News and Opinion

Brexit secretary Dominic Raab has been accused of “running away” from people living in a border town during his visit to Northern Ireland. The Tory minister arrived in Northern Ireland today for a one-day visit to the region. During his first stop to Warrenpoint Port, Raab was criticised for not meeting with public representatives and […]

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…

The allegations against Sir Philip Green have led to calls from many feminists for a ban on ‘secrecy clauses’. But Caroline Criado Perez is not a fan of such an approach. When I first heard about the Philip Green allegations, I was definitely part of the ‘ban NDAs (non-disclosure agreements)’ crowd. It’s a tawdry story, […]

Artists could be stopped from performing and touring in Europe if the government fails to agree a deal with the EU, a professional body for musicians has said. The Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM) issued the warning on the launch of its campaign, Save Music, which is calling on ministers to ensure freedom of movement […]

We are already poorer, but worst is to come, writes JAMES BALL in this week’s Deconstructed. There are moments when it seems the government is determined to treat Brexit like the bleak joke that it is. Perhaps the most striking of these was the strategically leaked pre-announcement to the Sun ahead of the Budget that […]

The self-anointed ‘bad boy of Brexit’ Arron Banks is being investigated for ‘suspected criminal offences committed during the EU referendum’. Arron Banks with Nigel Farage Photo: PA / Ben Birchall – Credit: PA Archive/PA Images The Electoral Commision’s director of poltical finance said the commission has ‘reasonable grounds’ to suspect money donated to Better for […]

Germany led in Europe on the back of British guidance while the UK faltered as it distanced itself from the continent, writes Andrew Adonis. There have only been eight chancellors in the 70 years of the Federal Republic of Germany. Adenauer, Kohl and Merkel notched up an astonishing 43 years between them, maybe 46 by […]

MPs across the political spectrum have called for Brexit to be postponed following the latest allegations surrounding prominent Leave donor Arron Banks. The self-anointed ‘bad boy of Brexit’ Arron Banks is being investigated for ‘suspected criminal offences committed during the EU referendum’. The Labour MP David Lammy said that it was time for Brexit to […]

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 Clacton-on-Sea, where the Pet Shop Boys filmed the video for their 1987 cover version of Always On My Mind. But who didn’t love the EU quite as often as they […]

Nigel Farage believes that Brexit would not have ‘got over the line’ if it hadn’t been for the single issue of immigration. Farage was responding to comments from the former chancellor George Osborne, who told BBC Newsnight that the government had made mistakes in advance of the Brexit vote. Osborne believed that the Conservative government’s […]

Mandrake reveals when Kamal Ahmed said ‘all hail, Sir Philip Green,’ Liam Fox combines business with pleasure and Jane Fonda asks why Corbyn is not opposing Brexit. Few, if any, journalists know Sir Philip Green better than Kamal Ahmed, but the BBC’s economics editor has been curiously silent about the controversial tycoon who’s been so […]

John McDonnell appeared to utter that Brexit WILL happen in response to comments made by a backbench Labour MP on ITV’s Peston programme. McDonnell was responding to Chuka Umunna who was talking about the Budget and earmarked funds for public services and welfare benefits when Umunna claimed that it would all depend on ‘whether Brexit […]

Brexit is stripping cash from the arts with government funding for some of Britain’s most iconic museums plummeting since the referendum, The New European can reveal. Figures released under Freedom of Information laws show that eight out of 16 government-sponsored museums have seen their grant in aid funding fall since 2016/2017. 12 of the 16 […]

A leading SNP MP has cast doubt on his party’s backing for a People’s Vote on Brexit by warning it could pose “all sorts of risks to a future independence referendum for nothing”. Pete Wishart said the move could make it more difficult to resist calls for a similar second ballot in Scotland if nationalists […]

The architect of Article 50, Lord Kerr, has said that ministers are trying to deceive MPs into believing the only choice is between a ‘no deal’ Brexit and Theresa May’s Chequers plan. He made the claims after House of Commons clerk Sir David Natzler told the Brexit committee that there was ‘no statutory obligation’ for […]

He fought in the Battle of Bosworth, made it through the plague, and survived the first World War, but asked if he would reverse any moment in history Baldrick said it would be Brexit. Blackadder star Tony Robinson, who played the comedy character Baldrick, said his ‘cunning plan’ would be to go back to the […]

Labour has its own Budget splits – but the party is united in its view that this is not the end of austerity. Philip Hammond’s Budget has been well received on the Tory benches and for that the prime minister will be hugely grateful. It might just even see some of those wavering on her […]

The look on chancellor Philip Hammond’s face was priceless today as Tory headbanger Peter Bone crowned him “the King of Brexit”. Hammond looked baffled as hardliner Bone claimed that his budget earlier this week had delivered “a Brexit dividend… if we come out of the European Union with no deal”. The chancellor had actually said […]

The talent behind an effigy of Boris Johnson – complete with red Brexit bus shoes and holding EU cake – have an important message for the foreign secretary. The Edenbridge Bonfire Society chose the identity of its celebrity Guy, saying the ‘blundering’ ex-foreign secretary was the top choice owing to his ‘continuing habit’ of hitting […]

British tourists could face delays at European airports after Brexit and employers may find it ‘impossible’ to identify who is entitled to work in the UK, the immigration minister has admitted. In a wide-ranging session with the Commons Home Affairs Committee Caroline Nokes said the prospect of UK travellers ending up in ‘rest of the […]

The Sunday Times has been accused of hiding a poll which showed that an overwhelming majority supported a fresh referendum on Brexit. https://twitter.com/RCorbettMEP/status/1056647059300929537 The newspaper – which backed Leave during the EU referendum campaign – often runs significant polls on its front page. However, this particular poll was relegated to the bottom of page 20. […]

George Osborne has admitted that his government made mistakes during his time in office which ‘opened up the door’ to the Brexit vote. Appearing on BBC’s Newsnight, the former chancellor admitted the Conservative party ‘did get things wrong’ in the lead-up to the Brexit vote. He told the programme: ‘I think we were wrong to […]

Figures released to Fine Gael’s Neale Richmond, chairman of the Brexit committee in the Irish senate, showed there were almost 45,000 applications in the first half of 2018. This means almost as many Irish passport applications were received in the first half of 2018 as in the whole of 2015, the year before the European […]

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 […]

Labour MP Barry Sheerman has lambasted the political decisions of David Cameron and George Osborne. He claimed we are witnessing the same ‘failure of leadership’ seen during World War I. The MP for Huddersfield criticised the government’s budget for being ‘uninspiring, lacking of passion, lacking in leadership, lacking in values’ during a ‘year of crisis’. […]

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 […]

There is no better summary of Brexit than William Keegan’s remark that it is like negotiating to leave the Premier League in order to join the third division. This is so completely accurate that it raises yet again the question: why on earth is Brexit happening? Among the stock answers is that those who voted […]