Babak Belurs

Selasa, 06 Agustus 2019

EU officials: No basis for 'meaningful' UK Brexit talks - BBC News

The EU has said there is no basis for any further Brexit talks while the UK continues to insist on making changes to Theresa May's withdrawal agreement.

EU negotiators told European diplomats changes suggested by the new UK government, such as scrapping the Irish border backstop, were unacceptable.

But Downing Street is rejecting claims it wanted talks to fail to allow a no-deal Brexit to be pushed through.

A spokesperson said they hoped the EU would rethink its refusal of changes.

They said the EU "needed to change its stance", as Mrs May's deal will not pass through Parliament in its current form.

They added: "We will throw ourselves into the negotiations with the greatest energy and the spirit of friendship and we hope the EU will rethink its current refusal to make any changes to the withdrawal agreement."

The plan negotiated between the EU and former Prime Minister Mrs May was voted down by MPs three times.

An EU negotiator told the meeting on Sunday: "With only a few weeks to go we are back where we were three years ago."

New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has pledged to "do or die", and leave the EU by the deadline of 31 October, with or without a deal.

A senior EU diplomat said in the meeting that a no-deal Brexit appears to be the UK government's "central scenario", according to the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian.

"It was clear UK does not have another plan. No intention to negotiate, which would require a plan," the diplomat is reported to have said.

BBC Brussels reporter Adam Fleming said the meeting between the officials and diplomats was a debrief from discussions last week between the EU, UK Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay and Mr Johnson's European envoy, David Frost.

Mr Frost reiterated the prime minister's stance that the backstop element of Mrs May's plan - which aims to prevent a hard border returning between Ireland and Northern Ireland - had to be abolished.

The backstop - agreed by Mrs May in November 2018 - would see Northern Ireland staying aligned to some rules of the EU single market.

Mr Frost said Mr Johnson's new ministers were not bound by commitments made by the previous government.

One of the EU's Brexit negotiators told the meeting that the G7 summit in France at the end of August could mark the point where a no-deal Brexit becomes inevitable.

A diplomat at the meeting told Adam Fleming the negotiator's comments simply reflected the speech Mr Johnson gave in the Commons the day after he became prime minister.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson is due to meet Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas at No 10 later as part of a scheduled visit.

Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said while the "reality" was that the withdrawal agreement - including the backstop - had been jointly agreed by EU member states, there was still a need for continued dialogue in the coming weeks to avoid a no-deal Brexit.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme alternatives to the backstop could be discussed after the ratification of the withdrawal deal.

No reason to get back round the table

The EU is not optimistic about any agreement with the UK.

The message they are getting from Boris Johnson's team is that the UK is not going to sign another deal unless it involves getting rid of the backstop.

But the EU has been clear time and time again that it isn't going to do that - the backstop is an integral part of any withdrawal agreement and it has to stay.

So the conclusion of officials is there is no reason to get back round the table at the moment, for the simple reason that they don't think they can meet the conditions Boris Johnson has set.

There are a couple of months to try to eke something out from one of the sides - to see if somebody blinks and there is some room for negotiation either in Brussels or in London.

But at the moment, many people think the direction of travel is heading towards a no-deal Brexit.

The meeting follows an interview with Health Secretary Matt Hancock, who said Parliament could no longer block the UK from leaving the EU without a deal.

In a no-deal scenario, the UK would immediately leave the EU with no agreement about the "divorce" process, and would exit overnight from the single market and customs union.

Opponents say a no-deal exit would damage the economy and lead to border posts between Northern Ireland and the Republic. Other politicians argue any disruption could be quickly overcome.

'Britain is desperate'

Mr Hancock said MPs had a chance to stop the outcome a number of times in recent weeks, but had failed to vote it through.

But prominent pro-EU Conservative Dominic Grieve said there were still a number of options available to MPs to block a no deal - including bringing down the government with a vote of no confidence, and setting up a new government in its place.

Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary, Dominic Raab, will begin a tour of North America on Tuesday as part of a bid to "fire up" the UK's trade relationships with countries outside the EU.

He will visit Canada, the US and Mexico.

Mr Raab said the foreign ministers he saw at a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Thailand last week expressed a "consistent warmth" for the UK and a "desire to work more closely with us".

However, the former US treasury secretary, Larry Summers, has said he does not believe the UK will manage to secure a post-Brexit trade deal with Washington.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Britain has no leverage, Britain is desperate... it needs an agreement very soon. When you have a desperate partner, that's when you strike the hardest bargain."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49240809

2019-08-06 07:05:38Z
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Senin, 05 Agustus 2019

Scots favor independence from United Kingdom, Ashcroft poll shows - Reuters

LONDON (Reuters) - Scottish voters would back independence and they want another referendum in the next two years, a poll published on Monday showed, indicating that the United Kingdom could be wrenched apart shortly after it leaves the European Union.

FILE PHOTO: Saltire flags fly at the border between England and Scotland near Berwick on Tweed , Scotland March 10, 2017. Picture taken March 10, 2017 REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

Asked how they would vote in an independence referendum, 46% of the 1,019 surveyed Scottish voters said they would vote for independence and 43% said they would vote against, according to a poll by Michael Ashcroft.

Excluding those who said they did not know or would not vote, this amounted to 52% to 48% for an independent Scotland.

“I found a small majority in favor of a new vote – and the first lead for an independent Scotland for more than two years,” Ashcroft, a Conservative who opposed Boris Johnson’s successful bid to be prime minister, said.

Johnson, who took over from Theresa May last month and is unpopular in Scotland, was booed as he entered a meeting last week with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who is demanding London agree to another referendum.

The poll is the first lead for Scottish independence in a published poll since an Ipsos MORI survey in March 2017, and the biggest lead since a spate of polls in June 2016, shortly after the EU referendum, Ashcroft said.

If there was another referendum and if Scots voted out, it would mark the biggest shock to the United Kingdom since Irish independence a century ago - just as London grapples with the fallout of a possible no-deal Brexit.

DISUNITED KINGDOM

Scots rejected independence by 55 to 45 percent in a 2014 referendum but a three-year political crisis in London and differences over Brexit have strained the bonds that tie the United Kingdom together.

The United Kingdom as whole voted 52-48 to leave the EU in a 2016 referendum: England and Wales voted to leave but Scotland and Northern Ireland voted to stay.

Irish nationalists have demanded moves towards Irish unification in response to Johnson’s threat of a no-deal Brexit.

The nations of Britain have shared the same monarch since James VI of Scotland became James I of England in 1603 and a formal union created the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707.

Today, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland includes England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

INDEPENDENT SCOTLAND?

One third of Labour Party voters, a majority of those who voted to stay in the European Union in 2016 and 18% of those who voted against independence last time said they would vote for independence, Ashcroft’s poll showed.

A majority of Scottish voters up to the age of 49 said they would vote for independence, including 62% of those aged 18 to 24, Ashcroft said.

Scottish independence would thrust the rest of the United Kingdom and the newly independent Scotland into talks on how to carve up North Sea oil revenues, what currency Scotland would use, and the fate of Britain’s main nuclear submarine base at Faslane near Glasgow.

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which runs the devolved government in Edinburgh, says that a second independence referendum is justified as Scotland is now being dragged out of the bloc against its will.

But British prime ministers since David Cameron, who agreed to and won the 2014 Scottish referendum, have repeatedly ruled out another referendum on Scottish independence, saying the 2014 vote was cast a once-in-a-generation vote.

Johnson said last week while on a visit to Scotland that the independence vote was a once in a generation event but a constitutional crisis could be looming over who has the right to allow another referendum - Holyrood or Westminster.

Seeking to tap into a cocktail of historical rivalry, opposing political tastes, and a perception that London has mismanaged Scotland for decades, nationalists say an independent Scotland could build a wealthier and fairer country.

“Attempts by the Tories to block Scotland’s right to choose our own future are undemocratic and unsustainable,” Sturgeon said in response to the poll.

Unionists say independence would needlessly break up the United Kingdom, cast a vulnerable Scotland into the high seas of global politics and usher in years of financial, economic and political uncertainty.

Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Michael Holden and Angus MacSwan

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-eu-scotland/scots-favor-independence-from-united-kingdom-ashcroft-poll-shows-idUSKCN1UV0HY

2019-08-05 06:29:00Z
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Minggu, 04 Agustus 2019

Peggy Grande: Brexit and Boris -- If you care about liberty you should be watching UK debate closely - Fox News

As the world watched Boris Johnson become prime minister of the United Kingdom, the preeminent question, of course, is will he – or won’t he – navigate a successful exit for Great Britain from the European Union by the new extended deadline, Oct. 31?

His words and his cabinet selections reaffirm his intent to do so, but Parliament has already dug in its heels, stating its opposition to a “No Deal” Brexit, apparently setting the two sides up for a continuation of the Theresa May stalemate.

In the U.K., Brexit remains the defining issue for this generation, throwing party alliances aside and realigning friends and foes under new monikers of "Remainers" or "Leavers." In 2016, nearly 52 percent of the British people voted to leave the European Union and reaffirmed their desire to be independent, sovereign and free from the suffocating oversight and regulations of the EU. Three years later that exit still has not happened and the appetite for “Leaving” among the British people continues to intensify, not wane.

BORIS JOHNSON'S GOVERNMENT SETS ASIDE ADDITIONAL $2.8B TO DEAL WITH POTENTIAL NO-DEAL BREXIT FALLOUT

Many say this is a problem for the U.K. to work out and shouldn’t involve or affect anyone outside of the EU. However, defenders of liberty should not only be watching closely, they should be adding their voices to the global conversation where the defining question is much larger than the U.K.'s "Remain" or "Leave." The battle for the heart and soul of the world is raging, yet one side doesn’t even realize they’re in the midst of a fight for their own future.

If the results of the 2016 referendum are not upheld and the levers of power, rather than the votes of the people, are allowed to win by force rather than by free and fair elections, then democracy in the U.K. has been thwarted and the world should be gravely concerned.

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The voice of the governed will be deemed entirely irrelevant. And their votes will have, in essence, been nullified. Think about that happening – and where it is happening – in one of the oldest democracies in the world. It is truly terrifying.

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On the road ahead, just beyond the U.K.’s quest for freedom from the EU, is an even more crucial fork in the road. Two divergent paths with lasting, if not irreversible, consequence. Choices being made independently by individual countries around the world will tip the global balance of power toward greater national sovereignty, or toward surrender to multi-national organizations.

The world is "getting smaller" as everyone becomes more connected, but that does not require the surrender of identity or foregoing self-governance. Just because you are friendly toward your next-door neighbor doesn’t mean you are obligated to give him the keys to your house, your car and your bank account in order to live peacefully and cooperatively.

The enemies of Brexit have been successful in delaying its implementation and poisoning the global narrative. The will of the people has been overruled by those who think they are smarter, know better, or are more capable than the average voter.

Global alliances and national sovereignty are not mutually exclusive. They can, and should, work in harmony. Nationalism doesn’t mean animosity toward other nations, it just indicates a pride in and a preference for things affiliated with one’s own country. Until recent history, that would have been simply called patriotism. Now it’s labeled as politically incorrect hate speech.

It's a bit ironic the “colonists" who wanted independence from the U.K. now align with their former rulers to support their own battle for independence. Some say that lending a voice of support now to British "Brexiteers" constitutes interference with a foreign election. That couldn’t be further from the truth since the election already happened – over three years ago! If we want to call out interference, true interference is coming from the U.K.’s own Parliament, where members refuse to accept and carry out the results of the national vote. Talk about obstruction!

American interference did come from President Obama, though. Just prior to the Brexit vote, he warned, "The U.K. is going to be in the back of the queue” for making trade deals with the U.S. What a terrible way to treat our closest ally!

More recently, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., tried to put her own arbitrary conditions on the Brexit negotiations by threatening that the U.S. would not sign any trade deals with the U.K. if it weakened the Northern Ireland peace agreement.

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She said this knowing full well that Johnson had already expressed his desire to eliminate the Northern Ireland "backstop" altogether. The so-called backstop ties EU membership and the border question into impossible, intertwined conditions which seek to punish the U.K. and serve as a warning so that no other nation ever dares leave the EU.

The enemies of Brexit have been successful in delaying its implementation and poisoning the global narrative. The will of the people has been overruled by those who think they are smarter, know better, or are more capable than the average voter. This should be a sobering reminder that the forces against liberty will stop at nothing, even three years on, to ensure that freedom-seeking voters in the U.K. and all around the globe are silenced.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE FROM PEGGY GRANDE

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https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/brexit-boris-johnson-liberty-uk-debate-peggy-grande

2019-08-04 15:28:17Z
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Brexit: UK calls on EU to renegotiate or face no deal - BBC News

EU leaders must give their chief negotiator the mandate to revise the UK's withdrawal agreement, otherwise a no-deal Brexit is "coming down the tracks", the Brexit secretary has said.

Writing in the Mail on Sunday, Stephen Barclay said "political realities" had changed after May's European elections.

New MEPs were elected in 61% of seats, he said, marking a "fundamental shift".

He called on EU leaders to allow Michel Barnier to negotiate in a way that finds "common ground" with the UK.

Brussels has consistently insisted that the withdrawal agreement - one of two main elements of Theresa May's Brexit deal, which was resoundingly rejected by MPs - cannot be renegotiated.

Mr Barclay said Mr Barnier had told him in their discussion last week that he is bound by the instructions given to him by the European Commission and leaders of member states.

But the change in the EU Parliament means there is a need for the EU to alter its approach, Mr Barclay said.

"Mr Barnier needs to urge EU leaders to consider this if they too want an agreement, to enable him to negotiate in a way that finds common ground with the UK. Otherwise, no deal is coming down the tracks," he said.

By contrast, Boris Johnson's appointment as prime minister strengthened the UK's mandate to leave on 31 October, he said.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ramped up his rhetoric over his desire to take the UK out of the EU by 31 October, as part of his "do or die" commitment.

He has clashed with EU leaders over his demands to remove the Irish backstop - which prevents a hard border if the UK and EU fail to agree a long-term trade deal - from the withdrawal agreement.

Irish Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told Mr Johnson this week "the backstop was necessary as a consequence of decisions taken in the UK".

But Mr Barclay said the backstop could mean people in Northern Ireland having EU rules "foisted on them" indefinitely to preserve the open border.

He rejected the UK staying in the customs union and the single market as a solution, saying the border issue should be resolved in future talks on the long-term trading agreement with the EU.

"There is simply no chance of any deal being passed that includes the anti-democratic backstop. This is the reality that the EU has to face," he said.

Speaking last month, Mr Barnier said demands to eliminate the backstop were "unacceptable" and Mr Johnson's approach to Brexit was "rather combative".

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49223319

2019-08-04 08:59:51Z
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Boris Johnson announces £1.8bn one-off cash boost for NHS hospitals - BBC News

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced a one-off cash boost of £1.8bn for NHS hospitals in England.

Of this, almost £1bn will be available immediately to go towards new equipment and upgrades to 20 hospitals.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson said he was "determined to deliver" the promises of the Brexit referendum campaign and increase NHS spending.

But Labour said it fell "significantly short" of the amount needed by the NHS and would not reverse years of cuts.

The money is coming from the Treasury and is not a re-allocation of funds from the Department of Health.

It is on top of an extra £20bn a year by 2023 announced by former prime minister Theresa May last year.

Around £850m - spread over five years - will go towards funding the 20 hospital upgrades that Mr Johnson promised in his first speech as PM outside Downing Street.

The remaining money is expected to help clear a backlog of existing upgrade work and infrastructure projects.

He will formally announce the funding on Monday, when he is expected to identify the hospitals which will get money to upgrade wards and repair buildings.

But the health think tank the Nuffield Trust said the latest funding, which is less than 1% of NHS England's annual budget, would "only be a fraction of what it would cost to really upgrade 20 hospitals".

Nigel Edwards, the Nuffield Trust's chief executive, added that it it was a "down payment on the staggering £6bn needed to clear the backlog" of NHS maintenance.

However, he said it was encouraging to see money put towards capital funding - used for equipment and repairs - "which will help stop hospitals deteriorating even further".

In October, NHS Digital figures showed that NHS trusts had a backlog of around £6bn of repairs or replacements that needed carrying out.

'A small step forward'

The NHS in England can hardly do anything other than welcome new money from the Treasury to invest in hospital buildings and launch new construction projects.

But the £1bn this year to clear the backlog should be set against a total of £6bn which hospital leaders and think tanks believe is the total of work outstanding, including repairs and refurbishment of dilapidated facilities.

On top of that is £850m for 20 hospitals to carry out major upgrades, but spread over five years.

The latest announcement covers capital spending as opposed to day-to-day running costs.

After raids on these capital budgets to prop up NHS frontline services in recent years, health service staff will feel there is some way to go to make up the lost ground - and only a small step forward has been taken.

If you can't see the NHS Tracker, click or tap here.

Writing in the Sunday Times, Mr Johnson praised the "astonishing achievements" of the NHS, but highlighted the staffing pressures, along with the delays and cancellations facing patients.

"Which is why I am so determined to deliver now on the promises of that 2016 referendum campaign: not just to honour the will of the people, but to increase the cash available for this amazing national institution," he said.

In the run-up to the Brexit referendum, a campaign bus used by Vote Leave claimed the UK sent £350m a week to the European Union and suggested the money could instead be spent on the NHS.

However, analysis by the BBC found that claim to be misleading.

In his column on Sunday, Mr Johnson wrote: "It is thanks to this country's strong economic performance that we are now able to announce £1.8bn more for the NHS to buy vital new kit and confirm new upgrades for 20 hospitals across the country."

He said the government was also starting work on plans to "tackle the injustice" of social care - a problem "that has been shirked for decades".

The PM added that Health Secretary Matt Hancock and Chancellor Sajid Javid had already met the head of NHS England, Simon Stevens, as they wanted to ensure the cash "gets through to the right places".

Writing in the Sun on Sunday, Mr Hancock said the money would boost hospitals across the country - from Cornwall to Newcastle - by providing new intensive care wards, children's units and mental health facilities.

Saying that the upgrades "are just the start", he added that the government wanted to take a more "strategic" approach to capital spending, and move away from "piecemeal and uncoordinated" decisions.

There are also expected to be extra funding settlements for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, as part of the Barnett formula - which is used to decide how much devolved governments will receive when funding is increased in areas such as health and education in England.

Around £115bn was spent on the NHS England budget last year.

Responding to the funding announcement, shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said the £1.8bn pledged fell "significantly short of what's needed to provide quality, safe care to patients after years of Tory cuts".

He added: "Tory ministers have repeatedly cut capital investment budgets in recent years. These smash-and-grab raids have meant over £4bn slashed and seen the NHS repair bill spiral to £6bn, putting patient safety seriously at risk."

He told Sky's Sophy Ridge On Sunday programme the investment promised by Mr Johnson might not actually take place, claiming only £100m of £2.5bn of health spending announcements over the past two years had been delivered.

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Baroness Jolly said Mr Johnson's pledge would "not be worth the paper it's written on" if and when a no-deal Brexit took place.

Cancer Research UK said the investment would go "some way to address the immense strain" the NHS is under but said the staffing shortage should take priority.

Policy director Emma Greenwood added: "Upgrades to hospitals are welcome but the NHS is experiencing a staffing crisis. And it's impossible to diagnose more cancers at an early stage without the right staff."

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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-49220911

2019-08-04 10:40:43Z
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Brexit: UK tells EU to renegotiate or face no deal - BBC News