UK in Strasbourg
The Times Brief has reported on figures stating that the ECtHR has seen a 30% increase in the number of cases lodged with the court form the UK in the last year, though judges found against the British Government in less than 1% of claims brought in that time period.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled inadmissible the appeal to overturn a UK court ruling that one-year-old Isaiah Haastrup could be removed from the ventilator that has kept him alive since birth.
UK and the UN
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women has published its report of the inquiry concerning the UK under the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, art 8. The Guardian has reported that the report finds that Northern Irish abortion law violates women’s rights.
Evaluation of UK’s international obligations
The House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has published the Government’s response to its report on ‘Violence in Rakhine State and the UK’s response’.
UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the EU
The EU is expected to pile fresh pressure on Theresa May with its draft guidelines on post-Brexit trade in a bid to push her to decide what Britain wants.
The Financial Times has analysed Theresa May’s Brexit speech as proposing out the softest form of hard Brexit that Tory Eurosceptics would bear, but warned that the vision is not accepted by Brussels. Meanwhile The Conversation has published a piece criticising the speech and arguing that Brexit seems to mean remaining “entangled in the European project” regardless. However, Bloomberg reports an aide to Barnier has cast doubts on Theresa May’s Brexit plan.
According to The Guardian, the EU will keep its draft guidelines for a post-Brexit trade deal as short and general as possible in order to force Theresa May to explain what the UK wants and leaving the door open for a British shift on the customs union and single market.
Guy Verhofstadt is in the UK for Brexit talks with David Davis ahead of a European Parliament vote next week on its latest draft proposal on the framework of the UK-EU future relationship.
The Government has published its programme for EU negotiations set for 5-7 March 2018. Meanwhile the Council of the EU has published a draft Brexit Guidelines document which the Financial Times has considered and annotated.
The Commons Brexit Committee has now published the Cross Whitehall Briefing report originally leaked to Buzzfeed, concerning the EU Exit Analysis.
Robin Walker, Minister for Exiting the EU, has hosted the Chief Ministers from Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man to give them an update on the UK’s exit from the EU.
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