As we come to the end of our 4^th month as an ‘Independent’ nation now supposedly ‘free’ from stranglehold of the European Union, we can finally say the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) will come into full legal force tomorrow, May 1^st, 2021. This is because the EU Parliament has finally passed the TCA with a majority of 650. In the end only 5 MEPs voted against the trade deal, after hundreds of MEPs had spent the last few days claiming the document was a catastrophe and calling Brexit a ‘historic mistake’. Grand words from an economic union which is heading for a double-dip recession, while the UK’s economic forecasts have increased.

However, the biggest question I have been asked lately – and everyone is asking – is will the passage of the trade deal into law change anything? Frankly, I don’t think it will. Many have suggested the Government will now get more aggressive with Brussels because there is more legal certainty, but nothing in Boris Johnson’s or the Government’s behaviour so far has indicated they are even aware of the most crucial issues, let alone willing to take real action to resolve the problems. If anything, the only side that will start getting more aggressive is the EU. Now they know we are locked into this ridiculous deal which benefits them far more than it does us, they are free to pursue legal challenge after legal challenge on anything the UK does which they perceive to be a threat to the EU – something we have all seen they are willing to do over the UK’s decision to unilaterally delay implementing checks on goods moving from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.

Before this deal was passed, the UK held the leverage of being free to walking away to simply trade on World Trade Organisation Rules – as we do with most countries around the world. This would leave the EU holding no leverage over us, but now such action is far more difficult to take and the EU is free to implement the trade deal as they see fit.

The Prime Minister has spent the last few weeks dealing with nonsense Westminster Bubble stories about who paid for wallpaper and who he has had phone and text message conversations with. Throughout, Boris has claimed he is focusing on the “people’s priorities”. However, the reality is he has been focusing on issues which he thinks are the priorities, not those which will really affect the country for decades to come. Brexit seems to be bottom of the pile, as Boris and his team seems only too happy to pretend Brexit is entirely done and dusted!

On this last point regarding fishing, there has been a catastrophic failure by the Secretary of State for DEFRA, George Eustice, the entire DEFRA department and the Government as a whole. Our fishing industry was promised full control of our waters and a massive boost to their industry through the ‘levelling-up agenda’.  First, we had the awful Trade and Cooperation Agreement compromise which has left the UK without control of our waters for at least the next 5 years. Then we found out Victoria Prentis, the Fishing Minister, hadn’t even read the document because she was busy organising a nativity event. And now, 4 months after Leaving the EU – and almost 5 years since we voted to Leave – it has become clear George Eustice has hung our ‘distant waters’ fishermen out to dry as well – with Eustice not even being able to secure a continuation of the pre-Brexit deal we had with Norway! This is on top of his failure to resolve the current ban on UK shellfish being exported into the EU.

Our ‘distant waters fishing industry’ relies on deals with non-EU countries including Norway, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Iceland, and is the industry responsible for catching the majority of cod which comes into this country. Despite this clear need for agreement, the UK Government has been unwilling to get things done, with talks with Norway and the Faroe Islands stalling, and no action at all taken with regards to Greenland and Iceland.

The failure to act on these and the many other outstanding Brexit issues is a clear dereliction of duty – plain and simple. Get Britain Out has even raised these issues with the Secretary of State, George Eustice – and the Prime Minister directly – but our letter has fallen on deaf ears, with the department and the PM not even seeing the need to issue a response. You can read our original letter HERE.

It is clear the Government simply thinks – or hopes – we are all distracted by COVID-19 – but I think we are all fed up with the various pre-planned photoshoots we see every day in the runup to the local elections next Thursday. Well, we are not distracted Prime Minister. If the Government or anyone really wants to win people over in these elections and in the next General Election, then they really need to step up and keep the promises they have already made to this country.

In other news we have unfortunately seen more disturbance in Northern Ireland this week, with DUP leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland, Arlene Foster being forced to resign by her own Party. This comes after weeks of violence on the streets and the belief Mrs Foster has failed to hold Westminster to account for the EU forcing the establishment of a border down the Irish Sea, and masses of EU-instigated unnecessary checks on goods coming from Great Britain into Northern Ireland – which is clearly part of our UK. Mrs Foster’s resignation now raises the question of a more forceful opposition to the Government in Northern Ireland and maybe an increased political will to push for an end to the Northern Ireland Protocol. Perhaps even the EU might finally accept the reality that a technological border on the island of Ireland is possible. However, with the strong hand the Protocol gives the EU, such an outcome is very unlikely in my view, with the EU instead likely to try and push even harder to split Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom.

On top of all this, this week the bosses of London Heathrow Airport have claimed if Border Force changes are not made, the airport will struggle to welcome all passengers coming into this country with increased checks because of COVID-19 – there are already delays of up to 6 hours, which is ridiculous. It was also revealed, they are already turning away planes coming into this country! Quite frankly I find this ridiculous for 2 reasons. Firstly, if the Heathrow bigwigs are angry about long queues in their Terminals, then maybe they should open up the other 3 Terminals they put in mothballs because of COVID-19. This would undoubtedly clear some of the bottleneck, and perhaps the staff they either fired or put on furlough could be rehired, and Border Force reengaged. Secondly, what on earth are the Home Office and Border Force doing? We are now supposed to have control of our borders. It is about time the Government put the funding in place to make sure all our borders are secure and fully operational. COVID-19 restrictions were just the start. With Freedom of Movement ended, there will be more and more people trying to enter this country illegally – including more illegals coming across The Channel in the last few weeks – we must be ready and our borders must be properly manned! If we are forced to turn planes away, this would be fatal to the idea we are supposed to be ‘Global Britain – Open and Ready for Business and Investment!’

In some good news however, last week, after negotiations had slowed down over the past few months, it was announced the UK’s new trade deal with Australia has concluded negotiations in all the major areas, with just the final legal details to be resolved. This is once again, another win for the Secretary of State for International Trade, Liz Truss, who seems to be the only Government Minister who is actually getting anything done (apart from those now handling the vaccine rollout of course). The Australian trade deal had seemed to be stuck in the mud, but Mrs Truss took the bold call to publicly call out the Australian Trade Minister for dragging his feet. A tactic which seems to have paid off.

Plus, all of this comes in the same week the new UK Trade Bill has officially been given Royal Assent, to truly pave the way for a Global Britain – if we stand firm against the EU that is.  Perhaps the PM and other individuals dealing with the EU – and other nations – could learn a thing or two from Truss’s negotiations. Maybe then we would get more success in resolving outstanding issues.

• Brexit cave-in! EU still demands THEIR rules are obeyed and we kowtow
• You’ve blown it, Boris! Hundreds of fishermen abandoned as crucial Norway deal collapses
• ‘Put British citizens first!’ Boris urged to rip up EU deal as UK expats targeted by bloc
• The EU has brought violence back to Belfast now it is resorting to Blackmail
• Out of touch! Bitter EU blasted for ‘blackmailing’ UK on trade – Boris urged to walk away
• End reliance on EU! UK must become self-reliant to avoid being at bloc’s mercy on vaccines
• Brexiteer says Boris must tear up deal before it’s too late ‘EU has no respect for UK’

For Brexit-Watch

• Brussels’ financial services blackmail must be rebuffed
• Prime Minister, it’s time to put an end to EU games

IMPORTANT STORIES YOU MAY LIKE TO SEE:

• Brexiteers beware yet again – ‘BRINO’ is back – Briefings for Britain
• Sales of British beef soar across the world with our meat growing more popular in Asia – The Sun
• The EU’s stupidity will spark a new Brexit war – The Daily Telegraph
• Barnier declares Brexit is a ‘failure of the European Union’ ahead of trade deal vote – LBC
• UK and Australia agree ‘vast majority’ of trade deal – BBC News
• Eurozone crisis: Bloc crashing into double-dip recession as bungled jabs rollout hits hard – Daily Express
• Ursula von der Leyen warns EU could hit UK with tariffs over Northern Ireland row  – The Daily Telegraph
• France threatens to block City of London from EU if UK does not open up its fishing waters – CityA.M.
• NI Protocol is ‘brutal deviation from Good Friday Agreement’ – BBC News
• Ratification of Brexit deal gives EU power to enforce hard border on island of Ireland – I News
• The Brexit trade deal may have been ratified by MEPs – but the economic conflict is just starting – Yahoo News
• Le Pen surges as French election panic sets in for president – Daily Express
• Britain outwits the EU again to secure 100m vaccine doses from French firm – Daily Mail
• Britain to formally recognise EU ambassador for first time since Brexit – The Times
• Rapist finally set to be deported after travel document mix-up saw him flown back to UK – The Sun
• Generals call for military rule to halt France ‘disintegrating with Islamists’ – The Times

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Jayne and the Team