Brexit news latest – Boris given ONE DAY deadline to respond to EU lawsuit as crunch trade deal talks enter final stage

BORIS Johnson has been given a one day deadline to respond to EU legal action over the controversial EU market bill.

In what could be a defining day for Brexit trade negotiations, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen's four-week window for the UK to respond to EU claims the bill was an attempt to override key parts of the UK Withdrawal Agreement.

If the Prime Minister didn't respond in time, the EU would press on with a lawsuit against the UK government, von der Leyen warned last month.

This would be a dramatic development as UK-EU post Brexit trade deal talks moved to Brussels and entered their final stage if they are to be ratified in time for December 31, when the UK's Brexit transition period ends.

Speaking of the talks, von der Leyen said there had been "good progress", including promising trade and security negotiations but on the topics of"level playing field" and fisheries both sides remained critically opposed.

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  • Debbie White

    DONALD TRUMP 'MR BREXIT'

    Donald Trump is a long-standing supporter of the UK's departure from the EU.

    He has even referred to himself as “Mr Brexit”.

    Trump has spoken of brokering a “phenomenal trade deal” with the UK – which Boris Johnson craves to show a benefit of leaving the bloc.

    But, should Trump win the US presidential election, he is a notoriously tough negotiator.

    And many have warned of a race to the bottom for UK food standards and greater privatisation within the NHS from a deal with the tycoon.

  • Debbie White

    BIDEN LIKELY TO FAVOUR GERMANY OVER UK

    If Joe Biden wins the race to the White House, there are fears he could favour Berlin over London.

    This is particularly owing to Barack Obama's closeness with German chancellor Angela Merkel during Mr Biden's tenure as his vice-president.

    Mr Biden treasures his Irish heritage.

    And he has warned that a UK-US trade deal is “contingent” on respect for the Good Friday Agreement that brought peace to the island and the prevention of a return to a hard border.

    His warning came in response to four US congressmen warning Boris Johnson of their “grave concern” over the UK Internal Market Bill, which could see the government break international law in overriding the Northern Ireland Protocol agreed with Brussels in the Withdrawal Agreement.

  • Debbie White

    BIDEN VICTORY IN THE US ELECTION MIGHT IMPACT THE UK

    If Joe Biden wins the US Presidential Election, Boris Johnson “may have less of a natural ally and the UK will need to rapidly court him with fears he could favour closer ties with other European powers”, predicts the Press Association.

    The Democratic challenger last year described Johnson, fairly or not, as “kind of a physical and emotional clone of the president”, who he openly despises.

    Biden has already expressed concern at the Government's controversial Brexit legislation with the UK Internal Market Bill (UKIMB).

  • Debbie White

    BORIS JOHNSON WILL BE DONALD TRUMP'S 'BEST MATE IN EUROPE'

    Lord Darroch, a former British ambassador to the US, has predicted that Boris Johnson and Donald Trump's bond could grow even closer if Mr Trump wins a second term.

    He said: “Boris can be his best friend in Europe.”

    Johnson has a firm relationship with Trump, with a certain amount of mutual admiration between the pair.

    Trump has regularly lavished the PM with praise and has referred to him as a “great guy”.

    But there can be no doubt that Trump is a tough man to deal with on the world stage and the departure of his mercurial attitude to foreign policy would be welcomed by some.

  • Debbie White

    SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP IMPORTANT

    Britain's “special relationship” with the US is more important than ever after Brexit.

    But it is by no means the only major issue at play when America votes on November 3, says the Press Association.

    The news agency adds that whether the Republican business tycoon Donald Trump remains in the White House or if his Democratic challenger Joe Biden ousts him will also have a profound effect on the rest of the world, including the UK.

  • Mark Hodge

    CRUNCH TALKS

    Spain's huge fruit and veg industry will be blighted if Madrid forces a No Deal with nonsense claims on Gibraltar.

    Its farmers fear losing trade with Britain to their Moroccan rivals if there is no Brexit agreement.

    The country’s growers, who rely heavily on exports to the UK, have been warned of £180million-a-year in customs duties under World Trade Organisation terms.

    But nations which Britain has signed trade deals with, including Morocco, are set to enjoy much freer access to our market.

    Spanish farmers brought up fears they will be undercut by cheaper rivals at the annual meeting of its fruit and veg industry federation Fepex.

    It will heap pressure on PM Pedro Sanchez to push fellow European leaders towards a compromise.

    And they will tie his hands during any attempts to play hardball over Spain’s sovereignty claims over Gibraltar.

    Madrid and No10 are dashing to seal an agreement that would include The Rock in any trade deal between the EU and UK.

    Both also want a special pact on free movement across the border to prevent long queues.

  • Mark Hodge

    BALKING AT BREXIT

    The Scottish Parliament has backed plans to align Scotland's laws with EU regulations after Brexit.

    The bill, backed by all parties except for the Scottish Tories, will give discretionary powers to ministers to match environmental standards and Scots law with the EU.

    Constitution Secretary Michael Russell called the bill a “modest measure” before attacking the possibility of a No Deal Brexit, reports The National.

    He said: “The people of Scotland did not choose Brexit, they certainly didn’t choose this sort of disastrous No-Deal Brexit, which is still a real possibility.

    “Nor did they choose the equally bad low deal, which is the only alternative left on the table.

    “That low deal is a painfully thin, job-destroying ideological muddle, which – if imposed in the middle of a global pandemic – the deep recession will cost every one of us dear.

    “It beggars belief that any responsible government would even consider it, still less choose it.”

  • Mark Hodge

    EU COVID COOPERATION

    The president of the European Commission said it will make €220million available to help EU member states organise the cross-borders transfer of Covid-19 patients.

    Ursula von der Leyen urged member states to better cooperate in their fight against the deadly virus, which has killed more than 210,000 people across the continent.

    Confronted to a massive surge of infections, many EU countries have reintroduced partial lockdowns as they try to avoid reaching a saturation point in their hospitals.

    Belgium, for instance, has warned the capacity of the country's intensive care units could be reached in the next two weeks if the pace of new infections is not slowed, meaning patients could need to be transferred abroad.

    “If we have more data sharing on ICU capacity, and where capacity is lacking, we can increase the cross-border patient care and it can be organised early enough”, Von der Leyen said.

    “The good use of the money requires good information exchange.”

    Von der Leyen also insisted on the necessity of improving the tracing of coronavirus cases via mobile applications and to quickly validate at EU level the so-called antigen tests, which are less reliable than the PCR tests but produce results in about 15 minutes.

  • Hana Carter

    FEARS OF NO DEAL AS FRANCE WON'T BACK DOWN ON FISHING

    Francec has sparked fears of a no deal Brexit after the country's refusal to back down over fishing rights in Britain's coastal waters.

    British and EU sources have confirmed the fisheries issues is the major stumbling block in talks for both parties, acording to the Express.

    Experts now fear the issue will roll back the progress made in the last week during Brexit talks.

    The EU's top negotiator Michel Barnier, however is said to be working on a comprmise to ensure talks continue in order to avoid a no deal Brexit.

  • Hana Carter

    CORBYN SUPPORTERS DONATE £10,000 FOR HIS 'LEGAL FUND'

    Jeremy Corbyn supports have donated £10,000 in just 24 hours to his “legal fund” after he was suspended from Labour today.

    The GoFundMe page called ‘Jeremy’s Legal Fund’ was set up in July after it was reported that a reporter for BBC show Panorama was taking legal action for libel against him.

    Now more than 18,000 fans of the former Labour leader have chipped in donations to raise over £354,000 in total.

    The surge in cash came after thousands of social media users promoted the fund with hashtags like wearecorbyn and istandwithcorbyn.

    Within two hours last night the page saw 777 visitors dropping money in donations ranging from £5 to £50, while more than £10,000 has been chipped in during the past 24 hours.

    The page reads: “The relentless attacks on Mr Corbyn, a man of integrity, honesty and humility cannot be allowed to continue and we have an opportunity here to offer him support in a practical way.”

    Some criticised the fundraising page when it was created in July, with one opponent tweeting: “Disgusting. They have enough money to fight this themselves.”

  • Hana Carter

    TRUSS SAID BREXIT WILL BRING 'FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES'

    International Trade Secretary Liz Truss said: “I can tell you here today that Britain is learning from the twin errors of values-free globalisation and protectionism. And we are instead rooting our approach for global free trade in our values of sovereignty, democracy, the rule of law and a fierce commitment to high standards.

    “In opening ourselves up to embrace more fantastic opportunities, we need to maintain a sustainable approach which commands widespread support and democratic legitimacy.”

  • Hana Carter

    UK TO BE 'BACK AT THE TABLE' TO 'LEAD FIGHT BACK' AGAINST TRADE BREACHERS

    Liz Trust has said Brexit will give the UK an opportunity to extend its commercial links with the rest of the world.

    She said the UK was finally “back at the table” to lead the fight against nations who break trade deals.

    The Innternational Trade Secretary said: “After nearly 50 years without our own voice, we're back at the table.

    “And we can use our G7 presidency next year to lead the global fightback for free and fair trade, challenging those who won't play by the rules.

    “We need the British people to join us in our value-generating and value-driven trade policy.”

  • Hana Carter

    DAVID FROST IN BREXIT BRUSSELS DASH

    David Frost has gone to Brussels to begin urgent talks for a Brexit trade deal between the UK and European Union.

    The UK's top negotiator will be meeting the EU's Michel Barnier as the two desperately race to reach a deal.

    This comes after significant strides were made during talks in London this week, which seeked to iron out some of the concerns both parties have.

    Experts are hopeful a deal could be reached as soon as early next month if talks continue to go well.

  • Hana Carter

    SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT CLASH OVER BREXIT

    Tory MSP Dean Lockhart came head to head with SNP Cabinet Secretary Mike Russell over Brexit and the Internal Market Bill in Scottish parliament.

    Mr Russell said: “Would it not be better to remain in the EU which gets rid of all these problems?

    “It would help all of us and mean that the recession we are facing would not be made worse by Brexit – because it will be.”

    Mr Lockhart snapped back: “When it comes to the internal market as we have debated before, common frameworks will form the bedrock for internal market trade.

    “It was unfortunate that you walked away from negations on the internal market guidelines.

  • Hana Carter

    WHAT IS A NO DEAL BREXIT?

    The UK officially exited the EU at the beginning of the year.

    With disagreements between the two parties, experts fear there might be a no deal Brexit.

    Here is what that means and the impact it could have on the UK and the European Union.

  • Hana Carter

    UK CAR INDUSTRY SEES PLUNGE

    CHIEF exutive of SSMT Mike Hawes said: “With the end of transition now just 63 days away, the fact that both sides are back around the table is a relief but we need negotiators to agree a deal urgently, one that prioritises automotive, enhances innovation and supports the industry in addressing the global threat of climate change.

    “With production already strained, the additional blow of 'no deal' would be devastating for the sector, its workers and their families.”

  • Hana Carter

    BORIS JOHNSON 'HID IN BEDROOM' TO AVOID BREXIT TALKS WITH IAIN DUNCAN SMITH

    Just days before Boris Johnson became prime minister, he hid in a bedroom because he did not want to have Brexit talks with Sir Iain Duncan Smith, according to a new book.

    The book claims the PM and his aides pretrended not to be home as Sir Iain banged on the door oblivious that they were hidden upstairs.

    The book, The Secret Life of Special Advisers by Peter Cardwell states: “IDS attempted to ring him several times to suggest they have a strategy discussion at the campaign’s headquarters at the home of Andrew Griffith, a Sky executive who later worked in Downing Street and became an MP in December 2019.

    “With IDS en route, Boris quickly ordered his entire team to race up the stairs to the first floor of the house and, well, hide from their alleged campaign chairman as he rapped on the door of the building, demanding to be let in.”

  • Hana Carter

    NIGEL FARAGE'S BREXIT SPEECH AT TRUMP RALLY

    Nigel Farage made a surprise appearance at a US president, Donald Trump's rally where he delivered a message on Brexit.

    The Brexit Part's leader was brought on stage by Trump during a campaign stop in Phoenix, Arizona, where Farage said Brexit was a triumph over what he called the “establishment”.

    Farage said: “I have got to say four years ago I was honoured to come to America to bring the Brexit message, the message that you can beat the establishment.

    “That is what Donald Trump did, he beat the pollsters, beat the media and beat all the predictions and the worst thing is they have never forgiven him for it.”

    Trump returned the compliment saying Farage was “responsible for a lot of things that happened over in Europe, very positive things too.”

  • Hana Carter

    BRITISH PUBLIC WILL BLAME BORIS JOHNSON FOR NO DEAL BREXIT, POLL FINDS

    PRIME minister Boris Johnson will be blamed if the country refuses to reach a deal with the European Union, according to a new poll.

    The survey conducted by YouGov indicates that 65% of the public are of the opinion that the government has “generally failed” in it's negotiations with the EU.

    It also suggests that 57% believe the UK should be blamed in case of a no deal Brexit.

    This comes after the UK's chief negotiator David Frost made a dash to Brussells today to hold desperate talks with his EU counterpart Michel Barnier.

    The two are eager for an agreement to be reached in order to avoid the UK leaving without a deal.

  • Hana Carter

    BRITAIN'S CAR INDUSTRY WORST SEPTEMBER IN 25 YEARS

    Britain's car industry had its worst September in 25 years, with a decline in the number of vehicles being exported to Europe and the US.

    114,732 cars were produced in September – 5 per cent down from September 2019.

    Car production for the year is down 35.9 per cent and is expected to drop below one million vehicles for the first time since 1999.

    SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said: “These figures are yet more grim reading for UK automotive as coronavirus continues to wreak havoc both at home and in key overseas markets.”

  • Kevin Adjei-Darko

    CANADA VOWS UK TRADE DEAL

    CANADIAN prime minister Justin Trudeau has said he is “very optimistic” about striking a trade deal with the UK in the weeks to come.

    Trudeau said his government is working a deal is in place before the end of the year.

    He said: “Canada is extremely pleased to be the only G7 country that has a free-trade deal with every other G7 country and we would certainly like to keep that.

    “There have been many discussions over the past years between myself and Prime Minister Johnson and his predecessor on that seamless transition on a rollover of the CETA between Canada and the European Union to be the basis for a Canada-UK free-trade that would allow certainty for Canadian and British companies going into the future.

    He acknowledged the UK's struggles with reaching a deal with the EU and vowed a deal with Canadawill be “fairly straightforward” and he was “very optimistic in the ability to see things roll over smoothly.”

  • Kevin Adjei-Darko

    LORDS TO VOTE AGAINST PM's BREXIT BILL

    THE House of Lords is set to vote to refuse six clauses from Boris Johnson's Brexit deal which US presidential hopeful Joe Biden said would go against the Northern Ireland peace process.

    The Democratic candidate warned that the prime minister's UK internal market bill would subvert the process, according to the Financial Times.

    Parliament's upper house is now said to be preparing to block aspects of the bill on November 9, which ministers have said would breach Britain's withdrawal deal which was signed last year.

  • Kevin Adjei-Darko

    FEARS OF NO DEAL AS FRANCE WON'T BACK DOWN ON FISHING

    FRANCE has sparked fears of a no deal Brexit after the country's refusal to back down over fishing rights in Britain's coastal waters.

    British and EU sources have confirmed thefisheries issues is the major stumbling block in talks for both parties, acording to the Express.

    Experts now fear the issue will roll back the progress made in the last week during Brexit talks.

    The EU's top negotiator Michel Barnier, however is said to be working on a comprmise to ensure talks continue in order to avoid a no deal Brexit.

  • Kevin Adjei-Darko

    UK TO BE 'BACK AT THE TABLE' TO 'LEAD FIGHT BACK' AGAINST TRADE BREACHERS

    Liz Trust has said Brexit will give the UK an opportunity to extend its commercial links with the rest of the world.

    She said the UK was finally “back at the table” to lead the fight against nations who break trade deals.

    The Innternational Trade Secretary said: “After nearly 50 years without our own voice, we're back at the table.

    “And we can use our G7 presidency next year to lead the global fightback for free and fair trade, challenging those who won't play by the rules.

    “We need the British people to join us in our value-generating and value-driven trade policy.”

  • Chiara Fiorillo

    BRITISH VALUES

    Liz Truss added: “The British people care deeply about fairness, decency and liberty. We can best spread our fundamental values – freedom, democracy, human rights and protecting our natural environment for the future – by working with our friends and family across the world.

    “Our coalition of the willing won't just deliver better values across the world but help deliver economic value. This is why I call our trade policy values-driven and value-generating.”

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