Brexit: Boris Johnson and EU chief von der Leyen to speak at lunchtime in last ditch bid to save a trade deal December 13, 2020 Boris Johnson and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will speak at lunchtime today in a bid to save faltering post-Brexit trade negotiations. The pair are expected to decide whether there is a pathway to a trade deal or whether to end talks today, with less than three weeks left until the UK leaves [...]
UK tourists banned from EU travel from 1 January December 11, 2020 British holidaymakers will be temporarily banned from travelling to the EU on 1 January, with Brussels saying its travel exemption will be taken away after the Brexit transition period ends. Very few non-EU or EEA countries, with low Covid rates, are allowed to travel to member states under current restrictions. Borders are still open to [...]
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 [...]
Government report says Hammersmith Bridge may be safe to partially reopen December 10, 2020 A government commissioned report has said Hammersmith Bridge is potentially safe to reopen to pedestrians and cyclists and that the local council’s safety report was too conservative. The report – commissioned for the Department for Transport’s task force and undertaken by engingeering company Aecom – said “there is now a better understanding of how the [...]
EU sets out plans to ensure flights and fishing are not disrupted in no-deal Brexit December 10, 2020 Brussels has set out a plan to ensure UK-EU flights and fisheries arrangements are not disrupted in the case of a no-deal Brexit on 1 January next year. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen released a statement today to announce a proposal to “ensure the provision of certain air services between the UK and [...]
Starmer swerves question of whether Labour will vote for a Brexit trade deal December 9, 2020 Sir Keir Starmer has refused to answer whether Labour will vote for a potential post-Brexit trade deal in what is becoming a shadow cabinet row. Starmer said Labour would vote “in the national interest” if Boris Johnson can close a UK-EU trade deal and bring it to parliament before 31 December. Media reports this week [...]
UK extends commercial tenant eviction ban until March December 9, 2020 The UK’s ban on commercial property eviction has been extended today to March 2021. Housing secretary Robert Jenrick announced that this will be the final extension of the business eviction ban, after it was originally supposed to end in September this year. A statement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said the [...]
Brexit: Boris Johnson to meet EU chief Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels TODAY December 9, 2020 Boris Johnson will meet with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this evening in Brussels for showdown Brexit talks. The pair will be briefed by their respective chief negotiators tonight about the outstanding issues holding up a trade agreement, before trying to hammer out a last minute deal one-on-one. Last night von der Leyen [...]
Brexit: City of London lobby slams EU for damaging confidence in UK financial services sector December 9, 2020 The City of London’s most influential lobby group has hit out at the EU for politicising decisions on the UK’s financial services sector’s access to Europe post-Brexit. The CityUK chief executive Miles Celic told a Westminster committee today that Brussels has created uncertainty for Square Mile firms through the “regrettable politiicsation” of the equivalence assessment [...]
UK signs post-Brexit trade deal with Norway and Iceland December 8, 2020 The UK just signed in London a post-Brexit rollover trade deal with Norway and Iceland. The agreement covers trade in goods, and ensures 95 per cent of goods trade with Norway and over 90 per cent with Iceland will remain tariff-free, providing businesses with certainty that they can continue to operate on the same terms [...]