Year: 2020

Stormont officials working on Brexit have said there is real concern consumers in Northern Ireland will face reduced choice and higher prices when the withdrawal deal is implemented. Some goods entering NI from GB will face new checks and controls. "There are significant consequences of not landing this properly," senior official Paul Grocott told the economy committee. The nature and extent of checks will have to be agreed by the […]

Britain is today bolstering the ranks of its fishing police force ahead of a potential showdown with the European Union over post-Brexit access to UK waters. Fishing rights have already emerged as one of the key battlegrounds in future partnership talks between the UK and the EU. Brussels is adamant that there must be 'reciprocal access' on fishing so that existing arrangements which allow European trawlers to fish near the UK can continue. […]

Brexit continues to divide Britain despite Boris Johnson's declaration it is over, according to the new Sky Data poll. It found Brexit remains the top issue of concern for voters on 18%. This puts it ahead of poverty and inequality (16%), health (15%), and the economy and immigration (10%). Despite being the most important issue, Brexit has dropped significantly from 33% in the last poll in October 2019. The Sky Data […]

The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020 and has now entered an 11-month transition period. During this period the UK effectively remains in the EU's customs union and single market and continues to obey EU rules. However, it is no longer part of the political institutions. So, for example, there are no longer any British MEPs in the European Parliament. Future trade deal The first priority will be […]

Britain's membership of the European Union came to an awkward end last week after the UK's representative to the bloc was told by his opposite number from another member state: 'Good riddance.' The remark was made to Sir Tim Barrow by Irena Andrassy, Croatia's permanent representative in Brussels, during Sir Tim's final pre-Brexit meeting with EU counterparts. However, the exchange was apparently the result of a misunderstanding of the British phrase which Ms […]

Brexit is – allegedly – done. The UK is no longer a member state of the European Union, so in this sense at least, the outcome of the 2016 referendum has finally been honoured. But how done is “done”? And what happens next? While Brexit to date has hardly been easy, a new report by the UK in a Changing Europe shows that much of the real work still lies ahead. First, […]

The UK has pledged to be a champion for free trade in its first independent speech given at the World Trade Organization (WTO), having moved away from the EU bloc after Brexit Day last Friday. The move – first revealed by City AM two weeks ago – saw ambassador Julian Braithwaite take the seat next to his US counterpart, with plans for him to “play a full role in negotiations in matters relating […]

People who voted Leave in 2016 do not believe the UK should insist on its own regulatory regime after Brexit, but want certain standards maintained after transition, a new survey has found. Yesterday Prime Minister Boris Johnson made much of the UK government’s plan to reject the EU’s insistence of a level-playing field, saying: “There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition […]