News and Opinion

Prime minister Boris Johnson has “bottled it” over fishing rights as his Brexit deal has secured “a fraction of what the UK has a right to under international law”, according to a leader representing fishermen. Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Organisations (NFFO), said Johnson was guilty of “surrender”. Following the release […]

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey indicated the party is likely to vote against the Brexit trade deal with the European Union. He told BBC Breakfast: “If the details turn out to be what we’re hearing, we cannot support it. This will be so bad for British business, so bad for families to mean they’re […]

Scrutiny of the Brexit trade agreement with the European Union has begun after the full treaty was published less than a week before it is due to be implemented. Legal experts and MPs were poring over the 1,246-page document published on the morning of Boxing Day, as Boris Johnson worked to persuade Eurosceptic Tories to […]

Home secretary Priti Patel insisted the Brexit deal will help make the UK safer, despite police chiefs’ concerns about lack of access to a key EU information database. The deal allows the two sides to co-operate on security and policing issues, but Brussels said the UK will no longer have “direct, real-time access” to sensitive […]

Cabinet minister Michael Gove, writing in The Times, has said the government’s Brexit deal will end the “ugly” politics since the 2016 Brexit referendum. The leading Brexiteer said he “won’t deny it’s been difficult” for many people since then. “Friendships have been strained, families were divided and our politics has been rancorous and, at times, […]

An expletive-laden song about Boris Johnson has failed to secure the Christmas Number 1 slot – but still made the Top 5. Boris Johnson Is A F**king C**t was recorded by an Essex-based band with an equally sweary artist name – known as K**t and the Gang. The 56-second medley repeats the title for the whole song […]

As ambassadors meet to discuss the Brexit trade deal over Christmas, one diplomat warned it will leave the UK with more export rules than any other country in the world. Sebastian Fischer, a spokesman for the German presidency of the Council of the EU, joked that he was looking forward to the diplomats’ meeting “because […]

Boris Johnson has used a festive message to the nation to urge people to read the new Brexit trade deal after Christmas lunch. The prime minister posted a video on Twitter in which he brandished the document, which has not been released in full yet, and at one point punched the air with enthusiasm at […]

The first political party to commit itself to immediately campaigning for the UK to rejoin the EU has been revealed. Pan-European party Volt UK is part of the Volt Europa family which has achieved success around Europe for promoting open, progressive and collaborative politics. With Westminster opposition parties ruling out campaigning for the UK to rejoin the […]

The EU and UK agreement over Brexit allowed both sides to review the deal in four years time – enabling the government to choose a no-deal Brexit or closer alignment The ‘break’ clause will allow the European Union and the UK government to bring the agreement to an end if they are not happy with […]

Sir Keir Starmer said Labour will “accept it and vote for it” when the government’s deal with the EU reaches parliament. Explaining his decision, he said it is not the best deal that was on offer. He said: “It is not the deal that the government promised – far from it. A better deal could have […]

Nina de Ayala Parker reacts to the news that the UK will no longer participate in the EU Erasmus scheme after the end of the Brexit transition period. Thanks to Boris Johnson British students and young people will no longer be able to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme under the Brexit deal agreed today. […]

Pro-European campaigners have issued a warning about Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal, after cautiously welcoming the end of the prospect of no-deal. Lord Heseltine, European Movement President, said: “We must welcome the news that Brexit does not end in the chaos of no deal with the sense of relief of a condemned man informed that his […]

Instant analysis of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal has shown that the best agreement for Britain is to remain in the EU. Brussels has published a checklist of “big changes” EU member states can expect when trading with Britain under the newly-agreed Brexit deal. The chart shows frictionless trade coming to an end, Britain’s services industry undergoing a shake-up with the […]

Boris Johnson has said he is launching a new scheme to replace the UK’s participation in the Erasmus exchange programme – which had seen participants able to study across Europe. Asked about it at a Number 10 press conference, Johnson said it would be replaced by a worldwide scheme named after Bletchley Park code breaker Alan […]

Boris Johnson has been roundly mocked following a tweet he made celebrating the newly-announced Brexit deal. Johnson became the centre of ridicule after posting a picture of himself, thumbs-up, declaring that a “deal is done”. The tweet comes after a trade deal was agreed between the European Union and the United Kingdom – six days before the […]

Union leaders have warned the post-Brexit trade deal agreed between the UK and European Union would put workers’ rights on the line and will not protect jobs. TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said the deal was better than nothing, “but not by much”. She said: “As we come out of the pandemic, we’re facing a […]

The public has reacted to news that British students will no longer be able to participate in the Erasmus exchange programme under the new Brexit deal agreed by Boris Johnson. Speaking at a press conference after the deal was agreed, EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier said: “I have just two regrets in terms of our societal […]

Former prime minister David Cameron, who called the referendum on leaving the European Union, has welcomed news of a Brexit deal. He tweeted: “It’s good to end a difficult year with some positive news. Trade deal is very welcome – and a vital step in building a new relationship with the EU as friends, neighbours […]

A trade deal has been agreed between the European Union and the United Kingdom – six days before the end of the transition period. The EU’s Ursula von der Leyen told a press conference: “At the end of a successful negotiation’s journey I normally feel joy. But today I only feel quiet satisfaction and, frankly speaking, […]

Police have shut down a protest from long-time anti-Brexit campaigner Steve Bray, who was camped outside Downing Street ahead of an announcement on a deal. As the media descended outside Number 10 waiting for a statement from the prime minister, cries of “Boris Johnson – a national disgrace” from beyond the gates of Downing Street. […]

Think you’re on top of what’s been going on across Europe in the past seven days? Take The New European’s tricky quiz and find out just how much of a Europhile you are…

A former senior Tory MP has perfectly explained why Britain faces decades of Brexit infighting despite Boris Johnson’s deal promising an end to them. Dominic Grieve, who lost his seat in the 2019 election after campaigning as an independent, said the prospect of Britain joining the EU in the future was still possible. Asked if the Tory […]

With a vote expected next week on a Brexit deal, we want to know what you think Labour should do. Labour is being encouraged to vote against such a deal, despite its insistence, it wants to see Brexit resolved with an agreement with the European Union, and ministers claiming it would not frustrate the process. […]

A former leader of the European Parliamentary Labour Party has warned Keir Starmer’s party not to put itself “on the wrong side of public opinion” with the vote on Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Richard Corbett, former Labour MEP, has urged his party not to vote in support of the agreement, which would put it on […]

For years, Eurosceptics were derided as a band of fringe eccentrics on the margins of the Conservative Party and mainstream British politics. When John Redwood challenged prime minister John Major for the Tory leadership in 1995, his supporters were mocked as the “barmy army” and “ward 8 of Broadmoor”. But a quarter of a century […]

A Labour peer has warned Boris Johnson against dodging democratic scrutiny of his Brexit deal as MPs complain there is not enough time to scrutinise it. Former Tony Blair aide Lord Andrew Adonis said Johnson was “spinning” negotiations “out to the last minute” in order to avoid democratic scrutiny of his new deal. Reports have emerged that Johnson […]

Leader of the Brexit Party Nigel Farage has claimed that the “wars are over” – and that they are the winners as the UK agrees to a deal with the European Union. Despite calling for a no-deal Brexit, he told talkRADIO: “I do think a complete separation for the long-term economic health of the country would […]

A TV crew has been seen entering Downing Street ahead of an expected statement from prime minister Boris Johnson. The prime minister is to deliver an update on the conclusion of Brexit talks, with the expectation a deal will agreed between the UK and the EU. It is yet to be confirmed if the announcement […]

A Brexiteer has said “the nation would never forgive us” if he and fellow Eurosceptic MPs voted in favour of Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal. Tory backbencher and member of the hardline anti-EU group, the ERG, said he was not ready to sign a deal ‘just because’ of an impending deadline. Appearing on talkRADIO, Bridgen said: “If we […]

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has welcomed the end of the “charade” surrounding talks, and admitted no-deal Brexit “was never a possibility” in negotiations.  He explained: “At least the charade is over. We’ve been put through this agony over the last few weeks that there could be a no deal. “That was never a possibility, […]

Brexit has generated heated rhetoric on all sides. Here are some of the key quotes made during negotiations as the UK strove to make the break from the EU. “There is no plan for no deal, because we’re going to get a great deal” – Boris Johnson, speaking in his role as foreign secretary, July […]