Category Archives: Brexit

Britain has played a leading role in the Wests fight against Russian aggression, sending weapons, taking a hard line on Russian oil and gas, and cutting import tariffs for Ukrainian goods. Brexit has allowed the UK to act faster to target Russia, according to Bate Toms, chairman of the British-Ukrainian Chambers of Commerce.

He claimed the UK had been able to easily respond to the crisis thanks to the countrys position outside the EU.

He told Politico last month: Britain is now again in its historic role protecting Europe from conquest, freed from having to get along within the EU.

Historically, the Duke of Marlborough, the Duke of Wellington and Winston Churchill saved Europe from itself, and the UK has this role again.

The UKs International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan also said that Brexit had helped the countrys response in enabling the UK to cut tariffs on Ukrainian goods.

She told Politico last month that this had been achieved through the free-trade agreement that was executed at pace.

This move was made before the EU proposed the same key decision, something that would have previously been impossible.

Head of the UK in a Changing Europe think tank, Anand Menon, said Brexit Britain would want to beat the EUs response to the crisis.

He explained: The politics of Brexit meant that the Government wanted to be out there and being seen. It has a political point to prove.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has praised Mr Johnsons response and support for his country on several occasions.

He said the UK Prime Minister is a leader who is helping more than some EU counterparts, condemning those who have been slow to cut off Russian energy supplies which continue to fund the conflict.

Mr Johnson addressed the parliament in Kyiv via video link from London on Tuesday, May 3, and pledged a new package of support for the country with supplies arriving in the coming weeks.

So what do YOU think? Has Brexit helped in the fight against Putin and in supporting Ukraine? Vote in our poll and leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

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Brexit POLL: Has EU exit helped in fight against Putin and to support Ukraine? - Express

Thousands of Britons are expected to head off to the continent in the coming months as summer approaches - with Spain remaining a key destination for tourists.The Spanish Government is now demanding Britain hands over access to its vehicle owner database, according to reports.

This would allow it to chase up on travellers with speeding fines even after they have left the country.

A Briton could, in this circumstance, return home with fines waiting in their letterbox.

Both Spanish and British officials said the two countries are moving toward an agreement which would allow long-term British residents to drive in the country legally, reports the Telegraph.

This would involve them swapping their British driving licence for a Spanish one.

Mara Jos Aparicio of Spain's DGT driver and vehicle licensing authority told the paper we never wanted to upset British residents.

She added: The plan is that once they have been able to apply for the swap, hopefully in a few weeks, they can start driving again while the application is processed.

While progress appears to be being made on this side of the deal, Spanish authorities are complaining the British Government is acting too slowly when it comes to the exchanging of driver databases.

The UK is dragging its feet, claimed Ms Aparacio.

READ MORE: Woman denied access to board Ryanair flight over Brexit loophole

We expect a bit more of an effort to reach a deal."

UK Government sources, however, told the Telegraph no other country had made this demand.

They added a system was already in place allowing Spanish authorities to request diver information on a case-by-case basis.

The speed limit on Spanish motorways is slightly higher than that in Britain.

Drivers are banned from going faster than 74 miles per hour.

Other rules for driving in Europe can be found here.

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Now Spain wants to send speeding British tourists fines to their homes after holidays - Express

The EU has previously threatened to suspend the trade and cooperation agreement (TCA) if Britain unilaterally suspends Northern Ireland's trade rules. But DUP MP Ian Paisley Jr told Express.co.uk that he "doesn't believe" the bloc would do that, urging the UK Government to "show the courage" to "call Europe's bluff". He argued that the Protocol has "clouded" the benefits of Brexit, putting pressure on Johnson's Government to "set [it] to the side".

The UK has been locked in talks with the EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol - which was agreed as part of the withdrawal agreement to avoid a hard border in Ireland post-Brexit - since October 2021.

It allows Northern Ireland to remain within the EU's single market for goods but it has faced criticism because a border was effectively created between Great Britain and Northern Ireland down the Irish Sea.

The border has led to delays, supermarket shortages and increased costs for businesses in Northern Ireland.

But it was recently claimed that the Government plans to use the Queen's Speech, taking place later this month, to threaten to scrap the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Plans are reportedly being drawn up to give UK ministers the power to unilaterally remove key parts of the agreement signed with Brussels in 2019.

According to Government sources - who spoke to LBC - the planned legislation would grant ministers the power to suspend checks on goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland - one of the key issues with the Protocol.

The impact of the new legislation would reportedly be even more far-reaching than the triggering of Article 16, which would still require checks on some goods travelling between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The new plans would bypass Article 16 and the Brexit agreement entirely, replacing it with new UK legislation.

READ MORE:Boris sent urgent warning of 'return to violence' in Northern Ireland

"The Government has now got to take the unilateral action of setting the Protocol to the side.

"Europe is never going to move on this.

"Europe is going to keep kicking the can down the road and delaying and stalling."

He added: "The whole point of Brexit is better trading relationships.

"This has stymied our trade in the UK and put a constitutional question mark over the Britishness of Northern Ireland.

"Let's get this sorted out as quickly as possible and let's move forward. And I think her majesty's government must do that.

"I think this has clouded for many people what should be a really positive outcome for Brexit.

"They want to get Brexit done - well they can never truly say they've left if part of the UK is left in the EU.

"Therefore the sooner the British Government grapples with this and sorts it out, I think the better.

"What are the consequences? Is Europe going to remove itself from the trade agreement it has with the UK over something that amounts to less than 2% of its trade?

"I don't believe it is and I think that the Government has got to call Europe's bluff and show the courage to do that."

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'Get Brexit done!' Boris urged to 'call Europe's bluff' and scrap hated legislation - Express

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Ex-Belgian Prime Minister and Chair of the EU's Brexit Steering Group Guy Verhofstadt announced the plans via a video clip on Twitter.

The Europhile MEP could be seen with other members of the European Parliament applauding the proposed changes.

Mr Verhofstadt said an EU army had become more likely following the Conference on the Future of Europe.

In 2014, the idea of an EU army was labelled as a "dangerous fantasy that is simply not true" by then deputy prime minister, Nick Clegg.

Remainer-in-Chief and former Labour spin doctor Alastair Campbell even described the prospect as a "myth" just days before the 2016 Brexit referendum.

Brexiteers have responded to the news by using it as a justification for leaving the bloc, with some even suggesting it would have increased support for a Brexit vote had it happened sooner. Do you agree?

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Have your say: Would Brexit majority have been even BIGGER - as remain vows fall apart? - Express

The Government claims officials from the bloc won't log into a new IT system that helps to track trade between Britain and Northern Ireland. They say the technology would help ease the bloc's concerns about Brexit threatening the EU's single market and could be the key to a breakthrough in the deadlocked negotiations.

Brussels warned there was a risk of goods moving from Northern Ireland into the EU via the Republic in the south, unless customs checks were imposed.

In order to prevent a hard border on the island of Ireland, the checks take place on goods travelling from the British mainland to the province - but the implementation of the solution has had a disastrous impact on trade within the UK's internal market.

Britain says the tech solution would help ease EU fears over a spill over of goods into the continent and would allow customs checks to be removed, helping ease the UK's trade frictions.

However, despite the database being operational since January, it claims Brussels officials are refusing to use the new IT system.

READ MORE ON OUR BREXIT LIVE BLOG

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is said to be furious EU vice-president Maros Sefcovic is not seizing on the opportunity to ease Brexit problems.

"The EU says it wants solutions and reassurances, and here they are plain as day," a Government source told The Telegraph.

"We urge the EU to be reasonable and make use of this offer so we can get on with fixing the Protocol and protecting the hard-won gains of the Belfast Good Friday Agreement."

Former Brexit minister David Jones said the developments were the latest proof of the EU being "obstructive" in relations with the UK.

He said: "Its just another respect in which the Protocol is not working and is causing friction both in terms of trade and also between the UK and the EU.

"Theres no doubt theyre being obstructive.

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"I think that has been part of the EUs game plan for some time, theyve shown a lack of flexibility in negotiations.

"Until such time as they realise the Protocol doesnt work, and can never work in its current form, theres going to be no option but for the UK Government to legislate unilaterally."

Talks between the UK and EU over fixing trade issues have been taking place since last October.

Brussels has agreed to open up a fast-track lane for goods heading to Northern Ireland with minimal customs checks, if there is little chance of entering the single market.

Only those deemed of being at risk require full checks.

However, the UK says by not accessing the new database, the EU is refusing to look at the information that would allow such a system to be implemented.

The EU rejects the claims made by the UK, blasting the Government's IT system as being inadequate.

"The Commission expects the UK authorities to further improve the system and intends to work closely with the UK authorities to achieve the necessary improvements," the official fired back.

They said the system does not "provide the functionalities that would enable risk-based selections of goods entering Northern Ireland" and as a result the bloc cannot "assess whether there are reason".

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EU handed Brexit row solution on a plate by UK... but Brussels 'IGNORES' new plan - Express

Key areas have been up for grabs in todays local elections with a landmark swing predicted in the Conservatives Wandsworth heartland (Picture: Getty/Supplied)

A Brexit realignment may have secured the Tory bastion of Wandsworth for Labour as the votes are counted in the local elections.

The Conservative heartland associated with Margaret Thatcher during more than four decades of blue rule is leaning Labour according to YouGov.

A swing to the red in the west London constituency, which was the testbed for many of Thatchers economic policies, would be one of the most Teutonic shifts to emerge from todays poll.

Voters in the whole of Scotland, Wales and London and several major councils in England have cast their ballots, with the fate of more than 5,000 seats hanging in the balance overall.

Since it was taken over by the Tories in 1978, Wandsworth has been nicknamed Thatchers favourite council but the party now only has a small lead. Projections of results in 16 key councils, based on analysis of 5,026 people in England over the past week, do not bode well for her legacy.

Dr Patrick English, associate director at YouGov, said: Our forecast suggests that Labour are going to exceed their 2018 result in London.

That was a very, very high baseline, their best result in the capital for something like 50 years.

Expectations this time round were that Labour might struggle to match or surpass that result, but thats not what we are finding in the figures.

We think that the Conservative vote share is going to fall in areas like Wandsworth, Westminster and Barnet, and Labour could benefit from that in big wins by taking those councils.

In Wandsworth and in many other London boroughs there has been a lot of demographic change in recent electoral cycles.

Whats more, the Brexit realignment happened in London as much as it did in the red wall where its mostly been focused on.

Theres been a polarisation effect away from the Conservatives for many London voters who opted for Remain in the 2016 EU Referendum.

We saw the first real whack of that in 2018 and I think Labour might complete the job in a lot of these London councils.

Shifting loyalties at the ballot box have included younger voters giving Labour a significant boost in the 2017 General Election as their turnout increased by more than 20% on the national poll two years earlier.

The dividing line has been linked to an increasing polarisation of voters along age and geographic lines following the EU Referendum.

Research by YouGov and the Mile End Institute ahead of todays poll showed that Labour was ahead in the capital by 57 points among those aged between 18 and 24, compared with 41 points between 25 and 49-year-olds.

Dr English explained: The Brexit realignment is the coalescing of voters along Remain or Leave divides around the respective parties championing those positions, as almost their main identity, between around 2016 and 2020 and arguably up to this year in the case of the Conservatives.

The obvious cases in particular are up in the north of England and the Midlands, which voted more Conservative than they had done previously in both 2017 and 2019. A lot of that was because these communities voted for Brexit, and while the Conservatives championed that cause after the referendum, Labour were characterised as anti-Brexit.

The flipside in the south was that a lot of Conservative voters started to drift away to Labour and the Liberal Democrats because they voted to Remain.

There was a realignment of old, traditional party support lines that have driven a wedge through the vote in terms of Brexit and the ways the parties were realigned after Brexit. In London and in the south, this is the blue wall equivalent of the now-infamous red wall phenomena.

Wandsworth has been regarded as a flagbearer for Conservative values, with some of the lowest council tax rates in England, despite the fact that all three of its MPs are Labour. The leadership claims it was the only local authority in England to cut its share of the levy this year.

Victoria Collett is among those who voted to keep the status quo at local level. She is part of an arms length divide that many Tory councillors have tried to create between themselves and the partygate and sleaze allegations that have engulfed Boris Johnson and his government.

The solicitor, 31, said: I voted a very different way to how I voted in the General Election, because the local councils have a very different relationship with you than the general government as a whole.

When I did my research around the Labour-run councils which was, for me, the main alternative, the risks for the elderly, infirm and disadvantaged within the community would be much more severe given that we currently have the lowest council tax in the country and we are not in debt and have a really good public transport network that is supported and maintained.

It was also about making sure that elections that have a very low turnout typically do have voters who are thinking objectively about those who are disadvantaged in the community, rather than being particularly anti-Labour or anti-Tory. So it is better the devil you know than the devil you dont.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner appeared in a video message alongside Putney MP Fleur Anderson that was shared on Twitter in a bid to effect an upset at the polls after 44 years under the Conservatives.

Mark Berry, a historian and musicologist, was among those whose allegiances have shifted against the established order.

In a post on Twitter, he wrote: Voted Labour, with a heavy heart, in Wandsworth. Doubt I could bring myself to do so in national elections and understand why others cannot in these; they do not deserve our vote and have done what they can to discourage it. But the prize of ridding Wandsworth of Tories won out.

Tory candidates in some battlegrounds were listed as local Conservatives in an attempt to dissociate themselves from the continued reports surrounding lockdown-flouting parties and power struggles that have engulfed No10.

Other significant London battlegrounds where the Tories currently hold power are Westminster, considered less likely to see an upset, and Barnet, which has been blue for two decades.

Outside the capital, Hartlepool, where the Tories became the biggest party last year, and Southampton, where control has been wrested back and forth between the main parties, are among the keenly-watched areas.

Polls shut at 10pm, with the results expected to roll in from the early hours tomorrow. Hartlepool and Plymouth are due to declare first, with Wandsworths outcome anticipated at 5.30am.

Do you have a story you would like to share? Contactjosh.layton@metro.co.uk

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Tories may be ousted from Wandsworth bastion in 'Brexit realignment' - Metro.co.uk

Leading Brexiteers mocked the EU noting that Ode to Joy has been replaced by Rule Britannia. The official visit by Mr Kishada has, according to pro-Brexit Conservative MPs, shown that the doom and gloom of Remoaners during the referendum has proven to be false. Pro-EU supporters had claimed that outside the bloc, Britain would become a minor country and lose the City of London financial centre which would flee to Paris or Frankfurt.

But instead Mr Kishada came to Britain specifically so he could take his appeal for foreign investment to the bankers and investors of the City of London because it remains the prime location to raise capital in the world.

He also signed a defence deal with the UK in the wake of Britains leading role in the Ukraine crisis, again something only made possible because Britain is no longer under Brussels control.

Mark Francois, chairman of the European Research Group (ERG) of Tory Brexiteer MPs, said: The fact we are now doing major deals with Japan, including to bolster Western security, shows that Global Britain is becoming a reality, now we have left the EU.

Ode to Joy seems to have taken a back seat today to the land of the Rising Sun.

Ashfield Conservative MP Lee Anderson, a Brexiteer, said: The fact that the Japanese PM is in town and looking to do deals with the UK demonstrates that a Post-Brexit Britain is open for business.

I remember a time when us Brits looked on in envy at how the Japanese were going about their business but how times have changed.

This of course will be a bitter blow to some politicians who still refuse to accept that we are now an independent sovereign nation making our own way in the world by doing business with anyone we want to.

Mr Kishida took his appeal for foreign investment to the bankers and investors of the City of London, saying his shift to an upgraded version of capitalism would spur economic growth.

In a speech at the medieval Guildhall at the heart of Britain's financial district, Kishida set out his plan to grow the world's third-largest economy by attracting private-sector investment and redistributing wealth.

READ MORE:EU handed Brexit row solution on a plate.. but Brussels 'IGNORES' plan

Bassetlaw Tory MP Brendan Clarke-Smith said: Its fantastic to welcome world leaders such as Prime Minister Kishida to the UK.

This is another great example of how since Brexit we have shown Global Britain is moving forward on defence, energy, trade and exports, despite the doom and gloom merchants telling us we would no longer be a great financial centre or have any influence in the world. Increased cooperation with successful nations such as Japan only serves to underline this.

Mr Kishida also held talks with Boris Johnson and in Downing Street where the UK and Japan have agreed a defence deal that will allow their national forces to work more closely together, according to Boris Johnson.

The Prime Minister, speaking in Downing Street alongside his Japanese counterpart said he is so glad the two nations have agreed a reciprocal access agreement (RAA) for armed services.

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Meanwhile, the Japanese Prime Minister at the press conference made pointed remarks with clear aim at China: Ukraine might be East Asia tomorrow.

He believes that China may still attack his country or Taiwan in a copy of Vladimir Putins actions in Ukraine.

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EU Ode to Joy is taking a back seat as Japanese PM visit proves success of Brexit Britain - Express

Remember the Brexit bus promise: We send the EU 350 million a week. Lets fund our NHS instead. Vote leave? The truth is that quitting the European Union (EU) means there is 173m a week less to spend on the NHS, says the international delivery expert ParcelHero.

ParcelHeros Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T., says: Far from saving money, the UK is poorer by 9bn a year, or 173 million a week, after leaving the European Union. Comparing the cost of membership to lost EU export trade, Britain is considerably worse off post-Brexit.

ParcelHero has studied the latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data and compared the UK Governments annual contributions to the EU versus lost EU exports. Examining data for 2018, the last year before pre-Brexit preparations skewed data, and comparing it with 2021 figures, far from bringing in 350m a week to lavish on the NHS, the UK as a whole is 9bn out of pocket.

The UK Government was scheduled to pay 20bn for its membership contribution to the EU in 2018. However, the UKs negotiated annual rebate (officially known as the Fontainbleau abatement) of 4.5bn reduced the cost to 15.5bn.

Additionally, 4.5bn came back to the UK in credits for programmes such as the EU Agricultural Guarantee Fund (2.2bn) and the EU European Regional Development Fund (0.7bn). Given these figures, the ONS says that the UK Governments net contribution to the EU that is, the difference between the money it paid to the EU and the money it received was 11bn in 2018.

Compare this to the loss in exports to the EU. The ONS reported that UK exports of goods to the EU fell by -20bn in 2021, compared with 2018, the last period of stable trade.

Even if we subtract the true (11bn) cost of EU membership for 2018, from the 20bn drop in EU export earnings, UK plc is still 9bn poorer than it was in 2018.

In January 2021 alone (the first month of Brexit), the value of goods exported to the European Union fell from 14.3bn in the previous month to 7.8bn.

The Brexit Opportunities Minister, Jacob Rees-Mogg, said in February that Brexit is already a success and the evidence that Brexit has caused trade drops is few and far between.

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Brexit is costing the UK 9bn a year meaning there is 173m a week less to spend on the NHS - London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com - London...

A spokeswoman said the two G7 leaders agreed "democracies around the world needed to stand in unity against authoritarian regimes". The UK and Japan deal is the first of its kind between the Far East nation and a European country, and was signed on Thursday May 5 by both parties.

Both Boris Johnson and Japans leader, Fumio Kishida, met in Downing Street to discuss the pact, which springs from the back of Russias brutal war in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said the world observed the "strong stance" the Japanese government had taken "against the Russian aggression in Ukraine".

He added: "We in the UK recognise that our security in Europe is indivisible from the security, our collective security, in the Asia-Pacific, in the Indo-Pacific region.

"And there is direct read across from the actions of autocratic, coercive powers in Europe, to what may happen in east Asia.

READ MORE:Putin may have cancer says reports

Both leaders agreed that Russias barbaric invasion marked the end of the post-Cold War period and had major implications for wider international stability.

Security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions was indivisible, they agreed, and the G7 leaders said democracies around the world needed to stand in unity against authoritarian regimes.

Japan is a G7 country like Britain, and is part of the alliance working with Ukraine to see off the Russian war waged against them.

Japan has already promised to increase its energy production to make up for the shortfall created by the widespread end to using Russian gas.

Speaking to business leaders prior to his meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr Kishida said Japan would utilise its nuclear reactors to end its imports of Russian energy.

The UK and Japan also agreed to exert pressure on Russia and help allies become less dependent on its oil and gas.

Post-Brexit Britain has been making a shift towards alliances with Asian countries and the Indo-Pacific area.

It comes after a review last year into foreign and defence policy by the Government last year.

In 2021, Mr Johnson announced a 16.5 billion increase in defence spending over the next four years.

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Brexit win! Inside UK & Japan defence pact to see off the Russians - Express

In 1973, the US Supreme Court permitted abortion via its landmark ruling Roe v Wade. It was a big rejection of religious fundamentalism. The judgement asserted that the US Constitution, as interpreted by the court, was superior to the beliefs of many Americans, who regarded a woman deciding to terminate her pregnancy as a denial of religious belief and, in effect, the killing of a future citizen.

In 1973 Britain became more closely associated with Continental Europe. MPs accepted common rules with other European nations in many areas previously regarded as considered the province of national sovereignty. Parliaments decision was confirmed by a referendum in 1975.

In the past such major national decisions, taken in Britains case by the House of Commons or in the federal US by the Supreme Court which earlier had ended racist segregation imposed at state level, were accepted as settling the question. But in both countries the landmark decisions of 1973 were never fully accepted by significant political groups within both nations.

In Britain, many activists and MPs in the Labour Party strongly opposed both the 1973 decision in the Commons on joining Europe and its confirmation in a referendum. The Labour Party pledged a Brexit (the word was not invented then) referendum in its 1983 election manifesto. Even Tony Blair put up posters in his new Sedgefield constitutency saying if he and Labour MPs were elected, Britain would leave the European Economic Community (as it then was).

The cause was taken up after the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which created the European Union. It also confirmed the push by Margaret Thatcher to abolish national vetoes in more areas of national sovereignty. She had campaigned for Brussels to have power to impose a liberal single market in place of the patchwork of nationally determined economies, although she later came to regret the loss of political sovereignty that followed. She also strongly supported the enlargement of Europe to take in poor countries like Spain, Portugal and Greece.

But now the forces opposing Europe that has faded in Labour were growing in strength within the Conservative Party. Bill Cash became their champion. He threatened to sue me in 1997 when I said in the Commons that he wanted the UK to leave the EU.

I was protected by parliamentary privilege but soon enough Cashs reticence on being associated with leaving the EU faded. Brexit became associated with the Tories, not the Labour Party. This culminated in 2020 in a new Treaty with 27 other European nations, which seriously reduced the right of British citizens and businesses to have the access to the continent they had enjoyed since 1973.

In the United States, various forces also rejected the 1973 decision permitting American women to control their bodies. Other countries, including strongly Catholic nations like Italy and Ireland, have recently agreed that their female citizens, not the church or male legislators, should decide the issue of pregnancy termination.

In America of course the Catholic Church continued its opposition. There were ugly violent scenes outside some medical facilities which allowed women to control their fertility, but on the whole there was no majority in Congress or in the Supreme Court to overturn the decision.

However anti-abortion campaigners, like anti-European campaigners, never gave up. They focused on persuading conservatives on the right of politics and the media to decide that the 1973 decisions needed to be reversed.

Their breakthrough year was 2016 when a new populist referendum campaign secured support of 37% of the UKs electorate to support leaving the EU. Labour under its life-long anti-EU leader, Jeremy Corbyn was in no position to oppose the anti-EU steamroller driven by two charismatic, even demagogic politicians, Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage.

In 2016, America elected Donald Trump, a non-religious quasi-pagan demagogue as President. During his campaign Trump had said women who ended pregnancies should face some sort of punishment.

He ensured that any new nominations to the Supreme Court of judges who had risen through the highly politicised ranks of US judicial party electoral appointments were hostile to womens right to choose whether to carry a pregnancy to term.

Now both decisions have been made. Britain is outside Europe and it seems certain the US Supreme Court will reverse Roe v Wade and allow states to impose bans or severe limits on womens fertility rights.

Yet does the story end there? Britain remains more divided than ever on leaving Europe. All opinion polls show a majority now regretting the decision and that if a new referendum were to be held, the decision would be to restore the rights of British people and businesses to live, work, retire or do business on the Continent, without negotiating impenetrable barriers to other Europeans.

The uproar from women in the United States at the draft ruling from a 72-year-old Catholic man nominated by George W. Bush to the Supreme Court shows this win for the Right will not go unchallenged.

As it is, only about half of US states will legislate to remove full abortion rights so women in America can simply travel to another state to have an abortion, much as Irish women came to Britain when Irish politicians refused for decades to face down the Catholic Church.

As US politicians try and stop Mexicans crossing the frontier into America, American women will head south to avail themselves of the Mexican Supreme Courts unanimous decision last year ruling that penalising abortion is unconstitutional.

Similarly, there is a sullen acceptance in Britain that for the time being Brexit has to be lived with. The Labour Partys current inexperienced leadership walks in terror of ever using the word Europe.

But business is clamouring for some moderation of the ultra-hard Brexit decided by Boris Johnson, which is far removed from the offer of 2016. With Covid travel restrictions ended UK citizens will discover for themselves that living or retiring in France, Spain, Portugal, Italy or Greece has become much more difficult as a result of the hard Brexit we have opted for.

So it may be that although both anti-European and anti-abortion campaigners may rejoice at the reversal of half a century of being in Europe for the UK and women controlling their fertility for the US, before long their wins may seem to be hollow.

In both countries pragmatic solutions will emerge that temper the initial abruptness and drama of both Brexit and the removal of this core right for women across the Atlantic.

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Roe v. Wade and Brexit: the long march through the institutions - TheArticle