Disagreement with Britain’s decision to quit the European Union has reached its highest point since the 2016 Brexit referendum, according to a new UK poll. The YouGov survey found 47% of voters thought the decision to leave was wrong, against just 40% who said it was the right thing to do – the widest margin since the weekly survey began two years ago.
Theresa May has been hit with fresh Conservative attacks on her leadership as she attempts to steer the UK through Brexit. Former Cabinet Minister Priti Patel accused the Prime Minister and Chancellor Philip Hammond of “negativity” as they attempt to lead the country out of the European Union.
Anti-Brexit billionaire George Soros has urged the EU to transform itself into an association that countries like Britain would want to join. Soros said in a speech that Brexit was an immensely damaging process for both sides that would probably take more than five years to sort out. He warned the EU was facing an existential crisis on several fronts.
The City has “huge concern” over the Brexit political debate being dominated by tariffs and goods rather than the UK’s majority services sector, a shadow minister has said. Labor’s Jonathan Reynolds said that any deal which does not cover services “is clearly a very bad deal for the UK”, noting that there was a “fairly hard ball position being played by the EU”.
Nicola Sturgeon has raised Scottish concerns over Brexit in a meeting with chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier. The first minister said they held a “constructive and positive discussion” during her trip to Brussels. She said she told Mr Barnier that the Scottish government believed the UK should remain within the customs union and single market after leaving the EU.
Britain's leaders are facing increasing calls to take action to loosen abortion restrictions in Northern Ireland after the Republic of Ireland's landmark referendum in favor of doing so, but complex political realities may make quick action difficult.
The European Union’s Brexit negotiator has called for “realism” over the terms of the future relationship between the UK and Brussels. Michel Barnier’s comments came after claims from EU officials that Britain has a “fantasy” approach to the talks sparked anger.
The UK food and farming industry wants assurances from the government that it will still be able to recruit enough staff from the EU after Brexit. The demand came as part of a manifesto drawn up by more than 100 organizations across the industry and sent to the PM. It urges the government to publish a white paper setting out its immigration plans as a matter of priority.
Chancellor Philip Hammond has criticized claims from European Union officials that Britain has a “fantasy” approach to Brexit negotiations. Mr Hammond insisted that talks with EU officials were “constructive” after reports from the continent that Britain was being “unrealistic” and little progress made in discussions in recent days.
Most voters are in favor of the Union but believe Brexit has made the break-up of the United Kingdom more likely, polling has found. In England, 68% of adults backed the UK status quo followed by 66% in Wales, 59% in Northern Ireland and 52% in Scotland, according to the ICM research. But across the four nations, up to six out of 10 voters said Britain’s exit from the European Union had increased the prospect of the UK splitting up.