Tag: European Union

• Tuesday, April 2nd 2019 - 07:28 UTC

  Brexit: Parliament rejects all alternatives; Tuesday urgent cabinet meeting; new vote on Wednesday

  

  Members of Parliament on Monday once again failed to find a majority on any alternative Brexit plan before them, leaving Britain's chaotic path towards leaving the EU mired in uncertainty less than two weeks before its departure date. Brussels has set Britain an Apr 12 deadline to agree to the divorce terms Prime Minister Theresa May has struck with the bloc, find an alternative or crash out of the European Union.

• Monday, April 1st 2019 - 05:59 UTC

  Tories unite to warn Theresa May to forget a snap election to overcome the Brexit gridlock

  

  Tory MPs are warning Theresa May they will resist any attempt by the Prime Minister to call a snap general election in a bid to end the Brexit crisis engulfing the party. MPs from both the pro-Brexit and pro-EU wings of the party warned they could face an electoral disaster if she goes to the country early.

• Saturday, March 30th 2019 - 10:00 UTC

  Brexit: Spain takes over UK maritime duties combating piracy off Somalia

  

  Spain on Friday took over from Britain command of a European Union maritime mission that combats piracy off the coast of Somalia as Britain's planned departure from the bloc nears.

• Saturday, March 30th 2019 - 08:04 UTC

  EU bans use of plastic cutlery and cottons buds by 2021

  

  Single-use plastic items such as straws, forks and knives as well as cotton buds will be banned in the European Union by 2021 following a vote by EU lawmakers last Wednesday as the bloc pushes manufacturers to step up their recycling efforts. 

• Friday, March 29th 2019 - 18:02 UTC

  Chaotic rejection of May's Brexit deal; EU leaders meet on April 10

  

  Members of Parliament have rejected Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement on the day the UK was due to leave the EU. The government lost by 344 votes to 286, a margin of 58. It means the UK has missed an EU deadline to delay Brexit to 22 May and leave with a deal.

• Friday, March 29th 2019 - 08:41 UTC

  EU free trade deals that UK has rolled over are “incomplete”, claim think tanks

  

  The EU free-trade deals that the UK government has managed to roll over are “incomplete”, say trade experts. The UK Trade Policy Observatory told Newsnight the deals cannot guarantee trade will continue for British companies in a no-deal Brexit.

• Friday, March 29th 2019 - 08:12 UTC

  On supposed official Brexit departure day, Commons expected to vote withdrawal agreement

  

  MPs will be asked to vote again on Brexit on Friday but only on part of the deal negotiated with the EU. They will vote on the withdrawal agreement on the Irish “backstop”, divorce bill and citizens' rights. But it will not amount to a third “meaningful vote” on the deal, as it will not include a vote on the UK's future relationship with the EU.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2019 - 08:42 UTC

  Petition with 5.75 million signatures calling for cancelling Brexit will be debated next Monday in Parliament

  

  The British government has officially responded to the record-breaking petition calling for Brexit to be canceled, which will be debated by MPs next week. The petition, which has passed more than 5.75m signatures has been scheduled for debate on Monday, 1 April along with two other Brexit petitions.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2019 - 08:27 UTC

  Poll shows 80% of UK think government has handled Brexit negotiations badly

  

  More than 80% of the country think the British government has handled the Brexit negotiations badly, a new poll suggests. A survey by NatCen Social Research found that just 7% of Britons thought ministers had done a good job in the talks, while 81% said they were handling them badly.

• Wednesday, March 27th 2019 - 08:19 UTC

  Brexit's quandary: Euro-skeptics could still support Mrs. May's deal

  

  British Prime Minister Theresa May will address her Conservative lawmakers on Wednesday, possibly to set out a timetable for her departure in a last throw of the dice to win support for her twice-rejected Brexit deal in parliament. At her weakest after parliament on Monday seized control of Brexit, May has yet to give up hope of winning approval for her deal to leave the European Union, which she says is the only way of ensuring an orderly exit that will protect the economy.