Category Archives: Brexit

Johnson humiliated by Luxembourg PM at ’empty chair’ press conference

Posted on by

Xavier Bettel gesticulates at empty podium as British PM skips press conference amid loud protests

Boris Johnson was left humiliated and his claims of progress in the Brexit negotiations in tatters after a chaotic visit to Luxembourg ended in the prime minister being mocked by a fellow European leader for cancelling a press appearance to avoid protesters.

Johnson was booed and jeered as he left a working lunch with the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker, before opting out of plans to speak alongside Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, after being targeted by a larger crowd.

Continue reading...

Brexit: EU must show flexibility, says Raab before Johnson-Juncker meeting – live news

Posted on by

Rolling coverage of the day’s political developments as they happen, including Boris Johnson’s meeting with the European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker

Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, was asked if he was confident of progress as he went in for his lunch with Boris Johnson. According to the Press Association, he replied: “We will see.”

According to the Telegraph’s James Crisp, Juncker also offered to pay for lunch.

Juncker and Johnson are having their powwow in Le Bouquet Garni. 18th C restaurant opposite ducal palace. Boris, who was greeted by a protest said nothing on way in.

Juncker on other hand
.. 1/ pic.twitter.com/ccgfgW5X3b

Juncker said he never runs out of patience before saying he would pick up the bill.

"I have no choice" he joked.

Here is some footage of Boris Johnson meeting Jean-Claude Juncker. This is from the BBC’s Larissa Kennelly.

Commission Pres @JunckerEU shakes hands with @BorisJohnson as he arrives for (s)nails and salmon in Luxembourg. Lunch on Juncker apparently. pic.twitter.com/vWFoTEYKm7

Continue reading...

EU dismay as Boris Johnson compares himself to Hulk

Posted on by

Breaking ‘manacles’ comments come a day before PM travels for Brexit talks in Luxembourg

European officials reacted with exasperation on Sunday as Boris Johnson compared himself to the Incredible Hulk throwing off the shackles of the EU the day before he is due to travel to Luxembourg for talks in pursuit of a Brexit deal.

No 10 struck a combative tone before the scheduled meeting with European commission president Jean-Claude Juncker saying Johnson would tell him that the UK must reject any new Brexit deadline.

Continue reading...

Brexit: UK ministers talk up Irish border compromise as key to deal

Posted on by

Stephen Barclay and Priti Patel insist focus is on achieving agreement before 31 October

Two of Boris Johnson’s senior cabinet ministers have talked up the possibility of securing a Brexit deal through some divergence on the rules in Northern Ireland, as the government’s rhetoric showed fresh signs of shifting ahead of crucial talks next week.

With Johnson due to meet Jean-Claude Juncker, the European commission president, on Monday, Stephen Barclay, the Brexit secretary, and the home secretary, Priti Patel, accepted the Irish border was likely to be a key to any potential agreement.

Continue reading...

We must stop Brexit in any form, councillors tell Jeremy Corbyn

Posted on by
Grassroots leaders call for a decisive stance to stay in EU and deliver a radical new manifesto

Jeremy Corbyn has come under growing internal pressure to commit Labour to a unequivocal policy of remaining in the European Union as more than 100 councillors issued a joint warning to the party’s ruling body that any form of Brexit would threaten jobs, public services, workers’ rights and the environment.

In a letter to the national executive committee (NEC), which meets this week, the Labour councillors, including several leaders of county and borough councils, called on the party “to campaign unambiguously and energetically for a public vote on Brexit and to endorse a ‘remain and transform’ position in all circumstances”.

Continue reading...

Hopes of clean break with EU are nonsense, says ex-Brexit official

Posted on by

A no-deal exit would trigger complex negotiations, argues former top DexEU civil servant

Claiming a no-deal Brexit represents a clean break with the European Union is “nonsensical”, according to Philip Rycroft, the former permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the EU.

Boris Johnson has promised to extricate the UK from the EU on 31 October “come what may” – and has hinted that he could try to get around legislation mandating him to request a Brexit delay.

Continue reading...

No 10 plays down hopes of Brexit breakthrough

Posted on by

Downing Street has no plans to publish proposals despite chance of border compromise

Downing Street has played down the prospect of an early breakthrough in Brexit talks despite hopes of a compromise on the Irish backstop, as Boris Johnson prepares to meet the European commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker.

There has been a renewed drive in No 10 for an agreement since parliamentarians passed a law aimed at blocking a no-deal Brexit on 31 October and twice rejected Johnson’s demand for a snap general election.

Continue reading...

Met to take no further action over Leave.EU spending breaches

Posted on by

Police say Brexit campaign broke law but claim insufficient evidence to continue

The Metropolitan police have announced they will take no further action against the Leave.EU campaign for spending offences in the Brexit referendum, despite accepting that it broke the law.

In a statement released on Friday, the Met concluded there was insufficient evidence to justify further investigation of the group, which was set up by the insurance businessman Arron Banks.

Continue reading...

John Bercow: I’ll stop Boris Johnson breaking the law on Brexit

Posted on by

Commons Speaker issues direct challenge to ministers threatening to ignore legislation

John Bercow has threatened Boris Johnson that he will be prepared to rip up the parliamentary rulebook to stop any illegal attempt by the prime minister to take the UK out of the EU without a deal on 31 October.

In a direct warning to No 10, the Speaker of the House of Commons said he is prepared to allow “additional procedural creativity” if necessary to allow parliament to block Johnson from ignoring the law.

Continue reading...

European parliament to raise alarm over UK’s treatment of EU citizens

Posted on by

Leaked resolution says it will use veto against any Brexit deal without an insurance policy

The European parliament is to criticise the British government’s treatment of EU citizens living in the UK and insist it will refuse to ratify a deal that fails to include an Irish backstop or provisions that tie the UK into EU standards after Brexit.

A leaked copy of a resolution of the parliament due to be voted on next week lays out a series of concerns about the conduct of Boris Johnson’s government. The parliament has a veto on any deal agreed.

Continue reading...

Jeremy Corbyn is wise to emulate Harold Wilson’s pragmatism on Europe | Steve Howell

Posted on by
Wilson left it late before backing his own deal in the 1975 referendum. Corbyn should keep Labour’s options open too

It is said of Harold Wilson that he epitomised the quip: “If you can’t ride two horses at the same time, you shouldn’t be in the circus.” He was often criticised for putting pragmatism before principle in his 13 years as Labour leader, but it was an attribute that served him well in preventing the party from tearing itself apart on Europe in the 1970s.

When Wilson won a fourth general election on 10 October 1974, he faced the challenge of navigating Labour’s deep divisions on whether or not to reverse the 1972 decision to join the common market. The party’s election manifesto had promised the British people a “final say” on Britain’s membership without committing itself one way or another to a recommendation. “It is as yet too early to judge the likely results of the tough negotiations which are taking place,” it said.

Continue reading...

Scottish judges rule Boris Johnson’s suspension of parliament unlawful

Posted on by

Court backs MPs who said prorogation breached constitution

  • Follow all the latest political news on our live blog

Scottish appeal court judges have declared Boris Johnson’s decision to suspend parliament in the run-up to the October Brexit deadline is unlawful.

The three judges, chaired by Lord Carloway, Scotland’s most senior judge, overturned an earlier ruling that the courts did not have the power to interfere in the prime minister’s political decision to prorogue parliament.

Continue reading...

EU looks to Northern Ireland-only backstop to break Brexit deadlock

Posted on by

EU trade commissioner says he believes ‘penny is finally dropping’ for Boris Johnson

The EU is pinning hopes on British negotiators reverting to the Northern Ireland-only backstop that was previously rejected by Theresa May as a threat to the constitutional integrity of the UK.

With Boris Johnson facing a choice between breaking his word and extending the UK’s EU membership beyond 31 October or bringing back a tweaked deal for a last-gasp vote in parliament, officials and diplomats have expressed hope that the prime minister will make a U-turn.

Continue reading...

Brexit: Boris Johnson poised to suspend parliament – live news

Posted on by

Last day of parliament also sees prime minister forced to publish no-deal plans

Opposition MPs were holding up signs in parliament saying “silenced”.

pic.twitter.com/Tvtk2yHhMq

“Silent acquiescence in the face of tyranny is no better than outright agreement.”#OurParliamentSilenced pic.twitter.com/DxlVXXWWjR

Bercow was loudly applauded by opposition MPs as he left the chamber. Labour MPs then chanted “shame on you!” to Conservatives as they exited.

Bercow being applauded by the Opposition. Labour MPs screaming “shame on you!” to ministers. These are absolutely extraordinary scenes.

Continue reading...

John Bercow’s long journey from hard right to Labour darling

Posted on by

The Speaker has enraged former Conservative colleagues by drifting to the left during his political career

With his announcement that he will stand down as Speaker by 31 October, John Bercow is ending a House of Commons career that has seen him move from the right of the Conservative party to become a darling of Labour MPs.

Standing at 170cm (5ft 6in), Bercow has become a favourite of satirists, developing a cult following abroad for his thunderous voice and the theatrical way he shouts “order”. He has variously been described as a “stupid, sanctimonious dwarf” (Conservative MP Simon Burns) to “one of the great Speakers” (Tom Watson, deputy leader of the Labour party).

Continue reading...

No-deal Brexit will not be clean break, Irish PM warns Boris Johnson

Posted on by

Leo Varadkar says UK and EU will still have to negotiate, with same problems on agenda

The Irish prime minister has warned Boris Johnson that there will be no “clean break” from the EU, with further fraught negotiations to come if Britain crashes out of the bloc without a deal.

In a tough message to his British counterpart on the steps of Ireland’s Government Buildings, Leo Varadkar warned Britain would be back to square one on the very issues that it refuses to agree on now in a no-deal scenario.

Continue reading...

There’s no such thing as a ‘clean break’ Brexit, Irish PM Varadkar warns Johnson – video

Posted on by

The Irish prime minister has warned Boris Johnson that a no-deal Brexit would cause 'severe disruption’ without offering an end to the Brexit process. Leo Varadkar added that Ireland was open to alternatives to the Irish backstop, which has proved a major obstacle in negotiations, but had not received any from the UK.

The two leaders met in Dublin for their first face-to-face meeting since Johnson became prime minister in July. At their joint press conference, Johnson insisted he was seeking a deal, and claimed no deal would be a 'failure of statecraft for which we would all be responsible'

Continue reading...

Boris Johnson heads to Dublin amid fears of more resignations

Posted on by

PM battles to keep Brexit plan on track after Amber Rudd quit the government on Saturday

Boris Johnson will fly to Dublin to meet the Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, on Monday, as he battles to show his Brexit plan remains on track after Amber Rudd dramatically quit the cabinet.

Against a backdrop of mounting disquiet inside government at Johnson’s gung-ho approach and the combative style of his chief strategist Dominic Cummings, the British prime minister hopes to demonstrate that he is serious about negotiating a fresh Brexit deal.

Continue reading...

France threatens to veto further Brexit extension

Posted on by

French foreign minister decries ‘worrying’ lack of progress as EU diplomats express frustration

The French government has threatened to veto a further Brexit extension due to the “worrying” lack of progress in the recent talks, as EU diplomats expressed their frustration at being caught up in game-playing by the British government.

In a sign of rising exasperation, the French foreign minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, highlighted the lack of realistic proposals being put forward by Downing Street as an alternative to the Irish backstop.

Continue reading...