The next person to lead the United Kingdom will be announced today following a leadership contest in the ruling conservative party. The overwhelming favourite to win is the former Mayor of London and ex-foreign secretary Boris Johnson. Johnson, should he win, will take office tomorrow (24.07.19) amidst a climate of uncertainty around Brexit and increasing diplomatic tensions with Iran.
Throughout the contest Johnson has said he would be willing to leave the EU without a deal if no agreement can be reached by the October 31st deadline, raising questions over the future of both Britons living in Poland and Poles in the UK.

Speaking at the Belvedere Forum on UK-Poland relations in 2017, Johnson pledged that the rights of Poles in the UK would be protected ‘whatever happens’. Meanwhile, Britons living in Poland would have 12 months to apply for a temporary or permanent residence permit following a no-deal Brexit. A three year temporary residence would be available to those residing in Poland as an EU citizen for under five years, and permanent residence to those in Poland for over five years.

For more information on preparing for brexit as a British national in Poland follow the link below.

CAMPAIGNS FOR POLISH ELECTION GATHER PACE

Campaigns for the upcoming parliamentary elections in Poland are well underway and candidates have been setting out their visions for the future of the country.

The Polish Foreign Ministry has called for Iran to release an oil tanker seized on Friday in the Strait of Hormuz. The British-flagged Stena Impero was seized by the Iranian military while in international waters
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Iran should ‘respect international norms of freedom of navigation’ and release the seized ship as soon as possible. The Ministry also expressed concerns about the heightened tensions in the gulf region.

The Foreign Ministry’s statement can be read in full in the link below.
https://www.gov.pl/web/diplomacy/mfa-statement-on-the-incident-in-the-strait-of-hormuz

GDAŃSK APPEALS COURT ORDERS LECH WAŁĘSA TO APOLOGISE

The Court of Appeal in Gdansk has upheld a verdict ordering former solidarity leader and president Lech Wałęsa to apologise for claiming that Law and Justice party chairman Jarosław Kaczyński was partially responsible for an incident in 2010 in which a Polish presidential plane crashed near Smolensk, Russia, killing 96 people including the Polish president.

Wałęsa had said that Kaczyński had issued instructions over the phone which had lead the aircraft to attempting to land despite bad weather. In December, the Gdansk District Court ruled that Wałęsa must apologise for the claim. The ruling was appealed against and referred to a second court where it has this week been upheld. However, the court did not order Wałęsa to pay the 30,000 Zlotch in compensation demanded by Kaczyński.

WINS FOR POLAND’S SKI JUMPERS

Poland’s ski jumpers have started the summer season in stunning form, winning the team competition at the FIS Summer Grand Prix in Wisla.
Piotr Żyła, Aleksander Zniszczoł, Kamil Stoch and Dawid Kubacki scored a combined total of 1094 points, leading the Slovenian team by 60.
Kamil Stoch was the best jumper of the day with an astonishing 134 metre jump.
The competition will now move on to Germany, with events kicking off on Friday.