United Kingdom

    A senior minister has edged close to ruling out Britain leaving the EU without a deal, predicting such a scenario will never become "government policy". Education Secretary Damian Hinds told Sky News he "didn't envisage" ministers signing up to the plan, but that it had to remain an option to stop MPs thwarting Brexit. In comments likely to rile Brexiteers, Mr Hinds also called the Irish backstop an "integral part" of the Brexit deal. That is the insurance policy to prevent a hard border reforming on the island of Ireland if a trade deal is not struck. It is the main concern of hardline Eurosceptic MPs who voted in droves against the withdrawal agreement in December. Some are trying to change the deal to make the backstop time-limited, given the UK has no unilate...

    Ireland has launched a last-minute attempt to warn Theresa May off any attempt to unravel the backstop, two days before a crucial Commons debate that may decide the next move for the UK’s rudderless Brexit policy. Simon Coveney, the Irish foreign minister and deputy prime minister, insisted the backstop was “part of a balanced package that isn’t going to change” and, in a forceful interview, insisted it was only part of the withdrawal agreement because of the UK’s red lines. Responding to Coveney’s interview, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, dismissed suggestions it had sabotaged May’s Brexit strategy for the coming week, saying all sides were looking for “pragmatic solutions” to the Irish border problem. Hancock also played down a report claiming that, as part ...

 In 1973, when Britain joined the then EEC, it was promised to be the beginning of an exciting future. Memories of the imperial project were still fresh, but the world had changed around us. The argument was that the empire was dead but this would be the new alliance to replace it. Does Brexit mean another great change? And if so, what will historians say about this period in history? What will historians say about this period of history? That the campaign harnessed many reasons for discontent - from poverty and lack of opportunity to a feeling of distance from decision making, the pain and anger of being left behind as other parts of the country gained in prosperity, the decline of industry, fear of immigrants and a dislike of the pace of modern life. It was a protest vote agains...

    Sajid Javid has signed a new deal with his French counterpart to return migrants who illegally cross the Channel back to France. The agreement saw the first handful of migrants returned yesterday and is part of a new action plan which is backed by £6m extra money from the UK government. It was announced yesterday after the Home Secretary met French interior minister Christophe Castaner in London. The French have agreed they will take back migrants who have been fingerprinted on the so-called Eurodac database. This enables immigration officers to establish if they have already applied for asylum in an EU country or illegally transited through other EU states. The two governments have also pledged increased surveillance of the Channel by air and boat patrols. Foot pa...

    As MPs continue to battle over Brexit, the Queen has extolled the virtues "respecting different points of views" and "coming together to seek out the common ground". Her Majesty returned to the theme of her Christmas Day message in a speech to mark the centenary of the Sandringham Women's Institute, of which she is president. Conservative Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg this week claimed the government should suspend parliament if a cross-party group of MPs are successful in their bid to introduce legislation to make a "no-deal" Brexit impossible. Mr Rees-Mogg suggested the prime minister could ask the Queen to "prorogue" parliament - to bring an end to its current session - which would likely see any pending legislation that had not yet been passed into law then expire....

    A British city has been criticised for having no traffic wardens, leaving the streets a parking 'free for all'. The lack of parking enforcement in Newport, Wales, has caused frustration from people living there who say they've been appealing for authorities to crack down on the problem for years. Cars regularly park on single and double lines, resident-only areas and even pavements, according to reports. Not many come back to find a ticket on their windscreens, Wales Online reports. This has led to cars reportedly being parked on restricted areas in the city centre - near the train station and surrounding residential areas daily. But Gwent Police say parking enforcement is currently not a policing priority and confirmed they do not have contracted traffic wardens...

    Come 30 March, everything changes when it comes to travel, whether or not the UK crashes out of the EU without a deal. While much is uncertain, it is clear that in a no-deal scenario UK passport holders will need a minimum of six months left on their travel documents in order to visit much of Europe. To clarify matters, the government has launched a new tool to help British travellers find out if their passport will be valid after 29 March, the day the UK officially leaves the EU. “FOR UK PASSPORT HOLDERS ONLY,” the Hungarian low-cost airline tweeted on 16 January. “We want you to have a smooth journey, so please check if your UK passport is still valid for Europe after 29 March 2019. “Further information related to other nationality passports is not yet available...

    A senior Labour MP leading a backbench effort to rule out a no-deal Brexit has argued that much of the government, including Theresa May, privately want this to happen, and are relying on parliament to take action. At the start of a political week in the prime minister is likely to rule out any cross-party efforts to push ahead with a variation of her rejected Brexit plan, Yvette Cooper said it was time for MPs to act. Cooper, who chairs the home affairs select committee, is to table an amendment to a government motion on Monday which would seek to extend article 50 if a no deal departure on 29 March was looking likely. Other backbench proposals from MPs, such as the Tories Nick Boles and Dominic Grieve, could lead to indicative votes being held in the Commons to s...

    Theresa May will consider axeing the Human Rights Act after Brexit, despite promising she is committed to its protections, a minister has revealed. The government will decide on the future of the landmark legislation once the process of leaving the EU concludes, a letter to a parliamentary inquiry says. The wording was described as “troubling” by the Lords EU Justice Sub-Committee, which warned the letter casts doubt on repeated pledges to protect the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Ms May, then the home secretary, tore into the Human Rights Act in 2013, blaming it for the long delay in extraditing Qatada, a radical Islamist cleric. He was first jailed under anti-terror laws in 2002, while living in London as an asylum seeker, but was described as a le...

    Few of the recipients of the millions of prescriptions dispensed every day across Britain are likely to give much thought to the system that ensures everything from painkillers to niche medicines are available. Beyond the pharmacist’s counter, however, lies a network spanning national borders andcontinents and involving multiple supply chains. It all works so smoothly because of the incentives and obligations that are in place, said one industry insider. What will be really interesting to see is what happens when it comes under pressure. At a very basic level there are two kinds of drugs: branded and generic. Household names such as Glaxosmithkline and Pfizer make their money from effectively inventing new medicines and receiving a patent on them for 20-odd years. ...