Mike O'H

Watch the German Ministry of the Interior spokesperson's expression as she is questioned about footage of German police convoys operating in Poland. Her discomfort is painfully obvious. She clearly doesn't like to answer the question. What is she hiding? Is she lying to the public? 🤔

🚨NEW: Business Secretary Jonathon Reynolds' team has written to the owner of Poundland to "establish the latest situation" amid concerns the retailer could soon collapse into administration 12,000 jobs are at risk

Taking this head on. The UK joined the EU in 1973 and as one can easily see from the graphic there was little issue with managing migration for the first twenty five years of our membership. We have an increase of migration after EU expansion from Eastern Europe. This would not happen again if we returned to the EU as a) the migration has happened b) these countries now have low unemployment c) are now migrant importers themselves. In short, European demography is completely different. There will be no repeat “Polish Plumber” wave. Now, having this pool of migration from the EU actually helped us manage migration, which we need, for the following reasons a) they often went home b) if they stayed they often married local d) they almost never brought their families d) they literally could not claim asylum. The Brexitwave of migration you see shooting up from 2020, when we leave, is the opposite on all counts therefore numerically much more challenging. Returning to the EU means returning to easier to manage labour migration flows.

The European Commission has rolled out an alternative to Microsoft Teams. But officials using it aren't impressed, with one describing the tool as “absolute sh-t.” 🔗 vist.ly/5kxi9

Does Britain have to join the Euro to Rejoin? As I wrote for @ArguablyMag the answer is no. New members get an automatic derogation on implementing it. This can be found in Article 139 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union that says that any member state that does not fulfil the Maastricht Criteria automatically gets a derogation — a formal exemption — until those criteria are met. Not only is the UK simply decades out then meeting the Maastricht criteria when it comes to national debt at 60% of GDP — we are at 93.5% — but a key part of these criteria are entirely at the member state’s discretion. Joining the ERM II rates mechanism. This means a new member is conceptually obliged to join the Euro but not legally obliged two until it has at its discretion made those decisions and met the rest of the Maastricht criteria.  Surely the EU would want to block this legal manoeuvring? Absolutely not. The above is the legal opinion of multiple EU governments. There are still five states with a derogation on the Euro. Sweden has been doing this in practice for some thirty years. The Czech Republic, for example, does not even do Euro readiness reports anymore. What this means is any of these states would veto any theoretical attempt to change the treaties to force a rejoining UK to join the Euro on a timetable, for fear of setting a precedent for themselves. Any treaty change regarding Euro accession is extremely remote a possibility regardless as it would involve treaty change via all the bloc’s legislatures, which is practically unfeasible. The EU would not want to open such a can of worms.  Given these realities the Commission could simply clarify before any Rejoin campaign: the UK would join the EU with an automatic derogation from fulfilling the Maastricht criteria, the key parts of which are at its own discretion. You couldn’t negotiate a formal opt-out like we used to have as that would require treaty change but politically a derogation is the same and clarifying this would kill scaremongering on the Euro in a campaign.  arguably.uk/p/a-good-rejoin-…

Leaving the European Union has done immense damage to living standards, to businesses and to economic growth in London and across the country. It’s great to see the Prime Minister calling out this historic mistake. Looking forward to working with the PM to open a new chapter in EU relations.

🚨 THE DAM HAS BROKEN. Tony Blair is calling on @andyburnham to make rejoining the EU within a decade a formal government objective and begin negotiations with everything on the table. Kinnock: put rejoining in Labour’s manifesto. Osborne: rejoin the customs union now. Miliband: build a new institutional relationship. The EU’s Brexit chief: Labour’s red lines are obsolete. Now Blair: begin the process of rejoining. This is no longer a fringe debate. The political centre of gravity is moving rapidly. ✅ Blair’s crucial point is that governments must lead public opinion when the national interest demands it, not remain imprisoned by the politics of 2016. Andy Burnham can lead Britain back into Europe, or history will overtake him.

I just got off the phone with my friend who works at the European Commission Let's just say - the world is not ready what's coming The EU will soon release the world's most advanced AI model It will be called Jean-Claude-EU-Sprachmodell Confirmed information: 1. Innovative monetization - costs €0.39 + VAT per prompt, no subscription 2. Runs exclusively on a solar-powered server in Bulgaria (unavailable when cloudy) 3. Trained on data from 1993 (the EU founding year) 4. Available in German, Swedish and Czechoslovak 5. Answers are capped at 280 characters to reduce carbon emissions The Americans and Chinese will never recover from this

Hi @POLITICOEurope Why is it you reported this, but not motion C17 which also received TUC approval, where they agreed that the red lines should stay and that the 2016 referendum should be respected? Is it because you're obligated in your Axel Springer contract to be pro-EU?

Great. Britain is putting a man who backs Mauritius against Britain in as a judge on the ICJ. Because of course we are. The level of national self-harm by Britain’s elites is unreal. telegraph.co.uk/politics/202…

Secretary of State for Scotland @D_G_Alexander's statement following the meeting of First Ministers in Cardiff earlier today. "As the Prime Minister made clear to the First Minister in his letter on Thursday, independence and a referendum are off limits, 1/4

Wednesday’s @guardian front page: Brexit and Thatcher to blame for UK’s era of low growth, says PM theguardian.com/politics/202…

And… Selfish fuxking Brexit voting morons waste everyone’s time and money AGAIN. EU queue empty. 500 people in the Brexit lane. 🤬🤬🤬

Britain is still counting the cost – and paying the price – of Brexit Editorial: As a new report reveals how rejoining the EU would give the UK economy an £11.7bn boost, it is time to admit the 2016 referendum was a mistake – and to work at pace on a way back into Europe independent.co.uk/voices/edi…

🚨 BREAKING: The energy price cap will rise by 4% from October The typical household will pay £1,723 per year - an increase of £60

The next UK–EU summit cannot be allowed to slip again. From removing barriers to food trade and reconnecting our energy markets to expanding opportunities for young people, there is too much at stake for further delay. A summit before the end of 2026 is essential. Now the government must turn ambition into action. Read more at Euronews: euronews.com/my-europe/2026/…