Politics

One of the most influential architects of the Good Friday Agreement has told the BBC he is planning to take the government to court over the Irish backstop proposals included in the current Brexit deal. Former First Minister of Northern Ireland Lord David Trimble, who was jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in the negotiations, told Laura Kuenssberg that the Irish protocol, including the backstop, contravenes the GFA (also known as the Belfast Agreement) and that he plans to bring the government...

Number 10 has admitted there are no imminent meetings planned between the Prime Minister and other EU leaders. However, the PM is still hoping she can secure concessions on the Northern Ireland border by next week. Theresa May is due to visit Northern Ireland tomorrow to try to win support for her new Brexit plans, but it is yet to be seen if the EU will even consider them. Angela Merkel speaking from Tokyo today said: "We want to do everything to ensure...

Tweets shown on digital screen include the October 2016 post: “Project Fear claims Nissan would scale back UK operation could not have been further from the truth.”

In a fresh blow to the North East economy it has been announced that Nissan won’t make the new X-Trail vehicle at their Sunderland car plant. There are a number of reasons for the decision but uncertainty over Brexit was one of the factors that contributed to the change of plans. The car maker has originally planned to build the new range in the North East, and could have led to an expansion of the workforce. Nissan's Europe division boss...

Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham in Shropshire, was being interviewed by Alexis Conran on TalkRADIO

Nearly 30 years-worth of Britain’s net EU budgetary contribution was lost in one click this week after Barclays announced it is to move €190 billion (£166 billion) worth of assets from the UK to Ireland in preparation for a possible no-deal Brexit. The bank said it "cannot wait any longer" to implement its Brexit contingency plan, which was approved by the high court on Wednesday. Assets linked to around 5,000 clients will be moved to a Dublin-based unit, which is expected...

Leave.EU and an insurance company owned by Arron Banks have been fined £120,000 by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) for serious breaches of electronic marketing laws during the referendum campaign. The ICO announced an audit and an intent to fine Leave.EU and Eldon Insurance in November 2018 as part of its investigation into data analytics for political purposes. After considering the companies’ representations, it has now issued the fines, which total £120,000. The ICO investigation found that Leave.EU and Eldon Insurance were closely linked and...

Ex-Football legend and TV presenter Gary Lineker joined a host of politicians to write an open letter to Germany, in their national newspaper, Die Welt, which featured on the front page. With the UK set to leave the EU next month, the group wrote: "We still want to be friends. We love your beer, your football, some of us even like your cooking. "Given the challenges we face we need to stand together to champion the values of tolerance and...

Labour MP Jess Phillips received a rapturous response in parliament after she lamented the proposed £30,000 salary test for immigrants. The government published a heavily-delayed immigration White Paper last month setting out requirements for workers hoping to move to the UK. In what Sajid Javid described as the "biggest shakeup to the UK immigration system in a generation", workers from across the world would be subject to the £30,000 minimum salary threshold in order to prove they are "skilled" in their trade. The...