Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 24th May 2019

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Corbyn isn’t working – and Labour is being picked apart by its new enemies

Corbyn has taken a senseless political risk by treating his voters as fools. The British Election Study estimated that two thirds of Labour voters went with Remain in the 2016 referendum. Now YouGov estimates that 88 per cent back Remain. Any party that goes with the 12 per cent rather than the 88 per cent will collapse. It is not a party for the many, but for the few. The far left has been so busy fighting the hated ‘centrists’ that it has forgotten to fight the right and far right. Existing and former Labour supporters have not been so negligent. They need only look at the tribunes of Brexit — at Gerard Batten, Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Dominic Raab — to know that they must be opposed. There is an almost primitive fear at work. If a film company had searched for characters guaranteed to set the tom-toms of liberal England beating out a warning, it could not have found better candidates than these gentlemen.
25th May 2019 - The Spectator

Angry Pro-Remain Labour Activists Launch Bid To Force Party Into Anti-Brexit Position

Pro-Remain Labour activists have launched a drive to push the party’s leadership into an anti-Brexit position. In the wake of European elections forecast to be a disaster for Jeremy Corbyn, left-wing campaigners have published a motion calling for the party to adopt a radical “remain and reform” agenda at the party’s conference in Brighton in September. It demands the party defends free movement and takes the position that Brexit is a right-wing project which is “poisoning politics”. Labour’s current policy is to secure a Brexit deal which includes a customs union and a “strong single market deal” and, if the UK were facing a hard Brexit or a no-deal, then to push for a second vote. The new motion is being pushed to local Constituency Labour Parties (CLPs) from next week.
24th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Theresa May will address the nation TODAY after disastrous Euro election to pledge Britain will have a new PM by summer – but she wants to DELAY Tory leadership vote for Trump’s state visit

Mrs May will begin the day with a meeting with the Tories’ backbench shop steward Sir Graham Brady to discuss the exact timetable for her departure. She is then expected to address the nation from Downing Street to explain why she is leaving ‘the job I love’ before she has realised her ambition of leading Britain out of the European Union Mrs May is expected to try to delay the start of the Tory leadership race until the week beginning June 10, to allow her to host Donald Trump’s state visit without the indignity of her MPs voting on her successor at the same time. But she will stay on as Prime Minister while the Tory leadership contest takes place, allowing a smooth transition to a new leader before the summer recess.
24th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Why Theresa May is expected to announce departure date

Unless something extremely strange happens in the next couple of days, it is now, really, nearly over. Several cabinet ministers have told me they expect Theresa May to announce her departure from Downing Street on Friday. A senior minister said: "She's going to go - if it's to be done, it's best to be done quickly." Another said it would be "unforgivable" for her to try to stay on now. One of those who has been most loyal to her said: "It might be tomorrow or Saturday, but it can't be past Sunday."
24th May 2019 - BBC

DISPOSSESSED DISENFRANCHISED Denied My Vote

Chani Klapka, one of the 3.1 million EU citizens resident in the UK and eligible to vote in the Euro Elections today, describes her Kafkaesque experience. I am a German citizen, and a UK resident since 2014. I have lived in Luton for 4 years. like thousands, I have been denied a ballot at the polling station today on the grounds that I have not filled in a certain form that states my intent to vote in the EU elections in the UK. Others have been told their forms have not been processed, despite them provably having been filed well before the required deadline. This form is required to receive a ballot at a polling station, but the council is NOT required to provide it nor make residents aware of it. This, we have only been told after calling the local electoral office at Luton Borough Council. At that point, we were only given an email address to complain. At no point, since well before the election, have I been made aware of the requirement for this form. The EU Parliament website states that this form should be provided by the local council.
23rd May 2019 - Byline Times

Brexit: 'Democratic disaster' as hundreds of EU nationals denied a vote

Nicola Sturgeon has urged EU citizens to insist on their right to vote following reports that hundreds have been turned away from polling stations because of confusion over additional requirements to register for European elections. Campaigners representing European nationals said they had received hundreds of complaints of people being denied a vote even though they are on the electoral roll. To be able to vote, EU citizens had to complete the EC6 or UC1 forms to declare they would not cast a second ballot in their home country, and submit them to their local council by 7 May.
23rd May 2019 - The Scotsman

EU citizens complain of being denied right to vote in UK European elections

Voters in the UK have been going to the polls in the European parliamentary elections. Well, some of them have. Since the polls opened, dozens of frustrated EU citizens living in the UK have been taking to Twitter to complain that they were being turned away from polling stations because they hadn’t completed the correct paperwork. The Electoral Commission has blamed the situation on the “very short notice” given for the European elections, which weren’t supposed to happen because of Brexit.
23rd May 2019 - Channel 4 News

UK government may face court action after EU citizens denied vote

The government is facing calls to launch an urgent investigation into the treatment of EU citizens in the European elections after many people reported being denied their democratic right to vote. Voters across the country told of their devastation at finding their names crossed off the register due to clerical errors by local councils. Experts said the situation was a “scandal we knew was coming” and that the government may have a case to answer in court. The affected voters said they felt they were being “silenced” as this was the only election they had a right to participate in, being ineligible to vote in the referendum or general elections.
23rd May 2019 - The Guardian

Councils admit failure to send out EU postal ballots in time

At least three local councils across England and Wales have admitted that they ran out of time to print and send postal ballots for the European elections to some overseas voters, leaving them effectively disenfranchised. Three voters contacted the Guardian with details of papers that arrived so late it was impossible to get their vote back to the UK in time, some landing only on polling day. There had already been complaints ahead of the election about missing or late ballots. Local councils told these voters that arrangements were affected by an extremely compressed schedule. The government had hoped to avoid holding the elections by getting a Brexit deal through parliament.
23rd May 2019 - The Guardian

European elections: Government could face court action after hundreds of EU citizens ‘denied vote’, experts warn

A barrister who specialises in EU law claimed there were multiple breaches of EU treaties, including Article 20 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union which states that EU nationals have “the right to vote…under the same conditions as nationals of that state [of residence].” Anneli Howard told The Guardian: “If EU citizens are being asked to fill out additional forms that UK nationals are not, that’s discrimination.” While Ms Howard said she did not think it was likely any judge would declare council clerical errors had made the election unsafe, she added that the treaty had “direct effect” and meant EU citizens could go straight to court.
23rd May 2019 - The Independent

British expats and EU citizens stopped from voting in Euro elections thanks to poll blunders

23rd May 2019 - The Sun

Up to 2m EU citizens and ex-pats overseas 'could have been denied vote in Euro elections'

23rd May 2019 - The Telegraph

Why are EU citizens being 'denied' a vote in European elections, and what you can do if you're turned away at a polling station?

23rd May 2019 - The Independent

EU citizens turned away from polling stations in the UK

23rd May 2019 - Financial Times

European elections: #DeniedMyVote chaos as British expats can't vote

23rd May 2019 - Daily Mail

Labour slams Government for European elections ‘chaos’ as EU citizens turned away from polling stations

23rd May 2019 - Politics Home

European elections: Hundreds of EU citizens ‘turned away from polling stations and denied vote’

23rd May 2019 - The Independent

Denied my vote: EU citizens in UK report being barred from voting in European elections

23rd May 2019 - Business Insider

EU citizens in the UK say they've been denied the right to vote

23rd May 2019 - CNN

It’s hard to imagine. But could this really be the end for the Tories?

Is this party really in a death spiral, or will it always right itself? Conservatism as the British default is so deep-dyed in the national psyche it’s hard to think this is the end. This generation of Conservatives has brought us so low in this decade: in austerity, in stagnant incomes, in devastated public services, catastrophic productivity, lost social security and lost respect abroad. In its visionless hopelessness, the party may indeed have eaten itself. If so, it may be replaced on the right by anti-establishment Faragism, with even more sinister aims in power. Or else the demise of this great pillar of reaction could open doors to a chance of something better.
23rd May 2019 - The Guardian

Boris Johnson lied during EU referendum campaign, court told

Boris Johnson lied and engaged in criminal conduct when he repeatedly claimed during the 2016 EU referendum that the UK sent £350m a week to Brussels, lawyers for a crowdfunded private prosecution of the MP have told a court. A legal team assembled by Marcus Ball, a 29-year-old businessman who has accused the former foreign secretary of misconduct in public office and raised more than £200,000 to finance the prosecution, laid out their case in front of a judge, who will rule next Wednesday on whether Johnson should appear in court. The case concerned the “now infamous claim” by Johnson about the £350m, Lewis Power QC told Westminster magistrates court, and was not about preventing or delaying Brexit.
23rd May 2019 - The Guardian

Growing ‘Irexit’ Campaign has Links to Notorious British Ethno-Nationalist

An investigation by anti-racism activists in Ireland has revealed that the ‘Muintir na héireann’ (‘People of Ireland’) website and Facebook community, sporting over 10,000 followers, is the work of Jack Sen, a notorious white nationalist, who most recently came to prominence in the Channel 4 documentary, ‘Sleeping With The Far Right’. The campaign is not associated with the Irish populist party of the same name that existed during the 1990s. Address details, Google Analytics codes and other details on the site all point to Jack Sean’s home in Southport, Merseyside, as featured in the Channel 4 documentary. Image folders on the site also feature pictures of Sen with other white nationalists. When reached for comment, Sen claimed that his involvement extended only to providing hosting for the site.
23rd May 2019 - Byline Times

Academic Dr Niall McCrae Filmed Calling Remain Activist 'A F***ing Traitor' During Brexit Rally

The 29-year-old Remain campaigner had set up a desk outside the event with a sign that read: “A no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the UK. Change my mind.” As McCrae repeatedly shouts “fucking traitor”, another man throws water from a bottle over Oluwole. McCrae is later seen in the video shaking hands with the man.
23rd May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Brexit Party set to trigger political earthquake with Tories and Labour facing election humiliation

Nigel Farage predicted to take more than a third of the Euro poll votes A survey carried out on the eve of yesterday's vote put the fledging party on a whopping 31 per cent - eight points clear of the nearest challenger, Labour on 23 per cent. The ...
23rd May 2019 - The Sun

Corbyn's former economics adviser calls him a 'pro-Brexit buffoon'

A former economic adviser to Jeremy Corbyn has launched an extraordinary personal attack on the Labour leader, calling him a “pro-Brexit buffoon” who was “clueless” about economics. Danny Blanchflower, who served on the Bank of England’s monetary policy committee during the financial crisis, joined other leading left-leaning economists on an advisory group after Corbyn gained power. But he has since distanced himself from the leader of the UK opposition, and now urging voters not to support Corbyn over his stance on Brexit in the upcoming European elections. In a series of furious tweets over the past few days, Blanchflower called Corbyn an “uneducated fool” and accused him of being “clueless” about economics.
22nd May 2019 - Yahoo News

Tory peer suspended from party whip after backing Lib Dems in EU elections

Another senior Conservative peer has been suspended from the party whip for pledging to vote Liberal Democrat in the European elections, after the punishment was imposed on the former deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine. Andrew Cooper, the founder of pollster Populus who was David Cameron’s director of strategy in Downing Street, tweeted: “I have come to the same conclusion as Michael Heseltine, for exactly the same reasons – and will be voting Lib Dem in Thursday’s European parliament elections.”
22nd May 2019 - The Guardian

This is a sorry end for a Prime Minister who never believed in Brexit

“All political lives,” said Enoch Powell, “end in failure.” For Theresa May, the agony of the ending, and the failure, has been drawn out for longer than usual. But in the coming days, it is certain that her premiership will draw to a close. The Cabinet’s patience has been finally snapped by the Prime Minister’s latest tone-deaf Brexit proposal. Andrea Leadsom has resigned. MPs say there isn’t a single colleague who thinks the PM should continue. Any Conservative made nervous by the prospect of regicide will find their minds made up by the European elections. The Government’s failure to deliver Brexit – and its continued attempts to deliver a Brexit deal seen by many Leavers as a betrayal is why they believe she must go
22nd May 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 23rd May 2019

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Nigel Farage is stuck on his Brexit bus because people have turned up with milkshake

In Rochester, three young men dressed in black with their hoods up and covering their faces with balaclavas were spotted at the back of the crowd. One supporter said they were carrying milkshakes and Farage was quickly alterted. As a preventative measure, Nigel was told not to get off the bus. Driver Michael Botton explained: “There are a couple of guys standing over there with milkshakes, they were going to throw them over him. “But the police are there, we’ve spotted them and now Nigel isn’t getting off the bus.”
22nd May 2019 - Kent Live

Nigel Farage ‘trapped on Brexit bus due to people armed with milkshakes’

22nd May 2019 - The Sun

Nigel Farage ‘stranded on Brexit bus in Kent – people armed with MILKSHAKES’

22nd May 2019 - Daily Star

Nigel Farage 'trapped on bus' surrounded by protesters holding milkshakes

Nigel Farage reportedly got stuck on his Brexit Party campaign bus after people armed with milkshakes surrounded him. The politician is said to have refused to leave the vehicle just days after he was covered in banana and salted caramel milkshake in Newcastle. Three young men dressed in black with their hoods up were reportedly spotted in the crowd when the bus arrived in Rochester, Kent, on Wednesday, Kent Live reports. Someone suggested they were carrying milkshakes and Mr Farage was told not to get off the bus, according to the newspaper.
22nd May 2019 - The Independent

Putin, Johnson and Farage will destroy us, warns EU chief

The toxic combination of Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage, populism, the rise of the far right and Russia will destroy the European Union, the chief Brexit negotiator in Brussels said. Mr Verhofstadt, 66, who leads a pan-European bloc of liberal MEPs now allied to President Macron of France, said that EU elections this week were being manipulated by Russia in the same way as the Brexit referendum. “It is always Russia. Talk about Farage, it’s Russia. On top of that you have a hard-Brexiteer who wants to become leader of the Conservative Party. Am I too suspicious? I see a real organised attempt to destroy the European project as a whole,” he said. “My sense of Brexit is it is an element of a more global picture. I think that everybody agrees that the Brexit discussion was manipulated. Are we not now living and seeing the same thing but on a European level? It is not a referendum, it is a European election, but it is the same dynamic. It is the same attack that was against Britain in the EU and now is about the EU itself.”
21st May 2019 - The Times

Boris Johnson, Nigel Farage and Russia will combine to destroy the European Union, their chief Brexit negotiator in Brussels claims

22nd May 2019 - Daily Mail

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party running mate linked to Serb war leader Radovan Karadzic

During the early stages of the Bosnian conflict Mr Kennedy helped organise trips to Belgrade for British politicians and a public meeting in Westminster. Karadzic personally endorsed Mr Kennedy in a letter to The Times in July 1992, which refers to “an ongoing dialogue with a former British parliamentary candidate, Mr John Kennedy, an expert on Yugoslavia”. That same year the two shared a platform at a conference in Westminster where they sat side by side, a summary of the meeting in the House of Commons shows. Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, recorded in his published diaries meeting Mr Kennedy at Budapest airport before a tour of Yugoslavia in August 1992. He described Mr Kennedy as “the ex-Tory candidate and pro-Serb contact in London”.
21st May 2019 - The Times

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party running mate linked to Serb war leader Radovan Karadzic

During the early stages of the Bosnian conflict Mr Kennedy helped organise trips to Belgrade for British politicians and a public meeting in Westminster. Karadzic personally endorsed Mr Kennedy in a letter to The Times in July 1992, which refers to “an ongoing dialogue with a former British parliamentary candidate, Mr John Kennedy, an expert on Yugoslavia”. That same year the two shared a platform at a conference in Westminster where they sat side by side, a summary of the meeting in the House of Commons shows. Lord Ashdown, the former Liberal Democrat leader, recorded in his published diaries meeting Mr Kennedy at Budapest airport before a tour of Yugoslavia in August 1992. He described Mr Kennedy as “the ex-Tory candidate and pro-Serb contact in London”.
21st May 2019 - The Times

Revealed: Nigel Farage's Brexit Party candidate spread "propaganda" for Balkan warlord, was 'bugged' by MI6

John Kennedy distributed bogus claims of Bosnian war crimes and was suspected by intelligence services of funneling Serbian dark money to the Conservatives
21st May 2019 - Open Democracy

Brexit Party AM fails to declare employment of daughter

An AM may be in breach of Welsh Assembly rules by failing to declare that he employs a family member, BBC Wales has learned. David Rowlands, who has just defected from UKIP to the Brexit Party, employs two members of his family among his support staff. But while his wife Keryn is declared on his register of interests, his daughter Rhiannon is not. An aide of Mr Rowlands took the blame for the notification not being made. Plaid Cymru called for Mr Rowlands to refer himself to the assembly's standards body.
22nd May 2019 - BBC

Change UK spent more than £1,300 on ads saying they wanted to ‘remain in the UK’

Change UK has spent at least £1,300 promoting Facebook adverts saying it is campaigning to “remain in the UK”. The fledgling anti-Brexit party, made up of former Labour and Conservative MPs, published five separate ads on 19 and 20 May, all containing the same error. It meant to say it is campaigning to remain in the European Union. Data from Facebook’s ad library shows Change UK spent a minimum of £1,300 promoting the video and photo-led adverts, but it may have been as much as £3,495.
22nd May 2019 - iNews

@Channel4News Change UK interim leader Heidi Allen tells @CathyNewman she threatened to resign over the issue of tactical voting in the European elections.

Change UK interim leader Heidi Allen tells @CathyNewman she threatened to resign over the issue of tactical voting in the European elections.
22nd May 2019 - @Channel4News

Farage's fundraising for Brexit Party allows foreign donors to 'break rules', warns elections watchdog

Nigel Farage’s use of PayPal to raise huge numbers of small donations for his Brexit Party allows foreign donors to “evade the rules”, a watchdog has warned. The Electoral Commission said its investigation of the party’s fundraising methods is “ongoing”, after visiting its headquarters amid the growing controversy. After the visit, the Brexit Party claimed the commission had found “no evidence of any electoral offences”. But, in a statement, the watchdog said seeking small sums via online donations “opens up additional risk in relation to compliance with UK political finance law”. “This risk is that it increases the potential for individuals or organisations to evade the permissibility rules, which primarily seek to prevent significant sums entering UK politics from overseas,” it explained. The commission stressed that it was the Brexit Party’s “responsibility” to “ensure it has the systems in place to maintain its compliance with the law”. “Our review of the systems in operation by the Brexit Party is ongoing,” it added.
22nd May 2019 - Thye Independent

Swastika found carved into door inside the Houses of Parliament

The Nazi symbol was etched into a lift door within the Parliamentary Estate.
22nd May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Farage's fundraising for Brexit Party allows foreign donors to 'break rules', warns elections watchdog

‘It increases the potential for individuals or organisations to evade the permissibility rules, which primarily seek to prevent significant sums entering UK politics from overseas’ said the Electoral Commission which said although it found no immediate evidence it is going to continue monitoring the situation
22nd May 2019 - The Independent

EU to investigate Nigel Farage over £450,000 donation from Arron Banks following the referendum

The EU has launched an investigation into claims that wealthy Brexit donor Arron Banks splashed £450,000 on a luxury lifestyle for Nigel Farage following the referendum. The European Parliament’s advisory committee will probe the Brexit Party leader for failing to declare the lavish expenses. Mr Banks is reported to have rented a £4.4 million home in Chelsea, a £30,000 car and funded a £20,000 chauffeur for Mr Farage. The insurance tycoon also spent hundreds of thousands of pounds promoting ‘Brand Farage’ in the US, according to Channel 4 News.
22nd May 2019 - The Sun

Many EU citizens will be unable to vote in UK, campaigners warn

Campaigners for non-British or Irish EU citizens have made a formal complaint to the Electoral Commission amid fears many of them will be unable to vote in the UK in this Thursday’s elections for the European parliament. Nicolas Hatton, the co-founder of the3million, has accused the regulator of providing insufficient guidance, leading to inconsistent advice from local authority electoral officers. “The3million has multiple examples of local authorities mishandling the application process,” he said in a three-page letter. Catherine West, the Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green, has raised concerns about the issue in a separate letter to Sir John Holmes, the chair of the Electoral Commission. West fears that as many as 75% of non-British/Irish EU citizens living in the UK who registered to vote in the local elections three weeks ago could be turned away on Thursday because they have not filled in a second form necessary for them to vote in the European elections.
21st May 2019 - The Guardian

Leaving The EU With No Deal Is Like Making Yourself "Homeless"

This Lib Dem MEP candidate Catherine Bearder says a no-deal Brexit is the "economic equivalent of trying to make yourself homeless." The caller says she wants a "straightforward answer" if"no-Brexit deal" will be on the ballot paper if there is a second referendum. When Mrs Bearder points out the country is "still divided" because we don't know "what leaving will mean." The MEP said she understands that people are furious that when it comes to a second referendum but no-deal is the "economic equivalent of trying to make yourself homeless."
21st May 2019 - LBC

8 of the top 10 Brexit Party promoting Twitter accounts appear to be bots

Almost all of the ten most active Brexit Party supporters on Twitter appear to be automated bots, according to new research. Leader Nigel Farage has hailed the swell of support for the group as “the most amazing grassroots support that’s ever been seen in this period of time in British politics.” But while bots were also found promoting other parties, Nigel Farage’s group had the largest number of suspected automated accounts promoting them. A study by the Institute for Strategic Discourse identified the ten most active accounts discussing the Brexit Party using their official handle. The think tank found eight out of the top ten most active accounts showed signs of automation. Five of the top ten accounts mentioning the Brexit Party on Twitter were producing more than 144 tweets per day, an average of one tweet every 3.3 minutes over an eight hour period. Bots also appear to be heavily promoting Ukip, with six bot-like accounts in their top ten Twitter accounts. Other parties are affected, but not to the same exent.
21st May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Malaysians Flush Out UK's Brexit Party Over Cash Claims!

A group of Malaysians based in KL and also the UK have turned sleuths over the past 24 hours to flush out what they believe have been misleading comments made by Brexit Party leaders, who have sought to imply they are not receiving anonymous foreign donations. It is impermissible for UK parties to receive donations from foreign entities, certainly for sums over £500 which have to be reported to the UK Electoral Commission. The rules are less clear regarding lesser donations as these do not need to be reported (unless large donations have been divided up). Yet, it has been exposed in the past few hours that all anyone needs to do to donate up to the £501.00 (around RM2,500) non-reported limit to the Brexit Party is click a button on the party website that leads directly to a PayPal platform, open to account holders all over the world via just their email and a password. It has also emerged that Farage recently privately courted wealthy donors known to be close to Putin and Donald Trump at an event at London’s Ritz Hotel. However, on London’s LBC Radio today, party leader Nigel Farage adamantly claimed he rejects all foreign money
21st May 2019 - Sarawak Report

New Video Shows Nigel Farage Courting Fringe Right-Wing Figures At A Private Tea Party Hosted At The Ritz

New footage reveals Nigel Farage privately sought money and help for his new Brexit Party from fringe right-wing figures including a millionaire Putin cheerleader and a self-proclaimed “influencer” who has posted a string of anti-Islam remarks online. Videos posted on Facebook show the Brexit party leader addressing a closed-door gathering at London’s five-star Ritz hotel on April 9, organised by key backers of a pro-Trump political group, Turning Point UK. Farage was among the guests at the event, which was described by the organisers as a “tea party” and not a Brexit Party fundraiser. But in a five-minute speech, he asked the small group for “any help, any support, whether it’s verbal, whether it’s getting your friends involved, whether it’s giving us money, whatever it is, we need all the help we can get”.
21st May 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Farage says he is 'concerned about level of hatred' since the Brexit referendum

Nigel Farage has said he is 'concerned' about the level of 'hatred' in politics following the EU referendum. The Brexit Party leader had a banana and salted caramel drink from Five Guys thrown at him while on a walkabout in Newcastle city centre. He said he did not know what was being thrown at him, and called for a message to be sent that "people can't behave like this". Asked if he would change the way he campaigns, Farage told Harriet Line at the Press Association: "I hope not but I am concerned about the sheer level of hatred coming from those who think they're better than me. "I just think we've reached a point where normal campaigning is becoming very difficult, and that in a democratic society cannot be a good thing." He said what happened to him was "part of something bigger that's going on".
21st May 2019 - The New European

Brexit is a sham, but Theresa May just won’t admit it

Farage advocates trading on World Trade Organization terms – an apparatus no country in the world considers to be sufficient basis for modern commerce. The plan is to then sign new free-trade deals, which in reality would require immediate and urgent negotiations with Brussels. The no-deal method incinerates a highly developed platform for borderless European transactions in order to build a flimsier one from scratch and from a weaker position. It imperils swathes of British industry and projects a global image of roguish disregard for international agreement. It will not get easier to complete future deals as a country that has trumpeted contempt for deals that have already been negotiated.
21st May 2019 - The Guardian

‘Clean Brexit’ sounds so simple, doesn’t it? Trouble is, it doesn’t exist

If Britain crashes out without a withdrawal deal, there will be no negotiations and hence no agreement leading to a CU or an FTA. The EU has made it clear that, in the event of a no-deal outcome, it will expect to settle outstanding withdrawal issues with the UK (money, citizens’ rights and the Northern Ireland border) before even thinking about talking future trade arrangements. Which in turn means GATT article 24 won’t apply. So we would immediately find ourselves trading on WTO terms, with the tariffs and checks that those imply, and no 10-year cushion. And no other major trading nation trades purely on WTO terms.
21st May 2019 - The Guardian

Labour supporters puzzles over Corbyn's Brexit policy

Labour voters have little idea whether Jeremy Corbyn would push through ... parties on a compromise deal. According to Ipsos MORI research for the Evening Standard, 53 per cent of the public believe a Corbyn government would try to keep Britain in ...
20th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Voters still do not know whether Labour is a Remain or Leave party, research shows

Jeremy Corbyn's leadership on Brexit came under *fresh* fire today as research revealed voters are split over whether Labour is a party of Remain or Leave. Key findings of the national survey include: Half the public think a Labour government under Mr Corbyn would keep Britain inside the EU, while 30 per cent think he would quit the bloc. The positions are reversed among Labour supporters — with nearly half (46 per cent) saying Mr Corbyn’s party stands for leaving, while 38 per cent think it stands for remaining. Half of Labour voters dislike their party’s approach to Brexit — and around four in 10 say they like the Liberal Democrat and Green approaches to the issue. Among the general public, 76 per cent dislike Labour’s approach. Eight in 10 people think Mr Corbyn is doing a bad job on Brexit — including 57 per cent of Labour voters.
20th May 2019 - Evening Standard

Up close and personal with the Brexit party pyramid scheme

The Brexit party claims to want to change politics. It has turned the tables on the referendum result, convincing Leavers that they lost and spreading a message of bitter betrayal on the part of the Brexit-backing government. In doing so it risks repeating the worst of the original vote, battling blindly for an outcome it cannot define and whose consequences it chooses to ignore. At three different Brexit party rallies I've attended, a sense of genuine frustration and misplaced anger has pervaded conversations. Frustration at the delay to whichever version of Brexit they voted for. Anger at the establishment, Remainers, immigrants, civil servants - anyone they perceive as blocking the process. The Brexit party has attempted to seize upon this sense of dispossession by pushing for a decisive departure from the EU. But for a movement with only one aim, there's a remarkable lack of consensus about how to achieve it.
20th May 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Nigel Farage brings Wakefield city centre to a standstill - but would not leave his campaign bus

Brexit party leader Nigel Farage brought part of Wakefield city centre to a standstill this afternoon during a short visit - but refused to come off his campaign bus. Supporters and protesters gathered on Northgate when the bus made a quick stop outside the Calder & Hops pub. Following an incident this morning when a milkshake was thrown over him at Newcastle, he was not willing to step out of his transport. Instead, he gave a short speech from the top deck of the open-top bus. The Wakefield Express was given access to the bus where he admitted the stop was one of convenience as he heads to Bolton in Lancashire.
20th May 2019 - Yorkshire Evening Post

This is everything I discovered about all of The Brexit Party MEP candidates.

The Brexit Party candidates - From gay conversion therapy advocates to supporters of paedophilia legalisation, from climate change deniers to rampant tax avoiders, from NHS abolitionists to besties of neo-Nazis, from fracking supporters to unabashed profiteers of chaos
20th May 2019 - Medium.com

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 20th May 2019

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Ukip Candidate Carl Benjamin Has Fourth Milkshake Thrown At Him This Month

Far-right UKIP candidate Carl Benjamin has had a fourth milkshake thrown at him during a campaign stop, following three previous attempts to douse him in the liquid.
19th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

EU poll reveals Labour and Tories plummeting to fourth place

The Conservatives and Labour are languishing in joint-fourth place in Scotland, according to a new European election poll. Just one in five Scottish voters said they will back Labour or the Tories in the upcoming election, with Ruth Davidson's party set to lose their one Member of the European Parliament.
19th May 2019 - The National

Brexit: Corbyn's position 'in peril' if he 'betrays' Labour over second referendum, shadow minister says

Jeremy Corbyn will plunge his own position into jeopardy if he “betrays” Labour supporters by refusing to push for a further Brexit referendum, a shadow minister has said, in an outspoken interview. Clive Lewis warned Mr Corbyn’s leadership would be “in peril” if he failed to fully support a Final Say public vote because the activists who “put you in that position” could turn against him. “You can only drive a wedge so far between yourself and the people who put you in that position before your opponents start looking at their options,” the shadow Treasury minister told The Independent. Mr Lewis warned Labour was “haemorrhaging” support from Remain voters and attacked senior party figures happy to finish second in next week’s European elections “as long as we beat the Tories”
19th May 2019 - The Independent

Property, Finance, Hedge Funds Lobbying, Media ---------- A Guide to the Brexit Party's ELITE MEP Candidates

Out of these 20 profiled candidates, 18 are company directors, 8 are bankers, 5 work in derivatives and hedge funds, ranking them among a metropolitan and business elite which the Brexit Party rhetoric repeatedly condemns. Many of these candidates are involved with hedge funds or derivatives, sectors of the financial industry were the ones who profited from the Brexit turmoil, by betting on Sterling’s collapse and downturns in British firms. These organisations are known to oppose EU attempts to regulate the hedge fund industry.
19th May 2019 - Byline Times

Brexit Party fundraiser is 'Posh George', once jailed in US after money-laundering sting

A disgraced former aide to Nigel Farage who was jailed in America for offering to launder money for drug lords is a fundraiser for the Brexit Party, it can be revealed. George Cottrell, a 25-year-old aristocrat known as “Posh George”, served as Ukip’s head of fundraising until his arrest by federal agents on charges of extortion, money laundering and fraud in 2016. Since his release from a federal prison in Arizona after agreeing a plea deal, he has avoided appearing with Farage. However, a senior source in the Brexit Party said he had reprised his role as one of his top fundraisers. According to one insider, Cottrell, who is dating the I’m a Celebrity TV star Georgia Toffolo, has been liaising with senior party officials and handling wealthy donors. The insider said: “He knows people. We’re not going to not use him, are we?” His presence is said to have raised eyebrows among staff.
19th May 2019 - The Times

Jeremy Corbyn on 'the option' of another Brexit referendum

Jeremy Corbyn he wants to Leave the EU & Single Market and he would like to replace "Free Movement" with an arrangement that secures "a great deal of movement". In short, this will replace an established right of everyone in the UK with nothing more than a negotiated privilege.
19th May 2019 - BBC Marr

@tnewtondunn Jeremy Corbyn unable to tell #Marr, despite being asked 6 times, if he wants to leave the EU (or if it doesn’t want to), or if he supports a second referendum (or doesn’t).

Jeremy Corbyn unable to tell #Marr, despite being asked 6 times, if he wants to leave the EU (or if it doesn’t want to), or if he supports a second referendum (or doesn’t).
19th May 2019 - @tnewtondunn

Nigel Farage facing investigation by EU authorities over lavish gifts from millionaire tycoon

Nigel Farage is facing an investigation by European parliament authorities over claims that he failed to declare nearly half a million pounds in gifts from an insurance tycoon under investigation by the National Crime Agency. It was claimed this week that the Brexit Party leader has been given as much as £450,000 in kind by Arron Banks, including a chauffeur-driven car, rent and bills on a £4.4m Chelsea home, and lavish trips to the United States to meet with right-wing politicians. But none of the gifts, detailed in invoices seen by Channel 4 News, were declared on Mr Farage’s register of interests with the European parliament, which is designed to prevent MEPs from keeping their conflicts of interests secret.
19th May 2019 - The Independent

Tory party will split if Boris Johnson becomes leader and pursues no-deal Brexit, warn MPs

Electing Boris Johnson leader on a no-deal Brexit ticket would risk a permanent split in the Conservative Party, a former minister has warned. The former foreign secretary has established himself as firm favourite to succeed Theresa May as prime minister in a contest many in Westminster expect to be triggered within weeks. It comes as the prime minister prepares to deliver a speech on Brexit this week, in what a government source billed as a "bold offer" to MPs in a last-ditch attempt to build support for her beleaguered Brexit bill in the Commons.
19th May 2019 - The Independent

Many of the Brexit Party's Twitter followers appear to be bots

The no-deal EU withdrawal party is only a few months old, but researchers talking to BuzzFeed News found that many of its Twitter accounts are networks of bots and other inauthentic users. The exact amount isn't clear, but F-Secure's Andy Patel noted that over 8,800 users -- roughly 7 percent of the party's Twitter base -- were both recently recreated and disproportionately responsible for retweeting party material. Some of these accounts have been producing massive volumes of tweets focused on Brexit, and clearly in unrealistic amounts. One tweeted 823 times in the space of a day. Some are new, while others are from outside the UK. Regardless of behavior, the surge of new followers for the party suggested "inorganic" behavior.
19th May 2019 - Engadget

Tories in for a Brexit party trouncing, while Remainers abandon Labour

More voters now say they would back the Brexit party at the next general election than the Conservatives, according to the latest Opinium poll for the Observer. Nigel Farage’s party increased its support by three points to 24% of the vote, leapfrogging the Tories and trailing Labour by just five points. The Conservatives claimed 22% of the vote, the same figure they recorded in last week’s poll. The Brexit party also maintained its 14-point lead when voters were asked who they would back in next week’s European elections, maintaining 34% of the vote. Labour secured 20%, with the Liberal Democrats up to 15% support. The Tories were on 12%, up one point on a week ago.
18th May 2019 - The Guardian

Alastair Campbell: Labour need 'clarity and leadership' on Brexit 'instead of Jeremy Corbyn trying to face both ways'

Alastair Campbell: Labour need ‘clarity and leadership’ on Brexit ‘instead of Jeremy Corbyn trying to face both ways’ - there's a public head of steam in favour of a second referendum to sort out the current political mess and Corbyn is not capitalising on it
18th May 2019 - Channel 4 News

Jo Maugham: Brexit Party donations should be investigated by Electoral Commission

If a donor is not “permissible” – or if you don’t know who the donor is – you can’t accept the donation. Permissible donors – very broadly – are individuals on the electoral register or others carrying on business in the United Kingdom. But there’s a loophole. The law also says you can “disregard” a donation so long as it is not for more than £500. These points are important because of what we know about how the Brexit Party has set out to raise money. You can see here that the maximum amount the Brexit Party’s website invites you to donate is £500. And although the website seems to contemplate you might donate more than £500, neither I nor a colleague could work out how to donate more than £500 by PayPal (the main tool they use to collect donations) using the link.
18th May 2019 - Scram Media

Researchers Say Many Of The Brexit Party’s Twitter Followers Aren’t Behaving Like Genuine Voters

Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party is attracting big crowds, thousands of small donors, healthy support in opinion polls — and a legion of Twitter followers sharing its campaign messages at a breathless rate. “100,000 Twitter followers!” the party tweeted after its launch last month, celebrating another indication of its surging grassroots support. Its following has since grown to 134,000. Accounts with handles like AthenaLeave, jeanett49751382, and SimoneblackBBC, many using the Brexit Party logo as their profile pictures, have been pumping out supportive messages, amplifying Farage’s push for a no-deal Brexit and adding to the sense of momentum that quickly established it as a major force in British politics. But the behaviour of many of the party’s Twitter followers doesn’t appear consistent with that of real voters, according to two separate researchers who analysed related activity on the platform at the request of BuzzFeed News. One account, set up in March, has sent more than 23,000 tweets in its first three months on the platform, nearly all of them about Brexit. Another account sent 823 tweets on the topic in a single day, mostly retweets and many just seconds apart. Another blasted out a string of 69 hard-Brexit tweets before dawn on a Monday morning. “This isn’t how we’d expect normal people with diverse interests to behave,” says Professor Kalina Bontcheva at the University of Sheffield, one of the researchers who examined the data. Another thing that stood out to the researchers was the disproportionately high number of new accounts following the Brexit Party. According to Andy Patel, a researcher at F-Secure, a cybersecurity company based in Finland, more than 8,800 of its followers — about 7% at the time of the analysis — were created in the first and second quarter of 2019. These accounts are disproportionately represented among the most active retweeters of Brexit Party content, Patel says.
18th May 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Rachel Johnson has sinking feeling at Change UK

Change UK has a bad name, a confused leadership structure and should have made a pact with other Remain parties, one of its leading candidates in the European elections next week has said. Rachel Johnson, 53, who is top of the new party’s list in southwest England, criticised the party’s strategy in an interview with The Times. “Change UK is a terrible name,” she said. “They want to focus-group everything and they have a leadership team of about 11 people. “If I were running it we would have one leader and a different name and we would have done a deal with all the other Remain parties. Then we would be able to give the Brexit Party a fight.”
18th May 2019 - The Times

Brexit party SURGE: Conservative MPs ‘FEAR’ rise of Nigel Farage warns former May aide

In a damning indictment of the Tory party, Chris Wilkins has insisted the Brexit Party’s rise has struck “fear” in Tory MPs. Speaking on BBC Newsnight, Mr Wilkins, who served as an aide to Mrs May between 2016-17, referenced the Brexit Party’s rise in the polls as major threat to the Tories. Such has been the fear among MPs in the party that Mr Wilkins also claimed Boris Johnson is seen as the only leader who can take on Farage.
18th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

May launches Tory EU election campaign and appears to fluff her lines over Brexit

Theresa May today launched the Tory EU election campaign in a near-empty room by blasting Nigel Farage before she appeared to fluff her lines when promising to leave the EU. In an extraordinary moment Mrs May began to say the Conservatives 'will' deliver Brexit - but stumbled and stopped herself - and then said 'can' instead - as her despairing MEP candidates watched on. It came Tory support ahead of the EU elections collapsed into single figures today as a YouGov poll predicted the party would get just nine per cent of the votes on Thursday - 26 points behind the Brexit Party. Taking aim at Mr Farage she said: 'Nigel Farage can't deliver Brexit: every few years he pops up, he shouts from the sidelines, he doesn't work constructively in the national interest'
17th May 2019 - Daily Mail

ITV News Exclusive: Dossier exposes more than 100 accusations of Islamophobia and racism from Conservative Party members

TV News has been passed a dossier of more than 100 alleged cases of Islamophobic or racist content posted online by people claiming to be Conservative Party members. Nineteen of the 110 cases passed to ITV News are fresh allegations, not yet in the public domain. The list is the first comprehensive dossier of allegations made so far.
17th May 2019 - ITV News

The Londoner: Donkeys make an ass out of Farage

Guerrilla anti-Brexit outfit Led by Donkeys has restarted its viral poster campaign, which shames politicians by sharing their past statements on giant billboards. This time, Led by Donkeys has Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party firmly in the crosshairs over the party’s “failure to publish a manifesto”. The group is plastering quotations from Farage and his fellow candidates across the land. This, the group claims, can stand in for a policy platform, alongside a spoof website the group has also created. “Until they publish a manifesto we have to assume the party’s policies are the policies, beliefs and statements made by the leaders of the party,” Led by Donkeys told The Londoner.
17th May 2019 - Evening Standard

Glum faces, a speech to an empty room and a hurried exit as Theresa May's campaign turns into a wake

As photographs go, it told a thousand words about the beleaguered state of a premiership on the brink. If Theresa May had hoped her unannounced appearance in Bristol would be a pleasant surprise for Tory MEP candidates, then they had a funny way of showing it. With the Brexit Party riding high in the polls and Mrs May under growing pressure to set a timetable for her departure, the glum look on the candidates’ faces appeared to suggest that they would rather the Prime Minister was anywhere else but in their constituency on Friday. Six days out from the European Parliament elections and the scene was more akin to a wake than a political rally as Mrs May scarcely managed a smile herself
17th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Nigel Farage: 'I Do Not Want To Be Prime Minister'

Nigel Farage has insisted he does not want to be prime minister despite his Brexit Party storming ahead of the Conservatives in opinion polls. Farage’s new party looks on course to win next week’s European elections, with a YouGov/Times poll on Friday putting it 26 points ahead of the Tories. Some pollsters have even suggested the Brexit Party could garner more votes than the Tories in a general election, sparking speculation that Farage could one day be PM. But the ex-Ukip leader told HuffPost UK he would rather be an “agent for change”, and rebuffed calls from some Tories for an electoral pact to deliver Brexit.
17th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Leave.EU founder confirms he funded Nigel Farage in year after referendum

Nigel Farage received £450,000 from the founder of pro-Brexit group Leave.EU in the year after the Brexit referendum. Items paid for by Arron Banks included Mr Farage's London home, his car and trips to the US to meet Donald Trump. A spokesman for Mr Banks confirmed the amount and what it had been used for, saying it was an "honour to help". Asked about the funding following an investigation by Channel 4 News, Mr Farage - who now leads the Brexit party - said it was a private matter. Speaking at the launch of the Brexit party campaign in Scotland, Mr Farage said he did not declare the it to the European Parliament because he was about to leave politics and had been seeking a new life in the US.
17th May 2019 - BBC

“Never Seen Anything like it”: The Funding of the Brexit Party Needs Urgent Investigation

On 12 April, the day of the launch of his new Brexit Party, leader Nigel Farage revealed the party had received over £750,000 in donations under £500 before it had even launched. Nine days, later he claimed nearly 16,000 people had signed up to become £25 registered supporters on the day of the launch, and another 60,000 in the following period. That’s an additional £1.9 million in political funding and £2.7m in just two weeks. This week Turlough Conway reported on the major security lapses on all these PayPal functions, leaving them open to multiple contributions from single individuals, and the possible fragmentation of impermissible donations from overseas companies or individuals that would not be registered because they did not pass the £500 threshold. The PayPal account was moved to the US in March. The lack of verification also left the system vulnerable to automated payments and the danger of ‘micro-laundering’. New research has revealed that a staggering 40% of the Brexit Party site’s outgoing traffic in April was to the PayPal link. With 50% of all the Brexit Party site’s incoming traffic coming from PayPal as well, this is an unprecedented conversion rate. A good conversion rate on website traffic is normally 5%.
16th May 2019 - Byline Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 17th May 2019

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How the 'men in grey suits' called time on Theresa May's premiership

When the moment she had been dreading finally came, Theresa May raged against the dying of the light. The Conservative Party’s most powerful backbenchers had just made it clear that her premiership was at its end, but the Prime Minister pleaded with them to be given more time. Tears welled in her eyes as she made her argument for just a little longer in Downing Street. She dabbed at her nose with a handkerchief. Yet the sympathy and patience of the 1922 Committee had run out. “She voiced her view about Brexit, which she regards as a debt of honour,” said one of those present. “She was emotional - a lot more emotional than I have ever seen her before.
16th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Jean-Claude Juncker says £350m bus slogan was a lie as deputy calls Brexit Britain 'Game of Thrones on steroids'

The ‘Boris Bus’ Brexit slogan that Britain sends £350m to Brussels a week that could be spent on the NHS is a lie, Jean-Claude Juncker has said. The president of the European Commission made the accusation as his deputy said British politics after Brexit was like “Game of Thrones on steroids”. Mr Juncker, who is reaching the end of his five year term, said he was wrong not to attack Vote Leave’s 2016 referendum claim, which was famously emblazoned on the side of a red bus. "So many lies were told, and so many of the consequences resulting from a ‘no’ were misrepresented, that we, as the commission, should have spoken out,” he told Austria’s Der Standard newspaper.
16th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Labour HUMILIATED as BBC Question Time audience LAUGH at party’s Brexit position

Richard Leonard, a member of the Scottish Parliament, claimed voters should back Labour to stop a no-deal Brexit. The UK will take part in European Parliament elections next Thursday, with polls suggesting the Brexit Party will come out on top. Theresa May’s Conservatives look set to struggle, and are likely to be pushed into third or fourth place. Addressing the audience Mr Leonard said: “We’ve had three years since the referendum, two years of failed negotiation and one bad deal presented by Theresa May. “The test next Thursday is whether people are prepared to countenance a no-deal Brexit or not. “The choice will be between an insurgent Brexit Party or defeating them, and defeating what they stand for. “Now my view is the best way to do that is to vote Labour next week.” At this point a section of the Question Time audience began laughing.
16th May 2019 - Daily Express

@ByDonkeys Brexit Party leader @Nigel_Farage hasn’t written a manifesto so we’ve done it for him, based on statements by him and his candidates.

Brexit Party leader @Nigel_Farage hasn’t written a manifesto so we’ve done it for him, based on statements by him and his candidates. Billboards going up across the country this week. See more at http://TheBrexitParty.com (location: Radford Rd, Coventry)
16th May 2019 - @ByDonkeys

Revealed: Former Brexit minister accused of breaching ministerial code in meeting with Spanish far right

Brexit department claims Chris Heaton-Harris “wasn’t acting in a ministerial capacity” – but he discussed Brexit with the controversial far-right Vox party, prompting calls for an investigation.
16th May 2019 - Open Democracy

European elections: Majority of voters in EU countries predict union will ‘fall apart’ within 20 years, poll shows

Support for the European Union among citizens in its member states is at a record high, but at the same time so is the belief the bloc will have disintegrated within 20 years, polling ahead of this month’s election shows. The survey by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) shows Slovakian voters have a particularly pessimistic view regarding the future of the union, with 66 per cent saying they thought it was “realistic” to say the “EU will fall apart in 10 – 20 years”.
16th May 2019 - The Independent

The polls are clear – Labour’s Brexit tactics are failing spectacularly

In the case of Labour’s strategy towards next week’s European parliament elections, one central fact is now beyond dispute. The recent slump in the party’s support has been caused by the desertion of voters who want the UK to stay in the European Union: not partially caused, or possibly caused, but totally. This is clear from a detailed analysis of recent YouGov surveys by its political team. In common with other pollsters, it has picked up a sharp reduction in Labour’s support, from 21% in late April to 16% last week. Uniquely, YouGov can link its data to how people voted in the 2016 referendum and the 2017 general election – relying not on voters’ sometimes fallible memories, but how they told YouGov they voted at the time of both contests.
16th May 2019 - The Guardian

Tory warning: Party risks collapse amid threat MPs will resign en mase for Brexit failure

Conservative MPs will be forced to reconsider their political futures if the result of the 2016 Brexit referendum in which 17.4 million Britons voted Leave, was to be ignored, Tory MP Philip Hollobone has warned.
16th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

Nigel Farage Fails 8 Times To Say What Brexit Offers In Car Crash BBC Interview

Nigel Farage failed to spell out what Brexit will offer when repeatedly asked by a BBC journalist. The Brexit Party leader was challenged by the broadcaster’s Wales political correspondent Arwyn Jones eight times to set out what leaving the bloc would deliver for south Wales. Farage, whose party has the sole policy of crashing out of the EU without a deal, was in Merthyr Tydfil for a campaign rally ahead of the European elections on May 23. Jones said the nation was a net beneficiary of EU funding “to the tune of £250m a year” and asked Farage what Brexit would deliver if Welsh agriculture was damaged by Brexit. Farage, noted for his confident media performances, appeared to flounder before suggesting the UK would be “in charge of” the steel industry.
16th May 2019 - Huffington Post

New Brexit Party AM calls Tommy Robinson 'courageous'

One of the Brexit Party's new AMs has called far-right activist Tommy Robinson a "courageous character". David Rowlands said the ex-English Defence League (EDL) leader "reflects the views of a great many people". The comments contrast with those of Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, who has called Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, a "thug". The Brexit Party said Mr Rowlands' was giving a personal view that did not "in any way" reflect the party's position.
16th May 2019 - BBC

Anti-Brexit campaigners have put up a series of billboards taking aim at Nigel Farage and Brexit Party

Anti-Brexit campaigners have put up a series of billboards taking aim at Nigel Farage and the Brexit Party by highlighting past statements he and his candidates gave made. Photos show the billboards in place at locations including Taunton in Somerset, Coventry, and Neath in South Wales, with slogans such as "attack the NHS" and "less maternity pay" next to comments attributed to Brexit Party members. The billboard in Coventry cites a quote Mr Farage gave during a speech where he said: "We need to move to an insurance-based system of healthcare." They all feature the Brexit Party branding and logo. The group Led by Donkeys wrote on Twitter: "Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage hasn't written a manifesto so we've done it for him, based on statements by him and his candidates. "Billboards going up across the country this week."
16th May 2019 - Somerset Live

Billboards take aim at Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party

16th May 2019 - This is Local London

Big tobacco secretly bankrolling anti-NHS think tank whose bosses donate thousands to Tory leadership contenders, an investigation reveals

A secretive think tank which called for the NHS to be scrapped while its heads pour millions into the Conservative Party – and its MPs’ – coffers is being funded by big tobacco, an investigation has found. British American Tobacco is one of the groups funding the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA), a free market think tank which is notoriously close-lipped about its donors. The IEA has been an outspoken critic of public health measures for tackling smoking, obesity and harmful drinking, and past funders include organisations affiliated with gambling, alcohol, sugar and soft drinks industries. Health experts said the findings, in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), raise the prospect of a future Conservative leader aligning with big business at the expense of the public’s health. The IEA has dubbed the NHS one of the most “inefficient and overrated health systems in the world” and a 2016 report argued for a private health insurance model in the UK with top-up payments.
16th May 2019 - The Independent

MPs to probe 'dark money' after Brexit Party 'fake members' loophole revealed

MPs will launch a probe into “dark money” in elections, after the Mirror revealed online loopholes could let millions in foreign cash pour into British politics. A Mirror investigation yesterday found it was possible to join Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party as a supporter under the name “Vladimir Putin” and the address of the Kremlin.
16th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Led By Donkeys take aim at Nigel Farage in new anti-Brexit billboard campaign

Anti-Brexit campaigners Led by Donkeys are putting up a new set of billboards, and this time they've decided to use them to 'release' Nigel Farage's party's manifesto. "Nigel Farage has refused to publish one ahead of the elections so we've done it for him based on his own words and the statements and policies of his Brexit Party candidates," said Led by Donkeys on their website, adding that they think it's important to hold Farage and his candidates to account.
16th May 2019 - The New European

Billboards take aim at Nigel Farage and his Brexit Party

16th May 2019 - Oxford Mail

'They never started': inside Tory European election campaign

There is no party manifesto. No launch event. No speech by the leader. Barely any money is being spent. And officials are struggling to find enough activists to even stuff envelopes, let alone knock on doors. This is the Conservative Party’s European election effort – an all but invisible campaign that will probably lead to their worst showing in a nationwide election in at least a century. Inside Conservative campaign headquarters, the strategy is that minimum exertion will give Theresa May an excuse for doing so badly after the results of the polls come in on 26 May. Centrally, the party is resigned to losing half their MEPs, and possibly coming fifth. The candidates picked by the party are a mixed bag from both the leave and remain wings. Many of them are not even bothering to tweet or update their websites about the European elections, let alone engage in pounding the streets.
16th May 2019 - The Guardian

Jess Phillips ‘sick’ at interview with Ukip candidate who joked about raping her

Carl Benjamin, the Ukip MEP candidate who joked online about raping her. Mr Benjamin, who is standing for for the party in South West England, appeared on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme to defend his jokes, accusing the BBC of “killing off” comedy. He also said he had spoken to rape survivors who had applauded his comments
16th May 2019 - Express & Star

Tory ministers condemned for rejecting MPs’ definition of Islamophobia

In December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims called on the Government to accept guidelines on anti-Islamic abuse which states: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” In a Commons debate on Thursday however ministers will say that unlike the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition on anti-semitism, which it supports, the proposal on Islamophobia “has not been broadly accepted”.
15th May 2019 - Politics Home

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 16th May 2019

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The PM's legacy could soon be the Conservative Party's destruction

History is littered with the remnants of long-established political parties having been annihilated at the ballot box. Anyone thinking it could never happen to them does so at their peril. Yet that smug, complacent attitude is, astonishingly, exactly what has been adopted by the Conservative Party leadership. Assuming that the old order will carry on, come what may, is a fatal mistake. One need only look at the long litany of electoral disasters across the world to see that. Christian Democracy in Italy, which supplied 26 of the 28 Italian Prime Ministers between 1946 and 1992, holding office for 40 of those 45 years, has disappeared.
15th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Jeremy Corbyn says he’ll fight for underpaid workers. How about the ones in his party?

Jeremy Corbyn must be kicking himself. At PMQs today, he had a golden opportunity to stick up for the underpaid staff of a well-known British employer. But somehow, it completely slipped his mind. Which was odd, because low pay was the theme of his questions. “Mr Speaker, real wages are lower than they were 10 years ago!” he barked, not once but twice. “Some of the lowest rates of pay are among young workers… Why does this Government continue to punish our young people?” To cap it all, he added, the Government’s own Department for Business had had to set up a food bank for its “very low-paid” staff.
15th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Tommy Robinson sued by Syrian schoolboy he accused of assault

The Syrian schoolboy who was filmed being attacked in a playground in Huddersfield is suing the far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson for accusing him of assaulting white schoolgirls. Jamal Hijazi, 16, has filed papers to the high court seeking libel action against the founder of the English Defence League after he was alleged to have “peddled false and defamatory lies” about the schoolboy. Footage of the refugee student being pushed to the ground and having water poured on his face was watched millions of times and attracted widespread condemnation, including from Theresa May, in December. In March this year a 16-year-old boy, who cannot be identified, was given a caution for racially aggravated assault on Jamal.
16th May 2019 - The Guardian

Labour Brexiteers could BACK May deal as Farage turns up the heat in Leave seats

Sources said between 20 and 25 of Jeremy Corbyn’s backbenchers are becoming so rattled by the looming threat of Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party that they might back the unpopular deal to get the UK out of Europe. Speaking after the Prime Minister confirmed he deal was going back before the Commons, a Cabinet source said: “There is a chance — I accept it’s a small one — that certain Labour MPs will get cold feet once the actual bill is before them.” A Labour insider refused to rule out the possibility of battle-weary Labour MPs voting with the Government. The source told the Mirror: “Up to two dozen backbenchers have said they won’t be able to hold out much longer. “They’re getting so much grief in their constituencies over the failure to deliver Brexit.
16th May 2019 - Daily Express

Change UK: European election candidate David Macdonald quits to support Liberal Democrats

One of Change UK‘s lead European election candidates has quit to back the Liberal Democrats over concerns the new party could split the Remain vote in the upcoming contest. David Macdonald is the second person to resign as lead candidate for the party in Scotland after Joseph Russo withdrew from the race after one day over scrutiny of his old social media posts. Speaking at Holyrood, Mr Macdonald expressed fears about splitting the Remain vote by standing as a candidate for the newly-formed party, as Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party soars in the polls.
15th May 2019 - The Independent

PMQs: Peter Bone repeats call for Theresa May to resign

Brexiteer Peter Bone said Conservative activists in his Wellingborough constituency want Theresa May to resign before next seek's EU elections. The Tory MP said they told him the PM's Brexit deal was "worse than staying in the European Union", and they want the UK to leave the EU now on a no-deal basis. Mrs May thanked them for their time, and said her party "wants to deliver Brexit".
15th May 2019 - BBC

The Tories are deluded if they think the Brexit Party can't supplant them

Nothing to see here: risibly, that remains how many senior Tories view the remarkable rise of the Brexit Party. To them, Nigel Farage’s return is a spectacular but ultimately meaningless final act, a last howl of rage by an angry minority exercising its right to protest at an irrelevant election. But a real, serious, game-changing threat to the political duopoly that has governed the UK for so long? Don’t be ridiculous. There is something in the Conservative psyche that breeds this kind of deranged complacency: the conceit that theirs is the “natural party of government” is especially toxic.
15th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Edinburgh reacts as leaflets for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party are delivered around city

Residents in the capital didn't hold back as the Brexit party's first leaflets arrived
15th May 2019 - Edinburgh Live

Brexit energy drink denied EU trademark after claims brand was 'offensive'

In energy drink called Brexit will not get Europe-wide trademark protection after an EU agency initially decided its name was “offensive” before later ruling the brand name was too confusing instead. Polish entrepreneurs Pawel Tumilowicz and Mariusz Majchrzak, who run the business in Prestwich, Greater Manchester insist they called their drink, which boasts Union Jack branding, Brexit “for a laugh”. But the European Union Intellectual Property Office (Euipo) did not see the funny side. An official castigated the cheeky Poles for causing offence with their trademark protection.“
15th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Labour's refusal to oppose Brexit is killing it on the doorstep. It should quit the talks

With Corbyn stuck in the talks, they said, voters were confused about Labour’s position. “How can you be fighting a Tory Brexit when you are in talks with the Tories to deliver one?” is a frequent argument on the doorstep, and is driving Labour voters to the Libdems and Greens. “It’s killing us not being able to give one word answer,” the candidate told me. “Corbyn was always about straight, honest politics – now candidates have to take a breath and launch into a long sentence. The lack of clarity is hurting us.”
15th May 2019 - New Statesman

Tory ministers condemned for rejecting MPs’ definition of Islamophobia

Ministers have been criticised after it emerged they will not adopt a definition of Islamophobia demanded by MPs and Muslim groups. In December, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims called on the Government to accept guidelines on anti-Islamic abuse which states: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” In a Commons debate on Thursday however ministers will say that unlike the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) definition on anti-semitism, which it supports, the proposal on Islamophobia “has not been broadly accepted”.
15th May 2019 - Politics Home

Baroness Warsi: Conservatives ‘not the best arbiters of finding a definition of Islamophobia’

15th May 2019 - Channel 4 News

Do Brexit Party supporters know who they are really voting for?

Brendan O’Neill, formerly of the Revolutionary Communist Party and Living Marxism, now of Spiked, has had me reaching for mine. He accuses me of lying, a charge which might send a less liberal journalist than me to his lawyers. He says my charge that his comrades and the Brexit Party’s European Parliament candidates Claire Fox, James Heartfield and Alka Sehgal Cuthbert are cavalier about the abuse of children “are lies, straight-up, low-down lies,” “character assassination”, and an act of desperation by the remain side.
15th May 2019 - Spectator.co.uk

Boris Johnson could be prosecuted over Brexit bus claim

Boris Johnson could be prosecuted over claims that the U.K. sends £350 million a week to the EU that were plastered all over a bus that toured Britain during the Brexit referendum campaign. According to the Financial Times, a businessman called Marcus Ball is bringing a private case against Johnson, a former foreign secretary, alleging that he committed misconduct in public office by endorsing the claim on the bus while knowing it to be untrue.
15th May 2019 - Politico.eu

Nigel Farage's Brexit Party lets 'Vladimir Putin' sign up as a supporter

Nigel Farage has been accused of allowing “fake members” to join his Brexit Party – as the Mirror signed up as Vladimir Putin. The revelation shows how the party could be opening the door to millions in donations from foreign sources.
15th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

EXCL Labour MP tells Jeremy Corbyn to his face he must quit as party leader

A Labour MP has told Jeremy Corbyn to his face that he must quit as Labour leader if the party is to stand any chance of winning the next general election. Wes Streeting confronted his boss at an ill-tempered meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party. Mr Corbyn also faced a wave of criticism over Labour position on Brexit and European election campaign at the 90-minute gathering in Parliament. Some angry backbenchers claimed that they were being banned from putting out their own campaign literature by Labour HQ, while others said the party's policy on the EU was confusing and needed to be simplified. The Labour leader said he understood the "frustration" of his MPs, but insisted the party's anti-austerity message would bear fruit when the country goes to the polls on 23 May.
15th May 2019 - Politics Home

Nigel Farage can't just shout ‘Brexit betrayal’ and expect to be taken seriously

If Farage wants to be a serious politician, he needs to do more than shout ‘Brexit betrayal’ at rallies around the UK. Farage needs to have something to say about our country. And, at the moment, I’m not hearing it. When he appeared on The Andrew Marr Show on the BBC last Sunday (12 May), Marr tried to ask Farage where he stood on some of the most important issues facing us in Britain, such as climate change and the NHS. His response? An explosion of rage about how the BBC wasn’t paying him enough attention. Brexit aside, Farage has nothing positive to say about issues that the British people care most about: the NHS, the economy, crime and the environment (he once claimed climate change is a ‘scam’).
15th May 2019 - Metro.co.uk

May plods on in her death spiral as Farage circles his prey

It could have been worse. Corbyn could have asked her about the European elections and Brexit. But luckily Labour is also pretending that neither of these things are happening as it too doesn’t quite know what to say about them, so May was temporarily let off the hook. It took the Scottish National party’s Ian Blackford to mention the B word, when he suggested the Tories and Labour were agreeing a stitch-up deal behind closed doors. Quite possibly one of the stupidest questions anyone has ever asked as Blackford must be the only person alive who hasn’t realised the whole purpose of the talks was that they wouldn’t agree on anything.
15th May 2019 - The Guardian

How one week in June could prove to be May's 'Waterloo' in a summer plagued by Brexit stumbling blocks

For someone famed for kicking the can down the road, Theresa May’s sudden decision to push the withdrawal agreement bill through parliament before the summer recess appears decisively suicidal. While Downing Street’s quest to get the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement on to the statute book by July may look like progress of sorts for Brexit, it sounds the death nell for a premiership that has plunged the Tories into what some have described as an existential crisis. Having hailed her “resilience” as one of her few leadership qualities, even Mrs May’s staunchest supporters are now wondering if there is something positively masochistic about clinging on through a summer which promises to give her nightmares
15th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Probation will be renationalised after disastrous Grayling reforms

The supervision of all offenders in the community is to be undertaken by the state in a major renationalisation of the probation sector, just five years after Chris Grayling introduced a widely derided programme of privatisation while justice secretary. Under his disastrous shake-up in 2014, the probation sector was separated into a public sector organisation managing high-risk criminals and 21 private companies responsible for the supervision of 150,000 low- to medium-risk offenders. Following years of damning criticism from MPs, inspectorates and former probation officers, the justice secretary, David Gauke, has decided to bring all offender management under the National Probation Service (NPS) by spring 2021
15th May 2019 - The Guardian

When the centre cannot hold Britain’s bizarre, unwanted European election

Mr Farage, who went from private school to a career in the City, is himself a prime elite specimen. Yet he manages to pose as an anti-establishment rebel. In a Labour stronghold, he raises cheers by denouncing Jeremy Corbyn as an Islington leftie. He offers no policies—they are promised only after the election—and does not even explain why Brexit is a good idea. His message is simple: we must walk out in October with no deal.
15th May 2019 - The Economist

Brexit Party Donations – Farage’s Miracle Claims Do Not Add Up

The traffic shows that on the launch day of the Brexit Party only received 1,200 visitors – a fraction of the 16,000 £25 supporters Farage claimed had signed up that day. For the nine following days he said 60,000 had signed up, the actual total of visitors looks like less than 10,000. Even if every single visitor paid money to Brexit Party PayPal account this is only 10% of the total needed for launch day and 16% for the following nine days. The only conclusion that can be reached is that only a small proportion of PayPal payments were made via the website.
15th May 2019 - Byline Times

Brexit: Liam Fox claims UK could accept chlorinated chicken in US trade deal without lowering food standards

The UK could accept chlorinated chicken in a post-Brexit trade deal with the US without cutting food standards, Liam Fox has claimed. The international trade secretary vowed to protect food quality after withdrawal from the EU – but insisted the controversy about washing poultry in chlorine was purely an “animal welfare” issue. Dr Fox also suggested it would be impossible, under World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules, for Britain to ban the practice as part of a trade agreement with Donald Trump
15th May 2019 - The Independent

Sky Views: Will Theresa May be remembered as one of UK's worst prime ministers?

"There is only one person who wants her to go on, and that's John Major," remarked one of her backbench detractors. "Every passing day she remains as prime minister she is seizing from John Major the mantle of the worst prime minister in living memory." Actually, it is not Sir John whom academics have crowned with that dishonour but the architect of the Suez crisis Sir Anthony Eden. A poll of academics specialising in British politics and contemporary British history rated Sir Anthony as the worst-performing of all post-war prime ministers.
15th May 2019 - Sky News

Fourth time lucky: May's pitiful gambit

Her prime ministerial career is littered with moments in which she creates severe future problems in order to overcome more trivial immediate ones. Her tactics are very predictable: survive the present, deal with the consequences later. She has made countless promises - on a free trade deal, on transition, on talk sequencing, on the divorce bill, on free movement, on a border in the Irish Sea, on renegotiating the backstop, on alternative arrangements, on Article 50 extension, on the need to hold the European elections - while knowing that she could not abide by them. Anyone who has taken an interest in the detail of Brexit has watched her say things she could not possibly believe simple in order to survive the day.
15th May 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Brexit Party most popular group for European elections, but only among over-55s, poll shows

The newly formed Brexit Party enjoys more support than Westminster’s major political parties for the European elections only among those over the age of 55, new polling shows. In a fresh survey for The Independent, BMG pollsters also found the party spearheaded by Nigel Farage will emerge ahead of the established parties on 23 May – despite being formed just weeks ago. The survey shows that among the 55-64 age range, the party boasts 30 per cent support – significantly above the Conservatives on 8 per cent and Labour on 15 per cent.
15th May 2019 - The Independent

Yorkshire Brexit Party candidate brands Nigel Farage a 'dictator' and an ‘out-and-out b***ard' in 2016 tweet

A European election candidate for the Brexit Party in Yorkshire and the Humber referred to his party leader Nigel Farage as an “out-and-out b***ard” in a 2016 tweet, The Yorkshire Post can reveal. In a now-deleted post, Andrew Allison lashed out at Mr Farage after a bitter internal Ukip row led to the suspension of the party’s high-profile spokeswoman, Suzanne Evans. In the outburst, he also accused the ex-Ukip leader of running the party like a "dictatorship". In the wake of the showdown, Mr Allison tweeted: “The suspension of @SuzanneEvans1 highlights what an out-and-out bastard @NigelFarage is. “@Ukip is a Farage dictatorship - not democratic.”
15th May 2019 - Yorkshire Post

EU elections: Change UK's lead candidate in Scotland quits

Change UK's lead candidate for the EU elections in Scotland has quit the race and is now endorsing the Lib Dems. David Macdonald is top of the Change UK list in Scotland, but said the party "don't stand much of a chance" of winning a seat in the 23 May poll.
15th May 2019 - BBC

May's fate 'already voted on' by chief Tories - Lame duck PM 'has to go'

The bill, which has not yet been published, looks set to spark outrage among Brexiteers with sources describing it as a “political hand grenade”. Politico said the deal is likely to “enshrine into British law” many aspects of the exit deal Eurosceptics within the Tory party will be angry about. Indeed, sources from the influential 1922 backbench committee have told ITV's Shehab Khan they have already voted to ensure Mrs May confirms her departure date and will be told she has to go if the deal fails.
15th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

If Theresa May resigns, we can still deliver the Brexit people voted for

For the good of Britain and for the good of my party, May must follow Margaret Thatcher’s example and stand down
15th May 2019 - The Guardian

Labour MP tells Jeremy Corbyn to his face he must quit as party leader

A Labour MP has told Jeremy Corbyn to his face that he must quit as Labour leader if the party is to stand any chance of winning the next general election. Some angry backbenchers claimed that they were being banned from putting out their own campaign literature by Labour HQ, while others said the party's policy on the EU was confusing and needed to be simplified. The Labour leader said he understood the "frustration" of his MPs, but insisted the party's anti-austerity message would bear fruit when the country goes to the polls on 23 May. In the final contribution to the meeting, Ilford North MP Mr Streeting told Mr Corbyn: "What is being heard on the doorstep across the country and what people are saying in the tea room, but won’t say to your face, is that you are a bigger issue for us than Brexit. “If you’re prepared to sacrifice our place in Europe because you think it will deliver a Labour government, why won’t you make way for a leader who can win a general election?"
14th May 2019 - Politics Home

Boris Johnson could face private prosecution over alleged Brexit bus claim

Boris Johnson could be privately prosecuted over allegations he misled the public during the EU referendum campaign by claiming the UK sends £350m to Brussels each week. Marcus Ball, a 29-year-old businessman, is bringing the private case against the former foreign secretary, who he alleges committed misconduct in public office by endorsing the £350m figure, knowing it to be untrue. On Tuesday, a judge agreed to hold a public hearing on May 23, the same day the UK heads to the polls to vote in the European Parliament elections. A big red bus emblazoned with the words “we send the EU £350m a week, let’s fund our NHS instead” is credited as being influential in Britain’s 2016 vote to leave the EU. The £350m figure did not take into account the UK’s rebate or the money that comes back via farming subsidies, regional development funds or grants to the private sector. The UK Statistics Authority has said these factors need to be taken into account.
14th May 2019 - Financial Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 15th May 2019

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Brexit Party Donations – “It Couldn’t Be Less Secure” Turlough Conway 14 May 2019 Subscribe Donate

Clearly a Political funding act nearly 20 years old cannot be fit for purpose in the digital age. In 2019, only suspicious transactions have faint or invisible traces and there is no reason why data on all contributions should not be comprehensive and available to the Electoral Commission on request. In my opinion, modern money laundering obligations on companies could provide the basis for a kind of system suited for modern elections and Political Parties. Architectures that allow transactions that are opaque or appear to be unnecessarily complex, making it difficult to identify the beneficial owner should be disallowed and preemptively punished. In 2018 the Electoral Commission’s guidelines stated: “We check the information parties provide to us, and evaluate the risk of those we regulate to prioritise our compliance monitoring. In the run-up to major elections and referendums we also carry out targeted campaign monitoring to check that people are complying with the rules on spending and donations.” The Electoral Commission must put action where these words are.
14th May 2019 - Byline Times

The cost of Labour party’s Brexit muddle

Labour is now paying for this confusion. As they prepare to go to the ballot box, many of these pro-Remain Labour voters face a stark choice: do they stick with Labour’s muddled position on Brexit or do they cast a clear vote for Remain by voting for the Lib Dems and others? According to Labour MP Ben Bradshaw, the YouGov poll shows that about 48 per cent of traditional Labour voters are preparing to vote for parties that are firmly pro-Remain and pro-second referendum. If that kind of shift is truly realised at the polls, Mr Corbyn will have a real problem on his hands.
14th May 2019 - Financial Times

Nigel Farage blasts Andrew Marr's 'ludicrous' BBC Brexit interview

Nigel Farage has again blasted Andrew Marr over his 'ludicrous' interview and accused the BBC of 'secretly' taking millions in EU cash while trying to keep him off TV. The Brexit Party leader, 55, clashed with the broadcaster, 59, on his Sunday morning show in a row that has shocked and split viewers. Mr Farage, who was asked about comments he had made about Putin, climate change and the NHS, said: 'It was bizarre that the ludicrous line of questioning persisted all the way through. This is a public service broadcaster that we all pay money to. We deserve better'.
14th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Brexit Party candidate tries to claim the EU is stopping the UK from tackling child poverty

A candidate for the Brexit Party has falsely claimed that the European Union is responsible for 'child poverty'. During an interview with Radio 4's Today Programme Mike Greene, who is campaigning to win the Peterborough by-election, said that once Brexit takes place, Britain will have more control over 'education and child poverty'. We'll have more control about what we do in education, what we do in child poverty, how we spend the money that's going to the EU at the moment. BBC political correspondent Ross Hawkins then questioned this notion from Greene, asking him which part of EU legislation is stopping the UK from doing those things. So which bit of European law or administration, or bureaucracy is stopping us from doing something that you would specifically like to do and address problems in child education and child poverty? Hawkins' question was met with relative silence as he didn't seem to know the answer to this query before blurting out this. I haven't gone into the detail of specific laws but what I do know is that we are hampered by laws that are being put in place by people that aren't elected. I don't see how the EU are helping.
14th May 2019 - Indy100.com

BBC’s Radio 4 Today savaged on Brexit by Labour MP: ‘Echo chamber ignoring working class’

Brexiteer John Mann MP launched an offensive on editors at the licence fee-funded corporation after it featured an interview with ardent Remainer Nick Boles MP, who quit the Tory Party to join the Independent Group, now Change UK. He tweeted: “The editors of the Today programme put on a different Brexit remain perspective every day, sometimes several. An echo chamber of how the middle classes choose to ignore the perspectives of working class Britain.”
14th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

Even changing leader will not save Tories, as new poll shows them level with Brexit Party for general election

Ousting Theresa May and replacing her with a Brexiteer will not save the Tories from electoral annihilation, according to a new poll that shows the Conservatives 12 percentage points down. The ComRes survey on voting intention found Labour leading on 27 per cent, with the Tories neck-and-neck with the Brexit Party on 20 per cent, and the Lib Dems trailing on 13 per cent. That represents a five percentage point fall for Labour since last month while the Lib Dems vote share rose by six percentage points. If the parties were to achieve these vote shares at a general election it would result in Labour being the largest party but 13 seats short of a majority - with Nigel Farage’s party emerging...
14th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Tommy Robinson faces new contempt case

After more than six months of complex legal delays, Lady Justice Sharp said the trial for contempt against Stephen Yaxley-Lennon- which carries a maximum sentence of two years - should go ahead. She said reasons for the decision would be given at a later date. Mr Robinson's supporters, who had gathered outside the Old Bailey, booed and chanted "shame on you" after it was announced.
14th May 2019 - BBC

Jeremy Hunt flounders on why people should vote Conservative

With Nigel Farage’s Brexit party riding high in the polls, the foreign secretary was questioned on why people should vote for his party but he initially could only come up with: “Because you believe in Conservative policies.” Challenged for a better answer, he said: “OK, let me give you another reason. Let me have another stab at it … Because we are not going to solve this problem by retreating to populist extremes.” Hunt, who is known to be building a leadership campaign team, said both the Conservatives and Labour would be “crucified by our bases” if they failed to implement Brexit by a general election.
14th May 2019 - The Guardian

How broken is our politics?

Or to put it another way, the political system is paralysed; disillusionment with the big established parties is seemingly at an all-time high; the traditional purgative of a general election is hard to administer (because of David Cameron’s fixed term parliament act). Even if it could be administered there is only a slim prospect the country would give a decisive answer to the question of who we want in charge (another hide-bound minority government looks likely). If the system is as bankrupt so one thng follows - we need electoral reform as adversorial politics is not working
14th May 2019 - ITV News

Boris Johnson could be challenged in court on Brexit vote claim

A judge will next week decide whether to summon Boris Johnson to court after the first hearing of a crowd-funded private prosecution over claims made by the MP during the 2016 EU referendum. Marcus Ball, who has accused Johnson of misconduct in public office, was applauded outside Westminster magistrates court on Tuesday by supporters who have helped him to raise more than £200,000 to finance the case. It relates to claims, emblazoned on the side of a bus used by the Vote Leave campaign during the referendum, that the UK sends £350m each week to the European Union. The hearing took place in private in front of district judge Margot Coleman ahead of a public hearing next Thursday, where an application for a summons will be considered. A legal team assembled by Johnson was in court. They included Adrian Darbishire QC and lawyers from BCL solicitors. Johnson was not present.
14th May 2019 - The Guardian

Case against Boris Johnson for ‘Brexit lies’ will have public hearing on EU election day

14th May 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Boris Johnson is facing a legal challenge over Vote Leave's £350 million Brexit bus claim

14th May 2019 - The indy100

Nigel Farage forced to admit claim about black people in Oldham was false

Nigel Farage has rowed back on a claim he made about black people in Oldham. But he immediately made another false claim about "Asian" people in the town, complaining that he was getting "caught up in terminology." The Brexit Party leader was branded "dangerous" after falsely claiming there was a street in Oldham where one side was populated by black people and the other entirely by white people. No such street exists.
14th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

EU settlement scheme doesn't work, say couple held at airport

The first flaws in the new immigration scheme for EU citizens who want to remain in the UK after Brexit have been exposed after a couple who live in Oxford were blocked from getting a flight back from Turkey to the UK. Arthur Vissing, a Danish citizen, and his Turkish wife, Ezgi Vissing, called on the government to urgently review its procedures to allow those who hold residency rights in the UK to travel unhindered. Their ordeal started last Thursday at Istanbul airport when British Airways told them a number of times Ezgi did not have the right paperwork to get on the flight. It took 24 hours, seven phone calls to the Home Office and others and the intervention of their Liberal Democrat MP, Layla Moran, before BA let them on the plane.
14th May 2019 - The Guardian

WATCH: The video Nigel Farage 'doesn't want you to see'

An old video has resurfaced of Nigel Farage waving cash around boasting about how little work he has to do as a Member of European Parliament to earn his money. Holding a wad of cash, he boasts to cameras: "Everyone's a winner!" He explains: "That represents four working days and one journey." Asked about how much it represents in English money, he says gleefully: "We're talking about £1,900." He proudly proclaims: "It's jobless!" While Farage produced the video to show how much money was on offer to MEPs at the European Parliament, they point to how much money he has claimed for poor attendance to brand him a "conman." He is ranked 745th out of the 751 politicians for the number of votes he has attended, according to Vote Watch Europe, and recently shrugged off the point that he had attended just one meeting of the EU fisheries committee out of 43.
14th May 2019 - The New European

Theresa May could have neutralised Nigel Farage. Now he's her worst nightmare

If you were asked to name, as I was recently, the most influential politician of the past 40 years, who would it be? My immediate response was Margaret Thatcher since she changed so much that had previously been taken for granted. But coming in second must be Nigel Farage, given the shattering impact Brexit has had on our national politics. It is a different sort of influence, of course. While Mrs T brought about far-reaching reforms that have affected the lives of millions – from presiding over City deregulation and the privatisation of the utilities to removing the power of the trade unions to hold the nation to ransom – Farage has been disruptive. He has become a lightning rod for the grievances of millions
14th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 14th May 2019

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Labour MPs Tell Corbyn Party Is ‘Haemorrhaging’ Votes To Lib Dems And Greens In Euro Elections

Jeremy Corbyn has admitted that Labour needs a clearer message on Brexit after a raft of his MPs warned the party was “haemorrhaging” votes to the pro-Remain Lib Dems and Greens. At a heated meeting of the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday night, the Labour leader faced repeated questions on why the party’s leaflets for the Euro elections had fudged its support for a public vote on a Tory Brexit deal. MP after MP got up to slam the damage being done by talks with the government, and warned that Labour faced an “existential threat” if it continued to be unclear about its position on quitting the EU. Corbyn pledged he would take “immediate” action to respond to the concerns, though he insisted that his anti-austerity message offered a chance to unite the country in both Remain and Leave areas.
13th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Lopresti ice cream boss handed restrictions over 'slavery risk'

The boss of a popular ice cream firm faces restrictions on his business after a judge raised concerns that he could commit slavery offences. Salvatore "Sam" Lopresti, 75, of Long Ashton, will not be able to employ staff or deal with wages at Lopresti Ice Cream, in Bristol. The measures are part of a Slavery and Trafficking Risk Order (STRO) that was imposed last week. However, he will not face a charge relating to modern day slavery. The company is owned by the family of Tory MP for Filton and Bradley Stoke, Jack Lopresti.
13th May 2019 - BBC

AstroTurfers of Britain Part Two: Who is Behind Brexit Party Recruitment and its PR Makeover?

Otto English delves deeper into Claire Fox and Spiked Online‘s close connection to Nigel Farage’s new party, and discovers another PR executive involved in recruiting potential MEPs. It seems just a few short weeks ago that we were howling at its laugh-a-minute ‘March for Leave’ and low-tech website. How did it turn from an amateurish outfit into an undeniably slick operation – with a superior launch video and a festival-style roadshow touring the country? And, on that journey, why has Nigel Farage stuck so steadfastly by Claire Fox, the only weak link in the chain?
13th May 2019 - Byline Times

Leave voters lash out at Jeremy Corbyn in huge Brexit rant - 'I voted Leave.

Leave voters in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, lashed out at Jeremy Corbyn, admitting they now prefer Nigel Farage to the left-wing leader after being Labour supporters for a long time.
13th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

Labour wipe out: Brexiteers send stern warning to Corbyn – 'He will be gone in no time'

Speaking to LBC's Theo Usherwood during an interview with Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage, Leave voters in Ponterfact vowed to vote against the Labour Party at the next general elections. Asked whether they will support West Yorkshire MPs Yvette Cooper or Jon Trickett, one passionate Brexit supporter said: “Jon Trickett will be gone. He will be gone. He will be wiped out in no time. He will be gone.”
13th May 2019 - Daily Express

Like Trump, Nigel Farage stands for nothing but himself. It’s up to us to oust him at the EU elections

Hard Brexiteers such as Farage and their cheerleaders don’t much like the institutions that are fundamental to a liberal, free democracy – the judiciary (described by the Daily Mail as “enemies of the people”), our independent civil service (accused of “fiddling the figures” by Jacob Rees-Mogg), the Bank of England (Brexiteers have called for the governor’s resignation) and backbench MPs defending their constituents’ jobs against a hard Brexit. They have all been subject to attack, abuse or threat. The reason we are in this mess is because Brexit, in the form that it was sold to the British people by the Brexit elite – Nigel Farage, Rees-Mogg and others, is impossible to deliver.
13th May 2019 - The Independent

800 voters turned away in ID trial during local elections

More than 800 people were unable to vote during a second trial of compulsory voter ID at this month’s local elections, according to interim figures. Across the eight out of 10 test areas that have so far given figures, 819 people were turned away from polling stations and did not return, according to the Local Government Chronicle (LGC). The average of 102 per area compares to 70 in the first trial last year, when 340 people were unable to vote in the five councils trialling the system. Labour and election organisations renewed their condemnation of the government’s planned national rollout of compulsory voter ID, which critics say disproportionately affects vulnerable voters and tackles a negligible problem.
13th May 2019 - The Guardian

Nigel Farage has joined the ‘BBC bias’ club. Now we know he’s not worth listening to

Nigel Farage has been a public fraud and phoney for decades. It is only recently that he has been calling the tune. His is the only story that is emerging from these weird elections, because the other pipers have lost their breath. The Tories are not campaigning at all. Labour is trying to be all things to all people, trying not to be eaten alive by the Brexit beast, that would have posed an unimaginable headache to any Labour leader, but the biggest one of all to Jeremy Corbyn, who has been a professional liar on Brexit since he first launched Labour’s campaign, three years ago at the Ministry of Truth.
13th May 2019 - The Independent

Pro-Remain voters drift away from Labour as Brexit feud rages on

Labour’s Brexit dilemma is deepening as Tom Watson, deputy leader, steps up calls for a clear commitment to a second EU referendum, amid signs that pro-Remain voters are abandoning the party. Barely two weeks ago, Mr Watson was routed by Jeremy Corbyn, who won a healthy majority at the party’s National Executive Committee against efforts to ensure that Labour back another referendum in all circumstances. But since then Mr Watson and other pro-EU senior shadow ministers have continued to wage their campaign against the more ambiguous policy championed by Mr Corbyn and a group of his top officials. Mr Corbyn’s policy has also failed to convince the voters, according to polls, with Labour supporters increasingly switching to other parties with clearer messages on Brexit, little more than a week ahead of EU elections.
13th May 2019 - Financial Times

Jeremy Corbyn has to get off the fence for Labour to see off the Faragists

There is no knowing if Jeremy Corbyn is capable of this agility or too stubborn to shift. But when driving towards a concrete wall, a swerve is advisable. Some obstacles have been removed. The People’s Vote campaign was viewed by some Labour conspiracy theorists as a way of covertly rallying anti-Corbynites. But now the Change UK group has split off, so far making very moderate headway, the path is clear for Labour remainers to be seen as just that – pro-Labour, pro-referendum, pro-remain, no subversive agenda. In this election Labour’s remainers will put country before party – and vote accordingly. The party’s Brexit voters have already fled. It’s for Corbyn to decide if he wants Labour humiliated: his remainers are waiting to hear, before they too defect.
13th May 2019 - The Guardian

Why is Nigel Farage all over the airwaves while my party barely gets a look-in?

Journalism largely missed or muddled the Brexit story because it is an exemplar of that inequality. To ward off criticisms of elitism, it gives platforms, again and again, to figures it misapprehends as voices of the people. Only an elite could mistake a wealthy, privately educated former commodities broker for a man of the people. The only way in which Farage has ever aided “the people” is in highlighting the unfairness of a system that gives much more weight to some votes and voices than others.
13th May 2019 - The Guardian

BBC is now the enemy, declares furious Farage after TV grilling

Nigel Farage has angrily accused the BBC of “outrageous bias” after he was repeatedly challenged in an interview about his past political views. During a series of confrontational exchanges on The Andrew Marr Show, the Brexit Party leader said that the broadcaster was in “denial” about public anger over Brexit. Marr used the interview to challenge Mr Farage over comments he has made in the past on issues such as immigration, climate change and gun control. He highlighted the politician’s previous support for bringing in a health insurance system for the NHS, relaxing laws on gun control and his admiration for Vladimir Putin. He also quoted Mr Farage as saying that worrying about global warming was the “stupidest thing in human history” and that he felt uncomfortable hearing foreign languages on Tube trains.
13th May 2019 - The Times

Theresa May’s husband will ‘persuade her’ to resign if she fails another Brexit deal within a month

Theresa May’s husband Philip will persuade her to resign if she fails to find a majority for a Brexit deal within a month, ministers now believe. Even No10 loyalists think the PM will find it impossible to overcome “such a head of steam” against her from Tory MPs and activists if the crippling deadlock continues into June.
13th May 2019 - The Sun

It’s time for Theresa May to choose her resignation date before the Tories are damaged further

The Tories are on course for their worst election performance ever as they bleed voters to the Brexit Party. Nigel Farage’s outfit is so new it doesn’t have any policies yet ­— imagine how much bigger the damage could get. Every day the PM remains in office, Jeremy Corbyn gets closer to power. News that one in ten wealth creators will flee Britain if Labour gets in is a reminder of how high the stakes are. No one could accuse Mrs May of not feeling a huge sense of public duty. But when even her adoring husband Philip admits she needs to resign, surely she must realise that she is now the problem, not the solution. This week Tory grandees will tell the PM to name the date she plans to hand over to a successor. She must do it.
13th May 2019 - The Sun

The Brexit Party’s Most Senior Election Official Says Tommy Robinson Has Been “Persecuted” And Islamophobia Is “Made Up”

The Brexit Party has distanced itself from its most senior election official after BuzzFeed News found he had defended Tommy Robinson and repeatedly mocked the concept of Islamophobia. Noel Matthews, the Brexit Party’s national election agent and the person with ultimate legal responsibility for its European election campaign, last year posted an article sympathetic to the far-right former EDL activist and wrote: “THIS. Tommy Robinson Drew Attention to Grooming Gangs. Britain Has Persecuted Him.” Nigel Farage has said that one of his main reasons for quitting UKIP and setting up the Brexit Party was his former party’s “fixation” with Robinson and Islam.
13th May 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Tactical Voting: Website 'RemainVoter.com' Aims To Stop Nigel Farage's Brexit Party

A new website targeted at Remain voters has been launched by data scientists in a bid to help tactical voting against the Brexit Party. RemainVoter.com promises to identify the best tactical voting options to stop candidates from Nigel Farage’s latest party winning a seat in the upcoming European elections. The site uses a new mathematical model to power a tactical voting engine for the European elections, said team leader and ex-Google software engineer Cheryl Hung. “We are entirely non-party political,” said Hung. “Our sole aim is to remain in the EU as we see the damage that leaving it will do to our country. “We understand that party politics, political reality and technical factors prevented a pro-Remain alliance.
13th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Labour send Euro vote campaign leaflets written in Welsh to homes in Highlands

The Labour Party sent campaign leaflets written in Welsh to voters in the Highlands after a Euro election bungle. Voters received bilingual literature that should have been sent to the Welsh Valleys. Labour has launched an investigation into the miscommunication, which resulted in Scots being implored in English to “Vote Welsh Labour on Thursday 23rd May”. The message - “Pleidleisiwch dros Lafur Cymru ar ddydd lan 23 Mai” - was posted alongside a picture of Jeremy Corbyn, who ads: “Theresa May and the Tories are in chaos and Britain is in crisis”. In Welsh, the message was “Mae Theresa May a’r Toraid mewn anhrefn ac mae Prydain mewn argyfwng.”
13th May 2019 - Daily Record

Andrew Marr's obsession with my past betrays the bias at the heart of the BBC

I'm not the first person to have been on the receiving end of BBC bias, and I won’t be the last. But with an election campaign under way, I had expected our state broadcaster to behave responsibly in its coverage of this pivotal moment for democracy in Britain. Not a bit of it. On Sunday 
I was on The Andrew Marr Show. I anticipated a tough and free-flowing interview about the Brexit Party, our candidates, their strikingly different backgrounds, our campaign, and the merits of MEPs and the EU elections. Instead, shortly after the interview began, Marr produced a piece of paper and started reading scripted questions relating to things I allegedly said or thought years ago – questions I did not want to be asked
13th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 13th May 2019

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Brexit: Nigel Farage explodes at BBC's Andrew Marr live on air, accusing him of 'most ridiculous interview ever'

Nigel Farage has launched a furious rant at Andrew Marr during a heated appearance on live television, accusing the BBC presenter of conducting the most “ridiculous” interview ever. The Brexit Party leader reacted with fury after being asked whether he still agreed with a series of controversial statements he had made in the past. Pushed on his previous comments about Vladimir Putin, gun control and immigrants with HIV, Mr Farage initially tried to defend the claims but quickly lost his temper at the line of questioning and demanded he instead be asked about this month’s European parliament elections.
12th May 2019 - The Independent

Nigel Farage angrily lashes out at Andrew Marr and BBC as he is grilled on controversial previous statements

12th May 2019 - Evening Standard

Change UK asks BBC to explain pulling Have I Got News For You

Change UK has written to the BBC to call for a full explanation of the decision not to air an episode of Have I Got News For You featuring its interim leader, Heidi Allen, claiming the broadcaster was providing Nigel Farage with unduly favourable coverage. The newly formed party also raised concerns over the fairness of the BBC’s coverage of Change UK and demanded an urgent review of the decision to “exclude” them from a BBC Wales election debate on Sunday before the European elections. Change UK’s campaign coordinator, Chris Leslie, raised concerns and referred to Nigel Farage’s appearance on Have I Got News For You in 2014 in the run-up to the EU parliament elections, although it was unclear if this fell within the pre-election period.
11th May 2019 - The Guardian

Have I Got News For You Heidi Allen episode pulled due to Euro elections

11th May 2019 - BBC

BBC cancel Have I Got News For You episode over appearance of Change UK leader Heidi Allen MP

11th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Have I Got News For You Heidi Allen episode pulled due to Euro elections

11th May 2019 - BBC

The BBC pull latest episode of Have I Got News For You over European election impartiality

11th May 2019 - iNews

BBC hits back at bias claims after Heidi Allen's Have I Got News For You episode axed

11th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Change UK demands 'reasonable voices from the centre ground' are heard in the election as it writes to BBC chief over 'impartiality' concerns

11th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Have I Got News For You: BBC pulls episode with Change UK leader Heidi Allen as appearance would have broken election rules

11th May 2019 - The Independent

Have I Got News For You pulled: Backlash as BBC pulls show over Heidi Allen European election impartiality concerns

11th May 2019 - Evening Standard

Change UK asks BBC to explain pulling Have I Got News For You

11th May 2019 - The Guardian

Have I Got News For You pulled after Change UK leader Heidi Allen booked as guest

11th May 2019 - Sky News

1st Jan 1970 -

1st Jan 1970 -

Brex-hit and run? Nigel Farage's chauffeur-driven 4x4 crashed into me and he just ‘upped and left' hours before Question Time, claims pub landlord

Mr Tranter told The Sun: ‘He lives two miles away and loves a pint, but he won’t get one from me. Man of the people, my arse. ‘As far as I’m concerned he’s barred.’ Farage, 55, last night denied the allegations and claiming he checked nobody was hurt, before adding: ‘If I’m banned, then it’s not too terrible is it?’ Mr Tranter, who has been visited by Farage at the George and Dragon pub in Westerham, Kent, in the past, had just been to drop his wife at the station and was driving home when the two cars collided in nearby Titsey. Mr Tranter, whose 1986 Jaguar Series 3 Sovereign was written off, added: ‘We crashed with an enormous bang. Farage could not possibly have failed to hear George screaming. I ran out to see if my little boy was OK. ‘Farage stepped out of the Range Rover, collected his bag from the boot and walked off. ‘He didn’t have the common decency to see if we were OK, and never even looked back.’
11th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Nigel Farage 'fled after 4x4 crashed into car carrying toddler'

11th May 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Nigel Farage ‘fled’ after his driver crashed with Jag carrying 13-month-old toddler in Kent

10th May 2019 - The Sun

Nigel Farage 'walked away from car' after chauffeur was in crash with dad and toddler

10th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Eurocrats remind us why we voted for Brexit

The star of the show is Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s floppy-haired Brexit coordinator, who was followed by TV cameras during the period in which British negotiators tried, and failed, to get Britain out of the EU. Any dispirited Brexiteer who needs reminding why they voted three years ago to leave the EU should watch it. I suggest that my Remainer friends should watch it too and then try telling me, with a straight face, that our future lies in an organisation as ghastly as this.
9th May 2019 - The Times

Verhofstadt and Tusk on Brexit!

10th May 2019 - The Economic Voice

Corbyn-style socialism will never provide the resources our precious NHS needs

I wish you could have been with me the other day when they showed me round the mental health facilities in my constituency in Uxbridge. You would have found it impossible not to have been moved. There was a toddler, a little girl, who had been born with a complex neurological condition – not unlike cerebral palsy – which was so severe that at first the doctors had held out little hope of improvement. She was sitting on the floor of a warm, bright room, decorated with colourful prints. She wore special spectacles, and a brace on her arm to help her co-ordination. On one side of her on the mat was her mother, and on the other was a young man – a therapist trained in dealing with exactly this kind of clinical issue
12th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Tony Blair launches most critical attack yet on Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit

Tony Blair has launched his most critical attack yet on Jeremy Corbyn's Brexit policy, claiming it meant the party was "doomed to fail" in last week's local elections. The former prime minister and leading campaigner for a second referendum says Labour's "destructive indecision" of trying to face both ways "pleased no one" and let down the country. Writing in The Observer ahead of an interview on Sophy Ridge On Sunday on Sky News, Mr Blair says that "despite everything" he will vote Labour in the European elections on 23 May.
12th May 2019 - Sky News

Polling guru John Curtice explains 'remarkable' rise of Brexit Party putting May on BRINK

“Having failed to deliver Brexit, the Conservatives now find themselves in a degree of electoral trouble. “Essentially amongst those who would still vote Conservatives in a Westminster election, that’s not a diminished number, around a quarter to 30 percent of people who would still vote for the Conservatives in a Westminster election, say they are going to vote for the Brexit Party.
12th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

Jess Phillips calls on social media sites to end hate speech profits

The Labour MP Jess Phillips has called for social media companies to stop hate preachers from profiting from their presence on online platforms, and called for political candidates to be banned from discussing raping politicians. YouTube stripped the ability to earn money from Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin’s account on Friday, after he joked about raping Phillips. West Midlands police said it is investigating Benjamin’s comments to establish if an offence has taken place. Benjamin stated in a tweet from 2016 that he “wouldn’t even rape” Phillips, who is the MP for Birmingham Yardley. In a YouTube video uploaded to his channel more recently, Benjamin said that “with enough pressure I might cave”. Phillips said on Saturday that there must be a “code of conduct” that would sanction parties if candidates fall foul of the rules. “I would back something that stopped somebody as part of normal political discourse talking about raping another politician, yes,” she said.
12th May 2019 - The Guardian

Nigel Farage loses his temper as BBC asks him about something other than Brexit

Nigel Farage lost his temper in a live TV spat today as the BBC asked him about something other than Brexit. The rattled Brexit Party leader blasted the "most ridiculous interview in my life" as he was grilled on his past remarks about the NHS, foreigners and climate change.
12th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Theresa May must go now if the Conservative Party is to survive

What is Jeremy Corbyn’s single most idiotic statement? It’s a crowded field, but his claim on Thursday that a second referendum could be “a healing process” is surely a strong contender. Since the 2016 vote, positions have tragically hardened on both sides. What began as a civil conversation has ended as something closer to a civil war. Reasonable arguments about trade, sovereignty and budgets have descended into a ghastly kulturkampf. Leavers are dismissed as dim-witted oiks led astray by demagogues. Remainers are caricatured as self-satisfied snobs who despise their own country. Language that used to be considered beyond the pale – “traitors”, “Nazis”, “saboteurs” – is now habitually employed
12th May 2019 - The Telegraph

'Islamophobic' activists trade in Tories for Nigel Farage

The dossier, compiled by the anti- racist researcher MatesJacob, demonstrates how large parts of the Tory and Ukip grassroots have migrated to the Brexit Party, among them white nationalists and prominent alt-right figures. One Facebook page with more than 4,000 members called “Brexit party supporters” is run by Simon Dearsley, who as recently as last month claimed to be a Tory party member. The tattoo artist has posted an image of himself impersonating Hitler and shared articles about “Islamic immigration” and the “genocide” of white Europe, writing “Enoch [Powell] was right”. The similarly named group, “the Brexit Party — Supporters”, with almost 14,000 members, is run by Luke Nash-Jones, an alt-right activist of the pro-Donald Trump organisation Make Britain Great Again. He was involved in an incident last year when Trump supporters raided a socialist bookshop in central London and ripped up magazines while chanting right-wing slogans. Police were called and Nash-Jones was later suspended from Ukip. Another group, “Nigel Farage Mr Brexit”, is jointly run by Andrew Spencer Machin, who has boasted about burning Korans and said that “Islam must be banned from Europe”. The other administrator, Abigail Winsor, sought to downplay an attack on a mosque in Birmingham by writing “Smashed windows isn’t a violent crime”.
12th May 2019 - Sunday Times

Nigel Farage interview: 'At the end of this campaign the Brexit Party will be a lot bigger than the Conservatives'

Theresa May had made a pre-dawn dash to Brussels to sign an agreement with the EU that already appeared to renege on some of her key pledges to Brexiteers. Mr Farage, using characteristic language, declared in a newspaper article that the "great Brexit betrayal" had begun. He was, he recalls with just a hint of glee, roundly mocked for doing so. Now, 17 months on, the former Ukip leader is leading a new party that is threatening to all but wipe out the Conservatives' footprint in the European Parliament next week, having existed for little over three months. He and his cohort are planning to cause maximum disruption
12th May 2019 - The Telegraph

EXCL Nigel Farage brands BBC 'the enemy' after angry interview over past statements

Nigel Farage brands BBC 'the enemy' after angry interview over past statements
12th May 2019 - Politics Home

Farage criticised for using antisemitic themes to criticise Soros

Nigel Farage’s Brexit party has described criticism by Jewish groups and MPs as “pathetic” after it emerged he repeatedly used themes associated with antisemitism to criticise the financier George Soros. Following strong condemnation of Farage’s use of language, echoing other conspiracy theories popular with antisemites, during interviews with the far-right US website Infowars, a Guardian investigation has found he called Soros “the biggest danger to the entire western world”, among other comments. The Community Security Trust, which monitors and counters antisemitic sentiment, said Soros was a favourite hate figure among far-right antisemites. “Instead of dismissing these concerns, Nigel Farage should ensure that his language does not help these ideas to spread in British politics,” the charity said.
12th May 2019 - The Guardian

Both Labour and the Tories have gone awol on Brexit

Extraordinarily, most Tories see no contradiction or impropriety in this. So great is their faith in the power of leadership that they do believe that, say, Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab could do a better job in Brussels than May, and – by sheer force of charisma and personality – whip the EU into line. This is the deep, collective delusion of a tribe that depends unhealthily upon the magical powers of its chieftain. It is no way to run a party, let alone a country. Just when we need both parties to be rigorously focused, they have wandered off into the woods of distraction. For the voters there is no such handy exit hatch from the present crisis, no panic room to hide in. The Conservatives and Labour have gone awol. Is it any wonder that Nigel Farage looks so happy?
12th May 2019 - The Guardian

The Observer view on the European elections and Nigel Farage’s malign message

The hostile environment, designed to make Britain a sufficiently cruel place that it drives out illegal immigrants, has ensnared people who have legally lived and paid taxes in Britain for decades, who have been denied NHS treatment and wrongfully deported. May has made it far harder for young people who have grown up in Britain to secure their permanent status: they face extortionate fees of thousand of pounds. The irony is May is an outrider: the public is far more pragmatic on immigration than the Conservative party; the proportion of the public whose hostility to immigration is driven by opposition to ethnicities and religions other than their own has fallen dramatically in the last few years.
12th May 2019 - The Guardian

Nigel Farage: Breaking point poster 'transformed politics'

The Brexit Party wouldn't put up UKIP's controversial "breaking point" anti-EU poster showing a long queue of migrants, MEP Nigel Farage has said. A number of politicians attacked the 2016 poster, featuring a photo taken in Slovenia, with George Osborne saying it had "echoes" of 1930s' literature. Speaking on the Andrew Marr programme, Mr Farage said the Brexit party wouldn't use it as "immigration isn't the burning issue of the time" but he defended using it in 2016.
12th May 2019 - BBC

Lib Dems and Change UK must stop bickering and unite for the Euro vote

Both the Lib Dems and Change UK like to commend the virtues of political traditions working with each other. They should act that way. They have their divergences of history, emphasis and approach and that may matter for the future. But these are irrelevant to a Euro election that revolves around one single, stark and enormous issue about which they are entirely agreed. Every minute wasted trying to cannibalise each other’s support is a minute not spent striving to maximise the overall anti-Brexit vote. It is too late for the Remain parties to field a common slate of candidates for the Euro elections; it is not too late to behave as friendly allies engaged in a common struggle.
12th May 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Gavin Williamson attacks Theresa May's talks with Labour

Prime Minister Theresa May's Brexit talks with the Labour Party are a "grave mistake", according to former defence secretary Gavin Williamson. Mrs May is hoping to reach a cross-party consensus on her withdrawal agreement after failing to get it through Parliament three times. But Mr Williamson - sacked over the Huawei leak - told the Mail on Sunday the talks were "destined to fail". He added Jeremy Corbyn's only real interest was a general election. BBC political correspondent Jonathan Blake said a Downing Street source had indicated Mr Williamson had been "supportive of the process while he was in the cabinet" and that he had "not been involved in the talks himself". The Conservative MP for South Staffordshire said doing a deal with Labour on Brexit "sounds so simple and so reasonable" - but would not work.
12th May 2019 - BBC

Brexit news: Jeremy Corbyn faces ultimatum from backbench Labour MPs to pull plug on talks with Theresa May

Former shadow cabinet member Mary Creagh told the Evening Standard: “Our members and voters are furious with these talks, which have done nothing except keep the Prime Minister in office and depress Labour’s vote at the local and European elections. “The Government are playing us for fools. If we stand in the middle of the road on Brexit, we’ll get run over from both directions.” Former Europe minister Chris Bryant warned Labour could not negotiate with a “phantom PM who will be gone in weeks” and who could not bind her successor into any agreement she makes. “We should stop faffing about, pull out of the talks and put our distinctive position to the people with an option to Remain,” he added.
11th May 2019 - Evening Standard

Is Boris Johnson going to fail at the last moment to become prime minister – again?

If they finally want to test the proposition that no one could be a worse prime minister than Theresa May, Johnson stands ready to offer a live experiment. And that, as Johnson broods over his plan for government, is his dilemma. The one thing worse for him than having the cup of victory dashed from his lips again would be to win. He would then become prime minister with Brexit unresolved and the EU waiting to hear what his plan would be by 31 October. So far as can be deduced from his weekly column in The Daily Telegraph urging the nation to buck up and look on the bright side, his plan is to renegotiate the withdrawal agreement and, when the EU says no, to leave anyway.
11th May 2019 - The Independent

Raab infuriating the EU with demands May 'never dared' make shows why he should be PM, allies say

A documentary showing the EU's Brexit negotiator criticising Dominic Raab over demands that Theresa May "never dared" to make is being used to support the former Brexit Secretary's burgeoning leadership campaign. Supporters of Mr Raab said the fury in Brussels at his approach to the talks showed that he would "stand up" for the UK. A clip showing Michael Barnier, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator, and Guy Verhofstadt, the European Parliament's Brexit coordinator, criticising Mr Raab's combative approach has been shared on Twitter and Facebook after being uploaded by supporters.
11th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Former Cabinet minister Dominic Grieve faces deselection vote next month from Tory activists furious over Brexit

Arch-Remainer Dominic Grieve is fighting for his political career after local Tory activists collected enough signatures to make him to face a deselection vote next month. The news comes after Beaconsfield Conservatives passed a vote of no confidence vote in Mr Grieve in March by 182 to 131 votes. Mr Grieve, the chairman of Parliament's intelligence watchdog, has been heavily criticised locally for his efforts in the House of Commons to frustrate attempts to take the UK out of the European Union. Now 66 local activists – more than the 50 required under the party’s rules – have submitted a formal notice calling for a deselection vote at a special general meeting.
11th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit Party beats Tories in general election poll and would win 49 seats in Commons

The Brexit Party has overtaken the Conservatives in national polling for the first time, with Nigel Farage predicted to win 49 seats in a general election, a bombshell poll reveals. A ComRes survey found that if a general election campaign led by Theresa May took place now, it would put the Tories on course for their worst result in history – apparently confirming the fears of Conservative MPs and activists in uproar over the Prime Minister’s handling of Brexit. Labour would become the largest party by a margin of 137 seats, allowing Jeremy Corbyn to lead a minority government as the Tories fell to third place in terms of vote share.
11th May 2019 - The Telegraph

UKIP candidates urge followers to switch to far-right social network Gab

Leading figures on the far right, including Ukip candidates in the upcoming European elections, are encouraging their followers to join a new hate-filled social media platform. The network, called Gab, has no restrictions on antisemitic, misogynist or racist content, and has been used to promote terrorism. Gab, launched in 2017 by tech entrepreneur Andrew Torba, describes itself as a vehicle for “free speech” and is similar to Twitter in that it allows users to send messages of up to 3,000 characters, called “gabs”. However, unlike Twitter, its user base mainly consists of people on the far right, many of whom joined after being banned from mainstream networks such as Facebook and Twitter.
11th May 2019 - The Guardian

Haringey: Expelled councillor hits back at ‘hard left, Corbynista’ dominated Labour Party

An unsigned letter from the national Labour Party’s governance and legal unit, dated 10 May, informed Blake that her membership had been automatically ended and included images of five tweets from March and one from April which Blake had re-tweeted as “evidence provided” to justify the decision. But Blake strongly disputes these grounds, telling On London that, “At no time have I ever expressed support for Change UK or encouraged anyone to vote for them” and saying it is “the grip the hard Left has on the party both nationally and locally which has led to my expulsion”. Most of the tweets in question reflected Blake’s support for a further referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union and what she describes as her “increasing frustration with Jeremy’s Corbyn’s prevarication over Europe”.
11th May 2019 - OnLondon.co.uk

UKIP battle bus slapped with parking ticket and attacked with milkshake in Plymouth

A UKIP battle bus was hit with a parking ticket and had milkshake thrown over it during a party rally in Plymouth. It was left unattended on a yellow line next to Plymouth’s Messenger statue as controversial candidate Carl Benjamin staged a rally in the city centre. The purple vehicle was hit with a parking ticket before having a light-coloured drink thrown over its side. Would-be MEP Mr Benjamin was speaking to about 150 supporters in Armada Way this afternoon.
11th May 2019 - Plymouth Live

Reporting on Brexit from Europe: 'I'll be mighty glad when it's over'

Throughout the entire process, it appears from here, the Brits have been negotiating essentially with themselves, rather than with the EU27. And when they have tried they have proved inconsistent, incoherent, entitled and wholly incapable of compromise either with themselves or their neighbours. Above all, Britain has been unrealistic, and startlingly ignorant of the workings of an organisation it has belonged to for nearly 50 years. So much of what has been proposed from the UK side has simply been impossible – but because it continues to view Europe through that uniquely British prism, it proposed it all the same.
11th May 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit Party beats Tories in general election poll and would win 49 seats in Commons

The Brexit Party has overtaken the Conservatives in national polling for the first time, with Nigel Farage predicted to win 49 seats in a general election, a bombshell poll reveals. A ComRes survey found that if a general election campaign led by Theresa May took place now, it would put the Tories on course for their worst result in history – apparently confirming the fears of Conservative MPs and activists in uproar over the Prime Minister’s handling of Brexit. Labour would become the largest party by a margin of 137 seats, allowing Jeremy Corbyn to lead a minority government as the Tories fell to third place in terms of vote share.
11th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Farage, Rees-Mogg, Claire Fox... Britain is seduced by politicians who are ‘characters’

Then there’s the undeniable fact that privileged journalists, like their political counterparts, subconsciously know they don’t have skin in the game and will not suffer the fate of farmers, car workers and aviation engineers. Standing above all these, however, has been a refusal to reveal the menace behind the masks of the right’s character actors. Nigel Farage plays the old English hearty full of cakes and ale. Boris Johnson is Billy Bunter with a smattering of Latin. Jacob Rees-Mogg poses as an Edwardian lawyer calmly laying out the facts. In short, Brexit is being pushed towards its miserable conclusion by men who raided the fancy-dress box for traditional robes. What else should you call him? Farage is not a patriotic conservative who opposes Britain’s enemies, as his support for Vladimir Putin shows. Johnson in turn is not a traditional conservative who promotes enterprise, as his cry of “fuck business” proves. Indeed, Johnson and Michael Gove’s Vote Leave campaign began with a pre-emptive attack on the CBI, to discredit its warnings about dangers of Brexit to the economy. They aren’t conservatives, they are far-rightists. Why is it so hard to admit that we are no different from any other country caught in nationalist backlash?
11th May 2019 - The Guardian

Sajid Javid says he is attacked daily online by Asians and the 'far Left' because he is not 'brown enough'

Sajid Javid has said he is attacked daily on social media by Asians and the “far Left” because he is "not brown enough", as he gives a big hint he will stand to succeed Theresa May as party leader. The Home Secretary said in an interview that he is receiving racist abuse on social media on a daily basis and that “they don’t like me because of my colour”. Mr Javid is one of the frontrunners to succeed Mrs May who is under pressure from her backbenchers to set a clear “roadmap” for her exit. So far she has only said she will stand down once the Brexit deal has been agreed.
10th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Andrew Neil warns of 'imminent extinction' in brutal Brexit analysis – 'May still here'

As Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn battle to break the Brexit deadlock in cross-party talks, Mr Neil poked fun at the political situation in Britain and warned of an "imminent extinction" of the main political parties. Hosting BBC This Week, Mr Neil said: “The Maybot is still Prime Minister. Tory MPs are still in search of a spine. Jezza the red is still Labour leader. The Labour Party still searching for a Brexit policy that could survive a minute of scrutiny.
10th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

Question Time: Nigel Farage can't give audience answer to simple Brexit question

Nigel Farage failed to provide a straight answer when an audience member grilled him over Brexit on BBC Question Time in Northampton. Name me one country within the WTO rules that doesn't have a trade agreement with another country, he asked. In response, the former commodities trader said: "No I don't the answer to the question, because actually there isn't one." The questioner then told the politician that this was the scheme he was proposing to the public, resulting in applause from other members of the audience.
10th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Tommy Robinson's offer of MEP salary rejected by charities

Tommy Robinson’s pledge to donate his hypothetical European parliament salary to child victims of sexual grooming has been criticised as “an insult to survivors of abuse” by women’s groups who said he was “no ally for the children he claims to stand up for”. The coalition of women’s groups said Robinson exploited the pain suffered by victims in a self-serving attempt to fuel racial hatred. “We, as organisations and individuals fighting tirelessly against the abuse of women and girls, as survivors of abuse and their families, and as people who care about our communities, do not want your money, Tommy,” the letter read.
10th May 2019 - The Guardian

“Super callous fragile racist sexist UKIP a***hole”: Carl Benjamin visits Truro

The unidentified protestor, who was masked and dressed in black, was tackled to the ground after attempting to pour a milkshake over the prospective MEP, mimicking a similar assault on UKIP advisor Tommy Robinson earlier this month. In a statement concerning the incident, the police said that the assault had been investigated but no formal complaint had been made as the alleged victim did not identify himself to officers at the scene.
10th May 2019 - Falmouth Anchor

Ann Widdecombe compares no deal Brexit to the suffering of World War II

Brexit Party candidate Ann Widdecombe suggested that any disruption brought on by a no-deal Brexit is justified as it will not compare with the suffering during the Second World War. The former Tory minister retired from politics in 2010 and has made a comeback as a candidate for Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party for the European elections on 23 May. Journalists from the BBC’s Radio 4 Today Programme captured the moment she evoked the Second World War while on the campaign trail, in something which is proving a common theme for Brexiteers.
9th May 2019 - The London Economic

Labour’s Brexit Position is so unambiguous, no one can decide how ambiguous it is, or isn’t

Since the words came out, there has been much debate over whether Labour’s Brexit policy is ambiguous. It is in favour of Brexit. There’s nothing ambiguous about that. If there is any ambiguity, it might just be because the truth cannot be heard above the clanging cymbals of cognitive dissonance going off in the heads of hundreds of thousands of Labour Party members, and millions of Labour Party supporters, as they try and accept their party is unequivocally pro-Brexit, and thus, anathema to everything it has ever stood for.
9th May 2019 - The Independent

Nigel Farage stands by claim that people with HIV should be banned from UK

Challenging the Brexit Party leader on his past views on Sunday, Andrew Marr asked: “Do you still feel that people with HIV shouldn’t be allowed into this country?” Farage responded: “Do I think the National Health Service is there for British people? Yes, I absolutely do.” The Brexit Party leader, who has not released a manifesto ahead of the European Elections was also pressed over his past statements that the UK should move to an insurance-based healthcare system and allow people to own handguns. Brexit Party candidate Alka Sehgal Cuthbert is a critic of LGBT+ inclusive education programmes. In a 2017 column for right-wing website Spiked, Cuthbert, a part-time English teacher and educational consultant, slammed education watchdog Ofsted for “forcing a religious school to include homosexuality in the curriculum.”
12th May 2019 - Pink News

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 10th May 2019

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UKIP EU election candidate QUITS over Carl Benjamin as police probe rape remarks

A UKIP EU election candidate has quit the party in protest at rape 'joke' furore candidate Carl Benjamin. Robert McNeil-Wilson - a candidate on UKIP's Welsh list - handed in his resignation just weeks before the May 23 poll. In an e-mail seen by the Mirror, he told party chiefs using Mr Benjamin and fellow YouTuber Mark Meechan as candidates showed UKIP was no longer a "serious, reasonable, responsible and credible party". It is too late for him to be taken off UKIP's slate, so he has vowed to quit the EU Parliament immediately if he is elected.
10th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

UKIP EU election candidate quits mid-campaign over Carl Benjamin's rape 'joke'

9th May 2019 - Yahoo!

@Peston Femi Oluwole, of our Our Future Our Choice, or @OFOCBrexit, the influential young campaigner for a people's vote, came within a whisker of being the single pro-referendum candidate in the Peterborough by-election

Femi Oluwole, of our Our Future Our Choice, or @OFOCBrexit, the influential young campaigner for a people's vote, came within a whisker of being the single pro-referendum candidate in the Peterborough by-election. He was a candidate until just two hours before the official...
9th May 2019 - @Peston

@BBCThisWeek “You have dragged your party into the gutter and created a new opening for Nigel Farage?” @afneil “I don’t agree with that, I have not done that”

“You have dragged your party into the gutter and created a new opening for Nigel Farage?” @afneil “I don’t agree with that, I have not done that” @GerardBattenMEP who says UKIP membership is going up under his leadership - And he challenges claims from @leicesterliz #bbctw
9th May 2019 - @BBCThisWeek

Who needs policies? Jeremy the bearded messiah is back

After Jeremy Corbyn’s arrival had been greeted with a standing ovation from a sizeable crowd that had turned up for the occasion, Jayne Maxwell, one of Labour’s prospective MEPs in Scotland – presumably all the candidates in the south-east had reckoned their chances might be improved by not being seen in public with the Labour leader – set the tone. Labour was on a roll, she said. And she knew this because the party had made massive gains in last week’s local elections. No one had bothered to tell her Labour had actually lost more than 60 seats.
9th May 2019 - The Guardian

MPs give themselves ANOTHER holiday amid Brexit crisis

MPs will desert Westminster on an 11-day break at the end of the month despite the ongoing Brexit crisis, it was revealed today. Commons' Leader Andrea Leadsom confirmed that the Whitsun recess will begin on May 23 - the day of the European Elections - with MPs not due to return until June 4. The announcement came amid an ongoing crisis over the UK's departure from the EU and Theresa May's premiership.
9th May 2019 - Daily Mail

May buys time with hints at new withdrawal bill vote and exit date

Theresa May has bought herself another week’s grace as prime minister, hinting she will bring the EU withdrawal bill to parliament before the European elections and promising to meet a powerful backbench committee who have demanded that she set out her timetable for stepping down. After a fortnight of furious demands by Tory MPs that she give a firm date for her departure, Sir Graham Brady, the chair of the 1922 Committee, said May had agreed to meet him and the 13-strong executive of Tory backbenchers next week. He gave no indication that May intended to provide a firm departure date at the meeting, but the promise will buy the prime minister an extra week to continue cross-party Brexit talks with Labour, before the Conservatives could consider changing leadership rules to force her exit.
9th May 2019 - MSN.com

Britain’s chief negotiator Olly Robbins ‘asked to become Belgian’

Britain’s chief Brexit negotiator told his counterparts in Brussels that he wanted to become an EU citizen after Brexit, behind-the-scenes footage for a BBC documentary reveals. Olly Robbins, Theresa May’s chief EU advisor, said that he would like to take EU citizenship after Brexit, Guy Verhofstadt, Brexit co-ordinator of the European parliament, told the BBC documentary Brexit: Behind Closed Doors, which continues tonight. “Olly Robbins came to me and said ‘Guy, can I become a Belgium citizen after this whole thing because I don’t think I will return,” Mr Verhofstadt is recorded telling the programme.
9th May 2019 - The Times

UK's chief negotiator ‘joked that he would want EU citizenship after Brexit’

9th May 2019 - The Independent

Verhofstadt claims Theresa May's Brexit chief Olly Robbins asked for Belgian citizenship

9th May 2019 - Express.co.uk

The Brexit party is a post-politics entity

No matter how long you research, you'll never find any content in the Brexit party. There is no manifesto. Its website is a politics-free zone. This is a product made entirely of packaging. It's not even really clear what its Brexit policy is. There's a reference to "WTO Brexit" in Leave Means Leave boss Richard Tice's Twitter feed, and "clean Brexit" - whatever that is - from party leader Nigel Farage. Do they mean no aviation treaties between Britain and Europe? No equivalence arrangements for financial services? No cooperation on border processes? Presumably not. And if not, they are talking about some kind of deal, just a different one. But even to go into that kind of very basic detail is to exceed what they have to offer. There have no ideas at all. And they're not supposed to. Their retail offer is emotional.
9th May 2019 - Politics.co.uk

'There are two types of Boris Johnson': Former chancellor George Osborne takes a dig at ex-mayor

Former chancellor George Osborne has said there are two different versions of Boris Johnson and he isn't sure which one will turn up to a potential future Conservative leadership contest. Speaking to ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston, Mr Osborne claimed one version is "hard Brexit Boris" and the other "the mayor who won Tory victories in a city that previously always voted Labour". He said he doesn't see how she can continue as PM and claimed the sooner the Conservative Party can move on, the better. "She can't pass the Brexit deal, she's tried, she's been trying since December, she's not relying on Jeremy Corbyn to save her, despite at the same time saying he's unfit for office. "That's not a sustainable position for a prime minister."
9th May 2019 - ITV News

ASTROTURFERS OF BRITAIN the Brexit Party's Artificial Grass Roots

Astroturfing is the process of masking the sponsors of an entity by making it appear that an organization has emerged from the grassroots. While there is little doubt that many of the “Leavers of” groups are run by genuine and dedicated Brexiters the fact that Leavers of Britain is registered to an address with links to both Vote Leave and John Mills should raise legitimate questions about the authenticity of this movement. The people of Yorkshire, where Lucy Harris is standing as an MEP will no doubt want to know. And frankly, so do I.
9th May 2019 - Byline Times

Tories could come sixth in European elections, officials fear

Conservative officials fear the party could come sixth in the European elections, with their support plummeting to single digits. Candidates running in the election said the party was “almost in denial” that the poll was happening and continued to insist they would not need to take up their seats in the European parliament, despite fading prospects for a cross-party deal with Labour that would enable Brexit to happen before 2 July. The fears of a dismal performance have been stoked by the fact that the party plans to spend no money on candidate campaigning, will not publish a manifesto and is refusing to hold a launch. One MEP said candidates were funding their campaigns out of their own pockets, unlike previous years when there was a central pot of funding available. They have been told they are allowed to have their own regional manifestos, but many are not bothering, and there will be no central party manifesto.
9th May 2019 - The Guardian

David Gauke says 'wishful thinking' of pro-Brexit colleagues has fuelled voter anger

David Gauke has blamed the “wishful thinking” of his pro-Brexit colleagues during the EU referendum for fuelling voter anger across the country. In a major speech, the Justice Secretary said their claims that leaving the bloc would be easy and not cause any problems "has not survived the collision with reality". He also warned his fellow Tories that “over-simplifying and failing to deliver will only encourage further disenchantment” among the public.
9th May 2019 - Politics Home

Tory MP Nicky Morgan installed CCTV and panic alarms as unemployed pro-Brexit troll, 44, who lives with his parents threatened to 'send her to the burns unit'

Tory MP Nicky Morgan was threatened by a pro-Brexit troll who said he would send her 'to the burns unit' and leave her 'scarred for life' if she knocked on his door. Lee Hickling, 44, using the alias Ray Brendon Smith, said that the Remain-backing Loughborough MP had done nothing for the town and 'needs a good kicking' in a series of threatening Facebook posts.
8th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Meet The Brexit Party's Climate Science Deniers

While it might seem like a single-issue party, there’s something striking about the list of candidates we’ve been gradually drip-fed since its formal launch on 12 April: the sheer number who still can’t accept the science on climate change or just don’t think it’s worth the effort of doing anything about.
2nd May 2019 - Des.Mog.co.uk

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 9th May 2019

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Sky Views: Tug of war over May's exit date a proxy for the Brexit civil war

In the end, the prime minister chose her side. After months of trying to hold together the two very different wings of her parliamentary party, she finally weighed in behind Remainers. There would be no no-deal, instead there would be delay - for as long as it took to get a Brexit deal across the line. It has been a torturous journey for her party as MPs and members have watched their prime minister move from "Brexit means Brexit", to "no-deal is better than a bad deal", before performing a hand-break turn to "it's my deal or no Brexit" to go full (nearly) full circle on Tuesday and confirm the UK will after all fight the EU elections.From the ill-fated snap election to this Brexit bungle, under Mrs May's leadership the Tories have gone into free fall.
8th May 2019 - Sky News

Brexit latest news: Theresa May buys time by agreeing to discuss her future with backbenchers next week

Theresa May has been given a stay of execution by her backbench MPs
 after agreeing to meet them next week to discuss her future as leader. The Prime Minister had been given a deadline of 4pm on Wednesday to set out a timetable for her departure, but she bought herself another a week in which to set a timetable for her departure
8th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May’s ‘Dancing Queen’ speech brutally mocked by Guy Verhofstadt and his aides in BBC Brexit documentary

The bitter nature of Brexit negotiations has been laid bare in a BBC documentary due to air on Wednesday night showing European Parliament Brexit coordinator Guy Verhoftstadt and his team ridiculing Theresa May‘s Tory Party conference speech. The Brexit: Behind Closed Doors documentary, recorded over two years by Belgian filmmaker Lode Desmet, shows acrimony towards the British Government from many in Brussels.
8th May 2019 - iNews

Michel Barnier accuses Nigel Farage of lying during Brexit referendum campaign

Michel Barnier, the European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator, has accused Nigel Farage of telling lies during the referendum campaign. Mr Farage denied he lied and challenged Mr Barnier to, “Tell me one thing I said that was untrue”. Mr Barnier was speaking in Zagreb, Croatia at a “citizens dialogue” ahead of European elections later this month, where Mr Farage’s Brexit Party are expected to triumph. He warned that the MEP and former Ukip leader hopes to destroy the EU. Mr Barnier said on Wednesday that the British people were not told of the risks Brexit would pose to peace in Ireland before they voted to leave in 2016.
8th May 2019 - The Telegraph

David Davis 'Did Not Give A F**k' About The Irish Border During Brexit Talks, EU Figures Claimed

At one point, Verhofstadt’s head of office, Guillaume McLaughlin, discusses the meeting with Davis, who eventually quit as Brexit secretary in July 2018. He says: “David Davis explained to us that Ireland is not a problem, they have got lots of control systems, they know everybody who is going in and out across the border, they have automatic... and they will take a loss in the excise duties that they are getting but it doesn’t really matter. “So basically - ’we don’t really give a fuck what goes through our border, in any case we know who the baddies are, there might be a problem with terrorism, and if there’s a problem with terrorism that might be a problem, but okay.’”
8th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

EU officials privately branded Theresa May's Brexit strategy 'insane' and 'pathetic', film shows

EU officials involved with Brexit negotiations privately considered aspects of Theresa May’s approach “insane” and “pathetic”, a new behind-the-scenes documentary shows. BBC camera crews were given access to Brexit officials in the European parliament to make Brexit: Behind Closed Doors, a two-part series focusing on the team around Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator. It shows officials having completely lost confidence in the UK’s ability to negotiate, with frustration regularly boiling over at behaviour emanating from the government in London.
8th May 2019 - The Independent

Storyville: Brexit Behind Closed Doors was like watching a car crash in slow motion

“What they’re trying to do with Brexit is take an old car and fix it,” announced another, even as a weary Verhofstadt announced he’d spent time with Brexit Secretary David Davis at a vintage car fair: “We discussed nothing, of course.” Things worsened considerably with the arrival of the Irish question. Guy Verhofstadt went to Northern Ireland to learn first-hand about life on the border during The Troubles. Davis said there was no problem with Ireland. The committee collectively sighed. “They might actually stay – the worst possible outcome,” someone noted gloomily. Brexit: it gets to us all in the end.
8th May 2019 - iNews

Swastika painted on building of Jewish Brexit party candidate

Police are investigating after a Jewish candidate standing for the Brexit party at the European elections had a 10 metre (30ft) swastika painted on his company’s building in east London. Lance Forman, a businessman who owns the H Forman & Son smoked salmon company, found his headquarters and restaurant near the Olympic Park had been daubed with an antisemitic mural. Forman’s business is the UK’s oldest salmon curer, which was set up by his great-grandfather in 1905. A Met police spokesman said officers were investigating a suspected incident of race-related criminal damage. It is thought to have occurred shortly before midnight on Tuesday.
9th May 2019 - The Guardian

Curtain-haired slimeball Guy Verhofstadt proves he’s the most repugnant figure in Brussels

No more repugnant figure struts the ­corridors of Brussels than the curtain-haired slimeball Guy Verhofstadt. Try as they might, even the drunk Juncker or the peacock Barnier cannot match the Belgian’s detestable blabbermouthed arrogance.
8th May 2019 - The Sun

Politics is descending into farce as the intransigent Theresa May still refuses to go

It is now a month since the House of Commons has divided on a motion. To the justified derision of those outside, it has frequently risen in mid-afternoon for lack of anything to do. On Tuesday, the Government trumpeted as an iconic Parliamentary moment the Second Reading of the Wild Animals in Circuses (No. 2) Bill. The ban will affect only two circuses and a grand total of 19 animals. This paralysis is the result of the barely believable intransigence of a Prime Minister consumed by the increasingly deluded aim of passing an Agreement which MPs have thrice told her in emphatic terms is a bad deal. Her response each time has been unmoved: “Pass my deal.”
8th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit latest news: Theresa May buys time by agreeing to discuss her future with backbenchers next week

Theresa May has been given a stay of execution by her backbench MPs
 after agreeing to meet them next week to discuss her future as leader. The Prime Minister had been given a deadline of 4pm on Wednesday to set out a timetable for her departure, but she bought herself another a week in which to set a timetable for her departure
8th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Sinn Fein claims UK Government ‘assured’ gay marriage in Northern Ireland

The human rights group Amnesty International has accused the Government of consciously frustrating attempts to circumvent Stormont on the issue of equal marriage. Spokesman Patrick Corrigan said that while Amnesty was not aware of the specific assurances mentioned by Murphy, it believes that there were plans to let backbenchers take control of the process. “As a draft DUP-Sinn Fein deal was shaping up last February, Karen Bradley [then-Northern Ireland Secretary] gave an on-the-record response to a written question from Conor McGinn MP, which committed the Government only to allowing a free vote if backbenchers brought same-sex marriage legislation to Parliament,” he told the Belfast Telegraph.
8th May 2019 - Pink News

Tories mount lacklustre campaign for European Parliament election

The Conservatives are mounting a lacklustre campaign ahead of the European Parliament election on May 23, as Britain’s governing political party edges towards the poll with a sense of dread. Senior party figures admit they could take a hammering as voters turn to Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party to protest against Theresa May and her failure to deliver the UK’s withdrawal from the EU. Last week’s local elections, which saw the Conservatives lose almost 1,300 council seats and control of 37 councils, has highlighted how disillusioned many voters are with the party. The Tories are so underwhelmed by its chances in the European elections it is not expected to hold an official campaign launch, or even publish a manifesto.
8th May 2019 - Financial Times

May promises new vote on Brexit deal in next two weeks

Theresa May has told senior Tories she will make a fourth attempt to break the Westminster deadlock on Brexit before European elections take place on May 23, as she tries to head off growing demands that she quit. But the prime minister has also promised to meet the executive of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs next week to discuss a timetable for her departure. “She’s living from day to day,” said one minister. Brandon Lewis, the Conservative chairman, warned a sullen meeting of Tory MPs on Wednesday night to expect the worst in the European Parliament elections. Downing Street fears that the results will lead to a clamour for Mrs May to step down. The prime minister tried to buy time by telling senior Tories that she would bring forward the legislation to ratify her withdrawal treaty in the next two weeks, even though the chances of winning the backing of MPs currently look minimal.
8th May 2019 - Financial Times

Tory former minister blasts 'utterly selfish Number 10' in wake of election humiliation

A Conservative former minister has branded Downing Street "utterly selfish" after the party suffered a local elections drubbing. Robert Halfon said failures over Brexit and a lack of strong leadership from Theresa May had weakened the party as he warned its grassroots campaigning power was on "life support." The former deputy chairman of the Conservatives launched the blistering attack on Downing Street after the party last week lost almost a third of the councils it was contesting at the local elections.
8th May 2019 - Politics Home

My message to the SNP on 'cybernats': Stop perpetuating a Unionist myth

A gentrification of Scottish political engagement is now in full spate. It began to gather pace during the first Scottish independence campaign when the UK’s political elites began to encounter forces they felt unable to control by the usual means. These political classes (and they are by no means confined to the Conservative and Unionist Party) until recent years had always set the order and laid down the rules by which politics is permitted to unfold in this country. Anyone who threatened to reveal the truth of these matters or who refused to abide by the rules set down a long time ago could only hope to get so far before having their collars felt and their lives trashed
8th May 2019 - The National

Labour staff could take strike action after rejecting latest pay offer by bosses

Staff working for the Labour party could take strike action after rejecting a third and "final" pay offer by bosses. The decision, at an emergency meeting at Labour HQ, came despite the GMB and Unite unions both recommending that they accept the proposal. It is understood that staff voted by 137-37 against the offer, with some union members shouting "strike, strike, strike" as the meeting broke up.
8th May 2019 - Politics Home

May given until 4pm TODAY to spell out when she will quit

Theresa May has set up a showdown next week with MPs furious at her refusal to reveal when she will quit over Brexit failures. The Prime Minister will face senior backbenchers on the influential 1922 Committee next Wednesday after making an agreement with committee chairman Sir Graham Brady yesterday. It came after she faced a brutal public assault on her leadership today as backbench anger at her failure to stand down reached fever pitch in a row threatening to tear the Conservative Party apart. She had been given a 4pm deadline to set out a 'roadmap' for standing down but has been given a week's grace to explain her plans to the committee next week.
8th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Brexit: Theresa May rejects calls to resign

The PM has rejected calls to quit over her handling of Brexit, saying it is "not an issue about me". Theresa May was replying to Tory Brexiteer Andrea Jenkyns, who said she had "failed to deliver on her promises" and had lost public trust. Calls have been growing for the prime minister to name an exit date. The PM's spokesman said she had already promised to leave after delivering the first stage of Brexit and was sticking to that "generous and bold offer". Mrs May has agreed to address a meeting of the 1922 Committee - an elected body of Tory MPs which represents backbenchers and oversees leadership contests - next week. Its chairman, Sir Graham Brady, told the BBC he had had two "very good meetings" with the PM, organised to raise concerns about her leadership.
8th May 2019 - BBC

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage tears into Theresa May

Nigel Farage has branded Theresa May the most dishonest Prime Minister of his lifetime over her handling of the country's exit from the EU. The leader of the burgeoning Brexit Party said that Mrs May had promised many times that the UK would leave the bloc following the 2016 referendum vote. But speaking on Good Morning Britain today, he slammed her failure to secure an exit and said the only reason she still leads the Conservatives is because 'Tory MPs have not got the backbone to get rid of her'.
8th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Expenses watchdog suspended official credit cards belonging to 377 MPs

Hundreds of MPs including Jeremy Corbyn, Boris Johnson and nine Cabinet ministers have had official credit cards suspended by the expenses watchdog. They are among the 377 MPs to be penalised since 2015 for breaking the rules by not providing receipts or failing to pay back ineligible expenses. The Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority tried to prevent the disclosure, saying it would have a ‘chilling effect’ on its relations with MPs.
8th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Revealed: Expenses watchdog suspended official credit cards belonging to 377 MPs including Jeremy Corbyn and Boris Johnson

7th May 2019 - MSN.com

Theresa May Says She Can Stage Comeback Like Jurgen Klopp And Liverpool

Theresa May tried to channel Jurgen Klopp on Wednesday when she said the Conservative Party could make a comeback on Brexit – just like Liverpool had against Barcelona on Tuesday night. What the prime minister might have forgotten is that the Liverpool manager has said Brexit “makes no sense” and has backed a second referendum.
8th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Theresa May vows Liverpool-style comeback in Europe

8th May 2019 - Politico.eu

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 8th May 2019

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Cost of staging European elections rockets by £50m

The cost of staging this month’s European elections has rocketed by £50 million after Theresa May delayed preparations by insisting the poll would not be necessary. The extra cost - which is 50 per cent higher than originally thought - includes millions of pounds in “contingency” costs in case parties have to be reimbursed for the cost of fielding candidates who never get to take up their seats in the European Parliament. Brexit-backing Tory MPs described the cost of the elections as “a complete waste of public money” and said taxpayers would be appalled. The Government is expected to announce later this week that the cost of the elections on May 23 will be £156m, compared to £108.7m when they were held last time
8th May 2019 - The Telegraph

EU elections WILL go ahead costing us £150m because of Brexit deadlock

8th May 2019 - The Sun

European elections to go ahead because Theresa May can't do Brexit in time, government admits

8th May 2019 - The Independent

Police investigate Ukip candidate over Jess Phillips rape comments

Police are investigating comments by a Ukip candidate in the European elections speculating about whether he would rape the MP Jess Phillips amid growing concern over threats to politicians. Carl Benjamin, Ukip’s candidate for South West England, sent a tweet to the MP for Birmingham Yardley in 2016 saying “I wouldn’t even rape you.” He added to the comments in a recent video saying: “With enough pressure, I might cave.” West Midlands police confirmed officers were examining whether an offence had been committed. It comes as fears grow that toxic rows over Brexit in the run-up to European parliamentary elections later this month will further coarsen public debate.
7th May 2019 - The Guardian

Carl Benjamin: Police probing UKIP candidate's 'rape' remarks about Jess Phillips

7th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Hard-working Conservative councillors have been sacrificed at the altar of May

The Prime Minister must bear the brunt of the blame for last week's local election wipeout, says Norman Tebbitt
8th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May branded ‘insane’ and ‘pathetic’ by EU’s chief Brexit negotiators in shocking BBC documentary

Theresa May is labelled “insane” and “pathetic” by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiators in a damaging BBC fly-on-the-wall film. Brexit: Behind Closed Doors shows members of the European Parliament’s Brexit coordinating team, led by Belgian Guy Verhofstadt, mocking Britain and launching foul-mouthed rants at the PM.
8th May 2019 - The Sun

'A world first' - Boris Johnson to face private prosecution over Brexit campaign claims

A crowdfunded legal case against Boris Johnson for allegedly abusing public trust during the EU referendum campaign is to receive a hearing in court later this month. Private prosecutor Marcus Ball alleges that the former foreign secretary committed three offences of misconduct in public office by endorsing and making statements which he knew to be false at a time when he was mayor of London and an MP. The allegation relates to the much-trumpeted claim by the Vote Leave campaign that the UK sends £350 million a week to the European Union, which was found to be misleading by the UK Statistics Authority.
7th May 2019 - Irish Independent

Nigel Farage is betraying his own voters

Credit where it’s due. It had not yet been 24 hours since Nigel Farage had been on the Sunday politics shows, warning of the “final betrayal” that was coming. And here he was, not even waiting for it to come, but delivering it himself. The Brexit Party, the party Farage set up himself to contest the European elections he so desperately does not want to be contesting, was holding a press conference to announce it was betraying its own voters. Farage was introduced by the Brexit Party chairman, a man called Richard Tice, who is best known, though nevertheless unknown, for appearing at political events in a white open-topped bus with “Leave Means Leave” painted down the side. When it turned up at Tory party conference last year, he promised free non-EU booze to anyone who could spare five minutes to talk to him.
7th May 2019 - The Independent

Ex-Conservative donors ready to give 'big bucks' to Brexit Party, claims Nigel Farage

Former Conservative donors are ready to provide "big bucks" for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party to fight a general election, the anti-EU campaigner has suggested. The Brexit Party has been formed to contest the upcoming European Parliament elections on 23 May, which the government has now confirmed will definitely take place. But Mr Farage used a news conference on Tuesday to set his sights beyond this month. Promising the Brexit Party would "be ready" to fight a general election "that took place any time from September onwards", Mr Farage said: "For us, these European elections on 23 May are but a first step.
7th May 2019 - Sky News

Nigel Farage denies being conspiracy theorist after far-right talkshow appearances

Nigel Farage, the Brexit party leader, has insisted he is not a conspiracy theorist after he repeatedly appeared on a far-right US talkshow and openly discussed ideas about a “new world order” linked to antisemitic tropes. The former Ukip leader distanced himself from Alex Jones, the host of the Infowars website, and claimed his appearances on the programme were infrequent, despite a Guardian investigation finding he gave interviews at least six times on the show. In his appearances on Jones’s show, Farage discussed themes commonly associated with an antisemitic conspiracy theory that Jewish financiers are behind a plot to replace nation states with a global government. Jones has been banned from Facebook and is being sued by bereaved parents after claiming a US school shooting was faked.
7th May 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Tory MPs tell Theresa May second referendum becoming 'inevitable' as Labour talks hopes fade

Conservative MPs on both sides of the Brexit divide are telling Theresa May that a fresh referendum is becoming “inevitable”, as talks with Labour to break the impasse looked set to fail. The prime minister faced the warning as she suffered the embarrassment of conceding this month’s European elections will go ahead – and as her own deputy suggested the crisis would drag on until July. As cross-party talks entered their sixth week, Labour’s Keir Starmer insisted he would force the Tories to end their refusal to contemplate a Final Say referendum as the price of a deal, saying it was “crunch time”. Significantly, the attempt to put a public vote centre-stage was bolstered from an unlikely source when Daniel Kawczynski, a Tory Brexiteer, predicted it could become the only option “to break the gridlock”.
7th May 2019 - The Independent

Brexiteer MP reveals option if May and Corbyn Brexit talks crumble – will anger Leavers

The Government has been in Brexit negotiations with the Labour Party since before Easter after the Prime Minister reached out to Jeremy Corbyn to try to secure Britain’s departure from the bloc. Tory MP, Daniel Kawczynski, a former member of the Conservative Party’s eurosceptic European Research Group, warned the UK could face another referendum if talks fail. Mr Kawczynski claimed another public vote would become “inevitable” and put the blame of those in the Tory Party and in the ERG “who refuse to compromise”.
7th May 2019 - Daily Express

Theresa May’s poisonous immigration legacy

As Prime minister, Mrs May has proposed limiting immigration to those earning more than £30,000 a year. This has worried employers in fields from agriculture to healthcare. Josh Hardie, deputy director-general of the CBI employers’ group, said: “All skill levels matter to the UK economy.” Mrs May will not be around much longer. She has told her party that she will not contest the next general election, which is due in 2022, but few expect her to last until then. Will her immigration legacy outlast her? It depends on who succeeds her, whether Brexit happens and what form it takes. The UK’s EU residents, who have been promised that they will have a right to stay after Brexit, cannot take much comfort from what has happened to others. Institutional behaviour does not shift quickly. Once officials have been schooled to behave in a certain away, it takes time for them to change, even if the political will for a change exists, which it may not. The hostile environment policy has left a tawdry legacy and, as the immigration figures show, it did not even achieve its own objectives.
7th May 2019 - Financial Times

Cambridge UKIP candidate says 'round up rough sleepers and put them in camps'

A controversial UKIP election candidate has been condemned after calling for rough sleepers in Cambridge to be "rounded up and put in a camp outside the city". Peter Burkinshaw said rough sleepers "obstruct" the streets and called for a "national solution". The politician was writing in a local weekly newspaper when he made the controversial statement as part of a policy suggestion.
7th May 2019 - Cambridge News

How Tommy Robinson could earn up to £2million in taxpayers' cash as an MEP

Tommy Robinson could exploit EU rules to access millions of pounds of public money if he is elected in May’s European Parliament elections, a Telegraph investigation has revealed. The far right activist and his cronies could personally benefit to the tune of up to £2 million but he could access even more EU cash, which is paid in part by British taxpayers. Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, paid his deposit to stand in the elections on Thursday. European elections will be held in Britain unless the Brexit deal is ratified in Westminster before May 23.
7th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Tory MPs give Theresa May one day to set out 'roadmap' for her exit

Theresa May has been given until tea time on Wednesday to come up with a "roadmap" to her resignation as leader of the Tory party - or she will have one forced upon her. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Conservative MPs, is understood to have made clear backbenchers' frustration at a meeting on Tuesday night. Tory backbench frustration with Mrs May boiled over after David Lidington, her de facto deputy, confirmed that Britain will have to take part in the European Parliament elections in 15 days' time despite months of assurances that this would not happen.
7th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit news latest: Theresa May's allies in legal threat to rebels who are trying to oust her

Sir Graham Brady was due to meet Mrs May this afternoon on behalf of the executive to insist she give a firm departure date and timetable for a leadership contest. However, the senior supporter of Mrs May said “any attempt” to alter the rules would be “subject to a legal challenge” meaning that Downing Street or a group of Tories acting on behalf of Mrs May would go to court. The clash was caused by the abortive confidence vote forced last December by members of the European Research Group, which Mrs May won comfortably. Under party rules, the PM is supposed to have a clear 12 months before any further confidence motion can be put.
7th May 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: The conditions are ripe for the biggest backlash imaginable

Voters were certain that their wishes in the referendum would be carried out without too much difficulty: I lost count of the numbers of voters who, during the referendum and since, dismissed concerns about our withdrawal, not only from the EU but of its myriad political, economic and social auspices, with a variant of the following reply: "I'm sure they can sort it out." In other words the Brexit vote, as well as a cri de coeur for Westminster to listen, was also an affirmation of faith by the British public in the fundamental competence of the British state to prosecute even the most difficult political outcomes.
7th May 2019 - Sky News

Labour officials quit their posts with blast at Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit

Senior Labour officials have quit their posts in disillusion at the party's position on Brexit. Aaron Austin Locke and Robert McIntosh announced their resignation as the top two office bearers in the Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven constituency Labour party in an email to local members. They said they were unhappy with the party's failure to fully endorse another referendum on any Brexit deal passed by the House of Commons.
7th May 2019 - Politics Home

Senior Tory MP suggests colleagues who failed to back Brexit deal should join other parties

A senior Conservative MP has blasted colleagues who failed to support Theresa May’s Brexit deal and suggested that they should quit and join another party. Charles Walker, who is vice chair of the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers hit out at Tory hardliners who he said were to blame for Britain still being in the European Union. The comments come as Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party tops the polls for next month’s EU elections in a backlash from Leave voters angry at the Government’s failure to quit the bloc by the 29 March deadline.
7th May 2019 - Politics Home

Chipper Nigel Farage grins and barely tries to sound plausible

It’s no deal or nothing for Nige, and his Brexit party is ready to negotiate the non-negotiable. Nige rattled on undeterred. The Brexit party would contest a general election but it wouldn’t have any credible policies. But he wouldn’t seek to become an MP himself. Far too risky. Seven times bitten, eight times shy. Rather he was far better off showing his MEPs the Brussels ropes. How to fiddle expenses. That sort of thing. And just because he had previous form on antisemitism and Islamophobia didn’t make him a racist. After 30 minutes or so, Farage appeared to lose interest. Enough was enough. It had been a decent morning’s work. The more useless Westminster politicians appeared to be, the easier his job became. And right now it was something of a doddle. He didn’t need to sound even vaguely plausible. All he had to do was stand up and insist he would be different. As long as nobody started to look too closely, all would be well.
7th May 2019 - The Guardian

The only Brexit is a hard-right one. Labour must back another vote

Whatever assurances May can offer, they will not stop the hard-right Tory Brexiteers in their quest to eradicate solidarity from the UK economy. If we are to avoid the fate of Ramsay Macdonald, then any deal must be put to a vote of the people. To do otherwise would be to play either the knave or the fool – and gives Theresa May’s successor the right to decide which we have been.
7th May 2019 - The Guardian

Brexiteers are still chasing unicorns rather than facing up to the reality of the backstop

Brexit is a big deal for Ireland, whatever form it takes it will be bad for Ireland but there is a genuine appetite to minimise the damages of Brexit, allow for the closest possible future relationship and crucially protect the very fragile peace in Northern Ireland. In March, we came the closest so far to a disastrous no deal Brexit, a crash out scenario that would have a devastating economic impact as well as posing a greater risk to the peace process. We cannot let that happen with Conservative Party members suggesting changes on the Irish Border that are unworkable and dangerous and could endanger the peace process
7th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 7th May 2019

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Irish Official Concerned A Hard Brexit Will Lead To More Violence In Northern Ireland

“We didn’t want to see Brexit happening, but it wasn’t our decision,” Daniel Mulhall, Ireland’s ambassador to the United States, said during an interview with Boston Public Radio on Monday. “From the Irish government’s point of view, the fundamental requirement is that there should be no possibility of a hard border on the island of Ireland anytime now or in the future.” Mulhall says that while he respects the decision of the citizens of the U.K. to leave the E.U., he wants to ensure that it’s done in an “orderly” fashion that does not inflame tensions between Northern Ireland and the U.K. and possibly re-ignite sectarian violence that plagued the region between the late 1960s and '90s. In April, Northern Ireland was rocked by the murder of journalist Lyra McKee, who was mistakenly killed by Irish nationalists in the aftermath of a violent raid by U.K. police of a suspected weapons cache in Londonderry.
7th May 2019 - WGBH.org

Brexit: Theresa May warned more than 100 Tories could block compromise deal with Labour

Theresa May is facing opposition from all sides over her attempts to strike a Brexit deal amid warnings that more than 100 Tory MPs could block a compromise agreement with Labour. Cross-party talks will resume on Tuesday in the wake of reports that Ms May is poised to offer Labour a temporary EU customs arrangement to break the Brexit deadlock. Tory MPs have ramped up pressure on the prime minister to set a date for her departure, with one senior MP saying the party needs to “move on”. Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, treasurer of the influential 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers, said Ms May should announce a “road map” for her departure after the European elections.
7th May 2019 - The Independent

Blow for Theresa May as poll shows Tory calls for Prime Minister to quit at 'record high'

Theresa May has suffered another blow to her leadership after a poll revealed that more than four in five Conservative Party members want her to quit. The study by ConservativeHome, and the first since the Tories’ local elections drubbing, found that 82% of the party faithful want the Prime Minister to step aside, while just 16% said she should stay on. The record high is up 3% on a study held two-weeks ago and 11 points higher than a month ago.
6th May 2019 - Politics Home

Brexit party MEP candidate praised use of Nazi slogan

A candidate to serve as an MEP for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party once praised a colleague for using a Nazi slogan in the European parliament and has a history of using vulgar and obscene language about women in social media posts. John Tennant, who according to polls is expected to win a seat in the European parliament as one of Farage’s three candidates in the north-east, also made references to being intoxicated and suggested that Liverpool fans were criminals.
6th May 2019 - The Guardian

The Brexit Party promises Theresa May's Conservatives 'a really good kicking' in the European elections

Theresa May's Conservative Party are heading for a heavy defeat in the upcoming European Parliament elections, according to recent polls. The elections are being led by the newly-formed Brexit party, created by former UKIP leader Nigel Farage. The party's lead candidate in London is Ben Habib, a property fund manager and former Conservative donor. He tells Business Insider that Brexit Party will lead to the "demise" of his former party.
6th May 2019 - Business Insider

UKIP leader cancels visit to Swindon

The anti-immigration party leader and its two MEP candidates for the south west were expected in the town centre this morning. However the leadership cancelled the trip over the weekend, saying that the UKIP battle bus wasn't ready and train services were unreliable due to the bank holiday. It added that there are currently no further plans to visit before the European elections later this month.
6th May 2019 - Swindon Advertiser

No-deal Brexit 'could threaten evidence-sharing with Europe' on cyber crime

Speedy European evidence-sharing about cyber crime may be endangered by a no-deal Brexit, a police officer in Northern Ireland has warned. European Investigation Orders (EIOs) allow the PSNI to access material within 90 days. The number of internet-related crimes has increased significantly in recent years but the amount of resources devoted to tackling it is being outstripped, Detective Sergeant Darren McCracken said. "If we leave as a result of Brexit we no longer have access to EIOs to obtain information within 90 days," he said. He said that was a fast turnaround in the world of law enforcement. Investigators can contact firms directly for intelligence-gathering but for court action the official channel is essential, he said. "If Brexit happens we are no longer part of a European treaty. We may not have access to that."
6th May 2019 - Irish Independent

Theresa May's chief flounces out of Tory WhatsApp group over attacks on his boss

Theresa May's chief of staff has flounced out of a Tory WhatsApp group in protest at the constant attacks on his boss. Gavin Barwell proclaimed "frankly I have had enough of it" before storming out of the group chat for Conservatives in his home area of Croydon. According to a leaked screenshot, he told local Tories it "hurts" to work 19 hour days, only to check Whatsapp and find Tory attacks "of the kind from our worst opponents". The message, which Tory Bible ConservativeHome said it genuine, emerged as Theresa May faced fresh calls to quit after losing 1,269 council seats. The worst local election results since 1995 heap new pressure on the PM, who already faces mutiny over plans for a compromise Brexit deal with Labour .
6th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Date set for court case which could prosecute Boris Johnson over £350 million EU referendum lie

The date has been set for a court case which will attempt to hold Boris Johnson to account for the £350 million claim told during the EU referendum campaign - and was plastered all over the big red battle bus. The crowdfunded private prosecution was brought against the MP and former Vote Leave co-chair by Marcus J Ball. It will take place at Westminster Magistrates' Court on May 14th from 2.00pm, with the first hearing held in private, followed by a second public hearing shortly after. Ball, the 29-year-old private prosecutor, has accused Johnson of abusing public trust in his office as Mayor of London and Member of Parliament by intentionally misleading the public with regards to how much money the UK spends on EU membership. The statistic was criticised as misleading by the head of the UK Statistics Authority, who said that it was “a clear misuse of official statistics”.
6th May 2019 - The New European

The hype around Nigel Farage is designed to make us forget he led Britain into an ugly era of chaos

I asked a long-standing member of the Westminster lobby (the political journalists of the main national newspapers and current affairs magazines), who is the political editor of a well-known newspaper, whether it was fair to describe the media noise around Farage as “hype”. He thought it fair and explained it like this: most of the national newspapers heavily backed Brexit (the Daily Mail, the Daily Telegraph, The Sun, the Daily Express, the Sunday Times etc) but do not want to back the Tories in these European elections because they have made such a mess of it and Theresa May has no credibility.
6th May 2019 - The Independent

Brexit Party leaflets arrive and Remainers show exactly what they think of them

Another Twitter user, @MikkoE17, decided to use his as loo roll. He wrote: "We just run out of toilet paper. Luckily you sent your leaflet just in time. Based on the shape and content, it's perfect for the toilet roll. "I knew I could trust Nigel Farage in time of need!"
6th May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Nigel Farage under fire over 'antisemitic tropes' on far-right US talkshow

In the six identified interviews, which date from 2009 to last year, Farage, whose Brexit party is leading polls for the upcoming European elections, repeatedly uses words and phrases such as “globalists” and “new world order”, which regularly feature in antisemitic ideas. In the interviews, Farage also says: 1) Members of the annual Bilderberg gathering of political and business leaders are plotting a global government. 2) The banking and political systems are working “hand in glove” in an attempt to disband nation states. 3) “Globalists” are trying to engineer a world war as a means to introduce a worldwide government. 4) Climate change is a “scam” intended to push forward this transnational government. 5) In the most recent interview, filmed in April last year, Farage said the EU is “the prototype for the new world order”, and 6) “globalists have wanted to have some form of conflict with Russia as an argument for us all to surrender our national sovereignty and give it up to a higher global level”.
6th May 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Labour dismisses early deal as May's plan would mean US firms 'getting hands' on NHS

A senior Labour figure has stamped on talk of an early deal with Theresa May to rescue Brexit, warning her proposals would see private US health giants “getting their hands” on the NHS. Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, said ministers “haven’t really shifted” in the long-running negotiations – despite speculation that a cross-party agreement could be struck as early as this week. He criticised Tory “spin doctors” for briefing that a deal was close, saying: “The problem is that, although the government is trying to redress their customs union offer, they haven’t really shifted.”
6th May 2019 - The Independent

Ministers spend extra £160m on Brexit consultant contracts

The government has signed a round of new Brexit contracts with outside consultants worth almost £160m. Many of them are due to run until April 2020, six months after the UK's new scheduled departure date from the European Union. Since the EU referendum, Whitehall has hired companies to carry out consultancy work to prepare for Brexit. The government said it would continue to "draw on the expert advice" of a range of specialists. In February, an analysis for the BBC found the government had agreed contracts worth £104m for outside help on Brexit.
6th May 2019 - BBC

Dominic Raab’s nice wife and kitchen are no substitute for his screaming lack of a clue what to do

How can it be, when a country still desperately short of a way out of the Brexit mess has instead been forced to spend its Sunday staring into Dominic Raab’s kitchen? Been forced, too, to gaze upon Dominic Raab’s wife, as she tells The Sunday Times of how he used to prepare picnics for her in Hyde Park, and likes to reads The Gruffalo to his children. Yes, we are now officially at the Wives Stage (and, yes, it is all wives, for now) of the Tory Leadership Contest That Hasn’t Actually Begun Yet, itself an internal displacement activity for its own stunning inadequacies. Jeremy Hunt’s Chinese wife has also been making an appearance, winning praise in The Daily Telegraph for her being “effortlessly charming and considerate with diplomats”
6th May 2019 - The Independent

Labour strategist warns against shift to remain after local elections

As senior Labour figures prepare to resume Brexit talks with Conservative ministers on Tuesday, Andrew Gwynne warned against a further shift towards remain. “On Brexit, what Labour is trying to achieve is much harder and more complex than those who say we need to simply swing behind remain admit,” he wrote in the Guardian. “It would be the easiest option and perhaps superficially give us a short-term boost, but we are a national party seeking support from people all over the county, unlike the ‘leave means leave’ charade of the Tories and Nigel Farage, or the ‘stop Brexit’ simplicity of the smaller parties.” He pointed out that all of the 21 councils in which Labour lost five or more seats were in heavily leave-voting areas. “The talk about another referendum was a difficult message to explain to many of our traditional voters.”
6th May 2019 - The Guardian

All Under One Banner's full statement after being reported by police

Manny Singh, the chief organiser of Glasgow's huge All Under One Banner independence march on Saturday, has released a statement after being reported to the procurator fiscal by police. Singh was visited by police officers at his home on Monday, and was reported under Section 65 of the Civic Government(Scotland) Act 1982 which states that anyone convicted of holding a procession that does not comply with the relevant council order can be sentenced to imprisonment for a period of up to three months.
6th May 2019 - The National

Farage plays down candidate's previous defence of IRA

Nigel Farage is continuing to come under pressure over one of his Brexit Party candidates' defence of the IRA following the Warrington bombing in 1993 - but called the issue "irrelevant". Claire Fox, a European Parliament candidate in the North West of England, was a leading member of the Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) which defended "the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom" after the IRA killed two young boys in Warrington. Over the weekend, two Brexit Party statements were released in the name of Ms Fox. The first said that she does "not support the IRA or its methods". Pointedly, the second statement left this out, as well as a claim that she "never knowingly met or had any communication or links with republican or loyalist paramilitary organisations". The first also said: "I fully respect the Good Friday Agreement and embrace the peace that it has made possible." But the later one appeared to carefully distance Ms Fox from support for the 1998 peace deal.
6th May 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Tory MPs 'will move to oust Theresa May this week' if she agrees Brexit deal with Labour

Theresa May has been warned her MPs will begin moves to oust her as soon as this week if she agrees a Brexit deal with Labour. The Prime Minister wants to sign off an agreement with Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday in order to avoid having to send new MEPs to the European Parliament, but there is little appetite for a cross-party deal among her own backbenchers. Rivals in the race to succeed Mrs May are on a state of high alert in case a compromise deal with Labour becomes the trigger for a leadership election. Senior sources within the Conservative Party said on Monday that Mrs May will be “gone very quickly” if she moves towards Labour’s demands for a post-Brexit customs union with the EU.
6th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Nigel Farage: Name of Brexit Party's biggest donor 'irrelevant'

Nigel Farage has refused to reveal the name of the man who has given £100,000 to his new Brexit Party. Speaking on Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday, the leader said it was "irrelevant" who the biggest donor was and his or her identity would be declared at the end of July, after this month's European Parliament elections. Mr Farage claimed if he revealed the name now the person would be "hounded" by the media in the lead-up the vote. The party does not list its donors on its website.
6th May 2019 - Sky News

@BrexitBin The island of Ireland is not a square on a chessboard. It's part of the fabric of Europe.

The island of Ireland is not a square on a chessboard. It's part of the fabric of Europe. A torn fabric, which the EU helped to repair with the threads of respect and common sense. Vote for Peace at the #EUelections2019 #RevoteRevokeRemain
6th May 2019 - @BrexitBin

‘How do we stop the country from tearing itself apart?’: Lord Bates’ pursuit of the common ground

People react to conflict in different ways. Some actively seek it out, others actively avoid it. For Michael Bates, politics has become an almost inhospitable environment. To find the common ground, the Conservative peer and former minister has embarked on a walk from Belfast to Brussels. Nearly 200 miles into his journey, Sebastian Whale joins him in west Yorkshire
3rd May 2019 - Poltics Home

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 6th May 2019

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How Theresa May is planning three major Brexit concessions to win over Jeremy Corbyn and get deal agreed

Theresa May will face her latest “moment of truth” on Tuesday when she presents Labour with a new Brexit compromise plan which she hopes will break the deadlock and deliver an orderly departure from the European Union. Success will be securing Jeremy Corbyn’s support while failure will see the Prime Minister forced to change tack and adopt the plan B of offering MPs votes on different Brexit options. Both ways forward are likely to have nightmarish consequences for Mrs May. The Prime Minister’s new Brexit plan is based on a trio of major concessions designed to win over Labour, but all three will be opposed by large numbers of Tory MPs.
5th May 2019 - The Telegraph

Not being the Tories is no longer enough for Labour

The point is that if Labour's sole selling point is “We're not the Tories”, that's scarcely a unique selling point. So why vote Labour in particular? Is it beyond even someone of the evident wit and perspicacity of Tom Watson to make a positive case for Labour? Of course, in fairness to Watson, it's difficult for anyone to make a positive case for supporting a party when that party's position on the most urgent matter facing the country is so vague and contradictory as to be meaningless. It's hard not to feel a twinge of sympathy for all Labour's advocates when they know that any statement they make on Brexit is likely to be back-pedalled, undermined or just flatly denied by someone further up the Corbyntology food chain. The trouble with Watson's exhortation to vote Labour in this local elections (and by the time you read this I imagine most of you will have voted already, and if not, why not) in order to 'send a message' to the Tory government is that on the matter of Brexit, their message still falls far short of a People's Vote.
5th May 2019 - The New European

Theresa May 'will climb down on customs, goods and workers' rights'

Theresa May is set to offer Labour a three-pronged Brexit deal in a bid to break the deadlock at Westminster, it has been claimed. The PM's negotiating team will reportedly give ground to Jeremy Corbyn on customs, goods and workers' rights. Conservatives were warned they will have to 'suck up concessions' after Mrs May acknowledged there was 'no sign' of her MPs uniting behind her deal. She is hoping to persuade the Labour benches to back her instead with cross-party talks expected to resume this week.
5th May 2019 - Daily Mail

WATCH: Nigel Farage says Brexit Party £100K donor is 'irrelevant'

Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage has said that the name of his party’s £100,000 donor is “irrelevant”. and would not be named until after the EU elections. Speaking on Sky News' Sophy Ridge politics show, Farage started out sarcastically in response to Ridge's line of questioning. “Oh yes, I'm really going to tell you his name,” he said. “Well why not?” Ridge shot back. “This is the new transparent politics.”
5th May 2019 - The New European

Brexit party figures who left over offensive posts are still directors

Two senior members of Nigel Farage’s Brexit party who left their roles after the Guardian uncovered offensive social media messages they had sent are still directors of the organisation weeks after they had supposedly cut all ties, it has emerged. Catherine Blaiklock, the first leader of the party, who resigned over a series of anti-Islam messages, and the former treasurer Michael McGough, who was ousted because of antisemitic and other offensive Facebook posts, are still listed as directors. Blaiklock, who also retweeted far-right messages, including one from a former British National party activist referring to “white genocide”, also resigned as company secretary of the party soon after the posts emerged, six weeks ago. But despite that change being made to the Companies House register, she remains listed as a director. McGough is also still a director. He was removed as treasurer a month ago after posting what the party called “unacceptable statements”. A party statement at the time said he would no longer have any role in the organisation.
5th May 2019 - The Guardian

Labour MPs say they won't back a Brexit deal without a people’s vote

Jeremy Corbyn will not be able to get enough of his MPs to back a Brexit deal without the promise of a second referendum, even if Theresa May makes a big offer on a customs union and workers’ rights this week, senior Labour figures believe. Senior party sources said they believe two-thirds of Labour MPs, including several shadow cabinet ministers and many more frontbenchers, would refuse to back a deal without a people’s vote attached. Theresa May is preparing to make new proposals of a temporary customs union until the next election, matching EU employment rights in the future and alignment of single market regulations on goods.
5th May 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May must go now, former Tory leader says

Theresa May must resign or the Conservatives should force her out, after the party's heavy local election losses, Iain Duncan Smith has said. The former Tory leader called Mrs May a "caretaker PM" and described her attempts to reach a Brexit deal with Labour as "absurd". The party suffered its worst local election result in England since 1995. Other senior Conservatives have urged Tory MPs to compromise with Labour to ensure Brexit is delivered.
5th May 2019 - BBC

Jess Phillips Just Gave Diane Abbott The Perfect Analogy On Labour And Brexit

In the debate, Abbott said there should be a general election and added that the country needed to be brought back together as it is so divided over Brexit. Phillips hit back, saying she had a very remain and very pro-second referendum position but was in a leave seat, which meant she was “only too aware of how we have to keep the country together”. “As much as we want an election, I want to be a size 10 but I keep eating cake. You don’t just get what you want. An election is not what’s in front of us. Brexit is the thing that is in front of us. We have to show courage and leadership,” she said. As the camera panned to Abbott looking deeply unimpressed, Phillips added: “People loved Corbyn because they thought that he was honest and would come out and say what he actually thought but what he seems to think on this [Brexit] is a bit like ‘oh well, we’ll see’...”
5th May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

EU recovers £200,000 from Ukip MEPs accused of misusing funds

The European parliament has recovered more than £200,000 from Ukip MEPs accused of misusing public funds through payments to party workers. But with three weeks to go until European elections, time is running out to recoup money from others alleged to have broken EU rules. The parliament has suspended the pay of two staff attached to Ukip’s former leader Paul Nuttall and his fellow North West England MEP Louise Bours, the Guardian has learned. Neither MEP is standing for re-election on 23 May, which could make it harder for officials to recover money. Since the Guardian revealed the parliament’s investigation into Ukip misspending in 2017, £202,667 has been recovered from two current MEPs and one former one.
5th May 2019 - The Guardian

Local elections: Why has Labour lost seats?

Labour has suffered a net loss of council seats - starting from the low base of 2015 in many cases. The Conservatives have lost more than 10 times as many councillors, but what is remarkable is that the main party of opposition - around the mid-term of a not-very-popular government - has not made net gains. It seems reasonable to assume that some votes have been lost by Labour in Leave areas because - as the leader of Sunderland City Council Graeme Miller has said - the party hasn't decisively ruled out another referendum. (It has retained it as an option, if the Conservatives are unwilling to change their deal).
5th May 2019 - BBC

Ousted MP Fiona Onasanya will not fight Peterborough by-election

Fiona Onasanya was the first MP removed by recall petition after she was jailed over speeding lie. She has said she will not stand for re-election during the by-election in Peterborough on June 6th
5th May 2019 - BBC

Jeremy Corbyn says election results show 'we must now get a Brexit deal done'

Jeremy Corbyn said results from the latest local elections show "a deal has to be done" on Brexit. Asked about the figures so far, he said: "An arrangement has to be made. A deal has to be done. Parliament has to resolve this issue." Mr Corbyn said there was a "huge impetus" on every MPs to find a way beyond the current logjam. His comments came after shadow chancellor John McDonnell tweeted: "So far, message from local elections - 'Brexit - sort it'. Message received."
5th May 2019 - Evening Standard

‘I’m getting death threats,’ says man who threw milkshake on Tommy Robinson

Danyaal Mahmud says he's worried about his family after protest against far-right candidate Tommy Robinson went viral.
5th May 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May still in Brexit denial after Tory local election drubbing in England

The Prime Minister was in Aberdeen to tell the Tory troops that everything in the garden was rosy despite making a mess of Brexit and being punished in polls. Theresa May just lost more than 1300 Tory councillors – but you wouldn’t know it to listen to her. Instead, the Prime Minister chose to ignore the carnage of the English elections and pretend all is rosy in the garden.
4th May 2019 - Daily Record

Starmer: Tory leadership contest 'most important' thing for many in Cabinet

Cabinet ministers place more importance on the next Tory leadership contest than Brexit, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed, in a swipe at the Foreign Secretary’s warning that a customs union would not be a “long-term solution”. The shadow Brexit secretary said Jeremy Hunt’s comments provided “yet more evidence” that many in the Cabinet believe the “most important thing right now” is the race to be Theresa May’s successor. Sir Keir made the remarks in response to an interview in which Mr Hunt said he had “never believed” that a customs union is a “long-term solution”.
4th May 2019 - ITV News

'Purist Brexiteers' blamed for massive Tory losses in local elections

Purist Brexiteers in the Conservative Party are partially to blame for the Tories losing 1,334 councillors, Jeremy Hunt has said. The Foreign Secretary took aim at his own colleagues for refusing to compromise during the Brexit negotiations and added the Government could have done things ‘differently’. As a result of the massive losses across the country, the Tories lost control of more than 45 local authorities. It was the Tories worst night of elections since 1995.
4th May 2019 - Metro.co.uk

In Rees-Mogg heartland, angry voters embrace Lib Dems over Brexit chaos

“A lot of Conservatives have changed to the Lib Dems here because they want a second referendum, not because they want to push Brexit through faster,” she told the Observer on Friday, as the results from the previous day’s poll trickled in. “What makes me mad is that we are not being listened to.”
4th May 2019 - The Guardian

Ukip loses 80% of council seats in local election hammering after lurch to far-right

Ukip has lost around 80 per cent of the council seats it defended on Thursday, in a local election hammering following a politcal lurch to the right. Gerard Batten’s party went into Thursday’s contest with 111 councillors and ended up with just 24, as of the 4.30pm tally on results day. The party has mostly failed to capitalise on the collapse of the Conservatives, with its former leader Nigel Farage taking the lions share of Brexiteer support in polls with his new Brexit Party venture. Mr Farage quit the party in December, alleging that Mr Batten had put too much emphasis on anti-Islam policies, and toxified its brand by associating with far-right personality Tommy Robinson.
4th May 2019 - The Independent

Nigel Farage's star candidate is an 'apologist for the IRA'

Nigel Farage was urged to sack one of his star Euro election candidates last night after the father of a 12-year-old boy murdered by the IRA claimed she had refused to condemn the terror group. Colin Parry said that the Brexit Party's Claire Fox did not 'disavow her offensive views' when he challenged her. Miss Fox is standing in North West England, which includes Warrington – where Mr Parry's son Tim was killed when the IRA bombed the town in 1993.
4th May 2019 - Daily Mail

Gavin Williamson 'fired for diabetes jibe at PM'

Gavin Williamson was fired as defence secretary after Theresa May was informed that he had attacked her in private, saying that her diabetes made her unfit to be prime minister. May became frustrated with Williamson’s behaviour after hearing that he told fellow Tories that her health meant she should not continue in the job — claims that Williamson rejects as categorically untrue. The warnings were delivered in the weeks before the former defence secretary was sacked amid claims that he leaked details of a National Security Council meeting last week about the Chinese firm Huawei. Sources at the top of government and the Conservative Party say slurs about the prime minister’s health were overheard by a senior party official, who reported the former defence secretary’s conversation back to Downing Street. It is also claimed that Williamson was also overheard at a dinner, denouncing May’s fitness for the job.
4th May 2019 - The Times

Theresa May must go now, former Tory leader says

Theresa May must resign or the Conservatives should force her out, after the party's heavy local election losses, Iain Duncan Smith has said. The former Tory leader called Mrs May a "caretaker PM" and described her attempts to reach a Brexit deal with Labour as "absurd". The party suffered its worst local election result in England since 1995. Other senior Conservatives have urged Tory MPs to compromise with Labour to ensure Brexit is delivered.
4th May 2019 - BBC

Local elections: Tories call for unity after election drubbing

Senior Conservatives have called for the party to pull together after it suffered its worst results in English local elections since 1995. The Conservatives lost 1,334 councillors in Thursday's votes. Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted voters had "issues of trust" over Brexit, and said the European elections would "be even more challenging". Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the party needed to listen to the results and be "in the mood for compromise". Both PM Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have insisted they will push ahead with seeking a cross-party agreement on Brexit, following the results
4th May 2019 - BBC

Ruth Davidson: Tories face Brexit 'wake-up call'

Ruth Davidson has warned that the two main Westminster parties will suffer the wrath of voters in the EU elections unless they "get Brexit sorted". The Scottish Conservative leader admitted that the Tories and Labour had been given an "almighty kicking" in English local elections. But she predicted that they will be given an even bigger "wake-up call" in the European election on 23 May. She urged the two parties to find a compromise so the UK can "move on". Her speech to the conference was her first major public appearance since the birth of her son Finn in October. The Conservatives lost more than 1,300 seats in the council election and Labour lost 82 as the Liberal Democrats, Greens and independents surged across England.
4th May 2019 - BBC

Electoral Commission's £436,000 bill fighting Brexit campaigner

The elections watchdog is spending more than £400,000 defending its decision to fine a pro-Brexit campaigner £20,000. Court papers reveal Electoral Commission estimates that the cost of resisting appeals by Darren Grimes will amount to £436,000, after the body recruited James Eadie QC, the Government's most senior advocate, to argue its case in court. The watchdog fined Mr Grimes, the founder of the BeLeave campaign group, last year after concluding that he had wrongly reported £620,000 of spending on the 2016 Brexit referendum. Mr Grimes insists he is "completely innocent" and that he is being pursued simply for "ticking the wrong box".
4th May 2019 - The Telegraph

David Davis bows out of Tory leadership contest as he says he will back Dominic Raab to replace Theresa May

Former Brexit secretary David Davis has said he will not run to replace Theresa May as Prime Minister, declaring his support for Dominic Raab in the upcoming contest for Conservative leader. The 70-year-old Brexiteer - who came second to David Cameron in the 2005 leadership contest, but did not put himself forward in 2016 - said the Tories need "a generational change" in leadership. He said that Mr Raab, 45, was "the best-placed Brexit candidate to win the necessary support among MPs and party members and, above all, broaden our appeal to voters". Mrs May has said she will stand down as Tory leader when an EU withdrawal agreement is ratified, handing over to a successor to negotiate the future trading relationship with the EU
4th May 2019 - The Telegraph

@PaulbrandITV WATCH: Corbyn's full words below about the need to "get a deal done."

WATCH: Corbyn's full words below about the need to "get a deal done."
3rd May 2019 - @PaulbrandITV

Local elections: Tories lose 1,200 seats - and it is a bad night for Labour, too

The Conservatives and Labour have suffered a bruising day following the local elections as voters vented their anger at the two main parties over the continuing Brexit deadlock. The Tories lost over 1,300 seats in what was a devastating night for Theresa May's party, surpassing even the worst projections. But there will be few celebrations in the Labour camp as they failed to capitalise on Tory losses, with the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Independents picking up seats in England in local elections where national politics appeared to dominate all else. Elections were fought in 248 English councils, six mayors and 11 councils in Northern Ireland.
3rd May 2019 - ITV News

Voters Punish May and Corbyn Amid Brexit Chaos: U.K. Update

Voters are turning their backs on both the main parties amid frustration over Brexit, according to results from local elections in England. Prime Minister Theresa May’s ruling Conservatives are paying the heaviest price at the polls for overseeing the political chaos of the U.K.’s divorce from the European Union. But Labour has also suffered serious set-backs, while the biggest winners so far are the pro-EU Liberal Democrats.
3rd May 2019 - Bloomberg L.P.

Local elections: Corbyn 'very sorry' for losses and admits Brexit was a factor

Jeremy Corbyn today said he was "very sorry" for Labour's losses in the local elections as he accepted Brexit was a factor. The party leader arrived amid a steaming row and pouring rain in Trafford - a rare gain for Labour overnight after losing heartlands Hartlepool, Bolsover and Wirral. There was a swing from the Tories to Labour in many parts of southern England, but the party lost a whopping nine seats in Brexit-backing Sunderland. And the Lib Dems hailed their best election night ever as a 'Remain backlash' added hundreds of council seats to the anti-Brexit party. Mr Corbyn said he was “very sorry” to have lost control of northern strongholds but insisted: “We’ll fight back and we’ll win them back.” And he admitted Labour may have lost votes from people “disagreeing with both parties on attitudes towards the EU”.
3rd May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Ghetto Britain: The complex division behind Nigel Farage's dog whistle politics

The Daily Mail attempts to explain that there are some apparent problems in Oldham in terms of the ethnic mix of the community, in an attempt to either justify or explain Nigel Farage's extreme comments in a speech in the USA earlier, in whcih he spoke about communities totally divided in Oldham, but which has drawn near universal condemnation as dog whistle Far Right politics
3rd May 2019 - Daily Mail

Sir Tony Robinson quits Labour over Brexit and leadership

Actor Sir Tony Robinson, a former member of Labour's governing National Executive Committee, says he has quit the party over its current direction. He said he was leaving after nearly 45 years because of Labour's stance on Brexit, its handling of anti-Semitism allegations and its poor leadership. Sir Tony, 72, is best known for playing Baldrick in the comedy Blackadder. The political activist has spoken at rallies for the People's Vote campaign for another referendum. His decision comes as Labour lost seats in Thursday's local elections, with voters turning to smaller parties and independents. Announcing his move on Twitter, Sir Tony said it was partly down to the party's "continued duplicity on Brexit".
3rd May 2019 - BBC

@PaulBrandITV WATCH: Theresa May heckled in Wales, as party member shouts "WHY DON'T YOU RESIGN? The National Convention don't want you, we don't want you!" May responds in (slightly dodgy) Welsh, "And good afternoon!"

WATCH: Theresa May heckled in Wales, as party member shouts "WHY DON'T YOU RESIGN? The National Convention don't want you, we don't want you!" May responds in (slightly dodgy) Welsh, "And good afternoon!"
3rd May 2019 - @PaulBrandITV

Voters are punishing Labour for its Brexit ‘fudge’, angry MPs warn Corbyn after shock election losses

Voters are punishing Labour for its Brexit “fudge”, angry MPs have warned Jeremy Corbyn, after the party was the shock loser from the local elections – urging him to finally guarantee a fresh referendum. A disastrous night for both big parties saw the Conservatives lose more than 1,200 seats and fresh calls for Theresa May to quit, including from a Tory heckler in Wales, who demanded to know: “Why don’t you go?” As the Liberal Democrats and independent candidates surged, little more than half of the public backed the Conservatives or Labour – who were tied on just 28 per cent of votes each. But pro-EU Labour MPs seized on the evidence that their party – even in Leave areas – had lost out to parties demanding a Final Say public vote, as the Greens as well as the Lib Dems were rewarded. Between them, the two Remain parties claimed more than 850 seats, enjoying big swings from Labour in places including St Helens (18.8 per cent), Barnsley (17.3 per cent), Sunderland (13.4 per cent), Peterborough (6.9 per cent) and Derby (6.2 per cent), an analysis by the People’s Vote campaign found.
3rd May 2019 - The Independent

Tories lose over 1,300 seats in local elections as major parties suffer

Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have vowed to press ahead with seeking a cross-party solution to the Brexit deadlock at Westminster, after voters punished both major parties in local elections. The Conservatives’ net loss of more than 1,300 seats on their 2015 figures marked their biggest defeat since John Major was prime minister. Disillusioned voters deserted the party in droves, including in traditional Tory areas such as Chelmsford and Surrey Heath. Labour had expected to make gains, but instead suffered a net loss, and lost control of a string of councils, including Burnley, Darlington and Wirral. Vince Cable’s remain-supporting Liberal Democrats were the major beneficiaries, taking control of 10 councils, including Cotswold and Winchester, while the Greens and a string of independents also fared unexpectedly well.
3rd May 2019 - The Guardian

Scottish Tory leader blocks Boris Johnson from party conference

Boris Johnson has been blocked by Ruth Davidson from attending the Scottish Conservative party conference in Aberdeen this weekend. Scottish Tory sources said a number of potential leadership candidates had been “discouraged” from attending the event, which begins on Friday, amid concerns their appearance could distract from party leader Davidson’s return from maternity leave, insisting the decision was not personal. Davidson appeared to downplay Johnson’s chances of success in any leadership contest in an interview on STV’s Scotland Tonight on Thursday night.
3rd May 2019 - The Guardian

Local elections: Conservatives lose more than 1,300 councillors

The Conservatives have lost 1,334 councillors, with Theresa May saying voters wanted the main parties to "get on" with Brexit. Labour also lost 82 seats in the English local elections, in which it had been expected to make gains. But the strongly pro-EU Lib Dems gained 703 seats, with leader Sir Vince Cable calling every vote received "a vote for stopping Brexit". The Greens and independents also made gains, as UKIP lost seats.
3rd May 2019 - BBC

The next PM? Time will come for talk of that, says Jeremy Hunt

Jeremy Hunt’s 12,500-mile odyssey through Ghana, Senegal, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Kenya has been a chance for the man who could be the UK’s next prime minister to learn more about Africa – and for us to learn more about him. The visit by the foreign secretary was ambitious in mileage and scale, speckled with meetings with presidents, helicopter rides to Maiduguri – the Boko Haram haven in Nigeria’s north-east – keynote speeches at the African Union headquarters, seminars with civil society and photo-ops. Meticulously planned, it ended with a visit to the HIV educational charity he helped fund in Kibera in the slums of Nairobi from the proceeds of his business. He is greeted as a long-lost friend and Honourable Jeremy. The children speak eloquently to him about the stigma of HIV.
3rd May 2019 - The Guardian

Sir Tony Robinson attacks Labour's 's***' leadership and quits party

Blackadder star Sir Tony Robinson has quit the Labour Party - blaming its "continued duplicity on Brexit" and "complete s***" leadership. The 72-year-old, best known for playing Baldrick in the classic sitcom, announced his departure following a disappointing night for the opposition in the local elections. Sir Tony, who previously voiced fears that a "leftist clique" had "completely taken over" Labour - also blamed the ongoing issue of antisemitism for his decision.
3rd May 2019 - Sky News

I might rape MP Jess Phillips, says Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin

A Ukip candidate in the European elections was under pressure to withdraw yesterday after releasing a video suggesting he might rape a Labour MP. Carl Benjamin, who had already been attacked for a social media message saying he “wouldn’t even rape” the Birmingham Yardley MP Jess Phillips, posted a video online suggesting that “with enough pressure I might cave”. Ms Phillips said the comments had upset her and questioned whether he should be allowed to stand in the election this month. She said to Buzzfeed: “If Facebook and Twitter can ban these people for hate speech how is it they are allowed to stand for election?” Mr Benjamin had released the video on YouTube, where he has a large following under the name Sargon of Akkad. After a list of spoof Ukip policies, including invading Spain, he said: “There’s been an awful lot of talk about whether I would or wouldn’t rape Jess Phillips. I suppose with enough pressure I might cave. But let’s be honest, nobody’s got that much beer.”
4th May 2019 - The Times

UKIP Candidate Carl Benjamin Has Talked Again About Raping Labour MP Jess Phillips And Now She Wants Action

3rd May 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Ukip candidate attacked over rape ‘joke’ video

3rd May 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 3rd May 2019

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Brexit Party candidate quits over colleague Claire Fox's 'ambiguous position' on IRA bombing

Sally Bate, who was standing in the North West region, said she “cannot continue to stand beside” Claire Fox, who has failed to condemn the Warrington attack which killed 12-year-old Tim Parry and three-year-old Johnathan Ball in 1993. Ms Fox is a former member of the Revolutionary Communist Party, which defended "the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures necessary in their struggle for freedom," in a party newsletter published shortly after the killings. In a statement issued on Tuesday, Ms Fox, who is the Brexit Party's top candidate in the North West, said she had the “greatest sympathy” for the Parry family. She added: “The loss of their son was tragic and must have been terribly painful, as for all victims of violence during the Troubles. "My personal politics and views are well known and I have never sought to disguise them, though on this issue they have remained unaired for many years.
3rd May 2019 - Politics Home

This Government Wants To Throw EU Students Under The Bus – Student Reps Like Me Won't Let Them

The Tory government plans to raise fees for EU students, remove vital financial support and make it far harder for EU students to apply to study in the UK. This move would shut off access to your world class education sector from the world.
2nd May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

The Londoner: Labour members shred their cards

Labour members are cutting up and shredding their membership cards in protest at the party’s failure to offer another referendum in its European Election manifesto. Yesterday saw a long drawn-out Labour National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting decide that the manifesto would offer a second referendum “fully in line” with Labour’s policy, which is to offer a referendum only after trying to secure the party’s own “alternative plan for Brexit” or a general election. There had been an attempt by Tom Watson, the deputy leader, to strengthen that policy and make a confirmatory vote a priority. But with Jeremy Corbyn, pictured, said to be implacably opposed, Watson’s move failed, prompting a furious backlash among members. Pictures of membership cards cut into pieces, or being fed into shredding machines, flooded social media last night and this morning. “I’m not voting Labour until there is a people’s vote,” wrote one member.
2nd May 2019 - Evening Standard

Tories are hopeful local elections will ONLY lose them ‘500 to 600’ seats over Brexit shambles

Tory chiefs’ hopes are growing that they can duck a council elections wipe out today as voters go to the biggest local polls since 2015. Control of a total of 259 local authorities are up for grabs across England and Northern Ireland, with 8,804 councillors to be elected. Conservative MPs have feared a vicious drubbing as angry Leave as well as Remain voters take revenge on the Government for the Brexit shambles. Some Cabinet ministers have even predicted more than 1,000 council seat will be lost. But CCHQ insiders now say they can limit the losses to “around 500 to 600 on a good night”. A Tory figure told The Sun: “The private estimate is our vote will be more resilient than is generally thought. “Much of the voting is in rural areas, where Labour haven’t made many in-roads in the last few years. “The doorstep experience is also better than the national narrative.” In contrast, then-PM John Major’s Tories lost more than 2,000 councillors in 1995 in a massive midterm wipe out. A variety of hidden electoral factors are also expected to help hold up the Tory vote despite the Brexit anger, including a low turnout.
2nd May 2019 - The Sun

The 11-Minute Phone Call That Sparked Gavin Williamson's Cabinet Sacking

An eleven minute phone call is what appears to have sparked Gavin Williamson’s spectacular and dramatic downfall from government. When the defence secretary talked to Telegraph journalist Steven Swinford last Tuesday, he set in train a sequence of events that ended with the first leak-related sacking of a Cabinet minister in 70 years. Communications records, showing that the pair spoke after two crucial meetings of the National Security Council (NSC) and Cabinet that day, are understood to have revealed the exact length and time of the call. In a two-hour session with the official leak inquiry investigators last Friday, Williamson strenuously denied that he had discussed any confidential material from the NSC meeting, never mind the Huawei case. He’d chatted instead about the Tory leadership, Brexit and other matters, he said. But it’s clear that his explanation simply didn’t wash with the inquiry - or with Theresa May.
2nd May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Gavin Williamson: Now he's told to 'go away and shut up'

In a leak investigation, that has broken the precedent of most leak investigations that end up with precisely no result at all, a rapid hunt of just a few days has resulted in the sacking of one of the most senior ministers in government, and one of the few ministers frankly, that the prime minister could more or less rely on. Mr Williamson was for a while chief whip too, the keeper of the government's secrets. And, crucially, one of the few ministers who had good relations with the DUP. Indeed, brokering a deal on Theresa May's behalf in the wreckage of the 2017 general election. But there was also a lot of resentment and frustration in government circles at how he sometimes behaved, suspicion often that he was too quick to seek his own political advantage, too interested in his own future, too entertained by the dark arts of Westminster. That meant that as soon as the Huawei story broke, fingers were being privately pointed to him as the source of the leak. "Operation get Gav", as one of his allies described it.
2nd May 2019 - BBC

Gavin Williamson: I'd get 'nicest apology' from PM if police investigate Huawei leak

2nd May 2019 - Sky News

Gavin Williamson: Fired defence secretary denied access to copy of Huawei leaks report

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2nd May 2019 - The Independent

'I never have leaked anything from the NSC'

The day before he was sacked as defence secretary, Gavin Williamson denied leaking information.
2nd May 2019 - BBC

Theresa May has questions to answer over the Huawei scandal

The main question that needs to be answered by the prime minister and her security team is why the UK can mitigate this risk, when its partners in the FiveEyes cyber security alliance believe it is impossible. And - perhaps most importantly - whether the UK would have reached a different decision if it had not already allowed Huawei in, over a decade ago?
2nd May 2019 - Sky News

How Sir Mark Sedwill became Theresa May's supreme 'securocrat' – and pivotal in the Gavin Williamson affair

In his one and only interview as Cabinet Secretary, Sir Mark Sedwill spoke of the importance of keeping ‘a sense of perspective’ and ‘shouldering responsibility’ when it came to taking decisions on ‘the big issues’. Speaking to Civil Service Quarterly, a government publication, the 54-year-old ‘securocrat’ described how he drew on his former career in security and international relations to become the country’s most senior civil servant - and some say, the most powerful man in the country.
2nd May 2019 - The Telegraph

Tommy Robinson swings punches at man after milkshake thrown over his head

The far-right extremist, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was in Warrington this afternoon when he was covered in McDonald's milkshake for the second time in two days
2nd May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Tommy Robinson has milkshake thrown over him for second time in two days

2nd May 2019 - The Independent

Matteo Salvini: vote for nationalists to stop European caliphate

Matteo Salvini, Italy’s most powerful politician, has said Europe will become an “Islamic caliphate” unless nationalist parties make gains in the European elections later this month. Salvini, Italy’s deputy prime minister and leader of the League party, is trying to form a coalition of nationalist and far-right forces ahead of the elections and was speaking in Budapest during a visit to his ideological soulmate Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian prime minister. “For our children, to leave behind an Islamic caliphate with sharia law in our cities is not something I want to do and I’m going to do everything in my power to avert this sad ending for Europe,” he said at a joint press conference with Orbán, who has used similarly incendiary rhetoric to rail against migration to Europe from Africa and the Middle East. Salvini made similar comments earlier this week in Italy.
2nd May 2019 - The Guardian

Ukip and swastika graffiti daubed 'on Lib Dem activist's car’ as voters go to polls in local elections

A swastika and the word Ukip have been daubed onto a Liberal Democrat activist’s car in Kent as voters go to the polls in local elections. Images show the grafitti crudely drawn onto a car which was parked outside a primary school. The vehicle's tyres were also slashed. A father walking his daughter to a primary school, on Edith Road, in Faversham, Kent, told the Standard he saw the vandalism this morning.
2nd May 2019 - Evening Standard

PM's tetchy exchange with Yvette Cooper over Brexit compromises

Theresa May insists compromises are possible on finding a way forward over Brexit and shows annoyance at the suggestion she is 'stubborn' when asked by Yvette Cooper
2nd May 2019 - Sky News

If Theresa May thinks the Gavin Williamson row will blow over, she’s kidding herself

Having sacked Gavin Williamson in the most abrupt and even brutal manner possible, Theresa May apparently “considers the matter closed”. Today in the Commons, MPs were in uproar. Some demanded a criminal investigation. Others – including several Tories – protested that the former Defence Secretary was the victim of a “kangaroo court”. Labour’s Tom Watson, intriguingly, began by denouncing the leak as “a fundamental breach of duty” – but then criticised the decision to let Huawei help build the UK’s 5G network. “Our [international] partners are so concerned,” he scowled, “that they’re considering whether they can safely continue to share intelligence with us.” Yet Mr Watson wouldn’t have known about the Huawei decision if it hadn’t been for the leak. In his eyes, it seems, the leaker was simultaneously endangering national security and defending it. Mr Williamson himself was absent, as indeed was Mrs May. Speaking on the Prime Minister’s behalf was David Lidington, the Minister for the Cabinet Office. Mr Lidington is often deployed when the House is fractious, probably because his manner is so cool and soothing. He’s calamine lotion in human form.
2nd May 2019 - The Telegraph

Senior Tory revealed as Huawei cheerleader in Brussels

As the ongoing controversy over Huawei engulfs Theresa May’s cabinet, a senior Conservative politician with a controversial lobbying history has emerged as one of the Chinese telecommunications company’s leading advocates in Brussels. On Wednesday the prime minister sacked her defence secretary, Gavin Williamson, after he was accused of leaking secret discussions about Huawei that suggested May “overruled” senior ministers and security warnings to let the Chinese tech giant help build Britain’s new 5G mobile internet network. Those concerns do not appear to have resonated with Nirj Deva, a Tory MEP and number two on the party’s list for the upcoming European Parliament elections, who recently urged colleagues to back Huawei in an upcoming vote in Brussels. “I would ask you to make decisions based on facts, rather than unfounded allegations and to consider the very real implications of banning Chinese technology from our market,” Deva wrote to colleagues on 12 March in a leaked email seen by openDemocracy and SourceMaterial. “There has not been a single instance of foul play detected on any Huawei product.”
2nd May 2019 - Open Democracy

Brexit Party Spiked - Nigel Farage's Disastrous RCP Candidates

Claire Fox clearly did not understand that and nor has she sought to. Her arrogance, lack of remorse and unwillingness to take the sincere concerns of locals seriously was already testing patience, but her call to Colin Parry was the final straw. On Wednesday night one of her fellow Brexit Party candidates, Sally Bate, quit the party in disgust and resigned as the prospective MEP. Sally is the founder and leader of Warrington for Brexit and a well-known local activist. Friends and political allies tell me that she felt she could no longer represent the party when Claire Fox was standing on the same platform.
2nd May 2019 - Byline Times

British Lord Barker Got $4 Million Bonus on Deripaska Sanctions Deal

Former Tory Part minister, Greg Barker, a member of Britain’s House of Lords and the chairman of En+ Group Plc, was awarded a bonus of about 3 million to 4 million pounds ($3.9 million to $5.2 million) for negotiating the removal of U.S. sanctions on the Russian company, according to people familiar with the matter. Barker spent months shuttling between Washington, London and Moscow to put together an agreement between the Treasury Department and Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska, who was sanctioned last April. The talks culminated in a deal in which Deripaska agreed to step away from En+, which holds a controlling stake in aluminum giant United Co. Rusal.
1st May 2019 - Bloomberg

SNP MP labels PM 'evasive' over government's Cambrige Analytica meetings

An SNP MP has branded Theresa May “one of the most evasive Prime Ministers in history” after the Tory leader again refused to answer questions over meetings between the UK Government, Cambridge Analytica and Canadian political consultancy and technology firm AggregateIQ. At Prime Minister’s Questions in the Commons yesterday, Deidre Brock challenged May to “spill the beans” on who from her government met with Cambridge Analytica and AggregateIQ and when meetings took place, following confirmation from the Foreign Office that they happened.
1st May 2019 - The National

UK should exercise ‘caution’ over Chinese firms like Huawei, Jeremy Hunt warns

The UK should exercise "a degree of caution" about the role of large Chinese firms such as Huawei, Jeremy Hunt has said. The foreign secretary raised concerns about Chinese laws requiring firms to co-operate with Beijing's intelligence agencies, saying: "We have to weigh those considerations very carefully." A Whitehall leak inquiry is under way after details emerged of a National Security Council (NSC) meeting at which Theresa May was said to have given the green light for the Chinese tech giant to help build "non-core" parts of the UK's 5G communications network.
1st May 2019 - The Independent

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 2nd May 2019

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UK government cancels Brexit ferry deals

The Department for Transport is cancelling contracts to provide extra ferry services after Brexit. Ending the contracts with Brittany Ferries and DFDS could cost the taxpayer more than £50m. The government bought £89m worth of capacity from the two firms. Some of that capacity might be sold, but millions of pounds could be lost. The contracts were designed to ease pressure on the port of Dover, by creating extra services at other ports. In February, the DfT was forced to axe its £13.8m contract with a third company, Seaborne Freight, which the BBC found had never sailed a vessel. Earlier this year, the National Audit Office estimated that the cancellation costs of all the ferry contracts would be £56.6m. The cost is likely to only be several million pounds less than this. A government spokesperson said: "The termination of these contracts has resulted in less cost to the taxpayer than the termination costs reported by the NAO." The government was also forced to pay £33m to Eurotunnel, to settle a case which challenged the procurement process for the ferry contracts. In addition, the DfT is now facing legal action from P&O Ferries, which says its rival, Eurotunnel, was given a competitive advantage by the government.
2nd May 2019 - BBC

No-deal Brexit ferry contracts to be scrapped at eye-watering £50m cost to taxpayer

1st May 2019 - Evening Standard

Chris Grayling cancels no-deal Brexit ferry contracts at cost of £50m to taxpayers

1st May 2019 - The Telegraph

Chris Grayling's department cancels no-deal Brexit ferry contracts at £50m cost to the taxpayer

1st May 2019 - Politics Home

Government cancels no-deal Brexit ferry contracts - at a £50m cost to taxpayers

1st May 2019 - Sky News

No-Deal Brexit Ferry Contracts Cancelled At Cost Of £50m

1st May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Fiona Onasanya booted out as MP after recall petition over conviction

Disgraced Fiona Onasanya has been booted out as an MP after her constituents voted to force a by-election. The Peterborough MP, who ousted Tory Stewart Jackson in 2017 on a majority of just 607, was jailed and expelled from the Labour Party after being convicted of perverting the course of justice. And rare recall petition - only the second ever of its kind - opened on March 19, giving voters a chance to boot her out. Speaker John Bercow confirmed today that the petition was signed by 10% of her constituents, that she was no longer the MP for Peterborough and a by-election would take place in the seat.
1st May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya loses seat in Parliament as constituents' petition triggers by-election

1st May 2019 - The Telegraph

Jeremy Corbyn Rejects Claims That He Endorsed Anti-Semitism In Colonialism Textbook

Jeremy Corbyn has rejected claims that he endorsed anti-semitic remarks in an academic textbook on colonialism, pointing out the language used was “of its time”. The Labour leader was plunged into a fresh row over the issue after it emerged that he had praised the study by JA Hobson as “a great tome”. The book, Imperialism: A Study, included several anti-semitic tropes about Jewish control of media and finance. It included a line that claimed Europe was controlled “by men of a single and peculiar race, who have behind them many centuries of financial experience”. The Jewish Labour Movement said the issue was a resignation matter for Corbyn, who wrote a foreword to a new edition of the textbook when he was a backbencher in 2011.
2nd May 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Jeremy Corbyn criticised for endorsing book which claimed Jews control banks and the press

1st May 2019 - Politics Home

Jeremy Corbyn is either blind to antisemitism – or he just doesn’t care

1st May 2019 - The Guardian

UK local elections: Ukip support melts away in Kent heartland

Thanet hoped to take back control. Four years ago, in its last local elections, the Kentish district delivered a populist shock by electing the first council run by the UK Independence party. The party that championed Brexit decades before the term was coined won Thanet on an anti-establishment platform, including a pledge to reopen Manston Airport — a major regional employer renowned for its role in the second world war. It was a high for Ukip and its then leader, Nigel Farage. Its victory, however, soon descended into bickering. In elections on Thursday, the self-proclaimed “People’s Army” is standing a meagre three candidates for the 56 seats on Thanet District Council. In the district’s towns of Ramsgate, Broadstairs and Margate, the party’s local infrastructure has disappeared. Candidates, supporters and activists have fled.
2nd May 2019 - Financial Times

Gavin Williamson sacking 'personal blow' for May

The shock decision to sack the defence secretary came after senior ministers demanded a full inquiry into a National Security Council leak. Downing Street sources have pointed out the prime minister spoke of her sadness at her decision to fire Gavin Williamson in her letter setting out the reasons for her decision. But they made clear that having conducted a full inquiry into the leak, there could be no other explanation other than the former defence secretary handed over sensitive information to a journalist. Before sitting in the cabinet, Mr Williamson was the chief whip, making him one of Theresa May's most trusted senior colleagues.
1st May 2019 - Sky News

The Guardian view on the Gavin Williamson sacking: a man who leaked ambition

It is symptomatic of the malaise of Brexit that personal ambitions have taken over as the animating impulse in too many cabinet ministers. There appears no depth to which Mr Williamson wouldn’t drop to prove that he had metamorphosised into a nationalist rabble-rouser. He was shallow: responding to Treasury cheese-paring with the idea of mounting guns on tractors as makeshift mobile missile launchers. He showboated: suggesting that Gibraltarians could be armed with paintball guns to fire at passing Spanish ships to scare them off. In response, it was reported, generals simply rolled their eyes. Perhaps nobody else has behaved quite so badly. But this sorry episode reminds the nation that many Conservatives are losing their grip on reality when they ought to be grappling with the most complex piece of statecraft in a generation.
1st May 2019 - The Guardian

How ultra-remainers could score a spectacular own goal on Brexit

Labour’s left was once bitterly denounced for putting purity ahead of power. With Farageism on the brink of winning a national poll, and with Labour having already jeopardised the coalition of remainers and leavers it needs to win, the same people who once angrily made this argument are themselves most guilty of it. Imagine being a second referendum supporter who is so furious with a party that has twice voted for their objective that you’d allow your supposed mortal enemy to win an election and destroy your own cause. Well, you don’t have to imagine it: because in three weeks’ time, that is what will happen.
1st May 2019 - The Guardian

UKIP candidate Mark Meechan linked to racist forum posts

Scottish UKIP candidate Mark Meechan was a prominent user of an online forum that contained racist language and threats against ethnic minorities. The forum was closed down by its host, US-based gaming community site Discord, following inquiries by the BBC. The chat group, which was littered with racist and Islamophobic terms as well as support for neo-Nazi groups, was promoted from Mr Meechan's Twitter. Mr Meechan said the forum "operates on the principle of free speech". The 31-year-old YouTube blogger, from Coatbridge, was convicted last year of posting a video of his girlfriend's pug lifting a paw when he said "gas the Jews" or "Sieg Heil". It was described by a sheriff as anti-Semitic and racist but Mr Meechan denied he was a racist and said his conviction set "a very dangerous precedent" for free speech.
1st May 2019 - BBC

Labour MP - who said party is not pro-Remain - now 'desperately worried' about losing Remainers

A Labour MP who claimed that Labour is ‘not a Remain party’ has now expressed concerns that it is losing Remainers after a series of member resignations. It had been hoped that the leadership would provide a more positive line on a People's Vote as the country heads to the European elections, but instead the National Executive Committee endorsed Jeremy Corbyn's pro-Brexit message, which appears to keep a public vote option as a last resort. Now Barry Gardiner, a member of the Labour frontbench, has said he is “desperately worried” about losing the support of Remainers after many turned to social media to announce their resignations. That is despite recently telling anti-Brexit campaigners that Labour is “not a Remain party”. He was grilled by LBC radio presenter, Iain Dale about the rise in resignations since the announcement on its manifesto.
1st May 2019 - The New European

Corbyn refuses to back a second referendum – but not because he’s a closet Brexiteer

It was the first line of the spokesperson’s statement that gave the game away: “We are working to bring the country together after the chaos and crisis created by the Tories.” To translate that into normal English: we hope that both Leavers and Remainers will continue to vote for us, while the Conservative Party goes into meltdown for its failure to deliver Brexit. So far, the Milne-Corbyn strategy seems to be working fine.
1st May 2019 - The Independent

Activists Are Trying To Force Mastercard To Cut Off Payments To The Far-Right

Activists have successfully forced Mastercard to hold a vote by shareholders on a proposal which, if passed, could see the company monitoring payments to global far-right political leaders and white supremacist groups. The proposal aims to see Mastercard establish an internal “human rights committee” that would stop designated white supremacist groups and anti-Islam activists, such as Tommy Robinson, from getting access to money sent from donors using the company’s card payment services. It’s been conceived by US-based political activists SumOfUs, who want to escalate the battle against white supremacists and far-right groups from tech platforms like Facebook, Google, Twitter, Patreon, and PayPal to one of the biggest companies in world finance, in an attempt to choke off donations. Robinson and several other leading figures in the global far right have been forced in recent months to solicit donations directly on their websites via Mastercard, Visa, and American Express after PayPal banned payments to them. Facebook also disabled the donation function on Robinson’s fan page before deleting it completely.
1st May 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Brexit Party candidate criticised for past IRA defence

The father of a murdered schoolboy has criticised a top Brexit Party candidate over "absolutely disgraceful" comments about the Warrington IRA bombing. European elections candidate Claire Fox was a leading member of the far-left Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) which defended the fatal attack. Colin Parry, whose son Tim died in the 1993 bombing, said she "should disavow these comments if that's her position". A Brexit Party spokesman said Ms Fox "does not hold those views now". Tim Parry, 12, and Johnathan Ball, three, were killed in the IRA bombing on March 20, 1993, which left 56 others injured.
1st May 2019 - BBC

Labour is winning the ground war in the local elections while the Tories have gone missing

Prime Minister’s questions today comes on the eve of the local elections so you can expect both leaders to use the opportunity for a spot of last minute campaigning. Theresa May will dutifully go through the motions of defending her Government’s record while refusing to acknowledge her party is facing a hammering in tomorrow’s poll . The consequences of years of austerity are far more noticeable at a local level than the national one. The cumulative impact of the cuts can be seen in the closure of your local leisure centre, the potholes in the roads, the rationing of social care, the absence of community support officers, the state of the local park, the fly-tipping and the loss of your library.
1st May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Conservative Party's biggest Brexit mistake revealed – 'We were crazy to do it'

Theresa May has been the subject of heavy criticism from members of her party after she agreed to a further extension to the Brexit process to seek support for her proposed withdrawal deal. Commentator Tim Montgomerie claimed the Conservative Party had made a "crazy" mistake when members maintained the Prime Minister in power despite Mrs May losing the overall majority she had inherited from her predecessor at the 2017 General Election. Addressing the public at a Centre of Independent Studies event in Sydney, Mr Montgomerie said: "If we were here for the rest of the afternoon, we could go through listing the major mistakes that Theresa May has made since she became Prime Minister.
1st May 2019 - Express.co.uk

Scout leader quits after troop delivers Conservative election leaflets in Lincolnshire

A Scout leader has quit after children in his troop handed out leaflets for two Conservative candidates in the local elections. The Scout Association said a complaint had been made about youngsters from 1st Marshchapel group in Lincolnshire delivering the information and several volunteers had resigned. The Scouts had been told they could rent an allotment space for a year to grow vegetables for a soup kitchen in return for distributing the leaflets, according to reports. The leaflets were promoting Conservative candidates Paul Rickett and Daniel McNally, who are campaigning for the East Lindsey District Council elections this Thursday.
1st May 2019 - Sky News

On election trail in Yorkshire with Labour where Theresa May faces wipeout

Climbing a hilly stone terrace, we’re hailed from the window of a second-floor by 44 year old Richard Wilson, who wants to put up Labour Party poster. In the next street – a stone’s throw from the birthplace of the late poet laureate Ted Hughes – Lesley Clemson, 52, asks “What have the Conservatives done for us? We need Labour in power for action on schools and housing.” Mum Elspeth Allan, 41, comes to the door with toddler Ottilie, insisting: “It’s very disheartening what’s happened with Brexit, but it’s important to vote Labour.” A few doors further up Jordan James, 29, an IT manager, admits to disillusion over Europe. He said: “I wasn’t sure, I’ve voted Labour before, and I will do again.” This is getting like a fan-fest. Where are all the unhappy, brassed-off Tykes who are going to stay at home tomorrow? If they exist, they must be hiding from Roisin’s electoral blandishments.
1st May 2019 - Daily Mirror

Russian Oligarch's wife paid £135,000 for dinner with Theresa May and SIX female cabinet ministers

Theresa May and six female Cabinet members had a night out with the wife of a former Vladimir Putin ally who had donated £135,000 at a Tory fundraiser. Lubov Chernukhin was entertained by the Prime Minister at the five-star Goring Hotel in Belgravia on Monday evening. It is understood the banker won the dinner as an auction prize at the Conservative Party’s Black and White ball earlier this year. The £135,000 bid takes Mrs Chernukhin’s donations to the Tories over the past seven years past the £1million mark. The party has insisted that Mrs Chernukhin, now a British citizen, is not a ‘Putin crony’. But the money will raise fresh questions about the Tories’ links to Russia just a year after the Salisbury spy poisoning. Five years ago, David Cameron faced questions after Mrs Chernukhin successfully bid £160,000 at a party fundraising dinner to play tennis against him and Boris Johnson.
1st May 2019 - Daily Mail

UKIP 'not a safety valve for disaffected Tories' says Batten

Gerard Batten has dismissed Nigel Farage's Brexit Party as a "Tory-lite" ego trip as he insisted only UKIP has a "clear policy" for leaving the EU. Launching its European election campaign in Middlesbrough, the UKIP leader said democracy was under threat if the Brexit vote was not honoured. UKIP was a "real political party" with members and a rule book, he said. Its rival, he said, was a "wholly owned subsidiary of one man's ego" and a "safety valve for disaffected Tories". Mr Farage, UKIP's figurehead for two decades, quit the party after a bitter fallout with Mr Batten last year.
1st May 2019 - BBC

BBC spots the flaw with UKIP man's call for UK Muslims to march against Brunei

Stuart Agnew said the UK "Muslim population" should march against Brunei's sickening anti-gay law - but gave a rather different answer when asked about UK Christians.
1st May 2019 - Daily Mirror

8m UK voters not registered ahead of European elections – study

Nearly 8 million people in Britain eligible to vote in the European elections are not yet registered, campaigners have said as the deadline looms. Research commissioned by Best for Britain, the pro-remain campaign, and undertaken by Number Cruncher Politics suggests 7.9 million eligible voters are not on the electoral roll in their local area. The figure is based on population and nationality data, estimates of what proportion of the population is registered to vote in each region, and research from the Electoral Commission on the accuracy of the electoral register. The Green party MP, Caroline Lucas, said: “It’s really concerning that huge swathes of people across the country who have the right to vote in the European elections this May aren’t currently registered.
1st May 2019 - The Guardian

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 1st May 2019

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Anger as Corbyn faces down calls for Labour to back new Brexit vote

In a move that sparked an immediate backlash among remain-supporters, Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC), announced that its manifesto for the election would be “fully in line” with its longstanding policy. That means continuing to support “Labour’s alternative plan” for Brexit – “and if we can’t get the necessary changes to the government’s deal, or a general election, to back the option of a public vote”, a Labour source said. The wording falls well short of the position set out recently by Watson, and by the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, who told the House of Commons in April: “At this late stage it is clear that any Brexit deal agreed in this parliament will need further democratic approval.” Some Labour MPs reacted with fury to the NEC’s decision. Bridget Phillipson, who represents Houghton & Sunderland South, speaking for the People’s Vote campaign, said: “The manifesto’s mealy-mouthed wording still maintains the fiction that there is a deal out there that can satisfy all the promises made three years ago, avoid real costs to jobs and living standards, or end the endless crisis around Brexit.
1st May 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May most evasive Tory Prime Minister, research shows

Theresa May has built a political career by being non-committal and now new research has revealed the Prime Minister is the most evasive Tory leader to hold office in recent memory. A study by the University of York has shown Mrs May is the worst offender when it comes to avoiding difficult questions compared to the last four Conservative Prime Ministers. Academics studied her performances in a series of broadcast interviews and during Prime Minister’s Questions to find she is employs “covert” evasion or equivocation more often than her predecessors.
1st May 2019 - iNews

Brexit Party candidate Claire Fox told to disavow IRA bombing comments

A leading Brexit Party candidate has been urged to "disavow" comments about an IRA bombing that killed two children. Tim Parry, 12, died in the arms of his father Colin five days after the IRA attack in Warrington on 10 March 1993. Johnathan Bell, three, was also killed in the attack as he was shopping for a Mother's Day card with his babysitter. The Revolutionary Communist Party (RCP) defended the IRA's actions by writing in a newsletter published on 2 April, 1993: "We defend the right of the Irish people to take whatever measures are necessary in their struggle for freedom." Claire Fox, who is now the Brexit Party's candidate in the North West ahead of next month's European Parliament elections, was a leading RCP member at the time.
1st May 2019 - Sky News

Striking Brexit deal with Labour could alienate Tory MPs, Jeremy Hunt warns

The Foreign Secretary said talks aimed at thrashing out a joint-approach with the opposition could see the Prime Minister "lose more Conservative MPs" than she gains in Labour votes. Speaking to The Telegraph on a trip to Africa, Mr Hunt said that weeks of discussions between the two sides had been "more detailed and productive than we thought and expected". But he said it would still be "very difficult to imagine a rose garden moment" between the two leaders - a reference to the friendly 2010 press conference held by David Cameron and Nick Clegg after a coalition deal was struck. And he added: "There is always a danger of doing a deal with Labour that [means] you lose more Conservative MPs than you gain Labour MPs, but I think the essential question is whether Labour are serious about delivering Brexit."
30th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Corbynista left splits over Brexit referendum

Brexit is fomenting a significant split in the alliance of Labour left-wing activists that keeps Jeremy Corbyn in power, because of his and the party leadership’s reluctance to commit to hold a referendum on any Brexit deal. A senior and influential activist told me: “Discussions are under way between leading Momentum activists, anti-Brexit MPs and campaign groups about a new process for drawing up a left slate for this year's NEC election”. What this means, he said, is that there would no longer be a joint slate of candidates put forward by Momentum and the much older hard-left campaigning group, the Campaign for Labour Party Democracy, or CPLD, which was Corbyn’s ideological and spiritual home for decades.
30th Apr 2019 - ITV News

Dan Price and Wendy Parry hits out at Claire Fox of Brexit Party over IRA

A Warrington councillor says the top Brexit Party candidate for the north west is 'totally unfit for office' over her views on the IRA bombing of Warrington. And the father of Tim Parry, killed in the 1993 attacks, says the views are 'highly inappropriate'. Claire Fox is on top of the list for the Brexit Party candidates for the Euro Elections next month. As it stands, if polling is to be believed, she is likely to be elected as an MEP representing Warrington. She is a former core activist and organiser for the Revolutionary Communist Party.
30th Apr 2019 - Warrington Guardian

Labour launches investigation into councillor who 'compared Gaza to Auschwitz'

Labour has launched an investigation into one of the party's councillors after he posted comments on social media in which he appeared to compare Gaza to Auschwitz.. Sandwell Councillor John Edwards is facing the formal party probe after he was accused of making anti-semitic remarks by a Labour campaign group. On Friday, Labour Against Antisemitism activist Saul Freeman flagged a series of tweets in which Mr Edwards railed against the party's adoption of the International Holocaust Rememberance Alliance definition of anti-semitism, as well as dismissing criticism of former Labour MP Chris Williamson as a "smear".
30th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Playtime is over: I can't keep on supporting Brexit if this is how the govt behaves

During the campaign, I was happy to accept a Norway-type arrangement, as were many other Leavers. But once it was over, two things quickly became clear. Firstly, that a well-organised and well-funded section of Leave support with strong media connections would treat anything less than full severance from the EU as treachery. And secondly, that the prime minister would place ending free movement and the views of her most hardline backbenchers above all other considerations. The no-surrender Brexiters have a dream of a free trade wonderland across the world, but it is just that: a dream. It relied on the idea of a stable international trading system based on increasingly global regulatory standards.
30th Apr 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Labour's Leadership And NEC Need To Understand That For Members Like Me, All Roads Lead To A People's Vote

On Tuesday morning, new polling for YouGov showed a serious problem for the Labour Party. My party – of which I’ve proudly been a member for six years – has spent the last three years sitting on the Brexit fence. And it shows. A massive one in four voters ‘don’t know’ whether the Labour Party is pro or anti-Brexit. A further 20% say it is neither, whilst 61% of Leave voters think the party is anti-Brexit and only 28% of Remain voters think the same. Political triangulation can work, or it can annoy all parts of your constituency equally. Unfortunately, at Tuesday’s National Executive Committee at Labour HQ, we did little to bring further clarity to our members, voters and supporters.
30th Apr 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Watch the moment anti-Brexit campaigners confront Jeremy Corbyn after manifesto meeting

Jeremy Corbyn’s car was stopped by anti-Brexit campaigners as he tried to leave the meeting which confirmed his pro-Brexit manifesto for the European elections. One of the campaigners was Steve Bray, a prominent anti-Brexit protester, who was holding a sign with the Labour leader's face on it. It included the message “where were EU?”, while another sign said “revoke, remain, resist.” Security guards outside the building where the National Executive Committee (NEC) tried to move on the protesters, but Bray politely continued to protest until the Labour leader acknowledged him in his car.
30th Apr 2019 - The New European

Guy Verhofstadt: ‘The biggest waste of EU resources is Nigel Farage’s salary’

European Parliament liberal group leader Guy Verhofstadt had a pop at his longtime rival Nigel Farage on Monday, saying the Brit's MEP salary is "the biggest waste of EU resources." Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium, said on Twitter: "Nigel Farage has been an elected MEP since 1999, but now says he comes out of 'semi–retirement'. As I already warned in 2012, the biggest waste of EU resources is Nigel Farage's salary. Why would anyone re-elect him to this role?"
30th Apr 2019 - Politico

Labour Party rejects calls to fully back new Brexit referendum

Labour party rejects calls to explicitly back a second referendum in all circumstances, in defeat for party's pro-Europeans. Jeremy Corbyn's party is heavily split over the question of a second referendum. The ruling NEC agreed to maintain Labour's existing policy of maintaining the "option" of a second referendum.
30th Apr 2019 - Business Insider

Brexit news: Attempt to get Labour to commit to second referendum shot down at party meeting

Labour supporters of a second Brexit referendum have failed to force Jeremy Corbyn to commit to a public vote in all circumstances, after a marathon five-hour meeting. The party’s ruling national executive committee agreed a manifesto for the European elections “fully in line with Labour’s existing policy”, a source said. It means Labour is only pledged to support a fresh referendum if it cannot secure “the necessary changes to the government’s deal or a general election”.
30th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn warned ‘demoralised’ Labour voters will boycott elections after second referendum fudge

Jeremy Corbyn has been warned that “demoralised” Labour voters will boycott crucial elections after he crushed an attempt to commit the party to a second Brexit referendum in all circumstances. The Labour leader demonstrated his iron grip by defeating a bid – led by his deputy Tom Watson – to end the “fudge” that would mean no public vote if the party’s “alternative plan” wins support at parliament. After a marathon five-hour meeting, the ruling national executive committee agreed a manifesto for the European elections “fully in line with Labour’s existing policy”. Some anti-referendum Labour MPs were delighted, Gloria De Piero tweeting: “Labour’s manifesto for the European parliament will not contain a pledge to hold a second Brexit referendum.
30th Apr 2019 - The Independent

@PaulBrandITV @OwenSmith_MP tells me Labour has more to lose from being vague on Brexit than it has to gain from "pandering to Brexit." He argues that polling shows Remainers deserting the party, and he wishes "the leadership recognised the risk to our vote."

@OwenSmith_MP tells me Labour has more to lose from being vague on Brexit than it has to gain from "pandering to Brexit." He argues that polling shows Remainers deserting the party, and he wishes "the leadership recognised the risk to our vote."
30th Apr 2019 - @PaulBrandITV

@LBC Labour MP and Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner joins Iain Dale to take your calls.

Labour MP and Shadow International Trade Secretary Barry Gardiner joins Iain Dale to take your calls.
30th Apr 2019 - @LBC

Clark backs British Steel with £100m rescue funding

Greg Clark, the business secretary, has agreed to provide £100m in funding to the UK’s second-biggest steel producer after it requested emergency support to make a repayment to an EU-run environment scheme. Sky News has learnt that Mr Clark will announce on Wednesday that the government has stepped in to meet a financial shortfall faced by British Steel ahead of a deadline for the company to pay its latest carbon emissions bill. Sources said that the government funding had been used to acquire carbon credits on behalf of British Steel before surrendering them to regulators, with the company signing a deal with Mr Clark's department to repay the money on commercial terms over the coming months.
30th Apr 2019 - Sky News

This craven Cabinet must move now to stop the Brexit betrayal, or they will never be forgiven

What exactly is the point of this Cabinet? Getting into bed with a Marxist catastrophist like Jeremy Corbyn? Presiding over the abandonment of Ministerial collective responsibility? Repudiating solemn manifesto pledges? Ignoring the defeat – thrice – of your flagship political project in the Commons? Reducing Her Majesty’s Government – a Conservative Government no less – into a virtue signalling Blair tribute act bereft of ideas, principles or basic competence?
30th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

UKIP candidate exposed as ex-football hooligan jailed over violent clash

A UKIP candidate standing in this week’s local elections is a convicted football hooligan. Paul Martin got six months’ jail for affray and an eight-year match ban over his role in a 2008 clash between 100 Coventry and Leicester fans ahead of a game. Mr Martin is standing for UKIP in Snibston South to join North West Leicestershire District Council and said he admitted his conviction to the party. He said: “I made one mistake in my life. I went through the process and was approved.” "I declared that on my application to be a potential UKIP candidate and I passed, so what can I do? "I made an error in my life, mate, one error. I hold my hand up. What do you want me to say, that I regret what happened... wrong place wrong time."
30th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

UKIP leader Gerard Batten on candidate's rape comments

UKIP's leader says a candidate who tweeted that he "wouldn't even rape" a female Labour MP is suing people who "misrepresented him in the media". Gerard Batten said Carl Benjamin, who is standing for the party in the South West England seat in the European elections, was not making a joke about rape, but was making "a remark of non-intent" aimed at Jess Phillips. Her Labour colleague Lisa Nandy criticised Mr Batten's defence of the "disgraceful" comments, when they were part of the panel on Politics Live.
30th Apr 2019 - BBC

The tragedy of Brexit is we will still be divided afterwards

Amidst the anger, frustration, and division of Brexit a different and more profound emotion lurks. This is a moment of national sadness. This sadness comes from a national event (the referendum), designed to resolve a question that has instead revealed how fundamentally divided we are. It has revealed that as nation we have little if any common understanding of who we are, what expectations flow from such an understanding, and what binds us beyond having ended up on these islands.
30th Apr 2019 - RSA

@tnewtondunn Furthermore; the PM has not made any public comment on a national stage (speech, press conference or Commons) about anything now for 20 days. PMQs and Liaison Committee tomorrow will stop the run of silence just before it hits 3 weeks.

Furthermore; the PM has not made any public comment on a national stage (speech, press conference or Commons) about anything now for 20 days. PMQs and Liaison Committee tomorrow will stop the run of silence just before it hits 3 weeks.
30th Apr 2019 - @tnewtondunn

@Channel4News Shadow Trade Minister Barry Gardiner: ‘We will respect the referendum result, we should leave the European Union’

Shadow Trade Minister Barry Gardiner: ‘We will respect the referendum result, we should leave the European Union’
30th Apr 2019 - @Channel4News

PAYPAL MAN Why won't Farage Reveal Who is Funding his BREXIT PARTY?

Populist, anti-elitist, libertarian? Nigel Farage’s new party doesn’t have any ‘members’ and is secretive, authoritarian and looks like a one man dictatorship. So the people who have logged on to the Brexit party website and paid their £25 are currently ‘registered supporters’. As such the Brexit party is more akin to the Dennis the Menace fan club than an actual political entity; although sadly you don’t as yet get a badge and a sheet of free stickers. Ironic isn’t it that a man who has spent thirty years railing against the unelected and unaccountable bureaucrats at the EU should now be heading up the least democratic political party in Britain. But not unsurprising. Farage’s Brexit party goes from strength to strength. A remarkable achievement given that it still has no policies or members. “No members?” You say “but I thought they had tens of thousands of people signing up.” Well yes – and no. Nigel might be bragging but the Brexit party currently has no actual membership, and the reason for that is simple. Nigel doesn’t like members. The trouble with giving people membership is that it starts giving them ideas. They begin wanting to have a say in how things are run. They want to get involved and vote on policy and elect national executives and that way lies another Gerard Batten.
30th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

Revealed: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn endorsed ‘brilliant’ book with anti-Semitic tones

Jeremy Corbyn wrote the foreword to a deeply anti-Semitic book written by an author with a record of “vocal antisemitism” who argued that banks and the press were controlled by Jews. In 2011, four years before Mr Corbyn rapidly rose through Labour’s ranks, he endorsed a new edition of John A. Hobson’s 1902 book Imperialism: A Study, The Times reports. In his foreword, the Labour Leader said the work was a “great tome” and praised Mr Hobson’s “brilliant, and very controversial at the time,” analysis of the “pressures” behind western, and in particular British, imperialism at the turn of the 20th century. But in the book, considered deeply anti-Semitic, Hobson claimed Europe was controlled by a “peculiar race” - Jews - and blatantly acknowledged the anti-Semitic Rothschild conspiracy theory.
30th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Jeremy Corbyn faces fury after praising ‘brilliant’ book which claims Jews control world banks

30th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Corbyn's praise for deeply antisemitic book

30th Apr 2019 - The Times

Jeremy Corbyn endorsed book about Jews controlling banks and the press

1st May 2019 - The Times

Watson stages 'polite' walkout over Labour's EU election manifesto

Labour’s deputy leader, Tom Watson, has walked out of a shadow cabinet meeting after demanding to see the text of the party’s draft manifesto for the European parliamentary elections. The shadow cabinet met before Labour’s ruling national executive committee (NEC) gathered to sign off the manifesto for the elections next month. Watson said he had asked whether the shadow cabinet would be shown a draft of the manifesto, but when none materialised, he “politely” walked out. The manifesto for the elections, which has been drafted by the party’s policy chief, Andrew Fisher, is expected to reiterate the policy announced in February.
30th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Tom Watson 'storms out' of crunch Labour meeting in second referendum row

30th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 30th Apr 2019

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Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party will let Jeremy Corbyn become PM by taking votes away from Tories, Jacob Rees-Mogg warns

Nigel Farage will end up helping Jeremy Corbyn get into No10, Jacob Rees-Mogg warned today. The top Tory Brexiteer claimed the Brexit Party risked splitting the Conservative vote and letting Labour get in. And he insisted that any Tory MPs or councillors who vote for Mr Farage's new party should be automatically fired. Mr Rees-Mogg vowed to stay loyal to Theresa May - even though his own sister has defected to the Brexit Party.
30th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Farage’s Brexit party eyes seat of disgraced ex-Labour MP, Fiona Onasanya

Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party plans to capitalise on its poll ratings with a tilt at a Westminster seat. It will stand in Peterborough if a by-election is triggered later this week by a “recall” petition against the disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya. The former Ukip leader’s new group has startled the main parties after polls put it on course to win the European parliament elections on May 23. Surveys have also suggested that large numbers of Conservative activists and even Tory councillors plan to vote for the Brexit Party. Mr Farage has urged voters to use the European elections to send a clear message to Westminster, which he says is blocking Brexit. A spokesman for the Brexit Party said that if a by-election was called in Peterborough “it is highly likely we will stand. We would be fighting Peterborough to win it.”
30th Apr 2019 - The Times

New IRA says Brexit has provided it with opportunity - Sunday Times

Brexit has provided the militant Irish nationalist group that admitted killing journalist Lyra McKee with a chance to further its campaign against British rule in Northern Ireland, the Sunday Times quoted its leadership as saying. The New IRA, one of a small number of groups that opposes Northern Ireland’s 1998 peace deal, has said one of its members shot the 29-year-old reporter dead in Londonderry last week when opening fire on police during a riot McKee was watching. The killing, which followed a large car bomb in Londonderry in January that police also blamed on the New IRA, has raised fears that small marginalised militant groups are exploiting a political vacuum in the province and tensions caused by Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. “Brexit has forced the IRA to refocus and has underlined how Ireland remains partitioned. It would be remiss of us not to capitalise on the opportunity,” the newspaper quoted one of its members as saying
30th Apr 2019 - Reuters

Brexit ‘death zone’: Tory MPs to ‘QUIT’ if Boris Johnson becomes Prime Minister

Former foreign secretary, Mr Johnson, is a firm favourite to replace Theresa May as leader of the Conservative party. But Prisons Minister, Rory Stewart, has suggested he would quit if Mr Johnson became leader, according to The Sun. Mr Stewart told the BBC: “I would find that difficult if he were campaigning for a No Deal Brexit.
30th Apr 2019 - Daily Express

Chris Patten on voting Conservative in Euro elections: 'I can certainly think of some candidates I couldn't conceivably vote for'

We spoke to Chris Patten, who was the last British governor of Hong Kong. We talked about a range of pressing issues, including Brexit, the Tories and Huawei – but first we asked him what his reaction was to the sheer size of the protests in Hong Kong.
29th Apr 2019 - Channel 4 News

Brexit: Rees-Mogg responds to Ahern border criticism

Jacob Rees-Mogg has responded to criticism from former taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern over his knowledge of the Irish border. In remarks made on Sunday, Mr Ahern said the Conservative MP had admitted not knowing what the Irish border was. Responding on Twitter, Mr Rees-Mogg, a high-profile supporter of Brexit, said the criticism was "quite funny but regrettably untrue". "Perhaps Ireland had a comedian as its leader before Ukraine," he said.
29th Apr 2019 - BBC

Nigel Farage is a phoney. Scrutinise him and he'll crumble

Allow me to sketch you a portrait of a political leader. Even by the lax standards of the powerful, he is England's greatest living hypocrite. He courts popularity by warning that tens of millions from the dole queues of Europe are coming to take British jobs, while employing his German wife as his secretary. He denounces "the political class" for living like princes at the taxpayers' expense while pocketing every taxpayer-funded allowance he can claim for himself, his wife and his colleagues. He says he represents "ordinary people". But he is a public school-educated former banker, whose policies will help him and his kind. He claims he is the voice of "common sense", while allying with every variety of gay-hater, conspiracy crackpot, racist, chauvinist and pillock. The only sense he and his followers have in common is a fear of anyone who is not like them.
29th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Nigel Farage refuses to reveal ‘one big donation’ to Brexit Party and people are suspicious

Nigel Farage has refused to say who the big donor to the Brexit Party is. On Iain Dale’s LBC show, Farage was asked directly who was funding the party and revealed that there was “one big donation” from an unnamed person. But when Dale asked him who that donor was, Farage dodged the question by claiming it was “not fair” to reveal the name without asking them for permission first.
29th Apr 2019 - The indy100

Queen's Speech to be delayed until Brexit delivered, Theresa May says

The Queen’s Speech will be delayed until Brexit is delivered, Theresa May has said – despite no sign of a breakthrough at Westminster to end the stalemate. The prime minister’s spokesperson said a new session of parliament – due to get under way in June – would not begin until the withdrawal agreement had been ratified. “That is part of the current Queen’s Speech cycle and we need to finish that work,” he said, admitting there was “no specific date” for a new session. The determination to deliver Brexit first opens up the prospect of no Queen’s Speech until the autumn at the earliest – even if the prime minister survives that long. Although talks with Labour will restart today, both sides are gloomy about progress after trading accusations that neither is prepared to make any meaningful compromises.
29th Apr 2019 - The Independent

British streets split by race, Farage tells US audience

Entire streets in Oldham are split along racial lines, Nigel Farage has claimed in a speech in the United States. The leader of the Brexit Party said that blacks lived on one side and whites on the other, with “no assimilation” between the two. He told students at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania that the town in Greater Manchester was a “divided society in which resentments build and grow”. In 2015 Ukip, the party that Mr Farage then led, failed to unseat Labour at a by-election in Oldham West & Royton. He later claimed that the vote was “bent” and blamed “people who do not speak English”. Mr Farage, 55, told the audience at Lock Haven: “Let me take you to a town called Oldham in the north of England where literally on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side of the street everybody is black. The twain never actually meet, there is no assimilation. “Whole streets in Oldham are of people who have lived in my country for over 30 years who don’t speak a single word of the English language. These, folks, are divided societies in which resentments build and grow.”
29th Apr 2019 - The Times

Over-50s could be forced to pay £300 a year more in national insurance under senior Tory's plan

People over the age of 50 could be forced to pay more than £300 more in national insurance each year in to fund social care, under plans that have been branded a tax on getting old by Labour. Senior Tory MP Damian Green has proposed a major shake-up to funding for care, arguing that it should follow the state pension model where everyone is entitled to basic support but individuals top up the pot through their own savings. The former cabinet minister, who was given the task of drawing up the long-awaited green paper on social care for England when he was in government, suggested a 1 per cent rise in national insurance for the over 50s as a last resort to fill the £2.75bn funding gap in the system.
29th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Damian Green suggests modelling social care provision on state pension

29th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May is the first Tory leader in 185 years to face emergency grassroots vote demanding her resignation

Theresa May has become the first Tory leader in 185 years to face an emergency grassroots vote to oust her. The PM is to be hauled in front of a snap meeting all 800 constituency chairmen and senior activists in June, who will decide whether to demand her resignation for failing to deliver Brexit.
29th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Remainers have blown the EU elections, and increased the chance of a no-deal Brexit

Like most people who have been an MP, I will never forget the day I was elected to Parliament. For one thing, it was snowing in the Yorkshire Dales that cold February day in 1989, and the bleak landscape seemed to match the political fortunes of the Thatcher administration at the time. More significantly, I was able to win a by-election – the last Tory to do so while the party was in government for a quarter of a century – because my opponents could not agree on a joint candidate. Together, the Social Democratic Party and the Liberal Democrats received many thousands more votes than I did, but they were so neatly divided that I beat both of them. This mattered: the SDP disintegrated soon after this event
29th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

A bitter turf war is raging on the Brexit Wikipedia page

While Westminster remains mired in endless Brexit deadlock, over on the Brexit Wikipedia page things are even less amicable. Editors are parrying death threats, doxxing attempts and accusations of bias, as the crowdsourced epic has become the centre of a relentless tug-of-war over who gets to write the history of the UK as it happens. Originally posted in January 2014, what began life as “Proposed referendum on United Kingdom membership of the European Union” has bloated into a 11,757-word behemoth. But the article’s vast size is the least of its problems. In private, and on discussion pages, editors tell tales of turf wars, sock puppet accounts, and anonymous figures hellbent on stuffing the article with information that supports their point of view. “I was heavily involved with the Brexit page, but gave up more than a year ago because the level of bias on it proved impossible to address and the aggravation of trying to deal with that was not worthwhile,” says EddieHugh, a Wikipedia editor who has made 186 edits on the Brexit page – making them one of its most prolific contributors. Since leaving the page behind, EddieHugh now specialises in editing entries about obscure mid-century jazz musicians.
29th Apr 2019 - Wired.co.uk

Robin McAlpine: England's Brexit debate is 'xenophobic'

Robin McAlpine, Director of the Common Weal think tank, says the politics of the Brexit debate in England are “right-wing, xenophobic, anti-European”. He says the more affluent south is feeling “challenged by multi-culturalism" while northern England is challenged by the “weak economics of Britain”. He told BBC Debate Night this has not been happening in Scotland, Wales or Northern-Ireland.
29th Apr 2019 - BBC

‘Mood is DARK!’ Patel warns Tories will SUFFER at local elections due to Brexit

The mood is dark. The public are frustrated. “They are fed up I think more widely with politics and the way in which Brexit has been handled and in particular the fact that, as many people say to me in my constituency, they expected us to leave effectively on March 29. This has not happened.” Ms Patel’s gloomy depiction of the mood in the country - and especially in Leave constituencies - reflects analysis by pollster and Tory peer Robert Hayward, who predicted the Conservative Party could lose more than 800 seats in the May 2 elections.
29th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Fury as Tony Blair claims second Brexit referendum would be ‘healing process’ for the nation

Speaking to the Institute for Government think-tank, Mr Blair insisted a second EU referendum was the only way to decide Brexit. The ex-PM said: "The truth is there are different varieties of Brexit and you have to choose one. "And when you choose one it then becomes apparent what your problem is. Because your problem is there is a downside to whatever option you choose. "So when members of Parliament are forced to come to a choice then I think at that point they will say, ‘OK, this what I think but I’m not going to take the full responsibility so I’m going to share responsibility with the people’, and that allows a referendum to be a healing process."
29th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Brexit: 'How delays and uncertainty are hurting colleges'

The Augar review, apprenticeships policy and the spending review are hostages to the Brexit impasse, writes David Hughes
29th Apr 2019 - Times Educational Supplement News

Kezia Dugdale set to leave politics over Labour's Brexit stance

Kezia Dugdale, the former Scottish Labour leader, is expected to quit frontline politics after becoming increasingly disillusioned with the party’s stance on Brexit. It is understood that Dugdale, who headed the Scottish party for two years until suddenly resigning in 2017 after months of tension with UK leader Jeremy Corbyn, has found another job outside politics. She is expected to confirm her decision within the coming days, the Sunday Times reported, and to formally quit as an MSP at the end of the current Scottish parliament session in June. Dugdale, a member of Labour’s centrist wing, has made little secret of her unhappiness with Labour’s stance on EU membership and has demanded Corbyn campaigns for a second vote on any Brexit deal.
29th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Local elections 2019: Are the Conservatives facing a massacre? | Latest Brexit news and top stories

Anger over Brexit could cause one in five Conservative councillors up for election to lose their seats in next week’s local elections, revealing polling data has showed. Analysis presented by Professor Michael Thrasher, from the University of Plymouth, on Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday showed that the Tories could lose as many as 1,100 seats when the vote is held across the country next Thursday, May 3. Prof Thrasher said the fact the Conservatives won so many seats in the 2015 local elections - the last time the seats up for election on Thursday were voted on - means that: “The Conservatives are defending a high position. “There is a lot of stake for them. The baseline is 2015 and since the, you'd expect the Conservatives would lose ground from there.”
29th Apr 2019 - The New European

Nigel Farage is fuelled by the betrayal myth. And Brexit is only the start

In this respect, it was always baked into Farage’s rhetoric that if the public voted to leave, the elite would seek to thwart their wishes. The truth, again, is quite otherwise. The political class has strained every tendon to find a way of delivering the undeliverable: of extracting the UK from a 46-year relationship without wrecking its prosperity, security and access to the wider world. Brexit has failed because the square-circling task is impossible. We must stay, or accept a grievous cost: that is the choice now. But Farage appeals to a primal social instinct: the sensation that the few are, yet again, cheating the many of their unsullied dream. It is not the dream that is at fault, you understand, but those who sabotage it. Just as Marxists insist true communism has never been tried, so Brexiteers declare that their simple plan has been wrecked by weaklings, quislings and fools.
29th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Boris Johnson begs voters not to punish Tories over Brexit in local election bloodbath

Boris Johnson has begged voters not to punish the Tories over Brexit in this week's local elections in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a bloodbath. Experts predicted that the PM could lose 800 councillors this week as furious voters desert her for failing to leave the EU.
29th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 29th Apr 2019

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May MISERY: Prime Minister has ‘KILLED’ Brexit– 'Tories a smoking RUIN', expert claims

Political commentator John Rentoul claimed Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is likely to become Prime Minister at the next election thanks to the Government’s failure to leave the EU. He said in The Independent that the Government promised the referendum three years ago but has failed to deliver Brexit. The co-author of Tony Blair’s biography also said that Corbyn is likely to win the next election because the Tories are “done for”.
28th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

‘Running out of time’ - EU expert issues damning statement on May’s latest extension

Although Mrs May has managed to buy some valuable time to get her Brexit deal through, the UK is only just coming to the end of the beginning of the whole process. Dr Simon Usherwood, deputy chair at The UK in Changing Europe think tank, has argued that with every extension, the UK is cutting into the crucial transition stage of the Brexit negotiations. The deputy chair has insisted that although every extension avoids the possibility of a no deal Brexit, it will also make it much harder for the Government to come to an agreement over the upcoming transition stage.
28th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Tory chiefs warn MPs and activists will be kicked out if they back Nigel Farage

Tory chiefs have warned MPs and local activists they will be kicked out of the party if they back Nigel Farage in the European elections. The threat came as a poll shows Theresa May’s troops faces a hammering as Brexit voters desert her in droves. But some fed-up candidates vowed to jump ship instead of waiting to be pushed if the party goes ahead with the heavy-handed tactics. An Opinium poll showed support for the Tories has slumped to just 14 per cent ahead of next month’s the EU elections.
28th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Back Nigel Farage's Brexit Party and you're out, Tory MPs told

27th Apr 2019 - The Times

Exclusive: New IRA says Brexit helps it to recruit

The group said Britain’s leaving the EU had given it a chance to recruit supporters. “Brexit has forced the IRA to refocus and has underlined how Ireland remains partitioned. It would be remiss of us not to capitalise on the opportunity,” said one of the dissidents. In the interview, which followed months of secret contacts with republican dissidents north and south of the border, the leadership said the shooting of the 29-year-old journalist in the Creggan area of Londonderry 10 days ago was an accident that occurred in the midst of a riot and described her death as “shocking” and “something that did nothing to further any cause”.
28th Apr 2019 - The Times

Angry Labour activists threaten European election campaign boycott

Leading Labour activists are warning Jeremy Corbyn that they could boycott the party’s campaign for the European elections unless it backs a confirmatory referendum on Brexit, as pressure mounts on the leadership to support a fresh public vote. The warnings come before a crucial meeting on Tuesday of Labour’s deeply split national executive committee (NEC) at which the wording of the party’s European election manifesto is due to be decided.
28th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Don't take out your Brexit frustrations on our hard-working Tory councillors

Once you get going you will find that canvassing in a British high street is as enjoyable as any other contact sport – and even more exciting, in the sense that you can never be entirely sure who is going to be on your side. As you weave from shop to shop in a kind of rolling maul, you develop an instinct about the members of the public who loom into your path. Sometimes you need to deploy the old side-step; sometimes you palm them off with another member of your team. But most times you will want to commit wholeheartedly to the tackle – thrusting out your garish campaign bumf, clasping their hand, and inquiring joyfully whether you can count on their support.
28th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Now Ukip candidate who said he 'wouldn't even rape' a Labour MP says it's OK to sexually abuse boys

Police are examining sickening statements about child abuse made by a highly controversial Ukip candidate. Carl Benjamin was formally adopted by the party as a candidate for the European elections last week despite fury over his remark that he ‘wouldn’t even rape’ a Labour MP. Now a senior Ukip source has told The Mail on Sunday that they have passed a dossier to Wiltshire police containing deeply offensive remarks made by Mr Benjamin, an online ‘vlogger’ from Swindon who calls himself ‘Sargon of Akkad’.
28th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Carl Benjamin: UKIP MEP candidate challenged over racist language

26th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Major parties across Europe are dying. Unless we deliver Brexit, Tories and Labour could be next

The onset of the banking crash, the squeeze on living standards and the austerity policies required by euro membership played a big part. Voters expected one or other of the two main parties to be able to reverse the economic decline and became disillusioned with both when they discovered that they did not have the power to do so within the EU. Even in Germany, where the economy did relatively well, the two main parties have suffered. Mrs Merkel’s centre-Right CDU lost out badly from backing higher levels of immigration. Many voters also resented Germany having to pay the bills of other eurozone members.
28th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Farage raises hackles in Oldham by saying town is split on racial lines

He is supposed to be fronting a campaign to propel his Brexit party into the European parliament. But Nigel Farage abandoned Europe at the weekend and flew to the US to give a speech where he claimed entire streets of Oldham in Greater Manchester are split along racial lines. Addressing an audience of young libertarians at Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, Farage said Oldham was a “divided society”. He told the Young America’s Foundation: “I could take you to a town called Oldham in the north of England where literally on one side of the street everybody is white and on the other side of the street everybody is black. The twain never actually meet, there is no assimilation. Whole streets in Oldham of people who have lived in my country for over 30 years who don’t speak a word of the English language. These, folks, are divided societies in which resentments build and grow.”
28th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

‘Traitors’: Homes with Labour, Lib Dems and Green posters vandalised in suspected Brexit-related attacks

Properties displaying Liberal Democrat, Labour and Green Party posters Sussex have been vandalised, in attacks thought to be linked to Brexit. The houses targeted in Lewes had the words “traitors” and “hypocrites” spray painted on their exterior walls. “The vandalism includes damage to property and the public footpath,” a spokesperson for Lewes Labour Party said in a statement. “The recent vandalism appears to follow a national trend of anti-social behaviour against political posters and individuals who are involved in local democratic political activity.” Campaigning is in full swing across the UK, where local elections will be held on 2 May.
28th Apr 2019 - The Independent

European elections: Confusion over voter registration could stop thousands of EU citizens from casting ballot, campaigners warn

Thousands of EU nationals living in the UK could inadvertently lose their right to take part in the upcoming European elections because of widespread confusion over how to register, campaigners have warned, amid reports some European citizens are yet to receive their poll cards. Existing rules stipulate that EU citizens must both register to vote and sign a special “UC1” form stating that they will note vote anywhere else in the EU, by 7 May. But confusion has arisen because the UC1 form must be resubmitted before every election – even if the European national intending to vote has already signed and submitted that form previously, for example before the 2014 poll.
28th Apr 2019 - The Independent

My England is in a mess. Scotland’s case for splitting away is stronger than ever

Viewed cynically, Sturgeon’s manoeuvre is reducible to picking a fight with Westminster over a referendum the UK government is unlikely to allow, so as to buy time, avert people’s eyes from the question of what the party has actually done with power, and assist the SNP’s chances in the 2021 Scottish elections. One big tension sits under everything: the fact that even if independence looks more logical than ever, the politics of actually pulling it off could not be more complicated.
28th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Who is funding the Brexit party? Asks LBC's Ian Dale

Who is funding the Brexit Party (22m 50 secs) Farage looks awkward and intially says "we've done this all via the website" but when pressed admits "we've received one big donation" - refusing to say who it is. Rules say he must reveal it - so why not reveal it now?
28th Apr 2019 - LBC

Patrick Mercer: Former Conservative MP explains why he now backs Nigel Farage and Brexit Party

Now, however, that’s all changed. It’s worth remembering that David Cameron only called a referendum because of the gathering Ukip storm – he had to do something to defuse the prowling ‘fruitcakes’ if he wanted to keep his party together and his own hand in No 10’s sweetie jar. Sadly, for him, he underestimated the passion of people like my wife and the resonance of Farage’s cause.
27th Apr 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Andrew Adonis’s staggering Brexit U-turn exposes him as an unprincipled chancer

Andrew Adonis’s staggering Brexit U-turn finally exposes him as the definitive ­example of all those unprincipled ­chancers now rotting ­British politics. Once a Lib Dem, he became an unelected Labour peer, a staunch Blairite, then a Brownite. Then he became the Tories’ infrastructure chief. Then came his deranged crusade to reverse Brexit and his unhinged social media attacks on Leavers and even neutral civil servants planning for Brexit. He told Leavers not to vote Labour. Now, though, he’s a Corbynista MEP candidate, suddenly batting for a “sensible”, “socialist” Brexit. No wonder “people’s vote” Remainers are outraged at their former figurehead’s betrayal.
27th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Lord Adonis: My desire for public vote on Brexit hasn't changed

28th Apr 2019 - Somerset Live

Brexit revolt as Scottish Tory voters back Farage

Scotland is poised to elect an MEP from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party as voters abandon the Scottish Conservatives, according to a poll for The Times. Ruth Davidson’s party faces losing its only representative in the Strasbourg parliament, analysis of the research by YouGov found, as nearly 40 per cent of voters who backed the Scottish Tories two years ago switch to Mr Farage’s new group. The survey, the first to be conducted after Nicola Sturgeon announced her intention to hold a second referendum on Scottish independence, also found increased support for secession, with 49 per cent of Scots preparing to vote Yes, compared to 45 per cent in YouGov’s last poll for this newspaper in June. The research suggests that the SNP is on the verge of doubling its European politicians from two to four, according to Sir John Curtice, an election expert.
27th Apr 2019 - The Times

Brexit uncertainty 'affecting MPs' mental health'

The ongoing climate of Brexit uncertainty has led to a "testing time" for MPs with some of them reaching "almost breaking point", a Lancashire politician has said. Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans said the political situation was affecting some members' mental health, and admitted to waking up at 4am "thinking about Brexit". He told the BBC: "It's probably having an impact on MPs more than they would care to admit." The Mental health charity MIND has reached out to MPs and is offering help and support.
27th Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit BLUNDER: Theresa May risks making ‘ILLEGAL’ move if she cancels £100m EU elections

MEP Change UK candidate and senior barrister, Jessica Simor has said “stopping the EU election at the last minute would likely be illegal”. Ms Simor claimed that if the Prime Minister cancelled the EU elections, she could face legal action from EU citizens residing in the UK. Yet, Mrs May has repeatedly claimed she has until May 22 to cancel the election.
27th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Facebook prepares for EU election interference ahead of vote in May

Facebook is preparing to tackle interference campaigns aimed to misinform and manipulate voters ahead of the EU's elections in May. Last year the company acknowledged that social media could have a damaging impact on democracy and admitted it was "too slow to recognise" Russian attempts to interfere in the US presidential election. To protect its users from similar interference in the upcoming EU elections Facebook has announced a new range of fact-checking features.
27th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Remainers: don’t panic about European elections. Just participating is a win

There is only one risk here for remainers – that a big win for the Brexit party could spook some Labour MPs into voting for May’s package after all. But provided the Labour vote holds up, and indicates that MPs’ seats are safe, this risk ought to be minimal. In any case, most analysts will be observing not the number of seats allocated but the share of ballots cast. Farage will do well, but it seems unlikely that the Brexit party, Tories, Ukip and the DUP will collectively gain more than 50% of the vote. Indeed, the biggest story of the election is likely to be the humiliation of the Conservative party. Given that this is the party responsible for delivering Brexit, its drubbing in a national poll is unlikely to harm remainers. Even if the government lurched towards no-deal, parliament would not allow it and the EU would not insist on it.
27th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Tommy Robinson's MEP campaign will be an utter failure – but I know first-hand where his real danger lies

Turning up to a “forgotten” neighbourhood, bringing food and promising to tackle supposed threats, is a classic tactic of wannabe authoritarians, from Weimar Berlin to the former Yugoslavia on the eve of civil war. So the crowd get burgers, and a modicum of attention and a kind of “lovebombing” takes place – creating a strong emotional bond between followers and a leading figure. On the surface, this is about seeking electoral success, but there’s also the goal of building a street movement among those who feel ignored and disenfranchised. The campaign video was hell-bent on stirring divisions. It even spoke of politicians who don’t “breathe the same air” as his supporters.
27th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Ex-housing tsar Roger Scruton says the 'witch hunt' of people on the political right is worsening

Sir Roger Scruton has said that the 'witch hunt' of people on the political right is getting worse, following his dismissal over his comments on Islamophobia. former government advisor has expressed his concerns around the silencing of a 'conservative voice', as he challenged remarks he made to the New Statesman publication last month. The 75-year-old had been dismissed as a housing tsar following the interview, with Downing Street then accusing him of making comments which were of a 'deeply offensive and completely unacceptable' nature. The former Chairman of the Building Better Building Beautiful Commission has now said the way his views were presented in the magazine were such as to 'cause some kind of scandal'.
27th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

UKIP refuses to dump candidate who used vile racial slurs including the n-word

Carl Benjamin, aka Sargon of Akkad, repeatedly used the words "n****r" and "spic" in a 2015 video - yet UKIP claim he's fighting "political correctness" and will not kick him off the party's ticket in the EU elections
27th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

The Tory leak of Huawei’s role in the UK’s 5G network confirms that Theresa May’s government is doomed

You don’t have to be a detective to deduce that the most likely leaker was a cabinet minister who wants to succeed May (which reduces the list of suspects to 28)
27th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Huawei: MPs want criminal investigation to track down the leaker that has seen allies ‘question UK’s reliability’

26th Apr 2019 - iNews

Nigel Farage faces voter backlash after Ann Widdecombe slams pension campaigners as ‘self-indulgent and entitled’

Protests are now planned outside her remaining dates on her Strictly Ann tour following her remarks on a BBC show. Widdecombe, 71, is top of Farage’s Brexit Party’s south west region list ahead of the European Parliament elections next month. The former Tory MP said: “I’m sorry I’m going to be blunt here, it is unreasonable, self-indulgent and entitled to think that you can retire at the same age with a much longer life expectancy at the state’s expense.” The controversy surrounds the transition to equal pension age with campaigners saying many women only found about the change months before they were due to turn 60. It means many have had to carry on working for an extra five or six years. Up to 3.9 million women are thought to be affected by the changes, according to the Women Against State Pension Inequality (Waspi) group. There is going to be a judicial review of the alleged mishandling of the case to be held at the High Court in June.
27th Apr 2019 - The Sun

SNP votes for Scotland to quickly adopt new currency if it leaves UK

The Scottish National party has voted to establish an independent currency “as soon as practicable” if Scotland were to leave the UK, as activists rejected a more cautious timetable put forward by the party leadership. In a narrow victory for the grassroots, the party conference agreed by 52 votes to amend part of a wide-ranging economic blueprint, created by the party’s sustainable growth commission, to allow for a new currency to be fast-tracked and “ready for introduction as soon as practicable after Independence Day”.
27th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Public thinks EU referendum was bad idea, says poll

More than half the public – 55% – now think it would have been better never to have held the EU referendum given the difficulties of reaching an agreement on Brexit, according to the latest Opinium/Observer poll. Strikingly, more Conservative voters (49%) now think the referendum was a bad idea than believe it was the right thing to have done (43%). Among Labour supporters, 72% believe it would have been better never to have staged the vote, while 18% say it was worthwhile. The Conservatives are down 3 percentage points on 26% compared with a fortnight ago and continue to trail Labour (also down 3pts on 33%) by seven percentage points. Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit party, meanwhile, has established itself in a clear third place on 17%, having been included in the national poll for the first time.
27th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Labour to redraft European Parliament election leaflets

Labour is redrafting European election leaflets after accusations of ignoring a pledge to hold a further Brexit referendum, the BBC has been told. They will now refer to the party's preparations for a general election, with a referendum if necessary to avoid what it calls a "bad Tory deal". Jeremy Corbyn says Labour's ruling body will make a decision on Tuesday about backing a public vote on any deal. About 100 Labour MPs and MEPs want such a promise in the party manifesto. They wrote to members of the national executive committee before it meets on Tuesday to decide on the manifesto.
27th Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit deadlock not local elections on mind of Conservative voters

With local elections a week away the campaign remains dominated by the deadlock over Brexit painting a bad picture of the Conservatives
27th Apr 2019 - Sky News

@BBCNewsnight Labour MP Janet Daby, one of the 90 MPs and MEPs calling for the party to make clear its backing for a second vote, says it “would be very difficult” to hand out a leaflet that does not mention any commitment to another public vote

Labour MP Janet Daby, one of the 90 MPs and MEPs calling for the party to make clear its backing for a second vote, says it “would be very difficult” to hand out a leaflet that does not mention any commitment to another public vote
26th Apr 2019 - @BBCNewsnight

Nicola Sturgeon is trying to tear our country apart, the BBC can't keep giving her an easy ride

The BBC must institute a dramatic overhaul of its attitude towards Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP now that Scotland’s First Minister has thrown her troops into another referendum battle to break up Britain. She can’t be permitted to get away again with the easy ride she enjoyed at the hands of Martha Kearney on the Today programme. There’s no certainty that there will be another referendum but with Ms Sturgeon’s officials – all members of the British civil service, remember – preparing the ground for such a vote, she must now be treated as a frontline British politician, with all the attendant ferocious scrutiny of her views, policies and record.
26th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Forget Andrew Adonis’s U-turn on Brexit. It’s Labour that should really make one

The Labour leadership is pushing opportunity into the jaws of defeat, given its overwhelmingly pro-European base. The international commission of Labour’s national policy forum, which includes trade unionists, MPs and constituency reps, has just voted unanimously that Labour’s EU election manifesto should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum. On the same day, the Huffington Post obtained a draft Labour leaflet for the European elections saying that Labour would go ahead with Brexit and seek “a better deal with Europe”, with no mention of a confirmatory vote. It reported that neither Keir Starmer nor the head of the Labour MEPs, Richard Corbett, were consulted on the leaflet’s content. If that is the case, it is plain outrageous
26th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Twitter bans Tommy Robinson and Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin's campaign accounts

Twitter has banned the Euro election campaign accounts of Ukip candidate Carl Benjamin and far-right extremist Tommy Robinson. Ukip today refused to dump Benjamin after a video emerged of him using a variety of racial slurs. Benjamin, a vlogger who calls himself “Sargon of Akkad”, had already been banned from Twitter in 2017 for violating the platform's rules on targeted abuse. And Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, was permanently banned in March 2018 for violating its rules on "hateful conduct". Benjamin rose to notoriety after Tweeting a message to Labour MP Jess Philips, saying "I wouldn't even rape you."
26th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Alastair Campbell warns Labour over Brexit referendum

Alastair Campbell says he would find it difficult to vote Labour in the European elections if the party does not pledge to hold a referendum on the Brexit deal. Tony Blair's former director of communications, a supporter of the People's Vote campaign, told Nick Robinson's Political Thinking Podcast that it would be an "error of catastrophic proportions" for Labour not to give the public the final say.
26th Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Corbyn facing fresh pressure to commit to second referendum after ‘furious’ MPs condemn leaked leaflet

Jeremy Corbyn is under growing pressure over his party’s position on a second Brexit referendum after a leaked draft of a campaign leaflet included no mention of a Final Say vote. The Labour leader faced an angry backlash over the flyer, with MPs saying it had triggered “complete meltdown” in the party and left pro-EU MPs “utterly furious”. As the row deepened, 75 MPs and 14 MEPs wrote to Labour’s governing body to demand that “a clear commitment” to another referendum be included in the party’s manifesto for next month’s European parliament elections. Mr Corbyn’s top team is split on whether Labour should support a second referendum. Several senior shadow cabinet ministers want the party to support a public vote on any Brexit deal passed by parliament, but Mr Corbyn’s inner circle say he only supports a referendum on the government’s deal or to avoid a no-deal outcome. Other shadow ministers oppose another public poll entirely
26th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Gibraltar glee at Brexit chaos: Rock's chief vows to get 'wasted' if EU exit blocked

The Rock’s chief minister Fabian Picardo said Brexit “is more stalled than we could imagine” as he predicted Britain’s exit from the Brussels club could be stopped altogether. Describing his relief if Britain remained in the EU, he joked: “If there is no Brexit I will get so wasted and I will invite the mayor of La Línea and my friends from here and from Gibraltar to celebrate with me.”
26th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Brexit Party candidate claimed Tory Islamophobia was 'made up by the left'

A Brexit Party candidate has sparked a backlash after claiming Tory Islamophobia was “made up”. Salmon tycoon Lance Forman said the row was invented "by the left" to distract from anti-Semitic racism in Labour. In Twitter messages from 2017 to 2018, he also said Islamophobia was "reactive" and "not enough Muslims are standing up for the Jews". And he described Jeremy Corbyn as a Nazi and "fascist", saying: "It's undeniable." Labour claimed the comments were "disgraceful, racist and bigoted" while the Muslim Council of Britain said "dismissing evidence of Islamophobia" must not be tolerated.
26th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

With his money-grubbing speeches, Boris Johnson cheapens our politics

What does a person say in two speeches that is worth £160,000? Do they vomit gold? This is the amount that Boris Johnson made last month. He made a speech for the India Today conference and he got £122,990. Accommodation and transport provided of course. On the day Theresa May lost the second Brexit vote in the House of Commons he gave a speech for £38,250 to Citigroup Global Markets Ltd. Johnson is certainly taking advantage of the more liberal rules about income and interests now that he is no longer a minister.
26th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Tories face 'catastrophe' at May 2 local elections, says leaked Lib Dem briefing note

The Tories face a bruising kick in the ballots as voters desert them at next week’s local elections, a leaked briefing has revealed. An internal Lib Dem memo predicts a “catastrophe” for Theresa May ’s party when swathes of England hold council polls on May 2. More than 8,300 seats are up for grabs, half of them Conservative. The same set of seats was contested four years ago, when David Cameron led the Conservatives to a shock general election triumph, delivering the party’s first parliamentary majority for 23 years.
25th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

The dangerous allure of a fudged Brexit

During Mr Johnson’s brief and ignominious spell as foreign secretary, officials reported that his response to inconvenient facts was to cover his ears and hum the national anthem until the bearer of the bad news had departed. Nothing has changed.
25th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

A phoney war between old and young is no way to secure the Conservatives' future

It’s rare, nowadays, to come across a Conservative who isn’t trying to be the next leader of the party. Theresa May has been an inspiration, insofar as most of her MPs think they could do a better job. So a mass audition has started, with speeches outlining grand visions for the future. Almost every time, we hear how the party’s biggest problem is winning back young voters. But how? This is where the ideas run out. It’s a bit of a problem. For most of the last 15 years, the Tories have been anxiously trying to look slick, modern and vigorous – only to see a pensioner, Jeremy Corbyn, waltz off with the youth vote.
25th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 26th Apr 2019

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How long can Corbyn resist Labour’s drift towards a second referendum?

The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum – which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives – has voted unanimously that Labour’s manifesto for European elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum on any Brexit deal. My sources say there were no dissenting voices. On Wednesday, all Labour MEPs voted in precisely the same unanimous way, for a referendum. Friday’s Labour’s Trade Union Liaison Organisation is likely to inform the party’s ruling NEC that its big union supporters – including Unison, the GMB and USDAW, but obviously not Unite – also want a referendum. So it is increasingly hard to see how Labour’s ruling NEC can at its emergency meeting next Tuesday ignore such widespread membership pressure and do anything but adopt a confirmatory referendum as the foundation of its manifesto. That said many senior Labour figures tell me they worry Seumas Milne and Jeremy Corbyn will somehow find a way to prevent the party adopting an unambiguous pledge to campaign for a referendum
25th Apr 2019 - The Spectator

Less than 0.01% of EU citizens' voter forms received due to election 'havoc', say MPs

MPs have called on the government to cut the red tape around EU citizens’ registration for the EU elections after it was found that fewer than 300 crucial forms have been returned with 13 days before deadline.
25th Apr 2019 - The New European

Andrew Adonis shocks Remainers by endorsing Jeremy Corbyn’s ‘sensible’ Brexit plan ahead of EU elections

Former Labour minister Andrew Adonis has been among the most prominent campaigners for a second EU referendum since voters backed leaving in 2016. Last year he told radio station LBC that “if you are a Brexiteer, I hope you won’t vote for the Labour party because they’re moving increasingly against Brexit”. But he has now apologised for the comments from September and called on voters to back Jeremy Corbyn’s plan for exit
25th Apr 2019 - iNews

Leavers have been insulted and betrayed. I'm standing for the Brexit Party to defend their votes

I’ve run a national campaign bringing Brexit supporters (and non-Brexit supporters!) together over a pint and a chat for over three years now, travelling up and down the country, from small seaside towns to hilly hamlets. I’ve met such a depth of vibrant and inspirational characters who have touched me with their stories, histories and aspirations. These are people who are too often reduced to being nothing more than the target of patronising Guardian opinion articles or the butt of mainstream comedians’ jokes simply for wanting their voices to be heard and their democratic wishes fulfilled.
25th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Tory candidates suspended over racist and inflammatory posts

Two Conservative local election candidates and a woman honoured with an MBE are among 40 new self-professed Tory members who have shared or endorsed racist and inflammatory Facebook posts including Islamophobic material, the Guardian has learned. The torrent of racist posts include references to Muslims as “bin bag wearing individuals”, calls for the “cult” of Islam to be banned and the Qur’an being branded an “evil book”. One female Tory supporter even called for a boycott of Muslim-owned shops and endorsed another comment labelling the religion’s followers “sub-human” and “cockroaches”.
25th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Jacob Rees-Mogg was paid entirely in CHAMPAGNE for an after-dinner speech

Jacob Rees-Mogg was paid in Champagne for giving an after-dinner speech, it has emerged. The Tory Brexiteer was invited to speak at an event hosted by Global Media, which owns a string of radio stations including LBC. It was revealed in the latest update of the Register of MPs Interests, published today. According to the entry, Mr Rees-Mogg was paid for speaking at the dinner on February 6 with 12 bottles of Champagne. In total the posh bubbly came to a value of £323.52 - almost £27 a bottle. It's possible Mr Rees-Mogg was running low on Bolly after Brexit-backing colleagues raided his fridge.
25th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Tommy Robinson says he is running to be MEP in European elections

Tommy Robinson has announced he is standing to be an MEP in the European elections. He said his ‘working class’ supporters would send the ‘elite’ a ‘message they’ll never forget’ if he was elected on May 23. The far-right activist, who co-founded the English Defence League, attacked Nigel Farage and his new Brexit Party as he revealed he will be running in the north west region. Robinson said he ‘admires’ what Farage has done in the past but called him ‘just another millionaire stockbroker who looks down at the middle classes’.
25th Apr 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Tommy Robinson To Stand For MEP In Euro-Elections

25th Apr 2019 - Huffington Post UK

PM advised to call in MI5 to investigate Huawei leak

Theresa May has "no option" but to call in the security service MI5 to identify the source of a leak from the National Security Council, a founding member has said. Conservative MP Andrew Mitchell told Newsnight MI5 and the cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill may have to interview cabinet ministers who sit on the council. The former international development secretary, who sat on the NSC between 2010-2012, spoke out following a leak from the council earlier this week.
25th Apr 2019 - BBC

My way or the Huawei: who could be the cabinet leaker?

25th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

The Guardian view on the Conservatives: the headless chicken party

Theresa May’s government is one of the least successful in our history. This is not merely the view of its opponents. It is also the view of its own key members. Less than a month ago the Conservative chief whip, Julian Smith, admitted to the BBC that “discipline is not as good as it should be”. Brexit, he continued, had generated “the worst example of ill-discipline in cabinet in British political history”.
25th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

DUP leader Arlene Foster denies Lyra McKee was murdered because of a 'political vacuum'

Arlene Foster today denied Lyra McKee was murdered because of the 'political vacuum' in Northern Ireland - and said her party will not change its mind on gay marriage. The DUP leader looked uncomfortable as a priest delivered a powerful message at the funeral of the murdered journalist in Belfast yesterday when he demanded to know why it had taken the horror of her death to unite politicians. Mrs Foster sat next to Sinn Fein leaders Michelle O'Neill and Mary Lou McDonald at the Protestant St Anne's Cathedral in Belfast, and they were also forced to stand and clap. Father Martin Magill received a spontaneous standing ovation as he called her senseless killing a 'huge injustice' and said he 'dared to hope' something so awful as Lyra's murder could be a 'doorway to a new beginning'. Mrs Foster said today 'I don't accept that the violence that caused Lyra's death was caused by a political vacuum. It was caused by people who wanted to use violence to further their own warped political agenda. That's why Lyra is dead'.
25th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

IndyRef2 vote will not be allowed by UK Government says top Tory

25th Apr 2019 - Daily Record

Scottish independence: UK government 'will not grant indyref2 consent'

Theresa May's deputy has said the Scottish Parliament will not be given the power to hold an independence referendum by 2021. Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington said there was "no evidence" of a surge in support for another vote. And he said the referendum in 2014 had settled matters for a generation. Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she wants a referendum before the next Scottish Parliament election in 2021 if the UK leaves the EU. But the first minister also indicated that Westminster's approval was needed to put the legal status of any vote "beyond doubt". She has not yet made a fresh request to the UK government for this to happen, but told BBC Scotland that Mr Lidington was a member of a UK government that is "clinging to power by its fingertips" and has "zero authority or credibility"
25th Apr 2019 - BBC

Democracy under attack - was Brexit bought? (German made documentary with English subtitles makes a very strong case that it was)

Democracy under attack - was Brexit bought? (German made documentary with English subtitles makes a very strong case that it was)
25th Apr 2019 - ZDF

Dear Leavers, Lord Adonis doesn't want your support, but my Brexit Party certainly does

Having been adopted as a Labour candidate in the South West region in next month’s EU elections, he published a craven statement apologising for his LBC remarks. In it, he claimed to be in favour of Brexit. “Labour has always been clear it respects the result of the referendum,” he wrote desperately. He then lauded his party’s "sensible plan" for "a close economic relationship with the EU after Brexit.” As handbrake turns go, this one was noisy in the extreme. But it is deeply insulting in its casualness, as well. There is no way this Labour lickspittle would have humiliated himself in such a manner had he not been told to do so by the party’s high command. On that basis, I think we all know his “apology” is to be taken with a bucket of salt.
25th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

@Peston The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum - which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives - has just voted UNANIMOUSLY that Labour’s manifesto for EU elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum...

The International Commission of Labour’s National Policy Forum - which consists of MPs, trade unionists, MEPs, and constituency representatives - has just voted UNANIMOUSLY that Labour’s manifesto for EU elections should pledge to hold a confirmatory referendum...
25th Apr 2019 - @Peston

@PaulWaugh @Andrew_Adonis mystery finally cleared up: he was told he faced deselection as MEP candidate unless he signed a statement apologising for previous views and stuck to the line on Brexit

Also, @Andrew_Adonis mystery finally cleared up: he was told he faced deselection as MEP candidate unless he signed a statement apologising for previous views and stuck to the line on Brexit
25th Apr 2019 - @PaulWaugh

Gavin Esler explains why he has decided to stand as a Change UK MEP candidate

Broadcaster Gavin Esler explains why he has decided to stand as a Change UK MEP candidate – and how New European readers helped convince him to do so. We have three clear objectives: Stop Brexit, fix Britain, reform the EU. The first step is a People's Vote. I want to bring this Brexit nightmare to an end. A confirmatory vote will mean we can move on to the real problems we face.
25th Apr 2019 - The New European

European elections: Government faces legal challenge amid fears millions of EU citizens could lose right to vote

Chaos surrounding the date of the UK’s departure from the EU means the form for EU citizens' voting was only sent to 2 million European nationals on the electoral register a few weeks before the deadline – instead of the usual four-month period. A leading organisation, representing EU citizens in the UK, has urged ministers to take immediate action to remedy the situation – or face potential legal action. Roger Casale, secretary general of the New Europeans, said: “Because of the very tight timetable, we would urge the government to allow those EU citizens on the electoral roll, who miss the current 7 May deadline, to fill in the required UC1 declaration forms when they arrive at their local polling stations on 23 May.”
25th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Theresa May is risking public's faith in politics, warns poll watchdog

The election watchdog has warned that Theresa May risks undermining public faith in politics by going ahead with European elections that she says she wants to cancel. The Electoral Commission said that it was “unprecedented in a mature democracy” for a country to elect candidates to roles they may never fill. It warned that the polls next month would lead to “questions about the impact on voters now and in the future”, adding that it was “vital that our democratic institutions and traditions come through [the elections] intact”.
25th Apr 2019 - The Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 25th Apr 2019

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MP Johnny Mercer's salary funded by failed bond scheme marketing agent

A company that marketed a failed bond scheme that lost savers £236m has been funding an MP's private salary. Johnny Mercer receives £85,000 from Crucial Academy, a company ultimately funded by Surge Financial Limited. Surge Financial Limited took 25% commission for marketing bonds by London Capital and Finance (LCF), which is now in administration. Mr Mercer - who is facing calls from investors to quit as an MP - said he had done nothing wrong. The Conservative MP for Plymouth Moor View is a non-executive director of Crucial Academy, which trains military veterans and aims to find them employment. Mr Mercer, himself a former Army officer, is contracted to work 20 hours per month, a rate of more than £350 per hour.
24th Apr 2019 - BBC

Company linked to MP ‘taking legal action’ over BBC report

24th Apr 2019 - Shropshire Star

Phones4u founder vows to leave UK if Corbyn brings in higher taxes

John Caudwell, the billionaire founder of Phones4u, has vowed to leave the UK for tax-free Monaco if Jeremy Corbyn becomes prime minister to avoid higher taxes. With an £1.6bn fortune, Caudwell, 66, is the UK’s 87th richest person, according to the Sunday Times Rich List. He said he and other wealthy Britons would emigrate to escape Corbyn’s proposed wealth tax. Caudwell, who built his fortune importing and selling mobile phones in the late 80s and early 90s, said a Corbyn-led government would be “a complete fiasco”. “If Corbyn wanted to start taxing more extensively than already, my appetite or tolerance to pay much more than I’m already paying is not very big,” Caudwell said.
24th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Trump's visit to the UK should be a wake-up call for Britain's declinist, complacent elite

Donald Trump’s state visit in June could not come at a better time. The US President may be just the man to break the Brexit deadlock. He offers an uncompromisingly positive outlook on Britain’s exit from the European Union at a moment when the UK could badly do with a confidence boost and a bit of direction. As the leader of the free world, Trump’s views matter. When he sets foot in London he can outline exactly what Brexit offers the British people. A free trade deal with the world’s largest economy, even closer defence and intelligence ties with the United States, and the enthusiastic backing of the world’s superpower. He will also deliver the heartfelt support of the American people.
24th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Ann Widdecombe: Former Tory MP to stand for Brexit Party

Former Conservative MP Ann Widdecombe has announced she is set to return to politics - for the Brexit Party. Ms Widdecombe, 71, said she would still vote Conservative in the upcoming local elections but would stand as a candidate for Nigel Farage's new party in the European elections. She said she wanted to "fire a very loud warning shot across the bows" of the established parties. The former shadow home secretary has been retired since 2010. Ms Widdecombe told BBC News she was standing out of "total frustration" and to show Parliament to "get on with it" or see their seats "in danger".
24th Apr 2019 - BBC

Ann Widdecombe needs to back away from Brexit

24th Apr 2019 - GQ Magazine

Ann Widdecombe Brexit Party: we can leave the EU without leaving the 21st century

24th Apr 2019 - GQ Magazine

Ann Widdecombe is kicked out of the Conservatives

24th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Ann Widdecombe Says She’s Now Been EXPELLED From The Conservative Party

Lifelong Conservative Ann Widdecombe says she has now been kicked out of the party after she announced she was standing for the Brexit party in next month's European elections. The former shadow home secretary, 71, served as a Tory MP for over a decade before retiring in 2010. But, she’s now been kicked out of the party after joining Nigel Farage’s new outfit to fight next month’s EU elections. “I received a letter from [Conservative] headquarters today,” she told Iain Dale of her expulsion.
24th Apr 2019 - LBC

Change UK group plots to destroy the Lib Dems and hoover up their members, MPs and donors, leaked memo reveals

The Independent Group of defector MPs is planning to wipe out the Liberal Democrats and replace them as a party, a leaked strategy document reveals. The group of former Labour and Tory MPs, known as TIGgers, states that its objective is to defeat the Lib Dems so there is just a ‘single party… for progressive politics at the next General Election’. It plans to directly target Lib Dem voters and donors and to compete with the party on its own issues. It also rules out working with the party, saying: ‘No mergers, pacts or alliances.’
24th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Change UK candidate Jan Rostowski backs down on anti-gay comments

Jan Rostowski, who is running for the European elections with the pro-EU Change UK party, has backed down on past anti-gay comments he made. Rostowski—who is a former minister for finance in Poland—was announced as a candidate for Change UK yesterday. However, it wasn’t long before an interview from 2011 resurfaced in which he said “a stable society is based on heterosexual relations.”  He has since backed down on the comments, according to Buzzfeed political correspondent Alex Wickham.
24th Apr 2019 - Pink News

Second Change UK candidate Joseph Russo quits after offensive tweets emerge

Change UK lost another candidate today over offensive tweets including one about being 'scared of black women' after a chase through Amsterdam 'by a crazed black whore'. Joseph Russo also called new party colleague Anna Soubry 'Thatcher 2.0' before she quit the Tories and branded the arrest of paedophile Gary Glitter 'low hanging fruit' for police. Yesterday Ali Sadjady, a former Tory standing for the new pro-Remain party, was forced to resign hours after he was unveiled when it emerged he said Romanian pickpockets in London 'kind of makes me want Brexit'.
24th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Since I announced my Change UK candidacy I’ve been accused of Islamophobia – it’s nothing short of a smear campaign

Ever since the announcement yesterday of my candidacy as a London MEP for Change UK – The Independent Group, I have been subjected to an online campaign of false allegations of racism, including an accusation by the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) that I am Islamophobic. I have never – not once – expressed anti-Muslim hatred or bigotry. I have always been clear that any criticisms I may make are about Islamism, and conservative Islamic cultures or beliefs; never Muslims. I am horrified, appalled and deeply upset to have been targeted by what appears to be an active campaign of smears and lies from hard-left activists and the MCB.
24th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Get set for higher taxes as Hammond warns on cost of ageing population

Taxes will keep rising for years to come to cover the cost of caring for Britain's ageing population, Philip Hammond has warned. Despite success in the long battle to defeat the budget deficit, the Chancellor said the tax burden - already its highest in more than 30 years - will rise further. Higher earners in particular should brace for a bigger bill to HM Revenue and Customs as Mr Hammond said “grumbling” from the rich should be taken as a sign of success. “The trick in any tax system is to get the balance right. If taxpayers who are paying large amount of tax weren’t grumbling we wouldn’t have got it right,” he told MPs on the Treasury Committee on Wednesday.
24th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Why does Nigel Farage keep coming back to Clacton? Because it is nothing like Britain

Nigel Farage is talking the language of betrayal, but the only thing he and the rest of the Brexiteers have been betrayed by is reality
24th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Change UK's lead MEP candidate in Scotland quits

The candidate who had topped Change UK's Scottish list for the European Parliament elections has withdrawn from the race after one day. Joseph Russo was selected as the lead candidate for the new party in the Scottish constituency, should the UK take part in the elections in May. However he has now announced on Twitter that he will not stand for election. He said he was "not fully prepared" for the "personal scrutiny" he faced after "offensive" online posts came to light. One of the new party's prospective London candidates, Ali Sadjady, also quit the race on Tuesday - hours after the party's lists were announced - over comments he had previously made on social media. Change UK - which stems from the Independent Group of MPs who quit Labour and the Conservatives earlier this year - launched its campaign for the elections on Tuesday.
24th Apr 2019 - BBC

Fox breaks cover

Nigel Farage’s Brexit party is leading the polls for the EU elections and, given the party has no manifesto, policies or coherent strategy for leaving the EU, that’s some achievement. It seems that our political discourse is now so irredeemably f*cked that voting for a party with no actual policies in order to elect MEPs to a parliament they don’t believe in is just fine and dandy. Fox is currently director of the ‘think tank’ the Institute of Ideas, but for two decades she was a core figure in the Revolutionary Communist Party and the co-publisher of its in-house magazine, Living Marxism. Neither Fox nor the Brexit Party attempted to deny that, but I wonder whether rank-and-file Brexiters planning to vote for Ms Fox know quite what they are getting.
24th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

Nigel Farage - The New Nasty Party

Bill “Viagra Golliwog” Etheridge, apart from the Viagra and the Golliwogs, is more recently known as a pal of the so-called White Pendragons, who were behind the interruption of a speech by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. They told those present that they were there to effect a citizen’s arrest. And outside the venue, they had brought a scaffold. As in the kind used to hang people. He’s part of the new Farage fringe. Also joining Mr Thirsty, and announced as an MEP hopeful this week, has been businessman Lance Forman, who had previously been a supporter of Turning Point UK, the group whose US parent had been linked with all manner of extremism. For him, the charge is one of straightforward hypocrisy: having told “I can’t think of one area in which [the EU] has helped our business”, his company’s website proclaimed the virtues of achieving PGI status for its London Cure Smoked Salmon. Awarded by the EU.
24th Apr 2019 - Zelo Street

Ministers in a froth amid Huawei row

There have been fears inside government about allowing the Chinese telecoms firm Huawei to get involved in the construction of the UK's 5G telecoms network for some time. Yet the government under Theresa May believes the risks can be controlled and is proceeding
24th Apr 2019 - BBC

Theresa May defies security warnings of ministers and US to allow Huawei to help build Britain's 5G network

24th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 24th Apr 2019

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May should go today, says senior 1922 Committee member

Senior Conservatives are to vote on whether to make it easier to force Theresa May out of office within weeks by changing the party’s rules to allow a no-confidence motion at any time. The 1922 Committee will meet later on Tuesday to discuss amending its rules, which currently state a leader cannot face a second no-confidence motion within a year of the previous one. May defeated an attempt to oust her in December, meaning she is safe from an official challenge for at least another seven months. However, some Brexit-supporting members of the committee are trying to remove the time limit.
23rd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit Is Back, And It's Already Being Described As The Most Disappointing Season Yet

May continues to try to plot a way to get her Brexit deal through parliament, and may bring her Withdrawal Agreement back to the Commons for a fourth time. God loves a trier. The PM is also fighting a rearguard action to save her job, with warnings her position will be under threat if voting in European elections goes ahead on May 23. The Tory grassroots has already fired off warning shots. With would-be Tory successors to May plotting in the background, most notably Boris Johnson, and cross-party talks in the hunt for a consensus solution continuing, British politics returns to the Groundhog Day that it seems to have been trapped in for recent months. Is this the Brexit finale? Anyone hoping for the latest season of Brexit to come to some kind of conclusion could be disappointed.
23rd Apr 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Insular Britain told it is losing influence in Washington

The British are nowhere to be seen in Washington as they become increasingly insular and obsessed with Brexit, according to the outgoing French ambassador to the US. Gérard Araud, the outspoken 66-year-old who has been Paris’s man in Washington since 2014, can barely contain his glee over the growing French influence on US foreign policy. “The UK has vanished,” said Mr Araud. “The British ambassador told me — and I loved it — that every time the British military is meeting with the American military, the Americans are talking about the French.”
23rd Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Conservative MP set for by-election fight after being fined £1500 over false expenses claim

Tory MP Chris Davies could face a by-election to unseat him after he was fined £1,500 and ordered to do community service for making false expenses claims.
23rd Apr 2019 - Politics Home

False expenses claim Tory MP Chris Davies fined £1,500

23rd Apr 2019 - BBC

Customs union will sell British cities short, says Centre for Cities think tank

Cities including Brighton, Cardiff and Edinburgh as well as London would be hit hard by a Brexit deal that neglects Britain’s powerhouse services sector, according to research. Failure to preserve frictionless access to the European Union for leading service industries would risk a sharp fall in trade, posing a threat to jobs across dozens of urban areas, the economic think tank Centre for Cities warned. Its analysis found that British cities export services worth £78 billion each year, such as insurance and legal advice, to EU countries. A third of all exports from Edinburgh, Brighton, Cambridge, Cardiff and London are generated by companies selling services to the bloc. Andrew Carter, Centre for Cities chief executive, said: “A goods-only customs arrangement would leave services, which comprise the majority of Britain’s exports to the EU, facing trade barriers. This scenario could limit the economic prosperity of many of Britain’s cities and the millions of people living and working in them.”
22nd Apr 2019 - The Times

Theresa May snubs climate change meeting with schoolgirl Greta Thunberg

There was an empty chair at the table as teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg met with party leaders in Westminster today amid ongoing environmental protests. Theresa May didn’t turn up to the round-table in the House of Commons today as Greta, 16, met Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, Liberal Democrat Sir Vince Cable, Green MP Caroline Lucas and the Westminster leaders of the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru, Ian Blackford and Liz Saville Roberts. A place was set for the PM, with a sign bearing her name, but she was instead chairing a Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street. Mrs May had been sent an invitation, but organisers said no response had been received – though they were hopeful she still might make an appearance.
23rd Apr 2019 - Metro.co.uk

EXCL Embarrassment for Labour bosses as staff unanimously reject latest pay offer

In a major embarrassment for party officials, staff - including those working in Jeremy Corbyn's office - voted unanimously to turn down the proposed rise. Bosses now have until 3 May to return with an improved offer, with the prospect of staff taking industrial action on the table if they do not.
23rd Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Tory splits erupt once again as MP hails 'fantastic' Brexit Party candidates

Deep Tory splits have been exposed once again after one of their MPs described the Brexit Party candidates for next month's European Parliament elections as "fantastic" - Tory Backbencher Lucy Allen heaped praise on her own party's supposed rivals as they announced who would be standing for them should the poll go ahead on 23 May.
23rd Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Labour says Theresa May unwilling to offer key Brexit concessions

Labour has accused Theresa May of failing to offer any substantive changes to her Brexit deal in cross-party talks, as Downing Street’s hopes of a breakthrough in time to avoid taking part in European parliamentary elections waned. Brexit talks resumed on Tuesday between a team of ministers and shadow ministers. But Labour sources said the government team again appeared unwilling to countenance changes to the political declaration, which sets out the UK’s future relationship with the EU. Instead, ministers offered alternative ways of giving reassurance about the issues Labour has raised, such as on environmental standards and workers’ rights, including through redrafting the withdrawal act implementation bill (WAB) and tweaking separate planned government bills.
23rd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Farage's new recruits join class struggle for the glorification of Nige

Brexit party candidates prove as unconvincing as their leader in vowing to emancipate the people. Nigel was there to emancipate the little people, he insisted. The downtrodden and the dispossessed who were being denied the Brexit that hucksters like him had always insisted would be a piece of piss. Even a skilled chameleon like Nigel couldn’t quite pull that one off. However hard he tries, he just can’t manage anything more than ersatz sincerity. Nige has only ever been about the glorification of Nige. The narcissist’s narcissist.
23rd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Nigel Farage REFUSES to publish a Brexit Party manifesto until after EU elections

After five candidates introduced themselves, the floor opened for questions where Telegraph reporter Christopher Hope asked: “Will we ever see a manifesto? “You have only one single policy which is: Brexit. “What does that mean in your eyes, Nigel, to be quite clear, and when will we see actual policies from this new party?”
23rd Apr 2019 - The New European

Remainers with a vengeance How EU Elections could provide the Far-right with More Power

Real change could take place in Brussels beyond 23 May, when the 27 heads of state will meet in November to agree on a new President of the European Commission. That outcome will be strongly linked to the election results. If the centre-right EPP is more or less assured of getting the Commission Presidency, the political strength of the Far-right could have a huge impact on the next Commission’s priorities – and on its political approach towards Brexit thereafter (should Brexit still be ongoing then). Similarly, should the British right, namely the Brexit party and UKIP, manage to be among the first few parties, they’ll argue that Britain just held its second referendum in favour of Leave and pretend that ‘nothing has changed’.
23rd Apr 2019 - Byline Times

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: The 'Stop Brexit' circus must be run out of town

Mrs May appears to possess not an iota of self-awareness. Rather than preparing a dignified resignation statement, she has apparently spent the past few days contemplating a Cabinet reshuffle. In what parallel universe does she believe rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic is a sensible solution, while the captain who deliberately navigated the ship into an iceberg remains on the bridge? She's already promised to resign, not once but twice. Her authority is shot to pieces. She has been humiliated at home and abroad. Her dismal, defeatist withdrawal 'deal' is dead as a dodo. Her MPs treat her with undisguised contempt. Her own party activists want her gone, yesterday.
23rd Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 23rd Apr 2019

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Government spent £13 million in just two months on consultants to help with Brexit deal

The government spent more than £13 million in just two months in their desperate attempts to convince MPs to vote for Theresa May’s Brexit deal. According to the Sun, £12 4 million was spent by the cabinet office on external consultant fees, which involved drawing up alternative plans to the Irish border and preparing for a no-deal Brexit. It is a whopping 221% increase on the total spend on consultancy services in the same three month period a year earlier. Best for Britain found that the department spent £300,000 in December on communicating the plan to the public and then a further £400,000 in January, which would have involved using Google and social media networks. The spending spree was a flop, as Theresa May failed to gain the support of the House of Commons, and the government appeared to u-turn on plans for a no-deal Brexit.
21st Apr 2019 - The New European

MPs to investigate huge cost of Brexit planning

19th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Derbyshire Tories boycott EU elections over Brexit chaos

Conservative councillors in Derbyshire have voted to go on "strike" and not help candidates campaign in the upcoming European elections, in an extraordinary show of local defiance to the national party. It comes as a survey of 781 Conservative councillors for the Mail on Sunday shows that 40% of them are prepared to vote for Nigel Farage's Brexit Party at the elections on 23 May. Every one of the 37 Tory councillors at Derbyshire County Council are in support of the boycott, meaning that hundreds of activists will not deliver leaflets or canvass for the party's candidates in the run up to the elections. Council leader Barry Lewis: "I suppose it is described in one way as going on strike, to not take part in a campaign for an election like this. "It is with a heavy heart - we are an activist group at Derbyshire County Council, we want to support our candidates - but we simply cannot go against the wishes of the people.
21st Apr 2019 - Sky News

Tory councillors refuse to campaign for next month's EU elections

19th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Pro-Brexit MP provokes backlash after complaining about application process for settled status for her parents

A Labour MP who now supports the UK leaving the European Union caused Twitter to implode when she messaged the home secretary complaining about the application for settled status for her parents. Twitter users did not fail to see the irony when Ashfield MP Gloria De Piero tweeted Savid Javid to claim that the process to register EU citizens living in the UK was “not good enough.” She said: “Dear @ukhomeoffice @sajidjavid trying to sort my parents application for settled status. They are in their 70s and 80s. They don't have smart phones but I'm happy to sort it for them but It's such a complicated process I can't figure out how to do it. This is not good enough.” Her tweet provoked more than 1,000 responses - with the majority pointing out that she should be speaking up for the three million EU citizens - not just her parents. The respondents also claimed her u-turn on Brexit since the referendum had added to the “hostile environment” facing those now living in the UK.
20th Apr 2019 - The New European

Pro-Brexit MP provokes backlash after complaining about application process for settled status for her parents

20th Apr 2019 - The New European

Rape, Race and UKIP’s MEP Candidate

I have no better way of putting it: Carl Benjamin is the Dunning-Kruger candidate. He is the walking, talking embodiment of an overestimated, overinflated belief in one’s intelligence and critical faculties. Anyone who saw his performance at the recent launch of UKIP’s MEP campa understood immediately that he was manifestly ill-equipped for the business of politics.Adopting the poses of a Poundland Mussolini, yet looking like IT middle-management, he railed against the assembled press and pouted as his tweet to Labour MP Jess Phillips – “I wouldn’t even rape you” – was brought up. When pressed for an explanation, he responded: “If a woman is being a giant bitch and laughing about male suicide I’m going to be a giant dick back to her”. He was much like a petulant teenager, caught out.
20th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

Ukip European election candidates: man who sent 'rape' tweet to Labour MP and comedian who trained his dog to perform Nazi salute

Ukip has unveiled a man who sent a “rape” tweet to a Labour MP and a comedian who trained his dog to do a Nazi salute as its star candidates for the European elections. Gerard Batten, the Ukip leader, launched the party’s European election campaign by inviting Carl Benjamin, a Youtube personality, to appear on the stage alongside him along with Mark Meechan a Scottish comedian. Mr Benjamin prompted controversy after it emerged he tweeted “I wouldn’t even rape you” at Jess Phillips, a Labour MP. The Ukip candidate yesterday used a press conference to defend his comments. “I think we should treat women the same as men,” he said.
18th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

UKIP candidate: 'It's okay to joke about rape'

18th Apr 2019 - Sky News

UKIP's Carl Benjamin not sorry for MP rape comments

18th Apr 2019 - BBC

How ‘condescending’ Brexiteer Mark Francois met his match in US Speaker Nancy Pelosi

Nancy Pelosi, the US Speaker, rebuked the hardline Brexiteer Mark Francois for being condescending during a private lunch this week. Ms Pelosi, the third most powerful figure in the US, challenged the “red-faced” former junior defence minister after an exchange about the nature of the Irish border. The Speaker of the House of Representatives has been leading a delegation of senior American politicians on a visit to London and Dublin focused on Brexit. She will conclude her visit today with a trip to Belfast. The programme included a lunchtime meeting with four members of the European Research Group faction of Conservative MPs at a Westminster restaurant on Monday. In addition to Mr Francois the group included Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sir Bernard Jenkin and Steve Baker. The US delegation included Brendan Boyle, a Democrat representing Pennsylvania, who has taken a hard line on the potential damage to US relations after a hard Brexit, and other Irish Americans. Woody Johnson, the US ambassador to the UK, was also present.
18th Apr 2019 - The Times

Brexit: US Speaker told off 'condescending' Mark Francois at awkward meeting

18th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit supporter jailed after sending 'terror-filled' messages to MP Heidi Allen

Jarod Kirkman – of Torquay Drive in Luton – was jailed for a total of 42 weeks for seven counts of sending malicious communications, having pleaded guilty to the offence at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday, April 8. Threatening communications were sent to MPs Heidi Allen, Nick Boles, Yvette Cooper, Nicky Morgan, Sarah Wollaston, Jenny Chapman and David Lammy, and all were sent using fictitious email details via contact pages on the respective MPs websites. Kirkman was traced and identified by his IP address and, when interviewed, freely admitted he had sent the abusive messages, but couldn't recall all the details, and said “I was just being a stupid idiot over Brexit”.
18th Apr 2019 - Ely Standard

Brexit supporter jailed for sending MPs death threats and racist abuse

19th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Facebook bans UK far right groups and leaders

Facebook has imposed a ban on a dozen far-right individuals and organisations that it says "spread hate". The ban includes the British National Party and Nick Griffin, the English Defence League and the National Front. The list also includes Britain First, which was already banned, but this latest action will prohibit support for it on any of the US firm's services. It said it had taken the action because those involved had proclaimed a "violent or hateful mission". "Individuals and organisations who spread hate, or attack or call for the exclusion of others on the basis of who they are, have no place on Facebook," the social network added in a statement.
18th Apr 2019 - BBC

Facebook bans far-right groups including BNP, EDL and Britain First

18th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Facebook bans right‑wing groups including BNP and EDL

19th Apr 2019 - The Times

Lyra McKee killing: 'New IRA admits responsibility'

The New IRA has admitted responsibility for the killing of 29-year-old journalist Lyra McKee, according to a Northern Irish newspaper. In a statement given to The Irish News using a recognised code word, the group offered "full and sincere apologies" to her family and friends. Ms McKee was shot in the head while she observed rioting in Londonderry's Creggan estate on Thursday night. The New IRA said she was killed "while standing beside enemy forces".
23rd Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit-backing Tory activists to seek Theresa May’s resignation

Conservative activists are to hold an emergency summit to debate a vote of no confidence in Theresa May, adding fresh pressure on her to resign as party leader and prime minister. The grassroots challenge to Mrs May’s already precarious authority comes from the National Conservative Convention, which said on Monday that it would hold an extraordinary general meeting within weeks. The unprecedented move to discuss a vote of no confidence in Mrs May was triggered after more than 70 chairs of local constituency associations handed in a petition to the party.
22nd Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Furious donors 'giving money to Tory MPs instead of Theresa May' amid Brexit anger

Conservative donors are giving money directly to Tory MPs instead of the party's central office because of their anger about Theresa May's handling of Brexit, it has been claimed. Alexander Temerko, who has donated more than £1 million to the Conservatives, told The Times that the Prime Minister had "alienated" voters on both sides of the Brexit divide. And he revealed that he had now resorted to giving thousands of pounds in donations straight "to associations and MPs" instead of Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ).
22nd Apr 2019 - Politics Home

May's failure in office reaches far beyond Brexit

Herald Scotland savages Theresa May's performance at the helm of the nation and says the prevasive failure on Brexit stretches across a number of areas of society
22nd Apr 2019 - Herald Scotland

Facebook ads by Lynton Crosby's firm 'part of push for hard Brexit'

A network of secretive pro-Brexit Facebook campaigns overseen by Sir Lynton Crosby's company CTF Partners was part of a wider campaign to undermine ...
22nd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Lyra McKee's friends stage protest at dissident republican office

Friends of murdered journalist Lyra McKee have painted red hand prints across the office of a dissident republican group in Derry. Ms McKee, 29, was murdered on Thursday night while covering disturbances in Creggan. The gunman was aiming at police when he hit the journalist and author in the head. Her friends used red paint to cover their hands before planting prints across the Junior McDaid House in Derry, where Saoradh's headquarters are based. A group of about six men, understood to be members of the republican group, stood outside during the protest. Saoradh is associated with the New IRA.
22nd Apr 2019 - Sky News

Tory election meltdown as activists switch allegiance to Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party

More than 60 per cent of Conservative activists are planning to switch sides and vote for Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party in next month’s European elections, a dramatic survey has revealed. Mr Farage predicted that his party would “sweep the board” in the contests expected on 23 May, claiming it was attracting large numbers of Tory and Labour voters alike. Amid growing predictions of a Conservative meltdown at the ballot box, the senior MP Sir Graham Brady will reportedly warn Theresa May that 70 per cent of her MPs want her to step down by the end of June.
21st Apr 2019 - iNews

'Toxic' Theresa: Tory election candidates avoid mentioning May's name on doorsteps after Brexit 'betrayal'

Tory councillors are refusing to mention Theresa May’s name on doorsteps ahead of next month’s local elections because voters associate it with “betrayal”. Conservative Associations across the country are finding that Mrs May’s name is so toxic with voters that the mere mention of the Prime Minister gets in the way of campaigning. Tory councillors fear that voter backlash against Mrs May’s handling of Brexit will cost them their seats, and are desperately trying to keep conversations focused on local issues to avoid being tainted by events in Westminster.
21st Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Jeremy Corbyn says government Brexit talks at risk because Tories want to 'do a deal with Donald Trump'

Brexit talks between Labour and the Government are at risk because Conserative MPs want "to do a deal" with US President Donald Trump, Jeremy Corbyn has claimed. The Labour leader said ministers had given little ground in talks between the two parties so far, as he accused the Government of "dithering" over its Brexit strategy. Ministers and Labour frontbenchers have been holding talks for the past two weeks aimed at finding a compromise Brexit agreement that can get through the House of Commons, which has rejected Theresa May's own deal three times.
21st Apr 2019 - Politics Home

@TheSun Jeremy Corbyn blasted after video of him mocking captured SAS troopers and branding British forces in Iraq ‘lawless’ emerges

Jeremy Corbyn blasted after video of him mocking captured SAS troopers and branding British forces in Iraq ‘lawless’ emerges
21st Apr 2019 - @TheSun

Margaret Thatcher’s former press secretary savages Ken Clarke’s claim she would vote to stay in EU

'I think it is ridiculous to claim she would have voted Remain just because, like me, she voted to confirm our membership of the Common Market in 1975. Sir Bernard Ingham instead argued that developments within the EU since Mrs Thatcher left office may have prompted her to 'threaten to leave'. He pointed to the adoption of the Euro single currency, which he argued has 'devastated southern Europe', and the moves towards a 'single foreign policy' and 'Euro-army' as factors which might have changed Mrs Thatcher's mind. 'All this ran against the grain of Mrs T's convictions and anyone, Ken Clarke or others, who suggests she would have sat unmoved by this nonsense is incredible,' he said. 'It is true she regarded referenda as the tool of dictators and that she never said to me either before or after 1990 that we should leave the EC. 'My best guess - and this is only a guess - is that she would have eventually challenged - and harried - the EU to drop its damaging federalism and go for a loose, wider freely co-operating group of nation states.
20th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Theresa May spotted in yellow vest working as marshal at Easter race

Theresa May wore a hi-visibility jacket to help marshal a Good Friday race in her constituency, after returning from her Easter holiday in Wales. A smiling prime minister handing out water to thirsty runners at the Easter 10 contest in Maidenhead and walked the route with her husband, Philip. She also shared selfies with spectators before directing the runners, who – unlike so many Conservative MPs – followed her instructions, slapping the hands of some of them with the odd high-five as they passed by.
20th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Britons no longer just want to leave the EU - they want to change politics for good by smashing the two-party system

The rapid rise of the Brexit Party in the polls just days after we launched formally has sent a shiver down the spine of the Conservative Party. This sense of apprehension is well deserved, as far as I am concerned. The omens for Theresa May do not look good. Take Councillor Barry Lewis, the Conservative leader of Derbyshire county council. On Friday, he confirmed that his group recently supported a motion not to take part in the European elections on May 23. Just think about that. The faithful servants of one of the oldest political parties in the world are on strike. They refuse to go out and canvass, such is their anger – and, no doubt, sheer embarrassment – at the appalling mess created
20th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

A Far-Right Activist's Website Republished Articles From The Mail Online Without Permission

Former Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen launched the new "venture" earlier this year. BuzzFeed News has found 28 articles that have been reproduced in part or in full from a variety of mainstream publications.
20th Apr 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Theresa May's future to be determined in just DAYS as MPs plot new no confidence vote

The Conservative Party’s influential 1922 committee is set to meet on Tuesday to discuss whether the rule allowing a no confidence vote against the same person only once a year should be changed. Mrs May survived a no confidence vote in December 2018 and, according to the current regulations, her position is secured until the end of 2019. But backbenchers in the committee can vote to change the rules, as they are not determined by the party’s constitution but by MPs themselves, according to Alan Mabbutt, a senior Conservative Party official. And the co-secretary of the committee, Nigel Evans, said he is “leaning towards” the idea of changing the rules. He said: “I certainly will be leaning towards us changing the rules if another solution to this situation cannot be found. "We cannot leave it for 12 months. “If we fight the European elections there is only one person that is responsible - her."
20th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

I’m no Brexiteer, but even I can admit the Remain camp is slipping into fanatical territory

The writer opines that the online #FBPE crowd are losing site of what they hope to achieve by being overly attack minded
19th Apr 2019 - The Independent

How May's failed deal shattered EU relations

Donald Tusk sent a “lines to take” memo to the EU’s capitals setting out the legal reality and the bloc’s strategic advantage under article 50. “We expect the UK to formulate its wishes when it comes to our future relationship,” he said. “Any agreement, which will be concluded with the UK as a third country, will have to reflect the interests of both sides and be balanced in terms of rights and obligations. First we need to agree the arrangements for the withdrawal of the UK.” At 11.23am BST, staff in Brussels received an email from the secretary general of the EU council, Jeppe Tranholm-Mikkelsen, seeking to assuage fears. “I know that many colleagues, in particular those who are British nationals, are very concerned today,” the Danish official wrote. “I would like you to know that, for me, all … colleagues are European Union officials, independently of the nationality.”
19th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

No Brexit more likely than a disorderly one, say economists

The chances that Brexit will be cancelled are now greater than the chances Britain will leave the European Union without a deal, according to economists in a Reuters poll, who again pushed back their expectations for when the Bank of England will raise interest rates. In the latest monthly Reuters survey, taken April 12-17, the median probability Britain and the EU will part ways in a disorderly fashion - where no deal is agreed - held steady at the 15 percent given in March, the lowest since Reuters began asking in July 2017. Only one of 51 respondents gave a value over 50 percent. “Apart from the fact that no-deal Brexit is now less likely, the path ahead is as unclear as ever. A deal (and likely a softer Brexit) still seems more likely than not,” BNP Paribas economists said. “But we are sceptical that this will happen any time soon.”
18th Apr 2019 - Reuters

Facebook to cave to EU pressure after row over political ad rules

In a political standoff between European lawmakers and Facebook, the social networking giant has blinked first. After vocal complaints from the EU’s three main institutions that the company’s new political advertising rules will hamper region-wide campaigning, Facebook is expected to allow the European Parliament and EU political groups to buy social media ads across the 28-country bloc.
18th Apr 2019 - Politico

Forget Ukip, the only way to rattle the pro-EU establishment is to back the Brexit Party

Following my declaration that I will stand as an MEP candidate for the Brexit Party, I have been asked more than once, “why the Brexit Party? Longworth is seeking to follow through on the 2016 referendum vote and hold the two main political parties to account
18th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Britain is once again the sick man of Europe

Why so many crises have befallen the country at the same time and how they all relate to one another are really important questions. Poor economic outcomes, in terms of real income growth, are surely related to the rise of national identity as a salient issue, though there are other factors, notably immigration. What matters, however, is not what caused all this, but that it is going to take a long time to sort all this out. The UK will, alas, remain sick for a while.
18th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Frustrated, confused: What Leave voters plan to do in the EU elections

The overwhelming majority of those I met this week on a sunny afternoon in town were that way inclined. In summary, I got an earful of the F-word and the C-word. They are "frustrated" that the UK is still in the EU, and "confused" as to how they are going to cast their votes. If they cast their vote, that is. At least one lady said she planned to abstain in protest. Many people said they would vote for whichever party looked stronger on polling day.
18th Apr 2019 - Sky News

'No minutes' of DUP Brexit donor's meetings with Stormont bodies

No minutes were recorded of meetings the DUP arranged for a Brexit campaign donor to discuss "investment opportunities" with public bodies in Northern Ireland. Campaigners raised concerns yesterday after The Irish News revealed businessman Richard Cook's meetings with Invest NI, Belfast City Council and a Stormont department in the months following the EU referendum. Mr Cook, a former vice-chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, chairs the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) – a pro-union business group that donated £435,000 to the DUP during its Brexit campaign. Questions have persisted over the DUP's Brexit campaign money, of which £282,000 was spent on a front-page ad in the British newspaper Metro – a publication not circulated in Northern Ireland. Last week it emerged the DUP received a further £13,000 from CRC after the 2016 referendum. The party said it used donations to "further the cause of unionism".
17th Apr 2019 - Irish Independent

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 18th Apr 2019

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DUP targets English voters for funds with pro-Brexit adverts

Northern Ireland’s pro-Brexit Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is running ads on Facebook to raise money in England only as part of a new fundraising drive on social media. The party’s “Support Brexit – Support the DUP” ads are being shown mostly to people over the age of 55 – an age group that voted in the majority for Brexit - and only in England where the party has no candidates. Facebook data on the ad, which features photographs of DUP leader Arlene Foster and deputy leader Nigel Dodds, says it was being shown only to people living in England. Some 37 per cent of the people being shown the ad were aged 65 years or older and a further 25 per cent are aged between 55 and 64, according to the data on the ad. The ad had been viewed between 5,000 and 10,000 times since it began running on Tuesday, just weeks ahead of European and local elections.
18th Apr 2019 - The Irish Times

Britain cannot be treated as a second class citizen while it lingers in EU before Brexit says Tusk

The European Council president attacked 'fear and scaremongering' over UK exit. He dismissed the idea that UK might 'disrupt' activities while still a member. The German foreign minister Heiko Maas said UK had to decide future by October. He attacked idea that the UK could spend years working out how to leave. Jean-Claude Juncker said that the EU was now on a break from Brexit. EC chief said EU was 'ready' for a no-deal Brexit but had 'nothing to gain'
17th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

How Brexit may harm the new EU parliament

Should the UK not succeed to do so by 22 May, it will have to hold EU elections to elect its own representatives in the new European Parliament. Far from being a punishment, this is a necessity to preserve EU citizens living in the UK, as well as the integrity of the European Parliament as a whole (what if the UK should eventually stay in the EU?). Yet this could irremediably do exactly the opposite. Holding EU elections in the UK is set to fatally affect the good functioning of the next European Parliament - as well as the entire Union - for the five years to come. The British participation in the elections is set to distort the new political balance emerging within the next parliament (the 73 UK MEPs are set to leave the assembly upon Brexit), but also to irremediably tarnish the validity of the parliament's future decisions.
17th Apr 2019 - EU Observer

End of EU: Shock study says 54% of voters have no faith in Brussels - 'Systems failure'

A think tank has collected data, alongside pollsters YouGov, from 46,000 participants across 14 member states, between January and February 2019 which make up 80 percent of the European Parliament’s seats, finding that 57 percent of participants are unlikely to cast their vote. The study’s authors have created four potential groups of voters that MEPs will have to target if they are to be successful in the ballot – the pro-EU “system believers”, the sceptical “Gilet Jaunes”, the “pro-European left behinds” and the anti-Brussels “nationalist eurosceptics”. Both the “Gilet Jaunes” and “Nationalist eurosceptics” equate to 54 percent of voters, according to the think tank’s publication.
17th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Concern over councils' ability to cope with polls

Council chiefs have raised concerns with Government about the sector’s capacity to run EU elections so close on the heels of local polls. Local authorities have said there remain ‘immediate concerns’ around complex cost and capacity issues related to the elections next month, with ‘urgent responses needed’ from Whitehall. On top of this, senior Local Government Association (LGA) officials have warned that councils could be open to legal challenge from EU citizens who decide to vote in the UK but are then disenfranchised if the elections are cancelled. The Cabinet Office has suggested that EU citizens in the UK should register in their member state of citizenship as the ‘most certain option to ensure they can cast their vote’ but the LGA wants the Government to issue national legal advice on the subject.
17th Apr 2019 - Local Gov

Scotland rejects hostile environment created by Theresa May: Sturgeon

Scotland’s First Minister said one of the most shameful aspects of Brexit has been the treatment of EU citizens. Scotland wants no part of Theresa May’s “despicable” hostile environment, Nicola Sturgeon has said, as she urged action against “xenophobia” in politics. Addressing the STUC conference in Dundee, the Scottish First Minister said the treatment of EU citizens in the UK is one of the most “shameful” aspects of Brexit. She warned the damage of any form of Brexit could not be fully mitigated, and said there would be “nothing disorderly” about Scotland leaving the UK following a vote for independence.
17th Apr 2019 - Shropshire Star

The Ukip-shaped challenge facing Nigel Farage and his new Brexit Party

Stephen Bush discusses the threat to Nigel Farage's nascent Brexit Party posed by his old one, UKIP now run by Gerard Batten
17th Apr 2019 - New Statesman

Brexit news: Theresa May facing grassroots no-confidence vote as Farage's new Brexit Party takes commanding poll lead

Theresa May could face an unprecedented no-confidence vote among grassroots Tories, as the prospect of a crushing defeat in European elections looms. Local party chairs have been circulating a petition that is on course to force the National Conservative Convention to hold an extraordinary general meeting where members could pressure the prime minister to resign. The plot emerged as a poll showed Nigel Farage‘s new Brexit Party had stormed into the lead ahead of EU parliament elections next month. A YouGov poll, commissioned by the People’s Vote campaign, puts the Brexit Party on 27 per cent, ahead of Labour on 22 per cent with the Conservatives trailing on 15 per cent. It follows the burst of publicity the Brexit Party received with the launch last week of its election campaign, when it was announced that Annunziata Rees-Mogg – the sister of the leading Tory Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg – would be among its candidates. It will reinforce fears among ministers the Conservatives are heading for a crushing defeat if the poll on 23 May goes ahead as planned – a result which would almost certainly see fresh calls for Ms May to quit.
17th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Nigel Farage’s new Brexit party could WIN the European elections, poll suggests, as voters punish Tories for EU exit chaos

17th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Bombshell poll reveals Nigel Farage's new Brexit Party could win EU Elections

17th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Poll: Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party in the lead for Europe elections

17th Apr 2019 - The Scotsman

Farage's Brexit Party to top EU elections in Britain - poll

17th Apr 2019 - Reuters

Brexit news latest: Guy Verhofstadt blasts MPs for dithering over EU withdrawal

Speaking at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Guy Verhofstadt said he fears that the delay to Brexit will “continue the uncertainty. I fear it will prolong the indecision.” He told MEPs: “And I fear most of all that it will import the Brexit mess into the European Union. And moreover, that it will poison the upcoming European election.” The Brexit co-ordinator also said that he fears the decision to extend the Article 50 deadline to October 31 will mean the “pressure to come to a cross-party agreement disappears.”
17th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

'Their first decision was to go on holiday': EU's Verhofstadt fears UK will waste Brexit delay

17th Apr 2019 - Sky News

May's Brexit strategy has put MPs in danger and wasted billions – Britain deserves a real leader

When the prime minister applied for and got a second extension to the Article 50 period, she did so because she wanted to save the country from the disastrous consequences of leaving the EU without a deal. She did the right thing, putting the country first. Theresa May has known about the consequences of a no-deal Brexit for years. Paper after paper has crossed her desk, warning her what it would mean. Most recently the cabinet secretary – the most senior civil servant in the country – laid these consequences out before cabinet: food price rises, shortages of some foods, chaos at the ports, the need to stockpile medicines, direct rule for Northern Ireland and, most dangerous of all, a weakening of our national security. No deal would not only leave our country poorer, but it would also weaken us. No responsible prime minister could embrace such an outcome. No leader could will these consequences on their own country. But how did we get here? Why was the application for an extension and the rejection of no deal seen as such a betrayal, not only by Brexiteer Conservative MPs, but by a significant proportion of the population?
17th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Liberal Democrats attack other anti-Brexit parties for refusing to fight on joint ticket for European elections

The Liberal Democrats have accused other anti-Brexit parties of damaging the chances of success in the European elections by refusing to fight on a joint ticket. Vince Cable lashed out at The Independent Group and the Greens for rejecting his pleas to stand joint candidates on 23 May, to boost the number of MEPs demanding a second referendum. The Lib Dem leader revealed that his party proposed fighting together – a move that one election expert has predicted could have delivered an extra six seats in Brussels. Frustrated campaigners for a Final Say public vote also believe a unified campaign would have excited voters and delivered an even greater reward. Sir Vince said voters would be forced to choose between “a variety of different parties offering the same message”, under a proportional voting system.
17th Apr 2019 - The Independent

North Of London, Brexit Supporters Gather To 'Feel Proud And Unashamed'

Reading says that she keeps her pro-Brexit views mostly to herself. She's worried if she speaks up at her workplace, she will be ostracized. She can't remember a time when her country was this divided. At the Leavers for Lincolnshire gathering, she found the evening with fellow Brexiteers relaxing and comforting. "We didn't know anybody ... and we started to talk and we all felt the same," said Reading. "That was absolutely great. We can breathe."
17th Apr 2019 - NPR

Revealed: Brexit group covered up its targeting of right-wing extremists

Arron Banks repeatedly lied to cover-up his Brexit campaign’s effort to attract far-right extremists. Leave.EU paid for Facebook adverts targeted at supporters of the National Front, the BNP, Britain First and the EDL. But when the BBC asked for a response to a story they planned to run, Mr Banks sent a barrage of emails in an attempt to get the story dropped. Leaked emails, seen by Channel 4 News, show Mr Banks insisted the BBC’s accusation were “wholly wrong” – despite his own staff telling him the story was true. One Leave.EU employee told him: “Those are our ads, we have targeted those groups since the beginning of the campaign as they gain most traction.” Another Leave.EU staffer proposed telling the BBC: “We pay for target ads for all political parties, not just right wing.” But Mr Banks replied: “Not the right answer.” Instead, Mr Banks told the BBC: “It’s wholly wrong to say we have targeted extreme right parties… your report needs to reflect this or it will be biased and if we have to we will take whatever legal action we need.” Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU’s Head of Communications, even appealed to the head of BBC Westminster, Robbie Gibb, in a further attempt to prevent the story from being run. Mr Gibb is now Theresa May’s head of communications
17th Apr 2019 - Channel 4 News

How Farage's Campaign colluded with Putin to Weaponise hate and Islamophobia

By the time of the EU referendum, Russian news agencies like RT and Sputnik were clearly pushing a pro-Brexit agenda, particularly focusing on (mainly false) allegations of rape and criminality by asylum seekers and migrants. One of Leave EU’s most popular videos was mainly sourced from Russian propaganda and deliberately portrayed foreign migrants as sexual predators. Four weeks before the referendum vote in June 2016, Leave EU created a video called ‘Worrying Scenes in Europe’, mainly based on clips from RT. One disturbing sequence in the video is all Leave EU’s creation. It apparently shows sexual assault by dozens of men (alleged to be refugees). But, the clip is actually of an assault that took place in Tahrir Square in Egypt in 2013.
17th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

More than half of Britons think Labour has 'serious antisemitism problem', poll reveals

More than half of people believe Labour has a "serious antisemitism problem", a new poll has revealed. The ComRes survey, on behalf of the Jewish News newspaper, showed 51% think the party has a problem with anti-Jewish hate, up from 34% in July last year. A similar proportion of respondents, 55%, agreed that Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's "failure to tackle antisemitism within his own party shows he is unfit to be prime minister". Labour's long-running antisemitism row resurfaced at the weekend when the Sunday Times reported Mr Corbyn, in a leaked recording, said that evidence of antisemitism in the party has been "mislaid or ignored".
17th Apr 2019 - Sky News

May to go down in history as 'monumental failure' - a 'massive contrast with Thatcher!'

A former aide to Margaret Thatcher has said Prime Minister Theresa May will go down in British history as a “monumental failure” after she was unable to get enough support for her Brexit deal in order for Britain to have left the European Union within the two-year Article 50 deadline. Last week the EU agreed to extend Britain’s departure from the bloc until the end of October 31 after Theresa May pleaded for a delay. Mr Gardiner told Express.co.uk: “As someone who led Britain at a critically important time in history but who did not have the vision or the guts and the courage to do what was necessary.
17th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Corbyn's polling lead is a national emergency. The Tories must have a proper vision to defeat him

Thanks to the Prime Minister’s staggering incompetence, we face a real risk of a double whammy of no Brexit and a Jeremy Corbyn government, propped up by Scottish Nationalists. Opinion polls should be taken with a bucket of salt. But the past half a dozen tell an eerily similar story: Tory support has fallen off a cliff, especially since voters realised that we weren’t actually going to leave the EU on March 29, as promised. Labour is also down, albeit by less. As a result, Mr Corbyn leads by several percentage points; a uniform swing in a general election today would cost the Tories 60 seats, make Labour the biggest party and allow it to govern with other Left-wing groups.
17th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Nick Boles suggests he will not stand at the next election

Newly independent MP Nick Boles has suggested he will not stand at the next general election, saying he is on his “way out” of frontline politics. In an interview with The House magazine, the former Conservative minister said he was in his “swansong” after deciding to quit his party over Brexit earlier this month. Though Mr Boles backed Ruth Davidson as the “perfect candidate” to become the next Prime Minister, he said it was “very unlikely” that a new Tory leader could bring him back to the fold. He also said it was “reasonable” to question whether it would have been better if the Tories lost the 2015 election and accused Theresa May of making a “moral error” in trying to be more “Brexity than Brexiters” after entering No10. Mr Boles spectacularly resigned the Conservative whip in the Commons after accusing his party of intransigence and refusing to compromise during the Brexit debate. It came after a fractious period with his own constituency party in Grantham and Stamford, which had earlier backed a no-confidence vote against him. Mr Boles fell out of favour over his support for a Norway-style Brexit and opposition to leaving the EU without a deal.
16th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 17th Apr 2019

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Local election candidates feel wrath of Brexit on the doorsteps of Milton Keynes

“If people are angry about Brexit they might vote UKIP, but I get the feeling that the people most upset are those who believe that any delay has been wrong and they are disproportionately Conservatives.” Cllr Douglas McCall, the Lib Dem leader, believes any Brexit effect on the doorstep won’t hit the Lib Dems as much as the other parties, especially the Conservatives. “The Tories gained seats that they did not expect to in 2015, when the local elections took place at the same time as the General Election,” he said. “Four years later, they are really unpopular and I expect they will lose seats to Labour and the Lib Dems.”
17th Apr 2019 - Milton Keynes Citizen

The UK teeters on the verge of a Brexit breakdown

The first warning signs of the toll that Brexit might impose on national wellbeing manifested themselves in Europeans resident in Britain, says Emmy van Deurzen. A consultant psychoanalyst and professor at an offshoot of Middlesex University, Ms van Deurzen says that in the immediate aftermath of the 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership of the EU, Europeans living in London suddenly felt less than welcome, and worried about whether they could still call the UK home. Some of her patients said they began losing their appetites and struggling to sleep. This year the same symptoms of anxiety and worse have started spreading to UK citizens, she says. Extreme mood swings. Exhaustion and loss of hope. Delusional outbursts. An inability to carry out everyday tasks.
17th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Theresa May’s secretive Brexit approach led to blunders, says report

Theresa May has been accused of blundering through Brexit by creating an “unsustainable” split between government departments while her “secretive” approach to the withdrawal negotiations fuelled division in her own Cabinet. In a highly critical report, the respected think tank the Institute for Government (IfG) blamed Mrs May for creating a divide in responsibilities between No.10 and the Department for Exiting the European Union (Dexeu). Tim Durrant, lead author of the IfG report, said: “It is vital that the government uses the next months to develop a better understanding of how the EU will approach the next phase. The time available for negotiations is short and the government must not waste time by failing to prepare.”
17th Apr 2019 - The Scotsman

Damaging impact of Brexit cannot be fully mitigated, warns Sturgeon

Nobody should pretend that the damage of Brexit can be fully mitigated, according to Nicola Sturgeon. The First Minister will speak at the STUC conference in Dundee on Wednesday and is expected to warn that any form of Brexit would harm living standards and risk jobs. An extension to Article 50 was granted earlier this month, meaning that the UK will not leave the European Union until October 31 unless a deal can be agreed in Parliament sooner.
17th Apr 2019 - Express and Star

Environmental regulations proving sticking point in cross-party Brexit talks, Labour claims

Brexit talks between Labour and Conservatives have stalled, in part because the Tories are unwilling to reject the option of slashing workers' rights and environmental protections in order to secure a US trade deal post-Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn has said. The Labour leader told the Guardian newspaper on Tuesday that the government "doesn't appear to be shifting its red lines" because parts of the Tory party "actually wants to turn this country into a deregulated, low-tax society which will do a deal with Trump".
17th Apr 2019 - Business Green

DUP arranged 'investment meetings' for Brexit campaign donor

The DUP arranged for a major party donor who bankrolled its Brexit campaign to discuss "investment opportunities" with public bodies in Northern Ireland. Richard Cook, a former vice chairman of the Scottish Conservatives, chairs the Constitutional Research Council (CRC) – a pro-union business group that donated £435,000 to the DUP during the EU referendum campaign. He was involved in a series of senior meetings with Invest NI, Belfast City Council and a Stormont department in the months following the EU referendum, The Irish News has learned. The meetings were to discuss "potential investment opportunities in Northern Ireland". Invest NI and Belfast council said nothing materialised from these engagements.
16th Apr 2019 - Irish Independent

Ukip MEP Stuart Agnew addressed pro-apartheid club

A leading Ukip MEP made a speech to a pro-apartheid club of expat South Africans that has far-right links and calls Nelson Mandela a terrorist, it has emerged. Stuart Agnew, who is top of one of the party’s regional lists for re-election if European elections take place in the UK in May, addressed a recent meeting of the Springbok Club, which is led by a former activist in the far-right National Front (NF) and has links to the murderer of Jo Cox. The organisation has the apartheid-era South African flag as an emblem, and has called for the return of “civilised European rule” to the continent.
16th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Nigel Farage says Brexiteer anger will 'explode' if Theresa May strikes deal with Jeremy Corbyn

Nigel Farage has warned Theresa May that Brexiteer anger will "explode" if she strikes a pact with Jeremy Corbyn to keep the UK closely tied to the European Union. The Brexit Party leader has claimed the UK’s democracy is under threat as he sought to build momentum for his movement ahead of the European elections. His comments came after Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that Mrs May could struggle to hang on to power if she cannot get her Brexit deal through Parliament before the May 23 European poll. Mr Hunt said the "total focus" of ministers was to ensure the country did not have to vote in the elections to the European Parliament on May 23. Speaking during a visit to Japan, he acknowledged that the Government would be facing a "very serious situation" if it failed to do so.
16th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: Theresa May warned she has ‘no chance’ of passing deal in time to stop European elections

Theresa May has “no chance” of passing her Brexit deal in time to pull the UK out of the European parliament elections and avoid a likely devastating defeat, experts have concluded. Time has already effectively run out on attempts to ratify the agreement by 22 May, they say – despite the prime minister insisting talks with Labour can still deliver a compromise before the deadline. The verdict puts the Conservatives on course to lose most of their MEPs, polls suggest, as Leave voters protest at the failure to deliver Brexit, a disastrous result that would trigger huge pressure on Ms May to resign. The staging of the elections will also be a personal humiliation for the prime minister, who repeatedly told MPs they should not take place, three years after the Brexit referendum
16th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Key Corbyn Supporters In Battle For Labour’s Coveted Euro Parliament Seats

All the main parties are currently fast-tracking selection of potential candidates for the Strasbourg elections, which will go ahead on May 23 if the UK parliament fails to approve a Brexit deal beforehand. While the Tory party is facing a serious threat from Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party and UKIP, polls show that Labour is on course to gain seats in the Euro elections and the battle has begun in selection races across the country.
16th Apr 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Farage should Fix himself - Brexit Party boss busted

The outright lies and failure to deal adequately with policy details will go down in history as the Leave side’s most prominent sore. Leaving the European Union is a mammoth legal, technical and constitutional task which cannot be orchestrated according to the whims of the political sloganeering we saw in the 2016 referendum. The jaws of reality, it turns out, cannot be avoided indefinitely. To some extent, I should have had greater foresight and viewed the withdrawal issues through a more critical lens. But then again, this could be said of almost anybody invested in Brexit. Farage’s grotesque simplifications, parroted by individuals uninterested in complexity, and the almost religious evasion of detail were never going to prepare us for our departure. It is here where history will truly judge him.
16th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

'Their first decision was to go on holiday': EU's Verhofstadt fears UK will waste Brexit delay

A top EU figure has said he fears Britain will waste its latest Brexit reprieve and "run down the clock" once again. European Parliament Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt told the European Parliament that the bloc's decision to grant a delay until the end of October risked prolonging the uncertainty. He said the six-month extension to Article 50 is "too near for a substantial rethink of Brexit and at the same time too far away to prompt any action".
16th Apr 2019 - Sky News

UK MEPs could sit for 'months or longer'

The UK will take part in May's European elections and British MEPs could sit for "months or even longer", European Council President Donald Tusk has said. Mr Tusk said the decision to delay Brexit to 31 October meant British voters would be going to the polls. But Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said the six-month extension was too short for change and too far away to prompt action.
16th Apr 2019 - BBC

Voters now more sure they voted the right way in 2016 Brexit referendum, new poll reveals

Most voters have become even more sure that they voted the right way in the 2016 Brexit referendum despite three years of furious campaigning on both sides, a new poll has revealed. A fresh study by YouGov finds that 64% of Remain voters and 57% of Leave voters are “more sure than I was that I voted the right way” in the nationwide referendum held almost three years ago. A further 22% of Remain voters and 25% of Leave voters told the polling firm that they were “about as sure” as they were in 2016 that they had cast their ballot in the right direction.
16th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

How pro-Brexit group Leave.EU faked migrant footage

People-smuggling across the Channel. Migrants attacking women in dark alleys. All designed to fuel fears about immigration - perhaps the defining issue of the EU referendum. Tonight, Channel 4 News reveals disturbing new evidence of fakery - produced for Arron Banks's Leave.EU - and pumped out on social media in the run up to the vote in 2016. And at the heart of it, a secretive security company owned by Mr Banks.
16th Apr 2019 - Channel 4 News

Only a proper Brexit can spare us from this toxic polarisation

I know it may not feel much like it at the moment, but some day soon we are going to get out. Unless we MPs have taken leave of our senses, we will honour the wishes of the people. Unless the PM has some secret plan to stifle Brexit with a series of ever more ludicrous delays, it seems to me all but inevitable that we will eventually respect the result of the 2016 referendum and leave the European Union.
16th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Pro-Brexit Leave.EU group accused of faking videos and forging images of migrants committing crimes

Pro-Brexit campaign group Leave.EU has been accused of faking a viral video of illegal "migrants" and forging images purporting to show immigrants committing violent crimes. The group, which is led by businessman and former Ukip donor Arron Banks, staged a video that it claimed showed how easy it was for migrants to cross to Britain illegally, according to Channel 4 News. The video was released in the weeks before the 2016 EU referendum and was watched hundreds of thousands of times. But Channel 4 said satellite data showed that the boat had never left UK waters, and footage appearing to show the "migrants" entering the country was filmed before they left UK shores. It also reported that Leave.EU had staged images that the group said showed a migrant attacking a young woman in Tottenham, north London. The photos appearing to show the violent attack were reportedly sent by a special forces veteran who works for Mr Banks to Andy Wigmore, Leave.EU's head of communications.
16th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Damaging impact of Brexit cannot be fully mitigated, warns Sturgeon

Nobody should pretend that the damage of Brexit can be fully mitigated, according to Nicola Sturgeon. The First Minister will speak at the STUC conference in Dundee on Wednesday and is expected to warn that any form of Brexit would harm living standards
16th Apr 2019 - Evening Express

Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski calls for vote of confidence to break Brexit deadlock

Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski has called for a vote of confidence in the Government to ensure Britain leaves the EU. The Conservative MP said he wanted the Prime Minister to bring her withdrawal agreement back before the Commons for a fourth time, but ...
16th Apr 2019 - Shropshire Star

BREXIT BREAKING POINT How one BBC Veteran Believes BBC Coverage of Farage's New Party 'facilitates fascism'

While BBC journalists working around the world in terribly difficult circumstances still meet the highest ideals, I have to say – with an extremely heavy heart – that I have changed my view of the BBC. I am an “Unashamed Remainer” (to use John Humphrys’ phrase), and have been uneasy for some time about the corporation’s Brexit coverage, and publicly critical of it. But I still managed to believe that the BBC was trying to do the right thing, and that it was ultimately a force for good. That finally changed with the way it covered the launch of Nigel Farage’s new party, and in particular his speech in which he said he wanted “to put the fear of God” into MPs.
15th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 16th Apr 2019

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Why won’t the remain parties work together for the EU elections?

These elections should see the pro-Europeans triumph. While Labour still prevaricates, the Liberal Democrats, Greens and Change UK (the Independent Group as was) are the only unequivocal singers of the EU ode to joy. They all campaign for proportional representation, yet seem to have failed in that spirit of cooperation and coalition. If, just for this one election, they combined as a single pro-EU, pro-referendum grouping, they would do far better. Not only would they win more seats and votes, they would shake Labour off the fence for fear of being eaten alive.
16th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Jeremy Hunt: Brexit paralysis ‘highly damaging’ to UK’s global image

U.K. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned today that continued indecision around Britain's exit from the EU would be "highly damaging" to the country's standing around the world. Speaking to the BBC's Today program from Japan, where he is on an official trip, Hunt urged MPs to resolve their differences and agree on a deal, saying the U.K.'s trading partners just want Britain to make up its mind on Brexit and get on with it. He said Japan, and other countries, "are very, very keen to protect their trading relationship with the U.K., [and] the point that I'm impressing on Japanese people I meet is our absolute determination to resolve this quickly.
15th Apr 2019 - Politico

The Brexit Party, like everything Farage touches, is all about division

As so often with Farage, the launch was long on bombast and short on detail, not to mention riddled with contradictions. The former Ukip leader had begun by declaring war on “career politicians” and “elite establishment figures” whom he claimed had deliberately set out to make sure that Brexit never happened. He conveniently ignored the fact that almost every trade union has spoken out about the dangers of pursuing a hard Brexit. The ironies were inescapable. Farage is nothing if not a career politician. He has now led two political parties, he has been bankrolled as an MEP for 20 years and he has tried – and failed – to get elected to Westminster seven times. Yet somehow Nigel manages to convince himself he is just an ordinary bloke, mainly because he smokes cigarettes and likes a pint.
15th Apr 2019 - GQ Magazine

Brexit latest: Theresa May to resume talks with Labour – but a deal is still a long way off

How many episodes there are in GoT season 8, and how long each one is Senior Tory and Labour figures are set to resume talks this week in the search for common ground over Brexit.
15th Apr 2019 - iNews

How Britain can make life difficult for the EU during the Brexit extension

De Gaulle’s empty chair policy is a striking lesson in getting one’s way with Brussels, in only six months. But could it be borrowed by Britain, were such an unpleasantness even to be contemplated? Unfortunately not. This approach requires all the bombast and prestige of the General to be successful. Today’s UK government cannot claim anything of the sort. And there is some irony in the idea of Britain applying an ‘empty chair’ policy given that that is what Brexit ultimately seeks to achieve.
15th Apr 2019 - The Spectator

Brexit is a curse on family ties. Just look at the Rees-Moggs, the Johnsons, the Milibands...

Our polarised politics are dominated by families with strong lines on Europe. There are also the Johnsons — Boris and Jo — who are still in the same party, though planets apart on how and whether the UK leaves the EU. While Old Etonian Jacob will fag for Boris in the looming leadership contest, Jo hopes to wake up and find the referendum was a bad dream.
15th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: Theresa May faces ‘grassroots revolt’ as calls to quit grow

Theresa May faces a “grassroots revolt” among Tories over the delay to Brexit as internal party pressure mounts on the embattled Prime Minister to quit before the end of next month. The Tory leader has already announced she will be leaving office when the current phase of talks are over and former leader Iain Duncan Smith yesterday said she should quit before European Parliament elections on 23 May.
15th Apr 2019 - The Scotsman

Claims anti-Brexit candidates could be on Tory election shortlist

YouGov's poll on April 10 to 11 - the first since Brexit was extended up until October - shows Labour a clear leader with 24 percent of the public's backing. The Conservatives are in second place at 16 percent, said the poll of 1,843 people. Meanwhile, Nigel Farage's Brexit Party, which was officially launched on Friday, is third with 15 percent backing, and UKIP is on 14 percent. Another new party, Change UK, which includes Chuka Umunna among its number, are on seven percent. The Liberal Democrats are on eight percent, the same as the Greens, while the Scottish National Party and Plaid Cymru are both on six percent. That is a steep drop from the 2017 general election.
15th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

EXCL Theresa May tells Whitehall no-deal Brexit preparation will carry on after backlash

In an email to all officials, seen by PoliticsHome, the Prime Minister says planning for Britain leaving the European Union without an agreement "must continue" - albeit with "sensibly adjusted" timescales signed off by top civil servants. The move comes just days after the Government was criticised following reports that officials had been told to shelve no-deal planning with "immediate effect" as European leaders agreed to potentially delay the UK's exit until 31 October.
15th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Scientists have studied the link between income and vote on Brexit

People’s feelings about their own financial situation had the greatest influence on them voting to leave the EU, according to new research. Academics at the Universities of Bristol, Warwick and ETH Zurich analysed the views of 8,000 prospective voters over a 12-month period before and after the 2016 referendum. They say UK citizens’ feelings about their incomes were a substantially better predictor of how they planned to vote than their actual income. Those who described themselves as ‘finding it very difficult’ financially were 13% more likely to vote for Brexit compared to those who said they were ‘living comfortably’. After considering the effects of financial feelings, only the youngest UK citizens – particularly those under 25 – were substantially pro-Remain. people’s feelings about their finances – rather than their actual income – were shown to be the strongest predictor of their views on Brexit,’ he said. ‘This is an important message for economists and political scientists, stressing once more how the bad feelings created after crisis austerity policies, and spread via the media and social media, have sparked the current wave of populism, and how important it is to take into account human feelings along with material factors.’
15th Apr 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Downing Street under pressure to close down Labour talks on Brexit

No 10 is feeling the pressure to pull the plug on Brexit talks with Labour and move to an alternative plan, amid warnings that the opposition is in no hurry for a deal before the European elections. With talks deadlocked and no sign that the government moving on its red lines, neither the Conservatives or Labour want to appear responsible for the breakdown in discussions. Ministers and their opposition counterparts are taking part in working groups on some issues this week, but there will be no discussion before Easter on the big issues of a customs union or a confirmatory referendum, making it easy for Labour to reject the prime minister’s overtures so far.
15th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Ken Clarke: ‘Brexit is like a parody version of student politics’

Clarke is committed to accepting reality, as he sees it. “Unless and until I can see an opportunity of actually reversing Brexit and restoring a stable membership of the European Union, then in the real world I concentrate on minimising the damage,” he says,
15th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Opinion: This is everything that's wrong with the Norway model for Brexit

Femi Oluwole spoke to experts on the Norway's relationship with the EU about whether the deal is a good option for the UK, and their answers were less encouraging than you’d think
15th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Brexit Party candidate RIPS into David Cameron and Theresa May on TWO Brexit promises

Nigel Farage’s newly formed Brexit Party rally has drawn support from many different types of Brexiteers who are unsatisfied with the current state of political affairs. Brexit Party candidate Ben Habib savaged David Cameron on his £9.4 million “fear” leaflet he issued ahead of the 2016 referendum and Theresa May on her “slip and slide” Brexit stance. While speaking at the Brexit rally Mr Habib said: “I’m the founder and Chief Executive of a company called First Property Group.
15th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Labour MPs in pro-Brexit seats attack bid to select all pro-EU MEP candidates

John Mann issued a direct attack on Richard Corbett, the leader of the Labour group in the European Parliament, while Gareth Snell said it would be a “strategic error” to offer up only pro-Remain candidates. It comes after the Daily Mail reported an apparent plot to stop pro-Leave candidates being selected by the party for the election on 23 May.
15th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Fund managers pay UK politicians £236,000 for speeches and advice

Asset managers have paid UK politicians hundreds of thousands of pounds for speeches and advice over the past 12 months as investors desperately search for an edge as Britain messily negotiates its departure from the EU. Political figures on both sides of the Brexit divide — including Boris Johnson, Iain Duncan Smith, David Davis, John Redwood, Damian Green and Ken Clarke — received thousands of pounds to share their insights with UK and US investment companies. The payments made by fund managers to politicians — on top of their basic MP salaries of £79,468 — have drawn criticism from consumer rights champions.
14th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 15th Apr 2019

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Tories fall seven points behind Labour in new poll as support for Theresa May's party plunges to lowest level in years

The Tories have plunged seven points behind Labour in a new opinion poll. The survey, by Opinium, shows Labour climbing one point to 36 per cent, with the Conservatives dropping six points in the past two weeks to 29 per cent. Britain Elects, a poll analysis service, said it was the Tory Party’s lowest rating in four years – but not as bad as its 23 per cent score in 2013. It comes after a week in which Conservative Brexit divisions resulted in open Commons mutiny against Prime Minister Theresa May, with hardliner Bill Cash calling for her to resign.
14th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Jeremy Corbyn faces an interesting choice – will he demand that the people decide?

For many months Labour's leaders have hedged and fudged and dodged on the subject of a new referendum on Brexit. Now Jeremy Corbyn must make a decision to commit to a second referendum. There are arguments of principle and tactics for making the promise clearer and more emphatic. The argument of principle is that a new referendum is the only democratic way to resolve the Brexit morass. Parliament and the nation are now divided three ways, between leaving the EU with a deal, leaving without a deal, or not leaving at all.
14th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Hard Brexit leader would be suicide, top Tories warn

Senior Tories have launched a “stop Boris” campaign, warning that handing the keys to No 10 to a hard Brexiteer such as Boris Johnson or Dominic Raab would be electoral “suicide”. Sir Patrick McLoughlin, the former party chairman who is backing Jeremy Hunt to succeed Theresa May, today launches a broadside at Brexiteer candidates, warning that their “ideological” attachment to a no-deal Brexit is “reckless”. Writing in The Sunday Times, he says: “Defining ourselves as the Brexit party, pursuing the hardest form of Brexit with a parliament that will not deliver it, is a recipe for paralysis in government and suicide with the electorate. We are and must remain the Conservative Party, not the Vote Leave party.”
14th Apr 2019 - The Times

New Brexiteer mutiny: Ringleader Iain Duncan Smith says Tories could boycott EU elections

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith says local Conservative associations could boycott the EU elections if the UK is still a part of the bloc next month. The Chingford and Woodford Green MP slammed the Conservative leadership for not following through on its promise to leave on March 29, calling it a 'disaster' for party support. Mr Duncan Smith said the elections are 'impossible to justify'. He ridiculed the notion of campaigning for the May 23 election while at the same time saying British MEPs won't exist in a few months.
14th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

As nationalists grip the Tories, I now support Change UK

Both Labour and Conservative frontbenches have colluded in the same conspiracy to “respect the result of the 2016 referendum” (that is, to conceal the truth about its consequences) because they rightly fear that their party duopoly will not survive a more honest engagement with voters. The European election could give UK voters the voice Westminster has denied them
14th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Judge orders Ukip to reveal Brexit referendum data use

Ukip has been ordered to fully reveal details of how it used nearly £300,000 of political data services in the run-up to the Brexit vote and the 2015 general election after the party lost a two-year legal battle to block disclosure. An appeals tribunal found the political party, led at the time by Nigel Farage, failed to properly answer the information commissioner’s questions. It is now legally obliged to provide detailed answers to questions about how it spent political donations and used polling companies and data. The ruling is the latest watchdog finding to cast a shadow over the 2016 EU referendum and to raise concerns about the use of political and social media data.
14th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Chris Johns: Fantasy no-deal Brexit has cost UK equivalent of 22 hospitals

Brexit planning has so far cost the UK government £4 billion. Much is made of this figure because it represents hard cash actually spent. These are direct costs. But it’s the invisible damage that is much bigger – and gets far less attention. Goldman Sachs, for example, estimates that Brexit has resulted in £600 million of lost GDP per week since the referendum. My own calculations suggest that the implied loss of £85 billion to the economy maps to £28 billion of tax revenue gone missing. So far. That £4 billion in Brexit planning spending makes the headlines but the loss of £28 billion in taxes obviously hurts a lot more. Leading Brexiteer Daniel Hannan once claimed that seven state-of-the-art hospitals could be built for £10 billion. On that kind of arithmetic, I reckon that the UK has 22 hospitals gone missing as a result of Brexit.
14th Apr 2019 - The Irish Times

Tory Boris Johnson could lose his seat due to 'influx of young voters'

Boris Johnson could be at risk of losing his seat due to a surge in younger voters, research has revealed. The former foreign secretary’s seat in Uxbridge and South Ruislip has been listed as ‘vulnerable’ in the 2022 election by Onward think tank. Analysis shows the ratio of younger residents, aged 20 to 39, to older votes, aged 60 and over, is currently above 1.1 – meaning the Tory candidate would likely lose.
14th Apr 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Boris Johnson could lose his seat due to a surge in younger voters

13th Apr 2019 - The Sun

UKIP leader Gerard Batten defends European Parliament candidate's rape tweet 'satire'

The leader of UKIP has defended an election candidate who said they "wouldn't even rape" Labour MP Jess Phillips. Gerard Batten called the comment "satire" and praised Carl Benjamin, who was last week picked as an MEP candidate for the South West region. Mr Benjamin had previously written in a tweet to Ms Philips: "I wouldn't even rape you." Mr Batten defended the post, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "I think this was satire."
14th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Beware those who, like Ukip’s leader, excuse lies and rape threats as ‘satire’

14th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

UK fears Brexit could hurt global hunt for new BoE governor

British finance minister Philip Hammond has fired the starting gun for the race to succeed Bank of England Governor Mark Carney, but concerns about Brexit may keep some potential contestants on the sidelines. the next BoE governor will have to reckon with a sharply divided political backdrop on top of the obvious challenges that Brexit poses as regards short-term growth and longer-term regulatory relations with the EU. “There may be some candidates who might be deterred from an application because of the political debate around Brexit, which inevitably the governor of the Bank of England can’t avoid being part of,” Hammond said in Washington. Carney has been criticised by members of hardline pro-Brexit faction of the Conservative Party. Jacob Rees-Mogg last year labelled Carney a “wailing banshee” and a “failed second-tier politician” who gave unfairly negative forecasts of the economic impact of Brexit. Boris Johnson, when foreign secretary, was dismissive of BoE predictions of Brexit damage.
14th Apr 2019 - Reuters

Brexit cannot define us, says PM May's deputy as ratings dip

Britain’s ruling Conservative Party cannot let itself be defined solely by Brexit, Prime Minister Theresa May’s de facto deputy said on Sunday, as polling showed failure to leave the European Union on schedule has badly damaged its support. May’s authority has been shattered by her three-time failure to get an exit deal approved by parliament and a pledge to quit once Brexit is delivered, driving speculation about her successor and a possible national election. The once-prized stability of British politics has disappeared, threatening to break apart both the Conservatives and their main opponents Labour, and leaving the world’s fifth-largest economy facing an uncertain future. Without any consensus in parliament, reflective of a deeply divided population, all outcomes remain possible in the coming weeks and months: leaving the EU with a deal, a disorderly exit without a deal, or another vote on whether to leave at all.
14th Apr 2019 - Reuters UK

Brexit talks ‘will stall unless May shifts on customs union’

Talks between Labour and the government are unlikely to advance much further in the coming week unless Theresa May moves on her red lines over a future customs union, sources close to the talks have suggested. David Lidington, who is leading the government’s talks with Labour, said a compromise would have to be reached but played down suggestions that a government shift was imminent and added that Labour would also have to move. Labour has suggested the ball is in the government’s court and, while the opposition will engage on other topics including workers’ rights and security, the key question on customs arrangements remains unresolved. “She needs to take a political decision to move off her red lines – or not,” one source said.
14th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Tories hit by new defections and slump in opinion polls as party divide widens

The bitter fallout from Brexit is threatening to break the Tory party apart, as a Europhile former cabinet minister Stephen Dorrell on Sunday announces he is defecting to the independent MPs’ group Change UK, and a new opinion poll shows Conservative support plummeting to a five-year low as anti-EU parties surge. Writing in Sunday’s Observer, Dorrell, who was health secretary under John Major, says he can no longer continue in a party that “has fallen progressively under the influence of an English nationalist outlook” and turned its back on the traditions of many of its greatest former leaders. Arguing that neither the Conservatives nor Labour now represent mainstream opinion in the UK, Dorrell says that the current two-party system no longer serves the interests of the electorate. He writes: “I shall continue to describe myself, as I always have, as a liberal Conservative but I shall do so in future as a supporter of Change UK – The Independent Group, which I believe has become the natural home of those who regard themselves, as I do, as the heirs of Disraeli, Churchill, Macmillan and Heath.”
14th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit news: Conservatives face European elections drubbing as support 'slumps to lowest point in six years'

The Conservatives are facing a humiliating defeat at the European elections next month after support for the party slumped to its lowest level since 2013, according to a new poll. The survey shows the Tories on just 28 per cent when it comes to general election voting intention – a four-point fall which leaves them trailing Labour on 32. When voters were asked which party they will vote for at the European elections, Theresa May’s party languished on 16 per cent, eight points behind Labour on 24
13th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Brexit news latest: Jeremy Corbyn blasts Theresa May over 'scandalous' failure to seek earlier talks

Jeremy Corbyn has said it was "scandalous" that Theresa May didn't seek earlier Brexit talks with Labour. It came as he insisted the Prime Minister must compromise on her red lines if a cross-party deal is to happen. And the Labour leader said Mrs May should not use the delay of Brexit until October 31 as a chance to put her Withdrawal Agreement to the Commons again. It has already been rejected three times.
13th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: Germany's Steinmeier hopes UK leaves before EU elections

The German president has warned that Britain's exit from the European Union "cannot become an endless horror story." Concerns are growing that pro-Brexit parties could disrupt next month's EU parliamentary elections and that Brexit still rumbling on will help them
13th Apr 2019 - Deutsche Welle

Corbyn tells May to abandon Brexit red lines

Jeremy Corbyn has insisted Theresa May must compromise on her Brexit red lines if cross-party talks on EU withdrawal are to succeed. The Labour leader said it is “scandalous” the Prime Minister did not seek dialogue with Labour on Brexit earlier.
13th Apr 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Anti-racism groups issue warning to new Brexit Party and urge against divisive politics

Groups campaigning for an end to racism and discrimination have issued warnings about divisive politics amid the launch of the Brexit Party, headed up by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Mr Farage spoke at an event launching the party’s campaign for the May EU elections on Friday, during which he introduced five new candidates including the sister of Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg. He quit Ukip over its veer towards the “far right” and affiliation with anti-Muslim campaigner Tommy Robinson, saying that it had “descended into yobbery”. Mr Farage described the new party as being “deeply intolerant of intolerance” but it has already run into controversy after two senior figures were forced to step down from their roles due to racist social media posts.
13th Apr 2019 - iNews

May must use Brexit delay to tear up hated Irish backstop and finally seal a deal, DUP blasts

Theresa May is today under fresh pressure to rip up her Brexit deal and scrap the hated Irish backstop. DUP boss Arlene Foster called on the PM to use the six-month delay to Brexit to start talks again and push the EU into compromising. She warned that if Brussels doesn't shift its position, the EU will be responsible for triggering a No Deal scenario. Ms Foster's demand was echoed by Boris Johnson - and his father Stanley, who is planning to stand as a Tory candidate in Euro elections.
13th Apr 2019 - The Sun

So now Brexit could fall on Halloween. How very … appropriate

The so-called Project Fear mounted during the EU referendum campaign is associated with remainers, but the Brexiteers have their own version of it, so they may welcome the fact that the new opportunity to jump off the cliff coincides with Halloween. Here’s Jacob Rees-Mogg, speaking at the London Palladium recently: “If we try to stay beyond the European elections, there will be only one winner from that, and that would be Tommy Robinson.” And last year at the Tory conference, Boris Johnson said, “The ultimate beneficiary of the Chequers deal will be the far right.” It really is deeply irritating when a multimillionaire Old Etonian says, “I’m going to get my mates from the working class to beat you up.”
13th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

'We're fed up of Brexit, yet we can't get enough of it'

Six more months. Here’s a paradox: we are all fed up to the back teeth of hearing about Brexit, and yet we cannot get enough of it. Brexit related twists-and-turns predictably dominate the airwaves, rightly or wrongly monopolising the attention of our politicians and political commentators. And it has been relentless. But like a wart or a cold sore, we just can’t leave Brexit alone. We keep thinking about it, going back to it, examining it. We hate it and yet we are drawn to it.
13th Apr 2019 - RTE.ie

When it comes to Brexit, politicians are only respecting the ‘will’ of the white people

Missing from almost all the coverage and debate are those voices of ethnic minorities. It’s ironic given that we were one of the biggest dissenting voices against Brexit. In the 2016 referendum 73 percent of Black and 67 per cent of Asian voters opted to Remain. Given that the 7.5 million people from ethnic minorities represent a larger population than Scotland and Northern Ireland combined, it is high time that these voices are no longer marginalised. Unfortunately, as is usually the case, it is the will of white English people that is being represented as that of the nation.
13th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Real divide is wealth not Brexit, says Jeremy Corbyn

The real divide in society is between rich and poor and not Brexit, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has told party members in Llandudno. At Welsh Labour conference Mr Corbyn said his party is trying to end the Commons deadlock on the issue. He said he did not want to pit remain voters in one part of the country against leave voters in another. Meanwhile Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford said Brexit should not be used to "short-change" Wales. He also announced £2.3m to offer sanitary products to all learners in schools and colleges.
13th Apr 2019 - BBC

Former Tory leader outlines plan to save Brexit that is sure to infuriate Brussels

Lord Howard claimed the House of Commons would support Prime Minister’s deal on the condition she renegotiates the Northern Ireland backstop. He wrote the Daily Telegraph: “Achieving this would not just win the support of Parliament but also create a coherent position around which a Conservative Party that appears dangerously disunited could begin to coalesce. The problems with the backstop arise solely out of the EU’s refusal to countenance any change to the wording of the Withdrawal Agreement
13th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

If Tory MPs wish to change the 1922 committee no confidence vote rules there is nothing standing in their way

Two former chairs of the influential Conservative Party 1922 Committee give their opinions that If Tory MPs wish to change the 1922 committee no confidence vote rules there is nothing standing in their way
13th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Tory Brexiteer Boris Johnson 'will refuse to campaign in European elections'

A source close to Mr Johnson told The Times: "Boris won’t campaign in European elections. "He believes the prospect of the UK fielding candidates is utterly preposterous." The intervention comes after Chancellor Philip Hammond admitted that taking part in the fresh elections to the European Parliament, where Britain holds 73 of 751 seats, would be "pointless".
13th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Death threats leave TIG MP Sarah Wollaston too afraid to advertise public meetings

“What’s angered me is that I have had to change the way I operate as an MP. I can no longer advertise on social media my public meetings, for example. I used to hold surgeries in public places and tell people I’d be there, I can’t do that any more. And so I think there is something leading to a diminution of our very open access. It’s a shame, and I think it’s a loss.” She said comments made by members of the Brexit-backing European Research Group about Theresa May had encouraged a culture of hostility from right-wing extremists. “I think MPs routinely come under the most extreme sort of threats from the far right,” Ms Wollaston said. “What we have seen is a normalisation of threats of violence that was never there when I first went into politics.
13th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Leadership rivals target ex-soldiers with 'dirty tricks'

Tory Whips were at the centre of a growing dirty tricks storm last night after it emerged that a second former Army officer tipped for party leadership is having his past mysteriously probed. On Thursday, war hero turned Plymouth MP Johnny Mercer took to social media to accuse an anonymous Tory enforcer of attempting to ‘dig up dirt’ about his military career. The accused is understood to be Deputy Chief Whip Chris Pincher. Now The Mail on Sunday has learnt that similar enquiries have been made to former Army colleagues of Tory MP Tom Tugendhat – who served in the Intelligence Corps – who last week ruled out a tilt at No 10.
13th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Theresa May cancels Easter break for Brexit negotiators to fight Nigel Farage

A Downing Street source said: “These talks have been constructive and serious and both sides want to see further progress over the Easter recess. “If we can keep up the pace of negotiations, we can get a deal over the line and avoid having European elections.” The negotiating teams have split into working groups. Greg Clark and Rebecca Long-Bailey will look at services and consumer and workers’ rights. Michael Gove and Sue Hayman will work on environmental protection. And Steve Barclay and Keir Starmer will discuss security. But Labour sources insist little progress can be made without movement from the PM. One said: “We need her to make serious commitment to moving her red lines. Until then it’s impossible to see these talks going anywhere.”
13th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit battles are about to get much bloodier

This time, Farage will be able to use the single most divisive issue in the country to his advantage. Even if his party isn't as successful as he hopes, it's likely that a large chunk of the MEPs the UK sends will be euroskeptic. This should worry the EU. As a full member state, the UK will have voting rights and be able to frustrate the EU's plans as long as it remains inside the bloc. Jacob Rees-Mogg, a Conservative MP and leader of the pro-Brexit European Research Group, says this belligerent behavior is entirely justifiable and necessary. "The EU has not been sincerely cooperative during the Brexit process, so I don't think we owe a duty of cooperation to the EU in return," Rees-Mogg said.
13th Apr 2019 - CNN

Leave voters have lost faith in the Tories' ability to deliver Brexit

The Conservatives’ failure so far to secure Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union is now at risk of costing them dearly. When the Prime Minister first unveiled her deal in mid-November, the party was largely still holding its own. After 5 months of non-stop Brexit debate is poll ratings are falling and the new Brexit Party ratings are rising, along with the Remain parties ratings
13th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Halloween Brexit is a fitting outcome for the zombie prime minister

The EU summit became absurdist performance art as all agreed on something they did not want
12th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Boris Johnson 'wrong on no-deal polling claim'

Boris Johnson was wrong to claim there was polling evidence that a no-deal Brexit was the public's preferred option, the press regulator has ruled. Ipso ordered the Daily Telegraph to print a correction after finding the MP's column was inaccurate. The claim was made in a piece headlined "The British people won't be scared into backing a woeful Brexit deal nobody voted for" in January. The Telegraph had argued it was "clearly comically polemical"
12th Apr 2019 - BBC

Row erupts as civil servants ordered to halt £4bn no-deal Brexit planning with 'immediate effect'

The decision to begin "winding down" the emergency preparations came after European leaders agreed to delay the UK's exit until 31 October. Since triggering Article 50 two years ago, some 16,000 civil servants have been moved to departments most likely to be impacted if the UK left the EU without a deal. Labour MP Hilary Benn, who chairs the cross-party Commons Brexit Select Committee said the estimated £1.5bn cost of halting the preparations was a result of Mrs May's refusal to rule out a no-deal Brexit sooner. He said: "It was important to plan for all contigencies, but this is the huge cost of the Prime Minister repeatedly saying: 'My deal or no deal' when she knew that leaving without a deal was not in the national interest. This is one example of how Brexit is proving to be very costly for our country."
12th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Staying in a customs union after Brexit won’t resolve the Irish border issue

The EU is unlikely to accept a request from the UK that it should have a say over the EU’s trade agreements. Article 207 of the Lisbon treaty makes clear that the common commercial policy is exclusive to the EU’s direction. Turkey, which is in a partial customs union with the EU, has to follow EU trade agreements with third countries but has no say on them. The reality is that in a customs union all the power would rest with the EU, with the UK as a follower.
12th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Philip Hammond defends spending billons on no-deal preparations

The chancellor has defended spending billions of pounds preparing for a no-deal Brexit. Philip Hammond made his case after Sky News revealed the government was mothballing the team of civil servants responsible for no-deal planning. Over the past two years, the government had moved thousands of civil servants away from their normal jobs to prepare for the possibility that the UK would leave the European Union without a deal. Mr Hammond told Sky News: "It would have been irresponsible not to prepare for no deal, so long as it was a real possible outcome. "Making preparations for events that we hope will not happen is an everyday part of government.
12th Apr 2019 - Sky News

The Establishment Coup Against Brexit

Something profoundly unpleasant has happened in Britain over the past three years. It has come to a boiling point these past few weeks and will probably stay at this heat for a good many more. It can be summed up as a barely concealed dislike of democracy on the part of a considerable subsection of the elite, those who lost the referendum.
12th Apr 2019 - The Wall Street Journal

Faisal Islam bids farewell to Sky News after five years as political editor

“I fear politics has not learnt the lessons it needs to from the latter form of political terrorism. Unnecessarily aggressive personalised attacks on our politicians demean and endanger the entire process.” Islam added that he finds the “weaponisation of betrayal politics… deeply troubling”, adding: “There are senior politicians who should stop playing with fire.”
12th Apr 2019 - Press Gazette

Farage tells BBC host 'NO' SIX TIMES during FIERY exchange over Brexit Party funding

Nigel Farage got into a fiery debate with BBC host Elizabeth Glinka after she repeatedly demanded to know whether businessman and political donor Aaron Banks would be funding the former Ukip leaders’ new Brexit Party.
12th Apr 2019 - Expres.co.uk

Brexit: DUP threaten to PULL backing of May's government amid 'chat with Boris'

Theresa May's DUP allies have threatened to pull support for her government in a furious clash over Brexit. The party's 10 MPs have backed the PM since 2017 after being handed £1bn for Northern Ireland in a two-year deal. Asked if the DUP still had confidence in Mrs May after the extension, the DUP leader said: "The confidence and supply agreement that we signed was with the Conservative Party and whoever the leader of the party is we will work with. "We believe in national stability. We want to see Brexit delivered."
12th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Five key things we learnt from Nigel Farage's Brexit launch party

Nigel Farage arrived in Coventry to launch the Brexit Party today - promising it would not ignore democracy. He promised a "revolution" in British politics and unveiled some of the big names who had signed up to the party - including sister of leading Conservative Brexiteer MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, Annunziata Rees-Mogg. Speaking at the B.G Penny factory in the city after the government delayed Brexit for a second time, he said Coventry was chosen for the launch because it was the "heart of England".
12th Apr 2019 - Coventry Telegraph

Is Brexit the will of the people? The answer is not quite that simple

...there are several complicating factors. First of all, the majority was narrow. There were 17.4 million votes for Leave, 16.1 million votes for Remain, and 12.9 million abstentions. A further 18 million people living in the UK were not on the electoral register, including all young people below the age of 18 and many long-term residents who are not citizens, though they contribute to British society and have a stake in it. So, although 17.4 million is a large number, it is only a relative majority, not an absolute one.
11th Apr 2019 - LSE Blogs

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 12th Apr 2019

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MPs go on 11-day Easter break hours after EU warned Britain ‘don’t waste Brexit extension’

Theresa May finally got a cheer today after sending MPs on an 11-day Easter break. She urged MPs to use their time off to "reflect" on how to break the Brexit impasse. But she risked ridicule after announcing the holiday despite telling MPs that "nothing today is more pressing or more vital". And she announced the Easter holiday just hours after EU Council President Donald Tusk warned Britain not to "waste" the Brexit extension granted at the mammoth Brussels summit on Wednesday night.
12th Apr 2019 - The Sun

UK stands down 6,000 no-deal Brexit staff - after spending £1.5bn

The government has stood down an army of 6,000 civil servants who had been preparing for a no-deal Brexit, at an estimated cost of £1.5bn. The civil servants who had been seconded from elsewhere will now return to their normal duties, but there is no clear role for an estimated 4,500 new recruits after article 50 was extended until Halloween. More than 16,000 civil servants in total have been working on Brexit. The Labour party’s Hilary Benn said it was a “costly price” to pay for Theresa May’s belligerent insistence of keeping a no-deal on the table. “It was important to plan for all contingencies, but this is the huge cost of the prime minister repeatedly saying: ‘My deal or no deal’ when she knew that leaving without a deal was not in the national interest. This is one example of how Brexit is proving to be very costly for our country,” said Benn, chair of the influential Brexit select committee.
12th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Whatever happens next, the nationalist right has lost the battle for Brexit

It is now nearly five months since May signed the EU-UK agreement on Brexit. Since then, the Conservative party’s rightwing nationalists have repeatedly tried to defeat the deal and to oust May. They have dominated the airwaves and won some famous victories along the way, but in the end, they have decisively lost the war. For the right, the aim was to bend the Tory party to their obsessional will. They have failed to do that. Instead they may have wrecked their party. Their aim too was to drive the UK out of the EU without a deal of the kind signed by May or any of the economic safeguards Labour and other opponents demand. That is not now going to happen. Wednesday’s agreement in Brussels makes that clear.
12th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: CBI boss says agree deal or hold second referendum

The president of business organisation, the CBI, has said if politicians cannot "get their act together" on Brexit, then the only other option is to "go back to the people". John Allan stressed this was his personal view, not that of the CBI. Speaking to the BBC Mr Allan said it was "astonishing" that 27 European countries could agree a "lot more readily" than UK politicians. MPs should "take a lesson" from European solidarity, he said. Mr Allan, who is also chairman of Tesco and house builder Barrett, said the CBI did not have a position on a second or confirmatory referendum.
12th Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit extension : NI business groups 'breathe sigh of relief'

Northern Ireland business groups said they breathed a "sigh of relief" after the EU granted the UK a six-month extension to Brexit. The Brexit deadline has been pushed back to 31 October. Stephen Kelly from Manufacturing NI said the UK parliament now had to "make its mind up about what it wants to do around Brexit". "Only at that point will our businesses feel fully relieved," added Mr Kelly. Theresa May said the UK would still aim to leave the EU with a deal as soon as possible. Mr Kelly told BBC Radio Ulster that last week he spoke to one business which invested £10m a week in stock. "They now have three months worth of stock sitting there," he said. "That's £30m that would have been better used in developing new markets or investing in their staff."
12th Apr 2019 - BBC

Halloween Brexit delay could mean a summer nightmare for Theresa May

Europe has done it again. Despite French President's Emmanuel Macron's reluctance to give the UK a long Brexit extension, the EU leaders have agreed the apparently interminable process can be delayed until October 31, with a school report on Britain's behavior in June. And while everyone is focusing on that Halloween deadline, it's really the June date that's the more significant. Just three weeks ago, May told lawmakers in the House of Commons that she could not "as Prime Minister" delay Britain's departure from the European Union beyond June 30. After that, Britain would be obliged to send representatives to the European Parliament, where a new session begins on July 1. If May can't get her Withdrawal Agreement, battered and bruised, through the House of Commons in time to put a stop to those European elections and hustle the UK out of the EU by the end of June, everything will be back in play.
12th Apr 2019 - CNN

Polls show Theresa May's Tories now at similar level of support to John Major in 1997 as voters 'ditch party'

Theresa May’s failure to deliver Brexit has caused the Conservatives to haemorrhage support, with the Tories now polling at a similar level to John Major in 1997, new data suggests. Opinion polls showed support for the Conservatives had crashed eight points in the space of a month as voters seemed to swing behind Nigel Farage’s new party and Ukip. Polling conducted by BMG Research in March had the Tories on 37 per cent but the latest data for April had the party on 29 per cent. The Tories were polling in the high twenties in the run up to the 1997 election which saw the party win just 165 seats and secure 31 per cent of the vote as Tony Blair’s New Labour crushed the Conservatives.
11th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Why Labour looks set to become the referendum party

Enough of the referendum doubters are close to folding, partly because the advantages of Labour rebranding as the people's vote vanguard in the forthcoming European parliamentary and council elections would be very significant. Labour would pick up the votes of almost all of the 48% who voted to remain in 2016, while the Tories would face a humiliating wipe out, with so much of the leave vote likely to gravitate to Farage's new Brexit party and to a somewhat resurgent UKIP. According to senior Labour figures, what might clinch the deal for McDonnell, Thornberry, Starmer and Abbott, the leading proponents of a referendum, would be a decision by the shadow Cabinet to follow the approach of Harold Wilson's Labour Party in the 1975 referendum: namely for Corbyn himself to largely stand back from the campaign, and to allow any Labour MP or shadow minister to campaign for remain or leave, according to conscience.
11th Apr 2019 - ITV News

A customs union won’t solve the Irish border issue

With a new final date now set for October 31st, the idea that we are in for a ‘trick or treat’ Brexit has been widely expressed in various pictures, memes and suggestions for who gets dibs on dressing up as the backstop. For those living in Northern Ireland, Brexit is neither trick, nor treat. It has become a divisionary force that has called into question what our lives are going to be. We are staring into the same abyss of uncertainty that we have faced for the last three years; and farmers, business owners, and young people living on the border are still stuck in limbo while the elites in Westminster try to fumble their way out of this self-styled mess.
11th Apr 2019 - The New European

The Tories once had a radical fringe. Now it is the whole party

Let’s drop the niceties. Cut the pretence. Something is happening to the Tories, obvious even to that vast majority of the public who ignore politics. The Conservative party is becoming the natural party of extremists. It is the new home for hardliners, catastrophists and those wishing to take up permanent residence in la-la land. Evidence of this mutation is in every day’s headlines, and borne on a never-ending stream of tweets. It is Jacob Rees-Mogg, coolly suggesting that British representatives should run amok and cause chaos throughout the EU. It is openly acknowledged when the chancellor, Philip Hammond, utters a prayer to “flush out the extremists” in the party. And of course it is Mark Francois, doing Mark Francois. Forever auditioning to be lance corporal in a war that ended 20 years before he was born. Ripping up a letter from the CEO of Airbus, saying it was “German bullying”. Barking about “perfidious Albion on speed”, as if they were headlining Glastonbury.
11th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Labour takes poll lead as Tory support plummets by nine points amid Brexit chaos

The Kantar survey put the Tories in 32% - a staggering nine points lower than in March. At the same time, backing for Labour has increased by four points to 35%, giving them a three-point lead over Theresa May's party. The findings are a huge boost for Jeremy Corbyn ahead of next month's local council elections. Elsewhere, the poll shows the pro-EU Lib Dems have also seen their support rise by three points since March to 11%, Ukip is up one point to 7% and the SNP is unchanged on 5%.
11th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Furious Tory MPs demand Theresa May resign over 'abject surrender' as she faces Commons onslaught over latest delay to EU departure

The prime minister insisted she would not resign after European leaders agreed to delay Brexit until 31 October in late-night talks in Brussels. The second delay to the Brexit process - initially intended to conclude on 29 March - averted a no-deal withdrawal on Friday with less than 48 hours to go. However, it infuriated anti-EU Conservative MPs, who insisted the UK should have instead left the EU without a deal. As she updated MPs in the Commons, Ms May faced calls from veteran Tory Sir Bill Cash to step down. He accused her of an “abject surrender” and asked if she would resign. Ms May replied: “I think you know the answer to that”. Another Brexiteer, Peter Bone, asked the prime minister if she planned to “honour” her vow not to delay Brexit beyond 30 June.
11th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Tories turn up pressure on Theresa may to quit within weeks after EU exit postponed to Halloween

Tory MPs today turned up pressure on Theresa May to quit within weeks to allow a new leader after Brexit was postponed to Halloween. As a string of MPs called for an early contest, former Brexit secretary David Davis warned that there was a desire among many MPs for a “reset in the negotiations” under new leadership. “Pressure on her to go will increase dramatically, I suspect now,” he said. Former international trade minister Greg Hands told the Evening Standard: “It’s time that we had new leadership for both the party and the country.
11th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: Government 'halts no-deal planning' after committing £4bn to preparations

Leaked email shows preparations suspended with 'immediate effect' after deadline for Britain's departure from EU extended to 31 October. The government has halted all emergency planning for a no-deal Brexit despite committing £4bn to preparations, according to reports. A leaked email reportedly sent to all civil servants in an unnamed “front line Brexit department” said no-deal operational planning had been suspended with “immediate effect”. The decision was made by cabinet secretary Mark Sedwill, according to the email seen by Sky News. Downing Street said departments were taking “sensible decisions” about the timing of their no-deal preparations following the agreement by EU leaders to extend the Article 50 withdrawal process to 31 October.
11th Apr 2019 - The Independent

David Cameron memoir still set for autumn, despite Brexit extension

Despite a reported agreement between Cameron and Theresa May, publisher William Collins confirms it will be published before latest Brexit deadline
11th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

"Brexit MPs Have Been So Wrong, They'd Have Been Sacked From Any Other Job"

Brexit-backing MPs have been proved so wrong - that in any other line of work they would have been sacked, James O'Brien said. His remarks came as the Prime Minister accepted a delay to Brexit until Halloween after EU leaders offered her another extension to Article 50.
11th Apr 2019 - LBC

UK stands down 6,000 no-deal Brexit staff - after spending £1.5bn

The government has stood down an army of 6,000 civil servants who had been preparing for a no-deal Brexit, at an estimated cost of £1.5bn. The civil servants who had been seconded from elsewhere will now return to their normal duties, but there is no clear role for an estimated 4,500 new recruits after article 50 was extended until Halloween. More than 16,000 civil servants in total have been working on Brexit.
11th Apr 2019 - MSN.com

The toll of Brexit: Photos reveal strain Theresa May has been put under after three years of trying and failing to get a deal done to leave the EU

Since becoming Britain's prime minister nearly three years ago, Theresa May has overseen some of the most chaotic political times in UK history. And these photographs show the strain that the turmoil has put the Sussex-born politician under since she took over from David Cameron in July 2016.
11th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Tory chiefs are 'preparing for a summer leadership contest'

Tory Party chiefs are gearing up for a summer leadership contest in preparation for Theresa May quitting, the Daily Mail has learned. Senior officials have drawn up detailed plans for hustings between leadership candidates, including scouting locations across the country, sources said. Details of the preparations come as a string of Eurosceptic Tory MPs called for Mrs May to resign after she agreed to delay Brexit further.
11th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Brexit: Theresa May laughs off resignation calls as Tories face ballot box punishment

Theresa May laughed off calls to quit today after agreeing to delay Brexit until Halloween. Outraged rebel Tories attacked the Prime Minister after she accepted the fresh extension from EU leaders. Speaking in the Commons, veteran Eurosceptic Sir Bill Cash said: “Does the Prime Minister appreciate the anger that her abject surrender last night has generated across the country, having broken promises 100 times not to extend the time?” The Stone MP asked: “Will you resign?” But Mrs May laughed: “I think you know the answer to that.”
11th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 11th Apr 2019

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New Brexit delay is the final confirmation of Theresa May’s failure as a Prime Minister

The new Brexit postponement is the final confirmation of Theresa May’s failure. She must now accept the game is up. She has done her best. But she had one job and has not delivered on it. Nor can she. She has no workable plan to do so. There is no deal the Prime Minister and Corbyn could cook up that would secure a majority, leaving Labour MPs willing to quit
11th Apr 2019 - The Sun

To the toughest sales pitch in the nation’s history, enter Theresa May, its worst ever salesperson

A long extension is very much likely to yield unto them a British prime minister from the deranged wing of the Conservative Party, or Jeremy Corbyn, who has expanded the deranged wing of the Labour Party so as to take it over entirely. And if you think Theresa May and co have done an abysmal job negotiating Brexit, just wait till those legends have a go, the ones with their semi-customs union that isn’t a customs union but does give the UK a say over the actual customs union that they’re not even in.
11th Apr 2019 - The Independent

The EU’s new October extension finishes off May and her deal

Wednesday night’s humiliation, when 27 other nations decided our fate – a taster of Norway-plus or “common market 2.0”, where decisions are made about the UK without our presence – exposes the lies of the Brexiters and the impossibility of a strong and stable position outside the EU. History will recall that Britons did not value their power in Europe until they lost it. Theresa May, too, was humiliated once again but it does not cut deeply since she appears to feels no shame. She remains convinced she was and is right: that blame is to be found with her detractors and not with her deal or leadership.
11th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Macron Gets on Everyone's Nerves With Brexit Hard Man Act

The compromise that was ultimately reached, for an October cutoff, means the U.K. would leave before the next EU Commission takes office and limit London’s entanglement in the next phase of EU business. Macron claimed that as a win. But to get there he exposed the tensions between the 27 countries negotiating with Britain for the first time in the talks. All he got for it was a reduction of a few months in the deadline. And Britain could still get another extension after October.
11th Apr 2019 - Bloomberg

Theresa May admits 'huge frustration' as she agrees Halloween Brexit delay

Theresa May has agreed a delay to Brexit until Halloween after EU leaders offered another extension to Article 50 at a late-night Brussels summit. In the early hours of the morning, leaders of the remaining 27 EU member states decided to give the prime minister an extra six-and-a-half-month period in which to break the Brexit deadlock at Westminster. European Council President Donald Tusk warned the UK: "Please do not waste this time."
11th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Few incentives for Tories or Labour to break Brexit stalemate

Jeremy Corbyn’s MPs are not so optimistic about the idea of new binding votes. They fear that the bulk of Tory MPs, rather than coming off the fence to support softer Brexit options, will oppose them all again in an attempt to ensure that Mrs May’s deal is closer to a majority than any other option. At that point the pressure would become more intense than ever on Labour MPs (and Tory holdouts) to take her deal over the line. Or to put it another way: neither the cross-party talks nor another indicative votes process looks likely to succeed. Which means the Brexit stalemate is likely to endure despite the EU’s extension.
11th Apr 2019 - The Times

Hardline Brexiteers want to blame the Queen for their grim mistakes, truly the Leave campaign is eating itself

Andrew Lilico has been one of Brexit’s most bizarre and outspoken commentators. He was dragged from obscurity by a Leave campaign scrambling for supporters who could offer some kind of counter argument to the legions of economists warning of Brexit’s dangers. His latest intervention was to brand the monarchy “no longer fit for purpose” in an extraordinary tweet reacting to the passing of the Bill. He was backed up by Suzanne Evans, the former Ukip leadership candidate, who described his comment as “spot on”. What makes these quasi-Republican conversions so astonishing is that Brexit was supposed to strengthen the role of parliament in British law and policymaking. So, in some senses, not only has Her Majesty done nothing wrong in passing legislation approved by parliament, she has in fact stood firmly behind the most central principle in the (unwritten) British constitution: namely that parliament is sovereign.
10th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Outrage as more than 160 MPs make £42million profit selling homes YOU helped pay for

Campaigners last night demanded MPs who pocketed vast sums after flogging their taxpayer-subsidised homes pay back the cash. On the 10th anniversary of the Westminster expenses scandal that shocked Britain, the Mirror can reveal 160 politicians raked in more than £42million in profits selling properties public money helped fund.
10th Apr 2019 - Mirror Online

Iain Duncan Smith asked if his ‘entire professional life as a politician has been a waste of time’ during Sky News Brexit clash

Iain Duncan Smith said 'puffed up' politicians are trying to 'deny' people Brexit Sky News' Adam Boulton asked him if his 'entire professional life as a politician has been a waste of time' as a result
10th Apr 2019 - iNews

WATCH: Minister supports sticker suggestion to solve EU passport issue

A Home Office minister appeared to agree with a suggestion for her department to produce peel-off “European Union” stickers for those who still want it on their passport. The mocking suggestion was sugegested by a Brexiteer in the House of Lords as ministers were challenged over the issuing of the travel documents without the words on the front cover despite the Brexit delay.
10th Apr 2019 - The New European

Tories resigned to long Brexit delay but warn against customs union

Conservative MPs have said they are now unhappily resigned to a long extension to the date for leaving the EU. Many in the Tory party now believe May is likely to be forced out if she agrees deal with Labour
10th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

New bid to oust Theresa May as MPs attempt to gather 10,000 signatures to change the Tory constitution

Tory MPs are plotting to oust Theresa May by changing a party rule which states that a Prime Minister cannot be kicked out within 12 months of winning a no confidence vote. With the Tories plunged into civil war following Mrs May’s attempted customs union compromise with Jeremy Corbyn, a number of unnamed MPs have called on their association chairmen to gather signatures to push through the rule change under schedule 9 of the Conservative Party Constitution. It states that party rules can be changed with a petition signed by 10,000 Tory members.
10th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Grovelling Britain has officially surrendered to a triumphant EU

So now, the begging. Theresa May has gone off to Brussels to say that Britain is very sorry, we know we have many faults and the EU has been quite right to be strict with us, but could we please stay? We’ll be good, honest we will! You’ll see! Apparently the French are sceptical and Emmanuel Macron is to tell us that we’ll only be allowed to stay if we promise to be a good little country, sitting still and being quiet, not making any fuss about the EU’s Budget or any other plans.
10th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Exasperated Nick Ferrari Reveals He's Finally Given Up On Brexit

Brexiteer presenter Nick Ferrari confessed he had given up on Brexit, admitting that he's had "enough" and wants the country to move on. Theresa May is facing the prospect of being offered a Brexit delay of up to a year at an emergency EU summit in Brussels. The prime minister has been pushing for a delay to the end of June, with the possibility of Britain leaving at an earlier date if her Brexit deal is approved. But her hopes look set to be dashed, having already been granted one short extension to the process. In a letter to the remaining 27 EU member states, European Council President Donald Tusk said that the European Council should discuss a longer extension, such as a "flexible extension" lasting "as long as necessary and no longer than one year"
10th Apr 2019 - lbc.co.uk

Labour warns Brexit talks with Government will fail unless Theresa May ditches red lines

A Labour spokesman painted a gloomier picture of how the talks are going. He said: "Jeremy (Corbyn) made clear that we would enter into those talks in a serious way without setting limits and to explore the possibilities of coming to find an alternative plan that could win support in Parliament, be negotiated with the EU and bring the country together. That’s the way we’ve approached the talks. "They are being conducted in a serious, detailed and engaged way. But at the same time, as Jeremy, Becky Long Bailey and Keir Starmer have all said at different points, we’ve yet to see clear evidence of the kind of real change and compromise that would be necessary to reach an agreement. "The Government side has been engaged in the detail explaining its position and how it sees its own deal, which has been rejected three times in Parliament. But there really is going to need to be a move off their red lines in a substantive way if we’re going to reach an agreement." The spokesman added: "We're not walking off the talks, but this process obviously has to move forward."
10th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

@ByDonkeys We’re in Brussels reminding Europe’s leaders of the donkeys responsible for this Brexit shambles.

We’re in Brussels reminding Europe’s leaders of the donkeys responsible for this Brexit shambles. SOUND ON. (Location: European Parliament Liaison Office)
10th Apr 2019 - @ByDonkeys

Macron to warn Theresa May that Britain will have no say over trade in Brexit customs union

Emmanuel Macron will warn Theresa May that Britain will never have a say over trade negotiations if it joins a customs union with the EU at tonight’s summit in Brussels, in a blow to the prime minister's hopes of securing a cross-party Brexit compromise. Mr Macron will insist that whatever the result of cross-party talks on the future UK-EU relationship, the “autonomy of EU decision-making” must be protected, including on trade. Whatever compromise is found, Mr Macron will warn, it must respect the EU’s long-held Brexit red lines and will not allow any “cherry-picking”. An EU diplomat said, “If Britain relaxes its Brexit red lines, we can help but we are not changing any of our red lines.”
10th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

PM's weak Brexit approach demeans this great nation, says Arlene Foster

DUP leader Arlene Foster has accused the Prime Minister of "demeaning the strength of this great nation" in her "weak" approach to the Brexit talks. Mrs Foster said the decision to leave the EU was not the problem but rather Theresa May's "ham-fisted" approach to the talks and accused the Prime Minister of trying to force people into backing her Brexit deal.
10th Apr 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Labour warns Brexit talks with Government will fail unless Theresa May ditches red lines

Talks aimed at reaching a Brexit deal between the Government and opposition are doomed to fail unless Theresa May ditches her red lines, Labour has warned.
10th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Brexiteer big beasts lead Tory revolt as 177 of May’s own MPs fail to back another Brexit delay

Cabinet Brexiteer big-wigs last night led a fresh Tory revolt on Theresa May's plan to seek another delay to leaving the EU. Andrea Leadsom and Liam Fox were two of 177 Tory MPs who failed to support a June 30 extension, which the PM is begging other EU leaders for today. Some 97 Tories voted against the motion to seek a delay in a move forced on the Government by Labour’s Yvette Cooper. That included ex-Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith, ex-DWP boss Esther McVey and former Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab. And a further 80 abstained including Attorney General Geoffrey Cox – despite being ‘whipped’ by party chiefs to support it. One member of the Government told The Sun: "I told the whips I just couldn't vote for a delay even if that got me sacked - they turned a blind eye." And dozens are thought to be away from Westminster on holiday despite Easter recess being cancelled. But it meant just 131 Tories actually backed the PM’s formal request
10th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Brexiteer claims it is ILLEGAL for UK to stay in the EU beyond Friday

An arch-Eurosceptic today warned the EU he will launch a legal challenge in Britain if they delay Brexit for up to a year tonight. Tory MP Sir Bill Cash says he believes it will be illegal for the UK to be kept in the bloc beyond Friday and will go to court if Theresa May accepts any Article 50 extension.
10th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 10th Apr 2019

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Brexit: DUP says PM's 'pleading is humiliating'

It is painful to watch the prime minister "pleading" with EU leaders to grant another extension to the Brexit date, Arlene Foster has said. The DUP leader told the BBC she found it "humiliating that we are having to go and beg so that we can leave". On Wednesday, a special EU summit will take place as leaders consider Theresa May's request. The UK is still scheduled to leave the EU on 12 April, unless a delay is agreed.
9th Apr 2019 - BBC

Tory MP quits Eurosceptic ERG for 'endangering Brexit'

A Tory MP has quit the Eurosceptic European Research Group, claiming a "hardcore element of 'Unicorn' dreamers" were "endangering Brexit". Daniel Kawczynski voted against Theresa May's Brexit deal twice, before deciding to back her withdrawal agreement last month. The Shropshire MP accused the backbench Conservative group of preventing the deal from passing in the Commons. But the ERG's deputy chairman stood by their opposition to the PM's deal. Mark Francois told BBC Newsnight: "The withdrawal agreement keeps us in the European Union, that's why we've always been so against it."
9th Apr 2019 - BBC

Unhappiness with politics 'at 15-year high'

The public's dissatisfaction with how government is working is at a 15-year high, an influential study of political engagement suggests. Levels of unhappiness are now greater than in the wake of the MPs' expenses scandal, the Hansard Society found. More than half of the 1,200 people questioned thought the UK was in decline and needed a "strong leader who is willing to break the rules". And more than 40% said they could support new parties with radical ideas. The Hansard Society's 16th Audit of Political Engagement was carried out in early December, before the extent of the current Commons deadlock over Brexit became apparent. But it found that MPs were less trusted to handle Brexit than judges and civil servants, while banks were more trusted to act in the public interest than MPs, ministers or political parties.
9th Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Huw Merriman MP dares Theresa May to sack him in bombshell interview

A Tory MP has publicly dared Theresa May to sack him from his government role in a bombshell interview over Brexit . Huw Merriman - who is an aide to the Chancellor - announced he will speak at a rally in support of a second referendum at lunchtime today in Westminster. And he warned Tory chiefs will have to sack him from the government if they don't like it. The Parliamentary Private Secretary said he had backed a so-called People's Vote in a "free vote" last week - only to be told it was not government policy. He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "If I can’t speak freely and explain how I voted on a free vote...I didn’t give up my career to come into Parliament for that - it’s absolutely ridiculous.
9th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

‘Politics of the madhouse’: Tory MP Huw Merriman says he will ‘probably’ get sacked for speaking at Brexit People’s Vote rally

9th Apr 2019 - iNews

EU rejects Theresa May's bid for short delay to Brexit

Theresa May’s request for a short Brexit delay has been torn up, putting the EU on track to instead extend Britain’s membership until 2020. Despite the prime minister’s desperate dash to Paris and Berlin, to convince leaders of her plan to break the Brexit impasse, the European council president, Donald Tusk, signalled EU politicians’ lack of faith in her cross-party talks. Against a backdrop of growing support among the EU27 for a lengthy Brexit delay, Tusk picked apart May’s appeal for a shorter delay to 30 June in a letter to the leaders inviting them to Wednesday’s summit, where they will agree the new end date.
9th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Scapegoating immigrant workers is lowest point in dismal Brexit campaign

The message was pushed despite loud warnings that cutting the number of people coming to Britain will have a major impact on vital public services such as the NHS.
9th Apr 2019 - Daily Record

Theresa May must produce a plan within 24 hours if she wants Brexit extension, EU warns

The EU is open to granting Theresa May another delay to Brexit talks, but only if she produces a workable plan in time for a summit on Wednesday evening, EU member states have warned. Ministers from the 27 remaining countries met in Luxembourg on Tuesday morning to lay the groundwork for the leaders’ meeting in Brussels the next day. Discussions overran by an hour amid debate between the countries about the way to proceed. “The prolongation of the Article 50 deadline is an instrument and not an objective in itself. The British side must outline a clear plan with credible political backing to justify the decision of the European Council in favour of the extension,” George Ciamba, the Romanian EU minister chairing the meeting said at a press conference afterwards.
9th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Humiliated Theresa May will be told to ‘keep Britain in EU until March 2020’ by Brussels as PM seeks Article 50 extension

Theresa May will be told to keep Britain in the EU until March 2020 by Brussels, it was claimed. In a humiliation for the PM, sources confirmed EU leaders will tomorrow demand an extension of up to a year because of her failure to pass a Brexit deal through the Commons.
9th Apr 2019 - The Sun

There's nothing undemocratic about revoking Article 50 – reconsidering Brexit is the only way out of this mess

The prime minister has at last acknowledged that she had no majority for her deal. Her options will have narrowed to two: no deal or revoke – and now she will have to choose
9th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Boris Johnson savaged for breaching Commons rules in damning watchdog report

Boris Johnson is to be hauled in for a dressing down after he broke rules on financial interests - again. The ex-Foreign Secretary has been savaged for his "lack of respect" after he fell foul of regulations aimed at cleaning up politics for the second time in less than a year.
9th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Merkel should 'reopen withdrawal deal'

Leader of the House Andrea Leadsom said it would be "fantastic if Angela Merkel will try to support a proper UK Brexit by agreeing to reopen the withdrawal agreement". Ms Leadsom added there had been rumours that senior members of the German government would be willing to do that. The withdrawal agreement sets out how the UK will leave the EU including details of a 'divorce bill' and citizens' rights.
9th Apr 2019 - BBC

If Corbyn helps the Tories deliver Brexit, it will be a disaster for Labour

This is not 2016. Brexit is not the clearcut will of the people. A majority of voters now oppose it, as do a large majority of Labour supporters. Delivering Brexit means setting yourself against a mass movement, a million of whom have marched and 6 million of whom have petitioned for the outright revocation of article 50. Labour cannot expect to demoralise its activist base by choosing to implement a policy they regard as a fundamental affront to their values, and then just talk about school funding instead.
9th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Donald Tusk says there's 'little reason to believe' we can sort Brexit by June

Brussels chief Donald Tusk says there's 'little reason to believe' we can sort out Brexit by the end of June. It came just minutes after MPs approved Theresa May's plan to seek a delay until June 30. But inviting EU leaders to a crunch summit in Brussels tomorrow, the European Council President said: "In reality, granting such an extension would increase the risk of a rolling series of short extensions and emergency summits, creating new cliff-edge dates. "This, in turn, would almost certainly overshadow the business of the EU27 in the months ahead. "The continued uncertainty would also be bad for our businesses and citizens. Finally, if we failed to agree on any next extension, there would be a risk of an accidental no-deal Brexit. "This is why I believe we should also discuss an alternative, longer extension. One possibility would be a flexible extension, which would last only as long as necessary and no longer than one year, as beyond that date we will need to decide unanimously on some key European projects."
9th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

@ITVNews Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel - but no one is there to greet her

Theresa May arrives in Berlin for Brexit talks with German leader Angela Merkel - but no one is there to greet her https://bit.ly/2FXX3uU
9th Apr 2019 - @ITVNews

Theresa May is" hiding" from Vote Leave Brexit campaign fraud claims' says SNP MP

Theresa May is “hiding” from taking action on claims of electoral fraud against the Vote Leave Brexit campaign, according to a Glasgow MP. Stewart McDonald, Glasgow South SNP MP had written to the Prime Minister seeking a judge led inquiry to investigate the allegations of fraud. The Prime Minister said she has passed the question on to the Cabinet Office, leaving the MP to conclude she doesn’t want to take responsibility for initiating action. Mr McDonald asked in a written question if the Prime Minister had plans to “set up a judge led inquiry to investigate alleged fraud in the EU referendum”.
9th Apr 2019 - Evening Times

@Doozy_45 A. Burt: "I'm from agricultural constituency, 20% of business would collapse" #Brexit

Q. Would you be happy with no-deal? Hoey: "We'd cope" A. Burt: "I'm from agricultural constituency, 20% of business would collapse" #Brexit
9th Apr 2019 - @Doozy_45

@alexwickham Tory grassroots revolt: this draft motion of no confidence in Theresa May is doing the rounds among Conservative associations

Tory grassroots revolt: this draft motion of no confidence in Theresa May is doing the rounds among Conservative associations
9th Apr 2019 - @alexwickham

Losing Momentum – can Jeremy Corbyn Survive a Split from his Base?

“It was inevitable,” one Labour adviser remarked after shadow cabinet members openly defied a three-line whip to abstain on a crucial indicative vote on a second referendum last week. “The left always eats itself. It’s no surprise discipline has broken down.” Byline Times has interviewed more than half a dozen senior Labour party figures and advisers in the wake of the unprecedented frontbench rebellion by the party chairman Ian Lavery and shadow leader of the house John Trickett. These sources have spoken on condition of anonymity as Labour strives to preserve party unity. Most are on the left of the party or from the grassroots Momentum movement.
8th Apr 2019 - Byline Times

@Jacob_rees_mogg If a long extension leaves us stuck in the EU we should be as difficult as possible. We could veto any increase in the budget, obstruct the putative EU army and block Mr Macron’s integrationist schemes.

If a long extension leaves us stuck in the EU we should be as difficult as possible. We could veto any increase in the budget, obstruct the putative EU army and block Mr Macron’s integrationist schemes.
5th Apr 2019 - @Jacob_rees_mogg

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 9th Apr 2019

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Dr David Smith: A junior doctor’s diagnosis – Brexit is becoming a betrayal of the NHS

Demand in the NHS has never been higher and government funding has failed to keep up with this. Instead of finding more money for the NHS, this Government seeks to drag us out of the EU, simultaneously tearing up decades of carefully written trade deals. The effect of this will be a major hit to our economy, sapping away any hope of a light at the end of the tunnel after years of austerity. Far from the £350m a week promised, Brexit means no extra resources to save our NHS. “It’s okay,” you say. “We can recruit more doctors from overseas.” Don’t bet on it. The end of freedom of movement will make it more difficult for highly-skilled EU doctors to come and work here, while the climate created by the Brexit vote means Britain is increasingly seen as an unattractive place to come, hostile and suspicious of its foreign neighbours. Why would an international doctor want to relocate their life to the UK when they’re made to feel so unwelcome?
8th Apr 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Oettinger: China is the ‘biggest winner’ from EU’s Brexit ‘paralysis’

The Brexit deadlock has paralyzed Europe and bolstered China, European Budget Commissioner Günther Oettinger said. In an interview with Die Welt published Monday, Oettinger said the prolonged discussions over the U.K.'s exit from the EU has "strengthened others," such as China. "We have been dealing with Brexit for over two years now. That's costing time and effort, nerves and money. There are so many more important things to do," he said."The biggest winner [of Brexit] is China. The Chinese can advance their strategy without disruption and leap everywhere in the world at the opportunities that Europe fails to seize because it's so preoccupied with itself."
8th Apr 2019 - Politico.eu

British voters say - Give us a strong leader and reform the Brexit-fatigued system

British voters want a strong leader who is willing to break the rules and force through wide scale reform after three years of Brexit crisis pushed confidence in the political system to a 15-year low. The 2016 referendum revealed a United Kingdom divided over much more than EU membership, and has sparked impassioned debate about everything from secession and immigration to capitalism, empire and what it means to be British. Yet more than a week since the United Kingdom was originally supposed to leave the EU on March 29, nothing is resolved: it remains uncertain how, when or if it ever will.
8th Apr 2019 - Reuters UK

Poll finds Westminster blamed for Brexit deadlock as support for Conservatives and Labour falls

Welsh voters overwhelmingly blame Westminster for the state of the current Brexit negotiations. That is according to the latest poll commissioned for ITV Wales and Cardiff University. The YouGov barometer poll found that opinion is split between 39% of people who hold Theresa May and her government responsible - and 39% who think MPs as a whole are to blame. Eight per cent said the European Union and other European governments are more at fault.
8th Apr 2019 - ITV News

Brexit-supporting MP calls for no confidence vote in May

The deputy leader of a pro-Brexit faction in Britain’s ruling Conservative Party has called for a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Theresa May by Wednesday, Sky News reported. “I am writing to you in a personal capacity to express my sincere belief that Theresa May should now resign as prime minister,” Mark Francois, said in a letter to the Chairman of the Conservative Party 1922 Committee, Sky reported. “We simply cannot go on like this, with a weak leader, a riven cabinet and a party in despair. I believe Theresa May has been a failure as leader of our party, which she now threatens to destroy.”
8th Apr 2019 - Reuters

Will Emmanuel Macron veto Theresa May's Brexit extension?

But as Britain seeks to leave the bloc with a withdrawal deal negotiated to avoid economic catastrophe, it is now French President Emmanuel Macron who is threatening to stand in the country's way. Speaking before May's plea for a delay, Macron said that to avoid a chaotic "no-deal" Brexit on Friday, it was up to the U.K. to present a “credible alternative plan backed by a majority” in Parliament before Wednesday's emergency E.U. summit. May has repeatedly been unable to find enough support from British lawmakers for a deal she hammered out with the E.U.
8th Apr 2019 - NBC News

Labour MP’s constituency office windows smashed in ‘Brexit-related attack’

A Labour MP’s constituency office windows have been smashed in what she suspects may have been an attempt at intimidation over her stance on Brexit. The damage to the office of Helen Goodman, MP for Bishop Auckland in County Durham, was inflicted on Saturday and comes amid an increasingly febrile atmosphere in Britain over its exit from the European Union (EU). Ms Goodman, who backed Remain in the 2016 but voted to trigger Article 50 two years ago to respect the result of the referendum, is calling for a so-called soft Brexit and late last month voted to keep the UK in a customs union.
8th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Have you changed your mind on Brexit?

Journalists Peter Oborne and Fraser Nelson discuss why they have changed their minds since the 2016 EU referendum. Daily Mail commentator and former Brexiteer, Peter Oborne, told Today that “the economic case for Brexit has collapsed” and that questions around the Irish backstop could lead to “the end of the United Kingdom”. They spoke to Today after Mr Oborne wrote for the political website Open Democracy, calling for a long pause on Brexit.
8th Apr 2019 - BBC

Conservatives face 'Brexit deficit' at local elections if Theresa May fails to secure deal, says Tory pollster

Theresa May's Conservatives face a voter deficit if no Brexit deal is secured in time for the local elections, according to one of the party's most respected polling experts. With the deadlock over Brexit showing no sign of easing at Westminster and less than a month to go until parts of the country go the polls, Lord Hayward also claimed turnout could dramatically decline. In England alone at the 2 May election there are 8,374 seats up for grabs, including 33 metropolitan councils, 119 district councils, and 30 unitary authorities.
8th Apr 2019 - The Independent

In May’s home county, Tory problems run much deeper than Brexit

Windsor and Maidenhead voted to remain by 54% to 46%; in the local government district of Wycombe, remain also won, with 52% (Baker, who had said he would resign if remain won, said he was “disappointed” but “also surprised”). In both towns, many people I spoke to on either side of the Brexit divide were weary and exasperated by the parliamentary pantomime, and so keen for it all to quieten down that many of them seemed open to settling for whatever compromise the politicians could come up with. What they were most comfortable talking about was what might happen to their immediate surroundings – and, by extension, the future of the country as seen from the perspective of everyday life.
8th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Could Brexit lead to Frexit?

What then if Brexit led to Frexit? And what if the two exits led to a Franco-British Union with a combined GDP ranked 3rd in the world, military power arguably second – and a formidable rugby team. It might solve the Almighty’s nationality dilemma
8th Apr 2019 - The Spectator

The Prime Minister has a point: a no-deal Brexit could unravel our United Kingdom

Any approach by a prime minister to the leader of the opposition to work out a joint solution to the nation’s most pressing issue is fraught with risks and dangers. It is undoubtedly infuriating to many government supporters, and has only a slim chance of success. The tempting strategy for an opposition presented with such an initiative is to appear to engage constructively in the talks, draw the government into concessions that further antagonise its own side, and then pull the rug from under it by pronouncing those concessions as inadequate. They would thereby be closer to bringing down the government, their ultimate goal.
8th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May told 'you are the problem' by backbenchers furious over Brexit paralysis as they urge her to go for good of the party

Theresa May is facing demands from her own MPs to stand down immediately after senior backbenchers told her she is now “the problem”. A delegation of executives from the 1922 Committee of Tory backbenchers met Mrs May in Downing Street on Monday and said the mood among party supporters had turned against her over the weekend. Mrs May sat in stony silence and refused to discuss her future as the MPs made clear the “damage” she is causing the party, sources said. The meeting will draw comparisons with the final days of Margaret Thatcher's reign when she was visited by "the men in grey suits" and prevailed upon to resign for the good of the party.
8th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

People are planning to protest Brexit extension by staying at home and doing nothing | Latest Brexit news and top stories

The “national strike” has been planned for Friday April 12 - the next Brexit deadline which could see the UK crash out of the European Union if there is no extension. The Brexiteer organisers are urging people to switch off their television sets and their mobile phones and stay at home. They believe the protest could cost the country £250 million a day. According to a group on Facebook entitled “Brexit Blackout! 12th of April” the protesters will avoid cars, electricity, and shopping.
8th Apr 2019 - The New European

Lack of Brexit progress would hit Tories badly in council elections, says polling expert

Brexit is likely have a major impact on next month's town hall elections in England, according to a leading polling expert. If Theresa May successfully delivers Brexit by polling day on 2 May, the Conservatives could reap the benefit at the ballot box. But if she fails and Brexit is further delayed, the Tories could be badly disadvantaged, with smaller parties the main beneficiaries. The predictions have been made by polling guru Robert Hayward, who has accurately forecast the results of recent general elections and referendums.
8th Apr 2019 - Sky News

I was a strong Brexiteer. Now we must swallow our pride and think again

It’s nearly three years since I, along with 17. 4 million other Britons, voted for Brexit. Today I have to admit that the Brexit project has gone sour. Brexit has paralysed the system. It has turned Britain into a laughing stock. And it is certain to make us poorer and to lead to lower incomes and lost jobs. We Brexiteers would be wise to acknowledge all this. It’s past time we did. We need to acknowledge, too, that that we will never be forgiven if and when Brexit goes wrong. Future generations will look back at what we did and damn us.
8th Apr 2019 - Open Democracy

Conservatives will pay a heavy price for weaponising Brexit

Letting hardliners frame the Brexit debate has exposed the UK to division and humiliation
8th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

British public's faith in politics is 'worse than during the expenses scandal', according to damning new survey

The British public's faith in the political system is in a worse state than it was during the MPs' expenses scandal, according to a damning new survey. Some 72 per cent of those polled felt either "quite a lot" or "a great deal" of improvement was needed, while only a quarter were happy with how Brexit was being handled. The findings, reported by the Hansard Society, paint a bleak picture of how potential voters feel about UK politics.
8th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

UK poised to embrace authoritarianism, warns Hansard Society

The UK public is increasingly disenchanted with MPs and government and ever more willing to welcome the idea of authoritarian leaders who would ignore parliament, a long-running survey of attitudes to politics has shown. Amid the Brexit chaos, overall public faith in the political system has reached a nadir not previously seen in the 16-year history of the Hansard Society’s audit of political engagement, lower even than at the depths of the crisis over MPs’ expenses. Almost three-quarters of those asked said the system of governance needed significant improvement, and other attitudes emerged that “challenge core tenets of our democracy”, the audit’s authors stated.
8th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit chaos: 28 MPs split from ERG due to 'unicorn hardline element endangering Brexit'

Yesterday evening, Daniel Kaczynski resigned claiming that the “hardcore element” of the party were jeopardising Brexit. The MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham is reportedly now part of a 28-strong group of former ERG MPs who have broken away from the main group due to their hardline Brexit stance, according to talkRADIO. The popular radio station reported: “The 28 remaining Tory Brexit rebels are meeting separately from the rest of the ERG.
8th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Boris Johnson criticised for breaching Commons rules over Somerset property

Boris Johnson was criticised today by Parliament’s standards watchdog for breaching Commons rules on declaring financial interests. Kathryn Stone, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, accused the former Foreign Secretary of not “demonstrating the leadership” expected of a senior MP in sticking to Commons rules. The Commons Committee on Standards instructed Mr Johnson to attend a “full briefing” from the Registrar of Members’ Financial Interests and warned of more serious sanctions if he flouts the rulebook again. It came after the Uxbridge and South Ruislip MP failed to register a 20 per cent share of a property in Somerset within the 28-day timetable of acquiring it.
8th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

The Tory Party Has Suspended 14 Members Over A Series Of Anti-Muslim Facebook Posts

The Conservative party suspended 14 of its members on Tuesday and said it would launch an investigation after a series of anti-Muslim comments were posted on a pro-Tory Facebook page. In the most damaging day for the party during its brewing anti-Muslim crisis, the Conservative headquarters acted after BuzzFeed News passed it details of the comments made by members of the "Jacob Rees-Mogg Supporters Group". The page is not affiliated to the Conservatives or Rees-Mogg, but it is used by Tory party members. The comments were highlighted by the @MatesJacob Twitter account.
8th Apr 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Theresa May to consider giving MPs vote on second referendum in bid to break Brexit deadlock with Labour

Theresa May is considering giving MPs a vote on whether to hold a second referendum in a bid to break the deadlock in negotiations with Labour, The Telegraph can disclose. The Prime Minister held discussions with Cabinet ministers in Downing Street on Monday about the prospect of holding a Commons vote on whether to enshrine a commitment to a second referendum in law. Mrs May was said to have been "pragmatic" during the discussions and told ministers that securing a deal is not going to be "easy" and will require compromise. Julian Smith, the chief whip, is understood to be "confident" that the Government has the numbers to defeat a bid by Labour to hold a second referendum in the Commons.
8th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit-distracted Tories lose voter trust on core issues: poll

As the U.K.'s Conservatives struggle to deliver Brexit, an exclusive poll for POLITICO suggests the party has lost the trust of voters on core issues. In swing seats across the country, the Tories are trailing Labour on the central issues people most care about, the new POLITICO-Hanbury tracker poll conducted in battleground constituencies has found. But despite the negative view of the party and its handling of Brexit, Theresa May is still seen as the stronger leader compared to her opposition counterpart Jeremy Corbyn.
7th Apr 2019 - Politico.eu

One Nation Tories invite MPs to dial down Brexit rhetoric

Insults, talk of “treason and traitors”, and references to the second world war must be removed from the Brexit debate, say moderate Conservative MPs attempting to curb politicians’s increasingly inflammatory rhetoric. Despairing at the way some MPs are willing to say anything that will go viral on social media and earn attention, they are asking colleagues to sign up to a code of conduct to stop the worst excesses. The move comes after Mark Francois, Tory MP for Rayleigh and Wickford and pro-Brexit European Research Group member, said “up yours” in a radio interview to chancellor Philip Hammond in cabinet. The second world war has been raised on several occasions. Daniel Kawczynski, Tory MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, recently complained that an “ungrateful EU” had not considered the fact the Britain “helped to liberate half of Europe”.
7th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Tory council candidates warn Theresa May party support 'in freefall' over her Brexit stance

Theresa May has been warned by more than 100 Tory council candidates that her move towards a softer Brexit will see the party lose seats across the country in May.
7th Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 8th Apr 2019

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Second Brexit vote would be 'ultimate betrayal'

A second public vote on Britain’s membership of the European Union would be the “ultimate betrayal”, Andrea Leadsom, the leader of the House of Commons or lower house of parliament, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph newspaper. “The ultimate betrayal would be a second referendum,” wrote Leadsom, a Brexiteer. “It would require lengthy delay, it would reignite the divisive debate, and since Parliament has so far failed to follow the first result, there is no reason to believe it would honour a second referendum either.”
7th Apr 2019 - Reuters

The Guardian view on no deal: Theresa May must expose it as a fantasy

There are too many Tories calling for no deal on the basis that the EU will not let us be stupid enough to do it. This is irresponsible gambling. The danger of no deal might have receded, but the threat of “no-dealism” as an ideological frame for looking at the UK’s relations with Europe is alive and well. It needs rebutting, and it needs rebutting by the prime minister. The few remaining grownups in the Tory party need to take on the ambitious colleagues who will say anything to appeal to the fanatical leaver grassroots, who, in the absence of a general election, will choose the next prime minister. Even if her very worst decision was to deploy the language she used about no deal, her second worst may have been to trigger a leadership contest where the winner will be chosen by those who believed her rhetoric.
7th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

MP Owen Paterson lobbied government for firm he worked for

A former cabinet minister helped to lobby the government to seek contracts for a multinational firm he is paid to advise. Owen Paterson, a former environment secretary and leading pro-Brexit campaigner, is paid nearly £100,000 a year by Randox, a private forensic testing firm, to act as a consultant. Whitehall documents obtained by the Guardian show that Paterson and Randox lobbied the Department for International Development to secure contracts from the department.
7th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

MPs ordered to cut out on hurling ‘clickbait’ insults at each other in bid to return Brexit debate to normal

Hysterical MPs have been ordered to cut out the insults and show more respect to their colleagues. Senior figures are alarmed by the angry and offensive language used by politicians on social media, TV, radio and in the Commons. They fear fury and fatigue stoked up by Brexit has spawned a new era of “clickbait conduct” and made-for-Twitter soundbites. Former Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has called for them to adopt a calmer tone. She has drawn up a new code of conduct for the 50-strong One Nation Caucus of MPs in a bid to “return normal debate to the airwaves”. Some MPs are stressed and on the brink of collapse as tempers fray over the long-running and divisive Brexit process. Last week Tory ex-minister Mark Francois launched a blistering attack on Chancellor Philip Hammond telling him: “Up yours.”
7th Apr 2019 - The Sun

Oh do look at the tin-pot Brexiters, having their moment in the spotlight

Sick of Brexit? Yeah, me too. Partly because it becomes clearer with each chaotic day that for some of the second-tier “Brexit ultras” no one much cares about (Mark Francois, Steve Baker, Andrew Bridgen, Bernard Jenkin et al), this is the most attention they’ve ever had and are ever likely to get in their sad, blustering, self-important lives. While it’s Remainers who are supposed to be the soppy drama queens, just look at this bunch – flapping about the media, mouth-breathing through their camera-time, sparkly eyed with their own significance. Brexit as a debilitating national crisis? Hardly. They’ve never felt so
7th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit is ‘slipping away’ May in urgent warning UK heading for second referendum

It comes as Theresa May today warns that unless Parliament can get a deal over the line in the next week then there is a strong possibility of Brexit not happening at all. With talks between Mrs May and Jeremy Corbyn’s teams ongoing it is understood that yesterday SAT saw progress towards an agreement. But the Sunday Express has learnt that former Vote Leave ground teams have been asked to start getting their operations together again in preparation of a second vote by former Vote Leave officials.
7th Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

British manufacturers want Theresa May to revoke Article 50 if no Brexit deal is agreed

Two thirds of the UK's leading manufacturing lobby group members back a straight revocation of Article 50
7th Apr 2019 - iNews

I was a strong Brexiteer. Now we must swallow our pride and think again

It’s nearly three years since I, along with 17. 4 million other Britons, voted for Brexit. Today I have to admit that the Brexit project has gone sour. Brexit has paralysed the system. It has turned Britain into a laughing stock. And it is certain to make us poorer and to lead to lower incomes and lost jobs. We Brexiteers would be wise to acknowledge all this. It’s past time we did. We need to acknowledge, too, that that we will never be forgiven if and when Brexit goes wrong. Future generations will look back at what we did and damn us. So I argue, as a Brexiteer, that we need to take a long deep breath. We need to swallow our pride, and think again. Maybe it means rethinking the Brexit decision altogether.
7th Apr 2019 - Open Democracy

Liam Fox 'joked that Emmanuel Macron was sleeping with his grandmother' after Brexit extension block

Liam Fox was at the centre of a ‘dirty tricks’ row last night over claims he joked about French President Emmanuel Macron ‘sleeping with his grandmother’. Onlookers say the International Trade Secretary made the remark as he emerged from last Tuesday’s marathon Cabinet meeting which backed Mrs May’s decision to try to seal a Brexit deal with Jeremy Corbyn.
6th Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

Conservative candidate compares Remainers to people who voted for Nazis

A Conservative candidate standing in city council elections in Nottingham has reportedly compared the millions of Remainers who have signed the petition to revoke Article 50 to those who voted for the Nazi party. Carl Husted has deleted the Facebook post made about anti-Brexit campaigners, along with a series of other recent comments on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. Yet the remarks, which Mr Husted called “jokes”, were screengrabbed and published by The Nottingham Post. “The petition to revoke Article 50 now has the same number of signatures as the number of people who voted for Hitler’s Nazi party in 1930 Germany,” he wrote on 3 April. “Although Hitler didn’t have the benefit of petition signing bots and signatures from North Korea, Syria, Russia etc. So not quite as popular as 1930s nazism but edging closer. #godwinslaw.”
6th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Sky Views: Britain too busy for global role because of Brexit crisis

.It is instead an example of how the protracted Brexit crisis is impacting on the UK's ability to do anything else, particularly on the foreign policy front. A chunk of Foreign and Commonwealth Office staff are engaged in a range of Brexit-related preparations and contingency planning in case of a no-deal, instead of their normal diplomatic day jobs. A summit of NATO prime ministers and presidents will still take place this anniversary year - in December - but this time the venue will be the UK not the US, a mark of the Britain's status as a global power, provided the country is not still consumed by Brexit.
6th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Greens warn Labour will 'never be forgiven' if they usher in Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn has been told his party may never be forgiven if it works with the Conservatives to bring in a “hard-right Brexit”. That was the warning from Scottish Green co-convener Patrick Harvie, as he told party activists to “get into campaign mode” in case the UK takes part in European Parliament elections next month.
6th Apr 2019 - The New European

Germany once pleaded with Britain to stay in the EU. Now the love has cooled

''Brexit is one big s***show!" German MP Michael Roth, Germany's Minister for European Affairs said on Saturday. "I say that now very undiplomatically. I don't know if even William Shakespeare could have come up with such up a tragedy like this one. Who will foot the bill in the end?'' Roth continued to say that ''90% of the MPs in the British government don't even know how workers think, how they live, work and behave. But they have managed to up-end everything. And now someone else is going to have to take responsibility for their actions.''
6th Apr 2019 - CNN

Labour chairman attacks Corbyn over ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit

Jeremy Corbyn was warned by Labour party chairman Ian Lavery that he risked going down in history as the leader who split his party if he backed another referendum on Brexit, in an extraordinary outburst during a meeting of the shadow cabinet last week, according to senior party sources. The outburst stunned shadow cabinet members who said it would have sparked a full-scale shouting match if MPs had not been called to vote at the very moment he made his intervention. At the same meeting several senior figures, including shadow home secretary Diane Abbott and deputy leader Tom Watson, spoke out in favour of Labour backing a “confirmatory referendum” on any deal agreed by MPs, with remaining in the EU as the alternative on the ballot paper.
6th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Britain’s Brexit struggles become campaign rhetoric in Poland

Poland’s opposition coalition launched its campaign for next month’s European Parliament elections with a threat: Poland’s ruling party could lead the nation toward its own Brexit. Polish citizens have an overwhelmingly favorable view of the European Union. According to a Pew Research Center study from last month, 72 percent have a favorable view of the E.U., and 54 percent have a favorable view of the European Parliament — the highest of any country surveyed. Poland’s Law and Justice party, which came to power in 2015, has never actually floated the idea of leaving the E.U. Nevertheless, Law and Justice is sometimes referred to as a Euroskeptic party.
6th Apr 2019 - The Washington Post

Philip Hammond deepens Tory civil war after claiming there are 'no red lines' in Brexit negotiations with Labour

Philip Hammond has risked deepening the civil war in his party after suggesting the Government has “no red lines” in its Brexit negotiations with Jeremy Corbyn. In a bid to save the talks from collapsing, the Chancellor said he was “optimistic” ministers would be able to reach an agreement with Labour and “should be open to listen to suggestions”. However, his intervention has provoked a furious backlash among Brexiteers, who accused him of “deliberately touting his own view” and attempting to push Theresa May into signing up to a customs union.
6th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

EU slaps down Jacob Rees-Mogg for suggesting UK should deliberately cause chaos if Brexit is delayed

Brussels has slapped down Jacob Rees-Mogg after the leading Brexiteer suggested the UK should wilfully cause chaos at the EU institutions if Brexit was delayed. A spokesperson for the European Commission suggested that the Tory MP was essentially irrelevant and not involved in negotiations. “This gentleman is not our interlocutor and I would say then that the principle of sincere cooperation does apply, as prime minister May herself makes clear in her letter,” the spokesperson told reporters in Brussels. “I would also say that this is a hypothetical question because it supposes, or presupposed an extension, which is yet to be seen by our leaders.” Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, also piled in. Seizing on Mr Mogg’s comments, he said: “For those in the EU who may be tempted to further extend the Brexit saga, I can only say, be careful what you wish for.”
6th Apr 2019 - The Independent

Tory MP says joining in EU elections would be ‘existential threat’ to party

The education minister Nadhim Zahawi told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I think it’s important that parliament acts quickly now to decide what it is in favour of. We need to do that quickly because I think going into the EU elections for the Conservative party, or indeed for the Labour party, and telling our constituents why we haven’t been able to deliver Brexit I think would be an existential threat. “I would go further and say it would be the suicide note of the Conservative party.”
6th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

European Parliament elections: A quarter of public would boycott poll

A quarter of the public say they would boycott European Parliament elections if they happen in the UK in May, a Sky Data poll reveals. Some 26% of Britons say they would sit out elections in protest, while 47% say they would vote in them, and 17% admit they would not vote in them anyway. A higher proportion say they would vote than turned out in the 2014 EU elections in the UK - 36% of potential voters turned out five years ago, though usually more claim they will get to the ballot box than actually do so.
6th Apr 2019 - Sky News

A shambles on which the sun never sets: how the world sees Brexit

Rapt observers around the globe are confused, amused and saddened by a crisis that has torn Britain’s reputation for stability to shreds
6th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Majority of public now back Final Say referendum amid chaos in Westminster, poll shows

The survey of a weighted sample of more than 1,500 people in early April asked: “Would you support the British public having the final vote on Brexit, whatever the outcome of negotiations – whether a deal is reached or not?” Some 52 per cent of people supported a new vote, 29 per cent “strongly” and 23 per cent “somewhat”, while just 24 per cent opposed, to some degree, having another referendum. The remaining 24 per cent replied: “Don’t know.”
6th Apr 2019 - Yahoo!

Nigel Farage: 'I'll stand in European elections - but I'm not happy about it'

Nigel Farage has confirmed he will stand in the EU elections if the UK hasn't left the bloc but says he is "not happy" about it. The Brexit Party leader told Sky News he would lead his new party into the elections next month, after Theresa May said she would begin contingency plans for holding the votes as she requested another extension to Article 50.
6th Apr 2019 - Sky News

EU issues 'no deal, no meal' Brexit threat to British fish and chips

Britain could face a crippling shortage of fish and chips, the national dish, if there is a no deal Brexit, EU officials warned yesterday. As things stand, EU boats will lose access to British waters and vice versa, if there is a no deal Brexit on April 12. Brussels wants Britain to agree a short-term emergency fix giving the EU fleet guaranteed access to British waters until 2019. But that could prove politically toxic for the prime minister, who has promised to make Britain as an independent coastal state, and Britain has given no formal signal to the EU over its intentions. An EU official said that Britain could soon run out of white fish such as haddock and cod, which are the most popular...
6th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

May is seeking a short extension to Brexit. How utterly contemptuous

The truth is that the last five months have been – by far – the worst in modern British politics. Because of May. From the moment that she pulled the vote on her withdrawal agreement (because she knew that our democratic institutions would not consent to it) she has consistently placed her own, narrow interests above those of this country. She has ignored and misled parliament. She has acted as a demagogue, giving licence to those who threaten and harass MPs. She has burned bridges with our European partners and has treated the British people with contempt.
5th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

UK in Disarray : Amid Brexit Chaos, Theresa May's Conservative Party Implodes

The Conservative Party was once seen as Europe's best-oiled political machine. But Brexit and Theresa May have turned it into a smoldering wreck. Now, the party faces the dire prospect of EU elections. It was a small group of Conservatives, blinded by nationalism, that brought on the referendum in the first place. It is that same group that has also ensured that every attempt to bring Brexit to a conclusion -- any conclusion, really -- has failed miserably. Yet it was only on Tuesday evening, almost three years after the referendum, that Theresa May made her first desperate attempt to free herself from the hardliners by offering to meet with Labour to find a joint way out of the chaos. It could very well be that May will be able to pull her country back from the brink at the very last second. But for her party, it may already be too late.
5th Apr 2019 - Der Spiegel

Week in Review: Theresa May's only consistency is failure

What a full-time, 24/7, every-day-including-Christmas moral abyss she is. The prime minister has spent the last three years insisting that holding a second referendum would destroy people's trust in the democratic process. And this is how she behaves. This is how she treats elections. As something to be dismissively engaged in and then cast aside, like a bogey you can't flick off your fingers. She really is absolutely shameless. There is no competition anymore, there is no question: She is, quite simply, the worst British prime minister of our lifetime, and quite possibly of anyone else's.
5th Apr 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Brexit is finished. A Leave constituency just voted in a Remain MP

Only a handful of lunatics still want Brexit - it's game over, gammons. The more extreme Brexit becomes - the more a screaming Stephen Yaxley-Lennon puts himself at the head of the marches, the more Mark Francois behaves like an angry Sunday roast on the evening news - the less appealing it is to the vast majority of Britons. Combine that with the unappealing facts that the IRA has been reactivated, the NHS is stockpiling toilet rolls like the rest of us, and Parliament is officially answering "don't know" to all questions asked of it, then we ought to have a country that's falling to pieces. Instead, if Newport West is a barometer of these things, we've got a country that just can't be arsed with this any more.
5th Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

UKIP councillor's post on remainers 'repugnant' says council leader

A UKIP councillor has sparked a row over a Facebook post describing EU remain voters as "traitors" who should "face the death penalty". Swale Borough councillor Padmini Nissanga's online post has been described as "appalling and repugnant". At a council meeting on Wednesday it was revealed all opposition members had received printed copies of the post. Council leader Roger Truelove is calling for her name to be removed from ballot papers for the local elections. Ms Nissanga posted the comments on Facebook in August, and opposition councillors recently received screenshots in their pigeonholes, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. Mr Truelove, of Labour, is calling for Ms Nissanga, a UKIP councillor for the Sheppey East ward, to be taken off the ballot paper for the local elections in May if the post is verified by council officers.
5th Apr 2019 - BBC

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 5th Apr 2019

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Why the House of Commons is falling apart

Those 12 indicative votes were, in fact, useful, because they showed the extent to which the main division in the Commons over Brexit remains that of party. In all but one of those votes, the majority of Labour MPs faced the majority of Conservative MPs. The things Tory MPs want, Labour MPs don’t; the things Labour wants, the Conservatives will not abide. Indeed, on many recent votes, the numbers of MPs breaking from their party is not that significant. The root cause of the impasse is not the lack of discipline, but that there is no majority to cushion against even the smallest of rebellions.
4th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Treacherous Theresa May has surrendered our freedom… and her honour

Lips will curl at her very name for decades to come. It will be spat to the floor in balls of green-gob spittle, hissed, sworn at with the sort of language we must not print in a popular newspaper. NO DEAL COULD HAVE BEEN BRILLIANT She will be called a traitor, with plenty of adjectives attached. And she will deserve it. This is a terrible thing to say about any person, let alone a church-going diabetic who has been our Prime Minister for two years. I take no pleasure in levelling the charge of treachery at a Tory leader who secured 42 per cent of the vote in the 2017 General Election. We all want our Prime ­Ministers to be honourable and to improve the lot of our land. But after her surrender this week to Brussels and to Jeremy Corbyn, May’s name will rank alongside those of the worst eels in Western history.
4th Apr 2019 - The Sun

The Brexiters' rearguard defence against Article 50 extension has fallen apart

This defeat was not just lost on the floor of the Commons. It was the result of years of party mismanagement, of a tin-eared prime minister refusing to listen to moderate voices in her government or her party benches, leading key figures to drop out, one by one, over the course of this whole sorry, dreary saga. It was made up of several individual stories of political disenchantment. If any one of them had not happened, yesterday's vote would have failed. It is like a morality tale of the long-term consequences of short-sighted political calculations.
4th Apr 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Leaked emails show infiltration fears before attempt to oust Grieve

Concerns were raised about the “infiltration” of Dominic Grieve’s local Conservative association by 200 new members in the months leading up to his attempted ousting, leaked party emails reveal. The Guardian has learned that a Ukip supporter was among the flurry of “suspicious” newcomers who tried to join the association in the year before the former attorney general – who has been a standard-bearer for the remain camp in the Brexit debate – lost a confidence vote, leaving him facing deselection. In a single small town in the constituency, seven people, including a man who had been canvassed as a Ukip voter, tried to join the party in the space of 48 hours, leading to infiltration concerns. One email noted it could not be a “fluke”.
4th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

House of Commons suspended after water pours through ceiling

A Brexit metaphor? Water pours into House of Commons – Leak soaks section of press gallery, fills light fittings and floods a cafe on the floor above
4th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

House of Commons sitting ends after parliament's roof leaks

A leaking roof has forced House of Commons proceedings ... Labour's Justin Madders wrote: "In the Commons chamber and can hear rain dripping in through the roof. Parliament really is broken."
4th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Tory peer warns of 'insurrectionary forces' if referendum result not accepted

A pro-Brexit Conservative peer has warned that "undesirable insurrectionary forces" will be unleashed if parliament does not accept the result of the 2016 EU referendum.
4th Apr 2019 - Sky News

Blowing the whistle on Brexit

A year after revealing that the official leave campaign broke electoral law, whistleblower Shahmir Sanni and Guardian and Observer journalist Carole Cadwalladr assess the impact of the story.
4th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit has become so toxic, even the gentle House of Lords is raging

In the House of Lords, peers bickered over a bill to delay Brexit with far more passion than would normally occur. For many it is a throwback to earlier days when they sat in the 'Other Place'
4th Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Parliament must accept Leave vote or face ‘understandable insurrectionary forces’, says Brexiteer Lawson

Brexiteer Lord Lawson has raised the sinister possibility of “understandable insurrectionary forces” if parliament attempts to delay Brexit. He warned of a deepening “rift” between politicians and the public and that “an ugly situation” was developing. He made his comments in a debate in the House of Lords, where pro-Brexit peers are attempting to resist a Bill which would force the prime minister to ask the EU for an extension to the Article 50 process beyond 12 April and would give parliament the power to decide the length of this delay.
4th Apr 2019 - The New European

Mike Russell accused of ‘game playing’ over second Brexit referendum

The constitutional relations secretary, appearing before MSPs yesterday, suggested the “best outcome” to the Brexit deadlock would be a People’s Vote. However, moments after the comment, he said that the SNP government could well reject the outcome if the UK-wide result differed from the one in Scotland. Mr Russell said: “If I were able to wave a magic wand and get what I want – apart from no Brexit, which has been a complete distraction and disaster for the last two and half years of massively damaging proportions – then it would have to be a very long delay, a referendum, the European elections taking place and perhaps some calmness coming into this to look at the damage that would be done by proceeding along the present lines.”
4th Apr 2019 - The Press and Journal

Jeremy Corbyn ally Shami Chakrabarti: Second referendum or General Election 'very likely'

A second referendum or a General Election appears “very likely”, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s closest allies said today as the Labour leader opened a second day of talks with Theresa May aimed at breaking the Brexit deadlock. Shadow Attorney General Baroness Shami Chakrabarti suggested that another public vote would not be justified if Labour and the Government could agree a deal on quitting the European Union. However, expectations are low that Mr Corbyn and Mrs May can unite behind a joint position and he is facing growing pressure to push for a so-called “People’s Vote”.
4th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Goodbye EU, and goodbye the United Kingdom

The invented identity of ‘Britishness’ is unravelling as English nationalism takes hold
4th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Andrew Wilson: Brexiteer yobs are doing lasting damage to UK

I feared the worst but thankfully it was only thunder. It was like the heavens were sending a message to the governing classes a few hundred yards away in Westminster. The end of days. I am fearful though because the descent of Britain’s society and standing in the world has progressed from risible and pathetic to palpably dangerous. The stakes are soaring.
4th Apr 2019 - The National

How a Brexit that MPs might support could destroy the Tory party

The magnitude of the gulf between the cabinet and perhaps a majority of Tory MPs over how to deliver Brexit was on display like an oozing wound on my show last night. The Chancellor was his normal phlegmatic, unsugaring self when revealing the government is reconciled to a long Brexit delay till at least the end of the year - and that the best the prime minister can hope for from the emergency EU council on Wednesday is that the EU’s 27 leaders would allow her a break clause, so that if a Brexit deal is fully approved on all sides earlier, the UK could leave the EU at that earlier juncture. But even so, he conceded there is now no escape from preparing to participate in European parliamentary elections, at considerable financial and emotional cost to the UK.
4th Apr 2019 - ITV News

House Of Commons Springs A Leak, Forcing It To Close For The Day

It was supposed to be a rare quiet afternoon for the House of Commons, a break from the chaos of Brexit. But as members of the U.K. Parliament discussed other issues, their chamber began to take on water, through a large leak in the ceiling. And with rainwater pouring in, business was canceled for the rest of Thursday. Members of Parliament gamely tried to speak over the sound of water echoing as it splashed into the gallery above them. But as they spoke, they often sneaked glances toward the ceiling, keeping an eye on the deluge while they discussed tax enforcement policies.
4th Apr 2019 - NPR

Brexit to be delayed until next year after parties fail to break deadlock, attorney general warns

Brexit is on course to be delayed until next year, the attorney general has warned, as cross-party talks to end the crisis remained deadlocked. Geoffrey Cox risked blowing apart the fragile cabinet truce over an Article 50 extension by suggesting it would be more than “just a few weeks or months” – unless Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn strike a deal. The prime minister is still clinging to the hope of carrying out EU withdrawal by 22 May, but Mr Cox acknowledged that hope was fading before a crunch summit of EU leaders next Wednesday. “The problem then would be that we would be in an extension. It’s likely to be a long one, by which I mean longer than just a few weeks or months,” he said. Asked, by the BBC’s Nick Robinson for his Political Thinking podcast, if he meant “more than a year” – as some EU leaders have suggested – Mr Cox said the EU held all the cards.
4th Apr 2019 - The Independent

I’m in no-deal planning ops. Here’s a briefing from our Whitehall bunker

Acres of analysis will be written about what mistakes were made – the Institute for Government has already made a start. My point here is simply that while future inquiries will probably be devastating, they will probably also find evidence of positive significant change in civil service culture. Mark Sedwill and civil service chief executive John Manzoni hinted as much when they reminded every civil servant a few days ago that all sides of the Brexit debate have shown admiration for the civil service. If we collectively manage to avoid a no-deal Brexit – if we avoid Brexit altogether – we should still weep for what those no-deal billions could have been spent on. But if those costs end up also contributing to a complete re-imagining of what public service is for and how it is conducted, I can live with that. Even if it’s a long way from being a bargain.
4th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Labour's Lords deputy accuses Tories of filibuster over no-deal Brexit bill

Opposition peers defeated several Tory backbench bids to block the progress of the bill but lengthy speeches and procedural devices were likely to significantly slow down proceedings. Lady Hayter, the Labour peer steering the bill to extend article 50 through the Lords after its narrow victory in the Commons late on Wednesday night, said the bill would not stop Brexit but would prevent a no-deal scenario. “It’s been passed by the Commons … we should not be trying to hold it up,” Hayter told Sky News. “There is unfortunately a filibuster being organised by Conservatives to try to talk out this bill, they are getting a bit of support, in fact quite a lot of support from the government, which I think is fairly shameful.”
4th Apr 2019 - The Guardian

SOS signal beamed onto White Cliffs of Dover calling for Brexit extension

An SOS signal to the EU has been projected onto the White Cliffs of Dover by anti-Brexit protesters. Activist group Led By Donkeys have beamed a huge SOS message onto the White Cliffs of Dover calling for a Brexit extension and a confirmation vote. The group posted three tweets addressing French President Emmanuel Macron and the German Chancellor Angela Merkel, written in English, German and French. Alongside a picture of the 50m by 75m projection, they wrote: “Dear Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel, opportunists from the hard right want Britain to crash out of Europe, even though a majority now wants to stay.
4th Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

EU uneasy over Ireland’s Brexit no-deal readiness

Ireland’s leader Leo Varadkar welcomes German chancellor Angela Merkel to Dublin on Thursday determined to reassure the EU that his country is ready to deal with the chaos that would be unleashed by a no-deal Brexit. Public support for Ireland — the EU country most exposed if the UK crashes out of the bloc — has so far been strong: this week French president Emmanuel Macron has told the taoiseach that Europe “will never abandon Ireland and the Irish, no matter what happens”. But anxiety in EU circles is growing about Dublin’s readiness for a no-deal scenario, when Brussels would require extensive checks on cross-border trade between Ireland and the UK — the very thing Mr Varadkar hoped to avert by insisting on the “backstop” in Theresa May’s disputed Brexit treaty.
4th Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Theresa May has set a trap for Labour – but she could fall into it herself

By backing Brexit – even a soft Brexit like Common Market 2.0 – we would see our voter base fragment to the SNP, Greens, Lib Dems and newly formed, explicitly anti-Brexit Change UK. Labour supporters would see a May/Corbyn deal as a betrayal, leading to a Lib Dem-style vote collapse. Labour would not pick up Leave voters to compensate. Just as Tory voters stuck with real austerity in 2015, not the ‘austerity-lite’ of Ed Miliband, so Leave voters would stick with the Tories, and would not be swayed by the halfway house of a customs union or single market membership.
4th Apr 2019 - Labour List

@France24 "I think £4bn has been spent on #NoDeal planning," says UK Ambassador to France @EdLlewellynFCO.

2nd Apr 2019 - @France24

A Michael Gove premiership would be another blow for British Muslims

As far as Muslims are concerned, Britain's environment secretary is best known as the unsung commander-in-chief of the Islamophobes inside the Conservative Party
2nd Apr 2019 - Middle East Eye

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 4th Apr 2019

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Brexit: Theresa May’s party is in a rage that she’s negotiating with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn

May’s dramatic swerve across her own red lines threatens to tear her beloved Conservative Party apart, as fellow Tories on Wednesday heaped scorn upon their leader for sitting down with an opponent they daily excoriate as a leftist menace. Hard-line Brexiteers on May’s right are not only enraged that she seeks compromise with Corbyn, but they also fear she will agree with the Labour Party’s vision for an ultrasoft version of Brexit.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Washington Post

Labour at war over Corbyn's Brexit meeting with May after leader fudges demands for a second referendum despite shadow cabinet's demands

Jeremy Corbyn has risked the wrath of his shadow Cabinet by making a lukewarm appeal for a second referendum in his meeting with Theresa May. The Labour leader has faced pressure to back a People's Vote but said he had merely 'put it there as one of the issues' in his Brexit summit with the PM today. He said there had been no agreement on a new referendum, which ministers have insisted is not on the table. It puts Mr Corbyn on collision course with his shadow Foreign Secretary, Emily Thornberry, who earlier demanded that any deal reached must be put to a public vote.
3rd Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

The United Kingdom Has Gone Mad

The problem with holding out for a perfect Brexit plan is that you can’t fix stupid.
3rd Apr 2019 - The New York Times

Sam Gyimah: I’m still a Tory — it’s the party I joined that’s changed

He’s faced repeated deselections and a no-confidence vote — but Sam Gyimah won’t give up. Here, the MP talks about being ‘thrown to the wolves’ and how toxic Brexiteer infighting is threatening to tear the Conservatives apart
3rd Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit party official removed after antisemitic posts

A senior official from Nigel Farage’s pro-Brexit party has been removed after the Guardian uncovered antisemitic and other offensive Facebook posts he made, two weeks after the party leader quit her role for similar reasons. The party said Michael McGough, its treasurer, had made “unacceptable statements” and would no longer have any role in the organisation. In some messages, McGough refers to Ed and David Miliband and Peter Mandelson as having “shallow UK roots” or being “devoid of UK roots” – seen as a common antisemitic trope about Jewish people. A Facebook post saw McGough refer to a foreigner as “someone from a bingo bongo land”. In another, he said many survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire were “illegal aliens enjoying an amnesty”.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May says Tory and DUP MPs to blame as she asks Jeremy Corbyn to help save Brexit

Theresa May has risked igniting a fresh Tory civil war after she blamed her own MPs and the DUP for the fact she is now seeking Jeremy Corbyn's help to deliver Brexit. The Prime Minister has written a letter to every Conservative MP explaining why she will hold talks with the Labour leader in an attempt to break the Parliamentary deadlock. Parliament has rejected Mrs May's own deal on three occasions, with Tory Brexiteers and the DUP - whose 10 MPs she relies on to prop up her government - repeatedly refusing to back it.
3rd Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Michael Gove: 'I wasn't made aware of law-breaking measures' | Latest Brexit news and top stories

Michael Gove has denied any knowledge of Vote Leave’s wrong-doing during the referendum campaign, claiming as a co-convenor he was too busy on the campaign trail.
3rd Apr 2019 - The New European

Brexit: Theresa May chooses a deal over party unity

For so long, Theresa May has been derided by her rivals, inside and outside, for cleaving to the idea that she can get the country and her party through this process intact. But after her deal was defeated at the hands of Eurosceptics, in the words of one cabinet minister in the room during that marathon session today, she tried delivering Brexit with Tory votes - Tory Brexiteers said "No". Now she's going to try to deliver Brexit with Labour votes. In a way, it is as simple as that.
3rd Apr 2019 - BBC

Jacob Rees-Mogg boils over in live BBC interview after questions over his promotion of far-right German AfD leader

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg lost his customary cool during a live BBC interview after being confronted over his promotion of a far-right German leader. The anti-EU Conservative had prompted anger after approvingly quoting the leader of the AfD, senior figures from which have called for refugees to be shot. Asked on the BBC’s Today programme about his decision to shine attention on the AfD remarks, he replied: “Well I think this is typical of the BBC’s obsession – dare I say it the Today programme obsession.” Challenged again, he told presenter Mishal Husain: “Hold on. You must be patient and not interrupt because the answer needs to be given properly. The BBC does have this obsession.” Referring to what he said was a “slur” made by another BBC presenter about the European Research Group, which Mr Rees-Mogg chairs in the Conservative Party, he continued: “When I quote someone and it’s not my view, that’s a great shock, and that seems to be typical of the Today programme’s leftie approach.”
3rd Apr 2019 - The Independent

Brexit news latest: Jacob Rees-Mogg clashes with BBC presenter after he tweeted German far-right leader speech

3rd Apr 2019 - Evening Standard

Jacob-Rees Mogg Attacks BBC's 'Leftie Approach' After Questions About Far-Right Quotes

3rd Apr 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Labour confirms it wants to end freedom of movement

Jeremy Corbyn’s spokesperson has confirmed that it is Labour policy to end freedom of movement once the UK leaves the EU. The 2017 manifesto, For the Many Not the Few, began its section on immigration with the statement: “Freedom of movement will end when we leave the European Union.” It added: “Labour will develop and implement fair immigration rules.” After PMQs today, in which the Prime Minister cited ending free movement as an area of agreement, the Labour leader’s office said that this pledge remains party policy and that Labour supports “fair rules and reasonable management of migration”.
3rd Apr 2019 - Labour List

Facebook Brexit ads secretly run by staff of Lynton Crosby firm

A series of hugely influential Facebook advertising campaigns that appear to be separate grassroots movements for a no-deal Brexit are secretly overseen by employees of Sir Lynton Crosby’s lobbying company and a former adviser to Boris Johnson, documents seen by the Guardian reveal. The mysterious groups, which have names such as Mainstream Network and Britain’s Future, appear to be run independently by members of the public and give no hint that they are connected. But in reality they share an administrator who works for Crosby’s CTF Partners and have spent as much as £1m promoting sophisticated targeted adverts aimed at heaping pressure on individual MPs to vote for a hard Brexit.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

I am a Party loyalist, but I can no longer support our reckless PM and this watered-down Brexit

Theresa May’s response to Brexit has resulted in falling opinion polls, a drop in donations to the Tory Party, and collapsing membership. I am über loyal to Conservative Prime Ministers. I have been über loyal to Theresa May. But no longer. I have become exasperated with this decent, kind, hardworking, but stubborn Prime Minister who is cursed with a political tin ear. On Tuesday, the Cabinet met for a tortuous 7 hour session. As they entered No 10, their phones were confiscated and put in the little pigeon holes to the left of the door. During the course of the meeting, 14 Cabinet members argued hard to Leave on April 12th, without a Deal and were not listened to
3rd Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Another Brexit minister bites the dust as Chris Heaton-Harris resigns

The government has lost another Brexit minister following the resignation of Chris Heaton-Harris. In a letter to the prime minister Heaton-Harris wrote: “I simply cannot support any further extension to Article 50”. He continued: “I have constantly voted in Parliament for us to leave the European Union on March 29th, 2019. I truly believe we should have honoured the result of the 2016 referendum and left on that date. Indeed every time we seek an extension to this process we diminish faith in our political system and the good people, from all political parties, who serve within it. I simply cannot support any further extension to Article 50 and this obviously means I cannot stay in government.” Heaton-Harris was previously condemned for demanding that university lecturers reveal details of their lessons plans that reference Brexit.
3rd Apr 2019 - The New European

Jeremy Corbyn faces shadow cabinet backlash after resisting calls to push for second Brexit referendum

Jeremy Corbyn is facing a backlash from his shadow cabinet after resisting calls to demand a second referendum during his talks with Theresa May. The Labour leader was told by Emily Thornberry, the shadow foreign secretary, and Tom Watson, the party's Deputy Leader, that any deal agreed must be subject "confirmatory" public vote. However Mr Corbyn said that he will only pursue a second referendum to "prevent crashing out" or "prevent leaving without a deal". Both Labour and Downing Street described the talks as "constructive" and will continue with further technical talks today.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

By allying with Corbyn, our kamikaze PM has declared war on her own party

Are we really stuck with a Tory Prime Minister who believes Jeremy Corbyn to be the country’s last hope of salvation? Is this just a nightmare from which we are all about to awake, or is Theresa May actually for real? Corbyn, for those who are now so afflicted with Brexit Derangement Syndrome that they need reminding, is the most dangerous leader in Labour’s history, a hard-core socialist desperate to tax, nationalise and control, a man who has allowed his party to be infected by a posse of despicable anti-Semites and who is soft on national security.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

Three quarters of Corbyn’s constituents back Final Say on Brexit, poll reveals, with Labour leader under pressure from party to secure new referendum

Three quarters of Jeremy Corbyn’s own constituents back a Final Say referendum on Brexit, new polling has revealed, as the Labour leader faces pressure from within his parliamentary party to back a second vote. A nationwide survey of 9,500 people conducted by campaign group Right to Vote found 58.1 per cent who expressed a view, now want another public vote on the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. Polling found high levels of support for the idea in London, including in Mr Corbyn’s Islington North seat, where 75 per cent of those polled backed a Final Say. In Theresa May’s Maidenhead constituency, 59 per cent of voters also supported the idea.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Independent

Jez not going to work - Theresa May struggles to hold her Government together as 15 ministers ready to jump ship over Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn

Theresa May was last night struggling to hold her Government together as two ministers quit in protest at her “national unity” Brexit talks with Jeremy Corbyn - with 15 more ready to go. The PM’s decision to compromise with Labour for a softer Brexit that will pass the Commons split the Conservative Party down the middle yesterday.
3rd Apr 2019 - The Sun

How Brexit Britain can repair its battered reputation

The first challenge is to restore economic growth. The second is to produce a migration and visa regime that does not seek in spirit or in application to shut out the world, as part of a foreign policy that does the same. The third challenge is not to lose Northern Ireland and Scotland from the union. If there is any event that would diminish the UK further in its international standing, it would be the radical shrinking of its physical territory (a sign, too, that it could not contain the diverging views within its society)
3rd Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Brexit: Good Friday Agreement 'hard to protect' in a no deal

It will be difficult to protect both the Good Friday Agreement and the European single market in a no-deal Brexit, Leo Varadkar has said. The taoiseach (Irish prime minister) said the Republic of Ireland and the EU will do everything possible to avoid the emergence of a hard border. He said "reasonable questions" are being asked about the protection of the single market and the customs union. Mr Varadkar described this as the basis for the Irish economic model.
3rd Apr 2019 - BBC

Conservatives cut up membership cards after PM agrees to Brexit talks with Corbyn

Angry Conservative Party members are slicing up their membership cards and sharing the results on social media in protest at Theresa May looking to Jeremy Corbyn to get her Brexit deal done. Members have decried the prime minister's move to hold talks with Labour leader Mr Corbyn as the “final straw”. Pub owner Adam Brooks, from Essex, was one of many to share a photo of his chopped up card. Mr Brooks said the leader of the Opposition “has no right to be involved” in Brexit talks and Mrs May has “killed” the Conservative Party.
3rd Apr 2019 - ITV News

EXCL Jeremy Corbyn refused to accept Ian Lavery's resignation after Brexit vote rebellion

Ian Lavery offered to resign from Labour's frontbench for rebelling in a key Brexit vote but was turned down, PoliticsHome has learned. One source said: "Jeremy's office hassled them for their resignation letters yet don’t say anything about Shadow Cabinet people. These are people who sit on the discussions and contribute to the debate, yet still get special treatment." It has also emerged that the row sparked angry scenes at Tuesday's meeting of the Shadow Cabinet. Diane Abbott, Nia Griffith and Angela Rayner all made clear their unhappiness at Mr Lavery, as well as shadow Cabinet Office minister Jon Trickett, breaking the Labour whip.
3rd Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Almost three in five voters want a final say on Brexit, claims new poll

The new nationwide poll conducted for the campaign group Right to Vote - involving 9,500 adults across Britain - reveals that 58.1% of voters who expressed a view now want a final say on Brexit, with 41.9% against. Overall, voters in nine out of 10 of Great Britain’s 632 constituencies support a final say.
3rd Apr 2019 - The New European

@NAAdams Following yesterday’s cabinet, this morning I’ve been to Downing Street & resigned my position as UK Govt Minister for Wales & Govt Whip.

Following yesterday’s cabinet, this morning I’ve been to Downing Street & resigned my position as UK Govt Minister for Wales & Govt Whip. I’m grateful to the PM for the opportunity to serve as a Minister since 2017 & will continue to serve my constituents from the backbenches.
3rd Apr 2019 - @NAAdams

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 3rd Apr 2019

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Brexit: DUP criticises May's 'lamentable' negotiations

The DUP has called the prime minister's handling of the overall Brexit negotiations "lamentable". The party's criticism comes after Theresa May said on Tuesday that she is to ask the EU for a further extension to Brexit. Mrs May also said she has called on Jeremy Corbyn to meet her to find a compromise. The DUP said that Mrs May's plans would be "sub-contracting" the future of Brexit to Mr Corbyn. Mr Corbyn said he was "very happy" to meet Mrs May, and would ensure plans for a customs union and protection of workers' rights were on the table.
3rd Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Theresa May 'whipped Tories to weaken Scottish independence bid'

Theresa May told her MPs to vote against the Common Market 2.0 in last night's indicative votes, because of fears it could weaken the case against Scottish independence, a BBC journalist has claimed. Newsnight reporter Nicholas Watt said the Tory leader believed the proposal put forward by her former minister Nick Boles "would have destroyed main pro-UK argument in a Scottish independence referendum”. The Common Market 2.0, or Norway plus plan, tabled by Boles and backed by MPs from all parties, would commit the Government to joining the European Free Trade Association and European Economic Area.
3rd Apr 2019 - The National

UK’s top civil servant tells ministers No Deal Brexit would spark recession, hit police and send food prices soaring

No Deal Brexit would cause a recession and huge hikes in the price of food, according to Britain's top civil servant. Sir Mark Sedwill wrote to Cabinet ministers claiming No Deal would leave the country unsafe - but his warning was dismissed as a "Whitehall scare story" by Brexiteers.
2nd Apr 2019 - The Sun

MPs demand Jeremy Corbyn sack Labour Party chair after he refuses to back second referendum on Brexit

The Labour leadership had issued a three-line whip on Monday calling on all its MPs to vote in favour of backbencher Peter Kyle’s motion to hold a confirmatory vote on any agreed Brexit deal. The bid was defeated by 12 votes after Mr Lavery abstained along with fellow Shadow Cabinet member Jon Trickett. In total, 40 Labour MPs either voted against or abstained on the alternative Brexit option to demand another referendum, including eight junior shadow ministers. It is the second time in a week that Mr Lavery has ignored the party whip to abstain on the motion to put a withdrawal agreement to the public in a confirmatory vote.
2nd Apr 2019 - iNews

Up to 200 Conservative MPs call for 'managed' no-deal Brexit - ITV's Peston

A junior minister in Prime Minister Theresa May’s government is said to have collected 200 signatures from Conservative lawmakers for a letter calling for a ‘managed’ no-deal Brexit, ITV’s Political Editor Robert Peston said. “DExEU minister Chris Heaton-Harris... is said by several of his colleagues to have collected 200 Tory MP signatories on an old-fashioned paper letter... calling for what is frequently described as a “managed” no deal,” Peston said.
2nd Apr 2019 - Reuters UK

Brexit: MPs unveil new plan to FORCE delay - as indicative votes set for round 3

MPs today unveiled a new plan to force Theresa May to delay Brexit after their "indicative votes" were left in tatters. Labour's Yvette Cooper made the bombshell next move after the House of Commons voted down all four alternative options to the Prime Minister's deal. The result - which failed to approve soft Brexit by just 3 votes - meant Parliament was deadlocked despite two rounds of "indicative voting" with MPs in control. So Ms Cooper has now shifted her focus to a dramatic bid to delay Brexit - in order to block No Deal. She and Tory Sir Oliver Letwin have published a cross-party Bill that would force the PM to delay the April 12 Brexit date to avoid No Deal. Usually it takes weeks, months or even years for a Bill to clear Parliament. Instead the MPs intend to force their Bill through ALL its stages in the Commons tomorrow - culminating in votes at 7pm (on the second reading) and 10pm (on the third reading).
2nd Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Leaked No Deal Brexit letter predicts UK catastrophe with price hikes, recession and security chaos

An explosive letter has been leaked, revealing Britain will be plunged into catastrophe by a No Deal Brexit. The letter warns of ten per cent price rises, a recession - and direct rule in Northern Ireland. A leaked letter from cabinet secretary Sir Mark Sedwill has been obtained by the Daily Mail. It showed that the UK's top civil servant has warned of 10% food price hikes, economic recession and disruption to security if Britain crashes out without a deal. Leaving the EU without any sort of trade deal and relying on what are called World Trade Organisation rules, would also see a 10% spike in food prices. The government is said to have been preparing for a no deal scenario but, during the Brexit referendum, the idea was barely mentioned by Brexiteers or Remainers, the Mirror reports.
2nd Apr 2019 - Birmingham Mail

'Frankly Grotesque': Tory Eurosceptic Fury As Theresa May Proposes Brexit Compromise With Corbyn

Tory Eurosceptics have vented fresh anger and frustration at Theresa May after the PM offered to sit down with Jeremy Corbyn to hammer out a Brexit deal. Backbenchers called the plan, announced by May outside Number 10 after a tumultuous seven-hour Cabinet meeting drew to a close on Tuesday night, “frankly grotesque” and “appalling”. May said her decision was an “attempt to break the logjam” after MPs rejected her own Brexit deal three times. The two leaders would attempt to agree a withdrawal deal, she said, and if they fail to broker a compromise by April 10 - when the EU Council is next to meet - new options would be put to MPs.
2nd Apr 2019 - Huffington Post UK

May’s can-kicking changes nothing – MPs must stop a no-deal Brexit

Let us please get real. No deal remains a clear and present danger and that is what we must focus on. Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, spelt out to May’s ministers exactly what it will mean. Prepare for a recession significantly worse than 2008, a police force that can no longer keep order, food prices shooting up by 10% and direct rule in Northern Ireland, his report says.
2nd Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Head of civil service warns ministers of dire impact of leaving EU without deal

Britain's most senior civil servant has privately warned cabinet ministers of the dire consequences of a no-deal Brexit. Sir Mark Sedwill, the cabinet secretary, told ministers that leaving the EU without an agreement will result in food prices rising by ten per cent, the police being unable to protect people and the economy suffering the worst recession in a decade. Direct rule would have to be restored in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2007 and the government would come under pressure to bail out companies that had gone bust, he warned. In an explosive 14-page briefing sent to every cabinet minister and obtained by the Daily Mail, Sir Mark said leaving without an agreement would make Britain "less safe" and see pressure on law enforcement authorities "enormously increase".
2nd Apr 2019 - The Independent

'I've lost four inches off my waistline due to Brexit'

Conservative MP Huw Merriman has told Radio 5 Live he has gone from a 34 inch waist to almost under a 30 due to the stress of Brexit. The MP for Bexhill and Battle told Anna Foster much of the stress is caused by abuse from his constituents and that he’s also “started seeing a counsellor”. “I've decided that I need to make sure that I'm properly looked after and that we look after our mental health."
2nd Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit LIVE: Rees-Mogg and Johnson FURIOUS at May plan to work with 'known Marxist' Corbyn

Mrs May further angered the Tory backbenchers by stating her intentions to work with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to “try to agree a plan". Mr Rees-Mogg slammed Mrs May’s strategy to work with ”a known Marxist” and insisted the public “did not vote for a Corbyn-May coalition Government”. European Research Group chairman also warned the Prime Minister history did not show success for political leaders who tried to get policy through the Commons "on the back of Opposition votes". The leading Brexiteer added this approach is “deeply unsatisfactory” and is “not in the interests of the country”.
2nd Apr 2019 - Express.co.uk

Barnier: 'No-deal Brexit has become more likely'

The EU's chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, has said it has become more likely that the UK will leave the European Union without a Brexit deal. Mr Barnier was speaking at an event in Brussels after MPs rejected four alternative options to Theresa May's Withdrawal Agreement.
2nd Apr 2019 - BBC

I’m a student who campaigned for Brexit in 2016 – now I know I got it wrong

Vote Leave managed to run a campaign that connected on a much more emotional level than any of the financial threats the Remain campaign rolled out. The urge to “Take back control” was clever – the use of the word “back” hinting that we somehow had lost an advantage, or control, over huge areas. What is obvious now, and perhaps to many was even before the referendum, is that leaving does not allow the UK to gain any control. Leaving the EU actually means losing control, losing power, losing influence and losing opportunities.
2nd Apr 2019 - The Independent

Brexit: EU nervous over UK's 11th-hour rethink

The EU has given the UK until 10 April, when it will hold an emergency Brexit summit, to decide what next or to slip - however unintentionally - into a no-deal Brexit. On Monday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said EU patience was running out. It's hardly a surprising comment, nor the first time an EU leader has said something similar.
1st Apr 2019 - BBC

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 2nd Apr 2019

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Brexit: MPs AGAIN reject every option for a way forward in indicative votes

Brexit has been thrown into chaos yet again after MPs rejected every single option in a new round of "indicative votes" on the way forward. In a bid to break the impasse, MPs seized control of the Parliamentary timetable to vote on four different options. These included a customs union, a Norway Plus style deal, an extension that could prevent No Deal and a second referendum. But all of the options were voted down. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn called for fresh votes on the same options on Wednesday. He said: “It's disappointing that no solution has won a majority this evening but I remind the House that the Prime Minister's unacceptable deal has been overwhelmingly rejected three times. “The margin of defeat for one of the options tonight was very narrow indeed and the Prime Minister's deal has been rejected by very large majorities on three occasions.
1st Apr 2019 - Daily Mirror

Chaos as warring MPs reject EVERY Brexit option AGAIN

1st Apr 2019 - The Sun

Top mandarin's bombshell No Deal warning: Food up 10%, police unable to protect public, direct rule in Ulster, worse recession than 2008 says leaked letter

Sir Mark's 14-page letter warns: a) No Deal would result in a 10 per cent spike in food prices and the collapse of some businesses that trade with the EU; b) The Government would come under pressure to bail out companies on the brink; c) It would hamper the ability of the police and security services to keep people safe; d) It would lead to the reintroduction of direct rule in Northern Ireland for the first time since 2007; e) A recession will hit the UK and the pound's depreciation will be 'more harmful' than in 2008; f) Our legal authorities and judicial system would be put under 'enormous pressure'.
2nd Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

House of Commons rejects all Brexit options again

1st Apr 2019 - Politico

MPs reject all Brexit options again

1st Apr 2019 - BBC

Merkel Wants Irish Ready for Painful Choice If Brexit Goes Wrong

If the U.K. tumbles out of the bloc without a deal, the question that has dogged Brexit talks -- how to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland -- becomes an acute crisis. For Ireland, the dilemma is this: policing the border could endanger the region’s peace process. Failing to do so could endanger Ireland’s access to the single market.
2nd Apr 2019 - Bloomberg

If Juncker is tired of Brexit now, a poorly timed British general election will really test his patience

For Jean-Claude Juncker, Mr Europe himself, to come down with the disease of Brexit exhaustion while on a trip to Rome is testament to the virulence of the disease: “With our British friends we have a lot of patience, but even patience is running out,” Juncker said in an interview with Italian public broadcaster RAI. “So far we know what the British parliament says no to, but we don’t know what it might say yes to.” The treatment? Mr Juncker is happy to write his own prescription: for the British to make a decision about their future relationship with the European Union. Once administered, Brexit fatigue could clear up remarkably swiftly.
1st Apr 2019 - The Independent

Lesley Riddoch: Why are bungling Brexit elites escaping public wrath?

Johnson and Rees Mogg, turncoat architects of Brexit, are escaping the wrath of the public, but why, asks Lesley Riddoch Britain is approaching the perfect political storm this week and every new course to avoid a hard Brexit looks hazardous for a captain ...
1st Apr 2019 - The Scotsman

Boles quits Conservative Party over Brexit

Conservative lawmaker Nick Boles said on Monday he was resigning from Prime Minister Theresa May's governing party after his attempt to seek an alternative route forward to break the deadlock in parliament over Brexit was rejected. The proposal Boles put forward for a so-called Common Market 2.0, or enhanced Norway-style deal which would include membership of the EU's single market as well as a customs arrangement with the EU, lost by 282 votes to 261. "I have given everything to an attempt to find a compromise that can take this country out of the European Union while maintaining our economic strength and our political cohesion, I accept I have failed," Boles told parliament. "I have failed chiefly because my party refuses to compromise, I regret therefore to announce that I can no longer sit for this party." Boles later said on Twitter he would sit as an "Independent Progressive Conservative."
1st Apr 2019 - Yahoo!

A government of national unity is another Brexit fantasy

MacDonald’s choice offers Tories a clue to what is coming if they do not back her deal — a shattered party or an early election. Mrs May is planning yet another push, incorporating a backbench Labour plan for more parliamentary control over the next stage. With Labour backing every soft Brexit option, only the most obtuse Tory hardliners can believe there is a better option on offer. Too bad it is the most obtuse hardliners she now needs to convince.
1st Apr 2019 - Financial Times

Brexit protester who disrupted Eurostar admits nuisance charge

The Brexit protester who disrupted services on the Eurostar last week by standing on top of St Pancras station in London has admitted a charge at Westminster magistrates court of causing a public nuisance. Terry Maher, 44, from Camden, north London, climbed on to the roof of the station at 7pm on Friday and remained there until 8am on Saturday. He waved a St George’s flag and told arresting officers he was angry at politicians for “fucking up Brexit”. Maher’s actions took place on the day the UK was supposed to leave the European Union and caused the cancellation of eight Eurostar services and major delays for thousands of passengers.
1st Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Germany’s EU minister blames clueless ‘silver spoon’ Westminster elite for ‘s**tshow’

The clueless “silver spoon” elite that dominates British politics is to blame for the current Brexit crisis in the UK, Germany’s Europe minister has said. Speaking in Berlin, Michael Roth said “90 per cent” of Britain’s cabinet ministers have “no idea how workers think, live, work and behave” and that their ignorance had led to a “big s**tshow”. “Brexit is a big s**tshow, I say that now very undiplomatically,” Mr Roth said at a gathering of his Social Democratic Party over the weekend.
1st Apr 2019 - The Independent

'Brexit is a sh**show': German minister hits out at Westminster chaos

1st Apr 2019 - Daily Mail

MPs reject all Brexit options again

1st Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Jacob Rees-Mogg defends tweet of far-right AfD clip

Conservative British MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has defended his tweet of a speech made by the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. The prominent Brexit supporter posted the footage of Alice Weidel speaking in Germany's parliament. In it, she questioned the European Union's (EU) Brexit negotiating strategy and called for EU reform. AfD was formed in 2013 and is Germany's main opposition party, campaigning for tougher immigration laws. The party has provoked outrage in Germany for incendiary remarks from its members on race, religion, and Nazi Germany.
1st Apr 2019 - BBC

Petitions and jokes will not halt this march into Brexit calamity

In the classic sense of a very modern word, we are being trolled. Yet the outward mood of many people opposed to Brexit remains subdued, weary and fatalistic. As austerity grinds on and the social fabric carries on fraying, the impossibility of leaving the EU without truly dire economic and social damage is self-evident. Boris Johnson, Michael Gove and – no, really – Dominic Raab are jostling to get the keys to 10 Downing Street. Our system of government has creaked to a halt; the official opposition is divided, confused and often mute. Anger might seem like the most apposite response, but what we have mostly seen is a strange passivity.
1st Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Climate protesters flash MPs during Brexit debate

Police have arrested 12 people on suspicion of outraging public decency after climate change activists stripped off to stage a protest in the House of Commons while MPs debated Brexit. A group of largely-naked Extinction Rebellion protesters with messages painted on their bodies stood up in the public gallery overlooking the debate on Monday night. Some were pressed against the glass which separates the gallery from the chamber, with police who were sent to the scene to negotiate saying one had "super-glued" themselves to the window. MPs were seen taking a glance up at the protest and Speaker John Bercow maintained that the debate on the second stage of the Brexit alternatives would proceed despite the protest.
1st Apr 2019 - The Telegraph

We are heading for a long Brexit delay – and even ERG MPs are resigned to the fact

The Independent Group of MPs (TIG) will be supporting any measures that provide for a people’s vote with Remain on the ballot and, if that not possible, for the revocation of Article 50 if that’s what it takes to stop a no-deal Brexit – we certainly will not facilitate Brexit like the main parties. But, whatever gets through, I’m not sure we’d be able to pass all the necessary legislation even by 22 May at this rate, the latest date pencilled in by the European Council for our departure.
1st Apr 2019 - The Independent

WATCH: Baker refuses to name person who gave him advice on overspend

Steve Baker says his “conscience is free of any blemish” - despite sending an email advising Vote Leave could spend as much as it needed.
1st Apr 2019 - The New European

Circular firing squad: Puritanism sees Remainers and Soft Brexiters destroy each other

It was like the final scene of Reservoir Dogs. Each of the Brexit political tribes held a gun up to the other and shouted at them, preventing any one idea from securing a majority. They killed everything: a customs union, the single market, a People's Vote and even the ability to keep no-deal off the table. There were four motions put forward in the indicative vote debate tonight - the latest event at which MPs wrestle control of the parliamentary timetable from the government and try to find an alternative to Theresa May's stale plan. If any one of them could secure a majority, it could act as a battering ram forcing the prime minister to give ground.
1st Apr 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Jeremy Corbyn needs to get behind the people’s vote to fight the far right

For a second vote to stand a chance, it needs the socialist Labour leadership behind it, making it about transformational politics in Britain, rather than a default to a broken economic policy that is breaking people. But regardless of support for another referendum, with the far right permeating our political air supply, the Corbyn left must throw its intellectual, moral, campaigning and policymaking weight behind full-throated anti-racism and support for immigration. This is so long overdue, it’s starting to feel as if the left really has conceded defeat.
1st Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Julian Smith: Chief whip attacks cabinet's post-election Brexit strategy

The government should have made clear after the 2017 election that it would "inevitably" have to accept a closer relationship with the EU after Brexit, the Conservative chief whip has said. In a BBC documentary, Julian Smith - who manages party discipline - is also critical of the cabinet's behaviour. The attack comes as the cabinet is split over whether to move to a softer deal that could mean a customs union. No 10 said the prime minister had "never used the term soft Brexit". Several cabinet ministers have said agreeing to a customs union would break promises the Conservatives made at the 2017 election while ex-minister Steve Baker said doing so would "shatter" the party.
1st Apr 2019 - BBC

Brexit has destroyed the barriers between the centre and far right

"The Brexiteers have trampled down the border between the centre right and far right. In Conservative politics now we have complete freedom of movement"
1st Apr 2019 - The Spectator

Remainers, take note: much of Europe just wants to excise the British cancer

The mood in Brussels is pessimistic. Most of those closely involved in the Brexit talks think the likeliest outcome is for the UK to leave without a deal. There is also tremendous frustration with what EU officials see as the incompetence, ignorance and irresponsibility of swaths of the British political class. Over the past three years much of the goodwill that people held towards the UK has evaporated.
1st Apr 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May’s Legacy of Chaos

As the Article 50 fuse she so imprudently lit fizzes to its end – she has come to realise that the one shot she has at posterity – is to get her wretched deal through and fulfil the meaningless undertaking that “Brexit meant Brexit”. That empty epithet will now be her political epitaph. In some quarters May has gained sympathy for having to handle this thankless political task – but it is entirely unwarranted. David Cameron stupidly and ill-advisedly caused the mess – but May has had opportunity after opportunity to put a halt to it. Instead of being straight with the public – she has appeased the whims of the Europhobic lunatics and let the country got to the dogs.
1st Apr 2019 - Byline Times

Parliament Has Again Failed To Agree On Any Alternatives To Theresa May's Brexit Plan

After MPs rejected all the alternative proposals for the second time in a week, a leading Conservative MP announced he was quitting the party because it "refuses to compromise". Parliament has again failed to agree on an alternative to Theresa May’s Brexit plan, leaving Westminster hopelessly divided with less than two weeks to go before the UK is due to leave the European Union. On Monday night, for the second time in a week, MPs took control of parliamentary business in an attempt to resolve the gridlock by voting on possible Brexit outcomes, but none of the four proposals received the backing of a majority of the House.
1st Apr 2019 - BuzzFeed News

The Conservatives have only just learned what a customs union is

The clock is ticking down to Brexit, and it can feel like the people in power have no idea about the reality of the situation. Well, in the case of the Tories, that seems to actually be the case. One of the central points of this Brexit process has been membership of the customs union. It has been crucial to discussions all along. Some are in support of being in it, some do not think that should be the case. Today, the Tory MPs FINALLY had their training session on what a customs union is.
1st Apr 2019 - The National

@ExtinctionR Extinction Rebellion activists strip off in House of Commons public gallery to call attention to the ‘elephant in the room’

BREAKING: Extinction Rebellion activists strip off in House of Commons public gallery to call attention to the ‘elephant in the room’ — Climate and Ecological Crisis #ExtinctionRebellion #TellTheTruth @HouseofCommons
1st Apr 2019 - @ExtinctionR

“Not in the public interest”: why the Electoral Commission didn’t investigate Vote Leave and DUP donation

The UK’s election watchdog doesn’t think it’s worth finding out if the Brexit campaign broke the law more than once. MPs have called on the regulator to look again.
1st Apr 2019 - Open Democracy

Jacob Rees-Mogg under attack for sharing video of German far-right leader

Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg has come under fire for sharing a speech from a controversial far-right German party known for its anti-immigration and anti-Muslim rhetoric. The leading Eurosceptic shared a video of the Alternative for Germany leader Alice Weidel hitting out at Brussels’ handling of Brexit. Posted from his Twitter account, the chairman of the European Research Group said: “The AfD leader asks 'Is it any wonder the British see bad faith behind every manoeuvre from Brussels?'"
1st Apr 2019 - Politics Home

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 1st Apr 2019

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Sky Views: The world used to see UK as bastion of stability - Brexit has changed that

I would find myself wondering how the UK population - so used to living in relative (compared with a lot of the world) comfort - would cope if ever faced with a real crisis. Fast forward 15 years and fears about fuel and food shortages - whether or not they come to pass - are actually being talked about in the event of border disruption if the UK leaves the European Union without a deal. While for the rest of the world, Britain and Brexit have become one of the biggest (for them) foreign news stories around, with debates in the House of Commons - including meaningful votes and speaker John Bercow shouting "order" - regularly making headline news.
1st Apr 2019 - Sky News

Brexit: Chief whip attacks cabinet's post-election strategy

The government should have made clear after the 2017 election that it would "inevitably" have to accept a softer Brexit, the Tory chief whip has said. In a BBC documentary, Julian Smith is also strongly critical of the cabinet's behaviour and lack of discipline. It is unprecedented for a chief whip to publicly attack his own government and comes as the cabinet is deeply split over whether to move to a softer deal. MPs hold further indicative votes later on options to resolve the deadlock.
1st Apr 2019 - BBC

Tories threaten to stop Theresa May triggering election as poll puts Jeremy Corbyn in reach of Number 10

Theresa May has been warned by her own MPs against plunging the country into a fresh general election as a new poll put Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party five points clear of the Tories.The latest Deltapoll study for the Mail on Sunday shows that a seven-point Conservative lead has evaporated over the past month amid ongoing political turmoil over Brexit. Labour currently stands at 41 percent, five points ahead of the Tories on 36.
31st Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Remain stalwart Dominic Grieve faces Tory deselection after losing no confidence vote

Prominent pro-Remain Conservative MP Dominic Grieve is facing deselection after he suffered a vote of no confidence by his local party. The no confidence vote was passed 182 to 131 by the Beaconsfield Constituency Conservative Association. The chairman of the association, Jackson Ng, said the motion was passed at the association’s annual general meeting on Friday.
31st Mar 2019 - Metro

Tories need 'experience' at the helm, says Cabinet minister

The Conservative Party must appoint a senior Tory Eurosceptic to lead it through the next phase of the Brexit negotiations and delay a full scale leadership contest until after the 2022 election, a Cabinet minister has said. The comments by Chris Grayling, who previously served as Mrs May's campaign manager in 2016, will be seen as an effort to streamline the race to replace Theresa May, amid speculation that as many as two dozen MPs could slug it out in a campaign that could go on for months.
31st Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May's cabinet close to collapse

Brexiteers and Remainers are threatening to walk out. Theresa May will be warned today that her government faces total collapse unless she passes her Brexit deal — as the prime minister’s aides were at loggerheads over whether to accept a soft Brexit or call a general election this week. In an emergency conference call last night Brexiteer cabinet ministers agreed they would resign if May accepted a customs union or got Tory MPs to vote for the UK to take part in European elections in May. They will deliver their threat when the prime minister consults her cabinet today. More than half her Commons party, 170 MPs and ministers, have signed a letter telling May to pursue a no-deal departure from the EU rather than accept a soft Brexit. It also demands that the UK leave the EU by May 22.
31st Mar 2019 - The Times

How can the DUP support Brexit when Northern Ireland does not?

The party propping up the Tory government puts the union before everything – even its own electorate
31st Mar 2019 - The Independent

Brexit: More than a THIRD of people back revoking Article 50 in bombshell poll

Revoking Article 50 is the most popular of any Brexit option with the public, a bombshell poll suggests today. The survey of 1,010 people found 36% want to abandon leaving the EU entirely, despite the nation voting by 52% to 48% to leave in the 2016 referendum. The second most popular option was to crash out with no deal on April 12 unless the EU makes further concessions - a choice backed by 26% of people. Those options were followed by 'Don't Know' on 13% and backing Theresa May's deal on 12%. The result came as the number of people signing a petition to revoke Article 50 - the two-year countdown to Brexit Day - hit 6million.
31st Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit petition to revoke Article 50 hits 6 million signatures

A petition calling on the government to halt the Brexit process and keep Britain in the EU has passed six million signatures. The Revoke Article 50 petition - which will be debated by MPs on Monday - has the highest number of signatures of any parliamentary e-petition in history. At one point, nearly 2,000 signatures were being added every minute and it was so popular that the website crashed.
31st Mar 2019 - Sky News

No 10 hopes to delay Tory leadership contest until October

Downing Street hopes to delay any Conservative party leadership contest until October in a move that will hamper the campaigns of established candidates such as Boris Johnson, Jeremy Hunt and Sajid Javid. As Tory contenders began manoeuvres this weekend to replace Theresa May after the third defeat of her Brexit deal, sources confirmed that those close to her will push for a new prime minister to be chosen after the party’s conference at the end of September.
31st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

MP Joanna Cherry hopeful of 'revoke Article 50' motion support

A Scottish MP has said she is hopeful of winning cross-party support for her bid to rule out a No-Deal Brexit. The SNP's Joanna Cherry is planning to table a motion on Monday that would call on the government to revoke Article 50 if no extension can be obtained. Ms Cherry said she had worked closely with some Labour MPs to craft it in a way they could support. Scottish Labour MP Paul Sweeney said the move was a "sensible safeguard".
31st Mar 2019 - BBC

Anger in Whitehall as Brexit strife delays key policies and legislation

Ministers and officials said to be exasperated as no-deal preparations result in paralysis. Brexit is delaying key pieces of policy and legislation, angering ministers and officials, amid reports of paralysis across Whitehall as the government focuses on solving the current crisis, the Guardian has learned. Legislation meant to limit the prosecution of soldiers, create an online regulator and curb drug dispensing errors have been held up or postponed as the government tries to gain enough support for a deal to leave the EU. It comes as Whitehall departments divert senior staff to work on Brexit-related matters in case the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
31st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Tory tensions rise as Theresa May faces agonising choice on Brexit

When Dominic Grieve, a Conservative MP and former attorney-general, was heckled by party members shouting “traitor”, the forces ripping through his party were plain for all to see. Mr Grieve, who lost a vote of confidence brought by his local party association on Friday, is one of a clutch of pro-EU Tory MPs targeted for deselection by local members. He has blamed his reversal on “entryism” by anti-EU activists into the local party, but the transformation in the Conservatives’ ranks goes far beyond his Beaconsfield constituency. Mrs May now faces the huge challenge of trying to get her deal through the House of Commons — without provoking a revolt in what has largely become a Brexit party.
31st Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Remain MP Dominic Grieve says he'll not quit despite local party no confidence vote

Pro-Remain MP Dominic Grieve has insisted he will not be standing down in the wake of suffering a vote of no confidence by his local Conservative Party. Party members in Beaconsfield voted 182 to 131 in favour of the no confidence motion on Friday evening, meaning Mr Grieve faces possible deselection. The former attorney-general said he would listen very carefully to the views of local members but, when asked by ITV News Political Correspondent Paul Brand whether he would resign, said: "I was elected by 36,000 people of Beaconsfield who voted for me and I'm answerable to them.
30th Mar 2019 - ITV News

@carolecadwalla Do you believe this man?? Watch this video. He was co-convener of Vote Leave. He received daily briefings. Yet he claims total ignorance.

Do you believe this man?? Watch this video. He was co-convener of Vote Leave. He received daily briefings. Yet he claims total ignorance. Even in incredible event, he didn’t know, it still happened on his watch. If we had an opposition, they would surely call for him to resign
30th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Tinpot Brexiteer vandals have been rumbled

Compromise be damned: we can’t give an inch to the liars and rascals who’ve brought our country to the brink of ruin. Compromise be damned. We’re looking at an assemblage of ninnies and rascals here, and they’re well on their way to being rumbled. Yet again I remind you of the words (to me) of Margaret Thatcher’s parliamentary private secretary, the late Ian Gow. “In the Lady’s view, once you’ve got the crocodile on to the sandbank you don’t help it back into the deep. You stick the knife in.”
30th Mar 2019 - The Times

Hundreds protest against Brexit along Irish Border

Hundreds of people have taken part in a number of mass demonstrations on the Irish Border in opposition to Brexit. Border Communities Against Brexit organised the protests to mark the day after Britain had been due to leave the European Union. Border demonstrations took place along a number of crossing points in Co Tyrone, Co Louth, Co Donegal, Co Fermanagh, Co Cavan and Co Monaghan. Demonstrators set up a mock check-point on the Old Dublin Road in Carrickcarnon which was manned by people dressed as customs officers. The road was closed to members of the public as protesters carried anti-Brexit placards and EU flags.
30th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Lord Heseltine: Pro-Brexit populism is 'unacceptable and repugnant'

Michael Heseltine has condemned the rise of pro-Brexit populism as “unacceptable and repugnant” after Friday's Brexit Day protests. Although the majority of demonstrators at the rally were peaceful, police arrested two people on suspicion of assault and another on suspicion of assaulting a police officer. The former deputy prime minister, who campaigned to remain in the EU, told talkRADIO’s James Whale he feared pro-Brexit protesters would use “physical force and intimidation” as political tools. “What appals me is that those who have strong feelings think that the legitimate weapon in their hand is physical force and intimidation,” Lord Heseltine said. “We have all seen what happens when people say there will be civil unrest and start muscling up in a crowd, yesterday we saw a lot of posters torn down in parliament square and then somebody got roughed up.
30th Mar 2019 - talkRADIO

@gabriel_Pogrund Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote at Beaconsfield Conservative Association by 182 to 131 votes; paves way for deselection

Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote at Beaconsfield Conservative Association by 182 to 131 votes; paves way for deselection
30th Mar 2019 - @gabriel_pogrund

Brexit: Theresa May's aim to prove deal is least worst option

When does determination become delusion? Number 10's answer to that may be - not yet. There is every chance that the prime minister will again - with routes outside the normal boundaries - try to make a version of her Brexit deal the end result of all of this. Despite a third defeat, despite the embarrassment of repeated losses, don't imagine that she is ready to say a permanent farewell to the compromise deal she brokered with the EU or, straightaway, to her time in office. There is still a belief in the heart of government that there could be a way round, perhaps to include the prime minister's agreed treaty as one of the options that is subject to a series of votes that will be put in front of the Commons next week. The aspiration, strange as it sounds, for some time now has been to prove to MPs that the deal is the least worst of all the options, for time to expose the impossibilities of the new compromises some MPs seek politically for the Tory party, and for the cost of a long delay to Brexit to be too great to allow Parliament to find a new way too.
30th Mar 2019 - BBC

Dominic Grieve loses confidence vote held by Beaconsfield Tories

The remain-supporting Conservative MP, Dominic Grieve, is facing deselection by his party after losing a confidence vote held by his local association by 182 to 131 votes. The Conservative association in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire – Grieve’s constituency – said it no longer had confidence in the former attorney general after he put his case to members at a meeting on Friday. And, while he remains its MP for the time being, a meeting will soon be convened to discuss his future.
30th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Lady Warsi says she fears Michael Gove becoming PM

Some of Gove’s opinions were expressed in Celsius 7/7, a controversial book he wrote in 2006 about Islamism in the UK and elsewhere. Asked in a Guardian interview what she thought about the idea of Gove succeeding Theresa May, Lady Warsi said: “I just don’t even want to imagine it. I’ve sat in too many meetings, I’ve done everything from rolling my eyes, to thinking, gosh, thank God he’s not prime minister.” Celsius 7/7 was written shortly after the 2005 London tube and bus bombings, which killed 52 and injured many more, and Gove stated that “a sizeable minority” of Britain’s 1.8 million Muslims held “rejectionist Islamist views”. To support that argument, Gove cited polling data from the time that showed 46% of British Muslims considered themselves Muslim first and British second, and emphasised that a minority – 12% of those aged 18-24 – said suicide bombing could be justified in the UK.
30th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

May risks 'total collapse' of government in Brexit impasse - Sunday Times

British Prime Minister Theresa May risks the “total collapse” of her government if she fails to get her battered Brexit deal through parliament, the Sunday Times newspaper said, amid growing speculation that she might call an early election.
30th Mar 2019 - Reuters

Furious Tory MPs tell May: we’ll block snap Brexit election

Conservative MPs from across the party are threatening to vote down any attempt by Theresa May to lead them into a snap election, warning it would split the Tories and exacerbate the Brexit crisis. In a sign of the collapse in authority suffered by the prime minister, cabinet ministers are among those warning that there will be a serious campaign by Conservative MPs to vote against an election headed by May, a move she hinted at last week to break the Brexit deadlock. The threat of an election immediately angered both pro-Brexit and pro-Remain MPs. May would need a two-thirds majority in the Commons to secure one, meaning a serious rebellion by Tories could block it. May would then be forced to secure an election by backing a no-confidence vote in her own government, which only requires a simple majority of MPs.
30th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Boris Johnson and Michael Gove under fire on Vote Leave’s law-breaking

Conservative leadership candidates Boris Johnson and Michael Gove are facing growing calls to account for illegal behaviour by the official Vote Leave Brexit campaign. The group has dropped its appeal against the Electoral Commission’s ruling that it broke the law by channelling hundreds of thousands of pounds of donations to an ostensibly independent campaign group, BeLeave. When the Observer revealed evidence a year ago that Vote Leave had broken spending rules, Johnson attacked the report on Twitter as “utterly ludicrous” and said it had “won … legally”. A Johnson adviser said on Saturday that the former foreign secretary would not comment on the end of the appeal.
30th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The future of the Conservative party needs to be as the Brexit party - says Jacob Rees-Mogg

The future of the Conservative party needs to be as the Brexit party. It ought not to cede this title to any other contenders as the nature of its opposition to the EU grows out of its core beliefs. The Tory party in all its guises, over many centuries, has had the view that society is best organised from the bottom up rather than the top down.
30th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit: Vote Leave quietly drops appeal against £61,000 fine for breaking electoral law

Official Brexit campaign says it has run out of money to pursue appeal after Electoral Commission found it coordinated illegally with another group
30th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Theresa May must step down as prime minister: for the sake of Brexit, her party and democracy itself

riday was supposed to be Brexit day. Instead, the Government spent it trying to heave its Withdrawal Agreement over the line, with the threat that it could be this or no Brexit at all. They did their best; a few Tory sceptics were converted. Nevertheless, the deal died in the lobbies for a third time. Theresa May had told the 1922 Committee that she would resign if the Agreement passed. What will she do now that it has been beaten yet again? She cannot continue. The Prime Minister needs to consider her position urgently, bearing two things in mind: the longer this goes on, the softer Brexit will become and, second, that the public is losing faith not just in the Government or the Conservative Party, but in the political process itself too
29th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Tweeted: RT @BowenBBC: I’ve seen this kind of thuggish intimidation in ...

RT @BowenBBC: I’ve seen this kind of thuggish intimidation in nasty places around the world. Horrendous to see it in the UK https://t.co/5O…
29th Mar 2019 - @GeorginaFStubbs

Tensions run high as five people arrested at Brexit protest in London

The Metropolitan Police said five people were arrested following the Brexit protests in Westminster on Friday. Some journalists were intimidated by aggressive Leave supporting protestors
29th Mar 2019 - Yahoo News UK

Compare the peaceful march for a Final Say with nasty threats of violence from the Brexit far right

Spot the difference: on Saturday, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to peacefully request a democratic vote in a march to Parliament Square where a rally was held. Today hundreds of people in the same place threaten rioting and violence in an attempt to push the opposite point. Quite a contrast isn’t it. But that’s roughly how it’s been ever since David Cameron stuck a knife into the heart of Britain in the hopes of settling a debate in the Conservative Party, which his successor Theresa May set about twisting with the same aim in mind. One side politely requests a vote, the other responds with a pair of hobnailed boots. Or hobnailed heels in the case of May, who’s comments could be seen as inciting violence against MPs.
29th Mar 2019 - The Independent

@MarkUrban01 @FabianPicardo Chief Minister of Gibraltar has written to Theresa May asking her to revoke Article 50. "in preference to a long extension of membership of the EU or a no-deal departure from the EU"

Following today's Commons defeat @FabianPicardo Chief Minister of Gibraltar has written to Theresa May asking her to revoke Article 50. "in preference to a long extension of membership of the EU or a no-deal departure from the EU"
29th Mar 2019 - @MarkUrban01

May hopes to hold fourth vote on Brexit deal

Government sources suggested May was first likely to make another attempt to force her deal through parliament in a third “meaningful vote”. This might happen in a “run-off” against any successful alternative from Monday’s indicative votes. The government has been discussing with the Speaker, John Bercow, whether there is a way to hold MV3 that would not fall foul of his insistence that the same proposition cannot be put before parliament again. A Downing Street spokesman highlighted the fact that May’s margin of defeat, 58, was smaller than the 149 majority she lost by earlier this month, and the crushing 230-strong defeat in the first meaningful vote in January. “We are at least going in the right direction,” the spokesman said.
29th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

@thejaytoday This is what the pro-Brexit march became in the end. Men and women drinking cans of beer and abusing the police.

This is what the pro-Brexit march became in the end. Men and women drinking cans of beer and abusing the police.
29th Mar 2019 - @TheJayToday

How Theresa May Went From “The New Iron Lady” To The Leader Who “Betrayed Brexit”

The prime minister’s promise to stand aside if her Brexit deal passes will bring an end to one of the shortest and most turbulent premierships in modern British history. ...
28th Mar 2019 - BuzzFeed News

ANALYSIS An Englishman's Betrayal: What next for the DUP?

The alliance between Rees-Mogg, he who once said he takes the whip from the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church rather than Julian Smith, and the DUP was one of the more innocuous thrown up by Brexit; aside from sovereignty, one wonders what he spoke with Sammy Wilson et al about when he was the star attraction on the DUP after-dinner circuit. As recently as Wednesday, he was repeating his protestations that he “would not abandon the DUP” - then he broke with them and voted for May's deal
29th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Tories could become the nasty party again

The temptations of two particular doctrines have made the Tories all but ungovernable. The first is the appeal of sovereignty-based nationalism. There is a breed of Eurosceptic in the Conservative Party that loathes the European Union so much that they are not even prepared to vote to leave unless they can stick their fingers up to it as they go. Their vision of national sovereignty in a world of alliances, treaties and trade and capital flows is a century out of date and their assumption that taking back control from Europe is the answer to the problems Britain faces is simply fatuous. Yet they have got religion and cannot be reasoned with.
28th Mar 2019 - The Times

Brexit: Man found in contempt of Parliament Dominic Cummings urges Vote Leave activists to form party

Dominic Cummings has issued a rallying call to former Vote Leave activists to start building a new political party or campaign to fight for Brexit. The former director of the campaign that won the 2016 EU referendum urges supporters to "start rebuilding our network now" in a post on his blog. He says winning another EU referendum would be "easier than in 2016". It comes as he was found "in contempt of Parliament" by the Commons Privileges Committee.
28th Mar 2019 - BBC

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 29th Mar 2019

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Sky Data poll: Almost half of Britons unconvinced by Theresa May's potential replacements

Almost half of the British public are unconvinced by the likely candidates to succeed Theresa May as prime minister, according to an exclusive Sky Data poll. But the vast majority want her to resign if parliament votes against her Brexit deal for a third time.
28th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Labour Chairman Ian Lavery 'Backed Managed No-Deal Brexit By Mistake'

Labour chairman Ian Lavery is facing calls to apologise to the party’s pro-EU membership after claiming he mistakenly voted in favour of a managed no-deal Brexit. The Wansbeck MP has admitted he accidentally rebelled against the Labour whip when the Commons was asked to vote on eight different Brexit motions as part of the ‘indicative votes’ process in the Commons on Wednesday night. MPs were presented with ‘Yes/No’ ballots for each of the options as they attemtped reach a consensus on exiting the bloc in the wake of two defeats for Theresa May’s deal. Lavery backed a motion by hardline Tory Brexiteer Marcus Fysh for a managed no-deal exit. It advocated a “standstill” agreement with the EU while a Canada-style free trade deal, without a single market or customs union agreement, was reached.
28th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post UK

EXCL Theresa May spent thousands on Facebook ads promoting her speech attacking MPs

The Government paid between £12,000 and £30,000 for four Facebook ads pushing the controversial speech she made from Downing Street a week ago. The cost was part of an expensive publicity blitz Downing Street embarked on in a desperate bid to promote the Brexit deal Mrs May clinched with Brussels, according to a new analysis by the People’s Vote campaign. Ministers spent between £80,000 and £300,000 on Facebook ads promoting the Brexit deal, including the four that featured a video of Mrs May's address. But the ads have since been switched to ‘inactive’ - suggesting the PM had second thoughts about pumping them through Facebook to Brits around the country. Some £700,000 has been spent since mid-December last year by the Cabinet Office on two agencies - Manning Gottlieb OMD and Engine Partners UK - to push Brexit content from the Government.
28th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

In a Bid to ‘Take Back Control,’ Britain Lost It

More than 1,000 days after the U.K. voted to leave the EU, the country’s future is still shrouded in uncertainty. Its exit date from the bloc is still unknown. Its parliament is hopelessly divided. Who will be leading the country in the weeks and months ahead is no longer clear. No one, least of all British lawmakers, seems to know how Brexit will happen, or even whether it will happen at all. Nearly every political figure or institution of note in London—including Prime Minister Theresa May, who has lost control of Brexit to both her party’s right wing and to Parliament, and the House of Commons itself, which has not been able to agree on any single option for leaving the EU—has, when seeking to exert control, proved to have none.
28th Mar 2019 - The Atlantic

Brexit was scheduled for March 29th. Wasn't it meant to be easy?

“There will be no downside to Brexit, only a considerable upside.” David Davis, the first of three (and counting) Brexit secretaries, lays out his analysis. October 10th 2016
28th Mar 2019 - The Economist

Brexit is a national crisis. Not a careers fair for 22 Tories

Hanging over all of this is the sense that who gets to be prime minister of Britain is a private matter for the top of the Tory party; that a national crisis should somehow be a careers fair for 22 people. You can put some of that down to Cameron’s law for fixed-term parliaments, but there is also the thick, sweaty air of entitlement.
28th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

'No way to run a country': Business frustration with Brexit chaos boils over

Business leaders are voicing intense frustration with politicians who have plunged the United Kingdom deeper into uncertainty over Brexit. "No one would run a business like this -— and it is no way to run a country," Adam Marshall, head of the British Chambers of Commerce, said on Thursday. Theresa May has offered to step down as prime minister in a last-ditch effort to win support for her EU divorce plan, which UK lawmakers have already rejected twice by huge margins. Parliament itself has now seized more control over the process. Yet with only two weeks to go before the exit deadline — delayed once already — a series of votes on alternative scenarios has provided little clarity.
28th Mar 2019 - CNN

UK PM's May's Brexit deal is 'rancid' - Conservative lawmaker Francois

Brexit-supporting Conservative Party lawmaker Mark Francois said on Thursday that Prime Minister Theresa May’s European Union divorce deal was “rancid” and that he would vote against it again. “If it comes back I’m happy to vote it down again,” he told Sky News. “The British people voted to leave the European Union - let’s just leave,” said Francois, who is vice-chairman of the European Research Group of pro-Brexit Conservative lawmakers.
28th Mar 2019 - Reuters

Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt mocks Nigel Farage at European Parliament, comparing him to Blackadder character

However, none of the comebacks were as on point or as savage as this takedown from the EU's Brexit coordinator who compared him to Field Marshal Haig from Blackadder.
28th Mar 2019 - Indy100

Arlene Foster: PM's Brexit deal 'would damage the union'

The DUP has confirmed it will not back Theresa May's Brexit deal despite the prime minister's promise to step down if MPs supported it. DUP leader Arlene Foster said that the party "cannot sign up to something that would damage the union".
28th Mar 2019 - BBC

Meet the man 'detained at Gatwick for wearing an anti-Brexit badge'

A man wearing an anti-EU badge was challenged by a customs officer to remove the badge, when he refused, he was briefly placed in a room for questioning until a second officer released him. Home Office said it is now investigating
28th Mar 2019 - Euronews

Revoke Article 50 petition to cancel Brexit hits 6million signatures

A petition to Revoke Article 50 has now been signed by more than six million people. Today EU Council President Donald Tusk said the six million people who have so far supported it must be listened to. MPs will discuss the poll in Westminster Hall, a secondary chamber, on 1 April after a record number of people signed it. But the government have already said they won't be revoking Article 50. In an official response posted on the parliamentary petitions website, the Government said: "This Government will not revoke Article 50. We will honour the result of the 2016 referendum and work with Parliament to deliver a deal that ensures we leave the European Union."
28th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit Britain: A nation born from Tory playground politics – leader comment

Theresa May offers to quit, making Boris Johnson smile in latest outbreak of playground politics over Brexit. Boris Johnson emerged from last night’s meeting of Conservative MPs with a broad smile. Then came the news that Theresa May had promised to stand down if they agreed to vote for her Brexit deal – and that Johnson and other hardline Tory Brexiteers were now prepared to back it
28th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Theresa May faces her day of reckoning on Brexit - and is warned it will not end well

Theresa May will face a day of reckoning on Friday as she tables one last vote on her Brexit deal despite warnings from her closest aides and ministers that she is destined for yet another defeat. The Prime Minister has promised to resign if she gets a deal through Parliament, but Eurosceptic MPs have insisted she must announce the timetable of her departure on Friday regardless
28th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit: Several million reasons to hold second referendum

Whatever the estimated numbers turn out to be, no one can deny that last weekend’s demonstration in London was an impressive expression of people’s desire to move to a second referendum to settle the Brexit debacle. As the UK Parliament continues to tie itself in knots with ever-increasing tedium
28th Mar 2019 - Edinburgh News

Government ‘never met’ Seaborne Freight's financial backers

The Department for Transport (DfT) held no face-to-face meetings with the backers of the ferry-less shipping firm Seaborne Freight, the BBC has learned. A Freedom of Information request unveiled that no officials or ministers met Arklow Shipping, the Irish firm that eventually withdrew its support for a route between Kent and Belgium. It also uncovered that no DfT ministers met Seaborne at any point. But the government stressed that many emails and phone calls were exchanged.
28th Mar 2019 - BBC

Theresa May’s deal may not be dead, but it’s killing us

Any journalist who tells you they did not enjoy any of this is probably lying. Brexit may be bad for a lot of industries but it has certainly been good for journalism — or at least for providing its practitioners with new material, even if its consumers take a dimmer view of it than ever. But it now feels as though even that cold comfort is ebbing away. The rot set in back in December when Mrs May cancelled what was meant to be the first meaningful vote. Robbed of that crunch point, MPs sought catharsis through other means: first, the failed no-confidence vote in the prime minister brought by her own colleagues and second, the failed no-confidence vote brought in by Labour. It established a pattern which has persisted from that day to this, dictated by Section 13 of the EU Withdrawal Act, the bit that makes any withdrawal agreement subject to approval by MPs in a “meaningful vote”.
28th Mar 2019 - The Times

Brexit: Theresa May's last gamble in tatters as resignation plan is not enough

Theresa May played her final card tonight telling febrile Tory MPs that she will quit if they finally back her Brexit deal. An emotional Prime Minister told a packed meeting she will go before the next stage of talks - but only if her twice-defeated ...
28th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit: May vows to resign before next phase of negotiations if deal is passed

Theresa May has played her final desperate card to tame the Brexit rebels in her warring party, by promising to sacrifice her premiership if they back her twice-rejected Brexit deal. The beleaguered prime minister, whose authority has been shattered by the double rejection of her deal and the humiliation of a delay to Brexit day, made the offer to Tory backbenchers at a packed meeting in parliament. It came as MPs held backbench-led “indicative votes” on eight alternative Brexit options, including no deal, a referendum, a customs union and a Norway-style deal – none of which secured a majority.
28th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit deal split deeply risky move for Theresa May as MPs smell a trap

Stripping out the part of the deal that outlines what future relationship we will seek with the EU will annoy Labour MPs, who are already angry about not knowing what type of Brexit lies ahead due to the vague nature of the political declaration. No doubt, the government will seek to reassure MPs by promising to bring back another full vote on the whole Brexit deal in the coming weeks, giving them a chance to take blocking action. But some MPs smell a trap.It is UK law that dictates that both parts of Mrs May's deal need to passed before Brexit. Could the government seek to change the law and then attempt to leave the EU on the basis of tomorrow's vote?
28th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Blow for Jeremy Corbyn as Labour frontbencher quits to join rebellion against second Brexit referendum

A Labour frontbencher quit her job last night to join a major rebellion against the party's backing for a second Brexit referendum. Melanie Onn resigned as a shadow housing minister after Labour ordered its MPs to vote in favour of a motion calling for any Brexit deal passed by the Commons to be put to a public vote. Jeremy Corbyn suffered further embarrassment when three Shadow Cabinet members - Jon Trickett, Ian Lavery and Andrew Gwynne - abstained.
28th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

We’re led by a party not fit for power in a system not fit for purpose

But even if the Conservatives were decent and effective, as a simple matter of capacity they are no longer even low-functioning – they are not viable. Terrified of their own members and overwhelmed with internal rivalry, they cannot run themselves let alone the country. Their divisions are multiple and irreconcilable. (True, many say the same about Labour. But there are two important distinctions: Labour did not get us into this mess; and it has a far more plausible plan to get us out of it.)
28th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The President of the Royal Society explains why he signed the Revoke Article 50 petition

Amidst the political chaos, it is astonishing that the idea of a 'no-deal' Brexit is still touted as a viable alternative by some politicians. Parliament has voted against it, employers and unions have said it will cost jobs and be hugely disruptive, yet somehow the idea persists. The uncertainty and disruption caused by a 'no-deal' Brexit would be disastrous for UK science.
28th Mar 2019 - Scientists for EU

Donald Tusk: EU cannot betray increasing majority wishing to remain – video

Donald Tusk has said the EU cannot betray an 'increasing majority' of British people who want to cancel Brexit and remain in the bloc. The European council president hailed those who marched on the streets of London and the millions who were petitioning the government to revoke article 50. Tusk finished his speech by saying: 'They may feel that they are not sufficiently represented by the UK parliament, but they must feel that they are represented by you in this chamber. Because they are Europeans'
28th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Police brace for disorder after far-right protesters threaten to riot on what would have been Brexit day

Police are bracing for potential unrest at protests by pro-Brexit groups following threats of riots by far-right extremists. Scotland Yard said it was ready to “share resource across the country” if disorder breaks out at numerous planned demonstrations in London and across the UK on Friday. Ukip, Tommy Robinson, the UK “yellow vests”, Democratic Football Lads Alliance and Leave Means Leave campaign are holding rallies in the capital, on the day Britain was due to leave the EU. Counter-protesters are planning to meet them after accusing anti-Islam groups of using Brexit as a “platform to spread their extreme far-right agenda”. The Metropolitan Police is working to prevent clashes at the demonstrations, which will be held amid heightened tensions over a vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal in the House of Commons.
28th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 28th Mar 2019

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How Theresa May Finally Set Her Resignation Timetable To Get Brexit ‘Over The Line’

Her voice cracking at one point, May was heard in silence as she finally uttered the words her Brexiteer backbenchers had been waiting for. “I know there is a desire for a new approach – and new leadership – in the second phase of the Brexit negotiations – and I won’t stand in the way of that.” The reaction was one of relief, both for her and her party. The very first response came from veteran backbencher Richard Bacon, a doughty eurosceptic who announced he would now back the PM’s deal. James Gray and Robert Courts said they too would now switch and dump their opposition. Backbencher Bob Seely asked May just how close she was to getting the DUP on board. She sidestepped the question.
28th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post

Theresa May promises to quit if Brexit deal passes

Theresa May has promised she will quit as prime minister once her Brexit deal is voted through. Mrs May made the promise in an address to Conservative MPs in parliament. Her move is a last-gasp attempt to persuade her own party to back her EU withdrawal agreement, which has already been twice heavily defeated in the House of Commons. Mrs May told a gathering of the Tories' 1922 committee: "I am prepared to leave this job earlier than I intended in order to do what is right for our country and our party." "I ask everyone in this room to back the deal so we can complete our historic duty - to deliver on the decision of the British people and leave the European Union with a smooth and orderly exit."
27th Mar 2019 - Sky News

How Theresa May realised she must quit as Prime Minister to keep her Brexit deal alive

27th Mar 2019 - The Sun

The hardliners are fearing defeat — and Remainer MPs can take advantage

Where are the self-styled Brexiteer “grand wizards” who converged on Chequers last Sunday to deliver a scary ultimatum to May? They have been replaced, it seems, by a huddle of meek and supplicant smurfs, worried that Brexit might not happen at all. We know that May is going sooner rather than later, that she has already agreed not to lead her party into the next general election, and that the battery of her political authority is now completely drained. To present her imminent departure as a famous victory for the European Research Group is truly pathetic. No, what has spooked the Brexiteers is the sudden scent in the air of total defeat. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands marched through London demanding a People’s Vote .
27th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

May’s exit won’t halt Britain’s slow drift into a kind of Brexit civil war

Most of the votes that are making this happen are from the opposition benches. Tonight’s results had a heavy Labour dimension. But the decisive element in the new situation is the mobilisation of the one-nation Tories. Time and again in the past two years, the pro-Europeans, the modernisers and the liberals on the Tory benches have flattered to deceive, preferring to rally around May when she has been subverted and abandoned by the hard Brexiters. On Monday, these Tory centrists finally stood up in force, mustering 30 votes behind Letwin; they included three very effective middle-ranking ministers who resigned. Today, on the timetable motion, 33 of them voted against May. This change has been pivotal. They will surely rally around Amber Rudd now.
27th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Dominic Cummings found in contempt of parliament

MPs had examined correspondence between Cummings and the digital, culture, media and sport (DCMS) committee, which was investigating the proliferation of false news stories during the EU referendum campaign. The privileges committee acknowledged its sanctions were limited to recommending the Commons issue a formal admonishment for Cummings’ conduct, raising questions about the committee’s enforcement powers. The admonishment would require a resolution of the house, which, if passed, “should be communicated to Mr Cummings by the clerk of the house”, the committee said in its report. Damian Collins, the chair of the DCMS committee, said it was clear the powers of the house had been “found wanting”
27th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Online petition system needs overhaul because it leaves public opinion open to 'manipulation' says Conservative MP

A conservative MP has called for an overhaul to the online petition system, saying it leaves public opinion on important issues like Brexit open for “manipulation” from “foreign state aggressors.” During Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, MP Maggie Throup said a “fundamental flaw” of the current system is that it “accepts unverified signatures from across the world.”
27th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit latest: Theresa May tells MPs there is 'still not sufficient support' to bring back deal for third meaningful vote

Theresa May has told MPs that there is still not "sufficient" support to bring back her Brexit deal to the Commons for a third meaningful vote. But the Prime Minister said she would continue her efforts to build support for the deal - defeated by 230 votes in January and 149 votes in March - and stage a vote before the end of the week.
27th Mar 2019 - London Evening Standard

Theresa May allows a free vote on Brexit alternatives

Theresa May has avoided a rash of resignations by Europhile ministers by allowing Conservative MPs a free vote on alternatives to her Brexit plans, as the House of Commons seeks to take the initiative from the government on Britain’s departure from the EU. In a move indicating her waning authority, the UK prime minister will not instruct, or “whip”, Tory backbenchers or junior ministers on how to vote when the Commons debates rival plans to her Brexit deal on Wednesday evening — although cabinet members will be ordered to abstain.
27th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Efta countries wary of UK's interest in 'Norway' option

Iceland says UK would have to accept free movement of labour, while Norway wants to avoid being seen as interfering in Brexit politics
27th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Welsh Tory Brexit rebels say PM's exit vow has not changed minds

The only course of action for MPs after they rejected a range of alternatives to Theresa May's Brexit deal is to pass the agreement, a Welsh Tory MP said. David Davies said the exercise showed there was no support for other options. On Wednesday night MPs rejected eight proposals, including calls for a customs union with the EU and for a further referendum. The votes came on a day when the PM told Tory MPs she would step down if her deal is backed.Two Welsh Conservative MPs, who have voted against it twice, told BBC Wales that Mrs May's move would still not be enough for them to support the agreement if a third vote is held.
27th Mar 2019 - BBC

MPs want Brexit à la carte. Let’s hope they know the unicorn’s off

If parliament spends its day voting on impossible options, no progress will be possible – and the kitchen closes on 12 April
27th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

No-deal Brexit 'disadvantage' for NI agri-food - Michael Gove

No-deal Brexit plans could place Northern Ireland's agri-food industry at a "significant disadvantage", the UK's environment secretary has said. The UK plan would mean that food exports from the Republic to NI would face zero tariffs, said Michael Gove. However, goods going the other way from NI to the Republic could face high tariffs. Mr Gove said the impact would depend on what the Irish government and European Commission choose to do.
27th Mar 2019 - BBC

A Boycott Is the Underpriced Risk of a Second Brexit Vote

Now that parliament has taken control of the timetable in order to hold indicative votes on various Brexit paths, one option MPs will be asked to reconsider is a second referendum. Talk of a new vote, with a Remain option on the ballot, has grown again following Saturday’s mass-scale protest march. But lost amid all the chatter about another vote is the tangible danger to British democracy lurking in such a plan. The risk is that any attempt at what proponents call a people’s vote would likely be met with a people’s boycott. Regardless of the referendum’s final tally, an organized boycott would mean all of Britain loses.
27th Mar 2019 - Bloomberg

@RobDotHutton Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman explains that the party only supports a referendum on a "damaging Tory Brexit". If Labour takes power, he says, it will negotiate a better Brexit, which won't need a referendum.

LABOUR BREXIT LATEST: Jeremy Corbyn's spokesman explains that the party only supports a referendum on a "damaging Tory Brexit". If Labour takes power, he says, it will negotiate a better Brexit, which won't need a referendum.
27th Mar 2019 - @RobDotHutton

Brexit latest shock: Did SNP just give Norway+ a massive boost in vote tonight?

Mr Blackford, who is also SNP Westminster, said today: "It is becoming increasingly clear that the cost the Prime Minister will pay to force her disastrous deal through is the price of her departure. "Yet again another Tory Prime Minister is willing to ride off into the sunset and saddle us with a crisis in the UK and an extreme right-wing Brexiteer coming into Downing Street. Does the Prime Minister feel no sense of responsibility for what she is about to do?"
27th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Sturgeon: PM's plan to quit could make Brexit worse

Theresa May's pledge to stand down if her Brexit deal is approved risks making "an already bad project even worse", Nicola Sturgeon has claimed. Ms Sturgeon said it could see Scotland "shackled to a disastrous Brexit driven by a Tory party lurching even further to the right". She predicted that this would "further reinforce" the case for independence. Ms Sturgeon was speaking after Holyrood voted for Brexit to be cancelled if the UK faces leaving the EU without a deal.
27th Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Second referendum blocked by just a handful of Labour MPs

People's Vote campaigners were left furious tonight after it emerged a second referendum would have got a majority if Labour MPs hadn't voted against it. The Indicative Vote motion on a second referendum was just 27 votes short of a majority - exactly the same number as Labour MPs who voted against it.
27th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Five anti-Brexit MPs sent threats and pictures of a crossbow

A man and a woman have been arrested for sending malicious messages to Remain MPs on Twitter A man and a woman have been arrested for sending malicious messages to Remain MPs on Twitter.
27th Mar 2019 - The Sun

The UK government bought a £12m New York penthouse for a British civil servant to use for post-Brexit trade deals

The Foreign Office has paid $15.9m for a seven-bedroom luxury penthouse in New York for a senior British civil servant, charged with securing trade post-Brexit, to use at will. According to The Guardian, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt personally oversaw the purchase of a 5,893 sq ft (574 sq metre) property as the official residence for Antony Phillipson, the UK trade commissioner for North America and consul general in New York.
27th Mar 2019 - iNews

Brexit: UK Government sends official response to Revoke Article 50 petition - here it is in full

The Government emailed people who signed the Revoke Article 50 petition last night with a response. The petition currently stands at 5,819,436 signatures and is scheduled for debate in parliament on 1 April.
27th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Hardline Brexiteers should think about quitting Tories, says rebel former minister Richard Harrington

Hardline Brexit “irreconcilables” should consider quitting the Conservative party, former business minister Richard Harrington suggested today. He believes that Tories unwilling to accept any type of compromise on Europe would be better off seeking a party more in tune with their views.
27th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 27th Mar 2019

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May faces 20 ministerial resignations if they are not allowed free vote on solving Brexit mess

Theresa May conveyed no ... to find a solution to the Brexit mess. She has been warned by MP Anne Milton that there could be 20 resignations from junior ranks of government to add to the three on Monday, if she does not allow a free vote.
26th Mar 2019 - ITV News

Brexit BOMBSHELL: Theresa May could be forced out as 20 ministers threaten to RESIGN

26th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Brexit: There is no secret plan, admits minister

Nor could other MPs discern a plan. One Conservative MP told The Times about a conversation with their whip. The MP asked the whip what they were voting in this week. “Don’t know”, they were told. Then they asked if the meaningful vote was coming back. “Don’t know,” they were told. They asked if the indicative votes would happen and got the same response. The whip then asked, “But will you support the government?”
26th Mar 2019 - The Times

Leader comment: Replacing May will not solve the humiliation of Brexit

EU leaders were scathing about the Prime Minister, last week, but they were equally angry with the Brexiteers whose campaign led us to this chaotic point. In this climate, do these May-must-go members of cabinet really think that sending someone new to the next summit in Brussels is going to create further concessions in the United Kingdom’s favour? If they do then, we fear, they are deluding themselves.
25th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

DUP deal killer blow to Theresa May's plan as they refuse to back her 'toxic' Brexit deal

As a number of Brexiteers are indicating they could cave and back the deal to avoid no Brexit, the DUP are holding firm. On Tuesday they insisted they still preferred leaving without a deal to Theresa May's deal. But their Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson went one step further and suggested that an extension was better than the PM's deal. He said: "Even if we are forced into a one-year extension, we at least would have a say on the things which affect us during that time and would have the right to unilaterally decide to leave at the end of that one-year period through the simple decision of not applying for a further extension."
26th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Tories fight 'like rats in a sack' to hang on to the hard Brexit dream

“It’s like rats in a sack on the WhatsApp group today,” says one glum Tory Brexit-backing MP. “Everyone is turning on each other.” Another described the mood as “extremely bitter and very depressed” among many more mainstream Eurosceptic Conservative MPs who fear they are on the brink of losing the hard Brexit that was almost in their grasp. Their ire is directed mainly at the 70 pro-Brexit hardliners who refused to back May’s deal on the second attempt. The holdouts won approval from their Conservative members who want nothing less than a no-deal Brexit and will be decisive in picking the next party leader.
26th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Former minister says others may also resign over Brexit

Former Foreign Office minister Alistair Burt, who resigned to vote against the government over Brexit, told the BBC's political editor Laura Kuenssberg that he expects more ministers to resign over Mrs May's policy plans for reintroducing her Brexit Withdrawal Agreement
26th Mar 2019 - BBC

One True Brexit's standard bearers stand firm in bonkers battle

The far right Tory Bruges Group regards changing the EU leaving day from the29th March as moment of national surrender
26th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

MPs have voted to put Brexit in the hands of Parliament’s most blunder-prone Tory buffoon

Brexit is today in the hands of Parliament’s most blunder-prone Tory buffoon. It’s hard to imagine how things could get worse. But Oliver Letwin will find a way. MPs voted for this diehard Remainer and Old Etonian twit to take charge of votes on mainly “soft Brexit” alternatives.
26th Mar 2019 - The Sun

Pharmacy minister Steve Brine resigns from government over Brexit

Pharmacy minister Steve Brine resigned from the government last night (March 25) to vote against Theresa May over Brexit.
26th Mar 2019 - Chemist+Druggist

The Brexit delusion of taking back control

From Beijing, where I now am, the UK looks small. It also looks as if it has fallen into the hands of lunatics engaged in an astonishing act of national self-harm. But this, Brexiters will say, is an illusion. The UK is going to “take back control”. The slogan was brilliant. But it was the biggest delusion of all. Control is different from sovereignty. As I argued during the referendum campaign, the UK was already sovereign: it could, if it wished, vote to leave the EU. It did so, but promptly discovered that, while it was sovereign, it was not very powerful. Yet control is about power.
26th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

The Guardian view on Brexit’s revolution: eating its own

For many Brexiters, the European Union was not an institutional arrangement that eased trade, immigration and political disputes; it was nothing short of a conspiracy to sap money from the United Kingdom to Brussels, construct an EU army, or help spread Islam across the continent. This thinking underlies the political project to leave the EU. As they are not grounded in truth, these narratives have produced Brexit’s lengthy saga of political ineptitude.
26th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Warning of legal limbo for 3m EU citizens living in UK after Brexit

EU citizens living in the UK would be stripped of their freedom of movement, housing and social security rights by Home Office legislation introduced to regulate immigration following Brexit, a parliamentary report has warned. Despite repeated government reassurances that their privileges will be protected, a study by the joint committee on human rights (JCHR) concludes that more than 3 million Europeans living in Britain would be left in legal “limbo”. The cross-party committee, whose members are drawn from the Commons and the Lords, argues that EU citizens’ rights should be protected by primary legislation rather than reliant on statutory instruments approved by ministers at a later date.
26th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Government rejects petition to 'cancel Brexit' signed by 5.8 million people

The British government has rejected a petition calling for Brexit to be stopped, which gathered more than 5.8 million signatures. The petition is due to be debated by MPs on 1 April, after breaking the 100,000 threshold for consideration and becoming the best-supported proposal in the history of the House of Commons and government’s e-petitions website. Rejecting the oft-repeated claim that EU withdrawal is the “will of the people”, it calls for the revocation of the Article 50 letter informing the European Council of the UK’s intention to leave.
26th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Get set for Brexit: Indicative Day – the one where the Grand Wizards turn on each other

Draw near, true believers, for these are dark days for the ERG Brexit ultras. The Fellowship of the Ringpieces finds itself divided on their next move, and may yet be bitterly sundered as they ponder the big question: could they honestly have played it worse?
26th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

@Peston Senior ERG Brexiter lawyer MPs, Cash, @SuellaBraverman, Tomlinson and Jones, accuse PM of "unlawful use of Royal Prerogative" in agreeing with EU a postponement of Brexit day without first changing UK law.

Senior ERG Brexiter lawyer MPs, Cash, @SuellaBraverman, Tomlinson and Jones, accuse PM of "unlawful use of Royal Prerogative" in agreeing with EU a postponement of Brexit day without first changing UK law. It is the symbolism of ERG attacking the PM which matters, because no...
26th Mar 2019 - @Peston

Olly Robbins was right about one thing at least; it's either May's deal or a lengthy extension

For many Brexiteers, Olly Robbins, Theresa May’s chief Brexit negotiator, is something of a hate figure. But whatever the rights and wrongs of his Withdrawal Agreement, his analysis of the way events would pan out, as articulated in a Brussels hotel bar, is proving pretty much spot on. When it came down to it, he was overheard saying some months ago, the choice would be between Mrs May’s deal and a lengthy extension. Everything else would fall by the wayside. The second of these options is where we now seem to be heading.
26th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

The Government is in crisis, but what makes Parliament think it can do any better?

It is hard to think of a more humiliating moment for a sitting Prime Minister than what happened in Parliament yesterday. MPs from across the House, including ministers, voted to take matters out of her Government’s hands into their own – "taking control" as they put it – because they do not trust Theresa May to get a grip and find a workable response to Brexit.
26th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Why a general election is both necessary and impossible

Here is the nightmare for Theresa May. If, as seems highly likely, MPs instruct the prime minister to negotiate a Brexit or no-Brexit outcome that conflicts with government policy, she and her ministers would be degraded into ciphers and puppets of MPs. There are two big reasons why it cannot happen. First is that the two main parties are irredeemably split over Brexit. Labour and the Tory Party would find it impossible to craft a manifesto with a policy on leaving or not-leaving the EU for which all their respective MPs could campaign. So an election could not end the torture for the UK and EU of the uncertainty about our Brexit or no-Brexit future. Second, I have not found a single Tory MP who think it would be a good idea for Theresa May to lead her party into another election, such is the degree to which they have lost confidence in her (and she of course has pledged not to do that).
26th Mar 2019 - ITV News

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 26th Mar 2019

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Minister 'resigns' and says government's Brexit approach is 'playing roulette with lives'

Business minister Richard Harrington has resigned warning that the government's Brexit approach was "playing roulette" with people's lives. The pro-EU MP, who was one of three minister to resign on Monday night said in a letter to the Prime Minister he had quit so he could “do all I can” to prevent a no-deal Brexit. He said in letter to the Prime Minister: "At this critical moment in our country's history, I regret that the government's approach to Brexit is playing roulette with the lives and livelihoods of the vast majority of people in this country who are employed by or otherwise depend on businesses for their livelihood."
25th Mar 2019 - Herald Scotland

Brexit petition to revoke article 50 exceeds 5m signatures

The petition asking the British government to revoke article 50 and reconsider its plan to exit the European Union has passed the 5m-signature mark, following a massive demonstration in London on Saturday. As of 11pm on Sunday, 5.3m people had signed the petition, making it the most popular to have been submitted to the parliament website. The previous highest total of 4,150,260 was for a 2016 petition calling for a second referendum should the initial poll not provide a definitive enough result. The petition continued to grow following Saturday’s march, which organisers claimed saw more than a million people take to the streets of London. The woman behind the petition, Margaret Georgiadou, said on Saturday she had received death threats. Georgiadou tweeted that on Friday night she had received three such threats via telephone.
24th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: PM says NI unable to prepare for no-deal

Speaking in the House of Commons on Monday, Theresa May said she had wanted to deliver Brexit on 29 March. "But, I'm conscious of my duties as prime minister to all parts of our United Kingdom and of the damage to that union leaving without a deal could do, when one part of it is without devolved government and unable therefore to prepare properly," she said. Former Northern Ireland Secretary Owen Paterson said he was surprised to learn that Northern Ireland had not been able to prepare properly. Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) deputy leader Nigel Dodds accused Mrs May of a "fundamental lack of preparation" and said "the government is entirely responsible for that".
25th Mar 2019 - BBC

Theresa May dismays the DUP as she blames Northern Ireland for Brexit delay

A decision by Theresa May to blame Northern Ireland for the delay in Brexit has dismayed the DUP, pushing them further away from the Prime Minister at the point when she needs them most. A change of stance by the weakened Prime Minister today saw her tell MPs that the absence of devolution in Northern Ireland is part of the reason for suddenly asking for a last-minute delay. In a demonstration of the lack of trust between No 10 and the party which keeps Mrs May in office, a bewildered-looking Nigel Dodds said in the Commons that was “an entirely new argument that we’re hearing for the first time” as a justification for delaying Brexit.
25th Mar 2019 - Belfast Newsletter

Brexiteers will soon discover that all other deals are worse than Theresa May's

The upshot of the Prime Minister’s statement on Monday afternoon is that the House of Commons will finally get to vote on the alternatives to the Brexit deal they have twice rejected. It is understandable that ministers have long resisted such a moment, for if MPs actually managed to deliver a majority for a specific plan, it would be that much harder to justify yet another attempt to pass the one negotiated by the Government. Furthermore, if that plan is one that a large part of the Cabinet cannot stomach, then the constitutional crisis many of us have long feared would be upon us, and a general election not far away. Holding the "indicative votes" that now appear imminent might open the Pandora’s Box
25th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May hints she’ll quit if Brexiteers back her deal — but they’re demanding she goes public with the date

Theresa May is locked in a Mexican stand-off with hardline Brexiteer chiefs after she dramatically opened the door to quitting as PM. The Sun can reveal that Mrs May has indicated for the first time that she would consider resigning in exchange for MPs passing her Brexit deal.
25th Mar 2019 - The Sun

Labour’s chief whip defies leader to say he wants to remain

Splits at the top of the Labour Party emerged today as chief whip Nick Brown defied Jeremy Corbyn to say that he wants to stay in the EU. In an email to one of his constituents he disclosed that he is personally in favour of halting Brexit by revoking Article 50 if the only other option is no deal. He wrote he would also back another Brexit vote where “remain in the EU” is an option on the ballot paper. The 2017 Labour Party manifesto endorses Brexit and Mr Corbyn has been criticised heavily by his MPs for not explicitly backing a second referendum and instead saying he favours a Labour-led “jobs first” Brexit or a general election.
25th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit protesters unfurl giant banner mocking David Davis during Put It To The People March

Protesters demanding a second referendum on Brexit mocked David Davis on Saturday by unfurling a banner emblazoned with one of the former cabinet minister’s old statements. “If a democracy cannot change its mind, it ceases to be a democracy,” was the quote written on the banner. It comes from a speech which Mr Davis, a former Brexit secretary, made in November 2012 about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
25th Mar 2019 - The Independent

81% of Britons think Government has handled Brexit talks badly, damning poll finds

The vast majority of Britain believes the Government has handled Brexit negotiations poorly, a damning poll has found. A staggering 81 per cent of the country thought ministers have so far done a bad job in EU-divorce talks, the study suggested. That’s compared to just 7 per cent of Britons who said the opposite was true, the NatCen Social Research poll showed.
25th Mar 2019 - London Evening Standard

Theresa May should set out plans to quit in order to get Brexit deal through, says Ribble Valley MP Nigel Evans

Tory backbencher Nigel Evans, a joint executive secretary of the influential Conservative 1922 Committee, said Theresa May should set out her plans to quit in order to get her Brexit deal through. "Clearly a number of people do not want the Prime Minister anywhere near the next phase of negotiations, which is the future trading relationship between ourselves and the EU," he told BBC Radio 4's Today.
25th Mar 2019 - Lancashire Evening Post

Brexit activist slams Irish border question – by defending free movement

Darren Grimes found it was “not beyond the wit of man” to keep a border open, when travelling from Italy to Switzerland. Not realising that they are both in the Schengen region which requires that anyway
25th Mar 2019 - New Statesman

Theresa May can’t shirk the blame for a Brexit crisis she created

Her attempt to frighten everyone by talking up no-deal amounts to almost criminal negligence with the economy says The Guardian's William Keegan. So bad has been the impact of the prospect of Brexit on investment that the fall in the exchange rate – which has caused problems for many – has not even improved the trade balance.
25th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The Conservative Party is assuring its own destruction over Brexit

These are the men whose heady mix of lies, delusion, stupidity, shamelessness, vanity and cowardice have broken their nation. And yet, three years down the line and with the Brexit Domesday Clock at two minutes to midnight, here they are all again, summoned by the prime minister for yet another chance to shape the future of a country they have humiliated in in a way it has never been humiliated before.
25th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Brexit: Corbyn criticises government handling of EU talks

Jeremy Corbyn criticised the "dangerous and irresponsible" comments from Theresa May about the delay to Brexit. He said the government has "no plan" for Brexit, and the prime minister should admit that her deal was "dead" and she should not waste the time of MPs by putting to the Commons for a third time.
25th Mar 2019 - BBC

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 25th Mar 2019

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Authority in tatters, power leaches from Theresa May

The PM’s best survival hope may be that MPs cannot reach a strategy beyond her own withdrawal agreement. Emmanuel Macron, French president, arrived in Brussels giving Theresa May a 10 per cent chance that she could save her Brexit deal and probably her premiership. By the time he had listened to a haunted Mrs May address the European Council, he had revised his opinion: he gave her a 5 per cent chance. One EU diplomat said leaders of the 27 other member states had recognised Mrs May and her government had lost control of events. “The message was ‘We need to take over. They are not capable of doing it themselves’,” added the diplomat. Donald Tusk, European Council president, said Mr Macron’s 5 per cent chance was too generous.
25th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Brexit march: Former Conservative deputy prime minister calls Theresa May’s No 10 speech an ‘affront to parliamentary democracy’

Theresa May’s address to the nation from Downing Street will rank in history as an “affront to parliamentary democracy”, the former Conservative deputy prime minister Michael Heseltine has said. In a scathing assessment of the prime minister’s decision to blame MPs for the current political crisis over Brexit, Lord Heseltine said he was “appalled” by her speech on Wednesday.
24th Mar 2019 - The Independent

People's Vote march ‘too big to ignore’, organisers warn MPs

The organisers of Saturday’s march demanding a fresh EU referendum, estimated to have drawn a crowd of more than 1 million people, have told MPs that it was too big to ignore. The Put it to the People protest was one of the biggest demonstrations in recent British history. Members of the People’s Vote campaign group, which coordinated it, have expressed confidence that it will prove to have not been in vain.
24th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

If Theresa May is to get her Brexit deal she must offer up her job or we could face a general election

On Wednesday, No Deal ­suddenly seemed a likely option again. The EU were saying they would only grant Theresa May’s request for an extension if her Brexit deal passed before March 29, something that is highly unlikely. But on Friday morning that meeting was cancelled. Why? Because after the EU agreed to halt the UK’s ­departure until at least April 12, No Deal is once again highly unlikely. This delay means if May’s deal fails again, ­Parliament will have enough time to step in and take ­control of the process.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Sun

Theresa May could drop vote on Brexit deal if it lacks support

Theresa May has indicated she may not bring her deal back to parliament for a third vote if there is not enough support for it. In a letter to her fellow parliamentarians, she wrote: "If it appears that there is not sufficient support to bring the deal back next week, or the House rejects it again, we can ask for another extension before 12 April." The prime minister set out four options available following the EU's acceptance of a delayed departure date. Revoke Article 50, Leave with No Deal, Pull vote hold European Elections longer extension, No Deal leave May 22nd
23rd Mar 2019 - Sky News

It's time for MPs to decide what type of Brexit they actually want

Please, somebody, make it stop. This week the House of Commons is expected to vote, again, on Theresa May’s Brexit deal. In typical fashion, the Government refuses to say exactly what it has planned. That’s probably because it’s as confused as the rest of us. But we should prepare for a third “meaningful vote” on the deal – known at Westminster as MV3.
24th Mar 2019 - Evening Chronicle

Online trolls want Hull MP Diana Johnson 'shot and hanged' over Brexit

A Hull MP says she has faced distressing calls online for her to be “shot and hanged” as the Brexit decision date has neared. MPs have twice voted against Theresa May’s Brexit deal in recent weeks, with all three Hull representatives playing their in defeating the PM's deal
24th Mar 2019 - Hull Daily Mail

Brexit march: Leave campaigners hit out at ‘mob rule’ as one million people join second referendum protest

Daniel Hannan, a Conservative MEP and leading Brexiteer, compared the march to “mob rule”, adding that “17.4 million is a lot bigger that one million”. “The great thing about elections is that they replace mob rule,” he added. “We can ask people what they want instead of trying to infer the mood of ‘the street’. To remind you: 17.4 million is a lot bigger than one million, even if we accept the latter figure at face value.”
24th Mar 2019 - iNews

BREXIT BETRAYAL: Government already preparing to REJOIN EU - ‘They have COMPLETE contempt'

The Sunday Express learnt a recent contingency planning meeting between the Brexit Department and HMRC included rejoining the EU as a high possibility. A senior Government source admitted that all departments are now including the same contingency planning on EU membership. The source said: “In the end government departments have to consider all possibilities and there is a high chance that a future government may want to take us back into the EU.
24th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Brexit: leaver go-slow on roads leads to prosecutions

Pro-Brexit campaigners have been prosecuted for inconsiderate driving while trying to bring roads to a standstill. According to organisers, the demonstrations aimed to ensure the UK leaves the EU on 29 March by causing gridlock on motorways and A-roads using a convoy of slow-moving vehicles. The protesters were aiming to target between 30 and 40 locations over the weekend, including the M25, M6 and M1.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Guardian

'We voted to leave and we should' - Stoke-on-Trent snubs national petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled

A petition calling for Brexit to be cancelled has now been signed by more than three million people across Britain – but it has gathered little support in Stoke-on-Trent. The petition, calling on the Government to revoke Article 50 – the legislation which allows the UK to leave the European Union – passed the three million mark before midday on Friday.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Stoke Sentinel

Sky Views: UK marches deeper into Brexit mess created by Cameron and May

Whatever happens we will not be "leaving the EU on 29 March in an orderly fashion" as the prime minister has so often promised. If Mrs May wants to know why, she will only have to look in the mirror at the leader who has spread division instead of trying to unite a divided country.
23rd Mar 2019 - Sky News

Brexit Has Triggered Britain's Most Ambitious Migration Exercise Ever

Some migration advocates fear that the sheer volume of EU citizens' applications could overwhelm the country’s ever-more antagonistic immigration regime—one that hasn’t exactly been known for its competence in recent years. Others worry that the most vulnerable EU nationals—such as the elderly, people with limited English, and even children—are at risk of being left behind.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Atlantic

‘Traitor to England’: Ian Blackford harassed by Brexit supporters in London

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford was harassed by a group of Brexit supporters who shouted abuse at him as he walked down Whitehall. Mr Blackford and fellow SNP MP Stephen Gethins were leaving the Cabinet Office shortly after 4pm following a meeting to discuss Brexit with minister David Lidington. A group of around a dozen people followed Mr Blackford, shouting “traitor to England” and “leave means leave”. Media interviews that were scheduled to take place outside the Cabinet Office had to be abandoned. The pair were escorted back to parliament by a police officer. Mr Gethins said: “Ian took it with characteristic good humour, but no one should have to face that kind of abuse.”
23rd Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Brexit March London: Forecasters predict fine and dry weather for huge rally calling for People's Vote

Marchers are set to assemble on Park Lane around midday, before the route takes hundreds of thousands of people down Piccadilly and St. James’s Street, through Trafalgar Square and along Whitehall to Parliament Square where a rally is expected to begin at 2.30pm and end just before 4pm. Met Office spokesman Steven Keats said: “There is a band of cloud and rain moving south, so it’ll be a drizzly start to Saturday.
23rd Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Dominic Grieve facing a move to oust him as MP on March 29 for ‘wrecking Brexit’

Brexit wrecker Dominic Grieve will face a move to oust him as MP – on the day Britain should be leaving the EU. At least 100 angry Tory members are threatening to oppose a confidence vote at his local party’s AGM on Friday.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Sun

One million join march against Brexit as Tories plan to oust May

In one of the biggest demonstrations in British history, a crowd estimated at over one million people yesterday marched peacefully through central London to demand that MPs grant them a fresh referendum on Brexit. The Put it to the People march, which included protesters from all corners of the United Kingdom and many EU nationals living here, took place amid extraordinary political turmoil and growing calls on prime minister Theresa May to resign. Some cabinet ministers are considering her de facto deputy David Lidington as an interim replacement for her, although as pro-Remain he would be strongly opposed by Brexiters. Organisers of the march said precise numbers had been difficult to gauge, but they believed the protest could have been even bigger than that against the Iraq war in February 2003.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Cabinet Ministers Are Plotting To Oust Theresa May As Even Her Fed Up Whips Say Her Brexit Deal Is Doomed

It was the moment, according to one source present, that Theresa May lost her whips office, her best chance of passing her Brexit deal, and her ultimate authority as prime minister. Having endured months of frustrations with Downing Street in the least envied job in Westminster, chief whip Julian Smith assembled his team of enforcers to sit down with the PM and deliver their honest advice. Knowing the consequences of what they were about to do, before the meeting they agreed: “What happens in the whips office stays in the whips office.” One whip told colleagues they felt like crying. May began with a boilerplate speech imploring her team to do all they could to find a majority for her withdrawal agreement, telling them the country wanted to move on and get the deal over the line so she could focus on her domestic agenda. It was too much for Paul Maynard, one of her senior whips, who spoke first in response.
23rd Mar 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Brexit march: Million joined Brexit protest, organisers say

Hundreds of thousands of people have marched in central London calling for another EU referendum, as MPs search for a way out of the Brexit impasse. Organisers of the "Put It To The People" campaign say more than a million people joined the march before rallying in front of Parliament. Protesters carrying EU flags and placards called for any Brexit deal be put to another public vote. On Thursday, European leaders agreed to delay the UK's departure from the EU. PM Theresa May is coming under pressure to quit after saying she might not put her Brexit deal to a third vote by MPs.
23rd Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit march: Remainer walks 200 miles to join protest

A man has walked 200 miles to join a march in London in favour of another EU referendum, engaging with Brexit supporters along the way. Ed Sides set off from Swansea two and a half weeks ago and has "taken time to listen as much as talk". Wales for Europe had booked out 30 coaches to transport protesters to Saturday's demonstration. But one Leave supporter said a fresh vote would just prolong the arguments for another three years. Others from across Wales made their own way to Hyde Park for the march.
23rd Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit march: A carnival of colour as a million people turn protest into a party

In London’s Park Lane, James Lancaster and his band, Brass Against Brexit, stood amid the gathering crowds preparing to march on Parliament Square. For the two-mile walk, the 10-piece group – trumpets, trombones, sax – planned on playing a selection of New Orleans jazz, classic pop and (but of course) Beethoven’s Ode To Joy, the European Union’s official anthem. “Brexit is a national crisis – it’s that serious,” the 54-year-old from York said, his giant sousaphone on his back. “But that doesn’t mean our protests against it can’t be a carnival. We’re here because we want to make today joyous. We want to show the world this movement is celebratory.”
23rd Mar 2019 - The Independent

People's March London 2019: All the best banners and placards from huge Brexit march

23rd Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: what is the point of the people's vote march?

23rd Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Why I am marching against Brexit today

23rd Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Angry Over Brexit Stalemate, Huge Crowds March in London to Demand Second Vote

23rd Mar 2019 - The New York Times

'1 million' Put It To The People protesters stage historic rally for a second referendum

23rd Mar 2019 - The Independent

Brexit march: Thousands of protesters pour into London for march to demand a second referendum

23rd Mar 2019 - The Sun

Brexit march: One million people join Put It To The People march calling for second referendum

23rd Mar 2019 - iNews

Put It To The People march: Best costumes from the Brexit protest, from Wonder Woman to Elvis Presley

23rd Mar 2019 - The Independent

Delia Smith calls it a ‘dogs dinner Brexit’ as stars tweet from the Put it to the People march

A clutch of celebrities joined the Put it to the People rally calling for a referendum, on the Brexit deal. Among them were cook Delia Smith, Game of Thrones star Lena Headey, Strictly Come Dancing presenter Claudia Winkleman Music stars at the march included Bastille, Pet Shop Boy Neil Tennant, James McVey and, of course, Billy Bragg.
23rd Mar 2019 - iNews

'Brexit is killing me!': EU debate weighs heavily on MPs

MPs are under increasing pressure to come to a collective view on Brexit. As the debate wears on and the impasse remains, the stress is beginning to take its toll on some of our elected politicians. Over the last two months, the stress has manifested itself in physical symptoms. “I’m reluctant to moan about it because it’s the same in lots of other jobs. But the weight of this decision is massive.” For instance Ben Bradley MP is getting heartburn “all the time”, has blotches on his face and has high blood pressure. “I’m at the doctors most days having my blood pressure checked now. It’s amazing; if I come off the TV and I’ve been talking about Brexit, I go straight to the doctors and have my blood pressure done. It’s like 160/120 or something ridiculous. If I talk to the kids for five minutes and have it done again, it’s fine.”
23rd Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Lerwick hosts own Brexit vote march

Around 80 folk marched through the centre of Lerwick on Saturday to voice their support for a ‘people’s vote’ on Brexit. Banners such as ‘Put it to the people’ and ‘Ask us’ were hold aloft as locals of all ages walked from the Market Cross to the Town Hall. Among the walkers included Shetland MSP Tavish Scott and NHS Shetland chairman Gary Robinson. The march took place on the same day a similar event was held in London. The slogan for the national people’s vote campaign proclaims that “they can not, must not and will not force this broken Brexit on the British people without giving us the final say”.
23rd Mar 2019 - Shetland News

Brexit looks like it is doomed to fail and Conservative chaos must take blame

If Brexit dies, as seems increasingly possible, it will have the unlikeliest of assassins — some of those who most wanted it and stand to lose most from its demise. MPs have twice been given the chance to vote for an exit deal which would secure much of what 17.4million voted for and return some stability to Britain. Twice they have rejected it. In the diehard Remainers’ case that’s because they will not support any Brexit or honour their promises to voters. In Labour’s case it’s solely because they hope to profit from the chaos. In the peculiar case of the Tory ERG and the DUP, two groups who could not be more pro-Brexit, it’s because the deal contains the controversial “backstop” they fear could one day trap us. So next week, barring a dramatic U-turn, they will all seal its doom.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Sun

'Cancel Brexit' petition passes three million signatures

A petition demanding Theresa May revokes Article 50 and cancels Brexit has passed three million signatures. "The government repeatedly claims exiting the EU is 'the will of the people'," the petition says. "We need to put a stop to this claim by proving the strength of public support now, for remaining in the EU. A People's Vote may not happen - so vote now."
23rd Mar 2019 - Sky News

Recap: People's Vote March staged in Bangor to coincide with London Brexit rally

Protesters are gathering in the city of Bangor for a solidarity march to coincide with the People's Vote March taking place today in London. Around 300 people - including politicians and residents - armed with placards and banners have come together at the ...
23rd Mar 2019 - Daily Post

Why Nigel Farage's pro-Brexit march is not welcome at National Trust properties

A pro-Brexit march promoted by Nigel Farage which has been travelling across the UK has been told it is not welcome at National Trust properties. The 60 odd people had been scheduled to use the properties during the course of the march
23rd Mar 2019 - Yorkshire Evening Post

'We are not enemies of the people': Hartlepool MP Mike Hill hits back at Theresa May Brexit 'blame'

Hartlepool MP Mike Hill says the Brexit crisis is 'entirely down to Theresa May's own making' after the Prime Minister appeared to blame MPs for its delays. Mr Hill described the language used by Mrs May as even potentially putting MPs' safety at risk from extremists. In a statement this week, Mrs May said she was on the British public's side in wanting to see an an end to Brexit. She said: "You want this stage of the Brexit process to be over and done with. I agree. I am on your side. It is now time for MPs to decide.” The EU has agreed to extend the Brexit deadline until May 22 if MPs back Mrs May's deal next week. If not and no alternative plan is put forward the UK is set to leave the EU on April 12 instead of March 29.
23rd Mar 2019 - Hartlepool Mail

Brexit: Revoke Article 50 petition hits 4 million signatures becoming most popular online protest in history

An online petition urging the Government to cancel Brexit has become the most popular to be submitted to the Parliament website with over 4,150,000 million signatures. The Revoke Article 50 petition on Saturday leapt ahead of a 2016 petition calling for a second EU referendum, as thousands of demonstrators are due to march on Westminster calling for a People's Vote. It has had the highest rate of sign-ups on record, according to Parliament's official Petitions Committee, adding over two million signatures in 24 hours.
23rd Mar 2019 - Daily Record

Anti-Brexit petition shows stark divide in Sheffield and South Yorkshire

In some parts of Sheffield and South Yorkshire more than 12 per cent of the population have signed it whereas in others fewer than 2 per cent have registered their support. The parliamentary constituencies with the most support are Sheffield Hallam with 12.3 per cent of people signing and Sheffield Central with just under 10 per cent support. However, in Sheffield South East the figure is around 2.5 per cent and in Rotherham just 1.79 per cent of people have signed.
23rd Mar 2019 - The Star

A30 Brexit protest: 13 vehicles show up - and three of them are police cars Organiser says ‘It was never going to be a massive event anyway’

About 10 vehicles have set off on a pro-Brexit protest along the A30. The vehicles, three of which have been decorated in banners and flags, left the service station at Plusha at about 3.30pm. No lorries have taken part in the Cornwall protest. The Cornwall Go Slow protest is one of dozens of events being held across the country by pro-Brexit groups. In Devon, lorries are expected to block the M5 this evening. Organisers say the group will travel at about 20mph towards Truro. Initially they said 25 people had signed up to take part in the rolling road block after the prime minister asked the European Union to delay the UK’s exit date beyond March 29.
22nd Mar 2019 - Cornwall Live

'We have failed' The pro-Brexit M25 go-slow didn't exactly go to plan

Protesters angry at the situation with Brexit vowed to 'bring the country to its knees' in a 'go slow' protest this evening (March 22). But that's not exactly what happened. Elsewhere in the country there may well have been a hold up or two. But Kent's roads moved as (slowly) as they usually do - with no more hold ups than usual.
22nd Mar 2019 - Kent Live

Theresa May hints she may drop third vote on Brexit deal

British prime minister Theresa May hinted on Friday that she might not bring her European Union withdrawal deal back to parliament for a third time next week if there was not enough support for it to be passed. Mrs May’s Brexit deal has already been twice rejected by lawmakers but the prime minister was expected to try a third time next week.
22nd Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Brexit news latest: Theresa May slammed by DUP for 'missing opportunity' to improve deal in Brussels

Theresa May missed an opportunity to fix her Brexit deal and unite Parliament behind her plans in her recent trip to Brussels, according to the DUP's deputy leader. Nigel Dodds delivered a fresh blow to the PM as he indicated his party will not be swayed to back her Withdrawal Agreement. He said: "The Prime Minister missed an opportunity at the EU Council to put forward proposals which could have improved the prospects of an acceptable Withdrawal Agreement and help unite the country."
22nd Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Top Tory donor: form unity government to solve Brexit crisis

The Conservative party’s second biggest donor has called for a government of national unity to be formed as soon as possible to solve the Brexit crisis. John Griffin, the taxi tycoon who has given £4m to the Tories over the last six years, said the party should reach out to MPs from Labour, the Lib Dems and the Scottish National Party if it is to emerge from EU negotiations with a successful deal. It follows similar demands from fellow Tories including Nicky Morgan and Sir Nicholas Soames. Other Conservative donors have threatened to withhold funds unless it solves the current political crisis, it emerged on Thursday.
22nd Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: polls that show how Britain cannot make up its mind

Among 1,800 people asked by YouGov last weekend to choose between various options, 34 per cent chose a second referendum with an option to remain, and 20 per cent chose no deal. A softer Brexit was third with 15 per cent, narrowly ahead of Mrs May’s deal on 14 per cent. When YouGov asked voters to assess the merits of each of the four options on its own, “no deal’ slipped to third place. When what voters considered as an “acceptable compromise” was taken into account, it fell to fourth place.
22nd Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Plaid Cymru could call for independence poll after Brexit

Wales should hold a referendum on independence if a series of demands are not met after Brexit, Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price has said. In a speech to his party's spring conference, he said European funding for Wales must be guaranteed. Mr Price also called for cuts in VAT for tourism and construction, and for the devolution of powers over air passenger duty. Wales should also control its own migration policy, the leader added.
22nd Mar 2019 - BBC

Is Theresa May following Richard Nixon's 'madman theory' - or is she actually delusional?

As the Brexit crisis deepens, commentators have begun to liken Theresa May to perhaps the most disgraced leader in western history – Richard Nixon. They don’t mean she lied about a dirty tricks break-in at a hotel called Watergate, but that she’s adopted the former US president’s tactics for defeating an opponent by threatening an action so disastrous it suggests the person making the threat is now irrational. It has come to be known as the “madman theory”.
22nd Mar 2019 - The Independent

Girl, 16, hailed for articulate and detailed speech on Brexit during Question Time

A 16-year-old has been hailed for an articulate speech analysing the current Brexit chaos on Question Time. The teenager appeared on the show in Belfast on Thursday night and told the audience that there are going to be “huge generational changes for all of us” as a result of Brexit. In an articulate speech, the 16-year-old slammed the Conservative party for “playing party politics” with Brexit before calling for a “general election and representative democracy”.
22nd Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

As Brexit remains in limbo, Yale's Stephen Roach says the 'imperfect' EU may not survive

“You have to wonder about the future of the European Union itself ... this is an imperfect union and the survivability of it is, I think, a serious question,” Stephen Roach, a senior fellow at Yale University, told CNBC’s Sri Jegarajah on Friday. Even before Brexit came about, the EU faced multiple challenges over the last decade, said Roach, who’s a former chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia. Those challenges include a sovereign debt crisis in Greece and a standoff with Italian leaders over the country’s spending plans. And with the U.K. — one of the largest European economies — planning to leave the bloc, it remains to be seen whether the EU has the ability to withstand more pressure coming from member states while still reeling from the shocks of the global financial crisis, said Roach.
22nd Mar 2019 - CNBC

James O'Brien On Brexit: I Have Contempt For The Conmen & Compassion For The Conned

James O'Brien coined a new catchphrase for his feelings on Brexit: "Compassion for the conned, contempt for the conmen." The people who voted for Brexit, he says, are our friends and families.
22nd Mar 2019 - LBC

British MPs advised to travel in groups to avoid Brexit abuse

British members of parliament have been advised to take taxis or travel home together to avoid the risk of abuse over Brexit. Lindsay Hoyle, a deputy speaker of the House of Commons, wrote to all MPs saying the Metropolitan Police has been “left in no doubt” that they must ensure “Members of Parliament can vote in Parliament without fear.”
22nd Mar 2019 - Politico

Political map shows spread of Brexit discontent across the UK following petition

The online petition calling for Brexit to be scrapped last night reached 3.5mil­lion names and revealed the new political reality in Britain. The darkest areas of the map are those with most support for revoking Article 50. As expected, they are in ...
22nd Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

May ‘warned her job is on the line’ amid Tory anger over Brexit

Theresa May is returning from another tumultuous Brussels summit amid warnings that her premiership is on the line. EU leaders agreed on Thursday night to give her more time to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. But she faces a Tory Party losing patience with her leadership and threats that MPs could now seize control of the withdrawal process. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the backbench 1922 committee, was reported to have met Mrs May to tell her that most Conservative MPs now want her to quit. The Daily Telegraph said that Sir Graham visited her in Downing Street on Monday after being “bombarded” with text messages from MPs demanding she should go.
22nd Mar 2019 - Shropshire Star

Brexit: National Trust bans Nigel Farage’s march from its properties

A pro-Brexit march between Sunderland to London, which has been heavily promoted by Nigel Farage, has been banned from National Trust properties. The March To Leave procession has been told it is not welcome because the charity is “apolitical”. The revelation comes after it emerged marchers, who are walking the 270 miles over 14 days, had already been asked to leave a property run by the organisation in North Yorkshire. Plans to start Tuesday’s leg of the walk – organised by Leave Means Leave – at picturesque Fountains Abbey had to be hastily rearranged after the trust said walkers should not gather at the site’s car park.
22nd Mar 2019 - The Independent

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 22nd Mar 2019

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The EU throws Theresa May one last Brexit lifeline

Members of Parliament could vote the deal down. At this point, the UK would be forced to do some soul searching as it must decide by April 12 whether to take part in the European parliamentary elections, which begin on May 23. If it decided not to participate in those elections, Britain could simply not remain in the EU. Without approval for a withdrawal deal, May 22 would become the new March 29, a cliff-edge over which the UK would be obliged to hurl itself.
22nd Mar 2019 - CNN

Theresa May facing intense pressure to name a date for her resignation as Tories slam her Brexit attack on Parliament

Theresa May was under intense pressure to name a date for her resignation as Tories panned her blistering attack on Parliament. Amid uproar in Westminster, backbenchers Anne Marie Trevelyan and Tracy Crouch were among a “large number” who told whips she “had to go”.
22nd Mar 2019 - The Sun

Black Thursday: Britain humiliated on global stage as it begs EU for more time

May's previous speeches have often managed to turn otherwise sympathetic European leaders against her. They don't appear to be any better behind closed doors than they are in front of cameras. In both instances they lack charisma, or intellectual content, or even a hint of personal responsibility. She cannot think creatively about problems. She cannot lay out a convincing case for how to proceed with them. All she can do is blame other people - the EU, opposition parties, the House of Lords, or the institution of parliament itself - for her own failings. Expecting her to live up to the historical moment is like asking an old Casio calculator to log on to the internet.
21st Mar 2019 - Politics.co.uk

MPs more likely to reject May’s deal after she blamed them for Brexit deadlock

Theresa May is facing backlash from angry MPs who said they have been subjected to death threats after her controversial speech blaming them for the Brexit deadlock. MPs from all sides lined up to condemn her remarks, warning that they had put them in danger of physical attack by angry members of the public. Anna Soubry, the pro-Remain MP who recently quit the Tory Party to join the Independent Group, said she was unable to travel home this weekend after receiving ‘very, very serious’ death threats.
21st Mar 2019 - Metro

'No deal most likely' MEP quizzed over EU's Brexit mood - 'May's sided with Brexiteers'

Speaking on Channel 4 News, host Matt Frei quizzed an Irish MEP and Vice President of the European Parliament, Mairead McGuinness, about a no deal Brexit becoming the “most likely” outcome. The MEP replied: “Two points there, in terms of the internal issues in the Conservative Party. David Cameron tried with the referendum to heal the rift, and perhaps the Prime Minister is also trying to hold her party together. “There are bigger issues than that in my view because Brexit would be such a sundering if it goes wrong, of relationships, and bad for everybody. “I think it is unthinkable that we would allow that to happen.”
21st Mar 2019 - Daily Express

‘We are not in a souk:’ Luxembourg’s PM gives exasperated response to UK’s Brexit demands

Luxembourg PM Mr Bettel responded with some emphasis: “We didn’t force the United Kingdom, you decided to leave, we shouldn’t exchange roles. “You want us to be the bad guy. You decided. You decided. “We have to just find a deal and we negotiated the deal, we found the best possible deal and we are not in a souk where we are going to bargain for the next five years.”
21st Mar 2019 - iNews

Brexit: This united kingdom is as good as gone

A colossal failure of statecraft; a collapse of trust between voters and parliament; a desperate and divided government split all the way up to the Cabinet: Brexit has proved an epic shambles and by far the worst political crisis in 70 years.
21st Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Why Europe Should Reject Theresa May’s Brexit Extension

May cannot demand an extension but has to request one because, according to Article 50 of the EU treaty, the power to grant one is at the EU’s discretion. The remaining 27 EU members have the right to reject the British request—and they should.The remaining 27 EU members have the right to reject the British request—and they should. They should reject a short extension, as May has requested, because the pressure of time is the only thing that will prevent British lawmakers from continuing to demand the impossible. An extension of a few weeks merely postpones the day of reckoning. But they should also reject a long extension if they care about the survival of the EU.
21st Mar 2019 - Foreign Policy

Theresa May is taking a hideous Brexit gamble

Brexiters may dream of a “clean break” from the EU. But no deal would be the opposite of “clean”. It would be a horrible and long-lasting economic and political calamity.
21st Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Nine days from ‘Brexit day’, does anyone have a clue what’s happening?

Three years Brexiters have had to sort this. Might I suggest that if you’re mad at Bercow for following parliamentary rules you might reserve a teensy-weensy bit of anger for a government whose only plan with 10 days to go was to show up with the same rejected scrap of paper wearing a false moustache.
21st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: DUP 'won't be threatened' into backing deal

The DUP's Brexit spokesman Sammy Wilson says his party will not be "threatened" into voting for the government's deal. On Wednesday, Theresa May blamed MPs for the failure to ratify an agreement in order for the UK to leave the EU on 29 March. Sammy Wilson said he believed the PM was trying to threaten Parliament. But he said it had not worked and his party would not back the deal if it remained unchanged.
21st Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit: PM's blame on MPs disappointing says David Jones

Conservative MP for Clwyd West David Jones, who has voted against the deal, said: "It's very clear from speaking to colleagues that nothing has changed today. "If anything, MPs have been irritated by the hectoring tones of Donald Tusk and the EU's intransigence. "They are also disappointed that the PM sought to put the blame on MPs for there being no agreement, when the fact is that the deal is disliked by parliamentarians of all colours, whether Leave or Remain".
21st Mar 2019 - BBC

There is a way to topple Theresa May and stop a no-deal Brexit – this is how it could be done

The Kennedy Bill has two clauses. But only one counts (the other is a formality and extends the bill across all the nations making up the UK). Clause 1 is simple and effective. Under the heading, “Revocation of notification of intention to withdraw from the European Union”, it states: (1) Subsection (2) applies if it appears to the prime minister that a withdrawal agreement is unlikely to be ratified by the United Kingdom before exit day. (2) The prime minister must in that case, before exit day, notify the European Council that the notification given by the United Kingdom under Article 50(2) of the Treaty on European Union, of its intention to withdraw from the European Union, is revoked. The bill’s simplicity is its genius
21st Mar 2019 - The Independent

ANALYSIS: Theresa May needs to recognise that Parliament, not the prime minister, is sovereign

It was possibly the most constitutionally illiterate speech ever made by a British prime minister. Standing in front of two Union Jacks in Downing Street, the prime minister told the people that “Parliament has done everything possible to avoid making a choice”. She claimed that “motion after motion and amendment after amendment has been tabled without Parliament ever deciding what it wants”. She declared that “you, the public, have had enough”.
21st Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Remain ministers warn Theresa May they will quit if she blocks free vote on new bid to stop no-deal Brexit

Remain ministers have warned the Prime Minister that they are prepared to quit unless she gives them a free vote on a new backbench bid to stop no deal. A cross-party group of MPs is on Friday expected to table a new amendment that will force the Prime Minister to accept a longer extension to Article 50 if her deal fails. The amendment, which will be voted on next week, will mean that if Mrs May's deal is defeated Parliament - rather than the Prime Minister - will decide whether to accept any offer of a longer extension of Article 50 from Brussels. A group of eight Remain ministers met Julian Smith, the Chief Whip, on Thursday to demand a free vote on the amendment to avoid the threat of mass resignations
21st Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Exclusive: Theresa May told by chairman of 1922 committee that Tory MPs want her to quit over Brexit

Theresa May has been told by the most senior Tory backbencher that MPs want her to stand down because of her handling of Brexit, The Telegraph can reveal. Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory MPs, visited the Prime Minister in Downing Street on Monday afternoon and made clear that a growing number of Tories believe she has to go. The visit by Sir Graham to Downing Street on Monday came after he was "bombarded with text messages" by colleagues and urged to confront the Prime Minister with demands that she should quit. Sir Graham imparted their calls in a "neutral" manner in his role as chairman of the 1922 committee during the meeting in Downing Street.
21st Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May has trashed our democracy and put MPs in danger

The sense of anger is hard to adequately put into words. Yesterday, in the toxic climate that now defines British politics the prime minister took to a Downing Street podium to place the blame for this national crisis on MPs. She pitted parliament against “the people”, deploying an inflammatory rhetoric reminiscent of far-right populists whose influence is steadily growing in Britain, America and across the world. Reckless doesn’t do it justice.
21st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit will damage UK's economy, stature and future

An important paper by the Washington-based Petersen Institution for International Economics lays out a stark Brexit prognosis. The paper’s authors ran 12 economic simulation models that examined the impact of Brexit on the UK, and virtually every one came out negative. Two simulations came out with a potential positive impact, but the authors concede that those scenarios were “based on unrealistic assumptions.” Just about every major academic study shows similar results. It’s hard to find a long-term forecast that demonstrates a bright post-Brexit future.
21st Mar 2019 - Arab News

CBI and TUC bosses warn UK faces national emergency over Brexit

Britain’s foremost business lobby group and trade union body have joined forces to demand Theresa May urgently changes her approach to Brexit, warning the country now faces a national emergency. Writing a joint letter to the prime minister, the heads of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Trades Union Congress (TUC) said a plan B needed to be drawn up as quickly as possible to avoid a no-deal departure as early as next week. Frances O’Grady, the general secretary of the TUC, and Carolyn Fairbairn, the CBI’s director-general, wrote in the letter published before the crunch EU summit in Brussels: “Our country is facing a national emergency. Decisions of recent days have caused the risk of no deal to soar. Firms and communities across the UK are not ready for this outcome. The shock to our economy would be felt by generations to come.”
21st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Business and unions call for May to change course on Brexit

21st Mar 2019 - Sharecast

Farmer pressure persuades MP to back May’s Brexit deal

A Shropshire MP (Daniel Kawczynski) has indicated he will now support Prime Minister Theresa May’s EU withdrawal agreement, if it is put to the vote next week, having been convinced by farm unions that a “no-deal” Brexit would be a disaster for the farming sector.
21st Mar 2019 - Farmers Weekly

'Cancel Brexit' petition passes 1m signatures on Parliament site

A petition calling for Theresa May to cancel Brexit by revoking Article 50 has passed two million signatures. Parliament's petitions committee tweeted that the rate of signatures was "the highest the site has ever had to deal with", after the website crashed. EU leaders in Brussels have reached agreement on a plan to delay Brexit beyond 29 March. Downing Street said the prime minister "has said many times she will not countenance revoking Article 50". The PM's spokesman added: "The PM has long been clear that failing to deliver on the referendum result would be a failure of democracy and a failure she wouldn't countenance." Revoke Article 50 has been trending on Twitter as people were urged to sign it. At one point, the petitions committee said there were nearly 2,000 signatures a minute.
21st Mar 2019 - BBC

As the Article 50 petition hits a million signatures, could it really unseat the PM and save Britain from Brexit?

21st Mar 2019 - The Independent

Petition to cancel Brexit crashes UK parliament website

21st Mar 2019 - Politico

UK's Brexit divisions play out in pub car park as March to Leave passes through Yorkshire

A microcosm of the UK’s Brexit divide played out in a pub car park as the March to Leave passed through Yorkshire only to be greeted by Remain-supporting counter-protesters who taunted 'where's Nigel?'
21st Mar 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Britain heading for another election as the only way to sort out Brexit chaos, William Hague warns

The former Tory leader William Hague predicted Conservative MPs could bring down the Government if she fails to push her deal through next week.
21st Mar 2019 - The Sun

Douglas Murray: will we have a country left after Brexit?

The Spectator's Douglas Murray attacks the UK government for its failed Brexit strategy and poses the question as tyo whether we'll still have a United Kingdom after Brexit
21st Mar 2019 - The Spectator

Brexit: Amber Rudd shares Hastings Pier letter in perceived attack on Theresa May

Amber Rudd has been accused of making a not-so-subtle dig at Theresa May’s handling of Brexit in a letter about the uncertain future of Hastings pier. The letter focuses on overshooting a March deadline for re-opening the seaside attraction. The work and pensions secretary said she “can’t support any scenario” in which the pier remains closed indefinitely. While she is the MP for the area, Ms Rudd has little power to intervene as the pier is privately owned.
21st Mar 2019 - The Independent

BBC Katya Adler reveals NO DEAL Brexit ‘very very REAL’ – ‘matter of hours’

BBC's Katya Adler appeared in dismay as she warned Brexitcast listeners Brexit will now be resolved in a matter of hours but it is difficult to predict where the UK is going to be in a week time.
21st Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

'Bad boys of Brexit' were guests at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club

Arron Banks and Andy Wigmore have drawn the scrutiny of investigators looking into possible Russian interference in the 2016 referendum vote.
21st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May 'must change course' on Brexit - Sturgeon

Prime Minister Theresa May "must change course" on Brexit "before it is too late", Nicola Sturgeon has said. Mrs May is in Brussels for talks over an extension to the Brexit deadline, having laid the blame for the delay squarely on MPs in a public statement. The Scottish first minister said Mrs May's comments were "deeply irresponsible" and "failed to accept" her own responsibility for the "mess". Ms Sturgeon said that "if all else fails", MPs should revoke Article 50.
21st Mar 2019 - BBC

Government orders hospitals not to reveal Brexit impact assessments to protect 'commercial interests'

Hospitals have been ordered not to tell the public about any damage they expect to suffer from Brexit because it would hurt “commercial interests”. Requests for information about the impact on the supply of goods and services, and on EU staff numbers, should be refused, the department of health and social care has said. Releasing the information could cause trusts “premature financial harm, and so possibly put public wellbeing at risk,” hospital bosses were told.
21st Mar 2019 - The Independent

"I fought in the Second World War, now I am fighting for a second referendum"

96-year-old World War Two veteran Brigadier Stephen Goodall tells why he is travelling 200 miles from Devon to go on the People's Vote march
21st Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 21st Mar 2019

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Theresa May has kept her job by caving in to the Brexiteers, but her humiliation is complete

May is expected to ask for a delay of up to three months. She originally wanted the option of a longer extension but has backed down after a revolt by cabinet Brexiteers, amid threats of resignations and growing speculation that she could be forced out. A weak prime minister is being buffeted, in whichever direction the gale blows: two weeks ago, a threat to resign by four pro-European ministers forced her to rule out a no-deal exit this month. Now Eurosceptics led by Andrea Leadsom, who want a “managed no-deal”, have pushed May in the other direction. The cliff edge will move from March to June.
21st Mar 2019 - The Independent

'Terrible': Tory despair over leadership deepens but May ploughs on

Dominic Grieve, who has known May since they were at Oxford University together, spoke for many in his party when he gave a stinging speech in the emergency Brexit debate, saying he had “never felt more ashamed to be a member of the Conservative party”. He said the prime minister was “zig-zagging all over the place, rather than standing up for what the national interest must be” and if the government did not get a grip, “we will spiral down into oblivion – and the worst thing is, we will deserve it”.
21st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

'Toxic, Arrogant, Disgraceful': MPs Are Furious After Theresa May Blamed Them For The Brexit Crisis

Theresa May has triggered a major backlash from MPs after she blamed them for the Brexit crisis. MPs from across the political spectrum - and both Remain and Leave supporters - condemned the Prime Minister’s “arrogant”, “toxic” and ”irresponsible” late night address to the nation from inside Downing Street.
21st Mar 2019 - Huffington Post

Revoke Article 50 petition: 300,000 people demand UK remains in EU as Theresa May begs for Brexit delay

More than 300,000 people have signed a petition demanding that Article 50 is revoked as Theresa May was forced to beg EU leaders for a delay to Brexit. An influx of people jumped to sign it on a night of political chaos as the Prime Minister turned on MPs as she delivered an impassioned speech to the nation on Wednesday night. The 100,000-signature threshold for the petition to be debated in Parliament was quickly surpassed and the phrase revoke Article 50 became a global trend on Twitter.
21st Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: A risky pitch of Parliament versus Public

Theresa May has pitched herself tonight against Parliament on the side of the people. It's true that No 10 believes strongly that swathes of the population have simply had enough of Brexit. The way it drowns out other public concerns, the way its processes, contradictions and clamour have wrapped their way around the normal workings of Westminster - remote at the best of times and downright bizarre at the worst. But, when it is MPs the prime minister needs to get on side if she is to have a real chance of finally getting her deal through next week - third time extremely lucky - the choice of message was not without risk.
21st Mar 2019 - BBC

‘Disingenuous’ and ‘an outrage’ - Norfolk MPs react to Theresa May’s Brexit statement

A Norfolk MP has said it is an “outrage” that parliament has been denied the opportunity to take control of Brexit, as the prime minister rounded on representatives in a televised statement. But North Norfolk Liberal Democrat MP Norman Lamb said MPs had not been given the chance to have a say. He said: “I think there’s some self delusion here, she keeps talking about MPs are good at saying what they don’t want but not good at saying what they do want.” But he said MPs had not been given the chance to do so.
20th Mar 2019 - EDP 24

Theresa May's endgame: Prime minister blames MPs for Brexit failure and demands they back her deal

Theresa May has set the scene to take her final shot at pushing her troubled Brexit deal through parliament next week, after a day which left her strategy and her political career teetering on the edge of ruin. In a statement from Downing Street the prime minister blamed MPs in the House of Commons for naval gazing and said they should just get on with it and pass her agreement
20th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Brexiteers are stopping Brexit because they believe in the fantasy of “Global Britain”

Brexiteers are stopping Brexit because they believe in the fantasy of “Global Britain” The delusion that the UK can strike valuable trade deals with the rest of the world has driven Leavers to repeatedly reject Theresa May's deal.
20th Mar 2019 - New Statesman

Brexit may have just killed the British constitution

The decision to resort to a referendum to decide on the UK’s EU membership was always going to lead to difficulties. The bitter divisions it opened up undermined two key features of the UK’s constitution. First, it undermined the organising principle of the British constitution; the idea of parliamentary sovereignty which has traditionally meant that parliament is the ultimate decision-maker on all matters. The referendum moved parliament from its role of taking decisions to the role of implementing the electorate’s decision to leave the EU, no matter how vague and confused the instruction given by voters.
20th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Stella Creasy slams head on desk over Brexit

“Stop! Make it stop!” says Labour's Stella Creasy after slamming her head after Conservative Nadhim Zahawi's Brexit comments on Politics Live.
20th Mar 2019 - BBC

UK retirees in EU say NHS plans under no-deal Brexit are 'sick'

The government has been described as sick and uncaring by an organisation representing more than 10,000 British nationals in Europe over NHS healthcare plans for pensioners in a no-deal Brexit scenario. British nationals who have retired to EU countries have reacted with fury to what they describe as an insulting and offensive offer by the government to cover healthcare costs for up to one year if they had applied for or are undergoing treatment before exit day. This is in contrast to the current reciprocal arrangement whereby the NHS reimburses EU member states for treatment of those who have paid into the UK national insurance system for a qualifying number of years.
20th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Pathetic, incoherent, chaotic: Europe's verdict on Brexit shambles

“Britain’s reputation is, there’s no denying it, much diminished,” judged Pascal Lamy, one of France’s most senior public officials, a former presidential adviser, European commissioner and World Trade Organization head. Some British politicians are “on another planet”, Lamy said, incapable of seeing that Brexit is the infinitely complex diplomatic and legal equivalent of “trying to take the eggs out of an omelette. Even today, they spout the most monstrous nonsense. Many have still not landed in a place one could call reality. The cognitive dissonance is … remarkable.”
20th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

France, Spain and Belgium could veto Theresa May's request for a Brexit extension

Sources have told the Press Association that France, Spain, Belgium and maybe Italy stand prepared to reject an extension without evidence parliament is now ready to accept a deal and “the deadlock can be broken”. Some member states worry there is no point to an extension as, even after 1,000 days of negotiation, May’s deal keeps being rejected and the EU cannot move any further towards the UK.
20th Mar 2019 - The New European

EU frustration with UK rises as Brexit talks near final hours

One negotiator says Brussels has ‘zero’ trust in Theresa May and her government. “This is a circus that is beyond comprehension,” said one senior EU diplomat working on Brexit. Another senior Brussels figure involved in talks likened it to “dealing with a failed state”. The 585-page draft exit treaty UK prime minister Theresa May has agreed with the bloc looks comatose, stuck in ratification stalemate in the House of Commons.
20th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn walks out of crunch talks because Chuka Umunna was invited

Jeremy Corbyn walked out on a crucial meeting with party leaders because former Labour MP Chuka Umunna was invited. The Labour leader was reported to have said he was leaving because Mr Umunna, now an Independent Group MP, is "not a real party leader". A Labour spokesperson said: "It was not the meeting that had been agreed and the terms were broken. Downing Street is in such chaos that they were unable to manage their own proposed meeting. "We are in discussions with Number 10 about holding the bilateral meeting with the PM that Jeremy proposed at PMQs ."
20th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Jeremy Corbyn 'walked out of crucial Brexit meeting with Theresa May and opposition leaders because Independent Group MPs were present'

Jeremy Corbyn refused to take part in crucial Brexit talks between opposition parties and Theresa May because breakaway Independent Group MPs were present, Lib Dem leader Vince Cable said. The Labour leader is reported to have left at the start of the meeting because TIG MP Chuka Umunna, who defected from Labour, was present and allegedly said he is “not a real party leader.” Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince described it as “a very strange way to behave in a moment of national crisis."
20th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

The Maybot's binary messages have become just a series of noughts

For more than two years, the prime minister has spoken Maybot, a very primitive computer language only capable of basic sentences that are more or less grammatical, but still almost totally devoid of meaning. Since she became Leader in Name Only, Lino – hard to nail down, but easy to walk over – she can’t even manage that. Her binary messages into deep space are now just a long series of random noughts. She literally has nothing to offer. More worrying still, her already limited random access memory has totally failed. She now has no recollection of anything she said just days earlier.
20th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

‘Astonishing level of ignorance’: Matt Hancock criticised for revealing results of his genetic test for diseases

Matt Hancock has faced criticism from experts after claiming a controversial genetic test for cancer could have saved his life. The health secretary was accused of showing an “astonishing level of ignorance” about the use of such tests, which he said could change the way the NHS works. Experts are largely sceptical about his demand to roll out genetic testing more widely, as they say it is premature and could place undue pressure on an already strained service.
20th Mar 2019 - The Independent

The Guardian view on May and Brexit: a prime minister gone rogue

Theresa May has put no deal firmly back on the table in flagrant defiance of parliament and the dictates of responsible government. Her political capital is all spent. She has no allies at home or abroad. Her only leverage in parliament comes from the fear that her appalling management of the country provokes – the prospect that she is incompetent enough to allow the worst to happen. She long ago lost sight of diplomacy and strategy. Then she shed authority. Now she has abandoned responsibility, completing the journey from bad prime minister to rogue prime minister.
20th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May manages to be both charming and offensive

On a day in which she launched a desperate eleventh-hour bid to persuade MPs to vote for her Brexit deal, Theresa May managed to do both charm and offensive on her own. She spent hours attempting to charm MPs of all parties in a series of meetings in her Commons office. Then she went on TV and was offensive to MPs, insulting them and questioning their motives. Earlier, in Prime Minister's Questions, she accused the House of Commons of "contemplating its navel" and said it had "indulged itself on Europe for too long".
20th Mar 2019 - Sky News

‘Don’t compare it to the People’s Vote march’, plead Brexit protest organisers

Organisers of the March To Leave say their pro-Brexit protest is “completely successful” despite photographs appearing to show dwindling numbers on their two-week journey from Sunderland to London.
20th Mar 2019 - The New European

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 20th Mar 2019

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Pity poor Barnier, a man in search of the UK's plan

The EU’s chief negotiator would settle for a few hints of what the UK's plan for Brexit is, perhaps, expressed through interpretive dance
19th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Jeremy Corbyn 'ready to stand down' because he is 'tired and fed up'

Jeremy Corbyn is reportedly ‘ready to step down’ as leader of the Labour Party, it has been claimed. Sources said last night that Mr Corbyn is becoming ‘tired and fed up’ in the role, and is looking to leave as he nears his 70th birthday in May. Speaking to The Standard, one member of the shadow cabinet said that those closest to the leader are of the view he would like to hand over his socialist project.
19th Mar 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Theresa May admits country is 'in crisis' with 10 days to avert no-deal Brexit

Theresa May has admitted the country is in crisis as she prepares to write to the EU explaining her next steps with Britain heading towards a no-deal Brexit in ten days. The prime minister’s spokesman argued that a crisis had now “come to pass”, as Ms May warned it would after the House of Commons rejected her Brexit deal last week. She will now write to European Council president Donald Tusk setting out her next steps, a letter likely to involve some kind of request for a delay to Brexit.
19th Mar 2019 - The Independent

We’re edging away from Brexit – but both sides are set to lose

We are edging away from the EU exit, but not towards resolution of the social and political tensions exposed by the referendum. This is a dangerous dynamic. The remain cause makes tactical progress, helped by the ineptitude of its enemies, but the argument for being part of a European project has barely advanced. If Britain wants to preserve a healthy relationship with its nearest allies, it is not enough that Brexit fails. More people must want it to fail.
19th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

No deal has sensationally risen from the dead, and is now more likely than ever

The Speaker's extraordinary intervention has transformed the political landscape. Until yesterday, pro-Brexit Tory MPs effectively had a gun to their heads.
19th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Vote Leave fined over thousands of unsolicited texts

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has fined Brexit Campaign group Vote Leave £40,000 ($53,000) for sending out nearly 200,000 unsolicited text messages. The text messages contained a link to the campaign website alongside information about its ambitions. They were sent in the run-up to the EU referendum in 2016. The ICO said the group had been unable to prove that everyone who received the message had consented to the contact. Vote Leave said it had gathered numbers from people who had contacted it. It said the numbers came from website enquiries, texts it had received in response to other promotions and from running its own football competition.
19th Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Vote Leave fined £40,000 over 196,000 text messages sent ‘without recipient’s consent’

19th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Speaker John Bercow wrong to stop Brexit deal vote – leader comment

Bercow, who has revealed he had voted Remain, may believe he is defending the Commons’ rules; others will suspect he hopes defeating May’s deal will lead to a second referendum. If the latter is true, he is playing a dangerous game of roulette that could well result in the worst of all outcomes – a no-deal Brexit. A delay and a second referendum would indeed be the best way out of our current mess, but MPs need to come to this conclusion themselves, not be bounced into it by the Speaker.
19th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Tory MPs vow to quit party if Boris Johnson becomes leader

Johnson is the current favourite of Brexit-backing Tory activists, who will pick the leader out of a final two candidates. However, the former London mayor would first have to clear the hurdle of convincing Conservative MPs to put him on the final list of two. One minister said she would leave the party if Johnson and his supporters, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, took over the Conservatives. Another minister said he knew of five or six Conservatives who were openly saying they were so opposed to a Johnson premiership that they could not stay in the party run by him and a group of “Brexit ultras”. Anna Soubry, the former Tory minister who quit to join the new Independent Group, said she believed “people will leave” if Johnson were to become prime minister.
19th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Donald Trump Jr: ‘Brexit and my father’s election are one and the same’

U.S. President Donald Trump's eldest son said the "establishment" is trying to "silence the voices" of those who voted for Brexit and elected his father. Writing in the Telegraph, Trump Jr. said British Prime Minister Theresa May has "promised on more than 50 separate occasions that Britain would leave the EU on March 29 2019. She needs to honour that promise." "In a way, you could say that Brexit and my father’s election are one and the same — the people of both the UK and the US voted to uproot the establishment for the sake of individual freedom and independence, only to see the establishment try to silence their voices and overturn their mandates. "What we’re seeing now in Washington, London and Brussels is the desperate, last-gasp attempt by those previously in power to cling on to what was once theirs in the face of an overwhelming mandate for change."
19th Mar 2019 - Politico

Donald Trump Jr says 'Euro elites' are stealing Brexit because May ignored his dad

19th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Donald Trump Jr and John Bolton berate UK leaders over Brexit

Donald Trump Jr and the US national security adviser, John Bolton, spoke out over Brexit on Tuesday in what appeared to be a coordinated intervention by the White House into British domestic politics. Both the US president’s son and Bolton attacked British political leadership after Theresa May said she would ask the EU for a delay to the UK’s exit from the European Union; in line with parliament’s wish.
19th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Theresa May begs EU for more time but faces full-scale Cabinet mutiny

Theresa May tonight faced a full-scale Cabinet mutiny as furious ministers tore into her bid to beg the EU for more time to sort Brexit. There were fears Leave MPs could quit over her expected formal request to ­Brussels on Wednesday for an extension that could keep us in the EU until June at the earliest or even up to two years. One raging minister said after a “spiky” Cabinet meeting on the matter: “I couldn’t back a long delay. She’d have to sack me.” It came as Downing St finally admitted the Brexit shambles was a “crisis”. And Mrs May slipped closer to being toppled as fed-up Leavers believe any lengthy delay would kill her fading authority.
19th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit: Cabinet split on length of delay

One minister who was in the room suggested the prime minister gave the impression that she would ask the EU for an extension to the end of June, with the option of (you guessed it) a "backstop" option of a delay of up to two years. But another minister said they left the meeting with the view that there had, in fact, been no judgement really made at all. Another insider was boiling with frustration that, in their view, yet again, Theresa May was failing to express what she actually wants to do clearly, and allowing the Tory Party, and of course Parliament - and more importantly the rest of the country - twist in the wind while she grinds on.
19th Mar 2019 - BBC

Public cheated if Brexit not on time says Brexiteer Tory MP

The public would feel "cheated" if Brexit did not happen on time, a former Welsh Secretary has warned. Clwyd West Tory MP David Jones said it would require an "awful lot of political courage" from Prime Minister Theresa May to delay the process. Mr Jones, a Brexiteer, has twice voted against Theresa May's deal. Last week MPs voted to reject a no-deal Brexit, in a non-binding Commons vote. The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 29 March.
19th Mar 2019 - BBC

Pro-Brexit activist denies harassing MP Anna Soubry

A pro-Brexit activist has pleaded not guilty to harassing MP Anna Soubry outside Parliament. James Goddard, 29, from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, is alleged to have called the MP a "Nazi" and a "traitor". He denied three charges before the case at Westminster Magistrates' Court was temporarily adjourned when people in the public gallery started shouting. Mr Goddard was remanded on bail until 19 July when he will face a two-day trial at the court in London. He was held by police following protests outside Parliament.
19th Mar 2019 - BBC

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 19th Mar 2019

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Theresa May warned she cannot hold another vote on same Brexit deal

Speaker John Bercow has warned Theresa May he will veto a third vote on her Brexit deal unless it is "substantially" different from the previous two versions. He cited a more than 400-year-old Commons rule that blocks parliament being forced to vote on the same issue repeatedly in a short space of time.
18th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Brexit: John Bercow rules out third meaningful vote on same deal

The solicitor general, Robert Buckland, said the decision was a “constitutional crisis” and that the government might have to consider the drastic step of ending the parliamentary session early and restarting a new session. “We’re in a major constitutional crisis here ... This has given us quite a lot to think about in the immediate term. There are ways around this – a prorogation of parliament and a new session – but we are now talking about not just days but hours to 29 March,” Buckland told BBC News. “Frankly we could have done without this, but it’s something we’re going to have to negotiate with and deal with.” Downing Street was blindsided by the announcement and unable to give a response at its regular afternoon briefing for journalists. “The speaker did not forewarn us of the content of his statement or the fact that he was making one,” May’s spokeswoman said.
18th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit deal MUST change or I’ll block third vote, John Bercow says in urgent statement

The speaker of the House of Commons said MPs have expressed concerns about being asked to vote on Mrs May’s controversial deal more than once. He said unless her deal is revised, he will prevent the third meaningful vote on it. He said: “It has been strongly rumoured that third and even possibly fourth meaningful vote motions will be attempted. Hence this statement is designed to signal what would be orderly and what would not. “If the Government wishes to bring forward a new proposition that is neither the same nor substantially the same as that disposed of by the House on March 12 this would be entirely in order.
18th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Watch: John Bercow lays into Andrea Leadsom

Today, the Speaker John Bercow dealt a harsh blow to the government’s Brexit strategy after announcing that he would block a third vote on Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, unless it changed in a substantial way. Not content though with just one attack on the government, the Speaker also found time to launch a dig at his favourite rival in the House of Commons: Andrea Leadsom. ‘I note that as the right honourable gentleman asks his question and I respond, the leader of the house [Leadsom] is playing with her electronic device and so is the deputy chief whip [Pincher]. I didn’t include him in the category of very senior people in the house, but that’s a debatable proposition.’
18th Mar 2019 - The Spectator

Third Brexit vote must be different - Speaker

Speaker John Bercow has thrown the UK's Brexit plans into further confusion by ruling out another vote on the PM's deal unless MPs are given a new motion. In a surprise ruling, he said he would not allow a third "meaningful vote" in the coming days on "substantially the same" motion as MPs rejected last week. With 11 days to go before the UK is due to leave the EU, ministers have warned of a looming "constitutional crisis". The UK is currently due to leave the EU on 29 March. Theresa May has negotiated the withdrawal deal with the EU but it must also be agreed by MPs. They have voted against it twice, and the government has been considering a third attempt to get it through Parliament. Mr Bercow cited a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion could not be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.
18th Mar 2019 - BBC

Government's Brexit deal needs 'substantial changes' before MPs can vote on it again

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has ruled out another vote on Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement if the motion is substantially the same as last time. The ruling means May's deal, as it stands, will not be put before MPs as anticipated would happen this week. Bercow said the government cannot "resubmit to the House the same proposition, or substantially the same proposition," for a third time. The Speaker cited the Commons rulebook Erskine May as he set out a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion cannot be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.
18th Mar 2019 - ITV News

Bercow detonates May's third vote with dramatic Brexit intervention

John Bercow blew the whole thing apart. After years of petty sneers and active sabotages of parliament by the government, he finally took his revenge. And it was huge: dramatic, constitutionally-explosive and with far-reaching repercussions for Brexit and British democracy. Once he was done, the prime minister's strategy was in ruins. This was a long time coming. The referendum had created a new kind of sovereignty in British democracy. Since the English civil war in the 1600s, sovereignty lay with parliament, which gained its legitimacy through the elections held by the public. But the referendum result created a new form of political legitimacy: that of direct democracy.
18th Mar 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Government's Brexit deal needs 'substantial changes' before MPs can vote on it again

House of Commons Speaker John Bercow has ruled out another vote on Theresa May's Brexit withdrawal agreement if the motion is substantially the same as last time. The ruling means May's deal, as it stands, will not be put before MPs as anticipated would happen this week. Bercow said the government cannot "resubmit to the House the same proposition, or substantially the same proposition," for a third time. The Speaker cited the Commons rulebook Erskine May as he set out a convention dating back to 1604 that a defeated motion cannot be brought back in the same form during the course of a parliamentary session.
18th Mar 2019 - ITV News

Brexit: Bercow chucks a hulking great spanner in the works

"He's breaking the constitution" - quite the accusation, laid at the door of John Bercow's grand speaker's apartments. It's notable because it's the view of a government minister who is not one of those whose pulse quickens when discussing leaving or trying to stay in the European Union. There is, of course, precedent in the very well-thumbed copies of Erskine May, the parliamentary rules, for the speaker's decision. Quoting decisions as far back as 1604, John Bercow was quite clear that governments are not meant to be able to keep asking parliament the same question, in the hope of boring MPs into submission if they keep saying no. But as another member of the government put it mildly, the speaker has a reputation for being "interventionist", and he has, this afternoon, chucked a hulking great spanner in the works.
18th Mar 2019 - BBC

@JolyonMaugham Here's the page from Erskine May which the Speaker is reading out.

Here's the page from Erskine May which the Speaker is reading out.
18th Mar 2019 - @JolyonMaugham

Brexit: EU wary of divisions over UK delay

The EU has almost given up understanding what's going on in UK politics. This weekend, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte compared UK Prime Minister Theresa May to the Monty Python knight whose limbs get cut off in a duel, but insists to his opponent that the fight was a draw. Elsewhere in the EU, there is less attempted humour about the situation, especially with the prospect of a lengthy delay to Brexit on the cards. "The whole point of Article 50 [which sets out the legal process for leaving the EU] is to go," a diplomatic contact from one of the UK's closest trading partners told me. "The UK triggered Article 50 two years ago, but it prevaricates, debates with itself and hovers around on the EU stage."
18th Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit: Frustrated voters in Labour's Wales heartlands just want it to be over

Nestled at the foot of the Gwent Valleys just north of Newport, Cwmbran forms part of the safe Labour constituency of Torfaen. Residents voted by 59.8% to 40.2% to Leave at the 2016 referendum. It is typical of the traditional Labour heartlands which ...
18th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

With Brexit approaching UK's voice in Brussels grows quiet

Although delay is on the cards, wheels are in motion for the long-planned Brexit day. British MEPs have been told to clear their offices by 29 March, as their passes will stop working soon after. Redundancy notices have been served to British MEP assistants, although contract renewal notices are now in the works for some. “It’s uncertain, it’s unnerving that we still don’t have an answer,” one assistant said. “If there is any kind of extension that is a bonus, but for me I’ve always been planning on 29 March.” Outside the Brexit hothouse, the reality has not fully hit home for everyone. “I’m getting invites to host events in Brussels in April,” the Labour MEP Seb Dance tweeted recently. “What can I say?!” “There is a sort of resignation in the air in recent weeks,” he told the Guardian. “It is not one I share. I have always said all along the odds are against stopping Brexit – that’s obvious, but if anything is going to change it will be in the last few weeks.”
18th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Leave MPs must take responsibility for the horrors of a long Brexit delay

In a letter published in the Daily Telegraph, 23 Conservative MPs explained why they still wouldn’t vote for Theresa May’s Brexit deal, despite the alternative before them of a potentially lengthy delay to the whole idea. As long-standing supporters of leaving the EU, they said that their “moral course is clear”. They argued that it is not their fault that they are now confronted by what they regard as “two unacceptable choices” – a bad deal or a prolonged delay – “but it will be our fault if we cast a positive vote in favour of either for fear of the other”. This statement has important implications and is also a fascinating argument.
18th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Believe me, the Civil Service is trying to sink Brexit. I have seen it from the inside

As a civil servant I can tell you large parts of the Whitehall machine are systematically working against leaving the EU. I have met thousands of civil servants in the past few years: I can only recall five who voted for Brexit. At first, I thought they were perhaps just staying quiet given the political climate, but my worst fear was confirmed during the high-profile remainer Gina Miller’s successful court case to make sure Parliament has a say on the Brexit outcome
18th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

EU plans for Theresa May's departure 'after losing confidence' in prime minister

EU officials are preparing contingency plans on how to deal with a hardline successor to Theresa May. European leaders revealed at the weekend that they have lost confidence in the prime minister’s ability to govern and are concerned she will be replaced by a leader who will try and unpick the withdrawal agreement. During a meeting of EU ambassadors and senior officials on Friday the European Commission’s secretary general Martin Selmayr raised the scenario of May leaving office.
18th Mar 2019 - Metro

Tory MP Says Theresa May Should Call Snap Election To Break Brexit Deadlock

A Conservative MP says Theresa May should now call a snap general election in a bid to break the Brexit impasse. Crispin Blunt told Eddie Mair the Prime Minister should seek a “new mandate from the electorate” after Speaker John Bercow ruled MPs can’t vote on her Brexit deal for a third time without “substantial” change.
18th Mar 2019 - LBC

London: The Athens of the north

The ignorance of so many at Westminster in this matter of the utmost national importance is truly staggering. And it is that revelation that many of my journalistic colleagues from across Europe have found most disturbing; that so many British politicians are prepared to take such monumental decisions on the basis of such colossal ignorance of that which they claim is damaging their country. Know thy enemy is sound advice. They refuse to follow it. Just ask Sir Ivan Rogers when he is in Dublin next week. The celebration of the unlearned by the unprincipled, the elevation of dogma over fact, the rewarding of bullying over brains - all have led the British political class to where they are now: clawing at each other in last minute desperation, seeking to find answers to questions that should have been asked, and answered, long before they set the Article 50 clock in motion.
18th Mar 2019 - RTE.ie

Rees-Mogg: Brexit ‘has made no difference to my financial situation’

Despite statistics continually showing Brexit is leaving the British people worse-off, Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg says that it has made “no difference” to his financial situation. That the country as a whole, in his view, would see the benefit not just him
18th Mar 2019 - The New European

@ITVNews 'Brexit will not now occur.' Ardent Leaver and Conservative MP James Gray gives his reaction to the speaker's decision on a third meaningful vote.

'Brexit will not now occur.' Ardent Leaver and Conservative MP James Gray gives his reaction to the speaker's decision on a third meaningful vote.
18th Mar 2019 - @ITVNews

France’s EU minister names her cat ‘Brexit’ because ‘he meows loudly to be let out but won’t go through the door’

France’s minister for European affairs says she has named her cat “Brexit” on account of its indecisive nature. Nathalie Loiseau told Le Journal du Dimanche that her pet meows loudly to be let out each morning, but then refuses to go outside when she opens the door. The comments from the French government’s lead in Brexit talks come ahead of a decision by EU leaders on whether to extend the Brexit negotiating period at the request of the UK. And this week will see a possible third rejection of Theresa May’s Brexit deal by the House of Commons. “He wakes me up every morning meowing to death because he wants to go out, and then when I open the door he stays put, undecided, and then glares at me when I put him out,” Ms Loiseau said.
18th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Hardline Tory Brexiteers threaten to go on strike if Theresa May carries out vow to delay Brexit by a year

Hardline Tory Brexiteers have threatened Theresa May they will go on strike if she carries out her vow to delay Brexit by a year. No10 on Monday set a deadline of late on Tuesday for MPs to agree the PM’s exit deal before Thursday’s European summit.
18th Mar 2019 - The Sun

@ByDonkeys Day 3 of the #MarchToLeave. Looks like we’re down to about 60, though could be some stragglers. Still no sign of @Nigel_Farage

Day 3 of the #MarchToLeave. Looks like we’re down to about 60, though could be some stragglers. Still no sign of @Nigel_Farage
18th Mar 2019 - @ByDonkeys

Revealed: How dark money split the Tories’ ruling elite

One of the remarkable features of Brexit is that this rule has been broken. The Conservative party has wrenched itself asunder over an issue which most people in the UK didn’t much care about before 2016. This group is desperate to pull Britain away from the European regulated space, and drag it into the deregulated American-sphere, where the winner takes it all, and they’ve already decided who the winner will be. And no, it’s not you. First, there’s a large chunk of the media – papers like the Telegraph and the Sun, owned by multi-millionaires who live, respectively, in the Channel Islands and the US, and who have been the biggest institutions driving Brexit. There’s the people who funnelled dark money into the Leave campaigns – the cash openDemocracy revealed, which went through former Scottish Tory golden boy Richard Cook to the DUP, and the cash which came through Arron Banks, via Gibraltar, and which we’ve spent much of the last two years tracing.
17th Mar 2019 - The National

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 18th Mar 2019

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Brexit: Theresa May should make 'dignified exit' to get deal through says Esther McVey

Conservative MP for Dover Charlie Elphicke said there needs to be "a change of leadership" in order for him to support the deal, telling BBC Sunday Politics South East we need "a new face and a new team to take us forward to the future relationship". His comments come after fellow Tory Andrew Bridgen told The Sunday Times that he was informed by party whips that Mrs May was willing to announce her resignation to get her Withdrawal Agreement approved when it returns to the Commons for a third meaningful vote potentially this week.
17th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Jeremy Corbyn says he could vote to leave EU in second Brexit referendum

The Labour leader said an agreement with Brussels that would allow for a “dynamic relationship” with the bloc could pose a way to unite the country. Meanwhile, he said Labour will demand a no-confidence vote in the Government if Theresa May loses a crucial vote on her Brexit deal next week. Asked if he was enthusiastic about the prospect of a second referendum he would only say: “I’m enthusiastic about getting a deal with Europe.” His comments are likely to anger campaigners for a fresh vote - many of whom are Labour members. However Mr Corbyn did suggest Labour would whip to support a backbench amendment this week that will demand a final say on the deal.
17th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Scots Tory MP may not vote for PM's deal even if DUP do

A Scottish Conservative MP has said if Theresa May's Brexit deal comes back to parliament that he will not necessarily support it - even if the DUP do. Ross Thomson, MP for Aberdeen South, told Sunday Politics Scotland that he will make up his own mind on the deal. He said he had a lot of the same concerns as the Democratic Unionists. He said the PM's withdrawal agreement is "not the greatest" but he could "suck up" some issues if concerns on the backstop could be addressed.
17th Mar 2019 - BBC

I still won't back Mrs May's deal – because it's not Brexit

Despite the turbulence of last week’s votes, the law remains that the UK will leave the EU at 11pm on March 29. The Remainer plots – supported on some votes by certain unruly ministers – to seize control of the parliamentary timetable or force a second referendum were all defeated. But the Commons did resolve that a short extension to June 30 2019 should be sought on the condition that “the House has passed a resolution approving the negotiated withdrawal agreement.” The Prime Minister will, therefore, present her deal to the Commons again. Without substantial changes, I will vote against it again and I cannot see how the House – having already emphatically rejected it twice – will change its mind
17th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit is really about escaping the emotional ordeal of Europe

Britain has always seen the EU as something to be endured rather than embraced.
17th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

There can be no good Brexit for Scotland and we can do so much better

The UK Parliament has not worked in Scotland’s national interest for a very long time, if indeed it ever did. But this was the week in which that was utterly exposed and plain for all to see. The madcap antics of the so-called Mother of Parliaments, as it grappled with the ­conundrum of Brexit, were perhaps best summed up by one political sketch writer who observed: “The House of ­Commons was a Benny Hill chase on acid, running through a Salvador Dali painting in a spaceship on its way to infinity.
17th Mar 2019 - Daily Record

Why Brexit chaos CANNOT be solved! May under attack from former US Ambassador

Theresa May came under the attack of former US Ambassador Anthony Gardner who claimed her Government had "wasted two years" trying to solve three Brexit issues which "can't be solved at the same time". "First, leave the customs union and the single market; second, to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland and the third is to avoid a hard border in the Irish Sea. "All three things can’t be solved at the same time. You can solve two of the three."
17th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

‘The damage is done’: Disbelief in Europe at another lost Brexit week

For all the forlorn hopes that things might be different this time, leaders across Europe and senior EU officials in their offices in Brussels, watched on with a sinking heart as Theresa May’s deal was rejected again on Tuesday evening, this time by 149 votes, the fourth largest defeat for a sitting government. The Commons subsequently voted to delay Brexit by at least three months. Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, who has described himself as Britain’s best friend among the 27 EU heads of state and government, was left asking reporters: “What’s the point of whining on for months on end while we have been going around in circles for two years?”
17th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May Phoned Round Tory Rebels To Ask Them To Back Her Deal. They Told Her To Resign

May was told in direct terms by several MPs in one-on-one phone calls on Sunday that she should make a pact to resign as prime minister to get her deal through. The race to succeed Theresa May as Conservative leader is hotting up with more than six high profile Tories canvassing the support of MPs. It is understood that senior Tories believe Theresa May will have to step aside in order to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. Even aides in the PM’s team believe she will be gone by the summer and prospective candidates are already busy building alliances and promises in the tea rooms of Westminster
17th Mar 2019 - Metro

A long delay is now the only way out of this Brexit quagmire

If the government’s managers do not think they have a chance of winning – or at least of significantly reducing the margin of defeat – they will not subject the prime minister to yet another humiliation on Tuesday. The case for trying is the remarkable speed with which a number of previously hardline Brexiteers are discovering the merits of pragmatism and reconciliation. It is amazing how quickly non-negotiable objections can melt away as the clock ticks, reality bites and careerism trumps principle.
17th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

@ByDonkeys Day two of the #MarchToLeave. 77 people including photographers. @Nigel_farage should apologise to those marchers for this farce. But of course he’s disappeared. Shameful.

@ByDonkeys Day two of the #MarchToLeave. 77 people including photographers. @Nigel_farage should apologise to those marchers for this farce. But of course he’s disappeared. Shameful.
17th Mar 2019 - @ByDonkeys

Theresa May told by 50 Tory associations she will be 'personally' held responsible for any Brexit betrayal

Theresa May has been told by the leaders of dozens of local Conservative grassroots associations that she will be "personally" held responsible for any "betrayal" of Brexit. Nearly 40 local party chairmen and longtime activists have told the Prime Minister that they are in an "absolute state of despair as to what is happening to democracy in this once great country of ours". They add in an open letter, seen by The Sunday Telegraph, that if Mrs May cannot ensure that Britain leaves the EU as planned at the end of next week she should resign.
16th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

They feel betrayed over Brexit - and are not just crying about it from afar

Nigel Farage's pro-Brexit march started in Sunderland on Saturday and is aiming to finish in Westminster later in the month.
16th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Nick Boles resigns from local Conservative association over Brexit

Nick Boles, the Tory MP for Grantham and Stamford, has resigned from his local Conservative association after public disagreements regarding his stance on Brexit. Boles, who has represented the constituency since 2010, has been at the head of efforts in parliament to deliver a softer exit from the EU, co-sponsoring an amendment with Labour’s Yvette Cooper in January that would have given parliament control over the Brexit process.
16th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

'The damage is done': Disbelief in Europe at another lost Brexit week

By Wednesday the French daily Le Monde had concluded that the hoarseness of the prime minister’s throat “symbolised the state of a supposedly pragmatic country left voiceless by its incapacity to accept compromise with its neighbours”.
16th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

‘Just get OUT NOW!’ Brexiteer says no deal Brexit is ESSENTIAL for future of democracy

Brexiteer and Wetherspoons boss Tim Martin has called for Britain to "get out of the EU now" as he vowed to bring down the price of beer in the event of a no deal exit Brexit.
16th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Protesters gather as Nigel Farage prepares to lead Brexit march

A group of protesters has gathered in Sunderland ahead of a 14-day march to London in a bid to avert perceived attempts to betray the public over Brexit. The March to Leave, which has been organised by the Leave Means Leave campaign, is being led by former Ukip leader Nigel Farage. Around 100 people assembled in Sunderland, the first city to vote in favour of exiting the European Union on the night of the 2016 referendum, in order to start the event.
16th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Theresa May is wreaking havoc with the British constitution - thankfully, her days are numbered

Shortly after she and three cabinet colleagues had dynamited the doctrine of collective cabinet responsibility last Wednesday, by abstaining in the Commons vote on a no-deal Brexit, Amber Rudd sought to justify herself. Leaving without a deal “would, in my view, do generational damage to our economy and our security”. She is entitled to her opinion, and the few who still listen to her are used to her risibly defective judgment. However, the luxury of holding a view contrary to the Prime Minister’s and the Cabinet’s has always only been available to those choosing not to hold the office and collect the salary of a minister. The four abstainers patently care less about behaving correctly than they do about the interests of the Conservative Party and the country
16th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May: Long Brexit delay would be sign of collective political failure by MPs

Theresa May has warned MPs that if they fail to back her Brexit deal at the third time of asking then Brussels might insist on a lengthy delay, potentially scuppering chances of leaving the European Union altogether. The Prime Minister said it would be a “potent symbol of Parliament’s collective political failure” if a delay to Brexit meant the UK was forced to take part in May’s European elections almost three years after voting to leave.
16th Mar 2019 - Somerset County Gazette

The Prime Minister of humilation

Matthew Parris began hearing from a growing number of officials, lawmakers and ministers the extent to which May had isolated herself, how unreachable she had become, and the levels of frustration among those surrounding her. "She is mean. She is rude. She is cruel. She is stupid. I have heard that from almost everyone who has dealt with her," Parris says. He said he had never expected this much hatred, "and that is not a word I use lightly." The worst thing, though, he says, is May's inability to win over others to her position, to compromise and to lead. "It's crazy," says Parris. "That someone like her would end up in a job where the most important thing is to communicate, answer questions, make decisions. That is, I believe, more of a psychological than a political problem."
15th Mar 2019 - Der Spiegel

Brexit delay cannot lead to 'rolling cliff edges' – Irish minister

Ireland will want to avoid a series of “rolling cliff edges” if the UK requests a delay to its exit from the EU, the country’s finance minister has said. Paschal Donohoe said London would need to convince the EU27 that an extension to article 50 would not further risk economic disruption. “I believe it is highly important that we do all we can to avoid being in a scenario of rolling cliff edges … particularly from a financial market stability perspective and economic stability, we need to be aware of that,” he said.
15th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Ian Paisley warns over no-deal direct rule comments

A DUP MP has described comments by Michael Gove that a no-deal Brexit could lead to Dublin having more involvement in NI as "insulting". Mr Gove said the UK would have to engage with the Irish government about more decision-making for NI in the event of no deal. Northern Ireland has been without a government since January 2017 after a row between the power-sharing parties.
15th Mar 2019 - BBC

Justine Greening: Another meaningful vote on Brexit will be meaningless – it will be just another charade

I’d made the mistake of pointing out to them that the state we have got the country into on Brexit was totally predictable and highly probable. Common sense that for millions who voted leave and were told “Brexit means Brexit”, the Prime Minister’s deal, with our country continuing to follow EU rules but now without any say, was the exact opposite of taking back control.
9th Mar 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Tory Minister Geoffrey Cox warned after failing to declare thousands of pounds in rent

Mr Cox admitted failing to register six months of income in a letter to Parliamentary authorities. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was forced to apologise after he failed to declare thousands of pounds in rent on his London flat. Mr Cox admitted failing to register the income in a letter to Parliamentary authorities. The senior Tory minister was once the highest paid MP when he earned £800,000 in a single year for his work as a criminal barrister - but he still claimed 49p in expenses to pay for a pint of milk. Mr Cox admitted that he failed to register rent from tenants on his Battersea flat for six months between August and January this year, according to reports in the Sunday Telegraph .
17th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 15th Mar 2019

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Sack Brexit abstaining ministers, says Welsh Tory MP

Tory ministers who abstained on a vote opposing leaving the European Union without a deal should resign or be sacked, a Brexiteer MP has told BBC Wales. Thirteen government ministers defied whips by abstaining on the vote on Wednesday night. David Davies said the MPs should not be in government. MPs rejected leaving the EU without a deal 321 votes to 278, in a further government defeat on Brexit.
14th Mar 2019 - BBC

Calls for David Mundell to resign intensify following Brexit vote

14th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Brexit deal latest: Attorney General Geoffrey Cox warned using Vienna Convention to get out of backstop is a 'complete non-starter'

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox was today warned that using a Vienna Convention article to get out of the Brexit backstop was a “complete non-starter”. The QC was also told he risked turning his “codpiece into a figleaf” if he changes his legal advice, which had been dubbed a “codpiece”, in an eleventh-hour bid by the Government to persuade Tory and DUP MPs to back Theresa May’s plans.
14th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: What is the Vienna Convention?

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15th Mar 2019 - BBC

MPs to vote on Article 50 extension as May warns they might be kissing Brexit goodbye

Theresa May is urging MPs to back a three-month Brexit postponement or face the threat of a much longer delay, in a desperate bid to persuade her pro-Leave rebels to back her withdrawal agreement next week. After a cabinet "gang of four" and several more ministers abstained and 17 backbenchers voted against the government in a Commons vote ruling out no deal, the prime minister has issued an ultimatum to Tory Brexiteers. In what many MPs see as a last roll of the dice for the beleaguered PM and her Brexit deal, she is effectively challenging her rebel MPs who have now defeated her deal twice: Back me or risk losing Brexit altogether.
14th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Who cares about food and medicine? Brexit is the best nightly entertainment show Britain has ever had

Comedian Mark Steel takes apart the absurd farce of the Brexit discussions and votes going on in Parliament at the moment. Every detail seems designed to make Britain look gloriously stupid he says
14th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Brexit: MPs' plan to take control from Theresa May fails by just TWO votes

The Commons has voted against an amendment that would have paved the way for 'indicative votes' for MPs to discuss in order to find a new way forward. The amendment was been tabled by the powerful a cross-party coalition of Hilary Benn, Yvette Cooper and Oliver Letwin. It was defeated by 312 votes to 314.
14th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Analysis: Why Hammond's Brexit war chest is smaller than it looks

Philip Hammond dangled the prospect of £26.6bn before their eyes, telling Parliament that if they behave themselves and back a Brexit deal the taps can be turned on. The ‘end of austerity’ can turn from simply an end to restraint into a new age of cash for all. “If we leave the EU with a deal and an orderly transition to a future economic partnership we will see a ‘deal dividend,” Hammond told the Commons in his announcement-light statement. Britain can expect “an economic boost from recovery in business confidence and investment and a fiscal boost...
14th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

UK needs to get 'act together' on Brexit deal, says European Commission's vice-president

Frans Timmermans says that the UK parliament need to tell the EU what they want in terms of a deal on Brexit in a video interview with Sky News
14th Mar 2019 - Sky News

'It's terrible — the Brits were lied to': Americans give their verdict on Brexit

Brexit faced a crucial week this week as May tried to get her Brexit deal approved by the U.K. Parliament. It failed to win enough support from British lawmakers for a second time but MPs also then voted to reject the option of leaving the EU without a deal. They are next going to vote on whether to delay Brexit altogether.
14th Mar 2019 - CNBC

The UK needs a second Brexit referendum after no-deal exit is rejected, says Scottish lawmaker

As U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal continues to face a pummeling in Parliament, the only option is to return the matter to the British public for a second referendum, according to Drew Hendry, a U.K. member of parliament from Scotland. Hendry on Wednesday joined the chorus of parliamentarians calling for more time before Britain’s looming departure from the European Union. “There needs to be a situation now where there’s an extension to Article 50 to allow this to go back to the people,” Hendry told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Wednesday. Article 50 refers to the formal two-year process governing the U.K.’s departure from the European Union
14th Mar 2019 - CNBC

The Brexit clocks have been reset, but time's running out for the PM

Extraordinary, shambolic chaos in the Commons as the planned prime ministerial free vote on ruling out no deal disintegrated before her eyes, taking ministers with it. The PM ended up effectively voting for no deal, after her motion, only ruling it out for a month, was defeated and replaced with one ruling it out full stop. Humiliatingly she also lost that vote against no deal by an even bigger margin. One of the Labour MPs being wooed to vote for her deal a few months ago, Jess Phillips, called her a "disgrace" to her face in the voting lobby.
14th Mar 2019 - Sky News

A chaotic Brexit is part of Trump’s grand plan for Europe

The Brexit saga isn’t just about a negotiation gone awry, nor about the impasse a country finds itself in having fallen prey to a movement based on lies and deception. The wider question is about what kind of world we want to live in. To fully see this, it helps to keep Trump’s US in mind, not just the intricacies of British parliamentary arithmetic or Michel Barnier’s latest statement. Because Trump’s US is intimately intertwined with the Brexiter vision of Britain.
14th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Hypnotised by cake and unicorns, the Brexit perfectionists have blown it

The result of yesterday’s meaningful vote in the House of Commons, much like the first in January, was emblematic of a very striking Brexit reality: that the principle barrier to leaving the EU comes from the very people most desperate to see it happen. The Tory right have had two clear chances to push Brexit over the line, two clear chances that were squandered in dogged pursuit of a “perfect” vision of Brexit. What makes their intransigence all the more useless is their collective inability to produce any worthwhile negotiating alternative. What we have witnessed is an exercise in prioritising ideology over what is best for the country.
14th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Trump: 'Surprised at bad Brexit negotiations'

US President Donald Trump has been critical of how Theresa May's Brexit negotiations have taken place. Trump told reporters a second vote would be unfair "on the people who won", and that the Irish border issue was one of the most complex Brexit issues.
14th Mar 2019 - BBC

EU pours cold water on May's Brexit delay win – 'ALL EU27 need to approve'

A European Commission spokesman fired off a quick response moments after a vote to delay Article 50 was won 412/202, with a majority of 210. The ballot will allow Mrs May to iron out a better deal or post-Brexit Britain, though not without their permission the spokesman reminded the Prime Minister. The spokesman said: “We take note of tonight’s votes. A request for an extension of Article 50 requires the unanimous agreement of all 27 Member States. “It will be for the European Council (Article 50) to consider such a request, giving priority to the need to ensure the functioning of the EU institutions and taking into account the reasons or and duration of a possible extension.”
14th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Farage unveils PLOT to secure Brexit on March 29 – 'you have encouraged me'

Nigel Farage was confronted about rumours suggesting he is planning to seek the support of allies in Italy and Poland to ensure requests for a Brexit extension are rejected. Mr Farage was asked to clarify the claims on Wednesday, and he confirmed he has been "thinking very carefully" about reaching out to fellow Eurosceptics to make sure the UK quits the bloc on March 29. Speaking to Euronews, the architect of Brexit said: "Next Thursday night is a major moment because if Mrs May comes and meekly asks for an extension without a plan, and isn’t able to offer a second referendum because of the implications for her own party, you may find that there is a veto there with or without my help.
14th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Brexit: Labour will NOT support tonight's vote for a second referendum

The Mirror understands Labour whips will instruct MPs to abstain. Responding to a question from Anna Soubry in the House of Commons he said: "Many colleagues in and out of this place absolutely supportive of the cause she supports - namely a people’s vote - vehemently disagree with this amendment being tabled and voted on today." "The People’s Vote campaign…have issued a formal statement of their position today in response to amendment H, saying “we have made it clear that we do not regard today as the right time to press the case for the public to be given a final say.
14th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit: Commons uproar as Jeremy Corbyn defends abstaining on second referendum

Jeremy Corbyn said: "Today I reiterate my conviction that a deal can be agreed based on our alternative plan that can command support across the House. "I also reiterate our support for a People's Vote - not as a political point-scoring exercise but as a realistic option to break the deadlock." But Labour rebel Neil Coyle, who supported a second referendum, told the Mirror: “Labour members are fretting over the party’s failure to lead in seeking a new People’s Vote. “I am forced to break a whip for something that is supposed to be Labour Party policy but has not been backed today. “There is little time left to win a new public vote. Next week Labour must back it wholeheartedly and with no more reservations.”
14th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Michael Gove’s Brexit agony

I feel particularly sorry for Michael Gove, because there is psychological torment here. His understandable reasoning for not resigning over Theresa May’s Chequers proposal was that he had been accused first of betraying David Cameron, then of betraying Boris Johnson. He could not face being accused of a third betrayal by walking out on Mrs May. This meant that he unintentionally betrayed the cause of Brexit. He is now the government’s media apologist for whatever piece of contortion comes out of Downing Street, and is humiliated when the line he has just peddled collapses a few hours later.
14th Mar 2019 - The Spectator

Theresa May is acting like a 'cruel parent' over Brexit, says Labour peer

Baroness Smith of Basildon, Labour’s leader in the Lords, said May did not have the full support of her government or the cabinet. Lady Smith said the May had been “extraordinarily intransigent” in her speech to MPs after the defeat last night on a no-deal Brexit and wanted to “ignore parliament”. Lady Smith said the government was spending time, energy and money on preparing for a “no-deal failure” despite the vote to rule it out. She said of reports that Mrs May would make another attempt to get her “twice rejected deal” approved by MPs: “She’s acting like a cruel parent who when a child won’t eat it’s dinner serves up the same plate of cold food day after day until they are forced to accept the unwanted, unpalatable and dangerous.”
14th Mar 2019 - The New European

RESPECT THE RESULT Labour in Brexit chaos again as top Jeremy Corbyn ally says second referendum would be ‘disaster’

Angela Rayner, who has said in the past she doesn't want a second vote, thinks it would be a terrible idea to go back to the people - but MPs will vote on it today
14th Mar 2019 - The Sun

Theresa May has finally got the Brexiters where she wants them

It now means the prime minister can stage next Tuesday’s vote the way she wants it: as an ultimatum to the ultras of the European Research Group and the Democratic Unionist party. Thanks to another, much more comfortable vote this evening, approving in principle an extension of article 50, those intransigents will now face a sharp dilemma. The ERG and DUP either swallow their objections and vote for May’s deal, or they face the prospect of a long delay to Brexit – perhaps for the best part of two years. Given the mayhem on show these past few days, who would bet what might happen to their precious Brexit project between now and 2021? They might lose it altogether.
14th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Labour whip quits as second referendum vote exposes splits

A Labour whip and an aide to deputy Labour leader Tom Watson quit in order to vote against a second Brexit referendum as the party’s divisions on the issue were laid bare. Stephanie Peacock resigned from the whips office, saying she wanted to “respect the result of the 2016 vote” and her constituents in Barnsley East would expect her to “honour that promise”. Ruth Smeeth resigned as parliamentary private secretary to Mr Watson, saying she had a duty to “support the will of my constituents” in Leave-supporting Stoke-on-Trent North.
14th Mar 2019 - Daily Mail

Corbyn hit by Labour revolt over second Brexit referendum

14th Mar 2019 - Shropshire Star

May Suffers Mass Tory Revolt As MPs Vote For Three-Month Brexit Delay

Theresa May has suffered a mass Tory revolt by her ministers and MPs as she caved to pressure to delay Brexit by three months. Amid shambolic scenes in Parliament, the prime minister’s tattered authority took a fresh blow when more than half her party opposed her government move to postpone exit day from March 29 to June 30. Some seven Cabinet ministers, including her Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay, voted against May’s motion, which was aimed at giving her extra time to get her EU-UK divorce deal passed and put on the statute book. Earlier, she had seen off a dramatic attempt by parliament to seize control of the Brexit process.
14th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post

Brexit: Is the UK actually in a crisis over leaving the EU?

You've probably heard at least one person say the UK is in a Brexit crisis. Politicians from Europe and Britain have said it and it's been in headlines - usually in CAPITAL LETTERS - a lot. But are we being dramatic or is the UK actually in a crisis over leaving the European Union? We spoke to three experts to find out.
14th Mar 2019 - BBC

EU furious with Theresa May after she calls third Brexit vote on eve of summit

Brussels has reacted furiously after Theresa May announced plans to hold a third meaningful vote on her Brexit deal just one day before an EU summit to approve an extension to the Article 50 negotiations. While EU-27 leaders are divided over the length and conditions for the extension beyond the March 29 deadline, they are united in their irritation that the prime minister will give the bloc very little time to consider their response and prepare a joint position.
14th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Will Northern Ireland dissidents be able to exploit Brexit chaos?

Brexit is viewed by republican dissidents as an “opportunity” rather than a political end in itself, say politicians and security officials. Yet it would be wrong, says one UK security expert, to expect a sudden upsurge in violence after the UK leaves the EU. But, he adds, the security situation will become harder to manage after Brexit, with even the slightest hardening of the border likely to provide a tempting target for extremists. The idea of border checkpoints enforced by police or immigration officers remain unlikely but even softer options, such as the addition of automated cameras to check the movement of goods as they cross the border, could be magnets for dissidents looking to send a message
14th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 14th Mar 2019

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Theresa May urged to SACK Remainer rebels who defied her to block a No Deal Brexit

Theresa May is under pressure to sack Remainer ministers tonight who defied her to block a No Deal Brexit. Ex-Tory Vice Chair Ben Bradley called on the PM to get rid of those in her top team who abstained on the final Brexit vote tonight.
13th Mar 2019 - The Sun

Jeremy Corbyn announces cross-party Brexit talks as Labour leader seeks to capitalise on Government defeats

Jeremy Corbyn announced cross-party Brexit talks in the immediate aftermath of Wednesday's Government defeats as Philip Hammond and Michael Gove suggested MPs should be offered indicative votes on the way forward. Mr Corbyn said MPs had “decisively rejected” both the Prime Minister’s deal and the prospect of a no-deal divorce from the EU as he said “Parliament must now take control”. He said he will now meet with MPs from across the House of Commons to “find a compromise solution”. Meanwhile, the Telegraph can disclose Mr Hammond warned Theresa May she should not waste "time and capital" on a third vote on her Brexit deal if it looks like it will be defeated.
13th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Blaming Theresa May and the EU is delusional — Brexit is defeating itself

The problem is not that May has failed to deliver on the Leave campaign’s promises — the problem is that no prime minister could have done so. In 2016, the Brexiteers vowed to end free movement, retain the economics benefits of EU membership, withdraw the UK from the customs union and avoid a hard Irish border — aims that were inherently irreconcilable.
13th Mar 2019 - New Statesman

How Europe's newspapers reported May's latest Brexit humiliation: 'The Tories are decomposing'

Spain’s El Mundo claimed Britain is “perhaps the European state where populism has most corrosively affected traditional parties”. “While Labour has moved towards Jeremy Corbyn’s Eurosceptic, far-left position, the Tories have entered into a process of internal decomposition,” it added
13th Mar 2019 - The Independent

EU on no-deal Brexit motion: 'like Titanic voting for iceberg to move'

A European commission spokesman offered a withering assessment of the decision by MPs to ignore Theresa May’s assertion that no deal was the default position unless there was a deal in place by the time of the UK’s departure. “We take note of the votes in the House of Commons this evening,” the spokesman said. “There are only two ways to leave the EU: with or without a deal. The EU is prepared for both. To take no deal off the table, it is not enough to vote against no deal – you have to agree to a deal. We have agreed a deal with the prime minister, and the EU is ready to sign it.”
13th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

May loses a vote against herself in a crazed night of parliamentary drama

It was as if all the qualities of the Brexit debate came together in perfect unison. It had everything: the cynicism, the inadequacy, the lies, the total collapse of moral or political authority. And it ended with the prime minister whipping her own MPs to defeat her and then inadvertently, by force of her own errors, voting for no-deal. It was a masterpiece of haplessness. Peak Brexit. Except that presumably things will somehow become even more ridiculous tomorrow.
13th Mar 2019 - Politics.co.uk

An old rule means Bercow could take drastic action on Brexit

Deep in the Commons rule book is a line that gives outspoken John Bercow the power to block a third vote on the PM's Brexit deal. Buried deep within on page 397, there lies: "A motion or an amendment which is the same, in substance, as a question which has been decided during a session may not be brought forward again during that same session."
13th Mar 2019 - Sky News

@Peston - @AngelaRayner says it would be disastrous to go back to the people now on Brexit #Peston

@AngelaRayner says it would be disastrous to go back to the people now on Brexit #Peston
13th Mar 2019 - @Peston

Brexit news latest: MPs tell of ‘utter chaos’ in Government after no-deal is taken off the table

Cross-party MPs have hit out at the “utter chaos” of the Government after a vote to take a no-deal Brexit off the table. MPs voted to reject crashing out of the European Union without a deal "under any circumstance." Mrs May was defeated by 321 votes to 278, a margin of 43, on a motion to rule out a no-deal Brexit at any time and under any circumstance. Work and pensions secretary Sarah Newton quit after defying the whips to vote for the cross-party proposal.
13th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

MPs vote to prevent no-deal Brexit after Theresa May’s deal suffered second defeat

MPs have voted to instruct the government to avoid a no-deal Brexit in any circumstance after voting for an amendment tabled by Dame Caroline Spellman, Jack Dromey and Yvette Cooper. Despite Spellman indicating to the speaker she did not wish to move the move, Cooper indicated she did want to continue with a vote. Consequently politicians voted in support of the motion by 312 votes to 308. But confusion reigned as the government was then forced to whip MPs against their motion after the amendment was passed. It still passed by 278 votes to 321 votes with 17 Tory MPs still supporting it and 11 ministers abstaining. Best for Britain supporter Rupa Huq MP said: “This is another significant rejection of the no-deal disaster option which would decimate industry, costing thousands of jobs up and down the country, and cripple key public services.
13th Mar 2019 - The New European

MPs vote to reject no-deal Brexit

In a night of high drama in the Commons, MPs surprised the government and voted by 312 to 308 to reject a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances. The vote is not binding - under current law the UK could still leave without a deal on 29 March. On Thursday, MPs will vote on whether to ask the EU for permission to delay the date for departure. There could be a short extension - or a much longer one - depending on whether MPs backed the prime minister's existing withdrawal deal that has been agreed with the EU by 20 March, the government says. That means Theresa May could make a third attempt to get her deal through Parliament in the next few days.
13th Mar 2019 - BBC

Parliament is betraying voters, but a clean Brexit is the best option

John Redwood MP defends the concept of a No Deal Brexit in an opinion article in which he dismisses a second referendum vote. A key point he maskes is 'leaving on 29 March will not mean leaving with no deal. There will be a range of deals. There are agreements in place for air transport to fly, for lorries to cross borders, for trade to continue under WTO rules and for cooperation to continue in various areas. As we leave, more such arrangements will be agreed. The EU has as much interest as us in continuing the trade. No EU pharmaceutical company will refuse to sell us medicines and no UK port will block their passage to our hospitals.'
13th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The Brexit crisis shows that the Conservatives have lost the ability to change

A party that was once capable of adapting to new forces has been trapped by its own rigidity. Paul Mason goes on to say the Labour Party has played a 'perfect hand at every stage of the Brexit debate.' his article concludes: if Parliament ends up at a Norway-plus solution, it is so unlike what the xenophobic right fought for that it provides an even greater rationale for a second referendum to ratify it. If you would rather remain and reform the EU, giving parliament a shot at a negotiated soft Brexit and putting it to the people is the only remaining route to that.
13th Mar 2019 - New Statesman

Losing control of Brexit

The defeat for the prime minister may help her win the war of attrition with hardliners in her Conservative party. She has always needed a moment of confrontation: to narrow the choice between her Brexit deal and a long extension from Article 50. It now seems that moment will arrive next week. Mrs May will play on the fears of Brexiters about kicking back exit day. They know that public opinion is gently shifting and Britons may change their minds on holding a second referendum.
13th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

May’s final warning to Tory rebels: back me or lose Brexit

Theresa May will attempt one final desperate roll of the dice on her Brexit deal, issuing a stark warning to mutinous Brexiters that they must approve her offer by next week or face a long article 50 extension. The prime minister was humiliated yet again amid chaotic scenes on Wednesday night in parliament, as her cabinet ruptured three ways and MPs inflicted two more defeats on the government to demand no deal should be taken off the table permanently. In an unprecedented night of Tory splits, four cabinet ministers, Amber Rudd, David Mundell, David Gauke and Greg Clark, defied their party’s last-minute whip and refused to vote against the government’s own motion, after it was amended to rule out any prospect of no-deal Brexit.
13th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Half of UK voters want Theresa May to resign: poll

British voters want Theresa May to resign as prime minister following the humiliating defeat of her Brexit deal, and for MPs to block no deal while voting to extend Article 50, according to an exclusive snap poll. The POLITICO-Hanbury poll of 500 Britons, carried out in the hours after the U.K. prime minister’s deal was overwhelmingly rejected for a second time Tuesday evening, reveals widespread discontent with the amended agreement May brought back to the Commons. The survey also shows growing support for no-deal and a second referendum — as well as for remaining in the EU.
13th Mar 2019 - Politico

Nobody wants this Brexit - it's time to grow up, and ditch this miscarriage of democracy

If you have to blackmail the Prime Minister, Cabinet and Parliament; threaten your friends; ignore the predictions of businessmen, scientists and experts; commit the grossest breach of campaign finance law in history; steal people's data' rely on Russian bots, fake news algorithms and racists; paint lies on a bus and keep Chris Grayling in a job because he was one of the people who thought this was all a great idea, then it's almost certainly a festering dungheap of a plan and it should be ditched before the cack hits the spreading device.
11th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 13th Mar 2019

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'The night you LOST BREXIT!' Jacob Rees-Mogg STUNNED as Andrew Neil lets loose on ERG

European Research Group (ERG) leader Jacob Rees-Mogg was left shocked after BBC presenter Andrew Neil accused the eurosceptic of losing Brexit. Mr Neil said a Brexit extension is now more likely and with that comes an uncertainty on when - if at all - Brexit will be achieved. The comments came moments after Theresa May failed to pass her withdrawal agreement through Parliament.
13th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Tory Brexit crisis is even worse than it looks

The defeat of Theresa May’s deal shows just how big a problem Brexit will be for her party in years to come. There are abstract benefits to leaving the EU but many of the concrete advantages are ones that Brexit voters don’t really want. Which leaves the Conservative Party facing two directions at once. Today the position of the Tories looks grim. Perhaps, however, its external foes might come to its aid. A Norway-plus Brexit may now be imposed. This could make Brexit largely pointless. But at least it would relieve the Conservative Party of its strategic dilemma.
13th Mar 2019 - The Times

Theresa May loses control of Brexit policy as MPs move to dictate terms over next 48 hours

Theresa May has finally lost control of Brexit after her deal was once again defeated in parliament by a huge margin on a catastrophic night for her plans. She must now let MPs decide whether to rule out a no-deal Brexit and has been forced to allow her ministers to vote as they wish to stop a devastating public split in her cabinet. In a humiliating Commons speech the prime minister said with a broken voice that she will also let the Commons vote on delaying the UK’s departure beyond 29 March and agreed to enact whatever was decided.
12th Mar 2019 - The Independent

A No-Deal Brexit Would Be "Unlawful", Dominic Grieve Says

A no-deal Brexit would be "unlawful" and "very difficult" to include in any second referendum, former attorney general Dominic Grieve told LBC. The Tory rebel, who is calling for another public vote on Brexit, said the government had a legal obligation to obtain a soft border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.
12th Mar 2019 - LBC

Sinn Fein's McDonald: May's Brexit defeat shows 'absolute disregard for the people of Ireland'

Sinn Fein president Mary-Lou McDonald has hit out at the defeat of Theresa May's Brexit deal, claiming it shows an "absolute disregard for the people of Ireland". Mrs McDonald was speaking after the Prime Minister's latest deal was defeated in the Commons by 149 votes. “We are 17 days away from Brexit and the uncertainty and confusion continues,” she said. “A crash out Brexit would be unthinkable for the peace process, jobs, trade and to the loss of people’s rights and quality of life, particularly in border communities.
12th Mar 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Brexit: MPs reject Theresa May's deal for a second time

Theresa May's EU withdrawal deal has been rejected by MPs by an overwhelming majority for a second time, with just 17 days to go to Brexit. MPs voted down the prime minister's deal by 149 - a smaller margin than when they rejected it in January. Mrs May said MPs will now get a vote on whether the UK should leave the EU without a deal and, if that fails, on whether Brexit should be delayed.
12th Mar 2019 - BBC

UK Parliament strongly rejects May's Brexit deal

12th Mar 2019 - MSN.co.uk

2 weeks till Brexit and Defra, at the very least, looks set to be caught with its IT pants down

The UK government has moved so slowly to prepare for a no-deal Brexit that backup plans for IT systems will be burdensome and more error-prone, MPs on the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) have warned. The committee has hounded government departments about their plans for the UK's exit from the European Union without a deal for more than a year. Throughout, the MPs expressed concern about the pace of progress and lack of urgency – and have today said they are disappointed some of these fears have come to fruition. In a report titled Brexit: Risky and rushed activity must not become "new normal", the committee looked particularly at the Department for Transport and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
12th Mar 2019 - The Register

Theresa May's Brexit deal defeated by 149 votes

MPs have rejected Theresa May's Brexit deal for a second time to prompt further instability at Westminster and uncertainty over the UK's departure from the EU. The prime minister, whose political future has also been thrown into doubt, saw 391 MPs vote against her withdrawal agreement on Tuesday night, with 242 voting in favour. This delivered a defeat by 149 votes for Mrs May's deal.
12th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Theresa May loses Brexit vote by crushing margin of 149 - and is now expected to come out against no-deal

Theresa May is set to vote on Wednesday to block a no-deal Brexit after she suffered another humiliating Commons defeat which left her fighting for her Premiership life
12th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Lost & ruined: May humiliated once again by Commons

It's not right to pity her. She has been utterly hopeless throughout. She gave away her red lines in 2016 to win Conservative party support and has been limited by that decision ever since. She triggered the timetable of Article 50 without bothering to have a plan and then wasted precious months calling a snap election which only suceeded in removing her majority. She made countless political decisions to placate the extremist wing of her party rather than seek the kind of consensus which might conceivably have united the country. She treated parliament with utter contempt. She lied and lied and lied. She lied as easily as she breathed. She followed a path based on the most mean-spirited and inward-looking of all possible political convictions. Her strategic failure has been equal only to her moral failure. She deserves all of the consequences of her actions and none of the pity which might normally have come with them.
12th Mar 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Theresa May’s Brexit deal fails again

IT WAS once rare for British governments to lose big votes in the House of Commons. Under Theresa May it is becoming a habit. On the evening of March 12th, for a second time, her proposed Brexit deal was roundly rejected by MPs. The margin of defeat was 149 votes—significantly less than the 230-vote defeat the deal suffered in January, but still a huge loss by historical standards.
12th Mar 2019 - The Economist

Croaky Horror Show - Theresa May’s rejigged Brexit deal inflicted with another defeat by hardline Tory MPs as she loses her voice

The PM, who lost a vote on her Brexit deal in January by a record 230 votes, this time managed to reduce the number of Tory rebels from 118 to 75 - she still crashed to the fourth biggest Commons defeat in history.
12th Mar 2019 - The Sun

This was May unplugged, unvoiced and once more exposed

In her statement after the defeat, the prime minister insisted her deal was still the only deal on offer. It was bordering on clinical madness. Her limitations as leader once more exposed. This was May unplugged. Unvoiced even. Her words no more than the occasional gasp. Even when she glimpsed reality by barking out that there would be a no-deal vote the next day, she was unable to prevent herself from more self-harm by declaring she would fail to whip it. Weakness piled on weakness. The martyrdom of St Theresa. Condemned by her own hand. A kinder Tory party would put an end to her suffering right now.
12th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May’s Brexit lost to the ultimate adversary: reality

There might still be ways that Brexit can go badly; unexplored dead ends and byways of failure. But the road to success is now closed. Parliament’s second verdict on Theresa May’s deal is slightly less crushing than the first one in January. But a defeat by 149 votes, just weeks before Britain is due to leave the EU, indicates not only the last evacuation of any authority from the prime minister but a profound crisis in the project that is the only purpose of her government. She had one job, and she cannot do it. Vital questions about the future will now be settled in a state between despondency and panic. There is no strategy, no guiding intelligence. A plan must be salvaged from the wreckage of a bad idea badly executed.
12th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Fake, foreign and far-right: Dodgy accounts uncovered pushing Brexit agenda on social media

Far-right political groups have been using fake accounts and co-ordinated behaviour on Twitter to amplify pro-Leave views, according to new research. In a study examining Brexit-related activity on Twitter, researchers from cyber security firm F-Secure identified fake accounts had been attempting to influence both sides of the debate. However, the firm found that astroturfing - the practice of faking grassroots support for a cause or subject - was "far more prominent in Leave conversations" than on Remain's side. They found this by examining tweets made between 4 December 2018 and 13 February 2019, well after the referendum, but during a critical time of parliamentary debate.
12th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Democratic Unionist party will not support May's deal in vote

The Democratic Unionist party has rejected Theresa May’s bid for support for her Brexit deal, in another serious setback for the prime minister. Hours after the attorney general revealed that his legal advice over the Irish backstop remained “unchanged”, the party said it would not be supporting her at Tuesday night’s crunch vote. Their decision could have a devastating domino effect on the outcome of the vote with many in the Eurosceptic European Research Group led by Jacob Rees-Mogg likely to vote the same way as the DUP.
12th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Nicola Sturgeon told she ‘is not bright enough’ to understand May Brexit deal

Nicola Sturgeon was told that she “simply wasn’t bright enough” to understand the benefits of Theresa May’s Brexit deal during a Downing Street meeting, according to an SNP MSP. The claim by Michael Russell, the Scottish constitutional relations secretary, was described as ridiculous by senior British government sources. Mr Russell was party to a terse meeting between Ms Sturgeon and Mrs May at No 10 in January, after which the Scottish first minister accused the prime minister of “running scared” of a second independence referendum.
12th Mar 2019 - The Times

Nicola Sturgeon told she's not 'bright enough' for May's Brexit deal

12th Mar 2019 - The National

Theresa May warns 'Brexit could be lost tonight' ahead of key vote

The Prime Minister claimed victory in a last-ditch trip to Strasbourg, where she unveiled some "legally binding" changes at the last possible moment. But Tory Brexiteers and the DUP rejected the changes after her Attorney General said they won't guarantee we can quit the 'Irish backstop.' Cornered, embattled and suffering a nasty cold, the croaky-voiced PM warned MPs they "risk No Deal or no Brexit" by voting her down. And she said "Brexit could be lost" tonight if she loses. If the deal is defeated tonight, MPs vote on whether to reject No Deal Brexit at 7pm on Wednesday. They then vote on delaying Brexit at 5pm on Thursday
12th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

May's Brexit deal has reached the end of the road: Boris Johnson

“This deal has now reached the end of the road. If it is rejected tonight I hope that it will be put to bed,” Johnson told parliament. Johnson said if the EU was unwilling to accept further changes, Britain should leave without a deal as while this would be more difficult in the short term, in the end it would be “the only safe route out of the abyss and the only safe path to self respect”.
12th Mar 2019 - Reuters

Theresa May is appallingly weak and has brought about a surreal new level of crisis - she must go

It was painful watching the Prime Minister in the Commons on Tuesday, it really was. And not just because that familiar voice with a hesitant scratch in it had deteriorated to the same Dalek croak that wrecked her speech to the Conservative Party Conference back in 2017. The second defeat of Theresa May’s Brexit Bill was not as bad as the first, but 149 votes against would still count as a pulverising loss under normal circumstances.
12th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

EU says it can do nothing more to help Theresa May after her Brexit deal suffers another huge defeat

The EU can do nothing more to break the Brexit deadlock in the House of Commons, the European Commission and the president of the European Council said after MPs rejected Mrs May’s deal by a huge margin for the second time on Tuesday night. “On the EU side we have done all that is possible to reach an agreement. It is difficult to see what more we can do. If there is a solution to the current impasse it can only be found in London,” said Donald Tusk’s spokesman.
12th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit vote result: All 75 Tory rebels, and how your MP voted on Theresa May's deal

heresa May's Brexit Withdrawal Agreement has been voted down by MPs in another landmark defeat for the Government. Some 118 Conservative MPs had rebelled against against the Government in the first Meaningful Vote, delivering a record defeat. This meant that Prime Minister May had a huge task at hand in order to regain her majority. This time round, in the second Meaningful Vote, the Government lost by a margin of 242 to 391 - a majority of 149. Some 75 Conservative MPs rebelled this time, delivering the fourth largest Government defeat in parliamentary history.
12th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Theresa May’s Brexit deal is dead — MPs must now take over

Mrs May must end the fantasy of bringing her deal to parliament a third time. EU officials have made clear there will be no further concessions on the backstop aimed at avoiding a hard border in Ireland. Mrs May should instead allow parliament to take control. She must work to promote and facilitate exactly the kind of cross-party co-operation in the national interest that she has so far stubbornly resisted.
12th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

@UKParliament We're aware of a technical issue with our website and our live feed to the House of Commons Chamber and we're working quickly to bring you coverage of the #WithdrawalAgreement.

We're aware of a technical issue with our website and our live feed to the House of Commons Chamber and we're working quickly to bring you coverage of the #WithdrawalAgreement.
12th Mar 2019 - @UK Parliament

Tory and DUP eurosceptics set to vote down May's Brexit deal

Theresa May's hopes of securing House of Commons approval for her Brexit deal suffered a shattering blow as leading Tory and DUP eurosceptics said they would not recommend that MPs vote for it. The so-called Star Chamber of lawyers convened by the Leave-backing European Research Group found that agreements reached by the Prime Minister in 11th-hour talks in Strasbourg do not deliver the legally-binding changes the Commons has demanded.
12th Mar 2019 - The National

EU washes hands of Brexit deal: ‘We have done all that is possible’

Brussels has washed its hands of trying to help Theresa May get her Brexit deal through parliament, warning that it is up to the UK to either pass the agreement or not. Immediately after MPs rejected the withdrawal package for the second time on Tuesday evening, a spokesperson for European Council president Donald Tusk said that the EU had “done all that is possible to reach an agreement”. “Given the additional assurances provided by the EU in December, January, and yesterday, it is difficult to see what more we can do. If there is a solution to the current impasse it can only be found in London,” he told reporters in Brussels.
12th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 12th Mar 2019

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Government ordered to end secrecy over Jacob-Rees Mogg’s ‘hard’ Brexit ERG lobby group

The UK Information Commissioner rules that Brexit department must release names of European Research Group MPs, following an openDemocracy Freedom of Information appeal. “The names and parliament email addresses of the MPs, MEPs and Lords redacted from the emails disclosed should be provided,” the ICO ruled. The ICO added that ERG members’ names are “constantly placed in the public domain” and “they frequently use publicly accessible Twitter accounts to provide their views”.
11th Mar 2019 - Open Democracy

Officials accused of 'cover up' over cost of Boris Johnson's Afghanistan trip

Officials have been accused of trying to “cover up” the cost of Boris Johnson’s trip to Afghanistan the day of a controversial vote. The former foreign secretary blew more than £20,000 of taxpayer’s cash on a visit to Kabul, which allowed him to miss a crunch vote on Heathrow expansion in June last year.
11th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit movie producer admits £500,000 scam Brexit movie producer admits £500,000 scam

The producer of ‘Brexit: The Movie’ is facing jail after admitting he faked his earnings to secure a half a million pound investment for a business venture. Tory activist David Shipley, 36, convinced Resourcing Capital Ventures he could begin his own financial recruitment company after photoshopping wage receipts for business presentations. The corporate finance executive admitted a single count of fraud by false representation at Southwark Crown Court. Shipley used the fake invoices to secure £519,000 for his corporate finance…
11th Mar 2019 - Court News UK

Activist behind pro-Brexit movie faces prison after admitting fraud

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11th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Nigel Farage met Donald Trump and urged him to back no-deal deal Brexit

Nigel Farage urged Donald Trump to back a no-deal Brexit when they met in Washington earlier this month. Former Ukip leader Mr Farage told the US leader to support the idea that Britain should walk away if a bad agreement was on offer. President Trump and Mr Farage became friends during his campaign when the former Ukip leader, dubbed "Mr Brexit", was greeted at a rally in Mississippi before the 2016 election.
12th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Number 10 Issued A Private Apology After Two Tory Officials Quit And Accused Party HQ Of Ignoring Their Islamophobia Complaints

In revelations that cast fresh doubt on Tory Party boss Brandon Lewis’ claim to have a “zero tolerance” policy on Islamophobia, the leaked emails show he was first made aware of the allegation in September 2018, but neither he nor the party’s complaints unit responded despite repeated requests for answers. When Theresa May was informed in January this year that the two association chairs had resigned saying their complaints had been ignored, she asked her senior adviser David Beckingham to respond. In his letter to Jagota, he apologised and said he had obtained assurances from CCHQ the complaint was being investigated, the leaked correspondence shows.
11th Mar 2019 - BuzzFeed News

We Are More Divided Than Ever On Brexit – Extending Article 50 Would Give Us Time To Build Consensus On How To Move Forward

There's been no plan B, no flexibility on red lines, no reaching out – the Prime Minister should focus on getting agreement on what kind of Brexit people want to see
11th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post

The UK Has Yet Another Idea To Solve The Backstop, But MPs Already Say It's "Legally Meaningless"

BuzzFeed News has learned that, under a proposal drawn up by May’s team and discussed with MPs and ministers over the last 48 hours, the government could publish a unilateral statement saying it would consider it “bad faith” on the part of the EU for the UK to be kept in the backstop for more than a period of up to five years. And that is what will be sold as the 'guarantee' that the EU will not control the matter to opponents
11th Mar 2019 - BuzzFeed News

Labour 'disaster' poll also brings a warning for the SNP

It is just 15 months since Richard Leonard took over the leadership of Scottish Labour. While his claim that the party was back on the road to power seemed pretty far-fetched to most people, myself included, I expected that they would recover at least some of the ground lost under Jim Murphy and Kezia Dugdale. After all, how could things possibly get worse? But get worse they did. And if the Wings Over Scotland/Panelbase poll released last week is accurate, Labour is now on course for its worst General Election result since 1910, before the introduction of universal male suffrage. That surely explains the air of desperation about Richard Leonard’s ever-more extravagant promises.
11th Mar 2019 - The National

Britain's Future Stopped, Then Restarted Its Massive Facebook Ad Campaign Just Before A Key Brexit Vote

An investigation revealed Britain's Future is Britain's biggest political spender of Facebook advertising, purchasing more than £350,000 of ads targeting users to contact their MPs. On Monday morning, Facebook's ad archive showed Britain's Future was not currently advertising on the platform. But hours later, the group had 43 new ads targeting Facebook users displayed on the platform's ad archive tool. It's unclear whether the group stopped its advertising campaign as part of a scheduled or strategic decision, or whether this came as a result of recent media coverage of the group.
11th Mar 2019 - Buzzfeed News

@Channel4News [Theresa May] has allowed hardliners in the ERG group to hijack the government and hijack the country."

[Theresa May] has allowed hardliners in the ERG group to hijack the government and hijack the country." Labour's Yvette Cooper says that "instead of reaching out", Theresa May has allowed Conservative Eurosceptics to set the Brexit agenda.
11th Mar 2019 - @Channel4News

Doublethink: How Brexit arguments lost all meaning

The deal hasn't just gone down badly because it will genuinely hurt future generations. Leavers hate it because it's the first time an actual picture has been painted from the referendum result. And when all of the lies and rhetoric and misinformation are scrubbed away, what's left is bleak, expensive and nothing like what was advertised. Ever since the question was decided, the UK has fallen victim to a debate between fantasy and reality. And as long as the government is allowed to pursue this blank cheque Brexit, whose terms are utterly divorced from what was on the ballot paper, we continue to risk monumental harm.
11th Mar 2019 - Politics.co.uk

EU eyes cash demands as Brexit talks turn sour

Prime Minister Theresa May agreed a withdrawal treaty last year under which Britain would pay the European Union close to 50 billion euros (43.4 billion pounds) over the coming years to meet commitments made while a member. But the British parliament has rejected the deal and the treaty will be void if nothing changes by March 29. In the event of a no-deal exit, likely to cause economic disruption, the EU would insist on Britain committing to settle those bills - a significant part of the EU budget - before any resumption of talks on how to manage future trading relations. “Imagine all the bad blood and acrimony should we end up with a no-deal after two years of negotiations,” an envoy who follows Brexit for one EU member state told Reuters.
11th Mar 2019 - Reuters UK

Brexit: It’s far too late for UK to say what it wants, says Varadkar

Mr Varadkar told reporters. “We’re two and half years if not three years since the referendum. It is far too late for the United Kingdom to tell us what they want. The withdrawal agreement requires a compromise and this withdrawal agreement is already a compromise.”
11th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Dog owners hound Theresa May in call for Brexit referendum

Theresa May has been accused of making a "dog's dinner" of Brexit by second referendum campaigners and their pooches. The prime minister was hounded by pup-owners who gathered in Westminster to condemn the "diabolical" situation just 19 days from Brexit.
11th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Brexit: Keir Starmer savages Theresa May's new 'deal' in fiery Commons statement

Labour's Keir Starmer tonight savaged Theresa May's Brexit 'deal' in a fiery House of Commons statement. The former Director of Public Prosecutions swept into full lawyer mode as he held aloft hundreds of pages of documents in a furious attack. Sir Keir shot down Mr Lidington's argument by saying Theresa May had promised to change the Brexit deal itself - and achieved no such thing.
11th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brussels in bleak mood in 'crunch' Brexit week

"How can we move forward with the UK?" another EU diplomat spluttered in frustration. "We held talks this weekend, yes. But with whom? UK civil servants representing whom? Theresa May only?" "How can the EU conduct negotiations, when the other side (the UK) doesn't have one position but many? And they keep changing and contradicting." The mood in the EU, I can assure you, is not one of a bloc that is poised to "blink" at the last moment. And there is huge irritation in EU circles that UK government fingers of blame are pointing at Brussels for what they see as EU intransigence.
11th Mar 2019 - BBC

Former Australian PM calls Brexit trade plan ‘utter bollocks’ - Kevin Rudd says UK striking deals with Commonwealth is not ‘magical alternative’ to EU

Rudd, a former chair of the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group, noted that, while Australia, Canada and New Zealand would remain supportive of a post-Brexit UK, their combined population of about 65 million people does not “come within a bull’s roar of Britain’s adjacent market of 450 million Europeans”. And he cast serious doubt on suggestions the UK could quickly come to a free trade agreement (FTA) with India, pointing out that talks he began with the nation on behalf of Australia a decade ago are still going on. “A substantive India-UK FTA is the ultimate mirage constructed by the Brexiteers. It’s as credible as the ad they plastered on the side of that big red bus about the £350m Britain was allegedly paying to Brussels each week. Not.”
11th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

@C4Dispatches - Dispatches reveals that Brexiteer and Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg may have earned at least £7 million since the 2016 EU referendum, from an investment firm he partly owns - which has seen its profits increase since the vote.

“The amount I receive is not for public disclosure.” Dispatches reveals that Brexiteer and Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg may have earned at least £7 million since the 2016 EU referendum, from an investment firm he partly owns - which has seen its profits increase since the vote.
11th Mar 2019 - @C4Dispatches

MPs have failed on a grand scale over Brexit

The May deal is the only one the table right now and the only one that is ever going to be on the table. As MPs (should) have known since at least November, parliament has only three options: deal, no deal, no Brexit. A decision is long overdue. Rejecting the deal at this stage in the process isn’t brave or principled and it certainly isn’t leadership. It’s rolling a dice with Britain’s politics and economy because you can’t bring yourself to take responsibility and face up to the complexities and compromises of real life.
11th Mar 2019 - The Spectator

Brexit is the most expensive, ruinous divorce in history

Our once-proud democracy has been turned into an idiocracy run by inept fools thanks to Theresa May ’s woeful amateur-hour negotiating and the grandstanding, puffed-up Tory Brextremists, who still scream their dogmatic lies. If Parliament adopts the PM’s bad deal or, worse, a no-deal exit, our nation’s decline into irrelevancy and intolerance will be accelerated. If MPs do the right thing and go into extra time, there might be a chance to ask people if they really want to wreck Britain
10th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Sir Rocco Forte: 'No point in delaying Brexit'

A no-deal Brexit is better than a bad deal, and Theresa May's is a bad deal according to hotel tycoon Sir Rocco Forte. Ahead of a series of Brexit votes in parliament this week Sir Rocco is urging MPs to reject both the prime minister's deal and the option of delaying Brexit. "There's no point delaying, Europe has said the deal is the deal, it's on the table and we're not going to change it, so what do we do? Are we going to delay? What's it going to do? if we take no deal off the table, we're finished. We have no negotiating position," he says.
10th Mar 2019 - BBC

The Great Indifference: Brexit Wrongdoing Swept Under the Carpet

On Tuesday Channel 4 repeated claims of Banks’ business dealings with Russia in 2015 and provided evidence that a finance company, substantially owned by him, pitched a gold mine merger to a Kremlin linked oligarch just prior to the EU referendum. The destabilisation of the UK and the EU is a key objective of Putin’s regime and any links between a major player in the Brexit process and actors in that state should be a source of serious unease – but Banks responded to all of the Channel 4 allegations with his usual bluster. The idea that there can be ‘trust in politics’ when grifters like Banks can subvert elections and not reveal the source of his funding is, frankly, laughable. With the clock ticking down to 29 March serious and immediate questions need to be asked as to who actually funded Brexit – and Arron Banks urgently needs to be held to account.
8th Mar 2019 - Byline Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 11th Mar 2019

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Theresa May desperately attempts to salvage Brexit deal with 48 hours before critical Commons vote

Theresa May has been warned she could be forced out of Downing Street if her Brexit strategy is dismantled by MPs this week in a series of critical votes. As negotiations entered the eleventh hour, the prime minister was desperately attempting to salvage her withdrawal deal, with a plane reported to be on standby at RAF Northolt to fly her to Brussels at the first sign of EU officials shifting their position. However, it remained unclear whether the prime minister would be making a dash to the Belgian capital, as hopes of achieving any significant concessions appeared to fade.
11th Mar 2019 - The Independent

EU prepares to demand multi-billion pound increase on divorce payment from Britain in return for Brexit delay

he EU is preparing to impose punitive conditions on Britain as its price for agreeing a Brexit delay if Theresa May is forced to ask for an extension this week. Member states are “hardening” their attitudes towards a delay and will demand “legal and financial conditions” including a multi-billion pound increase to the £39bn divorce payment. With no signs of a breakthrough in the Brexit negotiations to change the existing exit deal, Parliament is expected to reject the deal for a second time on Tuesday, before voting later in the week to extend Article 50.
10th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

No majority support for Theresa May's deal in any constituency, analysis shows

The new constituency-by-constituency model based on YouGov polling for the People's Vote campaign of more than 25,000 voters presents grim reading for Downing Street ahead of Tuesday's "meaningful vote" on Ms May's Brexit agreement. If "don't knows" are excluded from the polling, which was conducted in January, the results add that there is a majority support in just two constituencies in England, Scotland and Wales for the prime minister's deal.
10th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Corbyn's bullying Labour party is dashing the hopes of the young

The culture of bullying, intolerance and division is a betrayal of the hopes that young people had invested in Corbyn, the Pied Piper of Labour who turns 70 in May. As long as he remains leader, the divisions can only deepen.
10th Mar 2019 - The Times

Brexit delay would be political calamity, say

Two leading Brexiteers have said any delay to Brexit would do "incalculable" harm to public trust in politics. Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Tory MP Steve Baker and the DUP's Nigel Dodds said the "extended uncertainty" would be a "political calamity".
10th Mar 2019 - BBC

Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins and his team ran up a £140k bill for travel and hotels in three months

Brexit negotiator Olly Robbins and his team ran up a £140,000 bill for travel and hotels in three months, government figures reveal. Best for Britain boss Eloise Todd said: “This is a huge waste of money. “In the short space of three months, the government spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on travel and accommodation to negotiate a deal that was defeated by an historic margin. “It makes no sense to carry on spending like this when there are plenty of other priorities.”
10th Mar 2019 - The Sun

Arron Banks broke agreement to suspend Brexit campaigning after Jo Cox murder, investigation finds

Arron Banks flouted an agreement to suspend Brexit campaigning after the murder of Labour MP Jo Cox, according to an investigation by Channel 4 News. Nigel Farage’s ally ordered Leave.EU team to “up the spend” on Facebook and “press it harder”, emails obtained by the programme reveal – the morning after the killing that shocked the nation. Channel 4 said the emails also showed a Leave.EU press officer drafted a press release accusing the media of politicising Ms Cox’s murder for the Remain side, but in the name of the Labour Leave campaign group.
10th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Green MP Caroline Lucas brands Theresa May 'shameless' over Brexit, and says she thinks PM will call second referendum

Leading People’s Vote campaigner Caroline Lucas today delivered the verdict that Theresa May will call a second Brexit referendum once she is "boxed into a corner" over her Withdrawal Agreement. Green MP Ms Lucas pointed to the Prime Minister's "shameless" history of U-turns, predicting Mrs May will offer a second vote "when it suits her".
10th Mar 2019 - Evening Standard

Seamus Milne and Corbyn aide blocked anti-semitism suspensions

Two of Jeremy Corbyn’s closest aides directly intervened to lift the suspension of an activist accused of anti-semitism, according to leaked emails. Seumas Milne, the Labour leader’s director of strategy and communications, told party officials to reinstate Glyn Secker after two of them had ruled that he be kicked out for joining a Facebook group where members posted messages denying the Holocaust. Milne stepped in after Andrew Murray, another aide to Corbyn who is also the Unite union’s chief of staff, stated that the leader himself was “interested in this one”. Secker was readmitted to the party shortly afterwards.
10th Mar 2019 - The Times

Minister claims 'only two' members of Cabinet still support Theresa May as she faces growing pressure to quit

heresa May is facing increasing pressure to resign within weeks after it was claimed she has lost the backing of all but two of her Cabinet ministers. The Prime Minister has already said she will not contest the 2022 general election, but her ministers want her gone by July so that a new leader can conduct the next phase of the Brexit negotiations if Britain avoids a no deal exit. Members of the Cabinet have privately discussed whether they should tell her at the end of this week that her time is up, after what is expected to be a series of disastrous votes in Parliament.
10th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Why are our MPs putting blatant self-interest ahead of the Brexit vote?

There are no risk-free options now, no steady-as-she- goes, old-fashioned British compromise. The whole issue has to be reframed, re-energised and rescued from its present captivity. Jeremy Hunt, the foreign secretary, told Marr that the deal’s failure this week would risk “Brexit paralysis”. But where do he and his colleagues imagine we are right now?
10th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Mark Drakeford: Tory 'arrogance' could damage UK

The Conservatives' "arrogance" could lead to the "unravelling" of the UK, according to Wales' first minister. Mark Drakeford said the party's "grace and favour" attitude to devolution could put the UK's future in danger. He said that Labour was a "dedicated devolutionist party". "In the end it is the so-called unionists who pose the greatest threat to the union of the United Kingdom," he said, speaking at the Scottish Labour Party conference in Dundee.
9th Mar 2019 - BBC

Mike Russell: Jeremy Hunt perfectly symbolises Westminster arrogance

It was hardly surprising that Jeremy Hunt should be at it again this week in Glasgow, when he contemptuously claimed that “of course” the UK Government would refuse any request for a Section 30 order from the Scottish Government. What was incredible, however, was what followed, when he advised the Scottish Government to concentrate on delivering in the areas of health and education instead.
9th Mar 2019 - The National

Brexit: £3.5m adverts ask EU citizens to stay

Ministers are to launch a £3.5 million advertising campaign within weeks to encourage people from the European Union to secure their status in Britain after Brexit. About 3.7 million EU citizens live in this country and the information campaign will focus particularly on areas where a large number of them live. The first phase will begin days before the full launch of the settlement application process. The campaign will include advertising on billboards and bus stops and at railway stations. There will be adverts on radio, catch-up TV and websites and on social media.
9th Mar 2019 - The Times

Corbyn keeps trying to dodge a Final Say – he should realise we’re best served staying in the EU

It seems Jeremy Corbyn is sifting through the Brexit allsorts, desperate to find any alternative to the one he doesn’t like: a people’s vote. His latest dodge is to throw his support behind a Norway-plus option. This would essentially see the UK join the European Economic Area (EEA), whose members are bound by many European laws, but without any influence over their content. This would represent a serious and significant loss of sovereignty.
9th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Delay Brexit to save environment, green charities urge PM

Five leading green organisations have called on Theresa May to delay Brexit to avoid losing environmental protections created by “decades of campaigning”. Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace UK, Green Alliance, E3G and ChemTrust have said the prime minister should try to extend article 50 because the government has failed to live up to its promise that existing environmental standards would be maintained or even enhanced.
9th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The left-wing case for Brexit is becoming more ridiculous by the day

So let me get this straight: a Brexit driven by a hard right-wing Tory government is just what we need to protect workers’ rights, health and safety and the environment? The Centre for Policy Studies powers the thought behind hard Brexiteer plans, protecting workers’ rights, health and safety and the environment would simply get torn to pieces in future even more right wing Tory administrations
9th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Parliament will suffer a terrible backlash if Brexit doesn't happen on time

Theresa May's speech in Grimsby yesterday was a waste of time. The political situation hasn’t altered since the Chequers agreement of July last year. Since then the Government has been going round and round in circles, trying to sell the same Brexit-in-name-only. Leavers say “no”; the Government seeks alterations; the EU says “non”, too. The public, meanwhile, watches the dance in disbelief.
9th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

UK minister warns of violence in case of no-deal Brexit

The failure to secure a deal to leave the European Union may lead to violence on British streets, according to a senior British lawmaker. David Gauke, the U.K.'s secretary of state for justice, said a no-deal Brexit would be a disaster for the country, including the immediate ending of U.K.-EU cooperation on vital law enforcement issues.
9th Mar 2019 - Politico.eu

No-deal Brexit will be the UK’s fault, not the EU’s – leader comment

Hunt should be doing everything he can to ensure the UK and EU do indeed remain “the best of friends” – given our main alternatives include Trump’s America, China and Russia. His attempt to shift blame onto the EU for what would be the UK’s failure sounds worryingly like the Government has given up hope for May’s deal and already started its no-deal PR campaign with a “blame Brussels” theme. If it happens, a no-deal Brexit, followed by a recession so bad it could affect the global economy, will be no one’s fault but our own.
9th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

It would be a mistake for Tory rebels to back May’s Brexit deal

Yesterday, in Grimsby, she turned to her own backbenchers, telling them: “Reject [the deal] and no-one knows what will happen. We may not leave the EU for many months. We may leave without the protections a deal provides, we may never leave at all.” She is of course right: no-one knows what will happen on Tuesday nor in the coming three weeks before 29 March. It does her no credit that she has allowed it to get to such a late stage with businesses still having no idea how to prepare for Brexit, or no Brexit. But one thing is for sure: hard Brexit or no Brexit at all, May’s deal was and remains the worst of all worlds.
9th Mar 2019 - The Spectator

May Could Lose Tuesday's Brexit Vote by Huge Margin, Times Says

Theresa May’s aides are increasingly concerned that Tuesday’s vote on her Brexit deal could result in an even worse humiliation than she endured in a similar vote in January, the Sunday Times reported. The majority against the government then was 230, the biggest defeat for a prime minister in more than a century. “It’s bloody bad,” the Times cited one of her aides as saying. “We are at Defcon 2.”
9th Mar 2019 - Bloomberg

Brexit: Leave Means Leave features 63-year-old Wetherspoon's owner in campaign aimed at young people

Just last week their Ladies For Leave campaign was ridiculed for using gender as a means for supporting Brexit, despite women overwhelmingly voting to stay in the EU. Now they are back with a new video aimed at young people and are aiming to highlight the many benefits for young people outside of the EU, despite 71 per cent of people between the ages of 18 and 24 voting for Remain in the 2016 referendum. The three prominent speakers in the promotional video are all white men and have a combined age of 122, which is hardly what we would call 'young.'
9th Mar 2019 - Indy100.com

Three-quarters of newly eligible voters would back remain in second poll

Some 87% of people who were too young to cast a ballot in the 2016 Brexit referendum but have since reached voting age would “definitely” take part if a second public vote were called, according to a new poll. And of the estimated 2 million new young voters, 74% would back remain. The survey, carried out by BMG on behalf of the anti-Brexit youth groups Our Future, Our Choice and For Our Future’s Sake, suggests the youth vote would be crucial in any second remain campaign and could significantly boost its chances of overturning the 2016 leave result.
9th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Arron Banks 'ignored deal to stop pro-Brexit ads' after Jo Cox death

Channel 4 News said it had seen email sent the morning after Cox’s murder from Banks, Leave.EU’s key financial backer, to his assistant Liz Bilney, the campaign group’s chief executive, that read: “Keep pumping the McKenna video” and “up the Spend A”. The campaign had enlisted the TV hypnotist Paul McKenna to advise on its broadcasts. Bilney replied to Banks: “Yes that’s starting to get traction now and with paid advertising and no active campaigning could get a lot of take up today.” Banks responded: “Exactly – press it harder.”
8th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The more we learn about Brexit, the more crooked it looks

By the relatively low-spending standards of British politics, Banks was a huge donor, giving $11 million of his own money to the Brexit cause and raising an additional $5 million on top. And here's the peculiarly British part of the story: Thanks to Banks's extensive use of tax havens and shell companies, it has never been entirely clear where all of that money came from — or even whether all of it was really his.
8th Mar 2019 - The Washington Post

UK government refuses to reveal how it will use EU citizens' data ahead of Brexit

1) EU citizens could be deterred from applying to remain in the UK after Brexit due to fears over how the UK government will use information collected during the application process. 2) The Home Office has refused repeated requests from privacy and transparency campaigners to reveal information about the new settled status scheme for EU citizens living in the UK. 3) Around 3 million EU citizens currently live in the country. 4) Campaigners suggest government secrecy about the issue could be breaking the law.
8th Mar 2019 - Business Insider

For business, no-deal Brexit has already hit...Three weeks before Brexit day, the costs of no-deal are mounting by the day.

Industry has spent hundreds of millions on contingency plans it will not be able to recoup even if a last-minute deal can be done, and U.K. firms are already reporting drops in sales, exports and investment. Farmers are also watching contract orders for this year's harvest dry up. The findings are backed up by U.K. government figures showing that domestic business investment has fallen for three consecutive quarters. The last time business investment fell for more than two quarters was in the aftermath of the 2008 economic crash.
8th Mar 2019 - Politico.eu

Worried about Brexit? What, with these geniuses in charge?

Exiting the EU is a job for the country's brightest minds. They weren't available, says Guardian columnist Marina Hyde, who then tears into the Ministers in charge of Brexit in a humourous manner
8th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: 'Home Office should lose its immigration duties'

The Home Office is the wrong department to manage immigration after Brexit, says a highly critical report by the Institute for Government (IfG) thinktank. “The failure to make trade-offs, decide priorities and articulate objectives has damaged public confidence and made it impossible for government to run the system effectively,” it said, adding that the Home Office set up increases its ineffectiveness.
8th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Will Self and Mark Francois in TV stare-off

Tempers rose in the BBC's Politics Live studio over voting in the EU referendum, leading to quite a stare-off between author Will Self and Tory MP Mark Francois.
8th Mar 2019 - BBC

No matter what happens with Brexit, this toxic environment must end

Part of what the prime minister is banking on is Brexit fatigue, and the understandable public annoyance that MPs haven’t been able to sort the issue growing. I think a people’s vote could solve that, but even then, to hold a referendum responsibly will require a degree of respect between people on all sides of the debate. We must end this toxic environment, or no matter where we end up with Europe, our country will be divided for generations to come.
8th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Lord Trimble: Brexit challenge cannot be heard yet

Lawyers for Lord Trimble have told him that his Brexit legal challenge cannot be heard in court at this stage. He is attempting to challenge the legality of the backstop, arguing it breaches the Good Friday Agreement. They argued that the case was not capable of being argued in court because no final decision has yet been taken on the backstop and therefore there is nothing for a court to review.
8th Mar 2019 - BBC

Labour peers launch extraordinary attack on Jeremy Corbyn over 'political failure' on anti-semitism

Labour peers have launched an astonishing attack on Jeremy Corbyn and condemned his “political failure” to tackle anti-semitism in the party. The Equalities and Human Rights Commission yesterday said Labour may have “unlawfully discriminated” against people because of their religious beliefs. Its announcement came as it emerged senior officials in the leader’s office had advised complaints teams over how to act in disciplinary cases.
8th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Comment: MPs vote is merely end of Act One in Brexit saga

Irrespective of the route MPs opt to take next week, businesses exhausted by Brexit and hoping Parliament will finally deliver a conclusion to the drama may be sadly disappointed. Even if a deal is passed, this is really only akin to reaching base camp. Thereafter, the UK must embark on a precarious ascent towards agreeing its future relationship with the EU, whilst also working to strike trade deals with countries around the world.
8th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 8th Mar 2019

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Backstop may threaten Northern Irish human rights, says Cox

Geoffrey Cox said unless the Irish backstop could be shown to be a temporary arrangement, it risked breaching protocol 1, article 3 of the Human Rights Convention, which protects the rights of people to vote in order to choose their legislature. In what appeared to be a curve ball, Cox told the EU that Northern Irish citizens would be unrepresented in the EU’s decision-making institutions, including the European parliament, thereby diminishing their rights.
7th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Irish Times poll: Majority in North unhappy with handling of Brexit by May and DUP

The poll finds that Northern voters are deeply dissatisfied with the management of Brexit by the UK government and, most significantly, with the Democratic Unionist Party, with more than three-quarters of all voters saying they are dissatisfied with the UK government. Two-thirds of all voters (67 per cent) say the DUP is doing a bad job of representing Northern Ireland at Westminster, while 69 per cent of people – including 57 per cent of those from a Protestant background – are dissatisfied with DUP leader Arlene Foster.
7th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Labour warned against ‘betraying’ members as party admits it may not back fresh Brexit referendum

Sources close to the Labour leadership confirmed that the party is not advocating a referendum on anything other than a “damaging Tory Brexit” and will not support one if Britain leaves the EU on terms that Labour backs. The Independent has learnt that the issue was the subject of a row between Mr Corbyn’s shadow ministers that pitted Keir Starmer and Emily Thornberry against Brexit-backing frontbenchers led by Jon Trickett. As it dawned on Labour Remainers today, a prominent MP who backs the People’s Vote campaign warned that a failure of the party to follow through on the pledge to back a new referendum would be seen as a “betrayal”.
7th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Breaking point: The brilliant poster showing the real threats to the country

Led By Donkeys, together with For our Future’s Sake, today hired the exact same van used by Farage to launch his referendum poster showing a queue of mostly non-white migrants and refugees with the slogan “Breaking point: the EU has failed us all” and drove it to Westminster’s Smith Square, the same place he launched it. But they gave it a redesign: replacing the migrants with Brexiteers such as Boris Johnson, Liam Fox, David Davis and Farage himself, and tagging it “The UK is being swamped by a tide of incompetents”. The campaigners said: “By taking the exact same ad van that Nigel Farage used to launch his vile poster in 2016 and replacing it with our own version, we hope to go a little way towards cleansing our country of that noxious moment.
7th Mar 2019 - The New European

Delay Brexit for year to prevent ‘impending national disaster’, urges Gordon Brown

Brexit should be delayed for up to a year to prevent an “impending national disaster” and allow proper consideration of the UK’s future relationship with Brussels, Gordon Brown said. The former prime minister said an extension to Article 50 was “inescapable” to avoid chaos on the scheduled March 29 departure date from the European Union. He said that extending the period by 12 months would allow MPs to listen to the public through a “citizens’ consultation” on the detail of current Brexit proposals and the alternative options.
7th Mar 2019 - The Scotsman

May’s authority on the line as defeat on Brexit vote looms

The prime minister’s team fears another defeat on Wednesday when MPs are likely to vote on whether to allow Britain to leave without a deal, an option Mrs May says the UK should retain for negotiating purposes. A third vote could take place on Thursday next week on whether to extend the Article 50 exit process from the EU. Mrs May’s team says that the votes on delay and no-deal could be held back-to-back on Wednesday to avoid a cascade of humiliations for Mrs May through the week, even if there would no disguising the scale of the defeat.
7th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Former Brexit minister Suella Braverman insists Portsmouth port will work ‘just as effectively’ after Britain leaves European Union

Former Brexit minister Suella Braverman has insisted the city’s port will function ‘just as effectively’ after Britain leaves the European Union. Hampshire’s local resilience forum has drawn up contingency plans for a no-deal Brexit, including preparing land and a triage system near the port at Tipner West. Planners fear any delay at the border would lead to the backing-up of lorries on the M275 – rapidly spreading to the M27 within minutes.
7th Mar 2019 - Portsmouth News

Theresa May urged to safeguard emergency food supplies in no-deal Brexit

Theresa May has been urged by more than a dozen major charities to safeguard food supplies for vulnerable people in the event of a no-deal Brexit. The Trussell Trust, Church Action on Poverty and FareShare were among 15 organisations to write to the prime minister calling for a “hardship fund”, which would be used to help those worst hit if Britain crashes out of the European Union without a deal. They warned that services like meals on wheels and free school dinners, as well as supplies to food banks, homeless hostels and refuges, could be adversely hit if food prices increase. These services feed millions of people every day. Children, the elderly, hospital patients and low-income families could all be affected, the charities said.
7th Mar 2019 - The Independent

MANDRAKE: Arron Banks' Brexit campaign outfit £3m in red

Arron Banks is not letting a National Crime Agency investigation dampen his ardour for Better for the Country. New accounts, just in at Companies House, reveal that Banks has continued to bankroll the controversial outfit with £2 million in loans, but, for all his largesse, it’s now £3.3m in the red. The multi-million-pound admin expenses were reported in the 2017 accounts for Better for the Country at at £611,184 for 2017, plus £12.4m for 2016. There are no new figures for Leave EU, which was £6.17m in the red at September 30, 2017. Officially, the NCA investigation concerns the entities Better for the Country and Leave.EU, as well as Banks, Elizabeth Bilney and other individuals.
7th Mar 2019 - The New European

Belfast Shows the Price of Brexit

If the U.K. exits the EU warrant system, it will have to stand up its own—and if that new system does not pass muster with EU courts, Irish police might not be allowed to extradite wanted criminals. The harder border will militarize. Over the past three days, as I’ve had many conversations with Irish politicians and officials, both with those still serving and even more with those who are retired, the word that recurred most often in discussions of Brexit was betrayal. They imagined that they had at last awoken from Joyce’s nightmare. Now it has returned, scarier than ever.
7th Mar 2019 - The Atlantic

Brexit is a 'huge help' to Irish republicanism, says dissident leader

Brexit is a “huge help” to Irish republicanism and will fuel violent resistance to British rule in Northern Ireland, a dissident republican leader has claimed. The UK’s departure from the European Union has refocused attention on the border and the “colonialist” partition of Ireland, boosting efforts to politicise a new generation of Irish nationalists, Brian Kenna, chairman of the political party Saoradh, told the Guardian. “Brexit has been a small pilot light in reigniting that side of physical force to British occupation,” he said. Kenna spoke in an interview before three improvised explosive devices were found at separate transport hubs in London on Tuesday. At least two of the packages bore Irish stamps and postmarks.
7th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit talks contain uncanny echoes of events a century ago

The tortuous talks on Brexit, which are now entering a critical stage, contain uncanny echoes of the events of a century ago that reshaped the continent of Europe. One of the threads that links past and present is the Irish Border, which had its origins in the great political controversy over Home Rule that dominated politics in Ireland and Britain on the eve of the first World War. Back in the summer of 1914 in an effort to avert a political crisis that threatened to unleash a civil war across the United Kingdom, King George V convened a conference of British and Irish political leaders at Buckingham Palace. One of the big issues was whether some counties of Ulster should be excluded on a temporary basis from the remit of an Irish parliament and if so which ones.
7th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

New IRA 'has recruited dozens of dissidents amid mounting anger over Brexit'

Up to 200 active members have signed up to Republican terror groups amid anger over Brexit, a source has claimed
7th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Government 'in chaos’ as Brexit department boss to quit on EU departure date

Pro-EU campaigners have blasted the Government after it emerged the top civil servant in the Brexit department will quit the day the UK leaves the EU. Philip Rycroft will retire as permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the European Union on 29 March after just over a year in the role. It means the office will soon be on its third boss in less than three years, after former permanent secretary Olly Robins was moved to the Cabinet Office in 2018. Labour MP and People's Vote campaigner Jo Stevens said the personnel moves at the top of the department were "a reflection of the whole Brexit process – shambolic and doomed to fail".
7th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Brexit department's top civil servant to retire just as UK is set to leave EU

7th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Facebook finds UK-based 'fake news' network

Facebook has removed more than 130 accounts, pages and groups it says were part of a UK-based misinformation network. The company said it was the first time it had taken down a UK-based group targeting messages at British citizens. The same group set up pages posing both as far-right outlets and anti-fascist activists. Facebook said it had shared its discovery with law enforcement and the government. The group was able to gain followers by setting up innocent-looking pages and groups. It later renamed them, and started posting politically-motivated content. MP Damian Collins, who chairs a committee investigating fake news, said it was the "tip of the iceberg".
7th Mar 2019 - BBC

The political plot to engineer a soft Brexit is doomed to fail spectacularly

The pressure on pro-Brexit opponents of May’s deal continues. This morning, Chancellor Philip Hammond threatened that if Parliament does not pass May’s deal, the UK will not leave on March 29th as scheduled and the delay will be used by opponents of Brexit to achieve a much “softer” post-Brexit deal. This argument is confused and unconvincing. It is confused in that the main objections to May’s deal are not how “soft” a Brexit it implies. The main objections are that it makes the EU, not the UK, sovereign over the key economic laws of Ireland, in violation of the Belfast Agreement, and that it involves paying £40bn we don’t owe the EU for nothing in return
7th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

After Brexit, Britain will be a rule-taker

Free-enterprise Brexiters railing against supposedly excessive EU red tape have never understood the relationship between common rules and open markets. Liberalising trade across national frontiers requires shared standards to ensure a level playing field. The single market has had great success in promoting trade because the EU has been able to harmonise the rules. They are wrong. The simple fact is that in today’s global economy, rulemaking is the property of the most powerful players. If you are one of the world’s biggest importers you can insist others meet your standards. Likewise, if you have a serious grip on a particular industry you can set sector-wide norms. The EU, the US, and, to varying degrees, China, Japan and India all fit this bill. Britain is not big enough. Within the EU it has been at once a rulemaker and a rule-taker. Outside, its only real choice will be between whether it should accept rules from Brussels or elsewhere.
7th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

James O'Brien just proved that these old promises about Brexit have turned out to be completely false

There are no two ways about it, James O'Brien has an excellent skill for cutting through obfuscating Brexiteers' arguments, and getting to the truth of the matter. Now, the long-suffering Remainer, and LBC radio host, has turned his ire on politicians' historical claims about Brexit, and proved them to be complete and utter 'hogwash'. With only 23 days to go before Brexit, and no deal with the EU in sight, his frustration at the situation is getting more and more palpable, as he tears those responsible for this 'shambles' to shreds.
7th Mar 2019 - Indy100

For leavers, it is not about the economy

Few of the 17.4 million who voted Leave in 2016 ever wanted any of that. Most of them come from a different place than Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg. I’ve tried to understand Leave voters partly by going through surveys, with help from Matthew Goodwin of the University of Kent. I’ve also consulted my private hotline to a subcategory of Leavers: several hundred FT readers who have emailed me since 2016 in response to my out-of-touch elitist Remoaning. The vast majority of Leave voters know what they voted for, still believe it and are unmoved by the latest Remainer arguments. That’s because the three-year dialogue of the deaf between the two Britains continues: Remainers talk economics, while most Leavers talk culture.
7th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

@JolyonMaugham Cummings made the tactical choice to allow Brexit to mean different things to different people. That was the only way he could get a "mandate".

Before elevating Cummings to sainthood, remember: he made the tactical choice to allow Brexit to mean different things to different people. That was the only way he could get a "mandate". There was no way then and is no way now to resolve the contradictions. That's the problem.
7th Mar 2019 - @JolyonMaugham

As foreign secretary I argued against an EU referendum. Now I back one

The UK is in a Brexit dead end and May’s deal satisfies no one. I don’t see any way out other than allowing voters the final say
6th Mar 2019 - QZ.com

Brexit deal 'will be defeated by 100 votes', ministers believe, after talks in Brussels collapse

Theresa May’s Cabinet is resigned to her Brexit deal being defeated by up to 100 votes next week after talks in Brussels collapsed without progress on Wednesday. Downing Street is already making plans for a third “meaningful vote” on the deal on the assumption that Tuesday’s vote is lost, and Mrs May is considering making a major speech on Friday to plead for support from MPs. One minister said it appeared “certain” that the Commons vote on the Brexit deal will be lost, and that Mrs May’s next move would depend on the scale of the defeat. Meanwhile the Chief Whip, Julian Smith, has warned MPs their Easter break could be cancelled if Brexit is delayed
6th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 7th Mar 2019

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Public satisfaction with the NHS 'drops to lowest level in over a decade'

Analysis by The King’s Fund and Nuffield Trust of the 2018 British Social Attitudes survey found 53% of the public were satisfied with the health service, down 3% from the year before and at the lowest since 2007. The figure clashes with an historic high of 70% in 2010, which followed a decade of increasing satisfaction, from 38% in 2001.
7th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Theresa May Could Be Forced Into A Soft Brexit After Peers Back Customs Union Membership

MPs will have a chance to force Theresa May into a softer Brexit after peers passed an amendment calling on the government to “take all necessary steps” to form a customs union with the EU. Peers voted by 207 votes to 141, majority 66, to amend the trade bill in the House of Lords to make it the prime minister’s objective to strike a UK-EU trade deal which includes a customs union. It means MPs will have a binding vote on customs union membership - a key Labour demand - when the legislation returns to the Commons in the coming weeks.
6th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Former Italian PM Paolo Gentiloni: 'Brexit biggest mistake by a European country since war'

Channel 4 spoke with the former Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who described Brexit as the biggest mistake by a European country since the Second World War in a wide ranging interview
6th Mar 2019 - Channel 4 News

Ryanair boss calls Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn ‘idiots’ and says Brexit should be reversed

The airline’s chief executive warned: “It doesn’t resolve any of the fundamental issues. And that is: the same people – Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Liam Fox – who were promising us for the last two years that this trade deal will be the easiest one in history, have failed to deliver anything in the last two years. “We’ll be back here again at the end of 2020 wondering what the hell are the UK government are going to do?”
6th Mar 2019 - The Independent

A hostile environment for EU citizens?

In a no-deal scenario, these 3 or so million (assuming they wish to remain here) can apply for European Temporary Leave to Remain for up to 36 months. Then, EU citizens face further applications for a different immigration status from 1 January 2021 onwards.
5th Mar 2019 - Red Pepper

UK accused of not honouring dual citizenship commitments

Northern Ireland residents who wish to assert their Irish nationality and EU citizenship rights after Brexit are inadequately protected by the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement, a delegation from Northern Ireland told the EU Brexit task force on Wednesday. UK Brexit secretary Stephen Barclay and attorney general Geoffrey Cox returned to London following fruitless “difficult” discussions with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier on Tuesday evening.
6th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Home Office to amend registration rules for vulnerable EU citizens

The Public Law Project, which acted on the JCWI’s behalf, said: “Following key concessions to the claim by the home secretary, JCWI have today withdrawn their claim.” It said the agreement would have implications for hundreds of thousands of citizens nervous about their status because they were elderly, a carer, a stay-at-home parent, mentally ill, a student, homeless or out of work through no fault of their own. As part of the settlement, the government has expressly confirmed that it will not refuse settled status to anyone who is “economically active”, works part-time or those who do not have private health insurance.
6th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Desperate 11th hour Brexit talks near collapse in Brussels after bitter clash between Attorney General and Michel Barnier

Eleventh hour talks for a new Brexit deal were last night on the verge of collapse as EU chiefs clashed bitterly with Cabinet ministers in Brussels. With just five days to go before a final showdown Commons vote, British and EU negotiators hit deadlock over a compromise on the Irish backstop. No10 admitted that Attorney General Geoffrey Cox’s meeting with Michel Barnier was “difficult” and the pair had “a robust exchange of views” – diplomatic code for a blazing row. It even emerged that the senior eurocrat’s deputy Sabine Weyand told EU ambassadors last night that the two sides are so far apart they will today discuss whether it’s even worth holding any further meetings.
6th Mar 2019 - The Sun

Liam Fox defends spending £100,000 on a podcast listened to by 8,400 people

Liam Fox was asked again if his podcast presented value for taxpayers' money, he said: "It depends how many of the businesses that actually listened to it actually became exporters. If all 9,000 who listened to it became exporters then I’d say that was a successful project. If none of them did, I would question its value for money but that will depend on the review that we have to get data."
6th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit: Jeremy Corbyn 'reaches out' to Tory MPs over Norway plan

Jeremy Corbyn has said he is "looking at all the options" to prevent a no-deal Brexit after he met Tory MPs to discuss alternatives to the PM's deal if it rejected again by Parliament. The Labour leader held talks with ex-Tory ministers Nick Boles and Sir Oliver Letwin, who favour a closer, Norway-style relationship with the EU. He said he had discussed the so-called "Common Market 2.0 option" but would not commit to backing it at this stage. The UK is due to leave on 29 March.
7th Mar 2019 - BBC

Jeremy Corbyn working with Tory backbenchers to reach 'soft' Brexit deal

Jeremy Corbyn is working with Tory backbenchers to try to reach a ‘soft’ Brexit deal that can get the support of Parliament. The Labour leader held in-depth talks with a cross-party group of MPs who are backing a Norway-plus style Brexit. Afterwards, he said felt “more certain” and “more determined” than ever that a sensible compromise could be struck. Mr Corbyn hopes to secure a close economic relationship with the EU after Brexit that would keep both Leave and Remain voters happy. And he wants to move beyond Brexit to concentrate on crucial domestic issues that are currently being neglected.
6th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Labour HQ Staff Threaten Strike Action After Rejecting Below-Inflation Pay Offer

Labour party staff are considering strike action after rejecting a below-inflation pay offer made by general secretary Jennie Formby. In a move that would cause Jeremy Corbyn huge embarrassment, some workers at the party’s HQ are threatening industrial action if a better deal fails to materialise, HuffPost UK has been told. On Wednesday, the GMB union’s Labour branch rejected an offer of a £600 flat rate increase in salary, and later this week Unite colleagues are expected to follow suit, sources said.
6th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post

‘We are at War’ with Putin MPs told: his Aim is to Divide Europe

Dr Andrew Mumford answered the Committee’s question What do these states do, what do they want? “Fundamentally they want to disrupt the decision-making process within competitor states,” he told Parliament. “Essentially, acts of hybrid war try to put a competitor state on the horns of a dilemma. Overreaction looks like you are the belligerent one, under-reaction leaves elements of your national critical infrastructure at risk. … Everything is done below the threshold of response. … Those clear lines of command and control are not there, they are very murky.” Donnelly told the committee he believes deterrence is to some extent ‘impossible’ and that the UK may need to actively wage hybrid war on its competitors – a tactic that the UK does not currently use – in order to deter attacks.
6th Mar 2019 - Byline Times

'Highly likely' GRU hacked UK institute countering Russian fake news

The National Crime Agency is leading an investigation into a suspected cyber attack on a British institute that seeks to counter Russian disinformation, Sky News can reveal. Whitehall sources said it is highly likely that Russia's military intelligence service carried out the hack-and-leak of files from the little-known Institute for Statecraft. The move may have been in response to Britain implicating the GRU in the Salisbury spy poisoning last year and pledging to "shine a light" on the agency's covert activities, they said. Mr Donnelly, who speaks Russian and is an expert on the Kremlin and Russian military strategy, said the hackers used sophisticated techniques, not leaving behind easy-to-spot tracks, which he said was a further indication of a Kremlin-sponsored attack.
6th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Calls for Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley to resign over 'not crimes' claim

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has faced calls to resign after telling MPs that killings by the military and police during The Troubles "were not crimes". Amid a backlash at her remarks, the cabinet minister was forced to return to the House of Commons hours later on Wednesday to clarify that she was "not referring to any specific cases". Ms Bradley continued: "The under 10% that were at the hands of the military and police were not crimes; they were people acting under orders and instructions, fulfilling their duties in a dignified and appropriate way."
6th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 6th Mar 2019

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IAG chief says lack of Brexit progress ‘quite shocking’

Willie Walsh, chief executive of IAG, the airline group that owns British Airways, has said the lack of progress in Brexit talks is “quite shocking” and would hurt the UK’s economy. In a foreword to IAG’s annual report, Mr Walsh wrote: “I think it is inevitable that Brexit will have a greater impact in the months ahead. It has been quite shocking to get so far in the political process without having any real clarity about the future. That can’t be positive for the economy.”
5th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

British Airways boss lashes out over lack of Brexit progress

5th Mar 2019 - Yahoo Finance UK

'Shocking' lack of progress on Brexit, says IAG boss

5th Mar 2019 - RTE.ie

Donald Tusk claims anti-European forces meddled in Brexit vote

Donald Tusk has claimed external powers meddled in the Brexit vote as he called for EU member states to do more to protect the upcoming European elections. “There are external anti-European forces, which are seeking – openly or secretly – to influence the democratic choices of Europeans, as was the case with Brexit and a number of election campaigns across Europe. And it may again be the case with the European elections in May,” said Tusk, a former prime minister of Poland and vociferous critic of Vladimir Putin.
5th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

EU's Donald Tusk: 'External anti-European forces' influenced Brexit vote

5th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Chris Grayling defies calls to quit over Brexit ferry fiasco as he defends 'collective' decision

Chris Grayling has said he will not quit over a ferry contract blunder that forced the Government to shell out millions of pounds to Eurotunnel.
5th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Outspoken Brexit critic wins £20,000 damages from ex-UKIP candidate who branded him a paedophile

Professor Anthony Grayling CBE was 'distressed and enraged' after discovering a tweet by Peter North saying he kept hoards of vile videos. The May 2018 post said: 'I'd bet good money that AC Grayling has a hard drive full of underage botty sex videos.' Former Oxford don Grayling, who appeared on BBC's This Week criticising a British exit from the European Union, has sued Mr North for libel. Mr North has been described as 'a prolific writer in support of the UK leaving the European Union'. He failed to file a defence and, in a hearing at the High Court in London, Judge Richard Spearman QC awarded Professor Grayling £20,000 for the 'particularly pernicious' libel. 'In my view, that's a figure which should provide vindication for him,' he said. 'It must be clearly stated that there is no truth in the allegation against him.'
5th Mar 2019 - Daily Mail

Bombs sent to London airports and Waterloo came from Ireland

The Garda was now aiding the London Metropolitan Police with its inquiries into the devices. British counter-terrorist police have opened an investigation into who sent the three small bombs to Heathrow and London City airports and Waterloo train station ...
6th Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

The endless Brexit lies have left us in an Orwellian nightmare

In the meantime, we are left with the last gasp of the old lies from 2016: the idea the Commission will buckle, that the member states will ride to our rescue. They will not. And there are older and uglier lies than that at play too: that Britain will always outmanoeuvre and outsmart the continental Europeans and the insubordinate Irish will eventually do as they're told. That, too, will not happen. In the end, British exceptionalism will be the last reality to collapse. Because it is our oldest lie of all.
5th Mar 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Vote Leave cheated in the 2016 Brexit vote – how would we stop them doing it again?

The court of appeal made it clear that they do not want to “interfere” with the 2016 referendum. Now, more than ever, it is essential MPs protect the national interest and that of their constituents, above party politics. If a Final Say referendum crystallises, it is vital that parliament engages in a cold, rational debate about the imposition of robust legal safeguards. Firstly, to act as a deterrent to non-compliance with agreed rules and, secondly, to ensure that any poll in which corruption occurs may be invalidated. If democracy means anything to those in power, they cannot allow any further cheating to taint it.
5th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Brexit Bulletin - Last Ditch

s Cox tries to achieve the apparently impossible on the much-loathed Irish backstop, two factors play in May’s favor: First, the European Union wants to avoid a delay. It would be messy because of European elections, and members are split on how long it should be. Secondly, since May effectively replaced the option of no deal last week with the alternative of extending Brexit, the decision facing hardliners is much tougher. They now have to choose between the risk of getting trapped in EU rules via the backstop, and the certainty of getting trapped in the whole bloc through an extension
5th Mar 2019 - Bloomberg

@JP_Biz The Head of the NI Civil Service has sent an updated no-deal Brexit letter to the local parties warning of "grave" consequences which could have a "profound & long lasting impact on society."

The Head of the NI Civil Service has sent an updated no-deal Brexit letter to the local parties warning of "grave" consequences which could have a "profound & long lasting impact on society."
5th Mar 2019 - @JP_Biz

Lord Sugar Tells LBC: “There’s No Such Thing As A Good Brexit Deal”

Lord Sugar has told LBC there is “no such thing” as a good Brexit deal because the EU is “only interested in what’s good for them”. The pro-EU businessman and former enterprise advisor to Gordon Brown added that he had “no idea” whether he would have been able to have negotiated a better deal.
5th Mar 2019 - LBC

Security adviser Max Bergmann on Russia: 'Brexit for them was a huge opportunity to sow discord in Europe and UK'

Security adviser Max Bergmann on Russia: ‘Brexit for the Russians was a huge opportunity to sow discord in Europe and UK’
5th Mar 2019 - Channel 4 News

Brexit is a major national 'crisis' which may trigger a public inquiry, says former UK ambassador

Brexit is a national crisis which could lead to a major public inquiry, according to the UK's former chief ambassador to the European Union. Sir Ivan Rogers told Business Insider that UK politicians and officials should be going through "a hell of a lot of reflection" on how they have handled Britain's exit from the European Union. He also said that Theresa May "didn't know very much" about the EU at the beginning of the Brexit process.
5th Mar 2019 - Business Insider

Tory party suspends 14 members for posting Islamophobic or racist comments online

Fourteen Conservative party members have been suspended after posting Islamophobic or racist comments on social media, The Independent can reveal. Comments found on a pro-Jacob Rees-Mogg Facebook group from Conservative party members included calling for Muslims to be “turfed out of public office”, for the government to “get rid of all mosques” and calling Home Secretary Sajid Javid a “Trojan horse”. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), which has repeatedly called for an independent inquiry into Islamophobia within the party, said the latest revelation was ”astonishing”
5th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 5th Mar 2019

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Furious Emmanuel Macron slams Brexit as 'lie sold by anger mongers with fake news'

Emmanuel Macron has blasted Brexit as an "irresponsible lie" less than a month before Britain leaves the EU. The French president slammed "anger mongers backed by fake news" for creating the biggest European crisis since the Second World War in an astonishing broadside. "Nationalist retrenchment offers nothing – it is rejection without an alternative. "And this trap threatens the whole of Europe – the anger mongers, backed by fake news, promise anything and everything.
5th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

SNP accuse Theresa May of 'grubby Brexit bung' over Scotland's share of £1.6bn package

The SNP accused the Conservatives of handing out a ‘grubby Brexit bung’ with more cash for Northern Ireland, while the money was dubbed as "desperate bribe" by shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
4th Mar 2019 - Herald Scotland

Theresa May’s English Towns Bribe Shows Her Utter Disdain For Wales

It seems that Theresa May has found her magic money tree once again. After nine long years of Labour MPs calling for greater investment across the UK, only when the Prime Minister needs to get her botched Brexit deal through the commons does she start to clear the cobwebs from the Treasury vaults. But while this gruel for deprived English towns may be pretty thin, it is gruel nonetheless. But what did Wales get in today’s desperate round of handouts? Nothing. We didn’t even figure.
4th Mar 2019 - Huffington Post UK

East of England to get smallest share of £1.6bn ‘Brexit bribe’ pot for deprived towns

The east of England will get the smallest share of a £1.6bn government fund to boost run-down towns after Brexit. The move has been dubbed a “Brexit bribe” by political opponents who say it is aimed at trying to influence Labour MPs in Leave-supporting areas to back prime minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement in crunch Commons votes. The area set to benefit most was the north west, which will get £281m, the equivalent of £39.95 per person. While the east of England will get just £25m, equal to £4.11 per person. The money, which will see the investment over several years, will be aimed at creating new jobs, helping train local people and boosting economic activity.
4th Mar 2019 - EDP 24

Is Theresa May's Stronger Towns Fund a Brexit bribe?

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell said the funding announcement "smacks of desperation" as many of the areas that will receive funding are part of Labour constituencies that voted to leave the EU. McDonnell criticised the government for overseeing "a decade of cuts" and said that was the reason why a number of communities were struggling. He argued that the government was resorting to bribing MPs in the hopes they would vote for May's deal. Anna Soubry, Brexit spokeswoman for the Independent Group, said the prime minister was employing a "desperate measure to buy votes" and compared it to the funding found for Northern Ireland when the Conservatives set up their confidence and supply deal with the DUP.
4th Mar 2019 - Coventry Telegraph

Labour MPs scorn May’s £1.6bn towns plan as blatant Brexit ploy

Labour MPs have scorned Prime Minister Theresa May’s promise of £1.6bn for English towns as a transparent attempt to buy their support for her Brexit deal with funds so thinly spread as to make little difference to deprivation.
4th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Stronger Towns Fund: £1.6bn post-Brexit cash announced

A £1.6bn government fund has been launched to boost less well-off towns in England after Brexit. The pot is split into £1bn, divided in England using a needs-based formula, and £600m communities can bid for. More than half of the money, to be spread over seven years, will go to the north of England and the Midlands. Labour called it a bribe to influence MPs to back the PM's Brexit deal and critics say it does not cover cuts to local authority funding.
4th Mar 2019 - BBC

Lisa Nandy on Brexit vote and cash for English towns

Lisa Nandy MP says she would not turn down Brexit funds for her constituency, but it will not affect how she votes on a Brexit deal.
4th Mar 2019 - BBC

May loses key MPs' support over 'obscene and derisory' pro-Brexit towns fund

Downing Street unveiled a "Stronger Towns Fund" for less prosperous parts of England on Sunday - with £1bn divided between the regions and a further £600m available for bidding by local authorities. But the amount of allocated, which will be distributed over the next six financial years, has been criticised. The West Midlands was awarded the second highest sum of £212m, which works out at £9 per person per year.
4th Mar 2019 - Sky News

Tory MPs express unease over £1.6bn boost for poorer towns

The government has come under immediate pressure from its own MPs over a £1.6bn funding boost for deprived English towns, as it emerged the guaranteed spending in some regions would amount to as little as 58p per person per year. The money, to be spent over seven years, includes £1bn pre-allocated to various English regions, ranging from £281m for the north-west to £33m for the south-west. The other £600m will be available to any region via a bidding process.
4th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May 'did not understand EU when she triggered Brexit'

Theresa May and her circle of advisers did not understand how the European Union works, and consequently followed a negotiating strategy in 2016 that was doomed to fail, the former UK ambassador to the EU Sir Ivan Rogers has said. Speaking to the Institute for Government on Monday, Rogers said the people around the prime minister at the start of the article 50 process “didn’t know very much about European councils or that much about the EU”. Rogers, who resigned a year ago and has developed a reputation for producing some of the most caustic assessments of the misunderstandings between the UK and the EU, said the UK lived under the illusion that it could circumvent Brussels by making direct deals with the major capitals.
4th Mar 2019 - The Guardian

UK government doesn't understand how EU works, says its former ambassador to Brussels Ivan Rogers

4th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Dawn Butler: Theresa May 'a danger to democracy'

Speaking to talkRADIO’s Matthew Wright, Ms Butler said: “She’s doing everything she possibly can to get her deal through the house, from running down the clock to now offering money for votes. “That’s very dangerous for our democracy and I think people need to take this seriously.” Ms Butler added that the sum of money offered was just a “drop in the ocean” compared to cuts made to local authority funding as part of the government’s austerity measures. “It’s such small fry in terms of what local communities have lost, and I don’t think our MPs are that cheap,” Ms Butler added.
4th Mar 2019 - talkRADIO

Brexiters are refusing to accept their victory

If, in 2015, you had offered Leavers Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg the outcome now available through Prime Minister Theresa May’s agreement — an end to free movement of people and near total withdrawal from the primacy of European Court rulings — they would have accepted it with alacrity. Yet they are now holding out over the UK’s right to escape the limits on trade that are part of the Irish backstop. They have turned an independent trade policy into the wheel on which their dream may be broken.
4th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Voting for May’s Brexit deal solves nothing

Most of the Leave voters in Labour seats in 2016 weren’t our voters in the first place. Of Labour voters, the vast majority (around two thirds) voted Remain in 2016. As Brexit has unfolded, Labour voters are the group most likely to have shifted from Leave to Remain. Labour is a Remain party, with a Remain voter base. For the Leave voters we have left, polls show that Brexit is not a priority – their main goal is a Labour government.
4th Mar 2019 - Labour List

Howard Flight: The Brexit deal. I suspect we will end up being presented with a last-minute fudge.

How are the last-minute negotiations are likely to break? Theresa May is on clear record as saying that “no deal would be better than a bad deal”. But she does not want No Deal, as it would run the political risk of breaking up the Conservative Party. She has now delayed the “meaningful vote” in the Commons until March 12th at the latest, when the Prime Minister’s deal will be the only option. It is also clear that there is no parliamentary majority for even a managed No Deal.
4th Mar 2019 - Conservative Home

Tory MPs must vote down any deal that fails to deliver a real Brexit or the people will never forgive us

Tory MPs must vote down any deal that fails to deliver a proper Brexit or the people will never forgive us
4th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Geoffrey Cox shifts focus after giving up on Eurosceptic backstop demands

​Geoffrey Cox has switched his attention to trying to secure an enhanced "arbitration mechanism" to allow the UK to leave the Irish border backstop after failing to meet the Brexit demands of Eurosceptics. The Attorney General has given up trying to secure a way of avoiding a hard border and placate the hardline Brexiteers
4th Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Attorney-general seeks revised Brexit deal to avoid permanent backstop

4th Mar 2019 - Financial Times

Chris Grayling: Government sends health secretary to answer Brexit ferry questions instead of transport chief

Beleaguered transport secretary Chris Grayling faced fresh criticism when the health secretary instead answered MPs’ questions about the Brexit ferries fiasco. Matt Hancock fielded queries in the Commons over Friday’s shock £33m payment to Eurotunnel to settle controversy over cross-Channel contracts. Labour condemned the decision, claiming Mr Hancock would be acting as Mr Grayling’s “human shield” on Monday. But Downing Street said “the supply of medicines” was a key part of the no-deal cargo that the ferries would bring to Britain.
4th Mar 2019 - The Independent

Watch: Britain Brexit is a 'circus', warns Danish PM

Speaking at a party conference on Saturday, Rasmussen said it would be "irresponsible" for Denmark to follow in the UK's footsteps to withdraw from the European Union. ”It would be completely irresponsible to toy with the idea of copying the circus that is playing out in Britain at the moment," he said. "With an economy that’s suffering...With a paralysed political system that is melting down."
4th Mar 2019 - Euronews

Cabinet ministers took May ‘hostage’ over Brexit delay, says former minister

The British government was "taken hostage" by Cabinet ministers who forced Theresa May into offering MPs a mechanism to delay Brexit, said former minister George Eustice. Eustice, who resigned Thursday from his post as junior agriculture minister, told Sky News’ Ridge on Sunday that May was strong-armed into allowing MPs a vote on delaying Brexit, which would damage her negotiating hand with Brussels.
4th Mar 2019 - Politico.eu

Richard Tice demands NEW TEAM for post-Brexit trade negotiations – 'NOT too late'

“It will be a peaceful march to show the Government just the strength of feeling that Brexiteers have out there." “If they ratify the withdrawal agreement I think the sense of anger that the Government has put the country into a straight jacket and given the key to the padlock to eurocrats in Brussels so that they can unlock us at their timing, people will be very, very angry about that and will have an opportunity to express that.
4th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Fresh Brexit chaos as government shelves Financial Services Bill in face of looming defeat

The Government’s Brexit legislation timetable has been thrown into "chaos" after ministers were forced to pull a key bill because it was facing a humiliating defeat. The bill, which is one of several pieces of crucial legislation required to be passed before the UK leaves the EU, will now have to be re-scheduled for debate in the Commons. Up to 22 Conservative MPs were set to defy the Government to vote for a cross-party amendment aimed at forcing new tax transparency rules on British Overseas Territories.
4th Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Martin Howe: It is far better to risk extending Article 50 than to accept May’s bad deal

A long extension of 21 months would have the same practical result as the “implementation” period in the deal, except the UK would be much better off than under the deal because we would still have a vote and representation in EU institutions and the European Parliament. Unlike the deal, we would be free to leave on 1st January 2021 without being trapped in the “backstop” Protocol.Our financial liabilities during the 21 month extension would be the same as under the deal, but unlike the deal, we would have no obligations afterwards. Unlike under the deal, we would not be subject to indefinite ECJ jurisdiction after 2020.
4th Mar 2019 - Conservative Home

@TNewtonDunn The Financial Services Bill is the 1st of 6 bills that Govt must pass (thru both houses) by March 29 to make No Deal possible.

The Financial Services Bill is the 1st of 6 bills that Govt must pass (thru both houses) by March 29 to make No Deal possible. It was due to leave Commons tonight. So yet another Brexit timetabling disaster.
4th Mar 2019 - @TNewtonDunn

The Brexit death cult that's killing everything good about Britain

Hours after an anonymous insider called the extremists of the Conservative Party a "death cult", Downing Street denied saying it. That often happens when something is true. ERG deputy Steve Baker is reputedly the inspiration for this new cult, despite lacking any obvious charisma. A born-again Christian, he was most upset to find out about his unwanted promotion while at church on Sunday, and No10 offered "clarification" that the claim had nothing to do with them. Which does not mean that the original comment was not made by someone else. And this is what we have come to: 25 days before what we are assured is apocalypse, and the provisional wing of the Tory Party is getting its knickers in a twist not about the backstop but about being called names.
4th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Theresa May's Twitter tribute to Salisbury attack victims used a picture of Bath

Theresa May's trip to Salisbury today to mark the one year anniversary of the Novichok attack got off to a rocky start when she appeared to pay tribute to the wrong town. Twelve months on from the chemical attack on Russian defector Sergei Skripal, 66 and his daughter Yulia, 33, Downing Street took to Twitter to praise the resilience of the people of Salisbury. There was just one problem - they tweeted a picture of Bath instead.
4th Mar 2019 - Daily Mirror

Labour CRISIS: 17 frontbench MPs set to OPPOSE Jeremy Corbyn over second referendum U-turn

Up to 17 shadow ministers have spoken out about the effects they believe a second vote could have on the UK. In the past 6 months, 13 of these ministers have publicly opposed a second referendum. Mr Corbyn could face mass resignations if he continues take the plan to a Commons vote, according to The Daily Telegraph.
4th Mar 2019 - Express.co.uk

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 4th Mar 2019

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Lawyers blow hole in plan for short extension favoured by May in order to pass her deal

A Brexit delay of longer than two months could be illegal unless the UK elects new MEPs, lawyers are warning, appearing to torpedo Theresa May‘s strategy. Article 50 cannot be extended beyond the end of May unless the UK takes part in fresh European parliament elections, according to a legal opinion issued by the German Bundestag.
2nd Mar 2019 - The Independent

UK must hold EU polls if Brexit delayed beyond May, says Bundestag

2nd Mar 2019 - Luxembourg Times

May sees Brexit as 'damage limitation', says ex-aide Nick Timothy

Theresa May's former chief of staff has told the BBC she always saw Brexit as a "damage limitation exercise". In his first TV interview, Nick Timothy suggested the PM and other ministers' attitude meant the government has "not been prepared to take the steps" needed to make the most of Brexit. And he warned the government's mishandling of it risked "opening up space for a populist right wing party".
1st Mar 2019 - BBC

May 'struggling to see any Brexit upside', says ex-aide

1st Mar 2019 - BBC

Theresa May's former top aide says the PM has treated Brexit 'like a damage limitation exercise'

1st Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Tory Party Showing 'Tell-Tale Signs Of Institutional Racism' Over Islamophobia, Says Baroness Warsi

The Conservative Party is showing “worrying tell-tale signs of institutional racism” over its handling of Islamophobia, Baroness Warsi has said. It comes after HuffPost UK revealed the Tories failed to expel member Colin Raine, despite him sharing hate online and an allegation he was behind a far-right protest at an MP’s office. Raine’s membership was instead allowed to expire, Bishop Auckland Conservative Association confirmed. Reacting to the story, Warsi tweeted: “Reactive not proactive; hiding behind bureaucracy; using process as an excuse; failing to acknowledge the challenge; opaque complaints system.
2nd Mar 2019 - HuffPost UK

The Tories’ response to raging Islamophobia? Turn a blind eye

2nd Mar 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Barnier doubts whether UK will leave EU on schedule

EU chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has indicated he does not believe the UK will have enough time to approve British prime minister Theresa May’s withdrawal deal by the scheduled exit date of March 29th. Mr Barnier suggested a “technical extension” of up to two months may be needed.
2nd Mar 2019 - The Irish Times

Michel Barnier casts doubt on whether UK will leave EU on March 29

2nd Mar 2019 - ITV News

TIG has shaken up the Labour Party – with the threat of 70 more defections chipping away at Corbyn’s power

If Corbyn fails to show real leadership in stamping out antisemitism, declines to give more centrist MPs shadow cabinet roles and influence on policy and allows 50 MPs to be deselected by their local parties, then TIG’s ranks will swell, and Labour’s election prospects diminish. Corbyn’s handling of Brexit will also be important. Although he is edging towards backing a public vote in return for allowing May’s deal to pass the Commons, he will be happy if anti-referendum Labour MPs defeat him. As one MP put it: “He will go into the division lobby with his fingers crossed behind his back.”
3rd Mar 2019 - The Independent

Barry Gardiner: Second EU referendum would undermine trust in democracy

The Shadow International Trade Secretary told the BBC's Question Time that a so-called "People's Vote" on whether or not to overturn the result of the 2016 referendum would be "divisive". His comments came just days after Labour announced that it would formally back another referendum between a "credible" Leave option and remaining in the EU.
3rd Mar 2019 - Politics Home

Minister approaches Independent Group of MPs as three more Tory MPs face no-confidence votes

A senior Government minister has approached The Independent Group of MPs, it has emerged, as three more Conservative MPs face no confidence votes by their local parties which could end their political careers. The unnamed Minister of State wrote a letter to a senior member of the group saying they "agreed with everything you have done" opening the possibility of a hugely damaging defection away from the Conservative party.
3rd Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

ERG warns May not to 'bounce' parliament over new Brexit deal

Tory Eurosceptic group says at least two days will be needed to scrutinise new compromise on Irish backstop
3rd Mar 2019 - The Guardian

How do you kick EU ‘bastards’ out, asks Boris Johnson

It is not clear who runs the EU or how to "kick those particular bastards out," said former U.K. Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. "My objection to the EU was not that it was run by foreigners,” Johnson, a Brexiteer who quit Prime Minister Theresa May’s government last year in protest at her Brexit strategy, told a New Delhi conference Saturday, according to AFP. “The problem is we don't really know who is running it."
2nd Mar 2019 - Politico

'Brexit betrayal' march: Nigel Farage charging Leave protesters £50 to join him on walk to London

Leave supporters who want to join Nigel Farage’s march against Theresa May’s Brexit approach are being charged £50. "Core marchers” – those who walk for two or more days – will have to make the one-off payment, which covers accommodation, dinner and breakfast. Other supporters can join the event for free as cheerleaders but would have to fund their own accommodation if away from home overnight.
2nd Mar 2019 - The Independent

Hundreds turn out in Cardiff for protest against Brexit

Hundreds of people marched through Cardiff on Saturday to protest against the UK leaving the EU. A march, organised by Wales for Europe, started outside the Central Library on The Hayes, on Saturday afternoon, before heading along Queen Street in the city centre.
2nd Mar 2019 - Wales Online

Brexit – latest news: 'Talks have stalled', Barnier tells EU ambassadors as minister warns May no-deal will be ‘stopped whenever’

Michel Barnier has told EU ambassadors that no progress has been made in the Brexit negotiations as the UK keeps pushing for changes that would unacceptable to the 27 remaining member states
2nd Mar 2019 - The Independent

The Tories won’t be forgiven for a hard Brexit – which equates to a massive tax rise on business

The Conservative Party – the supposed party of business – seems to have abandoned its core principles. It has failed to address the concerns of firms facing massive uncertainty about their future operations as Brexit looms closer, brushed aside the warnings from business representatives and refused to plan properly for all eventualities. This has already resulted in many companies relocating operations and investment away from the UK. Without any clarity about the future relationship with the EU, firms have been forced to spend enormous sums on stockpiling, relocation and administrative changes. Large companies have spent millions revamping their operations to prepare for all contingencies, whereas small businesses have, in the main, not even begun preparations. That is because they have no idea what to prepare for and are struggling to find resources to devote to projects that may be entirely unnecessary.
1st Mar 2019 - iNews

Grayling under pressure to quit over Brexit ferry fiasco

The beleaguered transport secretary, Chris Grayling, is under mounting pressure to resign after reaching a humiliating £33m out-of-court settlement over a botched Brexit ferry deal. The deputy Labour leader, Tom Watson, said “heads must roll” after the latest chapter in the fiasco, in which the startup company Seaborne Freight was awarded a £14m contract to open a new UK-EU ferry route for emergency medical supplies in the event of a no-deal Brexit, even though it had no ships and no port contract.
1st Mar 2019 - The Guardian

The EU smells our fear and thinks we are biddable. It's time to walk out of the room

Ex-Minister George Eustice launches a blistering attack on the EU saying "they smell our fear" and we should "just walk out the room" as his route for a negotiated withdrawal agreement
1st Mar 2019 - The Telegraph

Brexit: 'No deal' Port of Ramsgate funding axed

Funding for the Port of Ramsgate which was at the centre of a row over a no-deal-Brexit ferry contract has been axed. Thanet District Council has approved cuts of £730,000 saying it will no longer keep the port "ferry-ready". In December the government gave Seaborne Freight a contract to run a service to Ostend, Belgium to offset delays in the case of a no-deal Brexit. The Seaborne contract was later cancelled after a backer pulled out.
1st Mar 2019 - BBC

Diehard Brexiteers long to feel betrayed

If May wins her ‘meaningful vote’ the real arguments begin, and many of the ERG would rather be martyrs than victors. In the deepest recesses of the Brexiteer mind lies a fear of winning, of being tested. Buried in their psyche is the ache for martyrdom. The divide between those who will vote for May’s deal in the days ahead, and those who won’t, is just a difference of opinion about when to cry foul. Betrayal is their unconscious dream. Our job as Remainers will be to help them fulfil it.
1st Mar 2019 - The Times

Ivan Rogers on Brexit: "What Surprises Me Is the Extent of the Mess"

Ivan Rogers: I knew that it would be a long, tortuous and potentially conflictual process. That doesn't surprise me. What does surprise me is the extent of the mess and the fact that four weeks before the deadline, the political class is unable to come to any serious conclusion about what kind of Brexit they want. Of course, Brexit is a revolutionary moment, but I have never seena political crisis like this in my professional career.
1st Mar 2019 - Der Spiegel

BBC QT panel shuts down People’s Vote saying it would only cause 'more uncertainty'

Mr Zahawi added that a second referendum “undermines the whole principle of democracy in this country”. He said: “Another referendum would cause more uncertainty for business and will be divisive.”
1st Mar 2019 - Daily Express

Brexit: Theresa May responds to Irish American concerns

The prime minister said the government's commitment to the 1998 agreement remains "steadfast - to the principles it embodies, the political institutions it seeks to establish and the rights that it guarantees". "No government that I lead will ever take risks with the hard won relative peace and stability that these agreements have established," she added. The US group had expressed concerns about recent votes in the House of Commons, where the government's Brexit deal was rejected because of the Irish border backstop: the insurance policy to maintain an open border unless and until another solution is found.
1st Mar 2019 - BBC

Simon Schama: When Britain chose Europe From Cobden to Gladstone, Victorian liberalism has a clear message for today’s Brexiters

Forty years after the repeal of the Corn Laws, the failure of Irish Home Rule nearly broke the Liberals. Today, Ireland is still the bone in the throat of British convenience masked as self-righteousness — and Theresa May’s weekly peregrinations to Brussels in ever more pitiful search of amending the backstop to something that can command a majority in Parliament betray the tinniest of ears to what is truly at stake.
28th Feb 2019 - Financial Times

UK 'will reject Sturgeon's Indyref2 calls'

The UK government is preparing to reject any call from Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon for the power to hold another independence referendum, sources have told the BBC. Ms Sturgeon has said she will reveal her next steps on independence soon. There is an expectation at Westminster that she will call for the power to hold another referendum in the coming weeks.
28th Feb 2019 - BBC

What Goes On in Those Brexit Talks in Brussels? ‘Nothing,’ Document Says

Since her Brexit plan was overwhelmingly rejected last month, Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain has repeatedly set off for Brussels, ostensibly to negotiate new terms for her country’s departure from the European Union. Each mission has ended without a deal, or even a hint of progress, leaving baffled observers to wonder what, exactly, Mrs. May and European officials talk about in these get-togethers. Now, a confidential document summarizing a Feb. 7 meeting from the European side has offered up an answer: “Nothing.”
27th Feb 2019 - New York Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 1st Mar 2019

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Brexit delay: Tory minister George Eustice resigns in protest at 'humiliating' plan to extend Article 50

A government minister has quit his job protesting that Theresa May has risked the UK’s “final humiliation” by opening the door to delaying Brexit. George Eustice resigned as farming and fisheries minister, warning: “Developments this week will lead to a sequence of events culminating in the EU dictating the terms of any extension requested and the final humiliation of our country.” In a letter, Mr Eustice – a supporter of the prime minister’s stalled deal – attacked her for preparing the ground for taking a no-deal Brexit off the table. “If the position of parliament is now that we will refuse to leave without an agreement then we are somewhat stuck,” he wrote.
28th Feb 2019 - The Independent

'Final humiliation': Minister George Eustice quits over possible Brexit delay

28th Feb 2019 - Yahoo!

Minister George Eustice quits over Brexit delay vote

28th Feb 2019 - BBC

UK farming and fisheries minister quits over Brexit delay

28th Feb 2019 - Politico

Theresa May under growing pressure as minister resigns in protest at 'humiliating' plan to extend Article 50

Theresa May faced fresh pressure over her Brexit strategy after farming minister George Eustice resigned from government to oppose any delay to Britain's exit day next month. Mr Eustice said he had backed the prime minister through "a series of rather undignified retreats" but he was afraid that the prospect of a vote on extending article 50 would lead to the "final humiliation of our country". His resignation came after MPs overwhelmingly voted to lock in the prime minister’s promise to give parliament a veto over a no-deal Brexit, while Ms May opened the door to a "limited" delay to Brexit.
28th Feb 2019 - The Independent

George Eustice praised as 'brave and right' by Boris Johnson for quitting Government over Brexit

Theresa May’s credibility suffered a fresh blow as another minister quit over her Brexit plans and was immediately praised by Boris Johnson for being “brave and right”. George Eustice, a long-serving agriculture minister, resigned in protest at Mrs May’s decision this week to give MPs the chance to delay Brexit. He has quit amid fevered speculation in Westminster that the Prime Minister is planning to force MPs to vote on her Brexit deal on Wednesday next week.
28th Feb 2019 - The Telegraph

Paul Nurse on Brexit: 'UK is sleepwalking into a disaster'

Currently, the United Kingdom gets back from the EU science budget between £500 million (US$666 million) and £1 billion a year more than we put in. Beyond any Brexit transition period, there is absolutely no guarantee from the Treasury that they will replace that funding. That means that UK research will lose up to £1 billion a year after Brexit. Over the past year, I’ve repeatedly asked ministers: ‘Where is that money coming from’? They have no answer, so the United Kingdom is almost guaranteed to lose that money. In the long term, the government needs to find another billion and that has to come from another department’s budget.
28th Feb 2019 - Nature

Macron: We need a ‘clear’ reason to grant Brexit extension

French President Emmanuel Macron said the EU would only grant the U.K. an extension to the Brexit negotiations if there is a "clear" reason for doing so, as he took a stronger line than German Chancellor Angela Merkel. "The time has come for the British to make choices," Macron said on Wednesday at a joint press conference with Merkel. "We could examine a request for an extension, if it is justified by new choices by the British. But under no circumstances would we accept an extension without a clear perspective" on the objective pursued.
27th Feb 2019 - Politico

That I had to seek guarantees on EU citizens’ rights is a sad state of affairs

Despite the fact it has necessitated the end of my role in government, I have been delighted with the tremendous cross-party support my amendment has received over the past week. From prominent Brexiteers within my own party to Remain advocates in the opposition, my amendment has clearly chimed with the overall mood of the House. A mood that would seem to suggest that while border and backstop discussions continue, the matter of citizens’ rights is something of a unifying force.
28th Feb 2019 - The Times

It is not normal that oblivion remains on the government’s policy agenda

We have to stop pretending everything is as it was. Brexit represents a unique rupture and the old ways of thinking no longer work. Brexit represents a unique rupture, and we must adapt our political rituals and approaches to accommodate it. We no longer live in an innocent age where familiar problems result in familiar consequences. These times are as dangerous as we have ever known, and we need to start acting like it.
28th Mar 2019 - Prospect Magazine

Watch lawyer explain Brexit vote would be void for corruption if only it was binding…

Barrister Jessica Simor took May’s government to court for proceeding with Brexit on the basis that the referendum was lawful, despite their full knowledge of the illegal behaviour of the campaign to leave the EU. Based on the Electoral Commission’s rulings of last minute overspending by Vote Leave on a highly targeted Facebook campaign, Brits affected by Brexit living in Europe launched a legal case arguing the referendum result should not stand. But last week, the Court of Appeal denied the ex pats and Jessica Simor representing them permission to appeal. She appeared on James O’Brien’s LBC show to explain the appalling contradictions of the case.
26th Mar 2019 - The London Economic

Tory MEP warns Brexit will 'end in tears' as May continues 'to kick can down the road'

Speaking to Euronews, the Tory member of the European Parliament claimed he could not support any Brexit that would be detrimental to the British economy. He argued he was not elected on a Brexit manifesto and did not support Britons' decision to leave the Brussels bloc. He said: “I obviously can’t quibble with the views of the Prime Minister in what she considers to be her duty. “My duty is to look after the UK economy. “I wasn’t elected on any Brexit manifesto and I happened to believe that Brexit - particularly the hard Brexit which she has chosen in her Political Declaration out of the single market and the customs union, and a no deal Brexit which would be even worse - is very damaging to the British economy. “It will not deliver frictionless trade and the Government’s own research suggests a nine percent hit on the British economy if there is no deal."
28th Feb 2019 - Express.co.uk

Sir Tom Hunter: Politicians 'have let us down' on Brexit

One of Scotland's richest men has accused politicians of letting down the country as he called for another referendum to be held on Brexit. Sir Tom Hunter said voters had been lied to by the Leave campaign during the EU referendum in 2016. They had therefore made their decision without knowing the facts about what Brexit would mean, he added. The entrepreneur also said he believed there should be another referendum on independence - but "not now".
28th Feb 2019 - BBC

Scotland’s small fishermen see little benefit from Brexit

Scotland’s biggest fishing lobby says Brexit and the end of EU influence over UK waters will create a “sea of opportunity” for the industry. But that is not how it looks to many fishermen plying their trade among the estuaries and islands of Scotland’s inshore waters. “It’s only a sea of opportunity for a few. It’s not a sea of opportunity for the west coast inshore fleet,” said Kenneth MacNab, chairman of the Clyde Fishermen’s Association, whose family has fished for generations in the waters off Tarbert in Argyll and Bute.
28th Feb 2019 - Financial Times

Through the Looking Glass: The latest topsy-turvy logic of Brexit

Farce number one. Last Thursday the Court of Appeal heard the final attempt by the UK in the EU group to have Theresa May's decision to trigger Article 50 declared invalid, on the basis that Vote Leave had broken electoral law and been given the maximum fine by Electoral Commission. The court rejected their appeal on the grounds that, while illegalities did take place, the referendum of 2016 was advisory only, so the result could not be voided by the courts. It's quite remarkable. Precisely because the referendum was not binding, May was free to cite the will of the people and plough on ahead.
28th Feb 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Corbyn’s handling of Brexit has been magnificently opportunistic

Three ministers co-wrote an article in Tuesday’s Daily Mail (over the undead body of Paul Dacre) in this sense. They would never have dared to do so unless they had been sure that they would go unpunished by the government. If you follow the sequence of how a variety of ministers emerged on this subject, you will see orchestration. Mrs May’s spin doctor, Robbie Gibb, ex-BBC, briefs programmes like Newsnight all the time: the official line was to say how ‘troubling’ the behaviour of the ministers was. But you do not get three ministers to co-author an attack on stated government policy without government acquiescence.
28th Feb 2019 - Spectator.co.uk

Brexit – we didn't vote for this!

Every Scottish Government department, every local authority and every business in every part of the land is spending money preparing for a no-deal, because the consequences of a no-deal will be so catastrophic. That’s money that we all actually hope will be entirely wasted. The chief economic advisor to Scotland reported last week that a no-deal Brexit has the potential to push the Scottish economy into recession with unemployment rising and trade and investment disrupted. If prolonged, the shock of Scotland’s departure from the EU could lead to significant structural change in the economy, with national Gross Domestic Product (GDP) predicted to fall by up to seven per cent. Shetland could be one of hardest hit places in Scotland. The report notes that over 25 per cent of the workforce here face economic damage from a no-deal Brexit.
28th Feb 2019 - Shetland News

Liam Fox blows £100,000 on 'vanity project' podcast heard by just 8,400 people

Tory Trade Secretary Liam Fox blew more than £100,000 on a podcast ‘vanity project’ listened to by just 8,398 people. The online radio series has been branded a “complete waste of money” which should have been spent on public services. ‘Local to Global’, part of the Government’s ‘Exporting is Great’ campaign, was recorded a bid to encourage British firms to export their wares. It’s a series of interviews by former Apprentice co-host Nick Hewer, speaking to British entrepreneurs to discover the “personal stories and memorable moments” that inspired them to start exporting. But the government has revealed there have been just 8,398 downloads or listens in total, across the 6 episodes of the podcast, plus a 1 minute preview episode.
28th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit is the last straw for young people like me – we need a Final Say referendum to protect our futures

...And it’s also why I will be joining the hundreds of thousands of protestors on Saturday 23 March calling upon our politicians to put it to the electorate. Young people from around the country should join me in demanding again a Final Say on the Brexit deal. Apparently 700,000 frustrated protestors wasn’t enough.
28th Feb 2019 - The Independent

May’s deal is so far removed from the Brexit promised by the Leave campaign

Ben Bradshaw MP says there is a moral as well as a practical argument for going back to the public for a legally-binding vote to ask people is this Brexit deal what you really want?
28th Feb 2019 - Devon Live

‘Spending even more public funds on TV ads to scare the public’ - No-deal Brexit adverts to air

Anti-Brexit campaigners have said that the prime minister is “playing political games with public money” by spending money on no-deal Brexit television adverts. Sir Mark Sedwill, head of the civil service announced before the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Select Committee that the adverts would help “individuals and citizens and businesses” to make their own judgements. The move comes as part of the government’s communication campaign, which has already seen advertisements on the radio and online. Jo Stevens MP, a Best For Britain supporter and MP for Cardiff Central, responded: “Not content with wasting £50,000 of taxpayers money last year to promote the government’s failed Brexit deal via online advertising, it seems the powers that be now plan to spend even more public funds on TV ads to scare the public about a no-deal scenario.
28th Feb 2019 - The New European

The fight for EU citizens’ rights could become another Windrush

The surprise hero was an unknown, Tory MP Alberto Costa, who rode to the rescue of EU citizens living here and Brits living abroad, together numbering at least 5 million. Their rights will be assured in any kind of Brexit. All this time May has resisted giving security to people whose lives are deeply, invisibly, indivisibly interwoven into the fabric of British life. Her hostile environment has terrified families, some of whom have departed already, unwelcome under her chill xenophobic glare.
28th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

NICK COHEN: Theresa May is too stupid by half

May’s dismal achievement has been to shut Britain in a room without adults. Within a month – or, more probably, four months – we could be facing a recession as more than 40 years of legal and trade relations disappear, food shortages as perishable imports are left at the docks, and a health crisis as a no-deal Brexit has “an immediate and drastic effect” on supply chains for medicines, vaccines, medical devices and equipment, as the Lancet put it. Not even the greatest project fearmonger predicted in 2016 that four weeks from our departure the British prime minister would be playing Russian roulette with the country’s future: spinning the chamber and clicking the trigger until she gets her way.
28th Feb 2019 - The New European

Revealed: Wife of former Vladimir Putin minister is major Tory party donor

The Conservatives received almost £250,000 in donations last year from the wife of a former minister in Vladimir Putin’s government, new figures revealed. Lubov Chernukhin, whose ex-deputy finance minister husband Vladimir fell out with the Kremlin, is among the most generous donors to Tory coffers. She handed over £146,750 in November and December in addition to £100,000 earlier in the year. The party also accepted £150,000 from Ann Said, whose Syrina-born husband, Wafic, is a former broker of arms deals with links to Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
27th Feb 2019 - iNews

Lord Barker of Battle quits Lords to run Oleg Deripaska’s energy group En+

Lord Barker of Battle, the former energy minister, has taken a leave of absence from the House of Lords to run an aluminium and energy group owned by Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch, with revenues of $12 billion. En+ appointed Lord Barker, 52, as executive chairman this month for a three-year term after the United States said it would lift sanctions on the company. The former Conservative MP told the Lords of his plans to hang up his robes on February 11 and has not voted since. He will keep his title during his absence but will not be able to attend the House, vote or claim expenses.
25th Feb 2019 - The Times

No deal? No problem

Here in Australia, this story just doesn’t fit with the Britain that we know. A disorderly Brexit would mean, at most, a few months of inconvenience. Perhaps some modest transition costs. But these difficulties would quickly pass. By far the more serious threat comes from Britain caving in and agreeing to a bad deal that imposes most of the burdens of EU membership but with few of the benefits. Or, almost as bad, a Brexit delay that would keep the UK as a tethered goat — while the EU shows how it will humiliate any country with the temerity to leave. For Britain to lose its nerve now would represent failure on an epic scale.
2nd Mar 2019 - The Spectator

A second Brexit vote will destroy what little trust is left in British politics

2nd Brexit vote will destroy trust left in British politics - Spiked writer Ella Whelan writes an Irish Times 'paid for advocacy hit piece.' A repeat vote reinforces sense of insignificance in dejected electorate she claims for an unknown funder
28th Feb 2019 - The Irish Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 28th Feb 2019

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Naomi Long labels DUP Brexit strategy a 'massive act of self-harm'

Naomi Long has described the DUP's Brexit strategy as a "massive act of self-harm and completely ill-judged". The Alliance leader said Arlene Foster's party was now being driven by its 10 MPs, who she claimed had become aligned with "extremists" and "slightly giddy" at the attention Westminster's finely-poised arithmetic had brought upon them.
28th Feb 2019 - Irish Independent

Sir Tom Hunter: Politicians 'have let us down' on Brexit

One of Scotland's richest men has accused politicians of letting down the country as he called for another referendum to be held on Brexit. Sir Tom Hunter said voters had been lied to by the Leave campaign during the EU referendum in 2016. They had ...
28th Feb 2019 - BBC

The Yorkshire Post says: Theresa May on back foot over Brexit

Back in November, Theresa May compared herself to her cricketing hero Geoffrey Boycott as she insisted she had the obduracy and resolve to get her Brexit deal through Parliament. But the Prime Minister now finds herself on an increasingly sticky wicket on the issue. On Monday, Mrs May told a Press conference in Egypt that a delay to Brexit “doesn’t deliver a decision in Parliament, it doesn’t deliver a deal” and “just delays the point at which you come to that decision”. But 24 hours later, she addressed the Commons to say that if her deal is rejected for a second time and MPs then prevent leaving without a deal on March 29, they will then be given the chance to vote to delay Britain’s departure to the end of June.
27th Feb 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

@Channel4News "The stark truth is this: not one word of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Political Declaration has changed since it was signed off on 25th November last year."

"The stark truth is this: not one word of the Withdrawal Agreement or the Political Declaration has changed since it was signed off on 25th November last year." Labour's Sir Keir Starmer says Theresa May is wrong to believe that her Brexit deal with the EU is going to be changed
27th Feb 2019 - @Channel4News

MP accuses former Tory official of being a ‘fraudster’ and ‘cowboy’ who exploited legal loophole to hide source of ‘dark money’

Although the Constitution minister, Chloe Smith, told the debate that responsibility for unincorporated associations lay with the Electoral Commission, and that data held by them was “treasure trove of information”, Docherty-Hughes said the way the DUP donation was organised was “the exact opposite of open, properly-functioning parliamentary democracy.” He questioned whether anyone in the DUP knew the source of the cash that was largely used to fund pro-leave campaigning on the UK mainland, and whether any “requisite due diligence” was done ahead of the money being accepted. Under previous Northern Ireland electoral laws, donations to any of the major political parties were protected. The exact origins of £435,000 could have been revealed if the government had honoured its promise last year to back-date legal changes to the time of the 2016 referendum. This did not happen.
27th Feb 2019 - Open Democracy

@YoungTories4PV We voted to leave not for a deal” We’ll just wait for someone to show us anything from Vote Leave that mentioned no deal

“We voted to leave not for a deal” We’ll just wait for someone to show us anything from Vote Leave that mentioned no deal
27th Feb 2019 - @YoungTories4PV

Betrayal Jeremy Corbyn forced to formally back second referendum and betray 17.4m Leave voters after losing bid for his own ‘alternative Brexit’

Jeremy Corbyn has tonight formally backed a second referendum after MPs threw out his plans for a soft Brexit. The Labour boss’s official policy will now be to betray the 17.4million Brits who voted to leave the EU, and send them back to the polls to have another go. Labour's amendment was defeated by 240 votes to 323 in the Commons this evening after his last-ditch plans for a soft Brexit failed. And Mr Corbyn tonight confirmed it was now party policy - but risked anger from Remainers by saying he would look at other options too.
27th Feb 2019 - The Sun

@BBCPolitics "People have been thoroughly misled, over a long period of time, by a form of propaganda that believes the EU is evil" Conservative MP Dominic Grieve says

"People have been thoroughly misled, over a long period of time, by a form of propaganda that believes the EU is evil" Conservative MP Dominic Grieve says many people calling for a "catastrophic" no-deal #Brexit have been led to believe "mad fantasies"
27th Feb 2019 - @BBCPolitics

French President Emmanuel Macron vows to block any Brexit delay without a 'clear objective'

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to block any extension to Brexit unless there is a “clear objective” for the delay. Speaking at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris, Mr Macron warned Theresa May that France would use its veto power to prevent any extension to Article 50. Any request from the Prime Minister to delay Brexit past 29 March would require the unanimous agreement of all 27 EU member states. “We would support an extension request only if it was justified by a new choice of the British," he told reporters. “But we would in no way accept an extension without a clear objective.”
27th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

No point in Brexit delay without clear purpose - French finance minister

27th Feb 2019 - Reuters

France will block Brexit delay without 'new choice' by UK

Emmanuel Macron has said France will block a Brexit delay unless there is a “new choice” by Britain, as Spain’s prime minister said that merely postponing the no-deal deadline would not be “reasonable or desirable”. In a sign of the heightened risk of an accidental crash-landing for the UK, both leaders signalled their disapproval of Theresa May’s suggestion of a last-minute request for a two-month extension if her deal is voted down again. The French president said there would need to be a clear purpose to delaying the UK’s exit from the EU, in comments that will inevitably raise cross-party concerns among those seeking to take no-deal Brexit off the table.
27th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Labour must challenge the myth that the working class supports Brexit

The party must campaign on the values its supporters in the real, progressive, multi-ethnic working class believe in, not on the values of people who will never vote for it. Look at the MRP polling done by Hope Not Hate and Best for Britain: it shows that, even in those constituencies where Leave scored high, and where Labour stands a chance of winning the next general election, on average there’s been a six percentage point swing from Leave to Remain – with working class women, young Labour voters and Muslims the groups most likely to change their mind. And look at the real working class of Britain. It contains 2.7m European citizens, many of who are the very factory workers and farm hands the labour movement was born to represent. Do we include them in the British working class? Scotland did in 2014 – when it gave them the vote – so why can’t we?
27th Feb 2019 - The New Statesman

Government aide quits over bid to guarantee EU citizens' rights after Brexit

Alberto Costa, whose parents are Italian, resigned as parliamentary private secretary to Scottish Secretary David Mundell after tabling an amendment to the Government's Brexit business in the Commons. He had called on the Government and Brussels to make a joint commitment to protect the rights of EU and UK ex-pats regardless of whether Britain leaves with or without a deal. Labour accused the Prime Minister of sacking the South Leicestershire MP, but Downing Street insisted he had no option but to stand down. A spokesman for Mrs May said: “He's resigned from the Government. There's a long-standing convention that members of the Government payroll don't table amendments to government bills.
27th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Dominic Grieve: No-deal Brexit would be 'catastrophic'

A no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for Britain, according to Dominic Grieve MP. Speaking to talkRADIO's Julia Hartley-Brewer, the former Attorney General said he would "not allow" the UK to leave the European Union without a deal, and would do "everything possible" to achieve his goal. "A no-deal Brexit would be catastrophic for our country. I must do everything possible to stop it happening," he said. "Brexit has damaged trust in our democracy. It's a dreadful process and one that is dragging this country to a third-rate future. The third-rate future is going to be infinitely more damaging than continuing to have a debate at the moment about the best terms of exit."
27th Feb 2019 - Talk Radio

Talk of a second Brexit referendum has created a surge in sketchy Facebook ads

Earlier this month, Open Democracy raised the alarm about a cluster of Facebook pages that were publishing ads supportive of no-deal Brexit, while providing very little information on who was behind the organisations nominally paying for the posts. One could again lay the blame on Facebook’s doorstep: publishing political ads on the platform only requires a British or EU identity document and a UK bank account. But the problem runs deeper. It has to do, for instance, with the British Electoral Commission’s utter toothlessness when it comes to supervising digital campaigning, let alone forcing an organisation to reveal its backers.
27th Feb 2019 - Wired.co.uk

Brexit: Sajid Javid stuns MPs by backing bid to secure EU citizens' rights after no-deal after Theresa May dismissed it

Sajid Javid has pledged the government will back a move to protect the rights of EU citizens if there is a no-deal Brexit – a day after Theresa May dismissed it. The home secretary stunned and delighted a committee of MPs by saying there was “nothing” wrong with the amendment, tabled by a Tory MP. However, he was blindsided when told the government had suggested it would fight the amendment, saying: “When did you hear that? From who.”
27th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Theresa May: the new Iron Lady or a heap of rusting Brexit metal?

May was horrified that some MPs might have thought she was trying to run down the clock and force them into accepting her deal that they had already overwhelmingly rejected, or risk either no deal or no Brexit. So to alleviate any uncertainty, she was going to give parliament the certainty of even longer uncertainty by offering it the chance of delaying Brexit for a couple of months in which nothing would change and then allow the country to go over a cliff edge at the end of June.
27th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

The inescapable irony of the Brexit crackup

An economic study by the Bank of England estimated that a “disorderly no deal” could result in as much as a 10 percent drop in the economy (gross domestic product). The pain would be shared with E.U. countries, because the United Kingdom is a large market for their exports. Assuming widespread economic consequences, Kirkegaard doubts that a “no deal” decision could “last very long.” Both the E.U. and the United Kingdom would be drawn back to the bargaining table. But to what end?
27th Feb 2019 - The Washington Post

A ‘clean’ Brexit doesn’t exist. May finally admits it now

Brexit is irredeemably complex. There is no tidy way to do it, and the messiest version of all is the one that the hardest Brexiters advocate – quitting without a comprehensive agreement. This is routinely called the “no deal” scenario, but that is a misnomer. Only if Britain wants to be more isolated than North Korea will there be literally no deal.
27th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

EU27 citizens see no big Brexit hit for them, but think Brits will be ‘worse off’: poll

Citizens across the EU27 generally reckon their countries will "not be much affected" by the U.K.'s exit from the bloc, and more think Britain will be "worse off" after the divorce, according to newly released data. A study by the Bertelsmann Foundation published Wednesday found that 61 percent of people living in the EU27 believe there "will not be a significant change in EU countries because of Brexit." The foundation asked 10,434 people across the EU27 in December what "best describes the consequences" of Brexit for both the EU as well as the United Kingdom.
27th Feb 2019 - Politico.eu

May using Nixon’s ‘madman theory’ to play chicken with Brexit

The “crazy guy” strategy, as it is sometimes called, is of little value in the UK’s negotiating approach towards the EU. The major flaw is that the “no deal” button over which May’s finger now deliberately hovers would, if triggered, rain down its destruction principally not on the EU-27 but on the UK itself. For the EU to give any credence to the threat of volatility and irrationality, it would have to believe that the UK government is not only completely mad but also colossally stupid.
27th Feb 2019 - The Irish Times

Brexit: Alberto Costa MP loses his job for protecting EU citizens in new fiasco

Theresa May was accused of a "nasty and petty" act in "sacking" Alberto Costa - despite accepting the plan that got him ditched in the first place. Though she argued that it was a resignation and it was an Executive norm for ministers to stand down when proposing motions in this fashion
27th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Former Brexit secretary David Davis: The utter folly of defeatist Mrs May taking No Deal off the table

I would not blame the Prime Minister if she felt isolated. Who could blame her for looking for a way out? The right playbook however is Churchill’s. Keep buggering on. This is not the time to capitulate, to fold and to be defeatist. Now is the time to stand firm and hold our nerve. Mrs May’s announcement yesterday in which she conceded two Commons votes on Brexit in mid March is the wrong move. It sends the wrong message to the EU. Opening up the possibility of ruling out No Deal, or extending Article 50, may harm our negotiating position.
26th Feb 2019 - Daily Mail

Brexit: Cabinet split over Theresa May’s offer to extend Article 50, but she’s avoided resignations

Andrea Leadsom is said to have “gone off like a firework” when Mrs May raised the prospect of Brexit being deferred
26th Feb 2019 - iNews.co.uk

Delaying Brexit risks a surge in right-wing extremism, warns Jacob Rees-Mogg

Jacob Rees-Mogg has warned that delaying Brexit beyond the European elections risks a surge in right-wing extremism. Addressing a 2,500 strong audience at the London Palladium, the leading Brexiteer said denying the public the biggest democratic mandate in British history would open the door to right-wing firebrand Tommy Robinson. Speaking at the sellout Spectator event, the MP for North East Somerset said: “If we try to stay and we stay beyond the European elections, there will only be one winner from that, and that would be Tommy Robinson.
26th Feb 2019 - The Telegraph

Evening Standard comment: At last the ice melts as Brexit positions collapse

Even in the past few days she was refusing, in public and private, to countenance delay. Her insistence that a no-deal departure remained on the table — solely as a negotiating tactic to bully her own party — has already cost the British economy billions of pounds, as businesses move key operations off-shore, some never to return. It has taken an unprecedented revolt from the sensible wing of her party to force her to stop this madness. Backbenchers like Oliver Letwin and Nick Boles, and the Cabinet trio of Amber Rudd, Greg Clark and David Gauke, deserve the nation’s thanks
26th Feb 2019 - Evening Standard

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 27th Feb 2019

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Grexit lessons for Brexit

"Just like Greece, the UK lacked an understanding of the EU’s political and institutional dynamics. This led to a flawed negotiating strategy . . . As with Grexit, time has worked in the EU’s favour. By 2015, the EU was better prepared to manage a possible Grexit; so it is today with Brexit,” Mr Papaconstantinou writes. He draws attention to “the UK’s shambolic internal decision-making on Brexit”, so similar to the manner in which one Greek government after another lost the EU’s trust by appearing unable to make up its mind, keep promises or refrain from provocative complaints about EU bullying and blindness. All this “reinforced the EU’s inclination to embrace caution” and to “focus on its own unity”, he says.
26th Feb 2019 - Financial Times

Rich getting richer while poor get poorer, official figures show - with 'Brexit and benefits freeze to blame'

The rich are getting richer while the poor get poorer, according to official statistics, dealing a heavy blow to Theresa May’s claim to be tackling “burning injustices”. They showed the incomes of the richest fifth of households grew by 4.7 per cent last year – while the incomes of the poorest fifth of households fell by 1.6 per cent. The respected Resolution Foundation thinktank blamed the controversial freeze on benefit levels, adding to problems caused by higher inflation following the Brexit referendum.
26th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Public and businesses are not preparing for a no-deal Brexit, government document says

Despite warnings of the impact of a no-deal Brexit, members of the public and businesses are not preparing for such a scenario, a government document has said. A report drawn up for ministers paints a pessimistic picture of preparations for no-deal, noting that a third of the "most critical projects" to get Britain ready for such a scenario are not "on track". The document, which sets out the implications for businesses and trade if Britain leaves the EU without a deal, also claims warnings are not getting through to businesses and members of the public.
26th Feb 2019 - Sky News

Tom Richmond: "I don’t know" should not be a Government’s method of running the country, as the Brexit crisis deepens

Matthew Parris, a one-time Tory MP, wrote a devastating critique of the PM’s current modus operandi. “Warnings are delivered to her, and ignored. Plans are run by her, unacknowledged. Messages are sent to her, unanswered. She has become the unperson on Downing Street: the living embodiment of the closed door,” he wrote. And while this criticism in The Times, not subsequently denied by Downing Street, reflects poorly on Mrs May who should have heeded all those, including The Yorkshire Post, who advised her to appoint a strong deputy to take charge of domestic politics while she focused on Brexit, it shows Ministers in an even worse light as they appear to abdicate their duties while hoping Transport Secretary Chris Grayling’s myriad failings over trains, ferries and much else will mask their own deficiencies.
26th Feb 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Corbyn faces backlash over second Brexit referendum plan

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been warned the party risks “catastrophic” damage to support in leave-supporting seats after backing a second referendum on Brexit. Mr Corbyn said if Theresa May’s Brexit deal gets through Parliament “there must be a confirmatory public vote”. The shift in policy, which would see voters asked to decide between a deal and remaining in the EU, won plaudits from Remain-supporting MPs but led to warnings of electoral disaster in some of Labour’s heartlands.
26th Feb 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Brexit deal needs delay for law to pass Commons - Tory MP

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's the World At One, Mr Bebb said: "Most people in [the Commons] know full well that even if the prime minister's deal was to be put in front of the house tomorrow and pass, we would still need an extension of article 50 in order to get the legislation that needs to be passed in order to allow the prime minister's deal to operate to be put in place. "The reality is that we're not currently in a situation where we can leave the European Union because our legal system is not currently in a situation where that can be done."
26th Feb 2019 - BBC

We’re heading into the ‘Mad Max Brexit dystopia’ that David Davis once promised us we’d avoid

International trade secretary Liam Fox says a no-deal Brexit is ‘survivable’. So is rickets and and getting bitten by a Komodo dragon, but I wouldn't describe those as ‘exciting opportunities.' Hard to believe, but unmistakeably dystopian, the EU Exit and Trade (Preparedness) Committee has been charged with exploring preparation for parts of the country “geographically vulnerable” to food shortages and sourcing alternative food for schools, hospitals and prions. Our jails forced to go without porridge. Imagine.
26th Feb 2019 - The Independent

No-deal Brexit could raise food prices, says government assessment

The government has tonight given its own assessment of the economic impact of a no deal – and it’s a sobering read. It accepts that the flow of goods through Dover and the Channel Tunnel could be significantly reduced for months and that could push up food prices. And it says a big part of the problem is that many businesses are still not preparing for no deal.
26th Feb 2019 - Channel 4 News

Brexit Cliff-Edge Merely Delayed, Not Off the Table, BAML Says

Gilles Moec, chief European economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, and Peter Dixon, global equities economist at Commerzbank, comment on the outlook for the UK company, pointing out that news today has simply delayed the cliff-edge exit not taken it off the table
26th Feb 2019 - Bloomberg

No-deal Brexit panic after ministers realize the UK doesn't have the right pallets for exporting to the EU

The UK Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs is set to hold an emergency meeting with business leaders on Tuesday. They are expected to discuss emergency no-deal Brexit plans after the government confirmed last week that it does not have enough pallets — structures used to transport goods — for UK companies to export to the European Union in a no-deal Brexit. The extraordinary acknowledgment left affected industry leaders baffled. Labour criticised the "incompetency and lack of forward planning."
26th Feb 2019 - Business Insider

Brexit: No-deal impact assessment published

The government has published its assessment of the impact of a no-deal Brexit on business and trade. The report said "some food prices are likely to increase" and customs checks could cost business £13bn a year in a no-deal scenario. It also said there was "little evidence that businesses are preparing in earnest".
26th Feb 2019 - BBC

Mike Nesbitt: Some unionists are now weighing up Irish unity

Mike Nesbitt, who stepped down as Ulster Unionist leader almost two years ago but remains an MLA, said that many people in Northern Ireland feel “diminished” as a result of Brexit and he suggested that it may be the biggest own goal by unionists since the creation of Northern Ireland almost a century ago.
26th Feb 2019 - Belfast Newsletter

Parliament should use a delay to rethink Brexit

A softer withdrawal or a second referendum are the only realistic options...an extension must be accompanied by a new direction. The country deserves something better than the shambles of the past six months. The hardliners have had more than two years to convince parliament of their vision of Brexit. They have failed. Now, as MPs finally find their voices, there is an opportunity to forge a cross-party consensus for a more workable Brexit.
26th Feb 2019 - Financial Times

A brave Brexiteer would back a second vote

The hard Leavers of the ERG have obstructed the path to Brexit and it’s time they made some honest decisions. In other words, if you really believe your own propaganda you would become advocates for a second vote. You can complain and say it shows the establishment has failed but tactically it’s an obviously less risky path than the one you are on now. The truth is, I think you don’t believe your own propaganda. You know that Mrs May’s Brexit is much more than Brino and you aren’t remotely confident that you could defend a no-deal Brexit. For all your talk of having a mandate for leaving on WTO terms, you are painfully aware that you’d struggle with the proposition in a prolonged national debate.
26th Feb 2019 - The Times

It’s time to be honest about Theresa May’s deal and delay Brexit

There is now no time left. We need to level with the public about what the Brexit options on the table mean for them. To do anything less is a dereliction of our duty as public servants. It is now abundantly clear that the Government has one risky strategy to deliver Brexit: use distraction and displacement activity to run down the clock — and ram through a deal by threatening MPs with the unconscionable choice of backing the Prime Minister — or a disorderly exit from the EU. This is not the stuff of statecraft.
26th Feb 2019 - Evening Standard

Purga-Tories UK leave date faces three-month delay but hardline Brexiteers warn it won’t end Parliament’s deadlock

Britain is now unlikely to leave the EU until the end of June after hardline Brexiteers warned a Remainers’ revolt will not end Parliament’s deadlock. Theresa May was forced to offer MPs a three month extension to Article 50 talks to avoid a No Deal spin out in just 30 days time. The PM caved in to the demand to stop 20 ministers resigning to back a bid by Parliament to enforce the delay in a Commons vote. No10 now hopes the real threat of a Brexit delay will win round unhappy Tory MP Leavers to back her revised EU deal in a new showdown Commons vote on March 12. But senior European Research Group figures refused to blink, and instead said it is still “highly likely” they will vote it down.
26th Feb 2019 - The Sun

Brexit: Contract for shipping NHS supplies given to firm behind KFC chicken shortage

Ministers have handed a contract for shipping critical NHS supplies in the event of a no deal Brexit to the firm behind the KFC chicken shortage fiasco. The Mirror has learned that a Government logistics hub in Belgium will rely on delivery firm DHL to transport some key goods across the Channel.
26th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Contempt threat by Breakaway Independent Group MPs forces Cabinet to release £13bn cost of No Deal Brexit

'Implications for Business and Trade of a No Deal Brexit’ Report - Here are just a few of the KEY warnings from the report- Government Departments across the board are NOT on track for a no deal. Customs Admin at ports will affect 240,000 UK businesses and cost them £13bn per annum in administrative costs alone, the HMRC estimates. There will be shortages of some foods, price increases, and the food supply industry is altogether unprepared. Northern Ireland will fare worse than the rest of the UK.
26th Feb 2019 - Byline Times

No 10 braced for another Tory departure

Her plans for EU citizens in a no-deal Brexit scenario has been criticised by Alberto Costa, a loyalist MP who works as a parliamentary private secretary for David Mundell, the Scottish secretary. Mr Costa will table a motion to protect the right of three million EU citizens in the UK and one million UK citizens in the event of no deal. Mr Costa, who is 47 and was born in Britain to Italian parents, has been warned that putting down the government amendment is incompatible with his role but is refusing to resign, forcing the government to consider sacking him.
26th Feb 2019 - The Times

Leave campaign to sue if Brexit is delayed

Leave Means Leave, the cross party campaign group for Brexit, says it will mount legal action against the government to ensure European Elections are held in the UK on 23 May, if Article 50 is extended. The organisation has appointed the city law firm Wedlake Bell as well as counsel from Field Court Chambers to prepare this claim.
26th Feb 2019 - Metro.co.uk

Chester MP Chris Matheson on why he is losing respect for the 2016 EU referendum result

“The more I hear about what went wrong in that 2016 referendum, the less I actually respect the result,” says Chester MP Chris Matheson as the UK prepares to leave the European Union on March 29. Mr Matheson says if the referendum was a sporting event the ‘Leave’ campaigns would have been ‘disqualified months ago’.
25th Feb 2019 - Cheshire Live

It’s not just the EU that is alienated by Brexit. It’s Japan too

A case can be made that the crux of the crisis stems from May’s obsession with freedom of movement. Tories are supposed to believe in freedom, but not May. When she inherited the office she had desired for most of her life, the prime minister, who was apparently concerned that the Tory party was the “nasty party”, wanted to do lots of good, socially beneficial things. Instead, the nastiness has continued – social neglect is all around us – and she has been obsessed by opposition to the kind of free movement of labour that all but the most pig-headed Brexiters can see the British economy depends on. For this she was, and is, prepared to sacrifice membership of the customs union and the single market – apparently in an effort to keep the Conservative party together, an aim which looks increasingly doomed.
24th Feb 2019 - The Observer

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 26th Feb 2019

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Grayling accused of trying to hold Brexit ferry trial in private

Chris Grayling has been accused of trying to conduct large parts of a trial over the £14m Brexit ferry fiasco in private, against the principle of open justice, the high court has heard. The transport secretary is being sued by Eurotunnel over the allegedly unlawful award of a government contract to Seaborne Freight, a company with no ships, and two other ferry companies, in a case due to start on Friday. Lawyers for Eurotunnel told the high court on Monday that the minister was trying to keep the majority of documents in relation to the contract out of the public domain. They said they did not know his reasons but argued that if Grayling was trying to avoid adverse publicity or embarrassment then this was not legally justifiable.
25th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Former WTO boss: Brexiteers' vision makes 'no sense'

Pascal Lamy claimed a no-deal Brexit would make “no sense” in a “world that is globalising and integrating”. He urged the British government to strike an agreement to ensure there is continuity beyond March 29th, contradicting the vision of Brexiteers like Farage and Rees-Mogg, who want to end up on WTO rules. Lamy told Euronews: “I know there’s a view on the Brexit side that they become independent, they regain control. “In a world which is globalising, integrating, I think it makes absolutely no sense. “What would be the sense of having a regulation for 60 million people when the world is moving to zones who have regulations for 500 million or 600 million people? It makes no sense.”
25th Feb 2019 - The New European

@tnewtondunn An extraordinary proposition from Theresa May to achieve Brexit on time - says she could try to pass a Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons BEFORE the EU27 even formally sign off a new deal on March 22: “It is possible to do it either way”.

An extraordinary proposition from Theresa May to achieve Brexit on time - says she could try to pass a Withdrawal Agreement Bill through the Commons BEFORE the EU27 even formally sign off a new deal on March 22: “It is possible to do it either way”.
25th Feb 2019 - @tnewtondunn

No-deal hardship fund planned for surge in jobless

Ministers are planning a “hardship fund” for Britons impoverished by a no-deal Brexit. A leaked document from the cabinet committee dedicated to preparing for a chaotic rupture with the European Union reveals the extraordinary scenarios being prepared for in Whitehall. Other measures under consideration include using “tax and benefits policy” to offset rises in the cost of living, protection for parts of the country “geographically vulnerable” to food shortages and sourcing alternative food for schools, prisons and hospitals. The plans were drawn up at a meeting this month of the EU exit and trade (preparedness) committee, which is chaired by Theresa May and attended by almost every cabinet minister. One of the “actions arising” circulated after the meeting says that “officials and ministers” in several government departments, including the Department for Work and Pensions and the Treasury, will “work on the detail of a possible hardship fund”.
25th Feb 2019 - The Times

Poll shows Labour fall as Independent Group rises

Labour’s support has fallen below the combined total for the new Independent Group and the Liberal Democrats. A YouGov poll for The Times asked people how they would vote if they could support the Independent Group (TIG) in their constituency. The poll found the Tories on 36 per cent, down two points from last week and Labour on 23 per cent, down three points. TIG received a four-point boost, at 18 per cent, with the Lib Dems on 6 per cent, down one. The result means that TIG and the Lib Dems, which support a second referendum, are on a combined 24 per cent, one point ahead of Labour, underlining the potential scale of the challenge to Labour from pro-referendum parties.
25th Feb 2019 - The Times

Iceland PM warns over no-deal Brexit

The prime minister of Iceland has warned that the UK will be in a "very difficult position" if it leaves the European Union without a deal. In an interview for BBC Scotland's new news programme, The Nine, Katrín Jakobsdóttir said a no-deal Brexit was "also a concern" for Iceland. She said this was because of close trading links between the two nations. Asked whether she thought Scotland could be independent, Ms Jakobsdóttir replied "absolutely". Although she said the decision was "not for me to take".
26th Feb 2019 - BBC

DWP minister urges people to stop claiming the benefit system causes suicides

A Tory DWP minister has demanded people stop claiming the benefits system can be directly linked to suicides. Sarah Newton said MPs should be "careful" before making "allegations" about the regime - which includes fit-for-work tests, underpayments in error and cuts under Universal Credit . And she brushed off calls for an "investigation" into 20,000 people who died waiting to see if they were owed sickness benefit. The plea came as Ms Newton answered questions on a £1.7bn blunder that paid 210,000 people too little Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) as far back as 2011.
25th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Pundits were wrong to write-off the People's Vote campaign

Not too long ago, commentators and pundits were gleefully writing eulogies for the People’s Vote campaign. In early February, after the prime minister managed to fudge her way to a parliamentary majority (sort of), with the Labour party’s continued intransigence in the face of member opinion to support a People’s Vote and the clock continuing to run down - it was universally agreed that if there ever was a chance for a People’s Vote, it was now gone. But - whisper it quietly - there is growing momentum for a People’s Vote once again.
25th Feb 2019 - The New European

@JolyonMaugham The nature of Labour's amendment - changes to the non-binding Political Declaration - suggests Labour might support the withdrawal agreement if its amendment is carried.

The nature of Labour's amendment - changes to the non-binding Political Declaration - suggests Labour might support the withdrawal agreement if its amendment is carried. The amendment also hangs out to dry those who want the right to live and work and love across Europe.
25th Feb 2019 - @JolyonMaugham

Labour Party Leader, Under Pressure, Backs a New Brexit Referendum

Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Monday that it was prepared to support a second referendum on withdrawal from the European Union, a shift that could have significant ramifications for the fate of Brexit and for the country’s future. After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his longstanding resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc. Getting an amendment for a new vote through Parliament any time soon is unlikely, but Mr. Corbyn’s support for one will cheer pro-European Britons, who have been fighting to reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum decision. Without the support of Labour, there is no chance of a second referendum ever being authorized by lawmakers.
25th Feb 2019 - New York

Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt criticises Theresa May’s ‘reckless’ decision to postpone meaningful vote on deal

The European parliament’s Brexit chief has criticised Theresa May for delaying a parliamentary vote on her deal, branding the decision “one of the most reckless” he had ever seen in his life. Guy Verhofstadt accused the prime minister of “kicking the can down the road” and adding to the “crippling uncertainty” for citizens and businesses. The prime minister announced over the weekend that she would not be holding a Commons vote this week, despite a looming deadline to ratify an agreement before the UK crashes out.
25th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Dead calm: Brexit not in top 10 of German businesses’ priorities

An Irish business delegation, led by former taoiseach Enda Kenny, had a rendezvous with this German reality at a recent breakfast in Berlin with Bundestag MPs. “They told us Brexit is not among their top 10 political concerns,” said Ralf Lissek, chief executive of the German-Irish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, who led the group. “I have the impression the visiting Irish were relieved to hear they weren’t in the top five, but a little nervous to hear they weren’t in the top 10.”
25th Feb 2019 - The Irish Times

Will Theresa May ever give us a straight answer on Brexit?

Before Theresa May’s press conference in Sharm el Sheikh, a rumour went round that the Egyptian authorities would not permit any questions about Brexit. I don’t know who started it. But it was very cruel of them to get our hopes up like that. As it turned out, journalists were free to ask Mrs May whatever they liked. Not that it mattered. I’ve said this so many times now that I’m in danger of becoming as repetitive as she is. But watching the Prime Minister field questions about Brexit is extraordinary. No matter what you ask her, she point-blank refuses to give a straight answer.
25th Feb 2019 - The Telegraph

British MPs now have their chance to 'take back control' from Theresa May's hapless government

With the Conservatives and Labour in disarray, let's hope The Independent Group shakes British politics to its core. The new group are united by moderate values. They think Brexit is a disaster and have called for another referendum. They think the leaders of their former parties are being manipulated by hardliners on the far right (Conservatives) or far left (Labour). They think British politics is broken and expect more MPs to join them.
25th Feb 2019 - The National

UK faces chaotic Brexit or extension of article 50, says Donald Tusk

Theresa May will not get her Brexit deal through the Commons, Donald Tusk has warned, leaving the UK with the option of “a chaotic Brexit” or an extension of its membership of the EU beyond 29 March. The European council president, to quell “speculation”, disclosed that, during private talks with the prime minister at a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, he had walked through the legal process that would need to be followed to delay Brexit. Tusk said it was not the EU’s “plan” to extend the two-year negotiation but that it was now evident to him that it was the “rational solution” in light of the prime minister’s failure to corral a majority behind the deal.
25th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

"Brexit Referendum Was Corruptly Won, But Result Stands Thanks To Loophole"

"If the referendum had been legally binding, then the findings of the Electoral Commission would have rendered it invalid. But because it wasn't binding, we can be held to something that was corruptly delivered." according to lawyer Jessica Simor QC who took the government to court over the matter
25th Feb 2019 - LBC

I’ll stay beyond summer for Brexit stage two, says Theresa May

“First of all, you are absolutely right that there is a second part of the negotiation in terms of the future economic relationship and the future security partnership. We have set out a clear framework for that and that is the basis on which those negotiations would go forward,” she said. “But I was very clear in December with the Conservative Party that what I’m doing — my job — is not just about delivering Brexit. Actually, there’s a domestic agenda that I’m delivering on, that reflects what I said on the doorstep of No 10 when I first became PM. That’s why we’ve been making key decisions like the extra money for the NHS and the long-term plan for the NHS. There is still a domestic agenda that I want to get on with.”
25th Feb 2019 - The Times

May pleads to stay Theresa May has pleaded with Tory MPs to let her stay on as PM after Brexit so she can do more for the country

25th Feb 2019 - The Sun

Digital gangsters threaten to kill democracy

The main news of the past week was not the splintering of our calcified political system. It concerned attacks on it from outside. A devastating report from a Commons committee looking at disinformation highlighted the threat posed by unregulated political advertising. It lambasted the big tech companies as “digital gangsters” for their greedy collusion in this. Another report, by the Royal United Services Institute, showed how the Chinese authorities systematically control foreign academic and media discussion and turn economic ties to their political advantage. If you think you live in a free country, ask when your rulers last spoke out bluntly on topics such as Taiwan and Tibet. The combination of foreign interference and technological change threatens to overturn our political system. How can we have a fair election when unlimited money from murky sources — including foreign ones — can pay for secret messages that most voters never see? That is what Facebook enabled in the Brexit referendum. How can we deal sensibly with the world’s second-biggest economy if our discussions and actions are constrained by greed for its money?
25th Feb 2019 - The Times

The Brexit death spiral

None of the defects in electoral regulation or the threats of disinformation and hostile campaigns (domestic and foreign) have been addressed. The DCMS report arrived with a whimper and nothing has been implemented that makes any of it better. Truth be told, the situation is worse now than it was in 2016. The reality is simply that Leave own the conversation on Facebook, where activism translates from electronic to the street, and they are punching well above their audience on Twitter too. For example, of 2.7 million monitored interactions across the country's most popular Facebook pages of all political flavours in the last week, the pro-Brexit lobby owned 76.45% of the conversation. And on Twitter, where Leave only really has a quarter of the total audience, it's still in charge of 39.38% of the interactions
25th Feb 2019 - Byline Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 25th Feb 2019

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Eilis O’Hanlon: 'Ireland shouldn't hold its breath for a sea-change in UK's broken politics'

'Ireland shouldn't hold its breath for a sea-change in UK's broken politics' according to the Irish Independent. The emergence of a breakaway group of pro-EU MPs at Westminster may be too little, too late for Ireland as UK's broken political system jogs on towards a No Deal Brexit which hurts us all
24th Feb 2019 - Irish Independent

Michel Barnier says there is high chance of 'accidental' no-deal Brexit

Michel Barnier has said he is more concerned than ever after a week of talks with Theresa May and the British negotiators that has left Brussels fearing an accidental no-deal Brexit in five weeks. But he told a French radio channel: “Today I am more worried than before” over the talks, adding that the UK needed to make decisions fast. The EU official also told ambassadors privately, after the negotiations with the UK’s Brexit secretary, Stephen Barclay, and a visit by May to Brussels, that the chances of an “accidental” no-deal Brexit were high.
24th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Momentum chief warns Independent Group pose a threat that could damage Labour

Momentum founder Jon Lansman has admitted that parliament’s new Independent Group of MPs is a threat to Labour, as his organisation’s Corbyn-backing activists mobilise in a bid to force by-elections in defectors’ seats. In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Mr Lansman said that while he believes the new group is guaranteed to fail under its own shortcomings, Momentum will seek to minimise the political cost to Mr Corbyn by accelerating its downfall.
24th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Jeremy Hunt enrages Slovenia by wrongly saying it was 'a vassal state of the Soviet Union'

Foreign secretary visits Slovenia hoping to win friends and influence people over Brexit, before being labelled ‘arrogantly insulting’ after telling his hosts they were once subservient to Russia when they were actually part of a fiercely independent Yugoslavia
24th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Brexit must not be frustrated, Theresa May vows

The Brexit vote must not be frustrated and the government needs to maintain an "absolute" focus on delivering it, Theresa May has said. In a speech to Tory activists the PM said, as her negotiations with the EU reach their final stages, the "worst thing we could do is lose our focus".
24th Feb 2019 - BBC

What UK’s political crack-up means for Brexit

Without signs of progress, some ministers and officials believe the unravelling of the party system — started by the 12 MPs who resigned from Labour and the Tories last week — could accelerate. A sizeable chunk of government ministers are threatening to resign to vote for backbench proposals designed to stop a no-deal Brexit. The result would be a further destabilizing of British politics just weeks before the U.K.’s scheduled departure from the EU on March 29, opening up the prospect of a general election, second referendum or even a redrawn coalition government replacing May’s ailing administration.
24th Feb 2019 - Politico

Contempt Committee: Theresa May’s Government has ‘Not a leg to Stand On’ Withholding Information from Parliament

Opening its session this week, the committee’s chair, Charles Walker MP, asked key Opposition MPs: “Do you think the Government has a leg to stand on?” when it came to keeping requested information out of the hands of elected representatives. SNP MP Joanna Cherry QC (SNP) said she did not believe that the Government has a “leg to stand on” if MPs’ requests for factual information, particularly on Brexit, are stonewalled. “They have to accept that they are a minority government,” she said, before adding that Parliament is operating in “exceptional circumstances” that are at least equivalent to those before the Iraq War. This issue strikes at the heart of what the public should have a right to know.
24th Feb 2019 - Byline Times

We need the final say on Brexit

Two and a half years later, what is unfolding is an epic shambles that could very soon spell disaster for our nation. Every day that goes by businesses and public services are spending a fortune trying to prepare for a no deal scenario which would be an unprecedented self-inflicted disaster for our country. Businesses are hurting - delaying investment, paying sky-high prices for stockpiling and not committing to providing the decent, permanent jobs we need for the future.
24th Feb 2019 - GMB Union

EU Considers 21-Month Delay If May Can't Get Brexit Done

The European Union is considering telling Theresa May that if she can’t get her Brexit deal through Parliament and wants to delay the departure date, the country will have to stay in the bloc until 2021. Three European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said senior EU figures and several governments back an extension of as much as 21 months beyond the scheduled March 29 exit day. The idea will enrage pro-Brexit lawmakers in May’s party, who will probably see it as a tactic to get them to back May’s deal. A fourth European official also said it looked like a scare tactic.
24th Feb 2019 - Bloomberg

Brexit could be delayed until 2021, EU sources reveal

24th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Institute of Direct@JonSnowC4News Institute of Directors issue statement saying they have ‘lost faith in the political process’ after May postpone yet another vote.

Institute of Directors issue statement saying they have ‘lost faith in the political process’ after May postpone yet another vote on a Brexit deal
24th Feb 2019 - @JonSnowC4News

Theresa May Told How To Hold A Cue As She Plays Pool With The Italian Prime Minister

In the footage, the British Prime Minister admits she’ll be “hopeless” as she’s handed the cue. “You’ll have to show me how,” she adds, unsure of the mechanics of the game. Conte lets May onto the table after failing to pocket. Clearly hoping to help his boss while she’s caught in a tricky situation, Gavin Barwell, her chief of staff, shows her how to use her hand as a bridge and how to hold the cue. “Put your thumb and finger like that,” he suggests. Sadly, the video cuts out just after she hits the cue ball, so we’ll probably never know if she’s a natural.
24th Feb 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Gordon Brown calls for MPs to vote to delay Brexit - for up to 12 months

The former Labour PM wants to postpone Britain's jump from the EU and "avoid hurtling over a cliff edge" by gathering evidence from people across the country to tell if they want a second referendum on the move
23rd Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Buoyed by freedom, the rebels are now able to follow their consciences

If Corbyn breaks his promise on a second referendum or, more characteristically, pretends to support a people’s vote while quietly sabotaging it, more MPs will go. There’s talk of Tom Watson, the nearest the modern Labour movement has to a Bevin, forming a real Labour party. Whether it’s more than talk, I can’t say. One thing is certain, the question “do you think Jeremy Corbyn is fit to be prime minister” has the same answer it always had. I don’t know how much longer the bulk of the parliamentary Labour party can avoid delivering it.
23rd Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Corbyn told: change course before it’s too late for Labour

Some of Labour’s most influential figures are urgently warning Jeremy Corbyn to change his approach to antisemitism, Brexit and factional infighting, as more senior politicians reveal they have already decided to quit the party. Figures across the party say that a major exodus of MPs, peers and councillors will be triggered over the next few weeks unless the demands for change are met, with some already poised to go. One senior parliamentarian told the Observer: “I have decided that I am going to have to leave. For me, it’s just a question of when.”
23rd Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Ivan Rogers slams UK government, again

Writing in The Times, Rogers labeled Britain's "political class" a group of fantasists for taking offense at the EU wanting to enforce the rules of its trading club in Brexit negotiations. Rogers also faulted the EU for not "thinking strategically about the long-term relationship it wants with what will be its most important non-EU economic and security partner." Rogers reserved his greatest astonishment for that the fact that British businesses to have no idea about their terms of trade in five weeks time: "I can think of no parallel for this in the postwar annals of developed countries," he wrote.
23rd Feb 2019 - Politico.eu

Letters: Scotland must not be dragged down by the UK's European truculence

23rd Feb 2019 - Herald Scotland

‘A wrench to see them go’: 20 more MPs are on brink of quitting

The Observer has spoken to Labour MPs, peers and supporters who are all on the verge of quitting. “I know personally there are up to 20 MPs sitting on the cliff edge,” said one MP. “The interesting thing is of the 20, it’s whether they jump or are kicked off.” Another said: “100%, more will go.” Several peers are also considering their position. “In many cases they’ve had 50 or 60 years of membership,” said one. “It is a wrench. However, there are people in the ‘not if, but when’ mode.”
23rd Feb 2019 - The Guardian

The British public is disconnected from the reality of Brexit

There are politicians for whom a well-informed public on Brexit is now the enemy. These distortions of the political situation in the UK are having a cumulative impact. They are creating a looming disconnect between the UK public and the consequences of leaving the EU. Those in favour of Brexit are doing their best to ensure that remains so. May has suppressed reports from her own civil service that concluded that immigration makes a positive contribution to the UK economy. When a UN envoy wrote a damning report about the level of poverty that exists in the UK– surely an argument for having as soft a Brexit as possible – instead of using the information gathered, the Conservative Party rejected it as outright lies. From Isis brides to off-hand comments from EU politicians, anything that can be thrown into the mix to obscure the truth is being used.
23rd Feb 2019 - The Irish Times

PM accused of DUMBING down Brexit demands to get quick deal before Commons showdown

It is believed negotiations include a joint review mechanism that could end the backstop within 12 months of it being triggered. One pro-Remain minister told The Sun: “The PM knows she has to come up with something fast before next week to keep us onside”. But the development sparked an angry backlash from Brexiteer Tory MPs’ European Research Group, who warned of another major rebellion. A senior ERG source said: “It is highly likely that both sides in Brussels are about to commit another catastrophic misjudgement”.
22nd Feb 2019 - The Sun

Legal papers lodged against Boris Johnson for 'lies' told during EU referendum

The Brexiteer MP and Vote Leave leader has been accused of “abusing public trust” through the inaccurate claims made about the money sent each week to the EU. Claims about £350m sent to Brussels featured prominently on a big red bus during the Brexit campaign and on literature sent to voters - despite the chair of the UK Statistics Authority writing to tell Johnson his claims were untrue. A study carried out last year found that almost half of voters still believe the claim. Now private prosecutor Marcus J Ball has filed papers at court, claiming three offences of misconduct in public office against Johnson.
22nd Feb 2019 - The New European

Poll shows Welsh voters prefer May's Brexit deal to leaving EU without a deal

The latest YouGov poll for ITV Wales suggests that Welsh voters are now more likely to vote remain if there was another EU referendum. But if the only choice is Theresa May's deal or No deal they'd vote for the May Deal
22nd Feb 2019 - ITV News

Polls show Brexit regret is so strong that 'Remain' would win a second referendum by 9 points

The more familiar British people become with the details of Brexit, the less they like it, according to one of the UK's leading pollsters. There is now a nine-point majority that believes leaving the European Union was "wrong," YouGov found. It's the biggest majority against Brexit since the poll was instigated. A majority would vote "Remain" if a second referendum was held. Morgan Stanley now predicts Brexit will be delayed, possibly opening a window to a second vote.
22nd Feb 2019 - Business Insider

I'll stop Brexit extremists infiltrating our party, Theresa May assures Tories

Theresa May has vowed to block right-wing entryists from joining the Conservative Party in an attempt to stem further defections.Anna Soubry, Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen said local Tory associations were being infiltrated by a Eurosceptic “purple Momentum” when they joined the new Independent Group of MPs on Wednesday. In a letter to the trio, Mrs May said she did “not accept” the comparison between the Conservative grassroots and the influx of left-wing activists into the Labour Party since Jeremy Corbyn became leader.
22nd Feb 2019 - The Times

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 22nd Feb 2019

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We’ve upset Japan, China and Bangladesh this week alone – post-Brexit Britain won’t have any trade links at this rate

One of the many unintended consequences of Brexit is that “Global Britain” seems curiously friendless. We have proved remarkably inept at “taking back control” of our foreign policy, we are losing friends we need diplomatically every day. Telling Bangladesh to take our now 'stateless ISIS bride' - sending haughty letters to Japan they need to urgently agree a trade treaty with us - our defence secretary threatening to send a warship into China's backyard and then we ask them for a trade deal.
21st Feb 2019 - The Independent

No-deal Brexit threatens to push Ireland into budgetary deficit

Ireland’s deputy premier said the economy would be affected if the UK crashes out of the EU. A no-deal Brexit threatens to push Ireland into a budgetary deficit, Ireland’s deputy premier has warned. Simon Coveney said the economy would be impacted if ...
21st Feb 2019 - Shropshire Star

Jeremy Corbyn pushes Labour's Brexit blueprint in Brussels

After his meetings with EU officials in Brussels on Thursday, the Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn, and those around him, seem more confident than ever that their vision of Brexit will, somehow, become reality. Despite not actually being in the negotiation seat or in power. Sources close to the talks between Mr Corbyn and Michel Barnier say the EU's chief negotiator was sympathetic to Labour's ideas of membership of a customs union and a closer alignment with the single market. Speak to EU diplomats and officials in Brussels privately and they have always seen the Labour plans as more favourable.
21st Feb 2019 - ITV News

Not there yet but closer: Britain and EU haggle over Brexit compromise

May’s finance minister, Philip Hammond, raised hopes that a revised deal was on the cards by saying lawmakers could get an opportunity as early as next week to vote on a revised deal. But within hours of his comments, a British government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, played down the likelihood of a deal within days.
21st Feb 2019 - Reuters

Theresa May reaches out to Remainer rebels amid quit rumours

Theresa May has held meetings with leading Tory Remainers, amid speculation about further defections. Justine Greening and Phillip Lee say Mrs May has ignored requests from pro-EU Tory MPs in favour of Brexiteers. The pair had separate meetings with the PM in Downing Street. Meanwhile, one ex-Labour member of the new Independent Group of MPs has said it could help keep Mrs May in power on condition that she agreed to another EU referendum with Remain as an option.
22nd Feb 2019 - BBC

Delay to tax havens’ public registers ‘risks national security’

The UK government is undermining national security by delaying the introduction of publicly available share ownership registers in Britain’s major tax havens such as the British Virgin Islands, the foreign affairs select committee has said. During a general inquiry into the relationship between the UK and its overseas territories, the MPs on the committee discovered that the Foreign Office planned to delay the introduction of publicly available beneficial share ownership registers until 2023, three years after the deadline MPs believed they had set. Public registers are seen as critical by campaigners for cracking down on money laundering, corruption and tax evasion, including by leaders of authoritarian governments.
22nd Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Tory MP defector predicts cabinet resignations over no-deal Brexit

Theresa May tried on Thursday to prevent further Europhile Tory MPs from resigning by promising that her UK government would occupy the political centre ground. Justine Greening and Philip Lee, two Tory MPs who are seen as among the most likely to join the new Independent Group in the House of Commons, were both invited to meet Mrs May at Downing Street. Hours earlier Ms Greening said she would resign from the Conservative party if the government sought to take Britain out of the EU without a deal
21st Feb 2019 - Financial Times

Scotland Brexit: David Mundell 'will not quit Conservative Party'

The Scottish secretary has said he is determined to stop a no-deal Brexit, but has no intention of leaving the Conservative Party. Speaking at an event in Edinburgh, David Mundell said leaving the EU without a deal could cause "chaos and disruption in our economy". He said he was not surprised that three pro-Remain Tory MPs had quit the party to join the new Independent Group. But he said he would "most certainly not" be joining them.
21st Feb 2019 - BBC

Theresa May is lying to get her Brexit deal through – even if that means thousands more people losing their jobs

The withdrawal agreement, widely known as “May’s deal”, clearly sets out the objective of leaving both the customs union and the single market. Leaving them both is part of the prime minister’s many red lines. Not only are May’s claims on the political declaration false, they are an attempt to obscure the decisive difference between her deal and Corbyn’s policy. Corbyn is demanding that our economy is in a customs union with the closest possible relationship with the single market. The prime minister is willing to destroy tens of thousands of jobs and lower living standards as workers at Nissan, Ford and Honda are finding out. And the distortion of the truth is part and parcel of that plan.
21st Feb 2019 - The Independent

John Humphrys SHOCKED by Philip Hammond's 'HIGH RISK' Brexit admission

BBC Today programme host John Humphrys was shocked by Philip Hammond's Brexit admission as the Chancellor revealed the UK Government may have never asked the EU whether they would offer Britain an extension of Article 50.
21st Feb 2019 - Express

There’s only one way out of this Brexit nightmare – revoke Article 50

Brexit was a mutiny. Like all mutinies, it was driven by anger at authority rather than by a strategy for the future. To date, the consequences have been to deepen polarisation, but triumphant victory for either side is not the way forward. That there is no majority for any of the current options is entirely understandable: they are all awful. We can only break the polarisation with a new strategy. The Brexit mutiny should have been a wake-up call. Instead, the elite are angry that the mutiny was not suppressed, while the mutineers have become ever more distrustful. There is a way out of this nightmare. Revoke Article 50
21st Feb 2019 - Spectator

No-deal Brexit might see Justine Greening quit Conservatives

Justine Greening has indicated she would leave the Conservative Party if the Government backed a no-deal Brexit. "I don't think I would be able to stay part of a party that was simply a Brexit party that had crashed us out of the European Union," the former education secretary said.
21st Feb 2019 - BBC

Brexit became inevitable while we were all looking the other way

When historians come to write the story of Brexit, where will their account begin? The year it all started to go wrong for David Cameron was 2012 - first Greece teetered on default and the EU took a highly publicized austerity stance. This threw the Euro into crisis and in turn the political project went into the mixer
21st Feb 2019 - Sky News

Tories pushed close to breaking point after three Brexit-hating MPs defect and join Independent Group

Theresa May’s Tory party was pushed close to breaking point on Wednesday as three prominent MPs walked out to join the new Independent Group. Former Cabinet minister Anna Soubry, Commons Health Committee chair Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen stunned Westminster with the defection.
21st Feb 2019 - The Sun

Theresa May trolled in Brussels by anti-Brexit group

Just over 3 kilometers away from the Commission's Berlaymont building, a giant electronic billboard in Brussels' Place De Brouckère shows one of May's tweets from April 2016. It says: "I believe it is clearly in our national interest to remain a member of the European Union." The billboard is the work of Led By Donkeys, an anti-Brexit group that posts, according to its Twitter bio, "the Brexit predictions of our leaders, rendered as tweets then put on massive billboards."
21st Feb 2019 - Politico.eu

Theresa May faces ministerial revolt over no-deal Brexit

Theresa May is facing the most serious cabinet revolt of her premiership next week, with as many as 25 members of the government ready to vote for a Brexit delay unless she rules out “no deal” – in a move that will challenge her to sack them. Rebel Conservatives believe there are now enough MPs across the House of Commons to pass an amendment that would require May to extend article 50 rather than allow the UK to leave without a deal.
21st Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Taxpayers face having to cough up £310 MILLION for the Home Office’s Windrush scandal

Taxpayers face a staggering £310 MILLION bill from the Windrush scandal, the Sun can reveal. Home Secretary Sajid Javid has told Cabinet colleagues that a compensation fund may cost the extraordinary sum. And he is warning the bill is so high, the Home Office will struggle to even launch the fund without extra cash from the Treasury. One Cabinet source told The Sun: “Saj is saying it’s unaffordable and that the Home Office budget needs another £150 million.” It’s the first time the Government has put a figure on the likely redress for thousands of Commonwealth citizens caught up in the scandal – which erupted almost exactly one year ago.
21st Feb 2019 - The Sun

EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker 'not optimistic' about avoiding no-deal Brexit

The European Commission president lamented that the two sides were unlikely to reach a deal MPs will be willing to support. And he warned that a no-deal departure from the bloc would have “terrible economic and social consequences, both in Britain and on the continent”.
21st Feb 2019 - Politics Home

From Europe, Brexit is like 'watching a car crash in slow motion'

Europeans in Brussels, the unofficial capital of the E.U., have some choice words to describe Britain’s attempt to leave the 28-country bloc. "Horrifying," "chaotic" and "frustrating" are just a few of them. There are just 36 days left until Brexit, and lawmakers have been unable to agree on how it will leave and what the future relationship will look like. “It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion and you can’t do anything to stop it,” said Jess Fitch, who was born and raised in Belgium to British parents and is a U.K. national.
21st Feb 2019 - NBC News

Chris Davies: Tory MP charged with forgery over his expenses claims

A Tory MP has been charged with forgery over claims he falsified documents for his Parliamentary expenses. Chris Davies, 51, will face court next month charged with three alleged offences dating back to early 2016. The Crown Prosecution Service said today they brought the criminal charges after reviewing allegations that Mr Davies "falsified two invoices in support of Parliamentary expenses claims." The MP has represented Brecon and Radnorshire since 2015 and was made a government aide to the Wales Office in January 2018.
21st Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Tory MP Christopher Davies faces trial over claims he cheated expenses and could be jailed for a year

21st Feb 2019 - The Sun

Ex-Tory MP Anna Soubry Claims Theresa May Has 'A Problem With Immigration'

Ex-Tory MP Anna Soubry has claimed Theresa May has a “problem with immigration” on the same day she decided to quit the Tories to join parliament’s new Independent Group. Soubry, who announced her resignation on Wednesday over the government’s stance on Brexit, told BBC Newsnight that the prime minister would not agree to the single market “because of the free movement of people”. Soubry added: “And I think what’s really worried me about Theresa, and she has history in the Home Office that supports this – because I’m an old barrister, I look at the evidence – and I think she’s got a problem with immigration. I really, honestly do.”
20th Feb 2019 - Huffington Post

Labour reports former MP Joan Ryan over alleged data breach

Labour has reported its former MP Joan Ryan to the Information Commissioner’s Office, though she strongly denies accessing party systems to contact members after resigning from the party on Tuesday to join the breakaway Independent Group. It is understood the party has informed the commissioner about the alleged breach and that it intends to submit a full report. Suspicions about the breach prompted party officials to shut down its key canvassing software.
30th Nov -0001 - The Guardian

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 21st Feb 2019

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Brexit became inevitable while we were all looking the other way

When historians come to write the story of Brexit, where will their account begin? The year it all started to go wrong for David Cameron was 2012 - first Greece teetered on default and the EU took a highly publicized austerity stance. This threw the Euro into crisis and in turn the political project went into the mixer
21st Feb 2019 - Sky News

Tories pushed close to breaking point after three Brexit-hating MPs defect and join Independent Group

Theresa May’s Tory party was pushed close to breaking point on Wednesday as three prominent MPs walked out to join the new Independent Group. Former Cabinet minister Anna Soubry, Commons Health Committee chair Sarah Wollaston and Heidi Allen stunned Westminster with the defection.
21st Feb 2019 - The Sun

Theresa May trolled in Brussels by anti-Brexit group

Just over 3 kilometers away from the Commission's Berlaymont building, a giant electronic billboard in Brussels' Place De Brouckère shows one of May's tweets from April 2016. It says: "I believe it is clearly in our national interest to remain a member of the European Union." The billboard is the work of Led By Donkeys, an anti-Brexit group that posts, according to its Twitter bio, "the Brexit predictions of our leaders, rendered as tweets then put on massive billboards."
21st Feb 2019 - Politico.eu

Brexit: Great UK expectations meet EU reality

Downing Street expects a revised Brexit deal in the offing, possibly ready for the House of Commons to vote on early next week. EU chief Brexit negotiator, Michel Barnier, is still talking about a "worrying political impasse". Jean Claude Juncker, the president of the European Commission, says he expects no breakthrough during his meeting with Mrs May - but that is polite language compared to what I'm hearing behind the scenes.
20th Feb 2019 - BBC

May met Ineos chair for off-roader talks as tax row loomed

The Sunday Times reported that Sir Jim and two of his fellow Ineos shareholders had been working on a restructuring of the company to enable them to reduce their tax bills by huge sums of money - potentially running into billions of pounds. Britain's largest private company, Ineos redomiciled to Switzerland following a row over its VAT liabilities, but returned to the UK in 2016.
20th Feb 2019 - Sky News

Tory peer Baroness Altmann threatens to join Independent Group over no-deal Brexit

Former pensions minister Baroness Altmann said she felt “disillusioned with the Ukip-isation of the Tory party” before declaring she would happily sign up for a moderate splinter party in the event of a no-deal Brexit. She emotionally warned of the risks of Britain leaving the EU without a deal before adding the Conservatives are being “infiltrated by Ukip”. She told the Daily Telegraph: “I want to cry, I want to weep at what we are doing. “If a group of like-minded Conservatives give up on the Conservative Party because it is intent on taking the UK out of the EU without a deal, then I would consider supporting them.”
20th Feb 2019 - Express.co.uk

Brexit: Former EU ambassador says no-deal 'means hard border'

The UK's former ambassador to the EU has warned there will be a hard border in Ireland if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. Sir Ivan Rogers was giving evidence to the Lords EU Committee. He said that if a hard Irish border was to be avoided in a no-deal scenario, there would instead have to be a border in the Irish Sea
20th Feb 2019 - BBC

Conservative MPs Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston quit party in protest at Brexit stance

Three MPs have quit the Conservative Party to join the new Independent Group (TIG) in a major blow to Theresa May's authority. Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry and Sarah Wollaston hit out at the Prime Minister's "disastrous" handling of Brexit as they quit
20th Feb 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Alex Sobel: Why it is now vital that we extend Article 50 over Brexit

We now stand on the precipice of disaster. And wasn’t it always going to come to this with Theresa May? The Prime Minister chose a course which pleased no one, hiring one arch Brexiteer after another, challenging them to follow through on her promises of free trade unicorns and post-Brexit nirvana, only to see them achieve nothing and resign. She pushed back on any form of cross-party consensus, All this while the clock ticks towards the March 29 deadline. We are where we are. Now is the time for an honest appraisal of the situation facing the country and for grown up, level-headed and practical solutions. It is my contention that the most practical way of dealing with our March deadline, is to extend Article 50.
20th Feb 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

Royal Navy will not step in to bodyguard British fishermen from ‘aggressive’ French trawlers after Brexit

Royal Navy ships will not be used to protect British fishermen from their French counterparts after Brexit, a defence minister has revealed. The decision was confirmed by armed forces minister Mark Lancaster this week and comes following a series of bizarre clashes between UK and French fisherman last year – dubbed ‘The Scallop Wars’.
20th Feb 2019 - Portsmouth News

David Mundell vows Brexit will strengthen devolution

Leaving the European Union will serve to strengthen devolution within the UK, Scottish Secretary David Mundell is to argue. He will use a speech to mark the 20th anniversary of the establishment of the Scottish Parliament to reject claims from the Scottish Government that Brexit will “damage devolution”. The decision to quit the EU has increased tensions between Theresa May’s Westminster Government and Nicola Sturgeon’s Edinburgh administration.
20th Feb 2019 - Shropshire Star

Brexit: Extremists taking over, warns Major

“The Conservative Party membership appears to be ‘hollowing out’ traditional Conservatives, while former Ukip members strengthen the anti-European right of the party,” he said in a speech in Glasgow. “In parliament, the European Research Group (ERG) has become a party within a party, with its own whips, its own funding and its own priorities. Some of its more extreme members have little or no affinity to moderate, pragmatic and tolerant conservatism. “The ERG does not represent a majority view but — with a minority government, as now — can determine policy simply by being intransigent.”
20th Feb 2019 - The Times

Theresa May fails to get Brexit deal changes discussed with Jean-Claude Juncker

Theresa May and EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last night discussed possible "guarantees" and "legal assurances" that could be established in relation to the controversial Irish border backstop protocol that has dogged the PM's efforts to pass her Withdrawal Agreement. However, May failed to win concessions on her bid to reopen the Withdrawal Agreement in full, meaning any changes would be in the form of a supplementary resolution.
20th Feb 2019 - City A.M.

European Officials Say The British Press Is Wrong About A Brexit Breakthrough Coming Soon

European governments and EU officials say they are puzzled by recent optimistic reports in the British press of an emerging Brexit deal. As the clock ticks down to Brexit day, the UK press is once again rife with stories suggesting imminent breakthroughs and speculation that a “deal in the desert” could be signed in Sharm El-Sheikh on the sidelines of an EU-League of Arab States summit taking place in Egypt this weekend.
20th Feb 2019 - BuzzFeed.News

Derek Hatton suspended by Labour just two days after his readmission was confirmed

Labour has suspended Derek Hatton’s membership of the party just days after it was confirmed that he had been readmitted.
20th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

@SkyNewsPolitics @jessphillips says "if you are not in @jeremycorbyn's gang" it feels like you "have no role in the party".

@jessphillips says "if you are not in @jeremycorbyn's gang" it feels like you "have no role in the party". She adds that she was "born Labour" but finds it hard to disagree with the issues raised by the eight MPs who have quit.
20th Feb 2019 - @SkyNewsPolitics

Brexit: No breakthrough at Theresa May meeting, says EU president Juncker

The president of the European Commission has poured cold water on the possibility of a breakthrough in Brexit talks as he met with Theresa May in Brussels. The prime minister travelled to the EU capital on Wednesday night to meet Jean-Claude Juncker and try to convince the bloc to change the agreement to make it more palatable to Tory MPs. Senior Tories were reportedly upbeat ahead of the meeting, trailing the prospect of the prime minister returning to London with concessions, but the message was not matched by officials in Brussels.
20th Feb 2019 - The Independent

@Channel4News Anna Soubry announces she has left the Conservatives - and criticises the "infiltration" of right-wing activists into the party.

"It's a form of tyranny and it's ironic that Conservatives observe and condemn it in the Labour Party, but it's happening in their own party." Anna Soubry announces she has left the Conservatives - and criticises the "infiltration" of right-wing activists into the party.
20th Feb 2019 - @Channel4News

Joan Ryan blames Jeremy Corbyn for 'culture of anti-semitism' as she becomes eighth MP to quit Labour

Joan Ryan has become the eighth Labour MP to quit to join the new Independent Group, blaming Jeremy Corbyn for "a culture of anti-semitism" in the party.
20th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Labour MP apologises after claiming new Independent Group of MPs could be ‘supported by Israel’

High Peak MP Ms George was responding to reports that a local Labour councillor had liked a Facebook comment describing the MPs involved in the breakaway as “Israelis”. She said she would "condemn the calling of anyone as an Israeli when it’s not the case". But she then added: "The comment appears not to refer to the independent MPs but to their financial backers. Support from the State of Israel, which supports both Conservative and Labour ‘Friends of Israel of which Luciana was chair is possible and I would not condemn those who suggest it, especially when the group’s financial backers are not being revealed. It’s important for democracy to know the financial backers for any political group or policy."
19th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 20th Feb 2019

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Post-Brexit Britain will be more vulnerable to Chinese interference, report warns

Economic uncertainties after Brexit could make the UK more vulnerable to Chinese interference, with Beijing using a variety of means to infiltrate Britain’s power structures, a leading think-tank has warned. There has been little focus in Britain on how China preys on targeted countries and there is a need for a cohesive programme to counter it, according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute, which charts the tactics used by the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to achieve its aims.
20th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Labour split: John McDonnell denies further defections could be as high as 30

The shadow chancellor called for "dialogue" with the newly-formed independent group, as questions abound of more Labour MPs jumping ship over the party's Brexit policy and antisemitism
19th Feb 2019 - Sky News

BBC Scotland director defends Question Time against bias criticisms

The director of BBC Scotland, Donalda MacKinnon, has said she wants to convince critics the corporation has no agenda, as a row about pro-union bias on Question Time escalated. Speaking before the launch of a £32m dedicated television channel in Scotland, the cornerstone of the BBC’s efforts to address complaints from SNP politicians, TV companies and viewers that it has neglected Scottish audiences, MacKinnon acknowledged that “despite high consumption of BBC content in Scotland, higher than anywhere else in the UK, perceptions remain lower”
19th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Conservatives being 'manipulated by Brexit zealots', ex-PM Major to warn

The Conservative Party is being "manipulated" by Brexit "zealots" and the "mainstream majority" of MPs must reassert itself to stop a damaging EU exit, Sir John Major is to argue. In a lecture in Glasgow, the former prime minister will urge Parliament to "dig deep into its soul" and act before the scheduled departure, on 29 March. Brexit will cost billions and risk the break-up of the UK, he will say.
19th Feb 2019 - BBC

Brexit news latest: No-deal could break up UK, deputy PM tells hard Brexiteers

Theresa May's de facto deputy warned today that a no-deal Brexit could encourage the break-up of the UK — piling pressure on Right-wingers to back the Prime Minister’s plans if Brussels makes a concession on the Northern Ireland border “backstop”. Cabinet Office minister David Lidington raised expectations that Tory MPs will be urged to support Mrs May’s Brexit blueprint if the European Union offers limited legal assurances on the backstop. A codicil or addendum to the withdrawal agreement might enable Attorney General Geoffrey Cox to argue that the threat of the UK being indefinitely subject to EU rules has been curtailed.
19th Feb 2019 - Evening Standard

‘It’s like Pompeii again if Pompeii voted for the volcano’ – US show takes down Brexit

Beginning the feature on Brexit he explained: “It’s now been two-and-a-half years since the UK voted to leave the EU. The long story short of is there was a bus with a lie on it, people made a massively consequential decision by a narrow margin, and the subject of the impending Brexit has dominated every waking moment in British life.” “People in Britain are completely exhausted by Brexit talk, and the crazy thing is it hasn’t even happened yet. Although it has had big effects on the British economy. In the wake of the Brexit vote the UK has become one of the worst performing economies in the G7, major companies like Nissan and Dyson are moving operations out of Britain, and the pound has dropped by almost by 14%.”
19th Feb 2019 - The New European

Tory minister blasts Brexiteers for 'tarnishing' party amid claims Conservative MPs could quit

A Conservative minister has warned Tory eurosceptics they are "tarnishing" the party, amid reports a trio of MPs could quit and join a new independent grouping in parliament. Defence minister Tobias Ellwood attacked the European Research Group (ERG) of Conservative Brexiteers for their actions, which he claimed were threatening to "poison" the party. He also added to speculation Tory MPs could join a group of seven former Labour MPs, who this week walked out of their party and formed a new group in the House of Commons.
19th Feb 2019 - Sky News

Labour split: Antisemitism row over MP Ruth George’s Israel funding claim

A Labour MP has come under attack after suggesting that the seven MPs who quit the party might be secretly funded by Israel. The group, including Luciana Berger, the MP for Liverpool Wavertree, who is Jewish, announced yesterday that they were resigning over Jeremy Corbyn’s handling of antisemitism in the party as well as Brexit. Ruth George, the MP for High Peak, today posted on social media that “support from the State of Israel, which supports both Conservative and Labour Friends of Israel, of which Luciana was chair, is possible”.
19th Feb 2019 - The Times

Brexit: Labour rift proves it cannot be relied on, Hunt tells EU

Jeremy Hunt has seized on Labour’s split, claiming to European foreign ministers it proved that only concessions to win round Conservative rightwingers will get the Brexit deal through the Commons. During a frenetic day of lobbying in Brussels, the foreign secretary privately counselled his EU counterparts that the opposition could not be relied upon, even if the government pivoted to backing a customs union.
19th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit: Michael Gove admits farmers may never recover from no-deal

A no-deal Brexit would seriously harm the UK’s farmers, Michael Gove has admitted. The Environment Secretary told the National Farmer’s Union (NFU) conference that there was “no absolute guarantee” that British farmers could export any of their produce to the EU in a no-deal scenario, and would face punishing tariffs even if they could. Mr Gove also dismissed speculation that the UK Government could slash tariffs on food imports after Brexit, an idea hinted at by International Trade Secretary Liam Fox
19th Feb 2019 - The Scotsman

Sheffield MP apologises after comments on skin colour spark racism row

One of Sheffield's MPs has been forced to apologise after sparking a racism row on the day she left the Labour party. Angela Smith, who represents Penistone and Stocksbridge, quit Labour along with six more of the party’s members of parliament in a major blow for leader Jeremy Corbyn.
18th Feb 2019 - The Star

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 19th Feb 2019

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Labour breakaway’s Brexit impact

All seven are supporters of a second referendum and frustration with leader Jeremy Corbyn’s reluctance to take that path contributed to their decision to leave. And while it would be wrong to see the split as a solely Brexit-driven event (anger at anti-Semitism in Labour ranks and wider political and ideological differences with Corbyn also played their part) the timing, 39 days before the day the U.K. is scheduled to leave, means that Brexit will utterly dominate the agenda of this new parliamentary group.
18th Feb 2019 - Politico.eu

From 262 To 248: Labour Has Lost 14 MPs Since The 2017 General Election

18th Feb 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Rebel MPs looked anguished - but their message was defiant

18th Feb 2019 - Sky News

Nigel Farage’s 'purple Momentum' gaining strength as MORE Tory MPs face DESELECTION

Arron Banks, the former Ukip donor behind the campaign, said: “In the coming weeks these new members will have a direct say in adoption of these MPs or not - stop Brexit and we will do everything to stop you, now or at the next General Election.”
18th Feb 2019 - Express.co.uk

Tory Brexit splits deepen as Sarah Wollaston and Sir Alan Duncan facing deselection votes

18th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

UK Government accused of ‘feckless and reckless’ approach to Brexit

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was urged to take no deal off the table by Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary, as the pair attended a public question-and-answer session in Edinburgh on Monday. Mr Ewing told an audience at the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) headquarters: “Unless we take a no deal off the table there will be irreparable harm, particularly to our sheep, our lamb sector that is so reliant on exports to the EU that a collapse in the lamb price would be an inevitable consequence.”
18th Feb 2019 - Irish Examiner

If we strike a decent Brexit deal, it will be DESPITE Theresa May’s botched negotiations

It will show the unnecessary crisis engulfing Britain as we stumble unprepared towards a No Deal Brexit was entirely made in Downing Street. It was created by a stubborn, inflexible Remainer who ignored the clearly stated instructions of the British people — especially those in her own party — to leave the European Union. This failure of imagination is characteristic of a leader who defied advice, triggered Brexit without a plan and lost her majority in a catastrophic snap election along the way. Now she wants to revive her universally detested Chequers deal — famously branded “a polished turd” by Boris Johnson — and ram it down the throats of Brexiteers.
18th Feb 2019 - The Sun

Brexit: Labour will only back a fresh referendum ‘in extremis’, John McDonnell says

Labour will only back a fresh Brexit referendum “in extremis” and is determined to “get a deal done”, John McDonnell says. The shadow chancellor cooled hopes that Jeremy Corbyn is moving towards backing another public vote, stating it was still “not the best option”. “Let’s get a deal done – that’s the most important thing for me,” Mr McDonnell told the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show. Insisting Labour would continue to push its softer Brexit plan – despite Theresa May rejecting it – he added: “You would only go back to the people in extremis if can’t get a deal agreed through parliament.
18th Feb 2019 - The Independent

UK Government accused of ‘feckless and reckless’ approach to Brexit

The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs was urged to take no deal off the table by Fergus Ewing, Scotland’s Rural Economy Secretary, as the pair attended a public question-and-answer session in Edinburgh on Monday. Mr Ewing told an audience at the Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) headquarters: “Unless we take a no deal off the table there will be irreparable harm, particularly to our sheep, our lamb sector that is so reliant on exports to the EU that a collapse in the lamb price would be an inevitable consequence.”
18th Feb 2019 - Irish Examiner

Derek Hatton has been allowed back into Labour - 34 years after being kicked out

Derek “Degsy” Hatton has been allowed back into Labour - 34 years after being kicked out for belonging to the hard-left Militant faction. The former deputy leader of Liverpool’s City Council triggered a national outcry in the 1980s by setting an illegal budget and was blasted for sending redundancy notices by taxi to thousands of council workers. However, the Mirror understands his membership was rubber-stamped last week following a meeting of the party’s disputes panel, which is overseen by its ruling national executive committee.
18th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

You get the heroes you deserve. And Brexit Britain has Gavin Williamson

Keen to turn back the clock to the days when Britain’s men in uniform could brutally quash a native uprising in the morning, appropriate half of India’s wealth in the afternoon and enjoy a G&T or seven in the evening, the man who once kept a pet tarantula in his office to cultivate an air of ruthless cunning has appropriated an image befitting his new role: action man.
18th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

MPs blast Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and call for tough regulation to tackle fake news

The DCMS committee has spent months looking into targeted advertising on social media, fake news, disinformation and foreign interference in elections. It has probed the secretive data firms that played a pivotal role in the EU referendum and looked at how their wares have been used to target voters away from the scrutiny of the public eye. In its conclusions it called for a compulsory code of ethics for tech firms overseen by an independent regulator with the powers to take legal action when rules are breached. It also said electoral laws were “not fit for purpose” and demanded major reform by Government - including over foreign meddling in elections from states like Russia. But it trained its most damning fire on Facebook, which it said “intentionally and knowingly violated both data privacy and anti-competition laws” by handing masses of user information over to app developers.
18th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Britain needs a day of reckoning. Brexit will provide it

Britain’s global profile has diminished its ability to focus on internal nation-building. “The British state is a machine for running and exploring the world,” he said. “It doesn’t work very well when it comes to the business of the modern nation.” It’s a country paralysed, polarised and falling apart, yet deluded about its global status. A humbling must come to pass
18th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

UK's Labour urges government to back customs union Brexit plan ahead of Brussels visit

British opposition Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn will on Tuesday urge the government to adopt his party’s Brexit plan for a permanent customs union with the European Union, ahead of a visit to Brussels. With just six weeks until Britain is due to leave the bloc, Prime Minister Theresa May is yet to win ratification of British lawmakers for her Brexit deal.
18th Feb 2019 - Reuters UK

@PolHomeEditor Jeremy Corbyn emails Labour MPs urging them to remain united.

Jeremy Corbyn emails Labour MPs urging them to remain united. One says: "This is absolutely incredible. The leadership just don’t get it. Within hours of the 7 leaving they send out this. This is their problem. Cloth eared and making matters worse."
18th Feb 2019 - @PolHomeEditor

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 18th Feb 2019

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MPs told splitting from Labour risks 'decade' of Conservative government

Ex-foreign secretary Dame Margaret Beckett and Labour shadow chancellor John McDonnell tell MPs to stick with the party.
18th Feb 2019 - Sky News

Brexit: Just 13% of 12,000 EU regulations have been transferred to British law

Britain faces having “large gaps” in the law after Brexit after a study found just 13% of EU regulations have been replaced. Experts say it will create “troubling” uncertainty for businesses as they brace themselves for the possibility of no-deal in just over a month. Some 12,000 Brussels rules will have to be examined, edited and ‘retained’ by MPs before Britain leaves the EU at the end of March. To ensure a smooth transition, in either a deal or no-deal situation, the Government will “lift and shift”’ those Regulations which currently apply to the UK into the UK Statute book.
18th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Blow for Theresa May as minister declares he will vote to stop a no-deal Brexit

Tobias Ellwood said quitting the EU in March without an agreement would be “catastrophic for Britain” and that the option needs to be taken off the table “very soon indeed”. The Defence Minister has been a vocal critic of a no-deal outcome, but today became the first frontbencher to openly admit he would be willing to rebel to stop it from happening.
17th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

List of Brexit lies: an A to Z

Matt Kelly, Editor of The New European, lists his take on the most widely known Brexit Lies. He explains them in an A-Z format, why they are wrong and how they have been spun.
17th Feb 2019 - British GQ

Arron Banks is back on Twitter, after a three-week absence and he's even more vile than ever. He's boasting about 50,000 Kippers joining the Conservatives purely to wreck your party.

Arron Banks is back on Twitter, after a three-week absence and he's even more vile than ever. He's boasting about 50,000 Kippers joining the Conservatives purely to wreck your party. You're one of the MPs targeted. Brandon Lewis must act, but he's AWOL. #PurpleWave
17th Feb 2019 - @lunaperla

Labour failing to cash in on Brexit billionaires

Loyalty to personal wealth is paramount when details of his dirty little secret follow Brexit boss James Dyson switching his HQ from Blighty to Singapore while Tory loaded banker Jacob Rees-Mogg opened a city fund in Dublin to remain within Europe while forcing everyone else to leave. Never has Brexit felt such a plaything for a footloose wealthy elite who incited enough working people to vote for economic suicide in the knowledge first class tickets and private planes await to fly them to safety.
17th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Six pro-Brexit protesters charged after London 'yellow vest' march

Six people have been charged after a number of police officers and emergency workers were attacked at a pro-Brexit yellow vest protest march in London. Footage posted on social media appears to show some activists clashing with officers at the march through Whitehall and Piccadilly on Saturday. Five protesters were charged with assault on an emergency worker, and one was charged with obstructing police.
17th Feb 2019 - BBC

Jeremy Corbyn accused of ditching Labour's Brexit policy as party delegates turn on leader

Jeremy Corbyn has been accused of betraying the party’s Brexit policy by the delegates who wrote it, as they demand he finally backs a Final Say referendum on Brexit. The delegates from around the country have sent a letter to the Labour leader, directly charging him with failing to implement the plan carefully formed and approved by conference last year. In a stinging rebuke they remind him that he promised “policy will be made by Labour members, not the leader”, but then go on to say, “the complete opposite now appears to be happening”.
17th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Third of Britons believe Islam threatens British way of life, says report

More than a third of people in the UK believe that Islam is a threat to the British way of life, according to a report by the anti-fascist group Hope not Hate. The organisation’s annual “State of Hate” report, which will be launched on Monday, argues that anti-Muslim prejudice has replaced immigration as the key driver of the growth of the far right.
17th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May’s Brexit unity plea shattered by leaked WhatsApp messages

The Sunday Times received leaked WhatsApp messages revealing that Steve Baker, the deputy chairman of the 100-strong European Research Group (ERG), told colleagues that May’s Brexit negotiations with Brussels were a “complete waste of time”. In a message on Friday, Baker said Downing Street and Brussels were pretending to negotiate while “working together to run down the clock to force [May’s] deal through” with few changes.
17th Feb 2019 - The Sunday Times

Billionaire Brexiteer Sir James Ratcliffe 'relocates to Monaco in a bid to save £4bn in tax'

Ratcliffe is chairman of chemicals company Ineos which has turnover of £45bn. He and two senior execs are reportedly set to benefit from tax avoidance plan. Monaco, famous for its yacht-lined harbour and casinos, is well-known tax haven Plan could see Treasury lose out on around £400m and £4bn, should it go ahead.
17th Feb 2019 - Daily Mail

Jacob Rees-Mogg compares Glasgow's mortality rate with concentration camps on Question Time

Yesterday a prominent Conservative backbencher compared the death rate in Glasgow to mortality figures in concentration camps during the Boer War. Jacob Rees-Mogg, who is particularly well known for his pro-Brexit views, used an appearance on BBC Question Time to defend the legacy of Sir Winston Churchill. During an exchange with Grace Blakeley, a research Fellow on IPPR’s Commission on Economic Justice, Rees-Mogg talked about concentration camps - bringing in Glasgow as a statistical example.
17th Feb 2019 - Glasgow Live

“You would be prepared to be one of the people who will go down in history…

“You would be prepared to be one of the people who will go down in history… How could you possibly, responsibly do that when you know that's a bad thing?” That was the question @krishgm put to Cabinet minister James Brokenshire about leaving the EU without a deal on March 29th.
16th Feb 2019 - @Channel4News

Brexit abuse forces MPs to move house

Female MPs have been forced to move house and hire bodyguards as tensions over Brexit fuel intimidation and abuse, The Times can reveal. Some MPs have been bullied into changing their position on crucial votes after being targeted by extremists, according to senior figures such as Harriet Harman, the former deputy Labour leader. One female parliamentarian has been advised by police not to travel at night on her own, another has been told not to drive herself and a third has been advised not to run in her local park.
16th Feb 2019 - The Times

'Cash for access' claims after Tories offer private meetings with Philip Hammond for £25,000 a year

he Conservatives are ­facing new “cash-for-access” claims after offering ­business figures private meetings with the Chancellor and other finance ministers in return for substantial donations to the party. Individuals working in the City were being offered membership of a “Chancellor’s Group” that Tories said had the “overt patronage of the Chancellor” and offered the chance to “discuss topical issues” with key finance ministers, go to post-budget briefings and get “monthly updates on the economy.”
16th Feb 2019 - The Telegraph

Fatcats supplied more than half Tories' £52m donations since 2017

Fatcat donors were behind more than half the £52million given to the Tories since 2017. Analysis by Labour reveals the cash from the secretive Leader’s Group — an elite network of donors who pay £50,000-a-year to dine with top Tory ministers. The billionaires, business tycoons and hedge fund bosses have access to the Prime Minister and Cabinet Ministers such as Chancellor Philip Hammond, as well as leadership contenders Boris Johnson and Sajid Javid. Of those dining with Tory ministers, super-rich donors working in finance donated £9.1million to the party.
16th Feb 2019 - Mirror Online

Labour’s Michael Dugher quits the party after 28 years over Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to tackle anti-Semitism

A senior Labour figure once tipped for high office is quitting the party over Jeremy Corbyn’s failure to tackle anti-Semitism. Michael Dugher, 43, admits he has been close to tears watching colleagues abused by the hard-Left hate mob.
16th Feb 2019 - The Sun

Billboards ‘exposing politicians’ lies and hypocrisy’ over leaving the EU are appearing all over the UK

Billboards ‘exposing politicians’ lies and hypocrisy’ over leaving the EU are appearing all over the UK. The billboards are the brainchild of Led By Donkeys, four men who want to ‘highlight the hypocrisy of our politicians on Brexit’. The posters share direct quotes from politicians including, Nigel Farage, Jacob Rees-Mogg, Theresa May and David Cameron, in the form of Tweets.
16th Feb 2019 - Secret Manchester

Len McCluskey: Remainers need to calm down and back Corbyn

Unite General Secretary argues that Jeremy Corbyn has been rock-like and statesman in his consistency of 'accepting the 2016 Brexit result' and that everyone else should be too.
16th Feb 2019 - New Statesman

Labour and Tory MPs in talks over setting up new centrist party

Intense discussions are taking place at Westminster that could lead to the emergence of a new centrist party consisting of six or more disaffected anti-Brexit Labour MPs along with the involvement of some Conservatives and the backing of the Liberal Democrats.
15th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit news latest: Eight Cabinet ministers signal they're ready to quit over no deal

Up to eight Cabinet ministers are indicating they will resign if Theresa May lets Britain crash out of the European Union without a deal, the Standard has learned. Some say they will quit unless the Prime Minister takes action by the end of this month to prevent a no-deal Brexit by backing an extension to Article 50. Senior MPs said Mrs May was running out of time to paper over the cracks and predicted a “High Noon” on February 27 when MPs are due to stage key Brexit votes, including on postponing the March 29 deadline.
15th Feb 2019 - London Evening Standard

Ineos founder Sir Jim Ratcliffe blasts EU over ‘stupid’ taxes

In an open letter to European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker, Sir Jim warned Europe is “no longer competitive” as a result of its strict energy and labour laws, which he claims are the most expensive in the world. He added the EU is “scaring away investment with heavy green taxes”, with Europe’s share of the world chemical market having halved to just 15% in the last 10 years.
12th Feb 2019 - Belfast Telegraph

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 15th Feb 2019

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Brexit: No incentive for EU to move as May loses another vote

Theresa May could have presented MPs on Thursday with a neutral motion that simply took note of her statement on the Brexit negotiations earlier this week. Instead the UK prime minister asked them to reiterate their support for “the approach to leaving the EU expressed by this House on January 29th”. It must have seemed like a clever idea at the time, but if there is one thing the conspiracy theorists in the Brexiteer European Research Group (ERG) are good at, it’s spotting conspiracies. They understood that the motion could be interpreted not only as a reaffirmation of their demand for changes to the Northern Ireland backstop but also as a rejection of a no-deal Brexit in line with another amendment passed on January 29th.
15th Feb 2019 - The Irish Times

Labour frontbenchers in 'threat to quit' if Jeremy Corbyn fails to back second Brexit referendum push

Jeremy Corbyn is facing a raft of frontbench resignations unless he throws Labour's weight behind calls for a second EU referendum, it has emerged. According to The Guardian, as many as 10 shadow ministers could resign if the Labour leader continues to resist pressure to support a so-called People's Vote. Labour's official policy is to keep "all options" on the table if it cannot secure a general election over Brexit, "including campaigning for a public vote".
14th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

UK Political Process Is Polluted By Dirty Russian Money: Bill Browder

One of the leading activists against corruption has told LBC that the UK is failing to act because politics is polluted by dirty Russian money .Speaking to James O'Brien, Mr Browder said: "These Russian gangsters - guys in suits who are polluting the political systems of Europe - including that of the United Kingdon - with laundered money"
14th Feb 2019 - LBC

May's latest Brexit defeat: The edifice of nonsense comes tumbling down

The government has been defeated by MPs on propositions that they themselves backed two weeks ago. The whole edifice of blather and nonsense is coming tumbling down. It's commonly accepted that there's no majority in the Commons for a response to Brexit. But today it went a step further. It was inadequacy squared. It is clear now that there is not even a majority for the imaginary things MPs had only recently given a majority to. The whole British political system is imploding in on itself.
14th Feb 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Richard Harrington: “In my view, the ERG are not Conservatives”

“I’m very disappointed because we were told that the prime minister would be coming back to the House of Commons and there would be a statement and an amendable vote after that,” he says. “I took that, as someone who is very concerned about the effects of not ruling out a hard Brexit, to mean we would have a deal or outline deal to discuss and the option of looking at that. “We’re now told it will be in another two weeks’ time so, being very conscious of the damage that not ruling out a hard Brexit is having on business and industry, I’m concerned that it’s going to drag on. “What concerns me most is there is now talk that there won’t be a final decision until the next EU Council on 21 March which, as far as business is concerned, is completely unacceptable.”
14th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Labour MPs Accuse Met Police of ‘Cover-Up’ and ‘Unacceptable Delays’ in Investigating Brexit Crimes

Criminal investigations into Leave campaigns still stalled amid allegations up to a dozen MPs in the frame. The Met Police is facing accusations of a “cover-up” over its failure to decide whether leading Brexiteers should be subject to a criminal investigation amid allegations of illegality in the EU Referendum campaign. MP David Lammy, a leading Labour Remain campaigner, told the Byline Times that the Met’s delay “smells more and more like it could be a cover-up from the very top”. The Tottenham MP was joined by Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson who agreed that “this seems an unacceptable delay on a subject of national interest and importance”.
14th Feb 2019 - Byline Times

Over 100 MPs will go on holiday next week despite being ordered to stay in Parliament to vote on Brexit

Over 100 MPs will go on holiday next week despite being ordered to stay in Parliament to vote on Brexit. MPs from all parties have defied an order to scrap their February break to work on Brexit in a move that has led some to claim the cancellation was just a PR stunt
15th Feb 2019 - The Sun

A Churchill history lesson for Brexit Britain

U.K. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell found this out the hard way, when he sparked outrage by calling the wartime prime minister — and Britain’s greatest icon — a “villain” for using excessive force to crush a picket line in the Welsh town of Tonypandy in 1910. Churchill’s grandson Nicholas Soames chimed in first, branding McDonnell a “Poundland Lenin.” Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson took to Twitter to trot out a not very accurate history lesson. Thousands of enraged voices predictably followed.
15th Feb 2019 - POLITICO.eu

'Incredible' UK has let Brexit 'come to this' - Coveney

Tanáiste Simon Coveney has told the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee it is "incredible" that the British parliament has allowed Brexit negotiations to come to their current state. "It is incredible in my view that the British parliament has allowed it come to this," he said. Mr Coveney also said that one of the big mistakes in London is the perspective that "the EU needs a deal as much as we need a deal".
15th Feb 2019 - RTE.ie

Brexit vote breaks down 'fragile Tory truce'

Plasters lose their stick, revealing the hurt underneath. And the fragile patch that was covering the Tory truce has been well and truly torn. Just when Theresa May wanted to show the European Union that she could hold her party together to win, she lost. And at home the prime minister has been shown in no uncertain terms that she simply can't count on the factions in her party to come through for her.
15th Feb 2019 - BBC

Six things we've learned from May's latest Brexit defeat

May will find it much harder now to argue that she has got a Commons majority behind her Brexit strategy. The debate showed that MPs were only able to unite behind Brady because they could not agree what it meant. EU leaders, who were reluctant to offer much to the UK in backstop concessions, not knowing what would get through parliament, will now surely feel still less inclined to engage
15th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Dutch PM on Brexit: UK is a waning country too small to stand alone

Britain is a “waning country” and too small to stand alone on the world stage, the Dutch prime minister, Mark Rutte, has claimed in a withering assessment of the ...
14th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

READ: BBC's letter to all Scottish MPs and MSPs defending Question Time

The BBC has written to all Scottish MPs and MSPs to defend Question Time, amid the ongoing row over its broadcast from Motherwell last week. Below is a letter sent by Ian Small, BBC Scotland's head of public policy & corporate affairs, sent to Scottish politicians. In the letter, Small addresses our exclusive report that the BBC cut down SNP minister Fiona Hyslop's answer to a Unionist rant from the audience to just seven seconds.
14th Feb 2019 - The National

Humiliation for Theresa May as MPs inflict fresh Brexit defeat following Tory rebellion

Theresa May has been dealt another huge blow after a rebellion by Tory eurosceptics saw her defeated again over Brexit.
14th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Cowardly Theresa May should have taken her medicine and faced defeat in person

Rats deserting a sinking ship display more self-respect than the church mouse running away from another Parliamentary defeat. Vicar's daughter Theresa May showed no moral fibre by cowardly abandoning the Commons chamber to duck publicly the announcement of a humiliating defeat inflicted by MPs on her Blackmail Brexit plan. The surrender of leadership was clocked in Westminster and Brussels, weakening the Prime Minister's authority both with rebel Tories and heads of 27 other European countries. Taking your medicine, sitting rictus-faced on the front bench to hear you've lost, is what defiant Premier's do
14th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit: Theresa May suffers fresh Commons defeat

Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy. The defeat has no legal force and Downing Street said it would not change the PM's approach to talks with the EU. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to "admit her Brexit strategy has failed" and to come forward with a plan Parliament would support.
14th Feb 2019 - BBC

Government minister tells Brexiteer Tory MPs to join Nigel Farage's new party

A government minister has accused Tory Brexiteers of "treachery" and called on them to join Nigel Farage's new anti-EU party. Richard Harrington said members of the hardline European Research Group who celebrated defeating Theresa May's Brexit deal last month were "not Conservatives" and should quit. The business minister also said he was "very disappointed" that the Prime Minister was still refusing to rule out the possibility of a no-deal Brexit. nd he dismissed the so-called "Malthouse Compromise", which Mrs May is considering as a potential way of breaking the Brexit deadlock, as "fanciful nonsense".
14th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

EXCLUSIVE: Senior Labour MPs Accuse Met Police of ‘Cover-Up’ and ‘Unacceptable Delays’ in Investigating Brexit Crimes

Criminal investigations into Leave campaigns still stalled amid allegations up to a dozen MPs in the frame. The Met Police is facing accusations of a “cover-up” over its failure to decide whether leading Brexiteers should be subject to a criminal investigation amid allegations of illegality in the EU Referendum campaign. MP David Lammy, a leading Labour Remain campaigner, told the Byline Times that the Met’s delay “smells more and more like it could be a cover-up from the very top”. The Tottenham MP was joined by Deputy Labour leader Tom Watson who agreed that “this seems an unacceptable delay on a subject of national interest and importance”.
14th Feb 2019 - Byline Times

@LeedsEurope Hundreds marching with a clear message to stay in the EU

In #Leeds now! Hundreds are marching with a clear message. - #LetsStayTogether!
14th Feb 2019 - @LeedsEurope

Brexit: Labour MP Kate Hoey roasted on Twitter after complaining about BBC’s ‘negative’ reporting

Labour MP Kate Hoey has lashed out at BBC News for apparently promoting a negative slant on Brexit. Hoey, who campaigned alongside Nigel Farage in the 2016 EU referendum, would have soon found her notifications filling up with people pointing out some very obvious points about the BBC's lack of bias on Brexit.
14th Feb 2019 - iNews

The Guardian view on parliament and Brexit: Theresa May’s approach has failed

The latest government defeat on Brexit should be a watershed. Thursday’s 45-vote defeat, in which scores of MPs abstained, says something lethal about the parliamentary Brexit process. Opposition amendments from Labour and the SNP were duly defeated, as expected. An important all-party backbench amendment was withdrawn at the last moment, leaving key issues again unresolved. And the government lost another vote because of Conservative splits, exposing the bankruptcy of Theresa May’s Conservative-facing Brexit strategy and reinforcing the need now for an all-party consensus approach
14th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Brexit latest: Conservative Pary in turmoil as loyalists infruriated by Brexiteers abstaining after vote

Brexit disputes are causing turmoil within the Conservative party after Theresa May’s humbling defeat in the Commons. The further division has come following the pro-Brexit European Research Group’s "collective decision" to abstain from Thursday's lost vote. With some Remainers failing to vote and five Conservative MPs voting with the opposition, the Government fell to a 303 to 258 defeat.
14th Feb 2019 - Evening Standard

Brexit: Theresa May suffers fresh Commons defeat

Prime Minister Theresa May has suffered another Commons defeat after MPs voted down her approach to Brexit talks. MPs voted by 303 to 258 - a majority of 45 - against a motion endorsing the government's negotiating strategy. The defeat has no legal force and Downing Street said it would not change the PM's approach to talks with the EU. But Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn urged Mrs May to "admit her Brexit strategy has failed" and to come forward with a plan Parliament would support.
14th Feb 2019 - BBC

@BBCPolitics - "What an absolute fiasco this is" - Tory MP @Anna_Soubry says UK politics is "becoming the laughing stock of the world"

"What an absolute fiasco this is" - Tory MP @Anna_Soubry says UK politics is "becoming the laughing stock of the world"
14th Feb 2019 - BBC

@Femi Dominic Grieve does not hold back

Dominic Grieve DID NOT HOLD BACK!
14th Feb 2019 - @Femi

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 14th Feb 2019

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Part David Cameron, part Piers Morgan – Alan Partridge returns in time for Brexit

Steve Coogan said it “feels right” for his character to return now, particularly given Brexit: “There might be a missive at the BBC saying that a certain area of the viewing audience had been disenfranchised … Alan potentially represents that. You can imagine them thinking we might as well give this guy another bite of the cherry.”
14th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Exclusive: UK Could Hold Back Military Help For EU Under No-Deal Brexit

European governments are being warned that Britain may in future hold back military help for EU countries if there is a no-deal Brexit, HuffPost UK understands. Officials have told foreign diplomats that while Theresa May is fully committed to maintaining strong defence and security ties, future governments could be less willing to support new missions in the EU like the current deployment of troops to Estonia, on Russia’s border.
14th Feb 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Dutch PM warns of ‘devastating’ consequences of no-deal Brexit

Mark Rutte, the Dutch prime minister, has said Britain is a “diminished” country after its vote for Brexit and warned that a no-deal exit from the bloc risked “insurmountable” consequences for the UK economy. Mr Rutte expressed alarm that Britain appeared to be doing nothing to stop itself from crashing out of the EU on March 29, saying it could be “devastating.” “At the moment the ball is rolling towards the Dover cliff and we are shouting ‘Stop the ball from rolling any further’ but nobody is doing anything at the moment, at least not on the UK side,” he said in an interview with the Financial Times and a group of other European newspapers
14th Feb 2019 - Financial Times

The surprising truth about Brexit Britain – we're a country full of moderates

The sobering thing for me was the realisation that I only heard these moderate voices because I was stuck with them – this being the whole point of the programme, to go back to those I had heard from before. In the normal run of things they wouldn’t have made the cut and they would never have got on air. What good is a moderate, considered voice in a news vox pop? If I had been doing a radio phone-in and one of this lot had been put through to me, I’d be mouthing annoyance through the glass at my producer, asking what they were playing at.
14th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

The UK government has set up a 'spectacularly badly run lottery' which could bar most British lorries from Europe under a no-deal Brexit

Industry figures say the government's no-deal Brexit plans would bar thousands of British lorries from entering EU countries. Up to 90% of British trucks could be barred from operating in Europe in the event of a no-deal Brexit, which the Road Haulage Association said would bankrupt many firms. The Road Haulage Association described the permit allocation process as "the most spectacularly badly run lottery." The Department for Transport said it was confident of securing a deal which would allow lorries to continue enjoying the current access they enjoy.
14th Feb 2019 - Business Insider

Labour split erupts over Brexit as Keir Starmer suggests general election plan no longer 'credible'

Labour splits on Brexit have been laid bare once more after Sir Keir Starmer appeared to suggest that pushing for a general election was no longer a “credible ...
14th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Brexit: Government admits it has ‘run out of time’ to find ships to bring emergency supplies after no-deal

Officials have admitted they have “run out of time” to find ships to bring extra emergency supplies after a no-deal Brexit, following the Seaborne Freight fiasco. No “large amount of further additional capacity” will be available across the Channel before the end of March, MPs were told – by either sea or rail. The admission follows the embarrassment of the cancelled £13.8m contract handed to Seaborne – a firm with no ships – which has sparked calls for Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, to be sacked. “It would not be possible to complete procurement and make it operational for 29 March,” the Department for Transport’s director general admitted.
13th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Labour MPs warn Corbyn: back a second referendum or we quit

Jeremy Corbyn faces up to 10 resignations from the Labour frontbench if he fails to throw his party’s weight behind a fresh attempt to force Theresa May to submit her Brexit deal to a referendum in a fortnight’s time, frustrated MPs are warning. With tension mounting among anti-Brexit Labour MPs and grassroots members, several junior shadow ministers have told the Guardian they are prepared to resign their posts if Corbyn doesn’t whip his MPs to vote for a pro-referendum amendment at the end of the month.
13th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

UK officials deny May is taking no-deal off the table

Members of the backbench European Research Group say that it effectively endorses another amendment ruling out no-deal, which was approved by MPs the same day but is not binding on the British government. One ERG member told the BrexitCentral website: "We told the government very clearly last night that we will not support this motion and in fact we urged them, indeed pleaded with them at senior level, to withdraw it yesterday - but they took absolutely no notice. Frankly, we despair."
13th Feb 2019 - RTE

As Brexit Deadline Looms, Billboards Call Out Politicians' 'Quick And Easy' Claims

The protest group Led By Donkeys wants to remind citizens of what it considers to be misleading pledges by pro-Brexit leaders, as political chaos continues ...
13th Feb 2019 - NPR

Theresa May reportedly scrapes the mold off jam. Is this the perfect metaphor for Brexit?

British Prime Minister Theresa May reportedly said she scrapes the mold off jam, which was quickly dubbed a perfect metaphor to describe Britain’s European Union departure plans. The British leader, who is a keen cook, reportedly told members in her top leadership team that instead of throwing out moldy jam, she scoops off the mold and eats what is underneath. What is left is perfectly edible, she reportedly said. Her views came up in a discussion about food waste, according to the Daily Mail.
13th Feb 2019 - The Washington Post

Theresa May faces Valentine’s Day revolt as Tory hardliners vow to keep no-deal alive

Theresa May faces a Commons revolt by Tory Right-wingers amid chaos over her Brexit policy. Members of the hardline European Research Group said they will vote against the Government tomorrow night, putting her at risk of another humiliating defeat. The clash erupted over the wording of a government motion that “supports” a previous Commons vote that opposed crashing out of the EU without a deal. At Prime Minister’s Questions, Mrs May attempted to reassure Tory MPs that she still planned to leave the EU on March 29. However, she did not rule out a delay altogether.
13th Feb 2019 - Evening Standard

Theresa May facing Commons defeat as Eurosceptics fear she is going soft on Brexit

Theresa May risks an embarrassing Commons defeat on Thursday at the hands of Eurosceptic Tories who claim she has taken a no-deal Brexit off the negotiating table. Tory whips are trying to quell a threatened rebellion by the European Research Group (ERG), which is pushing for a harder Brexit. It has more than 80 members. Mrs May’s tiny working majority could be swept away if even a small number of ERG supporters refuse to support the Prime Minister.
13th Feb 2019 - iNews

@channel4News "Crashing out without a deal is a disastrous option for this country... and so it must be stopped." Dominic Grieve

"Crashing out without a deal is a disastrous option for this country... and so it must be stopped." Former Tory Attorney General Dominic Grieve explains why he is backing an attempt to block a no-deal Brexit.
13th Feb 2019 - Channel 4 News

Delay Brexit, 40 former diplomats tell May - The Times

More than 40 former British ambassadors have called on Prime Minister Theresa May to extend Britain’s stay in the European Union, The Times reported on Wednesday. The diplomats said it would be best to delay Brexit in order to clarify the terms of the future relationship between Britain and the EU or allow for a second referendum, the Times said, citing a statement sent to it. Unless May can get a Brexit deal approved by the British parliament before March 29, she will have to decide whether to delay Brexit or thrust the world’s fifth largest economy into chaos by leaving without a deal.
13th Feb 2019 - Reuters

Brexit is national crisis, former diplomats tell Theresa May

13th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Theresa May attacks Jeremy Corbyn over Brexit flip-flopping as secret poll shows trust in him has plummeted

Theresa May mounted a startling personal attack on Jeremy Corbyn yesterday after secret Tory polling revealed his integrity rating has collapsed. The Labour leader used to boast record high ratings for being a man of principle. Close to 40% of the nation previously said the lifelong Socialist was a man of his word, whether they agreed with him or not. But that has now plummeted down to just 11% after the opposition leader was seen as flip-flopping over a series of Brexit issues, surveys carried out for Tory chiefs have revealed.
13th Feb 2019 - The Sun

YP Letters: Labour must back People’s Vote or suffer Brexit backlash

Indeed it would surprise me actually ever to see a Labour government again if this happens, since Scotland will be on its way and the chances of Barron’s Brexit-loving bedfellows in the bigoted DUP actually ever supporting a Labour government are nil. Let’s hope that the sense and realism of David Blunkett and both recent Labour prime ministers wins out and that a second referendum is held that will deliver 20 million votes for Remain, which will be the case if young people are allowed to express a preference.
13th Feb 2019 - The Yorkshire Post

@Peston Len McCluskey asked if 'Remain' should be on the ballot paper says 'staying in the EU would not be the best option for our nation'

When pressed by @Peston if ‘Remain’ should be on the ballot paper, @LenMcCluskey says that staying in would not be the best option for our nation. #Peston
13th Feb 2019 - ITV News

Kicking The Can Down The Road Makes Theresa May "Deluded": Layla Moran

Layla Moran believes Theresa May is "deluded" for kicking the can down the road and that there are enough MPs in Parliament to put through a so-called People's Vote. The Liberal Democrat called the Prime Minister "deluded" for kicking the can down the road, describing Brexit "beginning to look like something out of a farce".
12th Feb 2019 - LBC

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 13th Feb 2019

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Brexit: Guy Verhofstadt suggests Leave campaigners could ‘end up on the guillotine’

The politicians pushing Brexit should be careful not follow in the footsteps of revolutionary leaders who “ended up on the guillotine”, the European Parliament’s Brexit chief has said. At a press conference in Strasbourg Guy Verhofstadt compared Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg to Georges Danton and Maximilien Robespierre – leading figures in the French revolution who were ultimately executed by their former comrades. He said it was “important to remind” the senior Conservatives that their historical counterparts had ended up losing their heads.
12th Feb 2019 - The Independent

UK awaits its Brexit Napoleon

12th Feb 2019 - Politico

‘Love Jez, h8 Brexit’: billboard graffiti show ire at Corbyn's stance

Anti-Brexit campaigners have turned their attention to Jeremy Corbyn by erecting a largely blank billboard in the Labour leader’s constituency that invites people to write slogans challenging his position. However on Tuesday morning, the Corbyn billboard – complete with stepladder – appeared opposite Arsenal’s Emirates stadium in north London. Young remainers quickly got to work filling it in with slogans demanding another referendum on Brexit.
12th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Fury as failed UKIP candidate claims he was personally invited on to BBC Question Time

A failed UKIP candidate who has appeared in the BBC's Question Time audience four times has claimed he was invited on to the show. Speaking to The Times, he claimed that he was invited by the show's producer to appear in the unionist-heavy audience in Motherwell last week, in part to make up a shortage of conservative speakers. Audience members usually go through a process of applying to be on the show while answering key questions about political affiliations, voting history and if they have been on the programme before
12th Feb 2019 - Herald Scotland

Brexit: MPs erupt in fury as Theresa May blames THEM for crisis in 'delusional' statement

"I wanted this sorted before Christmas!" smirked the Prime Minister, who delayed a Brexit vote by an entire month, as she urged MPs to "hold our nerve" with just 45 days to go - Commons erupts in anger as she tries to blame them for the delay
12th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Brexit: New video shows Jeremy Corbyn vowing to 'defeat' the EU before he became party leader

Jeremy Corbyn vowed to “defeat” the European Union after accusing it of supressing the British economy in a tub-thumping rally speech before he became party leader. In his speech he calls the EU a militaristic Frankenstein
12th Feb 2019 - The Independent

Brexit: extending Article 50 would serve no purpose - FT quotes PM May

British Prime Minster Theresa May told business leaders on Tuesday that extending the Article 50 process under which the UK is meant to leave the European Union on March 29 would serve no purpose, the Financial Times reported on Tuesday. May said delaying Britain’s departure from the EU would bring no end to Brexit uncertainty or push parliament any closer to approving a withdrawal agreement, the FT report said, citing people who took part in a phone call with the prime minister.
12th Feb 2019 - Reuters

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 12th Feb 2019

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Grayling urged to quit as spending on Brexit ferry deal consultants revealed

Chris Grayling, the transport secretary, is facing calls to resign after auditors found his department spent £800,000 of public money on consultants assessing the bid of a company with no ships that was temporarily awarded a Brexit-related ferry contract. The shadow transport secretary, Andy McDonald, said his opposite number had been shown to be “off the Richter scale of incompetence” after the demise of plans involving the startup Seaborne Freight. A report by Whitehall’s spending watchdog found the Department for Transport (DfT) “spent approximately £800,000 on its external consultants Slaughter and May, Deloitte and Mott MacDonald”.
11th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Transport secretary refuses to reveal no-deal Brexit ferry contract cancellation fee

11th Feb 2019 - Sky News

Eurotunnel takes UK government to court over no-deal Brexit ferry contracts

Transport Secretary Chris Grayling's decision to award contracts to three ferry companies, including one with no ships, under no-deal Brexit plans, is being challenged at the High Court. Eurotunnel, which operates the Channel Tunnel, says the contracts totalling £108 million were awarded through a "secretive and flawed procurement process". But the Department for Transport argues that the "extreme urgency" of preparations for Britain's departure from the EU on March 29 justified the process.
11th Feb 2019 - talkRADIO

Another headache for Grayling as Eurotunnel take him to court

11th Feb 2019 - The New European

Amber Rudd links universal credit to rise in food bank use

Amber Rudd says the increased use of food banks is partly down to problems in rolling out universal credit. The system was supposed to be up and running by April 2017, but it has faced numerous delays and is now not expected to be fully operational until December 2023. Research released by the Trussell Trust charity this month showed the use of food banks had increased by 52% in areas where universal credit had been in place for a year or more - compared with 13% in areas where it had not been.
11th Feb 2019 - BBC

Universal Credit HAS pushed people to food banks admits Tory Amber Rudd

11th Feb 2019 - Daily Mirror

Labour MP Angela Smith turned away from party's HQ with People's Vote petition

A Labour MP attempted to hand in a petition to the party's headquarters, calling for a second Brexit referendum, only for it to be turned away. Angela Smith's petition, which called on the party leader, Jeremy Corbyn, to back a People's Vote, has been signed by nearly 50,000 people. Ms Smith told ITV News MPs shouldn't be "bribed" with money for their constituencies because Brexit will cost more than the PM can offer.
11th Feb 2019 - ITV News

UK will deploy drone squadron after Brexit, says defence secretary

The UK would “develop swarm squadrons of network-enabled drones capable of confusing and overwhelming enemy air defences”, Williamson said, and he promised to have them “ready to be deployed by the end of this year”. One expert, Chris Cole, from Drone Wars UK, an NGO that monitors the use of armed drones, said he thought the defence secretary had overblown the idea. The idea of swarm drones was “very much at the concept stage, and it’s very unlikely he can meet the deadline of the end of the year,” he said.
11th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Hostile Environment: Hundreds of Commonwealth nationals evicted under anti-migrant 'right to rent' rule

Figures obtained by Politics.co.uk reveal that almost 300 Commonwealth nationals have been evicted from their homes under the government's controversial 'right to rent' rules, raising concerns that members of the Windrush generation could have been affected. A key measure within the regulations forces landlords to terminate a tenancy if they receive a notice from the Home Office informing them that someone living at the property is 'disqualified' from renting. A freedom of Information request has now revealed that between December 2016 and July 2018 419 people were named on these notices. Of those, 293 were from Commonwealth countries, raising the possibility that some of those affected could be part of the Windrush generation.
11th Feb 2019 - Politics.co.uk

Chris Grayling 'Baffled' At Criticism Of Seaborne Freight Fiasco

Chris Grayling has refused to apologise for the Seaborne Freight no-deal Brexit ferry debacle and described criticism of him as “baffling” and “inexplicable”. The transport secretary also reversed Horatio Nelson’s famous quote, declaring “I did see ships” after being mocked for handing a £14m contract to Seaborne, a company which owned no ferries, to move supplies across the Channel. Grayling had hoped that Seaborne would ferry crucial supplies between Ramsgate in Kent to Ostend in Belgium in the event of a no-deal Brexit but cancelled the contract last week.
11th Feb 2019 - Huffington Post UK

Political Setbacks - News from the Brexit Cliff Edge - 11th Feb 2019

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Brexit: sack Grayling over ferry fiasco, demand MPs

Cross-party calls for transport secretary Chris Grayling’s dismissal following on from the collapse of a £13.8m contract to Seaborne Freight
10th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Sack Grayling over the Brexit ferry fiasco, demand MPs

10th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Government cancels Brexit ferry contract with no-ship firm

10th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

UK pulls plug on no-deal Brexit ferry company with no ferries

10th Feb 2019 - CNN

Brexit ferry contract awarded to Seaborne Freight - who own no ships - has been terminated

9th Feb 2019 - The New European

Brexit: Budget cuts threaten Ramsgate ferry plan

7th Feb 2019 - BBC

Mounting calls for Grayling's resignation

10th Feb 2019 - Channel 4 News

Four men with a ladder: the billboard campaigners battling Brexit

Posters exposing politicians’ lies and hypocrisy over leaving the EU are appearing across the UK. The friends behind the Led By Donkeys campaign explain why they had to take action
10th Feb 2019 - The Guardian

Government spent more than £45,000 printing Brexit deal Theresa May now wants to change

Freedom of Information requests lodged by the BBC reveal that 1,300 copies of the near-600 page EU Withdrawal Agreement were printed to send to MPs and peers ahead of the deal's 230-vote defeat in a House of Commons vote last month. According to the new figures, provided to the broadcaster by the Department for Exiting the European Union, the Government spent £45,637 getting paper copies of the deal produced.
5th Feb 2019 - Politics Home

Brexit ferry company with no ferries may be stranded in a port that isn’t a port

The ferry company with no ferries might be stranded in a port that isn’t a port. Running new services from Ramsgate was the Government’s big idea to relieve the pressure on Dover in the event of a No Deal Brexit.But councillors in Ramsgate are meeting tonight to decide whether to make a series of budget cuts. If those cuts go through, it might make the big plans for Ramsgate impossible.
7th Feb 2019 - Channel 4 News