BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom (AFP) – by Edouard GUIHAIRE Katherine HADDON “Divorces always cost you a lot of money,” sighed Charlie Mullins, one of many British bosses pushing ministers for more details on life post-Brexit at the Conservative Party’s annual conference. Dressed in an electric blue suit, Mullins is the charismatic founder of Pimlico Plumbers, whose vans are a common sight in the British capital and whose clients reportedly include Richard Branson. Fronting his company’s stall at […]
Tag: Brexit
British PM May to trigger EU divorce process by end of March
(Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May will trigger the divorce process from the European Union by the end of March, firing the starting gun on the country’s biggest shift in policy since World War Two. May, appointed prime minister shortly after Britain voted in June to leave the bloc, has been under pressure from EU officials, investors and members of her Conservative Party to offer more on her plan for Britain’s exit, beyond […]
German central bank chief warns City of London on ‘hard Brexit’
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – British banks risk losing their automatic right to trade in EU states as the country leaves the European Union, Germany’s central bank chief said in an interview out Monday. Jens Weidmann suggested that if Britain left the European Economic Area (EEA) — a group of 31 European Union and other European states which allows them to be part of the single market — it could mean financial services companies moving […]
Juncker vows Brexit won’t kill off EU
STRASBOURG, France (AFP) – by Clément ZAMPA with Danny KEMP in Brussels European Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker on Wednesday issued a rallying cry for unity after Brexit, saying the EU is not in danger of splitting up but must fight “galloping populism”. In his annual State of the Union speech, Juncker unveiled plans including a European Union defence headquarters in a bid to find common ground after a year of crisis and division in the bloc. […]
Five things to take away from the G20 summit
HANGZHOU, China (AFP) — This year’s most exclusive and closely-watched diplomatic party –- the G20 summit –- saw presidents and prime ministers from countries representing 85 percent of the global economy gather in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. How did the first China-hosted G20 go? While analysts correctly foresaw little prospect of big economic breakthroughs, there were some notable moments –- and notable flops. As heads of state bid farewell to the scenic city, which […]
UK to seek ‘unique’ deal to leave EU: PM’s spokesman
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – Britain will seek a “unique” deal on leaving the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May’s Downing Street office said Wednesday, after ministers held their first Brexit talks since the summer break. The government wants to control immigration from the EU while retaining strong trading ties, despite warnings from other nations that single market access is incompatible with limits on the free movement of people. Britain voted to leave the EU […]
Big three leaders insist EU not finished after Brexit
ABOARD the GIUSEPPE GARIBALDI aircraft carrier, Italy (AFP) – by Hervé ASQUIN Ella IDE The leaders of France, Germany and Italy insisted Monday that Britain’s decision to quit the European Union would not kill the bloc. Speaking aboard an aircraft carrier anchored off the Italian island of Ventotene, one of the cradles of the dream of a united, integrated Europe, the leaders vowed to relaunch the European project in the wake of the Brexit shock. […]
Brexit faces challenges in Northern Irish courts
DUBLIN, Ireland (AFP) – Britain’s departure from the EU faced two separate legal challenges in Northern Ireland’s High Court Friday. Lawyers for one group lodged an application with the court to challenge London’s decision to abide by the June 23 referendum result and proceed to leave the European Union. In a letter last month, the group had asked British Prime Minister Theresa May to allow votes on the issue in both the British parliament […]
Bank of England cuts rates to record low on Brexit
LONDON, United Kingdom (AFP) – by Roland JACKSON The Bank of England on Thursday slashed interest rates to a record low 0.25 percent and announced a vast stimulus package to combat economic fallout from Britain’s looming EU exit. Policymakers voted unanimously to reduce rates by a quarter-point, the bank said in a statement after its latest meeting, cutting borrowing costs for the first time in more than seven years. The BoE also delivered a £170-billion […]
Johnson says Britain not abandoning ‘leading role’ in Europe
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AFP) –New British foreign minister and top Brexit backer Boris Johnson pledged Monday Britain would continue to play a leading role in Europe as he met his European Union peers for the first time. “We have to give effect to the will of the people and leave the European Union but… we are not going in any way to abandon our leading role in European participation,” Johnson said. He said he had had […]
Britain eyes new trade deals in 2019
London, United Kingdom—The minister charged with securing new trade deals for Britain outside the European Union said Sunday he was aiming for a Brexit date of Jan. 1, 2019, as London made overtures toward Australia and Canada. “That’s the date I’m working to, which could be brought forward if necessary,” International Trade Secretary Liam Fox told the Sunday Times newspaper. This would involve triggering Article 50 of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty, which would start a […]
British cars sales shift into reverse
PARIS, France (AFP)–Sales of new cars fell in Britain last month as the nation voted to leave the European Union, data showed Friday, while elsewhere in the bloc they continued to accelerate. Registration of new cars fell in Britain dipped 0.8 percent in June, the first decline in the market this year, which has seen sales growth brake as the Brexit vote approached. Sales of new cars in the first half of this year increased by […]
