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Jan 21, 202310 min read

Brexit Watch 21 Jan 2023


IN THIS ISSUE OF BREXIT WATCH

  • The Week That Was

  • In Other News (UK)

  • In Other News (EU)

  • Opinion & Analysis

  • Think Tank Corner

  • Podcast of the Week

  • Tweets of the Week

  • Events

THE WEEK THAT WAS Good Saturday morning from Amelia and Michael at Brexit Watch HQ. It’s been a big week for Brexit. MP Lee Anderson has even challenged Steve Bray to a boxing match. Let’s get into it.

The Top Story: The Retained EU Law Bill The Retained EU Law Bill - Jacob Rees-Mogg’s Brexit Freedoms Bill, which legislates for an end to the implementation of up to 4000 EU laws in the UK by New Year’s Eve - passed by 59 votes at its third reading stage in the House of Commons on Wednesday (POLITICO). Many of our supporters and members have been writing to MPs since Tuesday using our action form. So far, 622 MPs have heard from EMUK supporters and some even mentioned the fact when speaking in the Commons. Despite opposition from across every parliamentary party – including many Conservative MPs (with David Davis amongst them – a move labelled by GB News as a ‘Brexit rebellion’) – and efforts to amend the bill (described by Stella Creasy as “an audacious ministerial power grab”) it was passed and is enroute to the House of Lords. However, with a significant anti-Brexit contingent in the Lords, expect to see some fierce opposition. In the reading, Business Secretary Nusrat Ghani responded, “The crunch is, if you don’t like Brexit, if you didn’t like the way the Brexit vote took place, you’re not going to like any elements of this bill.” In the words of the politically neutral Hansard Society, this bill is “tantamount... to a ‘do anything we want’ power for ministers” (BBC News). This is because power will be given to ministers instead of to Westminster itself. Leaving the EU meant that the UK had – in BoJo’s words – “taken back control of every jot and tittle of our regulation, in a way which is complete and unfettered”. When Boris stepped aside, the matter of EU regulation was – unfortunately for his legacy – still not sorted. In his first (and failed) bid to replace him, Sunak promiseda new Brexit Delivery Unit to deal with all EU regulation within the first 100 days of his premiership. As of today we are on Day 89. Just 11 days to go and still there is no certainty on what is being kept and what is being scrapped. The reality is that the government’s first approach was to enact – for many laws – The Great Copy-Paste; duplicating EU laws into UK law. Now we face the prospect of the remaining laws being put on the bonfire by December 31st. “We’re getting rid of a huge amount of EU law, almost overnight,” UK in a Changing Europe’s Dr. Joelle Grogan told the BBC. “We’re not sure if we know all of the law. We could find out later that the law has disappeared without us knowing about it.” Expect to see sales of red tape skyrocket. This is Brexit.

We got Brexit, and people still “boss us about” Maybe we’re just easy to bully these days? In search of a trading bloc, Sunak’s government is eyeing-up membership of the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; otherwise known as the CPTPP. Speaking to NHK-Japan, Anne-Marie Trevelyan (Britain's Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific) stated that "We are very excited about the prospect of becoming a member, I hope, in the relatively near future." In response to the news, George Eustice (one of the top critics of his own post-Brexit trade deal with Australia) said on Thursday that, “We haven't gone through years of argument only to find that some international court or Canada and Australia getting together can force us to change some of our regulations on food standards” (The Express). “The benefits of it are marginal,” said Eustice, “It's a relatively small group of countries - and three of them we've already done a trade agreement with.” So, let us get this right. This government took the UK out of the EU, and is now exploring membership of trading blocs further afield. But Eustice (and likely other government ministers) are concerned that the UK will still be “giving control to other jurisdictions and letting them boss us about.” It’s almost as if Eustice doesn’t believe in the Rule of Law, that the UK – reborn as Singapore-on-Thames (despite Paris overtaking London as Europe’s financial capital and top finance jobs fleeing London) - should just float off into the waters of sovereignty, and that if anyone tries to enforce any rules or standards on us – the infallible masters of our own destiny - then this is simply “bossing us about”. If only there was one of the world’s biggest trading blocs right on our doorstep, or even a single market with frictionless trade and movement of resources...


Starmer: We want to be closer to EU After announcing Labour want to ‘Take Back Control’, Starmer has been in Davos this week where he told Newsnight that “we want a closer relationship with the EU.” Whilst Starmer has previously ruled out a return to the EU or the single market, for many in Brussels “a change in government could offer new opportunity to rebuilt trust with the bloc” (The i, £/€).


Britishvolt runs out of charge Britishvolt, a UK startup manufacturer of lithium-ion batteries for the automotive industry, made the majority of its 300 staff redundant on Wednesday after appointing administrators when it failed to raise enough funding for its site at Cambois, Northumberland (The Independent). In The Independent’s write-up they quoted former Tory leader Lord Hague, who told The News Agents podcast at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos that this, “is very concerning and it’s a sad reflection probably on Brexit.” “You need to know there’s a big market. If you’re going to succeed with batteries, you’re going to need big manufacturers to be in the same market using those batteries,” Hague added, “So that’s part of the damage that’s been done by leaving the EU.”


Brexit in Parliament this week: On Tuesday there was a formal/private committee meeting on the future UK-EU relationship. Wednesday was the big one for Brexit in the Commons, see The Top Story above. We sat through the VERY long session. Yesterday in The Lords there was a report presented from the European Affairs Committee Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland, titled 'Scrutiny of EU legislative proposals within the scope of the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland'. There was also an adjournment scheduled for the EU Settlement Scheme (led by Stuart C McDonald of the SNP).




IN OTHER NEWS (EU) ‘We need trees’: green vision struggles to take root in Europe’s cities (The Guardian) France strikes bid to halt Macron's rise in retirement age (BBC) Whisper it, but Europe is winning the energy war with Putin (POLITICO) Greta Thunberg arrested in Germany(The London Economic) U.S., allies ramp up pressure on Germany to send tanks to Ukraine(POLITICO) Macron, Sanchez To Ink Franco-Spanish Friendship Treaty (International Business Times) Croatia, the euro and a coffee controversy - but is it all just froth? (BBC) EU biometric border system faces more delays (BBC) OPINION & ANALYSIS Britain is going to rejoin the EU far sooner than anyone now imagines (The Telegraph) (£/€) Sherelle Jacobs, Assistant Comment Editor at the Telegraph, outlines how the Tories’ continued mistakes on Brexit since 2016 will mean that Britain is going to rejoin the EU far sooner than ever expected.

Why won’t the Lib Dems fill the anti-Brexit void? (The New Statesman) Conservative David Gauke argues how today “there is an open goal” for the Lib Dems. “A clear Lib Dem position would,” argues Gauke, “dramatically increase their media profile, give them cover for an attractive retail offer to the electorate.” With the right strategy it is argued that the Lib Dems could “attract the support of the prosperous and educated middle classes who have become disillusioned with the Conservatives.”

Safeguarding Europe’s economies (POLITICO) Elisabeth Braw, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, discusses the introduction of stricter foreign direct investment (FDI) screening in the EU. Braw goes on to give examples of investors hiding behind multiple layers of ownership entities in Italy, the UK, and the Czech Republic. They conclude by saying that in the long run, FDI legislation is just the first step in keeping our economies safe.

Alastair Campbell’s Diary: The Retained EU Law bill is damaging – and Rishi Sunak knows it (The New European) This week in Alastair Campbell’s Diary he states that Rishi Sunak knows how damaging the Retained EU Law bill is but that going back on it will leave room for Johnson opportunists to make a move. Campbell also starts the piece with an interesting idea about the Retained EU Law bill, flipping the idea of ‘take back control’ on its head.

To save Britain’s wildlife, MPs must kill the Brexit Bill (The Independent) (£/€) Stanley Johnson, former MEP, and father to Boris Johnson featured in The Independent this week. Johnson Senior is passionate about killing the Retained EU Law bill based mostly on his environmental concerns. Stanley finishes the piece by stating “As part of their “Battle for the Soul of our Country”, I have supported the European Movement’s campaign to stop the Bill and instead call on the government to provide legal minimum standards guarantee for legislation affected by it”.

The Brexiters are getting their bonfire of EU law – and democracy will lie in the ashes (The Guardian) Guardian columnist, Rafael Behr, lays out the notion that no one in the Brexiteer government has thought clearly about replacing EU laws at a safe rate. The notion that we can simply put a deadline on legislation is irresponsible. Behr states that this deadline is being spurred on by Sunak’s claim that he will review every EU law in his first 100 days as PM, a date only growing closer by the second.


THINK TANK CORNER Is European defence missing its moment? (Centre for European Reform) European defence budgets are increasing in the wake of Russia’s war on Ukraine. But if member-states don’t co-ordinate their spending better, fragmentation will persist and Europe’s defence industry could weaken. PODCAST OF THE WEEK We couldn’t choose between the two of these this week, so we’re giving you both.

Is Labour Shifting on Brexit? (The News Agents) It's been said for years that Labour have been too scared to touch the political lightning rod of Brexit, for fear of losing yet another general election. But what if that dial is shifting now? What if Keir Starmer's party feel so comfortable in their lead in the polls that the question of Brexit is reopened? The News Agents talk to Labour MP Chris Bryant, and political commentator Steve Richards about whether Starmer is playing his cards right.

Michael Heseltine: From Thatcher to Sunak (Leading / The Rest is Politics) In the first ever episode of ‘Leading’, Alastair and Rory are joined by former Deputy Prime Minister and current European Movement President, Michael Heseltine. Lord Heseltine discusses everything from his crucial role in the rise and fall of Margaret Thatcher to his current position in the House of Lords. Tune in to hear Michael talk about how politics has changed, why he lost the Conservative whip, Europe, Brexit, and the Miners’ Strike. TWEETS OF THE WEEK EVENTS

Brexit Polling: Beyond the Numbers (Grassroots for Europe) On 15th February (6-7:30pm) Grassroots for Europe are hosting a webinar on polling. The webinar brings together three experts (Richard Bentall, Peter Kellner, Flo Hutchings) to discuss how to interpret the polling data, and the implications for pro-EU campaigning. The session aims to develop a greater awareness of the meaning of polling data and how to use the data in pro-EU campaigning. Register in advance for this meeting at via TicketTailor.

30 Years after Maastricht (UK in a Changing Europe) On 8th February (6-7:30pm), thirty years on from the signing of the landmark Maastricht Treaty, a panel of experts will come together at King’s College London to reflect on its impact on Europe and the world. Speakers will include David Davis MP, the former Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union; Stephan Wall, the former foreign policy advisor to John Major; and Anita Nneka Jones, journalist and European Studies alumna. Sign up using this Eventbrite link - this event is not available virtually.

Wales, Europe and the Future On Saturday 28th January (1:30-3pm) Wales for Europe are hosting an event alongside Neil Kinnock covering ways in which Wales can build a strong future with Europe as we look into the future. The event is designed to build on this conversation that began before the pandemic and will continue to be ever more relevant in the future. You can purchase a ticket for the event on Eventbrite here!



THAT'S IT FOR THIS WEEK!Please note that the external sources quoted or linked to in this newsletter do not necessarily represent the view of European Movement UK.

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