Displaying items by tag: Brexit

Brexit talks started in earnest on 15 June with an online meeting between Boris Johnson and EU leaders. There are only six months left to negotiate, sign and seal the UK's future relationship with its biggest and closest trade partner, but the talks have all but stalled due to disagreements on fisheries. Politicians and business leaders in the UK and Europe are calling for negotiations to be prolonged in the light of the pandemic. The UK originally had until June to extend the transition period, but now a statement says that the EU and UK plan ‘to intensify the talks in July and create the most conducive conditions for concluding and ratifying a deal before the end of 2020: this should include, if possible, finding an early understanding on the principles underlying any agreement.’

David Frost, Britain’s trade deal negotiator, has warned the Cabinet that Brussels talks are heading for collapse. He told ministers to ‘take the moral high ground’ when speaking to their counterparts across the Channel in the face of Brussels stubbornness. He urged them to step up their ‘no deal’ planning in case talks over a new trading arrangement break down. Downing Street is preparing to issue warnings that the UK is heading for an ‘Australia-style deal’ - which in reality means tariffs on imported and exported goods under World Trade Organisation terms. Boris Johnson is expected to tell the EU27 to set new rules for their negotiator Michel Barnier, otherwise any hopes of a deal fade. If progress is not made at the next online UK-EU negotiators meeting there is talk in Whitehall of a British walkout. A senior Government source said, ‘Breakdown is entirely possible.’

Currently, Britain will remain under EU’s rules until 31 December, but the withdrawal agreement allows for a one- or two-year extension if both sides can reach an agreement by 30 June. This gives both sides more time to negotiate a trade deal after talks were halted due to the coronavirus crisis. EU diplomats expect the Prime Minister to ask for a delay, but Downing Street remains resolute in its bid to complete Brexit by year end. Any delay would require a new treaty - another lengthy divorce deal. A Flextension for an extra few weeks was ruled out by Brussels, enraging Brexit supporters. The IMF said that the UK and the EU should not ‘add to uncertainty’ by refusing to extend the period to negotiate a post-Brexit trade deal: see

Britain has legally entered a 'transition period', and is free to pursue trade deals with other countries immediately while hammering out terms of future EU relationships. Boris Johnson said that Britain will not obey Brussels rules to get a trade deal while Brussels demands that the UK give access to fishing waters. They are on another collision course. Before trade talks can begin in earnest they must agree a negotiating mandate, spell out their red lines and be finalised by early March. Meanwhile, trade tensions rise as the UK hires more patrol boats to keep out EU fishing fleets ahead of a potential showdown over access. Pray for the 40 officials, called 'Taskforce Europe', leading negotiations for the UK. They are led by one-time business lobbyist and diplomat David Frost, who will negotiate directly with Michel Barnier. In April/May UK trade talks with the EU and other nations are expected to intensify even more. See also

The UK economy was reported as being close to turning point on eve of leaving EU. Confidence is rising three and a half years after the Brexit vote but the tight timescale for a trade deal could harm recovery.

Britain’s economy is close to a turning point as the country prepares to formally leave the EU after almost half a century of membership, according to a Guardian analysis of economic news over the past month.

More than three and a half years after voting to leave, the UK will formally depart on Friday with the economy close to stalling point following repeated cliff-edge deadlines and intense political uncertainty over the country’s future trading relationships with the EU and other countries.

In the Guardian’s final Brexit watch before the exit date, warning lights were flashing with zero growth forecast for the final three months of 2019 amid intense political uncertainty, rounding off the worst year for growth outside of a recession since the second world war. Speculation had been rising that the Bank of England would cut interest rates on Thursday to reboot growth on the eve of leaving the EU.

However, there are also early shoots of recovery from a surge in business confidence since Boris Johnson’s unexpected decisive election victory, which could tempt the Bank to leave borrowing costs on hold at Mark Carney’s final rate-setting meeting in charge at Threadneedle Street. Carney will stand down in March to be replaced by Andrew Bailey.

To gauge the impact of Brexit on a monthly basis, the Guardian has been monitoring eight economic indicators over the past three years, along with the value of the pound and the performance of the FTSE 100.

City economists made forecasts for seven of those barometers before the data was released, and in six cases over the past month the outcome was better than expected, raising hopes that Britain can rebound from a period of lacklustre growth.

Read more from the Guardian here: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jan/30/brexit-uk-economy-close-to-turning-point-on-eve-of-leaving-eu

The World Prayer Centre, Birmingham, UK have initiated a Call to prayer – on 31st January and during the forthcoming transition phase. The invitation to followers of Jesus across the nations is to continue to call on the name of the Lord for His will, His kingdom and His perfect purposes and plans for the UK nations and our Continent to be outworked.

We believe that God works everything for His good – and so we come humbly and repent for what has gone wrong in the whole process of the last 3 years and ask for His mercy and His heart to start the process of rebuilding (Psalm 127.1)

We believe we have been entrusted with the ministry of reconciliation - so we ask for a fresh desire to arise within each follower of Jesus to be a messenger of comfort, peace, hope and reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)

We believe that we are asked to pray for those in leadership – so we ask for Boris Johnson and all in the UK governments/assemblies for God’s wisdom and direction especially regarding the transition talks (1 Timothy 2:1-4)

Our Father in heaven hallowed be Your Name
We believe in God the Father almighty creator of heaven and earth
We hallow (honour) Your Holy name over the UK Nations
We hallow (honour) Your Holy name over every European Nation

We pray for Your Kingdom to come
In and through the transition period discussions between UK and EU
In and through all trade talks with other nations

For Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
Through our leaders: Boris Johnson and the UK government
Michael Barnier and the EU team
In our relationships with all the Leaders of the European nations

Give us today our daily bread
We pray for reconciliation at every level in our society
We ask for a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His church
We ask for continued and growing freedom for the Gospel across all of Europe and for continued and growing freedom for the Bible to be read across all the nations

Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us
Lord, have mercy on us as a UK nation
Lord, have mercy on us as Your church
Lord, have mercy on the EU
Lord, have mercy on every nation in Europe

Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil
Bring into the light those with evil intent of division and destruction
We pray for peace on our streets
Bring into the light those whose intent is greed and manipulation
Bless all the work of the peacemakers.

For the Kingdom, the power and the glory are Yours now and for ever
We pray that Your name will be glorified
We pray that millions will come to know Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life
We bless every nation with the blessing of Your Shalom peace
You are our rock, we look to You, we trust You.

Amen.

Ian Cole, World Prayer Centre / IPC Senior Advisor

More: https://www.worldprayer.org.uk/Event/call-to-prayer-brexit-31-january

Also Pray for wisdom for the Bank of England and the European Central Bank as they steer the economies and manage interest rates.

Pray for economic stability for the region and that the anticipated boosts to trade will transpire for the UK.

Three million newly-minted 50p coins celebrating the UK leaving the European Union on 31 January have entered circulation. They bear the inscription ‘Peace, prosperity and friendship with all nations’. Chancellor Sajid Javid said ‘This coin marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter in British history. Let us look forward with confidence and unleash the enormous potential of our great country.’ Seven million more coins will follow in the coming months. Meanwhile Finland’s foreign minister, Pekko Haavisto, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said that other countries have seen the issues faced by the UK: ‘What Brexit actually triggered was a lot of support of EU members. Seeing how difficult it is to leave and how many agreements they have to make to leave, so maybe it is better to stay.’ See. The World Prayer Centre, Birmingham have instigated a Call to Prayer at 11pm on Friday 31st January, the time that the UK officially leaves the EU: https://www.worldprayer.org.uk/Event/call-to-prayer-brexit-31-january. 

Many have been praying, and will continue to pray for Brexit in the lead up to 31 January. The following is an invitation from the World Prayer Centre in Birmingham: ‘You are invited to watch and pray. This is a day for those called to be watchmen for our nation and the nations. It will be a time to watch, listen, worship and pray. We will be focusing on praying for Brexit as we may be leaving the EU on 31 January - deal or no deal. We will also pray for other national and global issues that God reveals to us. Refreshments are provided, but bring a packed lunch. There are many shops and cafes nearby.’ For more details, click the ‘More’ button.

1 Timothy 2:2 tells us to ‘pray for all who are in high positions’. Boris Johnson’s first speech after the election urged ‘everyone, on either side of an increasingly arid three and a half year argument, to find closure and let the healing begin’. We can pray that his words will be a prophetic declaration, and the division and pain will give way to healing and restoration of our nation. After accepting the Queen's invitation to form a government, he spoke of a ‘one-nation conservative government, acting for everyone in the UK’. Pray for the new legislation which will pave the way for the UK leaving Europe on 31 January. Pray for the future trade and security talks that will begin almost immediately.

Could Brexit be a symptom of issues facing Europe? When society turns away from God’s principles we risk making our desires our idols. For decades many of our nations have sought to make individualism a priority, whether pursuing selfish desires or not taking responsibility for the consequences of our actions, or sexually immoral expressions, or perhaps as a nation we think we are better than others or have some given right to be great. There is nothing new in these attitudes but we give in to them at our peril. The Old Testament is full of warnings to society as we seek to follow our own desires. Many observers from across the channel cannot understand how a nation known as the ‘mother of democracy’ could be in this mess. The UK and the rest of the EU need an answer to the Brexit question. For the UK it is about repairing division; for the EU, it is about protecting the integrity of a trading block that faces the complexities of a changing world of competing global powers.

A partnership between Romanian police and Glasgow Airport aimed at tackling human trafficking more effectively has been suspended. Flights between Romania and the UK have been identified as high risk for trafficking. Romanian officers had been travelling to Scotland and London to deal with the ‘high-risk’ flights from their country, as part of a collaboration described in an inspection report as ‘extremely useful’. Inspectors were told as long ago as February that the Scottish arrangement with the Romanian police had been suspended. Staff believed that this was due to the uncertainty caused by Brexit, but the Glasgow safeguarding and modern slavery team was hopeful that it would recommence at some point.