Instead of arguing over Boris Johnson’s miserable deal, we must start to plan how to rebuild Britain’s economic links to the EU

• Peter Mandelson is a former cabinet minister and EU commissioner

Lord Mandelson is a former EU Commissioner, Labour MP and cabinet minister. He is currently is president of the Policy Network, and chairman of Global Counsel

Labour’s decision on how to vote on a Brexit trade deal with the EU (and we must assume that not even this ideologically fixated prime minister would put a few trawlers-full of British fish before the interests of the entire UK economy) looks set to reopen old arguments and old wounds. It shouldn’t. What is at stake for the party is not big enough to warrant a fresh Brexit disagreement – whereas what is riding on a deal, however limited, and where the country goes next, are huge.

Labour frontbench divided as up to 60 backbench MPs threaten to rebel if told to vote with government

The shadow cabinet is split over whether to back a Brexit deal, as backbench Labour MPs warn that up to 60 could rebel if Keir Starmer insists they back the government rather than allowing a free vote.

Two backbench MPs said the potential for a frontbench reshuffle – and new shadow ministerial posts – had been raised when the issue had come up in conversations with Starmer’s office, as a way of containing potential rebels.

Analysis: being first country in the world to license a jab for the virus is also fraught with unknown pitfalls

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

The obvious joy and excitement over the UK’s approval of a vaccine against Covid, opening a way out of the pandemic, had barely begun to abate before questions started to arise over the speed with which the UK appeared to have stolen a march on the rest of the western world.

The health secretary saw this as a triumph for Britannia. Matt Hancock even tried to spin it as a triumph for Brexit. The UK had elected not to follow the cumbersome processes of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which has said it will decide on a licence for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine by 29 December. Instead, said Hancock, the government had passed special regulations so that the UK regulator could go it alone, with fantastic results. Many British arms will be jabbed before the EMA has come to a decision.

There is a job of public reassurance ahead that will be made harder if partisanship and ministerial grandstanding get in the way

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

When the history of the pandemic is written, the tragic cost will be balanced with stories of human ingenuity and resilience. The speed with which effective vaccines have been developed will feature prominently on that side of the ledger.

No remedy existed when the threat first became apparent a year ago. It was not certain that vaccination would ever be possible. But the highest priority cases in the UK will start receiving doses of an approved vaccine in the coming weeks. The practical impact on infection rates will be modest for a while. But as a signal of what might one day be achieved, and a tonic to anyone whose spirit was flagging at prolonged social and economic restriction, Wednesday’s news is tremendous.

CEO says carmaker is ‘ready to jump off a cliff with a parachute that hasn’t been tested’

Bentley has lined up five cargo planes to fly in car parts if there is disruption at the UK border in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in a marker of the deep concerns facing motor manufacturers as trade negotiations continue.

Companies from across the economy have expressed concern that imports could be disrupted for weeks if the UK and EU cannot agree a deal before 1 January, when the Brexit transition period ends.

Significant gap remains as two sides enter crucial 48 hours of talks

Boris Johnson has lowered his Brexit demands by asking EU fishing fleets to hand over up to 60% of the value of stocks it takes from British waters, but the gap with Brussels remains wide, Michel Barnier has said ahead of what he described as a crucial 36 hours.

In briefings to EU ambassadors and MEPs in Brussels, the bloc’s chief negotiator said Downing Street had revised its demand down from 80%, but that it was unclear whether the divide could be bridged in the time remaining, prompting member states to caution against rushing into a deal.

Analysis: exasperation as fates and fortunes of large industries reliant on efforts to expand much smaller one

An island nation can be forgiven for a preoccupation with fish. But with less than a month until the UK’s trade with the EU moves to new rules – whether under a deal or no-deal scenario – it is possible that continuing attempts to gain a win for British fishing industry could scupper much larger parts of the UK economy.

Fishing is a politically charged issue on both sides of the Channel. Boris Johnson has talked of the UK becoming “an independent coastal state” and exploiting the “recapture of our spectacular natural marine wealth”, while Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, has warned the UK against using fish as a “bargaining chip” (apparently not a pun on Britain’s national dish). Meanwhile, far bigger industries in the UK economy are left waiting.

European Medicines Agency defends its approach after British claims of Brexit success story

The European Medicines Agency has suggested British regulators prioritised speed over winning public confidence to enable the UK to become the first western country to license a coronavirus vaccine.

After it was announced that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had been authorised for emergency use by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA), the EU agency issued a statement backing its own “robust” approach.

Speedy approval for Pfizer/BioNTech jab was possible under existing European law

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Both Downing Street and the UK’s medicines regulator have contradicted a claim by Matt Hancock that Brexit helped the UK become the first western country to license a vaccine against coronavirus.

The health secretary asserted on Wednesday morning that “because of Brexit” the UK had been able to approve the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, rather than wait for the European Medicines Agency (EMA) to do so.

President-elect says he won’t sign any new agreements until US is more competitive

Britain’s hopes of securing an early trade deal with the US have been dashed by a warning from Joe Biden, the president-elect, that America will not sign a trade deal with anyone until the US has sorted out its competitiveness.

Britain had been closing in on a trade deal with the administration of Donald Trump, a fierce opponent of the European Union, but Biden has said in a New York Times interview that his priorities will be to improve investment in US manufacturing and the protection of American workers.

Bloc’s chief negotiator is told to provide full sight of any deal with UK before it is agreed

Michel Barnier will be told on Wednesday that the EU capitals want full sight of any deal with the UK before it is agreed, amid concerns the bloc’s chief Brexit negotiator may concede too much ground in the final days of negotiation.

The member states have called on Barnier, who is in London, to address their representatives in Brussels in an early morning video conference to provide a full account of the latest developments.

Thinktank says Brexit represents double threat to UK growth

The UK’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic will lag behind every other major economy apart from Argentina, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Warning the UK and other countries to resist cutting government spending in order to ensure a stronger rebound, the club of 37 rich nations said severe risks to growth and jobs still remained despite the prospect of a vaccine being deployed earlier than first anticipated.

• Permits to be allocated on points-based system
  
• Regulations to be introduced on 1 January
  

The Football Association has announced a radical post-Brexit shake‑up that will mean Premier League and EFL clubs cannot sign foreign players until they are 18, with all transfers from European Union nations set to be subject to work permits that will be allocated using a points-based system.

In a controversial move that could have seismic effects on the recent dominance of English clubs over their European rivals, a joint statement from the FA, Premier League and EFL confirmed on Tuesday that the new system, which will come into force when the UK’s transition period after leaving the EU ends on 31 December and has been approved by the Home Office, will also see Premier League clubs limited to signing no more than three overseas players under the age of 21 in any single transfer window and a total of no more than six per season.

The Faragist mode of perpetual insurrection has thoroughly permeated the Conservatives’ DNA

Conservative rebels have been setting the agenda in British politics for so long now that there is something almost quaint about the expectation of loyalty to a Tory leader. Last December Boris Johnson led his party to its biggest election victory in more than 30 years. The gratitude of his MPs, measured in obedience to whips, has not lasted 12 months.

The scale of the election victory is partly to blame for the unravelling of discipline. Johnson’s troops are not afraid of Labour, and obedience to the prime minister is boring. The era has long passed when Conservatives saw the fulfilment of a duty to support the government as its own reward.

Content of legislation to be tabled next week depends on progress with EU in talks, sources say

The UK is to table its long awaited finance bill next week but anticipated controversial clauses to override the Brexit withdrawal agreement are expected to be axed if a trade deal is struck beforehand.

The EU has warned that trade talks will be pulled immediately if the government goes ahead with a second batch of legislation granting itself unilateral powers to renege on part of the withdrawal agreement signed in January.

If Michael Gove and Steve Baker want to fight it out over the Covid tier system, at least make it a TV sporting spectacle

Oh dear. I see Michael Gove now gives a toss about experts. And I see Steve Baker now gives a toss about economic impact statements.

The Cabinet Office minister spent Tuesday blitzing the airwaves to explain why the government’s imminent tier system is done for your own good, for reasons you’re too dim to be given the data to understand. Meanwhile, Baker, Jacob Rees-Mogg’s former robot sidekick, is leading the rebellion against the tier system, on the basis that it will cause huge economic damage. Presumably Brexit ironies are cheaper by the dozen.

Sector had best month in almost three years as firms increased production, finds IHS Markit/Cips survey

Britain’s manufacturers have enjoyed their best month in almost three years as firms cranked up production in case knife-edge Brexit trade talks with the EU ended in failure.

The latest survey from IHS Markit/Cips found the industry was unaffected by November’s four-week lockdown in England, with output at its highest since December 2017.

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, conceded that there was some anxiety about the prolonged Brexit negotiations, with the Netherlands, Belgium and France all asking the European commission to trigger no-deal preparations in recent weeks.

But she said the agreement with Britain should not come 'at any price' and should be in all parties' interest.

Merkel hinted at the trade-off being offered in the negotiations between access to the EU’s single market in electricity and EU rights to catches in UK fishing waters.

• EU will not fall into Brexit 'negotiating trap', UK told

This is the moment when he’ll have to accept that no-deal is a disaster – and break all those fairy-dust promises

Ignore the blustering brinkmanship: there will be a deal between Britain and the EU. This week, next week or in the final second before the clock strikes 12, this Brexit-crazed government will sign on the line.

It needs no crystal ball to foresee a deal. Though this government is disgraceful and dishonest, it is not certifiably insane. It will not kill off the car industry, manufacturing, farming, finance and fishing. It will not cut off security and police relations with Europe. Nor will it want a hard border in Ireland, breaking the Good Friday agreement. And nor will it freeze friendship with the new US president, nor leave relations with our nearest neighbours and traders irreparably rancorous.

Analysis: Charity leaders perplexed and angry as commission chair tells voluntary organisations to avoid picking sides on divisive issues

To say that relations have been strained between the charity sector and its regulator in England and Wales, the Charity Commission, is something of an understatement. But the bitterness plumbed new depths at the weekend when the commission chair, Tina Stowell, chose to up the ante by warning charities against “getting drawn into the culture wars”.

Writing in the Mail On Sunday, Lady Stowell argued that while it was clear that charities could campaign on issues of direct concern to them provided they did not stray into party politics, they should avoid picking sides on high-profile issues that were creating new divisions in society – Brexit, free speech, the root causes of inequality and “how best to tell the story of British history”.

Whether it’s the chumocracy or just incompetence, ‘we’re getting on with the job’ is the government’s cover for all its sins

It’s hard to keep up. Barely a year into this government’s tenure, and Conservative chumocracy violations, accelerated by the pandemic – indeed, under the cover of the pandemic – are claimed on an almost weekly basis. The figures are staggering. So far, it is estimated that the government, without a transparent tendering process, handed out £18bn in coronavirus-related contracts during the first six months of the pandemic alone. Of this, £1.5bn can be traced to companies or individuals with connections to the Conservative party.

Within those billions there is more shocking detail. A spider’s web of unqualified Tory donors, university friends, neighbours and local pub owners has been entrusted with everything from the provision of PPE to the manufacturing of medical equipment. The tendering process seems to have been jettisoned for random phone calls and texts from opportunists, with ministers too lazy to go through due process and too arrogant to care. They say political parties campaign in poetry and govern in prose. This Conservative government campaigned in slogans and governs in WhatsApp messages.

The boom of a century ago was checked by British self-harm – a story set to be repeated

Britain’s return to the gold standard in 1925 has become a byword for a self-inflicted economic fiasco. The idea was to seek stability by fixing a price for an ounce of gold on demand – trade and confidence in sterling would flood back and Britain would continue with the roaring 20s, the boom that followed the First World War and the 1918 flu pandemic.

However, the exchange rate was pitched so high that industry, instead of seamlessly adjusting its prices and costs, was devastated. The consequent public austerity, deflation and attempted wage cuts triggered mass unemployment and the General Strike.

My Irish mother taught me always to “try to see the good in people”. Alas, with this government it’s a bit of a problem. George Osborne and his needless austerity programme was bad enough. But this lot are taking bad government to new depths.

Last week was very much Chancellor Sunak’s show. His speech on Wednesday was preceded by so many media leaks that very little came as a surprise. But I fear that behind that ingratiating smile lies an insouciant cynicism that, whatever it achieves for his almost naked ambition, will do this country no good at all.

Sunak’s plan to pinch pennies in a pandemic is unwise. But the bigger problem is the centralisation of his spending projects

Rishi Sunak has spent billions of pounds rescuing the economy during the year of Covid, but he needs to go further.

To start with, the chancellor, who set out his 2021-22 spending plans last week, needs to make permanent the £20-a-week increase in universal credit which is due to expire in the spring. Without that increase, about 6 million households, many of them the most vulnerable to financial shocks, will lose £1,000 a year of vital funds just as the unemployment rate is expected to hit its post-pandemic peak.

Ursula von der Leyen said on Wednesday it was still uncertain if a deal on the future relationship between the EU and the UK could be struck before the end of the year. The European commission president  said mechanisms to resolve differences should be clear to avoid reliving the withdrawal agreement implementation controversy 

• Von der Leyen: EU willing to be 'creative' to seal Brexit deal
  

Arguments over fish stocks have been blocking a wider trade deal. How did it come to this and why does it matter?

US President-elect Joe Biden says he would like to avoid a guarded border between the UK and Ireland as Brexit negotiations continue. Speaking to reporters in Wilmington, Delaware, Biden said "We do not want a guarded border. We want to make sure – we’ve worked too long to get Ireland worked out, and I talked with the British prime minister, I talked with the Taoiseach, I talked with others, I talked to the French. The idea of having a border north and south once again being closed is just not right, we’ve just got to keep the border open."

• 'America is back': Biden and Harris announce first cabinet picks – live

The governor of the Bank of England, Andrew Bailey, has warned that the economic cost of a no-deal Brexit would be bigger in the long term than the damage caused by Covid-19.

The fallout from the pandemic and the second national lockdown in England was having a much bigger short-term impact on the economy, Bailey said, but he argued the lack of a trade agreement would cause long-lasting damage when he spoke to MPs at a Treasury committee meeting

• No-deal Brexit to cost more than Covid, Bank of England governor says

Ursula von der Leyen has expressed optimism over Brexit negotiations, saying there had been progress and movement on important files, despite weeks at near standstill.

The European commission president has been attending negotiations virtually while the chief EU negotiator, Michel Barnier, is in self-isolation after a close official tested positive for coronavirus.

A trade and security agreement with Britain is close to being finalised, EU ambassadors have been told, but the risk remains of an accidental no-deal Brexit in six weeks

• Brexit deal close to being finalised, EU ambassadors told

The new year will bring changes in trade and security regardless of a breakthrough in talks with the EU. Here’s how

A “major breakthrough” will be needed to seal a Brexit deal in the coming days. But the public and businesses face significant changes and disruption to day-to-day life and trade from 11pm on 31 December, deal or no deal.

Back in January the UK committed to a “hard Brexit”, quitting the customs union and the single market. The new year will see the end of 30 years of trading conventions, easy tourist travel and French or Spanish retirement dreams. It also creates potential gaps in policing, funding nightmares for science and a mountain of red tape for heavy industries.

The UK prime minister insisted there is scope for cooperation with the incoming Biden administration as he congratulated the Democrat and his running mate Kamala Harris.

Biden, who has Irish ancestry, has made it clear there will be no agreement on a post-Brexit UK-US trade deal if a no-deal outcome threatens the Good Friday agreement. 

‘There is far more that unites the government of this country and governments in Washington at any stage than divides us,’ Johnson said.

• How Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in the fight for America’s soul – video
  
• Donald Trump’s defeat is wonderful for the world and trouble for Boris Johnson

During a debate between lawmakers on Brexit negotiations, the president of the European council, Charles Michel, has said that while the EU is keen to maintain close links with the UK, Britain cannot expect to 'have your cake and eat it'. 

Michel said it was not reasonable for the UK to want 'access to our single market' while also diverging from standards and regulations when it suited

• UK welcomes Barnier's 'significant' remarks on unlocking Brexit talks
• Follow all the day’s political developments – live

Michael Gove performed a U-turn at the dispatch box in which he praised a ‘constructive move’ by the EU minutes after declaring the talks ‘effectively ended’. Speaking in the Commons, Gove had claimed a litany of failures of the EU to engage in good faith with the UK, but then welcomed the offer by the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, to ‘intensify’ talks

• UK refuses to restart Brexit talks despite EU accepting its demands
  

Theresa May reacted in shock as Michael Gove claimed the UK can 'co-operate more effectively' in many areas over border security outside the EU than 'we ever could inside'. The Conservative former prime minister also appeared to mouth 'utter rubbish' in the Commons, after she accused the government of being 'resigned to the prospect of no deal' and asked the Cabinet Office minister about access to security databases.

Speaking in parliament on Monday, May said neither Gove nor Boris Johnson had mentioned security in recent statements, adding: "Will [Gove] confirm that if the UK walks away with no-deal then our police and law enforcement agencies will no longer have the necessary access to databases, such as PNR (passenger name record), in order to continue to identify and catch criminals and potential terrorists in order to keep us safe?'

 Gove responded that 'significant progress' had been made over security co-operation

PM has told firms to prepare to trade with EU ‘based on simple principles of global free trade’

• Latest Brexit and Covid developments – live

The prime minister claimed that due to the stubborn intransigence of the EU he had to conclude that the “Canada-style” trade deal that he was seeking was not going to be successfully negotiated without a “fundamental” change in Brussels’ negotiating position. He said it was therefore important that business prepare to trade with the EU on the basis of “arrangements that are more like Australia’s, based on simple principles of global free trade”.

In a televised speech, the British prime minister accuses the European Union of being unwilling 'to offer this country the same terms as Canada' and that by 1 January, when the Brexit transition period ends, the UK will be more likely to be entering trade arrangements like those of Australia. Without a 'fundamental change of approach' by the EU, Johnson says trade and security talks in Brussels will not progress

• Boris Johnson tells UK: prepare for a no-deal Brexit

Boris Johnson said 15 October was the deadline, but he might not walk away just yet

Boris Johnson said on 7 September that if there was a lack of agreement by the time EU leaders meet in Brussels on 15 October then he could not see any hope of a deal at all, and both sides should at that stage “accept that and move on”.

Scheduled talks between UK and EU have ended and only 90 days remain until end of transition period

This week the last scheduled talks were held between EU and UK negotiators on a Brexit trade and security deal. Only 90 days remain until the end of the transition period, when Britain will leave the EU’s economic system, deal or no deal.

In the transformed global setting of the COVID-19 pandemic, the major pro-EU groups are coming together to campaign for the UK to agree with the EU to postpone by two years the hard end-date of the UK's exit transition period. Colin Gordon (Oxford for Europe) sets the scene.

The UK has the same rules as the EU right now – but EU rules are evolving continuously under the pressure of technological change. The main Directive about trading securities is about to be examined later this year - as part of the normal review cycle. The UK will not be at the table when the EU debates reversing a key concession to the UK after the Great Financial Crash. Very technical yes, but very significant!

The significance of financial services to the UK economy – two handy factoids:

1. Importance of tax revenues: Britain’s financial services sector contributed a record £75.5bn in tax in 2019, according to a new report on behalf of the City of London Corporation, amounting to 10.5 per cent of all government tax receipts.

Importance of exports of financial services: in 2017, there was a surplus in financial services trade of £44 billion (43% of financial services exports went to the EU). Even after this surplus, the UK still recorded an overall deficit of £73 billion on the balance of international payments that year (or 3.5% of GDP – the largest by far amongst the world’s leading economies).

Background:
At the end of this year, UK financial services firms will lose their “passporting rights” to deliver services into the EU. However, they may be allowed to continue to provide some services if the EU decides that UK regulations are “equivalent”. The draft Council negotiating directive makes it clear that this will be a unilateral decision by the EU – as it has always been for “third countries”. Presently, equivalence does not even apply to banking, but is of huge importance for trading in financial instruments – securities, derivatives etc.

However, the FT has reported – with the aid of a long distance camera shot of the UK’s negotiating documents – that “The British government is demanding the EU sign up to a “permanent equivalence” regime for financial services that will last for “decades to come” to ensure the City of London can maintain access to the European market after Brexit.”  The EU’s chief negotiator – Michel Barnier – responded immediately in striking language “I would like to take this opportunity to make it clear to certain people in the United Kingdom bearing authority that they should not kid themselves about this - there will not be general, open-ended, ongoing equivalence in financial services".

The EU has not forgotten that the City was the epicentre of the Great Financial Crash (GFC) that wrought havoc with the EU’s economy (as well as with the UK’s!). A huge wave of post-Crash legislation ensured that the financial stability of the EU would never be imperilled again. Reviewing this legislation to cope with market changes poses a difficulty for the UK. Maintain “equivalence” with EU rules while they are in a continuous process of evolution: be a “vassal state” OR “take back control” and lose “equivalence” – and thus business.

Specific example: Regulation of trading in financial instruments (MiFID II).

The Investment Services Directive (ISD) of 1993 was a key plank of Mrs Thatcher’s drive to create a single market to rival that of the US. So it was enacted just after the single market came into force in 1992. Major changes in the structure of financial markets occurred in the succeeding decade – driven by technological developments - so MiFID I was enacted in 2004 to respond to this.  In the light of bad experiences in the GFC, the Directive was updated in 2014 as MiFID II. It came into in force in 2018 and, as usual with financial services legislation, is now up for review after two years. So a proposal is due later this year. As the UK is no longer in the EU, it will not be at the negotiating table.

At first glance, some of the initial proposals from the European Securities Market Authority (ESMA) to the European Commission are highly technical tweaks on data reporting. However, discussion is rising about repealing aspects of the “open access” rules of MiFID II for settling derivatives trades – where London has overwhelming dominance at the moment. The scale of these markets is mind-boggling: The notional value of euro-denominated derivatives is about 50 time EU GDP! They are at the heart of the provision of liquidity in securities markets – so correspondingly at the heart of concerns about financial stability in the EU.

The UK pushed hard for MiFID II rules to require exchanges to allow traders to have “open access” to settle their derivative trades at whatever EU-regulated clearing house they chose. As London will soon cease to be subject to EU rules, EU players are now arguing – unsurprisingly - against the continuation of that rule. In time, that could well push market liquidity in euros away from London and into the euro area.

Graham Bishop is Chair of the European Movement National Council. 

By the time you read this, the UK will have formally left the EU. There are no real words to describe the magnitude of this historic mistake and the range of feelings we are all going through. Sandra Khadhouri, Campaigner and Communicator and L4E Committee Member, searches for hope.

As I was in Brussels for business, I was able to pop in to the European Movement International’s (EMI) meeting with Carnegie Europe in the European Parliament last Wednesday. The triggers for the meeting were two-fold: Carnegie has just published its Report on “Six ideas for rejuvenating European democracy” whilst the European Commission that day had formally adopted its Communication on the Conference on the Future of Europe. EMI’s President – Eva Maydell MEP – hosted the event and Commission Vice-President Dubravka Šuica introduced the Commission’s paper.

She was at pains to say that there must be no “pre-judging” of the outcome of such a consultation exercise. The history of these “conferences” is that they acquire a life of their own and massive change can emerge. Could this make the EU become an attraction to British voters again in the fullness of time?

The topic was irresistible after Dave Rowen had introduced his recent survey of Branch Chairs to the National Council two weeks ago.  They put the top priority – by far – for EM (UK) as “promoting the EU, its values and its benefits”, along with “democracy” as a major wish. So it was a great privilege to listen to an author of this new project in the Parliament buildings where the project was launched only in October 2019. The plan is for a formal launch of the Conference on Europe Day – 9^thMay – with completion in 2022 so that the output can be in force and operational for the European Parliament elections in 2024. A demanding timetable if history is any guide!

Are our supporters fully aware of this project? Doubtful. A quick Google search only produced coverage in the FT and Guardian – highlighting the risk that UK media will now cut coverage of the EU down to the bare essentials of the negotiations. I can recommend the free content from Euractiv– and their coverage of the Commission’s launch. We will need access to this calibre of factual journalism as the UK press cuts the news flow from the EU.

The Communication described the Conference as “As a major pan-European democratic exercise, the Conference will be a new public forum for an open, inclusive, transparent and structured debate with citizens around a number of key priorities and challenges.” The scale of the ambition is also clear from the European Parliament’s recent resolution:

 -  European values, fundamental rights and freedoms,

-  Democratic and institutional aspects of the EU,

-  Environmental challenges and the climate crisis,

-  Social justice and equality,

-  Economic and employment issues including taxation,

-  Digital transformation,

-  Security and the role of the EU in the world

Carnegie’s six ideas also illustrate the breadth of the ambition for this project:

• Craft a compelling democratic narrative against the rise in illiberal values.
• Establish a more democratic way to elect European leaders.
• Foster a more transnational form of European party politics.
• Improve direct citizen consultations and democratic participation.
• Embrace a more positive approach to digital democracy that not only manages the risks of new technologies but also harnesses their potential.
• Strengthen public participation through a revamped European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI).

Graham Bishop is the Chairman of The European Movement National Council.

In Greek mythology, the King of the Gods, Zeus, fell in love with a Phoenician princess called Europa. He presented himself in the form of a bull, and whisked her away on his back, as shown in pictures from antiquity.

We know Jo Pye as London4Europe’s Volunteer Coordinator, who energetically manages our Volunteer Support Group. But one of her other many hats is a Bereavement Counsellor for women and families who suffer Early Pregnancy Loss. In this remarkable contribution, she applies what she has learned in that field, to handling the latest outcome of Brexit.

When the history of Brexit is written, the Lib Dems’ decision to let Johnson hold this election will be seen as a key strategic error.

The post Why we lost – and where we go from here appeared first on InFacts.

We can kick Johnson out. So brave the elements and vote for the candidates with the best chance of beating the Tories.

The post 7 reasons to vote Johnson out appeared first on InFacts.

Relying on the WTO for our trade was always a terrible idea. Now that the US president has ripped a hole in it, it’s economic suicide.

The post Trump sabotages Brexiters’ last-ditch safety net appeared first on InFacts.

Good news from YouGov poll is Tory lead is shrinking. Bad news is they are still ahead because too many pro-European votes are being wasted.

The post With a final tactical voting push, we can beat Johnson appeared first on InFacts.

We are one day from decision day. The stakes have never been higher. This is what a victory for the Tories tomorrow will mean. Please circulate this widely - and above all - persuade somebody that a vote for Johnson will not "Get Brexit Done". Andy Pye, L4E Secretary makes a final plea.

The torrent of words, inane slogans repeated ad nauseam, exaggerations, blatant mistruths and inventions might soon be behind us, hopes Richard Wassell, Vice-Chair of London4Europe.

A Tory victory means more chaos. The only way to end the arguments over Brexit and fix our real problems is to vote them out.

The post Johnson won’t stop the chaos – that’s just propaganda appeared first on InFacts.

Johnson yesterday hinted he would axe the licence fee. This had two purposes: cover up his NHS blunder and pummel the BBC into submission.

The post Tories bully BBC because it’s easily cowed appeared first on InFacts.

PM rips off Love Actually in his video but misses out the punch line: “Just because it’s Christmas and at Christmas you tell the truth.”

The post At Christmas you tell the truth, but not if you’re Johnson appeared first on InFacts.

Right-wing press has branded Corbyn unelectable. They are right - he is. Not for the reasons they suggest, but because of simple maths.

The post Don’t worry about voting tactically for Corbyn. He won’t win appeared first on InFacts.

To cover up Johnson’s NHS disaster, Tories fabricate story about Labour activist punching Hancock aide.

The post Tory “punch” propaganda backfires appeared first on InFacts.

Not only is Johnson lying about surrendering to the EU demand for an internal UK border, he isn’t ready to deliver a deal by December 2020.

The post Johnson’s dishonesty and disorganisation on Irish Sea border appeared first on InFacts.

One thing we can all agree about Brexit is our wish for it to end. However, it is hard to identify much further common ground. Some believe the best way to end the uncertainty is to elect a Conservative Government on 12 December, and so get it over with. That is just plain wrong, says Vice-Chair of L4E Nick Hopkinson.

As we prepare to leave the European Union, a £3.5 billion fund to provide equity and grant funding for start-ups in so-called deep tech industries is about to be launched. Andy Pye, technical writer and L4E Secretary is trying not to cry.

What an evening!  Six great local speakers, passionate about the EU, and passionately explaining why.

it comes naturally for us to trust each other. Reciprocal trust is fundamental to the smooth working of the societies in which we live. But untrustworthiness has become so widespread that it is no longer being automatically condemned, argues our correspondent Future of Our Children.

"Make It Stop" or, alternatively, “Make Brexit Stop" are logos you’re bound to see more of over the next few weeks, says Jo Pye, London4Europe's Volunteer Support Coordinator.

Tees4Europe Chair Scott Hunter reflects on Andrew Adonis visiting his group, and how the group's youngest campaigner highlighted the one good thing about Brexit. 

On 16 September, Andrew Adonis kindly agreed to come to address an audience at an event hosted by Tees4Europe. We booked the hall, circulated tickets, picked Andrew up at the station, and   then promptly upstaged him. We had decided that among our other speakers there should be a young person. One name was suggested, and, without asking too many questions, we booked her. Millie, it turns out, was not the sixth former we were expecting. She is 14. It would be an exaggeration to say that at this point that I started to panic, but it certainly had me on edge. But I needn’t have worried.  In the space of five minutes, Millie spoke cogently on just about every Brexit-related topic you could think of. It was a breath-taking performance.  It hasn’t been easy to select highlights to present here, as there were so many, but here goes …

“As an aspiring Royal Navy engineer and somebody with a keen interest in STEM, standing for science, technology, engineering and maths, the effects of leaving the EU on the UK’s defence, military and STEM is of great concern to me. The EU’s member states work together on a number of defence-related issues, such as researching new defence technologies and joint military deployments. The UK contributes financial support to EU security activities, which fund numerous missions such as the combat of piracy off the Horn of Africa and the prevention of human trafficking in the Mediterranean to name but two. Therefore, it worries me deeply that our exit from the EU will damage both the UK’s military and defence, as well as that of the EU. We are stronger together; we are safer together …

“Now, there is one good thing about Brexit. I know, I know, I’ve been talking about what a disaster leaving the EU would be for the last 5 minutes, but don’t panic. In the past, I think young people have viewed politics as something they need to worry about when they’re older, and something for adults to deal with. Since the Brexit referendum, I believe that young people have become increasingly interested and invested in the politics that will affect their futures, and much more willing to make their voices heard…”

And thus Millie Sheridan brought the house down.

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No Deal is not democracy

Despite some awful weather forecasts in the preceding days and the start of the school holidays, big crowds gathered at noon in Park Lane last Saturday. As publicity had been limited everyone was pleasantly surprised by the turnout - given the inevitably short timescale to protest against the seemingly unstoppable coronation of “Boris” -. Yet it was on a scale that enabled us all to march comfortably all the way to Parliament Square and hear the excellent speeches (and music!)

1066 Branch was delighted to have the new EM campaign banner – vividly stating “I’m a European!” It drew great attention as we waited in Park Lane. We were delighted to be joined by three ladies from Bath for Europe to help carry it – essential given the size! While we were waiting, we handed out huge wadges of the new EM leaflets round the March. They flew out of our hands!

A great aura permeated the warm streets of London – with a wonderful feeling of togetherness by an amazingly diverse crowd. But it was tinged with a slightly harder edge this time - people like us will not permit such a folly as Brexit to happen – many banners called for “revolt”.

Together, we marched to Parliament Square and managed to hold up our banner at the foot of the Churchill Statue. Judging by his great European speeches founding the European Movement, he would have approved thoroughly!

Most encouragingly, we Remainers are clearly getting kitted up for demos now – judging by the intensity of flags, hats, whistles etc. The whistling outside Downing Street was almost painful in its intensity. 

Graham Bishop is Vice-Chairman of European Movement UK and Board member of the Kangaroo Group.

Eastbourne European Movement Dinner July 2019

Clive Black was the speaker at our July dinner. He opened his talk by stating that the legal

services sector is a UK success story. It is the second largest legal services market in the

world, the largest within the EU, contributes over £26 billion to the economy and is the

jurisdiction of choice for international commercial transactions, dispute resolution and

arbitration.

Thanks to a series of ground-breaking directives which apply across the EU, law firms and

lawyers are granted many rights including being able to: practice as a solicitor on a

permanent basis, give advice on English, EU & international law, to appear in national and

European courts in conjunction with a local lawyer, and to requalify, without an equivalent

exam, after 3 years of practising host state law. He illustrated this liberating effect by stating

that it is easier for a lawyer qualified in Estonia to set up a legal practice in Portugal than it is

for a lawyer in New York State to set up practice at the California Bar.

He went on to explain the challenges Brexit poses to this remarkable achievement. After

Brexit, these ground-breaking directives which allow so much freedom, will be replaced by a

system whereby the professional bodies such as the Law Society and Bar Council may need

to negotiate with 31 national regimes, lawyers will face challenges over market access and

practice rights, individuals over judicial cooperation and the UK over its global status of

English and Welsh law.

He gave an analysis of the impact of Brexit on a number of scenarios including a ‘no deal’

Brexit which could cost the sector up to £3 billion by 2025. The impact could also mean that

judgements made in UK courts not being enforced in EU countries, consumers not being able

to enforce their contracts in EU states, difficulty in claiming for motor insurance accidents,

loss of cross border co-operation in family law matters and could lead to the end of

collaboration on security and policing. His talk gave a fascinating and informative insight

into the UK legal sector and how it might be impacted by Brexit.

Our next dinner is on 11 September where Prof Anwan-Scully will talk about Brexit and the

Disuniting Kingdom. If you would like to come along please call our Chair, Paula Welch on

07510 851722 or visit www.europeanmovementeastbourne.uk

Tim Bale, Professor of Politics, Queen Mary University of London, was the speaker at our June dinner held at Eastbourne's Hydro Hotel and attended by over 80 members and their guests.

He opened his talk, ‘How to win a second referendum’ by saying that lessons needed to be drawn from the Leave and Remain campaigns of 2016. He looked at the reasons why the Leave campaign had won. In 2016 the campaign was at an immediate advantage following many years of negative messages in the media. Polls showed that the British never felt as European as other EU countries and politicians never made much of an effort to sell the upside of EU membership.

The message of ‘Take Back Control’ was simple and powerful as was the counter message ‘Project Fear’. The outcome of Brexit was deliberately vague so the Remain campaign found it difficult to counter. The Leave campaign was well planned, had charismatic leaders, very good data gathering and technical ability and was clever about using it, targeting people who wouldn’t normally vote.

He then looked at the reasons why the Remain campaign lost. It was predicted that Remain would win and it was just assumed that people would think the economic risk too high. The messages were complex and not easy to get across and the thrust of the campaign was overwhelmingly negative.

The Chancellor’s claim that each person would lose several thousand pounds was not credible. Many businesses did not want to come out publicly on the side of Remain. David Cameron made demands on the EU that were never going to be met. The campaign had no counter attack to the immigration issue. Jeremy Corbyn sat out the campaign and Labour voters were not given the cue from their party and the campaign did not target people who rarely vote.

Finally, he made suggestions that might help any future Remain campaign: use real working people, not celebrities, use simple, powerful messages about people who are disenfranchised, utilise SME rather than big businesses, don’t let outsiders get involved or interfere. The speaker at our next dinner on 10 July 2019 will be Clive Black talking about Brexit and the Business of Law.

If you would like to come along please call our Chair, Paula Welch on 07510 851722 or visit www.europeanmovementeastbourne.uk

Harpenden for Europe, our neighbouring group, organised an event on Tuesday 2 July entitled 'Europe - What next?'. Judith Leary-Joyce, one of St Albans for Europe's founder members, reports on the evening.

On a balmy May evening, European Movement members were invited to an event introducing Lord Heseltine as the new President of European Movement UK, the parent organisation of St Albans for Europe. It took place at Church House just behind Westminster Abbey. Although our group was only set up in 2017, European Movement has been going since 1949, advocating all that time for Britain’s future at the heart of a united Europe. As the Rt Hon Stephen Dorrell, Chair of European Movement explained, Lord Heseltine is in illustrious company – the first President was Sir Winston Churchill and a number of former Prime Ministers from Harold MacMillan to Ted Heath followed.