Tag: European Union

• Thursday, June 30th 2016 - 15:32 UTC

  Scotland pleads to stay in the EU but Spain rejected the idea: “if UK leaves, Scotland leaves”

  

  Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon pleaded her case in Brussels on Wednesday for Scots to stay in the EU, showing how Britain's vote to leave the bloc could splinter the United Kingdom. But she drew a rebuff from Spain and a mixed response from European officials.

• Monday, June 27th 2016 - 08:07 UTC

  Berlin and Paris in “full agreement”; Merkel aide says politicians in London should take time to reconsider Brexit

  

  German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande said on Sunday they are in “full agreement” on how to handle the fallout from the UK's decision to leave the European Union. Hollande warned that “separated, we run the risk of divisions, dissension and quarrels”.

• Friday, June 24th 2016 - 19:15 UTC

  Spanish caretaker minister calls for Gibraltar joint sovereignty, following Brexit

  

  The Spanish government has called for joint sovereignty over Gibraltar in the wake of the UK's vote to leave the EU. The British overseas territory of 30,000 voted overwhelmingly for remain, with 95.9% opting to stay in the union.

• Friday, June 24th 2016 - 08:07 UTC

  Vote Leave Chief and ex London mayor expected to go for PM Cameron post

  

  When Boris Johnson announced in February that he would back the UK campaign to Leave the European Union, it transformed the debate. Johnson is popular with the public and within his party. By becoming the official head of Vote Leave, he gave the weight of the establishment to a campaign previously spear-headed by fringe political figures such as Nigel Farage and George Galloway.

• Friday, June 24th 2016 - 07:43 UTC

  “Leave” win tremors: sterling falls; Bank of England on full alert; “EUexit” domino calls

  

  The UK has voted on Thursday, 23 June, to leave the European Union after 43 years in a historic referendum. Leave won by 51,9% to 48,1% with England and Wales voting strongly for Brexit, while London, Scotland and Northern Ireland backed staying in the EU.

• Wednesday, June 22nd 2016 - 04:59 UTC

  Brexit: Investor Soros anticipates sterling would “decline precipitously”

  

  Legendary investor George Soros has warned of “serious consequences” for British jobs and finances if the country leaves the EU. Writing in The Guardian, he said sterling would “decline precipitously” if the Leave camp won Thursday's vote.

• Wednesday, June 22nd 2016 - 04:33 UTC

  Brexit: The apocalypse

  

  By Gwynne Dyer - How’s this for apocalyptic? “As a historian I fear Brexit [a British vote to leave the European Union in the referendum on June 23] could be the beginning of the destruction of not only the EU but also Western political civilization in its entirety,” said Donald Tusk, the president of the European Union, in an interview published on Monday in the German newspaper Bild.

• Monday, June 20th 2016 - 05:34 UTC

  France wants strong immediate action from European Council if UK votes Leave

  

  French economy minister Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday the EU should act quickly and firmly if Britain votes next week to leave the European Union. Britain’s EU referendum will be held on Thursday, with an EU summit set for a few days later on June 28 at which Macron said EU leaders should take a firm stand with regard to the UK.

• Thursday, June 16th 2016 - 06:55 UTC

  Germany warns Brexit could lead to the European block's disintegration

  

  If the United Kingdom votes to leave the EU next week, the move could ultimately lead to the bloc's disintegration, Germany's foreign minister has warned. Frank-Walter Steinmeier was speaking near Berlin after talks with his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault.

• Wednesday, June 15th 2016 - 07:54 UTC

  Brexit debate escalates: Remains warn of a fiscal “black hole”; Vote Leave slams “hysterical prophecies”

  

  UK Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne says he will have to slash public spending and increase taxes in an emergency Budget to tackle a £30bn “black hole” if the UK votes to leave the European Union. The chancellor will say this could include raising income and inheritance taxes and cutting the NHS budget.