LONDON (AP) - The Latest on Brexit negotiations (all times local):
3:40 p.m.
A junior minister has resigned from the British government over Brexit, saying he does not agree with the decision to offer Parliament the chance to delay Britain’s departure from the European Union and rule out a “no-deal” exit.
Ex-Agriculture Minister George Eustice says “we cannot negotiate a successful Brexit unless we are prepared to walk through the (exit) door.”
Prime Minister Theresa May said this week that if lawmakers reject her EU divorce deal they will be able to seek a delay to Britain’s departure. The move was a concession to growing pressure from lawmakers to remove the risk Britain may leave without a deal - an outcome that could spark severe economic disruption.
But Eustice, a firm backer of Brexit, said in his resignation letter Thursday that the decision would “lead to a sequence of events culminating in the EU dictating the terms of any extension requested and the final humiliation of our country.”
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2:30 p.m.
Official figures show that net migration into Britain from the other 27 European Union countries has fallen to near-decade lows, suggesting that Brexit uncertainty is making the country a less attractive place to work.
The Office for National Statistics said Thursday that though the number of EU citizens coming into Britain continues to add to the population, the difference between those coming into the country and those leaving fell in the year to September 2018 to 57,000, its lowest level since 2009.
However, net migration to Britain from non-EU countries is at its highest since 2004.
Net migration from the EU has fallen consistently since Britain voted to leave the EU in 2016. Part of the reason is that economic rebound in many parts of the EU has lessened the need for many to search for opportunities abroad.
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2:15 p.m.
The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator says that what is most needed in divorce negotiations with Britain is decisions, rather than extra time.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has offered Parliament the chance to delay Britain’s scheduled March 29 departure if it again rejects her agreement. EU negotiator Michel Barnier said in Vienna Thursday that any delay “must serve not to put off the problem but to resolve the problem” in the British Parliament.
He added: “Today, above all we need decisions, much more than extra time.”
British lawmakers’ objections to the withdrawal deal have centered on the so-called “backstop” meant to ensure that the border between the U.K.’s Northern Ireland and EU member Ireland stays open while a future trade relationship is negotiated.
While the EU and Britain are working on “clarifications,” Barnier stressed anew that “we are not going to change the backstop and … we are not going to reopen the withdrawal agreement.”
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1:40 p.m.
Austria’s leader says he would like to see Brexit resolved before the European Parliament elections in late May because it would be “absurd” for a country that wants to leave the European Union to vote for its legislature.
British Prime Minister Theresa May has offered Parliament the chance to delay Britain’s scheduled March 29 departure if lawmakers fail to approve her divorce agreement with the bloc. EU officials say that, if the U.K. is still a member by the time of the EU elections May 23-26, it would have to take part.
Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz said Thursday that if Britain seeks an extension to prevent a disorderly exit, Vienna would back it.
But he said that “ideally” an orderly Brexit should happen by the time of the elections, “because the participation of a country that wants to leave the European Union in European Parliament elections would, I think, seem more than absurd.”
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10:10 a.m.
Irish drivers have been warned they will need a special insurance document to cross the currently invisible border to Northern Ireland after next month if the U.K. leaves the European Union without a deal.
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau of Ireland says it has issued insurance firms with 1 million application forms for the internationally recognized “Green Card” document.
Britain is due to leave the 28-nation Bloc on March 29 and so far Britain’s Parliament has rejected the government’s divorce deal, raising the chance of a chaotic “no deal” Brexit.
Governments in EU countries, as well as in Britain, have warned of potential disruption to trade and travel.
If there is a deal, there will be no change for citizens and businesses until at least the end of 2020.
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