Brexit

Tory MP Iain Duncan Smith has criticised the government’s handling of its post-Brexit trade bill – comparing Boris Johnson’s administration to Handforth Parish Council for failing to read the standing orders. The Brexiteer claimed the government had “deliberately blocked” a showdown with Conservative rebels using “tricks” and “games” to avoid a key vote which could […]

The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator has called for the EU to adopt a ‘different spirit’ during discussions over issues between Westminster and Brussels. Shortages on some food products have been experienced in Northern Ireland, businesses have struggled with red tape and Brussels recently threatened to override part of a post-Brexit agreement on the region to […]

The boss of JD Sports has said that Brexit has ended up “considerably worse” than feared, with a warning job losses could follow as it attempts to minimise disruption. Peter Cowgill, the firm’s chairman, said the extra cost of the UK’s departure from the EU was “double-digit millions”, as it eyed up a new distribution site […]

Anti-privatisation campaigners have criticised the government’s approach to the NHS in trade deals as the Trade Bill returns to the Commons. We Own It – a group campaigning for greater protections for the NHS against future trade agreements – say the government’s proposals for safeguarding the NHS “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”. The criticism comes as the government produced an […]

Tory rebels have accused the government of using game-playing to prevent a Commons vote on an attempt to outlaw post-Brexit trade deals with countries that are committing genocide. MPs are threatening to back a House of Lords amendment forcing ministers to withdraw from any free trade agreement with a country which the High Court rules is […]

George Eustice has claimed that the European Union has unexpectedly changed its position on live UK exports of shellfish. The environment secretary has called on Brussels to abide by existing regulations as producers expressed frustration at the lack of government action. The introduction of new checks and paperwork since the end of the Brexit transition […]

Michael Gove has called for a ‘reset’ and ‘refinement’ of the Brexit deal which only came into force at the start of the year. The Cabinet Office minister has expressed frustration at the lack of progress in talks with Brussels aimed at resolving difficulties in Northern Ireland’s Brexit arrangements ahead of a meeting with the […]

We now live in the age of belief, says MITCH BENN, where conviction trumps everything. I’m under very few illusions as to how much influence I bring to bear on events. I can trot out wry observations and snarky comments (sometimes with a tune), so as to (hopefully) amuse the readers of this esteemed publication, […]

The unravelling of the deal over Northern Ireland exposes an unresolved issue at the heart of Brexit that is no closer to being resolved now than it was four years ago. STEVE RICHARDS reports.  What is the future for Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit? If the question were posed in an A-level examination the British […]

The unravelling of the deal over Northern Ireland exposes an unresolved issue at the heart of Brexit that is no closer to being resolved now than it was four years ago. STEVE RICHARDS reports.  What is the future for Northern Ireland in the context of Brexit? If the question were posed in an A-level examination the British […]

Revenue officials processed 1.8 million customs declarations in January 2021 – more than they did in the whole of last year. But customs IT systems have struggled to cope with the increased volume of declarations, resulting from post-Brexit red-tape, with officials admitting it has caused “major difficulties” for businesses. Tom Talbot, head of Revenue operations […]

Boris Johnson is seeking to avert a Tory revolt over his post-Brexit trade bill as it returns to the House of Commons. The government has been involved in a parliamentary battle over proposals to outlaw trade deals with countries that are committing genocide – a dispute taking place at a time when the Chinese authorities’ […]

Boris Johnson has shown little to no interest in a report on the abuse of low-paid workers, says the man who led it. Matthew Taylor, who recently stood down as director of Labour Market Enforcement – a workers’ rights watchdog -, said the government was “indifferent or complacent” to the body’s work.  The report warned that unemployment rises caused by […]

Elton John has called on the government to renegotiate a better settlement for musicians after they were largely ignored during Brexit negotiations. The British pop icon accused Boris Johnson of having “screwed up” by failing to reach an agreement with the EU for visa-free tours by British musicians. John said Britain’s Brexit negotiators either “didn’t care about […]

A union representing universities has criticised the government’s replacement for the EU’s Erasmus scheme. Schools, colleges and universities can now access funding rates and eligibility criteria for the post-Brexit replacement of the Erasmus exchange programme to help them prepare bids to join the new scheme. A website with details on the £110 million Turing scheme, […]

JANE MORRICE is a former deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland assembly and helped to implement the Good Friday Agreement. In a very personal essay, she explains how she sees her British, Northern Irish and European identity, in the wake of Brexit. A ‘European unionist’ is everything the name suggests. In the broadest sense, it […]

RACHEL JOHNSON on her latest TV venture, the Covid restriction that most troubles her and a dawning realisation about Brexit. By the time you read this I will have made kedgeree for Mary Berry on national TV as well as a macaroni cheese for Michelin-starred Angela Hartnett, alongside former shadow chancellor, Ed Balls (Celebrity Best […]

A survey of international hauliers has found the volume of exports travelling from British ports to the EU fell 68% last month compared with the same period last year. The research by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) prompted it to write to Cabinet minister Michael Gove to call for assistance, particularly with increasing the number […]

The EU has blundered catastrophically over vaccines and behaved badly. Let’s be good neighbours about it, says LIZ GERARD. Well, what do you know! Here at last, to celebrate the double anniversary of Brexit and the UK’s first case of coronavirus, is an example of something the government has got right. Something we have done better […]

Readers analyse Brexit’s progress one month on and question whether it was worth it. As Mitch Benn humorously points out, in the face of incontrovertible evidence that Brexit is deeply damaging Britain, Remainers and Leavers must now be asking themselves what was the point of it all. Take the Brexit mantra ‘Taking back control’. It’s actually […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has dismissed a call from Labour for a select committee on Brexit and the European Union to be reinstated as problems continue after the UK’s departure from the bloc. For Labour, Valerie Vaz challenged Rees-Mogg over Boris Johnson’s claims about trade in Northern Ireland after Brexit. Calling for the committee to be reinstated, […]

Squabbling over whether to use red or blue ink on post-Brexit customs forms is among the problems plaguing exporters who are facing a “whack-a-mole” situation, a trade body has warned. Scotland Food and Drink chief executive James Withers told MSPs the sector has faced approximately £1 million in lost sales every day during “an absolutely […]

Boris Johnson still believes Brexit is “done”, despite the government’s call for a two-year extension of the grace periods in the Northern Ireland Protocol. The prime minister’s official spokesman said “there are some issues that we need to resolve as part of the protocol” and “we will continue to work to address those issues” with […]

The culture secretary has been told by Elton John to end the obstacles facing UK-based musicians after Brexit. The singer has claimed that up-and-coming acts hoping to tour the continent will be “up against a brick wall” of fresh “bureaucracy”, “paperwork” and added finances. “It’s much more difficult for young artists to get this together because […]

Calls have been made to scrap part of the Brexit deal relating to Northern Ireland, as the prime minister warned Brussels he will act to prevent trade barriers being put up in the Irish Sea. First minister Arlene Foster said the Northern Ireland Protocol risked the country’s “political and economic links” to the UK and […]

CATHRIN SCHAER on how the continent sees its vaccine troubles. While Brexit fans were busy trying to shout “I told you so” across the Channel as loudly as possible, following the recent AstraZeneca stoush, Europeans were – as they so often are – more worried about their own backyards than being in a race with Britain. There […]

The UK will not take the lead in rescuing Eurostar as it is majority-owned by France, a cabinet minister has said. Transport secretary Grant Shapps told MPs that the government is “very keen for Eurostar to survive” but insisted “it’s not our company”. The cross-Channel rail operator revealed in November that it is “fighting for […]

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has suggested to the House of Commons he could invoke Article 16  “to ensure that there is no barrier down the Irish Sea” after Brexit. Speaking at Prime Minister’s Questions, DUP MP Ian Paisley said people in Northern Ireland were being made to “feel like foreigners in our own country” by […]

Brittany Ferries has introduced three new freight services between the Republic of Ireland and France as a result of new post-Brexit laws. The sailings will begin on Thursday, February 4, with a sailing between Rosslare and St Malo. Meanwhile, the first of two new sailings out of Cork to Roscoff will begin this Saturday.   Normally, most […]

The government has been defeated a second time over its post-Brexit trade bill. The legislation would allow the UK government to forge new agreements with other countries after leaving the EU. But opponents want to see parliament given a bigger role, with a former Tory minister leading calls for ministers to publish draft negotiating objectives to […]

Offices belonging to anti-Brexit Alliance Party politicians in Northern Ireland have been daubed with graffiti. North Down MP Stephen Farry and Strangford Assembly member Kellie Armstrong were targeted. The vandalism included “RIP Good Friday Agreement” in a reference to the 1998 peace deal which largely ended decades of conflict. Alliance leader Naomi Long said: “This […]

Independence would hit the Scottish economy harder than Brexit, and rejoining the EU would make little difference, a team of academics has said. The economic damage from leaving both unions would be the equivalent of an income loss of between £2,000 and £2,800 per person, according to an analysis of trade by the London School […]