British Politics

Tory Brexiteer Mark Francois has quoted Nigel Farage, Mel Gibson and the prophet Isiah in his speech on the government’s Brexit deal – claiming his colleagues in the ‘Spartans’ could now “lower our spears”. Francois, who chairs the European Research Group, told MPs: “Thanks to this agreement on New Year’s Eve we will finally leave […]

The House of Commons Christmas recess is being extended to January 11 following the vote on Brexit, Downing Street has said. The prime minister’s official spokesman said the move was in recognition of the fact that many MPs had had to work through Christmas to prepare for the recall of Parliament to ratify the EU trade […]

Despite claiming he had secured a “fantastic” trade deal with the EU for Brexit, just 17% of voters think it will be “good” for the country. The new YouGov polling found that the public enthusiasm for the deal was low – with 21% thinking it was a bad deal, and 31% thinking it was neither […]

Brexiteers Michael Gove and Boris Johnson have been accused of laughing about the end of the UK’s participation in the Erasmus scheme, as MPs debate the Brexit deal in the House of Commons. SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford told MPs: “He will remember standing in this House promising we will be staying in the Erasmus […]

Ed Davey on why he is rejecting Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal – and why his Liberal Democrat colleagues will join him in doing so. In a week when the Prime Minister interrupted the holidays to finally announce the long overdue terms of the UK’s future relationship with the EU, you would think he would be […]

Conservative former prime minister Theresa May has criticised opposition parties for not supporting her Brexit deal when it was proposed – claiming it was better than the one Boris Johnson is offering. She said: “I welcome this deal and I will be supporting it today and I welcome the fact that the official opposition will […]

Sir Keir Starmer has hit back at the SNP, who chided the opposition leader for supporting Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. The Labour leader claimed that the Scottish politicians could only oppose the deal because it knew Labour were voting for it. He told the Commons: “There’s only one choice today, which is to vote for […]

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford has claimed proponents of Brexit were guilty of an “enormous con job” to fishermen after analysis of the deal showed stocks for Scotland will fall. Speaking to the BBC’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Blackford said: “We’ve been told by the Tories over the course of the last four and […]

Jacob Rees-Mogg has been reminded that he once claimed that Unionists should listen to the words of the DUP before deciding how they would vote on any Brexit deal, as he looks set to break the commitment. In March 2019 he claimed that he could not vote for a deal “under any circumstances” if the […]

A leading Tory Brexiteer has insisted he will continue to fight for Brexit even after Boris Johnson’s deal has passed. Mark Francois, the chairman of the European Research Group (ERG), vowed to keep fighting for their cause in the House of Commons and said his group would not “just put our feet up”. He told […]

A pollster has warned that Keir Starmer’s vote in support of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is likely to make the fight in Scotland even more difficult. Sir John Curtice, a leading pollster and professor of politics at Strathclyde University, said the SNP’s opposition to the Brexit deal could help the SNP win a majority at […]

Labour leader Keir Starmer has ruled out fighting the next general election on issues surrounding Europe, claiming he wants to focus on “Bitain in the 2030s” rather than the views of 2016. In an interview with the Guardian, Starmer dismissed talk of campaigning on Europe in 2024 despite the Brexit deal giving a break clause […]

Boris Johnson is set to tell MPs that the UK will be the “best friend and ally the EU could have” as politicians are set to vote for his Brexit deal. Parliament will be recalled to give its ruling on the trade agreement reached more than four years after the In/Out referendum in 2016. The […]

Labour’s Nadia Whittome has indicated that she will abstain in the vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal in the Commons. The Nottingham East MP said she would not vote for a deal which “fails to protect jobs, workers’ rights, migrants, the environment, our NHS, and my generation’s future”. On Twitter, Whittome wrote: “While I understand […]

The Liberal Democrats have confirmed that they will vote against Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union. In a statement, the party described the Bill as “threadbare” and claimed it is “bad for jobs, business, security and our environment”. A reasoned amendment to the Bill has also been lodged by the party which […]

A former MP has claimed that the Essex town of Clacton was responsible for delivering Brexit. Douglas Carswell, who defected from the Tories to UKIP in 2014 before calling a by-election, claims that his win in that vote caused David Cameron to hold the EU referendum shortly after. The Vote Leave politician, recently appointed to […]

Liz Truss has topped a league table of best-performing cabinet ministers – as voted for by Tory members.  The international trade secretary received an 85% favorability rating in the Conservative Home polling – up ten points compared to a month ago. She is ahead of chancellor Rishi Sunak – only 80% of support – and […]

Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union has won the backing of the European Research Group, who have said the agreement “preserves the UK’s sovereignty”. A self-styled “star chamber” of lawyers – led by senior Tory Sir Bill Cash – was assembled by the ERG to examine the 1,246-page text of the agreement. They […]

The government has signed a deal which will allow British businesses to continue trading with Turkey on the same terms after Brexit. The deal between Ankara and London will roll over the benefits UK and Turkish businesses had while trading with each other when the UK was still part of the European Union. The tariff-free […]

A Labour MP has explained why she will defy the party leadership over Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Appearing on Channel 4 News, Rupa Huq said she “doesn’t want to be a part” of the consequences of voting to support the deal. “It’s a relief that a deal has been done because obviously if you’re jumping […]

Green Party MP Caroline Lucas has explained why she will reject Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal – saying she wants to avoid being complicit in the creation of a “poorer, smaller UK with diminished global influence”. Lucas, a pro-European campaigner, said that there is no mandate for the agreement the prime minister secured with the EU. […]

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is facing a high-profile revolt over his decision to back Boris Johnson’s EU trade deal in this week’s Commons vote. Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell and ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw are among the signatories to a letter calling on opposition parties not to support the “rotten” agreement, The Guardian reported. […]

Tory Brexiteers in the influential European Research Group are set to support Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal ahead of a vote in the House of Commons. The prime minister had expected up to 20 of the MPs in the Eurosceptic faction of the Conservative Party to vote against the agreement with the EU, after giving Theresa […]

The DUP has joined a majority of Northern Ireland’s MPs in saying it will not vote for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. The Democratic Unionist Party announced its eight MPs will vote against the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the UK and the EU in the House of Commons when it is recalled on Wednesday. An […]

EU ambassadors have given the “green light” to Britain’s post-Brexit trade deal to be implemented from January 1. The move paves the way for the agreement which allows for the continued tariff-free trade with the EU single market to take effect when the current Brexit transition period expires on Thursday. “EU ambassadors have unanimously approved the […]

Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove has rejected claims that Britain’s fishermen will be worse off as a result of the post-Brexit trade deal struck with the EU. Fishermen’s leaders have accused Boris Johnson of betraying the industry over the compromise struck with Brussels over future fishing rights in UK waters. However, Gove insisted they would […]

Tory grandee Lord Heseltine has called on MPs and peers to abstain when voting on Boris Johnson’s Brexit trade deal with the European Union, which he warned will inflict “lasting damage” on the UK. The former deputy prime minister, who campaigned to remain within the bloc, said however that he would not vote against it […]

Members of Labour’s frontbench are preparing to rebel and resign over Keir Starmer’s instruction to vote for Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. The Labour leader is facing a revolt after he said on Christmas Eve he will back the agreement even though he has doubts about the deal. His party is maintaining its stance on voting […]

Boris Johnson’s post-Brexit replacement for the “expensive” Erasmus exchange programme will cost more than £100 million, it has been revealed. The Department of Education (DfE) said the Turing scheme will provide funding for around 35,000 students to go on placements around the world from September. The DfE said the scheme named after Bletchley Park codebreaker […]

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey indicated the party is likely to vote against the Brexit trade deal with the European Union. He told BBC Breakfast: “If the details turn out to be what we’re hearing, we cannot support it. This will be so bad for British business, so bad for families to mean they’re […]

Scrutiny of the Brexit trade agreement with the European Union has begun after the full treaty was published less than a week before it is due to be implemented. Legal experts and MPs were poring over the 1,246-page document published on the morning of Boxing Day, as Boris Johnson worked to persuade Eurosceptic Tories to […]

Home secretary Priti Patel insisted the Brexit deal will help make the UK safer, despite police chiefs’ concerns about lack of access to a key EU information database. The deal allows the two sides to co-operate on security and policing issues, but Brussels said the UK will no longer have “direct, real-time access” to sensitive […]