Phil Hogan: Brexit means "new Ireland-UK relationship"

Image copyright RTÉ Image caption Phil Hogan warned “a hard border” with Northern Ireland looked inevitable The Republic of Ireland"s relationship with the UK will have to change in a post-Brexit Europe, Ireland"s EU agriculture commissioner has said.
Phil Hogan said: “Our common interest with the UK in many areas has been a defining characteristic of our EU membership to date.”
But this would now be an “enormous mistake” in Brexit negotiations.
Speaking in two national newspapers on Monday, Mr Hogan also said “Brexit is a mess and getting messier”.
Writing in The Irish Times, he said: “There is a real risk that Ireland could allow our relationship with Europe to be defined by our relationship with the UK, which would be an enormous mistake in my view.
“Instead, we should have the confidence and direction to recognise that post-Brexit Ireland will need to have in place a wholly different set of relationships with our EU partners.”
He also said the country needed to protect ..

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Theresa May: Brexit can "change Britain for the better"

Media captionCentre-ground politicians "must show they can respond to people"s concerns" Theresa May has criticised those who believe a so-called “hard Brexit” is inevitable after the UK leaves the EU.
The prime minister said she wanted the UK to “operate within” the single market as part of a new relationship.
Speaking in London, she vowed to build a “shared society” in which wealth and opportunity were not the preserve of an elite, and injustices were tackled.
She said that Brexit provided an “opportunity to fundamentally change Britain for the better”.
Outlining her social reform agenda in her most significant policy speech for three months, Mrs May announced steps to improve mental health provision in the UK and transform attitudes to people suffering from mental health conditions.
Mental health care overhaul pledged by PM Politics and jobs "swell youth anxiety" Pound falls after Sunday"s Brexit comments She announced extra training for teachers, mor..

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Pound falls on May"s Brexit comments

Image copyright Getty Images The value of the pound has fallen to a two-month low against major currencies after Prime Minister Theresa May signalled the UK would pursue a so-called “hard Brexit” from the EU.
Sterling fell about 1% across the board. The only currency that it gained ground against was the Turkish lira.
The Prime Minister told Sky News on Sunday that she wanted the best possible deal for leaving the EU.
However, she dismissed the idea that the UK could “keep bits of membership”.
She added: “We"re leaving. We"re coming out. We"re not going to be a member of the EU any longer.”
Commentators interpreted this as meaning that Mrs May would not seek to keep the UK in the EU"s single market, with radical consequences for the country"s economy.
"Populist politics"By late morning, the pound was down 1.06% against the dollar at $1.2155, while against the euro, it was 0.89% lower at €1.1561.
“Sterling is on the back foot on Monday after Theresa..

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Pound falls on May"s Brexit hint

Image copyright Getty Images The value of the pound has fallen to a two-month low against major currencies after Prime Minister Theresa May signalled the UK would pursue a so-called “hard Brexit” from the EU.
Sterling fell about 1% across the board. The only currency that it gained ground against was the Turkish lira.
The Prime Minister told Sky News on Sunday that she wanted the best possible deal for leaving the EU.
However, she dismissed the idea that the UK could “keep bits of membership”.
She added: “We"re leaving. We"re coming out. We"re not going to be a member of the EU any longer.”
Commentators interpreted this as meaning that Mrs May would not seek to keep the UK in the EU"s single market, with radical consequences for the country"s economy.
By late morning, the pound was down 1.06% against the dollar at $1.2155, while against the euro, it was 0.89% lower at €1.1561.
“Sterling is on the back foot on Monday after Theresa May"s comments were tak..

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Theresa May: "We will seek Brexit trade deal and immigration control"

Theresa May has told Sky News the government"s priority would be to get the “best possible” Brexit deal.

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PM"s lack of clarity on Brexit "deeply concerning"

The shadow Brexit secretary says “we need clear negotiating objectives”.

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Theresa May: Government not muddled over Brexit

Prime Minister Theresa May has said the government"s thinking on Brexit “isn"t muddled at all”.
Her comments on Sky News come after the UK"s former ambassador to the EU, Sir Ivan Rogers, criticised ministers" approach to negotiations.
Brexit talks with the EU are expected to begin as early as April.
Mrs May said the government"s priority was to get the “best possible deal in terms of our trading relationship with the European Union”.

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Tory donor threatens to stop funding over Brexit plans

Image copyright PA Image caption Theresa May says she wants firms to have the “maximum freedom to trade with and operate in the single market”. A major Tory donor has warned that he will stop funding the party if Theresa May"s Brexit plans involve the UK coming out of the single market.
Sir Andrew Cook, who has donated more than £1.2m to the party, told The Times the country could “sleepwalk to disaster” if it made such a move.
The engineering firm chairman said at least one of his factories was almost “entirely dependent” on access to it.
Sir Andrew backed the Remain campaign in the EU referendum.
He told the newspaper that the “economic arguments of staying in the single market are overwhelming” and it would be a “catastrophe” if the country left.
“It is very difficult to make a political donation to a party when, although I support it ideologically, I do not believe that my interests and my ideology are ad idem with the principal Brexiteers,” he said.
Theresa May has insisted ..

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Brexit predictions used "controversial technique"

The Bank of England partially acknowledges economic forecasts post-Brexit were wrong.

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Sturgeon suggests soft Brexit could take indyref off table in short term

Media captionNicola Sturgeon says she is “willing to put aside my preferred option of independence in the EU” in favour of a soft Brexit Nicola Sturgeon has suggested a soft Brexit would see the prospect of Scottish independence removed – in the short term.
Speaking on the BBC"s Good Morning Scotland programme, the first minister said she believed Scotland"s “direction of travel” was towards independence.
But she said this could be “put aside” in the short term as she seeks “consensus and compromise” over Brexit.
Opposition parties want Ms Sturgeon to rule out a second referendum.
Ms Sturgeon said she wanted the UK to retain membership of the European single market, the so-called soft Brexit option.
If the UK as a whole was to leave the market, she has set out terms on which Scotland could potentially stay in, but these would require new powers being devolved to Holyrood.
Voters in Scotland backed the UK staying in the EU by 62% to 38%.
Ms Sturgeon said she favoured Scotland..

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Soft Brexit could take independence "off table" in short term

Image caption Nicola Sturgeon was speaking on the BBC"s Good Morning Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has suggested a soft Brexit would see the prospect of Scottish independence removed – in the short term.
Speaking on the BBC"s Good Morning Scotland programme, the first minister said she believed Scotland"s “direction of travel” was towards independence.
But she said this could be “put aside” in the short term as she seeks “consensus and compromise” over Brexit.
Opposition parties want Ms Sturgeon to rule out a second referendum.
Ms Sturgeon said she wanted the UK to retain membership of the European single market, the so-called soft Brexit option.
If the UK as a whole was to leave the market, she has set out terms on which Scotland could potentially stay in, but these would require new powers being devolved to Holyrood.
Voters in Scotland backed the UK staying in the EU by 62% to 38%.
Ms Sturgeon said she favoured Scotland remaining in the European Union as an independent cou..

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After Brexit

Image copyright Bloomberg Image caption Farming has the most to gain – and lose from Brexit Of all UK industries, farming could lose or gain the most from Brexit.
At worst Brexit could devastate the farming sector; on average 60% of farm incomes come in the form of EU subsidies.
The think-tank Agra Europe estimates that without subsidies 90% of farms would collapse and land prices would crash.
So far no one has said the subsidies will be taken away, or even that they will shrink.
Indeed, the government has promised to match them up until 2020.
But beyond that it has promised nothing.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Some argue that without any subsidies at all, nine in 10 farms would collapse as businesses This week has seen a flurry of activity as the farming industry tries to grapple with what comes next.
MPs from the Environmental Audit Committee warned on Tuesday of the dangers of Brexit to farming. Its report, the Future of the Natural Environment after the EU Referen..

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Sir Robert Cooper: There is a Brexit policy vacuum

The former diplomat says the government needs a clear sense of direction in upcoming negotiations.

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Brexit: Clarity needed "pretty soon" says Carwyn Jones

UK ministers must make clear what Brexit deal they want “pretty soon” to ensure a “reasonably united front” with devolved nations for the negotiations, First Minister Carwyn Jones has warned.
He said the UK government would not want criticism from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland before the talks.
Mr Jones is on a three-day visit to Norway to learn about its EU links.
In December, Prime Minister Theresa May pledged to set out her Brexit proposals in a speech in the new year.
She has said the UK will begin the formal Brexit negotiation process by the end of March.
Brexit: All you need to know Options for leaving the EU Carwyn Jones: Brexit will need immigration compromise On Wednesday, Mr Jones told BBC Radio Wales: “We want to be in a position where we have agreed a line with the whole of the UK, before they [the UK government] go into negotiations.
“The last thing they will want is for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to be publicly critical of them as they enter those ne..

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Migrant farm workers may stay after Brexit but red tape goes

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Andrea Leadsom says she is committed to helping UK farmers access the labour they need after Brexit The Environment Secretary says she is “absolutely committed” to ensuring that British farmers have access to migrant workers after Brexit.
Andrea Leadsom said that the government will ensure that the food and farming sectors have the labour that they need.
Mrs Leadsom also said that leaving the EU will allow the government to slash “ridiculous” farming red tape.
But critics are worried that these plans will damage key wildlife protections.
Worker worriesAround 60,000 seasonal workers come to the UK each summer, mainly from eastern Europe.
Many crop growers depend on these labourers to plant, pick and pack a variety of fruit and vegetables. Mrs Leadsom acknowledged that this was a key issue and was worrying farmers across the UK.
“I"ve heard this loud and clear around the country, whether in Herefordshire, Sussex, or Northamptonshire, an..

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Law needed to limit Brexit"s environmental impact, say MPs

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption MPs are concerned that existing environmental safeguards may be weakened by Brexit Brexit poses a huge risk to UK wildlife and habitats and a new environmental law will be needed, MPs have said.
Even where EU law is incorporated into the UK"s legal framework there could still be problems, they warn.
The House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee also says farmers are facing significant threats including loss of income and tariffs on exports.
The government says it is committed to safeguarding and improving existing environmental protection.
Problems with incorporationWhether it is the cleanliness of the UK"s beaches, pollution control or the protection of species, much of the UK"s environmental and wildlife legislation is rooted in EU directives.
The government has said that it will introduce a “Great Repeal Bill” that will incorporate many of these regulations into UK law when Britain leaves the union.
However, Environmen..

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Post-Brexit trade deals "to create 400,000 jobs"

Image copyright Getty Images Nearly 400,000 jobs could be created as a result of post-EU trade deals with other countries, pro-Brexit campaign group Change Britain has claimed.
By leaving the EU"s customs union, it said, the UK would be free to negotiate deals with the US, India, China, Japan, Canada, Korea and trading blocs in South America and South East Asia.
This, it said, would bring an estimated £23bn export boost and 387,580 jobs.
But the figures were dismissed as flawed and misleading by opponents.
Pro-EU campaigners said the statistics were based on the assumption of replicating EU deals with other countries that the UK would no longer be part of.
The UK would simply not be able to secure deals of a “comparative depth” to those negotiated by the EU after Brexit.
UK"s ambassador to the EU resigns Reality Check: What is a customs union? Change Britain, which grew out of the Vote Leave campaign group, is pressing for a so-called “hard Brexit”, where the UK pulls ou..

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Brexit: UK"s top EU diplomat Sir Ivan Rogers resigns

The UK"s top diplomat in Brussels, Sir Ivan Rogers, has resigned.
Sir Ivan, who was appointed to the role of permanent representative by David Cameron in 2013, had been expected to play a key role in Brexit talks expected to start within months.

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Another Beckham Law? How a Brexit-inspired tax break could lure the likes of Messi to Serie A

A proposed change to the Italian tax system would make the country something of a tax haven for the game"s biggest earners
COMMENT Last November, Pirelli president and former Inter director Tronchetti Provera admitted that there was one player he would love to see at San Siro above all others…

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Brexit, Brexit and more Brexit

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Theresa May"s year ahead is likely to be dominated by the process of the UK leaving the EU It"s not hard to identify the issue that is likely to dominate 2017 for Theresa May and her Conservative government: in the absence of a bolt from the blue it will be Brexit, Brexit and more Brexit.
The prime minister"s announcement at her party conference that the government would trigger Article 50 by the end of March, setting in motion the process of leaving the EU, ensured it would remain at the top of the agenda.
Mrs May has said she will set out more of the government"s Brexit plans in a speech to be made in the new year.
We don"t know how much detail she will give, but her audience will be expecting something beyond the gnomic utterances that “Brexit means Brexit” and that she wants a “red, white and blue Brexit”.
MPs will get some sort of vote before Article 50 is triggered but the exact process won"t be known until afte..

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