Category Archives: Brexit

An astonishing 590million of taxpayer-backed loans were granted for students from EU states while the UK was still under Brussels rules in 2020-21. But more than half of the staggering amount is unlikely to be repaid, the Government has conceded.

While a part of the EU, the UK was forced to treat students from the continent in the same way as British students.

It meant that while those attending universities from most of the world could be charged an international levy and would need to find their own funding, those from countries in the EU had access to the student loan system.

They could access loans and grants from the UK Government and pay no more than the 9,250 cap on yearly fees set for domestic applicants.

However, many students left the UK upon completing their education making it hard to chase up payment for the fees.

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In the longer term, the Government will be forced to cough up and cover the unpaid cost.

In 2020-21 - the last year the UK was subjected to Brussels' rules - there were 153,000 students from the EU at British universities.

Now, students from the bloc can finally be subject to the same requirements to study as those from other parts of the globe.

Former minister David Jones told The Sun: "This is a particularly welcome benefit of Brexit.

British taxpayers were paying for the education of thousands of foreign students who clearly had no intention of repaying the loans.

Leaving the EU now enables us to pay for the education and training of thousands of British students, proving how wise we were to vote to leave the EU.

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International undergraduate tuition fees are often far higher than for domestic students.

They can be as much as 38,000 a year for some degrees such as medicine.

The number of EU students has dropped significantly since Brexit according to official figures.

Data from Ucas, the higher education admissions service, says total EU acceptances have halved.

The number of confirmed places for the 2021 academic year was down 56 percent to 12,920.

Meanwhile the number of acceptances for non-EU international students rose by five percent to 46,610.

The only exceptions appeared to be Northern Ireland's two main institutions: Queen's University Belfast, and Ulster University.

Still bound by EU rules due to the Northern Ireland Protocol, those attending the places of study in the province from the continent still have access to the UK loans system.

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Brexit saves Britain 300MILLION a year in unpaid tuition fees by EU students - Daily Express

Michalakis Ppalis |

Shippers are sleepwalking towards the changeover of the UKs customs infrastructure and need to wake up rather than seek to saddle HMRC with the blame for their failings, say freight specialists.

From September, UK imports will run through the new Customs Declaration Service (CDS), as HMRC terminates support for the Customs Handling Imports and Exports Freight Platform (CHIEF).

However, there is mounting concern over the preparedness of importers for the switch.

Forward Solutions MD Richard Litchfield told The Loadstar: I think we are into a repeat of what happened last year this was probably the sectors biggest change and its effects were still around in June.

By the end of last year, industry was so tired; and we are heading towards something similar. Its a major challenge to go back to your shippers and say thanks for all that info, now we need more.

Mr Litchfield is not alone in his concerns, other sources tellThe Loadstar they doubt HMRCs capacity to migrate 5,000 importers to CDS within the deadline, just six months away.

However, Mr Litchfield and colleague John Varley, Forwards product specialist for customs, believe it is unfair to level the burden fully on HMRC, claiming the industry is failing to adequately ready itself for the switch.

I dont think theres a lack of support from HMRC, it is stretched for sure, but it is also definitely trying to provide a good transition, Mr Varley told The Loadstar.I think there are issues with the registration process, and part of this can be put down to traders not registering fast enough.

Its important to flag this issue and communicate better to the trade why time is of the essence. We had much to learn from last time.

Mr Litchfield suggested that HMRC was throwing all it could at the issue, but higher-up areas of government were not placing a high enough priority on this issue.

Pointing to radio ads, he and Mr Varley both noted that the focus remained on Brexit and EU traffic, despite the fact that firms were either still trading or they had gone. Mr Varley added:Government messaging is out of sync with where we are; trading needs to have sailed, youre either trading or youre not.

The emphasis needs to be on customs to avoid a repeat performance of last year, when traders did not know what they were meant to be doing. But this is a wider governmental challenge it goes beyond HMRC.

The plan to move from CHIEF to CDS pre-dates Brexit and Mr Litchfield and Mr Varley both believe without leaving the EU, the former would have been more easily accomplished.

Nonetheless, they suggest the complexity of CDS will put some strain on supply chains as importers get accustomed to the need for more information CHIEF calls for 54 data elements, in contrast to the 80 sought by CDS.

Mr Varley said:And this exemplifies where government and the trade face the biggest challenge as there is a lack of customs staff available to do entries, meaning those people are at a premium and will be able to name their own terms.

The Loadstar has extensively covered the concerns surrounding the dearth of customs staff since the Brexit referendum.And while some sought to get ahead on this notably the port of Portsmouth there remain certain sectors of the supply chain that have still failed to recognise the looming burden that will be felt when CDS and full customs controls are imposed.

Anything now requiring customs clearance has an additional charge and, therefore, that will be passed on to the consumer, added Mr Litchfield.The more complicated and challenging, at least in the short term, will be more costly. My view is that with GVMS, hauliers threw everything at the wall to keep things stable. I think youll see similar cost spikes with the introduction of CDS.

There will be more disruption. That will settle and then it will balance out.

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Shippers need to 'wake up' UK Customs changes post-Brexit are real - theloadstar.com

Ivan Zhiznevskiy reports that his company, 3S Money, has seen a 322 percent increase in non-UK businesses opening bank accounts in the UK between 2019 and 2020. This growth has continued since the UKs official break from the EU at the end of 2020, with a 108 percent increase reported in the last twelve months.

This suggests that fears that the UK would lose its position as one of the most attractive places for foreign investment after Brexit were unfounded.

2021 was the best year ever for the UKs tech sector in terms of investment, with a recorded 26billion in venture capital.

This surge in investment has proven crucial for the jobs market. A government report in June 2021 reported more than 55,000 new jobs in the year prior, thanks to foreign investment.

The investment does not only benefit London - for instance, the number of jobs in Manchester increased by 164 percent in 2021, while Cambridge was heralded as the leading regional tech city in the UK.

Mr Zhiznesky toldExpress.co.ukthat the reason was partly that the UK offers something many EU countries do not - accessibility.

He described the Amazon Prime mentality of many investors, saying people expect their service to be delivered instantly. If it isnt, they begin to suspect it isnt a good quality product. Obviously, that necessarily isnt the case, but its how many businesses think now.

This is the key to Britains success, he argues.

He said: Thats what the UK offers in terms of financial services. I can go to a company's house website and get a company registered in fifteen minutes. Then I can go to a company like 3S Money and get a bank account set up in a matter of hours.

That mentality is also higher in places like China or the Middle East than in Europe, and the UK is keeping up with them.

I also think its partly because of the fantastic entrepreneurial spirit that we have here.

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Mr Zhiznevskiy added that Londons sense of inclusion is crucial to promoting this level of investment.

He said: In London, its possible to be taken seriously as an outsider, but try phoning an EU bank and speaking with a non-native accent. London remains the most multicultural city in Europe.

The FinTech CEO was not sure if the surge of investment was a direct result of Brexit - but said that it certainly showed Brexit had not harmed Britains place in the global financial market.

He said: Before Brexit went through, everyone was saying that the UK is finished. London hasn't lost its place as a gateway hub to different markets - instead, its position has become stronger. Its the epicentre of foreign investment.

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The European Union is less open to foreign business initiatives. And Britain is completely opposite to that. Thats the key to success.

Sam Cox, CEO of Fivefour Engineering Services added: The biggest challenge to trading in the EU has been arranging bank accounts for non-EU organisations.

The red tape involved in getting an EU bank account isnt ideal for the fast-paced construction industry we operate in.

Amid Covid-19, establishing our business in Sweden with a solid UK base is the best decision we have made as a business.

The UKs banking infrastructure continues to be the most entrepreneur-friendly in Europe and has been the most solid base from which to trade with the EU.

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Brexit Britain trumps EU as new 'epicentre' of investment - 300% new foreign business bank - Express

The Foreign Secretary told BBC Radio 4 on Tuesday that Russia must hold its commitments made to Ukraine with the Budapest Agreement. But Ms Truss' demand backfired when it was pointed out Brexit Britain is failing to respect international agreements made with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The accusation came from Managing Director of Eurasia Group, Mujtaba Rahman, who argued the Foreign Secretary is failing to "register" that the UK Government's dealing with the Brexit negotiations "hurts" its calls for other countries to respect international obligations.

He said: "Liz Truss is talking about the need to hold Russia to commitments it has made to Ukraine in 1994 Budapest Agreement.

"Seemingly doesn't register that the UK Government's actions over Northern Ireland Protocol hurt moral case it can make to other countries to respect the treaties they sign."

Echoing Mr Rahman's claim, former Tory MP Ian Colin Taylor warned the UK is being "marginalised" by France on the same basis.

He said: "This has not been overlooked in France for example..and explains why UK is marginalised."

London and Brussels are still locking horns over the Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement.

On Sunday, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said he believes there is a "landing ground" for resolving difficulties that exist with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

But shadow Northern Ireland secretary Peter Kyle has warned that the Good Friday Agreement is now under "huge pressure" because of the Government's handling of issues around the protocol.

European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met in London on Friday as part of their attempt to break the deadlock over the protocol and committed to intensive talks over the coming days.

But DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has since warned that there has been "very little progress" in the ongoing discussions and said he does not expect to see a breakthrough before Stormont Assembly elections in May.

But Mr Lewis told the BBC: "We think there is a landing ground, we think there is a way of resolving this.

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"The best way to resolve it is by agreement because that gives certainty, stability for businesses and people in Northern Ireland.

"One of the points the DUP make, so do Sinn Fein, is we need to resolve the problems with the protocol to make sure the people in Northern Ireland can access goods and products in the way they always have done."

Northern Ireland was plunged into fresh political upheaval recently when the DUP withdrew Paul Givan as First Minister in protest at the protocol.

The party said the post-Brexit deal, which has created trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, had undermined a cornerstone of powersharing in the region - governance with the consent of both nationalists and unionists.

Boris Johnson signed the protocol with the EU as a measure to stop a hard border from being erected, and jeopardising the peace process, on the island of Ireland.

But his Government is trying to renegotiate the deal, arguing that it is hampering the movement of goods between Britain and Northern Ireland and damaging community relations.

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Stormont Assembly elections are scheduled for May 5, but in the meantime, there is no functioning Executive.

Mr Kyle blamed the Government for the political crisis in Northern Ireland during an appearance on Sky's Trevor Phillips On Sunday.

He said: "We have a Prime Minister that goes to Northern Ireland, makes an absolute solemn promise there will be no border down the Irish Sea and has no intention of honouring that promise, and in fact breaks it straight away.

"This has put a division right down Northern Ireland at a time when politics is already fragile.

"The Good Friday Agreement is under huge pressure at the moment because we have a Government that doesn't represent all of Northern Ireland, it only represents part of the politics of Northern Ireland.

"We have a Northern Ireland Secretary who doesn't really engage across all of the communities in Northern Ireland."

He added: "I am afraid this is a Government who has played fast and loose with the Good Friday Agreement and all of the measures which have delivered peace, stability and economic growth in Northern Ireland and that is a real worry."

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Liz Truss told to respect EU or face Brexit 'marginalisation' as she issues Russia demands - Daily Express

Issued on: 04/02/2022 - 15:53

Is the United Kingdombetter off without Europe? Did the country make a risky choice by leaving the EU one year ago? Our reporters Jonathan Walsh and Clovis Casali crossed the Channel to understand the consequences of Brexit on the daily lives of citizens. From London to Belfast, via Boston the town with the highest pro-Brexit vote in 2016 they report on how the UK has changed.

On June 23, 2016, 51.89 percentof British voters chose to leave the European Union. The vote was followed byyears of tough negotiations to define the UK's future relationship with the bloc, while at home divisions ran deep over Brexit.

On January 31,2020, the UK officially left the EU and began an 11-monthtransition period to allow all parties to get accustomed to new rules. But today, talks are far from over.Brussels and London find themselves at loggerheads over severalissues, including fishing rights and the Northern Ireland protocol.

Our reporters Jonathan Walsh and Clovis Casali travelled aroundthe UKto understand the impact of Brexit on the lives of ordinary people. London, Belfast and Boston the townthat voted the most strongly in favour of leaving the EU are some of the places where they stopped. They met citizens hopeful that Brexit will stop immigration and others worried that their future outside of Europe will mean fewer opportunities.

Among those interviewed isNigel Farage, a former Member of the European Parliament who led the campaign to leave the EU. Heconfesses that "Brexit doesn't guarantee success"and says Prime MinisterBoris Johnson'sgovernment should doa lot better in dealing with the situation.

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Revisited - Brexit, one year on: Is life in the UK better without Europe? - FRANCE 24

Boris Johnson has privately conceded there is less than a 30% chance of negotiating a new Brexit deal for Northern Ireland this month, it has emerged.

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, the leader of the Democratic Unionist party, said the prime minister made the admission during a private meeting last week.

Donaldson also said Johnson could not guarantee the UK would take unilateral action in the event the current Brexit negotiations with Brussels failed to result in a scrapping or radical reworking of the Northern Ireland protocol.

Donaldson told BBC Radio Ulsters Good Morning Ulster: I met with the prime minister last week, I asked the prime minister two straight questions. I asked him what he thought were the prospects of agreement being reached with the EU on the protocol within the next few weeks.

His answer was 20 to 30% chance of agreement.

I then asked the prime minister for a clear commitment that in the absence of an agreement with the EU, the UK government would do what they said in their command paper last July and take unilateral action the prime minister could not give me that commitment in those circumstances.

Donaldson also said on Friday he had warned the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, who took over negotiations from David Frost in December, that the clock was ticking. He said he needed to see progress in talks by 31 January, further extending deadlines he had set in September and October.

He also revealed Johnson had told him at the Tory party conference in October that there would be a new Brexit deal after a short sharp negotiation lasting just three weeks.

Donaldson was speaking after a day of political drama triggered by two DUP decisions. On Wednesday its agriculture minister, Edwin Poots, ordered a halt to Brexit checks on food and farm products at all Northern Ireland ports and airports setting it on a collision course with Westminster and Brussels.

And on Thursday the DUP carried out its threat to quit the executive in Stormont, announcing that the first minister, Paul Givan, was resigning.

Rival parties have rounded on the DUPs decision to quit Stormont in a row over the protocol, paralysing decision-making until after the local elections in May. One of the critical decisions now on hold is the approval of a three-year budget that would have enabled critical changes in the health service, which has one of the worst waiting lists in Europe.

Donaldson said he had no choice but to act as the current protocol presented an existential threat to the union of the UK. He said rivals had already goaded him as the boy who cried wolf but he had shown patience and given the government and the EU time to deliver a new Brexit deal.

He said it was premature to set a three-year budget before the May elections when a fresh mandate could be set.

The DUPs decision to instruct port officials to stop conducting Brexit checks on food and farm products arriving from Great Britain is already being challenged in the courts. Two unnamed individuals lodged an emergency application for a judicial review of Pootss order on Thursday with a hearing expected on Friday.

During the initial hearing it emerged that the checks would not be stopped until Monday at the earliest.

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Brexit: 30% chance of new deal for Northern Ireland Johnson - The Guardian

French Champagne producers have said they have no plans to sell their sparkling wine in pint measures any time soon, despite the hopes of Brexiteers.

The government has touted bringing back the pint measure for Champagne as a supposed "Brexit win" but practical difficulties mean the product is unlikely to actually hit shelves.

Even Pol Roger, the Champagne house famously favoured by Winston Churchill and the former producer of pint bottles, told The Independent the idea was a "non-story".

A relatively small number of pint bottles were sold in the UK before Britain entered the European Common Market until 1973 but their production ceased because they did not comply with EU weights and measures rules.

Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, is said to be keen on bringing the smaller bottles back as a way of highlighting the supposed benefits of Brexit. Brexit-supporting newspapers have repeatedly touted the idea, with encouragement from the Cabinet Office's "Brexit opportunities unit", which is desperately seeking to justify the break with Europe.

The bottles have a historic link with Winston Churchill, who claimed they were the perfect size.

But the idea would require French Champagne makers to actually choose to use the imperial measure, and a number of practical problems are preventing a comeback.

One is that the glass bottles needed are largely produced in France, but the last mould to produce pint-sized sparkling wine bottles was lost long ago.

Pol Roger, which once shipped pint bottles to the UK in cases of 16, says it would cost tens of thousands of pounds for glassmakers to create a new pint mould making it a risky business proposition with no obvious benefit.

"We tried to encourage our French [operation] to look at it and they've looked at it," James Simpson, managing director of Pol Roger Ltd in the UK, told The Independent.

And the requirement for Champagne to be aged in its bottle means that even if producers wanted to, and started producing pints this year, they would not be ready until 2026 at the very.earliest

"We can't just decant from the bottle in the pint bottle and say 'hey we've got it'. How do I put this gently? It's a non-story trying to be a story which we've sort of encouraged over the years because it amuses us, and it harks a bit back to the Churchill link," Mr Simpson said.

The government has also been dragging its feet on legalising the measure, and has not yet actually done so. It is understood that officials are debating whether to introduce actual imperial pints, or to opt for the easier 500ml measure.

The latter size would have the advantage of potentially being exportable to other countries, meaning the wine might one day be able to be sold outside the UK whereas a true imperial pint of 568ml unlikely to be useful anywhere except the UK.

Non-sparkling wine is already allowed to be sold in 500ml under both EU and UK rules, and bottle moulds already exist for the size but going with the decimal measure would undermine the government's claims that it can bring back imperial measures now Britain has left the European Union.

One English sparkling wine house, Rathfinny in Sussex, has already produced 800 of bottles of its drink in 500ml bottles in anticipation of a rule change for the decimal measure.

France's other champagne makers have also confirmed they have no plans to produce pints, or simply ignored the situation. Mot & Chandon, the largest of all the champagne houses, declined to commit to the measure when approached by The Independent, while a spokesperson for G.H. Mumm, another one of the big four producers, said: "We can indeed confirm that we have no plans to produce and sell champagne in pint bottles."

Industry insiders say English sparkling wine producers are keener on the rule change, but actual French Champagne houses have shown little to no interest in bringing anything to market.

"I think actually the English sparkling wine boys are pressing rather harder than we are at the moment," Mr Simpson said.

"The Nuba Survival" is a five-metre-tall statue of two skeletons locked in an embrace in Checkendon, Oxfordshire. The statue was created by local artist John Buckley

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Kew horticulturists attending to the Rising sun display at the Kew Orchid Festival: Costa Rica, at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, west London

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Protesters campaign against corruption in London

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Lorries queue for the Port of Dover in Kent, as the Dover TAP is enforced due to the high volume of lorries waiting to cross the Channel

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Nelson Beaumont-Laurencia applies finishing touches to a sculpture of a tiger, commissioned byManchester Business Improvement District to celebrate the Chinese New Year, is unveiled in St Anns Square

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A house on Overhill terrace in Gateshead, lost its roof on 29 January after strong winds from Storm Malik battered northern parts of the UK

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A newly painted bicycle sign is seen on the middle of the road at Westminster Bridge, as the new Highway Code rules start today together with giving pedestrians priority at junctions

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School children take part in a rally in support of British Sign Language becoming a recognised language in the UK, outside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster, as the British Sign Language Private Members Bill, introduced by Rosie Cooper MP, reaches its second reading in the House

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A rare six-week-old southern white rhino calf called Zawadi, explores her paddock for the first time at Africa Alive! in Lowestoft

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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson jogs with his dog Dilyn, in London

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A member of staff looks at Francis Bacons work Second Version of Triptych 1944 on display in the Francis Bacon: Man and Beast exhibition at the the Royal Academy of Arts in London

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Rowers (front to back) Charlotte Irving, Kat Cordiner and Abby Johnston, on their way to shatter the world record for rowing across the Atlantic

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A grey seal pup on the beach at Horsey Gap in Norfolk, as the pupping season draws to a close at one of the UKs most important sites for the mammals

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Participants prepare to take part in the Crisis icebreaker cold water challenge at Tooting Bec Lido in London

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Willesborough Windmill, a white smock mill built in 1869 is bathed in the morning sunshine as the moon sets behind in Ashford, Kent

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A jet skier jumps the waves off the coast at Blyth in Northumberland

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Britains Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, participate in a therapy session with individuals who have experienced the care system, during a visit to the Foundling Museum in London

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Surfers enter the sea as the sun rises over Tynemouth on the North East coast

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Bonhams Danny McIlwraith holds a Nigerian polycrome carved wood mask during a photocall for the sale of the Jim Lennon Collection at Bonhams in Edinburgh

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The moon rises above the Spinnaker Tower in Portsmouth, Hampshire

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Demonstrators outside Downing Street during a Kill The Bill protest against The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in London

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Ecologist Emma Smart (left) and retired GP Dr Diana Warner outside HMP Bronzefield, in Surrey, following their release from the prison where Emma undertook a 26-day hunger strike during her incarceration. Ms Smart was sentenced in November, along with other members of Insulate Britain, to serve four months for breaking a High Court injunction by taking part in a blockade at junction 25 of the M25 motorway during the morning rush hour on 8 October last year

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A TV presenter holds a copy of a newspaper outside 10 Downing Streetafter the Prime Minister apologised for attending a gathering of colleagues in the Number Ten garden in May 2020, while the UK was in strict lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic

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Fitness guru Derrick Evans after receiving an MBE during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle

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A couple walk underneath an umbrella during wet weather on Westminster Bridge in central London

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A jogger passes the Covid Memorial Wall in London

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The sun rises over horses at Seaton Sluice in Northumberland

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Riders compete during the Veterans Men's race at the UK Cyclo-Cross National Championships 2022 in Ardingly, south of London

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A dog looks out of a car window at the wintry conditions in Killeshin, Co. Laois

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People walk through frost and mist alongside a frozen lake during sunrise in Bushy Park, London

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A skier jumps on the slopes at Allenheads in the Pennines to the north of Weardale in Northumberland

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Freshly-fallen snow covers houses in Corbridge, near Hexham in Northumberland

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Dean Morrison, 13, receives his Covid-19 vaccine from student nurse Anthony McLaughlin during a vaccination clinic at the Glasgow Central Mosque

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Konastantinos Tsimikas of Liverpool with Chelseas Mason Mount during the Premier League match at Stamfrod Bridge

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New Years Eve Lasers, drones and fireworks illuminate the sky in front of the Royal Naval College in Greenwich shortly after midnight in London

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Competitors in fancy dress run across the Pennine tops near Haworth, West Yorkshire, in the annual Auld Lang Syne Fell race which attracts hundreds of runners every year

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Sunrise at Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland

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The Very Revd Dr Robert Willis, Dean of Canterbury Cathedral, looks at Becket, a six month old red-billed chough as he visits Wildwood Wildlife Park in Kent on the anniversary of the murder of Thomas Becket

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Troops of the Household Cavalry are seen reflected in a puddle during the changing of the Queens Life Guard, on Horse Guards Parade, in central London

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A pedestrian walks past a winter sale sign outside a John Lewis store on Oxford street in London

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Riders take their bikes through the snow near Castleside, County Durham

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French Champagne makers say they have no plans to sell UK governments Brexit pint bottles - The Independent

Sir Jeffrey Donaldson told BBC Radio Ulster: "I've withdrawn the First Minister on the basis that the protocol issues have not been addressed despite clear commitments and promises given by the Prime Minister that they would be addressed.

"Clearly if the protocol issues are not resolved by the time of the election then, of course, it is difficult for us to form a government because of the instability that the protocol creates.

"I have made my position clear - I think there is now an opportunity for the Government and the EU to step up.

"The EU said consistently that the purpose of the protocol was to protect the political institutions, political stability and the Good Friday Agreement.

"Well, we know that isn't happening because unionists do not consent to the protocol. There is no consensus for the protocol.

"There is now an opportunity for the UK Government and the EU to step up to the mark and to deliver an agreement that resolves these issues that can be done quickly."

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'Provocative' Sefcovic blasted as EU drags Truss into 'trench warfare' - Daily Express

Today marks two years since the UK officially left the EU.

To celebrate, the government has published a dossier titled Benefits of Brexit: how the UK is taking advantage of leaving the EU.

But four of these alleged benefits arent a result of the UKs departure.

Lets take a look.

The report trumpets reintroduc[ing] our iconic blue passports as one of Britains achievements so far. Between 1988 and 2020, UK passports were covered in Brussels-approved burgundy.

But as Guy Verhofstadt who was then the European Parliaments Brexit spokesman confirmed in 2017, this wasnt mandated by EU law. The UK could have had any passport colour it wanted while still part of the trade bloc, he wrote.

Indeed, Croatia still has its own dark blue passport, nearly seven years after joining.

The report highlights another apparent Brexit boon: Enabling businesses to use a Crown Stamp symbol on pint glasses.

The Crown Stamp is a proud emblem of our heritage that people remain fond of. We have begun the process of allowing it to be used once again, a fitting tribute to Her Majestys Platinum Jubilee it says.

But the BBC reported this month that an EU spokesperson confirmed that there was nothing stopping UK pint glasses containing the crown stamp while a member. They said: EU law does not prevent markings from being placed on products, so long as it does not overlap or be confused with the [EU standard] CE mark.

The report celebrates delivering eight Freeports in England and at least one Freeport in each of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

As the independent think-tank, the Institute for Government, explains: freeports are a special kind of port where normal tax and customs rules do not apply. These can be airports as well as maritime ports.

But as regular FactCheck readers will know, the UK could create freeports as a member of the EU and it did.

Todays report says that Britain will be using much less plastic, with much more recycled in the UK.

It says: Our single-use plastic carrier bag charge has already cut plastic bag usage from larger retailersand, with its extension to all retailers last year, is expected to cut single-use plastic bag usage by 80%.

Ministers often tell us about policies that would not have been possible if Britain were in the EU. And reading this in todays report on the benefits of Brexit, youd be forgiven for thinking this is one of them.

But the charge was introduced in the UK in 2015, when we were still a member of the EU. Meanwhile, Brussels has issued a Directive since then calling for member states to reduce single use plastic bags.

And while were here, we should say that the 80 per cent figure only tells half the story.

When we look at all types of bags, including bags for life and tote bags, the policy is set to reduce usage by just 21 per cent and it will take ten years to achieve this according to Defra figures.

This all bags statistic is significant because while the government has focused its efforts on reducing single use plastic, there is evidence that other bags are not as eco-friendly as they first appear. For example, you would have to use a single cotton tote bag 20,000 times to offset its environmental impact, according to research by the Danish government.

As part of a Benefits of Brexit report published today, the government highlighted four policies: reintroducing blue passports, using a crown symbol on pint glasses, establishing freeports, and reducing single use plastic bags.

But two of these could have happened while the UK was a member of the EU and two of them did.

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FactCheck: the government's four dubious 'Benefits of Brexit' - Channel 4 News

Paris is lobbying for the bloc to have The City's clearing houses barred from the EU's markets by 2025. European affairs minister Clement Beaune said a clear signal must be given to financiers so that clearing moves from the UK to the continent. Mr Beanue said: Either we consider that the clearing market will always be London-based, fine, maybe.

Or we consider that there is a sovereignty issue in making a European market.

"We must say that there will be a time when clearing in the UK will stop.

Clearing is a crucial part of the process of financial markets.

It is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities between buyer and seller.

About a quarter of the trade settled in London clearing houses About is denominated in euros.

Last year, Andrew Bailey, the Bank of England Governor, said that efforts to drag the activity across the Channel risked undermining financial stability on the continent.

In September Mr Bailey said: If they want to take a decision to break the clearing system up, it is important to consider the risks to financial stability that come with fragmentation.

This is not an idle, you would say that, wouldnt you from the UKs central bank.

"That is a real threat.

We put clearing houses internationally so much at the centre of the ecosystem, deliberately so post-financial crisis, we have built up their resilience, we have just had a demonstration of that with the Covid crisis they have come through well, they have done what we wanted them to.

We have got the architecture and framework of international standards, lets put it to work.

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'Send a clear signal' France bids to shut out City of London from 2025 in major power grab - Express