Priti Patel insists Britain will diverge from the EU post-Brexit: Brexit News for Monday 27 January

Priti Patel insists Britain will diverge from the EU post-Brexit: Brexit News for Monday 27 January

Priti Patel insists Britain will diverge from the EU post-Brexit…

Priti Patel has insisted the UK “will be diverging” from the European Union after Brexit, despite the bloc warning this could rule out a free trade deal. EU chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said last week that it would be“very difficult” for a deal to be signed if Number 10 does not commit to its rules on trade, immigration and finance. But the Home Secretary said there is “no disagreement in government at all” that that there will be divergence from the bloc’s rules. “There is no disagreement in Government at all, we are clear – we are leaving. We will be taking back control of our laws, our money, our borders,” she told Sky’s Sophie Ridge programme on Sunday. “In terms of divergence, we are not having alignment. We will be diverging. We want to take control of our laws, money and our borders.” – Evening Standard

> WATCH: Priti Patel MP on Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday

…while Steve Barclay says Britain won’t ditch EU rules ‘for the sake of it’…

The Brexit secretary appeared to tone down a fellow cabinet minister’s comments on diverging from the European Union after Brexit. Stephen Barclay outlined a somewhat softer government stance, saying the UK would not abandon EU rules “just for the sake of it”. It came just minutes after home secretary Priti Patel insisted the country “will be diverging”, despite the bloc warning this could hamper the chances of a free trade deal. EU chief negotiator Guy Verhofstadt said last week that it would be“very difficult” for a deal to be signed if Number 10 does not commit to its rules on trade, immigration and finance. Mr Barclay told the BBC’s Andrew Marr soon after: “We’re coming out of the single market, we’re coming out of the customs union. We’re not just going to diverge just for the sake of it – we need to look at where the opportunities are. But it is true that we are going to have control of our approach to regulation and that’s the very essence of Brexit: that we can do things differently, particularly where, for example, there is innovation, there is new technologies, there’s things where we want to move quickly. Brexit at its very core is that we will have control of our laws, our regulation and that is why we can’t be a rule-taker: we need to have that opportunity.” – Evening Standard

…and says the Government is aiming for a zero tariff, zero quota trade deal with the EU

The government is aiming to secure a “zero tariff, zero quota” free trade deal with the EU, Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay has said. He told the BBC’s Andrew Marr the UK would not diverge from current EU trade regulations “for the sake of it”. Mr Barclay added the government’s objectives for the trade talks would be published after Brexit on 31 January. Prime Minister Boris Johnson will make a speech next month setting out more details, he said. Mr Barclay’s comments come after the US treasury secretary said his country wants to agree to a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK this year. After Brexit happens at 23:00 GMT on Friday, the UK will be free to negotiate and sign new trade deals with countries with no existing EU deals – like the US. The UK then enters into an agreed transition period with the EU, which lasts until 31 December 2020. During this time the UK will aim to negotiate a free trade deal with the EU to ensure that UK goods are not subject to tariffs and other trade barriers. – BBC News

  • Brexit secretary says UK will set out trade talk aims by early February – Guardian

> WATCH: Steve Barclay MP on The Andrew Marr Show 

Brussels to fight tough on state aid in post-Brexit talks…

EU member states are determined to curtail Britain’s ability to hand out state money to prized industries as a key price for agreeing a trade deal, according to senior European diplomats, opening up a major battleground in the post-Brexit negotiations. Brussels, whose negotiating team will be headed by Michel Barnier, will insist that the UK sticks especially closely to EU state aid rules when it kicks off what are set to be fraught future-relationship negotiations with Britain soon after Brexit day on Friday.  Boris Johnson last November caused concern in Brussels when he announced plans to make it “faster and easier” for the UK government to intervene in failing industries after Brexit. He also said he would “fundamentally change” public procurement rules to “back British business”. Britain’s former ambassador to the EU Ivan Rogers claimed the idea appeared to mimic Donald Trump’s “Buy American” policy. But the EU sees state aid as one of the most sensitive parts of the “level playing field” of common rules and standards that it says Britain must adhere to if it wants any trade deal — and it plans to impose requirements that go far beyond those demanded of other trading partners in this area. – FT(£)

…as Irish Europe minister says negotiating a trade deal in 10 months will be difficult…

Negotiating a trade deal with the UK post-Brexit “essentially in 10 months” will be difficult and challenging, according to Minister of State for European Affairs Helen McEntee. Ms McEntee appeared on Sky News’s Sophy Ridge On Sunday and spoke about the prospects of such a deal being agreed to in the Brexit transition period which begins on February 1st. “My own personal view is that Brexit is really only at half-time, we have a huge amount of work still to do,” she said. “I think it’s very welcome but with a tinge of sadness that the Withdrawal Agreement has passed through all the stages in Westminster. However, the idea that we can negotiate a trade deal, one that is comprehensive, one that provides very little change for our citizens, not just in the UK and Ireland, but the EU as well, within about a 12-month space – it’s very difficult. Now of course the EU is willing and Michel Barnier is still there, and he is working with his team, and all member states are included to ensure that we have a mandate and that we are ready for these negotiations when they start. We do know of course that Boris Johnson has said he does not want to have an extension, which means trying to negotiate a very difficult trade deal, essentially in 10 months.” – Irish Times (£)

> WATCH: Ireland’s Europe Minister Helen McEntee on Sophy Ridge on Sunday

…while Leo Varadkar claims the EU will have the upper hand in the trade talks…

The Irish Prime Minister has told BBC News he believes the EU will have the upper hand in the upcoming trade talks with the UK. Leo Varadkar compared the two sides to football teams, suggesting the EU would have the “stronger team” due to its larger population and market. He also suggested that Britain misjudged the first phase of Brexit. It comes as the Taoiseach is due to meet the EU’s chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, in Dublin. In an interview with BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg, days before Britain is due to leave the EU, Mr Varadkar also warned against any attempt by the UK to get a “piecemeal” deal with the EU. “When I hear people talk about piecemeal, it sounds a bit like cake and eat,” he said. “That isn’t something that will fly in Europe.” The Taoiseach said the EU could take the upper hand in negotiations, citing the two sides’ vastly different populations. He said: “The European Union is a union of 27 member states. The UK is only one country. And we have a population and a market of 450 million people. The UK, it’s about 60[m]. So if these were two teams up against each other playing football, who do you think has the stronger team?” – BBC News

…and claims Boris Johnson vowed not to reduce UK food safety standards…

British prime minister Boris Johnson has given the taoiseach an assurance that the UK has no plans to reduce its food safety standards or allow the importation of controversial foodstuffs after it concludes a trade deal with the EU this year. Before a meeting with Michel Barnier, the European Commission’s Brexit negotiator, in Dublin tomorrow, Leo Varadkar said he believes that, based on discussions with Johnson, the EU can agree “a set of common minimum standards” with Britain over food, employment law and the environment. Simon Coveney, the tanaiste and foreign affairs minister, has said the EU will not sign any trade deal with Britain until new “level playing field” rules are agreed, and while a “barebones” agreement might be possible, the EU and Britain could not reach a comprehensive settlement within eight months. The taoiseach told The Sunday Times yesterday: “What Boris Johnson says to me when I meet him is that he and the British government are a little bit offended by this idea that the UK is going to go down that route. “He says to me, ‘There’s absolutely no way I’d get chlorinated chicken through the House of Commons. Even if I wanted to, I wouldn’t get it through my own public.’ So they’re a little bit offended by this idea that the UK is going to go down this deregulated lower-standards path.” – The Times (£)

…as US Ambassador Woody Johnson calls for the UK to permit American chlorine-washed chicken into the UK market after Brexit

US ambassador to the UK Woody Johnson has suggested the roll out of chlorinated chicken in Britain. While the UK is currently aligned to the EU’s strict food hygiene standards, campaigners fear that post-Brexit trade deals will lead to the adoption of lower standards from the US – where chickens can be raised in less hygienic conditions before being washed in chlorine and disinfectants to remove bacteria. Environment Secretary Theresa Villiers made clear earlier this month that chlorine-washed chicken would not be allowed into the UK as part of the prospective trade deal with the United States. But in a letter to The Sunday Times, Woody Johnson insisted the issue should be kept on the table during the talks.The ambassador dismissed fears over the use of chlorine washes, which he claims are “the most effective and economical way to fight food-borne illness.” He wrote: “Your own Food Standards Agency has already approved antimicrobial washes to stop food poisoning in prewashed salads sold across the UK. Perhaps it should recommend including chicken in this treatment. Millions of Britons visit America every year and I would wager most eat chicken while there. Ask them and I am sure they will tell you that American agricultural products are safe, nutritious and delicious.” – iNews

New government advertising campaign to declare Brexit Britain ‘ready to trade’

The Government is to mark the first day of Britain’s departure from the European Union with the launch of an international advertising campaign telling foreign businesses the UK is “ready to trade” with them. The new ‘Ready to Trade’ campaign will be launched with posters and billboards in 17 cities across 13 countries outside the EU on February 1, the day after Brexit day. Downing Street says the campaign “seeks to deepen our relationships with future global partners” and features striking images of the union flag, including red, white and blue container units on a freight ship. An advertising campaign will also be launched in the UK tomorrow, with the message ‘This Friday the UK leaves the EU’, urging businesses here to check for any changes they need to make ahead of January 2021, when the Brexit transition period comes to an end. Brexit day itself will be marked with a number of initiatives, including a commemorative 50p coin. Mr Johnson said: “Next Friday marks an important moment in the history of our United Kingdom. No matter how you voted in 2016, it is the time to look ahead with confidence to the global, trail-blazing country we will become over the next decade and heal past divisions. That is what I will be doing on 31 January and I urge everyone across the UK to do the same.” The Prime Minister and his Cabinet will begin Brexit day in the North of England to discuss “the PM’s levelling up agenda and how best to spread prosperity and opportunity across all corners of the UK”. – Telegraph (£)

Michel Barnier warns Johnson that trying to use the threat of a US trade deal in a ‘bidding war’ after Brexit will fail…

The EU has warned Boris Johnson he will fail if he tries to use the leverage of a US trade deal to strike better terms with Brussels, as it revealed plans for “10 negotiating tables” for the huge task ahead. In a hard-hitting interview, chief negotiator Michel Barnier also made clear that border checks on goods will “become the norm” after Brexit – even if the UK achieves the no-tariff, no-quota agreement it seeks. Mr Barnier highlighted that a no-deal Brexit remained a “risk” at the end of 2020, as EU determination to protect the single market clashes with the UK’s desire to make its own rules. And he suggested the UK could never secure the same “respect” from the United States and China as it had as a member of the EU with “500 million consumers and 22 million businesses”. – Independent

…as he prepares to meet Sinn Féin and the DUP in Belfast today

EU Chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier is to meet Sinn Féin and DUP representatives today as the countdown begins to the UK leaving the European Union on Friday. Stormont deputy First leader Michelle O’Neill and economy minister Diane Dodds are to hold private talks with Mr Barnier, with both expected to seek protections for the north in relation to trade and the peace process. Last week, a senior EU official warned they would not tolerate any “backsliding” on the Northern Ireland part of the Brexit deal. The withdrawal agreement will mean the north will continue to follow EU rules on agricultural and manufactured goods, while the rest of the UK will not. Sources say that Ms O’Neill will make it clear today that a majority of voters in the north voted to remain and will be asking for assurances around Irish rights, peace and the economy. – Irish News

British farming can be the ‘envy of the world’ after Brexit, say leading agriculture figures

Brexit is an opportunity for British farming to become “the envy of the world”, farmers and environmentalists have told the prime minister in a rare joint missive. The National Farmers Union, Greenpeace and the RSPB, along with 60 other organisations, have written to Boris Johnson calling for food standards to be enshrined in law after we leave the EU, in a letter seen by the Telegraph. “Brexit can be a catalyst for UK farming not just to be the envy of the world, but to provide gold-standard model for high standard, high quality, sustainable food production,” reads the letter, which was sent over the weekend. It calls for the government to include its manifesto commitment to maintain animal welfare and food standards during trade talks in the forthcoming Agriculture Bill. It also calls for a trade and standards commission to oversee any post-Brexit trade deals, amid fears the government is willing to accept imports of food with lower standards, including chlorinated chicken from the US. – Telegraph (£)

Fast-track ‘global talent visa’ to be launched days after Brexit

The government has announced it will launch a “global talent visa” on 20 February to encourage scientists, researchers and mathematicians to come to the UK, with no limit on how many people can be accepted. In addition, Boris Johnson said he was making available a £300m package for research into advanced mathematics. It will double funding for new PhDs and boost the number of maths fellowships and research projects. With Brexit day approaching on 31 January, the prime minister said: “As we leave the EU I want to send a message that the UK is open to the most talented minds in the world, and stand ready to support them to turn their ideas into reality.” The fast-track visa is a replacement of the old tier-one “exceptional talent” visa route that allowed applicants to be endorsed by the Royal Society, Royal Academy of Engineering, the British Academy, Tech Nation or Arts Council England. Applications were previously capped at 2,000 per year but the limit was never reached. Under the new scheme, the UK Research and Innovation funding agency will also be able to recommend applicants. Applicants will not need a job offer before arriving in the UK under the visa and it will provide an accelerated path to settlement for all scientists and researchers who are endorsed. – Guardian

  • Priti Patel says UK firms ‘too reliant’ on cheap EU labour, as ex-Tory leader warns against ignoring ‘blue collar’ voters on immigration – Telegraph (£)

Holidaymakers can ‘travel as normal’ after Brexit, travel firms say

Travel firms are insisting that “everything will remain the same” for holidaymakers after Brexit. Warnings were issued last year about potential restrictions for foreign travel in the event of the UK withdrawing from the EU without an agreement. These included passports needing to be valid for six months after the end of trips and passengers not being allowed to use border queues designated for EU passport holders. But Mark Tanzer, chief executive of travel trade organisation Abta, said the transition period means there will be no changes when Brexit happens at 11pm on Friday. He said: “Because the UK is set to have a deal with the EU when it comes to travel, everything will remain the same after January 31 so people can continue to travel as normal. ”Travellers will still be able to use their UK passport at EU gates at border check points for now, at least until the end of December 2020. Also, holidaymakers and business travellers won’t need to have six months left on their passports to travel to the EU. Passports do however need to be valid for the whole of any trip.“  Evening Standard

Plaid Cymru ditches ‘yesterday’s battles’ to focus on ‘making Brexit work for Wales’

Plaid Cymru is now focused on making Brexit work for Wales “as best we can”, according to the party’s leader. Adam Price said it had been in Wales’ best interests for Plaid to oppose the UK’s departure from the European Union in December’s general election. But with the UK set to leave the EU on 31 January, he said there was no need to “fight yesterday’s battles”. Mr Price added there could be “new freedoms and flexibilities” for Wales as a result of Brexit. “There’s no point in us now rehearsing arguments of the past,” Mr Price said. “The prime minister has his majority, he will implement the [Brexit] policy that he set out. It’s very important we minimise some of the negative effects that could have on the Welsh economy but also we need to reflect the fact that we’re in a different political context now and we need to look at making this work for Wales as best we can.” – BBC News

Leading Remainers say they will refuse to ‘use or accept’ commemorative Brexit 50p coin

Leading Remainers have vowed never to use or accept the government’s new commemorative Brexit 50p coin. Approximately three million of the coins are due to begin entering circulation on Friday as part of efforts to formally mark the UK’s departure from the European Union. The coins, bearing the words ‘peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’ as well as the Brexit date of January 31, 2020, have sparked a furious backlash among pro-EU campaigners. Lord Adonis, a Labour peer who has consistently fought to reverse Brexit, tweeted: ‘I am never using or accepting this coin.’ Meanwhile, Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair’s former spin doctor, echoed a similar sentiment as he said he will ask shops for alternatives to the coin if he is handed one in the future. He tweeted: ‘I for one shall be asking shopkeepers for “two 20p pieces and a 10” if they offer me a 50p coin pretending that Brexit is about “peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations” given it puts all three at risk.’ Some pro-EU social media users urged people to deface the coins with Remainer graffiti while others advocated keeping and never spending them in order to take them permanently out of circulation. – MailOnline

Steve Barclay: We did it! UK finally delivered Brexit 

Next week the UK will leave the EU and become an independent country again. Nearly four years after the historic referendum, we will finally get Brexit done and deliver what Sunday Express readers voted for. As a huge rugby fan I often see parallels between my political life and the sport I love. Securing the Withdrawal Agreement was the PM’s diplomatic equivalent of Jonny Wilkinson’s last minute drop goal to win England the 2003 World Cup. We had to lock into the scrum and make the hard yards to get far enough up the field for our key players to make the difference. And at times it felt like we may never get there. But we finally gained a major victory for Britain and for our democracy. The Prime Minister has now signed the Withdrawal Agreement, marking a hugely important moment in the Brexit process which confirms our departure from the EU on 31 January. This success means that the Department I lead will no longer exist on 31 January having fulfilled its mandate. And so it is natural to reflect on what we achieved together, as a team. During my time as Brexit Secretary I’ve spent more than 100 hours at the despatch box in Parliament discussing our exit from the EU. I travelled across the EU, from Cyprus to Sweden, making the case for an orderly withdrawal and have been to Brussels many times. Ministers in DExEU oversaw the drafting of the Withdrawal Agreement Bill (WAB) and its passage through Parliament, the crowning achievement being that it finally received Royal Assent this week. – Steve Barclay MP for the Express

Iain Duncan Smith: Boris Johnson must deliver on his immigration promises for his new blue collar voters

As a result of the chaotic mess of the last three years, it becomes quite difficult to remember what was actually said during the 2016 referendum. In the intervening period, as the liberal elite fought back to try and stop Brexit from happening, too many politicians lost sight of the democratic importance of that vote and why 17.4 million British people voted to leave the suffocating embrace of the EU. All sorts of base allegations were made about us all and patronising reasons invented by die-hard Remainers. They claimed those who voted Leave were misled and that was because they were too old, too poor or too stupid to grasp the real facts. Finally, and, I believe in desperation, I note those of us who voted to Leave are now accused of being racist. Yet despite the patronising and abusive name calling, despite years of May’s government’s weak negotiating position, on December 12, the British people voted for Brexit again. Take back control resonated with so many people who had over the years lost faith with the political establishment and its failure to understand their genuine concerns and at the second time of asking they said get Brexit done. And we must. Whilst it is true people who voted Brexit wanted to take back control of our fishing, farming, laws and money, they also voted to take back control of our borders as well. Over the last three years, as the liberal elite aided by some in the business world have pushed back and tried to dismiss migration control, those of us who were heavily involved in the Brexit campaign know it was a promise that we are honour bound to deliver on. – Sir Iain Duncan Smith MP for the Telegraph (£)

Julie Birchill: Pessimistic Remainers never stood a chance against the inherent optimism of Brexit

There were several mooted theories about what defined the two sides in the Brexit debate – David Goodhart’s Somewheres vs Anywheres, my Ponces vs Plebs (I’m a proud pleb, so it’s not an insult) – but as we come in sight of the finishing line, I believe that the best way to understand the rift is that this was a battle of optimists vs pessimists. Brexiteers saw a glass half full of sparkling Somerset cider whereas Remainers saw a glass half empty of Malbec with no refills on the way. We wanted to hurtle gung-ho into an unknown adventure; they wanted to keep ahold of Mutti Merkel nurse for fear of finding something worse. We don’t think it’s a big cruel world out there – they do. Which makes Remainers, not us Brexiteers, the true misanthropes. For Remainers, this allegedly scary hinterland was in fact just bizarre fear about “Too Much Democracy” – and there is no such thing as too much democracy. It’s a sad day for Western liberalism when fury over losing cheap wine gets more souls out on the streets than supporting the brave young people facing torture and execution due to their yearning for democracy, from Iran to Hong Kong. – Julie Birchill for the Telegraph (£)

Jacob Rees-Mogg: Now we can shine a bright sunbeam of certainty to end the long night of doubt

The moment of national renewal has come. While spring is yet to sweep the chill from the air, fresh shoots of rejuvenation and regeneration are piercing through the cold earth. The electorate, the British people, the most patient and forbearing in the world, will finally have their decisiveness rewarded and, thanks to the General Election result, we will have got Brexit done. By unleashing a reviving wave of blue MPs to rehydrate the parched soil, the British people have set the scene for the biggest restoration of vitality and viridity* to our land in generations. In Parliament, the thunderstorm has been blown away, calm has been restored and the serious job of legislating has recommenced. In both houses, scrutiny and debate have returned to the fore. In the Commons, fresh-faced MPs line the green benches, determined that the new Parliament will be a better Parliament – a people’s Parliament focused on delivering on their priorities. This comprehensive Conservative majority has allowed the Prime Minister’s deal with the European Union finally to pass all stages in Parliament and become law, getting Brexit done and shining through a bright sunbeam of certainty to end the long night of doubt. With the deal done and the agreement in place, we will leave the EU in five days’ time. Independence restored, the Government will focus on unleashing the potential of this country. – Jacob Rees-Mogg MP for the Mail on Sunday

Robert Tombs: Finally our future can match our past – a self governing island nation with a global horizon

After more than three years of delay and obstruction, Parliament has finally obeyed the referendum result of 2016 and passed the law taking us out of the European Union. Next Friday at 11 pm, whether or not Big Ben strikes the hour, we shall leave the organisation we joined – after even longer delay and obstruction (then by the French President General de Gaulle) – in 1973. It is not so long ago in historical terms. Many Mail on Sunday readers will remember it. But much has changed. Then Britain was on the ropes. Our economy, and even our society, seemed in decline, weakened by strikes and scandals. But the European Common Market, forerunner of the EU, was booming. A Government pamphlet showed a girl in a skimpy Union Jack bikini proclaiming: ‘Europe is fun! More work but more play too!’ We were, said a No 10 adviser, ‘the sinking Titanic’. Europe, we were told, was our lifeboat. Joining it would save us from ourselves. And now? Europe is floundering. France is riven by endless strikes and demonstrations. Southern Europe is stuck in economic stagnation, disastrous youth unemployment and a continuing crisis of migration. Extremist parties are mushrooming. The EU seeks to take ever more power, which it is incapable of using effectively. On the international stage, it is negligible. Whereas Britain, having at last come through the self-imposed chaos of the past three years, has seen political stability restored by a General Election and economic confidence boosted. – Robert Tombs for the Mail on Sunday

Leo McKinstry: Brussels fears Brexit success will expose the EU truth

An inspiring new chapter in British history is about to open. At the end of this week, our nation will embrace full independence once more, freed from the shackles of the European Union’s bureaucratic empire. For most British people, the return of sovereignty will be a cause for celebration. After almost half a century of alien, quasi-colonial rule, we will be in charge of our destiny again, taking back control over economy, trade, laws, and borders. But this mood of optimism at Brexit is rejected by the pro-EU diehards. Wallowing in fervent defeatism and federalist dogma, they have long predicted that the advent of our departure will be a disaster for our country. According to their relentlessly negative propaganda, national freedom will come at a terrible price, as the loss of governance by Brussels plunges Britain into isolation and decline. This is the bleak message they have peddled for years, ever since Euroscepticism became a powerful cause. I see a vibrant, open place that can attract huge amounts of foreign investment, has unrivalled record in business start-ups and is a global pioneer in scientific and genetic research.” With the approach of Brexit, it is the EU and member states that are in crisis, not Britain. Economic sluggishness is accompanied by political divisions and extremism. France is in turmoil over public sector reforms, Italy in permanent sclerosis, Spain in the grip of socialism and Germany on the brink of recession. For the EU, Brexit represents an existential challenge, not only because of the loss of our budget contributions and our pro-business approach. If Britain prospers, the justification for the European project will be demolished. All the much-vaunted apparatus of EU officialdom will be exposed as unnecessary to national success. That is precisely what the EU dreads so much in Brexit. A thriving, free nation on the Continent’s doorstep is the perfect antidote to federalist ideology. – Leo McKinstry for the Express

Suella Braverman: People we elect must take back control from people we don’t – who include the judges

Restoring sovereignty to Parliament after Brexit is one of the greatest prizes that awaits us. But not just from the EU. As we start this new chapter of our democratic story, our Parliament must retrieve power ceded to another place – the courts. For too long, the Diceyan notion of parliamentary supremacy has come under threat. The political has been captured by the legal. Decisions of an executive, legislative and democratic nature have been assumed by our courts. Prorogation and the triggering of Article 50 were merely the latest examples of a chronic and steady encroachment by the judges. For in reality, repatriated powers from the EU will mean precious little if our courts continue to act as political decision-maker, pronouncing on what the law ought to be and supplanting Parliament. To empower our people we need to stop this disenfranchisement of Parliament. Brexit has served as a flashpoint of the shrinkage of politics and the ascent of law. However, as Jonathan Sumption, a former Supreme Court Judge, has said, the ‘empire of law’ has been expanding since the 19th century, gradually governing every aspect of life. Yes, courts should operate to curb abuse of power by government but if a small number of unelected, unaccountable judges continue to determine wider public policy, putting them at odds with elected decision-makers, our democracy cannot be said to be representative. Parliament’s legitimacy is unrivalled and the reason why we must take back control, not just from the EU, but from the judiciary. – Suella Braverman MP for ConservativeHome

Brexit in Brief

  • Historic Brexit coin has awkward punctuation mistake – can you spot it? – The Sun
  • Brexit ‘virtually’ the sole reason for Labour’s election defeat, says Unite’s Len McCluskey – Morning Star