Category Archives: Brexit

The European Union and the British Government have been at loggerheads over negotiations about the Northern Ireland Protocol. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Boris Johnson have started drawing up legislation to amend and remove parts of the Protocol.

On Friday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met with Simon Coveney and tweeted: I was clear that our priority is upholding the Belfast Good Friday Agreement and restoring political stability in Northern Ireland.

We remain open to a negotiated solution, but we cannot allow any more drift.

On Tuesday, Ms ONeill spoke to Tory MPs in an effort to convince the British Government to stop pandering to the DUP who have refused to join in the power-sharing administration until changes are made to the Protocol.

DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson: Im not going to say one thing to the electorate and the day after the election, do a volte-face.

I gave my word. I sought a mandate on the basis of sorting out the Protocol.

The DUP is using power sharing negotiations to leverage its concerns over the future of the Protocol and Ms ONeill said: Its time for us all, as political leaders, to have the courage to step forward with unity of purpose and determination to deliver a stable partner and coalition.

The Vice President warned MPs that they must stop giving the DUP an outsized influence as they no longer reflect the wider view in Northern Ireland.

She said: I think its outrageous that at this point, three weeks after the election, the DUP have still not formed an executive with the rest of the parties, because remember, they are the outlier.

Sinn Fein needs the support of at least 40 Conservative MPs to block the new legislation and tried on Tuesday to convince conservatives against unilateral action.

Speaking on BBCs Newsnight she said: I think weve had a very fruitful 24 hours here in London where weve engaged not just those of the Tory Party, but the Labour Party.

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We wanted to give them our analysis, our perspective of actually how we see things unfolding.

We wanted to make a very strong message that we want the government to work, we need to have the election outcome respected and we need to have an Assembly and Executive set up immediately.

She added: I think it was more important that we actually put the case that actually the response or the actions of the Tory party, are actually reckless and theyre actually working against the best interests of the people at home.

We do not want unilateral action and what we need to see is the Protocol. The Protocol is working. All the economic data actually points to the fact that our economy is outperforming that of here in Britain.

Sinn Fein party leader Mary Lou McDonald said before meeting with Tory MPs: Weve made the case very clearly that Boris Johnson needs to stop playing games, stop using Ireland as either a bargaining chip in this confrontation with the European system, or indeed as a distraction in his domestic affairs.

Ms ONeill stated: What we need to do to find our way is to smooth the implementation of the Protocol because it is here to stay.

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I think its dishonest of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, for example, to speak of the fact that its not working, that its hindering businesses. That is not the reality on the ground.

Whats unacceptable actually, is that Boris Johnson and this Government are intending to take unilateral action that flies in the face of an international agreement which they themselves signed up to.

We voted in a cross-community basis to reject Brexit, but its been foisted upon us.

Ms ONeill accused the Government of fuelling political instability and instead is aiming to urge the EU and the Government to sit down together and in earnest find an agreed way forward.

She concluded: We said from day one that Brexit and the Good Friday Agreement were not compatible and its quite impossible to square the circle.

See original here:

Newsnight: Sinn Fein slams Tories for reckless actions over hated Brexit deal - Express

Priti Patel has been warned over the drastic increase in net immigration, as Red Wall MPs say it undeniably undermines Brexit promises.

In a letter to the Home Secretary, over two dozen Conservative politicians have sounded the alarm over data suggesting net immigration for this year could be higher than any in recent history.

The group of MPs highlight figures which show that work visas are up 25 per cent to 239,987, family visas are up 49 per cent to 280,776 and student visas are up 52 per cent to 432,729.

Of course, there are exceptional circumstances regarding Ukraine and Hong Kong, but the reality of such a drastic increase undeniably undermines our promise to reduce immigration numbers, they say.

As you have grasped, mass immigration only pays lip service to the concept of control. True control balances any need for high-skilled immigration with building a sustainable domestic workforce and the inevitable consequences of mass migration on societal cohesion, our housing and job markets, wage suppression and pressure on public services.

The letter, organised by Sir John Hayes who chairs the influential Common Sense Group, counts several Red Wall Tory MPs among its signatories.

Lee Anderson, the MP for Ashfield, Nick Fletcher, the MP for Don Valley and Marco Longhi, the MP for Dudley North, have all signed the letter alongside their fellow 2019-intake colleagues representing Leigh, Stoke-on-Trent North and Stockton South.

Other signatories include David Jones, the former Brexit minister and Bob Blackman, the joint secretary of the 1922 Committee of backbenchers.

They praise the Rwanda deal as "exactly the kind of radical, but rational and proportionate, policy that will get to grips with our dysfunctional asylum system".

The MPs have told the Home Secretary that they fully support this policy, adding that control of this kind is essential.

But they point out that the vote for Brexit was a resounding declaration from the British people that they wanted to take back control of the immigration system.

The group of MPs conclude by saying that the British people understand the dire consequences that will ensue when immigration gets out of control. "It is our duty to do right by the promise we made to them, they say.

Link:

Rising immigration 'undeniably undermines' Brexit promises, warn Red Wall MPs - The Telegraph

Lorry freight traffic on ferries with British ports dropped 22 per cent last year due to new post-Brexit checks on EU-UK trade, a report from the Irish Maritime Development Office has found.

The Government agency that promotes Irish shipping services said that a combination of a rebound in demand in port traffic as Covid-19 restrictions were eased and new post-Brexit border controls led to a year of significant change in roll-on, roll-off (ro-ro) lorry freight traffic.

Traffic on direct routes between Irish ports and mainland Europe rose 94 per cent last year, driven largely by reduced use of the "landbridge" route across Britain with continental Europe.

New border checks on trade between Ireland and Britain as Brexit came into effect led to "unprecedented increases" in ro-ro and container shipping volumes on direct routes with Europe.

The post-Brexit border controls on Irish-British trade through ports in the Republic led to the redirection of Northern Irish traffic from ports in the Republic to Belfast, Larne and Warrenpoint.

There was a 12 per cent rise in ro-ro volumes, about 100,000 units, through the three ports as traders "transferred significant volumes" away from the Republic, mostly Dublin Port, which was popular for traders in the North accessing the English midlands and southeast England.

Two-thirds of the additional ro-ro freight through Northern Irish ports went through Belfast.

Goods moving from Northern Ireland to Britain are not subjected to the same checks and border controls on products moving from ports in the Republic to ports in Britain.

Direct lorry freight traffic with continental Europe has grown significantly, representing a third of all ro-ro volumes through ports in the Republic, compared with 17 per cent in recent years.

Lift-on, lift-off (lo-lo) container freight, most of which moves on direct routes to mainland Europe, increased to record levels, growing by 11 per cent over the course of last year.

Overall, road freight volumes declined by 3 per cent to 1.15 million units in 2021, the lowest annual volume since 2017. This was the first annual decline in ro-ro traffic since 2012.

Last years decrease was due to significant advance stockpiling of goods in the final three months of 2020 ahead of Brexit checks on Irish-British trade coming into force at the start of last year and as a result of severe restrictions on trade and shipping caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The IMDO figures show a surge in traffic through Rosslare Europort as the southeastern port benefited from new direct routes with continental Europe that bypassed post-Brexit Britain.

Volumes rose by 49 per cent, or just over 60,000 units year on year, to 183,000 units, the largest annual total for the Iarnrd ireann-operated port recorded by the IMDO.

Rosslare was the biggest beneficiary of the post-Brexit regulatory world with the port representing about 14 per cent of all direct ro-ro traffic between the Republic and mainland Europe but capturing half of the additional EU traffic handled last year.

The number of weekly sailings between Irish and mainland Europe ports rose from 30 sailings per week to more than 60 sailings at different points during the year.

There are now six shipping companies offering 13 different direct ro-ro services to mainland EU ports, increasing capacity in what is a dynamic and competitive market, the IMDO said.

Ro-ro traffic with Britain fell by 34 per cent at Rosslare and 21 per cent at Dublin Port during 2021 with, overall, 219,000 fewer freight units moving between the Republic and Britain.

Liam Lacey, director of the IMDO, said that demand for Irish shipping is expected to rise this year as the effects of Covid-19 dissipate and the period of greatest Brexit-related uncertainty passes.

Read more:

Brexit checks lead to 'unprecedented' surge in direct shipping with Europe - The Irish Times

The UK is set for another bust-up with the EU over Brexit, testing the patience of European leaders trying to maintain a united front against Vladimir Putin.

What is the UK threatening, why now and what are the consequences?

The issue is the Northern Ireland protocol, signed by Boris Johnson in January 2020.

It is now threatening to derail the new Stormont power-sharing government after the Democratic Unionist party refused to appoint new ministers until the checks on the Irish Sea border on goods coming into Northern Ireland from Great Britain were scrapped.

What has happened now?

The UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, issued a strongly worded and lengthy broadside against the EU late on Tuesday night criticising proposals it made last October to relax checks on goods crossing from Great Britain into Northern Ireland.

She said the proposals would worsen the current trading arrangements and lead to everyday items disappearing from shelves and lead to other unacceptable burdens on business.

And she warned that the UK will not shy away from taking action to stabilise the situation in Northern Ireland if solutions cannot be found.

She said Lincolnshire sausages and other chilled meats would need a veterinary certificate to enter Northern Ireland, sending a parcel to Northern Ireland would require more than 50 fields of information for customs declarations and there would be powers to search peoples bags for food, like ham sandwiches, on departure from the ferry to Northern Ireland.

She also said pet owners would need to pay 280 for certificates and jabs for their dogs or cats just to go on holiday in the UK.

And finally that VAT reliefs such as the recent energy saver could not be applied in Northern Ireland, despite posing no risk to the EU single market.

Havent we heard all this before?

Yes, most of it. Recall the row over the Great British banger?

So why now?

Negotiations with the EU over the protocol are about to restart or implode if the UK goes ahead with a threat to table new laws, possibly as early as Tuesday next week, to disapply some of the protocol.

Anything new?

Yes. Truss also protested that composite foods such as Thai green curry ready meals, New Zealand lamb and Brazilian pork could disappear from the shelves if the protocol was applied in full.

Why is that interesting?

Remember the row about chlorinated chicken coming into the UK from the US? The Thai green curry example raises the same issue for the EU and goes to the heart of the protocol checks. They were agreed to ensure that third country goods whether it was unregulated meat from South America or the US or counterfeit goods from China could not slip into Ireland or the single market via Northern Ireland.

What does the EU say?

Last October the EU offered to scrap 80% of Northern Ireland food checks and 50% of customs checks in four discussion papers it called far-reaching and a new model for the protocol.

It also repeatedly offered a deal to eliminate food checks if the UK agreed to maintain equivalent food standards as the EU. This was rejected in the overall trade deal as it could have raised a barrier in trade deals with the US and other countries with different food standards. But the EU offered the UK a bespoke deal for Northern Ireland that would have resulted in physical checks on food scrapped under an equivalence deal which would be reviewed in the event of a US trade deal.

How did the UK react?

The then Brexit secretary, Lord Frost, claimed the far-reaching proposals were nothing of the sort arguing the 50% reduction in customs checks was merely a reduction in 50% of the number of boxes vendors had to check when sending goods from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

He also demanded the role of the European court of justice as the arbiter in any potential disputes was changed.

And he repeated a threat to take unilateral action to achieve his goals.

Now what will the UK walk away?

Talks, stalled because of both the Ukraine war and the Northern Ireland assembly election, will resume.

But expect relations to get worse before they get better.

The UK is expected to unveil legislation next week to disapply some of the protocol.

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What will the EU do if the UK walks away from the protocol?

The EU Brexit, chief Maro efovi, issued a blunt statement on Tuesday warning the protocol was a cornerstone of the wider withdrawal agreement and its renegotiation is not an option. If the UK does go for the nuclear option and disapply the protocol completely, the EU has promised swift and decisive action.

These could range from limited sanctions on emblematic British goods such as Scottish salmon and whisky or suspension of the entire trade and cooperation deal.

The UK knows the EU has no appetite for a row given the situation in Ukraine but the legal ground work for a trade war was undertaken last November when Frost threatened to walk away.

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Brexit: why has row over Northern Ireland protocol resurfaced? - The Guardian

Michelle O'Neill, as Sinn Fin's vice-president, is entitled to claim the post of First Minister. Speaking to the media on Monday, while urging the need to "get back down to business" to form a new executive with the DUP, she told Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Government to sort out the remaining Brexit issues with the EU so as not to make Northern Ireland "collateral damage".

Ms O'Neill said: "Brinkmanship will not be tolerated when Northern Ireland becomes collateral damage in a game of chicken with the European Commission.

"Responsibilities for finding solutions to the Protocol lie with Boris Johnson and the EU.

"But make no mistake, we and our businessmen here will not be held for ransom."

For Sinn Fin to form a new government, the DUP, which is now the second-largest party, must agree to take up the deputy first minister's position, as laid out in the Good Friday Agreement.

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But DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson has said he will not lead his party back into power-sharing until issues with the post-Brexit trading arrangements contained in the Northern Ireland Protocol are resolved.

He claimed: "We want to see this place up and running as soon as possible.

"We want stable devolved government. We are committed to our participation in those institutions."

Speaking at a press conference with his new MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly) team at Stormont, Sir Jeffrey added: "We need decisive action by the government to address the difficulties created by the protocol.

"Whether that is driving up the cost of living, whether that is the harm that it is doing to businesses and our economy, or indeed in undermining political stability in Northern Ireland.

"The protocol needs to be dealt with."

He added: "We sought a mandate from people to adopt the stance that we have taken and we will continue, as we recognise others also have a democratic mandate [and] we want to work with them to deliver stable government for Northern Ireland.

"But the long shadow of the protocol is casting its mark over this place."

The Protocol is designed to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

It created the Irish Sea border and means Northern Ireland continues to follow some EU rules.

Unionists opposed it because they believe it is driving a wedge between them and the rest of the UK.

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Brandon Lewis, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, met with the main parties in Belfast on Monday and called for its leaders to "come together to agree on a way forward to deliver a stable and accountable devolved government".

He added: "We will continue to press the EU to agree to the crucial changes [to the Protocol] that are urgently needed but will take nothing off the table in our pursuit of those solutions."

During the election campaign, Sinn Fin's deputy leader Michelle O'Neill said people were not "waking up thinking about Irish unity" and described matters such as the cost-of-living crisis as bigger priorities.

However, Sinn Fin remains committed to holding a referendum on Irish unification, and its manifesto called on the British and Irish governments to set a date for a border poll.

On Friday, party leader Mary Lou McDonald said planning for a unity referendum would come within a "five-year framework".

The new assembly will meet on Friday to elect a speaker, who will then ask the parties for their nominations for first minister and deputy first minister.

If the DUP nominates a deputy first minister, then an executive can be formed and other ministers can be chosen.

Read the original here:

Will NOT be tolerated! Sinn Fin issues Brexit ultimatum over UK 'game of chicken' with EU - Express

LONDON Britain still wants to resolve a row with Brussels over post-Brexit trade rules for Northern Ireland, a senior minister said, as he was pressed on reports the U.K. is preparing to unilaterally rip up parts of the arrangement.

In an interview with ITV News, the U.K.s Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis declined to confirm multiple reports that legislation paving the way for Britain to ignore parts of the controversial Northern Ireland protocol is being readied for next weeks queens speech. That speech marks the opening of a new parliamentary session and sets out the U.K. governments agenda.

Asked if Britain is preparing to announce a plan along those lines, Lewis said: Our focus is on resolving the issues with the protocol, ideally we want to do that by agreement with the European Union.

Pressed further on whether an announcement would come next week, he said: No weve not said that."

And he added: "What weve been clear about is at the moment, the protocol is causing problems in civic society, its causing problems with the Good Friday Agreement. Our duty to the people of Northern Ireland is to resolve those issues. Yes, we want to do that with the EU and thats what [Foreign Secretary] Liz Truss has been focused on.

U.K. ministers have previously acknowledged that the government is considering a range of options in case the talks with the European Commission on the protocol which was drawn up to avoid a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland post Brexit but is deeply unpopular with Northern Irelands unionists do not yield solutions. But they have stopped short of publicly setting out their thinking.

Truss reiterated to her Irish counterpart Simon Coveney Wednesday evening that the protocol is not working, while the Irish minister told her during the same phone call that unilateral action [is] not the way forward.

See more here:

UK still wants deal with EU on Northern Ireland Brexit rules, minister says - POLITICO Europe

The first major study since Brexit of UK citizens living in the EU has revealed its profound impact on their lives, with many expressing serious concerns over their loss of free movement and voting rights and a very different perception of Britain.

The survey, of 1,328 British nationals across the continent, showed that if the public narrative suggests Brexit is done and dusted, it has brought deep transformations to the lives of British citizens in the EU and EEA, the studys co-lead, Michaela Benson, said.

The long tail of Brexit is evident in its continuing impacts both on the way they live their lives, and in its lasting significance for their sense of identity and belonging, said Benson, a sociology professor at Lancaster University.

The survey, conducted between December 2021 and January 2022, a year after the end of the Brexit transition period, and part of a wider project by Lancaster and Birmingham universities, found 59% of respondents had lived in their country of residence for at least five years and most intended to stay.

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But many were angered by their loss of free movement, meaning they can no longer move within the EU for work, or retire to another EU country, and especially worried about being unable to return to the UK with non-British family members in future.

Asked whether their past or future migration plans had been affected by Brexit, 27% of respondents said it had affected them a great deal, and 14% a lot. Where does one even start? was the response of one British citizen living in Belgium. Loss of rights like freedom of movement around the EU and to the UK. With a wife who is an EU citizen, I had to decide whether to move to the relevant EU country or stay in the UK. Family now cannot move back to Britain. Uncertainty.

Another said: I moved to France in 2020 in order to protect my right to live and work in France post-Brexit. My migration is 100% a result of Brexit.

Brexit, and the British governments handling of the Covid pandemic, strongly affected 80% of respondents feelings towards the UK, with responses including deep shame, disappointment, a shit show, embarrassed to be British, shambolic, and like watching a house on fire.

Just over 30% still felt very or extremely emotionally attached to the UK, compared with 75% who said they felt a very or extreme emotional attachment to the EU, and 59% who felt the same in relation to their country of residence.

For me, one of the most interesting things the survey reveals is this sense of disappointment, shame and anguish over Brexit and the pandemic and a really quite pronounced expression of European identity, Benson said.

About two-thirds had changed their legal status since 2016, acquiring residency or citizenship. But nearly half did not have the same status and therefore the same migration and settlement rights as some or all of their close family members.

This was a major or significant concern for a large majority of respondents, who said it was affecting their own and their childrens work, career and education, or would do so in the future.

My wife is a Russian citizen, said one respondent in Italy. Her right to live and work depend upon my status under the withdrawal agreement. She fears a potential move to another EU country as her residency rights are totally dependent upon mine.

Those who felt they may want or need to move back to the UK at some stage felt particularly affected, since non-British partners and other family members coming with them would now be subject to UK domestic immigration controls.

I have a house in England, said one respondent, who has lived in the Netherlands for 10 years. I was going to retire there. Its now being sold. My wife is Dutch. I do not think she could even relocate back to the UK despite joint ownership of a house, having lived there for 15 years, being fluent in English and having two dual-nationality kids.

The loss of EU voting rights was also a big concern, with 46% saying they could no longer vote in European elections or, in most cases, local elections in their country of residence. Roughly 42% were also unable to vote in the UK because they had lived abroad for more than 15 years, although this is expected to change.

Read more:

Embarrassed to be British: Brexit study reveals impact on UK citizens in EU - The Guardian

Take a look at the calendar. Yep, you got it right, it is really 2022. The Brexit referendum was six years ago, and Britain has been officially sans Europe for a couple of years.

So why on earth is Nigel Farage calling for Brexit, again?

Yes, Farage has really called for a policy that has already happened. Posting a story about lawyers opposing the government's controversial Rwanda plan, he blamed Johnson for keeping the UK in the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which isn't what the story is about, and said: "Time for a proper Brexit".

Reminder: Britain left the EU on 31st January 2020, after years of tense negotiations and debates about whether to have a second referendum.

To make matters even more awkward for our Brexit loving friend, the ECHR isn't actually in the EU. It is part of the Council of Europe, which was founded after WWII to uphold human rights. The court serves that mission from a legal perspective.

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People provided a helpful fact-checking service to Nige:

His intervention comes as Johnson faces questions about the Rwanda plan, which seeks to displace immigrants deemed illegal by the UK to the African country for processing, asylum and resettlement. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday about it, the Prime Minister said: Its a great deal between two countries, each helping the other.

Of course, there are going to be legal eagles, liberal lawyers, who will try to make this difficult to settle. We always knew this was going to happen, but it is a very, very sensible thing.

If people are coming across the Channel illegally, and if they are, their lives are being put at risk by ruthless and unscrupulous gangsters, which is what is happening at the moment.

He added: You need a solution. And you need something that is going to say to those people, to those gangsters, Im sorry, but you cant tell your customers, you cant tell these poor people, that theyre just going to come to the UK, and theyre going to be lost in the system, because were going to find a way of making sure that they are going immediately to Rwanda.

I think thats a humane, compassionate and sensible thing to do. Im not going to pretend to you that is going to be without legal challenges. I think I said that when I announced it, but we will get it done.

Say what you like about Farage though, making everything about Brexit is a truly remarkable skill. But it is time for him to find something new to bang on about, we reckon.

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Have we just travelled back in time? Because Nigel Farage has just called for Brexit, again - indy100

Stephen Booth is Head of the Britain in the World Project at Policy Exchange.

To the relief of the French and European establishment, Emmanuel Macrons re-election makes him the first two-term French President in 20 years since Jacques Chirac. However, the 17-point margin of his victory over Marine Le Pen does not tell the whole story. Voter turnout was the lowest in a presidential run-off since 1969 and Le Pen increased her vote tally from 10.6 million in the second round in 2017 to 13.2 million this time around.

It is probable that Macron will secure a working majority in the National Assembly elections in June. But with such a high percentage of disaffected voters on the left and the right, and both camps opposed to giving Macron a mandate to pursue his economic reforms, surprises cannot be ruled out.

Five years is a long time in politics. However, the nature of Macrons victory and the trend towards polarisation of the French political system does beg the question of what his domestic legacy will be. Having decimated the traditional centre-left and centre-right parties, which has allowed the fringes on the left and right to flourish, can the centre produce a successor to Macron in 2027?

Nevertheless, in the immediate term, Macron will feel that his victory puts him in the ascendency on the European stage and he will continue have a strong influence over the direction of the EU, including on relations with the UK. Hopes of a swift reset of Anglo-French relations following Macrons re-election look unlikely to materialise. Frances Finance Minister, Bruno Le Maire, made a point of telling reporters after Macrons victory that our first challenge will not be the relationship between the UK and France.

Macron is likely to double down on his vision for EU integration and strategic autonomy. He has some like-minded allies for this agenda, such as Italys Prime Minister, Mario Draghi, who this week called for pragmatic federalism in the fields of economy, energy, and security and defence.

However, in security and foreign policy, Macron could struggle to assert French leadership within the EU as he would like. The crisis in Ukraine has strengthened the position of key UK allies, particularly among the Nordics, Baltics, and several Eastern countries, that EU policy must not undermine or be in competition with NATO. Macrons previous efforts to open a seemingly unilateral dialogue with Vladimir Putin and his ambivalence towards US leadership of NATO continue to make them suspicious of French strategic direction in this area.

The Prime Ministers leadership on Ukraine has built up goodwill towards the UK in many of these countries, and the UK should continue to work with these nations on making the case that European security cooperation should enhance rather than detract from NATO. The UKs response to Ukraine illustrates that Global Britain does not come at the expense of a commitment to European security and prosperity in the most fundamental sense.

Clearly, there remain difficult issues between the UK and France where Macron appears reluctant to help. For example, notwithstanding the Governments new policies to tackle people smuggling and illegal cross-Channel migrant crossings on small boats, the problem would be much more easily addressed through French cooperation to stop the perilous crossings at source on the French coast. However, politically, this remains a bigger problem for the Government than for Macron.

Meanwhile, France remains strongly opposed to a softening of the EUs stance in the talks on the Northern Ireland Protocol. The Queens Speech on 10 May is expected to include plans for a bill giving the Government new powers to replace parts of the Northern Ireland Protocol unilaterally, in an effort to break the impasse.

The UK should brace itself for a political reaction from Brussels, but it should continue to underline its overriding responsibility to uphold the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement. It should emphasise to its allies, in the EU and outside it, that a new political bargain that commands the consent of both communities in Northern Ireland is in the wider European interest and trumps the narrow focus on the EUs technocratic regulatory order.

With growing fears over unfair Chinese competition and supply chain resilience resulting from the experience of the pandemic, Frances calls for a more interventionist and strategic EU industrial policy may find an increasingly receptive audience. This could have implications for economic competition and cooperation between the UK and the EU, particularly in strategic technological and energy sectors.

The UK should work with Germany to ensure that a renewed EU focus on resilience does not spiral into a form of protectionism that strains UK-EU economic relations further. Germanys Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is still bedding into the leadership role vacated by Angela Merkel. His three-way coalition is in the process of dramatically changing the course of German foreign and energy policy in response to the war in Ukraine, and Berlins recent commitment to buy US F-35 jet aircraft illustrates that Germany will not necessarily instinctively buy European, as Macron would wish.

Meanwhile, despite the recent Anglo-French flashpoints, which also included the row over the AUKUS alliance, more amiable bilateral relations in several areas should be mutually advantageous. The UK should continue to emphasise that both countries remain important security partners within the NATO framework. Germanys newfound appetite for defence spending may offer Macron another option on paper, but German strategic culture and its readiness to act is likely take far longer to change significantly.

Equally, the UK, unlike Germany, shares French enthusiasm for nuclear power as a means of bolstering domestic energy production. The UK would benefit from French industrial expertise and the UK offers a willing commercial partner.

Much has been made of the poor state of the Anglo-French relationship since Brexit. Personality clashes between Macron and Boris Johnson may well have something to do with it. However, the root remains the geopolitical fallout from Brexit, as viewed in London and in Paris, which are to be found in the concepts of Global Britain and EU strategic autonomy. Both countries therefore look set to continue to rub along uneasily, mixing elements of cooperation and competition along the way, but the UK has tools at its disposal to offer a constructive Anglo-French and UK-EU relationship.

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Stephen Booth: Brexit's legacy, the Northern Ireland Protocol, small boats and Britain's tense relationship with Macron - ConservativeHome

From the Northern Ireland protocol to potential opportunities, questions about Brexit and what it means continue to arise nearly five years after the UK voted to leave the European Union.

The Independents Adam Forrest, who authors the Brexit and Beyond newsletter, answered questions from readers about all things Brexit during an Ask Me Anything event.

Heres a selection of some the questions and answers.

The protocol in Northern Ireland is working to the benefit of exporters. Why try and amend it?

Theres certainly evidence of a huge jump in trade between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. In February, NI exports to the Republic were up 65 per cent compared with 2020, while exports from the Republic into NI were up 54 per cent. Trouble is, unionists take this as evidence of the six counties moving away from Great Britains orbit. While we cant be sure of the impact of Brexit on trade from GB into NI, theres little doubt Brexit has hit UK trade as a whole. Trade with the rest of the world is down by 12 to 13 per cent below their 2019 averages, according to the most recent estimate by the Office for Budget Responsibility.

How is the EU going to respond to this Article 16 nonsense? Surely theyre going to get fed up of Boris antics and do without a trade deal with us.

Rather than triggering Article 16, the UK bill looks set to put the ball in the EUs court. Brussels has already made clear it is prepared for retaliatory measures if the UK tears up its protocol obligations. It could take the nuclear option of terminating the Trade and Cooperation Pact (TCA), or use Article 506 to begin imposing new tariffs on British goods. But the protocol-busting bill may not necessarily spark a trade war immediately. Worth bearing in mind that weve seen big crises aimed at triggering change, only for things to fall into the muddle of suspended legal action and further talks.

How can the government come up with a bill which breaks the law they already signed up to?

Ministers are said to be preparing a new bill that would give it new powers amount to switch off parts of the protocol that relate to border checks on good moving between GB and NI. There is speculation the legislation may try to repeal Section 7a of the EU Withdrawal Act the law which enshrines the protocol into UK law. EU diplomats have talked about the idea being utterly irresponsible with Brussels insisting that protocol is a legal obligation. One minister said the mother of all rows lies ahead.

How far will the British government go to appease anti-democratic unionism and ignore the will of the majority?

The timing suggests the protocol-busting bill being drawn up expectats that Sinn Fein will win the 5 May Northern Ireland elections. The unionist parties could potentially withdraw from both the executive and the assembly. The Queens Speech comes five days later on 10 May. So the government is likely to try to pounce on the sense of crisis and all the hysterical rhetoric from the DUP in a bid to shock the EU and much closer to the UK position. But the consequences are uncertain. Brussels patient cannot always be taken for granted.

Every time our PM is in trouble, he lashes out to the EU. Frankly it is getting predictable, boring even, this continued chaos But now? With the situation in Ukraine as it is?

It does seem convenient timing for Boris Johnson and his allies, who have tried to use the Ukraine crisis to deflect from Partygate. They may be desperate enough to dismiss the risks involved in this Brexit gambit. Former No 10 adviser Raoul Ruparel says talks on dropping GB-NI trade barriers have actually been moving slowly in the UKs direction so a big dispute would be massively counter productive. Its also damaging the chances of a US trade deal. And potentially hurts the UKs reputation with other prospective trade-dealing countries. As one EU diplomat has said: Why would you then sign anything with the UK ever?

Is the government really going to delay physical inspection checks coming in July again? Surely the uncertainty cannot be good for businesses.

The government has now scrapped the inspections on food imports from the EU that were set to come in on 1 July. Jacob Rees-Mogg has announced that they would not be enforced during 2022. Delayed until next year? Hard to say. Rees-Mogg suggested he wants complete overhaul of its border check plans revealing that end of 2023 was the target for a brand new controls regime. Despite remaining uncertainty about exactly what kind checks will come in next year, the Federation of Small Businesses and other industry groups have welcomed the move.

What are the benefits and opportunities Jacob Rees-Mogg is going on about it? I thought Brexiters might happy getting blue passports, but seems like this hunt for red tape to axe stuff is going to go on and on for years.

Jacob Rees-Moggs day job doesnt seem to be keeping him too busy. Hes had time to leave passive-aggressive notes on the desks of civil servants working from home. Grilled about the advantages of Brexit, Rees-Mogg was forced to talk about obscure things like gene-editing rules. Or retreat into silly abstractions like democracy. He has promised his Brexit freedoms bill would offer a mechanism for diverging from retained EU law in a way that will be much smoother and faster. But that stuff is a little dull. He seems unlikely to find any big, juicy wins that will keep Brexiteers as happy like getting blue passports.

My question on Brexit is: when will it end? When will the government admit that it is damaging the economy? When will the Labour Party open the door to closer ties with Europe, even joining the single market & customs union?

Keir Starmer remains reluctant to talk about it sticking to his vague commitment that a Labour government would be focused on making Brexit work by helping businesses (but ruled out re-joining single market and customs union). The Lib Dems have been reluctant too, chastened by their last election performance. But the partys spring conference recently backed a policy to seek to join the single market. So perhaps were seeing the start of something interesting.

These questions and answers were part of an Ask Me Anything hosted by Adam Forrest at 3pm on Thursday 28 April. Some of the questions and answers have been edited for this article. You can read the full discussion in the comments section of the original article.

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Brexit opportunities: Eight of your burning questions answered - The Independent