Italy’s two anti-establishment parties promised on Friday to ramp up spending in a program for a new coalition government, putting them on a collision course with the European Union despite having dropped some of their most radical proposals.
A cross-party group of UK parliamentarians is in Gibraltar on a two-day working visit. The visit takes place against the backdrop of the negotiations for the United Kingdom and Gibraltar to leave the European Union, which means that it will centre on Brexit issues.
Britain is the largest contributor to security collaboration in the EU, a former spy chief has said. Ex-MI5 director general Lord Evans of Weardale highlighted the UK’s input on information flows and expertise. He told a Lords Committee there was a “mutual benefit” from co-operation with Europe on security.
Brazil on Wednesday lashed out at a demand by former European leaders for disgraced ex-president Lula da Silva to be allowed to take part in elections this year. A group of former EU left leaning leaders, including French ex-president Francois Holland and Spanish former prime minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, called Lula's imprisonment for corruption hurried and said he should be free to present himself before Brazilian voters.
The European Union warned Britain time was running out to seal a Brexit deal this autumn and ensure London does not crash out of the bloc next March adding to pressure on Prime Minister Theresa May. But Mrs May’s spokesman said the “focus is on getting this right” rather than meeting a deadline.
A majority of Welsh assembly members have given their consent to a controversial Brexit bill. It follows the UK and Welsh governments reaching agreement on changes to the EU Withdrawal Bill after months of talks. Labour, Welsh Conservative and UKIP AMs supported the Welsh Government's position in a heated debate on Tuesday, while Plaid Cymru opposed the move.
Thomson Reuters, which operates trading systems for financial institutions around the world, is moving its foreign exchange derivatives trading business to Dublin from London. The company said it was moving so that post-Brexit it would still be regulated by European Union rules and could continue to sell into the EU.
Peers should not undermine the will of those who voted Brexit, a senior minister has said after the UK Government suffered 14 defeats over key legislation. Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom said the Lords has made significant improvements to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill, which transfers EU law into UK law, linked to devolution.
United Kingdom ministers are unilaterally considering stopping EU access to the Galileo satellite earth station in the Falklands and Ascension, according to reports in the UK press. The move comes after Brussels chief Brexit negotiator, Michael Barnier, stated that UK companies would have to be excluded from the development of sensitive Galileo infrastructure following Brexit due to security concerns.
President Sergio Mattarella on Monday suggested the formation of a 'neutral' government to rule until the end of this year after a third round of consultations failed to produce to way out of Italy's post-election political deadlock.