Brexit

Agreement on a transition period to smooth Britain’s exit from the EU is “not a given”, Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator has warned. After the latest round of talks between officials in Brussels, Michel Barnier said that three “substantial” disagreements remained over plans for the transition, expected to last around two years after the date of […]

Checks at the Irish border will be “unavoidable” under Theresa May’s Brexit plans for the UK to leave the single market and customs union, Michel Barnier has warned. Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator also told reporters that agreement on a transitional deal after the UK leaves the bloc in March 2019 was “not a given”. After […]

The government’s refusal to commit to publishing a paper on the financial services industry after Brexit has been condemned by the Treasury Select Committee’s chairwoman. Senior Tory Nicky Morgan said “the clock is ticking” for the vital industry and called for a position paper to be published immediately. In a withering response to the Treasury, […]

The Conservative Party faces an “immense challenge” to repair the schism caused by Brexit, former attorney general Dominic Grieve has warned. The former law officer, a ringleader of the rebels who inflicted Theresa May’s first Commons defeat over her Brexit legislation, warned that political parties can “fall apart” if the ties of tribal loyalty break. […]

RICHARD PORRITT with this week’s big stories, including an outlandish Danish immigration plan, why Austria is Europe’s ashtray and France’s least gangsta rapper In light of the latest polling, will Jeremy Corbyn finally wake up to the fact that much of his party doesn’t want Brexit? The youth vote, which has swelled the party’s membership […]

After the opening salvos over the Brexit bill in the House of Lords, the Lib Dem leader there, DICK NEWBY, looks ahead to the next round of battles Of the 190 speeches made during the Withdrawal Bill Second Reading in the Lords, three stood out for me. The first, was an excoriating critique of the […]

Keep resisting, says MITCH BENN. The facts are on our side and soon the majority of people will be too You know what? No personal anecdotes, pithy analogies or weird where-the-hell-is-he-going-with-this pop culture-based pre-amble this week. This week I’m cutting straight to the chase. Brexit has to stop. Not be softened, or ameliorated, or grudgingly […]

Nigel Farage has been attacked after claiming a Brexit transition period under the EU’s proposed terms would create “Vichy Britain” – a reference to the collaborationist regime in France during Nazi occupation. The former Ukip leader tweeted: “Mrs May’s transition period will be a worse form of EU membership during which the bully boys of […]

Theresa May has claimed she will be “robust” in Brexit talks as she dismissed as “noises off” Brussels plans allowing it to sanction the UK during transition. The prime minister’s so-called “war cabinet” of senior ministers is meeting today to attempt to chart a course through some of the most difficult issues in the Brexit […]

Tory MPs have called on the government to scrap its “vassal state” transition deal with the EU and instead purse a “Carlsberg Brexit deal” with the European Free Trade Association. Ministers were urged to opt for the “safe harbour” of EFTA while a more comprehensive free trade deal was thrashed out with the EU. Joining […]

Ireland’s deputy premier has called on the UK Government to drop its red lines and tough talk on its future relationship with the EU. Simon Coveney said a calm and rational debate on the merits of continued membership of extended customs union and single market structures was overdue. Addressing a packed audience at a conference […]

Theresa May’s inner “war cabinet” of senior ministers will meet today to chart a course through some of the most difficult issues in the Brexit process. The Brexit sub-committee meeting comes after it emerged the European Union wants to put in place a method to rapidly curtail the UK’s single market benefits if it breaches […]

The days of nipping over to Calais for a boot-load of bottles are numbered. SIMON WATKINS ​heads over in search of a bargain while he still can ‘The Brits don’t come to Calais for the beaches; the only reason they come here is for the wine,’ declares Simon Delannoy, proprietor of The Calais Wine Superstore. […]

Government departments have been “too slow” to begin practical preparations to get the country ready for Brexit, a parliamentary report has warned. With just 14 months to go, Whitehall has still not faced up to the need to reprioritise its work to be ready for Brexit day in March 2019, including halting other programmes so […]

Businesses’ patience with the Cabinet’s “continued division” on Brexit is “wearing thin” and Theresa May must urgently deliver a clear statement of what the government wants, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said. As ministers in the prime minister’s Brexit “war cabinet” prepared to meet to discuss what they want from the future relationship […]

Ugandans are incredulous that sophisticated Great Britain is in such a state of disarray and disunity, says YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN Just got back from Uganda, where I was making a Radio 4 documentary on what has been happening in the country since 1972, when we Asians, who had been there for generations, were ignominiously thrown out […]

Nicola Sturgeon has demanded “urgent and meaningful” discussion with the devolved administrations on the direction of the Brexit negotiations. Scotland’s first minister has written to Theresa May to say the Scottish government must be able to influence the exit objectives ahead of the UK government cabinet sub-committee on the EU exit negotiations. Ms Sturgeon reminded […]

The environment secretary has no hope of delivering his green dream for the countryside, says PETER HETHERINGTON Dream land, or a brave new world for farming and the countryside? Environment Secretary Michael Gove’s post-Brexit vision for agriculture and rural England, due to be outlined in a white paper shortly, risks colliding with the harsh reality […]

The home secretary has said she “hopes” the Government will set out what it wants from Brexit “within the next few weeks”. Amber Rudd also insisted the government had always held the position that the UK should not be part of a customs union with the European Union after leaving. But she did little to […]

Leading pro-Europe Tory Anna Soubry has told the prime minister to ‘sling out’ Hard Brexiteers as she threatened to quit the party if Jacob Rees-Mogg or Boris Johnson became leader. The ex-business minister claimed Theresa May faced the same fate as David Cameron and John Major unless she “stood up to” the plotting pair. Ms […]

Former Whitehall chief Gus O’Donnell has stepped up his criticism of politicians accusing civil servants of bias over Brexit, arguing their attacks amounted to bullying. Independent crossbencher Lord O’Donnell, who headed the civil service for six years, also warned that it was damaging to democracy. His comments came amid a continuing row over Treasury forecasts […]

Theresa May’s decision to leave the EU’s customs union will cause “unavoidable” barriers to trade, Michel Barnier has warned. The European Union’s chief negotiator visited Downing Street for talks with Theresa May and Brexit secretary David Davis in which he pushed for greater clarity about the UK’s approach to the next phase of the process. […]

Michel Barnier has warned there is “not a minute to lose” in efforts to achieve a Brexit deal as he prepared for talks with Theresa May. The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator was travelling to London as Downing Street insisted the UK would not remain in a customs union with the EU after leaving the […]

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said ministers will not be intimidated by threats of a leadership challenge to Theresa May from Tory Brexiteers. As the Cabinet’s Brexit sub-committee prepares to meet for two days of talks on the UK’s future relationship with the EU, Ms Rudd insisted they would come forward with proposals which would […]

Former cabinet secretary Lord Gus O’Donnell said attacks on the civil service for allegedly sabotaging Brexit are “completely crazy”, following claims officials were “fiddling the figures”. Yesterday the leading Tory Hard Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg accused Treasury officials of “fiddling the figures” to show that Britain would be worse off outside the EU, whatever the outcome […]

Leaders of the Liberal Democrats, SNP, Plaid Cymru and the Greens have signed a joint letter calling on Jeremy Corbyn to rethink Labour’s position on Brexit ahead of a meeting with his MPs. Following the leaked government Brexit analysis showing that, under the three most plausible Brexit scenarios, there is no scenario that does not […]

Brexit talks gather pace next week as the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier travels to London to meet Theresa May and David Davis. The prime minister and Brexit secretary will be keen for negotiations on a proposed transition deal to step up a gear as Mr Barnier arrives for face-to-face dialogue in Downing Street next […]

Brexiteers are seen overseas as a “bunch of emotional nutcases”, a former Tory minister has said. Lord O’Neill of Gatley, who quit his post as a Treasury minister last year and switched to the crossbenches in the upper house, urged Leave backers to be “realistic” about the impact of Brexit on the economy. The ex-Goldman […]

A cross-party group of politicians has gone to a Scottish court in a bid to seek a European legal ruling on whether the UK Parliament can unilaterally halt the Brexit process if the final deal is deemed unacceptable. Elected representatives from four parties – Green MSPs Andy Wightman and Ross Greer, Joanna Cherry QC MP […]

A Brexit minister has avoided being sacked but was forced into a Commons apology for raising allegations which suggested Treasury officials were trying to keep Britain in the customs union. Steve Baker said he should have corrected or dismissed an account of the claim relayed to the Commons by Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, which he […]

Labour MP Chuka Umunna has launched a coalition of forces including The New European to fight a Hard Brexit and push for the public to get a say on Theresa May’s final deal to leave the EU. The Grassroots Coordinating Group, made up of bodies representing more than half a million members, will come together […]

Jeremy Corbyn has come under renewed pressure to commit Labour to remaining in the single market and customs union after Brexit. The Labour leader said he wanted to ensure that British firms and universities continued to have “close relationships” with the European Union. Labour wants a “tariff-free trade relationship” and “a form of customs union”, […]