Pete F-J

Could you win an EU referendum? Polls offer a very favourable start with 59% to 55% in favour. But there are two questions you want resolved as the pro-EU government going into a vote. Both I Belin are surmountable. 1) Does Britain have to join the EU? The Commission wants new members to join to strengthen the currency but there is no explicit treaty basis to this and there is no enforcement or even expectation of a member joining unless they wish to. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Sweden are not in the Euro and Denmark holds a legal opt out. I believe the UK at a minimum could secure prior to a vote senior EU leaders saying — “the UK doesn’t have to join the Euro.” They would be conceding nothing and badly increase the vote’s chance of success which would be in their political interest. Whether this is a form of words or a legal instrument ultimately isn’t that important in batting down the vote losing argument a vote for the EU means Euro membership. 2) Does the UK have to join the passport-free Schengen area? Ireland has an opt-out to Schengen so the UK being forced to join Schengen by the EU would be forcing a passport border either in the island of Ireland or down the Irish Sea. That isn’t going to happen. Ireland doesn’t want to join Schengen, would want the UK to return to the EU, so would most likely push in any accession the UK joins with an exemption to Schengen to protect its interests. Brexit made the principle of open-borders on the island of Ireland so central to Commission thinking I do not doubt this would be fundamental to any reentry negotiation — in the UK’s favour for a Schengen opt-out.

On behalf of their client, Zara Sultana, Bindmans Media and Information Law Practise Group requires that I publish the following statement on X, and that such statement must be clearly visible and pinned to my profile for a continuous period of no less than 24 hours: “On 30 March 2026, I published a post on my X account addressed to Zarah Sultana in which I stated that she encourages and incites violence and is friends with terrorists. Those statements are false. I was wrong and offer my sincere apologies to Ms Sultana for the harm and distress caused to her.” It is my very great pleasure to do this, and I reiterate my sincere and repeated offer to meet with Miss Zara Sultana in person to resolve our differences.