https://www.theguardian.com/politics/eu-referendum Latest news and features from theguardian.com, the world's leading liberal voice en-gb Guardian News &amp; Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 05:36:34 GMT 2026-08-19T05:36:34Z en-gb Guardian News &amp; Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. 2026 https://assets.guim.co.uk/images/guardian-logo-rss.c45beb1bafa34b347ac333af2e6fe23f.png https://www.theguardian.com https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/18/swedish-mp-intervenes-brexit-row-elderly-britons-ordered-leave <p>Migration minister asked how he intends to stop deportations of people ‘who had lived in Sweden for decades’</p><p>The deportation and removal of British citizens from Sweden over Brexit residency rights is damaging relations with the UK amid efforts to improve links with London, a Swedish MP has said.</p><p>Häkan Svenneling, representative for Vârmland, where a 78-year-old British widow, Joyce Thomas, has been given four weeks to leave Sweden after 21 years of residency, has written to the migration minister, Johan Forssell, asking what he “intends to do to stop the deportations”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/18/swedish-mp-intervenes-brexit-row-elderly-britons-ordered-leave">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Sweden Migration European Union UK news Europe Politics Tue, 18 Aug 2026 18:44:06 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/18/swedish-mp-intervenes-brexit-row-elderly-britons-ordered-leave Photograph: Helena Karlsson/Helena Karlsson/NWT Photograph: Helena Karlsson/Helena Karlsson/NWT Photograph: Helena Karlsson/Helena Karlsson/NWT Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent 2026-08-18T18:44:06Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/18/sweding-deporting-britons-eu-country-brexit <p>The official talk is of the government acting with understanding and flexibility. But devastated lives tell another story</p><p>There is anger about the case of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/10/british-widow-78-told-to-leave-sweden-under-brexit-rules-after-living-there-for-21-years">Joyce Thomas</a>, a 78-year-old retired nurse who has lived in Sweden for 21 years. Her husband died there; her son, grandchildren and home are there. Yet she has been told to leave because her post-Brexit residence application was late. Her case is appalling and predictable – but far from isolated.</p><p>The Guardian has also reported on the plight of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/12/british-man-dementia-leave-sweden-brexit-migration-case">Horace Mason, 74</a>, who faces being deported after a court ruling, despite having lived in Sweden for 25 years. This is sad but not surprising.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/18/sweding-deporting-britons-eu-country-brexit">Continue reading...</a> Sweden Brexit Migration European Union Europe Foreign policy UK news Tue, 18 Aug 2026 14:38:17 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/18/sweding-deporting-britons-eu-country-brexit Photograph: Copyright: Felix Andler/TheGuardian Photograph: Copyright: Felix Andler/TheGuardian Photograph: Copyright: Felix Andler/TheGuardian David Milstead 2026-08-18T14:38:17Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/17/young-people-brexit-burnham-europe-opportunities <p>Brexit didn’t create all the problems young people now face, but renewing close ties with Europe will give us so many opportunities</p><p>I was 14 when the UK voted to leave the EU. Too young to vote, but not too young to understand that a decision was being made that would affect the rest of my life.</p><p>In many ways, Brexit was my political awakening. It taught me that politics matters, because decisions made by people in power can change your future before you’ve even been given a say.</p><p>Ceira Sergeant is a student and the founder of National Rejoin March Youth</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/17/young-people-brexit-burnham-europe-opportunities">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Young people European Union Foreign policy Europe Politics UK news World news Mon, 17 Aug 2026 07:00:48 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/17/young-people-brexit-burnham-europe-opportunities Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images Photograph: Brook Mitchell/Getty Images Ceira Sergeant 2026-08-17T07:00:48Z https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/15/post-brexit-rights-british-citizens-sweden-removal-orders-analysis <p>Apparent high level of removal orders suggests Sweden is rejecting ‘reasonable grounds’ for failing to apply to stay</p><p>Back in October 2020, the UK immigration minister stood up in parliament to reassure campaigners concerned about EU citizens who weren’t aware they had to ask the Home Office to stay in the country after Brexit.</p><p>Using an example of a child in foster care who might not know they were an EU citizen until they applied for their first job, the Conservative Kevin Foster said the UK would take <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/oct/15/new-brexit-law-vulnerable-eu-citizens-apply-late-to-stay-in-uk">“a generous approach</a> as to what reasonable grounds [for failing to apply] were”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/15/post-brexit-rights-british-citizens-sweden-removal-orders-analysis">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Home Office European Union Sweden Europe Migration UK news Politics Foreign policy Sat, 15 Aug 2026 09:00:53 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/15/post-brexit-rights-british-citizens-sweden-removal-orders-analysis Photograph: Felix Andler Photograph: Felix Andler Photograph: Felix Andler Lisa O’Carroll Brexit correspondent 2026-08-15T09:00:53Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/british-widow-joyce-thomas-sweden-deported-brexit-policy <p>Joyce Thomas, 78, faces being forced to leave Sweden after 21 years in growing row over country’s approach to EU withdrawal</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/10/british-widow-78-told-to-leave-sweden-under-brexit-rules-after-living-there-for-21-years">British widow, 78, told to leave Sweden under Brexit rules</a></p></li></ul><p>The 78-year-old British widow threatened with removal from Sweden after 21 years has said she has been left feeling sick with worry after being told she had lost an appeal against deportation in a growing row over the country’s handling of Brexit.</p><p>“I am in shock. I feel sick. An individual’s life is at stake at my age. It is hell. I have done nothing wrong. I don’t take anything from this country. I am self sufficient, I put money in this country, have no criminal record,” said Joyce Thomas from her home in Sweden on Thursday.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/british-widow-joyce-thomas-sweden-deported-brexit-policy">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Sweden UK news European Union Europe Foreign policy Politics World news Migration Fri, 14 Aug 2026 07:00:22 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/14/british-widow-joyce-thomas-sweden-deported-brexit-policy Photograph: Felix Andler Photograph: Felix Andler Photograph: Felix Andler Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent 2026-08-14T07:00:22Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/13/married-vegas-europe-copenhagen-romantic-brexit-visa-rules-love <p>Post-Brexit visa rules and faceless pen-pushers were keeping me and my partner apart. But love finds a way</p><p>Consider your ideal wedding. You may picture religious pageantry, majestic domes and the auspicious light of the Divine beaming on a white dress. Maybe you see friends dancing on a pub’s veranda, cheering for you in front of a town hall, or anywhere really – the people you love are there, and it’s all that matters.</p><p>What you are probably <em>not</em> picturing is a meet-up with Chris and Mitch, two complete strangers waiting for you and your future spouse by a nondescript fountain in the middle of Copenhagen. Judging by my soon-to-be-wife’s bewildered laugh throughout the entire 20 minutes of our wedding, this is not what she was picturing either. Should I add that neither of us is Danish, or lives in Denmark?</p><p>Jules Darmanin is a French journalist</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/13/married-vegas-europe-copenhagen-romantic-brexit-visa-rules-love">Continue reading...</a> Weddings Europe Life and style Marriage Denmark Brexit World news Thu, 13 Aug 2026 04:00:49 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/13/married-vegas-europe-copenhagen-romantic-brexit-visa-rules-love Photograph: Jeppe Gustafsson/Alamy Photograph: Jeppe Gustafsson/Alamy Photograph: Jeppe Gustafsson/Alamy Jules Darmanin 2026-08-13T04:00:49Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/12/british-man-dementia-leave-sweden-brexit-migration-case <p>Exclusive: Horace Mason, 74, who has lived in Sweden for 25 years, faces being deported after court ruling</p><p>A 74-year-old British man who has been living in Sweden for 25 years who needs round-the-clock care for dementia has been given 10 days to leave the country after he lost a post-Brexit migration court case.</p><p>The deportation order comes after a Swedish court ruling in July that the government’s drive to reduce immigration trumped the needs of a man in full-time care.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/12/british-man-dementia-leave-sweden-brexit-migration-case">Continue reading...</a> Sweden Brexit European Union Europe Foreign policy Politics World news UK news Migration Health Dementia Mental health Wed, 12 Aug 2026 04:00:19 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/12/british-man-dementia-leave-sweden-brexit-migration-case Photograph: Copyright: The Mason family Photograph: Copyright: The Mason family Photograph: Copyright: The Mason family Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent 2026-08-12T04:00:19Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/11/uk-pro-europeans-count-binface-nigel-farage-clacton <p>Voters disillusioned by Brexit should have more options than Nigel Farage or the novelty candidate Count Binface</p><p>The UK could be forgiven if, like <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/video/2017/apr/18/does-brenda-from-bristol-have-the-best-reaction-to-the-election-news-video">Brenda from Bristol,</a> it feels it has had too much politics of late. The long death rattle of the Starmer government against a backdrop of relentless excitement from the White House has left everyone suffering a severe case of overwhelm. We all deserve a holiday – even Andy Burnham, exhausted after a few weeks in the job.</p><p>So the political and media class may think they are doing us a favour by turning the forthcoming byelection prompted by the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/01/nigel-farage-reform-uk-return-press-conference-london">resignation of the Reform UK leader, Nigel Farage</a>, into a joke. But it is not very fair on the people of Clacton, who are being told they face a binary choice on 13 August, between Farage and the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jun/19/ount-binface-fox-raving-loony-uk-proud-history-costumed-candidates">novelty candidate Count Binface.</a></p><p>Simon Nixon is a journalist and economics commentator</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/11/uk-pro-europeans-count-binface-nigel-farage-clacton">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Europe Reform UK Nigel Farage European Union UK news Byelections Tue, 11 Aug 2026 04:00:04 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/aug/11/uk-pro-europeans-count-binface-nigel-farage-clacton Photograph: Toby Shepheard/Reuters Photograph: Toby Shepheard/Reuters Photograph: Toby Shepheard/Reuters Simon Nixon 2026-08-11T04:00:04Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/10/british-widow-78-told-to-leave-sweden-under-brexit-rules-after-living-there-for-21-years <p>Authorities say application to stay was made too late, as UK officials say Sweden takes ‘stricter approach’ than other EU countries</p><p>A 78-year-old British widow who has lived in Sweden for 21 years is fighting deportation from the country after authorities told her a post-Brexit application to stay had been submitted too late.</p><p>Her case is the latest of 2,500 British people ordered to leave the country after Brexit in what campaigners and the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office (FCDO) have said is an inexplicably hardline approach taken by the Swedish authorities. It comes two years after Sweden threatened to deport a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/04/family-of-uk-woman-with-alzheimers-vow-to-stop-deportation-from-sweden">British woman with dementia</a> in a care home shortly before she died.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/10/british-widow-78-told-to-leave-sweden-under-brexit-rules-after-living-there-for-21-years">Continue reading...</a> Sweden UK news Brexit Migration European Union Europe Mon, 10 Aug 2026 04:00:35 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/10/british-widow-78-told-to-leave-sweden-under-brexit-rules-after-living-there-for-21-years Photograph: Helena Karlsson/NWT Photograph: Helena Karlsson/NWT Photograph: Helena Karlsson/NWT Lisa O’Carroll 2026-08-10T04:00:35Z https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/uk-eu-reset-talks-brexit-burnham-hamish-falconer <p>Exclusive: Hamish Falconer wants ‘sense of renewed pace’ in post-Brexit talks while staying within Labour’s red lines</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/09/hamish-falconer-uk-minister-european-relations-eu">‘I was on my honeymoon!’: Hamish Falconer’s surprise call-up to Burnham’s cabinet</a></p></li></ul><p>The UK will move faster and be more ambitious on achieving closer ties with Europe under Andy Burnham’s government, his new chief post-Brexit negotiator has said.</p><p>Hamish Falconer, the new cabinet minister in charge of the EU reset talks, said there was “room to be ambitious” within Labour’s red lines on Europe, which exclude reopening discussions on the single market and customs union, and he would look at the “art of the possible”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/uk-eu-reset-talks-brexit-burnham-hamish-falconer">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Foreign policy Labour Andy Burnham Politics UK news European Union Europe Sun, 09 Aug 2026 18:00:21 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/uk-eu-reset-talks-brexit-burnham-hamish-falconer Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Photograph: Christopher Thomond/The Guardian Jessica Elgot and Lisa O’Carroll 2026-08-09T18:00:21Z https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/home-office-error-leaves-italian-mans-wife-with-no-right-to-stay-in-uk <p>Man is told he should not have been granted settled status so he can no longer sponsor Brazilian wife to remain</p><p>A 33-year-old Italian engineer who has been in London since 2018 has been plunged into a battle with the Home Office after officials told him they made a mistake allowing him to stay in the UK after Brexit.</p><p>Fabio, who initially came to London to finish his doctorate and who has built a successful career working on energy and climate change, says he is shocked by the development as he has not broken any rules since Brexit.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/home-office-error-leaves-italian-mans-wife-with-no-right-to-stay-in-uk">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Immigration and asylum Home Office UK news European Union Sun, 09 Aug 2026 09:00:12 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/09/home-office-error-leaves-italian-mans-wife-with-no-right-to-stay-in-uk Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Lisa O’Carroll 2026-08-09T09:00:12Z https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/02/eu-citizens-uk-letters-post-brexit-residency-rights-given-in-error <p>After years of building lives in UK, potentially thousands of EU citizens could be told they have no right to remain</p><p>The UK Home Office has started stripping some EU citizens of their post-Brexit residency rights, in a move that has raised concerns about Britain’s compliance with its withdrawal agreement with Europe.</p><p>The UK internal affairs authority has told at least 100 people that they were given residency rights “in error”, disrupting their lives just as they come to the end of their five-year “pre-settled status” and prepare to upgrade to the permanent “settled status”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/02/eu-citizens-uk-letters-post-brexit-residency-rights-given-in-error">Continue reading...</a> Immigration and asylum Home Office Brexit Politics Foreign policy European Union UK news Europe World news Sun, 02 Aug 2026 12:42:40 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/aug/02/eu-citizens-uk-letters-post-brexit-residency-rights-given-in-error Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock Photograph: Amer Ghazzal/Shutterstock Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent 2026-08-02T12:42:40Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/31/donald-trump-andy-burnham-europe-britain <p>In an increasingly dangerous world, our European neighbours are finding safety in numbers – but Britain is on the outside. The new PM’s task is to change that</p><p>There is an orange cloud in the sky. I’m not referring to the wildfires ravaging parts of Europe and East Anglia, though they are connected. I mean the looming pall from across the Atlantic that threatens to spoil the sunny start to the premiership of Andy Burnham – and whose name is Donald Trump.</p><p>Burnham’s first 10 days or so in office have gone about as well as he or any of his team could have dared hope. His net approval rating has risen by 17 points, according to <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/what-voters-really-think-of-britains-new-pm-andy-burnham/">one early poll</a>,<strong> </strong>gaining ground<strong> </strong>with every category of voter except supporters of Reform UK, though they too like some of what they see. His easy manner, no-notes speech-making and agility on social media have won plaudits, including from a usually sceptical press.</p><p>Jonathan Freedland is a Guardian columnist</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/31/donald-trump-andy-burnham-europe-britain">Continue reading...</a> Andy Burnham Europe World news European Union Donald Trump Politics Foreign policy UK news Defence policy Brexit Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:30:47 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/31/donald-trump-andy-burnham-europe-britain Composite: Guardian Design/Shutterstock/AP Composite: Guardian Design/Shutterstock/AP Composite: Guardian Design/Shutterstock/AP Jonathan Freedland 2026-07-31T16:30:47Z https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/30/how-couple-lived-in-uk-80-years-got-stuck-in-krakow <p>Maria and Czeslaw Krupa, who arrived as children of displaced Polish veterans, told they have no post-Brexit rights to return home to Bury</p><p>Two Polish citizens who have lived in the UK for nearly 80 years after their parents fled the second world war have spoken of their terrifying experience after being told they did not have post-Brexit rights to return to the UK.</p><p>In May, while visiting Poland, they learned that although they had been welcomed as refugees after the war, they now needed special post-Brexit paperwork to return to their home in Bury, Greater Manchester.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/30/how-couple-lived-in-uk-80-years-got-stuck-in-krakow">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Home Office Immigration and asylum UK news European Union Foreign policy Europe Politics World news Second world war Ryanair Poland Greater Manchester Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:59:20 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/30/how-couple-lived-in-uk-80-years-got-stuck-in-krakow Photograph: Image courtesy of Stephanie Postle Krupa/The Krupa family Photograph: Image courtesy of Stephanie Postle Krupa/The Krupa family Photograph: Image courtesy of Stephanie Postle Krupa/The Krupa family Lisa O’Carroll Senior correspondent 2026-07-30T16:59:20Z https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/21/eu-dilemmas-facing-burnham-food-exports-youth-mobility-starmer-europe <p>European leaders have made positive noises about the new UK PM, but he is likely to face the same restrictions as Starmer</p><p>Andy Burnham is unknown in Brussels, but that will soon change. In his schedule for the autumn is an EU-UK summit that may underscore the same dilemmas that have confronted previous British prime ministers in the relationship with Europe.</p><p>EU leaders were quick to offer congratulations to Britain’s prime minister, the seventh since the 2016 Brexit referendum. The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, said she looked forward to strengthening the EU-UK partnership “for the security of our shared continent” and “the prosperity of people on both sides of the Channel”. The German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, invited Burnham to visit Berlin “very soon”, noting that the UK and Germany’s “deep connection is particularly evident in these times”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/21/eu-dilemmas-facing-burnham-food-exports-youth-mobility-starmer-europe">Continue reading...</a> Brexit Andy Burnham Labour Foreign policy Politics European Union Europe UK news Tue, 21 Jul 2026 11:31:25 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/21/eu-dilemmas-facing-burnham-food-exports-youth-mobility-starmer-europe Photograph: Halyna Kavun/Alamy Photograph: Halyna Kavun/Alamy Photograph: Halyna Kavun/Alamy Jennifer Rankin in Brussels and Lisa O’Carroll in London 2026-07-21T11:31:25Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/new-entente-bayeux-tapestry-london-arrival-mending-post-brexit-relations <p>Culture secretary Lisa Nandy is among first viewers as epic embroidery is unpacked at British Museum, a landmark in Anglo-French diplomacy</p><p>In the decade after Brexit, the relationship between Britain and France has been defined by rows over fishing rights, Channel crossings and trade. Boris Johnson even mocked Emmanuel Macron, telling his French counterpart to <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/22/aukus-row-boris-johnson-tells-france-donnez-moi-un-break">“donnez-moi un break”</a>.</p><p>This week, that fractious chapter gave way to one of the most significant acts of cultural diplomacy between the two countries in decades. Almost 1,000 years after it was created, the Bayeux tapestry arrived at the British Museum, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/10/bayeux-tapestry-arrives-british-museum-exhibition">transported from France under cover of darkness</a>, the culmination of years of painstaking negotiations between London and Paris.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/new-entente-bayeux-tapestry-london-arrival-mending-post-brexit-relations">Continue reading...</a> Bayeux tapestry British Museum London Culture France Europe Lisa Nandy George Osborne Politics UK news World news Brexit European Union Foreign policy Fri, 17 Jul 2026 15:15:28 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/17/new-entente-bayeux-tapestry-london-arrival-mending-post-brexit-relations Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent 2026-07-17T15:15:28Z https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/15/spain-gibraltar-celebrate-deal-signed-border-controls-uk-territory <p>Treaty came into effect at midnight, eliminating border controls on land frontier with British overseas territory</p><p>Spain and Gibraltar are celebrating the fall of the last frontier fence in western Europe after the signing of a post-Brexit deal that brings an end to border checks for residents, tourists and the thousands of Spanish workers who cross into the British overseas territory every day.</p><p>The agreement, which was signed in Brussels on Tuesday and came into effect at midnight, marks the conclusion of more than four years of negotiations between the UK, Spain, Gibraltar and the EU after Britain’s departure from the bloc.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/15/spain-gibraltar-celebrate-deal-signed-border-controls-uk-territory">Continue reading...</a> Gibraltar Spain Brexit European Union UK news Europe World news Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:03:15 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/15/spain-gibraltar-celebrate-deal-signed-border-controls-uk-territory Photograph: Marcos Moreno/AP Photograph: Marcos Moreno/AP Photograph: Marcos Moreno/AP Sam Jones in Madrid 2026-07-15T12:03:15Z https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/13/the-brexit-effect-2016-2026-edited-by-anthony-seldon-review-life-without-eu <p>Essays by the great and the good address the legacy of Brexit, but ignore the nationalist elephant in the room</p><p>This massive collection of essays by 43 different authors, including seven lords, four baronesses, one dame and three knights of the realm, may be the nearest we will ever get to a semi-official reflection on the causes and consequences of Brexit. Its editor, Sir Anthony Seldon, is honorary historian at 10 Downing Street and has written definitive works on successive 21st-century British administrations.</p><p>Yet the phrase “English nationalism” appears precisely once in its 600 pages – in a glancing reference to the line taken by the Daily Mail during the referendum campaign of 2016. Strikingly, while there is a fine essay by Aileen McHarg called On Scotland, there is none called On England. There is no attempt to provide even a broad overview of the tensions, contradictions and anxieties within the part of the UK where Brexit was won: non-metropolitan England. For much of the political and intellectual establishment, it seems, Englishness is still the condition that dare not speak its name.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/13/the-brexit-effect-2016-2026-edited-by-anthony-seldon-review-life-without-eu">Continue reading...</a> History books Politics books Books Culture Essays Brexit Mon, 13 Jul 2026 08:00:41 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/books/2026/jul/13/the-brexit-effect-2016-2026-edited-by-anthony-seldon-review-life-without-eu Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images Fintan O’Toole 2026-07-13T08:00:41Z https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/12/france-uk-increase-staffing-border-controls-travel-chaos <p>Disruption at Channel crossings expected to rise amid new fingerprint and facial recognition checks</p><p>France and the UK have agreed to increase staffing at border controls in response to warnings of travel chaos caused by new fingerprinting and facial recognition checks.</p><p>Disruption at Channel crossings is expected to rise sharply next weekend at the start of the summer holiday season, with MPs saying there would be <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2026/jul/08/port-of-dover-faces-utter-chaos-under-struggling-eu-entry-system-mps-warn">“utter chaos and miles of tailbacks”</a> unless the EU’s entry-exit system (EES) is fixed or checks are suspended.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/12/france-uk-increase-staffing-border-controls-travel-chaos">Continue reading...</a> UK news European Union France Heidi Alexander Europe Politics World news Brexit Foreign policy Sun, 12 Jul 2026 13:33:37 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/12/france-uk-increase-staffing-border-controls-travel-chaos Photograph: Paul Quayle/Alamy Photograph: Paul Quayle/Alamy Photograph: Paul Quayle/Alamy Matthew Weaver 2026-07-12T13:33:37Z https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/08/nigel-farage-reform-brexit-clacton-byelection <p>His byelection stunt shows he is clearly rattled by a perilous position. Wildcards rarely endure: his future is behind him</p><p>Britain’s politics was never so weird. First, the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jun/20/andy-burnham-britain-makerfield-mp">people of Makerfield choose</a> who should be the new prime minister. Now the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/jul/08/nigel-farage-win-clacton-credibility-survive-reform">people of Clacton are to confirm</a> the man who is currently his most popular challenger. Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is <a href="https://yougov.com/en-gb/articles/55116-voting-intention-5-6-july-2026-ref-25-con-21-lab-20-grn-13-ld-12">still running ahead</a> of all other parties, and he is ahead of all other current leaders. It would be foolish to underestimate him.</p><p>Farage is a cut above the normal populist upstart. His image as the amiable duffer in the golf club bar was once that of a traditional Tory backbencher. He took to Brexit not as an economic theoretician but as a flag-waving nationalist. He exploited race as a populist issue, coded as immigration, but had little interest in any wider political programme. Brexit to him was simply a mid-career adventure.</p><p>Simon Jenkins is a Guardian columnist</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/08/nigel-farage-reform-brexit-clacton-byelection">Continue reading...</a> Nigel Farage Politics UK news Reform UK House of Commons European Union Brexit Wed, 08 Jul 2026 13:30:34 GMT https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/jul/08/nigel-farage-reform-brexit-clacton-byelection Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters Photograph: Jack Taylor/Reuters Simon Jenkins 2026-07-08T13:30:34Z