Speaker John Bercow outlines plan to stay in post beyond the summer, dashing Brexiteer hopes May 28, 2019 John Bercow has said he expects to continue in the role of Commons speaker beyond the summer, despite expectations he would step down in the near future. Speaking after an event in Washington, he said it was not “sensible to vacate the chair” during a time of parliamentary upheaval. His comments to the Guardian are likely to [...]
EU leaders tell UK the Brexit deal cannot be renegotiated May 28, 2019 EU leaders have ruled out any renegotiation of the Brexit deal as Theresa May once again called for MPs to compromise. Arriving for her final summit in Brussels on Tuesday, numerous leaders made it clear to May the proposal which has been rejected by the UK parliament three times was the only deal on offer. Outgoing [...]
BBC calls on top presenters for Tory leadership race debates May 28, 2019 The BBC has confirmed it will host a series of TV debates and interviews as Tory leadership hopefuls battle it out to become the next Prime Minister. BBC News will put on a series of special programmes, including a debate between all the candidates in the leadership race in mid-June, moderated by Newsnight presenter Emily Maitlis. [...]
EU leaders meet to mull over potential candidates for top jobs May 28, 2019 EU leaders are meeting in Brussels today to mull potential candidates for the organisation's top jobs, including the head of the commission, currently held by Jean-Claude Junker. The EU heads meet a day after results came in for the EU parliamentary elections, in which centrist mainstream parties lost ground to smaller parties including nationalists, liberals and greens. [...]
Tony Blair: Jeremy Corbyn made ‘same mistake’ on Brexit as Theresa May May 28, 2019 Tony Blair has blamed Jeremy Corbyn's lack of clarity for Labour’s disastrous performance in the European elections, saying he made the “same mistake” as Theresa May in trying to “sit on the fence” on Brexit. Read more: Alastair Campbell expelled from the Labour Party Despite admitting to having voted Labour “without any great enthusiasm” on [...]
Alastair Campbell expelled from the Labour Party May 28, 2019 Tony Blair’s former spin doctor Alastair Campbell has been kicked out of the Labour Party. Campbell, who helped mastermind Labour’s 1997 general election landslide victory, revealed on Sunday he voted for the Lib Dems in the European elections as he supported the party’s anti-Brexit stance. He took to Twitter on Tuesday afternoon to confirm he [...]
Equality watchdog launches probe into Labour antisemitism claims May 28, 2019 The Equality and Human Rights Commission has launched a formal probe into claims of antisemitism within Jeremy Corbyn's Labour party. The investigation will seek to establish whether Labour has discriminated against, harassed or victimised anybody because they are Jewish. The commission launched the probe after "receiving a number of complaints about allegations of antisemitism" within [...]
Jeremy Hunt calls no-deal Brexit ‘political suicide’ as Matt Hancock backs ‘mission critical’ Brexit May 28, 2019 Tory leader hopeful Jeremy Hunt has warned that a no-deal Brexit would be “political suicide” as heavyweights set out their stalls ahead of next month’s party leadership contest. Read more: Brexit party storms ahead in EU elections as voters shun Labour and Tories Instead of pushing for the UK to crash out of the EU, [...]
Farewell to Theresa May, the most ineffectual Prime Minister in modern history May 28, 2019 When Theresa May departs from Number 10 for the final time, her portrait will be added to the collection which snakes down the main staircase. It is the ritualised ending for all Prime Ministers, good, bad or indifferent. It will be hard for her to walk down those stairs without thinking of her legacy, and [...]
As Brexit rages, the European project unravels before our eyes May 28, 2019 While the London foreign policy commentariat obsesses over the pathetic soap opera that is Brexit, it almost entirely misses the obvious and strategically vital point next door: the European project is in irretrievable decline, becoming increasingly peripheral to any serious global geopolitical discussion. The just-concluded European elections, which have underlined the rise of populism and [...]