In this issue of Brexit Watch... 🗞️
This week
News
Opinion & Analysis
News & views from the EU
New faces in the European Movement team!
Video of the week: time is telling
Tweet of the week: annoy the Express, join the European Movement
This week 📰 A report revealed that seasonal agricultural workers on a post-Brexit scheme are facing a lack of health and safety equipment, racism, and unsafe accommodation. The government’s own assessment of the 2019 pilot of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme showed workers had not been given employment contracts in their native language, among other employment abuses. 2,481 people came to work in the UK under the pilot, which was intended to provide labour to replace lost workers after Brexit; the scheme has been expanded to a target of 30,000 people next year. Trade unions and rights groups have criticised the scheme, saying that it weakens the collective power of non-UK born workers and makes them more vulnerable to abuses. The Scottish government’s own report last year uncovered similar abuses, including misleading job adverts posted by the pilot scheme’s private operators Concordia and Pro-Force.
Negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol restarted this week, with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss stating her desire for a “pragmatic approach” from the EU. Her counterpart Maroš Šefčovič could be forgiven for thinking the same, as the UK government asks them to square protection of the Single Market with a more relaxed approach to border checks on goods entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain. Critical questions surround how Truss negotiates around the issues of onerous goods checks and the role of the European Court of Justice: the EU claims its proposals would eliminate 80% of goods checks across most businesses; the bloc is determined that the ECJ should still be the arbiter of EU law.
Meanwhile Northern Ireland’s manufacturers have indicated that the Northern Ireland Protocol is not even their biggest obstacle, as they grapple with labour shortages. Manufacturing Northern Ireland, the trade group that surveyed firms, outlined that many accept that the Protocol is “here to stay” but want it simplified; 28% of businesses say their business with the EU has grown in the past year, likely due to the relative ease of trading with the EU Single Market vis-à-vis Great Britain. This corroborates broader economic data, which showed that the value of imports from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland surged by 60% from January to October 2021. The biggest single challenge cited was a lack of available labour, due to pandemic and Brexit conditions, though 50% still expressed concern over the Protocol.
As energy regulator Ofgem considers lifting the energy price cap, fears of a mounting cost-of-living crisis grow and voters are left wondering where Boris Johnson’s Brexit promises have gone. In May 2016, Johnson promised Brexit would allow the elimination of VAT on energy bills and claimed EU rules prevented this; irrespective of the policy’s merit, it is clear that it was a cynical play for votes and not a serious plan. Meanwhile from 1 April charity National Energy Action have warned 6 million will have to make difficult choices between heating and eating if the price cap is raised. In total, the Resolution Foundation has calculated the average household could lose £1,200 per year when rising prices, stagnant wages and increased National Insurance payments are taken into consideration. In the face of these hardships and government inaction, unfulfilled Brexit promises will lose what allure they still have.
News 🇬🇧 🇪🇺 Northern Ireland manufacturers say Brexit protocol least of worries – survey [The Guardian] New year, same feud: UK-EU resume talks on Brexit trade spat [ABC News] ‘No running water’: foreign workers criticise UK farm labour scheme [The Guardian] UK regional ports fear unfair Brexit advantage for Channel rivals [Financial Times] A year since Brexit: How welcome do Poles living in the UK feel now? [Euronews] Time to stockpile olives? Shortages as delis are hit by new Brexit import rules [The Observer] Amsterdam retains share-trading supremacy over London a year after Brexit [Reuters] Opinion & Analysis 🗣️ The Brexit fantasy was never deliverable – voters fell for a confidence trick [Michael Heseltine for the Independent] The cost-of-living crisis is going to upend British politics in 2022 [Aditya Chakrabortty] NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE EU... 🇪🇺 News: Auto parts makers accused of obstructing EU climate policies [EURACTIV] Views: Africa takes vaccination into its own hands [Former BBC Africa bureau chief Peter Burdin for EURACTIV]
New faces in the European Movement team!
The European Movement is growing!
In the past few weeks we have been joined by loads of great new team members – from Inspire EU founder Jack Dart as Social Media Manager and Richard Kilpatrick as Campaign Manager, to former European Commission spokesperson Mark English as Head of Media and Canadian New Democratic Party's Patrick McCoy as Digital Strategy Adviser. And that’s before we even get to Mike Galsworthy, founder of Scientists 4 Europe, as our new Campaigns Strategy Adviser!
Video of the Week: time is telling For businesses around the UK, Brexit has been a nightmare. Paolo is just one of the many millions affected. Check out the Byline TV interview with him here, a must-watch:
Watch now Tweet of the week: annoy the Express, join the European Movement When we announced our recent growth and recruitment drive, we got lots of great feedback… and some not so kind words from our old friends at the Daily Express. New team member Mike Galsworthy picked up on their article, and took it as an opportunity to recruit members
Annoy the Express, join the European Movement!
Dr Mike Galsworthy on Twitter: "Yes, the Daily Express is right… …I have indeed taken up a new role at @euromove. 🇬🇧🇪🇺 So now would be an excellent opportunity for you to help annoy the Express further by becoming a European Movement member" Promoted by Hugo Mann on behalf of European Movement UK, c/o WeWork The Cursitor, 38 Chancery Lane, London, WC2A 1EN
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