Rabu, 03 April 2019

Brexit: Theresa May’s party is in a rage that she’s negotiating with opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn - The Washington Post

LONDON — Theresa May has been on an epic losing streak. But this might be the biggest gamble of her political career. Her last-minute invitation to opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn to work together on Britain’s exit from the European Union stunned friends and foes — and signaled the prime minister’s desperation to deliver Brexit.

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.

Boris Johnson, a rival of May’s and Britain’s former foreign secretary, complained, “Brexit is becoming soft to the point of disintegration.”

Johnson told Sky News: “For those of us who campaigned for Brexit and who believe in the opportunities of Brexit, it is bitterly disappointing.”

Corbyn and his Labour Party have pushed to remain closely aligned with European rules and regulations after Britain leaves the continental trading bloc. 

He told party members that in his Wednesday session with May, he “raised the benefits of a customs union and close alignment to the single market.”

But those proposals would probably keep Britain from seeking its own independent trade deals or from stopping free-flowing European migration — May’s top aspirations for Brexit.

Corbyn called this first sit-down “useful but inconclusive.” He complained that May’s position had not changed as much as he had expected. He also said May “remained resistant” when we brought up the notion of a second referendum.

They plan meet again on Thursday.

The prime minister’s gambit, to reach across to Labour negotiators, shows how dire May’s position is. She is a weakened leader, chairing a fractious cabinet — filled with feuding “remainers” and “leavers” who aspire to replace her. And she presides over a party that remains as divided as ever on Brexit, almost three years after the June 2016 referendum on Britain’s membership in the E.U.

Depending on one’s vantage point, either the Conservative Party has failed May, or she has failed her party. The prime minister negotiated, mostly in secret, for two years with her E.U. counterparts, to produce a withdrawal agreement that has been defeated three times in the House of Commons — and voted down by large numbers of Conservative lawmakers.

These very same Tories tried to oust their prime minister in a no-confidence vote. They finally extracted a promise from May that if she ever gets a withdrawal approved by the House of Commons, she will resign before the next stage of Brexit trade talks gets underway.

Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay blamed hard-line Brexiteers for the impasse. Barclay said Conservatives who refused to back May’s deal in the House of Commons essentially forced her to negotiate with Corbyn.

Barclay told BBC Radio that the only option left was to look for support from Labour, “because 35 of my own colleagues would not support the prime minister’s deal” in the last vote.

Barclay said the result will probably be a “soft Brexit or no Brexit at all.”

“It is undesirable, but it’s the remorseless logic of the numbers of the House of Commons,” he said.

May, who has fought hard to appease Tories and keep the Conservative Party together, now could preside over its implosion.

After Tory lawmaker Nick Boles quit the party in a dramatic resignation of the floor of the House, he complained May’s cabinet was filled with selfish cowards.

“None of them in my view has earned the right to lead the country after Brexit,” Boles told the BBC. “They are all compromised by their collective failure to lead, to unite, to get behind one plan, to sell that plan, to communicate.”

On Wednesday morning, Conservative lawmaker Nigel Adams left the government, saying he could’t agree that a deal “cooked up with a Marxist” — meaning Corbyn — was better than no deal at all.

A few hours later, Chris Heaton-Harris, a junior Brexit minister, also quit. He was the 30th minister to resign since May became prime minister in 2016. According to the Institute for Government, an independent think tank, May has had more resignations than any other prime minister in the past four decades.

In his letter to the prime minister, Heaton-Harris said he had wanted Britain to leave on March 29 — the original Brexit date. “Every time we seek an extension to this process we diminish faith in our political system,” he wrote.

Others tweeted or gave interviews voicing frustration.

Iain Duncan Smith, a prominent Brexiteer and former leader of the Conservative Party, told the BBC that he was “absolutely appalled” at the idea of getting the deal through with the help of Labour votes.

Jacob Rees-Mogg, a leading Brexiteer, tweeted, “Remainers take charge to thwart the voters.”

Fighting over Europe is nothing new for the Conservatives.

Such party divisions led to the downfall of several prime ministers, including David Cameron, John Major and Margaret Thatcher.

Cameron, May’s predecessor, called the 2016 referendum to appease the Euroskeptics in his party and to outmaneuver the U.K. Independence Party, which wanted Britain to exit the bloc. Cameron thought he could win and his party would finally stop “banging on about Europe,” as he memorably once said.

But since then, the banging has only grown louder.

Anand Menon, professor of European politics at King’s College London, said “an awful lot” of the Brexit drama “has been about keeping the Conservative Party together.” 

He said there are intraparty tensions in both main parties, and “you can’t deny just how important that has been.”

European diplomats in Brussels said anger and frustration were their first reactions to May’s Tuesday announcement that she would seek another short delay of Brexit — even though she has not made the progress they have insisted on.

But after putting May’s speech on rewind and watching a few times — one diplomat compared it to a close interpretation of the Bible — attitudes started to soften. The reversal was complete after British officials passed the message to their colleagues Wednesday morning that May was prepared to hold European Parliamentary elections next month if she did not win approval of her divorce deal by next Wednesday, when E.U. leaders are set to meet.

That would pave the way to a much longer extension, with terms defined by the remaining 27 E.U. leaders. Although that move is by no means a given, the British appear to be betting that the E.U. would rather have them inside as reluctant members than outside, with no transition period or safety net, which would spark economic chaos.

If, during a longer extension period, the British come up with a Brexit plan acceptable to both sides, so much the better, the Europeans say, and the departure date could come sooner.

Read more

Frexit? Italeave? After watching Brexit, other European countries say: No, thanks.

What is Brexit? Britain’s political drama, explained.

Brits pretend they’re sick of Brexit. But truth is they’re obsessed.

Today’s coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/brexit-theresa-mays-party-is-in-a-rage-that-shes-negotiating-with-opposition-leader-jeremy-corbyn/2019/04/03/6dd6a704-561f-11e9-aa83-504f086bf5d6_story.html

2019-04-03 18:36:51Z
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Is a second Brexit referendum becoming inevitable? - CNN

A vote will take place tonight on something called the Cooper Bill. If successful, it will take a no-deal Brexit off the table for good, by making it illegal in British law. That could have the (probably unintended) consequence of making a second referendum inevitable.
Theresa May holds Brexit crisis talks with Jeremy Corbyn
Here's how that might happen. If the May-Corbyn process does not produce a compromise that can be quickly ratified, the UK government would be forced to request an extension to the Brexit process beyond April 12, the current cut-off-date. And without the prospect of a deal being agreed before May 22, the day before elections to the European Parliament begin, the proponents of a second referendum will push for a long delay.
Here's the logic.
First of all, any significant alteration to May's Brexit deal ought to have proper parliamentary scrutiny. Many of the Brexit alternatives debated by the Commons earlier this week were fantasy options that were rife with legal problems or were without precedent.
As People's Vote campaigner, Tom Brufatto, told me: "It's very late in the day to vote on alternatives without adequate scrutiny. Parliament needs to be given the space to properly look at these options to avoid a blind Brexit and commit to putting any Brexit deal back to the people."
Second, in those indicative votes, a second referendum has been more popular than anything else. And the Prime Minister has committed herself to respecting the will of parliament.
Third, and most importantly, in the event of a long extension, the UK will still be an EU member state, with lawmakers in the European Parliament, and no fixed plan for leaving. At that point, it would be absurd that any public vote would not have the option of remaining in the EU.
Fourth, the EU has repeatedly said that it would need a good reason to grant a long extension. A referendum or general election would likely qualify as a good enough reason. And a referendum is far more likely to provide clarity than an election.
Finally, even if the Withdrawal Agreement does pass swiftly, MPs might insist that May's deal is put to the public anyway. "A referendum on the deal is looking more likely than ever, which in itself is a remarkable achievement," Labour MP Wes Streeting told me. "It's very clear that it provides a route, perhaps the only route, to breaking the deadlock in Parliament and restoring some democratic legitimacy to a deeply discredited process."
So there you go. Brexit, it seems, is unlikely to go away any time soon.

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https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/03/uk/is-a-second-referendum-more-likely/index.html

2019-04-03 17:37:02Z
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Brexit: Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn hold 'constructive' talks - BBC News

Talks between Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn to break the Brexit deadlock have been called "constructive".

The two leaders met on Wednesday afternoon and agreed a "programme of work" to try to find a way forward to put to MPs for a vote.

It is understood that each party has appointed a negotiating team, which will meet later tonight before a full day of discussions on Thursday.

A spokesman for No 10 said both sides were "showing flexibility".

And he added that the two parties gave "a commitment to bring the current Brexit uncertainty to a close".

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Corbyn said there had not been "as much change as [he] had expected" in the PM's position.

He said the meeting was "useful, but inconclusive", and talks would continue.

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This evening, MPs are debating legislation which would require Mrs May to seek an extension to Article 50 and give the Commons the power to approve or amend whatever was agreed.

The bill passed its first parliamentary hurdle by 315 to 310 votes, with further stages set to continue until at least 22.00 BST.

Supporters of the bill, tabled by Labour's Yvette Cooper, are trying to fast-track the bill through the Commons in the space of five hours, in a move which has angered Tory Brexiteers.

Mr Corbyn said he raised a number of issues with Mrs May, including future customs arrangements, trade agreements and the option of giving the public the final say over the deal in another referendum.

The Labour leader is coming under pressure from senior colleagues to make a referendum a condition of signing up to any agreement.

Demanding the shadow cabinet hold a vote on the issue, Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry said not backing a confirmatory vote would be a "breach" of the policy agreed by party members at its last conference.

The UK has until 12 April to propose a plan to the EU - which must be accepted by the bloc - or it will leave without a deal on that date.

The PM proposed the talks in a statement on Tuesday night. She wants to agree a policy with the Labour leader for MPs to vote on before 10 April - when the EU will hold an emergency summit on Brexit.

If there is no agreement between the two leaders, Mrs May said a number of options would be put to MPs "to determine which course to pursue".

In either event, Mrs May said she would ask the EU for a further short extension to hopefully get an agreement passed by Parliament before 22 May, so the UK does not have to take part in European elections.

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The two leaders also met Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.

The SNP leader said she had "good" and "open" conversations with both, and while she believed Mr Corbyn would "drive a hard bargain", she was "still not entirely clear" where the prime minister was willing to compromise.

The SNP leader, who backs a further referendum and wants to remain in the EU, told reporters: "My concern is that in the rush to reach some compromise with the clock ticking, what will happen over the next few days... is a bad compromise will be reached."

The SNP, Liberal Democrats, Green Party, Plaid Cymru and the Independent Group have also held a joint press conference, calling for any decision made by the leaders to be put to a public vote.

But some Tory Brexiteers have condemned the talks, with two ministers resigning over the issue.

Chris Heaton-Harris quit on Wednesday afternoon, claiming his job at the Department for Exiting the European Union had become "irrelevant" if the government is not prepared to leave without a deal.

Wales Minister Nigel Adams also resigned earlier, saying the government was at risk of failing to deliver "the Brexit people voted for".

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47807622

2019-04-03 17:22:31Z
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Brexit vote TIE, speaker Bercow steps in... - The Sun

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0SIgR7j5aU

2019-04-03 16:37:10Z
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Will Theresa May's last-ditch gamble finally end Brexit chaos? - NBC News

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By Patrick Smith

LONDON — Almost three years after Britain narrowly voted to leave the European Union, Prime Minister Theresa May appears to have played her final card as the clock ticks to a deadline that's just nine days away.

After chairing a seven-hour meeting of her Cabinet on Tuesday, the Conservative politician announced that she would seek to end the long, torturous impasse over Brexit in Parliament by offering to work with Jeremy Corbyn, the left-wing leader of the opposition Labour Party.

April 3, 201900:52

May has so far failed at every hurdle to make Brexit happen on her terms.

Her withdrawal agreement, which took two years to negotiate and was backed by all 27 other E.U. countries, has been rejected by British lawmakers three times. And there is nothing to suggest her deal would win enough support now.

A bill making its way through the House of Commons on Wednesday would force the government to ask the E.U. to delay the divorce, which was originally due to happen last Friday. It was moved to April 12 due to the political deadlock. If the bill passes, it could extend the process by up to 12 months.

The stakes could not be higher. So how does the U.K. get out of this mess? Here's a guide to how we got here and what might happen next.

What did May say?

Addressing the nation after Tuesday's marathon meeting, May said: “This debate, this division, cannot drag on much longer. It is putting members of Parliament and everyone else under immense pressure and it is doing damage to our politics.”

Seeking to "break the log jam," she offered to meet with Corbyn to "try to agree a plan that we would both stick to, to ensure that we leave the European Union and that we do so with a deal.”

While some lawmakers within her Conservative Party are pushing for a clean break with the E.U., agreeing to sit down with Corbyn suggests May is willing to compromise and consider a "softer" Brexit to finally reach an end to the process.

May was so keen to speak publicly about her proposal before any disgruntled ministers could leak everything to the press, multiple reports assert that she told her Cabinet to stay in her 10 Downing Street residence and offices while making her statement. As is typical for these meetings, their phones had been confiscated.

What does this mean?

May had been pushing for a relatively hard Brexit, which would mean an arm’s-length relationship with the E.U. and ending the U.K.’s membership of the single market and customs union, which allow E.U. states to freely trade among each other at no cost and with virtually no border checks or red tape. It would also eliminate the freedom of all E.U. citizens to travel, live and work across the bloc.

These were May’s so-called red lines, things she wouldn’t back down on. She has spent months saying lawmakers are faced with her deal, no deal, or no Brexit whatsoever. But now, finally, a compromise looks more likely.

All this has gone down badly with Conservative Brexiteers. Two of May's ministers resigned Wednesday.

Feb. 7, 201909:58

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan-Smith wrote an article for the Daily Telegraph with the headline “The PM’s capitulation to Jeremy Corbyn makes me fear for my country.”

Opponents of Brexit, who would prefer a second referendum, believe May's gambit is just another way for the prime minister to get her deal passed.

While Labour also promised voters at the last general election in 2017 that it would make Brexit happen, it has been pushing for the U.K. to remain in a customs union in order to safeguard jobs that rely on E.U. trade and to mitigate the economic impactof leaving the world’s largest trading bloc.

How much common ground is there between May and Corbyn?

Oddly, their views on Brexit are in many ways quite similar. It’s just their parties that don’t agree with them.

Speaking in the House of Commons on Wednesday, May said: “I think there are a number of areas where we agree on Brexit, we both want to deliver leaving the E.U. with a deal, we both want to protect jobs, we both want to end free movement, we both recognize the importance of the withdrawal agreement.”

But Labour’s demands were unclear as of Wednesday afternoon.

Could May and Corbyn go back to the E.U. with a new proposal?

Not quite. The E.U. has been very clear that the withdrawal agreement it negotiated with the U.K. in November is the only deal on the table.

The only thing that could change is the political declaration that goes along with this, which governs the future U.K.-E.U. relationship and isn’t strictly legally binding.

This is all made complicated by the nature of the E.U., which can only make big decisions unanimously as a bloc of 27 nations. Each nation has a veto and can block anything it doesn’t like.

What are the chances of a second referendum?

The 2016 referendum simply asked voters whether they wanted to leave or remain in the E.U.

Some believe it’s now necessary to put all the various options — including May’s withdrawal agreement, a "no-deal" Brexit and perhaps even remaining in the E.U. — to the people.

Both the Conservatives and Labour promised before the 2017 general election to leave the E.U. and respect the results of the Brexit referendum.

However, a "People’s Vote" is an increasingly popular policy among Labour lawmakers and grassroots members. At its policy-making annual conference last year, Labour agreed to explore the possibility of a second referendum if Parliament couldn’t pass an acceptable Brexit deal on its own.

But Corbyn has shown little appetite for another referendum, which was cited as one of the main reasons behind a group of lawmakers quitting the party to form their own earlier this year.

Despite internal pressure, it’s unclear whether Labour would demand that May agrees to a second referendum.

However, Labour lawmaker and Corbyn ally Rebecca Long-Bailey told Sky News Wednesday that “if we get exactly what we want, I would struggle to find a reason to put that to a public vote.”

Even if a referendum is agreed, a monumental battle would then begin over what options to put on the ballot paper. If remaining in the E.U. is an option, Brexiteers would declare the process undemocratic.

And all this leaves open the possibility that Corbyn could agree a withdrawal deal with May and end up campaigning to leave the E.U. on those terms and against the majority of Labour lawmakers and the party's grassroots members.

Professor Tim Bale, from Queen Mary University in London, told NBC News that lack of party loyalty in Parliament that had emerged due to Brexit was unprecedented.

“Party discipline appears to have completely broken down," he said. “If some sort of deal was to be agreed and as part of that we were to see a second referendum then Labour’s stance would be quite questionable. Having agreed it would they then have to support it? Or would it mean they are able to say it was the best they could come up with and they still don’t agree with it."

Bale added: “There would have to be almost a free-for-all in that referendum so anyone in any party would be allowed to campaign for either side.”

It would be hard for Corbyn to back a Leave campaign having backed Remain in 2016, according to Bale, despite accusations that the Labour leader's support was lackluster.

What if May and Corbyn can’t agree anything?

Crucially, May also said in her statement on Tuesday that if the two party leaders can’t agree a way forward she would accept any deal that the Parliament approves next week, a sign of how weak she is.

But after voting on a number of options, lawmakers in the House of Commons have also been unable to find a solution.

Will this go on forever?

Mercifully, no.

The E.U. has said it would grant another extension to the Brexit process beyond April 12 if there’s a good reason for it — such as the Parliament finally agreeing to a deal. However, both May and the E.U have said the process must not extend beyond May 22, the day before European Parliament elections.

March 14, 201901:51

May is desperate to avoid the bizarre spectacle of the U.K. holding such elections three years after voting to leave the E.U.

What is 'no-deal' Brexit?

If the U.K. does nothing and doesn’t get another extension from Brussels to finalize a deal, it will exit the E.U. with no deal on April 12.

Economic misery, chaos at ports, grounded flights and food shortages are all possibilities, according to analysts.

Overnight, the country would lose more than 40 years of trade agreements, laws and regulations as well as automatic trading access to E.U. nations, which account for more than half of national trade.

The U.K. would default to World Trade Organisation rules, which would mean imposing big charges or tariffs on imports. On day one under this scenario, the U.K. would charge 10 percent to car importers and as much as 35 percent for dairy products, for example.

British people would also immediately lose the right to move freely across the bloc.

The government has spent more than £4.2 billion ($5.5 billion) in preparing the country for this scenario, with the state-run National Health Service investing in a large number of fridges to stockpile medicines and even extra body bags.

Some believe this to be the best course of action for the country as it would allow the government to sign bilateral trade deals with any country in the world. E.U. members cannot do this.

Bale, the professor, pointed out that Brexit could potentially only be delayed by a matter of weeks.

“If she can’t cobble something together with Jeremy Corbyn that would get through the House of Commons, we’d still be left with the situation where no deal is possible on or around May 22,” he said.

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https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/brexit-referendum/will-theresa-may-s-last-ditch-gamble-finally-end-brexit-n990441

2019-04-03 16:18:00Z
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American abducted in Uganda tourist park, held for $500G ransom - Fox News

An American citizen and her local guide have been abducted during a game ride in a prominent tourist park in Uganda, a U.S federal official confirmed to Fox News on Wednesday.

The incident is believed to have happened between 6 and 7 pm Tuesday near a wilderness camp in Queen Elizabeth National Park, where two armed men held four tourists at gunpoint. Two were rescued and alerted authorities.

However, the mobile phone of the American woman, who has been identified as Kimberley Sue Endecott, 35, was used to make a ransom demand of $500,000, according to Ugandan police. It is unclear where she is being held.

ISIS RECRUITMENT DRIVE IN SOMALIA COULD PROVE 'MASSIVE THREAT TO THE US PRESENCE' IN THE REGION

“The police dispatched an elite squad from the Tourism Police to reinforce security teams and actively pursue a group of 4 unknown gunmen,” the Deputy Police Spokesperson Polly Namaye said in a statement, noting that they believe the victims are likely still in the area. “We want to further reassure the public that this is the first incident of this kind registered in such a very peaceful setting.”

The U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that they are currently in the process of trying to gather all the details of the alleged ransom demand.

The exit between the park and the Democratic Republic of Congo has since been closed. It is not yet known which group or individuals are behind the kidnapping.

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Somali Islamist group al Shabaab has launched attacks in Uganda in the past, but it has never kidnapped anyone for ransom, according to Reuters.

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https://www.foxnews.com/world/american-tourist-abducted-held-for-ransom-in-uganda-tourist-park

2019-04-03 15:24:07Z
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Armed men kidnap an American tourist in Uganda and demand a $500K ransom for her freedom - CNN

The American citizen -- a woman -- and a Ugandan driver were kidnapped at gunpoint at Queen Elizabeth National Park in southwest Uganda, while on a game drive on Tuesday evening, a statement released by the agencies said.
"The kidnappers, using the victim's phone have demanded 500,000 USD," police said, adding "we strongly believe this ransom is the reason behind the kidnap."
Police have dispatched an "elite squad" from the Tourism Police to the park to actively pursue the gunmen and have closed all exit areas on the border between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
"We strongly believe the perpetrators and victims could still be trapped within our search area," the police statement added.
Uganda activists dump coffins outside parliament to protest murders
The American citizen was abducted alongside four people but the unnamed four were freed while the American and her driver were taken from the park, Ofwondo Opondo, the head of Ugandan Media Centre said in a statement.
"The priority at this point is to locate them, rescue and bring them back to safety," Opondo said.
Uganda recorded a spate of kidnapping incidents last year, which prompted street protests amid claims the government was not doing enough to address the security issues.
Rights groups who led the protests to the country's parliament in Kampala city, said more than 20 people, mostly women, and children, were abducted for ransom last year and called on the police to make these cases a priority.
Ugandan police also established an emergency center at the time where families of victims could report cases in response to the increase in kidnap cases.

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https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/03/africa/american-tourist-uganda-kidnap-intl/index.html

2019-04-03 13:53:00Z
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