News and Opinion

Scotland’s first minister has described delays to amendments to key Brexit legislation as “absolutely disgraceful”. Nicola Sturgeon said the EU Withdrawal Bill should be changed to take account of the concerns of the devolved administrations “without further delay”. The Scottish and Welsh governments have said they could not recommend that the legislation be granted consent […]

A senior Conservative MP demands Theresa May appoints a ‘minister for Hard Brexit’ to her team as he claims she had “promised”. Former minister Sir Edward Leigh told the House of Commons the role was promised before the reshuffle and asked whether or not such a minister would respond to questions when key Brexit legislation […]

MICHAEL WHITE on a muted reshuffle and why waiting for Corbyn is a waste of time Donald Trump’s latest biographer, Michael Wolff, says the candidate didn’t know the meaning of the word ‘Brexit’ until the 2016 referendum result went his way, in the direction of market-led populism cloaked as nationalism. But hey, were British voters […]

RICHARD PORRITT on the week’s big stories, including a chaotic reshuffle, an unlikely resurrection and criticism of Portuguese parenting For a time this week Wikipedia listed among Chris Grayling’s roles ‘Conservative Party Chairman January 8, 2017 – January 8, 2017’. Conservative Campaign Headquarters veteran Iain Carter was the man at least partly responsible for the […]

Former Ukip leader Nigel Farage has said that “maybe” there should be a second referendum on EU membership to “kill it off for a generation”. Speaking to Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, Mr Farage said: “What is for certain is that the Cleggs, the Blairs, the Adonises will never, ever, ever give up. “They will […]

Former Fleet Street editor Peter Preston has died, aged 79. MICHAEL WHITE pays tribute to an ex-colleague and pro-European ‘ultra’ In his magisterial obituary of Peter Preston, David McKie, who served as his deputy for half Preston’s 20 year editorship of the Guardian, wrote that on some topics ‘what Peter thought was a mystery’. Europe […]

The PM was today asked at Prime Minister’s Questions to give a ranking for her performance over Brexit so far out of 10. The PM is asked to give herself a score out of 10 on Brexit by @PeteWishart #pmqs pic.twitter.com/WQdaTthk2B— BBC Daily Politics and Sunday Politics (@daily_politics) January 10, 2018 In doing so Pete […]

Of all people, the government has sent David Davis on a charm offensive to Germany. Chaperoned by Philip Hammond, the Brexit Secretary warned the European Union not to put ‘unnecessary barriers’ to trade in goods and services between the bloc and the UK after Brexit. The pair – who don’t see eye-to-eye over how the […]

Britain desperately needs leadership and vision and the post-war, reforming Prime Minister Clement Attlee should be the inspiration. Then Prime Minister Clement Attlee arguing that Soviet Russian imperialism made the re-arming of Britain necessary. – Credit: PA Archive/PA Images The opposition to Brexit spends too much time talking about Brexit. We need to address, head […]

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator has warned European companies with links to the UK the ‘real transition period’ has already begun. Despite plans for a transition period of around two years after the date of Brexit in March 2019, Michel Barnier has told firms they need to be ready now for the potential outcomes of […]

Ministers have claimed they are listening as they table a number of EU bill amendments to curb Henry VIII powers, but Labour says ‘nothing has changed’. The changes to the text of the EU Withdrawal Bill will impose limits on ministers’ powers to use so-called ‘Henry VIII’ powers to amend EU rules and regulations when […]

MITCH BENN asks whether, despite being calendrically ‘closer’ to Brexit, it now looks further away than ever. So, here we are again then; at the start of a new year. On the one hand, it seems like only a few weeks since we were assessing the global garbage fire which had been 2016 and wondering […]

Theresa May has been accused of “capitulating” to Hard Brexiteers after appointing an influential Tory Europhobe as a minister in the Brexit department. Suella Fernandes, who chairs the European Research Group (ERG) of Hard Brexiteer Tories, has joined the government as parliamentary under secretary of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) […]

Theo Paphitis has launched an blistering attack on the government, branding Theresa May’s administration as “incompetent” and accusing it of posing a threat to the high street. The entrepreneur behind Ryman, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue said retailers were “getting it right in the neck” as the sector struggled with labour costs, the apprenticeship levy, […]

Record numbers applied for Irish passports in 2017 in a bid to remain EU citizens after Brexit. https://twitter.com/chris4nature/status/950693474478764032 More than 160,000 people living in Northern Ireland and Britain applied for Irish passports in 2017 bringing the total number of Irish passports issued last year to a record-breaking 779,000. ‘The number of applicants from Northern Ireland […]

The appointment of a “no deal” Brexit minister is a sign that the UK is “hurtling towards retreat and isolation”, MPs have heard. SNP MP Stephen Gethins (North East Fife) told ministers the creation of the post would impact on the government’s ambitions for “a global Britain”. The new minister is likely to be based […]

David Davis has been accused of “extraordinary moaning” after attacking the EU for preparing for a no-deal Brexit while setting aside £3.7bn ready for the scenario himself. In a letter to Theresa May, the Brexit secretary said he would urge the EU to drop measures and guidance that could require UK companies to relocate to […]

Jeremy Corbyn has snubbed a cross-party summit at the Houses of Parliament on retaining UK membership of the single market and customs union. The talks, co-ordinated by SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, will involve the leaders of the Liberal Democrats, Plaid Cymru and the Greens, the party said. The SNP also said there would also […]

YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN argues that Britain is part of Europe’s progressive, enlightened and savage history. If you really want to annoy Nigel Farage, accuse him of hating Europe. I did that some years back on the LBC, and he went a bit bonkers. We were on Iain Dale’s show, reviewing the year – I think it […]

The chair of the Commons Treasury Committee has called for more clarity on what impact Brexit will have on VAT bills for firms importing goods from the EU. Former Cabinet minister Nicky Morgan, who was a leading figure in the Remain campaign, has written to Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to seek guidance on […]

Brexit is a career-killer for freelancers, argues reader Jayne Hamilton. I read your article on freelance musician Anneke Scott with sadness as I know exactly how she feels. If current negotiations are anything to go by, I will lose two-thirds of my livelihood at the very least because of Brexit. While companies export products, we […]

Trump’s fortunes are not looking so rosy, says PAUL CONNEW. If 2017, and Donald Trump’s first 12 months in the White House, marked a surreal year of living dangerously and chaotically, then 2018 is set to offer not just more of the same, but danger and chaos on an even greater scale. The explosive combination […]

Amid much global gloom, PAUL KNOTT finds an area of the world which much to be confident about​. Anyone despairing about the rise of extremism in Europe and the US can look to Latin America for encouragement. For all its ups, downs and Venezuela, the region has progressed remarkably since the dark days of the […]

What can Remainers learn from Leavers and their ideas about what Britain post-Brexiter should look like, asks ZOE WILLIAMS. Dan Hannan, Member of the European Parliament. Photo: Sachs Ron/PA – Credit: ABACA/PA Images The last thing I’d advocate is for the Remainers to become more like Leavers. Succumbing to the inevitable, Leavers – having a […]

BONNIE GREER says we are not on board for the anti-immigration; nativist; and economic protectionism of the culture wars known as MAGA and Brexit. There can be no doubt that the presidency of Donald Trump will be a different one, 12 months or so from now. Trump himself will guarantee it through, among other things, […]

Theresa May has sent a warning out to those trying to topple her stating she will be Prime Minister for ‘as long as people want me to serve’. May has also confirmed she is preparing a Cabinet reshuffle which could see leading Brexiteer Andrea Leadsom sacked from her post as Leader of the House of […]

Jeremy Corbyn has been dubbed ‘pathetic’ and accused of failing millions of working families over Brexit. The Labour leader rejected a call from the SNP to join a cross-party coalition to keep Britain in the EU single market after Brexit. The SNP said the Labour leader was failing working families by snubbing the invitation to […]

The war on drugs is no longer just going after the usual suspects. ANDREW PURCELL reports on the opioid crisis gripping the States and the role played by the pharmaceutical industry. The ‘War On Drugs’ has been a cornerstone of US criminal justice since Richard Nixon coined the phrase in 1969, and every president since […]

With disaster looming, Liberal Democrat leader VINCE CABLE explains how best to exit from Brexit. Brexit has become a long, draining, war of attrition: the EU negotiating process is not due to be completed until the autumn of 2018 at the earliest. It could drag on for years beyond that. The debates in parliament are […]

As the new year gets underway, JAMES BALL argues that pinning your hopes on BINO* (*Brexit In Name Only) is pointless. If you believe the new upbeat tone of lots of Brexit coverage, we enter 2018 with the chances of a cliff-edge Brexit much reduced: the EU and UK have agreed a deal for ‘phase […]

The first New European podcast of 2018 is live. Richard Porritt, Steve Anglesey and Geri Scott return from the festive break with another pod packed with news, comment and irreverent views. This week the team tackle Tony Blair’s attack on the Government and Labour, the revelations from within Trump’s trouble White House and the UKIP […]

Chancellor Philip Hammond has refused to rule out Britain being part of a customs union with the European Union after Brexit. The Remain supporter, whose opposition to a hard exit from the bloc has angered some of his colleagues, left the door open to the UK signing up to an agreement that could restrict international […]