Month: January 2020

At least 700,000 people born in Northern Ireland now hold an Irish passport. About 200,000 of those made their first application after the Brexit referendum. That number only accounts for those who have made new applications or renewed their passports in the last 10 years - the total figure could be higher. With Brexit approaching on Friday, will people with Irish passports retain more rights than those with British passports living […]

Carpenter Mark Lawrence has lived in France for 27 years and his children are French, but the authorities have rejected his application for citizenship. As the UK's departure from the EU approaches at 23:00 GMT on Friday, Mr Lawrence has said he is "gutted" by the decision. French authorities argue he does not have "sufficient and stable resources". Now 33,000 people have signed a petition calling for a change of heart. Mr […]

Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly backed the terms of the UK's departure from the EU. MEPs ratified the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by 621 votes to 49 following an emotional debate in Brussels. After the vote, MEPs marked the UK's exit by singing Auld Lang Syne. Several British MEPs said they hoped the UK would return one day although Eurosceptics, including the Brexit Party's Nigel Farage, used their final […]

At the moment you can take your pet dog, cat, or indeed ferret, from the UK to the EU and back again without quarantine provided that certain conditions are met, such as having a pet passport and your pet being microchipped. That will continue to be the case for the rest of 2020 as the UK goes into a transition period, during which almost everything stays the same. What happens from the […]

Scotland is demanding a seat at the table in post-Brexit trade talks with the European Union. SNP Brexit minister Michael Russell said it would be an "injustice" if Holyrood was not given a role in the negotiations with Brussels. He will argue the Scottish government's case when he makes a statement in the Scottish parliament later. It comes after a senior minister in Boris Johnson's government promised the devolved administrations of Scotland, […]

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has said it is "very difficult to know" if Brexit brings a united Ireland any closer. He was speaking after meeting the five main political parties at Stormont during a visit to Northern Ireland. Questioned on whether Brexit brings Irish unity nearer, he said there were "more important priorities". Mr Corbyn added that after Brexit "the issue that is important is the immediacy of funding and […]

Members of the European Parliament have overwhelmingly backed the terms of the UK's departure from the EU. MEPs ratified the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by 621 votes to 49 following an emotional debate in Brussels. After the vote, MEPs marked the UK's exit by singing Auld Lang Syne. Several British MEPs said they hoped the UK would return one day although Eurosceptics, including the Brexit Party's Nigel Farage, used their final […]