.
Liberal Democrats are 'only pro-European party in Britain', Guy Verhofstadt says
Guy Verhofstadt has claimed the Liberal Democrats are the only truly pro-EU party in Britain as he joined Sir Vince Cable for campaigning in London. The European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator endorsed the Lib Dems ahead of EU elections later this month, saying they offered an “alternative to nationalism”.
Speaking alonside Sir Vince in Camden, north London, he said: “The reason I’m here to support the Liberal Democrats is there is only one pro-European party in Britain and it is the Lib Dems.
Theresa May warned Gavin Williamson had bad-mouthed her when she became PM but she said he was her ‘b***h now’
Theresa May was warned about Gavin Williamson’s bad mouthing when she became PM, but dubbed him “my bitch now”. The former Defence Secretary, who she sacked two weeks ago after accusing him of leaking secrets, is a well-known Westminster plotter. Yesterday, Mr Williamson avenged his firing by branding Mrs May’s decision to hold Brexit deal talks with Labour as “a grave mistake”. The Premier’s aides reported the senior Tory MP – who was then Chief Whip - to her in 2016 for allegedly telling other MPs she was “a charisma free bitch ”. But in a defiant riposte that showed the PM thought she could control Mr Williamson's ways, Mrs May told her staff: “Well he’s my bitch now”.
The Observer view on the European elections and Nigel Farage’s malign message
Farage's success is at least as much explained by the eagerness of mainstream politicians to yield to his brand of politics, rather than to challenge it. On Europe, Farage has only ever stoked anti-EU sentiment without ever offering constructive fixes. He has consistently got away with telling untruths: that the EU is on the cusp of creating a pan-European army; that EU membership costs the UK £55m a day; that three-quarters of British law is made in Brussels. He has repeatedly praised Norway as a model for the UK’s relationship with the EU in the past, but last week denied it.
Brexit backer tops Edinburgh’s rich list - overtaking Harry Potter author JK Rowling
The billionaire reportedly responsible for introducing Arron Banks to Nigel Farage’s campaign to leave the European Union has topped a league table of Edinburgh’s richest people for 2019. Capital-born businessman Jim Mellon was estimated to be worth around £1.1 billion – placing him tenth on the overall UK rankings – in the latest Sunday Times rich list.
Brexit news latest: Amber Rudd warns Tory rebels not to move against PM as ‘she can make a comeback’
Amber Rudd has warned Tory rebels that Theresa May could “make a comeback” and urged them not to move against her until a Brexit deal is reached. The Work and Pensions Secretary described the current phase of negotiations as a “delicate time” and that launching a bid oust the Prime Minister would only deepen the crisis.
Speaking on BBC Question Time, Ms Rudd admitted that cross-party cooperation was at this stage needed to break the impasse and to find the “right compromise”.
BBC's Laura Kuenssberg sets date by which Theresa May will be GONE as Tories LOSE PATIENCE
BBC Political Editor Laura Kuenssberg warned the Prime Minister might be set to face a leadership contest by the end of July. The date, speculated by Ms Kunessberg on Brexitcast, is based on the BBC veteran's knowledge of Theresa May's allies changing their tune since the results of the local elections last month. And with the Conservatives set to lose further public support at the European elections later this month after the Government's mishandling of the Brexit negotiations, the Prime Minister's position looks very unstable.
European elections: Change UK launches ‘Charter for Remain’ in bid to secure anti-Brexit vote
Change UK has sought to market itself as the party of Remain as it put the NHS, climate change and fighting Brexit austerity at the heart of it’s European election campaign. Acting leader Heidi Allen said Brexit was the “biggest symbol of our broken system” as she launched the newly formed party’s “Charter for Remain” ahead of the 23 May contest. The blueprint pledges to campaign for a referendum with remaining in the EU on the ballot paper and to fight to ensure any Brexit deal has a confirmatory vote attached. It also sets out how the UK could use membership of the EU to push for change on domestic and international issues.
Labour 'doesn't exist to stop Brexit' says Corbyn ally Richard Burgon after European manifesto launch
Labour "doesn't exist to stop Brexit", the shadow cabinet minister Richard Burgon has claimed in comments that risk angering pro-EU members. Mr Burgon - an ally of Jeremy Corbyn - made the remarks after the Labour leader launched the party's manifesto for the European elections in two weeks' time. Mr Corbyn insisted Labour was neither a Remain or Leave party, and rather appealing to both sides of the debate as he made "no apology" of attempting to "offer something to everyone".
EXCL: Sir Mark Sedwill 'facing the axe as Cabinet Secretary' if Brexiteer becomes Prime Minister
Sir Mark Sedwill faces the axe as Cabinet Secretary if a Brexiteer wins the race to become Tory leader, PoliticsHome has learned. The Whitehall bigwig, who is also Theresa May's national security adviser, is unpopular with a number of high-profile Conservatives. They include Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, both of whom are tipped as possible successors to the Prime Minister.
Brexit: Renewed hope for second referendum as Theresa May’s deputy discusses ‘research’ with opposition leaders
Theresa May’s deputy has given fresh hope to second referendum campaigners by saying another vote was “perfectly practical”, according to two party leaders. Change UK leader Heidi Allen said David Lidington, the Cabinet Office minister, had “clearly done his research” on the mechanics of a Final Say vote when she attended talks alongside Liberal Democrats Sir Vince Cable and Jo Swinson.
Lib Dem leader Vince Cable claims the Government is secretly planning to hold a second Brexit referendum
Lib Dem leader Vince Cable claims that Theresa May's deputy revealed to him in a meeting that a second Brexit referendum could be imminent as secret 'planning' in the Government is already underway. Mr Cable said that David Lidington has mulled over the 'perfectly practical' idea.
The Twickenham MP said he left a Thursday morning meeting with fellow remainer Heidi Allen and Lidington feeling sure that there are secret plans in place.
Farage cannot be allowed to dictate Britain’s future. He must be thwarted
So, the big message: vote. Because your vote will affect their vote. Who to vote for if you’re on the anti-Farage side of the ledger. There are unequivocal remain parties – Liberal Democrats, Change UK, Greens, SNP and Plaid Cymru. If, because of Labour’s equivocation, you simply won’t vote Labour, then vote for them. If, like me, despite everything, you can vote Labour, then vote Labour. But whatever you do, vote! This is not a vote to choose a prime minister or a government. It is a vote for the Farage Brexit – or against it.
Brexit talks 'on the brink of collapse' as Tories 'disintegrate' says John McDonnell
Brexit talks are on the brink of collapse after Labour heavyweight John McDonnell accused Tories of “literally falling out in front of us”. The Shadow Chancellor said there was a growing sense of frustration round the talks, with Conservative leadership contenders fighting among themselves and making a deal impossible. The administration is falling apart. “In terms of different points of view, nothing new has been put on the table – in some instances it has gone backwards. “It’s so precarious. We’re dealing with an institution that might not be there in three weeks.
“ Theresa May is living day by day. You can’t run a country on a 24-hour programme.”
Voice of the Sunday Mirror: Labour is ready to provide leadership if Tories aren't
John McDonnell puts his finger on the problem which faces the whole nation. The country is sailing in a rudderless ship of state whose crew might chuck the skipper overboard at any moment. We hope these talks succeed. We hope Brexit will be sorted out once and for all. But like the shadow Chancellor, we are sceptical. And because Brexit occupies every Tory waking moment, there is a vacuum of ideas needed to solve the nation’s ills. The country is crying out for leadership. And if the Tories cannot provide it, Labour is ready and willing.
It is the country’s future that matters, not the prime minister’s
Brexit is obviously important, but it seems clearer now that the only way it will be resolved is through a fresh referendum. This is no longer a matter of supporters of EU membership, such as The Independent, trying to frustrate Brexit. The Leave movement has crashed its own project. By failing to unite behind the prime minister’s withdrawal agreement it has prevented the UK from leaving. There is no majority either in parliament or in the country for a no-deal Brexit, which is what the candidates in a Conservative leadership contest are likely to advocate. Therefore, it seems that a majority in the House of Commons must eventually come round, one way or another, to giving the people a final say on the Brexit question.
Socialists plan EU-wide minimum wage if they win control of European Commission
The EU’s centre-left is planning to introduce a continent-wide minimum wage to correct the bloc’s “neoliberal failures” if it wins control of the European Commission after this month’s elections. The socialist group, in which the UK Labour Party sits, could capture the commission presidency for the first time in decades, with Dutch social democrat Frans Timmermans as its candidate to replace Jean-Claude Juncker. With Brexit delayed the UK is set to participate in the elections on 23 May – and with a strong showing expected for Labour, it could be British MEPs that take the socialists over the line to be the biggest group in the European parliament.
Labour warned plans for £10-an-hour minimum wage could have 'grim consequences'
Professor Len Shackleton, from the Institute of Economic Affairs think tank, said Labour's announcement made clear it was in "a bidding war" with the Tories and had closed the door on experts on the Low Pay Commission. Accusing politicians of preferring to "pluck pay increases out of the air", Prof Shackleton said: "This would mean doubling the pay of young people who understandably have fewer skills and less experience than older colleagues. "Such a rate hike could raise youth unemployment to levels comparable with those in continental Europe. "The possible dangers of a political bidding war over minimum wages have been highlighted time and time again.
These are the first European elections in history to feel enthusiastic about
My apologies for recent absence from this space: I have been attempting to finish my late Thatcher studies. As a result of this temporary detachment, it has been easier to discern a deeper pattern in the repetitious deadlock in Parliament and the astonishing fact that we are now about to take part in elections for a European Parliament in which we do not intend to sit. This pattern first became visible 30 years ago. But before I explain this, did you see Brexit: Behind Closed Doors on Wednesday and Thursday nights? Probably not, since it was on BBC 4, and your idea of fun may not involve being trapped in the colourless offices of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg for two hours
You don’t have to be great to hear the Tory call to greatness
You may have become aware of a worsening background hum to British public life. Think of it as “the clamour”. This is the very specific sound heard by Tory MPs reluctantly deciding that it falls to them to answer the call for a leadership bid. The clamour. So many separate clamours. The Tory leadership field is now the size of the Grand National, though unfortunately many of the runners would find themselves intellectually outclassed by a steeplechaser.
SNP faces fines for data protection breach after election mailing error
The Scottish National party faces being fined for a breach of data protection laws after sending out tens of thousands of European election mailings to the wrong addresses. The Information Commissioner’s Office confirmed on Friday morning that the SNP had referred itself for investigation after voters across Scotland received letters addressed to strangers or neighbours. The ICO said it was investigating under stricter EU data protection regulations, which carry significant fines for privacy breaches. The election letters were signed by the SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, and urged voters to back the party on 23 May. The wrong recipients included Monica Lennon, a Labour MSP, who did not recognise the person Sturgeon was addressing.
Candidate row shows there is trouble in Remainia
Remainers from the Lib Dems, Greens, Change UK and Renew wanted to unite behind a single pro-EU candidate to take on the buoyant Brexit Party, as well as Labour and the Tories. They just couldn’t agree on who that one candidate should be. It was understood to be Femi Oluwole, a law graduate and member of the Our Future, Our Choice group. Gavin Shuker, a former Labour MP who is Change UK’s convener (not to be confused with its leader or chief spokesman), blamed “senior Labour figures, including senior figures campaigning for a People’s Vote” who had “made it clear that they would strenuously disrupt the campaign and obstruct an independent candidate”. It is almost as if Labour would rather win the seat than not win the seat. Given that Labour won it by only 607 in 2017, any dalliance with smaller parties risks handing victory to the Tories.
Second Brexit referendum would be doing SNP's work, Boris Johnson claims
“By undermining the verdict of the EU referendum, they are undermining the decision of 2014 and they are doing the work of the SNP and they are threatening the union. And let us be in no doubt the damage the nationalists would do. They would not only destroy the oldest and most successful political union in the world, they would destroy the very concept of Britain.”
Sajid Javid warns Brexit could be cancelled if MPs fail to back Theresa May's deal by October
The Home Secretary said he feared anti-Brexit MPs would bring forward legislation in an attempt to revoke the Article 50 process in a bid to prevent the UK crashing out without a deal. The UK was due to leave the EU on 29 March, but that deadline has now been pushed back to 31 October because of the Prime Minister's failure to win MPs' backing for her deal at three Commons votes.
@Channel4News “Aren’t you just winding everyone up by being here?” The European Parliament's Brexit Coordinator Guy Verhofstadt
“Aren’t you just winding everyone up by being here?” The European Parliament's Brexit Coordinator Guy Verhofstadt - who also heads the European Liberal group - is challenged while campaigning for the Lib Dems ahead of the European elections.
Brexit ULTIMATUM: EU warns Tories removing Theresa May will NOT change deal
Theresa May is to be hauled in front of an emergency meeting of the National Conservative Convention (NCC) in June after grassroots Conservatives demanded her resignation over her failure to deliver Brexit. Irish deputy Prime Minister Simon Coveney, however, warned the party changes in the leadership will not have the European Union change their stance on the controversial backstop included in the divorce deal to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Coveney said: "These realities don’t change. This is not a personality-based issue, it’s an evidence-based issue.
Guy Verhofstadt: I don't know if Brexit will happen
Guy Verhofstadt has said he does not "know" if Brexit will go ahead. Questioned on this during a visit to London, the leader of the liberal group in the European Parliament told reporters: "Ask Theresa May." Meanwhile, European Council President Donald Tusk said there was a "20 to 30%" chance Brexit would not happen. But Home Secretary Sajid Javid told the BBC it was "still possible" to get Theresa May's withdrawal agreement with the EU through Parliament. The House of Commons has rejected it three times, with the deadline for Brexit being delayed from 29 March to 31 October.
Europe must never repeat Brexit, says Guy Verhofstadt
The European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, Guy Verhofstadt, has warned that the UK’s decision to leave the EU has already done “far more damage than has ever been predicted”. Appearing alongside the Liberal Democrat leader, Vince Cable, at a European election campaign event in Camden, north London, on Friday morning, the leader of the Alliance for Liberals and Democrats for Europe said he wanted to send a message to people on the continent to “never repeat Brexit again”. Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium, has been criticised for comments he made in a BBC documentary, in which he joked that Olly Robbins, the UK’s chief negotiator, had asked him for Belgian citizenship. His aide was also recorded describing Theresa May’s actions as insane and pathetic. Asked about the comments, Verhofstadt said the description of the prime minister had been taken out of context and the Robbins anecdote was “a funny joke. Where is your British sense of humour? I hope that in Brexit you don’t lose that. Your famous sense of humour.”
'I'm a Lib Dem' declares EU's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt
The European Parliament's Brexit co-ordinator has declared himself a Liberal Democrat as he joined the party on the campaign trail in London. Guy Verhofstadt said the Lib Dems offered an alternative to nationalism and predicted a surge for Remain support in the upcoming European elections. He joined Vince Cable's party in Camden, north London, after they launched their European election manifesto "B******* to Brexit".
Nigel Farage says he wants Theresa May to remain Prime Minister ‘as long as possible’ to help him recruit Brexit Party members
Farage quit as head of the party after the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, only returning to frontline politics with his new party in January of this year.
Asked if May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn should be worried about his newly-formed party, he responded: "As leader of the Brexit Party, I want Theresa May to stay in office as long as possible as she's doing a fantastic job of recruiting for us.
‘Dire’ funding situation leaves Tories struggling for party HQ rent
Funding for the Conservatives has dried up so badly that the party is struggling to pay the rent on its headquarters, i has been told. Concern among activists and MPs deepened yesterday as James Hosking, a City financier and one of the party’s most prominent donors, defected to Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party. The failure to secure Brexit is one of the main reasons for the crash in donations, with backers unwilling to provide more cash until the issue is resolved. Senior Tory sources told i the situation has become so “dire” that party headquarters was struggling to pay the rent at its £51m Westminster home. “They are currently paying for things at a month by month basis,” the source said. “It is like the dark days of opposition when donors were waiting to see who would take over and reserves were drying up.”
Why the Liberal Democrats’ “Bollocks to Brexit” slogan is a stroke of genius
The Liberal Democrats unveiled their manifesto for the European elections last night in Shoreditch. It was what we’ve come to expect from the party: a slick, well put together event that said – both explicitly though a speech given by leader Vince Cable and implicitly through its smooth execution – that they are the largest, most well-organised pro-Remain party and that anyone who wants to stop Brexit should back them at this European elections. They also chucked in plenty of Green lovebombing, managing to talk up their own environmental credentials without mentioning – or more importantly criticising – their competitors in that field. But all anyone can talk about is the party’s election slogan: “Bollocks to Brexit”. The broadcasters and most of the papers are talking about whether or not they have gone too far with their manifesto’s new message.
Scotland does not want Brexit says Nicola Sturgeon at launch of SNP campaign
Nicola Sturgeon has sent an “unequivocal message” to Theresa May that “Scotland does not want Brexit”, as she launched the SNP’s campaign for the European elections. The First Minister joined the party’s six election candidates in Edinburgh for the launch, and demanded any Brexit deal must be put back to the people in a second referendum.
I'm campaigning for a confirmatory vote. This is what I say to Leavers
If Labour had won the 2017 election, we would have left Europe on March 31st 2019 with a customs union, meeting our six tests – the least worst option. But we didn’t, and they couldn’t pull off any agreement, and now their extreme right Brexiteers are trying to trash our economy, environment and workers’ rights so they can make a killing offering them to their friends as a firesale for Trump’s America.
I can’t allow that to happen. Not without a confirmatory vote, at the very least, to ensure that Brexit is really what people want. I am not saying it brings Leave voters round to my way of thinking but I am pretty sure they know where I stand. And, generally, they respect that.
Sir Graham Brady considering running to replace Theresa May as Tory leader
The Tories’ most powerful backbencher Sir Graham Brady last night opened the door to his own run for the party’s leadership. The 1922 Committee chairman has been tipped to stand in as an interim PM if the Brexit crisis deepens. Quizzed on whether he would be prepared to be the next permanent Tory leader, Mr Brady would only say he is busy at the moment running the troubled 1922 Committee. He added cryptically: “It would take an awful lot of people to persuade me. “I’m not sure many people are straining at the leash at the moment to take on what is an extraordinarily difficult situation.”
Love Corbyn, hate Brexit? Labour's EU elections dilemma – podcast
Jeremy Corbyn launched Labour’s European elections manifesto with a renewed promise to back a second Brexit referendum in certain circumstances – but to also respect the result of the first. Yet for ardently pro-Corbyn Europhiles such as Momentum’s Laura Parker, it has been a tough balancing act to support.
Dominic Raab Pockets £73,000 In Donations From Financiers Linked To Tax Havens
Tory leadership favourite Dominic Raab has netted £73,000 in donations from financiers linked to tax havens. The donations include £29,000 for a staff member in Raab’s office from the IPGL hedge fund, which is owned by ex-Tory treasurer Michael Spencer. Spencer’s hedge fund was named in the Paradise Papers in connection with a subsidiary based in Bermuda. Private banking group Arbuthnot donated £44,000 to Raab’s office. The bank’s owner Henry Angest is also named in the Paradise Papers in connection with a subsidiary of his bank based in Barbados. Overall, Angest has donated nearly £7m to the Conservative Party.
Theresa May is refusing to set a firm resignation date before her Brexit deal is passed by Commons
She fears pinning down the date before her deal approved by the Commons would see ... But despite the PM’s refusal so far, Sir Graham Brady is still insisting Mrs May fulfils his demand for a timetable to leave No10 no matter what at her showdown meeting
Now even TORY MPs are backing Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party ahead of Theresa May because they’re so furious with the PM
Tory MPs are openly praising the Brexit Party and discussing why their voters are abandoning them ahead of the EU elections. Several high profile Brexiteer MPs have been lavishing praise on Nigel Farage and his army as they grow more frustrated at Theresa May's inability to deliver Brexit. Today Crawley MP Henry Smith said the Brexit Party boss was doing better than the PM. He told his local paper The Argus: "I won’t be surprised at all if more voters turn to the Brexit Party.
WATCH: 'You're lying to the people' - Gavin Esler takes to task Brexit Party candidate
Martin Daubney was left squirming as Esler tried to hold him to account for what he called a "lie" over who the former Newsnight presenter had called a "village idiot".
In a lively discussion on the BBC's Politics Live programme, Esler said that the Brexit Party was using a "hugely simplistic message" and that it was "worse than that because it contains lies." It led to Esler confronting Daubney for the way his party had used the Change UK candidate's comments to suggest he called every Leave voter the "village idiots". A suggestion that had been amplified by Piers Morgan on social media. Esler, however, pointed out this was in relation to Michael Gove's comments on experts, and was not made about all Brexiteers, something Daubney would not acknowledge. Esler joked it was up to Daubney if he wants to "self-identify" as one, but he had not accused him of being in this category. He explained: "What I said was we need more experts in British politics, we fewer Chris Graylings, we need people who know what they're talking about.
The Lib Dem 'Bo***cks To Brexit' Slogan Sounds Flippant, But Holds A Serious Message
‘Bollocks to Brexit’. That’s the slogan on the front of the Lib Dem’s manifesto, which is officially launched this evening in east London. It isn’t the usual sort of language used in a formal document by a political party, but these are not usual times. These are desperate times. The most pressing issue facing any of us in this country is that B-word – no not bollocks, but Brexit. If it goes ahead it will be the most damaging thing for us, our economy and our children in generations. The issue is far graver than a petty linguistic debate. People are getting their knickers in the twist over the use of a word that is officially categorised by Ofcom as ‘medium level’ of offensiveness. What that means is that it can’t be used on TV or radio before the watershed. Well, bollocks to the watershed. Anyone too young to stay up beyond the watershed isn’t old enough to vote anyway. The message is not about creating good PR. It’s about stopping Brexit – the most pressing issue in politics right now.
It's not true to say that Labour's Brexit position is ambiguous
Labour’s position is to secure a general election and a softer Brexit deal than the Conservatives with this parliament – or, in the event that it cannot get either of those, to support a public vote to resolve the deadlock. It is, by any definition, a pro-Brexit policy because its first preference is for Brexit to happen.
European Parliament elections: Brexit Party to win more votes than Labour and Conservatives combined, new poll suggests
The Brexit Party will earn more votes than Labour and the Conservatives combined in the European Parliament elections, according to a new poll. The latest Opinium poll on voting intentions shows Nigel Farage’s party has galloped into first place ahead of Labour with 34% support - doubling the existing gap to 13 points in the last fortnight. It also showed the Tories continue to stagger behind in fourth place with 11% support. Labour, coming second with 21%, has fallen seven points in the last fortnight and the Lib Dems are in third position with 12%, having risen five points.
Donald Tusk: chance of Brexit being cancelled could be 30%
The chances of the UK staying in the EU are as high as 30% as the country would be likely to reject Brexit in a second referendum, the president of the European council, Donald Tusk, has said. The bloc’s most senior official claimed the British public had only truly debated Brexit after the 2016 referendum and there was significant reason to believe the leave vote could be reversed. Describing the decision by the former British prime minister, David Cameron, to call the vote as a political miscalculation, Tusk said he would expect a different result in a vote today given what had been learned about the consequences of leaving.
Multi-millionaire who donated £200,000 to the Brexit Party is former Tory party donor
The businessman who handed a six-figure sum to the Brexit Party is a former Tory party donor worth £375million, it emerged yesterday. Financier Jeremy Hosking, 60, who owns a major share of Crystal Palace Football Club, said he has given £200,000 over the past two to three weeks. Nigel Farage had repeatedly refused to reveal the identity of the businessman who made the vast donation to his new party – originally thought to be £100,000. But Mr Hosking broke cover yesterday, telling The Telegraph: ‘On a Sunday chat show last weekend it was [claimed] that I have given £100,000 to the recently formed Brexit Party. ‘This is not the case. I have given £200,000, and urge all who wish to see a proper Conservative Party in Britain to support the BP as much as they can. If the Conservatives insist on diluting Brexit, what hope is there on other issues where a robust Conservative position needs to be advocated?
Political Setbacks
Brexit: Nigel Farage explodes at BBC's Andrew Marr live on air, accusing him of 'most ridiculous interview ever'
Nigel Farage has launched a furious rant at Andrew Marr during a heated appearance on live television, accusing the BBC presenter of conducting the most “ridiculous” interview ever. The Brexit Party leader reacted with fury after being asked whether he still agreed with a series of controversial statements he had made in the past. Pushed on his previous comments about Vladimir Putin, gun control and immigrants with HIV, Mr Farage initially tried to defend the claims but quickly lost his temper at the line of questioning and demanded he instead be asked about this month’s European parliament elections.
Change UK asks BBC to explain pulling Have I Got News For You
Change UK has written to the BBC to call for a full explanation of the decision not to air an episode of Have I Got News For You featuring its interim leader, Heidi Allen, claiming the broadcaster was providing Nigel Farage with unduly favourable coverage. The newly formed party also raised concerns over the fairness of the BBC’s coverage of Change UK and demanded an urgent review of the decision to “exclude” them from a BBC Wales election debate on Sunday before the European elections. Change UK’s campaign coordinator, Chris Leslie, raised concerns and referred to Nigel Farage’s appearance on Have I Got News For You in 2014 in the run-up to the EU parliament elections, although it was unclear if this fell within the pre-election period.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/may/11/change-uk-asks-bbc-to-explain-pulling-heidi-allen-have-i-got-news-for-you?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter
Additional sources: (BBC) (The Telegraph) (BBC) (iNews) (Daily Mirror) (Daily Mail) (The Independent) (Evening Standard) (The Guardian) (Sky News)
Additional sources: (BBC) (The Telegraph) (BBC) (iNews) (Daily Mirror) (Daily Mail) (The Independent) (Evening Standard) (The Guardian) (Sky News)
Brex-hit and run? Nigel Farage's chauffeur-driven 4x4 crashed into me and he just ‘upped and left' hours before Question Time, claims pub landlord
Mr Tranter told The Sun: ‘He lives two miles away and loves a pint, but he won’t get one from me. Man of the people, my arse. ‘As far as I’m concerned he’s barred.’
Farage, 55, last night denied the allegations and claiming he checked nobody was hurt, before adding: ‘If I’m banned, then it’s not too terrible is it?’ Mr Tranter, who has been visited by Farage at the George and Dragon pub in Westerham, Kent, in the past, had just been to drop his wife at the station and was driving home when the two cars collided in nearby Titsey. Mr Tranter, whose 1986 Jaguar Series 3 Sovereign was written off, added: ‘We crashed with an enormous bang. Farage could not possibly have failed to hear George screaming. I ran out to see if my little boy was OK. ‘Farage stepped out of the Range Rover, collected his bag from the boot and walked off. ‘He didn’t have the common decency to see if we were OK, and never even looked back.’
Eurocrats remind us why we voted for Brexit
The star of the show is Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s floppy-haired Brexit coordinator, who was followed by TV cameras during the period in which British negotiators tried, and failed, to get Britain out of the EU. Any dispirited Brexiteer who needs reminding why they voted three years ago to leave the EU should watch it. I suggest that my Remainer friends should watch it too and then try telling me, with a straight face, that our future lies in an organisation as ghastly as this.
Corbyn-style socialism will never provide the resources our precious NHS needs
I wish you could have been with me the other day when they showed me round the mental health facilities in my constituency in Uxbridge. You would have found it impossible not to have been moved. There was a toddler, a little girl, who had been born with a complex neurological condition – not unlike cerebral palsy – which was so severe that at first the doctors had held out little hope of improvement. She was sitting on the floor of a warm, bright room, decorated with colourful prints. She wore special spectacles, and a brace on her arm to help her co-ordination. On one side of her on the mat was her mother, and on the other was a young man – a therapist trained in dealing with exactly this kind of clinical issue
Tony Blair launches most critical attack yet on Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit
Tony Blair has launched his most critical attack yet on Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit policy, claiming it meant the party was "doomed to fail" in last week's local elections.
The former prime minister and leading campaigner for a second referendum says Labour's "destructive indecision" of trying to face both ways "pleased no one" and let down the country. Writing in The Observer ahead of an interview on Sophy Ridge On Sunday on Sky News, Mr Blair says that "despite everything" he will vote Labour in the European elections on 23 May.
Polling guru John Curtice explains 'remarkable' rise of Brexit Party putting May on BRINK
“Having failed to deliver Brexit, the Conservatives now find themselves in a degree of electoral trouble. “Essentially amongst those who would still vote Conservatives in a Westminster election, that’s not a diminished number, around a quarter to 30 percent of people who would still vote for the Conservatives in a Westminster election, say they are going to vote for the Brexit Party.
Jess Phillips calls on social media sites to end hate speech profits
The Labour MP Jess Phillips has called for social media companies to stop hate preachers from profiting from their presence on online platforms, and called for political candidates to be banned from discussing raping politicians. YouTube stripped the ability to earn money from Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin’s account on Friday, after he joked about raping Phillips. West Midlands police said it is investigating Benjamin’s comments to establish if an offence has taken place. Benjamin stated in a tweet from 2016 that he “wouldn’t even rape” Phillips, who is the MP for Birmingham Yardley. In a YouTube video uploaded to his channel more recently, Benjamin said that “with enough pressure I might cave”. Phillips said on Saturday that there must be a “code of conduct” that would sanction parties if candidates fall foul of the rules. “I would back something that stopped somebody as part of normal political discourse talking about raping another politician, yes,” she said.
Nigel Farage loses his temper as BBC asks him about something other than Brexit
Nigel Farage lost his temper in a live TV spat today as the BBC asked him about something other than Brexit. The rattled Brexit Party leader blasted the "most ridiculous interview in my life" as he was grilled on his past remarks about the NHS, foreigners and climate change.
Theresa May must go now if the Conservative Party is to survive
What is Jeremy Corbyn’s single most idiotic statement? It’s a crowded field, but his claim on Thursday that a second referendum could be “a healing process” is surely a strong contender. Since the 2016 vote, positions have tragically hardened on both sides. What began as a civil conversation has ended as something closer to a civil war. Reasonable arguments about trade, sovereignty and budgets have descended into a ghastly kulturkampf. Leavers are dismissed as dim-witted oiks led astray by demagogues. Remainers are caricatured as self-satisfied snobs who despise their own country. Language that used to be considered beyond the pale – “traitors”, “Nazis”, “saboteurs” – is now habitually employed
'Islamophobic' activists trade in Tories for Nigel Farage
The dossier, compiled by the anti- racist researcher MatesJacob, demonstrates how large parts of the Tory and Ukip grassroots have migrated to the Brexit Party, among them white nationalists and prominent alt-right figures. One Facebook page with more than 4,000 members called “Brexit party supporters” is run by Simon Dearsley, who as recently as last month claimed to be a Tory party member. The tattoo artist has posted an image of himself impersonating Hitler and shared articles about “Islamic immigration” and the “genocide” of white Europe, writing “Enoch [Powell] was right”. The similarly named group, “the Brexit Party — Supporters”, with almost 14,000 members, is run by Luke Nash-Jones, an alt-right activist of the pro-Donald Trump organisation Make Britain Great Again. He was involved in an incident last year when Trump supporters raided a socialist bookshop in central London and ripped up magazines while chanting right-wing slogans. Police were called and Nash-Jones was later suspended from Ukip. Another group, “Nigel Farage Mr Brexit”, is jointly run by Andrew Spencer Machin, who has boasted about burning Korans and said that “Islam must be banned from Europe”. The other administrator, Abigail Winsor, sought to downplay an attack on a mosque in Birmingham by writing “Smashed windows isn’t a violent crime”.
Nigel Farage interview: 'At the end of this campaign the Brexit Party will be a lot bigger than the Conservatives'
Theresa May had made a pre-dawn dash to Brussels to sign an agreement with the EU that already appeared to renege on some of her key pledges to Brexiteers. Mr Farage, using characteristic language, declared in a newspaper article that the "great Brexit betrayal" had begun. He was, he recalls with just a hint of glee, roundly mocked for doing so. Now, 17 months on, the former Ukip leader is leading a new party that is threatening to all but wipe out the Conservatives' footprint in the European Parliament next week, having existed for little over three months. He and his cohort are planning to cause maximum disruption
EXCL Nigel Farage brands BBC 'the enemy' after angry interview over past statements
Nigel Farage brands BBC 'the enemy' after angry interview over past statements
Farage criticised for using antisemitic themes to criticise Soros
Nigel Farage’s Brexit party has described criticism by Jewish groups and MPs as “pathetic” after it emerged he repeatedly used themes associated with antisemitism to criticise the financier George Soros. Following strong condemnation of Farage’s use of language, echoing other conspiracy theories popular with antisemites, during interviews with the far-right US website Infowars, a Guardian investigation has found he called Soros “the biggest danger to the entire western world”, among other comments. The Community Security Trust, which monitors and counters antisemitic sentiment, said Soros was a favourite hate figure among far-right antisemites. “Instead of dismissing these concerns, Nigel Farage should ensure that his language does not help these ideas to spread in British politics,” the charity said.
Both Labour and the Tories have gone awol on Brexit
Extraordinarily, most Tories see no contradiction or impropriety in this. So great is their faith in the power of leadership that they do believe that, say, Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab could do a better job in Brussels than May, and – by sheer force of charisma and personality – whip the EU into line. This is the deep, collective delusion of a tribe that depends unhealthily upon the magical powers of its chieftain. It is no way to run a party, let alone a country. Just when we need both parties to be rigorously focused, they have wandered off into the woods of distraction. For the voters there is no such handy exit hatch from the present crisis, no panic room to hide in. The Conservatives and Labour have gone awol. Is it any wonder that Nigel Farage looks so happy?
The Observer view on the European elections and Nigel Farage’s malign message
The hostile environment, designed to make Britain a sufficiently cruel place that it drives out illegal immigrants, has ensnared people who have legally lived and paid taxes in Britain for decades, who have been denied NHS treatment and wrongfully deported. May has made it far harder for young people who have grown up in Britain to secure their permanent status: they face extortionate fees of thousand of pounds. The irony is May is an outrider: the public is far more pragmatic on immigration than the Conservative party; the proportion of the public whose hostility to immigration is driven by opposition to ethnicities and religions other than their own has fallen dramatically in the last few years.
Nigel Farage: Breaking point poster 'transformed politics'
The Brexit Party wouldn't put up UKIP's controversial "breaking point" anti-EU poster showing a long queue of migrants, MEP Nigel Farage has said. A number of politicians attacked the 2016 poster, featuring a photo taken in Slovenia, with George Osborne saying it had "echoes" of 1930s' literature. Speaking on the Andrew Marr programme, Mr Farage said the Brexit party wouldn't use it as "immigration isn't the burning issue of the time" but he defended using it in 2016.
Lib Dems and Change UK must stop bickering and unite for the Euro vote
Both the Lib Dems and Change UK like to commend the virtues of political traditions working with each other. They should act that way. They have their divergences of history, emphasis and approach and that may matter for the future. But these are irrelevant to a Euro election that revolves around one single, stark and enormous issue about which they are entirely agreed. Every minute wasted trying to cannibalise each other’s support is a minute not spent striving to maximise the overall anti-Brexit vote. It is too late for the Remain parties to field a common slate of candidates for the Euro elections; it is not too late to behave as friendly allies engaged in a common struggle.
Brexit: Gavin Williamson attacks Theresa May's talks with Labour
Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit talks with the Labour Party are a "grave mistake", according to former defence secretary Gavin Williamson. Mrs May is hoping to reach a cross-party consensus on her withdrawal agreement after failing to get it through Parliament three times. But Mr Williamson - sacked over the Huawei leak - told the Mail on Sunday the talks were "destined to fail". He added Jeremy Corbyn's only real interest was a general election. BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said a Downing Street source had indicated Mr Williamson had been "supportive of the process while he was in the cabinet" and that he had "not been involved in the talks himself". The Conservative MP for South Staffordshire said doing a deal with Labour on Brexit "sounds so simple and so reasonable" - but would not work.
Brexit news: Jeremy Corbyn faces ultimatum from backbench Labour MPs to pull plug on talks with Theresa May
Former shadow cabinet member Mary Creagh told the Evening Standard: “Our members and voters are furious with these talks, which have done nothing except keep the Prime Minister in office and depress Labour’s vote at the local and European elections. “The Government are playing us for fools. If we stand in the middle of the road on Brexit, we’ll get run over from both directions.” Former Europe minister Chris Bryant warned Labour could not negotiate with a “phantom PM who will be gone in weeks” and who could not bind her successor into any agreement she makes. “We should stop faffing about, pull out of the talks and put our distinctive position to the people with an option to Remain,” he added.
Is Boris Johnson going to fail at the last moment to become prime minister – again?
If they finally want to test the proposition that no one could be a worse prime minister than Theresa May, Johnson stands ready to offer a live experiment. And that, as Johnson broods over his plan for government, is his dilemma. The one thing worse for him than having the cup of victory dashed from his lips again would be to win. He would then become prime minister with Brexit unresolved and the EU waiting to hear what his plan would be by 31 October. So far as can be deduced from his weekly column in The Daily Telegraph urging the nation to buck up and look on the bright side, his plan is to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and, when the EU says no, to leave anyway.
Raab infuriating the EU with demands May 'never dared' make shows why he should be PM, allies say
A documentary showing the EU's Brexit negotiator criticising Dominic Raab over demands that Theresa May "never dared" to make is being used to support the former Brexit Secretary's burgeoning leadership campaign. Supporters of Mr Raab said the fury in Brussels at his approach to the talks showed that he would "stand up" for the UK. A clip showing Michael Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, and Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, criticising Mr Raab's combative approach has been shared on Twitter and Facebook after being uploaded by supporters.
Former Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve faces deselection vote next month from Tory activists furious over Brexit
Arch-Remainer Dominic Grieve is fighting for his political career after local Tory activists collected enough signatures to make him to face a deselection vote next month. The news comes after Beaconsfield Conservatives passed a vote of no confidence vote in Mr Grieve in March by 182 to 131 votes. Mr Grieve, the chairman of Parliament's intelligence watchdog, has been heavily criticised locally for his efforts in the House of Commons to frustrate attempts to take the UK out of the European Union. Now 66 local activists – more than the 50 required under the party’s rules – have submitted a formal notice calling for a deselection vote at a special general meeting.
Brexit Party beats Tories in general election poll and would win 49 seats in Commons
The Brexit Party has overtaken the Conservatives in national polling for the first time, with Nigel Farage predicted to win 49 seats in a general election, a bombshell poll reveals. A ComRes survey found that if a general election campaign led by Theresa May took place now, it would put the Tories on course for their worst result in history – apparently confirming the fears of Conservative MPs and activists in uproar over the Prime Minister’s handling of Brexit. Labour would become the largest party by a margin of 137 seats, allowing Jeremy Corbyn to lead a minority government as the Tories fell to third place in terms of vote share.
UKIP candidates urge followers to switch to far-right social network Gab
Leading figures on the far right, including Ukip candidates in the upcoming European elections, are encouraging their followers to join a new hate-filled social media platform. The network, called Gab, has no restrictions on antisemitic, misogynist or racist content, and has been used to promote terrorism. Gab, launched in 2017 by tech entrepreneur Andrew Torba, describes itself as a vehicle for “free speech” and is similar to Twitter in that it allows users to send messages of up to 3,000 characters, called “gabs”. However, unlike Twitter, its user base mainly consists of people on the far right, many of whom joined after being banned from mainstream networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
Haringey: Expelled councillor hits back at ‘hard left, Corbynista’ dominated Labour Party
An unsigned letter from the national Labour Party’s governance and legal unit, dated 10 May, informed Blake that her membership had been automatically ended and included images of five tweets from March and one from April which Blake had re-tweeted as “evidence provided” to justify the decision. But Blake strongly disputes these grounds, telling On London that, “At no time have I ever expressed support for Change UK or encouraged anyone to vote for them” and saying it is “the grip the hard Left has on the party both nationally and locally which has led to my expulsion”. Most of the tweets in question reflected Blake’s support for a further referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union and what she describes as her “increasing frustration with Jeremy’s Corbyn’s prevarication over Europe”.
UKIP battle bus slapped with parking ticket and attacked with milkshake in Plymouth
A UKIP battle bus was hit with a parking ticket and had milkshake thrown over it during a party rally in Plymouth. It was left unattended on a yellow line next to Plymouth’s Messenger statue as controversial candidate Carl Benjamin staged a rally in the city centre. The purple vehicle was hit with a parking ticket before having a light-coloured drink thrown over its side. Would-be MEP Mr Benjamin was speaking to about 150 supporters in Armada Way this afternoon.
Reporting on Brexit from Europe: 'I'll be mighty glad when it's over'
Throughout the entire process, it appears from here, the Brits have been negotiating essentially with themselves, rather than with the EU27. And when they have tried they have proved inconsistent, incoherent, entitled and wholly incapable of compromise either with themselves or their neighbours. Above all, Britain has been unrealistic, and startlingly ignorant of the workings of an organisation it has belonged to for nearly 50 years. So much of what has been proposed from the UK side has simply been impossible – but because it continues to view Europe through that uniquely British prism, it proposed it all the same.
Brexit Party beats Tories in general election poll and would win 49 seats in Commons
The Brexit Party has overtaken the Conservatives in national polling for the first time, with Nigel Farage predicted to win 49 seats in a general election, a bombshell poll reveals. A ComRes survey found that if a general election campaign led by Theresa May took place now, it would put the Tories on course for their worst result in history – apparently confirming the fears of Conservative MPs and activists in uproar over the Prime Minister’s handling of Brexit. Labour would become the largest party by a margin of 137 seats, allowing Jeremy Corbyn to lead a minority government as the Tories fell to third place in terms of vote share.
Farage, Rees-Mogg, Claire Fox... Britain is seduced by politicians who are ‘characters’
Then there’s the undeniable fact that privileged journalists, like their political counterparts, subconsciously know they don’t have skin in the game and will not suffer the fate of farmers, car workers and aviation engineers. Standing above all these, however, has been a refusal to reveal the menace behind the masks of the right’s character actors. Nigel Farage plays the old English hearty full of cakes and ale. Boris Johnson is Billy Bunter with a smattering of Latin. Jacob Rees-Mogg poses as an Edwardian lawyer calmly laying out the facts. In short, Brexit is being pushed towards its miserable conclusion by men who raided the fancy-dress box for traditional robes. What else should you call him? Farage is not a patriotic conservative who opposes Britain’s enemies, as his support for Vladimir Putin shows. Johnson in turn is not a traditional conservative who promotes enterprise, as his cry of “fuck business” proves. Indeed, Johnson and Michael Gove’s Vote Leave campaign began with a pre-emptive attack on the CBI, to discredit its warnings about dangers of Brexit to the economy. They aren’t conservatives, they are far-rightists. Why is it so hard to admit that we are no different from any other country caught in nationalist backlash?
Sajid Javid says he is attacked daily online by Asians and the 'far Left' because he is not 'brown enough'
Sajid Javid has said he is attacked daily on social media by Asians and the “far Left” because he is "not brown enough", as he gives a big hint he will stand to succeed Theresa May as party leader. The Home Secretary said in an interview that he is receiving racist abuse on social media on a daily basis and that “they don’t like me because of my colour”. Mr Javid is one of the frontrunners to succeed Mrs May who is under pressure from her backbenchers to set a clear “roadmap” for her exit. So far she has only said she will stand down once the Brexit deal has been agreed.
Andrew Neil warns of 'imminent extinction' in brutal Brexit analysis – 'May still here'
As Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn battle to break the Brexit deadlock in cross-party talks, Mr Neil poked fun at the political situation in Britain and warned of an "imminent extinction" of the main political parties. Hosting BBC This Week, Mr Neil said: “The Maybot is still Prime Minister. Tory MPs are still in search of a spine. Jezza the red is still Labour leader. The Labour Party still searching for a Brexit policy that could survive a minute of scrutiny.
Question Time: Nigel Farage can't give audience answer to simple Brexit question
Nigel Farage failed to provide a straight answer when an audience member grilled him over Brexit on BBC Question Time in Northampton. Name me one country within the WTO rules that doesn't have a trade agreement with another country, he asked. In response, the former commodities trader said: "No I don't the answer to the question, because actually there isn't one." The questioner then told the politician that this was the scheme he was proposing to the public, resulting in applause from other members of the audience.
Tommy Robinson's offer of MEP salary rejected by charities
Tommy Robinson’s pledge to donate his hypothetical European parliament salary to child victims of sexual grooming has been criticised as “an insult to survivors of abuse” by women’s groups who said he was “no ally for the children he claims to stand up for”. The coalition of women’s groups said Robinson exploited the pain suffered by victims in a self-serving attempt to fuel racial hatred. “We, as organisations and individuals fighting tirelessly against the abuse of women and girls, as survivors of abuse and their families, and as people who care about our communities, do not want your money, Tommy,” the letter read.
“Super callous fragile racist sexist UKIP a***hole”: Carl Benjamin visits Truro
The unidentified protestor, who was masked and dressed in black, was tackled to the ground after attempting to pour a milkshake over the prospective MEP, mimicking a similar assault on UKIP advisor Tommy Robinson earlier this month.
In a statement concerning the incident, the police said that the assault had been investigated but no formal complaint had been made as the alleged victim did not identify himself to officers at the scene.
Ann Widdecombe compares no deal Brexit to the suffering of World War II
Brexit Party candidate Ann Widdecombe suggested that any disruption brought on by a no-deal Brexit is justified as it will not compare with the suffering during the Second World War. The former Tory minister retired from politics in 2010 and has made a comeback as a candidate for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party for the European elections on 23 May. Journalists from the BBC’s Radio 4 Today Programme captured the moment she evoked the Second World War while on the campaign trail, in something which is proving a common theme for Brexiteers.
Labour’s Brexit Position is so unambiguous, no one can decide how ambiguous it is, or isn’t
Since the words came out, there has been much debate over whether Labour’s Brexit policy is ambiguous. It is in favour of Brexit. There’s nothing ambiguous about that. If there is any ambiguity, it might just be because the truth cannot be heard above the clanging cymbals of cognitive dissonance going off in the heads of hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members, and millions of Labour Party supporters, as they try and accept their party is unequivocally pro-Brexit, and thus, anathema to everything it has ever stood for.
Nigel Farage stands by claim that people with HIV should be banned from UK
Challenging the Brexit Party leader on his past views on Sunday, Andrew Marr asked: “Do you still feel that people with HIV shouldn’t be allowed into this country?”
Farage responded: “Do I think the National Health Service is there for British people? Yes, I absolutely do.” The Brexit Party leader, who has not released a manifesto ahead of the European Elections was also pressed over his past statements that the UK should move to an insurance-based healthcare system and allow people to own handguns. Brexit Party candidate Alka Sehgal Cuthbert is a critic of LGBT+ inclusive education programmes. In a 2017 column for right-wing website Spiked, Cuthbert, a part-time English teacher and educational consultant, slammed education watchdog Ofsted for “forcing a religious school to include homosexuality in the curriculum.”
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit talks will tie up Whitehall for years, top UK diplomat warns
The next stage of the Brexit negotiations are going to make the current mess look like a simple affair and will tie up the civil service for years, the former national security adviser and head of Britain’s diplomatic service has warned. Peter Ricketts’ remarks will alarm those who believe the Brexit cloud hanging over the country will evaporate if only Theresa May can get the EU withdrawal agreement passed in parliament. A gathering of experts on Brexit and trade negotiations concluded that the bumpiest ride is yet to come, with Britain’s negotiating hand already weakened and EU unity to be tested in trade talks as member states jostle for position. Ricketts predicted negotiations are likely to go on for years and “encompass pretty much the entire of Whitehall”, with detailed negotiations expected in everything from trade and financial services to data transfer, transport, fisheries and nuclear and gas supply.
‘There are only CASUALTIES’ - Liam Fox warns US-China standoff could damage UK
The International Trade Secretary claimed there “are only casualties” during trade wars, as the two nations remain locked in crucial discussion. US President Donald Trump has ordered US officials to begin preparations to impose $300bn (£230bn) tariffs on Chinese imports. He vowed to impose the mammoth tariffs on all remaining imports from China after a major fallout between the two countries.
@BBCR4 A no-deal Brexit will mean checks somewhere on goods travelling across the Irish border and a change of UK leadership won't change things
Irish deputy PM @simoncoveney: A no-deal Brexit will mean checks somewhere on goods travelling across the Irish border and a change of UK leadership won't change things. "Realities do not change. This is not a personality based issue" #r4Today https://bbc.in/2VxPtlu
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 15th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
British Steel is on the cliff edge of administration
- British Steel is seeking emergency funds from the UK government, blaming politicians. Failure to strike a Brexit deal for a crisis has left one of the UK's last two steelworks (and 4,400 staff) facing an uncertain future. Orders from increasingly anxious EU customers have dried up. The company is owned by Greybull Capital, said they would consider putting it into administration if no government assistance was forthcoming
Ford plans to cut up to 550 UK jobs as part of its Europe restructuring
- Ford Motor co plans to cut as many as 550 Uk jobs as part of a revamp of its loss-making European businesses, announced last January. Around 5,000 German jobs will go and it will cut jobs in its salaried non-manufacturing areas in the UK
Brexit could push UK companies into greater contact with corrupt markets - if EU trade deals are lost
- The National Crime Agency has sent a top secret file to the government detailing countries of concern. It believes that with EU trade deals lost, British firms will cast their net wider for business and this increases the risk of bribery taking root
UK wage growth stalls despite record employment
- Pay growth rose to 3.3% on the three months up to March, from 3.5% a year earlier. The ONS said the growing number of vacancies, together with falling levels of unemployment mean the jobs market is beginning to tighten. However, Brexit uncertainty is discouraging firms from hiring or improving wages. Illustrating this lack of investment - labour productivity, which measures the labour force's output per hour, fell for the third consecutive quarter
Britain risks heading towards US levels of inequality top economist warns
- In a landmark review of inequality in the UK for the Institute of Fiscal Studies, Sir Angus Deaton said results point to the high risk that the UK would follow the U.S. example and replicate its extreme inequality levels in terms of pay, wealth and health
Theresa May to table vote on Brexit deal in early June, as she demands three more months in office
- Mrs May told ministers she can get a Brexit deal done if she is allowed to stay as Prime Minister until the end of July. She met Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday for cross-party talks and she told him there will be a vote on the Brexit divorce bill next month with or without a deal with Labour. She said it was imperative that Brexit legislation is passed before Parliament breaks for the summer
Nothing's changed - the ERG and DUP chiefs savage Theresa May's new vote
- Unless she can demonstrate something new that addresses the problem of the Irish backstop, it is highly likely that Theresa May's deal will go down to defeat again in a vote in Parliament - Mrs May was told
Tories face electoral oblivion if they do not satisfy Farage's Brexit demands, ERG's Steve Baker warns
- ERG arch-Eurosceptic Steve Baker called for a reconciliation between Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and the Conservative Party, after the EU elections, so that they could plan to meet Brexit Party voters' desire for a hard withdrawal from the EU
May uses 'High Noon' Cabinet to set a summer deadline for passing her Brexit deal and stepping down
- Mrs May told Cabinet she would bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement legislation in the week beginning June 3rd, with or without a deal with Labour, in the hope of getting her deal through Parliament at the fourth attempt. Observers also remarked that was the week when President Trump is scheduled to make a three day state visit to the UK
Brexit talks with Labour are going down a blind alley, senior Tories tell May
- Former defence secretary, Michael Fallon, said the talks should be stopped. He said it would be better to stay in the EU than sign up to a customs union. If you go into a customs union you cannot pursue independent trade deals
- Theresa May set the summer deadline for Brexit in a bid to defuse the new Tory leadership plot, according to the Huffington Post
- Police investigating the Leave campaign alleged breaches of election law during the 2016 Brexit referendum, may finally decide if they believe criminal offences were commited within weeks
People's Vote Campaign accused of taking orders from Labour
- Senior figures at Change UK expressed concern that the People's Vote campaign may fall foul of electoral law, accusing key staff at the non-partisan campaign of taking order from Labour. One area in particular is how the campaign is portraying Labour's position on a second referendum. The row spilled into the open when People's Vote staffers were accused of persuading a pro-remain activist, Femi Oluwole, to drop his independent candidacy in the Peterborough by-election
Boris Johnson could be challenged in court on his Brexit vote claims
- A judge will decide next week whether to summon Boris Johnson to court after a first hearing of a crowdfunded private prosecution over claims made by the MP during the 2016 EU referendum. The allegation of misconduct in public office relate to the claims emblazoned on the side of a bus used by the Vote Leave campaign, which said that the UK sends £350m each week to the EU
Economic Impact
British Steel asks for state help to avert 'Brexit related' crisis
British Steel is seeking emergency funds from the government, blaming politicians’ failure to strike a Brexit deal for a crisis that leaves one of the UK’s last two steelworks – and 4,500 staff – facing an uncertain future. The company, which owns the Scunthorpe steelworks, is in rescue talks with its lenders over a £75m rescue package that is understood to be at risk of falling apart unless the government contributes. British Steel blamed “Brexit-related issues” for its difficulties, with one source saying orders from increasingly anxious customers in the European Union had “dried up”. The government is thought to have drafted contingency plans after lenders to the company, which is owned by private equity group Greybull Capital, said they would consider putting it into administration if no money was forthcoming.
Ford to Cut Up to 550 U.K. Jobs as Part of Europe Restructuring
Ford Motor Co. will cut as many as 550 jobs in the U.K. as part of a revamp announced in January of its loss-making European business, according to a person familiar with the matter. The U.S. vehicle manufacturer, which has said it’ll reduce its German workforce by 5,000 positions, will cut jobs in its salaried non-manufacturing areas in the U.K., the person said. The move was reported earlier by London’s City AM newspaper.
Britain risks heading to US levels of inequality, warns top economist
Rising inequality in Britain risks putting the country on the same path as the US to become one of the most unequal nations on earth, according to a Nobel-prize winning economist. Sir Angus Deaton is leading a landmark review of inequality in the UK amid fears that the country is at a tipping point due to a decade of stagnant pay growth for British workers. The Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank, which is working with Deaton on the study, said the British-born economist would “point to the risk of the UK following the US” which has extreme inequality levels in pay, wealth and health.
UK wage growth stalls despite record employment
Wage growth has slowed in the UK to put a squeeze on living standards despite the unemployment rate falling to its lowest level for more than 40 years. The fall in pay growth to 3.3% on the year in the three months to March, from 3.5% in the three months to February, also came as the buoyant labour market recorded a rise in employment to a new high of 32.7 million. The Office for National Statistics said the growing number of vacancies, together with the falling level of unemployment, indicated the jobs market was continuing to tighten. The jobless rate fell from 3.9% to a record 3.8%, the lowest since 1974. However, analysts said the shadow of Brexit uncertainty, which has sent business investment plummeting, was likely to have discouraged firms from hiring and improving wage rates. Illustrating the lack of investment, labour productivity, which measures the labour force’s output per hour, fell for the third consecutive quarter
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit could push UK companies into 'greater contact with corrupt markets' if EU trade deals lost
Brexit could push British companies into “greater contact with corrupt markets” and increase bribery, the National Crime Agency (NCA) has warned. With only a handful of trade deals in place as the clock ticks down to EU exit in October, the agency has sent top-secret files to the government detailing countries of concern. “It is a realistic possibility that the UK’s exit from the EU will impact the prevalence of bribery and corruption over the next five years, as UK companies potentially come into greater contact with corrupt markets,” the NCA’s national strategic assessment said. Director-general Lynne Owens told The Independent that further details of “corrupt markets” could not be made public.
Welsh beaches and marinas named among the world's best
Wales has earned more than 100 accolades in the annual coast awards. Welsh beaches, marinas and a boat operator have once again been judged to be among the best in the world. Keep Wales Tidy has revealed the 86 coastal areas that met the high environmental and safety standards needed to receive the international Blue Flag, Green Coast Award and Seaside Award. Wales has more Blue Flags per mile than anywhere else in the UK. The Blue Flag is a world-renowned eco-label owned by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).
Political Shenanigans
Brexit chaos: ‘nothing's changed’ - ERG and DUP chiefs savage Theresa May's new vote
“Unless she can demonstrate something new that addresses the problem of the backstop then it is highly likely her deal will go down to defeat once again. "The Prime Minister has not pursued the one option that has ever achieved a positive vote for something in Parliament. "For the Bill to have any prospect of success then there must be real change to protect the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom and deliver Brexit.” Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt also warned that if MPs fail to deliver Brexit, they will be “crucified” by voters.
EU elections: Cable says Remain parties 'shouldn't be squabbling'
Lib Dem leader Vince Cable says he was in favour of working with other Remain parties to present a "common front" at the European elections. The pro-EU MP told LBC Radio he had approached the Green Party and Change UK to suggest joint candidates. He said the parties "shouldn't be squabbling", but added: "Frankly, we didn't get a very warm reception." The Greens say joint lists are not "desirable" and Change UK has said an alliance "wasn't ever on the agenda". Elections for 73 MEPs to the European Parliament will take place on 23 May.
May uses 'high noon' Cabinet to set a summer deadline for passing her deal and stepping down
Theresa May last night made a 'final offer' to Jeremy Corbyn on Brexit, as she bowed to Cabinet demands to accelerate efforts to take Britain out of the EU. In a high risk move, Mrs May told the Cabinet that she would finally bring forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill legislation in the week beginning June 3 – with or without a deal with Labour – in the hope of getting a version of her deal through Parliament at the fourth attempt. That is the same week that President Trump is due to make a three-day state visit to the UK. It will also come just after the May 23 European elections in which the Tories are expected to take a huge battering from voters over delays to Brexit.
By obsessing about the Brexit Party, Remainers are failing to inspire their own side
Meanwhile, by obsessing about the Brexit Party, Remainers are failing to talk to their own side. The 16 million people who supported staying in the EU (a group which, according to all polling, has grown) are being ignored; put off even. “When campaigns disintegrate into shrill attacks”, Fridkin Kahn and Kenney found in the American Political Science Review, “voters tend to stay home”. So, not only are we energising his base, we are suppressing our own. Much has been made of the fragmenting of the Remain vote. Much hand-wringing on social media about how much better it would be if there had been some Remain alliance. As if moaning about it on Twitter can turn back time. More negativity, more turnout suppression. We must stop. Think back to the Brexit Party’s objective – they have it spot on. The reward for doing well in the European Election is not a seat at the table. It is influence over those already at the table. The best strategy for Remain is to syphon as many votes as possible from those players – especially Labour.
Nicola Sturgeon: Climate change is the greatest challenge facing the world – there is no ‘planet B’
The UK Committee on Climate Change said that achieving net zero by 2045 will require “extensive changes across the economy” and they are right. The country faces a climate change emergency says Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Peterborough by-election candidates grilled on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme
The Peterborough by-election featured on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme this morning. Several of the candidates faced some tough questions from the BBC’s Ross Hawkins during the segment, which featured shortly before the 7.30am news. The by-election is ...
BBC host forced to intervene as 'PATRONISING' Martin Lewis fiercely CLASHES with Tory MP
Martin Lewis and Tory MP Suella Braverman fiercely clashed on a BBC panel while discussing the upcoming European elections. Mr Lewis argued the Brexit vote was “never structured as it should have been”, and Ms Braverman contended he showed a “patronising attitude towards British people”. Speaking on BBC’s Politics Live, the MoneySavingExpert.com founder declared: “It is just horrendously shameful from our political classes that we have been allowed to get to this stage. We trusted the political classes in the management of this process, and for polemic reasons the vote was never structured as it should have been.
European elections debate: Brexit Party’s Nigel Farage refuses challenge to take on Change UK leader Heidi Allen on live TV
Nigel Farage has dismissed a challenge from Change UK leader Heidi Allen to a live TV debate ahead of next week’s European Parliament elections. Ms Allen, the former Tory MP who left to join pro-Remain Change UK, said she wanted to debate Brexit Party leader Mr Farage in order to allow the public to see “two futures to the British people” and choose between them. But Mr Farage declined to take up the offer, with a party spokesman telling i: “One thing one learns in politics is not to aim down.” Ms Allen made the challenge in a party election broadcast, aired a rally in Cardiff on Monday evening.
Brexit: PM and Corbyn holding meeting over cross-party talks
Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn are meeting to discuss ongoing Brexit talks between their two parties. A Labour source told the BBC it was about "keeping in touch" after meetings of both the PM's cabinet and the opposition leader's shadow cabinet. Earlier, Labour's John McDonnell said there had been no "significant shift" in the government position. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said a compromise was not impossible but talks could not continue "indefinitely". The discussions have been going on for weeks with little sign of progress. Following a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley said ministers had agreed they would continue.
Why the lack of a Remain alliance will hand Nigel Farage's Brexit Party victory in the EU elections
In just over a fortnight, the UK will head to the ballot box to vote in the European Parliament elections, with both main parties expected to take a battering. Nigel Farage's does-what-it-says-on-the-tin Brexit Party are currently riding high in the polls as the clear voice of the pro-Brexit protest vote. However, the three UK-wide pro-Remain parties - the Lib Dems, the Greens and Change UK - have chosen not to form an alliance for these elections, risking a split in their vote and an underwhelming performance as a consequence. This decision seems even more short-sighted due to the slightly unusual electoral system that the UK uses for the European elections.
Lib Dems hope Brexit can outweigh anger over coalition years
“We are not trying to win over Brexiteers,” he said. “There may become a point at which we get a referendum and that battle for the hearts and minds will take place, but this isn’t it. We are basically trying to get remain voters to get behind us.” Vince
Cable said he was optimistic his party would win more MEPs in the south-east, London and the south-west. He said the Lib Dems were now hopeful they could secure some MEPs in the north, something they didn’t initially think would be possible. “We’re not going to get lots of MEPs,” he said. “But we hope to have a respectable showing. We only won one last time, so it’s difficult to go backwards.”
Tory MP Crispin Blunt calls for a pact with Nigel Farage's Brexit Party if there is a general election saying 'otherwise Brexit doesn't happen'
A Eurosceptic Tory has said the party should do a deal with Nigel Farage if the current deadlock over quitting the EU results in a general election, warning that 'otherwise Brexit doesn't happen'. Crispin Blunt said that the Conservatives must make an 'accommodation' with the Brexit Party but stopped short of calling for a full coalition. He suggested they try to do a deal where the new anti-EU party 'runs in the seats that we don't hold', in an interview on the BBC's Newsnight. The Reigate MP, 58, also said that Theresa May has to step down as party leader before the conference in the autumn.
Theresa May to table vote on Brexit deal in early June as she demands three more months in office
Theresa May has tried to delay her resignation for almost three months by telling ministers she can get a Brexit deal done if she is allowed to stay as Prime Minister until the end of July. Mrs May met Jeremy Corbyn for cross-party talks on Tuesday night where she told him she will table a vote on a Brexit “divorce” bill next month with or without a deal with Labour. Mrs May earlier told her Cabinet it was “imperative” the Brexit legislation is passed before Parliament breaks for the summer. The Prime Minister has promised to quit once the Brexit divorce deal is agreed, meaning she would stay in Number 10 for at least another 11 weeks.
Tories Face Oblivion If They Do Not Satisfy Farage's Brexit Demands, Steve Baker Warns
The Conservative party will face “oblivion” unless it satisfies Brexit Party voters’ desire for a hard withdrawal from the EU, a senior MP has warned amid suggestions of a Tory pact with Nigel Farage’s outfit. Arch-Eurosceptic Steve Baker called for a “reconciliation” between the parties after his Tory colleague, the former minister Crispin Blunt, urged an electoral pact with the Brexit Party.
Brexit talks with Labour are blind alley, senior Tories tell May
Theresa May’s Brexit talks with Labour have been criticised as a “blind alley” as she came under intense pressure from 14 senior party figures to abandon the idea of a cross-party pact. The former defence secretary Michael Fallon said the talks should be stopped, after he joined 12 other former cabinet ministers and Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, in warning No 10 against any deal that involved a customs union. Fallon, who was forced to resign by May in 2017 for inappropriate behaviour towards women, said it would be better to stay in the EU than sign up to a customs union – a key demand of Labour. “This is a blind alley taking us into a customs union,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “We said we would leave a customs union very clearly at the time of the election. If you go into a customs union you can’t start pursuing independent trade deals.
What tonight’s Corbyn-May meeting means for Brexit
“The Labour leader set out the shadow cabinet’s concerns about the Prime Minister’s ability to deliver on any compromise agreement. “In particular he raised doubts over the credibility of government commitments, following statements by Conservative MPs and cabinet ministers seeking to replace the Prime Minister. “Jeremy Corbyn made clear the need for further movement from the government, including on entrenchment of any commitments. The Prime Minister’s team agreed to bring back documentation and further proposals tomorrow.”
Theresa May Sets ‘Summer’ Deadline For Brexit In Bid To Defuse New Tory Leadership Plot
In a sign of hardening attitudes against the Labour talks, May and her ministers also agreed that it was “imperative” that MPs passed the necessary legislation by the time parliament’s recess starts in late July. A No.10 spokesman said: “This evening the Prime Minister met the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Commons to make clear our determination to bring the talks to a conclusion and deliver on the referendum result to leave the EU. “We will therefore be bringing forward the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the week beginning June 3.” In response, Corbyn rejected any idea of Labour supporting the bill without its demands being met.
Brexit: MPs to vote on implementation bill in early June
MPs will be asked to vote on Brexit again in early June whether or not the government and Labour have reached a deal, Downing Street has said. A spokesman said a vote on the bill that would pave the way for Brexit was "imperative" if the UK was to leave the EU before MPs' summer recess. However, this would not amount to a fourth so-called meaningful vote on the PM's Withdrawal Agreement itself. Labour sources say they will not back the bill without a cross-party deal.
@Peston @theresa_may sets a deadline of 3rd June to agree a Brexit deal with Labour. In that sense the government is prepared to be held hostage by @jeremycorbyn till AFTER the EU elections
@theresa_may sets a deadline of 3rd June to agree a Brexit deal with Labour. In that sense the government is prepared to be held hostage by @jeremycorbyn till AFTER the EU elections - which is an odd look for @theresa_may to choose. But as I said...
Nicola Sturgeon: I suffer from 'imposter syndrome'
Nicola Sturgeon has said she "absolutely" suffers from "imposter syndrome" in her job as Scottish First Minister. She also revealed she speaks to her mother Joan every day and that getting married to her husband, SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, had made her feel "more secure and stable". The condition involves a lack of self-confidence, anxiety and doubts about your thoughts, abilities, achievements and accomplishments. The SNP leader told community radio station Sunny Govan Radio: "Even though I have been in politics for a long time, I have been First Minister for four years, there will be days when I think 'should I even be here? Is somebody about to find me out?"' Radio host Anne Hughes had asked Ms Sturgeon, who is Scotland's first female first minister, if she ever suffered from imposter syndrome. The SNP leader told her: "Absolutely, I don't think there is a woman alive, particularly working-class women, who don't experience that at some point in their lives, and probably quite regularly. "I just think it is natural. In some ways I think women should work to overcome that, and be encouraged to overcome it, but there is a bit of humility as well that I don't think we should ever lose completely.
Brexit talks between Labour and the Conservatives hit a low point
Senior Labour Party figures say Brexit talks with the government are still a long way finding an agreement. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said that the government's offer was "nowhere near" what Labour wanted. He added that Conservative party infighting was making it harder for Labour to sign up to a deal: "Let's be absolutely straight, today hasn't helped." Theresa May and her Cabinet agreed to continue Brexit talks with Labour on Monday.
@Peston Whatever the government and Labour say later tonight after talks between @theresa_may and @jeremycorbyn I would be staggered if the Brexit negotiations between government and Labour continue beyond the end of this week.
Whatever the government and Labour say later tonight after talks between @theresa_may and @jeremycorbyn I would be staggered if the Brexit negotiations between government and Labour continue beyond the end of this week. Collapse looms, probably Thursday, I am informed
Police investigating Leave campaign could make decision 'within weeks'
The police force investigating alleged breaches of election law by Leave campaigners during the EU referendum could decide if they believe any offences were committed "within weeks". The Metropolitan Police have been examining material passed to the force by the electoral commission, which found both the Vote Leave and Leave.EU groups breached spending rules. Met commissioner Cressida Dick said a criminal investigation has not yet been launched, but told the London Assembly's police and crime committee her officers are close to coming to a decision on whether they believe any offences have been committed. "I think it's fair to say the team believe... that in some matters at least we may be able to come to the end of the assessment in weeks and not months and months and months," she said. "I hope that is the case and that would be based on our view we have all the relevant material. There may be a tiny bit more to get."
Theresa May vows to give MPs fresh Brexit vote next month even without Labour deal
MPs will be given a fresh vote on Theresa May's Brexit deal within three weeks - even if the Government fails to strike a deal with Labour. Downing Street has confirmed that the Withdrawall Agreement Bill - the legislation needed to confirm the UK's departure from the EU - will be introduced to the Commons at the start of June. The announcement followed "useful and constructive" talks between the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday evening.
@BBCPolitics During the European Parliamentary elections campaign all the main UK parties will be interviewed on the BBC News Channel @huwbbc
During the European Parliamentary elections campaign all the main UK parties will be interviewed on the BBC News Channel @huwbbc has been putting questions from BBC viewers to Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage
@BBCPolitics @huwbbc has been putting questions from BBC viewers to Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage
During the European Parliamentary elections campaign all the main UK parties will be interviewed on the BBC News Channel @huwbbc has been putting questions from BBC viewers to Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage
McDonnell in heartfelt appeal to Remainers drifting from Labour
Shadow chancellor John McDonnell has said he and Jeremy Corbyn are Remainers “deep” in their hearts as he warned that Labour MPs wouldn’t sign up to a compromise Brexit deal that could be ripped up by the next Conservative leader, and which doesn’t include a second EU referendum. Speaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council conference in London, Mr McDonnell appealed to pro-EU voters who have drifted away from Labour, saying: “Deep in my heart I’m still a Remainer.” Asked if Mr Corbyn was also a Remainer in his heart, the shadow chancellor said: “Yes.”
People's Vote campaign accused of taking orders from Labour
Senior figures in Change UK have expressed concern that the People’s Vote campaign may fall foul of electoral law, accusing key staff at the non-partisan campaign of taking orders from Labour. Among those who have made complaints are the Change UK MPs Chuka Umunna, formerly of Labour, and Anna Soubry, a former Tory, both founding members of the campaign. The Guardian understands that other parties, including the Lib Dems, have also expressed concerns about how the campaign has portrayed Labour’s position on a second referendum. The allegation has been fiercely disputed by the People’s Vote campaign, which said it had repeatedly criticised Labour’s position on Brexit for being too weak. It denied that the party had had undue influence in its campaign. The row spilled into the open last week after senior People’s Vote staffers were accused of persuading a pro-remain activist, Femi Oluwole, to drop his independent candidacy in the Peterborough byelection, where he would have been backed by Change UK, the Lib Dems and the Green party. A Change UK source said the candidate was “subject to the most extreme pressure by Labour figures in the People’s Vote campaign”.
Brexit: May reveals plan for Commons vote on key legislation after late-night talks with Corbyn
Theresa May has vowed to bring forward key Brexit legislation for a Commons vote in the first week of June in what could be her last move as prime minister. After a late-night meeting with Jeremy Corbyn, the prime minister said the cross-party talks with Labour to find a solution to the deadlock at Westminster will continue – despite both sides being downbeat about any resolution being found. The government made clear a vote on the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) will be brought forward regardless of the outcome of the discussions, however, in the week beginning 3 June – the same week the US president Donald Trump is to visit the UK on an official state visit.
Twenty-four hours with Nigel Farage: 'I won't be rolled over. This is the fightback I promised'
Nigel Farage is channelling Lord Kitchener. The Field Marshal’s hat has been replaced by the Brexiteer’s trademark flat cap and there is no elaborate moustache but the message is as pointed as Farage’s index finger: “Britain needs the Brexit Party, and the Brexit Party needs you!” Standing on a ledge overlooking the white cliffs of Dover, the campaign video echoes the mood inside the Featherstone Working Men’s Club near Pontefract, where Britain’s beleaguered political system appears well and truly on the brink. Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe has just been given a standing ovation and now the largely Left-leaning residents of this former mining town are chanting the name of the nation’s new party leader
Political Setbacks
Brexit Party Donations – “It Couldn’t Be Less Secure” Turlough Conway 14 May 2019 Subscribe Donate
Clearly a Political funding act nearly 20 years old cannot be fit for purpose
in the digital age. In 2019, only suspicious transactions have faint or invisible traces and there is no reason why data on all contributions should not be comprehensive and available to the Electoral Commission on request. In my opinion, modern money laundering obligations on companies could provide the basis for a kind of system suited for modern elections and Political Parties. Architectures that allow transactions that are opaque or appear to be unnecessarily complex, making it difficult to identify the beneficial owner should be disallowed and preemptively punished. In 2018 the Electoral Commission’s guidelines stated: “We check the information parties provide to us, and evaluate the risk of those we regulate to prioritise our compliance monitoring. In the run-up to major elections and referendums we also carry out targeted campaign monitoring to check that people are complying with the rules on spending and donations.” The Electoral Commission must put action where these words are.
The cost of Labour party’s Brexit muddle
Labour is now paying for this confusion. As they prepare to go to the ballot box, many of these pro-Remain Labour voters face a stark choice: do they stick with Labour’s muddled position on Brexit or do they cast a clear vote for Remain by voting for the Lib Dems and others? According to Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, the YouGov poll shows that about 48 per cent of traditional Labour voters are preparing to vote for parties that are firmly pro-Remain and pro-second referendum. If that kind of shift is truly realised at the polls, Mr Corbyn will have a real problem on his hands.
Nigel Farage blasts Andrew Marr's 'ludicrous' BBC Brexit interview
Nigel Farage has again blasted Andrew Marr over his 'ludicrous' interview and accused the BBC of 'secretly' taking millions in EU cash while trying to keep him off TV. The Brexit Party leader, 55, clashed with the broadcaster, 59, on his Sunday morning show in a row that has shocked and split viewers. Mr Farage, who was asked about comments he had made about Putin, climate change and the NHS, said: 'It was bizarre that the ludicrous line of questioning persisted all the way through. This is a public service broadcaster that we all pay money to. We deserve better'.
Brexit Party candidate tries to claim the EU is stopping the UK from tackling child poverty
A candidate for the Brexit Party has falsely claimed that the European Union is responsible for 'child poverty'. During an interview with Radio 4's Today Programme Mike Greene, who is campaigning to win the Peterborough by-election, said that once Brexit takes place, Britain will have more control over 'education and child poverty'. We'll have more control about what we do in education, what we do in child poverty, how we spend the money that's going to the EU at the moment. BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins then questioned this notion from Greene, asking him which part of EU legislation is stopping the UK from doing those things.
So which bit of European law or administration, or bureaucracy is stopping us from doing something that you would specifically like to do and address problems in child education and child poverty? Hawkins' question was met with relative silence as he didn't seem to know the answer to this query before blurting out this. I haven't gone into the detail of specific laws but what I do know is that we are hampered by laws that are being put in place by people that aren't elected. I don't see how the EU are helping.
BBC’s Radio 4 Today savaged on Brexit by Labour MP: ‘Echo chamber ignoring working class’
Brexiteer John Mann MP launched an offensive on editors at the licence fee-funded corporation after it featured an interview with ardent Remainer Nick Boles MP, who quit the Tory Party to join the Independent Group, now Change UK. He tweeted: “The editors of the Today programme put on a different Brexit remain perspective every day, sometimes several. An echo chamber of how the middle classes choose to ignore the perspectives of working class Britain.”
Even changing leader will not save Tories, as new poll shows them level with Brexit Party for general election
Ousting Theresa May and replacing her with a Brexiteer will not save the Tories from electoral annihilation, according to a new poll that shows the Conservatives 12 percentage points down. The ComRes survey on voting intention found Labour leading on 27 per cent, with the Tories neck-and-neck with the Brexit Party on 20 per cent, and the Lib Dems trailing on 13 per cent. That represents a five percentage point fall for Labour since last month while the Lib Dems vote share rose by six percentage points. If the parties were to achieve these vote shares at a general election it would result in Labour being the largest party but 13 seats short of a majority - with Nigel Farage’s party emerging...
Tommy Robinson faces new contempt case
After more than six months of complex legal delays, Lady Justice Sharp said the trial for contempt against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon- which carries a maximum sentence of two years - should go ahead. She said reasons for the decision would be given at a later date. Mr Robinson's supporters, who had gathered outside the Old Bailey, booed and chanted "shame on you" after it was announced.
Jeremy Hunt flounders on why people should vote Conservative
With Nigel Farage’s Brexit party riding high in the polls, the foreign secretary was questioned on why people should vote for his party but he initially could only come up with: “Because you believe in Conservative policies.” Challenged for a better answer, he said: “OK, let me give you another reason. Let me have another stab at it … Because we are not going to solve this problem by retreating to populist extremes.” Hunt, who is known to be building a leadership campaign team, said both the Conservatives and Labour would be “crucified by our bases” if they failed to implement Brexit by a general election.
How broken is our politics?
Or to put it another way, the political system is paralysed; disillusionment with the big established parties is seemingly at an all-time high; the traditional purgative of a general election is hard to administer (because of David Cameron’s fixed term parliament act). Even if it could be administered there is only a slim prospect the country would give a decisive answer to the question of who we want in charge (another hide-bound minority government looks likely). If the system is as bankrupt so one thng follows - we need electoral reform as adversorial politics is not working
Boris Johnson could be challenged in court on Brexit vote claim
A judge will next week decide whether to summon Boris Johnson to court after the first hearing of a crowd-funded private prosecution over claims made by the MP during the 2016 EU referendum. Marcus Ball, who has accused Johnson of misconduct in public office, was applauded outside Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday by supporters who have helped him to raise more than £200,000 to finance the case. It relates to claims, emblazoned on the side of a bus used by the Vote Leave campaign during the referendum, that the UK sends £350m each week to the European Union. The hearing took place in private in front of district judge Margot Coleman ahead of a public hearing next Thursday, where an application for a summons will be considered. A legal team assembled by Johnson was in court. They included Adrian Darbishire QC and lawyers from BCL solicitors. Johnson was not present.
Nigel Farage forced to admit claim about black people in Oldham was false
Nigel Farage has rowed back on a claim he made about black people in Oldham.
But he immediately made another false claim about "Asian" people in the town, complaining that he was getting "caught up in terminology." The Brexit Party leader was branded "dangerous" after falsely claiming there was a street in Oldham where one side was populated by black people and the other entirely by white people. No such street exists.
EU settlement scheme doesn't work, say couple held at airport
The first flaws in the new immigration scheme for EU citizens who want to remain in the UK after Brexit have been exposed after a couple who live in Oxford were blocked from getting a flight back from Turkey to the UK. Arthur Vissing, a Danish citizen, and his Turkish wife, Ezgi Vissing, called on the government to urgently review its procedures to allow those who hold residency rights in the UK to travel unhindered. Their ordeal started last Thursday at Istanbul airport when British Airways told them a number of times Ezgi did not have the right paperwork to get on the flight. It took 24 hours, seven phone calls to the Home Office and others and the intervention of their Liberal Democrat MP, Layla Moran, before BA let them on the plane.
WATCH: The video Nigel Farage 'doesn't want you to see'
An old video has resurfaced of Nigel Farage waving cash around boasting about how little work he has to do as a Member of European Parliament to earn his money. Holding a wad of cash, he boasts to cameras: "Everyone's a winner!" He explains: "That represents four working days and one journey." Asked about how much it represents in English money, he says gleefully: "We're talking about £1,900." He proudly proclaims: "It's jobless!" While Farage produced the video to show how much money was on offer to MEPs at the European Parliament, they point to how much money he has claimed for poor attendance to brand him a "conman." He is ranked 745th out of the 751 politicians for the number of votes he has attended, according to Vote Watch Europe, and recently shrugged off the point that he had attended just one meeting of the EU fisheries committee out of 43.
Theresa May could have neutralised Nigel Farage. Now he's her worst nightmare
If you were asked to name, as I was recently, the most influential politician of the past 40 years, who would it be? My immediate response was Margaret Thatcher since she changed so much that had previously been taken for granted. But coming in second must be Nigel Farage, given the shattering impact Brexit has had on our national politics. It is a different sort of influence, of course. While Mrs T brought about far-reaching reforms that have affected the lives of millions – from presiding over City deregulation and the privatisation of the utilities to removing the power of the trade unions to hold the nation to ransom – Farage has been disruptive. He has become a lightning rod for the grievances of millions
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 16th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
1.6m in north paid less than the real living wage of £9 per hour
- Think tank IPPR North has carried out a survey and found that one in four workers in northern England are paid less than the real living wage of £9 per hour. The rise of zero hours contracts and a decade of stagnant wages has left 1.6m notherners earnng less than they need to live on - with women affected disproportionately
Brexit driving firms to relocate to Germany
- A record 2,062 firms either set up shop or expanded their operations in Germany in 2018, according to a report released Monday. The government-backed development agency said there was a 38% increase in the number of British firms moving their operations to Germany, with most citing the Brexit vote as a main reason
Will drugs companies follow EMA from London to Amsterdam?
- Nuffield Trust policy analyst, Mark Dayan, told the FT that the 'physical departure of EMA is hardly going to help make the UK an attractive destination for pharmaceutical investment, but it is the legal departure of the UK from the Pan-European regulatory system that will cause all the real problems. The market easily available to the NHS and British pharmaceuticals companies would shrink to a sixth or less of what it is today'
Other News
- Bishop of Leeds speaks out over a lack of restraint in the language of politicians which is fuelling the violent bile over Brexit
- Europe's biggest holiday company, TUI, reported a 77% increase in the underlying seasonal financial loss - blaming diminishing demand from British holidaymakers due to Brexit
- Emanuel Macron is leading moves to cut British companies out of bidding for lucrative defence contracts in the EU after Brexit
- Merthyr Tydfil Hoover is set to lose 45 jobs at Hoover Candy's head office. The parent company, Haier Electronics is looking to centralise parts of its operations in Warrington by the spring of 2020 - redundancy consultations have begun
- A catalogue of errors by the Home Office has led to a loss of access to £600K of EU funds earmarked for the most deprived people in Britain and the Home Office has put a further £2.9m of EU funds at risk
- One million people look set to march against Donald Trump during his state visit to the UK, first week of June, according to a new YouGov poll
- The government announced that the probation service will be re-nationalised, recognising the failure of the Chris Grayling driven privatisation scheme
- Byline Times took apart Nigel Farage's claims that 16,000 visitors signed up to the Brexit Party on a particular day. It pulled the web traffic to the Brexit Party website for that day and it showed 1,200 visitors. Byline Times concluded that only a small proportion Nigel Farage is receiving comes from Paypal and his claims do not bear up to serious scrutiny
Lib Dems send activists a 'Jeremy Corbyn Dossier' as the party plots an assault on Labour heartlands
- The document, which is to be issued with Labour attack leaflets, collates pro-Brexit quotes from Labour frontbench MPs, including supporters of a second referendum. It also outlines in detail the party's voting record on a second referendum and its position on soft Brexit options - underlying the fact that Corbyn whipped his MPs to either abstain or vote with the Tories on 29 key Brexit votes
Why Theresa May faces defeat on her flagship Brexit bill
- The second it is published all the antagonistic criticism voiced before, during earlier votes on the withdrawl agreement, resurface only this time in even stronger form. For instance, on the issue of the Irish backstop, so loathed by the ERG and the DUP. The bill will maintain a limited role for the European Court of Justice in UK law after Britain leaves - another ERG/DUP favourite. The third lightening rod for attack will be on her agreement to pay the EU up to £39bn as part of leaving
May plods on in her death spiral as Farage circles his prey
- In a report on Prime Minister's Question Time, May and Corbyn struggle for substance and just 'dance around the subject of Brexit.' It took a question from the SNP leader Ian Blackford before Brexit even came up
Fourth time lucky: May's pitiful gambit
- Ian Dunt slams Theresa May 'her Prime Ministerial career is littered with moments in which she creates future problems in order to overcome more trivial immediate ones. Her tactics are predictable - 'survive the present and deal with the consequences later. She has made an endless number of promises whilst knowing she could not abide by any of them. She says things simply to survive the day'
Brexit Party is by far the most popular group for the European elections, but ONLY among the over-55s, according to a BMG opinion poll
- In a fresh survey for The Independent, BMG pollsters found that Nigel Farage's Brexit Party will finish ahead of the established parties on 23rd May. But, interestingly it also showed that the party boasts 30% support among the 55-64 age range, significantly higher than the Conservatives on 8% and Labour on 15%
Brexit secretary admits Theresa May's deal is dead if MPs reject it again
- The Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay indicated that early June's vote would be the 'last chance saloon' for Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal bill. He told a House of Lords EU Committee in evidence that 'if the House of Commons does not approve the WAB then the 'Barnier' deal is dead in that form'
- The BBC's political correspondent, Laura Kuenssberg, said a loyal lieutenant of Theresa May who has been fighting off attempts to oust her for months said 'losing the bill would have to be it - we have reached the end now'
- Mrs May is still insisting that her departure depends on delivering Brexit and she meets the 1922 Committee leadership again today to put her case to stay once more
More shade being cast on Theresa May
- May is set to come under fire for rejecting a new definition of Islamophobia which was proposed by an all-party parliamentary group on British muslims
- Tory chairman Brandon Lewis met Tory MEP candidates standing for election next week and told them 'if you are not an MEP already you have little chance of winning'
- Theresa May has been accused of secretly blocking a bid to halt thousands of ageing Northern Ireland army veterans from being investigated - to appease Sinn Fein and keep the Stormont power sharing talks alive
- A Daily Telegraph headline says the 1922 Committee will pull no punches when they meet Theresa May today. 'Give us your leaving date now or you'll be gone inside a month'
Both parties are 'frozen in terror' as Brexit looks set to destroy the system
- Ian Dunt said; 'regardless of the Brexit outcome, politicians need to change the way they speak about this issue. They need to be honest, plain-spoken and precise as voters deserve that. Politicians' failure to do this is now destroying them'
With so many alienated by Westminster, it should be no surprise that Welsh independence is gaining strength
- Wales Online speaks of 10 years of austerity pushing hundreds of Welsh communities into the grip of poverty combianed with a Brexit process that has left large swathes of the population feeling powerless. A perfect recipe for the growing momentum behind the independence for Wales campaign
Labour's refusal to oppose Brexit is killing it on the doorstep. It should quit the Brexit talks right away.
- Loyal Corbynista and ex-Channel 4 correspondent Paul Mason describes the plight of Labour candidates and canvassers as they meet voters on the doorstep who ask them 'why Labour is in talks to deliver Brexit yet telling them they want a second referendum'
Jobs at Risk
Merthyr Tydfil Hoover jobs could move to Warrington
About 45 jobs are at risk at Hoover Candy's head office in Merthyr Tydfil. Hoover's parent company Haier Electronics is looking to centralise parts of it operations in Warrington by spring 2020. The Chinese company said it has begun a consultation process with those employees at risk of redundancy and their representatives. A distribution centre, which employs about 60 staff, is set to remain at the south Wales site. A Hoover spokesman said: "As part of the company's wish to centralise some functions and support our long-term expansion plans, some jobs may move to our new offices in Warrington, over the next year.
Economic Impact
One in four northerners earn less than 'real living wage', says study
One in four workers in the north of England are paid less than the “real living wage” of £9 an hour, a study has found. The rise of zero-hours contracts and a decade of stagnant wages has left 1.6 million northerners earning less than what they need to live, according to the thinktank IPPR North. Women are most affected by what it describes as the “job quality crisis”, with one in three women paid less than the real living wage compared with one in five men.
Emmanuel Macron infuriates Nato allies by freezing UK firms out of EU defence contracts after Brexit
Emmanuel Macron is manoeuvring to cut British companies out of bidding for lucrative defence contracts in the EU after Brexit, in a move that has infuriated France’s Nato allies. The French president is leading a blocking minority of EU countries to freeze the UK and non-EU Nato allies out of bidding for project contracts in the Permanent Structured Cooperation (Pesco) initiative. US defence chiefs and EU diplomats warned that the hardline French stance would risk dividing Nato members, despite regular protestations from Brussels that its pooled EU military programme would never undermine the alliance that has guaranteed European security for 70 years.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit drives firms to relocate to Germany
A record 2,062 foreign companies either set up shop or expanded their operations in Germany in 2018, acording to a report released Monday. The government-backed economic development agency German Trade and Invest (GTAI) said some 168 British companies had made Germany their home — or at least resettle part of their operations — in 2018. GTAI credited Brexit as a likely reason, with a 38% increase in the number of British firms moving operations to Germany since the Brexit vote in June 2016. "The figures prove clearly, Germany is a popular investment location for foreign companies," said Robert Hermann, GTAI's chief executive. "It's particularly noteworthy that never have so many British companies settled in Germany as they did last year." Hermann said those compiling the study had asked companies why they had relocated. "For almost a half — 45 percent Brexit was the reason for it," he said.
Will drugs companies follow EU agency from London to Amsterdam?
Mark Dayan, policy analyst for the Nuffield Trust think-tank, and an authority on the impact of Brexit on health and life sciences, said that the physical departure of the EMA was “hardly going to help make the UK an attractive destination for pharmaceutical investment”, but it was the legal departure of the UK from the pan-European regulatory system that would cause the real problems. The market easily available to the NHS and British pharmaceutical companies would “shrink to a sixth or less of what it is today”, he added, because approvals granted in the UK would no longer be recognised by the remaining member states.
Holiday company Tui hit by Brexit uncertainty and 737 Max grounding
Europe’s biggest holiday company is being badly affected by the grounding of the Boeing 737 Max, as well as uncertainty over Brexit. In its results for the six months to the end of March 2019, the Anglo-German firm reported a 77 per cent increase in the usual underlying seasonal loss, up from €170m (£148m) to €301m. Blames diminishing demand among British holidaymakers
Lack of restraint fuelling “violent bile” over Brexit as Bishop of Leeds speaks out
One of the country’s top clergymen is urging politicians to challenge “classic populist language” which is fuelling even deeper divisions over Brexit ahead of next week’s European elections. Nick Baines, the Bishop of Leeds, suggests the “lack of any legal or political restraint” has fuelled an increase in “violent bile” in the three years since the murder of Batley and Spen MP Jo Cox during the EU referendum.
Political Shenanigans
Theresa May due to meet Tory MPs over leadership
Theresa May is due to meet senior Conservative MPs who are demanding she sets a date for her departure from Downing Street. Under pressure from her MPs to stand aside, the prime minister is meeting the executive of the backbench 1922 Committee to discuss her future. But current leadership rules mean she cannot be formally challenged until December. Mrs May has said her departure would depend on delivering Brexit.
One Million Londoners Set To March Against Trump During UK State Visit, New YouGov Poll Suggests
More than a million Londoners look set to protest at Donald Trump’s visit to the UK after a new poll found 13% of the city’s residents are ‘likely’ to join the demonstrations. A new YouGov/QueenMaryLondon poll, shared with HuffPost UK, found that more than one in ten of the capital’s eight million residents were poised to turn out against the US President next month. The survey also found that one in five (20%) 18-24 year-olds expect to march on the streets during the ‘State Visit’.
Overall, Londoners of all ages oppose Trump’s trip by a margin of more than two-to-one, with 54% against it and just 24% supporting it.
Lib Dems And Brexit Party Outspending Labour On Euro Election Facebook Adverts, New Data Shows
Labour has hit back at claims that it is running a “mealy-mouthed” European elections campaign after new figures showed the party’s spending on Facebook ads was dwarfed by the Lib Dems, Change UK and Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.
Jeremy Corbyn is under fire from his own MPs, who claim the party lacks a clear message on a second referendum and lacks the firepower to counter its rivals ahead of next Thursday’s poll, HuffPost UK has learned. New data from the ‘People’s Vote’ campaign shows that from May 5 to May 11, Labour spent just £7,331 on Facebook advertising for the elections - less than a third of the Lib Dems outlay of £23,191.
May set to reject new definition of Islamophobia
Ministers will instead appoint two independent advisers to draw up a less “legally problematic” definition, Whitehall officials said. Calls to abandon the reform, under which hostility to Islam would be treated as a form of racism, were led by Sara Khan, the anti-extremism tsar, and Neil Basu, head of counterterrorism policing. More than 40 people wrote to Sajid Javid, the home secretary, saying that the change would bring in “a backdoor blasphemy law”. The reform was proposed by the all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on British Muslims, which had become concerned by threats such as attacks on mosques. The new definition says: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” Labour, the Liberal Democrats and Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, have already accepted the wording.
Poor performance in European elections could finish off Change UK
On Friday evening in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, the latest troupe which seeks to break the mould of British politics took to the stage. The Tiggers, the ChUKas, the Remain Alliance, those for Remain and for a People's Vote, all rolled into one. They were there to announce their "Charter for Remain" and despite the smiles, the breezy entrances and the jokes, everyone there knew that they met under a cloud; the latest polls showed them plumbing the depths of the low single digits and the day was marked by the party's freshly written farce: their failure to nominate a candidate for the Peterborough by-election. For a few weeks, a few precious weeks, this group had such force, such elan, such goodwill. Yet through a mixture of misstep and mistake, most but not all of their making, it has ebbed away.
Delivering Brexit won’t quell the forces of nationalism, as Eurosceptics might hope
This emergent league of xenophobes is bound by few taboos, but it does not seek to dismantle the EU. That is not a badge of moderation. It reflects a strategic judgment that illiberal causes are better advanced from within the union, because leaving the club is a fast-track to diminished influence. (A point well illustrated by the UK experience.) Next week’s elections to the European parliament are likely to boost the profile of radical nationalists. They don’t need to achieve spectacular breakthroughs to have an impact. It is sufficient to instil panic in moderate parties, which then mimic the populists’ rhetoric and co-opt parts of their agenda.
English Democrats raise £58,000 for Brexit court battle
The leader of the English Democrats has said he is 'very confident' of proving that Britain has already left the EU - despite government claims that his case is 'hopeless'. Robin Tilbrook said his movement had raised £58,000 for the High Court battle and enjoyed an 'upsurge of people joining our party'. The pro-Brexit campaigner vowed to press ahead with the legal challenge despite government lawyers calling his case 'totally without merit' and trying to have it thrown out.
Tory chairman Brandon Lewis tells party's MEP candidates they have no chance in European elections
Brandon Lewis, the Conservative Party Chairman, has told Tory MEP candidates standing for election next week they have no chance of winning a seat, The Telegraph can disclose. In a sign that the Tories are braced for an electoral wipeout in the European elections on May 23, Mr Lewis has told the party’s candidates that if “you are not an MEP already you aren’t winning”. Mr Lewis recently told Conservative candidates at the party’s central office that the “chances of somebody further down the list getting elected are pretty slim". Having refused to launch a national campaign amid a widespread backlash over the delay to Brexit, the Tories are on course to plummet to fourth place next week
PMQs: Barry Sheerman and Theresa May on Brexit and EU
A Labour MP called on the PM to speak the "truth about Europe" rather than the "big lie" of those who opposed it. Barry Sheerman told her he was a "passionate Eurosceptic" when he became an MP 40 years ago, but had changed his mind as the EU had "delivered prosperity" and "kept the peace". Theresa May said the government planned to deliver Brexit, and said it was her party that “gave this country prosperity”.
Why should Jeremy Corbyn bail out Theresa May? He can force an election by holding back
Theresa May is constantly accused of playing for time, a charge that often rings true, but what about her Labour rival? Jeremy Corbyn can't be accused of being any more decisive. Take his choice at Prime Minister's Questions today not to talk about Brexit, instead focusing his six questions on issues like inequality and poverty. Is that because he did not want to derail any spirit of compromise ahead of a potential cross-party deal, or because he knew it was doomed so wanted to whip up Labour voters ahead of an imminent election by bashing the Tories over some familiar areas? Only he will know for sure.
Brexit: Theresa May has set herself a huge test
A loyal lieutenant who's been fighting off attempts to oust her for months says "losing the bill would have to be it - we are in the end now." This has already for Theresa May been a very long goodbye, and we can't know yet when she will actually bid a final farewell. But by committing to bringing the Brexit bill back to Parliament, the prime minister has set herself another huge test, that if she loses, it could turn out to be her last in the job.
PM accused of secretly blocking a bid to stop Troubles veterans being investigated
Theresa May was accused of secretly blocking a bid to halt thousands of ageing Northern Ireland veterans from being investigated to keep power-sharing talks with Sinn Fein alive. Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt’s new law will end prosecutions for accusations against service personnel more than 10 years old without compelling new evidence
Labour could ‘ABSTAIN’ from fourth Brexit vote – Theresa May handed LIFELINE?
Labour could abstain from a fourth meaningful vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s controversial Brexit deal with the EU, which could be enough to scrape it through Parliament. Labour’s Jeremy Corbyn has appeared to thrown Mrs May a Brexit lifeline, as if a large number of his party was to abstain, it would be enough to clear the deal of its first hurdle at next month’s ballot. A Labour spokesman was asked six times by a variety of media outlets including The Sun, Guardian and the Daily Mail today, and refused to rule it out on the second reading of the EU withdrawal agreement bill. The spokesman said: “We’ve made pretty clear we won’t support it.”
Theresa May to demand more time for Brexit deal in showdown talks with key Tories
Theresa May will ask for more time to deliver her Brexit deal in showdown talks on her future with Tory chiefs. She is expected to tell the Tory backbench 1922 committee that key laws must be passed by the summer break for the UK to leave the EU when they meet at Number 10 tomorrow. Senior Tories want the Prime Minister to set a timetable for her departure from No 10 even if Brexit remains unresolved. She has promised to stand down when the first phase of Brexit is done but has resisted naming a date for her departure. But MPs on the 1922 executive could take matters into their own hands and change party rules to allow another confidence vote. Rebel MPs have warned that Mrs May faces defeat when she tries to get the withdrawal agreement bill through Parliament.
Brexit secretary admits Theresa May's deal is 'dead' if MPs reject it again
Theresa May's Brexit deal is "dead" if MPs reject it again next month, the Brexit Secretary has admitted. Stephen Barclay indicated June’s vote would be the “last chance saloon” for Theresa May’s withdrawal bill. And it would leave MPs to decide between a no-deal Brexit and revoking Article 50. It comes after Number 10 revealed plans to bring Mrs May’s withdrawal agreement back to the commons in early June. Mr Barclay told the Lords EU committee: “I think if the House of Commons does not approve the WAB then the Barnier deal is dead in that form.
Liberal Democrat rising star Layla Moran rules herself out of party leadership race
Rising star of the Liberal Democrats Layla Moran has ruled herself out of the race to succeed Sir Vince Cable as the party’s next leader. The Oxford West and Abingdon MP, who was first elected in 2017, was among the frontrunners tipped to take over the Lib Dem veteran, who is expected to stand down imminently. In a statement however, Ms Moran said she did not believe she could take on the “busy role” of leading the party while fulfilling her duties as an MP after just two years in the job.
No 10 hints Commons Brexit vote is make or break for Theresa May
The vote on the withdrawal agreement bill will be make or break for Theresa May’s future as prime minister, Downing Street has indicated, as a member of her cabinet said defeat could also kill off the deal entirely. No 10 said the key piece of Brexit legislation would be voted on in the week beginning 3 June, and talks with Labour would continue in the meantime.
If Theresa May resigns, what will the leadership contest look like?
Despite suffering the largest defeat for a sitting government in history when her Brexit deal was rejected by MPs, Theresa May continues to cling to office. In May, it emerged that she could stand down if her hated bill fails for a final time in July. So how would a leadership campaign play out? The Sun discusses it
Exclusive: Lib Dems Send Activists 'Jeremy Corbyn Brexit Dossier' As Party Plots Assault On Labour Heartlands
Lib Dem activists targeting Labour heartlands in the European elections have been armed with a ‘Jeremy Corbyn Brexit dossier’, HuffPost UK has learned. The eight-page document is being sent to candidates and grassroots activists as Vince Cable’s party aims to convince “increasingly soft” Labour votes. The document, which is to be issued with Labour attack leaflets, collates pro-Brexit quotes from Labour’s frontbench MPs, including from supporters of a second referendum, such as Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry. It also outlines in detail the party’s voting record on a second referendum and soft Brexit options, underlining that Corbyn’s MPs were whipped either to abstain or to vote with the Tories on 29 key Brexit votes.
Brexit Party Welsh Assembly group to be set up
Four former UKIP AMs have joined Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, announcing plans to form an assembly group. Mr Farage declared Mark Reckless group leader on a visit to Cardiff on Wednesday. The planned group, which includes Mandy Jones, Caroline Jones and David Rowlands, is subject to assembly approval. Some Plaid Cymru and Labour AMs want it stopped. Mr Farage said: "The leavers in Wales are all coming back together again."
'Political tectonic plates are shifting': Greens aim to gain from Labour's pain
Labour and the Conservatives are widely expected to pay a heavy price for the Brexit impasse in next week’s European elections, and the Green party hopes to take advantage. Normally best known for environmental policies, the Greens aim to attract pro-EU voters with their “clear pro-remain” position. The difficulty is that the competition for that segment of the vote is crowded, with the Lib Dems and Change UK equally keen to take a share. Still, the Greens are optimistic. In London they hope to double their number of MEPs, to two, and they believe they can pick up a significant number of protest votes from people who want to send a clear message to Jeremy Corbyn over Labour’s Brexit position, even in his own backyard.
Theresa May to be told: give us your leaving date or you'll be gone in a month
Theresa May will be forced from office within a month if she does not set out a timetable for her departure when she meets senior backbench MPs on Thursday.
The Prime Minister will be told she faces the prospect of a confidence vote of her own MPs on June 12 if she does not agree to quit before the summer. Mrs May has already promised to stand down once Britain has formally left the EU, but the executive of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tories will tell her on Thursday that she must agree to resign regardless of whether her Brexit deal is passed by Parliament. There is growing unease within Tory ranks about the swift rise of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party, which now has more than 100,000 paying subscribers
Brexit: Stephen Barclay says PM's deal is 'dead' if bill fails
The prime minister's Brexit deal will be "dead" if the withdrawal bill does not pass in the Commons in June, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has said. Mr Barclay said the bill - which paves the way for Brexit - will be considered by MPs in the week beginning 3 June. He said if the plan is rejected by MPs, the UK will face no deal, or Article 50 could be revoked - so no Brexit. But Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman has said Labour would not support the bill if no cross-party agreement were reached.
Attempts to find a cross-party compromise began after Theresa May's Brexit deal, the withdrawal agreement that was negotiated with the EU, was rejected three times by MPs. Asked twice whether she would resign if her Brexit plan is rejected again by MPs, Mrs May said the withdrawal bill will "ensure that we deliver Brexit for the public".
Why Theresa May faces defeat on her flagship Brexit bill
Experts said there were three broad reasons why the government now risked defeat in the Commons on the withdrawal agreement bill. First, the bill gives effect to the Irish backstop, the provision in the divorce treaty to prevent the return to a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic through a customs union between the UK and the EU if necessary. Northern Ireland, but not Britain, would also be bound by the EU’s goods regulations. Second, the bill maintains a limited role for the European Court of Justice in UK law after Britain leaves the EU.
“The EU withdrawal act passed in 2018 turned off the principle of supremacy and direct effect of EU law in the UK,” said Catherine Barnard, professor of EU law at Trinity College Cambridge. “What the WAB does is turn it back on again. Third, the bill enacts the arrangements under which UK has agreed to pay up to €45bn to the EU as part of leaving the bloc. “The bill give ministers powers to make payments to the EU,” said Ms Thimont Jack. “But MPs could amend these clauses to make payments conditional on the EU reaching a trade agreement with the UK, or on future parliamentary votes.
@ITVPeston .@EmilyThornberry says if we end up with a deal it should go back to the public to ensure its what they want, with an option to Remain. #Peston
.@EmilyThornberry says if we end up with a deal it should go back to the public to ensure its what they want, with an option to Remain. #Peston
Both parties frozen in terror as Brexit destroys the system
It is a fundamentally meaningless project, which simultaneously makes it impossible to do anything else. It's a curse, a hex on the body politic. If you don't remove it, it simply sucks you dry. The easy answer to take from this is that the Tories need to turn into the Brexit party, and Labour needs to turn into the Remain party. There are numerous things which make that difficult, if not impossible. But there is something else, something more pronounced. Regardless of Brexit outcome, politicians need to change they way they speak about this issue. They need to be honest, plain-spoken, and precise. Voters deserve that. And politicians' failure to live up to it is destroying them.
With so many alienated by Westminster, it should be no surprise that Welsh independence is gaining strength
Two decades later, we have a situation that closely parallels the circumstances that ultimately led to that historic repatriation of powers: 10 years of austerity that have pushed hundreds of Welsh communities back into the grip of poverty, and a Brexit process that has left large swathes of the population feeling like no-one speaks for them. A sense that those in power have barely even a peripheral focus on our interests. Support for independence in Wales has always been fuelled by a sense of alienation from those calling the shots in Westminster. The current growth in momentum and activity would certainly suggest that more people feel that way than ever before.
Political Setbacks
The PM's legacy could soon be the Conservative Party's destruction
History is littered with the remnants of long-established political parties having been annihilated at the ballot box. Anyone thinking it could never happen to them does so at their peril. Yet that smug, complacent attitude is, astonishingly, exactly what has been adopted by the Conservative Party leadership. Assuming that the old order will carry on, come what may, is a fatal mistake. One need only look at the long litany of electoral disasters across the world to see that. Christian Democracy in Italy, which supplied 26 of the 28 Italian Prime Ministers between 1946 and 1992, holding office for 40 of those 45 years, has disappeared.
Jeremy Corbyn says he’ll fight for underpaid workers. How about the ones in his party?
Jeremy Corbyn must be kicking himself. At PMQs today, he had a golden opportunity to stick up for the underpaid staff of a well-known British employer. But somehow, it completely slipped his mind. Which was odd, because low pay was the theme of his questions. “Mr Speaker, real wages are lower than they were 10 years ago!” he barked, not once but twice. “Some of the lowest rates of pay are among young workers… Why does this Government continue to punish our young people?” To cap it all, he added, the Government’s own Department for Business had had to set up a food bank for its “very low-paid” staff.
Tommy Robinson sued by Syrian schoolboy he accused of assault
The Syrian schoolboy who was filmed being attacked in a playground in Huddersfield is suing the far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson for accusing him of assaulting white schoolgirls. Jamal Hijazi, 16, has filed papers to the high court seeking libel action against the founder of the English Defence League after he was alleged to have “peddled false and defamatory lies” about the schoolboy. Footage of the refugee student being pushed to the ground and having water poured on his face was watched millions of times and attracted widespread condemnation, including from Theresa May, in December. In March this year a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, was given a caution for racially aggravated assault on Jamal.
Labour Brexiteers could BACK May deal as Farage turns up the heat in Leave seats
Sources said between 20 and 25 of Jeremy Corbyn’s backbenchers are becoming so rattled by the looming threat of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party that they might back the unpopular deal to get the UK out of Europe. Speaking after the Prime Minister confirmed he deal was going back before the Commons, a Cabinet source said: “There is a chance — I accept it’s a small one — that certain Labour MPs will get cold feet once the actual bill is before them.” A Labour insider refused to rule out the possibility of battle-weary Labour MPs voting with the Government. The source told the Mirror: “Up to two dozen backbenchers have said they won’t be able to hold out much longer. “They’re getting so much grief in their constituencies over the failure to deliver Brexit.
Change UK: European election candidate David Macdonald quits to support Liberal Democrats
One of Change UK‘s lead European election candidates has quit to back the Liberal Democrats over concerns the new party could split the Remain vote in the upcoming contest. David Macdonald is the second person to resign as lead candidate for the party in Scotland after Joseph Russo withdrew from the race after one day over scrutiny of his old social media posts. Speaking at Holyrood, Mr Macdonald expressed fears about splitting the Remain vote by standing as a candidate for the newly-formed party, as Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party soars in the polls.
PMQs: Peter Bone repeats call for Theresa May to resign
Brexiteer Peter Bone said Conservative activists in his Wellingborough constituency want Theresa May to resign before next seek's EU elections. The Tory MP said they told him the PM's Brexit deal was "worse than staying in the European Union", and they want the UK to leave the EU now on a no-deal basis. Mrs May thanked them for their time, and said her party "wants to deliver Brexit".
The Tories are deluded if they think the Brexit Party can't supplant them
Nothing to see here: risibly, that remains how many senior Tories view the remarkable rise of the Brexit Party. To them, Nigel Farage’s return is a spectacular but ultimately meaningless final act, a last howl of rage by an angry minority exercising its right to protest at an irrelevant election. But a real, serious, game-changing threat to the political duopoly that has governed the UK for so long? Don’t be ridiculous.
There is something in the Conservative psyche that breeds this kind of deranged complacency: the conceit that theirs is the “natural party of government” is especially toxic.
Edinburgh reacts as leaflets for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party are delivered around city
Residents in the capital didn't hold back as the Brexit party's first leaflets arrived
Brexit energy drink denied EU trademark after claims brand was 'offensive'
In energy drink called Brexit will not get Europe-wide trademark protection after an EU agency initially decided its name was “offensive” before later ruling the brand name was too confusing instead. Polish entrepreneurs Pawel Tumilowicz and Mariusz Majchrzak, who run the business in Prestwich, Greater Manchester insist they called their drink, which boasts Union Jack branding, Brexit “for a laugh”. But the European Union Intellectual Property Office (Euipo) did not see the funny side. An official castigated the cheeky Poles for causing offence with their trademark protection.“
Labour's refusal to oppose Brexit is killing it on the doorstep. It should quit the talks
With Corbyn stuck in the talks, they said, voters were confused about Labour’s position. “How can you be fighting a Tory Brexit when you are in talks with the Tories to deliver one?” is a frequent argument on the doorstep, and is driving Labour voters to the Libdems and Greens. “It’s killing us not being able to give one word answer,” the candidate told me. “Corbyn was always about straight, honest politics – now candidates have to take a breath and launch into a long sentence. The lack of clarity is hurting us.”
Tory ministers condemned for rejecting MPs’ definition of Islamophobia
Ministers have been criticised after it emerged they will not adopt a definition of Islamophobia demanded by MPs and Muslim groups. In December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims called on the Government to accept guidelines on anti-Islamic abuse which states: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” In a Commons debate on Thursday however ministers will say that unlike the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition on anti-semitism, which it supports, the proposal on Islamophobia “has not been broadly accepted”.
Do Brexit Party supporters know who they are really voting for?
Brendan O’Neill, formerly of the Revolutionary Communist Party and Living Marxism, now of Spiked, has had me reaching for mine. He accuses me of lying, a charge which might send a less liberal journalist than me to his lawyers. He says my charge that his comrades and the Brexit Party’s European Parliament candidates Claire Fox, James Heartfield and Alka Sehgal Cuthbert are cavalier about the abuse of children “are lies, straight-up, low-down lies,” “character assassination”, and an act of desperation by the remain side.
Boris Johnson could be prosecuted over Brexit bus claim
Boris Johnson could be prosecuted over claims that the U.K. sends £350 million a week to the EU that were plastered all over a bus that toured Britain during the Brexit referendum campaign. According to the Financial Times, a businessman called Marcus Ball is bringing a private case against Johnson, a former foreign secretary, alleging that he committed misconduct in public office by endorsing the claim on the bus while knowing it to be untrue.
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party lets 'Vladimir Putin' sign up as a supporter
Nigel Farage has been accused of allowing “fake members” to join his Brexit Party – as the Mirror signed up as Vladimir Putin. The revelation shows how the party could be opening the door to millions in donations from foreign sources.
EXCL Labour MP tells Jeremy Corbyn to his face he must quit as party leader
A Labour MP has told Jeremy Corbyn to his face that he must quit as Labour leader if the party is to stand any chance of winning the next general election. Wes Streeting confronted his boss at an ill-tempered meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Mr Corbyn also faced a wave of criticism over Labour position on Brexit and European election campaign at the 90-minute gathering in Parliament. Some angry backbenchers claimed that they were being banned from putting out their own campaign literature by Labour HQ, while others said the party's policy on the EU was confusing and needed to be simplified. The Labour leader said he understood the "frustration" of his MPs, but insisted the party's anti-austerity message would bear fruit when the country goes to the polls on 23 May.
Nigel Farage can't just shout ‘Brexit betrayal’ and expect to be taken seriously
If Farage wants to be a serious politician, he needs to do more than shout ‘Brexit betrayal’ at rallies around the UK. Farage needs to have something to say about our country. And, at the moment, I’m not hearing it. When he appeared on The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC last Sunday (12 May), Marr tried to ask Farage where he stood on some of the most important issues facing us in Britain, such as climate change and the NHS. His response? An explosion of rage about how the BBC wasn’t paying him enough attention. Brexit aside, Farage has nothing positive to say about issues that the British people care most about: the NHS, the economy, crime and the environment (he once claimed climate change is a ‘scam’).
May plods on in her death spiral as Farage circles his prey
It could have been worse. Corbyn could have asked her about the European elections and Brexit. But luckily Labour is also pretending that neither of these things are happening as it too doesn’t quite know what to say about them, so May was temporarily let off the hook. It took the Scottish National party’s Ian Blackford to mention the B word, when he suggested the Tories and Labour were agreeing a stitch-up deal behind closed doors. Quite possibly one of the stupidest questions anyone has ever asked as Blackford must be the only person alive who hasn’t realised the whole purpose of the talks was that they wouldn’t agree on anything.
How one week in June could prove to be May's 'Waterloo' in a summer plagued by Brexit stumbling blocks
For someone famed for kicking the can down the road, Theresa May’s sudden decision to push the withdrawal agreement bill through parliament before the summer recess appears decisively suicidal. While Downing Street’s quest to get the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement on to the statute book by July may look like progress of sorts for Brexit, it sounds the death nell for a premiership that has plunged the Tories into what some have described as an existential crisis. Having hailed her “resilience” as one of her few leadership qualities, even Mrs May’s staunchest supporters are now wondering if there is something positively masochistic about clinging on through a summer which promises to give her nightmares
Probation will be renationalised after disastrous Grayling reforms
The supervision of all offenders in the community is to be undertaken by the state in a major renationalisation of the probation sector, just five years after Chris Grayling introduced a widely derided programme of privatisation while justice secretary. Under his disastrous shake-up in 2014, the probation sector was separated into a public sector organisation managing high-risk criminals and 21 private companies responsible for the supervision of 150,000 low- to medium-risk offenders. Following years of damning criticism from MPs, inspectorates and former probation officers, the justice secretary, David Gauke, has decided to bring all offender management under the National Probation Service (NPS) by spring 2021
When the centre cannot hold Britain’s bizarre, unwanted European election
Mr Farage, who went from private school to a career in the City, is himself a prime elite specimen. Yet he manages to pose as an anti-establishment rebel. In a Labour stronghold, he raises cheers by denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an Islington leftie. He offers no policies—they are promised only after the election—and does not even explain why Brexit is a good idea. His message is simple: we must walk out in October with no deal.
Brexit Party Donations – Farage’s Miracle Claims Do Not Add Up
The traffic shows that on the launch day of the Brexit Party only received 1,200 visitors – a fraction of the 16,000 £25 supporters Farage claimed had signed up that day. For the nine following days he said 60,000 had signed up, the actual total of visitors looks like less than 10,000. Even if every single visitor paid money to Brexit Party PayPal account this is only 10% of the total needed for launch day and 16% for the following nine days. The only conclusion that can be reached is that only a small proportion of PayPal payments were made via the website.
Brexit: Liam Fox claims UK could accept chlorinated chicken in US trade deal without lowering food standards
The UK could accept chlorinated chicken in a post-Brexit trade deal with the US without cutting food standards, Liam Fox has claimed. The international trade secretary vowed to protect food quality after withdrawal from the EU – but insisted the controversy about washing poultry in chlorine was purely an “animal welfare” issue. Dr Fox also suggested it would be impossible, under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, for Britain to ban the practice as part of a trade agreement with Donald Trump
Sky Views: Will Theresa May be remembered as one of UK's worst prime ministers?
"There is only one person who wants her to go on, and that's John Major," remarked one of her backbench detractors. "Every passing day she remains as prime minister she is seizing from John Major the mantle of the worst prime minister in living memory." Actually, it is not Sir John whom academics have crowned with that dishonour but the architect of the Suez crisis Sir Anthony Eden. A poll of academics specialising in British politics and contemporary British history rated Sir Anthony as the worst-performing of all post-war prime ministers.
Fourth time lucky: May's pitiful gambit
Her prime ministerial career is littered with moments in which she creates severe future problems in order to overcome more trivial immediate ones. Her tactics are very predictable: survive the present, deal with the consequences later. She has made countless promises - on a free trade deal, on transition, on talk sequencing, on the divorce bill, on free movement, on a border in the Irish Sea, on renegotiating the backstop, on alternative arrangements, on Article 50 extension, on the need to hold the European elections - while knowing that she could not abide by them. Anyone who has taken an interest in the detail of Brexit has watched her say things she could not possibly believe simple in order to survive the day.
Brexit Party most popular group for European elections, but only among over-55s, poll shows
The newly formed Brexit Party enjoys more support than Westminster’s major political parties for the European elections only among those over the age of 55, new polling shows. In a fresh survey for The Independent, BMG pollsters also found the party spearheaded by Nigel Farage will emerge ahead of the established parties on 23 May – despite being formed just weeks ago. The survey shows that among the 55-64 age range, the party boasts 30 per cent support – significantly above the Conservatives on 8 per cent and Labour on 15 per cent.
Yorkshire Brexit Party candidate brands Nigel Farage a 'dictator' and an ‘out-and-out b***ard' in 2016 tweet
A European election candidate for the Brexit Party in Yorkshire and the Humber referred to his party leader Nigel Farage as an “out-and-out b***ard” in a 2016 tweet, The Yorkshire Post can reveal. In a now-deleted post, Andrew Allison lashed out at Mr Farage after a bitter internal Ukip row led to the suspension of the party’s high-profile spokeswoman, Suzanne Evans. In the outburst, he also accused the ex-Ukip leader of running the party like a "dictatorship". In the wake of the showdown, Mr Allison tweeted: “The suspension of @SuzanneEvans1 highlights what an out-and-out bastard @NigelFarage is. “@Ukip is a Farage dictatorship - not democratic.”
EU elections: Change UK's lead candidate in Scotland quits
Change UK's lead candidate for the EU elections in Scotland has quit the race and is now endorsing the Lib Dems. David Macdonald is top of the Change UK list in Scotland, but said the party "don't stand much of a chance" of winning a seat in the 23 May poll.
May's fate 'already voted on' by chief Tories - Lame duck PM 'has to go'
The bill, which has not yet been published, looks set to spark outrage among Brexiteers with sources describing it as a “political hand grenade”. Politico said the deal is likely to “enshrine into British law” many aspects of the exit deal Eurosceptics within the Tory party will be angry about. Indeed, sources from the influential 1922 backbench committee have told ITV's Shehab Khan they have already voted to ensure Mrs May confirms her departure date and will be told she has to go if the deal fails.
If Theresa May resigns, we can still deliver the Brexit people voted for
For the good of Britain and for the good of my party, May must follow Margaret Thatcher’s example and stand down
Labour MP tells Jeremy Corbyn to his face he must quit as party leader
A Labour MP has told Jeremy Corbyn to his face that he must quit as Labour leader if the party is to stand any chance of winning the next general election. Some angry backbenchers claimed that they were being banned from putting out their own campaign literature by Labour HQ, while others said the party's policy on the EU was confusing and needed to be simplified. The Labour leader said he understood the "frustration" of his MPs, but insisted the party's anti-austerity message would bear fruit when the country goes to the polls on 23 May. In the final contribution to the meeting, Ilford North MP Mr Streeting told Mr Corbyn: "What is being heard on the doorstep across the country and what people are saying in the tea room, but won’t say to your face, is that you are a bigger issue for us than Brexit. “If you’re prepared to sacrifice our place in Europe because you think it will deliver a Labour government, why won’t you make way for a leader who can win a general election?"
Boris Johnson could face private prosecution over alleged Brexit bus claim
Boris Johnson could be privately prosecuted over allegations he misled the public during the EU referendum campaign by claiming the UK sends £350m to Brussels each week. Marcus Ball, a 29-year-old businessman, is bringing the private case against the former foreign secretary, who he alleges committed misconduct in public office by endorsing the £350m figure, knowing it to be untrue. On Tuesday, a judge agreed to hold a public hearing on May 23, the same day the UK heads to the polls to vote in the European Parliament elections. A big red bus emblazoned with the words “we send the EU £350m a week, let’s fund our NHS instead” is credited as being influential in Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU. The £350m figure did not take into account the UK’s rebate or the money that comes back via farming subsidies, regional development funds or grants to the private sector. The UK Statistics Authority has said these factors need to be taken into account.
EU Funding Benefits
Home Office misses deadline to access EU poverty relief funds
A catalogue of errors by the Home Office has led to a loss of access to £600,000 of EU funds earmarked for the most deprived people in Britain and has put a further £2.9m at risk, it can be revealed. The government had tried to claim the money for Theresa May’s flagship policy of helping the victims of modern slavery, but Sajid Javid’s department missed the deadline to recoup the ringfenced money. Under the watch of the home secretary, who has ambitions to replace May in Downing Street, the UK has been left as the only EU member state to fail to deliver aid to its citizens through the programme, and it is still yet to make an application for the remainder of the £3.5m that was available.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 17th May 2019
News Highlights
News from the Brexit Cliff Edge
Arron Banks has 'been only making plans for Nigel'
- Millionaire Arron Banks spent £450,000 bankrolling Nigel Farage's lavish lifestyle, including the rent of an exclusive home in Chelsea, his furniture and fittings for the house - even a shower curtain. He paid for a car and security trained driver, leased a private office for Mr Farage. He's paid £13,000 a month in rent for the £4.4m 3-bedroomed house, provided a Land Rover Discovery worth £32,000 for Farage's use and £20,000 for a close protection driver
Led by Donkeys is back with a bang - they're writing Nigel Farage's Brexit Manifesto for him as he has not got one and fly-posting it around the UK
- Led by Donkeys billboards include past statements made by Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party candidates. The latest feature comments he has made about breaking up the NHS and moving to an insurance-based system of healthcare and giving women less maternity pay
MPs will probe 'dark money' after the Brexit Party website's a fake members loophole is revealed
- An investigation revealed that loopholes could permit foreign cash to pour into UK politics. The Daily Mirror highlighted it cheekily by registering a Mr Vladimir Putin, address The Kremlin - as a Brexit Party donor
Tories Euro Election campaign has never been launched
- There is no party manifesto. No speech by the leader. Barely any money is being spent on the campaign. Officials are struggling to find enough activists to stuff envelopes or knock on doors. The 'strategy' is putting in so little effort that it automatically gives the Conservatives an excuse for their likely worst showing in an election nationwide in at least a century. The party is resigned to losing half its MEPs and possible coming fifth
Labour's European Election tactics are failing spectacularly
- YouGov's Peter Kellner provides an analysis of opinion poll data and says the slump in the Labour Party's recent support has been caused by the desertion of voters who want the UK to stay in the European Union
LibDems leapfrog Labour as Tories trail in European polls
- A new opinion poll for The Times places the Liberal Democrats (16%) in second place to the Brexit Party (35%) with Labour on (15%) and the Greens on (10%) with the Conservatives in fifth on (9%). Around 62% of people who voted Conservative at the 2017 General Election now say they are backing the Brexit Party. Only 1-in-5 Tory voters are staying with the party
It's the final countdown for Theresa May
- Theresa May met the Conservative Party backbench 1922 Committee, who made their view that she should name her departure date now, as clear as possible. In a statement after the meeting, from chair Sir Graham Brady, it confirmed that after the next Brexit vote - in the first week of June, the PM will sit down with the party to plan the process to chose her successor. In short, if May loses the Brexit vote in the first week of June she will announce her resignation
Cross-party Brexit talks will end soon
- Labour has been insisting on concessions from the government on guarantees for workers' rights and environmental standards - plus provisions to prevent a future Tory Party leader from tearing up any agreed deal - in return for its support. Tory whips believe a deal with Labour is not possible. The BBC reported that Conservative's will pack the proposed EU Brexit withdrawal draft legislation, bound for parliament in early June, with financial goodies designed to win over the votes of Brexiteers for the bill
Boris Johnson confirms he will stand for the leadership of the Tory Party
- Boris Johnson was asked at a business event in Manchester whether he would run for the leadership when the contest began. He replied 'of course I am going to go for it'
- Two more 'rising stars' of the Tory party launched leadership bids after being urged to take on Cabinet big beasts - Kit Malthouse and James Cleverly
- Amber Rudd tacked to the political centre warning Tory activists in a speech 'not to give up and let extremists from the left and right win' as the EU elections loom into focus
Other Political News
- Momentum says its launching campaigns to urge the Labour Party to adopt a series of radical and transformational pledges in its next General Election manifesto. These pledges will include action on a green new deal and a four-day working week
- Pro-EU Tory MP, Philip Lee, faces a no confidence vote from his local party's Brexiteers on June 1st. Lee said it was not a surprise and blames UKIP entryism
- The debacle of the botched privatization of the probation service was finally ended as the government said it would re-nationalise the service
- Tony Blair said social democracy needs a narrative of optimism about the challenges of the future if it is to thrive
- EU regulators announced they have levied hefty fines on Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Citigroup. Japan's MUFG and JPMorgan for collusion in currency trading. The five banks collectively will pay $1.2bn - 10% lower than planned after they all admitted their involvement
- Former Tory Brexit Minister, Chris Heaton-Harris breached ministerial code by meeting and discussing Brexit with members of a Spanish Far Right party called Vox
- An investigation revealed that a secretive think tank which is calling for the NHS to be scrapped is being funded heavily by 'Big Tobacco' and it is now donating to some of the Conservative Party leadership candidates
Economy
- Jaguar Land Rover's CEO denied he has been in talks with Peugeot over a possible sale. Ralf Speth said he has not been in talks with Peugeot but declined to comment on whether owner Tata Motors may have been
- CBI's director general, Carolyn Fairburn, told business leaders in London that paralysis in Westminster is continuing and that every day without any sort of deal with the EU is corrosive for business and is hurting the economy. Fairburn called the political mess caused by Brexit 'a crushing disaster' for business in Britain, with investor confidence at its lowest since the financial crash a decade ago
Jobs at Risk
Gill Furniss: 'Give the steel industry support and it can still thrive'
News that the Government is drawing up contingency plans for a British Steel collapse will have come as a shock to thousands of workers who have worked against the odds to defend the company’s future. Despite the sector’s best efforts, the Government’s failure to support this vital industry has resulted in the pressures becoming too great to absorb. To compete in a post-Brexit world, we must support and encourage our manufacturing industries. The future could be bright for UK steel as the Government’s own analysis identified a £3billion opportunity by 2030, sustaining good jobs in areas that need them most.
Economic Impact
Jaguar Land Rover CEO denies holding talks over sale to Peugeot
Jaguar Land Rover’s chief executive has denied the carmaker is in talks with Peugeot over a possible sale. The British company’s Indian owner, Tata Motors, was last week forced to deny reports of advanced talks with France’s PSA Group, which owns Peugeot, Citroën and Vauxhall. The Press Association reported a “post-sale integration document” was passed around senior executives at the companies, detailing the potential benefits of a tie-up. Speaking on Wednesday, JLR’s chief executive, Ralf Speth, said he had met Carlos Tavares, his PSA counterpart, at the latest gathering of the European car industry lobby group but they did not discuss any deal. “I didn’t have any discussion about it with him at all,” Speth said at the FT future of the car summit in London. However, he declined to comment on whether Tata Motors had engaged in talks.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit political mess a 'crushing disaster' for UK business – CBI chief
The continuing political mess over Brexit is a “crushing disaster” for business in Britain with investor confidence at the lowest since the financial crash a decade ago, the Confederation of British Industry’s director general has said. Carolyn Fairbairn told business leaders in London that “the paralysis” in Westminster continuing “every day without a deal is corrosive” in its effect on Britain’s economy.
She said the government and other political parties involved in the Brexit mess needed to sit up and pay attention to the realities in business and stop shirking their responsibilities to the country, where business leaders are already being forced to cancel expansion because the prospect of a decision on Brexit seems further away than ever. “From the heart of business to the heart of politics, resolve this gridlock, do whatever it takes and do it fast,” she said.
Thomas Cook Blames Brexit For Huge £1.5bn Half-Year Loss
Troubled holiday giant Thomas Cook has slumped to a £1.5 billion half-year loss as it warned Brexit uncertainty had seen Britons delay their summer holiday plans. The cash-strapped group’s pre-tax losses widened from £303 million a year earlier and the firm warned “challenging” trading over the peak summer season was set to put the full-year result under pressure. It now expects underlying earnings to fall over the second half as holiday firms cut prices to boost Brexit-hit demand and costs of fuel and hotels rise. Thomas Cook is planning further cost savings in the second half to offset tougher trading and higher fuel expenses, following its decision in March to shut 21 stores and axe more than 300 retail roles.
Political Shenanigans
Lib Dems leapfrog Labour as Tories trail in Euro polls
The Liberal Democrats have overtaken Labour while the Tories are pushed to fifth place, according to a poll for The Times before the European elections. The Lib Dems appear to be picking up support from Labour and Green voters after Sir Vince Cable argued that opponents of Brexit should vote for his party. YouGov interviewed 7,192 British adults between Sunday and Thursday this week. When asked whom they would support in the European elections, 35 per cent said the Brexit Party, up 1 point on the week before. Lib Dems were on 16 per cent, up 1, Labour on 15 per cent, down 1, Greens on 10 per cent, down 1, Conservatives on 9 per cent, down 1, Change UK unchanged on 5 per cent and Ukip unchanged on 3 per cent. The decline of the Conservatives into single figures is likely to increase the panic in the party’s high command, with 62 per cent of Tory voters in the 2017 general election now saying that they will vote for the Brexit Party in the European elections. Only one in five who backed the party at the last general election is sticking with the Tories in the European elections.
Brexit talks between the Government and Labour set to collapse without a deal
The negotiations, which have been going on since the end of March, could break down as early as Friday. Senior Labour sources said on Thursday that they were not going to walk away "imminently" - leaving the door open to the party pulling the plug at some point in the next few days. Labour negotiators had also insisted that any deal agreed with the Government - which they also wanted to contain guarantees on workers' rights and environmental standards - must contain provisions preventing a future Tory leader from being able to tear them up. Meanwhile, BBC Newsnight's Nick Watt also reported that Tory whips believe a deal with Labour was not possible.
Could Nigel Farage end up rescuing - or even owning - the Tory Party?
Is the Brexit party the enemy or friend of the Tory Party? Is Nigel Farage its destroyer - or could he turn into its redeemer? This is not as crazy a question as it may sound, even though right now Farage’s new venture is set to humiliate the Conservatives in the forthcoming EU parliamentary elections. The answer is contingent on other events, and in particular who wins the power struggle within the Conservative Party after Theresa May stands down (which every Tory MP I ask believes will be before the June 15 extraordinary vote by Tory local association chairs and grassroots officials on whether she is fit to remain in office - strikingly Bridgen and Vaizey, from the polar opposite wings of the party, endorsed that scenario on my show last night
Probation privatisation debacle: Crazed obsession with the market fails again
It is hard to fully describe the wastefulness of this debacle. Probation is the system that monitors offenders when they leave jail and tries to ensure that they do not reoffend. It is the harsh and unloved wing of public services. It isn't exciting, like the armed forces. It doesn't win public sympathy, like schools or hospitals. Most people don't even really know what it is. But when it goes wrong, we all suffer, because we all become less safe. There is a direct causal line between someone stealing your phone on the street and this service. Grayling shattered the system then tried to rebuild it according to the profit motive. He split low, medium and high risk cases and put the former two in the private sector, with the latter retained in the public sector. Then 21 seperate companies were given the contracts. The end result is clear. The National Audit Office found that probation companies had much lower business volumes than the Ministry of Justice had modelled, underinvested in their clients and didn't meet performance targets. They failed to work with charities, or develop appropriate supply chains, or provide innovative changes to the service, or meet contractual commitments, or help offenders with accomodation, employment, finance, mental health or drug problems. In repeated checks, they were found to be inadequate, particularly in the area of public protection. After the reform, there was a 22% overall increase in the number of proven re-offences per re-offender.
Union Flag on Theresa May’s official car is flown upside down in Paris — famously a coded signal for ‘distress’
Theresa May’s Brexit “distress” was sent around the world yesterday as bungling Brit officials appeared to fly the Union flag upside down. Eagle-eyed readers pointed out TV footage from Wednesday evening which showed the flag on the PM’s official car in Paris fluttering the wrong way round as she met President Emmanuel Macron for talks.
Beginning the hunt for the next PM
But the paragraph tucked into the short formal letter from Sir Graham Brady to Tory MPs all but marks the end of Theresa May's premiership and the beginning of the official hunt for the next leader of the country. After the lines in the short note restate the prime minister's determination to get Brexit done, it confirms in black and white that after the next big vote, in the first week of June, the prime minister will make plans with the party for choosing a successor. Right now, the expectation is that vote will be lost (although it is not impossible, of course, that Number 10 could turn it round). And the conversation that's been arranged won't just be a gentle chat about what to do next. Senior sources have told me that means, even though the letter doesn't spell it out, that if her Brexit plan is defeated again, Mrs May will announce she is going.
Britain's cross-party Brexit talks due to end soon - BBC's Watt
Brexit talks between Prime Minister Theresa May's Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party will soon draw to a close after the ruling party gave up on finding a compromise to break the Brexit impasse, a BBC reporter said on Thursday. May opened cross-party talks with the Labour Party more than a month ago after parliament rejected her European Union withdrawal deal three times, leaving Britain in political limbo. Nicholas Watt, political editor of the BBC Newsnight programme, said he understood that the cross-party search for a solution would end soon, after Conservative officials gave up on the phase of the talks. "(They) are looking to pack the (EU withdrawal) legislation with goodies for Brexiteers," he said on Twitter.
Blair: Social democracy needs 'narrative about the future'
When I asked Tony Blair whether he took the Thorning-Schmidt line or that of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor who ruled out any possible deal with the AfD, he gave a nuanced answer. "It depends on what you're being asked to trade in terms of policy in order to go into that coalition", Mr Blair explained. "If, for example, you know going into coalition with a right-wing party means you're going to adopt policies that are completely contrary to your principles then you shouldn't do it. "If on the other hand by forming that coalition you're keeping out a more destructive right wing coalition then you might do". Unsurprisingly, he castigates the current Labour leadership, and they reject his blueprint. But the Blair formula involves creating a compelling narrative for a future where the dizzying changes engendered by artificial intelligence, big data and robotics need to be channelled to create hope rather than insecurity.
Boris Johnson confirms bid for Tory leadership
Boris Johnson has said he will run for the Conservative Party leadership after Theresa May stands down. Asked at a business event in Manchester if he would be a candidate, the former foreign secretary replied: "Of course I'm going to go for it."
Mrs May has said she will resign once MPs back her Brexit deal. A decision on her exit timetable will now take place after the House of Commons votes on her Brexit bill early next month.
Theresa May to agree resignation timetable in WEEKS after showdown with MPs
Theresa May looks set to agree her resignation timetable in just over two weeks' time after a showdown with Tory MPs. Cabinet ministers and the PM's allies now believe there'll be a full-blown Tory leadership contest before the summer holiday after her two-hour meeting with the 1922 Committee.
May agrees to set her exit date after Brexit bill vote
Theresa May has agreed to set a timetable for her departure as prime minister in the first week of June, leading MPs to believe she will trigger a leadership contest before the summer. Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers, said she would agree a timetable for the election of a new leader after her Brexit legislation returned to parliament for a final attempt in the week of 3 June. Another member of the 1922 Committee told the Guardian that May understood she would have to name a quick date for her departure if the withdrawal bill is voted down, with a leadership contest before the summer. The MP said some Brexit supporters on the committee were disappointed that the prime minister was not forced to announce her departure immediately but this represented a “fair compromise”.
Momentum urges Labour to adopt 'radical' pledges in next manifesto
Momentum, the grassroots group set up to support Jeremy Corbyn, is directing its campaigning muscle into urging Labour to adopt a series of “radical and transformational” pledges in its next manifesto, including a green new deal and the four-day week. With Westminster politicians deadlocked over Brexit, which has divided Labour activists, Momentum wants to use its 40,000-strong membership to influence the direction of policy on other issues. It also hopes to act as a bulwark against the influence of MPs from the social democratic wing of the Labour party.
Nigel Farage's funding secrets revealed - Channel 4 News
Channel 4 News investigation reveals how millionaire Arron Banks spent approximately £450,000 on Nigel Farage to fund lavish lifestyle the year following the EU referendum in summer 2016.
Change UK is dying before it even learned to walk
Change UK is dying before it even learned to walk. Its MPs know it. Its candidates know it. The public knows it. Change UK never really wanted to change anything. What it wanted most of all was for things to stay the same. For the UK to remain in the EU and for the extremes of both the Tory and Labour parties to shut up and go away.
Pro-EU Tory MP Philip Lee to face no confidence vote from his local party’s Brexiteers
Rebel Tory MP Philip Lee is to face a no confidence vote by local party Brexiteers trying to oust him, The Sun can reveal. The outspoken MP for Bracknell resigned as a justice minister last year to back a second referendum. He is the latest in a series of pro-EU Tories to face deselection attempts. The vote will be held on June 1, after 53 members signed a petition calling for one.
Momentum to try to force Jeremy Corbyn to adopt four-day working week as Labour Party policy
A pro-Jeremy Corbyn campaign group will try to force the Labour Party to adopt a four-day working week as official policy ahead of the next general election. Momentum will use its 40,000-strong activist base to campaign in the run up to Labour’s annual party conference in September to push through “radical and transformational” pledges. Those pledges will also include a much tougher position on combating climate change by requiring the UK to become carbon neutral by 2030. That would go much further than the party’s current position of achieving net zero emissions before 2050. But the Tories said the proposals would weaken the UK’s economy and put jobs at risk.
Why is Labour just letting the Brexit party win the European elections?
Why is Labour making such a historic mistake? To judge from public statements, the leadership believes that Labour’s poor showing in this month’s local elections proves simply that the public wants us to “get a deal done” on Brexit: the leadership also argues that their ambiguous approach to Brexit in the 2017 election helped them win voters. Actually, Labour’s 2017 success depended on people believing that it was fundamentally a remain party despite tactical ambiguity on Brexit. And regardless of the suggestion that the public simply want the political class to get on with Brexit, polling shows that a large portion of the public now wants to stop Brexit. There are, of course, hardcore voters who want to leave no matter what, but they have mostly already shifted to Farage and his Brexit party.
Arron Banks 'spent £450,000 on Nigel Farage in year after Brexit vote - providing him with £4.4m Chelsea home, £32,000 Land Rover Discovery, close protection driver, furniture and even utility bills'
Millionaire insurance tycoon Arron Banks spent close to half a million pounds funding Nigel Farage's lavish lifestyle, according to the findings of a Channel 4 News investigation. The investigation to be broadcast tonight reports that Rock Services Ltd, a company owned by Mr Banks, leased a £4.4m 3-bedroom Chelsea home with garage for Mr Farage at an estimated rent of £13,000 a month in the summer of 2016. It is claimed Mr Banks also fitted and furnished the house, buying crockery, chairs and bathroom accessories and even a shower curtain for Mr Farage. Former UKIP leader Farage - who now fronts the Brexit Party - was also said to have been handed a Land Rover Discovery, valued at £32,300, for his personal use.
Millionaire Arron Banks ‘spent £450,000 bankrolling Nigel Farage’s lavish lifestyle’
The tycoon Arron Banks spent £450,000 bankrolling Nigel Farage’s lavish lifestyle, including the rent of an exclusive home in Chelsea, according to a Channel 4 News investigation. Mr Banks bought furniture and fittings for the house, including crockery, chairs and bathroom accessories – even a shower curtain. He also paid for a car and security trained driver and leased a private office for Mr Farage, who now leads the Brexit Party, Channel 4 reported. Its investigation claimed that Rock Services Ltd, which is owned by Mr Banks, leased the £4.4m 3-bedroom house at an estimated rent of £13,000 a month in summer 2016. Mr Farage was provided with a Land Rover Discovery, valued at £32,300, for his use and Mr Banks paid £20,000 for a close protection driver
Arron Banks 'gave £450,000 funding to Nigel Farage after Brexit vote'
Nigel Farage was lavishly funded by Arron Banks in the year after the Brexit referendum, Channel 4 News has alleged, with the insurance tycoon providing him with a furnished Chelsea home, a car and driver, and money to promote him in America. According to invoices, emails and other documents, Banks, who regularly bankrolled Farage’s former party, Ukip, spent about £450,000 in the year after the referendum, when Farage had quit as Ukip leader, the programme said. It said the money, some provided via Rock Services Ltd, a company owned by Banks, was used to rent a Chelsea home for £13,000 a month, with Banks purchasing furniture and fittings including crockery and a shower curtain. Farage was also provided with a Land Rover Discovery and a driver, and Banks sought to raise an extra £130,000 from supporters to cover security.
Nigel Farage’s funding secrets revealed
Channel 4 News investigation reveals how millionaire Arron Banks spent approximately £450,000 on Nigel Farage to fund lavish lifestyle the year following the EU referendum in summer 2016. Millionaire insurance tycoon Arron Banks spent close to half a million pounds funding Nigel Farage, who is now the Brexit Party leader. Mr Banks is currently under investigation by the National Crime Agency over the source of his funding for the Brexit campaign. However, Nigel Farage claims Mr Banks has never funded The Brexit Party, which was founded in February this year. An investigation by Channel 4 News reveals: Mr Banks, through one of his companies, rented exclusive £4.4m Chelsea home for Mr Farage - Gifts included furniture, council tax, water and electricity bills - Banks provided a £30k car and £20k for a driver - Banks also leased private office for £1,500 a month and paid Mr Farage’s personal assistant - Hundreds of thousands of pounds were spent promoting “Brand Farage” in America - A company owned by Mr Banks, called Rock Services Ltd, leased a £4.4m three-bedroom Chelsea home with a garage for Mr Farage at an estimated rent of £13,000 a month in summer 2016.
Boris Johnson confirms he will 'of course' run to succeed Theresa May
Boris Johnson has confirmed he will run to replace Theresa May as leader of the Conservative Party, claiming he has a "boundless appetite to try to get it right". Speaking at a private event in Manchester alongside the BBC presenter Huw Edwards, Mr Johnson told those in attendance "of course I'm going for it". “I don't think that is any particular secret to anybody,” he added. “But you know there is no vacancy at present." It marks the first time that the former foreign secretary has publicly stated his intention to run. Mr Johnson is the Grassroots favourite to succeed Mrs May, topping every leadership poll published in recent months. He is expected to run as the candidate offering a "clean Brexit"
Two rising star Tory MPs launch leadership bids after being urged to take on Cabinet big beasts
Two rising star Tory MPs have launched leadership bids after being urged to take on “failing” Cabinet big beasts. Housing minister Kit Malthouse and Brexit minister James Cleverly are discreetly setting up campaign teams to challenge for the nation’s top job, The Sun can reveal.
Amber Rudd warns Tories not to give up and let 'extremists' win as EU elections loom
Amber Rudd has warned that the Conservatives must occupy the centre ground if they are to defeat the "extremists" currently dominating British politics. Amid a surge in support for Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party, the Cabinet minister told Tory activists that the Conservatives were now in "the fight of our lives" to push back against populists. A spate of recent polls have suggested that the Brexit Party, which is pushing for a no-deal exit from the EU, will come out on top at the EU elections on 23 May.
For a Tory revival that can truly see off populism, all you need is Gove
In the latest part of our new series on the leadership contest awaiting the Conservatives, Harry Hodges explains why Michael Gove is the man who can deliver on the promise of Brexit
Meet the real Alexander Nix. An interview with the notorious former head of Cambridge Analytica
If you have heard of Alexander Nix, you probably think he’s a villain. He is the former head of Cambridge Analytica, the data analytics company that helped Donald Trump win the presidential election. Nix and his colleagues have been accused of all sorts of other dastardly deeds: conniving with the Kremlin to hack democracy, ‘dark messaging’ people with racist ads on Facebook in the run-up to Brexit, and more and worse. Nix lost his job after a Channel 4 investigation into Cambridge Analytica in March last year — the exposé won a Bafta last weekend. By May, Cambridge Analytica and its parent company SCL had gone into administration, and Nix had been widely condemned as a Machiavellian crook.
Anti-Brexit feeling expected to help SNP in European elections
With the SNP presenting itself as the logical pro-EU option north of the border – where 62% voted to remain in the 2016 referendum – the party leader, Nicola Sturgeon, urged voters to treat both Labour and the Conservatives as pro-Brexit parties when she launched her European election campaign last week. Curtice said the polling evidence suggested Labour’s vote in Scotland was more pro-leave than the rest of the UK yet, like the Tories, its support at this election had been eroding, leaving it likely to lose one of its two European seats.
The end of Theresa May, writes Robert Peston
Today's joint statement by the 1922 Committee and the PM may seem opaque but it means something very simple and unambiguous: the Tories will have a new leader, and we will have a new prime minister, by August. That is what a majority of Tory MPs want. But for reasons of decorum, they have not spelled out the exact timetable ahead of the European Union parliamentary elections, which take place on Thursday, or before the fourth and final attempt to have the PM’s Brexit deal ratified, in the week beginning June 3. Theresa May is being allowed the flimsiest fig leaf of control over her destiny. But sources tell me that a majority of the 1922 executive committee want the new leadership contest done and dusted by the time the Commons rises for the summer at the end of July, to give a new leader the opportunity to shape a Brexit path with a few months to spare before the new deadline of 31 October.
Brexit: Talks between Tories and Labour set to close with no deal
Brexit talks between the Conservatives and Labour are about to close without an agreement, the BBC has learned. Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn will now move to a second phase, aimed at agreeing on a process for Parliamentary votes designed to find a consensus. It comes after Mrs May promised to set a timetable for leaving Downing Street following the next Brexit vote in June. Ex-Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson has said he will stand in the Conservative leadership election that will follow.
EU fines major banks €1 billion over currency cartels
Regulators in the European Union have levied a hefty fine on Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland, Citigroup, JPMorgan and Japan's MUFG over collusion in currency trading. The European Commission on Thursday fined five major banks €1.07 billion ($1.2 billion) for collusion in the foreign currency market. The fines would normally have been 10% higher, but they were reduced after the banks admitted their involvement.
European elections: is the party over for the centre-right?
Sara Hagemann, associate professor in European politics at the London School of Economics, argues the election may determine whether Mr Orban will “remain something the EPP has to deal with internally”. Handling him as an external opponent could be easier for the party. But there are downsides: losing Mr Orban’s seats could bring the Socialists close to the top spot in the European Parliament. The Hungarian could also act as a rallying point for the right in Europe — narrowing the appeal of the EPP, much as they feared Mr Berlusconi would in 1998.
With the EPP divided over Mr Orban’s fate, some observers see the Hungarian as having the upper hand. He can gamble on the EPP being unwilling to expel him later this year, while making the case for the EPP working with nationalist and anti-immigrant politicians such as Mr Salvini. “I have the impression that the identity battle for Europe’s right is a fight Orban is winning, not losing,” says Mr Vallée. “He is pulling the EPP, and in reality the entire European political structure, to the right.”
Political Setbacks
How the 'men in grey suits' called time on Theresa May's premiership
When the moment she had been dreading finally came, Theresa May raged against the dying of the light. The Conservative Party’s most powerful backbenchers had just made it clear that her premiership was at its end, but the Prime Minister pleaded with them to be given more time. Tears welled in her eyes as she made her argument for just a little longer in Downing Street. She dabbed at her nose with a handkerchief. Yet the sympathy and patience of the 1922 Committee had run out. “She voiced her view about Brexit, which she regards as a debt of honour,” said one of those present. “She was emotional - a lot more emotional than I have ever seen her before.
Jean-Claude Juncker says £350m bus slogan was a lie as deputy calls Brexit Britain 'Game of Thrones on steroids'
The ‘Boris Bus’ Brexit slogan that Britain sends £350m to Brussels a week that could be spent on the NHS is a lie, Jean-Claude Juncker has said. The president of the European Commission made the accusation as his deputy said British politics after Brexit was like “Game of Thrones on steroids”. Mr Juncker, who is reaching the end of his five year term, said he was wrong not to attack Vote Leave’s 2016 referendum claim, which was famously emblazoned on the side of a red bus. "So many lies were told, and so many of the consequences resulting from a ‘no’ were misrepresented, that we, as the commission, should have spoken out,” he told Austria’s Der Standard newspaper.
Labour HUMILIATED as BBC Question Time audience LAUGH at party’s Brexit position
Richard Leonard, a member of the Scottish Parliament, claimed voters should back Labour to stop a no-deal Brexit. The UK will take part in European Parliament elections next Thursday, with polls suggesting the Brexit Party will come out on top. Theresa May’s Conservatives look set to struggle, and are likely to be pushed into third or fourth place. Addressing the audience Mr Leonard said: “We’ve had three years since the referendum, two years of failed negotiation and one bad deal presented by Theresa May. “The test next Thursday is whether people are prepared to countenance a no-deal Brexit or not. “The choice will be between an insurgent Brexit Party or defeating them, and defeating what they stand for. “Now my view is the best way to do that is to vote Labour next week.” At this point a section of the Question Time audience began laughing.
@ByDonkeys Brexit Party leader @Nigel_Farage hasn’t written a manifesto so we’ve done it for him, based on statements by him and his candidates.
Brexit Party leader @Nigel_Farage hasn’t written a manifesto so we’ve done it for him, based on statements by him and his candidates. Billboards going up across the country this week. See more at http://TheBrexitParty.com (location: Radford Rd, Coventry)
Revealed: Former Brexit minister accused of breaching ministerial code in meeting with Spanish far right
Brexit department claims Chris Heaton-Harris “wasn’t acting in a ministerial capacity” – but he discussed Brexit with the controversial far-right Vox party, prompting calls for an investigation.
European elections: Majority of voters in EU countries predict union will ‘fall apart’ within 20 years, poll shows
Support for the European Union among citizens in its member states is at a record high, but at the same time so is the belief the bloc will have disintegrated within 20 years, polling ahead of this month’s election shows. The survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) shows Slovakian voters have a particularly pessimistic view regarding the future of the union, with 66 per cent saying they thought it was “realistic” to say the “EU will fall apart in 10 – 20 years”.
The polls are clear – Labour’s Brexit tactics are failing spectacularly
In the case of Labour’s strategy towards next week’s European parliament elections, one central fact is now beyond dispute. The recent slump in the party’s support has been caused by the desertion of voters who want the UK to stay in the European Union: not partially caused, or possibly caused, but totally. This is clear from a detailed analysis of recent YouGov surveys by its political team. In common with other pollsters, it has picked up a sharp reduction in Labour’s support, from 21% in late April to 16% last week. Uniquely, YouGov can link its data to how people voted in the 2016 referendum and the 2017 general election – relying not on voters’ sometimes fallible memories, but how they told YouGov they voted at the time of both contests.
Tory warning: Party risks collapse amid threat MPs will resign en mase for Brexit failure
Conservative MPs will be forced to reconsider their political futures if the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum in which 17.4 million Britons voted Leave, was to be ignored, Tory MP Philip Hollobone has warned.
Nigel Farage Fails 8 Times To Say What Brexit Offers In Car Crash BBC Interview
Nigel Farage failed to spell out what Brexit will offer when repeatedly asked by a BBC journalist. The Brexit Party leader was challenged by the broadcaster’s Wales political correspondent Arwyn Jones eight times to set out what leaving the bloc would deliver for south Wales. Farage, whose party has the sole policy of crashing out of the EU without a deal, was in Merthyr Tydfil for a campaign rally ahead of the European elections on May 23. Jones said the nation was a net beneficiary of EU funding “to the tune of £250m a year” and asked Farage what Brexit would deliver if Welsh agriculture was damaged by Brexit. Farage, noted for his confident media performances, appeared to flounder before suggesting the UK would be “in charge of” the steel industry.
New Brexit Party AM calls Tommy Robinson 'courageous'
One of the Brexit Party's new AMs has called far-right activist Tommy Robinson a "courageous character". David Rowlands said the ex-English Defence League (EDL) leader "reflects the views of a great many people". The comments contrast with those of Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who has called Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a "thug". The Brexit Party said Mr Rowlands' was giving a personal view that did not "in any way" reflect the party's position.
Anti-Brexit campaigners have put up a series of billboards taking aim at Nigel Farage and Brexit Party
Anti-Brexit campaigners have put up a series of billboards taking aim at Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party by highlighting past statements he and his candidates gave made. Photos show the billboards in place at locations including Taunton in Somerset, Coventry, and Neath in South Wales, with slogans such as "attack the NHS" and "less maternity pay" next to comments attributed to Brexit Party members.
The billboard in Coventry cites a quote Mr Farage gave during a speech where he said: "We need to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare." They all feature the Brexit Party branding and logo.
The group Led by Donkeys wrote on Twitter: "Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage hasn't written a manifesto so we've done it for him, based on statements by him and his candidates.
"Billboards going up across the country this week."
Big tobacco secretly bankrolling anti-NHS think tank whose bosses donate thousands to Tory leadership contenders, an investigation reveals
A secretive think tank which called for the NHS to be scrapped while its heads pour millions into the Conservative Party – and its MPs’ – coffers is being funded by big tobacco, an investigation has found. British American Tobacco is one of the groups funding the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a free market think tank which is notoriously close-lipped about its donors. The IEA has been an outspoken critic of public health measures for tackling smoking, obesity and harmful drinking, and past funders include organisations affiliated with gambling, alcohol, sugar and soft drinks industries. Health experts said the findings, in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), raise the prospect of a future Conservative leader aligning with big business at the expense of the public’s health. The IEA has dubbed the NHS one of the most “inefficient and overrated health systems in the world” and a 2016 report argued for a private health insurance model in the UK with top-up payments.
MPs to probe 'dark money' after Brexit Party 'fake members' loophole revealed
MPs will launch a probe into “dark money” in elections, after the Mirror revealed online loopholes could let millions in foreign cash pour into British politics. A Mirror investigation yesterday found it was possible to join Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party as a supporter under the name “Vladimir Putin” and the address of the Kremlin.
Led By Donkeys take aim at Nigel Farage in new anti-Brexit billboard campaign
Anti-Brexit campaigners Led by Donkeys are putting up a new set of billboards, and this time they've decided to use them to 'release' Nigel Farage's party's manifesto. "Nigel Farage has refused to publish one ahead of the elections so we've done it for him based on his own words and the statements and policies of his Brexit Party candidates," said Led by Donkeys on their website, adding that they think it's important to hold Farage and his candidates to account.
'They never started': inside Tory European election campaign
There is no party manifesto. No launch event. No speech by the leader. Barely any money is being spent. And officials are struggling to find enough activists to even stuff envelopes, let alone knock on doors. This is the Conservative Party’s European election effort – an all but invisible campaign that will probably lead to their worst showing in a nationwide election in at least a century. Inside Conservative campaign headquarters, the strategy is that minimum exertion will give Theresa May an excuse for doing so badly after the results of the polls come in on 26 May. Centrally, the party is resigned to losing half their MEPs, and possibly coming fifth. The candidates picked by the party are a mixed bag from both the leave and remain wings. Many of them are not even bothering to tweet or update their websites about the European elections, let alone engage in pounding the streets.
Jess Phillips ‘sick’ at interview with Ukip candidate who joked about raping her
Carl Benjamin, the Ukip MEP candidate who joked online about raping her. Mr Benjamin, who is standing for for the party in South West England, appeared on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme to defend his jokes, accusing the BBC of “killing off” comedy. He also said he had spoken to rape survivors who had applauded his comments
Tory ministers condemned for rejecting MPs’ definition of Islamophobia
In December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims called on the Government to accept guidelines on anti-Islamic abuse which states: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” In a Commons debate on Thursday however ministers will say that unlike the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition on anti-semitism, which it supports, the proposal on Islamophobia “has not been broadly accepted”.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 20th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
UK government had a $146bn war chest to fight off a run on the pound after March's Brexit deadline
- Bank of America analysts revealed that the UK government built up a $146bn war chest in the fourth quarter of last year, to defend against an anticipated run on the pound when the UK left the EU with a No Deal Brexit on March 29th
World oldest tourist firm in dire straits
- Thomas Cook issued its 3rd profit warning in less than a year last week, citing Brexit as one of a set of causes. Citigroup analysts said the travel firm's shares were worthless, which saw its shares 30% plunge in value
UK-based Poles call for a revolt against having to apply for settled status
- More than 7,000 people have signed a petition launched by Damian Wawrzyniak, which calls on the government to change the wording of the recently introduced EU status process from 'application to stay' to just 'register.' Wawrzyniak has worked in Britain for 15 years and has established his own UK restaurants
Theresa May is set to make a 'bold offer' in a final bid to get MP's to back her Brexit deal
- The WAB (as it is known) is expected to include new measures on protecting workers rights, provisions on future customs arrangements with the EU and on Northern Ireland, including the use of technology to avoid the need for border controls with the Republic. It will not seek to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement signed with the EU - which contains the controversial Irish Backstop - after the EU repeatedly made clear it could not be re-negotiated
The Brexit Party's funding must be investigated, says Gordon Brown
- Former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown will use a speech in Glasgow on Monday to say an investigation into the Brexit Party's finances is urgent and essential. 'Democracy is fatally undermined if unexplained, unreported and thus undeclared and perhaps under the counter and underhand campaign finance - from whom and from where we do not know - is being used to influence the very elections that are at the heart of our democratic system' - he will say, according to pre-released extracts
Lib Dems could shake the foundations of British politics by beating Labour and the Tories - says Vince Cable
- The confusion and disorientation of the two major parties over Brexit has created conditions where the Lib Dems could outpace both their rivals in a national election for the first time in a century - Cable told The Independent
The Cabinet Brexit Secretary told Sky that No Deal Brexit preparations will have to be speeded up
- Stephen Barclay told Sophy Ridge on Sunday that 'Members of Parliament do need to face facts, if the deal were not to go through there are only two alternatives - you either leave with a no deal or you revoke Article 50'
Vote for a pro-EU party, says Labour's Dame Margaret Hodge
- The Times reported that a leaked tape has emerged on which the 74 year old Barking MP tells people in a meeting that they should vote for a pro-European MEP, rejecting the questioner's effort to get her to specifically endorse all members voting Labour
Tory grandee Michael Heseltine said he's switching to vote Lib Dems for the European Election
- Former Deputy Tory PM Michael Heseltine said he intends to vote Lib Dem at the European Election as a Brexit protest
Theresa May's 'bold Brexit offer' is just a retread of old ideas, leaked document suggests
- The Telegraph said 'it contains nothing new on customs arrangements and retains the controversial Northern Irish backstop. Leading Eurosceptics are already saying there is nothing new in it to tempt them to change their mind and support Mrs May's deal
Change UK calls for Article 50 to be revoked and to hold a second referendum
- Party spokesperson, Chuka Umunna said the country was facing a national emergency, due to the prospect of leaving the EU with No Deal at the end of October. Therefore, he told BBC presenter Andrew Marr, 'we are now at the point where we are going to need to revoke Article 50'
Nicola Sturgeon - there will be a vote on Scottish independence by 2021, even if the UK stays in the EU
- Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that her timetable for IndyRef2 remained unchanged and that there will be a second vote by 2021
Green Party co-leader Sian Berry 'there has to be a confirmatory vote on a new Brexit deal'
- Berry was interviewed by Channel 4's Matt Frei and she made it clear that the Green Party believed a confirmatory vote on any Brexit deal was a necessity if there was not to be a second referendum
- Sir Keir Starmer called for a public vote on any withdrawal agreement bill
As the Brexit talks between Labour and the Tories collapse, Jeremy Corbyn has most to lose
- The Independent's Andrew Grice says he has seen figures that indicate that Labour is not reaching its natural supporters on social media, alienating remainers and not keeping Labour leavers on board either - so set for trouble at the ballot box on Thursday
Theresa May is to give MPs 'multiple choice' options over Brexit, asking them to rank their options
- Mrs May's proposal would use a preferential vote system, under which MPs would rank different options in order of preference. Her government is considering holding a series of indicative votes before MPs vote for the fourth and final time on her Brexit deal in the week of June 3rd
Boris Johnson crushes leadership rivals in poll of Tory members
- Johnson is a clear favourite to be the next PM, according to a poll of Tory Party members. YouGov interviewed 858 Tory party members for the poll between May 10th and May 16th
- EU poll in Scotland reveals Labour and Tories plummeting to joint fourth place
Labour's Clive Lewis MP said Corbyn's position would be 'in peril' if he 'betrays' Labour over a second referendum
- Clive Lewis told The Independent that if Corbyn failed to fully support a Final Say public vote the party activists who put him in his leadership role could turn against him. Mr Lewis warned Labour was hurting as Remain voters are deserting the party in droves in advance of the European Elections this coming Thursday
Brexit Party fundraiser is 'Posh George,' once jailed in the USA after an FBI money laundering sting
- George Cottrell served as UKIP's head of fundraising until his arrest by federal agents on charges of extortion, money laundering and fraud in 2016. A source inside the Brexit Party said he was 'reprising his role as one of the Brexit Party's top fundraisers.' His presence has raised eyebrows amongst staff
Nigel Farage is facing an investigation by EU authorities over the lavish gifts (£450,000) from millionaire tycoon
- A Channel 4 news programme revealed last week that Banks provides him with a chauffeur driven car, rent and bills on a £4.4m Chelsea home, lavish trips to the USA to meet right wing politicians, but none of the gifts were declared on Farage's register of interests with the European Parliament
Leave.EU founder confirms he funded Nigel Farage 'for a year' after referendum
- Arron Banks is under investigation by the National Crime Agency into his sources of cash for the 2016 Brexit referendum, when he was the highest donor in British electoral history. He is now back in the spotlight again, this time confirming he has given Nigel Farage £450,000 worth of support in the year after the Brexit referendum. Mr Farage said he did not declare it to the European Parliament because 'he was about to leave politics and was seeking a new life in the USA'
Many of the Brexit Party's Twitter followers appear to be bots
- Engadget cites a detailed report from Internet security experts F-Secure, which noted that 8,800 users, roughly 7% of the party's Twitter base - have been disproportionately retweeting party material producing massive volumes focused on Brexit, in obviously unrealistic quantities. One account tweeted 823 times in a day. Some are new, while many others are from outside of the UK. The follower surge suggests 'inorganic behaviour' or bots as its better known
Economic Impact
The UK government built a $146 billion war chest to stop a run on the pound in the case of a 'no-deal' Brexit, Bank of America says
The UK government built a $146 billion war chest in the fourth quarter to defend against an anticipated run on the pound if Britain left the EU with no deal, according to a foreign exchange reserve analysis by Bank of America. BofA analysts Kamal Sharma and Sebastien Cross called the buildup "unprecedented" among the larger global economies, in a note to clients seen by Business Insider. "In the fourth quarter, UK FX reserves rose $23 billion to $146 billion (gross reserves)," they wrote. "In nominal terms, this is a 19% quarter-on-quarter increase in reserves and the largest quarterly increase since our series began in 2000. The scale of this pace of reserve accumulation compared to other G10 economies is unprecedented."
Administrative Fall Out
UK property register 'needed urgently' to stop money laundering
Proposals for the first register of foreign-owned property aimed at preventing “McMafia-style” money laundering should be put in practice urgently and reinforced to plug potential loopholes, the government has been told. Draft legislation contains insufficient verification checks to deter criminals from submitting false information and could allow those exploiting trusts to circumvent controls, MPs and peers have said. More than £90bn is estimated to be laundered illegally through the UK each year, according to the all-party parliamentary committee scrutinising the registration of overseas entities bill. Illicit funds help sustain Britain’s inflated property market through the purchase of homes that are frequently left unoccupied, emptying the wealthier parts of London of residents.
Thomas Cook shares 'worthless', says Citigroup
Shares in Thomas Cook have plunged 30% after analysts at a bank said the travel firm's shares were "worthless". Thomas Cook's tour operations and airline are worth £738m, but its debt is around the same "and implies zero equity value", according to Citigroup. Citigroup's damning conclusion comes a day after Thomas Cook issued its third profit warning in less than a year and reported a £1.5bn half-year loss. Its outlook was "significantly weaker than expected," Citigroup said.
UK-based Poles call for revolt against having to apply for settled status
A Polish chef who has worked with Mary Berry and Jamie Oliver is leading a revolt by UK-based Poles against the Home Office’s requirement that EU citizens apply for settled status as part of Brexit. More than 7,000 people have signed a petition launched this week by Damian Wawrzyniak on the UK government and parliament website to change the wording of the settlement status process from “application” to “registration”. At 10,000 signatures, the government must respond. Wawrzyniak, a former chef at Noma in Copenhagen who has worked in Britain for 15 years and established his own UK restaurants, originally backed Brexit on the basis that it would make it easier for restaurants to select British produce. But he has changed his mind and says he will ultimately refuse to apply to live in the country he now calls home.
Brexit blamed as United Kingdom comes last at Eurovision with just three points in public vote
It is the first time the UK has come last in the Eurovision Song contest since 2010. Many took to social media to blame Brexit for the hostile reception from the rest of Europe.
Political Shenanigans
The middle ground no longer exists over Brexit. It’s all or nothing now
Pressure is building within Labour for the party to take an unambiguous stand on the other side of the barricades and become an anti-Brexit party. That pressure will be increased when the Euros see large numbers of previous Labour voters desert the party for the Lib Dems, Greens and Change UK. If a general election hasn’t happened by September, Labour’s party conference is highly likely to force its reluctant leadership to make a no-qualifications commitment to a fresh referendum. The middle ground, such as it was, has become scorched earth. The chances of this concluding with no Brexit or a no-deal Brexit are both rising sharply.
Farage REFUSES to support Johnson’s PM bid if he backs May's deal - 'It's a REAL problem'
Nigel Farage was quizzed on whether the next leader needs to drop support for Theresa May’s Brexit deal. He told The Daily Telegraph: “Of course. Absolutely.
“If a new Conservative leader said ‘we are leaving on WTO terms on Halloween Day’ then that would be a great step in the right direction but would they actually stick to it? How could we trust them? That is the problem. “Everyone keeps shouting Boris’s name at me - Boris voted for the Withdrawal Agreement despite everything he had written in your newspaper.
Brexit latest: MPs left 'very frustrated' as 'totally unprecedented' deadlock results in no Commons votes for more than a month
MPs from across the House of Commons have expressed their anger at the lack of action in parliament after weeks in which the Brexit deadlock has left the Commons with almost nothing to do. There has not been a significant vote in the Commons since 10 April and on several occasions MPs have been sent home hours earlier than scheduled because there was nothing for them to debate. Attempts to secure agreement for a Brexit deal have monopolised ministers' attention, meaning other legislation has all but dried up.
Change UK's Chuka Umunna Says UK Must Revoke Article 50 To Avoid No-Deal Brexit
The UK must now revoke Article 50 to fight the threat of a no-deal Brexit, Chuka Umunna has said. “We are now at a point where we are going to need to revoke Article 50,” the Change UK spokesman told the BBC’s Andrew Marr on Sunday. “At the beginning of these European election campaigns we had time to provide for a People’s Vote on what happens on Brexit,” he continued, saying a second referendum would take “at least” five to six months. “We now no longer have the time to do that by the 31st of October, when we are due to crash out, so we need to stop the clock now to allow that to happen.”
Brexit news latest: Theresa May set to make ‘bold offer’ in final bid to get MPs to back her deal
The WAB - which is needed to ratify the deal with Brussels - is expected to include new measures on protecting workers' rights, an issue where agreement with Labour was said to have been close. However, Government sources made clear the package would not just be aimed at Labour MPs but would seek to secure the widest possible support across the Commons. It is expected to include provisions on future customs arrangements with the EU and on Northern Ireland, including the use of technology to avoid the need for border controls with the Republic. It will not, however, seek to re-open the Withdrawal Agreement - which included the controversial Northern Ireland "backstop" - after the EU repeatedly made clear it could not be re-negotiated.
BBC forced to apologise after Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable says ‘b******s’ live on air
The Beeb was forced to apologise yesterday after Lib Dem chief Vince Cable said “b******s” live on air. BBC political presenter Andrew Marr stepped in when the veteran uttered the Remain party’s ‘B******s to Brexit’ campaign slogan. Sir Vince insisted he wasn’t embarrassed about it. And he said the word had a “long and distinguished history” going back to the 18th century of meaning ‘nonsense’.
Brexit: New UK PM will not alter withdrawal deal - Coveney
Ireland's deputy prime minister has ruled out any renegotiation of the Brexit withdrawal deal if Theresa May is replaced as UK prime minister ... Mr Coveney described political events at Westminster as "extraordinary", as he questioned the logic of ...
MPs to debate immunity for Northern Ireland veterans
A petition calling for soldiers who served in Northern Ireland to be immune from prosecution will be debated by MPs amid reports No 10 has vetoed calls for legislation to protect veterans. Several Tory MPs are expected to urge an end to what they say are "abhorrent" proceedings against elderly veterans. The petition says criminal probes into historical incidents should be outlawed "after a certain period of time". Ministers are consulting on how to deal with "legacy" cases fairly.
Some victims' groups and politicians in Northern Ireland believe that no-one should be above the law. Six former soldiers are currently facing prosecution over Troubles-era killings, although not all the charges are murder
Brexit party's funding must be investigated, says Gordon Brown
The former Labour prime minister will use a speech in Glasgow on Monday to say an investigation into the Brexit party’s finances is urgent and essential. “Nigel Farage says this election is about democracy. Democracy is fatally undermined if unexplained, unreported and thus undeclared and perhaps under the counter and underhand campaign finance – from whom and from where we do not know – is being used to influence the very elections that are at the heart of our democratic system,” he will say, according to pre-released extracts. “Now Mr Farage heads a new Brexit party, which is making questionable claims about the true source of its funding at a time when the Electoral Commission has warned of the dangers of multiple, small, anonymous donations being a cover for dirty money.” While other parties require personal information from donors, the Brexit party allows donations of less than £500 via just a PayPal account, which critics said leaves the way open to abuse by foreign donors wishing to influence British elections.
European elections: Lib Dems could ‘shake foundations’ of British politics by beating Labour and Tories, says Vince Cable
The Liberal Democrats could “shake the foundations” of British politics by finishing ahead of not only the Conservatives but also Labour in this month’s European elections, leader Sir Vince Cable has said. Speaking to The Independent, Sir Vince said the “confusion and disorientation” of the two major parties over Brexit had created conditions where the Lib Dems could outpace both their rivals in a national election for the first time in a century. After generations of being told a Liberal Democrat vote is “wasted” because of the domination of the big two parties, it is now “abundantly clear” that voters who back European Union membership should consider voting tactically for them on 23 May, he said. “I think there is a recognition that we are clearly the strongest of the three parties on the Remain side and people who think tactically will get behind us,” said the former business secretary.
Cabinet minister insists Theresa May could still get Labour to back Brexit deal after talks collapse
The Government is still in the "territory" of a Brexit deal with "sensible, moderate" Labour MPs despite the collapse of cross-party talks, Cabinet minister Rory Stewart has insisted. There is speculation that the move could include fresh protections for workers' rights or further movement on a customs union, Labour's central demand in the talks. Mr Stewart told the BBC's Andrew Marr show that ministers should keep reaching out to Labour MPs who might be willing to back the Withdrawal Agreement Bill when it comes to a Commons vote in June. "The Labour and Conservative positions are about half an inch apart,” he said. And the frontbencher said he did not "believe there’s anything that Jeremy Corbyn or we want that’s that far apart".
He added: "We’re in the territory of a deal, and in the territory of a deal where we need to focus is parliament. "And particularly getting Labour votes across. Now, maybe not Jeremy Corbyn’s vote, but there are many other moderate, sensible Labour MPs that we should get across."
Brexit: Theresa May plans 'bold offer' to get support for deal
Theresa May has said a "new and improved" Brexit deal will be put to MPs when they vote on the EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill in early June. Writing in the Sunday Times, Mrs May said the bill will be a "bold offer". Cabinet minister Rory Stewart told the BBC he hoped extra guarantees on workers' rights would enable "sensible" Labour MPs to support the government. But Jeremy Corbyn said Labour would oppose the bill and it was "very difficult" to see it making progress. While he would consider new proposals "very carefully", he said what was being talked about did not appear "fundamentally different" from what was already on the table.
Brexit secretary warns no-deal preparations must be sped up
Preparations for a no-deal Brexit should be brought forward "at pace" if MPs do not back the prime minister's deal, the Brexit secretary has warned. The comments are likely to reignite the debate about whether the government should be prepared to take the UK out of the European Union with no-deal if - as expected - MPs fail to back the withdrawal agreement when it returns to the House of Commons in June.
Stephen Barclay told Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "Members of Parliament do need to face facts, and if the deal were not to go through then there are only two alternatives - you either leave with a no-deal or you revoke.
Corbyn urges voters to ‘come together to oppose far right’ ahead of European parliament elections
Jeremy Corbyn sounded a warning at a Labour rally in Merseyside about the rise of the far right. The Labour leader gave a speech from a bandstand at the event in Derby Park, Bootle, on Saturday. He described the danger of the far right and “their simplistic answers which can only breed hatred and division”. Candidates for the European elections in the northwest include English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson. Mr Corbyn compared the “propaganda” being put out by the far right during the European election campaign to the rise of the Nazis in Europe in the 1930s.
Change UK leader Heidi Allen hints at Lib Dem alliance
Change UK’s interim leader has denied speculation that she is defecting to the Liberal Democrats after a bruising week in which the party lost one candidate and sank to the lowest poll numbers since its launch. Heidi Allen, the South Cambridgeshire MP who resigned from the Conservatives in February, said: “It wouldn’t look good if I defected from one party and defected to another a few weeks later.” She added: “It’s not something that I am considering.” The pro-Europe MP hinted, however, that Change UK might have to enter an alliance with the Lib Dems after Thursday’s European elections. Allen, 44, said: “I hope we’ll be able to work more effectively in the future.”
UK's opposition will not back 'fundamentally' unchanged Brexit bill
The leader of Britain's opposition said he would not support Prime Minister Theresa May's new attempt to push through her Brexit bill if it was fundamentally the same as the bill that had been defeated three times before. "We haven't seen whatever the new bill is going to be yet but nothing I've heard leads me to believe it is fundamentally any different from the previous bill that has been put forward so as of now we are not supporting it," Jeremy Corbyn told the BBC's Andrew Marr show on Sunday. May said in the Sunday Times she would present a "new bold offer" to lawmakers with "an improved package of measures" in a final attempt to get the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement Bill through parliament before she leaves office.
Vote for a pro-EU party, not mine, says Labour’s Dame Margaret Hodge
Jeremy Corbyn’s row with Dame Margaret Hodge escalated last night after the MP said party members should vote for pro-EU candidates in the European elections, even if it means not voting for Labour. Hodge has clashed often with the Labour leader on his handling of anti-semitism and his approach to Brexit. At an event last week hosted by Progress, the Blairite think tank, Hodge was asked if she agreed with a panellist who dismissed tactical voting and said all members should vote Labour in the upcoming contest. A leaked tape reveals the 74-year-old Barking MP responded: “No, I don’t.” She said: “I think taking whatever action you need, within your locality, that gives you the best likelihood of electing somebody who will be a pro-European MEP, I think is the way you should go, I really do.”
European elections: Michael Heseltine to vote Lib Dem in Brexit protest
Tory grandee Michael Heseltine has said he will not be supporting the Conservatives in the European election, and will instead vote Liberal Democrat.
The former deputy prime minister and lifelong pro-European said the party has become “infected by the virus of extremism” and he cannot endorse its support for leaving the EU. In an article for The Sunday Times, he said: “The reason for my experiment with the Lib Dems is, of course, the government’s position on Brexit.
'Early election could kill Brexit', says health secretary Matt Hancock
An early general election could mean "killing Brexit altogether", according to health secretary Matt Hancock. The cabinet minister, speaking amid uncertainty surrounding Theresa May's future in Number 10, said such a vote should not be called until Britain has left the EU. Mr Hancock, a Remainer during the 2016 campaign, said the Tories need to "take responsibility for delivering on the referendum result".
Theresa May's 'bold Brexit offer' is just a 'retread' of old ideas, leaked document suggests
Theresa May’s final attempt to get a Brexit deal through Parliament appears doomed after a leaked document suggested it was nothing more than a “retread” of old ideas. The Prime Minister claims she has a “bold offer” to put to MPs next month, but The Telegraph has learnt that it contains nothing new on customs arrangements and retains the controversial Northern Irish backstop. To stand any chance of winning the vote, Mrs May must persuade Brexiteer Tory MPs who opposed her deal in the previous three votes to change their minds, but leading Eurosceptics said there was “nothing new” to tempt them.
Tories Turn to Leadership Race as May Puts Up One More Fight
Pessimism is growing over whether May will be able to win over enough MPs. A leaked document seen by the Telegraph suggests her new plan is just a “retread” of old ideas. Any concessions aimed at Labour members of parliament are likely to erode support among those on her own side. In a sign that the differences between the government and opposition Labour Party over Brexit are getting even harder to bridge, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Sunday went the furthest yet in his support for a second referendum. May has repeatedly rejected going back to the public again. So May’s colleagues are focusing on who will replace her.
Change UK: Revoke Article 50 to hold second Brexit referendum
Britain's EU exit should be stopped to allow time to hold a second referendum, according to Change UK. Party spokesman Chuka Umunna said the country was facing a "national emergency" - the prospect of leaving the EU with no deal at the end of October. "I have come to the view that we are now at the point where we are going to need to revoke Article 50," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
Nicola Sturgeon: Independence vote by 2021 even if UK stays in EU
Nicola Sturgeon has signalled that her timetable for a second independence referendum before 2021 will remain if the UK chooses to stay in the EU. The First Minister said she would “not necessarily” abandon her independence plans even if there is a second EU referendum that reverses Brexit, citing the risk of Boris Johnson becoming Prime Minister.
Nigel Farage claims Leavers are the true democrats – this is why he’s wrong
Our democracy is under threat from the Brexit result. The legitimacy of the result is undermined by the unlawful means used to reach it. Maybe voters will want Brexit in greater numbers, but they should be asked in a second referendum. But it must be clear that its point is not to give the public a second chance to fix its mistake, but to give the winning campaign side another opportunity to win by the rules rather than by breaking them. The sooner both sides in the Brexit debate see that a second vote is in their interests whether pro-Leave or pro-Remain, we have our best hope for breaking the current gridlock in parliament – and we stand up for the democracy we hold so dear. Failing to back a second vote is to say democracy only matters when you like the result and that would betray our British values altogether.
Guy Verhofstadt: ‘If you want to see what nationalists have done, come to Britain'
I asked him the obvious question of how he thought Brexit would go in the coming months, whether he felt he would ever escape from it. “Like you, all we can do is watch,” he says. “The withdrawal agreement is there. We are ready to sign it. My view is that in any other country, after such an existential decision as the referendum, there would have immediately been a cross-party commission. But you seem to prefer always the usual two-party fight. Like many of you, we are just asking, when, if ever, are they going to put country before party?” He believes this week’s elections are a good place to start.
Bame voters, Farage is counting on your apathy to win – don’t give him the satisfaction
Among Bame Labour voters, there are some who think they ought to sit this election out, because they believe that unleashing another abhorrent political party in Europe will never really affect them. But it’s imperative that we don’t sit this out. Use your vote to ensure the socialists and democrats can form the largest party in the European parliament, to ensure we deliver hard-working Labour MEPs that will actually make us proud (for however long it is we have left in Europe). Make sure you vote – just try not to embolden the far-right in Europe, by accident.
Nigel Farage: McDonald's asked not to sell milkshakes during rally
Police asked a McDonald's in Edinburgh not to sell ice cream or milkshakes during a rally run by Nigel Farage. As hundreds of Brexit Party supporters joined a rally led by Mr Farage at Edinburgh's Corn Exchange, the nearby branch of the fast food chain avoided selling the products - to prevent a repeat of recent dairy-based attacks. The branch on Chesser Avenue also had to increase its door security between 6pm and 10pm.
Green co-leader Sian Berry: 'There has to be confirmatory vote' on new Brexit deal
19 May 2019
Green co-leader Sian Berry: ‘There has to be confirmatory vote’ on new Brexit deal
Matt Frei
Europe Editor and Presenter
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We spoke to Sian Berry, the co-leader of the Green Party, and began by asking her if the Greens would support Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement if there was a second referendum.
Theresa May promises 'bold offer' in last-ditch bid to win support for Brexit deal
The Prime Minister said she would "not be simply asking MPs to think again" about the same deal they have rejected three times when the Withdrawal Agreement Bill comes up for a vote next month. The pledge comes in spite of Labour pulling the plug on long-running talks with the Government aimed at thrashing out changes to the Brexit deal.
Theresa May plans to put 'bold' new Brexit offer before Commons
The Prime Minister has promised a “bold offer” to MPs in a final bid to get her Brexit deal through parliament, but we’re yet to hear the detail of what that could possibly entail. Lib Dem leader Vince Cable says if it means she’s now going to offer the country a confirmatory referendum on her deal, his MPs would back it. One cabinet minister said today he’d like to shut all 650 MPs in a room until a deal was hammered out.
Brexit: May faces calls to quit as collapse of Labour talks kills off EU withdrawal plan
Theresa May is facing growing clamour from within her own party to quit immediately as prime minister, after the collapse of Brexit talks with Labour sounded the death knell for her EU withdrawal plans. With Tories trailing in fifth place on a humiliating 9 per cent in one poll for next week’s European parliament elections, furious backbenchers predicted certain defeat when the Withdrawal Agreement Bill comes before the Commons in June. Brexiteers said there was no prospect of Ms May averting a “significant” rebellion by tacking towards them on totemic issues like the Irish backstop and free trade. “There’s nothing she can say,” said one former minister. “No one trusts her any more.”
Could the European elections redefine British politics?
Here in the UK, Brexit dominates the campaign that was never supposed to happen for Thursday’s European elections. Six weeks of talks between Labour and the government to find a deal on the Withdrawal Agreement have ended without consummation. With both sides blaming the other. The latest polling has the Tories in fourth, even fifth place and both big parties have been campaigning as if in a witness protection programme for an election about as welcome to them as root canal surgery.
Brexit: 'Don't betray Gibraltar' urges Vince Cable as the Rock fears a Spanish crackdown
Sir Vince Cable may have little time left as Lib Dem leader but he is determined to make the most of it. So just a week before crucial European Parliament elections the energetic 76-year-old jetted to Gibraltar to deliver a stark message to Theresa May - “don’t betray” the Rock. Sir Vince, who visited the Gibraltar on Friday for the first time, said Brits living there are “totally committed to being in the UK family – we have a duty to them”. Locals told the Mirror they felt “forgotten” amid the squabbling of politicians in Westminster. Gibraltar, which voted 96% to remain in the EU, fears Spain seizing on our chaos to resurrect claims on the peninsula.
Brexit: Withdrawal Agreement Bill 'should include public vote'
The government should add a public vote to the Brexit legislation which MPs will vote on next month, the shadow Brexit secretary has told the BBC. Sir Keir Starmer said including another referendum in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill would "break the impasse". Talks between Labour and the government to find a compromise Brexit deal broke down on Friday without agreement. Theresa May has said she would consider putting different Brexit options to MPs to see which ones "command a majority". Labour's preferred plan is for changes to the government's Brexit deal or an election, but if neither of those are possible, it will support the option of a public vote.
Bagehot The return of Mr Brexit, Nigel Farage
He has never held a seat in the House of Commons, let alone a seat around the cabinet table. Yet Nigel Farage is one of the most important British politicians of the past few decades. History will have little to say about many members of Theresa May’s under-achieving government. But it will have a great deal to say, whether good or bad, about this former commodities trader turned champion of the populist revolution. Mr Farage has changed the course of British history once and may be about to change it again. He persuaded David Cameron to call a referendum on membership of the eu, by turning the obscure uk Independence Party into a powerful electoral machine that hoovered up discontented Tory voters. Now he is trying to force Mrs May to “deliver on” that referendum by demanding that Britain leave with no deal. His brand-new Brexit Party is likely to win more votes than any other in next week’s European election and send an electric shock through the political establishment.
As his Brexit talks with Theresa May finally collapse, Jeremy Corbyn has the most to lose
Labour isn’t working. The famous Tory poster, which helped Margaret Thatcher win power 40 years ago this month, could be applied equally to Labour’s campaign for next Thursday’s European parliament elections. The party is losing support to two rivals that Jeremy Corbyn thought he had seen off – the Liberal Democrats and Greens. Their crystal clear anti-Brexit pitch contrasts with Corbyn’s fuzzy approach, which is alienating Remainers without keeping Labour Leavers on board. Figures I have seen show how Labour’s campaign is not reaching its natural supporters on social media, a far cry from its huge success in this area when Corbyn deprived the Conservatives of their overall majority at the 2017 general election
Bombshell Brexit leak reveals Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn discussed plan to leave EU on July 31 and avoid second referendum
A bombshell leaked document today reveals Theresa May’s plan to block a second referendum and stage “preferential votes” in the Commons designed to allow Britain to leave the EU on July 31. The leaked memo, shown to the Evening Standard, was sent to Labour on Wednesday, a day after the Prime Minister and Jeremy Corbyn met for private talks. The revelation came as a surprise on the day Mr Corbyn pulled the plug on cross-party talks with the Government, saying that they had “gone as far as they can”.
Theresa May to give MPs ‘multiple choice’ option over Brexit asking them to rank options for exit
Theresa May is said to be mulling giving MPs a multiple choice vote on the kind of future relationship the UK should have with the EU in order to get her Brexit deal through Parliament next month. The proposal would use a preferential vote system under which MPs would rank different options in order of preference. The government is considering holding the series of 'indicative votes' before MPs vote for the fourth and final time on her Brexit deal in the week beginning June 3.
I’m standing to be an MEP because only our party can unite the country behind a new referendum
I’ve put myself forward as a candidate for Labour in Yorkshire and the Humber because I want Europe and Britain to provide opportunity for all working people, whatever their background. My introduction to political activism was in the struggle against climate change, and I am proud that Labour under Jeremy Corbyn has become the party of radical economic change built on a Green New Deal. On Brexit, I have spent the last two and a half years campaigning for a public vote and to stay in the EU. It’s clear now that the Brexit the nation was sold is a fantasy. Labour’s talks with the government have been going round in circles, so it is right that we have pulled the plug. We now need to make sure the people get to decide what happens next.
Scotland won't be independent within EU, says Farage
Nigel Farage has called on “genuine Scottish nationalists” to vote for his Brexit party in next week’s EU elections, as he described Nicola Sturgeon’s campaign for an independent Scotland within Europe as “the most dishonest political discourse anywhere in the world”. As anti-racist protesters chanted outside the venue, Farage told cheering supporters at a rally in Edinburgh: “If you’re genuinely a nationalist lend your vote to the Brexit party, let’s get out of the EU and then have an honest debate about independence.”
Remain voters are left with no choice but to ignore Labour next week
Change UK’s launch may have been hamfisted, but the Lib Dems and Greens still offer viable alternatives
Remaining in EU a must, say Labour MPs
Labour’s leading Scottish candidate in the European elections and more than half of the party’s MPs north of the border have said that staying in the EU is “non-negotiable” in a direct challenge to their leadership. David Martin, Britain’s longest-serving MEP, hit out at Jeremy Corbyn and Richard Leonard’s stance on Brexit as he called on the public to elect MEPs “who believe in a better future leading and not leaving the EU”. In an open letter to voters, signed by four of the seven Scottish Labour MPs, Mr Martin said it was in the country’s best interest to continue to play an integral role at the heart of the EU.
Brexit: Does collapse of Labour talks spell end for Theresa May's hopes?
A leaked memo from the government side, not agreed by Labour or the cabinet, contained a wheeze that could have been attractive to both leaderships. Even before the Withdrawal Agreement Bill makes its appearance, the memo suggested there could be a "free vote" in Parliament on another referendum. This is rather different from what the shadow Brexit secretary, Sir Keir Starmer, was suggesting - that there ought to be a "confirmatory" vote, as part of a package, on any agreed deal. The leaders of both the main parties aren't keen on another public vote, to say the least. So a stand-alone Commons vote on the issue, divorced from the deal, would be more likely to go down to defeat - as it has on previous occasions.
I’ve always backed Labour. But on Thursday, I will vote Green for the first time
I left Labour a couple of years ago, feeling disappointed by its direction, and yet hamstrung by loyalty to it, which seemed problematic for a journalist. As I have watched Labour tear itself apart over Brexit, failing to fully commit to a course of action as the clock has run down, I have stayed mostly quiet, in the naive hope that there was some sort of long-term strategy at play. I no longer trusted Corbyn, but I believed in and trusted many of Labour’s other excellent politicians. Unfortunately, they seem to have little say, and the party appears torn between what it sees as its white working-class voter base and its middle class “ultra-remainer” supporters.
REVEALED: Why Boris wants Brexit deal VOTED THROUGH before May goes
Boris Johnson has thrown his hat in the ring to replace Theresa May as Prime Minister but there are fears that a failure to pass the Brexit deal could lead to a general election.
Better to leave the EU than make a hero of Farage
Remainers should see that letting Brexit happen may be smarter in the long run than allowing a grievance to fester
Nicola Sturgeon: Real chance for Scotland to remain in EU
There is now a “real chance” to keep Scotland in the EU, with the future of the country at stake ahead of the European elections, according to Nicola Sturgeon.
The First Minister will speak in Glasgow on Friday to launch the SNP’s European manifesto and will indicate that a vote for the party would send a message to Prime Minister Theresa May to stop Brexit and to stop ignoring Scotland.
Vote SNP even if you’re against independence, Sturgeon urges Scots
Nicola Sturgeon has urged voters across Scotland to support the SNP in next week’s EU elections “whether you’re for or against independence”, to send a convincing message about the country’s opposition to Brexit. While opponents have accused her of using the Brexit deadlock as an excuse to campaign for independence, Sturgeon stepped up her appeals to pro-European voters to discount Labour. Launching her party’s EU manifesto on Friday, she dismissed as “pointless” Jeremy Corbyn’s talks with Theresa May, and accused him of wanting to overturn the referendum result in Scotland, where a majority voted to remain. Speaking to an audience of candidates and activists hours before the Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage, was due to hold a rally in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said: “We have senior Tories now openly calling for an electoral pact with Nigel Farage … it is a deadly serious possibility and for Scotland it would be a nightmare.
The Guardian view on the EU elections: a chance to reshape our politics
Brexit or no Brexit, Britain will remain a European nation, subject to the same regional pressures as before. Member of the EU or not, Britain will have to respond to issues like climate crisis and security threats in cooperation with these neighbours and allies. And, unless the “ourselves alone” Brexit extremists take over in Britain – which they must not be permitted to do – our businesses, our industries, our scientists, our research and development teams and our individual citizens will remain intimately networked with theirs.
Boris Johnson crushes leadership rivals in poll of Tory members
Boris Johnson is the clear favourite to be the next prime minister, according to a poll of members of the Conservative Party. The former foreign secretary was the first choice to replace Theresa May for 39 per cent of those polled. The second-most popular, Dominic Raab, attracted 13 per cent, with support for all other contenders in single figures. In a head-to-head vote, Mr Johnson would beat Mr Raab by 59 points to 41, and every other contender by a bigger margin, according to the YouGov poll for The Times in which 858 Tory party members were interviewed between May 10 and 16.
May and Corbyn blame each other as Brexit talks collapse
The government and Labour have sought to blame each other after cross-party talks to find a compromise Brexit plan collapsed, leaving any remaining hopes of an imminent solution to the impasse in tatters. While both sides insisted the discussions had taken place in good faith, Theresa May said a sticking point had been Labour splits over a second referendum. Labour in turn said the government had been unwilling to compromise and that May’s imminent departure from Downing Street meant there was no guarantee any promises would be kept by a successor such as Boris Johnson. Nick Boles, the former Conservative MP who helped spearhead efforts to prevent a no-deal Brexit in March, said he now feared such a departure was almost inevitable when the EU27’s latest deadline of 31 October is reached.
Revealed: The Government's planned Brexit deal with Labour
The document shows the government wants to hold these indicative votes next week, before the EU parliamentary elections and the short recess. "We would make an emergency business statement on Monday; votes would take place on Wednesday," the paper says. It adds: "Whilst neither the Government nor the Opposition can commit to be bound by all of these votes, the purpose of holding them is to test the will of the House and, as far as possible, reflect that in the WAB to maximise the chances of it securing Royal Assent. To that end, the Government and the Opposition will consider not just the result of each vote but the level of support for it". In other words, the cabinet wants to bind Labour's leadership into a rolling process of assessing what compromises are necessary to secure passage of its Brexit legislation.
Political Setbacks
Ukip Candidate Carl Benjamin Has Fourth Milkshake Thrown At Him This Month
Far-right UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin has had a fourth milkshake thrown at him during a campaign stop, following three previous attempts to douse him in the liquid.
EU poll reveals Labour and Tories plummeting to fourth place
The Conservatives and Labour are languishing in joint-fourth place in Scotland, according to a new European election poll. Just one in five Scottish voters said they will back Labour or the Tories in the upcoming election, with Ruth Davidson's party set to lose their one Member of the European Parliament.
Brexit: Corbyn's position 'in peril' if he 'betrays' Labour over second referendum, shadow minister says
Jeremy Corbyn will plunge his own position into jeopardy if he “betrays” Labour supporters by refusing to push for a further Brexit referendum, a shadow minister has said, in an outspoken interview. Clive Lewis warned Mr Corbyn’s leadership would be “in peril” if he failed to fully support a Final Say public vote because the activists who “put you in that position” could turn against him. “You can only drive a wedge so far between yourself and the people who put you in that position before your opponents start looking at their options,” the shadow Treasury minister told The Independent. Mr Lewis warned Labour was “haemorrhaging” support from Remain voters and attacked senior party figures happy to finish second in next week’s European elections “as long as we beat the Tories”
Property, Finance, Hedge Funds Lobbying, Media ---------- A Guide to the Brexit Party's ELITE MEP Candidates
Out of these 20 profiled candidates, 18 are company directors, 8 are bankers, 5 work in derivatives and hedge funds, ranking them among a metropolitan and business elite which the Brexit Party rhetoric repeatedly condemns. Many of these candidates are involved with hedge funds or derivatives, sectors of the financial industry were the ones who profited from the Brexit turmoil, by betting on Sterling’s collapse and downturns in British firms. These organisations are known to oppose EU attempts to regulate the hedge fund industry.
Brexit Party fundraiser is 'Posh George', once jailed in US after money-laundering sting
A disgraced former aide to Nigel Farage who was jailed in America for offering to launder money for drug lords is a fundraiser for the Brexit Party, it can be revealed.
George Cottrell, a 25-year-old aristocrat known as “Posh George”, served as Ukip’s head of fundraising until his arrest by federal agents on charges of extortion, money laundering and fraud in 2016. Since his release from a federal prison in Arizona after agreeing a plea deal, he has avoided appearing with Farage. However, a senior source in the Brexit Party said he had reprised his role as one of his top fundraisers. According to one insider, Cottrell, who is dating the I’m a Celebrity TV star Georgia Toffolo, has been liaising with senior party officials and handling wealthy donors. The insider said: “He knows people. We’re not going to not use him, are we?” His presence is said to have raised eyebrows among staff.
Jeremy Corbyn on 'the option' of another Brexit referendum
Jeremy Corbyn he wants to Leave the EU & Single Market and he would like to replace "Free Movement" with an arrangement that secures "a great deal of movement". In short, this will replace an established right of everyone in the UK with nothing more than a negotiated privilege.
@tnewtondunn Jeremy Corbyn unable to tell #Marr, despite being asked 6 times, if he wants to leave the EU (or if it doesn’t want to), or if he supports a second referendum (or doesn’t).
Jeremy Corbyn unable to tell #Marr, despite being asked 6 times, if he wants to leave the EU (or if it doesn’t want to), or if he supports a second referendum (or doesn’t).
Nigel Farage facing investigation by EU authorities over lavish gifts from millionaire tycoon
Nigel Farage is facing an investigation by European parliament authorities over claims that he failed to declare nearly half a million pounds in gifts from an insurance tycoon under investigation by the National Crime Agency. It was claimed this week that the Brexit Party leader has been given as much as £450,000 in kind by Arron Banks, including a chauffeur-driven car, rent and bills on a £4.4m Chelsea home, and lavish trips to the United States to meet with right-wing politicians. But none of the gifts, detailed in invoices seen by Channel 4 News, were declared on Mr Farage’s register of interests with the European parliament, which is designed to prevent MEPs from keeping their conflicts of interests secret.
Tory party will split if Boris Johnson becomes leader and pursues no-deal Brexit, warn MPs
Electing Boris Johnson leader on a no-deal Brexit ticket would risk a permanent split in the Conservative Party, a former minister has warned. The former foreign secretary has established himself as firm favourite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister in a contest many in Westminster expect to be triggered within weeks. It comes as the prime minister prepares to deliver a speech on Brexit this week, in what a government source billed as a "bold offer" to MPs in a last-ditch attempt to build support for her beleaguered Brexit bill in the Commons.
Many of the Brexit Party's Twitter followers appear to be bots
The no-deal EU withdrawal party is only a few months old, but researchers talking to BuzzFeed News found that many of its Twitter accounts are networks of bots and other inauthentic users. The exact amount isn't clear, but F-Secure's Andy Patel noted that over 8,800 users -- roughly 7 percent of the party's Twitter base -- were both recently recreated and disproportionately responsible for retweeting party material. Some of these accounts have been producing massive volumes of tweets focused on Brexit, and clearly in unrealistic amounts. One tweeted 823 times in the space of a day. Some are new, while others are from outside the UK. Regardless of behavior, the surge of new followers for the party suggested "inorganic" behavior.
Tories in for a Brexit party trouncing, while Remainers abandon Labour
More voters now say they would back the Brexit party at the next general election than the Conservatives, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. Nigel Farage’s party increased its support by three points to 24% of the vote, leapfrogging the Tories and trailing Labour by just five points. The Conservatives claimed 22% of the vote, the same figure they recorded in last week’s poll. The Brexit party also maintained its 14-point lead when voters were asked who they would back in next week’s European elections, maintaining 34% of the vote. Labour secured 20%, with the Liberal Democrats up to 15% support. The Tories were on 12%, up one point on a week ago.
Alastair Campbell: Labour need 'clarity and leadership' on Brexit 'instead of Jeremy Corbyn trying to face both ways'
Alastair Campbell: Labour need ‘clarity and leadership’ on Brexit ‘instead of Jeremy Corbyn trying to face both ways’ - there's a public head of steam in favour of a second referendum to sort out the current political mess and Corbyn is not capitalising on it
Jo Maugham: Brexit Party donations should be investigated by Electoral Commission
If a donor is not “permissible” – or if you don’t know who the donor is – you can’t accept the donation. Permissible donors – very broadly – are individuals on the electoral register or others carrying on business in the United Kingdom. But there’s a loophole. The law also says you can “disregard” a donation so long as it is not for more than £500. These points are important because of what we know about how the Brexit Party has set out to raise money. You can see here that the maximum amount the Brexit Party’s website invites you to donate is £500. And although the website seems to contemplate you might donate more than £500, neither I nor a colleague could work out how to donate more than £500 by PayPal (the main tool they use to collect donations) using the link.
Researchers Say Many Of The Brexit Party’s Twitter Followers Aren’t Behaving Like Genuine Voters
Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is attracting big crowds, thousands of small donors, healthy support in opinion polls — and a legion of Twitter followers sharing its campaign messages at a breathless rate. “100,000 Twitter followers!” the party tweeted after its launch last month, celebrating another indication of its surging grassroots support. Its following has since grown to 134,000. Accounts with handles like AthenaLeave, jeanett49751382, and SimoneblackBBC, many using the Brexit Party logo as their profile pictures, have been pumping out supportive messages, amplifying Farage’s push for a no-deal Brexit and adding to the sense of momentum that quickly established it as a major force in British politics. But the behaviour of many of the party’s Twitter followers doesn’t appear consistent with that of real voters, according to two separate researchers who analysed related activity on the platform at the request of BuzzFeed News. One account, set up in March, has sent more than 23,000 tweets in its first three months on the platform, nearly all of them about Brexit. Another account sent 823 tweets on the topic in a single day, mostly retweets and many just seconds apart. Another blasted out a string of 69 hard-Brexit tweets before dawn on a Monday morning. “This isn’t how we’d expect normal people with diverse interests to behave,” says Professor Kalina Bontcheva at the University of Sheffield, one of the researchers who examined the data. Another thing that stood out to the researchers was the disproportionately high number of new accounts following the Brexit Party. According to Andy Patel, a researcher at F-Secure, a cybersecurity company based in Finland, more than 8,800 of its followers — about 7% at the time of the analysis — were created in the first and second quarter of 2019. These accounts are disproportionately represented among the most active retweeters of Brexit Party content, Patel says.
Rachel Johnson has sinking feeling at Change UK
Change UK has a bad name, a confused leadership structure and should have made a pact with other Remain parties, one of its leading candidates in the European elections next week has said. Rachel Johnson, 53, who is top of the new party’s list in southwest England, criticised the party’s strategy in an interview with The Times. “Change UK is a terrible name,” she said. “They want to focus-group everything and they have a leadership team of about 11 people. “If I were running it we would have one leader and a different name and we would have done a deal with all the other Remain parties. Then we would be able to give the Brexit Party a fight.”
Brexit party SURGE: Conservative MPs ‘FEAR’ rise of Nigel Farage warns former May aide
In a damning indictment of the Tory party, Chris Wilkins has insisted the Brexit Party’s rise has struck “fear” in Tory MPs. Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Mr Wilkins, who served as an aide to Mrs May between 2016-17, referenced the Brexit Party’s rise in the polls as major threat to the Tories. Such has been the fear among MPs in the party that Mr Wilkins also claimed Boris Johnson is seen as the only leader who can take on Farage.
May launches Tory EU election campaign and appears to fluff her lines over Brexit
Theresa May today launched the Tory EU election campaign in a near-empty room by blasting Nigel Farage before she appeared to fluff her lines when promising to leave the EU. In an extraordinary moment Mrs May began to say the Conservatives 'will' deliver Brexit - but stumbled and stopped herself - and then said 'can' instead - as her despairing MEP candidates watched on. It came Tory support ahead of the EU elections collapsed into single figures today as a YouGov poll predicted the party would get just nine per cent of the votes on Thursday - 26 points behind the Brexit Party. Taking aim at Mr Farage she said: 'Nigel Farage can't deliver Brexit: every few years he pops up, he shouts from the sidelines, he doesn't work constructively in the national interest'
ITV News Exclusive: Dossier exposes more than 100 accusations of Islamophobia and racism from Conservative Party members
TV News has been passed a dossier of more than 100 alleged cases of Islamophobic or racist content posted online by people claiming to be Conservative Party members. Nineteen of the 110 cases passed to ITV News are fresh allegations, not yet in the public domain. The list is the first comprehensive dossier of allegations made so far.
The Londoner: Donkeys make an ass out of Farage
Guerrilla anti-Brexit outfit Led by Donkeys has restarted its viral poster campaign, which shames politicians by sharing their past statements on giant billboards. This time, Led by Donkeys has Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party firmly in the crosshairs over the party’s “failure to publish a manifesto”. The group is plastering quotations from Farage and his fellow candidates across the land. This, the group claims, can stand in for a policy platform, alongside a spoof website the group has also created. “Until they publish a manifesto we have to assume the party’s policies are the policies, beliefs and statements made by the leaders of the party,” Led by Donkeys told The Londoner.
Glum faces, a speech to an empty room and a hurried exit as Theresa May's campaign turns into a wake
As photographs go, it told a thousand words about the beleaguered state of a premiership on the brink. If Theresa May had hoped her unannounced appearance in Bristol would be a pleasant surprise for Tory MEP candidates, then they had a funny way of showing it. With the Brexit Party riding high in the polls and Mrs May under growing pressure to set a timetable for her departure, the glum look on the candidates’ faces appeared to suggest that they would rather the Prime Minister was anywhere else but in their constituency on Friday. Six days out from the European Parliament elections and the scene was more akin to a wake than a political rally as Mrs May scarcely managed a smile herself
Nigel Farage: 'I Do Not Want To Be Prime Minister'
Nigel Farage has insisted he does not want to be prime minister despite his Brexit Party storming ahead of the Conservatives in opinion polls. Farage’s new party looks on course to win next week’s European elections, with a YouGov/Times poll on Friday putting it 26 points ahead of the Tories. Some pollsters have even suggested the Brexit Party could garner more votes than the Tories in a general election, sparking speculation that Farage could one day be PM. But the ex-Ukip leader told HuffPost UK he would rather be an “agent for change”, and rebuffed calls from some Tories for an electoral pact to deliver Brexit.
Leave.EU founder confirms he funded Nigel Farage in year after referendum
Nigel Farage received £450,000 from the founder of pro-Brexit group Leave.EU in the year after the Brexit referendum. Items paid for by Arron Banks included Mr Farage's London home, his car and trips to the US to meet Donald Trump. A spokesman for Mr Banks confirmed the amount and what it had been used for, saying it was an "honour to help". Asked about the funding following an investigation by Channel 4 News, Mr Farage - who now leads the Brexit party - said it was a private matter. Speaking at the launch of the Brexit party campaign in Scotland, Mr Farage said he did not declare the it to the European Parliament because he was about to leave politics and had been seeking a new life in the US.
“Never Seen Anything like it”: The Funding of the Brexit Party Needs Urgent Investigation
On 12 April, the day of the launch of his new Brexit Party, leader Nigel Farage revealed the party had received over £750,000 in donations under £500 before it had even launched. Nine days, later he claimed nearly 16,000 people had signed up to become £25 registered supporters on the day of the launch, and another 60,000 in the following period. That’s an additional £1.9 million in political funding and £2.7m in just two weeks. This week Turlough Conway reported on the major security lapses on all these PayPal functions, leaving them open to multiple contributions from single individuals, and the possible fragmentation of impermissible donations from overseas companies or individuals that would not be registered because they did not pass the £500 threshold. The PayPal account was moved to the US in March. The lack of verification also left the system vulnerable to automated payments and the danger of ‘micro-laundering’. New research has revealed that a staggering 40% of the Brexit Party site’s outgoing traffic in April was to the PayPal link. With 50% of all the Brexit Party site’s incoming traffic coming from PayPal as well, this is an unprecedented conversion rate. A good conversion rate on website traffic is normally 5%.
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 23rd May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Tory MEP warns party will be annihilated and candidates feel abandoned as voters head to the European Election polls
- Sajjad Karim, a Conservative North West MEP, and top of the list candidate for this region, laid bare the reality of the Euro election campaign to Politics Home. Mr Karim said he was fighting for every vote in the North West virtually single-handedly. He said 'we and the Labour Party are going to be absolutely smashed because people do not know what on earth it is we are doing'
A number of high-profile influencers are queuing up to announce they are voting Lib Dem
- 'I'll be voting Lib Dem for the first time in my life' said Times columnist Matthew Parris
- John le Carre, Neil Gaiman, Robert Harris, Philip Pullman have all banded together saying Brexit is a fiction and that UK voters should use their vote to show support for the European Union
- Michael Heseltine, former Tory Party Deputy PM, had the Tory Party whip in the House of Lords publicly withdrawn, after declaring he intended to vote for the Liberal Democrats in the European Elections
- Former Tory Chancellor, George Osborne, now editor of the Evening Standard, urged his readers to consider voting Liberal Democrat in the European Elections
- Huffington Post featured an article entitled 'voting for Labour would be a fundamental mistake for young people' arguing that the Tories would convert any lack of support for the Lib Dems, Greens or Change UK into a green light for them to fashion any Brexit deal they like without taking other views into consideration
Economic News
British Steel entered insolvency, putting 25,000 jobs at risk
- Talks between the government and British Steel owners Greybull broke down because the government was advised it was unlawful to provide financial support on the terms of any of the proposals that the company or any other party had made
520 jobs at risk as Sir Philip Green plans 23 Arcadia store closures
- Restructuring plans by the group - whose brands include Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins - would result in 520 jobs being put at risk. It also seeks to slash rents at a further 194 sites in the UK and Ireland as it faces up to a highly competitive retail environment
- The pound slid against the backdrop of Brexit uncertainty and general worry about the US-China trade war
- A final UN report on the impact of austerity on human rights in the UK, accused ministers of being in a state of denial about the impact of their policies, including the roll out of Universal Credit since 2010. The UN Rapporteur added that 'worse could be yet to come for the most vulnerable, who face a major adverse impact if Brexit proceeds'
- BBC news and televison stars are cashing in on Brexit - with freelancers topping up their earnings on the Public Speaking Bureau circuit
Andrea Leadsom quits the Cabinet over Brexit as Theresa May clings on to power
- Theresa May triggered a fresh Cabinet revolt on Wednesday after explicitly laying out a legally-binding second referendum in her Brexit deal. Ministers felt they were being bounced into agreement after they read the new Withdrawal Agreement draft for the first time. Several felt Theresa May had gone further than the Cabinet had agreed on Tuesday and that led to Andrea Leadsom standing down and others saying May should quit immediately
- Ex-minister Mark Francois said on learning of Theresa May's proposals, 'if the vote was held today the bill would be defeated by a huge margin and that the bill was dead on arrival'
- Conservative eurosceptics reacted to May's proposals with fury. The new-look WAB will be published on Friday, she said. Senior Tories say they will again seek to change party rules to alow a No Confidence vote in her leadership if she refuses to leave No 10 of her own volition
- The eurosceptic supporting Telegraph said 'Theresa May must go now - this is a national emergency'
- ERG figurehead Jacob Rees-Mogg said May's bill was 'worse than before and he'd be switching back to opposing the bill. The terms bind the UK deeply into the EU so it is time to leave on WTO No Deal terms'
- The Financial Times called it 'the last days of May' and said ' there is not the slightest chance of her bill making any progress in Parliament'
- All the signs are there of a deadly serious split inside the Tory Party between the hardline Brexiteers and the One Nation Tories. The Telegraph mutinously said 'Philip Hammon is determined to assassinate Brexit, as he reaches the climax of his political career'
- Politics Home reported that MPs from the One Nation Conservative group would 'fight against any leadership candidate who would usher in a No Deal Brexit departure from the EU'
Nigel Farage trapped on his Brexit bus by people armed with milkshakes
- Having said his greatest regret was not being involved in the D-Day landings and that he would pick up a rifle and join the frontline in the fight for Brexit, it was rather surprising to read that Nigel Farage wouldn't get off his Brexit Party bus in Rochester - just because there were 3 guys in hoodies at the back of a group of 30 or so supporters holding milkshakes
Nigel Farage Brexit Party running mate is linked to Serbian war criminal Radovan Karadzic
- The now Mr John Kennedy, had a history of promoting the propaganda of the Karadzic Bosnian Serb regime in the early 1990s. Kennedy also stood for political office and had Karadzic personally endorse him in a letter to The Times in Jukly 1992. He organized trips to see the Bosnian conflict first hand for politicians and the public. Kennedy was also suspected by intelligence services of funnelling Serbian dark money to the Conservatives
- The Electoral Commission has issued a warning to the Brexit Party. They said its fundraising permits foreign donors to break election fund raising rules. It said its monitoring of the Brexit Party Paypal systems in place is still ongoing
- The European Union said it will investigate Nigel Farage over the £450K donation from Arron Banks following the 2016 Brexit referendum.
- Almost 8 of the top 10 Brexit Party promoting Twitter accounts appear to be bots, according to new research. A study by the Institute for Strategic Discourse said these accounts showed signs of automation.
- A video has surfaced of Nigel Farage (April 9th) courting right wing figures at a private tea party hosted at The Ritz, which was organized by key backers of a pro-Trump political group called Turning Point. It included noted Putin apologists
Research says voters do not know whether Labour is a remain or a leave party
- Half the public think a Labour government would keep Britain inside the EU, while 30% think he would quit the bloc. The positions are reversed among Labour supporters, with nearly half (46%) saying Mr Corbyn's party stands for leaving, while 38% believe it stands for remaining. Eight in ten people think Corbyn is doing a bad job on Brexit - including 57% of Labour voters. Four in ten of all Labour voters say they prefer Liberal Democrat and Green policy positions on Brexit
Jobs at Risk
British Steel Enters Insolvency, Putting 25,000 Jobs At Risk
British Steel is to go into official receivership after failing to secure funds for its future, putting up to 25,000 jobs at risk. It follows last-minute talks held on Tuesday between Unite union and Business Secretary Greg Clark, to urge owner Greybull to find a solution. On Wednesday, Clark said he had been advised it was “unlawful” to provide financial support “on the terms of any proposals that the company or any other party has made”, in comments echoed by the prime minister. Clark said in a statement: “The government has worked tirelessly with British Steel, its owner Greybull Capital, and lenders to explore all potential options to secure a solution for British Steel. “We have shown our willingness to act, having already provided the company with a £120 million bridging facility to enable it to meet its emissions trading compliance costs
520 jobs at risk as Sir Philip Green plans 23 store closures
Sir Philip Green is on course for a fresh clash with regulators after his Arcadia retail empire launched a rescue plan which would see 23 stores shut and its pension scheme contributions slashed. Restructuring proposals by the group - whose brands include Topshop, Burton and Dorothy Perkins - would result in 520 jobs being put at risk. It is also seeking to slash rents at 194 further sites in the UK and Ireland as it faces up to a "highly competitive retail environment". Proposals announced by the company would in addition see Arcadia halve its annual payments to the company's pension scheme to £25m, with Sir Philip making up the shortfall by injecting a total of £100m over the next three years.
Economic Impact
Holidaymakers hit as pound slides
The pound has fallen to its lowest level for five months just as many UK holidaymakers get ready to head off for the late-May half-term break.
Against the US dollar, the pound fell below $1.27 for the first time since January on Tuesday. It also fell early in the day against the euro. But it picked up again later in the day in a sign of its current volatility. Cabinet backing for Prime Minister Theresa May's latest Brexit plan led to the rebound. Currency experts say Brexit uncertainty and the US-China trade war have both contributed to the pound's recent fall.
Administrative Fall Out
The BBC news and television stars that are 'revelling' in Brexit
If many of the BBC's top presenters seem to be revelling in the never-ending Brexit saga, it may well be because they know what side their bread is buttered. "It's proving a bonanza for topping up freelance earnings and an astonishing number of people here are at it," whispers my man at the corporation. "The BBC editorial guidelines state quite clearly that presenters and reporters should not expose themselves to 'potential conflicts of interests' when it comes to stories they're involved in reporting, but they're in a situation where it's in their interests now to keep the Brexit story going." My attention is drawn to an outfit called The Speaker Bureau which touts such corporation luminaries as Andrew Marr, Laura Kuenssberg, Michael Buerk, Andrew Neil, John Pienaar, and Newsnight's Kirsty Wark and Nick Watt as "specialist Brexit speakers" for conferences and events, alongside overtly partisan figures such as David Davis, Liam Fox and Nick Timothy.
Poverty in the UK is 'systematic' and 'tragic', says UN special rapporteur
The UK's social safety net has been "deliberately removed and replaced with a harsh and uncaring ethos", a report commissioned by the UN has said. Special rapporteur on extreme poverty Philip Alston said "ideological" cuts to public services since 2010 have led to "tragic consequences". The report comes after Prof Alston visited UK towns and cities and made preliminary findings last November. The government said his final report was "barely believable". The £95bn spent on welfare and the maintenance of the state pension showed the government took tackling poverty "extremely seriously", a spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said.
UN report compares Tory welfare policies to creation of workhouses
In his final report on the impact of austerity on human rights in the UK, Philip Alston, the UN rapporteur on extreme poverty, accused ministers of being in a state of denial about the impact of policies, including the rollout of universal credit, since 2010. He accused them of the “systematic immiseration of a significant part of the British population” and warned that worse could be yet to come for the most vulnerable, who face “a major adverse impact” if Brexit proceeds. He said leaving the EU was “a tragic distraction from the social and economic policies shaping a Britain that it’s hard to believe any political parties really want”.
Amber Rudd to lodge complaint over UN's austerity report
The work and pensions secretary, Amber Rudd, plans to lodge a formal complaint with the UN about the damning report on austerity in Britain by its special rapporteur on extreme poverty, Philip Alston. Rudd will argue that Alston is politically biased and did not do enough research. The minister is seeking guidance from the Foreign Office on the best way to respond after Alston compared her department’s welfare policies to the creation of Victorian workhouses.
‘It’s cut-throat’: half of UK academics stressed and 40% thinking of leaving
One qualitative study found that academics are often isolated and anxious, in a system they feel is driven by financial targets and what one called a “treadmill of justification”. A second survey, by the polling company YouGov for the charity, found that 55% of higher education professionals describe themselves as stressed, and nearly four in 10 had considered leaving the sector in the past two years as a result of health pressures. One academic said: “I remember a time of camaraderie and collegiality. Now, the external pressures isolate and spotlight individuals.” Another said: “One of the key skills in current times is working against isolation. If you can’t, then it can be a very lonely job.”
Political Shenanigans
Andrea Leadsom quits over Brexit leaving deluded Theresa May clinging on to power as Cabinet deserts her
Theresa May was desperately clinging on to power tonight after Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom dramatically quit in protest at her Brexit plan. In one of the darkest days for the isolated PM, she faced a mass revolt from her own Cabinet and Tory backbenchers - but she insisted she will not give into their demands for her to quit now.
Furious Tories call on Theresa May to resign immediately for 'betraying' Brexit by offering second referendum
Theresa May faced calls from her own party to resign “immediately” on Tuesday night after putting a second referendum on the table in a “sellout” attempt to save her Brexit deal. The Prime Minister provoked fury after she caved in to Labour demands for a vote on holding a so-called “confirmatory” vote on a final Brexit deal
Why Boris Johnson could back a new Brexit referendum as prime minister
Boris Johnson is the breakaway favourite to replace Theresa May as prime minister, given his popularity among Conservative party members. While the former foreign secretary is vocally opposed to holding a second Brexit referendum, some of his colleagues believe a Brexiteer prime minister could nonetheless be forced to hold one. The choice could be between that and a general election, with the Tories trailing Labour by a significant distance in the polls.
Michael Gove Suggests Planned EU Withdrawal Bill Vote Could Be Dropped
Michael Gove has suggested the government may ditch plans to ask MPs to vote on its EU Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the first week of June, following a backlash from all sides of the Commons. Theresa May’s “new deal” unveiled yesterday has been savaged by Tory and Labour MPs and looks extremely unlikely to be able to survive a vote in the Commons. Asked on BBC Radio 4′s Today programme on Thursday morning whether the Bill would definitely be voted on in the week beginning June 3, Gove said the government “will reflect over the course next few days”. But speaking to MPs, May contradicted the environment secretary and said the Bill would be introduced.
Jeremy Hunt has just what is needed to be a truly great Prime Minister
In the latest part of our new series on the leadership contest awaiting the Conservatives, Rob Wilson explains why Jeremy Hunt has the integrity, principles and strength to deliver Brexit and much more The job of Prime Minister is now so demanding few truly know whether they have the right personality to suit the burdens of the role until they actually do the job. Nearly 200 Conservative MPs thought Theresa May was the right choice in 2016, only to find they couldn't have got it more wrong as she has proved unsuited to its requirements of leadership and first class communication skills - the result of which currently is the Conservative Party wandering aimlessly over an electoral cliff.
Voting For Labour Would Be A Fundamental Mistake For Young People
Voting Labour delays the organisation of a referendum, and so decreasing the possibility of an informed vote, and gives the Tories the possibility to convert lack of support for Lib Dems/Greens/Change UK as a green light for them to fashion their Brexit deal without taking other views into consideration.
Pressure grows on May to quit as Leadsom resigns over Brexit deal
Theresa May faces the stark choice of quitting or being turfed out of Downing Street by her own party, after Andrea Leadsom resigned from the cabinet amid a furious backlash against the prime minister’s “new Brexit deal”. Leadsom quit on Wednesday evening, using her resignation letter to attack the ill-discipline of her cabinet colleagues, and warn that she no longer believed its approach would “deliver on the referendum result”.
The surprise new clause in Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement that proved the final straw for MPs
Theresa May triggered a fresh Cabinet revolt on Wednesday after explicitly laying out the path to a legally-binding second referendum in her Brexit deal. Ministers on Wednesday accused the Prime Minister of attempting to "bounce" her Cabinet after they read the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in full for the first time. Several ministers including Jeremy Hunt, Sajid Javid, Michael Gove and Liz Truss - all potential leadership contenders - felt it went further than Cabinet had agreed on Tuesday, with Andrea Leadsom resigning from the Cabinet and suggesting Theresa May should quit over the new Brexit deal.
Ed Davey: Only Lib Dems can win it for Remainers in two-horse race
Already, this is a two-horse race. Across the UK, Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is in front. But closing hard, leading Labour and Tory rivals by a nose, is a gold outsider, the Liberal Democrats. After Michael Heseltine endorsed the Vince Cable-trained flyer, the question arises: will other prominent figures endorse the Lib Dems to form a popular front against Brexit? As the strongest remain party, a Lib Dem triumph would be a dramatic and unequivocal rejection of Brexit.
Forget the withdrawal bill – things could now move very quickly for Theresa May
Since the speech yesterday, a series of previously loyal Conservative MPs have declared against her Brexit plan. Support for her deal is going backwards. The withdrawal agreement bill (Wab)has not even been published yet, but barring a big change of position from a major group of MPs, it would be irresponsible to bring it forward. At this stage there seems zero prospect of a majority at second reading.
A Conservative leadership contest is now imminent, with Brexit a running sore. With well over a dozen possible candidates, events could move extremely rapidly. At the core will be the question of how to find a Brexit policy that can succeed in this parliament where this prime minister has so spectacularly failed. Expect unicorn-chasing, a potential race to the bottom, and simple answers to complex problems. It is often repeated that all political careers end in failure, unless politicians leave on their own terms. With the Conservatives expected to be knocked into fifth position in the European elections, sadly Theresa May seems about to prove just that point.
@Channel4News "I can tell you that Arron Banks is not involved in the Brexit Party whatsoever." That's what Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice told Channel 4 News when we asked him if Mr Banks was still funding Nigel Farage's lifestyle.
"I can tell you that Arron Banks is not involved in the Brexit Party whatsoever."That's what Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice told Channel 4 News when we asked him if Mr Banks was still funding Nigel Farage's lifestyle.
@BBCPolitics Conservative Dominic Grieve says some Tories are "living in a world of fantasy" about the kind of #Brexit that can happen, adding the "only solution" is to have another referendum
Conservative Dominic Grieve says some Tories are "living in a world of fantasy" about the kind of #Brexit that can happen, adding the "only solution" is to have another referendum
European elections 2019: Expats fear postal votes will not count
Ann Bone, who lives in Maury in the Pyrenees Orientales, said her postal vote did not arrive until Friday - and when she went to return it to Calderdale Council she was informed by the French postal service that it had "no chance" of arriving in the UK in time. Her husband's ballot has still not arrived in France. She said: "We've been denied a vote, basically."
Labour's John McDonnell on Theresa May's Brexit deal: 'I can't see this deal going through parliament'
We spoke to shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, and began by asking if he would vote for a second referendum.
Yes, a vote for Labour this week will help stop Brexit, but it will also achieve much more than that
In the hundreds of hours spent in Parliament debating Brexit, I constantly think of how we could have spent our time better. In Britain we are not having these debates about policy that we so desperately need. These European elections have become a proxy vote on Brexit instead. While we obsess over our Brexit psychodrama, the world moves on. Multinational companies exploit national differences to abuse their workers, to dodge their taxes and to “regulation shop” as a means to avoid meeting their responsibilities.
Brexit bill: PM sets out details of customs compromise
Theresa May is setting out the details of a series of compromises designed to try and win the support of Labour MPs for her Brexit plan. The cabinet earlier agreed the idea of a temporary customs relationship until the next general election, and measures on the environment and workers' rights. These will be included in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, to be put to a vote in the Commons in early June. The SNP and some Tory Brexiteers have already said they will vote against. The PM briefed MPs and ministers on the contents of the speech - entitled "A new Brexit deal - seeking common ground in Parliament" - beforehand. Ex-minister Mark Francois, a vocal critic of the prime minister, said if the vote was held today the bill would be defeated by a huge margin. He told the BBC that MPs who had backed the PM in the past would be "more reluctant" to do so if the party got a drubbing in the European elections and she would have to rely on Labour votes to get her way. "Unless she is rescued by a Marxist, the Withdrawal Agreement Bill is dead on arrival," he told Radio 4's World at One.
May pleads for Brexit support as her leadership comes under intense pressure
Conservative Eurosceptics have reacted with fury to the Brexit plan’s offer of a vote on whether to hold another referendum. Senior Tory MPs will again seek to change party rules to allow a confidence vote in her leadership if she refuses to leave Number 10. Mrs May said the WAB would be published on Friday and backing it would help get the UK out of the EU by the end of July. “We can bring an end to the months – years – of increasingly bitter argument and division that have both polarised and paralysed our politics,” she said. “We can move on, move forwards, and get on with the jobs we were sent here to do, what we got into politics to do.
“That is what we can achieve if we support this new deal. “Reject it, and all we have before us is division and deadlock.”
George Osborne's Evening Standard backs Lib Dems for EU elections
The Evening Standard, edited by the former Conservative chancellor George Osborne, has urged readers to consider voting Liberal Democrat in the European elections, in the latest sign of David Cameron-era Tories breaking with the party over Brexit. The London newspaper said the Lib Dems had the “courage from the start to say the referendum result was a mistake” and as a result, “voters have started to think again about them”. However, the Standard stopped short of a full endorsement for Vince Cable’s party, simply saying “we wish them well”.
Brexit: Theresa May resists calls from MPs to resign
The prime minister is resisting calls to resign despite a growing backlash against her Brexit plan from Conservative MPs. Several cabinet ministers told the BBC that she cannot stay, with one saying it is "the end of the line". Tory backbenchers met on Wednesday evening, but decided not to change rules which would have allowed an immediate vote of no confidence in her. The BBC's political editor says the PM seems to have bought herself 36 hours. Mrs May will meet the chairman of the influential backbench 1922 Committee, Sir Graham Brady, on Friday. In the meantime, the UK will vote on Thursday in European Parliament elections, with the Conservatives widely predicted to do very badly.
Theresa May must go - now. This is a national emergency
What can the Prime Minister be thinking? It’s over. She can no longer pass critical legislation; the latest draft of her Withdrawal Agreement is dead in the water; her backbenchers are up in arms; Cabinet members would like to meet to discuss her future. Andrea Leadsom has resigned as Leader of the House, saying Britain will not be “truly sovereign” under the agreement and that “government processes” have broken down. And yet, Theresa May clings on. Why? What does she think she has left to achieve? What political face is there left to save?
Theresa May's Brexit Offer Immediately Rejected By MPs Across The Divide
Theresa May’s “one last chance” Brexit offer appeared to be dead on arrival as Remainers, Leavers, the DUP and past Tory supporters of her exit deal lined up to dismiss it. The prime minister put a vote on a second referendum at the heart of a ten-point plan designed to win over opponents from all political sides and pass her Brexit deal through the Commons. But several Tories who backed her withdrawal agreement in the last vote immediately said they would reject it this time, declaring it “worse than before”. Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the arch Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG), revealed he would be switching back to opposition, stating: “The prime minister’s latest proposals are worse than before and would leave us bound deeply in to the EU. It is time to leave on WTO (no deal) terms.”
After Theresa May, the Tories could benefit from Andrea Leadsom's Maggie-esque steel
Andrea Leadsom is a tough lady. Make no mistake about that, but she is also quite feminine. Shades of Margaret Thatcher come to mind and that's no bad thing. I first came across Andrea shortly after she had been selected following the imposition of new boundaries which meant I would lose 40 per cent of my rural electorate, and I was not best pleased. I would still be the local MP in the bit that went to Northamptonshire South, but Andrea would be the candidate. In other words, we had to work quite closely together
Brexit: Has PM's 'new deal' made things worse?
After May finished presenting her plan, public rejections from almost all quarters started to pour in. Of course, the vote itself on this bundle of measures won't be for at least a week - a lifetime in this hyper-speed world. A lot could change. But the diplomatic way of describing the situation tonight? Compromising when no one else is interested in consensus is impossible. The more brutal political interpretation - Theresa May's mishandling of this whole situation has, over many, many months, pulled her deeper and deeper down into a quagmire of her own creation. An attempt at this stage to ask others for understanding to help her escape is just too late - far, far too late. Now some Conservative minds are turning to whether she can stay on to have this vote at all.
The Remain strategy: Region-by-region voting guide
A cut-out-and-keep voting guide for Remainers trying to work out how to vote this week in the 2019 European elections.
Tory MEP warns party will be 'annihilated' and candidates feel 'abandoned' as voters head to the polls
A Tory MEP has said the party will be “annihilated” in Thursday's European elections as he hit out at the party for abandoning its candidates on the campaign. Sajjad Karim, a Conservative North West MEP and top candidate for the region, laid bare the “reality” of the campaign, warning the party “will live to regret” its decision to go ahead with the democratic exercise. Speaking to PoliticsHome, Mr Karim said he was fighting for every vote in the North West “virtually single-handedly.” He said: “I think Brexit party are going to lead the polls, Labour is going to get smashed, we’re going to get annihilated. The parties that are providing clarity to people are the ones who are going to do well… “However, we and the Labour party are going to be absolutely smashed because people do not know what on earth it is that we are doing.
Theresa May faces new coup TODAY after gamble to force Brexit deal through by offering second referendum
Theresa May faces a new coup today after a gamble to force through her Brexit deal by offering Remainers a second referendum backfired spectacularly. The offer was blasted by MPs on all sides — and left Brexiteers seething at her “betrayal”. Senior Tory backbenchers will now try to force a confidence vote in the PM when the party’s grandees meet at 4pm on Wednesday. Brexiteer Nigel Evans said: “She has U-turned on absolutely everything. We cannot put up with this any longer.
The last days of Theresa May
Theresa May is into the final days of her premiership. As she struggles to overcome her latest (and probably last) Brexit reversal, this is the assumption many MPs and journalists at Westminster are now making. This afternoon, Mrs May has been urging MPs in the House of Commons to back the “new and improved” Withdrawal Agreement Bill — or WAB — that she unveiled in a speech on Tuesday.
But after the drubbing it received from Conservative and Labour MPs in the hours after that speech, there is not the slightest chance of her bill making progress.
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party refuses to rule out joining far-right EU group with Salvini and Le Pen
The Brexit Party has refused to rule out joining a new alliance far-right parties in the European Parliament, fuelling concerns that Nigel Farage could link up with extremist parties once safely re-elected. Matteo Salvini, leader of Italy’s extreme-right League party, invited Mr Farage’s new outfit to join his group at the weekend, saying he was “waiting for” the arch-eurosceptic. Brexit Party did not respond to repeated requests by The Independent to clarify whether it would be joining the alliance, which would see it sit alongside Mr Salvini, Marine Le Pen, and other extreme-right parties from across the continent. Mr Farage previously claimed that he had founded The Brexit Party to escape Ukip’s increasingly extremist direction. The new outfit is leading in the polls ahead of this week’s European Parliament election – despite so far having left voters in the dark about what its policies are on issues beyond EU membership. “I'm waiting for Nigel Farage. We can work together, I hope,” Mr Salvini told the BBC on Saturday, responding “yes” when asked if he wanted the Brexit Party to join his group.
Theresa May offers MPs a 2nd referendum vote if they back her Brexit bill
Theresa May offers Members of Parliament a binding vote on holding a second referendum. The prime minister made the offer ahead of the vote on her Withdrawal Agreement Bill. MPs would need to back her bill before holding any vote on a second referendum.
Why I'll vote Lib Dem for the first time in my life
I’m in no doubt what I must do. I’ll vote Lib Dem, and urge any Tory Remainer to do the same: not because we’re suddenly Lib Dems but because they’re the only non-Brexit party in England with a chance of getting MEPs elected. Theresa May claims Tory votes are votes to leave, so in European elections I’m not going to send that signal. Nor should any Tory Remainer. But this will hurt. I belong in my Conservative tribe. On any ballot paper with a Tory on it, I’ve never in 50 years ticked any other box. Many fellow-Tories, like me, will be feeling the same sense of a wrench. But we know what we have to do. There are loyalties beyond party.
Leadsom gives May ultimatum over Brexit bill support
Andrea Leadsom, the Commons leader, has warned Theresa May that she will not accept a new Brexit plan that leaves open the possibility of a customs union, before a key cabinet meeting to finalise the proposals. In a sign of the difficulties the prime minister faces in getting her withdrawal agreement bill (Wab) past her own ministers, let alone the Commons, Leadsom stressed that her backing was conditional. “I continue to support the prime minister to get her withdrawal agreement bill through,” she told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. “It is leaving the European Union, and so long as it continues to be leaving the European Union I continue to support it.” Asked what she meant, Leadsom said that while she could support the customs arrangements already in the plan, any move to tempt Labour voters by holding open the possibility of a formal customs union, which could affect the UK’s ability to sign its own trade deals, would make it impossible for her to support it
No-deal Brexiteers want to 'hijack' referendum result, says chancellor
Philip Hammond is to warn that "all the preparation in the world will not avoid the consequences" of a no-deal Brexit. The Chancellor will say in a major speech on Tuesday that MPs calling for Britain to fall out of the EU without an agreement want to "hijack the result of the referendum". In one of his strongest attacks yet on a no-deal Brexit - an option the government is leaving open - Mr Hammond will declare that the scenario would "knowingly... inflict damage on our economy and our living standards".
Building the Brexit party: how Nigel Farage copied Italy's digital populists
The former Ukip leader forged an alliance with the Five Star Movement just as they bulldozed Italian politics using a tightly controlled digital operation. And now he’s putting their techniques to work in Britain.
Inside Cabinet: How Theresa May pushed her Eurosceptic ministers to the brink with her Brexit climbdown
It was the moment that pushed Theresa May's already beleaguered Eurosceptic ministers to the brink. At the start of a three hour 20-minute marathon Cabinet, that Prime Minister presented her ministers with a paper outlining her "bold" new Brexit offer. To those present, it appeared to give "anything and everything" to Labour. There, in black and white, was an explicit offer of free votes on a permanent customs union with the EU and a second referendum. Chris Grayling, the Transport Secretary, and Andrea Leadsom, the Leader of the Commons, both made clear that the Prime Minister's deal was "unacceptable".
Philip Hammond is determined to assassinate Brexit, as he reaches the climax of his career
For someone not renowned for their witty repartee, sparkling Commons chamber oratory or indeed having any discernible political personality, Philip Hammond can always surprise us with his shameless chutzpah and brass neck. His speech to the CBI tonight is but one more conspicuous example. However, like the Prime Minister, he’s nearing the very end of the road, and will probably be fired by whoever succeeds Theresa May. He doesn’t care what most Tories think of him now, and is not holding back his opinions.
John le Carré and Neil Gaiman join writers warning Brexit is 'choosing to lose'
Some of the UK’s most garlanded novelists, including Robert Harris, John le Carré and Philip Pullman, have lambasted the promises made by Brexiters as being too unbelievable for fiction, writing: “We are the people who spend our lives making things that are not true seem believable, and we don’t think Brexit is even a good effort.” Dozens of writers have put their names to a letter to the Guardian that urges UK voters taking part in Thursday’s European parliament elections to use their franchise to support the European Union, “unless they know what they are choosing to lose, for themselves and everyone they know, and are happy with that”.
'He desperately wants to hold it all together': Corbyn on the campaign trail
Clive Lewis, the Norwich South MP who is one of the group’s founders, says: “I think the frustration of so many members, especially those who have supported the political project for the last three years, is that they look at the biggest ringleaders for leaving the EU, they look at the dark money, they look at all those far-right organisations across Europe who are cheering Brexit on, and they think: ‘Why isn’t the Labour party standing up to these fascists and authoritarians? If they think Brexit is good, why aren’t we against it?’”
Sajid Javid to scrap plans that recommended EU migrants must earn £30k to work in Brexit Britain
Sajid Javid is ripping up Theresa May’s post-Brexit plans for a £30,000 minimum salary threshold for EU migrants, The Sun can reveal. The Tory leadership hopeful wants a powerful committee to look into lowering prospective wage bands in a move that will enrage Tory Eurosceptics. In an explosive letter, he instructs the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to consider allowing firms to pay the “going rate” for foreign recruits after Brexit – and to look at regional wage limits. He also wants them to study exemptions for a range of professions, and whether “new entrants” or inexperienced workers can be paid less.
May's offer was neither 'new' nor bold. It will be her final failure
In another faux-concession, the prime minister has offered a vote on customs between a “facilitated customs arrangement” and a temporary customs union, lasting until the next general election. But the former has already been rejected by the EU as unworkable (it has never been attempted anywhere in the world) and the latter is essentially what is already in the standstill transition in the withdrawal agreement. So in fact, this is no concession at all, and one of the main reasons that talks with the Labour party broke up without agreement.
These Are The 76 Tory MPs Who Say They'll Vote Against Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement Bill
Theresa May is expected to hold a vote on her Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the first week of June. Following her new "bold" offer to MPs on Tuesday, the number of rebels are — unfortunately for Downing Street — going up rather than down. BuzzFeed News is keeping a rolling list of Tory MPs who are indicating they are going to vote against the WAB.
Brexit second referendum vote explained: What PM pledged and what happens now
Theresa May played her final hand tonight. Again. The Prime Minister offered MPs a bombshell vote on holding a second referendum - if they pass her Brexit deal.
It's a massive gamble both for her, sacrificing what she believed in, and Remain MPs, who might back her only to find they don't get what they want. The new pledges - which also offer a temporary customs union with the EU and close alignment with EU rules - will be a huge leap to a softer Brexit if Mrs May's package passes. But MPs are already blasting the PM's "one last chance" offer and warning they'll annihilate it.
May critics waste little time in thumbs-down for new Brexit push
For Theresa May’s gamble of a repackaged Brexit deal to pay off, four factions of sceptical MPs had to be convinced. Eurosceptic Conservatives, Labour MPs in favour of a second referendum, Labour pragmatists who want Brexit over the line and Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist party — all were all needed to come on board. Unfortunately for the UK prime minister, all four groups have condemned her latest Brexit proposals. Within an hour of Mrs May speaking, it appeared that her fourth — and final — attempt to pass a Brexit agreement may be dead on arrival.
Mrs May is hoping to win a House of Commons vote in the first week of June on the legislation to implement her exit deal with the EU. But one prominent Eurosceptic MP condemned her approach as “a total lack of leadership and desperation”, adding: “It is fundamentally the same deal but worse, with lots of other crap thrown in. I’m not impressed and won’t be voting for it.”
Most Brits Support Free Movement – So Why Are The Lib Dems The Only Party Fighting To Save It?
Watching Jeremy Corbyn squirm on The Andrew Marr Show on Sunday, one thing became clear: he, Nigel Farage and Theresa May are united. Not just in wanting to deliver Brexit, but also in wanting to end free movement with the European Union when they do. “Ending free movement” has been a Brexiteer slogan for so long that it’s easy to forget what Corbyn, Farage and May are really saying when they deploy it. What they’re really saying is that they want to take away your right to live, work and study anywhere in the EU. That if you love someone from elsewhere in Europe, they want to make it much harder for you to live together. They’re saying that the NHS should be cut off from the supply of thousands of nurses, doctors and support staff who come from the continent every year to staff our hospitals. And that British businesses should be tied up in reels of new red tape when they try to hire the European workers they need.
Boris is preparing for a legal battle against Tory MPs trying to block his leadership bid
Allies say legal advice drawn up for the ex-Foreign Secretary says action to thwart him would be in breach of the Tories’ leadership contest rules. An ‘Anyone But Boris’ group of largely Remainer Conservative MPs have vowed to stop him from seizing the keys to No10 by voting tactically for rival candidates. But allies say secret legal advice has been drawn up for the former Foreign Secretary that finds the action would be in breach of the Conservatives’ leadership contest rules. Under the lawyers’ interpretation of the party’s constitution, Tory MPs cannot stop a candidate from getting down to the last two if members express significant support for them as the new leader must be the members’ decision. A close ally of Boris’s said last night: “We have legal advice that was drawn up for Boris that proves if members want a chance to vote on him in big numbers, MPs and CCHQ cannot stop that. “Nobody wants this to go to the courts, but we’d win a judicial review if it did.”
Tory MPs declare war on 'intolerant' hardcore pro-Brexit colleagues ahead of leadership race
MPs from the ‘One Nation Conservatives’ group said they would fight against any candidate who might usher in a no-deal departure from the EU. The move opens up a new front in the battle to secure the Tory crown, after Theresa May announced she would soon set out a timetable for her departure. Dozens of MPs, including Cabinet ministers Amber Rudd and Rory Stewart, as well as ministers Caroline Nokes, Margot James and Tobias Ellwood, met in a Parliamentary committee room to lay out their demands. They vowed to test leadership hopefuls against a statement of values, penned by former Downing Street policy guru George Freeman, which included the rejection of “narrow nationalism”. Co-chair of the group Sir Nicholas Soames declared: “Debate in our party has been drowned out by the very aggressive and intolerant tone of the [hardcore pro-Brexit] European Research Group. “What we are relaunching here today is that long, Tory tradition of tolerance, pragmatism and not being ideological, with an absolute determination to get these values back, front and centre of the Tory party for the future.”
British consumers at risk of being exploited by big firms after Brexit, say Liberal Democrats
“Labour and Conservative governments have consistently shown that they are both unwilling and unable to stand up to giant multinational companies when they exploit consumers. “Only with the combined strength of 28 countries acting together through the EU can we protect consumers from rising prices and limited choice by breaking up international cartels and monopolies. "Only together can we fight tax avoidance and the abuse of personal data.”
Brexit Party Senedd group made official by Welsh Assembly
The Brexit Party has been officially recognised as a group in the Senedd by the presiding officer. In a letter to the new party's leader in the assembly, Elin Jones said the requirements of the assembly's rules had been met. Mark Reckless said he was pleased the decision had been made but added he was "surprised" it took five days. Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage unveiled the new group made up of four former UKIP AMs last week. The move means Mark Reckless, Mandy Jones, Caroline Jones and David Rowlands will have access to more staff and will be given a greater status in the assembly.
Michael Heseltine Has Tory Whip Suspended After Threat To Vote Lib Dem
Former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine has had the Tory whip suspended after saying he would vote Liberal Democrat at the European elections, a Conservative spokesman said. Noted europhile Heseltine, who has long opposed Brexit, had prompted outrage from some Tory members after he endorsed a Liberal Democrat candidate ahead of Thursday’s poll – in contravention of party rules. A spokesman for the Tories said: “Lord Heseltine has given more than half a century of service to the Conservative Party, and his longstanding and sincerely held views on Europe are well understood. “But, with his long experience, he will know that publicly endorsing the candidates of another party is not compatible with taking the Conservative whip in parliament.
Pro- and anti-Brexit parties neck and neck in EU election, says poll
Three in five British voters say politics in Westminster and Brussels is broken, according to a poll that finds pro- and anti-Brexit parties are running neck and neck ahead of the European elections on Thursday. The survey, shared with the Guardian by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), found Britons nurture some of the highest levels of political disaffection in Europe, with 60% of those polled saying the system in the UK and the EU is broken. Only in France and Greece are levels of disenchantment higher.
One Nation conservatism can make a success of Brexit
Our nation is at a crossroads and so is our party. The next prime minister must redefine Brexit as a One Nation project. If they do not, the door will be wide open for Britain’s first-ever Marxist government and a likely decade of decline. The consequences of that will echo down the generations and serve as our party’s greatest failure. We still have a chance to avoid it.
Political Setbacks
Nigel Farage is stuck on his Brexit bus because people have turned up with milkshake
In Rochester, three young men dressed in black with their hoods up and covering their faces with balaclavas were spotted at the back of the crowd. One supporter said they were carrying milkshakes and Farage was quickly alterted. As a preventative measure, Nigel was told not to get off the bus. Driver Michael Botton explained: “There are a couple of guys standing over there with milkshakes, they were going to throw them over him. “But the police are there, we’ve spotted them and now Nigel isn’t getting off the bus.”
https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/nigel-farage-stuck-brexit-bus-2897876
Additional sources: (The Sun) (Daily Star)
Additional sources: (The Sun) (Daily Star)
Nigel Farage 'trapped on bus' surrounded by protesters holding milkshakes
Nigel Farage reportedly got stuck on his Brexit Party campaign bus after people armed with milkshakes surrounded him. The politician is said to have refused to leave the vehicle just days after he was covered in banana and salted caramel milkshake in Newcastle. Three young men dressed in black with their hoods up were reportedly spotted in the crowd when the bus arrived in Rochester, Kent, on Wednesday, Kent Live reports. Someone suggested they were carrying milkshakes and Mr Farage was told not to get off the bus, according to the newspaper.
Putin, Johnson and Farage will destroy us, warns EU chief
The toxic combination of Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, populism, the rise of the far right and Russia will destroy the European Union, the chief Brexit negotiator in Brussels said. Mr Verhofstadt, 66, who leads a pan-European bloc of liberal MEPs now allied to President Macron of France, said that EU elections this week were being manipulated by Russia in the same way as the Brexit referendum. “It is always Russia. Talk about Farage, it’s Russia. On top of that you have a hard-Brexiteer who wants to become leader of the Conservative Party. Am I too suspicious? I see a real organised attempt to destroy the European project as a whole,” he said. “My sense of Brexit is it is an element of a more global picture. I think that everybody agrees that the Brexit discussion was manipulated. Are we not now living and seeing the same thing but on a European level? It is not a referendum, it is a European election, but it is the same dynamic. It is the same attack that was against Britain in the EU and now is about the EU itself.”
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party running mate linked to Serb war leader Radovan Karadzic
During the early stages of the Bosnian conflict Mr Kennedy helped organise trips to Belgrade for British politicians and a public meeting in Westminster. Karadzic personally endorsed Mr Kennedy in a letter to The Times in July 1992, which refers to “an ongoing dialogue with a former British parliamentary candidate, Mr John Kennedy, an expert on Yugoslavia”. That same year the two shared a platform at a conference in Westminster where they sat side by side, a summary of the meeting in the House of Commons shows. Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, recorded in his published diaries meeting Mr Kennedy at Budapest airport before a tour of Yugoslavia in August 1992. He described Mr Kennedy as “the ex-Tory candidate and pro-Serb contact in London”.
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party running mate linked to Serb war leader Radovan Karadzic
During the early stages of the Bosnian conflict Mr Kennedy helped organise trips to Belgrade for British politicians and a public meeting in Westminster. Karadzic personally endorsed Mr Kennedy in a letter to The Times in July 1992, which refers to “an ongoing dialogue with a former British parliamentary candidate, Mr John Kennedy, an expert on Yugoslavia”. That same year the two shared a platform at a conference in Westminster where they sat side by side, a summary of the meeting in the House of Commons shows. Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, recorded in his published diaries meeting Mr Kennedy at Budapest airport before a tour of Yugoslavia in August 1992. He described Mr Kennedy as “the ex-Tory candidate and pro-Serb contact in London”.
Revealed: Nigel Farage's Brexit Party candidate spread "propaganda" for Balkan warlord, was 'bugged' by MI6
John Kennedy distributed bogus claims of Bosnian war crimes and was suspected by intelligence services of funneling Serbian dark money to the Conservatives
Brexit Party AM fails to declare employment of daughter
An AM may be in breach of Welsh Assembly rules by failing to declare that he employs a family member, BBC Wales has learned. David Rowlands, who has just defected from UKIP to the Brexit Party, employs two members of his family among his support staff. But while his wife Keryn is declared on his register of interests, his daughter Rhiannon is not. An aide of Mr Rowlands took the blame for the notification not being made. Plaid Cymru called for Mr Rowlands to refer himself to the assembly's standards body.
Change UK spent more than £1,300 on ads saying they wanted to ‘remain in the UK’
Change UK has spent at least £1,300 promoting Facebook adverts saying it is campaigning to “remain in the UK”. The fledgling anti-Brexit party, made up of former Labour and Conservative MPs, published five separate ads on 19 and 20 May, all containing the same error. It meant to say it is campaigning to remain in the European Union. Data from Facebook’s ad library shows Change UK spent a minimum of £1,300 promoting the video and photo-led adverts, but it may have been as much as £3,495.
@Channel4News Change UK interim leader Heidi Allen tells @CathyNewman she threatened to resign over the issue of tactical voting in the European elections.
Change UK interim leader Heidi Allen tells @CathyNewman she threatened to resign over the issue of tactical voting in the European elections.
Farage's fundraising for Brexit Party allows foreign donors to 'break rules', warns elections watchdog
Nigel Farage’s use of PayPal to raise huge numbers of small donations for his Brexit Party allows foreign donors to “evade the rules”, a watchdog has warned.
The Electoral Commission said its investigation of the party’s fundraising methods is “ongoing”, after visiting its headquarters amid the growing controversy. After the visit, the Brexit Party claimed the commission had found “no evidence of any electoral offences”. But, in a statement, the watchdog said seeking small sums via online donations “opens up additional risk in relation to compliance with UK political finance law”. “This risk is that it increases the potential for individuals or organisations to evade the permissibility rules, which primarily seek to prevent significant sums entering UK politics from overseas,” it explained. The commission stressed that it was the Brexit Party’s “responsibility” to “ensure it has the systems in place to maintain its compliance with the law”. “Our review of the systems in operation by the Brexit Party is ongoing,” it added.
Swastika found carved into door inside the Houses of Parliament
The Nazi symbol was etched into a lift door within the Parliamentary Estate.
Farage's fundraising for Brexit Party allows foreign donors to 'break rules', warns elections watchdog
‘It increases the potential for individuals or organisations to evade the permissibility rules, which primarily seek to prevent significant sums entering UK politics from overseas’ said the Electoral Commission which said although it found no immediate evidence it is going to continue monitoring the situation
EU to investigate Nigel Farage over £450,000 donation from Arron Banks following the referendum
The EU has launched an investigation into claims that wealthy Brexit donor Arron Banks splashed £450,000 on a luxury lifestyle for Nigel Farage following the referendum. The European Parliament’s advisory committee will probe the Brexit Party leader for failing to declare the lavish expenses. Mr Banks is reported to have rented a £4.4 million home in Chelsea, a £30,000 car and funded a £20,000 chauffeur for Mr Farage. The insurance tycoon also spent hundreds of thousands of pounds promoting ‘Brand Farage’ in the US, according to Channel 4 News.
Many EU citizens will be unable to vote in UK, campaigners warn
Campaigners for non-British or Irish EU citizens have made a formal complaint to the Electoral Commission amid fears many of them will be unable to vote in the UK in this Thursday’s elections for the European parliament. Nicolas Hatton, the co-founder of the3million, has accused the regulator of providing insufficient guidance, leading to inconsistent advice from local authority electoral officers. “The3million has multiple examples of local authorities mishandling the application process,” he said in a three-page letter. Catherine West, the Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, has raised concerns about the issue in a separate letter to Sir John Holmes, the chair of the Electoral Commission. West fears that as many as 75% of non-British/Irish EU citizens living in the UK who registered to vote in the local elections three weeks ago could be turned away on Thursday because they have not filled in a second form necessary for them to vote in the European elections.
Leaving The EU With No Deal Is Like Making Yourself "Homeless"
This Lib Dem MEP candidate Catherine Bearder says a no-deal Brexit is the "economic equivalent of trying to make yourself homeless." The caller says she wants a "straightforward answer" if"no-Brexit deal" will be on the ballot paper if there is a second referendum. When Mrs Bearder points out the country is "still divided" because we don't know "what leaving will mean." The MEP said she understands that people are furious that when it comes to a second referendum but no-deal is the "economic equivalent of trying to make yourself homeless."
8 of the top 10 Brexit Party promoting Twitter accounts appear to be bots
Almost all of the ten most active Brexit Party supporters on Twitter appear to be automated bots, according to new research. Leader Nigel Farage has hailed the swell of support for the group as “the most amazing grassroots support that’s ever been seen in this period of time in British politics.” But while bots were also found promoting other parties, Nigel Farage’s group had the largest number of suspected automated accounts promoting them. A study by the Institute for Strategic Discourse identified the ten most active accounts discussing the Brexit Party using their official handle. The think tank found eight out of the top ten most active accounts showed signs of automation. Five of the top ten accounts mentioning the Brexit Party on Twitter were producing more than 144 tweets per day, an average of one tweet every 3.3 minutes over an eight hour period. Bots also appear to be heavily promoting Ukip, with six bot-like accounts in their top ten Twitter accounts. Other parties are affected, but not to the same exent.
Malaysians Flush Out UK's Brexit Party Over Cash Claims!
A group of Malaysians based in KL and also the UK have turned sleuths over the past 24 hours to flush out what they believe have been misleading comments made by Brexit Party leaders, who have sought to imply they are not receiving anonymous foreign donations. It is impermissible for UK parties to receive donations from foreign entities, certainly for sums over £500 which have to be reported to the UK Electoral Commission. The rules are less clear regarding lesser donations as these do not need to be reported (unless large donations have been divided up). Yet, it has been exposed in the past few hours that all anyone needs to do to donate up to the £501.00 (around RM2,500) non-reported limit to the Brexit Party is click a button on the party website that leads directly to a PayPal platform, open to account holders all over the world via just their email and a password. It has also emerged that Farage recently privately courted wealthy donors known to be close to Putin and Donald Trump at an event at London’s Ritz Hotel. However, on London’s LBC Radio today, party leader Nigel Farage adamantly claimed he rejects all foreign money
New Video Shows Nigel Farage Courting Fringe Right-Wing Figures At A Private Tea Party Hosted At The Ritz
New footage reveals Nigel Farage privately sought money and help for his new Brexit Party from fringe right-wing figures including a millionaire Putin cheerleader and a self-proclaimed “influencer” who has posted a string of anti-Islam remarks online. Videos posted on Facebook show the Brexit party leader addressing a closed-door gathering at London’s five-star Ritz hotel on April 9, organised by key backers of a pro-Trump political group, Turning Point UK. Farage was among the guests at the event, which was described by the organisers as a “tea party” and not a Brexit Party fundraiser. But in a five-minute speech, he asked the small group for “any help, any support, whether it’s verbal, whether it’s getting your friends involved, whether it’s giving us money, whatever it is, we need all the help we can get”.
Farage says he is 'concerned about level of hatred' since the Brexit referendum
Nigel Farage has said he is 'concerned' about the level of 'hatred' in politics following the EU referendum. The Brexit Party leader had a banana and salted caramel drink from Five Guys thrown at him while on a walkabout in Newcastle city centre. He said he did not know what was being thrown at him, and called for a message to be sent that "people can't behave like this". Asked if he would change the way he campaigns, Farage told Harriet Line at the Press Association: "I hope not but I am concerned about the sheer level of hatred coming from those who think they're better than me. "I just think we've reached a point where normal campaigning is becoming very difficult, and that in a democratic society cannot be a good thing." He said what happened to him was "part of something bigger that's going on".
Brexit is a sham, but Theresa May just won’t admit it
Farage advocates trading on World Trade Organization terms – an apparatus no country in the world considers to be sufficient basis for modern commerce. The plan is to then sign new free-trade deals, which in reality would require immediate and urgent negotiations with Brussels. The no-deal method incinerates a highly developed platform for borderless European transactions in order to build a flimsier one from scratch and from a weaker position. It imperils swathes of British industry and projects a global image of roguish disregard for international agreement. It will not get easier to complete future deals as a country that has trumpeted contempt for deals that have already been negotiated.
‘Clean Brexit’ sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Trouble is, it doesn’t exist
If Britain crashes out without a withdrawal deal, there will be no negotiations and hence no agreement leading to a CU or an FTA. The EU has made it clear that, in the event of a no-deal outcome, it will expect to settle outstanding withdrawal issues with the UK (money, citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland border) before even thinking about talking future trade arrangements. Which in turn means GATT article 24 won’t apply. So we would immediately find ourselves trading on WTO terms, with the tariffs and checks that those imply, and no 10-year cushion. And no other major trading nation trades purely on WTO terms.
Labour supporters puzzles over Corbyn's Brexit policy
Labour voters have little idea whether Jeremy Corbyn would push through ... parties on a compromise deal. According to Ipsos MORI research for the Evening Standard, 53 per cent of the public believe a Corbyn government would try to keep Britain in ...
Voters still do not know whether Labour is a Remain or Leave party, research shows
Jeremy Corbyn's leadership on Brexit came under *fresh* fire today as research revealed voters are split over whether Labour is a party of Remain or Leave. Key findings of the national survey include: Half the public think a Labour government under Mr Corbyn would keep Britain inside the EU, while 30 per cent think he would quit the bloc. The positions are reversed among Labour supporters — with nearly half (46 per cent) saying Mr Corbyn’s party stands for leaving, while 38 per cent think it stands for remaining. Half of Labour voters dislike their party’s approach to Brexit — and around four in 10 say they like the Liberal Democrat and Green approaches to the issue. Among the general public, 76 per cent dislike Labour’s approach. Eight in 10 people think Mr Corbyn is doing a bad job on Brexit — including 57 per cent of Labour voters.
Up close and personal with the Brexit party pyramid scheme
The Brexit party claims to want to change politics. It has turned the tables on the referendum result, convincing Leavers that they lost and spreading a message of bitter betrayal on the part of the Brexit-backing government. In doing so it risks repeating the worst of the original vote, battling blindly for an outcome it cannot define and whose consequences it chooses to ignore. At three different Brexit party rallies I've attended, a sense of genuine frustration and misplaced anger has pervaded conversations. Frustration at the delay to whichever version of Brexit they voted for. Anger at the establishment, Remainers, immigrants, civil servants - anyone they perceive as blocking the process. The Brexit party has attempted to seize upon this sense of dispossession by pushing for a decisive departure from the EU. But for a movement with only one aim, there's a remarkable lack of consensus about how to achieve it.
Nigel Farage brings Wakefield city centre to a standstill - but would not leave his campaign bus
Brexit party leader Nigel Farage brought part of Wakefield city centre to a standstill this afternoon during a short visit - but refused to come off his campaign bus. Supporters and protesters gathered on Northgate when the bus made a quick stop outside the Calder & Hops pub. Following an incident this morning when a milkshake was thrown over him at Newcastle, he was not willing to step out of his transport. Instead, he gave a short speech from the top deck of the open-top bus.
The Wakefield Express was given access to the bus where he admitted the stop was one of convenience as he heads to Bolton in Lancashire.
This is everything I discovered about all of The Brexit Party MEP candidates.
The Brexit Party candidates - From gay conversion therapy advocates to supporters of paedophilia legalisation, from climate change deniers to rampant tax avoiders, from NHS abolitionists to besties of neo-Nazis, from fracking supporters to unabashed profiteers of chaos
"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 24th May 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
Theresa May halts vote on new Brexit deal as her leadership enters its 'death spiral phase'
- The Daily Mail believes Mrs May will meet with Tory backbench chair Sir Graham Brady today and agree an exact timetable for her departure. She is then expected to address the nation from Downing Street to tell the nation why she is leaving 'the job I love' before she has managed to lead Britain out of the EU. She will stay on as PM to host the visit of Donald Trump in early June, and then act as interim leader, during the formal Tory leadership contest, allowing a new leader to be in place before the summer Parliamentary recess
- Theresa May's government has pulled the June Parliamentary Brexit vote
- Cabinet Minister Jeremy Hunt tells May to abandon doomed Brexit bill
- Theresa May's 'day of destiny' arrives after Jeremy Hunt withdraws support for the Brexit bill
- Ian Duncan Smith calls for May's Cabinet to quit if her Brexit Bill is published
- There is still a degree of stubborness driving Theresa may as witnessed by this headline 'Theresa May suggests she will fight on as Sajid Javid tells her he cannot back the current Brexit deal'
- Politics.co.uk's Ian Dunt says 'this Prime Minister was destroyed by Brexit and the next one will be too'
ITV's Robert Peston believes Boris Johnson sealed Theresa May's doom
- Johnson has manoeuvred with backbench colleagues to make it impossible for May to have her Brexit plan approved as he has persuaded them there is an escape from the Brexit deadlock that is destroying the Tory party. But not while Mrs May is in No 10. Boris has convinced Tory colleagues he could twist Brussels arm and remove the hated Irish Backstop (which the EU has repeatedly said is non-negotiable). And if that fails, he'd go full steam ahead to a No Deal Brexit with proper preparation
The EU Commission's Jean-Claude Junker suggests the UK is heading for another Brexit extension in October
- Juncker spoke of his admiration for Mrs May and said 'what I don't like in the British debate is it seems more important to replace the PM than it is to find agreement amongst MPs in the Tory Party.' He went on 'this is a woman who knows how to do things but she is unable to succeed in doing so. I like her very much'
Macron wants to avoid Brexit 'polluting the EU' after 31st October
- Macron told Belgian newspaper Le Soir that the EU needed a clear end date to the never ending Brexit saga. He said the UK's on-off membership now posed a serious risk to the EU's future agenda
Senior Irish government figures fear the UK is reverting back towards a No Deal Brexit
- The government's official spokesperson said a British exit on the basis of the already agreed withdrawal agreement was still Dublin's 'central-case scenario.' However, senior figures believe momentum in London has switched back towards a No Deal outcome
Dominic Grieve threatens to quit the Tories to block a No Deal Brexit using everything in his power to do so
- Tory Dominic Grieve told the ITV Peston show that he would quit the party and potentially bring down the government in order to stop a No Deal Brexit, as it was imeasurable damaging to the country.
Boris Johnson: 'irresponsible and dishonest' with his £350m a week pledge during the 2016 Brexit referendum
- In a private prosecution which began Thursday, lawyers made the case that Johnson should be summoned to face accusations of misconduct in public office over his now infamous claim to claw back £350m a week from Brussels for the NHS
Hundreds of EU nationals were denied a vote at the European elections
- Campaigners representing EU nationals said they've received hundreds of complaints from people denied a vote, even though they are on the electoral roll. To be able to vote EU citizens has to additional complet a EC6 or UC1 form to declare they would not cast a second ballot in their home country and submit them to their local council by May 7th
- Councils admitted they had failed to send out EU postal ballots in time
- Legal opinion said denying EU citizens the right to vote was a scandal that we all could see coming. Voters across the country found their names crossed off the electoral register 'due to clerical error by councils' being just one of many symptoms. The view from legal experts was the government may have a case to answer in court over its handling of the European elections
European Elections
- With the ballot boxes sealed until Sunday the result of the European Elections is not assured. But polls and popular wisdom believe the Brexit Party of Nigel Farage look set to secure around 30% of the vote, with the Liberal Democrats in second place. But it all depends on turnout
Economic Impact
British Steel is the canary in the coal mine - we need to prepare now for the Brexit threat to jobs
The announcement that British Steel is to enter insolvency is the latest example of how uncertainty over Brexit is threatening livelihoods across the country. This does not just affect the 5,000 workers at Scunthorpe, but also a support staff of 20,000 across the whole supply chain. Sadly, many other firms face the same danger because of Brexit and the loss of European customers who are uncertain about future trading relations. One recent estimate put the economic damage Brexit has already inflicted on the UK at £600m a week. Try sticking that on the side of a bus.
Meanwhile, leading business groups, including the British Chambers of Commerce, expect the economy to remain weak throughout this year as investment stutters, while major manufacturers from Airbus to BMW warn that a no-deal scenario could well force them to move operations and jobs abroad.
Political Shenanigans
Social climbers The Brexit Party wins the battle for Facebook clicks
However the Brexit Party fares at the ballot box, it has won the battle for clicks. It has spent no more than most of its rivals on Facebook ads in the past month. But it has got dramatically better results. The party’s Facebook pages have attracted 2.2m likes, shares and comments, more than all the other parties combined, and some 30 times more than Change uk, a pro-Remain upstart which outspent it.
Sort Brexit and win an election: Five things on the next PM's to-do list
Whoever takes over from bleary-eyed Theresa May as prime minister - tear today, gone tomorrow - will face the same Brexit crisis that has brought about her downfall.
The new prime minister's first problem will be that the parliamentary arithmetic won't have changed since Theresa May's humiliating Commons defeats earlier this year.
A Brexiteer prime minister could still be thwarted by a pro-Remain House of Commons. The next problem is Brussels.
Farage on course to thrash Tories as Euro Election polls close - and Boris could be heading to No10, Mail poll reveals
Nigel Farage is heading for a landslide victory in the European Parliament elections – and Boris Johnson has raced into a big early lead in the battle to succeed Theresa May as Prime Minister. They are the main findings of an opinion survey which concluded at midnight on Wednesday after it became clear that Mrs May was on the brink of resigning. The Survation poll for the Daily Mail shows Mr Farage’s Brexit Party well ahead in the European elections on 31 per cent, trailed by Labour on 23, the Conservatives on 14 and the Lib Dems on 12. Nearly seven out of ten Tory voters said the reason they did not intend to vote for Mrs May yesterday was because of her failure to deliver Brexit. Calls for her to step down were backed by 57 per cent of Conservatives with 25 per cent against.
European elections latest polls: Brexit Party forecast to win the most votes
With the public having voted in the European Parliament elections on Thursday, the latest polls show that Nigel Farage's Brexit Party was likely to gain the most votes in the UK. Although the vote took place in the UK on Thursday, the results are not expected until Sunday evening due to most other EU member states casting their votes that day. The Conservatives are on course for their lowest ever share of the vote in a nationwide ballot and could even slip into fifth place behind the Greens.
Establishment parties are expected to suffer across the EU, both at the hands of the populist-Right as well as resurgent liberal parties. The result is likely to be a more fragmented European Parliament
Cabinet ministers urge May to ditch her Brexit plan as she clings on to power
Theresa May has been urged by Cabinet colleagues to scrap her heavily criticised Brexit legislation as speculation mounted about her future. The Prime Minister was involved in a “frank” discussion with Home Secretary Sajid Javid, while Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt made clear he did not believe her Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) could get through the Commons. The Prime Minister will discuss her leadership in a meeting on Friday with backbench leader Sir Graham Brady amid speculation she could set out the timetable for her exit from Number 10.
Brussels rejects 'fraudulent' Raab claim used in election video
The European commission has described a claim made by the Conservative leadership hopeful Dominic Raab about a key EU official’s views on Brexit as “fake, fraudulent and pure disinformation” after it was spread in an election campaign video. Raab, who resigned as Brexit secretary last year over the deal struck with the EU, claimed in November that the commission’s secretary general, Martin Selmayr, had boasted that “losing Northern Ireland was the price the UK would pay for Brexit”. The quote attributed by Raab to Selmayr has been used in a two-minute video posted on a Twitter account called NI in Union urging voters in Northern Ireland to support unionist parties in the European elections. The video features images of bombings and says Northern Ireland has been “threatened before” and that voters should “stand up” and make their voice heard.
PM to lay out a timetable to quit within weeks in last-ditch bid to pass Brexit deal
Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid told Theresa May her Brexit offer was flawed but neither told her to resign in visit to No10. Theresa May is today expected to lay out a timetable to step down within weeks. In a last-ditch bid to buy more time for her Brexit deal, the PM is set to refuse spiralling Brexiteer demands to quit immediately despite losing much of her Cabinet’s support, allies say.
European election predictions: what the pollsters are forecasting
In the likely event of a Conservative wipeout and Brexit party triumph, expect to hear Tory calls for a leader to replace May who can tack to the right and mop up the millions of Brexit party votes. Arguably, something similar happened in 2015, when David Cameron made his fateful referendum promise.
Change UK pays for Facebook ad blitz amid dismal EU poll ratings
Change UK has run a last-minute Facebook advertising campaign to try to shore up its support amid dismal poll ratings for the European elections, but most other parties have mostly avoided large spending on online campaigning. The upstart pro-EU political party, formerly known as the Independent Group, spent £87,000 on Facebook adverts in the seven days up to Wednesday, becoming the biggest single political advertiser on the social networking site, following predictions it could fail to elect a single MEP and faced with the potential resignation of the party’s interim leader, Heidi Allen. Not all Change UK’s adverts have hit the spot. In one example highlighted by iNews, the party spent at least £1,300 promoting Facebook adverts saying it was campaigning to “remain in the UK”.
European elections latest news: Theresa May suggests she will fight on as Sajid Javid tells her he cannot back the current deal
Theresa May has indicated she is willing to change her 'new' Brexit deal in order to stay in Number 10, despite facing growing calls to quit from her MPs. The Prime Minister's official spokesman has claimed she is "listening to colleagues" and will be holding on to push her Brexit deal through
Theresa May's day of destiny arrives after Jeremy Hunt withdraws support for Brexit bill
Theresa May must finally confront her own destiny on Friday after Jeremy Hunt withdrew his support for her last-chance Brexit bill. In a pivotal meeting on Thursday the Foreign Secretary made it clear to the Prime Minister she must abandon the deeply unpopular plan on which her hopes of survival rested.
Mrs May had agreed to announce the timetable of her departure after a vote on the Brexit “divorce” bill next month, but after she cancelled that vote her reason for remaining as Tory leader also fell away. It leaves the Prime Minister cornered as she prepares to meet Sir Graham Brady, her most senior backbencher, on Friday morning to discuss her future.
Why the UK’s European election is not proxy Brexit referendum
It is widely accepted that only a referendum on Brexit could permit the government to abandon the U.K.’s departure from the EU — the European election won’t change that. In truth, both sides will likely take the result as vindication of their stance. Brexiteers will argue it backs a swift exit, while Remainers will say only a people’s vote can end the political impasse.
Senior government figures fear UK is inching towards no-deal Brexit
The mood in Dublin on Brexit has darkened in recent weeks with some political figures now wondering if the UK crashing out of the European Union in October without a deal can be avoided, senior sources say. After warnings by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney at Cabinet this week that a no-deal Brexit was more likely than ever, the Taoiseach insisted that he believed an orderly, negotiated Brexit was still the most likely outcome. The Government’s official spokesman said that a British exit on the basis of the withdrawal agreement was still Dublin’s “central-case scenario”. However, senior figures in Dublin say privately that the momentum in London appears to be heading for a no-deal outcome.
Brexit: Boris Johnson ‘irresponsible and dishonest’ with £350m-a-week NHS pledge, court hears
Boris Johnson could be summoned to court to face accusations of misconduct in public office over his infamous pledge to claw back £350m a week from Brussels for the NHS. Lawyers accused the former foreign secretary of lying to voters during the 2016 referendum campaign, as part of efforts to launch a private prosecution by the Brexit Justice campaign. Mr Johnson, who is a frontrunner to succeed Theresa May, has already been rapped by the statistics watchdog for using the figure, which was splashed across the side of a Vote Leave campaign bus.
Duncan Smith calls for May's cabinet to quit if Brexit bill published
The former Conservative party leader Iain Duncan Smith has stepped up the pressure on Theresa May by urging her cabinet to resign en masse if the revised EU withdrawal bill is published on Friday. Downing Street is still insisting May plans to publish the bill despite Andrea Leadsom’s resignation as leader of the House of Commons and speculation that the prime minister will have to set a date for her departure on Friday.
UK heading for another Brexit extension in October, suggests Juncker
Jean-Claude Juncker has suggested that the UK is drifting towards another Brexit extension in October as he criticised MPs for prioritising the prime minister’s removal over finding agreement on a Brexit deal. With May appearing on the brink of resignation, the European commission president spoke of his admiration for her resilience and his disdain for the attempts to remove her. “What I don’t like in the British debate is it seems more important to replace the prime minister than to find an agreement among themselves,” Juncker said in an interview with CNN. “This is a woman who knows how to do things but she is unable to succeed in doing things. I like her very much; she is a tough person.”
Dominic Grieve threatens to quit Tories to BLOCK no deal Brexit - ‘EVERYTHING in my power’
Conservative MP Dominic Grieve has sensationally suggested he could quit his party, potentially bringing down the Government, in order to stop a no deal Brexit. The senior backbencher was speaking on the ITV Peston politics show. Theresa May is under intense pressure to resign as Prime Minister, and could be replaced by an advocate of a no deal EU exit. Yesterday Commons leader Andrea Leadsom resigned from the Cabinet saying she no longer trusts the Government to implement Brexit.
Theresa May's final days are crashing us into a whole new world of Brexit madness
One of May’s finest attributes has been the heartening way that, on several occasions, she’s decided to go over the heads of the MPs who have rejected her, so she can appeal to the public and be rejected by them as well. The most impressive attempt at this was when she cleverly tried to win people round by going on television and calling everyone an arsehole.
Brexit pits young against old through the corruption of ‘traditional values’. But there is a way to reverse the damage
Voter registration, Brexit, Extinction Rebellion and racial injustice – we're attempting to reshape a society in our image. As we begin to reflect on a remarkable European elections campaign, it's also worth looking at political grandees who have been brilliantly speaking out on behalf of young people. I've seen both former deputy prime minister Lord Heseltine and former foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett speak in public, and they're always most passionate about the impact Brexit will have on the young. There is a genuine desire, across generations, to create a society in a modern age, which reflects some of those old fashioned values. New rules to curtail the influence of money in politics, electoral reform and a covenant for the internet.
This prime minister was destroyed by Brexit. And the next one will be too.
The truth about Brexit - the plain and simple truth of it, which no-one can make go away - is that it can only be done to a long timetable and with a lot of pain. It is fiendishly complicated. It requires the full capacity of the British political system for about five to seven years. The sacrifices it demands would probably never be accepted by parliament. And if you managed to get over all those obstacles, your only accomplishment would be to make the country poorer and weaker than it was before. A true Brexiter, someone who was really committed to doing this, would not be lying and misleading, like May, or out on the street promoting their own pure ideological certainty, like Nigel Farage. They would be honest about the timeframe and the trade offs.
UK Prime Minister Theresa May expected depart with Brexit
U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May appears, finally, to have reached the end of the road. A plan to resuscitate her Brexit deal was abandoned on Thursday. The London Times reports that she'll "announce a timetable for her departure tomorrow morning." The bottom line: May came into office three years ago with a singular mission — to deliver Brexit. Anyone would have struggled to do so. She, quite clearly, failed. May labored desperately to stitch together a party that nonetheless continued to fray. British politics are more polarized and gridlocked than at any time in recent memory
Tory leadership contest to start 10 June, I am told, writes Robert Peston
Put 10 June in your diary. Because that is when the contest to elect a new Tory leader, and therefore a new prime minister, will begin, I am told. Why am I confident of that? Well it is the last possible date for the contest that the shop stewards for Tory MPs, the executive for the 1922 committee, deem acceptable. And - perhaps more importantly - it is the date that the PM has signalled to her closest allies that she can tolerate.
Brexit: Jeremy Hunt becomes first cabinet minister to tell May to abandon doomed bill
Jeremy Hunt has broken ranks by becoming the first cabinet member urging Theresa May to abandon her Brexit bill because it is “clear it wouldn’t pass”. In a face-to-face meeting, the foreign secretary told the prime minister it was “too much to ask” Tory MPs to vote for the doomed legislation, The Independent has learned.
It is understood that Mr Hunt did not ask Ms May to quit – ahead of a showdown meeting on Friday, when Tory MPs will demand a rapid timetable for her to go.
Theresa May halts vote on new Brexit deal as her leadership enters 'death spiral'
Theresa May caved in to her Cabinet today by dramatically halting her Brexit withdrawal Bill in a move that heightened expectations she will resign as Tory leader tomorrow. An isolated Prime Minister began the day by rebuffing members of her own Cabinet ...
Theresa May’s government pulls June Brexit vote
Theresa May's government pulled a planned vote on her Brexit deal scheduled for the first week of June. Mark Spencer, a government whip, told the House of Commons that the government still planned to publish the Withdrawal Agreement Bill in the week commencing June 3, but that a second reading — at which MPs would have the opportunity to vote — could not be confirmed.
How Boris Johnson sealed Theresa May's doom
Boris' manoeuvres with his backbench colleagues have made it impossible for the PM to have her Brexit plan approved - were she to put her Withdrawal Agreement Bill to a vote, as she still promises to do - because he has persuaded them there is an escape from the Brexit deadlock that is destroying their party but not while she is in 10 Downing Street. It has been put to me as uncontroversial and incontrovertible truth by senior members of the Cabinet whose Brexit credentials are at best moot. "What Boris did was convince my colleagues that if he were PM, he could persuade Brussels to ditch the hated backstop," said one. "Or rather that it is worth a go. And if he fails then it is full steam ahead to a no-deal Brexit, though with proper preparation".
Nigel Farage's 'official website' is publishing attacks on Brexit Party leader
A website apparently owned by Nigel Farage has started publishing articles attacking the Brexit Party leader. Recent posts on the website’s blog include two videos from Channel 4 News probing his finances.
Macron wants to avoid Brexit 'polluting' EU after 31 October
France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, has said he wants to avoid Brexit “polluting” the EU after 31 October, and that European leaders need to know when the UK’s prolonged departure will come to an end. In April, Macron stood alone at a meeting of the EU27 in championing a short Brexit extension in opposition to those willing to give the UK until next year to complete its withdrawal. The October deadline for the British government to have ratified the withdrawal agreement or face a no-deal exit was a compromise position brokered with the German chancellor, Angela Merkel.
Macron, in a sign of the frustration in Brussels at the risk posed to its future agenda by the UK’s continued membership, told the Belgian newspaper Le Soir the EU needed a clear end date to the continuing saga.
European parliament elections: The Brexit effect
Fast-forward almost three years and here we are, it's European Parliament elections time - and although Eurosceptic parties are expected to make a strong showing at the polls, there's barely a peep amongst them (UK parties remaining the exception) about leaving the EU. Why have European voters gone off the idea?
In part, this is down to a growing awareness that the world out there is downright unpredictable: with President Trump in the White House; Russian President Putin at large around the European corner; looming trade wars; the environment in a mess; and the threat of mass migration to this continent from poorer parts of the globe.
Political Setbacks
Corbyn isn’t working – and Labour is being picked apart by its new enemies
Corbyn has taken a senseless political risk by treating his voters as fools. The British Election Study estimated that two thirds of Labour voters went with Remain in the 2016 referendum. Now YouGov estimates that 88 per cent back Remain. Any party that goes with the 12 per cent rather than the 88 per cent will collapse. It is not a party for the many, but for the few. The far left has been so busy fighting the hated ‘centrists’ that it has forgotten to fight the right and far right. Existing and former Labour supporters have not been so negligent. They need only look at the tribunes of Brexit — at Gerard Batten, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab — to know that they must be opposed. There is an almost primitive fear at work. If a film company had searched for characters guaranteed to set the tom-toms of liberal England beating out a warning, it could not have found better candidates than these gentlemen.
Angry Pro-Remain Labour Activists Launch Bid To Force Party Into Anti-Brexit Position
Pro-Remain Labour activists have launched a drive to push the party’s leadership into an anti-Brexit position. In the wake of European elections forecast to be a disaster for Jeremy Corbyn, left-wing campaigners have published a motion calling for the party to adopt a radical “remain and reform” agenda at the party’s conference in Brighton in September. It demands the party defends free movement and takes the position that Brexit is a right-wing project which is “poisoning politics”.
Labour’s current policy is to secure a Brexit deal which includes a customs union and a “strong single market deal” and, if the UK were facing a hard Brexit or a no-deal, then to push for a second vote. The new motion is being pushed to local Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) from next week.
Theresa May will address the nation TODAY after disastrous Euro election to pledge Britain will have a new PM by summer – but she wants to DELAY Tory leadership vote for Trump’s state visit
Mrs May will begin the day with a meeting with the Tories’ backbench shop steward Sir Graham Brady to discuss the exact timetable for her departure. She is then expected to address the nation from Downing Street to explain why she is leaving ‘the job I love’ before she has realised her ambition of leading Britain out of the European Union Mrs May is expected to try to delay the start of the Tory leadership race until the week beginning June 10, to allow her to host Donald Trump’s state visit without the indignity of her MPs voting on her successor at the same time. But she will stay on as Prime Minister while the Tory leadership contest takes place, allowing a smooth transition to a new leader before the summer recess.
Why Theresa May is expected to announce departure date
Unless something extremely strange happens in the next couple of days, it is now, really, nearly over. Several cabinet ministers have told me they expect Theresa May to announce her departure from Downing Street on Friday. A senior minister said: "She's going to go - if it's to be done, it's best to be done quickly." Another said it would be "unforgivable" for her to try to stay on now. One of those who has been most loyal to her said: "It might be tomorrow or Saturday, but it can't be past Sunday."
DISPOSSESSED DISENFRANCHISED Denied My Vote
Chani Klapka, one of the 3.1 million EU citizens resident in the UK and eligible to vote in the Euro Elections today, describes her Kafkaesque experience. I am a German citizen, and a UK resident since 2014. I have lived in Luton for 4 years.
like thousands, I have been denied a ballot at the polling station today on the grounds that I have not filled in a certain form that states my intent to vote in the EU elections in the UK. Others have been told their forms have not been processed, despite them provably having been filed well before the required deadline. This form is required to receive a ballot at a polling station, but the council is NOT required to provide it nor make residents aware of it. This, we have only been told after calling the local electoral office at Luton Borough Council. At that point, we were only given an email address to complain. At no point, since well before the election, have I been made aware of the requirement for this form. The EU Parliament website states that this form should be provided by the local council.
Brexit: 'Democratic disaster' as hundreds of EU nationals denied a vote
Nicola Sturgeon has urged EU citizens to insist on their right to vote following reports that hundreds have been turned away from polling stations because of confusion over additional requirements to register for European elections.
Campaigners representing European nationals said they had received hundreds of complaints of people being denied a vote even though they are on the electoral roll. To be able to vote, EU citizens had to complete the EC6 or UC1 forms to declare they would not cast a second ballot in their home country, and submit them to their local council by 7 May.
EU citizens complain of being denied right to vote in UK European elections
Voters in the UK have been going to the polls in the European parliamentary elections. Well, some of them have. Since the polls opened, dozens of frustrated EU citizens living in the UK have been taking to Twitter to complain that they were being turned away from polling stations because they hadn’t completed the correct paperwork. The Electoral Commission has blamed the situation on the “very short notice” given for the European elections, which weren’t supposed to happen because of Brexit.
UK government may face court action after EU citizens denied vote
The government is facing calls to launch an urgent investigation into the treatment of EU citizens in the European elections after many people reported being denied their democratic right to vote. Voters across the country told of their devastation at finding their names crossed off the register due to clerical errors by local councils. Experts said the situation was a “scandal we knew was coming” and that the government may have a case to answer in court. The affected voters said they felt they were being “silenced” as this was the only election they had a right to participate in, being ineligible to vote in the referendum or general elections.
Councils admit failure to send out EU postal ballots in time
At least three local councils across England and Wales have admitted that they ran out of time to print and send postal ballots for the European elections to some overseas voters, leaving them effectively disenfranchised. Three voters contacted the Guardian with details of papers that arrived so late it was impossible to get their vote back to the UK in time, some landing only on polling day. There had already been complaints ahead of the election about missing or late ballots. Local councils told these voters that arrangements were affected by an extremely compressed schedule. The government had hoped to avoid holding the elections by getting a Brexit deal through parliament.
European elections: Government could face court action after hundreds of EU citizens ‘denied vote’, experts warn
A barrister who specialises in EU law claimed there were multiple breaches of EU treaties, including Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which states that EU nationals have “the right to vote…under the same conditions as nationals of that state [of residence].” Anneli Howard told The Guardian: “If EU citizens are being asked to fill out additional forms that UK nationals are not, that’s discrimination.” While Ms Howard said she did not think it was likely any judge would declare council clerical errors had made the election unsafe, she added that the treaty had “direct effect” and meant EU citizens could go straight to court.
It’s hard to imagine. But could this really be the end for the Tories?
Is this party really in a death spiral, or will it always right itself? Conservatism as the British default is so deep-dyed in the national psyche it’s hard to think this is the end. This generation of Conservatives has brought us so low in this decade: in austerity, in stagnant incomes, in devastated public services, catastrophic productivity, lost social security and lost respect abroad. In its visionless hopelessness, the party may indeed have eaten itself. If so, it may be replaced on the right by anti-establishment Faragism, with even more sinister aims in power. Or else the demise of this great pillar of reaction could open doors to a chance of something better.
Boris Johnson lied during EU referendum campaign, court told
Boris Johnson lied and engaged in criminal conduct when he repeatedly claimed during the 2016 EU referendum that the UK sent £350m a week to Brussels, lawyers for a crowdfunded private prosecution of the MP have told a court. A legal team assembled by Marcus Ball, a 29-year-old businessman who has accused the former foreign secretary of misconduct in public office and raised more than £200,000 to finance the prosecution, laid out their case in front of a judge, who will rule next Wednesday on whether Johnson should appear in court. The case concerned the “now infamous claim” by Johnson about the £350m, Lewis Power QC told Westminster magistrates court, and was not about preventing or delaying Brexit.
Growing ‘Irexit’ Campaign has Links to Notorious British Ethno-Nationalist
An investigation by anti-racism activists in Ireland has revealed that the ‘Muintir na héireann’ (‘People of Ireland’) website and Facebook community, sporting over 10,000 followers, is the work of Jack Sen, a notorious white nationalist, who most recently came to prominence in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘Sleeping With The Far Right’. The campaign is not associated with the Irish populist party of the same name that existed during the 1990s. Address details, Google Analytics codes and other details on the site all point to Jack Sean’s home in Southport, Merseyside, as featured in the Channel 4 documentary. Image folders on the site also feature pictures of Sen with other white nationalists. When reached for comment, Sen claimed that his involvement extended only to providing hosting for the site.
Academic Dr Niall McCrae Filmed Calling Remain Activist 'A F***ing Traitor' During Brexit Rally
The 29-year-old Remain campaigner had set up a desk outside the event with a sign that read: “A no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the UK. Change my mind.”
As McCrae repeatedly shouts “fucking traitor”, another man throws water from a bottle over Oluwole. McCrae is later seen in the video shaking hands with the man.
Brexit Party set to trigger political earthquake with Tories and Labour facing election humiliation
Nigel Farage predicted to take more than a third of the Euro poll votes A survey carried out on the eve of yesterday's vote put the fledging party on a whopping 31 per cent - eight points clear of the nearest challenger, Labour on 23 per cent. The ...
Corbyn's former economics adviser calls him a 'pro-Brexit buffoon'
A former economic adviser to Jeremy Corbyn has launched an extraordinary personal attack on the Labour leader, calling him a “pro-Brexit buffoon” who was “clueless” about economics. Danny Blanchflower, who served on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee during the financial crisis, joined other leading left-leaning economists on an advisory group after Corbyn gained power.
But he has since distanced himself from the leader of the UK opposition, and now urging voters not to support Corbyn over his stance on Brexit in the upcoming European elections. In a series of furious tweets over the past few days, Blanchflower called Corbyn an “uneducated fool” and accused him of being “clueless” about economics.
Tory peer suspended from party whip after backing Lib Dems in EU elections
Another senior Conservative peer has been suspended from the party whip for pledging to vote Liberal Democrat in the European elections, after the punishment was imposed on the former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine. Andrew Cooper, the founder of pollster Populus who was David Cameron’s director of strategy in Downing Street, tweeted: “I have come to the same conclusion as Michael Heseltine, for exactly the same reasons – and will be voting Lib Dem in Thursday’s European parliament elections.”
This is a sorry end for a Prime Minister who never believed in Brexit
“All political lives,” said Enoch Powell, “end in failure.” For Theresa May, the agony of the ending, and the failure, has been drawn out for longer than usual. But in the coming days, it is certain that her premiership will draw to a close. The Cabinet’s patience has been finally snapped by the Prime Minister’s latest tone-deaf Brexit proposal. Andrea Leadsom has resigned. MPs say there isn’t a single colleague who thinks the PM should continue. Any Conservative made nervous by the prospect of regicide will find their minds made up by the European elections. The Government’s failure to deliver Brexit – and its continued attempts to deliver a Brexit deal seen by many Leavers as a betrayal is why they believe she must go