Brexit latest news

Britain’s Row With Greece Over Treasures Spills Into Brexit Tensions

A demand for the return of ‘stolen cultural artefacts’, including the Elgin Marbles, was added to the draft of a European Union negotiating mandate.

Brussels: A long-running dispute between Britain and Greece over ancient treasures has spilled into tensions over Brexit after a demand for the return of stolen cultural artefacts was added to the draft of a European Union negotiating mandate.

The British Museum in London has refused to return the Parthenon Marbles, 2,500-year-old sculptures that British diplomat Lord Elgin removed from Athens in the early 19th century when Greece was under Ottoman Turkish rule.

A draft of the 27 EU nations’ position on negotiations with Britain on their future relationship, which was seen by Reuters on Tuesday, seeks the “return or restitution of unlawfully removed cultural objects to their countries of origin”.

The document did not specify any cultural objects.

An original sculpture of the frieze of the Parthenon temple is exhibited at the Parthenon Gallery of the Acropolis Museum, in Athens, Greece, January 29, 2020. Picture taken January 29, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Alkis Konstantinidis

However, an EU diplomat said the line was added at the request of Greece, with support from Italy.

Greece’s culture minister said last month that Athens would step up its campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles from London and expected to win more support from European peers as Brexit diminishes Britain’s influence.

The British Museum says the marbles, which are roughly half of a 160-metre frieze that adorned the fifth century BC Parthenon temple, were acquired by Elgin under a legal contract with the Ottoman empire. Greece says they were stolen.

A British government spokeswoman, commenting on the draft EU document, said the UK’s position on the sculptures remained that they are “the legal responsibility of the British Museum”.

“That is not up for discussion as part of our trade negotiations,” the spokeswoman said in a statement.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson led the UK out of the European Union on January 31, more than three years after Britons voted in a referendum to leave.

Rhetoric between London and Brussels over the terms of their future relationship has grown sharper this month ahead of negotiations that are due to start in early March.

An EU source, who declined to be named because discussions on the negotiating mandate are confidential, said the reference to stolen artefacts was included in an earlier draft of the document last week.

The source said the reference also had support from Cyprus and Spain and that, Greece’s concerns about the marbles aside, EU countries were more broadly concerned about the illegal trade of artefacts through London auction houses.

Boris Johnson: No Need To Accept EU Rules in Post-Brexit Talks

The EU and the United Kingdom have until the end of the year to seal an agreement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will outline tough terms for post-Brexit trade talks with the European Union, saying in a speech on Monday that “Britain will prosper” regardless of the outcome.

“There is no need for a free trade agreement to involve accepting EU rules on competition policy, subsidies, social protection, the environment, or anything similar,” Johnson will say in his speech, according to excerpts released by his office on Sunday, just days after the UK left the now 27-member bloc.

He is also expected to say that if the European Union does not accept an agreement similar to the EU’s arrangement with Canada, then trade with the EU will have to be based on the UK’s existing withdrawal agreement with the bloc, which would be “more like Australia’s.”

File Photo: Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson speaks during a news conference at the European Union leaders summit dominated by Brexit, in Brussels, Belgium October 17, 2019. Photo: Reuters/Toby Melville

‘No doubt that Britain will prosper’

Johnson will say he expects it would be a “highly unlikely event” that the UK will not succeed in striking an arrangement like Canada, but that “in either case, I have no doubt that Britain will prosper.”

Also read: A Divided Britain Enters an Uncertain Era as It Leaves the European Union

After officially leaving the EU on January 31, the UK now has 11 months to strike a trade deal with the EU bloc or face resorting to WTO trading rules. UK trade talks will begin with the EU in March.

The EU has repeatedly warned Britain that the level of access to its single market of 450 million people will depend on how far London agrees to adhere to such rules.

A pro-Brexit supporter holds a placard at Parliament Square on Brexit day, in London, Britain January 31, 2020. Photo: Reuters/Toby Melville

What are Canada’s and Australia’s EU trade arrangements?

Canada’s trade arrangement with the EU, CETA (Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement), saw tariffs removed on around 98% of goods traded between the EU and Canada, making it much cheaper to sell each other’s goods in the other jurisdiction. It also sees “cooperation” on standards, limiting the need for safety and quality checks.

Currently, Australia-EU trade runs along with basic World Trade Organization rules, although there are specific agreements for certain goods. Australia is currently negotiating a trade deal with the European bloc.

The article was originally published on DW. You can read it here.

Brexit Bill Clears Final UK Parliamentary Hurdle Ahead of January 31 Exit

A consent vote in the EU Parliament will take place on January 29.

London: Britain moved a step closer to its January 31 exit from the European Union when the legislation required to ratify its deal with Brussels passed its final stage in parliament on Wednesday.

The Bill will officially become law when it receives Royal Assent from Queen Elizabeth, something that could happen as soon as Thursday.

“At times it felt like we would never cross the Brexit finish line, but we’ve done it,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in a statement.

“Parliament has passed the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, meaning we will leave the EU on 31 January and move forward as one United Kingdom.”

Also read: UK PM Boris Johnson Defeated on Brexit Legislation for First Time Since Election

Earlier on Wednesday, the lower house of parliament, the House of Commons overturned changes the upper house, the House of Lords, had made to the legislation, including a clause to ensure protections for child refugees after Brexit.

Johnson had refused to accept any changes to the Bill, which will enact Britain’s departure from the EU, facing down opposition lawmakers who say he has hardened its terms.

The Lords could have sought to reinstate the changes but opted not to, allowing the legislation to clear its final hurdle in Britain.

A consent vote in the EU Parliament will take place on January 29.

Johnson’s Conservatives won a large majority in the House of Commons in a general election last month, enabling the government to bring an end to more than three years of wrangling in parliament over Britain’s EU exit.

Brexit: British Parliament to Vote on Boris Johnson’s EU Divorce Deal

The British prime minister has said Saturday “can be the day we get Brexit done,” adding that the UK would be out of the EU by October 31. To fulfil his promises, Johnson must first win the approval of 320 lawmakers.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s proposed Brexit deal faces a key vote in parliament on Saturday. The decision will determine the course of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union.

The Conservative Party leader will attempt to win parliament’s approval for the latest Brexit deal he struck in Brussels on Thursday, in which the UK and the EU had agreed on the terms of a new Withdrawal Agreement.

Saturday’s parliamentary vote is Johnson’s last chance to secure an orderly Brexit. If he fails, the prime minister must, by law, request a delay.

Johnson has repeatedly said the UK would still depart from the EU on October 31 with or without a deal.

“There have been any number of false dawns. Deadlines for our departure have come and gone … Today can be the day we get Brexit done,” Johnson wrote in The Sun, a British tabloid newspaper. “In less than two weeks, on October 31, we would be out of the EU.”

In the case of a no-deal Brexit, the UK risks possible damage to global economic growth, violence in Northern Ireland and political unrest in Europe.

Super Saturday

Johnson is expected to make a statement to lawmakers in the House of Commons, which will then be followed by a debate and votes on amendments and then his Brexit deal — if all goes according to his government’s plan.

Parliament could, however, also vote on a proposal to defer the decision on whether to approve any deal until all the legislation needed to implement the terms of the deal has been passed. If this amendment is approved by Parliament, there would be no vote on Johnson’s deal on Saturday.

Johnson, whose party does not enjoy a majority in the divided parliament, must win the approval of 320 lawmakers across both his own Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party to successfully ground his Brexit deal in British legislature.

Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of people are expected to march to Parliament on Saturday demanding another referendum.

Johnson’s new Brexit deal was already met with opposition from Northern Ireland on Thursday.

If he wins the vote, Johnson will have successfully fulfilled his campaign pledge to deliver Brexit to the British people. If he fails, Brexit will likely be delayed for a fourth time and the deal must extend beyond the October 31 deadline.

Saturday’s vote comes more than three years after UK citizens voted 52% to 48% to be the first sovereign country to leave the European Union.

This article was originally published on DW.

Boris Johnson’s Suspension of Parliament Unlawful: UK Supreme Court

Johnson had advised the Queen to prorogue the British Parliament from September 10 to October 14.

London: The United Kingdom’s Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson had acted unlawfully when he advised Queen Elizabeth to suspend parliament weeks before Brexit – and that therefore the suspension was void.

The ruling paves the way for legislators to return to the parliament, where Johnson has no majority. It could give lawmakers, most of whom are opposed to leaving without the EU without a divorce agreement as he has threatened to do, further opportunity to impede his strategy.

“The decision to advise Her Majesty to prorogue parliament was unlawful because it had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification,” Supreme Court President Brenda Hale said.

Also read: UK Parliament Suspension: What Does It Mean for Brexit and Why Are MPs So Angry?

“Parliament has not been prorogued. This is the unanimous judgement of all 11 justices,” she added. “It is for parliament, and in particular the speaker and the (House of) Lords speaker, to decide what to do next.”

Parliament was suspended, or prorogued in the British jargon, from September 10 to October 14. The prorogation was approved by Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s politically neutral head of state, on the advice of the Prime Minister.

“I welcome the Supreme Court’s judgement that the prorogation of Parliament was unlawful,” said the speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

“As the embodiment of our Parliamentary democracy, the House of Commons must convene without delay. To this end, I will now consult the party leaders as a matter of urgency.”

Some lawmakers, including those thrown out of Johnson’s Conservative Party for rebelling against his Brexit plans, had said he should resign if he was found to have misled the queen.

(Reuters)

Brexit: British PM Theresa May Could Face Another Defeat in Parliament

A rebellion, even in a symbolic vote, would be a blow to May.

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May could face a defeat in parliament on Thursday over her plan to renegotiate the Brexit deal, undermining her pledge to the EU that, with changes, she can get the agreement approved.

Thursday’s symbolic vote was seen by May’s team as little more than a rubber stamp of her plan to secure changes to the divorce deal with the EU, giving her more time to satisfy lawmakers’ concerns over one part of it- the Irish backstop.

But hardline Brexit supporters in her governing Conservative Party are angry over what they say is her acceptance of ruling out a no-deal departure, something May and her team deny, saying by law Britain will leave the EU on March 29 without an agreement if no deal is struck.

The latest twist in the two-year negotiation to leave the EU underlines the deep divisions in parliament over how, or even whether, Britain should leave the bloc in the country’s biggest political and trade policy shift in more than 40 years.

A rebellion, even in a symbolic vote, would be a blow to May, who has insisted to EU leaders that if they offer her more concessions to the deal agreed in November, she can command a majority in parliament and get the agreement passed.

Trade minister Liam Fox urged lawmakers to back the prime minister, warning: “Our European partners will be watching”.

Steve Baker, a member of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Conservative lawmakers, said no lawmaker in the governing party could be associated with anything which seems to take a “no-deal Brexit” off the table.

“Compromising no deal would be the daftest negotiating strategy and not in the national interest,” he said on Twitter.

Another Conservative lawmaker said the ERG was still discussing which strategy to pursue on Thursday – to vote against or abstain.

May is trying to secure changes to the backstop arrangement to prevent a return of border controls between Northern Ireland and EU-member Ireland to ease concerns that Britain will be kept too closely in the EU’s orbit indefinitely or that the British province will be split away.

Extended stay

On Wednesday, European Council President Donald Tusk said the bloc was waiting for Britain to present solid proposals to break the impasse after meetings in Brussels and telephone calls between May and EU leaders.

Some Conservative and many opposition lawmakers accuse May of “running down the clock”, edging Britain closer to the exit date to try to force parliament to choose between backing her deal or leaving without an agreement.

Many businesses say that outcome would be catastrophic for the world’s fifth largest economy by causing major delays at ports, fracturing international supply chains and hindering investment.

More than 40 former British ambassadors called on the government to extend Britain’s stay in the EU or allow for a second referendum, The Times newspaper reported. May has repeatedly said she does not back a second vote.

To try to prevent a no deal, several lawmakers will try to get parliament to back their alternative proposals on Thursday, with options including calling a second referendum, a delay to Brexit, votes on a range of options and even a push to reverse the decision to leave the EU.

It is not clear whether any will win enough support to pass, with lawmakers who are seeking to force the government to delay Brexit saying they will wait until the next round of votes May has promised on February 27 to make their move.

British PM May Warns of Catastrophe If Lawmakers Don’t Support Brexit Deal

Lawmakers are set to vote on May’s Brexit deal on Tuesday.

London: British Prime Minister Theresa May has warned lawmakers that failure to back her plan to leave the European Union would be catastrophic for Britain, in a plea for support two days ahead of a vote in parliament that she is expected to lose.

Lawmakers are set to vote on May’s Brexit deal on Tuesday, after she shelved plans for a vote in December when it became clear that not enough lawmakers from her own party or others would back the deal she agreed with Brussels. May looks little closer to securing the support she needs, but writing in the Sunday Express she said lawmakers must not let down the people who voted for Brexit.

“Doing so would be a catastrophic and unforgivable breach of trust in our democracy,” May said.

“So my message to Parliament this weekend is simple: it is time to forget the games and do what is right for our country.”

On Friday, her foreign minister Jeremy Hunt said Brexit might not happen at all if May’s deal was defeated. Britain, the world’s fifth largest economy, is scheduled to quit the European Union on March 29. The Sunday Times reported that rebel lawmakers were planning to wrest control of the legislative agenda away from May next week with a view to suspending or delaying Brexit, citing a senior government source.

(Reuters)

Several British Ministers Quits Over Theresa May’s EU Deal

The dollar jumped and traders bought into the safe-haven yen after Britain’s Brexit deal was plunged into uncertainty, spooking investors. The ministerial resignations sent sterling plummeting more than 1%.

London: Several ministers including Britain’s Brexit minister Dominic Raab resigned on Thursday, November 15, in protest at Prime Minister Theresa May’s deal for leaving the European Union.

May won the backing of her senior ministers for a draft European Union divorce deal on Wednesday, November 14, but media reports of the five hour meeting were clear her team were deeply divided over the proposals.

“I regret to say that, following the Cabinet meeting yesterday on the Brexit deal, I must resign,” he said in a statement on Twitter.

Raab said May’s plan threatened the integrity of the UK and he could not support an indefinite backstop arrangement where the EU held a veto over Britain’s ability to exit.

Also read: No Deal? Seven Reasons Why a WTO-Only Brexit Would Be Bad for Britain

“No democratic nation has ever signed up to be bound by such an extensive regime, imposed externally without any democratic control over the laws to be applied, nor the ability to decide to exit the arrangement,” he said in his resignation letter.

Raab said that taking that arrangement as the starting point for negotiating Britain’s future relationship with the EU would “severely prejudice the second phase of negotiations against the UK.”

The 44-year-old was appointed to the role of Brexit minister in July this year following the resignation of his predecessor David Davis, who also quit in protest at May’s Brexit strategy.

Other than Dominic Esther McVey, welfare minister resigned accusing the prime minister of failing to honour the result of the 2016 referendum vote to leave the EU. Shailesh Vara and Suella Braverman has also stepped down disagreeing with the May’s deal with the EU.

Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of opposition Labour Party

“The withdrawal agreement and the outline political declaration represent a huge and damaging failure … The government … is in chaos,” added Jeremy Corbyn, leader of Opposition Party.

“Theresa May has no authority left and is clearly incapable of delivering a Brexit deal that commands even the support of her cabinet, let alone parliament and the people of our country,” said John Trickett, member of Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn’s senior team.

Responding to the resignations, Theresa May said, “The choice is clear: We can choose to leave with no deal, we can risk no Brexit at all, or we can choose to unite and support the best deal that can be negotiated.”

(Reuters)