Connect with us

Published

on

There is a “lot of work to do” and a “big gap” remains between the UK and EU over the Northern Ireland Protocol, the Brexit minister has said.

Speaking as he arrived in Brussels for talks with his EU counterpart Maros Sefcovic, Lord Frost told reporters he was “looking forward to good discussions”.

“There’s a lot of work to do because there are gaps between us,” he said.

Referring to the EU’s proposals to vastly cut customs checks and paperwork associated with the protocol, Lord Frost added that the bloc has “definitely made an effort in pushing beyond where they typically go in these areas and we’re quite encouraged by that”.

But he continued: “There is still quite a big gap and that’s what we’ve got to work through today and in the future.”

He reiterated the UK’s view that the role of the European Court of Justice should be removed from the protocol, saying: “The governance arrangements as we have them don’t work.

“We need to take the court out of the system as it is now and we need to find a better way forward.”

More on Brexit

The protocol is a key part of the Brexit deal struck between London and Brussels and is designed to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland.

As part of the arrangement, Northern Ireland remains under some EU rules and there are checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain.

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

But having negotiated and signed up to the arrangement, the UK has now put forward proposals to change it.

Earlier this week, the EU proposed to cut 80% of checks on some goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland in an effort to defuse the row over the protocol.

Continue Reading

Politics

Sir Keir Starmer says next election will be ‘open fight’ between Labour and Reform

Published

on

By

Sir Keir Starmer says next election will be 'open fight' between Labour and Reform

Sir Keir Starmer has said the next election will be an “open fight” between Labour and Reform UK.

The prime minister, speaking at a conference alongside the leaders of Canada, Australia and Iceland, said the UK is “at a crossroads”.

“There’s a battle for the soul of this country, now, as to what sort of country do we want to be?” he said.

“Because that toxic divide, that decline with Reform, it’s built on a sense of grievance.”

It is the first time Sir Keir has explicitly said the next election would be a straight fight between his party and Reform – and comes the day before the Labour conference begins.

Just hours before, after Sky News revealed Nigel Farage is on course to replace him, as a seat-by-seat YouGov poll found an election held tomorrow would result in a hung parliament, with Reform winning 311 seats – just 15 short of the 326 needed to win overall.

Once the Speaker, whose seat is unopposed, and Sinn Fein MPs, who do not sit in parliament, are accounted for, no other party would be able to secure more MPs, so Reform would lead the government.

More on Reform Uk

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

YouGov: Farage set to be next PM

Sir Keir said there is a “right-wing proposition” the UK has not had before, as it has been decades of either a Labour or Tory government, “pitched usually pretty much on the centrepiece of politics, the centre ground of politics”.

The PM said Reform and its leader, Mr Farage, provide a “very different proposition” of “patriotic national renewal” under Labour and a “toxic divide”.

He described his Labour government of being “capable of expressing who and what we are as a country accurately and in a way where people feel they’re valued and they belong, and that we can actually move forward together”.

Sir Keir referenced a march down Whitehall two weeks ago, organised by Tommy Robinson, as having “sent shivers through the spines of many communities well away from London”.

Elon Musk appeared via videolink at the rally and said “violence is coming to you”, prompting accusations of inciting violence.

Read more:
Starmer reveals digital ID plan
Davey warns Farage wants to turn Britain into ‘Trump’s America’

The PM said Reform presents a 'toxic divide
Image:
The PM said Reform presents a ‘toxic divide

The prime minister said the choice for voters at the next election, set to be in 2029, “is not going to be the traditional Labour versus Conservative”.

“It’s why I’ve said the Conservative Party is dead,” he added.

“Centre-right parties in many European countries have withered on the vine and the same is happening in this country.”

Reacting to Sir Keir’s comments, a Reform UK spokesman said: “For decades, the British people have been betrayed by both Labour and the Conservatives.

“People have voted election after election for lower taxes and controlled immigration, instead, both parties have done the opposite.

“The public are now waking up to the fact Starmer is just continuing the Tory legacy of high taxes and mass immigration.”

Continue Reading

Politics

Stablecoin boom risks ‘cryptoization’ as fragmented rules leave economies exposed — Moody’s

Published

on

By

Stablecoin boom risks ‘cryptoization’ as fragmented rules leave economies exposed — Moody’s

Stablecoin boom risks ‘cryptoization’ as fragmented rules leave economies exposed — Moody’s

Moody’s warns “cryptoization” is undermining monetary policy and bank deposits in emerging markets amid uneven regulatory oversight.

Continue Reading

Politics

Ether supercycle debate, Circle reversibility plan and Aster’s surge: Finance Redefined

Published

on

By

Ether supercycle debate, Circle reversibility plan and Aster’s surge: Finance Redefined

Ether supercycle debate, Circle reversibility plan and Aster’s surge: Finance Redefined

Wall Street adoption may catalyze the first “supercycle” extending Ether’s price appreciation beyond the traditional four-year cycle, according to the largest corporate ETH holder.

Continue Reading

Trending