Theresa May says ‘crystal clear’ EU must provide Brexit assurances after confronting Juncker December 14, 2018 Theresa May said this afternoon that she had a “robust” conversation with EU leader Jean-Claude Juncker over claims he called her “nebulous”, as she defended her Brexit deal despite a renegotiation looking unlikely. Speaking to media during a Brexit summit in Brussels, May addressed a video catching her and Juncker in the middle of a [...]
DUP leader Arlene Foster asks Theresa May if she will ‘roll over’ for EU on Brexit deal’s Irish backstop clause December 14, 2018 DUP leader Arlene Foster has asked Theresa May whether she will “roll over” for the EU over Brexit, piling further pressure onto the Prime Minister as she seeks changes to her withdrawal agreement in Brussels. Foster said today: “The Prime Minister has promised to get legally binding changes. The reaction by the EU is unsurprising. [...]
So what does the DUP really, really want? A no-deal Brexit December 14, 2018 “So tell me what you want, what you really, really want,” sang the Spice Girls in their debut single in June 1996, the same month that multi-party talks were established to kickstart the Irish peace process. Now, 22 years later, it is a question that could well be asked of the DUP. This week, all [...]
DEBATE: After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? December 14, 2018 After a breathtaking leadership challenge to the Prime Minister, has anything actually changed? Mo Lovatt, lecturer in Cultural and Creative Industries and co-chair of The Great Debate, says YES. The Prime Minister has survived a leadership challenge and some argue that nothing has changed. In Brexit terms, this is true: she remains stubbornly positioned between a [...]
Hard Brexit will be a disaster for British businesses, says Sir Richard Branson December 14, 2018 Sir Richard Branson has claimed that a hard Brexit would be a disaster for the UK and called on Prime Minister Theresa May to be honest about the consequences it could have. The Virgin Group founder has warned that leaving the EU without a deal would result in the closure of British businesses and that the [...]
Judge Theresa May on her policies, not on her gender December 14, 2018 “Having failed at an impossible task no one else wanted, the men in grey suits are lining up to push… their female leader off the glass cliff.” So tweeted the Women’s Equality Party (WEP) on Wednesday afternoon, before the confidence vote in Theresa May’s leadership took place. It’s not exactly a kind write-up for the [...]
Blair says UK must prepare for a second Brexit referendum December 14, 2018 Former Prime Minister Tony Blair is to say that the UK and EU should prepare for a second referendum because parliament is unlikely to be able to agree on a Brexit deal. Blair will say it is perverse that the UK and the EU are preparing for a potentially economically damaging Brexit without any deal, [...]
US Senate passes resolution blaming Saudi Crown Prince for Khashoggi death December 14, 2018 The US Senate has passed a resolution on the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, putting the blame firmly at the feet of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. In a rare move against the wishes of US President Donald Trump, who has maintained the Crown Prince's innocence to date, seven Republicans joined Democrat lawmakers [...]
Brits face paying for a visa waiver to travel to the EU after Brexit December 14, 2018 Brits travelling to the EU after Brexit face a €7 (£6.30) fee to holiday abroad without a visa, it is reported. The charge will come in in 2021, when Britain’s two-year transition period with the EU ends and the UK officially leaves the EU. If the UK’s transition period is extended beyond 2021, then the [...]
Editor’s Notes: Wherever Brexit takes us, let’s hope it’s not Norway December 14, 2018 Theresa May remains in office, and all her difficulties remain with her. By surviving Wednesday night’s vote, she has secured a grace period of 12 months during which time she cannot be challenged again. However, Labour MPs are determined to call a parliamentary vote of no confidence in the government, which could destroy the Tory-DUP [...]