Brexit Briefing - Brexit Extension

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Brexit Extension

With no prospect of Theresa May's Brexit deal being passed by Parliament, she returned to Europe in April to request a further extension to the Article 50 notice. There was much debate about whether this would be a long extension of two years or more or a short extension. There was resistance to a long extension as it was considered this would draw out the Brexit process. There was also no prospect of a deal in the near future so a short extension appeared futile. A compromise position of 31 October 2019 was agreed upon. The new date means that the UK must participate in the European elections on 23 May 2019. The pressure on Theresa May to secure Parliamentary approval for a deal has lifted in the short term but, as Michel Barnier continues to warn, the clock continues to tick. France have warned that they will not accept repeated Article 50 delays.

 

Brexit Elections

While cross-party talks to try to reach an agreed deal have been described as “robust”, “constructive” and “detailed”, it was conceded that an agreement cannot be in made in time to avoid the European elections. The two major political parties, Conservatives and Labour, have been joined in the election race with the Green Party, UKIP, the Liberal Democrats and SNP. Two new parties have sprung up for the election: the Brexit Party and Change UK.  These parties are taking opposite sides of the Brexit debate, with the Brexit Party, led by Nigel Farage supporting leave and Change UK supporting a people's vote. Both groups are seemingly taking support from the main UK political parties. It is anticipated that the Conservatives will fare particularly poorly in the European elections.

 

In other news

A crowdfunding campaign is attempting to sue Boris Johnson for the alleged lies told during the Brexit campaign. The UK and Ireland have signed a side deal re-confirming the special rights retained by citizens in the event of no-deal Brexit. The government has entered into a round of Brexit contracts with external consultants which are worth around £160 billion. 5000 nurses and midwives from the EU have quit the NHS in the past 2 years, exacerbating the NHS staffing issues. A foreign entrepreneur was denied a visa when he stated that the UK is a very stable country. The Home Office disagreed and advised him that the UK has been made unstable due to Brexit.

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If you have any questions about any aspect of our Brexit Bulletin, please contact Ashley Stothard at Ashley.stothard@freeths.co.uk.

 

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