Going Dutch: Downing Street refuses to rule out sharing Astrazeneca vaccines with EU March 23, 2021 Downing Street has refused to rule out sharing British supplies of the Astrazeneca vaccine made in the Netherlands with the EU to avert an exports ban from the bloc. Asked whether the UK would be willing to offer some of the Dutch-made jabs to Europe, the Prime Minister’s official spokesperson said Boris Johnson has “set [...]
Boris Johnson threatens to rip up Northern Ireland Protocol if EU does not relax checks June 12, 2021 Boris Johnson has threatened to unilaterally suspend the post-Brexit Northern Ireland treaty if Brussels does not relax customs checks on goods crossing the Irish Sea. Johnson warned that he would “obviously not hesitate to invoke Article 16” if “the protocol continues to be applied in this way”. The UK and EU both have the right [...]
Brexit trade talks to continue in Brussels as EU and UK vow to ‘go extra mile’ December 13, 2020 Post-Brexit trade talks will continue in Brussels next week after both sides vowed to “go the extra mile” to close a last minute deal, however Boris Johnson has also said the two sides are “very far apart” and that no-deal is now the most likely option. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she [...]
Brexit: UK ‘prepared’ to axe controversial Internal Market Bill clauses that break international law December 7, 2020 The UK government is “prepared” to remove the controversial Northern Ireland clauses in Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Bill, that could breach international law, if a UK-EU post-Brexit trade deal is reached. A government statement released this afternoon said the UK was willing to take out all clauses in the Internal Market Bill and following Finance [...]
Johnson says UK is ‘on the side of openness’ following EU vaccine row March 25, 2021 Prime Minister Boris Johnson today said that Britain is “on the side of openness” and that did he not want to see restrictions on the exchange of Covid-19 vaccines with the European Union. Yesterday the EU tightened its oversight of coronavirus vaccine exports, giving it greater scope to block shipments to countries with higher inoculation [...]
Pound hits 31-month high on Brexit hopes and dollar weakness December 17, 2020 The pound has shot up to its highest level since early 2018, with investors hoping the UK will soon sign a post-Brexit trade deal and the dollar falling sharply. Sterling was last up 0.6 per cent at $1.358, a 31-month high. It was 0.3 per cent higher against the euro at €1.111. The British government [...]
Pound hits two-year high as hopes of Brexit trade deal rise December 16, 2020 The pound hit its highest level in two years after market optimism rose that the UK and EU would strike a post-Brexit trade agreement. Sterling climbed 0.5 per cent to $1.352 having earlier touched $1.355, its highest level since the spring of 2018. The pound was up 0.3 per cent against the euro at €1.109. [...]
EU warns ‘zero’ Covid vaccines will be shipped to UK unless Astrazeneca meets targets April 1, 2021 Brussels has warned that “zero” Covid vaccines made in the bloc will be exported to the UK unless Astrazeneca meets its dose delivery commitments with the EU. Thierry Breton, the EU’s internal market commissioner, hinted at the bloc’s plans to use European-made vaccines as bargaining power with Astrazeneca in an ongoing dispute about vaccine shortages [...]
Analysts call BoE’s move to allow dividend payouts ‘concerning’ December 11, 2020 Analysts are divided over the Bank of England’s decision to allow lenders to resume dividend payments to their shareholders. Yesterday, regulators gave the green light for banks to resume handouts after it was determined that banks were in a strong enough financial position to handle Covid and a possible no-deal Brexit. The announcement cheered banks [...]
Boris Johnson: ‘Strong possibility’ now of a no-deal Brexit December 10, 2020 Boris Johnson has said this evening that there is now a “strong possibility” that the UK will not strike a post-Brexit trade deal with Brussels and will leave the EU on no-deal terms. Johnson’s statement comes after a meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen last night ended with both sides vowing to [...]