LBC terminates its very own Brexit 5
Brexit cheerleader Nigel Farage has lost his five-night-a-week radio show on LBC. As the station scrambled to respond to queries about what it is doing to support the Black Lives Matter movement, it fired Farage “with immediate effect”. Allegedly fascist and racist from a young age, Farage had secured the LBC slot three years ago after claiming the UK’s vote for Brexit as his own victory. His final words on his final show were “I’m back tomorrow at six,” but thankfully for all, he wasn’t. The station thanked him for his “enormous contribution” while LBC presenter James O’Brien exclaimed “we got our station back”.
Our stockpiles were exposed as first minimal, and now gone
The pharmaceutical industry has warned the government that coronavirus has depleted the UK’s drug stockpiles to such an extent that they cannot feasibly be built back up in time for Real Brexit. The industry fears the disruption to global supply chains caused by coronavirus and the impact that will have on NHS service delivery. This comes a year after the UK government appointed a food security minister, fearing the impact of Brexit on the country’s food supply, but the global food supply chain has remained remarkably resilient in the face of coronavirus, suggesting previous fears were overhyped.
UK backtracks on EU border checks
In light of the pandemic the government is expected to apply much less rigorous EU border checks on imports than it initially had planned post-transition period. The Financial Times reports that Michael Gove, the Cabinet Office minister, has accepted that businesses cannot be expected to cope with COVID-19 whilst facing the prospect of disruption at the border at the end of the transition period. The plans now intend to introduce a temporary light-touch regime at UK ports such as Dover for incoming EU goods, under both a deal and “no-deal” scenario, with almost no new checks for EU imports for the first six months, according to Grant Shapps at today’s Downing Street briefing.
Devolved nations demand an extension to Brexit talks…
The first ministers of Scotland and Wales have called for an extension to the Real Brexit deadline (again). In a joint letter they said putting the economy through such a hit when it was already under unprecedented pressure would be “extraordinarily reckless”. The UK’s economy last month performed even more poorly than in 1709, when the country literally froze over, shrinking by fifth on the previous month (which, incidentally was the worst month after the 1709 deep freeze).
… But Boris has said that honestly for real this time, he means it, there will be no extension to Brexit talks
Yes, the UK government confirming that there will not be an extension to the Brexit transition period continues to make not just news but push-notification-worthy headlines. Cabinet minister and Brexit advocate Michael Gove confirmed this again, this time with the added gusto of doing so “formally”. So, the UK is leaving the EU at the end of the year, folks. You heard it here first.
