Displaying items by tag: Brexit

Arlene Foster, its leader, has said that the DUP will act in the best interests of the UK. ‘The promotion and protection of the Union is at our core’. She added, ‘We had made clear in all discussions that letters of reassurances were not enough to win our support for the backstop.’ She also said that the backstop did not respect Northern Ireland's constitutional position: ‘Immediately after the Government's meaningful vote defeat, I said we would work to set out a plan which deals with the flawed backstop. When meeting with MPs from all parties over the last few days, I have emphasised that the DUP's clear preference is to have a deal and an orderly exit from the EU. We will meet again with the Prime Minister in the coming days, and will stand up for the Union. We shouldn't fear uncharted waters. We should see them as an opportunity to seize and lay a better foundation for the next generation.’

As the Parliamentary vote on 15 January draws near, here are some facts to help generate informed intercession. The ‘meaningful vote’ will be on the draft Withdrawal Agreement. If MPs pass it, the deal will have less of a problem passing through the House of Lords. However, the Government appears likely to lose any vote on the current deal. Brussels will not reopen the agreement, fearing demands from member states over such matters as fishing issues and Gibraltar. It may offer small tweaks to a non-binding political declaration and/or a statement from EU lawyers on the backstop not being permanent. Meanwhile there need to be clarifications and reassurances over an invisible border in Ireland. We can pray for the boundaries, borders and sovereignty of this nation to be established and concluded according to God’s plans and timing, as God’s Spirit blows powerfully through Parliament.

Justin Welby has told the Lords that if Parliament fails to back a deal with Brussels, it will have shown itself to be ‘unfit for the job’. He warned that a no-deal Brexit could hit the ‘poorest and most vulnerable’ communities the hardest, and MPs have a ‘duty to build a compromise, even if it is unwelcome to some’. He urged MPs to show leadership and put the interests of their constituents first: ‘Parliamentarians must be able to look back at this time and say honestly to the people of this country that we put them, their choices, their welfare and their communities above the politics and ideology that can seem so all-consuming here in Westminster.’

Christians In Government have issued an open invitation to all Christians to become involved in a national call to prayer, culminating in a week of prayer (24-30 March). At this key time in the UK’s history, thousands are expected to engage with this call to unite, pray, and bless our nation. There is power when brothers and sisters come together in unity, regardless of political views or denominations. The initiative will focus especially on a national day of prayer on 28 March, the day before the UK is due to leave the EU. This is a vision to mobilise and gather people across the UK to pray for our nation. Christians everywhere are invited to pray with friends and community, and to spread the message about joining or hosting events on that day.

As Brexit negotiations hit critical stages, the Federation of Small Businesses has published a guide which outlines the main outcomes and describes what good contingency plans should cover. Pray for our business leaders to have wisdom and clarity of vision to devise such plans. Ask God to give leaders in agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, engineering, and industrial developments the insights to deal successfully with any unexpected Brexit scenarios. We can ask God to give heaven’s direction as they consider risks and opportunities. Brexit will affect the rights of EU citizens living in the UK, and of UK citizens living in EU countries. Pray for justice to reign for individuals and families caught in this shifting situation.

Machines can replace human hands in some farming but not when harvesting many types of fruit or vegetables. Growers rely heavily on people for all these jobs in season and out of season. It might be possible to reduce seasonal labour by investing in mechanisation for some crops; however hand picking is currently the only option for quality of produce to meet consumer demand. Just 1% of seasonal farm workers are British. Most come from Eastern Europe, but with the end of free movement, growers could have to look even further for labour. Africa, Asia? Already, labour shortages have left produce rotting in fields and polytunnels. As Britain prepares for free movement of people to end, farmers are anxiously saying, ‘Who will pick the crops next spring? Brits won’t do it.’

On 12 December, a majority of Conservative MPs declared their confidence in Theresa May as party leader. The next day she went to Brussels to talk to EU leaders, who have told her that there could be clarifications but no major renegotiation. The crucial vote in Parliament on the Brexit deal has now been postponed until January 2019. What might happen if it is rejected? Some believe a no-deal Brexit would be an act of national self-harm: others think a Norway-style deal would make the UK a rule-taker, not a rule-maker. Some believe a general election would risk another hung parliament and continued paralysis: others that a second referendum would intensify social divisions and further undermine parliamentary sovereignty. Britain might have to choose one of these courses of action. See

Britain is Israel’s largest trade partner in Europe; that relationship seems to be going from strength to strength. Exports from the UK to Israel increased by 75% in the first half of 2018, with more than £7 billion in trade between the two countries in 2017. Trade minister Liam Fox, on a visit to Israel to strengthen trade relationships, told prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, ‘As we leave the EU and Britain takes its place as an independent state of the World Trade Organization, we want to push our concept of free trade even further. In a world where the siren calls of protectionism are rising, two free-trade nations like ours need to make the case for global free trade because trade spreads prosperity.’ Netanyahu said, ‘Britain is one of our most important trading partners in the world, and we value the friendship.’

‘As believers in Almighty God we have the authority to call for divine order in the Government, in Brexit, in the economy, and in every section of society. This is a “Daniel” moment when God's people can come before Him, crying out for His mercy and forgiveness as we confess our sins as a nation and call for His will to be done, in these crucial days. On 30 November Christians across Scotland and the nations will be united in prayer for the Prime Minister, Cabinet, MPs, Scottish First Minister, her Cabinet, and MSPs. We are praying for wisdom, clarity and unity. We can add our voices on that day, and in the coming days pray for our MPs by name. We must avoid being influenced by anger, fear, confusion, criticism or division, and instead lift our eyes to the One with all the answers, confident that as we do so it's not our battle, it's His battle!’

Representatives from the Roman Catholics, Methodists, Presbyterians, and the Church of Ireland met in Belfast on 22 November to discuss the Brexit challenges and pray. In a joint statement, they said that relations between people in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, and between the Republic and the UK, had 'improved and deepened over the past thirty years’, and that the message of Jesus to 'love your neighbour' was guiding their response to Brexit. They added. 'We pray at this time that the tensions which the Brexit negotiations entail will not be allowed to undermine the good relationships and mutual understanding which are so important for us to work together for the common good.' They pleaded with people in positions of leadership to ‘keep the debate around Brexit civil, to speak with grace, and to weigh their words carefully’.