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The Attorney General has blasted civil servants who are trying to undermine Brexit because they cannot imagine “life outside the EU”.
Suella Braverman hailed the opportunities to slash red tape following Britain’s departure from the bloc.
But she warned some of the “biggest battles” she has faced over Brexit are with civil servants INSIDE Government rather than with fellow MPs in the House of Commons.
The Brexiteer said she has seen “time and time again” that there is a “Remain bias” in the Civil Service.
She added that civil servants are thwarting post-Brexit reforms as they are unable to “conceive of the possibility of life outside of the EU”.
Ms Braverman made the comments as she discussed the Brexit Opportunities Bill which she said would be “absolutely critical” to make it easier to rip up Brussels’ rules.
She said: “I’ve learnt, not only during my time as Attorney but also during my time as a Brexit minister … Some of the biggest battles you face as a minister are, in the nicest possible way, with Whitehall and internally with civil servants, as opposed to your political battles in the chamber.
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An EU Commissioner has slammed the UK’s Brexit strategy for finding their own solutions and turning their back on the European Union.
EU’s Commissioner Mairead McGuiness has swiped at Boris Johnson‘s Government over their tactic of unilaterally reversing the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss introduced and got the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill passed in the House of Commons in a bid to fix the political crisis in Northern Ireland.
In response, the EU has taken legal action against Boris Johnson’s Government for failing to abide by their Protocol and international law.
Speaking on Times radio, Commissioner McGuiness said: “That isn’t how negotiations work. The one thing we’re good at here in this house and in Brussels and in Europe generally is identifying problems and finding solutions. And that requires compromise on our side and on the UK side.
“And I think if there’s that will in the room, we can find a way forward.
“And I do worry sometimes if the Brexit battle is still, I suppose, raging in some people’s minds. 2016 is a long time ago. We fully respect and accept the outcome of that referendum. I wish it had been otherwise, but I fully respect democracy.
“What I don’t respect is when a government agrees on something for the benefit of some communities within their territory – in this case, Northern Ireland – that they will turn around and resile from it and say: ‘No, forget what I agreed to. I want something else now. And guess what? I’m going to write my own solution.'”
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Lord Daniel Moylan has suggested Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer is “planning to reverse Brexit” as the Holborn & St Pancras MP prepares to deliver a keynote speech on the UK’s future outside the EU.
Taking to Twitter, Lord Moylan said: “All these are on offer from the EU solely on the basis that we submit ourselves to their laws. Sir Keir Starmer is planning to reverse Brexit.”
Sir Keir Starmer has been hesitant to discuss Brexit in the past over concerns Labour could further alienate Eurosceptic voters.
The Leader of the Opposition is set to give a behind-closed-doors speech on Monday at the Centre for European Reform think tank during which he will use the ailing economy to criticise Boris Johnson.
According to the Financial Times, Starmer will vow to “invest in our people and our places, and deliver on the promise our country has”.
He will also pledge to “deliver on the opportunities Britain has, sort out the poor deal Boris Johnson signed, and end the Brexit divisions once and for all”.
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Good evening. I’m Jack Walters. I will be bringing you the latest Brexit developments over the next eight hours. Please feel free to get in touch with me as I work if you have a story or tips to share! Your thoughts are always welcome.
Email: jack.walters@reachplc.com
Twitter: @JTWalters99
Should a second referendum on Britain’s membership of the European Union be made illegal?
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EU Commissioner Mairead McGuiness has criticised the Government’s decision to put tearing up the Northern Ireland Protocol via its Protocol Bill on the negotiation table.
Speaking on Times radio, Commissioner McGuiness said: “That isn’t how negotiations work.
“The one thing we’re good at here in this house and in Brussels and in Europe generally is identifying problems and finding solutions. And that requires compromise on our side and on the UK side.”
Read more here.
The impact of Scottish independence would make Brexit “look like a walk in the park”, according to Reform Party leader Richard Tice.
Speaking on TalkTV, Mr Tice said: “There are all sorts of discussions about whether or not it’s right to have a referendum and what the Scots may vote. And I’m thinking, well, hang on, folks. There are another 62 million people in the United Kingdom. And we’ve all been together for a while, in fact, over 300 years.
“And there’s not enough chat about what’s the impact on the rest of us – of Scotland bailing out. Because let me tell you, that impact would make Brexit look like a walk in the park.
“It really, really would because over 300 years, we’ve become so intertwined.”
Read more here.
Brexit has given the UK a “great opportunity to peel back… onerous rules and bureaucracy to actually help the consumer”, according to Suella Braverman, Attorney General for England and Wales.
In an interview with @Telegraph, Suella Braverman says there is a u201cgreat opportunity to peel back … onerous rules and bureaucracy to actually help the consumeru201d, as a result of the UKu2019s departure from the EU
Germany and Ireland’s Foreign Ministers have insisted there is no legal or political justification to tear up the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Commenting on the Government’s Protocol Bill, Annalena Baerbock and Simon Coveney wrote in the Observer: “The tabling of legislation will not fix the challenges around the Protocol. Instead, it will create a new set of uncertainties and make it more challenging to find durable solutions.”
The Attorney General has accused Remainer civil servants of trying to thwart Brexit – but what do Express.co.uk readers think?
Suella Braverman said some civil servants are resisting post-Brexit reforms as they cannot imagine “life outside of the EU”.
Therefore, Express.co.uk is asking readers if YOU think officials are attempting to wreck Brexit.
Vote in our poll and let us know more about your opinion in the comments section at the end of the article.
Our poll comes after the Attorney General blasted sections of the civil service for having a “Remain” bias.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN OUR POLL
While European leaders have shown an unprecedented, united front to fast-track Ukraine’s application to the European Union, public opinion may not be so supportive, an EU expert has warned.
Every single EU country will be expected to hold a referendum to get the public’s backing behind Ukraine’s application.
Given the EU’s unanimity rule, it would only take one nation to torpedo Ukraine’s chances of joining the European Union.
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Suella Braverman hailed the opportunities to slash red tape following Britain’s departure from the bloc.
But she warned some of the “biggest battles” she has faced over Brexit are with civil servants INSIDE Government rather than with fellow MPs in the House of Commons.
The Brexiteer said she has seen “time and time again” that there is a “Remain bias” in the Civil Service.
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The Public Policy Editor for The Financial Times wrote: “Rich indeed coming from China, but we asked for it. @BorisJohnson has opened the door to endless false equivalences. Painful. #brexit.”
Rich indeed coming from China, but we asked for it. @BorisJohnson has opened the door to endless false equivalences. Painful. #brexit. https://t.co/d7qiUejGEP
French President Emmanuel Macron is facing a nightmare situation as cracks in EDF’s reactors threaten to create accidents as devastating as Fukushima, Express.co.uk was told.
France is facing a relatively unique energy crisis when compared to other countries in Europe.
The country is not heavily dependent on natural gas, Russian or otherwise, getting most of its energy supplies from nuclear power, which generates 70 percent of the country’s electricity.
However, Paris has been forced to shut down many French reactors, as a recent report warned Mr Macron of significant corrosion safety problems in EDF nuclear power plants in France as cracks were detected in some nuclear reactors.
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The German Ambassador insisted the UK should agree to renegotiations within the terms of the Brexit protocol instead of trying to circumvent the agreement.
He said the European Union is hoping the British Government will shelve the controversial Northern Ireland Bill, warning of the risks it poses to the country’s international standing.
Asked whether the bloc is ready to retaliate should the UK ignore Brussels’ requests for renegotiating, he insisted “all options are on the table.”
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Gina Miller insisted the European Union is now “behaving as badly as the UK” with its refusal to budge on calls for the renegotiation of the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol of the Brexit Agreement.
Ms Miller noted Article 16, which London has threatened to trigger and thus unilaterally suspend the Brexit deal, contains a renegotiation clause that would allow the side to discuss persistent trade concerns.
Speaking to GB News, the activist said: “In Article 16, there’s a whole process of how you renegotiate.
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Boris Johnson has been savaged over pressing ahead with the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill and has been warned the world will view the UK as the “protagonist” in its bitter row with the European Union.
Earlier this week, MPs voted to give the legislation a second reading, with the bill aimed at overriding parts of the post-Brexit deal on trading arrangements in Northern Ireland.
But the decision from the UK Government to press ahead with this move has triggered a furious backlash from many, who have branded it illegal and a clear breach of international law.
The EU had repeatedly warned Britain it would retaliate in the strongest possible way if the UK decided to press ahead with the legislation.
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Mr Macron has been in talks with Mr Johnson about the possibility of Britain joining a new “European political community”.
The Élysée Palace suggested that the UK had shown “interest” in the plans during a bilateral meeting at the G7 summit in Germany earlier this week.
But the Prime Minister has said he would prefer a broader deal and create a new Roman Empire of European countries and neighbouring allies in northern Africa.
CLICK HERE TO VOTE IN OUR POLL
Boris Johnson marked the 25th anniversary of the handover of the former British colony of Hong Kong to China, tweeting: “25 years ago we made a promise to the people of Hong Kong. We intend to keep it”.
In response, the Chinese Embassy in Ireland’s official Twitter account posted a screenshot of the Tweet, mocking Mr Johnson.
It wrote: “Two years ago we made a promise to the Northern Ireland Protocol. We are determined to break it.”
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