British Prime Minister Theresa May is in Japan for a round of trade and security talks. During her stay, the Mrs. May will hope to further along progress over an ambitious trade deal with Japan ready for when Britain quits the European Union.
Shared economic interests must be a priority in the Brexit negotiations, UK and German trade bodies have urged. The British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) and the Association of German Chambers of Commerce (DIHK) said uncertainty over business critical issues such as workers' rights, tax and customs arrangements needed to be tackled.
The UK has been told by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator that it needs to take withdrawal talks “seriously”. Michel Barnier used the opening of a third round of talks in Brussels on Monday to insist that London must end “ambiguity” regarding key positions like the Brexit divorce bill.
Labour would keep the UK in the EU single market and customs union for a transitional period after leaving the EU, the party has said. Shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer clarified Labor's position on leaving the EU in The Observer.
Brexit Secretary David Davis is heading for a Brussels showdown, with a demand for the European Commission to be more “flexible” in negotiations on the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. With the third round of formal talks beginning on Bank Holiday Monday in the Belgian capital, Davis is pushing for EU negotiator Michel Barnier to be less rigid in his refusal to discuss the post-Brexit relationship between the UK and Europe.
Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has given a cautious welcome to a change of emphasis from Labour on Brexit, which has said it would advocate the UK remaining within the EU's single market and the customs union for a transitional period.
Former Irish President Mary McAleese has said she would be heartbroken if Brexit meant she would have to show an identity card when crossing the border. She fears checks between NI and the Republic of Ireland are an inevitable consequence of the UK leaving the EU.
Nearly 30,000 EU nationals applied to become British citizens in the 12 months after last summer's Brexit vote - almost double the number of the previous year. Home Office statistics show 28,502 such applications between July 2016 and June 2017, up 80% from 15,871 in 2015-16. The total number of applications, from all nationalities, fell by 8%.
The UK will seek new arrangements with the EU in order to allow for the continued free flow of personal data, according to a government paper. Many UK businesses and law enforcement agencies rely on EU data.
Net migration has fallen to the lowest level for three years after a surge in the number of EU nationals leaving the UK since last June's Brexit vote. Net migration - the difference between those entering and leaving the UK - fell 81,000 to 246,000 in the year to March 2017.