Tag: Brexit

European Movement in Scotland writes to Scottish Labour politicians urging Andy Burnham to take the UK ever closer to the EU

“Closer EU links are critical to our economy and security and to protecting our way of life from political extremism,” says former senior Labour MEP, David Martin

The European Movement in Scotland (EMiS) has written to all Labour Party MPs and MSPs in Scotland urging them to put pressure on incoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham, so that he continues Sir Keir Starmer’s policy of putting “Britain at the heart of Europe.”

In a speech in London on 10th May, Sir Keir said: “My Labour Government is delivering on our promise to reset our relationship and put Britain at the heart of Europe. Together we will tackle the cost of living, boost jobs and create opportunities for young people.”

EMiS says in its letter to MPs and MEPs, “Our view is that it is of the most fundamental importance that Mr Burnham not only continues the process of reengagement with the EU but also accelerates and deepens it.” 

David Martin, who was the longest serving Labour Member at the European Parliament, and who is President of the European Movement in Scotland, says Mr Burnham will become Prime Minister at a time of great global instability.

“Andy Burnham cannot afford to ignore the opportunities offered by ever-closer ties with the EU. There are simply no other options available.

“He must move quickly. The stronger the economy of our continent the more we will be able to raise standards of living, invest in public services and build our defences against the enemies of democracy, at home and abroad.

“Closer EU links are critical to our economy and security and to protecting our way of life from political extremism,” says David Martin.

In its letter to MPs and MEPs, EMiS says: “We are at a moment of enormous historical importance.

“A successful Burnham government is critical to our economy and stability and to holding off malign domestic and foreign forces that threaten our way of life. Success will come sooner by increasingly embedding the UK with the economic and political powerhouse that is the EU.

“May we encourage you to let Mr Burnham know that support in Scotland for ever-closer ties with the EU currently stands at over 70%. We hope Mr Burnham listens to Scotland and that his government continues the Starmer administration’s approach to the EU, in words and action.”

Alex Cole-Hamilton: UK should rejoin single market and boost defence ties with EU

To mark the 10-year anniversary of Brexit, Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP for Edinburgh North Western, Alex Cole-Hamilton has today highlighted their party’s plans to rejoin the single market and boost defence ties with the EU.

The Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP warned that Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson’s Brexit experiment has failed.

Estimates suggest that Brexit costs the country £90 billion in lost tax revenue every year.

Liberal Democrats have unveiled plans for a new Growth and Defence Partnership with the EU. This would mean:

  • The UK immediately beginning talks to rejoin the single market and customs union, boosting trade with Britain’s biggest market and tearing down barriers for businesses.
  • Forging a new defence pact with our European allies underpinned by a new European Security Council to improve coordination of Europe’s rearmament.
  • Rebuilding trust and economic ties with our partners in Europe, putting the UK on a path towards EU membership in the long-term.

Alex Cole-Hamilton also said that Reform UK should use their voice in parliament to explain how they would fill the £90 billion blackhole without backing Liberal Democrat proposals.

Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP said: “Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson are the authors of the failed Brexit experiment. They have cost our country £90 billion every year.

“This is money which is being taken away from nurses, doctors, teachers, patients and pupils all across Edinburgh.

“Liberal Democrats have announced bold new plans for a Growth and Defence Partnership with the EU. It’s how we can cut bills for local people, give our children a better future and help keep everyone in Edinburgh safe.

“Our plans would stop the chaos and end the crisis. If Reform don’t like them, they should use the voice they now have in parliament to explain what they would do instead.”

Europe Minister Stephen Gethins: Scotland’s future is in the European Union as independent country

Brexit anniversary highlights ‘our focus must be firmly on the future’

Scotland’s future is in the European Union as an independent country, Europe Minister Stephen Gethins has said on the tenth anniversary of the UK’s Brexit referendum. 

The Scottish Government continues to support strengthening the UK-EU relationship, ensuring Scotland’s voice is represented, and on advancing Scotland’s long-term constitutional options. 

Ahead of the expected second UK-EU leaders Summit, the Scottish Government is calling on the UK Government to ensure the negotiations on a food, drink and farming agreement, emissions trading, and youth mobility all deliver the fullest possible outcomes for Scotland and ensure Scotland’s interests are clearly represented.

Minister for Europe and External Affairs Stephen Gethins said: “Ten years on from the referendum, the decision to leave the EU has caused nothing but harm to Scotland. 

“Businesses face barriers that did not exist before, households are under greater pressure, and young people have lost opportunities to live, learn and work across Europe. 

“Recent efforts by the UK Government to improve relations with the EU are welcome but far from enough. Going forward, there must be much closer cooperation in areas including trade barriers, energy and mobility – as a bare minimum.

“Our focus must be firmly on the future, and I believe that Scotland’s brightest future is as an independent nation and member of the European Union. That is the challenge of the next decade.”  

  • Scotland voted 62% to remain in the EU in 2016. 
  • The UK left the EU on 31 January 2020. 

Ministers must “get off the fence and give leadership” on UK-EU future, says Westminster committee

10 years on from the Brexit vote and thirteen months after its first report into the UK’s “EU reset”, the Business and Trade Committee finds that the initial stakeholder welcome for the Reset’s ambition has been hit by concerns about delivery

Read the report

  • Of the most substantive agreements the UK has reached with the EU to date, on steel, fisheries and energy: the fisheries agreement was not universally welcomed and positive progress on steel tariffs risks being undermined without an agreement in talks ongoing since November last year.
  • The UK’s association to the Erasmus+ student exchange programme cost £570 million for the 2027/2028 academic year but the jury is out on its impact.
  • None of the three wider UK ambitions in the Common Understanding – help for touring artists, improved business mobility and an agreement on the mutual recognition of professional qualifications – have materially advanced.
  • It is unclear what the Security and Defence Partnership has delivered beyond political signalling.

The Committee has heard five key concerns about the Government’s current approach:

  1. The ‘rhetoric-reality gap’: Government ministers have not pulled their punches about the negative economic impact of Brexit, but delivery of the current Reset is expected to add just 0.5% to the UK’s GDP by 2040, even in an optimistic scenario.
  2. Limited progress in the critical area of defence and defence industrial policy, despite war raging on the European continent and the clear change of US approach to NATO.
  3. Late negotiations for a deal on electricity trading even as the UK battles the highest electricity prices in the G7.
  4. European partners still in the dark about the UK’s end goals with no clear strategy beyond the 2026 summit, and no clear strategic case for the Reset.
  5. Continued disagreement on “dynamic alignment” with EU regulations.

The Committee concludes it is “unlikely” that the Government’s approach in the current round of negotiations will address these concerns and sets out the basic models for deepening ties – alongside the trade-offs entailed. 

Rt Hon Liam Byrne MP, Chair of the Committee, said: “Ministers have been frank about the economic damage Brexit has caused, but there is now a yawning gap between their rhetoric and the reality of what the Reset is actually delivering.

“Business cannot invest on political signalling alone. It needs clear rules, a clear destination and a credible vision. Ministers must now get off the fence, set out where they want Britain’s relationship with Europe to be by the end of this Parliament, and provide the roadmap to restore confidence, strengthen our security and deliver the growth the country needs.

“Crucially, we need to understand that ten years after the Brexit referendum, Europe is changing fast. Russia’s war against Ukraine continues, hybrid attacks are escalating across everywhere and the United States has made clear that European NATO allies must do more to provide for their own security. Yet our inquiry found limited progress on UK-EU defence cooperation.

“At a moment when Europe should be strengthening its industrial and security partnerships, it is especially disappointing that the UK has yet to secure participation in the EU’s SAFE defence procurement programme, never mind set out an ambitious strategy for defence and economic security alliance.”

The Scottish Government says Scotland’s future lies in the European Union.

Holyrood belives re-joining the European Union would benefit Scotland by:

• strengthening our economy by reducing barriers for Scottish businesses

• providing Scottish people more opportunities to live, learn and work across Europe

• giving Scotland a stronger voice among our European neighbours

brexit-10-years-reportDownload

“Brexit has blunted our ambition and stalled our national progress”, says European Movement in Scotland

“Rejoin now a matter of survival”

Speaking on the tenth anniversary of the Brexit referendum, the European Movement in Scotland (EMiS), Scotland ‘s biggest organisation campaigning for return to the European Union, says Brexit has stalled the UK’s progress as a nation and made us less ambitious.

“Those who told us we’d be better off out of the EU and that there were “no downsides, only upsides,” are guilty of not only leading the nation astray, but also of diminishing our drive and energy.

“We were a proud and influential member of a union of nations building prosperity, a dynamic scientific and technological future, strong consumer protections and the world’s biggest free market.

“Now, we are poorer. Our public services are being drained of investment because our economy has been hollowed out by Brexit. Our young people are being robbed of a better future,” says EMiS.

David Clarke, Chair of EMiS, says that as a society we have an obligation to make the future better than the past.

Clarke says that while rejoining the EU will not cure all our problems it will boost our economic confidence, stimulate growth and make us stronger and more secure.

“We could rejoin the EU within five years, but we need our political leaders to step up and talk about the huge benefits of being in the EU.

“With Russia growing more belligerent, the US being a less dependable ally and China now a global power, our future must lie in Europe. A better future is possible. Reversing Brexit is now a matter of national survival.”

First Minister: Strengthening ties with EU more important than ever

EU Ambassadors to visit Bute House

First Minister John Swinney will meet European Union Ambassador to the United Kingdom Pedro Serrano at Bute House today (11 June) to discuss the challenges and opportunities to arise from the recent deal between the UK and the EU.

They will be joined by the Slovenian Ambassador Sanja Štiglic and Bulgarian Ambassador Tihomir Stoytchev, as part of a delegation to Scotland. Later today the First Minister will also meet the Minister-President of Flanders at an event to celebrate 25 years of Flemish trade and investment in Scotland.

The First Minister said he viewed both engagements as opportunities to reinforce the strong relationship that exists between Scotland and the EU.

John Swinney commented: “The European Union is one of our most important economic and security partners. While the deal struck on the 19 May represents long-overdue progress in rebuilding our relationship, no agreement can deliver the economic, social and security benefits we lost with Brexit in 2020.

“That is why I firmly believe Scotland’s best future lies as an independent country within the EU. More than ever, the current uncertain economic and geopolitical environment reinforces the importance of Scotland having the security, stability and opportunity that comes with EU membership. 

“In the meantime we will continue to engage with nations and regions across Europe to maximise opportunities through trade, investment, innovation and academia. As we enter the next phase of negotiations, we stand ready to be closely involved as the UK Government develops its future priorities for working with the EU.”

Impact of Brexit on Scottish Trade

New figures show possible cost of increased trade barriers

Analysis published yesterday by the Office of the Chief Economic Advisor has estimated Brexit trade barriers could impact Scotland’s economy by £4 billion.

This estimated economic cost is from the reduction in trade alone – not counting changes to productivity, investment or migration.

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said the report demonstrated the urgent need to reverse the damage of Brexit to boost living standards and revenue for the NHS.

According to the Trade Modelling Report, Scottish exports could be lower by 7.2% or £3 billion compared to continued EU membership.

The chemical and pharmaceutical sector is estimated to be one of the hardest hit by post-Brexit trade barriers, with an estimated 9.1% reduction in output, followed by the computer and electronics sector with an estimated 7.7% fall. The 4.9% output drop estimated for the agrifood sector represents a loss of £827 million.

Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: “On the eve of the fifth anniversary of Brexit, these new figures highlight the urgent need to change course to boost the economy and increase public revenue for the NHS.

“This is the latest in a long line of studies highlighting how badly Brexit continues to impact Scotland and should cause the UK Government to consider its approach to economic growth.

“The Scottish Government has been clear that Scotland’s place is in the EU and the huge European single market. But we are also a voice for greater co-operation with the EU right now and we urge the new UK Government to forge a much closer relationship with our fellow Europeans.”  

Scottish Government’s Brexit Trade Modelling Report

UK’s Brexit decision means higher costs and more paperwork for British citizens visiting EU countries

“Brexit a national tragedy that can be reversed,”says Scotland’s leading pro-EU group

2025 will see new Brexit barriers to British passport holders travelling for leisure or business. Exact dates for the start of new procedures are yet to be announced, but travellers need to be aware and have up to date passports if planning an EU trip.

First to arrive will be the EU Entry/Exit System, known as EES. A few months later sees the introduction of The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). Citizens of 60 nations, including the UK, will be subject to these new procedures. EU citizens and citizens of Schengen countries are exempt.

Because the UK chose to leave the EU and the European Single Market, Britain became a “third country.” 

This means it is no longer in the EU, so British citizens don’t get the benefits EU citizens enjoy. Citizens of EU countries, including those resident in the UK, will not need an ETIAS certificate. Nor will they need to go through EES.

The dates for introducing the new procedures have yet to be announced. However, it is thought EES will begin operations during the first six months of 2025 and the ETIAS scheme will go live during the following six months. Best advice is to check with your travel provider.

David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland says the new rules and procedures show how badly misled voters were about leaving the EU. “People like Boris Johnson and Nigel Farage said there would be no downsides to leaving the EU. What we got was a smaller economy, less trade, less choice, dearer food and clothing and more complex and more expensive travel.

“Brexit is a national tragedy, but it can be reversed. We need to rejoin the single European market, as the first step to getting back what the Brexit side duped people into giving up.”

The ETIAS procedure will require all UK citizens (including children) to complete an online application, provide personal details, answer security questions and pay a €7 fee. This authorisation will be linked to the traveller’s passport and be valid for three years, or until the passport expires. The maximum permitted length of stay in any of the 30 countries operating the scheme is 90 days.

Known as a ‘short stay’ visa, ETIAS covers visits, holidays or business trips with a duration of up to 90 days and taken within a 180-day period.

People under 18 and over 70 are exempt from paying the €7 fee.

Those without an ETIAS will not be allowed entry into any one of the thirty European countries adopting ETIAS.

The EU Entry/Exit system is an electronic system that will replace the physical stamping of passports when you go through passport control when arriving at and leaving a destination. It will register all entries and exits, so it will register your movements every time you cross a border in or out of the EU/Schengen area.

The system will read traveller’s passports, take a picture and read a fingerprint (children under 12 are exempt from giving a fingerprint).

Which countries will the new rules apply to?

When EES comes in, these are the countries that will be using it:

Nationals of these  countries/territories need to apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation:

Trust in politicians at an all-time low

Change of public mood creates challenge for the next government

The results of the latest British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey, published yesterday by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), reveal that there have been significant changes in the public mood since the last election in 2019.

As a result, the next government, whatever its partisan colour, will find itself with many policy and political challenges ahead.

Much of the change in the public mood has been occasioned by the fallout from the pandemic and the Russian-Ukraine war, including the impact on inequality, the health service, Brexit, and immigration.

At the same time, the experience of the last few years has served to undermine confidence in the country’s system of government.

Inequality, cost of living, and housing

Debates about inequality during the pandemic have seemingly created a public that is now more concerned about the level of poverty. At the same time, more people say they are ‘struggling’ on their current income.

  • 73% now believe there is ‘a great deal’ of poverty in Britain, up from 68% in 2019.
  • 70% say that their income has failed to keep up with prices over the last twelve months.
  • 26% say they are ‘struggling’ on their current income, compared with 17% in 2020.
  • However, the experience of living at home more during lockdown may explain why fewer people now support more houses being built in their neighbourhood, despite the difficulty that many currently have in finding affordable accommodation.
  • 41% support more houses being built in their local area, down from 57% in 2018.

The NHS and tax and spend

The post-pandemic growth in NHS waiting times have resulted in record levels of dissatisfaction with the health service. The same is true of social care, which also came under great pressure during the pandemic.

  • The proportion dissatisfied with the NHS is, at 52%, slightly more than double what it was in 2019 (25%).
  • As many as 57% are dissatisfied with the provision of social care, up 20 points on 2019 (37%).
  • Even though taxation is now at a record high, at present, at least, many people still seem to regard the state of the NHS as a more pressing problem than the level of taxes.
  • 46% say that, if forced to choose, the government should increase taxes and spend more on ‘health, education and social benefits’.
  • This is down somewhat on the 53% who expressed that view in 2019, but is still well above the 31% figure recorded in 2010 at the end of the last period of Labour government.

Brexit and immigration

Record levels of immigration since the pandemic have reversed a previous trend towards more liberal attitudes towards immigration. Together with doubts about the economic benefits of Brexit, they have also resulted in a change of attitudes to the EU.

  • In 2019, 47% said that migrants who come to Britain are good for the economy. This edged up further to 50% in 2021 but, in the most recent reading, this has fallen back to 39%.
  • 45% said in 2019 that migrants enrich Britain’s cultural life, while 48% did so in 2021. Now the figure is 38%.
  • In 2019, 51% thought that the economy would be worse off as a result of leaving the EU. Now 71% believe the economy is worse off as a result of Brexit.
  • Faced with a range of options for Britain’s relationship with the EU, in 2016, 41% said that Britain should be outside the EU, as did 36% in 2019. Now the figure stands at 24%.
  • Supporters and opponents of Brexit continue to have different political preferences. 45% of supporters think of themselves as a Conservative, while 49% of opponents identify as a Labour supporter.

Trust and confidence in government

Between them, these policy concerns, together with the political instability of the last couple of years, have undermined levels of trust and confidence in how Britain is governed, a change that has occasioned increased support for constitutional reform.

  • As many as 45% ‘almost never trust governments of any particular party to place the needs of the nation above the interests of their own political party’, up from 34% in 2019 and a record high.
  • After falling from 79% in 2019 to 61% the following year, once again 79% believe the present system of governing Britain is in need of ‘quite a lot’ or ‘a great deal’ of improvement.
  • A record high of 53% now say we should change the Commons voting system ‘to allow smaller parties to get a fairer share of MPs’. 60% of Labour supporters take this view, whereas 73% of Conservative supporters believe we should keep the current system ‘to produce effective government’.
  • A record low of 45% believe that England should be governed as now from Westminster rather than have regional assemblies (26%) or an English Parliament (23%).

Gillian Prior, Interim Chief Executive at the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), says: “The last four years of parliament have left their imprint on public opinion.

“From the NHS to immigration, from inequality to tax and spend, people’s attitudes have been affected by the experience of a pandemic, a cost of living crisis, and political turmoil.

“The period has left them asking themselves just how well they are being governed. Irrespective of its partisan colour, the next government will have much to do if it is to meet people’s concerns about the many difficulties they feel the country has been facing.”

“Leaving EU has made us poorer,” says former Brexit Department head

“Brexit makes Scottish independence more likely”

Speaking at an event in Dumfries, Philip Rycroft, who was head of the Department for Leaving the European Union until 2019, said the barriers that now exists between the UK and its major EU markets acts as a ‘drag anchor’ on the UK and reduces productivity growth.

“Coming out of the EU means we will be poorer than otherwise we would have been, said Mr Rycroft.

Philip Rycroft and former senior BBC journalist, David Shukman were taking part in a sell-out event in Dumfries organised by the European Movement in Scotland.

In his opening remarks, Mr Shukman called Brexit, “The most catastrophic blunder any country has made.”

Mr Rycroft explained that following the Brexit referendum, the government had no plan. He led a team that produced an impact study that demonstrated that any form of Brexit was worse for the UK economy than staying in. Brexit has been far more complicated and difficult than the Leave side imagined, said the ex-civil servant. 

“They promised big trade deals with other nations. None of any scale have materialised, particularly a deal with the USA. We would need around 30 trade deals like an American one to replace what we have lost in EU trade.”

Philip Rycroft went on the say that Brexit came at a very bad time for the UK. Since the 2016 referendum vote the world has become much more unstable. He cited the war in Ukraine and Russian belligerence, the subsequent energy crisis and raised tensions between the US and China.”

“Brexit has weakened a bond of trust and common cause that has existed between the UK and the European states since the end of WW2. In times like these we need those relationship to be as strong as possible.

“All of the UK’s predominate interests lie in Europe, whoever is in power.”

Brexit and Scottish independence

During his time at the Brexit department, Mr Rycroft also headed the UK government’s unit on UK constitutional affairs and devolution. He recalled that Brexit put immediate pressure on the workings of the UK union. Scotland had voted 62% Remain.

“It was an extraordinarily difficult time. We knew the union was in a pretty fragile state. Brexit revealed the core ambiguity of the nature of the relationship between Scotland and England. Is it a union of law or one of consent?”

Mr Rycroft believes Brexit has made an independent Scotland more likely, but also more difficult.

“A lot of people in Scotland were very angry that Scotland’s Brexit vote was subsidiary to the overall UK vote. That is a central fact that will be with us forever. It is a primary factor in the independence case.

“An independent Scotland would have to choose between joining the EU or staying in the UK single market. There is no way round that choice.”

After the general election

David Clarke, chair of the European Movement in Scotland says Mr Rycroft and Mr Shukman have been invited back for another conversation after the UK general election.

“Our guests, Philp Rycroft and David Shukman delivered a conversation that gave unique insights into the turmoil inside government after the Brexit vote.

“They provided hugely informative analysis of what has happened since. We had two speakers of the highest quality and have asked them back.” says David Clarke.