Tories condemned for 'vile racism' after linking EU immigration to terrorism 'There is a xenophobia issue with Conservative politicians who are scapegoating EU citizens instead of looking at their own failings'
The Conservatives have been accused of “vile racism” after claiming the free movement of EU citizens is responsible for terrorism and serious crime. Brandon Lewis, the security minister, was criticised after an eve-of-election attack on “the threat to our national security” from the freeflow of people across EU borders.
He published a detailed dossier highlighting 20 terrorists who he claimed would be “free to enter the UK under Jeremy Corbyn”, if Labour kept free movement rules.
Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, condemned Mr Lewis, saying: “This is more nonsense from the fake-news Tories.
“EU migrants are propping up our struggling NHS and social care systems. To conflate them with terrorists is just more vile racism from the Tories.”
“The vast majority of terrorists in the last 10 years were born in Britain and no EU citizens were involved in such acts, apart from saving lives during the attacks, like in London Bridge recently.”
Brexit will not get done by 2021, EU chief negotiator admits in leaked recording that blows hole in Boris Johnson promise Exclusive: Michel Barnier's bombshell private admission directly contradicts PM's 'get Brexit done' slogan
Brexit trade negotiations cannot be finished in the timeframe claimed by Boris Johnson, the EU's chief negotiator has privately admitted – blowing a hole in the prime minister's big election promise to "get Brexit done". In a leaked recording obtained by The Independent, Michel Barnier tells a private meeting that the UK's 11-month timetable to wrap up trade talks by 2021 is "unrealistic" and suggests negotiations will drag on until long after the end of next year.
"With regards to this agreement, we will not get everything done in 11 months. We will do all we can – we won’t do it all," Mr Barnier can be heard telling a group of senior MEPs at the closed meeting in the EU capital this week.
The recording sparked consternation from Mr Johnson's critics back in the UK, with the prime minister accused of "lying to voters" about Brexit and "playing the British public for fools" by opposition parties.
If you're only voting Tory because Boris Johnson got a Brexit deal, this is what you need to know now Johnson’s deal splits the UK into two: Northern Ireland will follow EU rules without a say on them, effectively becoming an EU colony. And as for Great Britain.... well, he hasn’t nailed anything down
Voters are so fed up with Brexit that many believe Boris Johnson’s bilge about how he has got a wonderful deal. But it’s a terrible sell-out deal, which damages our power and prosperity – and shows why Brexit is such an appalling idea in the first place. We’re in danger of sleepwalking into a national disaster. The prime minister has avoided scrutiny of his deal, first by parliament and now by the media. But with just one day until the general election, it’s time to strip the lipstick off his pig of a deal before it’s too late.
The first question which needs answering is: why the deal is considered a sell out by some? The big lie of the referendum was that we can “take back control” of our laws without damaging our prosperity. That’s because, if we stop following EU rules, we will rip ourselves out of a market accounting for half our trade. The only way to avoid the terrible choice between doing what others tell us to do and harming our economy is to stay in the EU – where we sit at the top table making the rules.
Johnson’s deal splits the UK into two. Northern Ireland will follow EU rules without a say on them, effectively becoming an EU colony. As for Great Britain, well he hasn’t nailed anything down, so we won’t know for sure what’s happening until the end of next year. But the prime minister will then face the same dilemma between meekly following EU rules and thwacking the economy.
Next, if you think we will be out by January, think again. True, we won’t be an EU member after 31 January 2020 if the Tories get a majority. But nothing will change until the end of next year – apart from the fact that we’ll have lost our voting rights. That’s because the prime minister has agreed to a “transition” period during which we will follow EU rules, again without a say on them. He did this because we would otherwise have crashed out of the EU with no deal at all, and that would have been catastrophic, but that just underlines the other big problem with Johnson’s deal: he has just shifted the cliff edge until next Christmas.
Trade deals normally take five to 10 years to nail down because so much is at stake that every comma is fought over. The EU’s deal with Canada, for example, took seven years to pin down. The prime minister has boxed himself into such a tight timetable that he will either have to give the EU pretty much everything it wants or we’ll crash out.
Surely he’ll be given more time if he needs it though? The divorce deal does allow for up to two years of extra time. But Johnson will have to agree to this by 1 July 2020, and we will also have to pay a price of at least £1bn for every month of extra time, and probably let EU trawlers fish into our waters too. Lots of people think it would be wise to have the option of extra time, but the prime minister has said an explicit “no” in his manifesto. In theory, he could break that promise. It wouldn’t be the first time he has gone back on his word, but he would need to do so by July and his hardline supporters would scream blue murder, so that doesn’t seem likely.
All that talk about a template for a deal is also worth questioning. The one the government boasts about – the “political declaration” sketching out our future relationship – commits us to follow swathes of EU rules, yet again without a vote on them.
To repeat, there’s nothing much wrong with the regulations. After all, we have spent 40 years helping write them. In any case, why would we want low standards on workers’ rights, the environment, consumer protection, nuclear safety, data protection, state aid and so forth?
But there’s a big difference between being a rule-maker and a rule-taker – and we still wouldn’t get anything like the access we currently get to the lucrative EU market.
What about the zero tariffs we were promised? Yes, we might get that, provided we follow those EU rules designed to ensure fair competition. But that still won’t ensure frictionless trade for our manufacturing industry, as there will be customs checks. Think of our car makers. Millions of parts whiz backwards and forwards across the English Channel before the cars are finally ready. Customs checks will gum up these just-in-time supply chains. Oh, and tariffs are irrelevant for services, which account for 80% of our economy. What blocks trade in services are regulations, and the EU won’t give us the freedom to sell our services in its market, because Johnson says he wants to stop free movement of EU citizens to the UK. We’ll be damaged in two ways: we won’t sell the EU our services; and we won’t get their nurses to take care of our sick and their other workers who contribute so much to our economy and society.
Remember how Johnson said “f*ck business” when he was foreign secretary? That’s exactly what he’ll do, even if he gets a trade deal. The economy will be £70bn a year smaller in the medium run than if we stay in the EU, according to an analysis by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. Where are we then going to find the money for hospitals, schools, social care and the police?
But don’t for a second think, come 31 January, that will be the last time you hear the word Brexit. Like the slogan on the side of his bus during the referendum, “get Brexit done”, it’s a big unthruth. If the Conservatives win the election tomorrow, Johnson will indeed ram his withdrawal agreement through parliament. But that won’t remotely be the end of it.
There’ll then be a desperate attempt to stop us crashing out the EU’s market at the end of the year. This may trigger a new bout of Tory infighting, as MPs realise just how many rules we’ll have to follow even to get a third-rate deal and complain it contradicts their manifesto commitment that “there will be no political alignment”. But don’t think for a moment that quitting without a deal will put an end to the agony. It will just open another particularly virulent chapter in the Brexit crisis. Our economy will seize up and we’ll soon be begging the EU for a deal.
So unless you want to humiliate the country and f*ck the economy, don’t vote for Johnson on Thursday. Vote tactically for the candidate with the best chance of beating the Tories, wherever you are. If we get a hung parliament, we can hold a final say referendum, stop Brexit and never have to think about this miserable topic again.
Wonder what will happen if we have a 2nd Brexit Referendum and the result's the same.
There won't be a 2nd (or more accurately, a 3rd) referendum because the result would not be the same.
On the 1 hand, opponents of Brexit completely ignore the fact that the result of the 2016 referendum has not been implemented.
On the other, supporters claim that it is undemocratic to allow people to have a vote if you know you will lose.
Difficult to know which side is worse. Still, at least we are not American.
At least another referendum would provide a definitive result, with nothing else to talk about.
The opposition parties seem keen on a close relationship with the EU, if we have to leave.
So assuming the referendum was based on something like a Norway plus a customs union, or remain, whichever side won, that would be it, end of, nothing further to discuss, or negotiate.
Some remainers that felt guilty over the democracy aspect may vote in favour of leaving with the deal
I am just watching the telly and they are predicting a Tory majority of 80plus, so all the above looks irrelevant.
The only good thing about that I suppose, is the end of Corbyn, at last.
Why a US-UK post-Brexit trade deal will not happen soon
A report by the NHS Confederation warned that a post-Brexit trade deal with Trump could lead to patients paying billions more for medicine if the health service is denied the chance to use cheaper alternatives to more expensive branded drugs. Meanwhile new research has shown that under a mainly Conservative government since 2015, £15bn ($19.4bn) of NHS contracts have been handed to private companies — double of the total yearly value since the Tories took office. This is out of £24bn of outsourced contracts awarded since 2015 — equivalent to 61%. All this wrapped into the default complexities of sealing a trade deal make it even more unlikely that the US and UK will be able to agree to high-level terms, create a deal, and get it approved any time soon.
In Monday's paper, the battle for the heart and soul of the Labour party is the main story for the Guardian. It says the party has become engulfed in a row about whether its Brexit position or its leadership was mainly to blame for its disastrous showing at the general election. It points out that with the party not due to elect a new leader until the end of March, Jeremy Corbyn will continue to face Boris Johnson in the Commons for more than three months. The infighting which has broken out in the party following the election is also the lead for the Daily Telegraph. The paper focuses on the row involving one of the possible leadership contenders, Emily Thornberry, who has vehemently denied a claim that she called voters in one leave-voting constituency "stupid".
Mr Johnson will put control of Britain's borders, improvements to the NHS and investment in the North of England at the centre of his government's new strategy, according to the Daily Mail. It says he is considering splitting up the Home Office to create a new Department for Borders and Immigration in order to deliver on his promise to introduce a points-based immigration system. The Times reports that the prime minister's most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, is to overhaul the way the Ministry of Defence spends its money - in a move expected to alarm military chiefs and civil servants. The paper says he is expected to audit recent purchases of military equipment, having previously described the MoD procurement process as "disastrous". Alongside the MoD, the paper says the operations of the Foreign Office and security services will be subject to intense examination. The UK's most senior civil servant, cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, is to stay on in Downing Street to oversee a "far reaching shake-up" of the government machine, according to the Financial Times. It says Mr Johnson wants to overhaul Whitehall bureaucracy to help develop a post-Brexit economy focused on boosting northern England.
Over two pages, the i newspaper produces what it calls "your Conservative Party check list". It features more than forty election pledges, enabling readers to tick off which ones are met or missed over the course of the next parliament. The Daily Express splashes with what it calls Boris's "war with the BBC". It says relations with the broadcaster were strained to the limit during the election after concerns about the corporation's coverage of the campaign.
'A weak, self-regarding, pious man': Former Labour minister's extraordinary attack on Jeremy Corbyn
“But the main problem at this election wasn’t the manifesto; the main problem was Corbyn. A weak, self-regarding, pious man incapable of leadership.” Mr Johnson then went on to claim Mr Corbyn failed to appeal to working class communities that had consistently put trust in Labour.
He wrote: “The working classes looked at Corbyn and saw somebody who was unpatriotic to the extent that the country’s enemies were his friends. They hated his pacifism, his simplistic division of the world between evil oppressors and their victims, his disdain of aspiration. “Most of all, they didn’t recognise themselves in Corbyn’s depiction of working-class people as having no individual identity, only a collective role as part of the downtrodden masses. They decided well before this election and irrespective of Brexit that they would never let him cross the threshold of 10 Downing Street.”
Brexit: What is in Boris Johnson's new deal with the EU?
A revised Brexit deal has been agreed by the UK and EU. What is in it? Most of the changes - to the deal agreed by Theresa May with EU in November 2018 - are to do with the status of the Irish border after Brexit. This issue has dominated talks for months. All sides want to avoid the return of a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit - with checks and infrastructure that could be targeted by paramilitary groups.
Customs The whole of the UK will leave the EU customs union. The customs union is an agreement between EU countries not to charge taxes called tariffs on things coming from other EU countries, and to charge the same tariffs as each other on things coming from outside the EU.
Legally there will be a customs border between Northern Ireland (which stays in the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (which stays in the EU), but in practice things won't be checked on that border. The actual checks will be on what is effectively a customs border between Great Britain and the island of Ireland, with goods being checked at "points of entry" into Northern Ireland.
Regulations on goods When it comes to the regulation of goods (that's the rules they have to follow on things like labelling and manufacturing processes) Northern Ireland would keep to EU rules rather than UK rules. That removes the need for checks on goods including food and agricultural produce at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, because both will be part of an "all-island regulatory zone". But it adds to the checks between the rest of the UK - which will not necessarily be sticking to EU single market rules - and Northern Ireland. Enforcing the rules This will be done by UK officials at "points of entry" into Northern Ireland, but the EU will have the right to have its own officials present. It seems those EU officials may be able to overrule UK officials. The agreement states that EU representatives will be able to ask UK authorities to take certain steps in individual cases and they will have to do so.
Northern Ireland's say Because Northern Ireland will be set apart from the rest of the UK when it comes to customs and other EU rules, the deal gives its Assembly a vote on these new arrangements. But this vote would not happen until four years after the end of the transition period (the time after Brexit when everything stays the same to allow everyone to prepare for the changes while the UK's future relationship with the EU is discussed). The transition period is due to run until at least the end of 2020. So the four-year period would run until the end of 2024. If the Northern Ireland Assembly votes against the new arrangements, they would stop applying two years later, during which time the "joint committee" would make recommendations to the UK and EU on what to do about this. If there were to be no agreement during this two year period, some form of hard border could re-emerge in Ireland, but it's unlikely that would be allowed to happen. If the Assembly accepts the continuing provisions by a simple majority, they will then apply for another four years. If the deal has "cross-community support" then they will apply for eight years. The deal defines cross-community support as more than 50% of unionist and nationalist Assembly members voting in favour, or at least 40% of members from each designation if in total at least 60% of members have voted in favour. VAT The new agreement says that EU law on value added tax (VAT - a tax added when you make purchases) will apply in Northern Ireland, but only on goods, not services. But it also allows Northern Ireland to have different VAT rates to the rest of the UK, which would not normally be allowed under EU law. For example, if the UK decided to reduce the VAT on household fuel to zero, Northern Ireland would still have to keep it at 5%, which is the EU minimum. It also means that Northern Ireland may get the same VAT rates on certain goods as the Republic of Ireland, to stop there being an unfair advantage on either side of the border.
Some things have not changed: Much of Mrs May's original Brexit deal will remain as part of the overall agreement.
Money
The UK will have to settle its financial obligations to the EU. Future UK/EU relationship
The text also contains a new paragraph on the so-called "level playing field" - the degree to which the UK will agree to stick closely to EU regulations in the future.
Brexit: Record number of Irish passports issued as Britons seek to keep EU citizenship Applications peaked in March and October when deadlines for UK leaving EU came and went
Almost a million Irish passports were issued in 2019, Dublin has revealed. The record total was hit because of a surge in applicants from the UK – with tens of thousands of people living here apparently seeking a way to maintain their European citizenship after Brexit. Interest from the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland peaked in March and October – the months when the UK was initially due to leave the EU.
Fears of losing a host of rights – including access to the European health insurance card and the Erasmus university scheme – are thought to have inspired many to seek the extra documentation.
We Need A Public Inquiry Into The Lies And False Promises Of Brexit
And we won’t let Johnson get away with Brexit without scrutiny either. The Liberal Democrats will hold the Tories to account for the lies told during the referendum campaign and in the months and years since. The prime minister made countless promises that he knows he won’t be able to keep. Given this level of deception, there must be a public inquiry into how the whole Brexit process has been handled, and we want to amend the bill to set one up. We must learn from the many grave mistakes and deceptions, to ensure such a manipulation of our democracy does not happen again.
We’ve already seen the government fail to deliver promised trade deals, cover up the negative impacts of Brexit, and refuse to give the people the final say through a People’s Vote on the deal. That simply isn’t good enough for our United Kingdom. The Conservative government must be honest with the British public about the effect Brexit will have on our economy, our security, our rights and our planet.
So we’ve also tabled an amendment calling for regular public reports on the progress of the second stage of Brexit negotiations and the effect any agreement will have on our economy, our national security, our human, social and economic rights, and climate change and the environment. If what Boris Johnson is negotiating will be so good for Britain, he should have nothing to hide.
Finally, we’ve also demanded that Johnson removes his dangerous cliff edge deadline for securing this second Brexit deal. We must at all costs prevent the UK crashing out with no deal at the end of this year – as even most Brexit-supporting MPs recognise this would put our security and livelihoods at risk.
Brexit: Full UK-EU trade deal 'impossible' by deadline - von der Leyen
The UK and the EU will remain the "best of friends" but they will "not be as close as before" after Brexit, the new European Commission president has said. Speaking ahead of talks with the PM, Ursula von der Leyen warned it would be "impossible" to reach a comprehensive trade deal by the end of 2020. She said if the deadline was not extended it was not a case of "all or nothing", but of priorities.
Boris Johnson news – live: Tory minister ridiculed over Brexit claim as senior Labour figure forced to abandon leadership bid
Tory health minister Nadine Dorries has been widely mocked for claiming “Brexit got done” after the Withdrawal Agreement Bill cleared the Commons. The bill still needs approval in the Lords, and a UK-EU trade deal still needs to be forged after 31 January. It comes as Northern Ireland could see a return to power-sharing arrangements today after the UK and Irish governments published a draft deal, urging the five main parties to get back to work at Stormont. Meanwhile Barry Gardiner, the shadow trade secretary, has ruled himself out of the running for the Labour leadership. Candidates Emily Thornberry and Clive Lewis are struggling to get enough support from MPs before Monday’s nomination deadline.
Brexit will crash and burn – and when it does, Labour needs to hold the Tories responsible Our fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law are under direct threat. The next election has to produce a different outcome, and we'll get it by holding the prime minister accountable
Boris Johnson got the Brexit election he craved – he knew it would unite the Brexit vote and divide the Remain parties. The Euro Election results had proven that Labour voters who wanted Brexit would vote Tory and those who wanted Remain would splinter. In this election, 13.9 million voted for Johnson’s "oven-ready" Leave deal versus 16.5 million for public vote or Remain parties, yet Leave MPs now have a majority of 80 with 365 Tory seats.
So, 2019 was a vote for a Tory government but not a vote for Brexit. Labour MPs have no duty to accept Tory policies, less still the hard-right Brexit project. The simple truth is Brexit will make Britain fundamentally poorer, weaker and more divided and Labour should have been saying that since 2016. Instead, people have been left with the false belief that Britain after Brexit will be much the same, that the key issue is "to get Brexit done" and that this will be successfully completed this year. None of this is true.
No doubt everyone now wants to “move on from Brexit” but crucially Labour must ensure the Tories take ownership and responsibility for Brexit, including the economic slowdown, social division and international impotence it will bring. We must fight for the best deal with the EU and map out our place in the world outside the EU. But as 2024 approaches, we must be ready to make the case for members of the bloc where the majority of voters would like to live.
The electorate needs a credible Labour government who will manage the economy competently and provide a costed programme of green economic growth. Put simply, people want a credible Labour government to deliver a reliable NHS, decent schools, sustainable jobs and affordable homes.
Our fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law will be under direct threat once the UK is outside the protection of the European Court of Justice. The civil service, the BBC and the judiciary are first in line for subjugation. Dominic Cummings is bringing the civil service to heel, the BBC’s political compliance means it has fewer friends, while the Supreme Court will have its wings clipped for upholding parliamentary democracy. As the institutions that uphold our values are undermined, Johnson is busy redrawing the constituency boundaries, introducing voter identification and abolishing the fixed term parliament act to consolidate his grip on power.
Brexit has cost the UK £130bn in 'collateral damage'
Brexit may have cost the UK £130bn ($170bn) in “collateral damage” since the referendum, a new study suggests. Bloomberg Economics said Britain’s economy had been “lacklustre” over the three-and-a-half years since a majority of voters backed Leave in the EU referendum. Its analysis indicates British companies performed poorly, even accounting for a weaker global economy, with weak growth by international standards. It predicted Brexit would continue to hold back national output, forecasting a further £70bn hit in lost opportunities for growth this year.
Plea for Brexit protection as City said it paid £75bn tax last year
With Brexit looming, however, the UK must remain competitive to safeguard the sector’s employment base and significant tax contribution. The sector is vital to supporting prosperity right across the country. It will play a critical role in fuelling our economic success after we leave the European Union.” Finance bosses are concerned that London will lose ground to rival hubs like Paris, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam after Britain officially leaves the European Union. Many firms are already choosing to locate new jobs elsewhere on the continent rather than in Britain. The City wants UK prime minister Boris Johnson to ensure banks, asset managers, and insurers can maintain access to the EU’s single market after Brexit.
Comments
'There is a xenophobia issue with Conservative politicians who are scapegoating EU citizens instead of looking at their own failings'
The Conservatives have been accused of “vile racism” after claiming the free movement of EU citizens is responsible for terrorism and serious crime.
Brandon Lewis, the security minister, was criticised after an eve-of-election attack on “the threat to our national security” from the freeflow of people across EU borders.
He published a detailed dossier highlighting 20 terrorists who he claimed would be “free to enter the UK under Jeremy Corbyn”, if Labour kept free movement rules.
Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, condemned Mr Lewis, saying: “This is more nonsense from the fake-news Tories.
“EU migrants are propping up our struggling NHS and social care systems. To conflate them with terrorists is just more vile racism from the Tories.”
“The vast majority of terrorists in the last 10 years were born in Britain and no EU citizens were involved in such acts, apart from saving lives during the attacks, like in London Bridge recently.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/conservatives-general-election-racism-eu-immigration-terrorism-brandon-lewis-a9241756.html
Exclusive: Michel Barnier's bombshell private admission directly contradicts PM's 'get Brexit done' slogan
Brexit trade negotiations cannot be finished in the timeframe claimed by Boris Johnson, the EU's chief negotiator has privately admitted – blowing a hole in the prime minister's big election promise to "get Brexit done".
In a leaked recording obtained by The Independent, Michel Barnier tells a private meeting that the UK's 11-month timetable to wrap up trade talks by 2021 is "unrealistic" and suggests negotiations will drag on until long after the end of next year.
"With regards to this agreement, we will not get everything done in 11 months. We will do all we can – we won’t do it all," Mr Barnier can be heard telling a group of senior MEPs at the closed meeting in the EU capital this week.
The recording sparked consternation from Mr Johnson's critics back in the UK, with the prime minister accused of "lying to voters" about Brexit and "playing the British public for fools" by opposition parties.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-delay-boris-johnson-deal-general-election-eu-barnier-leak-deadline-a9242346.html
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This seems a pretty fair summary.
If you're only voting Tory because Boris Johnson got a Brexit deal, this is what you need to know now
Johnson’s deal splits the UK into two: Northern Ireland will follow EU rules without a say on them, effectively becoming an EU colony. And as for Great Britain.... well, he hasn’t nailed anything down
Voters are so fed up with Brexit that many believe Boris Johnson’s bilge about how he has got a wonderful deal. But it’s a terrible sell-out deal, which damages our power and prosperity – and shows why Brexit is such an appalling idea in the first place.
We’re in danger of sleepwalking into a national disaster. The prime minister has avoided scrutiny of his deal, first by parliament and now by the media. But with just one day until the general election, it’s time to strip the lipstick off his pig of a deal before it’s too late.
The first question which needs answering is: why the deal is considered a sell out by some? The big lie of the referendum was that we can “take back control” of our laws without damaging our prosperity. That’s because, if we stop following EU rules, we will rip ourselves out of a market accounting for half our trade. The only way to avoid the terrible choice between doing what others tell us to do and harming our economy is to stay in the EU – where we sit at the top table making the rules.
Johnson’s deal splits the UK into two. Northern Ireland will follow EU rules without a say on them, effectively becoming an EU colony. As for Great Britain, well he hasn’t nailed anything down, so we won’t know for sure what’s happening until the end of next year. But the prime minister will then face the same dilemma between meekly following EU rules and thwacking the economy.
Next, if you think we will be out by January, think again. True, we won’t be an EU member after 31 January 2020 if the Tories get a majority. But nothing will change until the end of next year – apart from the fact that we’ll have lost our voting rights. That’s because the prime minister has agreed to a “transition” period during which we will follow EU rules, again without a say on them. He did this because we would otherwise have crashed out of the EU with no deal at all, and that would have been catastrophic, but that just underlines the other big problem with Johnson’s deal: he has just shifted the cliff edge until next Christmas.
Trade deals normally take five to 10 years to nail down because so much is at stake that every comma is fought over. The EU’s deal with Canada, for example, took seven years to pin down. The prime minister has boxed himself into such a tight timetable that he will either have to give the EU pretty much everything it wants or we’ll crash out.
Surely he’ll be given more time if he needs it though? The divorce deal does allow for up to two years of extra time. But Johnson will have to agree to this by 1 July 2020, and we will also have to pay a price of at least £1bn for every month of extra time, and probably let EU trawlers fish into our waters too.
Lots of people think it would be wise to have the option of extra time, but the prime minister has said an explicit “no” in his manifesto. In theory, he could break that promise. It wouldn’t be the first time he has gone back on his word, but he would need to do so by July and his hardline supporters would scream blue murder, so that doesn’t seem likely.
All that talk about a template for a deal is also worth questioning. The one the government boasts about – the “political declaration” sketching out our future relationship – commits us to follow swathes of EU rules, yet again without a vote on them.
To repeat, there’s nothing much wrong with the regulations. After all, we have spent 40 years helping write them. In any case, why would we want low standards on workers’ rights, the environment, consumer protection, nuclear safety, data protection, state aid and so forth?
But there’s a big difference between being a rule-maker and a rule-taker – and we still wouldn’t get anything like the access we currently get to the lucrative EU market.
What about the zero tariffs we were promised? Yes, we might get that, provided we follow those EU rules designed to ensure fair competition. But that still won’t ensure frictionless trade for our manufacturing industry, as there will be customs checks. Think of our car makers. Millions of parts whiz backwards and forwards across the English Channel before the cars are finally ready. Customs checks will gum up these just-in-time supply chains.
Oh, and tariffs are irrelevant for services, which account for 80% of our economy. What blocks trade in services are regulations, and the EU won’t give us the freedom to sell our services in its market, because Johnson says he wants to stop free movement of EU citizens to the UK. We’ll be damaged in two ways: we won’t sell the EU our services; and we won’t get their nurses to take care of our sick and their other workers who contribute so much to our economy and society.
Remember how Johnson said “f*ck business” when he was foreign secretary? That’s exactly what he’ll do, even if he gets a trade deal. The economy will be £70bn a year smaller in the medium run than if we stay in the EU, according to an analysis by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research. Where are we then going to find the money for hospitals, schools, social care and the police?
But don’t for a second think, come 31 January, that will be the last time you hear the word Brexit. Like the slogan on the side of his bus during the referendum, “get Brexit done”, it’s a big unthruth. If the Conservatives win the election tomorrow, Johnson will indeed ram his withdrawal agreement through parliament. But that won’t remotely be the end of it.
There’ll then be a desperate attempt to stop us crashing out the EU’s market at the end of the year. This may trigger a new bout of Tory infighting, as MPs realise just how many rules we’ll have to follow even to get a third-rate deal and complain it contradicts their manifesto commitment that “there will be no political alignment”.
But don’t think for a moment that quitting without a deal will put an end to the agony. It will just open another particularly virulent chapter in the Brexit crisis. Our economy will seize up and we’ll soon be begging the EU for a deal.
So unless you want to humiliate the country and f*ck the economy, don’t vote for Johnson on Thursday. Vote tactically for the candidate with the best chance of beating the Tories, wherever you are. If we get a hung parliament, we can hold a final say referendum, stop Brexit and never have to think about this miserable topic again.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/boris-johnson-general-election-vote-polls-conservatives-brexit-deal-eu-a9241161.html
On the 1 hand, opponents of Brexit completely ignore the fact that the result of the 2016 referendum has not been implemented.
On the other, supporters claim that it is undemocratic to allow people to have a vote if you know you will lose.
Difficult to know which side is worse. Still, at least we are not American.
The opposition parties seem keen on a close relationship with the EU, if we have to leave.
So assuming the referendum was based on something like a Norway plus a customs union, or remain, whichever side won, that would be it, end of, nothing further to discuss, or negotiate.
Some remainers that felt guilty over the democracy aspect may vote in favour of leaving with the deal
I am just watching the telly and they are predicting a Tory majority of 80plus, so all the above looks irrelevant.
The only good thing about that I suppose, is the end of Corbyn, at last.
A report by the NHS Confederation warned that a post-Brexit trade deal with Trump could lead to patients paying billions more for medicine if the health service is denied the chance to use cheaper alternatives to more expensive branded drugs.
Meanwhile new research has shown that under a mainly Conservative government since 2015, £15bn ($19.4bn) of NHS contracts have been handed to private companies — double of the total yearly value since the Tories took office. This is out of £24bn of outsourced contracts awarded since 2015 — equivalent to 61%.
All this wrapped into the default complexities of sealing a trade deal make it even more unlikely that the US and UK will be able to agree to high-level terms, create a deal, and get it approved any time soon.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/general-election-us-uk-post-brexit-trade-deal-will-not-happen-soon-124436625.html
In Monday's paper, the battle for the heart and soul of the Labour party is the main story for the Guardian.
It says the party has become engulfed in a row about whether its Brexit position or its leadership was mainly to blame for its disastrous showing at the general election.
It points out that with the party not due to elect a new leader until the end of March, Jeremy Corbyn will continue to face Boris Johnson in the Commons for more than three months.
The infighting which has broken out in the party following the election is also the lead for the Daily Telegraph.
The paper focuses on the row involving one of the possible leadership contenders, Emily Thornberry, who has vehemently denied a claim that she called voters in one leave-voting constituency "stupid".
Mr Johnson will put control of Britain's borders, improvements to the NHS and investment in the North of England at the centre of his government's new strategy, according to the Daily Mail.
It says he is considering splitting up the Home Office to create a new Department for Borders and Immigration in order to deliver on his promise to introduce a points-based immigration system.
The Times reports that the prime minister's most senior aide, Dominic Cummings, is to overhaul the way the Ministry of Defence spends its money - in a move expected to alarm military chiefs and civil servants.
The paper says he is expected to audit recent purchases of military equipment, having previously described the MoD procurement process as "disastrous".
Alongside the MoD, the paper says the operations of the Foreign Office and security services will be subject to intense examination.
The UK's most senior civil servant, cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, is to stay on in Downing Street to oversee a "far reaching shake-up" of the government machine, according to the Financial Times.
It says Mr Johnson wants to overhaul Whitehall bureaucracy to help develop a post-Brexit economy focused on boosting northern England.
Over two pages, the i newspaper produces what it calls "your Conservative Party check list".
It features more than forty election pledges, enabling readers to tick off which ones are met or missed over the course of the next parliament.
The Daily Express splashes with what it calls Boris's "war with the BBC". It says relations with the broadcaster were strained to the limit during the election after concerns about the corporation's coverage of the campaign.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-50803888
“But the main problem at this election wasn’t the manifesto; the main problem was Corbyn. A weak, self-regarding, pious man incapable of leadership.”
Mr Johnson then went on to claim Mr Corbyn failed to appeal to working class communities that had consistently put trust in Labour.
He wrote: “The working classes looked at Corbyn and saw somebody who was unpatriotic to the extent that the country’s enemies were his friends. They hated his pacifism, his simplistic division of the world between evil oppressors and their victims, his disdain of aspiration.
“Most of all, they didn’t recognise themselves in Corbyn’s depiction of working-class people as having no individual identity, only a collective role as part of the downtrodden masses. They decided well before this election and irrespective of Brexit that they would never let him cross the threshold of 10 Downing Street.”
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/jeremy-corbyn-general-election-alan-johnson-labour-party-162413094.html
A revised Brexit deal has been agreed by the UK and EU. What is in it?
Most of the changes - to the deal agreed by Theresa May with EU in November 2018 - are to do with the status of the Irish border after Brexit. This issue has dominated talks for months.
All sides want to avoid the return of a "hard border" between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland after Brexit - with checks and infrastructure that could be targeted by paramilitary groups.
Customs
The whole of the UK will leave the EU customs union. The customs union is an agreement between EU countries not to charge taxes called tariffs on things coming from other EU countries, and to charge the same tariffs as each other on things coming from outside the EU.
Legally there will be a customs border between Northern Ireland (which stays in the UK) and the Republic of Ireland (which stays in the EU), but in practice things won't be checked on that border.
The actual checks will be on what is effectively a customs border between Great Britain and the island of Ireland, with goods being checked at "points of entry" into Northern Ireland.
Regulations on goods
When it comes to the regulation of goods (that's the rules they have to follow on things like labelling and manufacturing processes) Northern Ireland would keep to EU rules rather than UK rules.
That removes the need for checks on goods including food and agricultural produce at the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, because both will be part of an "all-island regulatory zone".
But it adds to the checks between the rest of the UK - which will not necessarily be sticking to EU single market rules - and Northern Ireland.
Enforcing the rules
This will be done by UK officials at "points of entry" into Northern Ireland, but the EU will have the right to have its own officials present.
It seems those EU officials may be able to overrule UK officials. The agreement states that EU representatives will be able to ask UK authorities to take certain steps in individual cases and they will have to do so.
Northern Ireland's say
Because Northern Ireland will be set apart from the rest of the UK when it comes to customs and other EU rules, the deal gives its Assembly a vote on these new arrangements.
But this vote would not happen until four years after the end of the transition period (the time after Brexit when everything stays the same to allow everyone to prepare for the changes while the UK's future relationship with the EU is discussed). The transition period is due to run until at least the end of 2020. So the four-year period would run until the end of 2024.
If the Northern Ireland Assembly votes against the new arrangements, they would stop applying two years later, during which time the "joint committee" would make recommendations to the UK and EU on what to do about this.
If there were to be no agreement during this two year period, some form of hard border could re-emerge in Ireland, but it's unlikely that would be allowed to happen.
If the Assembly accepts the continuing provisions by a simple majority, they will then apply for another four years. If the deal has "cross-community support" then they will apply for eight years.
The deal defines cross-community support as more than 50% of unionist and nationalist Assembly members voting in favour, or at least 40% of members from each designation if in total at least 60% of members have voted in favour.
VAT
The new agreement says that EU law on value added tax (VAT - a tax added when you make purchases) will apply in Northern Ireland, but only on goods, not services.
But it also allows Northern Ireland to have different VAT rates to the rest of the UK, which would not normally be allowed under EU law.
For example, if the UK decided to reduce the VAT on household fuel to zero, Northern Ireland would still have to keep it at 5%, which is the EU minimum.
It also means that Northern Ireland may get the same VAT rates on certain goods as the Republic of Ireland, to stop there being an unfair advantage on either side of the border.
Some things have not changed:
Much of Mrs May's original Brexit deal will remain as part of the overall agreement.
Money
The UK will have to settle its financial obligations to the EU.
Future UK/EU relationship
The text also contains a new paragraph on the so-called "level playing field" - the degree to which the UK will agree to stick closely to EU regulations in the future.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50083026
Applications peaked in March and October when deadlines for UK leaving EU came and went
Almost a million Irish passports were issued in 2019, Dublin has revealed.
The record total was hit because of a surge in applicants from the UK – with tens of thousands of people living here apparently seeking a way to maintain their European citizenship after Brexit.
Interest from the England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland peaked in March and October – the months when the UK was initially due to leave the EU.
Fears of losing a host of rights – including access to the European health insurance card and the Erasmus university scheme – are thought to have inspired many to seek the extra documentation.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/irish-passports-surge-in-applicants-after-brexit-simon-coveney-a9261031.html
And we won’t let Johnson get away with Brexit without scrutiny either. The Liberal Democrats will hold the Tories to account for the lies told during the referendum campaign and in the months and years since. The prime minister made countless promises that he knows he won’t be able to keep. Given this level of deception, there must be a public inquiry into how the whole Brexit process has been handled, and we want to amend the bill to set one up. We must learn from the many grave mistakes and deceptions, to ensure such a manipulation of our democracy does not happen again.
We’ve already seen the government fail to deliver promised trade deals, cover up the negative impacts of Brexit, and refuse to give the people the final say through a People’s Vote on the deal. That simply isn’t good enough for our United Kingdom. The Conservative government must be honest with the British public about the effect Brexit will have on our economy, our security, our rights and our planet.
So we’ve also tabled an amendment calling for regular public reports on the progress of the second stage of Brexit negotiations and the effect any agreement will have on our economy, our national security, our human, social and economic rights, and climate change and the environment. If what Boris Johnson is negotiating will be so good for Britain, he should have nothing to hide.
Finally, we’ve also demanded that Johnson removes his dangerous cliff edge deadline for securing this second Brexit deal. We must at all costs prevent the UK crashing out with no deal at the end of this year – as even most Brexit-supporting MPs recognise this would put our security and livelihoods at risk.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/spotlight/we-need-a-public-inquiry-into-the-lies-and-false-promises-of-brexit/ar-BBYAqPc?ocid=spartandhp
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/live/2020/jan/08/brexit-pmqs-boris-johnson-corbyn-to-tell-eu-chief-at-first-meeting-that-trade-deal-wont-be-based-on-alignment-live-news
The UK and the EU will remain the "best of friends" but they will "not be as close as before" after Brexit, the new European Commission president has said.
Speaking ahead of talks with the PM, Ursula von der Leyen warned it would be "impossible" to reach a comprehensive trade deal by the end of 2020.
She said if the deadline was not extended it was not a case of "all or nothing", but of priorities.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-51028614
Tory health minister Nadine Dorries has been widely mocked for claiming “Brexit got done” after the Withdrawal Agreement Bill cleared the Commons. The bill still needs approval in the Lords, and a UK-EU trade deal still needs to be forged after 31 January.
It comes as Northern Ireland could see a return to power-sharing arrangements today after the UK and Irish governments published a draft deal, urging the five main parties to get back to work at Stormont.
Meanwhile Barry Gardiner, the shadow trade secretary, has ruled himself out of the running for the Labour leadership. Candidates Emily Thornberry and Clive Lewis are struggling to get enough support from MPs before Monday’s nomination deadline.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/boris-johnson-news-live-brexit-vote-labour-leadership-election-corbyn-latest-a9277806.html
Our fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law are under direct threat. The next election has to produce a different outcome, and we'll get it by holding the prime minister accountable
Boris Johnson got the Brexit election he craved – he knew it would unite the Brexit vote and divide the Remain parties. The Euro Election results had proven that Labour voters who wanted Brexit would vote Tory and those who wanted Remain would splinter. In this election, 13.9 million voted for Johnson’s "oven-ready" Leave deal versus 16.5 million for public vote or Remain parties, yet Leave MPs now have a majority of 80 with 365 Tory seats.
So, 2019 was a vote for a Tory government but not a vote for Brexit. Labour MPs have no duty to accept Tory policies, less still the hard-right Brexit project. The simple truth is Brexit will make Britain fundamentally poorer, weaker and more divided and Labour should have been saying that since 2016. Instead, people have been left with the false belief that Britain after Brexit will be much the same, that the key issue is "to get Brexit done" and that this will be successfully completed this year. None of this is true.
No doubt everyone now wants to “move on from Brexit” but crucially Labour must ensure the Tories take ownership and responsibility for Brexit, including the economic slowdown, social division and international impotence it will bring. We must fight for the best deal with the EU and map out our place in the world outside the EU. But as 2024 approaches, we must be ready to make the case for members of the bloc where the majority of voters would like to live.
The electorate needs a credible Labour government who will manage the economy competently and provide a costed programme of green economic growth. Put simply, people want a credible Labour government to deliver a reliable NHS, decent schools, sustainable jobs and affordable homes.
Our fundamental values of democracy, human rights and the rule of law will be under direct threat once the UK is outside the protection of the European Court of Justice. The civil service, the BBC and the judiciary are first in line for subjugation. Dominic Cummings is bringing the civil service to heel, the BBC’s political compliance means it has fewer friends, while the Supreme Court will have its wings clipped for upholding parliamentary democracy. As the institutions that uphold our values are undermined, Johnson is busy redrawing the constituency boundaries, introducing voter identification and abolishing the fixed term parliament act to consolidate his grip on power.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/labour-leadership-brexit-boris-johnson-conservatives-eu-inequality-a9276326.html
Brexit may have cost the UK £130bn ($170bn) in “collateral damage” since the referendum, a new study suggests.
Bloomberg Economics said Britain’s economy had been “lacklustre” over the three-and-a-half years since a majority of voters backed Leave in the EU referendum.
Its analysis indicates British companies performed poorly, even accounting for a weaker global economy, with weak growth by international standards.
It predicted Brexit would continue to hold back national output, forecasting a further £70bn hit in lost opportunities for growth this year.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/brexit-economy-uk-politics-how-much-cost-gdp-growth-lost-trade-150338543.html
With Brexit looming, however, the UK must remain competitive to safeguard the sector’s employment base and significant tax contribution. The sector is vital to supporting prosperity right across the country. It will play a critical role in fuelling our economic success after we leave the European Union.”
Finance bosses are concerned that London will lose ground to rival hubs like Paris, Frankfurt, and Amsterdam after Britain officially leaves the European Union. Many firms are already choosing to locate new jobs elsewhere on the continent rather than in Britain.
The City wants UK prime minister Boris Johnson to ensure banks, asset managers, and insurers can maintain access to the EU’s single market after Brexit.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/financial-services-uk-tax-2019-75bn-000102299.html