Brexit. Why do Brits want Out of the EU?

That notice for businesses importing animal or animal products shows almost insurmountable challenges under EU rules.

The only border inspection posts in Ireland are in Dublin Airport, Dublin Port and Shannon Airport.

Farmers must also be registered for the EU’s trade control and expert system in order to qualify as a third country exporter into the EU.

Exporters must provide the buyer across the border their veterinary documents required for entry into the EU "at least 24 hours in advance" - a massive hurdle especially for dairy farmers, who have their milk collected daily by one of the big co-ops south of the border.

1922 Committee has ruled out call for a fresh no confidence vote in May, says Brady.

Theresa May had been keen to avoid doing so but it appears that the Conservative party is now resigned to having to contest the EU elections.

Corbyn has released a more detailed statement on this evening’s Brexit talks with the government:
Today, I held a meeting of our shadow cabinet to discuss the Brexit talks with the government. The exchanges with the government have been serious but our shadow cabinet expressed frustration that the prime minister has not yet moved off her red lines so we can reach a compromise.

The key issues that we must see real movement on to secure an agreement are a customs union with the EU, alignment with the single market and full dynamic alignment of workers’ rights, environmental protections and consumer standards.

The Cabinet Office has confirmed that the government has taken the necessary legal step for EU elections to be held in the UK. In the language of the Commons, it has laid a statutory instrument called a Day of Poll Order. A spokeswoman says:

It remains the government’s intention to leave the EU with a deal and pass the necessary legislation before 22 May, so that we do not need to participate in European Parliamentary elections.

As a responsible government, today we have taken the necessary steps required by law should we have to participate.

The Day of Poll Order provides returning officers with a date to hold potential European parliamentary elections but it does not make these elections inevitable as leaving the EU before the date of election automatically removes our obligation to take part.

The Commons Leader, Andrea Leadsom, has confirmed the government is expected to bring forward a motion to extend the Brexit process. Making a business statement to MPs, she has said:

In the event the European Union (Withdrawal) (No 5) Bill receives royal assent today, the House may be expected to approve a motion relating to section one of the Bill – to seek an extension of the period specified in Article 50 (3) of the Treaty on European Union.

Letter to MPs from Lidington and Cox confirming the legal order announcing the EU elections as 23rd May 2019 will be laid on Wednesday:

The Cooper Letwin Bill has been given an unopposed third reading in the Lords and now goes back to the Commons.

What I meant is that if/once UK has non-member status, their interests will/should still be taken into account in EU budgeting/etc. because the EU is not an exclusively self-interested entity geared toward competing with and exploiting/abusing non-members as much as possible (or at least hopefully it's not).

The EU is (or should be) simply an institution for facilitating social-economic interactions both within designated regions and between designated regions and the world beyond them.

Would you say that the purpose of the EU is to build up internal strength against external governments? I.e. is it supposed to act as a competitive and/or imperial unified entity that seeks to oppress those who don't seek to join and harmonize with it?

If not, then why wouldn't it seek constructive relations with a post-Brexit UK, regardless of whether there is a deal or no deal? Why is planning and regulation so important? Why can't the EU simply express clear expectations about what it can and can't accept from an independent post-Brexit UK and then levy tariffs or otherwise effectuate policies with regard to them?

It seems like the EU only wants to deal with governments that submit to its authority and not with independent governments. Maybe I am oversimplifying this or being naive in some way, but is it reasonable to expect everyone to submit to contractual obligations in order to interact with them? Why isn't it possible to interact with others in the absence of such stipulations and agreements?

The EU was established with the Maastricht Treaty.
There were other treaties before (notably Rome) and afterwards (Lisbon being the one mostly noted).
Each member state signed and ratified them.

Whether you or someone else agrees or disagrees, nothing of that changes the contractual obligations of the partners in the union.

Back to the topic.

MPs will debate the prime minister’s plan to ask for a Brexit delay until 30 June on today. [That this House agrees for the purposes of section 1 of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2019 to the Prime Minister seeking an extension of the period specified in Article 50(3) of the Treaty on European Union to a period ending on 30 June 2019.]

Parliamentarians will be able to suggest alternative dates, raising the prospect that Brexit could be pushed back yet further.

UK likely to be offered Brexit extension until end of year

Theresa May arrived at Angela Merkel’s office in Berlin at noon.
German officials have been keen to temper British expectations ahead of the two leaders’ meeting, with a government spokesperson rushing to deny media reports that Merkel is inclined to reopening the withdrawal agreement and accept a time-limit to the backstop.
"These reports are without any basis in fact", a spokesperson told The Guardian. "The withdrawal agreement remains in place."

Brexiters have a new institution to criticise: they are complaining that the Queen gave royal assent to the Yvette Cooper bill requiring the PM to seek an article 50 extension.

German officials are even less forthcoming about today’s Merkel/May talks than Number 10, but that's not really negative.

Ahead of the Paris meeting, French sources are quoted as one year possible Brexit extension would be too long, any extension would need ‘very strict guarantees’ that UK as an exiting state wouldn’t fully take part in or disrupt key decisions on future of EU.

More news:

No 10 says talks with Labour on Brexit compromise will resume after tomorrow's EU summit.

The EU27 ambassadors will tonight discuss a draft document setting out a Brexit extension lasting “only as long as necessary and, in any event, no longer than [XX.XX.XXXX]” and ending earlier if the Withdrawal Agreement is ratified.

In the Commons MPs are now voting on the motion to request an article 50 extension.

And Theresa May has arrived at the Elysee Palace for talks with the French president, Emmanuel Macron.

Theresa May has won the vote on requesting an article 50 extension until 30 June by 420 votes to 110 - a majority of 310.

This is how the parties divided in the vote on the motion approving the PM’s decision to seek an article 50 extension until 30 June:

For
Labour: 223
Conservatives: 131
SNP: 33
Independents: 17
Lib Dems: 11
Plaid Cymru: 4
Greens: 1
Total: 420


Against
Conservatives: 97
DUP: 9
Labour: 3 (Ronnie Campbell, Stephen Hepburn, Kate Hoey)
Independents: 1 (Frank Field)
Total: 110

The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, has written to EU leaders urging them to offer the UK a flexible extension to the article 50 process of up to one year. That would allow the UK to leave at any point within that period that it decides to do so, he says.

Invitation letter by President Donald Tusk to the members of the European Council (Art. 50) ahead of their special meeting on 10 April 2019

PM May will address the leaders on Wednesday, before the EU27 hold a private meeting to agree their response to her request for a delay to 30 June 2019.

Sky News’ political editor, Faisal Islam, has seen a draft of the European Council’s conclusions that suggests the EU leaders are drawing up plans along the lines defined by Tusk: