Tusk and Johnson to hold Brexit talks at G7 August 22, 2019 Donald Tusk and Boris Johnson are to hold a bilateral meeting during the G7 summit this coming weekend. The European Council President, who once said there was a “special place in hell” for “those who promoted Brexit without even a sketch of a plan of how to carry it out safely” will meet the UK [...]
Corbyn convenes Remainer alliance meeting August 22, 2019 Jeremy Corbyn will next week meet with leaders of various opposition parties, as well as senior backbench Tories, as the plan to block a no-deal Brexit gathers pace. The Labour leader has written to 10 MPs, including Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson, Tories Dominic Grieve, Oliver Letwin, Guto Bebb and Caroline Spelman, and SNP Westminster [...]
Brexit: No deal most likely outcome, says French aide August 21, 2019 The UK will most likely leave the European Union – but still be on the hook for the £39bn divorce bill, a French presidential aide has told AFP. A no-deal Brexit is the “most likely scenario”, the wire reported, a day before UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is due to meet his French counterpart Emmanual [...]
Boris in Berlin: PM seeks to woo Merkel after Tusk turns down backstop plea August 21, 2019 Boris Johnson is travelling to Berlin today for his first bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel since taking office, in the hope of breaking the Brexit impasse. The UK Prime Minister will have meet his German counterpart this afternoon, followed by dinner, before travelling to Paris for talks with French President Emmanuel Macron on [...]
Business groups hail ‘long overdue’ move on customs system August 21, 2019 Businesses are to be automatically enrolled in a new customs system, as part of government efforts to keep British firms trading after Brexit. HMRC will allocate more than 88,000 firms with an Economic Operator Registration and Identification (EORI) number in the next fortnight – double the existing number. Letters informing companies of their EORI number [...]
UK officials ‘unshackled’ from EU meetings ahead of Brexit August 20, 2019 The government has told UK officials and ministers to stop attending “most” European Union meetings from the start of next month. The move, which will come into effect from 1 September, is billed as enabling officials to “focus on our future relationship with the EU and other partners around the world”. From that point on, [...]
Tusk rejects PM’s backstop plea as EU27 memo slams ‘misleading’ claim August 20, 2019 The President of the European Council has slapped down Boris Johnson’s suggestion that the Irish backstop be dealt with during transition. Last night the Prime Minister published a letter to Donald Tusk, in which he suggested removing the “anti-democratic” backstop from the withdrawal agreement, suggesting it could be dealt with as part of the future [...]
DEBATE: Are the Operation Yellowhammer warnings about no-deal likely to be exaggerated? August 20, 2019 Are the Operation Yellowhammer warnings about no-deal likely to be exaggerated? Ruth Lea, economic adviser to the Arbuthnot Banking Group, says YES. The Yellowhammer warnings have a weary familiarity to them. As with Project Fear Mark 1, prior to the 2016 referendum, any possible negativities have been ramped up out of all proportion. In 2016, [...]
Give Corbyn some credit – he helped to deliver Brexit August 20, 2019 When the history books are written, Boris Johnson may well be remembered as the man who delivered Brexit. But there is someone else who would deserve almost as much credit for Britain’s departure from the EU: Jeremy Bernard Corbyn. Admittedly, Corbyn’s current role in enabling Brexit is mostly involuntary. It turns out that he is [...]
Prime Minister ‘confident’ EU will shift on Brexit August 19, 2019 The Prime Minister has said he is “confident” the European Union will shift its position on Brexit, allowing a deal to be struck before the 31st October deadline. During a visit to the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro, Boris Johnson told journalists he was hopeful negotiations could resume, but stressed “we will be ready to [...]