Brexit
EU threatens sanctions after UK proposes law to override NI protocol
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss outlined plans for a new law to override parts of the Northern Ireland protocol on Tuesday (17 May), insisting that the plans would be legal under international law.
UK to table law to override NI protocol as ‘insurance’ policy, says Johnson
The UK is expected to set out plans on Tuesday (17 May) to table legislation allowing it to override parts of the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol, though Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted that this was only an ‘insurance policy’.
United Kingdom hopes for a return to Eurovision glory, reverse of Brexit bias
A quarter of a century has passed since the UK last won the Eurovision Song Contest, leading to years of speculation on whether political events such as Brexit crushed their chances of winning, but this year the tables may well turn.
NI protocol on the brink as London warns it will ‘have no choice but to act’
Talks between the EU and UK aimed at resolving the status of the controversial Northern Ireland protocol appear to be on the brink of collapse, after London warned on Thursday 12 May that it would ‘have no choice but to act’.
UK faces crisis as Unionists threaten to block new NI government
The UK appears to be heading for a major political crisis in Northern Ireland after the leader of the largest Unionist party, which finished second in last week’s Assembly elections, said that he would block the formation of a new devolved government in Belfast.
Sinn Fein calls for united Ireland debate after historic election win
Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), hailed its first victory in a Northern Ireland Assembly election as a "defining moment" for the British-controlled region and called for a debate on a united Ireland.
London drops plan for bill to override NI protocol
The UK government appears to have shelved plans to introduce a bill that would override the controversial Northern Ireland protocol.
‘Embarrassed to be British’ say Brits living in EU
Many Britons living in the EU feel disconnected from and embarrassed by their country since Brexit, according to new research published on Wednesday.
UK voters head to polls with historic Northern Ireland result predicted
Polls open across the UK on Thursday (5 May) in local and regional elections that could prove historic in Northern Ireland and heap further pressure on embattled Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Nationalists eye power as Northern Ireland holds ‘seismic’ election
A century after its fraught foundation, Northern Ireland looks set for a constitutional earthquake this week with the pro-Irish party Sinn Fein on course to win regional elections.
Sinn Fein set to top polls in Northern Ireland elections
Sinn Fein, which supports a united Ireland, is set to top the poll at next Thursday’s (5 May) Northern Ireland Assembly elections, which would see it in line to take the First Minister post in the devolved government for the first time.
UK confirms plan not to introduce checks on EU goods until 2024
The UK government has decided not to impose customs checks on EU imports until the end of 2023, in a major policy U-turn announced on Thursday (28 April).
NI protocol the main barrier to trade deal, says US official
The impasse over the status of the Northern Ireland protocol is one of the main obstacles to a US-UK trade deal, Washington’s trade representative Katherine Tai said on Monday 26 April.
British PM Johnson signals visa flexibility with India to win trade deal
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson indicated he was ready to offer more visas to India in return for this year clinching a free-trade deal that could boost annual bilateral trade by billions of pounds.
Brexit bureaucracy leaves British beet rotting
In the heart of the English countryside, Will Woodhall is trying to stay positive, despite standing next to a vast pile of rotting beetroot that would once have been worth tens of thousands of pounds.
Post–Brexit labour shortages risk ‘permanent’ damage to UK farming
Labour shortages caused by Brexit and accentuated by the COVID pandemic have badly affected businesses across the food and farming sector and could cause ‘permanent’ damage, UK lawmakers stated in a report published on Wednesday (6 April).
UK to cite Ukraine crisis for new delay on EU customs checks
Brexit-related checks on goods going from Ireland and the rest of the EU to Britain are set to be delayed for the fourth time by the UK.
EY Brexit tracker finds 7,000 finance jobs have left London for EU
More than 7,000 finance jobs have moved from London to the European Union as a result of Brexit, down 400 from the total anticipated in December, consultants EY said on Tuesday (28 March).
New battle looms on hormone treated beef in UK/Canada trade talks
Canada has promised to put its hormone treated beef on the UK market after the two sides began talks on a new trade pact on Thursday (24 March).
UK and EU must do more to address Northern Ireland’s democratic deficit
The UK government and European Commission need to do more to explain how changes to EU law could impact Northern Ireland, UK lawmakers warned this week, amid growing concerns about the unique democratic deficit that faces the province.
Ukraine invasion boosts calls for UK politics to tackle Russian cash
From huge donations to political parties and bids for games of tennis with senior ministers, to nominations for peerages, Russian money in British politics has been a recurrent issue for years. But the invasion of Ukraine has intensified calls for...
Rush for UK trade pacts risks having little benefit, lawmakers warn
UK lawmakers have warned that “there is no guarantee” that the new international trade agreements being negotiated by ministers “will deliver actual economic benefits”, in a new report.
Firms to get €2 billion from EU’s Brexit fund
Businesses across the EU who have been affected by Brexit will receive a new round of funding worth €2 billion over the next year, the European Commission has announced.