Post-Brexit News and Discussions

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

Peers set to kick Sunak’s EU law “shredder” into the long grass

06-04-2023 11:43

A cross-party group of peers including senior Conservatives, is said to be lining up to “sabotage” the government’s retained EU law (revocation and reform) bill with an amendment that would see the sunset clause in the controversial legislation pushed back five years. It would effectively neuter the bill.

The upper house also wants parliament and the devolved administrations to have more say in which laws are to be amended or scrapped.

An amendment, tabled at the end of March in the name of the former Conservative MP for Thirsk and Malton, Anne Mcintosh (now Baroness Mcintosh of Pickering) would extend the deadline for ministers and civil servants to review 4,000 pieces of retained EU law which remain on the UK’s statute book, from the end of this year to 11.59pm on 31 December 2028.

It would essentially undermine the whole purpose of the bill and inevitably transfer responsibility for amending or repealing the most significant EU laws to the next government, which increasingly looks like a Labour administration led by Keir Starmer.

The prime minister pledged during his campaign for the leadership in August last year to “shred” 2,400 EU laws in his first 100 days in office, even releasing a promotional video of him with a shredder.

https://yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/bre ... ong-grass/

An amendment tabled in the Lords could see the controversial sunset clause in the retained EU law bill pushed back to 2028

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

UK will sign deal paying in to EU budget within 15 years, says Ryanair boss

Wed 19 Apr 2023 16.20 BST

The boss of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, has launched a fresh attack on Brexit, describing it as “unbelievably messy” and predicting the UK would end up signing a Norway-style deal with the EU in the next 10 to 15 years under which it would pay into the bloc’s budget.

The outspoken chief executive of the Irish budget airline said over the next three to five years, the UK’s departure from the EU would be “net negative on the UK economy, no question about it”.

O’Leary said the UK’s longer term relationship with its closest trading partner depended “on what the British establishment or future UK governments do”. However, he said he believed that the UK would “in the next 10 to 15 years” strike a “trade deal with Europe, similar to Norway or Switzerland”.

“I think they will pay into a European budget, I think they will have no choice,” O’Leary said during a panel discussion at Bloomberg’s New Economy Gateway event in Ireland. “The fundamental strength of the single market, is something that is too attractive for the UK economy to be excluded from.”

The Ryanair boss said a lot would depend on “how Europe responds to Brexit”, adding: “Brexit should come as a real warning to the European Union. You need to focus on the things which improve people’s lives, which is improving the single market.”

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... el-o-leary

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

Workers’ rights put at risk by plan to scrap EU working hours rules, says TUC

Wed 10 May 2023 19.20 BST

Trades unions have warned that workers’ rights are in peril after the government unveiled new plans to scrap EU rules on working hours as part of its drive to cut “unnecessary red tape”.

The announcement comes as the proposed scrapping of up to 4,000 EU-era regulations by the end of the year was ditched after a private meeting with Brexiter MPs.

Ministers unveiled a package of regulatory reform on Wednesday in the retained EU law bill, which they said will help business cut costs.

The package included reducing “time-consuming and disproportionate reporting requirements” for specific elements of the working time regulations, the part of UK law which implements key EU labour regulations and rights.

But Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Council (TUC), seized on the government’s stated aims, calling them “a gift to rogue employers looking to exploit workers and put them through long, gruelling shifts without enough rest”.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... s-says-tuc

[Time_Traveller]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

[wjfox]

Seven years ago today.

She's right – hate won.

[Time_Traveller]

[Time_Traveller]

UK government BANNED from EU trade talks after bypassing Brussels

2023-08-01 17:06

The British government has been rebuked after it attempted to bypass Brussels on post-Brexit trade rules.

Documents obtained by The Independent show that the European Commission was unhappy after British officials went directly to member states to ask how they plan to cope with new checks on goods coming into the UK.

Concerns have been raised that the food supply chain could be disrupted if businesses on the continent are ill-prepared for significant changes to how they trade with the UK.

The Border Target Operating Model will bring a new round of controls on goods from the EU from 31 October 2023, with consignments carrying goods considered medium or high risk, such as some meat, dairy and fish, requiring vet-signed export health certificates.

Rishi Sunak’s government has come under pressure from both the EU and British business bosses to spell out exactly how the latest controls on imports, due to come into force in October, will work.

https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/polit ... ls-353731/

[erowind]

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[Time_Traveller]

UK Government to Recognise the EU’s Product Safety Symbol Indefinitely

3 August 2023



In a significant post-Brexit climbdown, the UK government has decided to indefinitely recognize the European Union’s (EU) product safety symbol. Originally, the plan was to introduce a new UK-only mark for goods sold in Great Britain from the end of next year.
However, the Department for Business has now confirmed that the EU symbol, known as the conformité européenne (CE) mark, will continue to be accepted on most goods. This move has been welcomed by trade body Make UK, as it provides increased certainty for manufacturers. However, the government’s handling of the issue has been criticized for creating unnecessary costs due to last-minute policy changes.

Brexit and the Proposed Changes

Since 1993, the CE mark has been used to indicate that a wide range of products meet EU legal requirements and have undergone testing. For products sold in England, Wales, and Scotland, the plan was to replace the CE mark with a new UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) symbol from December 2024. The CE mark was set to remain in Northern Ireland under separate Brexit arrangements. This approach would have forced manufacturers selling products in both Great Britain and the EU to comply with two different standards, leading to increased costs and potential divergence over time.

The government had previously defended the proposal, arguing that it would allow them to take control of goods regulation and ensure that regulations work for British businesses and consumers. However, the Department for Business has now announced that the CE mark will be recognized indefinitely in 18 areas, including toys, fireworks, lifts, radio equipment, and protective gear. This means that British firms will have the option to choose between using the new UKCA symbol or retaining the CE mark by applying to have their products certified by an accredited European body. Regulations for other areas, such as medical devices and construction equipment, will continue to be determined by other government departments.

The decision to recognize the CE mark indefinitely in certain areas has been described as a “pragmatic and common sense decision” by the manufacturers’ organization Make UK. They believe that this move will help safeguard the competitiveness of manufacturers and make the UK an attractive destination for investment. The Federation of Small Businesses also welcomes the continued recognition of CE marked products, as it allows their members to focus on growing their business both domestically and internationally.

However, industry representatives have criticized the government for its handling of the proposed changes. The frequent last-minute policy changes have created unnecessary uncertainty and cost for manufacturers. The introduction of the new system had been repeatedly delayed, with the government citing difficult economic conditions following the pandemic and the war in Ukraine as contributing factors.

https://bmmagazine.co.uk/news/uk-govern ... efinitely/

[wjfox]

[Time_Traveller]

Humza Yousaf: Independence can "right historic wrong" of Brexit

2nd Sep 2023

Speaking outside Holyrood, Humza Yousaf is due to tell the audience that Scotland can get “back on the right track” by rejoining the European Union.

He will describe Brexit as a “national tragedy” and appeal to Europeans who have settled in Scotland.

“The fact that it was forced upon Scotland against our will also makes it a democratic disgrace,” he is expected to say.

“To those of you with us today who are new Scots, who were born outside of Scotland, let us say this. Let us tell you how much we value you being here – how much we value the contribution you make to Scotland.

“We could not be what we are today without you and for as long as I can do anything about it, you will always be welcome here.”

https://www.scotsman.com/news/national/ ... it-4278186

[Time_Traveller]

David Cameron wants post-Brexit Gibraltar deal with Spain ‘as soon as possible’

1 day ago

The UK and Spain are close to agreeing a deal on the post-Brexit status of Gibraltar, the Spanish foreign minister has indicated.

A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said Lord Cameron had underlined the UK’s desire to get “a UK-EU treaty on Gibraltar as soon as possible” during his discussion with counterpart Jose Manuel Albares.

Mr Albares first revealed he had been in crunch talks with Rishi Sunak’s new foreign secretary David Cameron on resolving the long-running row over trade and immigration arrangements.

He told Spanish media that he had spoken with Lord Cameron over the phone on Monday, and they had also agreed to meet in person during a Brussels summit on Tuesday.

The Spanish minister suggested the outline of a deal was now in place for a “zone of shared prosperity” in the Spanish area next to the British territory to avoid a hard border on the flow of people and goods.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 54938.html

[Time_Traveller]

Brexit red tape risks extending inflation crisis, retailers warn

1 day ago

Rishi Sunak has been warned that his approach to Brexit red tape and the tax burden risk extending the UK’s cost of living crisis into 2024.

Britain’s biggest retailers said the hopes of cutting inflation next year was under threat because the cost of doing business was still too high.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said the struggle with costly post-Brexit bureaucracy risked prolonging ongoing price rises in the shops.

The retailers’ umbrella body also said measures set out by chancellor Jeremy Hunt at the autumn statement could also fuel inflation.

The BRC’s measure for shop price inflation eased to 4.3 per cent in November, down from 5.2 per cent the previous month.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/p ... 54712.html

[Time_Traveller]

Pint-sized bottles of wine to be sold after Brexit review

8 hours ago



Pint-sized bottles of still and sparkling wine are to appear on shelves in the UK, the government has said.

The new 568ml size will offer more choice for customers, according to the Department for Business and Trade.

It also said it will not introduce new rules on selling in imperial measures.

Legislation to be tabled in the new year will see the pint-sized bottles sold in supermarkets, pubs, clubs and restaurants.

After Brexit, ministers had looked at changing laws inherited from the EU that mean traders can use Britain's traditional weighing system only alongside the metric one.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-67795075

Who on Earth wants a pint-sized bottle of wine?

[Time_Traveller]

Brexit divergence from EU destroying UK’s vital environmental protections

Fri 19 Jan 2024 18.00 GMT

Vital legal protections for the environment and human health are being destroyed in post-Brexit departures from European legislation, a detailed analysis by the Guardian reveals.

The UK is falling behind the EU on almost every area of environmental regulation, as the bloc strengthens its legislation while the UK weakens it. In some cases, ministers are removing EU-derived environmental protections from the statute book entirely.

Businesses and environmental groups have told the Guardian they have been left in the dark as to the extent of the regressions because there is no government body tracking the divergence between the EU and the UK.

In practice, it means:

[*]Water in the UK will be dirtier than in the EU.
[*]There will be more pesticides in Britain’s soil.
[*]Companies will be allowed to produce products containing chemicals that the EU has restricted for being dangerous.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... rotections