News and Opinion

Labour’s “timidity” will usher in Brexit if the party continues to go along with leaving the European Union and insists on withdrawing from the single market, Tony Blair has said. The former prime minister criticised Labour’s position and urged the party he once led to instead “make Brexit the Tory Brexit”. Mr Blair said he […]

A former Treasury minister has described Boris Johnson as “ludicrous” as he criticised the government’s approach to future trade deals after Brexit. Lord O’Neill of Gatley said it was “mad” that international trade secretary Liam Fox and the foreign secretary “spend half of their time travelling to New Zealand” instead of building relationships with the […]

RICHARD PORRITT takes a look at what each of the three main English parties must do in 2018 So, farewell then 2017 – another year of utterly insane politics. The turn of the year is a time when plans are hatched, hopes are high and optimism rules… but how long can it last for Theresa […]

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable has defended plans to use his party’s strength in the House of Lords to fight Brexit, even though he views the unelected chamber as a “bad system” that he did not want to be a member of. Sir Vince said the Lords had limited political impact, but the upper […]

He has a patchy reputation in his homeland, but Mikhail Gorbachev achieved more than any statesman since the end of the Second World War, argues PAUL KNOTT The prominence of a malevolently destructive Russian President makes it hard to remember that the Kremlin was recently occupied by a decent man and force for progress in […]

Here is a selection of some of the best quotes from an extraordinary year in politics. ‘Before Easter I spent a few days walking in Wales with my husband, I thought about this long and hard and came to the decision that to provide for that stability and certainty, this was the way to do […]

The government has been criticised for plans which could involve volunteers patrolling borders at air and sea ports. The Home Office confirmed that proposals for ‘Border Force Special Volunteers’ at small air and sea ports were being discussed. They would be used to bolster Border Force staffing levels, in a similar vein to police community […]

The attacks in Cologne on New Year’s Eve two years ago had a profound effect in Germany… as well as the UK, says GAVIN FEARNLEY. The middle-aged man at the table next to mine puts his coffee down. Leaning towards his friend, he says ‘Beware of the NAFRIS, okay?’. The other chap nods his head. […]

There was no more brutal expression of the divisions of the Cold War than the Berlin Wall. IAN WALKER looks back at the moment the barrier went up, and how the world reacted. On the night of August 13, 1961, the East German Government closed the border between East and West Berlin with barbed wire, […]

Lord Adonis has quit the government’s infrastructure role delivering a scathing verdict on the handling of Brexit and claiming the PM has become an ally of UKIP and the Tory hard right. The Labour peer resigned as chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, saying he was ‘duty bound’ to oppose the Government’s European Union (Withdrawal) […]

There could be more frustration in store for Brenda from Bristol in 2018 with the possibility of another snap general election against the background of turmoil of Brexit. "NOT ANOTHER ONE!"Watch Brenda's reaction when I tell her that the PM wants a General Election. Safe to say, she's not impressed.#Bristol pic.twitter.com/IYEdGBryyZ— Jon Kay (@jonkay01) April […]

The UK’s entry into Europe was as much the result of French politics as it was British, argues OLIVIER DUHAMEL. And it was his own father who ensured that it happened. With Brexit now upon us, let’s look back, and reflect a little about ‘Brentry’. It is of course well known that the UK’s entry […]

The New European best of 2017 podcast is live. Richard Porritt, Steve Anglesey and Geri Scott have put together some of the best and funniest moments from the podcast this year. Enjoy again the shock at Theresa May’s calamitous conference speech, the morning after the election night before and remember some of the most bonkers […]

As Trump scraps tax reform and Alabama shocks the world PAUL CONNEW looks at the two sides of a nation divided. Steve Bannon. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images. – Credit: Getty Images Maxim is frequently preceded by another word. Old. Can I suggest a new maxim to Donald Trump? Back a bigot who thinks the wrong […]

Jeremy Corbyn is facing calls for Labour to combine with other opposition parties to keep Britain in the EU single market and the customs union. The SNP’s leader at Westminster, Ian Blackford, has issued an appeal for cross-party co-operation to prevent the ‘catastrophic damage’ of an ‘extreme’ Brexit. His intervention came as Corbyn rejected calls […]

For some, freedom of movement might just be jargon. For musician ANNEKE SCOTT it is a way of life. But for how much longer? I am a classical musician and love my job. Based in London, I work throughout Europe for many different ensembles, alongside musicians from every corner of the continent. We learn from […]

Dagenham is synonymous with automobile manufacturing and the go-getter attitude of the working class willing to put in a hard day’s graft and reap the rewards. But times have changed. WikiTRIBUNE’s JACK BARTON and LYDIA MORRISH report. At its height Dagenham was the home to motor giant Ford’s European heart beat. Built in 1931 the […]

Anthea McDowell writes that she is feeling more hopeful about the next 12 months in politics compared to this time last year. As 2018 approaches I find myself considerably more hopeful than at this time last year, when the twin blows of Brexit and Trump made it hard for many of us to get out […]

Manipulation and abuse of power doesn’t always take place behind closed doors. RICHARD GUNDERMAN looks back on one of the most controversial films in cinema. Today’s news is awash with allegations of behind the scenes sexual assaults involving prominent figures, with intense scrutiny of the ethics and behaviour involved. It is a subject I cover […]

ANGELA JAMESON ​looks back on a troubled year for the UK economy, with more perils lying ahead in 2018. As the year draws to a close, that big red bus drives back into focus. The Financial Times has made a good stab of trying to work out what Brexit has actually cost the UK economy […]

New pressure is mounting on the Government to release studies into the potentially devastating impact Brexit could have on the economy. Twenty-five Labour MPs have written to Chancellor Philip Hammond calling on him to release the material after he disclosed the work was being carried out during a recent session of the Commons Treasury Committee. […]

Tory peer and former deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine has suggested that a Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn would be less damaging for the country than Brexit. In the claims, which will surprise some within the Conservative Party, he said that although he believed a Labour government would be bad for the country, Brexit […]

The former Chancellor claimed he was ‘not keen’ on the decision by David Cameron to stage a referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU. Osborne, who campaigned strongly for Remain, said he had always been ‘gloomy’ about the likely result of last year’s vote. However he said he had not wanted to create difficulties for […]

As the year comes to a close JAMES BALL looks ahead to 2018 and what may be in store for Brexit. We’re finally limping towards the finish line: 2017 is coming to an end, and many of us will be getting ready to spend the Christmas break with our extended families – many of whom […]

The new colour passport will be a colour of shame for a narrow-minded view of the world, writes STEVEN DOWNES. There’s nothing like a British victory to lift the spirits as the year tails off. And what a victory. After almost 30 years of humiliation and subjugation, we will rid ourselves of… burgundy passports. Raise […]

A group of Leave-backing Tory MPs are recommending that European Union nationals are charged £10 for a visa to enter Britain after Brexit. It calls for the UK to introduce a visa waiver system, similar to the United States’ ESTA, to raise £150 million a year to pay for border control after Brexit. The report, […]

To round off the year, The New European columnist MITCH BENN turns E-BENN-ezer for this re-imagining of a Christmas classic. After encounters with the ghosts of Brexits past, present and future, will he find enlightenment in time for the big day? The referendum was over. That must be clearly understood, or nothing wonderful can come […]

Remain politicians have poured scorn on plans to bring back the blue cover for the British passport. The spat was sparked by a Home Office announcement that British passports will again have blue covers once the UK has left the EU in 2019. The new design, which will no longer include the EU insignia, will […]