Prime Minister Jeremy Corbyn would be just as bad for banks as a no-deal Brexit, Citi warns
The election of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister would be just as bad for UK banks as a no-deal Brexit, Citigroup has warned. Fears are growing in the City after an exclusive poll for The Telegraph showed that the Labour leader is on course to sweep into No 10 if there is a general election as the popularity of the Tories collapses. Mr Corbyn has previously said the next Labour government will make financiers "the servants of industry". Citigroup told clients on Monday that it has reviewed the Labour Party's pledges and come to the conclusion that the impact for UK banks "could potentially be similar in magnitude to a no-deal Brexit outcome". It said this was mainly due to an expected fall in...
Tom Watson calls for inquiry into Arron Banks and Leave.EU Pro-Brexit group allegedly faked migrant-related video and photos before referendum
Tom Watson has called for a judicial inquiry into the activities ahead of the Brexit referendum of the Leave.EU campaign and its main backer, Arron Banks, after claims the group faked a video and photos connected to migrants. Watson, the deputy Labour leader and shadow culture secretary, said the inquiry should have criminal powers. “We cannot allow those who cheat and lie to mock and subvert our democracy (using millions from who knows where) to prevail,” he said in a tweet. In a joint statement, Banks and his close aide Andy Wigmore, who was head of communications for Leave.EU, said they would welcome such an inquiry.
Watson’s call followed an investigation by Channel 4 News that said Leave.EU was involved in the creation of faked photos and a faked video as potential campaign tools shortly before the referendum in 2016.
I’m a student who campaigned for Brexit in 2016 – now I know I got it wrong What is obvious now, and perhaps to many was even before the referendum, is that leaving the EU does not allow the UK to regain any control
Most young voters of my generation will have probably, at some time or another, watched political dramas – Scandal, The Thick of It, House of Cards, to name a few. But the current high-level drama that is Brexit cannot be turned off. And, if you like series that end before their creators ruin them, well, I’m sad to say that for Brexit this is just the beginning: the end is not even in sight and the series rating has already hit rock bottom.
Three years ago, in the EU referendum, I campaigned for the UK to vote to leave the EU. That is a decision I have regretted since soon after 23 June 2016.
I am sad and annoyed to admit that, at the time, I was won over by bald slogans, genuine believing that what the Leave campaign promised was the most convincing option.
I, like most of the country, have been on a long journey since then. From a few months after the referendum result I started to get a nagging doubt. Had I done the right
It’s clear to see now that Brexit was a mistake. Vote Leave managed to run a campaign that connected on a much more emotional level than any of the financial threats the Remain campaign rolled out. The urge to “Take back control” was clever – the use of the word “back” hinting that we somehow had lost an advantage, or control, over huge areas.
What is obvious now, and perhaps to many was even before the referendum, is that leaving does not allow the UK to gain any control. Leaving the EU actually means losing control, losing power, losing influence and losing opportunities.
Parliament deadlock puts soft Brexit at risk, as Boles adds some drama If Brexit ever actually happens, then it is extremely likely that the UK will stay aligned to current EU regulations in order to make trade possible. What that means is that the UK will obey rules that it once helped to decide – except without having any say over them in the future. That doesn’t seem like taking back control.
Alternatively, we could lower food standards and regulations that keep us safe, in return for a trade deal and close economic partnership with the United States. We would have no say over dropping those safety standards, they would simply be part of the requirement for a close relationship. That, too, doesn’t seem like taking back control.
In any circumstances, the UK will still have to work extremely closely with the European Union – but, instead of helping to set the course of action, we will be responding to their decisions. That doesn’t seem like taking back control to me either.
Is this really the most ill-disciplined cabinet in British history? The saying that ”a week is a long time in politics” has never been truer. And it has been an incredible 145 weeks since the referendum.
In that time everything has changed, and this is the reason why: in the EU referendum we had multiple people from multiple groups saying multiple things about multiple visions. Does that sound vague or unclear? It certainly should, because it was. In 2016, Brexit was a vague idea that everyone had their own version of. Now it is a clear reality. This reality is Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, which has united Leavers and Remainers only in their opposition to it. It was defeated in Parliament with the largest majority in history, and a further two times since then. If we exit with that deal, we are doing it based on a decision taken three years ago, when the terms of our exit had not even begun to be negotiated.
Now we know what Brexit truly looks like, we should hold a confirmatory referendum. Parliament has rejected May’s deal, but MPs cannot agree on an alternative. The people hate May’s deal but May refuses to go back to them. Those of us campaigning for Our Future, Our Choice believe that the situation has changed drastically. I believe people have a right to change their minds and to be asked what they want now. We should make sure the people really want to pursue this huge decision, now that we see what the reality looks like for us, for our friends, for our families, and for our country’s future. After all, it’s our choice.
The arrogant elite stuck two fingers up at the people, says NIGEL FARAGE After 25 years of campaigning to get the UK out of the EU, I am the last person who wanted our country to be in this position. Frankly, I think it is an unforgivable state of affairs. But the refusal of the political class in Westminster to honour the referendum result of 2016 means that this unwanted election is upon us. We must make the best of it. Having said all of that, I wouldn't want anybody to think I am despondent. Far from it. And none of the 17.4 million men and women who voted for Brexit should be either. Before us all is a brilliant opportunity to bring about a revolution in Britain's political system. To that end, I want to emphasise with every fibre of my being how important it is that as many people as possible turn out next month and vote for The Brexit Party. I know that many reading this will be sceptical, thinking their vote won't make a difference. But without the people of our nation doing their democratic duty three years ago, we would not have won the EU referendum. On that occasion, we beat the Remain side by more than 1.3 million votes.
Remainers bang on about how close that result was, but I disagree. We won by a number equivalent to the population of Birmingham. That is a substantial margin of victory. The will of a majority of British people was crystal clear.
After June 2016, the overwhelming majority of MPs agreed to enact Brexit. But then Theresa May's shambles of a general election in 2017 - in which she was left with a minority government - changed things.
Remainer MPs, who make up 75 per cent of the House of Commons, started to backtrack. As time has gone on, this arrogant elite have stuck two fingers up at their own manifestos, lied to the electorate, and done everything possible to thwart the result.
They are now stone-deaf to the promises they made previously. Many are so out of touch it is as though they simply don't care anymore.
They have concocted all sorts of bogus arguments to try to kill Brexit. The sheer scale of their betrayal of the country is difficult to grasp. In light of this, the best option open to Brexiteers is to punish both Establishment parties and back The Brexit Party.
That is why I would urge anybody tempted to stay at home on May 23 not to do so. Please do not behave as though we have been defeated. Instead, remember that the 2016 result was just the first triumph.
We must now finish the job and change politics in Britain for good.
The Conservatives and Labour have been as bad as each other when it comes to choking off Brexit. In their own ways, both have connived to let down the citizens of Britain who voted to Leave in 2016.
But Remainers too should be deeply alarmed by the behaviour of our MPs in recent months. They should also vote for The Brexit Party.
Even if they didn't like the referendum result in 2016, they shouldn't be comfortable about the way democracy has been turned on its head.
Indeed, this goes way beyond old-fashioned party politics. A clear message must be sent on May 23 that people are not prepared to go on with this shattered order any longer.
I believe the European elections can be the vehicle for driving the fundamental change that is required in our politics. It is just the start of the revolution for which Britain is crying out. The Brexit Party is going to put competence back into British politics.
No decent person would ever invite anybody associated with violence, thuggery or criminality into their house.
By the same token, no selfrespecting voter should ever consider supporting a party with links to any of these appalling traits either. That is why you can count on The Brexit Party to field a wide range of candidates who are committed to openness, honesty, integrity, and promoting the public good.
After three terrible years in which the people of the UK have been deliberately misled by a group of conceited politicians who are ****-bent on pleasing themselves, we all deserve so much better.
Brexit: High-tech solution to avoid hard Northern Ireland border 'decade away', leaked Home Office document says 'The challenges of this work cannot be underestimated', warns memo in blow to Brexiteer hopes of replacing backstop
Any hi-tech solution to the problem of how to keep the Northern Ireland border open after Brexit is at least ten years away, a leaked Home Office document has said. The memo said the cost and complexity of using new technology to remove the need for border checks meant "the challenges of this work cannot be underestimated".
The finding will come as a blow to Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, who have repeatedly insisted that technology could be used to keep the border open in the event of a no-deal Brexit, removing the need for the controversial Northern Ireland backstop.
The memo, seen by Sky News, was drawn up by the Home Office's Policy Unit and sent to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Treasury. It says there could be a possible technological solution but that it would come with a huge array of difficulties.
The solution would involve companies uploading data on goods and using blockchain technology, sensors and automated collection to pay tariffs.
The memo said: "If all these technologies are brought together this could allow a seamless collection and analysis of the data needed. It would also provide the ability to target interventions away from the border itself."
But it also warned of a series of practical problems in introducing the technology, including cost, time and complexity. It said: "The challenges of this work cannot be underestimated... No government worldwide currently controls different customs arrangements with no physical infrastructure present at the border."
Does Nigel Farage Tell Lies? Yes, Here's Five Of Them
When I held up a sign behind Nigel Farage on Wednesday it, to my shock, went viral. Less shocking was the torrent of abuse and hate that followed online. A lot of the accounts that targeted me called me childish - sure, it wasn't the most sophisticated act I've undertaken in politics. Some accused me of bullying the former-Ukip leader - undermining their argument somewhat by going on to call me a whole host of horrible names. A small number threatened my life. Quite a few, more understandably, asked me what Nigel Farage had done to deserve having a crudely, off the cuff note held up behind his head. For those people, here's a handy list of just five fibs Nigel Farage told that day and over the past decade. Small disclaimer, this list could have been much, much longer.
3. The EU is unelected In his speech, Farage accused the European Commission of being the sole arbiter of legislation in the European Union. He's got form on this, a lot of it. In reality the Commission takes it priorities from elected member state governments (the Council) and performs a role more akin to the British civil service. The third institution, the European Parliament, is made up of directly elected MEPs. Farage should know this by now, he's been one for over 10 years.
4. The majority of our laws are made by the EU Farage and his ilk have been getting away with this one for too long. He claims that 70% of the laws in the UK are made by the EU. The real number is difficult to quantify, but the independent House of Commons library put it at just 13.2%.
5. The EU costs Britain £55million a day Every time I hear this I'm immediately transported back to the referendum campaign and it makes me want to put my head through a wall. Let's be clear, the EU does not cost £55million every day. This is double the real number and does not account for the benefits we get back. And before you ask, no, £350million extra a week will not be given to the NHS when we leave. Nigel Farage and every other leading figure who backed leave distanced themselves the morning after the vote.
Jeremy Hunt's new Brexit lies are playing Bannon's game, and driving British politics into the shadows
MPs like Rosie Cooper perhaps, her life saved by a brave undercover operation at the heart of right-wing extremists? MPs like Jo Cox, murdered by one such extremist before the referendum of 2016, won by Leave. You may remember Farage gloating on his night of victory, “without a bullet being fired”. He knew what he was doing. Did the BBC? If every generation has a darkest hour, a darkest month, a darkest year, this could well be ours. That is precisely what some people want. “Darkness is good,” said white supremacist Steve Bannon, self-styled architect of Trump’s America, at whose feet Johnson and Farage sit in obsequious wonder. Try to catch the footage of Bannon setting out his plans for global domination by the far right, and Farage telling him how he has grown in stature. Nauseating. I do not put Hunt in the same bracket as Farage, or Johnson. But his “lesson on Brexit” to Japanese students showed that he has potential to get there, as did his grotesque comparison six months ago between the EU and Soviet prisons.
Every cloud and all that...with dobiesdraws setting up her own propaganda Brexity party thread, at least we won't need see her trite responses on both threads; just one, unfortunately.....
Northern Ireland TERROR: Londonderry riots leave woman dead after bombs and shots fired RIOTS broke out on the streets of Londonderry, Northern Ireland last night after shots were fired and petrol bombs launched leading to the death of one woman, police confirmed.
Brexit: US Speaker told off 'condescending' Mark Francois at awkward meeting Nancy Pelosi reportedly left the hard Brexiteer 'even more red faced' after the tense confrontation
Tory Brexiteer Mark Francois reportedly got a stern telling off from US Speaker Nancy Pelosi during an awkward meeting about the Northern Ireland Border. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives branded Mr Francois 'condescending' during a meeting with senior European Research Group (ERG) members.
Also at the meeting were Jacob Rees-Mogg , Sir Bernard Jenkin and Steve Baker. According to the Times, the discussion took a turn when the ERG members played down the thorny issue of the Northern Ireland border. Ms Pelosi was reportedly so offended by members of the group that she turned to Mr Francois and said: "Don't condescend to me or to us."
A source who was in the room told the Times: "His face turned from already red to even brighter red.
"They were really condescending to the group, repeatedly saying the issue had been 'concocted' by Remainers, Brussels, and Leo Varadkar, and essentially that they were unwitting dupes." Ms Pelosi is visiting the Northern Ireland border today as part of a week-long visit to the UK and Ireland.
Brexit-related price hikes see UK families spend billions more on everyday goods, new research finds Analysis suggests average household has paid £550 more since 2016 Leave vote
People in the UK are paying billions of pounds more for everyday goods because of Brexit-related price hikes, new research has found. The fall in the value of the pound after the 2016 Leave vote means money spent by individuals and businesses on imported items does not stretch as far as it used to.
As a result, consumers and businesses have had to pay at least £15bn more for the same items, according to analysis by the People's Vote campaign.
Divided between the UK's 27 million households, it suggests the average household will have paid at least £550 more since 2016.
Brexit supporter jailed for sending MPs death threats and racist abuse
A Brexit supporter who sent death threats and racist messages to MPs has been jailed. Jarod Kirkman told police he was just “being a stupid idiot” after he targeted seven parliamentarians who had opposed the UK leaving the European Union or raised concerns about the consequences. The 51-year-old sent emails with the subject lines “Brexit traitor” and “Brexit loser”, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
Using menacing email domains including MPdeadpoliticianwalking.com, he told former Conservative MP Heidi Allen, who has since become a member of Change UK: “Your days are f***ing numbered ****. “Will it be polonium or novichok? Either way you will never know, expect it soon.”
Kirkman, who was unemployed and lived in Luton, also targeted Labour’s David Lammy, calling him a “n*****” and telling him to “f*** off and die in the jungle’. He told Conservative Nicky Morgan “death will be swift”. Labour MPs Yvette Cooper and Jenny Chapman were also targetted, along with former Tory Nick Boles and Sarah Wollaston, who later defected from the Conservatives to Change UK.
Thanks to Brexit, I've got 30 days to leave my home in France When we applied for the right to remain in France after Britain leaves the EU, we discovered that we don't meet a basic income criteria that we had never before been told existed
Dublin saw a huge 66% surge in the amount of office space taken up in the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, with Brexit being a major factor in the uptick.
EU introduces new minimum rights for 'gig economy' workers like Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders Workers will get compensation for work cancelled last minute, and bosses will be made to pay workers for mandatory training, among other rights
Many delivery riders are among those who will get the new rights ( Getty ) The European parliament has approved new minimum rights for workers in so-called “gig economy” jobs such as Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders. Under the EU regulations, casualised employees across Europe will have a right to compensation from their bosses for last-minute cancellation of work.
Any mandatory training will have to be provided free of charge to workers, and counted as paid working time.
“Exclusivity clauses” that ban workers from taking other jobs will also be banned, and probation periods will be restricted to one, with a maximum of six months.
Employers will also have to give workers a description of their duties “from day one”, a formal starting date and pay information, and an indication of what the standard working day will be
Thanks to Brexit, I've got 30 days to leave my home in France When we applied for the right to remain in France after Britain leaves the EU, we discovered that we don't meet a basic income criteria that we had never before been told existed
Photographs of a smiling Lyra McKee feature on almost all the front pages. The Daily Mail calls the New IRA - who police believe were responsible for her killing - "barbaric". The Guardian says her shooting is a "symbol of political failure" - a reminder that the Good Friday Agreement should not be taken for granted. The Sun agrees - it says more needs to be done to restore faith in the political process, starting with restoring the Stormont Assembly. A headline in the Times quotes Lyra McKee herself - "just because we're not at war anymore doesn't mean the shadow of the gunman has left the room".
Trump state visit The Daily Telegraph leads with a warning from ministers that if the Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow, refuses to allow President Trump to address Parliament during a planned state visit in June, it will risk damaging Britain's special relationship with the United States. Mr Bercow strongly opposed a presidential address two years ago, citing "opposition to racism and sexism", and friends tell the paper he hasn't changed his view. But the minister for veterans, Tobias Ellwood, says the UK should "leverage" Mr Trump's visit.
An English baronet is sending 50 oak trees from his estate in Somerset to help rebuild Notre Dame, the Daily Express reports, because he feels guilty about his family's history of "killing French people". Sir Benjamin Slade tells the paper one ancestor, Sir Thomas Slade, designed Horatio Nelson's flagship HMS Victory. He adds he hopes his gesture will help make amends.
Paul Routledge: Brexit takes us across the border into a nightmare What I saw between Hungary and Serbia two days ago is the spectre haunting Dover and all the Channel ports
I have seen the future, and it doesn’t work. On show, in all its road-chaos glory, on the southern border of the European Union between Hungary and Serbia.
Stationary lorries double-parked for more than three miles, while armed guards faff about doing nothing. This is the shape of things to come, when EU and non-EU neighbours are on bad terms. The E75 motorway linking these two countries is a giant lorry park. My bus from Subotica in northern Serbia to Szeged in southern Hungary was held up for two hours. That’s nothing. Delays can last seven hours at peak holiday times.
Passengers were herded through a grim transit shed for passport checks, while officials ransacked our luggage.
Maybe they were looking for seditious literature. I only had the London Review of Books. No water, no food, a toilet charging €1 but closed. Drivers immobilised by the border go-slow that must have been ordered by Budapest’s hard-line government stood around in the chilly wind, swapping horror stories.
They were from Germany and every nation in the Balkans and beyond, caught in a stand-off between an EU state and a non-EU. There was a migrants crisis here, but that’s mostly in the past after Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán put up a Trump-style fence.
What I saw there two days ago is the spectre haunting Dover and all the Channel ports. Brexit means balls-up for the truckers, wrecking a way of life built up over 40 years of free trade.
So, thank you toff-twerp Jacob Rees-Mogg, monomaniac Sir Bill Carcrash, barmy Sir Peter Bonehead and all the other swivel-eyed Brexiteers who have brought us to this pass. They should get off their high horses and talk to the truckers of the E75 autoput. Or better still, listen. My first words above reference those of famous American journalist Lincoln Steffens, who wrote in 1919 after a starry-eyed visit to the young Soviet Union: “I have seen the future, and it works.”
Comments
The election of Jeremy Corbyn as prime minister would be just as bad for UK banks as a no-deal Brexit, Citigroup has warned.
Fears are growing in the City after an exclusive poll for The Telegraph showed that the Labour leader is on course to sweep into No 10 if there is a general election as the popularity of the Tories collapses. Mr Corbyn has previously said the next Labour government will make financiers "the servants of industry".
Citigroup told clients on Monday that it has reviewed the Labour Party's pledges and come to the conclusion that the impact for UK banks "could potentially be similar in magnitude to a no-deal Brexit outcome".
It said this was mainly due to an expected fall in...
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/04/15/corbyn-no-10-would-just-bad-banks-no-deal-brexit-citi-warns/
Pro-Brexit group allegedly faked migrant-related video and photos before referendum
Tom Watson has called for a judicial inquiry into the activities ahead of the Brexit referendum of the Leave.EU campaign and its main backer, Arron Banks, after claims the group faked a video and photos connected to migrants.
Watson, the deputy Labour leader and shadow culture secretary, said the inquiry should have criminal powers. “We cannot allow those who cheat and lie to mock and subvert our democracy (using millions from who knows where) to prevail,” he said in a tweet.
In a joint statement, Banks and his close aide Andy Wigmore, who was head of communications for Leave.EU, said they would welcome such an inquiry.
Watson’s call followed an investigation by Channel 4 News that said Leave.EU was involved in the creation of faked photos and a faked video as potential campaign tools shortly before the referendum in 2016.
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/17/tom-watson-calls-for-inquiry-into-arron-banks-and-leaveeu
What is obvious now, and perhaps to many was even before the referendum, is that leaving the EU does not allow the UK to regain any control
Most young voters of my generation will have probably, at some time or another, watched political dramas – Scandal, The Thick of It, House of Cards, to name a few.
But the current high-level drama that is Brexit cannot be turned off. And, if you like series that end before their creators ruin them, well, I’m sad to say that for Brexit this is just the beginning: the end is not even in sight and the series rating has already hit rock bottom.
Three years ago, in the EU referendum, I campaigned for the UK to vote to leave the EU. That is a decision I have regretted since soon after 23 June 2016.
I am sad and annoyed to admit that, at the time, I was won over by bald slogans, genuine believing that what the Leave campaign promised was the most convincing option.
I, like most of the country, have been on a long journey since then. From a few months after the referendum result I started to get a nagging doubt. Had I done the right
It’s clear to see now that Brexit was a mistake.
Vote Leave managed to run a campaign that connected on a much more emotional level than any of the financial threats the Remain campaign rolled out. The urge to “Take back control” was clever – the use of the word “back” hinting that we somehow had lost an advantage, or control, over huge areas.
What is obvious now, and perhaps to many was even before the referendum, is that leaving does not allow the UK to gain any control. Leaving the EU actually means losing control, losing power, losing influence and losing opportunities.
Parliament deadlock puts soft Brexit at risk, as Boles adds some drama
If Brexit ever actually happens, then it is extremely likely that the UK will stay aligned to current EU regulations in order to make trade possible. What that means is that the UK will obey rules that it once helped to decide – except without having any say over them in the future. That doesn’t seem like taking back control.
Alternatively, we could lower food standards and regulations that keep us safe, in return for a trade deal and close economic partnership with the United States. We would have no say over dropping those safety standards, they would simply be part of the requirement for a close relationship. That, too, doesn’t seem like taking back control.
In any circumstances, the UK will still have to work extremely closely with the European Union – but, instead of helping to set the course of action, we will be responding to their decisions. That doesn’t seem like taking back control to me either.
Is this really the most ill-disciplined cabinet in British history?
The saying that ”a week is a long time in politics” has never been truer. And it has been an incredible 145 weeks since the referendum.
In that time everything has changed, and this is the reason why: in the EU referendum we had multiple people from multiple groups saying multiple things about multiple visions. Does that sound vague or unclear? It certainly should, because it was.
In 2016, Brexit was a vague idea that everyone had their own version of. Now it is a clear reality. This reality is Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, which has united Leavers and Remainers only in their opposition to it. It was defeated in Parliament with the largest majority in history, and a further two times since then.
If we exit with that deal, we are doing it based on a decision taken three years ago, when the terms of our exit had not even begun to be negotiated.
Now we know what Brexit truly looks like, we should hold a confirmatory referendum. Parliament has rejected May’s deal, but MPs cannot agree on an alternative. The people hate May’s deal but May refuses to go back to them.
Those of us campaigning for Our Future, Our Choice believe that the situation has changed drastically. I believe people have a right to change their minds and to be asked what they want now. We should make sure the people really want to pursue this huge decision, now that we see what the reality looks like for us, for our friends, for our families, and for our country’s future. After all, it’s our choice.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-second-referendum-peoples-vote-theresa-may-deal-student-a8850406.html
'The challenges of this work cannot be underestimated', warns memo in blow to Brexiteer hopes of replacing backstop
Any hi-tech solution to the problem of how to keep the Northern Ireland border open after Brexit is at least ten years away, a leaked Home Office document has said.
The memo said the cost and complexity of using new technology to remove the need for border checks meant "the challenges of this work cannot be underestimated".
The finding will come as a blow to Eurosceptic Conservative MPs, who have repeatedly insisted that technology could be used to keep the border open in the event of a no-deal Brexit, removing the need for the controversial Northern Ireland backstop.
The memo, seen by Sky News, was drawn up by the Home Office's Policy Unit and sent to Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and the Treasury. It says there could be a possible technological solution but that it would come with a huge array of difficulties.
The solution would involve companies uploading data on goods and using blockchain technology, sensors and automated collection to pay tariffs.
The memo said: "If all these technologies are brought together this could allow a seamless collection and analysis of the data needed. It would also provide the ability to target interventions away from the border itself."
But it also warned of a series of practical problems in introducing the technology, including cost, time and complexity.
It said: "The challenges of this work cannot be underestimated... No government worldwide currently controls different customs arrangements with no physical infrastructure present at the border."
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-northern-ireland-border-high-tech-solution-home-office-leak-backstop-a8875171.html
When I held up a sign behind Nigel Farage on Wednesday it, to my shock, went viral. Less shocking was the torrent of abuse and hate that followed online. A lot of the accounts that targeted me called me childish - sure, it wasn't the most sophisticated act I've undertaken in politics. Some accused me of bullying the former-Ukip leader - undermining their argument somewhat by going on to call me a whole host of horrible names. A small number threatened my life.
Quite a few, more understandably, asked me what Nigel Farage had done to deserve having a crudely, off the cuff note held up behind his head. For those people, here's a handy list of just five fibs Nigel Farage told that day and over the past decade. Small disclaimer, this list could have been much, much longer.
3. The EU is unelected
In his speech, Farage accused the European Commission of being the sole arbiter of legislation in the European Union. He's got form on this, a lot of it. In reality the Commission takes it priorities from elected member state governments (the Council) and performs a role more akin to the British civil service. The third institution, the European Parliament, is made up of directly elected MEPs. Farage should know this by now, he's been one for over 10 years.
4. The majority of our laws are made by the EU
Farage and his ilk have been getting away with this one for too long. He claims that 70% of the laws in the UK are made by the EU. The real number is difficult to quantify, but the independent House of Commons library put it at just 13.2%.
5. The EU costs Britain £55million a day
Every time I hear this I'm immediately transported back to the referendum campaign and it makes me want to put my head through a wall. Let's be clear, the EU does not cost £55million every day. This is double the real number and does not account for the benefits we get back. And before you ask, no, £350million extra a week will not be given to the NHS when we leave. Nigel Farage and every other leading figure who backed leave distanced themselves the morning after the vote.
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/seb-dance/nigel-farage-seb-dance_b_14591852.html
MPs like Rosie Cooper perhaps, her life saved by a brave undercover operation at the heart of right-wing extremists? MPs like Jo Cox, murdered by one such extremist before the referendum of 2016, won by Leave.
You may remember Farage gloating on his night of victory, “without a bullet being fired”. He knew what he was doing. Did the BBC?
If every generation has a darkest hour, a darkest month, a darkest year, this could well be ours. That is precisely what some people want. “Darkness is good,” said white supremacist Steve Bannon, self-styled architect of Trump’s America, at whose feet Johnson and Farage sit in obsequious wonder. Try to catch the footage of Bannon setting out his plans for global domination by the far right, and Farage telling him how he has grown in stature. Nauseating.
I do not put Hunt in the same bracket as Farage, or Johnson. But his “lesson on Brexit” to Japanese students showed that he has potential to get there, as did his grotesque comparison six months ago between the EU and Soviet prisons.
https://uk.news.yahoo.com/jeremy-hunt-apos-brexit-lies-160300434.html
RIOTS broke out on the streets of Londonderry, Northern Ireland last night after shots were fired and petrol bombs launched leading to the death of one woman, police confirmed.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1116232/Northern-Ireland-news-riot-London-Derry-PSNI-terror-catholic-protestant-Creggan-petrol-bom
Nancy Pelosi reportedly left the hard Brexiteer 'even more red faced' after the tense confrontation
Tory Brexiteer Mark Francois reportedly got a stern telling off from US Speaker Nancy Pelosi during an awkward meeting about the Northern Ireland Border.
The Speaker of the US House of Representatives branded Mr Francois 'condescending' during a meeting with senior European Research Group (ERG) members.
Also at the meeting were Jacob Rees-Mogg , Sir Bernard Jenkin and Steve Baker.
According to the Times, the discussion took a turn when the ERG members played down the thorny issue of the Northern Ireland border.
Ms Pelosi was reportedly so offended by members of the group that she turned to Mr Francois and said: "Don't condescend to me or to us."
A source who was in the room told the Times: "His face turned from already red to even brighter red.
"They were really condescending to the group, repeatedly saying the issue had been 'concocted' by Remainers, Brussels, and Leo Varadkar, and essentially that they were unwitting dupes."
Ms Pelosi is visiting the Northern Ireland border today as part of a week-long visit to the UK and Ireland.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/brexit-speaker-told-condescending-mark-14392890
Analysis suggests average household has paid £550 more since 2016 Leave vote
People in the UK are paying billions of pounds more for everyday goods because of Brexit-related price hikes, new research has found.
The fall in the value of the pound after the 2016 Leave vote means money spent by individuals and businesses on imported items does not stretch as far as it used to.
As a result, consumers and businesses have had to pay at least £15bn more for the same items, according to analysis by the People's Vote campaign.
Divided between the UK's 27 million households, it suggests the average household will have paid at least £550 more since 2016.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-food-prices-rise-uk-families-a8876946.html
A Brexit supporter who sent death threats and racist messages to MPs has been jailed.
Jarod Kirkman told police he was just “being a stupid idiot” after he targeted seven parliamentarians who had opposed the UK leaving the European Union or raised concerns about the consequences.
The 51-year-old sent emails with the subject lines “Brexit traitor” and “Brexit loser”, Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard.
Using menacing email domains including MPdeadpoliticianwalking.com, he told former Conservative MP Heidi Allen, who has since become a member of Change UK: “Your days are f***ing numbered ****.
“Will it be polonium or novichok? Either way you will never know, expect it soon.”
Kirkman, who was unemployed and lived in Luton, also targeted Labour’s David Lammy, calling him a “n*****” and telling him to “f*** off and die in the jungle’.
He told Conservative Nicky Morgan “death will be swift”.
Labour MPs Yvette Cooper and Jenny Chapman were also targetted, along with former Tory Nick Boles and Sarah Wollaston, who later defected from the Conservatives to Change UK.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/brexit-jailed-mps-abuse-death-threats-lammy-traitors-a8877016.html
When we applied for the right to remain in France after Britain leaves the EU, we discovered that we don't meet a basic income criteria that we had never before been told existed
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-immigration-settled-status-france-eu-citizens-a8874646.html
Dublin saw a huge 66% surge in the amount of office space taken up in the first three months of 2019 compared to the same period last year, with Brexit being a major factor in the uptick.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/brexit-helps-dublin-office-deals-surge-66-143016643.html
Workers will get compensation for work cancelled last minute, and bosses will be made to pay workers for mandatory training, among other rights
Many delivery riders are among those who will get the new rights ( Getty )
The European parliament has approved new minimum rights for workers in so-called “gig economy” jobs such as Uber drivers and Deliveroo riders.
Under the EU regulations, casualised employees across Europe will have a right to compensation from their bosses for last-minute cancellation of work.
Any mandatory training will have to be provided free of charge to workers, and counted as paid working time.
“Exclusivity clauses” that ban workers from taking other jobs will also be banned, and probation periods will be restricted to one, with a maximum of six months.
Employers will also have to give workers a description of their duties “from day one”, a formal starting date and pay information, and an indication of what the standard working day will be
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/eu-workers-rights-gig-economy-uber-deliveroo-training-a8874561.html
Photographs of a smiling Lyra McKee feature on almost all the front pages.
The Daily Mail calls the New IRA - who police believe were responsible for her killing - "barbaric".
The Guardian says her shooting is a "symbol of political failure" - a reminder that the Good Friday Agreement should not be taken for granted.
The Sun agrees - it says more needs to be done to restore faith in the political process, starting with restoring the Stormont Assembly.
A headline in the Times quotes Lyra McKee herself - "just because we're not at war anymore doesn't mean the shadow of the gunman has left the room".
Trump state visit
The Daily Telegraph leads with a warning from ministers that if the Speaker of the Commons, John Bercow, refuses to allow President Trump to address Parliament during a planned state visit in June, it will risk damaging Britain's special relationship with the United States.
Mr Bercow strongly opposed a presidential address two years ago, citing "opposition to racism and sexism", and friends tell the paper he hasn't changed his view.
But the minister for veterans, Tobias Ellwood, says the UK should "leverage" Mr Trump's visit.
An English baronet is sending 50 oak trees from his estate in Somerset to help rebuild Notre Dame, the Daily Express reports, because he feels guilty about his family's history of "killing French people".
Sir Benjamin Slade tells the paper one ancestor, Sir Thomas Slade, designed Horatio Nelson's flagship HMS Victory. He adds he hopes his gesture will help make amends.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-47994047
What I saw between Hungary and Serbia two days ago is the spectre haunting Dover and all the Channel ports
I have seen the future, and it doesn’t work.
On show, in all its road-chaos glory, on the southern border of the European Union between Hungary and Serbia.
Stationary lorries double-parked for more than three miles, while armed guards faff about doing nothing.
This is the shape of things to come, when EU and non-EU neighbours are on bad terms.
The E75 motorway linking these two countries is a giant lorry park.
My bus from Subotica in northern Serbia to Szeged in southern Hungary was held up for two hours. That’s nothing. Delays can last seven hours at peak holiday times.
Passengers were herded through a grim transit shed for passport checks, while officials ransacked our luggage.
Maybe they were looking for seditious literature. I only had the London Review of Books.
No water, no food, a toilet charging €1 but closed.
Drivers immobilised by the border go-slow that must have been ordered by Budapest’s hard-line government stood around in the chilly wind, swapping horror stories.
They were from Germany and every nation in the Balkans and beyond, caught in a stand-off between an EU state and a non-EU.
There was a migrants crisis here, but that’s mostly in the past after Hungary’s authoritarian leader Viktor Orbán put up a Trump-style fence.
What I saw there two days ago is the spectre haunting Dover and all the Channel ports. Brexit means balls-up for the truckers, wrecking a way of life built up over 40 years of free trade.
So, thank you toff-twerp Jacob Rees-Mogg, monomaniac Sir Bill Carcrash, barmy Sir Peter Bonehead and all the other swivel-eyed Brexiteers who have brought us to this pass.
They should get off their high horses and talk to the truckers of the E75 autoput. Or better still, listen.
My first words above reference those of famous American journalist Lincoln Steffens, who wrote in 1919 after a starry-eyed visit to the young Soviet Union: “I have seen the future, and it works.”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/paul-routledge-brexit-takes-across-14423989