Brexit

Home secretary Sajid Javid today put EU nationals back on high alert over their future in the UK, saying there would be no automatic right for them to come and work here after Brexit. He also refused to say whether highly-skilled workers would be able to look for a job in the UK without the […]

Leaving four-fifths of our economy outside Europe’s single market could leave previous recessionary policy errors in the shade, writes BARNABY TOWNS With the government losing its foreign and Brexit secretaries and suffering a string of lower-rung ministerial resignations, the fragile ‘Chequers truce’ did not last 48 hours. Backbench Brexiteers literally waited in turn to pile […]

Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon has said she cannot support Theresa May’s Brexit plan “as it stands”. The SNP leader also said it was “highly questionable” as to whether the prime minister would be able to command majority support in the House of Commons for the proposals agreed at Friday’s meeting of the Cabinet at […]

How the world’s press responded to the resignations of the two Cabinet ministers over Brexit. Here is how some media outlets around the world view the ‘chaos’ facing Theresa May following the resignations of Boris Johnson and David Davis as the foreign and Brexit secretaries. France’s Le Figaro leads with Mrs May’s crisis, saying she […]

Donald Trump has looked ahead to his trip to the UK this week, saying the country is in “turmoil” and it is “up to the people” whether or not Theresa May remains prime minister. The US president will have also delighted Mrs May by saying that he might take time during his UK visit to […]

This is only the beginning, says NIKOS SKOUTARIS Two years after the referendum, the UK government briefly appeared to agree on its vision for the future UK-EU relationship. A three page document, outlining the UK position, was published following a long meeting of cabinet ministers at the prime minister’s country retreat of Chequers on July […]

Brussels officials have batted off David Davis’ decision to quit as Brexit Secretary, saying it will not hit Brexit talks. The European Commission will “continue to negotiate in good faith” with prime minister Theresa May, Margaritis Schinas insisted The chief spokesman said he did “not have a specific comment” about the resignation and refused to […]

Theresa May faces a leadership crisis after David Davis savaged the government’s approach to Brexit while dramatically quitting as the minister responsible for the UK’s departure from the EU. His resignation was warmly welcomed by hardline Eurosceptics in the Tory ranks who were already expressing reservations about Mrs May’s leadership after her Cabinet agreed a […]

A future trade deal with the United States is “totally up in the air” after the Cabinet signed off on a new Brexit strategy at Chequers, the US ambassador to the UK has said. Donald Trump will discuss how an agreement could be struck after Britain quits the EU when he visits the UK later […]

Nicola Sturgeon has declared it is “game on” for campaigners hoping to keep the UK in the single market and the customs union after the UK Cabinet signed up to plans which could keep the UK closely tied to Brussels. After a day of intensive discussions at Chequers, Theresa May managed to secure the agreement […]

Theresa May faces a battle to win over her party after Jacob Rees-Mogg began the revolt against what he called her “softly boiled” Brexit. The prime minister’s plan, which will be assessed by the EU, would result in the creation of a new UK-EU free trade area for goods, with a “common rulebook”. A new […]

Here are some of the key details contained in the government’s summary of the Brexit plan Theresa May’s Cabinet agreed at Chequers. At the core of the proposal is the establishment of a “free trade area for goods” to “avoid friction at the border, protect jobs and livelihoods, and ensure both sides meet their commitments […]

Theresa May appears to have faced down Brexiteer Cabinet ministers after securing agreement on plans which will keep the UK closely aligned to Brussels. The proposals, which will now be assessed by the European Union, would result in the creation of a new UK-EU free trade area for goods, with a “common rulebook”. But under […]

Labour will not rule out a referendum on the final Brexit deal, Sir Keir Starmer said as he acknowledged leaving the EU would mean “things will get worse” in the short-term. The shadow Brexit secretary told a private meeting that Labour was not explicitly calling for a public vote on the final deal and respected […]

Voters must be given a say on the final outcome of Brexit talks between Britain and the rest of the EU, a senior member of the Scottish Government has said. Mike Russell, the constitutional relations secretary in Nicola Sturgeon’s cabinet, said that people “require” such a ballot. The comments appear to be among the strongest […]

Some consumer and business protection laws risk not being in place by the time Britain leaves the EU, the head of the National Audit Office has warned. Sir Amyas Morse said that preparing for Brexit was not easy with so many “what ifs” remaining over the UK’s future relationship with Brussels, and subsequent pressure on […]

Scottish ministers have submitted their own “realistic and workable” Brexit proposals to the UK government ahead of crunch Cabinet talks at Chequers. They include a plan to retain membership of the European single market and remain part of the customs union. Scotland’s first minister Nicola Sturgeon said “the time is fast approaching for the prime […]

Who is on Question Time tonight and where do they stand on Brexit? Here’s your guide… The BBC’s flagship current affairs programme tonight comes from the Alive Corn Exchange in King’s Lynn, Norfolk. A heart carved on the wall of the town’s market place commemorates the burning of an alleged witch, Margaret Read, in 1590, […]

The diary also focuses on open secrets in David Davis’s Brexit dept, David Cameron’s refusal to be provoked by Danny Dyer and the Goves’ love of lucre writes TIM WALKER It’s a measure of the McCarthyite times in which we live that Sir David Attenborough – without question the nation’s most revered broadcaster – has […]

As Vote Leave are found guilty of campaign overspending, whistleblower CHRISTOPHER WYLIE on why the UK still seems unconcerned by allegations of referendum wrongdoing ‘In elections, as in sport, those who win by cheating have not properly won and are disqualified. Nor is it of any avail for the candidate to say ‘I would have […]

Britain’s most senior police officer has warned that international crime fighting systems will be “clunkier, clumsier and more expensive” after Brexit if investigators are left with reduced access to information. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Cressida Dick told a committee hearing at London’s City Hall that forces in the UK are “big users of a lot of […]

Theresa May has insisted she has a “strong” Cabinet ahead of its Brexit showdown, in remarks she appeared to actually believe. The prime minister seemed to genuinely praise her team after Tory Brexiteer, Cabinet minister and badger botherer Owen Paterson suggested she judge her ministers against the election promise that the UK would leave the […]

Establishing a new customs system for the UK after Brexit could take up to five years, according to government papers. Documents sent to businesses as part of a consultation over the government’s post-Brexit customs model reveal it is likely to take between three and five years to put in systems in place. The upper end […]

More Tory Brexiteers are threatening Cabinet ministers not to keep the UK closely tied to Brussels ahead of a crunch meeting at Chequers. Theresa May is trying to force through a compromise that will secure support from both wings of her Cabinet at the gathering on Friday, but the Conservatives’ hardline Brexiteer backbenchers are calling […]

A watchdog is expected to find Vote Leave, the official Brexit campaign, breached electoral rules during the referendum, according to reports. The campaign group’s former chief executive, Matthew Elliott, said the Electoral Commission (EC) had concluded that Vote Leave exceeded spending limits and made a donation to a group that it should not have. But […]

Households outside London are likely to be hit hardest by an increase in the cost of living caused by Brexit, according to a new study. A Hard Brexit – in which the UK leaves the European single market and customs union – would push average household expenditure up by around 2.7% in London and 3%-3.2% […]

Brexit is turning into a “nightmare” with the shadow of job losses hanging over British industry because of the government’s handling of negotiations to leave the EU, a union leader has warned. Len McCluskey, general secretary of Unite, said prime minister Theresa May had lost all authority or capacity to make decisions. He told the […]

Sinn Fein’s president has said Theresa May needs to be called out for delaying tactics over the lack of progress for the Irish border. Mary Lou McDonald expressed concern over the British government’s position in dealing with the border issue. It comes after European leaders urged the UK to intensify its efforts so a Brexit […]

Millions of EU nationals should not have to pay to register to stay in the UK after Brexit, the European Parliament’s Brexit co-ordinator has told the government. Guy Verhofstadt has written to home secretary Sajid Javid, saying the £65 cost of signing up to the settlement scheme should be waived. The fee for the EU […]

Brexiteers have been accused by a former Tory minister of “planning a coup” against Theresa May. Bracknell MP Phillip Lee called for “courageous, rational leadership” after reports in the Daily Express that supporters of Jacob Rees-Mogg had amassed a £750,000 fund to fight a leadership campaign if Theresa May is forced out. Dr Lee, who […]

Philip Hammond has called for the concerns of business to be taken seriously ahead of Friday’s key Chequers Brexit summit and days after Boris Johnson is alleged to have said “F*** business”. The comments came at Treasury questions in the Commons after warnings from firms including Airbus and BMW about Brexit were also dismissed by […]

Former Tory Party leader William Hague has issued a blunt warning to Cabinet Brexiteers not to push their demands for a clean break with the EU too far. Ahead of crunch Cabinet talks at Chequers on Friday, Lord Hague said Parliament could force a “watered-down” Brexit on the government if ministers failed to agree a […]