UK Will Sign Deal Paying in to EU Budget within 15 Years, Says Ryanair Boss

THE GUARDIAN: Michael O’Leary says Brexit is ‘unbelievably messy’ and a ‘net negative’ on the British economy

Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary launched a fresh attack on Brexit. Photograph: Thierry Monasse/Getty Images
The boss of Ryanair, Michael O’Leary, has launched a fresh attack on Brexit, describing it as “unbelievably messy” and predicting the UK would end up signing a Norway-style deal with the EU in the next 10 to 15 years under which it would pay into the bloc’s budget.

The outspoken chief executive of the Irish budget airline said over the next three to five years, the UK’s departure from the EU would be “net negative on the UK economy, no question about it”.

O’Leary said the UK’s longer term relationship with its closest trading partner depended “on what the British establishment or future UK governments do”. However, he said he believed that the UK would “in the next 10 to 15 years” strike a “trade deal with Europe, similar to Norway or Switzerland”. » | oanna Partridge | Wednesday, April 19, 2023

Brexit was a stupid idea put forward by duffers. — © Mark Alexander

Thrifty Queen Sofia
Spain's Queen Sofia has given the British Royal family a lesson in fiscal responsibility by taking a £13 budget airline flight to London. Photo courtesy of MailOnline
MAIL Online: Queen Sofia of Spain has given the British Royal Family a lesson in cost-cutting - by taking a £13 budget airline flight to London.

The 70-year-old monarch flew with low-cost airline Ryanair from northern Spain to Stansted on Sunday evening to visit her brother, who is recovering from heart surgery in a London hospital.

A source at the Spanish royal palace said it was 'common practice' for members of the House of Bourbon to fly on scheduled flights.

The source added: 'Members of the Royal Family regularly travel on regular scheduled flights both nationally and internationally.

'The King is the only member of the Royal Family who always travels on military flights.

'Whenever possible the royals use Spanish airlines, but in this case Ryanair was the best option for getting from Santander to London.

'It may well be first time the royals have used Ryanair.'

The source could not say whether the queen had had to pay any of the extra charges Ryanair imposes for having bags other than hand luggage, or for checking in at the airport rather than online.

Her bargain bucket air fare comes in stark contrast to the British Royal Family, none of whom - with the exception of one or two of the younger royals - have ever flown on a budget flight. >>> By Tom Worden and Rebecca English | Tuesday, June 02, 2009