Brexit
Former UK speaker Bercow denounces Johnson and defects to Labour
The colourful former speaker of Britain's House of Commons John Bercow said he has left the Conservatives to join the opposition Labour Party, saying the country is "sick of lies" under Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
UK suffers ‘disaster’ £2bn drop in EU exports
In the first three months of this year, the UK food and drink sector has taken a £2 billion hit in lost exports to the EU, described by the industry as a ‘disaster’, according to new figures published on Friday (18 June).
Little progress, little time left to resolve Irish customs row, warns UK minister
Little progress is being made towards breaking the impasse with the EU on the customs procedures for goods travelling to Northern Ireland and time is running out, the UK's Brexit minister David Frost admitted on Wednesday (16 June), adding that London was "keeping all options open".
UK’s sausage row with EU goes from bad to wurst
UK anger with Europe sizzled on Sunday (13 June) after a sausage-themed dispute between the British and French leaders over post-Brexit trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.
The Brief – Battle of the bangers
In the British vintage comedy series Yes, Minister, the hapless Jim Hacker becomes prime minister on the strength of a campaign against plans by the European Commission to introduce a “Euro sausage”. That would mean the end of the gritty...
Macron plays on EU unity as Brexit row overshadows summit
French President Emmanuel Macron sought to portray a united European front at the G7 summit on Friday (11 June), tweeting a picture of the five EU leaders together, in a thinly veiled warning to the UK that the EU is united about the implementation of the Brexit agreement.
Elton John says Brexit a ‘catastrophe’ for new generation of UK singers
Elton John on Thursday (10 June) warned of a lost generation in the UK's music industry because of post-Brexit curbs on touring in the European Union.
UK skirts ‘special relationship’ talk for Biden meet
The UK-US "special relationship" has been an article of faith for generations of British leaders. But Prime Minister Boris Johnson is rejecting old pieties as he heads into his first face-to-face talks with President Joe Biden.
War of words intensifies on Northern Ireland Protocol dispute
The war of words between UK and EU officials is continuing ahead of a crunch meeting on the Northern Ireland Protocol, when Brexit Minister David Frost is due to meet European Commission Vice-President Maros Sefcovic in London.
EU and UK agree fishing deal amid Channel row
The EU and the UK on Wednesday (1 June) concluded an agreement setting out catch limits for jointly managed fish stocks for 2021, the first annual deal under the new trade pact between London and Brussels.
EU-UK trade dropped by a quarter following Brexit, new data shows
Trade between the UK and the EU dropped by almost a quarter in the first three months after the UK left the bloc’s single market, according to data published on Tuesday (25 May) by the UK’s Office for National Statistics.
France warns UK not to ‘play’ with Northern Ireland Brexit deal
France's European affairs minister warned Britain not to play games with special post-Brexit trading rules for Northern Ireland, as fears rise of a summer of violence in the province.
UK set to offer unfettered access to meat imports in Australia trade pact
The United Kingdom is expected to sign an ambitious liberalising trade pact with Australia, its first major new trade deal since leaving the EU, following a row between cabinet ministers on whether to open up the UK market to meat imports.
UK risks higher inequality that any EU country except Bulgaria: Think-tank
Britain faces a decade of major public policy challenges that could reduce economic performance to nearer that of struggling Italy, and increase inequality to the level of Bulgaria, Europe's powerhouse, a think-tank said on Tuesday (18 May).
UK underestimated impact of Northern Ireland Protocol, concedes Frost
The UK government underestimated the impact of the Northern Ireland Protocol, Brexit minister David Frost conceded on Monday (17 May), as he warned UK lawmakers that talks with EU officials had failed to break an impasse on the implementation of border checks.
Northern Ireland’s unionists elect Poots, a creationist, as new DUP leader
Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) on Friday (14 May) elected Edwin Poots as new leader, handing the hardliner the immediate task of choosing a new first minister in the British-ruled province.
One in four EU citizens fear discrimination compared to UK nationals
A quarter of EU citizens living in the UK do not feel they are treated equally to UK citizens, according to the first survey of EU citizens by the watchdog set to protect their rights published on Thursday (13 May).
Indyref 2 is ‘will of the country‘, says Scottish first minister following poll win
The pressure for a second referendum on Scottish independence will step up after the Scottish National Party secured 64 of the 129 seats following Thursday’s (6 May) Scottish parliament elections and declared that an independence poll was “the will of...
The Brief, powered by GIE – Cod War II
Nothing stirs Anglo-Gallic passions quite like the sight of gunboats in the Channel. The presence of several hundred patrol boats in the waters around Jersey – one of the picturesque Channel islands that provides offshore banking to the mega-rich – is the latest act in the Brexit farce.
With Brexit deal ratified, EU and UK parliamentarians must now rebuild their relationship
With the post-Brexit trade pact now formally ratified, EU and UK lawmakers must take the lead in rebuilding the cross-Channel relationship, writes John McStravick.
UK-France fishing row escalates as protest descends on Jersey
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sent two Navy patrol vessels to Jersey over concerns that French fishermen could blockade its main port in an escalating post-Brexit row.
The Brief, powered by GIE – The 28th state?
Theatre director Thomas Bellinck's dystopian vision 'The House of European History in Exile', a museum exhibition in Brussels in 2013, when Brexit itself looked improbable, predicted that an independent Scotland would be the last country to join the EU.
France rejects British fishing demands as Brexit row deepens
The French government on Monday (3 May) lashed out at new regulations which Britain has declared for fishing in its waters near the Channel Islands, deeming them "null and void" in a deepening post-Brexit row.