News and Opinion

Boris Johnson’s former attorney general, Geoffrey Cox, has branded Boris Johnson’s Brexit plan ‘unconscionable’. The Tory MP said there is ‘no doubt’ the ‘unpalatable’ implications of the Withdrawal Agreement were known when the prime minister signed it, a time when Cox was the chief law officer. The Brexiteer warned he would not back the UK […]

An expert has perfectly demonstrated the hypocrisy surrounding Brexiteer outrage over trade talks between the UK and the EU in just 90 seconds. Polly MacKenzie, chief executive of thinktank Demos, explained that the government had done a ‘good thing’ by signing a free-trade agreement with Japan. But MacKenzie, who previously helped write the 2010 Coalition […]

A Brexiteer peer has claimed MPs who vote against Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill do not really care about the fate of Northern Ireland, sidestepping questions over the legality of the prime minister’s legislation. Kate Hoey, a former Labour MP and politician from Northern Ireland, said those who voted against Johnson’s latest bill were violating the […]

Only a quarter of voters support Boris Johnson’s law-breaking plan to override parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, new polling suggests. The polling suggests that the government is in ‘deep trouble’ with voters over its admission it would break international law to change its Brexit plans. Some 47% of voters say planning to break the […]

Michael Gove has insisted he is ‘incredibly flattered’ by a Spitting Image puppet that appears to make his face out of two genitals. The programme is returning to TV screens with more than 100 puppets – including Gove, Dominic Raab, and a new-look Charles and Camilla. Creators have promised a Who’s Who of famous faces […]

Without irony, minister Michael Gove has claimed without a new Brexit bill the UK could be broken up by the EU. Gove echoed the prime minister in declaring that the EU could put ‘at threat the integrity’ of the Union, and insisted the Government could see off a Tory rebellion. In incendiary remarks, Johnson said […]

Labour is using Boris Johnson’s own Brexit catchphrases against him as the party goes on the attack over Brexit and the handling of the pandemic. Shadow chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Rachel Reeves appeared on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show to urge the government to ‘get Brexit done’ and get control of coronavirus. She […]

Labour will back Boris Johnson’s new Brexit legislation if the prime minister addresses ‘substantial cross-party concerns’. The Labour leader accused the prime minister of having ‘turned the clock back’ and of ‘reigniting old rows’ by working to override his own Withdrawal Agreement. Sir Keir contended a free trade deal can still be struck with Brussels […]

UKIP has ousted their leader after just three months and replaced him with Neil Hamilton. Hamilton, a former Tory MP and the last remaining UKIP member in the Welsh parliament, has taken over the top job after Freddy Vachha was removed after little more than three months in post. UKIP’s website lists Hamilton as the […]

Wales’ first minister has delivered a stark warning to Boris Johnson that his latest Brexit bill will ‘significantly damage’ the Union. Downing Street’s controversial internal market bill will do ‘significant damage’ to the union if it becomes law, first minister Mark Drakeford said. The bill transfers powers from the EU to the UK government to […]

LIZ GERARD on how Leave’s biggest cheerleader chronicled the UK’s tortuous departure from the EU through rose-tinted glasses. A pro-Brexit front page from the Daily Express. Photograph: Express/Twitter. – Credit: Archant It was supposed to be the easiest deal in history. We held all the cards. They needed us more than we needed them. There […]

Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme may be to blame for a uptick in coronavirus cases in the UK, a report suggests. An investigation by the University of Oxford said the scheme had led to an ‘extravagant’ surge in people eating out. ‘By the start of August, restaurant attendance had already bounced back […]

JAMES O’MALLEY reports how the Oxford coronavirus vaccine is far from a case of British exceptionalism – 37 nationalities are helping to work on it.. As the world sits paralysed, waiting anxiously for a vaccine to stop the spread of coronavirus, one source of hope can be found in Britain. The Oxford Covid-19 vaccine trial […]

Boris Johnson’s ‘oven-ready’ has blown up in his face, writes JAMES BALL. Every path in front of him now involves betrayal. Never let this prime minister cook you a meal. A mere 10 months after running a successful election campaign promising an ‘oven-ready’ Brexit deal backed by ‘all 635 Conservative candidates’, Boris Johnson has decided […]

These ministers are not the champions of free speech, writes ALASTAIR CAMPBELL. If they were, they’d welcome rather than hide from scrutiny. As one British business in particular – Rupert Murdoch’s – and one British industry in general – newspapers – were briefly disrupted by direct action last weekend, Boris Johnson led a cabinet charge […]

According to STEVE ANGLESEY, you should give the Sunday Express’ letters page a read. It will challenge you like nothing before. Redundant cruise ships moored off Weymouth could be used to solve the migrant boat problem, according to a Sunday Express letter writer. Photo by Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images – Credit: Getty Images A recent letter […]

Readers praise EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, who – unlike Boris Johnson – has shown himself to be a man of principle. Very interesting interview with Michel Barnier by Marion van Renterghem. The EU’s chief negotiator comes across as a person of principle and values. I won’t make comparisons with those on the UK side. […]

There will always be a place for the Liberal Democrats politically, argues a reader. One of the great lies told by Brexiters about the EU is that it seeks to squash national identity and subsume it all into a European superstate. Readers of this newspaper know that isn’t true and that Europe values and celebrates […]

A national radio host has called on Remainers to accept Britain’s decision to leave the EU and contribute to Britain’s post-Brexit development. The LBC’s Maajid Nawaz said he accepted the fact Britain would be leaving the EU at the end of the year and urged other Remainers to follow suit. ‘My fellow Remainers, we’ve lost […]

Support for Scottish independence is still going strong despite a rise in coronavirus cases, a new survey has found. The survey, carried out by pollsters Survation, has shown 53% in favour of leaving the union, with 47% against. It is the latest in a series of surveys since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic showing […]

Gordon Brown has accused Boris Johnson of ‘evading responsibility’ over the recent Brexit fiasco in a slight against the prime minister and his knowledge of Latin. Brown, a former Labour prime minister, said Johnson knew Latin well but failed to comprehend the meaning of the term ‘mea culpa’, which translate to ‘my fault’ in English. […]

A Tory Brexiteer who said he rejects the government’s ‘entire strategy’ on coronavirus has said it is fine to show ‘dissent’ in the Commons – but said Remainers ‘had it coming’ when they were expelled by Boris Johnson. Desmond Swayne, appearing on Sky News’ All Out Politics, said he accepted he was ‘in a minority […]

Matt Hancock has announced a new coronavirus tracking app, with QR codes playing a key role in the technology. Hancock had originally announced a smart phone app which would track coronavirus cases using Bluetooth technology would launch in May, but suffered set backs after the UK attempted to use technology differing to other countries. The […]

Boris Johnson and his government have come under intense scrutiny by UK and European media outlets over plans to backtrack on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. With Brexit negotiations teetering on the brink of collapse after Brussels demanded Britain abandon plans to override key elements of the agreement, most newspapers’ reaction to Johnson’s move, which the […]

The government has insisted its first major post-Brexit trade deal brings in more benefits than the one the UK had with the EU, despite much of the detail reflecting what the country enjoyed before Brexit. International trade secretary Liz Truss said it is a ‘historic moment’ for the two countries which will bring ‘new wins’ […]

Several Tory Brexiteers have expressed alarm at Boris Johnson’s plan to introduce legislation overriding the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement and are tabling a bill in parliament to counter it. Former Tory chancellor Lord Norman Lamont and leader Michael Howard have voiced alarm over Boris Johnson’s plans to introduce legislation overriding key elements of the Withdrawal Agreement […]

A television doctor has been applauded for his ‘perfect delivery’ of a dig about Boris Johnson’s chief adviser whilst giving coronavirus advice on The One Show. Dr Xand, a British television doctor and television presenter, left hosts Alex Jones and Gethin Jones sniggering after his answer about whether he thought the public were being too […]

Boris Johnson is facing a revolt from his own backbenchers over the new coronavirus lockdown restrictions, with one saying they want to ‘start living like a free people’. It comes after reports that ministers are divided over new social distancing rules in England that will limit social gatherings to groups of just six people both […]

As a New European reader, you probably reckon you keep a close eye on the continent’s news. Test yourself with our quiz… Think you’re on top of what’s been going on across Europe in the past seven days? Take The New European’s tricky quiz and find out just how much of a Europhile you are…

The EU has called on the UK government to withdrawal aspects of Boris Johnson’s Brexit bill that override the Withdrawal Agreement by the end of September or risk ending trade negotiations without a deal. European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said Britain had ‘seriously damaged trust’ with Brussels after it introduced a bill that deviates […]

Hilarious memes followed news of Boris Johnson’s ‘Covid Secure Marshals’ initiative, after he announced the proposals at the latest Downing Street coronavirus briefing. Trending under the hashtag ‘#CovidMarshals’, users recommended The Office’s Gareth Keenan and The Simpsons character Ned Flanders as perfect applicants for the newly-announced position. Keeping Up Appearances’ Hyacinth Bucket was also put […]

PETER TRUDGILL on three languages that can give the country’s cricketers an edge over their opponents. During the recent Test Match between England and Pakistan at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, cricket fans may have seen or heard Aatif Nawaz – actor, writer, comedian, and cricket commentator – presenting a very interesting discussion on the […]