Prospects of a trade deal between Britain and the European Union dimmed to a flicker last night after London admitted that it plans to break international law by overriding the withdrawal agreement Boris Johnson signed last year. Northern Ireland secretary Brandon Lewis told the House of Commons that the internal markets Bill to be published on Wednesday will see Britain reneging…
Boris Johnson says the UK is ready for any eventuality The chances of the UK leaving the European Union without a trade deal have risen sharply as negotiations have been threatened by London’s insistence that it have full autonomy over its state-aid plans, according to negotiators and diplomats. Fears in Dublin, London, Brussels and other…
Mr Barnier was due to hold emergency talks today with UK chief Brexit negotiator David Frost amid a stand-off over state aid rules and fishing rights (REUTERS ) EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier today stepped up warnings across Europe that there will be new barriers with the UK even if an 11th-hour trade deal is struck. Ahead of travelling to…
German Chancellor Angela Merkel. (PA) Germany has reportedly scrapped plans to discuss Brexit at a high-level meeting next week because Britain and the EU have made no “tangible progress” over the summer. According to The Guardian, Germany — which holds the rotating presidency of the EU council — had intended to discuss Britain’s departure at a…
Statement by David McAllister (EPP, DE) (pictured), chairman of the Parliament’s EU-UK Coordination Group, after the latest round of talks on the future relationship between the UK and the EU: “Michel Barnier just debriefed the UK Coordination Group in the European Parliament about the seventh negotiation round with the United Kingdom. Unfortunately, the past weeks have…
A Cabinet Office “reasonable worst-case scenario” document, dated July 2020, has been leaked to a national newspaper. A government spokeswoman said it ‘reflects a responsible government ensuring we are ready for all eventualities’ Emergency plans drawn up by the government to protect the UK if a second coronavirus spike coincides with a no-deal Brexit have…
It is the quiet before the storm on Brexit. After a three-week summer break, UK and EU negotiators reconvene this week for another round of talks. They have just several weeks to overcome the key obstacles to a deal—disagreements on state subsidies and fisheries—and to complete a treaty running to hundreds of pages before the…
LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s assessment is that a Brexit agreement can be reached with the European Union in September, the UK chief negotiator David Frost said on Thursday ahead of a round of negotiations with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier next week. “As we keep saying, we are not looking for a special or unique…
The European Union’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier (pictured) expressed confidence at a closed-door meeting with member state envoys to the bloc last Friday (24 July) that a new deal with Britain was possible, diplomatic sources have told Reuters, write Francesco Guarascio, Gabriela Baczynska. His comments after the latest round of EU-UK negotiations contrast with his downbeat public assessment that…
Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator David Frost admits there are significant ‘gaps’ in Brexit talks. He confirmed there was a continued impasse but struck a more hopeful tone in his media appearance following intensified discussions. He said an “agreement can still be reached in September” but called for the EU to recognize it was in discussions with an “independent…