Once again at the EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, all eyes are on TV sets to see how the political turmoil in London will play out. Inside the building the bloc’s 28 commissioners have been meeting to agree on final plans designed to offset the effects of a no-deal Brexit. 

But experts say there is no way that businesses heavily dependent on the UK market can prepare for a no-deal scenario. If it happens, and it’s now looking almost certain, then many thousands of jobs will be lost, according to economists. The remaining 27 EU nations will be badly hit but the UK will come off worst, we are told.

However, there is another important statistic for those who claim the United States is the answer to Britain’s looming trade woes. Currently just 15% of UK exports go to the US and according to analysts it would take years for London and Washington to agree on a new trade deal. 

It is no secret that EU leaders cannot stand Boris Johnson. They believe his agenda is for the UK to crash out without a deal. At present the EU is standing firm in its position that the Brexit withdrawal agreement, reached with Theresa May, cannot be renegotiated unless credible concrete proposals are presented by Johnson. The EU’s 508 million citizens are waiting to see what happens next.

Source: Presstv

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson braced for another showdown in parliament on Wednesday after a humiliating defeat over his Brexit strategy, with MPs set to vote on a law aimed at blocking a no-deal departure.

Johnson has said he will seek an early general election if MPs vote against him again, intensifying a dramatic political crisis ahead of his October 31 Brexit deadline.

Johnson has vowed to take Britain out of the EU on October 31 whether or not a divorce deal with Brussels is in place, more than three years after the referendum vote to leave the European Union.

But his opponents warn that Brexit without a deal will have disastrous economic consequences and must be avoided.

In a sign of the government’s determination, finance minister Sajid Javid will also on Wednesday unveil another £2 billion (2.2 billion euros, $2.4 billion) of funding to deal with Brexit, including for new port infrastructure.

– ‘Johnson loses control’ –

But Johnson’s Conservative government is in disarray.

It lost its working majority in parliament on Tuesday after one of its MPs switched to the anti-Brexit Liberal Democrats and, a few hours later, it expelled 21 MPs from the party for voting against the government.

“Humiliation for Johnson as Tory rebels turn against him,” read the front-page of the left-wing Guardian newspaper, while The Independent wrote: “Johnson loses control”.

But the strongly eurosceptic Daily Express said rebel MPs had voted “to betray Brexit” and called Tuesday’s vote “another shameful day in our so-called democracy”.

The rebels included Conservative Party grandees such as Ken Clarke, the longest-serving member of parliament, and Nicholas Soames, Winston Churchill’s grandson.

They joined with opposition lawmakers to inflict a first blow against Johnson’s hardline Brexit strategy.

That opened the way for a vote on Wednesday on a law which would force Johnson to delay Brexit by three months if he does not strike a deal with the EU by October 19.

MPs are due to finish voting on the law by around 1800 GMT.

After a lengthy and heated session of parliament, Johnson said that the proposed legislation would undermine his discussions with Brussels on a new divorce deal and would cause “more dither, more delay and more confusion”.

But Johnson’s critics say his claim that he wants a new deal with Brussels is a sham and the EU has said Britain is yet to come forward with “any concrete proposals”.

“I don’t want an election but if MPs vote tomorrow to stop the negotiations and to compel another pointless delay of Brexit, potentially for years, then that will be the only way to resolve this,” Johnson said on Tuesday.

– ‘Take no deal off the table’ –

Aides have previously said that any poll would be held before a crucial EU summit on October 17 and 18.

Under British election law, a parliamentary majority of two-thirds is required to hold an early election meaning that the main opposition Labour Party must support it.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn on Tuesday said he was in favour of an election but only once the legislation was passed “in order to take no deal off the table”.

The decision on whether or not to extend the October 31 deadline has to be taken by all 28 EU leaders unanimously.

Johnson caused widespread anger among parliamentarians last week with his decision to drastically reduce the number of days MPs will be able to meet before the Brexit deadline in what was seen as a move to try to curb his opponents.

A judge is due to issue a ruling on the decision later on Wednesday in one of three ongoing legal challenges.

Source: AFP

The European Union (EU)’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier said Saturday the bloc will not change the divorce deal agreed with Britain and that he is “not optimistic” about avoiding a no-deal outcome.

Barnier said the most contentious element of the agreement, the so-called backstop mechanism aimed at keeping the Northern Irish border open in all circumstances, must remain.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who took power last month, has called for the provision to be scrapped in order to reach a new deal ahead of the country’s latest October 31 departure date.

Johnson has said he was encouraged in his bid to ax the backstop by recent meetings with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, who appeared to suggest an openness to alternatives.

But writing in Britain’s Sunday Telegraph, Barnier said Brussels remained unconvinced after “intense discussions with EU member states on the need to guarantee the integrity of the EU’s Single Market, while keeping that border fully open.”

“The backstop is the maximum amount of flexibility that the EU can offer to a non-member state,” he stated.

“I am not optimistic about avoiding a ‘no deal’ scenario, but I remain determined to explore all avenues that the UK government will present that are compatible with the withdrawal agreement,” Barnier added.

The EU negotiator also said discussions about alternatives to the backstop could not begin until Britain had approved the divorce deal struck with Johnson’s predecessor, Theresa May, late last year.

It was subsequently rejected three times by British MPs, leading Brexit to be delayed to October 31.

“We are ready to start this work immediately upon ratification of the withdrawal agreement, in parallel to finally creating clarity on our future relationship,” Barnier stated.

He added that if Britain left the EU without a deal, it would be London’s decision.

“Many people in the UK understand that and I would be surprised if they succumb to the idea that the EU is to blame for a difficult political situation in the UK.”

(Source: AFP)

The quest for Irish unity has now spread to Scotland, as demonstrated by Friday evening’s march in Glasgow’s Govan area. 

The lawful march, organised by the James Connolly Flute Band, was set to begin peacefully at Govan’s Elder Park at 18:30, on August 30, before it was forcefully countered by disruptive elements.

The authorities deployed in force with riot police, mounted officers, a police helicopter and dog units as part of a “proportionate” response to the agitation initiated by rival demonstrators.

The peaceful march by supporters of Irish unity was disrupted by “several hundred” counter-demonstrators made up of disparate Scotland-based loyalist groups.

According to the police, agitation by loyalist counter-demonstrators led to “significant disorder”, with the police blocking off Govan Road.

By all credible accounts, the pro-unity march – organised by locals sympathetic to the cause of Irish unity – was peaceful and the situation only became violent and chaotic when local loyalists tried to disrupt the march.

This version of events is corroborated by Police Scotland, whose divisional commander, Chief Superintendent Mark Hargreaves, described the chaotic scenes in the following manner: “Police Scotland has a duty to facilitate processions and any peaceful protest, but this kind of behaviour by persons demonstrating against the parade is utterly unacceptable”.

But in a sign of political manoeuvring, Glasgow City Council tried to pin the blame on both sides, including the originally peaceful pro-Irish unity marchers.

The council tweeted a statement calling the chaotic scenes in Govan “unacceptable”, before adding that the “overwhelming majority” of Glaswegians “want nothing” to do with “these marches or counter-protests”.

Glasgow City Council has historically been dominated by the Scottish Labour Party, who controlled it from 1980 to 2017. Currently no political party has overall control of the council, even though the council leader, Susan Aitken, is a leading member of the Scottish National Party.

The disturbances in Govan come at a critical time in Northern Ireland, where Irish nationalists are bitterly opposed to British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson’s quest for a hard Brexit.

In late July, the leader of the mainstream Irish Republican group, Sinn Fein, called for a poll on Irish unity following a no-deal Brexit.

Mary Lou McDonald told reporters that she informed the PM that: “In the longer term, we have advised him [Johnson] that constitutional change is in the air. He can’t say that he hasn’t been told”. 

Source: Presstv

Following the Queen’s approval of Boris Johnson’s request to prorogue Parliament, a flurry of attacks came in from all walks of life, including from Labour MP, Kate Osamor, who suggested on Twitter that the Monarchy should be abolished.

Ms Osamor, the MP for Edmonton, tweeted that the “Queen did not save us” after her approval of the Prime Minister’s prorogue to temporarily close down the House of Commons from the second week of September until October 14.

“The Queen should look at what happened to her cousin Tino, ex King of Greece, when you enable a right wing coup! Monarchy abolished!” she added in her tweet.

The Queen approved the order on Wednesday afternoon to prorogue Parliament, no earlier than September 9 and no later than September 12, until October 14, when she will give her Speech to open a new session of Parliament.

Other opposition leaders and the public have also written in protest to the impending prorogation.

Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, said he “protested in the strongest possible terms on behalf of my party” to the Queen and called for a meeting alongside other opposition members of the Privy Council.

Senior Labour MP, Yvette Cooper, also weighted in by saying Boris Johnson was “trying to use the Queen to concentrate power in his own hands”; while fellow ex-cabinet minister Ben Bradshaw said the move would “drag the monarch into an unprecedented constitutional crisis”.

A recent online petition has gained over 1.4 million signatures in favor of stopping Mr. Johnson from proroguing or dissolving Parliament.

The prorogue of parliament by Johnson and the approval by the Queen is being condemned as a “constitutional outrage” by the Speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow.

Experts say that if MPs launch a successful no-confidence vote against Boris Johnson, to challenge his proroguing of parliament, the monarch could be in a difficult position if the Tory leader refuses to resign.

The unelected duo of the Queen and Boris Johnson could potentially have more treacherous surprises down the road for the elected voices of the Commons, who are demanding that Government follow the direction of the people.

Culled from Presstv

British PM Boris Johnson has caused a major surprise by asking the Queen to suspend the House of Commons just days after the end of the summer parliamentary recess in September. 

Johnson’s move is set to deepen Britain’s political crisis in the closing stages of the tortuous Brexit process.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday (August 18) that she would meet British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday (August 21) evening to discuss Britain’s planned departure from the European Union, adding that Berlin was also prepared for a disorderly Brexit.

Johnson is seeking to persuade European Union leaders to reopen Brexit talks or face the prospect of its second-largest member leaving abruptly on Oct. 31 with no deal in place to mitigate the economic shock a move that businesses expect would cause major disruption.

“We are prepared for any outcome, we can say that, even if we do not get an agreement. But at all events I will make an effort to find solutions up until the last day of negotiations,” Merkel said during a panel discussion at the Chancellery.

“I think it’s always better to leave with an agreement than without one. But if that’s not possible, we’ll be prepared for the alternative as well.”

The Sunday Telegraph newspaper reported that Johnson would tell Merkel that the British parliament could not stop Brexit.

(Source: Reuters)

Boris Johnson has finally realized his dream of residing at No. 10 Downing Street. As a child he aspired to be “world king”; now he has at least the opportunity to save the embattled kingdom in his own country.

Johnson’s ascent to the premiership coincides with arguably the most challenging political time for the UK since the Second World War.

With just over three months to go before Britain exits the European Union (EU), Johnson has to reach a speedy deal with the Europeans or risk the country crashing out of the union without a formal agreement.

To compound his problems, Johnson has to contend with a tense situation in the Persian Gulf largely brought about by foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt’s decision to inflame tensions with Iran.

With the clock ticking fast to the end of October, here are the key dates for Britain’s new prime minister in the weeks and months ahead:

August 01: Brecon and Radnorshire by-election. This is a key test for Johnson and his inner circle. With a working parliamentary majority of only 2 seats, the Tories can ill-afford to lose this seat in Wales. Johnson’s headache is exacerbated by the fact that the Tories’ rivals, notably the Greens and the Welsh nationalist Plaid Cymru, have agreed to withdraw from the race and back the Liberal Democrats, who are currently at the top of the polls.

August 24: G7 Meeting. The G7 leaders are set to meet in Biarritz in south-west France. This is a test for Johnson to properly balance his relationship with US President Donald Trump and European leaders. If he distances himself from key European leaders, notably Emmanuel Macron of France and Germany’s Angela Merkel, then the public and the markets will interpret it as a further sign of an imminent no-deal Brexit.

September 03: End of parliamentary recess. The House of Commons reconvenes after the summer break. Johnson is likely to face a hostile parliamentary environment if by this point he has failed to reach an accommodation with the EU leaders on an orderly Brexit.

September 29: Conservative party conference. Johnson is like to view the conference as a big opportunity to energise his support base in the Tory machine and to prepare them psychologically for the next general election, which some analysts think could come as early as next spring.

October 17-18: European Union summit. This is likely to be the last time Britain is formally invited to participate in high-level EU business. In view of Johnson’s bombastic personality, he is likely to use this occasion to set out a grand vision for his country’s future outside the EU.

October 31: Brexit deadline. Johnson has pledged to leave the EU by this point, even without a deal. A no-deal Brexit, which looks increasingly likely, will prove the litmus test of the Johnson premiership. If Britain crashes out of the EU without a deal, then Johnson will face massive challenges, including a possible general election in the spring of 2020 and a Scottish independence referendum in 2021.

Culled from Presstv

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered in central London on Wednesday, July 24, to protest against Britain’s newly appointed Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The demonstrators took part in a planned street party in central London before marching to Downing Street. Describing his appointment as “dangerous”, some protesters said he could not be trusted and should not be prime minister.

Police put the prime minister’s residence into lockdown as the gates were blockaded by around 100 officers and dozens of riot vans. No arrests were made and the demonstration passed off peacefully. A second protest is planned for September 20.

Johnson took over from Theresa May on Wednesday after an audience with Queen Elizabeth, a moment that put an avowed Brexiteer in control of Britain’s exit from the European Union for the first time since the shock 2016 referendum.

He promised in his first speech as prime minister to lead Britain out of the European Union on Oct. 31 with “no ifs or buts” and warned that if the bloc refused to negotiate then there would be a no-deal Brexit.

(Source: Reuters)