Brexit

A former leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party has warned Keir Starmer’s party not to put itself “on the wrong side of public opinion” with the vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Richard Corbett, former Labour MEP, has urged his party not to vote in support of the agreement, which would put it on […]

For years, Eurosceptics were derided as a band of fringe eccentrics on the margins of the Conservative Party and mainstream British politics. When John Redwood challenged prime minister John Major for the Tory leadership in 1995, his supporters were mocked as the “barmy army” and “ward 8 of Broadmoor”. But a quarter of a century […]

A Labour peer has warned Boris Johnson against dodging democratic scrutiny of his Brexit deal as MPs complain there is not enough time to scrutinise it. Former Tony Blair aide Lord Andrew Adonis said Johnson was “spinning” negotiations “out to the last minute” in order to avoid democratic scrutiny of his new deal. Reports have emerged that Johnson […]

Leader of the Brexit Party Nigel Farage has claimed that the “wars are over” – and that they are the winners as the UK agrees to a deal with the European Union. Despite calling for a no-deal Brexit, he told talkRADIO: “I do think a complete separation for the long-term economic health of the country would […]

A TV crew has been seen entering Downing Street ahead of an expected statement from prime minister Boris Johnson. The prime minister is to deliver an update on the conclusion of Brexit talks, with the expectation a deal will agreed between the UK and the EU. It is yet to be confirmed if the announcement […]

A Brexiteer has said “the nation would never forgive us” if he and fellow Eurosceptic MPs voted in favour of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Tory backbencher and member of the hardline anti-EU group, the ERG, said he was not ready to sign a deal ‘just because’ of an impending deadline. Appearing on talkRADIO, Bridgen said: “If we […]

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has welcomed the end of the “charade” surrounding talks, and admitted no-deal Brexit “was never a possibility” in negotiations.  He explained: “At least the charade is over. We’ve been put through this agony over the last few weeks that there could be a no deal. “That was never a possibility, […]

Brexit has generated heated rhetoric on all sides. Here are some of the key quotes made during negotiations as the UK strove to make the break from the EU. “There is no plan for no deal, because we’re going to get a great deal” – Boris Johnson, speaking in his role as foreign secretary, July […]

The Green Party has welcomed news of a Brexit deal to prevent a no-deal Brexit – but criticised the opposition for leaving the government’s position on leaving the EU “untested”. Any deal Johnson secures is likely to pass through parliament with Labour expected not to oppose it – Sir Keir Starmer has stressed that an agreement […]

Social media users have been quick to criticise The Sun over its front cover of Boris Johnson dressed as Santa Claus delivering Brexit following news he clinched a trade deal with the EU. The Sun‘s front for Christmas Eve shows Johnson in a Santa suit stuffing presents down a chimney, with the headline “The Night Before Brexmas”. This […]

Negotiations on a UK-European Union Brexit trade deal are continuing amid widespread expectation an agreement is imminent. Talks in Brussels were focused on the details of fishing rights but both sides have indicated a Christmas Eve deal will be announced, bringing an end to months of wrangling just a week before current trading arrangements expire. […]

A Brexiteer commentator has attempted to shout down a pro-EU campaigner for pointing out that Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal is not the “will of the people”. Daily Mail contributor Andrew Pierce, dubbed Tory Boy, appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside Our Future Our Voice’s Femi Oluwole. As Pierce claimed that “most people will wake up […]

Dubbed the Dr No of Brexit talks by UK critics, the EU’s chief withdrawal negotiator Michel Barnier has always insisted he only wants to treat Britain fairly. But former French minister Barnier has displayed military discipline in keeping the remaining 27 EU states united as the UK and Brussels try to hammer out the terms […]

Although the Queen remains politically neutral on all matters, she managed to get caught up in the fiasco surrounding Brexit. Secret plans to evacuate the monarch and other senior royals from London were reportedly previously drawn up in case a no-deal Brexit triggered rioting on the streets. In February 2019, the Sunday Times said Whitehall […]

Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen may have been fighting on opposite sides in the Brexit negotiations but the two leaders have more in common than meets the eye. The European Commission president, 62, went to the same Brussels school as the Prime Minister, 56 – albeit at different times – and both are […]

The chair of the Commons Brexit Committee Hilary Benn has said he has “no doubt” parliament will approve a “thin” Brexit deal if one is brokered before January 31 – but says Boris Johnson deserves no praise for it.  He told BBC Breakfast: “The alternative is no-deal and that really doesn’t bear contemplation at all because […]

At least 20 members of the hardline European Research Group are expected to vote down a Brexit deal when it comes to the House of Commons next vote. Allies of Boris Johnson have calculated that a significant proportion of the backbenchers would vote against any deal, regardless of the content in the agreement. Among the […]

At least two ministers are on resignation watch over Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal which follows an agreement with the European Union on the UK’s future outside of the bloc. It follows the prime minister’s briefing to cabinet late on Wednesday on the progress made following negotiations with Ursula von der Leyen. Sources on the call […]

MPs have been warned they will have “virtually no time” to to properly examine the details of a Brexit deal before voting on the legislation if the government secures an agreement in the coming days. Jill Rutter, a senior research fellow at The UK In A Changing Europe, an initiative for research on UK-EU relations,  said: “Frankly, […]

Boris Johnson has “caved in” on fishing to secure a Brexit deal, a European official has claimed. Joe Barnes, the Daily Express‘ Brussels correspondent, claims that the prime minister is “willing to accept” that the EU hands back 25% of the value of fish it catches in British waters over a five-and-a-half-year transition period. It […]

A Brexiteer has claimed that Boris Johnson will be “toast” if he fails the “five tests” of a Brexit deal. Former Brexit Party MEP Jake Pugh told the Express the prime minister’s agreement will be challenged in the following areas:  “1. To what extent is the freedom to diverge allowed by LPF (level playing field). “2. […]

The Tory European Research Group (ERG) of pro-Brexit Conservative MPs has insisted it will examine any trade agreement in detail if a deal is reached on Wednesday night between London and Brussels. The body said it would reconvene its so-called “star chamber” to examine any deal. A statement issued by the group on Wednesday said: […]

It is “possible but far from certain” that a post-Brexit trade deal could be agreed with Brussels on Wednesday, a Downing Street source has said. A cabinet minister has also indicated that hopes are rising for securing an agreement although major differences still remain between the UK and the EU. This comes as the BBC’s […]

Britons visiting Gibraltar after Britain leaves the Brexit transition period will need to present their passports while Spaniards will not, reports claim. The British Overseas Territory could be entering Europe’s Schengen Zone from next year meaning visitors not from the area will be forced to furnish their passport upon arrival. Negotiations between London and Madrid […]

An EU diplomat has said a Brexit deal is “pretty much there” and could be announced as early as Thursday. Three diplomatic sources told Reuters that preparations for a deal have been stepped up. Reuters reported that national diplomats have been told to prepare for a meeting as early as Thursday should a deal be struck […]

Companies faces further chaos at Britain’s border after Brexit after a fund set up to help them process customs paperwork ran out of cash. HMRC said almost all the money from the Customs Grant Scheme – an £84million-pound programme to train staff and set up new IT systems – has run dry, leaving businesses at the risk of continued […]

Former Number 10 director of communications Alastair Campbell has branded Boris Johnson the c-word over his handling of Brexit and the coronavirus. In the article, titled “Alastair Campbell: Boris Johnson is a c*** and has condemned us all to a Covid dystopian hell”, The New European‘s editor-at-large rips into the prime minister as well as […]

NHS leaders have called on Boris Johnson to extend the Brexit transition period by a month, as it warns that no-deal could risk the health of patients during the Covid-19 crisis. Faced with an alarming rise in Covid-19 infections, they say that a month delay will take the NHS out of “the immediate danger zone, and […]

Taoiseach Micheal Martin has raised the prospect of officials working on the text of a Brexit deal on Christmas Day if a breakthrough comes before then. Martin said he and other EU leaders were on “stand-by” to endorse any agreement that might emerge from negotiations between Brussels and the UK government. “If you had a […]

A former government adviser has urged Boris Johnson to secure a Brexit trade deal, warning scenes at Dover port could be repeated if does not. Ex-Tony Blair adviser and The New European contributor Lord Andrew Adonis said the prospect of the British government “inflicting this state of chaos” was “utterly unthinkable”. Lord Adonis told the BBC it […]

A top-level Brexit call between prime minister Boris Johnson and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will be held before the end of Christmas Eve. An EU source has confirmed to Reuters that the pair will hold a call on Wednesday or Thursday to discuss the potential for a trade deal. The two spoke […]

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick has claimed there was “no reason” why the scenes in Kent this week would be repeated if there was a no-deal Brexit. It comes as Jenrick warned it may take a “few days” to clear the backlog of around 4,000 lorries waiting to cross the Channel sparked by a French travel […]