Babak Belurs

Minggu, 05 Mei 2019

Theresa May urges Jeremy Corbyn to do a Brexit deal - BBC News

Labour's shadow chancellor says he does not trust Theresa May after details from cross-party talks on Brexit were leaked to the press.

The PM has called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to "put their differences aside" and agree a Brexit deal.

But John McDonnell said she had "blown the confidentially" of the talks and "jeopardised the negotiations".

The UK was due to leave the EU on 29 March, but it was delayed to 31 October after MPs failed to agree a deal.

Mrs May put the plan she had negotiated with the EU to Parliament three times, but it did not have the support of the Commons.

'Uncomfortable' decision

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Mrs May said Mr Corbyn should "listen to what voters said" in Thursday's local elections - which saw the Conservatives lose 1,334 councillors and Labour fail to make expected gains, instead losing 82 seats.

The Liberal Democrats benefited from Tory losses, gaining 703 seats, with the Greens and independents also making gains.

The prime minister blamed the Brexit impasse for the losses - but said the elections gave "fresh urgency" to find a way to "break the deadlock".

Mrs May also said she hoped to find a "unified, cross-party position" with Labour - despite admitting that her colleagues "find this decision uncomfortable" and that "frankly, it is not what I wanted either".

Mr McDonnell agreed that the message from the polls was to "get on with it" and come to an agreement over Brexit quickly.

But while he said the talks between the two parties would continue on Tuesday, he said they had been undermined after an article in the Sunday Times, detailing where Mrs May was willing to compromise - namely on customs, goods alignment and workers' rights.

The paper also said the PM could put forward plans for a comprehensive, but temporary, customs arrangement with the EU that would last until the next general election.

Mr McDonnell told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "We have maintained confidentiality as that is what we were asked to do. We haven't briefed the media.

"So it is disappointing the prime minister has broken that, and I think it is an act of bad faith.

"I fully understand now why she couldn't negotiate a decent deal with our European partners if she behaves in this way."

Asked if he trusted the prime minister, the shadow chancellor said: "No. Sorry. Not after this weekend when she has blown the confidentiality we had, and I actually think she has jeopardised the negotiation for her own personal protection."

He criticised other senior Tories who were "threatening to tear up any deal we do" once the party has a new leader, adding: "It is like trying to enter into a contract with a company going into administration."

'Deeply divisive deal'

The BBC's political correspondent Chris Mason said reaching a deal was "fraught with risk" for both Mrs May and Mr Corbyn.

"A deal on a customs union would be deeply divisive for the Conservatives," he said. "Accepting there'd be no new referendum would split Labour."

Reuters

The public is fed up with the failure of both of the two main parties to find a way to honour the result of the referendum [and] take the UK out of the EU

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, told the Daily Telegraph that staying in a customs union could lead to a "catastrophic split" in the Conservative Party.

And, in the same paper, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said: "If the Tories do a deal with Labour on the customs union they will be going into coalition with the opposition against the people."

He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that millions of people would give up on Labour and the Conservatives if they agreed a deal, adding it would be the "final betrayal".

But the new International Development Secretary Rory Stewart said the Tories might have to "take some short-term pain" to finish the job.

He told BBC Radio 5 live's Pienaar's Politics: "We may have to make the very unpopular decision of getting a Brexit deal done, appreciating that everybody in the country has a hundred different views about what type of Brexit they want...

"Take that pain and then [we can] move on to talk about things like the environment, which people really care about."

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, also said her party needed to "start walking ourselves back" from the extremes of the argument to find a compromise, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr "there is a deal to be done" with Labour.

Westminster 'stitch-up'

Meanwhile, Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson said it was "absolutely right" for the talks to continue.

But he told Pienaar's Politics: "I don't think we should be in any doubt that the Labour Party membership and vast numbers of my colleagues in Parliament don't want us to just sign off on a Tory Brexit.

"They don't want us to bail the prime minister out of the problem of her own making and a very large number of our members think the people should decide on what that deal looks like."

The comments come after the People's Vote campaign - which wants a referendum on a final Brexit deal - published a letter signed by more than 100 opposition MPs saying any new, agreed deal should be put to the public for a vote.

"The very worst thing we could do at this time is a Westminster stitch-up, whether over the PM's deal or another deal," the letter read.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48165373

2019-05-05 11:37:30Z
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Theresa May urges Jeremy Corbyn to do a Brexit deal - BBC News

Labour's shadow chancellor says he does not trust Theresa May after details from cross-party talks on Brexit were leaked to the press.

The PM has called on Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn to "put their differences aside" and agree a Brexit deal.

But John McDonnell said she had "blown the confidentially" of the talks and "jeopardised the negotiations".

The UK was due to leave the EU on 29 March, but it was delayed to 31 October after MPs failed to agree a deal.

Mrs May put the plan she had negotiated with the EU to Parliament three times, but it did not have the support of the Commons.

'Uncomfortable' decision

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, she said Mr Corbyn should "listen to what voters said" in Thursday's local elections - which saw the Conservatives lose 1,334 councillors and Labour fail to make expected gains, instead losing 82 seats.

The Liberal Democrats benefited from Tory losses, gaining 703 seats, with the Greens and independents also making gains.

The prime minister blamed the Brexit impasse for the losses - but said the elections gave "fresh urgency" to find a way to "break the deadlock".

Mr McDonnell agreed that the message from the polls was to "get on with it" and come to an agreement over Brexit quickly.

The paper also said the PM could put forward plans for a comprehensive, but temporary, customs arrangement with the EU that would last until the next general election.

Mr McDonnell told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: "We have maintained confidentiality as that is what we were asked to do. We haven't briefed the media.

"So it is disappointing the prime minister has broken that and I think it is an act of bad faith.

"I fully understand now why she couldn't negotiate a decent deal with our European partners if she behaves in this way."

He criticised other senior Tories who were "threatening to tear up any deal we do" once the party has a new leader, adding: "It is like trying to enter into contract with a company going into administration."

'Deeply divisive deal'

The BBC's political correspondent Chris Mason said reaching a deal was "fraught with risk" for both Mrs May and Mr Corbyn.

"A deal on a customs union would be deeply divisive for the Conservatives," he said. "Accepting there'd be no new referendum would split Labour."

Reuters

The public is fed up with the failure of both of the two main parties to find a way to honour the result of the referendum [and] take the UK out of the EU

Sir Graham Brady, the chairman of the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers, told the Daily Telegraph that staying in a customs union could lead to a "catastrophic split" in the Conservative Party.

And, in the same paper, Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage said: "If the Tories do a deal with Labour on the customs union they will be going into coalition with the opposition against the people."

He told Sky News' Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme that millions of people would give up on Labour and the Conservatives if they agreed a deal, adding it would be the "final betrayal".

But the leader of the Scottish Conservatives, Ruth Davidson, said her party needed to "start walking ourselves back" from the extremes of the argument to find a compromise, telling the BBC's Andrew Marr show "there is a deal to be done" with Labour.

Meanwhile, the People's Vote campaign - which wants a referendum on a final Brexit deal - has published a letter signed by more than 100 opposition MPs saying any new, agreed deal should be put to the public for a vote.

"The very worst thing we could do at this time is a Westminster stitch-up, whether over the PM's deal or another deal," the letter read.

On Saturday, former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith said a deal with Labour would not be legitimate.

"As a result of the devastating [local] election result, the PM has in effect become a caretaker," he told the BBC.

"As such, she is not empowered to make any deal with the Labour Party which itself suffered a very similar result. Two discredited administrations making a discredited deal is not the answer to the electorate."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-48165373

2019-05-05 11:03:45Z
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Huawei leak did not amount to criminal offence, police say - BBC News

The leak from a National Security Council meeting about Chinese firm Huawei did not amount to a criminal offence, the Met Police has said.

Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson was sacked following an inquiry into the leaking of details from the council.

Met Assistant Commissioner Neil Basu said he was "satisfied" the Official Secrets Act had not been breached, so he would not investigate the leak.

But Mr Williamson said a "proper, full and impartial" probe was now needed.

The former minister - who has strenuously denied being responsible for the leak - described the government's inquiry into him as a "shabby and discredited witch hunt" .

He said it had been "badly mishandled", both by Prime Minister Theresa May and the senior civil servant who led the investigation.

A leak from the security council's discussions led to reports in the Daily Telegraph about a plan to allow Huawei limited access to help build the UK's new 5G network.

The newspaper also reported on warnings from within cabinet about possible risks to national security over any deal with the Chinese firm.

The National Security Council is made up of senior cabinet ministers, all of whom have signed the Official Secrets Act.

It holds confidential weekly meetings, chaired by the prime minister, where secret intelligence can be shared by GCHQ, MI6 and MI5.

At a meeting with Mr Williamson on Wednesday evening, Mrs May told him she had information that suggested he was responsible for the unauthorised disclosure.

In a letter confirming his dismissal, she said: "No other credible version of events to explain this leak has been identified."

What is the Official Secrets Act 1989?

Disclosure of official information relating to security and intelligence by a "Crown servant" - including government ministers - can be illegal.

For it to be an offence, the disclosure has to be damaging and done without lawful authority (ie not as part of the person's official duties).

Being found guilty of this carries a sentence ranging from a fine to two years in prison.

Mr Basu, who is Britain's top counter-terrorism police officer, said that what was disclosed "did not contain information that would breach the Official Secrets Act".

He added: "The leak did not cause damage to the public interest at a level at which it would be necessary to engage misconduct in a public office.

"It would be inappropriate to carry out a police investigation in these circumstances."

Mr Basu said the decision was informed by conversations with the Cabinet Office about the nature of the matters discussed at the meeting. He also took legal advice.

Mr Williamson - who had been defence secretary since 2017 - responded to his sacking by saying he was "confident" that a "thorough and formal inquiry" would have "vindicated" his position.

Since Mr Williamson was sacked, Penny Mordaunt has taken over as defence secretary, becoming the first woman in the role.

The suggestion that the government decided to allow Huawei to have a role in developing the UK's 5G network - the next generation of mobile internet connectivity - has provoked controversy.

US issues fresh warning to UK over Huawei

The US, Australia and New Zealand say the firm is a security risk because of its ties to the Chinese state.

There has been no formal confirmation of Huawei's role in the 5G network and No 10 said a final decision would be made at the end of spring.

Huawei has denied there is any risk of spying or sabotage, or that it is controlled by the Chinese government.

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-48160004

2019-05-05 02:20:47Z
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