News and Opinion

Checks at the Irish border will be “unavoidable” under Theresa May’s Brexit plans for the UK to leave the single market and customs union, Michel Barnier has warned. Brussels’ chief Brexit negotiator also told reporters that agreement on a transitional deal after the UK leaves the bloc in March 2019 was “not a given”. After […]

Brexit has become indelibly linked with Scottish independence north of the border. But PETER GEOGHEGAN investigates a delicate political situation. Time has done little to soften Nicola Sturgeon’s view of Brexit. The day after the European Union referendum, Scotland’s First Minister declared that a second vote on independence was ‘on the table’ after almost two-thirds […]

The government’s refusal to commit to publishing a paper on the financial services industry after Brexit has been condemned by the Treasury Select Committee’s chairwoman. Senior Tory Nicky Morgan said “the clock is ticking” for the vital industry and called for a position paper to be published immediately. In a withering response to the Treasury, […]

The Conservative Party faces an “immense challenge” to repair the schism caused by Brexit, former attorney general Dominic Grieve has warned. The former law officer, a ringleader of the rebels who inflicted Theresa May’s first Commons defeat over her Brexit legislation, warned that political parties can “fall apart” if the ties of tribal loyalty break. […]

RICHARD PORRITT with this week’s big stories, including an outlandish Danish immigration plan, why Austria is Europe’s ashtray and France’s least gangsta rapper In light of the latest polling, will Jeremy Corbyn finally wake up to the fact that much of his party doesn’t want Brexit? The youth vote, which has swelled the party’s membership […]

After the opening salvos over the Brexit bill in the House of Lords, the Lib Dem leader there, DICK NEWBY, looks ahead to the next round of battles Of the 190 speeches made during the Withdrawal Bill Second Reading in the Lords, three stood out for me. The first, was an excoriating critique of the […]

Keep resisting, says MITCH BENN. The facts are on our side and soon the majority of people will be too You know what? No personal anecdotes, pithy analogies or weird where-the-hell-is-he-going-with-this pop culture-based pre-amble this week. This week I’m cutting straight to the chase. Brexit has to stop. Not be softened, or ameliorated, or grudgingly […]

Nigel Farage has been attacked after claiming a Brexit transition period under the EU’s proposed terms would create “Vichy Britain” – a reference to the collaborationist regime in France during Nazi occupation. The former Ukip leader tweeted: “Mrs May’s transition period will be a worse form of EU membership during which the bully boys of […]

Theresa May has claimed she will be “robust” in Brexit talks as she dismissed as “noises off” Brussels plans allowing it to sanction the UK during transition. The prime minister’s so-called “war cabinet” of senior ministers is meeting today to attempt to chart a course through some of the most difficult issues in the Brexit […]

Tory MPs have called on the government to scrap its “vassal state” transition deal with the EU and instead purse a “Carlsberg Brexit deal” with the European Free Trade Association. Ministers were urged to opt for the “safe harbour” of EFTA while a more comprehensive free trade deal was thrashed out with the EU. Joining […]

Ireland’s deputy premier has called on the UK Government to drop its red lines and tough talk on its future relationship with the EU. Simon Coveney said a calm and rational debate on the merits of continued membership of extended customs union and single market structures was overdue. Addressing a packed audience at a conference […]

Theresa May’s inner “war cabinet” of senior ministers will meet today to chart a course through some of the most difficult issues in the Brexit process. The Brexit sub-committee meeting comes after it emerged the European Union wants to put in place a method to rapidly curtail the UK’s single market benefits if it breaches […]

The days of nipping over to Calais for a boot-load of bottles are numbered. SIMON WATKINS ​heads over in search of a bargain while he still can ‘The Brits don’t come to Calais for the beaches; the only reason they come here is for the wine,’ declares Simon Delannoy, proprietor of The Calais Wine Superstore. […]

Government departments have been “too slow” to begin practical preparations to get the country ready for Brexit, a parliamentary report has warned. With just 14 months to go, Whitehall has still not faced up to the need to reprioritise its work to be ready for Brexit day in March 2019, including halting other programmes so […]

Businesses’ patience with the Cabinet’s “continued division” on Brexit is “wearing thin” and Theresa May must urgently deliver a clear statement of what the government wants, the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) has said. As ministers in the prime minister’s Brexit “war cabinet” prepared to meet to discuss what they want from the future relationship […]

Ugandans are incredulous that sophisticated Great Britain is in such a state of disarray and disunity, says YASMIN ALIBHAI-BROWN Just got back from Uganda, where I was making a Radio 4 documentary on what has been happening in the country since 1972, when we Asians, who had been there for generations, were ignominiously thrown out […]

Nicola Sturgeon has demanded “urgent and meaningful” discussion with the devolved administrations on the direction of the Brexit negotiations. Scotland’s first minister has written to Theresa May to say the Scottish government must be able to influence the exit objectives ahead of the UK government cabinet sub-committee on the EU exit negotiations. Ms Sturgeon reminded […]

The environment secretary has no hope of delivering his green dream for the countryside, says PETER HETHERINGTON Dream land, or a brave new world for farming and the countryside? Environment Secretary Michael Gove’s post-Brexit vision for agriculture and rural England, due to be outlined in a white paper shortly, risks colliding with the harsh reality […]

Theresa May’s response to the devastating BuzzFeed leak of impact assessments is to say that they are irrelevant because the Government will soon sign a wonderful bespoke trade deal with the EU which will lift all boats and dispel all gloom. This is impossible because of the red lines she has already set down. The […]

The home secretary has said she “hopes” the Government will set out what it wants from Brexit “within the next few weeks”. Amber Rudd also insisted the government had always held the position that the UK should not be part of a customs union with the European Union after leaving. But she did little to […]

Leading pro-Europe Tory Anna Soubry has told the prime minister to ‘sling out’ Hard Brexiteers as she threatened to quit the party if Jacob Rees-Mogg or Boris Johnson became leader. The ex-business minister claimed Theresa May faced the same fate as David Cameron and John Major unless she “stood up to” the plotting pair. Ms […]

The TV historian talks about a missed opportunity and what you can and cannot learn from the past. Waterloo. Couldn’t escape if I wanted to. Because there was a tree down on the line to Guildford. So I’m in a roof terrace overlooking the station, demanding Dan Snow tells me why he didn’t stop Brexit. […]

Former Whitehall chief Gus O’Donnell has stepped up his criticism of politicians accusing civil servants of bias over Brexit, arguing their attacks amounted to bullying. Independent crossbencher Lord O’Donnell, who headed the civil service for six years, also warned that it was damaging to democracy. His comments came amid a continuing row over Treasury forecasts […]

Theresa May’s decision to leave the EU’s customs union will cause “unavoidable” barriers to trade, Michel Barnier has warned. The European Union’s chief negotiator visited Downing Street for talks with Theresa May and Brexit secretary David Davis in which he pushed for greater clarity about the UK’s approach to the next phase of the process. […]

As celebrities battle for female empowerment, Emma Jones discusses her struggle to keep with the stars of stage and screen. Lorde is a high profile supporter of the #MeToo movement. Picture: Instagram – Credit: Archant Unlike Donald Trump, who shocked no one by saying he is not one, I am a feminist. And I wear […]

Michel Barnier has warned there is “not a minute to lose” in efforts to achieve a Brexit deal as he prepared for talks with Theresa May. The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator was travelling to London as Downing Street insisted the UK would not remain in a customs union with the EU after leaving the […]

The discussion that the Labour Party must have with itself to help save the country from Brexit Years ago, in a big London prison, I attended the disciplinary hearing of a homeless prisoner. Sometimes he apologised for his rule-breaking, sometimes he denied it but most of the time he was keen to talk about some […]

Home Secretary Amber Rudd has said ministers will not be intimidated by threats of a leadership challenge to Theresa May from Tory Brexiteers. As the Cabinet’s Brexit sub-committee prepares to meet for two days of talks on the UK’s future relationship with the EU, Ms Rudd insisted they would come forward with proposals which would […]