Brexit: Warning over Labour's referendum stance - BBC News

Jeremy Corbyn has been warned Labour will "haemorrhage" votes in the EU election unless the party explicitly backs a further referendum.

MEP Richard Corbett, leader of the party in the EU Parliament, told the Observer Labour risked losing out to parties committed to a public vote.

If Labour offered "clarity" on a public vote, it would do "very well", he said.

Labour's current policy is to keep all options on the table - including pressing for a further EU referendum.

It has said it would support a public vote to avoid a "hard Tory Brexit" but several senior figures have expressed concern that a referendum demand would be dropped if the party agreed a Brexit compromise with Tory ministers.

Yorkshire and the Humber MEP Mr Corbett told the paper: "If Labour does not re-confirm its support for a confirmatory public vote on any Brexit deal in its manifesto, then it will haemorrhage votes to parties who do have a clear message.

"If on the other hand we do offer clarity and a confirmatory ballot we could do very well."

Mr Corbyn has also come under pressure from the SNP's Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who accused him of "wasting time" and avoiding a commitment to a second vote.

And former Labour foreign secretary Margaret Beckett told the Observer Labour should give a "clear and simple" message on a confirmatory second referendum.

However, others in the shadow cabinet and many backbenchers, particularly in Leave-supporting areas, are opposed to the idea.

Meanwhile, talks between senior Labour figures and the government continue over reaching a Brexit deal acceptable to Parliament.

On Saturday, No 10 said ministers would meet Labour for "urgent work" to strike a deal in time to avoid EU elections.

A Downing Street source said: "If we can keep up the pace of negotiations, we can get a deal over the line and avoid participating in the European Parliamentary elections."

After talks on Friday the shadow chancellor John McDonnell said discussions with cabinet ministers David Lidington and Michael Gove had so far been "positive" and "constructive".

Parties began gearing up to fight the European elections on 23 May after Theresa May and the EU agreed to postpone Brexit until 31 October.

However, the UK can leave earlier - and avoid the polls - if her withdrawal agreement is approved by Parliament in time.

Some senior figures within Labour - including shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer - are said to be pressing for a confirmatory ballot to be tied to any cross-party Brexit deal.

Mrs May has consistently ruled out the possibility of a further referendum and many Conservatives would strongly resist the prospect, described last week by Commons Leader Andrea Leadsom as "appalling".

Despite Mr Corbett's warning, and more headlines on Sunday related to anti-Semitism within Labour, reports suggest Mr Corbyn could be in a position to form a government in the event of a snap general election.

A poll by Opinium has put Labour seven points up on the Tories.

And the Sunday Telegraph said analysis by polling organisation Electoral Calculus suggested the Tories could lose 59 seats at a general election, leaving Labour as the biggest party in the Commons.

What happens next?

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47924023

2019-04-14 04:12:08Z
52780268288892

Amritsar: India marks 100 years since massacre - BBC News

Ceremonies have taken place to mark 100 years since the massacre in the Indian city of Amritsar.

Hundreds of Indian civilians were shot by British troops while attending a public meeting, in defiance of a ban by colonial authorities.

This week British Prime Minister Theresa May described the incident as a "tragedy" and "a shameful scar on British Indian history", but stopped short of the formal apology that some have called for.

The death toll is disputed. An inquiry set up by the colonial authorities put the figure at 379, but Indian sources put it nearer to 1,000.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-47923202/amritsar-india-marks-100-years-since-massacre

2019-04-13 23:36:02Z
52780266806813

Amritsar: India marks 100 years since massacre - BBC News

Ceremonies have taken place to mark 100 years since the massacre in the Indian city of Amritsar.

Hundreds of Indian civilians were shot by British troops while attending a public meeting, in defiance of a ban by colonial authorities.

This week British Prime Minister Theresa May described the incident as a "tragedy" and "a shameful scar on British Indian history", but stopped short of the formal apology that some have called for.

The death toll is disputed. An inquiry set up by the colonial authorities put the figure at 379, but Indian sources put it nearer to 1,000.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-india-47923202/amritsar-india-marks-100-years-since-massacre

2019-04-13 23:19:19Z
52780266806813

Republicans renew calls for US-UK trade deal amid Brexit delay - Fox News

Republicans in the White House and Congress are renewing their support for a U.S.-U.K. trade deal after Britain leaves the European Union -- even as Brexit is facing significant delays across the Atlantic.

“If the U.K. regains control over its national trade policy, our two nations will have a once-in-a-generation chance to forge an ambitious trade pact - a truly free, fair, and reciprocal agreement that will foster economic growth, spur innovation, and define a new global standard in trade,” Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., wrote in an op-ed for the Daily Telegraph this week.

BRITAIN, EU AGREE TO DELAY BREXIT DEADLINE UNTIL OCT. 31

Holding, who is the ranking Republican of the British American Parliamentary Group and co-chair of the Congressional U.K. Caucus, wrote that a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement is a “top priority” for the U.S. He said that President Trump is "extremely supportive of such a deal as are many Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress."

“With the U.K. no longer restrained by Brussels’ command-and-control bureaucracy and its heavy-handed regulatory tendencies, we can finally realize the full economic potential a sovereign Britain presents,” he wrote.

Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, a vote that then-candidate Donald Trump and other Republicans supported, but the British government has struggled to implement the result.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, negotiated with Brussels last year, has been voted down three times by Parliament, and last week U.K. and E.U. leaders negotiated an extension until Oct. 31. It had initially been scheduled to leave the bloc in March. The country cannot negotiate a free trade deal until after the U.K. exits the E.U.

Amid calls in the U.K. for a second referendum or a “softer” Brexit from British lawmakers in favor of staying in the bloc, those in favor of a “harder” Brexit have repeatedly pointed to the possibility of a generous U.S.-U.K. trade deal as an example of the benefits that will come from the U.K. leaving the E.U. -- and warned against a deal that would limit that ability to negotiate its own deals.

“All that remains to be seen are the exact terms under which Great Britain will leave the European Union,” Holding wrote. “An exit agreement that ties Britain too closely to the EU would effectively render a bilateral trade deal with the United States impossible.”

Holding’s op-ed comes amid a broader push by the White House to nudge Britain in the direction of a Brexit that would allow the country to negotiate its own deals, and soon.

Last summer, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office formed a trading “committee” with the U.K. to work out a trade agreement, as a way to get around the fact that the U.S. cannot formally negotiate with the U.K. until it leaves the E.U.

TRUMP BACKS BREXIT BY PROMISING 'LARGE SCALE TRADE DEAL' WITH UK, AS LAWMAKERS MULL DELAY

National Security Adviser John Bolton told Reuters in a recent interview that President Trump is very eager to cut a bilateral trade deal with an independent Britain.”

“It’s very complicated inside Britain,” Bolton said. “I know they’re going through a lot of turmoil. But really I think the president would like to reassure the people of the United Kingdom how strongly we feel, that we want to be there when they do come out of the European Union.”

Those remarks came days after Trump tweeted: "My administration looks forward to negotiating a large scale Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. The potential is unlimited!”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The same day, in the Oval Office alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Trump said he was "surprised at how badly it's all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation" and said that May didn't listen to his advice on how to negotiate with the E.U. He also said that a second referendum would be "unfair."

"I hate to see everything being ripped apart right now, I don't think another vote would be possible because it would be very unfair to the people that won that say: 'What do you mean you're going to take another vote?'" he said. "So that would be tough."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-renew-calls-for-us-uk-trade-deal-amid-brexit-delay

2019-04-13 16:17:43Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzL3JlcHVibGljYW5zLXJlbmV3LWNhbGxzLWZvci11cy11ay10cmFkZS1kZWFsLWFtaWQtYnJleGl0LWRlbGF50gFjaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvcmVwdWJsaWNhbnMtcmVuZXctY2FsbHMtZm9yLXVzLXVrLXRyYWRlLWRlYWwtYW1pZC1icmV4aXQtZGVsYXkuYW1w

Republicans renew calls for US-UK trade deal amid Brexit delay - Fox News

Republicans in the White House and Congress are renewing their support for a U.S.-U.K. trade deal after Britain leaves the European Union -- even as Brexit is facing significant delays across the Atlantic.

“If the U.K. regains control over its national trade policy, our two nations will have a once-in-a-generation chance to forge an ambitious trade pact - a truly free, fair, and reciprocal agreement that will foster economic growth, spur innovation, and define a new global standard in trade,” Rep. George Holding, R-N.C., wrote in an op-ed for the Daily Telegraph this week.

BRITAIN, EU AGREE TO DELAY BREXIT DEADLINE UNTIL OCT. 31

Holding, who is the ranking Republican of the British American Parliamentary Group and co-chair of the Congressional U.K. Caucus, wrote that a U.S.-U.K. free trade agreement is a “top priority” for the U.S. He said that President Trump is "extremely supportive of such a deal as are many Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress."

“With the U.K. no longer restrained by Brussels’ command-and-control bureaucracy and its heavy-handed regulatory tendencies, we can finally realize the full economic potential a sovereign Britain presents,” he wrote.

Britain voted to leave the European Union in 2016, a vote that then-candidate Donald Trump and other Republicans supported, but the British government has struggled to implement the result.

Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal agreement, negotiated with Brussels last year, has been voted down three times by Parliament, and last week U.K. and E.U. leaders negotiated an extension until Oct. 31. It had initially been scheduled to leave the bloc in March. The country cannot negotiate a free trade deal until after the U.K. exits the E.U.

Amid calls in the U.K. for a second referendum or a “softer” Brexit from British lawmakers in favor of staying in the bloc, those in favor of a “harder” Brexit have repeatedly pointed to the possibility of a generous U.S.-U.K. trade deal as an example of the benefits that will come from the U.K. leaving the E.U. -- and warned against a deal that would limit that ability to negotiate its own deals.

“All that remains to be seen are the exact terms under which Great Britain will leave the European Union,” Holding wrote. “An exit agreement that ties Britain too closely to the EU would effectively render a bilateral trade deal with the United States impossible.”

Holding’s op-ed comes amid a broader push by the White House to nudge Britain in the direction of a Brexit that would allow the country to negotiate its own deals, and soon.

Last summer, the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office formed a trading “committee” with the U.K. to work out a trade agreement, as a way to get around the fact that the U.S. cannot formally negotiate with the U.K. until it leaves the E.U.

TRUMP BACKS BREXIT BY PROMISING 'LARGE SCALE TRADE DEAL' WITH UK, AS LAWMAKERS MULL DELAY

National Security Adviser John Bolton told Reuters in a recent interview that President Trump is very eager to cut a bilateral trade deal with an independent Britain.”

“It’s very complicated inside Britain,” Bolton said. “I know they’re going through a lot of turmoil. But really I think the president would like to reassure the people of the United Kingdom how strongly we feel, that we want to be there when they do come out of the European Union.”

Those remarks came days after Trump tweeted: "My administration looks forward to negotiating a large scale Trade Deal with the United Kingdom. The potential is unlimited!”

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

The same day, in the Oval Office alongside Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, Trump said he was "surprised at how badly it's all gone from the standpoint of a negotiation" and said that May didn't listen to his advice on how to negotiate with the E.U. He also said that a second referendum would be "unfair."

"I hate to see everything being ripped apart right now, I don't think another vote would be possible because it would be very unfair to the people that won that say: 'What do you mean you're going to take another vote?'" he said. "So that would be tough."

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/republicans-renew-calls-for-us-uk-trade-deal-amid-brexit-delay

2019-04-13 15:51:07Z
CBMiX2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZveG5ld3MuY29tL3BvbGl0aWNzL3JlcHVibGljYW5zLXJlbmV3LWNhbGxzLWZvci11cy11ay10cmFkZS1kZWFsLWFtaWQtYnJleGl0LWRlbGF50gFjaHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZm94bmV3cy5jb20vcG9saXRpY3MvcmVwdWJsaWNhbnMtcmVuZXctY2FsbHMtZm9yLXVzLXVrLXRyYWRlLWRlYWwtYW1pZC1icmV4aXQtZGVsYXkuYW1w

India marks colonial massacre centenary, Britain makes no apology - Aljazeera.com

As India marks the 100th anniversary of the Amritsar massacre - one of the worst atrocities of colonial rule - on Saturday, the British envoy to India says his country regrets the killing but offered no apology.

The Jallianwala Bagh massacre, as it is known in India, saw British troops fire on thousands of unarmed people in Amritsar on April 13, 1919.

In a tweet on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the tragedy "horrific" and that the memory of those killed "inspires us to work even harder to build an India they would be proud of".

201431583835343103

Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi, in Amritsar on Saturday, on Twitter called the massacre "a day of infamy that stunned the entire world and changed the course of the Indian freedom struggle".

At least 379 Indians were killed in the massacre, according to the official colonial-era record, although local residents have said in the past the toll is close to 1,000.

The massacre took place in the walled enclosure of Jallianwala Bagh, which is still pockmarked with bullet holes. 

The incident became a symbol of colonial cruelty and for decades Indians have demanded an apology from the United Kingdom, including during Queen Elizabeth's visit to Amritsar in 1997.

Hundreds of people, carrying the national flag, attended a candlelight march on Friday in memory of the victims before a commemoration ceremony later on Saturday. 

'Lessons of history'

The UK has made no official apology and Dominic Asquith, the high commissioner to India, on Saturday followed suit as he laid a wreath at the massacre site on Saturday. 

"You might want to rewrite history, as the Queen said, but you can't," Asquith said. 

"What you can do, as the Queen said, is to learn the lessons of history. I believe strongly we are. There is no question that we will always remember this. We will never forget what happened here."

He said his country regrets "the suffering caused" and "the revulsion that we felt at the time is still strong today." 

181206124830851

Former British Prime Minister David Cameron described the killings as "deeply shameful" in a visit to the northern Indian city in 2013 but stopped short of an apology.

In 1997, Queen Elizabeth II laid a wreath at the site but her gaffe-prone husband Prince Philip stole the headlines by reportedly saying that Indian estimates for the death count were "vastly exaggerated".

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Theresa May told parliament that "the tragedy of Jallianwala Bagh in 1919 is a shameful scar on British Indian history", but she also did not issue a formal apology.

UK's opposition Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said the country should apologise.

There must be an unequivocal apology for the Amritsar massacre. #JallianwalaBagh pic.twitter.com/JxdaZ72OcV

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) April 10, 2019

Amarinder Singh, the chief minister of India's Punjab state where the massacre site is located, said on Friday that May's words were not enough.

He said "an unequivocal official apology" is needed for the "monumental barbarity".

Rahul Gandhi, president of India's main opposition Congress party on Twitter called the massacre 'a day of infamy that stunned the entire world' [Munish Sharma/Reuters]

The massacre

Thousands of unarmed men, women and children had gathered at the Jallianwala Bagh, a walled public garden in Amritsar, on the afternoon of April 13, 1919.

Many were angry about the recent extension of repressive measures and the arrest of two local leaders that had sparked violent protests three days before.

The 13th of April was also a big spring festival, and the crowd - estimated by some at 20,000 - included the pilgrims visiting the nearby Golden Temple sacred to Sikhs.

Brigadier General Reginald Edward Harry Dyer arrived with dozens of troops, sealed off the exit and without warning ordered the soldiers to open fire.

Many tried to escape by scaling the high walls surrounding the area. Others jumped into an open well at the site as the troops fired.

One of several witness accounts compiled by two historians in a new book with excerpts published in the Indian Express newspaper this week described the horror.

"Heaps of dead bodies lay there, some on their backs and some with their faces upturned. A number of them were poor innocent children. I shall never forget the sight," said Ratan Devi, whose husband was killed.

"I was all alone the whole night in that solitary jungle. Nothing but the barking of dogs, or the braying of donkeys was audible. Amidst hundreds of corpses, I passed my night, crying and watching," she said.

Dyer, dubbed "the butcher of Amritsar", reportedly said later it was a necessary measure, and that the firing was "not to disperse the meeting but to punish the Indians for disobedience".

The massacre is a symbol of colonial cruelty and for decades Indians have demanded an apology from Britain [Munish Sharma/Reuters]

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2019/04/india-marks-colonial-massacre-centenary-britain-apology-190413083451841.html

2019-04-13 11:09:00Z
52780266806813

‘Release Assange or else!’ Hackers Anonymous sends UK warning over Wikileaks founder - Express.co.uk

And the shadowy organisation claimed the world was on the brink of a “revolution”, which it would spearhead. Mr Assange was arrested by British police after they were invited into the embassy, where he has been claiming asylum since 2012. The UK must now decide whether to extradite Mr Assange to the United States, where the Department for Justice wants to question him in relaxation to claims he conspired with former US intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to download classified databases.

The lengthy video message, posted on Facebook and delivered by an animated figure closely resembling the character V from Alan Moore’s graphic novel V for Vendetta, is aimed at “the UK government and their cohorts around the world who are working to silence whistleblowers”.

The message said: “As many of you know, UK authorities have arrested Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange on behalf of the US government. 

“This is a move that has been expected for some time and Assange himself has even warned us about his impending arrest. 

“This arrest and the greater persecution of Wikileaks and other whistleblowers sends a clear message that these governments will stop at nothing to maintain their secrecy.

“After exposing Hillary Clinton, Assange was labeled as a Russian asset, although there is no evidence to support these claims.”

Instead, the message described Mr Assange as “a true journalist who speaks truth to power and exposes corruption whether it is on the left or the right”.

It added: “Influential people representing the governments of the UK, the United States, and Ecuador have all signed off on this unprecedented attack on journalism. 

“By these actions, they are bringing the free world closer to a widespread revolution, and that is honestly what may be needed to stop these constant advances on our freedom.

“This should be a peaceful revolution that is waged across many battlefields, including cyberspace, the domain of An0nymous.

“Every single powerful person who has signed off on this order should be shaking in their boots, because the force of the internet is about to be unleashed upon them.

“All the way from the CIA, the President of the United States, and down to the arresting officers that carried Assange out of the embassy, you have all exposed yourselves as enemies of the people and it is time for An0nymous to act accordingly.”

In a clear reference to the Yellow Vests currently plaguing French President Emmanuel Macron, it added: “Street protests are sometimes seen as a wasted effort, but the current revolution brewing in France and other parts of the developed world show us that the governments can bend to the will of the people.”

The message called on “the people of the UK” to come to Mr Assange’s rescue and prevent his extradition.

It added: “If protests that rival the scale and intensity of the recent demonstrations in France were to sweep across the UK in response to the arrest of Assange, it could help to protect him, and possibly change the outcome of his case.”

Claiming the Australian, who is still wanted for questioning about a rape allegation in Sweden, was “well loved by the people of the world”, it said: “Unfortunately, the establishment does not feel the same, so this is a warning for the establishment: Let Assange free or you will pay!

"The time has come for us to unite, the time has come for us to stand up and fight! We are Anonymous! We are Legion! We do not forgive! We do not forget! Expect us!”

Let's block ads! (Why?)

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1113548/julian-assange-arrest-wikileaks-anonymous-raid-chelsea-manning-ecuadorian-embassy

2019-04-12 15:20:00Z
52780266881266