British Politics

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 […]

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, […]

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: […]

Health secretary Matt Hancock is “confident” that life will bring normality “by 2022”. As he announced millions more people in England will be placed into lockdown from Boxing Day, Hancock warned that the virus was spreading again at a “dangerous rate”. Commenting on the new Tier 4 restrictions, he warned: “This Christmas and the start […]

A Brexit deal is reportedly “done”, with negotiators David Frost and Michel Barnier now agreeing on the final text. According to the Daily Mail‘s Jason Grove, UK government sources believe it will be “highly unlikely” talks will collapse now. RTE’s Tony Connelly claims that there was a last-minute “instrumental” development on fish. “The British have […]

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 […]

Matt Hancock is to hold a Downing Street press conference on Covid-19. The health secretary will provide an update from Number 10 at 3pm. It comes amid speculation that more areas of England are heading for a Tier 4 lockdown. Earlier, fellow minister Robert Jenrick denied there would be any changes to coronavirus restrictions before […]

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 […]

Brexit and the coronavirus crisis has seen Labour jolt past the Tories in the latest YouGov voter intention poll. Keir Starmer’s party now sits four percentage points ahead of the Tory Party gaining 41% of the vote – a four point jump from the last survey conducted on December 15-16. Meanwhile, the Tories suffered a two point dip – leaving […]

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 column by Boris Johnson accusing Labour of the “putrefaction of the honours system” has re-emerged hours after he ennobled a former Tory donor against the advice of the peerage watchdog. Peter Cruddas was one of 16 new peers appointed by Downing Street on Monday in an announcement that was slipped out after MPs had returned home for Christmas. […]

Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick insisted there will be no further changes to the Christmas plans despite speculation that more areas of England could be moved into a Tier 4 lockdown. The communities secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the Covid operations committee will examine “what more we know now about the new variant” […]

A loophole will allow Boris Johnson to meet with family over Christmas – despite the fact his official residence is in Downing Street in London – which is in Tier 4. The Financial Times reports the rule, which came into effect on December 2 and was updated on December 14, means Johnson and his partner […]

Boris Johnson has been warned his future as prime minister will rest on the Oxford vaccine. Katy Balls, the deputy editor of the Spectator, has claimed that with Tories “fuming” over new coronavirus restrictions and no parliamentary scrutiny, they want to see a clear “exit strategy”. Number 10 has previously hinted at a return to normal by […]

Hundreds of truck drivers stuck in a lorry park near Dover have been left without water and the only toilet has been blocked, according to a fellow driver delivering supplies to them. More than 1,500 lorries are backed up in Kent, while the Port of Dover and Eurotunnel remain closed to traffic leaving the country, […]

A British musician has been lauded after saying it was a “grave error” for the country to Brexit in the middle of an international crisis. Yungblud, whose real name is Dominic Richard Harrison, caught Twitter users’ attention when he called on the government to extend EU trade talk and avoid the UK “legitimately running out of […]

A transport head has said Brexit will cause traffic jams at British ports “like we have never experienced”. Road Haulage Association policy director Duncan Buchanan warned that the UK faced a “very serious” disruption to supply chains as a result of Brexit. Buchanan had been fronting an emergency meeting of the Common’s business and industrial strategy committee when he […]

Boris Johnson has overruled the peerage watchdog to make former Tory treasurer Peter Cruddas a life peer. The move went against the advice of the House of Lords Appointments Committee. A statement posted on the gov.uk website said: “The House of Lords Appointments Commission was invited by the prime minister to undertake vetting of all party […]

A quip from rugby union legend and sports pundit Brian Moore has perfectly sums up the cronyism over Brexit. The Remain-voting former English rugby union footballer expressed regret for voting against Brexit – because of the number of opportunities offered by the government to those that backed Leave. His comments come as more peerages were […]

A Number 10 insider has denied there has been a breakthrough in Brexit talks – describing leaked reports of a compromise as “bollocks”. Reports suggested the UK had offered a cut of around a third in the amount of fish EU vessels catch in British waters over a five-year period. That is down from an […]