News and Opinion

The contents of this week’s Queen speech are well-known because the uncritical UK press have been letting the government trail them for months. LIZ GERARD reports. The cellars will be searched for gunpowder, an MP taken hostage, a door will be slammed in Black Rod’s face and the Queen will make her way down the […]

As politics continues its campaign to make satire redundant, CHARLIE CONNELLY finds mixed results in an attempted fightback by one of British literature’s biggest names. The Cockroach by Ian McEwan. Picture: Archant – Credit: Archant As British politics and society lurch from one piece of tragic slapstick to the next the phrase “satire is dead” […]

He cultivated an image as an outsider, but Cézanne’s role at the heart of the 20th century revolution in art is underlined in a new edition of his letter. FLORENCE HALLETT reports. FRANCE – NOVEMBER 20: Murder, 1869-1870, by Paul Cezanne (1839-1906), oil on canvas, 65×81 cm. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images); Liverpool, Walker Art Gallery. […]

The battle to rid Britain’s streets of fascists did not end with the Second World War. PATRICK SAWER reports on a little-known chapter of UK history, when a group of Jewish war veterans returning home had to continue the fight afresh. Mosley and his anti-Semitic Blackshirt were assaulted and punched to the ground as soon […]

It is a comment that will perhaps resonate with Leavers and Remainers alike. But Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson was certainly not being complimentary about the Brexit process when she said it was “sucking the life out of our politics”. The debate over the past three years since the controversial 2016 referendum has left even […]

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said there is a ‘strong possibility’ of a general election before Christmas amid the Brexit chaos in Westminster. Jeremy Corbyn says a general election before Christmas is a strong possibility, but insists it is not in his hands #RidgeGet live updates here: https://t.co/gkVGqz18Dg pic.twitter.com/BFGt7PRnnY— Ridge on Sunday (@RidgeOnSunday) October 13, […]

CHARLIE CONNELLY on the dancer turned spy, Mata Hari. One chilly afternoon in December 1915 the boat train for Dieppe pulled into Folkestone harbour, boilers hissing and clouds of steam filling the platforms. The shouts of the porters and the clatter of carts and trolleys mixed with the sound of slamming carriage doors as the […]

Battered by the bombs and the collapse of its motor industry, the West Midlands hub responded with regeneration through sound. SOPHIA DEBOICK reports. Guitarist Lynval Golding of The Specials performs live on stage during their 40th Anniversary Tour at Coventry Cathedral ruins. Photo: Jim Bennett/Getty Images – Credit: Getty Images Coventry has become near-synonymous with […]

In his new book Brexiternity, former Europe minister DENIS MacSHANE considers the uncertain fate facing the continent in the coming decades. In this exclusive extract, he suggests some ways in which the EU can survive and prosper. Members of the European Parliament take part in a voting session during a plenary session at the European […]

How closely have you been following the nightmare that is Brexit this week? Find out how much has sunk in – willingly or otherwise – from this week’s Brexit news.

Despite the cost to the country, the prime minister is surging in the polls. But, says Mary Honeyball, the opposition still have the power to rein him in. Boris Johnson speaking on the BBC’s Andrew Marr show. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire. – Credit: PA Recent polls are not encouraging for opponents of Boris Johnson, and […]

Two years after the archipelago’s most famous journalist was blown up by a car bomb, calls for justice are louder than ever. CAROLINE MUSCAT reports on a disturbing case the represents a national disgrace. Daphne Caruana Galizia, Malta. Photo:Getty Images for the Daphne Project. – Credit: Getty Images Daphne Caruana Galizia sent me a text […]

A leading academic has taken apart the myth that Brexit is a challenge to the elites of Britain in a devastating interview. Professor David Edgerton, from King’s College London, said that Brexit is “completely fake anti-elite politics” in a way that is “exactly analogous to Trump”. Speaking to Channel 4 News, the historian said that […]

James Cleverly’s much-mocked graph gives a revealing insight into the mindset of panicky Brexiteers says MITCH BENN. James Cleverly’s explanation for why Brexit must be done by October 31st. Photograph: Twitter. – Credit: Archant The phrase “There are lies, damned lies and statistics” is selectively trotted out by whoever wants to dismiss whichever set of […]

Brexit Party chairman Richard Tice has been left squirming by comments made by his own organisation’s leader about the EU referendum. Interviewed by Al Jazeera’s Mehdi Hasan, Tice said that the EU referendum was “where parliament had outsourced the decision to the people”, and their view must stand. But prompted by Hasan to acknowledge it […]

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…

What’s your take on the events of the week? Let us know your views on the key questions that have emerged for Remainers this week, on everything from the latest climate protests to the week’s weirdest Brexit moment. – Got other views? Email us at letters@theneweuropean.co.uk

Tommy Robinson is facing a complete ban on attending England matches both in the UK and abroad after being filmed punching a Three Lions fan in Portugal. The former English Defence League leader was caught on camera swinging at the man who was knocked to the ground ahead of England’s 3-1 defeat to the Netherlands […]

Get Brexit done, get Brexit done, get Brexit done… STEVE ANGLESEY on the unnerving effect that the prime minister’s catchphrase is having on Britain. Boris Johnson delivers his speech during the recent Conservative Party Conference. Photograph: STEFAN ROUSSEAU/PA – Credit: PA Wire/PA Images When did Dominic Cummings make the cabinet his Stepford Wives? At what […]

John McDonnell has said that he ‘can’t see’ how Corbyn could hang on in the event of Labour losing the next general election. In a wide-ranging interview by Alastair Campbell for GQ, the shadow chancellor has said that he “can’t see” how it would be possible for the Labour leader to stay on if the […]

Talks about a government of national unity have taken up too much time, argue readers. They claim MPs need to focus their efforts elsewhere. The fantasy of a government of national unity (GNU) is taking up far too much time on the Remain side. Jeremy Corbyn’s supporters will only accept him as leader; Amber Rudd […]

A Brexiteer caller made his excuses and hurriedly rang off after LBC presenter James O’Brien patiently corrected his claims one by one. After describing Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage as the most “formidable” politicians of the time, caller Jim from Heathrow told O’Brien that he was glad his children would never be in an EU […]

Government ministers have been warned that dogging could increase as traffic comes to a standstill near major ports in the UK following a no-deal Brexit. The fears come as the government’s Yellowhammer report detailed how local roads will become “stacks” for lorries due to the delays arriving and leaving Britain. The average wait for hauliers […]

The French president has once again suggested he would not back an extension to Article 50, adding pressure following talks between Boris Johnson and Irish premier Leo Varadkar. Macron said the UK would be left with the choice of a no-deal Brexit or revoking Article 50 altogether if Johnson cannot make an acceptable compromise on […]

TIM WALKER says ‘Master Harold’… and the boys is a long burn production in a time of inpatient theatregoers. For most of the 100 minutes that Roy Alexander Weise’s production of ‘Master Harold’… and the Boys runs, there is a ‘least said, soonest mended’ approach to the issue of apartheid in South Africa in the […]

A Labour MP has taken down Julia Hartley-Brewer for ‘not caring about the future’ in her remarks about Extinction Rebellion. Appearing alongside the Brexiteer broadcaster on BBC’s Question Time, Labour MP Lisa Nandy told her that it “was not bullying to point out to people this is an international crisis that has to be taken […]

Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis has called for a second Brexit referendum, claiming no-one knew what they were voting for, including himself. Paphitis, who voted Leave in the 2016 referendum, told the BBC Question Time audience that a general election usually was “the perfect opportunity” to remove the politicians from power we disagree with. But […]

Readers give their views on the latest developments in Brexit talks. There are six clear reasons why no-deal Brexit will happen regardless of fuss, fight or furore; 1. There is no effective UK opposition. 2. The EU is not going to abandon Ireland. 3. Johnson has not/will not play by any rules so cannot be […]