"News from the Brexit Cliff Edge" 15th Feb 2019
News Highlights
Welcome to the Brexit Cliff Edge
- Brexit has wiped £40bn off the UK`s annual economic growth since the 2016 referendum, according to a top Bank of England official
- The Guardian believes Thursday`s 45 vote defeat exposes the bankruptcy of Theresa May`s Brexit strategy, reinforcing the need for a consensus approach
- The Irish Times says there is no incentive for the EU to move its position now after another May defeat in Parliament
- Labour frontbenchers are threatening to quit if Corbyn fails to back a 2nd referendum push
- Conservative Minister Richard Harrington calls the ERG treacherous and says they should resign and join Farage`s new party
- Senior Labour MPs accuse the Met Police of cover-ups and unacceptable delays in investigating Brexit referendum crimes
- The Scottish and Welsh governments are demanding the UK Treasury replaces in full any lost EU funding at a meeting on Friday
- A no deal Brexit could starve diabetics of insulin fear Diabetes UK and JDRF, who are urgently seeking answers from the Department of Health & Social Care
- US lobbyists are demanding Britain drop the level of antibiotics restrictions and food standards before any US-UK trade deal is signed
- Bundesbank says UK banks moving to EU are not staffed up enough yet and more people and investment needs to follow
Jobs at Risk
Banks have not moved enough staff from London to EU for Brexit: Bundesbank
Some banks that conduct their euro zone business from London have failed to meet regulators’ expectations to move enough staff into other EU countries in time for Brexit, the German bank supervisor Joachim Wuermelling said on Thursday.
“Not all SSM banks are currently fully compliant with the SSM’s respective supervisory expectations,” said Wuermelling, referring to the euro zone’s Single Supervisory Mechanism that includes the European Central Bank and regulators from the 19 countries that use the common currency.
Airbus scraps A380 superjumbo jet as sales slump
Airbus said it would start discussions with partners regarding the "3,000 to 3,500 positions potentially impacted over the next three years". The BBC understands that around 200 jobs in the UK could be under threat from the decision. Airbus confirmed it hopes to redeploy a "significant" number of affected staff to other projects.
Economic Impact
Brexit has wiped £40 billion from Britain's annual economic growth since referendum, top Bank of England official reveals
Brexit has already wiped £40 billion off Britain’s annual economic growth since the 2016 referendum, a top Bank of England official revealed today. Gertjan Vlieghe said it amounted to £800 million per week of “lost income for the country” -- more than twice as much as the £350 million a week that the Vote Leave campaign claimed could be “saved” by quitting the European Union.
Who’s the biggest failure in the Brexit cabinet: Chris Grayling – or Liam Fox?
ow badly do you have to mess up, these days, before you’re not allowed in Theresa May’s cabinet? Just how far does tolerance stretch? You might imagine Chris Grayling to be the ultimate prototype in this real-world experiment, with his granting then cancelling of a £13.8m ferry contract to a ferry company with no ferries, but let us also observe the progress of Liam Fox. Fox is one of the most vocal and optimistic Brexiteers in politics. In 2016, he declared that a trade deal with the EU would be “one of the easiest in human history”. In 2017, he promised to “replicate the 40 EU free trade agreements that exist before we leave the European Union so we’ve got no disruption of trade”, and they would be ready “one second after midnight in March 2019”.
Phew, the Bank would deploy common sense on no-deal Brexit
A no-deal Brexit, in economic terms, would be a trip into the unknown and would very likely involve a severe shock. Even the sober sub-set of Brexit promoters concedes the latter short-term point. But at least one likely outcome is becoming clearer: the Bank of England would not make things worse by cranking up interest rates.
Administrative Fall Out
Brexit: Scotland government demands lost EU funding be ‘replaced in full’ by Treasury after UK's exit
The Scottish government wants all lost EU funding currently received by Scotland to be “replaced in full” by the UK Treasury after Brexit. Representatives from both the Scottish and Welsh governments are due to meet with chief secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss in Cardiff on Friday. Ahead of the meeting, Scottish finance secretary Derek Mackay said he was “deeply concerned” about the lack of clarity over future budgets and wants assurances that Scotland would “not be financially worse off as a result of the EU exit”.
No-deal Brexit could see UK locked out of EU infectious disease surveillance data, chief medical officer warns
A no-deal Brexit could see the UK lose access to an EU-wide online tracker of infectious diseases and antimicrobial resistance (AMR), Dame Sally Davies, the chief medical officer (CMO) for England, has told The Pharmaceutical Journal. Asked if the UK would still be able to access — and contribute to — The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control’s Surveillance Atlas of Infectious Diseases following a no-deal Brexit, she said that at the present time “we actually don’t know”.
American Meat Lobbyists List Demands For Post-Brexit UK-US Trade Deal
Lobbyists for the American meat industry have urged the US government to demand Britain drop antibiotics restrictions and the ban on ractopamine-fed pork as part of any post-Brexit trade deal. Speaking at an evidence session in front of the powerful US Trade Policy Committee in Washington last month, the lobbyists also warned forcing the UK to accept chlorine-bleached chicken would require “hard negotiating”. Craig Thorn, of America’s National Pork Producers Council, said Britain should drop its standards and stop testing pork for the parasitic worm trichinae.
Porsche warns of 10% price rise after no-deal Brexit
Porsche has told its customers that they might have to pay up to 10% on top of the price of their car in import tariffs should there be a no-deal Brexit. The UK is currently due to leave the European Union on 29 March but has yet to strike a deal, meaning tariffs of up to 10% could be applied to imports and exports
Cardiff gig to discuss Brexit and Welsh independence
Some of Wales' top musicians have launched a new movement urging people to discuss the country's post-Brexit future and independence. Charlotte Church, Super Furry Animals' Cian Ciaran and Welsh Music Prize-winners Boy Azooga are all involved. Yes Is More! launches at The Tramshed in Cardiff later as part of a series of cultural events. Ciaran, one of the organisers, said: "It's also about having fun and getting rid of our fears." Church said it did not matter how people voted in the EU referendum or whether they think Wales should be independent, but she wanted people to talk about the issues.
How might the Premier League be affected by Brexit?
The FA sees Brexit as a chance to increase the number of English players in the Premier League, which it says will boost the chances of the national team by exposing more players to the best football. But the Premier League has rejected this view, saying there is “no evidence” it would work. As part of their plan, the FA has called for a cut in the maximum number of non-homegrown players allowed in each team’s 25-player squad from 17 to 12.
Brexit: 'Best outcome' is withdrawal agreement
The best Brexit outcome is that a withdrawal agreement is reached to allow "a smooth transition" from the EU, the chief executive of Invest NI has said. Alastair Hamilton made the comments following the announcement of 80 new jobs in Dungannon on Thursday. He said that it would be "difficult to quantify" damage caused by a no-deal Brexit.
Brexit 'monster' urges Dutch to prepare
The Dutch government sees Brexit not as the elephant in the room but as a giant Muppet-style monster lying on a desk. That is the picture tweeted by Foreign Minister Stef Blok, with the warning: "make sure Brexit doesn't sit - or lie - in your way". There is a link to an official website where Dutch firms can see the potential impact of Brexit on their business.
Five ways you can protect yourself from the Brexit house price slump
ouse prices have started to fall in many areas of the country, leading to fears of a full-blown house price crash. According to Halifax, the bank, UK house prices slumped by 2.9pc in January. Many areas in London and the South East of England have seen even bigger falls as pre-Brexit nerves cause a slowdown in the housing market. The Telegraph discusses how readers can protect themselves from any would-be Brexit house price slump
British students at Dutch universities face steep fee rises amid Brexit uncertainty
As the terms of the United Kingdom’s split from the EU on the 29th of March remain unclear, British students at Dutch universities fear a steep increase in their tuition fees. Brexit could especially affect those students aiming to start a new degree in September.
A no-deal Brexit will starve diabetics of insulin – this despicable government really is ‘lower than vermin’
Diabetes UK and the JDRF, a charity focused on Type One diabetes, have issued their strongest statement yet with respect to that. “With just a matter of weeks between now and 29 March and, despite reaching out directly to the Department of Health and Social Care in December, we still have not seen the concrete detail needed to reassure us – or people with diabetes – that the UK government’s plans are robust enough to guarantee no impact on insulin and medicine supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit. “We are increasingly hearing from worried people who do not feel reassured by existing published guidance on this issue. With the information available to date, we feel unable to fully alleviate their concerns.”
Brexit: we need to talk about staff concerns
In some cases, he says, the most useful thing business leaders can do is make information available to staff who might not otherwise know where to turn. But employer and employees may need more specialist advice: “One of the guys who has been married for 20 years has a German wife. She had never got round to taking out a British passport because there was no need.”
@BBCHughPym - A&E performance in England in January the worst since modern records began - 84.4% treated/assessed in 4 hours
A&E performance in England in January the worst since modern records began - 84.4% treated/assessed in 4 hours
Westfield’s £1.4bn Croydon development 'under review due to Brexit and structural changes on the high street'
The owner of the Westfield shopping centres today said it is “reviewing” its £1.4 billion new development in Croydon because of Brexit and “structural changes” on the high street. Work on the centre, which is hoped to be the catalyst for broader regeneration, was due to start in September but is now not expected to begin until next year.
Jobs plan for North East re-launched as Brexit affects region
The body tasked with improving the North East’s economy is to re-launch its job creation plan to reflect Brexit and other factors affecting the region. The North East Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will today publish its updated Strategic Economic Plan, saying that Brexit, the North of Tyne devolution deal and other factors have meant it has had to look again at its plan.
No-deal Brexit plans for Portsmouth likened to ‘Dad’s Army comedy’
Plans to prevent ‘chaos’ on Portsmouth roads in the event of a no-deal Brexit were likened to the comedy of Dad’s Army at yesterday’s full council. Leader of the city council, Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, revealed preparations that would involve stopping lorries on junction 1 of the M275, by the Park and Ride, to check documentation. If everything is in order the lorries will be able to carry on to Portsmouth International Port to go to France. But any lorries without the correct paperwork will be directed to Tipner West until it is sorted out.
Political Shenanigans
Backing a Tory Brexit could wipe out Labour, warns Clive Lewis
Clive Lewis, a shadow Treasury minister, warned Corbyn that Labour might never be forgiven and could disappear from UK politics if MPs voted to facilitate a Conservative Brexit deal. Another shadow minister, Paul Sweeney, also backed a second referendum on the final Brexit deal for the first time on Thursday. The high-profile pro-EU backbencher Chris Leslie said he was “clinging to hope” that the Conservatives would back a fresh poll in the next fortnight, suggesting that he had lost faith in his own party.
Is the DUP heading for a split with Tory Brexiteers?
Both the European Research Group and latterly Downing Street subscribe to that logic, which is why the prime minister agreed to demand compromise from the EU27 on the Irish backstop - something it has neither the desire nor political incentive to offer - after the last set of Brexit votes last month. But when asked to affirm that strategy this evening, the DUP and ERG diverged. May’s confidence and supply partners voted for the government motion, while most ERG MPs followed Jacob Rees-Mogg’s instruction to abstain on the grounds that to vote for the motion would be to implicitly reject the principle of a no-deal exit.
Corbyn to hold Brexit talks with Barnier and Verhofstadt
Jeremy Corbyn will hold talks in Brussels next week with Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, as he seeks to break the Brexit impasse and persuade Theresa May to sign up to a customs union. The visit is likely to be highly unwelcome in Downing Street, and risks accusations that Labour is pursuing its own shadow negotiations, undermining the prime minister’s hopes of fresh EU concessions.
MPs voting on May's Brexit strategy
MPs are voting on whether to back the government's Brexit strategy. They have rejected a Labour call for another vote on the withdrawal deal by 27 February by 322 votes to 306. The Commons also rejected an SNP call to delay Brexit by at least three months by 315 votes to 93 votes, after Labour abstained in the vote. Conservative backbencher Anna Soubry has withdrawn her amendment calling for official papers on the impact of a no-deal Brexit to be published. Brexit Minister Chris Heaton-Harris indicated that Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington would meet Ms Soubry and would be publishing some information.
Caroline Flint Says MPs' Attempt To Block No Deal Is A 'Trojan Horse' To Stop Brexit
A cross-party attempt to take control of Brexit and rule out no deal is a “Trojan horse” for stopping Britain’s exit from the EU, a senior Labour MP has said. Caroline Flint said the Yvette Cooper-led move could open the door to “game playing” by politicians who want to overturn the 2016 referendum result, and criticised the Labour leadership’s “high handed” decision to back it in the February 27 ‘high noon’ Brexit votes without consulting MPs.
Andrew Adonis says remain must march again before it's too late | Latest Brexit news and top stories
As for any future big demo, it has to have as much impact as the great October 20 People’s Vote march. As soon as the new date is announced, every reader of The New European needs to make plans to be there, taking at least 20 friends and colleagues each! Remember who Milton set in contrast to the immobile: “Thousands at his bidding speed / And post o’er Land and Ocean without rest.” The least we can do is march again on London, so that May doesn’t get Brexit through by default and wreck our country.
Theresa May loses another battle – but she may be zigzagging towards winning the Brexit war
The assumption must be that May was persuaded to tack towards her soft-Brexit wing by a group of ministers who are threatening to resign if the government heads towards a no-deal exit. Inevitably, by trying to keep those ministers on board, she lost about 50 Eurosceptic MPs off the other side of the seesaw. But this is important because it contradicts the usual Labour allegation that May is a prisoner of her hard-Brexit backbenchers and always gives in to them. This time, she went the other way and lost the vote as a result.
Is the DUP heading for a split with Tory Brexiteers?
Both the European Research Group and latterly Downing Street subscribe to that logic, which is why the prime minister agreed to demand compromise from the EU27 on the Irish backstop - something it has neither the desire nor political incentive to offer - after the last set of Brexit votes last month. But when asked to affirm that strategy this evening, the DUP and ERG diverged. May’s confidence and supply partners voted for the government motion, while most ERG MPs followed Jacob Rees-Mogg’s instruction to abstain on the grounds that to vote for the motion would be to implicitly reject the principle of a no-deal exit.
It is time for Labour and Tory MPs to wake up and see the Brexit reality staring them in the face.
After tonight’s voting debacle, no one in the EU thinks that she would secure a majority for her deal even if they were to give Theresa May everything she and the ERG Brexiters say they want and eviscerated the backstop. The EU has given up on Theresa May as the deliverer of any Brexit and is now pinning its hopes on MPs of all parties coalescing around a customs-union version of the long-term relationship between the UK and EU - which would turn the hated backstop into the bridge to a permanent solution that it was always designed to be. A customs-union Brexit as the only compromise deal on offer will test to breaking point the unity of Tory and Labour parties. But if it is not seized, then the default option of a no-deal Brexit becomes the vivid reality. There is an outside chance that as and when this reality bites, MPs will belatedly think it is all too hard for them and decide to put the choice back to us in a referendum.
@BBCThisWeek - "It's not an opinion poll, it's like a jury" @stellacreasy tells Michael Portillo on her call for a People's Assembly over Brexit
"It's not an opinion poll, it's like a jury" @stellacreasy tells Michael Portillo on her call for a People's Assembly over Brexit #bbctw #bbctw
@BBCQuestionTime - ‘I think we should scrap the whole thing, it was a bad idea to start with’ @jimmy_wales
‘I think we should scrap the whole thing, it was a bad idea to start with’ @jimmy_wales says he wants another referendum on leaving the European Union. #bbcqt
Britain can manage no-deal Brexit tariffs
There is no cliff edge on 29 March, but there are some major transitional problems that are manageable, as long as the Government develops a bit of backbone, argues David Green Director of Civitas
As Brexit Day Nears, Conservatives Consider Purging One of Their Own
They were lingering at the back of the church: a cluster of men and women in their 60s, mostly white-haired and wearing sensible coats. They were the leaders of the local conservative association, the ones deciding whether to expel Mr. Boles from his seat for trying to block a no-deal Brexit. Party leaders see the threat of no-deal as a key lever in last-minute negotiations with the European Union. “He has let us down badly,” said Philip Sagar, chairman of the Grantham and Stamford Conservative Association. “I cannot vote for someone who is selfish,” said Matthew Lee, the leader of the District Council.
Hundreds march through Leeds in anti-Brexit protest - as Theresa May suffers another defeat in parliament
Hundreds of people marched through Leeds city centre this evening in protest against Brexit. Leeds for Europe called the protest as they launched a new campaign, titled Brexit Divides Us - Let’s Stay Together.
Political Setbacks
Brexit: No incentive for EU to move as May loses another vote
Theresa May could have presented MPs on Thursday with a neutral motion that simply took note of her statement on the Brexit negotiations earlier this week. Instead the UK prime minister asked them to reiterate their support for “the approach to leaving the EU expressed by this House on January 29th”. It must have seemed like a clever idea at the time, but if there is one thing the conspiracy theorists in the Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG) are good at, it’s spotting conspiracies. They understood that the motion could be interpreted not only as a reaffirmation of their demand for changes to the Northern Ireland backstop but also as a rejection of a no-deal Brexit in line with another amendment passed on January 29th.
Labour frontbenchers in 'threat to quit' if Jeremy Corbyn fails to back second Brexit referendum push
Jeremy Corbyn is facing a raft of frontbench resignations unless he throws Labour's weight behind calls for a second EU referendum, it has emerged. According to The Guardian, as many as 10 shadow ministers could resign if the Labour leader continues to resist pressure to support a so-called People's Vote.
Labour's official policy is to keep "all options" on the table if it cannot secure a general election over Brexit, "including campaigning for a public vote".
UK Political Process Is Polluted By Dirty Russian Money: Bill Browder
One of the leading activists against corruption has told LBC that the UK is failing to act because politics is polluted by dirty Russian money .Speaking to James O'Brien, Mr Browder said: "These Russian gangsters - guys in suits who are polluting the political systems of Europe - including that of the United Kingdon - with laundered money"
May's latest Brexit defeat: The edifice of nonsense comes tumbling down
The government has been defeated by MPs on propositions that they themselves backed two weeks ago. The whole edifice of blather and nonsense is coming tumbling down. It's commonly accepted that there's no majority in the Commons for a response to Brexit. But today it went a step further. It was inadequacy squared. It is clear now that there is not even a majority for the imaginary things MPs had only recently given a majority to. The whole British political system is imploding in on itself.
Richard Harrington: “In my view, the ERG are not Conservatives”
“I’m very disappointed because we were told that the prime minister would be coming back to the House of Commons and there would be a statement and an amendable vote after that,” he says. “I took that, as someone who is very concerned about the effects of not ruling out a hard Brexit, to mean we would have a deal or outline deal to discuss and the option of looking at that. “We’re now told it will be in another two weeks’ time so, being very conscious of the damage that not ruling out a hard Brexit is having on business and industry, I’m concerned that it’s going to drag on. “What concerns me most is there is now talk that there won’t be a final decision until the next EU Council on 21 March which, as far as business is concerned, is completely unacceptable.”
EXCLUSIVE: Senior Labour MPs Accuse Met Police of ‘Cover-Up’ and ‘Unacceptable Delays’ in Investigating Brexit Crimes
Criminal investigations into Leave campaigns still stalled amid allegations up to a dozen MPs in the frame. The Met Police is facing accusations of a “cover-up” over its failure to decide whether leading Brexiteers should be subject to a criminal investigation amid allegations of illegality in the EU Referendum campaign. MP David Lammy, a leading Labour Remain campaigner, told the Byline Times that the Met’s delay “smells more and more like it could be a cover-up from the very top”. The Tottenham MP was joined by Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson who agreed that “this seems an unacceptable delay on a subject of national interest and importance”.
Over 100 MPs will go on holiday next week despite being ordered to stay in Parliament to vote on Brexit
Over 100 MPs will go on holiday next week despite being ordered to stay in Parliament to vote on Brexit. MPs from all parties have defied an order to scrap their February break to work on Brexit in a move that has led some to claim the cancellation was just a PR stunt
A Churchill history lesson for Brexit Britain
U.K. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell found this out the hard way, when he sparked outrage by calling the wartime prime minister — and Britain’s greatest icon — a “villain” for using excessive force to crush a picket line in the Welsh town of Tonypandy in 1910. Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames chimed in first, branding McDonnell a “Poundland Lenin.” Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson took to Twitter to trot out a not very accurate history lesson. Thousands of enraged voices predictably followed.
'Incredible' UK has let Brexit 'come to this' - Coveney
Tanáiste Simon Coveney has told the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee it is "incredible" that the British parliament has allowed Brexit negotiations to come to their current state. "It is incredible in my view that the British parliament has allowed it come to this," he said. Mr Coveney also said that one of the big mistakes in London is the perspective that "the EU needs a deal as much as we need a deal".
Brexit vote breaks down 'fragile Tory truce'
Plasters lose their stick, revealing the hurt underneath. And the fragile patch that was covering the Tory truce has been well and truly torn. Just when Theresa May wanted to show the European Union that she could hold her party together to win, she lost. And at home the prime minister has been shown in no uncertain terms that she simply can't count on the factions in her party to come through for her.
Six things we've learned from May's latest Brexit defeat
May will find it much harder now to argue that she has got a Commons majority behind her Brexit strategy. The debate showed that MPs were only able to unite behind Brady because they could not agree what it meant. EU leaders, who were reluctant to offer much to the UK in backstop concessions, not knowing what would get through parliament, will now surely feel still less inclined to engage
Dutch PM on Brexit: UK is a waning country too small to stand alone
Britain is a “waning country” and too small to stand alone on the world stage, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, has claimed in a withering assessment of the ...
READ: BBC's letter to all Scottish MPs and MSPs defending Question Time
The BBC has written to all Scottish MPs and MSPs to defend Question Time, amid the ongoing row over its broadcast from Motherwell last week. Below is a letter sent by Ian Small, BBC Scotland's head of public policy & corporate affairs, sent to Scottish politicians. In the letter, Small addresses our exclusive report that the BBC cut down SNP minister Fiona Hyslop's answer to a Unionist rant from the audience to just seven seconds.
Humiliation for Theresa May as MPs inflict fresh Brexit defeat following Tory rebellion
Theresa May has been dealt another huge blow after a rebellion by Tory eurosceptics saw her defeated again over Brexit.
Cowardly Theresa May should have taken her medicine and faced defeat in person
Rats deserting a sinking ship display more self-respect than the church mouse running away from another Parliamentary defeat. Vicar's daughter Theresa May showed no moral fibre by cowardly abandoning the Commons chamber to duck publicly the announcement of a humiliating defeat inflicted by MPs on her Blackmail Brexit plan. The surrender of leadership was clocked in Westminster and Brussels, weakening the Prime Minister's authority both with rebel Tories and heads of 27 other European countries. Taking your medicine, sitting rictus-faced on the front bench to hear you've lost, is what defiant Premier's do
Brexit: Theresa May suffers fresh Commons defeat
Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy. The defeat has no legal force and Downing Street said it would not change the PM's approach to talks with the EU. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to "admit her Brexit strategy has failed" and to come forward with a plan Parliament would support.
Government minister tells Brexiteer Tory MPs to join Nigel Farage's new party
A government minister has accused Tory Brexiteers of "treachery" and called on them to join Nigel Farage's new anti-EU party. Richard Harrington said members of the hardline European Research Group who celebrated defeating Theresa May's Brexit deal last month were "not Conservatives" and should quit. The business minister also said he was "very disappointed" that the Prime Minister was still refusing to rule out the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. nd he dismissed the so-called "Malthouse Compromise", which Mrs May is considering as a potential way of breaking the Brexit deadlock, as "fanciful nonsense".
EXCLUSIVE: Senior Labour MPs Accuse Met Police of ‘Cover-Up’ and ‘Unacceptable Delays’ in Investigating Brexit Crimes
Criminal investigations into Leave campaigns still stalled amid allegations up to a dozen MPs in the frame. The Met Police is facing accusations of a “cover-up” over its failure to decide whether leading Brexiteers should be subject to a criminal investigation amid allegations of illegality in the EU Referendum campaign. MP David Lammy, a leading Labour Remain campaigner, told the Byline Times that the Met’s delay “smells more and more like it could be a cover-up from the very top”. The Tottenham MP was joined by Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson who agreed that “this seems an unacceptable delay on a subject of national interest and importance”.
@LeedsEurope Hundreds marching with a clear message to stay in the EU
In #Leeds now! Hundreds are marching with a clear message. - #LetsStayTogether!
Brexit: Labour MP Kate Hoey roasted on Twitter after complaining about BBC’s ‘negative’ reporting
Labour MP Kate Hoey has lashed out at BBC News for apparently promoting a negative slant on Brexit. Hoey, who campaigned alongside Nigel Farage in the 2016 EU referendum, would have soon found her notifications filling up with people pointing out some very obvious points about the BBC's lack of bias on Brexit.
The Guardian view on parliament and Brexit: Theresa May’s approach has failed
The latest government defeat on Brexit should be a watershed. Thursday’s 45-vote defeat, in which scores of MPs abstained, says something lethal about the parliamentary Brexit process. Opposition amendments from Labour and the SNP were duly defeated, as expected. An important all-party backbench amendment was withdrawn at the last moment, leaving key issues again unresolved. And the government lost another vote because of Conservative splits, exposing the bankruptcy of Theresa May’s Conservative-facing Brexit strategy and reinforcing the need now for an all-party consensus approach
Brexit latest: Conservative Pary in turmoil as loyalists infruriated by Brexiteers abstaining after vote
Brexit disputes are causing turmoil within the Conservative party after Theresa May’s humbling defeat in the Commons. The further division has come following the pro-Brexit European Research Group’s "collective decision" to abstain from Thursday's lost vote. With some Remainers failing to vote and five Conservative MPs voting with the opposition, the Government fell to a 303 to 258 defeat.
Brexit: Theresa May suffers fresh Commons defeat
Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy. The defeat has no legal force and Downing Street said it would not change the PM's approach to talks with the EU. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to "admit her Brexit strategy has failed" and to come forward with a plan Parliament would support.
@BBCPolitics - "What an absolute fiasco this is" - Tory MP @Anna_Soubry says UK politics is "becoming the laughing stock of the world"
"What an absolute fiasco this is" - Tory MP @Anna_Soubry says UK politics is "becoming the laughing stock of the world"
@Femi Dominic Grieve does not hold back
Dominic Grieve DID NOT HOLD BACK!
Trade Deals/Negotiations
Brexit: Is there a 10-year-rule to sort out trade?
If the UK leaves the EU with no deal, it will fall back on the rules of the WTO - the basic building blocks of international trade. At that point, the UK could choose to continue applying zero tariffs to goods being imported from the EU. But under rules set out in Article 1 of Gatt (which are commonly known as Most Favoured Nation (MFN) rules), it would then also have to offer the same terms to the rest of the world. If no-one had to pay anything to get their goods into the UK, that would certainly mean cheap imports. But it would also put a lot of British companies out of business and there would be no obligation on other countries to offer the UK the same tariff-free access in return