News and Opinion

Trade secretary Liam Fox has played down claims importing foods under a new UK-US trade deal could mean a loosening of food standards post-Brexit. Fears were sparked after Donald Trump hailed a ‘new chapter for stronger trade’ between Britain and the United States after Fox held talks with US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer. But Fox […]

A gin and prosecco cocktail recipe with a spiced, sugary sensuousness I love cocktails. Perhaps it’s because I never really liked the taste of alcohol when I was learning to drink; who does at that tender age? Cocktails from the sweeter side of the spectrum lull one into that false sense of alcoholic security. I […]

A burgeoning gay rights movement in Europe in the early decades of the 20th century was crushed by rising authoritarianism. Cover of The Lesbians of Berlin (1928) – Credit: Archant Very recently, Germany’s Cabinet approved a bill that will expunge the convictions of tens of thousands of German men for ‘homosexual acts’ under that country’s […]

The mid-90s saw the triumph of two very different double acts – Robson and Jerome and the Gallagher brothers. Jerome Flynn and Robson Green – Credit: PA Archive/PA Images Robson and Jerome – the stars of ITV’s military drama Soldier Soldier – double A-side Unchained Melody/(There’ll Be Bluebirds Over) The White Cliffs of Dover was […]

We used to be a mild-mannered people. Now random spite is the cornerstone of our crumbling culture In belligerent Britain, something is going badly wrong. Moderation has been replaced by mindless fury, vile racism, sexism, homophobia and extreme conflict peppered with deliberately provocative obscenities. Every day in every way we slip deeper into the abyss. […]

The new film Dunkirk is one of the greatest depictions of war on screen. But despite its anti-war message it also comes with some pretty heavy baggage Fionn Whitehead in Dunkirk, Christopher Nolan, 2017 – Credit: Cover Images Shell-shocked. That’s how they describe Cillian Murphy’s shivering soldier, rescued from a sinking hull by Mark Rylance’s […]

The British media has always failed in its coverage of European affairs. It was midnight and we were knee-deep in envelopes sent in by Guardian readers. As we sorted wearily through thousands of responses to a survey requesting suggestions for a name for the single currency, my Greek colleague and I decided that this was […]

When idiocy and immaturity take over, all a writer can do is blow a literary raspberry A young man, dishevelled and downcast, trudges into a corner shop. He gazes up at the shelves. They are mostly bare. A sad bunch of darkening bananas greets him at eye level. The top shelf holds more interest – […]

When it comes to Brexit and the environment our ties to the EU are complex. At a panel debate on Brexit at which I spoke last week, a Remain-supporting member of the audience revealed that his Leave-voting friend had likened the UK’s withdrawal from Europe to undoing a complicated knot – difficult at first, but […]

The zealots who allow the Brexit fiasco to happen are diminishing the UK inch by inch, day by day. More than twenty years ago, when I became a citizen, there was no citizenship test. That means that there was no official notion of what being ‘British’ was. Not in the sense of what being American […]

Labour’s Brexit divisions have become apparent once again with trade spokesman Barry Gardiner saying staying in the customs union would be a ‘disaster’. Shadow international trade secretary Gardiner said remaining part of the customs arrangement would leave the UK bound by European Union free-trade deals without achieving the benefits. His comments came after Jeremy Corbyn […]

Emmanuel Macron has been lucky. But also courageous. Here’s how the combination has led to a remarkable turnaround in previously gloomy nation (Photo: ERIC PIERMONT/AFP/Getty Images) – Credit: AFP/Getty Images All our presidents of the Republic dream of burying a well-known figure in the Pantheon. It’s a mania. A sort of canine way for them […]

Among the most extraordinary works of art are the Black Pictures of Francisco Goya Here is their story… Guerra – Credit: Archant In February 1819 the 72 year old Spanish artist Goya moved into a two-story farmhouse in the countryside west of Madrid. This was Goya’s final retreat from public life – a public life […]

Not quite ready to laugh about Brexit? This 1960s comic classic brilliantly captures a sense of the undeniable farce the referendum vote has triggered A post shared by Vinylcollection (@vinylhoard) on Mar 5, 2017 at 4:17am PST The comic novel is one of the hardest things in literature to get right. Indeed, when you consider […]

What is Unicum and why should I drink it? https://www.instagram.com/p/BWPZ9I9gO4-/?taken-by=unicumofficial The intriguingly-named Unicum is the ‘national shot’ of Hungary, and its story is that of the nation, from its use as a popular aperitif at Habsburg balls, to its struggle for survival under communism, and its emergence as a symbol of modern Hungary. The drink […]

Plot gossip: Leaky lips in the Tory party and a look at the world beyond Brexit sniping Whose leaky lips are these? – Credit: Archant The world goes busily about its business. But British politics has been trivially distracted by Philip Hammond’s suggestion that modern trains no longer require train drivers to possess unusual physical […]

We Dutch used to make fun of the Germans and admire the Brits, says Vanessa Lamsvelt. Now, we find ourselves laughing at, not with, the UK Growing up as a northern European citizen in the 1980s and early 90s the world was so much simpler. The European Union consisted of only 12 countries, you were […]

The Cabinet is ‘united’ in backing a transitional Brexit deal which would mean continued access to migrant labour, Michael Gove has said. The prominent Brexiteer, said the Government would take a ‘pragmatic’ approach in response to suggestions Britain could maintain free movement for EU citizens during a transition period following the official separation from Brussels. […]

The Euratom row lays bare the innate flaws of Brexit. But it also gives pro-Europeans their biggest chance yet to regain the initiative Our politicians have belatedly woken up to the fact that amongst the many complex implications of Brexit are some very serious issues to do with nuclear safety, nuclear waste and nuclear medicine. […]

Richard Porritt, Steve Anglesey and Geri Scott bring you up to speed on another week in Brexit Britain. The New European team crown Brexiteer of the week and pick over another week in politics. Catch up on all #TNEpodcast episodes over on Audioboom. Like this? Leave your comments and questions below!

How did Brexit Britain lose the spirit of the 2012 Olympics? It was such a wonderful time to be alive, to be British, to feel that everyone had swallowed some kind of happiness pill that made them smile more, talk on the Tube more, for once look for the good in people and events rather […]

Brussels is holding out on the government’s hopes of continuing membership of the European health insurance scheme post-Brexit. The UK may be forced to set up its own healthcare insurance for tourists holidaying in European countries if Brussels plans to limit the scope of current rules. British negotiators want a continuation of the European Health […]

Brexiteer cabinet minister Liam Fox has reiterated the government’s widely ridiculed negotiating tactic of ‘no deal is better than a bad deal’. The Trade Secretary said the UK ‘can of course survive’ without securing a trade deal with the European Union after Brexit. May has repeatedly stated that her approach to Brexit is ‘no deal […]

The European Union’s top Brexit negotiator has demanded the government clarifies its position on citizens’ rights and stumps up a Brexit divorce bill. After four days of negotiation talks Michel Barnier said the UK and Brussels have ‘fundamental’ disagreements over citizens’ rights and there must be ‘clarification’ on Britain’s position on a number of issues. […]

Another week, another great issue packed with news, Brexit analysis and brilliant features on art, culture, film and food 1. Britain: Where did it all go wrong? Alastair Campbell on the UK’s fall from grace 2. Michael White on a weak and divided government drifting towards crisis 3. Kevin O’Sullivan: RIP common decency – welcome […]

We pick the worst Brexiteers of the week Andrew Bridgen When government advisor Lord Adonis compared Hard Brexit to the British appeasement of Hitler, a series of Tory Brexiteers popped up to complain that using the Fuhrer as a yardstick was unacceptable in modern politics. Chief among them was the intellectual heavyweight for North West […]

It is no accident that Britain’s creative sector has grown as borders have become more open. Now, decades of progress are in peril, says one of the world’s leading architects (Copyright EDP Foundation) – Credit: Archant Britain is a part of Europe – whether we’re in or out of the European Union. We’re shaped so […]

The British economy can succeed. But it needs less wishful thinking and a more hard-headed assessment of the facts Can we end austerity without bankrupting the country and our grandchildren? The answer is yes and we can learn the lessons from the turnaround of the British automotive industry. The Deputy Governor of the Bank of […]