Labour MEP for Yorkshire & Humber
I just spent four days in Washington and Virginia ahead of the US presidential election, meeting congressional staffers, party officials, diplomats, think tanks, journalists and ordinary people. After the latest events, the presidential race looks uncomfortably close. There is even a small chance that there will be no overall majority in the electoral college (in […]
The Government has an opportunity to reflect, and argue its case in the Palace of Westminster, which is only right for a country that is a Parliamentary democracy.
As part of their ‘Brexit Debates’ I have written for Unlock Democracy about why the EU is the most democratic of all the international structures to which the UK belongs and that UK sovereignty is not undermined by our membership, but enhanced by it.
UPDATE 1/11/2016 Since this event, the European Commission have published a proposal for bass management measures in 2017. If adopted, only recreational fisheries and commercial hook and line will be allowed to target Northern Sea Bass, though there is still no move to introduce a plan for Southern Bass. The European Anglers Association commented: “We […]
As Theresa May continues to give a running commentary about how she isn’t going to give a running commentary on Brexit, important real-life decisions continue to mount up. The most pressing issue related to our current EU membership is about the renewal of the UK’s participation in Europol, the Europe-wide policing agency that coordinates some […]
I’ve published a very detailed analysis on the post-Brexit challenges facing Britain when it comes to world trade — an area of difficulty which nearly every commentator seems to underestimate.
Labour has published a list of 170 unanswered questions about the government’s Brexit plans. The full list is on the LabourList website and reproduced below. Free movement of goods and services We are assuming that the government has considered the following options for its continued post-Brexit trading relationship with the European Union: (i) maintaining full membership […]
In an analysis for the Fabian Society, I suggest a range of possible ways to square the circle between voters’ genuine concerns about migration and the urgent need to keep our economy afloat.
I wrote an editorial for Left Foot Forward on the government’s mixed-up policy on Brexit.
I wrote this letter to The Times: Sir, Contrary to reports, triggering Article 50 in March 2017 doesn’t mean we will leave the EU in March 2019. The two-year deadline in the treaty is just a last resort, in case negotiations totally fail. Otherwise, the date for departure is set in the Article 50 agreement […]
To coincide with the publication of The European Parliament in its ninth edition, John Harper Publishing have commissioned a series of studies in the evolution of the institution.
Labour’s conference voted in favour of this motion on Brexit.
Left Foot Forward has just published an article of mine on why Labour should be careful not to fall into the right’s trap on immigration.
I was a panellist at an event reviewing the way the printed media reported on the EU referendum campaign.
I wrote an article for the Fabians’ new edited collection on Brexit, entitled What next? Truths and myths about Britain’s institutional possibilities in the months to come.
As the European Union prepares for Brexit negotiations, and the realities of Brexit become clearer to the UK, many seem to have realised that negotiations are not going to be the walkover promised by the Leave campaign. Brexit supporters are already trying to pin the blame on European leaders, with the Telegraph claiming that EU […]
I replied to Alyn Smith MEP on Brexit. (You can view my original statement here.)
I spoke in the European Parliament on complications following from the Brexit vote. (You can watch my response on this subject to a question from another member here.)
Labour MEPs will warn the European Parliament that Brexit will be the “mother of all divorce cases” and will be “disastrous” if done hastily, reiterating how the UK government remains divided on membership of the single market, one of the biggest issues to be resolved. MEPs will debate the future of the EU today, and […]
How does Britain really divide?
The many thousands of people who joined the Marches for Europe across several British cities this weekend were not just “sore losers”. There were also “regretful winners”, and a large number of people from both camps who are worried about where we go now. Above all, the demonstrations were a further illustration of the fact […]
So, the government is contemplating a ‘hard’ Brexit, taking us outside the single market, introducing a tariff barrier and regulatory obstacles to our main export market. The economic cost of this would be enormous. But it is being contemplated in order to curb immigration. The problem is, most migrants in Britain come from outside the […]
Parliament Magazine has quoted extensively from my blog on the role of pro-EU Conservative MPs in the debate over Brexit
The cabinet away day in Chequers has perhaps shed a little light on what kind of Brexit deal the government intends to seek. Faced with the unpalatable choice between aiming for full access to the single market (at the price of accepting its rules, including free movement) or leaving it entirely (at the cost of […]
