Brexit

IAN DUNT on how liberals can redefine national pride and reclaim the flag from nationalists. Brexit, sold as a commitment to self-government, created an insidious side effect that may yet prove its most damaging legacy. It mutilated British patriotism and turned it into nationalism. In his 2017 book, The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt […]

Young people are more worried about the effects of Brexit than catching coronavirus, a study suggests. Just over two-fifths (42%) of adults aged between 18 and 29 reported being stressed about Brexit, compared with around a third (32%) who are worried about catching Covid-19, according to a recent UCL survey. The difference could be due […]

DAN WHITE gives a personal account of how Brexit is already impacting the disabled. It came as no surprise to anyone in the disabled community that the government had not conducted an impact assessment on the effect of leaving the EU on disabled people, despite concerns around the supply of medical supplies expressed by the Royal […]

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic has accused No 10 of failing to implement a range of obligations under the Northern Ireland Protocol as he warned sweeping changes to the protocol will not be possible. In a letter to Michael Gove, Sefcovic said the EU would not considering softening protocol obligations unless the UK complies with what […]

Readers are split on whether The New European should focus on rejoining the EU, or whether more time is needed. Congratulations on getting the backers and arrangements in place to enable TNE to continue and move on. What I would like to see is more coverage on how we can get to the point where […]

As the UK government continue to negotiate Brexit with the European Union, readers ask where are the benefits? Isn’t it about time that the press began to hold Boris Johnson to account over Brexit? Northern Ireland and the current issue over documentation and checks will not go away which will only push us closer to […]

Amsterdam has overtaken London as the largest financial trading centre in Europe last month as Brexit-related changes to finance rules came into force. An average of 9.2 billion euros (£8.1 billion) worth of shares were traded on Euronext Amsterdam, alongside Dutch divisions of CBOE Europe and the Turquoise exchange in January, according to data from CBOE […]

Michael Gove has been urged to show his unionist credentials by standing up for fishermen and Northern Ireland after Brexit, after admitting that the UK was facing a number of “obstacles” after Brexit. The Cabinet Office minister acknowledged the “bureaucratic obstacles” to negotiate and navigate with Brussels, as he was pressed to support “retaliation” against […]

Your weekly check on how Project Fear is becoming Project Reality, selected by Steve Anglesey.  It has been a gloomy week on the sunlit uplands of sovereign Britain as Michael Gove’s war on experts appeared to have been extended to exports. The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, in charge of ensuring smooth trade after […]

The EU has rejected a call from Michael Gove to change the Northern Ireland Protocol – with the European Commission insisting it is the “only way” to protect the Good Friday Agreement. In a letter to the Cabinet Office minister on the eve of their meeting in London, the Commission’s vice president Maros Sefcovic wrote: “The […]

The French response to Brexit has not quite been a Gallic shrug. But it’s not been far off. PAULINE SCHNAPPER explains the view from Paris. The Brexit deal reached on Christmas Eve was a relief for France as much as for the rest of the EU, both because a deal (any deal!) was better than no-deal […]

Downing Street has refused to publish an impact assessment on its Brexit deal with the EU, despite producing similar reviews of other trade deals. The prime minister’s spokesperson dismissed calls to publish the analysis, saying it had already set out the details of the deal “and the opportunities and benefits it provides the U.K.” “We’ve been […]

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 […]