
Anthony Browne: Policy Gains from Brexit 10) Greater control of our borders
Ministers will only be able to justify plans to relax rules for skilled workers from around the world if they are also introducing controls on unskilled EU workers.
Anthony Browne is a former director of Policy Exchange and a former Europe correspondent of the Times.
Ministers will only be able to justify plans to relax rules for skilled workers from around the world if they are also introducing controls on unskilled EU workers.
The David and Goliath struggle between the Metric Martyrs and EU harmonisation could yet have a happy ending.
EU VAT harmonisation rules require tampons and other sanitary products to be taxed at a minimum of five per cent.
Single Market rules forbade the UK from ending this practice, despite widespread public outcry.
At one point, City Hall officials told me the only way to get a project done was to hire external lawyers to take City Hall’s procurement lawyers to court.
The then EU Budget Commissioner told me that giving control of this funding to national governments would make it subject to “democratic whim”.
Brussels gold-plates global standards, the Basel rules, and applies them to all banks of all sizes.
Some MPs, such as Charlie Elphicke, have been pushing to bring it back not just to bring joy to passengers, but to help revitalise ports and other seaside towns.
With average household energy bills around £1000 a year, it would be a cut of about £50 per year per family.
Most of the sound and furore about making it happen is all about means, but there has been virtually no debate about the ends.
It is much preferable to pushing the country to the abyss, which will jeopardise the Conservative Party, the economy and Brexit itself.
Downplaying the importance of these rights goes against the golden rule of negotiations that you start out high, and don’t ask for less than you want.