Scotland’s Brexit Secretary has said there is no prospect of the UK becoming a “glorious trading nation” after leaving the European Union. But Michael Russell also said if no deal is reached with the EU, the result would be “chaos” and accused the Government of pursuing a “fantasy”.
The UK has set out how it could operate as an independent trading nation after Brexit, even if no trade deal is reached with Brussels. Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs real and tangible progress had been made in Brexit talks, but the country must be prepared for every eventuality. However Labour said no real progress has been made since last June's referendum.
Nicola Sturgeon has said Scotland and Ireland are allies in the Brexit negotiations. Scotland's first minister told business leaders in Dublin she will argue for the Irish border to remain open in the wake of the UK's split from Europe. She added the Republic and Scotland were united on virtually every issue of substance relating to Brexit.
North Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, DUP, has dismissed a suggestion that agri-food trade could be regulated on an all-Ireland basis after Brexit. Agri-food is a particular challenge to the no hard border policy because of strict EU rules on food imports.
German companies with a presence in the UK should be planning for a very hard Brexit, Germany's biggest industry body has warned. German industry looked with concern at the progress of the Brexit talks, said the boss of the Federation of German Industries (BDI), Joachim Lang. Britain is lacking a clear concept despite talking a lot, he added.
United Kingdom and Europe must agree on a Brexit transition deal by Christmas or risk banks triggering their contingency plans, the Bank of England has warned. Deputy governor Sam Woods said that while the UK is committed to a implementation period, the EU's position is not yet clear.
When the Brexit referendum result was announced last June, I was working on the Turks and Caicos Islands, one of the UK’s overseas territories in the Caribbean. A collection of about 40 tropical islands, of which eight are inhabited, people there were shocked at the result. They were annoyed they hadn’t had a chance to vote, and concerned about their future.
Businesses need more clarity on Brexit, the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, has acknowledged. Speaking at the BBC's Today program he said the sooner the government gave businesses more certainty about the process, the sooner the economy would pick up.
European Parliament's Brexit coordinator has said he got a shock on his recent visit to Belfast when he saw the city's peace walls. Guy Verhofstadt described Northern Ireland as having a frozen conflict, and said the Good Friday Agreement must not be damaged by Brexit.
One of the reasons for the Brexit vote was working class voters throwing a bit of a tantrum over immigration, UK government minister Sir Alan Duncan claimed before an audience in Chicago. He said the campaign had stirred up a lot of sentiment about migration among people who do not usually vote.