Tag: Brexit negotiations

Trade unions involved in discussing a possible workers’ rights package, which the government hopes will help some Labour MPs support its Brexit deal, said they had yet to see anything from ministers they could support. Union sources said they would want to see the government commit to putting future protection for workers’ rights in the Brexit agreement struck with the European Union, rather than in UK legislation that could be repealed by a future government. They said May had shown no sign of taking on board their concerns about existing labour market regulation, under which, according to one official, an average UK employer “can expect a visit from an enforcement agency once every 500 years”. The prime minister met several union leaders last week, including Len McCluskey, the Unite general secretary who is a key supporter of Jeremy Corbyn; the Unison leader, Dave Prentis; and Frances O’Grady, who heads the TUC. Union officials held meetings with civil servants on Thursday. So far, the government has said only that parliament would be able to vote on whether such improvements should be matched. The ministers have also been talking to Labour backbenchers in leave-supporting areas, including John Mann, in the hope of getting at least a dozen to back May’s deal and make up for the lost votes of Tory Brexiters who will not support any deal May strikes with the EU. Ian Lavery, Labour’s chair, said backbenchers should be careful about talking to the government, and that the prime minister was trying “the last move in the well-thumbed Tory playbook: divide and rule”. Quite simply, taking such a bribe would be fool’s gold,” he wrote in an article for Labour List. The prime minister’s spokesman declined to give any details about the plans, but said any such initiative would cover “every part of the country” that needed investment, not just mining areas.

It’s a slow sunrise over the Clyde Marina in Ardrossan, on Scotland’s west coast, where Alistair Roberts is fitting the wheelhouse in his new fishing boat, Guide Them. “It’s the first boat to be built on the Clyde for 14 years,” he says, proudly. Why did the fishing industry vote for Brexit? “The transport has to be very quick,” says Ronald Scordia, the managing director at Angelbond, which processes Roberts’ prawn catch. But we don’t know what the new customs paperwork will be, especially for live produce. Indeed, accompanying the debate around Brexit have been calls for the Scottish government to seize the initiative in reforming domestic quota allocation, and consider options such as Norwegian-style community quotas or regional management. Whyte is blunt about one of the looming threats for her members: protests by French fishermen if the UK crashes out with no deal, resulting in an immediate cessation of EU access to British waters. “Most countries are not in the EU and doing perfectly well.” He urges perspective on tariffs, quotas and even direct action. Given the urgency of transporting live catch, Whyte has discussed contingency planning with colleagues. Fishing in numbers 462,000 tonnes: total weight of fish landed by vessels registered in Scotland in 2017 £561m: total fishing income by vessels registered in Scotland in 2017, representing 58% of UK fishing income £1.32bn: total fish exports from UK to EU in 2017 Zero: there are currently no plans to charge for the checking and validation of a UK export catch certificate

Philip Hammond tells business no-deal Brexit will be stopped Read more In a letter to Corbyn on Thursday afternoon, written after the Labour leader dismissed her request for talks as a “stunt”, May said that she would be “happy to discuss” the Labour leader’s ideas. Referring to Corbyn’s instruction to Labour MPs not to meet with her, May asked: “Is it right to ask your MPs not to seek a solution with the government?” The proposed talks have been stymied by Corbyn’s insistence that a no-deal must be ruled out as a precondition and May’s insistence that doing so would not be workable. A number of Labour MPs have defied their leader’s instruction not to engage in discussions designed to find a plan that might command a majority. After the defeat of the no- confidence motion where does Brexit go from here? Could involve input from Brussels Revised deal presented to Commons on 21 January; MPs may table amendments MPs vote on revised deal and amendments on 29 January Parliament approves deal Parliament rejects deal UK leaves the EU on these terms on 29 March A rejected deal would probably lead to at least one of the following, any of which could take place at any time until 29 March ... Labour tables a second vote of no confidence Labour moves to support a further referendum Theresa May resigns or is forced out UK asks the EU for an extension on Article 50 ... the outcome of one, or possibly more of these events is unknown, but could potentially lead to ... New deal Could happen if EU enters into new negotiations and parliament accepts new deal No Brexit Possibly as a result of a second referendum No deal This will happen on 29 March if no deal can be reached After the defeat of the no- confidence motion where does Brexit go from here? Could involve input from Brussels Revised deal presented to Commons on 21 January; MPs may table amendments MPs vote on revised deal and amendments on 29 January UK leaves the EU on these terms on 29 March Parliament approves deal Parliament rejects deal A rejected deal would probably lead to at least one of the following, any of which could take place at any time until 29 March ... Labour tables a second vote of no confidence Labour moves to support a further referendum Theresa May resigns or is forced out UK asks the EU for an extension on Article 50 ... the outcome of one, or possibly more of these events is unknown, but could potentially lead to ... No Brexit Possibly as a result of a second referendum New deal Could happen if EU enters into new negotiations and parliament accepts new deal No deal This will happen on 29 March if no deal can be reached Cross-party talks held to inform ‘Plan B’ deal. Could involve input from Brussels Revised deal presented to Commons on 21 January; MPs may table amendments UK leaves the EU on these terms on 29 March MPs vote on revised deal and amendments on 29 January Parliament approves deal Parliament rejects deal After the defeat of the no- confidence motion where does Brexit go from here? A rejected deal would probably lead to at least one of the following, any of which could take place at any time until 29 March ... Labour tables a second vote of no confidence Labour moves to support a further referendum UK asks the EU for an extension on Article 50 Theresa May resigns or is forced out ... the outcome of one, or possibly more of these events is unknown, but could potentially lead to ... No Brexit Possibly as a result of a second referendum New deal Could happen if EU enters into new negotiations and parliament accepts new deal No deal This will happen on 29 March if no deal can be reached “The PM has set out over the course of many months now what she believes the British people voted for, and what she believes is necessary to honour the referendum. She stands by those principles.” On the specific issue of a customs union, which is a key demand of both Labour and backers of a Norway-style softer Brexit, he said: “The PM is absolutely clear on the importance of having an independent trade policy in order to honour the result of the referendum.” Members of the customs union cannot strike their own trade deals. May met Labour backbenchers and spoke to trade union leaders in the run-up to Tuesday’s vote to discuss beefing up workers’ rights in the hope of winning over support for her deal.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit plan went down to an historic defeat in Parliament on Tuesday. Members of Parliament belonging to May's Conservative Party feared that if they voted down her government, it would trigger a general election and open the door to Jeremy Corbyn and his opposition Labour Party taking control of the government. If she can find consensus, she could go back to Brussels and ask for concessions, one of which would likely focus on resolution of a major sticking point in Brexit negotiations — the border between Ireland and Northern Ireland. Although May insists she won't, she could try to let the clock wind down toward the March 29 deadline to leave the European Union and use the threat of a no-deal Brexit — a prospect most Britons dread because of the economic disruption it would likely cause — to force Parliament to pass a version of her plan. But that would enrage hard-line Brexiteers in her own party and would require support from other parties in Parliament. In short, the prime minister has no good options — only bad and worse. The EU is not happy that Britain's prime minister can't get the Brexit deal — on which both the EU and U.K. agreed — through her own Parliament. Still, Brussels does not want a no-deal Brexit because it would hurt EU economies. The EU and May's government have agreed to what they call temporary arrangements to avoid a "hard" border, at least until the two sides can reach a final agreement. What is the possibility of a second referendum?

Is there enough support in the Commons for a second referendum? Not at the moment, but should Theresa May lose the Commons vote over her Brexit deal and the Labour party try and fail to secure an election, it has been said that a second referendum is one of the options on the table. Should it be Remain vs Theresa May’s deal, No Deal vs Remain, or No Deal vs May’s deal? Campaigners for a people’s vote say only those options that are on offer should be on the ballot paper – so any deal that has no backing in Brussels should be dismissed. A row will also rage about the franchise, with those in support of a second referendum also keen to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to cast a vote this time round. Won’t most newspapers back leaving again? The “saboteurs” it has in its sights are no longer Remainers but the hard Brexiters – though it is currently backing May’s deal, rather than Remain. What has changed since the last vote? Prominent Leave campaigners have been discredited by controversies over campaign financing and breaches in electoral law. It seems certain that the result would be close – and there is no guarantee Remain would win.

You could have been more precise about the politicians’ attire (May and Macron hold ‘informal’ Brexit talks in France, 4 August). May was wearing a navy blue trouser suit with a predominantly blue blouse and complemented by a chunky blue necklace. As Macron was wearing a navy blue suit and pale blue shirt, which coordinated beautifully with May’s outfit, it appears the two leaders had made considerable efforts to harmonise sartorially, if not politically. Lesley Kant Norwich • A friend on holiday in Crete (Letters, 4 August) was doing a crossword on the beach. In reply to the question who was chancellor of the exchequer in 1966, her companion shouted out “Dennis Healey”. A voice boomed out “Good morning, ladies”. Dennis and Edna spent a happy hour discussing how best to spend their time in Crete with the delighted and surprised duo. Sybil Perryman Eccles, Greater Manchester • Our Morris Minor Traveller, known as “the car with the wooden wheels”, frequently broke down on roundabouts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, when we lived there in 1969-72 (Letters, 3 August). We always got it going, to great cheers from bystanders, by opening the bonnet and banging the battery connections with the hammer we always had ready. Vic Henderson Waterlooville, Hampshire • Was the letter about the clockwork 2CV (4 August) just a wind-up?

Leave supporters are losing faith in the Conservatives to lead the Brexit negotiations, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. With Brexiters in the cabinet also fearing that the issue is being mishandled by Downing Street, the poll showed that only 41% of leave voters trust the Tories most to lead the negotiations – the lowest level since January 2017. Overall, 32% of voters trust the Conservatives most to handle the Brexit negotiations, compared with 21% who think Labour would do a better job. The Conservative lead of 11 points on this issue is the lowest recorded by the pollster so far this year. In terms of overall voting intention, the Conservative lead has been cut to two points from the four-point lead it enjoyed last month. The Tories are on 42% of the vote, with Labour on 40%. May’s lead over Corbyn on who would make the best prime minister has dropped from 13 points to 10 points. The poll shows the public is shifting towards wanting to stay in the EU’s single market. However, the public remain unmoved on whether or not to have a new referendum. Opinium interviewed 2,005 adults online between 5 June and 7 June.