I see that @PeterTatchell wants to "Thank #Brexit Voters" for needing a €7 visa-waiver every three years, from 2025 onwards.

Not to pat myself on the back, but I've got a few things I'd like to thank Brexit voters for as well, if you'll indulge me.

A Thread🧵

#ThanksBrexit If the UK was still a member of the EU, its core net contribution to the EU budget would be in the vicinity of €14-16 Billion (12.5% of annual EU budget, minus rebates).

That's money that can now be spent on UK priorities instead.

#ThanksBrexit

🧵AUGUST 2024 UK STABBING COUNTER 🧵

This is the worst thread i've ever felt necessary to create. I've had so many people reply to me over the past few days, denying that there is a problem with knife crime in this country - so I see this as required reading.

⏬Please Scroll⏬ August 1st

"Teenage girls held in custody after High Wycombe stabbing"

bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/24500201.…

🚨FIFTY BREXIT BENEFITS - MEGATHREAD🚨

I have collated 50 tangible Brexit benefits, fully evidenced and demonstrably true.

Some may not like that they exist - but that doesn't change the fact that they do.

👇Scroll down to see them in this megathread 👇

#BrexitBenefits2024 [ 1 ]

As one of the larger economies of the EU, the UK was a net contributor to the EU budget - which means that it paid in more each year than it received in return.

The UK was responsible for 12.5% of the annual core budget of the EU, which in 2024 was €189 Billion - which would in turn have resulted in a gross contribution from the UK of around €24 Billion, were it still to be a member.

This would have meant a likely net contribution of around €14-16 Billion in 2024 - money that can now be spent in the UK instead.

Link: EU Annual Budget 2024 - consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/eu…

TANGIBLE BREXIT BENEFITS: 18 MONTHS LATER 🧵

In March 2022, I was asked to provide 10 "Tangible Benefits" of leaving the EU. So over the course of a lunch break I wrote a list of 10 and sent it over.

Since then it has been shared thousands of times, and even made the press. Since that time in March 2022, as more benefits came to fruition, I have done the research - and those where I was able to confidently demonstrate and verify a true Brexit benefit as existing, I added to the list.

Today I’m adding the 30th item onto the list. Triple the original challenge.

So to celebrate the task having been delivered many times over, and to reflect that time has passed and some items in the list needed updating as to current status, I have decided to rewrite the full 30 items in a new post - so please, sit back and enjoy.

Also worth noting that I have been asked many times to back up these claims, and many times I have provided the evidence – but this time through I will include the source material within the tweets, so you can see it for yourself.

Link: The original thread -
Link: The “One Year Later” thread -
Link: The Daily Express article:

🇬🇧 UK Trade Deals: Negotiation Status Update

With the CPTPP accession now signed and awaiting ratification, and the India FTA wrapping up the final tough nuts to crack, what else is going on with UK international trade?

Plenty!

Here's a quick rundown 🧵

1/? The negotiations that are known by me to be in flight right now:

CPTPP Accession (Ratification)
Canada FTA Upgrade
GCC FTA
Greenland FTA
India FTA
Israel FTA Upgrade
Maldives FTA
Mexico FTA Upgrade
Switzerland FTA Upgrade
Switzerland Fin Svs Agmt
USA State Specific MoUs

2/?

🚨NEW

This graph has really wound me up today. Not because it was saying something surprising - I don't think anyone would be surprised that the age category in question is more supportive of EU membership.

The reason that it has wound me up, is because it is a LIE.

1/12

https://twitter.com/itvpeston/status/1653864529854382082

There were some initial obvious questions from the presentation of the data:

- Where are the "don't know / undecided"
- What does "UK based" mean
- What was the actual question asked

I put some of these questions out when the image first started to be circulated.

2/12

Jacob Rees Mogg vs Marina Purkiss: The Verdict

Earlier this evening on GB News, the outspoken political commentator Marina Purkiss appeared on the Jacob Rees Mogg programme "State of the Nation" to debate the topic of the so-called "culture war".

1/? People can of course make their own minds up as to the overall quality of the debate, and I would recommend if you are genuinely interested, in actually watching it for yourself.

In the 9 minute segment, they each made 5 statements as fact - but are they actually fact?

2/?

🇪🇺 European Front Pages, 03/04/2023

Apologies for the delays, I haven't had chance to post one of these frontpage rundowns for a few days.

Lets have a look and see what stories were making the front pages of newspapers across Europe this morning.

1/? BE 🇧🇪 - Le Soir

NUCLEA-YAH: According to data gathered by Le Soir - their "Great Barometer" - the Belgian people are not only in favour of extending the life of existing Nuclear power stations, but also want to build new ones as well.

2/?

Animal Welfare and the New Zealand & CPTPP Agreements: A 🧵

Another one of these images is now doing the rounds, from those opposed to CPTPP accession (always Pro-EU accounts of course).

Are the contents of the image accurate and fair?

1/14 Well this image focuses specifically on NZ animal welfare and food standards, and luckily we have the Trade and Agriculture (TAC) Report made for the UK-NZ FTA to be able to validate these items against the terms of the trade deal.

2/14

So i've seen snippets of the Lewis Goodall show on LBC doing the rounds over the past 48 hours, where he was discussing the CPTPP and not being particularly complimentary I think it is fair to say.

Well I listened to the first 30 minutes and took notes, and here are my thoughts. Generally speaking I think the question he posed to his audience was something of a straw man - setting up the notion that the CPTPP is meant to replace the EU, then asking his listeners if they agreed (which they didn't). When the CPTPP accession is not about replacing the EU.

🇬🇧 Global Britain 🌍🌎🌏

So much happened in March!

Yes we finally saw the #CPTPP agreement on the last day of the month, but did you catch all the other things that happened, the deals that were signed, #Globalbritain in action, on the other 30 days?

Quick rundown thread 🧵 March 1st

The UK signed a defence agreement with Saudi Arabia, related to partnership on the Future Combat Air System.

The agreement was a "Declaration of Intent", with the next steps being a feasibility study into the partnership.

english.alarabiya.net/News/gulf/2023…

🇬🇧 103 FTA COUNTRIES 🎉

With the news that the CPTPP have accepted in principle the UKs accession, the UK now has trade deals agreed with 103 countries across the globe.

Want to know who all these 103 countries are? Ok then here we go!

#UKTrade

/1 First deal - UK-EU TCA

The TCA covers all 27 EU member states: -

🇪🇺 - 🇦🇹🇧🇪🇧🇬🇭🇷🇨🇾🇨🇿🇩🇰🇪🇪🇫🇮🇫🇷🇩🇪🇬🇷🇭🇺🇮🇪🇮🇹🇱🇻🇱🇹🇱🇺🇲🇹🇳🇱🇵🇱🇵🇹🇷🇴🇸🇰🇸🇮🇪🇸🇸🇪

as well as Andorra and San Marino.

🇦🇩🇸🇲

So 29 countries so far. Running total engaged 🧮

/2

🇪🇺 European Front Pages, 31/03/23

Happy end of the month! Sure there are plenty of you staying up late for CPTPP news, so while you're there, why not read some of the front page stories across the continent

1/?

#TomorrowsPapersToday DE 🇩🇪 - Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ)

TAKING CHARLIE: King Charles III gave a speech in the German Bundestag on Thursday, praising them for their support of Ukraine during the ongoing conflict - saying that "Germany and UK have taken an important leadership role"

2/?

🇪🇺 European Front Pages 18/02/23

Welcome to the weekend people.

Here's what the papers have in store for us on the continent, should we find ourselves at some continental Bistro by accident when we wake up.

#TomorrowsPapersToday

1/? FR 🇫🇷 - Le Figaro

POWER LOSS: EDF published bleak financials yesterday, with the fallout of how the French govt handled the energy crisis resulting in them showing a nearly €18bn loss in 2022, giving them a total debt of nearly €65bn.

2/?

🇪🇺 European Front Pages 17/02/23

Happy Friday!

Was going to post a few of these late last night, but well Whiskey got in the way.

So you don't get #TomorrowsPapersToday, and instead get #TodaysPapersToday

Here's a selection of the front page stories across the EU.

1/? GR 🇬🇷 - Kathimerini

LABOR DAY: The Greek Labor Ministry is expanding its Digital Labour Card scheme to two new sectors, which tracks the clocking in and out times of all employees in companies with a 250+ headcount.

Yes, the govt are tracking their working hours.

2/?

🇬🇧 UK Trade Negotiations In Flight 🇬🇧

Since some of these things drop off the radar when they are not actively discussed, thought I would do a quick 🧵 to run through some of the negotiations that are known to be under way between the UK and other countries around the world

1/? To summarise all the negotiations that I know about:

Canada FTA Upgrade
CPTPP Accession
GCC FTA
Greenland FTA
India FTA
Israel FTA Upgrade
Mexico FTA Upgrade
Singapore Green Economy Agmt
Switzerland Fin Svs Agmt
USA Critical Minerals Agmt
USA State Specific MoUs

2/?

🇪🇺 European Front Pages 15/02/23

Been a few days since I've done one of these - frankly the papers have been a bit dull and I've had other things to do. So sue me 🤪

But here comes a snapshot of the news hitting the continent in the morning

#TomorrowsPapersToday

1/? FR 🇫🇷 - Le Figaro

MINOR INCREASE: France has seen a significant increase in unaccompanied foreign minors crossing the French-Italian border illegally in recent years - from 174 in 2014, to over 5,000 in 2022.

Some are putting this down to the "Meloni Effect"

2/?

Bonus Item 16

As covered by The Spectator, the recent partnership on cancer treatment R&D between the UK govt and BioNTech, is only possible due to the post-Brexit regulatory environment that we have been able to foster and develop.

Which could benefit all of humanity.

16/10 Bonus Item 17

Outside of the EU CAP, which mainly benefitted very large landowners with subsidies, the UK system is being changed to encourage better stewardship of farmland as animal habitats, and will spread the subsidies better amongst smaller farms.

bbc.com/news/science-e…

UK Fishing & Brexit 🎣🎣🎣

Was directed towards a Brexit benefits report from the @NFFO_UK today, from September 2021, based on what has turned out to be a somewhat misleadingly shared image showing figures extracted from it.

Here's what I found out.

#Brexit #UKTrade

/1 For starters, here is a link to the report itself:



It is a 37 page report that looks at the changes that have occurred in the fisheries sector in the UK, compared to their status before leaving the EU.

/2nffo.org.uk/wp-content/upl…