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Tag: Brexit

  • Highlights of Biden’s speech at Belfast

    Highlights of Biden’s speech at Belfast

    Here are the key moments from US President Joe Biden’s speech in Belfast:

    • Biden hailed the signing of the Good Friday Agreement 25 years ago this week and said “peace was not inevitable – we can never forget that”
    • He said that preserving the peace of the agreement was a “priority” for US Democrats and Republicans alike
    • He said he hoped the Northern Ireland Assembly and the Executive “will soon be restored”, but added, “that’s a decision for you to make”
    • He spoke about the recent attempted murder of Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell in Omagh and said levels of violence witnessed during the Troubles must not be allowed to return
    • He said Northern Ireland’s GDP has more than doubled since the agreement was signed in 1998
    • Biden encouraged leaders in the UK and the EU to address issues created by Brexit in a way that serves Northern Ireland’s best interests.
  • Boris questions whether or not “Brexit was a good policy”

    Boris questions whether or not “Brexit was a good policy”

    The former prime minister has asked the audience if they agreed with Brexit, Boris Johnson was left with an even more perplexed expression than normal.

    When Mr. Johnson asked the audience at a conference in London to raise their hands if they thought leaving the European Union had been a success, nearly no one did.

    I got the feeling that might be the case as we went along, but I’m undaunted, Mr. Johnson added as the conference host urged the audience to raise their hands if they thought Brexit was a good idea.

    He tried to move quickly on, and said: ‘The problem at the moment, it’s about what we’re not getting right now.

    ‘I’ve said this before, it’s a Brexit government or it’s nothing.

    ‘We got a massive mandate to change, people wanted change in their lives, people wanted to see things done differently, and I’ve got to put my hands up for this as much as anybody, we haven’t done enough yet to convince them.

    ‘That it can deliver the changes they do want to see, I think they are particularly dismayed about the small boats crossing the channel and they also don’t feel the economic change.

    Brexit fails to find backers at ‘soft power’ conference after Boris Johnson speech

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    Former prime minister Boris Johnson speaks during the Global Soft Power Summit, at the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London. Picture date: Thursday March 2, 2023. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire
    Boris was one of the only Brexiteers with his hand up (Picture: PA)

    ‘We’ve got to break out of the model that we’re in.’

    He also raised concerns about Rishi Sunak’s new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland and said he will find it ‘very difficult’ to vote for it.

    He said: ‘I’m going to find it very difficult to vote for something like this myself, because I believed we should’ve done something very different. No matter how much plaster came off the ceiling in Brussels.

    ‘I hope that it will work and I also hope that if it doesn’t work we will have the guts to employ that (Northern Ireland Protocol) Bill again, because I have no doubt at all that that is what brought the EU to negotiate seriously.’

    Jet-setter Johnson has been travelling around the world for lucrative speaking gigs in recent weeks, and raised his head for the first time today.

    In recent weeks the UK has been hit by a number of fruit and vegetable shortages, with some supermarkets limiting the amount customers can buy.

    Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson gestures during the Global Soft Power Summit at the QEII center in London, Britain, March 2, 2023. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
    The former PM was left struggling to find hands up in the audience (Picture: REUTERS)

    These shortages have been blamed on Brexit by some political commentators, with others saying it is due to bad weather in the areas where crops are grown.

    When Boris took over Tory party leadership in 2019 he was the force behind a no-deal Brexit.

    He insisted that the UK would leave the EU on October 31, with or without a deal.

    Just five months after becoming leader Johnson won an 80-seat majority in the general election, giving him the backing to push through Brexit legislation.

    And in January 2020, the Brexit deal became law after approval by U.K. Parliament, with the European Parliament approving the deal six days later.

    Last week Johnson was accused of trying to ‘wreck’ the deal, as he warned dropping the Protocol Bill he masterminded – letting the UK scrap parts of the Brexit treaty – will be ‘a great mistake’.

    Lord Mandelson, a former Labour Northern Ireland secretary, said: ‘He wants, and his supporters want, to undermine the PM.’

    Labour’s Lord Hain, who also held the job, said Mr Johnson was ‘mischief-making’.

    But cabinet minister Penny Mordaunt insisted: ‘Boris is being Boris, but I wouldn’t say it’s a completely unhelpful intervention.’

  • It’s unlawful: Brexit scheme that makes EU citizens reapply for right to live – UK High Court

    EU citizens with pre-settled status are required by the EU Settlement Scheme to reapply every five years or risk losing their ability to live, work, receive healthcare and education, and apply for housing and benefits.

    The High Court has ruled that the government’s Brexit plan, which requires EU citizens to reapply for the right to live and work in the UK, is illegal.

    All EU citizens who desired to stay in the UK after the Brexit transition period ended on December 31, 2020, had to submit an application for residency by June 2021 under the EU Settlement Scheme, which opened in March 2019.

    If they had lived in the UK for a continuous five-year period at the time, they were given settled status but those who had been in the UK for less time were given pre-settled status.

    EU citizens with pre-settled status have to reapply for settled status on reaching five years’ continuous residence in the UK or risk losing their residence rights, meaning they could not work, receive healthcare and education and apply for housing and benefits.

    The Independent Monitoring Authority (IMA), a body set up to oversee citizens’ rights, took legal action against the Home Office in December as it argued the government is breaching the withdrawal agreement it made with the EU.

    On Wednesday, Lord Justice Lane ruled the scheme is unlawful.

    The Home Office is intending to appeal the decision and said the status of EU citizens remains the same while that is taking place.

    No EU citizen is currently affected as the five years they will have had to be in the UK before having to reapply for settled status does not expire until August 2023.

    Those already with settled status do not have to reapply anyway so are not affected.

    Home Office minister Lord Murray said: “EU citizens are our friends and neighbours, and we take our obligations to securing their rights in the UK very seriously.

    “The EU Settlement Scheme goes above and beyond our obligations under the Withdrawal Agreement, protecting EU citizens’ rights and giving them a route to settlement in the UK.

    “We are disappointed by this judgment, which we intend to appeal.”

    Dr Kathryn Chamberlain, IMA chief executive said: “I am pleased that the judge has recognised the significant impact this issue could have had on the lives and livelihoods of citizens with pre-settled status in the UK.

    “When we brought this judicial review, our intention was to provide clarity for citizens with pre-settled status, of which there were over 2.4 million when we filed this case in December 2021.

    This judgment that the current system is unlawful provides that clarity. We will now liaise with the Home Office on the next steps.”

    Source: SkyNews.com 

     

  • Brexit: Trade deal progress is taking longer than expected

    The number of UK exporters has decreased by 15%, which means the government will fall short of its goal of negotiating post-Brexit trade agreements.

    By the end of this year, the Conservatives will have agreements covering 80% of UK trade, as pledged during the 2019 election.

    Recent data indicates that it will only be 63%.

    A government source claimed that while a trade agreement with the US had been essential to achieving the goal, the Biden administration was not giving it a top priority.

    The government also set a target this year to agree to a free trade deal with India by Diwali, on 12 November, which was missed.

    Deals have been signed with the EU and 71 countries including Australia, New Zealand and Japan.

    The Japanese deal was criticised earlier this year after government figures showed exports in UK goods and services had fallen to that country in the past year.

    Former Environment Secretary George Eustice also criticised the Australia deal, arguing it was “not actually a very good deal for the UK”.

    A Department for International Trade source said: “We’ve set our sights high but recognise to meet this ambition we need a deal with the US, and it is clear the Biden Administration are not prioritising negotiating trade deals with other countries.

    “We’re ready to progress talks when the US are, and in the meantime are working hard to secure trade wins for British firms such as removing barriers to American markets worth millions of dollars, resolving disputes like the steel and whisky tariff issues, and pursuing agreements with individual US states.”

    Separately, HM Revenue and Customs data shows the number of UK firms classed as exporters fell from 149,443 in 2020 to 126,812 in 2021.

    ‘Ceased all trade with Germany’

    David Overton
    IMAGE SOURCE, DAVID OVERTON

    David Overton runs SplashMaps, which produces fabric maps including OS and Michelin maps that are waterproof.

    They sell to consumers, but also to the military.

    Mr Overton said they have always sold to other countries – predominantly the US, but also to Europe.

    Their third biggest export destination was Germany, but Mr Overton says the company has ceased all trade with Germany now because of changes since Brexit, resulting in a 2-5% drop in turnover.

    He told the BBC he noticed all his exports to Germany were being “bounced back” to the UK.

    He realised this was due to an EU directive on plastics and waste in packaging, which Germany requires exporters to sign up for through a register called LUCID.

    “We didn’t know there was a registration process,” he said.

    “I think what the government could really do is pay for the expertise to get these messages out.”

    Exporters fell in every nation and region of the UK, but the decline was steepest in the South East of England (23%) and the North West of England (15%), with the lowest decline being in Northern Ireland (4%), the figures show.

    Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that has remained in the EU’s single market, which was agreed to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland but has led to checks on some goods travelling from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

    Tina McKenzie, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said firms were seeing a “sustained suppression of exports” since the UK’s trade deal with the EU came into force.

    Labour’s shadow international trade secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said the data highlighted a “worrying future trend” and showed the government had “failed to provide the support necessary for exporters”.

    He said Labour would remove barriers to trade with the EU, but ruled out seeking to re-join the single market or customs union – or return to freedom of movement.

    Instead, the party would seek a veterinary agreement to reduce barriers to agricultural exports, and “sort out” the Northern Ireland protocol that has increased checks between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, he told the BBC.

    Kemi Badenoch
    IMAGE SOURCE, STEFAN ROUSSEAU Image caption, Kemi Badenoch says the full impact of Brexit has yet to be seen

    Labour would also seek mutual recognition of professional qualifications to allow more service industries to trade with the EU, seek “equivalent” data protection rules to enable digital services to compete, and find “flexible labour mobility arrangements” for musicians and artists seeking short-term visas to tour in the EU.

    On Wednesday, International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said the UK “should be doing better” on trade, but was recovering from global factors such as Covid and the war in Ukraine.

    She told a Commons committee the UK had fully left the EU only at the beginning of 2020, and that “the full impact of what we’re going to see post-Brexit and all of the free trade agreements is yet to be seen”.

    Ms Badenoch’s department said exports were “bouncing back” after the pandemic and had reached £748bn in the last 12 months, an increase of £132bn.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Farming union: UK sleepwalking into food supply crisis

    The UK is “sleepwalking” into a food supply crisis, according to the National Farmers Union (NFU), and the government must intervene to assist farmers.

    Tomato and other crop yields are expected to fall to record lows this year, with potential supply issues ahead, as seen with eggs.

    Farmers were under severe strain as a result of rising fuel, fertiliser, and feed costs, according to the report.

    The government, however, stated that the UK has a “highly resilient food supply chain.”

    Some supermarkets are restricting egg sales after farmers reduced or ceased production due to rising costs, a situation exacerbated by the Avian flu outbreak.

    The NFU, on the other hand, warned that food producers in other areas were now facing difficulties.

    It said yields of energy-intensive crops like tomatoes, cucumbers and pears were likely to hit their lowest level this year since records began in 1985.

    It also said milk prices were likely to fall below the cost of production, while beef farmers were considering reducing the number of cows they breed.

    Rising costs were to blame, it said, with fertiliser prices for farmers more than tripling since 2019 and the cost of feed and diesel up by 75%.

    Wholesale gas prices have also jumped more than six-fold in that time, and businesses importing food items from Europe have faced extra red tape and checks because of Brexit.

     

    “Shoppers up and down the country have for decades had a guaranteed supply of high-quality affordable food produced to some of the highest animal welfare, environmental and food safety standards in the world,” said NFU president Minette Batters.

    “But British food is under threat… at a time when global volatility is threatening the stability of the world’s food production, food security and energy security.”

    “I fear the country is sleepwalking into further food supply crises, with the future of British fruit and vegetable supplies in trouble,” she added.

    But Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said that retailers were used to managing pressures across their supply chains.

    “Supermarkets source, and will continue to source, the vast majority of their food from the UK and know they need to pay a sustainable price to farmers,” he said, although they are facing additional costs.

    Costs challenge

    The war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic have driven up the price of food, energy and fuel over the last year, affecting consumers and businesses alike.

    Grocery prices are rising at their fastest rate for 45 years, the latest official figures show, with the cost of staples such as milk, cheese and eggs surging.

    Steve Dresser, the boss of Grocery Insight, told the BBC that the big challenge comes from consumer appetite.

    “[The] customer’s focus is on saving money and local foods generally come at a higher prices, which can be difficult,” he said.

    He said that rising prices meant farming “has taken a real battering this year”, and added that “food security is increasingly important, as we saw during lockdown restrictions and indeed the period afterwards that led to empty shelves.”

    “It’s clear that we facing real challenges in our supply chain and as a nation, we should be looking to back our farming community, especially as Brexit has made things harder around importing foods.”

    Woman holding a shopping basket in the supermarket.
    IMAGE SOURCE,GETTY IMAGES

    The NFU also called on the government to do more to help farmers who have been pushed out of business since the pandemic hit.

    It said there were currently 7,000 fewer registered agricultural businesses in the UK than in 2019.

    The NFU wants the government investigate whether an “exceptional market conditions” declaration should be made under the 2020 Agriculture Act, given the disruption egg producers and UK consumers are facing.

    This would enable the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) to provide support to egg producers whose livelihoods are under threat.

    It also wants ministers to lift a cap on seasonal overseas workers and establish a new “food security” target, which would include an obligation to monitor and report on domestic food production levels.

    A Defra spokesman said: “Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.”

    He added that the government is in touch regularly with farmers and that the food and farming minister will meet with businesses in the egg industry on 6 December.

  • Brexit: Rishi Sunak dismisses deal that relies on EU law adjustment

    Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has stated that the UK will not consider pursuing any post-Brexit relationship with the EU “that relies on alignment with EU laws.”

    It comes after reports that some government officials want to move toward a Swiss-style agreement with less trade friction and more migration.

    Switzerland can easily trade with the EU, but it must follow some EU rules.

    Mr Sunak told business leaders that one of the immediate benefits of Brexit was greater control over migration.

    Speaking at the CBI conference in Birmingham he said: “I voted for Brexit, I believe in Brexit.

    “I know that Brexit can deliver, and is already delivering, enormous benefits and opportunities for the country.”

    He argued that the UK was now able to “have proper control of our borders”.

    He also said the UK was free to pursue trade deals with “the world’s fastest-growing economies”.

    Over the weekend, The Sunday Times reported that senior government figures were considering pursuing a Swiss-style deal.

    Government ministers as well as Downing Street have denied the story, but it still prompted concern from some Brexit-supporting Conservatives.

    Former minister Simon Clarke tweeted: “I very much hope and believe this isn’t something under consideration. We settled the question of leaving the European Union, definitively, in 2019.”

    And Lord David Frost, who negotiated the existing deal, said: “I hope the government thinks better of these plans, fast.”

    Switzerland is not a member of the EU, but does have a several agreements with the trading bloc, and has access to the single market for most of its industries. It also pays into the EU budget and has freedom of movement, meaning EU citizens can live and work in the country.

    Last week, Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said he hoped the UK would be able to remove trade barriers with the EU but added that it would “take time”.

    “Having unfettered trade with our neighbours and countries all over the world is very beneficial to growth,” he said.

    He was speaking after delivering his Autumn Statement in which he confirmed the UK was in recession and that the economy was due to shrink further.

    The chancellor’s statement was accompanied by an economic forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility which said Brexit had had a “significant adverse impact” on UK trade.

    Asked if Brexit had damaged UK trade, Home Office Minister Robert Jenrick told the BBC it was hard to separate the disruption caused by leaving the EU, the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

    “There will be challenges and disruption as a result of fundamentally altering our relationship with the EU,” he said but added that it was too soon to say whether or not that is going to be to the UK’s long-term economic disadvantage.

    He said the government was determined to take advantage of the opportunities provided by Brexit, pointing to plans for the regulatory regime of the financial services, life sciences and the green economy.

    He also insisted the government did not want to make any fundamental changes to the UK’s relationship with the EU, arguing that the country had settled on the right approach.

  • Chancellor’s plan looks very different to his predecessor’s

    The chancellor has hinted that he could make changes to the labour market to try and drive growth.

    Jeremy Hunt said UK unemployment is at a 40-year low, but 600,000 people have left the workforce since the pandemic, and he admitted that has put a strain on businesses as they struggle to recruit.

    He said he will address this in Thursday’s Autumn Statement. Could it mean a change to immigration rules to allow companies to recruit more people from abroad?

    He also acknowledged that Brexit has brought in more costs for businesses, but said the UK needs to embrace the opportunities.

    His central message was that inflation is the biggest factor affecting household budgets. It “insidiously” eats away at people’s spending power, he said.

    The chancellor promised to set out a balanced and fair approach to address short-term pressures like energy prices and the cost of food and household goods. But he also wants to give businesses the tools to help them grow.

    Expect his plans to be vastly different from his predecessor’s uncosted tax giveaways. “We need a plan that stands the test of time,” he concluded.

    DISCLAIMER: Independentghana.com will not be liable for any inaccuracies contained in this article. The views expressed in the article are solely those of the author’s and do not reflect those of The Independent Ghana

    Source: BBC.com 

  • UK, EU to collaborate to find solutions to the Northern Ireland Protocol

    The European Commission and UK leaders have agreed to collaborate to address “very real problems” with the post-Brexit trade deal.

    According to Sunak’s office, Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Commission Chief Ursula von der Leyen have agreed to work together to resolve issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol – the post-Brexit trade deal.

    The discussion at the COP27 conference in Egypt on Monday came as Britain renewed its call to Brussels to end a delay in granting access to European Union scientific research, as agreed in the post-Brexit trade deal.

    Sunak inherited from his predecessors the problem of the Northern Ireland Protocol, which was designed to prevent a return to violence in Ireland by avoiding a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

    Thus, although Northern Ireland remains part of Britain, it remains part of the EU’s trade bloc. But that means curtailment in its trade with the rest of Britain, which is vocally opposed by unionists who claim it cuts off the region from the rest of Britain.

    The post-Brexit solution is cited as the Democratic Unionist Party’s main reason for refusing to return to power-sharing.

    The instability in Northern Ireland has raised concerns in Dublin, Brussels and Washington and the row between Britain and the EU shows few signs of coming to a rapid conclusion, despite indications of a more positive tone from the British side in recent weeks.

    ‘Good first meeting’

    A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister reiterated the need to find solutions to the very real problems it had created on the ground in Northern Ireland. They agreed on the importance of working together to agree a resolution.”

    Von der Leyen called it a “good first meeting”.

    “We face many common challenges, from tackling climate change and the energy transition to Russia’s war against Ukraine,” she tweeted. She said she looked forward to “constructive cooperation” between the two countries.

    This comes as Britain’s Europe minister, Leo Docherty, in an address to British and European parliamentarians at Westminster, is expected to say that, in continuing to deny access to research programmes such as Horizon, the EU is failing to fulfil its part of the agreement.

    He will say that both sides stand to gain from cooperation on shared challenges, from climate change to global health and energy security.

    “The UK’s participation would be a clear win-win for the UK and the EU, but the UK cannot wait much longer,” he will say, according to advance extracts of his address.

    “The EU’s approach is causing intolerable uncertainty for our research and business communities.”

    Working together

    Although differences over the implementation of the Northern Ireland Protocol have dominated the recent dialogue between London and Brussels, Docherty’s comments underline that other sources of friction remain.

    In his speech, he will, however, emphasise how the war in Ukraine has demonstrated the importance of the two sides working together.

    “A clear lesson from the last nine months has been that, despite the challenges in our relationship, the UK and EU are effective allies where it matters most,” he will say.

    “The Ukrainians have stood firm against Vladimir Putin, in part because of the actions of our government and those across the EU.

    “That action has been stronger because it has been coordinated between us.

    “I urge our European friends to continue to work with us in providing more weapons, imposing more sanctions, and backing Ukraine to push Russian forces out.”

  • Clarke is the latest cabinet member to back Johnson

    The leveling up secretary, Simon Clarke, is the second cabinet minister to officially back Boris Johnson as Tory Party leader.

    In a joint statement to Daily Telegraph with the Tees Valley mayor, he says Johnson would lead “a broad-based, inclusive government drawing on talent from right across the Conservative Party, driven by a disciplined Downing Street”.

    Business Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg has already backed Johnson, while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said he was “leaning” towards supporting him.

    Clarke, a Truss loyalist, said Johnson “is the person we need to lead our country and our party” as he can unite the UK, make Brexit a success, and control illegal immigration.

    No one has yet confirmed they are entering the race, but the BBC’s latest tally suggests Rishi Sunak would have the backing of 56 MPs, Johnson would have 33 and Penny Mordaunt would be on 17.

     

  • ‘Unadulterated shambles’: Investigation into £120 million “Festival of Brexit” launched

    The programme, according to the government and organisers, has expanded employment possibilities and access to culture in more than 100 towns, cities, and villages across the United Kingdom.

    An investigation has been launched into the £120m “festival of Brexit” amid concerns visitor numbers were less than 1% of early targets.

    A cross-party parliamentary committee has asked the National Audit Office (NAO), the public spending watchdog, to look into how the project was managed to “help get to the bottom of how so much taxpayer money could be frittered away for so little return”.

    Originally unveiled in 2018 by Theresa May as Festival UK 2022 – it was supposed to be a nationwide celebration of creativity following the departure from the EU.

    Jacob Rees-Mogg dubbed it the “Festival of Brexit“ before it was rebranded as the Unboxed festival.

    However, earlier this year Politics Home reported that the festival – which is supposed to evoke the spirit of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and the 1951 Festival of Britain – had received 238,000 visitors compared with organizers’ initial “stretch target” of 66 million.

    And last month the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee (DCMS) called for the investigation after finding it to be an “irresponsible use of public money” and criticising its planning as a “recipe for failure”.

    Its chairman, the Conservative MP Julian Knight, said: “That such an exorbitant amount of public cash has been spent on a so-called celebration of creativity that has barely failed to register in the public consciousness raises serious red flags about how the project has been managed from conception through to delivery.

    People at the opening of PoliNations, a garden in Birmingham's Victoria Square hosting a 17-day festival of free events themed around diversity, produced by Trigger and commissioned by Unboxed: Creativity in the UK.
    Image:People at the opening of PoliNations in Birmingham’s Victoria Square

    Calling for the investigation in September, Mr Knight said the design and delivery of the festival “have been an unadulterated shambles”.

    “The paltry numbers attracted to the festival despite such a hefty investment highlight just what an excessive waste of money the whole project has been,” he added.

    The NAO’s comptroller and auditor general Gareth Davies has proposed a “short, focused report on Unboxed” which could be completed and published by the end of this year.

    Meanwhile, the government and organisers claim the programme has reached every part of the UK, in more than 100 towns, cities, and villages, spreading work, and opportunities and opening up access to culture.

    A spokesperson for the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) said: “More than four million people have engaged in Unboxed programming so far and these numbers are set to rise further.”

    General views of SEE MONSTER, a decommissioned North Sea offshore platform, which has been transformed into one of the U''s largest public art installations
    Image:The SEE MONSTER is a decommissioned North Sea offshore platform that has been transformed into one of Unboxed’s largest public art installations

    And a spokesperson for Unboxed: Creativity in the UK said: “The numbers reported misrepresent the public engagement with Unboxed and reflect attendance at only eight of the 107 physical locations within the programme.

    “Unboxed’s art, science, and tech commissions have been presented in over 100 towns, cities and villages, engaged millions across live and digital and employed thousands of creatives around the UK.

    “The Unboxed programme continues until the end of the year.”

     

     

     

  • Truss declares Macron a friend as pair forge working relationship

    At the first meeting of a new political club of nations, Prime Minister Liz Truss referred to Emmanuel Macron as a “friend” as they announced their intentions to partner.

    Throughout her leadership campaign, Ms. Truss had refrained from stating whether the French President was a “friend or foe.”

    The French President said he hoped for a “new phase” in post-Brexit relations.

    The pair agreed to step up cooperation on “ending” small boat crossings in the Channel and announced a summit in 2023.

    Leaders from the EU, the UK, Turkey, Norway, and the Balkans met at the first European Political Community in Prague on Thursday.

    They discussed energy, migration, and security, with a particular focus on the war in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke via video link.

    The summit billed as a European Political Community beyond the EU has been championed by Mr Macron, who told reporters on Thursday it sent a “message of unity”.

    Leaders of nations of the European Political Community (EPC) as well as the European Commission and the European Council pose for a photo during the inaugural meeting of the EPC at Prague Castle on October 06, 2022
    IMAGE SOURCE, SEAN GALLUP/GETTY IMAGES Image caption, Among the European leaders taking part were Liz Truss (top left) and Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan (bottom row, 7th from the right)

    The prime minister and Mr Macron released a joint statement promising an “ambitious” package of measures aimed at “ending” small boat crossings on the Channel.

    Mr Macron said: “We have values and history so I’m happy that we meet again.

    “This is an island, but this island didn’t move from the rest of the continent so we do have so many things in common.”

    The UK and France have clashed over several issues in recent years, including migrant boat crossings in the Channel, a military pact between Britain, the US, and Australia, and Brexit measures involving Northern Ireland.

    Standing up to Russia

    Ukraine’s president told the summit: “You and I are now in a strong position to direct all the possible might of Europe to end the war and guarantee long-term peace for Ukraine, for Europe, for the world.”

    Following the meetings, Ms Truss said: “Leaders leave this summit with a greater collective resolve to stand up to Russian aggression.

    “What we have seen in Prague is a forceful show of solidarity with Ukraine, and for the principles of freedom and democracy.”

    As well as the UK, non-EU members Switzerland, Turkey, Norway, Iceland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, and western Balkan countries took part in the first gathering of the EPC.

    Britain is now expected to host the fourth EPC meeting in 2024, with Moldova and Spain to hold the second and third respectively.

    What is the European Political Community?

    Critics see it as a vague regurgitation of old ideas. Its exact role is still evolving.

    When he proposed the plan this year, Mr Macron said it would “offer a platform for political co-ordination” for countries, both those in the EU and those not.

    Russia’s invasion of Ukraine gave new impetus for cooperation among nations beyond the EU’s 27 member states.

    But the EPC has no institutions or dedicated staff. That has led to questions about how any decisions would be implemented.

    If it proves to be a success, it may continue to take place up to twice a year. If it’s a failure, it could fizzle out.

    Centre for European Reform Director, Charles Grant said one of the measures of success will be “does it persuade Serbia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey to lean a bit more to the West and less towards Russia”.

  • Boris Johnson was ‘removed by a coup’, claims Nadine Dorries

    Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries has said Boris Johnson was “removed by a coup” and that his ousting by Tory MPs was a “huge mistake”.

    Ms. Dorries told Sky News’s Kay Burley: “It is not a secret that things happened that shouldn’t have happened, that Boris Johnson was removed via a coup.”

    She added that she was “very disappointed” and thought it was a “huge mistake” for Mr. Johnson to be ousted as prime minister.

    British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries react during a Prime Minister's Questions session at the House of Commons, in London, Britain, March 9, 2022. UK Parliament/Jessica Taylor/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. IMAGE MUST NOT BE ALTERED.

    Ms. Dorries , who is supporting Liz Truss, told BBC Radio 4 that leadership contestant Rishi Sunak led the “ruthless coup”.

    But other Conservative MPs disagreed with her use of the word “coup”, with Victoria Atkins telling Sky News: “I wouldn’t use language like that.

    “I know Nadine has an exuberant range of language.”

    And veteran Tory Sir Roger Gale tweeted: “Loyalty is a fine thing Nadine Dorries but Mr. Johnson was not removed by ‘a coup’.

    “He was forced to resign when too many of his ministers and backbenchers like myself made it plain that we were no longer prepared to tolerate his casual relationship with the truth.”

    North Dorset MP Simon Hoare said he thinks “coup” should be “reserved for the actions of military juntas, dictators, and the like”.

    He added: “The democratic workings of a party and parliament are not coups, and it’s plain stupid to even hint otherwise. As I’ve said before: it was, unfortunately, suicide, not homicide.”

    Ms. Dorries also said Mr. Johnson is not supporting a campaign to get his name put on the leadership ballot going out to Tory members.

    She said Mr. Johnson told her “tell them to stop, it’s not right”.

    The culture secretary added that she is supporting Ms. Truss because she has “both integrity and loyalty and is able to pick up the baton” and “hit the ground running” as PM.

    Ms. Truss and Mr. Sunak are going head-to-head in front of Tory members for the first time today as an intense summer of hustings begins.

    A new YouGov poll of swing voters suggests Mr. Sunak has a significant edge over his rival, although both candidates suffer from “considerable” unpopularity with the public as a whole.

    Tax and spending are likely to be key points of contention, with identity politics, immigration, Brexit, climate change, the NHS, and defense highly likely to be up for debate.

    Mr. Sunak will seek to regain his footing after he was accused of U-turning after he pledged to temporarily slash VAT on energy bills despite accusing Ms. Truss’s tax-cutting plans of being “comforting fairy tales”.

    Ms. Truss told members in Leeds, ahead of the hustings, that the taxes she is cutting “are affordable within our budget”.

    “What I believe is we need to keep taxes low to attract investment into industries,” she said.

    “We need to turbocharge investment into the North of England, bringing more businesses and opportunities.

    “The best way to do that is to keep taxes low and attract that investment into our great towns and cities, and that’s what I’m focused on.”

     

    She also said she is “completely committed” to her plan for Northern Powerhouse Rail and would fix the Treasury’s funding formula to make sure the north of England gets a “fairer share” of resources.

    Mr. Sunak released a video clip showing him campaigning in Hertfordshire, Cambridge shire, and Suffolk on Wednesday.

    He told his followers: “We have been talking about everything on people’s minds, tackling the cost of living, how we realize the benefits of Brexit.”

    The former chancellor last night announced plans to make “downblousing” a criminal offence as part of a major crackdown on sex offenders.

    And Ms. Truss also promised to introduce a standalone offence to criminalize street harassment and a national domestic abuse register.

    Source:news.sky.com

  • EU chiefs sign post-Brexit trade deal, Johnson to follow in afternoon

    The European Union signed the post-Brexit deal on Wednesday, setting it on path to be provisionally implemented after British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to sign it for London in the afternoon.

    European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Charles Michel put their ink on the agreement on Wednesday morning – just a week after the deal had been struck.

    The 27 EU ambassadors gave their go-ahead for the provisional application on Tuesday afternoon.

    The deal – which provides for zero tariffs and zero quotas between the trading partners – still needs to be ratified by the European Parliament.

    The European Commission proposed a period of provisional application until February 28, but this might be extended if the lawmakers are scheduled to give their approval in March.

    Also on Wednesday, the British parliament will vote on whether to accept the deal.

    Source: GNA

  • Brexit: Negotiator David Frost says UK not scared of walking away

    The UK’s chief Brexit negotiator has said the government is not “scared” of walking away from talks without a trade deal ready to come into force in 2021.

    David Frost told the Mail on Sunday the UK would leave the transition arrangement – which sees it follow many EU rules – “come what may” in December.

    In contrast, he said Theresa May’s team had “blinked and had its bluff called”.

    EU negotiator Michel Barnier has said he is “worried and disappointed” about a lack of concessions from the UK.

    He was speaking after informal talks between the pair failed to find a breakthrough.

    An eighth round of formal negotiations begins on Tuesday.

    Both sides want a deal agreed next month in order to have it signed off by politicians on both sides of the Channel by the end of the transition period on 31 December.

    Differences remain on issues such as fishing and the level of taxpayer support the UK will be able to provide for businesses, also referred to as state aid rules.

    Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the week ahead was “a wake up call for the EU” adding “the EU’s best moment to strike a deal is now.”

    Speaking to the BBC’s Andrew Marr programme, he said the questions of fishing and state aid were “the only two points holding us back”.

    On fishing, he accused the EU of wanting to keep UK access to its fishing waters “permanently low”. He also said providing state aid is “an absolute critical element of policy making” which UK political representatives should have control over.

    The EU has said it wants full access for its boats to fish in UK waters in return for giving the UK fishing industry full access to EU markets.

    On state aid, the EU has expressed concern that it could give business in the UK an unfair advantage over their European competitors and Mr Barnier has previously said the EU will require “robust” guarantees in this area if it is to agree a deal.

    Lord Frost told the newspaper: “A lot of what we are trying to do this year is to get them to realise that we mean what we say and they should take our position seriously.”

    Source: bbc.com

  • Brexit: UK warns ‘very little progress’ made in EU trade talks

    Very little progress” has been made in the latest round of UK-EU trade talks, the UK government has said.

    The UK’s negotiator David Frost said a far-reaching free trade agreement could be agreed before the end of the year “without major difficulties”.

    But it was being held up by the EU’s desire to “bind” the UK to its laws and seek unfair access to fishing waters.

    The EU’s Michel Barnier suggested the UK’s own demands were “not realistic” and warned of a looming stalemate.

    Speaking in Brussels, the bloc’s chief negotiator said: “no progress had been made on the most difficult issues”.

    Asked by the BBC’s Europe editor Katya Adler what the chances were of an agreement. Mr Barnier said he was “still determined but not optimistic”.

    The EU, he added, would not accept a deal “at any price” and it was stepping up preparations for a no-deal outcome, in which the two sides would trade with each other under World Trade Organisation rules.

    Insisting the EU would not negotiate “in haste”, he said the UK must consider whether it was feasible to strike a deal before the end of 2020, when the current 11-month transition period is due to end.

    The UK has said it will not extend the process beyond 31 December, despite coming under growing pressure at home to allow more time for a deal due to the coronavirus pandemic.

    The two sides have been discussing their future economic and security partnership following the UK’s withdrawal from the 27-member bloc on 31 January.

    In a statement, Mr Frost said there was a “good understanding” between the negotiators but that little or no progress had been on the most “significant outstanding issues”.

    The dancing’s over

    Former EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker used to describe Brexit talks as being like a “dance” and regularly rolled out the stock phrase that “it takes two to tango”.

    There’s no dancing anymore. Today Michel Barnier made clear he’d rejected any such romantic terms for these trade negotiations, telling reporters it was neither “a dance nor a tango or any other kind of dance”.

    He said the teams weren’t “even in the same room” and this wasn’t nearly as effective as getting together around a table.

    The hours of screen time have led to an impasse, with both sides now urging the other to change strategy, and to understand the other’s position more clearly.

    I spoke to Spanish and French diplomats in Brussels. “Quelle surprise” was the view. They believe both sides will “continue to play tough and offer little ground” and that genuine compromise may come in a month, for the fourth and final scheduled round before the summer.

    But few officials here are following the twists and turns with the dedication of the past. The urgency of dealing with the pandemic has reduced the attention to Brexit.

    He said the EU was insisting upon a “set of novel and unbalanced proposals” in relation to competition issues that went well beyond other comparable trade agreements struck with other major economies.

    The UK, he said, would not agree to “a so-called level playing field which would bind this country to EU law or standards, or determine our domestic legal regimes”.

    A level-playing field is a term for a set of common rules and standards that prevent businesses in one country undercutting their rivals and gaining a competitive advantage over those operating in other countries.

    The EU, Mr Frost added, was seeking continued access to UK fishing waters after the transition period “in a way that is incompatible with our future status as an independent coastal state”.

    “It is hard to understand why the EU insists on an ideological approach which makes it more difficult to reach a mutually beneficial agreement,” he said.

    “We very much need a change in EU approach for the next round beginning on 1 June.

    “The UK will continue to work hard to find an agreement, for as long as there is a constructive process in being, and continues to believe that this is possible.”

    Open and fair’

    Mr Frost said the UK would make public all its draft legal texts next week so EU member states and interested observers “can see our approach in detail”.

    In his update, Mr Barnier said the EU’s aim was a “modern, forward-looking” agreement which would avoid any tariffs or quotas on trade.

    But he said it was not prepared to “copy and paste” aspects of existing agreements with Canada, Japan and South Korea or do sector-by-sector deals “rooted in past precedents”.

    Tariff-free access to the EU’s single market had to be accompanied by obligations, he added, and the UK could not “pick and choose” which of these it adhered to.

    “You cannot have the best of both worlds,” he said. “Open and fair competition is not a nice to have. It is a must-have.”

    A “new dynamism” would be needed in the next round of talks to deliver “tangible progress”, he added.

    Mr Barnier said he would listen to concerns the UK had about the treatment of British expats on the continent as part of the implementation of the Withdrawal Agreement governing the terms of the UK’s exit.

    Source: bbc.com

  • Brexit: UK Officially Leaves European Union

     The United Kingdom (UK) is officially no longer a member of the European Union (EU) after 47 years of membership.

    The historic moment, which happened on the night of Friday, January 31, was marked by both celebrations and anti-Brexit protests.

    The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. through a message shared on social media, vowed to bring the country together and take its citizen forward.

    “For many people, this is an astonishing moment of hope, a moment they thought would never come. And there are many of course who feel a sense of anxiety and loss” read the message.

    “And then, of course, there is a third group – perhaps the biggest – who had started to worry that the whole political wrangle would never come to an end,” he added.

    The prime minister also said that the EU had evolved over 50 years and that its strengths and admirable qualities no longer suited the UK.

    “The most important thing to say tonight is that this is not an end but a beginning and a moment of real national renewal and change,” he said.

    Hundreds gathered in Parliament Square to celebrate Brexit, singing patriotic songs and cheering speeches from leading Brexiteers.

    Boris marked the historic moment with his team at his Downing Street office, celebrating with English sparkling wine and an array of British culinary treats.

    Anti-Brexit campaigners mounted several protests along the Irish border.

    Under the terms of the withdrawal agreement between the UK and EU, Britain now enters a transition period until the end of 2020.

    This means London will abide by most EU laws while their future relationship is hashed out and Boris must achieve a trade deal with the EU within 11 months.

    Most experts have described the task as ambitious at best, but his wider mission over the next five years will be to find a way to repair the country’s divisions.

    Brexit has caused the downfall of two prime ministers. David Cameron resigned after the unexpected win for the Leave camp and his successor, Theresa May.

  • Brexit has ‘strained friendships, divided families’

    Addressing MPs during his statement earlier, the PM urged MPs to reconcile their interests and “achieve resolution”.

    “The House will need no reminding that this is the second deal and the fourth vote, three-and-a-half years after the nation voted for Brexit,” says the PM.

    Read: Brexit: Johnson in race to win support for deal

    “And during those years friendships have been strained, families divided and the attention of this House consumed by a single issue that has at times felt incapable of resolution.”

    Mr Johnson can perhaps speak from his own experience on the issue of divided families, after his own brother Jo Johnson quit the government and Tory Party over Brexit.

     

    Source: bbc.com

  • Dominic Cummings: Anger at MPs ‘not surprising’, PM’s adviser says

    It is “not surprising” there is anger directed at MPs over Brexit, the PM’s adviser, Dominic Cummings, has said.

    The former Vote Leave campaign director said the only way the issue of abuse would be solved is if MPs “respect” the result of the EU referendum.

    Mr Cummings’s remarks came after Boris Johnson defended language he used in Parliament amid criticism from MPs.

    The parliamentary tensions have led 120 archbishops and bishops to warn against “further entrenching our divisions”.

    The intervention followed an ill-tempered debate on Wednesday as MPs returned to Parliament after the Supreme Court ruled the suspension of Parliament was unlawful.

    The prime minister was criticised by a number of MPs for – among other remarks – describing one Labour MP’s safety concerns as “humbug” and repeatedly referring to legislation aimed at blocking no-deal as “the surrender bill”.
    On Thursday, MPs spoke in the Commons of the threats they had faced, with independent MP Caroline Nokes describing how someone called her a “traitor who deserved to be shot” on a walkabout in her constituency.

    Read:Brexit: MPs to debate next steps

    Speaking at a book launch that evening, Mr Cummings said MPs had spent three years “swerving all over the shop” following the referendum and it was “not surprising some people are angry about it”.

    He said both Leave and Remain campaigners had received “serious threats” of violence, which he said should be taken seriously.

    But he added: “If you are a bunch of politicians and say that we swear we are going to respect the result of a democratic vote, and then after you lose you say, ‘We don’t want to respect that vote’, what do you expect to happen?”

    “In the end, the situation can only be resolved by Parliament honouring its promise to respect the result,” he said, echoing sentiments expressed by the prime minister in the Commons on Wednesday.

    ‘We are going to win’

    Mr Cummings also denied that Downing Street was under pressure following the Supreme Court ruling, a series of parliamentary defeats and the backlash against Mr Johnson’s comments.

    “This is a walk in the park compared to the referendum. We are enjoying this. We are going to leave and we are going to win,” he said.

    Read:Brexit: PM says critics of her deal are risking democracy

    BBC political correspondent Helen Catt said Mr Cummings’s comments were unlikely to smooth tensions in Parliament, where MPs have expressed concern that Downing Street could seek to bypass legislation – passed earlier this month – to block a no-deal Brexit.

    The Benn Act – which Mr Johnson has been referring to as the “surrender act” – says the prime minister will have to ask the EU for an extension to the 31 October Brexit deadline if he is unable to pass a deal in Parliament, or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit, by 19 October.

    What is the Benn Act?

    When Mr Johnson talks about the “surrender bill”, he is referring to the European Union (Withdrawal) (No. 2) Act, also known as the Benn Act after Labour MP Hilary Benn, who introduced the legislation to the Commons.

    The act – which became law earlier this month – stipulates the prime minister will have until 19 October to either pass a deal in Parliament or get MPs to approve a no-deal Brexit.

    Once this deadline has passed, he will have to request an extension to the UK’s departure date to 31 January 2020 from the EU.

    If the EU responds by proposing a different date, the PM will have two days to accept that proposal. But during this two-day period, MPs – not the government – will have the opportunity to reject the EU’s date.

    Former Justice Secretary David Gauke told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Some of language from the prime minister this week has clearly made it harder to win support from Labour MPs for any kind of deal.”

    Former Prime Minister Sir John Major – who on Thursday accused Mr Johnson of “wilfully” destroying the prospects of a cross-party agreement on Brexit – expressed concern that the government might sidestep the law by suspending the Benn Act until after 31 October.

    Sir John said he thought ministers might be planning to do this by passing an Order of Council, which can be approved by Privy Councillors – government ministers – and has the force of law.

    Read:Brexiteer MPs say delay would be political calamity

    On Thursday night, Conservative Party chairman James Cleverly refused to rule the idea out.

    He told BBC Question Time: “I’m not going to discuss how we’re going to progress through this… I’m not going to talk through how the government intends to discharge its business, knowing full well that there are a whole load of people who will try and distort every procedure that we have in British politics to try and prevent that.”

    However, former Attorney General Dominic Grieve said he was confident any attempt to circumvent the act would fail.

    Downing Street has consistently said the government will obey the law, but Mr Johnson has also insisted he will not seek a delay to Brexit, which the act mandates.

    Meanwhile, the College of Bishops called on politicians to “speak to others with respect”, adding that the result of the EU referendum “should be honoured”.

    “It is easy to descend into division and abuse – climbing out and finding unity again takes far longer,” the college said in a statement.

    “Further entrenching our divisions, whether from uncertainty or from partisanship, is not worthy of our country nor the leadership we now need.”

    Elsewhere, a man was arrested for allegedly verbally abusing staff at Labour MP Jess Phillips’s constituency office in Birmingham.

    In interviews with the BBC, Mr Johnson acknowledged that “tempers need to come down” in Parliament.

    But defending his use of the word “surrender”, the prime minister added: “I do think in the House of Commons it is important I should be able to talk about the surrender bill, the surrender act, in the way that I did.”

    Source: bbc.com