Brexit Watch
- esherandwalton
- Jun 24
- 9 min read
It's Michael writing this week and there’s a big birthday coming up on Monday. A little someone is turning nine years old on June 23rd and there’s a big ol’ box of red tape going to whoever can guess who it is? Anyone? No? OK – here's a clue. It’s Nigel Farage’s favourite thing in the world and it rhymes with ‘Wrecks It Regret-a-dendum'. Yes, Monday marks 9 whole years since the UK voted to leave the EU. But the latest polling shows that people still, to this day, don’t think leaving was a good idea and want the UK to move closer to Europe. Here’s your weekly digest on the UK-EU relationship. It’s Brexit Watch. THE WEEK THAT WAS9 years after the vote, the public want the UK back in the EU[Image: Shutterstock] Here’s the headlines from the latest YouGov polling, conducted this week, on UK-EU relations:
GB News was in shock, so drastically in shock that they looked to a sensible voice for analysis. Who was that voice? Our CEO, Sir Nick Harvey. Nick calmed them down by explaining to them: "Five years have passed since the United Kingdom left the European Union, along with its membership of the Customs Union and the Single Market. "In that time, the consequences for the British people have become increasingly stark. This latest polling not only reinforces that - it shows that more and more people see the benefits of much closer ties with the European Union - having felt the pain of Brexit. "Leaving the EU has delivered a sustained and worsening blow to the UK economy, one that is especially pronounced for the small and medium-sized enterprises that form the backbone of our commercial and industrial landscape who are living with the consequences every day. That has made us all poorer, depleted our economy, and weakened our country with a thousand tiny cuts. "Labour's 'red lines' on its relationship reset with the European Union, including no return to the Single Market or the EU Customs Union, must now be revisited and revised. The reasons why will not have escaped the Government's notice, even if it does not want to look in their direction." Nick also spoke to The Independent who, in their report on the polling, reminded us that “Brexit created ‘mind blowing’ 2bn extra pieces of paperwork - enough to wrap around world 15 times”.
The UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme gets the green light 🟢Late on a warm Friday afternoon in the UK, EU member states met to give the green light to begin negotiations for a Youth Experience Scheme, also known as YES, with the UK. See the agenda for that meeting here and The Independent's report here. We still believe that the UK returning to Erasmus+ is the golden solution for this issue. But this is a huge step forward for our campaign, david, and we must acknowledge progress when we see it - well done to everyone who has campaigned on this and has helped this issue get to this stage. Alfred Quantrill, from the Young European Movement UK, said: "The EU deciding to formally start talks on a Youth Experience Scheme is a massive step forward for young people in the UK. "Young Brits deserve the same chances enjoyed by most of their peers across the continent. “Whether you call it a Youth Experience Scheme or Mobility Scheme, it amounts to the same - more opportunities for a whole generation of young Brits who have seen their chances of working and studying abroad shrinking for a decade." It’s beginning to feel a lot like Crisps-masNow for the silliest story of the week, one which stinks of silliness of the referendum years. The Express is calling it a “salt and vinegar surrender” and The Telegraph (and The Sun) are calling it a ‘smoky bacon surrender”, after it emerged that British crisp manufacturers must change their recipes because of the Common Understanding agreement made between the UK and the EU on May 19th. “Under the terms of the reset deal signed last month,” reports The Express, “manufacturers will be forced to change their recipes to conform with EU bans on eight smoke flavourings.” Now, I kid you not, this story was also reported by The Telegraph’s Europe Editor... James Crisp. Do we want healthier food in the UK? Yes. If the EU is setting higher standards on food safety, we cannot ignore it, just like we don’t want or need to import chlorinated chicken from the US. I must concede though, that GB New’s on-screen banner during their segment on this, ‘Don’t Go Bacon My Heart’, is an excellent jokette.
Those are Not (good) for EU eitherNorthern Ireland is prepping to add to the 2 billion extra pieces of paperwork. As POLITICO reports, “From July 1, a whole raft of new food products sold in Northern Ireland will have to carry ‘Not for EU’ labels as part of the third and final phase of a controversial labeling rollout. “The rules — set out in the Windsor Framework deal between the U.K. and EU — are supposed to ensure that goods are not moved onward from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland, an EU member country. BUT... “Under the terms of the deal agreed by Starmer (on May 19th), Britain is preparing to sign up to European single-market regulation on animal and plant health, known as sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules, removing the need for the labeling.” It was reported by the BBC in September last year that the UK would not sign roll out ‘Not for EU’ labels across the rest of the UK. So, will these labels happen? “A spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, tasked with the implementation of the Windsor Framework, acknowledged that the need for the labels would likely be ‘diminished’ as a result of any SPS agreement,” reports POLITICO. “In the meantime... it is important to implement the existing arrangements for the Windsor Framework and we will continue to work closely with businesses across the United Kingdom to support them in implementing these arrangements.” In short, yes, but just for a bit. Brexit has unleashed ‘backstreet medicine’[Image: Shutterstock] Speaking to LBC this week, Olivier Picard, Chairman of the National Pharmacy Association (NPA), believes that “lives are at risk like never before... with the loss of EU-wide medicine safety checks fuelling online sales”. “Before Brexit, all legitimate sites selling prescription medicine were monitored and publicly listed. "There’s no longer a trusted way for patients to distinguish between a regulated pharmacy and an illegal operation - because a lot of the rules we used for years, around the supply of medicine and the identification of fake medicine, were introduced by the European Union. Amish Patel, Director of Hodgson Pharmacy in Kent, echoed Olivier’s warning. “I’ve seen websites selling weight loss jabs with barely any checks. You just enter your details and the drug turns up the next day. “Before Brexit, these services were mostly run by healthcare professionals. Now we’ve got non-medics giving jabs in car parks and advertising on Instagram. It’s madness. “People are dying because of this lack of regulation. And it shouldn’t be hard to fix.” In case you missed it (ICYMI) 👀Last Saturday was the 40th Anniversary of the signing of the Schengen Agreement. EM member, Chris Hammond, was at a commemorative event in the small Luxembourgish village of Schengen. He said: “The speeches on Saturday morning reflected the progress, but did not fail to mention the sporadic regression of the ‘Spirit of Schengen’ on several occasions, including the recent German checks at all borders, which have been extended until September.” For more on the anniversary see this article from the government of Luxembourg.
This week's special mention go to 👏Director Danny Boyle, who said that his new movie, 28 Years Later, could be seen as an allegory for Brexit. And one more, for good measure, to European Movement in Scotland's David Gow for this piece, Make Europe Great Again. Brexit in Westminster 🗣️[Image: Shutterstock] On 18 June, responding to a written question from Liberal Democrat MP Edward Morello, Minister for UK–EU Relations Nick Thomas-Symonds confirmed that UK ministers and officials regularly engage with EU and Member State counterparts on issues affecting British nationals, including the 90-in-180 day visa rule. He noted that UK citizens are permitted up to 90 days of visa-free travel within any 180-day period across the Schengen Area — the standard for third-country nationals — while the UK allows EU citizens to visit for up to six months without a visa. UK nationals wishing to stay longer must apply to the relevant Member State. Thomas-Symonds stated that the Government would continue to listen to and advocate for the interests of UK nationals. On 18 June, the House of Commons Library published a new briefing titled Windsor Framework: Democratic oversight and the independent review. The paper explores how the independent review body established under the Windsor Framework will function and examines the mechanisms available to both the Northern Ireland Assembly and Westminster for scrutinising EU law as it continues to apply in Northern Ireland. It sets out how democratic oversight could evolve as part of the Framework’s operation. On 19 June, in response to a written question from Conservative MP Charlie Dewhirst, Minister of State for Food Security and Rural Affairs Daniel Zeichner confirmed that the UK–EU agreement signed at the 19 May UK–EU Summit secures the retention of the quota uplift agreed when the UK left the EU. The uplift, which transferred a portion of EU quota shares to the UK fleet, is worth £175 million in fishing opportunities for 2025. He added that the UK’s quota shares for jointly managed stocks with the EU and Norway are set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement and will remain fixed from 2026. He also noted that the UK continues to negotiate new, sustainable quota-sharing arrangements with other coastal states for key North East Atlantic stocks. Now showing at The Theatre of Brexit 🍿"As we now know, Brexit did not go as planned..." | Jeremy Vine
And that was The Week That Was.IN OTHER NEWS (UK) 📰'Difficult' to weed lavender farm after Brexit | BBC EU/ UK deal can reset post-Brexit trade deficit, says Logistics UK | CA&AS British woman laments Brexit rules that would stop her Italian husband moving to UK | The Guardian IN OTHER NEWS (EU) 📰Europe and Iran to hold talks as Trump sets two-week deadline for U.S. strikes decision | CNBC Europe’s rearmament continues to lag far behind Russia, study warns | Euractiv EU devises scheme to squeeze more profit from Russian frozen assets | Politico OPINION & ANALYSIS 🔍Echoes of Brexit as Starmer is pressed to seize initiative on human rights | The Guardian Jessica Elgot takes a closer look at the debate raging around the UK’s relationship with the european Convention on Human Rights. Facing calls from the right of British politics to leave the convention entirely, Elgot asks how the UK’s Prime Minister, who made his name in the legal profession, can manage the issue without compromising on the long-held and publicly known values of his party. THINK TANK CORNER 🤔Dmytro Kuleba takes a deep dive into the ongoing rearmament of Europe and the lessons that must be learned from Ukraine if the continent is to truly take effective responsibility for it's own security. In light of chaotic leadership across the Atlantic and rising geopolitical tensions across the globe, Kuleba argues that Europe must act swiftly and creatively if it is to survive not only the challenges of today, but those of the future as well. PODCAST OF THE WEEK 🎙️Nick Thomas Symonds | The Political Party Nick has just negotiated the UK/EU Trade Deal. So what's in the deal and what impact will it have? And did he have to drink Slovakian red wine to get the deal done? This is a superb behind-the-scenes account of high-level negotiations. EVENTS 📌There's always something going on in the European Movement! See all local EMUK events here. THAT'S IT FOR THIS WEEK! 👋Before you go, david, how was Brexit Watch for you this week? To let us know, simply click or tap on how you'd rate this week's edition: Powered by Typeform ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ = Nailed it, a great read!⭐⭐⭐ = It was OK.⭐ = Not very good at all. European Movement's Brexit Watch is brought to you by Michael Anderson and Sean Bennett. Any issues or questions with Brexit Watch? Drop Michael an email at michael.anderson@europeanmovement.co.uk. Please note that the external sources quoted or linked to in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the view of European Movement UK. If you see (£/€) throughout Brexit Watch, it means you will need to sign up to the referenced publication with a paid subscription to access the full text. You can view, amend or edit any part of your membership through the membership page on our website. If you ever have any issues or questions regarding your membership, please contact our Membership Team at membership@europeanmovement.co.uk. We also have a Helpdesk on our website, with step-by-step advice on how to access/update your membership profile. To view our Members’ Code of Conduct, we have recently uploaded this at the bottom of our website homepage under ‘Members Dashboard’. You will need to login to access this. European Movement UKAudley House, 13 Palace Street, Westminster, London, SW1E 5HX Contact us at: info@europeanmovement.co.uk This email was sent by European Movement UK to David.nickerson@ntlworld.com · Unsubscribe Created with NationBuilder. |
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