Brexit

Post-Brexit trade deals with other countries are going to be implemented prior to parliamentary scrutiny, the government had announced. Trade minister Greg Hands told the Commons on Tuesday that there was not enough time for MPs to scrutinise any trade deals the UK brokes with other nations before December 31. This could come as a blow to parliamentarians […]

He might have gone, but Dominic Cummings has left a poisonous legacy which will cause untold harm to the UK, says JAMES BALL. Pity poor Dominic Cummings, who entered Number 10 last year believing he could transform a nation, and exited last week having accomplished little more than a series of blundering encounters with the media […]

A Tory MP has caused controversy after he claimed Brexit had no relevance to the case for a second Scottish independence referendum. Former Welsh secretary and Vote Leave supporter John Redwood said the nation’s decision to vote in favour of staying in the EU was “irrelevant” as he shot down suggestions that Brexit was a cause for a new […]

With reports of a Brexit deal “days away” and the UK’s chief negotiator claiming there could be an agreement with the European Union in the next week, all eyes turn to parliament to find out how it might vote. David Frost is reported to have told the prime minister there would be a “possible landing zone” […]

Sky News presenter Kay Burley had the perfect response to communities secretary Robert Jenrick when he issued a warning about the impact of Scottish independence on the economy.  The minister was dispatched to the television studios to defend Boris Johnson’s remarks criticising devolution. Jenrick said those not focusing on the priorities of the people during the […]

Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator has told Boris Johnson that a trade deal with the EU could be ready as early as next week. Lord David Frost is reported to have told the prime minister there would be a “possible landing zone” for an agreement as soon as next Tuesday, the Sun has revealed. The latest round […]

A new poll has found that support for Brexit is at an all-time low, as the transition period nears the end. YouGov found that the number of people who think the Brexit decision was the “right” one has dropped by three points since the start of the month to just 38% of the nation. By comparison, those […]

Britain’s decision to leave the EU has seriously undermined the peace efforts in Europe, a former Tory politician has claimed. Lord Michael Heseltine, a former Tory deputy prime minister under John Major, said he was saddened by his country’s decision to vote for Brexit. Speaking with Sky News’ Kay Burley on the prospect of a no-deal […]

The grandson of Winston Churchill has criticised his former boss over his choice of ministers to serve in cabinet. Former Tory MP Nichola Soames is no stranger to criticism of Boris Johnson and in his latest media appearance criticised his “mediocre” cabinet for being chosen for their views on Brexit. He said:  “When this government was […]

The EU has warned it may be “too late” to clinch a Brexit deal with Britain, adding that a “creative solution” was needed to avoid trade chaos. An EU diplomat said the European parliament’s ratification process is already in doubt after negotiators missed a number of vital deadlines, an EU official has said. Trade negotiations […]

The head of a Brexiteer think tank says a Vote Leave mastermind leaving Downing Street “makes post-Brexit Britain more likely to be very similar to a Britain inside the EU, and possibly worse”. Ben Harris-Quinney, chairman of the Bow Group, said that without Boris Johnson’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings the government will see more “adherence […]

The resignation of Boris Johnson’s senior adviser Dominic Cummings will have no impact on crucial Brexit negotiations, environment secretary George Eustice said. After days of turmoil in Number 10, which saw the exit of the prime minister’s right-hand man Cummings and Johnson’s director of communications Lee Cain, Eustice insisted talks with the EU on a future trade […]

The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator has said that a trade deal with the EU may not succeed but he is still hopeful of a resolution as the talks go down to the wire this week. Ahead of renewed negotiations as the clock ticks down to Britain exiting the EU withdrawal transition period at the end […]

Nigel Farage has claimed the exit of Boris Johnson’s top aide from Downing Street means a “Brexit sell-out” is looming. Brexit Party leader Farage said he had never liked the prime minister’s outgoing chief adviser Dominic Cummings, but admitted he was concerned about the consequences of his departure. Cummings left Number 10 carrying a box […]

Shadow justice secretary David Lammy has broken official Labour Party ranks to call for a Brexit extension on Question Time. Lammy urged Downing Street to seek an extension while it “works out” the economic mess caused by the coronavirus. Prime minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly vowed not to extend the transition period which is set to end on […]

Liz Gerard’s question ‘Should we feel sorry for the PM?’ deserves a response. There is nothing about Boris Johnson and his premiership that can be commended. The Vote Leave regime that he leads is the architect of the hapless state of affairs in which we find ourselves and we haven’t even lived Brexit yet. He […]

The protections offered by the European Convention on Human Rights were hard fought. They now need our defending, says ROGER CASALE. It was seventy years ago this month – on November 4, 1950 – that the European Convention on Human Rights was signed in Rome. The ECHR was a remarkable achievement. Like it’s better known cousin, […]

Downing Street has denied reports there will be a softening of the UK’s position on Brexit following the departure of key Vote Leave officials from No 10. The prime minister’s official spokesman acknowledged time was “in short supply” if they were to get an agreement before the Brexit transition period expires at the end of the […]

A German MEP has claimed Downing Street is in a state of paralysis caused by Dominic Cummings’ announced departure and was now hindering Brexit trade talks. Manfred Weber, the leader of the largest party in the European parliament, said Downing Street was currently in a”chaotic situation” following the announcement. The prime minister’s adviser acknowledged on […]

A former board member of the pro-Brexit Vote Leave campaign has dismissed suggestions that Boris Johnson has too many Leavers in his government. Despite an attempt by Johnson to pack his cabinet with supporters of Brexit, and the prime minister’s inner circle containing key Vote Leave officials, a senior Tory MP has denied they have […]

It is far from a settled issue, but have public passions finally cooled over Brexit? Leading pollster SIR JOHN CURTICE reports. Last year the headlines were dominated by Brexit. This year the issue has only sporadically made it onto the news agenda. This is despite the fact that an agreement has still not been reached […]

A former adviser to Boris Johnson has delivered a withering assessment of Vote Leave’s impact on the prime minister’s ability to govern. Guto Harri, who was Johnson’s communications director when he was mayor of London, said the group of pro-Brexit advisers in Downing Street led by Dominic Cummings had long been undermining the prime minister’s office. Harri told […]

Grant Shapps has fallen short of promising the public that Brexit would not affect the delivery of the coronavirus vaccine currently being developed in the EU. The transport secretary said he remained somewhat confident Britons would have access to the Pfizer vaccine being produced in Belgium. Earlier this week, the government announced coronavirus vaccine trials […]

Brexiteers claim that “Remainers” in government are pushing for a one-year extension to the Brexit transition period, as the clock runs down in talks to secure a deal. The European Union has placed a “seven-day deadline” on talks ahead of an EU summit, with both sides reportedly discussing a “grace period” for Northern Ireland businesses as […]

The business minister has failed to rule out that the supply of coronavirus vaccine could be affected by Brexit when the transition period ends on December 31. Cabinet minister Alok Sharma repeatedly did not appear to dispute warnings from Croda International, which supplies a crucial ingredient in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine candidate, that there could be Brexit impact. […]

Twitter users have lapped up a tweet by Michel Barnier in which he mocks the state of Brexit trade talks. In a swipe at Britain’s Brexit team, Barnier, The EU’s chief negotiator, shared a picture himself at a London football pitch with the caption: “Short break from intense EU-UK negotiations in London. Went looking for level playing fields…” […]

Ken Clarke has said Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill shows the prime minister has “absolute contempt” for the way of Westminster business is conducted. The former Tory chancellor was discussing the internal market bill when he said Johnson’s determination to push through the legislation was a Donald Trump tactics and could lead to major repercussions with US president-elect Joe Biden. […]

A British company who are supplying a crucial ingredient of the Covid-19 vaccine have warned that delays at the border after Brexit could prevent a “crucial step” in ensuring it is available to millions of people. Croda International, based in Yorkshire, have provided a key chemical element of the vaccine to Pfizer in the trial phase, […]

The media’s focus on infighting in Number 10 is a distraction from the Brexit armageddon facing the UK, a commentator has argued. The Guardian‘s George Monbiot said British newspapers were prioritising ‘scandal’ over the Brexit negotiations. He said: “Putting the resignation of a Downing Street adviser as top headline during a moment of multiple global and national crises […]

This week, former prime minister Sir John Major made a piercing, patriotic speech on Brexit Britain and its place in the world, identifying the problems and suggesting solutions. The future of ‘the state we’re in’ requires plain speaking if we are to be honest with our nation. And, of course, with ourselves. The great powers […]

A Tory MP who complained about a National Trust report into slavery and colonialism has had his argument picked to pieces live on air. Journalist and commentator Dalia Gebrial tore apart Ben Bradley’s claim that the National Trust was attempting to “sanitise” history by highlights links between its properties and slavery. The National Trust came under heavy […]

Michael Gove has been criticised by Labour for failing to answer a “basic question” on how many customs agents are ready to deal with Brexit at the end of the transition period in six weeks’ time. Shadow cabinet office minister Rachel Reeves was asking Brexiteer Gove about the fact that the transition period now ends […]