Brexit

TIM WALKER on how Brexit helped turn actor Frances Barber from an enemy to a friend. It was a young man named Tyler who first acquainted me with Frances Barber. Six years ago, she boarded a plane at Heathrow bound for Los Angeles and he’d been seated beside her. The crew made a big fuss […]

Chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier has cancelled a Brexit briefing with national envoys because of “ongoing intensive negotiations in London”, a spokesman for the bloc confirmed. Barnier has binned a Friday briefing for national envoys to the bloc in the latest sign both sides could be nearing a trade deal. Hopes for an agreement had been […]

The Brexit deal we end up with won’t be worth the paper it’s written on, and Boris Johnson is to blame, writes LUISA PORRITT, the Liberal Democrat candidate for mayor of London. Like many Brits, I have been on a streaming spree of The Crown over lockdown. For those who haven’t been watching, the latest series […]

A Brexiteer economist who said Britain’s fishing industry had been “decimated” by the EU has been urged to review his facts. Liam Halligan, an economist and Sunday Telegraph writer, claimed Britain had a “colonial relationship” with the EU over fishing rights. Appearing on BBC 1’s Question Time, Halligan said: “Two-thirds of fish in British waters are caught by […]

Brexit talks are due to continue on Friday amid warnings the prospect of a breakthrough is “receding”. Negotiations between the UK and EU seemed to stall on Thursday – with Britain claiming Brussels was calling for fresh concessions at the 11th hour. And with the Brexit transition period due to end on December 31, there […]

A fish merchant has said he was “brainwashed” into voting for Brexit and that he “wishes he hadn’t”. Brixham-based fish merchant Ian Perkes told Financial Times (FT)that he “never looked at implications of the paperwork” that a vote to leave would bring.  Perkes has now added his name to a letter from the fishing industry to […]

The importance of the fishing industry – and its centrality to the Brexit negotiations – does not lie in economic figures. Fishing, in the UK, is important. And, generally speaking, many Remain supporters have failed to understand that – and it could even be argued our failure to do so helps to explain not just why […]

Weak Labour is letting itself be led by the Conservatives on Brexit.  It’s the hope that kills you. Every football fan knows the feeling. But it’s the same in politics too. Despite being kicked out of the party a while back I so hope Labour win the next election. I so hope the venality and incompetence […]

Gavin Williamson has become the centre of an ongoing joke after he claimed Britain swiftly approved a Covid-19 vaccine because it was a “much better country” than others. The education secretary told LBC radio that Britain had “much better” medical regulators than France, Belgium, and the US, who helped rapidly approve a coronavirus vaccine. Commenting UK regulators approving […]

TIM WALKER on the latest manoeuvrings for the job of BBC chair. Plus, the return of Michael Gove’s mystery leaker. Mandrake hears that the BBC plans to announce its new chair before Christmas and it looks as if Richard Sharp – a Tory donor who was once Rishi Sunak‘s boss at Goldman Sachs – is a shoo-in. More […]

Germany’s health minister has struck down claims UK officials were able to swiftly authorise the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine because of Brexit. Jens Spahn said the claims had been ‘misplaced’ as he reminded Westminster politicians that the vaccine had been partly developed by German biotech start-up. In a briefing on Wednesday, Spahn said although Britain had already approved […]

It suits various politicians to stay quiet on Brexit. But that must end now. On January 1st, Brexit goes from an idea to reality. The repercussions will come in waves. First comes the chaos at the border, which will take place regardless of whether there’s a deal or not. Our frictionless trading network with the […]

Nadine Dorries has been reported to Twitter’s complaints department after users protested about a message she wrote suggesting Britain fast-tracked the Pfizer vaccine thanks to Brexit. Several Twitter users have reported the Brexiteer minister after she said Britain would “still be waiting” for the approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had it not left the EU earlier this […]

A Brexiteer MP has issued expletives to convey his amazement at the number of customs declarations expected between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after Brexit. Northern Ireland committee member Bob Stewart was shocked to find out that the HMRC are expecting traders on both sides of the Irish Sea to lodge 11 million customs declarations after […]

The Netherlands has caused hilarity after it used a Brexit “monster” to issue a warning to its citizens. A picture of Netherland’s Brexit mascot handing out ‘Get Ready’ flyers at an EU port has stirred up a hilarious reaction online. The giant Muppet, dubbed by British media as Project Fur, has appeared at the port […]

Scotland should aim for full EU membership if it becomes independent, the country’s constitution secretary has said. Mike Russell said he would not like a “halfway house” of European Economic Area (EEA) membership. The EEA consists of members of the EU along with Liechtenstein, Iceland and Norway, through the European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) which […]

British expats have blasted post-Brexit travel rules which will prevent them spending more than three months at a time in the EU. When the transition period ends on January 1, Britons intending to stay in a European country longer than 90 days will have to apply for a visa in every sixth month spell. There […]

A former Brexit Party MEP has claimed that it will take a quarter of a century before the UK gets sovereignty back after the UK departs from the European Union. Ben Habib claimed that Boris Johnson’s proposals for a withdrawal from the EU “undermines sovereignty” and that the wishes of Brexiteers will not be resolved […]

Britain’s economy would suffer a “serious” short-term hit from a no-deal Brexit as it also grapples with the impact of a second wave of coronavirus, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has warned. The OECD said the resurgence of the pandemic comes at a “historic and critical moment” for the UK as the […]

The government’s post-Brexit farming proposals are a “full-throttle attack” on English family farms, according to Labour. Shadow environment secretary Luke Pollard told the Commons: “Labour supports public money for public good, of course we do, but that’s not what this is about. “Strip away the green coating and these proposals are a full-throttle attack on […]

A radio presenter has said Tory MPs opposing Boris Johnson’s latest lockdown plans are doing so because they “don’t like being told what to do”. The LBC’s James O’Brien has said the 100-strong group of Tories resisting the prime minister’s regulations were jeopardising the public’s safety. The band of MPs, known as the Covid Recovery Group (CRG), […]

Internet pranksters have proposed a blue plaque in memory of David Cameron’s contribution to Brexit in a cheeky dig at the former prime minister’s legacy after it was reported that he had banned the topic from his speaking engagements. The ex-MP for Witney both agreed to the EU referendum in June 2016 before leading the […]

Downing Street has said it will not be compromising on the UK’s Brexit negotiating position despite calls for a change of direction from the European Union. The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We want to try and reach a free-trade agreement as soon as possible. “But we have been clear that we won’t change our […]

A BBC presenter has attracted a wave of complaints after calling Brexiteers “headbangers, zealots and quislings”. Sue Perkins, a former Great British Bake Off host and well-known comedian, sparked controversy last week when she posted a tweet mocking David Cameron and Brexiteers. Responding to a message by the former Tory prime minister, which slammed the decision […]

A minister in Boris Johnson’s government has admitted that Brexit talks with the European Union could be extended beyond the transition period of December 31. Appearing on Sky News with Kay Burley, the environment secretary George Eustice said it is “always possible” to extend negotiations, and that the UK’s chief negotiator David Frost has always […]

The European Union is proposing a new transatlantic alliance with Joe Biden’s America to repair their strained relationship caused by Donald Trump’s presidency. A draft report sights China’s “growing international assertiveness” as a challenge that needs both the EU and US to work together, even if they “do not always agree” on how to address it. […]

The National Trust has hired a firm headed up by former Vote Leave official to dampen discontent caused by a decision to review its 300 stately homes for links to slavery or colonialism following the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement. Prominent Brexiteers, including Ann Widdecombe, claimed the body had a “woke agenda” after […]

Anti-Brexit campaigners have rebranded Kent the ‘the toilet of England’ on signs, in a stunt that attempts to highlight fears for the county’s motorways after Brexit. Where before motorists would be politely informed they were entering the Garden of England – as Kent is known – the new message read: “Welcome to Kent The Toilet […]