Category Archives: Brexit

Joe Biden ally Nancy Pelosi has once again intervened in a Brexit row despite hopes of a resolution between the UK and EU. The Speaker of the US House of Representatives flew to Ireland to hold talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol.

She landed at Shannon Airport yesterday to hold a meeting with US Ambassador Claire Cronin.

The Democrat used the talks to once again warn the UK against taking unilateral action to resolve a row over Brexit customs checks imposed on goods crossing the Irish Sea.

Under the terms of the Protocol in the 2019 EU withdrawal agreement, checks must take place on most goods travelling to the province from Great Britain in order to prevent a border on the island of Ireland.

Unionists warn the deal has undermined Northern Ireland's place in the UK.

READ MORE:Brexit Britain ready to rip up EU rules on bankers' bonuses

Ms Cronin said she had discussed "the importance of the UK and EU reaching a negotiated solution on the Northern Ireland Protocol" with Ms Pelosi.

She added: "A resolution would be a net win for the regions economy and political stability in the long-term - for all its communities."

The latest intervention warning the UK to reach an agreement with Brussels comes despite hopes over the past fortnight that both sides can find a compromise.

Last week European Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic said Brussels was ready to slash the number of checks taking place on goods crossing from the mainland to Northern Ireland to just a few lorries a day.

He claimed under his proposals the trade border that has effectively been imposed down the Irish Sea would be "invisible".

"If the data are downloaded into the system, when the goods are put on the ferry from Britain...I believe that we can remotely process them while sailing to Northern Ireland, Mr Sefcovic told the Financial Times.

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"It could be resolved very, very quickly if we get the input from our UK counterparts."

At the same time, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told the King that he was optimistic matters would "progress".

The US has repeatedly intervened in Brexit since Mr Biden became President, issuing a series of threats to the UK.

It has warned it will not sign a trade deal with Britain if the Good Friday Agreement is put at risk.

But last night Prime Minister Liz Truss put a trade deal with Washington on the back burner to stop it from being used against Britain.

She told reporters: "There arent currently any negotiations taking place with the US and I dont have an expectation that those are going to start in the short to medium term."

Ms Truss is set to meet the President tomorrow for talks on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

She said: "The number one issue is global security and making sure that we are able to collectively deal with Russian aggression and ensuring that Ukraine prevails and that Putin doesnt have success in Ukraine."

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Pelosi intervenes on Brexit with fresh warning to UK after flying to Ireland for talks - Express

LONDON The U.K. will continue not implementing post-Brexit checks on agri-food and other products entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain, it told the EU in a letter.

The British government replied Thursday to European Commission action over alleged breaches of the Northern Ireland Protocol, a key part of the Brexit divorce deal regulating the arrival of goods in the region from the rest of the U.K.

In a letter, delivered by the U.K.s mission to the EU, the government set out its unilateral decision to carry on with the status quo, a U.K. official said. British ministers had argued the so-called grace periods were threatened by the Commissions legal action.

The move stops short of a threat the U.K. had flirted with over the summer triggering Article 16 of the protocol, an emergency clause allowing either side to suspend parts of it.

The U.K. continues to argue that maintaining the status quo is necessary to allow talks to proceed with the EU on the long-running protocol dispute. It is meanwhile refusing to withdraw its controversial Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which would eventually allow ministers to impose the U.K.s unilateral approach permanently.

Following the introduction of that bill in June, the Commission triggered a host of infringement proceedings, taking aim at the way the U.K. is handling the protocol. London argues that the post-Brexit arrangement for Northern Ireland is overly bureaucratic for businesses, and points to deep opposition among unionist politicians in the region. Brussels points out that the U.K. signed up to the arrangement, which was intended to avoid checks at Northern Irelands border with EU member state Ireland while protecting the blocs single market.

London has also requested a meeting next week to discuss Britains frozen accession to EU schemes such as Horizon Europe and Copernicus, as part of the U.K.s formal dispute proceedings against the Commission over the matter launched last month.

The British government has declined to publish the letter or make any statements on its content as politics remains paused during the 10-day period of mourning for Queen Elizabeth II.

A Commission spokesman confirmed receipt of the letter Thursday morning. We will analyze the reply before deciding on next steps, he said.

Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit London to attend the queens funeral Monday, but it remains unclear whether she will meet new Prime Minister Liz Truss before heading to New York for the U.N. General Assembly.

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UK tells EU it will keep waiving Northern Ireland Brexit checks - POLITICO Europe

IN MADRID Britons have planned protests outside the British embassy in Madrid next week as anger mounted over the failure of diplomats to reach a deal over the ban on UK driving licences in Spain.

Thousands of Britons in Spain who did not convert their UK driving licences to Spanish versions by the deadline of December 2020 are currently not allowed to drive after post-Brexit talks post down.

An extension to allow British residents to use their UK licences has expired but this does not affect tourists or hauliers.

After five months of talks, Spanish and British diplomats have failed to reach a deal.

A Facebook page called Invasion of the British Embassy in Madrid for the driving licence has been set up to articulate the anger of those who cannot take to the road.

After angry Britons said they would stage a protest last week, the British embassy issued a statement saying that it was urgently trying to reach a deal.

In response, Pascal Siegmund, one of the protest organisers, wrote: We are writing this post following the useless (British) Embassy update. The embassy update didnt satisfy any of us. We are going to go further (and) organise a protest.

He said a demonstration may take place on Thursday 22 September in Madrid outside the British embassy and the Spanish Ministry of Transport.

Deb Lee, 63, who is originally from Oxford but now lives on a campsite in Catral near Alicante on the Costa Blanca, has been stranded for the past five months because she is unable to drive.

I lived in a remote finca but had to move to a campsite where there was a supermarket nearby. I have wasted about 500 (434) in wasted car insurance and tax while my car sits in the drive, she told i.

This has been a disaster for me and thousands of others but the diplomats cannot seem to reach a deal.

Mrs Lee, whose husband still works in Britain as a lorry driver, moved permanently to Spain in 2020.

After bad advice from an adviser about changing my licence, I missed out on the deadline. Now I dont want to sit the Spanish driving test on principle, she said.

I have been a safe driver for over 40 years, without a point on my licence. How is it fair that an 18-year-old British tourist can come over here and rent a car at an airport, but I cannot drive.

She said she has suffered stress because she has been left stranded by the licence ban.

Mrs Lee needs dental work, but taxi fares to the nearest surgery are about 50 every time she goes for treatment.

The British embassy in Spain tweeted: We recognise that negotiations are taking longer than anticipated and longer than either you or we want.

We are genuinely making progress on the outstanding points but, for reasons we have explained before, we cannot be definitive about the timescale.

British diplomats urged those who must drive to consider taking a Spanish driving test but acknowledged this may not be easy.

The embassy added: We know that this is frustrating to hear and we dont underestimate the impact on those of you who are affected.

The Spanish Ministry of Transport did not reply to a request for comment from i.

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Britons in Spain to protest over Brexit change to licence rules that has left them stranded - iNews

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Has the UK benefited from Brexit? - Cyprus Mail

Promoted from within, tasked with overhauling a sluggish playing style, struggles with striking a balance between idealism and pragmatism, then sacked at the first international break. But enough about Paul Trollope, let's instead talk about the dismissal of Steve Morison.

Cardiff have sacked so many managers in recent years that you can draw parallels with each of them. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Neil Harris were the nice guys, but neither quite managed to apply their vision. Mick McCarthy was Neil Warnock without the charm and Russell Slade was an even less popular appointment than Harris.

Morison was probably the most complicated of the lot. He was Cardiffs Brexit manager, in that he pretty much divided the room in half. The split was between those that like their manager to take no prisoners and tell it like it is, versus others that think the manager should show a little tenderness on occasion and represent the club in a positive, inclusive manner.

READ MORE: Cardiff City should consider Sol Bamba as manager

Having worked wonders in the Academy, Morison was elevated to the first team because McCarthys tenure took a sudden, drastic turn for the worst and the club were unprepared for it. Morison represented a quick, cheap, in-house solution, despite chairman Mehmet Dalman declaring that he represented too great a risk.

Taking charge on an interim basis, Morison impressed while the club surveyed the other runners and riders. In the end, Morison had built up enough support that not hiring him would have been the unpopular choice and who an alternative candidate would have been measured against.

He set about the role in a manner comparable to his playing days; strong, uncompromising and intent on maximising his opportunity. His approach to the press followed suit and he created a dynamic from his very first press conference where he referred to the assembled journalists present as you lot. That divide and distrust on his part only grew, despite his coverage almost always being positive.

Like McCarthy before him, it felt like Morison was always looking for a slight in every question and over time, he began to share the McCarthy trait of sighing before belittling certain questions.

He inherited a situation where most of the squad were heading out of contract, but he had very little say on the future because he had a temporary contract. Yet he was still often asked about this and his own future because they were such pressing matters.

His handling of some of the younger players caused concern, substituting Isaak Davies on and off again in one game, while doubling down on his actions in the press conference that followed. He also routinely hooked Max Watters early and in one game during the first half, which resulted in the clearly devastated player sat on his own on the bench during the half-time break.

There are those that appreciated Morisons combative approach, but there were also others who thought better bedside manner would go a long way. It felt like he was punching down at times because he never extended that treatment to his underperforming senior players, who were instead quietly ushered to one side. As Harris proved, goodwill will buy you more time, but as McCarthy can attest, if youre not well liked, it will only accelerate your demise.

This aspect of Morisons time in charge is unfortunate because it sometimes overshadowed some of the great work he was doing. Turning over the squad with such a limited budget was a daunting task and Morison relished the challenge. He made bold claims as last season drew to a close and he managed to exceed expectations, bringing in 17 signings and fashioning a competitive, cohesive squad. His January transfer dealings were just as impressive, so maybe a director of football role is his real calling.

Morison set about overhauling Cardiffs style of play, which is a monumental undertaking because The Cardiff Way is deep-seated. Traditionally, the more Cardiff see of the ball, the worse they perform, but there Cardiff were on the opening day of the season, with a brand-new set of players, playing in a progressive way and beating one of the favourites for the title.

To bring this full circle, I remember a previous game against Huddersfield under Solskjaer at the very start of the season where Cardiff won 3-1 and played their opponents off the park. David Marshall was in goal, Fabio and John Brayford were tearing up the flanks and Adam Le Fondre was twinned with Kenwyne Jones, who scored twice. It was a performance that promised so much, yet Solskjaer had been sacked a month later.

Fast forward eight years and a very different contest with Huddersfield has resulted in Morison losing his job. An awful lot of people seem to think that this was a hasty move by the club. I know this international break is a window where clubs often decide to arrest a slide and that the South Wales derby was looming large, but what now? Mark Hudson will get the chance to impress, but this is once again not by design.

Will Cardiff continue the cycle of following an inexperienced appointment with an experienced one? Will they hire a pragmatic or progressive coach?

At some point the club need to ask themselves whether they are hiring the wrong managers or if it is simply that the project is doomed to fail. Managers seem to take over Cardiff in about 18th place and leave them back where they found them a year later.

Sometimes a manager is afforded too much patience and sometimes too little. Round and round we go though and where it all stops, nobody knows.

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Steve Morison was Cardiff City's Brexit manager but what happens with the next appointment is anyone's guess - Wales Online

Date Published: 19/09/2022

The sources stressed that the new British PM Liz Truss, is flexible in the good sense of the word, and hoped that reaching a deal on Brexit and Gibraltar would be less showy and vehement than with her predecessor, Boris Johnson.

Nevertheless, they recalled that Truss, who took over the leadership of the country just a couple of weeks ago, embodies the spirit of Brexit, so no major alterations are expected in Londons discourse.

Nevertheless, sources warned that an agreement must be found as soon as possible, because the current measures are temporary and contingent and cannot be a stable framework for a long-lasting relationship.

As yet, though, they have ruled out setting any definitive timeframe for such an agreement to be reached.

Alongside mobility, the Spanish government considers security, defence and trade policy to be the three pillars of the future bilateral relationship.

Between now and the summer we hope to have everything finalised, and that we will be able to announce its location before then, they explained, before adding that there is a 60-million-euro digitalisation plan thanks to EU recovery funds that will serve to modernise Spains consular services.

And the sources explained that the Spanish Foreign Minister, Jos Manuel Albares, has arranged to meet his new counterpart, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly, for their first bilateral meeting in the framework of the upcoming Spanish-British Talks.

Image: Liz Truss / Twitter

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Spain Wants Deal With Uk On Gibraltar And Driving Licences Similar To Before Brexit - Murcia Today

I read Ed Dorrells column with interest and agreement (Britain is on the brink: no wonder morale is so low, 16 September). We appear to travel from one crises to the next not always of our own making. Who could have envisaged a dire pandemic or a European war? I too remember that wonderful year 2012, when we celebrated the Queens diamond jubilee and hosted the Olympics. I was so proud to be British and felt the country was on a real, positive and unifying trajectory. But after the Brexit referendum, I feel a great sense of loss and to my mind it has all gone downhill since that momentous and in my humble opinion, misguided decision.

As Dorrell rightly states, we now have the Queens death and the massive outpouring has been emblematic of how people feel. Only three months ago, we had her wonderful platinum jubilee celebrations now a constant presence in our lives has gone. This whole period has been so discombobulating and somehow life looks bleak and unknowable. I feel that King Charles III will rise to the occasion and rule intelligently with empathy and understanding, but I rather feel that the jury is out on the government. I sincerely hope to be proved wrong in that respect, for all our sakes or life indeed will get worse and worse before it gets better.

Judith A Daniels

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Letters: Name one thing that hasn't gone downhill since Brexit I dare you - The Independent

Sinn Fin MLA Declan McAleer has emphasised the ongoing need for direct dialogue between the EU institutions and local representatives.

There is a need for this, he believes, to navigate the post-Brexit agricultural world in Northern Ireland.

He was speaking after participating in a roundtable event in the EU Parliament where MLAs from the main parties engaged with MEPs, Ambassadors, the Northern Ireland Executive Office in Brussels andvice-president of the European CommissionMaros Sefcovic.

The Tory-imposed Brexit is having a hugely negative impact on farms, small businesses and wider society here in the north, he said.

I therefore welcomed the opportunity to engage directly with the EU commission and MEPs to highlight some of these issues.

There were frank and constructive exchanges between MEPs, MLAs and the Commission and I took the opportunity to highlight how the loss of the EU Rural Development Programme and the uncertainty over the future of the Single Farm Payment was having a negative impact on rural communities, he said.

McAleer said that he also highlighted the impact of post-Brexit Home Office immigration rules. The MLA said they were having a very damaging impact on the agrifood sector in accessing workers.

I also highlighted concerns that the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which is currently going through the House of Lords, could undermine our access to the EU market, he added.

Given that the north has access to the EU single market, EU legislation and standards apply here across a range of areas, therefore it is important that elected representatives from the north and other sectoral interests are heard.

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Impact of Brexit on NI ag sector highlighted with EU Commission - Agriland

The new checker has been developed by experts and offers correct information to British passport holders, completely based on the EUs entry rules to different countries

Image: Alamy Stock Photo)

A new online tool allows travellers to check whether their passport is still valid post-Brexit.

This summer many people have found themselves standing at airport departure gates but unable to get onto a plane.

Since the UK left the European Union Brits heading to countries within the block have had to have three months left on their passports in order to visit.

It must also have been issued in the past ten years at the time of entry.

Different countries have more stringent requirements however, with some demanding passports have six months left before they need to be renewed.

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As more and more people watched their first post-lockdown holidays go up in smoke after falling foul of those rules, the Home Office launched a site which checked whether passports were valid.

The website turned out to have a defect and gave faulty advice about some children's passports, leading the government to take it down and VisaGuide.World to launch one in its place.

The new checker has been developed by experts and offers correct information, completely based on the EUs entry rules.oped by experts and offers correct information, completely based on the EUs entry rules.

All users of it have to do is type in the date on which their passport expires, the date when they plan to enter the EU, as well as the date when they plan to leave.

Misunderstanding of the rules has led to misinterpretation and chaos at UK airports.

Earlier this year a mum and her two kids were marched out of the airport after they were blocked from an easyJet flight - despite all their paperwork actually being within date.

Nicci Lou's children had to leave Gatwick Airport thoroughly miserable and the way they came in following the passport rejection.

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They had arrived several hours earlier incredibly excited about jetting off to Corfu for three and a half weeks on their first post-pandemic holiday - in part planned to celebrate Nicci's divorce.

The single mum was therefore heartbroken when easyJet boarding gate staff told her she couldn't come onboard as her passport was too near expiring, despite still being in date.

Nicci and her two crying children were told to go to the information desk for help, only to be escorted out of the building by two members of security.

"I made a mistake and I didn't know about the three months from the date you get back rule," the 43-year-old told the Mirror.

"The problem I have is I had got as far as the gates, almost to the airplane, before they said no.

"Then they told us to go to the information desk. They were trying to get rid of me and my crying children. The information desk said they were nothing to do with the flight and there was no supervisor."

To read more about her story, click here.

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New tool lets you check whether passports are still valid post-Brexit - The Mirror

GBP/USD remains pressured towards 1.1500 during early Thursday morning in Europe, reversing the previous days rebound, as global markets remain dicey ahead of the US data. Also exerting downside pressure on the Cable pair could be the pessimism surrounding the British politics and Brexit updates, not to forget the previous days downbeat UK/US inflation data.

UK Prime Minister (PM) Liz Truss has difficulty convincing British locals that the governments relief on energy bills will take effect from the start of October. The doubts over UK PM Truss ability to convince Northern Ireland Premier Micheal Martin during his visit to London, for Queens funeral, also weigh on the GBP/USD prices. Furthermore, a lack of response from London to the European Union (EU) despite approaching the date to trigger Article 16 relating to Brexit exerts additional downside pressure on the quote.

On Wednesday, the UKs Food price inflation increased for the 13th consecutive month to 1.5% MoM, the biggest monthly jump since 1995. However, the headline Consumer Price Index (CPI) declined to 9.9% YoY versus 10.2% market forecasts and 10.1% previous readings. Further, the Retail Price Index also eased, reprinting 12.3% YoY figures versus 12.4% expected.

In the case of the US, the Producer Price Index (PPI) declined to 8.7% YoY in August from 9.8% in July, versus 8.8% in market forecasts. Details suggest that the PPI ex Food & Energy, better known as Core PPI, also eased to 7.3% YoY from 7.6% but surpassed the market expectation of 7.1%. Even so, the 75% chance of the Feds 75 basis points (bps) rate hike in the next week, as well as the 25% odds favoring the full 100 bps Fed rate lift, as per the CMEs FedWatch Tool, favor the GBP/USD bears.

It should be noted that US President Joe Bidens rejection of US fears and Chinas stimulus are some key developments that should have favored the risk appetite. However, the Sino-American tussles and the European energy crisis seemed to have challenged the optimism. Additionally, the looming labor strike in the US appears to be an extra burden on the risk appetite.

Ami these plays, the S&P 500 Futures print mild gains around 3,670 whereas the US 10-year Treasury yields remain directionless near 3.416%.

Looking forward, the US Retail Sales for August, expected to remain unchanged at 0.0%, will be important for the GBP/USD traders to watch for intraday directions amid a lack of data/events from the UK. However, major attention will be given to the next weeks Fed meeting. Overall, the bears are likely to keep reins.

Also read:US Retail Sales Preview: Can consumers keep up with inflation? A breather could weigh on the dollar

Despite the Cable pairs repeated bounce off the 1.1490-85 support area, the buyers remain alert unless the quote crosses the 21-DMA hurdle surrounding 1.1650.

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GBP/USD retreats towards 1.1500 as UK politics, Brexit test buyers, focus on US Retail Sales - FXStreet