Tag: Northern Ireland

• Tuesday, January 29th 2019 - 09:00 UTC

  EU mocks UK parliament: withdrawal agreement debate was “uninhibited by any knowledge” of what it actually contained

  

  There is a high risk of the UK crashing out of the EU without a deal by accident, the EU's deputy chief negotiator Sabine Weyand has said. She added there was “full ownership of what was agreed” in the EU, but “no ownership” of it in the UK Parliament. And it was a challenge to see how a majority for any deal could be built among MPs, she added.

• Thursday, January 24th 2019 - 09:04 UTC

  Mrs. May commits peace and reconciliation funds for Northern Ireland, regardless of Brexit

  

  The British government will remain committed to funding peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland regardless of Brexit, the prime minister has said. Theresa May made the pledge in a letter to “reassure” the DUP. It comes amidst strains in the relationship over the border backstop.

• Monday, January 21st 2019 - 07:58 UTC

  Theresa May back to Parliament to explain her next moves

  

  Theresa May will try to convince Tory Brexiteers and DUP MPs to back her withdrawal deal by resolving Irish backstop concerns, Cabinet sources say. Last week, Mrs May said she would focus on cross-party talks to get a Brexit deal accepted by Parliament.

• Thursday, January 17th 2019 - 09:01 UTC

  McDonald's defeated by Irish rival over the rights to the “Big Mac” name

  

  McDonald's has been defeated in a trademark dispute over its rights to the “Big Mac” name brought by a tiny Irish rival called Supermac's. The European Union Intellectual Property Office, EUPO, ruled that McDonald's did not have the exclusive right to “Big Mac” trademark in Europe, after McDonald's tried to use it to stop the Irish chain from expanding into Europe.

• Tuesday, January 15th 2019 - 09:19 UTC

  Ireland's Sinn Féin attends Maduro's inauguration and praises Venezuelan election

  

  A Sinn Féin MLA has defended his attendance at the inauguration of the Venezuelan president and denied that the election was fraudulent. Nicolas Maduro was sworn in for a second term as Venezuela's president last Thursday.

• Saturday, January 5th 2019 - 08:48 UTC

  North Irish couple plan to share their £115m EuroMillions win with 50 people

  

  A couple from Northern Ireland have made a list of 50 people with whom they intend to share their £115m EuroMillions win. Frances and Patrick Connolly, who live in Moira, County Down, matched the winning numbers in the New Year's Day draw. It is the fourth biggest UK EuroMillions win and the biggest in NI.

• Saturday, January 5th 2019 - 08:27 UTC

  May's coalition allies insist: “no way” DUP will support the current Brexit deal

  

  There is “no way” the Democratic Unionist Party will back Theresa May's Brexit deal, a leading figure has said. Sammy Wilson told the BBC he was “more alarmed” than ever about what the deal would mean for Northern Ireland.

• Tuesday, December 11th 2018 - 08:29 UTC

  Operation to rescue Brexit deal: PM May flies to Holland, Germany and Brussels

  

  Theresa May will meet European leaders and EU officials later for talks aimed at rescuing her Brexit deal. She will hold talks with Dutch PM Mark Rutte and Germany's Angela Merkel after postponing MPs' final vote on the deal. The UK PM has said she needs “further assurances” about the Northern Ireland border plan to get Commons backing.

• Wednesday, November 14th 2018 - 08:54 UTC

  UK/EU Brexit announce “technical” breakthrough, but now it faces the political hurdle

  

  UK and EU officials have agreed the draft text of a Brexit agreement after months of negotiations. A cabinet source told the BBC that the document has been agreed at a technical level by officials from both sides after intensive discussions this week. A special cabinet meeting will be held at 14:00 GMT on Wednesday as Theresa May seeks ministers' backing.

• Saturday, November 10th 2018 - 09:00 UTC

  British minister resigns and calls for the public to have a fresh say on Brexit

  

  Jo Johnson has quit as Britain's transport minister and called for the public to have a fresh say on Brexit. The MP, who is Boris Johnson's brother but voted Remain in the referendum, said the deal being negotiated with the EU “will be a terrible mistake”.