News and Opinion

Readers are distinctly unimpressed with Boris Johnson’s knowledge of history. Any attempt to impose a no-deal Brexit challenges the very legitimacy of government. Britain does not, of course, have a written constitution; but, as John Locke, the English philosopher and ‘father of liberalism’ pointed out: if a government acts in ways that are contrary to […]

Jo Swinson has written to the Labour leader setting out her expectations of a meeting between opposition parties which will discuss steps to stop a No-Deal Brexit. In the letter she has urged opposition parties to focus on four critical points ahead of Tuesday’s meeting: – A strategy to take over the order paper to […]

As few as 6% of cross-border traders in Ireland and Northern Ireland are prepared for the consequences of a no-deal Brexit, a new report has found. There are about 20,000 cross-border traders on the island of Ireland, and the trade body InterTradeIreland said that most are seemingly choosing to disregard the potential impact No Deal […]

Readers have their say on Jeremy Corbyn’s appeal to opposition parties to allow him to become a caretaker prime minister. A government of national unity to stop a no-deal Brexit will never happen if Jeremy Corbyn will not cede authority to the other parties, as well as his own Labour moderates. What’s needed as its […]

STEVE ANGLESEY names his Brexiteers of the Week. 4. ANDREW DOYLE The right-wing comedian popped up on Sky News’ Sunrise to explain a previously unknown cause of the Peterloo massacre: saboteur MPs determined to stop a no-deal Brexit. Doyle, whose creations include the painfully unfunny Titania McGrath parody Twitter account, burbled that the 1819 protestors: […]

Jeremy Vine recently claimed his daytime Channel 5 show is ‘better than Question Time’. STEVE ANGLESEY takes a look at what it entails. A few days after government officials were banned from going on holiday until Brexit is fixed, one of the Brexiteers actually in charge of getting it fixed managed to slip out of […]

Donald Trump wants a trade deal with the UK ‘within a year’, Boris Johnson has claimed after the two leaders had their first formal meeting. Boris Johnson meeting US President Donald Trump for bilateral talks – Credit: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire But Johnson has played down the prospects of a transatlantic deal within that timeframe and […]

Former chancellor Philip Hammond has written to Boris Johnson about the leaked Operation Yellowhammer documents on no-deal preparations demanding he apologises for accusations made. He said it was now apparent the document was dated August 2019, and so could not have been leaked by a minister from Theresa May’s government. Hammond wrote that according to […]

Albinko Hasic reports on Radovan Karadzic and his growing status among ultra nationalists and anti-Muslim zealots despite being behind bars. In March, Radovan Karadzic saw his 40-year sentence for genocide and war crimes prolonged to life behind bars by an appeal court at the Hague. Yet despite the fact that Karadzic is now destined to […]

The prime minister has reportedly taken legal advice from the attorney general Geoffrey Cox about temporarily shutting down parliament – known as prorogation – for five weeks. Boris Johnson has asked Geoffrey Cox whether parliament can be shut down from 9th September, The Observer reports based on a leaked email. The move would allow for […]

The government could be forced to publish the latest assessments of the possible impact of a no-deal Brexit when parliament re-opens. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said he could use a parliamentary device to compel ministers to release documents linked to the Operation Yellowhammer no-deal preparations. In a letter to Michael Gove, the cabinet […]

When JAMES HARRIS married his Chinese wife, applying for UK settlement was troublesome than anticipated. One of the early acts of Pope Benedict, the previous and not-particularly-missed Pope, was to close Limbo. Limbo – deriving from the Latin limbus, meaning hem or border – was an intermediary station for the expired, mainly invented to answer […]

JAMES BALL looks at the revelations from the Operation Yellowhammer leaks, and it confirms a no-deal Brexit would be absolute chaos. The Yellowhammer is a songbird found in the UK and right across Eurasia, named for the distinctive bright yellow feathers on its head. It has been the subject of poems by Robbie Burns and […]

Both sides of the Brexit debate point to polls to back their claims of what the public really want but it’s not that simple, says Liz Gerard. What do the British people really think about Brexit? After conducting an utterly unscientific opinion poll, I can exclusively reveal that 99.9% of them want it to stop. […]

Charlie Connelly reports on Herman Melville, author of Moby Dick, and how two trips to Europe reflected his changing fortunes. Moby Dick is cited by many respected literary eggheads as the Great American Novel. Like many novels dubbed ‘great’, not many people have read it all the way through, which considering it’s a blend of […]

Inaction on gun control could affect Bernie Sanders’ chances in the US presidential nominations, says BONNIE GREER. One of the most disconcerting things about being an American expat is the matter of pancakes. The hope never dies that someday, somewhere, a proper “stack” will be placed on your table in some glorious eating establishment. Then […]

European Council president Donald Tusk has warned Boris Johnson that he will not ‘co-operate on no-deal’ and says he believes the prime minister would not want to be known as ‘Mr No-Deal’. Johnson is expected to set out his plans for Brexit in talks with Tusk, building on visits in recent days to the leaders […]

Even on the military campaign and whilst in exile Napoleon remained a voracious reader; Ray Cavanaugh delves into his reading list 250 years after his birth. Whether one views him as a military Einstein or a Frankenstein of ego, Napoleon Bonaparte was an ardent reader of books. His bookish tendencies surfaced at an early age, […]

WILL SELF observes the lack of cultural integration in Paris. Last week, Ibrahim and I met every morning, at 11, at the Café Liszt in the Place de l’Eglise for an hour’s French conversation. Actually, none of the above is strictly accurate – all the names having been changed for reasons which will soon become […]

The Home Office is facing question marks over its EU citizens scheme after a top chef was denied settled status despite saying he has proof of having lived in the UK for almost 15 years. Polish entrepreneur Damian Wawrzyniak has twice cooked for the royals, was a head chef during the Olympics and has baked […]

MITCH BENN says that all things built on lies will fail and – with Brexit – it’s just a matter of when. It’s my one “day off” at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. Every other day until Sunday 25th I’ll be performing my show Ten Songs To Save The World (3.45pm at Underbelly Bristo Square) as […]

ANDREW ADONIS wasn’t convinced by Boris Johnson’s letter to Donald Tusk. Here he rewrites the letter with what he imagines the prime minister wanted to say. Boris Johnson’s letter to Donald Tusk is so vacuous and unconvincing – ‘don’t worry about a hard border in Ireland, we’ll make something up’ – it must be a […]

Campaigners have slammed the ’embarrassing’ and ‘arrogant’ prime minister at the latest People’s Vote rally as Boris Johnson met with European leaders. Emmanuel Macron, left, talks to Boris Johnson during their meeting at the Elysee Palace. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP) – Credit: AP Alastair Campbell said Boris Johnson was embarrassing the country with […]

An open joint letter from 25 former British ambassadors ahead of the G7 in Biarritz warns Boris Johnson that, by leaving the EU, the UK will reduce its influence in international organisations and groupings. Signatories include Lord John Kerr, the author of Article 50; Sir Nigel Sheinwald, the former permanent representative to the European Union […]

Music in Iran provides a challenge not just to the authorities but to our perceptions of the country, says Sophia Deboick. Iran’s musical inheritance runs deep. It is the place where complex musical instruments first appear in the archaeological record (representations of lyres, harps and lutes dating to the third millennium BC survive), and the […]

Boris Johnson has said he wants to ‘caution everybody’ because getting a new deal with the EU is not going to be a ‘cinch’. After the prime minister’s meetings with key EU leaders elicited almost no movement from the continental side, Boris Johnson has begun lowering expectations, telling Channel 4 News: “I’m just telling people […]

Boris Johnson has told migrants not to cross the English Channel to try to enter the UK illegally as ‘we will send you back’. His comments came after nearly 100 people took to small boats to try to make the crossing from France to the UK illegally in one day, prompting home secretary Priti Patel […]

As a New European reader, you probably reckon you keep a close eye on the continent’s news. Test yourself with our quiz… 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…

Labour ministers have written to the prime minister demanding he get tough on the destruction of the Amazonian rainforest, after one of his allies was slated for ‘cosying up’ to the Brazilian government. I have written to the PM with colleagues on the Labour front bench, asking him to tell President Bolsonaro that his destruction […]

SUNA ERDEM on why Voltaire’s Candide has never been more current. The jolly chorus prances around the stage singing a happy tune. “What a day, what a day!” they sing, joyously. “What a sunny summer sky! “It’s a lovely day for drinking/And for watching people fry!” The ludicrous juxtaposition of cheer and horror in this, […]

A Tory former minister has gone on TV to say that he feels more optimistic about getting a deal with the EU because of ‘body language’ during Boris Johnson’s visit to EU heads of state. Tobias Ellwood, who appeared on BBC’s Newsnight and was asked by presenter Mark Urban what is “new” in the Brexit […]

Climate change is a socialist and feminist issue and that’s why the Green New Deal has never been so important, says Green Party MEP Alexandra Phillips. Over the past few months, we’ve seen the rise of a kind of ‘climate spring’ in the UK – a real awakening to the fact that we’re in the […]