One rule I try to live by when writing about the Northern Ireland Protocol is that politicians and journalists from the mainland should be very cautious before second-guessing Northern Irish unionists about the merits of any deal. There is a powerful temptation for many on this side of the water to grab onto anything which, […]
The Government finally reached an agreement with the EU yesterday – one it claims will solve the chief problems with the Northern Ireland Protocol. Rishi Sunak and Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, unveiled the ‘Windsor Framework’ at the town’s historic Guildhall. The Protocol, which has been in place since January […]
Rishi Sunak’s critics have long claimed that he resembles a sales executive rather than a statesman. On Friday, he pitched his anticipated Northern Ireland Protocol deal to the leader of the DUP, Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, and other senior party officials. In the aftermath of that meeting, they seemed uncertain whether to buy the Prime Minister’s […]
This week marked three years since the UK officially left the European Union. To mark the occasion, a new poll from UnHerd revealed that 54% of voters now think leaving was the wrong decision. Much as that finding will gladden the hearts of the Rejoiner community, it’s really not that surprising. After all we are […]
Last week, the Government took the historic decision to trigger Section 35 of the Scotland Act for the first time and strike down Nicola Sturgeon’s controversial gender recognition bill. This example of ‘muscular unionism’ was hailed by Lord Frost, and other Tories, as an overdue assertion of the UK’s status as a unitary state. In […]
Over six years ago, the British people chose to leave the European Union. Even now, there is a small but vocal minority who are yet to reconcile themselves with this decision. Some, like Steve Bray, stand outside Parliament screaming day and night. Others, quieter but no less committed, see any divergence from EU law as […]
Free trade was once at the centre of the European project. Indeed, the United Kingdom, Denmark, and many other northern European nations joined the European Community for that very reason. The vision of a stronger together trading block that would open to the world was widely accepted. However, liberal economists and political Eurosceptics have long […]
Even the doughtiest Brexiteer would have to admit that the opportunities of leaving the EU have, so far, been squandered. From financial services to agriculture, and trade, we have failed to take advantage of the ability to diverge from and compete with our European neighbours. That’s partly because many of these areas in which the […]
‘Britain mulls Swiss-style ties with Brussels’ ran the Sunday Times headlines. Peculiarly, the date of publication was not 2017 but last weekend. ‘Senior government sources’ were claiming that ‘senior government figures’ are planning to put Britain on the path towards a revamped relationship with the European Union. Whether the sources and the figures were one […]
In March 2019, The Who’s lead singer Roger Daltrey was asked whether leaving the EU would be ‘bad for British rock music’. An incredulous Daltrey replied: ‘No. What’s it got to do with the rock business? How are you going to tour in Europe? Oh dear. As if we didn’t tour Europe before the f***ing […]
There is no doubt that the Northern Ireland Protocol has damaged trade between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as well as trade between GB and the Republic of Ireland. Liz Truss has been robust on wanting to make sure that damage is corrected as a matter of urgency for the people of Northern Ireland. It […]
The Conservative leadership run-off has not been short of striking policy pledges, but one of the most significant is Liz Truss’ promise to repeal or reform all retained EU law (REUL) by the end of 2023. Rishi Sunak has said he’ll review all REUL in his first 100 days in office and identify which laws […]
This is the full text of Lord Frost’s speech at the relaunch of Conservative Way Forward It’s a great pleasure to be here today at the relaunch of Conservative Way Forward. I’m honoured and privileged to be a member of CWF’s Parliamentary Board and look forward to taking forward our vision for the future of […]
There is, we are told, more joy in heaven over a sinner that repenteth so those of a Brexit-supporting disposition should raise a glass to Sir Keir Starmer for his recent speech. The general of Remain’s long guerilla war to stop the country leaving the EU has emerged, blinking like a Japanese soldier finally leaving […]
The idea of leaving the European Convention on Human Rights was once anathema. It is slowly becoming thinkable and even mainstream. Plenty of respectable countries are not members of any similar regional human rights organisation: think Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In the longterm, I doubt whether Britain’s democracy is consistent with continued membership of […]
In a widely publicised High Court judgment, freelance journalist Carole Cadwalladr successfully defended herself against a claim of defamation from the Brexit-backing businessman Arron Banks. Banks had claimed that Cadwalladr had defamed him by suggesting he had used secret Russian money to fund election campaigns in breach of electoral law. In return, Cadwalladr accused Banks […]
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