Page 2 - Brexit

UK ditches post-Brexit plan to scrap thousands of EU laws by year's end

Britain's bonfire of European Union laws has been reduced to embers. The U.K. government on Wednesday scrapped a plan to remove all remaining EU laws, about 4,000 in all, from British statute books by the end of this year a post-Brexit goal that critics said was rash and unachievable. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch said in a written statement that the government would instead draw up a list of about 600 specific laws that would be revoked. Badenoch acknowledged there were risks of legal uncertainty if all EU laws were ditched by the end of the year. A lawmaker from the opposition Labour Party, Jenny Chapman, called the announcement a humiliating U-turn from a weak and divided government. Thousands of pieces of EU law were cut-and-pasted into U.K. legislation when Britain left the bloc in 2020 after decades of membership, to ensure continuity for people and businesses. The government's Retained EU Law Bill would have automatically removed all of them at the end of the year unles

UK PM travels to Belfast to convince his toughest audience on Brexit deal

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak traveled to Belfast on Tuesday to sell his landmark agreement with the European Union to its toughest audience: Unionist politicians who fear post-Brexit trade rules are weakening Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom. The UK and the 27-nation EU announced Monday that they had struck a deal to resolve a dispute over Northern Ireland trade that has vexed relations since the UK left the bloc in 2020. The agreement will ease customs checks and other hurdles for goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the U.K. that were imposed after Brexit to maintain an open border between the north and its EU neighbour, the Republic of Ireland. The deal, dubbed the Windsor Framework, was hailed by London and Brussels as a breakthrough. But Northern Ireland's British unionist politicians have yet to give it their blessing. Their support is key to restoring Northern Ireland's semi-autonomous government, which has been toppled by the trade feud, leaving 1

UK and EU leaders to hold talks amid hope to fix Brexit trade dispute

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and European Union leader Ursula von der Leyen are set to hold face-to-face talks, with expectations high they will seal a deal to resolve a thorny post-Brexit trade dispute. That would mark a breakthrough after months of bitter wrangling that has soured UK-EU relations, sparked the collapse of the Belfast-based regional government and and threatened to set back Northern Ireland's decades-old peace process. In a joint statement on Sunday the UK and the EU said European Commission President von der Leyen will travel to Britain on Monday so the leaders can work towards "shared, practical solutions for the range of complex challenges around the Protocol on Ireland and Northern Ireland. Sunak's office set out a tightly choreographed agenda for Monday suggesting a deal is all but done. It said the leaders' lunchtime final talks would be followed by a meeting of the UK Cabinet, then, if there is a deal, by a joint news conference and a statement by Sunak

British PM Sunak pledges to 'give everything' for new Brexit deal

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Sunday pledged to give everything he has got to fix the lingering problems of Brexit and clinch a new deal with the European Union (EU) that resolves the problematic Northern Ireland Protocol. The protocol, agreed by his former boss Boris Johnson, was struck to prevent a hard border between UK territory Northern Ireland and EU member-state Ireland. However, in practice, it has proved controversial and created a standoff between the UK and EU over a resolution until now, when hopes of a new deal have been revived after intensive talks. I voted for Brexit and I believe in Brexit because it offers vast opportunities for families and businesses across our whole country, writes Sunak in The Daily Telegraph'. He notes that while Brexit was about restoring the UK's sovereignty, the Northern Ireland Protocol had undermined that and created "serious barriers to trade within the United Kingdom, and that is unacceptable". "My job is to seize this ...

UK PM Rishi Sunak set for his biggest political test yet with Brexit deal

Sunak oversaw a diplomatic flurry in recent days, holding meetings with parties in Northern Ireland and with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to lay the groundwork

Rishi Sunak privately drafting plans to rebuild Britain's ties with EU

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has privately asked senior ministers and officials to draw up plans for rebuilding the UK's relations with the European Union after years of acrimony since Brexit

Why state must cede power to communities

The general assumption that states must have a monopoly of power is fundamentally flawed. It is leading to broken societies

UK starting to have second thoughts about Brexit as economy faces recession

More than six years after voting to leave the European Union, the UK is facing a prolonged recession and a deep cost-of-living crisis

As British voters cool on Brexit, UK softens tone towards European Union

The British government on Sunday denied a report that it is seeking a Swiss-style relationship with the European Union that would remove many of the economic barriers erected by Brexit even as it tries to improve ties with the bloc after years of acrimony. Health Secretary Steve Barclay told Sky News I don't recognise the Sunday Times report, insisting the U.K. was still determined to use the Brexit freedoms we have by diverging from the EU's rules in key areas. Switzerland has a close economic relationship with the 27-nation EU in return for accepting the bloc's rules and paying into its coffers. The U.K. government said Brexit means we will never again have to accept a relationship with Europe that would see a return to freedom of movement, unnecessary payments to the European Union or jeopardise the full benefit of trade deals we are now able to strike around the world. But despite the denials, the new Conservative government led by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to restore .

Eager to secure trade deal with India, says UK's Suella Braverman

Home Secretary Suella Braverman has said the UK is eager to secure a trade deal with India to boost both economies and that Brexit has meant that Britain no longer has a Eurocentric mindset towards trade or visas. Addressing a Diwali event organised by UK-based India Global Forum (IGF) in London on Tuesday evening, the Indian-origin Cabinet minister spoke of being a proud member of the British Indian community and hailed the contribution made by the Indian diaspora to British life. In an apparent effort to override her recent controversial remarks about Indians forming the largest group of visa overstayers, the minister said the UK's villages, towns and cities have been profoundly enriched by immigration from India. Naturally, there is an economic imperative for our countries to work together, which is why we are so eager to secure a trade deal, said Braverman. But the boost to our economies is not the only virtue in making our friendship even stronger. We have a shared vision that

From Brexit to Partygate: A timeline of Boris Johnson's chequered career

Johnson's time as prime minister was marred by his handling of the coronavirus pandemic and a steady stream of ethics allegations

UK's job vacancy crisis could last 3-5 yrs brought by Covid, Brexit: Expert

As Britain's economy grapples with the impact of a record number of job vacancies, a labour market expert has warned that the problem may continue for another three to five years

UK to bring new law unilaterally changing post-Brexit trade rules

Britain's government is expected to introduce legislation Monday that would unilaterally change post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland amid opposition from lawmakers

When it comes to making the Budget, India needs to learn from the UK

The setting up of an OBR-like fiscal council has been thwarted by bureaucrats scared of losing turf and being accountable to the evidence

Britain considering return of pound, ounce in post-Brexit measures

Boris Johnson is reportedly set to announce a return to imperial measurements of pounds and ounces as a post-Brexit move away from the metric system to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee next week.

UK confirms plan to change N Ireland Protocol amid tensions with EU

The UK announced its plan to introduce legislation to make changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol amid mounting tensions with the European Union (EU) over post-Brexit arrangements.

Brexit: UK and EU at impasse over changes to Northern Ireland protocol

The two sides have been trying for months to overcome a deadlock over the Northern Ireland protocol, which sets the trading rules for the British region that London agreed before it left the EU

A new indispensable power

No other capital should matter as much to New Delhi as Brussels

Rees-Mogg becomes minister for Brexit opportunities in Johnson reshuffle

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday reshuffled his Cabinet and appointed Jacob Rees-Mogg as the minister for Brexit Opportunities and Government Efficiency.

Boris Johnson tries to change subject from 'partygate' woes

Johnson's opponents accused the government of trying to water down a report that could trigger an attempt to oust the prime minister by his own party