News and Opinion

A senior Tory MEP has been forced to apologise after comparing Socialists in the European Parliament to Nazis. Syed Kamall, who leads the European Conservatives and Reformists Group to which Theresa May’s party belongs, backed down after his remarks caused outrage in the chamber and a rebuke from the parliament’s president Antonio Tajani. Tajani was […]

Nigel Farage has made a rare appearance in the European Parliament to attack his own country’s civil service, accusing it of being “the enemy within”. The Ukip MEP for South East England turned up for work to denounce the UK negotiating team under Olly Robbins as attempting to sabotage Brexit and said Britain was heading […]

Theresa May’s argument against a People’s Vote was succinctly destroyed on BBC News in just 40 seconds. https://twitter.com/Scientists4EU/status/1054440271860195328 The counterargument was made by prominent anti-Brexit campaigner Dr Mike Galsworthy. He was interviewed by the BBC’s Chi Chi Izundu during the People’s Vote march in London about the potential for having a final say on Brexit. […]

Sadiq Khan has called on the speaker to make sure the government offers MPs a proper ‘meaningful vote’ on Brexit – calling the current offer from Theresa May a ‘scam’. Speaking during a telephone debate on LBC he gave his predictions for what happens next with Brexit. He said: ‘I think Theresa May will still […]

The European Parliament’s Brexit negotiator has poured cold water on Theresa May’s claims of progress, saying it was zero percent until the Irish border issue was resolved. May told Parliament on Monday that 95% of the Brexit withdrawal agreement were settled as she sought to assuage MPs in her own party that she was making […]

A group of pro-Leave MEPs have turned up in force to debate in the European parliament in Strasbourg – because the subject of their entitlements after Brexit was on the agenda. Despite UKIP MEPs turning up to fewer votes than any other party in Europe – just 62.3% of votes before Brexit – a majority […]

The New European Editor MATT KELLY says Remain is now the biggest movement in Europe. There is a taboo about Brexit, rarely broken for fear of the backlash that always goes with doing so. It is to say the people were wrong. Theresa May relies on it now. It’s her final justification for the absurd […]

Britain’s ability to deal with threats from animal and plant diseases could be “seriously compromised” by a no-deal Brexit, a Lords committee has said. Peers expressed concern at the prospect of the UK losing access to “vital” EU safety alerts after it leaves the bloc. Animal and plant diseases, along with invasive non-native species, present […]

A host of measures to prepare the UK border for Brexit may not be ready for a no-deal scenario, a watchdog has warned. The government faces a race against time to replace critical IT systems, boost Border Force staffing levels and build new infrastructure to track goods, according to the National Audit Office. It said […]

A People’s Vote backer branded a “pathetic cretin” by an ex Tory MP for tweeting a picture of his stepson in hospital has demanded an apology. Anthony Hobley called on Stewart Jackson, a former Peterborough MP and ex-chief of staff to David Davis when he was Brexit secretary, to say sorry after the comments sparked […]

A committee of MPs has questioned whether there will be enough time to make the necessary arrangements to avoid large-scale disruption if Britain leaves the EU without a deal. The Commons European Scrutiny Committee warned that a no-deal Brexit and an abrupt departure from the single market and customs union on March 29 next year […]

Commemorative stamps, the return of the Spitfire, and a festival of Brexit Britain – now Brexiteers want to add a new Royal Yacht Britannia to their list of demands. Tory Brexiteers have long-dreamed of Britannia returning to ‘rule the waves’, and having seen trade secretary Liam Fox hold a series of events on board HMS […]

David Davis’ former chief of staff and prominent Brexiteer Stewart Jackson has been accused of trying to block all Remainers on Twitter. The former Conservative MP made headlines after the People’s Vote march for commenting on a social media image of a boy in a hospital bed wearing an EU flag with the message: ‘what […]

‘A very boring play that is very well acted’. TIM WALKER reviews The Height of the Storm. The first thing to be said about The Height of the Storm is that it is a very boring play. The second thing to be said about it is that it is very well acted. I suppose Dame […]

Passionate Leaver Sir James Dyson has delivered a stirring vote of confidence in Brexit Britain – by manufacturing his new electric cars in Singapore. The announcement ends hopes for a site in Britain. The firm confirmed to staff otoday that the company’s board had ratified the decision to construct its first “advanced automotive manufacturing” facility […]

Brexiteer Tim Montgomerie has claimed that giving the country a People’s Vote would be an act of ‘national humiliation’. The prominent Conservative campaigner and former speechwriter for failed leaders William Hague and Iain Duncan Smith was writing for the Mail on Sunday when he said that ‘the world will have watched Britain’s politicians and government […]

Emergency powers may be needed to ensure patients can still get the medicines they need after a no-deal Brexit, the body representing health product distributors has warned. The Healthcare Distribution Association, which represents private companies supplying more than 90% of the medicines used in the NHS, warned that regulatory problems and transport hold-ups could result […]

The ability of police to tackle serious and organised crime could be “significantly impacted” by a no-deal Brexit, the chief of the National Crime Agency has warned. NCA director-general Lynne Owens said she was “deeply concerned” that withdrawal from the EU without a deal could deprive UK police of the use of tools like the […]

Going trick-or-treating? Download and print our Monsters of Brexit masks and dress as something truly terrifying. Bojo The Clown, who thinks he’s It but whose plans are far from penny wise… – Credit: Archant If you’re out knocking doors for Halloween, why not go as the ultimate trick – Brexit? Faggenstain, who brought monstrous ideas […]

Documentary-maker Michael Moore’s new film paints a disturbing picture of the US, by looking back at a 1980s book which predicted how the country could fall victim to a form of fascism. BENJAMIN IVRY reports Hard truth: a scene from Michael Moore’s Fahrenheit 9/11. Photo: Archant – Credit: Archant Amid civic chaos, people cling to […]

World-leading scientists have warned Theresa May not to allow Brexit to create new barriers to collaboration across Europe. Dozens of winners of the Nobel Prize have written to the prime minister and European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker setting out their concerns. Their message was echoed by the London-based Francis Crick Institute, which warned that a […]

Theresa May’s insistence that her Brexit deal is 95% complete aimed to win over Tory MPs – but was widely ridiculed both online and offline. The prime minister said that the ‘shape of the deal across the vast majority’ of the withdrawal agreement was now clear. She told the Commons that ‘important progress’ has been […]

The boss of Ryanair has used a television interview to savage the Tory ‘half-wits’ behind Brexit like David Davis and Liam Fox. Michael O’Leary was speaking on CNBC in Ireland when he said that the UK is getting closer to a period where flights could be grounded, but he believed that could be eliminated when […]

A rattled Leave Means Leave chairman baffled radio listeners by saying Gina Miller was ‘going round with her fingers in her ear’ before hanging up to avoid a proper debate. In his appearance on Andrew Castle’s LBC show John Longworth trotted out the same tired lines – calling the People’s Vote a ‘loser’s vote’ and […]

Theresa May has slapped down anonymous MPs who used violent imagery to describe a possible coup to unseat her. Weekend newspapers reported Tory backbenchers saying the prime minister would be “knifed” and that she should “bring her own noose” to a meeting with MPs to discuss her Brexit plans. The PM’s official spokesman said May […]

Delia Smith tells the crowds that ‘the only way we can avoid this total madness and win back our future has to be a People’s Vote.’ The TV chef and Norwich City shareholder has spoken out against Brexit and called on MPs to give the country a final say. Delia said that Brexit could be […]

While 700,000 people marched for a People’s Vote in London – an embarrassingly small number of people greeted Nigel Farage in Harrogate. The former UKIP leader was the main attraction at the latest Leave Means Leave rally aiming to ‘save Brexit’ and to put an end to the prime minister’s Chequers plan. The event took […]

HOWARD JACOBSON’S brilliant essay on toxic masculinity Men! What to do about us? That’s not a question I ever expected to hear myself ask. I have not, I hope, been a fatuous defender of my sex. My gender, right or wrong, is not a principle that’s guided me. But I have ridden out at times […]

JAMES BALL says despite the week of theatrics for the UK government, the bigger challenge ahead is still whether they can pass a budget. This has not been a week short on theatrics for the UK government, whether in the Commons chamber or EU negotiating rooms. But despite all this public drama, there is – […]

The People’s Vote march attracted almost 700,000 people making it the biggest anti-Brexit demonstration and the second biggest protest of the century. People’s Vote March – Carol Davies – Credit: Archant We have been indundated with photographs from Saturday’s march – here is just a flavour of the photographs we have received from readers. • […]

A report in a national newspaper claims that the government is now exploring the option of a fresh Brexit referendum. Despite claims from the prime minister that there will be no People’s Vote, the Sunday Times reveals that civil servants have been ‘war-gaming’ a fresh vote because they fear Theresa May will struggle to get […]

Nigel Farage was left making his own case for the People’s Vote after he debated it with Labour peer Andrew Adonis. The pair were discussing a People’s Vote and the campaigners’ march through London which around 700,000 people attended. According to Farage the event was ‘a good show’ but he put this down to being […]