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techcrunchappcom · 4 years

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US claims UN sanctions on Iran reinstated. The world disagrees | News

Tehran, Iran – The United States has broken with all other permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and unilaterally declared the re-imposition of all UN sanctions against Iran – a claim rejected by Iran and the international community, including Washington’s close allies, as having no legal basis.

In a statement on Sunday following the expiration of a deadline set by the US, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened “consequences” for any UN member state that does not comply with the punitive measures, which were lifted under a landmark nuclear deal that was signed between six world powers and Iran in 2015 but was abandoned by the US more than two years ago.

In addition to adhering to a conventional arms embargo that is due to expire next month, Pompeo said member states must comply with restrictions such as the ban on Iran engaging in nuclear enrichment and reprocessing-related activities; the prohibition on ballistic missile testing and development; and sanctions on transfer of nuclear and missile-related technologies.

“If UN Member States fail to fulfil their obligations to implement these sanctions, the United States is prepared to use our domestic authorities to impose consequences for those failures and ensure that Iran does not reap the benefits of UN-prohibited activity,” Pompeo said.

.@SecPompeo: In accordance with our rights under resolution 2231, the United States initiated the snapback process to restore virtually all previously lifted UN sanctions, including the embargo. The world will be safer as a result. https://t.co/Yg8SC0mp9j

— Department of State (@StateDept) September 20, 2020

His statement came a month after the US officially triggered the process aimed at restoring all UN sanctions on Iran, claiming significant Iranian violations of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action (JCPOA), the formal name for the 2015 deal that was endorsed by the Security Council.

Despite the US in May 2018 pulling out of the deal and reimposing crippling sanctions on Iran, Washington argues it is still technically a “participant” and could trigger the so-called “snapback”. This was a mechanism devised by the US negotiating team before the signing of the JCPOA that stipulated that if Iran breached its commitments, all international sanctions could snap back into place.

However, the international community, including the four other permanent Security Council members, insist the US no longer has the legal ability to force through any changes since it announced its exit from what Trump has branded “the worst deal ever” with a presidential memorandum titled Ceasing US Participation in the JCPOA.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani addressed the nation directly in a live televised cabinet meeting on Sunday. He congratulated world powers since US pressure to reinstate UN sanctions “has reached its definitive point of failure”.

Today, he said, “will be a memorable day in the history of our country’s diplomacy”.

Rouhani added should the US try to “bully” others into adhering to its declaration of reinstating UN sanctions, Iran will have a “decisive response” to match.

Pointing out how the US tried to garner the support of other nuclear deal signatories following its unilateral withdrawal from the nuclear deal, Rouhani said the United States expected Iran to act irrationally, giving it an excuse to form an international coalition against the Islamic Republic.

“Today we can say the ‘maximum pressure’ of US against the Iranian nation, politically and legally, has turned to ‘maximum isolation’ for the US.”

The president also addressed the five remaining signatories of the nuclear deal, reiterating the promise that if they fully adhere to their commitments under the accord, Iran will also fully implement its commitments.

Exactly one year after the US abandoned the nuclear deal, Iran started gradually scaling down its commitments, including those concerning its stockpile of enriched uranium. Iran still continues to grant access to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In a letter to the Security Council, the European signatories to the deal – Britain, France and Germany, or E3 – stressed UN sanctions relief for Iran would continue, adding any decision or action to reimpose them “would be incapable of legal effect”.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also told the council he would not take any action on the US declaration because “there would appear to be uncertainty whether or not any process … was indeed initiated”.

On Sunday morning, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh told reporters the US is experiencing some of its “most bitter” times as it has chosen to stand “on the wrong side of history”.

“The message of Tehran for Washington is clear: Return to the international community. Return to your commitments. Stop this rogue and unruly behaviour. The international community will accept you,” Khatibzadeh said.

Transatlantic rift

According to Hamidreza Azizi, a visiting fellow at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), there are clear reasons why the European powers, as well as Russia and China, oppose the US demand.

“First, it would pave the way for further arbitrary interpretation of international treaties by Washington, that may one day come back to haunt the Europeans themselves,” Azizi told Al Jazeera.

“Second, Iran’s reaction to sanctions return would be to leave the JCPOA or even NPT,” he added, referring to the international nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty that pursues nuclear disarmament.

As to why the US would engage in such a move based on shaky legal arguments, Azizi says its goal is political.

“It wants to keep Iran under the international spotlight, continuing to introduce the Islamic Republic as a threat to international peace and security,” he said, adding that the US also wants to make Europeans more cautious in dealing with Iran.

According to Azizi, the snapback showdown is the latest and most evident sign of a rift in transatlantic relations.

“Especially if Trump gets re-elected as the US president, this will work as fuel for further disagreements between the EU and the US,” he said, pointing out that Russia and China could use the opportunity to expand their influence in Iran and the wider region.

Arms embargo

The US attempt to trigger the snapback mechanism came on the heels of another demand it made at the Security Council that left it isolated.

In mid-August, the council resoundingly rejected a US bid to extend a global arms embargo on Iran that expires on October 18 under the JCPOA.

Washington only managed to secure the support of the Dominican Republic for its proposed resolution to indefinitely extend the embargo, leaving it far short of the minimum nine “Yes” votes required for adoption. Eleven members abstained while China and Russia opposed the resolution.

Last week, Pompeo reiterated during a briefing with UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab that the US will move to reinstate UN sanctions to make the arms embargo permanent.

The US will “do its share as part of its responsibilities to enable peace, this time in the Middle East”, he said.

Zarif fired off a tweet on Thursday, saying “nothing new happens on 9/20”. He also alluded to two recent opinion pieces by John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, who had pointed out that the nuclear deal’s dispute resolution clauses are “complex and potentially lengthy” to avoid UNSC confrontations.

Citing unnamed sources, Reuters news agency reported on Friday that Trump is planning to issue an executive order in the coming days to impose secondary sanctions on anyone who would buy or sell arms to Iran, depriving them of access to the US market.

Rising tensions

The culmination of the snapback showdown comes shortly after a fresh round of threatening rhetoric being exchanged between longtime foes, the US and Iran.

On September 13, US-based media outlet Politico published a report, citing unnamed officials, that the Iranian government is weighing an assassination attempt against Lana Marks, the US ambassador to South Africa.

The plot, the report claimed, would be executed in retaliation for Washington’s assassination of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani in Iraq in early January.

In a tweet, Trump, who is seeking re-election on November 3, said the US will retaliate with “1,000 times greater” force against any Iranian attack on its interests.

In response, Iran cautioned the US against making “a new strategic mistake” by believing false reports and warned of a “decisive response”.

On Saturday, the head of Iran’s elite Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps issued a stern warning directly addressing Trump, saying the killing of Soleimani will be avenged but Marks is not a proportionate target.

“We will target those who were directly or indirectly involved in the martyrdom of this great man,” Major-General Hossein Salami said.

On Friday, South Africa’s State Security Agency said in a statement there is insufficient evidence to sustain the allegation of a plot to assassinate Marks.

#claims #disagrees #reinstated #sanctions #world #World

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courtneytincher · 5 years

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Britain’s Steve Bannon Is Tearing Johnson’s Tories Apart

(Bloomberg) -- Follow @Brexit, sign up to our Brexit Bulletin, and tell us your Brexit story. When a triumphant Boris Johnson walked through the black door of 10 Downing Street as Britain’s new prime minister, one person seemed painfully out of place. Hunched in a corner of the entrance hall in scruffy jeans and a turquoise T-shirt, Dominic Cummings looked uncomfortable to be in the heart of Britain’s political establishment on a day of pomp.Just six weeks later, Cummings is in the limelight as the new hate figure in British politics and the man many Conservatives blame for wrecking their party and pushing the country into chaos all in the name of delivering Brexit.The past week has been tumultuous. Johnson lost the very first vote he faced in parliament on his strategy for leaving the European Union, “do or die,” on Oct. 31. Then he lost another, and another. Then, when he appealed to members of parliament to trigger a fresh election as the only way out of the crisis, he failed again.In revenge for the humiliation, Johnson’s team exacted the kind of draconian punishment few had witnessed in Westminster. They summarily fired 21 Conservative MPs – including two former chancellors and the grandson of Winston Churchill – for refusing to follow orders.Instead of raging at Johnson, dismayed Tories have turned their fire on Cummings. On Thursday evening, former prime minister John Major even used a speech to demand Cummings be dismissed.“These MPs are not wild, fringe figures: some are long-term loyalists,” Major said in an extraordinary tirade on Thursday night. But their legitimate concerns “seem to be worth nothing,” Major said, “unless they become cyphers, parroting the views of a prime minister influenced by a political anarchist, who cares not a fig for the future of the party.”The powerful and mysterious aide, whispering poisonous thoughts into the leader’s ear and pulling the strings behind the scenes has been a character-type familiar to all political dramas since Shakespeare’s time. But with the exception of President Trump’s former strategist Steve Bannon, it is rare for an adviser to become quite so infamous quite so quickly.The 47 year-old Oxford graduate was already controversial even before he entered Downing Street in July. He has enjoyed an almost mythical reputation in British politics since he masterminded the shock success of the Vote Leave campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, defeating the government and bringing down the then prime minister, David Cameron.That reputation as a maverick genius grew when he was portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in a TV film about the campaign. His habit of writing lengthy stream-of-consciousness blog posts attacking Theresa May’s government also gained Cummings a cult following among political obsessives. The Cumberbatch version of Cummings was a radical thinker with a mystical ear for the national heartbeat, picking up on a public mood of resentment that professional politicians missed, and devising tight messages that tapped those feelings.But that Cummings was also a backroom figure, unknown outside political circles. The Cummings of 2019 is arguably now the second most famous member of the government.The son of a teacher and an oil industry worker, Cummings was born in Durham, northern England, in 1971. He went to study history at Oxford, where he earned a reputation as a competitive, argumentative and witty student.A few years after graduating, Cummings found his place in political campaigns, working for a business lobby group opposed to Britain joining the Euro. A decade later, as an adviser to the then education secretary, Michael Gove, Cummings came to hate the way the British political establishment worked – and was especially frustrated by the thousands of permanent civil servants he regarded as a roadblock to reform.Now inside Downing Street, he has almost total power to re-shape the system from the top down.Read more: Johnson’s acerbic Brexit guru wants a political revolutionEvery Friday night, Cummings briefs other political aides and his words are later feverishly reported with an intensity previously reserved for showdowns in Cabinet. He has been named in Parliament as the man driving Johnson’s confrontational approach. And he is doing nothing to stay out of the limelight.Last week ended with Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid berating Johnson and Cummings after Cummings had sacked one of Javid’s aides and ordered an armed policeman to escort her out of Downing Street.Then, according to the Daily Mail, on Tuesday Cummings took a call from one of the potential rebels, former Business Secretary Greg Clark, who was looking for a way to avert a clash. In reply, Cummings told Clark that he and his colleagues were going to be purged from the party. That night, they were.The most astonishing moment came on Tuesday evening, as Parliament was debating the first step of its move to stop Johnson from pursuing a no-deal Brexit. Cummings was seen wandering around parliament with a glass of wine in hand. After Johnson lost a crucial vote on Brexit, Cummings bumped into Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and loudly challenged him to agree to a snap general election.It’s not clear whether Corbyn knew who he was. “I just thought there was some loud bloke who stunk of booze yelling at us,” Labour MP Cat Smith wrote on Twitter afterwards.A Certain BuzzThat moment seemed to sum up the angry, chaotic atmosphere around Johnson’s government, an administration that currently looks like it’s trying to pick fights daily.Yet Cummings inspires great loyalty in those who work with him. “I don’t think he goes and looks for fights,” said Gabriel Milland, who worked with him at the Department for Education. “He was highly instrumental in bringing in people to help the department. He’s adept at working with people and forming partnerships when he wants to.”Current government aides are understandably reluctant to discuss Cummings on the record. Privately, several spoke of an atmosphere of terror, with colleagues worried about who will be fired next.But those who worked in the May administration say that Cummings has brought a new energy to government. Questions are dealt with quickly. It’s possible to get a hearing on proposals, they say. Even domestic staff have noticed an improvement in the buzz around the building.People who worked with Cummings on the referendum campaign say that once his trust was won, they would be given freedom to pursue their ideas. He is calm in person; quiet and mild-mannered.What makes him effective, and also unsettles many in government, is his lack of interest in doing things the conventional way. Once he has decided what needs to be done, say those who have worked with him over the years, he is single-minded about pursuing it.The pro-Brexit campaign that Cummings led – and Johnson fronted – sowed the seeds of the Conservative Party’s current strife. Aware that Brexiteers were split, Vote Leave was deliberately vague about what kind of Brexit it had in mind. Three years after the referendum, MPs are still arguing about what the vote was for.To clear up the mess, Cummings is adopting the same single-minded approach, and any Tory who cannot get on board is being swept aside. The strategy could yet be as successful as it was in 2016. Or it could be the end of the party.\--With assistance from Alex Morales and Jess Shankleman.To contact the authors of this story: Robert Hutton in London at [email protected] Donaldson in London at [email protected] contact the editor responsible for this story: Tim Ross at [email protected], Flavia Krause-JacksonFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com©2019 Bloomberg L.P.

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gyrlversion · 5 years

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May to ask EU for Brexit delay in letter to Donald Tusk

Theresa May is poised to formally request a fresh delay to Brexit today to prevent Britain leaving the EU without a deal next week – but Brussels will demand a year-long ‘flextension’.

The Prime Minister will write to EU Council President Donald Tusk to request an extension to Article 50 that will delay the UK’s departure beyond April 12, Government sources said.

Mrs May will seek a ‘termination clause’, which would allow the UK to leave on May 22 – the day before European elections – if a deal can be pushed through the UK Parliament. But if this fails, the delay is likely to extend until at least the end of the year.

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox last night warned that Britain would be stuck in the EU for at least another year unless the Government cuts a soft Brexit deal with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He said it was now the only way in which Britain was likely to leave the EU next month.

Several Brexiteer ministers are pushing Mrs May to rule out a long delay, with a handful even urging her to take Britain out of the EU without a deal next Friday if Parliament continues to refuse to pass her plan.

Mr Cox told the BBC that unless a deal can be cut with Labour the delay would be a ‘long one… longer than just a few weeks or months’.

Theresa May will write to EU Council President Donald Tusk to request an extension to Article 50 that will delay the UK’s departure beyond April 12, Government sources said

Fury as disgraced ex-Labour MP Fiona Onasanya helps Remainer rebels to victory by ONE VOTE on law to stop No Deal Brexit

The Commons voted to rule out a No Deal Brexit thanks to the support of disgraced MP Fiona Onasanya.

The politician is wearing an electronic tag after being sentenced to three months’ jail in January for perverting the course of justice after repeatedly lying to police about a speeding offence.

On Wednesday night MPs voted by a majority of only one to support a Bill to further delay the date of Brexit to avoid No Deal.

Former Labour MP Miss Onasanya, 35, who is facing the prospect of being expelled by her constituents in Peterborough, was one of those to vote in favour of the legislation.

Had she not turned up in the Commons, the vote would have been tied and the Speaker would have been expected to reject the Bill.

Tory MP Christopher Davies, who admitted submitting false expenses last month and is awaiting sentence, also went to the Commons for Wednesday’s vote. He opposed the measure.

Hours earlier Miss Onasanya had appeared at an employment tribunal, where she is accused of discriminating against a disabled employee who was told to use the male toilet because she couldn’t climb the stairs.

Last month the MP was released early from prison in Surrey having served only 28 days behind bars and agreed to a curfew and an electronic tag.

The solicitor faces a by-election if at least 10 per cent of registered voters in her constituency – about 7,000 people – sign the petition by May 1.

Yesterday a peer said it was an outrage that the Bill had gone through only thanks to an MP wearing a tag.

Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth said the fact the legislation had been fast tracked could lead to ‘tyranny’.

‘The Bill was passed by one vote,’ he said in the Lords. ‘And that one vote came from someone wearing a tag because they were released from prison.

‘This is a major constitutional matter. It was passed by one vote. The speeches were limited to two minutes in the other place [the Commons].

‘All that lies between us and tyranny is that we respect the conventions of both houses.’

MPs backed the Bill to delay the date of Brexit, tabled by Labour’s Yvette Cooper, during the late-night sitting on Wednesday by 313 votes to 312.

Some 14 Tory MPs backed the Bill. They were all Remainers, including Ken Clarke and Dominic Grieve. Six Tories abstained. Of the 20 rebels, some 17 were former ministers.

The legislation requires Theresa May to table a motion seeking MPs’ approval for an extension to Article 50 – the formal process for leaving the EU – beyond April 12 to a date of her choosing. It is part of a Parliamentary bid to prevent a No Deal departure from the EU.

In an unusual step, Speaker John Bercow allowed the Bill to be fast-tracked through the Commons in a single day.

Last night the delay had not been signed off by the Cabinet, which is deeply split over how long to ask for. The move came amid signs that ministers are closing in on a deal with Labour that is likely to involve some form of customs union and guarantees on workers’ rights and environmental standards.

After two days of intensive talks, officials were last night working on a formal letter to Labour setting out the broad scope of a possible deal.

Sources played down reports that the package would include a second referendum although they pointed out there would be nothing to stop Parliament attempting to attach one to the deal. But both sides described talks, which will continue today, as constructive.

One Tory source said: ‘There has been a bit of capitulation on both sides. Everyone is looking to have something imposed on them – get a deal done and blame the other side for the bits they don’t like. It could all come crashing down, but at the moment it’s in play.’

Mrs May launched formal talks with Labour on Wednesday after MPs rejected her deal three times.

The decision has prompted a furious Tory backlash, with Eurosceptic MPs threatening to go ‘on strike’ and up to 15 ministers saying they will quit if the deal includes a customs union.

But in an interview with the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast, Mr Cox said the Government had no choice but to agree a compromise if Britain was still to leave the EU.

He warned that with Parliament now legislating to force the Government to seek a delay to avoid a No Deal Brexit next week, Mrs May ‘would have little choice but to accept the extension that she’s offered’.

Asked if Mr Corbyn could become the midwife of Brexit, he replied: ‘So be it. What matters is this is born.’

The Cabinet is split over how long an extension to ask the EU for. At a seven-hour Cabinet showdown on Tuesday, up to 14 ministers voiced doubts about a long extension that would delay Brexit beyond the European Parliament elections on May 23.

Just ten Cabinet ministers backed a long delay to give time to negotiate a new deal. Downing Street yesterday confirmed that preparations for the elections are likely to go ahead, but insisted the £100million exercise could be called off as late as the day before if the Government is able to get a Brexit deal through Parliament.

Members of the ‘Pizza Club’ of pro-Brexit Tory MPs met on Wednesday night in the office of Commons leader Andrea Leadsom.

In attendance were several Cabinet ministers including Penny Mordaunt, Jeremy Hunt and Chris Grayling.

One minister told the Daily Mail: ‘Ministers were saying, “It is miserable, but we need an alternative. We fear Brexit isn’t going to happen in the next 18 months”.’

Senior ministers clashed yesterday over whether the Government should contemplate agreeing a second referendum, which Mr Corbyn is under pressure from Labour activists to demand.

Chancellor Philip Hammond described the idea as a ‘perfectly credible option’. But Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: ‘That’s certainly not how I would describe it.’ Mr Corbyn is under intense pressure from MPs and activists to demand a referendum as the price of any deal.

After two days of intensive talks, officials were last night working on a formal letter to Labour setting out the broad scope of a possible deal

But the Labour leader has indicated he believes a second vote is only needed to ‘stop a damaging Tory Brexit or a No Deal’.

Spartan chief Steve Baker told MailOnline: ‘The Chancellor has come up with about the stupidest suggestion I could imagine. Look at the rage and despair created by asking Parliament to choose between Brexit in name only or no Brexit, and then imagine the public reaction. Is he trying to destroy all faith in democracy?’.

There were reportedly talks on creating a ‘devolution lock’ that would give Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast a veto on any future changes to the UK-EU relationship, according to BuzzFeed News.

Downing Street denied this as ‘categorically untrue’.

Yesterday 25 Labour MPs, mainly from Leave-supporting areas, urged Mr Corbyn to press ahead without another referendum.

The letter warned that a second referendum would be ‘exploited by the far-Right, damage the trust of many core Labour voters and reduce our chances of winning a General Election’.

It comes after Mr Corbyn’s Shadow Foreign Secretary wrote to all Labour MPs demanding a ballot on whatever deal emerges.

Miss Thornberry wrote: ‘Any deal agreed by Parliament must be subject to a confirmatory public vote, and yes, the other option on the ballot must be Remain.’

Attorney General defends inviting Jeremy Corbyn into Brexit talks – saying ‘we must use any lawful means’ to ensure UK leaves the EU

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox has defended inviting Jeremy Corbyn to Brexit talks, saying ‘we must use any lawful means’ to ensure the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Cox said that if Government discussions with Labour fail to deliver an agreement the UK faced a long extension to Article 50.

The Attorney General suggested that in such circumstances Prime Minister Theresa May would have little choice but to accept what the EU offered her.

Welcoming the cross-party talks, Mr Cox told BBC Radio 4’s Political Thinking with Nick Robinson podcast: ‘I say we must use any means to secure the ends, any lawful means.

‘We are assisting at the birth of something new. Births are not always easy and we must take the necessary steps to achieve our departure.’

Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, pictured yesterday, has defended inviting Jeremy Corbyn to Brexit talks, saying ‘we must use any lawful means’ to ensure the UK leaves the EU

Asked if that meant Mr Corbyn would be the midwife, the Attorney General replied: ‘So be it. What matters is this is born.’

What happens next with Brexit?

FRIDAY: DECISION TIME

Time is running desperately short for May to decide an alternative before the EU summit on 10 April. The government must brief EU governments on what to expect so preparations for the summit can be made.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 10: EU SUMMIT

Another summit with EU leaders – where May will ask for a new delay beyond April 12.

May’s new plan is to strike a cross-party consensus in London and persuade EU leaders it means the deal can be delivered in time for Brexit on May 22.

She may have to accept a longer extension that means holding EU elections, as Brussels has made clear this is a red line – and will take a decision on delay without Britain and it must be unanimous.

EU officials including Michel Barnier have warned that the risk of an accidental No Deal is increasing if May arrives with no plan.

FRIDAY APRIL 12: BREXIT DAY

Britain is due to leave the EU without a deal on this date if no delay is agreed.

The Attorney General said failure to reach agreement with Labour would have repercussions.

Mr Cox said: ‘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 added: ‘We will no doubt be offered an extension with a date on it and the Prime Minister will be required to accept or reject it.’

Mr Cox said the backbench Bill brought forward by Labour’s Yvette Cooper and others, which forces the Government to seek an extension if no deal has been agreed by April 12, would leave the PM with little room to manoeuvre.

Referring to the Bill’s impact on a no deal option, the Attorney General said: ‘It rules it out… the Prime Minister would have little choice but to accept the extension that she’s offered.’

Mr Cox was cool on the prospect of another Brexit referendum.

He said: ‘I think a good deal of persuasion might be needed to satisfy the Government that a second referendum would be appropriate. But of course we will consider any suggestion that’s made.’

The Attorney General said Mr Corbyn was not fit to be PM.

He said: ‘The opposition is simply not fit to govern. The leader of the opposition is simply not fit to be Prime Minister of this country.

‘It is vital that the Conservative Party sustains itself in office and sustains its unity.’

Welcoming the cross-party talks, Mr Cox said: ‘I say we must use any means to secure the ends, any lawful means.’ Pictured: Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer after today’s talks

JACK DOYLE: So what DOES Labour want from Theresa in return for their backing on Brexit?

Customs Union

Until now, Theresa May has said the UK will leave the European Union‘s customs union.

The customs union eliminates duties – or tariffs – between member states, while EU countries impose a common external tariff on imports from non-members.

But the customs union also allows the EU to strike trade deals on behalf of all its members.

The Prime Minister made leaving the customs union a ‘red line’ in her negotiations due to her desire to strike independent trade deals with other countries – such as the USA.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, pictured with his shadow Brexit secretary Keir Starmer, left and shadow business secretary, Rebecca Long-Bailey, right, discussed strategy ahead of the his meeting with the PM yesterday

eremy Corbyn wants a permanent customs union. He says it will help protect existing trade between the UK and EU, in particular that of manufactured goods which relies on complex supply chains – links which can break down if goods are delayed at the border

Remaining in the union would stop this because the UK would be barred from reducing its tariffs on imported goods from other countries.

They could only strike deals in the services sector – however this does make up a vast part of the modern UK economy.

Jeremy Corbyn wants a permanent customs union. He says it will help protect existing trade between the UK and EU, in particular that of manufactured goods which relies on complex supply chains – links which can break down if goods are delayed at the border.

Labour also says that remaining in the customs union will help keep trade flowing freely between Northern Ireland and the Republic without the need for the so-called ‘backstop’.

Mr Corbyn claims his proposal does include the UK having a say on future trade deals negotiated by the EU and affecting the UK. But this is something Brussels has apparently ruled out.

Despite all this, senior Tory ministers were out in force yesterday preparing the ground for a customs union compromise. Attorney General Geoffrey Cox argued that the customs union might be needed to get out – claiming the UK could leave at a later point and a customs union would not be a ‘permanent straitjacket’.

Employment rights

Under Mrs May’s deal, the UK agrees not to row back on existing EU rules on workers’ rights – such as the Working Time Directive which limits working hours – after we leave.

But Mr Corbyn wants to go further and is demanding ‘dynamic alignment’ – meaning any future government would agree to accept any employment laws and trade union rules passed by the EU in future, regardless of Parliament’s wishes. So what if the EU agreed to a four-day working week, or passed other regulations which would erode competitiveness?

Mrs May claims to be a champion of workers’ rights, so this is an area she could argue is consistent with her approach, even if it limits the UK’s ability to set its own course in future because we are tied to Brussels diktats.

Free movement

In theory, the parties are not far apart on free movement – one of the central issues of the referendum campaign.

Vast numbers of Labour voters backed Leave because they oppose uncontrolled immigration. This was reflected in Labour’s manifesto which said free movement will end after we leave.

For Mrs May, ending free movement is her reddest of red lines. But Labour policy on what migration policy should replace free movement is significantly more liberal than Tory policy. In particular, the Opposition is against the proposed £30,000 minimum earnings requirement for post-Brexit working visas.

Could Mr Corbyn demand this is scrapped and a lower earnings threshold imposed?

For Mrs May, ending free movement is her reddest of red lines. But Labour policy on what migration policy should replace free movement is significantly more liberal than Tory policy

Second referendum

Publicly, Downing Street officials have not ruled out agreeing to a second referendum.

Yet if anything is a deal breaker, it is a demand for another Brexit vote. The whole point of the talks with Mr Corbyn – and the reward for Mrs May enduring civil war in the Tory Party – is that Brexit goes through in short order with Labour backing.

But a second referendum, with Remain on the ballot paper, would require a Brexit delay of at least a year and the UK taking part in MEP elections next month – both currently unacceptable to Mrs May.

On Mr Corbyn’s side, the second referendum is the issue which divides his Shadow Cabinet, MPs, activists and voters like no other. Agree to a deal without one and the Remainers in his party will be livid.

If he wants to deliberately crash the talks, this is what Mr Corbyn demand

What happens now MPs have passed laws against No Deal Brexit… and have they accidentally made it more likely?

How Theresa May has filled a number of vacancies in her cabinet after resignations over Brexit

Theresa May has filled a number of vacancies in her Government caused by the recent rash of resignations over Brexit, including appointing a minister for disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson has been promoted within the Department for Work and Pensions to become minister of state for disabled people, filling a gap left by Sarah Newton’s resignation on March 13.

His place as junior DWP minister is taken by Will Quince.

Conservative deputy chairman James Cleverly becomes parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Exiting the European Union, replacing Chris Heaton-Harris, who resigned on Wednesday.

Mrs May’s parliamentary private secretary Seema Kennedy takes the same rank at the Department of Health, replacing Steve Brine, who resigned on March 25.

And Andrew Stephenson becomes parliamentary under-secretary of state at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, filling the gap left by Richard Harrington on March 25.

Kevin Foster will be a junior minister at the Wales Office and assistant government whip, replacing Nigel Adams, who quit on Wednesday. He will also be an unpaid parliamentary secretary at the Cabinet Office while Chloe Smith is on maternity leave.

Rebel MPs who seized control of the Commons agenda successfully rammed through laws designed to avoid No Deal last night – but were accused by the Government of making it more likely.

After passing through the commons by just one vote on Wednesday night, the European Union (Withdrawal) (No.5) Bill was sent over to the House of Lords on Thursday.

Chief Whip Lord Taylor of Holbeach announced a deal had been reached with Labour after seven hours of procedural wrangling on whether it should be pushed through in just one sitting.

Under the agreement, the Bill completed the second reading stage in the Lords on Thursday night.

But its detailed committee and report stages, and third reading, will be taken on Monday, sparing weary peers the prospect of votes through the night.

Most expect the plans will be made law in the end despite a warning by Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay they raise the risk of an accidental No Deal.

Mr Barclay said the way Ms Cooper’s Bill is drafted undermines Theresa May’s ability to negotiate a new delay to Brexit at an emergency summit next week.

Under the rebel law the Commons will set out demands for the length of the new Brexit.

The Government says if the EU Council offers a different delay – whether in length or with conditions – the PM will not be able to agree it without a further vote in Parliament.

If Parliament makes further demands instead of rubber stamping whatever comes from Brussels, there would need to be further talks among EU leader – effectively impossible when the second vote would be on April 11 and exit due the following day.

Fury at Gibraltar’s ‘colony’ ruling by the European Parliament

The European Parliament provoked anger yesterday by voting to recognise Gibraltar as ‘a colony’ of Britain.

The centuries-old dispute over the Rock, a contentious issue throughout Brexit talks, flared up again as Spain was accused of ‘bullying’ to pass the legislation.

Shortly after the vote the EU Commission stoked tensions further by saying it found the language ‘acceptable’. Spain’s European affairs minister also hailed the vote’s ‘very political and symbolic nature’.

But Downing Street said the language was ‘completely inappropriate’. A spokesman said: ‘Gibraltar is a full part of the UK family. This will not change due to our exit from the EU.’

Gibraltar has been British since 1713. The vote was final and means the word ‘colony’ will now enter into European law. Gibraltar’s chief minister Fabian Picardo called the word ‘provocative and pejorative’ and accused Madrid of trying to ‘bully’ the people of the British Overseas Territory.

In a statement Gibraltar’s government said: ‘Extreme pressure exerted by Spain and the bullying tactics of Spanish MEPs, on purely nationalistic grounds, has led to the acceptance of the “colony” language in relation to Gibraltar.’

MEPs were voting to accept Brussels proposals to allow British nationals visa-free travel throughout the EU after Brexit and vice-versa – even in the event of No Deal. A reference to Gibraltar being a ‘colony of the British Crown’ was inserted as a footnote at Spain’s behest.

Labour MEP Claude Moraes, chairman of the European Parliament’s justice committee, suggested Britain could take legal action, calling Spain’s move ‘a glaring legal deceit’.

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justsimplylovely · 6 years

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Russia's UN envoy referenced "Midsomer Murders", "Alice in Wonderland" and "Crime and Punishment" on Thursday as he attacked Britain at the UN Security Council for Goebbels-style propaganda over the poisoning of a former spy. It was the second showdown between Russia and Britain at the world body since the March 4 nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in an English town. Russia has denied any involvement in the attempted assassination, which has had major diplomatic ramifications, with mass expulsions of Russian and Western diplomats. Earlier on Thursday, Alexander Yakovenko, Russia's ambassador to London, laid out Moscow's position on the Salisbury attack, the latest in series of claim and counter claim surrounding the poisoning. The 15-member Security Council first met over the issue on March 14, when Russia's Ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, compared the British government to Inspector LeStrade, a "hapless" investigator from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories. What to believe, and not believe, about Russia's claims on Skripal poisoning "It’s some sort of theatre of the absurd. Couldn’t you come up with a better fake story?", Mr Nebenzia told the council on Thursday. "We have told our British colleagues that ’you’re playing with fire and you’ll be sorry.’" Mr Skripal, a former double agent, and his daughter Yulia were found in a critical condition on a public bench in the English city of Salisbury on March 4. In her first public statement, Yulia confirmed on Thursday that she was recovering in hospital and her “strength is growing daily”. London blames Russia but the Kremlin denies any involvement. Britain says the poisoning was carried out with a military-grade nerve agent called Novichok, which was developed by the Soviet Union. What is Novichok Mr Nebenzia claimed "a propaganda war" against Russia was being waged that sought "to discredit and even de-legitimise Russia." "This is all using the method of Dr Goebbels," he added in reference to Nazi Germany’s propaganda chief. Russia requested the UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday, the same day that Moscow failed in its bid to join a probe into the Salisbury incident by global chemical watchdog, the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. In response, Karen Pierce, British Ambassador to the UN, said London had conveyed Russia’s demand for consular access to Yulia Skripal and that the British government had acted entirely properly within international convention. Karen Pierce, UK Ambassador to the United Nations gives a speech during a UN Security Council meeting Credit: Getty "I won’t take any lectures on morality or on our responsibilities," said Ms Pierce, "from a country that, as this council debated yesterday, has done so much to block the proper investigation of the use of chemical weapons in Syria." "It’s yet another attempt by Russia to use this Security Council for political gains," said US diplomat Kelley Currie. "This is not a tactic that is appropriate for this body," she said of the Goebbels reference. In lengthy, rhetorical flourishes, the Russian envoy referenced popular British television series "Midsomer Murders" – set in the bucolic countryside – suggesting that anyone who watched such television crime shows would know “hundreds of clever ways to kill someone” to illustrate the “risky and dangerous” nature of the method Britain says was used to target Skripal. In another literary nod, he referred to Russian masterpiece "Crime and Punishment" as he mocked Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson. Yesterday, Russia failed to persuade OPCW that they, the chief suspect, should join an investigation of attempted assassinations in Salisbury. Today’s gambit is to rope the UN Security Council into their disinformation campaign. The world will see through this shameless cynicism— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) April 5, 2018 "It’s not a crime novel as the British minister thinks, but rather a deep philosophical work of literature," he said. "I would suggest that Mr Johnson read some other novels by Dostoevsky or at least get to know their names." He then mused on the whereabouts of reported Skripal pets, two cats and two guinea pigs. "What happened to these animals? Why doesn’t anyone mention them? Their condition is also an important piece of evidence," he said. A British government spokeswoman told AFP late on Thursday that both guinea pigs had died and that a cat found in a distressed state was euthanised. She did not mention a second cat. Mr Nebenzia also reached for a copy of "Alice in Wonderland" and read read a passage about a trial where the Queen demands the sentence first and the verdict afterward. "Does that remind you of anything?" he added. Ms Pierce responded: "There is another very good quote from Alice in Wonderland which is: 'sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast' so I think that's the quote the suits my Russian colleague best." Mapped: Russian diplomats expelled from West Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said it suited Russia "to turn the whole business into a farce". "By playing up the melodrama at the UN, Nebenzia succeeds in distracting from the seriousness of the crime," he told AFP. "By turning it into a game, Russia aims to make the UK look a bit silly. A lot of other countries might like to let the matter drop before it worsens relations with Russia further, so Moscow’s strategy may not be a joke," he added. But even before the meeting, the British ambassador kicked off the literary allusions by taking aim at her Russian counterpart’s purported fondness for a Sherlock Holmes analogy. Allowing Russians scientists "into an investigation where they are the most likely perpetrators of the crime... would be like Scotland Yard inviting in Professor Moriarty," she told reporters of Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional criminal mastermind.

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touristguidebuzz · 7 years

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Skift Call on Expedia’s New Leadership and 25 Other Digital Trends This Week

Mark Okerstrom is Expedia's new CEO. Expedia

Skift Take: This week's digital news was off the charts: Expedia's CEO left for Uber and was replaced by Mark Okerstrom. On Thursday September 7, our expert journalists and researchers will break it down for you in a conference call. When you're done reading about the Expedia-Uber shakeup, we also analyzed Ctrip's earnings and Kayak's layoffs.

— Sarah Enelow

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines digital trends.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

Shakeup at Expedia and Uber

>>This pick came out of left field, but totally makes sense considering the path that Khosrowshahi has led Expedia along over the past decade and more: Uber’s New CEO Is Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi

>>There are five tons of heavy lifting to be done to reenergize and transform Uber — and it all has to be done in one of the brightest business spotlights that there is. Uber has made its selection — let’s see how Khosrowshahi begins to handle it: Can Uber’s New CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Turn It Around Like He Did Expedia?

>>Khosrowshahi has been reflective and honest as CEO of Expedia, taking ownership of his failures along the way. At Uber, the company will have a leader who has overseen both explosive growth and clever repositioning: Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi: Understanding Uber’s New CEO Pick

>>Expedia has promising candidates if it chooses to look internally for a permanent replacement for outgoing CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. Our guess for the interim pick is CFO Mark Okerstrom: Expedia’s New CEO: Who’s Who in Executive Leadership

>>We can’t blame Khosrowshahi for seizing a nearly once-in-a-lifetime challenge to right the trajectory of a unicorn, Uber, but this is also a very awkward time to leave Expedia. Now there will be two big-time CEOs under the gun: Priceline’s new top guy, Glenn Fogel, and Khosrowshahi’s successor at Expedia: Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi to Leave Company With Unfinished Business

>>With a two-decade track record in online travel, Khosrowshahi has had his duck-and-cover as well as been-on-a-mountaintop moments. If Uber’s looking for a steady hand, and a guy with experience who isn’t afraid to take a U-turn when called for, then they could have done a helluva lot worse: 8 Insights Into Uber CEO Pick Dara Khosrowshahi From Peers and Rivals

>>Khosrowshahi takes over a unicorn in Uber and will have the challenge of his life to get the ride-share company speeding along and toward an IPO with a trunk-full of controversies and problems. The choice of the next Expedia CEO to succeed him is indeed a critical one that will have far-reaching implications: Expedia CEO Starts New Job as Uber Boss Today

>>Will Uber, under Khosrowshahi, continue to push even deeper into corporate travel as he attempts to turn the company around? Seems likely: Expedia’s Loss Is Uber’s Gain — Skift Corporate Travel Innovation Report

>>What would make Expedia obsolete and cause Khosrowshahi to leave? Expedia’s now-former CEO answered that question for us last year and talked about big technology trends a few years in the offing. But is he bolting because he thinks Expedia’s best days are behind it? The Other Reason Expedia’s CEO Would Have Left His Company

>>Suddenly former Expedia CEO Dara Khosrowshahi walks away from substantial unvested compensation. Becoming CEO of Uber may have been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Khosrowshahi, but we expect that Uber had to compensate him for his treasure trove of unvested options to pry him away: The Money Uber’s New CEO Left Behind at Expedia

>>There is only one vote that mattered in Expedia’s abbreviated CEO search — Barry Diller’s. And he wholeheartedly wanted Okerstrom for the job. No need to mess around with an interim title or to conduct the dog and pony show of a CEO search. It was a done deal. Now Okerstrom has to step up to the challenge: Expedia’s New CEO Is Mark Okerstrom

>>A lot of CEOs say they will maintain the policies of their predecessors. But when huge challenges surface, it will be up to Okerstrom to be his own guy, and chart a new course when necessary: Expedia’s New CEO on What He’d Like to Change

>>For all the chaos earlier this week, it seems like Barry Diller and the Expedia Inc. board of directors have ensured an orderly transition into a new era for the online travel giant: Expedia Names New CFO as Orderly Transition Unfolds After CEO’s Abrupt Departure

>>Expedia Inc. moved quickly to name a successor to departed CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, but the group of brands including Hotels.com, Travelocity, Orbitz, Hotwire, HomeAway, and more will have challenges ahead. Understand them better by listening to our experts: Skift Call: Expedia Under New Leadership

Other Digital Trends This Week

>>It’s clear that there are ways in which luxury brands can differentiate their customer experience using artificial intelligence, but it will require a sophistication that is still unseen in the travel industry: Artificial Intelligence’s Unrecognized Potential for Luxury Travel Brands

>>TUI’s chief executive is nailing his colors to the mast when it comes to blockchain and its benefits for the travel industry. In theory the technology is great — and TUI has already identified an effective way to use it — but will the hype be justified? 6 Blockchain Takeaways From Tour Operator TUI’s Hotel Initiative

>>Expedia’s purchase price for a majority stake in SilverRail was double the sum that SilverRail had raised from investors. The price tag was a multiple of the investment but not a stellar exit for shareholders: Expedia Spent $148 Million to Buy SilverRail for Its Train Booking Tech

>>Alice is now majority-owned by Expedia. That brings heft to its dream of becoming the largest data machine in hospitality for operations and guest service: Expedia Leads $26 Million Alice Investment in Hotel Tech Push

>>If mobile is increasingly becoming a more popular channel, not only for booking and search but also for in-destination travel experiences, this report is proof that hotels have a lot of work to do when it comes to their apps: Most Hotel Apps Still Need a Radical Overhaul

>>The conventional wisdom has been that flash sales can’t be a profitable model during economic good times. The apparent success of Secret Escapes puts the lie to that notion: Secret Escapes Is Growing on Acquisitions and Flash Sales’ Stubborn Viability

>>Google now prods its users to try to cut their travel costs by considering alternative airports and other tricks. Yet the incremental moves may not appease a European watchdog that may question its broader business practices in travel: Google May Finally Face a Showdown With Regulators Over Its Evolving Travel Tools

>>Ctrip is betting on 6,000 franchise shops to take aim at cities where most travel shopping happens offline. At the same time, it hopes to increase its operating margins to Priceline-like levels. The two initiatives don’t necessarily collide since Ctrip doesn’t own the real estate or pay labor costs for the offline shops: Ctrip Makes Offline Store Push in China as Its Profit Margins Rise

>>Increasing competition in the event sector has attracted more technology companies to provide solutions for current bottlenecks: Tech Adoption for Event Organizers Is Spotty

>>Travel startups raised more than $72 million this week. The most promising of these is Treebo, which is banking on branded hotel networks as a niche in India: India Hotel Network Treebo Raises $34 Million: Travel Startup Funding This Week

>>Skyscanner is boosting Ctrip’s margins, and Skyscanner’s new instant booking service shows promise as a way to propel future growth: Skyscanner Deal Is Starting to Work Out For Ctrip

>>You can’t blame the Priceline Group and Kayak for cutting costs and axing employees because they are part of a public company and their role is to make money for shareholders. Still, Kayak should do as much as possible to ease the transition for the people who built the Cheapflights and Momondo brands: Kayak Sets Layoff Process in Motion for Nearly 50 Momondo Group Employees

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rollinbrigittenv8 · 7 years

Text

Skift Call on Expedia’s New Leadership and 25 Other Digital Trends This Week

Mark Okerstrom is Expedia's new CEO. Expedia

— Sarah Enelow

Throughout the week we post dozens of original stories, connecting the dots across the travel industry, and every weekend we sum it all up. This weekend roundup examines digital trends.

For all of our weekend roundups, go here.

Shakeup at Expedia and Uber

Other Digital Trends This Week

>>Increasing competition in the event sector has attracted more technology companies to provide solutions for current bottlenecks: Tech Adoption for Event Organizers Is Spotty

>>Skyscanner is boosting Ctrip’s margins, and Skyscanner’s new instant booking service shows promise as a way to propel future growth: Skyscanner Deal Is Starting to Work Out For Ctrip

0 notes

gyrlversion · 6 years

Text

May confronts coup plotters at last-ditch Chequers summit

Top Tory Brexiteers including Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg have arrived for a Brexit showdown with Theresa May at Chequers amid a coup plot by ministers to remove her from power.

They were among hardliners summoned to the Buckingham retreat on Sunday afternoon as the MP desperately searches for a way to break the current Brexit deadlock.

Former foreign secretary Mr Johnson and European Research Group chairman Mr Rees-Mogg – along with his son Peter – led a string of senior politicians including Brexiteer former ministers David David, Iain Duncan Smith, Dominic Raab and Steve Baker.

They were joined by serving ministers including Environment Secretary Michael Gove, Mrs May’s de-facto deputy prime minister and Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington, and Tory Chief Whip Julian Smith.

Their attendance came after Mr Gove and Mr Lidington had both pledged their support to the beleaguered Prime Minister after being named at the centre of the Cabinet coup.

As senior cabinet figures complained that the Prime Minister’s judgement had reportedly gone ‘haywire’ in recent weeks Mr Lidington was named as a possible caretaker if she is forced out.

But Brexiteers who could not stomach the little-known Remainer being in charge at a crucial time for Brexit are plotting to get 2016 Leave mastermind and Environment Secretary Mr Gove installed instead.

However both men distanced themselves from any disloyalty today, with Mr Gove telling the BBC he ‘absolutely’ backed Mrs May, calling for ‘cool heads’.

Jacob Rees-Mogg arrived at Chequers this afternoon with his son beside him. Boris Jonson was also among the guests at the discussion on Brexit

Iain Duncan Smith arrived in a flashy soft-topped sports car at Chequers, while Dominic Raab opted for a more conventional vehicle

Conservative Party chairman Brandon Lewis was driven into Chequers, as was Environment Secretary Michael Gove, who earlier said he was fully behind the Prime Minister

Former Brexit minister Steve Baker, an ultra-Brexiteer, made the short drive from his High Wycombe constituency, with David Lidington driving over from Aylesbury, having earlier denied having any desire to replace Mrs May

He said: ‘It is not the time to change the captain of the ship, I think what we need to do is chart the right course.

‘I think the Prime Minister has charted that right course by making sure that we have a deal which honours the referendum mandate and also allows us to leave in a way which means we can strengthen our economy and also take advantage of life outside the European Union.’

His comments came after Mr Lidington had told reporters in his Aylesbury constituency today: ‘I don’t think that I’ve any wish to take over from the PM (who) I think is doing a fantastic job.

‘I tell you this: one thing that working closely with the Prime Minister does is cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task.

‘I have absolute admiration for the way she is going about it.’

David Lidington, the Cabinet Office Minister and Mrs May’s de-facto deputy, said today: ‘I don’t think that I’ve any wish to take over from the PM’

Mr Lidington added that one effect of working with the Prime Minister was to ‘cure you completely of any lingering shred of ambition to want to do that task’

Alarmed Brexiteers are aligning behind Environment Secretary Michael Gove (pictured today), a former leadership candidate and mastermind of the Leave campaign in 2016, as a caretaker leader

Ministers and MPs have started arriving arriving at Chequers in Buckinghamshire for Brexit discussions with Theresa May as she tried to find a way forward

Philip Hammond says MPs should discuss second referendum ‘proposition’ next week

Philip Hammond said Mrs May’s Brexit deal was his ‘preferred way forward’ but admitted: ‘I’m realistic that we may not be able to get a majority’

Philip Hammond has said a second EU referendum is a ‘perfectly coherent proposition’ as he urged MPs to decide on a ‘compromise’ Brexit deal if they cannot back Theresa May.

The Chancellor said that ‘one way or another’ Parliament would this week be able to show what it wanted from Brexit, rather than constantly showing what it does not want.

Mr Hammond told Sky’s Ridge on Sunday that Mrs May’s Brexit deal – already defeated twice by MPs – was his ‘preferred way forward’ but admitted: ‘I’m realistic that we may not be able to get a majority’.

‘One way or another Parliament is going to have the opportunity this week to decide what it is in favour of, and I hope that it will take that opportunity – if it can’t get behind the Prime Minister’s deal – to say clearly and unambiguously what it can get behind,’ he added.

But he warned that any alternative deal must be ‘a variant that is deliverable, not some unicorn’.

The Chancellor said Parliament would be given the chance to hold indicative votes on alternatives to Mrs May’s Brexit deal this week.

Tomorrow Parliament debates an amendable Government motion on the Brexit deal, which gives MPs a chance to put their favoured outcomes to a vote.

And the day after an estimated one million people marched through London demanding a second referendum, Mr Hammond added: ‘I’m not sure that there’s a majority in Parliament for a second referendum but it’s a perfectly coherent proposition.

‘Many people will be strongly opposed to it, but it’s a coherent proposition and it deserves to be considered along with the other proposals.’

Mr Johnson, the former foreign secretary, is set to join Jacob Rees-Mogg and ex-Ministers Dominic Raab, David Davis, Iain Duncan Smith and Damian Green at her Buckinghamshire retreat this afternoon.

They will confront the Prime Minister as rival groups of current ministers battle to replace her as Brexit collapses into bitter Tory infighting.

Number 10 sources also confirmed that the Cabinet will meet at 10 Downing Street tomorrow ahead of what could be a pivotal set of votes by MPs as they attempt to seize control of Brexit.

Rumours have circulated for days that many MPs might support her Brexit deal if it is put to the vote a third time, were she to agree to step down.

Mr Lidington, a former Europe Minister, is reportedly backed by at least six ministers, said to include Remainers Philip Hammond, Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke.

But Chancellor Mr Hammond said today that those plotting to topple Mrs May were ‘self indulgent’.

Asked on Sky’s Ridge on Sunday if he was backing Mr Lidington, he said: ‘That is not the case at all.

‘Changing the prime minister won’t help us. Changing the party in Government won’t help us.’

He refused to be drawn on whether his colleagues had approached him asking him to make an intervention.

However, he acknowledged that ‘people are very frustrated and people are desperate to find a way forward in the just over two weeks that we’ve got to resolved this issue’.

Last night Mrs May’s former policy adviser MP George Freeman said it was ‘all over for the PM’, tweeting: ‘She’s done her best. But across the country you can see the anger.

‘Everyone feels betrayed. Government’s gridlocked. Trust in democracy collapsing. This can’t go on. We need a new PM who can reach out (and) build some sort of coalition for a Plan B.’

Mrs May is spending the weekend at her country retreat, Chequers, following her humiliation in Brussels on Thursday, where EU leaders refused to give her the Brexit delay she wanted.

The paper reported that officials concerned about the Prime Minister’s health have drawn up ‘protocols’ on what to do if she collapses at the Dispatch Box following a gruelling schedule in recent weeks and months.

But while she regrouped in the Home Counties 11 Cabinet ministers said that they wanted her to go, with a plan to confront her when Cabinet meets week, according to the Sunday Times.

An online petition calling on the Government to cancel Brexit reached five million signatures today.

The Revoke Article 50 petition is the most popular ever submitted to the Parliament website, having leapt ahead of the 4.1 million signatures amassed by a 2016 petition calling for a second EU referendum.

The petition 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.

By contrast, a pro-Brexit petition on the Parliament website which urges the Government to leave the EU without a deal has received 455,000 signatures.

The petition, started in late February, leapt in popularity following the Prime Minister’s appeal to the public on Wednesday where she told frustrated voters: ‘I am on your side.’

A diagram showing what could happen after the third meaningful vote

Theresa May leaving church this morning. She is spending the weekend at Chequers planning her next move as her ministers also plot theirs – which includes replacing her

Mrs May is reeling from a torrid week in which her efforts to get a three-month Brexit delay weer dashed by the EU, which would only give her a shorter period in which to get a deal past MPs

Former May advisor George Freeman went public on Sunday night to suggest it was time for her to go.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith attacked ‘a cabal that never wanted to leave the European Union, turning out to decide what should happen over our future’ as he appeared on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show today, along with Brexit Secretary Stephen Barclay (right)

Officials ‘draw up plans to deal with Theresa May collapse in House of Commons’

Mrs May has put in some long shifts in the Commons in recent weeks trying to get a Brexit deal past MPs, but to no avail so far

Commons officials concerned about Theresa May‘s health have reportedly drawn up contingency plans to whisk her out of the Commons if she collapses.

The Prime Minister has faced a punishing routine of meetings and travel both here and to Europe as she battled to get a Brexit deal across the line.

She has also put in a large number of hours in the Commons trying to win MPs over to backing her deal.

Concerns about the health of the 62-year-old Prime Minister, who has type 1 diabetes, have led officials to develop a ‘protocol’ in case she becomes ill at the Dispatch Box, the Sunday Times reported.

The signs of the toll that Brexit has been taking showed on March 12 as she lost her voice and struggled to speak as she put her deal to the Commons and lost by 149 votes.

The Prime Minister brought back memories of her 2017 Conservative Party Conference speech as she was reduced to a croak as she addressed MPs in the Commons.

After a red-eye trip to Strasbourg to meet Jean-Claude Juncker the previous night she was noticeably hoarse as she introduced the motion for her doomed second meaningful vote.

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith hit out at the Cabinet plotting, saying that a leadership change now would make the UK ‘a laughing stock in the world’.

He blasted Remainer minister for briefing newspapers while enjoying the privileges of government, telling the BBc’s Marr Show: ‘I think that’s appalling, I think they should be censured and some of them should be sacked.

‘And the idea of a cabal, a cabal that never wanted to leave the European Union, turning out to decide what should happen over our future would be unacceptable to my colleagues.’

Describing the last week as ‘as close to a national humiliation as I think I’ve seen’, he added: If the answer is a caretaker, whether it is David Lidington or anyone else… what the hell was the question?’

Pro-EU former education secretary Nicky Morgan – who has worked on Brexit compromise plans with hardline Brexiteers in recent weeks, told the Sunday Telegraph that Cabinet ministers should tell Mrs May ‘it’s time to go’.

She said: ‘Unfortunately, I think that what started off as qualities that people admired are the ones that now mean she’s not the flexible leader to find a way through this.

‘I understand that it is difficult to say to someone that it’s time to go. But there are enough people around the Cabinet table who can step up … and she’s got to listen.’

Other Tory backbenchers also lined up to call time on Mrs May’s leadership.

Steve Baker, a former Brexit minister, told the same paper that potential leadership contenders in the Government should make their move, saying: ‘If they will not act now, when are they ever going to be seen to step forward and how could they possibly persuade the country that they’re the great statesmen to take us forward?’

And Anne-Marie Trevelyan wrote in the same paper: ‘We now need a leader who believes in our country and wants to take her on the next stage of her journey.’

Conservative peer Lord Gadhia, a former member of David Cameron’s inner circle, said the upcoming days in Parliament may be ‘very dramatic’ and could see the end of Mrs May’s time as premier.

It came after an estimated one million people joined a march on Parliament yesterday demanding a final say for the public over Brexit.

The Commons is expected to be given the third chance to vote on her Withdrawal Agreement this week after EU leaders gave her as little as three weeks to create order from the Brexit chaos.

But on Friday night Mrs May wrote to parliamentarians warning if there is insufficient support for her Withdrawal Agreement in the coming days that she could seek an extension to Britain’s EU membership beyond the European Parliament elections.

As many as one million people marched through London yesterday to demand a second Brexit referendum

Among those taking part in the march, which brought the political centre of the capital to a standstill, was actor Bill Nighy

At the EU Council in Brussels leaders offered to extend Article 50 until May 22 if MPs vote for a deal in Parliament next week.

But without a deal the Prime Minister she was given a fortnight ‘flextension’ to decide her next move.

MPs are expected to make moves to take control of Brexit this week, which could lead to a second referendum or a longer extension to Article 50 keeping us in the EU for as long as two years.

Cabinet coup: Theresa May is told she must go as ministers plot to install Michael Gove in No 10 to save Brexit

Theresa May could be ousted from No 10 within days after her Cabinet plotted to replace her with Michael Gove as a caretaker Prime Minister.

A senior Downing Street source told The Mail on Sunday last night that even Mrs May’s Chief Whip, Julian Smith, had advised her to set out her departure plans, with Environment Secretary Mr Gove emerging as the ‘consensus choice’ to succeed her.

Mr Gove is being championed by Cabinet Brexiteers who are furious about what they see as an attempted ‘coup’ by Remain-backing David Lidington, Mrs May’s de facto deputy.

At least six ministers are supportive of installing Lidington, the de facto deputy prime minister, as a caretaker in No 10 to deliver Brexit and then make way for a full leadership contest in the autumn.

Lidington’s supporters include cabinet remainers Greg Clark, Amber Rudd and David Gauke. The chancellor, Philip Hammond, also believes Lidington should take over if May refuses this week to seek a new consensus deal on Brexit.

A senior Government source said yesterday that there was now ‘complete unanimity’ in the Cabinet that Mrs May should step down as soon as possible.

In a number of astonishing, fast-moving developments, coming just days before a series of historic Commons votes:

No 10 warned Tory rebels that, if they didn’t back Mrs May’s deal, the Commons could revoke Article 50, effectively cancelling Brexit;

Mrs May mounted a last-ditch effort to save the deal by pleading with Jacob Rees-Mogg to drop his opposition – as his European Research Group made plans to select their preferred leadership candidate;

A tearful Tory whip accused Mrs May of ‘betraying Brexit’ and ‘destroying our party’;

Boris Johnson demanded to the Prime Minister’s face that she rule out leading the party into an Election, while her aides wargamed what would happen if Mrs May went to the country if the Commons rejected her Brexit deal again;

No 10 scheduled the crunch votes for Wednesday and Thursday, with MPs voting on Mrs May’s deal and alternative options such as membership of a customs union;

Chancellor Philip Hammond refused demands by Cabinet colleagues to ‘wield the knife’ and tell the Prime Minister that she had to resign;

Tory MP Nigel Evans said that, if Mrs May agreed to resign, then the party’s Brexiteers would support her deal;

Central London was brought to a standstill as anti-Brexit protesters staged a major march calling for another EU referendum.

The Cabinet’s move against Mrs May comes after a disastrous week in which she blamed MPs for the delay to Brexit in a live televised address, which left Mr Smith incandescent with rage. She was then humiliated by EU leaders at a summit which agreed that, if her deal is defeated again, then Parliament will have just two more weeks to find an alternative, or risk a no-deal Brexit on April 12.

A senior Government source said Mr Smith had ‘conveyed the message [that Mrs May’s Cabinet colleagues believe she should stand down] to the PM’.

A Downing Street spokesman said that they did not comment on private conversations.

The collapse in the Prime Minister’s authority has triggered rival Cabinet plots by Remainers and Brexiteers to seize power.

Pro-Remain Cabinet Ministers, led by Mr Hammond and Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd, have been backing Cabinet Office Minister Mr Lidington to take over as temporary Prime Minister.

But when pro-Brexit Cabinet Ministers, led by Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Liz Truss, found out that Mr Lidington was holding talks with Labour MPs about votes on ‘soft’ Brexit measures they moved quickly to stifle the plot by backing Mr Gove instead.

Under the plan, Mr Gove would see through Brexit as PM, before a full leadership contest in the summer.

One senior Cabinet Minister told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The public will never forgive us if in a time of historical crisis our answer is David Lidington. This is where it is going to get very scary, whatever you think about it’.

Last night Henry Newman, one of Michael Gove’s most loyal supporters and a former aide, said the Prime Minister’s ‘ill-judged’ speech blaming MPs for the Brexit crisis ‘united Labour and Tory critics against her’. He added: ‘ I think she will have to offer to step down to get her deal through.’

A series of so-called ‘indicative votes’ will be held next week to test which alternatives to Mrs May’s deal are likely to pass the Commons, including a Norway-style customs union or even cancelling Brexit.

One senior Minister warned rebel Tory MPs that, if they continued to vote down Mrs May’s deal, then they would be on ‘a conveyor belt to Norway – possibly with Jeremy Corbyn leading the way’.

The Minister added: ‘If we do not deliver Brexit we are so unbelievably f****d, not just as a party or a Government, but in a national way. Now is the time to be bold, a customs union is a cop-out – it’s the easiest solution for Parliament but the worst solution for the country.

‘It has to be Mrs May’s deal, or no deal. We cannot be allowed to drift into the worst position, but that is what David Lidington is manoeuvring us to – and there is no upside to it’.

Another Minister said that it was ‘a matter of arithmetic’ that Mrs May should set out her departure date: ‘Just look at the numbers of people saying they would back the deal if she sets out a timetable for her departure and add them up. Say no more.’

A series of senior Conservative figures warned Mrs May last week that she has lost the confidence of her party.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the Conservatives’ 1922 Committee, visited the Prime Minister on Monday, where he told her that the number of colleagues calling for her to go was growing.

Mr Johnson also repeatedly challenged Mrs May to rule out leading the party into a General Election this year – which she has refused to do.

It is understood that all but one member of the Tory whips office think that her ‘time is up’. One, Paul Maynard, was in tears recently when he told the Prime Minister: ‘I’ve heard enough. When I was told that we would have to come over and talk to you I began to cry. I said I don’t want to go over and talk to that woman any more. She’s betrayed Brexit, destroying our party. I want her gone.’

Mrs May replied: ‘I’m sorry you feel that way.’

Education Minister Nadhim Zahawi warned yesterday of a ‘political meltdown’ if Mrs May’s deal is rejected again.

‘It’s a f****** coup’: Cabinet war over plot to replace Theresa May with her No 2 leaves Michael Gove favourite to be caretaker Prime Minister

By Glen Owen and Harry Cole for The Mail on Sunday

After a torturous 14 hours at the EU Council, the Prime Minister returned to the British residency in Brussels in the early hours of Friday morning and demanded a large whisky.

But back in Westminster, her closest Cabinet colleagues were preparing to hand Theresa May a revolver to go with it.

Senior Cabinet Ministers and allies are privately urging Mrs May to set a departure date to help get her beleaguered Brexit deal over the line as ‘a matter of arithmetic’.

Cabinet sources have told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Lidington (pictured today) was initially ‘reluctant’ to step into the role of ‘caretaker’ but was told it would be a ‘four-month job’ with a strict mandate

But others have simply decided her time is up and have spent the last three days plotting how to oust her.

A senior Downing Street source told this newspaper: ‘Discussions about the Prime Minister’s future are ongoing.’

On Friday evening, David Lidington, the pro-EU Cabinet Office boss and de facto deputy PM, was said to be in the ‘advanced stages’ of a plot to force Mrs May from office and herald a long Brexit extension as an interim leader who could build a cross-party Brexit deal.

But as news of the plan leaked, it sparked a furious Cabinet backlash that saw Michael Gove emerge as a ‘consensus’ candidate who could bring the crucial backing of both Remainers and Brexiteers.

Cabinet sources have told The Mail on Sunday that Mr Lidington was initially ‘reluctant’ to step into the role of ‘caretaker’ but was told it would be a ‘four-month job with a three-pronged mandate: to negotiate a long extension, to oversee testing of what Parliament wants and to ensure a fair Tory leadership contest.’

A source said: ‘David is 60. It would be his last job in politics and what a way to go out. The key players are on board. It’s just a matter of when.’

The Mail on Sunday has learnt that Cabinet big beasts including Amber Rudd and Jeremy Hunt have urged Mr Lidington to ‘knock on the door and call time’ on Mrs May’s premiership.

The Mail on Sunday has learnt that Cabinet big beasts including Amber Rudd (pictured) and Jeremy Hunt have urged Mr Lidington to ‘knock on the door and call time’ on Mrs May’s premiership

In the febrile atmosphere in Westminster, there were even claims Michael Gove had initially supported Mr Lidington acting as caretaker, with one source claiming the plot was ‘far less factional than Brexit lines’.

However, as word of Mr Lidington’s manoeuvrings ripped through Westminster on Friday evening, Brexiteer Ministers were quick to brand the Cabinet politicking a ‘Remainer coup’, with former Vote Leave boss Mr Gove touted by Ministers and MPs for the job instead.

One senior Cabinet Minister told The Mail on Sunday: ‘The British public will never forgive us if, in a time of historical crisis, our answer is David Lidington.

‘This is where it is going to get very scary, whatever you think about it.

‘If we do not deliver Brexit, we are so unbelievably f*****, not just as a party or a government, but in a national way. Now is the time to be bold. A customs union is a cop out – it’s the easiest solution for Parliament but the worst solution for the country.

‘It has to be her deal, or no deal. We cannot be allowed to drift into the worst position and that is what David Lidington is manoeuvring us to – there is no upside to it.’

And another Cabinet Minister branded the plot ‘a f****** coup.’

…And if he gets into No 10, will old foe Boris ever get him out?

Bookies last night slashed Michael Gove’s odds of being the next Prime Minister.

The Environment Secretary is now 5/1 joint favourite with his rival Boris Johnson to take the Tory crown.

Should Mr Gove secure the keys to No 10, it would be a remarkable turnaround after he stabbed Mr Johnson in the back during in the 2016 Tory leadership battle, when he withdrew his support for his fellow Brexit campaigner at the last minute so he could stand himself.

Bitter rivals: Michael Gove and Boris Johnson pull pints of beer at the Old Chapel pub in Darwen in Lancashire, as part of the Vote Leave EU referendum campaign

Having initially been sacked by the victorious Theresa May, Mr Gove was subsequently brought back into the Cabinet fold and has spent the last year being studiously loyal to the Prime Minister in public, as he sought to repair his reputation among the Tory grassroots. Although Mr Gove was touted as a ‘consensus caretaker’ last night, Mr Johnson will be wary of letting his nemesis become Tory leader without a fight.

Last night, a Ladbrokes spokesman said: ‘Money for Michael Gove in the past few days has left the firm with no choice but to cut his odds of becoming the next PM. Mr Gove continues to attract punters’ cash.’

Outside of the Cabinet, one Minister furiously rejected Mr Lidington stepping in, saying: ‘You might as well put the permanent secretaries in charge.’

They added: ‘This is a pipe dream for the bland brigade, who must be deluded if they think replacing uncertainty with more uncertainty is going to fix anything.’

The backlash also broke on to the airwaves and social media, as Tory MPs began openly discussing Mrs May standing down.

After it emerged Mr Lidington had discussed soft-Brexit plans with Labour MPs, Tory Brexiteer Michael Fabricant compared his pro-EU stance to that of Britain’s appeasing of Hitler in the 1930s.

The outspoken backbencher hit out: ‘With the PM acting like Chamberlain, we now have David Lidington freelancing and acting like Lord Halifax hoping to come to an accommodation with Labour. Enough is enough!’ Asked if the PM would still be in post by next month, fellow Tory Marcus Fysh told BBC2’s Newsnight: ‘I don’t know.’

‘We are starting to get to the stage where it really would have been good to have better negotiations going on,’ he added. And fellow Leaver James Duddridge, tweeted ‘#Resign’.

Tory peer Lord Gadhia said: ‘She may not survive to the end of the week.’ He added: ‘It is quite possible that she herself may decide ‘actually, look, I am an obstacle to a resolution of this process’. So we may have a very dramatic week.’

Leadership speculation is gripping all corners of the parliamentary Conservative party, with other Ministers privately accepting that a General Election under a new leader would be needed to achieve a fresh mandate from the public ahead of Round Two of EU negotiations over a trade deal.

And Brexiteer hardliners in the European Research Group are determined not to repeat their disastrous implosion during the 2016 leadership battle which allowed Mrs May, who had campaigned to Remain, to come through the divided Brexiteers.

Senior MPs in the ERG plan to hold their own leadership contest to unite around one candidate. They point out a Brexiteer only needs to come second, with 105 MPs behind them, to proceed to the final round – a vote of the overwhelmingly Eurosceptic party membership.

Last night a source close to Mr Lidington said the claims from his Cabinet colleagues were ‘nonsense’, adding: ‘David has not discussed anything of the sort. His focus is on getting the PM’s deal agreed’.

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