UK Brexit Secretary David Davis will travel to Paris on Monday for talks days after French President Emmanuel Macron suggested Britain would need to up its divorce payment offer to unlock trade negotiations. Davis will have dinner with French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian in the UK’s latest attempt to jump-start withdrawal talks with the European Union.
Prime minister Theresa May has repeated that the unique circumstances of North Ireland will require a specific Brexit solution. It is vital that joint work on the peace process is not affected in any way, it is too important for that, said PM May in Brussels after a meeting of EU leaders.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave Theresa May a Brexit boost as EU leaders gathered for a summit in Brussels, saying there were “encouraging” signs that talks on the future UK/EU trade relationship could begin as early as December.
The UK Government’s plans for Brexit are “in paralysis”, Labour claimed amid speculation crucial legislation will be delayed again. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer said there was “chaos at the heart of Government” over the approach to leaving the European Union.
Prime Minister Theresa May has made clear that she is not expecting a Brexit breakthrough at this week’s summit of EU leaders, describing it as an opportunity to “take stock” of progress so far. Mrs. May said she would be setting out “ambitious plans” for further negotiations in the weeks ahead, and said she wanted to inject a new “urgency” into discussions on the post-Brexit rights of EU citizens living in the UK and Britons on the continent.
The Creative Industries Federation (CIF) said the £87bn a year the sector generated for the economy was at risk if immigration was restricted. The sector relies heavily on freelance staff, many of whom are from the EU, and the CIF is urging the government to negotiate free movement of UK and EU workers for short-term projects.
The UK's key inflation rate hit its highest for more than five years in September, driven up by increases in transport and food prices. The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) climbed to 3%, a level it last reached in April 2012, and up from 2.9% in August. The pick-up in inflation raises the likelihood of an increase in interest rates - currently 0.25% - next month.
Reversing the Brexit process would boost the UK economy, the international economic body, the OECD has said. A new referendum or a change of government leading to the UK staying within the EU would have a significant positive impact on growth, the OECD said.
Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, announced on Friday it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the UK’s Department for International Trade (DIT) that aims to enhance cooperation to promote foreign direct investment between Brazil and the UK.
The Newton Fund, a UK Government initiative, has announced the opening of applications for scientific researchers of six Latin American countries (among them, Argentina) to take part in regional workshops on biodiversity or travel grants to the United Kingdom.