Category Archives: Brexit

Earlier this month, The Spectator, a conservative British magazine established in 1828, sold an NFT of what its editor, Fraser Nelson, said is perhaps the best-known of all its front covers. Produced for the magazines 18 June 2016 edition by the political cartoonist Morten Morland, the image shows a Union Jack emblazoned butterfly emerging triumphant from a collapsing box dotted with EU stars. The text reads, Out - and into the world.

As Nelson has written, the cover acted as the magazines announcement that it was backing Brexit, only days before the UK public voted in the referendum that would see the country follow that course. The image was something of a hit with pro-Brexit Britons but was also relatively rare in being a professionally-produced, notable piece of artwork that fell on that side of the argument.

While The Spectators cover successfully got its message across to an appreciative audience, contemporary art produced in reaction to Brexit has tended to take a Remainer line. Not surprising, supporters of Brexit might say, given the internationalist, left-leaning art world aligns nicely with the kinds of liberal elites they were hoping to dethrone. For anti-Brexit Remainers, though, an alternative vision of Morlands butterfly might have been an ascendent dusty moth, with a Northern Ireland-sized chunk missing from one of its wings.

As we all know, it has been a long journey since the butterfly burst out of its box. The protracted negotiations between the UK and EU over the formers exit have led to post Brexit regulations finally coming into play at the same time as the continent has been dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. While UK consumers have become used to empty supermarket shelves, petrol queues and shipping delays, its not always easy to separate out Brexit-induced self-harm from the effects of the pandemic. Like other industries, the art world has faced a situation where Brexit and Covid-19 have come together to hit hard with a combination of blows. The most forceful strikes have come from the pandemic, but complications directly attributable to Brexit are also becoming apparent.

For UK and EU galleries, the biggest Brexit issue is now the increased cost, paperwork and effort involved in moving artwork between the two regulatory regimes. European galleries attending Londons Frieze art fair in October this year, for example, noted the increased difficulty of getting their artists work to what is the biggest annual event in the UK art scene.

Brexit is also starting to impact arts education, with EU students coming to the UK now having to pay the considerable tuition fees applicable to international students from the rest of the world. Correspondingly, UK art students have lost the easy access they once had to courses across the continent, some of which previously afforded them free tuition.

Whether such factors have a negative or realigning effect on the commercial art world long-term remains to be seen. Asked whether Brexit has negatively affected the art market from a UK perspective, a spokesperson for the auction house Christies was notably upbeat, saying Our London sales are international; in this years (2021) Art Basel / UBS Report on the global art market, it was stated that 87% of the value of the UK market was made up of non-EU trade. So we remain confident that London will remain at the centre of the global art market.

The spokesperson added that this years Frieze was well attended, with a real buzz, and that many had travelled from around Europe and the US to attend. They also noted that 2021 sales have been strong, with bidding activity in recent London auctions fairly evenly split between Europe, Asia and the Americas.

The global nature of operations like Christies that sit at the top of the art market means they are well adjusted to having to deal with different regulatory regimes. Leading UK and EU galleries are also perfectly at home attending art fairs in the USA and Hong Kong, and in selling work to collectors in China and the Middle East. Londons central position within this system bodes well for the kind of open, global Britain that The Spectator editor Nelson suggests is embodied by Morlands butterfly image. Even so, the spokesperson for Christies acknowledges that there have been "changes to adapt to because of Brexit."

"For example, those who have bought and sold via our Paris or London salesrooms, but are based in the opposite city, will notice the mechanics and processes for shipping and tax have changed. As a global business, we know the procedures as we use them regularly. Problems may arise with external suppliers (i.e. shipping) with the increased volume, but we have anticipated this with our regular suppliers and Christies team. For other players in our industry, though, it has been more challenging.

Offering his perspective across the sea from the UK, Fons Hof, the longstanding director of the Art Rotterdam art fair, says that the combination of Brexit and COVID-19 has had a definite impact: Yes, there is definitely a big difference. The Corona measurements for non-EU galleries made it difficult to participate in the last, postponed edition of Art Rotterdam in July. Also transporting the artworks has become a lot more complicated for English galleries. The small galleries in particular did not oversee all this and decided not to participate. Nevertheless, I expect that these English galleries will also get used to the temporary import of works of art when they do a fair in the EU. And with that, I think the participation of English galleries will normalise again in the future.

With the 23rd edition of Art Rotterdam set to take place from 10 to 13 February 2022, Hof believes that the worst is behind us regarding COVID-19 and Brexit. Although strict measurements are now expected again, and some art fairs may have to be moved again, the organisations have much more experience in dealing with the Pandemic and everyone has become much more flexible. In addition, I think that museum visits and a visit to an art fair are easy to regulate and adapt to the conditions of a safe visit.

The full impact of Brexit on the European art world is unlikely to be known until the dust has settled on new regulations that came into force in 2021 and organisations have had time to assess how restrictions on residency and working rights, as well as the movement of both people and artworks between the EU and UK, are affecting their operation. Also unknown will be the impact of new arrangements yet to be agreed upon, more arm-wrestling between the politicians involved, and the possible retraction of things currently in force.

Like the rest of us, the art world will have to play a waiting game. Its possible that the consequences of Brexit at a macro level may not be too great. On an individual level, though, there will be plenty of people in art sharing in the burden of no longer having the same level of freedom to live, work, study and travel as easily as they once did between the UK and its European neighbours.

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ART TRENDS 2022: Brexit and Art - will ongoing uncertainty continue to stifle the art market? - Euronews

Boris Johnson: 9/11 commemorations show failure of terrorism'

In an exclusive interview withExpress.co.ukDr Adrian James, a former Scotland Yard detective, and now Reader in Police Studies at Liverpool John Moores University did not see Brexit impacting intelligence work. When asked how important a role intelligence sharing is in the prevention of terrorism, in particular, in a post-Brexit era, he said: Im not sure that withdrawal from the EU is as significant as some might think. He added: The UK always contributed more than it took out and withdrawal has had only limited impact on other conduits Interpol, bilateral agreements and so on.

However, Dr James acknowledged that the terror threats have changed.

He said: The threat from lone actors is in addition to the pre-existing threats. That means that the police and security services resources are spread even more thinly.

Dr Dan Lomas, a lecturer in security studies from Brunel University also spoke exclusively toExpress.co.uk.

He said: Liaison and sharing of info were in debate during Brexit negotiations, but liaison between security services is done without EU and political systems, unlike with policing.

Dr Lomas also discussed how varying levels of intelligence have been affected by Brexit.

On this, he said: The UK can bring a lot to the table, but the impact of Brexit has only affected the lower levels of security, for example in organised crime, but terrorism and larger events still have wider interests.

The analysis comes as a lone violent non-state actor attempted to cause major damage in a taxi outside Liverpool Womens hospital.

A combination of a failed explosive device, as well as the heroics of the driver, David Perry, prevented a more catastrophic outcome.

Agreeing with Dr James on how thinning resources was a major problem in fighting terrorism was Dr Natalie James, the head of the counter-extremism unit at the University of Leeds.

She said: Resource limitations in terms of security provisions, monitoring those who operate alone is far more complex, time-consuming and quite frankly more difficult than those that operate in groups.

Speaking of how technology has added to the dilemma, she said: Online spaces add to the ease with which extremist ideologies, terrorist manifestos and guides can be found, and the gaps between domestic legislation and transnational social media company regulation make it very difficult to create laws around online content.

READ MORE:Terror fears as 'incendiary device' found outside aerospace firm - ...

Questions have been raised on how the UK is better able to protect itself in light of recent events.

Education and integration emerged as the key factors in the prevention of terrorism in the UK.

However, with budgets becoming ever tighter, Dr Adrian James expressed the benefits of reaching out, but the downfalls of financial support to do so.

He said: We need PREVENT or something that probably would look similar. I am concerned that budgetary cuts have impacted policings reach into communities. Definitely, something that needs to be reviewed.

The Governments PREVENT strategy is to reduce the threat to the UK from terrorism by stopping people from becoming terrorists or supporting terrorism.

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Adding to the notion of education being the best method of detecting, deterring and disrupting terrorism, Dr Natalie James also discussed the notion of stopping hatred.

She said: Education is fundamental to the challenges we face in relation to extremism and terrorism, but also more broadly around division and hatred.

She added: Education is a space for the skill development of critical thinking, media literacy, communication, and community building - all of which are, I believe, the foundations for individuals who, when they come across problematic ideas - be they linked to extremism online, hatred in their communities, wider divisive headlines in the media, or something else - are able to pause and reflect critically on what they are seeing and hearing, rather than simply accept what they are being told.

The Covid-19 pandemic added to the problems that security services now face, in particular as more online traffic became the norm during lockdown.

Many suggest that mental health issues become more apparent during lockdown, and hence saw many people turning to more extremist views.

Speaking of the problem this causes to counter-terrorism and extremism, Dr Natalie James said: The links between mental health and engaging in extremism arent yet proven, but what we do know is that loneliness and isolation, no doubt heightened for some during the pandemic, have an impact on the so-called processes of radicalisation.

She also said: We also know that radicalisers and those purporting extremist narratives find safe hiding in some online platforms and research has demonstrated how easy it is for people to move from mainstream platforms to niche ones where these narratives can be extremely problematic and concerning.

Concluding, she said: These two things together have almost certainly provided more easily accessible spaces where extreme narratives are readily available for those vulnerable to latch on to this kind of rhetoric.

Dr Adrian James also said: I think there is sufficient evidence now to say that the World Wide Web provides many new opportunities.

In light of the recent incident in Liverpool, the Government raised the security threat level from substantial to severe, meaning an attack is highly likely.

Britain has seen varying forms of violent non-state actors performing on their land, and the methodology of this has changed over the decades.

With Britain priding itself as a multi-cultural society, the notion of education, integration and prudence is key to preventing further acts.

Now the UK is out of the European Union, some have called for Britain to rejoin Europol in order to share intelligence.

Yet, on a wider scale, Britains security services still enjoy sharing intelligence with its allies.

Continued here:

Britain's intelligence networks not affected by Brexit as UK 'brings a lot to the table' - Daily Express

SATURDAY, 13 NOVEMBER was a record day at Rosslare Europort, says Glenn Carr.

Over the course of the day, almost 1,000 units of freight travelled through the ferry hub, according to the ports general manager, making it one of the busiest days in the history of the Wexford port.

This level of activity is something that Carr and his team have had to get used to in 2021.

So far this year, the volume of cargo travelling through the Wexford port has ballooned by 55%, according to Carr. Because of an increase in direct trade with Europe, continental freight volumes which have skyrocketed by 378%, Carr says are driving the overall numbers.

Once upon a time not long ago, Stena Lines Fishguard and Irish Ferries Pembroke services, both in Wales, accounted for most of Rosslares business.

Our only services to the continent, going back over 18 months ago, would have been primarily Stena Lines three services a week to the port of Cherbourg in France, Carr explains.

But there are now 30 weekly services operating to and from Rosslare and the continent, compared to just three or so pre-Brexit.

Overall, there are now 44 direct routes from ports in Ireland to continental Europe up from around a dozen last year.

Rosslare Europort on 13 November

Whats being captured by these numbers is a major shift in the rhythms of Irish trade, brought about by Brexit.

Typically, prior to Brexit, you were probably looking at about 120,000 freight units a year going into the port every year and in or around close to a million passengers pre-pandemic, Carr toldThe Journallast week.

But in 2021, Irish importers are bringing in fewer goods from the United Kingdom than they were a year ago. At the same time, indigenous companies are exporting and importing more directly to and from the continent, fueling demand for direct sailings.

As a result, Rosslare Irelands closest sea trading hub to the continentgeographically is now the main Irish port for roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) traffic serving Europe, Carr says. And having fixed its gaze firmly on Europe in recent years, the Iarnrd ireann-operated hubs importance within the national port network looks set to grow even more over the coming months and years.

Further shocks

Carr took the reins at the port a little over three years when the question of what sort of Brexit, hard or soft, we would end up with was largely unanswered.

At the time, Rosslare had essentially just two customers Stena Line and Irish Ferries.

While they were very good customers to us, Carr says, Rosslare was massively dependant on their business.

This became abundantly clear when Irish Ferries pulled its Rosslare to France services in 2018, choosing to operate from Dublin Port instead.

Even without the threat of Brexit, it became obvious that the port would have to grow to protect itself from further shocks.

We undertook a strategic review of the port and we identified a number of core areas that could be developed. One of those was the business role, the actual business itself, Carr says.

He recalls, We asked ourselves, What are the fundamental strengths of Rosslare Port?

And one of the fundamental strengths is that were the closest port geographically to Europe. Sailing-wise, youre quicker getting to the main ports in Europe from Rosslare than any other port in Ireland. So that always struck me as an advantage.

Obviously, we also saw that with the likely outcome that was emerging from Brexit, the chances were that supply chains were going to change fundamentally because the fundamental point was that Britain was exiting Europe and becoming a third [region].

The ports response was to get out into the market, Carr says, and aggressively promote Rosslare as an alternative RoRo port to Dublin.

Roll-on/roll-off or RoRo refers to a type of cargo shipping service where trucks or trailers are loaded directly onto the ferry with the cargo theyre transporting, taking the journey along with the goods.

Theyre considered quicker and cheaper than Load-on/Load-off (LoLo) services when the truck pulls up to the board and unloads the cargo, which is then loaded onto a container and put on the vessel.

RoPax services, then, are ones that facilitate roll-on/roll-off cargo transport and also passengers travelling aboard the ferries.

As a RoPax port, Rosslare saw the passenger side of its businesses devastated by travel restrictions at the outset of the pandemic in March and April 2020. But around the same time, something else was beginning as businesses began to wake up to the potential for Brexit-related disruption.

I definitely got a sense from around March, April last year, exporters and importers were beginning to look at alternative suppliers, Carr says.

Glenn Carr, Rosslare Europort's general manager

The UK landbridge which usually refers to a route linking Dublin, Holyhead, and Cherbourg or Le Havre in Northern France was once considered the cheapest, quickest way to get goods into Ireland from Europe or move them in the opposite direction.

But with Brexit, at that stage, looming over the horizon and with it the prospect of customs checks, additional costs and lengthy queues in Great Britain, alternative arrangements for trading with Europe were quickly becoming very appealing.

Then everything started to change for Rosslare Europort.

Traffic congestion

In the March before Brexit, Brittany Ferries made a move to come to Rosslare. So that was the first thing, Carr says.

Brittany were operating to Spain from Cork but the service wasnt doing very well and the haulage industry was telling them that they needed to operate from Rosslare.

Traffic congestion at Dublin and Cork ports in 2019 and the fear that it would only get worse as a result of Brexit had created demand from hauliers for new services from Rosslare, Carr explains.

He says, Were just over 90 minutes from greater Dublin. There were times where hauliers were telling me they were 90 minutes in traffic trying to get into Dublin Port.

So I believed that there was demand in Dublin and Cork from hauliers, given their geographical location, who would prefer to come to Rosslare. We proved that then when Brittany Ferries came to Rosslare.

After that, things began to snowball.

Around the same time, Danish shipping company DFDS approached Rosslare about a new direct route from the port to Dunkirk in France. That service got up and running shortly after Britains formal withdrawal from the EU in January 2021.

Ships lining up ahead of Brexit Day last January

Earlier this month, Brittany Ferries announced a new sailing from Rosslare to Le Havre in Northern France. The ports existing customers have also increased capacity on direct European routes.

All of this is being driven by demand from Irish businesses and hauliers.

Part of it is companies wanting to avoid the landbridge, Carr says.

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Theres definitely been more engagement from both importers and exporters about direct sailings, says Carr.

Thats on two fronts. One is that the landbridge, which was traditionally the way you went. The reality is now, though, when you add in all the extra preparation, the customs checks that have to be cleared, the risks that you could get stopped at border inspections and the time thats lost there when you add that altogether and you look at a direct route, you can basically go hassle-free. So a significant number of companies have directed that their supply chains move away from that immediately.

But the other factor is Irish businesses finding new customers and new suppliers in Europe as an alternative to Britain.

In particular industries, were definitely seeing where traditionally a lot of goods were sourced in the UK or exported to the UK, theres been a switch to Europe, he says.

We definitely see it in the port in terms of the mix of goods that are there now ingredients, food, dairy, pharmaceuticals.

In the year so far, Carr says overall freight volumes travelling to and from the UK through Rosslare are down 55% compared with the same period last year. Earlier this month, Dublin Port said its overall UK trade volumes were down 21% while Central Statistics Offices figures published last week revealed overall Irish imports from Great Britain are also down 21%.

He expects these trends to continue in 2022. Asked what his biggest Brexit-related concern is for the coming year, Carr claims he doesnt have any major ones.

We would like to see our UK traffic return to a more appropriate level than what it is at the moment, he says.

Well be working with our shipping lines on what we can do as a port to help them get more trade going. But I dont have concerns about next year. I have great excitement about further opportunities.

At some stage next year, the UK is set to finally implement long-delayed checks on goods coming into Great Britain from the EU.

Well see if that happens, Carr says, and depending on how that happens, and the degree of what happens, we could see even further substantial demand for additional direct services.

Wed like to think, however, that we will find a sensible solution that will ensure we ultimately will always trade with the UK.

This work is co-funded by Journal Media and a grant programme from the European Parliament. Any opinions or conclusions expressed in this work is the authors own. The European Parliament has no involvement in nor responsibility for the editorial content published by the project. For more information, seehere.

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Rosslare Europort had one of the busiest days in its history this month - thanks to Brexit - TheJournal.ie

THE Johnson administrations wilful throwing up of barriers to economic growth in Scotland and the rest of the UK, both in the immediate term and over a much-longer timeframe, becomes ever more demoralising as challenges mount.

There was much talk as the coronavirus pandemic took hold that it might, conveniently for the Conservative Government, mask the major negative effects of Brexit.

However, those inevitably huge effects have been plain for all to see, even amid the grim coronavirus crisis.

The chaos suffered by UK exporters, for example, has been crystal clear. And so too has the effect of what was for many Brexiters the whole dismal point of the Leave folly clamping down on immigration from the European Union.

Of course, for years before the Brexit-obsessed Johnson administration was finally able to implement its long-planned clampdown on immigration from the EU from the start of 2021, the UK was already paying a heavy price for the foolish Leave vote of 2016.

In the wake of the Brexit vote, unsurprisingly given the alarming signals it sent, net immigration to the UK from the EU collapsed.

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And, of course, things have been exacerbated greatly by the replacement of free movement from EU countries to the UK with a points-based immigration system.

Paul Sheerin, chief executive of Scottish Engineering, sums up the huge and continuing problems visited upon his sector at the most difficult of times by Brexit in the industry bodys latest quarterly survey, published today. And he highlights the fact that a further challenge is about to be heaped on in the form of Brexit-enforced import checks due to begin at the start of next year.

Mr Sheerin writes: If you are looking for the risks that raise concern, Brexit still lingers like a bad smell, a gift that not only keeps giving but never seems to go away either. In the crucial skills area, one-quarter of members have been impacted by the loss of EU nationals, and over 70 per cent honestly outline that they are not fully prepared for the scheduled implementation of Brexit-enforced import checks due to start from January 1st, 2022. Thats not surprising after the year-and-a-half of plate-spinning that industry has had to do just to stay alive, but its galling that this extra headache comes once again without support, and especially with zero benefit to industry in Scotland or indeed the UK.

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The hurdles to doing business erected by the Johnson administration with its Brexit crusade are indeed galling.

The Conservatives have been forced to issue temporary visas to enable recruitment of heavy goods vehicle drivers, poultry workers and pork butchers from the EU. While such visas are hardly attractive propositions for many people in the EU, this move must have really stuck in the craw of the Johnson administration and shows the seriousness of the problem.

Of course, we have also been able to see the gravity of the troubles in huge supply-chain disruption in the UK, exacerbated by a shortage of lorry drivers which has been estimated by the Road Haulage Association at around 100,000.

The woe is, of course, much wider than this, as can be seen from Mr Sheerins observations. And the hospitality and care sectors have been thrown into further disarray by labour shortages.

The UKs labour and skills shortages crisis has been highlighted in survey after survey.

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A report published this week by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales shows the proportion of Scottish businesses reporting problems in hiring people for non-management roles is the highest since comparable records began in 2004.

This is particularly frustrating at a time when businesses are trying to maximise their part in the economic recovery, following the collapse in gross domestic product caused by the pandemic.

The ICAEW survey shows confidence among Scottish businesses about the economic prospects facing them over the next 12 months, compared with the preceding year, is also the highest since the professional bodys survey of members began in 2004.

It would be good if the UK Government even tried to create an environment to unleash this optimism, rather than constructing barriers to doing business.

Scottish Engineering flags the major problems being encountered by companies in the sector in finding staff. It says of its own survey findings: Staffing intent remains positive...and once again we listen to member feedback of the challenge of actually filling the vacancies where they seek to hire additional roles. More than ever, this has proven difficult as all resources become increasingly scarce, and the impacts of Brexit still far from done are evident in staffing, logistics and concern that import checks scheduled for the new year may bring further headaches.

The ICAEW survey shows Scottish businesses expect the fastest rise in their input costs for more than a decade. Transport problems for companies have risen dramatically. And the survey signals growing concern over the tax burden, following hikes announced by the UK Government.

Meanwhile, a column in The Herald this week by Colin McLean, managing director of Edinburgh-based SVM Asset Management, threw into stark relief the longer-term demographic challenges facing the UK and other countries.

Given these challenges, of which the ruling Conservatives should have been only too aware as they took us down the destructive Brexit path, the Tory stance on immigration truly beggars belief.

Mr McLean noted that, alongside the COP26 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, the city hosted some expert gatherings of thought leaders.

He flagged his view that one of the most challenging discussions was in the Longevity Forum, adding: The focus was on sustainability, but with some surprising evidence and conclusions. World population may not be on the upward trajectory built into current long-term planning.

Mr McLean added: In future more of the world may look like Japan. A study in the Lancet journal last year challenged existing UN population estimates. That is likely to mean a shrinking working-age population and labour shortages, possibly with countries competing for migrants to boost their populations.

The Johnson administration might want to reflect on the degree to which it is impeding the Scottish and broader UK economies, and listen to Mr Sheerin.

And it might want to think about the longer-term picture painted by Mr McLean and where its policies will leave the UK in this context.

On past form, sadly, we can be pretty sure it will do neither.

Read more from the original source:

Ian McConnell: Why does this Tory Government build barriers to growth? - HeraldScotland

Dr. Eoin Drea is senior research officer at the Wilfried Martens Centre for European Studies.

It remains remarkable that for such a seismic event, Brexit continues to be most noticeable by its absence in the formulation of future European Union strategy. From the Conference on the Future of Europe to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyens state of the union address, Brexit, Britain and the future of the Anglo-EU relationship struggle to elicit a single reference or positive soundbite.

This in itself is a remarkable achievement given Britains unique role in the EU landscape. A European economic giant and a 47-year veteran of (mostly positive) EU policymaking is now deemed less relevant than Brussels unspecified vision for connected Global Gateway.

It is almost as if as in many a Parisians dreams Britain never really existed at all.

Alas, as the first anniversary of Brexit approaches, its clear that the EU has learned every wrong lesson from the divorce. Riled by the deliberately provocative actions of successive British governments since 2016, the EU has been unable to separate the U.K.s bark from its bite and the danger this poses is swiftly growing.

Consider how the EUs current approach to discussing Britain is based entirely on a strategy of moving past Brexit.

This is an approach that has been strengthened by the pandemic, which has allowed the EU to subsume Brexit within a broader reimagining of a more relevant, more assertive, more global union.

Europe, in its own mind, has bigger fish to fry.

But while moving past Brexit may make the EU feel better about being jilted by one of its biggest members, it is a woefully short-sighted approach to understanding Brexits potential consequences for its own long-term development.

Another weakness in the EUs approach to understanding Brexit is that it has obsessively focused on Brexiteer misrepresentations of Europe.

This its not me, its you approach has constructed a narrative that views Brexit as a wholly disfigured British issue. Feeding into lazy tropes of British detachment, this blueprint has trapped the EU in easy tales of British exceptionalism.

No real attempt has been made to place the U.K.s engagement in Europe in the specific context of the European integration process. Brexit was never just a wholly British affair. It was also shaped by the strategic choices made in Brussels over several decades.

The final EU miscalculation when it comes to Britain may be its most damaging. Brussels is continuing to underestimate the U.Ks strategic importance and refusing to acknowledge or even contemplate the political risks of an even mildly successful Britain.

The EUs focus on the grinding technical details of protecting the single market due to Britains annoying but highly effective diversionary focus on Northern Ireland has resulted in Brussels misjudging the medium-term risks of Britain as a strategic competitor.

But that risk is real.

The coming years will bring a stabilization of Britains internal politics and a refocusing of the countrys economic priorities in areas where it has existing strengths. Finance, education, security and defense, Fintech and AI are just some of those areas that could lead to a stable, and relatively dynamic, economic framework for the country.

And for all the talk of the economic costs of Brexit and COVID-19, Britains economic outlook in terms of public debt, economic growth and unemployment remain considerably better than most other major European economies, with the exception of Germany.

Britain isnt Italy, no matter how much the EU might wish it so.

Britains return to growth will be complemented by London doubling down on its strategic partnerships with the United States and the other English-speaking economies of the Anglosphere.

Although completely derided in the EU, Britains relationship with the U.S. remains the underpinning of its post-EU identity. This is a relationship whose strategic importance has been masked by Brusselss perceptions of British weakness.

For Westminster, it is irrelevant whether Britain is viewed as Washingtons most important partner Londons preferred choice or as a vassal of the U.S., in the words of Clment Beaune, Frances minister of state for European affairs.

Even subjugation brings the benefits of proximity, relevance and inclusion in Washingtons wider geopolitical strategies. These are benefits lacking in other EU member countries relationships with the Anglosphere, as evidenced by the recent controversy over Australian submarines and the AUKUS defense pact.

Its clear that the EU needs to adopt a new strategy toward Britain. All the hard talk in Schuman coffee shops in Brussels of punishing or going hard on Britain if the Northern Ireland Protocols Article 16 is invoked is ridiculous. Europe missed its chance to impose its economic power on Westminster during the Brexit negotiations.

What recent British actions have really shown is that beyond the political theatrics, Prime Minister Boris Johnsons plan is simply to keep the Brexit fires burning at home through a constant feed of mutual Anglo-EU antagonism. An EU overreaction to British goading is the ultimate aim.

So, rather than succumbing to every little British provocation, Europe needs to take the long view and claim the high ground. Brussels should shrug off British threats with a smile, talk the language of strategic partnership through gritted teeth and understand that Brexit doesnt start and end with the Irish border and angry French fishermen.

Theres a much bigger game at play.

Because Britain wont always be a political disaster. Soon it will be a serious economic threat.

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Europe has learned nothing from Brexit - POLITICO.eu

British Border Force staff lead a migrant mother with her child on her back into Dover harbour, in Dover, Britain, June 6, 2021. REUTERS/Paul Childs

Register

LONDON, Nov 25 (Reuters) - Net immigration to Britain fell by almost 90% last year to its lowest level since 1993 due to the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit, official figures showed on Thursday.

The Office for National Statistics released a first provisional estimate showing that 34,000 more people moved to Britain last year than emigrated, down from 271,000 in 2019.

"Immigration was much lower in 2020 than in previous years, likely caused by a combination of the coronavirus pandemic and Brexit," the ONS said.

Register

Concern about unrestricted immigration from the European Union - which exceeded 200,000 on a net basis in 2015 - was a major feature of 2016's Brexit referendum. More recently, businesses have complained of labour shortages due to a lack of immigrants.

Britain left the European Union at the end of January 2020 - although EU citizens kept the right to move to Britain until the end of the year - but COVID caused foreign travel to grind to a halt from late March 2020.

The pandemic also severely hampered the ONS's ability to collect migration data as it stopped its traditional practice of surveying passengers at airports and ports.

The provisional data is based on experimental statistical modelling and is likely to be revised, with plausible estimates for 2020 ranging from net immigration of 125,000 to net emigration of 58,000, the ONS said.

Looking at non-British EU nationals alone, there was a net emigration of around 94,000, the ONS estimated.

Unlike most European countries, Britain does not have a system of identity cards or compulsory registration for residents that would make it easy to check migration flows.

"Although there is no evidence of an exodus from the UK in 2020, global travel restrictions meant the movement of people was limited, with all data sources suggesting migration fell to the lowest level seen for many years," ONS statistician Jay Lindop said.

Register

Reporting by David Milliken; editing by Guy Faulconbridge

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Immigration to UK slumped in 2020 due to COVID and Brexit - Reuters

The UK is in the dark about new post-Brexit biometric border checks threatening chaos for holidaymakers visiting the EU, the government has admitted.

Transport chiefs have raised the alarm over long queues when the entry/exit system (EES) requiring data to be collected at the border for all non-EU arrivals is introduced next year.

Quizzed by worried MPs, the Cabinet Office acknowledged it did not know how the checks will be implemented as the number of cross-Channel tourists is expected to bounce back after Covid.

Asked what it would mean for car or coach passengers, Emma Churchill, the director general of the border delivery group, said the French government had yet to disclose its plans.

So I cant tell you exactly how the French intend to implement the entry and exit system, she told the Commons public accounts committee.

The hope was that the checks could be brought in without starting to cause those queues backing up, Ms Churchill added.

Meg Hillier, the committee chair, called it a big concern, while a Conservative, Richard Holden, urged the government to work to avoid disruption.

Whats really worrying me is you have got potential Covid checks and biometric passport checks will come in at some point, he told a panel of Whitehall top civil servants.

The checks are expected be particularly difficult at the juxtaposed controls with France which are on the UK side of the Channel but will be introduced across the 26-nation Schengen Area.

Unlike the looming Etias visa-waiver program similar to the ESTA required for travel to the US they cannot be carried out in advance, at the booking stage.

The entry/exit system was developed while the UK was an EU member, but will now have implications for travellers from this country because of Brexit.

The inquiry asking four government departments about the impact of Brexit border measures saw all express confidence that the imposition of import controls, from January, will go smoothly.

Jim Harra, the chief executive of Revenue and Customs, admitted the significant costs businesses must pay to trade with the EU despite the Leave campaign repeatedly insisting Brexit would cut red tape.

Theres no doubt that its part of the cost of leaving a customs union, that you have to bear that burden, he said, insisting the government had been transparent about that.

Asked about small firms, struggling to pay hefty custom agent fees, Mr Harra replied: Can I say that, in 3 years time, a small business will find it easy to self-serve customs I think that will be challenging.

Alex Chisholm, permanent secretary at the Cabinet Office, argued it is too early to disentangle the effects of Covid and Brexit on trade despite the National Audit Office concluding leaving the EU swiped 17bn from exports in just three months.

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Brexit: UK in the dark about risk of queues from new EU border checks, government admits - The Independent

The new German government has fired a warning shot at Boris Johnson to expect retaliation if he breaks the Brexit deal for Northern Ireland.

The warning came as Mr Johnson restated his readiness to suspend the deal by invoking Article 16 of the Northern Ireland Protocol, in a phone call with Irish counterpart Micheal Martin.

A three-way German coalition agreement installing Olaf Scholz of the Social Democrats as Angela Merkels replacement backs countermeasures if the UK fails to abide by its obligations.

It commits Berlin to a common European policy towards the United Kingdom and to seek close bilateral cooperation within this framework.

But it adds: We insist on full compliance with the agreements that have been concluded, in particular with regard to the Northern Ireland Protocol and the Good Friday Agreement.

In the event of non-compliance with the agreed standards and procedures, we are committed to the consistent application of all agreed measures and countermeasures.

The strong stance comes after the UK backed away from an early suspension of Article 16 of the Protocol apparently because a weakened Johnson is not ready for a damaging trade war with the EU.

Brussels hailed a welcome change of tone in ongoing talks, as both sides agreed to focus on medicines and customs red tape, not the flashpoint issue of the role of the European Court of Justice.

However, the Brexit minister David Frost has insisted the triggering of Article 16 remains on the table if talks run into the sand rejecting an EU compromise move to reduce Irish Sea border checks.

In a further sign of cross-Channel tensions, the French foreign minister launched a fierce attack on Mr Johnson, amid the separate clash over post-Brexit fishing rights.

The prime minister is a populist who uses all elements at his disposal to blame others for problems he faces internally, Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

The comments came as Lord Frost addressed the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, repeating his threat to trigger Article 16 if necessary but saying he was hopeful that would not prove necessary.

Berlins coalition government the first ever reached between three parties brings together the Social Democrats, the Greens and the right-wing Free Democrats.

It pledged to make the climate emergency its top priority, by phasing out coal power by 2030 and expanding renewable sources to cover 80 per cent of all energy needs by the decades end.

Mr Scholz appealed to Germans to get vaccinated, announcing a seven-point plan to tackle the very serious Covid situation hinting at the introduction of vaccine passes.

And Amsterdam may soon have a rival as the European capital of cannabis, with plans to legalise recreational use of the drug and sales from licensed shops.

This will control the quality, prevent the circulation of contaminated substances and ensure the protection of minors, the coalition contract states.

In a call with Mr Martin, the prime minister today said that he would be left with no choice but to activate Article 16 if talks between Lord Frost and European Commission vice-president Maros Sefcovic fail to deliver a rebalanced and sustainable outcome soon.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: The prime minister raised his ongoing concern about the substantial distance between the UK and EU positions when it comes to resolving the issues with the Northern Ireland Protocol.

The Protocol was rightly keeping North-South trade open but its implementation was damaging the much larger East-West dimension.We could not allow a situation to develop in which the government was unable to provide economic support to Northern Ireland in the same way it could in the rest of the UK.

Ultimately Northern Irelands place in the UK internal market was crucial to its long-term prosperity and could not be damaged.

The implementation of the Protocol was now colliding with economic and political realities and significant change was necessary. The Court of Justice (CJEU) was part of this fundamental imbalance because disputes were decided in the court of one party.

The rest is here:

Brexit: German government warns Boris Johnson of retaliation for breach of Northern Ireland deal - The Independent

The issue of people crossing the channel in small boats is back in the headlines.

Dozens of people died on Wednesday making the perilous journey across the sea, following UK government attempts to make the crossings more difficult.

So far this year more than 25,700 people have managed to complete the perilous crossing.

The government says it wants to make the journey unviable to deter people from making it but is refusing to create safe alternative routes for people trying to claim asylum.

While dangerous, making the journey appears to pay off for the vast majority who complete it.

Of the 25,700 to have made it safely to the UK, just five have been returned to Europe, ministers say.

What is less realised is that this is partly down to Britain's departure from the European Union.

Despite rhetoric about borders and immigration playing a major role in the Leave vote, EU cooperation played a significant role in border policing before Brexit.

The figure of five returnees is significantly down on the 294 people who were returned last year in 2020. In that year, the UK was still covered by EU rules because of the transition period.

In 2020 the UK was still party to the EU's "Dublin" regulations. These rules allowed the government to ask other European countries to take people back if it could be proved they passed through safe European countries on their way to the UK.

The government has failed to negotiate direct replacements for the Dublin regulations.

Migrants are helped ashore from a RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution) lifeboat at a beach in Dungeness, on the south-east coast of England, on November 24, 2021, after being rescued while crossing the English Channel.

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The coffin of Sir David Amess is carried past politicians, including former Prime Ministers Sir John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May, Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Home Secretary Priti Patel and Prime Minister Boris Johnson during the requiem mass for the MP at Westminster Cathedral, central London

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The scene in Dragon Rise, Norton Fitzwarren, Somerset where police have launched a murder probe after two people were found dead

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London-based midwife Sarah Muggleton, 27, takes part in a 'March with Midwives' in central London to highlight the crisis in maternity services

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Police officers monitor as climate change activists sit down and block traffic during a protest action in solidarity with activists from the Insulate Britain group who received prison terms for blocking roads, on Lambeth Bridge in central London

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A giant installation of Prime Minister Boris Johnson made from recycled clothing goes on display at Manchester Central, as part of Manchester Art Fair, in a 'wake-up call for the Prime Minister to tackle textile waste'

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The scene at a recycling centre in Stert, near Devizes in Wiltshire after a large blaze was brought under control. The fire broke out on Wednesday night the fire service has said and local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut due to large amounts of smoke

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The sun rises over South Shields Lighthouse, on the North East coast of England

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ancer Maithili Vijayakumar at the launch of 2021 Diwali celebrations at St Andrew Square in Edinburgh

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Forensic officers work outside Liverpool Women's Hospital, following a car blast, in Liverpool

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Wreaths by the Cenotaph after the Remembrance Sunday service in Whitehall, London

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Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of detainee Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, is ending his hunger strike in central London after almost three weeks. Ratcliffe has spent 21 days camped outside the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office in London without food. He began his demonstration on 24 October after his wife lost her latest appeal in Iran, saying his family was caught in a dispute between two states

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Peter Green protesting outside the Cop26 gates during the official final day of the Cop26 summit in Glasgow.

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Seagulls fly around the statue entitled 'Tommy', a first World War soldier by artist Ray Lonsdale at dawn in Seaham, Britain

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Climate activists dressed as characters inspired by the Netflix series Squid Game protest as they ask Samsung to go 100% renewable energy, outside the venue for COP26 in Glasgow

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A deer statue silhouetted at Loch Faskally in Pitlochry, Scotland

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Sunrise over St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay on the North East coast of England

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Activists from Friends of the Earth during a demonstration calling for an end to all new oil and gas projects in the North Sea outside the UK Government's Cop26 hub during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow

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Protesters take part in a rally organised by the Cop26 Coalition in Glasgow demanding global climate justice

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Final touches are made to a life sized Sir David Attenborough cake surrounded by animals as part of a display created by a group of cake artists during Cake International at NEC Birmingham

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A spectacular display of the Northern Lights seen over Derwentwater, near Keswick in the Lake District

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Police and demonstrators at a Extinction Rebellion protest on Buchanan Street, during the Cop26 summit in Glasgow

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A person walks along the Basingstoke canal near to Dogmersfield in Hampshire

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Sir David Attenborough delivers a speech during Cop26 in Glasgow

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Extinction Rebellion activists protest in Edinburgh as the Cop26 conference begins in Glasgow

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First Minister Nicola Sturgeon with Mapuche leader and Minga Indigena Lead Coordinator Claflin Lafkenche (right) alongside indigenous delegates at a ceremonial gathering at the Tramway in Glasgow in a symbolic gesture to mark a unified demand for climate justice

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Ocean Rebellion put on a display of puking oil heads ahead of climate change conference COP26 in Glasgow

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A man dressed as Santa Claus outside Selfridges in London as the department store unveils its Christmas windows on Oxford Street

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Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak during a visit to Fourpure Brewery in Bermondsey, London, after the chancellor announced a cut to beer taxes in his budget

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Activist Steve Bray demonstrates with a toilet outside the gates of Downing Street, after MPs voted in Parliament against the Environment Bill, allowing companies to pump raw sewage into UK rivers and seas, in London

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Second World War veteran James White, 96, at the opening of the Edinburgh Garden of Remembrance, marking the start of the remembrance period

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Richard Ratcliffe holds up a photo of his wife Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe as he protests outside the Foreign Office while on hunger strike, part of an effort to lobby the UK foreign secretary to bring his wife home from detention in Iran

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Partner of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Stella Morris and Editor in Chief of WikiLeaks Kristinn Hrafnsson attend a protest ahead of the appeal hearing over Assange's extradition, in London

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Palace Gardener Justine Howlett adds the finishing touches to pumpkins bearing the face of Henry VIII and his wives, at Hampton Court Palace.

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Flooded fields near Lingfield in Surrey, after southern England was hit overnight by heavy rain and strong winds from Storm Aurore moving in from France

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A wing surfer enjoys the strong winds as they surf in the sea off of Hayling Island in Hampshire

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Actor Jude Law holds hands with Little Amal, a 3.5-metre-tall puppet of a nine-year-old Syrian girl, as it arrives in Folkestone, Kent, as part of the Handspring Puppet Company's 'The Walk'

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A view over Southend-on-Sea in Essex, which is set to become a city in tribute to Sir David Amess MP, who spent years campaigning for the change

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Members of the Essex Bangladeshi Welfare Association pay their respects by floral tributes laid at the scene where Sir David Amess MP was killed at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea

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Boris Johnson, Sir Keir Starmer, Priti Patel and Lindsay Hoyle pay respects to Sir David Amess at Belfairs Methodist Church, in Leigh-on-Sea, the site of his death

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A person lays flowers at the scene near the Belfairs Methodist Church in Eastwood Road North, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, where Conservative MP Sir David Amess has died after he was stabbed several times at a constituency surgery. A man has been arrested and officers are not looking for anyone else

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A red deer stag during rutting season in Bushy Park, Richmond, south west London, which is home to over 300 red and fallow deer

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Police officers detain a man as Insulate Britain activists block a roundabout at a junction on the M25 motorway during a protest in Thurrock

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The aerial climate installation by Swiss artivist Dan Acher 'We Are Watching' is unveiled at Our Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh

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A young girl is helped by a Border Force officer as a group of people thought to be migrants are brought in to Dover, Kent, following a small boat incident in the Channel.

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How has Brexit affected the migrant crisis? - The Independent

The pub and restaurant group Mitchells & Butlers has warned that problems caused by Brexit and rising costs will hurt the hospitality sector, just as businesses return to profit after the easing of pandemic restrictions.

The company, which owns pub chains including ONeills and restaurant brands such as Harvester, said Brexit was still an important event for the market and had created risks for the sector, most notably around the supply and cost of products and workforce shortages. It said higher energy bills and increased staff wages were also weighing on the sector.

Mitchells & Butlers which also runs All Bar One, Toby Carvery and Miller & Carter said customers began to return to its 1,600 UK venues when lockdown restrictions were relaxed in the spring. Its sales bounced back in August and September and it is now receiving bookings for Christmas parties.

Announcing its annual results, the group said its suburban locations were trading better than those in city centres, as continued home working meant people visited their local rather than a branch near their workplace. Footfall in major cities has been slowly increasing in recent months, a trend the company expects to continue.

Pub and restaurant-goers want to socialise with others in a way they cannot at home following pandemic restrictions, the group said, as it reported a pre-tax loss of 42m for the year to 25 September, compared with 123m a year earlier.

Mitchells & Butlers said it had returned to profitability in recent months and its like-for-like sales were 2.7% higher than pre-Covid levels during the past eight weeks.

Christmas bookings at its venues had begun later than in previous years, but were now coming in, said Phil Urban, the companys chief executive, although this years get-togethers look to be smaller than usual.

We are seeing bookings in the cities and the suburbs, right across all our portfolio, he said.

We have some big venues, particularly in London, that can take some big size parties and what we are probably seeing less of so far, is a company coming in and saying can we take your whole venue for a night. But thats not to say they wont be replaced by people having smaller-sized parties. We are encouraged on bookings.

On Wednesday, wine and spirits companies warned there could be alcohol shortages in the UK over the festive season, as a result of the lack of HGV drivers. Mitchells & Butlers said it had several medium-sized Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans on standby, ready to collect goods from depots in the event of a missed delivery by lorry.

We have product in the supply chain, but either the supplier cant get it to the depot or from the depot to the site. Its a localised issue. The problem is we dont know where it will be until it doesnt turn up, Urban said. He added he was able in some cases to send vans to depots to collect supplies, rather than wait for our logistics to reschedule.

Mitchells & Butlers said it was working to offset the impact of rising costs, but warned they would have a residual impact on its performance in the current financial year.

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Higher utility bills remain a concern for the company, while it will also have to pay its staff more from next April as they benefit from the rise in the national living wage to 9.50 an hour for workers aged 23 and over.

Amid rising costs, the company called for the government to extend the temporary reduction in the rate of VAT on food and sales of non-alcoholic drinks, which currently stands at 12.5% but is due to return to the pre-Covid 20% level next April.

The company said the temporary tax cut was worth 81m to the business during the year to September.

Excerpt from:

Harvester owner warns Brexit and rising costs will dent UK hospitality - The Guardian