Brexit - Latest news

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has warned that China poses "national security threats" to Britain, but defended his government's decision to step up engagement with the country, saying closer business ties are in the national interest.more

In a speech delivered today in London, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer spoke in favour of strengthening trade ties with the European Union. In his opinion, the Brexit agreement has ‘significantly damaged the British economy’.more

Brexit is costing the UK up to £90bn a year in lost tax revenues, a new analysis shows, just days before Rachel Reeves prepares to hike levies in her make-or-break Budget. more

The Liberal Democrats are forcing a vote in parliament on creating a new customs union to put pressure on Labour MPs to take a more pro-EU stance. Ed Davey’s party is writing to all Labour MPs urging them to back a new bill in favour of a customs union with the EU, believing this is the best way to boost growth and raise revenue, rather than tax rises.more

The European Commission is demanding that the UK contribute between €4 billion and €6 billion to the €150 billion SAFE EU armaments programme, according to yesterday's “Telegraph” newspaper, citing EU sources.more

The majority of Britons do not feel proud of their country, a new survey has revealed. The wide-ranging polling on attitudes also suggested that people increasingly believe the UK is divided, that so-called culture wars exist, and that life was better in the past.more

The idea was that leaving the bloc would give the U.K. back “control” of its borders and create a fairer system. But the widespread perception is it didn’t turn out that way. Brits voted for Brexit because of immigration. Now they want to turn back the clock.more

A significant number of EU citizens living long term in the UK post Brexit are experiencing discrimination in work and in public services, a report by the UK’s statutory Brexit watchdog has revealed.more

Reform UK's former leader in Wales has admitted taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia while being a Member of the European Parliament. Nathan Gill, 52, from Llangefni, Anglesey, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.more

During yesterday's meeting between Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, the first political agreement on cooperation between the two countries since Brexit was signed, according to the British Prime Minister's office.more

Queen Elizabeth II believed Britain should remain in the European Union and would have voted against Brexit if she had been allowed to, according to a new book. The late monarch, who was constitutionally bound to stay politically neutral, is reported to have told a minister in 2016: “We shouldn’t leave the EU.” She is also said to have added: “It’s better to stick with the devil you know.”more

Artisan cheese, sausages and olives could be made cheaper as part of a landmark deal between the UK and the EU to “slash the red tape” on food products. Keir Starmer said in May the “historic” post-Brexit trade deal with the EU will be a “win win” for both sides, boosting Britain’s economy by £9 billion by 2040.more

London’s status as a global financial hub has been left “fragile” by Brexit, the boss of Goldman Sachs has warned. David Solomon, chairman and chief executive of the bank, said it is diverting staff away from London to rival cities such as Paris, Frankfurt and Munich.more

Most people in the four largest countries in the European Union would welcome the UK back into the bloc, a new poll has found – but not on the same terms it had before. At the same time most Britons are in favour of rejoining the EU, the YouGov survey of six western European nations found, but only if they can keep the opt-outs the UK previously had.more

Nearly nine years on from the narrow Brexit referendum result, which led to the UK leaving the European Union, most Britons want to see the UK return to the EU. A YouGov poll highlights the extent to which the UK public is “Bregretful” about the outcome of the vote, which ended David Cameron’s term as prime minister. more

After more than three years of talks, Spain, the UK and the European Commission reached an agreement in Brussels yesterday on Gibraltar's future relationship with the European Union. It includes, among other things, the abolition of land border controls.more

The UK government has announced it will scrap planned border checks on fruit and vegetable imports from the European Union, preventing the measures from taking effect on July 1.more

The UK government is reportedly considering selling a post-Brexit border check facility in Kent that could fall out of use as a result of this week’s trade pact with the EU.more

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa signed three agreements in London yesterday, including on security and trade. This is the first EU-UK summit since Brexit in 2020.more

EU leaders will meet today in London with UK Chief Executive Keir Starmer for their first summit since Brexit. The meeting is expected to include the signing of a defence agreement. However, the conclusion of a deal was not a foregone conclusion until the final hours before the summit.more

A leading UK business lobbying group is calling for a major reset of relations with the European Union, urging both sides to "build bridges" and move beyond Brexit divisions.more

Brexit's disastrous impact on the NHS led to 1,485 extra deaths per year, according to a new academic study. Researchers from the University of Surrey say that after the 2016 leave vote, EU nurses left and were replaced by less experienced or skilled staff, which had a knock-on effect for patients. more

Official figures show that 728,000 people came to the UK in the year to June 2024 - fewer than in the previous 12 months. The fall was greater than expected because the estimated number of people who came in the year to June 2023 was revised up sharply, to 906,000. more

British food and drink exports to the EU have tumbled by more than a third since Brexit, according to new trade body figures highlighting how bureaucratic barriers have changed the relationship between the UK and its most important trading partner.more

The UK is to offer a youth mobility scheme to EU countries, the website of ‘The Times’ newspaper has reported. If adopted, tens of thousands of young workers and students from the EU would be able to stay and work legally in the UK for two to three years.more