Brexit

Former Tory prime minister David Cameron is reportedly trying to block the publication of a new book revealing details of his handling of Brexit, because of concerns it will “damage his reputation”. As The New European reported in August, a biography from the former cabinet secretary Jeremy Heywood is set to be published, written by his […]

Fresh newspaper reports have fuelled the belief that Boris Johnson will resign in the spring once he has achieved Brexit. According to the Sunday Mirror, Tory MPs are gearing up for the prime minister to step down, after privately complaining about the salary of £150,402, which is reportedly not enough for him to live on. […]

Groups representing 190,000 businesses and seven million workers have made an urgent plea for a trade deal to be agreed before the UK leaves the EU. Industry leaders in sectors including automotive, aviation, chemicals, creative industries, farming, food, and pharmaceuticals said they were united in calling for a quick agreement for the sake of jobs […]

Former prime minister Gordon Brown has warned chancellor Rishi Sunak that the UK is heading for a double cliff edge of Brexit and an economic collapse caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Brown, who is the longest serving chancellor of the exchequer in modern times, said the impending double whammy would cost jobs. He said the chancellor, […]

Leave EU’s man in the New Zealand has seen his all of his party’s seats wiped out in the election. Winston Peters, leader of New Zealand First, was the country’s deputy prime minister as part of the coalition arrangements for Jacinda Ardern’s government – working alongside the Greens. But it was reported he had enlisted […]

The UK has rebuffed Brussels’ offer of intensified trade talks next week, telling the European Union’s chief negotiator there is “no point” him coming to London on Monday. After Boris Johnson accused European leaders of having “abandoned the idea of a free trade deal” the UK’s chief negotiator, Lord Frost, spoke with his counterpart Michel Barnier […]

European Union MEP Guy Verhofstadt has claimed that Brexiteers have been “served a slice of humble pie” after a statement from the EU said it will continue to stand up for the interests of the bloc.  The Belgian politician was keen to make his point that those against the EU have failed to divide the organisation […]

I must take exception to Phil Green’s letter “Bodge job” (TNE # 214) comparing the prime minister to beloved sitcom character Captain Mainwaring of Dad’s Army.  The Home Guard leader may have at times been “blustering, incompetent, pompous and inept”, but he was also patriotic, courageous, inclusive and humane, not to mention capable of inspiring […]

The coronavirus pandemic will magnify the impact of a no-deal Brexit, new research suggests.  The Institute of Directors (IoD) has warned of a potential “double hit” from Covid-19 and leaving the EU without a trade deal. A survey of almost 1,000 company directors found only one in 10 does not believe the pandemic will magnify […]

Spar UK has warned suppliers that it must take the hit associated with increased costs from the Brexit transition period ending to avoid price rises for consumers.  As Boris Johnson warned that the UK is preparing for a no-deal Brexit on January 1, a letter seen by the Grocer, the retailer has warned it will […]

Boris Johnson has ended a Brexit summit between the UK and European Union with an ultimatum – threatening a no-deal Brexit at the end of 2020.  The prime minister issued a statement saying that it was time for the UK to “get ready” for the prospect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on […]

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said that he is “surprised” and “disappointed” by the EU’s “lack of flexibility during Brexit talks. Appearing on Radio 4’s Today programme, the former Brexit secretary was asked about what the government’s view was on Brexit talks now that Boris Johnson’s self-imposed deadline had passed. Raab was unhappy with the […]

A petition has been launched to lobby the authorities to officially name a Kent lorry park – being created for those vehicles queuing to access the port of Dover following Brexit – after one of the leading protagonists of the campaign to leave the EU. A new change.org petition is urging Kent Council to officially name the […]

Everybody has a different reason for sitting down and writing a book. Martin Bell wrote his latest because he nearly died.  Almost two years ago the former BBC war correspondent and independent MP suffered head injuries similar to those from a car crash when he tripped over his suitcase at Gatwick Airport after returning from […]

EU president Ursula von der Leyen was forced to abandon a high level summit after 30 minutes after a member of her team tested positive for coronavirus. Von der Leyen was in a room with all 27 EU heads of state before rushing out “as a precaution”. The president had spent time greeting leaders in […]

Radio presenter James O’Brien has called out the duplicity of Brexiteers – who support the UK leaving the European Union at any cost – now opposing a national lockdown to protect the economy. Speaking on his LBC Radio show, O’Brien told listeners: “The people on the wrong side of history insist we can’t have circuit-breaks […]

A long time ago (2004 to be precise) in a galaxy far away (but not that far away) a young right winger established a think tank (as almost everyone was doing at the time). The right winger was called Dominic Cummings and the short-lived think tank was portentously titled the New Frontiers Foundation. All of […]

The Green Party has joined calls for the UK to retain membership of the single market and customs union, as Boris Johnson looks set to abandon his self-imposed deadline for a trade deal. The party wants to see freedom of movement retained, particularly for young people who have the most to gain from working and […]

Believe it or not, I try not to yield too often to the temptation to join the dots between the stance politicians took on Brexit to the ones they now advocate on the appropriate government response to the global Covid-19 pandemic. It’s a bit mean, especially to voters in deprived areas who voted Leave in […]

Let me be very clear about this – what people on the ground are saying is that the response to our last collection of meaningless political cliches has been world-beating. These are not ordinary times and we are all in this together. So the fact of the matter is that here is another collection of […]

Flights between the UK and the EU could be grounded when the Brexit transition period ends, transport secretary Grant Shapps has admitted.   The cabinet minister said it is “critical” that air links are not severed, stressing the “mutual importance of aviation and travel”. Both sides agreed prior to the first scheduled Brexit date of March […]

The government is set to install a series of portaloos along the major roads in Kent to deal with possible Brexit congestion from the delays at ports following the end of the transition period. Transport minister Rachel MacClean was responding to questions about documents which revealed the government is planning for queues of up to […]

Ministers spent £64 million of taxpayers’ money to set up a British equivalent to GPS before it was abandoned and shutdown in September. The UK’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ran for 18 months until ministers finally decided to shelve the project, official figures have shown. GNSS was established to provide Britain’s first conventional network of […]

Nearly three-quarters of Scots back Holyrood negotiating its own future relationship with the EU, new polling has found. A Survation poll for the pro-independence campaign group Progress Scotland found 74% of the 2,093 people surveyed wanted MSPs to decide how Scotland interacts with the EU in the future when undecided returns were excluded. When included, […]

The contenders are… NIGEL FARAGEThe nicotine-stained man-frog certainly knows a gap in the market when he sees one. Farage has been hinting he will soon revive the Brexit Party – because with only the Tories, UKIP and Laurence Fox’s Reclaim out there, the British people must be crying out for a right-wing grouping that hates […]

A renewed bid to secure the continuation of free movement with the EU as part of future trade links has been launched by peers at Westminster. The government has been pressed in the House of Lords to hammer out a so-called “mobility framework” with Brussels. The Liberal Democrat-led call came during the committee stage in […]

German chancellor Angela Merkel has said that the European Union will not let Ireland down in Brexit talks. Merkel said during a debate on the German presidency of the European Union that the EU wants a trade deal with the UK, but it will stick with Ireland to secure the best outcome from negotiations. She […]

A Tory minister has claimed that businesses have their “head in the sands” over the impact that Brexit will have on their companies. Cabinet Office minister Lord Agnet said “it’s their businesses at stake” if they fail to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31. Agnew said that businesses had […]

A new poll has found that a significant majority of Britons think that leaving the Brexit transition period without a trade deal would be a bad outcome for the country. Last month, Boris Johnson said ending Brexit talks without a deal was a “good outcome” for Britain, even though it would lead to new tariffs on businesses, […]

A new contract to provide post-Brexit freight capacity has been handed to four ferry firms at a cost of £77.6 million. The Department for Transport (DfT) announced that it has signed agreements with Brittany Ferries, DFDS, P&O Ferries and Stena Line. This will ensure that vital medical supplies and other critical goods “continue to be […]

The government’s environment secretary has insisted that protections for food and farming standards are not necessary – because it was in the Conservative Party manifesto. On Monday, MPs voted to overturn measures aimed at protecting UK food standards in future trade deals. But defending the decision of government to vote against such protections, George Eustice […]

The UK’s professional services industry is at risk of losing £225 billion in value because of Brexit, a parliamentary committee has warned. A report by the House of Lords’ EU services subcommittee, published on Tuesday, said Britain’s professional firms – including accountants, lawyers, and recruiters – have largely been ignored in negotiations with the EU. MORE: More than […]