Brexit. Why do Brits want Out of the EU?

Rumur* has it that he misunderstood and thought he was 're-signing' rather than resigning!

*not a rumour

The Government is giving “100% attention” to its legislation on the Northern Ireland Protocol despite the Tory leadership race, the region’s Secretary of State has insisted.

Shailesh Vara was commenting as the contentious Bill that would empower ministers to override aspects of the post-Brexit trading arrangements was again debated at Westminster.

Day one of the committee stage of the Bill’s progression through Parliament was heard as Conservative MPs cast their votes in the first round of the contest to replace Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Mr Vara, speaking to reporters outside, insisted the Bill was not being forgotten about.

“It is receiving 100% attention,” he said.

“Yes, the Conservative Party is in the process of electing a new leader but that is not to say that legislation is not continuing, as it rightly does both for Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.”

Powersharing in Northern Ireland is in limbo after the DUP blocked the formation of a devolved executive following May’s election in protest at the protocol.

Unionists and loyalists are enraged at trade arrangements that have resulted in new checks on goods moving between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The protocol was agreed by the UK and EU as part of the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement but the Government’s controversial legislative move would effectively scrap the bulk of the arrangements.

Mr Vara, who replaced Brandon Lewis as secretary of state last week, insisted triggering the legislation remained a “last resort” and the Government’s preferred option was to find a negotiated solution with the EU that would cut red tape on Irish Sea trade.

He said “communication and engagement” would be key to finding a resolution.

“I think most political parties and many of the business community and individuals in Northern Ireland recognise that the system that we have at the moment is not working correctly and they all recognise that there ought to be some change,” he said.

“And what we are prepared to do and very happy to do, and indeed have been trying to do, is to engage and the UK Government has been engaging with the EU to try and take a common sense approach and move forward.

“Sadly, however, whilst people are saying they want to engage in dialogue and conversation and this should be a negotiated settlement, sadly when you sit at the table, the response is sometimes ‘well, sorry, but you know, you’ve signed up to this, so we’re going to have to get on with it’.

“So, if that attitude prevails, then I’m afraid the people of Northern Ireland will not get the common sense approach that I want.

“So, what I want to do is for everyone to recognise that what is there at the moment is not working, and we need to talk and make it work and this (the Bill) is a last resort, but you know we are determined that if it’s necessary we will pass that legislation, because it’s in the interest of the nearly 1.9 million people in Northern Ireland.”

Speaking during the first day of the Bill’s committee stage, DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said the legislation would lead to the restoration of devolved government in Northern Ireland.

He added: “I’m absolutely convinced of that and my party has stated clearly that if this Bill becomes law, we believe that provides the basis for restoring the political institutions in Northern Ireland, including the executive, and I’ve already committed to leave this place and to return to Stormont as the deputy first minister as part of that executive.

“Therefore I have a personal commitment to the restoration of the political institutions, as does my party.”

Senior Conservative MPs also called on ministers to allow the Commons to consider any reasons for disapplying parts of the agreement in future.

Fears extra expense and paperwork caused by Brexit will make Britain unattractive to global drugmakers

The UK approved fewer new medicines than the EU and the US in 2021, the first year after the end of the Brexit transition period, researchers at Imperial College London have found.

Their analysis shows that only 35 new drugs were approved for use in the UK by the country’s medicines regulator last year, compared with 40 approvals in the EU and 52 in the US.
[...]
All novel medicines in the UK have to be vetted and approved by the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) since the start of 2021, when the country left the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU drugs regulator, on the back of the Brexit vote.

The EMA moved from London to Amsterdam in March 2019, closing its office in Canary Wharf, east London, that employed 900 people.

This means pharmaceutical companies have to spend more money and face extra paperwork to get new medicines approved in the EU and UK.

Brexit is just the beginning of the end.

So, since the next PM is going to be selected by the MPs in Parliament,