The process of an independent Scotland rejoining the European Union could be relatively speedy, a senior German MEP has said. Elmar Brok said there would be few technical obstacles to overcome if the political will was there to allow it to happen.
MPs have warned about the UK and the EU failing to reach a Brexit agreement, urging the government to work out how much no deal would cost. The Brexit committee said ministers' claim that no deal is better than a bad deal was unsubstantiated until an economic assessment was published. But the report divided the cross-party committee, with some members saying it was too pessimistic about Brexit.
Deutsche Bank has committed to moving to a new office in London, at a time when banks are assessing their place in the capital ahead of Brexit. Germany's biggest lender is in exclusive talks for a 25-year lease on a new building.
Spain’s Foreign Minister, Alfonso Dastis, has told a leading German newspaper that Madrid will not be taking “any type of punitive measures” at the border with Gibraltar after Brexit. Dastis has made similar statements in recent days to Spanish media, but his comments to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung are the first time he has spoken about the border to the international media.
London’s powerhouse financial sector finds itself at a critical juncture with Article 50 about to be triggered, as the Square Mile braces itself for a jobs exodus and the potential loss of European trading rights following Brexit. City bosses and politicians have called on the UK Government to secure a transitional deal for the industry to prevent companies pre-empting uncertainty by upping sticks to rival financial centres across the globe.
The head of UK opposition and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said Prime Minister Theresa May’s plans for Brexit were potentially “reckless and damaging”.
In a press conference in Brussels, following the hand-delivered letter, EC president Donald Tusk sent a message to the UK: “We already miss you. Thank you and goodbye.”
Prime Minister Theresa May has kicked off the two-year process of Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union in what she said was “an historic moment from which there can be no turning back”. Minutes after a letter informing the European Council of the UK’s intention to leave, Mrs May told the House of Commons that the Government was acting on “the democratic will of the British people” expressed in last year’s referendum vote for Brexit.
Prime Minister Theresa May on Tuesday signed the historic letter that will launch Brexit when it is delivered to Brussels on Wednesday, a photo released by her office showed. Sitting in front of a lone Union Jack national flag and a portrait of Britain’s first prime minister, Robert Walpole, a serene-looking May signed the letter to begin the country’s departure from the European Union.
Prime Minister Theresa May will meet Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland later on Monday for the first time since the SNP announced their proposals for a second independence referendum. At the beginning of a week that will see Article 50 triggered on Wednesday, the PM will say she wants to build a more united nation.