Spy Agencies And Ministers Failed To Protect Brexit Referendum From Possible Russian Interference, MPs Say

Tory ministers and intelligence agencies did not do enough to investigate or protect the UK from possible Russian interference in the 2016 Brexit referendum, MPs have said in a long-awaited report.

The Russia report, compiled by parliament’s intelligence and security committee (ISC), was finally released on Tuesday after months of delay.

But No.10 swiftly rejected one of its main recommendations, which was to publish an assessment of whether Moscow tried to influence the EU vote.

Boris Johnson to appear in court over Brexit misconduct claims

Boris Johnson has been summoned to court to face accusations of misconduct in public office over claims that he lied by saying Britain gave £350m a week to the European Union.

The ruling follows a crowdfunded move to launch a private prosecution of the MP, who is the frontrunner in the Tory leadership contest.

Arron Banks gave '£450,000 funding to Nigel Farage after Brexit vote'

Nigel Farage was lavishly funded by Arron Banks in the year after the Brexit referendum, Channel 4 News has alleged, with the insurance tycoon providing him with a furnished Chelsea home, a car and driver, and money to promote him in America.

According to invoices, emails and other documents, Banks, who regularly bankrolled Farage’s former party, Ukip, spent about £450,000 in the year after the referendum, when Farage had quit as Ukip leader, the programme said.

Nigel Farage Blasts 'Ludicrous' BBC Interview After Andrew Marr Grills Him Over Past Comments

Nigel Farage hit out at a “ludicrous” BBC interview on Sunday after he was forced to explain a series of his past positions.

The Brexit Party leader was questioned over why he had once appeared to back a Norway-style Brexit and suggested a second referendum might be needed.

Farage is now campaigning for a no-deal exit and has described holding another public vote as a “betrayal”.

‘This will be a wasteland’: Northern Irish farmers fear Brexit

Northern Ireland – South of Enniskillen, in a farm on the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, John Sheridan whistles while herding dozens of ewes into a cube-shaped, metal ultrasound scanner installed in the middle of hilly green pastures.

Those who aren’t pregnant will be fattened up and sent to the Republic of Ireland for processing, Sheridan explains. From there, they will end up on mostly Belgian and French tables.

Putin tells May to 'fulfil will of people' on Brexit

Vladimir Putin has said the UK should not hold a second referendum on Brexit, insisting Theresa May must “fulfil the will of the people”.

Offering public support that the embattled British prime minister could probably do without, Putin said he understood May’s position in “fighting for this Brexit”.

No-deal Brexit plans put 3,500 troops on standby

Emergency no-deal Brexit contingency plans must now be implemented across government, cabinet ministers have agreed, including reserving ferry space for supplies and putting 3,500 armed forces personnel on standby to deal with any disruption.

No 10 confirmed on Tuesday that ministers would “ramp up” no-deal planning, and that the departments would be expected to make it their main priority.

Brexit Britain: Small, boring and stupid

BRUSSELS — So here we are at the supposed Brexit cliff — a political crisis and diplomatic crisis rolled into one — and I have a confession. I’m thoroughly bored by it all.

I suspect I’m not alone.

For those beyond Brussels and London, maybe just starting to tune in, here’s some advice. Let go of any illusions that this drama is about trade protocols, residency rights or the status of the Irish border. The histrionics going on in the United Kingdom aren’t even really about its impending departure from the European Union — or about Prime Minister Theresa May’s tenuous attempts to cling to power.

Let’s be honest about what’s really driving Brexit: bigotry

Today, I shall go to the German embassy in London to sign the necessary forms so that my half-German sons may apply for dual citizenship. My father and one of my brothers have already been granted Maltese passports (my family hails from the tiny Mediterranean island). I am glad that such options are available, as a Brexit of unknowable character approaches, and at a time when the prime minister sees fit to label those of us with funny continental names “queue-jumpers”. It is fair to say that, in the circumstances, we are fortunate.

Majority Of Marginal Seats Back EU Membership, According To New Analysis

If a referendum was held today 55 of the 89 most marginal constituencies would support EU membership, up from just 25 which backed Remain in 2016, according to new analysis.

The study by Professor Chris Hanretty from Royal Holloway said Jeremy Corbyn’s path to Downing Street runs through seats that have switched since the Brexit vote.

London to lose €800bn to Frankfurt as banks prepare for Brexit

London will lose up to to €800bn (£700bn) in assets to rival financial hub Frankfurt by March 2019 as banks start to transfer business to the German city before Brexit day.

The lobby group Frankfurt Main Finance released the figure after it was confirmed that 30 banks and financial firms had chosen the city as the site of their new EU headquarters.

Bank of England says no-deal Brexit would be worse than 2008 crisis

Britain crashing out of the European Union without a deal could trigger a deep and damaging recession with worse consequences for the UK economy than the 2008 financial crisis, the Bank of England has warned.

Raising the stakes as Theresa May battles to win support in parliament for her Brexit deal, the central bank said that failure to reach a deal with Brussels – with no transition period to a new trading relationship – could spark an immediate economic crash.

We'll Be Financially Worse Off Under Any Brexit Deal, Government's Own Analysis Says

The UK will be worse off with whatever Brexit deal Theresa May gets through parliament, new analysis by the government has claimed.

Withdrawing from the EU under a deal similar to the one the prime minister is trying to get through parliament could shrink the economy by up to 3.9% over the next 15 years, would amount to around £100bn-a-year by the 2030s.

Exclusive: Government Accused Of 'Scaremongering' Over Migrant NHS Fraud

The government has been accused of “scaremongering” for exaggerating the scale of NHS fraud committed by migrants, HuffPost UK can reveal.

Official government publications have stated fraud involving Europeans charging the NHS for care amounts to almost £19 million a year by mis-use of the European Health Insurance Card.

The paranoid fantasy behind Brexit

Before the narrative of Len Deighton’s bestselling thriller SS-GB begins, there is a “reproduction” of an authentic-looking rubber-stamped document: “Instrument of Surrender – English Text. Of all British armed forces in United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland including all islands.” It is dated 18 February 1941. After ordering the cessation of all hostilities by British forces, it sets down further conditions, including “the British Command to carry out at once, without argument or comment, all further orders that will be issued by the German Command on any subject. Disobedience of orders, or failure to comply with them, will be regarded as a breach of these surrender terms and will be dealt with by the German Command in accordance with the laws and usages of war.”

Keir Starmer Claims 'Brexit Can Be Stopped', Despite What Jeremy Corbyn Said

Labour’s Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer has contradicted Jeremy Corbyn by insisting Brexit can be stopped.

In an interview with Der Spiegel last week, the Labour leader said “we can’t stop” the UK’s departure from the EU and said Labour had to “recognise the reasons why people voted Leave”.

But speaking to Sky News on Monday morning, Starmer said: “Brexit can be stopped.

“But the real question is what are the decisions we are going to face over the next few weeks and months?

UK National Crime Agency to investigate Brexit campaign funding

LONDON — The National Crime Agency has launched a criminal investigation into the funding of one of the organizations which campaigned for Britain to leave the European Union.

The Electoral Commission said today it had referred Better for the Country, the organization which ran the Leave.EU referendum campaign, and Leave.EU founder and major UK Independence Party donor Arron Banks, to the National Crime Agency, which has launched a criminal investigation.

Labour Dashes Anti-Brexit Hopes After Blocking Move To Formally Promise A Second EU Referendum

Labour has dashed the hopes of anti-Brexit campaigners by blocking moves to formally commit the party to holding a second EU referendum.

A tense, five-hour meeting of local party and union delegates agreed instead to debate a motion that merely kept open the option of a ‘People’s Vote’ on whatever exit deal Theresa May hammers out with Brussels.

Donald Tusk: May knew EU objections to UK Brexit plan

Keep calm, Madam prime minister, and Brussels will carry on.

European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday evening sought to contain the damage of a disastrous EU leaders' summit in Salzburg, Austria, that plunged the Brexit negotiations into new acrimony.

Faced with headlines at home declaring a "humiliation" by her EU colleagues, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May came out fighting to declare an "impasse" in the talks, demanding "respect" for the U.K. and issuing a warning that she would not "break up my country."

Anxious, Worried, Stressed: What Is Brexit Doing To Our Mental Health?

It’s been almost three years since 52% of voters in the EU referendum voted for the UK to leave the European Union, unleashing a wave of uncertainty. Will Britain negotiate a deal or crash out of the EU without one? What does that mean for jobs? For property? For the economy? For those EU citizens living in the UK?

For many, the constant to-ing and fro-ing has resulted in Brexit fatigue. But for others, the climate of uncertainty has taken a toll on their mental health and wellbeing. Tim (who asked us not to use his surname) has lived with depression and anxiety for more than three years, which he says has been exacerbated by the Brexit vote. “I’m very engaged politically and I was absolutely devastated by the referendum outcome,” he explains. “It’s been dwelling on my mind for the last two years.”