ERG’s post Brexit plans for Irish border revealed September 12, 2018 The Irish border issue can be resolved through "the mutual trust on which regular trade depends", a new proposal put forward by pro-Brexit MPs today has said. The European Research Group's 19-page document suggests existing technology will make border checks unnecessary, while physical inspections can be carried out at exporters' or importers' premises, with exemptions for "the [...]
The decision to include international students in the migration target is a missed opportunity for sensible reform September 12, 2018 International students coming to study in the UK should still be counted in the government’s net migration target. That was the conclusion from the Migration Advisory Committee published yesterday and a disappointment to those of us who have been calling for reform. Over 750,000 students come from abroad to study here each year, paying higher fees [...]
ERG MPs ‘openly discussing’ plot to oust Theresa May September 12, 2018 Pro-Brexit members of the European Research Group were openly discussing how best to oust Prime Minister Theresa May during last night's weekly meeting, it has been claimed. The ERG, which is led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, has publicly denied that its anti-Chequers assaults including yesterday's endorsement of an alternative Brexit strategy have any bearing on the party's [...]
Putin calls on Novichok suspects to defend themselves in public September 12, 2018 Vladmir Putin has encouraged two Russian men allegedly sent to kill former Soviet military officer Sergei Skripal to defend themselves publically. The Russian President said the men identified by the UK as Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov are “civilians”, claiming “there is nothing criminal here”. Read more: US, France, Germany and Canada back UK on [...]
Jean Claude Juncker’s State of the Union 2018 address: UK ‘will never be an ordinary third country’ after Brexit September 12, 2018 The UK will "never be an ordinary third country" for the EU, Jean-Claude Juncker said in this morning's State of the Union address – but indicated that the Chequers' proposal of a Single Market for goods is a non-starter. Giving his annual speech, the European Commission President told MEPs in Strasbourg that the UK would "always be [...]
Brexiter big beasts herald Economists for Free Trade report September 11, 2018 Brexiter big beasts Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, David Davis and Iain Duncan Smith were among a slew of MPs to endorse a new report claiming the UK could be as much as £1.1 trillion better off under a so-called World Trade Deal. The report, by the pro-Leave Economists for Free Trade, was launched by Rees-Mogg alongside EFT [...]
Students should remain in net migration figures, govt told September 11, 2018 Students should continue to count towards the UK's total immigration figures, the government's independent adviser has said, throwing Theresa May a rare lifeline on the issue. A new report, published this morning by the Migration Advisory Committee, acknowledged international students brought "clear benefits to the whole of the UK", and their ongoing inclusion would make it [...]
DEBATE: Is now the right time to redraw the parliamentary map and reduce the number of MPs? September 11, 2018 Is now the right time to redraw the parliamentary map and reduce the number of MPs? Olivia Utley, communications manager at Bright Blue, says YES. In terms of population, the largest constituency in the UK is the Isle of Wight, with an electorate of 110,924 in 2015. The smallest is Na h-Eileanan an Iar in [...]
Bosses of Citi, JPMorgan and Barclays slam equivalence as “‘insufficiently load-bearing’ for post-Brexit financial services trade September 11, 2018 Banking bosses have stressed that the government must push for a vastly improved equivalence regime, warning that the current system is "insufficiently load-bearing". Speaking before MPs of the Treasury Select Committee this morning, executives from Barclays, Citigroup and JPMorgan said they were already implementing their no deal contingency planning to ensure they were able to [...]
The EU’s existential crisis has spread to Sweden September 10, 2018 The tide of political upheaval has spread to Sweden, whose election has shaken any delusion that anti-EU frustration is confined to the Brexit-voting UK. In Sweden’s system of compromise and coalition, the far-right Sweden Democrats (SD) have been the big winners. While SD did not do as well as some had predicted, winning 17.6 per [...]