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We wish everyone a happy, healthy and democratic 2026, filled with tolerance and helpfulness.

Happy New Year everyone! Great to see the EU flag getting another spectacular airing in London! Looking forward to seeing a sea of blue and yellow flags out on the streets there in June! #StillEuropean #GetBrexitUndone #RejoinEU

"2025 was a geopolitical marathon for Britain, and particularly for all of us working to rebuild the EU-UK relationship," writes Naomi Smith as she reflects on the year. What gives her hope for the year ahead? ⬇️ https://bestforbritain.substack.com/p/hopes-and-fears-for-this-new-year

Tomorrow, Bulgaria joins the euro area. This milestone reflects years of hard work and commitment. Now it means simpler payments, easier travel and so many new opportunities for Bulgarian businesses. Поздравления, България! You can be proud of what you achieved.

Here we go again. Trump has told the UK that if we want a UK-US tech deal, we need to buy chlorinated chicken from the US! 🤢🐔 How dare he try and impose poor food standards in Britain. Sign the petition to keep chlorine-washed chicken off our shelves: 38d.gs/cc-df

"On a continent scarred by repeated wars including two World Wars, the EU was founded to help countries work together democratically and peacefully, rather than against each other." Have a happy and peaceful Christmas.

Are #Brexit advocates just bad with numbers — or dishonest?🤷‍♂️ Here, our Vice Chair @jazz072.bsky.social challenges a previous correspondent’s spurious claims in the @yorkshirepost.co.uk.✉️ The per‑person cost of EU membership was tiny — especially given the huge return on that investment.📈 #RejoinEU

With a budget that failed to deliver meaningful, getting the EU reset right is now a strategic necessity, not a political choice. Trade is the fastest route to growth, yet firms say it is becoming harder, not easier, to sell into our largest market. #Brexit www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

UK to re-join Erasmus+ – here are six benefits of the European exchange scheme Brexit didn't have to mean the end of Erasmus+, and the government has now announced we will join the scheme again @centralbylines.co.uk

Reform UK have repeatedly said that Kent is their "flagship" council and "the shop window" for how they intend to run things. When they are exposed as planning to slash social care for old people, in order to hire their cronies as advisors at £150k a pop, I think people should believe them. ~AA

Britain’s economy has been damaged by Brexit. But what should ministers do about it? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

For all of Farage’s bombast and bravado, Reform is basically just a retirement home for disgraced Tories - and the media should be reporting it as such

"When we ask people whether #Brexit has been a success or a failure, 62% to 11% say failure. And that really rockets up - when you ask people who did vote Labour last year and people who are still intending to vote Labour - that figure goes north of 85%." ~AA @pimlicat.bsky.social

"When the UK voted to leave the European Union in 2016, 16 and 17-year-olds were among the most affected, yet they had no choice or say at the ballot box. And that decision continues to shape their futures today from education to work and even identity." https://bit.ly/48LcTHU

In case you missed this week's fantastic news - or need a reminder that good things do still happen! https://www.bestforbritain.org/uk_to_rejoin_erasmus

Happy Winter Solstice day!

Why Is the Government Really Refusing to Investigate Russian Interference in Brexit? – Byline Times

Rejoining Erasmus+ shows progress is possible, but fixing the damage of Brexit will require going further and being honest about rebuilding ties with our European neighbours.

Spot on! 💯 Rejoining Erasmus should just be a first step – as the economic evidence piles up, the need for closer ties with Europe could not be clearer. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/dec/19/labour-brexit-undone-finding-nerve-keir-starmer

The Government have acknowledged the damage that Brexit has caused to our economy, and now they are finally bringing us closer, step by step. Rejoining Erasmus+ will allow young people at every stage of education to experience other cultures, languages and everyday life in Europe.

🆕 European Parliament welcomes EU-UK agreement on Erasmus+ The successful outcome of negotiations on the UK’s participation in Erasmus+ from 2027 is a highly significant development, say lead MEPs. Read more ↓

Erasmus+ connects young people across all ages and background, and creates opportunities that reach far beyond the classroom. Rejoining marks a positive turn in the UK’s relationship with Europe, but it's imperative that it should not stop here.

6 benefits of Erasmus: -Being part of a long established network -Generous support for people from all walks of life -Cultural and personal growth -Reciprocal benefits -Improved academic outcomes and employability -Closer relationships with international partners theconversation.com/uk-to-re-joi...

Six years after it was ripped away, Erasmus is coming back, and it did not happen by accident. Sustained campaigning and relentless pressure forced this back onto the agenda. Young people finally get their opportunities back.

Erasmus+ worked because it reached communities across the UK, not just a select few. Returning would mean rebuilding opportunity where it mattered most.

I wrote this 18 months ago "Net migration is falling sharply...since just before the pandemic, all job growth has been driven by immigration...it’s far from clear where any future labour force growth will come from." ukandeu.ac.uk/immigration-...

My last @borderlex.net Perspectives column of the year - how the UK-US pharmaceuticals deal is part of a wider failure of independent UK trade policy that is part of the reason why attention is switching back to EU relations - including on red lines. borderlex.net/2025/12/16/p...

"If leaving the ECHR is meant to be about booting out criminals, it will have the reverse effect and it will make it easier for criminals to come to the country. Just like Brexit, it's going to backfire. Remember, with Brexit, immigration was meant to go down, and trade".

📢 This petition reflects what many of us already feel about Brexit’s impact. If you haven’t signed yet, here’s the link: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/74...

Again these people aren't patriots. They hate our country and are allied to others who hate it too. Nothing will ever be achieved by seeking to appease them

High Court judgment: UK government failed vulnerable people in immigration detention www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025...

This is true, but given the existential threat from autocracy Europe faces, as a goal a Customs Union doesn't seem nearly ambitious enough. We've got to stop letting the far-right - Brexiters included - dictate what is and isn't politically possible.

Make Racism Indefensible Again

Brexit issues for Northern Ireland haven't gone away. Cars and veterinary medicines are two known issues from 1 Jan 2026, but also watch out for EU plans on steel, carbon border adjustment, and de minimis - all of which will have consequences www.thetimes.com/business/eco...

Erasmus+ offers young people the chance to develop skills, build confidence and engage with other cultures. The UK can regain these benefits by rejoining the programme as a full member, as six non-EU countries already do.

A deeply concerning report. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/uk-citizenship-immigration-home-office-racist-b2882097.html

Just so we're clear, one incident of alleged anti-semitism by a musician = a major national scandal that should be roundly condemned. Multiple incidents of alleged anti-semitism from the man leading the race to run the country = a load of nothing that should be completely ignored

Christmas, brought to you by Reform...

Is the tide turning? New post on my Brexit & Brexitism Blog. Renewed talk of a customs union may well come to nothing, but rapidly changing geo-politics mean the UK needs urgently to face up to the failure of the entire Brexit ‘strategy’: chrisgreybrexitblog.blogspot.com/2025/12/is-t...

Another excellent letter from our friends across the Pennines! 👇👇👇

Hardly surprising given the systematic lies and misreporting in the UK media on this topic

#GetBrexitUndone #RejoinEU

If the book is a collection of the Brexit benefit claims its author makes on X then it will mostly be a mix of falsity or garbled half-truth. But it's a big job to unpick them, so kudos to @bearlypolitics.co.uk for starting to undertake it.

While focus is often solely on asylum, and small boat crossings in particular, it's important to remember that Labour's hostililty against all migrants is harming not only individuals, but the whole country, with an estimated loss of £10.8billion, and zero actual benefits. www.ft.com/content/2b60...

The UK Trade and Business Commission’s new report sets out how the UK and the EU could implement a Youth Experience Scheme. “The report is likely to give weight to the arguments of Britain’s negotiators in talks over the deal,” writes Arj Singh. Read: https://bit.ly/48tqyTY

Brexit was sold on empty promises. "The new-found 'freedom' outside the EU has not enabled the UK to replace lost EU markets with new opportunities elsewhere." https://www.irishtimes.com/business/economy/2025/12/08/britains-brexit-woes-are-a-problem-for-ireland/

New Home Office impact assessment finds that cutting skilled and social care visas will cost the UK up to £10 billion with a central estimate of -£5.4 billion. It would be good if this got even a fraction of the coverage devoted to the endless debate about boats, flags and Turkish barber shops

Home Office Ministers state publicly, on the record, that they are deliberately making life worse for older people and people with disabilities who depend on care services, but it's worth it because it reduces net migration.