Brexit updates

The long queue of traffic waiting to board ferries to France at the English port of Dover began easing on Sunday evening, after a hugely disrupted weekend left some travellers waiting up to 16 hours.

Channel ferry operators made extra sailings to France to help clear the backlog.

But UK interior minister Suella Braverman on Sunday rejected claims that the delays at the start of the Easter getaway were "an adverse effect of Brexit", which ended free movement from Britain to European Union member states.

The Port of Dover said in a tweet that "all this weekend's coach traffic is now contained in the port ready for processing through immigration controls".

The popular port for cross-Channel ferry travel "continues to work with the ferry operators and border agencies to get the remaining coach passengers on their way as quickly as possible," the statement said. — AFP

Two years after Britain's departure from the European Union, bosses of UK businesses are reeling from the cost of Brexit, including some who voted to cut ties with Brussels.

"It's cost, cost, cost with no benefit," noted Adrian Hanrahan, chief executive of a small chemicals company, Robinson Brothers, based in central England and for which the EU remains a key market.

The problem is not the customs duties, largely eliminated by the post-Brexit free trade agreement between London and Brussels, but rather a mountain of new regulatory paperwork.

"We've added probably 25 percent extra now on our administration costs just to cope with the changing paperwork... of getting stuff in from the EU and out of the EU," Hanrahan told AFP. — AFP

French President Emmanuel Macron and Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin believe there is "a crucial window of opportunity to resolve" post-Brexit trade disputes with London over Northern Ireland, according to an Irish statement issued after the pair met in Paris.

The British region of Northern Ireland is locked in a political stalemate following disagreements over the Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated when the United Kingdom left the European Union.

The protocol keeps Northern Ireland within the European single market but creates a de facto customs border with the island of Great Britain, which is unacceptable to Northern Ireland's unionists, who want to keep the province within the United Kingdom.

Northern Ireland has the UK's only land border with the EU, but it must remain open under the 1998 peace agreement that ended three decades of violence.

Martin "expressed his thanks to the President for France’s unswerving solidarity with Ireland throughout Brexit," according to the statement, released after a lunch meeting at the Elysee Palace.

"Both leaders agreed on the importance of a new and vital partnership with the UK and believe that there is now a critical window of opportunity to resolve issues relating to the Protocol," it added. — AFP

Britain has launched dispute procedures with the European Union over its exclusion from the bloc's scientific research programs, using a mechanism set out in a post-Brexit deal.

This is the first such dispute launched by the UK against the EU since Brexit.

The British government said in a statement late Tuesday that it has launched action "set out in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to resolve disputes between the UK and EU". 

The action was taken over "persistent delays" to its access to EU science programs, it said. 

It added that the UK had negotiated access to these programmes in 2020 but the EU "has still refused to finalize" its inclusion in academic programs. -- AFP 

Unions, port officials and the French authorities blamed Brexit on Saturday as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays trying to reach Europe via the English Channel port of Dover.

But UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss laid the blame squarely on Paris, telling her French counterpart Catherine Colonna that "the French authorities have not put enough people on the border."

The situation has added to the bad blood between London and Paris in the wake of Brexit, scotching hopes of a reset after Boris Johnson said earlier this month he was stepping down as premier.

"We need to see action from them (the French) to resolve the terrible situation which travellers, including families, are facing," said Truss, who is currently fighting to succeed Johnson as prime minister.

But Paris has rejected claims that the gridlock was caused by under-staffing and Colonna in her tweet took a more sanguine view of their conversation, describing the talks as "good" and welcoming the "cooperation" to reduce the delays. 

Colonna also underlined the "need to improve facilities at the Port of Dover."

Tweeting the front page of Britain's right-wing Daily Telegraph which had the headline "Truss tells France to fix holiday chaos", France's Transport Minister Clement Beaune said the French authorities were "mobilised" to ease movement.

But in a jab at London, the former Europe minister added: "France is not responsible for Brexit". -- AFP

A proposed relaxation in post-Brexit rules for Britain's 'City' finance sector could spark a race to the bottom in standards, top economic experts warned on Monday.

Almost 60 prominent figures expressed concern in an open letter to British finance minister Rishi Sunak over UK plans to promote "competitiveness" in the financial services industry.

"We wholeheartedly support the government's aim to stimulate long-term UK economic growth, including through financial regulation," the letter read.

"Yet we believe that competitiveness is an inappropriate objective for regulators." — AFP

Talks between Britain and the European Union to resolve problems with the Brexit agreement regarding Northern Ireland will move to London next week with the UK government warning on Saturday that "substantial gaps" remained. 

A negotiating team from the European Commission will travel to London on Tuesday "for several days of intensive discussions", according to a statement issued by London on Saturday.

British minister David Frost and EU Commission Vice President Sefcovic are due to meet for talks at the end of the week to "take stock and assess progress so far".

London added that talks over the previous days had been "constructive" but that "substantial gaps" remain.

Brussels has put forward a raft of proposals to try and ease tensions within the loyalist community over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the part of the Brexit deal that deals with the British province. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson rallies his Conservative party faithful on Wednesday vowing a far-reaching overhaul to wean the UK economy off cheap foreign labour after Brexit.

Shrugging off panic-buying at petrol stations, bare supermarket shelves and retailers' warnings of a bleak Christmas to come, the Tory leader says the short-term pain is worth it.

"We are dealing with the biggest underlying issues of our economy and society," he is expected to say in his conference-closing speech, according to excerpts released by the party.

"The problems that no government has had the guts to tackle before. — AFP

The French government on Monday lashed out at new regulations which Britain has declared for fishing in its waters near the Channel Islands, deeming them "null and void" in a deepening post-Brexit row.

France and Britain have increasingly clashed over fishing in recent weeks, with French fishermen saying they are being prevented from operating in British waters because of difficulties in obtaining licences.

The French fisheries ministry said Britain had introduced "new technical measures" relating to licences for fishing off the Channel Islands which had not been properly declared to the European Union under the terms of the Brexit deal. —  AFP

Britain on Thursday finally severed its turbulent half-century partnership with Europe, quitting the EU single market and customs union and going its own way four-and-a-half years after its shock vote to leave the bloc.

Brexit, which has dominated politics on both sides of the Channel since 2016, became a reality as Big Ben struck 11 pm (2300 GMT) in London, just as most of mainland Europe ushered in 2021.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson — the figurehead of the "Leave" campaign — described it as an "amazing moment" for the country and played up his upbeat narrative of a "Global Britain" unshackled from rules set in Brussels. — AFP

The fishermen of Ramsgate, a once thriving seaside town in southern England, had high hopes that Brexit would bring back the pre-EU glory days of teeming catches and lively fish auctions.

Britain had insisted it wanted to take back control of its waters while EU coastal states sought guarantees that their fleets could keep fishing in UK waters. 

"We've been sold out by Boris!" fumed John Nichols in his Ramsgate cottage overlooking the English Channel, referring to Prime Minister Johnson.

Nichols, president of the Thanet Fishermen's Association representing around 40 boats, said they were looking forward to a return to the days before frozen rectangles of cod could be imported from far away.

They fought for stricter quotas and stepped-up checks, especially against Dutch "electric pulse fleets", a method that Nichols said sterilises fish stocks.

Instead, last week London and Brussels reached a compromise that will see European boats gradually relinquish 25 percent of their current quotas during a five-and-a-half-year transition period. — AFP

Promoters of Britain's divorce from the European Union had said they would revitalize bonds with the United States, where President Donald Trump, with his shared disdain for multinational bodies, seemed the perfect partner.

Come January, Britain both definitively leaves the 27-nation bloc and will deal with a new US president, Joe Biden, who prioritizes the EU and shares none of the Brexiteers' romanticism about going it alone.

Biden, an Irish-American who will be the second Catholic president, had already warned UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson not to jeopardize peace in Northern Ireland by erecting a hard border between the British-ruled province and EU member Ireland.

Even as trade talks dragged on, Britain reached a deal with Brussels on special arrangements for Northern Ireland — a sign to observers that Biden's election had already made an impact.

"It was recognized in London that if you messed up the Northern Irish border, it would have been absolutely poisonous for the US-UK relationship," said Jacob Kirkegaard, a senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. — AFP

British negotiator David Frost arrives at European Commission headquarters to see his EU counterpart Michel Barnier on Sunday, the deadline for post-Brexit trade talks to make progress or fail.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen were due to talk by phone later in the day, to decide whether a deal is close or whether the talks should now be abandoned. —  AFP

Negotiations for a post-Brexit trade deal continue overnight Saturday ahead of a deadline for a decision on whether to press on, but a UK government warned Brussels' offer still falls short.

"Talks are continuing overnight, but as things stand the offer on the table from the EU remains unacceptable," a UK government source said. 

"The prime minister will leave no stone unturned in this process, but he is absolutely clear: any agreement must be fair and respect the fundamental position that the UK will be a sovereign nation in three weeks' time." —  AFP

Food shortages, tailbacks and congested ports: as talks with Brussels remain unresolved three weeks before leaving the EU single market, the UK is preparing for a chaotic "no-deal".

Business groups this week warned of difficulties from January 1 as a frustrating lack of clarity on a post-Brexit trade deal has left many companies unable to plan properly.

"While Britain's businesses are hoping that a Brexit deal will be reached, companies across many sectors will face disruption," said Darren Jones, chair of parliament's Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, after meeting business representatives on Tuesday. — AFP

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday publishes a back-up plan to protect road and air travel and fishing rights if Britain leaves the union without a trade deal.

"Negotiations are still ongoing. However, given that the end of the transition is very near, there is no guarantee that if and when an agreement is found, it can enter into force on time," she says. 

"Our responsibility is to be prepared for all eventualities, including not having a deal in place with the UK on 1 January 2021. That is why we are coming forward with these measures today." —  AFP 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Wednesday she still sees a "chance" for a deal with Britain on leaving the European Union but warns that the bloc would reject "unacceptable" terms.

Speaking ahead of crunch talks between British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen, Merkel displays cautious optimism about a post-Brexit trade agreement.

"There is still a chance for a deal," says Merkel, who holds the rotating EU presidency, but warns "we must not endanger the integrity of the common market". — AFP

Prime Minister Boris Johnson was Brussels-bound on Wednesday, with Britain's fading hopes for a post-Brexit trade deal hanging on crisis talks with EU chief Ursula von der Leyen.

Johnson's dash back to the city where once he made his name as an EU-bashing newspaper reporter marks the last chance of a breakthrough before Britain leaves the EU single market.

Talks are blocked over the issue of fair competition, with Britain refusing to accept a mechanism to allow the EU to retaliate swiftly if the UK business regulations change in ways that put European firms at a disadvantage. — AFP

Negotiations on a post-Brexit trade deal between Britain and the European Union are still blocked over fishing rights, rules for fair trade and an enforcement mechanism, European diplomats say Monday.

But talks will continue despite the tight timetable for the European Parliament to ratify an accord before the UK leaves the single market on December 31, with one source stressing that "substance will take precedence over the calendar." —  AFP

The EU and Britain launch the final stretch of trade negotiations on Monday after months of bickering, hoping to dispel fear of failure by agreeing a blueprint for their future.

Going forward, relations between Britain and Europe could be governed by a trade deal, but only if negotiations currently under way deliver, which is hardly guaranteed given still wide divergences.

Officials on both sides of the Channel are eying an EU leaders video summit on Thursday as the de facto last chance for a breakthrough.

This gives negotiators Michel Barnier and David Frost just four days and nights to bridge differences that have remained unchanged since talks began in March. — AFP

In Thyboron, a port in western Denmark, the sky is grey and overcast and fishermen look just as gloomy as soon as the word Brexit is mentioned.

Almost all of the 2,000 people who live here know a fisherman whose livelihood depends largely on catches in British waters.

For several years now, Tamme Bolt's trawler has increasingly fished in British waters, following the fish as they migrate further north in the North Sea.

Bolt, a good-natured fisherman in his 50s who heads a crew of 10, tells AFP that if he no longer has access to British waters, "we will lose one third of our income" and he might have to lay off people.

Many of the 300-strong local fishermen's association, Denmark's biggest, catch between 10 and 70 percent of their haul in the British part of the North Sea, reeling in cod, herring and sand eel among others. -- AFP

Britain and Japan are set to sign a trade deal on Friday at a ceremony in Tokyo, marking London's first major post-Brexit agreement as it holds an intense round of negotiations with the European Union.

The deal covers sectors from food to textiles and tech and largely replicates the existing EU-Japan arrangement, which will no longer apply to Britain at the end of this year.

The British government has touted it as a chance to boost trade between the two countries by £15.2 billion ($19.5 billion, 16.5 billion euros). 

It is due to take effect on January 1 — the end of a transition period in which London and Brussels are trying to thrash out the terms of their new relationship.

Britain and the European Union resumed their fraught talks on Thursday after the UK ended a week of threats to abandon the long-running negotiations. — AFP

Britain and the European Union will resume fraught post-Brexit trade talks on Thursday after seven days lost to threats and brinkmanship, and with just weeks left to salvage an agreement.

The UK had been refusing since Friday to restart long-running negotiations over a future free trade deal, after EU leaders said at a summit the previous day that London must compromise on the outstanding issues.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had signalled he was ready to abandon the process, but following a Wednesday phone call between the two sides' top mediators his office said there was now a basis for continued talks.

In a joint document, they agreed the UK's David Frost and EU negotiator Michel Barnier would hold a new round of negotiations in London over the coming days, as both sides warn a deal must be struck by the end of the month. — AFP

Britain still wants to reach a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union despite the current deadlock, a senior government minister insisted ahead of fresh talks Monday.

The UK had imposed a deadline of last week's EU summit for a deal, and Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he was ready to walk away and prepare for a no-deal exit after five decades of EU membership.

However, senior minister Michael Gove said on Sunday he was still hopeful there would be an agreement, telling TV interviewers the door remained "ajar" if the EU would change its position.

The two sides disagree on the rules for fair competition, how these rules will be policed and how much access EU fishing fleets will get to UK waters. — AFP

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen will hold video talks with Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Saturday as they seek a breakthrough in post-Brexit trade negotiations.

The two leaders will meet online in the afternoon, von der Leyen's spokesman Eric Mamer said on Twitter, for "stock-taking of negotiations and discussion of next steps". — AFP

Financial firms have switched more than 7,500 jobs to European locations outside the UK because of Brexit, a survey revealed Thursday.

With Britain's EU-exit transition period nearing an end, the pace of relocations has slowed, hampered in part by the coronavirus, added the survey by financial services group EY.

It added that Dublin is the most popular destination for staff relocations, followed by Luxembourg.

EY’s Financial Services Brexit Tracker also estimated that assets worth a combined £1.2 trillion ($1.52 trillion, 1.3 trillion euros) could be transferred.

"Many financial services firms had implemented the bulk of their relocation plans before the start of the year, and we saw very little movement in the first half of 2020," said Omar Ali, UK financial services managing partner at EY. 

"But as we fast approach the end of the transition period, we are seeing some firms act on the final phases of their Brexit planning, including relocations. — AFP

British and EU negotiators on Tuesday launched their last week of intense negotiations as the UK parliament is set to approve legislation that would violate terms of the divorce treaty.

Negotiation teams met in Brussels with Britain seeking to make tangible progress ahead of a crunch summit on October 16, where EU leaders will decide whether it's still worth pursuing a trade deal with London.

Officials will tussle over the thorny issues that have deadlocked talks since March, including rules for paying state subsidies to private companies and distribution of fishing rights.

The deal is intended to give Britain wide access to the European market, quell EU worries that post-Brexit UK will undermine bloc standards, and set limits on state aid. — AFP

Britain on Monday faced warnings it risked its international reputation if it reneged on its agreement to leave the European Union, as Brexit trade talks reached a crucial final stage.

The Financial Times reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was planning new legislation that would override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement treaty that Britain and the EU agreed in October last year.

It cited three people close to the plans as saying a bill to be put before parliament this week would undermine agreements relating to Northern Ireland customs and state aid.

In response, Downing Street said only it was still "working hard to resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol" but was considering "fall-back options".

Under the protocol, Northern Ireland, which will have Britain's only land border with the EU, will follow some of the bloc's rules to ensure the frontier remains open. — AFP

Britain on Monday faced warnings it risked its international reputation if it reneged on its agreement to leave the European Union, as Brexit trade talks reached a crucial final stage.

The Financial Times reported that Prime Minister Boris Johnson was planning new legislation that would override parts of the Withdrawal Agreement treaty that Britain and the EU agreed in October last year.

It cited three people close to the plans as saying a bill to be put before parliament this week would undermine agreements relating to Northern Ireland customs and state aid.

In response, Downing Street said only it was still "working hard to resolve outstanding issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol" but was considering "fall-back options".

Under the protocol, Northern Ireland, which will have Britain's only land border with the EU, will follow some of the bloc's rules to ensure the frontier remains open. — AFP

Britain will not become "a client state" under the terms of any post-Brexit trade deal struck with the European Union, the UK's chief negotiator David Frost insisted late on Saturday.

Ahead of an eighth and final round of scheduled talks with the EU next week, Frost said Britain was "not going to compromise on the fundamentals of having control over our own laws".

"We are not going to be a client state," he told the Mail on Sunday in a rare newspaper interview, as the stalled negotiations with the bloc near their conclusion.

"We are not going to accept provisions that give them control over our money or the way we can organise things here in the UK and that should not be controversial," Frost added. — AFP

Britain's chief negotiator David Frost said Thursday that "significant differences" remain with the European Union after the latest round of talks on post-Brexit ties.

But he added: "We remain committed to working hard to find an early understanding on the principles underlying an agreement." — AFP

Britain said Thursday it would decide in June if it was likely to get a post-Brexit trade deal with the European Union -- and without progress, could walk away.

If progress was not clear by June, "the government will need to decide whether the UK's attention should move away from negotiations and focus solely on continuing domestic preparations" for no deal at the end of 2020, the official negotiating mandate said. -- AFP

Britain will issue blue passports next month for the first time in almost three decades following its departure from the European Union, the government said on Saturday.

The new blue cover passports will be issued and delivered early next month, said the interior ministry, replacing the burgundy passports that were introduced in 1988. — AFP

Britain's trade negotiator warned Monday that his government would not accept EU supervision of its economy for close trade ties.

Senior diplomat Mark Frost told academics in Brussels that London intended to set its own laws following Brexit and not follow EU-imposed "level playing field" rules.

"It isn't a simple negotiating position which might move under pressure — it is the point of the whole project," he said. — AFP

Just before dawn, the Good Fellowship trawler casts its nets deep into the North Sea's cold swirling waters, fishing for prawns off England's northeast coast.

Britain finally departs the European Union on Friday but remains bound by the bloc's Common Fisheries Policy until the end of a transition period on December 31.

The Good Fellowship's captain, David Shiel, is cautiously hopeful that Brexit can help reverse decades of decline in the UK's once-booming fishing industry that has been blamed partly on EU membership allowing foreign vessels to fish in British waters. — AFP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government intends to present a bill to parliament on Friday to enable Britain to leave the European Union next month, his spokesman said on Monday.

"We plan to start the process before Christmas and will do so in the proper constitutional way in discussion with the speaker (of the House of Commons)," Johnson's spokesman told reporters.

The announcement came as Johnson begins a new week with a fresh mandate to fulfil his promise to push through his election promise to "Get Brexit Done" on January 31.

His gamble to call an early election to give him a majority in parliament to get approval of his divorce deal paid off spectacularly last week. — Agence France-Presse

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson vowed Saturday to repay the trust of former opposition voters who gave his Conservatives a mandate to take Britain out of the European Union next month.

Johnson toured a leftist bastion once represented by former Labour leader Tony Blair in a bid to show his intent to unite the country after years of divisions over Brexit.

The northeastern region fell to the Tories in a general election Thursday that turned into a re-run of the 2016 EU membership referendum in which Johnson championed the Brexit cause. — Agence France-Presse

Britain's main opposition Labour party blames public disaffection with the protracted Brexit process for a predicted heavy election defeat to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Conservatives.

"It looks as if Brexit dominated. A lot of this was Brexit fatigue. People just wanted it over and done with," Labour finance spokesman John McDonnell tells Sky News after an exit poll forecast the Tories would win an 86-seat majority in parliament. — AFP

The upheaval of Brexit means a referendum on Irish unity must be held within the next five years, the leader of republican party Sinn Fein says Saturday.

The province of Northern Ireland, and its border with the Republic of Ireland, has been a major complication in Britain's attempt to leave the EU.

"The days of partition are numbered, change is in the air, Brexit has changed everything," president Mary Lou McDonald told the party's conference in Londonderry.

"Many people, for the first time, are now considering their future in a United Ireland."

"In the next five years, let the people have their say," she added ?— calling on the Irish government to set a path to the poll with an all-Ireland forum.

A 1998 peace accord ended 30 years of sectarian bloodshed across the island, dictating the border between the British territory and the sovereign nation to the south be rendered invisible. ?— Agence France-Presse

The UK parliament selects a new speaker Monday, a once unremarkable event that is now charged with significance following the previous occupant's role in Brexit.

Seven MPs are running to replace John Bercow, who placed himself front and centre of the Brexit saga by choosing amendments and introducing procedures that Leave-supporting MPs claimed were designed to frustrate Britain's departure from the European Union.

Bercow also faced accusations that he fostered a culture of bullying within the lower House of Commons.

But his colorful personality and eccentric performances in parliament gave him an international profile and raised the status of the office. — Agence France-Presse

The likelihood of the EU extending the UK's Brexit deadline "looks good", after which Britain should put forward a candidate for the European Commission, its incoming president said on Thursday.

"The question of granting an extension, that looks very good," EU president-elect Ursula von der Leyen told reporters during a visit to Helsinki.

EU member states on Wednesday backed a plan to postpone Brexit beyond October 31, after British prime minister Boris Johnson was compelled to send an extension request under a law passed by rebel MPs.

On Thursday, von der Leyen said that a further Brexit delay would mean the UK should put forward a nominee to join the incoming cabinet of EU commissioners.

"If after the first of November — and this is not a given — there might be an extension and the UK is still in the European Union, then of course I would ask the UK to send a commissioner," von der Leyen said. — Agence France-Presse

Germany will not block a request from Britain to extend the deadline for its exit from the European Union beyond October 31, Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman says Wednesday.

Asked about European Council President Donald Tusk's recommendation that EU's 27 other member states grant a flexible extension until January 31, 2020, spokesman Steffen Seibert tells reporters the request would "not fail due to Germany".

In tense parliamentary votes on Tuesday, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won preliminary backing for the divorce deal he agreed with the EU, which would have seen Britain leave the bloc at the end of this month. — Agence France-Presse

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson prepared to Monday make a second attempt to ram his EU divorce deal through parliament and avoid the political damage of delaying Brexit next week.

Another momentous week in the tortuous saga could end with Johnson engineering a divorce from Brussels that breaks many of the island nation's economic relations with Europe after 46 years of EU membership.

British lawmakers dealt a dramatic blow to Johnson's Brexit plan at the weekend by refusing to give their backing to his revised withdrawal agreement until the legislation needed to ratify it has passed.

His foes are now forging new alliances and trying to attach amendments that could either force Johnson to accept closer trade ties — or abandon the deal and accept a third delay this year. — Agence France-Presse

EU leaders are on Sunday considering a request by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to delay Britain's departure from the bloc, which he was forced to make after MPs refused to back his Brexit deal.

Johnson has pinned his premiership on getting Britain out of the European Union on October 31, more than three years after the 2016 referendum vote for Brexit.

But the House of Commons on Saturday refused to support a divorce deal he struck with Brussels last week, triggering a law demanding he ask to delay Brexit to avoid the risk of a damaging "no deal" exit. -- Agence France-Presse

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reluctantly wrote to Brussels late Saturday asking for a Brexit extension after MPs voted to force him into seeking a delay beyond October 31.

But Johnson, who has pinned his premiership on getting Britain out of the European Union on time, refused to sign the letter he sent to European Council President Donald Tusk.

The Conservative leader also sent a second signed letter insisting he was not seeking an extension to the Brexit deadline, which has already been postponed twice. -- Agence France-Presse

Northern Ireland's DUP said Thursday it was "unable to support" Prime Minister Boris Johnson's draft Brexit agreement, which must still be approved by the UK parliament.

"The Democratic Unionist Party will be unable to support these proposals in parliament," the DUP, which has propped up Johnson's minority government, said in a statement, adding the deal "drives a coach and horses through the professed sanctity of the Belfast Agreement" — the Good Friday peace accords that ended three decades of bloodshed in Northern Ireland. — Agence France-Presse

Britain's Brexit-facing economy shrank in August, official data shows Thursday, but analysts say a better-than-expected July is expected to help it avoid recession.

Gross domestic product — the combined value of all goods and services produced in the economy — slid 0.1% in August from July, the Office for National Statistics said in a statement.

That contrasted however with upwardly-revised monthly expansion of 0.4 percent in July.

Sterling barely budged on the August reading, which was only moderately worse than market expectations of zero growth.

And the ONS also revealed Thursday that the economy grew 0.3 percent in the three months to August compared with the previous quarter.

"The most recent GDP readings from the UK have shown a contraction in month-on-month terms — but taking a step back and looking at the bigger picture, it does not appear quite so bad," notes XTB analyst David Cheetham.

He adds: "Following the contraction seen in the second quarter, this means that another negative reading for the third quarter is not at all likely, although growth remains tepid at best." — Agence France-Presse

Nearly 1.8 million EU nationals have applied to stay in Britain after Brexit, according to figures out Wednesday.

Some 1,759,400 applications had been received by European Union nationals by September 30, the Home Office interior ministry said, of which 495,700 were received last month alone.

The countries with the most applicants were Poland with 347,300, Romania (280,600), Italy (200,700), Portugal (162,500) and Spain (115,700).

Launched in March, the online system allows EU, wider European Economic Area and Swiss citizens residing in Britain to obtain, free of charge, settled status or pre-settled status.

They have until December 2020 to apply. — Agence France-Presse

Britain's debt burden would jump to its highest level in 50 years if it leaves the EU without a deal, a leading think-tank warns Tuesday.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies says that due to Prime Minister Boris Johnson's public spending plans, government borrowing was set to top £50 billion ($61 billion, 56 billion euros), equal to 2.3 percent of GDP, or total national economic output.

The figure is double what the Office for Budget Responsibility public body was forecasting in March, four months before Johnson took office pledging a public services spending boost.

It also breaks the government's self-imposed fiscal rule of keeping borrowing to below two percent of GDP in order to balance the books by the mid-2020s.-- Agence France-Presse

Prime Minister Boris Johnson urges the EU to compromise as he prepares to submit a new Brexit plan but warns Britain is ready to leave without a deal on October 31, "come what may."

Johnson says an alternative to a "compromise for both sides" — which included no customs checks "at or near" the Northern Irish border — was for Britain to leave without a deal, "an outcome for which we are ready." — AFP

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will unveil his plan for a new Brexit deal at his Conservative party conference Wednesday, warning the EU it is that or Britain leaves with no agreement this month.

Downing Street said Johnson would give details of a "fair and reasonable compromise" in his closing address to the gathering in Manchester, and would table the plans in Brussels the same day.

It stressed this would be a "final offer", and that if the European Union "does not engage" then Johnson would keep to his threat to leave on October 31 with no deal.

The prime minister would "in no circumstances" ask to delay Brexit at a Brussels summit on October 17 and 18, it said in a statement.

"Let's get Brexit done -- we can, we must and we will," Johnson will tell delegates. -- Agence France-Presse

One in three Irish farms will be at risk of going under following a no-deal Brexit, the nation's central bank warns.

"Around one third of all farms are classified as economically vulnerable," the Central Bank of Ireland says in a statement.

"Any future negative shock — even one less material than Brexit — would further expose the underlying weaknesses in the sector."

Thirty-eight percent of Irish agrifood exports are made to Britain according to 2017 figures from the Republic's department of agriculture.

But if Britain exits the EU on October 31 without a deal it may revert to World Trade Organisation rules which would see tariffs and other barriers imposed to such cross-border trade. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker agreed that Brexit talks "needed to intensify," with daily meetings between officials, Downing Street says.

"The leaders agreed that the discussions needed to intensify and that meetings would soon take place on a daily basis," the prime minister's office says following the first face-to-face talks between the pair in Luxembourg. — AFP

 

A shock exit by Britain from the EU without an agreement would be "a disaster", the European employers' organization, Business Europe, warns on Monday.

One of the EU's most powerful lobbies, Business Europe issued the warning just hours before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg.

Both sides are under intense pressure to mend fences just a month and a half before the Britain's scheduled departure on October 31.

But Johnson, unlike his predecessor Theresa May, has said he is determined that the United Kingdom will leave the EU on October 31, with or without agreement.

"No deal is a recipe for disaster and should be definitely ruled out. A disorderly, no deal exit of the UK would be extremely harmful for all sides," says Markus J. Beyrer, CEO of Business Europe in a statement.  — Agence France-Presse

A shock exit by Britain from the EU without an agreement would be "a disaster", the European employers' organisation, Business Europe, warned on Monday.

One of the EU's most powerful lobbies, Business Europe issued the warning just hours before British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is scheduled to meet European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker in Luxembourg.

Both sides are under intense pressure to mend fences just a month and a half before the Britain's scheduled departure on October 31. — AFP

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron launches a blistering attack on the UK's current leader Boris Johnson in extracts of his memoirs published Sunday, accusing him of only backing Brexit to further his own career.

He says Johnson, who took office in July, believed that campaigning for Britain to leave the European Union during the 2016 referendum would make him the "darling" of their Conservative party.

Damningly, he also says that Johnson privately believed there should be a second referendum to confirm the terms of Brexit — something the premier has strongly resisted since.

In extracts published in the Sunday Times newspaper, Cameron — who led the failed "Remain" campaign to stay in the EU — also accused his "Leave" rivals of lying to the public. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets his Irish counterpart in Dublin as he battles to salvage his hardline Brexit strategy and force an early election in the face of fierce opposition in Westminster.

Johnson holds talks with Leo Varadkar amid an apparent stalemate in the Brexit process and as MPs look set to vote down his second bid for a snap poll next month.

The British leader has vowed to take Britain out of the EU by October 31 with or without a formal divorce deal — despite warnings that the latter scenario would entail economic chaos. — AFP

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson sparks fury Wednesday among pro-Europeans and MPs opposed to a no-deal Brexit by forcing the suspension of parliament weeks before Britain's EU departure date.

The pound slid on the surprise news, which opponents branded a "coup" and a "declaration of war" but Johnson claimed was necessary to allow him to pursue a "bold and ambitious" new domestic agenda.

It came a day after opposition parties vowed to seek legislative changes to prevent a no-deal Brexit. — Agence France-Presse

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson holds his first face-to-face talks with Donald Trump since taking office, with the US president backing him as the "right man" to deliver Brexit for Britain.

Trump and Johnson meet on the sidelines of the Group of Seven (G7) summit hosted by France in Biarritz. Asked what his advice is for Brexit, Trump replies: "He (Johnson) needs no advice, he is the right man for the job."

European Union chiefs say they want to work with Britain's next prime minister Boris Johnson to ratify the Brexit withdrawal deal signed by his predecessor.

"We look forward to working constructively with PM Boris Johnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly Brexit," EU negotiator Michel Barnier tweets immediately after Johnson was confirmed as leader of Britain's Conservative Party and hence incoming premier.

We look forward to working constructively w/ PM @BorisJohnson when he takes office, to facilitate the ratification of the Withdrawal Agreement and achieve an orderly #Brexit. We are ready also to rework the agreed Declaration on a new partnership in line with #EUCO guidelines.

— Michel Barnier (@MichelBarnier) July 23, 2019

French President Emmanuel Macron will showcase Europe's defense capabilities by putting European military cooperation at the heart of a Bastille Day parade at a time of growing tensions with the United States.

Key EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel and British Prime Minister Theresa May, are expected to join Macron to watch the annual parade down the Champs Elysees that marks the July 14, 1789 storming of the Bastille fortress in Paris in the French Revolution.

Contenders to succeed Theresa May as Britain's prime minister prepare to launch their leadership campaigns, leaving Brexit shrouded in uncertainty.

A tearful May announced her resignation on Friday, leaving the Brexit process for exiting the European Union in limbo and raising the risk of Britain crashing out of the bloc in a few months.

May's statement inevitably triggered the starting gun on a two-month contest to replace her.

May will step down as Conservative leader on June 7 but stay on as prime minister until party members have chosen her successor, which will happen by July 20. — AFP

France opposes repeated extensions for Britain's exit from the European Union, a presidential official says, keeping to the hard line of Paris on Brexit.

France does not want to enter into a cycle of "repeated extensions" following this month's European parliament elections which Britain will take part in after being extended to the end of October, says the official, adding that London should "have a solution before October 31." — AFP

France's Europe minister on Thursday defended President Emmanuel Macron's opposition to granting a Brexit extension of more than six months, saying it would have been seen as an attempt by the EU to keep Britain in the bloc.

On Wednesday, Macron led a group of EU countries that resisted a move by a majority of EU leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, to give Britain an extension of up to a year. 

British Prime Minister Theresa May had herself asked for a shorter extension, until June 30.

In the end the leaders gathered in Brussels settled on October 31, which May accepted. -- Agence France-Presse

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Wednesday that she is open to giving Britain more time to arrange its exit from the EU than the June 30 departure London is seeking.

Merkel told Germany's parliament ahead of a special EU summit in Brussels dedicated to Brexit that leaders may well agree to a delay "longer than the British prime minister (Theresa May) has requested".

She said she would meet French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the summit with the aim of hashing out a common stance on the length of a further extension.  

"I am of the opinion, the German government is of the opinion, that we should give both (British) parties a reasonable amount of time" to reach an agreement on an orderly Brexit, she said.

"I think the extension should be as short as possible. But it should be long enough to create a certain calm so we don't have to meet every two weeks to deal with the same subject."

Without a postponement, Britain is due to crash out of the European Union at midnight on Friday under a "no-deal" Brexit that could trigger economic chaos. -- Agence France-Presse

Prime Minister Theresa May will on Monday press ahead with her bid for a Brexit "compromise" with the opposition despite a backlash from her own party, as she attempts to prevent Britain crashing out of the European Union this week.

Talks with the Labour Party are expected ahead of a crucial EU summit that could see Britain leave the bloc as early as Friday, if no further delay is agreed.

Having failed three times to get her withdrawal deal through parliament, May has been locked in talks with Labour to find a modified plan that could command a majority, causing anger within her own party.

"It'll mean compromise on both sides but I believe that delivering Brexit is the most important thing for us. -- Agence France-Presse

The prospect of Britain holding European elections would have been unthinkable just weeks ago but with the Brexit timetable now uncertain, the country is reluctantly planning for a possible campaign.

Village halls and schools across the country are being booked as polling centres, and orders placed with specialist stationers for tens of millions of ballots in case the May 23 vote goes ahead.

The government has yet to give formal notice of the poll, with the deadline next Friday, but this week agreed to pay for initial preparations.

And after Prime Minister Theresa May admitted she would seek to again delay Brexit, amid continuing deadlock over her plan to leave, officials believe such notice is inevitable.

"If we were to still be a member of the EU, which is not our government's intention, but if we were, we would need to have European Parliament elections," Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay told MPs on Thursday. -- Agence France-Presse

The British government and the main opposition were to hold further crisis talks on Thursday after MPs voted in favour of a Brexit delay that would avoid Britain crashing out of the EU on April 12.

With options running out, May switched course and invited Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn for talks on Wednesday in a bid to forge a compromise that avoids a chaotic "no-deal" departure from the European Union in eight days' time.

Negotiating teams for both sides were to meet again on Thursday for a full day of urgent discussions. -- Agence France-Presse

The failure of British lawmakers to agree an alternative Brexit strategy means their country will almost certainly crash out of the EU without a deal, a leading MEP warns Tuesday.

"The House of Commons again votes against all options. A hard Brexit becomes nearly inevitable," Guy Verhofstadt, the former Belgian prime minister and head of the European Parliament's Brexit steering committee said. 

"On Wednesday, the UK has a last chance to break the deadlock or face the abyss," he says in a tweet. -- Agence France-Presse

British Prime Minister Theresa May will on Monday chair a potentially volatile meeting of her cabinet amid reports of an attempted coup by colleagues over her handling of Brexit.

May will meet the very ministers said to be plotting to oust her at the start of another crucial week in Britain's withdrawal from the European Union, which could see MPs seize control of the process from the government. 

Lawmakers are set to vote later Monday on whether to force through the House of Commons a series of so-called "indicative votes" to gauge support for various Brexit options. -- Agence France-Presse

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she will struggle until the last possible moment to achieve an orderly Brexit, saying the interests of Germany, Britain and the EU are at stake.

"I will fight to the last hour of the deadline on March 29 for an orderly exit (of Britain from the European Union)," she tells a conference in Berlin.

"We don't have a lot of time for it but still have a few days." — AFP

British Prime Minister Theresa May hailed "progress" in talks with the EU on Wednesday aimed at solving the Brexit deadlock.

May said her meeting with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had been "constructive" with the two sides agreeing to work on assurances over the thorny "Irish backstop" issue. — AFP