EU
Fox News
The European Union on Thursday demanded that the United Kingdom immediately rewrite a new Brexit bill that would change parts of a divorce agreement it signed with the E.U. last year — threatening legal action if the outgoing member does not comply. European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic met with U.K. Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove for crisis talks after the U.K. government proposed a new Internal Market Bill, which would allow ministers to “disapply” certain rules related to Northern Ireland agreed to in last year’s Withdrawal Agreement.
Reuters
The European Union told Britain on Thursday it should urgently scrap a plan to break their divorce treaty, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government refused and pressed ahead with a draft law that could sink four years of Brexit talks. The European Commission said it was stepping up preparations for a messy end to Britain’s departure from the EU, and that London would be committing “an extremely serious violation” of last year’s Withdrawal Agreement if it went ahead with proposed legislation. After emergency talks between Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic and Britain’s Brexit supremo Michael Gove, the EU said Britain’s proposal had “seriously damaged trust” which London must now take steps to re-establish.
Telegraph
The European Union has given Boris Johnson a 20-day ultimatum to back down on his plans to alter the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement or face the collapse of trade talks and legal action. Brussels warned on Thursday that legislation allowing ministers to override key elements of the divorce deal relating to Northern Ireland constituted an “extremely serious violation” and broke international law. However, Downing Street remained defiant and insisted it “could not and would not” withdraw the Internal Market Bill.
Mail
The EU has given Boris Johnson 20 days to back down on his plans to alter the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement or risk collapsing trade talks and face legal action for breaking an international treaty. Government plans to override elements of the divorce deal over Northern Ireland the Prime Minister signed in January constituted an ‘extremely serious violation’, negotiators from Brussels said today. But despite the threat of tearing up large amounts of progress with less than four months until the end of the transition period, Michael Gove promised that the UK ‘will not back down’.
Express
THE European Union has warned its ambassadors to gear up the “machinery of warfare” to take on the UK should it defy the Brexit withdrawal deal, a leaked memo has shown. The European Union reacted with fury at news of Boris Johnson tabling a set of changes to the Withdrawal Agreement Bill, with Michel Barnier threatening the UK with legal action should the Brexit deal be breached. The British Government on Thursday rejected calls to stand down and withdraw the proposed amendments, with Brussels now ordering ambassadors to prepare for a fight.
Sun
THE EU is threatening to take the UK to court if Boris Johnson does not stick to the Brexit divorce deal. Brussels insisted the PM must ditch plans to rip up parts of the Withdrawal Agreement by the end of the month. It threatened to sue the UK for hundreds of millions and collapse trade talks if he does not. The UK has published a bill to rewrite parts of the deal signed in January. EU boss Maros Sefcovic issued the ultimatum at crisis talks in London on Thursday. He said that Britain must ditch the planned new UK law that would “overwrite” the exit terms — or abandon any hope of a trade deal before the end of the transition period in December.
Sky News
The UK government has rejected EU demands to scrap draft legislation that Brussels deems a “clear breach” of the Brexit withdrawal deal. The EU’s demand – accompanied by a threat of legal action and a suggestion Brexit trade talks could be halted if the UK does not back down – followed emergency talks between senior EU and UK figures on Thursday. But senior cabinet minister Michael Gove, the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, vowed the UK “would not and could not” agree to the EU’s request to drop the legislation.
Express
BRUSSELS is planning to threaten Boris Johnson with huge “lump sum” fines unless he scraps plans to rewrite the Brexit deal, according to internal papers seen by Express.co.uk. The leaked dossier, drawn up by the EU Commission, revealed the bloc is planning to sue the Government at the European Court of Justice over an alleged breach of international law. The bloc hopes its threats to slap Britain with fines and trade sanctions will dissuade the Prime Minister from ripping up last year’s EU Withdrawal Agreement. Eurocrats are planning to trigger legal proceedings immediately in the hope MPs and Peers will vote down the Government’s Internal Market Bill when it passes through Parliament.
Mirror
The EU has demanded Boris Johnson scrap his plan to tear up parts of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement by the end of the month or face legal action. European Commission Vice-President Maroš Šefcovic said plans to rewrite the deal with a new law had “seriously damaged trust” with the EU. And he said Britain would be committing “an extremely serious violation” of its agreement on withdrawal from the EU if it went ahead with proposed legislation. Cabinet Office Minister Michael Gove, was reported to have “sworn” and used “undiplomatic language” in his meeting with Vice-President Šefcovic earlier today.
Times
Brussels has threatened Britain with financial, agricultural and trade sanctions if ministers refuse to back down on their threat to walk away from parts of the withdrawal agreement. In a provocative move Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, hinted that it could ban imports of British food and livestock when the transition period finished at the end of the year. An internal European Commission analysis, seen by The Times, also suggests that Brussels could restrict access to the City of London and impose other “sanctions” on British exporters in the event of no-deal.
Telegraph
Brussels will start a trade war with Britain if the UK presses ahead with plans to renege on the Withdrawal Agreement and ignores other sanctions possible under the Brexit divorce treaty, according to internal EU documents. The bloc is also considering legal action against the UK, which could lead to large fines levied by the European Court of Justice, before the Internal Markets Bill is passed by parliament. That would heap pressure on MPs to rebel against Boris Johnson. The EU is also prepared to use the dispute settlement process in the Withdrawal Agreement, which could result in further fines and binding rulings, a paper circulated among the bloc’s 27 capitals said.
Mail
Brexit trade talks are on the brink of collapse after the EU threatened Boris Johnson with legal action if he refuses to withdraw plans to tear up parts of the divorce deal as Michael Gove promised the UK will not back down. Brussels has given the Prime Minister until the end of the month to scrap his controversial proposals to override elements of the Withdrawal Agreement. The bloc said it will ‘not be shy’ in launching legal proceedings against Britain if the PM fails to change tack as it said negotiations over a trade deal are ‘at risk’. But Mr Gove said the UK ‘could not and would not’ retreat on the issue as the chances of the two sides parting ways at the end of the transition period in December without a trade accord increased dramatically.
BBC News
Post-Brexit trade deal talks will continue, despite the UK rejecting the EU’s ultimatum to scrap plans to override the withdrawal agreement. The EU has threatened the UK government with legal action if it does not ditch its controversial Internal Market Bill by the end of the month. Angered Tory backbench MPs have launched a bid to amend the new law. Meanwhile, trade talk negotiators on both sides have acknowledged they are still clashing on “significant” issues. Boris Johnson’s proposed Internal Market Bill, which will be formally debated by MPs in the House of Commons for the first time on Monday, addresses the Northern Ireland Protocol – an element of the Brexit withdrawal agreement designed to prevent a hard border returning to the island of Ireland.
Express
THE BBC’s Katya Adler has revealed that there is growing panic inside Brussels over fears that a “fed-up” Boris Johnson wants to torpedo the trade deal talks. The BBC‘s Europe Editor Katya Adler has revealed that there is a growing sense of panic in Brussels that Boris Johnson will collapse the talks between the two sides. The British Prime Minister has stunned the EU by urging MPs to support a new bill which changes parts of the Brexit deal that he negotiated with the EU and signed in January. Brussels has accused Boris Johnson of deliberately trying to endanger the trade talks and force the EU to walk away.
Brexit
Express
A PLOT to torpedo Boris Johnson’s controversial Internal Markets Bill is likely to fail because it offers a loophole which the Government can exploit, analysts have suggested. An amendment to the legislation is being tabled by Tory backbencher and Remainer Sir Bob Neill which he said would impose a “parliamentary lock” on any changes to the Withdrawal Agreement. Legal experts have suggested the amendment could be a “Trojan horse” because it offered the Government flaws and loopholes to exploit, Sky News deputy political editor Sam Coates said.
Times
Boris Johnson is facing a revolt by up to 30 Tory MPs over plans that would break international law and allow him to renege on parts of his Brexit deal. The rebels have tabled an amendment that would bar the government from overriding the withdrawal agreement without parliament’s support. The government is also facing opposition from peers. Lord Howard of Lympne, a prominent Brexiteer, became the third former Tory leader to reject the plans, warning that they would damage Britain’s global standing.
Express
BREXITEER Lord Howard warned Boris Johnson Britain’s reputation was in jeopardy if the Government attempts to push a new Brexit Bill. Boris Johnson‘s attempt to amend the already signed withdrawal agreement with the Internal Market Bill has begun to divide Parliament. Some Brexiteer Lords have argued attempting to pass a new bill changing key areas of the Brexit withdrawal agreement would risk ruining the UK’s reputation. US president hopeful, Joe Biden, has warned the UK not to violate the international treaty between Britain and the EU as this will put it at the “back of the queue” for trade talks.
Guardian
A behind–the–scenes rift has emerged between the government’s top legal advisers over the legality of the decision to bring legislation that overrides the EU withdrawal agreement. Legal advice contained in a three–page letter marked “official – sensitive”, seen by the Guardian, summarises the legal opinions of the government’s three law officers, whose role includes ensuring ministers act in accordance with the law. The letter appears to show that Richard Keen, the advocate general for Scotland, advised that ministers would be breaching the ministerial code if they defied international law.
Independent
Boris Johnson’s attempt to tear up his own Brexit withdrawal agreement is facing certain defeat in the House of Lords, Lord Heseltine has said. The former deputy prime minister was the latest in a string of Conservative grandees to denounce the move, after Sir John Major joined Theresa May in warning that the prime minister risked forfeiting trust in Britain around the globe. As the European Commission demanded urgent talks to discuss Mr Johnson’s plans, Sir John warned the UK risked losing “something beyond price that may never be regained”.
‘Rule of six’
Mail
More than two thirds of people in England are being forced into stricter coronavirus rules next week despite living in unaffected areas, because some parts of the country can’t keep the virus under control. Around 38million residents will be lumped into lockdown as the nation is told to ‘limit social contact’ and face fines or police action if they meet in groups of more than six people, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday. One Conservative MP said it was unfair to take such a ‘broad brush’ approach that pulled together people in at-risk inner city areas with those living in the spaced-out countryside.
Telegraph
The new ‘rule of six’ Covid-19 restrictions face a legal challenge as the Government is taken to court over its “irrational” and “disproportionate” measures to combat coronavirus. Amid complaints that the new regulations barring meetings of more than six people will deny grandparents access to their grandchildren, lawyers plan to use them in support of a Court of Appeal claim that the lockdown measures were unlawful. The judicial review is being brought by multi-millionaire businessman Simon Dolan, backed by a £250,000 crowdfunding campaign. The action was initially rejected by the high court but is now subject of an appeal to be heard on September 28 and 29.
Mail
Boris Johnson‘s Covid clampdown has divided his Cabinet, it emerged last night. He faces a fierce Tory backlash over the contentious ‘rule of six’ that bans gatherings of seven or more from Monday. A string of senior ministers opposed the measure at a crunch meeting, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak among those to speak out. A Cabinet source said the rule of six was opposed by every member of the Prime Minister’s coronavirus strategy committee on Tuesday apart from Matt Hancock. The Health Secretary is said to have driven the decision, supported by Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty and Chief Scientific Adviser Sir Patrick Vallance. ‘Everyone apart from Hancock wanted to set the limit on groups at eight or more,’ the source said.
‘Moonshot’ testing
Mail
Boris Johnson’s own SAGE experts raised serious doubts about his ‘moonshot’ plan for mass testing to save Christmas – warning that the claimed £100billion cost could be better deployed elsewhere and there could be too many false results. The PM mooted the radical scheme at a Downing Street press conference last night as a way of returning the country to normality, with 10million people a day screened using rapid new kits. However, ministers admitted this morning that the testing technology does not yet exist, with the government’s own scientists saying there is no guarantee it will ever be developed.
Mirror
Boris Johnson’s ‘moonshot’ plan for mass coronavirus tests that don’t exist could cost £100billion, leaked documents claim. The PM wants up to 10million rapid tests handed to workers each day – which could cover the whole population in a week. But its cost would be larger than the entire annual defence or education budgets and almost as much as NHS spending in a year. Last night the Prime Minister said he was aiming for a system where “millions” of Brits would get rapid tests before heading off to work.
Sky News
Boris Johnson has spoken of his hope for regular mass coronavirus testing of the population as a route back to a more normal life. The prime minister said the government is “working hard” to increase daily COVID-19 testing capacity to 500,000 by the end of next month. But he said the long-term ambition was for millions of coronavirus tests to be processed every day, with some results potentially being turned around in as little as 20 minutes.
Marshals
Telegraph
Boris Johnson’s coronavirus marshals have been dismissed as “Covid Wombles” by the police after it emerged they will have no powers to enforce new restrictions. Senior officers said they would not have the resources to respond to marshals reporting illegal gatherings of more than six people, because other crimes are now back to pre-lockdown levels. Priti Patel, the Home Secretary, briefed chief constables on the marshals plan just 45 minutes before it was announced on television by Boris Johnson, leaving some “baffled” by the idea. Brian Booth, chairman of the West Yorkshire Police Federation said: “We are snowed under with our usual police work so the real issue for us is one of resourcing.
Mail
Boris Johnson’s much derided ‘Covid marshals’ are already up and running in towns across the UK – but critics have been left ‘baffled’ by what the new role entails. In his downbeat address to the nation last night, the PM announced his new army of ‘Covid secure’ marshals will be out in force to catch anyone breaking the rules. But Ken Marsh, chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said rank-and-file officers have been left ‘absolutely baffled’ by what the marshals will actually do.
Extinction Rebellion
Telegraph
Police faced questions on Thursday after protesters were allowed to deface Sir Winston Churchill’s statue in Parliament Square during an Extinction Rebellion demonstration. The statue was daubed with the word “racist” in yellow spray paint while climate protesters occupied Parliament Square despite hundreds of police officers being stationed in the area. The Metropolitan Police confirmed that one person had been arrested, but questions were raised as to how the statue was able to be defaced for the second time in three months. There are also questions over whether any of the protesters on Thursday were the same ones who blockaded the print plants, because of the 51 people charged in relation to the action, 49 were released on bail conditions which stipulated that they must not attend Extinction Rebellion protests for a week.
Breitbart
The eco-extremist group Extinction Rebellion are a bunch of “criminals” who are intent on “undermining functioning society”, according to Home Secretary Priti Patel. Following the climate change alarmist organisation’s assault on British newspapers, which they claim peddle false information about allegedly man-made climate change, Extinction Rebellion is facing tougher enforcement from the government. Reports have even suggested that XR may be classified by the government as a criminal organisation and would be subject to policing from Britain’s equivalent to the FBI, the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Breast cancer
Mail
Women with advanced breast cancer may be a step closer to an NHS blood test that tells them which personalised treatment they need. There are around 35,000 women in the UK with advanced breast cancer which has come back after treatment or spread. Girls Aloud’s singer Sarah Harding recently said she is one of them. Around half of these women have different genetic mutations which fuel their tumours and could be stopped in their tracks with the right drugs. Now the largest study to look at blood tests called liquid biopsies has found they correctly picked up 93 per cent of patients with genetic mutations.
So the EU will do without City financial services. SO who is going to fake Greek accounts ? Who is going to finance french weapons sales to Greece in the standoff with Turkey ?
Clearly the EU are very worried or they would not be firing all their ammunition at the first opportunity – They had overlooked that we can tear up the WA which they were relying on to stop a successful Brexit which would encourage others to exit which would mark end of Empire for the EU – Good job they have not got their army yet! –
The main thing that matters is the continental shelf covered by our Zone. It is very shallow . Shallow enough to put Drilling rigs on. so. Shallew enough build on or reclaim. So,we get Britain surrounded by EU. Particularly in the Irish sea. Now you see why they are so desperate for a toehold to get it from our BRAINDEAD remainers and silent Civil service.
“Legal advice contained in a three–page letter marked “official – sensitive”, seen by the Guardian”
If this legal advice was marked “official – sensitive”, how then is the Guardian privy to this information???
No good asking the paper! “Sources” are confidential . . . Does not say “Top Secret”, which should prevent leaks. We know that security has become relaxed in recent times, so it may be an authorised release to approved newspapers . . .
Thank goodness the transition period is soon ending. Would you trust the five EU Dictators. They might be offended by being called dictators, yet do they care about offending the majority of the UK population. The 5 have appointed a negotiator who is making threats when he cannot get his way.
The EU negotiator states that the UK is an independent country followed by saying the fish in the UK maritime zone do not belong to the UK. Can he be trusted. The EU Negotiator speaks for and is the voice of the EU in the negotiations. That means the EU is by not rejecting those comments approving the comments. The EU therefore has and is making threats to the UK and is trying , by means of these threats, to take partial fiscal and maybe by the EU’s own justice system partial control of the UK.
The EU negotiator stand that the UK cannot have a bespoke agreement and he is now stating that the the UK must have a bespoke agreement with the EU. He is not negotiating he making demands that would have the approval of an extreme left wing organisation. Did the UK make these types of demands when home rule was given to the British Colonies and Protectorates.
I suspect that most leavers will support Prime Minister Johnson about leaving the EU. I would upset the EU Negotiator by attending every scheduled meeting and continue rejecting his colonisation demands. Until the EU accepts that the UK is an independent nation, that means accepting that the UK has sole ownership of its own maritime zone, then progress can be made. The EU Negotiator seems to forget that the clock is ticking.
This one caused a sharp rise in blood pressure…(https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1334132/coronavirus-uk-government-boris-johnson-1984-intervention-rishi-sunak-spt)
Prime Minister Boris Johnson is grappling with how to curb the effects of the economic fallout caused by the coronavirus pandemic… Drastic measures were required early on to protect the UK, such as the 329-page emergency bill that was passed at an unprecedented pace.
It gave the Government wide-ranging powers unlike any other recent legislation.
Power over things like immediate border closures and mass business shut-downs were handed over to Mr Johnson and his cabinet.
The speed at which the Government has managed to thrust its hand into public life has led many to question how willing it will be to ease its grip once the pandemic is over…
* * *
If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.
The lie can be maintained only for such time as the State can shield the people from the political and economic consequences of the lie.
It thus becomes vitally important for the State to use all its powers to repress dissent, for the truth is the mortal enemy of the lie, and thus by extension, the truth becomes the greatest enemy of the State.
That little pearl of wisdom comes from the Joseph Goebbels, Hitler’s Minister of propaganda from 1933-1945.
We seemed to have reached the stage where the State must use fear and force to enforce the lie, in an attempt to maintain their fragile credibility.
That Dear Old Lady, Democracy is being, ever so quietly… Murdered.
What can we do?
Well, for a start we can sign these petitions:- https://petition.parliament… Petition to repeal the coronavirus act
and another
https://liberty.e-activist….
Neither of these petitions will work, is it me or have others found a problem accessing them?
Me too. Just tried. ‘server not found’.
I think we can conclude that another fragment has been chiselled off the democracy statue. When will that one finally fall?
Came across a quote from Thomas Carlyle “Rights aren’t Rights until they’re Mights.” Could apply to anything, from our dealings with EU (hence the necessity to keep control of our armed forces) or our war with our own politicians (a bit more backbone on the part of much of the public would be a good start) ; You will lose any rights you have unless you are able and willing to defend them by Might !
I would suggest that the “negotiation game” is now so open I.e. The rules seem to have gone out of the window that full negotiations be opened and concluded with the USA in the next few weeks so they are done and dusted before there is a possibility of an unco-operative President
Might as well be hanged for a sheep as well as a goat
Sorry Mary you will obviously notice my reply is not remotely anything to do with your posting, with which incidentally I agree wholeheartedly.
Also I will say I couldn’t wish to appear in print with a more lovely and generous lady as you Mary
I have to say that Boris is a consummate politician and a journalist. He would have known exactly what reaction he would get from the EU with the bill he published on Wednesday.
Perhaps the reason the EU is so up in arms about changing the terms of the WA is that none of them noticed Bill Cash’s extra ‘clause 38’ which allows us to change the agreement unilaterally!
Well, if the legal case goes either to the ECJ (it shouldn’t do – we’re not officially a member of the bloc any more) or our own Supreme Court (itself very pro EU) then whatever the legal rights and wrongs, the UK will be found at fault, you can bet on that.
Interesting points Debbie. Thinking it would go to the ECJ I wondered – do these fines need to be paid? Who are they paid to? What happens and to whom if they are not paid?
This is precisely why it is so important for us to maintain a UK monopoly over the use of State force (violent force) in Defence matters and Justice and Home Affairs matters. And get rid of the European Arrest Warrant, which in the hands of the new European Public Prosecutor is a sword of Damocles hanging over our inidivdual heads and over our democracy itself. See https://independencedaily.co.uk/possible-threats-to-the-uks-national-security-and-to-the-security-of-every-uk-inhabitant-from-a-security-treaty-with-the-eu/
EU:
How much more will it take before Boris tells the EU to go to hell? They really are becoming tiresome.
Jack Thomas. Yes indeed, and there is the ‘divorce settlement’ payment to be borne in mind I believe.
However, it would be nice if we could attack the defence problem first, before breaking off ‘diplomatic relations’.
I came across this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0_gz3Xo62I
Seems a good idea to me. If we don’t stand firm against government what next?
I could barely understand a word this lady was saying apart from something about defunding masks. She can’t help her accent but it doesn’t work sorry.
Just think of what I and many others will not be missing with a trade embargo by that law abiding EU. I will not miss EU wine (I prefer guest beers at Wethespoon’s), EU cheeses (British cheeses are better), EU meat imports, EU vegetables, EU fruit, EU caught British fish, EU cars. Since the corona virus crisis I no longer miss HP sauce. Could we add traffic to and from the the EU outpost (the Republic of Ireland) to the list. We managed without mainland Europe in the early 1940s regarding food we can manage now, no torpedoes will there.
We must look at the EU negotiater trade threats and see if we can implement them by replacing EU with UK and replacing UK by EU. Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Good points David Turgoose. Only thing I’m missing is the cheap fags that have been cut off by Covid restrictions on people visiting mainland Europe.
I don’t understand the arguments over ‘financial services’ – perhaps that is a brexit threat to Britain but some say it has already been overcome.
Been avoiding EU produce as far as possible, other than some wines for years. Happy with wines from the New World if push comes to shove.
One thing shines through the news this morning is the almost universal ignorance. Politicians have total ignorance of everything, Civil servants believe that because they are the essential tramdrivers of the economy, that they are more, Whereas that is just all they are. I suppose that it is unsurprising , given this political ignorance , or lack of experience, or practicality by all, It is to be expected that pressures to do a difficult or impoosible action, raises opposition ..
Everyone is unreasonable .
Gracy Fields. ” I’m the girl that makes the thing that fits the”….. ETC
Corruption or ignorance makes a tiny saving of a Tiny bit that doesn’t appear to matter. They’ll go on making the thing for ever . This is politics and the civil service with ignorance and missing the point.An example.:–
–
MPs select committees. The advice they can give should and usually do, is above value. . They hand it to the PM. Almost as a instinctive jerk he removes the main and often other recommendations. Just because that is what they must show they can do it, and therefore cement their power.
Mind you, When you get a committee you get fools as well , and Hilary Benn was also placed to give a bent advice. Probably by HagMay. He has now found his proper place in obscurity.