EU and UK agree Brexit scheme to ease N.Ireland trade

Malay mail – AFP, Wednesday, 09 Dec 2020

Senior UK minister Michael Gove confirmed that a deal agreed with Brussels
this week ensured Northern Ireland business 'will be free of all tariffs'. — Reuters pic 

ONDON, Dec 9 — The UK and the European Union have agreed a scheme to ease the flow of goods between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland after Brexit, London said today.

Trading arrangements for Northern Ireland have been a major sticking point in the Brexit process given that it will have Britain’s only land border with the EU from January 1. 

The prospect of imposing tariffs on all goods travelling to Northern Ireland from mainland Britain arose because of the risk of them crossing into the EU’s single market, via member state Ireland. 

But London said that was unacceptable, as it would cut Northern Ireland off from the rest of the UK. 

Senior UK minister Michael Gove confirmed that a deal agreed with Brussels this week ensured Northern Ireland business “will be free of all tariffs”. 

“British sausages will continue to make their way to Belfast and Ballymena in the New Year,” Gove told lawmakers. 

He also said a “trusted trader” scheme would “guarantee goods being sold in Northern Ireland and businesses operating in Northern Ireland will face no tariffs”. 

Irish state broadcaster RTE said the exemptions of tariffs would cover up to 98 percent of goods moving from England, Scotland and Wales to Northern Ireland from January 1. 

“The other two percent would potentially avail of rebates from any tariffs,” it said, adding the charges would mostly apply only in case Britain and the EU fail to reach a free trade deal in separate talks. 

A deal remains elusive, despite months of negotiations ahead of a December 31 deadline for one to be in place in time for the New Year. 

The separate agreement on Northern Ireland trade allows for some EU officials to be present at ports in the province as observers, but UK officials said they will not be allowed to carry out checks themselves. 

Neither will they be allowed to wear uniforms, and Gove said there was no prospect of the EU setting up a “mini embassy” in Northern Ireland, a prospect that has been denounced by Brexiteer lawmakers in the ruling Conservative party. 

“Limited and proportionate border facilities” between Northern Ireland and Ireland would be in place to conduct some checks on the transport of food and animals, Gove added. 

Keeping the border open, free of infrastructure and customs checks, was a key plank of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that largely ended 30 years of violence over British rule in Northern Ireland. — AFP

EU warns Brexit deal unlikely as talks deliver no progress

Yahoo – AFP, 21 August 2020

EU’s Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier holds a news conference after a meeting
with Britain’s chief negotiator in Brussels on August 21, 2020. – Barnier said he was
worried and “disappointed” at the lack of progress in the latest round of Brexit
trade talks. (Photo by YVES HERMAN / POOL / AFP)

The EU and Britain on Friday traded blame for the lack of progress after the latest round of post-Brexit trade talks, with Brussels warning that a deal looked unlikely.

The EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier lodged his warning at the close of the seventh round of trade talks, which again got stuck on key issues, mainly fishing rights and competition rules.

Hundreds of negotiators met over several days in the Belgian capital with both sides acknowledging a sliver of progress on technical issues — but not on the main obstacles.

“Those who were hoping for negotiations to move swiftly forward this week will have been disappointed,” Barnier told reporters after the talks ended in Brussels.

“And, unfortunately, I too am frankly disappointed and concerned and surprised as well,” he added.

His UK counterpart David Frost countered that Brussels’ insistence that London meet EU demands on state aid and fisheries policy before work on other areas made it “unnecessarily difficult to make progress”.

Frost reiterated that he thought a deal remained possible and was Britain’s aim but he warned: “It is clear that it will not be easy to achieve.”

‘Backwards not forwards’

Barnier said that “too often this week it felt as if we were going backwards rather than forwards.”

“At this stage an agreement between the UK and European Union seems unlikely.

“I simply do not understand why we are wasting valuable time,” he said.

Britain left the EU in January, nearly four years after a landmark referendum to end almost 50 years of European integration.

Both sides are pushing to have a deal in place by the end of a post-Brexit transition period that ends on December 31.

The Europeans said this requires an agreement by October, leaving just two more months to find common ground.

If no deal is struck, ties will default to minimum standards set by the World Trade Organization, bringing higher tariffs and making onerous demands on business which threaten chaos on the cross-Channel border.

A European source said that Britain was pushing to delay negotiation on fishing and competition until as late as possible, a strategy that Brussels said was unacceptable.

“On these two pillars of a future agreement, the stalemate continues. You can’t keep moving forward on other issues when you have a gaping hole on the core issues,” the source said.

The next round of talks will be held in London September 7, with an EU summit planned for October 15-16 seen as the unofficial deadline for a deal.

A senior UK negotiating official said Frost would be in “close contact” with Barnier over the next couple of weeks before the next round of talks.

EU envoys meet to seal Brexit talks red lines

Yahoo – AFP, Alex PIGMAN, February 24, 2020

France is leading a small group of countries demanding that European vessels maintain
open access to British waters that are particularly rich in fish stocks (AFP Photo/William
EDWARDS)

Brussels (AFP) - EU envoys meet on Monday to finalise a negotiating mandate for Brexit trade talks with Britain, with France insisting on strict red lines to uphold European standards.

Establishing the foundation for new ties with Britain is the next chapter in the Brexit saga, with signs pointing to several months of acrimonious talks between London and Brussels with the outcome highly uncertain.

Britain left the European Union on January 31, but entered a transition phase until the end of the year to give time to hammer out a new basis for relations on trade, security and defence.

But there are doubts the two sides will bridge their differences in that time, with French President Emmanuel Macron warning at the weekend he was "not sure" a deal would be struck by the end of December.

Trade will be the biggest flashpoint, with the remaining 27 EU countries especially nervous that Britain will backslide on standards to win a competitive edge against European businesses.

Fishing is also a hot-button issue, with France leading a small group of countries demanding that European vessels maintain open access to British waters that are particularly rich in fish stocks.

The EU envoys meet at around 1400 GMT and if they find common ground, the matter will then go to a meeting of European affairs ministers on Tuesday, whose final green light would open the way for talks with the UK to start on March 2.

'The whole point'

Recent days have shown that tetchy talks lie ahead, with Britain insisting it is no longer chasing a deep partnership with Europe that would require matching EU rules on health, labour standards, environment and other matters.

Instead, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is asking for a simplified deal similar to those the EU has struck with Canada, Japan and South Korea that reduce tariff barriers to near zero, but which have less strict controls on standards.

Bringing that point home to Europe, in a speech in Brussels last week, Britain's chief Brexit negotiator David Frost said his government's desire to throw off EU regulations was not just a negotiating position but "the point of the whole (Brexit) project".

"We must have the ability to set laws that suit us -- to claim the right that every other non-EU country in the world has," Frost said.

Even a "no deal", with its heavy implications for the economy, does not seem to frighten London, casting deep uncertainty in the forthcoming negotiations of barely 10 three-week rounds of talks.

The European side is annoyed and to some measure suspicious of the change of heart, especially since British Prime Minister signed a political declaration in October that called for an ambitious partnership.

The negotiating mandate under consideration was first proposed by the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier with bloc member states inserting their changes over the past few weeks.

In drafts seen by AFP, language on fishing and on upholding norms -- known as maintaining the "level playing field" -- have been toughened up, which EU sources said came at the insistence of Paris.

Some member states have added language on issues close to them, including a call that Britain must "return unlawfully removed cultural objects to their country of origin", a problem dear to Greece, Italy and Cyprus.

Stefaan de Rynck, a senior adviser to Barnier, warned last week that the next few months of talks could be even tougher than the divorce negotiations that formally ended Britain's 47-year membership of the EU.

"We expect some of the negotiations to be rather difficult, perhaps more difficult than during the withdrawal," de Rynck told an audience at the London School of Economics.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian put it even more vivdly, predicting the two sides would "rip each other apart".

London has until the end of June to ask for a deadline extension should the talks fail to make any headway in the coming months.

But Johnson has ruled out asking for more time, a stance that raises the prospects of a "no deal" or only a bare-bones deal which could also bring major disruption.

Macron says 'not sure' EU-UK trade deal possible before end of 2020

Yahoo - AFP, February 23, 2020

French President Emmanuel Macron said that trade negotiations between the
European Union and Britain will "become more tense" (AFP Photo/Ludovic Marin)

Paris (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he was "not sure" it would be possible for the European Union and Britain to reach a trade deal by the end of the year.

Britain and the EU are about to embark on negotiations aiming to hammer out a trade agreement by the time the post-Brexit transition period shuts at the end of December.

But France has made clear it thinks the negotiations will be particularly difficult, especially in such a tight timeframe.

"I am not sure that an agreement will be reached between now and the end of the year," Macron said at a meeting with fishermen, who are concerned for their livelihoods after Brexit, at an agricultrual trade event in Paris.

"Anyway, it is going to become more tense because (the British) are very hard," he said, adding that fishing rights would be a key point of contention.

Britain formally ended its 47-year membership of the EU on January 31, nearly four years after a majority voted to leave the bloc in a 2016 referendum.

France and several other countries want to be able to keep fishing in British waters, while London wants full autonomy and limited access for European fishermen.

The EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier has said the EU's top priorities are fishing, security and maintaining fair trading conditions for European companies.

He has also firmly rejected a British suggestion that City of London companies could be given broad, permanent access to EU markets without conditions.

Overall, French fishing boats generate 30 percent of their revenue from catches in British maritime territories, particularly rich in fish stocks.

French officials say that the UK exports the bulk of its catch to Europe, indicating that British fishermen have plenty to lose if the two sides fail to reach a deal.

Leeuwarden replaces Union Jack with Scottish saltire after Brexit

DutchNews, February 3, 2020

The Saltire among the EU flags outside Leeuwarden station. Photo: Jan Ligthart 

The Frisian capital Leeuwarden has replaced the Union Jack with a Scottish saltire in its parade of European flags as a gesture of solidarity after Brexit. 

Alderman for culture Sjoerd Feitsma told the Friesch Dagblad he came up with the idea after visiting the Robert Burns festival in Edinburgh at the end of January. 

‘I was thinking of replacing the Union Jack with an EU flag or a rainbow flag,’ he said. ‘I noticed what a big deal it was for the Scots that they’re no longer in the EU and that they are still flying the European flag in the Scottish Parliament. That’s when I thought: we could do something with this too.’ 

The Scottish Parliament voted on Friday not to take down the EU flag on Friday evening when the UK formally left the European Union. EU rules and regulations will continue to apply until the end of the year while negotiations on the future relationship take place. 

European officials including former European Commission president Donald Tusk have said they are open to the idea of Scotland joining the EU if it becomes an independent nation. In the 2016 Brexit referendum, 62% of those who voted in Scotland opted to remain in the EU. 

Leeuwarden has a number of cultural ties with Edinburgh through the Eurocities network and the fact that both cities have City of Literature status. 

Feitsma said the flag would fly alongside the 27 EU flags outside the city’s main station for an indefinite period of time. ‘This isn’t an official area so we can decide for ourselves which flags we hang here.’

Euro MPs set seal on Brexit in emotional vote

Yahoo –AFP, Dave CLARK, 29 January 2020

The Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union Sir
Tim Barrow has handed the ratified Brexit deal back to Brussels

Britain's departure from the European Union was set in law Wednesday, amid emotional scenes, as the bloc's parliament voted to ratify the divorce papers.

After half a century of sometimes awkward membership and three years of tense withdrawal talks, the UK will leave the EU at midnight Brussels time (2300 GMT) on Friday.

MEPs voted by 621 votes to 49 to pass the withdrawal agreement, which sees Britain leave the EU institutions but remain under most EU rules during a transition until the end of the year.

Following the vote, MEPs burst into a chorus of "Auld Lang Syne", a traditional Scottish song of farewell.

The transition will see Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government try to negotiate an ambitious free trade agreement with his 27 former partners remaining in the bloc.

"Only in the agony of parting do we look into the depth of love," EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told the chamber, quoting British author George Eliot.

"We will always love you and we will never be far. Long live Europe."

In the Brussels parliament, many MEPs made it clear that they were voting for the withdrawal deal not out of any support for Brexit, but to avoid the disruption of a chaotic no deal divorce.

Some expressed real anguish and regret, and pointed to Britain's role not only in the development of the European unification project but also to its historic battles against tyranny on the continent.

"If we could stop Brexit by voting 'no' today I would be the first to recommend it," former Belgian premier and chairman of the parliament's Brexit steering group Guy Verhofstadt said.

The day began with Britain's permanent representative to the EU Tim Barrow -- from Saturday to be its ambassador -- handing back the withdrawal agreement signed by Johnson, to be stored in Brussels.

Map showing the construction of Europe from the creation of the European 

Economic Community to the arrival of Croatia in the EU and the departure of Britain

Leaving the church

It was an emotional day in the chamber, steeped in a mixture of nostalgia, political carnival and historical metaphor.

Nigel Farage, veteran MEP and leader of Britain's Brexit Party, was in triumphant mood after two decades as a thorn in Brussels' side.

After his final speech in parliament, in which he described Brexit as a victory for populism over "globalism", Farage and his MEPs brandished British flags, in contravention of the rules, then left before returning to vote.

Earlier, Farage said he had loved playing the "pantomime villain" in the Strasbourg assembly, feeding opposition to Europe at home with theatrical YouTube clips.

But he insisted on the seriousness of Brexit, comparing its significance to king Henry VIII taking Britain out of the Catholic church in 1534.

"He took us out of the Church of Rome, and we are leaving the Treaty of Rome," he said, referring to the EU's 1957 founding document.

The historic vote to incorporate the withdrawal agreement into EU law was the last legislative act of the 73 remaining British MEPs, and departure was hard for some.

Bagpipe serenade

Iratxe Garcia Perez, the Spanish leader of the Socialist group, choked back tears as she said farewell to her British Labour Party comrades.

After Brexit the United Kingdom will be what the EU calls a "third country", outside the union, but the political and economic drama will continue.

Britain and Europe will apply EU rules on trade and free movement of citizens until the end of the year, while negotiating a free trade agreement.

In the face of scepticism in EU capitals, Johnson -- who will make an address to the nation at 10:00 pm London time on Friday -- insists he is optimistic that a comprehensive free trade deal can be done before the next cliff-edge.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage's last news conference as an MEP was a triumphant affair

In an online question and answer on Wednesday Johnson said he would be celebrating on Friday, but in a "dignified" way.

"It is a great moment for our country, it is a moment of hope and opportunity but it is also, I think, a moment for us to come together in a spirit of confidence," he said.

But negotiations between the world's sixth biggest economy and a 27-nation single market with a population of 450 million will be tricky.

Fishing rights, residency and working rights for citizens, tariff free trade, access to Europe for Britain's huge services sector: all will be on the table.

"We are considering a free trade agreement with zero tariffs and zero quotas. This would be unique. No other free trade agreement offers such access to our single market," von der Leyen said.

"But the pre-condition is that European and British businesses continue to compete on a level playing field. We will not expose our companies to unfair competition," she warned, to applause.

UK goes solo

Johnson's government hopes more trade with the United States and Asian powers can help offset the costs of Brexit.

But the British premier was facing difficult talks on Thursday with President Donald Trump's secretary of state Mike Pompeo.

Trump backed Brexit, but Washington opposed Johnson's decision to allow Chinese telecoms giant to work on Britain's 5G telecoms network despite security fears.

The Permanent Representative of the United Kingdom to the European Union Sir Tim Barrow has handed the ratified Brexit deal back to Brussels

Map showing the construction of Europe from the creation of the European Economic Community to the arrival of Croatia in the EU and the departure of Britain.

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage's last news conference as an MEP was a triumphant affair.

Austerity -- the backdrop to Britain's 'Brexit election'

Yahoo – AFP, Roland JACKSON, 5 December 2019

As record numbers of Britons flock to food banks and homelessness soars, for many
people rampant poverty, not Brexit, is the main issue in next week's general election

As record numbers of Britons are forced to use food banks and homelessness soars, for many people rampant poverty, not Brexit, is the main issue in next week's general election.

In Slough, west of London and just four miles (6.4 kilometres) from Queen Elizabeth II's opulent Windsor Castle residence, ex-drug addict John unwraps Christmas chocolates.

"Without these people, we wouldn't be able to eat so... people like us couldn't really exist," he told AFP at a food bank operating out of a Baptist church near a sex shop.

Anti-hunger campaigners the Trussell Trust, which runs the facility and more than 1,200 food banks like it, handed out a record 823,145 emergency parcels -- which each comprise food for three days -- in the six months to September.

That was the busiest half-year since the organisation was created in 1997 and marked a 23-percent surge from the same period of 2018.

In Slough, a large industrial town of 162,000 people best known in recent years as the drab setting for comedian Ricky Gervais' cult comedy "The Office", the increase was 29 percent.

The jump in demand was partly from the working poor struggling to make ends meet.

As polls approach next Thursday, Conservative Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the main opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have both vowed to address glaring inequality.

Access to food banks is granted via referrals from care professionals like 

doctors and social workers, who issue vouchers

But more than a decade after the global financial crisis that sparked a vicious worldwide recession, many cities, towns and villages across Britain have yet to recover from harsh austerity.

'Full of poverty'

"Slough is in such a bad state," said John, who declined to give his real name.

"This place is full of poverty and where there's poverty there's drugs, and where there's drugs there's going to be addicts, and where there's addicts there's going to be burglaries...

"What I find ridiculous is no (politician) is speaking about the main issues which (are) mental health and poverty and drugs addiction ... within communities that are receiving less money."

Austerity-driven changes to the welfare system have hit the poorest the hardest over the last decade, campaigners argue.

Those concerns were amplified a year ago when the United Nations accused the British government of being in a "state of denial" about a growing rich-poor divide.

Since the financial crisis, the government implemented across-the-board cuts and spending freezes.

There were also attempts to restructure the Universal Credit welfare payments system to encourage people to work.

Sue Sibany-King manages the food bank at the Slough Baptist Church in 

a large industrial town of 162,000 people

The programme is deeply unpopular because claimants must wait five weeks for their first payment, which can push the poorest into more debt and poverty, food bank volunteers say.

The independent Social Metrics Commission estimates there are 14.3 million Britons in poverty or just over one in five of the population. About 4.6 million of those are children.

The SMC adds however that the poverty rate held between 21 and 25 percent since early 2000, under governments of all political colours.

"Household income has been affected by welfare changes, rises in the cost of living and in particular, rents," added Judith Cavanagh, coordinator at charity coalition End Child Poverty.

"This is why two-thirds of children in poverty now come from a working household. Families are finding that they have to cut back on essentials like food, heating and clothing."

Meanwhile, homelessness is soaring and accounts for one fifth of food bank usage.

Increasingly, many homeless people are in work yet unable to afford housing.

"Homelessness is the most extreme expression of poverty," said Jasmine Basran, policy and public affairs manager at charity Crisis UK.

"We know people are pushed into homelessness when they cannot afford to cover the cost of basic essentials -- their rent, their food, their bills."

There were 171,000 homeless families and individuals sleeping on streets, in cars, buses or emergency accommodation, a 2017 study from Crisis UK indicated.

The Trussell Trust, which runs more than 1,200 food banks, handed out a record 

823,145 emergency parcels -- which each comprise food for three days 

-- in the six months to September

Homelessness crisis

Britain faces a "homelessness crisis" requiring immediate action, said Basran, whose charity wants the next government to unfreeze benefits, build social housing and invest in services.

Similarly it wants an end to food banks, which, while currently playing a "critical role", should not be necessary.

"People should be receiving the support they need to be able to live and thrive," said Basran.

Access to food banks is granted via referrals from care professionals like doctors and social workers, who issue vouchers.

Back in Slough, John, who lives in temporary accommodation after being homeless, remains unconvinced the election will change anything for the poor.

"I think all politics is bullshit and they need to have someone who is a bit more realistic and lived on the streets of London, on the poverty side," he said.

"They need someone like that in charge. Only someone that has come through the gutter would know what it's like."

EU leadership takes office touting green ambition

Rfi.fr - AFP, 1 November 2019

Von der Leyen replaced EU veteran Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the 

European Commission AFP

Brussels (AFP) - The EU's new leadership took office on Sunday, one month later then planned, promising a more united Europe that would be ready to face major challenges, including fighting climate change.

Germany's Ursula von der Leyen became president of the European Commission and marked the occasion in a short ceremony with her top EU official counterparts, including EU Council President Charles Michel who also started on Sunday.

The team took the reins as the 28-member union is faced with a mountain of difficulties, including the Brexit divorce with Britain and tense ties with superpowers China and the United States.

Von der Leyen said the officials gathered, who also included European Central Bank chief Christine Lagarde, must meet a great responsibility as guardians of the EU treaties.

"It is a responsibility towards the European people and towards our founding father and mothers, but it is also a responsibility towards our children," she said.

"It is our responsibility to leave a union that is stronger than the one we inherited: ... a continent in peace with rights and liberties (and) a single market with unprecedented economic opportunities," she said.

Former IMF chief Lagarde, who took office last month, stressed that the union had only recently left the damaging debt crisis and must look to the future.

"It's a formidable challenge that awaits us, but my hope is that... we may leave this age of repairing (the EU) to one of renovation and hope," she said.

Von der Leyen, who replaced EU veteran Jean-Claude Juncker, will lead a 27-strong team of commissioners who also began work on Sunday with a clear ambition to make Europe a global powerhouse on green policy.

European Parliament President David Sassoli said the MEPs would hold an extraordinary session on December 11 -- the eve of an EU leaders summit -- to receive the commission's first climate proposals, dubbed the "Green New Deal".

The Sunday ceremony was officially the 10th anniversary of the latest European treaty that simplified an EU governance, which remains complicated and often criticised as too removed from the continent's 500 million citizens.

Her mandate was due to start November 1 but was delayed after three of her initial nominees to the commission were rejected during the parliamentary confirmation process in an unprecedented snub.

Thousands march for Scottish independence

Yahoo – AFP, November 2, 2019

Nationalists argue Brexit means another independence referendum is necessary
because a majority of Scots voted to stay in the EU (AFP Photo/ANDY BUCHANAN)

Glasgow (AFP) - Thousands rallied in Glasgow on Saturday calling for Scotland to become an independent country, with First Minister Nicola Sturgeon telling the crowds that their goal was "within touching distance".

The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader was the headline speaker at the event in George Square, the first time she has addressed an independence rally since the 2014 referendum campaign, with a crucial general election looming next month.

"Make no mistake, the general election we face now on December 12 is the most important election for Scotland in our lifetimes," she told the crowds.

Supporters waved the St Andrews cross and Catalan flags in solidarity with

the fellow independence campaign in Spain (AFP Photo/ANDY BUCHANAN)

"The future of our country is on the line.

"We must come out in our numbers and vote in this election," she added, insisting that the "prize" of independence was "within touching distance."

"We must seize that prize," she urged.

Sturgeon is expected, before Christmas, to formally ask Johnson for a Section 30 order, which would give Scotland's devolved government permission to stage a referendum.

The protest came ahead of Britain's crucial general 

election next month (AFP Photo/ANDY BUCHANAN)

Supporters waved the St Andrews cross emblazoned with the word "Yes" and Catalan flags in solidarity with the fellow independence campaign.

Others wore kilts and played bagpipes, including one musician who had flames leaping from his instrument.

Scotland voted against independence in a 2014 referendum by 55 percent.

But nationalists argue that the 2016 British referendum in favour of Brexit means another independence referendum is necessary -- because Scotland voted by 62 percent to stay in the European Union.

Scotland voted against independence in a 2014

referendum by 55 percent (AFP Photo/ANDY BUCHANAN)

Nationalists also argue that some people voted against independence thinking it would guarantee their place inside the EU.

Sturgeon promised supporters on Saturday to "lead you to an independence reference next year".

"It's time for Scotland to choose our own future, time for Scotland to be an independent country," she added.

Pro-union supporters organised a counter protest near the rally calling for 

Scottish independence in Glasgow (AFP Photo/ANDY BUCHANAN)

A small number of pro-Union protesters carrying Union Jack flags staged a counter-demonstration.

Order! Order! Britain's speaker quits Brexit hotseat

Yahoo – AFP, Robin MILLARD, October 31, 2019

John Bercow is the youngest person to hold the role of speaker in 100 years
(AFP Photo/HO)

London (AFP) - John Bercow stepped down on Thursday after 10 years as speaker of Britain's House of Commons -- a role that rocketed him into the heart of the Brexit battle, and won him European fans.

The man in the middle of more than three years of fiery parliamentary debates has proved a controversial figure, loathed by pro-Brexit supporters and hailed by its foes.

Animated, verbose and with an idiosyncratic style, the 56-year-old Bercow has yelled "Order! Order!" more than 14,000 times during his tenure as the 157th speaker.

His detractors call him pompous -- one MP even branded him a "sanctimonious dwarf" -- but his backers say he has bolstered the rights of backbenchers to hold the government to account.

A social media mash-up by German television of Bercow trying to calm down rowdy MPs has been seen thousands of times. A Belgian newspaper called him "irreplaceable".

Dutch daily De Volksrant wrote: "The only order in British politics comes from John Bercow's mouth in these turbulent days."

Both Britain's main party leaders paid tribute to Bercow Wednesday as he chaired the weekly prime minister's questions session for the final time.

Bercow is loathed by Brexit supporters (AFP Photo/DANIEL SORABJI)

'Unreturnable volleys and smashes'

"Although we may disagree about some of the legislative innovations you have favoured, there is no doubt in my mind that you have been a great servant of this parliament and of this House of Commons," said Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Johnson, in his own inimitable style, said the tennis fan had been "peppering every part of the chamber with (his) own thoughts and opinions, like some uncontrollable tennis ball machine, delivering a series of literally unplayable, unreturnable volleys and smashes".

He also likened Bercow's glare to a "trademark Tony Montana scowl", after Al Pacino's character in the 1983 film "Scarface".

Opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn added: "You've done so much to reform this House of Commons and our democracy is the stronger for the way you have done it."

Bercow will not stand in the December 12 general election.

His replacement as speaker will be chosen on Monday. Nine candidates are standing, including his three deputies and former Labour deputy leader Harriet Harman.

Bercow's number two, Lindsay Hoyle, is the bookmakers' odds-on favourite to win.

By convention, the main parties give the speaker a clear run in a general election, standing down their candidates.

John Bercow will not be standing in the December 12 election in Britain 

(AFP Photo/Tolga AKMEN)

'Egotistical preening popinjay'

Born in 1963 into a modest family, Bercow grew up in London and was a child tennis champion, leading to his lifelong love of the sport, notably Swiss great Roger Federer.

He was always a Conservative, but in his youth held hard-right views that he now rejects.

He became an MP in 1997 and 12 years later was elected as speaker, becoming the youngest person to hold the role for 100 years.

While the Brexit clashes came to dominate his tenure, Bercow also caused a stir by saying he would not allow US President Donald Trump to address parliament during a planned visit.

Bercow married Sally Illman in 2002 and they have three children.

She became a household name after posing for a photoshoot in Bercow's official residence in the Houses of Parliament draped only a sheet, and appearing on the "Celebrity Big Brother" reality television programme.

Critics say Bercow is filled with self-importance.

The Daily Mail newspaper called him an "egotistical preening popinjay" who had "shamelessly put his anti-Brexit bias before the national interest -- and is a disgrace to his office".

But Bercow's supporters say he has sought to modernise parliament, abandoning the speaker's traditional robes for a simple gown over a suit, and seeking to make it easier for female MPs with new babies.