Britain close to Irish border deal
Officials on both sides predict agreement within weeks, Brussels will speed up approval for Brexit transition plan
EU leaders are preparing to offer a two-year Brexit transition deal as early as January after negotiators said that they were close to a breakthrough over the Northern Ireland border.
British officials tabled proposals this week to avoid a “hard border” in Ireland that could unblock the last remaining major obstacle to a deal, The Times understands.
In return the EU will pledge at a summit in Brussels next month to speed up approval for a transition deal that maintains Britain’s present relationship with the EU, reassuring businesses that might otherwise begin implementing plans for a hard Brexit.
Sources in Dublin said that there was “movement” on the issue and growing confidence that a deal could be reached before the summit on December 14-15.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/news ... -pltcgrvcjNet UK migration fell by third to 230,000 in year after Brexit vote
Net migration from the EU fell by 82,000
Net migration to the UK fell by more than 100,000 in the year after the EU referendum, official figures show.
The measure - the difference between the numbers arriving and leaving the country for at least a year - was an estimated 230,000 in the 12 months to the end of June 2017.
This was a fall of 106,000 compared with the record level of 336,000 in the previous year, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said.
EU net migration fell to 107,000, down 82,000 in what was described as a "statistically significant" decrease.
The ONS said over three-quarters of the decrease in net migration was accounted for by EU citizens.
The number of people moving to the UK to take up a “definite job” has remained stable at 187,000.
But fewer people came to the UK “looking for work”, down 56,000 to 74,000.
Nicola White, head of migration statistics at the ONS, said: "Over three-quarters of the fall in net migration was accounted for by EU citizens.
Ms White said the decline follows "historically high levels of immigration", adding that it is "too early to say whether this represents a long-term trend".
"The number of people immigrating for a definite job has remained stable but there has been a 43% decrease in the number of people immigrating to look for work over the last year, especially for EU citizens.
"These changes suggest that Brexit is likely to be a factor in people's decision to move to or from the UK - but decisions to migrate are complex and other factors are also going to be influencing the figures."
http://www.itv.com/news/2017-11-30/net- ... ures-show/