Brexit: Ben Habib claims UK ‘clearly isn’t sovereign’
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French Europe Minister Clement Beaune claimed that if “dialogue” with the UK isn’t successful over the Northern Ireland Protocol then there will be other “measures” in ways that hurt the UK.Mr Beaune, who previously threatened to cut the UK off from energy supplies in response to the fishing wrangle, made his comments despite not being part of the EU ‘s negotiating team looking at ways to remedy the issues surrounding the withdrawal agreement.
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Jersey mocks France power cut claim in tense fishing battle Much of this focuses on the Northern Ireland Protocol – which effectively kept the province in the custom’s union and led to checks on goods travelling between it and the rest of the UK.
This has outraged its unionist community and Westminster alike for fracturing the UK’s internal market.
Last week the EU bowed to pressure and agreed to suspend many of the current checks.
But this didn’t appear to go far enough for Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Brexit Secretary Lord Frost – who are demanding that the European Court of Justice’s authority is cut out of the province.
The UK Government could face a legal challenge over the Protocol (Image: PA)
Lord Frost is holding talks with EU counterparts over the Protocol (Image: Getty) This may be a step too far for Brussels – leading to much wrangling over a way forward which pleases both sides.
Despite not being party to the talks, Mr Beaune shared his views on the situation during an explosive interview on Radio France today.
He warned: “Discussion without pressure is naive.
“If dialogue is not successful with the British, there will be measures restricting our cooperation in areas important to them.”
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Many Unionists have been protesting against the Protocol (Image: PA)
Baroness Hoey is part of the legal challenge (Image: PA) Trending 7 mins ago 17:50 Oliver Pritchard Brexit trade deal warning as UK industry bodies give key demand to new Trade Secretary British farmers fear they could be undercut and their livelihoods put at risk by cheap food imports in a post-Brexit trade deal with New Zealand.
New International Trade Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan is poised to announce a multi-billion pound tie-up this week.
It would see tariffs slashed on goods such as gin, chocolate, clothing, cars and buses, and allow level-playing field access for British investors to the country.
In return, British shoppers will be able to choose between a wider range of ‘high-end’ lamb from New Zealand, while levies of up to 20p a bottle on the country’s successful wine industry would also be slashed.
1 hour ago 16:29 Oliver Pritchard Brexit trade deal with New Zealand to spark major job opportunities for Brits The post- Brexit trade deal with New Zealand is set to create huge job opportunities for Brits in the UK, an MP has said.
The new UK trade envoy to New Zealand David Mundell explained Britain’s free trade deal with New Zealand will be a major boost for British farming.
Speaking to Express.co.uk, Mr Mundell said : “If back in the UK you work for a firm that is specialist in agritech that would be helpful in terms of jobs.”
3 hours ago 15:05 Oliver Pritchard Brexit Britain set for economic BOOM in £500bn space sector: ‘It’ll be good for jobs’ Brexit Britain is poised to reap the benefits of the global space sector, which experts predict will be worth nearly a staggering £500billion in less than 10 years.
Before the Covid pandemic brought the world’s economies to a grinding halt, the global space market was valued at an eye-watering £270billion.
Estimates indicate the sector could nearly double in value in the next eight to nine years, and Brexit Britain will not want to be left out.
Earlier last month the Government published its historic National Space Strategy , which outlines how the UK will try to grab a bigger slice of the £490billion pie.
3 hours ago 14:31 Richard Percival EU will not let Ireland be singled out in Protocol row Europe will not allow Ireland to be singled out in the fallout if negotiations on the Northern Ireland Protocol end in failure, an EU commissioner has insisted.
Ireland’s representative in the European Commission, Mairead McGuinness, was commenting on the potential for the country to be disproportionately affected if there is a breakdown of the Brexit trading arrangement designed to prevent a hardening of the island’s land border.
Ms McGuinness also said UK and EU relations would be in a “very, very difficult place” if there was any truth in claims made by former Downing Street chief advisor Dominic Cummings that the UK Government always intended to ditch the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Ms McGuinness told RTE One’s The Week In Politics it was more important to focus on getting a successful outcome to the negotiations than the “what ifs” that may materialise if talks break down.
5 hours ago 13:21 Richard Percival French fishermen ready to start new Channel blockade French fishermen have threatened to blockade the English Channel after Brussels refused to back Emmanuel Macron’s post-Brexit demands.
The French president has demanded tough action against the UK over post-Brexit fishing rights.
However, the EU has watered down Mr Macron’s call for action against the UK.
Fishing chief Pierre-Yves Dachicourt said there could be blockades in ports like Calais and Boulogne.
6 hours ago 11:55 Richard Percival Hannan lashes out at ‘preposterous’ Simon Coveney Brexit response A Brexiteer has lashed out at Ireland foreign’s minister following his outburst against the UK last week.
After Simon Coveney accused the UK of not wanting to resolve issues in Northern Ireland, former Tory MEP Daniel Hannan, labelled his comments as “preposterous”.
Amid the row over the European Court of Justice (ECJ), Mr Hannan insisted its role in the Brexit deal must be removed.
Indeed, the former MEP accused the EU of attempting to prevent Britain from being competitive.
7 hours ago 10:30 Richard Percival Raab announces new plan to curtail power of EU courts in UK Dominic Raab has declared that he is currently devising a “mechanism” to stop the UK from being “dictated to” by the European Court of Justice.
Mr Raab’s planned “mechanism” is aimed at giving the UK Government the power to introduce ad hoc legislation to “correct” court judgments that ministers believe are “incorrect”.
However, there is a fear this could endanger the separation of the judiciary from the executive, which is one of the hallmarks of democracy.
Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Mr Raab said: “We want the Supreme Court to have the last word on interpreting the laws of the land, not the Strasbourg court.”
8 hours ago 09:34 Richard Percival Ben Habib calls for appeal on Protocol challenge to be heard quicker Former Brexit Party MEP Ben Habib, who is part of a Unionist legal challenge against the Northern Ireland Protocol has called for an appeal to be heard ASAP.
Mr Habib said on Twitter: ” Last week the appeals court put our appeal on hold pending the EU’s declarations on the Protocol.
“Those amounted to no more than glorified grace periods in return for even more interference in NI.
“We have therefore moved for our appeal to be heard ASAP.”
9 hours ago 08:49 Richard Percival Cost of Brexit soaring, claims SNP The cost of Brexit is soaring which could see the UK heading for a “bleak Christmas”, the SNP have claimed.SNP Business spokesperson Stephen Flynn MP said: ” The UK is heading for a bleak Christmas – as the Tory cost of living crisis and soaring cost of Brexit hits millions of families and businesses in every community.”With the Tory government slashing household incomes, and businesses warning about rising prices and empty shelves, there is a very real danger that many families will struggle to get by this winter.”The stark reality of Tory Brexit Britain is that many people may not be able to afford to heat their homes, feed their families, or get hold of presents this Christmas as a result of the crisis Boris Johnson has done so much to cause.”
10 hours ago 07:32 Richard Percival Leo Varadkar blamed as UK’s relationship with EU teeters on the brink Leo Varadkar is partly to blame for the European Union’s increasingly fractious relationship with the UK, an ex-Irish diplomat has claimed – because of the former Taoiseach’s dogged insistence on the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol.
Ray Bassett, Ireland’s former ambassador to Canada, Jamaica and the Bahamas, said: “On the Coveney/Frost interventions, Ireland now finds itself in a dangerous position as relations between the EU and Britain head for yet another crisis.
“In the circumstances, Coveney and Leo Varadkar should reflect on the role they played in rejecting earlier British efforts at a compromise under David Cameron and insisting on the Backstop which ended the career of Theresa May.”
Mr Bassett added: “Now Ireland is potentially faced with a difficult dilemma, should trade relations between Brussels and London break down, namely whether to have controls on the Irish land border or controls between the Irish Republic and the European Mainland.”
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