Year: 2020

Donald Trump today claimed the EU makes it 'impossible' to trade as he praised Boris Johnson and said the UK is in a 'good position' to get a strong post-Brexit deal from the bloc. The US President delivered a savage attack on Brussels as he spoke at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this afternoon. He said the EU was 'more difficult to do business with than China' but predicted the bloc would […]

Peers have approved Boris Johnson's Brexit bill, but not before making changes to the legislation. The House of Lords voted in favour of five amendments over two days of debate, leading the new government to its first parliamentary defeats. The changes included backing the Dubs amendment to protect the rights of refugee children after Brexit. No 10 said they were "disappointed" by the move, but planned to overturn them when the […]

The Northern Ireland Assembly has passed a motion withholding consent for the UK's withdrawal from the European Union. The motion put forward by the Executive Office asked MLAs to consider parts of the Brexit bill that affected Northern Ireland. It passed without a formal division on Monday. All 18 Westminster MPs from Northern Ireland opposed the prime minister's Brexit deal last month. The bill includes a role for the assembly […]

Boris Johnson has suffered a defeat in the House of Lords as peers backed an amendment to his Brexit legislation. The upper chamber backed a cross-party amendment to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill on the issue of EU citizens' rights, by 270 votes to 229. It calls for EU citizens lawfully residing in Britain to be allowed physical proof of their status. Around three million EU citizens live in the UK […]

British businesses say a lack information about the UK's post-Brexit relationship with the EU is still preventing them from planning for the future. The Institute of Directors (IoD) found that 55% agreed they "will only be able to make planning and investment decisions with certainty when we understand our future relationship with the EU". Just 35% of businesses said the withdrawal agreement gives their organisation the "certainty needed to make […]

The Welsh Assembly has joined the Scottish Parliament and the Northern Ireland Assembly in rejecting the Brexit bill. It means all of the UK's devolved law-making bodies have voted against the withdrawal agreement legislation. A total of 35 assembly members, from Labour and Plaid Cymru, opposed the law, while 15 backed it. First Minister Mark Drakeford said the law unilaterally rewrites the way devolution works in Wales. His counterpart in […]