New divergence tracker is out. If there's one clear message it's that - for a govt increasingly intent on EU alignment - there is an awful lot of divergence going on. Speaks to how hard it is to keep pace with the EU without formal mechanisms for dynamic alignment.

With the UK contemplating dynamic regulatory alignment with the EU worth hearing from other non-member states already involved or signing up: committees.parliament.uk/event/27022/...

There’s a lot of confusion right now among journalists and MP about secondary legislation and what a possible EU deal would mean. A quick thread to clear a few things up on votes, Henry VIII powers & parliamentary scrutiny. 🧵 1/ First: what is a “normal parliamentary vote”?

Experience of Northern Ireland could be relevant here. Key will be the definition of ‘new’ acts Parliamentary scrutiny for new EU acts to be added to those subject to dynamic alignment… but not for those ‘amending’ or ‘replacing’ EU acts already applying? www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

even with EU support, it remains unclear how far Nicosia can go, given the SBA’s value for both London and Washington... “The European Commission declined to comment whether it shares Nicosia’s view that the British bases are a “colonial remnant.” www.euractiv.com/news/cyprus-...

“in reality, getting back in would be no simple matter. Britain would probably have to commit to joining the euro and would not get a full restoration of the budget rebate… Initial public enthusiasm for rejoining… might swiftly erode when confronted with those realities… www.ft.com/content/b02b...

As the EU edges its way towards further enlargement it needs to be thinking hard about whether and how domestic ratification will be secured.... all member states must ratify each accession treaty And there are challenges ahead Here, arguably the largest: France institutdelors.eu/en/publicati...

“the UK must invest time and resources in understanding the evolving priorities in Brussels and in member states. London needs to consider what contribution the UK can usefully make to strengthening Europe’s resilience and security… ukandeu.ac.uk/the-eus-pers...

“It is increasingly clear, as the world continues down this volatile path, our long-term national interest requires closer partnership with our allies in Europe and with the EU.. "We want to be more ambitious and build closer economic... and closer security co-operation" www.ft.com/content/9f3d...

EU-UK Agreement on Gibraltar expected to enter into provisional application on 15 July 2026. www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

“to substantively move on beyond the current negotiating agenda, [UK] will need to make a much bigger leap, rub out some of those red lines, and start being prepared to talk about substantial financial contributions, movement of people..." - @davidheniguk.bsky.social www.politico.eu/article/uk-k...

Paving the way for more from the 'reset' in EU-UK relations. And a reminder that being on the outside can often seem like a process of constant negotiations with the EU www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...?

‘British officials close to the negotiations said that while the idea of some kind of “emergency brake” system was “interesting”, it was still a “non-starter” and that the UK would insist on a cap on numbers before the youth scheme started.’ www.ft.com/content/4eaa...?

“Britain wants an outright cap, but the EU opposes this on the basis that the scheme is supposed to be a positive one aimed at celebrating and preserving links with the EU.” www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Latest from @lordsniscom.parliament.uk for UK government on the Windsor Framework Includes need for 'accessible and interactive UK-developed database of the EU law that applies to NI on a dynamic basic' Such could be useful for a UK-EU SPS agreement committees.parliament.uk/publications...

Useful overview of House of Lords Northern Ireland Scrutiny Committee's report on NI Voice on the Windsor Framework and the UK Government's response committees.parliament.uk/publications...

“Some Labour officials are hoping… the bill will provoke a Brexit row with the Conservatives and Reform UK, reminding voters that their opponents supported Leave in the EU referendum… “So far, there is little sign that [Farage or Badenoch] want a new fight over Brexit” www.ft.com/content/b031...

“polling suggests [Labour] is losing far more votes to the strongly pro-European Greens and Liberal Democrats and that support for Brexit among the general public has dropped dramatically “As of January 2026, 58% of people in [GB] thought it had been wrong to leave… EU” www.ft.com/content/6a67...

“The European Council acknowledges the intention of Cyprus to initiate a discussion with the UK on the UK bases in Cyprus and stands ready to provide assistance as needed.” One on which to keep an eye? www.consilium.europa.eu/media/lwhk3i...

‘On the prospect of EU membership, Søreide said it was unlikely to materialize “immediately.” Indeed, Norway’s current government has not shown interest in launching a national debate about membership, and the next parliamentary elections aren’t until 2029… www.politico.eu/article/norw...

The EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly met earlier this week for its seventh meeting. Its recommendations for strengthening EU-UK relations: www.parliament.uk/globalassets...

'Reeves pledged... to more closely align with EU rules as part of a “strategic imperative” for deeper integration that would benefit both sides. But her offer came with the caveat that the UK would only align where it was in the “national interest”.' www.ft.com/content/c7eb...

‘Šefčovič told the MPs and MEPs on Monday that finding agreement before the next summit – pencilled in for early July – was “very ambitious”. ‘But he added: “We need to change gears and work through complexities”.’ www.theguardian.com/world/2026/m...

EU-UK Parliamentary Partnership Assembly meets today and tomorrow for its seventh meeting. www.parliament.uk/globalassets...

Presumably this has been factored in all along. If it hasn’t been, someone’s not been paying attention. Hard to see EU agreeing SPS and ETS agreements without meaningful youth mobility scheme www.ft.com/content/0605...?

“there is a curious disjuncture in government thinking on [Brexit]… their current position seems to consist of emphasising the significant costs that have been incurred… whilst being equally forceful in ruling out the steps that would be needed to reduce these” ukandeu.ac.uk/here-we-go-a...

“Like the UK, Switzerland has sought to preserve formal sovereignty while maintaining privileged access to the EU market. However… access often entails alignment, whether formalised or not. Sovereignty outside the EU does not eliminate interdependence; it reshapes it.” ukandeu.ac.uk/swiss-eu-rel...

“barriers [to membership] are primarily political: a pragmatic calculation of when the costs of remaining outside finally exceed the benefits of the status quo. In the current security environment… that inflection point may be approaching more rapidly than anticipated” ukandeu.ac.uk/norways-rela...

Viewed in a Windsor Framework context, that the 'in scope' EU acts listed essentially mirror those applicable in Northern Ireland should be welcomed as evidence of the commitment to reduce a core set of frictions on GB-NI goods movements through a UK-EU SPS agreement. ukandeu.ac.uk/full-speed-a...

"There’s little clarity on what form the EU’s safeguards will take. “There are some ideas flying around but no one has come up with an actual proposal,” a European diplomat involved in the discussions told POLITICO." www.politico.eu/article/eu-p...

"The Government of Iceland has today decided to put to Althingi, the Icelandic parliament, a motion for resolution proposing to hold a referendum on 29 August 2026 on whether to resume accession talks with the European Union" www.government.is/news/article...

“It feels as though we are on a journey with no clear destination… In many areas, the government has failed to provide timelines, milestones or priorities… it does not appear to have an ambitious strategic vision for the… new relationship with the EU” - Thornberry giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...

“A merit-based approach and internal reforms remain key. All the talk about the so-called reverse accession has no chance of prevailing,” said one EU diplomat. “There is no support from the member states.” www.ft.com/content/52e2...

"agreements remain subject to.. ratification... with considerable uncertainty surrounding outcome.. on the Swiss side. The federal government will have to convince parliament.. and, above all, the people, who will have the final say in a referendum expected in 2027" www.swissinfo.ch/eng/swiss-di...

‘The French officials’ reasoning is simple: Since it left the EU single market, the U.K. should not enjoy the benefits that come with it, noted the officials… ‘“You can’t have the cake and eat it too,” one French official told POLITICO bluntly.’ www.politico.eu/article/made...

Von der Leyen: “I understand very well that for you, a clear date is also important… The date you set is your benchmark that you want to match… from our side, dates by themselves are not possible.”

More than a year after negotiations concluded, EU agrees to sign latest suite of bilateral agreements with Switzerland Insights here for UK into arrangements that can be concluded with the EU… and what it understands by ‘a balance of rights and obligations’ www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/pre...

+++OUT NOW+++++ The definitive assessment of regulation after Brexit. Masterminded by @jreland.bsky.social 1/?

"The conversation around deepening [EU] ties with Iceland and potentially even resuming accession negotiations began even before Trump returned to office last year... But escalating threats from the U.S., have increased the urgency." www.politico.eu/article/icel...

Killer conclusion - "Unless the EU finds a better way to align its domestic political and institutional incentives in line with its external aims, its ambitions will continue to outrun its capacity to deliver."

Oft overlooked procedural features of finalising agreements with the EU. Worth noting for if/when UK and EU announce SPS and other ‘reset’ agreements later this year. Speed with which TCA signed and provisionally applied very much the exception not the rule www.politico.eu/article/brus...

"accelerated accession must not create second-class membership... fast-tracking Ukraine must not become a limited... fig-leaf enlargementa speedy enlargement process must go hand in hand with internal EU reform" - @jaemmanouilidis.bsky.social euobserver.com/203344/a-fas...

Some notes on the coming fun with Gibraltar tl;dr There's an agreement, that needs to be in place for 10 April, but no one knows exactly what it is yet 1/

“Although she has yet to say which other areas [beyond removing barriers to trade in established industries e.g. chemicals] she would like to see covered by the new approach, Reeves has told colleagues that an EU-UK summit later this year should identify new workstreams.” www.ft.com/content/98e5...

“The challenge for Ukraine’s membership prospects is getting all 27 member countries on board… any decision to expand the bloc requires unanimous support” And it’s not just a case of overcoming Orban’s opposition. Accession treaties require ratification by all ms www.politico.eu/article/5-st...

“Multiple current and former Brussels-based diplomats… as well as senior political figures… involved in the 2004 enlargement of the bloc, say a timeline where Ukraine joined in the next two or three years is unworkable, both politically and practically.’ Indeed… www.irishtimes.com/world/europe...

‘“Simply reducing friction doesn’t mean we are going to get the EU market back again. There aren’t empty spaces on the shelves with a label saying ‘waiting for British products’.” ‘In other words, it could take years to restore Brexit losses.’ www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Digest version of recent piece for Political Quarterly.l MLAs will come back for second ‘Democratic Consent’ vote in 2028 Context then to include impact of UK-EU reset (potential reduction of frictions on ‘Irish Sea border’)… and next NI Assembly politicalquarterly.org.uk/blog/the-nor...

“Restarting EU membership negotiations is not in the EU's thinking just yet. Still, Kos said that "we need to look with fresh eyes at our relations… My visit... is about rebuilding trust and exploring how we can make our economic relationship work better." www.politico.eu/article/eu-l...

“Can Greenland join the EU? Since it is not a ‘state’ it cannot formally join under the general accession process under Article 49 TEU. However, it can move from OCT to OR status, meaning that it would again become part of the EU” ukandeu.ac.uk/can-greenlan...