Brexit

John McDonnell has announced today’s Labour Brexit policy: a customs union and a “close” relationship with the single market. The shadow chancellor said Labour MPs would vote in favour of a Brexit deal which “protects jobs and the economy” – echoing Jeremy Corbyn’s mantra of a “jobs-first Brexit” – but acknowledged that was “not the […]

The vote for Brexit has already cost the average British worker more than £1,100 in lost wages, campaigners for a People’s Vote have claimed. The campaign seized on earnings growth figures released by the Office for Budget Responsibility alongside chancellor Philip Hammond’s Budget on Tuesday. Leading supporter Chuka Umunna said the OBR’s report showed that […]

Theresa May has again rejected a Norway-style deal with the EU after Brexit. The move comes after some Tories suggested a temporary “Norway for Now” option to soften EU withdrawal. Norway is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) and has full access to the single market in exchange for making financial contributions and […]

A former German ambassador to the UK has poured cold water on Brexiteers’ claims his nation’s carmakers would insist on a good deal, saying it was only ‘headache number 25’ for the industry. Thomas Matussek, who was Germany’s ambassador to the UK from 2002 to 2006, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that Brexit played […]

Brexit may mean “much higher” mobile phone bills for Britons travelling on the continent, a committee of MPs has found. The government is not planning to maintain the EU’s ban on mobile roaming charges for voice, text messages and data following withdrawal, the House of Commons EU Scrutiny Committee said in a report. This means […]

Transport secretary Chris Grayling has insisted that flights between the UK and EU will not be grounded after Brexit despite admitting that talks on route access have not begun. The ardent Brexiteer told a gathering of UK airport bosses that the “process is not in our hands”. The single market for aviation, created in the […]

Brexit will pose no threat to Strictly Come Dancing, Downing Street has been forced to declare amid fears foreign dancers could be barred. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable – who appeared on a Strictly Christmas special in 2010 – has claimed that immigration restrictions could deprive the show of talented foreign professional dancers. Sir […]

Can we really leave a whole new generation of Brits with such a broken future, asks FEMI OLUWOLE of Our Future, Our Choice Now we’ve all heard the doom and gloom predictions about how Brexit would screw the economy. Frankly, there have been so many claimed figures around this issue that it’s hard to keep […]

London mayor Sadiq Khan is to urge EU leaders to extend Article 50 and delay Brexit until a second referendum or a new government is formed. He will tell the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier when they meet in Brussels today that an extension is in the interests of both sides to avert a “political […]

Auditors have shocked absolutely no-one by reporting Northern Ireland is not well prepared for a no-deal Brexit in areas such as trade and customs. The ability to plan is also “severely constrained” amid uncertainty surrounding the Irish border, migration and the repatriation of powers from Brussels, comptroller and auditor general of the Northern Ireland Audit […]

Apprentice star Lord Sugar has said Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove should be locked up for the “lies” they told during the EU referendum. And the business tycoon said there was a “good argument” for voiding the result of the 2016 poll because people had been misled. The independent crossbench peer made […]

Who is on Question Time tonight and where do they stand on Brexit? Here’s your guide… The BBC’s flagship current affairs programme tonight comes from Barrow-in-Furness’ Forum venue, which just tomorrow night will play host to Suggs from Madness. But who will prove themselves One Step Beyond shifting public opinion on Brexit – and who […]

A no-deal Brexit may be the “most likely outcome” of negotiations, Nicola Sturgeon has told MSPs. The prime minister said that while the terms of Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc were 95% agreed, there remained an “impasse” over the issue of the Irish border. Sturgeon said she was “increasingly concerned” about the prospect of leaving […]

Almost two-thirds of Tory supporters lack confidence in Theresa May’s handling of Brexit, a poll has shown. Some 64% of Conservatives said they did not back the prime minister to secure a good deal, up 11 points from last month. Overall, 78% of people surveyed by Ipsos MORI were pessimistic about the prime minister’s ability […]

A senior Tory MEP has been forced to apologise after comparing Socialists in the European Parliament to Nazis. Syed Kamall, who leads the European Conservatives and Reformists Group to which Theresa May’s party belongs, backed down after his remarks caused outrage in the chamber and a rebuke from the parliament’s president Antonio Tajani. Tajani was […]

Nigel Farage has made a rare appearance in the European Parliament to attack his own country’s civil service, accusing it of being “the enemy within”. The Ukip MEP for South East England turned up for work to denounce the UK negotiating team under Olly Robbins as attempting to sabotage Brexit and said Britain was heading […]

The European Parliament’s Brexit negotiator has poured cold water on Theresa May’s claims of progress, saying it was zero percent until the Irish border issue was resolved. May told Parliament on Monday that 95% of the Brexit withdrawal agreement were settled as she sought to assuage MPs in her own party that she was making […]

Britain’s ability to deal with threats from animal and plant diseases could be “seriously compromised” by a no-deal Brexit, a Lords committee has said. Peers expressed concern at the prospect of the UK losing access to “vital” EU safety alerts after it leaves the bloc. Animal and plant diseases, along with invasive non-native species, present […]

A host of measures to prepare the UK border for Brexit may not be ready for a no-deal scenario, a watchdog has warned. The government faces a race against time to replace critical IT systems, boost Border Force staffing levels and build new infrastructure to track goods, according to the National Audit Office. It said […]

A People’s Vote backer branded a “pathetic cretin” by an ex Tory MP for tweeting a picture of his stepson in hospital has demanded an apology. Anthony Hobley called on Stewart Jackson, a former Peterborough MP and ex-chief of staff to David Davis when he was Brexit secretary, to say sorry after the comments sparked […]

A committee of MPs has questioned whether there will be enough time to make the necessary arrangements to avoid large-scale disruption if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. The Commons European Scrutiny Committee warned that a no-deal Brexit and an abrupt departure from the single market and customs union on March 29 next year […]

Passionate Leaver Sir James Dyson has delivered a stirring vote of confidence in Brexit Britain – by manufacturing his new electric cars in Singapore. The announcement ends hopes for a site in Britain. The firm confirmed to staff otoday that the company’s board had ratified the decision to construct its first “advanced automotive manufacturing” facility […]

Emergency powers may be needed to ensure patients can still get the medicines they need after a no-deal Brexit, the body representing health product distributors has warned. The Healthcare Distribution Association, which represents private companies supplying more than 90% of the medicines used in the NHS, warned that regulatory problems and transport hold-ups could result […]

The ability of police to tackle serious and organised crime could be “significantly impacted” by a no-deal Brexit, the chief of the National Crime Agency has warned. NCA director-general Lynne Owens said she was “deeply concerned” that withdrawal from the EU without a deal could deprive UK police of the use of tools like the […]

World-leading scientists have warned Theresa May not to allow Brexit to create new barriers to collaboration across Europe. Dozens of winners of the Nobel Prize have written to the prime minister and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker setting out their concerns. Their message was echoed by the London-based Francis Crick Institute, which warned that a […]

Theresa May has slapped down anonymous MPs who used violent imagery to describe a possible coup to unseat her. Weekend newspapers reported Tory backbenchers saying the prime minister would be “knifed” and that she should “bring her own noose” to a meeting with MPs to discuss her Brexit plans. The PM’s official spokesman said May […]

The number of Brits seeking to reclaim their German citizenship has leaped following the Brexit vote, it has been revealed. A German government response to opposition politicians published today says 1,667 people applied to Germany’s embassy in London last year to reclaim the citizenship they or their ancestors were stripped of by the Nazis. The […]

MPs are to go ahead with their week-long break in February despite it coming just weeks before Brexit. There had been speculation that the annual break would be dropped in order to allow time to push through vital Brexit legislation. But Commons leader Andrea Leadsom today told MPs that Parliament would rise on February 14 […]

Heading to the People’s Vote march on Saturday? Download our free placard and display it proudlyIn June more than 100,000 campaigners marched against Brexit. On Saturday organisers are expecting an even bigger crowd calling for a People’s Vote. Signs and banners are encouraged – for those less creative, why not download The New European’s placard, […]

Multimillionaire Hollywood actor Sir Michael Caine has weighed into the Brexit debate, saying he would rather be poor and outside the EU than rich and in it. The star, who has an estimated fortune of £57m, also repeated the long-since-dismissed claim by Brexiteers that getting a deal with the EU would be fine because of […]

Theresa May is facing a backlash from Brexiteers after indicating she is ready to consider extending Britain’s transition out of the EU for a further year, to the end of 2021. The prime minister told a crunch European Council summit in Brussels that she was “ready to consider” the extension floated by EU chief negotiator […]

Who is on Question Time tonight and where do they stand on Brexit? Here’s your guide… The BBC’s flagship current affairs programme tonight comes from Guildford in Surrey, hometown of The Stranglers. Will there be a European Female on the panel – or just another case of No More Heroes? Here’s who’s who and where […]