The question began: Imagine a country suffered some kind of major crisis, and was looking for help from others. People across Europe were asked how willing their country should be to offer financial help to other countries. The UK came near the bottom of the list, below all EU countries and ahead of only Tunisia and Colombia.

The huge opinion poll was carried out by YouGov in 13 EU countries and the UK, and has just been published. If you find the Eurovision Song Contest voting depressing, look away now: in nine EU countries more people would be unwilling to help the UK in a crisis than willing. In only four countries is the balance the other way round, so now we know who our friends are: the Danes, the Poles, the Swedes and the Romanians (although note that only half of EU countries were surveyed).

We British, on the other hand, are models of European generosity, being willing, on balance, to help out all 27 EU members, even though we have now left their club. Our renunciation of EU membership must be one of the biggest causes of these findings, which expose the damage to Britains reputation from Brexit.

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Another hidden cost of Brexit has been laid bare people will be less willing to help the UK in a crisis - The Independent

The UK and EU finished the latest round of talks about the future trading relationship between the two entities in London last week.

The UKs chief negotiator David Frost said the UK must face the possibility that it will not agree a deal on its future relationship with the EU by the end of the year.

Mr Frost said with less than six months to go until the end of the Brexit transition period, the UK must "continue preparing for all possible scenarios" for once that deadline passes.

He added there are considerable gaps in the contentious areas which include the UKs position on fishing rights and post-Brexit competition rules.

READ MORE:Nigel Farage's radical calls for NEW electoral system exposed

Both the UK and EU have said they are at a deadlock regarding fishing rights.

Mr Barnier describes as "simply unacceptable" the UK demand for "near-total exclusion of EU fishing vessels from UK waters".

The EU understands the UK wishes to be an independent state, but claims common stocks need to be managed jointly.

Mr Frost has given little indication the UK is ready to give ground on fishing or over competition.

The UK's chief negotiator said his side will continue to strive for a "Canada-style" free trade deal allowing for wide divergence from EU rules, something Brussels negotiators and EU governments have always rejected, especially given Britain's economic clout and geographical proximity to the continent.

Currently, the UK-EU are still very far apart on key issues in the trade talk negotiations.

A senior EU official said the British side had not demonstrated any new flexibility despite what they see as London's weakening position.

The EU official told Politico: They have been very, very slow in reacting and not shown a lot of willingness to move forward.

Ireland, Belgium, Holland will be impacted by Brexit. A part of this Brexit Adjustment Reserve could very well be used to compensate our fishermen.

So you know the Brits might not have expected that, that we would have come up with that, and this budget. For us, it is very important that we prepare for every possible outcome.

The source added the EU is prepared to make a dal, but would not forget the EUs interests.

They said: We would definitely prefer a deal and we are ready to conclude a deal its better for both of us but we are preparing for every scenario.

We're not going to sell Europe just like that.

Our values will remain untouched.

Informal talks continue in the week of July 27 ahead of the next formal round of negotiations from August 17.

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Brexit deal: What is happening in UK-EU trade talks? - Daily Express

Global Britain has benefits for the African continent in the sphere of education. As an alternative to the EUs Erasmus Plus scheme, for example, the UK is set to roll out a global student exchange programme which benefits students outside the European Union. In a report for Kings College London, a former UK universities minister Jo Johnson argued that There is little reason to ignore the experiences and knowledge these countries offer to UK students in an exclusive relationship with its closer European neighbours. Not only does the novel exchange programme mean well for Britain in the sphere of higher education in terms of knowledge exchange and cultural influence, but students in African higher education institutions could enormously benefit from the knowledge and technical skills that such an exchange would provide and which hitherto they had no access to, as the Erasmus programme was mostly limited to European institutions for the specific purpose of creating a pan-European identity alien to the African student.

Of course, a pan-European identity is not necessarily a bad thing, but it seemingly excludes many from non-EU countries in the Global South and what we do indeed need in the world are global exchange programmes that enable the development of a global identity amongst denizens of different polities rather than only a regional identity. The insistence on the building of regions and the construction of regional identities is almost always exclusionary and can preclude the intercultural dialogue and understanding that we need to curb the racism, brutalism, nativism within and beyond Europe.

In addition, Brexit has meant that the stringent policies instituted by Theresa Mays government which contributed to the decline of international student enrolment in British universities have been overturned. There is now a conscientious effort to ensure that international students can stay and work in the UK after their studies, regardless of where they come from. Although this has been criticised by Europhiles who have long benefited from preferential treatment in immigration and work requirements (including the lower home tuition fees they pay due to their passports and EU citizenship), these criticisms seem to suggest that the beneficiaries of these unequal treatments want to sustain the inequitable system.

Passports and citizenships should only show where people come from for administrative and security reasons, but it should not be the prime factor in immigration and work, not least because it marginalises citizens from the Global South whose passports and citizenship are ostensibly nothing but tags of exclusion. Given that Global Britain entails that, all things being equal, citizens from the Global South would be considered on equal terms in education and work, this provides opportunities for the best talents in Africa to gain access to knowledge and skills that would be beneficial not only to the UK but to their own home countries.

And the benefits of citizens from the Global South studying in the UK are economic. Remittances already constitute a huge chunk of the GDP of many countries in the Global South. In fact, the UK is amongst the top-20 remittance-sending countries in the world. Due to the positive impacts that immigrants already have on UKs economic development, the post-study work possibilities would afford citizens of the Global South the opportunity to contribute to the development of their own countries through remittances but also through the potential investments and skills they are likely to take back with them.

Though it has been contended that Brexit will lead to the contraction and decline of the biggest African economies such as Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, and South Africa, due to the abandonment of various trade deals and the dependence on a seemingly volatile UK economy this is not definitive. Indeed, despite the decades of international cooperation and trade with the EU, African countries have remained amongst the poorest and most malnourished in the world. Nigeria and South Africa are still recovering from recessions and there is some indication that the former will suffer a severe recession (its worst in four decades) due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The trade deals with the EU have not made African countries better, nor should we assume trade deals with the UK would. This is because Africas economic traumas stem largely from the political corruption that is not just rampant but contributes to indefinitely perpetuating the interests of the political elites. Of course, this is not to play down the impacts of European colonialism on the postcolony.

Because domestic political issues constrain African polities from reaping the fruits of trade deals, the focus should not be on whether or not they trade with the EU or the UK we live in a world where Africa has other trade partners outside Europe. China is becoming one of the largest trade partners of African countries. Rather, the focus must be on curbing domestic corruption in order to savour the benefits of economic cooperation and interdependence with any country or, for that matter, regional institution. Charity so the old adage goes begins at home.

From a Global South perspective Global Britain appears to be a good idea that should be nurtured and supported by Eurosceptics and Europhiles who genuinely care about the state of the world and their fellow global citizens in the most marginalised regions of the world.

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Brexit a perspective from the Global South - Open Democracy

LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has elevated to the House of Lords his younger brother, a cricket hero and some of his allies in the campaign to take Britain out of the European Union.

FILE PHOTO: Jo Johnson, brother of Prime Minister Boris, is seen outside Downing Street in London, Britain, September 4, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay/File Photo

Under an arcane system whose inner workings are not exposed to public scrutiny, British political leaders are entitled on certain occasions to nominate people to the upper chamber of parliament, where they can sit for life.

Among 36 nominations announced on Friday was Jo Johnson, the prime ministers younger brother, who quit as a junior minister last year because he disagreed with his boss and older siblings Brexit strategy.

Jo Johnson supported remaining in the European Union in a 2016 referendum, in sharp contrast to Boris Johnson, who led the successful campaign for Britain to quit the bloc.

In another apparent olive branch to heal Brexit divisions within his Conservative Party, the prime minister nominated former finance minister Philip Hammond, a prominent remainer who was long the target of vitriolic attacks by Brexit supporters.

Other political nominations tilted more towards the Brexit camp, with peerages bestowed on former opposition Labour lawmakers Kate Hoey and Gisela Stuart, who as ardent Brexiteers became unlikely allies of Johnson during the referendum.

He also nominated former England cricket captain Ian Botham, who in his heyday in the 1980s was regarded by many fans of the sport as one of its finest all-rounders. Botham was not recognised for his achievements on the field, however, but for his enthusiastic Brexit campaigning.

Among other eye-catching nominations was that of Evgeny Lebedev, the British-Russian owner of the Evening Standard and Independent newspapers. He is the son of Alexander Lebedev, a former KGB agent who became an oligarch.

Evgeny Lebedev, who has spent most of his life in Britain, is frequently seen in high society circles in London, where he is active as a charity campaigner and patron of the arts. He controversially appointed former Conservative finance minister George Osborne, who had no previous experience in journalism, as editor of the Evening Standard in 2017.

The House of Lords has more than 800 members, and despite perennial complaints that the number is far too high and the nominations process opaque and prone to cronyism, prime ministers from all sides have enthusiastically added to its numbers.

Additional reporting by Hardik Vyas; editing by Stephen Addison

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PM Johnson makes Lords of his brother, cricketer Botham and Brexit allies - Reuters

Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

Photographer: Chris J. Ratcliffe/Bloomberg

U.K. International Trade Secretary Liz Truss will meet with her U.S. counterpart Robert Lighthizer in Washington on Monday as part of the third round of talks to reach a trade deal between the two countries.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson put an agreement with the U.S. at the heart of his plans for the U.K. economy after Brexit, and Trusss decision to travel during the coronavirus pandemic reflects Londons commitment to a deal.

The Secretary of State is meeting Robert Lighthizer during a critical time in the negotiations and it is essential we agree the next steps and priorities for the trade talks, the Department for International Trade said in a statement. A deal will be a key driver in leveling up the U.K. by boosting the economy by 15 billion pounds ($19.6 billion) and removing almost half a billion pounds worth of tariffs.

The talks have been beset by disagreements, over agriculture in particular, and Lighthizer has said an agreement is unlikely this year, meaning Britain is set to complete its departure from the European Union on Dec. 31 without a trans-Atlantic trade deal in place.

U.K. Sees U.S. Trade Deal More Likely Next Year Than in 2020

Truss will also use the talks to press for the removal of retaliatory tariffs imposed as part of the dispute over subsidies for Boeing Co. and Airbus SE.

We will be tough in pressing our interests. The U.S. talk a good game about free trade and low tariffs, but the reality is that many U.K. products are being kept unfairly out of their market, Truss told lawmakers in June. Tit-for-tat tariffs are harming businesses on both sides of the Atlantic and I dont want to see any more.

U.S. Targets $3.1 Billion of EU and U.K. Imports for New Tariffs

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

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U.K.s Truss in Washington to Press for Post-Brexit Trade Deal - Bloomberg

Opinion

PUBLISHED: 10:40 04 August 2020 | UPDATED: 10:40 04 August 2020

The New European

Boris Johnson. Photograph: Brian Lawless/PA.

PA Wire/PA Images

The reality of what the end of the transition period means is only now starting to hit home.

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Almost four years after its creation The New European goes from strength to strength across print and online, offering a pro-European perspective on Brexit and reporting on the political response to the coronavirus outbreak, climate change and international politics. But we can only continue to grow with your support.

Yet another piece of underhand behaviour by the Brexit at any cost government has just slipped out; we will no longer have reciprocal medical cover in EU countries.

Many millions of us who have European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) will not be able to use them after 2020. The free card covers medical aid across the EU in much the same way the NHS does here.

Travel insurance will now need to include this basic healthcare cover, as well as emergencies, and premiums will inevitably cost us more.

This is just another example that Boriss oven-ready deal with the EU is a turkey and it is British citizens who are getting stuffed.

Hugh Janes

Plymouth

We now know that we are heading for a minimal or no-deal with the EU. This will also mean that we will be outside the collaborative safety and security measures of the EU.

We will be much less safe and secure. The government will have failed in its duty.

A track record of lack of preparation despite expert advice and warnings, inadequate emergency planning, woefully delayed, scattergun responses. No wonder they were so keen to announce quarantine for arrivals from Spain an attempt to show they can act swiftly, but at best a side-show.

One suspects they will be ill-equipped to stem the tide next January. No doubt Johnson will move his throne to the Kent beaches and command the waters of insecurity and economic pain to recede.

Anne Green

It was very kind of you to print my letter regarding potential problems in travelling in the EU (How not to go around the world in 180 days, Letters, TNE #204). Post-Brexit the government is apparently prepared to offer Europeans 180-day stays in the UK but will accept only 90-day spells for us to visit Europe.

This being one of the few aspects of the governments negotiations where we may hope to persuade them to change their mind, I should be grateful if you could draw your readers attention to the campaign to coordinate letters to MPs to draw attention to the matter: bit.ly/3f346Ss

There is also a petition which has only just gone live: bit.ly/300DHk6

John Frazer

John Kampfners piece on freedom of movement is so sad. I remember so well those days of travel to and from France in the 1970s.

During the five-year transition into the common market, as I think it was then, I travelled to and from France on business and occasional holidays, several days a month for many years. It gradually became easier as time went by, but now we are sadly building barriers again.

My days of crossing the Channel are at an end as I can now no longer afford health insurance. I am isolated and imprisoned in my own little island with nothing to look forward to.

My grandchildren have now had their work opportunities taken from them and I as an octogenarian will see no benefits of Brexit. Permission please to go away and die quietly?

Alan Craw

Old Whittington

Have your say by emailing theneweuropean@archant.co.uk. Our deadline for letters is Tuesday at 9am for inclusion in Thursdays edition. Please be concise - letters over five paragraphs long may be edited before printing.

Almost four years after its creation The New European goes from strength to strength across print and online, offering a pro-European perspective on Brexit and reporting on the political response to the coronavirus outbreak, climate change and international politics. But we can only rebalance the right wing extremes of much of the UK national press with your support. If you value what we are doing, you can help us by making a contribution to the cost of our journalism.

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Boris Johnson's Brexit deal was a turkey, and we're all getting stuffed - The New European

In Austria, nearly 4,000 cars were stolen last year, with another 2,000 stolen from Austrian citizens while visiting neighbouring Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

United States and Canadian thieves have also been tempted by a $3,000 payment and a free flight home to hire vehicles on false credit cards and drive them to any of Austria's eastern neighbours. A total of 489 Austrian-registered cars were stolen in Hungary last year, 299 in Slovakiaand 232 in the Czech Republic.

Bizarrely, people in the Czech Republic who do not own or indeed never owned a car have recently been questioned by police about vehicles registered in their name. The country loses around 7,000 vehicles a year but many more stolen cars pass through as criminals inthe Republic have become acknowledged experts in changing vehicle identities.

As one Czech officer suggested, The quality of cloning on a stolen car, together with its accompanying forged documents, is so high that it is difficult to spot a fraud during a routine inquiry. Also there is no system of insurers writing off vehicles after an accident, facilitating the altering of the identities of stolen cars.

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Twin threat of virus and Brexit causing concern in the fight against car crime - Telegraph.co.uk