Bitter Macron targets thousands of UK expats in France – new papers rejected – Daily Express

Brexit: UK 'can be a global trading nation without EU' says MP

Without a post-Brexit agreement signed on the matter, up to 3,000 people could lose their driving licences after the French government announced all British expats must exchange their UK licence with a French one. This means some commuters risk losing their jobs while some expats who live in France may be forced to move back to the UK. Although some expats have applied to exchange their licence, the French system has rejected them on the grounds no post-Brexit agreement has been confirmed.

France failed to agree a post-Brexit licence agreement and has been hit by an overload of applications, meaning some may lose their driving licence in the next few months.

Amid the pressure on UK expats, the Government has indicated it is working to agree a deal with France, The Guardian reports.

Without a valid licence, drivers could face a 12,808 fine, while if forced to take a driving test in the country, the theory must be done in French.

In a Facebook group for expats living in France, Kim Cranstoun described the situation which is affecting British nationals as a nightmare.

She said: "Id say there are 3,000 who are seriously worried for whom this has really become nightmarish,

"Commuters risk losing their jobs, tradespeople cant work, elderly people have missed medical appointments.

"Many British people in France live in quite remote, rural areas, with little or no public transport.

"Some are thinking of moving back to the UK. Its quite desperate."

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06:45am update: Brexit deal goes to court: Rebels secure landmark challenge on EU's hated NI protocol

A LANDMARK legal challenge against the Northern Ireland Protocol is scheduled to be heard on May 13 - setting up a potentially explosive moment in the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and the EU.

The NI Protocol aims to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland by ensuring Northern Ireland continues to adhere to some of the EUs rules and regulations - but critics including DUP leader Arlene Foster say as a result it has created a border down the Irish Sea instead.

A group of Brexiteers including former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib and Jim Allister QC, leader of the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) party, have been pushing for a judicial review into the legality of the arrangements.

Last week they launched a crowdfunding page to raise money to cover its costs.

05:30am update: Julie Walters warned of working-class 'revolution' before dubbing Brexit 'disastrous blow'

JULIE WALTERS warned of a "working-class revolution" before she claimed Brexit was a "disastrous blow" to the nation.

The Harry Potter actress is one of the nations most beloved stars and returns to TV screens tonight in the ITV show For The Love Of Britain.

She rose to fame in Educating Rita in the Eighties before forging an impressive career with films including Billy Elliot, Calendar Girls and Mamma Mia!.

The 71-year-old has also been an outspoken critic of Brexit and feared ramifications of Britain leaving the European Union.

04:15am update: 'Brexit is about democracy!' Vine guest slams Owen Jones in tense driving license row

OWEN JONES was slammed for claiming consequences of Brexit is "a lot of bureaucracy" and form-filling.

Journalist Sherelle Jacobs hit out at the Guardian columnist for his claims against Brexit while discussing reports of Britons seeing their driving rights threatened because of bureaucratic changes.

Ms Jacobs insisted that Brexit is about "taking back our democracy" rather than having a deal with the European Union on licences and free movement.

Speaking on the Jeremy Vine show, Mr Jones said: "One of the consequences of Brexit is a lot of bureaucracy.

03:00am update: Brexit snub: Ten EU states refuse to extradite their criminals to UK - letter exposes shun

SEVERAL EU member states will no longer extradite their nationals to the UK to face criminal action because of Brexit.

France, Germany and Poland have told the Home Office of their refusal to allow the extradition of their nationals.

Meanwhile, Austria and the Czech Republic will only hand over suspects to the UK with their permission.

The European Arrest Warrant was introduced in 2004 and obliged member states to arrest and transfer suspects to countries where they were wanted.

02:15am update: Leading economist tells Boris to tear up EU rules to turbocharge Brexit Britain's victory

BRITAIN has been told to stop "doing things the EU way" if the UK wants to succeed outside of the European Union.

The EU has been widely criticised for its glacial rollout as just 11.3 percent of people over the age of 18 have received their first dose of a vaccine, according to yesterday's figures. Only 4.9 percent of people have received both jabs of a vaccine.

Whereas, more than 30 million people in the UK have received at least one jab of a vaccine.

Following the EU's disastrous handling of the coronavirus vaccine rollout, Richard Bootle, one of the City's leading economists, said the UK will succeed outside the EU if it stops "doing things the EU way".

01:15am update: Pound increases gains against euro as Brexit Britain's economy reopens after jab success

THE POUND has continued to gain against the euro as the UK's vastly successful vaccine rollout scheme allows the economy to reopen.

It rose on yesterdays high by 0.2 percent to make a euro worth 85.32 pence. As recently as last December a euro was worth 90 pence.

Commenting on the pounds recent strong performance, an expert put the jump down to Britain's vaccination rollout and the gradual easing of lockdown restrictions.

Stuart Cole, chief macro strategist at Equiti Capital, said: "The sterling outlook remains positive, the combination of continued vaccinations, lifting of lockdown restrictions and rising yields all converging to support the pound."

12:15am update: Can you retire to Spain after Brexit?

THE BREXIT transition period officially ended in January which means rules around living abroad have changed dramatically.

Spain is one of the most popular destinations for retirees from Britain. There are now more than 360,000 British citizens registered as residents in Spain according to official Spanish figures.

The average age of a British expatriate living in the country is 45, having been 50 and over before 2020. But can you retire to Spain after Brexit?

11:30pm update: EU vaccine fury: Brexiteer rage as 'Brussels slimeballs' AGAIN threaten UK with export ban

EU "SLIMEBALLS" have threatened to block vaccine exports to Britain again, a Brexit campaign group has blasted.

EU commissioner Thierry Breton said the UK was totally dependent on the bloc for vaccines as he hinted a blockade was still on the cards.

The French europhiles outburst came just days after the EU spectacularly backtracked on a proposed ban after it threatened to spark a trade war with the UK.

Mr Breton appears to have learned nothing from the spat, arrogantly insisting "the British are unable to conduct vaccination policy on their own".

Oliver Trapnell takes over fromPaul Withers

8pm update: UK 'true friend' of Ireland, not EU! Irish leaders warned about bloc after 'vaccine offer'

The UK's vaccine offer shows that Britain is "Ireland's true friend" not the European Union, Sammy Wilson, the DUP's Brexit spokesman has claimed.

The former minister of finance in the Northern Ireland Assembly commented in the Newsletter that because the UK is reportedly willing to send millions of vaccine doses to Ireland, it should be clear that Britain "is Irelands true friend".

Mr Wilson was speaking following a Sunday Times report that a scheme is being planned to offer 3.7 million Covid jabs to Ireland.

The Sunday Times quoted an anonymous cabinet source close to the Government, and said this move would be the first time the UK exported vaccines to an EU nation.

Mr Wilson said that the UK's move to help Dublin with a shipment of millions of vaccines should make them question who their genuine friends are.

6.15pm update:Sturgeon's shameless bid to woo Brussels: SNP leader sent 31 Christmas cards to EU chiefs

Nicola Sturgeon has flooded EU Commission officials with more Christmas cards than their UK Government counterparts, the Express can reveal.

Freedom of Information requests reveal the Scottish First Minister sent 29 cards to European Commission officials compared to just two cards to UK Government colleagues last year.

Records reveal Ms Sturgeon sent cards to top diplomats including Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Head of the Taskforce for Relations with the United Kingdom Michel Barnier.

The Scottish First Minister also sent cards to the Prime Minister of Belgium and Iceland along with 59 members of the United States Congress.

German Europe Minister Michael Roth and Foreign Minister Heiko Maas also received penned festive messages from the SNP leader.

4.50pm update:Macron recruits VDL in bid to class Britain a 'rogue state' in latest Brexit punishment

France is pushing for Britain to be classed as a "rogue state" in revenge for Brexit, insiders have warned.

President Emmanuel Macron wants the UK to be treated with the same level of suspicion as Russia, China and Iran.

He has secured the backing of top eurocrat Ursula von der Leyen, who has ordered officials to draw up plans to exclude British scientists from cutting-edge tech projects in collaboration with the bloc.

But a host of EU nations have launched a rebellion against the plot, insisting it would be foolish to shut out UK experts out of spite for Brexit.

One friendly EU diplomat fumed: You cant just put the UK in the same box as China and Iran.

President Macron has enlisted the help of French commissioner Thierry Breton to ensure British, Swiss and Israeli experts are no longer allowed to take part in European science projects.

The pair fear our boffins could leak sensitive information on supercomputers, with military and space applications, to outside power blocks, according to a diplomatic note, seen by Express.co.uk

3.45pm update:Britons now worrying less about Brexit - poll

Britons are now much less worried about Brexit than previously just a matter of weeks after the UK cut all ties with the EU.

Ipsos MORI interviewed 1,009 people from March 5-11.

Respondents were questioned over the big issues they considered for the country, with coronavirus dropping to 49 percent from 72 percent in February, although it remained the single biggest concern.

Brexit fell down the list of worries and was mentioned as a concern by 26 percent of respondents - its joint-lowest level since the EU referendum in June 2016.

3.30pm update: 'Like a little kid!' EU's latest vaccine threats to UK torn apart by Frexit campaigner

Eurocrats' relentless threats to the UK over bans on vaccine exports sparked the furious reaction of Frexit campaigner Charles-Henri Gallois.

The Generation Frexit leader lashed out against French MEP Pascal Canfin after he claimed London will be in a "very complicated" situation next month over vaccine supplies. The Renew MEP is Chairman of the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment and Public Health.

Writing in Le Figaro, Mr Canfin said Europe is "now ready to block exports of AstraZeneca vaccines to the United Kingdom until the company closes its delivery delays".

The comments infuriated Mr Gallois who took to Twitter to lambast the MEP.

He wrote: "Eurofanatics have still not supported the #BrexitFlag of United Kingdom.

"We can hardly be more hateful.

"He looks like the little kid who hasn't done his homework and is trying to cheat."

Paul Withers taking over live reporting from Bill McLoughlin.

2.50pm update: 'Are you sneering at the flag?' Susanna Reid skewers Owen Jones on GMB over Union Flag

Susanna Reid grilled Owen Jones on whether he was "sneering" at the Union Jack during a tense exchange on ITV's Good Morning Britain.

Owen Jones told ITV that he respected the flag and the importance of it to the British people. The political commentator added that he did not feel the current UK Government cannot protect their own people.

Ms Reid said: "Owen Jones, you stand accused of sneering at the flag, how do you respond?"

Mr Jones replied: "No, I think about my granddad who was amongst those who helped save this country from a Nazi invasion and helped save Europe from the Nazis.

"He was at sea, he was bombed twice with that flag flying above him and he was on an open boat.

"People like that fought for our rights and freedoms, I know how much the flag means to people."

2pm update:French MEP orders Brussels to open its eyes - 'London hasn't collapsed after Brexit!'

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Bitter Macron targets thousands of UK expats in France - new papers rejected - Daily Express