For Peace Prosperity and Freedom
The Independent
Jon Stone Policy Correspondent
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-asia-trade-deal-cptpp-b2313359.html
Outside paywall.
Seems this 0.08% meagre benefit from the latest Mega Trade Deal may be unlikely to be achieved.
Well there’s a surprise!
Sarah Green, the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for trade, said: “No matter which way you look at it, the official forecast says that the economic benefit from this deal will be small.”
Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent
The Guardian
8th March 2023
The UK’s trade agreement with the EU could be immediately terminated if the British government quits the European convention on human rights (EHCR)
Steve Peers, a professor of EU and human rights law says “If the UK left the ECHR or denounces all or part of it, it is fairly clear that the EU would suspend the police and security agreement”.
Any attempt at restricting the rights of refugees and asylum seekers would allow the EU to impose an immediate suspension of the UK EU 2020 Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The EU has the right to take retaliatory action including the ending of the agreements on extradition and access to the database of biometric data.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/feb/22/problem-shortage-fresh-food-uk-supermarkets
Three big retailers are placing limits on shoppers on some produce lines. What is behind the rationing?
Aldi joins rivals Asda and Morrisons in rationing salad ingredients
The article makes the point that we seem to be suffering more than the EU. Although Brexit might not be the main cause of the shortages, it is a contributing factor.
Some importers argue the additional costs and bureaucracy created by Brexit have put the UK at the back of queue for supplies from European producers when crops are in short supply across the continent.
By Chas Geiger
BBC News
16th February 2023
A High Court judgement that regulations affecting more than 2.5m EU citizens living in the UK are unlawful will not be challenged by the government.
The case was brought by Independent Monitoring Authority, supported by the EU Commission and the 3 million (a group representing EU citizens in the UK).
Toby Helm, Observer Political Editor
Sat 11 Feb 2023 17.30 GMT
Last week on Thursday and Friday, Tory and Labour leavers and remainers, held a secret meeting to address the failings of Brexit and how to remedy them.
They were joined by diplomats, defence experts and the heads of some of the biggest businesses and banks.
BBC News Reality Check
6th February 2023
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/64430216
Since leaving the EU, the major Scottish fishing port of Peterhead has been the main beneficiary of the Brexit fishing deal with the EU. Everywhere else has seen negligible gains or mostly losses and increased red tape.
Financial Times
6th February 2023
Those that won the civil war ended up losing. King Charles I was executed in 1649. Eleven years later, the English decided they had made a mistake and restored the monarchy. Could a similar reversal happen with Brexit?
This articles looks at reversing Brexit. It claims that the five main political groupings in the EU Parliament would all favour British re-entry.
By
January 31, 2023, 1:00 AM UTC
Bloomberg Economics
Outside the Paywall
An analysis by Bloomberg Economics finds three years after Britain left the European Union, Brexit is costing the UK economy £100 billion a year ($124 billion), with the effects spanning everything from business investment to the ability of companies to hire workers.
18th January 2023
I’ve had a reply from James Sunderland MP for Bracknell to my 32nd letter to him.
Dear Mr Enga,
Thank you for taking the time to contact me.
I am sympathetic to your views in retaining the best bits of EU Legislation. The Government has already provided public assurance that they will keep those laws which protect individuals and their safety. You are right that these key laws should be kept to an equivalent bar or higher. I will of course scrutinise accordingly once they have released the detail of the Bill.
I want to assure you that this is an exciting opportunity for the UK in that it allows us to define what we want to be in the post-Brexit world. There is no suggestion of watering down the safeguards we already have and I would be unlikely as an entirely pragmatic and balanced MP to support that anyway. As PPS to the Home Secretary I will be unable to sign any amendments to the Bill but this will not preclude me from making sure that no key civil rights or liberties will be encroached upon and that the Bill will deliver for Bracknell.
I will, of course, continue to monitor the situation and act accordingly.
Thank you once again for taking the time to contact me.
Yours sincerely,
p.p., Adam Bell
James Sunderland MP
Member of Parliament for the Bracknell Constituency
Bracknell, Crowthorne, Finchampstead, Sandhurst and Wokingham
My letter
Tuesday 17 January 2023
Dear James Sunderland,
I am writing about my concerns about the Retained EU Law Bill, that I see as dismantling regulations and standards protecting our environment, food quality and workers’ rights.
I want the Government to:-
• Provide a legally binding guarantee that they won’t slash our standards or drop EU laws which positively builds on our established regulations and standards;
• Commit to retaining or improving key legislation on wildlife protection, animal welfare, employment rights, environmental protections, food standards;
• Engage openly and transparently with third-sector organisations that are raising concerns about the implications of divergence in these areas, and;
• Remove clauses that allow Ministers to change the law without adequate democratic and parliamentary scrutiny;
This bill threatens up to 4,000 pieces of legislation. It has been described as “Reckless”. The government’s independent regulation watchdog, the regulatory policy committee (RPC), has looked at the impact assessment for the plans and described it as “not fit for purpose”.
I have yet to see why I would need this Bill, why I would want those retained EU laws removed or anything to explain why the replacement or lack of replacement, actually benefits me or anyone else.
I strongly ask you to vote against this Bill and explain why and how you think you know what you’re voting for, instead of what you’re voting against.
Yours sincerely,
Terry Enga
The Economist 3rd January 2023
Outside the Paywall
John Springford, Centre for European Reform, a think-tank, tries to isolate the effect of Brexit by constructing a phantom country that tracked Britain’s performance before 2016’s referendum result.
He estimates that by the second quarter of 2022, Brexit had hit GDP by as much as 6% relative to this counterfactual. Using the same method, he reckons that Brexit dragged down investment by 11%.
Campaign For Europe In Berkshire 